From Sunrise At Kunjapuri to Sunset With Ganga Aarti!

I woke up at 4:30am and by 5am, a cab was waiting to take me to the Kunjapuri temple. Situated at a height of 1920 feet and 25 kms away from Rishikesh, I had heard that it offers a spectacular view of the mountains around, especially during sunrise. 

So we set off, with the stars above and the stillnes of the dark night around. Save for a few trucks, there was hardly any traffic on the roads, and we had a smooth drive up the mountains. It was pitch dark when we started but by the time we got to Kunjapuri, the first rays of the sun had lighted up the sky and the last few kilometeres offered breathtaking views of the mountains rising above and the plains below, with the Ganga snaking through it. The cabbie had been playing some really nice devotional music throughout and I felt completely at peace as I took in the views. 

When we got to Kunjapuri, it was cold with a strong, chilly breeze and I had to brave a really long flight of stairs before I could get to the temple. Especially with the altitude and the cold, I found that not an easy task. But once up at the temple, the breathlessness from the exertion made way to breathlessness seeing the gorgeous backdrop of the quaint, serene temple. The only sounds that accompanied the beautiful sight were that of the breeze, chirping of a hundred birds and the gong of the temple bell that reverberated across as I struck it. 

I realized that I was the first visitor for the day. It was just me, a couple of priests and what seemed like their families on top. So in a way I had the whole temple to myself and I prayed to my mind's content. I had picked up a puja thali (plate) with offerings for the Goddess and once the priest took all offerings, he replaced it with a coconut and packets of puffed rice and sugar balls as prasad. As I walked out of the shrine, a darling little dog started following me, clearly for the eatables on my puja plate. I opened up the packet of the puffed rice and gave it to him, but he politely declined it and continued to follow me hopefully. Then I realized I had a dog with a sweet tooth on hand and what he really wanted were the sugar balls. So I gave those to him which he eagerly lapped up, after which he unceremoniously stopped following me. 

I kept walking around the temple, taking in the views in all directions, and soon there it was - a huge red ball of the sun rising up from beyond the mountains. It was the sunrise I had so badly wanted to see. But when it started to happen, instead of watching it, I wanted to close my eyes, while allowing the warm rays to fall upon me. 

I sat on a metal bench facing the sun, watching it rise, meditating and chanting in turns. At one point in time, while I had my eyes closed, I felt a movement next to me. I opened my eyes to see a baby monkey stealing off some of the leftover puffed rice on my puja plate! As soon as he saw me watching, the naughty little thing ran away. So I left the plate on the bench, got up and stood a short distance away and continued enjoying the sunrise and chanting. After I was done, I walked back to the bench and sure enough, the plate was now completely empty without even a grain of rice left in it. The little one had done his job well. 

After spending a good hour in the peace and quiet of the temple and making friends with two little kids who helped me break the coconut prasad, I walked back down the stairs. Half way down there was a "Maggi Cafe" where I helped myself to a cup of refreshing masala tea and then it was time for the drive back. Now with the sun completely up and the skies fully lit up, the drive offered a different view and I enjoyed it thoroughly, wanting it to never end. 

Back at the resort, it was time for my morning routine of yoga class, breakfast and shower and a short walk to the Lakshman Jhula and back. By the time I was back, I was completely exhausted from the early morning rise, the climbing of stairs and all the walking and I collapsed into my bed and napped right away. 

I woke up just in time for the afternoon yoga class, which thankfully wasn't too strenuous. After two rounds of sun salutations on each side, he made us do different kinds of pranayama or breathing exercises and also got us to meditate. 

And then I set off once again, this time for the Ganga Aarti. Different ashrams and temples around Rishikesh hold evening prayers to the holy river Ganga and the biggest prayer in Rishikesh is held at the Paramartha Ashram. The hotel arranged for an auto-rickshaw to take me there. From where the rickshaw dropped me, it was another flight of stairs and a walk of about 750 mts, which including walking through the Ram Jhula (the other long hanging bridge of Rishikesh), alleys of shops, temples and ashrams - all of which were alive and vibrant with pilgrims and tourists and yoga enthusiasts. I loved the energy! 

At the beautiful Paramartha Ashram, the bhajans preceeding the Aarti had already begun and I joined the big group that had gathered along Ganga's shore. Again, I meditated as they sang, and then once I was done, watched the sun set beyond the river. Soon the Aarti began and several big lamps were being swung in a circular motion in respect of the holy river. It was a fascinating sight but I have to say that I was a bit taken aback by how much of it was "touristy" vs. spiritual. Even though many folks seemed to focus on the prayers, the vast majority, including a few sadhus and people donning the orange robes, were more interested in taking selfies or posing with the aarti lamps. I wished I was in a pre-camera era when the atmosphere would have been so different and I do think they should be banning videography and photography in those premises.  

I was also heartbroken to realize that the huge Shiva statue that graced the waters in that spot before, had been washed off in last year's floods. I was really looking forward to seeing that utterly magnificent statue and had no idea it was no longer there. I believe the guy who passed on this information saw the heavy disappointment on my face, so he helpfully told me that, if I walk down all the way to the other end of the Paramartha Ashram, I can see two other white Mahadeva (Shiva) statues. I thought, might as well. So I walked in to the ashram in search of the statues, and I didn't see two but many more. They had a few really, really amazing statues of the Mahadeva in various Thandava (dance) postures. They were spectacular. I also saw the two white ones the guys had mentioned and at the end of it all, felt a little better and less disappointed. 

By the way, I must also mention that I am really enjoying speaking Hindi here. I had picked up conversational Hindi in college from my future husband and our friends and this is the first time I am really use it left, right and centre. So when I hear new words which I have only learnt in school but never really used before, I feel excited! When the guy was explaining where I would find the Mahadeva statue, he said I had to walk across the "Bageecha" (garden) and I was so amused because the last time I had heard that word was in some story in class five or so! So I did walk through the bageecha and not only find the statues, but also saw a few people scattered across, practicing their yoga in the bageecha. Gosh, I love this place! 

Soon I walked back the whole way - through the bageecha, out of the ashram, through the shops and alleys and temples (where there were more aartis happening and prayers and chants and gongs were vibrating all across the area), across the Ram Jhula, up the flight of stairs, finally to an auto rickshaw that was waiting for me. The temperature had dropped significantly and there was a chilly wind blowing, and even as I sat in the rickety auto rickshaw that made it a point to jump over every gutter and pothole (and there were plenty of them), I couldn't feel happier. 

By the time I got back to the hotel, I was ready to drop from exhaustion but I first ordered myself some more masala chai and some hot kichdi and then got hooked on to my Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni book again (it's called "Oleander Girl, by the way). I went to bed only past midnight after I successfully finished ready it. I have lapped up three books so far on this trip! 

Another wonderful day comes to an end. 

Vasishtha Cave, Ganga, German Bakery & Retirement!

After yet another challenging yet refreshing yoga class in the morning, followed by a shower and breakfast, I set out on my first expedition out of Rishikesh - to the Vasishtha cave. The hotel had arranged for a cab to take me there and I loved the drive that was along the Ganges throughout. Every turn in the road offered more and more picturesque views of the mountains and the river cutting through it in a gorge below. The weather was perfect too - the skies were clouded, hiding away the strong sun, and there was a slight drizzle that brought down the temperature significantly.

I also enjoyed reading the various signboards warning against overspeeding of vehicles. There were the usual "Speed thrills but kills" ones, to more innovative "Licence to drive, not fly", to some stuff which I totally didn't get like "I am the mountain serpent (pahadi nagin), be careful with me"?!, to my most favourite one - the very straightforward, the no-nonsense  "No need to speed". OK then. 

In a way, I didn't want the drive to end but when it did, I was pleased that it was in a remote area with pretty much zero other tourists. I had expected the Vasishtha cave - an auspicious cave which is believed to have been where Sage Vaishtha meditated thousands of years ago - to be crowded. But when the car stopped at the entrance to the ashram which housed the cave, I saw no one else around. 

From the main entrance where the car was parked, it was a steep walk downhill, made harder by the rain that persisted. Thankfully the hotel manager had thrusted an umbrella into my hands just as I was about to get into the cab, and even though many of its wires were broken and it looked like some modern artistic sculpture with no identifiable shape, it did help to keep me dry as I walked down. 

There was the ashram on one side and a really tiny temple in front, which I realized was the entrance to the cave. I took off my shoes and stepped into pitch darkness. I had been informed that it is about 30 feet deep, so I walked in trying to make my way in the darkness, and was a bit startled when I realized there were fellow humans popping up along the walls of the cave. As my eyes adjusted a bit better to the darkness, I saw about 6-7 people sitting on either sides of the cave meditating. The cave ended in a tiny shrine with a shiva linga. With the help of the little lamp in front of the linga, I found an empty spot on the floor in between a friendly Indian lady who smiled at me and a totally unfriendly Indian uncle who looks terrible annoyed with me. 

I sat down on that spot and meditated for a while. The only thing that seemed to break the pin drop of silence of that holy atmosphere was the sound of breathing of the few of us in there. It was just the perfect set up for meditation and I made good use of it. At one point in time, the priest of the temple came by, stood outside the cave but facing in, sang a beautiful prayer and did the puja and walked away. That was a very different experience - usually they are always turned away from you, looking towards the deity as they do the prayers. This was the first time I got to be in that zone between the priest and the deity with the chanting and the glow from the fires of the arati flying by right across me. Wonderful experience! 

Once I had my fill of meditation and silent mantra chanting, I walked out and noticed that there was a path from that cave that led to the Ganga just a little distance. So I walked down to the river and just as I stepped outside the compound of the ashram, I was blown away by the beauty around! There was the might Ganga roaring away right in front with a beautiful sandy beach that leads up to it and  magnificent hills forming the backdrop. It was continuing to drizzle, but it was my first time at such close quarters with the river - till now I have only been looking at from a distant height - so I took off my shoes and stepped into its chilly waters, cupped a handful of the water considered holy and sprinkled it on my head and for a very long time, just stood there taking in the beauty. The best part was that I was the only there - no fellow camera wielding tourists or pilgrims around. It was just me, the Ganga and the mountains! 

After I got back to the hotel, I stepped out again immediately, this time to the market near Lakshman Jhula. I had noticed a few shops with in house tailors and I used the opportunity to get a few pants that were on sale to be re-stitched the way I want them . They were only too happy to oblige and didn't even charge me anything extra! As I waited for the tailors to do their job, I decided to have lunch at the "German Bakery & Cafe". This place is perched on the second floor of a building right next to the lakshman jhula with possible the best view in the area and every time I wanted to go there, it seemed to be over crowded. But this time I was lucky and I got myself a nice "window seat" and read my book as I had my fill of "Chilli Paneer" and Masala Chai. The chai was great and the food was average, but the view was spectacular and the constant din created by the monkeys that played around on the tin sheets right above, added to the experience! 

I was exhausted by the time I got back - the yoga followed by the walk up and down to the cave and then again the walk up and down to market really tired me out, and I took a nap before the second yoga class for the day. The second class ended up being a private one for just me, because my two fellow yoginis got caught up somewhere else and couldn't get back on time. I enjoyed the class (as always!) and treated myself to a glass of sweet fresh lime soda and my book right after. 

I took the rest of the evening easy - just reading, catching up with the hubby, parents, in laws, film crew etc. via whatsapp and generally giving my sore muscles some rest. I managed to finish my Vikramaditya book which I quite enjoyed (even though I have to say that I am rather annoyed with this nonsense trilogy trend - hate a story being incomplete in one book!) and started on my Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni book, which also looks promising so far! 

Thus, yet another day in Rishikesh came to an end and am already at the half way point of this retreat, the thought of which is kinda heartbreaking. The good news is that this place has been shortlisted to be in my "retirement location" options. I have had the good fortune of travelling quite a bit around the world but I think this combination works best for me so far - it is in India and hence affordable, I like the weather so far (even though I need to come back in winter and see how it would be like) and with the thousands of yoga training centres, ashrams and temples there is much to do for a retiree. It is interesting because I had been strangely drawn to Rishikesh even in my first very short visit here, about 20 years ago. We had come on a day's trip from Delhi and covered Rishikesh, Haridwar, Agra and Vrindavan. And Rishikesh was the only place I wanted to go back to. Haridwar is only 27kms from here and I could go there if I wanted to, but I really have no inclination. 

So yes, there is something that connects me to this place and I want to come back again, but for now I am happy that I got this opportunity to be right here, right now. 

Rains, Books, Headstands!

I woke up to a very different Rishikesh - dark clouds, thunder, frequent showers and cold, gusty wind that was so strong that the hotel staff had to lock their glass doors in front to prevent them from breaking (But I saw a few unfortunate, broken flower pots which couldn't be saved)! It was beautiful and practicing yoga in this weather was right about the most perfect experience! 

After the morning class, I headed down to breakfast, with the company of my new book "The Guardians of Halahala" which is the first of the "Vikramidaitya Trilogy". I am enjoying it so far. Today, I helped myself to some upma and vegetable paratha, together with my favourite drink masala chai. 

When rain outside took a break, I stepped out to enjoy the wind and wonderful cool weather. I walked around the pool and enjoyed the view of the hills all around. I also met an old Indian uncle from London, who was on his umpteenth post retirement holiday. He had been around pretty much all over India as well as rest of world, and is now in the process of visiting a few that corners that he has missed out (Singapore and Thailand apparently) and revisiting places that he had fallen in love with (including Rishikesh). What I loved about him was that he had a real zest to explore the world and live life to fullest. He must be at least 70 years old, but apparently is just back after white water rafting, even as his wife rested it out in their room! Needless to say, I thought he was awesome. 

My afternoon yoga was quite an experience. I did my first ever Sheershasana - yup, The Headstand!!! OK fine, I was assisted by the teacher, who helped me prop my legs up against the wall, but a first is a first is a first and I am extremely thrilled about it! 

Feeling on top of the world and wanting to make the most of the weather that continued to be gorgeous, I decided to go for another walk to Lakshman Jhula. This time, I didn't walk on that crowded, rather unsettling bridge. Instead I climbed up a small platform at a height and watched the crowds and bridge and temples and water beneath. I don't know how long I sat there. It was so peaceful... with the distant chanting of mantras in my ears and watching the Ganga flowing smoothly, purposefully, I once again thanked all the stars and all the Gods for giving me the opportunity to be there, just then. 

On my way back - two things caught my eye. First, was a humungous grey haired, black faced monkey with a tail that didn't seem to end. It was at least 3 or 4 times the size of any other monkey I had seen so far, it's grey colour was unique from the other yellow ochre monkeys and the tail... wow.  It was sitting majestically, on top of a wall, with such a calm, serene expression. I probably should have taken a picture of it, but I couldn't get myself to... it somehow felt like it would have trivialized the presence of that wondrous creature. So I just let it be. 

The second thing that caught my eye was a tiny little book shop, the kind you can find only in India, where there are books literally in every inch of space within - all over the walls, all over the floor - stacked and strewn away in the most disorganized manner, some brand new, some yellowing with age, some with edges bitten off by bugs, and some with no price tags. Initially, I was skeptical whether I would find books of my taste - i.e. fiction - because all I could see on the window panel were books about yoga, hinduism and sadhus, but then I realized right in the midst of it all, was also a book called "Bollywood Nights" by Shobha De. OK then. And sure enough, they had everything from yoga, religion and spirituality to cooking, western classical literature and entrepreneurship. It was a little piece of paradise. So I spent some time there as well and picked three books that are sure to be delightful - two by R.K.Narayan and one by Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee, an author whom my mom in law had introduced to me a long time ago - I thought I had read all her works so far, so was delighted to find yet another work of hers!

Back in my room after my little outing and a simple dinner of roti and vegetables, I put all my effort into some storyboarding work. There is much work still left for the film's pre-production and this was one part of it. I made quite some progress, and hope to complete it within the next couple of days. In other news, every time I realize that the shoot is just a week away, I have minor palpitations. Gulp. 

Two days and four yoga classes down. Four days and eight more lessons to go. 

When I was walking around the Lakshman Jhula today, I noticed a foreign tourist, with his big backpack hanging from his shoulders, gazing melancholically at the river and the view beyond. He seemed to be transfixed to the spot and looked really, really sad. The first thing that occured to me was that maybe it was time for him to leave Rishikesh and he probably doesn't want to. I am certain that I would be feeling the exact same way in a few days' time, because there is something so magnetic about this place. And I am falling in love with it a little bit more every day. 

P.S. Today was Singapore's founding father Lee Kwan Yue's funeral. A lot has been said and written about this man, so I won't repeat any of it. But it would not be right if I don't take a moment to thank him. Had he not did what he did for Singapore to become what it is today, I probably would have had a very different life. So from the bottom of my heart, Thank you, Mr. Lee. Rest in peace. 

Yoga & Incredible India!

God! I am loving this so much, I have no idea why I didn't do it any earlier!

OK, let's take it from the beginning. 

I woke up by 6:30 or so, feeling a lot better than yesterday evening, but still with a running nose. My first class of the retreat was to start at 8am, so I first went down to the restaurant and had my favourite Ginger Honey Lemon tea. As I sipped on the tea, I also finished up that horrible book I had been reading yesterday. The book was bad, but at least I have the satisfaction of actually reading a book end to end!

After tea, I went up to the yoga studio and waited for the class to start. Sharp at 7:55am the teacher, a young Indian guy, walked in, handed over the yoga mats to me and the two other girls who are part of the same retreat as me, and we were all set to start! 

He started off with a little bit of meditation, a few prayers, some simple warm up and then went straight ahead into the yoga postures. And man, it was AWESOME! I have a little bit of experience with yoga and this was only the first class, but I found it pretty challenging and exciting! It makes such a difference practicing with a real master!  He was slow and deliberate and made small corrections that made a world of difference, and I really enjoyed every bit of it! The session ended with two rounds of surya namaskar. Again, I am familiar with suryanamaskars... but mainly via Youtube videos. The way he taught it was incredible! It was pretty challenging as he made us hold on to every posture until we were trembling, and by the end of it I felt pretty enlightened... I thought, "Oh, so this is suryanamaskar!"  

Post the class, I went for the buffet breakfast and helped myself to some poha, vegetable paratha and some masala chai and felt pretty satisfied with it all. During breakfast, different people from the hotel - starting with its owners, the general manager and others, came up to me, introduced themselves, asked me how everything was and generally made me feel pretty good. Really, their service is too good! I also learnt that there are three retreats happening in the hotel right now - one that I am attending, another with a bigger group that started a few days earlier, and yet another, even bigger one which is a teacher training group from the US. On top of this, there are a few guests who are not on a "retreat" but have the option of taking one free yoga lesson every morning. 

Sure enough, over the last 24 hours, I have noticed that where I turn, there are people practicing yoga - in the studio, on the terrace, in the garden, near the pool - it was like a little community of hardcore yoga enthusiasts! So inspiring! 

After breakfast, I took a shower, worked on the film script/storyboard for a while and then took some rest to give that cold of mine a break. Lunch was ala carte, but still part of the package I had taken. I ordered myself a dish that seemed like mixed vegetable manchurian (even though that wasn't the name on the menu) and a couple of tawa rotis. Post lunch, I did what anyone would do in such a situation. I slept off. 

Soon it was 4pm - time for the second class of the day. The teacher once again started off with the same meditation, prayers and warm up but the postures in round 2 were slightly modified, more advanced stages of what we did in the morning. Even the surya namaskars at the end were modified slightly to make them more challenging. I really liked the progressive approach but was also pretty certain that tomorrow I would be just a heap of sore muscles.

Post the class, I set out to actually see a bit of Rishikesh. I had been confined to my hotel ever since I got here yesterday, thanks to the darn cold, and it was high time that I stepped out. So I walked out to the point of interest closest to my hotel - the Lakshman Jhula, or one of the two main hanging bridges of Rishikesh, across the mighty Ganges. I walked down a steep downhill path - first a very narrow alley that went by tiny yoga ashrams and tinier temples with chanting echoing through its walls, and then later on the main road that led to the bridge - again, plenty of temples, plenty of shops, vehicles, tourists, sadhus, cows and what not. 

The bridge itself was an epitome for "exotic" India - you know the India that is completely stereotyped since the British Raj and currently in wester media? Yeah, the bridge was making that stereotype come completely alive. 

Within those few meters of that extremely narrow bridge which has just enough space for two rows of pedestrians, there were pedestrians of course, and also scooters, prams, monkeys, dogs, cows (I actually bumped into one after expertly avoiding a dog) - there were vendors, tourists, locals, foreigners, youngest ones wrapped and bound to their mother's chests to oldest ones craning on to walking sticks, vibhuthi, tattoos, piercings, "Om" symbols, blacks, whites, colours, plains, prints, long hair, short hair, matted hair, shaved heads - all of it crammed on to that one all consuming bridge. Phew! 

It was Incredible India compressed into that tiny space. And sure enough, it was absolute chaos as everyone was trying to take pictures of it standing right there. 

I somehow got off on the other end, and went right into a tiny temple which was empty and quiet and exuded peace as if unaware of the chaos outside. I spent some time there, and then walked back through the bridge once again, shopped around a bit, went to another serene temple - this one was actually the historic Lakshman Jhula temple but not soul was in it, and then walked back to the hotel, this time taking the steep uphill path. 

I was super tired by the time I got back - from the cold, the two yoga classes, the walk. So I immediately freshened up, had my dinner - rotis and a platter of tandoor vegetables, and hit the bed early with my second book for the trip in hand. 

Everything felt so perfect - the solo travel that's giving me so much time to myself to sleep, read, relax, doing a lot of good quality yoga, and being in an atmosphere that is so spiritually vibrant. Feeling so grateful! 

Yoga & Incredible India!

God! I am loving this so much, I have no idea why I didn't do it any earlier!

OK, let's take it from the beginning. 

I woke up by 6:30 or so, feeling a lot better than yesterday evening, but still with a running nose. My first class of the retreat was to start at 8am, so I first went down to the restaurant and had my favourite Ginger Honey Lemon tea. As I sipped on the tea, I also finished up that horrible book I had been reading yesterday. The book was bad, but at least I have the satisfaction of actually reading a book end to end!

After tea, I went up to the yoga studio and waited for the class to start. Sharp at 7:55am the teacher, a young Indian guy, walked in, handed over the yoga mats to me and the two other girls who are part of the same retreat as me, and we were all set to start! 

He started off with a little bit of meditation, a few prayers, some simple warm up and then went straight ahead into the yoga postures. And man, it was AWESOME! I have a little bit of experience with yoga and this was only the first class, but I found it pretty challenging and exciting! It makes such a difference practicing with a real master!  He was slow and deliberate and made small corrections that made a world of difference, and I really enjoyed every bit of it! The session ended with two rounds of surya namaskar. Again, I am familiar with suryanamaskars... but mainly via Youtube videos. The way he taught it was incredible! It was pretty challenging as he made us hold on to every posture until we were trembling, and by the end of it I felt pretty enlightened... I thought, "Oh, so this is suryanamaskar!"  

Post the class, I went for the buffet breakfast and helped myself to some poha, vegetable paratha and some masala chai and felt pretty satisfied with it all. During breakfast, different people from the hotel - starting with its owners, the general manager and others, came up to me, introduced themselves, asked me how everything was and generally made me feel pretty good. Really, their service is too good! I also learnt that there are three retreats happening in the hotel right now - one that I am attending, another with a bigger group that started a few days earlier, and yet another, even bigger one which is a teacher training group from the US. On top of this, there are a few guests who are not on a "retreat" but have the option of taking one free yoga lesson every morning. 

Sure enough, over the last 24 hours, I have noticed that where I turn, there are people practicing yoga - in the studio, on the terrace, in the garden, near the pool - it was like a little community of hardcore yoga enthusiasts! So inspiring! 

After breakfast, I took a shower, worked on the film script/storyboard for a while and then took some rest to give that cold of mine a break. Lunch was ala carte, but still part of the package I had taken. I ordered myself a dish that seemed like mixed vegetable manchurian (even though that wasn't the name on the menu) and a couple of tawa rotis. Post lunch, I did what anyone would do in such a situation. I slept off. 

Soon it was 4pm - time for the second class of the day. The teacher once again started off with the same meditation, prayers and warm up but the postures in round 2 were slightly modified, more advanced stages of what we did in the morning. Even the surya namaskars at the end were modified slightly to make them more challenging. I really liked the progressive approach but was also pretty certain that tomorrow I would be just a heap of sore muscles.

Post the class, I set out to actually see a bit of Rishikesh. I had been confined to my hotel ever since I got here yesterday, thanks to the darn cold, and it was high time that I stepped out. So I walked out to the point of interest closest to my hotel - the Lakshman Jhula, or one of the two main hanging bridges of Rishikesh, across the mighty Ganges. I walked down a steep downhill path - first a very narrow alley that went by tiny yoga ashrams and tinier temples with chanting echoing through its walls, and then later on the main road that led to the bridge - again, plenty of temples, plenty of shops, vehicles, tourists, sadhus, cows and what not. 

The bridge itself was an epitome for "exotic" India - you know the India that is completely stereotyped since the British Raj and currently in wester media? Yeah, the bridge was making that stereotype come completely alive. 

Within those few meters of that extremely narrow bridge which has just enough space for two rows of pedestrians, there were pedestrians of course, and also scooters, prams, monkeys, dogs, cows (I actually bumped into one after expertly avoiding a dog) - there were vendors, tourists, locals, foreigners, youngest ones wrapped and bound to their mother's chests to oldest ones craning on to walking sticks, vibhuthi, tattoos, piercings, "Om" symbols, blacks, whites, colours, plains, prints, long hair, short hair, matted hair, shaved heads - all of it crammed on to that one all consuming bridge. Phew! 

It was Incredible India compressed into that tiny space. And sure enough, it was absolute chaos as everyone was trying to take pictures of it standing right there. 

I somehow got off on the other end, and went right into a tiny temple which was empty and quiet and exuded peace as if unaware of the chaos outside. I spent some time there, and then walked back through the bridge once again, shopped around a bit, went to another serene temple - this one was actually the historic Lakshman Jhula temple but not soul was in it, and then walked back to the hotel, this time taking the steep uphill path. 

I was super tired by the time I got back - from the cold, the two yoga classes, the walk. So I immediately freshened up, had my dinner - rotis and a platter of tandoor vegetables, and hit the bed early with my second book for the trip in hand. 

Everything felt so perfect - the solo travel that's giving me so much time to myself to sleep, read, relax, doing a lot of good quality yoga, and being in an atmosphere that is so spiritually vibrant. Feeling so grateful! 

Rishikesh!

Pretty much all last night and this morning was spent travelling. I took a flight out of Singapore at 2:30am today and reached Delhi at 5:30am IST. During the flight I watched a really adorable film called Filmistaan. Loved it! 

Then I had a long 5 hours wait before my domestic flight to Dehradun, during which I bought a few books, had Onion Uthappam and Filter Coffee from "Vaango" at the Food Court, dozed off a bit in a lounge chair and walked around aimlessly for a bit.  

Flight to Dehradun was just 30 mins during which there was a mad frenzy of distributing sandwiches by the crew. I don't really know why Jet Airways bother distributing food for a 30 minute flight, it was chaotic to say the least. I didn't get any sandwiches. What I got was a window seat out of which I could make out the snow capped Himalayas at a distance and the plains down below. Soon the foothills started to appear below, and it was time to land. 

I was picked up by the hotel car from Dehradun airport. It was just a short 30 minute drive from the airport to Rishikesh, where my retreat is. Most of the road was through a thick forest with "BEWARE OF ELEPHANTS" signs all around, some with pictures of wild elephants toppling over cars, for added effect. I found that so thrilling and kept my eyes peeled to catch sight of a few of the majestic beings. I saw none. Instead, I saw monkeys and at one point, a huge patch of gorgeous purple flowers on the side of the road. 

One thing I noted through the drive was how every stream around was completely dried up. There was not one drop of water to be seen anywhere. I wasn't expecting that. I thought these rivers were watered by the melting snow, and given that we were just in end of March, they should be having a lot of water now. But the driver told me that these streams carry water only during monsoons. "No rain, no water". Hmmm. 

I had been to Rishikesh once exactly 20 years ago. That was during April and it was HOT in Delhi. But I remember Rishikesh to be extremely cold, especially in the morning when there was a strong wind and there was a thunderous Ganges flowing with icy, cold water. "Am I not going to experience any of that this time?", I wondered sadly.

I wasn't sad for too long, because just then we passed by the main river in Rishikesh, the Ganges that cuts right across the little town - and there it was, huge, mighty, with a lovely blue shade, flowing calmly as if saying "I am still here". That cheered me up considerably. 

Soon we reached Dewa Retreat, my home for the next one week. Everyone greeted me with a pleasant Namaste and my welcome gift was a string of prayer beads. How lovely! I also realized that I am probably the only Indian guest staying here... the place seemed to be full of foreigners! I checked into my comfortable room and was served a welcome drink of sweet Tulsi Tea. It was awesome! The view from the balcony was a little bit of the town with the Himalayan foothills beyond. The river is only a 7 minute walk but could not be seen from here. 

After freshening up, I ordered some room service - Spicy Hakka Noodles and Sweet Lime Soda. And then I went to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep. 

I woke up with a horrible flu - I was feverish, had a really bad running nose and a few horrible bouts of cough. Ugh. I cursed the absolute lack of immunity just before a yoga retreat. I had packed a lot of medicines but none for a fever I realized. So I called up the reception for some fever medicine and I must say, I got the best service ever! 

They first asked me the symptoms and after a while, got me a few tablets. They also brought me a huge jug of hot water to inhale steam from. When I ordered the convalescent food of "kichdi" - or rather, "vegetable kichdi" as per the menu, they told me that for my condition, kichdi made of moong dal and ginger, with some vegetables would be a better option. So that's what I had - moong dal kichdi and Ginger Honey Lemon Tea. By the time I hit the bed, I was feeling better from being well looked after. Really incredible service! 

I spent some time reading a book I bought from the airport (a really horrid one unfortunately - I mean, brilliant language but terrible plot with about zero creativity) and at some point in time, fell fast asleep. 

Now looking forward to the first yoga lesson of the retreat tomorrow morning, and hoping that I will wake up a lot less sick for it! 

What The Rest Of This Sabbatical Will Look Like!

It's been a few days since my last post and much has happened! I mean, MUCH has happened! 

For starters, now I know when exactly this sabbatical is going to end. Yup, I have accepted a job offer - something that promises to be both incredibly exciting and challenging - and I am super thrilled with it! 

More details about the company and role will follow later, but the last few days have been just too good to be true. I had a string of interviews, one after the other, all within 4 working days or so, and I was verbally offered the role in my last "interview" which was a videoconference with my future manager, followed by the actual written offer yesterday, which I accepted. I had been in talks with this company for a different role a few weeks ago but that didn't happen, so I was very excited through the latest developments because this was a company that I really was keen on - it is a new and meaningful category, they are known to be one of the best employers around, and I had really good experiences talking to each and every person during my interviews, that I thought the 'feel' was just right. The role that I had been offered is not going to be easy for sure, but then what's life if not with a bit of a challenge? So am really looking forward to it! 

Which brings us to point no. 2. My starting date would be May 4th and this means that out of the remaining sabbatical, I would be in Singapore for only 4 days. 

Because, as I write this, I am on my much awaited, much dreamt of yoga retreat! Yeah, baby! I am off to Rishikesh, the Yoga Capital of the World (as it is popularly known as) for a week long yoga retreat. I had originally booked this in October 2014 for February this year, but given all that was happening at the time (the Little One's "ezhuthiniruthu" ceremony, my cousin's wedding, leaving P&G etc), I postponed it and finally have decided to get it done before this sabbatical ends. 

After the Yoga retreat, I will be back in Singapore for the abovementioned 4 days, after which I will leave for UAE for the film's shoot and then from there to Kerala to spend some more time than my typical 4-day holiday with my parents. Like my dad put it across "if you don't spend time here now, when will you ever?" Point noted. This also means that after probably a gap of a decade, I get to see the biggest festival that part of the world witnesses - the magnificent Thrissur Pooram, and this has made my mom go into a frenzy of joy because she is one of the biggest enthusiasts of the festival! Awesomeness! And after that when I get back, it's time for the new workplace! 

So there, that's what the remaining sabbatical looks like. It would last for a total 2 months (March/April) and looks pretty packed for the rest of it. 

The last few days had been crazy preparing for what's coming up - I had been packing madly for the various trips (retreat, shoot, home) because I won't be getting time in between, I had been packing for the little one who will also be coming to Kerala, I had to get my medical tests done for the new company, had to get a bunch of paperwork completed, make sure all bills are paid or are ready to be paid for the next few weeks, shop, say goodbye to friends and what not. 

But it's all done now and am here, at the gate of the Changi airport, super excited about this first solo trip ever, that's not for work! Even the location recee trip to UAE was "work" technically, and I always had my team with me there. But this is just going to I, me and myself and I am so looking forward to the quiet, contemplative time. It's just what I need for what lies ahead. 

Just. So. Excited (and grateful for everything so far!) 

Mummy on a Mission!

Everyone in my family and my friend circles would be aware how little my daughter sleeps. It's because I keep complaining about it. You would too, if you had a child who hasn't slept for few hours in a row in the last 2 years and 4 months. There have been many days when the sleep deprivation gets the better of the husband and I.

When I got back from UAE, I realized that the problem has actually worsened, a lot owing to her consumption of large quantities of milk at night. She was going through four whole bottles of milk vs. her usual 1 or maximum 2, which was disrupting everyone's sleep including her own. So much so that the little one who used to wake up on her own everyday at 7:30 - 8am, was now struggling to wake up at 9am. She was clearly sleep deprived.

So I decided enough was enough. Night time bottle feeding was ruining sleep and also probably ruining her teeth. A couple of months ago, her pediatric dentist had asked me to stop it to avoid tooth decay, but we had continued it nevertheless because she seemed to so want it. We just introduced some compensatory behaviours like frequent brushing and cleaning of teeth, but truth be told, that was never in the middle of night, so wouldn't have helped much with the harm caused by night time bottles.

So long story short, I steeled my heart, gathered all the bottles and put them away and told the hubby as well as the helper to not touch them ever again. The hubby went on a business trip during the same time, which was great, because his heart usually isn't as steely when it comes to his daughter. He likes to indulge her once her decibels strike a certain level. So it was all up to me to manage her through the night and I asked the helper - who is the other person with not so steely a heart - to stay put in her own room no matter how much the little one cries during the night.

I braced myself for a few days of major tantrums during afternoon naps and the nights. She is so used to falling asleep with a bottle in her mouth and getting refills throughout the night, so she was expected to put up a fight.

Sure enough, on the first day there was some resistance while falling asleep. She asked for her bottle, I distracted her with stories and rhymes, until at some point in time she fell asleep on her own. And then the magic happened! She slept straight for 7 hours! Not once did she wake up and ask for the milk!!!! She slept through the night right from day one of my mission!

I am grinning from ear to ear as I am writing this because OH-MY-DEAR-GOD I CAN FINALLY SLEEP!!! (Also kicking myself for not having done this any earlier!)

Two days of the mission has now passed with really good results and I can now safely say Mission Accomplished! 

The Very Good of the Film Making World!

Yesterday's post was a bit of rant from my end, I realize. Usually I don't write anything negative on this blog, but that episode was close to my heart. 

But seems like the universe heard a bit of the rant and decided to cheer me up because today something super cool happened! 

A very respected producer from the Malayalam film industry (I believe ALL the films he has produced have won multiple Kerala State film awards!) watched Athazham and reached out to me to congratulate! Not just that, when I replied back with a thank you note on Facebook, he was actually online and we ended up chatting a while on film making, At the end of it, he even offered to send me suggestions and feedback on the new project in the pipeline! HOW-FREAKING-AWESOMELY-COOL-IS-THAT?! 

That TOTALLY made my day! I shared the good news with my team and they were all pretty excited about it too. Clearly, some days in the film making world are simply too good to be true, making all that heart pain completely worthwhile! 

The Good & Bad of the Film Making World!

It was a day of mixed feelings.

On one hand, really good feedback kept coming in for Athazham's latest episode which, needless to say, took me right to cloud nine! People were sharing it with their friends, I was receiving a lot of messages from not just friends, but also complete strangers, some of them really quite sweet - one even went to say that the episodes are helping me feel good during an otherwise tough time!

On top of that, a friend called up to say that he met with a couple of film makers who want to make a film in Singapore and they are looking for relevant technicians, including the director, and that he thought it should be something that's right up my alley. Am not yet too sure of what's going to come out of that, but I thought it was pretty cool I am being considered as a serious director these days!

So yes, all that is super cool stuff in the film making world - being able to reach people, getting appreciation, being considered for more film making opportunities. Super grateful for all of it!

Now here comes the downside. It is also a field, as with any creative fields these days, plagued by plagiarism and absolute lack of respect for the idea of copyright.

Inganeyum Oru Katha - a Malayalam short film I had made a few years ago, remains my most popular work till date, crossing 300,000 views on Youtube. Some broadcasting networks like MalayalamTV in the US and RadioVOX in Middle East had also broadcasted it, after getting the due permission from me - and it's always been given for free as my only objective was more reach and no commercial gain. Those folks asked me for permission to feature, and I let them.

A couple of scenes from the film were also ripped, word by word, shot by shot, in a short film that was on Youtube. But that wasn't a big deal because it was done by a bunch of college students and I thought the whole thing was rather cute.

Recently however, a channel that claims to be the first regional Malayalam channel in UAE - NTV - telecast the film. It came to my notice because a few friends from UAE congratulated me on the film after watching it on TV! I was a bit taken aback because they had not gotten any permission from me to telecast this film.

A mutual contact in UAE said he will just check in on them on how this happened. And guess what their reply was? "It is on Youtube, which is public domain - so we can use it any way we want.".

Wow, seriously?

Why don't they broadcast the biggest Malayalam films, all available on Youtube, for free then?

I can imagine youngsters dabbling with filming or people not from the industry thinking this way, but how can a professional, commercial broadcasting channel be this ridiculous!

Anyway, that was a good lesson on how people can walk all over you at the slightest opportunity and that sometimes, there is pretty much zero integrity in this field, even with the apparent biggies.

I guess for now, I will just be happy that they thought my film was good enough to steal it. I will also just continue enjoying  the response to Athazham until someone completely steals that too and spoils the fun.  

From Ammini Kozhukatta to Mumbai Magic!

My sitcom Athazham's fourth episode was released today! It featured the super yummy snack 'Ammini Kozhukatta'. 

As usual with the release of any of my works, I remained pretty nervous until the release was completed and the feedback started coming in. You always wonder how people would receive what you create! Fortunately, and thank God for that, this episode was well received too and I began to relax after the first few comments came in. 

The rest of the day was dedicated to the Little One. We spent all the time together  - right from after the release until her dinner time - playing and really working up that mom-daughter bonding. 

Sunday evenings are usually kept aside for dinner with the hubby. It is our catch up time about the week that went past and it is also the time we explore one food joint or another. 

Today's amazing discovery was Mumbai Magic, a tiny place on Race Course Road which serves different thalis (set meals) - e.g. Gujarati, Maharashtrian, Rajasthani, Jain, North Indian, South Indian etc. for just $7! 

I ordered a Rajasthani thali and the hubby ordered a Gujarati one and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It was simple, homely, delicious food. We also had panipuri and masala chai which were really good as well - in fact the hubby mentioned that the chai was very close to the famed "Moti Jeel Chai" from his hometown Kanpur! Now, that's really saying something!

To top it all, the service was really good too - the place is run by a family and they were always checking in on us to see if everything was OK. I super loved it! 

So yes. it was a rather foody day one way or the other and a good one at that! 

Shot Breakdowns, Scripts, Edits, Rehearsals & Catch Ups!

The last few days have been busy and productive. Here's all that I managed to get done.

1) Completed the shot breakdowns for all the scenes except one, for the new feature film. That one leftover scene is something I haven't cracked yet. The challenge is that the scene is very long and I need to figure a way out to make it visually engaging throughout. Fingers crossed for some idea to strike me soon!

2) Had two rehearsals for the film - one of them while walking through the crowded Pagoda Street in Chinatown, under the hot afternoon sun. This was to get the cast familiarized with the layout of a typical street market, which would be the location for this particular scene. Of course, the hot afternoon sun was just a by product of the scheduling vs. an actual requirement, but I guess it doesn't do any harm to familiarize with the heat... which is something to be expected in Abu Dhabi by April.

3) Completed the next episode for Athazham - this meant sitting down with my editor to finalize the edit, doing subtitles (one of those tedious, boring things that I consider a necessary evil), updating the food blog, etc. It should be released tomorrow.

4) Scripted a new episode for Athazham - this one will feature two guest roles, so it's gonna be fun! Now we need to figure out when to shoot it!

5) Caught up with friends - finally! I hadn't met anyone for more than a month now... what will all the traveling, so now I finally caught up with the usual gang and also my best friend from P&G (who is also an ex P&Ger now). I also managed to have catch up chats over the phone, whatsapp etc. with whole lot of others, all of which I think is good use of the sabbatical time.

6) Tickets booked for shoot! - Last, but definitely not the least, our (i.e. the cast's and mine) air tickets are booked for the shoot of the feature film next month! Phew! It is going to be incredibly exciting but I am also bracing myself with how incredibly exhausting it is going to be as well as how many issues we are going to face (I am certain there will be plenty). But I think this would be an experience of a lifetime and I can't wait!

So far, so good!

What My "Stay-At-Home" Motherhood Looks Like!

Alright, I am not quite keeping up to the "daily" writing but am gonna summarize what's been happening over the last few days. Basically, I have been focusing on what I had said I would be focusing on - motherhood & movie making.

Now that I am back home in Singapore and technically pretty free, I get to spend a lot of quality time with the little one. I tell her "stoories", she and I exercise together where she keeps going "MUMMY, YOU CAN DO IT! COME ON, MUMMY! GOOD JOB, MUMMY!", she and I paint together, play together with her stickers, we sing bhajans together in the evening and what not. It's been really nice.

On top of this I have been pretty much working on the feature film - yes, the same one that I went to UAE for. We will be shooting in April and there is much to be done before that.

I rehearsed with the actors, who are based out of Singapore.
It is a conversation heavy film, so I took some time to read out the entire script and record it, sometimes with some reference BGM, just to get a hang of how it would sound once completed. That was a really nice experience.
I amended and embellished the script a couple of times, based on more relevant information from whatever I saw in UAE.
I had several production related chats with the team in UAE.

On top of that, I also caught up with the hubby over dinner at our favourite Swadhisht joint over some Thalassery Chicken Biriyani, Appam, Egg Masala and Neimeen Tawa Fry. We hardly get time to talk to each other, mostly because the little one takes over completely at home, so this was nice too.

Oh I must also mentioned that I have been working out every day. These days I follow the videos from Blogilates. They are led by a really fun lady called Cassey Ho and the workouts are mostly pilates based strength training. What I like is that the videos are not too long each, so I can simply do 2-3 different ones which mixes it all up well.

I most likely am ruining all the effects of the workouts with my daily afternoon siestas, but then how long would you get that privilege. So I plan to continue doing that!

I have also been watching a few movies - Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, Malayalam movies Varsham and Iyobinte Pusthakam, so far.

So yes, that's it. I spend time with the little one, I have siestas, I work on the film, I spend time with the hubby, I watch movies, I work out.

I have to say that this "stay at home" phase is working out rather nicely! I probably shouldn't get too used to it... otherwise getting back to work is going to be tough! But for now, it feels awesome!  

Being Woman. Being Grateful.

Am back in Singapore after that rather exciting and productive week in UAE.

One thing I hadn't mentioned in the last few posts was about how disturbed I was through the trip regarding my daughter. She had an extreme case of flu just after I left which later turned into fever and bronchitis and I was contemplating moving my ticket earlier and getting back to Singapore. More so because the hubby was also travelling for a couple days during the same period. We have a very reliable stay-at-home helper and I am normally confident she would be able to handle everything, but when the little one is sick, that's an altogether different situation.

Long story short, I had a major panic attack when in UAE.

But then I realized how much support I actually have.

The hubby asked me to stay put in UAE and finish off my work. My brother in law and wife, who also live in Singapore, immediately rushed to my place to take over the little one when they heard that she was sick. They visited every day in the absence of the hubby and I, to watch over her. My sis in law even sent me a rather nice message telling me that I must "accomplish my goals". They kept sending me pictures to relieve me of any tension. My helper said she will take care of the little one, that I have nothing to worry and that I should not even consider moving the ticket. My in-laws from India messaged me and told me that they were aware of the little one's condition but didn't want to let me know to avoid me getting upset. They kept sending me their support. Same with my parents.

It's all very interesting because this was the same time my Facebook feed was getting plagued by the International Women's Day and "India's Daughter" BBC documentary news. Really, India is not a country where women are treated with enough respect or equality. BBC didn't have to make any documentary for anyone to realize that, they just have to take a crowded public bus in Kerala, the most literate state in the country. You will come out harassed and enlightened (I don't mean to generalize, but you get the point). But I guess what the documentary might have done is bring forth the patriarchal mindset in the country (I haven't watched it, but that's the gist I have gotten from all that I have seen about it so far).

I guess I have some of that patriarchal mindset instilled in me as well. Because during this time all I was thinking was "She is ill. I am her mother and I am not there. I am not there because I am here on location recee for a film. That's not even real bread winning work. What will everybody say? They are gonna say that the mother wasn't around.... that she went to make a movie of all things!". I am most certain that if I were the dad, while I would have been concerned about my daughter, I at least would not have had any fear of the world asking me what on earth I was doing. Because the world usually doesn't do that to the guy.

But clearly, I was the only who thought that way in the family.

This incident made me really count my blessings and be amazed by the wonderful family I belong to. Not only did anyone not say anything negative during the time, everyone showered me with as much as encouragement as possible. Every single one of them. As a woman, as a mother, as an Indian, I realize that I am one of luckiest ones. I can't thank my family enough for their support and I can't thank God enough for putting me on this side of that fence.

And from the bottom of my heart, I wish the same for all the women - within India and outside. Maybe slowly, steadily, we will get there... one woman at a time.

Happy International Women's Day!

Dubai, Sunroof Drive & Friends!

It was my last day in UAE! I checked out from my hotel in the morning and had breakfast with the entire crew (which is actually a grand total of 4 other people, but more to join for actually shoot) who would be working on this film, from the studio. Breakfast was our regular fare of South Indian food at Aryabhavan. 

Post breakfast I bade goodbye to a couple of them while the rest of travelled to Dubai. I had spent most of my time in Abu Dhabi during this trip and they wanted to show me around Dubai before I take my flight at night. Enroute, we dropped by a cathedral which was pretty nice. Serene, peaceful.

Once in Dubai, we went straight on to Palm Jumeirah. We drove around the place a lot and I absolutely loved the outer ring of the Palm Jumeirah which was a long, pretty road, right next to ocean with the Atlantis the Palm on one side and the Burj Al Arab across the ocean on the other side. It was picturesque! 

Then something totally unexpected happened! A cousin of my editor friend arrived there in his car which happened to have a sun roof. So they got me to stand through the open roof and drove me around the same coastal road! I felt like one of those heroines in Bollywood movies, with the hair in the wind, a wide smile and looking completely out-of-this-world-happy (OK maybe that's not how Bollywood heroines feel but you get the point)! It was SOFREAKINGAWESOME!!!!

Lunch was at a food court within a mall, which was also my first visit to any mall in UAE  (so proud!). 

Post lunch we also visited the front side Burj Al Arab and also Burj Khalifa including the fountain all for photo opportunities. 

After much phototaking, we visited a friend of mine from school who now lives in Dubai. It's been 16 years since I last saw him and it was great to meet not just him but also his two brothers and mom who were living in the same place. We had a really nice time together! 

Dinner was at a Lebanese buffet place and there was simply too much delicious food to be eaten. After about the 15th dish on the plate, I was completely stuffed. But more than the food, it was my last meal with the team for this trip, so it was nice to have a long conversation over dinner. 

Soon it was time for my flight. I got back to the airport, was pleased to get checked in and cleared immigration without any que and then all that pleasure was lost when I had to walk through a rather crowded airport up and down in search of gates because they changed the gate numbers from one end to the other. Other than it was a pretty smooth journey. Oh...I must mention the darling little Australian boy who started talking to me out of the blue at the gate and wanted to know all about film making and Singapore. He was on his way back home after a school trip to Dubai and I thought he was such a smart, friendly kid! 

So yes, that's it. The wonderful trip, my first ever one to UAE, thus came to an end. Now the real work begins - we need to rehearse, I need to work the shot breakdowns, the storyboarding, the studio needs to get the permits to shoot, we need to get the visas, the tickets, the accomodation, the FUNDS! There is so much to do. Gulp. 

But for now, I am feeling good. Inspired and determined. 

Gardens, Farms, Oasis & A Lot Of Good Folks!

After the rather successful location recee yesterday at Al Gharbia, today we set out in another direction to Al Ain. If the former was supposed to be famous for its desert, the latter is supposed to be famous for its greenery. Apparently Al Ain is the "garden city" of UAE. 

After breakfast at a tiny restaurant called Spicy TamilNadu which served the best masala tea ever, we set off to explore locations at Al Ain. The drive to Al Ain was picturesque - my favourite thing about it being the small, soft, reddish brown dunes. They were a far cry from yesterday's humongous ones in terms of size, but there was something very charming about it. 

Al Ain was true to its equity and turned out to be rather green! The city was tastefully landscaped and we checked out the date farms which were as green as any place in Kerala, which pretty much means that it was really, really green! There were not just rows and rows of dates palms, but also unexpected fauna like mango trees in the farms! There was the constant chirping of birds in the air and a luxurious green grass carpeted the floor. It was all very, very beautiful! 

After spending some time on the farm, we set off to check out an oasis and that was yet another incredible experience. Sure, I have heard of an oasis before and have seen a few in movies before but nothing prepares you when you actually witness it! I fell in love with it immediately. I am not sure whether we will get permit to shoot there and even if we did, whether we can do justice to the place and bring its beauty fully on camera but whatever be it, it was breath taking and I loved standing there and taking in all that gorgeousness! Al Ain also presented some other interesting sights like a fort and a rocky mountain, which was the first mountain of any sorts that I have seen in UAE so far. 

Back in Abu Dhabi, we went straight to my editor-cinematographer's house were I had  been invited for lunch. His two brothers, their wives and children are all living in the same place and I had the most amazing time with them. Everyone of them had an insane sense of humour that I loved, the kids were adorable and the food served was super delicious. What more can one ask for! 

Post lunch we set off again for more location recee - this time mainly within the city. We covered parks, Corniche area (yes, again... but it is that vast and there is much to be seen!), the backdrop with the Emirates Palace and the Presidential Palace (love them both - both are expansive, sit right beside each other and look similar in their overall structures  - one in a rich brown and the other in a serene white), a few hotels where we could potentially shoot and the Heritage Village. 

Dinner was at a Pakistani place called Fujairah which served some delicious grills at ridiculously cheap prices! It was awesome! Post dinner, we paid a quick visit to one more family - the editor's uncle and aunt, a very jovial, cool couple. I learnt that the aunt is an incredibly talented artist and the house was packed with her artworks! She's had no formal training but the variety of works she had done is mind boggling - she has used anything and everything as her tools - paint, foil, paper, cloth, metal and what not! It was truly inspiring. 

Another very productive day thus came to an end. I hit the bed completely exhausted but feeling thrilled at discovering a few more good sites for shoot and feeling grateful for having met such an amazing set of people! 

Discovering the Dunes!

What a fantastic day it was! It was almost like I was in a dream through most of it! 

Alright, let's start right from the beginning. I got ready for the day's exploration at about 9:30 and first we stopped to have breakfast at Arab Udupi. Their Rava Dosa and coffee were pretty good and after having my fill, we set off to our main destination of the day - Al Gharbia. Al Gharbia, as per the Abu Dhabi tourism board website, is "where the sea meets the desert" and has "the biggest dunes this side of the Sahara". All well and good except that the folks here seemed to have no clue about it. But we set off on our exploration trip anyway, keeping faith that the tourism board could do no wrong. 

So we drove and drove and drove. The city and the following arid barren lands soon started to give way to small dunes and I had my first chance meetings with camels in the desert! I have seen camels in the zoo, but that's hardly authentic. At one point, the traffic on the expressway was stopped because an entire herd of black camels had to cross the road! I, like a really annoying tourist, got out and took pictures left, right and centre until the Arab who was guiding the herd asked us to stay put in one place so that we don't get stomped over but that we could carry on taking pictures. It was all very exciting! 

After driving for a couple of hours, we finally got to the township of Al Gharbia and then we had no clue as to where to go next. So my friend went into the municipal corporation office and asked them about the best places in the area for a shoot. As luck would have it, he could get hold of the "Head of City Appearance" for Al Gharbia who gave directions for the best desert - it was another 80kms away! He also clarified that there is no literal "desert meeting sea" and that the sea is in a totally different direction - so we figured that the usage was probably for the area as a whole (apparently Al Gharbia constitutes 51% of total UAE's mass)... that on one side of the region there is sea and the other end has a desert. But now that we were here, we wanted to check out the desert. 

So we determinedly drove ahead. And then it happened. 

The landscape suddenly changed and gave way for desert - not the little sand dunes that we had been seeing the whole while but humongous ones that kept hitting at us at every turn on the road. All around it was just sand and sand and dunes and dunes and I was mesmerized. In fact, all of us were mesmerized - even the two guys who were with me and who had spent about decade in the area. They said this is the biggest desert they have seen! 

Just when we were staring with open mouthed amazement at what surrounded us, we saw a camel farm on the side with several camels in it. So we stopped over for some photo opportunity. And what greeted us? The sight of an hour old baby camel! Yes, it was lying at its mother's feet and getting licked by her. The mother had the smug expression of a job well done and it was such a beautiful visual! One of the caretakers (from Baluchistan), got us to move close to the mom and baby. He then helped the baby to stand up and suckle on its mother. I couldn't stop being amazed at the wonderment of it all! 

Afterwards, we took a LOT of pictures with all the camels and ten caretakers offered us the freshest camel milk possible! He brought it in a huge bowl, right from a camel's udders (not the one who just had the baby, by the way) - it was frothy, warm and thick and I helped myself to a glass of it together with some dates. It felt so perfect. 

After saying goodbye to them, we set off further into the desert and saw more sand, more dunes, no people. One of the things I loved was that even though we were out there in the afternoon sun, it was still so cool and breezy! The weather this time of the time is so perfect! Another thing I loved was how you can see the sand fly over the roads in little golden clouds with each gush of the wind. It was so beautiful to look at! I was also amazed at how they cut such perfect roads in the middle of such stark, virgin desert!  

We spent a considerable amount of time on the dunes before we set back to Abu Dhabi. We realized that one of us had had lunch, so we stopped at one of the petrol stations and grabbed a bite. 

The drive back was long and quiet. I guess we were all rather taken about by the raw majestic beauty of the desert that we had the good fortune of seeing and we mulled over them over and over again. As we drove, the sun set on one side and the moon rose on the other. In a short while, it was pitch dark all around, except of the illumination from the full moon. There were no street lights and hardly any cars on the road. It was wonderful, peaceful. 

Once we got back to Abu Dhabi, we went straight to the Fish Market. Yup. Total change in scenery, that. They have this routine of buying fresh fish, getting it cleaned and grilled right there and it is supposed to be amazing. I wanted to try that out and sure enough, it was amazing! We got chargrilled prawns and oven baked fish (a grouper i think) and they tasted royal! 

Needless to say, we were pretty dead tired post the adventures of the day. We had driven close to 700kms, but it was truly a day well spent! I feel so inspired to make the film now!