Bhubaneswar to Pipili (Applique Village)

This weekend happened to be one of those days where dreams take the shape of reality. Mariam and I woke up by around 5:10 am, pretty early for a Sunday. For all who may have missed out on my wedding, Mariam is my spouse / friend / partner in crime & my better half who takes all my inflictions in good spirit.

Although the sun was visible in the eastern sky, Sunday morning turned out to be chilly just as per our expectation. Nature had dished out the perfect morning to go about our plan. We however had not made any preparations other than psychological, for this day. This led to a slight delay as the major task at hand was filling the tires with sufficient air that would last the journey and make our ride comfortable.

One would wonder what makes this journey so wonderful, but before that I’ll tell you a bit about Pipili. Pipili happens to be a small town 17 kilometres from Bhubaneswar & 22 from ours, made world famous because of the unique handicraft that its folks have mastered. Whenever you happen to ride past Pipili, your eyes will be left mesmerised by the bright multicoloured decoratives hanging from almost all shops that is so unique in colour & form that one has to stop and admire the beautiful handiwork. These that I talk of are articles that can be hung from ceilings, framed on walls, with varieties that extend to lampshades, tablecloth, letter holders, hand fans and even umbrellas.

Now that makes a wonderful weekend destination. One may wonder that if this place is so romantic, why this guy engages us by talking of hand pumps and cycle tires. Well that’s the point, our plan was to cycle to Pipili covering over 44 kilometres both ways.

Our gear included a winter jacket for Mariam, a track jacket for myself, two litres of water distributed in three bottles, some stuff to eat midway (in the likes of some cold chicken, potato fenugreek curry, some thekua – a dry Bihari preparation, and select dry fruits), an extra pair of socks for both of us, hankies, sunscreen lotion, good old Vicks, my camera with extra batteries and a haversack to hold some of these articles. Mariam’s bike has got a front basket, so that is where some of the handy stuff goes while mine has got gears (which I soon realised are not good for such marathon type outings).

By the time we started it was past 7 am and after just a few minutes on the road, I realised that carrying the haversack was a mistake. A lot more effort was required to paddle and the thing in itself was a bother. Well finally it ended up not on my shoulders, nor Mariam’s who was readily offering hers but on the back of my cycle which punished the bag in many ways (part of it got ripped by rubbing against the tire).

Our agreed highway rule was simple, that Mariam would lead and I would follow close, and unless required we will not break the momentum. I was of the inkling that frequent cut in my speed would be required to maintain a desired distance between the two of us; it was not to be so, Mariam was super energised and I really needed to push in order to keep pace. Initially we stopped for bio breaks & some purchase of the favourite energiser, half a dozen bananas.

The road was alright; except that it offered us no space and that it was a single lane each way with no dividers although this was the route to the Golden Beach City, Puri. Mariam led the track without any hassles being familiar with the route from our biking expedition to Puri sometime back. She however was irritated by the passing bikers who often offered a greeting seeing a female cyclist all geared up. We could have actually put boards on our bikes for more attention.

Our first actual halt came within an hour’s ride after passing Dhauli (remember the great battle of Panipat, a Buddhist memorial stands there today, but since I have not visited the place, I cannot provide you with more information), we took a dirt road leading to a village, stopping midway among the fields to have our well deserved Tiffin. Now we were not the only keen hungry ones, for a passing cow caught the whiff and stopped, giving me a side glance which I reciprocated and lo, it was by my side nosing at the food in my hand. I was aware that if I provided this guy (literal) with some of the chapatti, it would get even more determined.

Ready to share our breakfast, I offered her a piece of the chapatti, first by making her smell it and then throwing the piece at a distance, but this was no dog, she did not budge from her place. Rather I had to get up and offer her another piece and lead her to the earlier piece of chapatti. Getting our chance to have a few bites, we dug into our share of the much desired food. Some guy nudged at my shoulder, any guesses, oh! Mr. Guy not any more. She now was even more determined, chapatti being to her liking. She was now threatening to topple over our cycles, offering us no choice but to flee the place but not before having offered her some more of the chapatti and to the poor little partner who was too shy unlike this guy.

Cycling further up the road, we stopped just before the village and consumed our chicken & leftover chapatti. We clicked a few photos and by the time we took to the road, it was nearly an hour’s halt. Our eyes all set on Pipili, we completed the distance in record time. There was not much to do here other than shop and we were well prepared. We spent around 2000 bucks on colourful items feeding my hunger for shopping while poor Mariam could only stand by and suggest that we reduce our load. However it was all done in half hour and I promised Mariam that come whatever I’ll not be spending anymore on Applique work and I even promised her a chai. That was enough to keep her cool for the rest of the time, and even encourage her on agreeing to buy the umbrella.

The next task was to carry the load back home, what pain. Now since the purchases weighed more than the haversack, I decided to tie the pipili stuff onto my bike, the umbrella neatly tied onto the main front rod of the bike frame, sling the camera on my shoulders, put all water cans in Mariam’s basket and the almost empty haversack at the back of her bike. Now that the sun was high, we had to shed our jackets.

We found a nice spot to park the bikes, had special tea with black pepper, turned back to take a memorable picture of us four (two bikes + two bikers), halted for an hour’s time by the lake that we had earlier noticed, filled up our water cans and then by 1 pm we were on our return journey.

Now we had a different problem, our muscles hurt, and the road was a struggle what with the increased baggage and slightly inclined road. Funny, that whichever way we went, the road seemed to be inclined. Mariam on the lead, with slight signs of wariness, we headed on. The journey was less eventful and we needed a bio break but decided against it due to lack of appropriate place and then with time, it was not even required.

We occasionally stopped, mostly since I braked to take a picture and was out of Mariam’s sight, thus making her stop. We shared our thoughts while cycling which seemed to be very few and quite similar. We were mostly absorbed and engrossed by God’s creation upon which the road was laid, the either side of the road in green, golden and blue seemed to stretch endlessly forever. Such beauty was rarely admired for the passersby usually were racing with time.

The city of Bhubaneswar was now visible at a distance, and with that our time with God was running out fast. The worldly thoughts seemed to be rushing back and then our stomachs too growled. I said to Mariam that it would be wise if we eat and return to our nest since surely neither of us would be in any mood or mind to prepare a meal. We found an Oriya dhaba that served thali and also had a place to park our prized possessions.

On our way home which was another 6 to 7 kilometres, I promised Mariam a good cup of hot coffee for having accompanied me all through without a word of complaint. Once back around 4 pm, we took our cycles up the two floors and rushed in to empty our bladders. We changed and then that was it. Our second marathon for the day had begun. I finally managed to wake up Mariam at around 11:30 pm so that we could shift to our bedroom, and also did make that coffee in milk. I’ll say it once more, I finally managed to wake up Mariam at 7 am the next day; don’t take me otherwise after all I too needed an encouragement to wake up. Below are some cherishable moments captured in time.

Lands where the Bulls go Wild

I just happened to be at the right place at the right time but at an unfortunate hour (office rush), few seconds I was there; I was a spectator to a most amazing event.



I was caught on a flyover, here in Bhubaneswar in what seemed to be a traffic jam. Since a biker never stops, I managed to squeeze closer to the traffic stopper which to my delight / surprise were two huge, I mean real huge Bulls who were drawn in a fierce battle and were surely after blood (can't say who would shed blood for the humans seemed to be insignificant wretched little things caught in the battle of the Titans.



And even the giant trucks that were, were stopped by these mammals locked in some hard talk. They swayed, they snorted, scared two scooterists to quit their vehicles and as I was excited & scared in the same moment of confrontation, I made a silly move to squeeze past the small gap that was momentarily made and what madness, the bulls were heading towards me and my bike (a Pulsar) that seemed so puny amongst them giants. The tail of one almost touch my bike and I had frozen by then and my adrenalin pumped blood, what a rush; I was fortunate since the bull the back of which kissed my bike gained dominance for a second enough to push its brutal foe away from me for a moment big enough to turn my bike and hide behind a neighbouring car (Wagon R).



This had done it and I decided to take my chances and quit the flyover that was a witness to the clash of the Titans.



As I parked my bike close to my workplace, I still shivered, was overjoyed too for having been there. A moment to cherish, a moment so big and unforgettable that I had to write about, and here I am writing as witnessed just half an hour back.



...I desired to be amongst the mountains, in the wild, beside the rivers & streams and when I couldn't, the Nature came calling right into the city.

An Unseeming Topic

I got on the train from Rajnandgaon, a city in Chattisgarh, India at around 12:30pm on the 30th day of March 2006. I was visiting my Dadi (Grandma) in a prompt decision. Wishing the journey to be exciting if not amazing, I bid farewell to the city.
Drowsily I climbed into the upper berth, a number 43 and tried to sleep in this one baking oven.

Giving up after a while, I sat up to see Mr.48, probably heading for Pune too (in our very own Azad Hind Express), starting to unpack his lunch. And lo, Behold! I saw a new innovative thing that he took out of his travelling bag.

Oh! So well designed, like any other design by man, the great Creator. An object of desire, a must have for all travellers; in fact the railways should give one free with each sleeper ticket.
Oh! What a lovely piece of Art, better fit to be nailed on the Wall. No not the innovation, but the head of the freak who came up with this. How am I writing Odes to this blasphemous, anti-appetizer and what not – of all the things in the world à a disposable ‘Thali’?

I believe man leaves no tables turned to see the complete and thorough destruction of Nature. Of all the things that one would or one could come up with, a disposable plastic Thali!

Where did it all start? Where did we go wrong? How have these plastics come to dominate and command over our miserable lives? Can we not move on, out of this dislikeable, disgusting and do-awayable, ecological disaster, a complete bad design, a disease worse than consumption of the 1800s, a self inflicted injury that is surreptiously closing in on us, like that, that which man fears most.....
.....death.

Something that a poet said...

"The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armor against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade."

...............James Shirley

Meanings

Meanings are what we create, based on past experiences, moments in time and through our own interpretations of those experiences and moments.

When one delves into understanding the evolution of a meaning, one will come across a similar pattern behind the forming of meanings. This pattern is a guideline to the evolution of mankind, importantly the evolution of the mind. Every meaning connoted, speaks of past incidents and events in ones life that has lead to the formulation of a word and the assigning of a meaning to it.

The question that arises in my mind is then, when is it that a person experiences a totally new phenomenon, a condition, an event or an experience and what happens then? Do we simply judge it with regards to what our past understanding is or do we actually appreciate the profundity of the whole?
http://users.aristotle.net/~diogenes/meanmind.htm

What about a child?
Have you ever heard that by the age of 3 years or maximum 5 years, a child has witnessed and experienced all possible experiences that one can come across in a lifetime? So whatever one experiences post that age is a relative experience with respect to ones past experiences.

“The poem is a little myth of man's capacity of making life meaningful. And in the end, the poem is not a thing we see --it is, rather, a light by which we may see -- and what we see is life.”

…Robert Penn Warren

Living by the Dead: Reality Bites

Have you ever thought what happens to the waste that gets collected from your doorstep?
One only perceives carry bags, and in fact piles on such bags to use them to trash waste. Thus happily saving on dirtying hands cleaning the waste bin.
What happens to the trash I generate?: -
A stinking lorry collects the waste. Ah! and it then disappear into thin air. Have you ever stopped and wondered ‘Am I producing too much of waste’, waste that can be avoided or ‘Can I do something about the waste’.
This waste in taken away from the urban settlement (easy solution right?) and dumped at a remote location. A mountain of waste thus created is then covered with concrete, as if sins can be locked in a nice box.
Such toxic waste not only is an ecological disaster that causes soil and ground water pollution but also releases into the atmosphere a lot of poisonous gases.
How can we feel safe in such a structure of society where home is till ones doorstep and what happens beyond is no concern of ours, as it does not affect us (does it!) and thus we can dirty our neighbourhood.
The revealing for me happened when on 22nd of Feb I visited the dumping ground for Pune city (India), located 35 kms off city limits. There lay mountains of waste with no signs of life around it (it was a dead place; a spring which had formed a small pond lay dead too, devoid of any life) but for some needy people whose work was to dispose off our trash, our sins, our wrongs (have we fallen so low).
The System: -
Centralised waste disposal system is a disaster as I have come to understand. Waste minimization and waste utilization is the need of the hour. Each individual must be responsible for the waste he or she produces. Creating an efficient in house waste disposal system is a way out of this sticky muck.
Planning waste disposal: -
We all know that plastic is non-biodegradable and thus its usage must be minimized while the biodegradable and other kitchen waste (the process of composting is helpful: http://vegweb.com/composting/) can be easily used as manure for plants, etc. The solution lies in each of us doing our part.
Be Aware: http://www.toxicslink.org/art-view.php?id=9

A lot of work is on, in this area, especially in Delhi (http://www.toxicslink.org/art-view.php?id=52), (http://www.toxicslink.org/art-view.php?id=95), where the citizens are doing their part, supported by NGOs. One needs to be aware in order to bring in a change. Lets move towards the first step in our efforts, towards a clean and green neighbourhood. Mother Nature will do the rest.

"All of us belong to a greater whole, and whether you call it society or civilization or country, it has a deep and profound impact on our lives. Some seek to escape it. Some to embrace it. All of us, though, should seek to understand it."

Anonymous

Kashmir

I have never been there. Thinking of Kashmir creates images of snow capped mountains, wollen clothes, and the Dal lake.

The past of J & K and its people has been terrifying but they have not lost hope. I realise why.

Them people live in the lap of mother nature and are pampered and most cared for, provided for, and blessed by the Lord. They dine by the fires, sitting by the lake, with the snow capped mountains protecting and guarding them and the purest of air to breathe.

but.....

.....pollution too has touched the Heavens. Rise people, for there is no place else to go.

.....or is there?

State of Affairs:

Dal lake: http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/dec/16sld1.htm

Gulmarg: http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/02sd4.htm

"Through me is the way to sorrowful city.

Through me is the way to eternal suffering.

Through me is the way to the lost people.

Abandon all hope, you who enter!"

Inferno,canto 3, 1.1

Hunter and the Hunted

The Blog will contain my views on Science, Technology & Ecology (STE) and will delve into issues that have been brought forward or put forth during the class sessions of STE.

It does'nt stop here. I will mainly delve into things that concern me as a CITIZEN of this planet.
I will pose a lot of questions for readers of this blog and for myself to ponder on. I pray I realise my mission and keep the blog ticking away.....


.....tick, tick, tick.


The name for my blog is to symbolise how the mankind sees the world in BLACK and WHITE only. I have taken these two Metaphors (HUNTER and HUNTED) to symbolise Total Damage. What I wish us humans to realise is that you can REPAIR, RECREATE and HEAL. There is place for lots more.

I would like to sign off, by quoting from "Heal the World" by Michael Jackson

"Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me"

.....and the entire Human Race.

...for full lyrics -->> http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaeljackson/healtheworld.html

I Swear to use as much Green as possible.