On Udaipur, Great Friends and a First Anniversary

Last week, Nishtha and I celebrated our first anniversary together. We took our first vacation in a long, long time. Wanting to plan an economy budget trip, we decided to go somewhere close by - some place that does not require too much travel, and that would also have cheap avenues of stay and food. And then it hit us - Udaipur. It is only about 5 hours by road from Ahmedabad and has lots of great, inexpensive places where we could go and stay in, without burning holes in our pockets. 

Enter Jyoti and Sanal. And a hefty sponsorship for our vacation. A First Anniversary gift to us.

We love such friends!!! It still doesn't sink it - that elation of such an awesome gift from you guys! :) :)

I am eager to show you where we stayed (courtesy, J&S - thank you darlings, you guys are fantastic), but first, let me tell you something about Udaipur. It's a quaint little town, nestled in a tiny valley among the Aravali ranges. The hills themselves are not gigantic, considering that I've seen the Himalayas, but they do seem to have a certain lofted personality of their own, to say so.

The Aravali Hills - A view of the hills from atop Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace

Udaipur is not very big, but it has many attractions for visitors. We had a good time visiting many of the palaces and museums in the city. The principal attraction there, the City Palace and Museum is a grand monument built along the shore of the Lake Pichhola, an artificial lake created centuries ago by a Banjara - a wandering nomad tribal. After seeing this lake, the then ruling Mewar King, Maharana Udai Singh ordered the City Palace to be built here and thus was founded Udaipur.

So, when we reached here, owing to the great boom in our budget, we decided to park camp at a tent resort, called The Aravali Tent Resort. A first experience of living in a tent resort, where the tents have electricity, television, air conditioning and a nice tiled bathroom.

Outside our Tent at the Aravali Resort

The resort manager tried his best to see that we were comfortable, though I must say I did expect a bit more from the service. Overall, I'd rate the resort a 4/5 for stay, and a 3/5 for service. And oh, a 5/5 for the bonfires that Nishtha and I thoroughly enjoyed a couple of nights. 

Bonfire outside the tent

We visited a lot of places there in Udaipur, but it was more of a relaxing vacation than a "let's see everything today" kind. Nishtha and I are lazy when we're on vacation, and we'd rather flop on the bed and watch TV than go out and roam too much. A few hours of sightseeing, a couple of hours of good cafe food and some cold beer, and long hours of sleep and TV is more how we like it.

Our very first day in Udaipur will stay in our heads and hearts for a very long time. We went to this cafe called Pushkar Cafe, on the first floor of a small shop in the crowded and narrow street of Gangaur Ghaat. And we stepped into an oasis. The walls are painted with lovely paintings of Ganesha, Shiva from Indian Gods, and also along the other walls are paintings by many travelers who've taken a breather here.The food is ordinary here. But the service is good, the owner (Pushkar, who's marriage anniversary is a day after mine) is warm and welcoming, and the beer is cold.

At Pushkar Cafe

Ganesha the Wise

But this is not why we shall remember the place. During the course of our lunch there, I was writing a little something in a diary (remind me to post that poem here too), and Pushkar thought I was painting. He asked me if I was, and that if I wanted to, I could paint something on his walls for him. I immediately looked at Nishtha, and with a little coaxing, she was there, all set with paint brushes, colors and a determined look. 

It took a rough pencil drawing, an eraser, an intense discussion on what to paint, and one more rough drawing to finally setup what we thought would be perfect for the place. And Nishtha did it again - she drew and painted the Matsya Nyaya picture perfect to the T. 

Painting Her Heart Out

Matsya Nyaya - The Law Of The Jungle

Matsya Nyaya - The Law Of The Jungle

The Artist's Signature

So now when any of you go to Udaipur, do check out this painting by Nishtha at the Pushkar Cafe, and think of us when you do. 

A lot more happened, many more places were visited, I'll leave the rest in just pictures. Some nice, some not so nice, but all definitely ones that Nishtha and I won't forget. And we've kept a few places in Udaipur pending, so that we may go back there some day. And relive the first of many anniversaries to come.

Happy 1st Anniversary Nishtha, my love. 

Lake Pichhola at Sunset - JagMandir in the middle of the lake

An outhouse near the Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace

The Bagore Ki Haveli (Palace of Bagore) on the banks of the Pichhola

Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace

Captured

From the Top

How small the world.

Far into the distance my heart lies

- Vinaykrishnan.

About Opinions

To have an opinion about something, is to be human. Every human has opinions.

To have an opinion that could potentially improve or change something, and to not express it, is selfish.

To have an opinion that could potentially improve or change something, and to express it, is benevolent.

To have an opinion that is useless, and to not express it, is wise.

To have an opinion that is useless, and to express it, is stupid.

- Vinaykrishnan.

About pride, vanity and courage.

I've been giving this a lot of thought over quite some time now.

Be proud of everything that you do. Do only that which makes you proud. If something that you are doing is not making you proud of yourself, then quit doing it. Stop right then. And do not do it again. 

When a student passes his exams with flying colors, his parents will be proud of him. But they won't be proud over the whole year of effort that he put in. They will be proud over his achievement - that of scoring well. Had the student failed, his parents would not have been proud of him. Instead they would have hung their head in shame in society and would have reprimanded him for failing.

You, and only you, will ever be proud of what you have done. Others will always only be proud of what you have achieved.

But be also careful, that your pride does not become your vanity. Your pride is your own. You will always be proud of yourself. You will always want yourself to be proud. But the moment you want, or will, others to be proud of yourself, you will be vain. And vanity is a vice.

Pride is mistaken to be a vice. It is vanity that makes a man suffer. Vanity goes before a fall. Vanity stops you from growing. Vanity should die in you, to let Heaven live in you. Vanity keeps you away from Godliness. Not pride. But vanity.

And above all, to be proud, you must be courageous. Pride is what wants you to keep your head held high. Courage will help you do it.

- Vinaykrishnan.

Where we were young

The last time I was there, I was in college. Around this time itself, I visited Mithapur, met a lot of people, friends, and loved ones, roamed the streets like kings, teased girls and celebrated Diwali.

This time around, I did the same, but with the most unexpected person ever. My wife, Nishtha. For those of you who do not know, my wife and I were not exactly "friendly" with each other in school days. Or in college days. We literally hated each other. And if you had asked me who I would be with the next time I was in Mithapur, I would never in my wildest imaginations have thought it would be Nishtha.

I also must add that this time around, there is no one else I would have enjoyed more with than Nishtha.

I find it very nostalgic, being in Mithapur and all. We visited all the old hangouts, met a lot of people we've known since childhood, and in general reminisced about the good ol' days when we didn't have a worry in the world When being younger was a joy in itself. We didn't have cell phones back then, nor did we have Facebook or Twitter. But we communicated, and we all met up and we all had fun. This time around, I talked to so many people on the phone and FB, but ended up meeting less than half of those. Of course, time was a constraint as I was there only for a couple of days, and I apologize to all of you I couldn't meet.

But it isn't all rosy. I heard unsettling news about the decline of my high school, lack of good faculty being the major cause. I also saw that a lot of old houses were dilapidated now, and were to be torn down. It hurt, to know that these will go too, though they were part and parcel of my childhood.

I wish at times I could go back right now and settle down there. The town has a peaceful slumber of its own, lulling everything to a virtual standstill, till you can actually see the sun set right into the far horizons beyond the sea. It's calm, serene and the land of my childhood days.

But that land has no more charms for me as an adventurer. It is home, but I am not done exploring the world yet.

- Vinaykrishnan.

Such a Thorn

It's still is under the skin,

Pricks away at the flesh.

Doesn't do much, just stays there till it's not troubled. 

But then you dig your fingernails into the skin, 

To remove it,

And it hurts.

It wiggles inside. 

Like a parasite, it refuses to leave you.

You think,

"Let's just leave it there, it'll come out on its own."

But it doesn't go away. 

You think,

"I'll forget it with time, time heals everything."

But you never forget.

Days pass into weeks, and months and years,

Yet this thorn doesn't come out. 

It hurts - not all the time - but it's there.

Always.

Sometimes a flashing pang, a shocking pain, a startling revelation, 

Sometimes softer.

A nagging idea at the back of the mind.

Love is such a thorn.

- Vinaykrishnan.

Delayed

Back to the days
Shall we go? 
To the airports and railway stations
That led our paths,
To ensure we meet. 

Life now makes us travel less
For we are with each other,
But I'd still go and catch a flight anytime,
To be with You again.

In that world where I sit at airports, waiting for the flight to come and to take me to Your arms,
I sit with that coffee and the Zinger,
(KFC could count on me at 6 AM in the morning)
And curse the screens when my flight
Comes marked up as "Delayed"
Even by just 5 minutes. 

- Vinaykrishnan.

The Ache - I

I have been feeling this ache inside. For quite some time now.


Not physical, no. But not just mental. Not emotional either. I feel as if physical, mental or emotional pain is all just on the surface of some imaginary platform. Like Pratchett's Great A'tuin, this platform, this base is where it's aching. It's throbbing, always has, but now with every throb comes great pain. Almost suffering as well.


It's as if this foundation, that is the very core of my existence is pulsating with pain at something. It's crying out. Loudly. I never heard it this loud ever. But now I can hear it. In the day, when I'm working, at night when I'm at home with my wife or watching television, or reading a newspaper - I can constantly hear it humming at me. Like a drone, it hums on and on and now I am forced to answer this call. I'm afraid to pick it up. Afraid of what is on the other end of the line. 


Is this my soul? Or is the universe aching at my doing something? Or not doing something? Have I sinned? Have I done something so amazing that I should be rewarded for it? (Now, crime is punishable. But merit is only rewarded by a word called "duty". Nothing else. This has always struck me as rather unfair).


It's not a reward. I think. That has to be a sunny, happy feeling, doesn't it? So I'm ruling out the possibility of it being a good thing. I don't think it's also because it's not a punishing kind of feeling after all. It's more of a nagging feeling. So the only alternative that remains is that it is a bad omen. Of things to come, of things to happen? I don't know. I wish I did, but then again, I am glad I don't. Grand scheme of things, ignorance is bliss, and all that jazz. 


I do not know how to name it. I cannot put a finger on it. It's not something that I can make you understand. It's not tangible. It's not explicable. 


Yet is the most basic, most primal of all my feelings, it seems. It seems as though I was not just born with this, but that this is the feeling that created me. As if the universe itself has created me to be its voice. To be its expression. That I am indebted to it to ensure that I act as the medium of its travel. That everything that it wants, I am the one to throw at the rest of the universe, and that every minute particle that every particle of the rest of the gigantic universe throws at me is meant for only me and not one other to be a receptacle.


Maybe I am meant to do something huge. Something that would go down in the annals of not just Earth's history, but the Universe's. (Suddenly I regard the Universe with new found respect, the hypocrite in me). Not sure if that is what this means. But that's what I think. 


May be I should just ramble on and on till I find out. 


- Vinaykrishnan.

No. This is not my India.

I am an average Indian man. I am the same as everyone else. I do nothing, admitted. I sit on my chair all day wondering what's going wrong with everything and everyone around me, agreed. I slouch, read stuff on the internet, watch videos of little girls molested publicly in large cities in India, outrage and then forget about it. I know.

I am a culprit, I say to myself, of a corrupt, immoral and heartless system.

But I am, in fact, the criminal. I am the one who is corrupt. Because I bribe myself into believing that mine is a good, safe and secure nation. I am the one who is immoral. Because I commit the morally reprehensible act of staying silent even when I should not. I am the one who is heartless, because I see something happening as horrendous, yet I do not think the same can happen to my own wife or mother or sister.

I am ashamed today to think that I am of the same nation as those people in Guwahati. The Preamble to the Constitution of India says "We, the people of India,.... assuring the dignity of the individual...hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution."

But no, we are not people. We are worse than animals. We do not assure the dignity of an individual, but ensure that we shall find every opportunity to downgrade it. We do not adopt or enact any words of this Constitution, but make it our Constitutional Right to ensure that women always think twice before stepping outside their doors.

Aamir Khan in Satyameva Jayate talked about female infanticide and foeticide some time back. Some of those girls who were killed may be sitting up There, glad that they weren't born after all in a land as insane, degraded and horrid as India. They are probably glad that they weren't born in a land where we teach our daughters to "not get raped", but do not teach our sons to "not rape".

This is not where I want to be. This is not the country I was taught to epitomize and idolize when I was a child. This is not the land where "the mud smells like heaven". It doesn't.

Right now, it smells of shit.

No. This is not my India.

- Vinaykrishnan.

You

Your presence is a present for me,

I've got an Angel in You,

Though You don't wear any wings,
You still float like a butterfly,


You're as tempestuous as the sea,
Yet as calm as the feeling I get on hearing your heart beat.


Only you make me want to go on.


Only You.


- Vinaykrishnan,

This is how it feels

So this is how it feels to have You sleep on my chest for hours as I look at You.
The strands of hair
That I wrap around my finger.
Where does Your tenderness come from?

This is how it feels to have You breathe on my face and to enjoy Your warmth.
The slow flutter of the eyelashes
As you mutter nothings in your sleep.
Where does Your innocence come from?

So this is how it feels to have the weight of Your head on my shoulders.
The look Your eyes give
When You glance at me.
Where does Your loving come from?

-Vinaykrishnan.

This Wait

The knowing that comes
Famished and sun-burnt,
Like charcoal embers,
How it deprives and drives.
To know that I am with You,
And yet to have to spend moments unnecessarily away from You.
I'd like to think
Maybe it's not unnecessary.

But like the moves in chess, all cumulative, all combining, all that suspense coming together,
To that grand checkmate at the end,
Maybe
Even this wait
Is Necessary.

- Vinaykrishnan.

The Farewell

Last day in Chandigarh. Seems weird to go. A sense of missing out. A sense of nostalgia, interspersed with sadness and longing. This city has become a part of me now. I am more Punjabi than Gujarati or Malayali now. My tastes in food, drink, music and life have changed over this wondrous journey of 4 years. 


But I am happy too. Excited to go and start a new phase of my life with Nishtha, my wife. I'm glad I can finally start living with her. It's been long overdue and I'm glad things worked out for me. I can't wait to start living with Nishtha. 


I have made a lot of friends here over this period of time in my life. Some have moved on to newer and bigger things, some have remained where they are. I'm going to miss all these people I have met, and the things I have learnt from them - not only about work, but even about life. 


I fell in love while I have been here. It's singularly the most important thing that has happened in my life - loving someone so amazing as Nishtha. And I attribute it a lot to my being in Chandigarh, and the city shaping me the way I am. 


I now know how it feels to be in a torrent of a mixture of emotions. I'm sad, yet so very happy. I'm nostalgic, yet I also look forward to the future with great eagerness and anticipation and excitement. 


I hope Ahmedabad teaches me new things in life. I hope that Nishtha and I find living with each other even more fun that we have anticipated already. I'm keeping my heart open to dreams. I hope that my life is better there than here. I hope that Nishtha and I live a happy life. I hope that Chandigarh lets me go happily and yet hope that there is some part of this city that will miss me. I hope some part of this city someday stretches out and calls me back here again, even if for a day. 


I fare thee well, Chandigarh. I hope you always stay the same - a city of dreams, a city of beauty, and a city of hope.


- Vinaykrishnan.

A Replay

I wish there were some way I could relive my life,

Correct all the mistakes, 

Take back all the harsh words, 

Remove abuses,

Delete the preconceived notions and ideas that I fostered,

Say Yes to the right people, 

Say No to the wrong ones, 

Say Maybe when I was confident,

Speak confidently when I have been scared,

And do all these things in life,

Have second chances,

And still be exactly where I am today.

Exactly where I am today. 

- Vinaykrishnan.

(I Love You, Nishtha. Thank you for everything.)

Miracles

There is something about a child's smile that makes me think, Miracles do exist. It's plain obvious. That twinkle in its eyes, the smile that starts from the child's lips, and ends in our hearts. Amazing.

I wonder how many miracles I see everyday, but fail to take notice only because they seem mundane at the first glance.

The twinkling of the stars. The colors of the world. The sights through a colored bottle. The print on a newspaper. The chill that I get when I open the refrigerator door. Counting down to zero the seconds left at a traffic light. The sound of her voice on the phone. The chinks of sunlight that are filtered by the clouds. The smell of damp earth. Subtitles in a foreign language movie. Waves continuously lapping the shore. The background in a photograph. The way water droplets form on the outside of a bottle containing cold water. The plaster that breaks and cracks when the ceiling becomes wet due to a water leakage. The way the letters curl and join together in cursive script. The way hermit crabs learn all on their own that they need to get inside a shell.

I don't think too many would agree with me on the things above being miracles. But I think they are. And that's what matters to me.

- Vinaykrishnan.

Hurting

I try to make myself numb from the pain
Of being away from You,
But it does get worse when I do feel it,
It stings the most when I miss Your embrace,
And just as I begin to hate this pain and sadness that I have inside of me,
I realize
That this is what makes me human.

This is what reminds me again of my love
For You.

- Vinaykrishnan.