The day had begun at a quarter past 4 for the both of us but sleep had vaporised an hour earlier to that for me. And as I do usually under such circumstances, I'd said my prayers and was partially awake when the alarm had gone.
Roy was a sweetheart in that he'd a box of sandwiches sent up to our room by 6, along with the morning cup of tea. We're, finally, on our way to the airport by a 20' to 7. Our Chevy was parked in the western corner of the hotel's courtyard and it shall remain there till we return.
Our flight was delayed by an hour due to the late arrival of the aircraft. The flight was uneventful but it did make up for lost time by reaching Colombo by a half past 11 instead of its scheduled arrival of a 5' to 11.
Kannan was available at the arrival, to pick us up and take us to the Hotel Ozo where we're being put up for the day. It was a kaleidoscope of emotions, meeting up with course mates after a lapse of two years.
Heard the sad news about the passing away of Commander Swaraj Munusinghe of diabetes almost a decade earlier at a comparatively young age of 51. I can never forget his unadulterated respect to a fellow warrior and his presenting a squash racquet, autographed by the then world champion, Jahangir Khan, in a fit of emotional outburst after I'd missed certain death from an LTTE machine gun fire in a night exercise that we'd undertaken! RIP Swaraj. My salute, tears and prayers.
Our escort and guide, Eggersen Victoria took us for lunch and a well conducted tour of the city, followed by a scrumptious dinner in a popular eatery in town.
It was a comparatively early evening under the circumstances!
Tailpiece.
1. An emotionally charged day on the eve of Makar Sankranthi!
2. The waste management in the city is commendable. One doesn't find waste lying by the roadside.
3. Had the 'hopper' today. It's nothing but a modified version of our appam with a variety of egg forms as toppings.
4. Our room is on the 6th floor with a panoramic view of the sea face.
5. No cacophonics of vehicular horns on the road. We, Indians, need to take a lesson or two from the Sri Lankan on orderly behaviour.
Roy was a sweetheart in that he'd a box of sandwiches sent up to our room by 6, along with the morning cup of tea. We're, finally, on our way to the airport by a 20' to 7. Our Chevy was parked in the western corner of the hotel's courtyard and it shall remain there till we return.
Our flight was delayed by an hour due to the late arrival of the aircraft. The flight was uneventful but it did make up for lost time by reaching Colombo by a half past 11 instead of its scheduled arrival of a 5' to 11.
Kannan was available at the arrival, to pick us up and take us to the Hotel Ozo where we're being put up for the day. It was a kaleidoscope of emotions, meeting up with course mates after a lapse of two years.
Heard the sad news about the passing away of Commander Swaraj Munusinghe of diabetes almost a decade earlier at a comparatively young age of 51. I can never forget his unadulterated respect to a fellow warrior and his presenting a squash racquet, autographed by the then world champion, Jahangir Khan, in a fit of emotional outburst after I'd missed certain death from an LTTE machine gun fire in a night exercise that we'd undertaken! RIP Swaraj. My salute, tears and prayers.
Our escort and guide, Eggersen Victoria took us for lunch and a well conducted tour of the city, followed by a scrumptious dinner in a popular eatery in town.
It was a comparatively early evening under the circumstances!
Tailpiece.
1. An emotionally charged day on the eve of Makar Sankranthi!
2. The waste management in the city is commendable. One doesn't find waste lying by the roadside.
3. Had the 'hopper' today. It's nothing but a modified version of our appam with a variety of egg forms as toppings.
4. Our room is on the 6th floor with a panoramic view of the sea face.
5. No cacophonics of vehicular horns on the road. We, Indians, need to take a lesson or two from the Sri Lankan on orderly behaviour.
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