A Polish Picnic

Poland was a ‘black hole’ country…. till the time I stepped foot on this quaint land ….A small toyish aircraft took me to the city of Wroclaw..there were just 10 of us on that  journey. Quite unlike the jostling overcrowded glorified ‘corporation bus’ which I boarded from good old India…

As  I landed at the airport I was stunned at the size of the airport…it was like a ‘honey I shrunk the airport’ version….it was almost like a small walk-in store where you pick up luggage and walk out…!

As I checked into my hotel, I was amazed at it’s colonial environment….all the Charles Dickenson and Count of Monte Cristos of my childhood gushed into my mind as I tread over the wooden floors and marveled at the gigantic pillars and frescos…

The city to summarize is a charming tribute to the vintage era…the buildings have been retained at its most aesthetic best……..no artificial glass windows..no bumpy concrete structures to sour your eyes….its just magnificent architecture that takes you to the bygone Victorian era! The cobbled streets and little dwarf statues at each street corner spreads a cozy environment that is enchanting.

I was blessed to be in the city in the Christmas season and the festivities just brushed me into its folds…A Christmas carnival was glittering through the central square..small Polish stalls, Polish delicacies, miniature sleighs and a giant Christmas tree right at the heart of the square…!I At the end of it I was too was humming carols as I admired the little celebration that broke out every evening in the center of the city!

My last day was spent wandering through the bridges, rivers and the cathedrals of the city and the peace and serenity by the river was cherishing..the evening  was finally cut short by the large droplets of water that spluttered and added to the shivering bundle that I had become…I finally bid farewell to the beloved square and carried with me the little Polish ceramic tray that I bought and alongwith it the peaceful elegance that Wroclaw is all about!

The Indian Traveller

Over the past few trips outside motherland, I have idled away my time staring at my co-Indian passengers and all the time spent on such surveys seems to take on some strange ‘conclusions’ or perceptions as I would rather term them..

Why is it that the Indian flight lounge is always most crowded at every airport? And why does it seem like the space never seems to be enough??? Is it a mental illusion or is the density of population and luggages per square feet   really at its saturated height? A few hours of stopovers and there would be food packets, screaming babies and bags and baggages strewn around the lounges…

And then once the space problems are resolved and people take their designated lots, the ‘where are you going’ and ‘what are you doing’ conversations spark off almost instantaneously amongst the passengers..it is so easily forthcoming ..must be the DNA! Would you catch two strange British ‘stiff upper lips’ lock themselves in such conversations? A few minutes into the conversation and they would find a common ‘cousin’, neighbour or atleast at a minimum…the same ’native’ they probably originated from…The next step in this bonding exercise is the sharing of their ‘delicacies’ packed in neat packets and dabbas (depending on from where to where the flight is movingJ….)

And most often the leg of the journey decides the ‘bucketed’ travel lots that you would see…if it’s a flight from India to the popular NRI destinations of US and Europe..it would essentially have a few ‘suited seasoned’ travelers who would have no involvement in the charade described above..they would have a ‘Wall Street Journal’ pocketed somewhere around their being, a ‘how to win’ leather bound book clasped tightly…a boring grey/brown suitcase..as officious as one can look in the circumstances…But the majority are ‘aged parents’ on their journeys to meet their kids..most of them look troubled after being forced on with piles of ‘winter clothing’, our traditional ‘ammas’ pushed to wear some unmatching knee length coats, a few pleats of their beautiful printed sarees peeking out from the ‘Western’ outfit. And their eyes dart around anxious if the flight would be on time, the security procedures completed etc etc….and once they settle into the flight..they are eager to get to their kids and grand kids..And the last but not the least would be the newly wed ladies journeying across the seas to unite with their wedded better halves…they would be in their pristine best…the bright red sindoor shining from their straightened glistening mane..their limbs glittering with jewels (no doubt left over from the gala wedding)..already carrying the best branded bags and suitcases and in their best attire…that’s a crowd that cannot be matched up to…don’t even try…

And a reverse leg from the US and Europes of the world back to India would have the veteran NRIs forcefully bringing themselves back to India for ‘showing’ their ‘elementary, middle level’ kids what India is all about…the kids trapped in their Indian skins but mouthing ‘twanged and slanged’ accented English..then there are those returning after their ‘short service’ abroad…attempting to show off their newly acquired accent, gadgets and ‘foreign’ habits to the not so fortunate ‘first time outside India’ folks..

 But whatever real/fictional buckets you belong to, once you step out of the airport and its ‘foreign scented’ environment…hug a few of your loved ones…haggle a bit with the porter/cabbie… smell the aroma of the somosawallah on the strees….all the Indianness that you forgot or lost would possess you and unknowingly you slip into your mothertongue and merge with the crowd ..almost like you never left!

I amSTERDAM

Its a strange feeling when you write a travelogue of a place you have been as a teenager and then as an adult (that too the dreaded middle aged adulthood)….My last visit was as a short haired giggly school girl, in the company of my best friends..and now time machine got me to my latest visit as a seasoned ‘corporate’ adult..wrapped in the winter of adult ‘straight’ jackets…..!!

That apart the visit was as packed and short as the word short itself….we landed as a pack of vagabond ‘official’ team members…one hand supporting a laptop bag and the burdens that come with a pay packet and the other holding a camera to click a few glimpses of the famed beauty of Netherlands..We were transported to the little picturesque town called Noordwijk (a strange set of letters but pronounced very differently, don’t even attempt if you are the typical ‘Indian Englisher’)…The town is flanked by green and brown fields on both sides..waterways running through its heart ..and beautiful mansions dotting the already peaceful view…Its small roads don’t suffer the abuse of traffic blocks…its habitants I am sure has never heard the term ‘noise pollution’ in their entire existence…What stays in my memory is my little escapade in the wee morning hours ...the autumn colours changed from a deep twilight purple to a majestic yellow as the sun tossed its rays… it was worth the crazy alarm moment that shrilled through my ears…

After the three day grueling schedule, I got my one evening in Amsterdam. Canals and river ways meander through the length and breadth of this city..its a Victorian version of dear old Alapuzha (killing comparison I agree)…house boats…vintage mansions by the riverside…it’s a calming sight …a few dashed visits through the famed and notorious streets of Amsterdam and the night came to a close..time to head back to the routine and babble called India..

A turn back and the night sky glittered through the rivulets of water flowing under the bridges of Amsterdam..a moment that seeped in and probably would stick with me till my next visit as a shriveled old woman??:)

An Apple every day………….

A time to bow.. to the man who made an apple every day (vs an apple each day) a reality…I think back of the my childhood days when I had a small Apple computer (the prehistoric version of today’s lightning speed gadgets)..it used to be a utility item, fading into the furniture of our home – just a gadget to get through your requirements.

I take a quick train back to ‘now’ and I can’t help but be awed by the mark that an Apple has made in our world. Almost like a Midas touch - the simple ‘walkman’ was transformed into the iconic ‘ipod’, graham bell’s telephone was renovated into the uber cool ‘iphone’ and finally the all new entertainment avatar called ‘ipad’!! It just gets better, sleeker and more and more to die for.

I spent most of my years admiring the slew of gadgets from the gallery , recently my husband got ourselves into the surreal world of Apple..and its an experience worth every hard earned cent spent. It takes the virtual experience to a new level and it becomes an addiction that is difficult to break free from.

For now all I can say is it’s surely and definitely a JOB well done!

Bangalore Blues

Each place has a soul, a fragrance, a certain something that draws and strikes a chord with its people..Its the human sense of a place which transcends the brick, mortar and tar..It is that certain ‘connect’ that each person has with that city.

Its been 6 years in the city and I have searched for that one defining Bangalore factor and I guess I can’t help but pin it to its beautiful breezy weather..the rain gods bless Bangalore each time the Mercury crosses the thresholds of the Bangalorean (a very low threshold at that).

But that apart, it’s a city where word traffic rules hands down! The autocratic rule has made its presence felt so much that it is now the closest synonym of Bangalore. The roads are getting narrower, the vehicles are proliferating and the pits are getting deeper and larger. Each day is a struggle between man, vehicle and the cow on the road for its own space and most days I must confess that the cow finally wins that crucial battle. The flyovers and magic boxes don’t help in any way, the traffic just moves from junction to junction but never disappears…Its almost as if the city is trying to botox itself into a beauty queen, the facelifts and cosmetic surgery just delays or hides the decay for a while but the cracks and wrinkles are here to stay. The natural freshness of the city is tarnished each day with the monstrous concrete structures that mushroom by the minute.  The destruction of its lung spaces are so rapid that Google Maps is finding it difficult to keep abreast. The lakes have been devoured in the mad rush called ‘real estate boom’. I almost feel envious when I hear old timers speak of the Bangalore that was…what remains of its green glorious past is the Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park – the only place where you can hear the birds chirp instead of the loud horn of the ‘road-raged’ driver..and where you can seep in the serine greenery…

The city needs to find its soul soon.. away from the honking and screeching future that it is building for itself. Till then like any person in this city, I wait eagerly for the magical metro that will change this city forever!

No Child’s play

The new breed of Gen ZZZ atleast those singing and dancing their way through the ‘reality shows’ of our times seem to have lost that minty fresh halo called ‘childhood’. They seem more like genetically modified versions of children – glossed up with adolescence, dressed up in adulthood and balancing on the pointed heels of a hybrid of both. They talk big, walk mature and can’t be ‘shut up’! They prefer bollywood to walt Disney and I was even more stunned to hear a four year old laugh out loud at a so-called ‘adult gay’ joke at the movies. That’s the transition that I see right before my eyes.

Of course I can’t take away the talent and super smartness that they bring to the stage. Nor can I hide my amazement at the tech-savvy bundles that we create today. Probably I belong to the Enid Blyton era where enchanted forests and pixies ruled my childhood. But one change that I can see from yesteryears has to be the advent of Indian mythological characters into our play areas. It is quite a treat to hear the little ones cheer for Chota Bheem and throw a tantrum for a Hanuman Gatha – quite a rarity in the Snow White, Lion King filled play rooms of our times.

Its after all Generation Z..they would probably cross all boundaries and hurdles that we have set for ourselves. Is this a yawning ‘generation gapped grandmother’ perspective? The innocence of a 4 year old is his USP and if you don’t have it at 4 you definitely can’t have it back at 40 after you have been through the big bad world! This is their moment to scream out loud, play all day and cherish those carefree moments for the rest of their adult life – it’s a choice worth thinking about?

The Gods must be crazy rich

The unearthing of treasures at Padmanabha temple was more a page out of a fairytale than a news item to my eyes...sparkling jewels, historic ornaments and chests filled with gold coins..and the daily scorecard kept ticking-  finally ending with a big bang announcement that this is the numero uno wealthiest temple on our planet! I was equally dazzled by the piles of cash at Tirupathi temple a few years back and my eyes literally popped out seeing the heavy glitzy gold ornaments of the lord divine. If Richie Rich had a divine 'avtar' it had to be gods at the wealthy temples of India..the money at the lords' disposal is mind boggling and can wipe out the hunger and povery of our nation with a single stroke of the 'sacred' wand! What also amazes me is the amount of cash/kind 'donated' to the multibillion temples around us - a golden chariot here, a silver dome there, the list is endless. The same charitable donor would not part with his penny to the person begging for alms right outside the temple...he may never feed a single hungry mouth in his lifetime..never help a helpless patient get his right to live in a hospital.... but he would and he will surely contribute a fair share of his success with the Almighty! A true divine paradox!

Everybody on the ‘fasting’ track

Suddenly India’s food problem has hit us hard and everybody is doing their bit to ‘balance’ the imbalance..every person worth his salt (think Dandi..) has jumped on the bandwagon called ‘fasting’…Although I agree with the cause that is now associated with Anna..it was the need of the hour and a frustrated mass of people suddenly found a vent to dispel their year long disgust and it came out in various forms, shapes and found its solace in babas and annas of India. But suddenly the jailing, Gandhian angling and demonstration of support by the Opposition parties throws up an iota of doubt about the authenticity and real motive of the movement. Is the entire charade bordering on ‘drama’ and forces which would never have joined hands are embracing each other for a moment of media glory? But once I set aside the doubts regarding their motive and hunger for media attention, I am still with the Jan Lokpal. There is no reason why the PM or any authority in India needs to be exempt from its ambit, how can you designate a set of authorities with a ‘probable’ corruption tendency? The more the Government puts up his wall of defence, the more it reinforces the doubt in their ‘coverup’ act…and our Supremo was one person we all kept alive in the hope that he would be our crusader against corruption! And slowly and steadily sand is flowing through the hour glass and he stands as a bystander..helpless and clueless just like the ‘aam admi’!

For now, it would also help if the 'fasting' junta who is 'feasting' on the headlines it is creating contribute their daily meals to a few starving mouths...!!

The God Fearing Lawless Indian

Recently I saw a sign which said 'do not throw garbage' and my eye balls popped out to see that there was actually not a single packet of garbage in the vicinity....I looked up to the sky and thanked the country for finally getting its civic sense right..i glanced back at the sign board once again and was struck with the actual reason behind this 'civic' act of the public..there was a picture of one our many gods right next to the board....that was the trick...and it worked so beautifully that I was quite in awe of the brain behind the board.

The single virtue that is bequethed to every Indian and which stays with him through life and death has got to be the 'god-fearingness'  - the one virtue that we are so proud to practise, preach and showcase to the world. We will spit and paint a ‘do not spit here’ board red but shall abide by the ‘do not take your footwear inside’ board in a temple…We shall hurl abuses at a traffic policeman and fly past a red signal but shall never be caught uttering a discourteous word to a priest in a church…..That is the power of the fear of the god….an ounce of which doesn’t transcend to the fear of the law..and that’s where half if not most of India’s problems lie…We love the ‘cliched’ chaotic lawlessness around us…we don’t feel embarrassed  bribing an official… we don’t think twice before damaging public property for unknown causes…we love flaunting rules and hate standing in lines…but the same Indian cannot ever imagine breaking the unwritten ‘laws’ of the god…he will religiously follow his rituals, his beliefs and even his superstitions … no need for laws to drive that behavior in an Indian, no policemen to fine you ..no judge to punish you and yet you will follow it ‘religiously’ till your grave and ensure that people around you do the same….

Perhaps our laws should be adorned with pictures of the gods, our cops dressed in the garb of mythological and religious characters, sign boards be manufactured with shades of religious colours for a law-abiding ‘civil’ India? The final step would be to perhaps replace the father of the nation in all the rupee notes…perhaps that may turn out to be the one step solution to the abuse and re-abuse of money in this country!!

We shall not act!

We shall be trampled upon….fired at….burnt alive and yet we shall not act…..we have again proved to the whole world the ‘lame duck’ leadership that ‘leads’ our country…we can almost claim to have a ‘history’ of terror attacks..not one but multiple strikes in the same spot and yet we shall not act..we have a convict of the earlier attack sitting snugly in the comfort of our legal system….in the lap of luxury of the so-called human activists…

I am almost amazed at our endurance capabilities…what more will it take for our powers to snap into some ‘action’?? Does our parliament need to go up in smoke with all its inmates for any step to be taken in this direction? Do the statistics of thousands of dead innocent Indians not count for any action? Its almost become a ‘way of life’..a bomb here…a  blast there…a few ‘numbers’ on the morning headlines…in a few years’ time I fear these attacks may not capture national headlines?

Enough of the candle light processions and ‘concerned’ politicians swarming to the ‘spot’ and definitely enough of the ‘condemnation’ and ‘condolence’ speeches…. I think we have seen this far too often and its almost become a ‘programmed’ charade after any such attack..and after a few weeks on ‘prime time’..a few debates , analysis…. the ‘news’ fades into the background..it becomes one more tick in the country’s box of attacks..the victims are left lurking with the bitterness of injustice..and for the rest of humanity …a fear that one day you too may become ‘that’ victim???  

What about M for meaningful Cinema?

I guess a string of movies spanning from the bad to the ugly and to the uttermost ridiculous got me thinking about the state of our so called 'hit' movies...comedy that 'hits' you in the face...movies that 'hit' your 'intelligence' and knock you down unconsciuos? I had the mighty good fortune of enduring one of a kind 'blockbuster' movie called Ready..but unlike its producers I was so NO ready for this experience...the story (if you can even remotely call it a story) was heading nowhere..it was a Mr SKHAN from the word go till we leave the hall in dismay and astonishment. He walks the walk, talks the talk..once in a while attempts to romance, 'action' and of course rips off his shirt (squeezing out the final rewards from this actor - again if you can remotely call him one) and the audience is supposed to eat their hearts out from this 'so-called' performance? And the supporting string of actors (you could very well call them props) lend no support to this miserabe experience. Guess my personal prejudice against the lead actor apart, even if you did a find & replace of SKHAN with Brad Pitt, I wonder if I could have sat through this 3 hour ordeal? For someone belonging to a generation who has grown up on 'classic witty' comedy of the likes of Lal, Srinivas (for the Mal in me) the comedy is unbelievably slapstick..dialogues almost seem like they were written as the Khan was putting on his makeup just before the word 'Action'. And lastly to touch upon my most 'emotional' topic - regarding the music of the movie..talk about the 'healing' sense of music...i was definitely dumbstruck at the meaningful lyrics of the song 'dingachika'...and the depth of the lyrics was equally matched (if not more) by the dancers that were splashed on the screen. All in all what I can say but to suggest to our censor board to probably introduce a category called 'PA' for all such movies that border and probably crossed the terrain called 'ridiculous'...Premature Adult category is the only sane category that I can fit this experience into.!

Matrimonied

It's not with a sense of achievement I write this but with a sense of astonishment that I compute and confirm 5 years of matrimonied living..5 years back ...this very day...the loud chime of wedding bells rang and deafened my 'singular' existence into non-existence. The word 'married woman' always reminds me of the term 'domesticated cow' wonder why? But words apart, the experience called marriage has been milked off its last drops uniformly by writers, movie makers and 'forward writers' (definition - the anonymous set of people who write/forward e-mail forwards)..so much has been written/seen that I cannot write anything that has not been heard of...but I guess every person brings in a new shade to these cliched experiences..I am attempting to bring in my own perspective I guess...

The first thing about matrimony for a woman (yes she toooo) is the loss of that crown called 'single independent woman'..now that's a word that bloats your individuality....its a coveted title and no woman likes to let go without the cat fight...she tries tactics but ultimately the gavel of society brings down the judgement that the crown must go !!Once that title is ripped off, you are next faced with the ultimate challenge of changing your name..now that's a thought that doesn't mix with my sense of logic.. A name is your tag on your years of existence..it's like your face....would you agree to change your face after marriage, would you recognise yourself in the mirror? Its the same with your name, would you respond to a salutation that has never been heard before?

After these modalities are sorted out, you plunge into the black hole called marriage.. all the years of research and history does not shed any light on this institution...the research papers  dispute each other and have failed to arrive at a common coverging description or solution. You have to fend for yourself in this carnival, the whole performance is rather an 'in promptu'..sans script, props and prompter....the two 'star' performers are thrown into the 'ring' or 'stage' (as the situation demands)..you can choose to write your story as the plot unfolds...the script is purely your invention ..you are at liberty to bring in your 'point of view' into the story's trajectory..you are also permitted to take dramatic turns mid-way...but of course the performance holds as long as your partner complements, follows and doesn't take the contradictory path...a few slip-ups, a few messed up lines do not 'damageth' a play..nor does a few spunky dialogues 'maketh' the play.. only consistent scintillating performances by both parties , a few twists and turns, a dash of humour ..all held together by an ethical 'charactered' plot and script..that's surely the success factor for this performance to skyscrape into the 'best marriage charts'...the performers have to face the wrath of critics (read as strangers who love to share uninvited opinions), the intrusion of 'unwanted' characters who form more the prop than the play and of course need to keep together the performance through bad weather days and foul mood moments.Its a test of the performers' breeding, patience, ego, character, fun factor and of course the grand father of all traits -  adaptability :)....for now I guess ....The Show must go on....the curtains would never come down ...we have to keep the show running and that too full house for the years to come!

The monsoon staycation

A monsoon vacation past..brought back the sweet nostalgia of my erstwhile school vacations.....a week of officeless, workless, alarmless existence was my precious gift to myself..and what better venue than home sweet home?? Its your escape haunt away from the madness that best describes your 'responsible' adult life..

And then I was showered quite literally as I landed in God's Own Country... a burst of monsoon as I reached home for my rejuvenation package.....!!!A monsoon that wrapped my homeland in a magical misty bridalwear that just took my breath away. A most inviting lush 'green carpet' laid out for my trip....The backdrop was picture perfect for my holiday...Rain kissed mountains and greenery with earthy fragrance!! The mood was further elevated to a heightened ecstasy as the stream of droplets sloped through the window panes...I let go of my hatred for dirty puddles and muddy pathways this monsoon and the experience was unlike any other monsoon..

And then there was the icing on the cake with simple unalloyed time spent with family and cousins...and devouring homemade food (not made by me:)).......just like good old days....I was transported to my schoolgirl days as I chatted and laughed my heart out ...'agendaless'....'shackleless'...it was a week of  unparallelled freedom...never realized that the word vacation could mean so much...waiting eagerly for the next:).

Lesser of the evils

It is a sad state of affairs when the citizens of a country choose from the better of the devils and lesser of the evils. The word 'choice' has lost its complete meaning in the election month that India saw. The electoral poor were left with the choice of picking a leader from a pack of tainted and corrupt forces, especially in a year where corruption has kept the news ticking and the newsmakers having a field day every day.

One look at the past year and we see that we have lost our resources to the official rodents in the garb of parliamentarians who had in the past nibbled and now swallow our resources from within. The country is suddenly in a limbo..action being last on the priority of any of the lawmakers. We are suddenly 'headless' or rather with a 'hesitant' head. The wrongdoers strut in broad daylight and murderers walk scott free. Yet the oust of atleast the self-proclaimed 'first family' seems like a step in the right direction(if ever there is any).

Change and more importantly hope for a change is what is driving the country forward. We need a breed of leaders who can take the much awaited action ..India awaits.

The Big Apple in my eyes...??

The four words that encapsulate the experience called US of A has to be cheese cream coffee (with a capital C) and Indians...! These four words made a distinct and all pervasive presence in most of my moments in the famed land. As I moved from town to town and from day to night, these four aspects of American life (with Indians?? - sounds paradoxical??) remained unchanged and untouched. Also to add, the Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks coffee joints replace the temple/churches/mosques in India – mushrooming and peeping out of every road and every corner of the city.

I had the good fortune of moving within 3 towns of USA  in ascending order of population, pace and fame - my  tour commenced in the sleepy little town of Rocky Hill and moved to the vast and more 'mapped' city of Atlanta and ended with a bang in spirited, adrenaline pumping New York!

As I landed in the famed and ‘taled’ soil of US of A, I was deeply struck by the number, shapes and sizes of Indians in the land of dreams (boring expression that I wanted to avoid) – they have taken 'avtars' in this land so to say - one day he appears as the typical cab driver who was probably established in US alongwith the statue of liberty,  then there is the 'ramki' and 'kris' avtar who mispronounces his mother's name in a twang called 'accent', a few months away from India and he joins the jury of onlookers to criticize the 'bloody Indian way' of life and then there is the traditionalgodfearing Indian who wears vibhoothi,eats curd rice and misses filter coffee on wall street.

But USA is a strange mix - it was in the sense a 'countryless' feeling for me as I roamed around - I couldn't identify the country with a unique set of things that we are so used to seeing in a new country outside our home...that there isn't an attire that is unlike any other, no language that we cannot understand and no common set of rules that we can define for its people - it was almost like a floating mass of people were strung together into a country.

Anyways my first stop was the little ‘Enid Blyton’ town of Rocky Hill in Connecticut...it’s a small little neighborhood with a few cute shops, neatly framed with maple trees. My highlight at Connecticut had to be my first and only encounter with snow..it was truly a moment of ecstasy as the little white flakes brushed my face...the entire town looked serene with the snowy white sprayed across...Mohegan Sun casino was another breathtaking experience that Connecticut offered me - seeing the vast expanse of the extravagant casino ,the roulette & black jack tables, the deep pocketed gamblers wading out notes- it was truly like a Hollywood thriller come alive in front of your eyes.

The next city that greeted me was the expansive city of Atlanta - the city was spread out and beautifully dotted with trees, gardens and pathways. I explored the heart of the city on a weekend and enjoyed the attractions that Atlanta city offers to its visitors. The world's largest Georgia aquarium was my first destination - a truly grand and mammoth effort for an aquarium, the dolphin show with sound, light and action was a spectacular performance and will remain imprinted in my memory for a while. The famed Olympic garden was right in the heart of the city and is a beautiful green spread with structures and monuments remaining from the Atlanta Olympics. The last destination for my weekend at Atlanta had to be the CNN headquarters - a tour demonstrated to me  the ingredients, spice and method of cooking up a 'breaking news' dish for you each day... I guess that was the end of excitement in Atlanta.

And the last one on my list had to be the Big Apple. As I drove in – the most scintillating sight that caught my attention was the Times Square...glitzy, alive and huddled amongst the tallest and the grandest of sky scrapers…correction… they no longer ‘scrape’ skies but swallow it…!New York is a city on the move..it’s people like little ants are always on the move..the city itself is beautifully laid out (especially through an Indian’s eye who endures the messy, overcrowded and dug up  pride(erstwhile) of Bangalore called MG Road every single day)..I was almost wonderstruck at the fact that 7^th avenue comes right ahead of 6^th avenue and  the city’s attractions are the easiest to locate even for a person who cannot understand the logic of maps and directions. I did make the rounds to the clichéd and crowded attractions– Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and Central park. But for me one of the most gorgeous moments had to be my few minutes of silence with an awe inspiring view of the city from the ‘Top of the Rock’ (a view from a lofty tower). And the icing of the trip was the maiden Broadway musical performance that unfolded in front of my eyes.. worth every cent and every moment and what better musical than the scandalous and suave Chicago? I rounded off my trip with a few laps and rounds of the famous and urban avenues of New York trying my hand at ‘middle-class’ shoppingJ…..and the grand Finale had to be the relaxed one hour that I spent sitting right at Times Square sipping a Starbucks coffee trying to ape a true New Yorker in my last hour of téte à tete with the city.

Cricket and beyond

What's with Indians and their solidarity when it comes to cricket?? Why does it run in our DNA generation after generation?? The one time that the yawning word generation gap doesn't creep into the Indian living room is when the father and son pick the same channel and that lifetime moment repeats only in cricket matches!!. That's one spirit of India that hasn't died over the years -match fixed or not, disastrous losses or wins, Olympics win or no win, Sania in or not in - life doesn't change when it comes to cricket!! And what 26/11 coudn't do, what 'anokha bharat' couldn't do - India vs Pakistan match does to India - it brings together under its fold all its billion people - and truly we bleed blue ...atleast 100 'overs' of time  where blood, race and religion are left out as strangers in our country.

I can't think of another single cause that can get the whole country into one bundle? I haven't seen a war but I wonder even during war do we come together as a country? Cricket and its demi-gods, (in fact they are no longer demi-gods post the World Cup beatification), are beyond the 'silly game' of the Britishers..its one artery that runs through the country..goes to more places than the Indian railways and inspires more people than the parliament in full session (that being a rarity of its own). We have to give it to the game and its players...what can I say more than the fact that Dhoni's six still remains a moment of glory for each Indian and I am as guilty as others of watching that one 'smashing' moment again and again and it takes me,you and the entire country to a whole new 'boundary' - pun not intended:).....

Living in 'timeless' times

We are truly a 'timeless' generation- the definition of 'timeless generation' being slightly distorted as - 'the generation that suffers from an incurable disease named timelessness'.We have completely surrendered ourselves to this malady.This timelessness creeps into every conversation of ours, is used as a weapon againt every allegation and is our best companion during times of guilt.

There is no scientific reason for the origin or reasons for the disease..we continue to share the 24 hours that generations before us were blessed with..but this thought grew on me during my trips to other parts away our 'metro' piece of earth...people have time to chat with their neighbour..time to attend the local festival..time to greet and meet people for a family function...and one look at a typical day in our life..we are strugggling to read the newspaper...we stand on our toes to gulp down our breakfast...we do not answer a friend's call making a mental note to call back when you actually have 'time'........we fly past our neighbours with a quick smile and a nod which means we will chat when we have time (in the future)...we forget to even hear a good song for days together....the new bestseller we bought still sits staring at us near the bed waiting for the moment when its pages will be turned..these are signs of an epidemic that is seeping through our lives..

Its a struggle to keep pace with the supermen and superwomen moulds that we need to squeeze our lives into..its a simple fit or break formula. What would happen if we slowed down..took our leg off the accelerator for a few moments, chatted with your friends for an hour, disconnected and listened to a favourite song? Would our world turn upside down? Maybe its time we tried it out..and who knows the superman/woman costume might still fit you? 

Hampi...a blast into our glorious past

Unlike our other trips, Hampi was a totally unresearched and ungoogled trip...Neither was our expectation sky high as we boarded the train to Hampi...But as our rickety auto took us through the ramparts of Hampi I realized the sheer size and magnificence of the 'boulderous' empire that welcomed us..We got off at the Hampi Bazaar and walked into the little homely guest house right in the heart of hampi bazaar...Ours were a few of the 'brown indegenous' faces that was encountered during the way, else it is a place for and filled with foreigners enchanted with 'incredible india'...As we went to grab our morning breakfast and scanned the menu that wasn't spellchecked, we were astounded by the 'french toast', 'pancake' and pasta menu that was given to us....the little stall's menu made no mention of idly/dosa :)....As the day progressed, we went about exploring the stone structures that dotted the hampi landscape with our little handbook - underground temples, 'queen bath', palatial remains of the 'king's durbar',beautifully carved monoliths..all engraved with the stamp of the empire that ruled the place...the craftsmenship and the skills of the men that worked through these architectural splendours shouting out loud in each of the structures that we explored...One of the day's highlight was the sumptuous lunch at the 'Mango Tree' restaurant where we kicked off our shoes..stretched our legs and relished our food watching and hearing the Tungabhadra river right in front of us....And the day ended with the sight of a wonderful sunset at Hanumantha hills....a fitting end to a lovely day..Day 2 we walked to Mathanga hill to catch sight of a divine sunrise...the rays of the sun streamed through the temple remains of Vijaynagara empire and it was worth every moment..the day's best moments were spent in a coracle ride through the cool waters of Tungabhadra river under the blazing sun and exploration of further structures by the riverside..The last day at Hampi got us nostalgic and already ' hampi sick'...We started bidding farewell to the lady who sold us hot coffee and 'nutella toast and pancakes', to the warm owner of our guest house..we bargained our way through the little shops on Hampi Bazaar and got us loads of trinkets, bags and little knick knacks to bring home...But what we did bring with us was a lot more..the memory of a splendourous empire, a town that was unlike the crowded metros that we live in..it's your own moment with history and also with the realization that our generation has not yet made a single monument that would survive 500 years and get a generation to 'wow' 'wow'!

Life lost in customer care numbers

I sometimes sit back and take count of the hours spent trying to sort our your daily tangles with the 'all powerful' customer care number...............and the result is mind boggling....I feel I have given away a large chunk of my 'good' life to the customer care executives in my circumference-  my credit card, my mobile and what have you........Firstly there is that nagging list of numbers to punch in......why cant we directly enter our required menu and get going? Then there is the bigger and if you ask me the most difficult task of making your customer care executive understand your problem...the term 'care' being unwanted in the designation.. I feel the biggest 'people' challenge that a professional faces is trying to keep your head and cool with the workforce called customer care executives...After the uphill task of making them understand you, you have to hear the pearls of wisdom which might not even be relevant to your question...and if they hang up ....god help you because you might need another 3 days to catch a person amidst all the 'your call is important to us' music that plays through the entire performance..And after all the charade there is a sense of urgency for the executive to wish you a 'great day ahead'...and you are left with no 'great' or 'day' ahead...Sometimeswe might probably do the whole cycle and get back to Uncle Scrooge days and store our penny and rupee in our socks.......atleast you can take them out without waiting for the 'business hours'!!!!!

A country that is going to the dogs

Each day my belief of the same is cemented as I get my daily dose of 'corruption' updates or in simple terms my morning newspaper...From CWG to CVC, the 3 letters may have changed but the underlying madness does not ....Government and governance have lost its meaning.. I am petrified of the next election when the country faces its biggest challenge ..of choosing a righteous leader from the pack that surrounds us..