Climbing Solo at Chembra Peak

There I was was walking along the snaking path, lush green tea gardens on either side of me. The valley below me laid out in an intricate pattern unique to tea plantations. Not a single person on the road. Then I remembered the following words (I was texting to a friend of mine telling her about my plans for a solo journey, and this is what she had to say)  - 

"There is no fun when we are alone. If we enjoy a solo journey, then it is not because of fun, it is something else" - 

 At that time I was adamant not to admit that its true in my case, at least partially. I hadn't intended to go alone, but since I couldn't find anyone to accompany me, I set out on my own. There was a sudden sense of urgency to travel, to go outside and explore places, meet and talk with people. The place that I chose was Chembra Peak in Wayanad.

On 14th of April I went to Kollam Bus Stand for a bus towards Kalpetta, where I had already booked a room. I had found a very good deal from RedBus. The bus that I had in mind was the Trivandrum -Mysore super fast which was to arrive at 19:40 hours. Whenever 'I' am waiting for a bus or train, the normally punctual vehicle will be definitely late. So I had expected this, and was not disappointed. The bus was indeed late by a whole hour. So by 20:40 the bus left Kollam towards Kalpetta While travelling towards Kalpetta, my thoughts raced back to those times when I took this bus to get to Mysore Infosys. It was almost 14 hours, at the end of which all the passengers walk out of the bus battered and drained. I also relieved that this time I'm travelling only till Kalpetta. I fell asleep a few times, and had short sleep intervals of 30 -45 mins. Each time I woke up, I was greeted with a new scenery. Finally at 5:30 in the morning I was woken up by a hard pull towards one side. The whole bus was swaying to one side and I new very well what this was. It was the start of the hair pin curves. There are a total of nine. Now that the climb had begun, sleep or rather any possibility of it became nil. All that's left to be done was to enjoy the scenery as the bus began the difficult ascent. 

At 6:00 the bus was passing through Vythiri and then around 20 mins later, I saw shops with sign boards, that said that I was passing through Kalpetta. Then the bus stopped. I was dazed and confused, thinking that it was the main stop, I grabbed my bag and jumped out. That was mistake number one. No wait, I am not going to be numbering my mistakes, because there are quite a few of them, and its gonna get all boring and systematic with their listing.  With a double bell, the bus was gone. I was standing on the side of the road, looking left and right and decided to walk in the direction in which the bus went. I walked for a good 20 mins before realizing that I had walked past the lodge. I re-traced my steps and found a deviation from the main road, which I had previously missed and found the lodge nestled away from the main road and hidden from view. The room was more than what I had bargained for. After taking a bath I switched into a fresh pair of clothes and went out.

Chembra peak is at Meppadi in Wayanad. I had lost my way trying to find the lodge and ended up near the bus station, where I had seen buses plying towards Meppadi. So there was no difficulty in getting a bus. It was a mini bus and was empty as it left from Kalpetta. Along the way it took on passengers and from Chundale junction it turned towards Meppadi. Tea and coffee estates wrap either side of the road. Each of the bus stops and the people boarding it gave off a rustic feeling. There was a calmness in the air, no rush, pushing or shoving inside the bus. I was not able to see the hectic daily races so very common in cities. After some time I reached the town and got off near a rather busy looking junction, which was the penultimate stop. The last stop is further away from the route towards Chembra peak, besides I was hungry and wanted to get something to eat. Found a place called Vanitha Mess and had 3 dosas and a tea. On second thought I had one extra dosa for the road. I struck up a conversation with the owner of the establishment to get a good idea about transportation facilities available. The news was disheartening. There's another 8 kms from my current location the start of the trek. And the only mode of transportation are private vehicles. He said that people normally come in groups and take an auto-rickshaw or hire a jeep. Both were out of the question in my case. I was travelling with my shadow and the voice in my head. I asked him whether it was a good idea to walk. He said its doable. From that point onward I was preparing myself mentally for the walk of 8 km. My plan was to complete those 8 km in 1 hour and still make it in time for the climb. This was crucial as I wanted to start climbing before the sun started his climb. I paid for my meal, thanked the old man and walked out to where the road begins. I got a bottle of water from a nearby shop and confirmed with the owner the actual distance till the start of the trail. He was amazed that I was going to walk that far. He advised me to get a shared auto. It was simple. But there was a catch. The auto will depart only when its full. The auto-driver was advising me that I'm running out of time and kept reminding that it's dangerous to climb during mid-day as I might get a sunstroke. He was trying to persuade me to travel alone and pay him the whole amount which was around  Rs. 150 - 200. I smiled and said I'll wait. And it took another 30-40 minutes before the auto was full. There was an old man who took a seat along with the driver, a middle-aged guy, an older woman, 2 kids and yours truly. The road was poorly maintained and as promised he only took Rs. 20 from each of us. He dropped me off at a distance of 3 kms. I had 5 more km to go. But before that I had to buy the tickets for trekking from the forest office. I asked some locals where the office was and he said to walk . Which brings us to the start of this blog. The view to my right was truly spectacular and breathtaking. I clicked a pic and moved on.

Walking with my jeans was proving to be too much of a hassle. So I stopped and took out a pair of shorts and changed into them, then and there on the side of the road. As I was lacing up my shoes and folding the jeans I saw a bike coming towards me. I asked him whether he could drop me near the forest office, to which he readily agreed. After a km or so he stopped and said that his house is that way - pointing to a path that led off the road and the office was in the opposite direction just up the the road. I thanked him. He asked me to take the short cut through a small footpath etched into the hillside. I climbed up through the bushes and cut across some trees to land directly in front of the office. The road on the other hand goes straight and takes a hair pin turn to get to the office. The officer there said that the trekking fees was Rs.750 for a group, even if that group has only one person. I already knew this, so I agreed and paid the amount. I also asked him to provide me with a guide. (This turned out to be the only smart move from my part on that day). The name of the guide was Rajesh. From the office to the start of the trek was another 3 kms or so. I was starting to walk and the officer who gave me the ticket said that the guide will take you in his bike. Yay!! Finally! The bike was actually a Honda Activa Scooter, I am not complaining or anything. It was a great ride. The only real problem was the road. It was pathetic and I was afraid that the shocks might break because of the gutters. Rajesh explained that the whole area is owned by the Chembra Estate and they haven't handed over the roads to the government. So there is currently a dispute going on regarding the ownership and hence the roads aren't being repaired. After 10 more minutes of back breaking gutters we finally came to a stop near a check post. The ticket I  took from the office was checked here. They will also checked your bags for alcohol and other prohibited materials. Since I had a guide with me they didn't bother to check my bags. You also have to pay a deposit for the plastic bottles that you carry up. You'll get the deposit back when you bring back the empty bottles. This is done to discourage littering (Again I was not made to pay this.)

From there we began what would turn out to be one the most grueling 45 minutes I've ever had. The trek starts out slow and steady. The path isn't much difficult to engage, but its very deceptive. The slow ascent is almost unnoticeable at first and too easy that you start to take it faster and end up tired before you know it. Rajesh had warned me about this, but being too excited I completely forgot to take it easy. The start of the trail looks somewhat like this. After some 100 meters or so the terrain starts to change and you can feel the ruggedness of the ground beneath you. Within another 10 minutes I was relying on the water i was carrying with me. Blame it on the sun and my bloody stubbornness to climb in the middle of the summer. Soon enough  we broke through the trees and came into a clearing and I was looking back to a spectacular view.

Behind me far below is the tea estate through which I came. We were now above the canopy of trees and directly under the sun. The climb was starting to become a bit more difficult. I slowed down a bit and started taking more water breaks. I kept on asking how much more and Rajesh would always reply 'A bit more, just a bit more'. All along we kept overtaking other groups.So I guess we were still the fastest that day. Sometimes we would encounter some steep climbs and there would always be an alternative route which Rajesh would suggest. Often I was forced to climb on all fours and the dry ground would sometimes be slippery with the gravel. After climbing over yet another small hill the peak became more prominent.

The summit was shrouded in clouds and in was beyond another stupid hill. I was getting tired of these small hills. There seemed to be no end to them. The only solace amidst was the fact that I am actually doing this. Finally, we reached the final point of the trek. The heart-shaped lake. The peak still loomed above us waiting to be explored. But after the recent sighting of a rare species of bird the trek to the summit has been restricted. It was now time to relax and take in the sights. There was a cool breeze and the view was reward enough for the climb. From here once can view all the major parts of Wayanad. There were only two groups at the the top when we arrived. After some time other parties began to trickle in. And soon enough everyone started clicking away to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and what not!! I guess a couple of pictures wont be enough. I'll never know. This was how the peak looked that day.

We had ran out of water and Rajesh said he'd go an get some from a nearby stream and asked me to wait here. Left all alone I was pondering about the sad state in which our forests and parks are reduced to. There is control on the amount of deforestation that's occurring and pretty soon more and more bald spots will appear amidst the greenery. If I were to come back here after 10 years there might not be much to see, i,e if the trend is left unchecked. We have a responsibility to the generation that comes after us. The forests, rivers and mountains that we inherited should be given to them in a better condition than  when we first got it. Rajesh came back with a bottle full of fresh stream water. It was really cold and surprisingly clear and tasteless. I was not able to find a single speck of dirt in it. He said that they all use the very same water directly without any purification whatsoever. From the view point he showed places like Kalpetta, Vythiri etc. I don't exactly remember the whole list, besides it was a bit cloudy and hence I could make out very less of the places that were shown. I took some more pics of the peak as the clouds parted and decided that it was time to head back.

Getting down is as difficult as climbing. This is a fact that we all conveniently forget, until gravity starts shoving at your back. We descended at twice the pace and pretty soon we were half way down. On the way down I clicked more pics of the mountains that were on either side. Were were practically jumping  and hopping down when  I misjudged my landing and along with my current momentum I couldn't stop there. I started to run down so as not to fall down and yelled out to Rajesh, who was directly in front of me. He promptly stepped out of the way so that I wont collide into him and take him down with me. I was able to slow down and stop myself by grabbing hold of a branch. After this I became more cautious. All the while we could see new groups climbing up. After retrieving my bag from the watch tower we walked back to the parking area where the scooter was kept. Back at the ticket counter I had a hearty meal, which we had ordered in advance (before we started). After that Rajesh dropped me off at the auto stand from where I took another shared ride to Meppadi. On the way back to my hotel room I decided to visit Pookodu lake asI had enough time on my hands. I got off at Chundale Junction and took another bus, which dropped me off at Thalipuzha Bus Stand from where I walked for 10 mins and reached the lake. I've been here before a couple of times. But this is the first time just by myself. I've never been a fan of boating, so i skipped it. You have to pay 10 rupees for an entry ticket. Found an empty bench overlooking the lake. It was a clear sunny day and there are a lot of tourists. Some were trying their hand (read leg) at pedal boats, while others took the motor boats.  After a while I decided to take  a walk around the lake and return back to my room.

As you can see Wayanad, is a pretty vast area and it cannot be covered in a single day. My primary goal was to visit Chembra peak and I completed it. I'm sure the scenery would look much much better once the rains arrive. The hear shaped lake and the trail path would all be blanketed in greenery and even as I'm writing this I'm planning to take another trip after the rains. It is best to avoid trekking while the monsoon is at its peak. Also it' pretty disheartening that I was not able to trek all the way to the peak. I seriously doubt that they'll re-open it to the public.

Until next time :)

SHE : Ekla Cholo Re - Book Review #3

Before I begin, I would like to thank Mr Santhosh for asking me to review his book and for sending a signed copy of the same. A correction, its not a novel, but rather a short story.Spanning just 50 pages it can be finished within an hour or so.

Mr. Santhosh is an alumnus from IISC Bangalore. I haven't had the opportunity to read any of his previous works. In his latest book titled SHE, the author tries to bring to light a topic that has been shunned and/or considered taboo especially, in the context of our Indian Society. The story revolves around a transgender, who narrates his/her life story. The protagonist was born a 'he'. But he was more inclined towards the feminine side. His struggles while growing up and the challenges that he faced from all angles of life make up the main content of the book. Social norms are what often dictates and draws the line when it comes to notions of right and wrong. And social norms in turn are born from one simple rule - majority is always right. The dogmas by which our civilized society operates on a daily bases when torn apart for a closer look seems mostly fragile and shaky. 

Hats off to Santhosh for writing a book on such a controversial topic. Coming to a review of the book, there's not much to comment on. The story is solid, engaging and well written. The downside is that it is too short and before you know it, you are at the last page. The editing is a bit off, here and there, could have been improved. This could be overlooked given the fact that the book was written as more of a social message. The characters are likeable and do not stand out, rather they blend in seamlessly into it. Definitely this book is something more than the bullshit  romantic novels being churned out by the Great Indian Romance Mill. I would have loved to see a full length novel emerge from this.

P.S. - Loved the ending!!

My verdict-

Kanyakumari - Part I

The 2nd and 3rd of October 2014 were holidays for Infosys. And for a long long time, everyone has been looking forward to these two days because of the simple fact that it was a Thursday and a Friday. Couple that up with the normal weekend and you are left with 4 consecutive days to do whatever the hell you want. Erase from your mind that damn cubicle, those TL's, the ever annoying PM and the stupid formalities that you have to adhere to, even if its just to ask someone 'Hey, can I do this instead of that?'. Thank god they haven't laid down ground rules and policies for farting. 

Driven nuts by various reasons, which I am not at liberty to discuss here, I decided to go on a trip. The only place close enough so that I can be back home the next day was Kanyakumari or Cape Comorin. Travelling along with me was my close friend Bichu and his brother Kichu. On the 2nd of October we took the 9:10 train (a MEMU) from Kollam To Kanyakumari.

The train was almost empty as we left Kollam Junction and after three or four stops it was gradually getting filled. It stopped at every station between here and Kanyakumari. After an hour or so, we started feeling down. We were looking at our watches, staring at people and just gazing outside the window. It was also the day when our PM had started the 'Swacch Bharath' initiative. All the railway stations were teeming with volunteers. Its kind of sad that we always need to put a label on things to give it more of an importance. Only when there is a name and some publicity attached to these things do we get into the groove of it. We had started wishing for the train to somehow reach our destination. The heat was also becoming a bit of a bother when it was noon. After Trivandrum Central Station, the views were all new to me. Half an hour later we passed into Tamil Nadu, the station names printed in Tamil confirmed this. After another grueling hour or so, we started seeing mountains on either side of the horizon.

We were nearing Nagercoil, which meant that we were getting close.  On stopping at Nagercoil Town I was disappointed to see such a small station. But I was proved wrong when the train halted at the next station, the real Nagercoil. The place looked really good. Maybe next time I'll come here.

After some more time, and a couple more stations we halted at the Cape. Not a very busy station from the looks of it. Could be because the majority who come here are tourists. Besides it was almost 2 in the afternoon. Anyway we needed to find accommodation for the night. So we just walked into the station building and  asked the first auto-rickashaw guy we saw, to take us to a lodge/inn. He was more than happy to help. And the only condition that we put-forth was that it should be as close to the town as possible. This way we could walk around the town and always make it back to our room. Had a short chat with the guy along the way. It turns out that his name is Michael, and it was no surprise that he could speak as well as understand Malayalam. After all, we were only just a couple of hours away from Trivandrum. There was this sloping path which went up from the main town center and on both sides of this path there were many lodgings. He first took us to a place run by some christian priests. But it was already at full capacity. And then it was another hotel, but the guy there tried to swindle us. Then finally as were coming downhill, there was a hotel where we didn't stop because Michael said that it was full. I just asked him to stop and said that I'll enquire anyway. By some weird stroke of luck it turned out that there was a party checking out and we grabbed the room right away, The guy there charged us Rs. 750 per day. It was a pretty good deal, and we were also not in a position to  bargain. And we gave  Rs.50 to Mr.Michael for his 'services'. This unprecedented rush was due to the long weekend and you could say that the town of Kanyakumari was at it maximum capacity.

Let me quickly describe the room. There were two beds, an attached bathroom and a washbasin. Sliding windows will sun-film coating were present on either two opposite walls and a ceiling fan were the air-conditioners present. A table and a chair were the only piece of furniture that I could notice. There was a TV which mostly had Tamil Channels and one or two Malayalam ones. After checking in we immediately went to have lunch. By then it was almost 2 pm. We found a decent looking place and ordered lunch for Bichu and myself and dosa for his brother. Afterwards we walked towards what seemed like the heart of the town. To be honest there were no plans in place. We just walked.

The first place that we went to was the most rated and touted as the number one to do thing in Kanyakumari - Vivekananda Rock Memorial. We didn;t have any difficulty finding the place, because the queue to the ferry service that takes you there was winding along through the streets. It was almost evening, around 3 pm and after a close look at how the queue was progressing and at the length of it, (which was increasing even while we were contemplating what to do) we decided that it was not gonna happen today. The main reason was that there was no guarantee that we were going to get that ferry, even if we stood in that queue for a full hour or so, because the ferry operated only till 4 in the evening. So there was a  good chance that we might end up wasting a full hour doing nothing but moving in queue.

Instead we decided to explore the beach. We walked towards the temple which was clearly visible from where we stood and went through it to the other side which opened into the beach. There was a multitude  there just loitering here and there, not really sure of what to see and do. I was expecting a huge beach with lots of sand, a place to sit down and stare at the sea. Always expect the unexpected, this is what I got instead. Rocks, rocks and very little 'beach'. Accustomed to the unending stretches of beaches in Kollam and Thirumullavaram this really disappointed me. However the view of Vivekanda Rock Memorial and Thiruvallavur Statue is quite imposing. Very close to the beach there's a Gandhi Memorial. Gandhi had visited Kanyakumari in 1925 and 1937. After his death in 1948, his ashes were brought here and kept for public to pay their respects. The memorial now stands where the ashes were kept before it was immersed into the sea. The memorial was completed in 1956. Entry is free, though you need to keep your footwear outside and that 2 rupees (Ha!!)

Pic taken from Wikipedia

The monument looks like this. The architecture seems to be inspired from the sun temple at Konark. It is designed in such a way that on 2nd October, the rays of the sun, through a hole in the roof fall exactly on the place where the urn was kept.( I didnt know this neat piece of fact when I visited the place, that too on the exact same date. If only I'd known this earlier, I could have clicked some photographs)

We went inside the monument....




To be continued in Part II.

False sympathies and delusions of compassion.

So the other day I was on my way to the office. Took a bus to the railway station. In the sweltering heat and the constant humidity that has been plaguing us for the past few months, I was trying to find some relief by taking in the sights and sounds through the open window of the bus. Waiting at a signal at the town center, my eyes fell on the road side vendors. With their makeshift stalls, propped up wooden sheets over plastic crates, trying to make a living selling clothes, footwear and various other items. The take up half of the footpath with their items and if you think about it, yes its a nuisance.

I've had this habit of 'observing' people in their daily interactions. There was a shopkeeper engaged in a conversation with an old woman who had in her hands a  pair of sandals. From the body language of the shopkeeper I could sense that he was adamant and that he's not going to budge on the price. From afar, on the opposite lane, sitting on a bus, I, comprehended the scene unfolding in front of me as I would a silent movie. The woman was passionately trying to get a bargain, the guy not to give one. People are passing by them, none of them paying them any mind, everyone busy with their own lives (Oh, no I'm not blaming them). I thought about the seller. My main query was how he's gonna close shop at the end of the day? The second was how he was surviving out there in the heat. The third was how much he was earning a day. What was he going to get if he makes that sale? How many people might be dependent on him? There was some weird sense of altruism taking over my mind. I looked at the other shopkeepers,  "they are all trying to make a living" - a voice inside me said. The signal turned green, with a grunt, the engine roared and the bus lurched forward. And just like that the scene was gone, the shopkeeper, the bargaining lady and the people passing by them. I tore my eyes away from the road and to the inside of the bus......

Higginbothams at Quilon station (Pic courtesy - http://www.pksands.com)

On reaching the railway station, I looked at the white board where the trains were written. Train No 16649 Parashuram Express was late by 45 minutes. Its no big deal, nothing to be surprised about. Be happy that its late by only 45 minutes. As I walked out onto the platform, I saw an a friend of mine,on his way to Bangalore, taking a few days off, he said. After exchanging pleasantries we bid each other farewell. My train was to arrive on platform 1. Did you know that platform 1 of Quilon Junction is the second longest platform in India at - 1180.5 meters (First place goes to Gorakhpur - 1366 meters). Waiting for the train can be a real pain. And I am not every good with this whole waiting thing. I started walking around, just to kill time. A group of porters were taking a break, sitting on top of the cargo that they were carrying. There were a lot o f shops selling snacks and drinks. The benches were all full, there was a television, pouring out some nonsensical crappy advertisement about some jeweler. Everyone looks tired and half head, must be because of the heat, I thought to myself. On platform 2 separated by two tracks is the iconic Higgin Bothams store. It sticks out like something that doesn't belong there. An old relic of a bygone era. Who knows how long before it vanishes? 

To the other side of platform one is the shorter platform 1A, where trains towards Punalur start their trip. Looking along the platform, i saw a patch of white moving over the tracks at a distance. I knew it was a dog. I took another look and confirmed that it was a puppy and walked towards it. There were no trains in 1A and there weren't many passengers either. So the platform was almost empty, save for a few people standing here and there. Standing on the platform I looked down at the creature below. I was looking down on him. His fur was white, but it had mud and dirt all over. Part of his face was discolored, mostly from some skin infection. Could hardly be 3 or 4 months old, frail and weak. I could clearly see his ribs and thin limbs. The hollow eyes were crying - 'HUNGER!'. Walking all over the tracks smelling here and there for something to fill his tummy. Trying to get something before the end of the day. He was accompanied by two crows as well. It was a sad sight and I asked to myself - "Should I?" And i heard that all familiar voice replying - "Do it!". Walked over to the nearest shop and looked for the smallest packet of biscuit. The smallest they had was Goodday for 10 rupees.The guy at the counter was counting coins. Apparently someone had brought him coins. So there he was counting, 50, 55,....60,...and I stood there waiting for him to finish. All this time, I was looking at tracks making sure the puppy was there. But I couldn't see him. On reaching 100 he took out a Rs.100 note and gave it to the person who brought the coins. He handed me the biscuit and I paid him. Took the biscuit and walked over to the place where I last saw him.Alas! From the platform's edge I saw the dog walking away, feebly, I was a tad late. I stood there, with the food in my hand, not quite sure what to do. Can I call him? Will he come over here again? I can't jump down and go after him, nope. The sad white ball of fur, skin and bones walked away ever so surely, step by step away from me. Over the tracks and beyond the MEMU shed, until finally, he disappeared behind the buildings. The biscuit was still in my hand, in a swift and deft motion I pocketed it. The voice that urged me to do it was silent.

The train came in another 30 minutes or so. I got a seat and started reading. At the next stop a guy walked into the compartment with a bag full of peanut candies. From my seat, I could see that there was definitely something wrong with him. It was due to the way he was looking at people. As he came closer I saw that he was blind. The guy was begging people to help him. A compartment has 108 seats in total all of it was occupied and some 10 passengers were standing. From among them just 2 people bought the candies. It was priced at 20 rupees per packet. Those who were kind enough to buy from him, gave him the money and took a piece each. He might be able to tell apart the currencies by touch. As he came near me, the voice was back - "Buy" it whispered inside my head. I closed my book, the blind man was near my seat and almost passed me by. I caught hold of his hand, stopped him and said 

'I want one'. 

'Twenty Rupees' - he said. I took two ten rupee notes and handed it to him,

'Take one sir'- saying this, he held out in his handful of sweets. I saw that he had peanut as well as sesame sweets. I took the peanut one and put in inside my bag. Somehow I felt good. The voice was whispering  - "Well done!".

I got back to reading and soon enough, there came an old lady begging for alms. Someone up there is trying to mess with me today. I guess God is having some fun. She came to my seat and stretched out her hand in front of me. I kept my head down at the book, pretending to read. I didn't look at her not acknowledge her. The voice inside began - 

"Give her someth--".

"Shut the hell up!! I've had enough of you for one day!". I silenced him for good.

The beggar went on forward. I started reading with a clear mind. I didn't think about her, nor was I sad for her pitiful condition. I guess I've had enough for the day. How convenient huh? 

I continued reading till I reached Kazhakuttom.

The Year So Far

So, yet again I find myself thinking about,what has been and what's going to be. It is February, and two months into the new year. Life is rolling along like an out of control vehicle that's lost its brakes. And I'm like the driver inside who is fighting with the steering wheel to avoid crashing onto something. Just hoping that I'll be able to bring this analogical vehicle to a stop. Get fixed up and start again. Lets wait and see. 

What have I done in these 2 months? Well, I started writing my journal, again. Picked up on the  weekend runs, began reading books - Completed four so far. The last one I finished was "For Whom The Bell Tolls" - by Ernest Hemingway.  I traveled to Pondy and Mahabalipuram on the third week of January (Planning to write a detailed blog post on that). The only thing pending was blogging, but I guess when I publish this one I can tick it off my list. 

A special note - Today is Feb 14th - Valentines day and also a Sunday, and my heart goes out to all the people working on this day. Yes I am in my office, monitoring logs, checking orders and learning Python, waiting for the so called incidents to occur. Not like it would've made much of a difference otherwise. (Who am I kidding?) I'm listening to The Cure as I'm composing this, and from this day forth I might make this a tradition. Listening to the following songs on 14th Feb every year -

• A Letter to Elise
• From the edge of the deep green sea
• To Wish Impossible Things
• Just Like Heaven
• Pictures of You

Even though they are said to be the best breakup bands, masters of gloom and doom with Gothic vibes, I personally find their songs peaceful and easy on the ears. My relationship with their songs began during my first year of college. It was 'Pictures of you' that came to my mind and refused to leave me alone. The overall mood of their songs might be about loss, regret and sorrow, but the lyrics are some of the best. Period.

So , this is me signing off for now

Here's a valentines day special heart I made in python :

from turtle import *

def floatingRange(start,stop,step):

    while (start != stop):

        start = start + step 

        yield start   

color ('red','red')

begin_fill()

left(140)

forward(120)

penup()

home()

pendown()

left(40)

forward(120)

for i in floatingRange(0.0,14.5,0.5):

    forward(i)

    left(i)

right(140)

for i in floatingRange(0.0,14.5,0.5):

    forward(i)

    left(i)

end_fill()

done()

And here's the output :

 

 (I know it needs some modifications, but whatever)

Top 10 Melancholic songs (according to me)

We're almost half way through the year and I was shocked to see that there were no new posts this year. Damn! I need to be more consistent. So today's topic( its more of a list) is Top 10 Melancholic songs. This list is made up of songs that I've heard over the past few years, and somehow even today when I think about some sad tunes, the lyrics from these enduring works pops-up inside my mind. Now for those of you who have heard more, or much better songs than the ones listed here, i please do feel free to share them here. 

When I started writing this post, I just pinned down all the sad songs that came to my mind. As expected there were more than one song by the same artist/band. In order to span across  multiple genres and create a more versatile list, I've limited this list to one song per artist. I haven't included any oldies. Maybe those songs are better off in a list of their own.

Also, these songs are not in any  particular order. You can assign any rank you wish.

You're Beautiful - by James Blunt

James Blunt is always quite the melancholic, but with 'You're Beautiful' he has touched something deep within our hearts. The intro seeps with sorrow, the song itself is crying. The captain at his best. Here he meets this former lover at the subway with another man. He goes on to say that he wont lose no sleep on that, cause he's got a plan. The original music video is also worth watching. You cant help but start singing this one, (at least in your head) whenever you see a beautiful face irrelevant of the fact that you know them or not. I think I did this very recently while going to work.

     Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton

                       
                        Would you know my name, if I saw in you in Heaven.
                        Would it be the same, if I saw in Heaven?
                        I must be strong and carry on,
                        Cause I know I don't belong, Here in Heaven....

                                   

I came to know later that this one was written following the death of his four year old son. But,  you really don't need that piece of information to start crying when you hear this one. One thing that i find most fascinating about Clapton is the simplicity of his lyrics. But don't be fooled, its  often simple words that reach out to us. A very good example of this is 'Wonderful Tonight'. Few songs do this as good  as Tears in  Heaven.

Hurt - Johnny Cash Version

                                   

The Nine Inch Nails really deserves credit for writing this song, but it was Johnny Cash's rendering of this piece that stole the show. Cash passed away shortly after recording the song and its music video. His distinctive voice brought out something more dark and hidden in the lyrics and gave the some more meaning. It was an fitting song for Johnny Cash, and the music video attempts to draw parallels from his turbulent past. What more can I say? Here's how the song goes..

       What have I become, 
       My sweetest friend
       Everyone I know goes away
       In the end.
      And You could have it all, 
      My empire of dirt
      I will let you down
      I will make you hurt....

Every Breath You Take - The Police

Do you want to learn how to rhyme? Then do listen to this one. It lesson 101 in rhyming. Nowadays we are made to sit through stupid crap that tortures your ears, because somebody wanted their lyrics to rhyme and the end result is some garbage words mixed together to make half-sentences and what not. I do believe that this one is the quintessential stalker song. The music video is too simple and shot in black and white which makes it even more endearing.

Creep - Radiohead

Creep is really a creepy song, with the longing to be recognized and accepted rather than be a nobody in the crowd. It's about how a person admires his lover and he describes himself as a just a creep compared to her, who's just perfect maybe too perfect for him. It begins with this line

"When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye..."

But my favorite part is this one :

"I don't care if it hurts
I want to have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice...
When I'm not around... "

Pictures of You - The Cure

This was 'the' song for me for a long long time. All of us, at some point or the other goes through a phase and during that time, we will hold on to song, day and night and make it our own personal anthem. Somehow I felt that Robert Smith had written this one, just for me. Its a powerful song, and the long intro sets you right in the mood for it. I strongly suggest that you don't skip the intro.

   "I've been looking so long, at these pictures of you,
    That I almost believe that they're real
    I've been living so long, with these pictures of you
    That I almost believe, that the pictures are all I can feel.. "

Heaven's Not Enough - Steve Conte (from Wolf's Rain)

I dont know what makes this song, so great, when I heard it for the first time on Wolf's Rain (an awesome anime series) I was lost in it. Ever since that day, it has always been on my playlist. 

Once you finish watching the anime series, you need to play this song once again, that's when this song hits you hard, for the second time. From a slow start it picks up only to wind down again and then you go for the replay button, over and over and over...

Heaven's not enough

if when you get there..

just another blue

and heaven's not enough

you think you've found it

and it loses you

Mad World - Gary Jules

So I was watching Donnie Darko, and suddenly this song starts playing....

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere... 

It was Mad World. The song was originally composed by Tears for Fears, when Gary Jules made a cover, it became slow and agonizing. Compared to the fast paced original one, this version lingers on, emanating pain your head. My favorite part of this song :

....And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had...

Need I say more? I am not gonna write much about Mad World, except that I always like to hum it when I 'm at my office. Somehow it seems to describe my surroundings with utmost perfection.

The Scientist - Coldplay.

The music video to this song, is as depressing as the song itself. They've made good use of the piano and it adds to the somber mood .The video is played backwards, and finally we get to see what happened and why Chris Martin is singing his heart out. Coldplay has given us some really good songs like Clocks, Paradise, Viva la Vida, Fix You etc.But this one right here, with its haunting tune and melodious rendition of a lament about wanting to start over, and how he was sorry (for something) takes the spot. The mention of science in between is what resulted in the title - The Scientist. 

   "....I was just guessing at numbers and figures
   pulling the puzzles apart,..questions of science, science and progress
   do not speak as loud as my heart..."

Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

                             

Good Riddance by Green Day is also pretty depressing, but I feel this one here is their magnum opus, when it comes to sad stuff. 21 Guns is more of an anthem, so I wont consider it here. It follows the general anti-war theme prevalent in American Idiot. It's got one of the most recognizable opening chords. Even when the beat drops and the drums start pounding away, you'll feel pain. Trust me on this.

Wikipedia tells us that this song deals with the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father when he was a kid.  

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That's all folks, share your comments and let me know if you liked this post. Have a nice day...

Rainbow - Shades of Love (Book Review #2)

Let me start off by saying a big 'Thank You' to Mr. Aman Jassal for asking me to write a review about his debut work and for sending me a signed copy. I haven't blogged anything new in almost a year. Your request through Goodreads asking me to write a review on my blog was unexpected and I was reminded of something that I  love to do, but slowly, over time forgot about. Thanks again for the motivation.Now lets get to the review part.

Rainbow- Shades of Love by Aman Jassal.
This is the author's first book and is published  by Teenage Publishers priced at 150 rupees .The synopsis of the novel is as follows :
_________________________________________________________________________________

This is not a book to teach you about love or how to get a beautiful girl to bed, rather it reveals how bad things can get if you don't set your priorities right. It's a story about the most explored life aspect ' Love' 'Sex'.

YUVI, a pleasure seeking boy, falls victim to the same notorious life facet called love. Simran's beauty sweeps him off from his feet and he leaves no stone unturned to seek her special attention.As he falls in love, he also sleeps around with all the erroneous girls, and when his fate threatens to take his love down, he promises himself to stop all of this and come out of the wreckage … But then, his past deeds come back to his present, and that tears his life apart. 

What follows is an uneasy course of getting his love back on board.The story reveals the life of today's youth, their friendships, feelings, priorities, and ineptitude to handle relationships while not forgetting their turmoil between the two critical facets of life: LOVE & SEX.

Love makes the world go round … Or is it Sex? Based on real life experiences and tea time gossips. _________________________________________________________________________________ 

Too much details for a synopsis if you ask me. Could have trimmed it a bit and left out some details like his life getting torn apart. As written in the synopsis the main characters are Yuvi and the love of his life Simran, who happens to live right across his PG and by sheer coincidence also happens to be so damn beautiful. (What an opportunity!! The universe seems to plotting for you Mr.Yuvi). Its narrated as a flashback. Yuvi  is an experienced Casanova kinda guy. He is well versed in the various techniques to get ladies. But for the first time, he feels something different, an he falls for this girl, Simran. He lies to her from the very beginning and doesn't come clean at all. The lies keep on piling like back-papers in B.Tech.

Amidst this he has the nerve to sleep with two other women and cheat on Simran. The author has tried to imply that Yuvi succumbed to the advances of the other two women rather than acting on his own accord, but thats not how I felt while reading. Its not that he forgot about Simran before jumping into bed with them, rather he remembered his love for her on both occasions before nailing the coffin shut on his relationship. How appalling! And we are supposed to feel sorry for such a guy? Sheesh!! Give me a break!

Things go south with Simran (as expected) and he finds himself in a crisis. The characters in this novel are kind of hollow. They dont leave a lasting impression on our minds, especially Simran. She is boring, annoying and to put it plainly I didn't like her at all.  To me it felt like just another story, with all the familiar recipes found in today's Indian books - hero, heroine, friends, love, trust, betrayal , blah, blah ...blah!! There is little or no character development.

The story is simple and doesn't go in to explore the theme which is, to quote the author : "...the most explored life aspect 'Love' 'Sex'." One other thing that I found amiss was the title. It says rainbow and shades of love, but the story doesn't do justice to the title, or rather should I say the title doesn't do justice to the story? I am confused. I read the book, but that's just it, it's bland and feels somewhat hastily written.

However, considering that this is Aman's first book, I commend and congratulate him on the effort. Everyone has to start off somewhere. I hope to see more works of his and better ones at that. All the best.

My rating :