Misplaced Priorities

On hindsight Kannathil Muthamittaal stands out as one with the most complex and conflicting personal issues of Mani Rathnam films.

A mother who places the interests of her cause to the extent of abandoning her newborn daughter.
A lover who places his ideals ahead of his love.
A daughter who abandons her adopted family in search of her birth parents who had abandoned her at birth.
An idealist who forsakes his safety in lieu of his charges.

And the character that stands out the most is that of Simran's.

The teenage girl who silently yearns for her idealistic neighbour (Madhavan).
Who has her advances rebuffed.
Till the day he proposes, not to be his life partner, but rather to be a mother to his adopted daughter.
She accepts the offer out of her love for him.
Raises the daughter as her own alongwith her own offspring.

Till the day the daughter realizes the truth, forsakes her foster mother in search of her birth mother.

She continues to support her daughter's efforts despite umpteen setbacks and rebuttals.

Only to be rewarded by a consolatory peck on the cheek (A laboured and unconvincing one at that) before the credits roll.

Giving some thought makes one wonder whether such a character would exist in real life.

Highly unlikely.

But a great character and performance.

Aathichudi !

One of the catchiest songs I've heard lately...

We have ignored composer Vijay Anthony for too long. Having come up with above average compositions for about 6 movies in as many years, he shot into prominence with 2008's blockbuster "Kathalil Vizhunthein". Other than the mass pleaser "Nakkumukka" the movie boasted of gems like "Solladi endran idhayam", "Thozhiya en kaathaliya" and "Un thalaimudi kooda". These add to the small, but growing repertoire of excellent compositions such as "Nenjangoottil" (Dishyum), "Nee Kavidhai" (Naan Avanillai) & Sukran.

Now add one more to the list. You may or may not like it, but won't be able to ignore it for sure...

"Aathichudi"

from Taxi No. 4777 *ing Pasupathi & Ajmal

a remake of the Hindi hit Taxi No. 9211 *ing John Abraham & Nana Patekar;

which in turn was based on Changing Lanes *ing Ben Affleck & Samuel L Jackson.

Sung by VA himself, (with Dinesh Kanakaratnam), the song is highly energetic and has been the surprise hit of the year, topping charts despite the movies' so-so performance at the BO. The song blends a mid tempo "Kuthu Beat" with a killer Thumping Bass Break and an infectious Chorus line. The unintelligible lyrics never take themselves seriously, with unflattering digs galore within the song itself. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWvBNpygi6A

The song is more catchy and attention worthy than Nakkumukka. But while the former boasted of equally energetic (& eccentric) choreography, this one falls woefully short on that front. Not starring the lead (Ajmal should've been the obvious choice, isnt it ?) the song stars a some time actor turned choreographer. In contrast to the Kuthu background of the song, the picturisation is on urban youth with dressed up old ladies in ghastly eye shades for company. Even cameos by the singers seem contrived and labored.

Tamil moviedom is coming up with new talent in music directors more often despite the the holy trinity of Rahman, Yuvan & Harris. But none of the new crop seem to have the staying power. Mani Sharma (Pokkiri), Joshua Sridhar (Kathal), James Vasanth (Subramanyapuram), Sundar C Babu (Anjaathey) all showed promise, but little progress and even the talented GV Prakash Kumar too seems to have run out of steam. VA has already proved that he is tenacious enough to stick on. Plus he has an interesting voice... 

Bloody Diamonds !

"Blood Diamond" has generated a lot of interest, on account of its focus on "Conflict Diamonds" - i.e stones from war torn African Nations. It's long been an open secret that most of the rebellions and conflicts in some of these states are the handiwork of diamond cartels and arms dealers. The film symbols an admirable intention by director Edward Zwick (The Siege, Last Samurai) to bring these issues into the mainstream conscience.The Plot (spoilers abound!!)

Solomon Vendy (Djimon Hounsou) is a fisherman of a tribal village in the interior of Sierra Leone. Rebels raid his village capturing him to work in the diamond fields. He comes upon a large diamond and buries it before Government troops attack the rebel stronghold and he is arrested alongwith his erstwhile captors. While in jail, his secret is learnt by Danny Archer (DiCaprio), ex-soldier / Arms & Diamond Dealer. Danny owes money to the Arms merchants and plans that this large stone will settle his debts and leave Africa for good. Danny finally coaxes Solomon to be partners and set out in search of the hidden stone. They are aided in this trip by journalist Maddy Bowen (Jenniffer Connelly) who manages to get the duo through barricades and checkposts posing as fellow journo's. Meanwhile the rebel commander has taken Solomons son under his wings and turns him into a child soldier fuelled high on drugs and aggression. The duo finally manages to retreive the diamond & rescue Solomons son. Danny is fatally injured and chooses to die in his adopted homeland. Solomon and his son escape to the west and with Maddy's help exposes the diamond cartel Van Der Kaap (De Beers?). The film ends with Solomons speech at the UN.

My take
The film touches upon sensitive issues such as diamond mines in war torn Africa, the arms dealers who play both the sides, Child Soldiers kidnapped from home and bred on drugs, alcohol and aggression to sustain the "revolution" as well as a hypocritic West that mouth's inanities while being the major consumer of the end products. However these issues are just skimmed by on the surface, so that we get to know them, but not understand and also does not provide any solutions.

Though nominated for Oscars, both DiCaprio and Honsou fail to impress. For one thing, Leo is too young for the role [though he claims to be 31 in the film, he is actually 33 !!!] for the role of a battle weary soldier which would've suited a middle aged actor more. But lets face it, a Val Kilmer or Billy Bob Thornton wouldn't have the same draw at the BO, right? And Hounsou reprises mannerisms from his earlier films, may it be his debut Amistad or Gladiator. Connelly looks beautiful, and shouldn't be wearing a shirt the way she does, especially in a war zone.
There are quite a few typical hollywood action sequences, which could have been benefitted more if they were hard hitting in the vein of "Saving Private Ryan" or "Platoon".

Great theme and intentions are let down by caricatures i.e; the mercenary with a conscience, the struggling native and the sensitive foreign journalist. Add to the mix a shoddy script with story telling at its formulaic hollywood best, [protagonists bonding over the course of a journey, double crossing superiors etc.] and the film ends up being a mere novelty, nothing pathbreaking or outstanding here.

Departed vs. Internal Affairs

High expectations were aroused when it was announced that the much acclaimed HongKong crime drama "Internal Affairs" was to be remade by none other than Martin Scorsese. The anticipation heightened when a top of the line ensemble cast including DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen & Jack Nicholson joined the venture. The original (which I caught on Star Movies), was a low budget (by Hollywood standards) thriller, which by way of skilful story telling, remarkable cast (against type) and riveting performances drew acclaim from movie afficionado's the world over. So I was not wrong in expecting that Scorcese and his A-Team would take it to another level altogether.

Synopsis
Criminal kingpin Costello (Nicholson) entices the parentless Colin (Damon) into the web of vice early on and through to his graduation from the Police Academy. Sullivan on becoming a detective turns informer for Costello and also advances his career in bargain.
On the other side is Billy (DiCaprio) who comes from a dysfunctional family determined to be a success. However on graduation he is sent undercover by Captain Queenan (Sheen) & Sergeant Dignam (Wahlberg). It isn't long before both sides realize that there're traitors in their midst.
The treachery and double crossing moves speed up till almost everybody is bumped off by the end.

The adaptation deserves kudos for the transposition of the premise from HongKong's seedy alleys to the Irish dominated Boston.
The dialogues have bite and there're a few excellent performances.
A guitar infested score (Howard Shore) & Classic rock tracks (Rolling Stones, Lennon, Allman Brothers etc) spice up the mood.

Performances
A good performance from DiCaprio, who only - apart from Nicholson - has the screen time to do anything worthwhile.
The much hyped Nicholson just reprises his sleazy scheming persona aiming to fascinate, but only succeds at irritating.
Damon says the f#$% word quite often, looks too neat for a bad guy and is also not given much to play with.
Wahlberg stands out amongst the stellar star cast with an attitude rivalling Nicholson.
Sheen's is the only character which bears justice to the original, and he is apt for this. Baldwin too suits his character to a T.

Where they faltered
The original was excellent in its depiction of a cat and mouse game between the cops and the cons, omnipresent, seldom in the open and erupting skyhigh upon the invevitable confrontations. The Hollywood outing sees the brilliant narration reduced to a mechanical recital, with the script seeming hurried toward the end.
The taut & tense feel of the original is absent. Covert exchange of information is reduced to plain SMS'ng and at times, open phone conversations.
The interaction between the characters (due to the overpopulated cast?) is minimal. [Wahlberg's and Baldwin's characters are added onto the original storyline and severely hampers the narrative.]
The script is shoddy, with many loose ends. One major blooper is the one in which Queenan is thrown from the roof, and the Police surveillance team is confused as to the nature of the object even as Billy approaches the body and breaks down.
Surprisingly; what Hollywood does best, Action is given the go-by. There are atleast 3 major scenes [the tracking and killing of Queenan, the ensuing shootout, Costello's fatal showdown] that could have benefitted from spicing up ( Heat ??).

It would be no surprise if the Departed bags Oscars for most of the categories it has been nominated for, especially Scorsese, but it would be an anti-climax if the celebrated director after being sidelined by the Academy for so long, wins for a film well below his standard.

You might very well enjoy this film, but you'll definitely be better off if you watch the original. And be assured that this'll turn up here with Salman Khan or Imraan Hashmi.

Casino Royale - You know my name !

"You know my name" - The title song from CASINO ROYALE by Chris Cornell.

Much has been made of the re-invention of the latest Bond Outing, which is undoubtedly grittier and dark than ever before. The title song too is a reflection of that.

None of that iconic signature theme first heard in Dr.No and immortalized in all later ventures.

Sedated animation replaces the de rigeur skimpily clad female figures in the title sequence.

A definite departure from the recent movies of the Brosnan era which all had female vocalists

(Tina Turner in Golden Eye,

Sheryl Crow in Tomorrow Never dies,

Shirley Manson led Garbage in The World is not enough &

Madonna in Die another Day).

Instead we have Alternative Superstar Chris Cornell (Temple of the dog, Soundgarden & Audioslave) teaming up with veteran movie composer David Arnold. The outcome is unique befitting the movie. Much like the pairing of Craig & Campbell on screen.

Starting off in Cornell's typical adult rock fashion with chiming guitars and brooding vocals, the track wastes no time building up to a heavy Chorus. The ominous groove that accompanies the line "The Odds will betray you" seems to be the unofficial theme for the movie, popping up whenever there's anticipation or intrigue.

In the final roundup, the song ends up very much like the film itself. Less melodic but full of energy and heaviness, quite a departure from the usual glamorous Bond fare. A close second to Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die.

Not every one's mug of beer, but an invigorating dose nonetheless which might not stir, but will definitely shake you.

Trivia : The song doesn't find a place in the official soundtrack. It will be included in the soon to be released solo album from Cornell. Multiple versions are floating around the internet ranging from pure acoustic to a full fledged one featuring strings and horns !!!

Lyrics :

If you take a life do you know what you'll give?

Odds are, you won't like what it is

When the storm arrives, would you be seen with me?

By the merciless eyes of deceit?

I've seen angels fall from blinding heights

But you yourself are nothing so divine

Just next in line

Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you

The odds will betray you

And I will replace you

You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you

It longs to kill you

Are you willing to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins

You know my name

If you come inside things will not be the same

When you return to the night

And if you think you've won

You never saw me change

The game that we all been playing

I've seen diamonds cut through harder men

Than you yourself

But if you must pretend

You may meet your end

Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you

The odds will betray you

And I will replace you

You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you

It longs to kill you

Are you willing to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins

Try to hide your hand

Forget how to feel

Forget how to feel

Life is gone with just a spin of the wheel

Spin of the wheel

Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you

The odds will betray you

And I will replace you

You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you

It longs to kill you

Are you ready to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins

You know my name

You know my name

You know my name.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU7J5MSIr6U

Guru, Offbeat and Classy !

A R Rahman always turns out his best for mentor Mani Ratnam. Adding Gulzar to the mix gave us the scintillating score for Dil Se... So naturally expectations are high for the threesome's new venture Guru. Lets see how it fares. With a storyline spanning more than half a century, Guru tells the story of a small time villager turned entrepreneur who goes against the grain and finds success. Keeping in tune with the timeline and the protagonist’s environment is the soundtrack of the movie.

The album opener Barso Re (Shreya Ghoshal, Uday Mazumdar) is a song that celebrates the showers and a catchy refrain coupled with folksy rhythm hooks the listener immediately. Expect a heady experience starring Ms.Rai in a rural setting from Mr.Ratnam for this one. (Stand-Out-Song IV)

Tere Bina sung by Rahman himself (accompanied by Murtaza Qadir) is a sufi / qawwali styled song with an alluring chant. Dedicated to the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and bears the legend's stamp throughout. A sure fire chartbuster, no doubt. (Stand-Out-Song I)

Ek lo ek muft is a situational song following the birth of twins and Gulzar renders tongue in cheek lines that are thought provoking at the same time. Bappi Lahiri (!!!) contributes lead vocals to a track that is north eastern sounding, not much unlike something veteran Bhupen Hazarika would compose. Though Bappida has a whale of a time revelling as a drunk, one couldn't help but miss Sukhwinder Singh's vibrancy.

Mayya Mayya, is a track with a distinct Middle Eastern feel and has Mariam Toller doing the vocal honors. At times the track heavily resembles Satrangi Re from Dil Se, not necessarily a bad thing. But the heavy percussion and driving grooves set up a steamier item no. which will have Mallika Sherawat as a belly dancer.

The alluring chant featured in Tere bina - Dam Dara Dam - reappears in Ay Hairathe. Hariharan delivers a relaxed soulful ghazal, which is turned on its head by Rahman with natty percussion breaks and the background score. Gulzarsaab is at his best here with tantalizing wordplay. Alka Yagnik too gives her best to the track, which might well outlast us.(Stand-Out-Song II)

Baazi laga is an old school Jazz styled song which, on the other hand is the most modern track of the lot!! Rock n’ Roll rhythm's combined with trumpets, tinkling keys, scat singing interludes and an exuberant chorus set up a riot in a old time Gambling den. Sadly Udit Narain's (another disappointment after Don’s Khaike Paan) insipid vocal performance yanks it into the Lakshmi-Pyare territory.Maybe the picturisation of the song featuring the junior B in a natty period getup will convert us.

With its heavy western classical background score, Jaage hain is easily the most touching of the tracks. The contrast between Rahman sounding world weary in the first stanza and later breaking out of the moodiness in his typical resonant fashion is astounding to say the least. A fitting closer for a Classy album. (Stand-Out-Song III)

The Verdict : By the standards of the masterful trio, the album falls a little short of expectations. Anyone looking for another Dil Se... is sure to be disappointed. But being a period film in the vein of Zubeidaa and to a lesser extent Lagaan, the score of Guru is offbeat, but classy. A pleasant departure from the multitude of rhythmic and heavily orchestrated scores that are hip right now.

Mookambika Temple, Kollur

"It is not always the destination that makes the journey worthwhile." proverb [unknown]

Exactly my experience on travelling (Sep 16-18, 06) to the Mookambika Devi Temple at Kollur, South Karnataka.

After a 11 hr journey from Kerala we touched base at 12 in the noon, more than 3 hours late. Blame it on the rain and the sorry state of roads in the Kozhikkode - Mangalore section of the NH-17, especially Suratkal. In retrospect we would have been better off if we had come by rail upto Mangalore Junction (railhead for Kerala bound trains / 130 km by road) or either Udipi (70 km) or Kundapura (30 km) - all major stops on the Konkan Route. Bus services are aplenty from these locations to Kollur.

Awash in greenery after unexpectedly heavy rains, the last leg of the route from Kundapura to Kollur was a soothing sight to my jaded city bred eyes. Winding roads through forest area's with bridges over the Souparnika and Agnithirtha rivers and glimpses of Kodajadri hills through shifting fog are definite to gladden anyone's heart. The roads though narrow are in good shape. To really enjoy the trip, you have to go by bus, that too in the most old, rickety and "open to the elements" sort that you can find. This slow journey will surely beat zipping by in your car or the newer AC/ DVD coaches.

Though close to the Dassara festive season and despite being a weekend, there was not much of a rush at Kollur. The temple and town centre is a mere 10 minutes walk from the bus stand. Lodging is aplenty with the KTDC run Yatri Nivas and a couple other guest houses run by religious bodies at the upper end of the scale. Food, though might be a problem as nothing much of quality is available here. This seems to be a fallout of the free lunch provided at the temple and is availed of by a large no. of devotees as prasad. Consider yourself lucky if you chance upon tasty snacks at roadside shops.

The Goddess Mookambika is in the form of Jyotir-Linga incorporating both Shiva and Shakthi. The Panchaloha image of the Goddess on Shree Chakra is stated to have been consecrated by Adi Shankaracharya during his visit to this place. There is also an exquisite sculpture of Panchamukha Ganesha. River Souparnika right in front of the temple was in full flow fuelled by rain from the hills.

The temple is open from early morning till late evening for darshan except for a break from 1.30 pm to 3.00 pm. Though not in the scale of Thirupathi, the temple is fairly well organised. Various prasads can be paid for at the counters inside the temple and are issued after the poojas are over by around 7.30 both morning and evening. Many celebrities are regular visitors here and we were fortunate to glimpse veteran singer Yesudas alongwith wife and son Vijay during morning pooja's. As evident, there's no restriction on devotee's of other religions.

Aside from the temple, a few hotels and numerous shops selling religious trinkets there is not much to entice the regular traveller (as opposed to devotees) here. A visit to the temple can be coupled with a leisurely walk along the banks of Souparnika or the winding roads. For those of the tourist variety, there are numerous beaches like Marvanthe & Karupe enroute as well as the Mookambika Wild life sanctuary. You can hunt for curio's and might well chance upon something unique. I chanced upon an MP3 cd containing 100 odd renditions of devotional keerthana's by the Sax maestro Kadri Gopinath.

We had to forego a trip to the Kudajadri shrine again due to the rains. For those of a healthy disposition and willing mentality, an uphill trek is recommended. On the return we stopped by at Udipi, and visited the Sri Gopalakrishna temple. Had lunch at the famed Woodlands Hotel and caught another bus back home in the evening.

For travellers / devotees who want a regular darshan it is recommended to stay at Udipi and travel by bus to Kollur. That way you can enjoy the famed Udipi cuisine and also the urban amenities that some cannot do without. Also immensely commendable are the native population for their courtesy and helpfulness.

Rolling hills, Eerie fog & Spicy bajji's

After visiting Yelagiri, exactly a year ago, we spent the Independence day weekend this year at its bigger brother Yercaud. We landed shortly after 5 in the morning at Salem Junction. Caught a bus to the New Bus Stand @ Re.2/- per head and then a DVD coach (!!!) to the Yercaud hilltop @ 11/-. We had our fill of the sights of early dawn and the Salem town lights from the twisting hairpin roads. The bus was quite new and the driver seemed to have a penchant for F1 / Monster Truck Madness from the way he threw the vehicle around the curves with gusto. Anyway the trip was worth it and beat paying 450 bucks for a ride by car.

  It was close to 7 when we alighted at the Yercaud bus stand. As we soon realized, it was better to get off at the earlier stop near the lake. Most of the prominent resorts / quality dwellings including TTDC's Hotel Tamilnadu, Star Cottages, Silver Holidays etc. are located within walking distance from there. More exclusive places like Yercaud int'l, Shevaroys, Hillview & Sterling are located further interior / uphill. Nearby the busstand you get standard lodging places like Uma, Select and Subha. If you have the time and convenience, its worthwhile to cruise the hinterland and you're sure to land up at some quieter places. During ordinary weekends there's ample choice, but holidays / the tourist season (Oct-Jun) see prominent places booked fully.

  After being turned back from most of the good ones, we panicked and settled down at one Raj Palace near the Petrol Pump. Rent came to 350 per day for a double room. Though the buliding was modern, the maintenance was below par and forget about the view, not even proper ventilation. Anyway we did not plan on spending much time indoors. After taking a quick shower we set out on foot to the lake.

  There are a lot of teastalls and provision shops near the lake as well as a wine shop. We had our fill of south indian breakfast from a relatively better place near the lake, Dhana Restaurant. There was not much sun and the weather was cool enough. Soon after stepping out, we were accosted by Taxi / Autowallahs. We settled for a 6-seater Omni for 300/-. The driver promised us 10 sites in 4 hours. It was a convenient way of taking in most of the sights before lunch time.

Shevaroys temple & hilltop: definitely the highlight. A cave temple and the highest point of the hills with DD's dish farm nearby. Even during daytime in the month of August, Fog was present everywhere. Not a soul, except for the tourists.

Pagoda point : Another hilltop, another temple. STRONG WINDS. Good spot for resting your legs. You can get roast corn and fruits here.

Ladies seat. The most promoted and visited spot. Crowded; provisions for icecream, telescope, snacks etc.

Gents seat. Nothing remarkable.

Childrens seat. Definitely the best of the 3 points. You have to climb a bit through the Rose Garden. In addition to a great view, the bajjis with chutney at the top are heavenly... Its adviseable to have picnic lunch at the garden followed by a siesta.

Botanical Garden : Closed on weekends and looked run of the mill from the outside.

Numerous perfumeries & herbal plantations dot the hills. We saw one of ex-PM Chandrasekhar's too on the way to Shevaroy hilltop. Bargaining seems to be the order here.

Afternoon was spent in the shade at the lakeside park and soon an impromptu game of Gully cricket with an empty plastic bottle ensued leaving us exhausted at the end.

Had lunch at the restaurant of Shevaroys, damn expensive but good food & service with great ambience. We walked around the less trodden paths and discovered the beauty of nature at close quarters. We visited Shevaroy hilltop late on in the evening (5 people in an Auto!!!, 1 hour stay 150/-). We managed to set up a bonfire in the wooded area nearby the bauxite mines. Soon after the heavenly sunset over Mettur Dam, we were fully enveloped in Fog. Brought to the mind eerie scenes from movies where people get lost.

The fog followed us downhill and the whole town was covered by 10.30. It turned really COLD in the night and we had to really battle the chills with lots of clothing. We retired for the night after having our fill of spicy bajjis and some hot drinks.

Sunday morning saw us walking uphill beyond the bus stand and onto Montfort Residential School (open to visitors on Sundays from 10.) Awesome place, very efficient and well maintained. Sunday mornings you can see the boys undergoing drills & sports training. Photography is allowed and there are a couple of gigantic stone buildings from the times of the British. Nagesh Kukunnoor's Rockford (featuring SEL's "Aasman ke paar") was shot here and Tamil leading man Vikram is said to be an Alumni.

We had to forego a visit to the Killiyur falls because it was dry. We went pedal boating in the lake (only 4 adults allowed on pedal boats, one of us had to sit out) in the afternoon.

Caught forty winks in our rooms and left for Salem by 6.30 late evening. But this time the bus was crowded, we had to stand the whole way swaying at every twist and turn. The darkness delayed us so much that we managed to land at the railway station out of breath and barely enough time to spare. Its well adviseable to leave for Salem early in the evening to enjoy some shopping (Coffee, Handlooms & Clothing). Salem has also some good restaurants where you can enjoy traditional Chettinad food as also modern stuff like Pizza huts and burger points. Surely, the next time...

Colva Beach, Southern Goa

After landing an unexpected 4 day weekend, and that too at very short notice, we were stumped as to a suitable location. Everything was either too far or too close for our liking. In the end we decided to take a chance and visit Goa, a good 800 + km away from Kochi. Due to lack of direct transport at short notice, we decided to get there via Mangalore.

DAY 1

After a night long bus trip (an extremely uncomfortable bucket of bolts at that; courtesy the Kerala Transport) and we spent the day at Mangalore. We spent day shopping for trinkets and sheltering from the heat in the watering holes of Mangalore. Late evening, before departure we managed to catch some action at a dance bar. At that time, Mumbai's Dance bars had been closed and most of the girls had shifted base over there. They charge you 150 per head and exorbitant rates for drinks and snacks.

The night's journey again by bus was very comfortable, though at almost double the price. We were tired enough to be knocked out after being deprived of sleep the night before and a full day of hectic activity.

DAY 2

We landed at Madgaon in the wee hours of Friday morning. The seven of us were total strangers to the area, and what information we had was gleaned from the web. We had pinpointed Colva beach, claimed to be the most popular in South Goa. We managed to snag an Omni Taxi to take us to Colva. However we goofed up by paying the rogue Rs.200 (when the actual cost comes to half that for the 6 odd km trip.) After an hour or so of pre dawn sleepwalking we managed to land up at "Fishermans Resorts" a budget place close to the beach. Double rooms were to be had for Rs.300. The owner Mr. Chris is a decent enough fellow and provided us with enough advice to tackle the days ahead.

After a bath, we set out for a walk along the beach and ended up at the local hub: The parking lot / Circle / Bus Stop all combined into one. Being the beginning of holiday season (Nov - Apr), the place was busy. Colva though has more domestic tourists than foreign. The centre houses a number of eateries with a wide variety of food items to suit every palate. Alcohol is available freely and they serve you beer at the restaurants. Faced with Rs.10 for coffee and Rs.25 for 200 ml of King's beer, most of us, needless to say opted for the latter.

Our second mistake of the day was to join a Private Tour of the Southern Beaches. As we soon realized, its a total waste of time and money, not to say exhausting. You take hours to reach a particular beach and are allowed only 30-45 minutes at each stop !!! And for us landlocked imbeciles, if you've seen one beach, you've seen them all. The only highlight of the trip was a visit to Fort Aguada, the one seen in "Dil Chahta Hai". You can also glimpse the seaside summer dwelling (more like a palace) of Vijay Mallya from the top. It was quite late in the evening that we got back. After a full days travel in a rickety tourist bus that too under the blazing sun, we were totalled and hit the decks after grabbing some food and a couple of nightcaps.

Day 3

The following morning saw us up bright and early. The Beach was just behind our place of stay and ambled along the coastal line and got back by the time it started to heat up. The beach is lined with make shift Bamboo & Coconut leave thatched pubs / bars where they serve you liquor and food. Some of them provide lodging in adjascent concrete buildings too. Most of them play good western music of the soft rock / techno variety. You can relax with your drink of choice, put your feet up, lounge in the beach chairs set up in front, gaze upon the sea, drift off in the breeze etc. etc.

We had to visit Madgaon for making the arrangements for our return trip, and caught a shared taxi (Rs.7.50/- per head) which dropped us off on the outskirts of the town. While in town we had lunch at the Pocathinjo's (i'm not sure if I got the name right) and also a couple of drinks. Again cheap by our standards. The food and ambience was excellent at the over 50 year old establishment. The town is modern in every aspect and you would be hard pressed to not find anything you require.

Day 4

We loitered about the beach / town buying knick knacks for most of the day. A few of us bought liquor to take back home. If you buy them from a licensed outlet, they'll issue you a permit (Rs.10/-) which allows you to take 3 bottles with you to any part of the country. We caught a train back to our hometown and managed to leave with some quite pleasant memories. We plan to revisit the region, this time with a more planned approach.

A few tips that I would like to share.

1. In the holiday season, everything costs more. Even then we found food & accomodation quite cheap at Colva. You can get decent fish curry & rice for under 30/-, north indian or south indian food for around Rs.50 per head. The rates are very much down in the off season even though the choice might not be aplenty.

2. Liquor is dirt cheap, and that too, all around the year. You can buy most reputed brands (750 ml) for below Rs.150/- !!!

3. Most hotels / rentals are willing to accomodate 3 people in a double room.

4. Do not take liquor in restaurants / bars. It gets damn expensive.

5. Goa is very tolerant. You Bachelors can very well enjoy a night on the beach as long you do not disturb others.

6. Smoking is banned outdoors.

7. For Tours, use the Tourism Dept and go for one of interior Goa rather than the beaches.

Yelagiri, Ideal Weekend Getaway

Thinking of spending a weekend out of town ? Need some peace and quiet ? Tranquility ? Head to Yelagiri hills in Tamilnadu. 180 km from Bangalore and 240 from Chennai, the destination is ideal for the Techie crowd, which we were not. Me and a quartet of friends, from Thrishur, Kerala made the 500 km plus trip to Yelagiri for the Indipendance day weekend on Saturday reaching Jolarpet (the nearest rail head) at 5 in the evening. We were off on an invitation from a business acquaintance who was lucky to own a large rose farm in the hills. From Jolarpet we made the 18 km uphill journey to Athnavur, the main hub which took 1.5 hours on a packed bus. The scenery at each hairpin bend was breathtaking to say the least. 

The places to visit are Swamimalai, the Yelagiri Lake, Jagalamparai waterfalls and the Velavan Temple at Nilavur. The 1000 ft climb to Swamimalai will tax the city dweller some, providing a good workout to your body and lungs. The lake is artificial and still undergoing expansion. You get the facility for boating and a small park to stroll around in. The temple is nothing remarkable, with zero architectural embellishments, but pleasantly cossetted in the open moorland. Mention must be made of the two large statues standing guard at the mouth of the entrance.

Rather than places of interest, it is the open widespread land and the ever winding roads that suit the idle traveller, which Yelagiri has aplenty. You can stroll down the quiet streets for hours without witnessing any automobile, occassionally coming across villagers going about their errands. And of course the dogs. There are a large no. of dogs who leave you to your own but at times may follow you in hope of peanuts (literally). We didnt have any problem out in the open even during moonlit strolls.

The Climate which turns chilly in winter and in the monsoons is pleasant for the rest of the year. No blazing sunshine even at mid-day. It gets pleasantly cold at night, with strong breezes if you're out in the open. Having frequented a 2 km distant teashop during our stay at Nilavur, we got friendly with the locals to the point of being offerred free treats. 

Though you may have to walk for hours to find one, the local tea shops will provide you with strong sweet brew made from goats milk and steaming hot local snacks like ''vadai'' and ''bonda'' which come cheap at 50 ps. More discerning gourmets will have to visit hotels in Athanavur or Ponnery for elaborate meals and tasty fish & meat cuisine. Otherwise branded snacks and beverages are aplenty. Fruits including guava's, jackfruit, pomegranate and banana's are aplenty in cornerstores. Wild honey is available cheaply at Rs.25 for 200 ml.

Tipplers are well advised to stock up from the foot hills at Jolarpet or the lone wine shop at Ponnery (5 km from Athanavur). Also be warned that the shops stock only quarter or pint sized bottles, so that if you're planning a binge you'll have to tote a lot of small bottles around. 

To get to Yelagiri, there are frequent trains from Erode and Chennai. For those without own transport, the most viable option are the local buses which ply at hourly intervals. There are Autorikshaws that will take you shorter distances, but are unable to climb for long uphill. Taxis are available at Jolarpet to take you to the hills but will charge anything upto Rs.350 for a ride. Accomodation is aplenty and should be freely available in a normal weekend. Try the YMCA if all else fails.

Yelagiri is ideal as a weekend getaway, but be sure to spend a night. A climb to Swamimalai in the early morning and a visit to the Jagalamparai Waterfalls in the rainy season is recommended.