Families have many a reason to take a holiday- to unwind, to make a zillionth attempt to resolve personal differences, to utilize their LTA etc. Ours was because Madam S had to leave town on a social engagement. The prospects of managing the household comprising of me and her was too much for J, what with me not knowing where the pump switch was. I gave up a sincere attempt to reason with J, and so it was decided to visit Bangalore to avoid the risk of no water in the overhead tanks. Five days at U’s guest house facility at NIMHANS would coincide well with the Madams return.
Except that at the last minute (and not for the first time either!) , U regretted her inability to arrange the guest house. “If not Bangalore why not Chickmagalur? ..”went J’s reasoning .A century and a half earlier a certain queen in France provided a similar simple solution for her starving subjects. If they do not get bread, why don’t they eat cake?
Visit Chickmagalur for just a day? Tot up the time of travel, the change in transport and one is lucky to get a days holiday in four. My second attempt at reasoning with J, this time with the plea that an important meeting planned a month ago was falling during this period, did not carry weight.
The train journey from Hyderabad in air conditioned comfort (after many years) was pleasant. V was kind to send his car to pick us up, never mind that owing to a communication glitch; we were waiting on the wrong end of the station.
Lunch and dialogues on religion with V kept us occupied- save an embarrassment. A,the charming daughter wanted to read her poems to me, forced by J , me being introduced a Poet Laureate of the Chari clan. As I go up to welcome the girl, V’s booming voice echoes across the “Don’t go near her! She is Dooram!” I froze in my tracks, pretended not to hear and shouted a big hello to A across the room.
Doora m? Gosh..! that took me back decades ago , when as a child I remember the few days Mother would stay away from the kitchen periodically...and we children were not to go near her. Mother threw out the custom quickly though, and now in the year of our Lord 2011 I witness the ritual once again: this on a kid , no matter how embarrassed she would have been hearing the caution.
V is truly an enigmatic personality. A hardware specialist, successful very early in life with his first entrepreneurial venture landing him a fair treasure, V took to Vaishavism with a vengeance, getting his Kannadiga wife and the two children interested as well. However, the sons tirunamam hidden by a crop of hair, revealed to me reluctance not expressed in deference to the temper of the Father. Likewise A’s poems on family discord seemed to reveal a soul in pain. V’s hospitality is legion and after a saatvic lunch we were on the bus to Chickmagalur.
German technology once again proved its worth when two hours into the journey the sleepy driver jammed the brakes of the Mercedes bus and we were saved a fall into a ditch by a whisker. Save for that the five hour drive, for me was a period of stress as I reflected on the meeting that I had abandoned. A few sms exchanged with the client first hurtful, then surprised and ultimately reconciliatory, got the date shifted to the following week. Close on the completion of this exchange, we reached Chikmagalur
The taxi ride to the resort took longer than scheduled as the driver did not have the proper directions. Thanks to mobile technology and a last bar of battery charge left in Js mobile , we made our way to the resort past 9Pm. Reliance beats Idea hollow in its communication reach.
Bharat, the Manager of the resort received us and suggested we partake of the dinner first. A pony tailed engineer turned resort Manager, Bharat seemed far older than his age, wearied by guests of all types. His wife decided to get back to a job with Honeywell in Bangalore, leaving Bharat even lonelier. We exchanged pleasantries and after a quick bite reached the villa
Oh the villa, the villa! Set atop a hill with a clear 360 degree of mountains on one side and coffee plantations on the other three, the villa is tastefully decorated with bric a brac from across the world . It has obviously been designed by someone with an eye for things majestic in keeping with the royal background of the owners. The manicured lawns all around the villa with a helipad on one side, exhibit wealth but subdued not garish.
We were asleep in a trice.
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