On My Road- OMR

My ramblings through new places were always short swift and crazy.After the small stint in Coimbatore during my training days with the well planned roads, the always brushed pavements and the blanket of mist that reminds us that Ooty is always around the corner, Chennai looked like a concrete jungle to my small-town accustomed eyes. From all the various feedback from family and friends one description screams throughout- “It’s Hot!!!”  For a moment I wished that they were not talking about the climate ;)

Chennai may not be the “In” place for a large majority of the crowd, but then again each city has its share of quirks I suppose. Unlike cities where the streets are jammed with pubs, discs and God knows what else to rob us of our hard earned cash, we can always resort to the beaches, where the waves always have that power to beckon us towards her (and also a whole range of fresh fish to pamper our always rumbling tummies at pretty reasonable prices!! :P).

So there I was with my three bulky travel bags and three of my friends all ready (actually dazed) to create wonders for our projects (whether we did it or not is a totally different story!). We stuffed our bags into the boot and got into the cab. All the way through I was gorging Chennai as much as I could for new places always peaked up my curiosity and I was the happiest person ever! The cab driver, a gentle and chatty soul, was showing us the landmarks of his beloved Chennai peppered up with a few pages from his own life. That day was the only time I wasn’t irritated of being caught up in traffic for two hours.

But alas the joy was short lived when I incidentally saw a small innocent looking white milestone peeping out from the side lane and trust me it wasn’t a pretty sight that my eyes beheld. “CHENNAI” and just underneath it “25”. :O :O My soul that was overflowing with excitement till then broke like a soap bubble “PLONK!!”….. That’s when I gave my whereabouts a bit more attention and realized, I won’t be living in the hustle and bustle of Madraspattennam, but would be confined to the stretch of Old Mahabalipuram Road aka OMR to be lost in the voids of dust, concrete and work!  :’(

If you ask me to define OMR the first thing that would cross my mind is dust! Due to all the buildings that seem to pop out from nowhere and the never ending paving of the sidewalks OMR is engulfed in a thick blanket of dust, and with all the traffic and mob to help, has brewed up a never receding sandstorm that could give the sandstorms of Sahara a run for their money (or so I think). Each day draped in scarves and equipped with shades we can venture out. I seriously feel like I‘m one of the Spartans and the OMR the sea of scary Persian army!! . The outcome, being blackened faces and parched lips and all that would be lacking to make it look like a 300 movie would be the chant- “HA-ROO HA-ROO HAROO!!”

 The moment we hit our offices everybody would scamper off to the restrooms to clear off the grime. Though the thought has crossed my mind a few times, to scrub my face with dishwashing liquid and a metal scrub, unfortunately we are not dishes and are doomed with soft supple skins, so I have to make do with face-washes. :P When I mean getting lost on the OMR, it’s no joke. On a working day the probability of being jostled and trampled by a faceless crowd, or being run down by a random auto rickshaw or bus is highly likely! There were times when I felt I would rather take a sleeping bag to office and camp there than tackle the monster called OMR.

Keeping all my cribbing aside, the OMR isn’t that bad after all. Peppered with numerous restaurants and cafes that can satiate the palate; varying from Chinese cuisine to American, from Kerala to Bengali; what more can one ask! My all time favorite is Café Coffee Day and thankfully all across the OMR one can’t miss the purple and red logo at regular intervals. The occasional whiff of coffee and overdoses of chocolate is a life saver to ward off any unwanted thoughts of work, corruption and economic crisis (especially when our wallets get slimmer and slimmer) .But the main highlight for me is the night walks on the broad sidewalks (though incomplete in many places), it’s worth all the troubles of a hectic strenuous day.

I used to see the OMR with dread, but that all changes once the whole of Chennai wears its night cap. At the stroke of 11pm, the traffic would have lulled to a trickle, in the warm darkness of night, the harsh lines of OMR softens down a few strokes and transforms into a never wavering beacon that guides all wayward souls. The wide straight road crowned with the street lamps seem to stretch off into infinity on both directions is a very soothing feeling to the lone traveler. I sometimes feel when looking at the expanse of asphalt, it’s not just a road, it is a journey to meet the Maker with all the street lights of Joy, path holes of Sorrow and the road barriers of our very own selves and not to forget all the sidetracks that sometimes make us deviate from our paths.

2 years traversing the length of the OMR, each day has been so full of new landmarks, new memories and lots and lots of new people .Nowadays I feel more at ease with the OMR. After a long day rambling through the sprawling city it’s always a relief to see the OMR beckoning me like a good friend waiting to embrace me. OMR is no more a stranger to me, it’s my road; full of traffic jams, surprises and the show called life!

The Sea's Wanton Children

If you asked how my day started, I would say it started with me giving Priya and Manikantan wrong directions to pick me and Sreelakshmi up :P So at 9am Priya picked us up and off we zoomed to Mahabalipuram. I have never been to the ancient port city of the Pallavas Dynasty(2nd-9th century CE). Today's agenda involved, in my language, "just dropping into the sea".

So at 10am,there we all were waiting on the coastline all ready to jump onto the boat when John walked in with his swimgear. When I mean swim gear it wasn't just a pair of swimming goggles. Seeing the size of the fins he was carrying around I wouldn't have been surprised if I saw a pectoral fin popping out of his back like one of the dolphins that were playing just off the coastline.

So with grumbling tummies,we tumbled into the rocking boat after donning our bright orange life jackets(One of the few times I felt fat :P ). Once the boat started to slice through the choppy waves, we were drenched in the spray of salt water,it felt like tiny arrows that pierced through my skin. For some reason I was wondering how Bhishma must have felt when he fell in the Mahabharat with a thousand arrows piercing his body.

That moment someone told me to look towards the shore and for a second I was scared that I didn't want to see the receding shore.But isn't that how we all feel like whenever we venture beyond our comfort zones.So looking at the shore that was fading into the distance, comforts, stupid customs and people;that held me to the practical world,broke like gossamer threads. And I felt not the loss of comfort of life but the freedom of life. To breathe the fresh air, to taste the saltiness, to feel the hot sun beating on my back;I was free. I was Happy.

We were first taken to the spot of a temple that was submerged for centuries underwater. According to folklore its the remains of one of the 6 mythical pagodas that was built during the Pallava dynasty before Nature reclaimed it back. Well seeing the turbulent current around the black mass submerged the blue sea, it was like silent screaming of untold stories of brave warriors and creative artists.After that we were anchored 2 to 3 km offshore to get ready for the jump.As they threw a rope into the sea, Manikantan quipped - "everyone has a lifeline in their hands, this time the only life line was the one floating on the sea." I was looking at that slender rope floating harmlessly on the water, how I badly wished to see those dolphins bob up again and take me along for a dive rather than jump into oblivion holding onto that thin strand of hope!!!

I saw John the Dolphin and Rajnikant the (not yet) Superstar jump into the water. Ranjini followed suit and then I summoned all my never heard of courage to go in. As I sat on the brim of the boat my feet dangling 2 inches above the bobbing sea, I heard my petrified inner voice ask me - "Babe do you REALLY want to do this? Won't you regret it!!?" For a fraction of a second I just sat there looking at the blue sea, my resolution wavering. But then I thought- "to hell with you yellow coward!" and just jumped. The sudden crash of water that entered my system was painful, but not as painful as being pulling back immediately out of the water. I was too shocked to resist but if I had my way I would have jumped in again. But before that someone told me that my life jacket was not tied up properly that's why I was pulled out. I just wanted to go back into the water. So as I jumped in again, I just held on to the lifeline and was listening to The Dolphin instructions that sounded so gargly through all the crashing waves.

5 minutes in the sea I was feeling totally weighed down, and tired. So when I was pulled out I was weighing a ton not because I was tired or the ton of salt that was deposited on me(given time I would have been pickled and canned!!), it was cause of all the water that managed to seep into my treacherous life jacket that wanted me to sink into the sea!! Slowly most people too started tumbling into the sea like dominoes.After everyone had their share of dives, drinking salt water and not to forget Jayanth trying to sleep in the center of the boat; we all sat passing along biscuits and water around. Felt like we were "The Fellowship of the Ring" sharing our lembas bread.

Once we hit the shore, we still haven't satiated our love for the sea, we all were playing like children in abandon. Then Dolphin was giving us lessons on body surfing and it was an amazing moment when after tossing and turning on that yellow surf board, I finally managed to ride the waves.But before I could say "YAAAAAAY I did it." like the mischievous boy who always pushed me in school, the sea would topple me and my board :D. Finally when we headed back to the seashore restaurant with Sreelakshmi ordering steaming hot noodles for me, I was so sunburned I felt like a roasted coffee bean ready to be ground into powder! After stuffing ourselves with food and fish, all sat back in the shade to laze around as the sun scorched the beach to bright white. I and Sreelakshmi slowly dozed off in hammocks swaying in the wind and listening to the sea sing us a sweet lullaby.

Around 3pm we all said our goodbyes to new friends, new experiences and the ancient sea and headed back to our normal lives, with the promise to forever be the free souls as we were in the sea.

Crossroads of Choice

My day starts with my roomie shaking me from my bed and 20 minutes later I am on the road bumping my way in a share auto heading for office.The only thing that discourages me to go to office is not work, sleep or my manager , it’s the Sholingnaloor Junction. I zigzag through the junction like a petrified chicken (I personally feel most of the commuters feel the same way I do!) and huffing and puffing I cross.

A few days back as usual, I was gearing up to cross the river of cars, buses and people, when something bumped into me from behind. I was not prepared for surprises especially when I have to face my worst fear. (The scared chicken look was back on my face). When I turned around I only saw a sea of faces moving along. Then again the bump! This time at my knee. When I looked down, I saw the pale pink and maroon uniform clad kid, burdened with a bag much larger than him. He was maybe 10 or 11 years old. It almost looked like he was spinning as the crowd pushed him from one way to another. (Almost got a headache looking at him rotate.) I caught hold of his hand to steady him. And the look of relief and gratitude that came to his eyes caught me totally off guard.

With my broken Tamil I asked: “Enge Ponno?” (Which way you want to go?). 

He pointed his finger and my heart fell as I realized that I‘ll have to fight my battle through the way i just crossed all over again!!! But holding his hand, I could feel the trust he had in me.

Looking at his face silently screaming for help I asked myself-  Could I let him down, the same way that I was let down on that dreadful night when I was crying in the railway station? (I still feel dread when I think of that night )Could I afford to make this kid lose his faith in Mankind, almost the same way I did? Do I want him to grow up thinking that the world is a dreary, selfish place where no one helps each other? Do I want to him to see this beautiful world devoid of love, kindness and care? 

Though we are the authors of only our own destiny, we still act as catalysts for those around us.We may not realize it ,but we actually play a role in the choices others make. 

As all these questions crossed my mind, I knew my answer.The answer is NEVER!!!Without another thought, I crossed the road with him and he gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. We waved our goodbyes and again I dashed my way to the other side just after the signal changed. I did hear a few abuses from the bikers who thought that I was planning to land under their wheels, but I was past caring.

The world is in our hands, its up to us to make it a better place.