Sunday, July 20, 2008

GEARIN UP'

Geography,the very word has a lot of meanings, discussing what it means and how it screws you is not the thing am gonna talk about now,not many of us have a passion for geography (really who cares what stuff the earth contains when you just think "I own a piece of land and it is on lease")...

(15-4-2004)..PONDICHERRY

"ANNUAL EXAMINATION(2003-04)
SUB:GEOGRAPHY
DATE:15-4-2004
CLASS:9th
TIMINGS:9:00 - 11:00 AM"

The question paper was long enough to make me occupied for the next 2 hours. Writing answers in a detailed fashion was sick,I finished my paper 10 mins before the scheduled time,I was desperately waiting for the stroke of the bell! the clock struck 11 and that was it!.. I Just completed my eighth standard!.. what made me more anxious was that I had planned to go on a picnic with my friend to kerala that night, the picnic was special because it just included me and and my friend "..
I reached home at 1 PM( I was discussing the paper and that defines my being late)In a different way I can tell u that I reached home half sad and half happy!.The reason was because I had made a different entry when I was asked about the height of the mountain"k-2"..(only trekkers gotta care about that ..... screw the system!).MOM was standing at the gate again with her usual smile..

-how was your paper dear!
-yea..it was quite ok!
-quite ok??
-ok mom!..it was good??
-so you mean you can get a hundred in this paper!
-Mom! am hungry!
-ok! go get yourself neat , I want clean hands and legs before you sit there..annnndd.....
-and....?
-you had a call five mins back..It was from shhh..? am sorry...well that was all he said..
-yeah I know him..he is shyam! ..

After lunch I called shyam!
-helo retard!
-helo fatso!
-not anymore pencil head!..
-k no fighting here ..so about the trip..are you in?
-loseR..I gave you this idea...
-hehe..so do you think we need a guide..
-not required ..I have been there before..
-am not gonna believe you, I dont think you will still be sure about the places!
-ok dude! lets arrange for one!.. anyonelse in?
-yea my cousins..
-was it plural?
-yea..two people..
-jeez! now dont tell me that! I disagree...
-You will find them good!..you gotta agree!
-new people..new behaviour .. idiot!
-Is it really?.. no need..they know you?
-know me?..
-yea..I said about you to them...
-you idiot!
-ok man! ..stop by my place this evening..they want to see you..
-you better have a glass of milk when I come there!
-why? doesnt make sense!
-It will....moron!

It was 4pm,time to meet the moron(why does this guy keeps me introducing to people).I was imagining myself how his cousins looked like, he had said about them to me once.one was younger and the other was elder to him which means it is the same to me as well.The elder one was a girl and the younger was a boy.The girl may have been three years older and the boy an year younger to me...

At shyam's residence!

Standing before the gate I first decided to ring the bell...I changed the decision and I shouted his name! two figures came out of the door!..not to mention ,they were his cousins!
-shhh...shhh...is he here?
-shyam just went out..he'll be back in 5 mins!,may we know u?
-Am manoj..I prefer bein called as Mj(A PLANNED REPLY..)..
-oh! so its u? anyway what is the big deal with this "mj" name! replied the girl
-I wanna know it as well replied the boy
-I like michael jackson,marion jones, mary jane(a cartoon character)and myself ..so comes the name Mj..
-hhaa So does it include MR .JACKASS! AS WELL said both to together..
-very funny!(these people are planned as well !!)
-sorry Mj replied the girl and started laughing!

Seconds after shyam arrived!..
- hi manoj!
- hi !(almost rude!)
- so you have met my cousins already! she is kriti and he is kumar!...hope they were very good with you!
- yeah they were very! ..
- ok! so they are gonna come with uS!..our guide is gonna be my dad's acquaintant! ..seems like he has been in the profession for 2 yrs and he knows every corner in Munnar!
- alas! u have done something worthful..hey the car will be ready by 9 pm! get ready as soon as possible with these precious pieces of trash!
- pieces of what ??? replied both together again!
- I said t..r..a..s..h..! clear?

one more hour and am off to Kerala! ... wow the very experience of making a trip sans parents was like being a full grown human for a second! The guide arrived to my home and he got himself introduced to my parents ,he had come there with shyam's dad! ..after that my dad introduced me to him! the guy's name was antony!
(describin antony aka anto! ...antony was a name very common in the christian locality of the town ..the guy looked more older than his age! he had a stubble and wore a very visilbe pair of contact lenses!)
It was finnaly 9... the car took me along with my guide to shyam's house! the loser took his own time to get in the car along with his two cousins!
the car took off finally ...

Inside the car!
-have you ever been late to school?..I asked to shyam..
-nope !ok man! I know I was a minute late! said shyam
-a minute! check your freakin watch! ..its almost 9:45 pm!! I exclaimed
-Do donkeys really care about time ..said kriti
-now who is a donkey here miss ??..asked I
-jackass otherwise known as donkey ..said kumar
-kids! stop fighting ..It is a long journey ,you will lose your throat if you keep talking like that! get some sleep,replied the guide!
-ok (said everyone!)

The night went as fast as it could! maybe because it was a dreamless night.. anto woke me up at around seven...everybody around me were sittin quite awake maybe they had got up earlier! the car was somewhere near the outskirts of kerala! ..we still had half a day journey left!the car stopped by a small wayside inn for breakfast!
Kerala was looking gorgeous at the early hours! the lushfull trees ,the spreading blue skies and the sunrise hues..wow! I dont have a poetic view for its beauty ,I can say it just simply looked great!
Munnar is a hillstation not very famous though but still it has got its own relics and places.The name 'Munnar' means 'Three Rivers' and they are actually three mountain streams, Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala,they confluence at the heart of the town, meeting all the water requirements of the settlers and visitors. At 3pm at noon we reached Munnar!.The temperature was around 18 degrees .Just the temperature what everyone needed!.."so conducive ",I said as I was looking outside the window.
It was almost six when we got ourselves settled!...the next day was supposed to be filled with fun! cant wait for the day..we gotta explore the place! I said to everyone! they were excited as well!


(Describin kriti aka ??(sorry no names yet!)) ok this is a girl not very good looking and not very ugly as well..her response depends on the way you look at her and the way you talk!.. it is never so easy going with her!

(Describing kumar ) a copy of shhh!..


Anto was already awake early as usual!..
-get up children.We gotta visit some new places today! said anto
-sounds good!..but it is too early(6:00 am).. where are we heading to? replied kumar
-to echo point!
-ECHO wht? replied kriti!
-I have been there! I sprang before anto could reply.
-just get ready! replied anto looking tired..

The morning was too cold .It was not exactly the situation we had expected,the water was more freezing ,10 am would be perfect but Anto would not listen!.Anto is one of the many persons to get early into my losers list!

7:00 AM

You are now witnessing the highest peak in south india!.. Anto uttered them as our car neared a narrow lane , I didnt check if he was right then but he was right indeed(Maybe that was the first thing he knew about the place ),getting down from the car we had to walk a few paces to reach the peak.

-This is the echo point... said anto
-echo what..replied kirti again..
-"echo point...am sure there was no pun intended!" said anto
-actually it was not sound enough..said kirti
-hey!! yelled kumar....(there were three more hey's somewhere in the deep!)..thats my voice again said an excited kumar..
-nope dude, it was rather some wild boar's, guess it got influriated by your wicked voice!said I..
-none is laughing here mr.jack!,you can better stop giving futile comments!..replied kirti..
-yeah , I know boars dont laugh! and that doesnt matter me !..said I.
-cut thh thh the crapp!..it was shyam who interrupted!

Right from the start I had maintained a bad rapport with shyam's cousins.meanwhile Anto seemed like flaterring most of the time whenever whatever was asked regarding the places there!..everthing he replied was heavily made up.Everybody had understood it by then..

-We now see the great garden of munnar! said anto(great garden??.. Did Munnar really have one?)
-uncle why here? it is nothing but a rose garden enclosed by fence..said I
-well it was a big garden the last time I came here!..said anto
-but the board says it has been here since 1935!..said kirti
-hmmm.. maybe we have reached the wrong place.. lets check out the "suicide point"(the second and the final place he knew in Munnar).Anto seemed rushing as he completed those lines..


At suicide point!..
-you see that bush kids ..it lives for years ... it hardly sheds its leaves..said Anto
-bush!..do people come here to check out bushes ..said I
-they do sometimes because most bushes here have medicinal values!..said Anto(am sure no loser here is gonna waste time pulling out roots on a creepy terrain)
-Cant it grow somewhere else like at a lower altitude? said kumar
-yea it can..since it is a rare specie ,its presence here makes the place special..

everybody were almost silent..I pulled shhhh aside!..

-you call the guy you brought "a guide"..
-[:D]hmmm sorry!...
-now dude! does he really know anything here ..
-relax pal !..
-relax??..

shhh pulled me back in!..

-a rare specie? said kumar ..why no signboards!
-guys lets leave said Anto who was yet again making hurried movements!..

That was not the end for Monsieur anto's made up tale about places!,it continued in thekkady,cochin and trivandrum as well!!..whenever Anto felt he was stuck he used to start with"the last time I came here, this place was...." and end with "It might be a wrong place..... or it might have been a long time ,A new day, A new place!"..Freakin Anto would never compromise!..


Au revoir!