Royal Retreat

It has been about 15 months with ITC - my first "big company stint". And thanks to my really big company I have had the opportunity to be pampered right royally. Here are some pictures of St. Margaret's - ITC's Holiday Home in Ooty. Its a 8-9 acres property nestled amidst the hills. Mrs. Babu - the caretaker ably manages the property with her 8 member staff. Here are some snapshots of the same.

This is the South Wing that we occupied. The property has 4 such wings. North and South wings are double bedroomed while the other two are single bedroomed.

The South Wing opens into a sitting area completely replenished with fireplace et al. Just outside this sitting room is the lawn shown in the above picture. Straight down you can walk into the first of the two bedrooms. On the right is the drawing cum dining hall.

This is the drawing room area. It has a fireplace and a TV. On the other end of the room is the dining room shown below.

This is the dining area. It need not be mentioned that all the cutlery sets have the Welcomgroup logo. A word about the cook Shiju. We tried all kinds of fares, extreme south, continental, north Indian and even Chinese, but Shiju came on tops each time. At 75 bucks a plate you get rice, chappatis, a non veg item, 2 vegetable dishes, deserts, soups and dal.

This is the first of the two bedrooms. At one corner is this cute little baby cot. June is yet not used to sleep alone so Mashi did the needful and used it as her bed. The rest of the room shown below is neat and tight.

We made up a nice fire in the fireplace. It was extremely cold and thus it helped. This bedroom leads into the much bigger second bedroom.

The second bedroom is kingsize. And the attached bath is equipped with a grand bathtub. It has a nice window which overlooks the backyard where Maggie (the dog shown above) and the two other dogs have their kennel.

This is the driveway. We can see the gate at the distant. Behind me is the garden and the portico. 2 gardeners work through the day to maintain the entire area.

This is the main gate. The shot was taken while we were leaving the guest house. It was an extremely nice break and I plan to be back there again. Thanks ITC.

Beulah Farms

Merriam Webster explains the word "Beulah" as "an idyllic land near the end of life's journey in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress". And so it was for all of us who experienced Beulah Farms. Our visit to Beulah farm was the perfect topping on our Ooty visit.

Beulah Farm is on the way between Wellington and Kotagiri. From Ooty you can reach it either using Coonor road or Kotagiri road. The Kotagiri road is beautiful but like all beautiful things in life it takes more time to traverse. But it will be worth every bit of it. We went to Beulah Farms to find some wine but instead found Eapen Jacob's elixirs. All of 82 (though a different post puts him at 70), Mr. Jacob says he is the incharge of this farm owned by God.

Beulah Farm is right out from our Hansel & Gretel fairy tale. But the setting is absolutely spartan. Speaking chaste school teacher English of yesteryears, Mr. Jacob grows all sorts of exotic herbs collected from around the world. We found a plant whose leaves are so sweet that it promises to leave an after taste many hours beyond. We tasted atleast five varieties of mint. And by the end of it all I had atleast 15 varieties of herbs in my hand whose names I was struggling to remember.

Mr. Jacob also grows a host of vegetables and his orchard has an array of exotic fruits like passion fruit, mulberry, plum, kiwi, orange. Besides he has some of the most rare plants - like the carnivorous pitcher plant, or the cactus whose leaves look like jet planes that have just taken off.

After a round of his farm he made us taste his variety of jams from strawberry, rhubarb, mulberry and many other. And finally came the small glass tumblers. And this was the most amazing part of the experience. We tasted 15-16 varieties of wine one after the other.

• Rhubarb
• Guava
• Fig
• Mulberry
• Plum
• Loquat
• Rose (Sweet)
• Rose (Dry)
• Rose (Dry)
• Passion Fruit
• Pomegranate
• Sweet Basil
• Thyme
• Mint
• And ofcourse Grapes

Mr. Jacob, however, does not call them wine. He does not use yeast for fermentation. Most people, he says, find it difficult to believe that. Beulah in Hebrew means "Blessed by God". That may be his fermenting agent. Modestly packed in plastic bottles he humbly refers to them as nectars that act as "naturally extracted appetizers". He has not raised the Rs. 100 price tag per bottle for the past fifteen years.

Eapen Jacob's life is absolutely alien to that we lead but always talk off. On one hand it can be called following your heart. But some people might also call it escaping. Mr. Jacob himself admits he is disillusioned with society at large and wants to quit the world. It can be an extreme disillusionment. But it requires a passion that can drive a man to this alternative life.

In the process he is sustaining some 5-6 families who would fatherless without him. Irrespective of how we judge it, Eapen Jacob's life would be difficult to replicate.

In a huff we often complain about our conditions, we crib about our jobs and when we visit a hill station or a beach we wish we were settled there. But how many of us go the whole hog and do actually make the choice. Amidst all this hollowness Eapen Jacob will stand out in my memory like the proverbial Mr. Kurtz.

I just wish his farm stays exactly the way it is for eternity. And if not, atleast till I visit the Blue Mountains again. Hold on, Mr. Jacob don't quit yet.

Omkara

I watched Omkara Friday, first day last show. Next day rediff.com ran a story "Nobody is watching Omkara". I guess thats how I got my tickets.



My years, Opu's cynicism and my disgust for journos make me give a damn about reviews. But I do read reviews. Only after watching the movie. They help me form an opinion about the reviewer. Most come cheap. Some, a little more expensive. Depends on which publication you belong. So Raja Sen be damned. Rediff is not as big.

My schooling helped me to catch up with Shakespeare very early. That definitely contributed to my going on and studying English. That is helping me to earn a living today. So I owe a lot to the bard. Tongue in cheek, many might thus give only 50% of credit to Vishal Bhardwaj. But I guess somebody like him would not care. He is possibly busy shaping his next milestone.

A little about the movie and it will all sound too hackneyed.

Omkara is poetry in motion. But think of the poem as a Trekker on the roads of a hot and sweltering Gorakhpur. And you catch some pretty but burnt nubile damsels who are washing their hearts and soul along the ghats oblivious to any onlooker.

Omkara is sweet, salty, gross and intoxicating. The UP badlands could not have looked more bad and authentic. The characters seem to have just walked out of a train from Chapra.

Ajay was expected to be in his motions just like he was in so many before. So it was given. Kareena for a change looked small and non-Kapoorish. Konkona consistently surprised. This time we saw her bare back. But its the devilish Langda Tyagi that takes the cake. Saif strode, strutted and walked away with the film. India's Iago will be etched in my memory. What a performance.

Omkara is all gyro. It sends you in a spin. Everything about the movie goes to your head. The violence, the romance and ofcourse Bipasha's "Beedi". The mother of all items, Bipasha made me feel like a physically challenged. I am 32, son of one of the best whistlers and I could not whistle. Like an untamed testosterone she was running through the veins of Saif and Vivek and choreographing their aggro dance.

But that is the beauty of the movie. Everything seem raw and uncooked. Everything is left to be natural. As natural as a raw mango on a summer afternoon tossed with coarse ground chilli and dandi salt. But that is easier said than done. Its a lot of hardwork.

My high point of the movie apart from the Beedi number - Langda pats on the back of Raju and you can catch a fluff of dust that his shawl gives forth. This is cinematographer's Tassqud Hussain's first movie. But the canvas that he paints will make me wait for his next.

It was indeed a strain to understand the Avadhi. But does it matter. Omkara is about the visual and emotional. It does not need a language to enjoy.

Vishal Bhardwaj calls it his sophomore effort. Go on Vishal, I am waiting for your graduation. Make your next movie with Aamir and I will watch first day first show. Karan Johar, you have your crowds to please and pockets to fill but this is moviemaking at its best.