From the time I was about seven, I wanted a mystery to solve every vacation. It was not fair that only Enid Blyton people (for me, they were people, not characters) got to solve such convenient mysteries, with the additional advantage of barely getting older each time around.When our guide Vishwas started telling us how much goes into being a guide, I wondered whether he had similar unfulfilled childhood wishes.Every time we sighted any animal, the pride in his voice was heart-warming. He pointed out to us that a single alarm call (that we, the tourists, had ignored) had led us to our wonderful tiger-sighting. He commented with pride on the fact that all the jeeps ahead of us had ignored the sound, but his constant attention had given us a beautiful sighting of the changeable hawk eagle that had just made its kill. He exulted in the fact that his forethought in having led us through … [Read more...]
Surviving in the Jungle
Eight safaris with the same guide ensured that we became friends of sorts, and once he realised that three people out of five in the jeep understood Marathi, he opened up fifteen long years of experience to us. One fascinating safari was devoted to attacks by different animals, and how to save yourself."If a tiger is nearby," Vishwas told us, "just be calm. If he doesn't feel threatened, he won't attack you." For me, this translates as, "If a tiger decides to attack you, you have no hope. Your best bet is that it won't attack.""If a bear attacks you," Vishwas said, "climb the bamboo. Bears are great climbers, so climbing any ordinary tree won't help; you must climb bamboo. They can't follow you." For most city-people, this translates as, "If a bear decides to attack you, you have no hope. There's no way you can climb a bamboo, even if you are adept enough to climb a tree.""If a … [Read more...]
Tadoba
Our guide at Tadoba said, "All these people who come from big cities - Pune, Mumbai and all - they take photos of anything!"He laughed incredulously at me when I was awestruck by a hare bounding into the jungle, chased by a wild dog. "Khargosh?" he laughed. "Hehe..." But truly, for this urban creature, it was fabulous to watch that hare leap away!Our guide saw chital (spotted deer) so often that he counted how many in a herd while we lost our hearts to those eyes.Our guide told us, "People come from all these cities - Pune, Mumbai and all - and all they want to see is tiger, tiger, tiger. I tell them to go to the zoo." Yet, the tiger was breathtaking. People who take photos of tigers have to be accustomed to seeing tigers. Otherwise, it's impossible to remember that such a thing as a camera exists when the tiger is looking at you. I thought I was very smart and set my video camera … [Read more...]
An Old Lady in France
Having performed at Aix-en-Provence (close to Marseilles), and being readers of Dumas, we couldn't not go to Marseilles and visit the Château d'If. We had read and heard enough about it to want to go and see how picturesque it was. We went to the tourist office and found out what we were supposed to do. Excited and eager to set off, we stepped out of the office and unfolded the map we had been given, trying to find the the bus-stop. The map did not make sense to us at all. We looked up and around, trying to find places that corresponded to the map. We found none, so we turned the map upside-down to see if that would help. It did not.An old lady was watching our animated and amusing little drama, easily understanding what our problem was. When we turned the map upside-down, she finally came up to us and asked in that French accent that I've come to love so much, "Doo you need 'elp?"I … [Read more...]
Pirated Books
I don't like pirated books. I have repeatedly been very vocal and passionate about my criticism - I don't like the quality of paper, I don't like the quality of ink, I don't like how cheaply reproduced it looks. All this, from the point of view of the reader. From the point of view of a potential writer, right through college, I actively discouraged people from buying pirated books. An author gets paid so little anyway - a budding writer gets about ten rupees per book! Is it even fair that people photocopy the book, sell it cheap, and pay the author nothing? I've spoken extensively on the subject.A few years ago, though, when writing was really becoming more and more my chosen profession, I was walking past a pavement book-store that was proudly displaying its wide range of pirated books. I was walking with a friend, also a writer."What would you feel if you saw your book here?" I … [Read more...]
Jeep Rides
Some people say that if you can drive in India, you can drive anywhere in the world. Others are more specific. They say that if you can drive in Calcutta, you can drive anywhere in the world. Some people are even more specific. They say that if you can drive in Calcutta and Darjeeling, you can drive anywhere in the world. I think the last set of people are right. You can drive anywhere in the world - even on a Formula 1 race track.Jeeps on the slopes around Darjeeling are convenient and cheap. If you have the time, the toy train is touristy and picturesque, but jeeps are more practical. The roads overlook the green valley that is so spectacular that it takes my breath away. Nothing can compare with hill-beauty - the firm green trees, the feeling of freshness, and the clouds caressing your face as you walk.The problem, though, is that your heart is in your mouth so often that you look … [Read more...]
The Eiffel Tower
I was not at all impressed when I first saw the Eiffel Tower. My problem with the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Mona Lisa is that they look just like the pictures. When you go and look at them, there's nothing that you have not already seen or sensed, unlike, for example, when you see the Notre Dame, the Sistine Chapel or the acropolis. When I said this, everybody told me that the charm of the Eiffel Tower lies in how it's lit at night. So my sister and I decided to go at night to see the Eiffel Tower and then take the last train out from Paris back to Grenoble.It was worth it, people were right; the Eiffel Tower was truly beautiful. Paris by night is charming, and the Eiffel Tower carried some of that mood - call it romantic, call it festive, call it anything.We worked out our schedule to the letter, planning perfectly how long the metro-ride to the station would take so that … [Read more...]
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
I listened to Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan and they were beautiful. In fact, I listened to many musicians over the last few days, and enjoyed most.Yet, when I watched and listened to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan - again - I realised what makes me fall in love with him every time, year after year, concert after concert. I love that his climax in each raag does not border on noise. He takes you all the way up to a crescendo and then gently falls into the softest and most tender of notes. That makes him incomparable. He lets you fall so gently and beautifully that you smile and sometimes, even laugh. That kind of laughter is particularly beautiful because it's like a child's laugh of pure joy, not adult laughter that finds something humorous. I love how he flies with his instrument, smiling as he plays - and, yes, I do love how he plays for an audience. He takes the audience with him on his journey, … [Read more...]
One-Arm-Distance
Children in dance class believe firmly that the closer they are to me the better I will be able to see them. I try every now and then - very ineffectively - to explain that this is not the case. "If you stand a little far, I can see you completely," I explain. "Otherwise, I can't see whether your arms are right, legs are neat..."For about thirty seconds, they keep their distance, and then, slowly, they sneak forward till I say to them, "You're dancing on my head again." And then they shriek with laughter, go back, and start the process all over again.During theory class, when everyone is sitting on the floor, I insist on at least one arm's distance. The children find that hilarious too because they associate the phrase with PT, not dance theory. They begin one arm's distance away, but in ten minutes, they are close to me again. Somehow, they inch forward even while they are seated, a … [Read more...]
Sawai Gandharva
Sitting at the bharatiya baithak on the second day of the Sawai Gandharva festival, I realised once again that for me, the festival is as much about the grand music as about watching people. There are all sorts there. People come with yoga mats, some get floor chairs for a back-rest, some come with all their picnic paraphernalia of sheet to sit on and food to eat. What I love is that music is so 'everyday' for them. Sitting and eating or even lying down and looking at the stars when space permits are no mark of disrespect. It's just enjoyment the way they want to enjoy classical music without social restrictions and conformation to norms.People-watching made me smile yesterday because two old ladies found place to sit near us. Getting to that precious empty space would have been difficult, though. Weaving their way through people watching the big screen, captivated by exceptional … [Read more...]