Up above the world so high, "Harmony" in the sky!

"The two crews have completed the initial outfitting of the Harmony module that was attached to the station last week." , says NASA in it's portion of the website dedicated to the space station, today.

Well, it was a hot summer noon in 2000 when I visited the Kennedy space center of NASA in Cape Canaveral, Florida. We just missed the program wherein visitors can talk to those ex-astronauts - guys for whom the epithet - "been there, done that and having seen it all" would be so apt, much more than anyone else! Although my initial mood was a bit sombre - on account of silent resentment at my cousin for being more than a bit casual regarding the schedule for the day or else we would have made it on time, the rest of the day more than made up for all that. We went on a conducted tour - so well configured by NASA that the narrative on the TV sets installed next to each row on the bus is very well in synergy ... err ... harmony, if you will, with the scene one gets to see outside. So then, we saw the launch pads - unfortunately there were no shuttles in sight - one of them, Discovery I guess, was inside the tallest single storeyed building in the world and the other Columbia was up there, scheduled to land in a couple of weeks time. We were also taken to the Apollo assembly hall where a real life model of Apollo was kept - we were also given a "live" experience of the successful Apollo launch that bridged a giant leap for mankind (the expedition that took Armstrong and the others to moon) - this was a very well orchestrated audio visual - the voice over (live recordings of that moment in history) played out in the very room that created history - with all the action happening (lights getting turned on, screens showing data, the countdown happening .... and then a huge swoosh .... the lift off ... or rather .... the blast off, and then congratulations all around). Well, not the least of all was what preceded it all .... JFK's inspiring speech asking America to deliver the first man on the moon .... all this was a very heady experience, presented in the true US of A way.

And then, as part of the tour, we were taken to a chamber where NASA scientists were at work, on the International Space Station. We were shown a life-size model of the module that they were working on. The guide also informed us that the scientists were working on a module that was sponsored by Italy and that would go into space 'x' number of years later. Guess what, now I remember, it was named "Harmony"!

So, the next time I look up to the skies, I know that there is harmony up there - harmony that I saw and knew from so close quarters more than seven years back .....!

10 years is a long time ...!

Anniversaries come and go. And then, there are some that are milestones. Though painful - anniversaries generally are a meter of duration and most often than not they make one look back and think "Oh my god, it has indeed been so many years .... time does indeed fly". One would tend to think so, even on a first anniversary. So, come to think of it, 10 years is indeed a long time.

My mind's eye takes me to the party we were having just before passing out from college. Quite a few scenes rush are fresh. There was Rahul, our secretary, promising that our branch should be different from our batch, in having a get-together function every year. That resolution was unanimously passed with "Ayes" all around. There was Ompie wailing loudly - literally crying like a baby, that he will miss many of his friends. There were groups - the "right-wing" group, then the left group - more so the hostellers, then there was the electrical side of G-15 (I doubt if G-15 members - an assorted mix of 7 girls of electrical and 8 guys of Mechanical and Electircal - actually knew that they were called so - primarily for their liking to culture of the USofA and even more so, for their behaving as US citizens in campus!) probably reliving the good memories of the 4 years spent or were they all contemplating the paths one would have to take in future. Will those paths cross - some ensured that they would - obviously by marrying the ones they loved in campus, maybe there were many who were apprehensive of decisions that they had no clue about!

10 years hence, on this very day that we wrote our last university exam on (well, the subject was "High Voltage Engineering" for yours truly, for which the text book was purchased the previous day!), one wonders as to how time went by. I am not aware of a single get-together of our branch in these years - there was possibly 1 attempt made 5 years back! Maybe, they are meeting up in San Francisco or LA, right now when I pen ... err type these words. Or maybe one of the "left wing" friends is chatting with a "G-15" member or maybe they are still in their own groups, a few of them may be living as life partners - and this day may have turned out to be of little significance. What about me? I was in my own little cocoon 10 years back and probably in a smaller cocoon now. But then, I have been up to something - 4 companies, 5 cities, 1 more campus, a marriage and lots of travels point to a lot of activity. But then, I do have my own circle of friends from college, who I am sure, will maroon in a flood of memories the moment I inform them of this day 10 years back. Well, or maybe, when they get to read this, if at all. But of one thing I am sure, I will be the first person to inform/remind them. My first call now is to Rao ... who stayed closeby and who definitely missed us (the 3 roommates) a lot once we all went our own ways.

A toast to my companion on her birthday

She came into my life 19 years back. I still remember the day – the evening that I met her standing there – glowing skin, all fresh. I walked her down the 2 km distance till I reached home and the pride I felt was insurmountable. She was my constant companion through thick and thin for the next few years – 5 years to be precise – and then I had to share her with many others. Before your thoughts go wandering, let me clarify – am talking about the cycle that Appa bought for me when I was in my eighth standard!

Well, this was the most prized possession of mine for a long time. The gleaming maroon BSA-SLR cycle was the one that I took to school – having learnt cycling on my sister’s silver Speed King that had served it’s purpose quite well and could have been mine, but for the perception of ignominy that I had in mind in taking a ladies cycle to school on a daily basis. By the way, she is still cross with me for being the root cause of taking the cycle away from her – Appa gave it to his friend for a nominal amount since she had left home to pursue her higher studies and also because it became difficult to maintain and keep two cycles at home.

The first day was an eventful one. All was well in the morning ride – even the notorious district court bridge junction in our small town was negotiated with calm. However, in the evening, just about a furlong from home, the first “accident” happened – these two school girls were just alighting from their school auto and I could not brake hard – or rather the front brake did not work since my school lunch bag had already pressed on the brake wire – bump I went and hit into the younger one who fell down and started wailing! I did not know what to do, but then the elder sister picked her up and turned off, not before making a scornful face at me. The only other disaster that happened was the evening I was going to the badminton club for the first time, directly from school. The lunch bag was again to blame and my front wheel went straight into the sari-fold of a lady who was walking towards me. Before she could react, I was off in a hurry.

But for these two occurrences, the first 5 years were a breeze. My father used to go cycling to the temple and his driver used to take her out for lunch and these were the only rides she had while I was in college, away from home. But then, I used to more than make up for lack of activity for her, by cycling 10-12 km over the weekends that I used to be at home. And as I went farther away from home – job, post graduation etc, I used to ride my cycle less and less frequently. But still, Appa used to take care and ensure that annual overhauls happened and that she was fit for a ride whenever I went home.

The last two years have been difficult – no cycle rides at all, thanks to a niggling back pain. Was it the reason for me to turn an avid fan of Tour de France, the best cycling event in the world? Maybe! My friend and I had an interesting debate on whether cycling is worth watching, what with the drug tainted sport falling victim to too many controversies this year. But, I am afraid he is too clinical in his analysis and at times cannot relate to the thrill of wind hitting the body – my view is that cycling is the only activity where man and machine are so closely and physically involved in the process of transport. Watching the cyclists attack the Col du Gabriel mountain climb and the subsequent race down amid the scenic French countryside has to be seen. The sheer physical effort involved (drugs or no drugs!) took me back in time to those little races that we used to have, while in school. I used to win a very different race quite often – the slow cycle race which required more balance and control than effort.

As she enters her 20^th year and celebrates her birthday today, here’s wishing her more activity after a 2 year rest, since I am looking forward to getting back on my cycle. There is the interesting option of riding to work on my wife’s cycle, but then am a bit apprehensive since you guessed it right, it’s a ladies cycle!

The greatest ever?

Well, coming a day after one of the most enthralling matches and that too at the most hallowed turf of green grass there is in the world, very few need to be event presented with a “guess who” for an answer! McEnroe had predicted 3-4 years back that Federer has it in him to be the “greatest ever” to have stepped on a tennis court. The only opponent was himself is probably what most of us had interpreted that statement to be. But then, the bull fighter from Mallorca gave an insight into what else could be there!

Well, forgoing at least two other personal commitments, I reserved the “second best seat” as Vijay Amritraj put it, right from the time the whole show commenced – assuming that the final starts at 5.30 PM (IST). But then, I was witness to one of the most poignant moments on TV screen in a long while. There was the genius John McEnroe, the great Jimmy Connors and the one and only Bjorn Borg walking and talking together right from the locker room to the centre court. And they were interviewed by Sue, who very aptly said that she was about to live the most incredible moment in her life … and as an aside, requested John and Jimmy to not spoil it, for her sake, when she was talking to Bjorn.

And then, the match began. Nadal showed that he is the prince and the king-in waiting on grass. As Sue said in the post match interview, last year we all knew he could win, this year he himself thought that he could win! His fighting qualities, relentless pursuit of balls that others would have so easily given up are in itself a deadly combination. But, what flummoxed most people was his amazing comfort and accuracy with net play and volleys. His prowess at the net surpassed Federer’s by a long margin. But then, the champion came up with his serves in almost all the big points, a quality that propelled his illustrious predecessor Pete Sampras to his share of the grand slam pie. Probably, that is what proved crucial – his 24 aces compared to 1 of Nadal, and most of those aces were when the chips were down. I guess, one would not do justice by trying to some up yesterday’s match in words.

This Wimbledon, the wettest in at least 25 years, has been tremendous in terms of the quality of tennis that one witnessed. From what I can recall, the Jelena Jankovic – Lucie Safarova match started it all. A tremendous match, the highlight being two back to back rallies featuring 20 odd shots, and remember, we are talking grass here, not clay! Then there was the Ana Ivanovic – Nicole Vaidisova match, Ana surviving 3 match points before recovering to win. There was the Nadal – Soderling match, where Nadal had acknowledged applause of the crowd as part of his victory celebration, when the Swede challenged the call and won. And it took 3 more sets over 2 days for Nadal to stamp his authority. Nadal had another 5 setter, recovering from being 2 sets down before beating Michael Youzhny. Novak Djokovic had to fire on all cylinders and go to the last bit of his reserve, before beating the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in a 5 hour 5 setter. Novak had already put in 4 hours to beat ex-champion Lleyton Hewitt. Novak had exhausted his reserves to such an extent that he had to throw in the towel half-way into his first Wimbledon semi-final. Serena pulling her leg in the match against Hantuchova, and having divine intervention in the form of heavens opening up, enabling her to recover and then beat Daniela in a 3 setter. Then there was the phenomenal run of Mariam Bartoli, beating Jelena Jankovic in 3 sets, before taking the snuff out of the front-runner Justine Henin. Will Henin end up being like so many of her predecessors, winning all but the one slam that matters the most, or will she be in that elite club that includes Martina and Steffi? Bartoli turned the match in the second set and beat her own as well as those of quite of a few experts, with the greatest upset of her career. She played damn good in the final too, but then when Venus is on song, it hardly matters who the opponent is. Like Sharapova in 2005 who threw everything at her, but got more of it in return, she was simply superb – coming up with serves that would have won her points even in the epic final of the men’s … err … gentlemen’s singles.

And to cap it all, World No. 1 against World No. 2, both of them chasing the record of Bjorn Borg – one to become the first man in history to equal (note, the key word here is ‘equal’!) Bjorn’s record of 5 successive Wimbledon titles and the other to again equal another record that has so surprisingly stood the test of time, of being the first after Bjorn to win both French and Wimbledon titles in the same year. With at least 5 ex-Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles champions (number of Wimbledon titles in brackets) – Bjorn Borg (5), John McEnroe (3), Jimmy Connors (2), Boris Becker (3) and Manuel Santana (1) looking on, Federer summoned his last reserves and played out of his skin to win. Greatness always comes with humility, and Federer so aptly summed up at the net “You deserved it as well, I just got lucky”! Well, he also conveyed as to what he felt about Nadal – that he was just 21 and so he will have lots to pick up and that Federer’s is just pocketing whatever he can. Let us hope that these two come up with more great matches, resembling the rivalry of Borg/McEnroe, McEnroe/Connors, Edberg/Becker (to some extent?!) and Sampras/Agassi. I would have to give my bias at least now, let Federer get the crown at Roland Garros and that too beating the Clay King (Grass Prince!) Rafa, so that he joins Laver who is there in his 1 man club! Let there be more …. “It was a privilege to watch the two of you …..” during the presentation ceremonies of at least a few more Slams. And if it takes a lot of rain to produce such a beautiful day with sunshine, let the heavens open up at the most beautiful tournament in the world!

Story of a film roll

We (six of us) had gone on tour of Nepal utilising the time between our placements and convocation. The trip was quite entertaining - the co-travellers by their idiosyncracies more than making up for the cloud cover in Pokhara, rip-offs in Kathmandu and hassles due to the Maoist trouble in its infancy then. Hope to cover the details in http://sankaratravels.blogspot.com some time soon. Limiting myself to the film roll used in that trip, which contained (hopefully) a few good snaps on my SLR camera.

That film roll was quite precious in more ways than one. Our batch was graduating after a rigorous MBA course and we were all in that mood, wherein one begins to look back at things with nostalgia - the campus, the good times and the not-so good times etc. How many of these can a camera capture, one may ask? But the shutterbug that I was, I even took a "junior's" bike for a last look at the campus, and had taken what according to me, were some of the most stunning shots of our lovely campus.

Most of the luggage was packed and sent home. I was cleaning up the few odd things - those things that tug at the strings of your heart to be treated as souvenirs rather than disposables, when my father looked at me and asked where the film roll should go. On the spur of the moment, assuming that it was the black casing, I just threw it into the dustbin - well, given that the entire batch was moving out, the dust bins were all full and stinking.

We were off - bidding goodbye to one-another, the campus, the city etc, and reached Varanasi the next day. Well, it was not exactly to wash off the sins of the 2 years that we went to Varanasi, but as part of a mini-North India trip for the family. Maybe, the holy waters of the Ganges did the trick, or was it the punya bhoomi of Varanasi, it is difficult to fathom. Once we were back at the ashram after a refreshing bath at the Ganges ghats, it came as a thunderbolt - where was the film roll?

Hoping against hope to find it, I rummaged through the luggage, when a tiny impulse was interpreted by the brain as "how can you find what you are looking for, when it is not with you!". After blaming everyone, I was faced with the reality of not being able to view what would have been beautiful photographs (well, you could anyway call it that, because no one would be able to see them!). But on that day, after the bath, things happened differently. I tried ringing up the hostel - but who would pick up at the unearthly hour of 11 in the morning! I, the de facto telephone operator who used to speak to all the girlfriends, fathers, mothers, nana/nanis of my corridor mates, was here ....! Well, I tried my luck at the other side of the hostel - to my surprise, my batchmate picked up the phone, listened and after mumbling something, to my horror, hung up! I tried all hostels one by one, and finally got hold of one of my batchmates who had also come to Nepal with me, to go to my hostel and check the dust bin! Or worse, if garbage was cleared by then, to go to the garbage disposal place/yard inside/outside campus. Would anyone in his senses do it? I had lost all hope and ruminated on the veritable "if only ...." and continued on our trip - from Varanasi to Delhi and then to Bangalore, before finally reaching home a couple of weeks later.

I eagerly went to the cybercafe to check my mail and found to my horror that the guy did not bother to follow my instructions. Well, come to think of it, who would, in their right frame of mind?! I was about to close my mail and leave in a huff, when my mind's eye caught hold of another mail. Well well, what would this be about, I thought! My eyes were stuck on the following words "hi dude, ur film roll is with me so plz let me know wot u want to be dun with it.... cheers vikas". These were like manna from heaven for me. I was delirious with joy. Later on, I came to know that it was Vikas who took the call that I made from Varanasi and had immediately gone to the dust bin outside by room , rummaged through the piles of garbage to find my pot of gold. To my surprise, the other guy too had taken the trouble of going there to the dust bin, but had found it empty and could not make out where it had been taken to, for dumping. The phone call to Vikas and action on his part had been done Just In Time .....

I requested Vikas to courier the roll from Lucknow to Kerala, but by then he had gone to UP and none of the couriers from his home town would deliver to my home town in Kerala. Subsequently, I requested him to courier the same to Bangalore, but he was not keeping well and could not do so. Further to this, I joined my induction program at Delhi and then was to spend 4 months at Bangalore. And it was finally, in mid-Jun that I received the courier containing the film roll - it had taken me close to 4 months to lay my hands on - kind of a treasure trail. And needless to say, I was trembling with excitement and tension - no photographer would have so eagerly gone to any studio to get his prints. The photos did indeed come out great ... especially the last photos of the campus, and my heartfelt thanks to Vikas for what he did more than 4 years back.

Then why this article now, one may ask. Well, I was cleaning my mailbox after all this while, and chanced upon this mail from Vikas, quoted above.

Good bye, maximum city

Well then, after more than a year back, am back in action again. Spending the last few days in Mumbai - ironically at the same colony where I had come to more than 3 years back. Having relocated home 7 times and office 4 times and having travelled by taxi, auto, bus and train (all lines) to office, yours truly can claim to have understood a little bit of this city.

A city where you can peacefully be on your onward journey to a guest's house even at 9 PM, a city where every day commute is like going to the most crowded pilgrimage, a city where one would go to a sports complex 10 km away at 9 pm, only to find people with entire family occupying the courts, a city which is currently mulling over its mills getting converted to malls, well .... one can go on and on.

Friends remark that this good bye is only temporary, because being the finacial capital of the country, one would always have to trundle back, given the interest and profession.

One will certainly miss Mumbai, most for making one realise that there are 24 hours full and full, without any constraints. No other city can even hold a candle in this respect.

Well, am breaking a promise I made to myself - to not write any more in this column, until ........ but then, an interview of Salman Rushdie that I watched on tv a couple of hours back, has made me change my mind!