SALALAH

The following blog was started sometime during June 2015 when I was based in Salalah where I had gone for a project from work. While the project started of slowly, I started this blog and then I got terribly busy at work. And then lost the thought process and forgot about this blog until a few days ago in September 2020! So here is my half baked incomplete blog...😑😑😑 I tried to think about what I wanted to write and how to complete it. But nope!! Am blank slate as far as this blog is concerned!!

Its been a very long time since I did write about anything at all. In between all the routine things that I have been doing, I had to visit India a few times this year. I have also being away from home for weeks on end - thanks to the rigors of my job. At the beginning of the year I was at a place called Bahla (near Nizwa) about 150/170 kms away from my house in Muscat.

Since the last week of June I have been in a place called Salalah. This place is about 1,000+ kms away from Muscat. Thankfully I dint have to drive down to this place and have been flying down. By flight its about 1 hour and 10/15 minutes. If you were to drive then it would probably take any where between 10-14 hours by road.

From June to mid of October I will be in and out of Salalah. My company was doing a project which is still going on. The project will finish on October 12 and then for a week it will be tear down. I should be back in Muscat hopefully by the 20th of October.

Well, the reason for this blog is not about the project that I have been working on - but to write a bit about the places that I visited to in Salalah. For people who dont know about Salalah - this place is located right at the bottom of Oman and borders to Yemen. A lot of places here resemble to places in Kerala/Karnataka. Coconut trees line the roads and when you drive a bit into the side lanes, you will come across places that have banana plantations.

Salalah is famous for its Khareef (Wikipedia says this about Kharif/Khareef:  is a colloquial Arabic term used in southern Oman, southeastern Yemen and Sudan for the south east monsoon. The monsoon affects Dhofar Governorate and Al Mahrah Governorate from about June to early September. Towns such as Salalah depend upon the khareef for water supply.)

Khareef festival happens here between June and September. During this time, the mountains and plains around Salalah turn lush green (rest of the year it looks all brown and plain!). 

My Memories of Vijayammavan...

 "thaan enganne annu oru pattar kutti ayaedo?" used to be a dialogue that I used to hear many a time during my school going days. Most of the time I would hear this dialogue when my brother and cousins used to be tripping on variety of fishes for lunch, dinner etc and I used to run away from eating them. This definitely must be one of my earlier memories of Vijaymmavan. Druing his stay in Avadi, we used to take a long trip by bus to reach his house from where the place we used to stay during our (then called) Madras days. Many a time we would have to take 2 buses to reach Avadi and I always used to look forward to these trips.

Vijayammavan had a scooter - the very reliable  lamberatta for a very long time. During our visit to Avadi, he would take us to the Army recreation centre (I think that is what it used to be called during those days) to watch a movie. It would often be the late night show. He would literally transport all of us on his scooter doing multiple trips from this centre to the place he used to stay. Many a time I have had the privilege to sit on a cushion and then on the carrier while making that last trip home. I used to feel proud as nobody else would be made to do that. 

I remember a trip to see a tank - an army tank that was on public display in Chennai. When we reached this location, there was a huge crowd of people gathered around to see this massive vehicle. With Vijaymmavans authority, I (I dont remember if my brother too had come on this visit) remember going into the tank to see the inside of it. One of the army guys, showed me around the entire unit and I was really in awe. Vijaymmavan always wanted me to get into the IMA. He used to send me a lot of pictures/literature with regards to a life in the armed forces. But me being an very extra'ordinary' student could not accomplish them!!

I learnt to ride scooter - on the one and only lamberatta when I had gone to Delhi just after my 10th exams. Vijayammavan took me to one of the open grounds to teach me the basics of how to ride a scooter. During his working days, one of his assistants would come home on this scooter, pick me from home and take me to the ground to continue my training to ride the scooter. I also remember using the main road to get back home after I had learnt to ride the scooter quite decently with this assistant as my pillion rider. I was beyond happy to take the scooter into one of the main roads in Delhi.

The summer holidays, for me, my brother and amma, was always a trip to Tripunithura from Chennai. My cousins with Nalinichittamma would also come down to Tripunithura for the summer holidays. Vijaymmavan used to come occasionally for a few days during these summer holidays. He used to regale us with stories from his childhood and army days. One of them was about the very 1st radio in Kodungaloor - he was a native of this place. His house had the one and only radio in that area. Once when it broke down, they asked a line man (according to Vijayammavan this line man was the only person who knew about electricity in his area and hence the best person to repair the radio) to come and have a look on the now broken down radio and to see if he could get it back to a working condition. This line man would diligently open up the radio, remove all the parts, dust them, look at them etc and re-fix the radio with half the parts. The other half of the radio was only to increase the weight of the radio and had no use according to him. But, when he would switch the re fixed radio back, all the parts outside of the radio would start singing and no part inside the radio would!! 

Vijaymmavan sense of humour was tremendous. When ever he told us anything - be it a story or anything, he would always lace it with humour. You could never ever have a conversation with him and not keep laughing in a very short time! His writings always had humour in them.

Another activity that was mandatory during his summer visits was to watch the movie "ormakkai". This was his all time favourite movie. I dont remember the number of times we have watched this movie in his company. 

Many a summer later, I had gone to his house called Uttara in Tripunithura with my family. Not sure how it started but he started asking my 3 year old daughter at that time, whether she wanted to have chakkakuru (jackfruit seeds). Initially she kept saying no, but after a while, the moment Vijaymmavan used to ask if she wanted chakkakuru, she would protest saying "parayu muthachanode venda ennu" (tell grandfather that she dint want this). Once when I had called him up when he was admitted to the hospital, he asked my daughter if she wanted chakkakuru - and she ran off and hid herself under the chair! She kind of started calling him chakkakuru muthachan....

I will cherish all these memories of him for the rest of my life. 🙏🙏

Sharanya

Sharanya from the skies...

click on the link below. 

it is somewhere here.... :)

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=9.9544093&lon=76.3390657&z=19&l=0&m=b&v=1

Charlie the cute little....

This blog is about a non-living object. But for the sake of some suspense I thought I would give this object a name. Charlie was given to me by my Achan about 25 years ago. I never ever had Charlie before that! I did not require Charlie before that would be a more ideal way of saying. 

Charlie had been part and parcel of life all these years. Where ever I went I had taken Charlie. Charlie had come with me to Singapore, Australia, Germany, England, Malaysia and over that last so many years here in Muscat too.

I had just returned from my annual leave from India a few weeks ago. My parents were here with me in Muscat prior to that. Though I returned earlier from my holidays, my family came a couple of weeks later.

After they came back, my wife gave me a gift. She told me that Achan had noticed Charlie and had told her that it was high time that I dumped Charlie and got myself a new Charlie!!! 

After over 25 years of loyal service to me I finally got rid of Charlie I and Charlie II started a new life with me!

Any guesses what this Charlie is?


Here is the secret ... Charlie was my shaving brush!

Mr. Vasu

A few years ago, my family, my brother and his family and I used to frequent a small restaurant quiet close to the Khimji Ramdas head office. I know for a fact that it still exists there. But for the last couple of years none of us have actually gone back to this place. Parking used to be and still is a big issue in and around this area.


But that was not one of the main reasons why we have not been to this place for the last few years. Vasu is probably why we have not gone to this place. He used to be everything as far this place used to be concerned. He used to help in the kitchen, take orders from people, serve them and also look after the cash desk. He was always jovial, loved and adored small kids and always had time to talk to all the customers in the restaurant.  


He was very generous and never used to get ruffled if a customer used to complain about the late service. It did not matter who came and ordered what. At least for the people who were regular to this place, he would always give us something extra in small katori - taste karke dekho he would always say. 


When we used to go, he would first give us a small katori of hot rasam. It always used to taste yummmmm. To my kids he would always give them a small plate of small idlies with a little tooth pick. The kids would always pick the small idly with this toothpick and show him, saying uncle see this.. and would just gulp the little idly into their mouth.


When my son was small, Vasu would carry him into the kitchen. I never used to ask what they would do there or what they would be speaking either! My son would always, 9 out 10 times, come out with a little vada in his hand!


Occasionally he would give me or my wife a miss call. We always knew why he had called. If we called him back, Vasu would say, bahut din hogaya tha appko mil kar. Aajao is tharf, ek special bannake raka hoon. On my way back from the office, I would stop over at this restaurant to collect this special package. Many times, I would go home pick my family and go over to this place to eat a hot meal.


Vasu had always one worry - that he was getting older by the day and that he was not getting any girl from this side of town in India to get married too. He used to say that I would one day go back to India and settle down there.


Like he said, he left for India a few years ago. I learnt that he had got married and had indeed settled down in the state of Karnataka.


A few months ago, I bumped into Vasu's old boss and inquired how Vasu was doing. He told me that he was ok and was keeping very well.


I have always wondered hence, if I would ever be able to meet Vasu some time or whether he would come back to Muscat?! I have very fond memories of this man who always used to smile. I do wish him the best where ever he is and would keep a wish/prayer to meet him some time some where! 

VYTHIRI, in and around

VYTHIRI

3 times in the last 10 years - one destination - VYTHIRI. Why would anybody want to go to the same place so many times?


Point 1: Happy Memories associated with the place.
Point 2: Being a place that could easily be known as the paradise in Gods own Country.
Point 3: The fantastic food that you get there.
Point 4: Absolute peace!!


The first time I went to this place was way back in 2001, just after I got married. Both me and my wife fell in love with Vythiri with this one visit.


Ever since then, every time we wanted to get away from the maddening crowds and the mundane happenings of daily life, there was one place that always came to our minds. VYTHIRI.


Approximately 65 kms from Kozikode railway station and en route to Kalpetta/Sultan Bathery is where you will find this wonderful place. 3.5 kms into the forest and away from the main road is where the resort VYTHIRI is situated. 


Vythiri is a rustic tribal theme resort spread over 150 acres and almost 3000 ft above sea level. The word vythiri comes from the word "vazhi thirivu" meaning turning point. This place was the turning point or junction towards Mysore, Ooty, Coorg, Calicut and other towns.


Below are a few pictures taken from this resort. 

A view from outside my room

Another view

The sound of gushing water was so loud that we could hardly hear our own voices. This sound is any day better than the sound of vehicles, people talking and other regular sounds that you hear as part and parcel of everyday life.

A view from my room when it was raining

The rains too kept me happy as long as I was at this resort. The sound of rain falling over our tiled roof, over the leaves and water gushing down the slopes - is just incredible. 

A tea terrace - just outside the resort

Some of the places that we went site seeing during our stay at Vyhiri were Pookut lake, Lakkidi view point and Banasura Sagar Dam - considered to be the largest earth dam in India. 

Pookut late - and rains

aliambal

I was reminded of the old song aliambal...

amma karuthathu, ammaudae magal veluthathue, magaludde magal sundari pennu

My daughter started singing the above lines every time she saw this plant. Wonder what it is actually called! 

Lakkidi View point with the mist

As we reached the Lakkidi view point, we could hardly see anything around - thanks to the mist that had engulfed the entire area. Suddenly out of no where, a gush of wind came about and started clearing the mist. The above image is just as this was happening. If you look carefully at the image above, you can see the road and a few vehicles below. As soon as the area was clear and within a few minutes the mist came back and we could not see anything after that!

Banasura Sagar Dam

another view of the dam

another view 

Banasura sagar dam is considered to be India's largest earth dam (natural dam). The entire dam is sitting across 3,000 acres and is surrounded by hills and meadows. You can go for a boat ride in this place (though we did not go for one here!)

Folklore says that "vythiri" was discovered by one tribal man. The British did not want to give him the credit for discovering this place. They shot dead this person. After his death his soul kept wandering around this place till some priests came and caught his soul. This soul was then chained onto this tree. As the tree kept growing, so did the chain. People say that the tree is still growing and so is the chain too.

The food is just superb. The spread that is available for breakfast, lunch and dinner is sumptuous. I dont know if the chief chef over the last 10 years has been the same or the person has actually changed. Who ever he/she is, the standard of food has never fallen. You end up gaining weight by a couple of kilos!! 

The first time I was there with my newly wedded wife, we were the only couple in the entire resort. Over the years this resort has become really famous. This time when we were there the place had lots of newly weds spending their honey moon. Looking at them going around hand-in-hand, reminded me of my days when I had visited here during my honey moon! 

The official website to this resort is here www.vythiriresort.com

I dont think I would stop going to this place. My family and I will go again for sure.  

My sons drawing from the past few weeks of April & May, 2012

Below are some of the drawings that my son has done over the past few weeks in the year 2012. These have been created using color pencils.

He loves doing these drawings, paintings and sketches. He goes for his drawing classes twice every week and he just loves going there and spending time with his master.

The following are some of the sketches/drawings/paintings that he had done earlier this year, sometime last year etc. using crayons and pencils. The first of the following two were from his own imagination, while the last 2 were just colouring an existing image outline.

Beautiful are they not?