Of coffee and conversations

Last few evenings have been great. Post work i.e. :)

A colleague had come over home one of the evenings and stayed over. We (room mates included) sat and spoke till may be 2 am. Another evening, I was invited for dinner to a friend's place. We ( a bunch of us) stayed till late enjoying conversations over beer and dinner.

Both the nights, I don't remember what we spoke about, as there was nothing specific. The conversations were free flowing moving deftly from economy to religion, oil industry prospects to Tendulkar's innings in Chennai in 1999 to election strategies. We poked fun at each other, cracked some silly jokes, caught up on each others lives, took a couple of snaps and later reluctantly called it a night - courtesy 8 am meetings.

Both the evenings left all of us with a warm fuzzy feeling. As I reflect back, it is not just the conversation but the people who made the difference. Genuinely nice, warm, no hang ups, willing to listen and share and most importantly able to convert just-being-together-time to I-had-a-great-time. I am lucky and privileged to have such friends and acquaintances.

It took me back to college days. I like coffee houses. A lot. In fact, one of the books I am reading currently is 'The Coffee House – A Cultural History’ by Markman Ellis. Quite a good read. A friend of mine from college and I shared this fascination for coffee places. We would always be on the lookout for new coffee places in Madras.

This one time, we went to an old 1940s mansion, in a small by lane. The ceiling had these huge heavy wooden bars running across painted in deep dark brown, the walls painted in rust and earthy brown shades. There was a woody smell to the place, the nostalgic type. We were there for a private movie screening. I don't remember the movie a bit but what I remember is the coffee place in their balcony. I rarely hear of houses these days (let alone see) which have huge balconies.

We sat in the balcony, post the screening sipping our cuppas. Our conversation was lyrical amidst the operatic cacophony of bird -chirps. They were returning home, just as the sun enjoying its little swan song, was painting the sky crimson and brown and orange and finally black. It was beautiful. It was so beautiful that that evening scene is photographically etched in my memory. I can close my eyes anytime and remember all the details.

This other time we visited a coffee place that overlooks the sea. We sat in the open air balcony, sipping our coffees and chatting till way past midnight I think, till they closed down and asked us to leave. In fact while the orders closed much earlier, we cajoled the staff to let us stay while they cleaned up the place. It was a full moon night. The moon was right above the sea and it formed a path of light, as if showing the way to some place. The waves washed up tirelessly thus providing us a rhythmic backdrop. Peace!

I nurture this tiny dream of setting up a coffee house. A place where one could meet new people or catch up with old friends. It would be a place that enables and fosters conversations - from intellectually charged discussions to gossips and friendly banter. A place from where when you walk out, you feel warm and fuzzy. Inshallah!

d. We chose to

The Mint Quick Edit today (24th Feb) is titled The Slumdog in all of us. Quite topical I must say.

There are striking parallels between the story of Jamal— the slumdog who became a millionaire—and resurgent India. Both have faced ample adversity and yet strived to break out of the dark circle of poverty.

Well, with a statement like that, who can disagree? The economic liberalisation is bearing fruit and we are striving to break out of poverty. The current economic slowdown in India (read slowdown and not recession) is a minor blip in our story. We are here to stay. Yipee! Applause!

Now that we have established the feel good factor, Mint goes further ahead and makes a candy sweet statement to pander our egos.

Be it our technology companies or the neighbourhood chaiwallas, Indians can be as innovative and street-smart as Jamal.

Now, we know this too, don't we? The example of technology companies is something that no one would debate. (I would like to, but that is for later.)

And here comes the finale.

Ask yourself the question posed at the beginning of the film, though in the national context. The boy (country) wins because: (a) He cheated; (b) He is lucky; (c) He is a genius; (d) It is written.

The answer you pick will reveal a lot about how you view India.

Why not the option of (e) We chose to (f) Because We can (g) We did not mean to. Mint could have guided us on how we should view India by giving us the choice of (e) We chose to. But it lost a golden opportunity and wastefully pandered our already bloated egos.

I have mentioned my discomfort with 'the rightful place for us' in earlier post in 2007

Anyways, the point where I disagree is that we have a rightful place in this world which should be given to us. We do not have any rightful place. The only righful place is the place where we want to be and for that we need to work hard. Really hard.It will not be given to us on a platter.

The part which I fear is the fact that this new found self confidence should not turn in over confidence and arrogance. We have not even achieved the tip of the so called iceberg of development. There is a long long way to go and we need to keep going on. While pride in our achievements is required, smugness is an unwanted guest. It is in our interest to stay humble of our achievements and realistic about the long road ahead.

Let is be clear. It is not written anywhere. It is nice to be romantic, to talk about destiny but it would be only shooting ourselves in our foot. Our well-wishers and enemies are engaging in realpolitik for advancement of their national interest. If we do not get real, I am sure there will be no dearth of people to write-off the India story. To borrow a term from cricket - India flattered only to deceive.

To me Destiny is Plan B. We need a vision to create our own future and concrete ideas and plans to get there. While we work to advance our national interest and influence, the touchstone to our success should always be enduring human values of equality, freedom and integrity.

When someone looks back at Indian achievements and progress in 2025, I hope they arrive at the conclusion that it was (e) We chose to as the right answer. Jai Ho!

East or West, West is the Best!

When I picked up the book 'The History of Western Philosophy' by Bertrand Russell, I was all excited. One, I felt it would help me learn and understand different schools of thought, in philosophy, but more importantly I felt it would help me understand the schools of thought in context of the era in question. And that I felt would give me a more rounded perspective.

I haven't progressed beyond four chapters and I don't know if I would also. The book is well written and it keeps you engrossed. Paragraphs with differing contexts and perspectives on the same theme mesh nicely into one another. However every now and then, you come across a statement that makes you squirm.

The first statement that put me off came right on the second page.

'Philosophy as different from theology began in Greece in 6th century BC'.

I always thought that the Vedas were dated to 1500-2500 BC if not further back in time. Many Upanishads are dated pre 6 century BC. And its not just Vedas and Upanishads but Buddha and Confucius were contemporaries in 6 century BC. So what about their philosophy? And if we were to assume that their philosophies could have been influenced by the prevalent ideas and beliefs then philosophy in Eastern hemisphere can definitely be dated to pre-6 century BC. But how is he so sure of 6 century BC for Greece itself? Anyways according to Mr. Bertrand Russell western philosophy began in 6 century BC. Fine granted. Let us move ahead.

And just when I was settling back, he comes up with this gem.

'Now almost all the hypotheses that has dominated modern philosophy was first thought of by the Greeks; their imaginative inventiveness in abstract matters can hardly be too highly praised. What I have to say about the Greeks will be from this point of view; I shall regard them as giving birth to theories which have had an independent life and growth, and which though at first somewhat infantile, have proved capable of surviving and developing throughout more than two thousand years.

Yes, I know that the title of the book is History of Western Philosophy but the above statement seems dismissive of non- Greek philosophies. Isn't it naive to assume that there was absolutely no knowledge transfer between the Greeks and Mesopotamians and between Mesopotamians and the people of Swat (Suvastu in Rig Veda) of the Indus- Saraswathi Valley civilizations?

So I decided to Google on the fact whether there has been any documented record of Indian influence on Greek philosophy. And by chance, before Googling, I came across Offstumped's post on the same topic today. He quotes from the book - 'The study on Ancient Thought - comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies' by Thomas McEvilley. To quote from his post -

…The massive transfer of ideas or methods of thinking, first from India to Greece in the pre-Socratic period and again back from Greece to India in the Hellenistic period

Since the ideas in question remain fundamental elements of Greek thought for a thousand years, it is time to acknowledge that one of the major strains of Greek thought was Indian Influenced - that it might even be called the Indianized or Greco-Indian lineage

I am going to be lenient to towards Bertrand Russell, given the fact that he wrote his book in 1945 and was ill-informed in developments in archaeology and the fact that Indus-Saraswathi civilisation was discovered in 1924-31. Not to mention the fact that Sir William Jones downwards had translated many Samskrit treatises. right from 1750's. Anyways, the good news is that Mr. Russel has clarified his undying appreciation for the Greeks and their thinking, so I now know what to expect when I read further.

So while I was expecting the superlative treatment of Greek thought, I did not imagine that he would overlook facts.

... But certain elements had been lacking [ in civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia] until Greece supplied them. What they achieved in art and literature is familiar to everybody, but what they did in purely intellectual realm is even more exceptional. They invented mathematics (deductive reasoning) and science and philosophy; they first wrote history as supposed to annals; they speculated freely about the nature of the world and ends of life, without being bound in the fetters of inherited orthodoxy. What occurred was so astonishing, that until recent times, men were content to gape and talk about the Greek mystical genius.

Well, given that the book was written in 1945, it was well established by then that Chinese and Indians had developed art, philosophy, mathematics and science too. Greek civilisation is credited with inventing Mathematics and Science? Really? Isn't that a little far fetched.

By now I have come to believe that Mr. Russell’s undying love for Greece and its ancient wisdom has clouded his judgment and he is no longer a dispassionate narrator. And then he fires his next salvo, by when I decided to close the book.

.. But in Plato, St. Augustine, Descartes, Spinoza and Kant there is an intimate blending of religion and reasoning, of moral aspiration of logical admiration of what is timeless, which comes from Pythagoras, which distinguishes the intellectualised theology of Europe from the more straightforward mysticism of Asia'.

Think Mr. Thomas McEvilley is bang on when he says

In response to the 19th century imperialist view … this investigation has shown that every mystical element in Indian thought can be found in Greek thought too and every rational element in Greek thought in Indian as well.

It is not to say Indian thought and civilisation was more advanced or better than its western counterparts. What ticks me off, is that this book is one of the revered books studied as a primer to Western Philosophy which could influence readers wrongly. The fact that, in the light of new evidence which is quite opposite to the long accepted belief of western supremacy, not much is being done to correct this imperialistic view point is a little worrying. I think we need more sub-continental and east Asian scholars writing about the sub-continent and Eastern Asia ourselves. And till we get to that point Orientalism by Edward Saeed should be a compulsory read for all.

Baby Steps

Science tells us what we can know, but what we can know is little, and if we forget how much we cannot know we become insensitive to many things of very great importance. Theology, on the other hand, induces a dogmatic belief that we have knowledge where in fact we have ignorance and by doing so generates a kind of impertinent insolence towards the universe. Uncertainty, in the presence of vivid hopes and fears, is painful, but must be endured if we wish to live without the support of comforting fairy tales. It is not good either to forget the questions that philosophy asks, or to persuade ourselves that we have found indubitable answers to them. To teach how to live without certainty and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age can still do for those who study it.

- Lord Bertrand Russell in The History of Western Philosophy

I have always had a great interest in philosophy and I completely resonate with the paragraph quoted above. And the last line.. '... to live without certainty and yet without being paralysed by hesitation'.. isn't this similar to the verse in Bhagavad Gita

"karmanye vadhika raste
ma phaleshu kadachana
ma karma phala hetu bhurba
te sangostav karmani"

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

I had posted earlier here that both faith in God and scepticism can be equally powerful motivators in quest for answers. Philosophy described above takes the path of scepticism - 'living without certainty..’. Somewhere I get this feeling that the above description removes philosophy from faith and religion completely which may not be necessarily true. While philosophy should be free from dogmas, should it also be necessarily free from beliefs?

With my limited knowledge, I currently feel that Advaitha philosophy, beautifully combines the belief in supreme (not necessarily god) and scepticism through 'tat tvam asi - you are that' . These are my nascent thoughts that would evolve in due course. The process is thrilling. And to help me through this journey, I picked up this book -The History of Western Philosophy – Lord Bertrand Russell. I am still reading the preface (quoted above) and it already looks like a great read. It is a big fat book and is going to take me months to peruse through. Looking forward to some stimulating conversations.

It is she, isn't it?

We are prisoner of our thoughts and dreams. For in them we see not who we are but who we want to be. And there lies many a problem. When we are unable to distinguish between us in reality and us in dreams, we end up dejected because of misplaced expectations.

Thanks da! That was so helpful. It is as universal as 'desire is the root cause of all evil'. It does not help one bit.

Well then, tell me what would help you?

I don't know. If I had known that, then I would have to gone to the place where I could find solution, not to you to understand my problem.

I see. So, well, what or who is bothering you?

Hmm.. I think it is the “who” and hence the “what”.

... or “what” and the “who” are mixed here. I don't know. Why don't you tell me.

If you want me to spell it out,, then you will get universal statements. . It is she isn't it?

Yeah!

So what about her?

Well, it seems like a forced conversation every time I talk to her. I mean conversations were simple, free flowing - like the way she writes. Not the simple part but the free flowing part. Its not like I have conversations daily, but then … you know..

So what has changed?

Guess I have. She has. We both have. May be the context has. But I wish she looks at things differently.

Why only she?

hmmm..

... but why not she?

That wasn't my question.

Don't ask me questions. Give me answers.

But I thought you would go to a solution provider for solutions, you are here for issues.

You win. Please deign to be the solution provider and tell me Oh Great one what...

Let go.

Huh? She is not...

I tell you this because I know you and her. Let go. She is and will be a special friend. But then don't define special by the 'what' in the conversations but by how it feels for both of you. Now for the universal motherhood statement - You don't need to change friends as long as you accept that friends change.

Yikes. Eeeks! You can’t get more cornier, can you? I though you were better. Don't give me that now. I used to get these statements in greeting cards on friendship day when I was sweet 16. So spare me.

Well, obviously you never read those cards then.

Pursuit

Mahaseer is a popular fresh water fish. It is found abundantly in India and many parts of South east Asia. It is a fresh water fish, living mostly in rivers and fresh water lakes. Mahaseer derives its name from Maha-seer meaning big head. Angling/ fishing for Mahaseer is now a recognised sport with camps that have come up in Ganga, Kaveri amongst many other places.

Mahaseer is usually found in plenty around Rishikesh and Haridwar in the gentle waters. However, once a year, during the monsoons, when Ganga swells up from a gentle Mandakini (one that moves slowly) to a torrent with strong downstream currents, these Mahaseers begin their journey upstream supposedly to the place where they were born themselves. They swim up into the small streams that feed the Ganga to find crevices and corners to lay their roe.

It is like a genetic map is hardwired into them that pull them back towards the origin, despite the perils that they face in the raging river that sometimes carries boulders and copious amount of silt and down its path. Not to mention the predators. I have often wondered whether all of us also have this desire to go back to our sources hardwired into us. All of us, in some form and magnitude, overtly or in sub consciousness are faced with the question of - Who am I?

At some point in time, we go back to the place where we were born to trace our origins or may be to the place where we finally could make sense of the world around us or to that place that makes us just happy. Some trace their family roots - going back to ancestral villages and homes in their quest while many a men since the time of legends have pondered about roots of the entire human race. The schools of thought that have emerged are two – one look outside and the other look within.

It always intrigues me that people would take pilgrimage tours visiting shrines in spite of physical and emotional discomfort, while arguing all the time that God lies within each and every one of us. May be it is to reaffirm to ourselves that our individual beliefs are in sync with the society at large. Or may be we seek some inspiration at these shrines. But, what we set out to seek, to discover, lies within us in the first place and we know that, then why the journey?

Pilgrimage as one definition reads 'A long journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.' In my understanding, the exalted purpose is self discovery which tries to find a justifiable answer to ourselves to the question – Who am I? It certainly is a long journey, sometimes even life long. And in this journey some put their faith in God and some in skepticism and surprisingly (or not) both can be equally strong motivators in the pursuit of self discovery.

Republic Day

Happy Republic Day to all Indians, wherever they are in this world.

In its 60th year of the Indian republic, we are still a fledgling. There are corporations even in our own country that have been in existence for longer. We are young, dynamic and vibrant. A nation built on values of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit.

It is an advantage to all narrow wisdom and narrow morals that their maxims have a plausible air; and, on a cursory view, appear equal to first principles. They are light and portable. They are as current as copper coin; and about as valuable. They serve equally the first capacities and the lowest; and they are, at least, as useful to the worst men as to the best. Of this stamp is the cant of not man, but measures; a sort of charm by which many people get loose from every honourable engagement.
- Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke argues that political maxims are often used as a substitute to truths and the two are often confused with each another. This is then used advance self interest, compromising on values. How true! An observation made over century ago, still holds good. Such little has the political class changed :) And I guess the apathy towards the political class has been institutionalised in our collective memory.

And it is precisely this apathy that we need to change. As JK Rowling puts it best in her stirring Harvard Commencement address (please don't miss the video..)

What is more, those who choose not to empathise may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy.

In this 60th year of We need to shred our political apathy and become active citizens in the political process And especially when it comes to voting. we have 3 choices

a. Not Vote - Continue with our Apathy
b. Protest Vote - Section 49-0 (of no consequence but popular)
C. Vote

A. Not Vote
There is this campaign going on..NOT VOTING. I haven't heard of a more ridiculous idea. It is a propaganda which is completely misaligned to larger interests while being fashionable over lunch conversations that people like me who can afford daily basic luxuries can afford to have . It is lethargy and apathy and nothing more. Election day is more of a long weekend vs. a day when we exercise our fundamental right i.e. to vote. To make our voices heard.

The section that talks about not voting consists mainly of people who can afford private water tankers, security guards and own personal vehicles may not need government for major developmental issues. The majority of this country still needs government for roti kapda makaan bijli. So they will still come out in droves and vote, just like the Kashmir polls turnout ( which was a vote for development ). Imagine if the entire middle class votes, demanding better amenities, you think the political class won't listen? And with the constituencies redrawn and more urban votes, our votes can really make a difference.

Of course, the standard FAQs are thrown about, all politicians are corrupt and no one choice is better than the other. But that is because of our apathy so far. We did not vote. and we paid lip service to accountability. If candidates are bad, let us get together, put up a candidate of our choice, fund his election and demand accountability. Like the municipal elections in Bombay recently where local societies put up their candidates who infact won the election.

B. Protest Vote - Section 49-O.

Section 49-O has been labeled as a 'protest vote'. This is completely false. I would guide you to Mr. Uday Singh's article which does a brilliant job of dispelling the myth.

Briefly, the system in India is designed towards number of votes for a candidate vs. number against or absenteeism. For. e.g. in a constituency of 1000 voters, even if 999 decide to opt for sectio 49-O and one person votes for candidate A then candidate A wins. We do not have a minimum percentage any such criteria. So by exercising 49-O we are infact not utilising our vote properly. And not just that. As it is our voting percentage is 60% and today the winner gets at maximum 15-20% of the total votes of the constituency he is representing. If you do not vote, he or she is likely to get at maximum 5-10% of votes and still represent us. And if a candidate with 5-10% of votes wins then he is more likely than not have predilection towards a community or caste as he would have got their backing.

C. Let us VOTE!
So let us all understand the importance of our vote and cast our vote in this coming election. Lets take our voting percentage upto 70%. And once we have exercised our vote and elected our leaders, let us be active citizens and demand accountability. Let us use RTI act, let us monitor funds usage, track and measure progress in our constituency. Let us get involved and seek answers.

I would like to leave you with this thought. Its time to stand up and be counted.

The Republic was not established by cowards;
and cowards will not preserve it …
This will remain the land of the free
only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

Linked from Pragmatic

India's Titanic???

On Slumdog Millionaire ‘phenomenon’, I read an article few days ago paper that how we react to SM will define how mature we are as a society. Yeah right! And especially when I read reviews of SM which say 'A peep into soul of India' I cringe. And this is what Nirpal Dhaliwal from Guardian says

“so many Indians will be upset about a westerner having a better understanding of their country than they do.

The bitter truth is, Slumdog Millionaire could only have been made by westerners.

As an outsider, he saw the truth that middle-class Indians are too often inured to: that countless people exist in conditions close to hell yet maintain a breath-taking exuberance, dignity and decency. These people embody the tremendous spirit and strength of India and its civilisation. They deserve the attention of its film-makers. I have no doubt that Slumdog Millionaire will encourage many more honest films to be produced in India. But they should be ashamed that it took a white man to show India how to do it.”

Am I allowed to pass judgment on this loser? Look at this. SM could have been made by Westerners. Or ‘ they should be ashamed that it took a white man to show India how to do it’. Mr. Dhaliwal, stop sucking up to your bosses at the Guardian. I mean really! Of course, white men know India better. And it took you SM to figure that out. Rigggghttt!

I saw the movie yesterday and it is nothing but a masala movie. It is slickly made with great editing but no way it is the real India. It is as real India as Paris Hilton or Britney Spears is real America. Let me make it clear here that I don't think I alone represent the soul of this country and neither do my experiences. But I represent one aspect of this country, just like people in slums or I-bankers of Nariman point. Also I am aware of the fact that close to 70% of this country live below the poverty line or just above it. But what enrages me is calling ‘poverty and depravity and the spirit of these Slumdogs the soul of this country time and again and again and again while conveniently glossing over the other aspects. If Mr. Dhaliwal says that Indian movies gloss over the ‘underbelly’ then be assured that movies about India in the west pander the ‘underbelly’ glossing over the rest. How sad!

Now, I am sure that there are people who would blame me for being jingoistic simply because the ‘poor India’ is portrayed here. I do not feel any shame or embarrassment, anger or resentment or any such thing. It’s a movie that could have been set in ghettos of Brazil or shanties of Mexico City or in any urban squalor. But what enrages me is the epithets this movie is getting in spite of the ‘glossing’ over.

And here is an example. Interview Mr. Naseeruddin Shan on A Wednesday from HT.

Why wasn’t the film taken to festivals and pitched for international awards?
Neeraj: Ours is not a festival film, it’s only for private consumption. (Smiles)
Naseer: Our producers are lazy chaps. They didn’t want to move their butts from their offices to take the film to international festivals. (Smiles) Jokes apart, A Wednesday should have gone to the festivals but it didn’t because the goras have their own preconceived notions. (Making a face) According to the guys at the Toronto Film Festival, our movie didn’t conform to their ideas about India.

Well, even if Mr. Naseeruddin Shah is exaggerating the ‘Gora’ effect, what does Mr. Dhaliwal, what do you have to say about this?

But you know what, there are so many positives from the movie. If an Indian had made the movie, it would at best be in one category – best foreign movie. But now its in 10 categories. Look at the publicity the movie is garnering. AR Rehman is good in the movie, but it isn’t his best by any count. Roja, Dil Se, Kaanathil Mutham Vittal, Dil Se, Bombay and of course Thiruda Thiruda are one or even two notches higher. But he is getting all the global attention which he rightly deserves and the western audiences will now listen to his other compositions. The other thing that I am happy about is that this is a great business opportunity for India with 10 Oscar nominations. As ARR, put it very nicely, ‘It is a great energy booster for the creative folks in India’. I expect more India based movies, more Indian actors, technicians and musicians getting more opportunities on a larger stage. So let us just enjoy this moment, revel in our awards and move on, glossing over these discussions :P

Edited to Add: Khalid Mohammed who writes in HT has always been one of my favourite movie writers/ critics. His reviews of most Hindi movies were spot on. But after awarding 5 stars to SM, I have just one question for him. If, SM were made in India, by one of the Indian directors, then would you Mr. Khalid Mohammed view it through the same forgiving eyes?

‘Inevitably, that classic forgiveness factor is involved in overlooking several implausible points like the reunion with blinded child beggar. Then there are omissions .. and allowance of a clipped British accent … more co incidences than you could catch in a TV soap.’ Hah! So will you now allow the ‘forgiveness factor’ in all your reviews of Hindi movies?

Edited to add again: Waiting for the media to call SM India’s Titanic soon. Given our history of India’s 9/11 etc.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year ye all! On a philosophically cheerful note, I pray that this New Year all my readers take one step closer towards achieving their hopes dreams, ambitions and aspirations.

In quite contrast to how it has been over the past 2 years, this year has begun with no travel in the month of January. That is quite a sharp contrast to how its been over the past 2 years where the year has begun with me sometimes in different cities. It is a change and guess change is always good in some way. February though seems to have a few trips and I am looking forward to that.

14th January was Makar Sankaranti and of course Pongal (duh!) and in all efforts to celebrate the occasion I decided to make Chakkarai Pongal(rice sweetened with jaggery). So I promptly called up my mom the previous evening, checked if I still remembered the process and it turned out that I did. So on morning of 14^th, I woke up early, boiled milk, cooked rice and then it was soon time for the last step i.e. for me to melt the jaggery in the 'kadai' – which I did which such nonchalance that any one witnessing my actions in the kitchen that morning would have thought that I have a parallel profession to rely on. Anyways once the jaggery was in the kadai, I picked up the morning paper and was happily ogling at Deepika and Asin. Suddenly there was smoke and before I could realise the entire kitchen was filled with smoke. I am sure that if there as a smoke detector the fire brigade would have been at my doorstep and the building would have been evacuated. I walked through the smoke like a hero in Hindi or tam movie where the hero makes an appearance after battling the villains in a burning house and coolly switched off the stove, opened all the windows and kept the kadai out by the window sill.

The jaggery had melted, blackened and had got caramelized. I complemented myself for being the cool customer in the presence of dense smoke, doing the right things of opening the window, switching off the gas and so on. Of course I overlooked the reason for existence of the smoke in the first place. But that is such a trivial issue.

Now that I had reaffirmed my ability to think calmly in potentially stressful situations, I took the kadai out and poured some cold water on it. More smoke billowed. And for a minute I was like – Why, What How? Then my physics 101 came back to me - cold water on hot surfaces would create steam. And steam with hot jaggery would be smoke. Hmmm.

But it did not end there. The hot black molten jaggery solidified instantly on contact with cold water and I could literally turn the kadai upside down and nothing would fall. Hmppf! I spent the next 20 minutes cleaning up the kadai with boiling hot water to get rid of the solidified remnants and was ready to restart the process. And this time, I stood right next to the stove with full attention sans distraction and completed the chakkarai pongal. And I must say that it was good - with sufficient quantities of ghee and cashew and elaichi. My roommate thinks it was a tad sweet but I rather take my own opinion when it comes to MY chakkarai pongal :)

I recounted my morning experiences to my mom and she was thrilled that I made chakarai pongal. But then she hastened to give me advice on how during cooking one should give full time attention and all. Before she could proceed, I added that, her place and role as the best family cook hasn't been snatched away just as yet; but she better beware now that she has competition. I told her that she was the Bhishmah pitamah of cooking in the family, but when that didn’t work, mainly because of the age connotation that epithet carries – I changed it to Sachin Tendulkar. And I think that allayed whatever little insecurities she had. I bet she doesn't agree to this theory but what the heck... it gives me an ego boost!

2008

As I look back at 2008, I see it as a year of stretch.

When I started writing this post, I was just filled with a mostly negative outlook towards the year gone by. Mostly Of the tough times. Of not so easy choices. Of bad timings and worse situations. But then, if I could, would I make 2008 disappear. Like, erase it off totally May be not. I know I don't seek hardships and would love to have a life minus its vicissitudes but then it would be a life less ordinary.

Stretch I guess is good. Pushes your boundaries, tests you on the edges, where you are least prepared and most vulnerable . In 2008, I learnt that when pushed, I can stretch a decent amount. Comfortably skirt the edges. Hardships also teach you to make hard choices. Like stripping away of the inessentials - what you once considered so vital to your lifestyle. However philosophical it may sound, I realized that happiness is in fact a state of mind - it is within your influence and control. Though I have this enlightenment, I am yet to use this wisdom :(And by the way however much people refuse to admit it - retail therapy can give you moments of temporary high :)

I learnt, to borrow JK Rowling's words, that you can in fact turn rock bottom, into a darn good foundation. And finally that the biggest moments of personal victory lie in smallest of things that are far removed from the public eye.

Hey, 2008 wasn't that bad a year after all.

Oh Calcutta

One of my closest friends got married this week. I was in Calcutta for her wedding. And I had a good time. No, infact, absolutely fabulous time.

I am trying to put my finger on the exact reason why it felt so good. I guess it was the company. 7-8 of my batchmates, quite a few seniors that I know and a few colleagues. It was the first wedding that I have attended in recent times, where I knew so many people personally.

Or the other reason could be that the wedding was such an intimate gathering of close family and friends in such a wonderful setting. A small house and garden on the banks of a pond/lake, a wooden bridge across a small waterbody - one of those which makes that woody-rickety sound when one walks on it. Not the old dilapidated sound, but one that evokes a slight tinge of nostalgia of the good times shared. The place was tastefully done up with flowers- bright, simple and elegant. There were only 50-60 people at the wedding, fully engaged in the proceedings. We sat around the mandap and watched and interacted, cracked jokes, poked fun and celebrated. The glorious winter calcutta sun joined the celebrations showering warmth and affection over the intimate gathering.

Continuing on the reasons bit, a simple gesture that felt really good was that everyone who came for the wedding from outstation was received by someone regardles s of the arrival time by train or air. I was received by one of my seniors and I in turn did couple of trips to receive some friends. Those who read this blog would know that I travel quite a bit. Infact I've been traveling ever since I left home for hostel after school. And in all my travels, even though I know that there would be no one at the airport or station or bus stops to receive me, I always look out for known/familiar faces. It is just a nice feeling for me when someone is there to receive. Period. Anyways, the gesture did not stop at receiving us. The bride and the groom had not slept the entire night, but were there at the airport at 5am to see us off. I was given the walk of honour right upto the security beyond which they were not allowed. Else I am sure they would have walked me right upto the flight. This gesture is really reflective of who they are. Nice, genuine people who care for friends and family. No wonder the two days were filled with the 'feel good' factor.

No trip to Calcutta can be called complete complete without puchkas, jhalmuris, sandesh, rosogullas and mishti dahi. Some shopping at New Market, a pilgrimage trip to Eden Gardens and Mohun Bagan and a drive through the howrah bridge and the trip was complete :)

The sun rose early by 530 and set by 5pm. It was dark by 530. The malls and eateries were teeming with people at 630ish while by 8, the crowds had thinned down. By 9 many shops were closed. This is quite contrary to Mumbai where there is sunlight till 7.30ish (may be 630 in winter) and given the travel required, dinner is usually 9 o clock plus. And everyone was wearing winter wear and half sweater. And a person on the scooter was wearing monkey cap. I don't quite understand this because the temparature was may be 18-20 C and I was walking around in shorts and T-Shirt. I wonder what I have been missing.

Park street and all the streets in that area are all one way. In the morning from 7 am to 1pm park street is one way towards the office direction and shakespeare road is one way in the opposite direction. This is to facilitate traffic movement in the direction of offices. However post 1pm till evening the one way is reversed. It is now in the direction away from the offices to facilitate traffic movement. And its not just one road which turns turtle, but infact almost all roads in the area including the feeder roads turn turtle. It can be quite confusing to a person who is new to Calcutta. As my friend quipped, ' Its like the entire city turning inside out'

I quite liked the relaxed atmosphere in Calcutta. People are in no hurry. I don't know if I can live here for a long but for a short duration it is great. You get a lot of time for yourself and family to pursue your interests, to have a life.

One of seniors in my company narrated this experience about Calcutta. This was 10 years ago in 1998 and he was in IIM Calcutta. It was two or three days to go for Valentines day and he had to speed post his valentine's card to his girlfriend else it wouldn't reach on time. He was standing at the Jokha post office in the long speed post queue at 5 pm and the speed post van had just rolled into the post office complex. If he missed sending it by that evening's delivery, the card wouldn't reach on time. And given the long queue he was sure to miss it. As he stood there in the long queue wondering what to do, the gentleman standing ahead of him noticed the unmistakable envelope in his hand and asked him 'valentine's day?'. When he nodded in affirmation, the gentleman yelled out to the row of people standing in front of him ' Urgent. Speed post for Valentine.' And everyone in the queue smiled and let him through to the front so that he could send the speed post first. This person claims that this level open mindedness and that too in 1998 cannot be found anywhere but Calcutta. I have a strong suspicion that his Mallu lineage will by default convert praises to eulogies when it is about fellow Bongs. But still I have to agree that the open mindedness and live and let live atmosphere of Kolkatta is probably unmatched in this country.

How I wish that they (people of Bengal) embrace the develop and let develop culture too.