Back 2 school

Back 2 school, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

As I was biking through Adayar I decided to just pay a short visit to my ALMA MATER ...BALA VIDYA MANDIR in gandhinagar ,adyar. The school has changed a lot in structure ...from what it was when we were around (the millenium batch 2000).

NBA(Nan Basketball Aduven )

NBA(Nan Basketball Aduven ), originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That seems to be the in-thing these days in sports especially over the last 5-6 years and my school to has kept in sync with the needs of these school children by providing good facilties for playing basket ball.

When I was studying all that was there was mud...over which a few cemented straight lines were drawn within the ambit of which we had to play any ball game (basket ball or volley ball) .Some part of the school mud was mixed with cow shit and bull shit and they then called it a cricket pitch...

Now it's good to see so many facilties for sports coming up in school

the dreaded science labs

the dreaded science labs, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

HELL ........was what I collectively described these labs ..for various reasons ...that change from time to time.

The Pavillion !!!!

The Pavillion !!!!, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

THE PAVILLION

Why was this place of so much importance?

Well this is where my college ayah and watchman live in a house within the school premises and it was in this house that I spent a considerable amount of free time whenever cricket matches were on those days...If i remember from 1993 to 2000.

Each of us used to take turns to go to the toilet and sneak our way to the grilled window of the ayah's house to catch the latest update on the score and the one who told the score in the class was a "hero" or a center of attraction for a minute as till buzz of the scores gets around every one.

One of my saddest days in AYAH's house was on the fateful day of the thirteenth of march 1996.The day started ...or rather the afternoon started with wild celebration over the fall of sanath jayasuriya and romsh kaluwitharana of succesive balls in the semifinals of the 96 WORLD CUP...but the Indian's decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory ...and comitted suicide succumbing to an otherwise inept sri lankan bowling attack.

Jungle Gym oce upon a time

Jungle Gym oce upon a time, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

I really dont know why they had to clear the jungle gym , the pit area and the clasrooms that blocked the sunlight enetering the jungle gym making it a cool place to hang out.

Jungle-Gym as it was called was the kid's play area in a simulated jungle like area which also doubled up as a classroom where some times our lessons were taught under trees....just like a gurukula.It also was our lunching spot where we squatted on tree tops and the muddy beach sand that was put there...unoblivious of the dirt we would be causding our uniforms.

The Auditorium

The Auditorium, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

The auditorium,prayer hall,ground for hand cricket ...and u name it ..we used the audi for anything and every thing.

As i basked in the evening light that came through a 15 year iold broken gaping hole in the window....I travelled to the days of innocence ...the good ol school days...

This was the place where I first spoke on stage and stammered and stuttered with my legs shivering in some unknown fear..way back in class 6-7 and afterwards I got used to the stage...and started giving those famous "value week" and "2 minute" speeches....and of course counducting three runs of my sports quiz "REFEREES VERDICT" .....

The audi was an ideal place for our 4 overs hand cricket matches that were played with extreme gusto during our Pt periods ..not to forget the games of hand tennis on one side of the badminton court flanking the Audi.

The three musketeer's

The three musketeer's, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

From L-R ...OUR SCHOOL WATCHMAN, OUR BIO LAB ASSISTANT AND PHYSICS LAB ASSISTANT(SEKAR ).

It's great to see the same people still working in the school...and all of a sudden it just seems that I was here just yesterday...5 years long "yesterday ".

I remember Sekar ..used to be a pain some time back as sometimes he gaves me some faulty wiring while doing my pracs...and some dumb ammeter/voltmeter in which curent would not condescend to flow through it's inner circuitry....and I liked him simply because both of us despised the Physics lecturer then ...and I hear that our Physics lecturer then ..Mr Thaiumanavan is no more now.It seems he passed away after a heart attack some time last year.

The watchman still remembers me and that was a great feeling .Why wouldnt he remember me ..I was the kid who would cycle to school exactly at the stroke of the 9 O clock bell and would plead him to let me in with my cycle as the latecomers would be referred to the Vice principal.

The vice principal got so used to seeing me in her office that at one point she started laughing and let me go amused by uncanny knack of either coming late or doing some prank.

Thats me hogging in Adyar Ananda Bhavan

Thats me hogging in Adyar Ananda Bhavan, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

Well ..when hunger strikes .. GO TO ADAYAR ANANDA BHAVAN...is what my mind has been conditioned to whenever I cross that Adyars signal as the smell of the chaat lingers..well outside the shop to lure me inside ....

dahipapdichat@aab.mystomach

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28802891@N00/16090001/, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

Finally i ended my visit to Adayar by having some light snacks at AAB(Adyar Anandha Bhavan..).This has been one of my favourite haunts to eat Chaat varieties and buy sweet's and other south Indian delicasies. Dahipapdi chaat is one of my favourite ...so to say long time favourite that I have consumed for 13 long years as a loyal customer of Adyar Anandha Bhavan.I prefer Anandha bhavan to other places in adyar simply because of the reasonable prices that used to exist and the quality of their chaat items.

But all of a sudden ..more so in the last 5-6 months all prices in the chaat category have been hiked teribly by around 50% ,which means ...a larger hole in my pocket....but as long as it keeps my tounge happy ...I am not complaining.

Advertising in Sweden

I just happened to thumb through the supplement that came along withe the Economic times just a few minutes back and found some thing really interesting to share . The Advertising industry in sweden have banned any kinds of ad's that border on sexuality /sensuality .Ask them why so ? they say that such ad's are not required in the country ,as sex and nudity in a country like sweden is very common place where people will strip at the drop of a hat .What I actually mean to say is that the "hot" ad's that are churned out for any damn product say in India ,UK or say even the US ...really sell because people there are have a "shock" factor when they see such ad's and more so people prefer watching that "extra second of nudity" in the ad's or while alone rather than publicly flaunt around showcasing how well equipped their physical assets are.

In Sweden ..nudity is something that's normal ..infact sweden tops the charts when it comes to a survey of the country having partners having the highest frequency of making love. So ....it's one piece of data worth saving .... incase u wanna settle down in sweden for reasons other than advertising , it would seem to be "paradise" , but just incase ur one of the those ad guys who look to make a quick buck by showcasing nudity to sell your product ...remember SEX DOSENT SELL -at least in sweden....coz it's already available in plenty...

Hmmm.......when are u going to Sweden :-)

TYPO RULEZ -->

These days there are so many spelling mistakes on my blog ...all due to the fast pace of life ..and the scarcity of something called time.Given the less time ,amidst the work....I have to pour in all my thoughts and feelings and compose my entry in 10-15 minutes...which seems to take a heavy toll on my keyboard typing skills. I just went through my blog yesterday ...and all these "glaring tying errors" came to light.

I guess ...that would be taken up pretty seriously from now on to have "error free, bug free articles" -straight from the mouth of a software engineer ...

walk In Mania

walk In Mania, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

There was this huge walk-in today In Chennai for 2004/2005 passout's at MEENAKSHI COLLEGE ,Kodambakkam.

I was to drop my friend Santosh, there as there is no proper bus from his place to the college and considering the fact that It was a wak-in and it was neccesary that he reaches early ...so as to get a chance to attend the test.I volunteered to drop him at 5 30 in the Morning and that's when my eventful day started.

serpentine queues

serpentine queues, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

This was where things started going wrong.I was to wait in the line, as my friend called up saying that he would be late and he needed some one to register for him ,so that he doesn't have to spend half the day in the blazing sun just to register.So since I had come there to drop Santosh,I decided I may as well do the registration for my other friend ...and as time went by ..he didnt turn up and not knowing what to do after standing for close to half an hour , I couldnt bluff around putting my friend's name and the wrong photo at the registration desk, so decided that I might as well join the fun ...and decided to take the test.

The one thing about waiting in these queues during any major walk-in (TCS,ORACLE,Polaris...VERIZON )..this actually presents a very good oppurtunity to catch up on old school/college mates who'd be prying their eyes on the next possisble gap in the line to lunge forward and move ahead cutting across people.

There are some unwritten rules for a walk-in and decency for once never prevails here....

7 HABITS OF SUCCESFUL WALK-IN TEST TAKERS (NOT WRITTEN BY STEPHEN COVEY )

1) Push harder and harder,if u must ,inorder to get ahead in the line ,as who knows ...how much more longer one has to bear the agony of standing in the line.

2)If some one breaks the line and get's ahead of you , u cant question him...that's bcoz he's smart enough to go where he thinks , he can.

3) Be always on the look out for college mates/old friends...who are ahead of u in theline , so that in the pretext of meeting them...u also barge into the line in the softest possible way.

4)Dont look mournful when u see a huge queue ahead of u ...Star talking with some friend or stranger and u would wonder how quickly time flies away.

5)Dont get psyched by the magnitude of the people coming in to write the test..if u believe ur good enough , u will defintely get through.

6)If u spot some one copying/cheating in the hall, this is not something suprising as a huge percentage of students are so desperate to do well and get selected that they invariably discuss answers openly and stare longer at their counterparts answers heet than their's.The best u can do is to avoid giving asylum to these "human xerox machines" or abetting such people..and stop being bothered about the fact that the "copying" crowd may spoil other's chances of getting through.

7)Always be at the centre of an OPEN WALK IN earlier than 6 am , as the crowd starts building up by 6 30 and swells by 7 am at most places in India ...and just gets out of proportion a little after that.

welcome to the elite band of ppl registered here

welcome to the elite band of ppl registered here, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

After we made our way through the "maze" of people we were led into ther arena ..where we were left to sit under a shamiana ..waiting for the call to sit inside the Hall.Only after one sits in such a place or comes for a walk in, does one realize the sheer magnitude of engineering students graduating from this part of the world and to add further, there must have been candidates from Bangalore and other cities as well...all in the hope of settling down in life with a well-paid job at Verizon.

Braving the Chennai Mercury

Braving the Chennai Mercury, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

Look at the Line that just seemed to extend upto eternity in sepertine long queues that seemed to stretch to a kilometer outside Meenankshi College.People I guess would have to wait for hours on a Hot and Blazing saturday braving the Chennai sun ...all for a cool 20k+ job.I remember doing the same while writing the Polaris walk-in last year in some school near Kellys.I had just arrived from Delhi at 9 30 in the morning and at 10 I was there at the walk-in Centre waiting among the hordes of people clamouring for a wannabe doftware engineer ...pushing and prodding to get my way into the line.

we are like this "WONLY "

we are like this "WONLY ", originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

This seems to be the attitude of the Daily Chennai Train commuter's who seemingly in the ever maddening rush of daily life,are hardly oblivious of the trains that seem to be approaching them faster than what they imagine. (PIC TAKEN AT KODAMBAKKAM STATION LEVEL CROSSING)

I seem to find that there is no regulatory mechanisms to stop this as people seem to move across the tracks ,irrespective of whether the trains are coming or not.

Most of the people feel that they can cross over the tracks "in time" but when they see the trains approaching and just in case their fot gets stuck somewhere ...they just seem to panic and fall prey to being runover by the local trains

ROCK STAR ? APE ? NO It's HARI .....

ROCK STAR ? APE ? NO It's HARI ....., originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's my former schoolmate Hari Anand..who seems to have changed a lot facially,otherwise he hasn't changed much.He still talks in the same confused vein shaking his head and making some funny movements of his face while talking.

The guy was one of a kind when he was in school.When I joined Vidya Mandir in class 5 (92), I met him on the first him day and learnt that the class was divided into 2 groups of 3-4 people HARI and Co and Deepak and Co and they used to perform some crazy things ...like having a verbal war as to who would build a space craft first...and the stupid fool that I was , I thought they really were to build them ...and in the process was a member of this crazy gang for some time befores sense prevailed ,when we realized that our ambitions dont seem to be on the same plane (as early as class 5 !!!).Deepak and Hari wanted to be scientists and I wanted to pass the next test!!!!

Soft war engineer or Software engineer


These days I seem to be virtually at loggerhead's with the damn code,deadlier and much tougher to unravel than the DA VINCI CODE. Coding is a phase of one's life( a software engineer that is ) that most seem to be in a confused state.Coding can bring moments of extreme ecstacy and moments of depression too..all in a matter of seconds. 80% of the time I am frustrated to search and spot the damn possible place of error and the rest 20 % is spent in distributing the "extremes" of joy and dissapointment. Is coding tough ??? A tough question to answer ...depends on the logic that needs to be implemented...and sometimes my Brain is forced to remind myself that hey ...I too am a software engineer and need to remove mental blocks that periodically keep building up when unfinished,misbehaving code dances on my desktop.

I am happy that the week has passed quicker than expected and my 2 days of bliss(the great weekend ) is back ...it's the only time I can actually be in a lighter vein , releived of stress of any kind ....but the very mention Of Monster Monday makes me sport a grimace ...which like a virus eats up the spirit of the weekend.

All of a sudden I am reminded of the famous saying "the grass on the other side is greener" ..I all of a sudden feel College (hell a year back ) was a bliss compared to work , as the responsibilties are less and it's real fun preparing for exams in which u know that whatever crap u write in a manner such that the content is extrapolated to pages ....u are still gonna pass and get decent grades. All off a sudden ..with responsibilities,appraisal's,code delivery ...blah blah blah....I am slowly getting nostalgic of the days when I was "VETTI" (jobless) while in final year...where coming to college by itself was a Fun picnic trip travelling 100 odd kilometers to and fro in a day.

So this week it shall be Me,Myself and the mellifluous tunes of Kishore Da. Happy weekend to myself and U who is reading this.

The Day I saw GOD

Generally ...if something desperately needed to happen for us ...we would turn straight up with a blank look pointing to the open skies ,as if we were searching for a solution that was appear in the sky.We all pray God , for various reason's ... as per our requirements and consience,but my God was some one for whom I used to pray. Those days I never really could understand how people would be mesmerised by just seeing idols in temple , or by just attending any abishekam . This little piece talk about ...how even I was mesmerized by the "G O D " .

It was glum overcast august 1999 evening with dark skies looming around the Chennai horizon .I was with my friends Nirenjan and Chinu , attired in our school uniform .We had just then won a quiz or our school at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan , in the PS school culturals .We were on cloud 9 , after that victory .I was fearing whether the skies may open before I reach my place,which was quite far from Mylapore (madipakkam indeed was where I lived). All of a sudden a thought struck me , which I confided in my friends and ecen they seemed Ok with the "flash thought" ...pay a visit to a mystic person whom I had seen only on the television before and once interviewed him for my school magazine way back in 1996. He had again come this year to Chennai ...enroute to his "conference" in Singapore.

This person to me was more than just a myth ...a rare person ..so to say one of a kind ..who always had me in awe of him.He had a mesmerizing affect on me ,whenever I saw him speak or perform his routine actions . He had an uncanny knack of dealing and smelling with different kinds of leather's 15-20 yards away . knew even though I had interviewed him 3 years back,he would hardly remember me.He had so may "devotees" visiting him and was probably much well known in the country than Saibaba or Shankaracharya or any revered Godman. I had heard from the local newspaper , our very own THE HINDU , that this person , whom I am talking about was staying at TAJ CORAMANDAL.

We three made a dash to Nungambakkam high road and as we entered the TAJ ..we saw that quite a few people were waiting for him .Some people spoke as though they were the right hand of "this " GOD and knew various ways of getting thru to his room.But soon the din and the light commotion, evaporated quicker than petrol would in thin air. We were yold that the "GOD " was unwell and would not be coming down to address the media.I sure was dissapointed , but though having come there all the way, we decided we may almost stay there for an hour as, the ambience was amazing at the TAJ...and anyway we were to flunk the next day's Organic Chemistry test...so we roamed about and finally our tired legs seemed to suggest that it had been a long day .

We were just close to the lift...and as we paused to take a breath, the doors of the lift all off a sudden opened and I could see something that just left me staring, with me totally haven gone numb,mouth wide open ,staring in disbelief at somebody whom I never expected to see in the evening.The scribes and the journos didnt seem to see him ...but as people casually glanced towards my direction ...they must have thought I was a in the midst of a bout of Fits ...and just as they glanced towards me , their eyes fell on the person who I was staring at ......and lo the scribes and the journos lunged forward to invade my "GOD's " privacy being pointing mikes to him and expecting him to utter some thing on that god damn mike.

I had stared at this GOD longer than the 15-20 seconds I usually gaze at Lord Venkateshwara at tirupati and the kind of mesmerizing effect it had had me in a trance ...

Well if u wanna know the GOD'S name , He is more popularly known as S.R.T (Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar )....who makes people switch off their daily chores and switch on the televisions to catch a glimpse of this famous son of India .

so that was my brief sojourn with GOD .........................

THIS DAY THAT YEAR


There are times when the memories of childhood are stretched just that little far ,and that's what happened this morning when I was reading THE HINDU , which had a column titled THIS DAY THAT YEAR " ....so i thought why not just rewind back a little into the past.

MAY 18TH OVER THE YEARS

1991 : Was watching a benefit cup cricket match between some non descript teams where sachin and sanjay manjerekar played very well. was playing hide and seek throuhgout the evening .

1992 :was attending my cricket coaching camp in YMCA Nandanam and watching videos of the 1992 worlcup ,which I had recorded.

1993 : was In calcutta with my dad , for my summer holidays ..and visited Nicco park on this day .Bought a new set of stumps at mount road for 84 rs for 3 pieces

1994 : scored a valuable 16 off 7 balls to help my team win a 6 over's a side match in my apartments .Bought another set of stumps, but plastic this time around with a holder ..mainly meant for indoor cricket.

1995 : score a patient full day long 81 runs to win a "test " match in the B block vs C block matches...these were our version of the INDIA PAKISTAN clashes .

1996"get hooked on to the english summer .....

1997 :fell down from a mountain as i ran across the length of the mountain only to find halfway that the mountain at one point had no land .....and all of a sudden as it happens in cartoon movies i was standing on free space and fell down with a thud.....hurting my face at a place called SUHAD ,a remote village far from civilisation ,during my 1997 trekking expedition.

1998 : am debating with my dad to allow me to go and see the bangladesh vs Kenya match to be played at chennai 5 days later.he says no.....

1999: Newzealand whitewashes Bangladesh in the 1999 worldcup ...

2000: am praying for a good result in my 12th exams and DOTE ...but supposedly GOD was with his earphones on ..and e didnt seem to hear my request ..as it unfolded a few days later .

2001: Preparing hard for my first exam ENGG MATHEMATICS with full gusto.......

2002: take refuge from the sweltering Chennai heat, in the airconditioned rooms of the british
council library .

2003: Must have been sleeping


2004 : Get up in the morning at 2 am and have breakfast of hardened Puri's at 2 30 am at 2 degree's celcius while trekking at 12000+ feet in Himachal Pradesh.Trekked 24 kilometres spanning scores of mountains ......and , in the evening, sleep in a room smeared and painted brown with bull shit (or cow's shit ) ....but slept like a log.

2005 : I am wasting my time typinng this and u are wasting ur's reading this

Ram nagar,madipakkam ...improves

Ram nagar,madipakkam ...improves, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

Well ..."speedy" construction work is on it's way.The stones that were laid a couple of months back have finally been laid.I only wonder how long will it take to lay the Road completely.The corporation seems to be doing this at a very bovine speed...and it causes so much of hardship for the 2 wheelers and commuter's.

Cooling myself with some tender coconuts

Cooling myself with some tender coconuts, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

The heat In Chennai is just getting to the point where one seeks even those "2 minute respites" from the blazing sun and ever soaring Mercury.This pic ws taken on one such occaission at the Kasturba nagar traffic signal in Adyar.The effect 2 tender coconuts can bring about in such heat , to one's body is really immense ,when it comes to prevention of dehydration.

Hi Fi Joshy

Hi Fi Joshy, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's my college Benchmate JOSHY,who seems to be a self proclaimed brand ambassodor for the SONY range of products to show How HI-FI he's become after living a year of life in Bangalore .He had come to Chennai for the weekend.He works in a place that is 10 year's into the future,but lives in a place befitting 10th century BC or even the stone age.No guesses ...He works at Infy Bangalore and stays at Electronics city ...surrounded by thousands of engineer's who save money by staying at places like E city.

The advantage as such of staying in Ecity.

1) Helps u work late at nights and return home quickly as the Bangalore traffic can sometimes be a pain in the arse ....coming to a virrtual standstill at nights on Hosur Road.

2) Helps u save some money ...as all places in bangalore after E city ...are terribly expensive..I remember paying 4000 bucks rent individually for 200 sw feet of place in BTM LAYOUT,a decent hangout where at least the basic amenities of life are availabale , unlike e city...which has only recently adapted to civilisation.

Dinner at residency Towers

Dinner at residency Towers, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

The best part of the dinner was the DESSERTS without a doubt.Santosh Umesh and myself seemingly gorged ourselves with 3-4 helpings of the cakes,ice creams and so 2 say DESSERTS.Even the Nan and the rice varieties were quite tasty,rather than just being Palatable.

20 reasons why u guys should drink beer

20 reasons why u guys should drink beer, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's what Achut seems to be sermoning us......haha .

The restaurant had an offer of a free Beer for every buffet booked..so the complimentary beer came it's way on to our table ,and got wasted...as none in our group actually drinks ...The waiter seemed to ask us in a fast and low tone " ur soup n beer sir ? ) I donno what the guys heard...they just mutely nodded , not hearing the waiter's fast tone of speaking and Lo the beer was brought.

I pity the BEER mug,as from that moment it was left alone ....with no one tending to it .Just as Achut started recollecting some college memories,I quietly placed the beer near him and took a shot with my mobile...

Great ambience at the Residency Towers

Great ambience at the Residency Towers, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

This was taken at "the main street",a restaurant at Residency tower's adjacent to GRT Grand days.We had gone there for a treat hosted by SANTOSH ,UMESH AND ANAND ..and I must say that slowly but steadily the choice of hotels for our regular treats have changed ,after all of us have started working.Earlier SHAKES AND CREAMS/PIZZA CORNER was the regular haunt ...but our tastebuds seems to explore more into cuisines of the the lands other than India too.

This restaurant gives you a "feel" of the market place of the Europe,in the way the Tables and the settings are arranged,including the waiter's and waitress(clad in skirts)

EUREKA ! i just discovered Oxygen !!!!

EUREKA ! i just discovered Oxygen !!!!, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's Hari subramanian,an essential core member of the "triplicanist" gang ..who studied in Shriram engg college.He seems to be trying out the "drier" in the restroom and finds that the water in his hands have evaporated much faster than expected and seems to suggest the other guys with a "check this out " kinda expression...

Malish ..BOOT malish ..

Malish ..BOOT malish .., originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

I just happened to notice that at one corner of the Men's Rest room, there was this boot cleaner which had a revolving head of brushes which ,when switched on would polish the shoe in seconds.In this age of I.T automation rules and this is the first time I have actually come across such a device.

Broad-Hmmmmmmm NARROW BAND


I just got my BSNL broadband connection at home paying a yearly deposit of around 8000 rs and discover that my dial up was 10 times faster.The so called good news turned sour ,when I discovered that the net was so slow.....that sure was a big dampner ..when I had grandiose plans to download DIVx movies on the web , to update my existing DIV x movie collections.

The other good news was that I happened to win a debate competition in office...seemingly made my day .

These days time just seems to fly as soon as I return home,and the weather in Chennai is getting on my nerves ...it's extremely HOT , so HOT that probably Chennai can probably have Mallaika Arora/Mallika Sherawat as their brand ambassador's ....Even nights seem terrible ,as I cant sleep without the AC on. To come to think of it ..the summer has just started...anyway I dont have any plans of roaming during the day time ..on weekends so the weather should actually notbe a problem...but just in case powercuts are there during this oppressive heat ...I guess the concept HOME BADE BAKING would fructify.

I pity the college/school students who have to travel in this searing heat under pressure to go and write their exams.Belive me ...nothing can be more irritating that sweating profusely in the heat and at the same time keeping mental composure to write the exams.Thank god I dont have to write any more theory exams in the mercurial month of May.

that's where it all started

that's where it all started, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That is me standing atop the CHENNAI CENTRAL signboard. I guess that section of the place was very dark for a picture taken in a mobileb cam to come.As I was attempting this antic ...I didnt notice that the train had already started moving and finally I had to rush inside another compartment ..from which I joined the compartment where our seats were.So that was a racy start to our trip !!1

stench sucks

yeh hain india, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That is a picture taken on arriving in Coimbatore station.An Indian train journey in summer is never incomplete without the wonderful stench of urine and garbage that seems to be pervading through our sense of smell to leave a lasting impression.This is something that the Railway authorities must take note of and clear such debris .Such garbage on the tracks ,could eventually prove a big ..dampner on tourism in this place.

mist at naduvattam

mist at naduvattam, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

Naduvattam is a small hamlet that is on the road leading to mudumalai.From here the TAN TEA estates begin and also a scenic world which is unparralleled in beauty.This is one of the virgin places near ooty that has not been really explored by people.It is on the route from Mysore to ooty highway.

flowers in bloom

flowers in bloom, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

These are some of the flowers that were seen near the TAN TEA estate.Infact I have clicked about 50-60 varieties of flowers in ananth's digicam...the photos of which should be out by a week.

ooty in the afternoon mist

ooty in the afternoon mist, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

This is the TAMILNADU TEA estate's owner's house.He has a few guesthouses which are reserved for some goverment officials.We tried to pull in some influence to let us stay there in teh cottage amidst the tea gardens...but after a long3 hour wait..he refused us ...

I bet we would have had the time of our lives if only we were allowed to stay here as this place isaround 30 km's from ooty,called naduvattam ....and provides u some lovely scenic surrounding's far from the din of the market place to spend a quiet holiday in the mountains.

DRIVING IN WET WEATHER

DRIVING IN WET WEATHER, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

The weather god's were kind enough to grant our wishes of heavy rains, lovely weather and lush greenery all around...

Listening to "neele neele ambar pe " a former kishore da number while speeding down the hair pin bends was a lovely experience...

TITANIC @ PYKARA

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28802891@N00/13089941/, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

The Pykara lake is a very scenic place near ooty and definetely deserves a visit.The forest's adjacent to the pykara are the typical rainforest's that seem to be the perfect place for adventure trekking.

We just happened to sit on the huge stones and watch water pass by. It never occured to us, that we could actually get down to bathing here.But I guess after the noon showers, the place was quite chill and it would have not been possible toactually swim and bath here.

We anyway managed to finally bathe in a lake near mettupalayam..closer to the plains..in a much secluded area among the dense forests..which was a lovely experience.

GREAT AMBIENCE HORRIBLE FOOD

GREAT AMBIENCE HORRIBLE FOOD, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's myself and kishore(on the extreme left) who seem to be in a desultory mood after opting to eat in this place.We ordered pizzas there,after seeing the ambeince from outside..but this place was a big letdown , with the quality lefty wanting.

all it did was drain 240rs (oops 264-sales tax included) from our purses.

RARE ONE ...OCC

RARE ONE ...OCC, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

I didnt know all these days that OOTY formally had a cricket club. All i could see across the wall was a pavillion and some rooms , but not a ground. It would actually be great to have a cricket ground here,as it could do wonders to attract more people here and of course ..fill up the coffer's for tourism. I guess only himachal pradesh has a cricket ground in a hill station in India where cricket is actually played(the sher-e kashmir is srinagar is also there,but is gathering dust).

ECO-MARKETING

ECO-MARKETING, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's me outside a chocolate shop in ooty near the Botanical gardens. What I really admired about this shop was , they didnt seem to encourage the use of a plastic bag,instead of which they gave me a carry bag made out of newspapers.This is a small step towards making ooty a plastic -free zone ...which seemingly is tough,considering the amount of garbage strewn about there.

the second interesting thing was the "free baloon" that they gave each customer...for every purchase of a chocolate,which had the name of the shop written in bold. That was a good marketing tactic to make people remember the shop's name ...

TATA BYE BYE AT PERAMBUR STATION

TATA BYE BYE AT PERAMBUR STATION, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That was when the tour ended ..when the train halted at perambur for a couple of minutes and 66.67% of the group got down,leving only shakti and myself to get down at Chennai Central.This picture was taken at 4 50 in the morning..

One heck of a trip

This was one of the most enjoyable trips to Ooty,which was not like the conventional sightseeing and boat rides,but involved a lot more exploring various virgin locations in and around OOTY that seemingly is less crowded and offer's a lot to explore.In this short 2 day trip we saw sunshine,heavy rains,cotton like mist floating around us and to end it with a bath in one of the lakes near mettupalayam,amidst the deep jungles.The only regret being the Mudumalai wildlidfe reserve ...where supposedly the census was going on and even though the rooms were free...we couldnt book it until the forest officer at ooty confirmed us accomadation...and when he finally did confirm the accomadation we 50 kilometres too far from ooty ...close to mudumalai..in a place called naduvattam.

Oh yeah......we struggled around with ourt accomadation ...as we found much to our dismay that most of the hotels (read 99.9%) of the hotels in Ooty were full...and after roaming about from hotel to hotel.. lady luck drove us to a posh hotel called The NALAPAD'S RESIDENCY in OOTY..where we hard to forkout quite a sum for the night...but the rooms and the facilities were too good there...

On the whole I enjoyed the trip very much and ...will try and upload the photos soon.Some of the best photos are in my friend's digital camera....and mobile...so will have to wait a while to get that.

ooty-hill

ooty-hill, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

Well talking about the heat ...in chennai ..I plan a short getaway to the hills of ootacamund,with some of my college friends.The best part is one of our trip member's has included a walk-in at coimbatore for HCL technologies on his agenda..before he joins us later in the dya tommorow at OOTY. I just hope the climate there is quite similar to the pictures.

Time to cool off !!!

Time to cool off !!!, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

It is so refreshing...to have a sip of coconut water in this searing heat..and honestly it cools our bodies much better than the branded pesticide's
One seemingly dosent realize that it's so hot outside,as most of us are in the cool confines of the AC in our offices.Just step out after 9 ...it's blazing here ....and Chennai is back to square one after that short 'mirage' of rains and thundershowers.

what !!

what !!, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's my kid cousin sister Abinaya....and boy she is one heck of an active girl.She keeps jumping around the place involving herself in some kind of activity or the other.

Sometime these kids have so much of enthu levels ...that it starts spreading all around the house. So every evening after I return back home...I get to listen to the nuances ABI's little world...and become a child myself

can u gimme that chocolate pls

can u gimme that chocolate pls, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That is the pic of my little cousin ABINAYA , whose come home for a few days. Every day ...I have this routine of presenting her a GEMS packet incase she scores...a specified target in playing Cricket 2000 on the computer.

Kid's almost do anything for that extra piece of chocolate and THE LURE OF GEMS has made my dear cousin , a better player at that.

overcast chennai

overcast chennai, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

I thought the rains and the huge gust of winds ( @100 km/hr ) that brought down a few horadings, was just a flash in the plan ....but Suprisingly this onset of summer has been preceded by some lovely wet and cool weather.

The weather god is seen fuming above ..thereatening to fight Chennai's HOT SUMMER...I wish the weather GOD ,All the best.

Chennai yesterday

Chennai yesterday, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

When it is about to rain , the wonderful smell of the earth conjures up images of this lovely phenomenen of nature,that makes the sky cry ...and it's even more comforting when the rains come in the summer season of chennai,as it cools up the place ...

There is a general sense of euphoric victory within the mind , when the beating sun takes a break and the cloud's send their famous son CUMOLO-NIMBOUS to deliver the rains.When the weather is cloudy and overcast,suprisingly the mood tends to get better...and in such weather ..all u need is a refreshing cup of tea/coffee to savour the rains in the backdrop. It's good that Chennai keeps getting these occaissional spells of rains in peak summer , when the mercury ought to be perched on the other side of 40.

A really lovely feeling encompasses me, when the skies are covered by dark clouds, spelling R A I N ...and it's such sublime moments when I feel like being on a holilday...amidst the mist of lofty mountains...and what better way to do that...as I am shooting off to OOTY this weekend.

rain view across the window

rain view across the window, originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

That's a view of the OLD MAHABALIPURAM road blurred by the recent spate of Rains and winds,that have pervaded through Chennai's searing heat.

Talking about songs in the rain , the first song that comes to my mind is the song feauturing actress Revathi , in the Tamil Movie MOUNA RAGAM ...and another from a 9 year old hindi movie called MEHAK ..which features Sonali bendre and and Akshay khanna ..managing to keep up their day on a wet ..rainy and crowded Mumbai.

Last time I got wet in the Rains ...

Last time I got wet in the Rains ..., originally uploaded by kartik kannan.

and that was in munnar , when I really enjoyed getting wet , while climbing down a mountain along with my friend's.We finally settled under this tree,expecting it to provide us some respite from the rains ..but the respite ultimately came from the shop close by where ,after we were shivering and terribly wet, ate some realy hot cutlets and bajji...that really made the day.

So just hoping this week's sojourn at OOTY provides some lovely moments too !!!!