the pondy diary....

Nov 8:

Reached Periyamudalayarchavadi (some 8 km from Pondicherry) at around 1500 hours, overshot the actual destination by some 3 kilometers… Flight, being 'Simply Dhakkan', was as usual late but when it comes to a ride on ECR (East Coast Road) you forget everything! Learnt a good lesson on value of money – Rs 55/- you can reach from Chennai to Pondicherry (distance 150 km) in a bus, Rs 50/- you can reach from 3km away from Periyamudalayarchavadi to Periyamudalayarchavadi in an auto… WTF!

Called up the evergreen guest house at auroville and took directions to reach there. Apparently the lady named 'Tamar' had sent me a mail regarding guesthouse availability which never landed on my gmail account. So she was a little pissed off when I called her out of the blue. Anyhow, pigs is pigs. I hired one screwed up Atlas Gold line for Rs 25/- a day (Rs 500/- deposit) and started paddling my way towards what would be my accommodation for next 3 nights. Damn! 5 kilometers into the forest, I was sweating like a sick pig. Have to cut down smoke and start working out.

The bearded fellow named Ameer (an Israeli national) showed me the place. Rs 200/- per day, no fan/AC, no doors, no attached toilets… but it was worth more than 200 if you ask me. That's called marginal utility of money. I froze the deal, dumped my bag in the hut. Being Diwali (in Tamilnadu), the whole place had gone into a holiday. That meant nowhere to eat before main-road! The hosts offered me a colorful honey-oat sandwich and a banana and that was all for the lunch. Household had 3 pet dogs – 1 black Labrador, 1 black & yellow greyhound and 1 black & white Doberman. Dogs liked me… especially the Labrador called 'layala'. I am also going to have one Labrador for myself one day - black or yellow!

Dinner time… had to cycle another 10 kilometers (up + down) for two 'paranthas' and some unidentifiable 'sabjii' with curd. Add one 300 ml apple juice and it becomes Rs 70/-. WTF!!! 2100 hours and I am on my way back into the forest. Fuck! No lights… pitch black… somehow managed to get back to the hut with my Motorola C168's LCD light! Sweated profusely… desperately needed sleep after mosquitoes spared me… will need a motor bike tomorrow if I want to return to Hyderabad alive… you see, when survival is at stake you don't go around writing essays, poetry and appreciating beauty... you try to survive... eyes closed…

Nov 9:

Eyes open… 8 in the morning… Where am I? Who am I?

After regaining consciousness, headed towards visitor's center for breakfast… ate like pig… met another yellow Labrador there… poor fellow seemed abandoned by its owner… he looked like an enlightened old dog you see, with all serenity and love it showed despite being sick and hungry… shared some food with him… came back… Mosquitoes have also become familiar now and seem bored with my blood… looks like I am adapting fast… sleep…

1400 hours… Where am I? Who am I?

Bullshit! I need a bike… screw the 'shaan ki sawari'… surrendered the cycle… got one splendor for Rs 90/- a day (Rs 500/- deposit)… Phew!! 'Ab jaan mein jaan aayee'… Lunch at Beach Café… Rice and Fish… slurp… slurp! Back to hut… sleep…

1900 hours… the neighbor comes to the common kitchen… (me living just above the kitchen)… name Emon… Age 40-50… six packs… tattooed biceps… cyclist… teacher at auroville kindergarten… makes himself a fruit salad and herbal tea… back to his hut some 50 meters away from mine… Damn! Really need to cut down smoke and start working out!

Went out splendor-fully… got myself three apples and one bottle of water… one apple and one glass of hot water for dinner… 2030… I am asleep…

Nov 10:

What a wonderful morning... Had a healthy defecation… metabolism is working good… one apple and one glass of hot water works…

Had a nice talk with Natasha (Yoshi's, the host on my first visit to auroville, daughter)... She, also, was a teacher in the kindergarten. She told me about how they have re-forested the whole auroville land. She has been living there for more than 15 years with her husband (alas!) who takes care of the foresting the waste land…

Booked my slot to visit 'Matri-Mandir' in the evening… Local guys are thinking that I am a foreigner… Enjoying the unearned glamour! They should not eavesdrop someday me reciting Super Star Rajini's punch dialogs…

1600 hours… the most amazing place I have ever seen… the central chamber of the 'Matri-Mandir'… one beam of natural solar light descending from a heliostat on the top upon a 400kg crystal globe… That is the only source of light in the huge (HUGE) hall… the hall is perfectly sound-proof… this is the place where you will find real silence… But only 15 minutes are allowed… shit!!!

This was the most amazing experience of life… will keep me alive for long… one apple and one glass of hot water… sleep…

Nov 11:

Nothing more to do now… flight at 2000 hours…

Paid off all the bills… boarded a non ECR bus (which goes via airport)… all 3 nights of serenity and silence was gone in 3 hours of bus journey… all that shouting and screaming, that too in an alien language… suddenly I remember the incident of some bus being burnt somewhere in Tamilnadu…

Bus got punctured on the way… had to wait for some 45 minutes in a god forsaken place… while other passengers boarded other buses to continue their journey, I didn't dare to get packed in those already 'festive-packed' buses…

Coincidence happened… met an old colleague while she was returning in some other bus from somewhere to Chennai… even she said I was looking like a foreigner! Come on yaar… 25 years and I haven't even touched foreign soil… forget foreign soil, I haven't even touched a girl except at the palm of her right hand with the palm of my right hand… how can you do this to me… how can u…

Another lesson on value of money – Rs 45 to come in a non ECR bus from Pondy to Chennai… Rs 150/- for a 'too hot' veg puff and a 'too cold' cold coffee with ice-cream at airport… saw India winning against Pakistan sitting on a luggage trolley…

Flight was delayed again… reached Hyderabad… Same old shit begins from tomorrow again…

Journey was awesome… lived almost like an animal… away from the mayhem of Diwali crackers… This was the best Diwali I remember after last year's… listened to my voices for all the time and found out that 'unless you know what you want, it doesn't matter what you get…'