Amritsar Diary

The SUV town
The first thing that struck me in Amritsar was the contradictory worlds that co-exist in that one place. When saw a hip 20 something in her tight three quarter jeans greet someone who looked like a stereotypical punjabi middle aged village woman, with an anglicized 'sat sri akaal'. Outside the airport, one can't help but notice the sheer number of SUVs plying on the road. Even if you were less attentive to vehicular traffic the loud punjabi music barring from inside these fuel guzzling monsters would catch your attention. The shiny new Taveras & Boleros share their road space with dusty, run down cycle rickshaws, the bajaj scooter from yesteryears and sometimes even tractors !

Push v/s Pull
Once inside, the town follows a circular path. To go from any point in the town to any other, one has to cross a short over bridge, or so it seems! It is easy to separate the outsiders from the native crowd at this point. They'd be the ones who'd give the cycle rickshaw driver a breather as he trudges with his vehicle up the bridge, walking behind him and sometimes even offering to help with a nudge, while the local punjabi women sit firmly atop - unaffected by his plight. With a smug look across their face they stare at the un-informed traveler who has offered to walk.

Golden temple at midnight !
I am not sure whether this is the only temple in India that is open all 24 hours. It certainly is the only one I know of! The crowd inside even as late as 10 pm is unimaginable. One would have to see it to believe it. There were easily a few 1000 people in there and that was not a festive day crowd. Langar (free food at the Gurdwara) is served to anyone who walks in. One of the locals there tells us - in big cities there would be many people sleeping hungry but in Amritsar I doubt anyone would go to bed on an empty stomach. People eat and even sleep inside the temple. Sitting alongside the sarovar (the water body that surrounds the sanctum) and watching the golden hues that reflect on pitch dark ripples, with the sounds of the gurbani reverberating in the background is a truly elevating experience !

A D-shaped well
Jallianwala Bagh does not reflect the character of place which once made history! It is more like a public park that one would find in an average Indian city with huge signboards at the entrance forbidding people from plucking flowers! The only reminders of the massacre - is the narrow lane at the entrance that prevented people from running out and the Well at one corner of the bagh which people jumped into, to protect themselves. Strangely the well is D-shaped unlike any others that I have seen. Covered with a rusty mesh an all sides it is difficult to look too deep into its gaping mouth. Though when cheeks pressed firmly against the mesh when one peeps in - you see at the bottom some shallow green water with coins glistening from beneath. I wonder what makes people throw coins in water bodies - and it is not just an Indian trait.

Marwari Dhaba
I had perceptions about Amritsar before visiting. I imagined a place with people having a strong gustatory orientation sipping thick lassi and eating tikkas at local dhabbas alongside the road. These are conspicuous by their absence. The only reflection of what might be people's food preferences here - is a sign board that announces - 'daily needs - kulcha and sweets'. We settle for a marwari dhaba for want of an alternative. Inside I see a predominantly south-Indian looking crowd. It is a disorienting feeling to be in the punjab heartland, at a marwari dhaba and see a south Indian populace! One look at the thaali and that explains it - for people visiting from the other end of the country a place that serves them rice, pickle, papad - would be a delight. Not to mention it is pure vegetarian ! The only thing missing was in their meal was the thair !

Lucknow 2 years hence...

Last week...work took me to Lucknow again after a gap of almost 2 years. As the flight descended on tarmac of the Amausi airport, I was reminded of my last visit. Not much has changed in 2 years...at least on the face of it. The small airport with its courteous staff still bears a deserted look for most part of the day.

Outside, the streets...dusty with the arid summer air. The retail revolution has spread its tentacles far and wide – we see visible signs of the arrival of hyper markets, in the conspicuous orange hoardings for Spencer’s that dot the arterial road which connects the twin cities of Lucknow and Kanpur.

This time around, talking to mothers about the aspirations they have for their kids, took me by surprise. They talked about the dreams they have for their daughters…about the daughter being considered an equal…not having to wait for her brother to finish eating before she was served…about the independence and freedom they have to move out and around in society…not just the opportunity to have a career but also the privilege to make the choice about what it should be. And as parents they no longer thought of putting their life savings only to fuel their son’s future as an heir to the family. Investment in a daughter’s education was as important – educating the girls in this generation is ensuring the upliftment of the next generation – this coming from women who belonged to the lower strata of society – was such a heartening thought.

I spent the rest of my day there with a smile - beaming across my face.

Perhaps in the years that have gone by another quiet revolution had started to take root in Lucknow.

Ignite the Change?

I came across this petition here. I read it. I signed it. A strong voice in me said...not much is going to come out of this...Such efforts would perhaps get some media attention...mumbai would perhaps see a visit by the prime minister....may be a committee / task force would be set up - give it a few days / weeks / months and everybody would forget about it. Till the next city is bombed...till more lives are lost!

It said....

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Mumbai is tired, impatient and very angry. It doesn’t want the praise. It wants its dues. For too long have we received only empty accolades. Now it’s payback time…

Those words....they reflect, what i would safely assume, most of us feel about not only the city...but also the country we live in. I admit i am guilty of not having a positive attitude to change...i haven't seen evidence that would prove me wrong.

People of the older generation say...Change is a slow process...India is changing...Things have improved. Look at the roads, the flyovers zipping across the country...privatization of airlines, telecom...foreign investment...satellite television...McDonalds...Pringles...Malls...a better quality of life...did you think 15 years ago that you'd have all this in India?

No I say...I did not...but 15 years back...also you had told me that things would change...I had then imagined less people to die of starvation...more people to have access to clean water....children who should've been reading, playing, learning - would not have to sell balloons, flowers, pirated books on the road to earn themselves a living...i had though that in 15 years there would be less fear, more security, fewer people living on the streets...fewer farmers committing suicide since it did not rain in a given year...more people of my generation staying back in the country...a stronger sense of national pride...we'd see tax money to better use...some use...less corrupt politicians...a more efficient judicial system...a greater sense of justice...a greater respect for ordinary life...!

If change is a slow process - then is 15 years not long enough to create a situation where we see a basic respect for human life in this country, where people don't struggle, beg, steal, sell themselves to meet their basic needs - where people don’t flee the country at the first available opportunity...how much time would it take then...25....50 years...more?

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

This is not the first time there is a citizen's petition. Not the first time that people have signed it. Not the first time that all this could come to naught.

As I clicked the submit button...i kept repeating to myself...
Oh God...this time...just this one time...I wish I am wrong!

Go sign the petition here for whatever its worth!

petition for mumbai ,bombay,mumbai,

A city and a love affair

When I look back I cannot put my finger on the moment when I fell in love with you but I know how it felt. It happened as I was growing up and maturing and becoming aware of my feelings. I would feel a sense of contentment just spending time with you. There were days when I did not do anything in particular and did not want to either. I was happy just walking through the streets, by the sea side - taking in the smell of the sea air and the sunset – knowing that I was with you. Did I ever tell you how beautiful you looked against the backdrop of the setting sun? At the end of a long weary day when amber & saffron hues touched your skin your face would glow up in that radiance…hiding in that light some of those lines which were a reminder of the dark times you had seen. Each unfortunate incident etched upon your tender skin had left an indelible impression – each line had a story to tell. Together they all lent a jaded character to your appearance. But I could see past those lines and see the beauty in you. Always! Even when you looked your worst I found you looking beautiful. I guess that’s what they call being in love. When one is able to look past the shortcomings of another and revel in all that is positive and good about that being.

A few years passed and I moved on in life and to another city. Even with the move, your thoughts did remain somewhere in my consciousness though I did not miss your presence sorely. I was after all captivated by all that was new and exciting. With the passage of time yours thoughts faded like a distant memory…untill someone would mention you in the conversation and then my heart would involuntarily leap out and take me to those days we had spent together. After a few minutes spent reminiscing I would get back to the humdrum of the day. It was only when I caught sight of you that morning in January that I felt an upsurge of all the emotions I had once felt for you. I still remember that morning. I had flown in from Bangalore just the previous night. I woke up early the following day and made my way to an early meeting. It was dark…the sun was not out yet. Then somewhere on my drive from Andheri to Nariman Point I witnessed the break of day and with it caught the most beautiful sight of you I had seen. Your fresh, clean, pure self filled my senses…It reminded me once again how much I had missed being with you. I had a beaming smile across my face that day since I knew I was back with you again. I did not stay with you longer even though I wanted to but that image that I saw of you that morning stayed with me ever since. That day I realized how much I love you. That was also the day I realized that despite all the love that I have for you in my heart I would not have been able to stay there with you. I moved on. As I walked away from you I never looked back…not even once. After that day we came face to face many a time, though you looked and felt different. Also, our exchanges acquired an air of formality. Not that I had stopped caring for you but there were just newer things, people and places that you were surrounded by. You had obviously moved on. I was happy to see that. Though occasionally I would also hear from others about the rough times that you had been through. These experiences that we go through change us as individuals, change the way we react and respond to things. For I remember how much you loved the rain once. Now I sense fear creep up in you as soon as it starts to pour. Staying away comes at a price. I could only sense that fear as an outsider. I could not feel inside me what you would have gone through – last year as the rains lashed out at you in fury.

Once again a couple of days back people have attempted to hurt you, break your spirit. Once again you have had to see trying times. As I looked through pictures of what happened a silent tear ran across from the corner of my eye down my cheek. I know there is not much that I can do sitting here. I also know that when I see you next this incident would have changed you forever. Changed you a bit more and increased the space and the silence between us by a few more inches. This will be one more incident that I would know about, that I would have read about but not been there with you to feel the pain of.

sunset picture courtsey flickr

Mumbai Blasts ,bombay,mumbai,Mumbai Rains,

Bombay...meri jaan!

Of bhel puri and juhu chowpaty
To Irani ki chai…bun maska and kheema patty

From Kasa kai bara hai…kai chaal lai?
To Circuit, Maamu and Munna bhai

From the fish fry that hangs upside down at Sion koliwada
To Sri Krishna’s garama garam bata vada

Of Cusrow Baug & Freny Todiwallah
And of food delivery men…the dabbawallas

Of cuffe parade and sassoon docks
To bade miyah ke lazeez kabab

Of lazy afternoons at Leopolds and Mondegar
To firangs on causeway leching…smoking cigar

When Sandra and Robert need to meet chori chori
Would it be at Church pakadi or khotachi wadi?

Traffic signals bypassed…railway tracks we cross
We hang with our lives from the doors of the virar fast

From the pious steps of Mahalaxmi,
To the morning sight of the Haji ali

Bombay or Mumbhai whichever way you see
Thoda spicy…thoda cool…hai yeh city

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There are so many more things quintessentially bombay....feel free to add your verses.

poetry, bombay,mumbai,

10

Things I have learnt since I came here (London)

1. That the correct answer to the question how do you do…is to ask the person the same question again… and in the same tone….its not even like you ask them back...‘ and how do YOU do ?’

2. That there is not such thing as bad weather, there is only bad clothing!

3. That when someone says ‘Mind the Gap’ they are not really talking about the gap between the train and the platform. That phrase has many layers to it…one being, the gap between the upper and the working classes….a subject that is not discussed overtly in society today….but the divide exists nevertheless.

4. That the now world famous Harrods, started off as a grocery store in the1800s

5. That the Big Ben does not refer to the clock but a huge 13 ton bell that hangs within it

6. That the surest way to annoy a Londoner is to stand on the left hand side of the escalator in the tube stations. This side of the escalator is usually reserved for hurrying working crowd who prefer to walk up their way rather than stand there liesurely looking at the ads alongside ...which is an activity associated with tourists.
   

7. That natives love moaning about two things – 1. The weather and 2. The transportation system. But that does not mean that you have the permission to complain about them too, especially the weather…which is much like a part of the family…we can talk ill about family members but do not like others, outsiders to join in the bashing

8. That approximately 5000 people stay in central London. 300,000 people travel to central London each day on work

9. That Sigmund Freud spent the last year of his life in London. His family home, which contains his famous ‘couch’, has been converted into a museum in his memory and that of his daughter Anna Freud.

10. That when a stranger comes and tells you….hmmm cold isn’t it…it is considered rude not to respond. It is also considered rude to respond…but refute that statement. The English are not obsessed about the weather, they are just very very reserved, and by virtue of being surrounded by the ocean on both sides, weather is bound to be erratic most of the time. Weather talk has just evolved as a topic which one can fall back on, each time one wishes to engage in conversation.

And like Mr. Blair….I think No. 11 is more comfortable number to work with…so here is one more….

11. That Tony Blair does not occupy 10, Downing street, but exchanged it for No. 11, with the chancellor since the later is more spacious

Categories: Trivia_