A visit to Lat Sahib's HeadQuarters

As I focussed my camera to take a picture of the Governor's House(Raj Bhavan) formerly called Government House, I chuckled inwardly at my poor Pahari imitation of the name from the Raj era- Lat Saab-ek-haveli..

The rising mists of the Monsoon set the perfect stage for this symbol of ancient majesty
Green is the new Purple!-the Monsoon green Deodar and Oak trees flanking the building, stand tall as the royal sentinels..
The architecture style is called Victorian Gothic domestic style, but to my vivid imagination, the front facade of the building looked like royal chess pieces laid out in this sprawling 220 acres lush green space. The police in their khakis completed the picture as the bored pawns, policing the handful of tourists.

The foundation stone of the Nainital Government House, modeled after Buckingham Palace, was laid on April 27, 1897, and the building was completed in March 1900. If memory serves right, the scaffolding and the repair work is a constant feature here, maintaining a century old building in a moisture rich atmosphere is a tall order.
Inside the building, water has seeped through the cracks and crevices of time, slowly staining the walls black and turning wooden floors mouldy. The combined effect of the constant temperature changes and the occasional dramatic hailstorms has shattered the old glass windows and glass houses. The almost shrunk bows with missing arrows, and the rusted muskets no more look menacing however the decorative animal head mounts do look menacing in this picture of slow decay and death.

The repair work has been underway since the last three years and certain parts of the building are closed for public viewing, the whole upper storey is out of bounds for tourists. The entrance foyer, ballroom, the dining space, the visitor's parlor are open for viewing. Most of the old paintings hanging on the walls have been treated and restored, the copper artefacts and the elephant tusks in the front foyer gleam eerily under the light of the grand chandeliers, the piano is kept dusted and tuned, the ballroom floor is still bouncy courtesy the springs embedded between the wooden floor boards. The guide usually makes the heftiest person in the group to jump so that the others can feel the bouncy floors. I believe this is a daily performance for the empty chairs now sitting around the ballroom!

Interestingly there is a certain vanity in all the present day repair work, the guide tells you proudly that the new renovation is modelled to replicate the current look of the Buckingham palace. The wallpaper and the carpets are same as the ones adorning the British royalty and are imported all the way from England. This 'good' part of the building is not open for general public viewing and you need to have some 'good contacts' to witness the current day luxury befitting the 'de-jure' head of the state.

Stepping out of the building is a slight relief as the stale mouldy air inside gets overbearing after a while(true only for the public section).
The well kept garden is truly inviting with multicoloured shrubs of hydrangea in full blossom. The uninterrupted expanse of green surrounding the property is a true testament to British idea of leisure, wooded pathways with trailing climbers, ornate lampposts, resting benches under the trees, stairways cutting across hill slopes.

And then there is the Golf course, an 18 hole golf course spread
over an area of 50 acres, at an altitude of 6500-6580 feet above sea level. Set in a lush and pristine hilly terrain surrounded by mixed forests, the changing elevation and thin mountain air(your ball travels longer here) make it a connoisseur's delight . The golf course has an underground tunnel to channel water to the lowest part of the course, a marvel of engineering skills of 1920's.















Apart from the touristy stuff, we also stood for a while standing and admiring the engineering details of one of the big drainage channels (nalas) constructed in the premise to allow for easy drainage of rain water. The frequent landslides in Nainital prompted the Britisher civil engineers to set up an elaborate system of drainage channels to save the hills from the ravages of heavy downpour. The rains of last year and flooding in neighbouring SukhaTaal brought the spotlight back on the neglected nalas- the lifeline of the hills..The 'Nala's' are again topical and trending courtesy high profile HighCourt orders but the real life picture hasn't changed much..

Also in close vicinity of the Raj Bhavan are the most prestigious boarding schools of Nainital. Founded during the British rule, each of these schools has a hundred year old rich history and many young lives have graduated from these hallowed portals to real world.
As we drove past the gates of my Alma Mater, I was flooded with fond memories of walking to Government grounds for school picnics. It was a magical place then.. and it is an equally magical place for me even today..!

Coming Home-II

Nainital, India:

After a very long time-almost 7 years I came home to the Monsoons in Nainital..

While growing up, these were the magical days of rising fog, green ferns, wild flowers, random waterfalls, brown snails & slugs, yellow raincoats, duckback rainboots, rainy-day holiday. This was also the season fraught with the perils of landslides, roadblocks, cloudbursts, waterborne diseases, fungi growth and damp smells. Every Monsoon season a wild river would usurp an adjoining village; a cloudburst would wipe off a complete village; landslides would trap unprepared travellers, but I guess we had accepted these risks as part of nature’s plan.

And then last year happened, days of heavy rains, large-scale destructions, thousands of deaths. However to call it nature’s fury would be naïve, last year was a man-made disaster in equal measure. We became victims of short sighted, half-baked development projects-Tehri dam, large-scale residential construction in eco-sensitive zones, greedy commercialization of religious pilgrimage and absence of any backup plans for a natural disaster.

I saw the ravages of last year and the current onslaught of the rains as we drove along the twisted-turning hilly road from Haldwani to Nainital.  We passed by broken roads, partially blocked roads and impatient people. Despite the sight of the lush green, the general air of apathy agitated me. The critical part of me could not shake off the thought: “Things seem to move backward here..”. Is it just the realist part of me questioning the status quo or am I enamored with the developed world and so critical of my modest pahad?

California, Nevada, Pacific Northwest USA:

California Coast: Brown hills with ridges sculpted by the whimsical winds and patches of stunted trees hurdled together in trenches. The restlessly beautiful waters, the splash of colors at sunset, the joy of taking the less-travelled secret hidden roads and discovering small cozy houses or lavish large ranches in the hills.

Nevada: Brown barren mounds of dusty hills, some had random single English letters etched upon them. This barren monotony was occasionally interrupted by pockets of sudden greens and flowing streams

Sequoia National park:Dusty brown hills with withered brown vegetation, sightings of burnt tinder and warnings of forest fires. Then after you climb 3000ft above sea level, the landscape changes completely, the hills became verdant green. These hills are home to some of the tallest trees in the world- Sequoia trees. You also find the sun at its playful best here, playing hide and seek with you and staging multiple ‘sun-sets’ as you climb down the hill.

Pacific northwest coast:Dark blue hills at a distance separated from land by water bodies, floating white clouds over the hills, tourists flocking with camera's to capture the colorful totems of the Red Indians along the waterfront..

When I drove along the US west coast soaking in the beauty, I was completely at peace, not a bit agitated by anything. The only distraction was the question of where to stop and eat (so many choices) first world problem!

It’s a familiar story you leave a loved one behind to meet new people. You see the idiosyncrasies and struggles of the old world in sharp contrast to the convenience and simplicity of living in the new world. You come back to the old world, only to find it encumbered in the old struggles. You look into the shriveled face of the loved one, the sunken cheeks smiling a shy toothy smile to welcome you.. You try to muster the humility to embrace him with the same warmth without the arrogance of judgment but it’s a labored effort.. Its not how it should be..

Then magically from somewhere the white Monsoon fog descends upon the hills, it hides everything from sight- everything visible to judgmental eyes- it conceals all the colors in its white embrace; the only sound is the falling rain. I stand at my balcony, stretch out my hands to feel the raindrops and in that moment of complete peace, I am finally home to the Monsoons in Nainital..

happy bday dost!!

We laugh 
We cry
 
We love 
We lose
 
We walk
We stumble

hack each others minds
make it all worthwhile
to my bff...happy bday dost...!



Here comes one more

again and again :P

Floridaying!

In case it is not obvious this post is about living it up in Florida- the sunshine state!

It took me almost three years in US before I touched Florida beaches so the anticipation was quite high. In my mind I thought of Florida beaches as high-end party destination; the glamorous kinds where people come to flaunt their well-toned bodies and drink mimosas by the pool side. 

So we planned an old friends Bachelorette in Florida and headed out to party!

For comparison purposes, I thought of Rio beaches as being relaxed and unpretentious. The kinds which I would not attribute as sophisticated ‘water-sports package’ sporty but simple ‘football/surf board’ sporty. (Yeah football not beach volleyball). It’s a party destination again; but you come here to soak in the native experience..

I thought of California beaches as a lifestyle, where RV beach camping is a regular sight and young people jog around in the morning and walk their dogs in the evening. The beaches feel young and a part of everyday life. It’s the ideal destination for a road-trip, you’ll see the beaches, the mountains, the deserts everything as you keep moving along the coast.

These are just my general perception, I would not argue their merit..

The question now is did Florida live up to this anticipation?

Honest answer would be it wasn't what I expected it to be.

I came across the most peaceful of beaches-literally deserted beaches where dolphins just walked by you.  

I came across the playful white beaches and incidentally it was really easy to leave the crowded beaches and sail away to a quite island on the Gulf of Mexico where the water is perfectly clear for snorkeling and again chase dolphins!

So for me Florida was about lying on the front deck of boat eating water melons, soaking  in the sun, getting sprayed by the salty waters as we raced along the gulf of Mexico, listening to Reggae music-‘everything will be alright’..

I saw the partying but not the high end swanky clubs kinds but a very colorful Spanish-Cuban-Colombian roadside partying (7^th Avenue Street). Colorful splash of yellow-blue and green, a Scientology church (i haven't seen one before), lots of tattoo places and Cuban cigar shops, stores selling bric-à-brac from south east Asia, from Colombia, dresses from France and slew of pubs each trying to stand out in its own way and you could tell the clientele they were shopping for.

For me it was a feeling of déjà vu, like visiting the little cousin of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street (colorful, musical, flavorful, ethnic and the wildness of the partying crowds at night)

One reason to explain this anomaly might be the choice of destinations in Florida- Tampa bay area & Orlando. We didn't really spend much time in Orlando, so my sphere of vision would be just Tampa bay area- Tampa city and the beach towns of Clearwater and St Petersburg. My general impression was that these places had more local businesses running the show, they didn't have the familiar promenades with big brand stores. We found the food was really cheap- small cozy cafes serving good food to a loyal customer-base. Initially we fancied the idea of driving in a convertible, but then we settled for a budget Nissan Versa, although the Nissan made us scratch our heads with their bizarre design choices(the car seats felt funny and the dash lights were an ugly red) but there weren't too many posh/stylish drivers on the roads so we blended in just fine..
It was a small town feeling through and through, not some crazy party destination on steroids..(haha..just my imagination..)
In the end a place can offer a lot of things to a lot of different people, it all depends on what you are seeking for.. perhaps this was the Florida I was seeking!

I neither shot the video and nor edited it... but I am sharing it across here..
Credit: video swati, editing: parixit

Memorial Day travel-II

"How small is the earth and confined, watched and followed by the persistent horizons. 
The light like a cage has shut out the dark eternity and the hours hop and cry within its barrier"  -Tagore

'the tyranny of light'
'the freedom of darkness'
These metaphors sound contrary to popular poetic sensibilities, our literature abounds with references where light symbolizes all that is positive(freedom) and darkness is the connotation for everything that is negative(shackles).
But is light really the freedom that we seek or is it the oppressor that we are yet to fathom?

"The division of days and nights is not for me, not that of months and years. For me, the stream of time has stopped, on whose waves dances the world- like straws and twigs. In this dark cave, I am alone, merged in myself, and the eternal light is still, like a mountain lake afraid of its own depth. Water oozes and drips from the cracks, and in the pools float the ancient frogs. I sit chanting the incantation of nothingness. The worlds limits recede, line after line. the stars like sparks of fire flown from the anvil of time are extinct. I took shelter in the darkness, the castle of the infinite and fought the deceitful light,day after day, till it lost all its weapons and lay powerless at my feet."- Tagore

It is a joy to experience someone else's imagination when you are 250 feet below the earth's surface in the longest cave system in the world.
It is a joy to give in and experience a moment of complete cool darkness after fighting it at every step..
It is a joy to may be partially understand what someone meant behind a bunch of beautiful lines..

This stream of consciousness was inspired by a trip to the Mammoth Caves National Park in KY.  It was my first cave experience and between all the factual details about geography, geology, history, zoology and chemistry I had Tagore's poetry giving me company!

Source: National Geographic

A shout-out to Nashville, it has the best music scene I have experienced and I am sure no other city can come anywhere close.The evening started with a live piano rendition of 'American Pie'-Don McLean followed by 'Brown-eyed girl' Van Morrison, 'Wanted Dead or Alive'-Bon Jovi, 'Leaving on the jet plane'-John Denver, rich dose of country- Country girl(shake it for me)/ Walking in Memphis.. and the list goes on.. Actually I was sold with the first song itself :)

Also this was my second road trip and I again relived the green routes and the freedom of speed..

I wonder if Tagore ever pondered on this aspect of freedom..!!

Yellow post-it

Yellow post it notes.

Will u take away all my chores once I confess to thee?

Perhaps not!

Before I begin to write the long list of things that need to done,

I paused for a moment deciding which one to put on the top as the ‘the most important’

It’s a funny realization when you can’t quite make up your mind about that..

Anyways in the rush of writing, I scribbled 10 things without taking a break 

It’s a funny realization when you walk away from your desk only to rush back again

The ‘most important’ just missed the list somehow

I have never gambled in life

I have played a game of poker just once, and lost everything but $2
And traded the $2 for a cold bottle of water at an overpriced vending machine

I drink the water and think of the one lottery that is about to change my life..

Only if I had learnt to gamble in life!

Gambling everything and then taking the outcome in your own stride..
Its a tough lesson!
It's a funny realization that perhaps this is ‘the most important’thing
Here it goes on top of my list in the yellow post-it..

New Orleans-trip diary

A decadent red brick wall of an old decadent house with rusted brown sloping roof, wild climbers and flowers spread across the wall like an unintended mosaic, replicas of green crabs, green turtles, green reptiles-alligators & lizards with curled up tails climbing up the wall. ‘Photography not allowed’
A whimsical art display using the space between the back of a souvenir shop and an old house as an art gallery, one of the many New Orleans inspired art works.

A river on one side, a lake on the other, for the marshes it is their natural home and then the Gulf of Mexico finally emptying itself in the Atlantic Ocean. A city with a water body is always special; this one just became extra special. For the tourists this translates into different tours and cruises along the different water bodies. I would add that it’s a gastronomical tour as well, but I can provide no first-hand account here.

Historically New Orleans is a cultural cauldron (French, Spanish, African, and Native American Indians) and remnants of it are clearly visible in its architecture and lifestyle.
Upper floor verandahs with ornate cast iron railings and hanging potted green plants, beautifully colored paneled doors and windows, elegant patio furniture-wooden or cast iron, gas/electric street lamps outside the houses at night and narrow lanes with horse drawn carriages and red street cars –reminder of old world European charm.

The natural landscape-flora/fauna/the waters, the architecture, the music, the food, the arts, the history, the debauchery of Bourbon Street all create the New Orleans experience and for me it was the drive as well. My first highway driving experience..yayyy!

Tall, dense and spring green trees flanked the interstate on both sides, and when darkness finally descended, it seemed like the whole of existence was just the road ahead, the tall trees on both sides and the strip of dark sky above sliced perfectly by the trees to mirror the road below.
Life can be really simple sometimes- just a straight line drive at 80mph..

Country roads are a new experience for someone driving a Honda Civic sedan, perhaps for the first time you begin to notice a world where everyone else drives a Ford, Dodge or Chevy pickup trucks or SUV and you are the only one driving a Honda Civic. It is a rare experience!
Also there is the thrill of driving by and occasionally spotting agricultural aircrafts aerial topdressing farms. Did I hear you say that is just the perk you need to change professions and become a farmer..

I made this trip to the city after almost two years of wanting to go there and the city didn’t disappoint me. We covered a lot in one day, but then one day is never really enough. These are just some of the sights that I will fondly remember about New Orleans, and for someone planning a trip to ‘The Big Easy’, sign me up for a second trip!

Optimist about it..

I drove along as Bastille-Pompei song played along. Its not a very remarkable song but catchy in its own way. Some songs have this quality that a single line or the chorus just stays with you through the day and even for days for no apparent reason.. how many times we just exclaim that 'this song is stuck in my head', well it happens with me quite often.

So I found myself suddenly humming these two lines from the song to myself almost unconsciously..
'I'm gonna be an optimist about this../I'm gonna be an optimist about this...'
The correct lines happen to be:
How am I gonna be an optimist about this? How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
Well you hear what you to want to hear!

I was running around my usual route and then I saw this tree in complete purple-pink blossoms. I thought of the tree just outside my window, I have been noticing small shoots, sprouts, buds for few days but I am still awaiting the dreary winter cloak to disappear completely. Its getting there...I'm just gonna be an optimist about it.. I caught myself singing the 'improvised' lyrics..

 When you go swimming, somehow the person on the adjacent lane seems to be faster than you, more graceful that you, stronger than you.. when you are catching your breath he/she is completing laps effortlessly. Again it could only be my experience and not hold true for good swimmers out there in the pool, but I like to think that I am getting closer to being faster than some adjacent folks..I'm just gonna be an optimist about it.. 

The dreariness of winter is a real thing, Self doubt is a real thing, but a dose of unreal optimism sometimes helps..'So I'm gonna be an optimist about this../so I'm gonna be an optimist about this...'