ADHVAGATI

Our first visit to Goa was marred by an unsettling incident. A thief slid in through the baywindow of the hotel in Gaspar Dias, and made off with money, house-keys, a windcheater and a pouch containing my vitamins,antihistamines and a music cassette - I hope the delinquent enjoyed Harry Belafonte's rendition of "Hava Nagila" . The hotel staff and the policeman were very helpful, giving us avuncular smiles with the sage advice: Never carry money while touring ! It was almost as if they were holding us guilty of malfeasance ; the logic being, if we hadn't carried stuff, the thief wouldn't have thieved. Thanks, we had to bleat, perhaps the next time we could travel light, take PG accomodation in a fishmonger's hut, in barter for mending his nets . And sing "Hava Nagila " ourselves............   But the "next time", which was quite a few years later, we landed in Fort Aguada Resort. And lived out the holiday without any untoward incident. That...

It wasn't yet winter. But there was a definite nip in the air. Driving up from the merry little town of Arachova situated at an altitude of 1100 mts., in the heart of the looming mountains of the Parnassos range, we could see the splendid vales and folds of the mountain covered with fir, olive and other alpine vegetation, the straggly peaks poking into veils of clouds . (The summit is 2500mts. high. ) The Parnassos, ( 180 Kms. from Athens) is the most beautiful mountain range in Central Greece with a cool climate year round. The limestone mountains have enjoyed popularity since time immemorial thanks to its place in the Cult of Apollo ; in modern times ,its a much sought after National Park with two Ski Centres. Our destination was DELPHI . The principal sanctuary of Apollo.  Tucked midway into the southern slopes just under two cliffs named the Phaedriadhes ( "The Glowing Ones "), Delphi sits in a dramatic and artistic setting. The first intimation of the...

A recent news report says that Athens is the most "flirtatious" city in the world. Really ? Athens was close to a "lifeless" city the day we landed there. A sunday. Mid morning already ,when we arrived. But not a soul in sight ! Gleaming buildings, well swept pavements, broad roads , parked cars. A couple of fully shuttered vans gliding soundlessly by. Not a single sign of any life anywhere ! It was almost eerie. The cabbie just shrugged at our surprise. " Sunday!" he declared, as though that explained everything. We saw a handful of Athenians out and about on the street only after noon. And no, I dont remember anyone being anything close to friendly, let alone flirtatious !!! ........................    THE ACROPOLIS dominates Athens. It is also called the Sacred Rock as it was the location of many Greek Mythological episodes. And people, since ancient times, have been visiting Athens mainly to see and experience The Acropolis. And like most ...

There was a picture of an event called Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in the newspapers. The building forming the backdrop to the competitors looked familiar. Cape Sounion ! So, Sounion has some life after all ! When we visited the place some five odd years ago, it was dead. Absolutely dead.  During a holiday in Athens, we were badgered, almost bullied , into taking the trip to the historical promontory on the west coast of the Attica region , supposed to be home to The Temple Of Poseidon. We took the Highway 91 out of Athens and wound past beautiful little hamlets scattered along what is called the Aegean Riviera, the road hugging lengthy stretches of shimmering seacoast. It was a very enjoyable drive. 70 kms. later we landed on a hillock by the choppy waters of the Aegean Sea. A signpost announced Sounion. We marched from the parking lot through a ramp like pathway between high stone walls and soon emerged on the small plateau. But............. no Poseidon, no temp...

Life inside a mill+residences campus isn't exactly similar to gracious living within a posh Gated Community. Especially in an Indonesian countryside compound thats 40 kms. from anywhere. More like "incarceration" in a 4 star facility bearing as its postal address just a series of pointers : " Km.44 on Highway to xxx xxxx, Behind Village xxxxx , North End of Province xxxx." I guess our letters were delivered not by mailmen but by cartographers. No wonder the milkman chose to appear only twice a week. But life went on ; we lived an indian life less ordinary and even worked up nostalgia for it later!  The campus, which was home to me for a decade, nestled in a sylvan setting , amidst verdant lush paddy fields, in the shadow of a respectably tall hill . The climate,over all, was "hill-station"ish. The gardens in front of the 20 houses, tended by the company gardeners, were in perpetual bloom. The Housekeeper, a pleasant faced, industriou...

The Awesome machinery of Tour Agents:  Tourists bring in the butter and most of the bread for Egypt, a country more than amply blessed with treasures of the jawdropping kind. So it is no wonder that the tourism industry is well oiled and in perfectly functioning order. The Tour Agents are so efficient that it is more than amazing - its almost frightening ! From the time they pick you up to the time they dispatch you home, they function with robotic precision .  Right after the Hullos, they briskly rattle away answers to all questions you would ask, could ask, ought to ask , forgot to ask and never thought of asking. They even tell you when to have breakfast so that you can be in the hotel lounge when they arrive for the day's tour.  The Nile Cruise offered us the unforgettable experience of really understanding and appreciating the Six-Sigma operational system of the Mumbai Dabbawallas. In the land of the everlasting Pharaohs, we were the Dabbas.  'Ma...

 Eastern philosophies generally spiral down to the principle of Nothingness. Matter does not matter. It is all about the Inner Space,  Chit-Akasha, Nirvana, Shunya , Formlessness , in whatever way it is understood . Yet , Faith has inspired humans to create wonderous monumental art forms  dedicated to that Formless, which is yet given a Form as a crutch to meditate upon till the mind finally evolves to attain the desired No-Form state of Bliss.  During Medieval times, remarkable stone temples were  built right , left and center in South India for grand Icons that have continued to hold undiminished sway over the populace to this day .  In the midst of all that , someone came up with the idea of  enshrining the Formless , as formless.  A superb and lavish  monument was built, a pedestal ( avudai)was consecrated in the Sanctum, above which was ....nothing. Fittingly, the Lord is called Atma-natha-swami . Avudayarkoil , also known as Thiru Perun...