Monday, July 28, 2014

At the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.

Dateline 27 Jul.

The day had begun on a rainy note and hence, the trek that was planned for the few enthusiasts among us had to be called off. Instead, we're taken on a long and informative safari where we could see almost all the animals but for the tiger - they, obviously, had better things to do rather than oblige us with a glimpse of themselves!

The thrill of the day was when we went rafting in the catchment area, infested with alligators! The sheer excitement of such interesting activity must have banished even a hint of a negative thought - on a probable misadventure - that might have crept into anyone's mind! The clean water of the lake is used for drinking and therefore, motor boats are banned from use.

We could substitute the intended trek with a walk over a stretch of over a couple of kilometers after teatime, dodging the rains. Anita and Sindhu are ardent bird-watchers and they took it upon themselves to educate the rest of us to identify the birds by virtue of the sounds and calls that they made!

And as we turned in for the night, on the second day of our stay out here, there was a flashback that was being played out - Laxman(293), Mohanachandran(428), Rajeev(519) and Vijayakumar(526) of the SSKZM's class of '72, the numbers within brackets denote the roll numbers - were sprawled on the floor of the guesthouse's main hall, reliving their dormitory days at school!



Tailpiece.

My cousin, Prabha's mom passed away this evening around 6. It was the culmination of a seven month long stay in four hospitals. The only comforting thought is that it has spared her the agony of living with an amputated leg, which she could never, ever have reconciled with!

RIP, Kamalamma Pillai aunty! I can never forget the love that you'd showered upon me and the deep concern that you had when Lekha was in the hospital. Our prayers and tears.

PS.

Would she've lived on had I met her last week at the ICU, I wonder?

  

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