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The first photo, from the Ammankovil Archives, is almost 50 years old. The second one was snapped in Chennai a few months ago.

Here’s wishing Pappa & Mummy many more years of good health and happiness.

In October 1987, eight of us planned a trip to Kodai via Munnar & Top Station. The operation was top secret – we didn’t tell our people we were biking to Kodai. We packed our stuff and met at BTH (My parents were told we were going to Kottayam to meet Chicku – REC 1988, more about him later).

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BTH, waiting for the gang to assemble

I don’t remember who, but one of the bikers didn’t turn up. So it was seven guys & three bikes – one of us had to drop out, and nobody wanted to. So we decided to ride triples on Biju’s RD 350!

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Beginning of the Ghat section
The Se7en – Biju, Top, Raman, Fanny, Ani and sitting, Rojo & I
(Fanny passed away last year, RIP)

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Vazhiyorakkazhchakal

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Hairpin near Munnar, After the First Crash.
Check out the tear in Biju’s jeans

(The backpack on Rojo is Paramu’s, u will be hearing more about him soon)

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Top Slip. My fav photo

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Roads were bad, but no so bad…

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Rain & Slush. After a few spills, nobody wants to ride…

I do not have any photographic record of the next few hours (If i had taken the camera out, i would have got hit)
On the forest roads between Top Station and Kodai, it was dark and raining, Raman & Ani crash, and one by one the head lights of all three bikes conk off.
We managed the last stretch on the nurungu vettam of 350’s turn indicator.

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Outskirts of Kodai. The worst is behind us.

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Warmth, Food, Kodai

It was a Gandhi Jayanti-Puja weekend, and Kodai was packed. We ended up spending the night in a bunglow’s annexe some 15 km away from Kodai, and all we could manage was one room, and one bed.

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Yes, this bed…

But we had a blast there, jamming late into the night till the guy from next room (a judge, we were told) made us shut up.

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The morning after

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Trying to top Top! Mookkan & a friend of Biju’s from Palghat join the fun.

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Go to Cochin!

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One the way back, a late lunch at Diana

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Finishing Point. Caravan.

We did 550 km in 36 hours, seven guys on three bikes. Vintage Sangham Stuff.

One year later, we did it again, 14 guys on seven bikes. But then, that’s another story…


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Image originally posted on www.lntvalves.com/blog on 30 May 2007

TV was here a few months ago and the DVD buying binge that he sparked off still continues.

Now, have to see what will run out first – shelf space, bank balance or my wife’s patience…

13, Going on 302001, A Space Odyssey40 Days & 40 Nights40 year – old Virgin8 MileAgainst the RopesAlong Came a Spider  – American BeautyAmerican GraffitiAngelaApocalypse NowAs it is in HeavenAviatorBabelBattle CryBattleship Potemkin – Bicycle Thieves – Big Red OneBlack Hawk DownBlazing SaddlesBlood DiamondBlow – upBoratBorn on the Fourth of JulyBraveheartBreak a LegBreakfast at Tiffany’sBridge Too FarBruce AlmightyButch Cassidy & the Sundance KidCasablancaCasualities of WarCatch Me if You CanChain ReactionCharlie & the Choclate FactoryCharlotte GrayChevaliers Du CielChicagoChinese BoxChitty Chitty Bang BangCitizen KaneCity of AngelsConstant GardenerConstantineCourage under FireCoyote UglyDangerous LiaisonsDark Blue WorldDas BootDay of the JackalDeer HunterDe – LovelyDepartedDevil’s AdvocateDien Bien PhuDown in the ValleyDr. ZhivagoDraughtman’s ContractDumb & DumberEdison ForceEmpire of the SunEnd of Wars – Enemy at the Gate – English PatientEnignaEternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindFargoFew Good MenFierce Creatures – Flags of our Fathers – Forrest GumpFour Weddings & a FuneralFrench KissFull Metal JacketFun with Dick & JaneGameGandhiGangs of New YorkGirl, InterruptedGods Must be CrazyGods Must be Crazy 2Good Morning, VietnamGraduateGreat EscapeHamburger HillHappy FeetHard BallHart’s WarHeroesHistory of the WorldHitchhiker’s Guide to the GalaxyHoneyHot ShotsHot Shots 2In the Heat of the NightInconvenient TruthIntolerable CrueltyJarheadJFKJohnny MnemonicKate & LeopoldKiss the GirlsLast DropLast Tango in ParisLast Temptation of ChristLawrence of ArabiaLeft BehindLiar, LiarLooking for Humour in the Muslim WorldMackenna’s GoldMan for All SeasonsMarch of the PenguinsMarineMarksmanMaskMatch PointMatrixMatrix ReloadedMatrix RevolutionsMe, Myself & IreneMicheal CollinsMidwayMillion Dollar BabyMy Best Friend’s WeddingMystic RiverNorth CountryOcean’s 11Ocean’s 12Oh Brother, Where Art ThouOliverOne Fine DayOne Last DanceOut of SightPassion of ChristPather PanchaliPeacemakerPearl HarbourPerfect StormPhantom of the OperaPianistPlatoonPossessionProducersProofProof of LifeProudRaising ArizonaRanRayReservoir DogsRomeo + JulietRumour Has ItSaving Private RyanSchindler’s ListSeasideSevenShakespeare in LoveShawshank RedemptionSky Captain & the World of TomorrowSleepless in SeattleSling BladeSound of MusicStar WarsStealthStraight into DarknessSummer of 42SylviaSyrianaTears of the SunTerms of EndearmentThin Red LineThree KingsTitanicTop GunTora, Tora, ToraTruman ShowU 571Underclass ManUnfinished LifeWalk the LineWe Were SoldiersWedding CrashersWedding PlannerWhat Lies BeneathWhen Harry Met SallyWidowmakerWild GeeseWindtalkersWitches of EastwickYou’ve Got Mail

By the away, the post title pays homage to my fav movie critic, Pauline Kael

Not to be confused with Pathrakkaran Sunny


A defining moment from mallu’s latest craze, Idea Star Singer, a talent hunt packged as a reality show, or is it the other way around?

And by the way, do you have any dope on Meera Nandakumar?

Now, the caption is very original, thank you.
It was 50 years ago today that John and Paul first met, thus setting off this big huge thing

I first read Garp when I was 17. By then I had run through most of – chronologically – James Hadley Chase, Arthur Hailey, Irving Wallace, Leon Uris, Wilbur Smith, must-reads like Godfather, Omen, Exorcist, Summer of ’42, Love Story, and sampled Harold Robbins, Robert Ludlum, Louis L’Amour…(I was blessed, I am blessed)

Garp was quite different from anything I had read till then – funny, sad, heartbreaking and uplifting. I so loved the characters that I remember slowing down as the book was nearing its end so that I could spend some more time in Garp’s world.

At the core of Garp is a horrible auto accident (I have always wanted to do a story on the recurring motifs in John Irving’s books – car crashes/accidents, Vienna, bears, kids, prostitutes, breasts, transvestites, deformities, writers, wrestlers, extra-marital affairs, death – oh, all the things that make life interesting).

Irving builds up the car crash scene so perfectly, positioning all players for maximum impact (ugh! no pun). I remember the rush when I first read the passage, when I – along with Garp – was rushing at full speed, up a slippery ramp, in the dark…

Cut to The World according to Garp, by John Irving
‘Garp hit the bottom of his driveway at about forty miles per hour he came of the downhill road in third gear and accelerated just as he exited; he glimpsed how the driveway was glazed with frozen slush, and worried momentarily that the Volvo might slip on the short uphill curve. He held the car in gear until he felt what grip he had of the road; it was good enough, and he popped the sharp stick shift into neutral – a second before he killed the engine and flicked out the headlights.

The car coasted up, into the black rain. It was like that moment when you feel an airplane lift off the runway; the children both cried out in excitement. Garp could feel the children at his elbow, crowding each other for the one favoured position in the gap between the bucket seats.

‘How can you see now?’ Duncan asked.

‘He doesn’t have to see,’ Walt said. There wad a high thrill in Walt’s voice, which suggested to Garp that Walt wished to reassure himself.

‘I know this by heart,’ Garp assured them.

‘It’s like being underwater!’ cried Duncan; he held his breath.

‘It’s like a dream!’ said Walt; he reached for his brother’s hand.’

Spoiler Warning!
Generally not required for Irving’s books; he gives away the end on page 1 itself.

At the top of the driveway, in a parked car, Garp’s wife is giving her student-boyfriend a farewell BJ. Garp’s car crashes into the, let us call it the BJ car, at full clip (Remember, night, raining, lights switched off). Garp survives, Walt dies, Garp’s wife survives, her boyfriend’s dick gets bitten off, Garp’s marriage survives.

So what if Garp didn’t make the TIME 100, it scores 100 outa 100 for the perfect set up.

For me this story is very special. And if I have shared this story with you, you are special…

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Koranu kumbilil kanji thanne!


Sajeev asked for a post on Nandanam.
And threated to use the RTI Act if i didn’t comply.
So, here goes…

Heppy?

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