Sunday, September 23, 2012

Reception

It was a long break , I took from writing , did write some occasional pieces while travelling in buses but nothing substantial. Now I take time to brood over my visit to Perumbavoor which I believe is the best time I have had outside my home.

It was March 2012 and probably not the best time to be in Coimbatore . It was hot ,sticky and not at all pleasant to say the least. Being away from the North Indian food for quite a while then , I told myself not to make that face while having Dosa three times a day. With that , I had already started finding some valid reasons how and why it's necessary to drink hot water and to use coconut in everything you make.

So I booked tickets for Perumbavoor , was very excited to meet 'Latha Prem Sakhya and family'. We had met  just  once at a literary festival. We hardly had any interaction except for the formal introduction.She calls me 'A young shy man from Chandigarh' . We became friends later on when I sent her a mail noticing something which she had not shared with anybody.


It was 4 in the morning and the bus had taken a little more time than expected. I knew it was not the best of times to reach their place but didn't have much control over it too. So as it turned out to be , just had to walk a mile to reach where they had to come to pick me up. Same is the case , when I go to meet my parents ,just some walking and I wait for them to come.

She came out of the car and I touched her feet, I could see she was very happy to have recognized me.She introduced me to her husband 'Yogendra Sakhya' who seemed to me as  simple and easy going.We reached home. Just for a while I got scared when she told me about the dogs,We entered inside and Yes , I was tired. We didn't talk much then. Just before sleeping , I checked out some of the books placed in the rack.What an experience,Period!

I woke up in the morning and just could not believe my eyes. It was so beautiful , with cats playing , trees and so much of green around , birds playing their part too. I rushed down stairs to find both of them. To my surprise , both of them were in the kitchen making preparations for breakfast and lunch.(I wonder at what time did they get up?). The house had an inexplicable allure to it. All of us talked for a while in the kitchen itself , where on display was Mr Yogendra's humor.'When he  talked , It was all sense'.

Being away from Chandigarh for last few months , this was the first time ,I had such a breakfast , with love written all over it. After finishing the breakfast we were headed to go out.

We started our journey , All of us had in our mind to cover as many places possible.We actually visited a lot of places but what stood out for me was watching a baby elephant in an Elephant Training Center  , but I did not like the 'zoo'. It was a disgusting display of humanity . Animals sitting in their own filth , in cages too small for them to stretch is not an attraction at all.



Nevertheless,sitting next to the Periyar river was so relaxing and comforting. I so wanted to write something there.

Periyar River



Up next , We went into a forest , leaving aside all the bushes ,  We kept walking. What I remember was hearing a lot of experiences from her , how and when they used to come there with little 'Jenn' (Their daughter). I wanted answers to a lot of questions from her , I thought it was the best time and we discussed on a lot of things thereafter.We returned back , had lunch which was absolutely mouth-watering with perfectly  cooked fish with what flavors and not to forget the chicken too. Just that I could not eat as much as they had expected me to eat , I guess.

With Yogendra Sakhya


I went upstairs and played with the cats, took some rest and prepared myself to go back to Coimbatore. I  asked her for a book and she gave me a book of her's. That book had a mysterious ability to pull me into it , I would always cherish the role these guys have played in shaping me up. She also gifted me a 'Mundu' (A South Indian Dhoti) and I regret of not sending her my picture wearing that.

I was back in Coimbatore and having Dosa again. But this time it was really tasting like that brilliantly cooked fish. God Bless Them.








6 comments:

  1. Tnk U Ash.We too loved your company and your child like innocence, excitement and curiosity.God Bless You.With love Yogi and Latha

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  2. THE WAY YOU WRITE BRINGS INTO PICTURE ALL YOUR EMOTIONS YOU FELT WHILE WRITING..KEEP IT UP!

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  3. Very interesting blog. A lot of blogs I see these days don't really provide anything that attract others, but I'm most definitely interested in this one. Just thought that I would post and let you know.

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  4. Hey keep posting such good and meaningful articles.

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