Incredible India!!

For all those tourists, who have come to this site looking to make a tour plan in India, this is not your destination. I suggest you try http://www.incredibleIndia.org/

For the rest of us, who is still with me, let's enjoy the rest of the journey.

On those grounds where Indus valley civilisation started in 5000 BC, lie today the mystic land of India. I call it mystic because inspite of being an Indian for 29 years, even today i don't completely understand my own culture. It's not a matter to be ashamed of, rather i find it an avenue for profound introspection and analysis.

Mess up with an African Nation, they may declare a war on you;
Mess up with America, they will force Democracy in your country as they did in Iraq and Afghanistan;
Mess up with Pakistan, they will declare proxy war on you;
Mess up with an Islamic Nation, they will impinge damage on you tantamounting to another September 11;

Mess up with India, there will be silent spectators, and some protestors will burn effigies.
Yes, EFFIGIES. Effigies have been the strongest weapon of Indian protestors starting from the days of British Dominance till Richard Gere kissed Shilpa Shetty in public.

DELHI, India, April 17 (UPI) -- Effigies of Bollywood actress Shipla Shetty and Hollywood star Richard Gere were burned around India to protest their kiss during an AIDS awareness function.
Hindu and Muslim groups protested in Varanasi and Kanpur and elsewhere around India, criticizing public kiss as "indecent behavior" by Shetty and Gere and calling their actions "an attack on our cultural ethos," the Hindustan Times said.
-- picked up from http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/74943

What Richard Gere did was merely hug Shilpa and rubs her cheeks. Well, to satiate the needs of media and protestors, let me put it this way; Gere hugged Shilpa tightly and brushed cheeks violently.

Moments later, Indian Media and protestors slandered Gere for his obscene behavior in public. Obscene?? I thought it is a part of Gere's culture. I think, everyone has missed that one important point. What Indian Culture never taught us was to disrespect any other culture, slander any other human being. And we were excatly doing that.

For many of us Indians, it's difficult to admit that the world has gone far from accepting a public kiss. We Indians, cannot deny that everything that we see in the so called West is practised rampantly in our country too, but under cover.

I have noticed that under certain situations, we tend to behave in a much digressed trend than what Indian culture has actually been emanating on that particular topic.

I work for an Indian Multinational Company which has a big branch in Europe with local recruits. It was really nice of the company to provide a well equipped Gymnasium. Till here, everything was ok. Things went awry when someone requested for a masseur in office, who could give head, neck and shoulder massage to the employees. The local HR gave an impression that such kind of thing would never be allowed in Indian Culture.

Indian Culture?? I don't understand. All this while, i thought Indian culture believed in the therapeutic use of Massages. Kerala Tourism, in India is officially promoting Ayurvedic & Herbal Massages and Spas. Ironic, huh??

Think of a few centuries back. Vatsayana, a 4th Century AD Indian Scholar, put together his knowledge on Aphorisms of love in a compilation, which the modern day world popularly knows as KamaSutra. Goodness, is it one Indian who taught the world the art of having sex?? But look at us Indians, we are so scared of it now. Forget Sex, discussions on sex is also a taboo in India. Mindblowing, huh??

These are only a few instances. If we look deep in to our daily lives, we can find out several such hypocricies which we unknowingly project to the world. Little do we understand that if we covet a fear, if imprints firmly on us. We forget that we should be lukewarm about orthodox rituals and traditions. Ritual is to make way for someone's progress, not hinder it.

The whole world today, comes to india to learn spiritualism and art of living. But, if we continue this way without understanding the necessity of living in the modern world, we are bound to forget our own spirit of living.

Your thoughts??

Confusing "Nature" of Europe

"Because You love the Burning-ground, I have made a Burning-ground of my heart - That You, Dark One, hunter of the Burning-ground, May dance Your eternal dance."
~ Bengali Hymn~

Waiters in Vienna, where the mercury rose to 60 degrees (15.6°C) just edging out Rome's 59 degrees (15°C) put tables and chairs back out on the sidewalks. Bulgarians basked in the sun on balmy 62-degree Black Sea beaches.

Roses bloomed in eastern France. In the Netherlands, crocuses started sprouting and birds began nesting. And in Sweden, bears were finally hibernating two months late after the weather played havoc with their biological clocks.
-- Picked up from New.Yahoo.com

With so much spring in the air, many Europeans wonder: Where's winter?

While there has been reports of snow blizzards in the US during Christmas, affecting flight schedules, this part of the world has remained pretty much untouched. With January closing to an end, the average temperature in Budapest should have been around -15°C. This winter its a far cry with most of the days hitting a maximum of 15°C. The Sun getting more inclined towards its Lover (The Earth) in the Northern hemisphere, Winter in Europe needs more than just luck.


Unseasonable warm weather affects former dancing bears
15 January 2007 - Issue : 712

The recent unseasonably warm weather in Bulgaria’s mountainous area has kept the former "dancing bears" awake, the BTA news agency reported. The bears, saved from the streets and returned to nature by the "Four Paws" group, withdrew to caves several weeks ago anticipating winter sleep - but sunshine and warmth
-- Picked up from http://www.neurope.eu/view_news.php?id=69003

The Trees in my locale are budding, shrubs are getting leaves, pots are blossoming with flowers. Bears have come out for Hunting. They are not hibernating. For the first time in 20 years, Birds from colder parts of Europe have decided not to Migrate to warmer climes down south. Austrian weather bureau started daily pollen (grains) warnings after hazel and alder trees blossomed and were close to releasing choking clouds of dust. The Norway Bureau is following suit.

Nature is also confused in many other countries

The Effects??
I am happy!!
More than that, People are taking out to Sunbath in January - a fact, which their grandmothers can only tell stories of. In most european cities, people are out in shorts and t-shirts making the most of the warmth. With Flowers, Colors and Greenery all around, Winter was never so beautiful.
Is everything so rosy??
Surely, Pollen Allergy is not fun, but it's something which people can deal with. The Winter Sports Industry has been hit the most with surmounting amount of lay-offs. According to Canada's Globe and Mail, that's just what's happening in Ontario's ski industry. Scientists say that disease-bearing ticks could multiply out of control if it doesn't get chilly fast. In the Swiss and Austrian Alps, World Cup ski race organizers canceled training runs to avoid chewing up grassy patches lean on snow and already damaged by rain and warm conditions.
And above all these, not to forget that my Skiing trip to Slovakia has been indefinitely delayed. I am sitting back at home with Ski-Jackets bought at hefty costs. Any Buyers for the next season??

All these reminds me of my experiences of Total Solar Eclipses that were visible from my hometown when i was a kid. As the day went from dim to dimmer, the wild birds would return to their nests. The shrill of their chirps kept on increasing till the Sun visibly eclipsed. Then at one moment, it went dark, birds would stop their chatters. Everything would be so nocturnal. In a matter of few seconds, the Sun would come up again announcing a new morning, leaving the poor birds in a state of wonder.

If a chilly winter sets in Europe in the next few weeks, nothing could be more disastrous. Wild animals will suffer. Birds will lose nests. The trees would shed leaves, flowers will dry, crops planted in the last autumn will die. The prices of natural fruits and vegetables will rise because their harvest will take a hit. The tragedy doesn't end here. None of us will get GOOD WINE for cheap in spring and summer.

What's to blame: global warming, as many suspect, or just one of those extreme years that roll around every century or so?

Seconding Herbert Spencer: Survival of the Fittest

The burning galaxy, the cosmic life
Have sheltered me, I wonder that I am alive !
The limitless time - its ups and downs
Flows in my blood, with pulsating sounds
I wonder that I am around !!

-- Rabindra Nath Tagore (Nobel Laureate)

Budapest, 5th Jan 2007
The Valley was a treat to the eyes. I gazed at it for hours from the foothills, the evening before. Snow was such a great fancy till i witnessed it from the peak of the hilly domes of Donovaly. The elevation of 1402 metres looks steeper than it was ever before. The cold weather sent chills down my spine though I was equipped with the warmest of ski-clothings to beat the snow. There i was, at a height of 1402 metres at Park Snow Skiing Resort, Donovally, Slovakia; with my skiing kit on, waiting to slide down the slope in the blink of an eye. My only consolation were Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary who conquered Mt. Everest, 7 times higher than the elevation I was about to slide down. After them, no one has bothered to keep a count of how many climbers rose to that feat. But, nothing beats the excitement of this first time skier who has just set foot to conquer Donovaly after a 2 hr paid training by local recruits. It's a mixed emotion that has been restrained for quite sometime. And now it's time to let it go. It's like a River which cautiously goes through every turn and bend when it sets foot on to the plains after knocking off undulating terrains for miles altogether. It's not just about setting foot cautiously, its also about exhilaration, the unadulterated joy of invading new territories, newer lands and foremost doing something, the feeling of which has been alien so long. The river feels it, same does this rookie skier.

The fear, the thrill, juxtaposed with never-before-experienced fun was seeping in to me. I didn't travel all the way from Budapest to Slovakia to turn my face off this enticing slope, which several skiers are gliding through as though it was a cakework. What do I fear? I have heard no one dying in a Skiing resort. Accidents? It can happen even when i am carelessly breaking stairs at home. In a matter of just a few minutes, i figured out that I have held up this fear within me for nothing. So it was high time that I started living dangerously. For a moment I felt as though I would prefer getting married than to try Skiing. But i remembered one of my good buddies telling me that getting married was not "that bad", and I felt neither was Skiing. So to nurse my hurting Male ego, to charm my fellow friends, to save space in this post of my blog and more importantly on "Public Demand", I let it go. I never really counted down for the New Year to arrive. Though this time, i was no inferior to the NASA countdown for a shuttle launch.
5....4....3....2....1.... and "Say Cheese", oops!! Sorry, should be "Go".

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now
only You know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now
-- Lyrics from 'Sway', by Dean Martin

A few start-up hiccups and I was sailing smooth. Precariously cutting through tracks jotted down by the previous skiers, swinging and swaying. I was using every bit of my Ski kit rented from Budapest. I got a feeling like Skiing must be easier than Wind sailing. At least you don't need to watch out for your 1 ton sails.

In this Freezing cold, I was sweating profusely. Think, i should have done a bit more exercise of the legs before I came here. My legs are already paining, my hamstrings giving up. I am unable to control my speed. I am getting second thoughts on if it was an absolute necessity to call quits to the comfort of my cosy home at Budapest and come 200 Kms into Slovakia to encounter an imminent mishap. Things really seem getting worse than i could have ever imagined. I went on dodging small heaps of snow and reached more populated areas. There is no way i am stopping. Not that i don't feel like. But because at this hour of crisis, I don't recall anything from my Skiing Training. The crowd is nearing with every passing moment. Other Skiers are getting cautious of me approaching them. Some have already started dispersing at my sight. Who is that guy, bit obscure in a little distance? Why is he not running haywire like others? Is he not looking? Or is he a rookie like me? Or may be he wants to help me from the danger by coming in my way. Its getting late to think or discover things. I am within a few feet.......

(Distinct Clutter in the background)

BUMP...SPLASH...PLOD....THUDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

(2 Mins later)
I survived unhurt. Not even a scratch in my body. How is that possible? But i can feel the sweating, my heart pounding. I lied dumbfound, my Ski-Clothings have vanished. Good God, what just happened to me?
I discovered that i was having a Nightmare. I am turning Insomniac in anticipation of my Skiing trip to Slovakia. It's only Friday, the 5th of Jan, still a week to go for the D-day. But every night takes its toll on me.


(3 Weeks Ago)

My DB Administrator, Jozsef Jasfalvi came up to me asking if i was willing to join them for Skiing between 12th-15th Jan 2007. I was ready to take my chances. Especially, i am this adventurous type, who would go to any length to break a limb, so that i can relax at home for a month. :-) (Is this guy, Sick??)
My CIO called me up during Christmas and encouraged me to join the rest of the team for Skiing. There is no looking back now. Anytime i raise this concern with my team, they cheer me up; conceal the dangers of skiing like anything. I had no idea that people utter these many white lies to find scapegoats.

(2 Weeks Ago)

Posted 8:42 p.m. EST, December 24, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recuperated at his home in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Sunday, a day after he broke his right leg while skiing.
-- Picked up from http://www.cnn.com

This was enough to keep me panicked during the whole of Christmas. The whole city was sleeping; i couldn't share my concerns with anyone. I was suffocating with fear and anticipation.

(Yesterday)

The whole bunch of us went out to rent the Ski-Kits. The Boots, Skis, Ski Bindings, Helmets and everything else that make you so heavy that you can barely move. I believe that the "Medieval Age Knights" looked slimmer than us trying our Ski-Kits. I met Peter, my good old buddy. He is joining us too. I found out that a few people in the group were rookie like me. I got a few souls on my side of the game too. I teamed up with these guys and announced proudly saying that "We will keep ourselves restricted to less steeper slopes. That way, we can avoid accidents". Peter emerged out of nowhere, never seen him so spontaneous before. He uttered "It doesn't matter, some rookie like you, may crash in to you".
He enquired if i had insurance. GOD!! I totally missed it. I don't have insurance outside Hungary. He blew the air out of everything. Till now i was feeling SUFFOCATED, now it feels someone has just STRANGLED me.

(Today)

Since yesterday's events, i am mentally preparing for a sure disaster in the week ahead. Since morning, i have allotted 2-3 men enquiring about insurance with the obscurest travel agents of Budapest. I am gobbling wikipedia about how to Ski, importantly how to Stop!!
One of my project leaders have been very helpful. He Googled a list of the most recent accidents that have occurred on Ski resorts. I wish he stopped there. He sent me the address to a website which was providing paid lawyer services to fight lawsuits involving skiing accidents. Here is an excerpt

Montana Skiing Accident Lawyer
Though snow skiing and other winter sports are exciting and fun for the whole family, accidents do happen. In many cases, these accidents are the result of a resort or individual failing to properly post signs and warnings or failing to properly monitor conditions, or the improper design of ski runs or ski lifts and other essential machinery. If you have been injured in a ski accident, we will work hard to help you obtain the compensation you need and deserve.

-- picked up from

http://www.foustbuckley.com/PracticeAreas/PracticeAreaDescriptions8.asp

Foust Buckley P.C is a major law firm in the US. Skiing Accidents is only one area of their practice.
Their motto is "Committed to helping good people during difficult times"

I think i represent good people, and i am going through really difficult times.

Today, i was almost confirming my payment to an insurance company who was willing to insure my trip. At my back someone just reminded me, "Do they insure against AVALANCHES?". I figured out that no one can save me. I will be the first person to lay down my life for the cause of Skiing. Promise, it feels nothing less than "Martyrdom".

Every morning starts with the same jitter and I go to sleep with the same insane fear. Every day i get new recommendations about finding lawyers, filling lawsuits, getting insurances, avoiding avalanches. Someone is yet to tell me about YETI or a SNOWMAN. But i guess, they are only found in the Himalayas. Who knows they might have migrated sometime. I have a strong belief, anything can happen to make my life, a living hell. Till now, every day i hear the same gibberish from my Colleagues.

(Indistinct sounds at the back)
Cheer-Leader1: pras, its gonna be safe
Cheer-Leader2: hehe
Cheer-Leader3: he is our expert rookie
Cheer-Leader1: you will be expert after the training.
Cheer-Leader2: Arnie Schwarzenegger was skiing in.....
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......

The story continues........

Did you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not i
I will survive
As long as I know how to love
I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
And I'll survive
I will survive
I will survive...!
-- lyrics from "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor

--- The author has a very unbiased view on skiing. He still wishes to go skiing and get a real life taste of what it feels like being a POLAR BEAR or a HARP SEAL.

(Trivia)
Skiing is one of the few words in the English language that contains two "i"s in a row.