Grace under adversity... In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy...

This time, during my trip to the East Coast, I had the opportunity to witness the amazing grace that the American people still display under tremendous adversity...



Wires and posts on the  road
(Parsippany, NJ)



To give you an idea about how weird the situation is - there are large areas in New Jersey that still does not have power after 6 days since Sandy left this state, most (if not all) of the shops in these areas are closed, many of the traffic lights are still not in operation... and under all these circumstances, the citizens of this state are still the nicest, warmest, and most courteous people on the planet.



The guy in the immigrations still had a smile to greet visitors, the folks in the car rental were nice and helpful though they were working with battery lights, there was no lighting in the parking area, and they had immense difficulty in getting to work - they also helped with tips on what to do, given the gas situation is bad, the hotel was closed due to lack of electricity and safety concerns - by the Manager went out of his way to find me alternate accommodation nearby... the people on the roads still smile... what an amazing people they are!



A beautiful morning in NJ after Sandy left...

If you are fooled by the highways and the pockets of areas which are still lucky to have power and are not impacted directly - look beyond the highways, get into the side streets and you will see the extensive damage that Sandy has caused... uprooted trees on the roads, electric poles and wires obstructing the way, houses in a bad state, closed shops... I asked the lady who came in to clean the room today - and she said that they were still without electricity, no gas, and subsisting on bread and avocado.. and what was truly amazing was that she still had a warm smile on her face...

The state and all the folks cutting across the society have come together to rebuild their shattered lives... and they are going about it with energy, dedication and an amazing degree of grace... and some of the Corporates like Walmart are doing a great job of contributing back to the country...

US East coast - my best wishes for a speedy recovery...

PARIBARTAN AND THE 'LONDONIFICATION' OF KOLKATA...



Didi greeting visitors to 'Kolkata' with her message of 'Paribartan'
(please note the trident lights in the background and the yellow cabs on the road)



This month (October 2012), I had the rare good fortune of visiting two of my (and Didi's) favorite cities - Calcutta and London. While, I am absolutely biased towards Calcutta since I originate from that far corner of the East and have spent considerable time there; On my return back to my current home in Noida, I was contemplating the current state of transformation (Bengali - 'Paribartan') in Calcutta and Didi's stated goal towards a general londonification of 'Kolkata'...

Here are some of my observations and suggestions for Didi:



A trio of Double decker buses caught in the London traffic



1. The Traffic - While stuck in the London traffic this week on the rather quaint London Cab (I do like the Calcutta Black/Yellow and Yellow as well - though the London Black Cabs kinda win hands down not only because of the looks, but also due to the quality of the Cabbies) - I realized that Didi could not have chosen a worse model city. The traffic jams in London are as bad (sometimes worse) than what we get in Calcutta... I wish Didi sees sense and choses a better city to model the traffic on. My suggestion - do not Londonify the Calcutta traffic - you will be no better off than where you are right now...



The Riverside - with the Girl & the Dolphin, The Tower Bridge
and a part of the Shard visible in the background



2. The Rivers (The Thames vs. The Hoogly) - Two beautiful rivers, though I daresay the Hoogly looks far better. The Tower Bridge is the one I really love... and the Original Howrah bridge I remember with fond nostalgia... while the second Hoogly Bridge is far better than anything London could throw up. These two rivers are the lifeblood of these two cities. Hope Didi continues with her plan to develop the areas surrounding the Hoogly - would love it if it becomes something like the Thames riverside. Didi - May I suggest, to consider adding a London Eye, a Shard, and a Westminister or some equivalents on the Hoogly shoreline...



Puja Bhoj @ Aaheli, Calcutta



Lamb Biryani @ Bangalore, London

3. The Food - Both citities revel in food... The Londoner and the Calcuttan are both known to be partial to good food. The international cuisine at London is more evolved, but Calcutta is not bad either. The Indian food in London is par excellence, and whoever complains about good pubs in Calcutta should visit the Big Ben at Kenilworth... I think there is much that both these cities could boast about. Didi - My only suggestion here is for London, not Kolkata - can London please open a 'Oh Calcutta', 'Tero Parbon', 'Bhojohari Manna' or an 'Aaheli' please... and what about adding a 'Vivekananda Park' types street food corner?



4. The People - The citizens of both these cities are warm, nice and friendly. The Londoner, is much better dressed, and is more fit than the Calcuttan. I think Didi should invest in a set of Gyms and Parks across Calcutta to get the Calcuttan to look more like the Londoner. The fashion scene also is much more evolved in London... May I request Didi to reach out to some of the international fashion houses and Gyms to set up outlets in Kolkata, and look at the possibility of subsidizing operations for some of them. In this respect, Calcutta does need a makeover...

5. Political Billboards - This is something in which Calcutta differs vastly from London - In London I did not see any political billboards, hoardings etc. In fact, there was no larger than life cutouts of any political personality as well; Calcuta, the eternal city of ferment, is home to a set of billboards, hoardings, wall writings, festoons etc. that makes it feel more like a developing city in the midst of a revolution rather than a mature one. I would request Didi to take some effort and make sure that we remove all the political messages from the walls and the roads (including her own - Sorry Didi!)...

6. The Buildings and Monuments - Old buildings in Calcutta and London do have a lot of similarities. Give the Kolkata buildings a fresh makeover and they could very well rival what London has on offfer. My suggestion to Didi would be to set aside some budget for the makeover of the old buildings. Could even be marketed as a 'tourist' offering... They could shave off the top of the remaining double decker buses (I am sure that there are a few left!), give them a fresh coat of paint, and ferry tourists over across the old buildings and streets... might even be a fresh revenue stream for the cash stapped state...

7. The Roads & Lighting - The condition of the roads (even with the ubiquitous blue) in Kolkata and the lighting (notwithstanding the new trident lights that shed very little light) cannot be compared to the roads in London. Even with all the traffic, and the mindless congestion, the roads in London shine... In contrast, the cacophany of the vehicles, the potholes in the road, and the lack of discipline turns the Kolkata roads into a real life nightmare. May I suggest, Didi, to consider starting a 'Congestion Zone' in Kolkata to start with... so that folks atleast have to pay for the harm that they are causing to the beautiful city...

8. The Humor - Last, but not the least, I found that folks both London and Kolkata are fast losing their sense of humour. Isn't it a strange coincidence that while Didi locks up all folks who shares cartoons on her serious 'Paribartan' agenda, London choses (though sometime back!) to bring the shutters down on the 'Punch' magazine... My suggestion both to our Didi and our friends in London is to make sure that the people in these cities do not end up losing their sense of humour - for as someone said, “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.”

The 'Ulta' Pradesh...

Without getting into discussing politics, general law and order, or all the other things that greater mortals worry about, what prompted me to start this post was the recent event on the Greater Noida Expressway near Mahamaya flyover when two elephants were hit by a truck and one of them - a 45 year old female was killed and left lying on the expressway for over 4 hours... For readers who have missed the incident, here is the link...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Truck-kills-elephant-in-Noida/articleshow/14512979.cms

                                                                                       (courtsey - NYTIndia)

I realized this last week while driving to work to Sec-125 from Sec-93 where I live - and faced the huge traffic snarls that had developed on the way.

However, this story is not about the sorry fate of the elephants, or the mahout - or about the reckless driving of the vehicles, it is more fundamental. It is to list out some of what I have seen and heard during my 2 yr 8 months stay here so far and to question the basic sense of what goes on in UP today -

1. Most people (including those who drive BMWs, Mercs, etc.) think nothing of just using either side of the road to travel - in some parts of the World left is right, and in others the right is right - here in 'Ulta' Pradesh - BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT ARE RIGHT!

2. Elephants, bullock carts, horse drawn carriages feel that Expressway and Highways are perfectly OK places to go on - even when there is a perfectly good side road lying right next to it. Once in a while, there are horrendous accidents... but the philosophy here is LIVE AND NOT LEARN!

3. This is probably the only place in the world where whole ATM machines are uprooted and stolen - why bother removing the money within, when you can carry the whole thing home and dispense cash when required... Also, your children might like the new toy.

4. If you behave well with anyone working for you in a personal capacity - drivers, maids, etc. this is a sign of weakness - it is better not to behave well with anyone. You would get better services if you scream and rant at them rather than offer any other incentives including money

5. Women should not walk on the roads after dusk - if they do, it is perfectly ok to heckle, harass or molest them - after all girls of good families should either travel in their own vehicles preferably with enough male escorts.... if they do not, that means that they are available

6. After dark, particularly on roads less traveled, if you find people in distress and trying to get help - it is best to bypass them and speed away.. You never know what they are up to...

7. It is safest to remain indoors during the festivities - Holi is a good example - the day and the evening mostly look like Hartal days - not only because this is a family festival - but also because folks are afraid to venture out

8. Just beyond the cities, the 'Caste System' still rule the roost. Gujjars, Jats, Valmikis, Muslims all stay and live within their own communities. Any cross polination is strictly frowned upon. If you run away with someone of a different community - or even the same community and the same Gotra (I could go on explaining what this means for the next 20 pages), it is perfectly OK for the elders to band together and order you killed - after that, there are enough young folks eager to carry out the order... after all this is 'Bharat' and we have to protect our own culture...

Even in the cities, for many folks, the caste of who makes your food in the kitchen is important - so, it is not uncommon for maids coming in from different parts of the country to change their names, and even their attire to conform to the job requirement...

This behavior is not restricted to the illiterate or the noveau rich - but deeply ingrained in the psyche. I have seen two parents of students of an illustrous (read expensive private school) quarelling - when one of the mother states haughtily that she should have asked her children not to associate with children of the other community... I was surprised, but the onlookers did not feel this untoward...

9. Never... I mean absolutely Never take people at face value... 99% of the time, they do not mean what they say. If someone tells you they will come and service your refrigerator on Sunday morning - rest assured that they will never turn up... this is irrespective of what you are charged for the service. Pick up the phone and yell - use some choice local 'galis'... and you will see the service improve

10. There is a lot of wildlife here.. hidden in the crooks and corners of this state - and some of the same have prospered as most of the people do not eat meat here. However, do not mistake this as concern for the environment - the people are absolutely apathetic to the animals and forests - the leaders think nothing before replacing vast tracts of greenery with concrete monuments celebrating the uplift of the 'downtrodden'... or burning tracts of forests which have survived for centruries... or for clearing farmlands to create one more of the nameless socities similar to the one that I live in here...

In case you are wondering how people come here from outside and manage to live here - I have long pondered through this conundrum and come to the simple conclusion that at end of the day, people find a way of surviving... even possibly thriving.. independent of the situation. We find ways to make things work for us. If we stay in a place where it is perfectly acceptable to drive on both sides of the road.... we complain for a bit... then start adjusting.... would not be very surprised if, in a short while, we start doing exactly the same thing that we found so disgusting earlier....

Not saying much of human nature.... but I guess that this sunday I am at my pessimistic best...

Wishing all my friends in India a bountiful monsoon!

A vanishing piece of paradise...

Everytime I pass the small patch of forest next to Sector 93B in Noida (opposite the brand new Omaxe Forest), I cannot help but feel intensely agitated as I see the greenery thinning out that bit more each day. When I pass by in the morning, I see a set of daily laborers use this as a large open air restroom... in the evening, before it gets dark, I see children walking into the trees picking up dry wood, leaves and disturbing the general peace of the place. Once in a while, usually in the late evening in the summer, and early morning in the winter, there is a brief moment of elusive happiness when I spot some animals which also inhabit this little piece of abused and molested paradise that has survived despite our best efforts. A few times I have espied herds of Nilgai (once all 14 of them) just outside the forest trying to take advantage of the little strip of grass which surrounds this forest; at other times, particularly in the winter, I have come across quite a few peacocks - confused by the swirling fog into coming up near the new unused road that is being constructed right next to the forest. I wistfully remember the morning last winter when I saw 8 of them lined up next to the road, as if for a photo op. Somehow, I never feel like carrying a camera when I go for my morning or evening walks - as if to capture the animals in a file would somehow violate the wildness that they have so far fought hard to retain. My rottweiler, Princess Aurora, who always accompanies me in these walks and who loves this area is somehow curiously undisturbed at the sight of wildlife in this area - only once did she give chase to a Nilgai ten times her size and came back panting in defeat... I don't know whether it is possible to do anything for this remaining patch of heaven next to my current home, but my heart goes out to the trees and animals who have lived there for centuries till folks like us started encroaching on their home and steadily but surely started driving them towards extinction. I sincerly believe that my country, India, is the most insensitive and uncaring as far as forests and wildlife is concerned - we will continue arguing that we are too poor or too populous to care for things that we should treasure - WILL WE EVER LEARN?