Last weekend Su took out the team to a place called ICRISAT (International Crops Research Insititute for the Semi Arid Tropics). It is a UN body for Crop Research and they have a 3000 acre campus with swimming pool, basketball court, badminton court, tennis court, football field et al.
We reached there after lunch on Saturday and spent the evening in the impeccably maintained pool. Once the sun had set, we went for a drive around the campus and parked beside one of the 3 lakes the place boasts of. It was lovely to just sit there by the calm water, crickets providing a rustic background score and the moonlight lending the place an ethereal air. (The mandap like structure by the lake is perfect for a night-picnic with sleeping bags around a bon-fire, but I doubt they'll allow anything like that). By 7:45 we were ravenous despite it being just about tea-time by normal standards and therefore the way everyone hogged on "Chicken and Black Olives in Tomato gravy" was no surprise; we had to keep sitting a while before anyone could/ would stir! Post dinner was a lively romp around the campus, which included a photo session next to the 1000 year old stone carving of Lord Ganesh and trying all the kiddie swings- everything from the Merry-go-round to the See-saw to the Jungle-jim to the Slide. Back in the apartments, everyone sat talking late into the night in one of the well appointed living rooms (each appartment has a large bedroom, balcony, bathroom and living room), gorging on all the snacks we'd had the foresight to buy on our way there. Yes, everyone was hungry again!! By the time we hit the sack it was well past 2.
Despite the late night, I woke up an unwilling P and an excited S around 7 the next morning; the three of us hired bicycles and cycled around the campus for an hour looking for the closest of the three lakes the campus has. The early morning air was invigorating as we rode, sometimes through cultivated fields and sometimes through heaps of corn and the narrow rustic looking paths belied the fact that this was on the outskirts of a huge city. The three of us had a wonderful time cavorting around; weaving in and out of fields, locating slopes and riding down them with legs in the air, racing each other, watching the place wake up to its chores, trying to identify the many birds we came across. This was followed by a sumptuous breakfast and then Basketball- I still havent lost my touch :-) After the morning's fun work out, the three of us were ready to plop into the comfy beds, but the others were awake by then. Warm showers and multiple mugs of hot tea put us back on our feet and we were on our way back to the city. I reached the theatre just in time for Khoya Khoya Chand and it is another matter altogether that I wished I had given in to the little voice inside me that tempted me to bunk the movie in favour of another afternoon in the pool.
ICRISAT opened my eyes to the possibilities that lie before us; it seemed such a happy, peaceful, stress free and uncomplicated existence that P and I wished we could land a job there and stay put! It really is a wonder how such perfection and peace can exist amidst the chaos of a bustling city such as this. I think I'm going to visit the place again very soon; It literally charges you up!
PS- Khoya Khoya Chand is a directorial disaster. All the actors were great, but then the movie didn't really go anywhere and as a friend said, "got stuck on the Casting Couch". Rajeev Masand and I have had our first disagreement.
We reached there after lunch on Saturday and spent the evening in the impeccably maintained pool. Once the sun had set, we went for a drive around the campus and parked beside one of the 3 lakes the place boasts of. It was lovely to just sit there by the calm water, crickets providing a rustic background score and the moonlight lending the place an ethereal air. (The mandap like structure by the lake is perfect for a night-picnic with sleeping bags around a bon-fire, but I doubt they'll allow anything like that). By 7:45 we were ravenous despite it being just about tea-time by normal standards and therefore the way everyone hogged on "Chicken and Black Olives in Tomato gravy" was no surprise; we had to keep sitting a while before anyone could/ would stir! Post dinner was a lively romp around the campus, which included a photo session next to the 1000 year old stone carving of Lord Ganesh and trying all the kiddie swings- everything from the Merry-go-round to the See-saw to the Jungle-jim to the Slide. Back in the apartments, everyone sat talking late into the night in one of the well appointed living rooms (each appartment has a large bedroom, balcony, bathroom and living room), gorging on all the snacks we'd had the foresight to buy on our way there. Yes, everyone was hungry again!! By the time we hit the sack it was well past 2.
Despite the late night, I woke up an unwilling P and an excited S around 7 the next morning; the three of us hired bicycles and cycled around the campus for an hour looking for the closest of the three lakes the campus has. The early morning air was invigorating as we rode, sometimes through cultivated fields and sometimes through heaps of corn and the narrow rustic looking paths belied the fact that this was on the outskirts of a huge city. The three of us had a wonderful time cavorting around; weaving in and out of fields, locating slopes and riding down them with legs in the air, racing each other, watching the place wake up to its chores, trying to identify the many birds we came across. This was followed by a sumptuous breakfast and then Basketball- I still havent lost my touch :-) After the morning's fun work out, the three of us were ready to plop into the comfy beds, but the others were awake by then. Warm showers and multiple mugs of hot tea put us back on our feet and we were on our way back to the city. I reached the theatre just in time for Khoya Khoya Chand and it is another matter altogether that I wished I had given in to the little voice inside me that tempted me to bunk the movie in favour of another afternoon in the pool.
ICRISAT opened my eyes to the possibilities that lie before us; it seemed such a happy, peaceful, stress free and uncomplicated existence that P and I wished we could land a job there and stay put! It really is a wonder how such perfection and peace can exist amidst the chaos of a bustling city such as this. I think I'm going to visit the place again very soon; It literally charges you up!
PS- Khoya Khoya Chand is a directorial disaster. All the actors were great, but then the movie didn't really go anywhere and as a friend said, "got stuck on the Casting Couch". Rajeev Masand and I have had our first disagreement.
6 comments:
The swings!!! Again?...lol...last I remember was at Nandi Hills :-)
neway...this place sounds awesome...we need to plan a trip thr...
On Khoya Khoya...well, kinda agree...movie was nice but very very slow. Sudhir Mishra seemed really stuck in the 50's mode. Not meant for watching in the theatres for sure.
Oh n Mr/masand ki pasand isn't always man-pasand...realized that a long time back...he is a looooot biased towards SRK movies.
the place sounds cool...do work on the plan of reserving some rooms sometime in near future. wud love to relive those nights on the basketball court in XIMB. can we play at 2 AM in ICRISAT?? :)
i get to be in ur opposite team again:). we can call bull baba too.
BTW KKC sucks big time.
n i wonder how come bivas does not like KKC. usko to har tedhi movie achhi lagti hai
Yup... will get bookings for some weekend in Jan/ Feb. Lets close on the dates when the gang is here next week.
@D: I said the movie was NICE but slow...didnt really dislike the flick.
@B: tu nahin sudhrega...har aadhi tedhi movie achie lagti hai
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