Bravo Base Bravo Base

It took time for it to sink in that this was a call sign I had to respond to during my time in Kabul. There were times when I felt weird carrying the heavy walkie talkie around. Using it in public places undoubtedly attracted unabashed stares from people that made me feel as if I were giving instructions to blow off a bomb!

This was part of the ‘settling in’ process, which was sooner that expected, thanks to my colleagues in Kabul who were more than helpful. The excitement of working in Afghanistan, having to adjust to many things new, the opportunity to travel, the average Afghan’s love for everything Indian (including the dubbed version of ‘Saas bhi…’ and other Ekta Kapoor TV soaps!) definitely helped. The security issue that was a major decision factor eventually had to become part of life. Remembering the days when security advisories and news of bomb blasts circulated over email, I feel quite amused by my reaction “I can’t be bothered about that, got to do my grocery shopping!” – not quite literally though. All along when I was frequenting my favorite Kabul restaurant on TTK Road, I never imagined that I will live in the ‘real’ Kabul one day!

As time passed, the urge to gatecrash every party in town slowly faded away. I found myself spending more time pursuing my hobbies of pottery painting, reading and blogging, catching up with friends, and of course preparing for the next holiday! A chance to visit the provinces is something I always look forward to for the sheer beauty of the landscape.

There are things I still miss about Chennai – the nightly chat and giggle sessions with my sister, a movie at Sathyams, shopping at Spencers, Globus, or even on the pavements, relishing chaat at Gangotree’s and lot more. But Kabul does have nice restaurants of varied fare, which is a blessing. And I do manage to shop occasionally at Chikan Street for gifts.

The toughest thing for me to handle is the homesickness and here I must sincerely thank my many friends in the Chennai office for providing ‘logistics’ support and acting as a link between my home and me. The last year in Kabul has been very fruitful with a holistic learning experience. As I continue my stint here, I pray His grace remains.

A winter holiday to Kalinga

It seemed almost unreal that we were aboard the train to Orissa after all the confusion about deciding on a holiday destination. A pleasant train journey marked the beginning of a wonderful trip. We reached Balasore sleepy eyed on a cold morning, and were ready to go but not before a refreshing chai at the railway tea stall. A couple of inquiries landed us in a decent hotel in a bustling market area by a 10 min rikshaw ride. Food was our major concern, but a marwari basa nearby proved to be a blessing.

After lunch, a ride by the trekker (jeep) took us to Chandipur beach. The sight of the trekker reminded of the our own MTC buses, the locals were hanging from all sides. Reaching the beach, the sight really had us stumped. Twice a day, its waters recede a good 5-km offshore and proceeds rhythmically back by evening, giving water lovers the ultimate pleasure of walking into its shallow depths. There was thin film of water beneath our feet and lumps of sand were set in a wave-like pattern. Given my mom’s paranoia for water, I and my sister managed only 2 kms into the sea. It was getting dark fast and eerie thoughts of water gushing in from the sea was enough to hasten us back to the shore.

Next morning, we took a passenger train to Bhadrak, which got its name from the Bhadrakali temple situated little away from the town. It was an hour’s ride by auto on muddy and bumpy roads, through villages lined with mud houses and curious onlookers. The shrine was serene, untouched by modern civilization.

We share a passion for the Indian Railways within the family. So coming back to the station, it was not surprising that we spent the next 3 hrs on the platform (literally!) enjoying the passing trains, before we left for the temple city of Bhubaneswar. The train was late by an hour and we reached there in the stillness of the night (read 11:30 PM). A rikshaw-puller helped us get accommodated at a hotel in a nearby shopping area.Our first day in the city, we visited the temples of Lingaraj, Mukteswara, Baital Deul and Raj Rani. The temples at Orissa are based on the Indo-Aryan style of temple architecture, with the Lingaraj temple being the quintessence of Orissan architecture - the beauty of it unparalleled! But with all due respect to the temple, the visit would have been more enjoyable if not for the annoying guides.

The second day was marked by visits to Dhaulagiri, Udayagiri, Khandagiri and Pipli. Dhauli is famous for the Ashokan rock-edicts and Shanti Stupa (peace pagoda). Udayagiri and Khandagiri hills are Jain centers and the rock-cut architecture is worth seeing. Pipli is known for its appliqué work and vibrantly colored cloth lanterns.

The next day we visited the sulphur hot springs in Atri and thanks to my friend, had the pleasure of spending an evening by the side of Mahanadi river. The sunset was a spectacular sight and I was lucky to capture the moment on film. A visit to Bhubaneswar is not complete without a trip to Nandankanan zoo, famed for its white tiger population , along the rippling waters of the Kanjia Lake. We enjoyed the simple pleasures of boating, toy train ride and cable-car ride.

Reaching Konark the next day, we spent a full day marveling at the architectural beauty of the magnificent Sun Temple. Puri, the site of renowned Rathyatra festival, was our next halt. It looks a quaint old town, but the scene changes as we reach Badadanda road, with a plethora of shops lined up on either side of the road and hawkers selling their wares. Puri is also famous for pattachitras (palm leaf paintings), horn work and wood carvings.

After a good darshan at Lord Jagannath temple, we took a passenger train to Balugoan, one of the nearest points to Chilika lake. Chilika is the largest salt water lake in Asia and attracts migrating birds in winter. We stayed in a small hotel overlooking the lake, paying a ‘premium’ for stay in the 1st floor. But here again, the sunrise merited it. We touched upon bird island and Kalijai island during our four hour boat ride. The boat ride was a pleasurable experience where a music troupe retold local folklore.

With our holiday concluded, we returned to Bhubaneswar to take the train back to Chennai. Regretfully, we were not able to visit Taptapani hot springs, Gopalpur-on-sea, Koraput and few other places, but there is always next time!

Solace in tears

Sitting on the brink of my eyelids
The tears threaten to fall
I struggle to hold them back in vain
But they softly roll down my cheeks

There seems gratification
Even in the throbbing
It’s something that I do not understand
Never did, never will

The pillow provides the solace
As though it were my only friend
I bury my face into it
There is no stopping after that

Every bead has a story to tell
Of my love, of my pain…
I smile through the tears despite
As peace envelopes my heart...

On a Mithila trail

Many curious eyebrows were raised when I decided to holiday in Bihar, of all places. I am sure it would not have been my choice either if it was not a place of historical and archeological importance. Fortunately I have my friend living in Patna, erstwhile Pataliputra. I have traveled very less in the north so my joy knew no bounds and I really looked forward to experiencing the bitter cold in December (a luxury for a Chennaite like me!)

And so I, my sister, dad and mom started off on a long train journey with the weather just perfect for a holiday. My friend arrived just a bit late to receive us giving us the opportunity to bask in the winter sun. But we were only too glad to bundle up inside a car and get into the comfort of a home very soon. The aroma of fresh tea filled the air, which we were to learn later was the effort of his cook, Abu - a naïve young Bihari boy of 18 whose world seemed to revolve almost entirely around the kitchen. During our 10 day stay, he made sure that we were more than well fed, albeit his customary menu consisting of dal, chawal, alu and papad. He had become an entertainer of sorts with his funny replies, and his typical response ‘hum alu cheel rahe hain’ when questioned about what he was doing, whatever time of the day be it.
The next day dawned bright and sunny and it was nice of my friend to take off from office. With a chauffeur-driven office car at our disposal and goodies packed for us to eat, we headed to Rajgir, famous for its hot water springs. Though the place was laid out very conveniently for the visitors, it was too crowded for our liking. We then planned to take the winch to the peace pagoda on top of the hill but lost all enthusiasm seeing the queue. Finally we ditched the idea and drove to Nalanda.

I have read about Nalanda University in history books but was not prepared for what I saw. The area it covered, the structure, the technical aspects, the tone of the rocks, the warmth of the surface, the ruinous state in which it now stood - resulted in a surge of emotions in me. We just stood there not saying a word and somehow the concept of a holiday seemed to change. Given an opportunity, I could just sit there the whole day gazing at the colossal structure. I was even beginning to envy the flower vendors! Closing my eyes, I conjured up images of scholars walking all around me carrying manuscripts. I know I sound crazy but how great to be able to be transported to that time zone for some time (although I would be such a misfit)………….sigh! So much for wishful thinking. Forced back to reality, we headed back to Patna.

The next day, we traveled to Gaya. After visiting the renowned Vishnupad temple, we walked down to the ghats where the Falguni river flowed. The water barely reached up to the ankles, nevertheless it was cool walking on the water feeling the soft sand under the feet. With nothing more to do there, we proceeded to Boudh Gaya. This is the place where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment seated under the Bodhi tree. It was my first visit to a Buddhist temple and I felt mesmerized gazing at the imposing idol of the Buddha inside. The silence maintained inside the sanctum was amazing. The temple had Buddhist relics and prayer flags all around, and holy script written in Bhutanese. It was interesting to see the architecture of the gopurams. Satisfied spiritually, we headed back home for a piping hot dinner before we wound up for the night.

We pretty much stuck to the city the next day allowing my friend to visit office for a few hours! Lunch was followed by a cozy afternoon nap. Soon after tea, we were raring to go. We touched upon Golghar first - a huge dome-shaped granary. A spiral staircase ran along the dome reaching the top. For the first time I felt uncomfortable amidst crowds, Patna is not a place to be roaming around even in broad daylight. People make you feel as though you are an alien from outer space by staring unabashedly. I was relieved to get out from there and we went to a Gurudwara. First timers again, we were told that this Gurudwara was special. The tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs was born here in Patna Sahib. One of the volunteers took us around explaining the history of the place. After the prayers, all devotees were given a hot sweet dish, the taste of which still lingers in my memory. As Abu had gone to his native, we had dinner at a South Indian restaurant and retired early for the night.

We had one last place in our agenda to be seen - Vaishali. We started late afternoon the next day on a nice long drive with lush greenery following on both sides. At one point, we deviated onto a mud track and drove on reaching Vaishali, in the middle on nowhere. It was past 5 PM already and the weather was cold. There was steady breeze and the mist hung heavily in the air. But what struck me immediately was the serene atmosphere, so much so that a calmness seemed to envelop me. The white structure of the peace pagoda stood majestically against the perfect backdrop of the darkening sky. We took our own sweet time going around the pagoda and the experience was blissful. As darkness fell, we left the place.

Our holiday was coming close to an end but not before spending two days in Jamshedpur. I have a friend, Sainik who stays there with his wife and I also persuaded Arun into joining us. Jamshedpur is named after Jamshedji Tata, the business icon who was instrumental in setting up Tata Steel industry here. It is interesting to note that half the population of this town will have atleast one family member working in Tata. A visit to Dimna lake followed by a visit to the botanical garden summed up our sightseeing. It was an emotional and memorable moment for my dad when we stopped by Madrasi Sammelani for South Indian delicacies, a place that my dad used to frequent during his work tenure with TTK in 1969!

As all good things come to an end, so did our holiday. We never realized how the days had flown past so swiftly and it was now time for us to take the evening train back to Chennai.