INDIA TRIP 2012
14th December 2012
At last,the day of our trip to India arrived.The weather in large parts of South
Africa was ideal for travel;due to the heavy
rains in the previous few days,and more rains promised for today and the coming days.Why we long so much for rain,and pray for it,personally,and in the church is because it's summer in South Africa,and abundant rain is needed in these parts,where farming is the backbone of the economy of the area where we live.This year,the rains arrived late in this region,causing extreme heat and severe dust
storms.Dust rising from the nearby farms,which had been ploughed in anticipation of rains,wreaked havoc when the
storms were not followed by rain.In November,our prayers were heard,but with some disasters.A thunderstorm broke,together
with the pelting of hail balls the size of gulab jams.The roof of Jetmart Stores caved in,causing injuries to some customers and shop assistants.After the thunderstorm,our
surroundings were covered with a carpet of
white hail balls.
Regular rains arrived at the end of November,transforming the whole countryside,
with a new greenery sprouting everywhere,and
planting the seeds of hope.On Friday,14th
December,I told myself that this is the ideal time to live in South africa;and not to go on overseas trips.But we had already
planned the trip.
Our flight was at 10.20 PM,so there was no need to hurry.Most people have the experience
of the difficulties of locking the house and
going on a trip for some weeks.For us,this is an annual event after school closure.In fact,we had said goodbye to school earlier,
on 29th November,as Leelamma and I went to
two different marking centres for the marking of the Grade 12 Examination scripts.
The 10-day long event is organized by the
Department of Education,with free accommodation and meals,and with reasonable
remuneration,which is enough to cover the cost of the air ticket.(10500 Rands)
We have a big house in a half-acre walled compound to be taken care of during our absence.The house is constantly under the
surveilance of a security company,which installed an alarm system after a burglary
in our house on 9th May.If the alarm sounds,
the security people inform us,and rush to the house to check if anything is wrong.Any-way,I have given them a rating of 'very good
(4 out of 5) due to some erratic alarms that
sounded while we were at school,to which they promptly responded.
We have a lawn,an orchard with peach,apricot
and plum trees,and a vegetable garden to be
taken care of.Luckily,we have a trusted gardener called Paul,who has worked for us for 6 years.On Friday morning,he was present
to receive final instructions.If rains continue,it's a great blessing for him,because otherwise he has to water the lawn and plants using water from the borehole pump.We also have a tank to store
rainwater.
Those of us who have pets know how difficult
it's to care for them in our absence.In big
cities,there are pet care centres,but what
about our small town,Delareyville?We have a
cat,Appu,who is very accommodating,self-reliant and cooperative.He is one who under-stands our difficulties,in our absence as well as in our presence.Out of the 365 days of the year,Appu is present only about 100
days.Sometimes he is away for two or three
weeks,and I conclude,
"We won't see Appu any more.I have no doubt
about it.'
But he would appear,usually early in the morning,to notify,"I'm still here".We entreat him to stay longer,with extra supply
of fresh milk and catfood,but after two three days of rest,he would disappear into
the unknown.
You can easily guess the root cause of Appu's disappearences.True to African and cat tradition,and emulating South Africa's
president Jacob Zuma,Appu is a polygamist
and he is obliged to share his days with his
several wives.Our house is a "tharavadu" for him,and his occasional visits are to enquire about our welfare.
Appu is very handsome,with black and white colours mixed.His posture and dignified movements display his royal ancestry.He is very selective in his diet.He shuns the fat-
free and 2% milk that we use,and insists on the fresh full cream milk that we buy exclusively for him from our Portuguese friend Johny's cafe,at R 5.50 per litre.(about Rs 30).As for the catfood,he rejects
the cheap variety that we buy during sales.
His uncompromising policy is,"Johny's freshmilk and high quality catfood,or leave me alone.I would rather starve than accepting your cheap varieties."
Appu can manage without our cheap stuff,because he is an expert catcher of birds,of which there is an abundant supply in our compound,doves being his usual prey.
Doves are regarded as symbols of peace,but Appu and I disagree.They are a nuisance on
top of buildings,especially on flats.I'm at loggerheads with doves,because of their presence on our chimney here,and also at our
flat at Kottayam,where they breed and multiply at will,in our absence there.So whenever Appu makes a kill here,I'm overjoyed and encourage him with extra fresh milk.
Before our trip,we make sure that nothing is
left in the fridge.This is because a power failure is most likely in the course of one
month due to lightning.We don't have a deep freezer because we are simple people who lead a shop-to- mouth existence ie buying and cooking daily.A few items that were left in the fridge were given to our domestic helper,Margaret,to take home.
We have some peach,apricot and plum trees,which produce abundantly at this time
of the year,but due to erratic weather conditions,this year the output is pathetic.
We also have a vegetable garden that produces enough vegetables from November to
April,but this year the growth of the plants has been sluggish.Anyway,Paul is supposed to take care of everything till our
return.
Appu had been present since 11th December.As
I was putting the suitcases in the boot,he came near me,pressed his body against my legs,and made some strange sounds,which I interpreted as follows,"You can leave,but make arrangements with Johny for fresh milk."
I didn't make any arrangements,because I knew Appu would leave immediately after our
departure,and Paul would be the beneficiary.
We started our journey to OR Tambo International Airport at 1.30 PM.The airport is 330 Kms away,and can be reached in about three and a half hours,under normal conditions.But ,as we passed Potchefstroom,rain clouds gathered,darkness
spread,and rain fell heavily.It's pleasant to drive in light rain,but heavy rain is full of dangers.It was extremely difficult to read the street names and route names overhead.A few metres ahead of us,a minor accident happened.A small car hit another one,and swerved and came to a standstill in
front of us,with the pieces of the headlight
flying around.A damaged car blocking part of the freeway in near-darkness could cause a string of accidents or "pile up',but luck-ily the other motorists were very slow and cautious and averted a tragedy.The rain eased and died down as we approached the airport.
During our trips,we leave our car with a car-care company,Klipkop Carcare.Luckily,
their driver was waiting for us at the 'drop-off zone'.Within a few minutes,we off-loaded,and the car was gone.
OR Tambo International Airport is the main airport in South Africa.It's named after veteran ANC leader the late Oliver Tambo,a contemporary of Nelson Mandela.The airport is well planned,spacious and with all facilities,a true metaphor of South Africa's prestigious position as the 'economic powerhouse of Africa".There's no congestion in or outside the airport.The mood is very relaxed,friendly and informal.
I looked around for Malayalee friends of the
past,but there was nobody.Most probably they had left in the first week of December.
Our flights by Emirates,to Dubai and then to Bangalore,was a pleasant experience.When things are managed professionally and efficiently,everything is quiet,as we experience on Emirates flights.
At 5.30 PM,we landed in Bangalore.My daughter Praveena,her husband Siby,and their three children were waiting for us.
14th December 2012
At last,the day of our trip to India arrived.The weather in large parts of South
Africa was ideal for travel;due to the heavy
rains in the previous few days,and more rains promised for today and the coming days.Why we long so much for rain,and pray for it,personally,and in the church is because it's summer in South Africa,and abundant rain is needed in these parts,where farming is the backbone of the economy of the area where we live.This year,the rains arrived late in this region,causing extreme heat and severe dust
storms.Dust rising from the nearby farms,which had been ploughed in anticipation of rains,wreaked havoc when the
storms were not followed by rain.In November,our prayers were heard,but with some disasters.A thunderstorm broke,together
with the pelting of hail balls the size of gulab jams.The roof of Jetmart Stores caved in,causing injuries to some customers and shop assistants.After the thunderstorm,our
surroundings were covered with a carpet of
white hail balls.
Regular rains arrived at the end of November,transforming the whole countryside,
with a new greenery sprouting everywhere,and
planting the seeds of hope.On Friday,14th
December,I told myself that this is the ideal time to live in South africa;and not to go on overseas trips.But we had already
planned the trip.
Our flight was at 10.20 PM,so there was no need to hurry.Most people have the experience
of the difficulties of locking the house and
going on a trip for some weeks.For us,this is an annual event after school closure.In fact,we had said goodbye to school earlier,
on 29th November,as Leelamma and I went to
two different marking centres for the marking of the Grade 12 Examination scripts.
The 10-day long event is organized by the
Department of Education,with free accommodation and meals,and with reasonable
remuneration,which is enough to cover the cost of the air ticket.(10500 Rands)
We have a big house in a half-acre walled compound to be taken care of during our absence.The house is constantly under the
surveilance of a security company,which installed an alarm system after a burglary
in our house on 9th May.If the alarm sounds,
the security people inform us,and rush to the house to check if anything is wrong.Any-way,I have given them a rating of 'very good
(4 out of 5) due to some erratic alarms that
sounded while we were at school,to which they promptly responded.
We have a lawn,an orchard with peach,apricot
and plum trees,and a vegetable garden to be
taken care of.Luckily,we have a trusted gardener called Paul,who has worked for us for 6 years.On Friday morning,he was present
to receive final instructions.If rains continue,it's a great blessing for him,because otherwise he has to water the lawn and plants using water from the borehole pump.We also have a tank to store
rainwater.
Those of us who have pets know how difficult
it's to care for them in our absence.In big
cities,there are pet care centres,but what
about our small town,Delareyville?We have a
cat,Appu,who is very accommodating,self-reliant and cooperative.He is one who under-stands our difficulties,in our absence as well as in our presence.Out of the 365 days of the year,Appu is present only about 100
days.Sometimes he is away for two or three
weeks,and I conclude,
"We won't see Appu any more.I have no doubt
about it.'
But he would appear,usually early in the morning,to notify,"I'm still here".We entreat him to stay longer,with extra supply
of fresh milk and catfood,but after two three days of rest,he would disappear into
the unknown.
You can easily guess the root cause of Appu's disappearences.True to African and cat tradition,and emulating South Africa's
president Jacob Zuma,Appu is a polygamist
and he is obliged to share his days with his
several wives.Our house is a "tharavadu" for him,and his occasional visits are to enquire about our welfare.
Appu is very handsome,with black and white colours mixed.His posture and dignified movements display his royal ancestry.He is very selective in his diet.He shuns the fat-
free and 2% milk that we use,and insists on the fresh full cream milk that we buy exclusively for him from our Portuguese friend Johny's cafe,at R 5.50 per litre.(about Rs 30).As for the catfood,he rejects
the cheap variety that we buy during sales.
His uncompromising policy is,"Johny's freshmilk and high quality catfood,or leave me alone.I would rather starve than accepting your cheap varieties."
Appu can manage without our cheap stuff,because he is an expert catcher of birds,of which there is an abundant supply in our compound,doves being his usual prey.
Doves are regarded as symbols of peace,but Appu and I disagree.They are a nuisance on
top of buildings,especially on flats.I'm at loggerheads with doves,because of their presence on our chimney here,and also at our
flat at Kottayam,where they breed and multiply at will,in our absence there.So whenever Appu makes a kill here,I'm overjoyed and encourage him with extra fresh milk.
Before our trip,we make sure that nothing is
left in the fridge.This is because a power failure is most likely in the course of one
month due to lightning.We don't have a deep freezer because we are simple people who lead a shop-to- mouth existence ie buying and cooking daily.A few items that were left in the fridge were given to our domestic helper,Margaret,to take home.
We have some peach,apricot and plum trees,which produce abundantly at this time
of the year,but due to erratic weather conditions,this year the output is pathetic.
We also have a vegetable garden that produces enough vegetables from November to
April,but this year the growth of the plants has been sluggish.Anyway,Paul is supposed to take care of everything till our
return.
Appu had been present since 11th December.As
I was putting the suitcases in the boot,he came near me,pressed his body against my legs,and made some strange sounds,which I interpreted as follows,"You can leave,but make arrangements with Johny for fresh milk."
I didn't make any arrangements,because I knew Appu would leave immediately after our
departure,and Paul would be the beneficiary.
We started our journey to OR Tambo International Airport at 1.30 PM.The airport is 330 Kms away,and can be reached in about three and a half hours,under normal conditions.But ,as we passed Potchefstroom,rain clouds gathered,darkness
spread,and rain fell heavily.It's pleasant to drive in light rain,but heavy rain is full of dangers.It was extremely difficult to read the street names and route names overhead.A few metres ahead of us,a minor accident happened.A small car hit another one,and swerved and came to a standstill in
front of us,with the pieces of the headlight
flying around.A damaged car blocking part of the freeway in near-darkness could cause a string of accidents or "pile up',but luck-ily the other motorists were very slow and cautious and averted a tragedy.The rain eased and died down as we approached the airport.
During our trips,we leave our car with a car-care company,Klipkop Carcare.Luckily,
their driver was waiting for us at the 'drop-off zone'.Within a few minutes,we off-loaded,and the car was gone.
OR Tambo International Airport is the main airport in South Africa.It's named after veteran ANC leader the late Oliver Tambo,a contemporary of Nelson Mandela.The airport is well planned,spacious and with all facilities,a true metaphor of South Africa's prestigious position as the 'economic powerhouse of Africa".There's no congestion in or outside the airport.The mood is very relaxed,friendly and informal.
I looked around for Malayalee friends of the
past,but there was nobody.Most probably they had left in the first week of December.
Our flights by Emirates,to Dubai and then to Bangalore,was a pleasant experience.When things are managed professionally and efficiently,everything is quiet,as we experience on Emirates flights.
At 5.30 PM,we landed in Bangalore.My daughter Praveena,her husband Siby,and their three children were waiting for us.
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