It took me by suprise to learn that the Taj Mahal had completed its 350 year anniversary today. Having stood past three and a half centuries is no mean task and that too with such glory and splendor. The Taj Mahal has always been a source of inspiration towards love, workmanship/skills, dedication, hard work and gardiosity. Standing tall with those four magnificent pillars and the vast lawns springing in front of it makes the scene just perfect. But all said and done I feel ashamed at myself because I havent visited the place as yet. There is a long list of sites that I would love to go to but well have never done so yet.
1. Taj Mahal
2. Wagh Border
3. Kashmir and especially the Dal Lake there
and the list goes on. Just this weekend there was an excellent supplement on the temples of TamilNadu, the temple of a 1000 pillars and some sites made with special surfaces and one temple right on the coast and so much more. I can claim to have travelled and seen a lot of the west but I havent managed to see much of India as yet, leave the holiday spots.
Many of us would fall in the same category and I hope we can correct this. I was reading a wonderful book which gave a lot of Indian fables and though I could recognize some of them I couldnt claim to have read those books or their sources. Sad isnt it. Today many of us are more well versed in American history than Indian history. We know who the secretary of state for the US currently is but has little or no clue about the Home Minister or even the local Governor. Our history is precious and we need to learn more about it to appreciate it all the more. Only then will we realize that India is not as backward as people make it out to be.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Monday, September 20, 2004
Great Week(end)
Desi Fun(da)
Well I havent been writing out here much but this time I just couldnt put it off anylonger. After a wonderful week with my parents visiting bangalore we decided top the week off with a trip to my native place...Mangalore. We left from here on Thursday night and reached Mangalore city at around 10.30 (eta was at 6.00am) which was late. Then we took the local bus out to Udupi where my mom's cousin (Eric) stays with his family. If you have ever travelled by the buses in Mangalore then you know what a thrilling roller coaster of a ride it always it. The drivers dont just navigate the huge buses through narrow lanes but zoom through them as if they were the national highways. Only when another bus approaches do you realize that this isnt a one way and the buses squeeze out each other and continue on their route.
Reaching Udupi we went over to Eric uncle's house for lunch and then instead of staying out there for the night we decided to go to my godfather's (another of my mom's cousins Robby uncle) house in bramhavar. The trip to out there was another hour or so. We also visited my mom's elder sis (Aggi aunty). Unfortunately it was very dark when we got out there and couldnt stay there much. I remember back when I was a kid we used to go out there on their humungous fields where her husband used to do a lot of farming. They had some four buffalloes and a couple of cows and their sons used to help out. We used to run across the fields and then move onto the backwaters which touched their lands sometimes even a small boat ride. And now the place is totally abandoned. The kids have moved on to more jobs and other things in life and the house bears a gloomy face.
As mentioned we spent the night at my godfather's house. I have never been to his place since he moved there bag, baggage and family from Mumbai to Mangalore for good. He was especially thrilled to see me because I havent met him since quite a few years now and he has not been keeping well for the past year as well. He looked a lot better now and is on the road recovery. Praise the Lord!
We left the next morning headed towards Kinnigoli. Thats my dad's birthplace. On the way we went over to my mom's house in Bhramavar. And it was a shameful sight. The once beautiful village home is now in tatters. It cannot be rejuvenated back to its former glory. I would be suprised if it would be possible to ever live there after anything but a total demolotion of the house. Two sons and no use still. The other houses are not even visible anymore. The paths are all covered with vines and thorny plants. This house is gone too.
We travelled to Kinnigoli by bus and the first stop was Tona's house. We met Tona and his wife Shalu and their kid daughter Julie. The seem to be doing well with their business and work respectively. Then we took some pork and moved down to my dad's house where my grandma (94 yrs old. yes 94 is correct) stays with my uncle Jerry and their family. There we met Goldine (my cousin's) son Glan who is a very quite kid and then later his mom too. We had a good stay there and with my grandma suprised about her fading eyesight we were all trying to convice her how suprising it was that she was around and hale and hearty at that age. But of no avail. She wants to get some treatment done for her eyes which is certainly not advisable/possible at her age.
At noon we went further down to my dad's sister's (deceased rip) house. There we met Picila uncle and he was thrilled to see us. He has some guests over and treated us as the main guests instead and forced us to have our meal before we left. So we ate twice, once with uncle and once with granny. Unfortunately this house too was not at its former glory. Once with 5sons and 1daughter we spent most of our summer vacations in mangalore at their house. Now uncle stays out there alone.
Later we decided we should make a trip out to Lani's house (my cousin sister). We reached there in the evening. Had a good time with Fancy and her kids one of whom is recovering from some serious cancer treatement. We spent the night there after being overstuffed with dinner only to be stuffed with more breakfast the next morning. They then drove us to Udupi to Eric uncle's house where we had another hearty lunch prepared by aunty.
I then reached mom and dad to the railway station to catch the konkan express to mumbai and I the adventerous dude spent the rest of the evening roaming around Udupi. I visited the Mother of Sorrows church and went to Diana's a very famous fruit juice and shakes place in udupi where we used to be treated by our elder cousins when we were kids. I had a Gadbad and my stomach was full. Then I went over to Allwyns and got some goddies to take back with me. Eric uncle called up thinking that I would be lost roaming around in udupi but I had a good time and then I waited for my bus to arrive at 9.40.
The trip was great. The week was great. It was great having my parents over and being with them for a whole week in bangalore and then in mangalore. Love you guys.
Well I havent been writing out here much but this time I just couldnt put it off anylonger. After a wonderful week with my parents visiting bangalore we decided top the week off with a trip to my native place...Mangalore. We left from here on Thursday night and reached Mangalore city at around 10.30 (eta was at 6.00am) which was late. Then we took the local bus out to Udupi where my mom's cousin (Eric) stays with his family. If you have ever travelled by the buses in Mangalore then you know what a thrilling roller coaster of a ride it always it. The drivers dont just navigate the huge buses through narrow lanes but zoom through them as if they were the national highways. Only when another bus approaches do you realize that this isnt a one way and the buses squeeze out each other and continue on their route.
Reaching Udupi we went over to Eric uncle's house for lunch and then instead of staying out there for the night we decided to go to my godfather's (another of my mom's cousins Robby uncle) house in bramhavar. The trip to out there was another hour or so. We also visited my mom's elder sis (Aggi aunty). Unfortunately it was very dark when we got out there and couldnt stay there much. I remember back when I was a kid we used to go out there on their humungous fields where her husband used to do a lot of farming. They had some four buffalloes and a couple of cows and their sons used to help out. We used to run across the fields and then move onto the backwaters which touched their lands sometimes even a small boat ride. And now the place is totally abandoned. The kids have moved on to more jobs and other things in life and the house bears a gloomy face.
As mentioned we spent the night at my godfather's house. I have never been to his place since he moved there bag, baggage and family from Mumbai to Mangalore for good. He was especially thrilled to see me because I havent met him since quite a few years now and he has not been keeping well for the past year as well. He looked a lot better now and is on the road recovery. Praise the Lord!
We left the next morning headed towards Kinnigoli. Thats my dad's birthplace. On the way we went over to my mom's house in Bhramavar. And it was a shameful sight. The once beautiful village home is now in tatters. It cannot be rejuvenated back to its former glory. I would be suprised if it would be possible to ever live there after anything but a total demolotion of the house. Two sons and no use still. The other houses are not even visible anymore. The paths are all covered with vines and thorny plants. This house is gone too.
We travelled to Kinnigoli by bus and the first stop was Tona's house. We met Tona and his wife Shalu and their kid daughter Julie. The seem to be doing well with their business and work respectively. Then we took some pork and moved down to my dad's house where my grandma (94 yrs old. yes 94 is correct) stays with my uncle Jerry and their family. There we met Goldine (my cousin's) son Glan who is a very quite kid and then later his mom too. We had a good stay there and with my grandma suprised about her fading eyesight we were all trying to convice her how suprising it was that she was around and hale and hearty at that age. But of no avail. She wants to get some treatment done for her eyes which is certainly not advisable/possible at her age.
At noon we went further down to my dad's sister's (deceased rip) house. There we met Picila uncle and he was thrilled to see us. He has some guests over and treated us as the main guests instead and forced us to have our meal before we left. So we ate twice, once with uncle and once with granny. Unfortunately this house too was not at its former glory. Once with 5sons and 1daughter we spent most of our summer vacations in mangalore at their house. Now uncle stays out there alone.
Later we decided we should make a trip out to Lani's house (my cousin sister). We reached there in the evening. Had a good time with Fancy and her kids one of whom is recovering from some serious cancer treatement. We spent the night there after being overstuffed with dinner only to be stuffed with more breakfast the next morning. They then drove us to Udupi to Eric uncle's house where we had another hearty lunch prepared by aunty.
I then reached mom and dad to the railway station to catch the konkan express to mumbai and I the adventerous dude spent the rest of the evening roaming around Udupi. I visited the Mother of Sorrows church and went to Diana's a very famous fruit juice and shakes place in udupi where we used to be treated by our elder cousins when we were kids. I had a Gadbad and my stomach was full. Then I went over to Allwyns and got some goddies to take back with me. Eric uncle called up thinking that I would be lost roaming around in udupi but I had a good time and then I waited for my bus to arrive at 9.40.
The trip was great. The week was great. It was great having my parents over and being with them for a whole week in bangalore and then in mangalore. Love you guys.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Mere ManMohe diya is Singh ne!
A lot of talk about the 100 days in office of the local state governments and the prime minister the respected Dr. Manmohan Singh. So lets get into this discussion right away.
When the coalition government led by Mr.Gowda and Mr.Gujral came about in 1996 india was for the first time introduced to another great economist in the then PM Mr. Chidambaram. This was the firs time that I had heard about the man but his composure and intellect left an indelible mark on all of us. Respecting him for his budget and otherwise. From that on I used to always dream about how great it would be for political parties like the Congress and BJP to leave aside the political fights for the better of the country and get Dr.Singh and Mr.Chidambaram to develop the bugdet of the country and plan the economic growth of the same for the next decade. Well it never happened. But then come 2004 and the game played out in such a way that Singh and Chidambaram ended up on the same team. Lo and behold my dream came true.
There is a lot of talk about how the government has fared and so on. Let me get into giving a hearty congratulations to Dr.Singh. He has managed to mould himself into a politician with the determination that come what may he will make sure that every day that he spends in the highest office is accounted for. His manouevers may not be all that visible or self trumpeting as the other PM's (or for that matter the huge advertisements of the local governments) . Things have definitely not been smooth for the current coalition. Having a democratic liberal Congress party and a communistic left have not made things any easier for Dr.Singh. But the man has managed to get to work nonetheless. His coming out speech during the 100day anniversary was testament to the same. You can say what you want about him but at the end of the day please do look at the results as well. Opinions matter but results matter more. Some of the things that I have read about happening due to the new PM are decreasing beauraucratic jargon in communications, decreasing overseas trips for officials, trying to cut down on the number of positions/personel in the goverment. These things may not produce direct rewards but they sure will bring in rich dividends over time. And soon these actions will cause a better, leaner and meaner government body. Well as long as the Left doesnt play spoiltsport.
If nothing else the Left should realize that this is probably the only chance that they will ever get of being in power. And with Dr.Singh at the helm they have a zero risk initiative. Give him a free reign over certain issues that he is passionate about and he will make sure that those things are put in order. This can only bring in rewards for everyone voted to power and translate into longer terms in office for all. Are you listening out there.
And for all that you have done and for all that you intend to do... A grateful thank you from an admiring Indian... Thank You Dr. Singh!
A lot of talk about the 100 days in office of the local state governments and the prime minister the respected Dr. Manmohan Singh. So lets get into this discussion right away.
When the coalition government led by Mr.Gowda and Mr.Gujral came about in 1996 india was for the first time introduced to another great economist in the then PM Mr. Chidambaram. This was the firs time that I had heard about the man but his composure and intellect left an indelible mark on all of us. Respecting him for his budget and otherwise. From that on I used to always dream about how great it would be for political parties like the Congress and BJP to leave aside the political fights for the better of the country and get Dr.Singh and Mr.Chidambaram to develop the bugdet of the country and plan the economic growth of the same for the next decade. Well it never happened. But then come 2004 and the game played out in such a way that Singh and Chidambaram ended up on the same team. Lo and behold my dream came true.
There is a lot of talk about how the government has fared and so on. Let me get into giving a hearty congratulations to Dr.Singh. He has managed to mould himself into a politician with the determination that come what may he will make sure that every day that he spends in the highest office is accounted for. His manouevers may not be all that visible or self trumpeting as the other PM's (or for that matter the huge advertisements of the local governments) . Things have definitely not been smooth for the current coalition. Having a democratic liberal Congress party and a communistic left have not made things any easier for Dr.Singh. But the man has managed to get to work nonetheless. His coming out speech during the 100day anniversary was testament to the same. You can say what you want about him but at the end of the day please do look at the results as well. Opinions matter but results matter more. Some of the things that I have read about happening due to the new PM are decreasing beauraucratic jargon in communications, decreasing overseas trips for officials, trying to cut down on the number of positions/personel in the goverment. These things may not produce direct rewards but they sure will bring in rich dividends over time. And soon these actions will cause a better, leaner and meaner government body. Well as long as the Left doesnt play spoiltsport.
If nothing else the Left should realize that this is probably the only chance that they will ever get of being in power. And with Dr.Singh at the helm they have a zero risk initiative. Give him a free reign over certain issues that he is passionate about and he will make sure that those things are put in order. This can only bring in rewards for everyone voted to power and translate into longer terms in office for all. Are you listening out there.
And for all that you have done and for all that you intend to do... A grateful thank you from an admiring Indian... Thank You Dr. Singh!
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Olympics
Ok Athens awed us but how many of us were actually inspired. Are you one of those people who spend a whole day watching cricket but dont have a 10 minutes to watch Anju George sweat it out on the largest stage in the world competing with the finest long jumpers and performing remarkably well. For a sport and an individual with no backing financially or otherwise from the authorities to train and not only overcome her personal best but also set a national record her attempt could only be classified as a "leap of faith".
Any serious observer of the sport would know that there was a slim chance of Anju getting a podium finish while there were three surefire atheletes who would jump over the 7m mark. But it was the fight, grit and determination of this woman that made us believers. Made us think that the impossible is not all that impossible. Working hard and fighting for what you believe is as commendable and rewarding as anything else.
And on the other side the disgraceful antics of the indian squad in hockey, weighlifting and wrestling. Why do we need to spend money on such atheletes? These squads not only bought shame to the nation but also the sports which have bought them such glory. Individuals like Pillay and Malleshwari should severly dealth with. Pillay's career has always been a set of highs and it is sad to see such a sportsman end his career with a dismal performance of skill and sportmanship. If anything else he should have lead the team in a repectable manner without his outbursts regardless of the situations (which were obvious to all of us). A team sport means teamwork and Dhanraj Pillay has got to admit he failed there. I wish him all the best in his retirement and further work and his contribution to modern Indian hockey cannot be neglected here. Thanks for all that but its time you exited gracefully.
Athens 2004 awed all of us and Bejing 2008 will definitely make you sit up and take notice. Now how many of you did Athens manage to "inspire"
Any serious observer of the sport would know that there was a slim chance of Anju getting a podium finish while there were three surefire atheletes who would jump over the 7m mark. But it was the fight, grit and determination of this woman that made us believers. Made us think that the impossible is not all that impossible. Working hard and fighting for what you believe is as commendable and rewarding as anything else.
And on the other side the disgraceful antics of the indian squad in hockey, weighlifting and wrestling. Why do we need to spend money on such atheletes? These squads not only bought shame to the nation but also the sports which have bought them such glory. Individuals like Pillay and Malleshwari should severly dealth with. Pillay's career has always been a set of highs and it is sad to see such a sportsman end his career with a dismal performance of skill and sportmanship. If anything else he should have lead the team in a repectable manner without his outbursts regardless of the situations (which were obvious to all of us). A team sport means teamwork and Dhanraj Pillay has got to admit he failed there. I wish him all the best in his retirement and further work and his contribution to modern Indian hockey cannot be neglected here. Thanks for all that but its time you exited gracefully.
Athens 2004 awed all of us and Bejing 2008 will definitely make you sit up and take notice. Now how many of you did Athens manage to "inspire"
My first blog
It has been a long time since I visited this site and opened my account out here but never got into the practice of actually blogging down stuff. I hope that this time I can keep myself committed.
My idea is to pick up a daily news article that I feel strongly about or is making waves and then write a small post on it with my opinions and how it related to me and possibly the people around me or my country as whole.
Just to give you a brief introduction about myself. I am from India and am currently working in Bangalore also termed as the Silicion Valley of India. I have spent most of my life in Bombay. I have had the pleasure of experiencing life in the United States for a long four years and I feel that there a lot to be learnt from both cultures. I am conservative person in some aspects and a drastically outlandish guy in others. All in all I hope you will learn a little about my me through my words here.
If you agree I hope that you spread the word around. If not we can always carry on a discussion and try to see where I can possibly be corrected.
Looking forward to some healthy blogging.
-allen
My idea is to pick up a daily news article that I feel strongly about or is making waves and then write a small post on it with my opinions and how it related to me and possibly the people around me or my country as whole.
Just to give you a brief introduction about myself. I am from India and am currently working in Bangalore also termed as the Silicion Valley of India. I have spent most of my life in Bombay. I have had the pleasure of experiencing life in the United States for a long four years and I feel that there a lot to be learnt from both cultures. I am conservative person in some aspects and a drastically outlandish guy in others. All in all I hope you will learn a little about my me through my words here.
If you agree I hope that you spread the word around. If not we can always carry on a discussion and try to see where I can possibly be corrected.
Looking forward to some healthy blogging.
-allen
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