katha corner- "ordinary hero"

Note:This story was written for a competition-It did not make the mark and hence is now part of my virtual collection...enjoy!-The highlighted passage was given to us and the challenge was to complete the story.


The Ordinary Hero

He sat on the bench and looked around. It was only 9.00 am but there were still a few people walking.
He opened his school bag and felt the inside pocket. Through the lining the rustling sound of the crisp notes made him want to take it out and count it one more time.
Just then a dog ran towards him wagging its tail. He wondered if he should feed it a biscuit from his snack box. But he had a long wait ahead. So he merely patted its head.
Mummy said he always came to Cubbon Park for a walk. It was a routine of many years. A walk and then a morning coffee at Koshy's.

He raised his water bottle to his mouth and drank deeply. What if this one day he decided to stay at home? He wondered.

There were two things that he looked for when his mind wandered like this. A sugar coated jam biscuit and his green notepad. Both made him feel secure. He knew that the notebook would hold his secrets safe while the biscuit was always sweet .He flipped through the pages and found what he was looking for .A sketch titled “Tea party # 45”. And in the faces that he had drawn, he saw him.
His superhero. His caped crusader. The Ordinary man

Every Sunday, mummy invited people home. He hated Sunday mornings at home. The day would begin with mummy barging into his room and drawing the curtains open.
“It is 9:00 ...so much work to do….No sense of responsibility…”-Hurry up, take Momo for a walk, clean your …

He often wondered why adults loved to do things they obviously hated. Everyone who came to the party wished they were somewhere else. His mother had an eternal smile fixed on her face. The people who came looked uncomfortable. They tried hard to say something funny or wise. Fortunately, he was required to be there only for the first three minutes. Different people, same questions. Sometimes they would squeal, “so cu-uute..”. Then mummy would give her signal, “ chweetheart, why don’t you go upstairs…..”

Ever since he could remember he loved the caped superheroes .There was something so exciting about nerdy guys transforming into saviours. Like superman saving a child from a burning bus or Spiderman trapping the neighbourhood bully in his net. Superheroes were always there. Only humans disappeared from your life forever. Especially on a rainy day. Like his father did, three years ago,

Last Sunday‘s tea party changed his eleven year old life forever.He had gone down stairs to face the crowd. The instant he saw him, it was like a light bulb moment in his favorite comic strip. He was the most ordinary looking man to have ever come to a tea party. He wore a long sleeved white shirt, coudry trousers, socks which did not match and a pair of dirty brown sneakers. During the three minute interrogation, he felt the man’s eyes on him. They radiated a quiet understanding that seemed to envelop him in a big hug.

“Bhasu, my son loves to doodle. Look at his sketches... gives him a few tips...”Mummy’s voice cut through the chatter.

He felt his face flush and turn cherry tomato red. Before he could stammer a reply, the ordinary man looked at him and smiled.

“I’ll come up”.

For the next ten minutes, the ordinary man and he sat next to each other on his bed and they flipped through his drawings. There were sketches that he had never shown anyone. His father getting into a taxi. A rainy night and a boy hugging his teddy bear.
Mummy sobbing. into her pillow. Momo on a leash. The three bullies in school.


“You have tremendous power..…”


That was the only conversation they had before the ordinary man left the room. No one had ever come into his room, sat on his bed and told him that he had power.
When he asked mummy about the ordinary man she laughed. “great artist but strange…My reporters tell me he walks everyday at cubbon park and then heads for koshy’s”

So, here he was at Cubbon park. The plan was crystal clear H e was going to run away and live with the Ordinary man. He would draw all day and then there would be no mummy, tea parties, momo, cleaning up, bullies in school and the ache he felt when he thought of daddy. He would be the Ordinary man’s assistant. .After all, even batman had Robin. Someday, he would even visit his mother and tell her he was sorry that he skipped school and return the two hundred rupees he had borrowed from her purse.

The park was becoming quiet. The walkers had gone. three squirrels played hide and seek. A few crows huddled by the footpath. He smelt burnt corn on charcoal

Still no sign of the hero. It was getting hot and his eyes began to water. For some reason he felt betrayed, tired and thirsty. He suddenly missed mummy’s smell and voice and even her tea parties .And who would take momo for a walk? What if mummy started crying again?

A little boy ran up to him and said “That uncle asked me to give
you this...”

It was the most beautiful sketch he had ever seen. The entire scene was there. The bench, the bag, the dog, and an eleven year old boy, all packed and ready to go. The eyes shaded with just the right amount of scary-ness. Scrawled at the bottom were the words “true superheroes lives ordinary lives”

It was so quiet you could hear the bamboos whistle.

He looked at the sketch again

With sudden determination, he packed his schoolbag and gave the dog his last biscuit. He knew what he had to do.

If he ran, he could still make it by recess and mummy would never have to know.
His first step towards becoming an ordinary superhero.

March 20008

Journey to Destiny

The journey to a Destination named destiny

It is not the journey that matters; it is the destination. Some clichés are meant to be rewritten-the journey to Destiny was in itself a road paved with adventure and experience. Bumpy, sometimes muddy, often times nonexistent, the road trip from Bangalore to Ooty was a sensorial adventure-the final stretch to Destiny promising more delights in store.

Bangalore escapades

Loading our packed bags, emergency ration of sandwiches , biscuits and other “things we might need in case of..” from our well thought out hypothetical scenarios already gave us a sense of being on a holiday. The challenge was to leave Bangalore city before the onslaught of traffic-we were in for a surprise. Sunday morning brought with it an army of trucks, lorries and holiday makers who all obviously had the same agenda in mind. Moving away from the Whitefield-Sarjapur area, we all found ourselves breathing easy. There is something about the concrete jungle that fills one with a certain sense of anxiety. At Banashankari, we lost our way and stopped to ask for directions. Like Alice in wonderland asking the white rabbit-the first person confidently pointed us in the wrong direction and fate intervened in the form of a wizened auto driver, who in eloquent kanada set us on the right path. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as we discovered a shortcut that took us out of the city and onto the Bangalore-Mysore highway.

Highway tales- Sighting of golden arches!

Indian highways are a novel in themselves. Often you will find a bovine nonchalantly ambling across the four lanes with cars zipping across, mirroring a country where the old jostles with the new. And this cross road provides a delightful visual adventure-A bus stops, passengers in tow and is meticulously being decorated with flowers and marigold garlands. No one seemed to be in a particular hurry. And then there are the lorries -massive vehicles, sometimes potential death traps ,often purveyors of “social messages” and philosophies- “Life is drama , man is actor , “speed thrills but kills”, “we two ours one” all hurtling in break neck speed down the roads.

It is never monotonous stretches of tar road. It is broken by color and nothing was more surreal than seeing a golden M-yes, that neon synthetic golden arches, the king of hamburgers, announcing a drive thru restaurant. And this in what seems like the middle of nowhere. That the Coffee Days have already made inroads into the highways we learnt on our last trip. And then the dhabas-dusty charpoys where you can sip hot milky tea and samosas for fraction of the cost. We wave to a group of school children in checked uniform and as we roll down the windows, the wind almost whistling in delight.

The roads from Mysore to Bangalore are excellent-we make our way through Ramnagaram, Channapatna (the sight of a line of colored rocking horses never fails to delight), Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatana. Each of these townships are a history buffs delight-and legends and folktales are plenty.

Mysored

( A royal stroll...Mysore style!)

Three and a half hours later we reached Mysore. Bangalore’s skyline seems like a distant dream-we have the chamundi hills before us. We decide to drive through town-And suddenly everything seems to be in slow motion. People take their time to cross roads and though it has become busier, it still retains a certain charm. Another little discovery is a wonderful eatery that is located en route to Nanjangud.Kamat Bhavan unlike its crowded namesake on the highway, is a favourite pit stop but is not as crowded. This is the kind of trip where we were not in any particular hurry which meant we went through our Mysore masala dosai , vadai and coffee with meticulous care!

The journey from Myore to the Bandipur, via Nanjangud is where the landscape changes. Open fields of green, a sudden water pool with migratory birds, women washing colored cloth of pink, green-and in the car, is Aruna Sairam with her rendition of a racy tilana.Does nirvana get any better!-The stretch between Gundulpet and Bandhipur takes its toll on the car but we push on excited at the prospect of entering forest territory.

By the time we reached Bandhipur Forest, clouds had formed and the slightly overcast weather is perfect to drive through the sanctuary. Even with signs which clearly warn people not to stop and picnic in this Wild life reserve-we see a wedding party stop for a perfect wedding opportunity in the middle of the jungles-the beaming bride and groom posing under a canopy!!-We drive in complete silence-the change in the tree scape is stunning- suddenly from a medley of bush and tree the road takes us through a bamboo grove. Their golden branches jostling and nestling with each other-it commands respect and as our drive takes us further into the sanctuary, we strain ourselves to spot any creature-But today, the trees seem to command all the attention.

Mudhumalai

The guards at the border dutifully take our registration numbers and twenty rupees!-we bid adieu to Karnataka and step into Tamilnadu-Mudhumalai forests. The forest guards are friendly and advise us to take the Masnanguddi –kalatti route. Thirty six hairpin bends but saves you 50 km they say- we decide to take up the challenge. The drive through the Mudhumalai range is again an oasis of green and brown. We try to spot any chance of a tiger or elephant. But the forest greets us with silence. We decide to stop at kallati for tea, a smoker’s break and a stretch. The cold, clean air is like a rush of adrenaline.We take big deep breaths, our body trying to get acclimatized to the pollution free zone!-Chatting with the young girl at the tea shop, we find that she is from calicut.Good tea and it is one the road again.

The hair pin bends really test one’s driving skills. They snake through and at each turn offer you breathtaking views. You have the thrill of an amusement park coupled with some great photo opportunities-Now who is complaining!!-At each bend we read our hairpin bend score-9\36, 10\36 and for the next forty minutes, we are playing the numbers game .It is an instant counting lesson for our four year old.

Plastic Trail

Ooty or ootacumund at last!-Though we had been told that Ooty had started to resemble most crowded towns in India, the natural landscape it is blessed with takes your breath away. Coniferous trees, open meadows, pastures, horses ..It is like we have stumbled upon some little piece of Switzerland-and therefore what really offends is the jarring trail of plastic that the travelers bring with them-the ubiquitous potato chip orange and blue packets, kinley water bottles, paper plates remnants of a picnic are strewn carelessly despite the signs proclaiming that the Nilgiris is a plastic free zone. Regimentation,Singapore style , highly recommended!

Car park...where art thou?

We decide to skip lunch and head straight for Destiny. The next part of our adventure really begins from this point. The farm stay has sent us a comprehensive set of directions and a map-the roads wind and as we move further away from ooty, the views leave us begging for more. Carpets of green, a stone cottage called Mayfair, the Good Shepherd international school, sign to Love dale all reminiscent of a colonial past. These markers still remain jostling with road and shop signs only in Tamil-Emerald marketplace is the last sign of commercialization(the market place itself being small thatched shanties selling vegetables, fruits and a neon pink barber’s shop).Following the map closely, we take the turn from emerald town centre and are back on hairpin bends.19 small ones and we arrive at the forests.

These are places which you wish to keep secret yet feel the urge to shout .A narrow bridge lends a most astonishing view-the first view of emerald lake made us stop our vehicle. A water body glistening green like liquid jade, surrounded by trees with no human encroachment in sight. To us this was paradise itself...

Reluctantly we drive on- conscious of the first drops of rain. However , we need to lose our way to find the Promised Land!-Missing the turnoff towards the destiny car park(there are no signs) we zoom ahead waiting to reach the farm when luckily we spot a forest guard talking on his mobile. we are told we have missed the turnoff by 50 metres and it takes incredible driving skill to maneuver the Honda machine through the ups and downs of the rocky road and make a u turn!-U turn we did and at last we reach the car park.

In the middle of no where stands an open ground enclosed with a fence. A few cars are parked(surreal in it) and an army jeep awaits with the driver from the resort .By this time, we are tired and shift our bags into the jeep and give our car a well deserved rest.

Destiny..at last!

The final lag of the journey from the car park to the resort is not recommended for anyone suffering from back problems!-there is no road and as we bump and grind our way under the guidance of the driver we are greeted with a heavenly shower. Out of nowhere, emerges a huge lorry and really there is space for only one so our tiny David of an army truck moves aside to let the Goliath go-it makes you wonder of how intrepid our explorers and road makers of yesteryear must have been. And then in the distance we see the gates…

One of the drawbacks of technology is that it can take the “aha” moments away from you. Fortunately we had not seen too many photographs giving away the view of the resort so our first reaction was just a silence screaming wow. Built in a ranch style, the rooms are housed in wooden buildings with green roofs…ensuring that it does not take away from the view -open grasslands of various textures and layers ,dipping into a valley like extension where your eye meets the lake and mist covered mountains.

We are greeted by Molly and Bhaskar with genuine warmth and they set the tone for the next two days. Unpretentious, cozy and exuding a sprit of friendliness, you begin to feel your urban artificiality strip away. We are shown into our rooms and the large double bed, high ceilings and fireplace add to the romance – we are brought down to earth by my four year olds reaction as he trampolines on the large bed!!-A short nap later , we feel refreshed and head for tea at the restraunt.Hot samosas and piping tea , we feel nourished and Bhaskar explains the activities and things to do. Though, I felt like I would be happy just doing nothing!!

(Destiny rooms)

We spent the rest of the evening exploring the resort. Walking through the trails, we stop by the stables. Brave Heart, Destiny’s child and Gypsy look at us bored by all the attention. Their work for the day is done-taking the guests for a short horse rides and now look ready to settle in for the night. W e decide to head back and just sit outside our rooms, watching the view. The resort is full but you don’t feel the crowd-though there was one particular group from the city .The kind of group that you try to steer clear of-they were loud ,bossy ,constantly complaining and had their gizmos running on high volume. Luckily they were on a day package, so dinner was spent with the rest of the guests-who were a lovely mix of couples and families , relaxing and soaking in the atmosphere.

The bonfire is a nice way to meet the other guests.And over sumptuous kebabs and spirits, we met some nice folks from coimbaotore, Calicut and bengalooru~

Sleep came early, comforted by the warmth of a duvet. The nice thing about Destiny is that there are enough things you can engage in – an early morning trek is a good way to whet the appetite. A brisk one hour walk with Bhaskar takes you through trails, a little bit of a climb and a survey of the lake.As our walk came to a close, It is quite a breathless bunch that made their way to breakfast buffet warmed by the offerrings of Poorimasala,omlettes,oats,cereals and juices.!

While a short siesta was what looked promising, the adventurous spirit beckoned to join in some fishing and more walking. Then there are horse rides you can go on in the morning and evening. Destiny also offers trips to the avalanche dam, tractor rides and a horse ride outside the property.Lunch and dinner are served buffet style and while tasty does not offer anything unique-The usual Panner masalas, dhal chicken and noodles.More regional fare would be a welcome addition.

Good bye...

Sure there are snags and delays in service. Even heaven has no room for perfection- your bed coffee might not come on time and the plumbing had a few issues but these minor trespasses are easily forgotten and forgiven.

At the end of the stay, you feel a little tug at your heartstrings-that you must go but you really don’t want to. And that is Destiny’s charm-it offers you mountains, lakes, fresh air and helps you recharge to face the roads ahead. You tell yourself you will come back…

And like Dorothy , you know you must make your way home but somewhere like all good journeys do, Destiny leaves you with an inedible iimpression, renewing your faith in the beauty and mysteries of the universe.

Details: (Stairway to Destiny)

Destiny farmstay is run by the Little Earth group

Their website is: www.littlearth.in