When I woke up in God’s own country: Kerala #2

Day 2: The Lake, the tea plantations and the mighty hills!  
Reaching Munnar from Kochi was a disaster. The state KSRTC bus felt as if it was a war-truck, transporting us all to some random unknown place in the dead of the night.
Thankfully, the back breaking ordeal ended, and we reached the hill station. A cottage in Munnar was waiting for us for an incredibly cheap price. It is always better to look for cottage homes instead of hotels in these kinds of places. They are closer to the actual touch.
We hired a Jeep. The driver knew all the places pretty well, and knew some good anecdotes too. We started on the day’s trip by first visiting a lake where we could powerboat!


A beautiful weather with an even more beautiful scenery was delighting us anyways.
The prospect of boating in it all brought the ecstasy!




 

Amazing experience it was. But like all other good things in life, it ended. And ended pretty soon. Keeping the memories safe in our memory cards, we moved ahead to the tea plantations.
And another set of breath taking greenery was waiting for us!





There was tea. As long as we could see. We could not contain ourselves and jumped into the plantations. I was not wearing shoes, and had to pay the price by getting leeched.
It sucked. Literally!


Anyways, with a band-aid on my foot, we moved ahead. The tea plantation had lost its sheen for me, thanks to that bloody sucker. :|
However, I forgot it all within minutes, because the next place in the itinerary had even more divine things in store for us.

The Breathtaking Hills!


 


 

Being at the top is lonely they say. Not true, when you have five other footloose hearts with you, right there to share the wanderlust.

And not to forget the faithful Jeep too!


We called it a day with coconut water, and green memories of having visited an amazing place.
Kerala is God’s own country. True.

--
Alok K.
P.S. By the time we reached the cottage, it was raining heavily. We all got drenched. What better thing to do on a rainy day than to have Chaai and Pakoras with friends? ;)

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When I woke up in God’s own country: Kerala

Day 1: The Backwaters!                                           

We reached Alleppey before the dawn broke. A few cups of tea later, we set on our task to find a good and affordable houseboat for our day’s travel. Midway, good food at a local restaurant set the mood for the day.
The weather was cool and everything was just right for a wonderful boat trip in the Kerala Backwaters!

Jaladharshani caught our eyes. It was a beautiful boat, yet affordable (some of the rarities of life). We hopped on our Jaladharshani, and thus began the backwaters voyage!


The next few hours were sheer bliss. A small boat in the backwaters of Kerala with a bunch of excited college batch mates. And in front of us was the beautiful Kerala. I rubbed the lens of my SONY H55 with my sleeves. It was time to capture the backwaters…

 


Along came a Kabadiwalah on a boat!

By the time it turned noon, we were lazily lying on our backs with bright sunshine on our faces. It was so cozily warm.



Slowly. And Steadily. We kept moving ahead. Hours later, we reached a place where there was water all around. And as if it was just not enough, along came the rains too!!!





Rains had had their share of fun. And we too. We entered an area where the water was as green as the trees above. I couldn’t take my eyes off it all!


The photograph above is one of my favorites. It is like a memory peg that I would continue to refer back to every time I feel over burdened with the monotonicity of the otherwise boring life. The pic says that there are many wonderful things to be seen and done in this world.
And they all are waiting for us.
Finally, the backwaters trip was over. We had some really delicious seafood in a local restaurant, and then headed to Kochin. The day 2 was about to begin, and with the prospect of visiting large tea plantations, it all looked very promising!

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Kaun Banega Crorepati? Not again.

Facepalm. My obvious reaction on hearing the question asked in India’s most popular game show’s not-so-popular season.

“What electronic device has types like ‘split’ and ‘window’?

A. Television

B. Air Conditioner

C. Refrigerator

D. Toaster

(Why didn’t they make it even simpler? )

 

Okay, I admit. Maybe the question was for a lower prize money, hence easier. But this season had been bestowed by many more of my ‘tsk tsk’s.

Ever since Sony took over the show, it has been transformed to a typical reality show. Very similar to Sony’s very own ‘Indian Idol’.

It begins with people in huge crowds entering a building to give the preliminary examination- shown in 2x speed. The camera pans across them and zooms onto a single person. He begins his story. Screen fades into his village. Interviews of his parents, friends. Background music- ‘ Aashaayein’.

I may be sounding inconsiderate right now- but the real point of the game show is drifting away. I agree that giving a brief overview of the contestants helps the audience to relate with them, but added effects like shaking paused screen in sepia mode when a girl gets emotional and cries on screen- seriously?

Whatever happened to the very first KBC?

Our ears were accustomed to the musical melody that signaled our minds to focus all our attention on the ‘idiot’ box.Followed after that - the applause, and there he stood - BigB fit onto the small screen (ironical, ain’t it?). And then his resonating voice boomed across the studio and in our houses.

The words “Swagat hai aap sabhi ka”, “Chaliye aap aur mein milkar khelte hain..”, “Lock Kiya Jaaye?” had reserved a place for themselves in our labyrinth. KBC “Dwiteeya” was no less.

KBC season 3 took an altogether different turn- KkKBC.( I know, it was a VERY bad joke). But I liked it,( the show, not the joke)- although the audience didn’t. 

 

Or wait- it just seemed that the audience didn’t like the show, just because the TRP was lower than the earlier two KBCs. But is TV viewership the only factor that judges the audience’s appreciation of the show?

When KBC 1 sprang up in the winter of TV shows, it was a sight for sore eyes. Star Plus and Zee TV were the only competitors. Desi ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ was sure to be a hit. And came along with it the comeback of The Legend. It was a very much required comeback for him, and it worked.

Many spices of factors altogether made the perfect recipe for a show with the aroma of a very high viewership.

With Season 2, it just so happened, that people expected more out of it. The first impression hadn’t yet left their minds. So they remained loyal. Although the TRP was lower, it was good considering the times. The abrupt ending (due to Mr. Bacchan’s health) was rather a blessing in disguise. Because the show was descending on the expectation ladder. It was monotonous. Nothing new. It had become more of an obligation to watch, just to satisfy the heart.

Now, came KBC 3- with Shahrukh as the host. Witty, and entertaining. He gave the game show its very much required second wing. Cracking a joke or two, gifting watches , hugging people were gestures that reached out of the screens and touched the hearts of the people. He made the contestants laugh. And that actually relieved them from the tense position they sat in.

Devoted Bacchan fans were more like- ‘He can’t replace him!’, ‘Boring show! He just ruined it’. Of course, the second side of the story. Some people liked the monotony of the show. It was a game show, not a comedy one!

And perhaps everyone agreed, Shahrukh did go overboard in calling celebrities onto the show- which didn’t go very well with the audience.

These three were the only KBC seasons that stay in my mind. The later ones are more of a distant memory.

 

KBC season 5, again, a compulsion to watch just because the very first image of the game show can never leave the place it occupied on our minds and hearts.

The worst parts- the not-so-catchy new pet lines of the host and the expert advice lifeline. A celebrity and an expert just sit there ,knowing the answer to your question. What a lifeline! Why not change the lifeline to just ‘Get to know the answer’ lifeline!

The best parts- same contestants (of fastest finger first) continue for a week , and the BigB. He is the major reason- his charm, his personality and the respect he has amongst everyone in the country, that makes people watch the show.

If that wasn’t so, then shows like ‘Sawaal Dus Crore ka’ , ‘Jeeto Chhapad faad ke’ etc. were the topics my blog here would’ve been about. Or maybe the disastrous ‘Kya aap Paanchvi Paas se Tez hain?’.

Anyways, It’s not like ’10 ka Dum’ did bad. It was rather quite a show. Why it was welcomed by the audience again? Oh yeah- ‘Sallu’.

Facepalm.

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Isn't it lovely when it rains!

 

Isn’t the grass greener when it rains?
Isn’t the air refreshingly cleaner?
Isn’t the chatter of raindrops and the white foam purer?

Don’t the leaves seem to say,
'Ah! Here it comes, and liven us it may!'
Aren’t the people more colourful,
With their vibrant shields from the showers?

Isn’t life thriving everywhere,
From a tiny seed to the huge tree it bears?
Doesn’t a shiver go down the spine,
To hear the thunder and see the lightning shine?

Isn’t it heartening to see a ray of light
Slyly creeping up after a water fight?

Isn’t it lovely when it rains,
Pouring cats and dogs on a parched land?
Isn’t it lovely when it rains,
Awakening nature and beautifying land?

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The Play of Life.

Shivers of reluctance are bound to run through the body when leaving the womb-like wings made with the very sole aim of comforting the soul. It is the inertia of human, that brings about his indolent likeness to a comfortable situation, and fear enters fearlessly into his mind, obscuring his view to the world beyond.

When time ticks away, the amateur finds himself pushed out of the wings, onto the hard, wooden stage. From comfort to the unknown. An entirely different world stands in front of him, and he remains entirely indifferent to it. He looks straight, and pupil contraction follows. His eyes have been splashed by the water of lights. He can't see The Audience, but he knows that They are watching him at all times.
Of course, there is this tremendous procreation of the desires to go back to the land of comfort, but as time ticks away more and more, the self stage of the desperate person welcomes on itself, Realization and Gradual acceptance.
Then starts, the play called Life.
Moments arrive when you find yourself in a soliloquy, and it's very hard to tolerate apathy when it's on us. The deliverer stands there on the proscenium saying things he wants to, yet no one listens to him. He's in trouble, he needs some one to talk to, he wants to speak his heart out and yet all of his onstage mates do not 'seem' to acknowledge even a decibel. Then we get disheartened, we feel lonely, letting our self stage welcome Depression.
Always forgetting the fact, that The Audience is always there- listening to us, and this drizzle in the monsoon of time shall soon pass away.

There are always people, whom we forget. They set up the props for us during our dark times, they take care of the lights on us, so that we always remain better for The Audience. And yet, we always shower them with infinite looks of neglect. Respect and Recognition is all what we need to give them- for no work in the play of Life is unimportant.
And the play beautifully ends- sometimes it has a tragic ending, or a happy and satisfied one- the lights go off. The Audience applauds and gives you a standing ovation. The lights of the theater are lit- you can finally see The Audience.
The soul is never so satisfied as it is when it knows that it has accomplished the work it was sent on stage for.
Being on stage is a gift- I'd never miss it for the world. And my suggestion to any one who has never been on stage- try it. Your perception of the world would change. You tend to realize that the world watches you, and appreciates your character. It is the very same feeling which instills confidence in your own character.
Be confident, be proud.
  

Be on stage.

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