Glimpses of Colombo

Here are some images from this wonderful city.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7444188@N05/sets/72157628631150001/

Fitness consciousness in Sri Lanka

Many parts of this country tend to be particularly hot for a big part of the year. This December though, Colombo is experiencing wonderful weather. Temperatures dropped to an all-time low of 18 degrees. The cooling down of the country as a whole has been attributed to tropical cyclone Thane.

Despite the weather, there is a great outdoor and fitness culture in this country. The city's parks and seaside promenade are full of joggers in the mornings. You also see a lot of sports being played in the various clubs and grounds in the city. And this year, the country hosted a bicycle race called the Tour de Sri Lanka (of course!!)

Navy cadets walking on Colombo's Galle Face Green

Given the amount of rice that Sri Lankans eat, they sure do need the exercise. You see either super-fit people or those with bulging stomachs...There seems to be no room for the in-betweens.

Don't mess with Shah Rukh fans in Colombo

There was a serpentine queue for tickets to watch the new Shah Rukh Khan film, 'Don 2.' The cool and fashionable people of Colombo seem to be huge fans of the Indian actor (who I believe can't act). I happened to be in the same cinema hall in Bambalapitiya to watch another film and told a few Sri Lankan friends what I thought of Khan. I guess I was a bit too loud and that attracted vicious stares from some people in the queue for Don 2.

In fact, a couple of larger than life Sri Lankans seemed visibly irked until I explained that I am an Indian. The angry look turned into a smile, which was followed by questions about the nightlife in Bombay. I was safe from harm's way.

What the adulating public of Colombo see in Shah Rukh Khan, I don't know.

"You don't look like an Indian!"

Sri Lanka has a community of Eurasians known as Burghers, who seem to have the share some idiosyncrasies with Anglo-Indians on the other side of the Palk Straits. Many younger generation Burghers now live in Australia, but you can still see a lot of Burgher aunties across Sri Lanka.

At a shop in the town of Nugegoda, a Burgher aunty wanted to know why I was responding to Sinhalese questions in English. When I told her that I was an Indian, she responded by telling me that I did not look like an Indian. "Do I look like a Pakistani or Bangladeshi, aunty?"

She replied in the negative and said I looked like I was from Colombo. When I thanked her for what I thought was a compliment, she said, "it is not a compliment, but an observation." I restrained myself from chuckling as I left the shop. This particular lady reminded me more of Mrs Mangel from the Australian soap-opera 'Neighbours,' than a typical Anglo-Indian aunty in Bombay.

Notes from Sri Lanka: Stray Dogs and Highways

Stray dogs are the cows of Sri Lanka. This country loves its strays, who tend to be far cuter and innocent than their anti-Austrian counterparts in India (For more on stray dogs and Austrians in India, search this blog's archives).


On our way back to Colombo from Kattaragama, in southeast Sri Lanka, a total of 8 strays ran across the highway.Our skillful driver managed to avoid running over them but we did have some bumpy moments. Dogs have the right of way on these highways!! Killing a wandering stray can get you bad karma! It doesn't matter if you end up in an accident, let the holy canines live.

Notes from Sri Lanka:- Colombo-Matara Expressway

The buzz word in post-war Sri Lanka is development. You see construction activity everywhere. Residential high-rises are coming up at the speed of light in and around Colombo. Of course, the new pride of the nation is the Chinese-built Colombo-Matara Southern Express Highway. It takes just 1 hour to reach Galle from Colombo on this scenic and beautiful expressway.

The expressway was built by the Chinese after all, so yes, there are complaints. Rains managed to wreck havoc in some stretches and the asphalt had to be relaid. This expressway is a sign of a new freedom for many in Colombo. One particular brat was showing off to me about driving at 220 kmph on his BMW. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that there are many accidents on this expressway.

This is an image from Boxing Day.

With speed-crazy idiots on the expressway, accidents are likely to be a common occurence.

My travel article about Bali in the Free Press Journal

Bali has long been stereotyped as an island that Europeans flock to in large numbers to avoid severe winters and take in some sun, sand and surf, before partying away. When the Indonesian Government invited me to visit the island, such images played on in my mind. Three days on the enchanted isle, however, completely removed these false impressions.

Read more. http://www.freepressjournal.in/news/39420-bali-of-temples-volcanoes-gardens-and-the-deep-blue-ocean.html

Vested interests trying to derail Indo-Russian relations

Here is an article I wrote for the Russia and India Report about the controversy over a Hare Krishna version of the Bhagwad Gita in Russia.

http://indrus.in/articles/2011/12/20/gita_row_is_there_a_hidden_agenda_in_the_name_of_gita_dont_spoil_ind_14047.html

Section 420 for cabbies and rickshaw-wallahs in Bombay?

The Mumbai Mirror reported today that auto and tax drivers that rig meters could end up spending time in the slammer. Now instead of paying a maximum fine of Rs 2600, cabbies and auto-rickshaw drivers will be subject to a police complaint under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

I welcome this move. Most taxi drivers don't rig meters but I wish I could say the same about those who drive autos in Mumbai. These guys are better than their counterparts in Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi, but many do rig their meters. When the Wadala Regional Transport Office caught auto drivers rigging meters in Santa Cruz, the fares suddenly dropped and people were paying less money for short and long rides. Then of course, the auto drivers agitated and got their way with increased fares.
 
Problem solved right? Wrong. Even after getting a hike, auto drivers started rigging meters. It irritated me so much that I decided to get to Santa Cruz station early on weekends so that I could take a bus to university for my Italian class. I save money and don't have to deal with the band of cheats that wait for 'fools' outside Santa Cruz station.

It's comforting to know that they get jail time if they attempt to cheat passengers.

Read more here.

Kim Jong-il dead at 69

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died at the age of 69, the country's state-run television said this mroning.  Kim died on a train while visiting an area outside Pyongyang, according to the announcement. The tyrant, who had a liking for cognac and lobster, suffered a stroke in 2008 and was absent from public view for months,  but North Korean television showed him to be in good health during is recent trips to Russia and China.

I don't believe in celebrating anyone's death, no matter how the person may have been. Having said that, I can now declare that North Korea (and the world by default) is a much better place. Kim was as evil and brutal  a dictator as could have possibly been.

I spent 4 days in North Korea in 2005, something that I can't write much about at this moment, as the government may go after a dear friend of mine. I can say though that I felt like kneeling and kissing the ground, when I left the country and entered Nakhodka in the Russian side of the border.

But for those of you who want to get a glimpse of North Korea under Kim, please read 'This is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood' by Hyok Kang, a North Korean who managed to escape the brutality of Stalinist North Korea. The book is one of the most disturbing personal accounts of life in the 'great paradise.'

My travel article on Udaipur in The Free Press Journal

There will always be one type of India that exists in movies, literature and the imagination: an India of maharajas, palaces, vintage cars, a land of turbaned men and a place, where women hide behind the purdah. While traces of this romanticised land have all but disappeared in most parts of the country, Udaipur retains this India in its purest form. Welcome to what some call the 'White City'and what others call the 'Venice of the East'.


http://fpj.co.in/news/38150-UDAIPUR-RAJASTHAN-SFABLED-CITY-OF-LAKES.html

Rhonda Byrne's recipe for a Magical 2012

"You can make 2012 the best year of your life! And you can do it very easily, right now.
All you have to do is set the most powerful intention you can ever set in your life, which is that you will focus only on what you want, think only about what you want, and talk only about what you want. Decide right now that anytime you find yourself thinking or talking about what you don't want, you will stop and demand of yourself, "What is it that I want?" And with all your might, with all your strength, with all your willpower - you will focus on what you want!

This one intention, repeated daily until the New Year and reinforced through 2012, will ensure that you make 2012 the year that your dreams came true, and the greatest year of your life!"

RIP Boris Chertok: You helped the USSR win the Space Race!

One of the reasons that the Soviet Union won the space race was because it had dedicated visionaries like the great Boris Chertok. Since he was involved in highly secretive programmes, Chertok wasn't a household name until Gorbachev's reforms.

Chertok died this week at the age of 99. Here is a brief bio published by the Russia & India Report.
 
http://indrus.in/articles/2011/12/14/russian_space_designer_boris_chertok_dies_13398.html

Confronting a woman-abuser on a Mumbai local train

It started off as a humdrum ride on a local train from Churchgate to Andheri, where my attention was fixed hard on a book. Rush hour hasn't started yet but many office-goers clad in white formal shirts were heading home. When the train stopped at Dadar, among the usual crowd that jumped in, there was a "middle-class looking" couple.

The girl, who looked like she was in her mid-20s, was about to sit, when the man yanked her back and made her stand next to him. A petty quarrel among young lovers, or so I thought. The man, who looked like a Latin American, was built like a truck and his muscles were bulging out. As the train moved on from Dadar, the arguing got louder and the man was increasingly looking violent. All the middle class office-goers pretended to not notice what was going on.

As the man's actions started getting more aggressive, I intervened and said, "excuse me, I think you're making the lady uncomfortable." The guy asked me to "f*** off" and mind my own business. By that time, other people came up to the man and told him to cool off. "She's my fiancee," he said. I responded that he still had no right to physically threaten or abuse her. I had the backing of at least 10 people on the wagon and one person threatened to call a railway police officer. The man got off at Mahim in anger, alone.

The girl stayed on till Vile-Parle, thanking me for standing up for her. I hope that she has the sense to get out of an abusive relationship, but that's her life...

For those of you that think domestic violence exists only in the lower classes of society, think again! Please take a stand against such people. Under no circumstances should violence against women be tolerated in a society that considers itself civilized!

Book Review: The Exile by Navtej Sarna

I remember once being told by a Sikh friend of mine in college about the legacy of the 'Lion of Punjab,' Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The great ruler had a kingdom that covered what is now a large chunk of Pakistan. Ranjit Singh was secular and ruled over largely-Muslim areas, without a hint of cruelty towards Muslims, in contrast to some Afghan rulers in India who terrorized Hindus and Sikhs, indulging in forced-conversions of the former.

 When I asked this friend about what happened to the Lion of Punjab's kingdom. He then told me about how the Maharaja's son embraced Christianity and sold out to the British. 13 years after having that conversation in college, I came across this brilliantly written semi-fiction book of narratives by seasoned Indian diplomat Navtej Sarna. "The Exile" is the story of Punjab's Last Emperor, Maharaja Duleep Singh, a child who was forced to abdicate his throne, surrender his kingdom and the famed Kohinoor diamond.

Lack of unity is not just a problem in the India of 2011, but it has been a plague on this nation for centuries. The death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, set off a series of power struggles and murders that finally culminated in Duleep Singh being appointed king, while he was still a child. As the story goes, the red coats moved in when Punjab was busy in in-fighting and self-destruction and put an end to the Sikh Empire.

The British robbed, manipulated, brain-washed, spoilt and stripped Duleep Singh of his identity, making him a confused soul who accepted and later renounced Christianity. His wish of retaking the throne of Punjab and liberating India from colonial yoke in his lifetime, never came to be. I see a few parallels between Duleep Singh and Pu Yi, the Last Emperor of China.

The author, Navtej Sarna, now India's Ambassador to Israel, has written this book in an articulate manner and the reader gets a glimpse into Lahore of the 19th century and the often-troubled and exiled life of the last maharaja. The book is a result of careful research, dedication and the brilliant writing prowess of Sarna.

A hundred years after the British occupation of Punjab, the land of 5 rivers was divided in a bloody partition, of which the scars remain to this very day. A century changes circumstances, situations and life as a whole. Will the great and beautiful people of Punjab be divided forever? I personally don't think so.  

Reading this book, I yearn to visit the colourful land of 5 rivers and to experience just what Sarna describes in the prologue. "On winter nights, when the moon rides into a dagger-sharp sky on her chariot of two wispy clouds, our Punjab looks very beautiful, like it has never been wounded, never divided, never broken up. The five rivers twisting towards the great Indus, like dark serpents swollen with the blood of centuries, belong to one people. And on all our villages, our thousands of ancient villages, fall gently, like the moonlight, the blessings of all gods."

I think the greatness of the modern Indian Republic lies in the fact that I can be as much a Punjabi as anyone in India. We are a cohesive mosaic of beauty, this great nation. I may be a dreamer, but I do see an India, where we have an unprecedented unity that makes us a greater and stronger whole.

What to expect from Reliance on the Mumbai Metro...

The Economic Times reported last week that Delhi Metro Supremo E Sreedharan, who I believe deserves a Bharat Ratna for his contributions to the nation, is unhappy with the way Reliance Infra is running the airport rail service in Delhi.

According to the article, Delhi Metro is "not happy with the Airport Metro Express corridor and wants its operator Reliance Infrastructure to improve train speed, frequency and various other aspects within four months, failing which the operations will be taken over."

These are the same people constructing the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar link in phase 1 of the Mumbai Metro.

Sreedharan told PTI in an interview that "Our PPP experience was not very pleasant with Airport model. First of all, the works were not completed on time. The line was supposed to be ready for Commonwealth Games but it got delayed by five months. Even after opening, they have not been able to increase the speed to (the promised speed of) 120 kmph."

"I am not very happy with the performance. It should have been an aristocratic type of service which it is not today," he told PTI.

He pointed out several deficiencies like the train speed still being maintained at 105 kmph, the proposed frequency of 10 minutes not being implemented and check-in time for fliers who use the corridor which have to be corrected.

If only Sreedharan was given charge of the Mumbai Metro like he was of the wonderful metro in Delhi.

Gujju Pijja

Anyone who reads this blog, knows how much I adore Gujaratis. They are an enterprising community that have mastered the art of business and take prosperity wherever they go, be it India, Africa or North America. I was born in pre-dominantly Gujarati Vile-Parle in suburban Bombay.

What amuses me among other things about Gujaratis is the way they make an adapted vegetarian version of just about any kind of food. After enjoying my favourite (and over-priced) pav bhaji at Shiv Sagar in very-Gujarati Juhu, a German friend and I decided to go completely Gujju. We ordered a "curry pizza."

Photo Courtesy: Stefan Mey

A curry pizza, apparently a favourite among the faithful of Juhu- Vile Parle Development Scheme, is made of peas, potatoes and curd. Yup, curd replaces the cheese! And a sweet salsa accompanies the delicacy. It had an odd and sour taste and the salsa wasn't exactly my idea of delicious. But, one man's meat is another man's poison.

Notes from a Sardine Tin

I generally avoid taking a fast train at a busy time like the plague. By the time the trains get to Andheri from Borivali, they are crowded as hell and unless you want to smell like someone else, it's better not to try to gain forceful entry. But since I had to head south in a hurry, I squeezed into a fast train in order to maintain a reputation of punctuality.

With the advent of smartphones, people are now adapted to doing business while travelling in a local train. There was this one man, who was deeply concentrating on whatever he was doing on his phone. The mid-40s "executive" was dressed well and managed to type with ease. Every once in a while he was getting bumped by someone when the train yanked and that seemed to upset him immensely. This may have been a stock-broker or trader, I figured. The man then yelled at someone who bumped him  (accidentally). Could he have lost a lot of money on trade?

As I was about to get off, I peeped into this phone and this "busy-body" was actually playing Tetris! So much for important business. It makes you wonder what life does to a person for him to yell at people in a crowded train because he can't play a video game in a packed compartment!

Brilliant comment from the Los Angeles Times on the Indian Government

"The turnaround (in the decision to allow FDI in retail) is the latest sign of weak leadership and a lack of direction by India's Congress Party-led government, which is beset by corruption scandals, an increasingly ineffective prime minister and rebellious allies. The long-awaited opening of the retail market was touted as the government's biggest reform initiative since it was reelected in 2009."

The whole world knows that the Manmohan Singh Government is a plague on the nation! 

Those great Russian Far Eastern Winters

If there's 1 thing I miss the most about Russia, it's the long and beautiful winters. They did get annoying when it didn't stop snowing even in April, but I loved them.

Here is a tribute.

http://indrus.in/articles/2011/12/07/an_ode_to_the_great_russian_far_eastern_winters_13355.html 

A story of Indo-Soviet love!

When the news spread last week about the passing away of Josef Stalin’s last surviving child, Svetlana Alliluyeva, there was a buzz among the members of the generation at the helm of power in India in the 1960s. Alliluyeva, who was called “my little sparrow” by Stalin, was responsible for a set of events that looked like they were right out of a James Bond film.

http://indrus.in/articles/2011/12/06/svetlana_alliluyeva_the_indian_episode_that_nearly_triggered_a_major_13346.html/

Kapil Sibal and Internet-censorship

A few years ago, when I was criticising the Congress Party, my Russian teacher gently reminded me that it was because of the very Congress that I loathe, that I have the freedom to criticize them. We have a vibrant democracy, of which freedom of speech is a pillar.

Yet, despite the existence of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, the government has taken "big brother" initiatives. They banned Stanley Wopert's "Nine Hours to Rama," a fictional account of Nathuram Godse and the assasination of Mahatma Gandhi.  Another government banned Salman Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses.'

Media censorship existed during the Emergency in the 1970s. Films and books are also censored. You can't watch a foreign film on Indian television these days, without the curse words being censored. This goes for French or Italian films with subtitles as well!!

So where is this uproar over Kapil Sibal wanting Facebook and Twitter to screen content coming from? This is nothing new in India. The same people who slam the Congress on Twitter and Facebook will either not vote in the 2014 elections or will vote the Congress back into power.

I am all for Freedom of Speech and I am most certainly against calls for content to be screened on social networking sites. But just paraphrasing Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, why do some members of the twitter brigade protest when Hurriyat supporters slam India on social networking sites? Why don't they let people who have a different opinion have an opinion?  If Sibal is a Fascist, so are many of those people who are abusing him on social networking sites.

Delhi’s T3 in the mornings

For those of you thinking of flying out of Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3 in the morning, I have some advice. For starters, if you’re not flying business class, get to the airport 3 hours before your flight. The queues are ridiculously long and the airlines don’t seem to have the capacity to handle the rush. There’s a realistic chance of getting to the airport and not being able to check in on time. I was fortunate enough to have a credit card that gave me access to business class check-in.


I would avoid T3 in the mornings, whether I have an economy or business class ticket. The airport has been expanded, but runway capacity seems to be the same. It can be painful to sit in the aircraft and wait for half an hour to get a takeoff clearance. What’s the use of a new and glitzy airport if it can’t even handle existing flights?

Whatever happened to the life we once knew in Delhi

When I visited this city in 1996, I loved seeing beautiful single-story cottages everywhere. Such kind of living was impossible in Bombay. My hometown has such a scarcity of land, making living in an independent house a pipe-dream.

In 2000, I noticed that most single-floor villas were converted into 3 floor houses. While that charm of yesteryear was gone, the houses still made a pretty site. Now in 2011, with property prices at ridiculous levels, people are handing over their land to builders and the houses are being converted into ugly appartment buildings. What a pity that a new generation in this grandoise city will never experience the thrill of living in an independent house in a big city! I am sure that Delhites don't want their city to look like Bombay but the lure of money is too much for them to not turn their houses into ugly appartment buildings.

Evil Spirts in East Delhi terrorize unlucky house

The housing colonies near Patpatganj, east of the Yamuna, are newer developments in an area that was a setting for some of the epics of centuries past. Delhi’s djinns and tormented souls have been roaming these eastern parts even before the arrival of the Turks.


Tucked away in a nameless colony, just a stone’s throw away from a metro station is a haunted house. No, this is not your typical ‘bhooth bungla,’ which was abandoned in the 1950s. In those Nehruvian times, the plot of land where this house stands was in all probability, an agricultural field.

Could it be something that happened around the time Arjuna was fighting his cousins in nearby Indraprastha? Or was it the result of a post-independence land-feud? Is it something that may have transpired in those simple socialist days, when Dilhi was far away and disconnected from these parts largely because of the then-clean and wide Yamuna? No one has a clue. The farmers of the 1950s are all gone. The inhabitants of the area only know that there was a murder in the house and that every family that moved in since has witnessed a death.

Cobwebs, decay and spirits jostle for space with the only external sounds being azaans from nearby mosques and bhajans from a neighbouring gurudwara! A group of adventurous girls once decided to walk in to the compound on a cold winter night. The lucky or unlucky 13 moved in quietly hand-in-hand and as the cold breeze swung some branches, an odd strike of lightning and thunder made the girls scream in horror and scram for the gates. Few have dared to venture in since!

Some hear screams and plates being broken, others see lights, yet no one knows who haunts this wretched house! What is the story? Will the truth ever come out?

Delhi : Existing and forgotten traditions of Purani Dilli

This is a wonderful article written about Old Delhi by Chief Election Commissioner Qurayshi in The Hindu.

The Hindu : Cities / Delhi : Existing and forgotten traditions of Purani Dilli

Moral Police alert near Delhi

Here's a warning for any of you that want to take your girlfriends for a walk in the park or a mall in Ghaziabad, near Delhi. The moral police, led by Special Officer Alka Pandey (probably a cousin of Robin Hood Chulbul Pandey from Dabaang) is out to get you.

Under 'Operation Majnu,'  Alka's band of merry policemen (and policewomen) will come and get you, if are in the act of being intimate with a member of the opposite sex. As for the guys who walk hand-in-hand with other guys, fear not, Pandey's band will not harm you. You see, this is an attempt from the moral police of Ulta Pradesh, ahem Uttar Pradesh to ensure that the population explosion in the state is put in check. So gay people of the National Capital Region, have no fear at all. You will not be subject to punishments that include sit-ups and getting slapped by the police.

Super-cop Pandey tells the Times of India, "Our actions flow from instructions received from the administration to provide maximum security for women. There are a lot of eve-teasers and they stand outside girls' schools and colleges to trap unwitting girls." So the administration wants to protect teenage girls from their own boyfriends...The super-cop isn't looking to stop marital rape or spouse-abuse just as yet.

She adds, "Parks are places where we come for mental peace.  अगर लड़का-लड़की  कुछ  गलत  करे, तोह   वोह  सुन्दरता कहाँ  रहेगी? छोटी-छोटी  लड़कियों  को  यह लोग फस लेते  है (If couples indulge in bad activities, they spoil the beauty of the place. Men trap young girls)," said Pandey.

With this wonderful and useful action, Delhi, the National Capital Region and UP will be much safer! Now let's make a sequel of Dabaang with Madam Alka Pandey!

27-year old killed in 'Paratha' murder in Delhi

As cold Himalayan winds descend on Delhi, the testosterone levels of men keeping going up, fuelling anger and passions. I have seen a few ugly conversations on the metro over the past few days, of which the tone and the aggression were scary even for by-standers. So, I wasn't surprised to hear of a murder in Govindpuri. In a macho city like Delhi, everyone seems to be ready for a fight, especially when the temperatures plummet.

In the wee hours of Monday morning, a 27-year old lost his life in Southeast Delhi after a brawl in a paratha shop. Ajay Chaudhary, Additional Commissioner of Police, South East district told The Pioneer, “Preliminary investigations have revealed that Sailaj (the deceased) and Siddharth had gone to buy paratha from the eatery in a black Hyundai Santro car. Chetan and Vijay were already inside the eatery. An argument ensued between two groups after Chetan curtly asked Sailaj why he was staring at him like that. After a heated argument, Chetan and Vijay left the eatery to return after some time.”

“The argument initiated for the second time. This time it turned violent. Chetan and Vijay picked up bamboo sticks lying near the eatery and began to thrash Sailaj and Siddharth. They attacked their heads and other parts of their bodies. After both of them collapsed, Chetan and Vijay escaped from the spot.”

Read more here:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/city/23984-spat-outside-govindpuri-eatery-leads-to-engineers-death-two-arrested.html/

Other versions of the story indicate that the 2 pairs were fighting over who had the right to buy parathas first.

Delhi Half Marathon 2011: Nice run on a cold morning

When I had to wait in a long queue outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi to collect my bib and timing chip, I thought Procam was going to make a mess of the half marathon once again. The company did have a dubious record in Delhi. But this year, they managed the event extremely well. There were far more runners this year compared to the previous edition, but the start was smooth and the organisers ensured that the snack arrangements and the finishers’ medals distribution were orderly. Procam also made sure that the 7K run started much later so that the 21k runners could finish smoothly.

The half-marathon followed a new route this year and started and ended at the Nehru Stadium. On a foggy and cold Delhi morning, quite a few locals turned up to cheer the runners. I liked this new route as there were no flyovers to climb and it was smooth for the most part. The cold weather helped me record my best timing in a 21k. The highlight of the run was running on Rajpath and not being able to see the India Gate, until I was actually up close. So thick was the fog!!

It’s a pleasure to run in Delhi, with its broad tree-lined avenues, ancient monuments and the wonderful set of buildings designed by Lutyens. It is wonderful to know that a running culture is developing in this city. Well done to all!!

Delhi Half-Marathon 2011 course one of the best, say "experts"

Last year's Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (http://ajayinbombay.blogspot.com/2010/11/airtel-delhi-half-marathon-absolute.html) was a disgrace. Airtel and Procam made a mockery of the event. But it looks like the organisers are trying to do a better job this year.

For starters, they seem to have a better route and the race starts from near a metro station. The Times of India quotes race director Hugh Jones as saying: "The road surface is very good and it is mainly because of huge roads built ahead of the Commonwealth Games. The course is very smooth,"

The paper also quotes an Australian race director as saying that "This is one of the best courses around the world for Half Marathon."

We'll just wait and watch how Sunday's run is conducted. I hope to God that I can speed up in the last 3 kilometres and not have to push my way through the clowns and flag-bearers on the 7K.

Desire and Need

From The Secret Scrolls

"To desire something is in proper accordance with the law. You attract what you desire. To need something is misuse of the law. You cannot attract what you need if you feel you need it urgently or desperately, because that emotion contains fear. That kind of "needing" keeps things away.


Desire everything. Need nothing."

- Rhonda Byrne

Neeta's Dilemma

Neeta is not of those village hicks who came to Mumbai with the Bollywood dream. Blessed with a great body and looks that could kill, she was raised in a high-class family in some place in India.

She wanted the best of everything: a sexy Mediterranean man, a large flat with a sea view, the finest alcohol, the most fashionable clothes. For a time it was happening, Mr Right was in the pocket, as were invites to the most exclusive "page 3" parties. Work wasn't stable but there was a man ready to maintain the high-maintenance beauty.

So what happens when Mr Right turns out to be a jerk, who was cheating on you without even a slight prick on his conscience? What happens when you are forced out of that plus South Bombay flat and forced to pool rent to share a mediocre apartment in a mediocre locality?

Men still wanted Neeta. She was eye-candy for the guys; she was nice to be seen with in public. Something like a flavour of ice-cream that tasted good for a few weeks, until a better variety popped up. They all turned out to be jerks, but at least, they were exactly the kind of men that Dad would not approve of. It gave Neeta a thrill to consciously hang out with troublesome men. The patterns stayed the same. Disloyal jerks, more alcohol and hangovers that would last through the afternoon heat

Alcohol, drugs and cigarettes take their toll on the best of God-given looks. Mumbai offers freedom, she believed. Freedom to be, but with the bills mounting up, getting by tended to be a problem. The solution lies in the west, Europe, Chicago... somewhere else! Life isn't fair... Why shouldn't Neeta have it all for nothing like some other page 3 women?

Images from Bali

The Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism was kind enough to invite me to visit Bali last week. Here are some images from one of the most beautiful places on earth.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7444188@N05/sets/72157628057523825/

Lack of humanity

The more time I spend away from my isolated cocoon in Andheri, the more I realise how much people lack basic courtesy and a sense of humanity in this city. A few days ago, I saw a blind girl walking to platform number 3 in Andheri station and she had a tough time navigating the busy area and no one seemed ready to help her to walk down the stairs. (God only knows where the hell everybody is in a hurry to get to).  Some people even seemed to "get angry" as they got bumped by the blind girl!! As I walked towards her to help her, a young woman helped her down the steps. Guess there is at least 1 other decent human being left in Bombay!

The same evening, when I was heading north on a local train, I was seated comfortably in a 1st class compartment. At Marine Lines, a young, desperate man comes in to "reserve" his place by standing near the seating area. A few stops later, I see a man well into his 70s, standing and none of the young jerks were ready to offer him a seat. Come on people! What harm would standing for 20 minutes in a not-so-crowded train do?

I offered the old man my seat, only to get a dirty look and sarcastic comment from the guy who got in from Marine Lines! I told him that if more people respected elders, India would be a better and more civlized country. The old man profusely thanked me and called me a "real gentleman". I guess gentlemen are in short supply in this city.

My Articles on Vladivostok for the Russia & India Report

A spectacular setting of hills and peninsulas, bays and outlying islands, a thriving student life, combined with buzzing oriental markets and a distinctly European feel in an Asian landmass make Vladivostok one of the greatest cities in Russia.

http://indrus.in/articles/2011/11/15/vladivostok_lording_over_the_east_13249.html

The drudgery of Sakhalin Island in late-April with its snow storms and winter weather was one major reason that I would take the first flight in May out of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Vladivostok. ‘Vladik’ in early-May is warm, beautiful and romantic, with the sun setting into the Amur Bay well past 9:30 pm. It’s also the first real opportunity for a Sakhaliner to walk out on the streets without wearing 4 layers of clothing.

http://indrus.in/articles/2011/11/15/being_indian_in_vladivostok_13250.html

Images from Udaipur

I spent a wonderful few days in the magical city of Udaipur in fabled Rajasthan. Here are some pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7444188@N05/sets/72157627947484605/

How dirty are Mumbai's suburban railway commuters?

I found these figures in a magazine..

• Amount of garbage thrown inside and outside local trains in Mumbai by 7 million commuters every day: 2,796 kilograms
• Rank of luggage and 2nd class LADIES among various compartments in garbage thrown inside local trains: 1 and 2.

Looks like women don't have more civic sense than men in Mumbai...

Railway Diaries: RAC and Chivalry

This is one of the banes of the great Indian railway system. When there is a shortage of berths on a train, the railways allot shared berths to people (called RAC or Reservation Against Cancellation). On the train to Udaipur, there was a retired Marwari bank officer travelling with his wife, daughter-in-law and grandchild. 3 adults were given 2 berths.

So what would you expect a son of the land of Rajputs, where the honour of women meant more than life? I would expect the man to either hand his wife the berth and share it with her. But this sorry excuse for a 60-year-old made his wife sleep on the floor. She laid down a thick blanket as a bed sheet. When the train crossed Ratlam, an aggressive ticket-checker asked the woman to get up and said this wasn't allowed in an air-conditioned wagon. The husband hurled some obscene words that would shock those in polite society. He said he "was in service for 40 years" and would not be spoken to like that.

The TC backed off and the poor lady slept on the floor till the train reached Chittorgarh, a city historically known for placing the honour of its women over anything else!!

Railway Diaries: Rich Marwaris and Policemen

I seemed to be the only non-Marwari in the entire compartment of the train to Udaipur. Amidst Marwari-bonding in the train, there was a candid sharing of stories among members of this community known for their business accumen.

A gold merchant spoke about how his employees, who take local trains in Bombay get stopped by cops around Marine Lines and Grant Road station. They first demand that the employees open their large bags so that they can be inspected. Then the police demand proof that the gold and jewellery aren't stolen. Of course, the harassment goes on till the employee parts away with some cash. The more experienced the employee, the less he pays the policeman.

So, basically these merchants are a cash cow for the police and some businessmen have a provision for  bribery. I have been taking local trains for years but have never been witness to these kinds of things. But I guess, living in a banana republic, I shouldn't be suprised with these stories.

This particular gold merchant said that it was impossible to get tickets on the Bombay-Ahmedabad Duranto Express because, the train runs non-stop from Bombay Central to Ahmedabad City. This makes it safer for those in the jewellery business to transport their valuables.

Railway Diaries: Of Computer Errors and Corruption

Udaipur, which in my opinion is the most beautiful city in Asia, isn't well connected on India's rail map. Most of the railway tracks leading to the city have been recently converted from meter gauge to narrow gauge and the conversion to broad gauge is taking some time. As a result, there is just 1 train that connects Bombay to Udaipur and it runs just thrice a week. So the scramble for tickets is understandable. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket under the emergency quota.

While on the journey to the fabled city, I was witness to an unusual drama. A family of 3 had a confirmed ticket to Udaipur from Bombay but because of some clerical error, the final railway chart showed them boarding from Surat. In the meantime, another family of 3 was sold the same seats from Bombay to Surat. So despite the first family having paid for and having gotten a confirmed ticket, the ticket checker refused to budge. He refused to accept the status shown on the first family's laptop. He first demanded a fine of Rs 1400 and promised a receipt later.

After pressure from other passengers on the train, the ticket checker gave the family back Rs 600 but decided to pocket the remaining money. A threat to expose the corrupt 'tc' in the media yielded no results. So, because of an error made by the railways, the family were lighter on the pocket! The family were just relieved to stay on the train and decided to write off the money!

More on the Amboli Murders

Reuben Fernandes has become the second victim of the barbarious thugs, who murdered Keenan Santos on October 20 in Amboli. I was shocked to read that the murderer has 2 other murder cases pending against him and that a Congress MLA is paying for his legal fees.

For more on the murders, take a look at this site:

http://aamjanata.com/keenan-santos-could-be-you/ 

There is also a Facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=890465304#!/groups/131547346948361/

My views on the trouble at Kudankulam

Since the beginning of October, there has been a blockade of the plant by villagers, fishermen and so-called social workers in the area around Kudankulam. The blockade has been organised by the previously unheard of “People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy,” which claims that the plant is unsafe. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the local church, of which many fishermen are patrons, supports the blockade.

Read more here: http://indrus.in/articles/2011/10/31/rainy_days_for_kudankulam_13188.html

How safe is our country?

This post is NOT meant for 'Mrs E' from Upsaala, Sweden. Reading it, she may stop her son Bjorn from visiting Bombay in January for the marathon.

An article in today's DNA talks about the crime statistics in India. The writer admits that these stats must be the fraction of the ice berg as governments and police forces don't want ugly stats out there.

Let's take a look at some of the numbers..

• There were 33,335 murders in India in 2010 (About 7763 in UP and Bihar alone)
• There were 29,000 attempts to murder
• There were 213,585 cases of offenses against women (Remember that in rural areas, women hesitate to report crimes, thanks to a social stigma on the victim)
• More than 22,000 cases of rape (!!!)

I agree that India doesn't have roadside knife-point or gun-point muggings but these figures, which are the tip of the iceberg are disturbing to say the least. One of the most urgent requirements in India is police reforms.

See the DNA analysis here http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_the-real-picture-behind-our-crime-statistics_1605290

Book Review: Le Gone du Chaâba (Shantytown Kid)

I am of the belief that it is more difficult for a person to rise from poverty to a good lifestyle in the west than it is in India. Being the son of illiterate Algerian immigrants and living in a shantytown would make it all the more tougher, but that didn't stop Azouz Begag from rising all the way from a Lyon slum to the French Prime Minister's Cabinet.

Begag, who was the minister for equal opportunities in Dominique de Villepin's government, writes this autobiography of his childhood in a slum near Lyon in the 1960s. Conditions in the slum were actually worse than in present-day Dharavi, which has electricity. Begag grew up in the company of other children who were in limbo between North Africa and France. But his resolve and ambition along with a few inspiring school-teachers helped him reach great heights, against the odds.

This beautiful coming-of-age book describes life in the Chaâba, a slum with Algerian immigrants. After Algerian independance, many impoverished men came in search of a better life in the former coloniser's country. While they stuck to their traditions in many aspects, this proved detrimental to a generation of confused children who weren't French enough.

I particulalry enjoyed the description of community life in the Chaâba, complete with fights between the womenfolk, when their husbands were at the construction sites. The book is a frank account of life in the slums but a positive one, none the less. Some might it find too hard to read the passage about circumcision, using common scissors or other details of the hygiene habits in the Chaâba, but I think this is a wonderful book to understand the questions of multi-culturalism, immigration and class divisions, issues that occupy centre-stage in many parts of the world.

Diwali in Pune

Pune's older areas called peths are an ideal place to witness the sights and sounds of Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights.

Here are some images from a wonderful evening in Pune

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7444188@N05/sets/72157627865057487/

Suspicious trio in Pune's Cantonment

Something must arouse suspicion with this picture in the military cantonment of Pune: 3 young people walking towards a statue of Field Marshall Maneckshaw. The first looks like a northeasterner (although she's Russian), the second could have Arab roots and speaks with a North African accent and the 3rd would fit the prototype of a Dravidian but has a large camera around his neck.

An armed soldier walks in parallel with the trio, who try to stay unnoticed. Then comes a polite question.."Where are you guys from?" Bombay, I say, and my friendly tone warms up the soldier and he wishes all of us a Happy Diwali. The soldier from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh was just making sure that no one was eyeing the cantonment for an attack.

One may laugh at the above notion but there's a road in the city named after General Arun Vaidya, who was the 13th chief of staff of the Indian Army. The general was assasinated in Pune in 1986 by Sikh terrorists, who wanted to avenge Operation Blue Star, one of the ugliest incidents in modern India. General Vaidya, who was a hero of the 1965 and 1971 wars, planned and executed the operation on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, when it was under seige by terrorists. There is a monument in honour of General Vaidya, at the same spot where he fell to the bullets of assasins.

Man's best friend

Unconditional love only comes from 2 sources: parents and pet dogs. The amount of love and affection that a dog possesses never ceases to amaze me.

Meet Caxixi, my newest friend from Pune

This 2-month old puppy goes completely beserk when people wake up. The fact is that dogs completely deserve all our love and affection.  

A Sad Demise

Uncle Frido was a cheerful and jovial man who loved to make fun of me, right from the time I was 15 years old. Like many of Bombay's Catholics, he was a huge hockey fan. If anyone had a typical Bandra accent, it was him. No afternoon was complete for Uncle Frido without his copy of the Mid-Day and an evening would not be the same without a particular type of bread from a nearby bakery.

He rode that bicycle of his on the crowded streets of JVPD, even the day before a massive heart-attack ended his life. That same old bicycle was parked in the corridor before the entry to his house. I froze when I saw it yesterday. Could I walk into that house and keep my emotions in check?

Memories from the glorious days of the early-to-mid 1990s rushed through my system. As hard as it is to believe for me now, I was once this annoying 15-year old kid, living in a city called Bombay after having been raised in New York. In 1993, it seemed like just about everybody in Bombay watched Santa Barbara and the Bold and the Beautiful on tv.  The only cars on the roads were Ambassadors, Premier Padminis and Maruti 800s. The "big shots" had their Contessas.

There was actually a beautiful roundabout circle at the area still called Juhu Circle. It had a very nice fountain and a very posh look. People still referred to the area around Shopper's Stop in Andheri as "Amber-Oscar" as the department store came up where there once existed a cinema theatre by that name. There was something very different about all of Bombay in 1993. Yes, it was already crowded by then and polluted as well, but courtesy was an integral part of a Bombayite's character. This city was known for its large number of gentlemen. Uncle Frido was definitely one such gentleman and for me represented all that was good about the Bombay that I once knew.

As I stood at the cemetery by the St Joseph's Church in Juhu, I said goodbye to someone who loved me and wished me well like few other people in this city did. A bright and sparkling light has gone out of our lives.

Rest in Peace: Frido Martin Perreira. You were loved and will be terribly missed by a countless number of people.

Gruesome Murder by Barbarians in Amboli (Andheri)

I was shocked and highly disturbed to hear about this murder on a block that is a walking distance from my house. A young man died because he slapped someone who molested his friend. That young man could have been me. It could have been any decent person who stood up to protect his friends.

The Times of India reported today that: "The deceased, Keenan Santos, who worked as a bartender in a five-star hotel, and his friends, including three women, were waiting at a paan shop in Amboli on Thursday night when four drunk men came by. One of the drunkards purposely fell on a woman in Keenan's group. When Keenan and his friends objected, a scuffle broke out. The drunks left the spot only to return minutes later with more men. They stabbed Santos and mercilessly beat up his friends-Reuben and Benjamin Fernandez and Avinash Bali."
The police arrested four people so far for the murder. The TOI goes on to say, "Keenan's friends alleged that the accused showed no remorse after the crime and were telling their friends at the police station that they would be out of jail within a few months. Eyewitnesses had said that a dozen men had attacked Keenan and his friends. However, the police, after verifying the facts, have concluded that only the arrested four were involved in the brawl."

It's a shame that someone had to die like this. I hope the full weight of the law is thrown on these barbarians.

I had a chance to visit the church, where the deceased young man was a parishoner. Some of his friends alleged that this murder was "pre-meditated and not caused by a slap." The mainly Catholic youth of Amboli are petrified after this incident and a funeral mass on Sunday had an unusually large number of visitors spanning all religions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR-F9cNLRZI&feature=related

Manners, anyone?

My level of tolerance has improved drastically over the last few months. I no longer wish that the earth would open up and swallow anyone who spits in this city. I no longer believe that Singapore-style caning is the way to go about cleaning this city.

I understand that the vast underclass in the city couldn't care less about living in a beautiful and clean city but I have a bone to pick with the middle class. While at a screening of an Italian film, a lady not only did not leave her phone on silent but was talking on the phone loudly enough to disturb others. I asked the woman to shush and she had the audacity to give me a dirty look. The fat cow is lucky that I didn't go there and grab her phone and smash it. (Never mess with a brotha, who was raised in Killa Queens, New York). My friends at the screening kept telling me about so-called 'decent' people with a complete lack of manners....

Bombay was a city that was known for its courtesy and the manners of the members of the middle and upper middle class. It's a shame that this is quickly becoming something of the past. When I encounter people like that lady last night, I am quite happy to hear occassional stories of Indians being put in place in civlized countries.

Vasily Vereshchagin: horrors of war through artist’s eyes

When it comes to Russian painters who had a fascination for India, the first name that comes to most people’s minds is Nicholas Roerich, an artist and philosopher who left an indelible mark in both India and Russia with his paintings and books. There was, however, another great Russian artist and traveller, who made a valuable contribution to India by chronicling the country under British Rule: Vasily Vasilevich Vereshchagin.

http://indrus.in/articles/2011/10/17/vasily_vereshchagin_horrors_of_war_through_artists_eyes_13126.html

Mad Stray Dogs and Austrians

Since last year I have managed to popularize Gunter from Graz's epic battles with stray dogs in Delhi and Bangalore   When it comes to battling India's stray dogs, the big man from Graz has compatriots facing similar struggles.

Take for instance, an enterprising young man (and India-lover) from another tiny Austrian town. Let's call him 'the wolf' for convenience' sake. The wolf is a talented long-distance runner who competed and won at the highest levels in Austria and had it not been for his love for humid, dusty and dirty India, we may have had an Olympic Champion. None the less, Indian conditions haven't stopped the wolf from running.

In fact, suburban Andheri was on the route of a wolf run recently. He glided past the lower middle class colony of D.N. Nagar, almost unnoticed by the Maharashtrians, who are used to seeing Europeans in those parts. The wolf was just a kilometre and a half away from Juhu Beach from where he could set the sand on fire, but like with Gunter, there lay an obstacle. No, I am not talking about the pot-holed roads...The guardian of D.N. Nagar, a stray dog on early morning duty, could not lose his self-respect by granting a wolf transit rights through his territory. A confrontation seemed imminent. There was fear in the wolf's eyes as the stray approached with his menacing teeth visible.

What would transpire in a bizarre turn of events surprised the locals of D.N. Nagar, who expected a tougher fight. They expected their stray to go for the wolf's leg, while the wolf defended himself with a barrage of stones aimed at or near the stray. As the mad stray got closer to the wolf, out came a smattering of German.. "AUS" "AUS," screamed the wolf. The stray was suddenly confused with the new word in an incomprehensible yet eerily familiar language.

Yes, 70 years ago, an Austrian who took the reins of the Third Reich, would have summarily executed all stray dogs. Perhaps this stray lived in those times in another life and the German word signalled enough danger to make for a hasty retreat.

The wolf won a war without raising a finger.

10 minutes later, he was running on Juhu Beach, shirtless and dripping with sweat: the right combination to make Indian girls turn their heads and spurn their boyfriends.

Final Score: Austrian Wolf 1 - Indian Mad Dog 0

Komsomolsk-na-Amure: A Distant Soviet Pacific Outpost

While most foreigners associate Komsomolsk-na-Amure (Komsomolsk on Amur) with Sukhoi aircraft, many in the Russian Far East have unfairly tagged the city as dangerous because of heightened criminal activity there in the late 1990s. But this peaceful city of 300,000, built in 1932, is a pleasant place to be in and is a surviving example of the pre-Second World War Soviet dream.



http://indrus.in/articles/2011/10/11/komsomolsk-na-amure_a_distant_soviet_pacific_outpost_13100.html

Nostalgie de la lumière/ Nostalgia de la luz

Being a film-lover, I have been fortunate enough to watch a large number of films over the last few months. I have seen all sorts of shots, all kinds of effects, several interesting story-lines and many very good experiments in cinema. However, nothing in any of those films made my chin drop the way this Franco-Spanish co-production did this evening. Patricio Guzman's 'Nostalgia de la luz' or Nostalgia for the Light had some of the most beautiful images of the cosmos and outer space that I have ever seen in my life.

Watching the film at the nice theatre at the Alliance Francaise de Bombay was an added bonus since such movies must be watched on a large screen. Before any of you think, this is just some documentary about space, I'd like to clarify that this is as much a story about the culture, psyche and history of the wonderful nation called Chile as it is about space.

The narrator spoke of a different Chile; the Chile before Augusto Pinochet's bloody and cruel regime, which incidentally was sponsored and backed by the United States of America!! Chileans have always had a love for astronomy and the film draws parallels to astronomers searching foo the hidden secrets of the cosmos along with women who are searching for the remains of loved ones killed by the Fascist Pinochet regime. The remains of many of Pinochet's victims lie in the same Atacama Desert where there is a centre to observe the stars. This centre is one place that I must visit in this lifetime.

After overthrowing Salvador Allende in 1973, General Pinochet seized power in Chile and unleashed a reign of terror that lasted until 1990. In Pinochet's Chile, thousands were murdered, 80,000 sent to concentration camps, with at least 30,000 of them being tortured.

This film is a visual treat and a great attempt at linking archaeology and astronomy along with recent tragic history. So the history-lover in me appreciated it as much as the star-gazing version of myself.

Here is the trailer of this must-watch film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FvhsYCkcN8

Wonderful initiative at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park

I am happy to know that there are people in Bombay who care about cleanliness and are willing to do something to make some parts of the city cleaner. This morning I met someone with a few large bags inside the park, who was picking up rubbish from the park and involving some of the adivasi children. He promised them a gift if they could fill the bag with garbage. The enthusiastic children seemed more than eager. Since this gentleman was busy, I didn't want to disturb him and ask him any questions but kudos to this wonderful man.

Notes from the National Park

***
The national park is a wonderful place to be on a Sunday morning. Lots of joggers & walkers, people riding bicycles and other fitness enthusiasts throng the place. Nature, fresh air and fitness:- not an easily available combination in this city.

***
When security staff warn people to stay away from monkeys and they still doesn't listen, we have a problem. The aggressive monkeys get fed by people (including forest guards!!!) and then assume it's their right to grab food from people. The monkeys are NOT at fault here.

Here are some images from the park and the Kanheri Caves
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7444188@N05/sets/72157627851732004/

An Ordinary Execution

Relations between common Russians and Frenchmen have been defined by a fascination with and a curiosity to know more about each other’s countries and cultures. It’s probably this fascination that led French writer Marc Dugain to write ‘Une Execution Ordinaire’ (An Ordinary Execution), a book that looks at the nature of political power in Moscow from Stalin’s time to the present day. The result is a terrifying and gripping novel where an ordinary family comes face to face with extraordinary events over the span of 5 decades.


http://indrus.in/articles/2011/10/07/an_ordinary_execution_a_fictional_french_look_at_russias_corridors_o_13085.html

Dreaded October Heat

This is 1 month in the city that I am not particularly fond of. The post-monsoon month of October is hot, dry and brings it's share of dust storms. The city basically turns into a large hot dust bowl this month. Early mornings and late evenings are bearable but the heat is maddenning from around 11 am till 6 pm. As much as I am against air conditioning, I am left with no choice but to use it. Wake me when October ends!

In all fairness though, the sunsets and the twilight in the city this month are really beautiful.

Solutions for the auto-rickshaw problem in Bombay

I have avoided using harsh language against the auto rickshaw drivers in Bombay as they are far more honest than their counterparts in places like Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi. Except at the odd railways station, the drivers agree to use the meter and I believed that some of them tampered with their meters but the raids by the authorities have proved that this is an organised racket.

For about a year, I was paying ten rupees extra to get to the university's Kalina campus from Santa Cruz station. After the raids, the meters are surprisingly rolling slower on the same route. These crooks got their dues from the authorities. And now since they have been caught cheating passengers, they are demanding a far hike. They should be told to go to hell.

Here are my suggestions to the municipal authorities: For starters, clear sidewalks of hawkers and make the suburbs of the city more pedestrian friendly, especially by planting trees. Shaded sidewalks would encourage more people to walk shorter distances and of course, it's a good thing for the public health of an ever-fattening population.

Next, create specific lanes on the roads for buses and increase the frequency of buses. This will save money, fuel and time. Jakarta managed to do this in more difficult circumstances and so can Bombay.

Let's help these rogue auto rickshaw drivers know that we can do without them most of the time!

Book Review: Tea in the Harem by Mehdi Charef

News channels around the world beamed images of riots in the outskirts of Paris in 2005-6. The rioters were predominantly second and third generation Arab immigrants, who were frustrated with what they felt was blatant racism and social exclusion. One can assume that the ethnic Moroccans and Algerians are looked upon in France with the same fear and distrust that some across the Atlantic Ocean feel for African-Americans.

The only French person of Arab descent I have ever met is a wonderful French teacher, who was in Bombay for 6 months. She never wore a burka and was essentially French in all respects. Add to that, her immense beauty, and it was no surprise to me when she said she never ever faced any discrimination in France.

Then again, Charef's book was written in 1983, when Mumbai/Rio type shanytowns existed in the outskirts of Paris. The author describes the slums of Nanterre as being like those in Rio minus the sun and warm weather.

"The children seem happy enough as they play in among the mud and the poverty and the thick smoke from people's stoves:" This is not a description of Dharavi but a place within a half an hour car ride from the city of love!

The protagonist of the book Majid lives in a housing project in a not-so nice suburb of the French capital and is basically stuck between 2 worlds. He moved to France at a young age and found the French education system above his level of understanding. His younger siblings, however, seemed to be doing well in school.

Majid and his gang of friends get drunk, solicit prostitutes, use drugs and indulge in petty crime like pick-pocketing. The author describes the contempt that many French people had at that time towards Arabs, looking at them as thieves and low-lives. There is a strong yearning among the Arab youth in France to break free from this prison of a life in the estates, which have nice names like Acacia but are crime infested and neglected.

"Somehow the night seems darker here than in other parts of town, as if it feels at home," the author says about the area around the housing projects. "The estate dies, and the footsetps of passers-by sound like echoing drum-beats. It feels like being stuck behind a wall in a cemetery in a strange village in the middle of nowhere, trying to find your way home."

This book was hard to put down and while it was neutral, helped the reader see things from the point of view of Arabs in France.

Paying for plastic bags is a great idea

Many grocery shops in Bombay have started demanding money for plastic bags. Apna Bazar in Andheri West demands Rs 3 per plastic bag. This has led to a large number of people bringing cloth and jute bags to the shop. I hear it's the same across the city. This will go a long way in helping the environment.

For starters, it's plastic bags that choke gutters and storm water drains and end up making our beaches dirty. This charge will automatically help make the city and its beaches a lot cleaner and reduce flooding in the monsoons.

I won't call for an outright ban on plastic bags like in the Nilgiris, but I would have to mention at the same time that banning plastics and imposing a fine of Rs 20,000 has been one of the best decisions that the authorities in Ooty took. The level of cleanliness in the Nilgiri Hills is something to write home about.

My article about Lal Bahadur Shastri in the Free Press Journal

October 2 is marked across India as the birthday of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, but few of us know that it is also the birthday of another great man, who personified Gandhijis principles of austerity and honesty in public service: Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Read more... http://fpj.co.in/news/24107-lal-bahadur-shastri-the-small-giant.html

Italian October in Bombay

If there is one European country that most Bombayites love, it has to be Italy. We love Italian food or the American/Gujarathi/Udupi variants of it that we get in this city. Anyone who claims to be an expert on films will list Bicycle Thieves as one of his or her favourites. Then there's the popularity of Serie A football and Formula 1 car racing. Several trendy shops claim to sell everything from clothes to handbags to furniture made in Italy.

Well, the Italians love us too. They are organising a set of wonderful cultural programmes in the city this month. While the rest of the world celebrates the World Italian Language Week, festivities in Bombay go on for more than 15 days.

It all starts on October 8 with the opening of an exhibition of photographs at the Prince of Wales Museum (I refuse to call it the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj whatever) titled "The Persistence of Memory" by Dr Ishrat Syed, a noted surgeon and author. The exhibition, on how travel bookends history, will be curated by Syed and co-author Kalpana Swaminthan, who form the Kalpish Ratna team that has written several books, including The Quarantine Papers.

The exhibition will be launched along with another exhibition at the Prince of Wales Museum: Voyage to India of Ludovico de Varthema. The exhibition, which is based on the book 'Itinerary' by de Varthema, which was published in 1510, will be on view at the museum till October 23.

On October 8, at 11:00 am, the ICSSR seminar room at the University of Mumbai (Kalina Campus) will host a programme titled "Storytellers and jesters in the Middle Ages: Dario Fo's theatre." Dr Roberto Bertilaccio, our beloved Italian professor, will present 2 video extracts from Fo's Mistero Buffo  (Comic Mystery). This is part of the World Storytelling Association's international conference, festival and workshop "Magic of the Word: Storytelling for Ecological Conservation and Inter-Racial Harmony."

And then there's Lettera Amorosa, an Italian Music and Dance Concert with music composed by Italian composers of the 17th and 18th century. The concert by Basel, Switzerland-based Musica Fiorita is an invitation-only event at the Tata Theatre at the NCPA at 7:00 pm on October 10.

The celebrations culminate with an Italian Film Festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

Here's the list and timings of the films, all of which will have English subtitles, at the YB Chavan Centre. (Entry is free)

Oct 17:- 4:30 pm- La Presa di Roma (The Capture of Rome) (1905, silent, 6 minutes)
                              Il piccolo garibaldino (The Garibaldian Boy) (1909, silent, 14 minutes)
              5:00 pm- Allonsanfan, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (1973, 113 minutes)
              7:30 pm- Senso, directed by Luchino Visconti (1954, 120 minutes)

Oct 18:- 5:00 pm- Arrivano i bersaglieri, directed by Luigi Magni
                             (The marksmen are coming) (1980,  120 mins)
              7:30 pm- Bronte: cronaca di un massacro, directed by Florestano Vancini
                             (Bronte, chronicle of a massacre) (1972, 110 mins)

Oct 19:- 5:30 pm- Siamo uomini o corporali, directed by Camillo Mastrocinque
                              (Are we men or corporals?) (1956, 94 minutes)
              7:30 pm- I soliti ignoti, directed by Mario Monicelli
                             (Big deal on Madonna Street) (1958, 110 minutes)
          
This festival is the result of months of work by Dr Roberto Bertilaccio, the Instituto Italiano di Cultura, New Delhi and the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai and is supported by the Prince of Wales Museum, The Rome Archives, UNESCO, The Swiss Confederation, Swiss International Airlines, Musica Fiorita, the National Centre for Performing Arts, the Indian Centre for Cultural Relations, the Chavan Centre, VFS Global and the French Department at the University of Mumbai.