The Palace of Illusions - A review

  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is Mahabharata told by Draupadi. It attempts to give voice to the heroine (or the villainess?) of Mahabharata – her travails, her innermost feelings, her confusions, predicaments and her vulnerabilities.

My verdict: This is a good first book on Mahabharata for the uninitiated ones; nothing more than that. I had to labor through the book, to keep my commitment not to leave any book unfinished.

Chitra brings the woman alive in Draupadi. The prose is dragging at many places for people familiar with the context. Unnecessary details turn the reader off.

In order to keep the readers stay with the book, some relationships and incidents are brought to focus and fictionalized (deviating from the original text?). The lead character’s enigmatic relationship with Krishna, her fascination towards Karna (I sometimes felt that the author did not bring in the extra-marital angle for fear of criticisms from self proclaimed puritans), her discontentment with the mother-in-law and the jealousy when her husbands’ court other women.

The most common rendition of Draupadi in literature and TV serials is of a highly tolerant, loving wife. The book feebly tries to question this. There are many instances where we encounter the lead character’s realization that she had been the cause of the war, the destruction, death of thousands including her kids and brother. She is mostly shown as any other female, who gets upset when other women come into the lives of men she adores. The book gets a little bit ‘Bollywood’ when the heroine and the actual hero of this book (Karna) are shown as mutual bête-noire, but carefully nurturing an admiration for each other below the surface.

I think Chitra worked on weaving a novel out of a simple situation – What happens if Draupadi tells her story? Will she talk about her hidden desires? Her hatred? Her unresolved conundrums? I don’t think there is anything wrong here. But for a discerning reader with a good understanding of Mahabharata, the story becomes a thin thread of predicable incidents, which leaves him unsatisfied.

Hence, I will not recommend this book to people who are looking at building their foundation on knowledge about Mahabharata. It best suits a starter.

PS: Microsoft Word kept warning me against using the term ‘her husbands’. Looks like they did not think of that possibility

- Chalked by Sanjay Gopinath

http://vagabondmind.blogspot.in

Farm Stay at Avalanche, Ooty

Open your eyes early morning to the dew drops on the window. Grab a hot coffee. Feel the chillness under your bare feet. Step outside to embrace the cool breeze and fall in love again and again with the lovely blue hills and lush green valley. That’s how I would remember my holiday at the Destiny Farm Stay at Avalanche, a place 30kms from Ooty.

Let me tell you, all the good adjectives multiplied by 10 would still not be enough to express the scenic beauty of this place. This trip was special for me for two reasons. One it was the venue for our anniversary celebration and secondly for the first time my husband found a place and planned a trip. I must confess that after all the destinations we went with my planning, he overtook me in choosing the best place ever.

We started from Bangalore around 4.30am and took the State Highway 17 route via Mysore->Bandipur->Masinagudi->Ooty->Avalanche. We were lucky enough to get a glimpse of one or two elephants, deers, and peacocks while passing through Bandipur Forest Reserve.

We reached Ooty around 10 am. From Ooty railway station, our vacation spot was 30kms away and the resort had provided us with the route map. Just follow the road signs directing to Avalanche and then to Emerald Dam. Reaching the dam, the tarred road turns into a mud road and we can’t complain much as we were passing through forest area.

After a bumpy ride, we reached the parking lot of the Farm from where the resort’s transport is the only way to go beyond. The car park is secure and has a small cabin for refreshing and refreshments while waiting for the vehicle. You may be taken aback by the appearance of the van as it’s a four wheel military van completely enclosed and the next 15 minutes inside the van can be shaky and fun. Hold on tight!

Once you reach the resort, you have the hospitality that is worth the money paid. We were welcomed with a mocktail but we had no time to enjoy the drink as we were already flabbergasted with the view from the restaurant. I didn’t even realize when we completed the formalities of checking in and we were already inside our room hurrying to start our adventure. Each room is named after an explorer. Ours was Captain James Cook. No matter which room you occupy, you get a fabulous view.

By then it started drizzling but that brought in a different kind of attractiveness to the place which was even more stunning. From the balcony, we could see the ducks leisurely in the pond enjoying the rain. The cows were grazing in another hill. We thought of utilizing this moment for the orientation from the resort on farm and activities followed by a quiet lunch sitting next to a window watching the splendid sight. I could see once in a while the chef running down and plucking vegetables from the farm below. Hot Thai soup, steaming rice, yummy chicken gravy, butter melting on naan…Truly delightful!

The rain stopped and we went for a walk in the farm. We were told the farm was about 120 acres and surrounded by dense forests and hence there were electric fences to keep the wild animals away.

I laughed at one of the activities which were milking the cow but when I went to the cow shed I was actually excited to see the mechanical way of doing it. Then it was the tour to the horse stable and saw a cute little foal and the mighty horses. We kept the horse riding to the next day as it was still showery.

The spa is well positioned to face the lake. That was a good way of relaxing but I didn’t get a chance to enjoy the Swedish massage as we were running out of time. So it won’t be justice to readers talking about it without experiencing it.

I don’t know how much I walked. The distance didn’t matter as my focus was on capturing spectacular landscapes in my mind and camera.

There is no TV in the room but they screen important programmes at a common space. We went there to check the IPL cricket scores and took rest for some time.

By twilight, the farm attenders were busy preparing the barbecue and bonfire. The TV room was now converted to a small discothèque with flashing lights and a DJ. Cheering the small kids dancing to the tunes of Chamak Chalo, we headed back to the open lawn. Sitting on one of the benches enjoying the warmth, we relished the barbecue dishes.

The next day morning a short walk was arranged as part of the activities but we chose to stay back. The truth was we woke up late. While the other guests were busy trekking, we hurried to the riding ground and had a jolly good time taking a stroll around on the horsebacks.

Then it was breakfast time. The buffet breakfast had a good combination of English and Indian menu.  We then went to the pond and grabbed a fishing rod and started fishing. Be it an adult or a kid, when a fish is caught, the glee is same for all. I caught a fish too after a long wait. A small one but size didn't really matter.

This place has decent outdoor activities well planned for kids and adults. We couldn’t take up much of them as I had a fractured finger. The kids will love this place. Indoor activities include children movie screening in the afternoon, a library filled with comic books and board games and a play area. The list of outdoor activities is never ending. Complimentary ones include horse riding, dairy farm visit, fishing, short distance trek and agri tour. A team of activity coordinators will assist you with artificial rock climbing, rappelling, zipline, jumaring et al that are charged extra. The farm stay invites lots of school picnics and corporate outings.

I could hear only the words “beautiful, awesome, wonderful” in the conversations of the guests.  On a closing note, I would like to quote one of the school children’s autograph in a painting gifted to the farm that I came across which I felt is very apt for this heavenly place. "We never felt so alive and free…"





Points to remember

• Remember to fill fuel from Ooty as there are no fuel stations beyond
• The last few minutes to the resort is a bumpy ride. Don’t get discouraged by it
• Remember to contact resort as soon as you reach Ooty so that the transport will be ready by the time you reach parking lot
• Tipping policy at the resort requests you not to tip any staffs for their services other than driver, bell boys and security
• Wear casual clothes and trekking shoes
• Avoid monsoon if you prefer outdoor activities unless you intent to relax choosing mostly indoor activities
• No availability of liquor at resort so manage your very own hot drinks
• Smoking & drinking at public places is prohibited
• The whole perimeter is electric fenced. So be careful while promenading 
• Early reservation is a must as there are only 25 rooms and it’s always running full and a minimum of 2 days required to enjoy all facilities of the farm stay
• I would recommend stop overs at Avalanche & Emerald Lake while returning from resort for maximum utilization of time at farm
• The resort is isolated so have your entire first aid kits and the necessities brought along

-Chalked by Rashmi

Trust & Assurance

How many of you had a restless day after watching the episode on Child Molestation in the programme Satyameva Jayathe? Was it the thought of how animalistic humans can become or an earlier encounter with such psychos that bothered you? Well for me, it was the mental trauma of kids when facing the fact that their parents did not believe them.

There have been times when I too complained about misbehavior or eve teasing that disturbed me but I was asked to ignore them. Later I have got into lots of trouble but I found my own solutions in which some of the issues were messed up even more with my immature handling.  I always was of the impression that I had to deal with my life’s problems alone. But there were also instances where I did feel that approaching my parents would have relieved my mental burden. Maybe it was the lack of confidence that I won’t be trusted always stopped me from sharing the problem.

Whatever happens, trust your child’s words. It is not always fear and flight. Try the option of facing the fear too. You are not protecting your child by asking them to overlook such encounters. Sometimes it can save lots of lives and may not be just your kid’s future involved. When you give the slightest hint that you don’t believe in your kids, they start fighting their own battle or the worst to keep quiet and keep suffering. If my parents don’t believe me, then who will?  It’s like struggling in a quicksand where you get sucked in more and more with no route to escape. Believe me; you definitely don’t want your kids trapped there.

-Chalked by Rashmi

Golden Temple - Coorg

As you travel across the lush greenery and villages of kushalnagar in Coorg, you will never expect to see a scene like this. The environment is suddenly transformed and you can feel the Tibetan air touching you!

Even when you have reached the spot, except for the many Tibetan faces and shops with Tibetan décor items and momos, you wouldn’t be too prepared for what you are about to see.

Silence speaks as we enter the gates. The air is filled with the sounds of nature, and the bright and bold dome awaiting us in the mid of the grounds offers a breathtaking view.

                                                                              

The insides are not less awesome.... three gold statues stand proud and high welcoming you to a world of tranquility.

                          

Outside, the walls are laid with these silver drums which make a soft sounds when turned. Monks use this as a prayer ritual.The symbolic flags and the monks themselves dressed in their maroon uniforms, add mroe colour to the scene.

        

- Chalked by Megha Kuruvilla