Tanjore

LANDOUR end

5th March 2011

For a change I was the first one to wake up today.The sun has come out and the weather seems to be less cold.

 

We were planning to go down to Mussourie near the Mall today.There is a bookshop which Ruskin Bond frequents on Saturdays and we are hoping to meet him! We sighted the Himalayas today too.We started discussing what it looked like to us.Sandhya said they looked like a pineapple cake.Arvind could not think of what it looked like except that he wanted a take scrumptious bite.To me it seemed like whipped cream.I think we were all hungry.

 

We waited at the bookshop.The shopkeeper told us he'll arrive at four and he did!We were tongue-locked and blabbered a few nice sounding words to the questions he asked.My ears had turned hot.We got our Ruskin Bond books autographed and talked to him for a bit.He was such a dear old man with the bluest of eyes.I had bought a book for Pappu as her birthday gift and got it autographed too.I hope she loves it.When the crowd started pouring in,we left.Arvind was so smitten by the experience that while gaping at his autographed book he did not notice the ditch before him,and fell right into it.He recovered soon.We went to ChicChocolate to celebrate meeting a wonderful writer and stare at his autograph for longer.

 

6th March 2011

Arvind wanted to record the morning mass of the church at the bend before CharDukan to include it with the shots of the empty church space.We couldn't make it to the beginning of the mass but managed to get a good recording of the proceedings and the choir.It was sunny today and a lot of birds were out to catch some sun too.Spotted Dollar and Rupee outside the church listening to the choir.They joined us when we headed to CharDukan.

 

Today was time lapse-shots day.I was taking a time lapse of CharDukan as the sunset threw hues on it like the changing slides of a view-master.As the sun dipped the shadow of the tree, in the playground in front, moved down from Anilji's new signboard,over the awnings,the asbestos sheets and even a sleepy Dollar.A few kids were playing cricket a little away.I was also standing guard next to the camera so that the cricket ball does not come visiting.It almost did once,but gravity saved the day.

 

The setting sun had leaked some light,like a punctured water balloon, to the surrounding clouds and a line spread over the horizon.The light washed the sky and the trees with a bright orange glow.It slowly changed to the colour of tea before it evened out.Very quickly it fell headlong into a dark evening.

 

The kids had stopped playing cricket and CharDukan had blinked on its lights.We has settled down for some chai when I saw a bright orange line like a whiplash on the deep blue sky.Arvind excitedly pointed out that it was the Winter Line! We scurried about for the camera and managed to take a shot,after which we kept staring at it from Anilji's cafe.It felt like we were at the bottom of a cocktail glass of indigo liquid and we could see thin bands of orange,red and yellow at the top.Someone had dipped a rice-cracker moon a wee bit.The rest of the moon was visible foggily dreamily.

 

When we walked back to Kilmarnock,we crossed like lullabies and that streetlight went to sleep once again.

 

7th March 2011

Today is the last day at Landour.

We went to visit Sangeetha at Woodstock School today.She was showing us around and we were bowled over by the school and later by its fee.Four of us had a wonderful chat over some coffee and eclairs.When settled for the last night here with heavy hearts.An owl kept hooting through the night.A soft wispy hoot,which I had once mistaken for an electronic beep and went around checking which camera charger was making that constant rhythmic toot.

 

8th March 2011

All packed and ready,we were waiting for the taxi to arrive.We had cleaned up the place.Sandhya has settled her heavy backpack on the porch and Arvind moved towards the fence to gape at the Himalayas.I walked down the a bit and plonked myself on the parapet lining the road.A huge huge fluffy dog was being taken for a walk.I'm guessing it is a Saint Bernard.It kept turning and looking curiously as it was pulled along.It looked so handsome.

 

A few school girls walked past discussing what questions are likely to appear in their exams.They had impeccable starched uniforms.The tips of their stiff dupattas were pinned together at the back such that when they walked in twos,it formed a big 'W'.

 

Our taxi has arrived.The driver's name is Bikram and Bina didi and Mijan bhai seemed to know him well.We shall stop at CharDukan and tell our goodbyes before catching the bus to Dehradun.

LANDOUR middle

3rd March 2011

Last night we prepared a yummy meal.

After reaching Kilmarnock we realised we forgot to get dal.Pretty smart eh.Bina didi came to the rescue.Bina didi is the caretaker of the Kilmarnock cottage and our fire-maker.We are hopeless at setting them logs ablaze.We borrowed some dal from her and went about preparing the meal while she made the fire for us.The temperature was dropping fast and the rain did not stop.It steadily dripped from the clouds.

We ended up having dessert before the meal because Bina didi had very sweetly had made some laddoos for us.After she left,we were so busy cooking and eating that we forgot to feed logs to the fire.After almost an hour and more of frantic efforts,the logs were as stubborn as ever.It sighed and glowered at us.We even tried burning an entire magazine(blasphemous, yes) to nudge the damp logs to combustion but after a point even the magazine would not burn.Sandhya even tried a certain fluttering of the arms which vaguely resembled a Red Indian fire dance.All that came out of these efforts was a lot of smoke(who said there is no smoke without fire!) and Sandhya and myself blinking away with watery eyes ; while Arvind sat on the couch,looking down upon us and making clicking noises.

To make matters worse,one phase of the electricity poofed.We were not able to charge the camera batteries or even empty memory card contents into the laptop.Even the heater could not be plugged in! We reluctantly woke Mijan bhai, Bina didi's husband.He checked and told us that it can only be fixed in the morning!

So we put on more layers of clothes and retired for the day.I rolled into foetal position under the icy quilt.The cold had reached my bones and the dreams-to-come shuddered.

We woke up at around six thirty and trotted off to Char Dukan to shoot the shops opening.There was some charge left in Arvind's handy cam so we were able to shoot the morning's proceedings.We had breakfast and went back to Kilmarnock to recharge.It is almost a twenty minute walk from Char Dukan to Kilmarnock.Mijan bhai had a 'bijliwala' fix the electricity problem.But a few minutes later there was a power cut in Landour.Bina didi made us a crackling lifesaver fire.Once the electricity was back(2 hours later),we charged all the equipment and set out again.

After Sister's Bazaar,there are two paths one can take to reach Char Dukan.This time we decided to take the other one.It was beautiful too.The slopes were decked with the stately deodars.What a sight it was! There are a lot of little cottages scattered here and there in Landour.Mostly summer homes of celebrities.The owners also seem to be very wary of trespassers.The kind of boards to keep them away were interesting.One of them said 'panthers on patrol,beware'.We of course did not believe that,It was a ploy to keep away the vandals.We quickened our pace nevertheless,we were in a hurry to reach CharDukan.We were behind schedule today.

The rain has slowly stopped but it was still cold.A lot of families on their way to Lal Tibba are stopping by CharDukan today for a bit of snacking.Its also slowly filling up with students from Woodstock.We headed back to Kilmarnock to recharge once more.We took the path again,which we now named the 'Panther Path' and the heart skipped many beats.

The Panther path welcomed us with a beautiful sight.A mist was slowly forming after the rains.Past the deodars,the clouds had slipped from the sky and were falling headlong down the hills.They waltzed around the deodars who stood like prudes but I could see that they were enjoying it.They swivelled and swirled lazily down the slopes to a music which mortals could not hear.

We got back to Char Dukan just in time for the shops closing.Got fairly good shots,but have to take more tomorrow.Anilji's shop was the only one with food to offer.We quickly ate up and decided to get back.The mist was thickening and the visibility was decreasing slowly.

The mist had descended upon Landour with much aplomb.It had smudged the light and I could see it spilling smokily out of the streetlamps.I felt as if I am looking through a layer of gauze.We sighed and drunk with beauty,floated cottage-wards.

Talking of streetlamps,there was a rogue streetlamp which kept going off each time we walked across it.This had been happening for the past few days too.We deduced that it has something to do with the pressure and air movement when three frightened people walk past.Today we were slowly reaching the spot as two men walked past the same street lamp.It stood still.We lightened up and strutted confidently towards it.But it went off,throwing a patch of confused darkness on us as we ran.

4th March 2011

Planning to go to the bazaar today and shoot.Hopefully it does not rain.We have stopped to eat at CharDukan,this time at Himgiri and not Anilji's cafe for a change.Sandhya wanted to mail some postcards and she discovered that the post-lady had some really nice stamps with pictures of Meena Kumari,Nutan and Madhubala.We excitedly bought some.

On the way here,we saw a broken branch of a tree frilled with rows of mushrooms.I was tempted to run my fingers over it and make it go trrrrrup.The wind was not at all terse today.It sounded like a lot of rugs falling constantly from a cupboard.The deodars were not really letting the wind pass without chatting up a bit.A deep blue bird swooped in and out of the proceedings.I also heard a bird which sounded like a twig run over an abacus.

The walk downhill to the bazaar was as usual beautiful.We shot a lot till the batteries died down.The last shot of the afternoon was the 'glittering tree'.We had stopped over at the Clock Tower Cafe and ordered some more of the delicious cakes.I suddenly saw the large deodar shimmering.Little droplets of rainwater had caught some sunlight.

We walked uphill again,past a few men playing caroms by the street, stopped at Sabri's to get a better look at the books,bought a few.We hitchhiked back to Char Dukan.A breath-taking sunset awaited us.Sandhya wanted to stay back in Char Dukan for some coffee.Arvind and myself walked back to Kilmarnock to recharge the batteries and transfer the footage.This was around six or so.We took the Panther Path.The skies were rid of clouds today and round the last bend staring at us were the Himalayan peaks!Chunks of stately ice.

On the way back to CharDukan,the hills and the night sky had made a silent exchange while we weren't looking.The clouds had come down and the hills gave its pinpricks of light to the sky.

LANDOUR beginning

Nit-picked from the little notebook in which I jotted down the few days at Landour,Mussourie for Arvind's documentary shoot.

27th February 2011

In the night train to Dehra Dun from Delhi.We have settled down to sleep through the night while the co-passengers spew bad shayari about the railways and god.A few others fervently prepare for some sort of interview/exam involving constant usage of 'Allopathy'.

1st March 2011

Last night was the first time I was woken up by silence.For a person who has always lived in throbbing cities and now in a hostel,I am a lover of silence. But the Landour's silence was striking, I could even hear the night breathe.

We woke up early today to catch the opening of the shops at Char Dukan.Missed it.Got late.

Taking a bath in this freezing weather must have been one of the medieval tortures.The water heater was easily outwitted by the cold,but we somehow managed.We ultimately dressed ourselves in a minimum of six layers and gave the impression of three balls rolling downhill when we walked down to Char Dukan.Arvind donned lesser layers than the Sandhya and myself.He displayed amazing thermal capacities.I guess snapping at us warmed him up good.

Started off with a yummy break-fasting at Anil's cafe in Char Dukan. A ginger lemon chai and pancake later,we headed to the Landour bazaar.The beautiful view pepped up the walk downhill.We also saw,gaped rather, at Ruskin Bond's quaint home.

Climbing uphill was a herculean task.Hiring a taxi would have left us terribly broke.There are no auto rickshaws in Mussourie.The cycle rickshaws will only take you till certain points near the Mall(the bustling commercial side of Mussourie).You never spot them up in Landour,also because its too steep.Only tourists take taxis,and therefore they are atrociously costly.Walking,like the locals do, is a good idea if you want to take in the beauty.But again walking downhill is a breeze but uphill requires a lot of patience.So we hitch-hiked,much to Arvind's discomfort.A kind soul with a pick-up van gave us a lift.Arvind and myself sitting at the back almost got thrown out when the van drove over the bumps at the bazaar.He gave us a lift alright.

In the late afternoon,it got dark soon and it drizzled.So it got colder.The chill managed to seep in through a thermal, five layers of thick t-shirts.two sweaters and a bulky coat.We could not get a shot of the sunset today since it was very cloudy.Thick grey clouds languidly moved past like reluctant school kids on a Monday morning.

Yesterday I could write for long without my mittens.Today my fingers blushed blue and froze.Its nearing night and I have ordered a hot lemon chai from Anilji.Its heat really helps to thaw my fingers.The hills have transformed into conical galaxies,while the huge black dog sits guard.Its so fluffy that I want to selfishly cuddle it for some warmth.The dogs in the hills are bigger and more furry.

The men who frequent Char Dukan have made a bonfire by the step to the toilet block way down.The night is cold,they are cold and the fire too shivers and joins in the conversation.

Anilji's mother is singing something from inside the room behind me.From what is audible,it sounds like a bhajan.The cricket commentary gave her song company.The shopkeepers of Char Dukan also live in the inner chambers.

2nd March 2011

We sat up late last night watching whatever we had shot last night.As a result we were up today only at 9am.Sandhya and myself slowly pestered Arvind the revise the schedule and let us shoot the Landour bazaar bit today instead of Char Dukan in the first half.He agreed,since he wanted a change of food.We were eating at CharDukan all this while.We were not cooking at Kilmarnock(the cottage where we were staying) sonce we would have to stock up the provisions.Cooking would be relaxing though.The stove is now used only to heat water for bathing,since the geyser in the bathroom was proving to be incompetent.

We stopped at CharDukan for a bit since Sandhya had some e-mail work.We picked up a jar of home-made marmalade from Sister's Bazaar on the way.We are planning to leave it at Ruskin Bond's doorstep with some nice notes.

Char Dukan is crowded today.From the conversations we have eavesdropped,they seem to be teachers and students from Woodstock,one of the many residential schools here. The foreigners here not tourists.There are few who have been teaching at Woodstock and other who come to learn and teach at the Language School near the cantonment.

Dollar is here.Curious as usual.He's the cream colored dog at Char Dukan.There's a handsome black one too.The man who told us Dollar's name did not know what the black one was called.So we called him Rupee.The weather is pleasant today,so both of them seem to be in high spirits.So is the monkey family.The little monkey is trying his best to take the chewing gum out of his mouth,but keeps failing miserably.He finally lets out an exasperated screech and runs across the roof.

We successfully left the marmalade at Ruskin Bond's home.All three of us put in our little notes.Try as I may,I could not come up with anything sane.So I whipped up what I call a jittery-fan's-silliest-limerick.I really hope he likes the marmalade.We had read about how he likes the homemade jams in Sister's bazaar, in one of his books.Sister's Bazaar is the cluster of little grocery stores and one boutique on our way to CharDukan.It is called so after the nuns who served as nurses at the British dormitories which was here long ago in Colonial India.

Downhill to Landour bazaar and straight to a South Indian restaurant.A simpler phrase for this is - bad choice! The food was horrible.We kept walking and talking videos and pictures till started raining.We sought refuge at the Clock Tower Cafe.It was a beautiful cafe at the edge of the road.One entire wall was glass and it gifted a gorgeous view of a large deodar flanked by distant hills.The rain made it seem even more ethereal.We ordered some coffee,a carrot cake and a chocolate cake and stomached it as we sunk into the plush couches(but bad music).

From Clock Tower Cafe we headed back uphill since the rain refused to stop.It foiled our outdoor shoot.After the bad lunch at the South Indian restaurant,we had decided to cook a simple meal in the night.So we got some provisions to rice,dal and potatoes.

We then headed to the antique shop called Sabri's.It had a lot of British antiques.There was even an old bruised piano with scratches.I liked it a lot.Someday I would not buy a brand new piano but an old one like this.It might sound horrible when I play it,but it would creak with stories of the hands which have played it eons ago-and what a sound that would be!

The place also had a lot of old books,mostly discards from Woodstock.I spotted a book by Janet Frame but not the one I've been looking for.I dint buy any books here but I got a fish-shaped pendent with 'Jasmin' etched on it.Wonder who Jasmin is,or was.

We reached Char Dukan and while talking to Pappu a wispy cloud had come a little lower than its friends to inspect a far away hill.It was beautiful.

While we took a break from shooting we heard Tutti Frutti yelling "Char Dukan ki jai ho!" Tutti Frutti's actual name is Carl.He is called so by the little boys here in return for him calling them the same.Tutti Frutti is from California and is here to finish writing his Doctorate project from Benaras Hindu University.He is a hyper American and speaks impeccable Hindi(without the amreekan accent).

We suddenly noticed a slit in the night sky.A ray of sunlight had forgotten to leave.

We headed back to Kilmarnock to cook for the night.Dollar and Rupee were missing.Maybe they were hiding from the rain.