Arugudi

Wayanad, Am I to be blamed? As I walk alone in this journey  Defaced, dejected and distraught  I hear the cries of death and mutilation wondering if, I am the one to be blamed. Constantly torn and disfigured am I  But you never hear me groan My patience and strength,  a boon or a curse  I wonder if I am to be blamed. As I walk further tainted and bruised I constantly wish to be whole again Those sleepless nights of fear and death I wonder if I am to be blamed, again.

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." - Marcus Garvey Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a country with rich history and deep rooted culture welcomed me with open arms on a drizzly morning of June. The sun which had set behind the majestic mountains overlooking the Garden-City heritage themed Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport the previous evening had decided to resurface behind a fleet of green aeroplanes with the markings of Vietnam Airlines, parked in the east of Noi Bai International Airport. The red flag with a yellow star in the middle hoisted proudly on all the available posts in Noi Bai International Airport told a story of its own, a story I was keen to listen. But, the rising sun had already woken up my internal clock which had in turn convinced my stomach to produce digestive juices in anticipation of a sumptuous breakfast. Thus began the quest for some Vietnamese staple, Pho or the traditio...

"मोहब्बत, चीज़ बड़ी ज़ालिम है, आज मेरी है, तो कल किसी और की सपने तो सारे काले ही है, न कोई रंग, न चमक उसकी गोर करो भाईलोग, आज यह सच मैं कहता हूं ये दुनियां ही सारी कमीनी है, न सपने है, न मोहब्बत उसकी।।" A huge applause with joyous shouts of "wah wah" followed these lines at the 'Sardar da dhaba', on the Chandigarh road, a little further away from Zirakpur towards Delhi. The audience comprised of tired truck drivers, sleepy cleaners, the over enthusiastic dhaba staff and simple nomadic travellers like Abi who were all waiting for their steaming hot parathas with extra makkan and their choice of the delicious punjabi gravy, 'thadka maarke'.  This newly formed local 'Mirza Ghalib' was a man in his late thirties, who clearly had had one too many of his desi daaru which was clearly visible from the number of empty glass bottles abondoned at the edge of his charpai. He resembled a hippy, with his baggy green pants carelessly tucked into his bulky b...

It was that time of the day when the cattle lazed back to their sheds after a good day of grazing. Smoke spiraled off the chimneys as the preparations for the evening feast was in full flow. The once tar roads filled with huge potholes had totally been transformed into newly built concrete ones, a novel remedy for low maintenance in rural areas. The hard working toddy tappers were busy at their work on top of the trees just like the rubber tappers emptying their tapping cups at the bottom. We were attending a reception in the coastal region of Karnataka which was evident with the sweat dripping off our faces. The stage was all set for an eventful evening of tradition, rituals, folklore and stories that Dakshina Kannada district is known for. Fully aware that I wasn't the first one to board the bus heading towards a wedding, this friend of mine had invited me to his wedding in a rather unique way. He had tactfully made a video covering the splendid view of his village with the gushi...

"Fredrick Douglas in his autobiography, ' Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas, An American Slave''  says, "Knowledge is valuable because it is the key to freedom..." Centuries later, under very different circumstances, I would like to emphasise that one of the most reliable and key contributors to knowledge is experience ..." said the speaker in his long and eloquent speech. I was invited to the annual day of a prominent company in Bengaluru. It was a well organised function with beautifully decorated halls  studded with eminent personalities and top shelf wine to raise a toast. Almost picture perfect! It was that time of the day when the sun kissed the horizon for the second time and the tired faces showed the efforts being put in by the listeners to keep their eyes from shutting. "The more you explore, the more you learn. Never stop yourself from taking the next step as you are always meant to be more. Experience is the bridge between classr...

He tried to look down. Wasn't easy to fathom the height at which we were desperately trying to open the second bottle of whiskey from a stock of four safely stashed in a black backpack. "It's at least a 900 feet drop, in case you are planning to jump. I guarantee two things if you try. One, I will not even consider searching for your body. Two, in case your lady luck holds up and someone finds your body, I'm pretty sure that it won't be in an identifiable state. So, conclusion, Yes! It's a good suicide spot" I declared, trying to poke fun at him. The response was a mixture of broken dialogues from a dozen Bollywood movies and it was confirmed beyond doubt that, 'Bandhe ko definitely chad gayi hai'. Ricky was a kind of guy who never focussed outside his high materialistic needs in life until he had one too many of his Glenlivet. The buffer zone of his alcoholic limit would be the description of his huge farm where he reared horses and trained his ro...