The US-based Shankar family made an extended trip to India in January 2008. The visits included Goa, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai, Bangalore, Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, Delhi and Agra. Our schedules were quite disparate. And to handle the disparate schedules, we have much to thank my brothers, Vijay, Balu and Kittu who made so many special trips back and forth from the airport.
I have a special bond with my brothers who are just a joy to be around with. They dress right, have the correct social skills and, damn, they are good looking for their age! We are of course genuine Baby Boomers, born before and after Indian Independence (1947). Balu, the oldest, looks the youngest with a full head of salt and pepper hair, and no bald spots. Vijay, the youngest, is the most dashing and looks like an Admiral that he is, full white beard and hair. He is very erudite, very well rounded and can charm the socks of most folks. We grew up together and in his honor I named our son Vijay. The Vijays are shown left. However, do not pick an argument with Vijay the Elder if you are on the opposing side... he was a good debater in school. Kittu is a complete social animal and will embrace anybody within reach. All of them are a lot more social than I am. All have military background and have accomplished much in their lives. They do have war stories because all of them have participated in wars. I mean with death often starting in their face. Balu as teen was responsible for ferrying many Indian POWs from the China-India border war in 1962. In 1965 war against Pakistan, both Balu and Kittu saw action. And then in 1971 for the liberation of Bangaladesh, all three were engaged. You can imagine the trauma my poor mother went through. When your life is on the line, I suppose you have a different perspective. Balu has doubly seen death stare at his face. More on that later. Me? I am just a civilian who has never operated even a toy gun. I was considered the "academically gifted", having gained admission to prestigious college-- the Indian Institute of Technology, or IIT for short. As much as that experience had been good to me-- cannot beat the tuition fee-- I think the schooling from the real world my brothers received probably was different and more compelling.
Vijay conducted 18 roundtrips to the Delhi airport to meet and send us off to various destinations during the time we were in Delhi; Balu made 4 (oops, sorry 8) to Bangalore airport. This count does not include the countless other expeditions we made in visiting various places. Many friends, relatives welcomed us at every step.
INDIA ALWAYS ON ITS TERMS
Every day was an event. Something new, something wondrous. India is truly an amazing one-of-a-kind country with the mix of modernism and traditionality and .. zaniness. Contrasts are everywhere. Wild consumerism, gleaming malls stand side by side with extreme poverty. Rolex watches, Dolce and Gabana. DKNY. Versace. Everything is there. And outside scenes of a beautiful beggar mother with her child just simply tears your heart. Rows and rows of shiny new cars jostle side by side with bullock carts,
scooter and motor bikes. Each within spitting distance. And spit
they do.
Resources are stretched and one of the most interesting and surprisingly satisfying experience was having a hot-water bath. No showers or tubs. Just a plastic bucket where the hot water can be filled. The 5 or 10 scoops of warm water seems so much more refreshing. Cars are never 1 or at most 2 per person like we see in the West. A small compact car usually holds a 4 to 5 people. And Indian people are not necessarily puny.
Speaking of cars.. while I was in Delhi a company had a grand opening for the Tata Nano car for , get this, $2500. Supposed to seat 5, has most of the basic stuff. This is comparable to the many auto-rickshaws and could revolutionize what one would see on roads. That would mean perhaps 300 million plus autos on the road. Hopefully it will bring in more traffic discipline. Perhaps they should simultaneously address the climate change problem by equipping them with hybrid technology or even fully electric. But that would require a greater use of renewable energy to make the switch worthwhile. Should, could and would. Climate change solutions require stark choices.
I have a special bond with my brothers who are just a joy to be around with. They dress right, have the correct social skills and, damn, they are good looking for their age! We are of course genuine Baby Boomers, born before and after Indian Independence (1947). Balu, the oldest, looks the youngest with a full head of salt and pepper hair, and no bald spots. Vijay, the youngest, is the most dashing and looks like an Admiral that he is, full white beard and hair. He is very erudite, very well rounded and can charm the socks of most folks. We grew up together and in his honor I named our son Vijay. The Vijays are shown left. However, do not pick an argument with Vijay the Elder if you are on the opposing side... he was a good debater in school. Kittu is a complete social animal and will embrace anybody within reach. All of them are a lot more social than I am. All have military background and have accomplished much in their lives. They do have war stories because all of them have participated in wars. I mean with death often starting in their face. Balu as teen was responsible for ferrying many Indian POWs from the China-India border war in 1962. In 1965 war against Pakistan, both Balu and Kittu saw action. And then in 1971 for the liberation of Bangaladesh, all three were engaged. You can imagine the trauma my poor mother went through. When your life is on the line, I suppose you have a different perspective. Balu has doubly seen death stare at his face. More on that later. Me? I am just a civilian who has never operated even a toy gun. I was considered the "academically gifted", having gained admission to prestigious college-- the Indian Institute of Technology, or IIT for short. As much as that experience had been good to me-- cannot beat the tuition fee-- I think the schooling from the real world my brothers received probably was different and more compelling.Vijay conducted 18 roundtrips to the Delhi airport to meet and send us off to various destinations during the time we were in Delhi; Balu made 4 (oops, sorry 8) to Bangalore airport. This count does not include the countless other expeditions we made in visiting various places. Many friends, relatives welcomed us at every step.
INDIA ALWAYS ON ITS TERMS
Every day was an event. Something new, something wondrous. India is truly an amazing one-of-a-kind country with the mix of modernism and traditionality and .. zaniness. Contrasts are everywhere. Wild consumerism, gleaming malls stand side by side with extreme poverty. Rolex watches, Dolce and Gabana. DKNY. Versace. Everything is there. And outside scenes of a beautiful beggar mother with her child just simply tears your heart. Rows and rows of shiny new cars jostle side by side with bullock carts,scooter and motor bikes. Each within spitting distance. And spit
they do.Resources are stretched and one of the most interesting and surprisingly satisfying experience was having a hot-water bath. No showers or tubs. Just a plastic bucket where the hot water can be filled. The 5 or 10 scoops of warm water seems so much more refreshing. Cars are never 1 or at most 2 per person like we see in the West. A small compact car usually holds a 4 to 5 people. And Indian people are not necessarily puny.
Speaking of cars.. while I was in Delhi a company had a grand opening for the Tata Nano car for , get this, $2500. Supposed to seat 5, has most of the basic stuff. This is comparable to the many auto-rickshaws and could revolutionize what one would see on roads. That would mean perhaps 300 million plus autos on the road. Hopefully it will bring in more traffic discipline. Perhaps they should simultaneously address the climate change problem by equipping them with hybrid technology or even fully electric. But that would require a greater use of renewable energy to make the switch worthwhile. Should, could and would. Climate change solutions require stark choices. 
My daughter Rani and three of her US-based friends had a more detailed itinerary that included good parts of Rajasthan-- Udaipur, Jaipur and Jaisalmer. The picture at the left shows them at the Lake Palace at Udaipur. Rajasthan is the home of the erstwhile Maharajas & Maharanis who held sway over Indian populace during the British days. Also the British saw them as extremely malleable and were good sounding boards and accomplices for them. Now the heirs are struggling to stay afloat and many have been converted to tourist resorts. FOOD
Eateries in India are special. There is no entity called "Indian food". In the West, it is usually the very greasy, chicken vindaloo, tandoori chicken that are the usual manifestations. But when in India, taste the various regional fares. Fish Patra, consists of white fish coated with herbs and rice and steamed in a banana leaf. Somewhat like a sushi. It first originated among Parsees-- Zorastrians who fled Iran. In the South try out the Dosas, Idlis-- made of steam rice and urad dal-- which is also healthy to boot. Include some sambar or coconut chutney and mollakhpuddi (affectionately known as "gunpowder", because of its explosive taste). Or if you are in Punjab or Uttar Pradesh a simple Dal and Subzi dish (lentil and vegetables) with freshly made phulkas (Indian bread) with dahi (yogurt) is delightful and simple. With one of the many Indian wines (my favorite: Grove La Reserve Cabernet/Shiraz) and helping of Gajjar Halwa ( Carrot sweet dish).. yum. I do not recommend eating in anything but a clean restaurant. Read the review first. Also, NEVER drink open water but insist on bottled water (Bisleri & Kinsley are well known brands along with Evian, Aquafina, etc.) This blog attempts to capture this unique nature that is India from my own perspective: the fastest growing economy, fastest growth of cars on the road even while the roads are being constructed at a breakneck pace. I may have a bias-- being one of India's Midnight Child, born during year of its partition. In 1947 when I was born, life expectancy (38 years) , GDP ($40), production capacity (non existent) , roads, all were pitiably low. To see India today-- an economic powerhouse-- makes this Child very proud and ready to accept India warts and all.
And, oh yes, there were celebrity spottings. Madonna wandering in Jaipur and Mumbai; George Clooney at the Beating of the Retreat in New Delhi ; Sarkosy (minus Carla) in Delhi. He missed his missus as well as the morning jog at Lodhi Garden. Rumor had it that he was too despondent and/or jet lagged. That kept the secret service fuming since they arrived at 4 am that morning. He also made an afternoon dash to the Taj Mahal and of course the security had to do a complete sweep. He was back in Delhi in time for a State Dinner.
ARUN VEEJ RANI
Eateries in India are special. There is no entity called "Indian food". In the West, it is usually the very greasy, chicken vindaloo, tandoori chicken that are the usual manifestations. But when in India, taste the various regional fares. Fish Patra, consists of white fish coated with herbs and rice and steamed in a banana leaf. Somewhat like a sushi. It first originated among Parsees-- Zorastrians who fled Iran. In the South try out the Dosas, Idlis-- made of steam rice and urad dal-- which is also healthy to boot. Include some sambar or coconut chutney and mollakhpuddi (affectionately known as "gunpowder", because of its explosive taste). Or if you are in Punjab or Uttar Pradesh a simple Dal and Subzi dish (lentil and vegetables) with freshly made phulkas (Indian bread) with dahi (yogurt) is delightful and simple. With one of the many Indian wines (my favorite: Grove La Reserve Cabernet/Shiraz) and helping of Gajjar Halwa ( Carrot sweet dish).. yum. I do not recommend eating in anything but a clean restaurant. Read the review first. Also, NEVER drink open water but insist on bottled water (Bisleri & Kinsley are well known brands along with Evian, Aquafina, etc.) This blog attempts to capture this unique nature that is India from my own perspective: the fastest growing economy, fastest growth of cars on the road even while the roads are being constructed at a breakneck pace. I may have a bias-- being one of India's Midnight Child, born during year of its partition. In 1947 when I was born, life expectancy (38 years) , GDP ($40), production capacity (non existent) , roads, all were pitiably low. To see India today-- an economic powerhouse-- makes this Child very proud and ready to accept India warts and all.
And, oh yes, there were celebrity spottings. Madonna wandering in Jaipur and Mumbai; George Clooney at the Beating of the Retreat in New Delhi ; Sarkosy (minus Carla) in Delhi. He missed his missus as well as the morning jog at Lodhi Garden. Rumor had it that he was too despondent and/or jet lagged. That kept the secret service fuming since they arrived at 4 am that morning. He also made an afternoon dash to the Taj Mahal and of course the security had to do a complete sweep. He was back in Delhi in time for a State Dinner.
ARUN VEEJ RANI
1 comment:
This is such a wonderful description of your short visit and of India itself. I enjoyed reading your posts a lot; the photos are lovely and I could almost taste the puttu and fish patra!
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