Goa

Reservation

Travel Tales, , , , , ,

How many times has it happened with you that you get to what seems to be a ‘vacant’ seat, only to sight a handkerchief, or an old newspaper, or a book or some object of similar value there. Standing in for the ‘owner’ !

In some time the ‘owner’ shows up, indicating that he had ‘reserved’ the seat. And lays claim to the seat with such ferocity that would put the Chinese’s claim of Arunachal, to pathetic shame !

I guess this is a uniquely Indian moment. I guess. I am not sure. Please correct me if i am wrong here. My guess is given shape by the fact that we have a chronicled mythological precedent. Of Lord Ram’s footwear standing in for the gent when he went into the jungle! So.

So, in a busy movie hall (or wherever else, esp if there are no allotted seat numbers) you can stroll around, ogle about, wander with a pop corn or a cone of ice cream. All this while the old dirty handkerchief stands in for you !!

In smaller cities and towns, this scene is so often repeated in inter city buses. Where the clamour to get a seat is only matched by the ability to reach a handkerchief, newspaper, belt, tiffin box to ‘reserve’ a seat !

If a ‘representative object’ (dirty handkerchief, shredded newspaper or whatever) of the dude in yellow trousers got to the seat before you, well, the seat belonged to the dude in yellow trousers ! So we have seen. And heard.

It was ‘refreshingly different’ to see this gent, and his mode of reservation. Aboard the river cruise on Goa’s Mandovi river.




He clearly had outgrown the handkerchief and belongings of low value. For friends of his, for whom he ‘reserved’ seats, he gave it his one whole leg and one whole hand !

And warded off every body else who came close to the seat with a dismissive disdain that perhaps would befit a Taliban war lord looking at his goats, whom he was going to have for dinner !

This is a new standard that must quickly be made known to the rest of the country. We need more people like this gent.

Wont you be happy with friends like these ? Especially considering that they would give an arm and a leg. Just to get you seated.



Tell Tale Signs !

Travel Tales, , , ,
Our road trip from Mumbai to Goa saw us see some amazing roads and fantastic weather.

And hey, the camera also spotted some wonderful road signs. I guess my expectation of the creative talent of those in the Highways department was rather skewed to what was indeed reality.

There seems to be some passionate soul(s) who seems to peep out of every other road sign with a ‘differently’ written out message on road safety ! I clicked some and many others, just whizzed by!!

Image 1

This message was so poignant to me ! The number of drivers with fast machines who thought they were in a Formula One race was not funny. But this sign, set the tone, reminding all that this was indeed a highway. The first time i saw this, an auto smile popped up ! For i encounter morons who think roads are runways. So.


Image 2


This was lucid enough but for the word alignment ! At first glance, as we whizzed past the sign and i read it as ‘Everything is fine in an Italian Accident’. Thinking of it as a work of an ardent Congress party loyalist, we slowed the car down and backed the car up just to re-read the sign post. Relief descended. We drove on !


Image 3


How much more cryptic can you get ?!? Four words. But the message was through loud and clear. Surprisingly we had some good mobile network coverage through most parts of the drive. I guess this sign was indeed warranted!

Image 4

If previous image had four words. This one had three ! This also seemed to hold a message for life & living. Atleast, i would like to think so. ‘Slow & Steady wins the race’ is cliched and passe !

‘Fast Wont Last’ is here, ladies and gentlemen. How cool !


Image 5

For those who have a preference for tea, here is something. I wonder whats is ‘safe’ tea! Perhaps one that you can drink after reaching the safe confines of the destination. Made by a ‘safe’ person..! What is it ?

Image 6


How more direct can this be said ?!? I take a bow !

Image 7


This seems to be a valiant attempt ! But still, it read different. It took a couple of 10 seconds to fully understand what was getting said. But it did sink in !

Image 8


That one was for me. I am happy they are proud of me ! The ultimate recognition from the Highways department….

Ok. Lets get very real here. Well, i am not the best of drivers.
But then that’s not the best of English grammar either. So !

The Lady with the broom !

Word Cache, , ,

Just outside the Church of Bon Jesus was this lady. A glint from her nose ring caught my eye and my then my eyes just refused to leave the lady ! She moved with great elegance. As she spoke to a few of her colleagues i saw in her, a certain poise and a certain level of composure which i haven’t seen in many an individual in a long while.

Her broom stick caught my attention too. It was rather unique and the fact that it was ‘maintained’ well, was obvious ! The broom slowly lead me to see how they rested in the arm of the lady.

Many minutes later, i saw her go about sweeping the compound. With elegance, with patience and a certain degree of perfection. Ensuring the last leaf was removed and every visitor had nothing to look at but the church itself !

She smiled, she had a cheerful blabber ( i couldn’t follow what she was speaking) & a keen eye looking for the specks of dust or dirt which needed to be removed !

I wonder where does this commitment come from ? Can it be imbibed ? Can it be, at all, taught. What could be her vision ? What could drive her ? What would be her annual Key Result Area ? Will she have an appraisal …?

Passion shows up. Whether you clean the floor or build a few !

She stays in my mind. She doesn’t know, but in just going about doing her work she taught me a few things. And when i toss the odd paper carelessly on the desk or review a quickly drafted email, i remind myself of the lady. Her elegance and the poise. The well cradled broom in the arm and the dedication to completing a simple chore with perfection & energy. And joy !

The glint of the nose ring seems to be a message ! A divine one. I call it the broom stick message !

Images from Goa !

Travel Tales, , ,

The Church of Bon Jesus awes you with its magnifecence. Its sheer scale and the laterite stone’s strength stare at you in a pleasant angle. They say that all of this was put together 400 years ago ! 400 years !!! 4 year old buildings shake, 40 year old buildings are renovated & 100 years old buildings are artefacts in their own right. 400 years !


So, we asked each other what would it take to build such monuments again. The loan repaying, middle class mindsets that pervade us, forgot everything else. Like art, architecture, class etc and echoed in unison : ‘larger EMI’ !

The Church of St.Francis of Assisi was built in 1661 ! Whew ! To see it stand in so much splendour till date is a wonder in itself.


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Somewhere in Chiplun, we refilled. The petrol station was right on the NH 17. It only made sense for us to glide in to quench the thirst of an overworked engine. Just after we tanked up, i noticed that ‘Petroleum’ was adulterated. I mean an ‘i’ instead of an ‘e’ !

We laughed about it ! Talked about it. About how callous marketers could be and how all of this could affect brand image etc ! And how such folks would get promoted year after year & Parkinsons Law & so on. ( What do you do when you have four adults packed into a car for many hours. Yap ! )

After a 100 kms or so, the car started giving us trouble. The smooth ride went gradually missing & it was becoming difficult to climb heights effortlessly. But we kept going ! We realised we couldnt continue that way for long.

As we were entering Goa we spotted a Hyundai Dealership : Alcon Hyundai. It was well past 6.00 PM and they were downing shutters. The service manager heard our problem and cryptically said ‘adulaterated petrol. A common problem on the highway’ ! ‘Livid’ took a new dimension in us.

In a brief while, a diagnostic instrument was used and bingo : it pointed out to a particular problem.

I recalled times when the street corner mechanic used to climb on all sides and tell you that a or b or c or d or e could be wrong ! The Hyundai folks stretched & four mechanics (lead by Sudhir Naik) worked on the car. An hour later the car was fit as a fiddle. We were quite impressed !

Stretching beyond time and doing all that they could was indeed wonderful to experience. After all the bad service that i have been experiencing, this was a revelation of sorts !
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The locals told us that there was a Friday market at Mapusa. With images of villagers selling their konkani / Goan ware beckoning us we went ! And it indeed was a colourful sight. Far from being a village fair, you could get anything from Balloons to jewellery to vegetables there. And yes, there were rural folk present too.


There were a set of ladies selling what appeared to be pickle, packaged in braid shaped objects, merchandised very nicely. So, we approach the lady and ask her what those were. She looked at us and popped a question, ‘ are you hindu ?’ We nod with a perplexed head. She says, ‘move on, you wont eat these’ !

We stare in disbelief. Religious discrimination ! At Mapusa’s Friday market ! Before such communal seeds took shape in our minds, the lady at the next counter chipped in that these were pork sausages and it is against hindu traditions to have them ! Ah ! We say. That culture thing.
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We spot fishermen angling in the sea. We end up catching them catch fish ! They go about their jobs merrily. I walk upto them and talk to them. How was the catch today ? i ask in tentative hindi. From the expression on their faces it doesnt seem pretty encouraging. I beat a retreat.

An hour later, they pack their plastic bags and go. I ask them the same question. One chap is excited. He carries his lone big catch in his hands. And exults for the camera. I click.

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The vast expanse of green and the lovely roads were something to cheer ! We havent experienced that in a long while, given how Mumbai roads are ! The roads were inviting. And that made the journey so much more worthwhile.

The Road Trip ! Mumbai To Goa

Travel Tales, , ,

A magical roadtrip would include

Fantastic roads
Green ghats & hill stations
A slight drizzle
Overcast skies
Limited oncoming traffic
Fast car. Clear directions
Good music
Uncrowded & pristine beaches
Portugese architecture & history
Indian minds
Shack food
Great company

That is as magical as it could get. Especially so when its Goa by road !

Thats exactly what we had.

I have come back with about 800 snaps and a million memories. Perhaps more. As much as this was a holiday, it was also some time for intense reflection, juggling of thoughts, discovering of the self through konkan coastline, cuisine and people. We are back in Mumbai with perhaps a lorry load of each.

So much so, that there is realisation that much more needs to be done. Much more ! I am already having a difficulty of excluding the many pictures from being posted here ! But still thats the choice that i have to make ! So, you will find some snaps here and more as we go along !

Overall, it was a great trip.

And my new theory is Goa is great. Especially in the monsoons. So the off season is really the season of seasons !

Here are some snaps ! The details follow !

At Fort Aguada


The Road

Beside the Road

Approaching rain at Calangute Beach

Bambolin Beach


Bright Red. Bright Yellow. All seem to be preferred exterior colours !


The Independence Day Spirit

Caves Up the mountains

A church on the way to Calangute

The Vision Thing !

Travel Tales, , ,

The Goa air reminds me of Mangalore. I guess the Arabian sea has a different charm. Quite different from the charm that the Bay of Bengal has ! I landed today and have been at work !

As usual, i picked up a conversation with the taxi driver. The scheduled taxi driver played truant and i found this young man called Raju. A very enterprising kid who sold me the ride in less than 10 seconds. As our conversation progresses, i find that he lives with his mother and younger brother goes to school.

He makes Rs. 4000/- per month driving the taxi. “During peak season time, it is higher” he says, but then, it is offset by the lean months like now. He drives well. He is patient, and is extremely helpful.

I ask him his long term plans. He cant understand. I say, “what do you want to do five years from now”. He looks at me through the rear view mirror with a blank expression. And says, ‘Maybe earn two / three thousands more”

I prod him further, ‘have you thought of things like owning a taxi like this and having others work for you..?/ ( just to give him contextual example). I could clearly see his eyes sparkle for a moment. Perhaps he imagined himself as the boss ! I dont know ! And then smiles, “Will you be interested in seeing other places..” A new conversation thread. End of the old one.

When people say, “its all in the mind” many a time i dont pay heed to it. But here was a live example. Able. Capable. Committed. Talented. Honest. Sincere. And willing to slug his butt out. He is HOT commodity in a market where people with such traits are a rarity. In a market which is driven by opportunity.

But then, all this without a vision will ensure 4000/- per month when there is potential for 10 times more. Perhaps a 100 ! Oh ! The vision thing !