Saturday 31 October 2015

Madras Again

I ate at a road side dosa place for first two weeks of my arrival in Chennai. It was run by an old couple. Their children, two boys in their twenties and a younger girl also helped them in running the everyday show.

As usual all my communications were limited to key words and numbers, since I still do not know Tamil. Shame on me. Well, that's topic for another blog. In this one interesting things happen on the day 9.

After 9 days, the lady, I called her akka, which means older sister, spoke to me in clear and well pronounced Hindi. She pattered away in good bambaiya Hindi as I looked at her with my mouth open.

When I did speak I only said Kyun? (Why?) She laughed a hearty laugh and her family joined in. 


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I was in Mahabalipuram, there are some really good granite rocks for climbing around there.

I reached very early and tried my hand at a few easy climbs, warming up for a decently steep climb. I had run 30 km a day before and I did have much faith in my toes. I could barely trust my hands: it had rained the morning: I would keep chalking them up and water hidden in cracks would keep wetting my hands. You get the picture, I was struggling and making excuses.

There was a pair of friends (males) watching me sitting near the carved elephants. When I reached the top, they seemed so far away.

I could not trust myself on the way down, but luckily there  was a tree for me to climb down on. And so I started my hesitant descent on the tree.

"Shoes Tamil Tamil" one of them shouted. I understood he was asking me to take my shoes off.

"No, no. Okay. Special rubber" I replied in my excellent Tamil.

"Grip-pa?" he replied in amazement and approval.

I got down and went to speak with them. They smiled and asked me in a friendly way: "training-ga?"

"Ama."

"Training two Tamil Tamil"

"Oh no, I am okay alone." I tried to explain. And added a joke "one man army," trying to be friendly to the uninteresting but interested locals. I come here and climb their rocks, they probably never think of climbing these. Maybe they will get inspired. Maybe one day they will also try climbing.

They spoke to each other for some time. "He going, one man army" said Arun pointing at Karthik. And I turned to see Karthik attempt the climb. I was worried I may have made it look too easy. "Rain, slippery" I tried to warn Karthik. But he did not listen, he slipped at the second foothold and slipped all the way down (8 feet or so) scratching his face on the way down. I felt rally bad. I tried to pick him up, but he refused help, a little embarrased.

Arun was laughing at him insensitively. I felt like saying something but I said nothing.

"I go" Arun said bragging. Foolhardy locals.

He made the whole climb in 30 second with bare feet. And screamed from the top. "Easy". Then he climbed down. Karthik and I urged him to take the tree after he was near the second from bottom foothold. He conceded.

I had still not got over the fact that an untrained local had done so much better than me. What do you do I asked. "Fisherman, two" he explained. Mahabalipuram is a fishing town! It all came together to me. 

I have been humbled many times before in life, and I should be smarter by now. But, well.

I hope to remember next time.

As a face saver, I should add this: "You army?" Arun asked me. It is one of the best compliments I have got in a very long time.