A week back or so, me and family took a short vacation, a short idyllic trip, south of Mysore. My youngest daughter fell sick with some temperature, but my wife was prepared with paracetemol syrup for the trip. We were not planning too many activities. The wild life safari we wanted to go to, got cancelled - that was probably the only loss. Since the Kabini reservoir area, where we went is quite remote from suburbia, and a sister of my close friend was a practicing doctor nearby, I took it as an opportunity to visit her and take my little one to get a medical-professional-opinion, just in case. It was nice to see her after many-many years. Last time I saw Padmaja (my friend's sister), I think she was getting married - 15 years back or so. She prescribed some anti-biotics, my daughter got some rest sleeping in her house for a few hours. Though it was an unplanned stop, I wanted to see for myself the good work Padmaja, her husband Balu, and her colleagues were part of - the SVYM (Sri Vivekananda Youth Movement). My elder daughter was a bit grumpy about the detour - precious family vacation time was getting wasted because of this detour and stop. She was not getting to do much, sitting and listening to adult conversation, which from her context didn't make any sense, and was least entertaining.
After a week, I have been thinking - did I get the full ROI on my trip - the rates of resort stay, hotel stay in Mysore, was quite expensive. We drove all the way close to 250 kms one way and back. When I came back to Bangalore, the car wouldn't start (battery problems), another impending expense - added to it, my daughter fell sick ! So was the trip really worth it ?
You and I both know that a trip/journey's merit cannot be measured by the things you did, the total 'pleasure' factor you derived, the number of photos you clicked. I think it is mostly the after effects of the journey/trip - that warm/fuzzy intangible after-journey-thing is the objective rather than the destination itself.
In this trip itself, I discovered two more such warm/fuzzy stories - unintended consequences of the good kind.
The SVYM (http://www.svym.net/) was started by a bunch of medical professionals, who wanted to make a difference in rural India, many a years back. Their collective work, sacrifices is quite commendable. However, in the process of enhancing rural medical health, the setup has branched out into many unintended spheres of rural life - education, social engineering, rural economy etc. Apart from Primary Health Care centers, SVYM also runs schools, funds road building projects, brings accountability to rural governance using RTI etc. All-in-all, I feel it is a great story when a few good people with honorable intentions commit their education, energies, life to a specific noble cause (rural health in this case), resulting in many other good things.
The other story is that of Kabini reservoir itself. I remember when I was a kid and my father had an acquaintance who owned a Coorg Coffee plantation. My father being a high school teacher had taken the task of giving extra coaching to his son - Bopanna, who was academically challenged. My dad, had his own principles in his life and wasn't too keen on minting money out of education as a profession. Though the trend of education-as-business with tuition centers, coaching outside school had already started three decades back, it was not as ugly as these days. My dad wasn't able to make our family financially stronger because of his principles perhaps. Side story apart, Bopanna's father offered our family a trip to his coffee plantation near Nagarahole forest reserve as a thanks giving gesture to my dad's efforts with his son. I recall seeing hoards of elephants, bisons in that trip. Also, I remember being told that forest was getting reduced with rapid agriculture, many people getting displaced due to irrigation projects, animals invading his coffee plantation because of lack of water, human activities etc... I was too young to comprehend and understand all that - then.
After a week, I have been thinking - did I get the full ROI on my trip - the rates of resort stay, hotel stay in Mysore, was quite expensive. We drove all the way close to 250 kms one way and back. When I came back to Bangalore, the car wouldn't start (battery problems), another impending expense - added to it, my daughter fell sick ! So was the trip really worth it ?
You and I both know that a trip/journey's merit cannot be measured by the things you did, the total 'pleasure' factor you derived, the number of photos you clicked. I think it is mostly the after effects of the journey/trip - that warm/fuzzy intangible after-journey-thing is the objective rather than the destination itself.
In this trip itself, I discovered two more such warm/fuzzy stories - unintended consequences of the good kind.
The SVYM (http://www.svym.net/) was started by a bunch of medical professionals, who wanted to make a difference in rural India, many a years back. Their collective work, sacrifices is quite commendable. However, in the process of enhancing rural medical health, the setup has branched out into many unintended spheres of rural life - education, social engineering, rural economy etc. Apart from Primary Health Care centers, SVYM also runs schools, funds road building projects, brings accountability to rural governance using RTI etc. All-in-all, I feel it is a great story when a few good people with honorable intentions commit their education, energies, life to a specific noble cause (rural health in this case), resulting in many other good things.
The other story is that of Kabini reservoir itself. I remember when I was a kid and my father had an acquaintance who owned a Coorg Coffee plantation. My father being a high school teacher had taken the task of giving extra coaching to his son - Bopanna, who was academically challenged. My dad, had his own principles in his life and wasn't too keen on minting money out of education as a profession. Though the trend of education-as-business with tuition centers, coaching outside school had already started three decades back, it was not as ugly as these days. My dad wasn't able to make our family financially stronger because of his principles perhaps. Side story apart, Bopanna's father offered our family a trip to his coffee plantation near Nagarahole forest reserve as a thanks giving gesture to my dad's efforts with his son. I recall seeing hoards of elephants, bisons in that trip. Also, I remember being told that forest was getting reduced with rapid agriculture, many people getting displaced due to irrigation projects, animals invading his coffee plantation because of lack of water, human activities etc... I was too young to comprehend and understand all that - then.
But looking back, I think life has come a full cycle - the very irrigation project Bopanna's father probably referred to - Kabini which was commissioned in 1974, has become a life sustaining force for both Bandipur and Nagarhole wild life reserves. Because of the Kabini dam, there is huge artificial lake created which provides water to both the forests and the wild life in it. I don't think when Kabini dam was envisaged, the wild life angle was thought about. A highly disruptive, eco-disturbing activity of 1970's with the good intention of irrigation is paying dividends in the past few years in being able to sustain wild life.
The above is not to justify all engineering, mega-earth-moving projects which are ecologically disruptive. However, there is a silver lining to every well intentioned task, be it small, medium or big, when people start it with good intentions.
Of course, the road was not smooth - in the literal sense the ones I drove on as well as the one the SVYM folks have trudged for many years. But in the end, I think it is worth the trip.
As Deepak Chopra, the eternal optimist says, "When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities."
The above is not to justify all engineering, mega-earth-moving projects which are ecologically disruptive. However, there is a silver lining to every well intentioned task, be it small, medium or big, when people start it with good intentions.
Of course, the road was not smooth - in the literal sense the ones I drove on as well as the one the SVYM folks have trudged for many years. But in the end, I think it is worth the trip.
As Deepak Chopra, the eternal optimist says, "When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities."
Quite sure you are having your own wonderful/adventurous journey of life as you read this blog. Never mind the bumps and grinds, take a few moments to enjoy the panorama. Cheers !
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| Mysore and Kabini Trip |
