Suganda trip to India - April 2014
Day 1, Bangalore: Journeyed 26 hours from SFO to Bangalore and waited patiently to get my Baggage and waited, and waited, finally... my luggage has to be the last one ;). Another journey to Whitefield having an animated conversation with the driver... him in fast Kannada and me, a mixture of Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and English. Called Sreenath and with him guiding me using Google Maps, I finally reached my destination. It is 3:45AM and surprise! The Lift (Elevator), does not work. Dreading taking the flight up seven stories with the luggage. Wait, let me press all the buttons.... Ta da it works!
Spending some special time with my dearest Mom-in-law. Meeting my friend and shopping with cousins-in-law. Dinner at my favorite restaurant, Rajdhani in Forum Mall. Life is good!
Day 2, Mysore: After a long 4 hour journey from Bangalore (Whitefield) to Mysore. Settled in at "Emerald House" along with many family members of Rachna Prasad. First Practice done, weather hotttttttt, a/c or air cooler & fan ON still making no difference. It is time to grin and bear. Oh weather god, please have some mercy on me!
Day 3: Total bonding time with Rachna. We decided that it is best to stay together, as it was lot easier to practice without getting caught in the days traffic. Woke up to the smell of coffee and tea being served. Had breakfast of Idli, sambar and chutney. Time to go off and visit Mysore silk saree original factory. Amazing intricacies, spinning, weaving, designing, dyeing, ironing and off to Showroom.... . A small damage to the wallet ;)
Time for lunch, roti, sabji, besi bella bath etc., It is time for rehearsals again: A full Margam, and now it is time for dinner, a long walk and the day is done. Ready to do it all over again tomorrow.
Day 4: Exhausted from the heat and it is only 7 am. I feel like a tender flower withering in the sun. Woke up at 5.30 am to the noise of the neighborhood, noise seems to permeate thorough the closed doors and sealed windows of an Air conditioned room. The swelling of the feet from the arduous journey from US needs to go down asap. Decided to take in a good Ayurvedic foot massage to help me start the day with my best foot forward. Aaaah feeling good now, time to start rehearsals. Rachna sailed through 5 items before we decided to take a break and resume rehearsals when the weather cools down in the evening.
It is Lunch time: The cook is excelling himself as the days progress. I had my staple, Chappati, sabji, sambar, rasam and yummy delicious Kheer (mmm… I am in sweet heaven). Time to relax, or maybe go to the mall…..
Ha Ha no mall near here. Went to a local store (reminded me of James street, Secunderabad. Picked up some simple Salwar suits. Evening rehearsal, Shankarabharanam, Karnataka Devagandhari, Bowli. Just a few corrections, some adjustments and the items are looking great. Time to watch some TV serials and have some lazy time. To go for a walk or not to go for a walk…Need to go to bed early, we are starting rehearsals early tomorrow, before the sun starts beating down on us.
Day 5: Started the day early, to beat the heat with Rehearsals starting at 8.40 am and completed by 11 am. Lunch is not expected to be ready for another hour or so.
We decided to take a trip to the theatre, a Grand entrance, the grandeur and history (it is over 100 years old) welcomed us in. The theatre needs a complete over hauling, its upkeep has been dismal to say the least. I guess this is what happens when you hand over history to the Indian Government. With cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and seat cushions flat, I felt my heart sinking. My sensitive nose picked up a stench (hoping a good room spray will fix it). Had a conversation with the person in-charge and he gave us a short history. This theatre was built for the wedding of Sri Krishna Rajendra Vodaiyar about 100 years ago. Not sure if he really got married in this hall though. The recess lighting does not work and they have standard tube lighting and electric fan. Rachna's family have hired a lobby decorator to transform the Hall. Looking forward to a new look at the theatre on Saturday.
Now off to a special treat, (A private tour of Jagan Mohan Palace). The whole family including the little one (2 year old) walked all around the palace. We got to see the original weapons (Swords, lancer, cannon) and a room full of stuffed animals that were hunted by the raja and Maharajas. The beautiful throne in gold, the beautiful Goddess Chamundeshwari the presiding deity of the Raja Family and of course the special room where the king has special discussions with his ministers and the dancers. It is now time for lunch, rest up and window shopping and off to bed.
Day 6: The weather is getting hotter. We decided to have stage rehearsals as early as possible. Got to the theatre and started rehearsals - wait, the mikes don't work yet. Luckily the air coolers were brought to save the day. With the stage rehearsals a complete success, we came back to our base for some R and R. Both Rachna and I decided to take a head massage to calm our nerves. With dinner done, it was decided that we will have a late start. Ok time to go to bed…… What is it 1AM? OMG, why can't I sleep yet? No problem, I will wake up late ;)
Day 7: I had set the alarm to 8 am and I woke up at 5.45 am. The weather is warming up quickly, iweather predicts the it will reach 95 degrees….
Got ready had breakfast and took off to the theater to meet with Srivatsa, Nagaraj and the crew for stage set up, lights, camera action. We decided to get the mike check done early and head back to the Guest house before we head back to the theater for make-up and costume. On second thought we decided to bring the Make-up artist to the guest house and get dressed in the room (with A/C). We were all poised to start at 5 pm but decided to delay the start time with the advice from the locals so that we could have a full house. Time to start…Stage puja, intro, prayer, and Rachna is on the stage. Time flew by and Rachna completed her arangetram with a flawless performance. The chief guest Smt. Tulsi Ramachandra, talked well and wished us both a wonderful future. Shruthi, the MC was flawless and clear. Jayendra Kalakendra now has 37 students who have completed their arangetram.
Day 8: US here I come…. :)
