Cleveland

Cleveland in Ohio state on the side of Lake Erie is one of the three big cities in Ohio the other two being cincinnati and columbus .
I had landed in Chicago after a direct 14 hour flight from Delhi India and was suitably jet lagged ,Ii wasn't brazed for the chill in the air as it was winter .
I did not feel it in the airport or in   the RTA Blue line metro that took me more than 1 hr to Clinton station for my further travel in a Greyhound bus .
But when I wheezed my way up the steep stairs ( strangely no escalator which I hardly expected in USA )and came out of the station and faced the elements the cold hit me as a blast ,I  managed to scurry quickly to the icy pavement and fluffy snow to reach the greyhound station around 300 meters away and managed to get into its warmth .
I traveled in the Greyhound reaching Cleveland by 8pm ,
Cleveland too was covered with snow and its pavements glistened with ice .
My daughters apartment was in downtown and not very far from the Greyhound station another 300 meters ,and i slept like a log with my melatonin all in a mess !
Cleveland was the 51 st largest city in the US with a population of around 400000 founded in 1796 near  the mouth of the Cuyahoga river ,it was known after General Moses cleveland who was the leader of the group of surveyors drafting the city
its also known as the forest city and its residents called Clevelanders .
It started growing after the completion of the Erie canal and thus its connection to the Atlantic
it grew all along till the sixties when there was an exodus of population to the suburbs a general trend in the US
at the advent of 21 st century Cleveland became known in the medical field and health industry and also in Arts
the public square was the major downtown area which included financial district ,theater area called playhouse square ,
Me and my wife plodded through the snow to the public square and went into a memorial of the civil war where I rightly answered the questions of a very conversant and knowledgeable security cum manager who was keen to know how much of American history this Indian knew !!
the Clevelnad clinic was a well known medical center internationally and were running several hospitals in its name in the middle east etc ,other than this there were the university hospital and the Metro health medical center where my daughter was doing her Pediatric residency 
Cleveland is also known for biotech start ups and research
info tech ,industries were all famous in Cleveland
The playhouse area had theaters with Broadway type productions
The most famous museum was the Museum of fine arts ,we would go there the next day in a health line bus ( one of the Bus companies in the city ) and walk through a sludge of snow to reach the museum itself ,we spend a long four hours in its voluminous halls containing art pieces from all over the world ,renowned paintings of the mediaveal periods etc
Later our daughter would pick us up and go to a park in a cemetery ,a huge well kept park with dark foreboding trees ,pinnacles silhouettes of cottages icy roads and not a soul to be seen but tombstones
the stark beauty of the p[lace filled us with delight and we managed to take pictures of a pale peeping sun in the frosty skies as a parting shot to this fairy tale land 
dinner was at an Ethiopian restaurant a homely place with bouncy waitresses and music that played in the background of Ethiopian variety ,we sat in a an alcove nibbling into very Indian Samoaas the only difference being the changed word
Later we would be brought the landmark Ethiopian Injera a type of dosa made of Teff grain powdered into a dough and fermented and baked as thin pancakes eaten with different sauces and a meat curry !
On Christmas day we went to the nearby cathedral enjoying the exhilarating  white day ,
The cathedral was huge with painted windows and glittering altars ,

slowly it filled with well dressed and well behaved polite locals who had come for the special Christmas mass ,we sat through he ceremony lasting more than two hours with a sepulchral organ chiming in the background the baritone of the bishop in his sermon of the day and  the hymns sang with so much devotion that it thrilled our soul
on way back we did see a homeless man huddled in a dirty body bag on the snowy pavement exposed to all the elements the stark reality in the US of A such a rich country with some inequalities on inquiry i came to know that they preferred the street ans elements to a cloistered shelter when taken

Of course I hadn't done justice to the sprawling city this time and hardly visited a very small part of its downtown ,i did not venture into the Lake area or the famed Rock and roll house
Cleveland was part of several entertainment and film ventures and is part of several films too .it had its p[lace in art and literature too
with so many immigrants it had a rich culinary history and variety famed for its Polish and central European contributions and was known for its  corned beef sandwiches
Cleveland is known for tis famous basket ball team the cavaliers

Cleveland marathon was an annual event too

Grey hound buses

Greyhound buses are a well known bus service in the US interconnecting the country
I travelled from Chicago to Clevland and now from Clevland to New york and back .
I also returned to Chicago from Cleveland by greyhound .
The buses are modern huge comfortable .
We do have very good bus services in India too these days like fully sleeper ones etc .
The bus stations of Greyhounds are self contained with rest rooms food areas and waiting places
Though not posh they are neat safe and userfiendly .
Once we check in our tickets we wait till its time to go to gate and alight buses in order surrendering our big luggage to the hold and get in .
Theres free WIFI though not very fast and a tiny toilet in bus .
The driver himself announces to passengers the expected time of arrivals dos and donts stop overs
With a no nonsense lecture telling not to use blaring mobiles but be concerned for others
And not to disturb him while he drives .
The order impressed me
The state transport dept stands in kerala are a mess with passengers running behind buses arrogant announcers rusted chairs leaky smelly toilets and putrid restaurants
Its time they learnt lessons .

Theres a general feeling amongst Indians that greyhound travel isnt very safe with number of Afro Americans hispanics as fellow travellers .
I found this a myth .
Agreed there is a wide variety of people in buses but its very safe and most passengers including whites are well mannered and civilised in behaviour .

Air travel

Air travel has become a neccesity rather than a luxury these days .
Airline companies have multiplied , fares  tumbled , so have services .
The concept of airlines being vessels of five star service have been downgraded to them being  methods of transportation .
The industry is becoming a lean mean one .

Perfectly fine !

We still have Business and first class to cater to those who need the ambience and luxury and extravagance.
Take my word I too enjoy it when it doesnt cost me .
If one takes a survey of thee passengers in B class one finds most have tickets not bought by them .
Many travel as part of thier work consequently these long travels give them enough free miles to never travel in economy again .
Enlightened souls

Free loaders like politicians and  bureacraut baboos  are sponsored trips by thier  benificiaries or the Governments pay for them .

Sponsorships for meetings conferences conventions for many .

Artistes travelling for shows

Real rich may travel first class because they have enough money to spend and dont want to buy a jet themselves .

How many amongst ordinary middle class people put thier hard earned money to travel business class paying two to four times the fare ?
I can be frank I wont !

The occasions i had travelled B Class were all sponsored or upgraded .

Now lets come back to economy

Flying economy is no fun these days .

The smiling hostess wuth burnished hair and a tray of sweets is no more .

Instead we do get a smiling hello and at times extended hand to store your bags .

You throw tantrums they throw you out as seen in recent incidents some blatantly unfair to passenger ..
the answer is discipline is part of air travel you obey rules to fly.
.fair enough .
The worst thing that has happened in air travel is food .
Inspidity is USB  of economy food .

Mass production  from distant places ,plastic cutlery ,cramped seats , jerky holders .
All one needs is a  boory passenger in front of one tilting  his seat so much that he is lying on your food tray and your lap literally .

To eat in this condition or worser to drink hot fluids in this mess needs the skill of an acrobat .

In low cost airlines unless when one orders food one is spared of such tortures but then we do need food also in any travel other than short bursts of hour or so .
I pity all the middle and corner seat passengers as every time they need to use restroom they need to be at mercy of fellow passengers and Aisle is king of low costs .

This time in Air asia from Delhi  I carried a Mc burger and a lays chips packet
All i needed was a soft drink from the airline i was literally  in Mcdnold avoiding the unsavoury offers of the flight .

I should try to take my excellently made Biriyani the next time in an air tight box .

I would be cheeky if i dare to ask the hostess to heat it for me !!

She might just call the air marshalls to turn the heat on me !

Ghazi attack ..film review

I saw the bilingual film  Ghazi attack today in hindi .
Many military feats of contemptory indian history are unknown .
Most of us do not know that the Indo pak war of 1971 was preceded by a quiet sinking of Pakistan naval submarine PNS Ghazi off Vizagapatnam .
The PNS ship had come to Indian waters to target INS Vikrant the only aircraft carrier of the Indian navy to cripple it before war was declared  but Indian defence intelligence recognises this and sends S 21 an Indian submarine which is technically inferior to the Pakistani submarine .
The film is all about what happens deep under the  water for 18 days .
The PNS Ghazni fires on an innocent merchant navy ship initially to divert attention .
The pak submarine when detected is fired at by S21 but missed
This exposes the Indian submarine which are hit by mines planted by PNS Ghazni
S21 sinks to bottom
Its brave captain dies and asst takes over
The submarine loses its power to chase the enemy and can only go up or down and to fire its torpadoe it loses the automatic controls and needs a manual torpadoe firing !

How cleverly S21 avoids the PNS Ghazni torpadoeing barrage by quietly adjusting its depths and later manually fires single torpadoe that sinks the Paki vessel is the film taken brilliantly .

Though Pakistan denied this ever happened and said its submarine had sunk because of an accident from its mines stock .

But it started the indo pak war immediately obviously as a revenge .
We all know how it was defeated too .

Such stories becoming film scripts is brilliant in fact they should become part of school text books .

Cold Calculations

COLD CALCULATIONS

I had always been in warm humid places .
Chennai or Madras was famously known for three seasons hot hotter and hottest

Having born into this seething cauldron of a city where sweating was part of life the only time when it was relatively pleasant was the months of December January the mellow Marghazi when children rushed in darkness of dawn to nearby temples and madams to sing hymns and get the much awaited prasdams .

During those pre dawn adventures when one could collide into dark buffaloes frequenting the roads driven by thier equally bullous keeps with trailing milk cans .

The summer months started by march end and slowly the city literally boiled .
In the evenings of may the populace would meander to the marina or santhome beach for a solace as the cool breeze from the sea would to a small extent relieve thier hot humid misery
The rains came in september and lasted for a month of pleasure
The streets were slushy but the pleasure was unimaginable .
Kerala my native place too was warm humid but totally different for one its green roof cooled it to some extent the summers in April and may were still hot and wet but by the middle of may one could see the pregnant clouds gathering strength from the south .

By end of may mostly on june first the south west monsoon would arrive regally wetting the school children in thier brand new uniforms like a ritual of age .
And then for three months it would be a waterworld as incessant rains would fill the green ponds and wells the richoceting of the roof by the rains would be rhymed by the cackle of the happy frogs .
Other than these two places an occasional foray into a hill station or a Delhi in winter was the only experience of cold to me .
Eight years in UAE showed me how hot deserts could be in summmer and how cool it was in winter with a happy 16 degree climate but in Brunei with eqautorial uniformity it was warm humid and rainy on off throughout the year  .

So the cold of a december winter in snow covered Clevland windy Chicago or bone chilling cold of New york put me off a bit .

Warmth definitelly seems less obtrusive now
Iam almost warm to it

And thus one more xmas

And thus comes another christmas
As it does year after year with no great fuss

2000 years back  one kindred soul
Was born for the human race as a whole

A baby an angel  full of innocence
And who never lost it with sense
 goodness and love and forgivance
A life of tireful and tearful penance

Hounded since birth by those who hated
And those  who wanted him negated
Wandering in the desert and the plains
Was it in harsh sun blowing winds or in rain

None knows his childhood or as a teen
Was he mischievous naughty or serene
What and where was he as an young man
Up in high mountains or under the sun with a tan

And when he did come back
There was wisdom in his eyes black
There was a grave sadness in his face
In his concern for the human race

He was in a hurry with little time
He built his disciples to rhyme
He had his message to spread
To all unread and read .

He knew all along the pain to come
He knew of the hatred of some
He knew his future as a vision
He knew the reason for having risen

So he went ahead with no rancour
He did his duty with no anger
 No happiness no hate no sadness
But love pure and with no badness

His pain had come in time
The agony of the flesh and sublime
The tortue of his body and soul
Was seen by the world as a whole

The cross would become the symbol
Of patience suffering and love
The thorns on his crown nails on his flesh
His head encircled on a mesh

And as he left he was born again
For his life was not in vain
He taught us love and what it meant
And that was just what he was sent

Merry xmas

Harimohan

Tissue is the issue

For non medicos Pathology is the study of cells microscopically in diseases states and histology is the same study in normal states !
Histology is microscopic anatomy of the human body at cellular level and is studied as a basic science in medical curriculum ie during the first or second year while pathology is generally done in third or fourth year after starting medicine surgery and gynecology and knowing about diseased states .
Forensic science is the study of dead tissues and post mortem examinations also are a part of pathology but of a more investigative approach associated with criminology and post mortem examination to find cause of death etc a totally different and vast field by itself as a medical student one went through that in fourth year ,

To us working in oncology or cancer medicine ,pathology is vital and pathologists are one of the most important specialists we work with as a team .
In these days of great advances in the molecular level of differentiation's pathology at many times decides on the treatment and the word of the pathologist is sacrosanct .

Getting a pathology or biopsy report for a patient too is very unnerving as it could be a diagnosis which would strike terror into his or her heart or rarely relieve him of his anxiety !

in oncology we always say tissue is the issue

we have in most centers multidisciplinary meets with pathologists to discuss cases as subtle difference can alter the whole management
in these days of highly specialized stains in immuno histochemistry and molecular tests and even genetic mutations the differentiation is so vast .
in the early days it was suffice to get a diagnosis of say in breast cancer what type of tissue it was either from glandular called adenocarcinoma or from connective tissue a type of sarcoma called malignant phylloides whose treatment were diametrically opposite today the sub classifications like the hormone status the aggressiveness by grade or by KI 67 range or specialized targets amenable to treatment like Her 2 or epidermal receptors ,the microscopical invasions into blood vessles lymph nodes or lymphatics or nerves are all vital

in hematology too the sub classifications of lymphomas or leukemia's deserve separate tomes and are in hundreds and each one is important for prognosis or outcomes ,
second opinions are taken at times when pathologists themselves are foxed over certain modulations in tissue

Transformation of the tissue from one type to another as tumor grows certain mutations that confer resistance to certain types of targeted treatment or monoclonal antibodies have all made pathology a highly specialized and meticulous science in oncology .
over the years i still remember some eminent pathologists i had the opportunity to work with

a reputed madam professor in lakeshore hospital in kochi who was very helpful when requested for an early report for those whom we wanted to waste no time to start treatment like in young patients
i still rememebr getting a bone marrow report on same day something which would never happen abroad !!

in Tawam hospital in Al Ain a John Hopkins hospital managed tertiary care center the pathology hematology had a great team there was an Italian hematologist who only specialized in lymphomas and he was an authority on that

in the center i work here now too we have a highly specialized and capable department of pathologists who are the main support structure in the diagnosis of our patient s

with newer forms of tissue sampling like circulating tumor cells and plasma based DNA detection the paucity of sampling from difficult areas like lung will be met better in future

so the kaleidoscopic world of starry cellular wonderland the home of pathologists is dear to us too .

After all tissue is the issue

Muchad Gadh and other stories ...book review

Creativity is never listless if it comes from within, in music there’s a lovely Sanskrit word which describes it Bhaavam ,
In writing that makes all the difference
Like ripples on a flowing river there are pieces of the deep inside in a good writer that peeps through his or her works
So too in this book of short stories delivered with punch and panache there is pain pathos cynicism sadness and cheer in its subterranean depths if the reader doesn’t catch this he misses its soul


It’s difficult to select a best in such collections which are so different from each other though there is an infinite basement membrane of irony all along.
To me the first was the best, the despicable man, the hated one in that bus who proved to be the finest when fate delivered its righteous blow.
Goodness never needs to cry out loud it exists.
The Title story of the Rajasthan Moustache village was the light hearted banter a departure from the tragic overtones that colours this kaleidoscopic collection and the sprouting whiskers of the shaved alien grows to be a part of it, the end with no bend .
We often see Phulls in our lives those who overpower you with their presence but to know this Phull had aetiology behind his distressing personae made us pity him.


The characters in the book on the whole are etched with dark charcoal as caricatures in flesh and blood by words which is an art by itself, the happenings are very Indian except the Somalian pirate story with a trace of Captain Philips


Inspector Kewats obsession with the criminal ebbed him into the Neverland’s but with the mystery unraveled before he closed his eyes which wasn’t of any use of course
Cabinet committee is reliving our own housing committee’s meets and its idiosyncrasies
The cold hard nosed businessman Malik who could kill to rise reminded me of a Malayalam film Raktamillatha manushyan meaning bloodless man and in the end he meets the same fate as in the film


 The life inside a women’s prison and the find of a mother to love made Qaidi different and tender


The shocking pink is truly an exorcism of a torture suffered in life Such graphic word smithing cannot come otherwise; the urge to kick away the pink affliction is seen all along the dark depths of the collection
Block printing is an inside look of a Gujrat industry and the fatal disappointment of an old lullah


Sejals Guillotine was an axe over our head too painful to read
 Unexpected deaths repeatedly awaken the reader out of his sink into the routine
Oshbo would have been an easy one for an experienced journalist author Earth is again laughed at in the perfect suicide
Life reconquered is death won isn’t it ?
I love Begums of Ballimorans so I enjoyed the tale of men and women who live life to the fullest with taste
Murder of English language was more delicate and rhymed my thoughts
And the BC story a fitting finale on a journey traveled with fortitude and won and one keeps the slightly dark book down after reading it with hope in the horizon.!

Pullman in Miri

Miri in Pullman
It was two Georges one living in USA and many years later one from Europe who had started the famous railway coaches called Pullman
The US George had done it from Chicago
Another George a Belgian had visited US and travelled in Pullman trains and was impressed to start Pullman trains in Europe too and as the brand was became a hit Pullman hotels were also started by him ...
At present they are in all continents in many cities.
More than 173 hotels or resorts are available all over the world
Most of them are ultramodern five star hotels with high rise buildings, sleek modern lines of architecture and futuristic furniture.
We never knew all this as we booked to stay in a Pullman hotel in Miri ,Malaysia .
Me and friend Dr Yuvaraj had driven down to Miri on a weekend and it took 2 hours as we had to cross the border check post and immigration etc .

 It was wet and rainy as we sped along the wooded road leading to MIRI
Once we entered Miri city we had some difficulty in tracing where our hotel was as we had no mobile connection hence no WIFI to use GPS
Suddenly the tall Pullman building popped up and all we had to do was to go in its direction, easier said than done as ground directions are a bit different from say an aerial one, maybe if we had a helicopter we could have done that 

 We did manage to reach the hotel finally, it was downtown but in a quieter area and bordering the marina.

 We were checked in to the 16 floor room and ours was almost a suite
Thus we did stay a day in the famous Pullman!!
After a rest we hit the town and a snazzy bar called Mings café where great cocktails and music
























lightened the dusk, the morning saw us going for a ride in our car unplanned, we wanted to visit a famous Buddhist temple nearby.
Most people in these places aren’t good in telling directions, we had to ask two as we had no GPS after plotting in a paper and looking at it for ages the lady recited a litany of confusing direction we felt she would also have never found the temple again in her life
The man proved to be almost same as he gave directions of a route through multiple traffic signals u turns, etc
We thought we would just go without any plans and drive till we reach somewhere
Funnily we just went straight through a couple of traffic lights and reached an old town area full of lovely colonial shops ,a huge market with vegetables and meat ,we managed to get a parking in that area a real feat indeed ,

 

 There were hot buns for sale amongst others
One of the vendors at last was a clever one when asked where the Buddhist temple was he said you are almost there just walk 500 meters and you will see it, and we did just that!
Later we returned for a couple of ice cold beers and checked out by 2pm on our way back to Brunei

The Lady with the hood

The lady with the hood ......








The dusk had fallen
The moon peeped through the white domes of the magnificient Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi
I quickened my pace to catch a glimpse of an etheral beauty in black purdah !
The cold of the desert on a december evening was felt in my bones ....
There was a sretch of fine sand I had to cross to reach the milling crowds , but by then the damsel had melded into them , disappearing like a mirage in the desert .
I waived my way through jostling the crowd to angry stares !!
No i cant miss her again !

It was my soul that was calling me not my mind for I was numb for long .
The long lines parted .
The sombre altar of spirituality was serene in its peace .
The marble reflected the purity of divinity .
There was an aura of inner solace undescribed in the bowels of the monument .
The whispering shuffle of foots on the Iranian carpets hardly broke the sepulchural silence .
The kaleidoscopy of the chandeliers reflected the multiplicity of humans milling below .
Where can I search for the elusive her in this hall of mirrors ?
It was like in a dream
The fog of time crept into eternity .
Awareness extended to infinity
I was lost in a trance .
I walked away
I came to stand in the moonlight .
For a change I was alone far from the crowd inside the mosque .
The dew of the grass touched my bare foot
It cooled my insides
I wanted to lie down
When I felt a presence
I knew who it was
It was her standing before me the veil removed with a beatific smile on her face !
We walked out our hands interwined gazing into the moonlight and dissapeared into the darkness .
( actually me and premila had visited Sheik zayed mosque in Abudhabi and she had to wear the Abhaya ..
.I saw this photo now and spun this story to bore you all ;) )

Kamalahassan

Today is Kamalahassans birthday .nov 7th
Though lately hes sounding senile with his idiotic comments as an attempt for a political launch ,to me hes one of the best actors we would see .
I would put him in the line of Dileep kumar ,Sanjeev kumar ,Sivaji Ganeshan ,Marlon brando and Mohanlal .
...

He was into films from childhood
As a wiry teen he was into chorus dancing and later choreography .
It needed a genius like K Balachander to recognise the talent in him and he was launched by this great man in Tamil .
One film that stands out amongst many is Apoorva ragangal where a young Kamal falls in love with a beautiful but much elder Sri vidya , this film was much ahead of its times with such a story but was accepted by the people ,it also introduced a sad shy Rajnikaanth who appeared in the last scene as the estranged husband of Srividya to the consternation of a bugged Kamal !
In the next film Kamal would be the proverbial simpleton to Rajnis sauve villainy in Padinnaru vayadinilee .
Balachanders varumayin niram sigappu or red is colour of poverty where this song comes was another gem .
I always felt Kamal was best paired with Sri devi .
Moonraam pirai later Saadma by Baalu Mahendra was another milestone in this actors career .
In the last scene one cannot forget Kamals running in the platform along the moving train in Ooty station and hitting an iron pillar and falling down ,that isnt acting its living the role .
Meendum kokila where Kamal is the verbal husband with a testosterone issue to his homely wife Sridevi also stands out.
Maro charitra the telugu original of Ek Duje Ke liye was the mother of romantic films .
Malayalam films recognised Kamal long before Tamil did and he was a hero in late seventies there in a score of films where he prances to the unforgettable tunes of a Salil chowdhry with the likes of Zarina Wahab,Sheela and Lakshmi a much welcome change from the staid prancing of a Prem Nazir .
The actor in Kamal has to wait for Mani Ratnams Nayagan where he enacted the erstwhile don of Mumbai ,Varadarajan mudaliar with the elan of a Brando in Godfather .
The scene where kamal emotes on his sons death is still a classic .
His comic timing was seen in many films like Michael madana kaama raasa
Doing different roles as a dwarf ,a woman , a feminine dance master , a drunkard one ,all came to kamal with ease
But to many of us of the same gen Kamal was always an inspiration as a romantic hero

Dr Durandham

Dr Durandhams day
Kerala is a land of elephants .
Most temples had one or many more and in its festivals most malayalees are used to seeing tame elephants at close qaurters .
I know of some whose hobby is just elephant watching
Even some teenagers
Wonder why they select elephants with so many other things to be watched at thier age !
Each to his own
of course .
There is an engineer hes in infosys now who had spent 3/4 of his blessed childhood gazing at elephants in temple festivals all over kerala .
He would reel away on every single detail on every single elephant mentioning them with so much endearance as in describing a neighbours child studying in a local kindergarden .
There were mishaps too in these festivals when the tame ones went berserk which wasnt a rare occurence
By nature scooting came easy to Mallus and at these times most would shimmer up the nearest coconut tree and cling to its fronds with the agility of a frisky monkey .
Watching an elephant in the wild is a bit different but from watching them in a temple .
As long as one was far away it was fun which is how I would describe the two elephants we saw near the Siruvani dam when we went there for a family picnic .
But enroute to the forest bungalow the road was a thin ribbon with menacing tall thick bushes of elephant grass which hid the dense forests on both sides and where no light entered and the darkness hid its mysteries well.
Its encountering an elephant in such a place that could land one in trouble with a big T.
My co brother Pramodh a senior airline executive is a committed wild life enthusiast and with his years of wandering in several core forests in India was considered as the familys Jim Corbett
Pramodh knew a lot on wild animals .
Unlike me who knew only about the human wild .
He told us that elephants like all wild animals avoided humans unless they are in their way or threatened them in some manner .
Clever of them should learn the trick of avoiding humans from them
Usually in narrow roads when we see an elephant while driving we need absolute silence ....said Pramodh
no horns
sit still
Then the elephant may find a path to get out of the area and it will .
but if it doesnt find a way out it may charge.
then and only then please run fast he would proclaim !!
That made me run away almost immediately !
to the amusement of my family who had nicknamed me Dr Durandham or Dr Tragedy as I was pretty adept in creating fertile scenarios
For example i would say
shortly a rogue elephant would see us and think of us as so many footballs
or how a huge Tiger would spot us just when it didnt have its breakfast for one week .
Every turn on the narrow ribbon of the road my Ayyos created collective palpitations in inhabitants of both the cars of our caravan .
I was strongly advised to keep myself occupied with human pleasures in the forest bungalow instead of venturing out to sport by popular demand .
Pramodh also continued his grim exercise of analysing dungs on the road peering at them with the air of an expert weather forecaster
at times stopping the car and once even tapping a particularly dry specimen one that looked like dung from a constipated baboon !
then declaring with the elan of declaring the magna carta itself as the dung was tiger refuse 8 days old with the air of a proctologist on his thousandth colonoscopy .
His machinations would produce sighs of admiration from the bated audience at his animal academic brilliance .
Wow how come pramodh you know so much !
Well if we keep tasting sorry testing dung all along the way like this we too would be experts but dead ones ,
Dr Durandham yours faithfully would pipe in to a not so cheering family .
And so we would meander along till we reached a particularly dark corner full of tall bushes and since we couldnt see much of the road ahead
Pramodh stopped the car and the one behind driven by my niece who by genetics had aqquired the genes of her wild dad iam sorry wildlife dad pramodh also stopped .
The eerie silence was broken only by a strange munching sound ahead and my silent gesticulation of it being prudent to go back was finally listened to .
Pramodh too signalled for the beating retreat .
To reverse a car in a narrow forest road no to reverse two cars in a narrow forest road with whatever was hiding behind those bushes ready to jump at any moment needed nerves of steel and minds of casted iron not that of bendable aluminium which me Dr Durandham posessed.
Father and daughter did that gracefully and in minutes we were gliding back to safety
For once Harietta your warning proved right Pramodh would say and others too agreed
And thus Dr Durandham had his day too .