Books I read in 2016

1. Einsten - his life and universe by Isaacson
2. 1984 by George orwell
3. F?@k Knows by shailander Singh
4. Nothing lasts forever
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
6. The Guide by R.K. Narayanan
7. Chanakyas Chants by Ashwin Sanghi
8. BA (bachelor of arts ) by R.K. Narayanan
9. The Old man and the sea
10. The Murder Of Roger ackroyd
11. Catch -22 by Joseph Heller
12. The Mahabharata part - 1 by Ramesh Menon

Kanyakumari - Sunrise and Statues

As I promised myself and the rest of my comrades, woke up ten minutes before my alarm set time. My tongue dried down as if I was walking in a desert and it was mostly because of the alcohol the previous day night .We have cleaned ourselves and reached the sunrise point before the crowed settled there. I have already asked the google goddess and be informed that the sunrise would be around 6.35AM. The crowd gathered around the bank of the sea with DSLR cameras tugging around their neck like ornaments and all the smart phones were taken out to capture the sun as if he would never come back or would never rise again. Meanwhile, we were tempted by the local photographs to get our faces snapped along with the rising sun and we were shown some pictures of people holding the sun in their hands, some one pinching the sun, someone even opening their mouths as if swallowing the sun. In the crowd, we were accompanied by some pretty Kerala girls so it was not like waiting at all.

The sun eluded us for some more time and around 6.45 AM, we heard some bell ringing and a small prayer - I was baffled but was told that it indicates the arrival of our king sun. At last, he has come out, Piercing the grey and blue clouds then rising high onto the sky. It was a beautiful scenery of the Sun rays falling onto the sea water and glimmering with a pride and beaming with an amusement whatever it was..but a worth waking up early in the morning. Next in our plan was to see the Vivekananda rock and Thiruvalluvar statue. It was a five minutes boat ride and as the queue was very long, visited the Gandhi memorial near the shore of the sea to kill some time. There are stair cases to reach to the top of the tiny memorial building, from there the sea view was good and can click few good picks also. I always like sitting on the beach or just watching the blue sea waves coming towards you and touching your feet and going back again. That waves fills me up with a great sense of calmness, a serene feeling mobs my mind. Such a joy to watch just that plain water waves rushing and creating the white bubbles. When we stood in the line to board into the boat to reach the Vivekananda rock, a series of old people wearing the blue caps appeared, it seemed they have come part of the tourist package.

We were given some dirty live jackets kind of thing for the five mints journey. The Vivekananda's rock spreads near the sea shore in the mansion like structure, we were led to a room and shown the foot prints of swami Vivekananda and in the background melodies karnatic music was playing which was so apt for the mood and the location. And the highest point in the rock has another room where the Vivekananda statue was stood and marbles and the walls are so authentic. The sea view from the rock was stunning. You just stand near the barricade like wall structure and look at the blue water, while the cold breeze kisses your face. it was so soothing and calm over there to just listen the sound of the waves and enjoying the site of the sun rays spreading on the sea water giving it that thick blue color and somewhere far, a small boat loaded with few people was going for fishing. While coming back, seen small birds were standing near the rocks and when the waves were hitting the rocks then the bunch of birds going away from the water, and when the water backed off then the birds were reaching towards the water to catch the few small fishes that were fetched along with the water,

During the afternoon, visited the Aqua world that housed the variety of fishes. Among the variety of fishes - some were lazy, some were shy, some were energetic and enthusiastic. Some were so moody as if they got tired showing up their skills to all the viewers throughout the day. parrot fish, gold fish, snake kind of fishes were special.

At the end of the day went to a near by church and i just do not know how to pray in there. the women there looking at us skeptically, honestly speaking the architecture of the church was good so wanted see and experience it, but spending the ten to fifteen minutes there was good. just sitting and doing nothing and absorbing into the silence was something really good.

As it was the time the sun bidding goodbye and going back to his den, we set our journey back to the familiar land of ours and its adieu to kanyakumari.

Kanyakumari ---> Journey Starts

It has been almost two months since I was planning for this trip but could not materialize it because of the various reasons.And this time i didn't want to miss visiting this bottom most part of India. packed all the things for the two days.There were two roots to reaching it from my place.We have chosen the second root as the google search of it suggested that the distance was less compared to the first but soon after, just thirty minutes into the journey, realized that the road taken was wrong.It was a bumpy ride with the bus taking twists and turns along the snake like road crossing each tiny village on the way and occasionally puffing our faces with the dust. Adding more misery to it, the leg room in the bus was less that made my knees hurt. People were getting into and out of the bus but still we were short of our destination.The only respite was the site of the wind turbines standing tall in the green fields and rotating its wings as if dancing to the rhythm of the music composed by the air. It was great to watch as the sun about to disappear from the green fields. Spreading the light red and white rays on the wings of the turbine.

Our plan was to reach it before sunset and enjoy the sun disappear into the enormous sea water. It was apparent that the sun was going to set in the kanyakumari and even in the rest of the India while we were in the bus itself. By the time we reached kanyakumari, it had become pitch dark. Checked in a hotel nearby the beach. As already missing the sunset,we decided to gulp some drinks to compensate it. Before settling in the bar, we took a stroll at the near by shops. This time I have tried some new drinks starting with red wine and ending with my favorite magic moments. The sea food was delicious.Whether it was because of the soreness of the brandy or the sweetness of the vodka, the tongue craved for more spice that was adequate in the prawn and fish starters. It was past midnight when we have gulped the last 60ml antique blue whiskey and making it settle with the other drinks in our stomach.We rambled along the deserted roads and cherished the tranquil environment with a joint and reached the hotel room.

In a dizzy and tiredness, I not only took a oath to wake up early in the morning but also warned and intimidated others to do the same.And excited to experience the sun emerge out of the sea water, piercing the clouds and rising above our heads. A sunrise awaits tomorrow...

A frog on the ventilator

I stay in a township away from my hometown and parents.its a good place with trees and lot of bushes around it. Mostly, its a quite place with all the family people staying indoors most of the time.I stay alone in a house allotted to me. Lizards,cockroaches,spiders and most often mosquitoes are my constant companions in the house. As i am alone, i let all these creatures but  mosquitoes wander in my house freely. On the right side of my bathroom has a ventilator covered with a split glass.One-day,when i am having bath in the bathroom, I observed that a small stone kind of thing is sitting on the ventilator wall but i ignored it.For the next two days also i saw the same thing, but did nothing and on the very next day, the curiosity aroused in me so, paid attention to it. It has a color of gray mixed with green and suddenly it opened its one protruding eye which is brown blue-ish. I have taken aback by it and it scared me for a second. Later i have come to the sense that, it is a frog. I took a stick out and tried pushing it out of the ventilator but it jumped here and there with the long hind legs creating more panic in me. After sometime i did the same thing with the stick, this time around it got scared and jumped more frantically around the bathroom before settling to the same position of where it was earlier.

After that i let it be there thinking it has made friends with the variety of creatures that stroll in my house. whenever i enter the bathroom, i see it and it sees me with only one belly eye, it is there always admiring my naked body when i am in the bathroom. Almost one week passed and it is our daily routine to stare at each other whenever we meet in the bathroom like the lovers in the old movie. But all of a sudden one day it disappeared, i searched each and every corner of the bathroom to make sure that it actually did disappear. I wondered that it might have jumped out with his fellow male frog (i strongly assume that - its a female frog !!!) or might have got bored of looking at my naked body so many days or might have fed up sitting like a baby over there all the time and i moved on with my life as i have other issues to worry about in life than an ugly frog in the bathroom.

All most a week passed, as usual one day morning, i entered into the bathroom and stared at the ventilator accidentally, and there again, in its usual posture staring at me with one swollen eye.

A Morning In Hyderabad

The sun rising just into the sky, its a hint of warmness on the chilly morning that even rejuvenate a moody and gloomy person. A super luxury bus has zoomed into the city leaving the dust and motor bikes behind, people hopping into the over crowded buses, college buses with pretty girls and boys plugging their head set and tuning into the latest numbers, somewhere at the back of the bus a studious student rummaging through the Hindu news paper, Techies having a variety of laptop backpacks on their shoulders and a Tupperware box hooked to one side of the bike trying to occupy and traverse through the tiny space available doing so, riding even on the footpaths, The work force of the shopping malls waiting at the outside of it for their immediate boss to come up with the keys and open the door, already enjoying their morning gossip about everything. small shop owners opening up their shop shutters with a beam of confidence and a hint of hope of doing a good business on this day too and seeking the so called Cash angel - laxmi devi blessings. Street vendors settling on the pavements and footpaths, Bachelor's grabbing the breakfast at the road side bandiwala with an amusement and appetite, after that Smoking a morning joint to relive the stress and later the junk in the stomach. devotees queued up before the temple to deprive the god of his early morning nap by poring him with all their troubles and wishes and requesting his blessings to make it another good day. the tourists hopping out of jumbo AC buses were surrounded by the auto drivers who are pleading and pleasing them by promising a good ride on cheaper rate to their sub destinations with in the city.everybody seems to be busy and absorbed into their own thoughts of making this day count.

Last Year - Those Books

One of the few things that excites me is reading a good book.though wanted to read more books in the last year, could not do it because of the other commitments. Still, i have managed to read some good books.

Last year, I have read..

1. I too had a dream
2. To kill a mocking bird
3. Malgudi days
4. Kingdom come

5. The curious incident of the dog in the night time

6. Adultery

Malgudi days: It is the book that compelled and encouraged me to start this blog. The collection of the short stories are incredible. though the stories don't have the great beginning and endings, it is the beauty of detailing the characters and its surroundings laced with the simple narration arrests you to read them and left you wanting more.While reading the stories, i brooded with the sick mother about his son, anxiously waited with the man dreaming of winning a puzzle prize, laughed aloud after finding, it was not thief or spirit of a ghost but cat in the landlord's house - that was the sheer joy i had while reading them. I strongly recommend everyone to read it.

I too had a dream: I am always curious about the history and the developments/events that led us to where we are now. how well or poor the people lived long back. what were their routines and approach to certain problems faced by them that made me to read about the autobiography of the Verghese Kurien, the man behind the milk revolution. the language used in the book is simple. it is well detailed. i immensely liked it be for the never give up attitude of Kurien or with the determination he had faced all the challenges to establish an organization like Amul.

To Kill a mocking bird: It is one of the rare books in which, i want to engross myself many more times. hats off to harper lee, who portrayed both the atticus (a matured layer, a responsible father and  a good citizen) and the innocent scout so beautifully. half way through the book i wondered that how the author has pulled both the characters off so effortlessly, may be that makes the difference between the best and good author. The conversations in the book are so natural and, yet strucks a chord with you. I personally feel every father must be like atticus explaining and educating their kids of the society and happenings around them.

Kingdom Come: Liked it for its strong characterization of the lead pair and gripping narration with a good twist at the end. Disappointed with "Adultery", I had expected good romance in the book but turned out to be a flop show with the actual story never moving forward  and ending the story where it actually started. the lead character behavior was baffling and the narration was pale.