Free from School

da. I had got fairly comfortable now with being on my own within Goa (where I could at least communicate in the same language with anyone I met)

er my SSC and why I was not in college. Somehow they couldn't get used to the idea that I was enjoying myself learning the things I wan

g in Kottayam and as he would also be visiting some organic farms he th

e passed through Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar, Kundapur and Udupi. Mangalore happens to be my ancestral home. (My dad, though born and brought up in Mumbai and

nt Monica Mauxi lives there with her three sons, Reggie, Patrick and Lambert and their families in a sort of joint family set-up. My grand uncl

care to be very observant about landmarks and other details so that I would not get lost on my return trip. I carefully noted the locations of the railway station, Hampankatta, which is the ce

, Calicut, Thrissur and Ernakulam to reach our destination Kottayam at 3.45 p.m. We were booked at Hotel Aishwarya. I h

registered as participants and each of us was given a cloth bag, notebook and pen to use during the seminar

ists. The sessions continued till evening with a break for a vegetarian lunch in between. Of all the talks, the one that caught my attention was the talk given by Dr Su

me after lunch my father and I, along with Guru Rishi Prabhakar (the founder of the Siddha Samadhi Yoga programme) and Kartikeyan (who was researching some chapters for a source book on organic farming) left to visit the f

changed trains and from the railway station we took a bus to Sultan's Battery where we spent th

of persons interested in organic farming was taking pla

as I pleased. But I liked the company of the people there very much for all of them were very knowledgeable and they were the active type too. So

and evening. On the first day itself we saw Nilgiri

llution of the river Bhavani. After that we watched a very p

e excited me very much and after that I would eagerly set out with whoever was interested in taking a walk. On the third day, a Mr Shivanand gave a very interesting talk on the Western Ghats. He showed us many slides on the West

e Lord of the Jungle' (about elephants). Both were very good. The next morning we went walking again and saw on

the watchtower, then deer and a wild boar, but we had to turn back soon because we saw tiger footprints. At night

my own. My dad came along with me by bus to Calicut. At the railway station, my father bought me a ticke

video game and I occupied myself with this while waiting for the train to arrive. When it did there was a general commotion as people started rushing into the compartments. I enquired with

aving heard about pickpockets and other thieves I wanted to be doubly careful. I did not get down at any of the railway stations as I w

se for which I paid thirty rupees. This was quite a lot of money, but since it was night-time and

ys. But I knew that my mother would be anxiously awaiting my return, and not w

pty seat. The bus reached Panaji at 5 p.m. From there I took the local bus to Mapusa. Only when the bus reached the Mapusa bus terminus was I finally on familia

welcome, my brothers punching me, my dog licking me-all so