My Shangri- la!

My memories of a trip, way back in the mid eighties to the paradise on Earth, Kashmir, is etched in gold and often I reminisce about the days of planning the itinerary, the long waits in queues to get the train tickets (airlines were expensive in those days and only the elite travelled by them and we as part of a public sector could not simply afford!), the snail mail letters to our loved ones staying in the same place for accommodation and arrangements of local transport for sightseeing. Yes, it was a tedious process and often nerve wracking too in terms of cost, time and energy. And there was no guarantee of a tension free holiday as sometimes the bookings may not just get through, one may not have the proper connects, the hotel booked may not suit one’s palate and budget and so on and eventually, the holiday that was meant to be, would turn out to a damn squib with groans and moans. Fortunately, our holiday then, did not have this unforeseen ending, thanks to my colonel uncle who was posted in the borders who gracefully took care of everything from start to finish. But one cannot expect knights in shining armour to do all and sundry to make our dreams come true, can we?

Cut to today and yes we can have samaritans in yatra with their lovely holiday package and the digital era has ensured that each one of us enjoy our vacations that suit our style, locale, budget and travel. Holidays are planned by the clicks of buttons and are no longer cumbersome, and we soon land in our fairy tale destinations without frustrations, predicaments and hardships!

Without much ado, let me plan a trip for myself, a dream destination that I have longed to undertake for years, a place where I can unwind among the gigantic waterfalls, undulating rivers, massive mountains...no...I am not talking about the Swiss Alps or the Andes or the Australian reef but our own North eastern states, pristine unspoilt beauty of magnificent India with the mesmerizing Cherrapunji and bewitching Nohkalikai and Mawsmai cascades that is an experience to last a lifetime!

My flight to fantasy begins with the airlines that is going to take me there and who else but yatra to bank upon for the schedules, the options and the tariffs with special discounts! I check with availability on the dates and do a quick comparison of the different option on domestic airlines and narrow down on the one that matches my budget and requirements. Next on my do list comes the tour package deal that has to be obviously a steal and best in class and comfort. I have my tour partner to bank upon who will do everything in a jiffy and get the confirmation back in no time. So I can sit back, relax and think of the next item on the check list which is accommodation and food. The hassle free tour operator assures me of the best hotels that serve vegetarian fare in the seven sisters’ states with comfortable and affordable stay in a decent dwelling and a major aspect of travel woes is taken care of in style.

I manage a fair deal on a round trip with all the necessary ingredients of fun, frolic and fantasy that seals a fantastic holiday in the rains amidst nature’s bounty and planning one was never so easy as I found the perfect partner in airlines and schedules!

So folks, pack your bags and embark with me on a journey that will hold you to sway and you will thirst for more!  

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Change..the inevitable..

Save the change

Change, the most unalterable word for a ‘square peg in a round hole’ me and try as I might to reinforce the metamorphosis element in my disposition, it simply does not happen and woefully remain a misfit. I am cheerful, genial, sensitive and can keep adding adjectives to describe my personality as they are absolutely free not costing a penny and totally under my control ready to be unleashed at will, but switch, transform, adapt, the need of the hour buzz words, (and why three words, just in case my readers are pondering, it is that I cannot remember more than three at a time) are out of bounds for me; it is like taking a horse to the water but not make it to change!

So I am a leopard with its spots firmly on or a Zebra that is not willing to change its stripes; now you stumble upon the animal instincts in me, nevertheless they do adopt and adapt to survive and that lovely company too eludes me.

What triggered me to the obsession with the celebrated and sought after jargon, ‘change’ apart from the normal embarrassing predicament that I am in, is the Television serial on the famed and loved Sherlock Holmes recreated in 2010 by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat that took the world by storm with an incredible Internet Movie Database (IMDb) rating of 9.3! The creators have brilliantly superimposed Sir Arthur’s genius sleuth and his doctor partner in 21^st century London. The modernized version keeps the essence of the characters very much intact but craftily uses the detective and the plots to suit and vibe with the current generation. I ‘deduce’ myself like a penny waiting for change while the world around me converts and mutates at the click of a finger.

Everything and everyone is undergoing sea change – the Sun, the moon (distancing itself from the Earth and I can consider the reason to be the brutal and merciless killing of human beings across the globe in the name of religion), the seasons, tidal waves, topography, technology, people, products, services, plants, fruits and vegetables with hybridization, birds ( abandoning traditional nests on trees, for there are no trees) and building hopes and dreams for their fledglings in kitchen chimneys, food, beverages, mode of transport, buildings (I look up to the Burj Khalifa open mouthed), toon characters, films, music (genres I have long lost count of), politics, history, society, culture, talent, intelligence, arms and ammunitions, extremist outfits atrocities, greed, profiteering, annexations, traffic, population, behaviour, attitudes, perceptions...the Earth in a nutshell, from the elements to the abstract altering, modifying and innovating while I remain rooted to terra firma very much tilted and inclined to the unyielding cow or bull in the middle of Indian roads! You know where my sympathies lie...don’t you?

Resolute and unwavering in my thoughts and actions despite the turn of events, there is turbulence and pandemonium in my brain to go with the flow and not swim against the current and try to turn the tide in my favour! But each passing day manifests itself in more complex labyrinths that are beyond the bounds of possibility for the hackneyed old chestnut!

Elementary my dear readers...I have changed..welcome to my new domain www.sunitasriram.in

Godsend

On many occasions, I have felt the supernatural intervention of miracle hands that have helped me in distress and allowed me to come out unscathed. In these moments of anguish and misery, these marvel human beings have lifted me from the abyss and apocalypse to get on with life. Are they inspirations, power of God, oracles or epiphanies, I know not, but there are far too many to shrug them off as coincidences or fortuity or simply a stroke of luck. These guardian angels vanish without a trace before I say the profuse and profound ‘Thank you” and they are never to be seen again. The poem below is a “benediction” to all those saviours who arrive at the opportune moments to pull me out of fire and get me off the hook time and again! I have intentionally used alphabets ‘T’ and ‘G’ in the verses to express my “Thank you” and “Gratitude” to the “Godsend”.  

Times many have I encountered

The rendezvous with an angel in disguise

Tryst with miracle men

Turning things around

Godsend to trouble shoot

Grant and bestow alacrity

Governed by manifestation

Gratuity I can never forget

Times many have I benefitted

Going on a wild goose chase

To come face to face with my messiah

Giving me revelation of a rare kind

True they could be fate and destiny

Grasp on situations beyond control

To bring me back on track

Gospel of faith on the supreme

                                                                        

Godsend to take under HIS wing

Guiding through perils

Genie that appears and disappears

Guiding spirit whom I have not thanked

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