SIGHTS MATTER |
LBSNAA, Mussorie
To put it simply, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussorie is the most efficient govt. institution anywhere in India. This is the last place where would be Civil Servants have fun, before they are dragged into the cruel,friendless world of bureaucracy. The last place where you can meet kindred souls, get woken up at midnight get drunk, dance in the lounge till early morning and then reporting for PT.
D-Range& Dodital lake
Imagine setting camp atop a mountain of indeterminable height in semi-darkness, sleeping in a leaky tent, inside a sleeping bag whose zipper is burst and then waking up in the morning to find the surroundings covered by snow! That’s D-range. Further down in the midst of nowhere is the incredibly beautiful Dodital Lake.
Nathula pass:Indo-China border, Sikkim
I had the honor of setting hand on Chinese soil. Lovely place. Barbed wires and smirking Chinese soldiers. And beyond, the blue mountains of China beckon.
Eravikulam, Munnar
Leeches, snakes, tigers, elephant -trampled cottages and the beautiful Neelakurinji(strobilanthus kunthianus)which bloom once every 12 years. This was it. Heaven on earth.I didn't know it then. But nine years on, the Neelakurinjis would give me something which I will always treasure.
YWCA , New Delhi
Alongwith Bangla Saheb Gurdwara and Coffee Home, part of my favorite golden triangle in Delhi. Sigh!
Hotel Raghavendra Bhavan, Hyderabad
Breeding ground for many a civil servant. Heady mixture of caffeine, nicotine and current affairs. Closed down circa 1997.
Churchgate, Mumbai
One of my favorite haunts. Most things in life are available in and around Churchgate. Second-hand books, food, liquor, cinema, clothes, sea.And a lot more for the otherwise(vice?) inclined.
Palace Grounds, Bangalore, April 01, 2001
The Deep Purple concert. When the gods came down to my favorite city. Wow!
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
The only place in the world where the majority of population hates me. Nuff said.
Railway line-Trivandrum-Quilon
Unique. Backwaters, men in boats. A sight like no other.
Kowdiar, Trivandrum
The seat of Travancore's royal family. Also the place where I did all my schooling. From Kindergarten in Nirmala Bhavan to High School in Christ Nagar. For a long while, we stayed in Jawahar Nagar, which is a stone's throw from Kowdiar as well.
.Police station, Medical College, Trivandrum
Cute place. I know of a guy who puked away to glory inside the lockup here while his friends spent the night in the pavement outside, and another who took off his dhoti, wore it as a turban and sped by on his bike to gaping policemen. For reasons of security(mine), both shall remain unnamed.
Arasumoodu, near College of Engg., Trivandrum
Place where they serve mussels, beef and tapioca with choice toddy/arrack to wash it down. Anybody who has studied at CET and has not bothered to visit this heaven has wasted his student life.
Cemetery,Palayam, Trivandrum
The ultimate resting place.