Friday, November 22, 2013

Udaipur and Jodhpur Yatra

I had palnned Sikkim/Bhutan Trip in festival session of Nuakhai. That trip was cancelled due to backing out of the friends. Hence, I was looking towards other options. I do view it as a now or never situation in planning travel schedule. I took quick decision with help of my friend at IIM Ahmadabad. Udaipur and Jodhpur were prime destination of two days short trip of Rajasthan. I was lone traveler this time.

A balanced tourism is more about connecting with the local people and their culture, rather than site seeing like Maharajas of distant land. Talking for long session (1/2 -1 hour) with remarkable people like Shambhu (auto-rickshaw driver at Udaipur) and Yarden Gerest- Mar (Student of Computer Science at Hebrew University, Israel) were good experiences of the whole trip. Touring India is always mixed bag of praise, platitudes and panning. Foreign tourists are confronted with unfamiliar sights on a daily basis, such as open defecation that are no longer seen in the developed nation. India has both sides, some exciting and some negative.

Best moment was a small interaction with an unknown artist at Jaswant Thada. A great source of frustration creeps in people with a strong sense of entitlement face either unnecessary criticism or unmet expectations. Creative people like writers, actors, humanitarian aid worker or fashion designer have some similarity with such street artist as they work (initially) for peanuts in their respective professions. I was lost in bliss moments on listening to such beautiful music amid thirst and heat. Such non-material aspects of a life are truly divine.


“From the bastions of the Jodhpur fort one hears as the Gods must hear from Olympus,” said author Aldous Huxley about the Mehrangarh Fort ramparts. I covered Mehrangarh Fort early in the morning. Flying fox tour was too expensive (Rs 1500 for traveling to the wire around fort) and adrenaline rush doesn't suit me. What I like is slow and steady romance with medieval history and an ancient culture. I was unable to find location where a prison scene of 'The Dark Knight Rises' was shot. The exotic murals of the self-exiled Polish art Stefan Norblin in Umaid Bhawan are still fresh in my imagination.

Guided Trip in auto-rickshaw was plan for touring beautiful city of Udaipur. Most of the places shown were redundant for me. Folk Art Museum at Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir was a surprise revelation for the day. I watched Daily puppetry show and gathered information about popular Ghoomar dance. Both Lake palace and City palace were full of scenic beauty. Camera charges at city palace was so high that appears more irrelevant in this era of high resolution mobile camera. I was unable to visit Sajjangarh fort due to time crunch.

Medieval painting, historical exhibits and cultural objects like arms, protective elephant howdahs, palanquins, armors, turbans, costumes and paintings at both places were preserved with great care. Impregnable defensive architecture have always been plus point of forts of Rajasthan. I took audio tour at Jodhpur and personal guide tour at Udaipur. I find audio tour better for those who are alone and have plenty of time and interest. I have always been in dilemma that vacation can't be a photo opportunity. Sometime it seems wrong to constantly capture the beauty as champion trophy, instead of savouring the moment. Sometimes the wrong path can take us to the right destination. But, having an smart app like Google Maps was useful. 'Baati Dal Choorma' was the only local cuisine tasted by me.

Tour of Jodhpur belonging to Marwar state and Udaipur belonging to Mewar was completed. It was very hard to grasp disparity in lifestyle of Bhil culture as seenin folk museum compared to luxurious lives of aristocracy.  Boredom tends to cause excessive pleasure-seeking since, lacking other goals, people often use pleasure as a goal. Thus was the era of Kingdoms and Feudal lords full of extremes in war, love and art. As Walter Benjamin famously wrote, “There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.”

Monday, November 18, 2013

Farewell Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar retired today from all formats of cricket matches today. Many has paid homage to this legend and much has been already said about his retirement and figures. I will add few words. I don't call him God but sure rank him as one of the best auteur of the game. I assume him as the last gentleman of the cricketing era giving place to aggressive new India. Sachin was raised in tradition of Mumbai batsmanship, aggressive in strokes yet solid and calm in defense. He took it to greatness with his action and achievements.

Rahul Dravid, Robin Singh, Hansie Cronje and Heath Streak are my favorite cricketers. I like Sachin but never loved him. Yet, he was always there as a symbol of hope. During 1990, if Tendulkar failed, TV sets were closed considering all was lost for India. In those days, Indians rarely have something that can be termed as world class. Sunil Gavaskar has given us inspiration that one can be second-to-none with sheer will and hard work. Gavaskar was combination of rock solid guts, the classic technique and full commitment to stand up to such hostile fast bowling of his era. Kapil Dev was similarly inspiring because fast bowlers were non existing species in Indian cricket history. Kapil was generating sufficient swing, bounce, accuracy and work horse like stamina on the dead pitches with athletic fielding capabilities. I always saw Sachin as a combination of both of these stalwarts : First Among Equals at world level amid figures like Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis.

Qualities like Longevity, Dedication, Perseverance, Focus, Ambition and Humility are part of his status. He has even attracted admiration from the players of other country for his composure and behaviour on & off the field. But why I admire him, for his Integrity. All games is safeguarded by their popularity. Whole nation was in the state of shock due to match fixing scandals in 1999. Yet, Sachin's honesty and integrity healed fans and they gave moral support again to Indian cricket team. Indian media has bipolar disorder who either give people as god-like status in good times, while every weakness is dissected in loss. Hence, a career with traces of controversy is an extraordinary achievements. Even without evidence, minor allegation against him like ball tampering in SA 2001 and Monkey gate in Australia tour are insignificant. That career record makes one wonder about miracle named Sachin.

I was kid in early phase of his career and hence not seen great innings of Sachin against fast pitches against England, Australia and Pakistan. This one is hailed as mark of new era in world cricket.


I saw him first delivering match winning last over in Hero Cup semifinal.


I saw him destroying pace attack in foreign condition at South Africa.


I always remember his back to back explosive innings at Sharjah amid sand storms.


I was glued to radio commentary for Chennai Test of 1999 against Pakistan. I was heart broken when chasing 271, Sachin had made 136 with severe back pain & batting with grim resolve in losing cause.


Sachin's batting against Pakistan at Centurion in 2003 world cup match is unforgettable.


I rate heroic 175 against Australia in Hyderabad as an example of lone man fighting a battle.


That double century of Sachin against South Africa was so perfect example of building inning with speed and calculative risks.


Even ad featuring Sachin are now memories of past.


This was one my favorite.


A part of his success goes to the his family, friends , players and his coach. His cricketing records will be broken. Thanks Sachin for so many good memories. Profile of Sachin on Cricinfo.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

101 Ways to Get Educated

There are more than one ways in which one can get educated. This is a list which I found on the net... pretty inspiring and insightful !
  1. Grow enough grain for one loaf of bread -- and make and eat the loaf
  2. Answer ALL the questions of a 3 year old for a week
  3. Spend a day alone in a wild place
  4. Follow your trash to its final resting place
  5. Collect food and blankets and spend a day giving them to homeless people taking the time to stop and talk about life
  6. Help in the birth of a lamb, cow, or horse
  7. Visit a slaughter house (try to withhold judgment)
  8. Organize a rite of passage ceremony for an adolescent, someone at mid-life, or yourself
  9. Switch genders for the day
  10. Build a house (your own, or for Habitat for Humanity)
  11. Ask a low rider how the lifters on their car work
  12. Apprentice yourself to someone you've always wanted to learn from
  13. Take a picture of you and all your stuff in front of the place where you live. Compare it to the pictures in Peter Menzel's Material World
  14. Read the sacred texts of another tradition
  15. Imagine your most delicious relationship and then go first
  16. Work for a week on an assembly line
  17. Spend a week without stepping in a car. Pay attention to how your town looks from a bike, bus, or sidewalk
  18. Exchange tutoring with a teenager - math or bicycle repair in exchange for Web browsing, skate boarding, dance, or ??
  19. Go to someone else's church, synagogue, or place of worship
  20. Go on a vision quest
  21. Take a dance class from a different culture
  22. Interview the oldest person you can find; record the conversation
  23. Interview a child
  24. Imagine a day in your life 15 years from now
  25. Plant and care for a tree
  26. Ask yourself, "What if everyone in the world behaved the way I am behaving?"
  27. Get the names of the favorite books of your dentist, grocery store clerk, mother, co-worker, and your minister/rabbi/priest or spiritual guide. Read those books
  28. Pretend to be someone else on the Internet
  29. Trace your water supply back to its source - and follow it down the drainpipes to its destiny
  30. Finger paint
  31. Spend a day in a neighborhood where you've never been before - without carrying any money
  32. Ask your friends, and your ex-friends, to anonymously send you a list of your five best and five worst character traits
  33. Live for a day off your garden
  34. Channel surf for an evening; ask yourself what about the programs is drawing people
  35. Be quiet for 5 minutes per day; increase gradually to 20
  36. Ask a young person what's on his or her mind and heart, and listen (don't try to 'fix it')
  37. Figure out when and on what part of your dwelling the sun's rays fall at different times of year (for extra credit: calculate the photovoltaic potential of your roof)
  38. Take a year off
  39. Read a foreign newspaper
  40. Meditate on the life of your unborn grandchild
  41. Talk to the janitor
  42. Assume that everything is your responsibility, if not your fault
  43. Examine a handful of compost or rich soil under a microscope
  44. Go without food for three days
  45. Watch a child being born
  46. Write a creation myth
  47. Visit an observatory, and look at the stars through a big telescope
  48. Map the creeks, streams, and rivers in your watershed
  49. Choose six jobs that interest you; find someone to interview for each and spend a day working alongside them
  50. Watch a snail
  51. Find out what percentage of the world's financial wealth is owned by the top 50 corporations, and how much by the 50 wealthiest people
  52. Visit the emergency ward of a major hospital
  53. Sleep outside under the stars
  54. Discuss these questions with a friend : If the Universe is finite, what happens at its edge ? If it's infinite, how did it get there ? If the Universe started 15 billion years ago, what was there before it started? Does time go on forever ?
  55. Visit a spiritual healer
  56. Find out what the clerk at the grocery store is thinking about
  57. Follow your electric wires to the source of the electricity
  58. Learn to line dance
  59. Spend two hours with a counsellor exploring your life
  60. Pick three trees of different species and spend an hour meditating under each one
  61. Go on a week-long solo journey by bus, bike, or foot to a place you've never been; listen to the people you meet
  62. Learn how to build a wall
  63. Fall in love
  64. Take a bicycle to pieces and put it together again
  65. Visit a Native American reservation and talk with the people you meet about their past and future
  66. Learn how to give a good massage
  67. Spend a day watching a state or provincial legislature at work
  68. Calculate how much carbon dioxide your family is adding to the atmosphere each year
  69. Ask a good friend to share the most important lessons he or she has learned about sex and how to make love
  70. Perform menial or repetitive work at a job that lasts at least a week
  71. Read primary sources on history, science, social science (that is, avoid the authors who are interpreting the work of others)
  72. Carry all your trash around with you for a week. At the end of the week, weigh it all
  73. Write an episode of one of the current top-rated sitcoms on commercial TV; explain the story line to a friend
  74. Repair a damaged relationship
  75. Start that band/garden/book/art movement you told yourself you'd always do
  76. Throw the biggest party you can; try to get someone from every decade dancing
  77. Ask your parents about their relationship
  78. Refuse to do meaningless work for one week
  79. Offer to help your child's teacher
  80. Admit that you don't know and ask for help
  81. Tell people how you are really doing
  82. Go to a punk rock or hip-hop show
  83. Sell your car and go to India
  84. Seek out a friend of a different race & class
  85. Ask people what they are planning to do about the year 2000 computer bug
  86. Calculate the total miles traveled from the towns labeled on food cans in your pantry
  87. Ask a kid about divorce
  88. Teach yourself to play guitar
  89. Go to the industrial section of town and see how much free stuff is available (go dumpster diving)
  90. Make a movie about your neighborhood
  91. Visit the nearest creek once a week for a month and notice changes along the banks, in the water flows, in the pools
  92. Collect dumpling recipes from around the world; throw a dumpling party
  93. Imagine yourself looking back on your life at 90 years of age: what are the highlights? Who has been most important? What do you wish you had done?

Now go out and do those things, thank those people and live those highlights.