January 18th - What a week end trip

Quotable Quotes

What is your intention ? Why are you losing your balance ?!! Please outline the reasons.-- B.S Yeddyurappa - Karnataka CM to former Prime Minister Deve Gowda who called him a bastard

Amar Singh has lost his mental balance !!-- Ramgopal Yadav on his Samajwadi Party Colleague

India is the only country where food is elevated to the level of God -- Sri Sri Ravishankar Spiritual leader

If anything is in short supply in this world , it is grace -- Mallika Sarabhai Dancer

The Drive , the long chats / sharing , the movie , the missing car key , the wedding - what a getaway- Total stress Reliever

The Drive
Had the pleasure of driving along NH 46 Chennai - Vellore - krishnagiri and to say the drive was great is a understatement . Bypassing Salem and getting to Omalur , Sankagiri and then to Avinashi and then to our halting destination of Coimbatore - a distance of 553 Kms in 6.5 hours was just unbelievable . Things that helped us was low traffic , great roads and the fact many vehicles and traffic was off the road from Avinashi to Coimbatore ( this stretch is normally is riddled with traffic and one makes slow progress ) due to the solar eclipse at the time helped. The drive back from Palghat was different . It just gave a indication of future state of the traffic on the roads. We left Palghat at 10:30 Am and reached Chennai at around 8 PM-- The reason for the longer duration was heavy traffic on the road , just not Trucks but many cars and other passenger vehicles indicating people's willingness to drive down on good roads and traffic being very heavy due to vacation returners. We also noticed piling up on the Toll booths. So , if we think roads are getting better , the traffic on the road is getting even better !!

Long Chats/ Sharing

Either side of the drive , we did not play too much Music . There was so much catching up to do amongst us that the CD player was on "off " mode through the travel. This , I thought was extraordinary. We just yanked , bitched about people of all kinds , pulled each other's legs , cracked jokes , shared work ethics , culture , personal things unbounded . Patience- I urge you -- I will get to the travelling party who had fun and the background for this wonderful trip.

Movie

Since we halted at Coimbatore and had no great agenda , we decided to go for a night show for one of the new Pongal Tamil movie release. We relished and enjoyed the "Super Duper hit movie" as the Advts described this movie. Pray , can someone explain the story ? We had a thought of going again for the next day morning show to see if we can understand but the mind told strongly that we do not have the capacity to understand the story. Somehow we managed to stay awake through the 200 minutes of the movie ( 37 reels !! Lon……...g movie ) although one of our co travellers caught up with sound sleep through the second half of the movie and nothing could shake him up ( including the Reema Sen dance !! ) - Please watch the movie and let me know what you understood . I think getting the story may be tougher than a Professional course passing !! Movie is titled "Ayarthil Oruvan " !

Missing Car key

All the foursome like to walk and so as soon as we reached Palghat ( evening of 16th ) and noticed a stadium ( hang on , it is a small ground but it is a stadium in Palghat ) , we decided to take a walk. We watched the last three minutes of a football game and then went around for a good 45 minutes . When we returned to the hotel , I noticed the Car key missing and that meant all the good time that we had was undone and we simbly cannot get access to the car. We rushed back through the same route to the stadium and at the entrance of the stadium broke up in two groups. I and Mani walked around the track at the stadium. As we walked , I alerted my wife ( messed her Dinner plans ) and BIL and requested them to get the spare keys to KPN bus travels who have regular night bus service to Cochin from Chennai through Palghat. My Bil was confident that he will get it to the driver of the bus in Chennai and get his mobile number and time of arrival in Palghat next day for me. Lo !! As we were talking , the key was on the grass ! Saved ! Tons of luck , I would say for us.

The Wedding -- the reason for the trip

Few months back our ex colleague from Onida with whom we have been in touch over the past fifteen years ( I quit in 1994 ) informed us of her daughter getting married at Palghat on 17th Jan ( Sunday ) , We ( self and Venkat ) decided that we will make it for the wedding . Venkat ( current colleague who was with me at Onida as well ) , Mani ( now works with a large Consumer durable chain ) and Sateesh joined in for the wedding trip.
Anisha ( the bride ) was a little girl when we were at Onida and this must be the first occasion for all of us where we are attending a colleague's daughter or son getting married. Yeah, we are getting old as well.
We also had a pleasant shock to see the house that Gladys ( colleague at Onida ) and Ashok ( her husband ) had built for themselves at Palghat post they quitting their jobs. After being in Mumbai for close to 33 years , we never imagined that they will give up Mumbai life for a quiet quieter life at Palghat. But that is what this wonderful couple did . They have their dog for company and are happy with the quiet life. They must have seen enough of fast life with no time for anyone whatsoever. Ls

To Mani , Venkat and myself , Gladys had given us lots of timely advice , taking care of us as if we belonged to her family. It is important for everyone , especially when you are away from home, working outside to get help of someone like Gladys. It shapes you up so nicely and so we jumped up to get to be at the wedding . It was very nice to connect personally and be part of their family wedding .

Overall great trip and I think everyone of us needs some space for himself at some point of time and that is what the four of us enjoyed through the three day outing.
As , I always say , good times comes to end soon and it did once we hit Chennai ! ( Truly on the lighter side )