Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A journey of 42.195 kms

I have successfully run 2 marathons in my life, with timings that are nothing to write home about. Although I trained reasonably well for both of them with a focussed diet being the mainstay of the second attempt, I know deep down that I could have trained much better and as a result performed better.  So here I am, attempting to train for marathon number 3. 

This time, I am going to spend a greater part of a year in the training process and set my sights on Rome 2016.  The run is in March, when the weather is gorgeous in the Eternal City. I want to slowly pick up the pace in my training and be super-fit on the day of the run. This really means a detailed plan over the course of 11 months to be in the kind of shape that I have never been in. 

The closer I get to 40, the tougher it gets to be able to finish a marathon in less than 4 hours. So here goes... I am going to give it my all  :) 

Forza Roma!

Sunday, March 29, 2015

The two most wonderful months of the year in Bombay

Most people dread the thought of April and May in Bombay. The high humidity levels scare a lot of people away.

I love the city in its two "summer" months. The days are longer, the trees flower and best of all, it's mango season.

The schools are shut, so there's far less traffic on the roads. Many families also take off for the season, making the city feel emptier.

Bring on April! 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

German Autumn by Stig Dagerman

I remember how horrified I was when I was taught about the Holocaust. I was 11 at that time and my wonderful history teacher not only explained what happened but showed us some documentaries and played some audio tapes of survivors.

Naturally, we were made to believe that the entire German nation supported both the Nazi regime as well as the policy of sending Jews to concentration camps. There were lessons on the Nuremburg trials and the punishment handed out to those who operated the death camps.

I was also made to believe that in a defeated and divided Germany that people immediately shunned the ideas of the previous regime.  I carried this thinking right up to my adult life, until a conversation a few years that began on a much lighter note.

I was living in Bangalore at that time and had a German friend. While an auto driver tried to rip us off one night, we refused to pay and the man in a fit of anger called us “bloody North Indians.” The assumption was that my German friend, with his dark black hair, was a light-skinned Indian from Kashmir or Punjab.

When I met his mother who also has jet black hair and recounted this incident, she said the reason they had black hair was that her biological father was a Hawaiian GI who served in Germany, but left soon after the war. 

She then spoke about how grateful she was that her mother’s husband accepted her. In those days, “children of the enemy” were looked upon as virtual untouchables. As our conversation went on, she gave me a glimpse of life in post-war Germany.

Stig Dagerman, one of Sweden’s greatest writers and journalists, was in Germany as a correspondent for a Swedish paper in the autumn of 1946.  The articles, he wrote, were compiled into a book titled ‘German Autumn.’ His approach to reporting what he witnessed was thoroughly professional and at the same time he showed a great degree of compassion.

He was disturbed by the way Western journalists wrote judgmental and triumphalist articles about the German people. He called out those who asked a starving family if they were happier in the Nazi days. Of course, a person who is under the worst duress would answer in the affirmative.

What touched me most about the writing is the fact that he did not look at rubbing in the suffering of the German people. He writes that suffering is suffering whether deserved or undeserved and his compassion purely came from seeing that people were suffering.

Dagerman who was in his mid-20s at that time, vividly captures the occurrences of the time, including the way Bavaria was deporting people to other parts of Germany and how poor women were throwing themselves at Allied soldiers and journalists. He also noted how some former Nazis with a dark past managed to thrive under the new system.

The book is probably the best account of immediate post-war Germany ever written.  It also helps the reader become less judgmental of an entire nation.  I can’t help but agree that suffering, whether deserved or not, hurts and that we all need to be compassionate. 


Sunday, March 15, 2015

Hike to Tatsang Monastery

The Tiger's Nest or Tatsang Monastery in Bhutan is one of the most spectacular Himalayan sights in the world. It is by no means an easy trek for those accustomed to life on the plains.

The 900-metre climb from an altitude of 2300 metres above sea level is challenging but worth it. Here are some images from my climb.


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Magical moment in Paro

It was a cold eary-spring night in Paro and although not late by international standards, most residents of the valley were already in bed. The only sound one could hear from the neighbourhood was that of barking dogs.

This was my last night in the Land of the Thunder Dragon, and under normal circumstances I would have called in early, so that I don’t travel out of the country without a proper night’s sleep. But, something just called me out into the balcony.

I stepped out at 20 minutes past 9 on this Sunday night to see the fully illuminated Paro Dzong. Over the monastery and in the mountains, I noticed the usual lights that resembled pearls, but I was dumbstruck by a beacon beyond the range.

Within minutes, I saw a few pine trees getting lit up and noticed a rapid moonrise. The moon, which was full for the first time in the Lunar New Year just 3 days ago, looked larger than life as it rose over the Paro Valley. This was one of the most beautiful natural sights that I have ever seen in my life. 



Monday, March 2, 2015

Indian citizens flying into Paro, Bhutan (Visa and permits)

Before coming to this beautiful and interesting country, it was difficult to find much accurate information on the entry procedures here for Indian citizens.  There is a lot of negative information on the web about the permit procedure when coming by road and how annoying it is to get a permit from the immigration offices in Bhutan when travelling out of Paro or Thimphu.  There isn't much out there on the arrival process in Paro.

A Druk Air flight to Paro is one of the most wonderful flights you'll ever take. Make sure you get a window seat on the left while flying in, so you can see Mt Everest and Kanchenjunga. The landing is also spectacular as a limited number of pilots are trained to land in Paro flying through narrow gaps between mountains.

As for the entry procedures, it's quite simple. Immigration officers at Paro just want to know the name of the hotel you are staying in, and the number of days you will be in Bhutan. Based on the latter, they will stamp an entry permit on the passport. if you decide to stay longer, a trip to an immigration office is necessary.

I had heard all sorts of horror stories about how time consuming it was to get a permit to restricted areas. The fact is that you just need to fill in a form and submit a copy of your passport's first and page and the visa page. The officer wasn't exactly thrilled to see me, but I was told to come back in an hour for my permit and it was ready then.

The Bhutanese are probably the most honest and helpful people I have ever come across. It is a pleasure to be in this wonderful country.