.....the Ide's of March.....passing very peacefully here as of date...as I pen down the latest.....this being the Election Year & a new found Democracy... there is jockeying & positioning for the Apple pie of Sept.instant...with a small community interspersed in 240 plus habitated Islands out of a nearly 1800,the demography concentration is in a handful few & the majority remotely & sparsely populated..its a logistic wonder & a nightmare in the same breath I must say....!....the undersea ridge extending frm far south of the Chagos Islands to India's Laccadives thru Maldives is the seat for these coral pearls of an archipelago.....so 8yrs.frm now,whn the Dash8 aircraft  flew frm Male' late eve with our 103kg of baggage load,flying low :the sea simmering over the moonlit nite,the moon appeared a handshake away as it was fulmoon,heading down south....220kms frm Male'....little Doel & Archana peered thru the panes to identify twinkling lites of a few Islands we flew past down south.....the moon menacingly near...as it is seen in the Doldrums : the latitude....!!!....shaking of all timidity we landed tht late evening in a Southern Atoll Island to be our abode in the nxt few mths....!!!...to chalk out a coarse of history....& tryst with Destiny.....!!(...to be Concluded...)

......taking guard once again....!!!

.......the yr holds promise ....the innings evenly poised.....taking guard  again ..... @5pm....the calcium carbonate pitch beckoning....of this Coral Island....!!...with cylinders fully charged nd blazing with the recipe of the hurricane tour frm 22nd till today.....with so much imbibed....soaked nd drenched to the tee frm the moisture frm the deeply embedded roots of Bihar nd Jharkhand....!!...as we climbed up the ramp in foggy conditions in the wee hrs frm BLR to PAT via CCU...the genetic predisposition of being an Eastern Indian ....not North or South Indian....weighed heavily....the touchdown at Netaji Subhash @ CCU with ultimate landing @JaiprakashNarain in PAT threw me in a spell of space nd time.....as I took my children down the ramp a gentle breeze was already blowing....I inhaled nd exhaled nd urged my fledgling team to do the same...tht of our homeland in truest sense....which nurtured & given me so much of building material of the formative years....Patna looked like a flooding populace:admixture of old & new.....people looked more or less the same as we had left them 14yrs ago.....it had to be tht way,sheerly for their uniqueness....savouries of SweetHome near HeeraPanna were delicious nd the Chinese Window:our favorite joint of Mauryalok is  where I hosted  Chinese for a core group of Barat Party for their supper in the train for TATA, having reached earlier thn them.....as I strolled past Tricel:our book shop still clinging on to its space....I could feel the change ....no wonder Patna & Hathwa mkts were visited du2 nostalgia....nd both Archana & Myself partook the Kachauri with dry Chana in tht corner shop at Hathwa mkt holding on to its legacy...!!...as the Indigo with Hariprasad at helm waded thru the street beside the area whr Rupak Cinema stood amidst thick traffic....I could feel the city bursting at its seam....remembered Anindya,Amita,VijaySingh many a times as we wr located in GINGER @ Bistupur for the most imp.task of solemnising & witnessing Kunal's marriage with Payal...& were bowled over by the sweets & savouries there.....!!!!.....missed a heart beat whn a call frm Dhanbad frm Baba ignited my spirit...frnds will always be frnds....however & whtevr...it felt as if it was yestday...& was touched by the warmth of BABA's spirit...!!!: our star striker of Futbol team....!!!....Nanu & Doel absorbed the tru Village spirit whn we went back with the bride to Kunal's native Village off MFP.....I ate lots of fried fish frm the local river with bhuja ,chana & Chura....as the cavalcade rolled over the dirt tracks in pleasant Feb.eve with cascading thoughts of oneness with one's own soil & serenity.......the Hurricane tour of Nativeland felt like a journey into Eternity.....!!!! 

.....Homeland 1 calling...!!!

........time flies by.....the opening session of the yr duly batted.....its Tea time now with the innings evenly poised...the distant call frm Homeland 1 for the 22nd Instant Dep for Kunal's marriage to be solemnised in Jamshedpur of 24th instant,sailing over the BLR-CCU-PAT sector crossing Laccadive Sea yet again....will keep the innings & match on hold....at least temporarily....with the mind ready to be geared up for the mega fmly event in our own home turf....Bihar/Jharkhand....!!!Feb is the rt season for marriage with mild weather conditions far cry frm wht we experienced in Dec end in Gurgaon....this opportunity will be seized to reload our bags with home products to be consumed for the better part of the yr....so,its handshake time here again with the clientele....though not jittery at all.... as I will dash back on the 1st of Mar.....Nanu's sherwani is ready at GGN nd Doel's Maldivian gown nearly ready here with Archana in overdrive...as usual the butterfly is doing the rounds...& I can't really wait for the old faithful A319 to take off frm Hulhule International.....bidding Homeland2 adieu....!!! 

......valuable Life called...' Trash...'...!!

....'...Mauni Amabasya...' a few days ago was an auspicious day of the MahaKumbh Mela now in Sangam.....a Holy Dip of Final Emancipation for the Mankind......with crores of HinduPilgrims thronging.....this is the Essence of India.....a Holy Dip,Pilgrims on foot,steadfast Fasting & Brats to observe...its unchanged for centuries now, for u cannot change the Soul of this Country....wht a solid support we have in the form of our Religious scriptures transcending all Religions nd we r the heirs to such a fortune......since the Physical & Spiritual r two distinct entities,with the former being shortlived....the latter assumes immense importance to guide our Spirits.....thts the reason ....call it blind faith or whatsoever..!!.....having born & lived in a Hindu Household.....I can say the string of our Heart is irrevocably linked to our Festivals....the average Indian is a simpleton....with simple aims & ambitions....the average Indian is friendly too nd accomodative....tru2 our Rich culture & Traditions...hence,it becomes all the more important for all those who hold Key positions be it Govt. Corporates,Industry,or society, to protect nd preserve our simpleton character.....the Colossal  tragedy at the Railway Stn,is a blur & blot  on our peaceful existence.....its,time keeping in view the huge Dynamics of our society we imbibe professionalism  in crowd mgmt & handling of Melas.We Indians r not Mosquitoes or cattle its to be kept in mind.....!!!...the hapless pilgrims who lost their lives....may their soul rest in peace....for those in charge of this huge Demography, they r to be made accountable nd a strong Crowd management on the lines of Disaster Mgmt be put in place.....there cannot be two India: cutting across all class we must unite put in our little bit nd sway Public Opinion....!!! 

@2 degree N calling.....!!!

.......sharply 5pm the the lucky mascot rang....it was Ahmed calling me nd wanted to meet me....my association with Ahmed Azim dates back to 2006 whn I was managing the Health Center at Laam Atoll Island of Fonadhoo......."....whr r u..? he chirped.......in the clinic I retorted......."...brought something for u...frm the Islands..."...."...most welcome...pl.come....":...I replied missing no time......whn Doel was a small kid she & Archana landed in their house in tht remote Island  of Laam Fonadhoo fully apprehensive.....little did we know tht the other house in the same campus is  of a very benevolent man Hussein yusuf....Mohammed & Ahmed were two brothers who took all the pains to see tht we were comfortable there........frm the urbane locales of Homeland 1 to Fonadhoo was a  a transition unparalled.....only we were proved wrong as the days wore on there....its people who matter most nd not the place  I believe....the following months I got down to the basic job of setting up the Health center to a secondary level nd a ward of 20 beds helped by the Swedes with a modern lab and a vibrant OPD were the major achievements....the Sun shine  at 2degree N close to the Equator saw Doel grow in leaps & bound nd the potable Rain water we drank kept us healthy nd fine....Rain water harvesting is very efficient in  these Islands.....so whn AhmedAzim called up I went into a spin of those past years of remoteness.....he would actively help us with his younger brother to take us on a boat ride in the shallow reef with crystal clear waters.....even the B323 Mazda we had there as a sedan exploring those quartet of Islands linked thru causeways in the sea was tinkered nd serviced whenever needed despite paucity of spares.....as usual the meeting was one of reposing confidence ...nd the gift was a package of home grown vegetables.....surely this gift is imp.nd it will remind us as always the hard days we faced for want of it there.....!!!!!

......the opening session....!!!

.......the opening session augered well in the month bygone, with the air relatively dry nd seldom overcast conditions....the sea farely stable with occasional gusty winds with sporadic events of difficult navigation....the tourist season in full bloom with more guests frm Asia mainland...now the new found mkt...little nanu enjoying his studentship with a beach party today for all the " Kangaroo Kids " students...yest'day being Holiday was a welcome relief for me nd spent quality time with fmly nd dined the Friday only "Indian Buffet.." in the "Traders : Lime "erstwhile the Holiday Inn...nd was surprised to find Shorshe Machch( Fish curry in Mustard:a bengali must fare..)in all its splendour nd grandeur....so whn Suleiman Khan introduced himself as the Hospitality manager frm Kolkata.....I could figure out the real reason....the Jetty front looked dazzling with steady breeze nd the brief walk to the parking was heartening....Male' looks grand in the Evening....nd the laid back nd carefree attitude is increased as the evening wears on....!!...Doel nd Archana r busy planning for another rendezvous with Homeland 1 in the last week whn we air dash over BLR-CCU-PAT,across Laccadive sea to attend a nephew marriage to be solemnised in Jamshedpur wherein we join the 'Baarat' frm PAT....returning back to wrk desk asap.Visiting the land of our origin nd hoping to take lot of snaps there with Nanu,Panu & Archana in tow their 2nd visit since 2010,when we had a stopover frm Madhupur enroute to GGN....eating those Silao Khaja nd anarsa nd plans to visit Hathwa nd Patna Mkts surely is very high on agenda for this short trip......!!!!

.....the old faithful bird A 319 of AI 265 landed safely at Hulhule Airport on time bringing with us sweet memories of Homeland1....a short but memorable trip....short nd sweet....!!!...frm the chilly Northern plains to the balmy clime of Maldives soared our spirits....nothing had changed in 3weeks time except for a few hoardings of a cheap Dubai flt....in every nook nd corner now.....Nanu joined his maiden studentship nd Doel in grade3 in Billabong High her new school :stones throw frm our abode.....post monsoon Male' is cleaner dry nd pleasant...with temp to soar moderately in the dry mths till Apr.....the Nissan felt like a truck aft my recent camaraderie with the Wagon R in Gurgaon....nd had tough time with the reflexes nd control.....negotiating the alleys of Male'.....then there starts the incessant call rt frm the landing on tht base model of Nokia...the lucky mascot over the years......there r smiles nd cheers for many....or probably relief.....nd its back to usual in no time.....!!!....the New Year has begun robustly with me harnessed frm morn 9am to late eve 10.30pm....so would like to apologise to frnds nd fmly of late information....!!!....the India sojourn has given us enough impetus for a scintillating display for the year.....Inshallah.....!!!!