I had quite a few resolutions on my kit for 2011 with respect to this space and I managed to achieve very little about that. I had vouched that I would write much more than what I did in 2010, but I wrote less than what I wrote in 2010. The same is the case with my reading statistics which literally dropped down to nothing over the past six months.

The only good thing I can quote to justify that I read something in 2011 was my journey with “Ponniyin Selvan”, a historical novel which literally carried me to the past. I can say that this could compensate for my absence from reading for the entire year. It left me awestruck with its sheer simplicity(with respect to the storyline) and the portrayal of characters.

There was also a period when I felt that my blog was slowly becoming a kind of travelogue. Yes , I managed to travel quite a lot during 2011. In fact, I had never gone on five different trips during a single year. So, it has been quite an eventful year as far as my travel diaries are concerned.

It all started off with a small trek on Kanakpura road during January. The summer carried me to Gokarna for an unforgettable experience with my close friends. It was followed by a trip to Palakkad for a colleague’s wedding. The monsoon then invited me for an expedition to Badami-Aihole-Pattadakkal with my colleagues which was then followed by a visit to the Western Ghats to meet some of the most beautiful waterfalls in India.

2011 also accounts for one of the most important events in my personal life. This has been the year which changed my relationship status. So, I can say 2011 brought about a change in my personal life.

Overall, 2011 has been a good eventful year and hoping for the best in 2012.

Here is wishing everyone a Very Happy New Year. God Bless

The D-day arrived at last and we were off to the boarding point on time only to find that the bus had already left the pickup point. The incidents which happened during the Gokarna trip quickly flashed through my mind. When I was thinking that we were already due for a hectic boarding schedule once again, another guy came from the office and said that the bus was waiting on the opposite side. He crossed the road and took us to the place where the bus was waiting. We crossed the road quickly like school kids holding hands together. We heaved a huge sigh of relief after boarding the bus . It had already started raining when we boarded the bus and the rain brought with it the moments during our Gokarna trip once again along with the aroma of fresh air.

A misty morning welcomed us to the district of Shimoga. All we could make out was a dense growth of trees on either side of the asphalted road with mist all around us. The mist took us again to the hibernate mode and it took an hour for the sun to wake us up. The hour hand of the clock was at 8 when we reached Sirsi. This means that we traveled for almost 12 hours to cover the 400km distance. As usual, we got more than what we paid for.(In Tamil, this translates to “KUDUTHA KASUKKU MELA OTTINAN”). We took 3 autos to reach the hotel which was about a km away from the bus stand.

After refreshing ourselves, we were ready to explore the beauty of Western Ghats. We had to bargain with the hotel taxi driver to convince him that his distance-cost equation was absolutely making no sense at all. Though he did not accept our version of the formula initially, he later brought with his TATA WINGER another upgraded version of the formula which we accepted at last.

So it all started with a sixty km ride to the Jog. The Jog was vibrant and vigorous as we saw it from the distance. Water was gushing out from the top of the rocks , literally tearing them apart. Multiple streams of water were visible everywhere. We managed to walk along the edges of the rocks and see the Jog. It would have been difficult to walk along the edges if it were rainy season. After spending some time there, the driver took us to the other side of the Jog so as to get a glimpse of the other side. It was a bit crowded on the other side and we did not feel like spending much time there.

By then it was already time for lunch and the driver made us finish our lunch in a small eatery near the Jog as there were no big hotels available in the vicinity. Our next stop was Unchalli falls which is almost 30-40 kms from the Jog. The actual falls was about a km away from the place where the vehicles are stopped. It was a small trek to the waterfall along a dense growth of trees on either side.

Like the Jog, this is also a view-from-distance waterfall and is not meant for taking bath. This waterfall looked a bit large in terms of the amount of water and it presented a spectacular view as we neared it. A picturesque rainbow separated the waterfall from us. As the huge volume of water touched the earth, it generated a drizzling effect all over the place. The drizzling effect will make the visit to the waterfall an unforgettable experience.In fact, we never felt like leaving the place which was undoubtedly a heaven on earth.

The next destination on our list was Sahasralinga. Sahasralinga is about 15 kms from Sirsi. It is a river on which a thousand lingas have been carved out of the rocks and placed. Legend has it that a king did not have child and so he made the Lingas on the river and worshiped them.The place was serene and quite beautiful in the evening. A group of ladies had arrived there and performed some rituals. Sahasralinga is an ideal place to spend time with a family. With this, we were done for the first day.

When it dawned the next day, we were quickly up for an adventurous trip to the Yana. Yana is about 40kms from Sirsi and it consists of a huge rock formation of limestone.Like the Unchalli falls, Yana also has to be reached by a small trek of about a km from the place where all the vehicles are stopped. One can easily spot a huge number of leeches in Yana.

There are two monolithic rocks in Yana which are known as the Bhairaveshwara Peak and Mohini Peak respectively.A small opening at the bottom of the first rock leads to a cave with a formation of  a swayambu(self-manifested) Shiva Linga over which spring water trickles from the roof of the tunnel overhead . After worshipping the God inside the cave, we went for a small trek around the cave. We climbed the small rocks and went a little up and then stepped down from the other side. A small cup of “Gokam” was waiting there for us when we were tired after the “small trek”. “Gokam” as explained by the shop owner is a drink made of some herbs and ginger and he claims that it cures asthma as well.

After Yana, we had originally planned to go to the Vibuthi falls and Bennehole falls. The driver said that both of them were again view-from-distance waterfalls. Luckily while we were heading towards the Vibuthu fals,we spotted a signboard which mentioned the distance to Gokarna. It was just a matter of seconds when we changed our plan and decided to visit Gokarna as we were already getting bored of waterfalls. Though the driver did not oblige initially for the plan change, he then agreed as we offered to pay some extra bucks.

We had planned to go to the Om Beach and take a boat to the Paradise beach which we had missed out last time. But it was a huge disappointment when we reached the Om beach as the water games had been stopped during the rainy season and they had not resumed it. So we had to spend the next few hours in the Om beach only. The scorching heat forced us to get into water very soon and it was absolute fun for the next four hours. The sea was a bit rough and the waves were a bit forceful frightening anyone who dared to get into the sea. As the sun slowly disappeared into the horizon, we also had to leave the Om beach as it was already getting late for the bus.

It took nearly two hours to reach Sirsi from the Om beach and we just managed to catch the bus to Bangalore on time. Another painful adventure awaited us the next morning when the bus broke down near the outskirts of Bangalore. Luckily another SEABIRD came to our rescue and carried us to the final drop point.

One cannot believe that this historic novel was written in the 1950s when google and wikipedia were not a part of this world for searching information. I am still amazed at the author’s ability to collect all the information,collate them and deliver in the form of a novel. If he were alive today, everyone would have asked him the same question – How did you manage to collect all the historic information and from where did you get all the data required to write this novel?

I began reading this novel in May and managed to complete it in about two months. I cannot help but mention that I had the most memorable two months of my life when I was reading this novel.No other book in this world can entertain and engage a person to such a great extent as this one does.

The following were my facebook statuses for quite some time.

Love,Friendship,Betrayal,Hatred,Revenge,Power,Sacrifice-
A perfect blend of all the above traits in a single package with twists and turns so intricately woven that you just can’t put it aside after embarking on the journey which commences from Kanchipuram and goes all the way to SriLanka.Hats off to Kalki for pulling off such a historic thriller in an era when google and wikipedia were not a part of this universe.Thank you “PONNIYIN SELVAN” for those amazing moments which lasted for 2 months.

“PONNIYIN SELVAN” – according to me is a time machine which takes you to a period a thousand years back from the present and enlightens us with the rich cultural heritage and lifestyle that prevailed over Southern India during the historic Chola regime.You might have hated the big history books during your school days, but you would definitely start developing a liking for History after reading this novel.

As I have mentioned above, I had a typical hatred towards History during my school days. Once I finished reading this novel, I felt a lump in my throat for the hatred I had towards History earlier. This novel was the motivation behind my trip to Badami,Aihole and Pattadakkal.

As is evident from the first page, the central character of the story seems to be Vanthiyathevan. But I felt that a huge amount of  importance has been given to  Nandhini who happens to be the daughter of  VeeraPandiyan. VeeraPandiyan is killed by AdhithaKarikalan,the  elder brother of RajaRajaChola who then takes the center stage from the middle of the story.

Kalki has kept the plot simple. Nandhini wants to take revenge on the Cholas to avenge her father’s death and she has a group to support her achieve that. Whether she succeeds in hitting the target forms the rest of the story and it has been presented in the form of a thriller with numerous twists and turns.

As I have mentioned above, the novel acts as a time machine and literally takes the reader to the past. It gives the reader the privilege of traveling along with all the characters in the story while encountering all the historical places which are being mentioned in the book.

This is one of the must read books by anyone who is game for a thriller ride through the history.

We were indeed lucky enough to have direct train services between Bangalore and Badami and had the tickets booked one month in advance. The second weekend of July arrived at last and we were off from the office pretty early that day as we had to catch the train at 1945 from a station which is around 20-30 kms from our office. We were able to reach the station an hour before the train’s departure. Once we boarded the train, the usual conversations which happen in our office cafeteria  resumed here as well. The biggest advantage of train journey is that it provides ample space for conversing comfortably with friends/family members which is usually not possible in a bus journey. As the train departed, it started raining heavily, but it failed to interrupt our conversation and it continued its work outside the train.

Badami, known as Vatapi in the ancient past, is the erstwhile capital of the Chalukya kingdom ruled by Pulikesi for over three decades. It was his sons who constructed the cave temples (according to the data in wikipedia). It was later conquered by the Pallavas and was ruled by them for a short period. They were again driven back by Vikramaditya. The historical town lost its importance once it went out of  Chalukya’s control.

The train dropped us in Badami railway station at around 8 am the next day. The station looked dilapidated, but the caves did not. A number of auto-rickshaws waited eagerly to receive us and get us into the town. We hired an auto-rickshaw to reach the town which was about 5 kms from the station. We spotted a KSTDC approved hotel right at the middle of the town and went inside to have a look at the suites. It took about half an hour for us to get convinced with a room which suited all our requirements.

After refreshing ourselves, we were ready for the expedition. We got a cab through the hotel and he agreed to take us through all the three heritage sites.It was drizzling all the way – a perfect setting for exploring the country side. We headed straight towards Aihole, a place about 40 kms from Badami. Aihole boasts of housing about 50 and odd temples all of which are perfect evidences of Chalukyan experiments with the sandstone.

Aihole consists of a collection of temples which are very near to each other. The most important temple in Aihole is the Durga temple which is rectangular at one end and semicircular at the other end. The temple tower happens to rest on the semicircular base and it presents a spectacular sight when viewed from any side.

The next prominent temple seems to be the Lad Khan temple which has a sloping roof unlike the normal flat roofs seen on most of the typical Dravidian style temples. It also has a small tower over the roof which is also a unique experimentation which I have never seen before.

Apart from these two temples, there are a number of other temples with both pyramidal and curvilinear towers which are a treat to the human eyes. Apart from the temples, one could see the experiments performed with our dear Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha appears in a number of never-before seen odd shapes in Aihole.

After spending about 2-3 hours in Aihole, we decided to move ahead to Pattadakkal which is about 20kms from Aihole. Pattadakkal is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pattadakal also houses an array of temples in a single complex which have the power to mesmerize anyone who pays a visit there. Most of the temples in Pattadakkal have curvilinear towers which are a blend of both Dravidian and Aryan style architectures. If it was Ganesha who was experimented with in Aihole, it is Nandi in Pattadakkal. Apart from the towers and Nandis, the artwork on the temples is too intricate to be described by words. They are examples of very fine and precise craftsmanship which cannot be obtained today at any cost.

Our driver said that he would take us to a temple called Mahakuta en route to Badami. Unlike the temples in Aihole and Pattadakkal, Mahakuta temple is a working temple like the ones in our vicinity. It is a typical South-Indian style Shiva temple. There are two ponds in the temple. In one of the ponds, there is a small Ganesha statue right at the middle. A person sits at one end of the pond holding a small cradle like thing in his hand. He asks the people who come to him to convey their prayer to Ganesha by placing any amount of money on the cradle and swing it towards the statue. The other pond in the Mahakuta temple is a natural spring in itself. A few people were swimming when we went there.One of the persons explained to us the unique nature of the pond. There seems to be a Shiva statue inside the waters which is not visible from outside. In order to get a glimpse of the God, one has to swim across the pond and get inside , which was the practice followed during the kings’ regimes.

Our next stop was the most awaited cave temples of Badami. The cave temples  in Badami are perfect examples of the secular nature of the Chalukyan emperors.  The cave temples are constructed in such a way that there are four layers on top of each other.There are two caves on either side of the lake which is known as the Agastya Theertha. One cave consists of four layers of temples. Not knowing much about the other cave, we started exploring the first cave.

There are four levels in the caves. The temple at the first level is dedicated to Lord Shiva with statues of Lord Shiva and Parvathi and a statue of Lord Nataraja.The second level is dedicated to Lord Vishnu consisting of a statue of Lord Vishnu on one side and Athisesha on the ceiling.The third level is also dedicated to Lord Vishnu depicting the various awatars of Vishnu. The fourth level is dedicated to Jainism which displays reliefs of Jain Thirthankaras. There is also one more cave located on the other side of the Agastya Theertha which we decided to explore the next day.

We woke up to a slight drizzle on Sunday morning and refreshed ourselves. We took an auto to the other cave and alighted at the foothills of the cave. We spotted the steps that led to the top of the cave. A group of small boys were playing near the steps. When we approached the steps, two of the boys offered to accompany us to the top of the rock. They were indeed courteous enough to explain whatever was known to them about the historical town. They also took us to an isolated part of the cave which we would have definitely missed had we ascended the cave on our own. One has to literally bend down to pass through the tiny entrance and get through the steps which led to an open space from which one could get a beautiful view of the historical town.

After spending a few minutes there, we proceeded further to the top of the cave. Our unofficial guides did not follow us anymore and we went up on our own. Since the weather was amicable, we could climb easily.After about half an hour, we reached the top of the rock. There is a huge open space at the top from which breathtaking views of the town are available. There are a few small temples as well at the top of the cave. After spending an hour at the top of the cave, we descended down to venture into the other parts surrounding the lake.

Once we reached the foothills of the cave, we started walking along the circumference of the lake. There is a temple at one corner of the cave and is known as the Bhoothanatha temple. The temple remained closed and we moved ahead with the drizzle following us all the way. We spotted one more cave temple at another corner of the lake. We had to bend down through the tiny opening and get inside. It was pretty dark inside the cave and it had statues of Mahavira and the sage Agastya.

We moved ahead from the cave temple and went a little deep into the small bushes surrounding the lake. A large number of statues are kept amidst the bushes depicting the theory of evolution. The first among them are the statues of primeval apes and human beings.Then there are statues of other common people, kings and other government officials during the kings’ regimes. The last of the statues was the one depicting the last stage in life – Sanyasa. The statues seem to be deployed recently during some festival and they are not carved out of sandstone like the other statues in Badami. After glimpsing at the statues for some time, we headed to the hotel room for vacating it. It was almost two in the afternoon when we reached the hotel room.

We were supposed to board our return train from a place called Gadag, about 70 kms from Badami. So we took a local bus from Badami to Gadag. We reached Gadag by 4 pm. Since we had enough time to kill there , we had decided to visit a temple called Trikuteshwara temple. We enquired the localites for directions to the temple. We were once again lucky enough to get a group of small boys who had offered to accompany us to the temple.

The Trikuteshwara temple is a small working Shiva  temple. The temple is actually embedded within a colony with a number of houses surrounding it on all sides. This temple also contains artwork which is very intricate and will be appreciated by anyone who visits it.

After spending about half an hour at the temple, we took an auto and left for the station to catch the train. We were back in Bangalore the next day.

We were lucky enough to get a pretty decent cottage at a not so expensive price as we had booked it in advance. The next big task was to find the most appropriate means of commuting. We found that there were no direct train services available between Bangalore and Gokarna. So we had to travel by bus to cover the 400 and odd distance. After getting the bus tickets, we eagerly waited for the Thursday to come and carry us.

We were greeted by heavy rains as we started from our respective places to catch the bus. I reached the boarding point on time and got hold of the bus. But my friends failed to turn up to the place as they got stuck in traffic. The autos they took also failed to get them to the boarding point as they encountered some technical problems which further added to their woes. The bus waited for almost half an hour and then departed from the boarding point with the driver citing that it was already getting very late and he asked my friends to come to the main office. Finally everyone managed to board the bus at the main office.

By the time we got into the bus, our beds had already got wet and we had a tough time for the next 12 hours. When the sun’s rays peeped into the bus through the soiled screens, we thought that we had almost reached the destination.When  I went to the driver to ask how much more distance Gokarna was, he told me that it would take another four hours. With a heavy heart, I conveyed this message to my friends.

It was almost ten when we reached the cottage. The cottage looked pretty decent and was up to our expectations. After finishing lunch, we decided to venture out. After discussing with the cottage guy, we decided to visit the  Mahabaleshwara temple and then go to the Om beach. The temple was not open at that time. So we moved forward to the main beach in the town. The main beach did not look that clean and it was crowded as well. So we decided to move away from the place and proceeded to the Om beach. On the way to the Om beach, we encountered some breathtaking views.

The beach bears the shape of the symbol Om and it looked pristine as well.It was not very crowded. It is definitely one of the must visit beaches in India. We went for a boat ride in which we were seated in a rubber boat which in turn was towed to a motor boat. The boat man steered the motor boat into the middle of the sea at a high speed. Our small rubber was shaking all the way in the sea waters. The boat man also tried to draw a few circles in the middle of the sea with the boats while we were screaming at a high pitch. The ride was scary, but was enjoyable as well. After killing two hours, we got back to the cottage for  dinner. We also had to plan for the places to visit the next day. It was Murdeshwar which was on the cards.

The journey on the second day started as early as 7.30 am. We headed towards Murdeshwar in the Maruti Omni. There was a small Ganesha temple on the way to Murdeshwar. The place is called Idakunji. The Ganesha looked a bit different from the ones seen in most of the temples. After having our darshan there, we headed straight to Murdeshwar.

Murdeshwar boasts of having a very tall statue of Lord Shiva on the sea. There is a temple which has been constructed beneath the statue of Lord Shiva. The Shiva looked magnificent from all sides. One could see cameras flashing from all sides focusing on the giant statue. Once we were done with the photo sessions,  we stepped into the beach. The sand was a bit sticky there and it was getting hot as well. Soon we were into the Omni, headed towards the cottage.

The driver took us to a fort named Mirjan fort which was on the way to our cottage. We climbed the stairs leading to the top of the fort and took a few snaps. A few peculiar patterns of construction were in place in the fort which would attract all the budding photographers. Nevertheless, the fort  is indeed a photographer’s paradise.

It was almost twelve when we reached the cottage. We had our lunch and then got into our rooms for a small nap. We had already decided to go to the paradise beach in the afternoon. We vacated the rooms and got into the omni to go ahead with the last leg of the journey. The driver dropped us in a scary place and showed us a way which would lead to the paradise beach. Though we were not convinced about the spot we were standing at that time and the lonely road in front of us, we still decided to give a try.

We started our trek from the point where our driver dropped us. After walking for half a km, we encountered two roads with an ambiguous sign board. There was hardly anyone in the vicinity and we did not hear any sounds of waves hitting the shores. There were a few farmlands visible on the way. The path seemed to take us to a top of the hill. .After walking a further while, we could see a dense forest in the distance. We were really apprehensive about moving ahead further.It was indeed one of the most peculiar landscapes I have ever encountered in my life – a mountain, forest, farmlands – everything at the same place with the sea at the bottom.

We reached the top of the hill after a few minutes and at last we were able to see the paradise beach beneath us. We searched for all possible ways to get down to the beach, but were able to find none. After a few futile attempts, we returned to the car and asked the driver to take us to the Om beach again. We had around an hour’s time to kill there and then returned to the town.

We had another chance to visit the temple we had missed the day before. But to our dismay, a large number of tourists had flocked the temple. So we returned without giving a try. After finishing our dinner, we boarded the bus and were back in Bangalore the next day.

Anaivarukkum Iniya KARA varuda Nal Vaazhthukkal.

Image Source – http://www.webend.in/happy-new-year-orkut-scrapsnew-year-orkut-scrapsnew-year-imagesnew-year-wishes.html

First of all, I must say that “Wat s n store for u”  has definitely become a part of my life since April 14,2010 even though I don’t update it on a regularly basis. My blog has offered me a space where I am quite happy and comfortable. As I had mentioned in my “New Year” post, I have managed to acquire many new friends and meet great writers through my blog. And I have discovered some online magazines where I can contribute and I have already started doing that. I also got to lay my hands on new books by authors I have never heard of. My blog has also been responsible for the transformation in me. A year back, I was a person who had mastered the art of doing nothing. Now I am learning the art of writing using this space.

Last but not the least,  I would like to thank all my friends who have been instrumental in helping me keep this space alive through their valuable comments and suggestions.

Here’s to my baby which has journeyed with me over the past 365 days

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

It just took a few minutes for nature to display its prowess and unleash its fury in the form of giant waves. Everyone could just remain a silent spectator when the calamity occurred.  She was one among the few people who survived the disaster and were still alive. Yet she could not consider herself lucky as she had lost her 5 year old daughter and her husband.

At one instant she wished she could have been swallowed by the same wave which took her daughter and her husband together. She had lost everything – her husband, her daughter, her house and many other things. There were rumors reaching her numb ears like more quakes and tsunamis were expected in the days to come and there even seemed a possibility of a nuclear holocaust. She wiped the tears in her face and started walking through the waters slowly having no idea of what future held for her and the people of her country.While the rest of the world was debating on the downfall of  stock markets and the monetary loss due to the quake, she spotted a baby lying in the corner of the street.  The baby was still alive and crying. The baby reminded her of her daughter. She could not help but cry and tears emerged from both her eyes immediately after seeing the child cry. She lifted the baby and held her in her arms, looking for people around. There seemed to be nobody in the vicinity.

She had to take a decision in one of the most difficult circumstances. She was standing in a place with sea water all around her and a baby in her hand. The tears,the last of the possessions she had with her, still continued to flow from her blood-red eyes. After a few minutes, she decided to move ahead with the child and there would not be any more tears. Slowly and slowly, her salt water-drenched feet gained some strength to move ahead. She just looked back one last time to see the sea water take away with it the last of her tear drops along with a million other things. The sea water had indeed succeeded in taking away everything from her, but not hope.

P . S . – This post is dedicated to all the people of  Japan who have been crippled by the disaster which struck them two weeks back.  My prayers for them to rise again from the debris as they have always  done before.

We parked our car near the temple which was located at the foot of the hill and looked for some localite to guide us. But we could hardly find anybody there except for two kids and their mothers. When we enquired them about the hill, they said that nobody has ever gone beyond the spot where we were actually standing. We then decided to ascend the hill on our own through the path shown by them.

After walking for about half an hour, we reached the top of a small rock. Though the views were not breath-taking, they were quite good. We looked for all possible paths to continue with our trekking and found one after a few minutes. We then managed to go further and reach the top of another hill. There seemed to be no possible route to climb further and we decided to get down the hill through the other side. We could not complete the descent as we reached a blockade after a few minutes and had to return using the same way we came through. Even though we were disappointed with the partial trek, we enjoyed the solitude which lasted for 3 hours. We could not spot a singe living being for 3 hours during our trek.

The sun was shining brightly and was trying its best to bring down our energy levels. Though the sun could not deter us from trekking further, the lack of a proper path and the absence of a guide forced us to end the trek abruptly and return. During the return journey, we lost our way twice, but somehow managed to catch hold of the path after some trial and error. It is not a dense forest to get lost completely inside. The flora was largely limited to a few thorny bushes which were already partially burnt. Finally we came back to the starting point by 11 and reached Bangalore by 12.30 .

Directions:

Bananthimari Betta is located on the Kanakpura-Mysore road, about 60 kms from Bangalore. Drive through the Kanakpura road which is very good except for the final few kilometres. Once you reach Kanakpura, ask for directions to Kuthnahalli as many people are not aware of Bananthimari Betta. The road to Kuthnahalli is 3 kms from Kanakpura . Take the road to the right which comes after a lake and it leads to Kuthnahalli. From Kuthnahalli, one can easily reach the Bananthimari temple with the guidance of the localites. If you are game for a light trek, this place is recommended for you.

P.S.

There seems to be one more route to this place and it can be reached from a place called Konanadoddi which is 3 kms from Kanakpura on the Kanakpura-Ramanagaram road. One can start from here and reach the temple on the other side through the hills. We started from the temple and tried to reach the other side, but could not complete the trek.

“The Space Between Us” is an emotional story set in the backdrop of Mumbai. It is the story of two people Bhima and Sera,who are separated by class yet united by destiny. Bhima is a slum-dweller who works at Sera’s house for a living while Sera is a typical middle-class Parsi house-wife. Bhima’s everyday’s chores include washing the utensils which she is not supposed to use and cleaning the furniture upon which she is not allowed to sit. To Bhima,the entire world and hope rested on Maya,her grand-daughter whose education is being sponsored by Sera. Bhima continues to believe that Maya’s education would definitely get them away from the slum and the miseries of the horrible past which have been haunting her for many years. But the situation turns turbulent when Maya gets pregnant and drops out of college.

Sera’s life has been equally miserable and her past is known better only by Bhima. Sera was the one to have a husband who loved her very much but at the same time hated her to an equal extent. To add to the woes, her mother-in-law makes her life much more complicated and it turns out that she feels all alone in a house which has around five family members. Her daughter Dinaz turns out to be her only source of joy and when she gets married, things start getting better. It is at this juncture that her husband Feroz dies and Sera is forced into loneliness again until her daughter and son-in-law join her.

The best thing in this book is the effective portrayal of human emotions and the way Sera’s and Bhima’s past are narrated. The societal divide is elucidated in an excellent manner and the way things unfold in the absence of education cannot be explained in any better way than this. The way the author has ended the story deserves full credit. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. And I thank PriyaIyer for the info on this book.

Image source – http://www.sawnet.org/books/reviews.php?The+Space+Between+Us