Home sweet home - a summer trip

Well, this time it is a different journey. Completely the opposite season. Altogether a unique vacation.

The train trip is something forgettable. 14 May 2005. 12pm. HYD Deccan.
1. Close to the restrooms - #65 - the last coupe. I hate those two terminal coupes.
2. There was a tour party of 100 ppl and they were carrying all the cooking-needs with them, which got dumped in my coupe and my fellow coupemates are the cook and his children. No place for my luggage.
3. The most non-palatable thing: half the journey is in the opposite direction. From HYD, to reach Coimbatore near the west coast, why should the train touch Ongole on the east coast? Remember my shortest path selection last time? HYD-BLR-MYSORE-HOME.
4. Last but not the least - HEAT - unbearable and never-experienced. 12pm - 7pm. 43+C. Bottles and bottles of cold water, maaza, ... none could help. I maintained minimum contact with any object on the train. Please dont try to picturize.
Reached home by 12pm next day. End to end it took 25 hours - longest travel time in my life between two termini.

The return journey was not that bad. But I simply wonder how it used to be in my innumerous train trips between Chennai and Coimbatore. The greatest disappointment would be the lack of some good colors - that too not oft. Otherwise I have felt at home in the Cheran and Blue Mountain and Kovai and Inter-City. Here in these journeys, the basic survival itself became a question mark - let aside luxuries. Next time I should be prepared - either get an AC coach or dont think abt train. Garuda is the best.

What at home?
The main purpose of my vacation is the Maha Kumbabishekam of the Ganesh temple at my native village - where my paternal ancestors were born and lived(ruled?) . It was my Dad's long cherished dream to rebuild the temple and it has become a reality now, under his own supervision assisted by my uncles and cousins. I was fortunate enough to join them days before the function and contribute to my fullest. It was a mix of both manual labour and mental labour. The physical work saw me having a hunger after a long time - Of late, I have never been hungry for food - I just ate because it was time for a meal.

It is a social/community project and I can draw a lot of analogy with my software projects. It involves a lot of planning, design, resource allocation, men management, finance management, and the like. What may be there additionally are the egotistic clashes and sentiments and indifference. And women talking unnecessary things and having narrow minds. Not understanding the importance of the project and trying to refrain from contributing. Contributions here does NOT mean money. Any kind of failure of the project will leave an indelible black mark on not only the assumed management but the entire population and all their relatives and offsprings, and it will be remembered for a long long time and reiterated at every possible occasion. Hence concentration should be total and execution perfect.

Alls well that ends well.
Against all odds, a village of about 10 families residing onsite and about twice the number residing off shore, was able to successfully re-construct its century old asset temple and invite all of its relatives and hold a grand pooja to let the folks get the "Punniya Theertham" - the holy water - sprinkled over them. There was also a "Annadhaanam" - a grand meal for all - and we served about 5000 people aross 3 meals.
A collective effort. Mass goodwill. Success and peace in the end.

As all my relatives were invited, the effort to visit each one of them got saved. Met all of them at one place and it was a pride feeling showing them that we have done something. I dont know if I will have the same feeling in my own house-warming ceremony.

Of the 7 days in Coimbatore, I was home only for 2 days and the rest I was in the temple premises, in the other village. Change of work is rest and that is the kind of rest that I enjoyed in this vacation. Lot of experience regarding dealing with people and their sentis. Some divine blessings. Meeting some old friends and relatives. Meeting some of my teachers. Nice times.

Would have been even better if I had a little more time with my family.

the new "me"

Of late, I am discovering a new "me" in myself; the new me has thoughts, that are different from the old me; the new me differentiates among people; it assigns priorities for people and it has what is called EGO - "if you will, only then I will"!

I think, the new me is a beginning for the future me; a beginning for the realisation of the dreams of the old me. Whatever it is, this transition is painful; really painful; too much of pain to bear...still I am bearing it!