Pinku-Enchanted Life

 TRAVEL!  In our household the word has magical powers. We consider even the most mundane trip something to look forward to and any hint of anything outstation is always welcomed with glee. Since 2020 though for a variety of reasons our trips as a family have been limited. The last we travelled together was in Oct 2022 for a trip to Dharamshala and Dalhousie which we had to cut short due to unavoidable reasons. This year with temperatures in Delhi often touching 50 degrees, we were hallucinating about the mountains and cooler climes. Not holding a regular job makes the financial scenario very dicey and it made me extremely uncomfortable to spend on what can best be described as an indulgence. The partner however insisted promising that we would stick to a shoe string budget. The look of anticipation the kids gave me eventually made me capitulate.  We had often spotted the Delhi-Kathmandu Bus on the Expressway and wondered what that journey would be like. Quick checks onli...

From very early in life I have always believed that I would die off at 40. The reason I had arrived at this unique conclusion was the fact that both my granddad and dad had popped off in their 40's and in my romantic notion of things I had just assumed that I would do so too. It didnt trouble me much cause at age 20, forty is a hoary old age and I was pretty sure that I would have lived life to the utmost by the time I turned forty so there really was not much to worry about. Things however started turning a bit unpleasant as I approached the mid thirties. With a young kid around popping off in another five years time didn't seem such a pleasant thing any more. Three more years rolled away and then the second kid also came along and now the thought that he wouldnt even remember me much if I were to go at forty really started to bother. At a lil after 39 I underwent a surgery which if not done in time could have resulted in something fatal and post my gaining consciousness...

I lost my dad the same month I turned 15 years old. Dad had a brief illness of about seven days from which he never recovered. Just before he fell ill he was teaching me how to ride a scooter, I would perpetually get confused between the clutch and gear combinations and dad would lose his patience. He was a natural with vehicles and my less than perfect handling irked him. I grew up eventually learning to ride an automatic scooty (my friend’s) and much later I bought my first car.  Initially I had a driver however a few months later I guess my latent genes kicked in and I dismissed the driver and started driving on my own. I had observed him for the few months that he was there and that coupled with practice helped me perfect my driving skills. Having a car literally gave me wings, no longer did I feel insecure, I could go anywhere at anytime, I need not be dependent on anyone. I and my car became an inseparable pair. I applied for my learner’s license and one Sunday whil...

Malaysia. Truly Asia. The song and images of the Malaysian Tourism promotion shown on television stayed in my mind – long after they went off-air and to add to it I happened to come across a CD which had songs describing the beauty of the country which had me totally hooked. Which is why a visit to a country with 12 royal families – who elect their king and vice-king, every few years, sounds so intriguing. I would ideally want to have a family getaway around June.We would reach by late afternoon, freshen up a bit and  get photographed in front of Petronas Towers – arguably Malaysia’s best known man made marvel. Next is a visit to Penang Bridge -  a dual carriageway bridge that connects George Town on the island of Penang and Seberang Perai on the mainland of Malaysia on  the Malay Peninsula. Penang Bridge is also the longest bridge in Malaysia. 8.4 km of the bridge is above the water – sounds a lot like the part undersea bridge – connecti...

I had planned to write a long post on this much awaited trip. The plan had been to relive the whole thing once again through the blog. Work. Baby. Dog. Home. Laziness. All however conspired to make a whole month pass before I could even get on to the blog. So finally I am here to write about Aarini’s first trip abroad. We landed in at Bandaranaike International Airport at about 4 pm. As promised by makemytrip a brand new Nissan Bluebird and an effervescent Pious Silva were waiting for us at the exit gate. We were happy to be on holiday. A forty km ride into main Colombo through markets thronging with Christmas shoppers took a good part of two hours. We were however too busy marveling at the sites, checking the similarities between our island neighbours and us to mind the trip too much. The first night of our trip was spend at The Grand Oriental Hotel which was set up in the 1800’s by royal decree and has since then been ceaselessly entertaining guests. It also ha...

Little girls are worshipped as Goddesses in Northern India, indeed in most parts of the country. Though one gets to see it most in the North (perhaps as compensation for the lousy sex ratio that their money ensures). Whatever it be, the fact remains that this year we had our little girl, Aarini accompanying us on our pandal visits. And it was a nice experience. What remained missing for the second year running is a glimpse of Janvi during pujas. Trust she had a good time there in Bangalore. I am hoping I can meet her again soon and the sisters can continue to love and greet each other with the same spontaneity as the first time all their life. A few glimpses of the pujos we visited: This pandal took the theme of the Ajanta Ellora caves and did up the whole place with eco-friendly material. Remarkable. Dad, Daughter and Durga Our neighbourhood pujo Mom and Antara (our house guest as Parry likes to introduce her) Though you can barely see whats happening on stage. I still thought its a w...

My grandma, Thakuma as we used to call her loved to travel. From her small distant village in Assam she managed to travel across the country, post the death of her husband. I am talking about someone who were she alive today would have been about a hundred years old. Her great regret in life wa s that she couldn’t manage to see the Andamans. Travel to the distant islands was not so easy in those days and by the time things got better her chil dren wouldn’t allow her to travel alone. So when I saw the islands for the first time I silently dedicated that moment to Thakuma. Deep blue seas running on for miles on end and then you suddenly spot the startling green in the midst. As the plane approaches the islands, one is startled by the contrast in the colours and the fact that the green seems to shoot straight out of the sea, so dense are the jungles. That is the first view of the cluster of about 572 islands which make up the distant Union territory we had read of in school books as Anda...

Someone at work asked is this my second honeymoon or third? Would have loved to answer that my life is a honeymoon, in my typical witty way. But I paused before answering; life for the past few months has been anything but a honeymoon. Multiple responsibilities, lack of purpose and direction, unsure of where I will be the next day and unsure of even what I want to do with my life. We have been telling each other that we need a break nay deserve one but where is the time and lets not forget the money for that? We have been to the nearby mountains umpteenth times since those visits are light both on time and money but we wanted to do something a little different from those trips, we wanted to really be able to relax and yeah also perhaps rediscover each other. Discuss our needs, wants, desires and hopes too. Destinations like the North-east, Leh, Colombo, Malaysia were thought of and then discarded, they promised too much activity. Our criteria was peace, quiet and a chance to soak in so...

Eight and a Half people set off from Delhi for Amritsar to see the Golden Temple and the much hyped Wagah border over a weekend. Now that sure doesn’t sound like a big deal until you realise that most of these people have never met before and the only common link they have apart from their mother tongue ‘Bangla’ is a gutsy woman living far away in Ludhiana who happens to be a common friend called Mampi . Let me like a good Jane Austen novel start with giving some details of all these people. Sumanto – the one we also at times call Ghumanto cause his love for procrastination is equalled by none (this is by his own admission). Old ex-colleague of Mampi when she lived and reigned…sorry worked in Delhi. Sulagna – Sumanto’s better half – she has a job profile that keeps her involved at all hours of the day and even when she is on holiday. But then I suspect she makes an awesome amount of moolah which sort of makes up for it. ;) Jhinuk – their 8 year old daughter, with an amazing IQ and qu...

Hey Guys!! A long weekend beckons...feels wonderful doesnt it? I am off to see these sites: Do share what you do too, will look forward to hearing from you guys :)

I have been writing about my trips on this blog regularly under the label footprints . So much so that part of the excitement of going on a trip now seems to be the recounting of it once back on the blog for friends. The trip this time was no different, since right from the beginning I kept filing away details in my mind and clicking pictures all with the view that it would get space on the blog. However since my travel mate Mampi is already writing about the exact activities of the trip in great detail I am not going to repeat it. You can visit her blog for details. Let me therefore share with you some snippets and photographs. It was Dalhousie that we went to this time. Famously nicknamed " dull & lousy " by the boisterous crowds, the place is a military cantonment and a quaint little town that was set up just 150 years ago. We arrived there in high spirits, the thrill of having escaped the mundane hectic lives we normally lead giving all of us extra broad smiles. A ...