Sakleshpur - April 26

This place reminds of Rewa. It is just so hot. Whether you are sitting, lying down, eating, sleeping, trying to read, there's one thing which is common - you are constantly perspiring. I can feel streams of perspiration going down my body, back and front. Theres no breeze here which makes it worse. Just crossing the Mangalore highway(that's where this IB is located) to a small eating place where we go for breakfast, lunch and dinner(sigh!) saps me out completely. It's difficult to eat in this heat, but eat I must, for I need the energy. And drink I must too, coz I am loosing salts and fluids constantly sweating like this. I really wonder how we used to manage in Rewa, as children. Most of the time there was no electricity. I remember this being 'bathed' in sweat feeling very distinctly. Especially as 4-5 of us children and adults would try to catch a nap in a small little room after lunch in the afternoons. No wonder I'd prefer not sleeping and just loitering around, passing time - in the cowshed, or in the veranda with the massive Neem tree, near the well, or just hopping from one neighbour to the other. Evenings would cool things down. A spray of water in the aangan and in the veranda, and a quick bath in the bathroom by the well would do the trick. Nights were cool too. We would sleep out in the aangan or up on the terrace. I remember seeing so many shooting stars during those summer nights. The only annoying thing was having to get up at day break - coz the terrace really heats up pretty soon. And you can't sleep forever with the sun smiling down at you. Sometimes it would suddenly start raining in the night - so we would have to wake up and run down the terrace helter skelter with our mattresses rolled up and crash into the small rooms. Rain was always an adventure. It would cool things down and was general fun watching it fall pitter patter in the aangan. We would run from one wing to the other, criss crossing the aangan, enjoying the few seconds of rain on us, much to the annoyance of elders who didn't like the additional nuisance of children running about all over the place, making even the dry corridors wet and dirty. Anyway. So back to this heat. I am off today as well. I'll walk tomorrow. This heat is making me nervous. But others are doing it. And I have done it before. So it should be OK. I suppose. Anyway not much point sitting here and doing nothing also. So I'll walk tomorrow.

Hey, I saw a snake yesterday. It was quite by chance. I came out into the veranda, and what do I see on the driveway - maybe just 5-6 meters away, there's something long and thin and its moving. The snake moved into a flower bed, crossed the driveway and went into grass cover. I saw it for a good 15 minutes. It was thrilling to just see it move. It was about 5 feet in length, dark brown with closely placed black bands on it with a yellowish underbelly. It probably was a Rat Snake, Bip says.

This IB is on the Bangalore-Mangalore highway. So, day or night, there is absolutely no respite from the sound of these lorries(trucks). In fact, since the IB is right in front of the check post, they all have to apply brakes right in front, the sound is atrocious. In the night, there headlights constantly come through the window and light up the wall behind my bed. Right in front of the IB, across the highway, is a very high, steep mountain, almost vertical, covered with thick forests. Midway through it, along the contour, runs the Mangalore - Hassan Southern Railway. I remember the trek Avi, Maggu and Jaya went on. They probably trekked on this railway track itself. It was getting converted from meter gauge to broad gauge, hence abandoned at that time. I think. But now a goods train runs through this track three times a day. Every time I see a light near the tunnel or hear the goods train pass, I remember the trek these guys did - must have been awesome. This railway track cuts right across the Ghats and I am sure it has beautiful scenery on both sides. A forest guard once saw a tiger walk right on this railway track and one of the teams from our group found elephant dung right on the track. So looks like its used by animals as much.

It rained in the evening, so it's much cooler now. I was sitting in the highway chai shop and looking at the lightening - the shapes it creates as it illuminates the sky. I don't like thunder but I enjoyed looking at the lightening. Today, maybe it was far away, therefore there was no thunder. Or maybe the sound of thunder got drowned in the sound of these lorries going past.

There are these people in our veranda today. They came in just when it started raining. Men, women and many children. With baskets full of utensils and stuff. I was annoyed at first. Because of the general nuisance the kids were creating and because there was no space left on the veranda. I realised that they are fisher folks - I had seen them near the stream behind the chai shop today morning. They don't have a house as such, not a permanent one at least. So when it rained, they came over with all their belongings to this veranda, spread out their mats and made themselves comfortable. Why am I getting annoyed if these people are taking refuge from rain here? How many times after a long and exhausting walk, throat dry and parched for lack of water, have I taken refuge in the homes of these poor people - and every time I have been served so well - cold water, bananas, tea, biscuits - even an offer for food - it is almost humbling. And yet, when this set of men, women arrive with their belongings and children to escape the rain - where's my compassion gone? With this thought my outlook changed almost immediately - I even smiled at a little child who smiled back. I couldn't smile at his bidi smoking, paan chewing nosy grandmother with stained and mottled teeth, but I am not annoyed now. It's true, I've seen it and the belief just gets stronger with each experience - the poor are always large hearted.

The Forest IB

I am sitting in the jeep and writing in torch light. I like sitting here, it's more like a comfy sitting room. I am reminded of Jaya - who used to do her school homework in their new Premier Padmini when she was a kid. Wonder which place Jaya's little daughter would prefer doing her homework?

OK, so spoke with Maa. Drove down to a small toll gate hamlet - it only has some shady restaurants(& bars) and shops with just one STD booth. Most lorry wallahs stop there. It was 9 in the night and one of our teams had not returned back, we were getting a little concerned. There was no signal at the Sakleshpur IB so C drove down here to get in touch with them and I tagged along to make a call to Bhopal. Spoke with Maa very briefly. Was surprised she knew I was unwell. I wanted to tell her only after I recovered. I am sure she would be quite relieved now. She had also called Ap in the evening and asked her to tell me to take lots of fluids, fruits etc. Ap is suddenly getting calls from all these unknown people asking about my health and stuff. But she is sweet about it.

Current Scene: We are in our room. She is filling data sheets in torch light....I am writing all this in torch light. Rest is darkness.

I am feeling much better today. I plan to walk tomorrow. I just had Nariyal Paani from the shady shop across the road. The women folk there are nice actually. What else, there's nothing much...So peace out!