Saturday, February 25, 2006

To Haflong and back....

Finally home..... after a rather eventful stay at Haflong. For starters, the journey to Haflong was very tiring coupled with multiple, albeit avoidable delays on the way . The journey began at 7.30 am , an hour late, as the driver had not turned up on time at the travel agency. As we inched our way across the town, we were caught in the rush hour traffic....and by the time we were on the outskirts it was already 9.30 am. Then just before Nongpoh, the right tyre on the rear, punctured and we had to spend some more time fixing that by the wayside. We eventually reached Shillong at around 11am.
Onwards from Shillong , we lost our way twice....first, near the Laitkor peak (on the way to Jowai) and secondly, near 8th mile (on the way to Umrongso). We were already running late and these delays only compounded our existing problems. Our main aim was to reach Haflong before dark and we really had a loong way to go.....without delays, the journey could be covered in 10 +/-1 hours ....but that seemed a distant reality....what with a rather inexperienced driver at hand.....it wasn't helping things much.
The weather was a bit dull...it was cloudy and a bit chilly....with a slight drizzle now n then. As we moved on from Shillong....the roads got better and so did the scenery. There were pine trees dotting the hillside with neat little cottages by the wayside. Sparkling steel utensils out in the backyard to dry, beautiful lace curtains and bright coloured flowers in neat pots, lined the verandah of each house.....it was beautiful.....
As we moved further towards Umrongso, the scenery changed a bit....got a glimpse of the Kopili River...in all its turquoise blue splendour...sitting placidly...amidst the rolling hills. It was getting dark ....it was about 5 in the evening...and we hadn't had lunch as yet....man...i was hungry like hell. So we stopped by at the Inspection Bunglow of NEEPCO at Garampani for a quick lunch over a steaming cup of tea and rather cold, but nevertheless tasty puris and sabzi!!! It was quite dark by the time we began our journey again...we still had around 4 hours to go....and our last experience had shown how horrible the roads were....and as we moved on ...our worst fears came true. For miles on end, our car was the only thing visible on a lonely stretch through a thick jungle.....there was nothing....no people, no animals ...just the quiet, dead stretch of inhospitable road. So we just turned on some music and babbled on...hoping that we'd reach soon...and we did, at around 9pm.
Haflong was asleep at that hour and with not a soul on the road to guide us, as usual we lost our way...... and by that time , it wasn't funny anymore. We were tired and literally dropping off. When we reached the Circuit House , we realized that the housekeeper there, hadn't cooked dinner for us..as he thought we had cancelled our trip.....as if the journey wasn't enough....
Anyway, we requested them and after a lot of complainin, they did make some rice n dal and salad, and i tell you ...the food tasted heavenly. After a quick dinner, we freshened up and just plopped on the bed....it was such a tiring trip.....


To be continued........

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Action packed Air show and Russian Ballet..........

Another hectic day went by and it was quite memorable as well. In the morning, i got to view an Air Show organized by the Air Force , as part of their awareness campaign. It was my first ever such experience and it was truly magnificent!! My companions during the show were two kids aged 6 and 10 years, and their excitement was quite infectious!! We stood on the terrace of a multi-storeyed building in Uz. Bazar, while the show took place right over the majestic Brahmaputra. There were thousands of people on the beaches of the Brahmaputra as they watched the skies becoming alive !!! It was simply mindblowing...
The action continued in the evening...when i attended a ballet performed on ice by a theatre troupe from St. Petersburg, Russia. The performance comprised of two segments. In the first segment, there was a beautiful drama based on a novel by Alexander Pushkin. In the latter segment, there were an assortment of short skits enacted by very colourful characters. They stole the show with their breathtaking performance and stylized ice skating. The costumes and the lithe movements were so magical that one was simply transported to another world!
Will be leaving early morning tomorrow to Haflong . The journey will probably take around 10 hours, if not more. We are planning to go via Shillong ,Jowai and Umrongso , which not only makes for quite an interesting and picturesque route but also boasts of a well maintained stretch of road!!! Will be gone for a week.....so will take a hiatus from blogging during this period....

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Rang De Basanti, Ethics and Martyrs!!

yesterday went by in a blur....first it was a hectic day at work..preparing for the trip to Haflong and then the evening went by in a rush when B (who had come down here for his batchmate's wedding) came home with his friends for dinner. It was fun meeting him up after donkey's ages..... yapping about old times...as usual!!!
There`was quite a debate about Rang de Basanti and the ethics of provoking the emotions of the youth by presenting such a violent ending!!! The arguement was that ...fine you get them all geared up to change the world...but is violence the only means? But the counter argument( which i wholeheartedly supported)...is that....thats precisely what the movie intended to showcase...that violence perhaps is needed...but is not the only way to usher in justice. Although the protagonists became matyrs....they had to sacrifice their lives...a heavy price to pay...for a bunch of happy-go-lucky fellows!!! So the fact of the matter really is.... that it is up to us (the audience) to decide on our chosen perspective on life ...
Perceptions differ and so do are choices....we make the choices and take our decisons....and they both shape our course of action...

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Bandhs and all that crap!

Well Guwahati has been reeling under a spate of Bandhs the last couple of days. The reason: to protest against army atrocities in Upper Assam. The intention may have been well meaning but Bandhs never solve any problem.......its a burden on the exchequer,loss for the daily wage earners...and on the whole a pain in the a**!! I mean whats the point man.... besides how many people are` really bothered....i mean there are i'm sure better ways to register one's protest!!
Well i'm frustrated with life here...just the mundaneness of everything here is killing....

This is me...

I'm all of 25 years...and still confused about life. I'm working in India's Northeast....famous(or rather infamous) for being the hotbed of terrorist activities. Insurgency with its multiple ramifications has become an accepted part of daily life here. Deaths, kidnappings, extortion...just a regular dose with your morning cup of tea.
Working in a research institute here, trying to analyze various low intensity conflicts. Its interesting work most of the time...but the corruption and the lackadaisical attitude of the powers -that- be, can be a real pain in the neck at times...quite depressing as well.
I love travelling and interacting with people and thankfully my work requires a lot of that. I love listening to music( instrumental, soft rock, country and alternative genres), reading books ( about people, places, espionage, crimes, books by Rohinton Mistry..too good to be true!) and i yap away to glory ..any time..all the time...i'm quite a chatterbox...