Takeshi’s Castle

28th Nov 2010

Once upon a time I used to really enjoy this program called “Takeshi’s Castle”. It was a game show in which participants overcame various hurdles with the aim of seeking victory over the Takeshi’s Castle. The participants were Japanese/Chinese/Korean/Taiwanese looking youngsters (to an ignorant person like me they all look the same), who came in all shapes and sizes booming with confidence. The hurdles that they were to cross, were interesting ones and the voice over by Javed Jaffrey often drove me to splits. It was funny watching the participants roll, trip, fumble and tumble and fall down. However sad and unfair it may seem, the truth is that I cannot control my laughter at a ‘great fall’. I can’t help but enjoy it. I have myself fallen many a times in public in the most weird and embarrassing ways. I have fallen on all types of terrains with or without the right kind of footwear, with or without reason. I have always blamed all my falls on anybody but me and anything that has anything remotely to do with my fall, even gravity- Is it possible that sometimes the pull exerted by Mother Earth is more?- simply with the objective of ‘bringing you down’?

My ‘other half’( I prefer to call him that since I feel that exhibiting any modesty in this regard will be artificial and unnecessary on my behalf), has always helped me get back on my feet( you see lifting me up is just not an option) but not without laughing away to glory. I will never forget the wounds that I have had to nurse from these falls. Yet I continue to shameless laugh at others.

What reminded me of Takeshi’s Castle was an activity called Skittles where participants wore bulky outfits and lined up like rolling pins in a Bowling Alley. A large ball was sent rolling on to them till some of them fell down clumsily. Here in Hamburg at -8 today, after wearing all the layers of clothes and a jacket full of down to keep myself warm, I feel like those Skittle from Takeshi’s Castle- always prone to trip and fall and roll .

Here say!

15th Sep 2010


1.You are looking beautiful. ( I wish you lost weight)
2.The food was great.( it sucked)
3.I’ll do anything for you. (almost anything… maybe not)
4.Lovely pictures. ( I had to make some comment)
5.You look so good together.( where did u meet this crow?)
6.This is the best gift I ever got.( I wish you had given me
those diamonds instead.)
7.I love you.( I really do?)
8.I am fine.( My boss is never happy with my work, my
girlfriend broke up with me, my landlord has thrown me out of the apartment and I have a splitting headache!)
9.I get along so well with my in-laws.( I wish I had nothing to do with them)
10.Nice house.( What cheap taste!)
11.What a cute child u have.( What an indisciplined brat!)
12.It has been my dream to work with this company. ( I need to have any job at any cost.)
13.My marriage feels like a bed of roses all the time.( I feel like strangling my mate sometimes.)
14.My General Knowledge is very good.( Only I think so)
15.I knew the answer! I just forgot it.( I am ashamed to say I didn’t know it)
16.I wear an attitude.( I have an identity crises)
17.I drink only because I enjoy it.( I drink because of social pressure.)
18.I love paintings/golf/opera (I don’t understand it a wee bit.)
19.What will you have? Tea, coffee?? Er, just water.( Actually I am starving. How about a steaming bowl of noodles.)
20.Nice dress. (doesn’t suite you at all)
21.Louis Vuitton.( The famous painter, right? I saw his work in Rome. Breathtaking!!)
22.Avataar-What a lovely movie! ( Actually, what was it about?)
23.I like Bvlgari. Me too. ( By the way is it pronounced as Balgari, Bavalgari, or is the b silent?)

Do we really say what we mean and mean what we say???

Call it diplomacy, sycophancy or shrewdness. Call it ‘saying what the other person wants to hear’ or sometimes we ourselves want to hear. The "I have arrived" attitude. A pseudo, a liar, or a hypocrite…… Call it living in denial or pretence, hiding behind a mask. Call it doing things for the heck of it! What we do and say is sometimes just reciprocation- A befitting reaction to an action or a ‘tit for tat’. Also, the niceness is sometimes nothing but the sheer need to avoid conflict of any kind and co-exist in peace and harmony. It may also be out of compulsion. Pretence is the key to happiness for some. No matter how much we want to, or claim to appreciate honesty, the fact is we just can’t! We fear truth and its consequences. We are scared and ashamed to be honest. We try to fool our heart and souls by pleasing our ears.

Simple things like- ‘I don’t know’. ‘Sorry, but I didn’t like it’, ‘NO’, ‘I disagree’ ……… are difficult to say. It may not be easy to say a “I love you’ but it is very difficult to say, ‘I don’t anymore’.

What we say is often how we want things to be. What we do is more often how things shouldn’t be.

22nd August 2010

Happy toh ho, par ungrajee mein na ho!!!


After a long time I met this classmate of mine. We were travelling in the same train to CST. We spoke to each other about what we were up to, the kind of work we did and so on. And then she suddenly said its Mahashivratri tomorrow. “I was married in so and so year on the day of Mahashivratri- when Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati. And you know what, it was also the 14th of February and it is so rare that the two come on the same day”, she said. “So, it’s a very special day for you”, I answered. She went on to tell me all about how she met her man and the boring details of their love story and how she kept a fast on this very day every year. She asked me if I too fasted on the auspicious day of Mahashivratri, to which I surprisingly replied in the positive. Just then the train approached Dadar station and it was time to say goodbye. As she made her way through the tired looking yet non-budging womenfolk, she turned around and said- 'Happy Mahashivratri'. “To you too” I said amusedly.

The first greeting that I learnt as a child which had a HAPPY to it was obviously Happy Birthday. Later I learned three more- Happy Diwali, Happy New Year-which was said once in a year, and Happy Anniversary which was used occasionally. Christmas was more ‘Merry’ than Happy.

I grew up in a Maharashtrian family which was very progressive and embraced the best of all cultures. We had friends from different religions, castes and sects and all walks of life and we were always eager to socialise and learn more about their traditions, festivals and food habits. I was extremely amazed by the variety that people from different parts of India had to offer. I remember going for Durga puja’s, having sheer kurma, helping make flower rangolis for Onam, decorating a Christmas tree, attending a satsang ………… People went about greeting each other, embracing, shaking or joining hands. They spoke a language I didn’t understand. But I didn’t care. Seeing people engrossed in the festivities, nurturing their beliefs and keeping their age old customs gave me sense of joy and peace.

I don’t know when and how it started, but I remember sometime when I was in college, I started coming across more and more people who simply used a‘Happy’ with just about every Indian festival. Happy Id, Happy Onam, Happy Gudi Padva, Happy Baisakhi, Happy Dashehra....and so on. Even the traditional- 'tilgul ghya god bola'- where you request or urge people to forget any past diffrences and come together, became Happy Sankrant. Similarly Holi became Happy Holi and then we wasted no time in learning to apply Happy to every possible Indian festival or celebration that we could think of. From Happy Navratri to Happy Ganesh Chaturthi, I have cringed whenever I have heard someone say Happy Rakshabandhan or Happy Bhaubeej( Bhai duj). Either it is our ignorance of a more traditional way of greeting, or our desire to show off our sophistication by using an English word , it’s a shame that we choose not to use the authentic version even when we are among our own people.

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Tomorrow is Rakshabandhan and Narali Poornima( where the Fisherfolk offer coconuts to the raging sea, requesting it to calm down). May I not say.......:)

20th August 2010

My daughter, MCAD and me……..

Like any other woman I was excited to learn that I was an expectant mother. I had a very easy pregnancy. I was working then as a voice and accent trainer, travelling from Thane to Malad everyday in a taxi, whose driver later became a part of our extended family. I continued to work till I was way into my 9th month. On August 20th 2004, we were blessed with a daughter. Unlike other women who connect with their unborn child, my bond and maternal instincts came only when I saw my daughter, held her and interacted with her. They grew leaps and bounds as my interaction grew. We brought her home and slowly started settling. Feeding, changing diapers, vaccinations…..Everything was like any other mother-child routine. We recorded her everyday little things and fussed about her.

When my daughter was 18 days old she had a sudden cardio respiratory failure. My neighbour and mom rushed her to the hospital next door. Next door is like the hospital and our building sharing the same compound. A few minutes delay and ………………When we got her to the hospital, she was immediately put in the ICU. Even before we did any paper work, she had the much needed medical attention. Soon after, the paediatrician walked out of the ICU and asked us to call our friends and relatives…..I thought he was uncomfortable talking to the womenfolk ( it was evening and none of the men were around) and thought we’d breakdown or something and would not be able to handle what was coming. Pam too was away on a business tour and I assured the doctor that I was prepared to take in what he’d have to say. Only later did I realise that that was a mistake. “The possibility of our little one seeing the next sunrise was farfetched”, he said. I was numb for sometime. It just wouldn’t sink in. And when it did, the world started collapsing.
Pam came in the next day and literally took the reins in his hands. I had never felt so helpless before. As he went into the ICU he noticed frail babies in glass cases with name tags that said Baby 1, Baby2...... and so on. He instantly registered our daughter’s name as ANOUSHKA. If we had had a son it would’ve been Adi but for a daughter we had quite a few names in mind. Going to an ICU where tiny babies lie helplessly surrounded by needles and gadgets and the sterile smell is painful. And with Anoushka in there, we were traumatised. We were silent with each other for most time. Pam used to run around on his bike getting Anoushka’s blood and urine samples tested across Mumbai. There was nothing to discuss or say to each other. Only a faint hope, a silent prayer. Everything was beyond our scope of understanding. We went in the ICU often to just check if Anoushka was still breathing. She was far too weak to cry. The doctors had still no answer but our daughter saw the light of the day..... day after day. As they ran tests after tests in the days to come to eliminate the possibility of any sort of infection, Anoushka looked weak and fragile with her hands and legs blue from the pricking. With all those tests Anoushka often got a blood transfusion from Pam. It was so difficult to even look at her. We spend sleepless nights consoling one another. After a good 10-15 days, the doctor told us that in one of the very advanced tests, our daughter was tested positive for a metabolic disorder called MCAD- Medium chain Aceyl dehydrogenase deficiency. What’s that??? We’d never heard of anything like that before. Simply put it is a rare chromosomal defect where the body cannot convert saturated fat into energy. Hence the body has to depend on sugar for all the energy. The carnitine levels in the body are low or absent and the child has to take oral supplements for life. The child cannot eat anything that has saturated fat- milk, milk products, chocolates, biscuits, all processed food, ghee, coconut basically anything that has MCT( medium chain triglyderides). These children need to be fed every 2 hours to avoid another incident of a cardio respiratory failure, till their body is fit enough. And yet starving for more than 4-5 hours can trigger off an unpleasant situation. Often these children develop a disability of some sort ranging from epilepsy to retardation, renal failure or paralysis, by the time they are 3. I was absolutely lost and shattered. We didn’t know a thing about this and the only child we’d ever have, had it. Now it was just about allowing all this to sink in and act........

I had already stopped feeding her for there is no way to know the type fat content in mother’s milk. And she was on a special formula that contained no MCT. We were asked to take Anoushka home on the 21st day or so with a list of instructions and do’s and don’ts. When we took her home she weighed a little more than 1 and ½ kilos and we set up an alarm for every 2 hours and day or night we fed her with the special formula. Slowly her weight increased. We spent day after day researching on this strange disorder that was unheard of in India. We contacted the big names in the medical industry but were surprised that they had little to offer. The machine that ran these tests had been imported for the 1st time India only a couple of months before Anoushka’s birth. And we trusted the results it had given us. But even the very renowned and only path lab that had bought this machine in Delhi was in the dark. They did not have answers to our questions. We spend hours on the net and found a support group in the U.S that helped us understand Anoushka’s condition. I spent sleepless nights reading through the newsletters and research papers, always noticing that Anoushka does not show any of the symptoms that these articles talk of. We wrote to all food companies from Nestle, HLL, Parle, Britania, to Marico and Johnson and Johnson requesting them to help us understand the ingredients in their food and cosmetic products so that we could possibly widen Anoushka’s dietary options. It was sad to know that we would not be able to give Anoushka all the “foody goodies” that children of her age gorge on. Our heart broke when she looked temptingly at a piece of cookie or ice cream. We made dietary changes in our food too to make things easier for her. And yet while doing all this I never stopped believing that Anoushka does not have MCAD.

My neighbours took to Anoushka like their own child. Six months old and Anoushka was off to one neighbour or the other. They dotted on her so much, bathing her, playing with her, buying her toys and stuff, even cooking food for her in MCT free oil and ensuring that she eat something every 2 hours. As she grew older and covered one developmental milestone after the other, with each passing day my doubts about her actually having this disorder strengthened. Suspicion started growing into conviction and we contacted the MAYO clinic in Boston. For three times in the 6 months that followed we send Anoushka’s blood and urine samples. Till...... they confirmed that she positively does not have MCAD or any other disorder. For over 2 years we lived a medical blunder..... And now with the MAYO clinic results we were speechless......It took a long time for the good news too to sink in. Today when I see Anoushka pour ghee on her rice, or gobble up a chocolate bar, I feel at peace. My happiness knows no bounds.

In those most difficult times all those who fed us, ferried us from one medical institution to the other, gave me a pillow to sleep on, held my hand and gave me hope, doctors, neighbours, family, friends and all others- near and dear ones, who offered us medical expertise, emotional, moral and financial support and kept us in their prayers, no words will help me express my gratitude to you. I am blessed to be surrounded by people like you.
Today as Anoushka turns six, I remember your unconditional love and kindness and support and everything that you did for us........All I can say is that we feel proud to know you.

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Anoushka's cardio respiratory failure was unexplained. We believe she lucky kid to survive the SIDS.( Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

Happiness

25th July 2010

Happiness.

What is happiness? To some,this question would instantly bring images of people, places and things and of all sorts that they associate with this word. Literally an abstract noun, describing an abstract state that is 'all in the mind'. A thing to be felt and enjoyed, happiness may come easily to some while others may spend years of time, money, energy and efforts in search of it. Some would say happiness is getting what you want. Others may call it a general state of well being. And for yet others happiness would mean seeing their loved ones happy.

Listed below are a few things that came to my mind when I thought of happiness.

Happiness is –

Seeing a smile on a child’s face.
Finding money in an old purse.
The first showers that bring with them the “mitti ki khushboo”.
Watching a wonderful movie.
Finding a spiritual connection.
Finding a place to sit in the local train.
Helping someone cross the road.
Warm blankets and a cuppa chai on a chilly day.
Someone sending you flowers.
Holding hands with your loved one.
Going for a long drive on a starry night.
Listening to great music.
Finding a beautiful dress that fits you.
Looking gorgeous.
Losing those extra pounds.
Being able to assemble a new gadget
Honesty.
Feeding a hungry puppy.
Your favourite food cooked by mum.
A state of the art phone.
Your house spic and span when you return from work.
Diamonds on your finger.
Sailing in the deep blue sea.
Your favourite television show.
Being able to maintain your diet.
Finding time to exercise.
A nice massage after a long and tiring day.
A far off relative bequeathing her property to you.
Seeing your kids perform on stage.
Waking up late on a weekend.
Gifting your parents something they could never buy.
Your wonderful cook.
A happy marriage.
Your best friend’s wedding.
A fat pay-cheque.
Being able to make an urgent call just before the mobile
phone batteries die.
Garma garam wada pav on a rainy day.
Watering your garden.
Fresh linen.
A clean toilet.
Thoughtfulness.
An old photograph.
Doing charity for a cause dear to you.
Your first salary.
Old memories.
A wonderful holiday with your loved ones.
Teaching your adorable child to walk and talk.
Appreciation at work. Appreciation at home.
Watching Zakir play tabla.
Passing with flying colours.
Flying.
Falling in love.
Being able to stay in love.
Prayers answered.
Reading a nice book.
Meeting your idol.
A nice party given for you.
Marine drive in the evening.
Matheran with friends.
Buying an expensive perfume and knowing that you can afford it.
Crazy dancing on Bollywood numbers.
Sneaking out in the night to have beer with friends.
Learning a new sport.
A nice job. A nicer boss.
Your first car. Your first everything.
Eating at your favourite restaurant.
Shopping-anywhere.
A warm hug.
Your very own house.
Your dream-buy at the best deal.
Sharing your umbrella on a rainy day.
Cool 'ganne ka ras' and a dip in the Arabian sea on a scorching afternoon.
A friend who listens to you when you need to talk and offers advice only when asked for.
The serenity of a temple.
Finding your lost earing.
Donating your eyes.
Trekking in the Himalayas..........

The list is endless. Small things that happen everyday bring us joy. It isn’t very difficult to be happy. It isn’t very difficult to smile. And yet we choose to be dissatisfied, sad and gloomy, brooding over what we don't have and trying to find that that we are surrounded by in abundance. Share and give and you'll receive and get.

Bring a smile to someone's face and happiness will come knocking at your door.

Original and Hatke

28 June 2010
Original and Hatke

I have grown up watching Hindi movies like most of you. They captured my fantasies like sheer poetry on a canvas, leaving me mesmerised. Watching movies was like looking at great works of art. Each one, a masterpiece in its own right with the right medium, perfect strokes and a vivid colour scheme, conveying a meaning deeper. The Black and White images left me spell bound. The progression to Fuji and Eastman colour was exciting and like any other child I marvelled at this technology- the sole aim of which was education and entertainment.

I am a Hindi movie buff and have been enjoying watching movies since the age of maybe five. Beside being in awe of them, I seem to find everything about all of our movies is original - the larger than life characters, the sometimes gaudy sometimes designer costumes, the song and dance sequences, the dialogues, the screenplay, the direction, the 'hatke' treatment and even the “ The end”. Romance, Comedy, Drama or a Thriller, entertainment is guaranteed! As I rack my brains to find something ‘unoriginal’ about our movies, I am at loss even after persistent persuasion. This is how my train of thought goes…

First, the music which is an integral and inseperable part of our movies. The music of our films have added quality to our lives- whether it is the original rendering of yesteryear stalwarts or the ongoing trend of “originally inspired music”. Mukesh singing “ Kisi ki muskurahaton pe hon nisar”, Asha’s “ Katra katra”, Kishore Kumar’s “ Nadiya se dariya”, “Rafi’s yeh chaad sa roshan chehra”, Lata’s-“Lute koi man ka nagar ban ke mera saathi”, S.D., R.D., L.P., Shanker-Jaikisan , Nayyar, Madan Mohan, Kalyanji Anandji to Bappi Lahiri and todays Anu Malik, Jatin Lalit, Shakar Ehsaan loy or A.R Rehman, the music- original, inspired or version, lilting melody or a foot tapping number- will remain a dear part of our lives. The lovely poetry – be it Yeh Kahan aa gaye hum, Mera kuch saaman, Ek ladki ko dekha, Kal ho na ho or even a beedi chalay le, is music to our ears.

The choreography, be it Gopi Krishna with Sandhya in Navrang, P.L. Raj with Vaijayanti Mala for Jewel Thief, or Saroj Khan and Madhuri’s controversial Dhak Dhak, Prabhu deva, or Sridevi, Hemamalini and Waheeda Rehman’s graceful movements, these are people capable of enthralling us. Whether lucid and beautiful, sensuous or vulgar, we never tire of watching some of the most beautifully picturised songs on beautiful faces complete with wind and fog machines, artificial rain, dancers coming out of nowhere in colour co-ordinated clothes, flower showers from helicopters, dramatic body movements and more............ The sets- a thousand pots arranged in symmetry with Jeetendra jumping around, Rishi Kapoor and the revolving C.D in the song Om Shanti Om, the lavish sets of Mughal-e Azam, or a Ranbir Kapoor in an exotic location……… whether an outdoor set inside a studio with quaint little streams and a boat and artificial flowers hanging on trees and Nutan draped in a saree singing-“Woh chaand khila, woh tare hasen”, or a grand palace built outdoors for Jodha Akbar, the songs and dances are nothing but a display of great creativity. They transport you to that different world which is its creator’s imaginative best. Who can forget the symbolic 'coming together of two flowers' or the camera changing its frame to show us the blue sky just when lips are about to be locked!

"Yeh dhai kilo ka haat jab kisi pe padta hai, toh aadmi uthta nahin uthjatahai", Anil Kapoor’s – "Jhaakas", Amjad Khan’s- “Are O Samba kitne aadmi the?”, Amitabh’s “……..mere pas ma hai”, “Mein aaj bji pheke hue paise nahin leta”, “yeh toh mera farz tha” and many many more dialogues, are etched in our minds forever. Nowhere else but on the 70mm screen have I seen characters use lines such as –“Kutte, kamine main tera khoon pi jaoonga”, or “Apni ma ka doodh piya hai toh saamne aa!” I don’t know of any woman who has ever said- “Main tumhare bachhe ki ma banne wali hoon” and has then been swept off her feet filmy style, or an overtly melodramatic bhagwan ke liye mujhe cshod do, nor have any of the men who have fallen prey to somebody’s wrath made statements like- Mard ko dard nahi hota! Hah! Maybe they weren’t men after all!!

The antics of Rajanikant, He-Man Dharamendra pulling back a chopper with ropes, angry young Amitabh and his dishum dishum, Sunny Deol and his telephone –booth ‘ukhadna’, Rajesh Khanna setting of an avalanche with the shot of his gun in Roti, Mithun catching two bullets shot at him in mid-air and hurling them back to kill his enemy............ What more can one ask for? If this isn’t original, what is? Is art, architecture and literature an imitation of life or does life imitate them? Do our films hold a mirror to the society or is our society shaping up under influence of the audio-visual media? A creation however original has to have an inspiration- whether it is drawn from within or from the outside, whether it is Leonardo’s Monalisa or Michealangelo’s David.

Intriguing things

18 June 2010

Intriguing things

I wonder why Lord Krishna did not marry his beloved companion Radha? I know he told her that they were inseperable- so much so that for generations to come Her name would be taken before His…. What then compelled him to choose Rukmini and Satyabhama? I am sure if he had told Radha that he had “miles to go before he sleeps”, she would not have come in his way of fulfilling karma and dharma, and would’ve happily played the role of a dutiful wife. Why was his destiny so?? Things like this and many more intrigue me............. What was it about Him that left the milkmaids of Gokul and Vrindavan enchanted and mesmerised? If He was so charming and enigmatic, why then is Lord Ram and not Lord Krishna called Purshottam-The ultimate man. His loyalty and commitment to his parents, people and kingdom was undeterred. He was a just and benevolent king. Yet he could not stand by Sita after she was freed from Ravan. Sita who was joyous to return to Ayodhya after her turmoil in Lanka found herself in another heart wrenching situation. Lord Ram, for the sake of his subjects, for the sake of dharma- questioned her chastity and allowed her to disappear into the gaping earth. Sita-the very reason for the great battle with Ravan, was lost to beliefs then prevailing and the unbendable rules. Lord Ram believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, drowned himself in sorrow. Why wouldn’t God himself change his destiny?? Who writes destiny? Bramha, Vishnu or Shiv? Bramha creates, Vishnu sustains and Shiva destroys. Why are there no temples dedicated to the creator of all- Brahma?? Why do we worship the Shivling? What is the significance of the 330 million gods and goddesses that we have?? Do we pray only to ask for favours by the dozen? Is our belief in God our need for spirituality? Or is just nice to have someone to blame all all the time? Are male gods more powerful than their female counterparts? Is it male domination in their world too? Or do they strike a perfect balance? What are Shankar-Parvati and Vishnu and Laxmi without each other. In our otherwise male dominated world, I am surprised to find no such distinction or discrimination being made when it comes to worshipping a deity or a god. Both male and female gods are worshipped alike. After all when it comes to seeking of blessings, and granting of wishes, god or goddess is immaterial... He or She who grants me what I want is MY GOD.

Yet I am amused that if Durga, Saraswati, Laxmi and Kali are worshipped for what they symbolise, worshippers (both men and women alike) pray for a male offspring. Does religion discriminate at all? Are the poor bad and the rich good? Does God give more to the rich and less to the poor? Isn’t the cycle of Karma and Dharma the same for all! The definitions of Paap and Punya may seem simple but are very complex. The same hands that don’t tire offering flowers and incense to Him, conveniently and selfishly engage themselves in activities that are gross and sinful. Paap and Punya are subjective and they can alter your faith and beliefs. A religion may be open to interpretation or may have specific guidelines and code of conduct. Either one follows it religiously or chooses to follow only that that is convenient. What is religion after all? Is belief in a certain God religion? Is following the teachings of that certain God religion? Is manipulating those teachings to suite your needs religion? Is blindly following a sect religion?

If we say God is one- we only call Him by different names, why do we fight over religion? Why the need to convert people from one faith to another. Why impose religion on anyone? Does faith come by force? Can you love one religion and hate the other? Why not just have the freedom to pray to God- this one or that- by joining hands or opening them. Why hate and kill in His name. Why bring Him shame?

Har ghar ki kahani!

8 April 2010
Har ghar ki kahani

Moving into a new house can be so draining- both physically and emotionally. Setting up the whole place, making it liveable and look nice, adding that individual touch in the arrangement of things and of course the selection of furniture, upholstery and other things, give every house a characteristic touch. Isn’t it amazing what different people would do and how they’d use different things given same space! Though it is the people that make a home, it’s interesting to learn what makes a person ‘feel’ at home. It may be a comfy couch that you love slumping on, the organised kitchen, the cluttered study table, an overflowing wardrobe, a refrigerator almost empty from within but full of things placed on top, a hundred newspapers under the centre table, little baby things all over, a bathroom that smells of your soap, a unique door bell, the china plates that you eat in, the sheets that u snore in, the wall-hangings, the leather sofa that you sit with your feet on or the diwan with a bright coloured spread, your pooja-ghar and the fragrance of familiar incense, an old rug or that expensive painting that adorns the wall, the T.V. set with its cello-taped remote, an antique vase that your Grandma gifted, the velvet touch walls or the occasionally scribbled ones, an old Godrej cupboard or a built-in wardrobe....... whether chatai or Persian rug, your house is your house!! Every house has its own personality and says a lot about the people who live in it. You get so used to these things in the house along with the people in it, that it is this that makes you feel at home. The predictability!! – The certainness of things!! The sureness of that which is unchanging. The look of the house and its colour scheme, finding things in all the right or wrong places, keeping things where you are accustomed keeping them, the food that is served and the nature and temperament of the people who live there…….. You are so used to all this, it is your comfort zone, it is your habit! This is your place and you live in it uninhibitedly. There is no mask, just the mirror. You are yourself!! You can scratch where there is an itch, squeal and moan and groan, dance in your pyjamas, sing in the bathroom, sleep or wake up late, have leftover rice for breakfast, there is no one watching and judging. You are comfortable in this cocoon. You love it! It's the best in the whole world. Your house is a reflection of your tastes, preferences and personality. You lend it a certain character.....You are the house you live in.

Action please

3 April 2010

We are on a small vacation at the ‘Sunparks’ near the North Sea and today we took a 4hour cruise to a small island to watch seals.

So it was a two hour long wait before we could see the seals. Midst cruel wind and a cold drizzle, we caught sight of these cute looking huggable creatures lazing on the rocks and diving into the sea. It is always such a delight to see animals in their natural habitat. No Zoo in the world can give you that excitement and pleasure. No animal in captivity can cause that excitement. Circuses, I don’t even want to mention for they’re cruel. I won’t even call them entertainment. Not for me. Atleast the human beings in them do the acrobatics out of choice and are fully aware of the possible consequences. But imagine a beautiful Parrot with wings to explore the skies, walking over thin string, a dressed up chimp with sad eyes driving a mo-bike, the majestic elephant playing with a ball, the king of the jungle reduced to a puppet and made to sit on a stool. And all this is an attempt to please the two-legged self-centred idiot. I have often noticed how unappreciative we are when the animals are just being themselves. I’ve seen people do monkey tricks in front of a caged monkey in a zoo to attract his attention, people whistling at drowsy leopards and tigers so that they see movement. People throwing things at bears and deers…… Action! We want action. The more the better! The Bruce Willis and Akshay Kumars and Shahrukh Khans fail to give us enough!!! “Jump lion, hop monkey, skip deer, dance all!!….sing me a RD Burman song if you can!”

Imagine what would happen if the animals took over. like they did in Orwells’ Animal Farm. Imagine, if you and me were made to jump from one tree to the other. Imagine made to sleep like bats. Imagine being force fed with grass or having to sit on a Hippo in a cold muddy pond. Animals should be where they belong. Their natural habitat is precious to them. It is to them what home is to you and me!

I remember several thrilling experiences I’ve had in different National parks. The Andhari Tiger reserve at Tadoba National Park, The jungle at Suryamal,Phansad, Nagzira,Jim Corbett…….. This one was in Tadoba where we had taken a group of 60 school children for a camp. A couple of colleagues and I ventured out into the forest with the innocent intention of a nice Nature-Walk besides the lovely lake! Here's what it was like.

The light begins to fade after five. The air becomes cooler. The silence is scary. We hear a several different sounds. Some come from the tree which I am standing beneath, some are in distance. Soon the stars appear and the moon coyly lights up the sky. A lone owl hoots. The crickets get noisy. The rustling of the leaves accompanies us wherever we go. The air smells of the wild.......both flora and fauna. Time spent in a forest is unique. All your senses are eager and active. The thrill is that of the proximity to the untamed and fear is that of the unknown......

The pond is not far away. I see in that direction. Many shiny things seem to be floating in the pond. No romantic thoughts here! They are the croc’s eyes. A few birds return to their nests and we realise it's time for us to return too. We head back to the camp site. Just then a scared stag runs past giving a danger call. We turn to look at each other. We know what that means. A predator is on the prowl.....and we certainly have no intention of being the prey. We walk faster. Soon we are very close to our camp site. And then... in the middle of the muddy road we notice fresh pug marks- that of a tigress with a slightly injured foot, who was spotted by the forest officials just two days ago. She limps a little as she walks which is evident from one of her pug marks. A chill runs down my spine!! We wonder if her Majesty is round the corner... Behind that thicket... curled under the bush...waiting to pounce.... I am reminded of all the fake encounters in Hindi movies when a Dharamendra or Amitabh takes on a tiger in the movies. However that fails to bring a smile on our now worried faces. We wonder if any of the children have decided to defy our instructions and have ventured out. That thought scares us the most. Our pace quickens… We don’t want to hear a roar. We dont want a rendezvous with this one. We reach the campsite and are relieved to find the children asleep. And then before we realise we are running towards our rooms.

What a close encounter that was.

27 March 2010

German Sanchar Nigam Ltd.

We took with us Ulrike Vogt, our (German) relocation agent, to help us with the formalities of acquiring a landline telephone connection. After having done enough research, between O2, Vodafone and T com, Pam decided on the latter. Since we were aware of our lingual limitations, we had Ulrike join us at the ‘T’ com shop. After spending nearly 2 hours looking at various talk time and internet options and plans, we registered.

Four days later I got the telephone package. It was promptly delivered……. at the wrong place- 45 Grindlehof, the place where we are temporarily living.

We had over and over again repeated the desired location of installation- 21 Jaksteinweg, Osdorf. Like the 2x2 Tables in Math which, as children we learn by heart, Ulrike had made sure that the customer service executive in the shop had understood learnt our address for the landline connection. The whole purpose of taking her with us was to avoid any gap in communication. Pam even went to the extent of making him verbally repeat his new found information. Pan kasla kay!!!! Bavlat kuthla!! Sagla ghotala nusta!!!

‘German Sanchar Nigam’ Zindabad!!! Now we have ended up with 2 phone lines. One for our service apartment and the other for our new house which we move into on the 8th of April!!! This is so frustrating, Aai shappath tya officercha kanakhali aawaz kadhavasa vat toy!!!

26 March 2010

There are times when you are fuming with anger and you need true empathy. There are times when you are terribly sad and hurt and you need heart felt sympathy. You need that friend who truly understands you. Who is either capable of comforting you with words or gives you the other perspective, thereby broadening your point of view. A friend, who can be your sounding board and show you the mirror. Who can be your critic and take a stand.

I know a lot of people who are unable to do just that. Some simply have no opinion on anything and others are cowards who don’t want their opinions heard, for they won’t even want to be responsible for their own actions and words. They just avoid conflict and confrontation. They simply behave like spineless jellyfish and can’t decide even on the obvious right or wrong, correct or incorrect. They are ignorant of a lot of things and dispassionate about everything. They just can’t take a stand. Whether a quarrel between two neighbours or two countries, they are always undecided and hence either unsupportive or supportive of both. They can never answer closed ended questions. They are misled by an overpowering desire to be Mr/Ms Popular, which they try to fulfil by always being neutral in their responses.


It’s sad that they fail to realise that this blissfully detached attitude of theirs won’t get them anywhere. It’s great to be flexible and accommodating, open to interpretations embracing different school of thoughts, but not oblivious and unconcerned. There are times and situations that demand diplomacy. But an attempt to be politically correct all the time can be irritating. You just cannot be in the good books of all at all times. You see it is not at all easy to get along someone who is opinionated, but it certainly is very difficult to get along a person who is exactly the opposite.

I am not saying be hurtfully blunt or arrogantly straightforward. Just have a point of view. Know what you don’t want, even if you don’t know what you want. Stand up for your own beliefs. Stand up for someone or something else. Let us know where you belong…… Shake off the undecided and cynical in you. Your friend, family, colleague, neighbour, city, community, society, environment, country needs you. Be there for them. Feel for their cause. Have courage to voice it. Hear and be heard.

There is a spark in you waiting to ignite. Let it light that torch. Just raise your hand…….. Just take a stand.

Women's Day

24 March 2010

It was Women’s Day not long ago, and my mind was crowded with thoughts, arguments and counter arguments on the Women’s rights and equality and other issues. This whole argument, about who is superior – Woman or Man is so stale, I am sick of it…. It just gets to me!!! Whose larger than life egos are we trying to satisfy by establishing superiority over each other, even over other species and nature at large? Why does one always have to be better than the other? Why this never ending need to belittle each other to feel powerful? Why crush the other to rise higher? Why seek from and give respect to those who do the most disrespectful disgracing acts?

Human beings are differently gifted by God, and they do not follow the laws of a jungle where one is at the top of a food chain and the other at the bottom, where one is mightier than the other and only the fittest survives. The ‘society’ that we‘ve made for ourselves is an incredible precious gift. It is capable of
Yet a large number of civilised and uncivilised, educated, uneducated and undereducated, over privileged and under privileged encompassing, accepting and embracing even the weakest and the meekest, giving every man, woman and child equal opportunity. We can make this happen. ‘We’ are the society and we can be the change we want to see!!

Even today a large number of civilised and uncivilised, educated, undereducated and uneducated, literate and illiterate, over privileged and underprivileged, cultured and uncultured, losers and achievers, men and women, continue to suppress, oppress, exploit and inflict unimaginable forms of cruelty, physically and emotionally on each other. We are always keenly interested in and inclined to establishing supremacy among ourselves. In doing so we give ourselves the license to crush and kill- other’s thoughts, emotions, needs, freedom and independence. We take pleasure in this torture. Shame on us sadists!! WE are the stigma!!!! We can’t live in harmony with each other, among ourselves, forget doing that with Nature!!

Pam is learning to Drive

12 March 2010

Pam is slowly learning to drive in Germany! First you need a mental orientation of the left hand drive. I remember this one time late in the evening when we had hit the road and we suddenly realised something was not right. Pam and I looked at each other. In the distance we saw a car approaching us. It didn’t take us any longer to realise that we were on the wrong side…. ‘Go to the right’, I screamed!!!!

Second you need a through knowledge of the different road signs. This can be very very tricky. We were on this road and took a turn for Altona. We were going and going and suddenly there was a flash! For a split second we wondered if the Paparazzi had mistaken us for some celebrity. My posture straightened, I dusted the cookie crumbs off my top and my fingers combed my hair. I wondered if the colour of my lipstick had faded….. How innocent our minds can be! How sweet our aspirations are!! I smiled. Pam was surprised. Our wild train of thought was banished almost immediately when we realised that the motion sensors had done their job! We were driving at 45 on a road with the speed limit of 30km per hour. That meant a TICKET!!! I slumped back in the seat and sighed!

This was the second one in 4 days. The first was for parking at a place meant for Handicapped ( we just did not see that sign, till it dawned on us the next day.) This happened as the street was dark. No street-lights. Just like some streets in India. Thank god it was late in the evening and our car was not towed. Otherwise you have to pay the fine for wrong parking plus the towing charges, all amounting to not less than 175E.

Imagine having to remember to drive on the right, the traffic rules, the road signs and the speed limits! First month and 3 tickets down, our BMW and the Autobahns ceased to be as exciting for that moment…….

Amit in Hamburg

11 March 2010

Amit and my association is long. We’ve been friends since our first years in college. Together, we’ve bunked lectures and sat in the college canteen, eating bread cutlets. Together, we’ve had long walks, picnics and excursions. Together, along with Sagar, we’ve seen each other do the silliest of things. I had my first “gola”( that crushed- ice lolly dipped in a bright coloured sugary syrup, sprinkled with rock salt) with Amit! What courage it took me to eat that thing in its shocking orange colour, though Amit was very encouraging…. We’ve come a long way……Amit, Sagar and me, and later, Asma have practically spent each of our college days hanging out with each other.

It was wonderful to welcome him here in Hamburg. After a long time we caught up on old times. Though the weather played spoil sport, we toured a bit around the city. A visit to the old church of ‘St. Michel’ was an unforgettable experience! We decided to check out the tower there… Up we began climbing…and climbing…. and climbing… it was like the Jack, of The Jack and the Beanstalk, climbing that tall tall plant. Every landing promised another flight of stairs. Just as we thought that our ordeal was over, more stairs came in sight….

By the time all of us including Anoushka, reached the top, we were panting and sweating and laughing and hoping that this exercise would have made us at least 3kg 200gms lighter!!!
What this tower offered however…… was magnificent. The Elbe, the Alster, the containers and the busy port, the old buildings and churches with their lovely architecture, the gardens and greens, the new modern Hamburg…glimpses of it all, at a glance!!! Still trying to catch our breaths, our eyes took in the delightful sight. It was simply beautiful. A deep breath and we felt that we had captured the essence of the city. I could almost hear Amit singing – Aaj main upar….

We went round the tower, clicking photos that scream and tell – “I was there”, like typical tourists....posing in front of something…. with someone....
( other prepositions like on, over, under, at, to can also be used, depending on your position and location)
The cold wind and rain were more than playful and the chill prompted us to seek warmth...
Just as we were mentally preparing ourselves to walk down the ‘20 floors’ that we had somehow managed to climb, we made the most shocking discovery! The incredible invention made by Otis was right there!!!!!

Three dumb people had been ignorant of the elevator that exclusively and effortlessly ferried people up and down the Tower. We kicked ourselves…. Over and over again we realised how foolish we had been…..


The Fisch Market, the next morning was colourful and noisy as ever and Amit seemed to love the sight of fish, fresh fruits and vegetables. He felt completely at home with the shouting vendors, inviting customers to buy their produce. There is a lot of drama involved when the vendors talk of their produce…They take a lovely cane basket and start putting in the fruits one by one… It is like- “Yeh lo 2 kilo grapes , sabse meete aur badhiya, saath mein ek Ananas bhi, ek kilo oranges, one dozen of the finest Kiwis… Saath mein one dozen babanas bhi… Aur lo ek kilo Apples aur 2 Grape fruits. Is se achcha bajuwallah bhi nahi dega… Saath me basket bhi deta hoon… Sirf 10 E . Le lo le lo…”.

It is solid entertainment I tell you. Any Indian would feel at home here. This is perhaps the only place that can be called literally… “A Market’, in Indian terms.
Kalyan has a Monday Bazaar, here it is on Sunday… People party through Saturday night and come here on Sunday morning. This place is buzzing with activity as early as 5am. There a live band and people beer pike mast ….


He greedily relished the crepes lavishly stuffed with Nutella, a chocolate sauce. He stuffed himself with waffles and all this did more to him than gaining a few extra kilos. This young man slept throughout the Elbe river cruise that we took next…..

Koo Chook Chook

6 March 2010

We’ve given different names to the train stations here. Hauptbahnhof is CST, Altona is Kalyan, Klein Flottbek is Lonavla…. and so on. Probably we try to find some similarity, some Indianness in that, that doesn’t have any….

Before I narrate this incident I must enlighten you on some facts!! All the trains here are not of the same length! Some have more compartments than the others! First, there is no First Class and Second Class. So you cannot walk 2 feet taller like you do in Mumbai, with a First Class Season Ticket looking down upon the Second Class Pass holders. I have still to see a luggage dabba! Also there is no Ladies dabba. Ladies, Gents and all types of sexes travel in the common compartment. If the men back home learn of this, then there will be uproar. After all, who enjoys ogling at the ‘ladies’ through the dirty rusted jaalees?? Saamne baithke nazar ladayenge bhai! As if this is their birthright… Bloody A!@#$%S

We were waiting for our train. We wanted to go to view one of the houses- this seems to be a regular weekend activity till we finally find the one that’s suitable. The train arrived ….. but instead of a ‘bara dabba’ it was a ‘nau daaba’. All the passengers had to run to make it to the nearest door! Atleast in Mumbai they make announcements about things like these. Well, most of the times!

So after boarding the train we sat down and started planning our evening! We had to get off at ….. Our station was not far away. We stood in the middle of both doors. Will it come on the right side or left? I know which side of the train does Dadar, Matunga, Mahim, Kurla, Borivali come! But I had no clue on this one! Also in Mumbai one can ask- Bhaisaab, Thana kaunse saeed aayega? And then ‘Bhaisaab’- without uttering a word and giving minimum strain to his tired body- gesture by barely lifting his head and eyebrows. But here whom to ask? We had to wait till the train actually approached the platform. Thank God! we were quick to turn around and alight! If it were Mumbai, we would’ve had no such luck. The pushing crowds would have left us with no option but to get off at another station…If you board a train at Kalyan, Thane comes on the right hand side. Very rarely it comes on the other side, and I remember one such day that it did! On what special occasions did this happen I fail to understand. But on that unfortunate day, I thought the women in the compartment who were already yelling at me, would throw me off in the Thane creek as a punishment for my lack of judgement and commonsense.

Books and beyond...

1 March 2010

I read out a story to Anoushka- The Snow Queen. She falls asleep and I put the book down. I myself can’t go to sleep without reading. Just as I pick up my book I am flooded with memories of all those late nights that I had spent with page turners.

From the world of fairies and elves shown to me by Hans Christian Anderson and Enid Blyton, I slowly graduated to Famous Five, Five Find Outers, The Secret Seven, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, Tom S. and Huckleberry Finn, and Agatha Christie, when I was in the 5th standard. Initially it was a bit uncomfortable, for the familiar Fairyland was nowhere in sight. Those tiny fairies wearing necklaces made of dewdrops, sipping nectar while sitting on toadstools and sleeping in Buttercups on pillows filled with fluffy clouds, were now replaced by human beings and mysteries that surrounded by them - mysteries that were solved in the most fascinating ways. These books were such page turners for the detective in every child. I have lived these mysteries running through dark tunnels, looking for clues, changing into disguises, hiding behind curtains, practising ventriloquism , putting the pieces together…. The characters, the setting, the culture was so English, and I got so used to reading about jam, scones, sandwiches, bacon, tarts and Ginger ale, ( though I had never even had most of them), that our very own Upma and Kande pohe seemed alien. My mouth used to water at these unknown delicacies and I used to want to go bicycling by the countryside and camp in tents. The lovely Tinkle was a must read everyday and remained an integral part of my life for many years.

My brain is ever craving for information. It seeks learning – wisdom. I am ashamed at not knowing so many things. I feel guilty of not providing enough food for it. I wish I could remember all the things I have seen, read, heard and known… I wish I was very intelligent. I wish I could read every good book written and understand it. Books are enormous reserves of knowledge. They hold a mirror not just to what we are surrounded by, but also our inner self. With imagination par excellence they explore the known and the unknown, the real, surreal and unreal. They offer catharsis and a vent to various emotions and also provide great perspectives and insight about the world that we live and enrich our life.

My transition further was much easier. Master story tellers like Sidney Sheldon, Michael Crichton, Jeffrey Archers took me on unknown journeys of thrill and delight. True Lies, Lost World, Nakamoto Murder Mystery, Jurasic Park, Kane and Able, Shall I Tell The President engrossed me with their description and details and Ian Flemimg’s Bond series, all were sensational. And then came Any Rand and her very individualistic style and strong characters, I was attracted to Roark in a strange way. Eric Seagul’s sad Love Story made me cry. After my dear friend Sagar presented to me Illusions, I went on a spiritual trip. It was the first and best book that preached positive thinking. I used to wonder where Donald Shimoda must have parked his plane and if there really lives one Jonathan, among all species of animals, questioning his existence and refusing to follow the much treaded path. Rebelling and daring to be different. Whenever there is strange news of a tigress feeding a piglet, a lioness befriending a deer, an inseparable cat and dog cuddled up together, or the dog who loves to sing and play piano or snowboard, or a wild croc who communicates with this man with special abilities, I wonder if these are the Jonathan Livingstones of their species.

Shakespeare and his plays and Sonnets, Wuthering Heights, Desire Under The Elms, Farewell To Arms Emma, D. H Lawrence’s, Sons And Lovers, Pride And Prejudice and many other books were study material for the literature student in me. I also thoroughly enjoyed quite a few biographies and autobiographies. From Marilyn Monroe to Mikhail Gorbachev, Hitler to Lata Mangeshkar and Richard Nixon these made very interesting reading.

Across The Bridge Forever is a love story like none other of unfathomable depth. And amidst The English August, several masterpieces by R.K Narayan including The Guide, Mario Puzo’s Godfather, I kept getting lost in the fantastic worlds that these authors created. Then there was Alchemist, and a series of such books – Chicken Soup…, The Monk…The Secret… that reiterated that believing was achieving and life had to have a purpose. The Female Eunuch and Myth= Mithya are some of the most thought provoking books that I read. The former concentrates on how ‘the masculine’ dominates our lives. A male dog is dog, but the female is a bitch, Master- is respectful but Mistress is not. Human beings are referred to as ‘Man’. Man is a social animal…. It is interesting how things around us, our language, even our religion can be very ‘Male’. In German the personal pronoun for a girl is ‘it’. Imagine this-It is pretty! I love it! I’ll take it!!! No wonder women are nothing but objects… The later gives insight into the Hindu religion. Both these books were disturbing to my mind.

Now of course reading is more fashionable-and that is good. The Sea Of Poppies, The White tiger, Memoirs of a Geisha…. I am glad more and more good and great books are being written and read. Even today I pick up a Tinkle or IIlusions and read it with the same excitement…. the same commitment.

These books have transported me into a different world every time I read them. I have practically lived all these books and the many lives of the characters in it. Every book….. many lives…..

Lots of things on mind...

18 Feb 2010

Will Google be able to digitalise books and create an online library? What will be the consequence of US unemployment which will remain high despite its growing economy? Will Sino-US relations spoil post Dalai Lama’s visit? What will be the extent of unrest in Greece and southern Italy? How long will it be before the Taliban are wiped out? How far will the rekindled tension between the Israel and Palestine go? When will Incredible India stop being inflammable? (that’s what Papan mama calls India after the recent blasts in Pune.) Will life in Haiti ever be normal? Where will global warming take us?

These were exactly my thoughts last night. Probably I had enough time to brood and was in one of those moods where you feel like Atlas with the burden of the world on your shoulders and wonder what the world’s coming to. And if ‘One World One Dream’, will after all, be an impossible dream.

Though my mind was flooded with thoughts like these, I was very positive. Infact, I have never believed in all those foolish predictions about how and when the world will come to an end. God will never have the heart to do that. And man(and woman) will always invent and innovate and find newer ways and means to deal with newer problems, situations and crisis. God has made Man( and Woman) so intelligent, that they have come a long long way, making extraordinary progress from just being the disobedient Adam and Eve. God has helped us achieve the unimaginable, and he tests us and our ability by posing new problems everyday, in every walk and all spheres of life. I am sure together will find a solution to all. The only thing that is important is, that just while we should always have our head on the shoulders, the connection to our heart and soul should never be severed. All the answers that we are looking for, will follow.

The day when everything goes wrong !

16 Feb 2010

In school, there was this essay topic which I found most interesting and easy to imagine– ‘The day when everything goes wrong!’ Today was one of those days. Pam is away in Sweden and we are feeling a bit lonely. I am not feeling too well. The cold has gotten to me. My throat is paining and so are my feet. We are paying for our inappropriate footwear, I guess. To add to the misery, the net has not been working for the past 2 days and I have no choice but to listen to some songs or watch the same old CD’s to keep myself entertained. My stock of books is also exhausted. I am so frustrated today.

If it wouldn’t have been for other things, I feel like living in Kolkatta. I was scheduled to go to Anu’s school today, generally to meet the teacher and befriend some of the other mums. I stood and stood at the bus stop and not a single bus in sight. That is one someone brought to my notice that there was a strike and buses on that line wouldn’t run for four hours today. Normally there is a small notice put up at the stop but today the notice was pinned onto a pole next to the stop where it was not easily noticeable. This is probably the 4th or 5th time that the strike has taken place within a month. I remember, last week too there was this kinda strike. I stood waiting for Anu’s bus to arrive when a lady came up to me and narrated her tale of how she was made to get off the bus at a stop, simply because the strike had begun and the bus refused to move any further. At least the bus could’ve terminated at its final destination. Aai shapat, Mumbaieet asa zalach nasta. And zala asta tar lokkani zodapla asta!!! Poor thing had to walk all the way in the bitter cold. Shameless creatures. No bloody insaniyat….

Travelogue 15

15 Feb

One by two. This is one of the most nice discoveries by man(and woman kind) while eating at a restaurant. It helps poor eaters like me to share my meal. And if one wants to experiment with the menu, it is nice to order only one portion, and let everybody have a taste of it. If the taste buds are unhappy you don’t feel guilty of wasting food and money. I am fondly reminded of all those times when I have had a 1/2 juice, lassi, a soup or a Chinese rice with my friends. Pam and I have kept up this tradition alive here. The portions here are too large for us to finish.(though Aparna tells be they are larger in the US). While the people here gobble up everything in no time, we often find ourselves struggling to finish what’s on our plate. Last year when we had come to Hamburg, we went with a friend of ours called Andreas, for dinner at ‘Le Meridian’ which overlooks the beautiful Alster. I was already feeling quite full from my lunch of 3 boiled potatoes with a creamy mushroom sauce and a half a kilo of red cabbage salad, which I shamelessly left almost untouched. I was just not game for a full seven course meal. So guess what, we did a most unusual thing. We split the entire seven course meal between the three of us. The waiter was kind enough to allow us do that and what’s more he actually made smaller portions of the whole course and served it individually to us on separate plates, complete with garnishes and all. So it was like a custom made meal. Ever since, Pam, Anoushka and I have often shared our meals and it is a ‘ful-filling’ experience in the true sense.

The only thing that we manage to eat without sharing, are the Donner Kebabs, which are huge. We have had falafel ones quite a few times now. They overflow with a 3 fistfuls of mixed salad and yoghurt dressing and of course the falafels, and we are yet to master the art of- first opening our jaws to fit that thing, and then eating it with dropping the content. Most of the times more falls out than inside the mouth and we look extremely clumsy. I look in awe like a small child at people who have mastered this art. Since this is one of the most available tasty vegetarian options, I have less choice. And I am determined to practise, until one day I manage to write a book called .- ‘How to eat a Donner without dropping a morsel’. By the way some things that are on the menu here are beyond my understanding! Spare Ribs- which animal will spare ribs willingly for us to devour? Buffalo Wings- 33 years chi zalyay me. Mhashila shiga astat that I know, pan wings suddha astat he mhaeetach navhta!

T.V cannot have a more complicated name than what it is called here. For more than a month now I have been watching Deutche T.V.( Fenseherapparat, that’s what they call a it). The programs are quite uninteresting. Except for the language and the actors, they are the usual…Many of them are dubbed ones, including all the cartoon shows on a channel called KiKa. I wonder if any cartoon characters are natives of Germany. Besides the usual teleshopping network and gaming shows, they have a show on gardening and farming just like our good old Aamchi Mati Aamchi Mansa, there is Kaun Banega Europati, Song and dance shows, Big Brother, minus the original Rakhi Saawant but instead her look and behaviour – alike, cookery shows, run off the mill daily soaps, but certainly not inspired by E. Kapoor because here ‘phamily only is not there, then where is the question of joint phamily melodrama?’ Perhaps the late night edition is the only unusual thing for me - who you will agree is the embodiment of sainthood and innocence, simplicity and decency. I’ve grown up watching two flowers coming together in Hindi movies or the camera suddenly shifting its focus to the blue clouds, and no more…..
T. V. does not seem too popular, as people here are outdoor types. You would see a lot of people jogging , cycling and running in temperatures as low as -13. But Bollywood actors and actrsses are extremely popular. It is amazing to see these people buy Hindi movie DVD’S and CD’s. Just last week, when we were at a bus stop, we heard a ‘nakti chapti looking girl’ talking over the phone in Deutsche and mentioning Ranbir Kapoor over and over again. Kay attraction asta na filmi lokancha!

Back home, the ‘T’ gang made news once again. One man said, I am Uddhav. Uddhav Thackrey. The other replied,“ My name is Khan”. While Mumbai was all ears for the verbal war that followed Khan’s so-called objectionable statements, it was soon put to rest, thanks to the State Government and Khan’s fans who flocked in huge numbers to watch his latest flick. It also premiered big time here in Berlin with all the actors in attendance. Rajdeep Sardesai had written an open letter to Uddhav Thackrey. (available on IBN.com). I agree with most of what he has to say, but want Khan to for once stand up and speak in favour of our the country and stop making politically correct statements at the mention of Pakistan. Look at what he said after 26/11 attacks. It enraged a lot of people including me, to see him take a neutral stand when everybody else was fuming at Pakistan’s involvement.

Me Mahan, maza Desh Mahan….

Hamburg is known to have small people and by small, I mean slim n fit. The girls’ here are beautiful - with their flawless skins and sharp features. Pam falls in love with many faces everyday. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about the men. Not much eye candy for me here. But what puts you off is that, behind these pretty faces there is often bad breath. Kai mhait evadhya thandit roz aanghol tari kartat ka nahi?? Hya lokanna hath dhuvaycha suddha mahit nahi!! Tech tech haat saglikade lavtat! Shemdi lahan mula road varcha snow khatat, kheltat, and then tyach hatani kadak pav khatat…. Amhi, India maddhe suddha sanitiser waperto ho!!! Chaintanya and I could picture what Vashu maushi would do if she came here. Padaracha tok nakawar theoon….giving a disgusted look… Haha ha….

Valentine's Day in Hamburg

I slept well and late. Thanks to my Travelogue, and Pam (who read it), my day began with a couple of dozens Tulips. It was snowing outside as I made myself a cuppa tea and Pam, coffee. By the time Anoushka woke up, we were already gorging on steaming hot idlis. Just then the phone rang …. Our friends, Cem and Vivian( with their three children), were inviting us for a visit to the Alster Lake.

They picked us up at 11am and we headed to the Alster. Long ago, some self proclaimed “Baba” in India had attempted to walk on water midst a huge crowd of people who had bought tickets to watch him do the feat. Of course he failed. As a child I always wondered if it would really be possible to do something like that. And guess what, I did it today!!! I cautiously put my foot in the lake. Hoping it will stay afloat, I took another step and was soon walking over it effortlessly. This was the same lake on which we had taken a cruise some months ago. It was most amazing to see the entire lake frozen now! There were people all over the place, enjoying this rare phenomenon. Now that’s what I call a ‘white carpet treatment’. The children too had a ball, rolling and sliding. Occasionally, I would stomp to check if “All is Well”. I don’t weigh too much but I am a living example of someone who has forgotten how to swim. Ice break hoon Ugach aat padle mhanje??? Titanic madhli “Rose”, zale aste na mi…

Soon our legs were freezing and we moved out of the lake. We drank some piping hot red wine mixed with rum and spices. Never before have I had a cocktail like this which phunkar marun marun pyaycha asta. But even this is inadequate to keep you warm. The toes and the hands start freezing and then all you want, is to rush to the cosy 20 degree indoors. We had our lunch at an Italian restaurant and all that was on my mind then, was a nice afternoon siesta.

Dekha Ek Khwab

Okay now, as my dear friend Amit Pradhan would’ve said, enough of my Puran on Desh Prem. Long ago when I was a child I first saw them in Yash Chopra’s Silsila. Amitabh and Rekha romancing to the tune of Dekha ek Khwab toh yeh silsile hue, Phool bhi ho darmiyan toh fasale hue…It is because of this song that I associate them with Love. Vast farms of these beautiful multicoloured flowers were the backdrop for this wonderfully written Javed Akhtar song. Never paid too much attention to the riot of colours. Perhaps I was far to busy swooning over “passion personified” Amitabh. Later in life I learnt that these flowers are called Tulips… Here in Germany, they are all over the place. I saw them and touched them and the song rang in my ears….Kal agar na roshni ke kafile hue, Pyar ke hazar deep hai jale hue….. Dekha ek Khwab…….

I will not say I am a big fan of Amitji. I am beyond that. I am in love with so many characters that he has skilfully portrayed. I have grown up watching Don, Deewar, Shaan, Do Aur Do Paanch, Coolie, Toofan, Shokay, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Namakhalal, Zanjeer……..I have watched these movies again and again with daddy. So much in awe I was with this angry young man’s persona, so much I was influenced by the ‘actor Amitabh’ that I fantasised being a Don someday, bashing up the bad guys, having an island to myself and sharks and crocs as pets …..I often would imitate his dance and dialogues. Just couldn’t have enough of him … I remember watching Shakti at Bhanu Sagar in Kalyan with Aai, Daddy, Papan mama, Sanju mama-mami, Aaji-Baba, … my entire family. I must have been three or four years old. I saw Dileep kumar bring a beautiful flower basket for Rakhee who is unwell. Had never seen anything like that before. Here in Germany, on dark nights, when the moon hides behind the clouds, I, by default say Amitji’s line : Aei raat kya tujhko yeh khabar hai, tere chaand ko lagi kisiki nazar hai….

I also remember how Daddy got tickets for Sholay at Mehul in Mulund. He just said that he was from CID, and we skipped the serpentine crowds. I miss him. I think it his love for movies that he rubbed on to me. He even bought a VCR so that we could have our weekly dose of cinema. I miss him. We watched a lot of Classics together. Guide, Jewel Thief, Kala Bazar, Waqt, Mera Naam Joker, Naya Daur, Leader, Amrapali, Mera Saaya, Anadi, Teesri Manzil…….Recently I watched Jewel Thief at Eros. It was a special show organised by Radio Mirchi attended by Dev Anand. Thanks to Baba’s sketch of Dev Anand, we won tickets in a contest. I thought of daddy throughout the film….Prince they used to call him too….

It all began with the Tulips!!! This filmi nostalgia!

Travelogue 12

Here everything comes with a price tag. I realised it the moment we landed at the Hamburg Airport. One Trolley for your luggage costs 1E. Now tell me, one spends so much on the Airfare, it is a basic service that can be offered to Flyers. After all nobody will go home on it.… In Bombay,oops! Mumbai, trolleys, drinking water, even Newspapers are free. Restaurants don’t serve water here. If you are thirsty you either drink bier or something else which is anyway always cheaper than water. Why is gas water (soda) such a favourite with people here, I don’t understand. After eating bread and cheese and cold cuts all the time, passing of air may be the reason why… I miss all those waiters who get you water first thing after you are seated, and also bring in “Chakna” with the drinks and green salad with the main course for free. Here nothing is free. Not ketchup at McDonalds to go with the Burger nor the place of the worship… One has to pay a membership fee to be able to go to a church regularly.

The Public Convenience Facilities, generally charge 50 cents.

I very quickly grew out of converting the Euro into Rupees. But every time I pay 50 cents( 30 Rupees!) for the( very cold) nature’s call I cant help frown…. Many people rave about the ‘quality of life’ in the phoren countries. The fresh air, no all three types of pollution, the quality of products, cleanliness and greenery…. But I terribly miss our maids, our laundry wala, milkman, paper and cable walla, our driver… In India, ‘below the house’ you will get all the services from paan wala to puncture. What is life without them.

Value people, for here, there are no people to touch your lives in so many ways…. For example, at the Frankfurt Airport there are machines (let’s call it that) that give the Boarding pass. No pretty face smiling and greeting you.

Travelogue 11

We take so many things for granted. We just use and over use and abuse. Our own body to begin with, people that we love and don’t, the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the natural resources that are god’s gift to us, the animals that we slaughter to satisfy our ever greedy taste buds, and everything else that we are fortunate to have soon becomes a matter of fact and we cease to value it.

Our country is Freedom personified. We truly enjoy a lot of freedom. Not just of Expression, Speech, Religion, Travel… ( and I can say this even more emphatically now). It is not anymore necessary for a child to fill in the father’s name on forms. A person can choose to change his or her name with an Affidavit. Post marriage a woman can attach her maiden last name and her husband’s last name to her first name. I recollect hearing on T.V. that forms will now have an additional column -“Others”, in category Sex. There is Right to Information. Public Interest Litigations can be filed. These are little things but significant. And yet all that most of us who are cynical and sarcastic, ever do is crib and criticise India. The politicians, the corruption, population, the infrastructure……I think for our size and the cultural, religious, political and social diversity, we are not doing bad. .

No place is perfect. There are people here too who jump signals, who litter in the buses and trains and who spit around... I guess the sheer size of our population makes more visible, back home. It’s not about a developed or developing country. It’s about in-disciplined people which you will find world over. The garbage bins overflow in this country too, and just now the local government is in a helpless position, unequipped to deal with so much of snow. The roads are dirty with slush, that the cars splash on to you, the footpaths are slippery with ice, the buses and trains get dirty with dirty wet footwear. Also some essential winter wear is out of stock in the shops and so on. This country also has her own share of problems. Alcoholism, Drugs, Unemployment, an ageing population, lack of child care facilities which make it almost impossible for most women to work, Religious Minorities, East Germany and all her problems because of lack of development, and generally a lack of spiritual unrest and disconnect........... Unfortunately it is never the people but the country that always carries the blame burden.

There are so many things that all of us find fault with and would want to change. Especially all things around us. Our pay checks, our boss along with his caller tune, the way our girlfriend cooks and wife looks, the noisy neighbours, the stubborn policeman, the stench in the train, the flashy clothes of a local corporator, the corporator himself, the huge statue placed in the middle of a small road, your best friend’s boyfriend, deforestation, Daily Soaps and Reality shows, the gaudily painted temples, pollution of rivers, forced donations of all kinds, the jasmine hair oil that a colleague wears, medical facilities in rural areas, firecrackers during Diwali, the uniforms of postmen and peons, Mumbai as Bombay, the condition of our Architectural Heritage, the Zoos, and the Loos, vote bank politics, Grading system in schools, slums, verbal diarrhoea, roads with potholes, female infanticide, cycle rickshaws, even worse - Tongas, Reservations for minorities, Inflation, Olympics and us….. All needs a change. All, but ourselves. We won’t change. We don’t need to!!!!! Says who????

I say, if you want change, be the change. Change cannot always be a matter of convenience.

MERA BHARAT KHARACH MAHAN

Glass is probably cheap in this country and widely used. Or maybe it is just a way of showing how transparent they are or want to be.. The Bus Stops are too made of glass and have a Time Table stuck on them. 7.34, 7.41 aagdi aaplya local trains saarcha. The buses are on time most of the time. They are long and look like small caterpillars. The bus driver is driver cum conductor who also issues tickets. But nothing to beat our “ticket, ticket” karnara best conductor. Most passengers greet him and he too reciprocates. He has a panel of buttons and switches, one of which he uses to operates the doors and the heaters. What he does with the rest only he knows. I think it is he who also makes announcements about the various bus stops. The bus has several red buttons all over the bus, on handles and bars which one can press to indicate that you wish to get down. Sometimes if there is nobody waiting at the bus stop to board the bus, the driver may not stop unless someone has pressed that red button. There is special place for people on wheel chair, for parents with prams and people with dogs. But the seats are few. Not like our 2x2 or 3x3 buses. Only few can sit. Baki sagle standing. I am reminded of the bestcha Ltd. buses. Even they don’t take more than 22 standees. But here, people and their pets rahtat aaplya sarkhech ekmekaanna chictoon ubhe. The buses have enormous windows, pan kay upayog?? Ek pan meli open hot nahin. Aata -13 madhe ekwel theek aahe but summer madhe kay?? Baahercha “atmosphere” aat yeyla nako? I remember travelling to Nasik by the State Transport bus once. I kept fretting over the fact that window next to my seat was jammed. Finally I got the conductor to open it for me. Khidki openach pahije ki nahi??

Buses are also equipped with glass breakers in case of any eventualities…Unfortunately they have no ice breakers… People wear cold looks all the time. Blame it on the weather. Smile is very expensive in this country. Everyone looks at everyone but never in the eye. It is either ignorance or suspision. This is an ageing country, certainly not a child booming or even children friendly. We experience this often and so do our German friends. Even slightly noisy children get very cold stares and sometimes their parents are told so. Even while choosing a tenant the preference is a childless couple. We just lost an apartment to a gay couple. Back home people generally rent out their flats to Phamily wali loka. Ithe pets are welcome everywhere( which is good), not children.

Travelogue 9

Back home I have felt frustrated with our customer service many a time and yet ithe aalyawar watt ta India is such a service oriented country. Speed here, is limited to the F1 and cars racing on an autobahn for the adrenalin rush. Otherwise konala kaslich ghaee nahi. Hile dule nuste!!. We had to wait at a Childrens Hospital for 2 hours before the doctor saw Anoushka who had a urinary tract infection. And by the way “Number” navhte. Aamhi ektech hoto. We spent almost 4 hours there. I think these people will get kicked if they ever dare to work in aapla Udipi restaurant. Ithe Punyachi aathwan hote… Except for bakeries no shops open up before 9 or 10 am. And at 6pm, bakeries close. So no bread later. And by 8pm everything else does including the Apothekes(pharmacy). One Apotheke is open in 5km radius. Thanyala amcha chemist raatri 11.30 paryant asto. Customer Service just not known here!! What to do I have been almost thrown out of Tchibo( a chain of shops owned by Beiersdorf) at 7.58pm. On Sunday everything is closed but a few restaurants here and there. The city almost wears a deserted look on this day.

Travelogue 8

Chandane Shimpit jashi….I always go humming to Anoushka’s bus stop. Sometimes really singing to myself loudly! Konala kay kaltay mhana and who knows me? Many a times I’ve been confused about her bus stop. You see, when she goes to school, its the bus stop on the one side of the street & on her way back it’s the one exactly across. I often check if I’m standing at the right bus stop. Sometimes with all the multi tasking, I have also often wondered ,”Did I just drop Anu to the bus stop or what?”... I stood in the cold, shivering..…. it was black n white all around. The Snow Queen was showering her blessings in abundance and the leafless trees stood lifeless. The air was damp and it was dark and gloomy. The cars sped by and I looked at the road….It was grey sprayed with tiny white chips…chandane shimpit jaashi.. May be I was feeling the same that day. I read a story once…. The moon was very hungry and asked his mother for some popcorn. She gave him a huge bowlful and just as he was munching them, the bowl slipped from his hands and all the popcorn was scattered in the sky. It is this that we attempt to count, look up in awe at, and romantisize. Mein tumhare liye tare tod ke laaoonga…. Thousands of beautiful sparkling solitaires that the flamboyant night often wears with her black satin robe…

Travelogue 7

Today we went to the Hamburg Dungeon. It is a place, which has a 3 hr scary show with Blood sucking vampires and ghosts straight from the Dracula and scaryface. Pammy darling had booked the tickets online for all of us. Later however a lot of people told us that it is not meant for Anoushka. Nevertheless, we felt that if they are selling tickets for Children online, the show will be appropriate for Anoushka. So midst snowfall, which had stopped all these days we went to the Dungeon for the 2 p.m show. One bus and then a wrong one and finally a taxi took us there. On reaching, we realised that it is certainly not for children below 10. So we spoke to the Duty manager, who helped us sell off 2 of our adult tickets and argued with him that if only the net had said so, we wouldn’t have got Anoushka. Realising their folly, he offered us two more adult tickets instead of the one child ticket (for free) Apan Indians smart. Punha kon yenaar, bhoot bangla bagayla. Amhi tee don tickets, lagech vikoon takli and mokley jhalo. Ofcourse, those tickets were at a discounted price, so we lost an opportunity to make some cool profit J But that was never the aim. We were happy that we did not have to bear a loss of 53 € (The cost of our tickets) On our way back home, we ate the famous Kumpir and I had a lovely local beer ‘The Alster’ (that is also the name of the local lake here) It is beer mixed with Sprite and to my surprise it was yummy, for I don’t otherwise like Cocktails.

We have made friends with a Punju, who owns a very famous American Restaurant named ‘Doris Diner’ just next door. We went to meet him yesterday, with some Tilgul. It is so amazing, that this Punju guys brother came to Hamburg 25 yrs ago, worked in the kitchen of a restaurant, got his brothers and cousins and relatives to work with him and today they run a very successful restaurant, which is always so full of people. And mind you, it is an American Restaurant and it sells the best ‘Steaks’ in Hamburg. Yes, they are number 1 in Hamburg for American food and the Chef is apna Punju bhai. Really, how enterprising can these people be ! I’ve never heard such a tale about a Maharashtrain. Wonder why ? Are we less enterprising, less adventurous or simply very middle class, no risk taking people. Apli naukri bhali.

I plan to go to the Gurudwara next weekend. There is also a Mandir, supposedly built by some Hindu’s from Afghanistan. And I was under the impression that Afghanistan only produces Taliban ! Let’s see if we can make it next weekend.

Travelogue 5

Anoushka’s school opened on the 14^th and I accompanied her on her first day. What an unearthly hour (8.30 a.m) for a school to begin in biting cold. The children were gathered in an auditorium along with their parents for the Assembly. While the children sat noisily, the parents had to stand for derth of chairs. The Junior School Director, Mr. Nick Ronai, addressed the assembly welcoming all and apologising for the “Savlo Gondhal’. The school has just shifted to a new location and they are still settling down. Anu’s class looked really nice and it was fun to see little children hang their jackets on pegs with their names. Anu’s teacher Mrs Inga Smith is a nice lady (She better be, nahitar tila mich nahi ka inga dakhavnar!) . I took some pictures of Anoushka with her class mates and off I went to the office to pay 25 € for classroom material like pencils, erasers… Aaplya Indian Shaalanna hasayla nako. Ithe suddha jyala tyala paise magtat.. If you want your child to be given milk at school tyache 20 € extra. Shivai school busche 80 € aahetach…I hope they don’t ask for Jacketcha hangerche rent and so on…

Before I left the school Mr Ronai la Bajaoon aale. There was no Chaperon (as promised) to guide Anu to her class once she gets off the bus. Vashu Maushichi Aathvan aali.. Bajavlyavina kaahi hot nahin!!

Travelogue 6

It is very strange, that ever since I’ve landed in Hamburg I’ve been humming all B & C grade movie songs. Hmmmm…..Probably snow muley, thand jhale… Just as any other child I too was fascinated by Snow and the Six sided, Flurries (Snow flakes) In school, when I learnt about areas with heavy snowfall and snow throughout the year, like the Tundra region I was so intrigued. I had this secret desire of wanting to visit an Eskimo and live in one of the Igloos. I also remember being mesmerised watching Ice skating on Doordarshan, I think it is called Figure skating. That was all the ice that I ever saw, until ofcourse a couple of years ago, we visited Kashmir and travelled some extra miles to get just a glimse of Snow !!

Recently, as I was browsing through Kesari Tours brochure, I came across the exclusive Antartica Trip that they offer. Wow !! I thought. But now here in Hamburg, with -17 deg C, I want the snow to stop falling, the Sun to rise and bring in warmth.

There is such a vast difference in the life styles of us and these people here in the West. Once I had seen a documentary on Nat Geo, about the amount of garbage that Americans generate…The Cola cans, the diapers, Tissues and toilet rolls….And now, I’m actually seeing it for myself. I still can’t help feel guilty when I allow Anoushka to take a tub bath. It pains me coz I know about the Water crisis faced world over. People are fighting over Krishna’s and Cauvery’s walking miles, struggling to fill in one can of water, while thousands of others are just letting the water down the drain. I often lament over such things. The amount of electricity consumed to heat the heaters here will be sufficient to light the whole of rural India (and I mean like Vegas !) Daddy used to say “Toilet madhe sudha pankha hava” Ithe toilet madhye heaters astath and there is hot water in all taps. I wonder why then, did they not feel like installing a Hot water jet for the WC :-)

Travelogue 4

Turkey! The capital of which is Ankara ( Not the one that is had for Christmas) I wonder if the two are linked in some way and one has got the name because of the other. Anyway, when we landed in Istanbul on our way to Hamburg, couldn’t help thinking of Gurukant Desai, (from Mani Ratnam’s movie GURU), who went to Istanbul to work with an oil company. The interiors of the lounge at the Istanbul airport transported me to the sand dunes, moonlight and music of the romantic Arabian Nights…..

For me, Turkey has always meant Surahis, Bakhlava and Belly dancing. One day I am going to buy one of those beautiful Surahis to adorn some corner of my house. Bakhlava , I had the opportunity to gorge on right here in Hamburg( it is like a dryfruit stuffed Khari biscuit dipped in sugar syrup) and as far as Belly dancing is concerned, I am just fine with Mallika Sherawat in “Mayya”.

Travelogue 3

Today we did a daring thing, Pam had his First Aid certification class from 1 p.m till 7.30 p.m. This is mandatory for getting a driving licence, or else who would have attended such a thing on a Sunday. So Anoushka and I ventured on our own. Which of the above was more daring, I leave it you. Aso !!

Anoushka and I braved the continuous snow fall to go to the Skating rink, at the Planten und Bloomen garden. We took a bus to Damtour and another one to Stephenplatz which was actually the next stop and walked through the snow for 2 ½ km’s. The whole garden was nothing but a vast snow land. Snow below and snow above. I always thought rain was god’s way, of giving the earth a nice rinse. And snow…..a blanket thrown by Him to cover the evil. All that is evil must end. And so did our treacherous journey to the ice rink. Anoushka was quite comfortable in his skates and for the next ½ hr she thoroughly enjoyed trying to skate over the ice. Our journey back home was very tiring for my feet were very cold and numb. We weren’t wearing the right kind of footwear and we couldn’t find the a back home. Tari, I’ve kept the Indian tradition alive of asking, asking and finding my way J. We had to walk all the way back to Stephanplatz and take a bus. This was one of our longest walks ever in snow. Anoushka was tired. Our feet and hand had become sore. The snowfall was unsympathetic. Our faces were red from the cold. We finally warmth in the bus and then in the café where we had our 1^st Kumpir…One big potato and when I say BIG, the size of an elephant foot, baked and cut open to be filled with beans, corn, olive and dressing. What a meal we had !! Our apartment was just next door and the moment we went in we soaked the tired parts of our body in the hot water tub.

An eventful day that ended “jivache Hamburg karoon”

Travelogue 2

The new house, the new kitchen looked newer today. We had our 1^st break fast then, Tea, Coffee and Toast. (Yes, we had already bought groceries the previous evening. You see, we have a Plus (to be pronounced as “Ploos”) vanyache dukaan just next door) We had also bought some vegetables and I made a potato / Tomato onion rassa bhaji. Now I have to admit that cutting these with a knife was a task for me… No, don’t get wrong ideas… I’m not a witch with a magic wand which I wave to get things done. It’s just that I’m used to cutting vegetables with a FANTASTIC gadget called just that, back home. Also I should confess about something that happened to me at the Ploos vanyache dukaan. When I went there for the 1^st time @ the fruit and vegetable section, I felt like a two year old who was learning to identify fruits and vegetables. What I first thought was a raw papaya turned out to be a raw mango. I couldn’t tell a lemon from a sweet lime, Cherries and tomatoes looked the same and the Cabbage was so huge…I held it in both my hands and turned it around several times and stuck my nose to it to make sure that it was “apli kobi” I didn’t dare buy it for I was sure it would last me for 6 months even if I had every single day…Potatoes and carrots were the most easy to identify. Everything from Yoghurt to Zucker (Sugar) that I bought that day was checked over and over again to ensure it was what I thought it to be. With my trolley full, I went to the Kase (cash counter) where I realised that I also would be charged for the plastic bags in which my groceries were to be stuffed.. Hey, zara atich hote, as if the 1 € for the trolley was not enough. Though I got the 1 € back, after I put back the trolley. To paryant, heart nusta var khali hoth hota..

I must also mention, that when I came back with the Groceries, I checked who our neighbours were. Our immediate neighbour was one Mr. Vogel Bau. I secretly had hoped that he would be Basu. Not that I ever got to see what this Bau Kau looked like. For the next day we changed our apt. Yes !! We changed two apt’s in two days. If you remember I had mentioned earlier, that our apt was tiny for us, and we were very fortunate to have a larger one just next door. So packed up all that we had just unpacked and moved into our new apt to re-unpack. Out of the three of us, Anoushka was most happy, comfortable and “Fresh” always. It was amazing how she had adapted to a new country, new home and lifestyle, and new food habits. She never expressed displeasure or showed any signs of anxiety and edginess. We could all learn a thing or two from her.

Yesterday we had a visit from our re-location agent. She had fixed up an appointment with the Deutsche bank and Pam, Anoushka and I accompanied her. We were greeted at the door of the bank, by an executive named Lars Krauel, who also showed us to a small conference room, where he intended to complete the formalities of opening a bank account. What happened next was something for which Lars will remember “Mr. Iyer” for the rest of his life. He had offered us Coffee and Juice and I was impressed with the Bank’s hospitality. Just as I took the 1^st sip of my “Apfelsaft”, Mr. Iyer with some documents in hand aimed for his large glass of Latte Machiato. There was coffee all over – the table, the documents, files, the Carpet below…..Our passports were saved in nick of time, but still continue to smell of Fresh Italian coffee as must have the Conf room of Mr. Krauel. I don’t think I have ever said “Tut mir Leid” (I’m sorry) so many times to anybody but Lars. However, I’m sure that Pam will give me ample opportunities in future. What I admired the most, was Lars’ courage to ask Pam, if he wanted another Latte !!