Back

Trivandrum came and went like a missile. Now, am back in Kottayam.

Spent less than 24 hours in the capital city; went to the famous Ananthapadmanabhaswamy temple there. And, that was it. Tried to get info for my project but coudn't.

So, actually speaking - did nothing worthwhile there other than watching television in the hotel we stayed in!

Travelling like mad

We've been travelling. Like mad.

It started from here last morning. Went to Kochi, found a hotel and put our stuff there. After lunch, boarded the train to Thrissur. Got down at Thrissur, walked a bit and boarded the bus to Guruvayur.

At Guruvayur, we first went to the fanous elephant sanctuary, which at present houses 62 elephants. Had an awesome time, clicking pictures and getting a story. Went back to the temple and had His darshan.

Boarded a train from there and came back to Kochi and spent the night there.

I got up early in the morning and boarded a train back to Kottatam for the editorial conference. Now, the conference is over and we're proceeding to Trivandrum.

Some travelling, huh.

Travelling with temples

Tired.
But glad.

Coz my parents are here. It was Temple Time today. Went to three temples, all built by Pandavas.

Had to go to Chenganacherry by bus in the morning, finish the temple near there and then go in train to Chenganoor.

Waited till 4 in the Chenganoor raliway station and then took an autorickshaw for the two temples nearby. Actually, there were three but we couldn't make it due to lack of time.

Now, am back in Mascom. Tomorrow, we're planning to go to Kochi and then probably go to Guruvayoor. Will post asap.

Nod, instead of nonsense!

Jubilation. Ecstacy, almost.

When I saw the words - "your proposal is acceptable but you have to give me a structure of your project."

It's been a really long time; since I gave an idea on one investigative project, then changed it to another and then kept changing angles endlessly. And, it all came back to me - with red marks all over the place.

Finally, I struck gold and modified my original topic and gave it, and the above words were what came in red. It feels as if half the road is already crossed; now all I gotto do is work out the project properly.

I waited for "nonsense" but I got the "nod" instead. Rocks!

Diplomacy's the word

Diplomacy is the word of the day.

Diplomacy talk there was aplenty today as I went to meet two top government officials; one in the morning, the other in the evening.

First, most of them are reluctant to talk to us guys but finally manage to give us some quotes. Off the record talks there are lots, but what's the use for us?

Yet, it's a really big challenge - getting stuff outta them. And, we pass the real test if we're able to do that.

Best of luck, Sree!

It all started last night.

8.15 PM - Classmate tells me that Indian pace bowler Sreesanth is coming to our little town.

8.30 PM - On the phone, tracking him down.

8.45 PM - Confirmed from Sreesanth himself that yes, he'll be coming down here.

And it continued this afternoon/evening.

2.45 PM - Am at the MM hall here. For a kids' quiz programme, the prizes of which were to be given by the cricketer.

3.30 PM - Sreesanth arrives. I go upto him and say - "Hey Sree, this is Srinivas. Remember I called you last night. I need to talk to you." Reply - "Absolutely...after this thing gets over."

Distributes prizes patiently to the kids. Smiles at all. Asks the audience to 'clap'. Signs autographs, loads of them. I click pics, loads of them.

An hour and a half later, after all the customary speeches and the innumerous formalities, the programme's finally over.

Sree, here please. Yeah, here. I told you na - I need to talk to you.

He obliges.

He talks with confidence, a rare confidence that will sure make him go places. "Best of luck, Sree," - I say, shaking his hand.

And that's how it ended.

The page's over!

Phew.

Again.

Phew, again.

A roller-coaster ride came to an end this evening. From Wednesday morning, I've been doing all things that a sub-editor here is supposed to do. Edit copy. Crop photos. Size 'em. Lay out the page.

It's over now.

The page's finished; the headlines are written, the captions are over. Cos I am doing the first page this time, the panels are there - and they're also filled now and look awesome.

It's all over.

Phew.

It's time to work!

Me working on my page. This process starts today, and ends Friday evening. I gotto crop pics, size them, edit copy, place them and layout the page.

Mein abhi Hindi pad raha hum!

Ek.
Do.
Theen.
Char.
Panch

Like schoolchildren, we were all reciting these numbers this morning. In a "Spoken Hindi" class.

People who know me know that my Hindi, though having passed a few exams, is really poor. Those major exams may have helped me "read and write" the language well, but my spoken Hindi is well..poor.

Classmates here laugh a lot.

When they hear me trying to speak in Hindi.

And, though I have no special affinity or love towards the language, I gotto learn it just cuz it's a must. You go to the North, it's a must, to converse with people. And, to listen to locals speaking, from which one can a journo can get awesome stories.

And, if we are outside India, foreigners picturise India as a Hindi-speaking country and if we dunno the national language, it's a shame, really.

I gotto learn how to speak Hindi properly.

Another one

Another pic of actress Gopika that I clicked last evening.

Meanwhile, nothing major happened today. Five of us went for a session with the guys at the Online section of the main office. Am a sub-editor this week, so have no work till Wednesday.

Goooooopika!

A Flower Show is being conducted here. And, the Chief Guest for a programme conducted there this evening was actress Gopika.

Remember the Latikha in Autograph? That innocent Mallu girl who falls for Cheran. She was the same in the show here; quiet, subdued. Essentially, an outsider. An otherwise quiet girl pushed into the spotlight.

Of cos, she was accused of donning glam roles ... remember the songs in 'Kana Kandein'?

I got some exclusive shots of her as I was in the stage. The crowd was phenomenal, absolutely mad on seeing two cine stars (Gopika and another actor, Jayasuriya). But sadly, didn't get a chance to interview her. Story missed.

Hi-tech farmer

He's just a farmer.

No no, he's a great farmer. One who understands his plants.

Mr EB is a Cochin Jew, who is now happily settled in Israel. He gave us a short lecture today.

He's got this awesome agricultural setup there that consists of small machines which "understand" the plants and feeds it accordingly. The machines know when the plants feel hungry, when they wanna sleep, everything. Rocks!

And, he's trying to implement it here in India. He's already talked to ministers/people concerned. Let's see if something happens..

Ball in the basket!

MCC (Chennai) lines up.

Mar Ivanios (Trivandrum) lines up.

For the finals of a local basketball tournament. It's a good game; one college goes ahead and the other bounces back. Missing some easy passes and shoots, MCC goes down and finally, loses.

Talked to the coaches, PD, players of the teams. It's a great feeling - hearing guys of my age speaking Tamil. They finished the game at 5, and were on the Madras mail at 5.30. Coach says that everyone wants to go home early cos tomorrow is Pongal. Oh that reminded me - I miss celebrating Pongal at home.

Happy Pongal. Have fun, people.

The church

The church I went to two days ago.

Nothing much happened yesterday and the day before. Last evening, we all went to attend a function at an auditorium here, where veteran journalist TJS G spoke. I've read his articles for so long now, but this is the first time I'm actually seeing him in person.

A typical Kerala temple

I was in this temple yesterday. Observe the structure - it's SO different from temples in Tamil Nadu.

Tuesday trip: Details

Happy Bakrid. Thankfully, it's holiday today. Got up at 7. Took bath. Dressed, packed a small bag. Started at 8, with friend N in his bike. Straight to Changanachery. Stop. "Where is Thirukoodithanam" is the question we ask. Straight, turn left - it's just three kilometres is the reply. Brrr goes the bike. We are there.

Thirukoodithanam Vishnu temple. Said to be built by Sahadevan, one of the five Pandavas. Temple's one of the 9 "divadesams" in Kerala. Remove shirt. Go inside. Pray. God, please keep us all happy. Come out. Brrr goes the bike. Again. Now, to Thiruvalla.

Thiruvalla main junction. Stop. "Where is Vallabha Kshetram" is the question we ask. Straight, turn left - almost the same reply. Thanks, cheta. Brrrr goes the bike. We are there.

Vallabha Ksetram. Huge temple. Typical Kerala style structures. Remove shirt. Go inside. Visit all sannadhis. God, please keep us all happy. Come out. Brrr goes the bike.

Thiruvalla main junction. Stop. Search for a hotel. It's 11, and we're hungry. Aariyas spotted. Go inside. Wash hands. I have dosa, he has poori. Pay bill. Brrr goes the bike. Again.

St John's cathedral (outskirts of Thiruvalla). Huge, awesome structure. Remove slippers, go inside. Silence superb. As usual, silence inside all churches is awesome. Time to close eyes and pray. God, keep us all happy. Come out. Brr goes the bike. Again.

At St Berchman's College, Changanachery. Called S B college. Remember Cheran's 'Autograph'? Shot here. Gopika singing, Cheran fascinated by that. Shot here. Proceed to S B college's girl's hostel. N wants to meet a friend. Hi. I am Srinivas, from Chennai. Yeah. Course's going on. Twenty minutes goes by. We are out. Brrr goes the bike. Again.

Just before Kodimatha bridge. We are 'brrring' on the bike. An auto just before us. Kid smiles at me. I smile back. He shoots at me. I shoot back. I punch in the air. He punches back. Smiles. Laughs. I take photo. Good fun. Bye.

MASCOM. We're back. End of a short-yet-super trip.

St Xaviers in Mascom!

Time: 11.45 AM.

Venue: Porch (just outside the entrance of our insti)

People: 50 bubbly, excited guys and girls from the St Xaviers Institute, Mumbai are on a trip to Kerala. And, they were visiting our insti.

To be frank, It's really rare that we get to see hot chicks out here, and so our eyes wandered all around the place. "Hey, see that red one there..aha no, that pink one there," one eye seemed to tell the other.

A brief presentation was held in our seminar hall. The Lion was in a great mood, so was IG, and so were we! Yours sincerely sat next to a cute nose-pierced blue-churidar. Two minutes, and we were into a conversation. And, guess what, she was Tamilian!

We MASCOMiites took all the fifty of them to the lake down our road. For Mumbai-bred pukka guys and girls, the sight of a lake down a road was thrilling. They enjoyed the boat-ride across the lake(one girl even managed to hold the rope and row).

Time for lunch. White rice, great soft chappatis and super icecream. They, and we, enjoyed it.

And then it was time: Byeeeeeeeee.

Inside a Church!

I sniff, and the sound resonates throughout.

I tap the bench I'm sitting in, and the silence is almost deafening.

I am inside the Vimalagiri Church here. The structure is awesome; you can stand in front of the building and stare at it all day. It's worth that much.

And, sitting inside is worth even more. As I said before, the silence enraptures and captivates you. Just think: how many people, throughout the years, have come there and poured their troubles to God.

The air inside a Church is filled with both troubles and God's answers to them. And, it's silent because that is precisely His/Her answer to our troubles. Peace - that is his answer.

Dead bored!

Dead bored.

Sunday, a not-too-tight Monday and a holiday on Tuesday cos of bakrid - this is reason enough for local mallus to go home. And, that leaves me alone and bored out here.

Fun in the holidays!

When we were given a measly four days hols for Christmas, our sir (KTO) gave us one really hilarious exercise. He gave us some imaginary, crazy headlines and asked us to write the lead (introduction) paragraph for it, using our imagination.

Here's what I did...

1. His headline - 'Hole in face' sends man to hospital in Kochi

My lead - KOCHI: When a cricket ball hit carpenter Paulose Mathai yesterday, his nose broke and fell down. This left a big hole in his face, and he has been admitted to a private hospital here.

2. Angry, jobless Santas picket Kochi mall after one of them is accused of lechery

KOCHI: Twenty angry Santas picketed a popular shopping mall here today because one of them was accused of lechery. A Santa was yesterday accused of brushing his beard against a 25-year-old woman’s t-shirt.

3. Turtle missing from Kochi zoo shows up in excellent condition after 3 years

KOCHI: A turtle that was missing for three years has shown up in the zoo here. 25-year-old Pintu, the turtle, was the cynosure of all eyes in the zoo here and the number of visitors have reduced drastically ever since it was missing.

4. Nude scene done tastefully in radio drama

MUMBAI: Beauty queen Aishwarya Rai will be nude - in a radio drama. Ms Rai has lent her voice to a radio serial called Love’s in the Toilet, and has recorded for a "supposedly" sexual scene - in the toilet.

Finally, cricket outdoors!

My right leg pains like hell. Iodex and Volini seem to have no effect.

And, my left eye still pains a bit.

Four hours of cricket last evening caused the damage. Yesterday morning started off great; we went in with a 'New Year' request to our administrator.

We (all guys), after wishing him New Year - "Sir, we have a special request. We would like to play cricket outdoors. We've found a suitable place to play, but we need money to buy a bat, ball and stumps. So... well..."

We scratch our heads expectantly.

M (administrator) - "Oh I see...ok let me see what I can do. Give me a rough cost of your expenses."

Two hours later, a brand new MRF bat and four stumps were here. And, two hours later, we were on the field.

It's not much of a ground. Just a 'porambokku' land full of shrubs and plants which had a clearing in the middle. Batting and bowling would be easy, but not fielding.

Yet, three 10-over games were played. My team won 2-1.

Great start to 2006!

The New year started off in a great note. A great story from the Veterans cricket match, which I went to yesterday.

"I have no idea, brother" - were immortal words that Pakitan former great Waqar Younis told me last morning in response to a question. Spoke to him, Venkatesh Prasad (the pic above shows me interviewing him), Venkatapathy Raju, Rajesh Chauhan and got great quotes for a story.

Photographed and saw in close quarters Mohammed Azharuddin(man, he looks really fit) and his wife Sangitha(looks super cool).

Learnt how tough writing under deadline pressure is...

Learnt how to behave in a press room at a match (agreed, this is a small match yet it's training for bigger ones to come, rite?)

Learnt lotsa other things.

2006 should be a year of learning - and success.