An Ode to Mentors

An article I read some time back made me think...about people who give, and give and give....
More specifically; about mentors in one's life.
Aristotle is said to have mentored Alexander the great
In Indian mythology; the greatest Mentor is said to be Lord Krishna to Arjuna.
It is said that these mentors were singly responsible for every success in lives of Arjuna and Alexander.

Mentoring today is taken very seriously by most educational institutions and organisations.  Even the monthly magazine of the organisation of professionals CPA Australia carries a story in every issue of the magazine and the focus is on mentors and mentees.
In Australia and USA; there are professional platfoms that link mentors to mentees.
Many professionals who have made it big often talk about "...giving back..." through a series of carefully orchestrated, planned business events and through structured mentorship programs.

My attempt today is to write about millions of mentors who just mentor without the rest of the world even getting a hint of it, some of the special qualities that make a mentor. I guess my focus is on people who participate in Life mentoring and not just career mentoring.

As I see it; the most special quality in a mentor is the ability to "give"
To give - time, expertise, advise, help, direction
The second crucial quality is - to be available when needed
All qualifications, all successes, all expertise comes to naught if a mentor does not posses these two qualities.
And overarching all this - is the inherent ability to understand where the mentee is coming from and always keeping the mentee's best interests at heart.

People often talk of king makers who are principally responsible for many moves in the corporate world.  What I am talking about is completely different - based on personal experience.
We have had so many mentors who came into our lives at various times and who made a crucial difference.  Some have remained with us to walk with us every now and then; others are not in our lives on a daily basis and have probably left us as they realise we have moved on.  It is indeed true that we managed to hang on to at least one piece of wisdom that each mentor left with us.

I often think of those one-liners which made a significant difference.
The most powerful one being, "do you see yourself doing this for the rest of your life...?"
And that one line changed the entire course of life for us.

I am trying here to list the contributions of various mentors in our life; needless to say the effect they have had in our life has been phenomenal.

1. These mentors have walked with us through some tough phases of life and not just one's career
2. They have always been available - at even short notice sometimes - to help with feedback on a resume or assistance with drafting an important letter/ proposal
3. They have helped us to start at a new work place and settle in rather quickly by continuous support and sharing of knowledge
4. They have always spared the time when we wanted to toss a few ideas about Life and career plans for the next 5 years
5. They have never hesitated to share everything that they know - and shared their life stories with us enabling learning from their experiences
6. They have provided us with sources of information on subjects where they did not possess expertise
7. The mentors have always operated on the principle of abundance "there is enough space and resources and opportunities for everyone in this world...." and therefore have never felt threatened by sharing the best they can with us
8. Very often, a gentle nudge was all one needed - and they have provided us with helpful hints, nudges to see a situation differently
9. Our mentors have always been available to sit with us and weigh pros and cons of any major decision - at all times maintaining an objective neutral approach, allowing us to choose the best option suitable to our circumstances and comfort
10 Most importantly, our mentors have never hesitated to share their fears about consequences of certain choices we were making - thereby providing us a safe environment to re-assess situations, options and decisions
11. These were people who never lost hope and always helped us see something beyond what seemed like a set back - Their approach to creative/ lateral thinking came from complete concern for us and not just from reading Edward de Bono
12. And finally they were always ready to celebrate a success with us and wish us more of it

To all our mentors - we send you our gratitude.

Thank you for reiterating our own belief that every change can be re-visited
every move can be reassessed, and no decision is ever written in stone.
Thank you for the trust you gave us to talk to you and share without being judged.
Thank you most importantly for giving ....

Thanks to you;
We imbibe all the qualities we have observed in our mentors
and dont hesitate to be a guide/ mentor when we are approached.

PS - this is the article that made me think..
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2683955.ece

Dear Sir Paul McCartney & Stella McCartney, pack enough food if you HAVE to fly Qantas...

What's with Qantas and their inability to provide a proper meal for vegetarians?

And Qantas - please understand
Vegetarian does not mean "small tummy"
It does not mean "ah yes, just a lettuce wrap and an apple for a snack"
it does not mean "just an apple, orange juice and wheat bix with milk for breakfast"
And I dont even want to go into lunch or dinner...

What makes this so hard for you...?

Vegetarians also need a serving of protein, some carbs and some veggies/ fruit
Exactly the same requirements as a meat eater.
And is it so hard to source this kind of a vegetarian combo..?
Aw Come on Qantas get your act together....

Why is it so hard for you to source a proper vegetarian meal in Australia (and rest of the world) for your vegetarian passengers;
when Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines (from personal experience) and even your closest competitor/ rival Virgin manage to provide excellent vegetarian meals?

The breakfast for a vegetarian was appalling in the recent Qantas link flight - Carins (CNS) to Port Moresby(POM).

The vegetarians got
A tiny small apple, 2 small pieces of wheatbix with a 150 ml carton of milk, a quinoa muffin, and a 100 ml of orange juice.  Well you would say it sounds ok.
But trust me it was not filling at all.

And what did the "non vegetarians" get ?
A roll with some meat and veggies, a small snack pack of apricots, a cheese and bikkie,  a tub of yoghurt, juice, milk, i guess i also saw a chocolate bar and a few other things as well.

Now how hard is it to source a tub of yoghurt that does not contain gelatin?
How hard is it to source a proper roll with veggies in it?
How hard is it to source cheese made with non-animal rennet ?
(Even Coles and Woolies home brands make cheese with non-animal rennet - not hard at all !)
How hard is it to throw in a small pack of dried apricots and some biscuits
and some gelatin free-yoghurt as well for a vegetarian?
And hey vegetarians also love chocolates you know...!

The vegetarian snack box on the afternoon Qantas Link flight (POM to CNS) was 1/2 the size of the snack box provided to the "non vegetarians".
And yes, that box had many more things in it - while the vegetarians got the usual cucumber wrap with a quinoa muffin. ..Appallingly small in quantity and number of items.

What is wrong with you Qantas?

Two years ago my husband went hungry on a long haul flight from New York to LA - LA to Sydney , and Sydney to brisbane- 36 hours from door to door and he went starving on Qantas flights.
All he got was an  
"oops there is no vegetarian meal ordered for you..., here bite on an apple and be silent..."
The tickets were booked 5 months in advance, meal requests were made and qantas was reminded three days before the flight and yet one starves....

And not even an apology.
Just a phone call from a lady who kept saying I understand and parrotted a disclaimer "...ah you know special meals cannot always be guaranteed..."
Well how come Singapore airlines and Jet Airways never goof up a vegetarian meal request?

Qantas here is a question for you...
What will you tell Paul McCartney or Stella McCartney if you screw up a meal request of theirs...?
You maybe the spirit of Australia - but you starve vegetarian passengers while the others are well looked after.  And yes, we pay the same fare for the same seats ...!

Airlines need to learn from SINGAPORE AIRLINES and from JET AIRWAYS
on how and what to serve vegetarian passengers especially on long haul flights.
Both the airlines serve fantastic vegetarian food even on short flights of 4 hour duration..

And Qantas - your troubles started the day you starved my husband for over 36 hours....in 2009

Well, you have not changed in 2 years;
Get your act together and learn from other airlines.

Contact me - I will put together a few menu options for you that will please any vegetarian.
And dont give me this "ah its hard to source vegetarian food in Aus...and other parts of the world.."
If Singapore Airlines can do it - so can you...
If Jet Airways can do it - so can you....

Meanwhile Sir Paul and Stella McCartney - Please avoid flying Qantas
And a suggestion for you Sir Paul and Stella;
Fly Singapore Airlines from London to Aus and YOU WILL BE FINE. 
Fly Jet Airways from Brussels to India or Brussels to NYC...
you will love the flight....just for the food.

And finally, Sir Paul and Stella; if you have no option but to fly Qantas to Aus :
Do please pack enough food for yourself and
Please do remember to ask around and share with other unlucky vegetarians....!!!

Mountains of paper...

How does one create mountains of paper...?
I am amazed at the amount of paper one has and creates every day...

There are only two major categories of paper.

the ones that say "you owe us money for services rendered or good consumed"
the others that confirm your possessions
The possessions are
the house, the car, the electrical appliances.

And then there is the third category that creeps up - its papers about you, the person
Stuff like life insurance, Super Annuation, medical insurance, eye prescription, dental records, Xrays, Bank statements, credit card statements etc..oh and yes I forgot the mountains of paper needed for the Income Tax office....!!!
Oh and yes, all certificates of Acdemic study and paper work that concerns one's career and all jobs one has done all these years.
Not to mention Deed polls for change of name, passports, dual passports, other cards related to origins or citizenship, membership cards to various clubs/associations...

The bills include - Telephone, Gas, Electricty, Internet, VOIP plans, Water, Quarterly rates payable to local coucil.  The bills for usage of toll roads.  Bills from the doctor's offices for procedures/ medicines/ pathology not covered by medicare or private health insurance.

With just these three categories why does one have Soooooooooooooooo many mountains of paper...?

Oops I forgot all the junk mail that comes every day in the mail box - I love those mails - tells me whats available in the market and whats on sale - must say I have managed to buy a few things on saleby simple careful perusal of the junk mail..(i sometimes have to hide them from the husband)...but I also use up these as liners for the veggie beds...,they serve as good mulch if they are not glossy paper...


I am told in Australia one has to keep every paper/ bill for seven years before it can be destroyed.  In seven years I will probably need a separate room just to store these papers.

Strangely while I safeguard all these papers and yell and scream when I cant find some paper - I never stop to wonder - what if there were no papers at all...? 
What sort of problems can one have because of loss of some paper?
How do I prove my identity?

Most important question - do I even exist without all these papers...?
Perhaps these papers all prove one's presence and existence on earth...eh?
Is that why we hang to all this and more and create more and more mountains of paper...?

The living end

This is from Inside Story - an online journal that I read regularly.
This particular article is one of those blunt narratives that make you stop and think...

http://inside.org.au/the-living-end/

..And then one wonders about the fraility of human life;
The oft confronting fact of one's own mortality and that of loved ones...

As the aurthor says in the end...
"... its often hard to die in peace"

..robbers of the soul...

" i have to lock up the house ..."
Why?
"...to protect myself and my family and all our precious possessions from robbers and miscreants."

We all lock up the house every night..
we lock up whenever we go out
to protect the house, the contents in it...
the precious things gathered and collected over time
the special music collections, the books, the paintings, sculptures
electronic devices, dvds, crockery,jewellery, silverware...

and what about locking ourselves and protecting ourselves from whatever we fear will be robbed from us...?
No- I am not talking jewellery that is on one's person
or clothes for that matter..

What about protecting oneself from robbers of the soul?

Is that why we all have an inbuilt mechanism (also called instinct) by which we shun the company of some and crave the company of others...?

...a simple life....

The pleasures of being simple...and leading a life on my own terms...

Ever so often, i think on the lines of "what have i achieved in life".
we all think this sometime or the other.
fact is; we dont have to acheive ANYTHING to have led a fulfilling life.
my grandfather was a classic example. my grandmother was very very dominating.
She would rule the house with an iron fist. No one dared to do anything that did not meet with her approval.

thatha would not and could not do anything about it.
also, he worked and retired as a bench clerk in the high court of madras.
thats all - it was not an eventful life in any sense of the word.
he went about his work, no big deal, came home, took care of the kids, never raised his voice, never scolded or chided his children (later on never chided his grand children)
Simple life, simple pleasures of eating, work, listening to music and cricket commentary on the radio.

My sister and i stand today in complete gratitude for all the values he instilled in us.
it was the GREATEST LEGACY he could have ever left us...and thats one LEGACY that will always be with us, whether we are rich or poor materially. so, even if the world thinks that his was a simple ordinary life - WE KNOW HOW EXTRAORDINARY HE WAS FOR US.

I will always remember the hot bournvita/ horlicks that he would lovingly make for us and give us in the evening when we came home from school. He would also make dosai for us. While we chattered on and on about what happened in school etc.

I guess the values that we instill in the children today are something that will stand with them throughout their lives. AND THERE LIES my USELFULNESS and YOURs.

"They also leave rich legacies - those that dont leave any money or assets for their children."

YOU may not think you are making a difference to the world...but, in your own way, you are making a world of difference to those that cross your path and those that live in close proximity to you. ...

The tuvar dal takes priority....

How life's priorities change...

All one cares about is the availability of tuvar dal or the availability of ajwain and kasuri methi...
life gets redefined based on what is available around one - more of what is available that one can eat.

Myer's winter colletion or the David Jones' Spring collection have no meaning here.its the same 30 degree heat every day, all through the year. Somedays you do not see or feel the humidity and on other days, its absolutely steamy. So, perhaps the fashion industry makes sense only for places where there are distinct four seasons. Not for a place where its hot hotter and hottest...or for Alaska, where it is cold colder and coldest. There is only so much one can improvise on the basic shorts and t shirts. maybe a different version of a spaghetti strapped top every year, but hey, its only two straps or a strapless creation...thats pretty much it.

We went to a local market two months ago, but very late and there was hardly anything left.
But I am pleased that i was able to buy pitpit, a local vegetable that is a favourite with children here. Must say I liked the taste of it when i cooked it with onion, garlic, red chillies and some spicy home made curry powder(i cant beleive I am using the phrase curry powder, its such a misnomer because there are a million types of powders that one uses to make tasty food.).

Its one of life's most beautiful challenges that I enjoy - making food from locally available veggies. What a voyage of discovery that is. I have been cooking with the local banana and banana stem ....and have surprised many PNG nationals...who had no idea one can eat the banana stem..

Anyway, coming back to priorities....its a treasure hunt every time I go to the shop these days..always wondering what I will find on the shelves...whats new, and what stocks are low on the shelves...for a long while my mind was focussed on how to make good idly with the jamine rice that is available here. I am told that the jasmine rice is too glutinous and the idly would be absolutely appalling in taste and texture...therefore, I was on a hunt to find long grain rice, found a packet, they call it "easy cook rice.." made idly...hmmm pretty bad...
then consulted a lady who has been here for many years....
she gave me some ideas and i must say - the idly was not bad at all
not the best but hey who is complaining as long as its soft and nice to eat :)

I might also try making idly with the brown rice that is not glutinous..will probably end up making some super duper highly nutricious idly in the process. fingers crossed....

Anyway, the update is there is no tuvar dal anywhere in PNG at the moment...
I am lucky, i have stock for another 4 months
thanks to someone who went to Melbourne and managed to carry three kilos for me.
The wholesaler who brings in tuvar dal rations it - he sells only one kilo per family - fair enough; there is enough for all - Life's great leveller i suppose..

Such is life...the priority is around the stocks of tuvar dal and the quality of idly...:)

the vase, the lamp and the paraath....

There is this lovely piece of crystal...a beautiful vase that would catch the light and glitter..
I am sure a few roses or orchids will look spectacular if displayed in that vase.

Where was the vase sitting...?

Not in a beautiful living room..
not on the dining table full of food...
not in anyone's grand living room
not in a restaurant
not in a shop..

It was inside a box, kept inside a trunk..
and the trunk was in the attic of a house...
the attic was locked and keys with a relative...
and the house was occupied by wonderful tenants who looked after the house and the attic where all the precious belongings were...crytsal vase being one of them...

Well, if I am lucky and if I have the time and if the tenants accept..I get to open the attic, cough a few times and wait for the fresh air to get inside.
Then i brush aside all the dust that has collected over many years
and then slowly open the trunk and look through it ..
all the time looking only for that box that holds the crystal vase...
...and finally i find it...

I hold the box carefully, open it even more carefully..(dont want to drop the precious piece)
and there it is...the crystal vase...
dusty - but not so bad that a wash with soapy water cant remove.

I hold it in my hands for a few minutes...
and the re-pack the box and leave it inside the trunk
and there it shall remain until I see it next.

Amma has a lamp and a particularly nice round tray(a paraath)
The lamp has been in the family for many years
belonged to my patti and then to amma and now perhaps me..
amma asks me every time if I would like to take it with me...
every year I give the excuse of not having enough baggage allowance...
every year I leave it with her saying I will take it next time.
she dutifuly hangs on to it...carefully dusting it and polishing it at regular intervals
and she hopes I will take it with me next time.

Something stops me from taking it...
I guess I dont want to move it out while she is alive
and want her to enjoy it for as long as she pleases...
but recently she has moved into a retirement community and does not have the space for it anymore...
So at the moment she also does not see it, enjoy it everyday
and neither do i...
i see it once every year...and tell myself - "next year i will take this with me to Australia..."

The round tray - called a paraath ...I keep telling her, "dont ever give this to anyone..i want this..they dont make trays like this anymore..."
the paraath has memories of amma making the world's best Bhalu shaahi's
(aka badushaa in madras...!)
so i know I will make the world's best bhalu shaahis too
when I have the paraath with me...
and yet its too heavy and I leave it again with her...

and amma hangs on to it...

I cant sell it, I cant have it with me...I dont see it all year...
Its just the cockroaches and spiders that get to enjoy the beautiful lamp...
the vase and the paraath ...while they explore around the attic....

....well some creature enjoys the lamp, the paraath and the crystal vase...!!

And then there was the IPOD

I have been very skeptical and scared (to some extent) of using an IPOD.
No there is no rhyme or reason , just an indescribable fear of the unknown.
And finally I have started using one - and now I wonder how I managed without one - what I have missed these 4 years traveling by train to and fro work.

Anyway, long story short, i am finally listening to some old Tamil movie songs and love the experience...gentle familiar sounds in an unfamiliar country....

Wow, technology is a gift, the ability to afford it is probably a blessing....
IPOD zindabad...:)

How does one explain to a 5 year old that life is not fair?
How does one explain that there are winners and losers in every activity?
How does one teach a 5 year old the perils of an expectation and a resulting disappointment?
How long can a parent shield and protect them?
What is a good age for a child to understand that life is not always fair?

I wonder.....

Its hard to accept that there is no Santa Claus...
Harder to accept that I may not win every game
Hardest to know I am not as good as the other person in doing something...

The same challenges that knock you down as a 5 year old, confront you three or four decades later...

Four people, three mountains, camp stove, camp kettle and a few dozen brown boards

It was a Saturday and a lazy start. Packed my camp stove and a brand new camp kettle. The idea was to have a warm cuppa up in the mountains. Make some hot soup for lunch. Into the picnic basket went some bikkies, dips, almond biscuits and chips…oh I forgot the ginger beer. Moahan loves a ginger beer on long drives.

After a bit of frantic packing, Moahan and I set off on a cold and nippy morning to friends Dr Arunachalam and Astrid’s house. Astrid and Aru (as we all call him) were ready when we reached their home. Aru had a huge big thermos with hot boiling water and he had made tasty vegetable muffins. He is well known as the muffin man in these parts of the world. Astrid had made a Swiss cake – SACHER TORTE. She is the cake lady in these parts and between the two of them, they make a merry pair. Anyway, coming back to the point – I refused to take the thermos and proudly boasted about my most recent acquisition of the camp stove and kettle. Aru tried to say that the thermos is anyway full of hot water and that it’s no big deal to simply carry it along.

Aah, but I had to refuse again because it was stuck inside my head that we must boil water in a kettle and drink tea high up in the mountains with the cold air brushing the face and freezing my nose and the hot vapours from the tea warming my nose and the insides. And that image was stuck inside my head because of another day out that we went with another friend Rajesh in those days when we did not have a car. While on that day out at Mount Tamborine we saw a family bring their camp stove, the kettle whistling a lovely tune, and all of them hovering around it for a hot cup of tea. That’s an image I was not willing to let go off. Finally, Aru left the thermos behind and we carried the muffins and cake.

Off we went towards the city; four people, a kettle and a camp stove in tow in search of three mountains.

Through the city, into Red Hills to be precise and into Brisbane forest reserve. Lovely winding roads past THE GAP and within minutes, the city was far behind and the climb on the mountains started.

Now; there are two types of sign boards on the roads here in Australia. The normal ones are green in colour and they carry information about the places and the distance to those places. There is often another board, close to the green one or just below the green one and that is a brown board that Moahan simply LOVES….The brown boards invite you to take the “scenic drive” and some beckon you to take the “tourist drive”. Moahan can only see these boards and we often would go off the road, way off the destination. Perhaps someone wise travelled with Moahan in some life and that’s why he left behind the famous quote “the journey is more important than the destination”. But today was another day, because Aru was the navigator and he knew the three mountain circuit inside his head. He gently veered Moahan’s attention off the brown boards for starters. And I secretly wondered how long before Moahan is tempted by the brown boards. We had a whole day to find out didn’t we?!!!

We drove past Mount Nebo and reached Mount Glorious, and that was the spot to have some morning tea…yes, tea brewed with hot water from the new kettle.

Moahan and Aru found a lovely picnic bench with a shade on top and a tap nearby, and I filled the kettle.

Fewer things in life have given me as much pleasure as filling up the kettle with cool mountain water and setting up the stove. The stove was lit; on top of it; the kettle was made to sit. And we waited for the sweet sound of the whistle that indicated hot boiling water. While we waited we started to talk. Astrid’s cake was oozing with chocolate and probably had almond meal in it. Very tasty and yummy.

We all talked about life and how it teaches us a few things. Experiences in life, how we plan something and something totally different happens, relationships, behaviour of people and mostly it all ended up in the human mind and how crazy the mind is and so on. Three muffins and two biscuits and two pieces of cake and spotting three different bird species later – we wondered…whatever happened to the sweet sound of the kettle?

I checked the kettle and found that the flame from the stove was rather low and it would take a while for the water to get heated. I had to bite dust - perhaps we should have brought the thermos along…! Aru and Astrid would not allow me to feel bad, and they both said, “Well we have nothing planned for the day, we can wait here as long as it takes to have a cup of tea.” While that was sweet of them, it did make me uneasy and I had to keep checking the kettle every few minutes until finally; after almost half an hour, I could see the water was hot enough for tea.

Aru and I poured ourselves some water for tea while Moahan and Astrid made themselves a ready made cappuccino. As we drank our hot beverage, the kookaburra came rather close to us to check us out. At one point in time, he was sitting on the edge of the roof, directly looking down at us. He is a stately bird and I was intimidated by his presence.

The warm beverage went into us and we were ready for the next drive – towards Samford. It was a beautiful drive and we passed Samford and went into Dayboro. The tummy started to rumble and we had to find a spot for lunch. After a bit of driving around – Astrid finally said, “Varshaa you can spot a good place, find one.” Moahan joined in to say “Varshaa is good at spotting places and she is always good at this and ……”. The ego was well massaged and lo behold! I saw a park where there was a single bench.

We turned into a narrow road and reached the park.

For the second time during the day – I set up shop. This time it was more elaborate. I had to make soup you see. I found a spot behind a tree and kept the basket and stove cover as protectors from the wind and set the stove in the middle of all this. And again the kettle sat on the stove to do its job. We started to eat the muffins, bikkies with dips and waited for the hot soup.

A horse walked past us. Two girls leading the horse. Three dogs were being walked by a young man. They all waved to us or said a merry greeting to us and we settled down on the bench and the picnic chairs Moahan had carted along.

This was another time to sit down and have a chat about life and its merry ways of making us look silly at times.

Moahan took a few pictures and Aru and Astrid were relaxed. And that’s when the debate started about the ginger beer. Moahan wanted one right away. He offered one to all of us. Astrid and I said, we would rather have the soup first and the ginger beer later. Moahan pretended to be offended and asked Aru if he would have one. Aru looked at Astrid and Astrid looked at me…between all of us we had a big discussion about why ginger beer later and why not now and finally after all this, Moahan still had his ginger beer BEFORE his soup. And yes, we all laughed. Absolutely much ado about nothing. We were all happy we could laugh at something so silly and inconsequential.

The water was ready and I could swear I heard the kettle. The others thought it was some sound inside my head that was pandering to my fantasy of a whistling kettle. I asked them to be absolutely quiet and listen to the kettle. No, none of them could hear it. Well, I heard my kettle and that made my day.

We had soup and rested for a bit in the warm sunshine and set off towards Mount Mee.

On the way we saw this man on the tractor – probably having a hard time doing a boring job. Moahan slowed down, gave him a big smile and waved to him. The man on the tractor was delighted and he waved back and we all waved to him…a sudden warm glow crept within all our hearts, the blood rushed to our faces, the nose felt warmer, the finger tips tingled. A smile on the man’s face reflected a moment of sheer joy. We were all happy seeing the happiness on his face. We wondered why we become happy and smile when an absolute stranger waves to us with a smile.

Is life made up of such moments that have no past and no future?
Just that moment?
A tiny fleeting moment of pure joy, happiness.
A tiny moment very different from the last and very unlike the next.

Could we hang in to that moment, and BE THERE in that moment, fully; without any thought of the past or the future?

This probably was the major take away from the day spent in warm sunshine, laughter and affectionate company.

Into Dayboro town and towards the road to Mount Mee we went. Finally Moahan had the opportunity to follow the brown board that he loved so much…he was like a child in a candy shop as we shot past that board, and the road started to climb up the mountains. It was a 40 km drive and we drove through some of the most beautiful meadows and countryside. The afternoon sun glinting on the windshield, the fresh mountain air, an elevating combination indeed. We stopped at a few places to take in the views

We reached a picnic spot called "THE GANTRY" on Mount Mee ( the northern end of the D'Aguilar Range of mountains) and were delighted to see a few peacocks. Well, they were really peahens and not as magnificent as their male counterparts. Still it was a lovely surprise.

We sat down on the grass, stretched our feet and looked up at the sky. It’s a lovely feeling to look at the sky lying down on grass. After a while, you feel you are floating. A young family with two children offered us some chips. Such disarming informality and fraternity. Hard to find in a world where no one has any time for anyone else.

That’s when the peahens came by near the children asking for morsels of food. The children fed them some bread. Then, a kookaburra swooped down to snatch some bread from the child’s hand, and then another one. Funny, these were two baby kookaburra practising their moves. And, they failed every time they tried, at least a dozen times each to swoop in and grab some food on the ground. Up on the unused log mill, there was this stately elder (?) kookaburra that looked at this with disdain. He probably thought it was a shame to be a kookaburra who could not grab food in the first try. My friend Monique has a unique relationship with these birds. So far; on four occasions, a kookaburra has grabbed Monique’s sandwich when she ate in a particular spot in the botanical gardens. She would not believe me when I later told her about these two fellas who missed a dozen times.

A bit of a walk towards a dry waterfall while Aru and Astrid waited in the car. We then decided to head back, and after a few wrong turns, we finally reached the road that would take us home. Now, the driver needed to refuel. We stopped at a vineyard. Astrid and I had hot chocolate, Moahan had a cappuccino as usual and Aru gave the beverages a miss. There was a wedding party and we were happy at their happiness. A few ducks in the pond below entertained us for a while and Aru shared some insights about life…as always it is a pleasure to listen to him and to Astrid when they share some vignettes and let us have a peep into their lives. We are blessed for we have access to their wisdom.

On the way home, Moahan was tempted to show them a dam close to our place and he followed the ubiquitous brown board – only to find it took us somewhere close to the dam, but there was no way out from that place…! Ah these brown boards….we retraced our path and came back to the road that connects Petrie and Dayboro.

We stopped at home for a quick pick up of some photographs and we went to Aru’s place for a quick simple dinner. It was around 9 when we came back home and hit the bed.

What a lovely day…

The kettle and the stove were the impetus for me, for Moahan it was the romance of the brown boards, the winner was of course the life experiences shared with two people that we treasure in our lives.

And thus ended one story of the four people, three mountains, the camp kettle, camp stove and a few dozen brown boards.

There will be many more such stories, watch this space…..!!!!

Wriggly Wiggly

THIS IS AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCITEMENT BUILDING UP AT HOME.
Recounted by my husband Moahan

7 am this Sunday (the 19^th of August 2007) morning....

The expectancy has built up enormously; as enormously as the rain clouds gathering above the Brisbane skies. The expectancy factor for me is as much as the aggregate expectancy factor that accompanies the new Harry Potter book, or the new apple gizmo launch.

Except that; in my case, all of this energy is fixed on a tiny tap at the base of a black cylindrical object.

As I open the tap slowly, excitedly,.......wow !!!!

The first few drops of a rich brown liquid come out...

Hurray, that’s the first specimen of liquid fertilizer manufactured by home grown earthworms. Perhaps our ancestors felt the same way when they lit fire at home for the first time; but this was for me; a most extraordinary moment indeed.

I am now, a proud first-time-earthworm farmer.

It has taken me precisely my age minus 5 years to become an Earthworm farmer - and that has meant a wait of about 40 years. This story has more twists and turns than an earthworm can make going through a square yard in my back yard.

A month back, I discovered that there was this concept of breeding earthworms in a scientifically designed enclosure and I have been dreaming about this ever since. Two weeks ago, I bought the “can o worms” from the local hardware store and spent a few days reading the instructions. The missus is not particularly fond of the invertebrate wrigglies and it took a bit of authentic speaking to get her to at least explore the idea a bit.

After a bit of reading and some research – I found a worm supplier who was an hour’s drive away from home. Met him on Wednesday the 15 of August. (What an auspicious day – the day of India’s independence.)

Bob is an amazing man whom I instantly accepted as a life long mentor. He must be in his fifties or sixties (very hard to tell) and he packs a lot of vigour and fun in his smallish frame. He told me that he has been breeding these guys for decades now and was one of the founders of the worm growers association of Australia. He formulated the rules (amongst many other things) on how to weigh and count the worms!

He showed me a parabola chart that plotted the impact of season on worm breeding and shared heaps of dos and don’ts. Being a chemical engineer, he brought in a fair bit of technical speak into his articulation. He clearly is to earthworms what Irwin was to the crocs of Queensland.

Bob even runs a vacation retreat for the worms. Say for instance, we have to go on a holiday – Bob will lovingly care for our worms until we get back for a very small fee of course. He said; “the worms come here for a retreat and they go back healthy and happy, much to the surprise of their owners..so, if you are going away for a few weeks, leave them worms with me..I often have a few dozen worm boxes underneath my home during Christmas when folks go on a vacation…no vacation for me and my worms….!”

Now, there are 5 principles he asserted; explaining them through a series of questions that he labelled personal.

1. Do you like to be kept covered in a tight space without air?

2. Do you like to live inside water?

3. Do you defecate in the same place where you eat?

4. Would you eat synthetic plastic?

5. Would you eat food that has become rotten and spoilt?

The Earthworm indeed is the father of man.

This humble friend of the farmer has the same characteristics that I have…for starters, it is a coffee lover! Now that’s what I call fundamental compatibility. It is non-interfering and peace loving. It feeds only on natural matter that must have lived once. To illustrate this; my mentor said “whilst they love cotton, they will not touch synthetics.” I was thinking about that.

….imagine…wearing a cotton shirt with earthworms inside the pocket…by the end of the day of course, there will be no shirt …ha ha ha

I now have many more things to do like bottling the rich organic fertilizer to distribute among friends who have gardens….design the best possible diet for them...give them some treats every once in a while and so on…

Let other men do other things……..

The Birds at Ballina

The trip to Ballina was unforgettable for many reasons.(early May 2007)
Primary among them being a close look at Pelicans and Cormorants.
I have never seen so many of them in one place.

BALLINA is in northern New South Wales...its a tiny place, with a river that meanders through town and reaches the Pacific Ocean...we walked along the river and feasted our eyes on hundreds of cormorants, pelicans and the ubiquitous sea gulls.

Osprey is a bird that built nests on telephone poles and electricity poles - only to find that the chicks were getting electrocuted. The town council and local community and the electricity company designed and built baskets which have then been mounted on top of the poles....now there are many happy families of Osprey in those parts.

The Richmond river flows through the place and it was lovely to walk along the river and go with it till it meets the ocean.

We were also treated with a lovely sight of a pod of dolphins frolicking in the pacific Ocean. And to top it all - the weather was beautiful

I could get some time to do some water color paintings again...its been many years and my techniques are rusty...but its a start and I hope to do better and practise more...

The river cruise was good too. The Osprey nests were something the cruise operator showed us. We also wanted to do trip on a sea plane in these parts - but the tour operator had shifted base to some other place for that week.

We did not feel like visiting Byron Bay which was close by..perhaps that will be another separate visit later on.

When we told some people we are off to Ballina - they asked Why Ballina, there is nothing there...and our response was - precisely the point - thats exactly why we are going there...!!!

Anyway, its a lovely place, we intend going there again and perhaps this time in our own car - and that gives us more flexibility to go around and see a few other wetlands where birds congregate.