(The world) As I see it..

Is it the place or the people?

2011-11-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

I am supposed to write reflection papers as part of my leadership course. The guideline says that we do not have to answer all the questions that we pose - "the questions are a sign of curiosity and a continued desire to learn". That'z interesting.. so, I don't have to answer all the questions I have.. hmm.. I think I will get back to my assignment later.

In all my travels, I have wondered if it is the people or the place that makes an impact on me. Most places (if not all) have made me happy probably because of the freedom and independence they give me.. or may be because I get closer to myself, as Alan Alda says - "You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."

In a way, places are like people. There are some places that you fall in love with at first sight; and some you start liking with time. New York city for example.. I have not been particularly interested in the US but when I stepped onto the streets of New York, it got me immediately - it was love at first site (spelling intentional)! I don't understand how it happened. A city full of buildings and roads and cars and cyclists and people.. Same with Mumbai I guess.. NYC and Mumbai are often spoken of in the same breath, as both places offer a lot of opportunities, welcome anyone who dares to dream, are resilient, etc..

And there are places like Toronto, which I took some time before I started liking it, bit by bit. Sometimes it was the long walks on the quiet streets, sometimes it was the beautiful fall colors, sometimes it was the way the old and new blending so well with each other..

And the people are one of the nicest I have met, second only to the Swiss.

Cities, like people, have character. In Economics class, I tend to feel even countries have character and our prof doesn't seem to like any!!

Anyway, I am not sure whether cities shape the character of the people or people shape the character of the city. As the Canadians say, it depends :)

1 week at the York campus

2011-08-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since I landed at the York University campus and one thing that has been hard to miss is the cute composting cone scattered across the campus. These cones are open from the bottom and one has to just drop organic waste into it. I did not want to attract too much attention by digging deeper into it. Will find out more once I get to meet more people.

The university has a strong focus on sustainability and has many related ratings to its credit. My room mate confirmed that this is indeed a good place to learn about sustainability. So, provisions for garbage segregation is one thing that I expected at the campus. Though there isn't any facility (or I haven't figured out yet) for composting within the residential buildings, I have made it a point to keep organic waste separate and drop it in the nearest composting bin.

The next interesting thing that I discovered is a

community maintained vegetable garden

within the campus. Individual plots can be rented out for 20$ and one can grow whatever one wants, the weather and the deers/rabbits permitting. I might start by watering and deweeding the community part and earn my way to an individual plot - if I find the time for it. I have been warned repeatedly by my seniors about 18-hr work days once school starts.

Moving around using public transport has been fairly easy considering the campus is located on the outskirts and the nearest subway station is a good 20 min bus ride. The bus stops are many and close to one another - my reasoning is that it is very difficult to walk even a few meters in winters. I have also heard some stories about wild animals sneaking up to you. TTC, the Toronto Transport Corporation offers discounted re-usable tokens that cost 2.5$ (3$ without discount) for a one-way ride. It is interesting the way the transfers - from one bus to another bus, from bus to sub-way and vice versa - work. When transferring between a bus and a subway train, things work on trust - they trust that you have paid for your one-way ticket. I did take some time to adjust to this system. The transfer ticket (for transfers between buses) is hard to mess around with, as I found out when I (unintentionally) used an expired transfer ticket. Of course with a monthly pass or a day pass, it is much easier and cheaper to move around.

Myths about planting banana

2011-04-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

My mom had been against planting the banana plant in our house for reasons as strange as Vaastu. I always thought (and still believe) that Vaastu is more science and less faith. Banana plants have been humbly serving as grey water filters for long. The outlet in almost all bathrooms in villages are redirected to a cluster of banana plants. People even pee in these bathrooms - I used to find it disgusting, until I understood the reasoning recently. Normally, even kitchen dishes are washed under the banana plant. The phosphates in the soaps and detergents are great for the banana plants and the Nitrogen in the urine is always welcome. Though this concept is being revived by people working in this area such as Biome, it is fast disappearing in villages, sadly.

I got around the first hurdle to plant the banana plant by getting one planted in my cousin's empty plot next door. No house yet, so no Vaastu complications.

I built a crude clothes washing area around this and slowly moved most of our laundry there.

Next, when I wanted to extend the filter to handle more soapy water, I wanted to plant more banana plants along with some Canna and reeds.

There is no dearth of banana plants in our locality, but another myth had to be broken. My mom tells me a banana plant has to be planted by an elderly person only. I thought hard but couldn't figure out why and she wouldn't tell. So, today, I went to a neighbor's place to pick up some saplings and the owner, an old lady also said the same. After much prodding, she said that there is a belief that people die soon after they plant banana, Banyan, Tamarind, etc.. I did not want to hurt her feelings, so came home promising her that I will get it planted by someone else.

My rather progressive aunt, who lives in a village, is visiting us and I asked her what she feels about this belief. She agreed that these plants and trees are planted by elderly people only, but the reason she gave was slightly different. She says it was more out of respect and the fact that elderly people would have done a lot of good work in their life and hence they 'deserve' the right to plant these useful plants. This was better. So, I went ahead and planted 3 of them (I think I deserve to).

Don't save the girl child

2011-04-11T08:09:00.001-07:00

First, Women's day, and then the population census results. And all the analysis and the alarm bells and more campaigns to save the girl child.

I have started to wonder if we, as a society, really want the girl child. If marriage (and kids) seems to be the destiny for her, then why get her educated and why give her freedom in the first place? If the M word is the first thing that comes to a couple's mind when they get to know they have a girl child, I feel it is better to nip the 'problem' in the bud.

There is an advantage to not let the girl child come into the world, which may not be obvious immediately. Less girl children implies less kids and our population problem will be solved. We could just wrap up all the programs to save the girl child and divert all the money into making female infanticide official. My only worry is, the future ending up as depicted in the movie Matrubhoomi: A nation without women.

And then there is the so called progressive male who seems to have a tough time catching up, as this article (in Kannada) brings out crisply. Similar thoughts were echoed during a discussion with a high achieving woman from Bangalore.

I do not want to generalize or sound like a feminist, but I have to admit that I have come across very few progressive men (and progressive people, in general).

I wish the tribe increases.

To help or not to help..

2011-04-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am faced with a dilemma..

The micro entrepreneur near my place who makes a living through her crude lunch/snack home now wants to expand her business to include cool drinks - of the aerated drinks kind. She has already thrust us with a significant amount towards the cost of the refrigerator and is banking on me to get her a good deal.

Now, first of all, I do not subscribe to all those aerated drinks - some of which contain 'natural identical flavoring agents'. Secondly, I feel it is a waste of power to cool these drinks which 'taste best only when chilled'. She has managed to get free power from the construction site where she has put up her shop. Nevertheless, why waste power to cool something that is not adding any value to one's health, but is only filling the pockets of stars in the name of advertising and marketing.

I did manage to tell her subtly to sell buttermilk cooled in earthern pots - she said she has already tried it and there are no takers.

I can't really give her gyan about health or environmental concerns when all she is worried about is making a few extra bucks that she can spend on her kids' education.

So, the best I can do is to get her a good deal by finding a used refrigerator.

3 mistakes of my composting

2011-03-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

When I moved from vermi composting to Daily Dump - I thought I had found the perfect solution without having to do anything.. almost. Daily Dump is a cool product, comes with a neat manual and troubleshooting tips, but I must admit that initially, I did not follow all the instructions by the word either because I was lazy or because I did not attempt to understand the science behind the whole thing or both.

First mistake - Not enough dry leaves:

I initially thought this was for containing moisture in order to restrict the population of maggots (maggots actually aid the composting), yet I was careless and failed. When I started adding dry leaves/saw dust, I saw better results. I later got to know that the carbon in the dry leaves is required to offset the Nitrogen rich kitchen waste by providing fuel for the composting process. On cold winter mornings, one can actually see the vapour rising as one stirs the pile.

Second mistake - Not enough water:

I was so scared of maggots that I deliberately kept the pile a little on the drier side and was happy to not see many maggots. And the result - a very high soluble salt content (measured in terms of electrical conductivity) in the compost. The normal levels are less than 1 m mhos/cm but my compost had a value of 12!!

Third mistake - excluding citrus peels completely:

I somehow thought citrus was bad as it would make the compost acidic because I read that we need to balance it by adding baking soda. Actually, a slightly acidic compost and hence a slightly acidic soil is actually good. I did use the peels in our dishwashing powder along with soap nuts and shikakai. However, the compost turned alkaline with a pH of 8.47.

So, these days, I put the odd lemon peel into the pile.

More mistakes and remedies can be found at DailyDump..

The NPK values were satisfactory with Nitrogen being higher than normal but I am happy since our soil lacks N.

I have started using earthworms on semi decomposed waste, so this time, the compost should be of much better quality.

Connecting with the older generation

2011-03-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

These days, I find myself doing quite a bit of domestic work at home. Not that I am complaining.. more on that in another post. One of my activities includes going to the local flour mill. Our visits to the flour mill have increased ever since we switched to natural and bio-degradable alternatives for washing hair - a mixture of soapy nuts(Reetha in Hindi/Antwaal in Kannada), Shikakai and various dals. I have also finally managed to convince my mom to switch to a similar mixture for dishwashing too. And that is what took me to the flour mill today - to get a mixture of soapy nuts, shikakai and dried orange/lemon peels done. As usual, the 83-old owner of the flour mill greeted me with his one-toothed smile :) I have always appreciated him for his hardwork, dedication and cheerfulness even at such a ripe age. Today, we spoke a lot more than usual. After the usual questions about the Reva, it was my turn to ask questions. Going by his nature and his age, I guessed that he should have been part of our freedom struggle, and I was right. I have always had a fascination for freedom fighters - my respect made stronger by a freedom fighter who was our neighbour who drove many community initiatives. So this old man had spent 20 days in a Bellary jail and one day in Bangalore Central jail. There was a sparkle in his eyes when he talked about being in jail.

There was more to come. When I enquired about his freedom fighter's pension, he said he had opted for it saying the same money can be used for someone else who has probably lost a limb in the struggle for our freedom. His reasoning is that he is still capable of earning for himself and his share of the pension can be given to someone else who is in need. Before I left, I did tell him that we are also fighting a different kind of freedom struggle - a struggle to 'save the earth' for ourselves and our future. Even I said this, he threw away his plastic tea cup on the road. But, I told myself - this is a mess that we have created and it is our responsibility to solve it. They have already done their bit in the 1940s.

Back home, I happened to have one of the many heart-to-heart discussions with my grandmom. Today, she told me about how she (and many others in her generation) struggled to raise half a dozen or more kids, sometimes single handedly as the husband led a care-free life. Compare that to today's woman who has access to specialized hospitals to help deliver children and playhomes and grandparents to take care of the kids. She laughed when I told her that fathers get paternity leaves too.

At the end of the day, I felt that every generation has its saviours and strugglers who make it easier for the next generation.

Help from unexpected quarters

2011-01-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

The kids in our locality have developed a liking to our house because they believe they are free to do anything at our place. One of them even mentions the USP of our house to her friend as a place where there is lots of ಕಲ್ಲು and ಮಣ್ಣು (stones and soil) to play. So, I am not surprised when they voluntarily come and lend a hand in the garden. The girls carefully water the plants while the boys enjoy playing with tools.

However, what I witnessed today was funny and touching at the same time. I regularly pick up cow dung from the streets and occasionally some dry leaves as well, for our compost. Our locality has many Neem trees and one such tree was chopped partially leaving a lot of leaves on the side walks. As I picked up the dried leaves, many people glanced, smiled, asked questions and went away. But, three little 8 or 9 yr old girls (from migrant laborer families) stood there, wondering whether to talk to me or not. They just couldn't take it that a person from a 'well-off' family was 'sweeping the street' as they perceived it. The most proactive of them finally came to me and asked me "Aren't you from the brick house"? I said yes. She continued. "Why are you doing this? You will become dark." I told her that I have always been dark. She argued "No, I have seen you before, you were not like this. You don't do this. I will do it for you." I smiled and let her help me. We talked about her studies for sometime and how much she likes studying and going to school. Then she made me another offer, again to prevent me from becoming dark. She wanted to wash utensils and clean our house, after she comes back from school, as she does in another house. I told her we do our own work and if she really wants to help, she can help me in the garden. And I told her I will help with her studies. Then she asked me in a small voice if I would charge tuition fees.

She also told me that they hoisted a flag in school for Republic Day which is why today was a holiday for them. I hope she studies well and doesn't have to wash dishes forever.

Joint families revisited

2010-12-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

When I was in school, I had one class mate in the whole class who was part of a joint family. It was a real joint family with lots of people - not the 'two brothers staying together with their families and parents' types. It seemed very different to me as joint families were unheard of in cities. I don't know if I liked it for the novelty of it. There was another joint family in my mother's town - it was my mother's cousin's family. Everyone stayed together in a huge house with a big kitchen, a big hall, a huge front yard and a backyard, a common bathroom where all the kids bathed together, a big well, a cow shed, etc.. There was a hierarchy that was understood and respected by everyone and work was shared without any visible hassles. There was something intriguing, almost mystical about the joint family. I liked spending time there, observing how things worked - my favorite place secured in front of the Ole (Chulha in Hindi), with a cat sleeping in my lap. Hmm.. those were the days..

Now, why am I suddenly reminded of a joint family? I think the power of joint families to bring people together comes out strongly during extremes - during good and bad times. The tragic loss of a neighbor would probably have been felt less by the near and dear ones, had they lived in a joint family. Things are definitely better in our locality with everyone supporting one another. Nevertheless, it got me thinking about the advantages of being in a joint family. Historically, joint families came to be joint families because of economic reasons, or occupational reasons to be precise. The whole family was into agriculture or some joint business. The ladies had lot of work on their hands as everything was made at home - from papads to sambar powder. And kids had the most fun. Sharing came naturally and this applied to both materialistic as well as non-materialistic things. Of course, there were disadvantages such as lack of privacy, or one member contributing less or more, but people were generally good and honest and the head of the family resolved the issues before it could spoil the harmony.

These days, with the society moving towards individualism, the closest we can get to a joint family is parents living together with their grown up kids. I do know of a joint family of a friend, but it is more of an exception than the rule. I would love to be proved otherwise though I myself am quite skeptical about families - joint families or otherwise - with generation gaps and the complicated lives that we lead.

The Chicago connection..

2010-11-13T13:26:00.000-08:00

One thing that I have learned on this whirlwind trip to the US is to “Never say never”. Firstly, I never wanted to visit the US because I thought about it as being a very materialistic place. But, as luck would have it, I have completed 2 trips to this free country. Freedom is very relative and I would like to reserve talking about it, to a separate thread.

Secondly, I always thought lasting friendships are created only during school or college, but this myth was debunked when I made some real good friendships at work. One of them is the reason for my one trip to Mumbai and two trips to Chicago, so far. I made the trip to Mumbai a few years back, just to visit her, thinking that it would be the last time that I would see her as she was moving permanently to the US – something that she thought she would 'never' do. Couple of years back, I made a trip to the east coast of US, courtesy some of my good friends from college and I couldn't miss the trip to Chicago to visit this friend from Mumbai. The timing was perfect too – she had just had a baby. She took time out and we went around Chicago downtown where I was introduced to Panera Bread – an uptown alternative to Subway sandwiches. Chicago, I got to know from my friend, is known for its architecture. I did notice that the buildings were different from one another – unlike in New York City where everything seems like a tall rectangular structure. Chicago is home to the famous Bean by Indian born artist Anish Kapoor.

How the next visit to Chicago happened is something I cannot explain – just as I cannot explain how my other friend and I started on the crazy road trip from Indiana to California. My friend from Mumbai calls it a “karmic connection”. I guess it must be true. We were treated like family as we chatted heartily over yummy food and the little one entertained us throughout our stay. It was a very short stop-over, but a memorable one. My friend told us that she was jealous about us making the road trip – I guess true friends are like that; they do not hide anything :)

Public transport in the land of the automobile

2010-11-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

In the land of the automobile, the thought of taking public transport raises many eyebrows. Except for known, straight forward routes, very few venture to hop onto a bus/train. When I wanted to go on my own, my friend was concerned, but I was adamant. I thought nothing is impossible when I have the power of Google. I was very impressed with Google maps providing even the cost difference between public transport and car; next should be carbon emissions.

I spent a good part of the day researching on how to travel from Fremont to Stanford and then onto San Francisco for Critical Mass(CM) and then back home. This trip involved taking the BART train, AC transit bus, then a free shuttle bus, then Caltrain, then BART and then BART again after CM. It was quite a lot to write down; but I noted contingency plans as well.

Since I had to take my borrowed cycle on all these modes, I researched on that too. It looked pretty easy to take it on a bus and even easier to take it on Caltrain. I had already taken the bike on BART, so that was no longer an unknown.

Everything looked fine, till I realized that the tickets are different on every mode of transport. And, everything is automated - there is no one to ask too. I googled and was happy to find a combined ticket for all modes of transport - a clipper card - even my friend did not know much about it. My happiness at my discovery lasted only a few hours since we found that the clipper card was not easily available. And I was too stupid to ask her for her comments on my itinerary. Well, I missed a bus - but I had plan B. So, I took BART, but had already missed the connecting bus to get to the other side (SFO side). The next bus was an hour later. When the bus finally arrived, I handed out a 20$ bill, the lady said 'no change' (You have to bring in your own change all the time - luckily, BART stations have change vending machines). I learnt the hard way - by losing a dollar - that you have to give 'exact change' . I still had to load my bike onto the bus and the bus driver gave me a grumpy look at my struggles, but who cares! Loading the bike was damn easy, but I was not very confident. I always had an eye on the bike and missed watching the sorroundings, until someone put another bike in front of mine. I was now able to take my eyes off the bike and completed the first leg of my journey without any more events. It was relatively easy to find the way to Stanford from Palo Alto. I cycled on the wide bike lanes in Stanford, trying not to make any comparisons with IISc.

As I approached the next leg of my journey, I stopped looking at my notes as they longer made any sense. I went around the Palo Alto transit stop but not even a small info kiosk, nothing.. just a couple of automated ticket vending machines and a map of Caltrain and a whole lot of other transport 'companies'. I so much missed mapsearch and SBB of Switzerland - just one ticket that lets you take any mode of transport - train, tram, bus, boat.. u name it. But, here, you just cross the bay and its a new transport company and a new ticket. The train to SFO did not have proper naming too - just a number on the front - how do they expect new comers to know all this! I finally reached SFO and a native American girl asked me if we had reached SFO - I was happy to be treated as a local :). She also had a bike, so it was now my turn to ask her if she was going to critical mass. Yes, she was and she knew the route to the meeting point. We cycled on the narrow bike lanes along with trams, buses, cars, sharing the same road. Critical mass was exciting - I expected nothing less - and then I was back to the familiarity of BART.

So far, BART has been the most efficient and easy to understand. Still a long way to go for public transport in the US of A.

Meter Jam? or Please, Thank you?

2010-08-21T23:15:00.000-07:00

The Indo German film festival gave me an opportunity to catch up on the bits and pieces of German that I knew - or so I thought. The horrific killings and lack of humanity during wars - the movie that I saw was based on the Japanese attack on a Chinese city - overshadowed my literary quest. Reaching the venue was quite an adventure though.

For a change, I left home on time. But the first obstacle delayed me by 10 min. I had to drop my mom to the bus stop and as I got into the bus to help with the bags, the driver started the bus and wouldn't stop. The reason - CCTV would capture the images of the bus stopping at unauthorized places and he would be penalized! I did not know we had progressed so much. I thought to myself - Common sense is anyday better than mindless application of technological advances. Thankfully, the bus stopped at the nearest traffic signal and I got out - was lucky that the driver opened the door at the signal; some don't.

The next obstacle was fuel - Reva was not fully charged and I had to choose between leaving the car at my friend's place and take his vehicle and taking a risk with Reva. I did not like the option of using a petrol vehicle. I could charge the car at one of the many malls that support free charging, but the nearest one was too far from Ulsoor. Got to know from Reva service center that the Reva showroom near MG Road provides charging facility. That was perfect. So, we managed to reach there by 5:45 (the movie was to start at 6:30), left the car for charging(and parking ;) ) and set out on our next mission of finding an auto to take us to Ulsoor. One, two, three.. and I stopped counting.. none of the auto drivers would want to come to Ulsoor! We ran till Brigade Junction and I decided to try one last time. I stood adamantly and asked twice. He wouldn't come. Then I said Please and it worked!! We thanked him and paid 5 Rs extra.

I do not use the auto much, but in the few instances where I have used them, I have had more positive experiences than negative ones. I remember when I had once asked an auto driver if he would charge extra and he got offended. He proudly said that 'he is not like the others' and charged the right price. There was another guy who talked at length about his agricultural struggles and why he started driving an auto and how he has finally managed to settle down. I was once coming home from the railway station and I started a conversation with the driver about what will happen to them when the Metro comes to the city. He was grateful for the empathy which resulted in not picking up a fight over the price at the end of the journey. I have even got free and partly-free rides as well. There was an instance in which I wanted to get down 100 mts before my destination since I did not have enough cash, but the driver dropped me till my destination and even asked me to 'keep coming' that way - all because he was fascinated by my folding cycle :). I was once lost in HSR layout and I asked an auto driver for directions. The driver was going the same route and he said he would 'drop me' till there, for free!

So, a little bit of empathy, a please and a thank you will get you there more easily than threatening to call the police (which I have done once and itz not fun) or swearing at them.

The recent meter jam seems like a cool campaign but I doubt if it has met with much success. No, thank you, I would stick to Please, barthira?

One night in a telephone booth..

2010-06-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Long long ago, there was this girl who had a small wish of seeing Paris. Since she was in the UK anyway, she feels this is her best chance to make that wish come true. She speaks to some of her friends who have already made the mandatory trip from UK to France, does some research on the net and sets out on her journey. Wait a min.. being an Indian, she needs a visa (why can't we just travel freely??). And back then, there were no telephone appointments, so she is told to go really early (as in the night before) and stand/sit/sleep in a queue outside the French Consulate in London in order to get a visa appointment. For most people, this would be a pain, but for her, it was the beginning of an adventure. So, she finishes her work for the day, gets into many layers of warm clothing - it is mid Dec; it is not snowing, but it can get really cold in the night - and sets off, without listening to her worried manager's advice of taking a blanket along.

She reaches the Consulate to find a whole lot of people already queued up, with some of them bringing their tents along.. those who hadn't, were gathering cardboards, newspaper and such to make their place on the footpath a little more bearable. It dawns on our protagonist how ill-prepared she is; sometimes, our manageras are right afterall! With the Euro-star tickets already booked for Christmas Eve, there was no looking back. She finds her place in the queue between a Chinese girl and a Pakistani family - talk about being neighbours :)

The best part about travelling alone is, it is much easier to strike a conversation with strangers than when in a group. There is no other go, actually. So the neighbours start talking about why they are making this trip - the Chinese girl wants to meet her mother who is in Paris and the Paki family is going on a vacation. Unable to bear the cold, the Chinese girl pulls out a cigeratte and starts smoking - this is the first time the Indian girl is seeing a girl smoke - and from such close quarters. Even with her Bangalore upbringing, she had only heard about women smokers but had never seen one. Without Orkut or Facebook, the only way to share this new discovery of hers is to call up her dear friend in Bristol and give an update. And there was more to come.

Now, the Indian girl is unable to bear the cold, what with frost all over the place. She looks around for shelter and finds a telephone booth - ah! what an idea. By this time, the Chinese girl has left. Having told her new neighbour to keep her place, the Indian heads to the telephone booth and makes herself comfortable - she even manages to stand there and catch some sleep. She is woken up after a few hours by some guy who wants to use the phone. Wonder why all those other people in the queue did not think of this idea! On second thoughts, good that they didn't. There weren't enough booths to accommodate everyone.

It's finally morning.. a hot cup of coffee brings some warmth. People have started moving around; a desi manages to pick up a fight with his Q-mates and the police have some work to do. Our girl eventually gets her visa appointment for a couple of a days later. It is afternoon by the time she heads back to work - with her hands and legs pink due to the cold, and the manager red due to his concern mixed with anger!

I don't know if I would go through another adventure like this.. but whenever I think of it, it fills me with new energy :)

The elusive tea-like compost.. not anymore

2010-04-27T02:59:00.000-07:00

After months of patience and trying to deal with maggots, I finally harvested tea-like compost from our kitchen waste using DailyDump.

I had started using DailyDump quite some time back, but had given up at the last step many times as I could not stand the sight of maggots, but over time, managed to convince myself that they are also doing their job. The thought of using 'home-made' compost for our plants kept me going as I finally transfered contents from the pots and sieved them using the crude sieve that dad made for me on my request. The remaining stuff after sieving has been kept away for aging and further decomposition.

One of the pots had rich, black, powdery compost at the bottom, but it also had too many maggots - more than what I could handle. So, had to bring in dad for disaster management. We picked up half the compost and threw away the remaining half to road side plants. Seemed ironical that the best compost also had the most number of maggots.

Here's the story in pictures.

1. Our handy little kitchen-waste bowl. Almost all our vegetable waste after cutting/peeling goes directly into DailyDump saving the need for a separate bin.

2. Before and after sieving.

3. Compost of different ages.

4. Packed and ready to be gifted to neighbors (possibly next adopters of Daily Dump)

Thanks to the handy tips from Deb and a whole lot of info, FAQ and trouble shooting help from Daily Dump, I finally cracked it! All said and done, the right procedure that suits our family can only come from our own experience.

With some chilli powder for the maggots, dry leaves and saw dust for the right moisture, vinegar for the ants and a mouse trap for the rat that eats away our earthworms, the next harvesting experience should be much better!

To take the plunge, and when?

2010-03-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

OK, this is not about marriage - am yet to find any luck(?) there :)

I feel India is going through a phase where people - however few in number right now, but surely growing - are looking at doing more of what they like than just working for money. It could be working for social good or fun jobs like for example, bar-tending.
This could just be my feeling because I recently quit my job and as a result running into/reading about more of this kind of people. But nevertheless, it is an interesting trend and will do a lot of good for the people, and the country in the long run. People are becoming entrepreneural, taking risks and venturing into areas where the previous generation probably would not have thought of going into or bothered about. We have people leaving their plush/respectable jobs and becoming a Sarpanch in their village, some planning to take up photography full-time (resemblance to 3-idiots is coincidental, I actually know someone who wants to do this), some even wanting to get into movie-making without much to show in their bank accounts (again, someone I know).

So, whether it is for social good or just following your passion (sometimes they could be same); how do you decide when to take the plunge? This is for the vast majority of us who end up in jobs that we not necessarily enjoy. For those others who are already into what they love doing - you are lucky people :)
If one is in the wrong job, we are mostly frustrated - except for some intellectually challenging moments - and always looking forward for something exciting to happen. I used to have this feeling of probably taking away someone else's job.
First is to identify that this is probably not your thing. If you already know what you would rather be doing, it helps. And the sooner you know this the better it is so you can start saving as much as you can from the corporate salaries. It is very important to know what you will be doing next and not leave something just because you dont like it. There are some who just leave their current jobs and take some time off to figure out what they want to do in life - works with some people!

Coming to money, how much money is enough before taking the decision? One of my friends says 'the need will always grow to meet the income', so you will never have enough. I would say it is the 'wants' that grow. So, cut down on the wants and keep needs low. Once you start practising this, you realize how much money one could have saved had you started this earlier. It happens, it has happened to me and it is important to go through it once so we know how it feels.
Talking of needs, most people who have moved out their plush jobs to follow their heart or for social good, are usually near the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. They have climbed up the pyramid, some quicker than others by virtue of their upbringing/exposure to influential people, etc. We need to find where we are and how fast we can reach the top.
I like this concept as it answers a lot of questions on why some people behave the way they do.

There could be moments when you are in doubt after taking the plunge - have a support system, talk to friends, family, etc. I am assuming you have already spoken to them before taking the decision :)
I usually think of people who have inspired me - one small piece I read when I need strength is Steve Job's speech on finding what you love doing.

So here's putting it all together:
- find a cause - sometimes the cause finds you. Travelling is a good way of finding one.
- keep needs low and save a lot. Build/buy a small house (easier to clean as well), a small car (if it is a desi car, better, for multiple reasons). These are the 2 biggest liabilities that we get into - until you have kids :), and there are other little things like spending less on fuel, eating out only on special occasions, etc. that we can adopt in our lifestyle which can help save a lot.
- dont forget to get a medical insurance. I am yet to get one! Any recommendations on which is a good medical insurance would help.
- go for it, before the society makes you change your mind :)

Hope and justice in an unfair world

2010-01-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

04.Jan.2010

As I sat through yet another simple yet inspiring session in some tribal areas of Orissa, I realized that apart from 'awakening the entrepreneural spirit', the TATA jagriti yatra has given hope - hope that things can be changed, inspite of all the bureaucracy, hope that once u hv a committed set of people with you, you can do the seemingly impossible, hope that you will get such a team if you hv a good idea and u hv the leadership to pass the message across, hope that at the end of the day, there is justice in an unjust world.

All the role model visits have had some common streaks.. a pinching or a tipping moment that prompted them to take up a cause, strong ethics and values, lots of dark nights - some of them have recurring ones every year, the ability and willingness to dream BIG, a great team/support system, persistence and above all, a great deal of humility.

The learning so far has been tremendous - simplicity from the Mumbai Dabbawalas, the courage to dream big and not stopping at hurdles from G. Vijayaraghavan - the man behind Technopark in Trivandrum, the need for a 'vision' not vision from Paul and Sabriye (International Institute of Social Entrepreneurs - a.k.a the 'Dream Factory'), the joy of doing something beautiful at Arvind eye care, Madurai, owning a problem from Elango at Kutumbakam village, Chennai, emotional returns v/s monetary returns at Industree, Bangalore, outsourcing from the government to Naandi foundation to solve problems like hunger and basic education (what is 2/3 + 4/5 ?) - yes, it is shameful that we have the world's largest number of hungry people, empowering people to shape their destinies by Joe Madiath of Gram Vikas at Orissa... this is a long list of all that I have been touched by so far.. hope to write in more detail about each one of them soon.

AT IISE, we took some time out to put down our dreams in a piece of paper and that is what we see here in this pic - a box full of dreams.

Day 1 of the TATA Jagriti Yatra

2010-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

24.Dec.09

Itz been 3 days since I left Bangalore and I have already lost track of the day of the week/month..
After having met 50 very interesting people with varied backgrounds the day before the yatra as part of the facilitator's workshop, I dont know what to expect from the 300 others who have joined us today.

An interesting thing that came out during the workshop was that atleast 30 to 40 percent of the people had quit their jobs to either start something close to their heart or to just plain experiment.

The actual proceedings started in the evening with a session by the Mumbai dabbawalas. How they started - some Parsi loved his wife very much and missed lunch prepared by her - , what is their structure, how they have been running successfully at six sigma level for the past 119 years and how they suddenly shot to fame when Price Charles visited them at the Church Gate station - they call him their brand ambassador :)

Now, Mumbai Dabbawalas form case studies in big B schools - it was the case study for our group as well.

Gowri, Shashank's (Yatra founder) better half and part of the Jagriti Yatra team, gave a magical and artistic touch to the evening by teaching us a few and effective dance movements to the Jagriti geet (Yaaro chalo by Prasoon Joshi). The beauty of these movements is that they are so simple and can be done while seated. Interestingly, these movements were created by her for some senior citizens who cudn't get out of their wheel chairs.

The symbolic flag-off was very creative.
The excitement was mounting as we boarded the buses to Mumbai Central. The train was delayed. Some people started singing random songs and soon the foreigners were singing Christmas carols joined in by other enthusiastic folks. It was very sweet. We finally started at 3 am on 25th Dec, after a wait of 4 hrs.

We knew we could expect the unexpected on the rest of the trip.

Mumbai calling, yet again

2009-12-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

This is the 6th time I am going to Mumbai, and except for one trip to meet a good friend of mine, all others have been transit stops - coming to Mumbai to start another journey.

This particular trip is different and special in many ways. Firstly, I am going to Mumbai by train - my longest journey by train after the 2 and half days trip to Delhi which I made 6 yrs back when I went for the Himalayan trek.
Secondly I am going on my own - covering 1000 kms in Rs. 360 seems amazing!
Thirdly, the reason I am travelling to Mumbai - to join a 18-day journey throughout India as part of http://jagritiyatra.com/.

The first image of Mumbai I have is of our plane landing straight into a huge slum. After it landed safely on the runway, I realized it was probably parallax error.
During one of my other transit stops, I was 'forced' to stay in hotel Leela for a day as our flight was overbooked. I took this opportunity to explore Mumbai on my own - cudn't do it the last time around as my good friends ensured that I was not alone and was looked after. Not that I am complaining, they were all very sweet. So, I went to Colaba in the local train when I had the opportunity to go by taxi. From there, I made a quick visit to Elephanta caves - supposed to be a heritage site but has lot of scope for improvement in terms of maintenance, especially cleanliness. One funny thing I remember about this trip is that I went into the first class compartment by mistake thinking it was second class and thought the local trains had become a lot better from my previous trip where I had travelled second class :)
Compare that to a similar but opposite scenario in Switzerland where I thought I had mistakenly entered the first class compartment when I had a ticket for second class :))

Never has a car lacked so much - the REVA nxr

2009-12-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

5th Dec. 2009

It was the launch of REVA’s next car - the NXR - at the REVAlok day in Bangalore.
People came in their little REVAs to be greeted by enthusiastic members of the REVA family. I hadn't felt so much warmth in a long time even at real family gatherings. Everyone smiled at each other, silently acknowledging and appreciating the choice made for a better environment.
There was no press, no hype, no glitz, no skimpily dressed models at the car launch.. the car would speak for itself. Well, the NXR actually 'talks' back to you through telematics that helps keep u in touch with your car.
All the speeches were short and came straight from the heart.. I liked the part about how Brigadier Harish followed Chetan Maini (founder and CTO of REVA) for 2 kilometeres in Koramangala to get feedback on the REVA without realizing that he was going to ask for feedback from the founder himself :)
The interaction session brought some interesting points.. one of them being the current owners being brand ambassadors for REVA as there have been many instances where we have been stopped and asked questions. The most touching interaction was when one of the owners said how he was able to use the REVA to move around and be independent inspite of having only one functional leg - a lot better alternative to a wheelchair car which costs more than 10 lakhs. He only wanted some slight modifications in the REVA which the board was eager to take up.
I was happy to personally thank Chetan Maini for "giving me a guilt free ride in the city."

I loved the NXR promos as much as the NXR itself. Stuff like 'Evolution is getting rid of things that you dont need - No sparks, no noise, no clutch, no gears, no tailpipe, no emissions, no petrol' or 'Never has a car lacked so much' to name a few.

The 4 seater NXR is born green and comes with a host of features like
- turning radius of 3.9 meters
- intelligent instrument display that provides info on range available, speed and driving efficiency
- top speed of 104 kmph - more than sufficient for cities
- range of 160 km which is covers 97% of all journeys one makes
- normal and fast charge options (fast charge available only in Lithium-Ion variants)
- 'Regen' braking that extends the range by putting energy back into the batteries everytime u slow down
- fully crash tested, highway safe car - M1 category
- optional solar roof charging provides a trickle charge
- REply - a suite of telematics solutions that alerts you with key info such as range available, time to full charge, provides reminders on service and insurance renewals, lets u remotely pre-heat, pre-cool, provides a report on your driving habits and tips on how to improve, etc.
- REVive - remote emergency charge if you run low or out of charge
- and last but not the least, forthe price of a couple of tanks of petrol, one can commute all year long

The price for the NXR hasn’t been fixed yet for India – according to me, a price between 5 to 6 lakhs rupees would be a competitive one.

The cars themselves will be produced in REVA's new low carbon assembly plant in Bangalore which is being built to IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) guidelines which includes rain water harvesting, natural light and ventilation, and employs solar energy for electricity and heating - hence the term 'Born Green'.

REVA, named after Chetan’s mother, also means ‘a new beginning’ in Sanskrit – and a new beginning it definitely is. If I heard it right, REVA is the first company producing commercial electric vehicles and has the largest deployed fleet of electric cars with customers in 24 countries. Bangalore has 1200 proud REVA owners and there are about 3000 cars worldwide.

If I had to sum up the evening's proceedings in one sentence, it would be something like this.. I felt how it was to have realized a dream - a dream of designing and producing responsible auto in a responsible way and still being so genuine.
Each guest was given an indoor plant as a token of thanks.

PS: Please pardon the low resolution pix.. I felt like kicking myself for forgetting my SLR.

2 small decisions I am happy to have made

2009-12-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Last month was anniversary critical mass and we were getting Tshirts done to mark the occasion.. here's where I got an opportunity to make 2 small but important decisions which I will cherish for a long time.

The tees were supposed to be ready by Wednesday morning and when I went to check out some samples in the evening around 5 pm on Tuesday, I saw some women were still working and they would have had to work till late to complete the remaining stuff.. I told the guy in charge that it is ok to delay the delivery by a day but the women have to go home on time.

The second one was really easy.. they normally pack each tee in a separate plastic bag and I obviously said no to it. So, that explains why the tees are so crumpled and messy.

I-Day in Bangalore as seen while on a ride

2009-08-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

I did not have any specific plans for I-Day as I was puppy-sitting. But the cyclist in me got the better of me and I joined the I-Day critical mass ride. As I rode on Mysore Road, I saw flags hoisted on some buildigs and street vendors selling flags and little badges. One big relief was that there were very few plastic ones being sold compared to previous years.. some improvement.. One particular I-day celebration caught my eye from the top of the flyover.. it was of a Muslim girls school. All the students were dressed in spotless white clothes from head to toe, including their head/face covering. Made me ponder if this was really freedom.. I did not want to think too much and raced down the flyover.

There were 20 other cyclists gathered at the Press Club gates in Cubbon Park. We started after fixing the Indian flag onto one of the cyclists and rode along Vidhan Soudha and Parade grounds, attracting some attention, including from a journalist from CNBC.

I rode back on the same flyover to find a bunch of enthusiastic guys put up a huge flag on the shoulder of the flyover.. thatz the biggest Indian flag I have seen so far. I got down to take some pix and there was this guy on a scooter who had stopped too to be part of the excitement, or so I thought.. but what this guy said really spoilt the spirit of freedom of secular India. There was a mosque in the background and he did not want me to cover that in the pix.. how absurd! I just ignored him and did not care to even respond to him.

I had almost reached home when I saw 2 kids walking home from school.. one of them had the little badge on, but the other did not. I went back and put my badge on the other kid and she gave me a big smile and both posed for a neat snap :)

All in all, it was 4 hrs well spent on Independence Day.

Jai Hind

Dont throw waste, just dump it

2009-03-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

I dont remember when and how I got the idea of managing waste at home; paper to start with and then moving on to kitchen waste.
Inspired by a TV program on handmade paper, my brother and I used the wet grinder at home to grind waste paper and made hand made paper out of it.. this was when we were in school :)

We were already using kitchen waste for the garden in a very unorganized way by just throwing it in the garden, but mom was not very happy about it because of the flies and rodents who would come to devour on it.

I then heard about using earthworms to convert waste into compost.. tried using existing worms in the garden but it was not enough. Then I consulted the HoD of Entomology at GKVK (Gandhi Krishi Vignan Kendra) who explained the mechanism of vermi composting. I was very impressed by her knowledge and simplicity and more importantly for agreeing to spare half an hr for me.
I picked up some earthworms and followed her instructions to create rich black compost by the end of three months.. it was not without hardwork though.. firstly, the idea of buying 3 big cement pots to store waste did not go well with mom... and I had to change the place of the pots more than once.. one of the reasons was to prevent our dog from messing up with the mess..
finally it landed up on the terrace and that was not very convenient... but at the end of it, it was worth the effort.
I couldn't continue with the project as I had to move to a different location and when I came back, what do I see? A complete solution for converting kitchen waste into compost, without earthworms and such a neat design that it looks good too. When DailyDump visited our office with their products and services, I was very impressed with what they had to offer.
Needless to say, I use one of their products - the 3 pot Kambha and inspite of the ants, flies and maggots, it has found acceptance in our home.

As the name says, all you need to do is dump your daily kitchen waste into it along with a few dry leaves and shredded newspaper and mix it up once in a while. There are additives that hasten the process and also minimize maggots. If you do not want to get your hands dirty, there are service plans to take care of it for you. Overall, a neat design for a common problem. Infact, DailyDump was one of the finalists for TATA Nen - hottest startups.

There is a variety of products to choose from depending on the space that you can spare or the amount of waste that you generate or both. Some come with plants so you dont have to worry about taking out the compost and using it elsewhere. And they all come with a handbook.
I feel DailyDump makes for an ideal house warming gift, whether they like it or not! Afterall, we all have a responsiblity to the environment.

Here's an experience by another user.
http://sejswhirlpool.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/a-post-on-compost

So, till the time BBMP comes up with an effective and efficient system that we can trust, we can do our bit by reducing our contribution to the garbage dumps.

Not so guilty about driving in the city anymore

2009-02-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

We recently bought a Reva, with the intention that dad and mom can drive around in a safe and convenient way, within the city. It may not be as safe as a standard car, but definitely better than a two-wheeler which has a constant fear of being knocked down by a bus or lorry. The Reva has given us more freedom and choice and more importantly a guilt-free ride for short distances within the city. There are no direct emissions, no sound, and a smooth and easy ride.. A friend of mine, Thej has a more comprehensive review on the Reva.
There have been many stares, curious on-lookers peeping in to see a gearless car, excited kids talking about the Reva and free advice from many people. One of the advice was from the guy doing the sun film - "mam, 3 and half lacs ge 'car'e togoboditalwa", meaning "for 3 and half lacs, you could have gone for a car itself" I told him this is indeed a car. The guys at the workshop somehow couldn't stop smiling and giggling at my choice.
All said and done, I am happy to be driving a state-of-the-art electric vehicle which is environment friendly to a large extent.

Cycling, cycling and more cycling on one fine Saturday

2009-02-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of hours before logging out on Friday evening, got to know about a cycle inclusive planning workshop at Bangalore with interesting topics by eminent speakers. I was very excited that something like this was happening in Bangalore and that I had a chance to contribute my two cents to it. Last year when a friend of mine organized a cycle rally, I had come across BMLTA and their idea of making cycling as the prefered mode of transport for Bangalore. But I had thought that it was all only on paper. So was pleasantly surprised to see some progress.

Though it would have been apt to cycle to the venue, I ended up going by my new Reva.
The workshop started with introductions and context settings by the BMLTA convener, Mr. Gaurav Gupta and Rajeev Chandrashekar, MP. I was happy to see cycling getting the much deserved importance.
Then there was a nice video from cycling friendly cities like Amsterdam, Bogota, Copenhagen. Cycling is really in their culture.
As the day progressed, there were some serious presentations by architects, town planners and environmentalists on the challenges faced in designing for sustainable and non-motorized transport. I was amazed by the amount of thinking and planning behind a simple form of transport.

For me, the best part of the day came in the form of an imprompto cycling experience in the form of critical mass. Critical mass for cycling is a monthly cycling event in Bangalore to prove that we are also part of traffic and need to share the same infrastructure with all other vehicles.

I learnt the bike salute (check out this bike salute in front of the Vidhana Soudha). It was so much fun.

How can forget to mention this kiddo who easily did atleast 10 km with us!

There were some enquires at traffic signals and some questioning by policemen and a lot of stares! Our purpose was served.
Thanks to Mayank and Omer for arranging the cycle for me.. a cool, foldable Montague and a cycling experience comparable to the one I had in NYC.
Go.. cycle and save the planet :)

The 200 km journey of my phone and back

2008-11-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is another unbelievable thing that happened, but this one is with a happy ending. About 6 weeks ago, I lost my new phone within a month of buying it.. and my brother and I have been trying to trace it with unprecedented support from the police and encouragement from some of my colleagues. After we got the details of the person whom my phone was last tracked with, lets call him, Mr.ABC, I got in touch with a constable, Mr. Nagaraj in Holalkere who passed the case to the Sub Inspector, Mr. Prakash Patil of Chikkajajur police station (Chitradurga, about 200 km from Bangalore). A few days later, Mr. ABC was summoned to the police station and interrogated, only to find that he had a different model of the phone which he had been using for the past 2 years for which he had the bill too. Obviously the IMEI numbers weren't matching. But, the tracker message can't be wrong. The SI also was convinced and promised to continue the enquiry. I put him in contact with the person-in-charge at the ACP office (Mr. Suresh) at Bangalore who had got me the address of Mr. ABC.

Today morning I got a call from SI Prakash Patil saying he was not able to establish any connection with my phone and Mr. ABC. I said fine, Thank you. What else could be done? I gave up and started planning on buying a new proper phone and all the contacts that I will have to feed in. After about 2 hours, I got another call from the SI seeking details about the phone model again, my address and how I lost the phone. I felt that he wanted these details to close the file.. actually, I had only an acknowledment for the lost phone, yet, the police were cooperating so much. Then he said, I have your phone here in the station. I couldn't believe it. I thanked him so much and told him that I would like to come to the police station and thank him personally. He was so calm and composed, just doing his duty, but I was so excited! He said they got the phone after some cross questioning on Mr. ABC. Apparently, Mr. ABC's friend Mr. XYZ's aunt had been to the same wedding that I had been to and she picked up my phone near the handwash and gave it to her nephew. And the 'innocent' nephew happily started using the 'gift' from his aunt. On 6th Nov, Mr. ABC put his SIM in my phone out of curiosity, for a few minutes. For his bad luck and my good luck, we were able to trace him and eventually my phone.
Coincidentally, mom is in Chitradurga this weekend and she collected the phone in the evening.

OK. it doesn't end there. I messaged Mr. ABC and 'thanked' him for returning the phone. After a few minutes, I got a call from him. I deliberately did not want to call him and create a scene. But, Mr. ABC himself called as he wanted to clear a few a things from his side. He explained how Mr. XYZ had got the phone and how he was not aware that it was not legally bought by Mr. XYZ. Infact, for the first few days of the enquiry, he had no clue why he was being interrogated. After he was told about the tracker message that came on 6th, it struck him that it could be because of Mr. XYZ's new phone from Bangalore. He convinced his friend to return the phone. Unfortunately, poor Mr. ABC had to pay the price for his friend's mistake.

All in all, a happy ending, and a great job by the police. A big thank you to Suresh, Prakash Patil and Nagaraj. I am happy to note that the system works :)

Hope this wasn't true

2008-11-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

The seriousness of the situation did not strike me till after a day or so. It was too filmy to be true. I did not want to believe that a handful of young men could hold so many people hostage and the country at ransom. I hope and believe that those cold blooded, inhuman creatures will be tracked down & punished.
It is finally over now, after losing so many brave soldiers, policemen and innocent civilians.
I hope God gives the strength and hope for their families. A heartfelt thanks and a big salute to all those who laid down their lives with Hemant Karkare leading from the front.
I also hope that this serves as a warning signal to all fellow Indians to stop fighting over petty regional issues and come together for a bigger cause - the cause of our safety and progress.

Eat Happy at Mast Kalandar

2008-10-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

This was some three years back when I along with a few colleagues were discussing the idea of opening a restaurant. A few days later, I saw this article about 3 techies who actually did it; they quit their jobs to start Mast Kalandar. I was inspired. Dont start looking for our restaurant.. it's still on paper.

I have been a big fan of Mast Kalandar (on Bannerghatta Road) ever since for its healthy tasty food. Though it is a little heavy on the purse for everyday eating, it is really worth visiting once in a while. They have a branch in Koramangala as well. The menu is interesting, the food looks good, is the right quantity and tastes like home-made stuff. The best part for me is the amount of oil used - it is just enough to make the food tasty, nothing more. And my parents like it too.

The only bad part in the Bannerghatta joint is the deteriorating road. These days, it is all the more worse due to a never progressing construction activity on the road opposite the restaurant. Well, Mast Kalandar offers you a free Gulab Jamun/Rosugulla for braving the road to eat at their place. Isn't that a 'sweet' gesture :) And going by the progress of the construction or the lack of it, the offer would go on for a looonng time. Happy eating!!

Lost and not found.. yet..

2008-10-15T10:46:00.001-07:00

Some of you might already know or experienced (if you tried reaching me) that I lost my new mobile before its first month birthday. Ironically, I had just started looking into the manual the very day I lost it. Had been to this wedding reception, mainly as a chauffer for mom and dad and was generally cribbing about some silly rituals when I did not realize that my phone had fallen off my lap during dinner. I started missing my tall, dark, beautiful Nokia E51 within minutes and went back to be told that some elderly woman had picked it up. I was pretty sure that I would get it back immediately; the idea of an elderly woman who is attending a wedding, keeping someone else's phone did not even cross my mind.. I still cannot believe it. But, I called atleast 15 times without getting an answer. The phone was actually switched off within 15 minutes of losing it. The couple who had seen this woman described her in a little more detail, and I tried to spot her in the video. But the video guy was too busy and committed to his work. I tried to coax him into believing that tracing this woman who apparently 'took' my mobile was more interesting than editing and mixing the video of the couple on stage which he gets to do almost everyday. He was not convinced by my argument.
Well, I spent a day in repentence and worry, the only hope being the mobile tracker which was enabled on my phone. With this, my brother would get a message when the SIM was changed without providing a password. So, we waited and the message finally arrived, exactly 24 hrs after it was 'taken'. Two different SIM cards inserted within a matter of few minutes. The information also included the IMEI number of my phone as well as the cell info.. some brushing up of Mobile Communications from.. was it 7th sem?? Having the SIM Id was like knowing the unique identifier of the thief..

The next day, we got an acknowledgement from the nearest police station to be able to enquire on the SIM ID. A little bit of running around and we (wrongly) estiblished that the SIM belonged to AirTel. Well, AirTel wouldn't give the details so easily, so, we now have to get an approval from the ACP of Bangalore South District. The current status is that we have got the request forwarded from the police to various service providers to trace the SIM ID. Meanwhile, we got another SMS today that the SIM was changed yet again. Looks like my phone is rejecting any SIM other than mine :)

The search is still on. Watch this space for updates.

Driving in Newport

2008-09-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Naseeb may disagree but I was happy that the 4-day trip to Virginia was cancelled. It gave us an opportunity to drive around on our own. It was a first time for me, also for Naseeb. We wrote down the directions and thought a GPS would help but were unable to rent it out. So, it was now upto me to check the directions and navigate. We were careful in the beginning not to miss any route or exit, but became a tad over-confident and missed getting on to the correct lane. Luckily for us, we could get back onto the right track again without losing much time, thanks to Google Maps on her phone. Needless to say, we were very careful from then on. We reached our hotel, owned and run by an Indian. Surprising! as this was one far corner of USA and a really old port city with minimal population.

Within minutes, we set out again, armed with a local map and mutual trust between me and Naseeb; I had confidence in her driving and she trusted my navigation skills :). There was no other option anyway. Part of the route was driving past huge mansions, which is what Newport is famous for, apart from the port itself and various lighthouses. The mansions seemed like they were coming straight out of fairy tales and story books.

We had got onto the 'Scenic Ocean Drive' part of the route and scenic it was, true to its name.
Now, I had to drive here, couldn't wait any longer. We stopped at a really beautiful spot with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and a state park on the other side. It made for nice pictures of blue and green background. We switched places here and I finally got to drive which I enjoyed thoroughly.

A couple of miles later, we got to a place called Fort Adams. As we approached the coast, a picture perfect view appeared out of nowhere. Hundreds of sail boats in still water and a beautiful mansion atop a hillock. It looked like a painting.

The pictures are from my new SLR, limited by a 18-55mm lens. Nevertheless, I thought most of the pictures have come out well. We drove back along the same scenic ocean drive to catch the sunset which was not bad considering the weather change due to Hurricane Hanna.

The next morning was a damp start due to rain and mist but it did not prevent us from checking out the mansions. We saw one of them in detail and were struck by the luxuries.

I don't think I will ever live in them even if someone gifted it to me ;).

A really stupid thing happened or had already happened when we were about to exit out of the mansion. We had left the car keys inside and locked it (and that was the first time, we were to repeat the act again in the evening. The next time Naseeb calls them, they know what to do :) ). Thankfully, the AAA guys came and opened the car quite skillfully. It was an impressive show.

We saw another mansion right next to the ocean. The rains in the morning and the fog had not detered surfing enthusiasts. There were quite a few of them providing entertaiment for curious tourists. The ocean looked really vast and scary, especially with the mist making the horizon invisible.

We headed for home earlier than planned, due to the expected thunder showers. We got lost yet again, but came on track after going around in circles at one place. At the end of the day, it was a great experience for both of us.

Cycling along Manhattan

2008-09-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

I was waiting to get off the tour bus and meet my friend, Naseeb after 3 days. As the boat tour which was part of my tour got delayed, she left for her next destination and we planned to meet at Madame Tussauds near Times Square. As I got off the bus and walked back towards South Street seaport, I felt a sense of freedom. I was all by myself in NYC, with no clue how to get to Times Square. It was to get even more complicated with me having no phone and no credit card. I still hadn't known about pre-paid phone connections then.

I relaxed for some time over a sandwich, watching all the people, soaking in the energy that this amazing city has and feeling part of it. I was trying to figure out which form of transport to take to Times Square when I saw this bicycle rental place called BikeAndRoll. A quick enquiry and everything looked fine; it was a reasonable price ($15), a great route along the coast(as can be seen in the photo), manageable distance(5.5 miles) and I could just leave the cycle at 42nd Street from where it was a 15 min walk to Tussauds. But then, I had one problem; I did not have a credit card to be able to rent the cycle. I tried convincing them that I am OK to make a cash deposit but it wouldn't work with them. Now, I had to make a call to Naseeb to get her card details, but there was no phone. I tried calling from a public telephone but it dint go though and I gave up after losing one dollar. Back to Bike&Roll and some more convincing and confusing, finally managed to get the cycle after giving my debit card details for identification. And there I was, cycling along Manhattan on a cool 10-gear TREK bike; I couldn't the hide the smile on my face :).

After a few hiccups in the beginning, (had forgotten to pick up the map), I got onto the right path; it's called the Green Path and goes around the coast line of Manhattan. The path is shared by people on roller skates and cyclists and they just whizz past you. There are specific traffic lights for cyclists to allow for pedestrian crossings. I cruised along on the route, enjoying the views of the beautiful skyline. After a while, I couldn't see the numbered streets and was a little worried, so checked with a couple of fellow cyclists. They confirmed that I was on the right track and I should be able to see the numbered streets again. And yes, they did start appearing.. 23rd street, 30th street, 40th street, 42nd street, 12th Avenue. I had reached my destination.

I just had to park the cycle at Bike&Roll, no paperwork and quickly started walking on 42nd street. 42nd street is quite famous and it houses some big names including Madame Tussads, a few theatres, New York Times off South Station. I couldn't see other big names as I had to really rush; I was already late by 10 minutes. Another 10 min and I was there, 20 minutes later than the planned time. Naseeb was frantically looking for me and we finally met for the second time in the day. It was past midnight when we reached home. Uff, what a day!

A visit to the Niagara

2008-08-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

After a day's rest to get over jetlag, we (Naseeb, her mom and sis) were off to the Niagara falls on a bus tour. Many long hours and a couple of breaks later, we reached thousand islands. Actually, the ride is quite monotonous and boring, especially if you are not driving or navigating. Thousand islands is a region in Lake Ontario where there are more than thousand islands and we were told that these are owned by American and Canadian individuals. Some of these have been gifted to them. Isn't that cool? Back home in India, people do own islands, but it is seasonal, especially monsoon season.

Now, at this point in the trip, I did a Lavanya act after a long time. I went to buy some drinking water in a shop across the dock and missed the boat which was going to show us the 1000+ islands. I had no clue about the date or time; blame it on jetlag. By the time the boat arrived, Naseeb got us icecream and we took some 'rocking' pictures of boat houses. I hope you will be able to make out the rocking of the boats in this picture :)
Moving on, we reached Niagara city in the night. After seeing the falls in the night, I realized that the long ride was really worth it. The falls seemed mystical in all those colorful lights. We enjoyed watching the American falls and the Horse shoe falls in the backdrop of nicely lit buildings in Ontario on the Canadian side.
Even as I was taking pictures of the falls, I couldn't believe it was real; I couldn't believe I had come all the way from Bangalore, India and standing close to the beautiful Niagara. The best was yet to come though.
Next morning, we were to take the maid of the mist, a boat trip close to both the American and the Horse Shoe falls.
As a build up to watching the falls, we watched a movie about how the Niagara was 'discovered' and all the daring feats attempted and acheived at the falls. There were not many people around, could be because it was already end of summer, so we quickly reached the Maid of the Mist boat, donned in blue ponchos.

As we neared the falls, there was a mad rush to take pictures, and I was part of it too. But I did take a moment or two to just watch the crystal clear water fall gracefully and powerfully over the cliff.

It was all over in a flash.. I somehow wasn't satisfied with the duration.. that is the attraction of water, for that matter anything that nature offers.

It was time to go back.. I gave away the camera and stood on the observation tower for a few minutes to take in as much of the Niagara as possible... just me and the falls, for some time.

US Vacation Day 1

2008-08-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

Had a comfortable flight to Boston, the land of Universities.

Weather is bright and sunny. Took a nice long walk in this pretty little place called Waltham. Had heard about the cars in US but still cudn't stop being surprised by the many number of cars. Also getting used to the vehicles on the right hand side of the road.

As I was walking on the pavements, saw something strange. Huge trees were being used as electric poles. Never expected that here in US where everything is metal and man-made, or atleast I had thought so.

Looking forward for more such pleasant surprises.

Thank you Abhinav, you have made us proud

2008-08-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today, there will not be any scope for negativism, to honour Abhinav Bindra's words. Even the fact that India did not even qualify for hockey in Olympics where we once ruled, will be pardoned.
By winning India's first ever individual gold, Abhinav has brought hope for crores of Indians.

When I first heard about this, I did not believe it, it was too good to be true. This is what I call truly 'breaking news'.
It was such a pleasure to watch the Indian flag go up while the national anthem was being played, just a few days before the 62nd Independence Day. And what composure and calmness after acheiving such a feat.

Abhinav, you have made us proud, you have united us, you have brought a lot of joy and cheer.

I hope this is just the beginning for India.

My birthday gift

2008-08-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today as I complete another year of existence, I took my first baby step in blog world. I had heard about and read many blogs but never felt I needed to blog myself.. when finally I realized I was missing out on all the fun. Now here I am, gifting myself a blog of my own.

Wish me luck.. Wish me that I travel more so I can blog about it. Wish me that I meet interesting people whom I can write about. Wish me that I get crazy ideas which I can share and validate with you all.

I would like to thank a few people for making this blog possible (list is not in any particular order). Aravind for all the tech support, Thej for inspiring me to blog, Sri for financial support (effective when I eventually move to my domain) and last but not least, Vize and Naseeb for moral support for everything that I do.