Hua Lu Temple, Ninh Binh, Vietnam

On our way to Ninh Binh, even before we stopped by for the boat ride in Trang An, of which I have written a post here, we had visited the earlier capital of Vietnam, which lies 90 km south of Ha Noi and is called the Hua Lu, a beautiful ancient city that was the economic and political center of Dai Co Viet, ( older name of Vietnam) a kingdom that extended from what is now northern Vietnam to the center during the 10th and 11th centuries.

At the impressive entrance of the King Dinh Temple, atop the bridge over River Hoang Long

But you folks saw from the pictures we had posted about Ninh Binh, how mesmerizing the place was and actually this ancient city just took a back seat in our memories. Since we listened to the spicy stories of this king from Lan, our guide, I thought it is important to document the cultural essence of Vietnam here in this travel posts on Vietnam.

With a view of Huang Long river, Sudha and me posing 

For a country’s capital city, Hua Lu was a natural geographic choice because of the limestone mountains keeping the city well-hidden from potential invaders. The city is bordered by the Hoang Long River, which also runs through the citadel. It cools the city in the sticky summer months and provides a convenient waterway for trade and other businesses.

King Dinh Temple, that we visited has one of the unique architectures in Hua Lu Ancient Capital, worshiping King Dinh Tien Hoang (King of Dai Co Viet Dynasty). According to Vietnamese chronicles, Dinh Bo Linh, of peasant ancestry, was the adopted son of a feudal lord, the prefect of Hua Lu. While he was a youngster he was skilled in domesticating wild buffaloes and used to be part of buffalo races. He was one of 12 chieftains among whom was divided Nam Viet, which consisted of northern Vietnam and three central Vietnamese provinces. Dinh Bo Linh defeated each of the other 11 lords and by AD 968 had gained control of all Nam Viet. Proclaiming himself emperor, he called the reunited country Dai Co Viet.

The one in the black pants is our energetic and camera intelligent tour guide Lan. The babes with her. 

Dinh Tien Hoang was known as a courageous warrior and an able administrator and diplomat, but his authoritarian regime and his fondness for courtly pleasures made him many enemies, even within his family and his court. He and the crown prince were assassinated in 979 by a mystic seer through King Dinh’s wife by poisoning their food. Because the emperor’s heirs were too young to assert their position, the Dinh dynasty fell within a year of his death.

In the 17th century much after the original structures had been done to dust, the Vietnamese folk artists built the temple of King Dinh using wood and stone carvings. The temple offers an ancient and sediment beauty and makes us feel how the city was a millennium ago.

The temple is divided into three shrines: the outer one is Ngo Mon Gate, the middle is called Thien Huong and the inner one worships King Dinh Tien Hoang, which is the main house. This temple itself is spread across a garden of 5 hectares wide and is built with a special architecture, the interior of which has an “I letter” shape, surrounded by a square land.

Story of King Dinh in a mural form while you cross the first gate and proceed towards the second one. 

The babes in front of the second gate.
- notice the two buddhist pillars? 

When you cross the impressive Ngo Mon gate, that has three large doors as soon as you cross the river, you get to see the entire history of King Dinh in a mural form.

After a long walk, we reached the middle one with a stone dragon bed and to the second gate. This one had two Buddhist pillars on either side of the gate with an expansive courtyard in which the dragon bed is present.Looking at the bed surface you can easily find sculptured dragons, shrimps, fishes, rats images which are made with dexterity and skill. This dragon bed is where the king would call courtiers if announcements had to be made.

The stone bed in the foreground with the main house as the backdrop 

Past this is the main house that has 3 parts. The first one is the worshiping place with 5 rooms. The second is an incense burning room where they worship 4 important mandarins under Dinh dynasty. The third main part, the most important one, is separated to the second by a high door. Here you can witness King Dinh Tien Hoang being worshiped along with his three sons. The old utensils and vessels used by the royals can also be seen in the house.

The wooden statue of King Dinh, which is worshipped by the local Viatnamese people

Another room in the main house 

Immersed in the ancient culture and drunk in the ethos of Dai Co Viet, which later came to be known as Vietnam, we, the babes, didn’t know what was awaiting us in Ninh Binh, but with enthusiasm continued our journey for the day.

After all the loitering around in the King Dinh temple, we relaxed in the temple complex for a while 

A day in Paradise : Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Easily counted as the best day of the trip, Ninh Binh for us babes, was nothing short of magical.

And like Ramesh mentioned in one of the comments, whats with the babes and water? We seemed to be attracted to the water bodies in Vietnam and were enjoying every drop of it. And somehow, in Vietnam, at Ha Long Bay as well, we got the feeling, that we were being part of National Geographic Channel, with all the inspiring scenery around us. Haven’t seen so much stunning natural beauty, all in one place, in spite of having origins in Gods own country 😊

Thanks to Sudha, she chose Ninh Binh over Sa Pa, for reasons best suited for our itinerary, and this became our favorite destination of the entire trip.  And like Ha Long bay, this is also an UNESCO heritage site.

As always we started pretty early from our hotel, this time with Lan, our energetic young guide.  We had to travel almost 100 km, from Ha Noi to Ninh Binh, which is a long travel and clearly she couldn’t believe that we girls can go on chattering away incessantly throughout our trip.  By the way, did we complete all our conversations, gals?  The answer to it is a big No.  Enroute Ninh Binh was a great opportunity to peek into rural way of Vietnamese living, laid-back and serene.  And to top it, by the fourth day, we had also calmed down quite a bit almost forgetting our routines and schedules, back home.

Rain gods were merciful to us on this day, it was a bright, sunny and a clear day and it started raining exactly when we returned after our boat ride. 

At the dock - two in a Boat

Lan, our guide, checked with us if we want a route that’s swarming with travelers, but covers three caves or a more isolated ride with just 2 caves.  We picked the later, since we are not new to the crowds & anytime back home we can get to it 😊. Boat ride on a narrow water way on Trang An was the highlight of the day.   We hopped on to small boats at the dock, two in one boat, paddled by a lady rower, & a two hour ride through rice paddies, lime stone formations, caves & rural countryside which was, I fall short of words here, simply mesmerizing.

First of, the lady rowers used their legs to row the boat.  Oh Yes.  That’s a sight to watch. They seemed skilled in paddling the boat, that even if you watched them during the entire trip you will not be bored. And the technique needed to maneuver the boats under the caves, is special.

Getting into the caves  from the eyes of the other boat

Close up of one of the cave entrances where we could sit straight 

Quite dark inside the caves and the rowing ladies use headlights to show them the way, and eerie fear takes over and we were holding each other’s hand inside the caves while watching our heads, especially with our tallest girl, Jay, amidst us. As we went through portions of the cave we had to sit on the bottom of the boat and duck down. The Trang An caves were short, but beautiful. Our favorite part of the boat tour was going through one of the caves and coming out into a crystal clear, aqua blue lake.

Sudha and Rosy in their boat enjoying the ride

There were times when we felt like we were the only ones there and its easy to get lost in the beauty of the area. The boat ride took us through vibrant green paddy fields, with those occasional rural homes, tucked away in mountains amidst all those erupting limestone cliffs all around. Ninh Binh is dominated by the large limestone karst peaks which create steep vertical cliffs covered in plants. Unlike a traditional mountain range where the slopes connect to each other in a long undulating stretch, most of these peaks stand in isolation – making them even more dramatic in appearance.

Reflection of nature's bounty on placid water

posing with our traditional Vietnamese hats

Our boats went underneath this bridge and got us squealing like little children

It was so scenic, that all of us were equally overwhelmed at its beauty. It was as though, Vietnam was telling us, “You asked for peace, quiet and serenity amidst your busy life?”. Here it is drink as much as you want from the fountain of nature I am offering you !!!. Nature at its rejuvenating best showing us the prettiest and the most unspoilt part of Vietnam for more than 2 hours.

Sudha and Rosy from our boat on the way back

Ducks swimming, Lotus patches and un spoilt nature 

Ninh Binh is quite appropriately nicknamed the “The Ha Long Bay in the land” with hundreds of limestone cliffs sprouting from the ground, scattered across the vivid green paddy fields, showcasing majestic and impressive natural landscapes.

Vietnamese traditional hat and Sudha's Lotus

Sudha's Creativity

If I close my eyes, everything else fades into obscurity and I still get to see the spectacular natural beauty of Ninh Binh, filling me with tranquility.

The mesmerizing natural beauty which refuses to go out of our minds

Da Nang City, Vietnam

After a good night’s rest, we, the babes 😊 were ready for the grind of the second day. And as in any of our trips, we are up and ready, as early as 6.30 am.

This day's excitement was a different kind, as we were all going to dress in similar costume.  The pictures will tell you that.  We had planned it well in advance and we picked it all up in November last year and that gives you a little clue about the way we plan our trips.

One of the marble structures at Marble mountain - Buddha teaching his disciples

Dragon at Marble Mountain, Da Nang

The first stop on day 2 was Marble mountains. The Marble Mountains are a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Da Nang. The five mountains are named after the five basic elements of life – Metal, Air, Water, Plant and Soil. We had to cross villages that are involved in marble crafts from Da Nang and we stopped at a huge locally owned crafts store before we landed at Marble mountains. Its interesting to watch the varying colour tones of the marbles that are used for the craft depending on the mountain they came from.

The Marble Mountains were not named by the Vietnamese, but by the French after studying the chemical element of the mountain’s soil. In Vietnamese, it is known as Ngu Hanh Son (The Five Element Mountain). Named by King Minh Mang, the five mountains were once a favorite destination for either the noble classes to visit or the anchorites, a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and institution, to set up sanctuaries. However, the history of this mountain cluster can be traced to hundreds of years before that, when the whole region still belonged to the Cham Kingdom ( The Chams are a Malay people and the remnants of the ancient kingdom of Champa, which ruled southern Vietnam and Cambodia for more than 1000 years).

Girl squad in front of the Pagoda at MM

Upon arrival at the base of Marble mountains, we saw lots of souvenir shops around.   Nyugen warned us that most of them are fake stuff so we didn’t try to even check them out.   Nyugen took us to the ticket booth for the elevator which took us to the top of the marble mountain – saved us both time and energy. As the elevator climbed higher and higher, we couldn’t help but admire the beautiful trees and lush greenery growing out of the mountain. The first thing that we saw on our landing was the Pagoda. And as we walked the path at Marble mountains, we were presented with options, and none that disappointed us. Pathways split off left and right, each twist and turn leads to yet another cave, temple, or viewpoint. None of the paths were too challenging, and each one had a nice surprise at the end.

White Buddha Statue at Marble mountain

Over millions of years, the rain has eroded these limestone karsts decorating them with incredible fractal patterns along the stone walls and carving out giant caves that just beg to be explored. In some caves, our pulse quickened as the cave we wandered into suddenly becomes narrow. The daylight becomes useless as we moved into the shadowy passage and out of its light. The people in front of us disappeared as they round the corner and descend the staircase into the next room. The air is subtly scented with incense and a dim light beckons from ahead.  We four unconsciously slip into silence and communicate just with our eyes and gestures.  I was greatly worried if any of us would have a fall as the steps in certain parts were quite slippery.

In most significant points at Marble mountains, we were welcomed by the warm glow of candles, smoky scents of incense sticks and sounds of hushed voices you find inside of a temple. A giant stone carved Buddha watches over as you take in the scene.

A giant Buddha at Marble Mountain within one of the caves

Stepping on each rustic stone stair, listening to our own heart beat among the swinging rhythm of the forest, we could still feel the hundred-year-old statues whispering stories of the old days. Crowded and taciturn, high-tech and ancient, crafted and pristine, the Marble Mountains stand as a bridge leading us from the present to the past.  Visiting the Marble Mountains, walking  the steps and touching  the stone walls of the ancient caves  we understood more about this country , their people, and our own inner peace, more than any words can attempt to describe.

Some crazy shots we are capable of taking.

Getting all the four into a single frame is always a challenge and we  either have to take help of our guide or ask strangers unashamedly for pictures to be taken, which we are quite used to, by now.  In one of the caves, we approached a solo traveler, and he graciously obliged and we asked where he was from and he courteously answered "England".  When he wanted to know where we were from, I answered - one of your ex-colonies. Pat came the reply from him, " which one?"  and yeah we had a good laugh at that. When your country has habitually colonized most of the parts of the world, you are so right in asking such a question !!

yet another one in Marble Mountain

We had to make the most of the time that we had in Da Nang city as we were flying to Ha Noi city the same day, and so our next stop was the Dragon bridge and Love Lane.  Da Nang is one of Vietnam’s principal port cities. Located in the south-central region of the country, at the mouth of the Han River, Da Nang is an important commercial and educational center as well as a critical transportation hub. 

The fire breathing, water spitting Dragon Bridge across Han river

Close up of the Dragons face

Dragon Bridge in Da Nang is the longest bridge in Vietnam, offering a dazzling display of lights, fire, and water. Measuring at 666 meters in length, it is located in Da Nang City and constructed in the shape of a golden dragon. The six-lane bridge crosses the Han River and was officially opened in 2013. According to local beliefs, which date back to the Ly Dynasty, the dragon is a significant symbol of power, nobility and good fortune. While it’s a magnificent sight at any time of the day, Dragon Bridge Da Nang is particularly cool (and packed with sightseers) in the evening as it is illuminated with colorful LED lights. On weekends and annual festivities, the state-of-the-art bridge is also scheduled to spit water or breathe fire from its mouth.

There are also plenty of riverfront bars, restaurants, and cafes offering terrace seats that overlook Vietnam’s longest bridge. Our itinerary was so packed we could not see the fire breathing Dragon bridge in the night.  Yep.  We missed that one too.

My favourite pic of the day - at a cafe overlooking the dragon bridge

Adjacent to the Dragon bridge on the sides of Han river is a lane that is lined with posts on which a number of red heartines are hung.   This is the love lane and the bright red hues of the hearts did make us feel teenagers again.

Inside the Cham museum

The last pit stop for us at Da Nang was the Museum of Cham sculpture.  The museum houses the world's largest collection of Cham sculpture and is a popular tourist attraction in Da Nang as well. For us four, who are from Chennai, ( Jay really is not, but yeah she’s been living here for a considerable amount of time), after seeing all the sculptures at Mahabalipuram, this really did not awe us.  But yes, it did give us a cultural perspective with the Hindu deities including Murugan and other popular Hindu goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswathi, on display.  And most importantly we could see pictures of My Son Temple, that was destroyed in the Vietnam war, along with the early day history, their music, crafts and festivities of the Vietnamese people. Looking at the galleries of the My Son temple ruins, we got a peek into how violent conflict and warfare could ruin a country’s infrastructure and economy, and also create physical and psychological damage to its citizens.

Outside the Cham Museum

Why a girls getaway is important?

We, the babes, ( look at the audacity of calling ourselves that) just got back from our trip this monday and we had a really awesome trip.  

Keep guessing the location, that we went to, which I plan to reveal shortly.  ( just to keep you all, my readers wondering!!)

But before I put together the experiences of the wandering souls, I wanted to tell you all why it is important for the girls to getaway in the first place.

1. Bonding – Not that we girls need to get away someplace to do this,  but when you live together for few days, there is an intimacy that we get to experience which beats every other short get together's.   We get to know the sleep cycles, fitness schedules – didn’t help coz we never even gave fitness a thought during the holidays, eating habits, bargaining skills, technical capabilities with gadgets, posing skills, organizing abilities and why, we even know each other’s weird potty behaviors and menstrual cycles.  Over all these, we really bonded over small talk, deep conversations and mindless prattles.
2. Laugh for no reason –  Each of us have varying range of laughter – the loud gurgling laughter that is mine, Sudha’s Guffaw, Rosy’s belly laughter and the modest of all, Jay’s chuckle.  We can see something together and laugh heartily in our own special ways, and you see laughter is the best medicine.
3. Get away from real life for a short while – All the 4 of us play different roles in our personal and professional lives like every other woman around the world and its our second nature to multitask and play these roles to a T.  There are also times these roles overwhelm us and we may not even show it out to the others including family.  The Girls trip is a perfect getaway to forget all our roles briefly and just hang out with the soul sisters just to rejuvenate each other in order to get back to reality and live it all up to the expectations of the loved ones.
4. Do mindless stuff -  Yes Yes Yes.  This is the perfect opportunity for us mothers not to worry about being role models to our little ones and big ones, and do stuff which suits our whims.  Like for example, taking pictures, plonking on the middle of the road.  Having a conversation over a bottle of homemade brew of wine, or just laugh our heart out listening to stories.
5. Understand how much we mean to each other -  yeah we know, we mean a lot to each other.   But there are moments in a trip, which will make this evident and the love shines through.   Like for example, when we met Rosy at the airport we were jumping in a huddle, screaming our heads off, our guide was kind of taken aback.  Nyugen our guide had a few intimate questions to us after she saw us do that.  There are also incidents which showcased our love for each other and I will let the girls do separate blogs on this.
6. The girls are worth it – for all the hard work we put round the clock all around the year at our workplaces and at our homes, we deserve this break and we need to do this at least every year, if not more frequently. The memories we create are a little gift to ourselves and fuels us to go through life unabated, and keeps us looking forward to the next one to come.
7. Feel empowered – When you prove to yourself that you are capable of some new learning and new ways of working things out, empowerment is on its way.  Travelling with a bunch of girls and doing it in a poised way, gaining knowledge about other cultures, going around this universe makes you realize, how small and insignificant one is.  And that is empowerment in itself.   While the girls getaways are common, we still have people around us who cannot do it for various reasons, and there also ones who can do it and the simple verdict is travel, and especially travelling with girl gangs makes you feel empowered.  Just the sheer act of surviving a new place, new culture around unknown country men gives that empowerment.
8. Enjoy the nature  - Ah, how I can I ever explain this.   Nature is intrinsically  adorable and there is mother nature who will surprise you venerably with her astoundingly vibrant beauty.   The more you enjoy nature the more you want to be one with her.   Atleast this time, the girls were mesmerized by the voluptuous natural beauty of the location we chose, offered us and we are still in a daze.  Good enough reason to get away with girls.
9. Talk about absolutely anything and anyone – Uninhibitedly  chatter away about work place friends, our children, our other friends, our spouses, our dreams, our fears and this list is endless. 
10. Root for each other – The best of the things that happens in a girls trip is how we highlight the positives of each person, from our physical appearance to our talents, our interests in life, accomplishments, our cooking, organizing, tactical abilities in every conversations that we have.   It could simply be how well someone can pose for a stunning photograph at the right angle to highlight the right curvatures or probably the ability to manage all the photographs in a cloud platform, without making a hefty payment for storage 😊

So, my question remains.

Which location do you think we chose this time. 

Post script :

For the first timers here, we, the group of 4 ladies, who call ourselves, babes, purely because we are narcissistic, went earlier to Banglok in the year 2017 and then to Bali in 2018. 

What does Love feel like?

Love feels like

Those twinkling eyes

Full of mischief

Waiting to receive me

Love feels like

The bags of medication

You pick up 

When you get to know, am ill

Love feels like

Taste of Betadine

That is used to gargle 

When my throat is sore

Love feels like

All those little white lies

Which you utter

and we both know what they are

Love feels like

Sitting beside you

And looking out of that window

Into nothing specific, may be just a dump yard

Love feels like

That soft call in the middle of the night

When I have slowly gathered

The entire bedspread to my side

Love feels like

That voice that tells me

You snored but I am okay with it

When I know how you hate it

Love feels like

You waking up

At the slightest noise

When I come into the room

Love feels like

The gleam on your face

When you see the sparkle of my pendant

at the breakfast table

Love feels like

That touch of your palms

On my aching back

When I complain of pain

Love feels like

All the little things you do

To put a smile on my face

Without expecting anything in return

The final blow

You drew memories in my mind

I could never erase

You painted colors in my heart

I could never replace

I didn’t see this coming

But you knew all along

Nudging me to get there

Inch by inch

How could you roll up all those little punches

Into one massive blow

Tossing me into infinite numbness

Breathless, Worthless

Our pacts forgotten

Winning hands down

Willing to let go

Tumbling the crazy hormones out of control

Well timed, well aimed

Murderous, monstrous

Lethal

The final blow.

My Gangsta girls

The year started with a Theatre show on 5^th of January 2019 for which I have been on rehearsals during the holiday season.

I was trying out a completely new genre of Theatre, which resembles a monologue, but really is a Soliloquy, laced with physical theatre, a form of theatre which uses physical movements to convey the expressions and story.  The play was titled “Heroes and Psychos” where six theatre artists, were showcasing the real life stories  of 3 unsung heroes and 3 weird pyscho’s.

There you go.  No prizes for guessing that I got to do the role of a Psycho. 

Yes. Leanarda Cianciulli,  An Italian serial killer, famously known as the soap killer. You can read up about her here..

I had to pinch myself when the director Chandrasekhar, called me and said, Madam, when I wrote the script for this play, I had you in mind and knew you will fit this role really well.  I refused initially, saying I cannot take demanding rehearsal schedules, but he managed to persuade me to take it up.  Apparently Chandru and Sudharsan (both from the theatre fraternity and from a group called Veshadharis in Chennai) had seen one of my shows and wanted to work with me.   

After reading the script, I wasn’t sure if they meant to compliment me by that.  That’s another point of discussion.

After the first rehearsal, Chandru told me you sound like a anchor / Trainer and need to overact.  Overact 200 percent!!!  Really?  For heaven sake, yes I am in the Learning industry more than I have been in Theatre, and I am going to sound like a trainer!!

J told me “just be yourself Vincy”  merciless pun indeed.

Once I was committed, there was no turning back.  Rehearsals, practice at home, writing the lines down to get them really into my aging brain. Yeah I do all of that stuff.  The most interesting part is I keep practicing my lines while I am driving, and at a signal, scared the hell out of a guy who was staring at me, by the elaborate use of my hands.  Was I embarrassed?  No!!

I, Once went  to the rehearsals late and it was closing time at AF ( Alliance Franciase at Chennai) and the director wanted to wrap it up.  I wouldn’t budge, I wanted a rehearsal and did it in the open Amphitheatre at AF.  The whole place was crowded with people, and as part of physical theatre, I had to act like picking up an imaginary axe and kill a woman..  There was a mother and a 6 – 7 year old son sitting at the far end of one of rows I was acting, and I walked upto them and bent down to pick up the imaginary axe and swung it.  They looked perplexed and walked away from there much to the amusement of the audience who were watching me perform.  

It was hard work, but I was enjoying it, most importantly it gave me the most important distraction I needed.

The other 5 artists were all much senior to me in theatre experience and one of the guys had a 20 year experience in theatre.   I even stopped watching other’s rehearsals, so I wouldn’t get petrified looking at their performances.

I wasn’t marketing the play much, as I wasn’t sure of myself.  Anyway on the show day, my loyal gang of girls, Jay and Sudha came in, on their own, without any bit of persuasion.  Same was the case with Anita, my seafarer friend, who is on her short vacation from her work in a Cruise ship at Royal Caribbean,  yeah can you believe I have friend who works in a cruise ship as a learning consultant, a three stripe officer?

Onstage, it is a different story -  I forget myself and turn into Leonarda.

The curtain call over, I walked upto the girls, Jay and Sudha and the look on their eyes said it all.  Worth all the hard work.  Full of praises, they said I was convincing as a serial killer and really looked like one too on stage.  Then they added, next girls trip Vincy, we don’t want to share room with you.  We don’t want to be turned into teacakes and soaps.

Ashwani, a co-artiste and probably the best of all I have seen so far, came up to me and said, by the second killing I started hating you Vincy. That’s an amazing recognition of the role I played. I actually had a few girls who wanted a picture with me, after appreciating my performance.

I had to drop off Anita on my return and she explained how she always looked upto me about how I managed multiple stuff at home and office,  and asked me, how did you do that acting bit Vincy?  Visibly shaken by the act of Psychos, she told me she is so proud of me. The adrenaline rush after the show during the curtain call, and while these appreciations pour in, is worth every bit of hard work. 

The next day morning there was messages / calls from the Gangsta again.   Jay says she woke up in the middle of the night and remembered my murderous face.  Sudha elaborated on how I transitioned from expressions of happiness, anger, love, sadness and being a pyscho. I was on Anita’s WhatsApp status mentioning, she is in awe of me.

That’s when I realized how important it is to have your own Gang of Girls and this MEME made more sense than ever !!!!

Pradeep

How do I  introduce  Pradeep to all  of you? I  really  got to think, so  that I can do  that without getting emotional.

Pradeep is a tall, sinewy gentleman brimming with positive spirit, so full of chivalry and etiquette.  If you have served the Indian Army, you would learn it automatically, I guess.  Ah, and he always wears a cap.

I got to meet him sometime around 2015 in our walking track that I frequent and the friendly person he is, waved a big hi loudly, with a broad smile.  I liked him instantly.

I don’t remember how we got speaking, but many of the days this man’s “Hi Ms. Vincy“ got me going an entire day, presumably.  I always wish him back saying "Hi Pradeep" ( the only name I remember from the people on the track other than Susan, my friend)  with a smile from my soul, which I reserve for only special people.

Our walk timings were different and Pradeep always jogs and so, on most days we crossed each other, but on few days, I would hear the cheerful greeting coming in from behind and passing me – perhaps Pradeep was late those days. I have seen Pradeep cycling upto the track and he carries a little backpack.

I remember this very clearly – A Monday in November 2016, I had a particularly bad weekend, 7^th of November, I reached the walking track, gloomy and dejected wondering how I was going manage my own company.  I heard a voice asking me, can I walk with you today, Ms. Vincy?  I found that invite god sent. Pradeep, it was, and the only time we walked together.

He told me lot of stuff that day, we shared details about our families, he spoke about spirituality, our faith and how the spirit had led him all through his life and yes about stuff like Machine Learning that he is interested in.  And in the passing he also told me he was a grade IV cancer survivor having gone through multiple surgeries and is on extreme medication.  But he said that so positively, that I didn’t dare ask him anything more about his ailment – he didn’t look like he was ailing.   I thanked Pradeep profusely  for lifting my spirits up on that particularly bad morning.

Pradeep became an instant motivator for me.  When my spirits were down, all I had to do was to think of Pradeep and my positivity jumped several notches up. 

One of the days, out of the blue, he checked if he can mentor my son.  I couldn’t believe he was offering a help without being asked.  Pradeep was head of Training at Blue Dart Aviation, after his stint in army, and told me he was already mentoring some youngsters.  Unbelievably Pradeep called Dennu the very day I sent the contact, not only did he mentor him, he got him an amazing internship Project, at Blue dart Aviation attached to the Chennai airport and Dennu found it so interesting that he was totally excited.  He was part of the complete check of Blue Dart Boeing 757 as part of his internship.  An enormous favour I was not probably entitled to, really. 

J wanted to meet Pradeep  and one day during January this year, we finally met up - J and I, Pradeep and Anita ( Pradeep’s wife), and made plans to meet up for dinner sometime when J comes down from Cochin.

Pradeep’s trips to the walking track was getting less frequent and I stayed in touch with him once in a while through messages, but realised the ailment was playing havoc with his life.  He preferred landlines and specific timings and I was more worried about being a bother whenever I wanted to call him.

In the month of May, on one of my regular walk back, a fellow walker, who has hardly spoken to me, stopped me and said, Your friend from the airport, he passed away.  I couldn’t comprehend who he was speaking about, and kept looking at him.  He said Madam, he is the only one who you speak to in the walking track, and then it suddenly struck me.  PRADEEP.  God.

Anita, Pradeep’s wife, called Dennu a couple of days later and told him about his demise and how both of them used to pray for the youngsters that Pradeep used to mentor. That was so touching.  I spoke to Anita too, and she was so full of composure and told me they were expecting this and were prepared. Apparently during his last few days, he was on palliative care at Military hospital, Chennai. He was taken to Bangalore the same day he passed away and his Funeral was there.

Does God take away the real good ones early?

Every now and then in the walking track, when I see a tall guy around the corner, I wonder if it is Pradeep. Then I realise he is no more.

As I am writing this, I am wondering if this has something to do with me changing my walking track to St. Thomas Mount.

Post Script :

Miss you deeply Pradeep.  You Rest in Peace.