Summer Holidays 2012- Sri Lanka – Part I - We visited Pinnawala & Kandy

I did a lot of planning for the annual foreign jaunt – East Europe, Turkey, Far East etc. Somehow, none of these destinations worked out. The response from my friends was also not very encouraging. People dropped out due to clashes in program, shortage of funds and a variety of other reasons. I was determined to give Jai a break from her hectic school routine. I firmly believe in the adage ‘Work hard and play even harder’. It’s very important to break away from everything routine and embark on a trip of some sort, somewhere, just for a while, to nourish one’s body and soul. French President Mitterrand was famous for sneaking out of Paris without letting anybody know where he was spending his holidays. If he, with a nuclear button in hand, could get away from it all – I am sure we ordinary mortals can do the same.Once again Ms Gowri from ‘Travel Bazaar’ did all the ground work and made out a very interesting 13 day package for Sri Lanka. Kats and Navin joined us very eagerly. I had visited Sri Lanka many times during the IPKF operations, but in a non tourist mode. So, I was keen to see Sri Lanka after 30 long years of bloody internal strife.

Sri Lanka figures high in the list of ‘Breakout Nations’ by Ruchir Sharma. He notes ‘Sri Lanka may surprise us as a high-growth nation in the coming years’. Post 2010 there has been a steady growth in FDI. Tourism has emerged as one of the top six FE earners along with tea, rubber, garments and low end manufacturing. Sri Lanka is home to eight World Heritage Sites: Galle, Kandy, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva, the Dambulla cave Temple, the Central Highlands, and  the Sinharaja tropical rain forest. The industry has picked up dramatically post 2009 and continues to attract tourists from all over the world. In real terms, visitors from India topped the list in 2010, while UK came a close second. Germany, Middle East and France accounting for the other major shares.The 800,000th visitor to Sri Lanka arrived in Colombo on 16 Dec 2011. Tourism revenue rose  from 64.8 percent in 2010 to a record US$ 576 million. This year the country expects US$ 800 million tourism income and US$ 1 billion next year. Nearly 950,000 tourists are expected to visit Sri Lanka next year.Apart from heritage sites, hill stations, golden beaches, rivers and wild life – Sri Lanka also has the advantage of offering 4/5 star accommodation at very reasonable prices when compared with Europe and India. The package offered by Travel Bazaar was indeed reasonable and included some of the best properties in SL.

27^th April 2012 – Arrival Colombo

After a very short journey we landed at ‘Bandaranaike International Airport’, Colombo at 2200 hrs. Kats and Naveen joined us from Delhi a few minutes later. Without further ado, Kats and I proceeded to the duty free shop to fortify ourselves with some elixir for the duration of our stay. With our newly purchased confidence we were ready to face whatever Sri Lanka had to offer. We checked into the Jetwing Beach Hotel in Negombo. The hotel is located on the beach and the rooms have a clear view of the sea. After a good night’s rest and a scrumptious breakfast we commenced our SL tour. Negombo is similar to Pondicherry in many ways.

Figure 1 - View from the room

Figure 2 - View of our room

Figure 3 - Mighty Indian Ocean

Figure 4 - Jai and Naveen

Figure 5 - Kats and self

28^th April 2012 – Pinnawala - Kandy

As we finished our breakfast and came to the hotel lobby, Mr Duminda, a giant of a man and our driver and guide, was waiting to receive us. He had brought along a ‘Nissan Caravan’ which was going to be our ‘vahana’ for the next 13 days; a very spacious, comfortable and sturdy vehicle. The best part of the travel deal was that, both the Nissan and Duminda would stay with us for the entire duration.

Figure 6 - Photo op with Duminda

Our first stop was the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. It is an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian Elephants located at Pinnawala village. It is notable for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. In 2011, there were 88 elephants, including 37 males and 51 females from 3 generations, living in Pinnawala. The orphanage was established to feed, nurse and house young elephants found abandoned by their mothers. Young elephants sometimes fall into pits and ravines in their quest for water during periods of drought. Other orphans have been displaced from their wild habitat by development projects or have been found abandoned before weaning, diseased or wounded. This elephant orphanage also conducts captive breeding of some elephants in its care.

Figure 7 - Three more elephants - 88 + 3

Figure 8 - A close up of elephants having a mud bath

Figure 9 - Jai and Naveen feeling happy about their size

Figure 10 - An 82 year old blind elephant in the orphanage

Figure 11 - On their way through the village for a bath

Figure 12 - The naughty ones are chained

Our next stop was the ‘Elephant Poo Paper’ factory – a very interesting and educative visit.

Figure 13 - Vegetarian Diet

Figure 14 - Food on table

Figure 15 - The process

Fibers are then boiled in a container for at least a day to ensure they are clean and soft. Later, they are washed in fresh water. Surprisingly it does not smell at all. The next process is to spin dry the fiber and soak it in the required color for 3 hours. The fibre is then pulped and mixed in a small paper making vat and put in a shallow mould to make paper. Once the paper id dried it is either smoothened by stones or by passing it through a calendaring to make it smooth and usable. It was a very interesting revelation to all of us. In the end it pays to be a vegetarian.

Figure 17 - The final product

Figure 18 - Paper quality

Figure 19 – Circle of Conservation

Drive to Kandy

The country side in many ways resembles Kerala, Goa and Mangalore – lush green country side with varieties of trees, plants and shrubs. The weather is also similar – hot and humid. However, under the shade it is comfortable.

Figure 20 - Country side

The comparison ends there. As one drives on their national highways, the differences start to slowly emerge and stand out. All the roads are in an extremely good condition and are clearly marked. The population of Sri Lanka is just 21 million – with Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10%.The religious break up being - Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10%. Majority speak Sinhala, followed by a small percentage speaking Tamil. English is widely spoken, especially by those connected with tourism.

To understand the impact of population on various aspects of Sri Lankan life, I have made some simple comparisons.The State of Kerala  has a population of 31 million people in an area of 38863 square Km. On the other hand, the island of SL has an area of 65610 square kilometers - almost double of Kerala with only 21 million. The Population density (people per sq. km) in Sri Lanka was last reported at 332.64 in 2010.Where as Kerala has a density of 859. As a result, their village centers are not overcrowded; highways are relatively free from traffic congestion and the overpowering presence of humans is less if not totally absent.

We reached Kandy by 3PM and checked into a hotel called the ‘Mahaweli Reach’, located on the banks of the river Mahaweli. The hotel has a nice blend of both old world charm and modernity – the staff is very pleasant and welcoming, their spontaneity  makes the guests instantly feel at home. The over bearing and officious atmosphere of a 5 star hotel is fortunately absent and one finds a feeling of familiarity.

Figure 21 – Mahaveli Hotel - by the river

Figure 22 – The Jack Fruit pool

Figure 23 - The dining area

Figure 24 - Photo op in the garden

29^th April 2012 – At Kandy

The very first item of the day was a visit to – Temple of the Tooth - Sri Dalada Maligawa 

Located in Kandy, the stunning 17th-century temple is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord Buddha himself. This precious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani, every day.

According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre. It was smuggled to Sri Lanka in 313 AD, hidden in the hair of Princess Hemamali who fled the Hindu armies besieging her father's kingdom in India.

The tooth relic is removed from its shrine only once a year, during the Esala Perahera, a 10-day torchlight parade of dancers and drummers, dignitaries, and ornately decorated elephants. It is now one of the better-known festivals in Asia, and it may be the largest Buddhist celebration in the world.

Figure 25 - The Sanctum Sanctorum

Figure 26 - Navin offering flowers and prayers at the temple

Figure 27 - The walls leading to the inner chambers decorated with intricate and colorful batik paintings depicting the life of Buddha

Figure 28 - Images of Buddha

Figure 29 - Old walkway in excellent condition

Figure 30 - A colorful wooden exterior

Figure 31 - Beautiful Kandy Lake

Figure 32 - Jai and Naveen at the temple

Thereafter we went and visited a gem factory. Sri Lanka’s mineral rich soils have been yielding a seemingly never ending supply of high quality precious and semi precious gem stones such as Sapphires, Star Sapphire, Rubies, Star Rubies, Alexandrite, Cat’s eyes, Garnets, Zircons, Tourmalines and Spinels. The gem industry in Sri Lanka is of great antiquity.

In the factory we were able to watch a very interesting and educative video on gem mining.

Figure 33 - Sand model depicting the insides of a mine

In the evening we attended a cultural show depicting various dance forms of Sri Lanka

Figure 34 - Traditional Pooja dance

Figure 35 - Thelme dance which is a vibrant expression of pure classical and rhythmical dance from the low country

Figure 36 – Salupliya dance depicting several demons. Popular in Southern Sri Lanka

Figure 37 - Raban dance, displaying balancing with skill

Figure 38 - Kulu traditional folk dance

Figure 39 - A drummer in a Ves dance - King of Kandyan dance form

Figure 40 - Traditional Fire walking

Total Relaxation with Kats

This marked the end of our stay in Kandy.After paying respect to 'Johnnie Walker' followed by a light dinner we went to sleep in the luxurious confines of 'Mahaveli Reach' 

Summer Holidays 2012- Mumbai

Summer Holidays 2012- Mumbai

Jayanti’s school closed on 14^th of April 2012 and it was time once again to travel. We spent some time with daughter dear in Mumbai, soaking in the heat of the city and the hurried, harried life it offers. It was great being with the grand children – once inside the house it was all fun and frolic. The twins have grown up and now attend a ‘mother -toddler’ program and enjoy getting ready and carrying their satchels to school. Ayaan is growing up fast and keeps himself busy attending football practice, music classes and karate – in addition to school.

It was ten days of great fun with daughter, S in L and the grand children. In spite of the heat, I took the children to the park and bonded. At home I busied myself in the kitchen cooking dosa, idly, upma and the rest to satisfy Akhila’s craving for South Indian food. As usual, there were a number of visits to various specialty restaurants along with my S in L, who is a foodie – Sea food, Italian, Chinese et al. We also went and watched The Sound of Music, a play produced by Rael Padamsee.

It was very heartening to see Akhila’s household retuning to normalcy – meaning the twins have finally settled down. They are almost two now and their routine is in place. After a hectic day they retire exactly at 7pm and sleep through the night – which is a great relief for their mother. They have regular meal timings and eat whatever is on the table with no fuss, play a lot and spend considerable time with each other. They have learnt to walk and run about, blabber endlessly repeating whatever the elders say – all things considered, they are great company and therapeutic for the grandparents.

Akhila has all the help she requires to raise her three boys – notwithstanding the assistance; it is certainly a very challenging and demanding task to look after three children – especially boys. She has tons of patience and secretly enjoys motherhood. I give her full marks. Well done, Akki!

Figure 1 – Hai Ghoda with grandfather

Figure 2 - Story telling session with GM

Figure 3 - Ayaan with grandmother

Akhila celebrated Ayaan’s 5^th birthday in a very novel manner. She hired a BEST open top ‘touristy’ bus decorated with balloons, to take Ayaan’s friends for a small chakkar around Bandra. The kids had a rollicking time, shouting, screaming, singing songs and making merry.

Figure 4 - BEST bus

A balloonwala made different shapes and figures with the balloon and was a hot favorite with the kids.

  

Figure 5 - Balloonwala at his job

On the bus there were a number of interesting games to keep the children occupied with Akhila as the game master.

Figure 6 –Akhila Taking Charge

After spending two hours on the bus, the restless children returned to a ‘Pizza Restaurant’ for a sumptuous pizza treat and the cake cutting ceremony.

Figure 7 - Proud parents with Ayaan

Vivacious Nargis Fakhri of ‘Rock Star’ fame who attended the birthday party and came along for the bus ride  was the centre of attention with the children. Her spontaneous rapport with the children and her friendly demeanor ,made her an instant hit with the children. 

Figure 8 - Nargis with a Balloon Helmet

Remembering Our Dear Friend Commodore Kadur Sitaramiah Krishna Prasad

More than 50 years of close friendship came to a sudden end on 22 Mar 2012 as my dearest friend, guide, mentor and philosopher passed away in Bangalore. He was known by many names - Krishna, Prasad, Kris, Prasu, KSK, Gudda, Gulpavte

Figure 1 - At a farm house party - 08 Jan 2012

Friends from South Bangalore remember him as ‘Gudda’ (as in dada). In fact all his very old friends called him ‘Gudda’ and that is how I knew him for a very long time. In the college cricketing fraternity he was called ‘Gulpavpte’. At home he was ‘Krishna’ and later on in the navy it became Krishna Prasad, Prasad, Prasu, Kris and KSK. By whichever name one called him – he always remained a special character – intelligent, handsome, charming, full of sharp wit, bubbling with optimism, caring in his own way – a very lovable character. Very rarely did one find Prassu sad or gloomy – left to himself he often displayed a certain happy-go-lucky attitude. He was a compulsive mischief maker in a harmless way. From the very early days, he was a prankster, always waiting to play mischievous tricks on people.

Gudda was a very talented person. In his college days he excelled as a cricketer. Some of his contemporaries like the legendary ‘BS Chandrasekhar,’ recognizing his bowling prowess, often told him to take up the game seriously. He had a very melodious voice – rich and deep. His rendition of ‘Dost Dost Na Raha,’ a Mukesh song, got him the prestigious Inter Collegiate Best Singer Award in 1965. In the month of December 2011, we had a get-together of the ‘coffee decoction friends’ ( http://samundarbaba.blogspot.in/2010/09/coffee-decoction-friends.html ) in Prassu’s house, where he sang ‘Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin’ – it was an excellent rendition. He was also a part of the theatre scene at college. He acted in a play 'Veera Yoga' as a convict in jail, waiting to be hanged and his sensitive rendering of his interaction with his sister drew immense appreciation. His acting won great accolades and he won the Inter Collegiate Best Actor Award. The principal of the college was so thrilled with his ability; he let him direct a play. Gudda hit upon a novel theme – the plot he selected had a very loose story line and the audience could walk in any time on to the stage and say their bit and go. It was outrageously hilarious but the principal stopped it mid way. He also broached the idea of an orchestra wherein each instrumentalist was free to play whatever he wanted- by which time the principal, Late Dr HN, was seeing red and was ready to tear his hair out...

School and college days were filled with interesting events. We went on a cycle trip to Hogenakkallu in 1964. ( http://samundarbaba.blogspot.in/2010/08/bengaluru-days-trip-to-hogenakkal-falls.html ) It was a great adventure and we had lots of fun with Gudda around. He and Sunder went to the Republic Day Parade at New Delhi representing the Karnataka Naval NCC unit. He also went to an Advance Mountaineering Camp at Manali and Rothang Pass and had many interesting stories to narrate. We attended a number of NCC camps together in KG Bangalore, Mangalore etc – we were always in the midst of some ‘Gudda- engineered mischief’.

In the navy he became an ‘Anti Submarine Warfare’ specialist, trained in the erstwhile Soviet Union. He held a number of important posts both ashore and afloat. He commanded INS Amini and INS Gomati with distinction. He was responsible for inducting ‘Computer Aided Action Information System’ IPN 10 from Italy into the Indian Navy. Recognizing this meritorious act, the ‘President of India’ conferred ‘Vishisht Seva Medal’ on him. He also held important operational appointments such as ‘Fleet ASW Officer’ and Director of Staff Requirement. He was a very professional officer.

Prasu married very young. INS Delhi went on a cruise to Australia in 1970. Along the way he met a very young, beautiful and vivacious girl from Fiji – Preet. He fell for her – hook line and sinker! I happened to attend their wedding in Chennai in April 1971. A short time later a son was born – Siddharth, who is an architect of repute in Bangalore today. Many decades later, in 2011, we all went to China and had a wonderful experience. During the trip Kris and Preet celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with all of us in Xian. It was a very nostalgic event for me. ( http://samundarbaba.blogspot.in/2011/05/we-visited-china-xian.html )

Figure 2 – Kris and Preet - 40th Wedding Anniversary in Xian, China

We served together in the navy on a number of occasions and I thoroughly enjoyed his company. Admiral Subimal Mookerjee, the Fleet Commander, used to call me ‘fatso’ to which Prassu would say, ‘You are wrong sir, he is under height.’ Once, the admiral decided to host a party for all the Commanding Officers and the Staff in Goa. The cocktails were in INS Talwar, commanded by Cdr. A Dabir, and later all of us went out for a spot of dinner at a restaurant in Dona Paula. Some of the supernumerary staff who had sailed on INS Rajput was not aware of the details. Lt Cdr Vasan wanted to know the details and Prassu told him that the party would start at 1945 hours and the dress code was a suit – I nodded in agreement. Poor Vasan went all over town to borrow a suit. The admiral arrived in a bright blue shirt with red polka dots; the captain was in kurta pyjama and so on. Much to the amusement of all present, ‘our man Flint’ arrived in an ill fitting and crumpled green suit with some silvery embellishment. It was truly ‘Humour out of Uniform’. Vasan did not speak to Kris and me for over a decade.

It was already 1235 hours on a make and mend Wednesday and Subimal was getting restless as he was being kept from his tryst with G and T by my course mate Lt Cdr S Neogi. The admiral tried to explain the nuances of Anti Missile Defence to Surojit who just did not ‘get it’. The admiral was getting exasperated – that’s when a very helpful Prasad suggested,’ Sir, try and explain it to him in Bengali - he may understand it faster.’

After inspection of INS Nilgiri under Kaka Sharma, we had gathered in the Captain’s cabin for a debrief session. During the course of the inspection I had very meticulously noted down all my gunnery observations in a note book and rehearsed what to say when the time came. For some reason I had to leave the cabin momentarily to get an extra chair. On my return, the admiral said “Well gentlemen, let us begin with individual departmental briefs -we will start with the youngest – Pubs”. I very confidently put my hand below the chair to retrieve the brief case which carried the note book. To my utter shock and dismay, I found the briefcase missing. It was my first public exposure as a ‘Fleet Gunnery Officer,’ that too in front of so many staff officers – I panicked and didn’t know what to do. Others started staring at me and wanting to know why was I waiting. Just when I thought all was lost, Kris pushed the hidden briefcase towards me.

Middle watch was split between KSK and me. He was required to relieve me on the bridge at 0200 hours. I would send the side boy at 0130 to give him a shake up. KSK would come out of his deep slumber and say, ‘OK. I‘ll be there’. Come 0200 h, no sign of Kris on the bridge. I would send the side boy again to call him. This time around the side boy would come back to say, ‘Sir, he is not in his bunk’. Thinking he was on his way up, I would keep quiet. It would be almost 0230 and no sign of Kris yet. The side boy would go again to look for Prasu and find him fast asleep in some other bunk.

He would often ring home and pretend to be the admiral and give strange instructions to Jai. His impersonation was so perfect, on a number of occasions I would go to the admiral and say ‘Did you send for me, sir?’ only to be greeted with a blank, bewildered look. This prank took quite a serious turn when the admiral wanted to know if something was seriously wrong with Pubs.

Figure 3 - With Mrs. Indira Gandhi on board INS Rajput. Prassu with a thick beard standing right of admiral. Yours truly next to him.

Three of us shared the same phone in the fleet office. Once again ‘our man Flint’ Vasan, would ring up INS Talwar and ask to be connected to the officer of the day (OOD). Across the glass cubicle, Kris would pick up the phone and tell Vasan, ‘I am busy. Ring up later.’ – an unheard of reply from the quarter master – especially to a Fleet Staff Officer. Through the glass I could see Vasan all red hot about the ears and terribly agitated, shouting and wildly gesticulating. Prassu would continue to pretend to be the QM until Vasan stormed out of the office.

After a major war game ‘East Wind’, we all had gathered in the auditorium in Vizag for the debrief. Admiral Nadkarni set the tone by bringing a basket full of oranges and commenced his part of the narrative for the Orange Force. A little later it was Prasu’s turn to present ASW details. After finishing his narrative he said, ‘I now hand over the stage to the Submarine Commander for all the fiction.’

My family and I, on our way home to India from Nigeria, went to Rome and spent an exciting week with Kris and family. Whenever I was stressed out in my corporate work, I used to take off and spend a few days with the Commodore in INS Agrani in Coimbatore, which he was commanding at that time. I used to drop in to his house often to unwind over a drink. Kris loved his drinks like most of us. Where he would beat us hollow was his exercise in gluttony. This man could tuck in like there was no tomorrow. He loved his chicken very dearly. It was a pleasure to watch him eat and enjoy his food.

His love for dogs, both pedigree and stray bordered on the crazy. From the days of his ‘Bola’ to ‘Rover’ he had an extremely soft corner for dogs. Even today a lame and undernourished stray, which has taken shelter in their house, stands testimony to his love and respect for life.

Nair organized an excellent barbeque party on 08 Jan 2012 at his friend’s farm house on the outskirts of the city. All of us had taken marinated chicken, fish and meat and the party went on merrily with Kris stealing the show. The day belonged to him – he not only relished the G and T and chicken, but entertained us with his own version of ‘Kolaveri Di’- Changing the lyrics to highlight a weakness of each one of us. A thoroughly enjoyable, unforgettable afternoon. That was one of the last few times we got together as a group with Prasu, my old friend.

Figure 4 - Barbeque Nation – Good times

He used to repeatedly advise me to take up golf and would exalt its virtues – walking in the open, lungs full of fresh air – loads of vitamin D – peace of mind and so on. Finally on 28 Jan 2011, I took up golf. “Only this time, my dear friend Prasu gave me his old set and egged me on to ‘tee off’ or whatever. That’s how I landed up in ASC once again and handed over my application for club membership.” (http://samundarbaba.blogspot.in/2011/02/clean-miss-i-have-started-golf.html ). So on 28 Jan 2012, I invited Prasu to join me for a game and thereafter for a spot of Pink G followed by lunch at the RSI to celebrate one year of golfing. Golf was out, as he had developed a hairline crack in the collar bone while playing golf earlier. Finally Kris, Sunder and self met on 01 Feb and played well at the 19th hole.

We met again in Fali’s house on 16th Feb for our monthly get together. In hindsight - he did look worried and a bit subdued – he was not himself. I looked him up again on 4th March, by which time his medical investigations had started. On 8th Mar, Jai and I went again to meet him. Throughout the evening he played the excellent host as usual, served us drinks and restrained himself to a soft drink.

I wished him a very happy birthday and speedy recovery on 16th Mar. It was my turn to host the monthly party on 17th Mar and I requested dear Prasu to join all his good friends. He said, ‘Yes Pubs’. I got a cake to be cut at the party and wish him belatedly. By then he was in deep pain and could not attend the party. At the end of the party we cut the cake and wished him all the very best in absentia.

He suffered severe pain and discomfort on 17th and 18th Mar but endured it with utmost dignity. On 21st Mar he gave all of us a ray of hope – he looked better, talked to his course mates and friends and ate a good lunch. If you looked closely, one could see a faint but distinctively cheeky smile – probably wanting to say, “This is just a prank. I will come out of it.”

However, the Almighty had other plans for him and he passed away very peacefully at 0820 h on 22 Mar 2012.

Thus ended the chapter of a good person, a good husband to Preet, proud father to Sid and unforgettable friend to all of us. He will remain in our memory for a very long time to come, as someone who lived life ‘King Size’ and enjoyed all the bounties that life had to offer.