The Spicy Indian Blog

‘Soul’ Kadhi

2011-05-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

Just an innocuous pickup at the Mumbai airport could end up costing you over Rs.300 even before you sit in your pickup vehicle. I guess I was just a minute late in locating the mini-van that had come to pick me up at the Santacruz Airport in Mumbai. The Airport was the first stop on starting from Dadar for Amit, Ranjeet-Preeti, and Nishant on the way to Dapoli.

Our destination, Harne-Murud was around 270 km southwards from Dadar (Mumbai – erstwhile Bombay) , and around 380kms northwards from Goa. Very much on the coast. And this region in general, is silently proud of its numerous beautiful beaches. Much like the less flamboyant but nevertheless very beautiful country girls.

The Konkan region is the beautiful south-western coastline of the state of Maharashtra in India. This verdant region, with bountiful coconut and betel-nut plantations had yet escaped my travel till date. Guess it had to wait for the first decade of the new millennium to turn over, for me to be able to leave my footprints on the sands of Harne. These footprints would in all probability would have been washed away even before I left beach…  …

I hopped into the van around 8.45-9.00am. I had managed to fit in to be a part of the annual ‘year-transition IESMES get-together’ probably after 3 sessions of it had passed by. And I was quite excited about it. Was also looking forward to meet Nishant after over 3 years. He and I used to meet up during my stint in Concord. He used to stay near the Milipitas-Mountain View limits in CA, and the road to his apartment on San Bernardo Av. involved taking a couple of quick curvy exits.

The first stop along the way was a restaurant called ‘Kshanbhar Vishraanti’, somewhere near Panvel. The restaurant lived up to its name by taking quite some vishraanti between each order. We were so amused by the waiter’s ’10 minnte laagitil’ for most of our orders, that we reciprocated with the same information when he brought us the bill finally. 

With our vehicle having ample space for all of us, the journey to Harne was not so tiresome. We ceaselessly reconnected and talk away any semblance of tiredness over the journey. The vegetation slowly changed to a lot of coconut palms and mangroves.
The last few kilometers embodied the pareto principle, and seemed to take excessive time aided by a traffic jam in a ‘thin’ village road which was actually a wrong detour anyway.

It took the better part of the day to reach the resort. And we were glad to have parked and disembarked. Kedar had reached from Pune a few hours earlier, and came down to receive us.

As the evening approached, the spirits in the mind rose as quickly as those in the bottle flowed. For me, it was a re-grouping after quite a few years. So, there were lots of gaps to be filled in. The amount of water that had flowed under everybody’s bridge seemed to have carved new formations in each person. Though it had left many parts of personality untouched or even accentuated some shades over the years, it also had washed some sediment away over time. However, the ‘iesmes’ part of the personality only seemed to have evolved more for the better.

While we waited for our snacks to arrive, some early observations seemed to convert into Realizations. Amit’s repository of songs, effortlessly recollected and rendered was quite a surprise for me…a chain of songs with a truthful effort to let the rendition emanate the intended feelings . He seemed to be a man completely at peace with himself. His active social and political life, apart from his professional one, sure has helped sculpt his personality positively.

Kedar seemed to have gone over the hill eventually and apparently had changed personality. He seemed quite unshackled, and was consequently more animated. For this season of the trip, he did bring in much vivacity to the proceedings, and was quite on a roll.

After a while, when the sun had gone down and the crickets had started stirring, I got up to explore the area towards the back of the resort. After a few meters though, it got overwhelmingly dark. Bereft of any sort of light, also far from any urban luminescence, the rhythmic motions of the sea took on a completely new personality. The sound of the waves caressing the shore purposefully, in the nocturnal hours, was wholesomely inviting. The sounds of the sea vacillated between gentle feels to noisily encroaching thrusts. However, I had by now conceded that I was sufficiently intimidated by the dense darkness in an unknown place, and renounced my attempt to approach the sea shore at night. I trudged back slowly to our small congregation.

For the night, Me, Nishant and Amit dropped off in the bachelor camp on the first floor, reached by a circuitous staircase, which vibrated as we clambered upwards every time, though thankfully not with the resonant frequency . Ranjeet and Preeti camped next doors. Kedar and family were put up on the ground floor room.

Morning brought in a fresh perspective of the resort. With the tea delivered to our rooms, I readied myself quickly for a quick dekko of the sea and the beach, which I missed out the earlier evening.

In the morning, the sea presented a picture of unconcerned calmness and deep vastness.
The beach only seemed incidental.

Nevertheless, it was a beautiful beach. Miles of virgin beach stretching in two directions. Lush mountains rose and accompanied alongside for quite a stretch in one direction. The other had bountiful coconut and betelnut plantations stretching for hundreds of acres alongside. A limitless expanse of infinite tamed sand; sand tamed by hot and cold approach of the periodically advancing and receding tides. For a moment, it reminded me of some of the beaches I had seen on Highway 1 in California. Of course, I did miss seeing the best ones further away on that highway and those on the Big Sur area. Still I was fortunate enough to have been to the Monterey area and Point Reyes, and the Half-Moon Bay, all uniquely beautiful.

The highlight of this trip was much frolicking and banter in the comfortably agitated waters of the Arabian sea at this location. Relaxingly cool waters, enjoyable sunshine with the right amount of cloud cover made sure we spent a lot of time dobbing in the sea.
A lot of ruffles of life dissolved into the sea and were washed away for the time-being.

A little while later in the morning, the sands set the scene for a couple of miles of jog for Nishant, Kedar and Me. Terns that had flocked together and assembled far off became the turning back point. The terns though receded back as we came in nearer. It was fun to try and venture as near as possible to the flock, however, the multitude of tern droppings proved repulsive :-). Crisscrossing between the shallows of the sea and the settled sand, the jog was pleasant. Nishant is actually a good marathon runner, and completed the jog in good time. He had also planned to run the Mumbai Marathon since he happened to be here then. I think he has had the experience of running a few marathons in California too, and is of course a regular runner too from an exercise point of view.

Another high point of the trip was the food of course. The taste, made more flavorful by the obvious lack of attempt to sensationalize it. Beauty in Simplicity, and the original flavors blossom. The volume – Humongous quantities were consumed. Crabs, shrimps, a plethora of fish. Me being a vegetarian lived on the staple of batata bhaji (semi-mashed potato curry), and other veggie dishes which were flavorful too. Amit had agreed to scan and send the receipts of the consumption as a memoir. I must upload it here as soon as he sends it to me .

Ranjeet surely had his fill of the sumptuous and succulent sea-food. For me, since childhood, Ranjeet has been an embodiment of assertiveness and clarity of ideals and action. For us, he was our un-contested class monitor during our entire school stretch. I am pretty sure he must be carrying the same leadership charisma in his professional life now.

The day we were to leave, we had requested for ‘ukadiche modak’, another local delicacy (steamed dumplings with shredded coconut filling sweetened with jaggery or sugar). Justice was done to these with much alacrity.

One of our requests, was for Sol-Kadhi, a lightly spiced drink made of coconut-milk. The subtly delicious taste led to a lot of encores. The hosts were generous enough to provide to our demands. As I sat there with another glass of soothing sol-kadhi, I realized that this trip has been relevant to me on multiple fronts. It was for the first time in more than couple of years that I had actually been on a purely pleasure trip. I also looked at this trip as my official re-assimilation into my school friend circle. Spending time again with people whom you have shared your most innocent and uncorrupted times does a lot of good to your soul. By now, most of us have surged ahead in life on many fronts, though might have managed to get some scars too. Spending time with a group of forward-looking, talented, and successful individuals also does much to ignite new internal motivational and inspirational fires, and keep existing ones burning for another term. It feels so good to realize that you have so many more positive persons in your life, and silently hope that this positivity is hugely contagious. But most importantly, it’s the company of such great friends that one has that does you a huge good. Many of these things I cannot take for granted any more.

An affirmative realization sunk in with each sip, that a dose of this periodic 'soul'-kadhi was not only extremely enjoyable, but was unarguably good for the soul too.

Aaj Holiday Aahe...

2010-03-13T04:20:00.000-08:00

Shubham has now taken his 2nd or 3rd baby step in analytical comprehension. Now he can grasp constructs like if-then-else, action-reaction, cause-effect, basic shapes. His most interesting observation till date was when he saw a person exercising in the apartment. He pointed out 'Taingle'. I was about to ignore his pointing as a follied infantile babble, when my slower CPU brain connected the dots, and saw the 'taingle' or triangle he was referring to : the shape formed by the man's outstretched legs with the ground.

He is also climbing the inquisitive ladder fast. 'He kaay ae? he kaay ae?' is a mantra that he chants unerringly at any new thing that his rapidly building encyclopedia cannot index to.
And then he cements his knowledge by asking the 'he xyz aahe ka' type of questions.
And they keep on coming faster than even the training ball machines on tennis courts can throw at you. But hey unlike the tennis balls, his innocently analytical questions feel good when they get you.

I told him I was going to Germany for a couple of weeks, and asked if it was ok. He said "No. Aaj Holiday Aahe". Of course I did not expect Shubham to understand the context or the time period I was to be away for. But my sonny boy did understand I was asking him if I could go somewhere; needless to say I was happy to hear my 2.25 year old say No.

Benched by Shubham.

2009-07-25T03:10:00.000-07:00

Today morning I returned from the bank, and turned inside crossing the entrance to the car-park. Shubham rambled along.
There are two benches there placed opposite to each other, beside the walk-way.
Shubham suddenly turned and climbed the bench, and sat there. And told me 'Teeee bassa', implying 'Sit, and on that bench there, not this one'. Then we just sat there for the next ten minutes. People came and passed by, minutes came and passed by. And we just sat there. Shubham looked around and admired the plants, and searched around for the 'fullu' or flowers. I indicated to him I we should go home now, but he clearly said 'naahi' (which he can say quite firmly now :-) ) . And we sat for somemore time.
What was revealing to me that it is possible to spend time with Shubham without doing the high-energy running around or playing, and screaming part. Just sit down in front of each other. A nice and quiet moment to share.

Registering at the FRO Bangalore.

2009-07-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

We landed in India on the 10th of Jan 2009. July 9 would have implied the completion of 6 months on returning back from the US.SHubham has a PIO, so he did not need a visa to enter India. He did not have a OCI since none of me or my wife is a US citizen or green card holder. We are part of that sect of the neue Indian populace which strives to get the world for their children, but themselves prefer to return to their motherland after they have gratified themselves with their adventurous forays abroad.
So, around 1st week of June, we started working towards getting Shubham registered as a Resident Alien here in India, or Bangalore to be more specific.
The first step we took is get a financial affidavit of support from a Chartered Accountant who got it notarised it for us. I won't mention the name here, but its in Jayanagar, and I had earlier got my pan card done, and income tax return done from him a few years back.I visited him on a Saturday. You will probably get the notarisation done by Monday evening, or by Tuesday maximum. I paid Rs.500 for the service. However, some chartered accountants get it done even for Rs.200. The format I had used for creating the affidavit document was the same prescribed in the FRO website.
Apart from the above affidaavit of financial support, the other documents needed were as follows :
1) Double copies of Shubham's passport
2) Double copies of Shubham's PIO.
3) Double copy of Address proof of parents/guardians. (A recent telephone bill)
4) Double copy of Passports of Parents.
5) Double copy of Shubham's Birth Certificate.
6) Double Copies of the PIO Document.
7) 3 Photos
Also note that the person (kid) being registered should also be present.
The forms needed to be filled up are :
FOREIGNERS REGISTRATION OFFICE (FRO) BANGALORE CITY Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) in Bangalore City is located at the Office of the Commissioner of Police, No.1, Infantry Road, Bangalore-560001. For Registration and extension of Residential Permit (RP) etc, please contact: a) Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence, - 080-22200920(Fax) Office of the Commissioner of Police, - 080-22942354 Bangalore - 560 001 b) Asst. Commissioner of Police, - 080-22942186 City Special Branch (Administration), Office of the Commissioner of Police, Bangalore - 560001. Working hours: 10 AM to 5.30 PM on all working days (Monday to Saturday, except General holidays)
To drive there, you can actually get directions from Google, accurate to a good extent. Be aware
of parking unavailability around the commissioner's office. So, you might want to park in a private parking lot across a signal, by paying a small fee. Its a 5 minute walk from there to the commissioner's office.

When you walk in to the commissioner's office, you have to register your entry in first, in a small office at the gate to the left. Then inside straight ahead to the right is the office where you have to actual foreign registration.

You have to present your kid and the documents to one of the two persons sitting at the counter right when you enter the registration office. This might take some time depending on the crowd. It is a bit disorganized, but you can still manage. It is advised to be patient and polite, whatever the situation.

After the verification, you will be asked to get the signature of the Asst.Commissioner.

After t his you make the payment, and collect the acknowledgement from the rightmost counter. These counters are right beside the initial verification counter.

You have to submit the original passport to the Office, at the counter mentioned above (where you made the payment). You could collect this the next day or in two days. I submitted it on a Saturday, and collected it on Monday\Tuesday.

Make sure you preserve the acknowledgement receipt carefully.

The Return to Innocence...

2009-02-02T01:05:00.000-08:00

After staying on for another four unscheduled days in the US, I returned back to Bangalore for good. This homeward migration of mine occurred 3 years and 5 days after I had taken off for San Francisco.
Mentally, I was boarding the train back where I had disembarked. People, Places, and the Times, however, had moved far off in the meantime. So, every moment was a surprise of some sort; whether because of the humungous rise in prices, or the developments in the places that I had known, or the metamorphic transformation of the company I worked at, or the changes in the lives of people around me.

Every moment implied recalibrating my understanding of things. That still goes on.
Wish there was a simple F5 to life.

It will still be some time, though, before it reveals to me how relevent I and my accruals over the last few years stand in the context of today here.

Shubham's First Birthday !!!

2008-12-31T17:40:00.001-08:00

Today, the 1st of Jan 2009 is Shubham's First Birthday...!

Here's his First Birthday Cake :

The Cake is Two-Themed : Mickey and His Gang Plus Nemo And his Friend !!! Got custom made at the HyVee SuperMarket here in Rochester...!

Ain't it cool? A Wonderful Cake For A Precious Boy...! Kulkarnyancha Diva aaj Ek Varshacha jhaala. Celebrate !!! We are already off to a Party!!!

Winter Warning...!

2008-12-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

There would surely be some relief for me that I would not be in the Midwest for the worst part of this year's winter...! I have had more than my share of the cold last year.
This area gives new dimensions to the word FRIGID. This part of the world could be a candidate for the place where the phrase '...and the hell freezes over' was coined...

Fingers turn into popsicles before you can even say 'freeze'... :-(... You see, with temperatures feeling like minus 38 degrees celcius, if we come to India to a temperature of 30 degrees, that entails a temperature jump of nearly 60-70 degrees. Interesting, eh...

This is just the beginning. Aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya...!

Shubham gets his First Haircut...

2008-12-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

Shubham got his first haircut today the 2nd of Dec 2008. This was nearly 11 months after his birth.

We went to the Supercuts in the Marketplace Dr. It lies in the same complex near Panera Bread and Chipotle. I guess Papa would remember that. He has been to the complex a few times.

The lady performing the haircut did it niftyly. So the experience was good and not at all tiresome.

Shubham was a bit uncomfortable when she attempted to cut the hair near his ears. But otherwise, but Mugdha and I were talking to him all the while, and he was ok.

After the haircut, he looks a bit grownup now. This prompted me to change my way of talking to him and the way I look at him with mind's eyes.

His first locks, as per the family tradition, need to be deposited in a river. We chose the Mississippi, no less. The next time I travel to La Crosse, I would stop by the beautiful Rest Area (the first one on the Minnesota side while returning from La Crosse). The Mississippi is usually frozen at this time of the year. But I observe that the area on the right side of the lock and barrage is not yet frozen. So I would head out to the Mississippi to do the needful before it completely freezes over.

The Caucasian belle who cut Shubham's hair is by name of April. On a lighter note, though I was the first in my family to get his hair cut by a Caucasian beauty, but Shubham was the first one to have even his first haircut done by by one. :-) .

With the typical US penchant for glorification (whether deserving or mundane), Shubham even got a certificate on his first Haircut. :-) . Attaching it below for some fun. Ciao for now.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland...

2008-11-09T10:28:00.001-08:00

They say a Picture is worth a Thousand words. So this article would be worth atleast 6-7000 words. Let's see if they convey what I had to convey about the landscape when I was clicking these.

Beethoven's Fifth and My First.

2008-10-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I ventured to do something I had stopped doing for quite some time. Open an hitherto unopened window. And then enjoy the new vista.

I attended a concert in Western Classical Music at the Mayo Civic Center Theater in Rochester.

It was a concert featuring Beethoven's Fifth symphony, the beginning of which has been used for great effect in many a dramatic situations.

I began listening to western classicals more intently during my long to and fro drives to La Crosse. Listening to the Minnesota Public Radio became a habit. My ear became accustomed to the concertos and symphonies played on throughout. In fact so much that my first instincts after sitting in the car, apart from confirming the position of the rearview mirror, were to confirm I was on FM 91.7 . This is not to say that I understood the technicalities at all, but simply that I used to like listening to these classical strains.

I recently got a 'Classical Music For Dummies' audiobookfrom the Public Library so that I could make some sense of these euphonious soundwaves hitting my eardrums. Then drew my own conclusions. I concluded Bianca Castafiore, Captain Haddock's alleged love-interest was probably the best example of a 'Soprano' that I knew. I concluded that an' Alto' was much more that the car I had back in Bangalore. It now also referred to instrumental families or choral singers which had the second highest range of frequencies below those of sopranos. Baritone, bass and tenor and treble now had meanings in a wider context of my new-found knowledge.

The Dummies tape also told me there was always a social before the actual performance. A chance to mingle with the graceful and some very beautiful attendees in my case. Apart from a brief introduction of the performace from the conductor himself, What made my evening till then, was some great complimentary champagne. Champagne is great. Complimentary Champagne is greater still.

The concert was performed by the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. The evenings performace had 3 parts. First was Beethoven's Concerto N0. 4. Second was the Choral Fantasy, and the third being the famous Symphony No.5. The reason that you see numbers rather than actual names for these compositions, is that publishers then preferred simple numerical nomenclature.

The Evening was the 200th Anniversary of Beetoven's public performance of the same in a huge concert. 200 years ago, the performance was not that successful due to various factors. However today's was a good success. Horacio Nuguid was the lead pianist, who performed impeccably. The position of the piano was different from its traditional position on a concert stage, in order to adjust to the specifc acoustics of this hall.

Since childhood, I was always fascinated by concerts like those I saw on TV performed by Zubin Mehta in India. Today was my chance to see it and know more about it. Names of conducterslike Zubin Mehta or composers like Beethoven or Mozart or Vivaldi make more sense now. What must be comforting to the likes of Zubin Mehta :-) is that I understood that the conductors of an orchester have much to more do and undertand that just stand there waving a stick at everybody. They must also have an understanding of all the musical instruments in the concert, a great understanding of the pieces they are to play, coordinate all the players egos and acoustic outputs at all the serial performances. All the while making sure he interprets the great composers correctly, whose work they are about to bring out.

Amongst the music I have heard, must say that I happen to like Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and the festival choral Carol of the Bells, though of course these were not performed here.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Saturday Evening. Especially My Nth Champagne, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and my First Concert.

In God He Trusts...

2008-04-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

On the 16th of April, we crossed the milestone we had planned for so intricately over the last year. This effort towards this goal was probably driven by the same parental instinct which motivates you to try and have the best for your kids. At least, to the maximum extent possible, have the best options available for them to select from.

We recieved Shubham's passport, a US one, this day. Shubham is now a US national, born to Indian parents, who wish to remain Indian yet themselves. I guess I am part of that expanding tribe of some of the Indians, which wants their progeny to be US citizens, but shy away from that commitment for themselves. At the end of the day, this tribe is happy to go back to their motherland, for whatever it holds in store for them.

Yeah. Sure. But this blogticle is about Shubham's US passport and his US citizenship. It would be the first time in the Kulkarni clan, or in related families, that anybody would have his motherland and nationality different from each other. Interesting eh; more about that later.

The US passport is of course, a document deserving good interest. Not only for its value. It also is splattered with mouthfuls of gems attributed to eminent personalities from the US.

The passport proudly asserts the national motto of the United States : 'In God We Trust'. It appears on currency as well as official documents. The motto E Pluribus Unum, ("from many, one") too, still appears on coins and currency, and was widely considered the national motto de facto. Originally suggesting that out of many colonies or states emerge a single nation, it has come to suggest in contemporary times that out of many peoples, races, and ancestries has emerged a single people and nation – illustrating the concept of the melting pot.

This document also has Lincoln proclaiming "O say does that star spangled banner yet wave over the land of the free & home of the brave ... and that that Goverment of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth."

So let me tell you something more about the place where Shubham was born. Well, of course, he was born in the US. But I am not elaborating on so broad a picture. But am giving you the finer details to keep it interesting.

Here goes.

The Olmsted County Hospital :
The Birth Center of the Olmsted County Hospital is where Shubham was born. The County Hospital still holds its rightful place in the territory of the Mayo Clinic.
I must say we were lucky to have been associated with the OMC, to recieve such professional and genuinely caring attention that can be rivalled only by the best medical establishments in the world.

Olmsted County :
A county is of course a district in our lingo. The Olmsted county is one of the counties of the state of Minnesota, with a total area of 654 square miles. Rochester is the principal city of this county. Though Minnesota itself is called the land of 10000 Lakes, Olmsted county itself does not bear natural lakes, but does have six lakes created artifically. Out of them, Silver lake is one of those which I visit frequently. The Silver lake has a huge population of Canadian Geese, which is quite enjoyable. Its a beautiful place to visit in all the four seasons.

Rochester : Think Rochester, think Mayo Clinic. The mayo is one of the largest and best known medical facilities on the face of this earth, and the most well-respected medical facilities in the world. Many famous people from around the world, including former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and King Hussein of Jordan, have visited Rochester as patients of the Mayo Clinic. As recent as last month, The Dalai Lama too had visited the Mayo-Rochester to deliver a lecture on spirituality and healing. Mayo specializes in virtually every medical specialty and provides care for more than 500,000 patients each year from more than 150 countries.
It could be said that the town's economy is driven by the Mayo. The town's population is around 1,00,000. Nishant once joked that 1 lakh tar Dadarchya eka gallit rahat astil. :-) . Very true, I guess. (There could be 100000 people living on a single street of Dadar, Bombay) .

The town lies along the south fork of the Zumbro River. Click here link to see an ariel view of Rochester.

Minnesota : Minnesota is the northernmost state in US outside of Alaska. It goes without saying that is one of the coldest in US here, with the area known as the Ice Box of America. It lies in the region in US known as the Upper Midwest, bordering Canada.

Known as the land of the 10000 lakes, the state does boast of nearly 11800 lakes.
In times before 12000 years ago, massive ice sheets at least one kilometer thick ravaged the landscape of the state and sculpted its current terrain. As the glaciers receded, they left a lot of lakes behind them in the areas they had eroded.
Minnesota endures temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate; with cold winters and hot summers, the record high and low can vary in a range of > 96°C. I have experienced temperatures feeling like -45 degress celcius in this Jan. I remember walking in -25 deg celcius in Rochester downtown. It was like spending 15 minutes with thousands of pins and needles blasting your face every microsecond. I would not really want to duplicate that feat again. Papa too was tih me. It was an experience whichc will remain 'frozen' in both of our minds for a long time to come. I can also say the state would have some of the best fall season seen anywhere.The Climate produces events including heavy rain, copious snow, hail, blizzards, polar fronts, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and high-velocity straight-line winds. You really have to experience the winds to believe the power they pack.

We do intend to come back to India soon. It would not be the most comfortable feeling that my son would be a resident alien in my own country. But I would be happy that he would be a global citizen. Being a US citizen has its own advantages Its up to him now,and his performance, how he uses these advantages to his benefit, and upgrading his life further yet.
Down the line, his not being an Indian citizen can bring some interesting situations to the fore. What if one fine day he expresses reservations to singing Vande Mataram, but wants to recite the star spangled banner instead :-) ? Will he consider himself different from most of his peers once he understands his US connection ? In a match between India and USA, whether on the playground or unforseeably on the battleground, with whom would his loyalties lie? Would he have that affinity to the country of his birth, that he would want to return there so soon? Mny of those questions are for later though :-) .

But for now, we are happy for what he is. We do hope that we know and understand the challenges that this brings forth. In God we trust too...!

I would conclude this blog with a video of Shubham reading his newspaper. Now is that 'USA Today' ? Click here to view the video.

Sonrise in Minnesota...

2008-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

The Drive to La Crosse in the morning is a long one. It is also one of the most scenic drives that I have had to undertake till date.

Driving along on the Interstate 90 this time of the year is like driving inside a picture postcard. The landscape is blanketed in snow, and radiates a stark, yet bright and unblemished beauty. Charming villages with happily snow covered roofs roll by.
For a change, I can enjoy this beauty without fear of the moment passing away, as I know I will be back the next morning or the like.

What makes this morning drive exquisite is the direction that I drive on the I-90 early in the morning.

East.

The Sunrise over such a wonderfully picturesque landscape is such a treat. Each morning when I start the drive after 6.30, I see a uniquely magnificent vista. Each day, the fresh cloud formations ensure I see a differently splendorous panorama.

The sky splashes itself with joy at first hint that the sun is beginning its rise in a while.
The glorious hues that the sky radiates, only showcases the overflowing joy that it is not able to contain within itself. So these beaming colours spill over to the stark yet beautiful landscape, which is only too willing to soak them up.

The harbinger of the nascent sun is the crimson that peeps up over a small portion of the sky over the horizon. Moments later, a deep saffron orange hue spreads above the crimson sliver. Over the next few minutes, the saffron strengthens to a bright orange.
Slowly the sun will blaze a golden across the terrain.

All these colors liberally paint the behemoth scape of nature, which is currently snowy pure as far as you can eye. Resulting in a resplendent splashing of deep colours on a picturesque canvas that only nature can paint.

The 1st of Jan 2008. Time 7.53 am. Another spectacular journey was beginning. The sunrise which I had been waiting for the last many months was happening.

It was my own personal Sonrise.

Shailendra and Mugdha Kulkarni are pleased beyond words, to announce their own Sonrise, the birth of their Son, " Shubham Shailendra Kulkarni ", on the morning of the 1st of January 2008, at Rochester, MN.

His crimson cheeks captured my attention first. And then he cried out to announce his arrvial to the world, his face flushing a deeper crimson, much as the sun when he is just out to begin his rise.

My son changed the canvas of my life forever, splashing it with radiant colors which I never knew existed. By Grace of God, I hope he ascends the open sky of his life with golden glory. Liberally Spreading sunshine, joy and happiness all around.

Mr.C.V.Kulkarni and Mrs.A.C.Kulkarni proudly proclaim the birth of their grandson Shubham Kulkarni. This article would be incomplete without mentioning their unconditional support to Me and Mugdha during the last few months.

I also take this event, to fondly and intensely, remember my Aaji, who would have been the person most overflowing with joy, amongst all people I know, at this moment to see the new 'Kulkarnyancha Diva', or the new ascendent to the Kulkarni clan.

To add to the brimming joy, Shubham was Rochester's New Year Baby, and was on television too.

I cannot thank God enough for his good grace.

May God's Grace continue to shower on my son Shubham.

Breakfast of the Gods...

2007-11-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

Wish I was still having my morning visit to the Breakfast Table at the Bayerischer Hof.
Its this table after all, which has successfully overthrown the four year old reign of the Homewood Suites Hilton Breakfast as my fav breakfast.

Man...Was I impressed with the layout...!

Even the start with the corn flakes was out of ordinary. The variety was so abundant that I could practically have something new everyday of my two week stay there. Every glistening flake inviting you to taste its lustrous crunch. Add milk and honey and you really are off to a sumptous start.

The German Breakfast has a variety of Mueseli too, unlike the breakfasts in US. I feel Mueseli tastes better with some corn flakes added though.

My favorite part of the breakfast were the mini croissants. I love croissants since my childhood, and their availibility on this breakfast table really sealed the decision for me, proclaiming it as the new champion for me :-) ...

Maracujasaft or Maracuja juice has been a welcome taste for me since I have been in touch with Germany. Here, they had the Multifruchtsaft (along with lots of other juices) which was enlived by the distinctive flavor and aroma of Maracuja juice.

I also used to order an omlette with tomatoes, paprika and herbs. The chef prepared it for me the way I liked it, brownish and crisp. Add some salt and pepper, and you would not mind that you were not having the spicy indian version of this omlette. It was indeed juicy and well prepared.

For those who like deli, there were an array of sliced meats too. However, since I am knowledgeable about them, I would not elaborate much.

Another typical german breakfast item was the range of breads available. I took the opportunity to partake of some hearty multigrain breads, and also had the chance to pick up the german pretzel.

The fruit bowl was available for a healthy start to a day. Each succulent piece of fruit oozed its juices into the bowl, which created a subtle but exotic cocktail. It was quite aromatic to the swirling tongue, which tossed the contents with sweet anticipation into the alimentary orifice.

This cocktail competed with the multifruchtsaft that was standing alongside in the petite and curvy Granini glass. The Granini glass itself is a pleasure to drink out of, or simply hold. And more so if it held something like Maracujasaft, which I relish. Enjoy.

But what win handsdown are my favorite buttery croissants. Each crispy croissant melted into flakes as soon as I tasted it. Long Live the Croissants..!

I am sure I gained a few pounds after partaking of this ambrosia for two weeks straight... No. I do not plan to confirm my weight gain. :-) ...

Bye Bye California...

2007-08-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

You are walking past a door for the last time...

The click of the opening door handle, for once seems so conspicuous, and suddenly seems to trigger off a surge of feelings within you. You hold the door half-way; and look back at your place. Your chest seems to get clouded just as you turn. You try to gather as much of this place within your eyes, and hope that atleast the memories will stay forever as fresh as how you are looking at it now.And that you be willingly able to recall these in your mind anytime you wish to.
While you are still reluctant to let go of the door, you wonder, if you did justice to this place when you were here; whether you did justice with the time that you spent here.

You know that you are going to miss this place; if only for some time, but you will.

As you decide to let go, you know its more than a door that you are letting close, its a chapter of your life that you are closing...Moving on to the next chapter with fresh hopes as well as new apprehensions, and definitely with still moist memories of this closing chapter...

Self-Help is 'Do It Yourself'... :-) ...

2007-08-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

I think I must say this aloud as I am quite happy about it...
I recently carried out some car repairs myself. The left headlamp of my car had fused. And it had to be replaced. So instead of going to the technician to do this, I just bought the lamp from Kragen Auto Parts and changed it myself. Changing the front headlamp is not as straightforward as changing the taillight. However some reading and some dexterity and some common sense helped.

Also, since 120K miles on my car had lapsed, I thought of changing the Air Filter too.
Before I first carried out my relatively minor reparis to my car, I was indeed a bit apprehensive, this being completely uncharted territory for me.
But the headlamp change bolstered my confidence, and I decided to carry out the Air Filter change too myself, as it seemed to be straightforward.

The 'Do it Yourself' web sites like WikiHow.com etc. on the Net proved to be of good help in both cases.

I would never have had to do this in India, and hence probably would never have had an opportunity to try it out. But I did dare to try this out here. And did it.

Good for now. :-) ...

(May be the blogticle 'If Wishes Were Horses...' that I posted in June 2006 had something to trigger my trying these things out.)

Its best left to one's common sense how far you can trust your understanding and dexterity, and risk doing tasks yourself of corresponding complexity only. I think its worth trying it out if, based on your reading, you can visualise completing a task from start to finish.

Good Luck!

Nananchi JanmaShatabdi...

2007-07-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Heartfelt Remembrances and Tribute to my paternal GrandFather ("Nana"). It was indeed His discipline and efforts, and the Grace of God, which is the foundation of where all in the Kulkarni Family stand comfortably today.

I had earlier written about Nana on this site itself. Click here to read about about him.

Today is 17th July 2007 the Centenary of his Birth. He was born 17th July 1907.

Nana, We will always remember You...

Asta-la-Vista BeeBee

2007-07-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Posting my funny scribble regarding a not-so-funny Bee-Attack incident which I suffered in Bangalore more than 2 years ago.
The email chain is self-explanatory...! :-) ...

I think the email chain makes reading it all the more interesting. Hence posting it along with the poem.

Hope you enjoy :-) ...Read this article, starting from the bottom... :-) ...

-----Original Message-----
From: Kulkarni Shailendra
Sent: 03 February 2005 14:28
To: George Molina; Ferris Tamara; Bhavana; Sundar G
Subject: Asta-la-Vista BeeBee

Hi ,

I do not know if the editors are looking for this.

Anyways, Here Goes...

Asta-la-Vista BeeBee

They Came In Droves,

Wave After Wave,

Before Each Strike I almost Heard Them Buzz

Har Har Mahadev !!!

Their Harakiris Were Not in Vain,

B'cos I was Instantly in acute pain...!

My transition from an Innocuous Passerby

To A Perceived Ill-Meaning Allied Spy,

Took Me By Utter Nasty Surprise;

All that I could Hear Now,

With the Mounting Sickening Buzz,

Were My own Pathetic Cries.

Some connection from past-life exhorted,

"Bhaag Arjjun BhaaSSSg",

And then my rattled body Was All

Aag Hee Aag...!

Though I ran possessed,

Shouting Hoarse For Help,

Unheard was my plea,

And I hadn't anything but to flee.

When I did find a safe refuge,

And the situation seemed to sort of diffuse,

T'was time to assess the harm

Done By the Ever-So Virulent Swarm.

My Body did Resemble

Old McDonalds Bee Farm...

"Eeyaa Eeyaa Ouch...

Here A Sting, There A Sting,

EveryWhere Sting Sting..."

The Sting Operation Was

A Complete Success,

And they turned Back to their 'Hivenly' Abode

After their Punishing Excess.

And Just before they turned,

They puffed off their smoking guns

And Then Buzz Triumphantly Aloud,

"Asta-la-Vista Bee-Bee".

--- A Hapless Beektim.

-----Original Message-----
From: George Molina
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 3:33 PM
To: Kulkarni Shailendra
Subject: RE: Kuch-Bee jokes

Great :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Kulkarni Shailendra
Sent: 01 February 2005 15:09
To: George Molina
Cc: Sundar G; Ferris Tamara; Bhavana
Subject: RE: Kuch-Bee jokes

Achhaaa...

Okie. Let me try to write a 'bee't. Haven't completed a full written item in 2-3 years...

Let me try.

So Help Me God.

Your's haplessly,

Beektim.

-----Original Message-----
From: George Molina
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 2:56 PM
To: Kulkarni Shailendra
Cc: Sundar G; Ferris Tamara; Bhavana
Subject: FW: Kuch-Bee jokes

Hi Shail,

Do let us know the actual 'sad' story behind this compilation in your own words, so that we can give a fair picture of the stung victim - You :-).

Where did this happen, how, etc.? is what the editors are looking for ....

Deadline is 7th Feb, failing which we will give our own interpretation :-)

We are planning to have a cariacature of 'Shail being followed by a swarm of bees" made. So, be prepared for another honey bee attack after mid-feb :-)

And Thanks Sundar - we are publishing this in our newsletter. Hope that's ok.

Molina

-----Original Message-----
From: Ferris Tamara
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 11:29 AM
To: George Molina
Subject: FW: Kuch-Bee jokes

-----Original Message-----
From: Kulkarni Shailendra
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 2:04 PM
To: Sundar G; Basu Amarnath; Chaya M; Ferris Tamara; Shamanna Nagaraj; Bhavana; George Molina; Purnima; Sejekan Megha
Subject: RE: Kuch-Bee jokes

...well, what to say...I'm absolutely stung...!

-----Original Message-----
From: Sundar G
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 1:59 PM
To: Basu Amarnath; Chaya M; Ferris Tamara; Shamanna Nagaraj; Bhavana; George Molina; Purnima; Sejekan Megha
Cc: Kulkarni Shailendra
Subject: Kuch-Bee jokes

1. What is Shailendra Kulkarni's favourite classical music piece?

Flight of the Bumble bee.

2. What is his favourite PC?

IBM Busybee

3. Which is his favourite Hindi song?
Ka-bee ka-bee

4. Which is his favourite Hindi movie?
Bees saal baad

5. If he remakes it what will he call it?
15-Bees saal baad

6. If he goes to a Chennai dhaba what will he call the waiter?
Tham-bee

7. Which is his favourite sport?
Rug-bee

8. Which is his favourite comic?

Rip Kir-bee

9. If he meets a stranger what will he call him/her?
Ajna-bee

10. If he were Sherlock Holmes, where would he live?
221-Bee Baker's Street

11. If he were the Prince of Denmark, what would he say?

To bee or not to bee

12. What did the Malayalee say he looked like after he was stung?
Grum-bee

13. What would Rajinikant say about him?

Jujju-bee

14. Where does he get electricity in his house from?
K.E.Bee

15. Who does he send new CHARMs to?
C.C.Bee
16. What will he say when he reads this?
"Kuch-bee"
Yeah I know its cruel on him to pick on him when he is hurt... phir-bee ...

I have taken the liberty of including the last part of the email chain, which lists the wonderfully creative 'Kuch-Bee' jokes authored by Sundar G, or 'Bull' as we affectionately call him.
Both, My Poem 'Asta-La-Vista Bee-Bee' as well as Sundar's 'Kuch-Bee Jokes' had been published earlier on my then project's newsletter.

A Fractured Acquittal...

2007-06-15T16:33:00.001-07:00

It was the first year of my primary school. Was a day like any other. It was just past recess.

I was back in the class after watching boys from my class play pakdapakdi (catch-n-cook).

I remember D'Mello teacher had come into the class. She was a replacement for Gaekwad teacher, who had proceeded on long leave for some reason. I was quite fond of her, as were many boys of the class. She seemed to be very beautiful, and quite adorable, apparently contradictory to the quite strict Gaekwad teacher, who was our actual class teacher.

There had been some incident. And I was paying good attention to the goings on, like all first standard boys do when the teacher is broaching some serious subject.

SN had fractured his hand and the discussing was abouot how it happened, and who was responsible for it.

Then PK stood up and said "It was Shailendra". This accusation struck me out of the blue; and I did not what to say, except for mumbling something like 'It was not me...". What ensued for the next many days was a relentless effort on part of my teachers and SN's mom, to make me accept responsibility. I do now understand SN's mom's concerns too. Somebody had ended up causing pain to her son, and she was bent on making the person supposedly responsible, accountable for it.

But, I even as yet do not completely comprehend how the boys came up with my name . Maybe it was decided to blame someone out of their coterie.

The next few days were indeed very humiliating for me. I remember a new punishment being meted out in those days. And I fell to it too, when I had always believed that I was on the better end of the spectrum to be able to cause something to make me a candidate for this punishment. I had to stand the door with my shirt removed. This punishment was way too much embarrassment for me. I tried to hide myself as much as possible, especially when any peon came with some register, or any other teacher visited the class. But then I still could not avoid what I feared the most. Another class-teacher dropped by with her set of de-shirted culprits and asked me to join this notorious parade in other classes. The jeering and the smirky laughter in the classrooms made me really choke up my embarassment. I was looking directly at my feet, avoiding any eye contact, much like a pigeon when cornered by a cat.

I also remember thinking how could such sweet teacher/s, whom I also respected so much, mete something like this to me, and for no fault of mine too.

That was my first experience of such kind, and for a first standard boy, it was indeed troubling. I do not know, if, as a 6-7 yeard old, I had carried the added emotion of anger at being wrongly implicated, or only a worry of having to exonerate myself of the charges.

But what I remember being those days, is being steadfast with the belief that I had not done it.

I remember my family believing in me and backing me up.

I could not totally convince my school though, but they never could really conclude positively that it was me. May be that's why SN's mom tried extra, to get a confession out of me.

This took quite some toll on me as a sensitive 6-7 year old.

Nearly quarter of a century has passed after this incident. SN recently found me on orkut.

He scrapped me the following "Hey Shailen....do u remember me? we did school together. once i had a fracture and blamed u for it, hope you don't still hold it against me ......how r u doing man!!!!...kuthe aahes ani kai karto aahes. I am in ................"

I consider myself not only formally acquitted :-), but also vindicated. This also vindicates the faith that my parents put on me.

I had never relented then, since I believed in myself; and as well because my family believed in me. My mom had to do a few rounds of my school, but consistently maintained her faith in me.

One thing that this fractured acquittal proves, is that a wrong suffered and as well a wrong perpetrated, of whatever magnitude, reside permanantly in some corner of our minds. Exposing themselves even on the lightest wind might blow that direction.

As days turn into years, I too, have accumulated many wrongs sufferred and wrongs done in various corners of my mind. And no, these never balance each other out in the mind, but collectively act to misalign our compass. At times, the centrifuge of these scattered wrongs is so strong, that the brain cascades into a negative thought spiral overdrive reflexively. Shrouding our minds with a negative feedback our brain could do without. Making it overwhelmingly difficult to act just 'right', or respond positively to situations. Making us behave rather strangely, at times, even by our own standards.

Concluding positively, there indeed exist people, who refuse to get sucked into the negative spiral, making life easier and happier for themselves and those around them.

Bhai, yahi sehat ke liye achha hai...!

P.S. :
----------------------------------------------------------
First Relevent Platitude : You cannot control how people act, but you surely can control how you react.
Second even more Relevant Platitude : You cannot let others actions control your emotions.

I guess, putting the two together would imply not having an emotionally motivated reaction to a situation, but a controlled response aimed to balance out things.
----------------------------------------------------------

The Olivera Crossing

2007-02-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

At this moment of your life, you find yourself in a place, where you might or might not have visualised yourself in, some seasons ago.

May be you planned to get here, may be you didn't.
May be you wanted to be here, may be you didn't..
May be you do not like being here, or may be you do...!

One year ago I came to this place called Concord. My first impression while in the taxi from the San Francisco Airport, was that I might not be too comfortable with this area. God knows why I felt it that way then. Could be because I was more comfortable with the country-look of Malvern. I sure was intimidated at first. But then I knew I had people here whom I knew well from my past. So, I felt comforted.

The decision was taken to be here, for various reasons. I wanted this stopover in life to be reached. So this crossing is being made.

We live at an apartment complex. The apartments are on a drive, which is covered by a canopy of the plentiful trees. The Drive makes for a nice walk.

For the first three months after we came here, when our mobility was limited by the lack of my own car, a shopping complex within fifteen minutes of walk kept us good company. Though it was still winter during those months, the complex was at a distance which we could reach just before becoming too discomforted by the cold, and likewise reach home. The complex was our savior, so to say, as it housed grocery stores, a Taco Bell, a Pizza shop, all of which attempted to fulfill the needs of basic groceries; and restauranting too to keep us entertained. However, carrying the gallon of milk for that mile of a distance was a bit of a pain; though we were glad we could get these things home whenever needed.

This shopping complex, our companion then and now, is named after the crossroad it stands beside, The Olivera Crossing...

So, here we are. And we have come to like this place quite a bit now. We are indeed past the 'oh its so nice' factor, and have now gotten our area ingrained in our daily routine. We appreciate the nice green drive which is a pleasure for a nice walk ultimately destined to circumnavigate the Hillcrest Park; the view of Mount Diablo as we move across on the overpass; the proximity to the downtown; and convenient access to the necessary superstores; a nice balcony with a good view; the proximity to the office, and of course the many other conveniences that US offers, these amongst other things I am thankful to God for.

One year is more than enough to make a 'house' a 'Home' anywhere in the world. You start identifying with the place. Its yours. You have shared the unique advantages, conveniences, as well as the issues that the place brought along with it.

It is, at times, troubling to think that even this place is not our destination; now that we have gotten so comfortable with it. But its only a stopover. It is still some months to go by, but we would be moving out of here. To where...is a question which we would like answered right now, but cannot.
Though it might seem like a special case, it really is not. This getting used to and then moving away has become a part of my life (and many other's lives) for the last decade.

The Olivera Crossing, stands for the crossroads at which I stand in my life now. And for that matter, its not me alone at this crossroad. There are others too, for whom this symbolic Olivera Crossing has been a witness to the passage of a significant time of their lives. This crossroad was encountered by each person at distinctively different stages of their lives. And from here, Each will take his own path, with differing elevations and textures; though it was nice for a while to have congregated, before we went our ways again.

Some have their routes chalked out for varying amounts of time in the future;
for some, this is yet to happen.

Some are looking forward with apprehension...;
Some with anticipation.

Most may look back with satisfaction for most of the time they spent here...;
some may have had some agonizing moments associated...

For Some, saying their goodbyes to this place may bring a quiet tear to the eye...
While for some, the excitement of newer places might be too distracting to look back much...

But without exception, All do look forward to the future, towards the new routes it may bring forth; always sincerely hoping these routes take them towards Greater Glory, Newer Experiences and More Happiness...

...and to yet another Olivera Crossing in our lives...

Vice Maxx

2007-01-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

Its The Heaven On Earth, albeit leading straight to Hell. Its Vegas, Las Vegas....
...with an unpardonably glamorous glorification of all the vices you could possibly find on our burdened planet...

Though Gambling was probably the 'original sin' of Vegas, there are the other objects of desire which keep good pace with it now...Wine and Women...primarily.

The dens of unrestricted vice as some may call them, or the casinos, are constructions of extravagant splendor. It is as if Kuber has himself funded the construction of 'The Strip', as the prime length on the Las Vegas Boulevard is so very affectionately called by the world.

I had seen some pictures earlier, but I was entirely mesmerised by what I saw with my own eyes. Perhaps I was not the first person to react so on reaching Vegas. (am I the master of understatement or what...)

The trip schedule to Vegas was the outcome of many adjustments and compromises. And it also turned out to be a test of hardiness, as my dear health wobbled around especially during the second day.

Anyway, this blog is not supposed to be my trip itinerary, but about the feeling I derived from the experience.

So here goes...

Even during the day, this neatly spread out desert city, comfortably ensconced in the dry plains surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains, exudes a feeling of being the perfect place for the Wild West Movies. By no coincidence, this area WAS the wild west. May be its even wilder now... :-)...

Like most of the forbidden pleasures it so unabashedly stands for, Vegas is to be relished at night. 'The Strip' is ablaze with the pompous and brilliantly radiant illuminations from the plethora of Casinos proclaiming their grandiose and incessantly triumphant existence.

As seen from above the Stratosphere tower, Vegas, at night, is a complete Glittering Fantasy. A Night-Scape visually so beautiful that you absolutely cannot have enough of it. Check it out in the photo ( I am sure my photographic skills did not do justice to the brilliant, dazzling, enamoring beauty exuded by the captivating nocturnal Vegas.

I would remember for quite some time to come, the awesome feeling that overcame me, when I stepped into the lobby of the Stratosphere. I knew I was going to be in an amazing place, far different than I had ever seen anywhere in India, Europe or U.S. The place really seemed grand to me. The arrays of the bright and inviting slot machines, the roulette's, and poker tables was quite a sight. All was swathed in a wholesome red, probably the colour of the carpet, whose accent was enhanced by the lighting effects. All in all, it seemed a great place to spend the two nights planned there, and get an amazing new experience in this life.

And Stratosphere is just at the place where the strip ends and the downtown begins. It is a great place to stay for the night, and is a good combination of ambiance, luxury, price and convenient conveyance. Also, the access is conveniently facilitated by the Deuce bus. So, conveyance is not a big deal. And it offers room rates much more economical than the central casinos like MGM Grand, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Venetian, Paris, New York-New York, Treasure Island, Circus-Circus and many others.

Each of these Casino Hotels offer their own unique themes. The Venetian, I found most interesting. With a Venetian day ambiance beautifully reconstructed, Venice Town centre, a day-sky, the canals, bridges, the gondola rides et all.

Also many of the casinos have the special attractions - free at times, others at a premium. The Musical Fountains of the Bellagio, the TI Show, the Circus acts at where else- Circus-Circus. Premium ones include The Blue Man Group, a show by Celine Dion, and many many many other shows.

You do not really get bored of Vegas. But tired of running around too many casinos in a short time. And at times intimidated by its seedier unruly side, which one can be well-advised of (after all...of course...). Vegas is a place to spend a week at leisure, experience the best casinos minus the rush. Let the grandeur take you in slowly.

Before you reach the end of this article, I must accept that there is ostentatious language in this blogticle; but I felt this really befits Vegas, and a good way to convey the euphoria it stoked within me while I was there. (Ostentatiousness is quite unlike me - who is more oriented to subtlety. But then Vegas is not about subtlety, is it :-) ?

This visit left me with lots of yet-to-sees. Lets see if I can make it again...God Willing... or should I say Satan Willing... :-) ...

Incorrigibly Happy, and Perennially so...

2007-01-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

They were more of them. But only three since I became aware of, and understood my emotional self. So, I write about the three only. But I surely do not intend to be unfair to the 4 others, three of them whom I never got to know.

The three I was fortunate to have the company of, for significant years of my life were Aaji, BaalMama and Vishnumama. Aaji, my paternal Grandmother, and Baalmama and Vishnumama were her brothers.

What is so different about them? Why do I write about them?

They were ordinary persons, like the most of us. What was extraordinary about them,however, was that they remained incorrigibly happy throughout their lives. They never read Dale Carnegie, nor Deepak Chopra. I do not think the decision to remain happy was a conscious one. It was probably a state of mind they were born with.

A point well mentioned is the sibling bonding between them. It is perhaps the joyful and contented attitude which forged this. And the bond remained strong throughout their lifetimes. Come the shift from the royal lifestyle of their childhood in Baroda to the hardships in Mumbai. Or come the grinding routine that dictates the rush through the middle age. Demanding relatives which add up as we proceed in life, requiring a higher amount of liaisioning,understanding, and mollifying,all with an aim to balancing sides. Or the inconveniences that start accompanying you in old age. All were dealt with a firmly happy hand. :-) .
They too must have felt the pain at numerous times. But once they dealt with it, they managed to find a lighter side to the situation and accept it, and at times make light of it. Even when much in old age, when Aaji and Baalmama had become 'acoustically challenged' :-) , there used to be much friendly banter between them. Aaji would say 'Baal, you know what, you are not really short of hearing. You only hear what you want to hear... :-) " . There was no situation, whether serious or light, that was outside the purview of their funny wit. Sometimes, there were outrageously hilarious results. I was told of a story of a marriage ceremony of his niece, in which VishnuMama offerred (probably innocently :-|) many guests 'tapkeer' (snuff, used to induce sneezes), and in a while, there was a sneezing frenzy in the marriage hall, much to the chagrin of the families of the bride and the groom.

Well jokes apart, I am pretty sure all and more of the multi-directional forces that apply to us in life, did apply to them too. But these were probably accepted and dealt with. I guess, If you accept inevitability, then it is easier to deal with it. And since we have to deal with it anyway, why not be happy doing it. Nearly all of us either fail to understand this throughout our lives. And even if we manage to think of it at some point and try to change consciously, our innate emotional make up overshadows it soon.

There, was the difference. They were never short of cheerfulness. They were born with it. The happiness they exuded, was absolutely infectious. The only memories I have of them, when in their company, are joyous ones. In all probability because they were always so very joyous. I never saw them gloomy. They derived so much joy within themselves, and the joy inevitably generously floated around to us. They are Suratkars, it was said, and the Suratkars are always happy.

The last of all, VishnuMama passed away in his sleep, or rather afternoon siesta on 31st Dec 2006. Peacefully; as he always wanted to, without even realising it. Likewise Aaji. So, I say, the three were born happy. That was sheer luck. But distinctively, they died contented. That's probably plain difficult, and hence this tribute of a blogticle.

Aaji, VishnuMama and BaalMama : Thanks to You for letting us know We can be happy inspite of our life, and enriching us by showing us the extent of bonding that can happen within our family.

It Never Really Is That Far Away...!

2006-12-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Your Dreams, Your Fears, Phases of Life, All the Good and Bad In Our Life, Are Really Not That Far Away...! All sorts of things hit you even before you can say 'Duck'...

Taking the positive, as I said, this goes for our dreams too... We just have to try ; we are bound to end up somewhere nearby. But the most important thing is knowing where you want to go... Else you end up just being a drifter....

A 'Vision', as Dr.Amitava Datta used to say, (the person who gave Siemens Soarian such a momentum) is critical for well-directed and measurable progress. Its like a force (motivates you towards your foreseen goals), and at the same time like a rudder (guides the force in the direction of your goals). You need to see where you want to be may be a few years down the line, atleast. I.e. Imagining the context of your existence after the trees have shed leaves a few more times. May be something like this. "Living happily (this happy word can have endless elaboration) with family (can be more specific here :-) , in a house with all the modern amneties (elaborate more, 3BHK house in xyz city, with a big screen TV and Home Theatre and great interiors, and a BMW). Will be a Program Manager in office with so many sub-ordinates. Will be able to dictate time spent in office, or be in a position to earn so much outside of office. Will have roamed US/Europe/both with family. Will have re-paid so much of the debt. Will have so much in Savings. Will be in a position to free-will by so much time."

Must clarify that the above is only an example. And not my vision. I am only exemplying above.

I dunno if I was able to sustain my vision for a long time. May be (?) I conveniently drifted after a while. But the vision surely helped propel and direct, while it lasted.

Now the other side...

2006-12-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is getting interesting...
Not that I have not seen subzeros, but not in California last winter atleast.
Juxtapose and contrast this with 'The Searing Heat' post down below.
Ah...The Season's of Life... :-) ...

Celebrating Diwali This Halloween... :-) ...

2006-11-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

It was our first Diwali in US, rather the first Diwali out of India...
To be honest, I had expected it to pass off just like any other days here. U know, devoid of the actual spirit etc etc... But I guess, the dish of life is how YOU make it. Its after all up to you to add the spices, the flavors. This is of course apart from what life serves you. But you are always free to make your own dishes too... Nobody stops you :-), do they ?
So, once this Bodhi tree effect struck, we concluded that we must make the best of this occassion. We were in US after all, what the heck... So, off I went... And bought the electric lights and the candles (as diyas). And it was fun as usual arranging the lights on the balcony. I wondered though, whether most of the people in the apartment felt the lighting was for Halloween :-) ...

Each moment was enacted exactly as we would do in India...Waking up early, the abhyangasnaan with utna (as always from Bhanupadma in Dadar) and scented oil, the early morning puja, the fun part of calling everybody up, and new clothes. What was missing were the incessant (and for now euphonious too since we missed them :-) ) fireworks which accompany the festive spirit in Mumbai...and the local Marathi radio station which plays interesting Diwali stories early Diwali Morning... But nonetheless, we had Virtual Fireworks and shehnai playing both thanks to the Internet :-) ...

All the while this was happening, the Halloween spirit has begun surfacing all around here...A long build up to any occassion is very essential to the commercialisation of anything. Not that it is a bad thing, it adds up many new 'customs' to the atmosphere of the festivity. Leave that, its a deviation from the main course of the article. :-) . The shops put up interesting and funnily spooky Halloween displays... And October 31, we had a nice little Halloween celebration in the office, complete with a Costume Parade. It was my first Halloween. And I got lots of candy in office :-) . I had kept two packets of candy at home too, in anticipation of little Trick or Treaters arriving iat Meadowwood. The candy came to good use when Arnav dropped in for a cute little Trick or Treat visit... :-) ...

Halloween, or October 31st, was incidentally, my manager Michael Smidebush's last day in Siemens. He is a person who is grace, poise and dignity personified. He would be a role model of professional behavior for aspiring managers. We will surely miss him.

So, Ciao, and hoping you have had a Happy Diwali and A Happy Halloween...!

Passing remark : If you want to live half of the year in festive season , then spend the August to November months in Mumbai for the Ganapati-Navaratri-Diwali series and then come down to US for the rest of the year celebrating the Holiday Season of the Halloween-ThanksGiving-Christmas-New Year circuit... Cheers...!

A 'Reel' Of Imagination...

2006-10-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

A complete Song and dance sequence. With very much decipherable lyrics. Akshay Kumar and Govinda dancing along with Urmila and another babe whom I could not recognise. Even a romantic intertwining of their names written on the water, beside beautiful fountains... And after the song, back to some action. A rib-tickling comedy scene about policemen afraid to handle their bull-dogs. I was laughing hysterically, and not only in my dreams. That's when Mugdha nudged me awake. With some fear in her mind as to what was happening to me, and why was I laughing so much at wierd hours in the night...And then I recounted the part of the 'movie' that I had just seen. :-) ... My sense of humor was pretty active even then, to have dreamt of such a hilariously funny scene of the 'dogged' policemen...
I will probably be amused by this figment or rather 'Reel' of Imagination for some time to come... But to know who was the second heroine in the sequence, I wait to dream of the 'credits' ... :-) ...

Aajikade jaaun yeto...

2006-08-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

A branch from Ranade Road cuts in into Gokhale Road. And right in front of this T Section, is Krishna Kripa. Whether coming back from a brief spell of shopping at Ranade Road (which, along with the Shivaji Park is my favorite part of Central Mumbai), or coming back from the Dadar Railway Station, or station as we call it, 'Aajikade' was where we always had a stopover before heading to our 'extension' abodes. Seeing the silhoutte of Aaji standing by the balcony railing was always comforting sight. I used to wave from across the road. Aaji would strain to see who it was, from her first floor vantage point; and a smile crossed her face inevitably when she realised it was me. She used to respond with a calm, yet happy wave back, and moments later I would be scrambling my way up the stairs of Krishna Kripa. The stairs there make a rickety-rackety noise, thanks to one or two metal plates nailed to each step.

Inside the house, there would be Aatya going about some work. You could always sense the hurry in Aatya's movement about the house. And yes, sometimes, Pingle Maavshi, from the friendly neighborhood, would be also standing in the balcony, chatting animatedly with Aaji. Time used to pass for them steadily in the balcony, coasting along like the people and the traffic on the road below.

Krishna Kripa, for us, meant Aaji's house, and there was always a comfy all-encompassing feeling to be there. Evenings meant everybody congregating at Krishna Kripa. I used to be there everyday infalliably. I also remember somewhere at the corner of my memories, the first day I had walked to Krishna Kripa, alone, from Mayoor, and felt quite triumphant about it, being able to move around alone. I don't remember how young I was though at the time.

Shilpa, Me, Aai-Papa, Suju-Ashwini, Kaka-Kaki, Aaji, Aatya , and Pradnya until before her marriage, and of course Nana until nearly two decades ago. It used to be quite a gathering at Krishna Kripa. There were good times, and there were some bad moments, as is bound to be when so many people are closely linked together. The link being Krishna Kripa. But there was comfort and a sense of security in so many people being together. Spending some time together whether consciously, or otherwise. And, yes, many a times, Aatya served Saanja to everybody who used to come there in the evenings.
Even when I went away for education, and later for the job, I always ended up spending some part of my evenings at Krishna Kripa, whenever I was in Mumbai.

Aaji's house was placed at a vantage point, and we all used to gather to watch the proceedings during Ganpati, and Dussera. The clamor of the celerbations used to be tremendous, and we used to enjoy all festivals to the fullest. All festivals, a visit to Aaji was always in order. "Aajikade jaaun yeuya." .

As the milennium crossed over, the younger generation went away taking up their new-found roles. Me and Shilpa to Bangalore for the jobs, Suju to Sharjah, and Ashwini to Goregaon after marriage. 2, Krishna Kripa now had lesser throughput, and probably routine became less interesting for Aaji and Aatya. Aaji's headaches, with age, started becoming more frequent, and she at times started finding Maavshi's garrulousness a bit troubling.

Aaji did see me fly abroad in 2000, and come back after my short visit. I showed her the photos, which she saw with pride. I returned to Bangalore happy after my first German visit. A day later, on Christmas, Aaji passed away. I was lucky enough to have had quite a few visits to her place during the earlier two months.

Since the past 4 years and more, Aaji's place is locked, except when we go to pay our respects in front of Aaji's and Nana's photographs. It is hardly even a shadow of itself now, as it was in its prime. It is now an emotionally draining event entering Aaji's house. I benumb myself trying to avoid the emotions that come rushing out. The lively memories of the house despairingly clash with its current starkness. I try to calmly move out from there, and come out of Krishna Kripa.
Passing under Krishna Kripa, even now, I look up, for a split second, expecting Aaji to be watching me from above...

The No-Blog Blog....

2006-08-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

After a series of periodic blogticles in July, there is suddenly a lull. Nearly half of August has come to pass, without a single blogticle posted on my blog. So, for the sake of the lull, i have commanded my pen, um, er... my keyboard to head somewhere ; where, I know not.
A lull on this blog, nevertheless, there was quite some activity on elsewhere. Aai-Papa attended the interview, and got the US visa. They have started planning to come to the US. Here, I too have started ramping up a bit, in preparation for their arrival.

Also, the East beckons in mid-September. Travelling for pleasure too brings forth its tensions. The packing, the journey, the need and urgency to see what all there is to see, the stay away from home. Talking of Home, 'Home' has become a thing of mystery now. I do not know whether to be happy or sad in this regard. I do not really know what to call my home now. Should I be calling Mayoor (Dadar) as my home. Or is Elite (Bangalore) my new home address. Or is it Meadowwood now. Even Nandi (Blr) was sort of my 'home' for a significant while of my life. This is not my dilemma alone, but more and more people all over face this question. Gypsydom has more followers than ever before... the Bivouac is here to stay I guess... :-) ... Quite a paradox... !

Schones Wochenende...!

2006-07-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I do not know how I intended this blogticle (that's the term I have coined for a blog article) to be... When I started to write this one, I might have wanted it to describe a weekend I would consider to be ideal. Now I do not know what has been churned out. Anyway's here it is...

I leave office earlier on Friday. Thus starts the weekend celebration. (Not to say if I went early to office).

I come back home. Then I have a cup of tea (with milk - the Indian way), and some snacks. Doritos would be ideal here. After freshening up then, I would head down to any cafe, or say Starbucks, to start the winding down.

If it was Erlangen, one would probably head down to Bogarts, or one of the streetside cafes at the sqaure front of HauptPost, and savor a Wiesenbier or two, over the next hour and half, preferably with a juicy and tasty Vegetarische Baguette.
Somehow, the sandwiches, and burgers I have had, were infinitely more tastier in Germany than anywhere in the US. I don't know what it is, but the taste buds appreciate it more in the Europe.

The soft yellow sunlight, reflects off the vintage Erlangen Schloss (castle) as an inviting and mellowing orange colour. There are not too many people on the road. Those who are, are coasting along savoring the soft and sweet and cool zephyr. The setting is perfect for a winding down.

The Saturday and Sunday;I have spent many just boarding a bus from Hugenottenplatz, getting down at the last stop, and then walking back home. Many times through woods, through unknown, yet beautiful villages. The climate used to suit me well. Cool, a hint of clouds, and comfortably sunny. 'Bhatkanti' (or travelling) was my forte. I did spend my weekends well.
Maybe I ought to borrow a lesson or two from my past. :-) .

Schones Wochenende...!

The Searing Heat...

2006-07-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

At 9.45pm, I was standing in my balcony, watching the last light of the day fade by ever so slowly.
And yet, at this time, when night has long past approached in other 'normal' parts of the world, a waft of heat instantly drove me back into the house. The concrete of the balcony incessantly radiated heat as if it was his moral responsibility.
It was 44 degrees Celcius yesterday. The highest so far this summer. It is getting worse than even most parts of India, I seem to know. A trip to Walnut Creek and back at 6.15 i n the evening yesterday, left me not comfortable even till morning next day, i.e. today.

Some people feel strange that I am not used to the heat, coming from the orient. However, that I am not used to is a fact.
It is a veritable torture to venture out (whether walk or by car) any time of the day.
And this thing continues till August-end I hear. Anyways, there would a letup in this heat wave after the weekend, as per the Weather channel. So let hope for the best from tommorrow.

Nana

2006-07-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

How many times must have we said ''How Time Flies By" ... so much that it might need to be categorised lower than a platitude. But time does fly supersonic, and every time we pause to realise it, we are far ahead in time, from where we were, well, just a little while ago....!

Yesterday, 17th July 2006, was my Grandpa's 99th Jayanti, or Birth Anniversary. Implies he would have been 99 yesterday, starting 100. He passed away when he was 81. Implies 19 years have passed since he left. 19 YEARS...! And it seems like not much time ago... But it is.

I have vivid memories of Nana, as we all used to call him. He was absolutely a very meticulous and disciplined man. He looked after himself almost till he breathed his last. Making his bed. Going about his daily ablutions, that included neatly cleaning his set of dentures.

His discipline and meticulousness helped him in tiding successfully, times, which were not at all that affluent. He, at times much earlier, performed two jobs, one apart from the regular Stamp Office one that he had. I, on the contrary, find it difficult, to be in time for the single job that I do. Wish some of the discipline and meticulousness had filtered down to me.

Though he could not see clearly in the later half of his old age, he went about all of this without much help. He did not have many demands. The only thing I remember he demanded, was somebody reading him the daily newspaper. And I was not a very good gransdon, as I tried to run away whenever he asked me to. Methodically, he would ask me to read the headlines, and then any topic of particular interest. Then the daily almanac. And the daily Rashi Bhavishya (horoscope). Then to finish it off with sports news. The earlier memories yet, were him telling me the story of the Cap Seller and the Monkeys. This was my favorite story, and I asked him to recite it to me n number of times. He used to sit on his bed in the typical style he did, and recited the story to me. And also during those days, I remember when he used to shave, I used to sit beside him on the floor, as I used to find the whole setup used to make, very interesting.

A very simple life he led, and I don't remember him having anything more than his daily meals, and tea with paav (costing 35 ps then) in the evening , and tea with Marie biscuits (which had to be bought from Mhambre) in the afternoon. Specific times for everything, he had. You could set the clock by his routine. Truly, it was difficult to say whether he went by the clock, or the clock went by him.

His Black Coat hung on the nearby hook for all the years he was there. Though I saw him wearing it only twice, once during my Thread Ceremony, and then during Pradnya's marriage.

He could even calculate better and faster than any of us. And, in his mind, he would say confidently (remember he oculd actually not see the passbook) whether the Bank Pass Book had been tallied properly or not. I remember an incident when the State Bank Of India clerk refused to accept his mistake, but relented later, on careful inspection.

He certainly had his differences of opinion, but he sure took his views seriously. And he had distinct opinions about the situations within the family.

He was born on the 17th of July 1906. The year seems pretty historic to me now. But, it probably is not, since it was not too many generations away. Man, How Time Flies...! :-) ...

The Wild Fire Season...

2006-07-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

It is the wild fire season in US, and particularly California... There are more than a dozen wild fires going on the rampage right now. Wild fires spring from a variety of factores like the high temperatures combined with dry grass, and sparked off sometimes by lightening too. And if the fire is more fortunate than the affected area, it is fanned by high winds. In all the national park areas in the US, we have the fire danger probablities displayed for the day.

Here is an interesting picture I took, when I was on my way to Los Angeles, on the I-5.
I don't know how exactly this grass fires was triggered off, probably by a truck which seemed to have exploded to smithereens. But it sure had spread over a huge acreage. And the fire services had a hard time reaching it bypassing the long-weekend traffic. In this photo, the haze developed by the smoke from the fire, interacts with the exhaust trail of a gone-by airplane, and combined with the setting sun, proves to be a very interesting picture. The picture was probably taken sometime around 8.00pm at night (yes, with the sun still ablaze) . Doesn't this picture look like a meteor is zooming across, like a scene from the Armageddon? :-) . God Forbid.

Six Months In California

2006-07-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

Me and Mugdha completed 6 months in the USA on the 5th July. A significant part of these six months, included setting up new processes for yourself in another country, and taking up new initiatives. With these six months, I also overtook the maximum number of days I have stayed abroad earlier, which was precisely 180 earlier, including the days of travel. These six months also included our first Wedding Anniversary. Also Mugdha's first birthday after our Wedding, Birthday; this day we spent in touring San Francisco, and yes, a cruise on the Pacific by the Golden Gate Bridge was included :-) .

But, believe me there is a huge difference in six months in Pennsylvania, and six months in central California. More about this in the next blog.

Of Glucose Biscuits, and their Re-Discovery.

2006-07-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Never ever have I had so many Glucose biscuits after probably the first five years of my life... The days when my maavshis would hand me over a 'glucose cha puda' when I visited their house were long long over, or hardly ever in my life... I used to get that glucose pack when I was about to start from their house. I guess it used to be an incentive for me to leave early the next visit, me being so notoriously mastikhor in those days.

I never had any particular affinity for Glucose biscuits. Though, I shared a particular fancy for freshly baked Marie biscuits with my grandfather, whom we used to call 'Nana'. He used to have Marie biscuits bought loose, from a particular shop on Ranade Road, and could make out from the crispiness whether the biscuits had indeed bought from that particular shop. One day, my mother was surprised to hear me ask the same question "Aaj Mhambre kadun naahi aanli vatta Marie". This was probably the only attribute I shared with my very systematic and disciplined grandfather. Very loving though. I remember him telling me frequently the story of the Monkey and the caps.

The dominant raj of Glucose bicuits in Indian was well over many years ago, when a plethora of more interesting biscuits flooded the market.
It is probably after a gap of 20-25 years that I actually bought a pack of glucose biscuits, or rather packs, and 8 of them... Why? Because I got all of them for a dollar here in California. They were the cheapest and plentifully available biscuits I found in the Indian Stores here.

Later I found many other Indians nourishing their newly discovered or re-discovered fancy for Glucose biscuits, here in America...

Ciao...

The San Franciscan Chill

2006-07-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

I guess it hardly gets warm in San Francisco any time of the year...
Even when it is disconcertingly warm in Concord (East Bay Area) with day temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, it still was chilly, around 14 degrees in the evening, in San Francisco. It would have even fogged out, and ruined the July the 4th Fireworks display. But it did not, fortunately. It was a rush visit to San Francisco for the evening, to watch the fireworks display. We were cut-to-cut , however managed to watch the fireqorks from the famous San Francisco Muni Cable Car, as we descended from the ChinaTown Area.
We covered the Market Street from the Embarcadero BART Station to the Powell BART Station, we crossed a real nice typically american downtown area. It was really cool, with its skyscrapers all around, however not as intimidating as New York. I really liked what I saw. Though I had been to San Francisco earlier, I had not travelled through this area. I got to appreciate it just yesterday. I will update this post with some photos soon, as soon as I download them from the camera.
By the way, BART is Bay Area Rapid Transport, which operates the trains in the Bay Area.

Aata-Daal ka bhaav...

2006-07-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

India has stopped exporting food grains...
So, here in US, we have to end up paying nearly 2.5 times for the price of daal, and other food grains. A 10 lb packet of Tur daal used to cost around 10$, now costs 25$ ... I gotta say now... "Yaha daal dal par dollar ki pudiya karati hai basera..."
The perils of a global economy getting to us... :-) Effects never localize themselves anymore...

I guess, the solution would be shift to dinners like these, (see attatched picture), and succumbing to the American food habits... :-) ...

By the way, we had prepared these sandwiches, or whatever you may call them, at home... They look delicious, don't they? The bread was gotten from Foodmaxx (4 for a $) , and fortefied with Ranch sauce (which Mugdha likes a lot, to my surprise), boiled and scrambled eggs, and cabbage. The sauces by the side are mustard, and Heinz ketchup.
Bon Appetit... :-) ...

If Wishes were Horses...

2006-06-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Got the radiator of the car replaced today. The radiator cost 92$, and the labor cost was 150$ . Plus the coolant etc... Man... It certainly is an expensive country... Wished I could take the car back to India to get it reparied...
If wishes were horses, the labor would have been cheaper... :-) ... Wish there was some way these things too could be outsourced to India... :-) ...

Hot and Hotter...

2006-06-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

It is getting unbearably hot in here. 41 degrees today…Probably the highest so far, this season. Expected to get higher over the next couple of days. Nagpur madhe aalyasaarkhe vatte.
Also, the days are getting very long now… It becomes dark only around 9.30pm. And is brightens up between 4.30 to 5.00 in the morning. In July August, it will probably get dark only by 10-10.30 at night. Or probably not, since today is supposed to be the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

Yesterday I had gone out for a walk at 7.00pm in the evening. It was so hot and bright, as if at 3.30 4.00 in the afternoon. By the time, I returned, my clothes and shoes were unbearably heated up. And I to take a cold shower to regain some sanity.

All this was amusing and interesting to us earlier, but now its beginning to get on our nerves.

Concord Ahoy...

2006-06-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

(...continued from 'The Eagles have landed...' )
The dash from the LA Terminal 1 to Terminal 14 , and the infuriating care-a-damn of UA notwithstanding, we boarded the UA flight to San Francisco (SFO). In the flight, I met a friendly gora gentleman (he was a medical techno intern, if you get what I mean) living in the Bay Area, and spent some time chatting him up. He had come to India to to attend a college friend's marriage. From him, I did get some starter pointers like that of Craigs list. We were quite full of the long journey, and wanted a place to rest ourselves asap. Except for an hour at Frankfurt, we never had much of a chance to freshen up... We wished we were already at the Residence Inn, where we were to be put up. And the progress of the last part of the journey LA onwards, seemed like a tiring eternity. It was like the colloquial Indian saying "Hathi gaya, poonch nahi jaati..." ... Or may be it was a crooked application of the Pareto's principle... :-) ...

The LA-SFO journey is nearly equivalent to the Mumbai-Blr journey in terms of time. Distance wise, it may be a 100 kms lesser, as we were to learn later during our stay.

Finally, we landed at SFO. And we had a Jordanian taxi driver to take us to Concord. He had expressed reservations helping us with the baggage. He siad he had back problems, which I had too unfortunately. But nevertheless, I agreed, as I wanted to get over this last stretch of the journey now... So off we went... And tired as we were, to our chagrin, the taxi driver was very very loquacious... He rambled on about how we should live in our country of birth itself... and how happy he would be to go back in a few years etc... We were to meet a few more people from around the world, who were to express the same thing... I concluded that this must be some sort of a necessary evil.. Coming to US for just under a lifetime... :-) ...
After an hour in the taxi, we reached Residence Inn at Pleasant Hill (near Concord)... The ride cost me about $130 (apart from the unrequested verbosity) probably because it was night time. And then I had to lug the luggage again all the way to my room. And finally after nearly 36 hours, we had the luxury of a bed to rest our weary bodies on. But before that, I had to make a phone call... A call back to India to convey that we had indeed reached our destination in US in single piece, and things were fine... But due to unavailability of a calling card at night, we had to work around the issue, use a call center toll free number to reach Mugdha's BIL (Sugandh Jijaji), and convey back to India about our well-being.

And then we rested for a while, until the next day, or night, or whatever it was considering the jet and time lag... :-) ...

The Eagles have landed... :-) ...

2006-06-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

We put our feet on the pious land of America on the 6… “…thamba THamba WAIT… did I hear you say pious land of America …“, you are probably interjecting just about now.
Yes, you did hear correct. Arre baba, Doesn’t everybody want to be in the US at least once, or see their wards there atleast once in a lifetime…Does any one talk of Kashi nowadays?
I think I saw some bulb flash.
So we re-begin the beginning, I would say.
We put our feet on the pious land of America on the 6th Of Jan 2006. I was familiar with this land due to earlier exposures. However Mugdha was breathing American air for the first time.
So all the more, I would have liked to add the epithets ‘cool crisp’ to the American air. However we landed in LA, and I felt exactly as I feel when I land at the Mumbai airport. Hot under my collar, mostly because of the sultryish weather.
We did not have to wait much at the LA airport. After much consternation about the connecting United Airlines flight, we did manage to catch the next available one to San Francisco. I would not talk much about L’affaire United, lest we start with a bad taste. But I would rather succinctly say that the airline would be better christened United Ration-Lines, so much for the hour-long helpless queue that we had to stand in after a much longer journey, with not much help. Man I ended up feeling so nostalgic about our very own Air Deccan, with this experience here, that too in US of all places.
(...contd in 'Concord Ahoy' ...)

The Light House At Point Reyes...

2006-06-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite photographs, taken from above the lighthouse at Point Reyes, California. It surely is an exotic place, an ethereal setting, and jutting into the Pacific... And yes, the climb from the lighthouse is pretty steep.

(This Photo Is Not to be copied.)

This is the blog of the Spicy Indian...

2006-04-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sri Hanumate Namah

Hey, I am Shailendra.

:-) ... Well, now you know me ...
So what are you waiting for... Blog in, and don't log out... :-) ...