Tuesday 27 March 2012

Honest perversion......;)

Today was a fun evening....Trevor, Palak, Me and Lilian, a couch-surfer from Austria had gone to have have dinner at Vishala.  Vishala is one of my favorite place to have a delicious gujarati dinner and have a relaxed and laid back evening with friends.  Perfect place to sit and chat and eat.  Lilian was being hosted by Trevor.  Palak and me already know Trevor, what sort of a man he is and he is at his best when his talks start to get into double meaning.  Yes that's right, when his talks start to get little bit pervert.  

We have met so many times at the CS meets and now are more like friends.  When you are in the company of Trevor one thing is for sure that he cannot stop himself from getting into perverted talks.... ;)  Today it was the turn of Lilian who was at the receiving end of Trevor's perverted talks.  There have been so many guys and yes sometimes girls too who have been the victim of Trevor's perverted talks and their legs have been pulled relentlessly...  But its all fun.  Not just fun but tremendous fun.  I wonder how it would be if the same talks were said by someone else who had some malicious intentions in his mind.  Its just so fascinating and thought giving that how some conversations are not at all felt offensive by the way someone converses or by the intentions that are vibrated by someone conversing on these topics.  In fact they can be so lively and humorous that it can make even a dead man laugh.  

After all talks on sexual topics are always interesting.  Can be serious, can be extremely funny, sometimes disgusting, sometimes foolish but they are most of the times interesting.  Today evening they were extremely funny.  And hats of to Lilian for bearing them.  She got teased every second moment by Trevor's honest perversion.  Its these honesty which when gets vibrated across can make the other person though shy comfortable in bearing and laughing at such perverted talks.  Its not everyone's genre to make such talks funny. But yes Trevor is one such person who can anytime and anyplace instantly switch modes and get into what I would say honest perversion....

Thanks to him and Lilian for taking his honest perversion very sportingly and making the evening a very very lively and funny one.  Thoroughly enjoyed it.... :)  Trevor keep it going man..... ;)

Sunday 25 March 2012

Istanbul : Last 3 days of my Euro - Trip

Inside of Hagia Sophia
26th October, Wednesday was my 3rd day in Istanbul. My friend Ugur was coming to Istanbul for some of his work and we had decided to go see some of the famous mosque's of Istanbul.  Around noon I had a talk with Ugur and we were going to meet at Hagia Sophia mosque. Even Madeleine too wanted to see them, so we both decided to visit them together.  This monuments were on the other side of the Galata bridge and we took a walk down hill and stopped at a nice looking restaurant for breakfast. The restaurant had a buffet system and there were so many mouth watering vegetarian delicacies to choose from.  The weather was nice to sit outside and have breakfast with come Turkish Chai.   Somehow we took a long time to finish our breakfast, thanks to some deeply engrossing philosophical talks.  It was just wonderful. While waiting for Ugur, Madeleine and me just played around and clicked each other's funny pics.  Finally Ugur came and I introduced him to my new friend Madeleine... ;) And we headed to see Hagia Sophia.  The entrance fee was 20 lira's and for Ugur it was none as he had this tourist card that Turkish people can have by paying an annual fee and then they get free entries to I guess all historical monuments and museums.  Ugur had a kind of satisfactory smile since he remembered his visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra when he paid 1000 bucks to visit Taj Mahal while my Indian friend Palak who had accompanied them paid just 20 bucks.  So he loved to see me pay 20 lira's for the entry.  


The first sight of the inside of Hagia Sophia was beautiful. The whole main hall was beautifully lighted and there were some religious signs.  For more on Hagia Sophia click on this link ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia. Ugur gave us some brief history about Hagia Sophia.  The place was really beautiful from inside.  I first time saw Jesus sitting in the lap of Mariym.  The mosaic's of the Ottoman King's and Queen's were very pretty. We clicked some pics and finally headed to see the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace.  

Inside of Blue Mosque
Blue mosque as seen from outside
of Hagia Sophia
Blue mosque is called so as it has blue tiles on the inside walls.  Luckily there was no entrance fee. ;)  The inside of the mosque was very peaceful and after walking for so long it was perfect to sit on the carpet on the floor and relax for sometime.  I felt like I'll doze off if I had closed my eyes. ;)  Blue mosque too had some wonderful lighting just like Hagia Sophia.  Finally we got out of it and decided to just take a walk around Topkapi Palace as I didn't had much interest to see one more monument.  Soon the weather got windy and cold. While walking back Ugur struck a fantastic idea to have a Nargile (Shisha) and some Chai.  He took us to a wonderful warm place and we spend some nice time getting nostalgic about our times together when he was in Ahmedabad.  I guess I really like making my friends jealous of how wonderful times Ugur and me had together with our friends Dorota, Hector, Asta, Palak, Olga, Liliana, Eymen, Luis and other mf's... ;)  Just like how Luis was made jealous and he came to Ahmedabad to visit us, we tried to make Madeleine jealous of how wonderful place Ahmedabad is to visit.  Though its not that touristic and enjoyable place, but if you have a bunch of fun people around you any place becomes great.  :)  
Madeleine, Ugur and Me having
Nargile & Chai.

Kumpir
So soon it was time to get back, have some time to relax and get ready for the night to party.  We dropped Madeleine to her hostel which came in the way towards Istikal street and went to my hostel to use the internet and search for some cheap Turkish Hamam.... ;)  Yes that was a thing to do on my list the next day. Finally time to get out and have some drinks and meet Madeleine in some time to have dinner and party.  ;)  Ugur and me explored some by lanes of Istikal street and sat at one place to have some beer.  Watching a game of soccer our talks disclosed some unknown secrets of our friends.... ;) Was really funny and great to talk of those wonderful times and how life has moved on since then.  As we were hungry Ugur took me to a nice place and made me have one amazing Turkish potato dish called Kumpir (Loaded baked Potato) ;)  I simply loved it.  Its actually a big baked Potato loaded with various salads and cheese and sauces.  And it was stuffing and quiet cheap too.  I sometimes wondered to myself how can the cost of one lunch or dinner be equal or even more expensive than the cost of one night of stay in the hostel ?  So expensive.

Soon we met Madeleine on Istikal street.  Actually to be honest Ugur and me thought she won't turn up... ;) But was nice to see her again and we all headed for a famous disco.  Ugur told us it has some great music and is generally very crowded.  But that day it wasn't.  Once again some beer and some wonderful dancing.  The night went past and I was quiet tipsy.  Two nights of constant partying, drinking and dancing.  So time to say goodbye to my wonderful friends as I headed back to my hostel.  Next day the plan was to meet up for a visit to Turkish Hamam.... ;)  

It was Thursday and Madeleine's last day in Istanbul. :( We met at the other end of Galata bridge on Thursday morning and went for a light breakfast.  I suggested her the same thing I had for dinner the last night, Kumpir. And soon after that we started to hunt for a Turkish Hamam.... ;)  I had no idea where to find one in that locality.  Madeleine had a map and she had marked some places to find Turkish Hamam.  We went from one to another but the prices were too high.  I was just following her as if she was my GPS. ;) Yes that what I sometimes call her now. ;) Didn't knew at all which direction we were going, but was talking with her and following her.  She was really good at understanding the directions of the map.  So I was happy.  No fuss, just follow.... ;)  Soon we found one for 50 liras a general hamam bath, where they scrub your body once and you can then spend your time in the hamam till you can.  The hamam had separate sections for men and women. There was a man and a woman for each to scrub you and give you a bath.  The man there instructed me with signs to take off all my clothes, wear the towel and follow him to the hamam.  

While he was preparing things to give me a scrub, he told me to lie down on the hot marble floor.  I was the only person in the entire male hamam.  The floor was really hot and instantly my whole body was sweating.  Now was the turn to get a scrub.  So the guy told me to lie down on one side of a big marble square in the middle of the hamam and he started to scrub my entire body with some cloth gloves.  That was hard but it felt good as the body gets rid of the dead skin and a sort of massage that you get is very refreshing.  He than took me to another part of the hamam and made me sit next to a bath and shampooed my hair and gave me a nice hot bath.  Again it was time to lie down on the hot marble floor and get some more sauna..... ;)  But soon the hot sauna was enough for me and I went to take the final bath and what I see is the guy who scrubbed me got nude right in front of me and was having a bath.  That was like omg..... Finally I got out and was ready to move out.  It was a nice refreshing experience but I would say the Kerala Ayurveda massage or therapies are much much better than this. Madeleine came out a little while later and the first look at her felt like wow, she was like a fresh flower who has just blossomed.... ;)

Bosphorus Bridge
We finished with the hamam thing and didn't know what to do. We still had like half day with us and we had to visit the Grand Bazaar too.  But before that while walking towards Galata bridge a guy walked up to us and offered a small boat ride on the Bosphorus river.  Hmm i've already been on it once but why not again.  If you have a beautiful company, warm sun on your head, cool breeze blowing and a discounted boat ride why not... ;) So we accepted the 2 hour boat ride and sat in the van that was going to take us to the boat.  To be honest the boat ride for me was just an excuse to spend some more beautiful time with Madeleine.  We had some very very interesting conversations till now and before it was time to say good bye I felt like the rest of the hours too should be special.  After all its always nice that when you meet strangers and become friends, the times spend with them should always last in your life as wonderful memories.  The weather changed from sunny to cold and windy and than again sunny.  We had some fun moments clicking some nice pictures of Istanbul and of each other too.  I felt the 2 hour ride some how ended very soon.... ;)  And we set off for some souvenir shopping to the Grand Bazaar.

Grand Bazaar
The market was totally full of tourists.  It had shop's selling Turkish sweets, spices, tourist souvenir's, bags, fragrances, jackets, clothes and what not.  Its a very interesting market and a very happening place for shopaholics.  So finally it was getting time to wind off the day and the wonderful times with Madeleine and what can be better than having a good dinner together.... :)  We sat at a restaurant close to her hostel and to our surprise the guy who was calling on customers started to speak Swedish on knowing that Madeleine was from Sweden.  To our more surprise the waiters at that restaurant were able to speak in many languages including Hindi too.

So finally time to say goodbye to Madeleine at the railway station and a long walk back to the hostel.  I still had one more day before I end my first euro trip.  I spend most of the time shopping at the Grand Bazaar and than a long walk from the hostel to Taksim Square to take the bus to the airport.  The last 2 days I could not meet Ugur as he was busy with work and some upset stomach.  The last week of my trip i.e. Turkey happened to be the best part of my trip.  Istanbul is just an amazing place to visit.  So vibrant, colorful, foodie, laid back and yet very happening. I've never been to any city that can match the vibrancy of Istanbul.  And for me it was like a bonanza that I met Madeleine and exploring Istanbul in her company was fabulous.  Not to miss how great and fun it was to meet Ugur and get nostalgic.  29th Oct. morning I reached Mumbai and was greeted with a 5 hour delayed flight.  Finally reached home and felt relaxed.

This was my first time in Europe and I long to go there once again.  Don't know why but seeing and experiencing Europe and its culture has always been in my mind.  Though my initial plan was to visit West Europe, but after I met this wonderful people and became friends it was East Europe totally. ;) I had never been out of India alone to non english speaking countries.  So I was always apprehensive about how am I going to manage and then this countries are so expensive that I always had a fear of running out of my budget but finally thanks to Dorota, Asta and Ugur's help that it was way to easy.... ;)  Now i'm longing so much to travel through other European countries.


Sunday 18 March 2012

Early morning ordeal with a Rickshaw driver....Arghhhhhh

After a 2 day work trip finally I reached Ahmedabad on Saturday early morning by a night bus.  As usual the moment you get down the bus the rickshaw driver's just gather around you and pressure you to board their rickshaw to get you to where you want to.  So I asked one richshaw fellow, how much will he charge to take me to Shyamal cross roads ?  My place is quiet close from the bus office that no rickshaw driver wants to go by the rule to charge me as per the meter.  As its early and mostly all rickshaw drivers would like to charge atleast 3 times so they fancy that every person getting down from the bus would give in to their demands.  

This rickshaw driver told me he'll charge Rs. 30.00 to drop me till Shyamal cross roads.  During the day time this ride would actually cost only Rs. 11.00, the minimum charge and late night charge as per 1.5 times more would cost Rs. 17.00.  I told that guy are you crazy, and started walking.  One more rickshaw driver approached from behind and agreed to take me by meter, which was quiet surprising to me.  But it was fine with me.  I was actually looking forward to take a rickshaw ride since last few days particularly after I read one article in the Ahmedabad Mirror on how 90 - 95 % of the rickshaw drivers are actually cheating the commuters.  Few rules that the rickshaw fellow's should follow are actually not known to the people and taking advantage of it mostly all of this guys blatantly violate it and don't even have a slightest of shame or moral to actually follow at least some of this rules.  

Rules that are to be followed but are mostly violated by the rickshaw drivers :
  • Autorickshaw drivers are authorised to use only flag meters. Round meters were banned by the government in 2009. 
  • Autorickshaw drivers cannot refuse to ferry customers, even if to a nearby destination. If the driver says no, he is liable for a minimum penalty of Rs 100.
  • The driver can charge 1.5 times the regular fare only in areas outside AMC limits. He can also charge 1.5 times the regular fare between 11 pm and 5 am as night charge. 
  • Every rickshaw driver must wear the batch number issued by the RTO. They cannot drive a rickshaw without the number and are liable to be penalised. 
  • Even if it is his rickshaw, a driver cannot smoke when a customer is sitting in it as it is considered a public vehicle. 
  • Drivers cannot misbehave with customers or be rude to them. They can be penalised for misbehaviour.
Even I didn't knew about this rules.  And one most shocking thing that I noticed was that, as per the rate card authenticated by the Regional Transport Office, a minimum of Rs 11 (day fare) is charged if the meter shows 60 points (1.2 km). However, according to the fake cards carried by most drivers, the minimum is charged for 24 points. For 60 points, they charge Rs 25, which is more than double the minimum fare.  So till today for all the rickshaw rides I had taken I was cheated and I don't even know for how many rupees ?  
Since I came to know about this, thanks to Ahmedabad Mirror I was eager to get back on this rickshaw drivers and tell them that you are big time cheaters, better stop this cheating business as now you all are exposed.  

When I reached my destination I asked the rickshaw driver, man how much do I have to pay and he told me Rs. 30.00 sir.  So it was sure that he is trying to cheat me.  I told him to show me the meter reading which he said you can switch on your mobile and see it yourself.  When I checked the meter was actually not working and so I asked the rickshaw guy can you read the meter reading ? And he told me its 58 points sir.  I asked him to show the rate card and he refused saying he doesn't have it.  So I had to tell him with authority that the actual charge is Rs. 11.00 and not Rs. 30.00 and that the card that you guys are showing to customers are fake ones.  The actual rate cards have 60 points for the minimum fare and you guys show 24 points as the minimum fare with fake rate cards.  Also this round meters that you are using are illegal and you aren't wearing your batch no. too.  So better accept this 11.00 Rs. and go on your way.  

He got so agitated that he handed me my money and said sir you can better have this ride as a free one.  I said wow that's fine with me and I took my money and started walking.  To this he got so furious that he got down and shouted at me that who do you think you are ?  I told him if you want take this actual fare or else i'll have to call the traffic police on 1095 and they would settle the score.  And still he was like do whatever you want to but you'll have to give Rs. 30.00.  So finally I called 1095 and as expected no one was answering it.  But when the rickshaw driver saw that i'm actually calling 1095, he just took the 11.00 Rs. started his rickshaw and went off.  Uffff what an early morning I had.  But felt satisfied.  Its so so satisfying for me when I actually have my say against this rickshaw fellows who mostly never ever leave a chance to extract more money from the customers........ ;)

Saturday 17 March 2012

Surat : The Diamond City

22nd February 2012, I drove to Surat for a 2 day business trip.  The city of Surat is the 2nd biggest city of the state of Gujarat and the 8th most populous city of India with a population of 4.5 million people.  Located on the  river Tapi Surat can be called 'The Diamond City' as it accounts for +70 % of the world's total rough diamond cutting and polishing and India's +90 % of totally rough diamond cutting and polishing.  It is also a textile hub with +40 % of India's man made fabric being produced here.  Today the city is the 4th fastest growing city in the world, having largest GDP in India.  (Source of information : Wikipedia and http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-23/surat/29807187_1_smaller-cities-growth-rate-surat )

I started visiting Surat very often for business since 2003 when I joined my family business.  Ever since then I've seen and known this city a lot.  I visit this city almost 7 - 8 times in a year and I must say that its a heaven to do business in terms of volumes.  The people who originally belong to this city are named Surti's.  But it has seen a lot of migration from lot of other states of India who came here in search of work and settled down here with their families.  Today this city holds an interesting mix of people from all over India.  People from Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Saurashtra region of Gujarat, South India have mixed with Surti's.  I some how come across and interact with people from each of this regions during my trip of 2 days.  

The moment I get out of the station the first thing I do is to get a room in Hotel Anand, just opposite to the railway station.  I mostly prefer this hotel for its location and cozy rooms.  The room service personnel in this hotel mostly come from different parts of Gujarat and are always ready to serve you in expectation of some tip.  The next thing in the morning is to go to Roopa restaurant right in front of the station and have a South Indian breakfast.  Vada sambhar and Upma.  Served hot, tasty, light on stomach and cheap.  The restaurant is owned by 2 South Indian brothers.  I have never seen this restaurant empty.  Its always filled with travelers, sales guys, couples and even families.   And then I start meeting my customers who again belong to different communities.  Marwadi's from Rajasthan, Kathiawadi's from Saurashtra region, Surti's from Surat, few from the Sindhi community and also some from Dawoodi Bohra community.  For me commuting from one customer to another is best by shuttle rickshaw's.  Many of this rickshaw's are driven by men who migrated from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.  

Its not at all a touristic city, but is mostly popular for its business potential.  It has a big petrochemical plant, fertilizer and steel plants, gas processing plant and a heavy engineering unit, LNG terminal and gas based power plant.  All in all its one city with great potential for business.  Its the city with lots of flyovers and huge textile markets.  For one thing that I've noticed coming here since so many years is the rudeness and lack of compassion for the fellow human being.  You walk on the street and you see hundreds of instances where 2 people for no or petty reason happen to be rude and unkind to each other.  The hectic pace at which people are running or driving from one place to another, I suppose has made them machines with no sensitivity.  In the quest of getting better monetarily, the city seems to have lost the touch of kindness and compassion.  Is it this economic boom or is it the migration of people from socially and economically weak states causing this drift from being compassionate human beings ?

Right from the moment you step in this city utter chaos greets you on the street while walking.  Everyone wants to beat the other in one race or the other.  This city which has battled a horrible plague and deadly floods and which has come out of it just amazingly, seems to have lost the human touch.  It makes me wonder sometimes, will I be able to live in this city Surat ? At present I would never want to live in such a city but for business still its my # 1 destination in Gujarat..... ;)

Monday 12 March 2012

Eight destination : Istanbul - Day 1 and 2

I left Eskisehir on the morning of 24th October for Istanbul by train.  By noon I was at the Hydarpasa railway station.  While in Eskisehir I had a chat with a Couchsurfing friend from Istanbul about how to reach Taksim square, the most famous and happening place in Istanbul.  So as she had informed me, I started walking and was looking for the yellow cabs who operated on sharing basis.  Cheap and comfortable.   I walked some distance looking for them and finally after asking few people located the mini taxi station and in 5 Liras I was dropped at Taksim.  Though it wasn't the exact place.  I had to again walk quiet a bit to reach the Taksim square and the entrance to the famous Istikal Street.

Entrance to Istikal street from
Taksim side
While in Eskisehir, I had looked for some hostels and found one hostel called Laventen right on the Istikal Street.  As there were beds available I didn't book it and noted the address.  I entered the Istikal Street from the Taksim end and started looking for Kumbaraci street on which this hotel was located.  I had now walked almost till the other end of Istikal street but finally found the street and realized that I had entered it from the wrong end.  Kumbaraci street went downhill.  It was mentioned that Laventen hostel was at 150 meters on this street.  I was wondering what if I find the hostel packed.  It'll be really tiring if I have to walk uphill 150 meters back to the Istikal street with my 2 backpacks and find another hostel :( . But luckily I got the bed and found the hostel a perfect place.  It was my first time staying in a hostel, as this hostel thing doesn't exist in India.  We have budget hotels and cheap guest houses, but hardly any hostels.

By now it was around 14:00 hours and I didn't had anything to eat by then.  I was damn hungry.  So quickly I got ready and found a nice restaurant on the Istikal street for lunch.  I must say Istanbul was even more expensive than Warsaw.  Finally it was time to explore this wonderful, busy, colorful and happening Istikal street.  It was the first day of the week and still the whole street was packed with people and only people. Tourists, travelers, corporate executives, shoppers, local musicians, hawkers and pimps too.... ;)  I was enjoying walking on this street.  The rest of the day was spend walking up and down the street, observing the action going on the street and clicking some pics.  I was loving every bit of Istikal street.

Late evening I went back to the hostel to take some rest.  Didn't feel like eating anything as I didn't wanted to eat alone.  I was almost asleep when someone entered the room and switched on the light.  'Sorry, if I disturbed you'.  Erin, an American traveler from Chicago had just entered.  We exchanged our hello's and after a brief chat agreed to have dinner together.  It was her last day in Turkey.  We had some interesting conversations and went back to the hostel.  There we met another American Cassie. She had spontaneously decided to travel for several months and after traveling in North America and North Europe she had landed in Turkey.  At around mid-night I went to the Taksim square to see off Erin and thought it can be a nice late night walk for me and figured out how will I be reaching the airport to board my flight to India ;) .
Men fishing on the
Galata Bridge 
Next day morning I took a map of the places to see in Istanbul from the hostel reception and marked the places to visit and set out exploring unknown lanes.  My plan was to somehow find my way to Galata bridge and visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and later visit Galata Tower.  But somehow when I reached the Galata  bridge I saw the Bosphorus river cruise.  A four hour river cruise starting from the Karakoy harbor.  The Galata bridge was full of men who were fishing.  24 x 7 I saw men always fishing on this bridge.  It just came spontaneously that I bought the four hour cruise ticket and in 2 min. I was on the ship.  It was a cold and windy day.  Turkish chai in hand and sitting at the open front deck, I was feeling pretty good and fresh. Istanbul looked wonderful located on the 2 sides of the river.  On one side there were sights of so many mosques and the other side had few huge cruise liners harbored.  At some time lots of sea gulls were following the ship and flying side by side.  The cruise went past some historical monuments like the Beylerbeyi Palace, Rumeli fortress and few more.  Finally there was a halt of around 45 min. for a late lunch at some place from where the ship would return back.  It was a kind of tourist halt with lots of restaurants.  I kept roaming here and there and bought some small souvenirs.  Finally time to head back.  Another 2 hours on the ship which I mostly spend sleeping ;) At around 18:00 hours the ship reached Karakoy.  I really enjoyed this cruise and clicking lots of pictures.

Beylerbeyi Palace
Rumeli fortress
The walk back to the hostel was about 45 min. and I was hungry but didn't feel like eating as I didn't wanted to eat alone.  While walking on the Galata bridge, I saw a tourist clicking pictures.  It was obvious for me to know that she was a traveler from the clothes she was wearing and as she was clicking pictures.  I walked up to her and asked her 'Are you a traveler' ? And yes came the reply.  Madeleine from Sweden ;) She was doing a Europe trip by train and Istanbul was her last destination down and then she was going up north again.  While talking to her I came to know that she too was a couch surfer and she had a faint wish to go to the couch surfing meet on Istikal Street.  I also told her that I was hungry but didn't wanted to dine alone and it would be nice if she could give me some company for dinner.  It was so very nice of her to agree with that.  Also I too wanted to go to the CS meet and so we decided to attend it together.  We had dinner at the meet and met some local CS guys and few others from Portugal, Hungary and Singapore.  The CS meet again was very much like the meet I organize in Ahmedabad.  Mostly guys and girls from other countries.  Madeleine and I left the CS meet in an hour or so and decided to hang out for some more time.  Soon on Istikal street she suggested to have a Shisha ;) I readily agreed as it was really getting cold and on a windy day Shisha with hot apple tea seemed just perfect to hang around and have some nice conversations.  We spend quiet some time smoking shisha and sipping on hot, sweet and little bit sour apple tea.  Our conversations went from knowing each other and our travel experiences to being a little bit philosophical too.

The shisha started to go off and so it was time to leave. Some clicks of each other and we were back again on Istikal street, looking around some other place to hang out.  Soon we came across a bar with live music.  The bar was so packed that some people were sitting across the tables laid out on the narrow street.  We found one table right in the middle for us and ordered a bottle of Raki.  Madeleine didn't had the chance to sip on Raki so she was alright with it.  The live band was just perfect for a young evening, setting up a lively mood with their peppy numbers and their interaction with the crowd.  Cassi, whom I met at the hostel the other night was also there with some other travelers lodged at our hostel.  Next to our table were 2 turkish couples and one of the guy was already very high but still was decent enough. We soon got introduced to each other and were having some funny chats.  In some time the whole place became so lively that people took to the street and started to dance.  Madeleine and me too couldn't resist and joined the people to enjoy some dance steps.  One turkish girl also showed me some turkish dance steps and asked me to follow her.  Though I wasn't good at it but it was really fun.  Soon the high tempo mellowed down and while the band took some rest to my surprise the bar played one hindi song 'TWIST' from the movie Kal Aaj Aur Kal.  This song has lots and lots of memories as it was the anthem of Orchid Republic where my friends used to stay and it was played every time in my car when we used to go out.  It was like icing on the cake. Truly one of the best night of my entire trip.  I suppose that night I had made a wonderful friend.


Thursday 8 March 2012

Can we Indians, be natural leaders ?

Today is Holi - The festival of colors.  This year's holi was a little subdued one.  Not at all like the one that I had last year with my Orchid friends.  But still it was a colorful and fun filled holi.  Went to Rajpath Club for a rain dance too.

Today morning before leaving for Rajpath Club as usual, I was reading my English newspaper and there was an article from Greg Chapel on the sports page.  Greg Chapel was once the coach of Indian cricket team and was kicked out after a disastrous world cup campaign in 2007 in the West Indies.  Somehow he always keeps commenting critically on cricket in India and its national team.  This time it was after Indian cricket team's pathetic performance in the test and one day series in Australia.  He was mostly very critical about the leadership of the captain of Indian cricket team, M.S. Dhoni.  Well its a proven fact over the last few years since he became the captain of Indian team that India has won the World cup, the first T-20 World cup and has been the no. 1 test team for some time too.  A feat no other captain in the history of Indian cricket team had achieved.  But clearly in this series down under Dhoni was not the leader that he is known for.  

Greg Chapel while being critical of Dhoni's leadership, mentioned about the culture that's prevalent all over India since centuries, though its changing very rapidly.  Here's exactly what he mentioned.  

'Indian Culture Doesn't Breed Leaders'.  They lack leaders in the team because they are not trained to be leaders.  From an early age, their parents make all the decisions, their school teachers made their decisions, their cricket coaches make the decisions.  The culture of India is such that, if you put your head above the parapet someone will shoot it.  Knock your head off.  So they learn to keep their head down and not take responsibility.  The Poms (British) taught them really well to keep their head down.  For if someone was deemed to be responsible, they'd get punished.  So the Indians have learned to avoid responsibility.

Now this kept me wondering as its a kind of contradiction in how we Indians are today in the world.  Its very true that as young Indians our most important decisions in academics and in life like marriage are taken by parents or with the help of parents.  Financially we depend totally on our parents till our early twenties.  So how are we as young Indians going to develop the independent way of thinking.  On a very conservative thought, see how a nation of more than one billion people are being governed by the ruling congress party whose president is an Italian lady.  The entire ruling party has been exposed of high levels of corruption and its leaders seem to have lost their abilities to steer this huge nation to being a super power.  At present there seems no party with a strong leader who can lead the nation.  

Contrary to what Greg Chapel has mentioned look at the big corporate's in the world right now.  The CEO's of many of them are Indians brought up in India.  Like Citibank and Pepsi.  This statement by Greg Chapel is surely not something that can be ignored.  It surely has some truth in it.  That's what I believe at the moment.  

But surely these things are changing now a days very rapidly as lots of young people are becoming more and more independent, taking their own decisions for their careers and for many other life changing decisions.  But who knows how long it'll take or will it ever happen that this great land will once again breed leaders like it used to during the British rule or before that.

I believe that there are very few people born with leadership traits.  But there are lot of people out there in this country who have in them to be some kind of leaders in their life.  They need to be groomed and given the freedom to develop the confidence in them to lead people around them in some way or the other.  I firmly believe that today this country has so many complex problems that in each and every aspect of development and growth people who can lead are needed.  And unless and until leadership qualities of young ones are recognized and groomed, we cannot have true leaders.  I guess its time parents and teachers and every individual will have to understand this and start to look beyond the parenting ways being there since generations.  

Sunday 4 March 2012

Ram Siya Ram


Few days back, while on a work trip to Surat I was commuting on the streets in a rickshaw.  Most of the rickshaw's in Surat always play loud music to catch the attention of passengers waiting for a ride.  This rickshaw that I was in too was playing music but it was totally a different type.  This was the song rather bhajan that was played in the rickshaw.  I distinctly remember as a kid I used to very often listen to this song on radio in the mornings.  Still love the tune and the tranquility it brings around you.  

Ram Siya Ram

Also one more such song that I loved listening to is this.  Truly devotional.... :)