I honestly believe that there has to be some kind of universal language - Esperanto, for example? - that aspiring politicians must master before they make a foray into public life. Otherwise, much time will be wasted in trying to figure out what one is saying to the other. Additionally, more time-consuming and difficult will be the task of calming ruffled feathers at the drop of a Gandhi Topi!
Every time a public servant utters words which are new to the intended audience, sinister meanings are ascribed to them. Eyebrows are raised in anger. Accusations of slander are flung around. Motives of political vendetta are suspected. Soon it becomes grist to the mill for interpersonal, inter-party or inter-departmental face-offs.
Take the expression "spoilt brat". You and I are certainly no strangers to this description of a fellow human being. Perhaps, we have to deal with more than our share of them in our everyday lives! We do not panic at calling or being called spoilt brats. We do not take offence at this. After all it is a matter of perceptions, in the end. But does Mr.Gadkari think so? No. He thinks Manish Tiwari indulged in bad-mouthing him in the vilest possible words! Well, one can only hope that Gadkari saab brushes up a little on colloquial English before he pronounces judgements on the alleged mal-content of a word simply because he fails to appreciate its nuances!
This is reminiscent of the controversy that descended on Sashi Tharoor for having referred to economy class travel on international flights as "cattle class" travel. I had written about it on April 5 2010 in the post "It pays to increase your word power!" What a colossal drama was enacted by the law-makers and the media alike! All because of the lack of understanding of the connotations of certain words and expressions!
The "Headless Chicken" episode was no less an exercise in stupidity than the "cattle class" and "spoilt brat" cases!
It is not just a lack of mastery of the English language which leads to the wastage of time, money and commitment of the public servants. Molehills can be easily turned into monstrous mountains by the lack of appreciation of the vernacular, as well! Just recall the hilarious case of Nilotpal Basu. He was once stopped at the gate of Parliament House by the security guard who had failed to recognize him. Mr. Basu did not mind this at all. But when the guard called a superior and said that there was a "banda" at the gate calling himself Nilotpal Basu and was it alright to let him in, Basu babu flew into a terrible rage. He took extreme umbrage at being called a "banda" which, seemed to him, to be a bad word of the most heinous type! Well, it was a while, after much effort by a lot of people, that Mr. Basu was finally assuaged!
Therefoe, in the interest of the nation's progress and image, I contend that some kind of an universal languge be made compulsory for our public servants. No doubt, we, the general public, will lose out on a good laugh or two but the world will be spared the agony of the nonsesical dramas enacted from time to time due to language barriers.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
The murky side of the Games!
Thank God the Prime Minister wasted no time in ordering a thorough probe into the shenanigans of the Commonwealth Games. Despite the doubts generated in peoples' minds by the hysterical media as to whether the games would be held at all, the latter went off with a bang! Indeed the Games brought immense and much-deserved laurels to our silent, unseen and highly-ignored sportspersons from all over India. The athletes excelled and out-did themselves in the various disciplines, so much so that they reeled in a record haul of medals!
All these super achievements were almost rendered non-starters by the, I would say, Indian way of doing things i.e. with little imagination, no competence, zero professionalism, a high degree of ego-clashes and, of course, the pan-Indian and innate epidemic of corruption. Please pardon me if my views offend you in any way. I am not at all a cynic by nature. But decades of life in the corporate world and co-habitation with our other fellow-citizens through everyday or business experiences, have convinced me that corruption is more widespresd than we perhaps believe. This makes bungling shamateurs of a whole lot of us. And that is why I am happy that a detailed probe has ben instituted. My only prayer to God is that let the investigators not be corrupt too!
I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I am eagerly waiting to see who will be the popular scapegoat for the whole exercise - for, a scapegoat will be there for sure! Mr. Kalmadi has emerged as the favourite! Let me clarify before my good friends pounce on me! Suresh Kalmadi cannot be a scapegoat in the real sense because he himself is steeped in this controversy. However, in so far that he is being pushed forward to take the rap on behalf of all others does make him a scapegoat of sorts...or the American "fall-guy" if you so prefer.
This is my point. Let not the probe forget to examine the roles of the earstwhile Union Sports Minister, the current Union Sports Minister, the Union Urban Development Minister ( who was entrusted the responsibility to co-ordinate and oversee the preparations for the Games), the Cabinet Secretary, the bureaucracy of the concerned ministries, the numerous government departments responsible for the infrastructure, the civic agencies, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and ,of course, the State government itself!
Let not only the Organizing Committee be left to bear the blame for the rampant inefficiency and corruption attributed to the XIX Commonwealth Games because all of them were equally involved in the task. So, the truth - and nothing but the truth - must be unearthed.
May we, the nation, live in hope for retribution and just desserts for ALL the culprits, whoever they may turn out to be?
All these super achievements were almost rendered non-starters by the, I would say, Indian way of doing things i.e. with little imagination, no competence, zero professionalism, a high degree of ego-clashes and, of course, the pan-Indian and innate epidemic of corruption. Please pardon me if my views offend you in any way. I am not at all a cynic by nature. But decades of life in the corporate world and co-habitation with our other fellow-citizens through everyday or business experiences, have convinced me that corruption is more widespresd than we perhaps believe. This makes bungling shamateurs of a whole lot of us. And that is why I am happy that a detailed probe has ben instituted. My only prayer to God is that let the investigators not be corrupt too!
I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I am eagerly waiting to see who will be the popular scapegoat for the whole exercise - for, a scapegoat will be there for sure! Mr. Kalmadi has emerged as the favourite! Let me clarify before my good friends pounce on me! Suresh Kalmadi cannot be a scapegoat in the real sense because he himself is steeped in this controversy. However, in so far that he is being pushed forward to take the rap on behalf of all others does make him a scapegoat of sorts...or the American "fall-guy" if you so prefer.
This is my point. Let not the probe forget to examine the roles of the earstwhile Union Sports Minister, the current Union Sports Minister, the Union Urban Development Minister ( who was entrusted the responsibility to co-ordinate and oversee the preparations for the Games), the Cabinet Secretary, the bureaucracy of the concerned ministries, the numerous government departments responsible for the infrastructure, the civic agencies, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and ,of course, the State government itself!
Let not only the Organizing Committee be left to bear the blame for the rampant inefficiency and corruption attributed to the XIX Commonwealth Games because all of them were equally involved in the task. So, the truth - and nothing but the truth - must be unearthed.
May we, the nation, live in hope for retribution and just desserts for ALL the culprits, whoever they may turn out to be?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
From Al's Diary....What was that again?
I was associated with Toshali Resorts International for a little over 3 years. During this time I was privy to some hilarious experiences which have left me with a rich repertoire of anecdotes. These anecdotes have the makings of entertaining drawing room natter with friends, on a leisurely evening or two.Let me recount a few of them for my readers.
The people in TRI, from the Directors to the junior executives, formed a milieu of cross-cultural personalities. The diverse ways of talking, the choice of words, the accents, the pronunciations - all carried a distinct Pan-Indian flavour! This made for a heady cocktail of unbelieavable hilarity.
Take the case of one of the General Managers. I shall never forget the earnestness with which he breezed into my office one morning to propose that " aal journal managers must be alotted steam cars or state cars". At least, phonetically, this is what I heard. I was foxed, to say the least. However, soon enough, I reasoned that our GM(of good North Indian stock) was, perhaps, being funny. It was obviously his humorous way of suggesting some innovations in cost-saving by converting the company's vehicles into steam-driven ones! But,when he started talking about prestige of the senior management, I realised that I was on the wrong track. By some nimble mental footwork, based on years of exposure to the vast possibilities of North Indian pronunciations, I finally realised that he was actually advocating that all General Managers be provided with big cars by the company, like the Esteem(Maruti) or the Estate(Tata). So much for innovations and cost-reductions!
On another occasion, the same worthy gentlemen was coaxing me into coming to his house for a stag lunch on a Sunday. Quite honestly,for various reasons, I did not find the idea welcome. So I demurred saying he lived vary far away and I did not know that part of the city at all. At this, he gave me a massive thump on the back and assured me that "it is no praablem yaar! I live in Palam Gaon. You know Palam Vihar sir ji? My rasidence is a mere crow's throw from there!" Crow's throw? That was a new one alright! I thought to myself that only an uber-confident North Indian could so unabashedly synthesize "as the crow flies" and " a stone's throw" to come out with a completely original howler such as this!! I could not wait to go home and tell Kumi and the kids about this. Obviously, I also shared this with many of my friends. Boy was it a hit! So much so that I heard one friend narrating the experience some time later as one of his own and, that too, in my presence!!! Talk about stolen thunder!
The eastern states of India do not lag far behind either in producing innovative and unique conversational masterpieces. TRI is an Orissa based company and, naturally, the owners and Directors mostly hail from that state. The MD, a tubby man of pleasant disposition, had foxed me early on in my stint with the company with some classic Oriya-accented pieces like - launch,doll,lob,ROM. Only later did I come to realise that he actually meant lunch,dull,love,rum, etc. How was I to know that the alphabet u is given a wide berth by a majority of Oriyas?
One day, in the weekly morning conference of the top management, we discovered that all were present except the big boss himself. Naturally,we waited and sure enough, after 10 minutes or so he appeared and started to apologise forthwith. " Sorry for the late" he began. "Actually what happened was that I was arrested!" We were all taken aback and were anxious to know what transpired. It seems his driver jumped a red light and was pulled up and challaned by the cops. That is how he was " arrested!" He added for our benefit that "The problem was that I had no monny. Fortunately Mr. Bhora (read Vohra) was also passing that way and he stopped to escape me from the police and absconded me in his car!" He further lamented that "too many traffic signals are being installed. Yesterday while going home I discovered that our locality has become a totally red-light area!!"
During one morning conference the big boss had all of us stumped by his indictment of all "overnight fly-byers". He exhorted us to be extra vigilant in protecting the goodwill and good reputation of our product, our organisation and the credibility of the industry as a whole. Although we recognized the importance of the goodwill and credibility part, the rest of us were much exercised about the mystery of the "overnight fly-byer" phenomenon. Our attempts to tactfully elicit the meaning of this expression produced no satisfactory result, especially since the MD was not very fond of being questioned about his pronouncements. Only when he made a couple of references to some new, wet-behind-the-ears Time Share operators who had turned out to be the "here today, gone tomorrow" type, did it dawn on us that he was actually talking about the fly-by-night operators who had suddenly mushroomed in the industry!!! It is needless to point out that the lunch hour in the office was a specially boisterous one that day!
One day our assistant manager in the Customer Relations department, burst into my room, somehow uttered a "good morning sir" and flung herself into a chair, before I could even say Jack Robinson! On top of that she broke out into a paroxysm of uncontrollable laughter!
Considering the fact that it was well short of 9.30am and she was a habitual late comer, I was completely baffled at the turn of events. Why the laughter (in particular), I was asking myself? Well, eventually the young lady gathered herself and explained that she had purposely come in early to appraise me of what she had experienced the previous evening in a meeting with the MD.
On the previous day, the head of the Customer Relations department had been on leave. As a result of this, the big boss had asked my early visitor to see him at 5.00pm to discuss various issues related to that section. As the discussion progressed the boss lost track of the time. Many of the client-related points were complicated and my visitor, being a junior, was struggling at times to fill in. Suddenly the big boss asked her "you are missing your boss, no?" Our young friend very candidly said "yes sir, she has vast exoerience in this field and she really helps me out whenever I have any problem, especially in important discussions like this". The big boss looked dismayed and hastily clarified "No no no! I am talking about your "chotor bos" - you have missed it, no! It is already 7.00pm!" The Assistant Manager (CR) claimed, that as soon as she realised that the boss was in fact referrring to the Chartered Bus that she availed of every day, she excused herself for the night and ran away lest she burst out laughing on his face!
One of the officials, who was a popular man, was in charge of Toshali Sands, the company's resort on the Konarak-Puri Marine Drive in Orissa. Although he operated out of Sands, there came a time when he was given the additional responsibility of Toshali Royal View, Kufri in Himachal Pradesh. Obviously, this meant a lot of travel to and fro for him. One day, when he was visiting the Corporate Office in Delhi en route Kufri, I asked him if he even knew where he would spend the next week in, at any given point of time. He was very frank and forthright about his plight. He said " it is bheri difficolt. You see I have both my legs on one side!" I am still trying to figure out that one!!
The eastern states of India also contain West Bengal. Needless to say we had a fair number of Bengalis too in the organisation. One such gentleman was in our Admin Dept. This man was excellent in getting a job done - any job. However, while he was very high on delivery, he was a bit rustic in his spoken English. He became a source of a lot of hilarity in office by his doings - whether yelling at the top of his voice on the telephone "I want you. I want you now!" while asking a girl employee to report to office or whether ordering "bhanilla with cadbury" for dessert (meaning vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce!) during an annual departmental lunch in a restaurant.
But the piece de resistance came at one of the official dinners at my residence. These dinners at our home had become a half-yearly feature by popular demand of our Advisor, Mr. Pran K Choudhury. On one occasion such a party was sprung on me at a couple of hours' notice. Therefore I had no alternative but to ask some caterer to put up the dinner. And, since I would be stuck in office till late, I designated Manager Admin to look after everything, food, drinks, service, etc to help out Kumi who was still in office.
The evening went off well. I had whispered into the ears of Mr. Admin to keep a discreet eye on the bar and the bartenders. He must have taken his task a little too seriously for, soon enough, I discovered a merry twinkle in his eyes and a new-found verbosity, both of which were quite uncharacteristic of him.
Just a few days earlier, I had finalised a new house for our MD. It was no mean task because he kept dilly dallying inordinately till the prospective landlord gave us an ultimatum. Only then was the deal clinched. Earlier, I had deputed our man in Admin. to carry out the initial search and short list 2 houses for my final approval before I invited the MD to see it.
At the dinner, after being suitably primed by a few large ones, our man from Admin suddenly dropped his reticence and decided to join in on the conversation. He approached the MD and announced with glassy eyes and a pasted smile "You are bhery lucky sir,you phound new house! You are bhery lucky sir." After this, every now and then he would stagger up to the MD and repeat "You are bhery lucky sir!" I had to quietly lead him awsy from the MD by asking him to check up on the caterer. Even then, off and on he would be back to accost the MD with the familiar refrain of "You are bhery lucky sir!"
Anyway, the evening progressed nicely. Everybody appeared to be in a mellow and jovial mood. The conversation ranged from the latest blockbuster on screen to the Pokhran II blast. In the meantime,the periodic reminder to the MD of "You are bhery lucky sir!" continued with metronomic regularity. So,finally, when the caterer informrd me that dinner was ready to be served, the news came as a great relief to me in my capacity of an embarrassed host! But I had counted my blessing a little too early! Before I could even approach the guests to invite them over to the buffet, our over-zealous man from Admin. had artfully dodged past me, planted himself right in front of the MD and announced "You are bhery lucky sir, dinner is served!"
The people in TRI, from the Directors to the junior executives, formed a milieu of cross-cultural personalities. The diverse ways of talking, the choice of words, the accents, the pronunciations - all carried a distinct Pan-Indian flavour! This made for a heady cocktail of unbelieavable hilarity.
Take the case of one of the General Managers. I shall never forget the earnestness with which he breezed into my office one morning to propose that " aal journal managers must be alotted steam cars or state cars". At least, phonetically, this is what I heard. I was foxed, to say the least. However, soon enough, I reasoned that our GM(of good North Indian stock) was, perhaps, being funny. It was obviously his humorous way of suggesting some innovations in cost-saving by converting the company's vehicles into steam-driven ones! But,when he started talking about prestige of the senior management, I realised that I was on the wrong track. By some nimble mental footwork, based on years of exposure to the vast possibilities of North Indian pronunciations, I finally realised that he was actually advocating that all General Managers be provided with big cars by the company, like the Esteem(Maruti) or the Estate(Tata). So much for innovations and cost-reductions!
On another occasion, the same worthy gentlemen was coaxing me into coming to his house for a stag lunch on a Sunday. Quite honestly,for various reasons, I did not find the idea welcome. So I demurred saying he lived vary far away and I did not know that part of the city at all. At this, he gave me a massive thump on the back and assured me that "it is no praablem yaar! I live in Palam Gaon. You know Palam Vihar sir ji? My rasidence is a mere crow's throw from there!" Crow's throw? That was a new one alright! I thought to myself that only an uber-confident North Indian could so unabashedly synthesize "as the crow flies" and " a stone's throw" to come out with a completely original howler such as this!! I could not wait to go home and tell Kumi and the kids about this. Obviously, I also shared this with many of my friends. Boy was it a hit! So much so that I heard one friend narrating the experience some time later as one of his own and, that too, in my presence!!! Talk about stolen thunder!
The eastern states of India do not lag far behind either in producing innovative and unique conversational masterpieces. TRI is an Orissa based company and, naturally, the owners and Directors mostly hail from that state. The MD, a tubby man of pleasant disposition, had foxed me early on in my stint with the company with some classic Oriya-accented pieces like - launch,doll,lob,ROM. Only later did I come to realise that he actually meant lunch,dull,love,rum, etc. How was I to know that the alphabet u is given a wide berth by a majority of Oriyas?
One day, in the weekly morning conference of the top management, we discovered that all were present except the big boss himself. Naturally,we waited and sure enough, after 10 minutes or so he appeared and started to apologise forthwith. " Sorry for the late" he began. "Actually what happened was that I was arrested!" We were all taken aback and were anxious to know what transpired. It seems his driver jumped a red light and was pulled up and challaned by the cops. That is how he was " arrested!" He added for our benefit that "The problem was that I had no monny. Fortunately Mr. Bhora (read Vohra) was also passing that way and he stopped to escape me from the police and absconded me in his car!" He further lamented that "too many traffic signals are being installed. Yesterday while going home I discovered that our locality has become a totally red-light area!!"
During one morning conference the big boss had all of us stumped by his indictment of all "overnight fly-byers". He exhorted us to be extra vigilant in protecting the goodwill and good reputation of our product, our organisation and the credibility of the industry as a whole. Although we recognized the importance of the goodwill and credibility part, the rest of us were much exercised about the mystery of the "overnight fly-byer" phenomenon. Our attempts to tactfully elicit the meaning of this expression produced no satisfactory result, especially since the MD was not very fond of being questioned about his pronouncements. Only when he made a couple of references to some new, wet-behind-the-ears Time Share operators who had turned out to be the "here today, gone tomorrow" type, did it dawn on us that he was actually talking about the fly-by-night operators who had suddenly mushroomed in the industry!!! It is needless to point out that the lunch hour in the office was a specially boisterous one that day!
One day our assistant manager in the Customer Relations department, burst into my room, somehow uttered a "good morning sir" and flung herself into a chair, before I could even say Jack Robinson! On top of that she broke out into a paroxysm of uncontrollable laughter!
Considering the fact that it was well short of 9.30am and she was a habitual late comer, I was completely baffled at the turn of events. Why the laughter (in particular), I was asking myself? Well, eventually the young lady gathered herself and explained that she had purposely come in early to appraise me of what she had experienced the previous evening in a meeting with the MD.
On the previous day, the head of the Customer Relations department had been on leave. As a result of this, the big boss had asked my early visitor to see him at 5.00pm to discuss various issues related to that section. As the discussion progressed the boss lost track of the time. Many of the client-related points were complicated and my visitor, being a junior, was struggling at times to fill in. Suddenly the big boss asked her "you are missing your boss, no?" Our young friend very candidly said "yes sir, she has vast exoerience in this field and she really helps me out whenever I have any problem, especially in important discussions like this". The big boss looked dismayed and hastily clarified "No no no! I am talking about your "chotor bos" - you have missed it, no! It is already 7.00pm!" The Assistant Manager (CR) claimed, that as soon as she realised that the boss was in fact referrring to the Chartered Bus that she availed of every day, she excused herself for the night and ran away lest she burst out laughing on his face!
One of the officials, who was a popular man, was in charge of Toshali Sands, the company's resort on the Konarak-Puri Marine Drive in Orissa. Although he operated out of Sands, there came a time when he was given the additional responsibility of Toshali Royal View, Kufri in Himachal Pradesh. Obviously, this meant a lot of travel to and fro for him. One day, when he was visiting the Corporate Office in Delhi en route Kufri, I asked him if he even knew where he would spend the next week in, at any given point of time. He was very frank and forthright about his plight. He said " it is bheri difficolt. You see I have both my legs on one side!" I am still trying to figure out that one!!
The eastern states of India also contain West Bengal. Needless to say we had a fair number of Bengalis too in the organisation. One such gentleman was in our Admin Dept. This man was excellent in getting a job done - any job. However, while he was very high on delivery, he was a bit rustic in his spoken English. He became a source of a lot of hilarity in office by his doings - whether yelling at the top of his voice on the telephone "I want you. I want you now!" while asking a girl employee to report to office or whether ordering "bhanilla with cadbury" for dessert (meaning vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce!) during an annual departmental lunch in a restaurant.
But the piece de resistance came at one of the official dinners at my residence. These dinners at our home had become a half-yearly feature by popular demand of our Advisor, Mr. Pran K Choudhury. On one occasion such a party was sprung on me at a couple of hours' notice. Therefore I had no alternative but to ask some caterer to put up the dinner. And, since I would be stuck in office till late, I designated Manager Admin to look after everything, food, drinks, service, etc to help out Kumi who was still in office.
The evening went off well. I had whispered into the ears of Mr. Admin to keep a discreet eye on the bar and the bartenders. He must have taken his task a little too seriously for, soon enough, I discovered a merry twinkle in his eyes and a new-found verbosity, both of which were quite uncharacteristic of him.
Just a few days earlier, I had finalised a new house for our MD. It was no mean task because he kept dilly dallying inordinately till the prospective landlord gave us an ultimatum. Only then was the deal clinched. Earlier, I had deputed our man in Admin. to carry out the initial search and short list 2 houses for my final approval before I invited the MD to see it.
At the dinner, after being suitably primed by a few large ones, our man from Admin suddenly dropped his reticence and decided to join in on the conversation. He approached the MD and announced with glassy eyes and a pasted smile "You are bhery lucky sir,you phound new house! You are bhery lucky sir." After this, every now and then he would stagger up to the MD and repeat "You are bhery lucky sir!" I had to quietly lead him awsy from the MD by asking him to check up on the caterer. Even then, off and on he would be back to accost the MD with the familiar refrain of "You are bhery lucky sir!"
Anyway, the evening progressed nicely. Everybody appeared to be in a mellow and jovial mood. The conversation ranged from the latest blockbuster on screen to the Pokhran II blast. In the meantime,the periodic reminder to the MD of "You are bhery lucky sir!" continued with metronomic regularity. So,finally, when the caterer informrd me that dinner was ready to be served, the news came as a great relief to me in my capacity of an embarrassed host! But I had counted my blessing a little too early! Before I could even approach the guests to invite them over to the buffet, our over-zealous man from Admin. had artfully dodged past me, planted himself right in front of the MD and announced "You are bhery lucky sir, dinner is served!"
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
In the land of the Lion People
The 1st of September this year saw Kumi and I set off to spend a week or so with our cousins in Singapore. And since we were to be in the vicinity, anyway, we thought it worthwhile to spend a few days in Malaysia as well, on our way back, as neither of us had been to that country! This, however, was not our first visit to Singapore. To say the least, this trip was as memorable as our previous one in 2003.
Singha pura - is the land of the lion people, as the derivation of the name goes, based on local folklore. This whole myth is captured dramatically by the imposing image of the "Merlion", half lion half mermaid, that guards the Marina Bay, at the centre of commercial and, at one time, maritime activities of the island.
Singapore is a city after my own heart. To my mind,the place is a visitor's delight. It is clean, pretty, orderly, disciplined, highly civil, totally safe and very very easy to move around in. Above all, it is still quite inexpensive. It is a foodie's paradise. It has wonderful sights to see. It has high-end entertainment in the form of night-clubs, theme parks and casinos. It offers you a drink any time, any place without feeling apologetic or moralistic about it!!!. And it is the epitome of secularism - nobody cares a hoot about your faith, the colour of your skin or the country of your origin.
Singapore is completely and truly cosmopolitan. That is what appeals to me most.
One remarkable thing is that all waitresses,waiters, cabbies,bus-drivers, MRT operators, bell-hops, airport officials - in fact practically everybody - is friendly and helpful and English speaking. Nobody will ever ask for or suggest by body language a tip, although tips are always appreciated.
It is difficult to think of an unknown place of visit which is so completely tension-free and tourist-friendly.
Also,Singapore being a relatively small city, no place is too far! The public transport system is so good and efficient that moving around the city at any time of the day or night , is easy, comfortable (air-conditioned whether you are in a cab, bus or MRT),relaxing and safe. I certainly cannot dream of such conditions in any city in India. It is a revelation,as indeed is the traffic discipline. For a Delhiwalla, it is impossible to imagine that not a single motorist breaks any traffic rule despite the absence of any cops on the streets!!! On our first visit to Singapore, Kumi and I happily went our own ways without any fear of the unknown or the untried.
The buses are beautiful. The only challenge, for a short-term visitor, is to know the intricacies of the routes. The cabbies issue receipts and carry substantial change so that one is never in a bind to pay the fare without hassles.
Achintan & Sraboney Dey, our cousins, and their lovely little daughter Rani live in a wonderfully peaceful residential area on Meyer Road, near the East Coast Parkway, quite close to the ocean.
Well, we arrived at Changi Airport at around 8.30 in the morning of the 2nd of Sept having changed flights at Kuala Lumpur ( a three-hour hiatus, just enough to disembark, do immigration, breakfast, do immigration again, do customs and embark!)The Deys were there to receive us (imagine!) That day was spent on generally relaxing and catching up with some sleep. The next seven days were action packed, to say the least!
We were lucky to have visited Singapore and KL during Id, since both places were celebrating the festival with long week-ends. The festival is known as Hari Raya Aidulfitr and is celebrated with much gusto. I sent a "Salamat Hari Raya Aidulfitr" greetings to my friend Mowla in Kolkata. He must have been totally stumped by the message as he failed to acknowledge it, despite the fact that I had thought it prudent to add a cautious "Id Mubarak" at the end!
In the next week, we drove around quite a bit (mercifully it is a small city!),visited the Jurong Bird Park, took a ride on the Singapore Flyer, cruised on a bumboat down Singapore river, loafed on the famous Orchard Road, wandered around the fascinating China Town, shopped at Mustafa's in Little India, walked along the ocean-front on the East Coast and, of course, gorged on the food that Singapore has to offer in great abundance and variety.
What we did not do was to visit Sentosa Island and the Zoological Park, since we had done that in our previous trip. We were determined to be as little touristy as possible and concentrate on visiting only the favourite places - just to lounge, laze, eat and drink. But we did recall the splendour of Sentosa often enough in our discussions. It is difficult to forget the dazzling laser show with the "Dancing Fountains", the performing dolphins or for that matter the Underwater World where fish, big and small, went about their business above us as we walked under the sea!
As I said, China Town is simply fascinating! It is quaint; it is bustling; and it has an extra-ordinary array of typically and rare Chinese things on offer.It really pays, both in terms of education and bargains, to venture into the deep interiors of shops lining the numerous lanes and interact with the elderly shop-owners who are full of tales of old Chinese practices and customs. Very rewarding. Lovely place to shop for things with local flavour. We picked up a gorgeous looking dice-shaker complete with dice (genuine used stuff of yersteryear, not a replica or toy) which was used in Chinese gambling dens. The proprietess, much taken in by our keen interest in matters Chinese, even dug out two good-luck coins to prepare us for the casinos!!! Little did she know that, unlike most Indian tourists of today, we were not in the least interested in visiting them. We also managed to pick up a famous narrow-necked glass bottle with intricate artwork on the inside, a typical masterpiece of miniature work for which the Chinese are renowned. We immediately decided to present it to our sweet daughter-in-law. These rare items in China Town come a little pricey, but they are worth it, aren't they?. However, most of the things on sale are very reasonable, quite inexpensive. I even picked up a genuine Chinese silk shirt. Very cheap. The question is, when do I wear it? The dice-shaker is now holding center stage in our modest drawing room in C498.
The Singapore Flyer is also very interesting. The view from the top is fabulous, especially of the bay. In fact, thanks to it, we noticed for the first time that there is a full-sized football field on the water complete with a grandstand on the shore-side. The whole field is enclosed by netting on the sides. I wonder if they award a goal for every lost ball during matches!! We also had a view of the Formula 1racing track! Having taken a ride on the Flyer we were rewarded with a panaromic bird's eye view of what Singapore is. It made us think that the London Eye must be equally fascinating. Now,it remains for us to quickly get to ride the newly opened Delhi Eye!
The Jurong Bird Park was also a treat despite my trepidations about close proximity to creatures of the feathered variety! Apart from the beauty of the park itself - which is green and beautifully ladscaped - they hold a special Bird Show every day that has to be seen to be believed! Huge big birds like vultures and pelicans and horn-bills are made to fly and do tricks in interaction with the spectators! Although I had my heart in my mouth most of the time, I must confess that it was a mind-blowing show of unique performances by different birds.
We spent a lot of time in and around the Singapore river. The river was the lifeline of Singapore for many many years as cargo from all over the world would be fetched by boats from the big ships anchored in the harbour and deposited on the many quays lined along the two banks. Today Singapore is an ultra-modern port with fully automated cargo handling facilities. There is no more need for these boats to run up and down the river to fetch and carry. These "bumboats", as they are known, have been converted into tourist boats, immaculately maintained, to give the tourists a history of the river, the origin of Singapore and information on all the modern wonders of the city that have come up around it. There is a very nice commentory that is presented on board - very lucid and very informative.
For most Indians a glimpse of Little India is a must. And why not? After all Mustafa Centre, the shoppers' dream, is located here! We too made a couple of sorties to Mustafa's. Little India is where most of the locals of Indian origin live. No wonder that this place is a little less tidy and a little less disciplined than the rest of Singapore!
Finally, it is a sacrilege not to spend quality time on Orchard Road. We did it too, mainly because of the lively, energetic aura of the place. Orchard Road is known for its posh malls. This aspect, I suspect, has become a bit passe with the advent of the malls all over India. It is no longer a novelty. However it is still a great experience to idle along all day long with occasional window-shopping, store-gazing and eating thrown in, in good measure! If nothing else, it offers a wide cross-section of people, from all over the world, to watch and observe. This itself is a compelling pastime!
Wherever we went or whatever we did, Kumi and I would invariably fall back on one or two of these delightful places to spend time every day. Since we had "seen" Singapore in our earlier visit, we could take it really easy and savour the places of our choice repeatedly. And we did it with a passion!
The story of Singapore can never be complete without a mention of the food on offer -its sheer variety, the easy availability, the extreme affordability and the seductive ambience of the numerous eating places. Singapore has many top class hotels starting from the grand colonial Fullerton and Raffles to the modern ones from all the leading chains in the world. But,it is not in the precincts of these 5-star giants that one always finds the gastronomic delights that I am talking about. I would rather seek these in the restaurants that line the river on both sides; or in Chinatown; or in that intriquing place called the "Chijmes" (pronounced "chimes"); or in various cosy cafes or restaurants that abound in profusion all over the city; or even in Little India. Let me explain what I mean.
There are two kinds of Indian tourists. One group prefers and sticks to Indian food. There are plenty of Indian restaurants in Little India, for instance. One can have a pick from North Indian to Chettinad food, vegetarian or otherwise. In fact, one evening we had some Chicken Chettinad packed and brought home for dinner.
Then there is the other kind of Indian who likes to taste different kinds of food. For him, Singapore is a veritable paradise. The places we mainly luxuriated in are the riverside cafes and restaurants on Clark Quay or Boat Quay with an array of places serving exotic food from all over the world including, as may be expected, mind-blowing sea-food. These fascinating eateries, right on the bank of the river, also serve many kinds of Continental, American, English or Mexican food. We had a memorable meal at a Portuguese restaurant called Cafe Iguana. We also haunted a place called "Hooters" (believe it or not!), which like all the others, offer delicious fare from T-bone or tenderloin steaks to Lamb Chops, Pork Chops,Fish delicacies, you name it. And of course, there are the sea food specialities! The waterside restaurants also offer very interesting and affordable fixed-price menus which are really value for money. I am simply crazy about Clark Quay where one can spend hours in bumboat criuses down the Singapore river, window shopping or simply lounging in one of the water-side restaurants leisurely sipping Tiger beer (it is excellent) and enjoying the food. And don't miss Clark Quay in the evening. Amazing atmosphere!
The other enchanting eating place is the Chijmes (pronounced chimes) next to the legendary Raffles Hotel. Here, the periphery of a big church yard has been converted and is now lined with a series of charming restaurants which offer mouth-watering cuisines from all over the world. We had a memorable lunch in Hog's Breath Saloon where pork is not the only food one gets!!!
We discovered (through the good offices of Achintan) Quentin in the Eurasian Community Centre on Ceylon Road. What we got was a mind-blowing buffet at lunch time which included choices ranging from Shepherd's Pie, through Lamb Chops, through Vindaloos to Saffron Rice!
Talking about food, one must not forget China Town. The best of Chinese food! Really gorgeous! We simply loved a place called Old Cuban where the food is great and the waitresses are better! It is heavenly to try the crab, prawn, chicken or beef dishes and to wash them down with Hoe Garden, a light white Belgian beer. We kept going back to this place, so strangely called Old Cuban because it started off as a cigar store!
And lastly, I just have to write about the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel. It is a tippler's temple steeped in history. This is where the famous Singapore Sling was invented, very appropriately one may add, because the hotel itself is named after the founder of Singapore! The Long Bar is also where the likes of Maugham, Hemingway and some other celebrities whiled away many a creative hour en route to fame and fortune! I missed it on my first visit to Singapore, but not this time! Oh no! The Long Bar is one of the holy shrines of the world, much in the same fashion as Lord's in London! I absolutely exulted in the queer tradition maintained here of chucking peanut shells all over the carpeted floor!
I need to mention the exquisite pleasure of biting into the meat of the giant black crabs of Sri Lanka. You can hardly think of a juicier morsel of sea food. This surprise was brought home one evening by Achintan much to our delight, for we had never tasted this delicacy ever before. To cap it all, another Sala Babu from Delhi, Babua the bearded marine, turned up for dinner. He was on a temporary assignment in Singapore.
Well, like all good things, our sojourn in Singapore also soon came to an end. After enjoying the overwhelming hospitality of the Deys, we bid them adieu and left for Kuala Lumpur in the morning of the 10th of September.
We had missed out on a visit to Malaysia the last time around due to some political disturbance in that country. But all was well this time. Our trip was essentially a package tour of 2 nights/3 days comprising basically of a city tour of Kuala Lumpur and a day in Genting.
Kuala Lumpur is a really pretty city with wide roads, lots of greenery, beautiful buildings and delightfully undulating in its topography. Since time was woefully short, for once we were very happy to be on a conducted tour. We saw the iconic Daulat Tuanku (also known as the Twin Towers or the Petronus Towers)and had ourselves duly photographed! However, we did not at all feel like Catherine Zeta Jones or Sean Connery and in no way did we wish to emulate them in cavorting on the precariously hung connector on the 41st floor between the two towers! After all, that was "Entrapment"!
We were hugely impressed by the National Mosque - so beautifully open, modern and precious. We also saw a lovely Buddhist temple, the Martyrs' Memorial with a cenotaph, the King's Palace, the Parliament House and some wonderful buildings from the British days like the old railway station. Lastly, of all things, we were taken to a chocolate boutique which is supposed to be the only chocolate shop in the world that offers chilly chocolates!!! I did not try any!
We spent a day in Genting at an altitude of over 2000 metres and just about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur. Our travel agent had visions of us spending the day enjoying the rides in the amusement park and gambling away in the casinos. We had different views. After wandering around the amusement park for a couple of hours, Kumi and I quietly slipped out. We strolled around in the picturesque town (somewhat spoilt, I thought, by the invasion of casinos, hotels, Theme Parks,etc.)and soaked in the cool atmosphere after the depressing and humid weather of Delhi. It was heavenly to walk in and out of a mist which was rising from the valley as the day progressed! In the bargain, we enjoyed a lovely lunch in one of the local restaurants.
Kuala Lumpur means the confluence of muddy rivers. But what we saw was not muddiness but greenness, in gay profusion. A lovely city with lovely people, gentle and friendly.
We flew out of Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon of the 12th of September to be back home by the late evening.
This account will not be complete if I fail to write about Air Asia. We had a wonderful experience of punctuality, courtesy, good food, efficiency and willingness to help at all times from this incredible Low Cost airline. Considering the unbelievable prices, it was a very very rewarding experience to fly with Air Asia!
Please do have a look at over 100 pictures that I have uploaded on Facebook.
Singha pura - is the land of the lion people, as the derivation of the name goes, based on local folklore. This whole myth is captured dramatically by the imposing image of the "Merlion", half lion half mermaid, that guards the Marina Bay, at the centre of commercial and, at one time, maritime activities of the island.
Singapore is a city after my own heart. To my mind,the place is a visitor's delight. It is clean, pretty, orderly, disciplined, highly civil, totally safe and very very easy to move around in. Above all, it is still quite inexpensive. It is a foodie's paradise. It has wonderful sights to see. It has high-end entertainment in the form of night-clubs, theme parks and casinos. It offers you a drink any time, any place without feeling apologetic or moralistic about it!!!. And it is the epitome of secularism - nobody cares a hoot about your faith, the colour of your skin or the country of your origin.
Singapore is completely and truly cosmopolitan. That is what appeals to me most.
One remarkable thing is that all waitresses,waiters, cabbies,bus-drivers, MRT operators, bell-hops, airport officials - in fact practically everybody - is friendly and helpful and English speaking. Nobody will ever ask for or suggest by body language a tip, although tips are always appreciated.
It is difficult to think of an unknown place of visit which is so completely tension-free and tourist-friendly.
Also,Singapore being a relatively small city, no place is too far! The public transport system is so good and efficient that moving around the city at any time of the day or night , is easy, comfortable (air-conditioned whether you are in a cab, bus or MRT),relaxing and safe. I certainly cannot dream of such conditions in any city in India. It is a revelation,as indeed is the traffic discipline. For a Delhiwalla, it is impossible to imagine that not a single motorist breaks any traffic rule despite the absence of any cops on the streets!!! On our first visit to Singapore, Kumi and I happily went our own ways without any fear of the unknown or the untried.
The buses are beautiful. The only challenge, for a short-term visitor, is to know the intricacies of the routes. The cabbies issue receipts and carry substantial change so that one is never in a bind to pay the fare without hassles.
Achintan & Sraboney Dey, our cousins, and their lovely little daughter Rani live in a wonderfully peaceful residential area on Meyer Road, near the East Coast Parkway, quite close to the ocean.
Well, we arrived at Changi Airport at around 8.30 in the morning of the 2nd of Sept having changed flights at Kuala Lumpur ( a three-hour hiatus, just enough to disembark, do immigration, breakfast, do immigration again, do customs and embark!)The Deys were there to receive us (imagine!) That day was spent on generally relaxing and catching up with some sleep. The next seven days were action packed, to say the least!
We were lucky to have visited Singapore and KL during Id, since both places were celebrating the festival with long week-ends. The festival is known as Hari Raya Aidulfitr and is celebrated with much gusto. I sent a "Salamat Hari Raya Aidulfitr" greetings to my friend Mowla in Kolkata. He must have been totally stumped by the message as he failed to acknowledge it, despite the fact that I had thought it prudent to add a cautious "Id Mubarak" at the end!
In the next week, we drove around quite a bit (mercifully it is a small city!),visited the Jurong Bird Park, took a ride on the Singapore Flyer, cruised on a bumboat down Singapore river, loafed on the famous Orchard Road, wandered around the fascinating China Town, shopped at Mustafa's in Little India, walked along the ocean-front on the East Coast and, of course, gorged on the food that Singapore has to offer in great abundance and variety.
What we did not do was to visit Sentosa Island and the Zoological Park, since we had done that in our previous trip. We were determined to be as little touristy as possible and concentrate on visiting only the favourite places - just to lounge, laze, eat and drink. But we did recall the splendour of Sentosa often enough in our discussions. It is difficult to forget the dazzling laser show with the "Dancing Fountains", the performing dolphins or for that matter the Underwater World where fish, big and small, went about their business above us as we walked under the sea!
As I said, China Town is simply fascinating! It is quaint; it is bustling; and it has an extra-ordinary array of typically and rare Chinese things on offer.It really pays, both in terms of education and bargains, to venture into the deep interiors of shops lining the numerous lanes and interact with the elderly shop-owners who are full of tales of old Chinese practices and customs. Very rewarding. Lovely place to shop for things with local flavour. We picked up a gorgeous looking dice-shaker complete with dice (genuine used stuff of yersteryear, not a replica or toy) which was used in Chinese gambling dens. The proprietess, much taken in by our keen interest in matters Chinese, even dug out two good-luck coins to prepare us for the casinos!!! Little did she know that, unlike most Indian tourists of today, we were not in the least interested in visiting them. We also managed to pick up a famous narrow-necked glass bottle with intricate artwork on the inside, a typical masterpiece of miniature work for which the Chinese are renowned. We immediately decided to present it to our sweet daughter-in-law. These rare items in China Town come a little pricey, but they are worth it, aren't they?. However, most of the things on sale are very reasonable, quite inexpensive. I even picked up a genuine Chinese silk shirt. Very cheap. The question is, when do I wear it? The dice-shaker is now holding center stage in our modest drawing room in C498.
The Singapore Flyer is also very interesting. The view from the top is fabulous, especially of the bay. In fact, thanks to it, we noticed for the first time that there is a full-sized football field on the water complete with a grandstand on the shore-side. The whole field is enclosed by netting on the sides. I wonder if they award a goal for every lost ball during matches!! We also had a view of the Formula 1racing track! Having taken a ride on the Flyer we were rewarded with a panaromic bird's eye view of what Singapore is. It made us think that the London Eye must be equally fascinating. Now,it remains for us to quickly get to ride the newly opened Delhi Eye!
The Jurong Bird Park was also a treat despite my trepidations about close proximity to creatures of the feathered variety! Apart from the beauty of the park itself - which is green and beautifully ladscaped - they hold a special Bird Show every day that has to be seen to be believed! Huge big birds like vultures and pelicans and horn-bills are made to fly and do tricks in interaction with the spectators! Although I had my heart in my mouth most of the time, I must confess that it was a mind-blowing show of unique performances by different birds.
We spent a lot of time in and around the Singapore river. The river was the lifeline of Singapore for many many years as cargo from all over the world would be fetched by boats from the big ships anchored in the harbour and deposited on the many quays lined along the two banks. Today Singapore is an ultra-modern port with fully automated cargo handling facilities. There is no more need for these boats to run up and down the river to fetch and carry. These "bumboats", as they are known, have been converted into tourist boats, immaculately maintained, to give the tourists a history of the river, the origin of Singapore and information on all the modern wonders of the city that have come up around it. There is a very nice commentory that is presented on board - very lucid and very informative.
For most Indians a glimpse of Little India is a must. And why not? After all Mustafa Centre, the shoppers' dream, is located here! We too made a couple of sorties to Mustafa's. Little India is where most of the locals of Indian origin live. No wonder that this place is a little less tidy and a little less disciplined than the rest of Singapore!
Finally, it is a sacrilege not to spend quality time on Orchard Road. We did it too, mainly because of the lively, energetic aura of the place. Orchard Road is known for its posh malls. This aspect, I suspect, has become a bit passe with the advent of the malls all over India. It is no longer a novelty. However it is still a great experience to idle along all day long with occasional window-shopping, store-gazing and eating thrown in, in good measure! If nothing else, it offers a wide cross-section of people, from all over the world, to watch and observe. This itself is a compelling pastime!
Wherever we went or whatever we did, Kumi and I would invariably fall back on one or two of these delightful places to spend time every day. Since we had "seen" Singapore in our earlier visit, we could take it really easy and savour the places of our choice repeatedly. And we did it with a passion!
The story of Singapore can never be complete without a mention of the food on offer -its sheer variety, the easy availability, the extreme affordability and the seductive ambience of the numerous eating places. Singapore has many top class hotels starting from the grand colonial Fullerton and Raffles to the modern ones from all the leading chains in the world. But,it is not in the precincts of these 5-star giants that one always finds the gastronomic delights that I am talking about. I would rather seek these in the restaurants that line the river on both sides; or in Chinatown; or in that intriquing place called the "Chijmes" (pronounced "chimes"); or in various cosy cafes or restaurants that abound in profusion all over the city; or even in Little India. Let me explain what I mean.
There are two kinds of Indian tourists. One group prefers and sticks to Indian food. There are plenty of Indian restaurants in Little India, for instance. One can have a pick from North Indian to Chettinad food, vegetarian or otherwise. In fact, one evening we had some Chicken Chettinad packed and brought home for dinner.
Then there is the other kind of Indian who likes to taste different kinds of food. For him, Singapore is a veritable paradise. The places we mainly luxuriated in are the riverside cafes and restaurants on Clark Quay or Boat Quay with an array of places serving exotic food from all over the world including, as may be expected, mind-blowing sea-food. These fascinating eateries, right on the bank of the river, also serve many kinds of Continental, American, English or Mexican food. We had a memorable meal at a Portuguese restaurant called Cafe Iguana. We also haunted a place called "Hooters" (believe it or not!), which like all the others, offer delicious fare from T-bone or tenderloin steaks to Lamb Chops, Pork Chops,Fish delicacies, you name it. And of course, there are the sea food specialities! The waterside restaurants also offer very interesting and affordable fixed-price menus which are really value for money. I am simply crazy about Clark Quay where one can spend hours in bumboat criuses down the Singapore river, window shopping or simply lounging in one of the water-side restaurants leisurely sipping Tiger beer (it is excellent) and enjoying the food. And don't miss Clark Quay in the evening. Amazing atmosphere!
The other enchanting eating place is the Chijmes (pronounced chimes) next to the legendary Raffles Hotel. Here, the periphery of a big church yard has been converted and is now lined with a series of charming restaurants which offer mouth-watering cuisines from all over the world. We had a memorable lunch in Hog's Breath Saloon where pork is not the only food one gets!!!
We discovered (through the good offices of Achintan) Quentin in the Eurasian Community Centre on Ceylon Road. What we got was a mind-blowing buffet at lunch time which included choices ranging from Shepherd's Pie, through Lamb Chops, through Vindaloos to Saffron Rice!
Talking about food, one must not forget China Town. The best of Chinese food! Really gorgeous! We simply loved a place called Old Cuban where the food is great and the waitresses are better! It is heavenly to try the crab, prawn, chicken or beef dishes and to wash them down with Hoe Garden, a light white Belgian beer. We kept going back to this place, so strangely called Old Cuban because it started off as a cigar store!
And lastly, I just have to write about the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel. It is a tippler's temple steeped in history. This is where the famous Singapore Sling was invented, very appropriately one may add, because the hotel itself is named after the founder of Singapore! The Long Bar is also where the likes of Maugham, Hemingway and some other celebrities whiled away many a creative hour en route to fame and fortune! I missed it on my first visit to Singapore, but not this time! Oh no! The Long Bar is one of the holy shrines of the world, much in the same fashion as Lord's in London! I absolutely exulted in the queer tradition maintained here of chucking peanut shells all over the carpeted floor!
I need to mention the exquisite pleasure of biting into the meat of the giant black crabs of Sri Lanka. You can hardly think of a juicier morsel of sea food. This surprise was brought home one evening by Achintan much to our delight, for we had never tasted this delicacy ever before. To cap it all, another Sala Babu from Delhi, Babua the bearded marine, turned up for dinner. He was on a temporary assignment in Singapore.
Well, like all good things, our sojourn in Singapore also soon came to an end. After enjoying the overwhelming hospitality of the Deys, we bid them adieu and left for Kuala Lumpur in the morning of the 10th of September.
We had missed out on a visit to Malaysia the last time around due to some political disturbance in that country. But all was well this time. Our trip was essentially a package tour of 2 nights/3 days comprising basically of a city tour of Kuala Lumpur and a day in Genting.
Kuala Lumpur is a really pretty city with wide roads, lots of greenery, beautiful buildings and delightfully undulating in its topography. Since time was woefully short, for once we were very happy to be on a conducted tour. We saw the iconic Daulat Tuanku (also known as the Twin Towers or the Petronus Towers)and had ourselves duly photographed! However, we did not at all feel like Catherine Zeta Jones or Sean Connery and in no way did we wish to emulate them in cavorting on the precariously hung connector on the 41st floor between the two towers! After all, that was "Entrapment"!
We were hugely impressed by the National Mosque - so beautifully open, modern and precious. We also saw a lovely Buddhist temple, the Martyrs' Memorial with a cenotaph, the King's Palace, the Parliament House and some wonderful buildings from the British days like the old railway station. Lastly, of all things, we were taken to a chocolate boutique which is supposed to be the only chocolate shop in the world that offers chilly chocolates!!! I did not try any!
We spent a day in Genting at an altitude of over 2000 metres and just about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur. Our travel agent had visions of us spending the day enjoying the rides in the amusement park and gambling away in the casinos. We had different views. After wandering around the amusement park for a couple of hours, Kumi and I quietly slipped out. We strolled around in the picturesque town (somewhat spoilt, I thought, by the invasion of casinos, hotels, Theme Parks,etc.)and soaked in the cool atmosphere after the depressing and humid weather of Delhi. It was heavenly to walk in and out of a mist which was rising from the valley as the day progressed! In the bargain, we enjoyed a lovely lunch in one of the local restaurants.
Kuala Lumpur means the confluence of muddy rivers. But what we saw was not muddiness but greenness, in gay profusion. A lovely city with lovely people, gentle and friendly.
We flew out of Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon of the 12th of September to be back home by the late evening.
This account will not be complete if I fail to write about Air Asia. We had a wonderful experience of punctuality, courtesy, good food, efficiency and willingness to help at all times from this incredible Low Cost airline. Considering the unbelievable prices, it was a very very rewarding experience to fly with Air Asia!
Please do have a look at over 100 pictures that I have uploaded on Facebook.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Media "bites"!
Now that Perry Crosswhite, the CEO of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association, has urged the Indian media to stop its shrill hysteria (not in so many words) and tirade against New Delhi and the Games, hopefully some sense will prevail! Frankly, I find it amazing that the media-wallahs were allowed free rein for so long to tarnish the image of India. Is there absolutely no check possible on what the press and TV write and say? Democracy does provide one the liberty of free speech. But surely, liberty is not to be confused with licence?
Kumkum and I, with a few friends, often chewed the cud on this. We felt that such extensive splash in the media about the "alleged" irregularities could very likely lead to adverse feelings about both India and the Commonwealth Games 2010. We feared this - and our fears proved well-found. A few days ago, the US,UK,Canada, Australia and New Zealand warned their delegates to be prepared to land in war-like zones of dug-outs,disrepair,rubble general chaos and hardship,once they arrive in New Delhi! I am happy that there are sensible people around like Perry Crosswhite to put things in their proper perspective.
In this context I have a few questions to ask of the media:
1.Does the media really believe that raking up the issues of inefficiency & corruption BEFORE the Games was the best effort put in by them in the larger interest of the nation's image?
2. Does the media believe that the exposes could not have waited for the Games to conclude?
3. Is crruption a new phenomenon in India? Is corruption non-existent in any other sphere in the country - in politics, in government, in business? Is it limited to only the organising of the Commonwealth Games?
4. Does the media sincerely believe that the building of such massive infrastructure as undertaken by Delhi could be completed without any hitch, without any traffic diversions, without any pile-up of excavated earth, without any interruption from the weather and, above all, without any inconvenience whatsoever to the public?
I am second to none in the belief that our municipal authorities, our public works departments and our utility vendors are steeped in corruption and inefficiency. They need to be exposed by every citizen, not just the media. The whistle-blowers need to be protected. I have written about it earlier in this blog. But, surely, there is a need for the media to see the Big Picture and not just run after TRPs and bylines?
Time and time again we have been mute witness to the Indian media falling flat on its face out of over-enthusiastic coverage and over-the-top reporting. Breaking News have been reduced to laughing matters. The responsible news has given way to sensationalism, often without any regard to the nation's security or image.
As though the politicians are not enough, the media has joined hands with them to ensure that the citizens are seldom able to raise their heads in national pride!
When will this end? Or will it ever?
Kumkum and I, with a few friends, often chewed the cud on this. We felt that such extensive splash in the media about the "alleged" irregularities could very likely lead to adverse feelings about both India and the Commonwealth Games 2010. We feared this - and our fears proved well-found. A few days ago, the US,UK,Canada, Australia and New Zealand warned their delegates to be prepared to land in war-like zones of dug-outs,disrepair,rubble general chaos and hardship,once they arrive in New Delhi! I am happy that there are sensible people around like Perry Crosswhite to put things in their proper perspective.
In this context I have a few questions to ask of the media:
1.Does the media really believe that raking up the issues of inefficiency & corruption BEFORE the Games was the best effort put in by them in the larger interest of the nation's image?
2. Does the media believe that the exposes could not have waited for the Games to conclude?
3. Is crruption a new phenomenon in India? Is corruption non-existent in any other sphere in the country - in politics, in government, in business? Is it limited to only the organising of the Commonwealth Games?
4. Does the media sincerely believe that the building of such massive infrastructure as undertaken by Delhi could be completed without any hitch, without any traffic diversions, without any pile-up of excavated earth, without any interruption from the weather and, above all, without any inconvenience whatsoever to the public?
I am second to none in the belief that our municipal authorities, our public works departments and our utility vendors are steeped in corruption and inefficiency. They need to be exposed by every citizen, not just the media. The whistle-blowers need to be protected. I have written about it earlier in this blog. But, surely, there is a need for the media to see the Big Picture and not just run after TRPs and bylines?
Time and time again we have been mute witness to the Indian media falling flat on its face out of over-enthusiastic coverage and over-the-top reporting. Breaking News have been reduced to laughing matters. The responsible news has given way to sensationalism, often without any regard to the nation's security or image.
As though the politicians are not enough, the media has joined hands with them to ensure that the citizens are seldom able to raise their heads in national pride!
When will this end? Or will it ever?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
What price honesty?
A large number of people of our generation were brought up with the adage "honesty is the best policy". My father followed it to the hilt. He also inculcated that value very deeply into my psyche. However,with the passage of time and the immense change in the socio-economic scenario,the paradigm of honesty appears to have shifted, at both the micro and macro levels. The grey area seems to have grown and the clear demarcations of black or white,have faded. The question is,as is wont to be asked in the new scheme of things, who really is an honest person?
I ask this because, in a sense, all of us are less than 100% honest,so to say. After all,who amongst us does not make personal calls from office telephones, for instance? Or, who does not,once in a while, leave work early to attend to some personal need? Or, who does not use the office car (or the office-maintained car) for shopping or dropping the kids to school? Do all these make us dishonest? If yes, then all of us are corrupt,like I mentioned earlier. If no, then who is a dishonest person? At the end of the day, it remains a matter of perception.
However, it is not my intention to go into a debate in this blog as to who can or cannot be termed dishonest. All I wish to say at this juncture is that there seems to be a widespread area of dishonest influence in the fabric of our present day society. And, evidence suggests, that it is the honest people who have to pay a price, every time! So it seems, anyway!
You do not have to search high and low for instances of this. In 2010 alone 8 RTI activists have been murdered for asking awkward questions...for asserting, as tax-payers, their right to information about public spendings. The RTI Act was instituted to bring transparency in the operations of public offices. What has been the fall-out in extreme cases? Kill anybody who persistently questions corruption!
Remember Satyandra Dubey? He was killed for reporting the financial misdeeds of people who were engaged in a msjor road project.
The Ministry of Shipping's obvious discomfiture at the exposure of the monstrous financial shenanigans of the Kandla Port Trust,is reflected in ample measures, not in repairing,controlling or halting the damage, but in hounding to professional death the only honest person on the scene. His crime? Blowing the whistle on all those raking in the stuff by the bagfuls through infamous means! How does it matter if an upright Deputy Chairman of the Port Trust is without a job today, as long as the scam is perpetuated to ensure the continuous filling of the deep pockets of the scamsters?
Or take the current national mega activity called The Commonwealth Games. According to the media all the stake-holders, including various government agencies, the Union Government, the Delhi government,hundreds of contractors and vendors, have taken the objective of the Games a little too literally - they are dipping their hands into the common wealth that is there on offer in great profusion! I am patiently waiting for the emergence of the jokers-in-the-pack - the Whistle Blowers or the rare honest officials - who will end up being the inevitable scapegoats. I can only pray for their lives!
Although, all this is merely the media's contention so far, it is very very difficult to perceive the organisers of the games to be as innocent as the driven snow! One must not forget the people's penchant for adhering to Samuel Smile's formula - "self help is the best help....." etc, when it comes to making dirty money!
These instances that I have mentioned are only symptomatic of the malaise that pervades the government and public offices of our country. At least, such indeed is the widespresd perception. Government servants, bureaucrats, police personnel, defence forces personnel, et al are forever clamouring for "plum postings" where, more often than not, the pickings are easy. On the other side of the spectrum, who has not heard of or read about mass transfers of public office holders whenever a new minister assumes office? The effort is to always have a coterie of people who will help to perpetuate the channels of illegal gratification, usually in terms of mega bucks. Scam is no more a dirty word. Corruption and bribery, as claimed by the perpetrators, are merely words of imagination used by vengeful people to "malign" others of unblemished characters!
In case my public sector and government friends are feeling hard done by me, please rest assured that I strongly believe, in fact know, that there are a large number of very upright people amongst the same lot. Very true: but this does not absolve the system of its awful stigma of corrupt practices. The thing is, the recent events which I mentioned at the onset, have refocussed attention on the deep-rooted corruption and graft as they exist in today's India.
Not that the much vaunted private sector is not privy to the lure of ill-gotten riches! Not at all! Not in the least!Far from it! The demise of a large number of blue-chip companies can be attributed to wholesale cleaning out of the corporate coffers!
After a career in trans-national and Indian companies, it pains me to say that the disease of corruption is as much present in the corporate world as in the public sphere. The craving for filthy lucre (filthily acquired) is as acute as in any other sector.
I know this because I have had an insider's view for a long time in a trans-national/market leader environment and consequently, frequently suffered for being a stumbling block in the paths of wealth accumulation of various people - right from junior levels up to the very top echelons of management! The saddest part in this is - to my mind anyway - that the moral health of the company's human resource was, by and large, in better shape under the expats than under the Indians!
Where the RTI activists were unceremoniously bumped off,the upright ones in this company had to undergo the indignities like being ignored for promotion, being denied value-added assignments, being overlooked for foriegn assignments,being targeted with single-minded determination for insults and humiliation and,on a few occasions, being hounded out of the organisation! And all the time the cry, the mantra went round " the corrupt shall inherit the earth!"
But do not for a moment think that this environment was peculiar to only the company where I worked. The scenario is typical of a lot of organisations. as I am given to understand by my friends, associates and relations.
And this brings me to my point. Is making enormous sums of money and rising to the "top" by greed, stealth, graft, machinations, sycophancy, politicking,etc, the real hallmark of success? In the same vein, is the failure to reach the dizzy heights of organisational glory due to one's innate honesty,a mark of under-achievement?
IN OTHER WORDS, DO HONEST PEOPLE REALLY HAVE TO PAY A PRICE FOR BEING HONEST?
By practising, the virtue of integrity in their careers, whether at home or at work, I do not believe that honest people had to pay any price for the other people's crimes of corruption. They may not have acquired worldly possessions beyond compare. They may not be moneyed persons by any stretch of imagination. They may have even caused frustrations out of pecuniary embarrassments, every now and then. But I feel sure that they sleep with a conscience free from the headaches of ill-gotten riches. They can look anybody and everybody squarely in the eye without flinching from any sense of guilt. They can hold their heads high and upright with a spotless reputation of honesty - despite the repeated and sustained efforts of the effected people to prove to the contrary.
As against this,in the trans-national company where I worked for over 3 decades, I have been witness to the eventual fall,loss of respect and utter humiliation of ALL those who had corruption flowing through their veins, as it were, and who were hell-bent on marginalising me as I proved to be "inconvenient" to them!. Amazing,as it may seem, every single one of these individuals had to quit the company sooner or later in total disgrace. And this "sack of the rapists" cut across the hierarchy from top to bottom - from members of the Board of Directors to Executive Directors, to Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, General Managers, Managers,other officials. etc, etc, etc.
I cannot help but be convinced that one has to pay for one's sins IN THIS LIFE ITSELF! There is no need to dwell on the possible conditions of these wretched devils as they are today. What suffices is the knowledge that they are living with the awareness that everybody feels that they are nothing more than common thieves and cut-throats. They also remember that everybody in the organisation was privy to their exit in disgrace. These comprise enough loads round their necks for them to carry to their after-lives.
The above state cannot be the lot of only the people who worked in the same company as I. This is a lesson for all who willingly stray from the straight path in search of tainted gains.....NO MATTER WHERE THEY WORK - GOVERNMENT,PUBLIC SECTOR OR PRIVATE SECTOR.
The honest people, therefore, do not have to pay a price. On the contrary,a heavy price is extracted from the corrupt by Higher Designs, tomorrow if not today.
So, at the end of the day, honesty is still the best policy!
Any takers?
I ask this because, in a sense, all of us are less than 100% honest,so to say. After all,who amongst us does not make personal calls from office telephones, for instance? Or, who does not,once in a while, leave work early to attend to some personal need? Or, who does not use the office car (or the office-maintained car) for shopping or dropping the kids to school? Do all these make us dishonest? If yes, then all of us are corrupt,like I mentioned earlier. If no, then who is a dishonest person? At the end of the day, it remains a matter of perception.
However, it is not my intention to go into a debate in this blog as to who can or cannot be termed dishonest. All I wish to say at this juncture is that there seems to be a widespread area of dishonest influence in the fabric of our present day society. And, evidence suggests, that it is the honest people who have to pay a price, every time! So it seems, anyway!
You do not have to search high and low for instances of this. In 2010 alone 8 RTI activists have been murdered for asking awkward questions...for asserting, as tax-payers, their right to information about public spendings. The RTI Act was instituted to bring transparency in the operations of public offices. What has been the fall-out in extreme cases? Kill anybody who persistently questions corruption!
Remember Satyandra Dubey? He was killed for reporting the financial misdeeds of people who were engaged in a msjor road project.
The Ministry of Shipping's obvious discomfiture at the exposure of the monstrous financial shenanigans of the Kandla Port Trust,is reflected in ample measures, not in repairing,controlling or halting the damage, but in hounding to professional death the only honest person on the scene. His crime? Blowing the whistle on all those raking in the stuff by the bagfuls through infamous means! How does it matter if an upright Deputy Chairman of the Port Trust is without a job today, as long as the scam is perpetuated to ensure the continuous filling of the deep pockets of the scamsters?
Or take the current national mega activity called The Commonwealth Games. According to the media all the stake-holders, including various government agencies, the Union Government, the Delhi government,hundreds of contractors and vendors, have taken the objective of the Games a little too literally - they are dipping their hands into the common wealth that is there on offer in great profusion! I am patiently waiting for the emergence of the jokers-in-the-pack - the Whistle Blowers or the rare honest officials - who will end up being the inevitable scapegoats. I can only pray for their lives!
Although, all this is merely the media's contention so far, it is very very difficult to perceive the organisers of the games to be as innocent as the driven snow! One must not forget the people's penchant for adhering to Samuel Smile's formula - "self help is the best help....." etc, when it comes to making dirty money!
These instances that I have mentioned are only symptomatic of the malaise that pervades the government and public offices of our country. At least, such indeed is the widespresd perception. Government servants, bureaucrats, police personnel, defence forces personnel, et al are forever clamouring for "plum postings" where, more often than not, the pickings are easy. On the other side of the spectrum, who has not heard of or read about mass transfers of public office holders whenever a new minister assumes office? The effort is to always have a coterie of people who will help to perpetuate the channels of illegal gratification, usually in terms of mega bucks. Scam is no more a dirty word. Corruption and bribery, as claimed by the perpetrators, are merely words of imagination used by vengeful people to "malign" others of unblemished characters!
In case my public sector and government friends are feeling hard done by me, please rest assured that I strongly believe, in fact know, that there are a large number of very upright people amongst the same lot. Very true: but this does not absolve the system of its awful stigma of corrupt practices. The thing is, the recent events which I mentioned at the onset, have refocussed attention on the deep-rooted corruption and graft as they exist in today's India.
Not that the much vaunted private sector is not privy to the lure of ill-gotten riches! Not at all! Not in the least!Far from it! The demise of a large number of blue-chip companies can be attributed to wholesale cleaning out of the corporate coffers!
After a career in trans-national and Indian companies, it pains me to say that the disease of corruption is as much present in the corporate world as in the public sphere. The craving for filthy lucre (filthily acquired) is as acute as in any other sector.
I know this because I have had an insider's view for a long time in a trans-national/market leader environment and consequently, frequently suffered for being a stumbling block in the paths of wealth accumulation of various people - right from junior levels up to the very top echelons of management! The saddest part in this is - to my mind anyway - that the moral health of the company's human resource was, by and large, in better shape under the expats than under the Indians!
Where the RTI activists were unceremoniously bumped off,the upright ones in this company had to undergo the indignities like being ignored for promotion, being denied value-added assignments, being overlooked for foriegn assignments,being targeted with single-minded determination for insults and humiliation and,on a few occasions, being hounded out of the organisation! And all the time the cry, the mantra went round " the corrupt shall inherit the earth!"
But do not for a moment think that this environment was peculiar to only the company where I worked. The scenario is typical of a lot of organisations. as I am given to understand by my friends, associates and relations.
And this brings me to my point. Is making enormous sums of money and rising to the "top" by greed, stealth, graft, machinations, sycophancy, politicking,etc, the real hallmark of success? In the same vein, is the failure to reach the dizzy heights of organisational glory due to one's innate honesty,a mark of under-achievement?
IN OTHER WORDS, DO HONEST PEOPLE REALLY HAVE TO PAY A PRICE FOR BEING HONEST?
By practising, the virtue of integrity in their careers, whether at home or at work, I do not believe that honest people had to pay any price for the other people's crimes of corruption. They may not have acquired worldly possessions beyond compare. They may not be moneyed persons by any stretch of imagination. They may have even caused frustrations out of pecuniary embarrassments, every now and then. But I feel sure that they sleep with a conscience free from the headaches of ill-gotten riches. They can look anybody and everybody squarely in the eye without flinching from any sense of guilt. They can hold their heads high and upright with a spotless reputation of honesty - despite the repeated and sustained efforts of the effected people to prove to the contrary.
As against this,in the trans-national company where I worked for over 3 decades, I have been witness to the eventual fall,loss of respect and utter humiliation of ALL those who had corruption flowing through their veins, as it were, and who were hell-bent on marginalising me as I proved to be "inconvenient" to them!. Amazing,as it may seem, every single one of these individuals had to quit the company sooner or later in total disgrace. And this "sack of the rapists" cut across the hierarchy from top to bottom - from members of the Board of Directors to Executive Directors, to Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, General Managers, Managers,other officials. etc, etc, etc.
I cannot help but be convinced that one has to pay for one's sins IN THIS LIFE ITSELF! There is no need to dwell on the possible conditions of these wretched devils as they are today. What suffices is the knowledge that they are living with the awareness that everybody feels that they are nothing more than common thieves and cut-throats. They also remember that everybody in the organisation was privy to their exit in disgrace. These comprise enough loads round their necks for them to carry to their after-lives.
The above state cannot be the lot of only the people who worked in the same company as I. This is a lesson for all who willingly stray from the straight path in search of tainted gains.....NO MATTER WHERE THEY WORK - GOVERNMENT,PUBLIC SECTOR OR PRIVATE SECTOR.
The honest people, therefore, do not have to pay a price. On the contrary,a heavy price is extracted from the corrupt by Higher Designs, tomorrow if not today.
So, at the end of the day, honesty is still the best policy!
Any takers?
Monday, July 26, 2010
Introducing Al's Diary!
It is not easy to tell a good story...or at least to tell a good story well. Yet, here I am committing to do exactly that - i.e. recount real-life tales - without the slightest confidence of making a good job of it! But all that, a bit later.
First, the genesis of this extraordinary decision!
Over the last few years a whole lot of friends have been urging me to put down on paper the various anecdotes that I may have shared with them from time to time. All these anecdotes are really nothing but situations that I have found myself in or incidents that I have experienced during my school, college, work, family and social life.After having successfully procrastinated for a long time I suddenly realised that I may as well give it a go! Why not?!
A few years ago, on being asked by a friend as to how I was, I remember I had said that I was suffering from "Al"! I explained that since I could not remember half the things, "Al" must have got hold of me. It only remained for "zheimer" to catch up to complete the process of Alzheimer's! Somehow, this reasoning amused a lot of people and soon the theory was being bandied around quite freely. In fact, dear reader, you may have already come across it!
Selim Bose, an old family friend, liked this so much, along with a few of my other stories, that he seriously suggested that I write down these experiences, put them together and call the collection "Al's Diary"! Wow! What do you know? Bingo! That is precisely what i am setting forth to do.Behold the birth of Al's Diary! Thank you, Selim - wherever you may be.
How do I go about it? I wish I had the story-telling flair of my father who was a 'reconteur par excellence' of real life tales! He used to regale one and all with his endless stock of travelogues, stories, jokes, conundrums,even rhymes, what have you! His innate sense of humour was so pronounced that his narratives never failed to raise a smile or a laugh. Naturally, they made for very interesting stuff! The problem is, I do not think I have my father's skill even in half measure.
So, back to the beginning. How do I go about it? A wise one advised me by saying that "start at the beginning and do not stop till you reach the end!" Wonderful! With a helpful friend such as he, who needs enemies? Nevertheless the die was cast! I decided to bring Al's Diary to life - with the thought in the back of my mind that may be I should present only the lighter side of life's offerings!
So, on this the 27th 0f July 2010, Al's Diary is born. As to how long it will live, is anybody's guess. But I shall give it all the help and sustenance that I can muster. Hopefully, it will take root and flourish with time.
Dear Reader, welcome to Al's Diary! You shall have to be a bit patient because the first "story" will not appear in this blog. So keep reading. "Reflections" will necessarily have to be a mix of "Al's Diary" and other articles. In fact, some features of Al's Diary have already been published in this blog! Please recall the case of the royal housekeepr at Delhi's Taj Mahal hotel; or the puzzling location of Czechoslovakia in Canada, etc, etc! Remember? To simplify things, I promise to clearly designate the posts from Al's Diary in the title row itself so that you have no problem in distiguishing between contents of Al's Diary and other articles.
I shall leave you today with a request to please continue to read "Reflections" regularly. I also hope that you continue to enjoy it!
First, the genesis of this extraordinary decision!
Over the last few years a whole lot of friends have been urging me to put down on paper the various anecdotes that I may have shared with them from time to time. All these anecdotes are really nothing but situations that I have found myself in or incidents that I have experienced during my school, college, work, family and social life.After having successfully procrastinated for a long time I suddenly realised that I may as well give it a go! Why not?!
A few years ago, on being asked by a friend as to how I was, I remember I had said that I was suffering from "Al"! I explained that since I could not remember half the things, "Al" must have got hold of me. It only remained for "zheimer" to catch up to complete the process of Alzheimer's! Somehow, this reasoning amused a lot of people and soon the theory was being bandied around quite freely. In fact, dear reader, you may have already come across it!
Selim Bose, an old family friend, liked this so much, along with a few of my other stories, that he seriously suggested that I write down these experiences, put them together and call the collection "Al's Diary"! Wow! What do you know? Bingo! That is precisely what i am setting forth to do.Behold the birth of Al's Diary! Thank you, Selim - wherever you may be.
How do I go about it? I wish I had the story-telling flair of my father who was a 'reconteur par excellence' of real life tales! He used to regale one and all with his endless stock of travelogues, stories, jokes, conundrums,even rhymes, what have you! His innate sense of humour was so pronounced that his narratives never failed to raise a smile or a laugh. Naturally, they made for very interesting stuff! The problem is, I do not think I have my father's skill even in half measure.
So, back to the beginning. How do I go about it? A wise one advised me by saying that "start at the beginning and do not stop till you reach the end!" Wonderful! With a helpful friend such as he, who needs enemies? Nevertheless the die was cast! I decided to bring Al's Diary to life - with the thought in the back of my mind that may be I should present only the lighter side of life's offerings!
So, on this the 27th 0f July 2010, Al's Diary is born. As to how long it will live, is anybody's guess. But I shall give it all the help and sustenance that I can muster. Hopefully, it will take root and flourish with time.
Dear Reader, welcome to Al's Diary! You shall have to be a bit patient because the first "story" will not appear in this blog. So keep reading. "Reflections" will necessarily have to be a mix of "Al's Diary" and other articles. In fact, some features of Al's Diary have already been published in this blog! Please recall the case of the royal housekeepr at Delhi's Taj Mahal hotel; or the puzzling location of Czechoslovakia in Canada, etc, etc! Remember? To simplify things, I promise to clearly designate the posts from Al's Diary in the title row itself so that you have no problem in distiguishing between contents of Al's Diary and other articles.
I shall leave you today with a request to please continue to read "Reflections" regularly. I also hope that you continue to enjoy it!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Southern comfort - a mini travelogue
A curious fact about our recent holiday in Kerala was that the most remarkable part of it was the total absence of the use of bad words and naked aggression by the people at large! To North Indians like us, who are fed a diet of "gaalis" day and night by men or women, young or old, it certainly was an unbelievable experience, bordering on the unreal! The Keralites demonstrated a refreshing preference for grammar over expletives in choosing their words and punctuations while speaking!!!Their genteel manner of speech and behaviour were like music to the ears and a soothing balm to frayed nerves.
We arrived at Calicut at about 09.45 hours of the 27th of May to be greeted by our old friend G.K.Nayar who was to be our host for the week. The journey itself was a bit of a strain on the nerves as the flight had a stopover at Mangalore Airport, which had very recently proved to be too small for an aircraft to land on! However, as a result of the intense prayers to all the gods that I could remember on the spur of the moment, both the landing and the take-off went off without us being actually deposited on the slopes of the Western Ghats!
However, we had counted our blessings too soon and not reckoned with Air India! At Calicut we discovered that the carriers had decided to separate me from my suitcase. While I appeared to be in Kerala as borne out by all evidences around me, my suitcase seemed to have been guided to some other destination by the Maharaja! If this was a new version of the "Catch Me If You Can" game introduced by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for the entertainment of passengers in this era of cut-throat competition, it failed to amuse me. My holiday was already doomed! More so because the suitcase contained to very importtant items, my camera and a carefully chosen bottle of whisky!
Fortunately, the ghostly voice of Air India rang up some 6 hours later to announce that my suitcase had arrived in Calicut and would be escorted to my friend's house within the hour.as indeed, it was! So, at last, the Nayars and us could smile and say that "All Is Well!"
At the ungodly hour of 04.30 a.m. of the next day we set off by road for Aleppey or Allapuzha, some 270kms distant, to check-in to our houseboat on the backwaters. En route, we had stopped over briefly at a couple of very picturesque wayside eateries for coffee and breakfast as also to answer various other essential calls of nature!!!
The houseboat was named Blue Lake and was being piloted by Captain Tijo and his crew of two.We set off by 11.30 on a 24 hours' gentle cruise during which we weaved in and out of numerous streams, rivulets, inlets and lakes.
The backwaters of Kerala takes one's breath away! There is water evrywhere...not turbulant like in the open sea but quiet, serene and peaceful. As one travels along on a houseboat the beauty of the place gradually unfolds before the eyes and one gets lost in the placid charms of nature.The pre-dominance of green, in all its hues,is enchanting. The streams flow gently.The numerous islands, rich in coconut palms and other forestry and vegetation, surround the boats from all sides as the latter quietly make their way through quaint villages on the banks.Very often the inlets are so narrow that the hanging boughs of trees on the banks form picturesque canopies, as it were, over the watery paths.The effect is spell-binding.There is hardly a sound except the call of different water birds and the steady but soft murmur of the boat's engine.The surroundings cast a tranquil spell on the passengers too! We certainly did forgot our chatter soon enough and revelled in the all-pervasive stillness.
The 24 hours or so of drifting on the Kerala backwaters was an unforgettable experience. The breathtaking sunset of riotous colours, the gentle hush of the velvet evenings, the sheer spirituality of the breaking dawn, the play of monsoon clouds across the sky, the musical patter of rain on the waters and the omni-present rich greenery all around - embraced us in the ever so comforting arms of nature.The experience was no doubt more poignant to Kumkum and I because of the wonderful change it made from the hot,dry,dusty plains of North India.
We also managed to pack in a few other trips to various places including Kochi where we saw the Cochin Shipyard, the naval base,the fascinating Jew Street, the much vaunted hotel - Taj Malabar and the rest of the neat and tidy city, modern yet modest in its appearance.
An unusual experience was a visit to the Elephant Park of the famous Guruvayur temple. I cannot recall having seen so many pachyderms in one group, other than in the wilds of North Bengal or in the Corbett Park in U.P.These elephants belong to the temple and form an integral part of the religious rituals held there every now and then.
We had more interplay with the seemingly ubiquitous presence of water in Kerala by spending quality time on the Kappad beach of Calicut and in the nearby river resort of Kadavu. The Kadavu Resort is built on the slopes of a hill and overlook the bend of a river. The whole place is simply beautiful - the surroundings are quiet,full of green forestry and, of course, the cool,flowing river.I must not forget to mention the delicious lunch and the chilled beer that we enjoyed in the resort's Coffee Shop, with its gorgeous view of the entire panorama of river, hills and forest. As for the Kappad beach, it was a true representation of Kerala - clean,quiet and beautiful.What a change from Juhu,Chowputty, Marina or Puri beaches!
The other memorable trip was to the coconut plantation of G.K.'s. Situated a fair distance from Calicut city ( an hour's drive),it brought back vivid recollections of Simulbari Tea Estate, my uncle's tea estate in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.Although the physical appearances were different, the general ambience,the ways of the life on an estate, the abundance of greenery and quiet and the everyday activities were all so familiar and thrilling! We went for a loaf in the plantation savouring thick undergrowth,ducking all the time beneath overhanging boughs of various trees and stumbling upon a reservoir, an old pond, gone dry. This additional touch completed the rural effect to a nicety.
Shantha di, G.K.'s widowed sister was our thoughtful and affectionate hostess. She lives there alone and maintains a shining, spic and span bungalow. Although G.K. actually owns it in the main part, he and Nalini live in Calicut and are periodic visitors to the estate.It is a charming bungalow, perfectly in harmony with the rustic surrounds yet totally modern in its comforts.And the "piece de resistance" of the visit was the splendid lunch that Shantha di served in traditional style on green plantain leaves!That was really enjoyable!
The week passed far too swiftly.However, it did provide me with the chance to reinforce my student days' view that Kerala and Bengal have much in common.In those days my friend Mohan Nair and I were thick as thieves, as it were, and spent many an hour together either in college or in our homes, or in our "adda" dens or even on holidays including one to Simulbari! It was during those interactions that I discovered the uncanny smilarities between the two states and their people.The topography, climate,the culture, the food habits,the stress on academics, the basic nature of rituals and even the fancy for left-wing politics, defined the characteristics of the two people.
Naturally, we felt totally at home with the Nayars who overwhelmed us with their heart-warming hospitality, without ever going overboard with displays of any pomp or ostentation.They treated us like members of the family and we very much felt like members of the family! That was the high point of our holiday.Kerala is wonderful and so are its people. The Nayars, our old friends, are no exception.The whole stay was delightfully free of visits to clubs, malls and social gatherings where artificiality and vacuousness rule at the cost of spontaneity and genuineness.
Our departure from Kerala was no less eventful than our arrival. We arrived at the Calicut airport at 8.45am on the 3rd of June, well in time for our flight. No sooner had the Nayars left for a family do after dropping us, we were informed that our flight had been cancelled!The domestic terminal was deserted. We were told by the security guard that it would come to life only by 12.30pm!
Our friends had gone and we were loathe to bother them in the midst of a get-together. The guard willingly unlocked the entry gate and allowed us to wait inside the terminal, which we did most gratefully.Not a soul was in sight barring a couple of cleaning ladies.Half an hour later a solitary AI official came into view. We promptly butonholed him with our problems. Very politely he suggested that we wait and contact the Duty Manager once he arrived.Soon this good samaritan came back to us to inform that we were to wait where we were sitting because the Duty manager was on his way to meet us!Our first thought was that this would never have happened in Delhi.
Sure enough the Duty manager arrived within a few minutes. He listened to us, looked at our tickets and assured us by saying that it is the Airlines' responsibilty to send us to Delhi and that he would make every arrangement to put us on board the next flight scheduled to arrive at 1.00pm and leave at 2.00pm. He summoned somebody by walkie-talkie, made him open the check-in counter,boot the system,check us in, give us the boarding cards,and duly tagged our baggage with the baggage tickets and kept them ready on the loading conveyor!.
I was concerned about the X-ray of the checked in bags without which we would not be cleared by the security personnel for boarding.The X-Ray machine was to start at 12.30pm and the bags were not with us!The Duty Manager again assured us that the staff would get the X-Ray done and we need not worry at all.Instead, he rang up somebody else and arranged for us to have breakfast in the staff restaurant, with the complimants of the airlines!
Imagine all this being done three hours before the airport opened, let alone the check-in counters!Would this have happened at any other airport? When the check-in finally started at 12.30pm we did not have to do anything except board, when the call came!And believe me, our baggage was duly X-Rayed without any effort on our part to do so!We duly left Calicut on time and were back home at 9.30pm after stop-overs at Coimbatore and Mumbai.
It was such a pleasant surprise to find that pockets of excellence in service do exist in our country, no matter how insufficient. The experience only reinforced our idea of the friendliness and positive-mindset of the Keralite who, as a people, have added to nature's bounties and made the state what it is proclaimed to be viz., God's Own Country.
We arrived at Calicut at about 09.45 hours of the 27th of May to be greeted by our old friend G.K.Nayar who was to be our host for the week. The journey itself was a bit of a strain on the nerves as the flight had a stopover at Mangalore Airport, which had very recently proved to be too small for an aircraft to land on! However, as a result of the intense prayers to all the gods that I could remember on the spur of the moment, both the landing and the take-off went off without us being actually deposited on the slopes of the Western Ghats!
However, we had counted our blessings too soon and not reckoned with Air India! At Calicut we discovered that the carriers had decided to separate me from my suitcase. While I appeared to be in Kerala as borne out by all evidences around me, my suitcase seemed to have been guided to some other destination by the Maharaja! If this was a new version of the "Catch Me If You Can" game introduced by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for the entertainment of passengers in this era of cut-throat competition, it failed to amuse me. My holiday was already doomed! More so because the suitcase contained to very importtant items, my camera and a carefully chosen bottle of whisky!
Fortunately, the ghostly voice of Air India rang up some 6 hours later to announce that my suitcase had arrived in Calicut and would be escorted to my friend's house within the hour.as indeed, it was! So, at last, the Nayars and us could smile and say that "All Is Well!"
At the ungodly hour of 04.30 a.m. of the next day we set off by road for Aleppey or Allapuzha, some 270kms distant, to check-in to our houseboat on the backwaters. En route, we had stopped over briefly at a couple of very picturesque wayside eateries for coffee and breakfast as also to answer various other essential calls of nature!!!
The houseboat was named Blue Lake and was being piloted by Captain Tijo and his crew of two.We set off by 11.30 on a 24 hours' gentle cruise during which we weaved in and out of numerous streams, rivulets, inlets and lakes.
The backwaters of Kerala takes one's breath away! There is water evrywhere...not turbulant like in the open sea but quiet, serene and peaceful. As one travels along on a houseboat the beauty of the place gradually unfolds before the eyes and one gets lost in the placid charms of nature.The pre-dominance of green, in all its hues,is enchanting. The streams flow gently.The numerous islands, rich in coconut palms and other forestry and vegetation, surround the boats from all sides as the latter quietly make their way through quaint villages on the banks.Very often the inlets are so narrow that the hanging boughs of trees on the banks form picturesque canopies, as it were, over the watery paths.The effect is spell-binding.There is hardly a sound except the call of different water birds and the steady but soft murmur of the boat's engine.The surroundings cast a tranquil spell on the passengers too! We certainly did forgot our chatter soon enough and revelled in the all-pervasive stillness.
The 24 hours or so of drifting on the Kerala backwaters was an unforgettable experience. The breathtaking sunset of riotous colours, the gentle hush of the velvet evenings, the sheer spirituality of the breaking dawn, the play of monsoon clouds across the sky, the musical patter of rain on the waters and the omni-present rich greenery all around - embraced us in the ever so comforting arms of nature.The experience was no doubt more poignant to Kumkum and I because of the wonderful change it made from the hot,dry,dusty plains of North India.
We also managed to pack in a few other trips to various places including Kochi where we saw the Cochin Shipyard, the naval base,the fascinating Jew Street, the much vaunted hotel - Taj Malabar and the rest of the neat and tidy city, modern yet modest in its appearance.
An unusual experience was a visit to the Elephant Park of the famous Guruvayur temple. I cannot recall having seen so many pachyderms in one group, other than in the wilds of North Bengal or in the Corbett Park in U.P.These elephants belong to the temple and form an integral part of the religious rituals held there every now and then.
We had more interplay with the seemingly ubiquitous presence of water in Kerala by spending quality time on the Kappad beach of Calicut and in the nearby river resort of Kadavu. The Kadavu Resort is built on the slopes of a hill and overlook the bend of a river. The whole place is simply beautiful - the surroundings are quiet,full of green forestry and, of course, the cool,flowing river.I must not forget to mention the delicious lunch and the chilled beer that we enjoyed in the resort's Coffee Shop, with its gorgeous view of the entire panorama of river, hills and forest. As for the Kappad beach, it was a true representation of Kerala - clean,quiet and beautiful.What a change from Juhu,Chowputty, Marina or Puri beaches!
The other memorable trip was to the coconut plantation of G.K.'s. Situated a fair distance from Calicut city ( an hour's drive),it brought back vivid recollections of Simulbari Tea Estate, my uncle's tea estate in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.Although the physical appearances were different, the general ambience,the ways of the life on an estate, the abundance of greenery and quiet and the everyday activities were all so familiar and thrilling! We went for a loaf in the plantation savouring thick undergrowth,ducking all the time beneath overhanging boughs of various trees and stumbling upon a reservoir, an old pond, gone dry. This additional touch completed the rural effect to a nicety.
Shantha di, G.K.'s widowed sister was our thoughtful and affectionate hostess. She lives there alone and maintains a shining, spic and span bungalow. Although G.K. actually owns it in the main part, he and Nalini live in Calicut and are periodic visitors to the estate.It is a charming bungalow, perfectly in harmony with the rustic surrounds yet totally modern in its comforts.And the "piece de resistance" of the visit was the splendid lunch that Shantha di served in traditional style on green plantain leaves!That was really enjoyable!
The week passed far too swiftly.However, it did provide me with the chance to reinforce my student days' view that Kerala and Bengal have much in common.In those days my friend Mohan Nair and I were thick as thieves, as it were, and spent many an hour together either in college or in our homes, or in our "adda" dens or even on holidays including one to Simulbari! It was during those interactions that I discovered the uncanny smilarities between the two states and their people.The topography, climate,the culture, the food habits,the stress on academics, the basic nature of rituals and even the fancy for left-wing politics, defined the characteristics of the two people.
Naturally, we felt totally at home with the Nayars who overwhelmed us with their heart-warming hospitality, without ever going overboard with displays of any pomp or ostentation.They treated us like members of the family and we very much felt like members of the family! That was the high point of our holiday.Kerala is wonderful and so are its people. The Nayars, our old friends, are no exception.The whole stay was delightfully free of visits to clubs, malls and social gatherings where artificiality and vacuousness rule at the cost of spontaneity and genuineness.
Our departure from Kerala was no less eventful than our arrival. We arrived at the Calicut airport at 8.45am on the 3rd of June, well in time for our flight. No sooner had the Nayars left for a family do after dropping us, we were informed that our flight had been cancelled!The domestic terminal was deserted. We were told by the security guard that it would come to life only by 12.30pm!
Our friends had gone and we were loathe to bother them in the midst of a get-together. The guard willingly unlocked the entry gate and allowed us to wait inside the terminal, which we did most gratefully.Not a soul was in sight barring a couple of cleaning ladies.Half an hour later a solitary AI official came into view. We promptly butonholed him with our problems. Very politely he suggested that we wait and contact the Duty Manager once he arrived.Soon this good samaritan came back to us to inform that we were to wait where we were sitting because the Duty manager was on his way to meet us!Our first thought was that this would never have happened in Delhi.
Sure enough the Duty manager arrived within a few minutes. He listened to us, looked at our tickets and assured us by saying that it is the Airlines' responsibilty to send us to Delhi and that he would make every arrangement to put us on board the next flight scheduled to arrive at 1.00pm and leave at 2.00pm. He summoned somebody by walkie-talkie, made him open the check-in counter,boot the system,check us in, give us the boarding cards,and duly tagged our baggage with the baggage tickets and kept them ready on the loading conveyor!.
I was concerned about the X-ray of the checked in bags without which we would not be cleared by the security personnel for boarding.The X-Ray machine was to start at 12.30pm and the bags were not with us!The Duty Manager again assured us that the staff would get the X-Ray done and we need not worry at all.Instead, he rang up somebody else and arranged for us to have breakfast in the staff restaurant, with the complimants of the airlines!
Imagine all this being done three hours before the airport opened, let alone the check-in counters!Would this have happened at any other airport? When the check-in finally started at 12.30pm we did not have to do anything except board, when the call came!And believe me, our baggage was duly X-Rayed without any effort on our part to do so!We duly left Calicut on time and were back home at 9.30pm after stop-overs at Coimbatore and Mumbai.
It was such a pleasant surprise to find that pockets of excellence in service do exist in our country, no matter how insufficient. The experience only reinforced our idea of the friendliness and positive-mindset of the Keralite who, as a people, have added to nature's bounties and made the state what it is proclaimed to be viz., God's Own Country.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"We are like this only!"
It has been well over a month since my last pow-wow with "Reflections", and that is not good enough! Of course, there is no dearth of excuses to be proffered, but on this one occasion, I forgive myself because a good deal of the time was spent with those two little devils, Kabir and Raghav. And I would be hard pressed to find a better way of passing time!
So, what do I pen down to rejuvenate my diary? I think I shall go back to the 24th of April when I had made a comment or two on Facebook which, very interestingly, evoked some varied comments. I had mused that to be successful one should not be smart, well informed, confident, etc....or words to that effect. I had not gone into any specifics as the thoughts were general, open to queries and clarifications. While someone was justly baffled one other said "eyik" and a third one called for a delete button!
The point is that, whether we like it or not, whether we suffer from illusions of grandeur about ourselves or not, the "crab mentality" is over active in our collective psyche. As a result of this we are always tempted to catch hold of the perceived achievers in our society and bring them down a peg or two. And what better catch than those who evoke jealousy and inferiority complexes in us; whom we secretly envy; and who we label "elitists" in order to put ourselves on pedestals of "aam aadmi" - where we do not belong!
At the time of my comment on the Faceook, my mind was filled with what the media, the people and the rulers were doing to two persons by the name of Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar. I felt that we were being, as usual, too hasty and precipitate in pulling down the two for their indiscretions regarding the IPL Kochi bid. Today, I stand somewhat vindicated as Jairam Ramesh too has fallen prey to this great malady. Shashi Tharoor has been shown the door from the ministry and Jairam Ramesh has been proclaimed a pariah in the government.
It is true that both have indeed been guilty of extremely immature and indiscreet behaviour. But that is all they have done. Tharoor and Ramesh are two of the brighest men in Indian politics. They are not just bright; they are brilliant. Do we or don't we want people of such intellectual stature to lead the nation to the future? The point I am trying to make is that, had the two gentlemen been from say a vernacular academic background, it is doubtful whether they would have made such good "copy" to be hounded beyond compare by the media.
Are we to believe that ministers from more "indigenous" backgrounds have never shot off their mouths or made any unsavoury statements or behaved in unbecoming manner for public figures? Is there nobody in the government who has made blunders galore? Is there noone who has been tainted by scams, crimes, corruption, incompetence and who are deserving of severe punishment? Or are these offences so very minimal that they become eminently acceptable, much in contrast to the indiscretions of M/S Tharoor and Ramesh?
This phenomenon goes back a long way in my memeory. In the second half of 1964 I took admission to M.A. Economics class in the Post graduate College of Arts & Science, Calcutta University. Having been an alumni of St. Xavier's School and College, I was somewhat prepared to face initial hostility from fellow students from vernacular colleges. However, that did not happen. What happened was totally unexpected as it originated from the professors and not the students.
On the very first day, one professor stated that he wished to assess the quality of the class right at the beginning as it would help him to pitch his lectures at the appropriate level. This need seemed a bit odd at that point, but since it was not a major issue for us Xaverians, the matter did not weigh on our minds. However his method of ascertaining this so-called level of academic intelligence was rather tell-tale and bewildering! It certainly drew our attention! It also introduced us to the reality of people's perceptions and how warped they can be, at the best of times.
Prof. Sadhan Bhattacharya, for so was his name, mentioned half a dozen or so colleges one by one and wanted to know who all came from them. He scrupulously omitted the name of St. Xavier's College which has always been the top college in Calcutta in respect of all-round accomplishments of the students. Academically too it was second only to Presidency College, which certainly found a mention in his list! For corporate recruiters the students of St. Xavier's were always the prime catch. St. Xavier's boys (there were no girls in SXC in those days. Alas!) were generally, among other things, smart, proficient in English, intelligent,excellent in sports, followed western pop music, watched English movies, were trendily dressed and usually very articulate and well-mannered. All this proved to be the bane. In the mind of Prof. Bhattacharya and those of countless others of his ilk, this was the stereotype......the elitist, no-good, "phiringi" wasters, interested only in games and girls and far removed from the ideal.....the bookwormish "bhaalo chhele". Hence, in his mind, there was no place for us in the pursuit of academics. I must add that Loreto College for Girls had also not made it to the professor's list. It is, of course a different matter that there was no girl from Loreto in our class!
So, this kind of mental stereotyping is very much prevalent in our society. In later years, I have found this in my working life as well. After repeated experiences of this bias I have come to the conclusion that it springs from sheer jealousy of the smart, articulate and sophisticated people. This is where the "crab mentality" comes in. You cannot emulate the smart trend-setter? Don't worry, just pull him down till he hits dust! Only then will you be able to strut around and flaunt your stuff! Amen!
As for now, I am seriously concerned about the public-life longevity of Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, P Chidambaram and others of their "elitist" breed.
Monday, April 5, 2010
It pays to increase your word power!
There is a fascinating feature in every issue of Reader's Digest which is titled "It Pays To Increase Your Word Power".I do not know whether you follow it, but I do. In fact, I have been doing so ever since I took to reading the magazine in my school days.
Well, it is not my intention to comment on the feature. I merely recall the title as it has been playing on my mind since early morning. It ocurred to me that this particular title, no doubt patented in some form by RD, is so very relevant to our politicians, across the board!
Some time ago, Hon. Sashi Tharoor likened economy class travel on international flights to "cattle class" travel. There was an all mighty uproar in Parliament at this because people (read our learned legislators from some parties) felt slighted, humiliated, minimised, outraged, exploited and God knows what else, because of the reference to cattle, the holy plural of the holy cow. Apparently, Mr. Tharoor's remark was an affront to all Hindus as it allegedly denigrated the holy symbol of Hinduism, the cow. This remark was also perceived to be seen, in some quarters, as a reference to female air passengers as cows. If only the slighted gentry had the benefit of word power in their repertoire of personal attainments, then the derivation of "cattle class" from the old system of herding cattle in tightly packed freight cars with only standing room for the purpose of moving them across the country, would have been eminently obvious to them. There would not have been any cause for heartburns, religious or otherwise. Mr. Tharoor's remarks would have been accepted as a mere humourous allusion to the discomforts of long-distance air travel by economy class. As indeed, millions of people, like us for instance, actually do in everyday life!
Today, a news has emerged that an Hon. Chief Minister of one of our States, has taken umbrage at being told that, in matters of any state's law and order, "the buck stops there", i.e. the Chief Minister's desk. We are given to understand that the expression is a slang and derogatory in nature...that it is not the appropriate language in describing a high public office. If the expression "passing the buck" can be used in profusion in both public and private life, I do not see the logic in objecting to "the buck stops here", unless, of course, it is again the lack of mastery over word power! If the reference is indeed humiliating, then spare a thought for the generations of U.S.Presidents who have inflicted self-humiliation on themselves over the centuries by having a plaque bearing the words "The Buck Stops Here" placed on the Executive desk of The Oval Office! Is the office of the President of the USA, a high enough public office?
There is a limit to sensitivity. The over-the-top reactions are no different from a wide range of people who take immense offence at being called (albeit wrongly) "nonsense" for some reason or the other! The word "nosense", for some mysterious reason, acts as a red rag in front of a raging bull. Plenty of really colourful adjectives do not evoke or provoke such extreme reactions as the innocuous "nonsense" does. You must have come across this many a time. I wonder if the great Sukumar Roy would have felt slighted if he had come across the descriptions of his works as "Nonsense poems". Somehow, I do not think so. After all, Sukumar Roy had word power at his disposal.
Well, it is not my intention to comment on the feature. I merely recall the title as it has been playing on my mind since early morning. It ocurred to me that this particular title, no doubt patented in some form by RD, is so very relevant to our politicians, across the board!
Some time ago, Hon. Sashi Tharoor likened economy class travel on international flights to "cattle class" travel. There was an all mighty uproar in Parliament at this because people (read our learned legislators from some parties) felt slighted, humiliated, minimised, outraged, exploited and God knows what else, because of the reference to cattle, the holy plural of the holy cow. Apparently, Mr. Tharoor's remark was an affront to all Hindus as it allegedly denigrated the holy symbol of Hinduism, the cow. This remark was also perceived to be seen, in some quarters, as a reference to female air passengers as cows. If only the slighted gentry had the benefit of word power in their repertoire of personal attainments, then the derivation of "cattle class" from the old system of herding cattle in tightly packed freight cars with only standing room for the purpose of moving them across the country, would have been eminently obvious to them. There would not have been any cause for heartburns, religious or otherwise. Mr. Tharoor's remarks would have been accepted as a mere humourous allusion to the discomforts of long-distance air travel by economy class. As indeed, millions of people, like us for instance, actually do in everyday life!
Today, a news has emerged that an Hon. Chief Minister of one of our States, has taken umbrage at being told that, in matters of any state's law and order, "the buck stops there", i.e. the Chief Minister's desk. We are given to understand that the expression is a slang and derogatory in nature...that it is not the appropriate language in describing a high public office. If the expression "passing the buck" can be used in profusion in both public and private life, I do not see the logic in objecting to "the buck stops here", unless, of course, it is again the lack of mastery over word power! If the reference is indeed humiliating, then spare a thought for the generations of U.S.Presidents who have inflicted self-humiliation on themselves over the centuries by having a plaque bearing the words "The Buck Stops Here" placed on the Executive desk of The Oval Office! Is the office of the President of the USA, a high enough public office?
There is a limit to sensitivity. The over-the-top reactions are no different from a wide range of people who take immense offence at being called (albeit wrongly) "nonsense" for some reason or the other! The word "nosense", for some mysterious reason, acts as a red rag in front of a raging bull. Plenty of really colourful adjectives do not evoke or provoke such extreme reactions as the innocuous "nonsense" does. You must have come across this many a time. I wonder if the great Sukumar Roy would have felt slighted if he had come across the descriptions of his works as "Nonsense poems". Somehow, I do not think so. After all, Sukumar Roy had word power at his disposal.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Memories on fire!
Fire! Again fire! It feels as though the fires of 26/11 are still raging and nothing that the mind can conjure up by way of distraction, can douse those flames completely. Or so I thought. Little did I realise that it would take another fire, another memory to be set aflame, for the first one to die down. Mr. Arathoon Stephen's soul must be in acute distress at the fate that has befallen his handiwork, the iconic Stephen Court of Kolkata.
Why must all our memories literally go up in flames?
Stephen Court is a building that I used to walk past twice a day, five days a week for years together! This British age building on the one hand and the school and college that I attended on the other, happen to be located, to this day, on the same famous road of Kolkata, viz. Park Street.
This corner edifice was always a landmark for us aspiring Romeos. It stands at the junction of Middleton Row and Park Street which, to us, meant a stone's throw from the YWCA, a short distance from El Morrocco ( there was no Peter Cat in those days) and, of course, just up the street from Loreto House where the hearts of most Xaverians belonged and resided! On the other hand if one progressed along Park Street without turning into Middleton Row, the road led us surely to Mags (our abbreviation for Magnolia), which was, invariably, the first port of call for shared cups of coffee with the current Loreto friend. And not to forget the cigarette shop at the gate of Stephen Court! The owner of this shop was a discerning entrepreneur indeed to have set up shop in such a prime location. For, hardly a college student walked past without fortifying himself with a much needed puff, either to muster courage before meeting the girl friend, or to seek its company before boarding a bus at Chowringhee. And what about the tension filled minutes spent at the junction, trying to look innocuous by glassily staring at meaningless magazines (hung from the grilled fence of Stephen Court by some enterprising book-seller), while waiting with racing hearts and clammy hands to meet Miss Perfect to arrive from LH or from some bus stop? Stephen Court (or just outside it) was the proverbial journey's end where faint hearts and fair ladies rendezvoused to try and avoid myriad people like prying nuns and priests, assorted drivers or inquisitive classmates, or even an occasional parent!
Stephen Court! Many things to many people. Over the decades the building became the hub of many businesses with a honeycomb of offices operating out of it. As a result, today, the day population of the building has assumed considerable proportions. Lots of people, young and old, men and women, boys and girls throng Stephen Court every day, to earn their living. They come from all over the city as well as the suburbs. In fact, my nephew Saurav, runs his outfit from there and is one of those lucky ones to have escaped unhurt while the fire raged in all its fury just above his head on the floor above!
Stephen Court is not all offices, though. Lots of old companies, the British ones in particular, provided very handsome living quarters to their officers. My classmate from school Amit, better known as Mota, lived there for some years. Needless to say the four of us (Chatterjees) had spent a wonderful holiday with them back in 1984. The rooms were so large that the four children of the two families would play their ball games quite comfortably within them. Lofty ceilings, huge rooms were at times positively disconcerting when the four of us (the grown-ups!) would sit down to have a drink and a quiet chat of an evening. We were all so far away from one another! And the resonance of our voices were amazing to say the least! But the extreme comfort offered by the well-appointed flats more than made up for any minor inconvenience like the sheer vastness!
Furthermore , how can I forget to mention Flury's. The wide frontage on Park Street with its huge glass windows was definitely a showpiece of Stephen Court. Strong-willed was the pedestrian who, while walking along the pavement, could resist looking in through these windows to mentally savour the wares on display.
I was introduced to this sweet-toothed gourmet's paradise by my father way back in the '50s. Since then, as far as I can remember, all our confectioneries were bought from this place. Despite its having changed hands several times from the days that a Swiss/Italian gentleman called Mr. Flury set up shop long before independence, Flury's has managed to maintain the standards pretty well, although it may have lost the tag of the best confectioner in India, which it certainly was for a long time. However,the memories of Flury's cakes, pastries, patties and other confected delights are abiding. Perhaps the biggest tribute to the attractions of Flury's was paid by the outstation air travellers who invariably made a pit-stop at this holiest of holies to pick up a box or two of goodies en route to the airport and home, in distant Delhi or Madras or Bombay of the 6os and 70s!
Flury's was also the only restaurant of repute which served breakfast - a famously delicious one, by the way - from early in the morning. When our children were small, a holiday in Kolkata always included a trip to the zoo at 6.00 in the morning followed by breakfast at Flury's. What memories! I can still remember the taste of eggs and bacon, ham sandwiches,chicken patties, the ubiquitous baked beans on toast. And the heady, rich aroma of fresh coffee!
In more recent times, Music World has become a regular stop for me every time I visit Kolkata. This is definitely the new attraction of Stephen Court where people of all ages come in search of the latest music (or films) and the young come in droves for deliciously clandestine trysts with their romantic destinies! Let me assure you readers that my visits to Music World are purely for the pleasures of music and films!
For several decades, Peter Cat restaurant has also been a major attraction of Stephen Court. In fact, together with Flury's and the Silver Grill, Peter Cat forms a trinity of restaurants which Stephen Court alone offers on Kolkata's Food Street. I am not sure but one or two more eateries may have opened in this building by now!
So, it is quite easy to understand how Stephen Court has been for many years, and still is, woven into the fabric of a Kolkatan's life. I certainly hope that it continues to remain so for years to come. I hope that greedy commercialism does not endanger its enviable position in a citizen's heart. The recent devastating fire which reduced the top three floors to rubble, is not only a reminder of how things go wrong at the behest of a few unscrupulous profiteers who care nothing about people's lives in pursuit of filthy lucre, it is also a wake up call for the residents and the authorities to their responsibility towards protection of life and property in the future.
Above all it must be the responsibility of someone , somewhere to ensure that a wonderful part of a Kolkatan's life, as presented by the multiple attractions of Stephen Court, is not taken away by such callousness.
As the period of Lent slowly comes to an end, I sincerely hope that Flury's will once again fill the hearts and minds of the people with their offerings of the famous hot-cross buns and Easter eggs. I am sure the Kolkatan will, as usual, throng Park Street, Stephen Court and Flury's for their share of this annual fare! Happy Easter, dear reader.
Why must all our memories literally go up in flames?
Stephen Court is a building that I used to walk past twice a day, five days a week for years together! This British age building on the one hand and the school and college that I attended on the other, happen to be located, to this day, on the same famous road of Kolkata, viz. Park Street.
This corner edifice was always a landmark for us aspiring Romeos. It stands at the junction of Middleton Row and Park Street which, to us, meant a stone's throw from the YWCA, a short distance from El Morrocco ( there was no Peter Cat in those days) and, of course, just up the street from Loreto House where the hearts of most Xaverians belonged and resided! On the other hand if one progressed along Park Street without turning into Middleton Row, the road led us surely to Mags (our abbreviation for Magnolia), which was, invariably, the first port of call for shared cups of coffee with the current Loreto friend. And not to forget the cigarette shop at the gate of Stephen Court! The owner of this shop was a discerning entrepreneur indeed to have set up shop in such a prime location. For, hardly a college student walked past without fortifying himself with a much needed puff, either to muster courage before meeting the girl friend, or to seek its company before boarding a bus at Chowringhee. And what about the tension filled minutes spent at the junction, trying to look innocuous by glassily staring at meaningless magazines (hung from the grilled fence of Stephen Court by some enterprising book-seller), while waiting with racing hearts and clammy hands to meet Miss Perfect to arrive from LH or from some bus stop? Stephen Court (or just outside it) was the proverbial journey's end where faint hearts and fair ladies rendezvoused to try and avoid myriad people like prying nuns and priests, assorted drivers or inquisitive classmates, or even an occasional parent!
Stephen Court! Many things to many people. Over the decades the building became the hub of many businesses with a honeycomb of offices operating out of it. As a result, today, the day population of the building has assumed considerable proportions. Lots of people, young and old, men and women, boys and girls throng Stephen Court every day, to earn their living. They come from all over the city as well as the suburbs. In fact, my nephew Saurav, runs his outfit from there and is one of those lucky ones to have escaped unhurt while the fire raged in all its fury just above his head on the floor above!
Stephen Court is not all offices, though. Lots of old companies, the British ones in particular, provided very handsome living quarters to their officers. My classmate from school Amit, better known as Mota, lived there for some years. Needless to say the four of us (Chatterjees) had spent a wonderful holiday with them back in 1984. The rooms were so large that the four children of the two families would play their ball games quite comfortably within them. Lofty ceilings, huge rooms were at times positively disconcerting when the four of us (the grown-ups!) would sit down to have a drink and a quiet chat of an evening. We were all so far away from one another! And the resonance of our voices were amazing to say the least! But the extreme comfort offered by the well-appointed flats more than made up for any minor inconvenience like the sheer vastness!
Furthermore , how can I forget to mention Flury's. The wide frontage on Park Street with its huge glass windows was definitely a showpiece of Stephen Court. Strong-willed was the pedestrian who, while walking along the pavement, could resist looking in through these windows to mentally savour the wares on display.
I was introduced to this sweet-toothed gourmet's paradise by my father way back in the '50s. Since then, as far as I can remember, all our confectioneries were bought from this place. Despite its having changed hands several times from the days that a Swiss/Italian gentleman called Mr. Flury set up shop long before independence, Flury's has managed to maintain the standards pretty well, although it may have lost the tag of the best confectioner in India, which it certainly was for a long time. However,the memories of Flury's cakes, pastries, patties and other confected delights are abiding. Perhaps the biggest tribute to the attractions of Flury's was paid by the outstation air travellers who invariably made a pit-stop at this holiest of holies to pick up a box or two of goodies en route to the airport and home, in distant Delhi or Madras or Bombay of the 6os and 70s!
Flury's was also the only restaurant of repute which served breakfast - a famously delicious one, by the way - from early in the morning. When our children were small, a holiday in Kolkata always included a trip to the zoo at 6.00 in the morning followed by breakfast at Flury's. What memories! I can still remember the taste of eggs and bacon, ham sandwiches,chicken patties, the ubiquitous baked beans on toast. And the heady, rich aroma of fresh coffee!
In more recent times, Music World has become a regular stop for me every time I visit Kolkata. This is definitely the new attraction of Stephen Court where people of all ages come in search of the latest music (or films) and the young come in droves for deliciously clandestine trysts with their romantic destinies! Let me assure you readers that my visits to Music World are purely for the pleasures of music and films!
For several decades, Peter Cat restaurant has also been a major attraction of Stephen Court. In fact, together with Flury's and the Silver Grill, Peter Cat forms a trinity of restaurants which Stephen Court alone offers on Kolkata's Food Street. I am not sure but one or two more eateries may have opened in this building by now!
So, it is quite easy to understand how Stephen Court has been for many years, and still is, woven into the fabric of a Kolkatan's life. I certainly hope that it continues to remain so for years to come. I hope that greedy commercialism does not endanger its enviable position in a citizen's heart. The recent devastating fire which reduced the top three floors to rubble, is not only a reminder of how things go wrong at the behest of a few unscrupulous profiteers who care nothing about people's lives in pursuit of filthy lucre, it is also a wake up call for the residents and the authorities to their responsibility towards protection of life and property in the future.
Above all it must be the responsibility of someone , somewhere to ensure that a wonderful part of a Kolkatan's life, as presented by the multiple attractions of Stephen Court, is not taken away by such callousness.
As the period of Lent slowly comes to an end, I sincerely hope that Flury's will once again fill the hearts and minds of the people with their offerings of the famous hot-cross buns and Easter eggs. I am sure the Kolkatan will, as usual, throng Park Street, Stephen Court and Flury's for their share of this annual fare! Happy Easter, dear reader.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Live to work?
The other day, it so happened, we were comfortably ensconced (strictly by invitation to a wedding!) in a 5-star hotel in Goa. It was morning and we were at breakfast in the hotel's coffee shop. All of a sudden a bit of someone else's conversation hit my ears and the piece of egg-on-toast-with-bacon halted in mid-air en route my eagerly expectant mouth. What the person in question quipped was that the whole ambience of that moment, including the ritual of breakfast, fondly reminded him of his working days.
It was quite an innocuous staement by itself. However, to me it seemed absurd that the sylvan surroundings, coupled with the company of friends and merry makers, should remind one of work days of the past. Of course I realised what the person had meant. In his corporate days he used to travel around the country and would put up at 5-star hotels. He was obviously reminded of that. Still, this bit of an offering set me thinking and reinforced my theory that this friend of mine (he shall remain un-named), like so many others in his position had perhaps, sacrificed a lot in life at the altar of career promotion. I used to travel a lot also. I definitely enjoyed the stays in some beautiful hotels. But I cannot say that I enjoyed the good things in life because they reminded me of my working days!
Perhaps, this is what plagues a lot of us in the corporate world. Trite as it may sound, a dangerously large number of people are more and more "living to work rather than working to live." What I mean is that people are increasingly considering their work and its appendages to be their badges of identity. We brand people ( just as much as we brand ourselves) according to their calling and station instead of discovering their intrinsic worth as human beings; as persons. We describe people as "doing well" if he can present an impressive corporate identity - does not matter how he has acquired it! Woebetide a person who is unfortunate enough to be a proficient musician, sportsperson, a performing artiste, an academic, a literateur, unless of course he is in the rarefied atmosphere of the Rehmans, Tendulkars, SRKs, Sens and Seths.So, when corporate grandeur is the lodestar of one's life, it is but natural that everything outside the environs of the office assumes secondary importance. People often think work, live work, dream work and even socialise only for work. And let me tell you, the majority of these people would point a finger at me and ridicule me for airing my "typically" irreverent view of work culture. The question is - why does this happen? Is it peer pressure? Is it the unimaginable importance of the job? Is it over work? Is it sheer incompetence? Is it a fashion statement to appear very busy at all times? Is it living up to the dubious "ideals" set by the media through that brainless yet overused expression - "work hard, party hard"? Or is it that typically human (read Indian!) habit of sycophancy? The answer, perhaps, lies in a combination of these factors for I have actually encountered, on a regular basis, all of them in the course of my corporate years.
This obssession with work, at times, is bizarre and ridiculous. As a junior manager in the Accounts Department, fresh from completing my 120 weeks of management training, I was in the company of the departmental manager and his two assistants from the middle management cadre. (In fact, one of them was the topic of one of my earlier posts about Canada and Czechoslovakia - remember?) The work-day used to begin at 7.00am and end officially at 5.30pm. To me this was long enough a period to complete the day's allocated work, although one will be hard-pressed to find a more tedious and boring job than Accounts! Anyway, I could leave office latest by 5.45pm. the extra 15 mins being an allowance to enable the stampede of homeward-bound workmen to finish as I had no desire to be caught running out with them!
My senior colleagues saw things differently. My practice of leaving by 5.45pm was viewed as a sign of a callous attitude towards work and, apparently, it reflected a total absence of seriousness on my part. However, that is not the story in this post. It is a story of the three venerable colleagues who displayed their "habit of hard work", their "commitment to the job", their "loyalty to the organization", blah blah, blah blah, by leaving for the canteen (not home!) at 5.45pm and refreshing themselves with tea/coffee and snacks for half an hour or so.. They would then head back to their desks and call it a day earliest by 10.00pm! This routine would be folowed de riguour every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, which were holidays! However, they would relent a bit on Sundays and go home by 2.00pm, at times! Also, they would permit themselves the luxury of relaxing a bit over the weekends by going to office at 8.00am instead of 7.00am! Yes, reader, this is absolutely true.
"The 3 _ _ _ _ _ s" did this year after year. They had no family life and, of course, no social life.So much so, many like me never got to meet their wives or children, although we all lived in the company's estate for managers. I often wondered as to what were they trying to achieve in life. In fact, one of them, most tragically, died the day after his retirement. He had no time for the family during his working life and he certainly did not have it post-retirement. His world, like those of his other two cohorts, comprised the office, the company, the reconciliation of bank statements, totting up the company's credits & debits, maintenance of various inventories, etc., etc., etc.
Years later, when I was in the company's Marketing Division, I had the misfortune to work with several bosses who would warm their office seats till around 10.00pm every day, including Saturdays! In fact, Saturdays became party time for this select band of sycophants. There was absolutely no work. The time was spent in partying, fraternising and politicking! The cascading effect of this "show of importance" was typical. Everybody, barring me, also stayed back late not because each one of them was perpetually inundated with work, but because their action would look good to the big boss and they would be classified as "hard-working". Needless to say, their shameless sycophancy took away every meningful thing from their family lives. One fallout of this was that a sizeable number of them would start affairs in office or with associates. In this instance too, the office and all it represented, became the raison d'etre of these "busy" corporate creatures.
In fact, I had researched deeply and come out with some astounding stats about the cost of needlessly keeping the office operational on Saturdays. After considering the expenses on electricity (generation and use), lunch and evening snacks, the morning and evening runs of the two pick-up vehicles, security, overtime payments, etc etc., the amount we spent worked out to lakhs of rupees per year which could easily be saved. I put all this in a report and placed it for implementation. I only managed to draw ridicule and accusation of corrupting the serious work culture of the office!
I have seen senior managers so caught up in the office rat race that they would regularly shun parties thrown by their friends in order to honour invitations from motley work associates whom the spouses had never even met! In single-mindedly promoting their own career these people lose the support of their family and friends and become lonely in the later years. They spend a lot of time with people who they would never come across again or who matter little in their lives but have no time for near and dear ones. For them they are always very busy, martyrs to the cause of self-grandeur and self importance. Pay-back is never far off. People have long memories and they wean themselves away from such self proclaimed CIPs sooner or later.
What I mean to say is that I wonder what is it that makes people so work-oriented or corporate-glory oriented that they miss out on the joys that life has to offer everyday? Is it because they are Johnny-come-lately people who get mesmerised by the razzmatazz of corporate lives? Or is it that they have no home lives worth the mention and ,therefore, immerse themselves in the murky waters of office life? Or is it purely and simply to impress the boss? Just look at the alarmingly large number of people who do not take their annual leave in order not to displease the boss!
Have you ever noticed that some folks are chronic late comers to parties? These people would consider it a compromise of their corporate importance if they arrived at any time before say 10.00pm! These unfortunate souls fear that early arrival would take away sustantially from their image of hot corporate honchos and would be a come-down in the eyes of their friends. To them it is prudent to be always "fashionably" late at such get-togethers. I know of people who deliberately come home late from office in order to protect their trumped up images of indispensable and hard-pressed hot-shot executives.
Whatever be the reason for letting one's office consume the quality hours, days, weeks, months and years of one's short life, it turns out quite counter-productive, in the end. As I had mentioned earlier we should work to live; work diligently to earn money in order to have a good life with our families and friends. Once we convert our search for money into our reason for living, we are in deep waters. After all, we must have the time and the occasion to spend the money we have earned so single-mindedly. Remember the stories of Mahmud of Ghazni?
I have never felt the need for extended working hours during the course of my career in the corporate world. And no one can say, not even "The 3 _ _ _ _ _s" that my work remained pending or behind hand for 38 years!! Of course, there were special occasions or emergencies when I have had to stay overnight in office. But those were emergencies, not routine days.
At the end of the day, people should be able to relax and treat the job as exactly what it is....a job. We all know and teach our children the adage "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". If that is so, then why the hell do we turn ourselves into "dull boys?" Who are we impressing or pleasing? How much happiness are we dispensing?
Finally, I cannot help but end as a lotos-eater and recall the immortal words of Lord Tennyson "......if death is the end of all, why should life all labour be?"
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
From Al's Diary....Is Canada In Europe?
Of late, for some reason or the other Canada has been central in our discussions at home.What we have been discussing is not relevant to this post. However, what they did is to bring Canada back to sharp focus in my mind, for all the wrong reasons!!
Long years ago (do I sound like Nehru?), Canada had featured in a piece of conversation between a fellow manager in our company and I. I realise that, after reading about it, you will refuse to believe what I have written and dismiss me as an old gas bag! Please be assured that this anecdote is just another gem from my collection of many hilarious experiences gathered in the course of my 31 years of association with Bata India Limited. By the way, I solemnly affirm the authenticity of the story.
It was a rainy day in 1975. The car park in front of the factory leading on to the reception area, was already under ankle-deep water. My concern was that the time was a few minutes short of 12 noon, at which hour the siren would sound and we would have to leave for lunch by wading through the water. The top-management team was also worried, although for different reasons. At any moment His Excellency, the Canadian High Commissioner to India, would arrive. In fact, because of the widespread rain, his mini-motorcade had already got hopelessly delayed. To add to the woes the factory had got completely inundated. A VVIP visit in those conditions was not the easiest thing to manage!
At about 5mins to noon, there was a warning call from the Gate Office to say that the High Commissioner's car was about to enter the factory. In those days I used to work in the Accounts Department of the company which was lodged in the Administrative Block occupying the entire frontage of the building. As the VVIP entered the premises, we, quite naturally, jostled for vantage positions near the windows to satisfy our zoological interest in him. Our Pay-roll Manager was next to me as we all tried to catch a glimpse of the Diplomat. It was this lucky configuration of peering individuals that gave rise to this gem of an experience I want to share with you.
The Pay-roll Manager was one of the veterans of the organization. He had worked himself up the ladder from the employee ranks and had finished up in the managerial grade through sheer hard work. Although he had mastered the art of pay-roll preparation, he, like his many other colleagues, was not the possessor of formal college degrees. As a result of this he and his ilk grudgingly considered us - the management trainee types - to be a little better informed than them, which was not very far from the truth, in any case.
And so it happened that on this rainy mid-day in Faridabad Mr. Pay-roll quietly asked me in Hindi as to which country this visiting " minister" belonged to. With an effort at maintaining a straight face I informed him that the visiting gentleman was not a minister but was in fact the High Commissioner for Canada to India. At this he wondered what could possibly be the latter's interest in a shoe factory. I commented that perhaps due to the fact that ours was a Canadian company he may have evinced some interest in seeing our operations and familiarising himself with Canadian business interests in India, especially since Mr. Thomas J. Bata, Chairman of the Board of the global Bata Shoe Organization, himself was the Chairman of the Canada India Business Convention also.
Mr. Pay-roll was puzzled. He had learnt from his predecessors that the founding father of our organization Mr. Thomas Bata had started operations in Zlin in Czechoslovakia back in 1894. He also knew that many of the original expatriate managers of Bata India had been Czechs. Besides this, he was also familiar with certain Czech words that are used till this day in the official company jargon. However, during his extended tenure with the company one fact that seemed to have by-passed him was that Mr. Thomas J. Bata had shifted operations of the global organization to Toronto at the onset of the Second World War after severing all ties with nations behind the "iron curtain", and that, as a result, ours was very much a Canadian organization!
To a simple mind, unnecessary complications are highly unwelcome. Mr. Pay-roll had grown with the organization knowing that it was Czechoslovakian in origin. and Czechoslovakian it had to stay.That was sacrosanct. All the talk of Canada - pronounced Kenarha - was so much bilge. Still, the introduction of this new "Canada" theme needed to be thought out. One realisation did strike him forcefully. That is why he turned towards me and wondered aloud - in Hindi - "So Canada is in Czrchoslovakia?"
Long years ago (do I sound like Nehru?), Canada had featured in a piece of conversation between a fellow manager in our company and I. I realise that, after reading about it, you will refuse to believe what I have written and dismiss me as an old gas bag! Please be assured that this anecdote is just another gem from my collection of many hilarious experiences gathered in the course of my 31 years of association with Bata India Limited. By the way, I solemnly affirm the authenticity of the story.
It was a rainy day in 1975. The car park in front of the factory leading on to the reception area, was already under ankle-deep water. My concern was that the time was a few minutes short of 12 noon, at which hour the siren would sound and we would have to leave for lunch by wading through the water. The top-management team was also worried, although for different reasons. At any moment His Excellency, the Canadian High Commissioner to India, would arrive. In fact, because of the widespread rain, his mini-motorcade had already got hopelessly delayed. To add to the woes the factory had got completely inundated. A VVIP visit in those conditions was not the easiest thing to manage!
At about 5mins to noon, there was a warning call from the Gate Office to say that the High Commissioner's car was about to enter the factory. In those days I used to work in the Accounts Department of the company which was lodged in the Administrative Block occupying the entire frontage of the building. As the VVIP entered the premises, we, quite naturally, jostled for vantage positions near the windows to satisfy our zoological interest in him. Our Pay-roll Manager was next to me as we all tried to catch a glimpse of the Diplomat. It was this lucky configuration of peering individuals that gave rise to this gem of an experience I want to share with you.
The Pay-roll Manager was one of the veterans of the organization. He had worked himself up the ladder from the employee ranks and had finished up in the managerial grade through sheer hard work. Although he had mastered the art of pay-roll preparation, he, like his many other colleagues, was not the possessor of formal college degrees. As a result of this he and his ilk grudgingly considered us - the management trainee types - to be a little better informed than them, which was not very far from the truth, in any case.
And so it happened that on this rainy mid-day in Faridabad Mr. Pay-roll quietly asked me in Hindi as to which country this visiting " minister" belonged to. With an effort at maintaining a straight face I informed him that the visiting gentleman was not a minister but was in fact the High Commissioner for Canada to India. At this he wondered what could possibly be the latter's interest in a shoe factory. I commented that perhaps due to the fact that ours was a Canadian company he may have evinced some interest in seeing our operations and familiarising himself with Canadian business interests in India, especially since Mr. Thomas J. Bata, Chairman of the Board of the global Bata Shoe Organization, himself was the Chairman of the Canada India Business Convention also.
Mr. Pay-roll was puzzled. He had learnt from his predecessors that the founding father of our organization Mr. Thomas Bata had started operations in Zlin in Czechoslovakia back in 1894. He also knew that many of the original expatriate managers of Bata India had been Czechs. Besides this, he was also familiar with certain Czech words that are used till this day in the official company jargon. However, during his extended tenure with the company one fact that seemed to have by-passed him was that Mr. Thomas J. Bata had shifted operations of the global organization to Toronto at the onset of the Second World War after severing all ties with nations behind the "iron curtain", and that, as a result, ours was very much a Canadian organization!
To a simple mind, unnecessary complications are highly unwelcome. Mr. Pay-roll had grown with the organization knowing that it was Czechoslovakian in origin. and Czechoslovakian it had to stay.That was sacrosanct. All the talk of Canada - pronounced Kenarha - was so much bilge. Still, the introduction of this new "Canada" theme needed to be thought out. One realisation did strike him forcefully. That is why he turned towards me and wondered aloud - in Hindi - "So Canada is in Czrchoslovakia?"
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Slow march to anarchy?
My cousin Ashoke Chatterjee (Ashokeda to us) was the Director of the National School of Design in Ahmedabad for a good many years. It was from him that I first heard of this premier institute, a long time ago. Since then, over the years, I have had the chance to meet a few ex-students of N.I.D. As only to be expected from its alumni, I find them to be highly talented people, committed towards value-addition to the community and society.
Hence, I wonder what made Utsav Sharma, a product of this august institute, take it upon himself to physically attack the ex-DGP Rathore of the notorious Ruchika molestation case? The point is, Utsav is neither a relative nor a friend of Ruchika or the Girotra family! SPS Rathore may have got away with a six-month jail sentence for his various offences of molestation, intimidation, abetment to suicide, abuse of official police powers to ruin a family, etc. - and that too after two decades- but the people have not been satisfied by the delay in justice and quantum of punishment meted out to this villain. Utsav Sharma happens to be a part of this outraged population, albeit more proactive with his views and beliefs than the others. Obviously, he took it upon himself to strike a blow for justice, where no justice was perceived to have been delivered!
It is not my intention to hold a brief for Utsav. Not at all. But this whole incident does fan the fear in me....are we headed for anarchy? Looking around, one has to merely take stock of the state of governance in the much vaunted democracy called India, to realise that governance exists more by accident than design. Hence my fears of the age of vigilantism and eventual anarchy.
Governments do not or cannot seem to prevent crime and violence. The warnings of our intelligence services about terrorists and terrorist threats, if at all forthcoming, are casually dealt with. Meaningful information on potential threats appear to come from foreign powers. The process of dispensation of justice for the common man is so effete, corruption-ridden and slow that it ceases to hold any meaning in the common man's life.
In this context I recall the immortal words of Edmund Burke, "for evil to flourish, good people have to do nothing and evil shall flourish!" Our courts and the legal system do not act when they should. Our administration does not administer when it should. Our police forces follow their own agenda without a thought for the grievances of the public. Our politicians are too busy trying to garner votes and seize seats of power to douse the flames of rebellion amongst the masses. Look at the outcome of the crimes against people like the Babri Masjid, the '84 anti-Sikh riots,the Gujrat riots, the rise and rise of the so called Maoists who have brought so many administrations to their knees! Yet, we get a lot of words and no action. Look at the justice system. Look at Nithari, the Aarushi case and now the Rathore case. It comes through quite clearly that the rot in our systems places influential people above the law. It also comes through very clearly that in this much tom-tommed democracy politics is more important than law and order. For, it is politics that prevents the administration from nipping the viciousness of the Sena and MNS in the bud in Mumbai.
It is said that nature abhors a vacuum. Similarly, governance also abhors a vacuum. Where the administration abdicades its right to govern and dispense justice, for whatever reason, people will sooner or later assume the roles of the administrators.One does not have to go far. One look at the traffic management in Delhi should be suficient to drive home this point. Motorists themselves are handing out justice more and more with their fists, feet, knives and guns while the police remain helpless to come to the aid of the wronged party. The vacuum in policing has brought about such a situation, which, to say the least, has assumed alarming proportions.
So when SPS Rathore is let off practically scot-free for his heinous crimes it is not surprising that an individual decides to fill the void left by the system. This is truly alarming. When will the administrators wake up? Will it be when the maoists rule the roost in a good part of the country or will it be when the MNS and the Sena drive away sane and good people from Mumbai. Will their be someone or some institution to ensure that criminals are caught and punished? Or will we see thousands of Utsavs all over the country taking the law into their own hands in the interest of perceived justice? In other words, are we slowly, but surely, headed for utter lawlessness and anarchy?
This is my fear. I earnestly hope I am wrong.
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