My most memorable trips

i) Without doubt, the first on the list has to be our maiden flight to Sri Lanka - International Study Tour in MSW. For somebody who had up to PG, not even been on the 'red train', a flight journey during those times was a dream stored up for some distant future. With the fresh whiff of passport pages and the ink that signed it not yet dried, we were standing on the ramp to board the flight, heart pounding and not even knowing what to expect. The plane made its long, slow detour on the Tiruchi runway and finally came to its mark to take-off. And then suddenly the engines seemed to rev up and shift gears and there was this loud, thunderous noise outside, building up a pulsating climax and then, like a tiger having spotted its prey, the plane seemed to scratch its legs and took on an earth-shattering speed and then up in the air, defying gravity for the very first time in my life. I have been on a flight many times since. Many other things associated with flight travel have become mundane now - except the last few (thrilling) seconds before take-off. Like the heart-beats of the first sex, the memory of this first take-off shall remain etched forever. 

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ii) It was a usual journey back from Chennai to Vellore. The only difference was Sriram's new Zen Estilo. We were listening to some lovely songs in it, reminiscing the memories associated with each song. And suddenly came 'Nenjiniley'. I had heard that song many times, in passing. That day, my wife pointed out its lyrics and unravelled its meaning, or rather its double meanings wink emoticon . Like a child slowly understanding a complex mathematical theorem, my eyes lit up - one bulb at a time. It was a particularly busy Sunday evening on the NH46 and we were crawling lazily at one of the toll plazas, with the cool A/C breeze protecting us from the furnace of the Vellore roads outside the car. When the line 'Dheebangal anaippathe, puthiya porul naan thedathaan' came up, all the adults in the car yelled rumbustiously, like in a rock concert and Theophy stared at us. That song and that trip remains - nenjiniley!!
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iii) Moonar - a million shades of green!! I was sitting at the back of the Tata Sumo, we hired. And I think I will advise that to anybody who travels to Moonar. Sitting at the back seat and looking at the sceneries from the back wind-shield, gives a unique experience. It kinda builds up the suspense of how the mountains unfold in all its glory. At one particular bend, the car slowly winded up the hill and the shoulder of the mountain, gradually grew up in sight and then finally stood up before like a giant. I have replayed that scene in my mind many, many times, with the song that was running in the background that day - the remix version of 'Netru illaatha maatram'. That is when I started developing a renewed appreciation for nature. Every time I veer towards atheism, I remember nature. I remember Moonar and say to myself, 'not yet'!
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iv) I had promised my wife that I will show her snowfall. After a failed attempt to Shimla, we decided to go to Kashmir during the last week of 2012. On the 1st of January 2013, after many, many years of waiting, we were blessed to travel 8 hours amidst pouring snowfall from Gulmarg to Pahalgam. As the car was not a 4x4, after some time, the journey started becoming scary as it began to skid on the ice. There is a narrow, precipitous strip just 1 km before Pahalgam. The car wouldnt move. We had come too far to even go back. Accelerating the car was moving it sidewards and not forward. That strip was about 50 feet above ground, overlooking a stream. The road had no side railings. A fall from there, would have been certain death. A kind family helped us push the car, and with perseverant maneuvering, the car cleared the snow beneath it and jumped to safety. This horrifying near-death experience was worth it, because of the beauty that waited for us, the next morning. That beauty continues to be our Facebook cover photo till today.

Some destinations are memorable. Other times, the journey itself is memorable. I guess, life's like that!!

My most memorable tastes

My most memorable tastes:

1) While in Bihar, we used to go out eating once every month. When we moved to Vellore, we were trying to do the same and friends introduced us to Darling rooftop. Having just arrived from North India, I liked to taste dosai, a bit differently. My eyes careened on to a dish which I still order in any restaurant in Tamil Nadu - Mutton Keema Dosai. Since then, I have had different versions of the mutton keema dosai at different places, but none beats Darling Rooftop of Vellore.
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2) In 2010, after about 6 months of bland English food, my tongue was craving for something hot and spicy. It was the last day of a workshop in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. As I was one of the organisers of the workshop, I was the last person to leave the venue. By now, the staff at the venue had become familiar with me - and it was owned by an Indian. While I came for breakfast that last morning, the person at the restaurant said, 'Sir, you wait, we'll make something for you'. These apparently, are some of the perks, if you are part of an organising team of a workshop in a hotel. Gazing at the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean warmed gently by the February sun, and the curved coconut trees, sitting in a red plastic chair, under the shade, miles and miles away from home, missing home-food like crazy, I saw food coming, finally. When I opened, it was poori-sabji and masala chai!! You never know how much something means to you, until you are deprived of it. Borrowing a Biblical metaphor, like water on a parched land, I let the poori, the sabji and chai sink into me. The memory is so fresh that it still feels like bliss. Against the lilting waves and the classic scenery, I got heaven summoned to my desk.
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3) While staying with Jordy's family, in Melbourne, she took me to a Malay restaurant. I ordered a soup, the name of which I cannot remember, because those are the types of names I order when I go to restaurants, especially when I am not paying!! It was a chilly night, and the restaurant was cosy. We had a long, winding chat about college and friends and friends' families and the soup arrived. As I tasted it, my eyes lit up and a zillion things were happening inside my mouth, like the taste buds were having a dance party. I was smelling with my eyes and seeing with my tongue. My senses got mixed up. It was orgasmic.
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4) In our office, we get treats or order treats or bulldoze somebody into treating for sometimes, the lamest of reasons. It was somebody's treat and the sweet ordered was Rasmalai. Evergreen's Rasmalai. THAT is a royal treat!! It is when you taste a dish like that you realise, how much joy, food can give!!
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5) But none of these even come close to the last dish. And that is my pondatti's meen kozhambu (wife's fish curry). Soon after I fell in love with Anitha, I also realised that she's an amazing cook. She's lived up to the promise, almost every single day of the last ten years. And her meen kozhambu, served with love, is epic. And it gets addictive as it ages. I say to God, that if you have food in heaven, please have non-veg in the menu and let my wife's fish curry be there.

That - will - make - it - everlasting.