This is one thing I wanted to write about since a month or so.
I don't know if it has been lack of motivation or just lack of will to accept that my words cannot match my emotions on this topic.
I feel it is the latter and it's time I accept it!
Feelings are difficult to decode like I mentioned earlier... but in a case where you are indebted to a person from your soul already, it becomes your aim or ambition to pay back the person in some small way that you can.
In my case, it is my sister in law I am talking about...
She is the single biggest contributor in facilitating my match at her place.. I couldn't be more indebted to her...
Now its time for her to get married :)
And me, I am all over the place... I get so involved sometimes in the process that I fear I don't become too judgemental.
The truth is I so badly want the guy to be 'just-the-perfect-one' that I sometimes become too critical :(
But then, I think being critical also comes with being a Virgo.
I have started experiencing this feeling where I feel that waiting and watching is better than committing wrongly.
It's maybe the kind of love that fathers would experience towards their daughters at this stage in their lives...
I know the gravity of the statement I just made... its huge.. but then.. i feel it!
It would be hard to comprehend for most people my age, but that's how some relations are.
My wife is my most prized relationship... I am the closest that 'close' can be, to my wife.. and who helped me do that? a big push from her side.. then things like convincing the parents was a cakewalk... couldn't have imagined a bigger favour someone could do for me!
Ah.. it's so easy to take a favour.. but 10 times more harder to return it.
Sometimes, when I think about the 200 odd profiles that have been subject to profiling in the last month and half... there are just 4-5 guys that could potentially match up... potentially only!!!
In a country where the males are on the stronger side of the male:female ratio, it is but ironical to find so little on the sifter once the sieving is done.
On a lighter note, it's also another law of the nature, that where there is quantity, the quality suffers :)
Thinking on the sidelines, I feel that MASTERCARD is a great service to the planet. The two things it has given mankind are :
1. Ease of transacting anytime/anywhere.
2. Giving the world an unforgettable line.
The second one echoes in my heart right now..
The kind of feeling that I am talking about matches so nicely with the famous line.
/*There are somethings money can't buy*/
Yes, very truely.
There are somethings money absolutely can't buy.
Money cannot buy someone the feelings that I have nurtured for a person.
Money cannot buy the emotion I am going through these days. Money also cannot buy the decision which ultimately will see her happy!!
Oh yes, there are many many things money can't buy.
So yeah, I know the road ahead is tough... I would quote Robert Frost in these oft-repeated but full-on meaning lines :
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Yes, many promises to keep...
Promises to keep!
All the best my dear... we were, are and will always be one in front and one behind you!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
KJo - naam toh suna hoga
I happened to be another victim to the monstrous hype that was created around a film called My name is Khan.
I don't know why, but after watching KCK on Friday night, i asked my parents if they would like to watch MNIK on saturday!
My luck too was on leave that day.. they said yes.. and we set out in my gaadi.
We reached the theatre half an hour in advance.. that was a sign of things to come, maybe God wanted us to get bored and leave the place before the ordeal started... but nahi.. we are destiny's children! and our destiny that night was KJo.
The movie started promisingly with the protagonist getting frisked on the airport.. for reciting a few muslim verses.
The intent was good. I thought I had done justice to myself by breaking my 2010 resolution of not watching SRK films.
A few scenes later, SRK started getting repetitive. Whatever sympathy the audience had gathered for him were now turning into uneasy oohs and aahs and uncomfortable shifts in their chairs.
He was now royally irritating people in the theatre.
Whatever the syndrome was, I really dont think KJo researched it enough.
At the end of the movie you dont even remember what the disablility was called. To add to the pain, it was so horribly potrayed in the script that Khan was only too glad to make it worse by multiplying the pain by 10.
Whatever the disablity was, all he did was repeat the last two words of every sentence he spoke. There was absolutely nothing more to the character.
If you minus those 2 repeated words, he just seemed like his usual 'Rahul, naam toh suna hi hoga' avatar.
He is always so hopelessly affluent and so cool that he forgets that this is not a stage show or an awards night, but a film where he should be getting under the skin of the character.
To draw a parallel, it is so easy to say that SRK can never ever in this life play a progeric Auro or even a Ghajini. He just cannot, he does not possess the ability to.
To be different, everyone in Bollywood these days plays a disabled character, so how can this hyped Khan be left behind?
But to everyones horror, he neither seems disabled nor is interested in pretending to be disabled.
He is the cool Rahul in every film with the same hairstyle and with the same dirty smirk on his nicotine blackened lips.
The problem with him is that he just doesn't want to try, he is happy in his zone where the mindless supporters love him for being a fool.
He is in Madame Tussauds too... err.. but then so is Salman. So that doesnt count as an achievement.
He is very very obnoxiously repetitive. Thats is all I want to say.
Moving on, the film was no better. How could it be?
It was made by the stupid coterie of Khan, KJo and Kajol.
Kajol just continued from K3G. She was too loud in that movie and she just took over from there.
In MNIK, she was so loud that the people in the adjacent screen couldn't follow their film properly.
She keeps yelling when she's happy and also when her son dies.
Yelling is what she does to keep her weight in control. After K3G, she hadn't got a chance to yell, so she put on weight like a water hog.
But now she's determined. She's determined to scare the people of this country by yelling, yelling day and night, yelling in health and death, yell, yell all the time .. yell so much that we get scared and settle in Pakistan.
The Taliban too are scared of her now.
Ab aaya KJo... bhai iske liye toh koi kuch bhi bole kam hai. He is like a bucket of emotions, a bath tub rather.
I thought it couldn't get more heavier than K3G.
All the people, hail Kojja.. sorry KJo.. here comes MNIK. (By the way Kojja in Telugu, a prominent south Indian language spoken by more than a 100 million people, means hijra, a colloquial word used for the term eunuch).
Sorry to get personal KJo, but that is what you deserve, because of what you subject us to.
You have one Kojja friend with whom you make all the films, which are all affluent, which always show people crying out of love and ruling that love for friends/mother/father/neighbour/dog/cat/sheep/wolf and love for anything that is human or non human is everything in the world.
You are such a bucket of mush.
You are sooooooo sweet. Your films are also sooooo sweet that they generally taste like a concoction of cocoa and sugar syrup.
You were born in a sugarcane field.
But wake up man, what do you expect us to do? expect the common indian to do?
what do you expect the average progressive NRI to do?
Sit with you in the sugarcane field every 6 months and weep with you for the sugar shit that you dole out for us?
Enough of this coochie coo friendship with the superstar.
People call you gay.. do you know that? (Oh yeah, you must be knowing that.. not too long ago, people did a graffiti on SRK's mannat wall calling him gay).
You cannot change your image by showing hapless people crying in your movies...
what did you want to do in MNIK? Show a disabled fellow, swimming through the swirling floods and saving an african community.
What was with that african community who were crying with SRK?
Crying with SRK?? My god, this is nonsensical.
The 10 yr old african kid starts singing 'We shall overcome' .. hum honge kamiyaab when the flood comes.
What the fish??
Why would he sing 'We shall overcome'??
He loves shaggy, akon and 50 cent... but then KJo uncle ne paisa diya and bola.. beta bolo.. We shall overcome...
ok uncle...
We shall overcome...
To all the shit in this world, you are much better than MNIK.
Hail your existence because there is something far more inferior existing in this world.
I don't know why, but after watching KCK on Friday night, i asked my parents if they would like to watch MNIK on saturday!
My luck too was on leave that day.. they said yes.. and we set out in my gaadi.
We reached the theatre half an hour in advance.. that was a sign of things to come, maybe God wanted us to get bored and leave the place before the ordeal started... but nahi.. we are destiny's children! and our destiny that night was KJo.
The movie started promisingly with the protagonist getting frisked on the airport.. for reciting a few muslim verses.
The intent was good. I thought I had done justice to myself by breaking my 2010 resolution of not watching SRK films.
A few scenes later, SRK started getting repetitive. Whatever sympathy the audience had gathered for him were now turning into uneasy oohs and aahs and uncomfortable shifts in their chairs.
He was now royally irritating people in the theatre.
Whatever the syndrome was, I really dont think KJo researched it enough.
At the end of the movie you dont even remember what the disablility was called. To add to the pain, it was so horribly potrayed in the script that Khan was only too glad to make it worse by multiplying the pain by 10.
Whatever the disablity was, all he did was repeat the last two words of every sentence he spoke. There was absolutely nothing more to the character.
If you minus those 2 repeated words, he just seemed like his usual 'Rahul, naam toh suna hi hoga' avatar.
He is always so hopelessly affluent and so cool that he forgets that this is not a stage show or an awards night, but a film where he should be getting under the skin of the character.
To draw a parallel, it is so easy to say that SRK can never ever in this life play a progeric Auro or even a Ghajini. He just cannot, he does not possess the ability to.
To be different, everyone in Bollywood these days plays a disabled character, so how can this hyped Khan be left behind?
But to everyones horror, he neither seems disabled nor is interested in pretending to be disabled.
He is the cool Rahul in every film with the same hairstyle and with the same dirty smirk on his nicotine blackened lips.
The problem with him is that he just doesn't want to try, he is happy in his zone where the mindless supporters love him for being a fool.
He is in Madame Tussauds too... err.. but then so is Salman. So that doesnt count as an achievement.
He is very very obnoxiously repetitive. Thats is all I want to say.
Moving on, the film was no better. How could it be?
It was made by the stupid coterie of Khan, KJo and Kajol.
Kajol just continued from K3G. She was too loud in that movie and she just took over from there.
In MNIK, she was so loud that the people in the adjacent screen couldn't follow their film properly.
She keeps yelling when she's happy and also when her son dies.
Yelling is what she does to keep her weight in control. After K3G, she hadn't got a chance to yell, so she put on weight like a water hog.
But now she's determined. She's determined to scare the people of this country by yelling, yelling day and night, yelling in health and death, yell, yell all the time .. yell so much that we get scared and settle in Pakistan.
The Taliban too are scared of her now.
Ab aaya KJo... bhai iske liye toh koi kuch bhi bole kam hai. He is like a bucket of emotions, a bath tub rather.
I thought it couldn't get more heavier than K3G.
All the people, hail Kojja.. sorry KJo.. here comes MNIK. (By the way Kojja in Telugu, a prominent south Indian language spoken by more than a 100 million people, means hijra, a colloquial word used for the term eunuch).
Sorry to get personal KJo, but that is what you deserve, because of what you subject us to.
You have one Kojja friend with whom you make all the films, which are all affluent, which always show people crying out of love and ruling that love for friends/mother/father/neighbour/dog/cat/sheep/wolf and love for anything that is human or non human is everything in the world.
You are such a bucket of mush.
You are sooooooo sweet. Your films are also sooooo sweet that they generally taste like a concoction of cocoa and sugar syrup.
You were born in a sugarcane field.
But wake up man, what do you expect us to do? expect the common indian to do?
what do you expect the average progressive NRI to do?
Sit with you in the sugarcane field every 6 months and weep with you for the sugar shit that you dole out for us?
Enough of this coochie coo friendship with the superstar.
People call you gay.. do you know that? (Oh yeah, you must be knowing that.. not too long ago, people did a graffiti on SRK's mannat wall calling him gay).
You cannot change your image by showing hapless people crying in your movies...
what did you want to do in MNIK? Show a disabled fellow, swimming through the swirling floods and saving an african community.
What was with that african community who were crying with SRK?
Crying with SRK?? My god, this is nonsensical.
The 10 yr old african kid starts singing 'We shall overcome' .. hum honge kamiyaab when the flood comes.
What the fish??
Why would he sing 'We shall overcome'??
He loves shaggy, akon and 50 cent... but then KJo uncle ne paisa diya and bola.. beta bolo.. We shall overcome...
ok uncle...
We shall overcome...
To all the shit in this world, you are much better than MNIK.
Hail your existence because there is something far more inferior existing in this world.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
KCK .. an unlikely winner!
Watched Karthik calling Karthik yesterday night...
Loved it!
Loved the witty lines in the first half and the gripping second half... there were people who gave it a bad review.
To all of them i have a thing to say. This is not a Govinda movie.
You need your thinking cap to be on top of your head.
Its a nice intelligent movie.. not meant for the average cine goer.
There were lots of unbelievable moments throughout the film.. but then as Indians we deserve a few of such moments even in an art movie.
The shots were professional and the script crisp.
Deepika was stunning too. But as usual, she disappointed the country with her acting skills or rather the lack of it.
Watch out for the scenes where she slaps her 1st boy friend in the movie.. those expressions are there even on my security guard's face on demand.
Also another scene in a song sequence when Farhan pulls the ciggy outta her lips and flings it away.
She looks ravishing as long as she is not asked to emote or even talk.
Farhan did a fine job yet again.. and though he is not blessed with good looks like conventional heroes.. there's something about him that carries off a film solo.
He also acts quite well and there is no tinge of inhibition like Deepika.
On a lighter note, i liked the scene where Farhan transforms for the first time and comes out in a smashing suit all decked up.
The way he goes and beckons his boss.. "Kamath.. we need to talk". That was a nice break from the otherwise 'safe boy' image of his.
The film delves into the mind of a person who is low on fuel so beautifully that you almost feel sorry for Farhan.
A phone call changes his life forever. He doesnt know who's on the line. All he knows is that its a well wisher.
And with that, when he transforms, & instead of pooh-poohing, you tend to celebrate with him.
From then on, everything's goody goody in his life.
The second half takes a complete turn and builds a complete suspense which carries itself well till the end of the movie.
I'll leave it at that.
Don't miss this one.
Verdict : Highly Recommended.
Loved it!
Loved the witty lines in the first half and the gripping second half... there were people who gave it a bad review.
To all of them i have a thing to say. This is not a Govinda movie.
You need your thinking cap to be on top of your head.
Its a nice intelligent movie.. not meant for the average cine goer.
There were lots of unbelievable moments throughout the film.. but then as Indians we deserve a few of such moments even in an art movie.
The shots were professional and the script crisp.
Deepika was stunning too. But as usual, she disappointed the country with her acting skills or rather the lack of it.
Watch out for the scenes where she slaps her 1st boy friend in the movie.. those expressions are there even on my security guard's face on demand.
Also another scene in a song sequence when Farhan pulls the ciggy outta her lips and flings it away.
She looks ravishing as long as she is not asked to emote or even talk.
Farhan did a fine job yet again.. and though he is not blessed with good looks like conventional heroes.. there's something about him that carries off a film solo.
He also acts quite well and there is no tinge of inhibition like Deepika.
On a lighter note, i liked the scene where Farhan transforms for the first time and comes out in a smashing suit all decked up.
The way he goes and beckons his boss.. "Kamath.. we need to talk". That was a nice break from the otherwise 'safe boy' image of his.
The film delves into the mind of a person who is low on fuel so beautifully that you almost feel sorry for Farhan.
A phone call changes his life forever. He doesnt know who's on the line. All he knows is that its a well wisher.
And with that, when he transforms, & instead of pooh-poohing, you tend to celebrate with him.
From then on, everything's goody goody in his life.
The second half takes a complete turn and builds a complete suspense which carries itself well till the end of the movie.
I'll leave it at that.
Don't miss this one.
Verdict : Highly Recommended.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Mockery of One Day cricket on 24-02-2010 by the Indian Superman
He's done it again.
I have run out of words. I definitely cannot reproduce similar text to what I had written on his 175 runs in Hyderabad.
But what I would, if I were the prime minister of India, is dedicate the country of India to this man.
This man, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, has what it takes for a human to be happy with life.
He is world famous, he has 90% of the batting records in the world.
There is no peak left for him to scale.
And yet everytime, he defines a peak for himself 10% higher than the one he scaled a while ago... and amazingly at 36 years of age, scales it.
What do I say.. I am short on words, but full on emotions.
Amazement is something you have, when you witness the man doing the unachievable.
But he achieves the unachievable so often that you are bound to be wordless, speechless and blinded.
Yes, he leaves a blind spot in my eyes and a hemorrhaged brain every time he does this.
He gives me a high that nothing can... and all this, when I am not certainly ‘attracted’ to him.
That’s what I call aura. Aura is not just a make-believe phenomenon, aura is ‘Sachin Tendulkar’.
Again, this time, the 200.. something that was so effortless to him, definitely is something which seems unattainable to any other living creature in the world.
200 in a one day international is like blasphemy in ODI.
But when he is blasphemous, the world loves it and the country bows.
Today all the Aaj Taks and the Star News Hindis of the world would be performing theatrical poojas of him. They would make him a deity.
But to people like me, he was always a deity.
Always the one person I would give my eye tooth for just to earn his autograph.
This man is something beyond my comprehension.
Today, I am just all shaken up from within. Shaken up because I never thought that anyone could ever score a double in a ODI.
But when I think that it was blasphemy by my favourite man, I feel the pride gushing from my blood.
This is the Kohinoor Diamond of India.
24th Of Feb,2010 is when my Dad retired from service and it’s also the day the master chose to shake the world of cricket.
The day belonged to both my heroes.
Salutes and Bows.
I have run out of words. I definitely cannot reproduce similar text to what I had written on his 175 runs in Hyderabad.
But what I would, if I were the prime minister of India, is dedicate the country of India to this man.
This man, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, has what it takes for a human to be happy with life.
He is world famous, he has 90% of the batting records in the world.
There is no peak left for him to scale.
And yet everytime, he defines a peak for himself 10% higher than the one he scaled a while ago... and amazingly at 36 years of age, scales it.
What do I say.. I am short on words, but full on emotions.
Amazement is something you have, when you witness the man doing the unachievable.
But he achieves the unachievable so often that you are bound to be wordless, speechless and blinded.
Yes, he leaves a blind spot in my eyes and a hemorrhaged brain every time he does this.
He gives me a high that nothing can... and all this, when I am not certainly ‘attracted’ to him.
That’s what I call aura. Aura is not just a make-believe phenomenon, aura is ‘Sachin Tendulkar’.
Again, this time, the 200.. something that was so effortless to him, definitely is something which seems unattainable to any other living creature in the world.
200 in a one day international is like blasphemy in ODI.
But when he is blasphemous, the world loves it and the country bows.
Today all the Aaj Taks and the Star News Hindis of the world would be performing theatrical poojas of him. They would make him a deity.
But to people like me, he was always a deity.
Always the one person I would give my eye tooth for just to earn his autograph.
This man is something beyond my comprehension.
Today, I am just all shaken up from within. Shaken up because I never thought that anyone could ever score a double in a ODI.
But when I think that it was blasphemy by my favourite man, I feel the pride gushing from my blood.
This is the Kohinoor Diamond of India.
24th Of Feb,2010 is when my Dad retired from service and it’s also the day the master chose to shake the world of cricket.
The day belonged to both my heroes.
Salutes and Bows.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A trip to Lakshadweep - the emrald islands
The below journal is a travelog which will help fellow surfers in knowing more about Lakshadweep islands.
We started our Lakshadweep trip after the trip from Agra.
Reached Kochi airport at noon, from there we proceeded to Willingdon island(that’s where the ship starts from).
Willingdon island is 40 kms from the airport and a simple, no frills indica cab would charge you about 700 bucks to reach the island.
At willingdon island, we had booked accommodation at a place called Maruthi tourist home, which was a decent place to stay, not too expensive either.. the main plus point was that it was just 1 km away from the SPORTS office(SPORTS is the organization which controls the tourism at the Lakshadweep islands).
The introduction done, time for the movie to roll .
We were booked on the ship MV Kavaratti which runs from Kochi to Lakshadweep islands on designated days.
We collected the boarding passes from the SPORTS office.
From there, they arrange transport to the jetty for boarding.
Now, this place resembled a war torn country area where people were lining up for free food.
One of the foreigners with us quipped that this resembled a refugee camp.
Picture this, a small walled area of about 200 sft and about a 100 odd people waiting to rush in through a small door.
Everyone had luggage, but we were stunned when we saw the islanders. They generally travel from Kochi, which is their only source of shopping.
Everything from vegetables to blankets to cartons full of provisions to LCD tvs were lined up as luggage.
Me and my wife shuddered at the thought of all this luggage being scanned and then each person going through the small door one by one.
There is no separate line for tourists. You need to jostle your way through.
Just then, the small door opened and one by one, all the luggage belonging to the islanders was put in.
But, we were amazed that in about 10 mins, all of it was checked in and we were at the counter with our luggage.
It felt great, the staff was efficient, if only they had managed the crowd outside the counter too.
Then we got our luggage scanned and we were quickly taken to the jetty.
There stood the impressive MV Kavaratti.
Majestic from the outside, we expected it to be the same from inside as well.
The luggage was efficiently tagged with room numbers and whisked away by porters.
We boarded the ship and by the time we found our cabin, we saw that our luggage was already at the door.
Impressed! We had nothing to complain about the ship and its staff!!
The ship then waited for I don’t know what… by the time it started moving, it was 2 pm.
The first class cabin allotted to us was quite nice, it had bunker beds, a table, a fan, cupboards, an attached bath and was air conditioned.
Don’t expect it to be of the class of the star cruises, but then its not bad either. I would say, it does justice to the amount charged.
Now, there are constant announcements on the ship which are audible in each of the cabins.
The first announcement was for lunch, the horror was about to begin.
It was now that we realized that on the ship, were 2 groups from 2 states which were about 20-30 people in size each.
The groups were also aged between 50-70.
They were also ignorant of basic rules like following queues etc and this is where ship crew failed badly, there was absolutely no attempt from their side to rein in the mob.
We were aghast at the aunties pushing and prodding their way through like they would at the local sabzi mandis.
At times, there were a lot of intrusions in the queues, they would reserve places for their brethren. They were loud.
People from state X thought that they were the only people on the ship and made loud noises… they made fun of the state Y people in their language.
The state Y people reciprocated their feelings.
Caught in the cross hairs were a few couples like ours and a sensible uncle aunty from Gujarat.
Somehow we managed to withstand them just stopping short of retaliating, because our traditions teach us to respect elders. How I wished, elders followed basic rules of civic sense.
I was a little upset with the way the trip started, thinking that this would mar the whole trip ahead because we would be spending time with these people.
Then me and my wife thought, why should we even care?
Believe that you are on your own and things would not seem so bad after all!
And yes, this worked!! Ah, we were so happy. When we went out for dinner, we cared a damn.. when an aunty tried to break the queue, we kept her a name(just for our consumption) .. and had a hearty laugh.
One important info about the food.
The food at best can be termed bland for the Indian taste buds. Food is decent, but you would be much better off carrying some pickles along with you.
Day 2 : Minicoy
The ship reached Minicoy early in the morning, we all disembarked and were taken in smaller boats to the island.
All the worries about the crowd and other things got sidelined when the island started approaching, it was amazing!
White sand beaches were visible from a distance.
The lighthouse made a perfect setting too!
All too excited, we were welcomed on the island with tender coconuts.
We spent the first few hours on the beach, clicking pics, sea bathing and swimming in the ocean.
Then in the afternoon we went scuba diving, which was 750 bucks per head for a 20 mins dive.
It was great fun! The corals and fishes amazed us. But according to the instructor, the visibility in the sea wasn’t that great on that day because of the strong currents. However, I found it quite good because I had only seen the sea water elasewhere in India
After the scuba diving trip, we had lunch, it wasn’t that great, but since we were very tired, the hunger took precedence over taste.
We then toured the lighthouse. To reach the top you would need to climb about 200 stairs.
Most people backed out. My wife said we should do it, and when we reached the top, we were glad we did it.
Those were the best views of Minicoy island. The island had already amazed us, but the all round view of the white sand beaches along with the cast coconut trees are too good a sight to be put in words.
The lunch and evening tea were served on the island.
Once back on the ship, the journey resumed, we were to reach Kalpeni island by the next day.
Day 3 : Kalpeni island.
This is the most low profile island on the trip. To be frank, there is not much to do on this island.
When we reached there in the morning, it was beautiful, but nothing compared to Minicoy.
Minicoy had set the expectations so high that we were a tad disappointed.
Then came the snorkeling bit, that was when some pride was salvaged and this island too looked interesting.
There is a huge lagoon near the shore rich in marine life and coral reefs.
They give you the gear which can be used for snorkeling.
We did it for almost 4 hours, there was a huge variety of corals and fishes.
Initially I was overawed by he size of the things in water, and I swan cautiously, but as the first hour passed, all the cautiousness turned into curiosity and I was swimming away with ease on the surface exploring the coral reefs and the marine life.
But there is a caveat here, this should only be done by people who can swim. If you cant swim, its better to walk and put your head in the water as soon as you encounter a coral reef.
This walk too would become difficult in time of the high tide.
So its better if this thing is attempted only in supervision of someone. The problem here is that there are instructors, but the number of people are too huge to control. They start moving in all directions.
I have been swimming for many years(in the pool of course), but I was overawed by the sight of ocean grass and corals spanning over large tracts of the ocean floor.. initially all that looked scary and I stopped every now and then and stood on my feet… imagine what would an elderly person do at this sight.. coupled with the fear of the marine life… although everything there is harmless.
One very sad accident happened at this place, when we finished our snorkeling after exploring different areas in the lagoon, one of the instructors spotted a floating life jacket drifting down. It was an elderly lady in our group who had strayed too far away from everyone’s sight.
She was rushed to the hospital and was put on ventilator, but couldn’t survive it. Her lungs were full of saline water.
Nobody knows what exactly happened, but the most probable reason is that while watching something, she must have bent too far and water must have entered from the top section of the snorkeling pipe. Then there could have been a panic attack which prevented her from raising an alarm. Really sad.
That is why I would stress again, that all these sports are very interesting, but they come with their own bit of risk especially for the old people.
I myself have seen the lagoon, nowhere was the water over 3 feet. But when there is panic, the depth doesn’t matter. The life jacket also did not help.
If you know to swim, then you are at ease. If you don’t know how to swim, then make sure you walk on the white sand and only put your head in water when needed. Make sure you are around the instructor at all times, so that he can spot you in times of distress.
Everyone was oblivious to this accident till evening, we then went to the beach on the tip of the island. It was totally untouched and beautiful.
One of the few interesting places in Kalpeni.
The ship then sailed to the last destination, Kavaratti, for the last day of the trip.
Day 4 : Kavaratti, capital of Lakshadweep islands.
This was by far the best managed part of the trip, everything from the welcome drinks to the boat rides to the lunch and further program was very well managed.
The beach was again amazing with white sand. We clicked a lot of pics here again.
They take you for a glass bottom boat ride also into the sea for a coral reef tour.
The water is absolutely crystal clear.
You can clearly see the aquatic life and the corals from the bottom of your boat. I shot a few videos of it.
The trip lasts for about 45 mins.
Once back, we lazed on the beach again.
Then I went kayaking, this was really cool.
The sea breeze was on the opposite side to my kayak, I thought I would fall into the sea
But with practice I managed to stay afloat!
I spotted 3 turtles swimming from my kayak too… had a small race with them, but they outpaced me
After an hour of kayaking, I came out tired, then the lunch was served.
The lunch was good here.
There are paid options for snorkeling here. I did not go snorkeling here because I had done it in Kalpeni, but the corals and marine life seemed better here, so if you wanna do it, take a shot. They charge reasonably. 200 bucks.
Then there are other options like para sailing, water skiing and scuba diving.
You name it, you have it at Kavaratti.
But if you ask me, Minicoy was the most beautiful island.
There was bon homie all around. The last day, people were all friends by now.
On some stupid reason, one member from the state Y picked up a fight with one member from state X.
Immediately, people played the song “Tum rootho nay un hasina” from an old hindi movie…. Some people danced and the mood was light again
The ship then sailed back to Kochi on the fifth day.
Lakshadweep is one paradise of a place.
Totally untapped, untouched. Very serene.
The water always so clear at all islands…
This is nature’s beauty at its cleanest best. By the end of the trip you would be left gasping and asking for more.
If you are going with your wife or girlfriend and you are below 35 years of age and want to be alone or want to be yourself, I would strongly suggest you not to book the Samudram package because of the company you would find. Although if you can ignore the people around you and have fun, just like we did, then there is no place like Lakshadweep islands.
There are other packages like swaying palms etc which offer you accommodation on the islands. That would save you from group travel.
Either ways, the thing that cannot be ignored is Lakshadweep.
The most amazing beaches and as good as the best in the world … coupled with a totally non commercialized setting where you would find only nature and the islanders who love the nature.
Miss it at your own peril.
You would have missed a paradise on the Indian map.
PS : The SPORTS staff in the ship and the islands is one of the most amazing staff I have seen with total regard for efficiency in service. They are always courteous inspite of the annoying tourists.
They will never ask you or even hint for tips. Very well mannered too.
Few pics here (quality severely downgraded because of size restrictions):
We started our Lakshadweep trip after the trip from Agra.
Reached Kochi airport at noon, from there we proceeded to Willingdon island(that’s where the ship starts from).
Willingdon island is 40 kms from the airport and a simple, no frills indica cab would charge you about 700 bucks to reach the island.
At willingdon island, we had booked accommodation at a place called Maruthi tourist home, which was a decent place to stay, not too expensive either.. the main plus point was that it was just 1 km away from the SPORTS office(SPORTS is the organization which controls the tourism at the Lakshadweep islands).
The introduction done, time for the movie to roll .
We were booked on the ship MV Kavaratti which runs from Kochi to Lakshadweep islands on designated days.
We collected the boarding passes from the SPORTS office.
From there, they arrange transport to the jetty for boarding.
Now, this place resembled a war torn country area where people were lining up for free food.
One of the foreigners with us quipped that this resembled a refugee camp.
Picture this, a small walled area of about 200 sft and about a 100 odd people waiting to rush in through a small door.
Everyone had luggage, but we were stunned when we saw the islanders. They generally travel from Kochi, which is their only source of shopping.
Everything from vegetables to blankets to cartons full of provisions to LCD tvs were lined up as luggage.
Me and my wife shuddered at the thought of all this luggage being scanned and then each person going through the small door one by one.
There is no separate line for tourists. You need to jostle your way through.
Just then, the small door opened and one by one, all the luggage belonging to the islanders was put in.
But, we were amazed that in about 10 mins, all of it was checked in and we were at the counter with our luggage.
It felt great, the staff was efficient, if only they had managed the crowd outside the counter too.
Then we got our luggage scanned and we were quickly taken to the jetty.
There stood the impressive MV Kavaratti.
Majestic from the outside, we expected it to be the same from inside as well.
The luggage was efficiently tagged with room numbers and whisked away by porters.
We boarded the ship and by the time we found our cabin, we saw that our luggage was already at the door.
Impressed! We had nothing to complain about the ship and its staff!!
The ship then waited for I don’t know what… by the time it started moving, it was 2 pm.
The first class cabin allotted to us was quite nice, it had bunker beds, a table, a fan, cupboards, an attached bath and was air conditioned.
Don’t expect it to be of the class of the star cruises, but then its not bad either. I would say, it does justice to the amount charged.
Now, there are constant announcements on the ship which are audible in each of the cabins.
The first announcement was for lunch, the horror was about to begin.
It was now that we realized that on the ship, were 2 groups from 2 states which were about 20-30 people in size each.
The groups were also aged between 50-70.
They were also ignorant of basic rules like following queues etc and this is where ship crew failed badly, there was absolutely no attempt from their side to rein in the mob.
We were aghast at the aunties pushing and prodding their way through like they would at the local sabzi mandis.
At times, there were a lot of intrusions in the queues, they would reserve places for their brethren. They were loud.
People from state X thought that they were the only people on the ship and made loud noises… they made fun of the state Y people in their language.
The state Y people reciprocated their feelings.
Caught in the cross hairs were a few couples like ours and a sensible uncle aunty from Gujarat.
Somehow we managed to withstand them just stopping short of retaliating, because our traditions teach us to respect elders. How I wished, elders followed basic rules of civic sense.
I was a little upset with the way the trip started, thinking that this would mar the whole trip ahead because we would be spending time with these people.
Then me and my wife thought, why should we even care?
Believe that you are on your own and things would not seem so bad after all!
And yes, this worked!! Ah, we were so happy. When we went out for dinner, we cared a damn.. when an aunty tried to break the queue, we kept her a name(just for our consumption) .. and had a hearty laugh.
One important info about the food.
The food at best can be termed bland for the Indian taste buds. Food is decent, but you would be much better off carrying some pickles along with you.
Day 2 : Minicoy
The ship reached Minicoy early in the morning, we all disembarked and were taken in smaller boats to the island.
All the worries about the crowd and other things got sidelined when the island started approaching, it was amazing!
White sand beaches were visible from a distance.
The lighthouse made a perfect setting too!
All too excited, we were welcomed on the island with tender coconuts.
We spent the first few hours on the beach, clicking pics, sea bathing and swimming in the ocean.
Then in the afternoon we went scuba diving, which was 750 bucks per head for a 20 mins dive.
It was great fun! The corals and fishes amazed us. But according to the instructor, the visibility in the sea wasn’t that great on that day because of the strong currents. However, I found it quite good because I had only seen the sea water elasewhere in India
After the scuba diving trip, we had lunch, it wasn’t that great, but since we were very tired, the hunger took precedence over taste.
We then toured the lighthouse. To reach the top you would need to climb about 200 stairs.
Most people backed out. My wife said we should do it, and when we reached the top, we were glad we did it.
Those were the best views of Minicoy island. The island had already amazed us, but the all round view of the white sand beaches along with the cast coconut trees are too good a sight to be put in words.
The lunch and evening tea were served on the island.
Once back on the ship, the journey resumed, we were to reach Kalpeni island by the next day.
Day 3 : Kalpeni island.
This is the most low profile island on the trip. To be frank, there is not much to do on this island.
When we reached there in the morning, it was beautiful, but nothing compared to Minicoy.
Minicoy had set the expectations so high that we were a tad disappointed.
Then came the snorkeling bit, that was when some pride was salvaged and this island too looked interesting.
There is a huge lagoon near the shore rich in marine life and coral reefs.
They give you the gear which can be used for snorkeling.
We did it for almost 4 hours, there was a huge variety of corals and fishes.
Initially I was overawed by he size of the things in water, and I swan cautiously, but as the first hour passed, all the cautiousness turned into curiosity and I was swimming away with ease on the surface exploring the coral reefs and the marine life.
But there is a caveat here, this should only be done by people who can swim. If you cant swim, its better to walk and put your head in the water as soon as you encounter a coral reef.
This walk too would become difficult in time of the high tide.
So its better if this thing is attempted only in supervision of someone. The problem here is that there are instructors, but the number of people are too huge to control. They start moving in all directions.
I have been swimming for many years(in the pool of course), but I was overawed by the sight of ocean grass and corals spanning over large tracts of the ocean floor.. initially all that looked scary and I stopped every now and then and stood on my feet… imagine what would an elderly person do at this sight.. coupled with the fear of the marine life… although everything there is harmless.
One very sad accident happened at this place, when we finished our snorkeling after exploring different areas in the lagoon, one of the instructors spotted a floating life jacket drifting down. It was an elderly lady in our group who had strayed too far away from everyone’s sight.
She was rushed to the hospital and was put on ventilator, but couldn’t survive it. Her lungs were full of saline water.
Nobody knows what exactly happened, but the most probable reason is that while watching something, she must have bent too far and water must have entered from the top section of the snorkeling pipe. Then there could have been a panic attack which prevented her from raising an alarm. Really sad.
That is why I would stress again, that all these sports are very interesting, but they come with their own bit of risk especially for the old people.
I myself have seen the lagoon, nowhere was the water over 3 feet. But when there is panic, the depth doesn’t matter. The life jacket also did not help.
If you know to swim, then you are at ease. If you don’t know how to swim, then make sure you walk on the white sand and only put your head in water when needed. Make sure you are around the instructor at all times, so that he can spot you in times of distress.
Everyone was oblivious to this accident till evening, we then went to the beach on the tip of the island. It was totally untouched and beautiful.
One of the few interesting places in Kalpeni.
The ship then sailed to the last destination, Kavaratti, for the last day of the trip.
Day 4 : Kavaratti, capital of Lakshadweep islands.
This was by far the best managed part of the trip, everything from the welcome drinks to the boat rides to the lunch and further program was very well managed.
The beach was again amazing with white sand. We clicked a lot of pics here again.
They take you for a glass bottom boat ride also into the sea for a coral reef tour.
The water is absolutely crystal clear.
You can clearly see the aquatic life and the corals from the bottom of your boat. I shot a few videos of it.
The trip lasts for about 45 mins.
Once back, we lazed on the beach again.
Then I went kayaking, this was really cool.
The sea breeze was on the opposite side to my kayak, I thought I would fall into the sea
But with practice I managed to stay afloat!
I spotted 3 turtles swimming from my kayak too… had a small race with them, but they outpaced me
After an hour of kayaking, I came out tired, then the lunch was served.
The lunch was good here.
There are paid options for snorkeling here. I did not go snorkeling here because I had done it in Kalpeni, but the corals and marine life seemed better here, so if you wanna do it, take a shot. They charge reasonably. 200 bucks.
Then there are other options like para sailing, water skiing and scuba diving.
You name it, you have it at Kavaratti.
But if you ask me, Minicoy was the most beautiful island.
There was bon homie all around. The last day, people were all friends by now.
On some stupid reason, one member from the state Y picked up a fight with one member from state X.
Immediately, people played the song “Tum rootho nay un hasina” from an old hindi movie…. Some people danced and the mood was light again
The ship then sailed back to Kochi on the fifth day.
Lakshadweep is one paradise of a place.
Totally untapped, untouched. Very serene.
The water always so clear at all islands…
This is nature’s beauty at its cleanest best. By the end of the trip you would be left gasping and asking for more.
If you are going with your wife or girlfriend and you are below 35 years of age and want to be alone or want to be yourself, I would strongly suggest you not to book the Samudram package because of the company you would find. Although if you can ignore the people around you and have fun, just like we did, then there is no place like Lakshadweep islands.
There are other packages like swaying palms etc which offer you accommodation on the islands. That would save you from group travel.
Either ways, the thing that cannot be ignored is Lakshadweep.
The most amazing beaches and as good as the best in the world … coupled with a totally non commercialized setting where you would find only nature and the islanders who love the nature.
Miss it at your own peril.
You would have missed a paradise on the Indian map.
PS : The SPORTS staff in the ship and the islands is one of the most amazing staff I have seen with total regard for efficiency in service. They are always courteous inspite of the annoying tourists.
They will never ask you or even hint for tips. Very well mannered too.
Few pics here (quality severely downgraded because of size restrictions):
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