Extracts from a Diary

As far back as I can remember, I always supported South African Cricket Team. I remember being conflicted about supporting Indian cricket team at various points through my childhood (and beyond?) but always remember being a Proteas' supporter. Maybe not such a strong one during the '96 world cup, which is also among the earliest memories of cricket I remember.  Now, for some reasons quite a few of my friends and acquaintances associate me with being rational, lacking emotion, or just lacking in empathy. I don't think that is completely true but that's for another day. What is not, is the next paragraph. (Yes, this paragraph was put in here randomly, without caring much about the flow and as an afterthought.) By the '99 version of it, I'd read about their readmission in '92, come to know about and admire their players like Fannie de Villiers (oh the action!), Brian McMillan (strictly an okay old-rounder says my cynical-of-nostalgia brain but as a kid...

I sometimes put to unsuspecting friends at random house parties, the question of the most impactful book/movie/life experience they've been through. Making a list longer than of 2 elements is a painful task. So, I don't really mean to thank the 3 individuals who tagged me on facebook to make a list of 10 most impactful books, 10 impactful most music, and 20 of most impacting hindi movies but it got me thinking for a good period to come up with a half-arsed list. So, guess that's a good thing and I should be thankful. I thought I'll put it up as a facebook note or something. Realisation struck: i) Too much random attention whoring ii) I should revive my blog! So, here it goes then:  Books   Books that I read voluntarily (which rules out all the acad books) and left a lasting impact or shaped me in some way, ordered by when I read them (first). Super Commando Dhruv & Tintin : Among the first comics I read and loved. I wouldn't blame it on them, th...

There, I said it! I am not a patriot and patriotism as a feeling is something I've not really properly understood, at least since crossing my teens or something. Why this, random and even provocative, claim, you ask? I am irritated by the recent flurry of facebook/twitter discussions, surrounding the whole Afzal Guru hanging episode. Anybody who is seen doubting the judiciary/government/popular version seems to automatically fall in the category of 'traitors of the nation', it seems. First off, I am someone who, in general, considers the judiciary to be much more qualified, experienced <and insert hajaar such similar disclaimers> than I am. I just have principles  (or well, stances for economic or philosophical reasons - 'principles' just sounded too big and constraining a word :D) that are different from what I understand as guiding the judiciary system of our country. And I, in general, view the government (of our country and elsewhere) with quite some...

<2nd Nov 2012, 1144 am, Versova, Mumbai> Long time no see! I think this datestamp thing of mentioning when a particular article was being written is something that I might be skipping soon. There have been multiple posts that I started in between the last published one which for whatever reasons (like losing interest in the topic I was writing about or wanting to write down something more urgent and important) I've not completed. And, this practice of maintaining a datestamp of each of these things tends to psychologically make me want to complete an older incomplete article than to start writing about my latest fascination. But, I am digressing from what I intended to write in this particular post. I've always maintained that the human mind is among the strongest and most fascinating things (self-serving/narcissistic statement made by my human mind, yes I know). So, whenever people seek other people's advice (and I do too, obviously) there is this part of my br...

To read the previous two instalments, read here and here respectively. <10 th July 2012, 1540 hours, Gopalapuram, Chennai> The next day, Monday or Day 3 of my trip, around afternoon, I leave for Kheerganga, with a plan to spend a night there, travelling to Tosh and then returning to the familiar lands of Kasol and eventually the plains. I started on the trek, as I realised later, quite underprepared and late for it. I was wearing slippers, without carrying any food to munch upon, and barely sufficient water – of course, with a healthy stock of ciggs, though. Definitely not the best thing if you’d be travelling in that region of sparsely located overpriced or often closed dhabas for somewhere close to 6 odd hours (~10 kms) one way. Even in those altitudes, the June sun was making it harder – lazily starting late was obviously not a smart choice – but in those narrow pathways randomly, but frequently nonetheless, appearing stretches of puddles were making the footwe...

For the first part, you might want to refer here . <17 th June 2012 1918 hours, Barista, Ludhiana> I am at a Barista, looking to complete my travelogue from where I left it off. So, I’d reached Bhunter at around 1030 hours, munched a bit of food here & there, before finally taking a bus to somewhere we could start the trek to Malana from. On the way, chatted up with this stranger in the bus regarding the way to Malana, movies, mundane day-jobs etc. It turned out he was a documentary filmmaker & a PR professional going to Kasol for the two day trance party on sat-sun (9 th & 10 th June) there. My friend and I get off at Jari, discuss the possibility of attending the trance party at Kasol, but decide to trek to Malana instead. It is sometime in the afternoon with the sun shining strongly. We are told it is about 4 odd hours and we trek along the area of Malana Hydropower Project – an interesting contrast to the otherwise natural ‘unadulterated’ habitat of ...

<Kasol, 12th June 2012, 2130 hours> So, after resignation, I had 7 odd days of casual leaves remaining and despite the shitload of pending work, on the evening of 8th June, I take off from Ludhiana, reaching Chandigarh at 0005 hours 9th June. A friend from my engineering college is to reach Chandigarh from Delhi at 2am. I wait around jobless, having a swig from my bottle of Bacardi, white rum. I go off to a random tea-shop dweller looking for some ciggs. He is smoking up and my trip to Kasol and elsewhere starts early. I chat up with him to find out that he got his hash from a local farmland in town (and I don't testify to his authenticity). He explains a ring side view of the trade that gets shaped later on in the trip. From local villages of Kasol, namely Tosh, Malana etc., around sept-oct each year, the dealers come to pick up a quintal or two from the then very recent harvest. The most tender leaves go on to become the most sought after - super cream (or simply cream...