Space and Time.....

The only constant thing in life is change. People change. We change. Our goals and ambitions change. Our outlook changes. The people we interact with changes. The people who embrace our lives changes. At each point in time, people come, provide invaluable lessons, and continue on their paths of calling. Every person graces our life for a reason. We interact with so many, so as to better appreciate the right ones that come along.

So, can we expect a friendship/relationship to be constant and eternal with respect to space and time. The author is at a new place, and most of the people in his circle of life are physically away (thankfully, not emotionally). With each being deeply involved in his/her web of life, it does become difficult to stay in touch with them. But then, when they meet, barring the initial skirmishes, things should be as before.

Like one of my friends had said long back, about connections and staying connected, "There are two kinds of friendships - (a) where it is purely temporal, short-lived, and amounts to having a good time (b) where it is more than (a), when people keep each other updated with the ups and downs in their lives." The author personally believes that the people one thinks of, during the "not-so-fine" times are the ones you completely trust and closely relate to. Trust is a wonderful catalyst for any relationship.

Blessed are those people involved in those friendships/ relationships which does stand the test of space and time. Does respect and affection for the other make all the not-so-likeable changes in the other condonable and the likeable changes more appreciable?

The rich and the poor....

This Saturday saw me witness to the inauguration of the festival shopping season at Rodeo Drive, LA, whose claim to fame is the place where actors/actresses shop. With hope in making a difference to the many lives as the main theme, this place was studded with the rich, who were also well-dressed; men in tuxedo's and women in glittering gowns.

But then, I have also seen the homeless, truly homeless, both men and women. They sleep on the pavements, under the stars, with all Mercedes Benz's racing past them. They haven't had baths for ages. All that they have are two dirty torn bags ready to burst open.

Are the rich happy? Are the poor happy? Are you happy? Am I happy? What is happiness?

Indianness X - I, Iyer and Iyengar....

The title of this post happened to win the best team name during the first ever Landmark Open Quiz (now a highly anticipated and regular affair in Madras) in 1995. My being strongly associated with Tamil Nadu, despite not being a Tamilian, has lead to quite a few funny situations. This post is just meant to be a post. Nothing more and nothing less. These man-made differences do not make sense.

The two most important underlying fabrics that bond an Indian, Turk, Persian, Mexican, Brazilian, American, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, etc. are emotions and connections. Love, Pathos, Hurt, Joy, etc. unite us. The connections with the people in our lives makes it all the more interesting. One need not be of a particular caste/religion/sex/country to experience the various universal emotions. Relationships mean the same everywhere.

So now back to the topic, after the brief disclaimer. First of all, it all begins with my roots. Having a very Iyengaresque name, I am wrongly mistaken for an Iyengar. But then, my name would also pass for an Iyer, because Venkataraman/Radhakrishnan, despite being Vaishnavite, is in prevalence among Iyers of today. Guess, there was a time when the surname used to be the clinching distinguishing factor (obviously, Venkatarama Iyer and Venkatarama Iyengar are different).

While a Mishra can identify an Oriya person by his/her surname, (can be safely extended to the Guptas, Iyers, Mukhopadhyays, Shahs, Agarwals, Reddys, Pillais, Joshis, Singhs), it becomes increasingly difficult for a person like me. Each community has its own set of customs, languages, colloquialisms, cultures, etc. within the broad and myriad network of Indian ethos. While one must respect the values of one's own, reaching out to people must make us overcome these self-imposed barriers of a community. A subtle balance.

Recently, I had been to a Udupi Krishna Mutt in Los Angeles and I happened to see 40-50 people, most of whom could be claimed of "my type". It reminded me of our family gatherings and the customs/rituals involved therein. We are followers of Saint Madhwacharya, one of the trinity, with the other two being Saint Sankaracharya and Saint Ramanujacharya. Thus, I, Iyer and Iyengar could be termed as followers of the trinity in their own ways.

Honestly, I haven't got an opportunity, or rather, I haven't reached that maturity level to appreciate the differences between the Dvaita, Advaita and Vishishta-dvaita schools of thought. It merits mention that Dvaita was the last among the three and with surprisingly the least number of followers. Personally, I feel that these schools of thought emerged when the country was having a difficult time maintain its own identity courtesy the onslaught of the invaders, (more like Renaissance of Hinduism).

What about the people of Tamil Nadu, who are not Iyers and Iyengars? Is the heavy demarcation between Tam Brahms and the others leading to an erosion of Tamilian values? On a macro level, are the Vedas, Upanishads, Carnatic Music, etc. for the Brahmins alone? Is the present state of Indian politics with their shady secularist ideals an avenue towards endangerment of Indian values? Aren't our values veritably ours, no matter where we are from? What about the north-south, west-east division in India?

How many of us appreciate the Sanskrit works of poets like Kalidasa (reputed to be one of the greatest romantic poets of all times). How many of us appreciate the poetry in the compositions of Thyagaraja, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa, Dikshitar, Sama Sastry, Swati Tirunal? How many of us appreciate the urdu ghazals and poetry of India? How many of us appreciate Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Faiyyaz Khan, and Ustad Amir Khan? If yes to the above question, then what about Madurai Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and M S Subbulakshmi? What about sarode and veena?

How many of us waste a majority of our time, trying to justify the beliefs, sensibilities, values, etc. that we have embraced or have become passionate about?

Despite the so many questions, I would still like to maintain this viewpoint. Most of the values have been there for 1000's of years, and would continue to do so. India has faced many difficult times with frequent onslaught of invaders. It is just that the invaders are changing all the time. Importantly, we need to exorcise the demons within us, because, more than the values, it would be we, who would miss out on the various beautiful things in life.

The Personal Honor Code..

I have come across so many people who have gone back on their commitment. In short, promise one thing, and do something else on the contrary. Often, people tend to be more than merely be selfish. A clear case where selfishness is not a virtue. Most end up doing what works out best for them, irrespective of their commitment.

Over the past two days, I too have joined the crowd. What had been a matter of pride, of sticking to one's word no matter what, despite many temptations, is now veritably a matter of shame for me. The realization that I can also be pretty nasty and inconsiderate at times is a very bitter and nasty one.

I have succumbed twice and it would take some time forgiving myself. A simple "sorry" to the two persons involved in the two episodes, each spaced 3 years apart.

Hormonal Realities.....

A child is often considered one of the most pristine creations on earth. A perfect epitome of an innocent, playful, honest, jovial soul; be it a boy or a girl. He/she treats all alike, and has many friends of the opposite sex too. He knows that she is different from him, and she knows that he is different from her. But then, it doesn't matter. Then, something happens. A huge glitch to bring the person out of its innocent world.

The body grows while the mind and heart doesn't. Having good friends amongst the opposite sex is unheard of. Parents caution their girls to be wary of the boys. For the boys, their friends and acquaintances (predominantly of the same sex now), make fun of their interacting with the girls. The same with the girls too. Little do they know what lies ahead for them. Both are coming to life to biologically produce life, and yet are finding it increasingly difficult to come to terms with the harsh hormonal reality.

A craze for the enigmatic mysterious sex. All new words seeping into their dictionaries, with the dictionary itself being a great source of information. They find that they know not much of their own bodies. Girls are ashamed of their body, with their remaining aloof for those days, highlighting their new status. They start blossoming into women, and they do not know how to react to the evil ogling eyes of the men. And when they are beautiful, slowly, that very knowledge turns into vanity. The boys are ashamed of their broken voice and the uncultured strands of hair that make up their beard.

In the quest for "knowledge", most people stray(?). Pornography, prurient behavior, illicit movies, late night cable TV channels, self-discovery, etc. Parents do not know what to do too. This reminds me of the scene in American Pie, where the father shows his son the Playboy centerfold, and tells him about the male fascination with a woman's breasts. Girls start reading Mills and Boon, developing fantasies about the tall, dark and handsome prince, who is there just for her kinds. During this time, it is difficult for healthy and pure relationships between boys and girls. One begins to wonder what ever did happen. Why couldn't the childhood phase come back?

After some time, something again happens. Both sexes realize that it is not just the body. It is more than physical intimacy that counts towards successful relationships. Here is where the mind, the heart and the soul come in. Concepts on love, relationships, soulmates, etc. emerge. The treatment to sex also becomes holy and sacred. As Paulo Coelho says in one of his books, sex is a form of alchemy. Spiritual purification over the materialistic plane of the body where two souls unite.

So, how does one come in terms with the hormonal realities? Does each generation come up with its own means to do so. The treatment by each generation does become an interesting case. The parents are definitely right in instilling the fear for the opposite sex, because the mind is still not mature enough. Thankfully, there are studies, music, games, travel, and other activities to concentrate on.

PS1: The current topic reminds me of this conversation with a German lady on my flight from Zurich to Atlanta. She told me, "Oh, you are from India. The land of the Kama Sutra". Yes, India - the very same land of Kama Sutra, where the talk on sex has become taboo.

PS2: I was told that in the US, it is all right to "check out" a person of the opposite sex as long as one acknowledges the process with a smile.

PS3: As an aside, in the Halloween Carnival, the author came across a placard, "In Lust, We Trust".

PS4: The reader is recommended to read this previous post.

Catch 22....

Conversations with people passionate about music has only increased the awareness about the reality - "music is a truly vast ocean". Even, a lifetime doesn't seem to be enough to know one genre, leave alone, one instrument properly.

To be brutally honest, a single raga (an encapsulating and highly dynamic concept in Indian Classical Music), presents an ocean within this ocean of music. Would a lifetime be enough to know one raga completely.

Yesterday, was one such day, where I was mesmerized into listening to a conversation between two carnatic music enthusiasts. A simple thank you to these two, for their willingness to share with me the delightful intricacies in music.

For latestarters, obviously not child prodigies, how does one go about this gigantic Catch-22 situation?

A solemn promise....

Well, I seem to surprise and bewilder myself with the questions that surface in my mind these days. A constant and rightly nagging query is, "What did happen to one of the loves of your life?" - this blog! There was a time when I used to keep in touch with writing by blogging, at least, once a week.

• Have I run out of my creative juices or topics to write on?
• Have I fallen out of love with my blog?
• Have I embraced realism to idealism?

You can call me a shameless narcissist. But then, I do go over my writings. I like them. Recently, I did find lots of technical flaws too in the posts. Additionally, these writings, which have now become highly personal too, (barely trying to be within the scope of a public blog), might be more from a peregrine's point of view. Just simple assorted writings. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Despite all these, I do find people paying visit to my blog, some on an almost regular basis. A simple thanks. Your kind gestures provide life to this blog.

Dear Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya,

I have neglected you enough over the past two months. This induced and unforced separation, does make me respect and love you more than ever before. Please do welcome back this prodigal son of yours.

Yours,

Ranga.

PS: Even blog-hopping has become so infrequent. A special thanks to Eroteme for this lovely post, which was heavily invigorating and inspiring.

How are you doing?

One of the most banal of all questions. A strong favorite amongst people (be they random persons, acquaintances, friends, or very good friends). What should one's answer be other than the equally banal, "I am doing good". With a paradigm shift, this question does become the greatest test for any human relationship.

A human being needs a connection with another person - be it as a great friendship or a wonderful relationship or whatever. These relationships thrive on trust and mutual respect-cum-affection. So, if things are not going "good", then these people in our circle of lives would also know about it.

Things cannot always be good. It is perfectly all right to say, "things are not fine". But then, naturally, one cannot go about revealing it all to everyone, right?

As a digression to the post, this saying does come to my mind.

"An optimist has as many chances as a pessimist. It is just that he/she happens to have a more exciting life".

So, is the banal reply to the banal question an enlightened form of optimism in daily life?

Happy Diwali....

Diwali, the festival of lights, is veritably one of the most popular festivals of India. Moreover, there is a rich repertoire of stories pertaining to this festival. Nevertheless, the most important message is the annihilation of darkness (evil). The word "darkness" reminds me of these sayings that I have fortunately come across at different points of time.

*****

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya

Oh! Divine Mother. Kindly lead me from darkness to light.

*****

Here goes a chinese proverb, also attributed to Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt :

It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Often, we tend to worry small. Instead of taking one gigantic step by lighting a small candle, we seek succor in cursing the darkness, only to move behind in life.

*****

Recently, I came across this neat Spanish proverb, which inspired me to write this post on the eve of Diwali.

There is not enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of a small candle.

Beautiful. The same light of a small candle can be taken as a metaphorical allusion to "hope". Can anything be sweeter than hope?

*****

The beauty of all these sayings is that they are applicable both at the macro and micro levels of the self. Spreading sweetness and sunshine in the lives of the less fortunate ones or using these tools to look forward to the lovely springtime during the dark and hazy winters of our lives.

Talking of spreading sweetness and sunshine, reminds of me of one of my beloved characters from the unforgettable Wodehousian world - Uncle Frederick Altamount Cornwallis Twistleton, the Earl of Ickenham. He considers his mission in life to help spread sweetness and sunshine in the lives of the many sundered hearts.

*****

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya and the author wishes its readers a very happy Diwali.

Life and the city.....

Los Angeles, the big bad city or the city of angels. Hope she takes care of her children. Having lived in college towns, for nearly 7 years, I am now a part of the teeming mass. Just another one among them. Nothing special.

This post is dedicated to LA, and the long hiatus can be safely attributed to her too. Just another one of the human tendencies to absolve oneself of guilt and blame the other.

People Watching II....

• You miss the bus

Have you ever rushed in the last few minutes to catch a bus? A daily activity for the author since time immemorial, I noticed a woman having the run of her life for nearly 4 minutes to finally catch the bus. She was all smiles and her happiness was comparable to winning the Olympic gold for a 400 m dash. Then there is the other set of people, which finds great pleasure in being seated in the bus for a boring 10-15 min, before the actual departure time. This can be extended to trains and airplanes. It merits mention that the author doesn't discriminate between any of the forms of public transport.

• Hairstyles

I happened to glance at the hairstyles of 20 people around me in one of the bus rides. I was surprised to find that no two ones were similar. Both men and women, sport a totally unique hairstyle that adds to their personal recognition, charm, appeal or whatever. This reminds me of the temple at Belur, Karnataka, India where 2000+ hairstyles are vividly sculpted as one of the greatest memorial to the beauty in women. Not to forget the string of jasmine flowers on the long braids of Indian women.

• Victoria's Secret

While I am at it, let me write about this too. There happens to be a Victoria's Secret "show"room in the Mall of America, supposedly the biggest mall in the US. Fat ladies eye the models on display with 100% admiration, mostly bordering on envy though. Then, there are these young 17+ couples, so excited for obvious reasons. One universal phenomenon, is the unbounded lust in the men, of all ages and all types. How the same concept of a lingerie showroom, can evoke different moods and reactions in people, is astounding.

• Feminine colors

Then, there is the choice of certain colors of clothing and accessories that could be called "cute", using the girlish expression. Cyan, pink, lemon yellow, light orange, you name it. I happened to watch a family of four, with the dad sporting a different color, clearly outnumbered by the female species of his family that was proudly endorsing pink. And barring Govinda, an Indian "actor", any guy sporting colors such as these would be branded gay. What makes these colors so feminine?

• Sadness and grief

How does it feel to look at a stranger'e eye, and find that person totally lost in prolonged spells of sadness and pain? I happened to see a lady staring outside the window on the train, and I sensed her sadness and grief. She didn't notice me. All of us have those spells of sadness, suffering and pain. The unavoidable embraces all of us, at different points of time in our lives. But then, we are all veritably alone. Can anyone share our pain? No, right?

Ignorance... Revisited.

This is the first time, that I am quoting something from verbatim out here. Kindly excuse.

"While I am still confused and uncertain, it is on a much higher plane, d'you see, and atleast I know I'm bewildered about the really important and fundamental facts of the universe." Treatle nodded, I hadn't looked at it like that," he said, "But you are absolutely right. He's really pushed back the limits of ignorance".

They both savored the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were ignorant of only ordinary things.

- Terry Pratchet, Equal Rites.

Paperboats...

This post is dedicated to the spirit of innocence and enthusiasm in a child.

An Experiment with Truth - 1.

(a) Try to make a paperboat.
(b) If you could, then you have convinced yourself .

(c) For people like me who tried and failed, this comes in useful.
(d) For people who think this is below their dignity, do ignore this.

Minnehaha....

Minnehaha creek runs through Minneapolis and merges with R. Mississippi around 2-3 miles from my home. The legend of Hiawatha, of "The Song of Hiawatha" fame by H W Longfellow, fell in love with this Dakota beauty, noted for her enthusiasm, bubbling spirit and laughter. By a twist of fate and fortune, I stay very close to the Minnehaha creek, the Minnehaha Falls, the Minnehaha Park, the R. Mississippi, the L. Nokomis (a motherly figure of Hiawatha), and the L. Hiawatha. Yes, this post is dedicated to the love of Hiawatha and Minnehaha.

Today, the author was in for a big wonderful surprise. There was a Fiji fest going on at the park. A garage band, gave a free concert, and entertained a meager crowd of 15-20 with jazz, rock and roll, country, and what not. The highlight of the concert, were the three lovely ladies, aged any where between 2-4, dancing and swaying to the tunes with all smiles. There were two guys dancing alone too. One of them remarked to a bewildered lady, "I am not gay. But I do like the lead guy (presumably for his vocals and guitar)".

The music was different. The very fact that people were enjoying the music, and the musicians themselves enjoying the concert despite the low turnout drove home the point of the sheer power of music. Despite not having a deep spiritual impact, it cheered the people around. Six unknown musicians, not high profile ones, who had come together, courtesy their love for music, sure did give me an invaluable lesson. Never ever discriminate between the various forms of music. It is like preferring the heart to the lungs.

There were a few couples all around the park, savoring the company of each other in silence, with the concert tunes as the background. Love was in the air. No wonder, the legendary love between Hiawatha and Minnehaha seems to have an effect at this place. It merits mention that the couples were of various ages (hmm, an obvious statement!). While there were couples who looked beautiful together (in the physical sense), the best were those old couples, who were contented being with each other (having come this far in their journey called life).

I just happened to take the stairs to watch the falls. The majestic splendor of the Falls was something so pristinely beautiful. Then the rapids in the creek, meandering across the forest, on its journey towards meeting the R. Mississippi, reminded me of this saying, "Even the weariest river ends up in the sea". The same creek, 1-2 miles westward, looks so serene and peaceful. Almost, without a ripple. One does get a lot of lessons from the water.

(PS: In short, a beautiful surprise. The only dampener was when I found a father, of two children, carrying a toddler of 4-6 months, and shamelessly puffing away on his way to a dark glory : blowing the smoke and fumes over the baby.)

PS2: Guess, the chronicles of the author of how a Friday evening was spent. An unexpected entry as a post out here.

Pilani.....

New Delhi, ISBT, Sarai Rohilla, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Loharu, Pilani, Nutan, Panchavati, Harijan Gate, VFAST Guest House, Swimming Club, Gym, A4, Ram Bhawan, RBM Mess, Malviya Bhawan, Dualites, Psenti Sem, Thesis, Wardens, Orientation, Ragging, Freshers Period, "Hey! Fresh!", Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Choms, Gults, Elads, Wings, Friends, SKY, ANC, IC, Co'not, Blue Moon, MNB, Butter Onion Masala Dosa, ANC Chai, Veg Patty, Pappu, Back Sky, Psenti Couples, Psenti, PTM, Kairali, Kannada Vedike, ELAS, EPC, HPC, Music Nite, Music Club, Dance Club, ARBITS, Soundz, Lights, Booze, Fag, Theka, OASIS, Shiv G, Hanuman Temple, Saraswati Mandir, G D Birla, Winters, Razai, Immersion Rods, Alarm Clocks, Breakfast, Bread Pakoda, Matri, Jilebi, Open Book Tests, Tutes, Crushes, MB, Interface, APOGEE, SBBJ, UCO Bank, Redi, Nagarji, Jamun Rabri, Nite-outs, Common Rooms, Simran, Midnight Masala, Pondy, EWLYP, Bunking classes, "Attendance is not compulsory", Crash, Slangs, New Ghalis, NSS, Jhankaar, Ref Li, Cen Li, Stubs, S-9, FD-III, Workshop, PCP, Kusu, GenB, DNA, RAF, SUB, Politics, Prez, GenSec, NVSec, VSec, Stuccan, Costaan, BOSM, Outstis, LSR, Girl's Basketball matches, Bosoms, Babes, BHS, CEERI Bakery, Black Forest, BEP, SPIC-MACAY, Sweeper's Colony, Adult Education, Construction Workers, Anganwadi, T-Wing, Jaipur, Jantar Mantar, CAT, GRE, Jobs, Grades, CGPA, Transfer, Dual, BSL, Kachori, Cherry man, Kashmiri Pulao, French Fries, Cornetto, Ice-creams, Extras, Mess Bill, Scholarships, Merit-cum-need, Merit, Top Ten, Honours Board, Movies, VCDs, Piracy, Wingie's Computer, Backstreet Boys Millenium, Boyzone, MLTR, Bryan Adams, Geeta Dutt, Hemant Kumar, Lata, Rafi, Talat, Asha, Kishore, Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aaye, Fears, Apprehensions, Matters of the heart, Finances, Loans, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Nirvana, GNR, Rock shows, Razzmatazz, Dancing, Psenti Nite, Diro, Inaugs, Plays, PTM Play, EDC Play, 247, 269, 206, 156, RM, BG, RP, MechSol, Adcal, B, Pullups, 10P's, BUS, RepWri, Complex, CDCs, CAS, uP, EDIC, Tyagi, LKM, EEE, A3, Unix, CSD, Java, C, C++, CEERI, IC Design Lab, Analog, Electronics, Latcha, Psenti Sem, UCO Redi, Friends for life, Apping, Safe Univs, PA, Recos, PS-II, PS-I, Movies, Movies, Movies, Latcha, Latcha, Latcha, Batch Snap, Farewells, Assoc Dinners, Diro's Tea Party, BITSAA, T-shirts, Manali, Kulu, Sterling Resorts, Shimla, Nainital, Corbett National Park, Mathura, Agra, Diwali, Holi, Dassehra, Burning of Ravana's effigy, CEERI Temple, Sat Sri Kal, Ragamalika, Sangam, ....... B.E. (Hons.).

In short, 4 magical years.

My Dear.....

Dearest Deepti,

Where are you, my dearest friend? We were the greatest of friends, to the envy, of your elder sister and her friends and our other friends. A boy and a girl in one of the purest relationships. Our worlds were thankfully innocent then. The world became a wonderful place to live in. You made it even more wonderful for me. We were there for each other, no matter what. You sided with me even when it meant getting bullied by your elder sister of 7 evil years. How we both used to hate her? We used to have dinner twice a day. Once, at your house and then, again, at my house or vice-versa; so that we could still be together.

Now, I don't even know where you are and how you are doing. I haven't met you at all after that tearful day, 18 years ago, when we had promised each other to always be in touch, no matter what. You must be the same age as mine. Now, you must be a beautiful woman (well, you will always be beautiful, no matter what). You, like me, would be experiencing the greatest experience known as life, in all its shades. You would have other wonderful friends too. You, like me, would be wondering about your dearest friend, me. For all I know, you might be married and might be the mother of a son. Who knows, that son of yours might have a "girlfriend", and their friendship might serve as a constant reminder of ours to you.

Beautifully converge only to diverge. Sigh!!! one of the biggest ironies in life.

Well, I hope we meet someday. My best wishes and love to you. I would always pray for your well-being and happiness. May all your dreams come true.

Regards and Love,
Vivek.

PS: An attempt at fiction? My response to ammani's call for open letters to anyone. A special thanks to ammani for making me finally weave this letter.

Americanness III - Indian Groceries...

A surprising title to this post. Well, it is about the concept of Indian groceries in the US of A. This can very well be extended to Persian groceries, Turkish groceries, etc. The concept is the same. My being more familiar to the delicacies offered by the Indian cuisine, inspires me to discriminate between the various grocery options available here.

For the uninitiated alien, the newcomers to the US (say, me 3 years ago), all the prices of Indian foods seem totally alien. Isn't it ridiculous to shell out close to 4 USD for a ready-made bhel puri mix. Imagine, a whopping 200 INR, for something that would be available for 10 INR in India. But then, one tends to generalize. "Money is not everything. Why should one miss out on what the taste buds are used to?". It is an altogether different issue, if this would help alleviate or aggregate the inexplicable homesickness.

From what starts to be ridiculously high prices, one gets to better appreciate their pricing with the passage of time. Direct conversion doesn't help at all. For people in India, my own relatives and friends, it is a matter of shock that I need to pay 100's of INR to get basic essentials, which most of them would have taken for granted. Say, toor dal, channa dal, rye, jeera, methi, chilli powder, masala powders, garam masala, ready-made mixes, pickles, and what not.

Such is the lure and seduction of the sense of smell, and taste. One might go and try out the most exotic of cuisines. But then, finally, an Indian could find the greatest peace in having a simple meal of sambhar (known as lentil soup in American circles), rice (the Indian equivalent of the oriental variety), dhahin (amazing curd, available here, loaded with the richness of cream and fat), and the simple pickle. For the non-rice types, say, paratha, curd and pickle.

Such a peaceful dinner would amount to say, 4-5 USD. Wherever you go, whatever you eat, you end up shelling more. So, despite the fact that we end up paying 250 INR for a simple meal, it could be considered money well spent. The mind is a clever instrument, that is capable of bending all rules and degrees, when it comes to justifying anything. With a mere paradigm shift, the beautiful becomes the ugly and vice-versa.

And, importantly, shrewd people loaded with great business acumen and sense have rightly noticed the huge potential in the concept of Indian groceries. Be it the shop-keepers themselves, to the entrepreneurs, to the middle-men. But then, isn't life all about being opportunistic, and utilizing the opportunities that come knocking on one's doors.

PS: What is rasagulla or gulab jamun for the Indian, it is the baklava for the West Asian. In a land, where, anything about one's home country is enough to rise the nostalgia and the fervour in all of us, one doesn't object to paying more to have these "essentials", so as to lead a life as normal as one to the one's in the home country (well!!!, atleast when it comes to food).

Khushboo Welfare Society....

Causality in real life....

The football final of World Cup 2006 ITA vs FRA ended on a shocking note, last week. FRA, despite playing the better quality attacking football, after half-time, were the losers. Zinedine Zidane, on whom the previous post was based, delivered, on two counts - orchestration of the game from the midfield; and the vicious head-butt, courtesy the provocation. Such a sad way for his career to end.

This brings us back to the causal nature of the events. If there had been no cause (the provocation), the effect (the head-butt) wouldn't have been there. It doesn't make sense for Materazzi to end up on the winning side and be let scott-free. As Domenech had said, the true man of the match was Materazzi. Fair play needs to necessarily include both physical and non-physical forms of the game.

Zinedine Zidane.....

This post is dedicated to Zidane, and my landlady's friend, who was kind enough to give me a TV so that I can watch the matches.

The world is so fickleminded. The very same world which had been lambasting the French team and its coach Raymond Domenech, left, right and center (in a rare case of unity), has again made a shameless turnaround (again, displaying a remarkable sense of togetherness). A few were hoping against hope to help the French turn the tide against the world. As Richard Feynman says, "What do YOU care what other people think", seems to be have become the motto of this team, that has made it to the finals. It would be interesting to read these two clippings, spaced nearly a month apart[1,2].

Zidane, is on a swansong, more so during the match against Brazil and Spain, and ironically, it is more with the conviction that each match could be his last match. The world has been fortunate twice. If France hadn't qualified for the second round, then that was the end of Zidane's illustrious career. It would have been such a shame for the world. Second, he didn't get an yellow card against Portugal. That would have meant, the game against Portugal would have been veritably his last game. It would have been a great case of irony, if France were into the finals, and the inspiration behind the team was to sit out.

Coming to the subject of partisan fan following (perfectly justified), there are so many people with tears, now, read Brazilians (inevitably dosed with anger too), Germans (mixed with pride), Portuguese, Argentines, English, etc. The same German crowd that was jubilant after the narrow hard-fought victory over Argentina, was moved to tears after the match against Italy (that had to end in such a dramatic fashion). Football, for that matter, any sport, continues to unify people. Sport is one of the biggest passions of the world.

Despite my being very partisan in my support for the Les Bleus in the finals, may the better team win. Would it be one inspired performance from Zidane, or the hype, limelight, attention get the better of him. The stage couldn't be more perfect. Sadly for the world, his illustrious career is coming to an end. Importantly, what a way to end with the finals of the World Cup Finals 2006? Irrespective of the outcome of the match (well, victory would be more more precious and memorable), he has done his job.