Any kind of house renovation work freaks me out. That is why I always try to avoid big scale work being done when I’m around. But this time I had no excuse and had to be at home when the floor work was being done. The workers took charge of the entire home except one bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. It was too cold outside and hence no chance of roaming out. For the ease and fast completion of work, those guys had my entire living room furniture including my internet setup moved. So I was left in one 12 * 12 bedroom with a laptop and a tablet for my company. But I was least interested in them without internet.
Bored to death, I decided to dabble in Paint application available in Windows 8 on tablet. Here is the outcome. Now what should I term this, “Tablet Art”?
India has got yet another epileptic seizure. I know the term may sound inappropriate but could not think of any other word. Let me tell you why I thought of this word. Epileptic seizure is the abnormal burst of electric impulses from the brain causing intense yet useless actions. After a while body will lie unconscious; oblivious of the world. If you look around, you might see somewhat similar situation. Heated discussions on and off TV channels, candle marches, signing petitions, protests… a burst of activities. Media shouting at the top of their voices; social networking sites flooded with emotional pleas. It is pretty familiar to us. It happens almost every time some major criminal incident occurs. After some days everything again comes to a standstill.
The trigger of this current seizure is the fate of a 23 year old girl. Everyone seems to be moved to the core by this horrendous act and asking for capital punishment to the criminals. But hello, this is India. Here death sentences are only for murderers and in some rarest of rare instances – for terrorists. Rape doesn’t kill a female. Even though the scars turn her into a living corpse; she is still alive. A rapist can walk freely here. In worst case can be behind the bars for maximum of 10 years. Let’s assume the government moves at war footing due to public pressure. Still changing the law is a tedious process. Execution is more time consuming. We can always hope for the best. But one question is poking me again and again.
How long we female species are going to be dependent on others for justice, protection etc.? Today everyone is crying for the ill - fated girl. But dear ladies, don’t you think we have brought this situation to ourselves? It is not about when and where we females are roaming or how we get dressed. It is all about our attitude; our perception of ourselves.
Generation after generation it is imprinted on female minds that they are weak as compared to the opposite gender. They are conditioned to play a second fiddle. It is taught to them that there is nothing wrong being a pretty doll. Ironically, the coaches were other elderly women in society. In the process, they start losing the natural instinct of standing for themselves. We have very quickly forgotten that we belong to the same land which saw Queen of Zansi. Every time any crime against women happens, we blame the government, the law, and the men in this country. Do we ever care to speculate on?
We should not forget that human beings are also a “species”. Law of nature applies to it; no matter how hard we project that we are “evolved”. Still there are a few among us who are lagging far behind. This laid back group keeps searching for easy preys. Women with their age long conditioned inferiority complex expose themselves as ones.
On the backdrop of unfortunate incidents like Delhi gang rape, we think twice before stepping out at night. I’m damn sure some of us must have started avoiding late swipe outs from workplaces or not attending late hour’s academic or extra-curricular classes. It may protect you but may increase the risk for some other unlucky soul among us. Have you ever thought of this, ladies? If every woman starts avoiding being on road, in buses, trains, offices etc., then it leads to reduction in women presence out there. It may deprive some girl / woman in need of critical help. Hiding behind the walls may not protect you; but stepping out and uniting against these devils will certainly give a strong message.
I can understand not everybody can be a Kung-Fu champion. But how about learning some self-defense techniques? I think the schools, colleges, public and private organizations should start this practice of training their women employees and students in martial arts. All women should have a contingency plan ready. They should know how they will try to get out of the situation safely. It can be using some modest tools like a nail-cutter or a pepper spray for defense or any other way to stay safe. Most important thing – do not panic if you are caught in some difficult situation. Think wisely and try to buy some time for yourself.
Last but not the least – stop being fragile “pretty dolls”. Now is the time to show the evil minds that we are the daughters of Maa Durga. Our minds are full of love, care and forgiveness; but we can also take a fierce form if the need arises.
I have been travelling a lot since past few months. From the pinnacle of civilization – The New York City to the natural wonders of Rock City and Ruby falls. From Niagara Falls upstate to the Smokey Mountains down South. My last stop was the Smokies as they are generally known in this region.
Frankly speaking, I was pretty much against the idea of going to the mountains during late autumn. My impression was that the splendid display of fall colors must have been over by now and there would be just endless piles of dried leaves and bare naked skeletons of trees. But I had to give up on public demand!!
Finally we landed at the Sugarlands Visitor Center of “The Great Smokey Mountains National Park”. The dried up foliage in the surrounding area was ascertaining my perception of making a wrong choice. I was very disappointed with the thought that I am visiting my dream destination at the wrong time. Till that day Smokies was like a fairytale land for me. And why not? The Great Smokey Mountains are among the oldest mountains in the world, formed almost 200 – 300 million years ago. There is an interesting reason behind the name “Smokey”. We all know that trees breathe. But its live example can be seen when the mountain ranges are covered with thick foliage. The gases released by these trees keep lingering due to dense forest, high altitudes, cold weather and create a mystical foggy canopy over the region. Hence the name “Smokey Mountains”!!
One of the several pretty landscapes
The main attraction at the visitor center is the 20 minutes documentary that walks you through the history of the Smokey Mountains and the national park that protects the precious ecosystem here. The park is spread over 800 square miles in the Southern Appalachian Mountains from the states of Tennessee to North Carolina. This sprawling landmass is the home of thousands of plants, animals and invertebrate species. The stats say over 17,000 species are documented and additional 30,000 – 80,000 are still waiting to be listed. No wonder that the United Nations has designated this park as the International Biosphere Reserve.
To understand this rich diversity we have to go back to the last ice age. That was the time when the glaciers were invading the northern part of the continent. Fortunately they could not invade the Smokies down south. The elevations here range from 875 to 6,643 feet. The higher elevations offered a refuge to the plant and animal life displaced due to ever dropping temperatures in the northern part. The abundant rainfall and high summer temperatures and humidity offered them an ideal growth environment.
One of the 19th century log houses
The most celebrated resident of the park is the American Black Bear. We saw much of the information material at the visitor center to deal (!) with these VIPs. There were warnings posted about some trails being closed due to bear activities. That ignited a spark in my mind!! Well, who wouldn’t love to see a black bear in total wilderness? Of course from a safe distance!! We picked up the park maps here. These maps are as important to visitors as water is to fish. No mobile or GPS signal works once you enter the deep forest. So maps are the only saviors. We marked our first stop at the Cades Cove and embarked on the journey.
John Cable's Grist Mill
Just a few yards on the road and my mind changed. Forests are synonymous to greenery but miles and miles of trees sans leaves offer a picturesque landscape for no doubt!! Innumerable shades of grey and brown with a pinch of green here and there…. The light blue backdrop of the sky and the distant nude tree tops blending into the sky giving them a greyish blue shade… Nature is the greatest painter!!! Throughout this journey towards Cades Cove, a little river was our companion. Coincidentally, the name of the river itself was Little River.
Becky Cable House built in 1879
We reached Cades Cove after a few miles of drive. Cades cove is basically a plain in a valley. An 11 mile one way loop road circles this plain. Taking this road is the best way to view the scenery and the wild life at a leisurely pace and from the comfort of your vehicle. There are some historic buildings also in this area including churches, barns, log houses and a working grist mill. Most of the grass was dried out when we visited. Different shades of grass, from pale to bright brown, were creating an effect of a sheet of satin in sunlight. My eyes were hooked to the adjacent woods hoping to get a glimpse of some wild life. After a few miles we could spot a couple of white tailed deer.
One of the historic buildings in the region is the Methodist Church. It was built in 1902. But Methodists were active in the region from as early as 1820.
Methodist Church built in 1902
Another interesting structure in the region is the John Cable Grist Mill. It was constructed in 1868. It used to be run on hydro power. Adjacent to the mill is the Becky Cable House. It was constructed in 1879. Initially it was being used as a general store. Rebecca Cable, John Cable’s daughter purchased it later and made it her residence. It is preserved in a pretty good condition.
We could not realize when the day turned into twilight while roaming through the woods. No doubt it was a “different” day close to nature but still a sense of distress was there somewhere deep in the mind. A distress of not being able to spot any wild animal. We had spotted some deer. But they roam in our backyards too in northern suburbs of Atlanta!! Now the woods were getting thinner. Again we entered a region of meadows and woods bordering them. We saw a couple of cars ahead of us pulling over. We also stopped out of curiosity. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A herd of elk was right in front of us. They are the largest species of deer in the world and quite rare. Elk cows (female elk) weigh approximately 225 – 241 kg and bull elk (male elk) weigh around 320 – 331 kg on an average. They have been reintroduced in this region and now flourished here pretty well.
Suddenly our misfortune turned into a fortune!! We learned one more lesson from the jungle book – anything can happen anytime!! It is because of this herd of elk, complete with a bull elk that we could end our day on a high note!!
