Let Me Sing You A Waltz...

India, Here I Come....

I am grinning from ear to ear now. :) If everything goes according to plan, I will be in india in 2 weeks! I am delighted to bits I must say.

The best part of it all is this - I will be spending 10 days at a lovely guesthouse in Pondicherry :). The 2 month travel will also take me to Villupuram, Kanchipuram, Mamallapuram, Thiruvannamalai, Velliangiri Hills (Isha Centre), Thanjavur, Madurai, Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi, and of course, Chennai. YIPPEE!

A huge part of me is elated, no doubt. But a part of me will ache for sure, when I land in India. The part that headed there 4 months ago with a childlike joy that can never reclaim itself, no matter how many more trips I make to India.

So, India will remain to me a land of irony - one that brings out the bliss in me which I can, alas, only relish with a nagging ache in my heart...

He Captures Their Souls...

The discovery of digital cameras has helped bring the best out of the unlikeliest of photographers. I am one of those. I love photography but I know absolutely nothing about the technicalities of it all. And yet, I do have a selection of pictures that I can (with a little hesitation) call my own...not with too much pride, but with the humble satisfaction of a true amateur :)

In the field of travel photography and writing, what sets the guru apart from the amateur is the former's genius to produce works that create within the reader/viewer a nagging desire to drop whatever he/she is doing and visit the place in question at the next possible instance.

A day ago, as I was seriously browsing the net for information on Tamil Nadu, I came across Oochappan.

What can I say - ever since then, I have returned to his site again and again, countless times. Viewing his works has made me wish I could prepone my travel plans, and on a brighter side, it has assured me that I have made the best decision of my life thus far, to spend the next 2 months travelling amidst the colourful lives that Oochappan's genius has captured.

Oochappan is a Belgian, I believe :)

Visit http://www.trekearth.com/members/oochappan/ to know more about this man, who captures the souls of the people he photographs, not just their images.

Taking That First Step...

"You may wonder, 'How can I leave it all behind if I am just coming back to it? How can I make a new beginning if I simply return to the old?' The answer lies in the return. You will not come back to the 'same old thing.' What you return to has changed because you have changed. Your perceptions will be altered. You will not incorporate into the same body, status, or world you left behind. The river has been flowing while you were gone. Now it does not look like the same river" (Steven Foster)

I have this dream...

I am not sure if the word "dream" would do justice to describe the intensity of this desire of mine. Afterall, it's been burning within me since I was 14...

And it looks like that dream is now not too far away from my reach. Yet, I am fully aware that it's but a stepping stone...towards a world of experiences waiting out there for me.

I feel like a child about to take my first step. But unlike a child who probably does not have the ability to stop and think about the next fall that's in store, this state of being aware (that I find to be a curse of being an adult) that I am in makes me wonder about my upcoming share of falls. Afterall, can any journey be complete without its fair share of "bruises and bumps". But I do know that with each fall, or at the onset of one...I would look up to find the hand of "the man above" reaching out to lift me up.

When I first learned to cycle, I was 19. Before my first lesson, I reminded myself that there was absolutely no way I could eventually cycle with ease untill I have had my fair share of falls. And fall I did. Again and again...till one day, it seemed possible to cycle for 3 seconds without falling off it. The 3 seconds stretched to 6, 10, and eventually, one day, I fell no more.

As I am about to venture out into the world all by myself, I am reminded once again of my cycling lessons. Only this time, I know I cannot stop with each fall. I must reach for the "hand" believing it will always be there for me...raise myself up...and continue. I can't hope to "call it a day", push the cycle back home to engage myself with less bumpier activities, consoling myself that I can choose not to go for a ride the next day.

This time round, the "ride" must go on...until I reach "the" destination - the way to which I know not of, the path of which is not for me to dictate...

The Maturing of An Actor...

Not one to watch interviews with actors, I ended up glued to my seat for nearly an hour, when during my usual channel-surfing, I saw the image of actor Karan being interviewed on Sun tv early this morning.

I started admiring his acting skills when I first watched Karupusamy Kuthagaitharar in bits and pieces. The storyline did not impress me as much as Karan's natural acting skills did. The heroine did not at all shine. In fact, the only role I saw her playing was that of a young woman whose longing brought the best out of Karan, the actor.

Must admit he is looking much better these days, sporting a trim figure, not to mention a cool looking goatee. Physical mundanity aside, Karan does seem to have a good head on his shoulders. Obviously passionate about being an actor for the right reasons, Karan spoke very confidently during the interview - with the authority of an actor who has lately displayed remarkable acting skills, and yet with the humility of one who knows where he stands in the film industry. His views and convictions spoke well for the maturity he obviously has loads of.

It's a nice feeling watching an actor mature and shift from being annoying to likeable. When I first watched him in Nammavar, I could not help harbouring a deep dislike for him (probably goes to prove that he had done a great job even then). Later as he donned common roles, I completely stopped noticing his presence/roles in the movies he acted. But it's refreshing to note that Karan has grown with experience to stand tall today as an actor whose movies leave an indelible mark on viewers.

That which we fear is ironically also that which we cannot not love...

Rituals have never been my cup of tea. When I was little, and when doctors were seeked only when you fell terribly ill, the thought of my amma taking me to visit local "healers" itself would scare my common fevers and flus into oblivion.

People in trance send a fear down my spine...even at this age. And till this day I still dread the thought of having to face a kavadi-bearer whenever I am forced to attend a religious festival. Now, you must understand that it's not out of disrespect that I dread them so. It's plain fear - the kind children have of burly looking men with thick moustaches that indian mothers often point at to threaten their children into finishing their meals. Yeah - that kind of childlike fear.

And yet, each time I watch this scene, tears of adoration would form in my eyes. And yeah, I do know that Padmini was not the real Goddess Shakti, and unlike the aunty who lives a few doors away who appears to think that the dramatic scenes depicted in tamil serials are continuing even while she is quickly running over to my house to seek a second opinion on them from my mother, I do know that movies (especially devotional ones) are often exaggerated versions of what we believe to be religious myths.

And yet, I become mesmerised whenever I watch this song scene. I am pretty sure I have not seen or heard anything much more divinely haunting than this in my entire life, and I am certain that even 20 years down the road, this song and scene would still send tears from my eyes, and (ironically) a trance-like shiver down my spine.