Yours Consciously Sneha

Tag: people

Favourite Chapter…

Live like a child every day, you will never regret that you did. – Sneha Marappa 😉

Smile 1

Every morning there are two times I come out of my room before I get to work:
1) To brush my teeth & stare at this specific tree in the front and a hill on my right.
2) To drink milk/coffee, that’s when the first school bus arrives.

The bus moves a little ahead closer to my room to take the U-turn, the children when they see me, few of them wave and few throw a smile and the other few scream, Snehaaaa akkkaaaa + wave.

This happens every day, every damn day; it’s like they are seeing me after many years, the excitement remains constant and every day is a brand new day. A few times which are unlucky days, the timing doesn’t match so this scene doesn’t happen but when it happens that’s the first smile that they bring on my face for the day-Smile 1.

Smile 2

Morning assembly happens at 9 am, everyone’s quiet-it’s a rare moment, like take out your camera and seize the moment kind of a rare moment-a Kodak moment. It is difficult to stay quiet for me too, our Director inclusive; one day she comes close to me and whispers, “Oh! A new saree. Oh yeah! She is that cool, not at all trying to flatter her-true story!

Sometimes I reach a little early, that’s when the Smile 2 begins. Akka, don’t tie your hair bun that way, I feel like laughing at you; Akka, you look like a Maid; Akka, Is it your birthday? (The most asked question, at least one child every day). Somehow all of this sounds better in Tamizh when they say it-Smile 2.

When Smile 1 + Smile 2 happens, the whole day lightens up, even if it is just one of them, I can live with it the whole day grinning, just like them.

Now look at a cobweb in that corner of your house, if there is none, imagine one. Flashback tone begins.

2 Years ago & so on!

Then!

On this day, I arrived here in my track pants and a Blue T-shirt; anxious, sweaty & exhausted. The train was delayed for 3 hours in Bengaluru, hence the exhaustion & lack of sleep. Carrying 4 bags and running behind a train that stops for 3 minutes with doors closed from inside, Sigh! That story deserves another blog post.

So where was I? The job, yes! The job was not much to do with children, maybe a little. Well, I had no idea, I just came here, did not think much, about my goals or aspirations, about my writings or blog. All I had on my mind was a simple life with less noise (Point to be noted), a life amidst mountains, & there you go, I got one.

I came here during summer holidays, hardly any (0) In-house teachers and absolutely no children. So there was no noise and there was life with mountains. Just like I desired, a breeze of applaud in my head goes on.

But I had a tiny fear, what happens when the school starts. How will I cope with the noise? I was perplexed, twitching my fingers every day when the noisy thoughts arrive. I was asked to take care of the library as well, who would not want to be around books. A library is a place for silence, nobody talks which mean part of my job will be in silence and I do not have to talk to people. Hurray!

Hold that grin on your face, right there! What I am going to say next might change that expression because the day arrived. The day that I was anxious about, the children, the people and the noise.

The first class in Library, I am sitting in a corner with a book and I see these kids gazing at me. I can feel those cute little eyes all over me. After a few minutes, the silence is broken with pulling & pushing, screaming & screeching, shouting & hitting. I take a deep breath, while I am breathing out, the noise hits the roof and is on the way to a space station. I would scream at them, on top of my voice, and now there is radio silence. And then the noise begins again. This continues, this exact format-all the time, in every class.

Days passed and so did months and years, I still shout at them sometimes and burst out laughing the next second. I am on their side now, we make noise, we draw, we sing and dance. I sit and hear their elephant stories, although most of the time they make up their own stories I feel, but they love it when I believe them and respond to what they say. They are good storytellers I must say, the tone, the pitch, the story crafting and most importantly they know how to trap the reader-they deserve an award.

Somewhere in that war between silence that I craved & noise that I disliked, Noise won!

I still have complications in dealing with people(adults), I am working on it but it is going to take time. So I am usually isolated, all by myself with myself but the loneliness does get on to me on a few days. These kids are the only source for me to drift away from that abyss, they are the only friends I can look up to, they are the only home that I can rest in.

Every day is unique here, all because of them, only because of them. I like it when they are concerned when I am not dressed, Akka are you not well? I like it when they ask about me while I am on leave, I like it that they exist, right there just for that moment.

Remember 2 years ago, I had this fear about coping with noise and now it was about how am I going to live ever without that noise after I leave this job. How often can I re telecast these memories in my head to keep that grin on my face? How am I going to live without elephant stories? Will they remember me if I come to visit them after a few years?

Nightmares, these were the nightmares that kept me away from sleep. Mostly after I decided to leave! But Life always has a different answer, not the one that you want. This time the answer came in the form of a Virus-Corona/COVID-19!

Today

Now!

All that silence I prayed for 2 years ago, I have been blessed with it now, unfortunately. It’s been 2 months since I have seen all those grinning faces; as much as the silence engulfed everywhere, their grinned faces and screechy voice is engulfed all over my head.

The home they built for me in themselves is all empty, filled with only taunting memories.

The home that I could not even bid goodbye to!

And now I am slowly drifting to the abyss again.

And now…
The swings are heavier.
Merry go round isn’t merrier.
Playground’s turned bizarre.
The library looks spookier.

Blooming…

Wild Flower

April 23, 2020
5 years…

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time-J. R. R. Tolkien

Time flies they say, it indeed does. It’s been 5 long years since I published my first blog post. I read it again today, I remember how emotional I was that day when I clicked on that publish button. I received calls from friends that night giving a virtual hug. I was in my corporate job, I was travelling on and off following all the travel bloggers I admired. I was also keen on starting a fashion blog, I was following a few fashion bloggers who set an inspiration. In this dilemma, I thought let me just give it a shot with blogging; whatever it may be. It kind of started as a fashion blog, more than the fashion I fell in love with writing.

Through a common friend, I found a photographer/friend who agreed to do photography. We clicked well, every time I would get an idea, we would discuss and select a theme, go ahead with the photography. So the writing always came first, everything else revolved around it. Unknowingly, it was not even a fashion blog anymore; I do not know if there should be any categorization even, but it went well. I was elated every time I would share a blog post.

A few months later, I decided to quit my job and travel. That was one of the fiery statements on social media 5 years ago. Don’t believe me? Just type “I quit my job to travel” and you will be startled to see how many blog posts you would find. I was one of the sheep too who followed that herd of “I quit my job to travel”. It was all rosy in the initial days until the money got over. You know, not everyone would share the hardships they go through, its only the smooth sailing they talk about.

As a reader and an “Aspiring blogger”, I fell for it, royally. The days got tougher, I was doing remote jobs for a few months and travelling. I would be mostly exhausted on thinking of jobs on how to make money. It is close to impossible to make money with freelancing, the freelancing write-ups I did, the money would come somewhere between 4-6 months after the article gets published. So until then, consider that I am broke, no job, no travels, no writing, no life.

All that I aspired to be, went in vain. My writing got slower, I was doing very minimal freelance work, rather I was getting minimal freelance work. I volunteered with a few NGO’s and attended some friend’s weddings. That’s how my travels were. Somewhere I had forgotten the purpose of my existence, the reason why I quit my job, the reason why I didn’t want to live the city life. And Sometimes I feel if I just gave up too easily.

Blogging industry was booming and so was social media, there were/are millions of bloggers and influencers. Every time I am on my computer, I would see these posts saying “20 things to do/see/eat before you turn 20” and I would thank all the billion gods that blogging didn’t work out for me. Every blogger out there has a USP which they try to sell, say for example “Being Vegan”, most of their posts would revolve around it.

It was not interesting to me anymore, I was glad I didn’t take up travel blogging seriously. We weren’t syncing well so I decided to take up a full-time job 2 years ago. In another 2 days, I would hit 2 years mark of working here; longest I have ever stayed after quitting my “Corporate job”. Writing didn’t happen much here, but I did lots of drawing/sketching and dancing. But, I did miss writing and when I did, I would write on Instagram and share a post. Once in a few months, I would write a poem to fill the void.

This whole journey of blogging seems so erratic, it’s been 5 years since I started but I have probably lived in it for 2.5 to 3 years maybe. I am back on track with writing again, neither fashion nor travel. It’s called, “I will write what I want to write”.

Come, read along?

Blooming…

Wild Flower

April 20, 2020
One Trail Many Stories

Everything I learned I learned from the movies-Audrey Hepburn

There is this part of me which floats in the scenes of movies, a part of me that always thinks how does a real-life will be if it was like in movies. With background music, slow motion of a leaf touching the ground, happy endings and sometimes sad endings too. And sometimes, I wonder if the movies are real and if we are living an imaginary life.

I was introduced to West Bengal through a movie, a movie called Parineeta(Porineeta as they say). Many years ago, when I was in college and most of my classmates were from West Bengal. Other than marking West Bengal on a map for a question in a unit test during school days, I didn’t know much about the state. There were no blogs then or rather high-speed internet too to quickly google if I would like to know about a place.

I am glad we didn’t though as West Bengal was introduced to me by the people, food and movies. I knew they loved food, even better if the food has fish and potato. I knew they love dressing up. I knew married ladies wear sindhoor in the partition where the hair gets divided to half, I knew they were white sarees with an elongated seragu (pallu), I knew they wear red and white bangles after marriage. I knew they all had someone else hidden in themselves-a poet, a singer, a writer, a dancer, an actor, an artist.

So, when I stepped into Kolkata last month, even though it was the first time physically, in my mind there was a De Ja Vu moment. I knew I have been here already, it was through a movie. Again, there is this part of me that thinks, if movies are made of real-life or real-life is a movie itself.

The background music just plays though saying Piyu bole & I drift away to another world.

Blooming…

Wild Flower

July 23, 2019
Pursuit of Happiness

Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life – Omar Khayyam

Some of us live our life by doing what we love and some of us live our life by doing what we are trained to do. The way we live is chosen by ourselves; there may be many reasons on why we chose a specific lifestyle but it all calms down to “Happiness”. All of us strive for excellence at work, eventually, it is for “Happiness”. The things we buy, it is for “Happiness”. The course of events that occurs to us or the planned events-we wish that it leads to “Happiness”. Happiness does not have one definite definition; it is a way of life.

One such way of life I found was in Meemure in Sri Lanka, the first few hours I spent I noticed that everyone looked very happy; their eyes were filled with contentment. As the day passed and Crickets broke the silence, I took a sip of coconut arrack; I asked my host Navaratna Aiyya. I sense a great feeling around here; I have been beaming since the minute I reached. Everyone looks happy, he said we have everything that we need here; we don’t need more than this and hence we are all happy. The next day is a new day again he said, sips his drink and laughs.

Also, read Experiencing the richness of life in Meemure

A murmur of happiness in the air was getting on to me, drowning myself in every breath I was gulping. I could slowly feel the change in myself; I was engulfed in that moment forgetting my existence. I was happy; that is all I can say. I could articulate the way of life they live here, I was part of their meaning for happiness.

Also, read People of Sri Lanka

Most of us tend to forget that happiness is always around us, we are blindfolded by the materialistic desires that we assume gives happiness. In this process, we get into a race chasing happiness and end up in a vicious circle. Instead, pause for a second; live in that moment, enjoy the little colorful life, experience the catharsis.

Blooming…

Wild Flower

February 13, 2018
Areca Nut Farms and their stories in Sirsi

Travelling: It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller-Ibn Battuta

Raindrops are dripping from the concaved mud tiled roof, sky touched palm trees sway along the wind, everyone’s working hard in the fields wearing a unique cap. This is a scene from a Kannada movie called “Nammoora Mandaara Hoove” and this is where I was introduced to Uttara Karnataka for the very first time when I was a kid. The scenes from the movie stamped on my memory and never faded, I had to visit these memories and experience them.

I stayed in a village called Hostota, 36 kilometers away from Sirsi Town at Vihar Home Stay. In a sedate ambiance where silence has its own meaning, paddy fields, and Areca Nut trees encircling the house; in my own solitude, I was embracing the feeling of the stills from the movie that was carved in my brain.

Niranjan Bhat who runs the homestay is an Ayurvedic doctor by profession but he was always passionate towards farming, he left his medical career to pursue his interest in farming. He says he is happier now working on the farm as this is what he grew up with and gives a sense of satisfaction to live the life with trees and birds. The homestay is an alternative income, once in a while I get to meet some interesting people but my priority is towards farming, he says.

He has a great collection of vintage coins and ancient manuscripts made out of palm leaves; he also sculpts Ganesha idol for Ganesha festival in his house, he says it’s a family tradition. His grandfather and father have done this, he is doing it and says his son will carry it forward too.

The food is served to guests exactly the way they eat at home on a banana leaf; the one in the picture here was my first breakfast-Dose, Kai (coconut) Chutney, Chutney Pudi with shengai yenne (peanut oil) and Joni Bella (Liquid Jaggery). Food served to guests here is all vegetarian (Havyaka food as they call it) and vegetables are grown in their organic garden by their house.

I was served chutney made with garlic leaves and cucumber skin, one of the most creative heads with food I have ever met. Nothing goes waste; everything is converted to a splendid dish.

All across Uttara Karnataka, Multi-Crop farming is followed. As the name says, more than one crop is grown in the same field. Areca Nut, Pepper, Cardamom, Cocoa are all grown in the same field; this saves water, land space and also more yield at one go. Although each crop has their own season of harvesting, they work best in terms of preserving resources.

We went for a walk in the twilight to their Areca Nut farm; it was the season for Areca Nut harvesting. The first step is to climb the tree with a rope tied around the waist to hang the Machete and also to pull the other tree to jump on it. Once he is done with one tree, he jumps to another tree. This is the riskiest job in the whole process and there is usually just one person who does this job in about 2-3 villages around. Once the Areca Nut is fallen to the ground, it will be picked up manually and taken for the next process.

After picking up, the orange and green ones are separated. Green ones are peeled as soon as they are plucked, orange ones are sun-dried and then peeled. The Areca nuts are peeled using a specific knife; the outer cover of the nut is removed.

The ladies come from a neighboring village and are paid daily wages along with tea and snacks. They were concerned about me traveling alone and asked me to bring my family the next time, as I took my phone out to take their photo they started to laugh. After a while got comfortable and suggested few places for me to visit around Sirsi.

Peeled Areca Nuts are immediately added to boiling water and is boiled approximately for about 45 minutes. All these steps are completed within 24 hours once the initial process of peeling starts. If there is too much gap after peeling, the quality of the final product goes low. Areca Nuts gets softer once boiled and should be constantly watched and removed at the right time, if not removed at the right time, this can harm the quality too. Once removed, they are dried and sold to market.

The peeled skin of the Areca Nuts are used for mulching around the trees, this helps the soil to hold the moisture and also helps the roots during heavy rains. If not as mulch, they are mixed with cow dung and used as gobar. Yet again, nothing goes waste here!

Niranjan Bhat stirs the boiling pot to make sure the Areca Nuts are boiled at the right temperature and shares the tension about labor not being available off late as they are more attracted towards moving to the city. This has been the same in every village I have visited so far, it continues here too in Sirsi. He tells, how difficult it is to get them to work and how prompt they are with their timings, who would not want to stretch even for a minute if there is some extra work. He mentioned, I guess in few years we will need robots or it’s impossible to carry on with farming.

Most of the houses here have a story weaved in them; Niranjan Bhat’s ancestral house is one of them too. A 200 years old house, it takes 2 people to push the door wide open. The light passes through with high beam and spreads across the house; the strong pillars are holding the roof tighter creating an eternal love story. They moved out from this house as it was difficult to maintain, he took me around the house sharing his childhood memories. I was spellbound looking at the vastness the house offered, the light and fragrance of the wood etch a desire to build a house that shares stories like these.

I lived my childhood dream of visiting Uttara Karnataka in Hostota. I re-lived my dream.

February 6, 2018
Devrai Art Village – Where Art blends with Nature

The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke – Jerzy Kosinski

Dating back to thousands of years, India holds rich heritage in many art forms. One of them is Dhokra, which is being practiced for more than 4,000 years originated in West Bengal and now is practiced in most of the regions in India.

As much as most of our art forms are still practiced but hasn’t been recognized & rewarded as they deserve to be, they are slowly becoming extinct. Dhokra which is also widely practiced in Gadchiroli faced a major threat of naxalites that affected the adivasi craftsmen’s work to pursue it effectively.

Under an old Ficus tree an idea was seeded in 2008, which has now grown up to be Devrai Art Village an NGO in Panchgani that has created a platform for these craftsmen by nurturing their art work. Ms. Mandakini Mathur, founder of Devrai Art Village partnered with Mr. Suresh Pangati who is a craftsman by himself forming a creative set of team of adivasi craftsmen from Gadchiroli & Chhattisgarh.

Panchgani in Satara District in Maharashtra which is located on the Sahyadri mountain ranges is very well known for table land which is also the second longest mountain plateau in Asia and their strawberry farms. Stunning views of small hamlets in the alley, lush green paddy fields, Karvi flowers just starting to bloom and the still green mountains surrounding the whole town adds like glitters to the beauty of Panchgani.

Speaking about Dhokra, it is an art form that uses lost wax casting where a metal (Brass, Silver, Gold, etc) sculpture is formed using a mould which either can be made of wax or clay. I spent most of my time in Devrai by interacting with artists watching them manoeuvre their hands to form beautiful sculptures under the old Ficus tree.

Once in 15/20 days casting process takes place and I was lucky to see this as it was in progress on the day I reached. Shankar Nag, one of the artists explains how casting takes place. Every sculpture is shielded by mud that forms a mould and heated up for about 3-4 hours, at the same time brass is boiled for about 3-4 hours. Once the mould is heated, brass is poured and allowed to cool for a while before it’s broken & taken to the next process. As the process in itself was such a beauty to watch, I was also drawn to just stare at the fire & the boiling brass.

Once the mould is broken, the next step involves cleaning & providing the final touch.

The sculpture is heated again to dip in Potassium Permanganate & the last step is Buffing! Entire process would at least take about 2 weeks to get the final product.

Rock Dhokra is a new feather added to the traditional Dhokra art, one of its kinds which were invented at Devrai. I spent some time with Suresh to understand the process of Rock Dhokra. Stones are picked by the river, based on the shape of the stone artists decide on what sculpture can be formed. Artists design the shape around the stone using bee wax; it is then moulded with mud (brought from Gadchiroli) and heated. Suresh says, there were many challenges when they started Rock Dhokra as the brass needs to be heated at the right temperature. A slight variation in the temperature can also cause damage to the sculpture which adds to more work on the next process.

This piece was made using a wooden bark!

Devrai Art Village also offers workshops for who is interested in learning the art form, internships for the art & design students, they also have apprentice from the adivasi community who learn the art form to make their living.

Let Devrai grow as mighty as a tree along with many other art forming branches leading to fruitful artists! If you would like to buy their art or contribute to Devrai please visit their Facebook page or check out their website.

Devrai Art Gallery!

2 years ago Mathur’s family extended their house with an intention to form a likeminded community by hosting creative set of people like artists, writers, designers, etc. Different species of trees, ponds filled with lilies, birds singing all day, beautifully built house with the view of valley, gallery displaying their art work, super friendly dogs & a warm family with creative minds makes your visit more peaceful & comfortable. If you would like to stay at Devrai, you can find them at Airbnb.

That was my view, reading & writing spot for 2 days at Devrai Art Village.

If you are in Panchgani in September, make sure to be part of Karvi Festival which is an Art festival in harmony with Music & Nature. They have live bands performing in a cave & nature trails organized witnessing Karvi flowers that bloom once in 8 years.

*I was hosted by Devrai Art Village.

Blooming…

Wild Flower

September 13, 2016
Slow travel in Sinharaja Forest, Sri Lanka!

If you slow things down, you notice things you had not seen before – Robert Wilson

Dusk had kicked in; I was in Deniyaya bus stand where even the street lights were off. I heard a voice…it was Ranjith, Tuk Tuk driver who had come to pick me up. A relief, but was still not sure if I got into the right Tuk Tuk. He stopped at a point and asked me to get off, it was as dark as black. I could only hear water gushing; I flashed my torch & saw few trees. We had to cross the river with my two big bags to enter the forest. After 20 minutes of hike, I finally saw a light. We entered the gate & he introduced me to Katrina, Hi I said & then took a deep breath that I am safe, sound & alive! Sigh!

Next morning I woke up to the bright sun rays kicking through the window, glared quietly to a view of dense forest, Sinharaja Forest. I knew I was going to stay here for long, when I saw those trees & heard birds chirping, I was sure that I will. Traveling is an experience, once you stay longer in any place all these experiences grows into you spreading around like branches and keeps you grounded like roots. Those experiences are like nutrients that keep you enriched which moulds to be a better person.

Sam & Karina who quit their jobs & came here few years ago to setup their dream home, they also witnessed deforestation at the same time. They have planted around 800 + tress growing their own vegetables & fruits practicing sustainable living, using only solar power: they call it as Natural Mystic Sanctuary. It is heart wrenching to hear the trees that have been cut & was replaced by tea plantations. As most of the forest, Sinharaja Forest is also under threat; they are doing their bit to contribute to the nature.

The farthest white dot seen is Natural Mystic Sanctuary.

Open natural shower at their house!

One of the late evenings, Katrina took us for a hike in the forest which is now slowly converting to tea plantations; we watched the sunset through the shimmering leaves & headed back. This is what happens when the need is replaced with greed 😦

My reading spot by the river, also some work for the fish to nibble on my feet.

I have always found coolest places to do yoga and this was one of the best where a place was setup under an old oak tree where apparently a big cobra lives in, the thought of it was even more fun to practice yoga 😉

As curious as always, I had to see the local market where farmers sell their crops, and we all headed to shop. This market was covered by netted clothes as roof which seemed like a colorful path when the sun rays were passing through the net.

Wood fire pizza we made on one of the rainy day!

Renuka from a nearby village comes here to cook, one day she came to me with a plate of Vade and she said India. She meant this is from India; I giggled, nodding yes and she says she watches all cookery shows from India and learns lot of recipes. Next day, a mid aged man says Vanakkam (greeting a person in Tamil), he said he is Renuka’s uncle. She had told him that I am from India; he invited us home sharing his stories that he was brought up here; his older brother (Renuka’s father) speaks better Tamil than him. He also mentioned that many years ago, most of the property in Deniyaya was owned by Chettiyar’s: one of the renowned Tamil families. It rained all day and we couldn’t go to their house, next day Renuka seemed upset that they were all waiting for us with pan cakes, tea and tender coconut 😦

We promised to go with her the same day, Jabba also accompanied us. It was raining all through our walk, locals taking a dip in the water, washing clothes, glittering paddy fields, tall palm trees, cows grazing, tired trees with scorching heat looked all cheered up soaking in the rain!

She lives in a nearby village called Batandura, houses here are painted with bright colors which looks like a painting by itself. We were served with super delicious tea & I was conversing with her father in Tamil. He said his father moved to Sri Lanka many years ago and they later got adapted to Sinhalese culture. Renuka’s husband works in a tea factory which was shut recently as they did not have work due to less rain, Renuka works as a cook to manage the family. Her kids got dressed up in their new clothes & shoes that were purchased for their New Year and we all stood for a group photo! Say cheese!

Why do we travel? To meet such wonderful people and for such experiences that keeps you enriched & also moulds to be a better person.

Blooming…

Wild Flower

August 26, 2016
A Day in a village called Weerawila!

How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time-Morgan Freeman

Most of the holidays in school was spent in my village, stealing mangoes, climbing up the rocks, attending fairs, relishing home cooked meals, climbing trees, playing local games, getting drenched in rain, ploughing field, jumping on hay, phew the list can go on! As I grew up, number of visits to village reduced and eventually faded away. But I have always missed that life, a life without worries, a life without responsibilities, a life without deadlines, a Life that had a meaning for Life!

To re-live that life again in many places is why I travel, and subconsciously when I make my travel plans I have always been inclined towards staying in villages. This is where flavors of the culture can be tasted, this is where life of every creature is treated with respect, and this is where unsung stories can be heard. Weerawila located in Hambantota district of Sri Lanka is one of them that I was drawn to; on my drive to this village I was virtually taken back to my childhood memories. This village is surrounded by Weerawila Lake and the only lake in Sri Lanka that has a road built over connecting from Matara to Wellawaya.

There were few setbacks before I reached Weerawila as the care taker was sick and the place was under renovation, I was just too stubborn to not give up and insisted that I would like to visit at least for a day. Punchi Aiya was taking care of the place as Mr. Riza who owns lives in a different town; I did not know the severity of his sickness until I reached. He had undergone breast cancer operation few weeks ago!

I was too embarrassed for being so stubborn, at the same overwhelmed to meet a kind soul like him. He was there with me taking care all around by providing coconut water, lemon juice, coffee, tea! Although, I tried explaining several times not to and he wouldn’t stop serving food. He couldn’t speak English and I couldn’t speak Sinhalese, we managed to communicate non-verbally! Non-verbal communication skills takes a step ahead when you travel, don’t know the language! Body language comes for your rescue 🙂

Lunch served in Punchi Aiya’s daughter’s house!

Thin line of breeze sway from the dry paddy leaves as I stroll around the fields watching the lake, staring at the really far off mountains. I sit next to a pile of hay (didn’t jump on it) watching sun slowly shed light across the sky! Watched every phase and mesmerized on how skillfully color changes every few minutes just before sun was gulped by the flip side of the earth! Departures are always beautiful, aren’t they?

So are arrivals J I see this orange ball playing with the lake, lazy buffaloes just chilling by the side, hundreds of birds flying and there the sun emerges to brighten up another day. Punchi Aiya then took me to herd of buffaloes to get milk for coffee, oh so far the best coffee I have had. He is also an expert in night fishing in the lake, he has a unique technique of burning fire on a coconut shell, this is used as the light in the dark to attract fish and when they come closer he hits them with his lance.

I have mentioned this several times in many posts that Peacock’s are my favorite bird, everywhere place I have visited in Sri Lanka has Peacock’s at every corner you turn into. I was sipping coffee and trying to have some non-verbal communication with Punchi Aiya and there comes a peacock next to us screaming. One of the best nature’s creations is these colorful birds.

Uniqueness of this accommodation is all the Land rover parts have been used very creatively in the washroom!

Pistons as toothbrush holder and side mirror in the shower!

I happened to meet Arjuna one of Punchi Aiya’s relative who is a BCom graduate, worked in Japan for 3 years. Now he is undergoing a training to become a tour guide and he is also a certified Japanese teacher. When I asked him why towards tourism, he said he likes traveling, meet people from other countries and would like to improve his English. We were discussing on how tourism has emerged in Sri Lanka for the past few years and the impact that this island has witnessed!

He shared his travel stories in Japan and how much he likes traveling within his country that made him switch his career towards tourism. Every time I have second thoughts about me quitting job, I meet someone like Arjuna who keeps my decision strong to pursue my dream. Arjuna is also a huge fan of bolywood movies and he says Aamir Khan is his favorite actor.

He explained why the village is called Weerawila, Weera is a tree that grows in this area and Wila is small natural lake, there is a port in Hambantota which was mostly used by migrants those times, one of those boat named as Hamban and Tota is Port and hence the name Hambantota! We went for a walk by the lake sharing our travel stories and how similar the culture is in India & Sri Lanka.

For the first time, I have seen a huge lemon like this. Punchi Aiya, made us fresh lime juice from this lemon. Peacocks were gazing and screaming in front of us, as we sipped the lime juice it was time for me to leave! After having met Punchi aiya, faith in humanity has restored and has shot up to many levels high! Of course it’s a beautiful world out there, would have I learnt all these in my cubicle job! No, this is why I travel!

Always remember that one little act of kindness can tilt the balance of an entire situation. One little act of kindness can ripple out in countless ways that you many never know about. (Read this on the net)

Blooming…

Wild Flower

May 9, 2016
People of Sri Lanka
Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about-Marilyn Monroe

Scattered brain, job that I never liked, people that I love, place that I have hate/love relationship with, lost relationships, lead to a frustration which made me book a trip for 7 days to Sri Lanka last year in September. By then, I was already in the urge of quitting job but was just not too sure to take the risk. Those 7 days changed the way I looked at life, everybody here seemed so happy & carry smile on their face all the time. It was not just the place I fell in love with, it was the people!

After I quit my job and was confused on where to start my full time travels with, it was this same kind & smiling people who crossed my mind and that was it. This time it was not just 7 days, but 30 days. I wanted to experience everything that I missed in my last visit, this time I had no reasons to rush back soon; I am jobless now you see! I wanted to indulge in every place as much as I could, to understand their culture and what makes them such glorious people!

To all those marvelous people I have met on my way, here is my tribute to all of you!
1. Sala & Bludgy
Who knew just a random email on a random day to a random someone can lead to something so beautiful. It is not just their place; it is them making it more beautiful. I just stayed there watching birds, monkeys, peacocks, buffaloes, reading, writing, doing yoga. With quitting their jobs in advertising and into full time painting now, they made me realize I have made a right decision too. Read full story about them here.

2. Railway Security Police

I took the train from Galle to Matara; I was struggling to keep my backpack in the upper space provided. I noticed somebody looking at me through the window; I just ignored and continued with my struggle. He then came inside, helped me arrange it and left with a smile. Train got set to move, he came again along with his friends and sat beside me. One of his friend asked me where am I from, I said India and they were very pleased to know. They introduced themselves as Railway Security Police, we spoke about Railway Security Police in India & Sri Lanka. They asked on where I am going next and advised me the best way to reach that place. While we said bye to each other, the same Police who helped with me luggage stressed on being safe; while I was looking for a Tuk Tuk he again came & rescued me by not paying the high price.

3. A Little Girl’s smile & a generous Conductor in a Bus

I was traveling from Matara to Kataragama in a local bus, bus was really crowded and I had to stand for almost an hour and my journey was about close to 3 hours. Luckily found a seat after an hour which was saved by this little girl, she looked at me and called Akki (Elder Sister), I asked her if she can speak English and she said no. So, all we did was exchanged smiles every now & then. I did not find any tourists in the bus or on the road, with small amount of fear I kept looking at the map if I am going in the right direction. May be the girl sensed I was a little scared, every time she sees a milestone she would tell me how many kilometers is left more to Kataragama. After few minutes, the bus Conductor asked me where I was from and I said India; he asked if I am here on studies, I said no and showed him where I was going next. He said I need to take another bus to Buttala, after we reached Kataragama that little girl showed me the bus that was parked that goes to Buttala. It was all written in Sinhala, I wouldn’t have figured out if she had not mentioned. Later, even the conductor told me I can board that bus, I got in and after few minutes I saw him talking to the bus conductor and asking him to help me get off at the right place.

4. Kindest Person on Earth: Punchi Aiya

This place in Weerawila I wanted to stay was under renovation and the owner was a little hesitant as the place was not completely setup yet, as usual stubborn me wanted to visit and convinced the owner. He said, he doesn’t manage the place but Punchi Aiya does and he is sick right now so I had no luck. I was a little disappointed, he then called me back saying Punchi Aiya agreed and I can go there for a day or two. I reached there and heard that Punchi Aiya had just undergone breast cancer operation, cursed myself for being so stubborn and I didn’t know what to say. He was there with me all the time, providing tender coconut, making lemon juice, best tea & coffee that he made; I kept insisting him not to and he would just not stop serving me food. Next day morning both of us went to get fresh milk from nearby buffaloes, he again served delicious coffee. I couldn’t speak Sinhala and he couldn’t speak English, all thanks to non verbal communication! With his situation, if there was someone else in his place not sure if they would have offered to help. Would you?

5. Mr. Riza & Arjuna

The man who owns this place in Weerawila is Mr. Riza whom I could just get to speak on phone mostly is again one of the most helpful soul, not only he arranged for my stay here but also sent Arjuna to make sure I would get the essence of the place. We spoke about how tourism has changed Sri Lanka over the last few years, he explained about the lake in Weerawila and why the name Weerawila came in. Arjuna, who is a BCom graduate, worked in Japan for 3 years! Now he is undergoing a training to become a tour guide and he is also a certified Japanese teacher. When I asked him why towards tourism, he said he likes traveling, meet people from other countries and would like to improve his English. A big thank you to Arjuna for sharing details about some really beautiful places I visited in Sri Lanka.

6. Long lost Tamil Family

Just one of the days when I was enjoying the taste of slow travel in Deniyaya, Renuka who is the cook from the place I stayed in came with a plate of Vade and she said India. I understood, she meant this is from India; I said yes and she says she watches all cookery shows from India and learns lot of recipes. Next day, a mid aged man comes to me and says Vanakkam (greeting a person in tamil), he said he is the cook’s uncle; she told him that I am from India; he invited us home sharing his stories that he was brought up here, his older brother (Renuka’s father) speaks better Tamil than him. It rained all day and we couldn’t go to their house, next day Renuka mentioned that they were all waiting for us with pan cakes, tea and tender coconut L we promised to go with her the same day, they were such lovely family with beautiful kids who live in a nearby village called Batandura. Her father spoke to me in Tamil and said his father moved to Sri Lanka many years ago and they later got adapted to Sinhalese culture. Renuka’s husband works in tea factory which was shut recently as they did not have work to do due to less rains, Renuka works as a cook to manage the family. Her kids got dressed up in their new clothes & shoes that were purchased for New Year and we all stood for a group photo! Say cheese!

7. Tuk Tuk Driver in Beragala

Rains had just stopped as I got into the Tuk Tuk covered on both the ends, I wanted to look out and see the mountains but couldn’t. Wondering how to communicate with the driver, I just sat peeping out trying to remove the sheets that were covered. I heard him speak in Tamil over phone; I started a conversation in my broken Tamil. As all the stories, his grandparents had moved to Sri Lanka too or brought to Sri Lanka is the right thing to say. He remembers his childhood trip to India with his parents, his mother’s sister still lives there but sadly he doesn’t know where. There can be many such sad stories around here of those families who were moved from India! 😦

8. Hard Worker I met in Haputale

He is Mr. MBC Premalal, a retired post master with 3 kids. At this age, he drives a Tuk Tuk to live! He took us to some secret falls and spoke about few amazing places in Sri Lanka, he made sure we reached safe on the scariest hike to the secret waterfalls. Now, whenever I feel lazy to do my work, I think of him! Being retired and getting back to work again is something only hard workers can do!

9. Indian Ladies in the Tea Estate

It was early morning, mist was just clearing off. We headed back from Lipton Seat and the tea workers were just starting to pluck the leaves. My Tuk Tuk driver stopped asking if I want to take a picture, as I was clicking pictures I noticed 3 ladies preparing tea on a huge pot. I went to them and said I can speak Tamil too, I am from India. They were just so happy to see me and my bangles, haha yes my bangles & my anklets too. They said, they feel really nice to see a girl in bangles and anklets. They asked me to wait as they wanted me to taste the tea they were preparing; it was a huge pot that was getting prepared for all their co-workers/friends. As we had lots of time, we got into talking.

Their names are Papati, Aarayi & Valarmarai; lady sitting near firewood said her mother stays in India and she goes once in few years to visit her. I asked her why she isn’t staying in India, she sadly says her parents got her married and left her. Other two ladies have relatives in India too but like everyone they don’t know where, they were sharing their problems on how difficult it is to handle their life. They slog for 9 full hours and get 500 LKR per day, they said it is very less money to manage a family and send kids to school. As they always end up having less money, most of their kids don’t get to go to school L I asked what do they do when It rains, they said even if it rains they still got to work for 9 hours and one lady smiled and says its more nicer to work in rain than in the heat. I could see the pain in their eyes that they go through every day, worst part to me was being in a position where I didn’t know how to help!

They still refer to Sri Lanka as Ceylon and with all the problems they have they still carry a smile and carry on with their work. This is what traveling teaches isn’t it? We are not the only one who has problems in the world; we just need to know how to deal with it and of course with a smile! As all Sri Lankans do, they invited me to their house. They said next time, you come and stay with us; we will show you nice places around.

10. Most helpful people on the bus

Time spent on the research in finding this village, number of people I have asked if they know about it! Phew, now if I think of it; I just feel so nice of making it finally with the entire struggle and these two people made it even easier. When we figured out the direct bus to Mandaram Nuwara leaves only in the noon, we decided to go the nearby town and look for another bus. Conductor in this bus was trying to have a conversation, I told him we need to go to Mandaram Nuwara; asking him if there is a bus from Padiyapelalla. He said this bus goes to Mandaram Nuwara and apparently that was the last bus leaving to Mandaram Nuwara from Padiyapelalla. If he had not spoken, not sure if I would have made to this village; not only did he help to reach the village but also was waiting for almost an hour for us to return to take us back to the town as there was no bus leaving that village in the evening. Both the driver & conductor took us in their Tuk Tuk and showed us a beautiful waterfall, what’s with me and secret falls! I have no idea, ask all these lovely Sri Lankan people I met. They later dropped us to a nearby town and made sure we got into the right bus to reach Kandy!

11. School Kids on the Crazy Van Ride

On the way to this remote village, there are many small villages where there are lots of tamilians. On my Van ride, there were these curious school kids who wanted to know if I know actor Vijay, yeah check out their innocence. And all of them wanted me to go to Vijay and say that they conveyed their regards to him. As the kids were curious to know if I live near actors, the ladies were wondering why did I chose to travel alone and experience this crazy Van ride with them. They just have one van operating to and fro in a day where they hardly have some place to even stand, and we complain of not having AC bus’s in the city!

12. One Man Army in the remote village

Mr. Navratana, 52 years old has all the energy in this world; half of which I don’t even have at my age! I was really amazed with his energy, he wakes up early to go on hike, he will be a kid when he has to slide through the waterfall or jump in the water. As we hiked through the jungle, he was picking all the trash thrown by the so called “Senseless People” and was saying this is how local tourist people come here and spoil the beauty. When will the Senseless People gain some sense? However, everyone in this village was such smiling beauties. There were 2 ladies who asked me to come again, they would dress me up with their wedding saree J I even saw a blind man working on the road clearing up weed grown in the corners. So feeling lazy on your bed to get your work done?

13. Family in Mirissa

The home stay in stayed in Mirissa, the first thing owner asks me. Do you have a boy friend? I laughed and said no; Husband, No! Why do you travel alone? Because I like it! One of the best things to stay in a home stay is the food; they cooked some amazing breakfast with so much variety every day. As it was closer to their New Year, they would prepare some special snacks and would invite me for a chat and serve those snacks! Of course, I got invited to stay back for New Year’s but the damn visa was expiring on the day I was leaving. He offered me a drop in his Tuk Tuk till the bus stand and asked me to come back again next year.

It was all you lovely people who made my first visit so memorable, it was all you adorable people who made me come to Sri Lanka for the 2^nd time, it will all be you fabulous people who will keep pushing me to visit Sri Lanka as many times as possible! It is not just the place; it is you people who are making it more beautiful!

Ayubowan!

Blooming…

Wild Flower!
April 14, 2016
Celebrating Life in the sacred Hill of Sri Lanka!

Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow-Anita Desai

I have learned a lot while traveling, mostly from the people I meet who always have a positive impact on my life! Hence, I am always choosy on the place I travel to & most importantly the place I stay in; I believe the relationship you hold with hosts has a serious impact on the place you consider as a home for the days you stay in. One of such amazing hosts I met are Sala & Bludgy & this is how!

I was looking for eco-friendly places to stay in; I found their website & shot them an email. They said they have moved to a different location but they are starting something new very soon. I saw the pictures of their new setup; it was an overnight dream that came true. Just a few days ago before I reached their place, I had seen a picture exactly like this on Instagram and thought I should stay in a place like this someday!

Also read: A guide to Galle & Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

View from the sky tent!

Sala was talking about how they came up with this concept, they have been seeing people cutting trees to increase the number of places to stay for travelers, and they were not very happy with it, so had to come up with this concept of not harming trees & can still host travelers. This could be an example to everyone who thinks cutting trees is the only solution; also they are having all their guests to plant a tree as well. They even segregate garbage; dump the garbage that can be recycled as manure in a pit to use it for plants. The soil is really good here, manure is not really needed but it is just one of the ways to use the garbage effectively by not harming nature; he adds.

Also read: Sacred Hill in Ramayana

This is where they live 😉

Sala & Bludgy both quit their jobs in advertising & followed their passion for paintings, to make it more accessible they have those paintings printed on T-shirts. He was talking about him wearing a tie & presenting to clients & I was sharing the job that I was doing that I never liked. When asked why they decided to quit, they said they found more happiness in what they are doing right now than their earlier 9-5 job. It was not even a month since I had quit my job; I was still struggling with the post syndrome and I realized I have made the right decision too. I learned that Quitting job is not a big deal, accepting the life that throws at you after quitting is!

Also read: Mistakes I learned from after quitting my job

It was a big day while I was staying at their place, along with my friend in Bengaluru we had finished 48 days of 108 Surya Namaskara & still continues!

Oh, you yummy breakfast!

We have had long conversations over dinner about how India & Sri Lanka were rich with Diamonds & Gems, spices, crops & so much richer in the culture before Portuguese, Dutch & British invaded and how we are struggling now to save our own culture. I was curious to know about this indigenous tribe in Sri Lanka called Veddas, I had read about how they originated earlier in a book and Sala was talking about how there is a change now in their lifestyle with modern technologies taking over all our lives.

I was a poet during my stay here, read through; it will explain how beautiful this place is!

It was dark & lovely,
I am floating in the air.
Fireflies passed by like twinkling stars,
I am floating in the air.
Peacocks screams at a distance as I fall into trap of sleep,
I am floating in the air.
I walk into a dreamland with fireflies & peacocks,
I am floating in the air.
Sleep releases my eyes to birds chirping,
I am floating in the air.

Sit at the edge of a rock staring at the trees,
Sit on the hammock reading a book for ages.
Lie down until the sun keeps winking,
Lie down until the stars start twinkling.
We all have one life to live,
Let’s just Live! Live! Live!

I have learned how to celebrate life from them, how to manage daily tasks along with work and a baby & two dogs, how to have balance in a relationship, how to look for happiness in everything you do, basically just how to celebrate life!

Also read: People of Sri Lanka

Silus & Naggi!

Blooming…

Wild Flower

April 9, 2016