Venkatagiri Trek - Part I: Yaay! My First Camping Trek

The scheduled departure according to the prep mail was 3:20 am from Koyembedu. My heart sank seeing that. The last time I had to catch a train around that time, I dozed off nicely. I set myself up to do my office work until late on friday to make sure I didnt miss this time around. Well, as it turned out, I didn't miss the bus after all. My scooty was happily parked in the CMBT stands and I was walking out of the terminal towards the assembly point well on time. Slosh! My right leg went right into a tarred slush accumulated along the pavement outside. After registering my attendance, I had the unfortunate chance to grace the toilets of CMBT to cleanse my dirt. Not sure if I cleansed it or added more, but my newly purchased, 1 day old pair of shoes took the treatment well enough for me to continue.

After some incorrigible delays we finally set forth on what was my first camping trek to Venkatagiri hills, somewhere near Renigunta in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh by 5 am along with 54 other members of the Chennai Trekking Club. I peacefully slept off my journey and woke on time for the breakfast near the base. The target as per the maps distributed was a total of 40 km in two days. We started Day 1 at 11 am from the base village into the hills. The initial part was a hike past the dams, wading through a dirty stream, walk across a pebbled river bed and into the tree cover leading to the foothills.

Next came the walk along the wide stream. This was a mixture wading in the stream, jumping across boulders on either side of the stream or fighting your way through the brambles along either of the banks. After slipping and sliding along the stream, we made it to the first pool by around 2 pm, right on time to munch into our Tamarind rice for lunch. The next part was pretty similar, except that both the boulder jumping and wading the stream became more slippery. After around an hour and half more of saving our ankles and legs from visible damage, we made it to what can be called as the pool by the cross- streams. The pool here was fed by two streams falling in between the mountain's steep.

The senior trekkers, after an hour of scouting and discussions, decided that the steep climb would be the best way to reach the peak which was our destination. By 4, half the group crawled their way up the steep, marking the trail with ribbons for the followers. I, along with my newly found friend, Ashok, started a little later on what was the best part of the trek! I loved the climb as it was challenging and a slip would be as costly as one's life.

We caught up with the crowd ahead in pretty quick time. The plan was to locate a campsite near an upper stream and attack the peak either by night or by early morning. Alas, after much searching, it was found that a campsite near the upper stream was impossible and the peak unreachable from where we were! By then, the remaining half joined us uphill and we were able to thankfully locate a campsite by around 9 30 pm. Not many thought of food as everyone hit their sleeping bags as soon as they could...

Going MAD @ICCW

It begins after work every Thursday. A slew of messages. Few confirmations. Some explanations. And hence some substitutions. And we are all set for Saturday at the least. Oops, the preparations? Well, that happens either late on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. Ironically, Sundays, which are substitution days have better preparations.

The weekends for me unusually begin by 6 am with either cricket on Saturdays or football on Sundays. Making it home by 9 30 am becomes quite a challenge! What with a bath and some quick preparations (if its Saturdays) to follow! But still, after what they call a 'crow's bath' and a quick revision, am off by 9 50 am. One thing that is of great help to me is that the destination is just a minute's drive away. I somehow make it before 10 am.

Once at ICCW (Indian Council for Child Welfare) with my fellow teachers, the English class, preceded by a quick discussion (on the topics to be covered), begins. My 'wards', for want of a better name, are only four or so they seem. They are christened as Chandiran, Amul, Balaji and Deepan. The youngest, Balaji, is playful all the time and ever so restless, but has prompt, witty and correct replies to any of my questions. The oldest, Deepan, finds some reason or the other to skip the classes but catches up with the fellow mates pretty easily, when he does attend. Chandiran, would love, not to play games, but to finish of the day's lesson at the earliest. And Amul, the conformist would agree to anything I say. I couldn't have ended up with a more complicated set.

It is a challenge I cherish. Trying to play a game for three while the fourth sits trying to get on with the class can be mind boggling. But that happens every Saturday to me. Even when all three (Deepan rarely attends) listen to my class, one steams ahead like a jet, the other rattling along like train and the third crawling along like a cart. Patience, to answer their doubts even when they may have to be repeated to each one individually one after the other, is a prime ingredient. The gauging of the kids' moods for the day is also a huge help. This, I realised while handling the younger kids. It is impossible to do something they don't want to. Playing along with them when gets their attention much better than rebelling against. Just to make sure they sit with you all through the two hours is simply an achievement in itself.

Its amazing how one improvises without meaning to, during the two hours he/she spends while teaching. Only last week, I had to engage 7 of the youngest kids, in rotation so that my fellow teachers could conduct one-on-ones for their 9 wards. A word building, followed by a spelling contest, followed by Chinese Whisper, and then a story time. The last one was straight out of my granny's favourite reciting to me and my cousins. It gives you enormous satisfaction when cute little bright faces drink in whatever you say like it was something really sweet. What is most encouraging is, when I get back next week, their recollections/remarks on what they learnt/heard last week.

Well what is the moral? A fortnight ago I was attending a family function, where my cousin's kid was stuck to her mom all morning. Pop, comes my other cousin's kid with her grandparents. An idea strikes! I got them together, and together they were for the remainder of the function. They still quoted the 'high-five' game, I introduced to them out of nowhere, when I met them during Navrathri. The nursery rhymes we sang together still resonate. But most of all, the twinkle in their eyes and the innocent laughter I heard that day will keep me going for more. Time to get more MAD!!

P.S: MAD refers to Make A Difference, an interactive English learning programme for children who have limited or no proficiency in the language.

This one's for my Granny...

Thursday, 7th of October 2010

The days preluding were filled with excitement. I used to bug my Paati (granny) to decide what is that new thing we should get that year. Something always was new every year and so it should be according to her. Finally when the first day arrives, I used to get so excited that all my time at school that day would go in thinking about the evening. I used to beg her always, 'please don't start without me'. And always, she used to wait for me.

Evening I come back from school, expecting appa (dad) or chithappa (his younger bro) to come from office, because without them nothing would start. First the basic framework gets down from the dingy lofts in the corner room. Then the seven long steps. And I always had to help in their descent. Whether I am big or small didn't matter. Always. Once they are down, the building of the frame is done. My paati ever so thoughtful, used to soak the screws, nuts and bolts a day before in keroscene. After appa and chitha are satisfied with the frame, the steps are placed and two pure white dhotis (8 ft long) cover the entire set up.

Meanwhile paati starts clearing the things above the age old trunk box in the store room, to start unloading our complete repertoire of dolls. Oh my! Each doll was precious. I used to recite out how many Ganesha, Murgan, Krishna, Shiva and what not! we had every year to my sister (Sharanya). And every doll had its own story. It was so much fun listening to them. The little Appu dolls (that I still have) were the most dearest. Paati always used to tell that the pair cost just 50 paise.

Once my shuttles between the store and drawing rooms are done and the trunk empty, we move back to the corner room for the unloading of more dolls! Appa likes to pull my leg there by wantedly skipping several sets of dolls that I used to look out for. The 6 dancing girls, 5 freedom fighters, the ladies with the kids, the fruits and vegetables set, the three biggies (Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Murugan), the Ramar crowning ceremony, the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, the two Kamadenus all had to be there. The tantrums I used to throw when something was missed by appa there. Ahh!! I used to shout so much. But paati patiently would tell appa what was missing and where to look, making sure I was satisfied.

Then, I, being so short and unable to keep the dolls in the topmost step used to direct appa to keep what dolls where, with paati pushing my him wherever she had to. Then once the top steps are completely filled and we are down to the bottom few, I take over completely. Paati would help me keep every thing the way I want. And once all the steps are filled and with the big Murugan on a plank, for itself, on the floor, my real work starts!

The biggest fun of all Navrathri celebrations for me was the spreading of sand on the floor and laying out the cricket set, park set, band set, a zoo, a temple, a pond and what not! Patiently from around night 9 30 pm after dinner till almost midnight, I used to do my favourite thing. I never let anyone else help me. Paati would soak some seeds in water 2-3 days before to add some real greenery to my setting. Wow how much I loved it!

And today, when the day came back, it hit me, how much I miss the fun I had with Paati all those years. Miss you so much paati...

With lots and lots of love

Appu

A Story to Tell (continued)...

So was it love at first sight? No. He didn't know what struck him then. He was barely of age then. He never gave much thought of what he witnessed. The last time he met her, he could not string two words together and speak to her. It was an unnerving experience, but he got over it as time passed.


Then he met her again after two years. He was determined to talk to her. He got his chance. A good one at that. It was one of the best hours of his life. He kept talking with her on and on, on and on. He never noticed the passage of time. They covered a myriad of topics including hobbies, birthdays, films, favourites etc etc. It was like getting to know each other after a long gap. But was it just that?


Through the entire conversation he, for the first time in his life, was listening and speaking to someone with utmost freedom. Willing to expose himself as much as he can without realising what he was actually doing, but at the same time trying to know more about her. Alas! all good thing in life do turn out to be short. This wonderful conversation had to be cut short due to her prior commitment with her friend. When the interruption occured the first feeling he felt was one being left alone. He felt weird. Why should he feel like that?


It was then he realised how nice it would be to have this person in life, with whom he just shared so much and would like to share so much more. Someone to whom he can talk about his likes and dislikes without the slightest of reservations. Someone whose thoughts and suggestions he was ready to take in when provided. Someone for whom he was ready to do anything. But is it enough that he likes her so much? Shouldn't that be mutual as well?


He understood what he felt could probably not be reciprocated. But he decided he will not give up until he tried atleast once. So then, he tried to communicate to her as often as possible. This proved difficult as his geographic location could not be altered for another two years. But he did contact her once every quarter (if he was lucky), that too not direct. He couldn't help thinking both with optimism and pessimism about his suituation. Nevertheless, he never lost hope. He took this as a learning experience to face the possible extremities of life. Still, he had to tell her...How else will he get to know?...

P.S: Sorry for a delayed sequel!!

The Least We can do...

They are all five feet tall. They always go forward. They have bigger brothers running around. There are thousands of them littered in the streets of Chennai from Redhills to Tambaram, from Avadi to Mylapore, from Valasaravakkam to Villivakkam. They easily move around the nooks and corners of the city. They are yellow in colour and are the most feared but also the most preferred. Yes, I am talking about those three- wheeled "friends" of tourists locally called 'auto'.

One of the first things that anyone coming to Chennai, knows about them is that their meters are useless. The rumour mills run that the meters are heated up, mechanically/electronically sabotaged etc etc. One month of frequent travelling (almost twice every weekday) by autorickshaw gave me a fair idea of the background of this problem.

A standard auto driver who hires a vehicle pays Rs 150-180 as rent per day amounting to a maximum of 5400Rs per month. Petrol in Chennai costs Rs50+ a litre. And the average mileage of an auto is approximately 30km (on the best case). Logically speaking in Chennai, a driver can cover 160 km in 8 hours of driving. The meter rate of Rs 7 per km gives him 1120 Rs and an earning of approximately 650Rs per day, deducting petrol and rental charges. But practically, covering a distance of 120 km per day is the best one driver can hope for. This halves his earning to about 350 Rs per day. So what does he do?

Every driver I encountered kind of gave me the impression (when I was chatting with them) that their primary aim of the day is to earn the rental charge for the day (Rs 180/-). Hence the pattern that I observed went like- trips in the morning proved costlier than that in the evening. Shenoy Nagar (my house) to Nungambakkam station is a 3km ride for which paying Rs30/- is reasonable. I pay that on return in the evening, but the morning trip I always end up having to bargain to reach the same rate. The bigger the distance, the bigger is the deviation, I believe. Their idea is to earn as much as possible in minimum number of trips to cover their rent, petrol. Once they reach that target, they relax themselves to drive for reasonable prices. So what is the solution?

The goverment could probably standardize the rental rates charged by the owners, based on the day's trips, with a nominal minimum charge fixed. That could basically reduce the pressure on auto drivers to pay the now fixed component- rent. Also the current meter system, considering the maximum rent paid of Rs 180/-, gives a driver just Rs 3.50/km to a driver or a maximum of 50Rs per hour, could be changed according to the standardization of the rent. Mind you, 15k per month without any HRA, PL, CL or any other benefits is not enough for a family man to lead a standard life in Chennai. So what can we do?

The best judge of the state of auto drivers is they themselves. So this is what I learnt to do if I do take an auto. Name a price (which I think is reasonable) to the driver. If he accepts, great!! Else, simply walk away to find another who fits your needs. The least we can do is not make them more miserable, than they already feel by fighting with them :-). Mutual agreement always rules over a bargained one!!