Sunday, May 29, 2005

A highway experience....

Just got back from trissur today, the "culture capital" of kerala. That's how my mom puts it. For the simple reason of she having her roots there. Anyway, took my bros palio. We took turns driving. Touched palghat, bro took a gulp of cola.
"Here saji, take the wheel !"
whoa, it was just me and the road. a few minutes down the road, and bro was sleeping like a log. My mom was too absorbed in thought to make a sound. Now some truth behind the pretty picture. My bro aint that bothered bout my driving. My mom, well, she sort of became stoic after all those trips to cochin with me behind the wheel of an even more powerful machine.

60...........70........80.........overdrive.....90.....100...... saw a vehicle up front...slowed down...4th gear......kept tailing him for some time....relaxing....back in the slow lane.............

PAAAAMMMM..... glanced right to see a van.. Green one ... Didn't know where he was going...coz i could see another vehicle right in front of me.

"Get Off. I am freaked out !!!"

He seemed to be screaming. Cant blame them. They spend days on the road.... They, very naturally, get freaked out. Had to give way. My mom rudely woken up from her train of thought, started advising. "EDA, VAZHI VIDU" (Give way)...... I had to oblige............
But me being the brat with a hurt ego. Had to reply.(what was all that talk bout driving on the slow lane?... Sorry .... But had to follow my gut instincts then, who knows, all that inbuilt anger could have turned me into a marauding manslayer!!!) Lowered my gear, can hear the engine roaring (Now that's meat !!) overtook the man-of-peace in front. Guilt all over. But still... Focused on the task at hand.... i had to reply. Driving the smaller car helped. Can see the barricades up ahead. a common sight on Indian "Highways"..( They serve a good cause i must say....for people keen on replying to green maniacs )..

he slowed down... With me right behind him...went through the two barricades... Yeah.. That's when i made my move.... Naturally the smaller vehicle had better acceleration.....stepped on the gas....Could feel the green maniac desperately trying to speed up...overtook him .... from then there was no looking back.....drove a Km or two.. glanced at the rearview mirror.....no sign of him....... i could feel the sly grin cross my face...

"yeah? sorry pal.......I 'M FREAKED OUT TOO....."

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Checking out W.Bloggar v4.00

I cant afford to stay online all the time. Blogging is to me an instantaneous, on the spur of the moment thing. You cant write a blog anytime u want. has to be spontaneous. Thus began my hunt for the offline blogging tool... downloaded W.bloggar... lets c if it works..

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Goodbye sweet home Coimbatore city !!

Will be leaving coimbatore in about two weeks. Quite a depressing thought to entertain. waiting for the huge wave of memories to hit me. Coimbatore was life. May you always grow this slow. Let not the world chase you down the busy boulevard of dreams. You always had the answer. You made my day for 22 years.
There are so many more to follow in these same rugged sidewalks. I 've loved every crack in them. Can say they will love it too. Cause perfection rarely creates memories. And these memories are one I'll treasure for a long time to come. The midnight walks. The Under-tree-outside-house conferences, forest college, Sweet Saibaba colony ! Every nook, every corner, a piece of me. A part so sweet to leave behind.
Will keep coming back to you. To relive these great memories and take with me some more. So here's to coimbatore city, my world for 22 years. Here's to you, to stay the same, to keep telling the world, "Yeah? It can be like this too !!!"

Monday, May 23, 2005

The Road Not Taken. Frost, Robert. 1920. Mountain Interval

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

1. The Road Not Taken


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20