Travels and thoughts

Nothing can be better than a travel getaway.  As empty nesters we look forward to any long weekend or break to a country to satisfy our travel bug . Our destination for this year Eid holidays was Vietnam. We managed to convince our friends Ananthi and Swami to holiday with us, yet again.  We landed at Hanoi airport around midday. The immigration was slow and excruciatingly painful, appearing chaotic in fact, as other passports kept getting head of ours,  but once out, the cloudy drizzle with humid air welcomed us. Typical of a place with much rainfall, the greenery was abundant and verdant. The drive from the airport to our hotel in the city rooms was past sleepy villages but we could discern lots of human activity which is always so pleasurable. We passed narrow houses with windows and balconies only on the front face mirroring the map of the nation. Flanked by the South China Sea to its East, land space is a premium. Vast paddy and rice fields could be discerned a...

As our long term memories get triggered, meeting up with school friends is a pleasant experience full of nostalgia.  Although I had studied with my friends for  less than two years, the bonding was strong and over the last four years, with regular meetings and reminiscences, had enhanced.  My friends and I decided to make a trip down South during Dec 2018 planning to visit Rameshwaram, Thanjavur and Chidambaram. Our journey to Rameshwaram started from Madurai which served as the meeting point. SH536 and NH 49 were the highways taken to make the journey. Incessant rains over the last weeks had made the the roads bumpy and the 200 km journey took quite some doing. Apart from the quality of the roads, the Hindu pilgrims making the devout journey to visit the Shiva temple offered much traffic.   We had to pass by the famous Pamban bridge which connects Rameshwaram island to the mainland - it is worth noting some salient facts about this famous landmark...

Yeh Dilli hei meri jaan .. Ishq, mohabbat, pyaar... Delhi the capital of India is a city close to my heart.  I had my high school days , university, wedding and kids here. Growing up in Delhi gave me a certain confidence and an attitude that can be truly termed as spunky Punjabi. As life took me elsewhere after marriage, I looked forward to my visit after a span of several years. As Shruthi outlined her plans over the course of her short and sweet stay in Dubai with a visit to Delhi, I thrilled in anticipation of rekindling old memories. Without a word exchanged between us, it was understood that I will accompany her. We landed at Delhi by early evening.  Shruthi's CEPT classmate Roopal welcomed us with the happiness and joy one can see only in India. They were meeting after three years and it felt like yesterday as they exchanged college stories. Refreshed  with juice and snacks we set out to make the most of the evening. This was Shruthi's first visit to Delhi. ...

My first initiation into Pink Floyd music was at Utsav College Festival at BMSCE, way back in the 80s. I was walking along the festive atmosphere in the college campus when the sound of what was playing perked up my interest. A few friendly inquiries revealed that 'Time' was the song playing and to the consternation of Arnab, my to be music provider for some successive years to come, it was my first hearing! From that moment, I was slowly but surely initiated to good, timeless music. With a job, marriage and moving to new destinations, the frequency of listening to such music reduced until Sanchit grew up exhibiting enormous interest in all kinds of music.  During his teens, we had great conversations on the timeless nature of music and heard quite a bit either at home or on long drives.  He was very open to hear music from another era. And so it was that I began to listen once again to PF, Cale, Doors, Led Zeppelin etc.  Once he moved out of home to...