Shutting Down

The blog is shutting down. Bye all!

Narnia Book 8, Sweet Oblivion

Narnia would have remained happy and gay forever but for a minor inconvenience. Puddulegum was here.

Now Aslan, despite all his great powers, was not all-knowing. He simply thought– Puddulegum is a good fellow, he deserves a nice afterlife. But how much good fellow Puddulegum was he didn’t know. Puddulegum was happy to be with all others and others were happy and he kept saying that good times will not last forever and others obviously kept telling him that this is not so, we are already dead and there is nothing more to lose. High King Peter asked him to cheer up, Roonwit the dumb wit, Lucy the pussy, all kept working on him until he stopped creating anymore trouble. Not that he stopped thinking that good times will not last forever but he stopped saying so. Some say that even he thought that these good times would last forever but nevermind.

It so happened now that one day, when Queen Lucy was returning home after a nice party with nymphs and dryads and dwarfs after much dancing and merrymaking, she heard someone crying. NOW she felt a little trembling. Who could cry, in such a great land. Suddenly she heard a wail from far off. A centaur had shouted. She didn’t know that the demise had already begun.

Lucy reached there and found Jill. Though Jill first wanted to hide the fact and then didn’t want to tell she told finally that she remembers her parents and brothers and sisters. She explained her troubles thus. She couldn’t go to their land for she was already dead. She didn’t want others to come for they will have to die first and oh, how bad death is. And Aslan says these times will last forever. Will they join her when they died? But then if it happened soon others too will start coming and this new Narnia will die of overpopulation. And then why cant she marry and have children for Aslan says that in this land of dead no NEW life can be generated. And she said a deep thing in between her tears. “Puddulgum was right. Damn it, he always is”.

Lucy gave a sensible suggestion. Then should ask Aslan himself about this. Jill was afraid a bit but Lucy told her that it was not right to cry and be afraid in this land so sooner she got this out of their mind the better.

So they started running to Aslan’s cave. First they couldn’t believe their eyes. Aslan was looking sad! He was talking to a Centaur and didn’t notice that they have come. Finally the centaur was gone and Lucy and Pole went to Aslan and said “Hail Aslan. We come with a problem”. And Aslan growled and said, “Dumbwits cant you see my problems are bigger than yours? Why do you disturb me with your childish and girlish ones?” But soon he composed himself and told that he was sorry and they could say whatever they have come for. After shock and then a bit of steadying Pole told her story. Aslan listened with patience and when she finished he took a deep sigh and said, “I understand but there is little I can do. I could have brought everyone you would care for and everyone they would have cared for and so on, and have cleaned the earth of all life and brought all here (and mind you, my world is big enough to accommodate all, any finite infinity) , but no more. The stars are speaking. There has been a change in guard of the Supreme Council and the new ones are uneasy of my parallel system. Dear ones, my powers are drawing to a close. It was me who stopped you from having thoughts of the other world, I may confess. Soon this world would end. (What!, shouted the two) What would happen to me and all of you I cant say for sure. Perhaps all will dissolve into oblivion, and powers higher than me say that that is the truthful place of all.” The girls said “No,No” and started crying . Even Aslan the mighty dropped a tear or two. He started comforting them. But they wont listen. Soon they ran off to tell the sad news to others.

But the news was in the air. The birds were not chirping as happily, the sky was no more so beautiful, the colours were not as bright. Everything started looking like a painting. Soon the news spread like fire everywhere. The kings of old (for there were no kings now) called a great meeting and Aslan himself came and told them the story. Since all were good people they told him, nevermind, thanks for all the good time you have given.

As everyone in our age knows the dead are only figments of imagination. All the programs are loaded on a computer in the Headquarters of Supreme Council.It so happened that a lazy fellow, Witman the computer operator by that name, was tired after running for Aslan errands. Moreover Aslan was only in the program, but the powers had given him free run for his loyalty in ages past. After the new election there was a proposal to shutdown all non-productive systems and so it happened.

In a moment everything was gone.

—
Written for my sister 3 years back. In Chronicles of Narnia the last book ends in a nightmare which the author tries to pass off as a dream-come-true! More unbearably, my sister liked it. So I ‘completed’ the series explaining what was wrong. It ends with some malice as you see. It is good work!

Travelling for a Waterfall: story

I am in no mood of a long post, so just some points.

Went on foot inside the Mollem National Park, some 10-11 kms to the Dudhsagar Waterfall. Apparently this is not commonly done. People looked at us with interest and appreciation for this. A taxi driver commented to Bharat that we would have liked it . At two places we had to take out our shoes to wade through the Mandovi river.

The surroundings were so beautiful that we jogged in a part, for about a kilometer.

Climbed up near the waterfall on a trail locals use. Walked out through two tunnels to DudhSagar Railway Station. Talked to the station master, and finally came back to Kolem on Goods train in the Guard’s coach. Went to the open part. So, on a train, open in front and sides, through a jungle; enjoyed quite a lot.

Had an interesting talk with an aged couple while going on the local train. Were told a few stories of Portuguese times.

I fell down while walking on a railway line. It was quite slippery, and when I noticed that I had walked a long distance without putting the foot down, I fell, cut my finger and had a few scratches elsewhere.

Saw monkeys (some quite small, one seemed to be about the size of a fist), some langurs, many birds, some foolish foreign tourists who went on feeding monkeys when big boards asked not to do that.

Reached back quite gay and satisfied.

Earlier Post – Travelling for a waterfall

To Madkai

Part One

Part Two

Part three

Start from Part One !

To Madkai:part three

The Navadurga temple was nearby.

It was a south-indian-style temple. Large pavilion and pillars. And few bells. And Bharat pointed, a pond, a must for such temples. 3-4 women were sitting in front and selling flowers, garland, coconut, et al. The one nearest to us, about 40 yrs, showed much interest in us. Leave your shoes and go in. There is a canteen. There is water to wash legs…We didnt share her enthusiasm, as we worried that she would insist on buying the worship material from them. And she asked where we have come from. Is a car waiting! We told ferry. She too became happy!

To madkai:part two

Part Two
A bit on that road, and there is a structure which looks like temple. We climb down from the stairs to find its locked. Peering in from the gap in window, we find its empty inside. What could be it used for? Maybe some community hall type of concept. And on one side of it there are many houses, very close to each other, narrow streets, and all of this was not visible from the road. Anyway we climb up and keep moving on our original road.

To Madkai:part one

My good friend Bharat and I went for another adventure in Goa yesterday. We planned to first reach Cortalim hopping buses and then walk some 10 kms along Zuari river to Loutulim, where there is supposed to be some glimpses of ancestral Goa(so says the mighty web).
We planned to reach Cortalim by first going to Titan ,on NH 17, and then to Coothli(as locals would call it). But as we were waiting, a bus for Chicalim came along ,and we went along with it. And from there to Courtalim.

And the bus dropped us at Cortalim. Now I had just seen a road route to Loutulim on a map, it was nowhere to be seen. So we had to find it first. I told Bharat, here begins our adventure, and we started merry.