Home 'Hot' Home.

While the 'Home away from Home' saga ended last month, my real home got shifted about 2200 kms north-west, somewhere to a hot ( i strictly mean the temperature ;)), remote little town that goes by the name of Barsingsar. Located at the edge of the Thar desert in Rajasthan, Barsingsar is closer to the LOC than the state's capital. (Personally, I don't think any terrorist in his right mind, will choose Rajasthan to intrude into India.) Though located in the Thar, my imaginations of sand-dunes all around my home turned out to be a disappointment. The region does have sand-dunes but they are not as huge as i thought they would be. (We must travel further west to see such huge dunes.) Rather the surroundings are extremely dry, totally deserted (note the pun! :)..), barren and without any greenery. Those rare trees are sun-burnt and look dead.

As for the fauna, Peacocks are found in large numbers and deer herds crossing the roads are not uncommon. Even foxes are found aplenty that they evoked only a 'So what?' expression from the driver. And yes..! Camels.! You don't find bullock-carts in Rajasthan. It's Camel-carts everywhere! On the flip side, I also found a number carcasses along the roads. Poor souls. You can't expect every one of them to survive the sweltering heat.

Human settlements are very rare to the extent that we came across just four or five little towns in a stretch of 380 Km drive from Jaipur to Barsingsar. The region is prone to huge sand-storms and blazing hot air. I used to wonder why the 'Sheikhs' use extra attire to cover their heads and faces when they should be reducing them to beat the heat. Well, i've got the answer now. Protection against sand storms and the blazing air. You don't cover your face when you are out in the Sun, and I can safely bet a million rupees that you will return with your face burnt and your nostrils/eyes/ears laden with sand. The Sun gives no respite till 8 in the night when it finally gets the idea of going to sleep and letting darkness take over from it. With temperatures often soaring above 50 C, air coolers become a necessity rather than a luxury. While this is the story in May-June, room heaters will be the need of the hour in winter! It does rain very seasonally, but hardly enough for the scorching heat. Water, though not a problem in the township of ours, is a rare 'phenomenon' here.

Ever heard of 'thanni illatha kaadu(?)'?! Welcome to the Thar Desert!!!

To Aliyar!

In spite of repeated changes, we (Me, Ajay, Ranjith and Easwar) stuck to our original plan and accompanied MohanKumar to his home at Pollachi yesterday. After a mouth watering breakfast, the usual mokka sessions and a 'spicy'(!) lunch (We had tears in our eyes and running noses after the lunch! Paasakkara ppl..!), we embarked on our trip to Aliyar.

Located at about 22 kms from Pollachi, Aliyar is a perfect weekend getaway place.

Surrounded on three sides by majestic hills of the Western Ghats, the view of the reservoir from the dam is a visual treat. Add to it the gentle breeze. And the lofty cloud caps. And the picturesque sun set. And finally five (Add Mohan's cousin) cool ppl to hang out with!! Simply Superb! :)

The very scene of the cool and serene waters brings delight. But Aliyar's waters are not as safe as they seem. A little chat with the boat man turns scary. "Mudhalaya? irukkum... Aazham vera adhigam. Masathuku oruthar rendu peravathu sethudranga... thannikulla pogatheenga na kaeta thana.." Depth and crocs form a deadly combo. A 'warning' board reads, "Ithuvarai (from 1962) iranthavargal ennikkai: 132". "Pazhaiya boardunga athu.." chips in the boat-man. I open my mouth to ask "How old?" but stopped short in case the answer is terrifying.

The boat ride is splendid though. A ten minute boat ride that costs you just Rs.15 and takes the you to the mountain shadows is, in one word, awesome! That, we just made the last trip of the day make us feel strangely better. :)

We have fun, giving awkward poses to the camera, putting mokkais and spend the time running about the dam. A warning bell at 6:30pm says it's time to leave and we start the short walk back.

For fish lovers, ('Eating' not meant. There are fishes here that could eat you! :) ), the mini aquarium nearby houses quite a collection of fishes ranging from the Guppy to the Piranha (Locked up safely, so no worries!)

A stifling journey in a squeezingly packed bus that carried about a hundred ppl, in the place of forty and a confusing tale woven so good to escape fine for late entry from our 'nanga romba strictu!' watchmen wound up the memorable day.