The Picnic
The first day of 2005 had actually started last night at 12:00 with the reverse countdown echoing in the basement, bouncing off the pillars and as if by some magical uplift, crawled up the walls to my second floor apartment, seeped like sand through the crevices and cranies of the closed door and made their way into my ears, riding my nerves and finally registering with my mind which was still floating in the sound of silence. I really couldn't sleep well after last night's experience with the eerieness of silence - all kinds of thoughts ranging from pleasant to scary flashed in front of my eyes like neon signs. I tossed and turned in bed - partly because of the thoughts, partly because of the back pain and mostly because of anticipation of the what the first day of the new year had in store for me. I remember drifting into sleep during the wee hours of the morning when it becomes cold and the head seems to have given up on all waking moments and the only sound that can be heard is one's own breathing amidst the occasional shreiks of a maina or a restless rooster.
The alarm went off at 5:30 and I made an effort fumbling through the blanket to stop its shrieking. My body had reached a stage where changing states from sleeping to waking or lying down to sitting up had become a gargantuan task. So I took it one at a time and finally managed to stand up at 5:45. Still rubbing my eyes, I put the tea pot on the stove, somehow put in the essential tea ingredients and lit the stove. Outside, it was still dark. It seemed last night's thoughts were still lingering somewhere in the corner waiting for my head to get a little lighter so that they could recamp in. I shrugged them away, made my way to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face and got back to the kitchen where the refreshing smell of ginger and tea was oozing out of the boiling tea. I helped myself with a large mug of tea and thought about catching the first rays of morning sun. By this time, the black of the sky gave to an indigo and the indigo was turning fast into a greyish-pink. Still sipping my tea, I opened the door of my north-facing balcony and a cold draught of air hit my face blowing the steam hovering on my tea mug right into my eyes. Though I could not see the sunrise, a small spot of light hit the pillar supporting the roof. It lasted for a minute and then it became cloudy and I knew that I had lost the sun in the clouds. I closed my door, finished off my tea and proceeded for my bath. I was ready by 6:30 since the proposed pickup was supposed to happen at that time. So I just turned on the TV, reheated the remainder of the tea and switched to CNN which was flooded with news of the destruction caused by the Tsunami waves. I just laid on the couch, maybe dozed off for a while and rewoke to another news channel with the same snippets of the tsunami-induced-destruction. I finally switched the TV off, finished my tea and waited for phone calls. Finally at 7:30 AM I left for Sudip's apartment and eventually boarded the bus ( a tempo traveller ) at around 8:00. Among the picnickers were Sudip, Archana, Sonal, Ruchita, Uncle, Aunty, Gautham, Shomu, Riju and Manish.
While the first half of the trip in the bus was spent discussing Babydoll and singing songs, the latter half was spent cursing the road and playing dumb charades on movies - most of which had legacies running into the world of hindi porn cinema. We stopped midway twice - once to have breakfast comprised of hot idlis and vadas and the next time to empty our bladders. We reached Shivanasamduram - the gaganchukki falls - around noon and after taking a couple pictures at a vantage point and refreshing ourselves with coconut water, we started hunting for a place to set camp. After a bit of hunting and a hurtling ride through the brambles and bushes, we reached a spot which overlooked a bed of rocks interspersed with pockets of stagnant water - which at some point could have been a gushing stream emptying into a ravine which extended beyond the rocks. After some speculation on the logistics of time and space, we decided to cut down on our menu and decided to cook some pulav and a curry. So the men started down to the peripheral work of setting up the gas stove and peeling green peas and the women started the core work of cutting the vegetables, boiling potatoes etc. By this time, the cloud cover had vanished and the mighty sun shone in all its glory. Somebody gave the idea of actually setting up a cooking fire to prepare some kheer. So bricks were arranged, wood was stocked and fire was lit. But when it came to boiling the milk for the kheer, we realized that the milk had already gone bad. So the already lit fire was used for boiling taters and cooking the still uncooked pulav. By this time, the heat had become unbearable and was scorching most of us. So we decided to move the tempo traveller in a position so that it could block some of the sun. Uncle and Aunty set down to the work of preparing the curry and by 2:45 we had some of the best food cooked under such conditions. Thanks to all and keep the good work up. Everybody was so hungry that we gobbled up the food really fast and by 3:30 we were ready to make a move somewhere closer to water where we can get some relief from the heat and exhaustion.
After driving about 5 km, we reached another set of water falls called barachukki falls. Without giving much thought, we started the 30-40 feet descent down to the falls. The descent was actually quite exhausting but when we reached the falls, the dampness and the breeze caused by the force of water falling from a height of 50 feet and crashing down on the rocks below caused a reverse osmosis of sorts and drained all heat out of us. So once again we gathered at the bottom of the falls and started to make our way towards the falls. The way to the falls was a bit treacherous as we had to step through mold covered slippery rocks but the lush undergrowth provided enough twigs and branches to support. Once we reached the falls, the water was so inviting that all everybody wanted to do was just head straight for the water and stay there till the end of time. The first to venture out were Sonal and Manish along with Shomu.
Next, I stepped into the pool below and a shiver ran through my spine as the water was icy cold. The setting sun was probably making it cooler. Thanks to the bottle of brandy that we had brought along with us. So on Sudip's suggestion, I had a shot of brandy and headed for the rocks where the water was breaking down on the rocks. Sonal helped me climb up the rocks and once the fresh cool water hit my body, it was the most amazing feeling - envigorating, cooling, natural and refreshing. Gradually everybody made their way up and I think we spent close to 30 minutes sitting under the water crashing down on our bodies, taking away all dirt, grime and sweat along with it. Now that everybody was actually refreshed and started feeling cold as well, we started our way out of the falls and made it to the lake formed by the water. We decided to take the coracle ride to the base of the water falls. The coracle was in the shape of a petridish made out of bamboo shoots and was capabale of holding 4-5 people. I, Ruchita, Manish and Riju ventured out on the coracle ride to the base of the waterfall. As we approached the base, we were doused with sprays of water emanating from the water crashing on the rocks and there our coracle driver started spinning the coracle horizontly. It was the first time in my life I was having such an incredibly exhilirating feeling. The spinning coracle produced a myriad of recurring scenes comprised of green trees, a serene lake, a white waterfall and the sky above. A natural kaliedoscope of immense natural beauty.
We started our climb back around 5:45 and reached the top by 6:00 - exhausted, breathless but happy and energised at the same time. By this time, the sun was on the verge of setting and had it not been for a cloud cover, we could have captured a beautiful sunset. We started our ride back in the tempo traveller and all everybody needed was a strong cup of hot tea. After a few brand shots and driving for about an hour, we reached a tea shop. A cup of tea there did wonders and we started our way back to Bangalore - singing songs and playing donkey. We could have ended the picnic with a good dinner at one of the dhabas enroute but unfortunately Gautam felt extremely sick and we decided to cut short that plan. We reached home around 9:15 PM and it was at that time that fatigue and tiredness hit us really badly. Thanks to Archana for preparing a bowl of noodles after which I reached my apartment and fell into a deep slumber hoping that the remaining 364 days could be as pleasant.
Photos of our trip could be found at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/manishrajsharma
The alarm went off at 5:30 and I made an effort fumbling through the blanket to stop its shrieking. My body had reached a stage where changing states from sleeping to waking or lying down to sitting up had become a gargantuan task. So I took it one at a time and finally managed to stand up at 5:45. Still rubbing my eyes, I put the tea pot on the stove, somehow put in the essential tea ingredients and lit the stove. Outside, it was still dark. It seemed last night's thoughts were still lingering somewhere in the corner waiting for my head to get a little lighter so that they could recamp in. I shrugged them away, made my way to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face and got back to the kitchen where the refreshing smell of ginger and tea was oozing out of the boiling tea. I helped myself with a large mug of tea and thought about catching the first rays of morning sun. By this time, the black of the sky gave to an indigo and the indigo was turning fast into a greyish-pink. Still sipping my tea, I opened the door of my north-facing balcony and a cold draught of air hit my face blowing the steam hovering on my tea mug right into my eyes. Though I could not see the sunrise, a small spot of light hit the pillar supporting the roof. It lasted for a minute and then it became cloudy and I knew that I had lost the sun in the clouds. I closed my door, finished off my tea and proceeded for my bath. I was ready by 6:30 since the proposed pickup was supposed to happen at that time. So I just turned on the TV, reheated the remainder of the tea and switched to CNN which was flooded with news of the destruction caused by the Tsunami waves. I just laid on the couch, maybe dozed off for a while and rewoke to another news channel with the same snippets of the tsunami-induced-destruction. I finally switched the TV off, finished my tea and waited for phone calls. Finally at 7:30 AM I left for Sudip's apartment and eventually boarded the bus ( a tempo traveller ) at around 8:00. Among the picnickers were Sudip, Archana, Sonal, Ruchita, Uncle, Aunty, Gautham, Shomu, Riju and Manish.
While the first half of the trip in the bus was spent discussing Babydoll and singing songs, the latter half was spent cursing the road and playing dumb charades on movies - most of which had legacies running into the world of hindi porn cinema. We stopped midway twice - once to have breakfast comprised of hot idlis and vadas and the next time to empty our bladders. We reached Shivanasamduram - the gaganchukki falls - around noon and after taking a couple pictures at a vantage point and refreshing ourselves with coconut water, we started hunting for a place to set camp. After a bit of hunting and a hurtling ride through the brambles and bushes, we reached a spot which overlooked a bed of rocks interspersed with pockets of stagnant water - which at some point could have been a gushing stream emptying into a ravine which extended beyond the rocks. After some speculation on the logistics of time and space, we decided to cut down on our menu and decided to cook some pulav and a curry. So the men started down to the peripheral work of setting up the gas stove and peeling green peas and the women started the core work of cutting the vegetables, boiling potatoes etc. By this time, the cloud cover had vanished and the mighty sun shone in all its glory. Somebody gave the idea of actually setting up a cooking fire to prepare some kheer. So bricks were arranged, wood was stocked and fire was lit. But when it came to boiling the milk for the kheer, we realized that the milk had already gone bad. So the already lit fire was used for boiling taters and cooking the still uncooked pulav. By this time, the heat had become unbearable and was scorching most of us. So we decided to move the tempo traveller in a position so that it could block some of the sun. Uncle and Aunty set down to the work of preparing the curry and by 2:45 we had some of the best food cooked under such conditions. Thanks to all and keep the good work up. Everybody was so hungry that we gobbled up the food really fast and by 3:30 we were ready to make a move somewhere closer to water where we can get some relief from the heat and exhaustion.
After driving about 5 km, we reached another set of water falls called barachukki falls. Without giving much thought, we started the 30-40 feet descent down to the falls. The descent was actually quite exhausting but when we reached the falls, the dampness and the breeze caused by the force of water falling from a height of 50 feet and crashing down on the rocks below caused a reverse osmosis of sorts and drained all heat out of us. So once again we gathered at the bottom of the falls and started to make our way towards the falls. The way to the falls was a bit treacherous as we had to step through mold covered slippery rocks but the lush undergrowth provided enough twigs and branches to support. Once we reached the falls, the water was so inviting that all everybody wanted to do was just head straight for the water and stay there till the end of time. The first to venture out were Sonal and Manish along with Shomu.
Next, I stepped into the pool below and a shiver ran through my spine as the water was icy cold. The setting sun was probably making it cooler. Thanks to the bottle of brandy that we had brought along with us. So on Sudip's suggestion, I had a shot of brandy and headed for the rocks where the water was breaking down on the rocks. Sonal helped me climb up the rocks and once the fresh cool water hit my body, it was the most amazing feeling - envigorating, cooling, natural and refreshing. Gradually everybody made their way up and I think we spent close to 30 minutes sitting under the water crashing down on our bodies, taking away all dirt, grime and sweat along with it. Now that everybody was actually refreshed and started feeling cold as well, we started our way out of the falls and made it to the lake formed by the water. We decided to take the coracle ride to the base of the water falls. The coracle was in the shape of a petridish made out of bamboo shoots and was capabale of holding 4-5 people. I, Ruchita, Manish and Riju ventured out on the coracle ride to the base of the waterfall. As we approached the base, we were doused with sprays of water emanating from the water crashing on the rocks and there our coracle driver started spinning the coracle horizontly. It was the first time in my life I was having such an incredibly exhilirating feeling. The spinning coracle produced a myriad of recurring scenes comprised of green trees, a serene lake, a white waterfall and the sky above. A natural kaliedoscope of immense natural beauty.
We started our climb back around 5:45 and reached the top by 6:00 - exhausted, breathless but happy and energised at the same time. By this time, the sun was on the verge of setting and had it not been for a cloud cover, we could have captured a beautiful sunset. We started our ride back in the tempo traveller and all everybody needed was a strong cup of hot tea. After a few brand shots and driving for about an hour, we reached a tea shop. A cup of tea there did wonders and we started our way back to Bangalore - singing songs and playing donkey. We could have ended the picnic with a good dinner at one of the dhabas enroute but unfortunately Gautam felt extremely sick and we decided to cut short that plan. We reached home around 9:15 PM and it was at that time that fatigue and tiredness hit us really badly. Thanks to Archana for preparing a bowl of noodles after which I reached my apartment and fell into a deep slumber hoping that the remaining 364 days could be as pleasant.
Photos of our trip could be found at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/manishrajsharma
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home