Tiny Tale: Passport, Frying Pan and Underwear

This intriguing tiny tale was born out a writing prompt which asked to use passport, frying pan and underwear as the elements in the writing!

A couple of years ago, I was active on a microblogging platform called Terribly Tiny Tales (TTT) which encouraged writing short stories and rolled out daily prompts. The piece below is from one of the prompt which asked to use passport, frying pan and underwear as the elements in the writing. I went with the flow and it turned out to be an intriguing tiny tale which makes me churn every time I read it.

—

Tiny Tale

She lost her passport in a foreign land,

a land that wasn’t so unfamiliar anymore,

may be she wanted to lose it anyway,

and her identity too, if there were one,

It had been two years since she ran away,

from home or ‘that place’ as she called it,

open roof with walls of bed sheets,

a broken stove and an empty frying pan,

and some memories, though mostly hazy,

Here, she took off her underwear, too often,

but she wasn’t shy or hesitant anymore,

now she owned ‘that place’ where she lived,

it’s address inked on her new passport,

and the frying pan, it wasn’t empty anymore!

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Road Trip from Bangalore: The Ghost Town, Dhanushkodi

A ghost town leading to the end of the land, a road trip to Dhanushkodi.

End of the Land

Imagine a road which cuts through the sea, with miles of beach along both sides. And then it suddenly stops! It stops at a point where you are surrounded by water on all sides while the vast horizon watches over you, or may be silently urges you to become a part of the sea. I never imagined such a road, but it exists! At the south eastern tip of Pamban Island located in Tamil Nadu (India), there is a road that led us to the end of the land, to a ghost town called Dhanushkodi!

Driving on the Sea?

My road trip to Dhanushkodi was a part of the 9 day road trip from Bangalore. Located at a distance of about 20 Kms from the holy town of Rameshwaram. Dhanushkodi was destroyed by a cyclone decades ago and was never inhabited again. However, it is a must visit tourist spot for anyone visiting Rameshwaram or a nearby city.

Access: The Last Mile(s)

The end point of the road is symbolized by the emblem of India which is perched over a small tower (Ram Setu view point). However, private vehicles are not allowed to go past the barricade which is located at least 3-4 Kms before the end point. Thereafter, you are expected to walk through to the end which is not a bad option at all but really depends on the weather. I got lucky though, the evening I visited, a cavalcade of top shot government official was visiting there. My car somehow got caught between the cavalcade, and voila, I could drive all the day to the end. A walk down that road is great, but a drive, is even better! Especially with so many people ogling at you and wondering how the hell could a private car get that far!

For travelers without personal/leased vehicles, there are private buses as well which ply from Rameshwaram to Dhanushkodi on fixed timings. The entry beyond the barrier closes just before the sunset. This is to discourage the travellers because the place is deserted and the sea tends to behave erratic. I saw a girl who was sitting on the docking point strip. Suddenly the waves splashed all over her (a height of around 8-10 ft) which was quite scary!

The Unparalleled Joy: Beach Road

The road that leads to Dhanushkodi beach or the end point of the land is as smooth as chees. This makes the driving experience a pleasure. Huge swathes of unexplored beach on either side of the road are open to exploration. You can park your vehicle on the side and trudge along. Some people say that there is Indian Ocean on one side of the road, and Bay of Bengal on the other. I can’t say if that is factual, but the water appeared to be blue hue on one side while grey tint on the other side of the road.

Nevertheless, the water is by far the cleanest I have seen in India, which is soothing to the soul. The blue hue of the water mixes with sky like an artist’s imagination on a canvas. You will also witness some dilapidated structures which still stand as a reminiscence of habitation decades ago.

Some of the old shacks are used by locals from near by areas to prepare fresh sea food. This can be a huge delight for any sea food lover. Some vendors also sell tea and cut fruits and vegetables. These shacks make for a good pit stop along the road.

The Retreat

We spent 3-4 hours on the beach and this time just melted like a fine chocolate. We roamed around on a small patch of sand which most likely surfaces only during the day and evening. Surrounded by sea on all sides, this patch is galloped by water every evening only to reappear the next day. The beach was relatively way less crowded than what we are used to in India.

Coiled in the rays of setting sun, we witnessed some stunning shots of the sky on our drive back to Rameshwaram. Our day was made memorable by some of the most exhilarating and beautiful moments of our trip, ironically, in a ghost town!

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Book Review: ‘Bag It All’, by Nina Lekhi

Book Review of Bag It All by Nina Lekhi

  • Author: Nina Lekhi
  • Published: 2017
  • Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
  • Pages: 196
  • My Rating & Recommendation: 4/5, A Good Read

Content Summary

There is a flow to this book, a momentum that nudges the reader to keep reading on and on. Wondering why? It’s the simplicity of language, real life relatable stories and the conversational style of writing that hits home. It’s like Nina Lekhi is talking to you in a coffee shop. And within an hour or two, she eloquently shares the story of her business (or life), which is calls Baggit.

Like a good coffee, this book will uplift you, but it might also mislead you into believing the entrepreneurial journey is a cake walk.

Nina Lekhi is upfront and honest in her writing. She shares how she started young from a room in her own apartment, and went on to build a large scale hand bag design and manufacturing empire worth well over 150 crores. While at it, she transformed herself from a party loving teenager into a strong business leader.

This book presents details of Baggit’s growth. From early days, as a large scale supplier for retail chains, to foray into company owned retail outlets. The company’s success was propelled by some game changing ideas like shop-in-shops. Nina Lekhi constantly attributes a large credit for her success in business and life to

a) the teachings of Siddha Samadhi Yoga (SSY). This is an organization which primarily promotes human well-being, through discourses, disciplined lifestyle and meditative courses.

b) her family members (brother, cousins), who form the majority of the leadership team at Baggit and

c) Human Resource Management fundamentals like Balance Scorecard and KRAs/KPIs etc. (this is like music to my ears as a HR professional)!

Baggit Failures

Nina Lekhi doesn’t shy away from talking about her failures. Like, a rather forgettable contracting experience for their store in a Gurgaon mall, or the less than lucrative attempt to launch into the orbit through a tie up with Bollywood movie, Bang Bang (Katrina Kaif starrer, she is my favorite!) For all it matters, I did try to stop myself from mentioning this 😀).

However, the biggest lacunae for me was that this book makes Baggit’s entrepreneurial journey look ridiculously easy. It does capture the business challenges like product imitation by opportunists and other setbacks like unavailability of labor. However, it fails to build enough intensity and gravitas around these instances. Therefore, to a large extent, the narrative misses to bring to the fore the resilience, struggle and persistence that forms the core of the start up journey. It inspires, but stops a little short of leaving a mark on you as a reader!

Recommendation

Overall, there are a lot of positives to this book. It’s smooth and a joy to read. It melts on your eyes like a well made cheese cake (my favorite) will almost melt in your mouth. There is not enough written about or by Indian entrepreneurs. So, for a sneak peek into the world of the Baggit and the life of it’s leader, Nina Lekhi, it’s a worthy read. Happy Reading, Cheers!

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Book Review: The Lesson, by Sowmya Rajendran

A hard hitting satire on Women Equality which brutally bypasses the cliched commentary and instead creates a satirical alternate reality

  • Author: Sowmya Rajendran
  • Published: 2015
  • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers India
  • Pages: 190
  • My Rating & Recommendation: 5/5, Must Read

Content Summary

There are some books which make the reader wish there were more to it. “Hey, what happened after that? ‘This can’t be the end!”. This book certainly does that to you, it keeps you hanging, hanging in the balance I wish to say but that’s hardly the truth. Wondering why?

Consider the excerpt below, from the book:

“Why did they lock us in the cage?” the daughter asked her mother.

“To keep us safe from the wild cats in the jungle!” said the mother.

“But wouldn’t it have been better to lock them up instead?” asked the daughter feeling foolish.

In an oversimplified statement, this book is about women/girls, their rights and the way they ought to be treated in the society. But there’s a catch! The author, Sowmya Rajendran, brutally bypasses the cliched commentary and instead creates a satirical alternate reality where considering women & girls as second rate gender and undeserving of any equality, freedom or right is a darned norm.

The theme revolves around a ‘society’ where women/girls need to abide by the codified policies and rules of acceptable behavior, dressing, marriage and so on. And there is a Rapist, whose job is to teach a lesson to the ‘law-breaking’ women. The plot focuses on teaching ‘a lesson’ to a woman who refuses to abide by ‘Please Adjust‘ policy laid down by the Adjustment Bureau and seeks a divorce from a husband who physically abused her.

The writing style is intriguing and the author deals a strong subject with an equally powerful and hard hitting narrative. This book corners you as a reader, it compels you to think, rethink and form an opinion and yet, at no point prescribes or educates. It delivers a clear message and by design, doesn’t let you ‘hang in the balance‘. It just stares at you, piercingly, just enough to make you feel rattled but still manages not to burn you with the flare!

Recommendation

Overall, for a reader, it’s challenging, provocative and compelling, a definite read! Sowmya Rajendran has delivered a masterpiece I believe. Happy Reading!

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Book Review: Paiso (How Sindhis do Business), Maya Bathija

Maya Bathija, the author meticulously captures of five Sindhi businesses 1) The Harilela family led by David & Gary Harilela 2) Merrimac Ventures led by Ramola Motwani 3) Americorp Group led by Harish Fabiani 4) Lakhi Group led by Dilip Kumar Lakhi and 5) Embassy Group (led by Jitu Varwani)

  • Author: Maya Bathija
  • Published: 2017
  • Publisher: Penguin Random House
  • Pages: 216
  • My Rating & Recommendation: 3.5/5, a good read for readers with an inclination towards business stories

Overview

This book is informative and inspiring. It appeals to the part of you which wants to dream big and make it happen despite odds. It also focuses on a communities’ (Sindhis) propensity for business and bears a testimony to their success. The people from this community have achieved success across the globe by building large scale profitable businesses .

Maya Bathija meticulously captures the early life, family details, financial struggles, failures and turnaround stories of five Sindhi businessmen/women. Each of them have build large businesses in their respective fields. In five brief chapters successively dedicated to:

  • 1) The Harilela family led by David & Gary Harilela
  • 2) Merrimac Ventures led by Ramola Motwani
  • 3) Americorp Group led by Harish Fabiani
  • 4) Lakhi Group led by Dilip Kumar Lakhi and
  • 5) Embassy Group (led by Jitu Varwani)

The stature and achievements of these individuals and their empires come to life.

While covering each of these businesses, Maya craftily weaves the stories that stay with the reader. The uniqueness of Hong Kong based conglomerate Harilela Group where more than 100 members of family stay together in a family mansion at Kowloong Tong in HK. The gritty tale of Ramola Motwani who was widowed at an early age and yet single-handedly built the Merrimac empire in Florida while raising her two sons, the reader’s interest is seized albeit, a few portions where too many details make the reading a little slow and laborious.

A relatively unknown fact about world’s largest diamond polishing factory owned by the group in Surat, is bound to make an Indian reader swell with pride.

However, the roller-coaster business adventures of Harish Fabiana spanning through Network 18, Nimbus, India Bulls, Avendus Advisors & Edelweiss make provide some revealing insights into the journey of these companies followed by the glitter of Lakhi Group which is the largest exporters of diamonds from India. The author smartly saves the story of Embassy Group’s Jitendra Virwani for the last. From an iconic fall to the 25th richest on Forbes’15 list, the journey of this man shapes an inspiring and indulging end to this book.

Final Word

Overall, the book gives the reader a detailed view into the lives of great Sindhi business tycoons who generally prefer to stay away from the limelight (a Sindhi trait) in many ways. It makes for a good weekend read, especially for readers interested in the business themes. Happy Reading!

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Tiny Tale: How could he forget me?

This

This tiny tale is a personification! A story of an otherwise inconsequential event in the busyness of day to day life. But when it is looked at from the point of view of an inanimate object, it brings out a certain intensity and meaning. In India, it is not uncommon for people to offer prayers their inanimate possessions like car, bike, house, and land etc. That said, many possessions stay with us for decades and become a part of who we are. The association of objects, first car or first watch etc. with memories is fascinating!

However, I am guilty of subjecting my possessions to apathy and carelessness. Especially the pen, the carrier of ink that help me create many of these tales. As I write this, I become more conscious above the lifeless life this these elements belong to, and hope that this tale inspires me to be more aware of my interactions with the objects around me.

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Road to Mekong by Piya Bahadur, Book Review

A story of 56 days, 17000 Km Road Trip taken by four women motorbike riders across six countries. A tale of adventure, courage and travel stories.

  • Title: Road to Mekong by Piya Bahadur
  • Published: 2019
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan India
  • Pages: 202
  • My Rating & Recommendation: 5/5, must read for travel enthusiasts

I finished reading Road to Mekong about a week ago but in reality, it never really finished. This book chronicles a journey so mesmerizing that it continues to replay in my mind, evoking emotions of awe, inspiration, admiration and wonder, if ever I would be able to chronicle a travel tale so absorbing!

Piya Bahadur, the author has woven a wordplay so strong that it leaves a indelible mark on the reader. Piya is blessed with a powerful plot comprising lead characters in women bikers (a phenomenon that is rare, in the subcontinent at least), a road trip (a unrelenting hook) and 6 countries which brings in flavors of diversity and ultimate travel stories. It’s a hands down winner, but Piya does justice to the plot and makes it all the more gripping with finesse in storytelling.

The Inspiring Story

It’s a story of four women who undertook an extraordinary 56 days and 17000 Km journey on motorbikes across 6 countries. The team comprised of Piya Bahadur (author), JB (team leader and seasoned rider), Shanthi (a cop in Telangana), Shilpa (a veteran motorist). Only two of them are seasoned motorcycle riders though, while Piya and Shanthi are uninitiated! They started from Hyderabad in Telangana, India and rode through Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia before returning to Hyderabad via Delhi. This is a story of sheer courage, a determination to break the barriers and most importantly, a deep rooted fascination for adventure and of course, the love of riding!

Piya, a mother of two, recounts her internal struggles and the apprehensions she faced before signing up for this journey; who will take care of my children? Is it the right time? Will I be able to complete this? and more such similar questions which chain most of us to routine and comfort. Piya and JB, the team leader also struggled through the bureaucracy as they sought Indian Government and Tourism Ministry’s sponsorship for this adventure. It took time coming but worked as a shot in the arm for them and as they finally not only got the government funding but also a full time bus to accompany them with a shooting crew to capture their adventure. Incredible India they say!

Details of the mesmerizing Journey

Road to Mekong is informative; it captures details of approvals, driving permits (carnet), paperwork and experience at border check posts of the countries they traveled through. It also is a irresistible tease for the readers as the details of travel emerge from the pages. The testing road conditions in north east India, crossover from India to Myanmar through Moreh, pagodas in Myanmar, infectious energy and sublime roads of Thailand, Luang Prabang in Laos, the war ravaged countryside and the Shiva temple in Vietnam , Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the beauty of river Mekong engulfing the region, the picturesque landscapes all through and long winding roads including the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, and meeting the Prime Minister of India, all of these meticulously woven details charm the reader into submission and lure him to experience a journey similar, if only some parts of it.

Final Word

This book is a must read for anyone who dares to dream, and eventually musters the courage to live the dream. More so for travelers and adventurers, that unassuming character in all of us. This book is fast paced and easy to gulp down, just like these women gulped down 17000 Kms across countries on their motorbikes. I enjoyed reading it, hope you will too. Happy Reading!

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