My Kera La Carte

Emerald: Green

“The color of life”. Where she dons a role anew – God’s gardener. Web-sights of dew-glistening Tea & Coffee plantations. Mother Nature’s hairpins strewn in the hilly curves. Mist clothed hill stations adding life. Tropical evergreens painting its own wild image. Then you know you existed for this day. Go - romance the woods. Then romance in the woods. And know one secret-every leaf grows green with envy on another to live as the greenest, creating the innumerable shades of green.

Amber: Orange

“The tone of creativity”. She has woven a tradition that has mirrored every finger as skilled. Help the creator in you come out of the shell – coconut shell or a sea shell is up to you. Every coconut creates life. Tired with coco crafts?? Try Screw-pine and bamboo crafts. And to freshen memories take back some souvenirs from God’s treasure.

Note a point: Sculptures are so real that many a time strangers may be mistaken.

Aquamarine: Blue

“A tint so cool and soothing.” The blue invitation to bank on her banks. Backwaters to surge you forward. Palms yearning to kiss her blue waters. Look through the azure blue to know what aqua blue is. Snakeboats exhibit her power to unite. Monsoon ripples appear as magic on her lake bed.
Surging rivers reflect the young, yet waterfalls remind the graying of nature. Boats ne’er honk, lest they disturb the multi hued marine life. Rooms sailing in water!!! No wonder, it’s the houseboat. Like a bolt from the blue may come the monsoon, but do dance in the shower and Remember - Count every ripple.

Ruby: Red

“The hue of energy”. Traffic stops at red. Let’s have the cuisine of God. Intoxicating aroma of spices. Pepper to pep you up. Cardamom and clove to tease your tongue. If fish fried is taboo, try fish dried. Nuts those stand in and out of the fruit. Chips dancing in oil to be the hot and crisp. Coffee beanz and tea leaves to invigorate. The taste of heaven on earth. Hope your heart doesn’t leap into your mouth.Quench your thirst on Toddy or tender coconut water as your mood may be.

Morganite: Pink

“A tinge for relaxation”. When cities disturb your balance, migrate to her country. Let nature prescribe the best. When corporate pressures mount, call nature to apply a bit more pressure to soothe. Make the cells ask “what is aging?” Recharge your dead batteries- 100%. Rejuvenate the body, mind & soul. Revitalize every nerve & whisper to them – “relax”.Ayurveda – science & nature to heal, to awaken your sleeping beauty to a newer dawn. Be back to the pink of health. Let nature’s lap take care.

Topaz: yellow

“A shade to express one’s thoughts.” The prominent color lend to all her dance forms. Night is here - watch the elaborately painted portrayal of her folk epics. Dramas mix in a proportion of poetry, music & dance. Martial arts dances to yet another tune. Where else can you see ornately decorated and disciplined elephants? One in pageants, processions or festivals is due every day. If not, see the butterflies enthralling with its dainty dances.

Absence

Treading the unseen paths,
walk down we the memory lanes,
skimming moments to cherish.
There overfloweth a chest of past,
love, tears and joy.
Dig deep our minds for more,
opening treasures unwoken.
As pearls etched in shelly niches
forever as new, they glitter,
reflecting a rainbow of friends.

Stood alone I on the road,
waiting, hoping one to guide.
Moved all very swift,but..
clutched one emanating affection,
yet slipped my grasp and meandered,
plunging again in teary pools.

Jealous I feel to stars,
having one to wink an eye.
Enveloped the mystic mist in 'me',
whispering 'unleash a new dawn'.

My Bhavnagar Trip...............................

Days dawn as if the future is decided in a day’s time. Decisions are so fast that we know not where we have to travel the next day. Electronic-tickets or e-tickets as we say have helped me immensely in this ‘quick style’ life. The same happened on 17^th October 06 when I was directed to Bhavnagar for a ship inspection.
And the 1^st surprise was when I saw a person holding “Alcock Ashdown shipyard welcomes Rejil” and a thought went through my mind “am I really so big a person!!!” then slowly I told my mind to be quiet and this placard is just to identify you and not because you are important, but again I was stumped when it dawned to me that my accommodation was arranged in a 3 star heritage hotel -Neelambaug. The palatial hotel swathed me the ambience of my ancestral house with the Naalukettu (quadrangular buildings with open courtyards), the walls displaying pictures of the Gujarati culture in the Dress and jewellery. Also hung on the walls were their rich culture in art and tradition. After my shower, the waiting safari took us on the three-hour drive in my itinerary. And where were we heading?

To a place called Chanch, a name derived from the Hindi word chonch meaning beak. Yes, just have a look at the map and u will know that Gujarat somewhere resembles a beak. My eyes spotted the lone temple on a mountain, was the Palitana Jain temple, as explained by Mr. Rajguru, our guide cum quality inspector.
As my vehicle swished past a cart, I noticed a peculiarity. Neither an Ox nor a cow drove the carts. It was indeed towed by a camel. And the surprise was short lived, as it became a common sight. The garlic, onion and cotton crops lined the road like soldiers guarding the border, not to forget the dehydration plants for the onions. A small halt at Mahuva quenched my thirst with the honey sweet tender coconut.
On our way my mind longed to experience the drive in the chakda, the always-overloaded Enfield remodeled auto rickshaw, flouting all the rules in carrying passengers, but poor my prestige never allowed me to.
The environment went on to be rustic and the earth chocolaty as we drove on. Greenery was some lone Neem gardens and the fodder producing thorny bunchy shrubs. As our automobile turned to the dust spooking roads, we enquired the shepherd for any nearby tea stall, and you know what, he wasn’t grazing goats. It was all sheep.
Surprises awaited me again at the mud house shop, in the form of PEPSI as I was amazed by the market penetration. PEPSI where people lived in countable.
But the rusted road signs took us forward. No life moved on either side. Square salt farms spread to the entirety divided by mud bunds, but never did Gujarat miss its true saffron color. The triangular flags fluttered at every flagpost.
A matter of true appreciation was for the water pipelines at every village.
And then the work started, but I was truly waiting for the mouth-watering dishes made my Rajgurus mom, and so was it different because it was tastier than ever thought of by my taste buds. The Thepla was a speciality, a dish prepared in Methi leaf. As I got into my Qualis to enjoy a movie, the shrill cry of a bird requested my attention, wow my goodness – a peacock and later on more of it. Surprise that a place devoid of anything lively had such a beautiful bird to entertain, and people considered it god for being the vehicle of Kartik Swamy or as we call him in southern India as Murugan/subramanian.
Still as dusk came setting in, the sun started its way back to its mom’s place, leaving all the ships orphaned in the horizon. The red hue always changed to a mix of orange crimson and vanished for pitch darkness to rule the roost.

India shining??

Landmark to a friend's place made me to sit-up and ponder. How aware are the young about our country's golden past and the freedom struggle!!!!
The entire anecdote unfolded when I was unable to find the statue of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru .And I enquired the same with a boy almost 12yrs old. "WHO?" greeted his quizzed face. Patiently I asked him again in a child's language -" Where is Chachaji's statue?” Suddenly a flash of familiarity brightened his expression and he answered in a scholastic tone " Over there, behind the building, stands a statue of a bald uncle. Is that the one you mean?" but I never knew that Nehruji had gone bald. Anyways without another query I walked a few meters more to confirm the newfound info. Lo!! There stood a statue of Ambedkar. That pushed out the final puff of breath left in me. But Thank god!!! He didn't guide me to the nearby Hanumanji's statue. I whispered to myself and to almighty.
I was confused, surprised, and angry all together at once. A torrent of questions showered deep inside me. Didn’t the boy know Ambedkar too? Isn’t he going to school? If not isn’t he missing primary education and we a valuable citizen? But he had already merged with the market crowd, absolutely ignorant that he had misled me. And I felt pity on myself, not to have corrected him.
And as the truth slowly dawned on me on how lucky I am to have received the bounties on earth and also on how much India lags behind in certain arenas, even if the figures showcase a potential power in the making.
As for Gandhiji’s teachings and principles, Munnabhai essayed the role in enlightening the masses. Maybe if it were a Gandhi statue, the boy would have identified correctly. Now who will hold the Munnabhai mantle for the other great personalities who walked our country? Still pondering!!!!