Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men tell No Tales: Aye Aye Captain!

"This is the day you will always remember that you almost (strong emphasis!) caught Captain Jack Sparrow". Whenever Johnny Depp uttered this immortal lines, it gave you a positive shiver of the larger-than-life, cunning, shrewd, calculative, ruthless, brave, funny and humorous sea plunderer who makes his plans on-the-go with his astute discernment of the situation around him to his own effect by always giving a sense of suspense and doubt whether Captain Jack Sparrow is a good or bad person. It doesn't matter to anyone at all his antics ultimately ends up in saving the day - intended or unintended - only the scriptwriters know about it. Nevertheless, Captain Jack Sparrow (CJS) was the true treasure in the entire Pirates original trilogy with his tickle-me-funny dialogue deliveries, amazing expressions and gestures. 

Taking a pole vault to 2017 from 2011, yeah! that's when the disastrous On Stranger Tides was released!, POTC 5 had really taken a long time to set sail from its shores. Was it necessary? Seemed so to the production houses who wanted to strike when the iron was hot only in this case the iron had already been rusted and was badly in need of a rust-proof agent! The movie had its own share of fantastic moments like the bank robbery scene and the young CJS who outwits Salazar. Unfortunately, other than that, POTC scuttles down to the bottom of the ocean. It was not that the film was horrible like its predecessor. It's just that instead of adding value to the general audience and fans, the franchise's main intention seems to be milking the cow. Entertainment or no entertainment - at the end of the day, it's business where the investors would love to see substantial colorful flowers for their risk-taking appetite. 

Sadly, the tenets of Marketing doesn't work that way. When you give a relatively substandard product after you have offered awesome ones earlier, people will think twice to buy from you in the future. One might rake in the extra dollars and keep them afloat, pun intended, by selling the substandard, irrelevant, unnecessary and lost-its-appeal product by accounts of their credibility and reputation that they built and sustained earlier. But, when people deem something worthless, your brand image takes a hit and it will be extremely difficult to sell another, even if it's superior, product to anyone. It's basically like selling the 1960-1970s room-sized computer being forcibly pushed and sold by Apple or Microsoft or Dell today by leveraging the power of their brand and saying "Bigger is Better" falsely thinking that as they have a strong connection with the people and huge fan base so the customers would buy these monster and outdated computers when no one in their right mind would even think to look at them. I sincerely hope POTC 6 doesn't push us into the deep waters without a life jacket! A humble request to not only POTC makers but also to others as well. Please do not make a sequel or prequel for the sake of making it just because you have the Kola peninsula-deep pockets and big star power in your kitty. When the people en masse decide to turn their backs at the franchise, you simply cannot produce another film to extend its longevity if the film doesn't add any value to the hard-earned money and time that we spend with the hope that we would be entertained as before.  

When Barbossa dies while saving his daughter in the climax, she was more like "Yeah..Dad died" instead of capturing the full essence of the shock, surprise, and sadness when she discovered that he was her father as he falls into the swirling waters below. That said, the VFX is gorgeous though Salazar's fire-y team might remind you of Barbossa's skeleton crew in the first movie.There were liberal doses of humor sprinkled here and there like how the chef garnishes his special using coriander leaves. Despite the handful of positives, the screenplay could have been made better as every person had their own personal motives to get hold of the Trident.     

Even Johnny Depp was reduced to more like the treasure chest carried away by anyone and everyone instead of being the actual treasure it holds. The glimpses of CJS's brazenness was only seen during his younger version taking against Salazar's army. That was what the POTC's lovers had come to ride in the loot when the flick was released even after a wide chasm of 6 years. Not the Johnny Depp who was more like a sidekick to a sidekick!

In fact, there was one scene where an up-down guillotine tries to behead JD. I am not sure whether it's a figurative way to tell JD that his time is up as being the captain of the crew! Just like how no one can reprise Hugh Jackman's phenom performance as The Wolverine, it's difficult to fill up the pirate boots of CJS. Instead of being unceremoniously kicked out from the franchise, JD can save the disgrace and embarrassment by sidelining himself as a solid professional unless he gets a freaking superscript to don the role again. We will always love you Captain Jack. You have given us scintillating fun through your sparkling wit and the trademark actions that can be eclipsed by you alone no matter what.

The post-credit scene is like raising the anchor for the ship to sail again. But, will it?  

Vipassana & HR? No way. But, Yes - Part 3

There are no mantras or visualizations or chants during the Vipassana course. From early morning till 8pm in the night, you have to focus on your breathing. For the initial three days, it's like your body is being beaten savagely with hard clubs and sharp needles. Thighs ache. Back pains. Head yells. Basically, your entire body screams in agony. You have nothing but to concentrate on the breath and your mind runs wild like a rampaging elephant on the streets. No stopping the mental madness until you hear a dull and loud clap of the bell to signal either a 5 minute break or recess for lunch. 

You have no contact with the outside world in any manner as the first rule is to neatly fold your mobiles, books and wallets in a plastic cover and deposit them at the reception for the complete duration of 10 day programme. Yep. You read it right. NO MOBILES FOR 10 DAYS! IN THIS AGE! I will not decorate or sugarcoat the truth by saying it was easy for me to live without my Moto smartphone. It was extremely difficult but it was then I realized how much we have subconsciously and unconsciously got ourselves insanely addicted to our communication devices to such a degree that cell phones have become inseparable in our lives like Pizza and cheese. 

Vipassana was indeed a wake up call to me to slowly detach away myself to the excess usage and addiction as I was under its control than otherwise. It was then I was able to imagined the mentalities of chain smokers and alcohol addicts when they are undergoing rehab sessions. To make the necessary adjustments so quickly was painful but there is no fruit without growth! - be it above or below the ground.

Vipassana is science as you don't have any distraction or artificial concentration points or images to become aware of not just yourself but also your surroundings as well. Much like an unbiased scientist, you are just a neutral observer fully mindful of the turbulent thoughts that comes and goes violently like the crashing of the waves against the precipitous cliffs. Unless you have a relatively strong  mind, you are in for a serious mental breakdown as it happened to some which made them to leave the course in between. Vipassana is an exceptionally tough test not only for physical endurance but also for psychological stamina.

Observing all such activities, it was during one such session that I had a sensational brainwave as to why not use Vipassana as a bargaining chip to those who demand outrageous salaries during the interviews as well as have it as one of the rounds in HR to appraise how committed an individual is to the organization. Oh Yes! Not everyone can survive this ordeal. Vipassana is taxing. Demanding. Gruelling. Back-breaking. It is a psychological incisive surgery performed by ourselves on ourselves showing us the worst nightmares in broad daylight if you exactly do as what is told by the teacher. 

The interviewer can very well ask the candidates to successfully undergo a 10 day Vipassana course to determine their dedication and their ability to cope up with enormous pressure in extreme conditions or situations that is usually or unusually present in a biz-environment.

After Day 5, the schedule becomes routine but the difficulty level raises which results in an increased and sustained pressure to be just a neutral observer when you experience a wide range and swell of emotions within when you start accessing the suppressed bad memories from unfair treatment of your friends, relatives etc. and its resultant oppressed feelings. By the time, you could fully transform into a free-flowing being, the course was up but not without Vipassana having a lasting impact that it could be done wherever you are and whatever you are doing as along as you are consciously aware of your breath.

The rewards of Vipassana is potent and immediately seen which is also translated into rich long-run benefits of being happy and living a healthy life. That's what everyone DESIRES, right? ;) :P 

                                             

                                                                 X---Concluded---X

PS:

The connection between Vipassana and Desires is that by specifically focussing on our breathing, we are able to internally see the several sensations that arises like the sun rising on the east! By having the understanding through this fructiferous yet arduous experience, you can crystal-clearly articulate your good and bad feelings and emotions so that you are relieved by the stress and tension that emotions have an effect on our bodies.

Thank you Buddha for leaving us with such a terrific and profound yet highly simple technique for us to lead a normal and happy life.

Vipassana & HR? No way. But, Yes - Part 2

HR is one of the essentials to run a business as the employees are not only valuable assets to an organization but also form the backbone of profits either in the short-run or long-term. It's like you have a difficult proposition to choose between two tines in a roads and the wrong choice might lead to an unintended and undesirable consequences. So, culling out the not-so-fit candidates as per the company's culture and their future orientation becomes of utmost importance like a parachute for a sky diver. You have many rounds and interviews to test the candidature for that elusive perfect key to the lock that will solve the business problems with minimum fuss, shortest time and maximum effectiveness. How does Vipassana can be a solution for the HR head aches? The art of patience is at the heart of the earth to make any doable impossible to be possible.   

Day 1 was about being inculcated into the stream where you are given the do's and dont's that must be strictly adhered to at all times till we successfully completed the course with flying red, green, blue, black etc. - basically with flying colors! The major rules were:

a) Silence should be followed with absolutely no conversation whatsoever with anyone ,except the teacher, by verbal, eye-contacts, written, mobile, tablets, gestures  or in any other form - even reading books was banned!

b) No alcohol, non-veg or any impure thoughts that might give you a wet dream!

c) Wake up @ 4am and follow the prescribed schedule for the day that goes upto 9pm in the night.

d) Rigidly ensure by partaking in what is given to you during the breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. Snack and dinner was one and the same and taken before 6pm.

Cutting to the chase, you have to lead a monk's life - by pure thinking, discipline, breathing, eating, sleeping and living - with the bare necessities that would sharply make sure that you are not only in tune with yourself but with the external world as well. 

The stringent and inviolable laws of Dhamma Arunachala commenced from Day 2 @ exactly 4 am when one of the caretakers sounded a loud ringing bell to signal that it was time to get into business of making gains not only for ourselves but also to the world as a whole. The technique is extremely simple yet tremendously effective. All you have to do is naturally quieten our chaotic circus minds by focussing only on our breaths by sitting in any comfortable position as we please by removing the desire part from the equation. Sounds complicated huh? No, it's not.

The moment we say "I want XYZ" , there is an element of heavy desire attached to the object loaded with intense emotions based on the desirability quotient of the XYZ and the situation of acquirance. So, it leads to 2 possible scenarios - when we get what we want, then we are happy and jubilant. When we don't get what we want, it makes us sad and dejected. As simple as that. This further leads to 2 more scenarios - to want to have more of the same XYZ or different XYZ as it had made us feel artificially happy or it makes us go into a blind rage filled with anger as we did not get what we desired. Both are equally dangerous and soul-destroying as we get caught and trapped into this vicious cycle like a person being sucked by a whirpool. It's more like our happiness is depended only upon the sole possession of the object thus letting it to control our smile and laughter. So much for being called or announcing ourselves to be self-proclaimed free beings! when our own actual happiness isn't under our influence and power but hypnotized by mere attentions of attractions.

You might argue that you put your efforts and energy to get it. Agreed. It's laudable also. But, it still doesn't take away the adamantine fact that the desired object becomes the primary source of your happiness rather than enjoying the process of effort and energy that is being put in the first place. When we have the dawn of realization that we are only in control of our own actions but not upon the results of our actions, happiness, satisfaction and contentment will eventually and essentially follow instead of we chasing it like a predator.

The next probable question which might be asked is that the results are the ultimate judgements of the reflections of our actions by the society. How is it wrong to not to get the outcome for which we had worked so hard? It's a fair, no racism!, question. That was a dark joke. My puns are becoming dreadful day-by-day. Anyhow, the answer to the question is that I never said it's wrong. All I said is work hard, give our best and leave the rest to the efforts of our actions. There will be no disappointments or resentments or guilt or regrets. This does not mean that you should not have a target to work against. Don't suddenly jump on me by saying that I am contradicting myself. I am not. All I said was not to cling to the object so as to make it the very reason for our happiness or the existence of our being. If one cannot clearly differentiate this subtle nuance, then either they become lazy or do not reach up to their full and true potential or be under the false delusion that they are giving their best. I will just an example to enunciate this point further.

Supposing you write a board exam. You prepare exceedingly well by reading and understanding the topics thoroughly and have fixed a target of 1180/1200 for yourself. You write the exam as per the book and what your teachers and coaching centres had taught you. That's it. Our job is finished after that. You have no control as to who will be the answer sheet corrector or the mood in which they are in or the expectations they have while inking and marking the papers. Whatever is the result that we have to accept it no matter what. Be satisfied and happy that you had truly put in your hard work and had set your heart on it. But, if you fool yourself that you are giving your best when you are not in actual reality, no one can save you from the terrible consequences in the future. Being brutally honest to ourself is the first and foremost step before anything else.

So, why the hell am I giving such a lengthy explanation when we are talking about desires and Vipassana?

                                                              X---To be Concluded---X 

Vipassana & HR? No way. But, Yes!!! - Part 1

Once when the salutations to Madurai Meenakshi and Trichy Ranganathar were done, it was a painfully slow trip to Thiruvannamalai (TM) courtesy the snail-speed bus. It was as if Sunny would have overtaken it! After what seemed like I had travelled to Pluto and made my return journey to Earth, I reached the sacred Siddhar-inhabited abode of Lord Siva. Checking close to the temple gave me an unlimited access to visit the temple as many as times as I wanted but since my Vipassana (Vi) was scheduled to begin from the next day, the temple darshan was just limited to only one time. Just like how you get a perfect 10 by a single throw in a bowling alley, it was a fantastic feast for the eyes to have the blessings of Lord Shiva adorned in full glory then.

As the Chennai Vi Centre had a jam-packed date blocking for more than a month, I had to choose the TM Vi to reap in the full benefits of the wondrous science imparted by the great Buddha to this world. The TM Vi was under construction during my 10 day stay there. I did not know that until I reached the place with the help of a friendly receptionist at the centre who gave me the directions over the phone and a regular auto wallah who used to commute to the place. Though there was a bus plying directly from TM junction, the frequency is such that it is like a rain in the desert. Not wanting to be unpunctual, I took the recommended auto man by the receptionist.

It was a pleasant and a relatively long ride through the fresh and refreshing village air that was imbued with unadulterated love, kindness and nature. Filling up the requisite forms, all of us were shown to our respective dorms by the same receptionist with whom I had the conversation earlier in the day. There were multiple dorms separated by a curtain and each was spacious enough to accommodate 3 beds with a fan and an open cupboard. To my utter astonishment, people from all walks of life, ages and different nationalities had come to receive the holy practice of training our always jumping and skipping mind into a steady, stable. calm and ordered state by the time-honored practice of Vi.

There were also women, young and old, in our fold with the total strength of our batch being 25-30. Of course, the women folks had separate and distinct sleep quarters. Naughty, Naughty! We are speaking about the long-established, soul purifier and mind cleanser Vi and not any kinky porno movie! 

The D-time had arrived like an accelerating F1 car. The 10 day hell began without thoroughly understanding then that heaven could be reached and achieved only when you pass through the fiendish gates of your worst nightmares.

                                       

                                                        X---To Be Concluded---X

Travel Diaries - Terrific Thekkady - Part 3

After a close shave, I was clean shaven actually!, with the jumbos in an unforgettable night, Bamboo Rafting should have been the ideal distraction of an attraction from the previous night's fatal destruction. What was said to me was that there would be a small hike to get to the place where the Raft will began its pleasant journey on the undisturbed tranquil waters. But, what was not said was that the small hike was not really small! It was an arduous task to trail and follow the well-laid, I mean planned here!, route to reach our destination especially after the near-death encounter which was playing like an ear worm inside my head. Anything curved or dark or big or tall, it resembled an elephant. Or at least that was how my mind's eye was projecting and toying around those terrifying memories on my conscious mind in the reality. With great difficulty, I speak for myself here!, we reached the spot from where we had the cakes and biscuits that was given to us for free. Or was it? Those eateries were included in the ticket package and were packaged as non-chargeable. There is definitely no such thing as free lunch! 

The Bamboo Rafting was spectacularly fun particularly when you take the initiative and ask the guide to row the raft by yourself. For a beginner as I, it was difficult to say the least. Yet, you could see how physics showing its true colors when you were able to steer the boat with aplomb ease as you hold the oar in one particular direction and a specific angle. Lazing and tiring around with the gentle and soft nature along with the rowing, it was a much needed experience to expunge and obliterate the fires of hell from the previous night. Following the same path down the hiking trail after the rafts were anchored in the docking place, the Bamboo Rafting was a pleasant and satisfying ride until and unless the sun shows its bright sweltering face upon your head!

It was then the full impact of the hike started to show as my entire body was screaming in agony like it was being pricked with pins and needles. I hibernated for the rest of day like a Polar Bear oblivious to the time and I had missed out the boating in the Tiger Reserve in the evening. With shoe bite on my feet, it was taking every ounce of energy even to walk in the next day's Border Hiking (BH). 

The BH was rigorous and strenuous than the "small hike" which was a part of Bamboo Rafting. Fortunately, the co-trekkers were chatty enough to make meaningful and purposeful conversations about themselves, life, nature, movies, animals, philosophy etc. especially two gentlemen from the USA - Kannan and Rudi. Kannan had his roots from Tamil Nadu itself - Tiruvannamalai and Rudi was born and brought up in America. Both were cordial, nice, smart and intelligent to speak on a wide range of topics to go with their photographic skills. We encountered several trees like Cardamom, spices etc., Flying Squirrels, the rare Great Hornbill which is also Kerala's state bird, deers and lots of walking and talking especially when you hear the chilling stories of the guide who happened to be a sandalwood smuggler in his young days but turned a new leaf and joined the reserve to protect the pristine forests from illegal activities. I was reminded of "the hair of the dog that bit you" when one of the guide told all of us that he used to engage in cutting and felling of sandalwood trees in the reserve.  

It was a good long hike where we got to stand on the exact border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. We would have reached earlier had it been not for my stupid shoe bit which I received from the previous day. I felt it was wrong of me to slow down the group because of my painful injury and asked them to go at their pace. But, the entire group was considerate and supportive and were walking slowly enough to reach the starting point together. 

It was then time to bid adieu to Thekkady and proceed to Vipassana in Tiruvannamalai via temple visits at Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple and the world famous Sri Rangam Temple. As Kannan and Rudi were on a break from work and visited India on a leisurely tour, they were gracious enough to give me a lift to Madurai from Thekkady from where they went ahead with their plans to the holy place of Varanasi.  

After paying obeisance to Madurai Meenakshi and kowtowing before the majestic reclining Ranganathar from Trichy, it was time for me to experience one of the baddest, meanest, nastiest yet the truest form of meditation which could be practised anywhere, anytime and on-the-go as proclaimed by the scientific Buddha. Oh yes. Vipassana is refined science at its core. 

More about it in the upcoming blog on The Great Vivisection Vipassana.

                                                     

                                                             X---Concluded---X 

Travel Diaries - Terrific Thekkady - Part 2

How would you feel when you are close to a herd of wild elephants which are just inches away from you? Oh wait. I forgot to mention two essential pieces of facts as well. You are in an actual forest inhabited with tigers, bisons. cobras etc. and such a situation happens to you in the middle of the night. Even if you were to imagine it, the thoughts of being trampled and tossed around like a rag doll by the Tuskers is something not any sane person would want to do in their wildest dreams. Right? Wrong. All the worst case scenarios put together happened to me and other fellow trekkers on that fateful, eventful, shocking and dreadful night.

It started when I bought the necessary tickets to the major places and activities of interest @ Thekkady like Bamboo Rafting, Border Hiking etc. How did I acutely remember the names of the activities? Simple. Google is the secret of my energy! The one expedition which I was eagerly anticipating with relish was to see a full-grown tiger in the wilderness as I was in the Periyar Sanctuary. Sadly, the Tiger Trail was beyond the scope of my budget then and I had to keep it for some other day at some other place in the future. So, the first in the itinerary was to delve into the hearts of the jungle from its periphery during the night time trek. I was told that there would be some other trekkers along with the ranger and his marksman.

The D-time arrived and I was promptly at the appointed time near the gates. As the minutes ticked and trickled, two foreigners, who had also booked for the high octane and action-packed indelible memory, arrived and we were ushered into the ranger's office where we were waiting for other people to join this variegated group embarking on an adventure to be on par with the thrills and chills of The Jurassic Park. 

After exchanging our pleasantries with each other, we strode joyfully and blissfully into the serene night whose air was occasionally punctuated with the sounds, shrills and noises of insects and deers. As we were constantly chatting, the ranger laid out the ground rules to behave in a feral environment especially during the nights and was completely amused by the fact that we were oblivious to the lurking dangers and imminent risks that we were undertaking on the trek. Once when the seriousness of understanding was put forth by him, all of us adhered to his words with the only sound that could be heard then was our own breath. The ranger was confidently unequivocal when he said that we would be very lucky even if we saw one single elephant. Little did he know that we were on the brink of a grave disaster.

Everything was sunshine, okay moonshine!, until his marksman heard the footsteps of an elephant. We had no idea how he was able to comprehend it but the explanation he gave when I asked him how he was able to recognize the footstep as an elephant was that every animal has a distinct thud and also the evidence that an elephant leaves in its trails. Asking us to stay put while he scans the environment, our ranger, in the meantime, had spotted a bison and asked us to take our look at it. The bison was staring at us and if it weren't for a river between us, it may have charged upon us. That was the moment I scowled that I didn't own a DSLR as my mobile cam was as blind as a rhino in the dark. One of the Ground rule - No flashes! So, my camera was as useful as a chocolate teapot. 

Meanwhile, the markman hastily asked us to leave our spots as quiet as a mouse because a baby elephant with its mother was hiding in plain sight a few trees in front of us. We had no idea when we started to run as there was a sudden movement behind us. The ranger and his associate knew where they were going and all their experience was tested then. My fellow trekkers and I were complete amateurs who had no idea of living or being in a wild forest under the moonlights with elephants in the background. 

We ran helter-skelter straying away from the planned route into the unknown territories where one wrong step would have hurled us headlong into the rocky landmass. The air was suddenly tense. We heard some footsteps behind us. Not wanting to know whether it was a deer or a jungle cat or an elephant, our single-minded attention was to move away from the vicinity at the earliest as the ranger had warned us earlier while explaining the ground rules that baby elephants with mothers are more dangerous than Tuskers and she would do anything to protect her offspring. The land was loose and rocky. We were beating a hasty retreat to safer grounds by following our guides. 

After what seemed like eternity, all of us were unharmed and heavily panting on the long grasses from where we could see the most beautiful sight in the world - A herd of  7-10 wild elephants including a Tusker along with their children were softly drinking the chilled water and the baby elephants were happily playing in it. The ranger asked us to be still until they left as any sudden act from our end might result in the beasts to ram into us like a Godzilla onto a hut! Drinking water to their heart's content, they left one by one and finally us as well.

A night not to forget - My big mouth did not keep shut and questioned the relieved ranger as to why we had to run like a hare when he had the guns on his shoulders. His curt response was that though the gunshot might scare away the animal, ours was a unique situation wherein we encountered a mother with her cub and anything could have happened if he had fired the bullet in the air. When small insects began their atrocities on us, it was time for us also to leave into open ground where the terrain was firm and tested and tried. It was then I had a bout of self-realization and tremendous insight that it is always better to leave the animals to their own good in their natural environment as we were the strangers intruding upon their privacy though we meant no harm to them.

The rest of the journey was uneventful and we were able to see glimpses of deers and cats walking and strolling as if the entire world was theirs and time was at their feet. We reached where we started after an hour from the spot where we were all mesmerized the gigantic gentleness of the elephants. They say  "Life's a full circle" . In our case, it was full of twisty straight lines, curves and parabolas! 

                                                         X---To Be Concluded---X

  

Travel Diaries - Terrific Thekkady - Part 1

As the Goan adventure was drawing to a close, it was time for me to say 'Hola' to yet another place to travel and discover positive fresh experiences that will eventually free me from the shackles of my necessary and unnecessary psychological burden. Since I had no set plan to visit the places, it was indeed a streak of fortune that the couple next to me on the flight from Goa to Chennai were talking about Munnar, Thekkady etc. I had already visited Munnar earlier in my life with Mom. So, I decided then that the next stop after Chennai would be Thekkady.

The flight trip also had its share of pleasant surprises. Yesteryear's famous and dashing Kollywood actress, Khushboo boarded the same plane as mine @ Hyderabad, or was it Vishakhapatnam?! I forgot the stopover place now. But, she got in and occupied the very first row amidst selfies taken by her fans with her. Obviously! But, one thing was certain. The amount of money I had spent on the transportation - be it the train, bus or flight - was far more than I had expensed on my food. In hindsight when I reasoned why, it was extremely evident that the reason was attributed to a single and solid fact that as I was going with the flow of things, there was no time to pre-book for any mode of travel. Though the fares were expensive, whatever was cheap and best at that moment I afforded to commute. A BIG learning experiential lesson to the adverse effects of no planning which was bad, in fact, worse than bad planning. 

The trip to Thekkady wasn't smooth sailing at all. No, I didn't actually sail!  I caught a couple of last minute trains to Kochi only to find out that there was a strike happening when I arrived there. It was a classic situation "When it rains, it pours". Bad luck was following me like my shadow irrespective whether the light was there or not! After enquiring from the bus terminus, which was close to the Kochi Railway station, that all the buses would ply only in the morning, I had no other alternative but to stay for the night in a decent hotel near the bus station itself as the bus to Thekkady was due in the wee hours of the morning. 

Hurriedly rushing to the nearby terminus in the morning without even having a glass of coffee or tea after a good night's sleep, I got the bus at the eleventh hour. No, it was around 6 am in the morning! Excusing my appalling joke, with window seat, unpolluted air and music, the trip to Thekkady was not bad. But, the real problem started after I alighted at Thekkady's Tiger reserve.    

The accommodations were well over my budget and if it weren't for a local automan, I have no idea where I would have stayed. The magnanimous autowallah took me to a safe place in a residential area which had restaurants nearby and the main bazaar which was a stone's throw away from the place.

I was amazed by the business model for the accommodations apart from the standard hotels in Thekkady. Most of the house owners had constructed extra rooms on their land and were earning additional income by letting it to tourists and travellers for a comfortable stay at prices relatively inexpensive than the actual hotels. As the autowallah was a local, it was also easy for me to traverse around the place and find out from him the main attractions. He was also polite enough to escort me to a properly approved booking centre where I was able to choose the main deals without burning a hole in my wallet. Of course, he may have earned a commission from both the house owner and the reservation office . No questions on that. But, he had the heart at least to help a person in need.    

What I did not know then was that an unforgettable and excitable turn of events was in the stars for me.

                                                                       X---To Be Concluded---X