"The biggest thing is nothing is impossible ... With so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is an imagination." Michael Phelps
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Land of the Chinars - Is it a cursed beauty?
Finally another wish fulfilled - I got to visit Srinagar, Gulmarg, Kinjarmarg, Qazikund, Banihal, Anantnag and Gulmarg in May. To repeat the cliche - Kashmir is beautiful and one could spend a lifetime in this paradise - is the sum total of my trip to Kashmir.
The most exiciting discovery I made during this trip was that I found out that Dal lake is not just a lake but a township in itself and I saw the majesty and beauty of Chinar trees. I was impressed by the buzz of activity and culture in Dal Lake. I had known Kashmir to be beautifu but I had not known about the existence of activity and culture in the Dal Lake - floating vegetable gardens, a bazaar with water streets, 2200 houseboats, four chinar trees planted by Emperor Jehangir in one of the floating islands of Dal Lake (also known as Char Chinar), shikaras for commuting, people selling everything from daily used items to expensive jewelery, carpets and food on Shikaras...wow! I was also impressed by women rowing Shikaras and women anchoring their Shikaras to catch-up on the gossip. Yes, it was very interesting to know this aspect of the Dal Lake.
With the happiness also came sadness and anger on seeing the slowly rotting heritage. There is a lot of algae in Dal Lake and this algae is slowly killing this beautful lake. Some cleaning efforts are in place but they are highly inadequate and I also learnt about the reckless felling of the Chinar trees. Chinar wood is highly prized and anti-social elements cut these trees illegally to make quick money. Chinar trees take a long time to grow and if cutting is not stopped, we may soon see the end of the Chinar trees soon too! What a loss it would be!
Finally - why Kashmir, is the beauty suffering from some sort of a curse, an evil eye...what a beautiful landscape and what a brutal treatment given to it ... merciless killings of men and women, innocent cries of children, brutal destruction of the Chinars, suffocation of the Dal Lake ... the soul of the land known to heal the soul of humanity is being ripped ... is there some logical explanation or is it fate? I am sure there is some bigger reason behind this suffering in the grand scheme of things but who knows what...till then God Bless Kashmir!
The most exiciting discovery I made during this trip was that I found out that Dal lake is not just a lake but a township in itself and I saw the majesty and beauty of Chinar trees. I was impressed by the buzz of activity and culture in Dal Lake. I had known Kashmir to be beautifu but I had not known about the existence of activity and culture in the Dal Lake - floating vegetable gardens, a bazaar with water streets, 2200 houseboats, four chinar trees planted by Emperor Jehangir in one of the floating islands of Dal Lake (also known as Char Chinar), shikaras for commuting, people selling everything from daily used items to expensive jewelery, carpets and food on Shikaras...wow! I was also impressed by women rowing Shikaras and women anchoring their Shikaras to catch-up on the gossip. Yes, it was very interesting to know this aspect of the Dal Lake.
With the happiness also came sadness and anger on seeing the slowly rotting heritage. There is a lot of algae in Dal Lake and this algae is slowly killing this beautful lake. Some cleaning efforts are in place but they are highly inadequate and I also learnt about the reckless felling of the Chinar trees. Chinar wood is highly prized and anti-social elements cut these trees illegally to make quick money. Chinar trees take a long time to grow and if cutting is not stopped, we may soon see the end of the Chinar trees soon too! What a loss it would be!
Finally - why Kashmir, is the beauty suffering from some sort of a curse, an evil eye...what a beautiful landscape and what a brutal treatment given to it ... merciless killings of men and women, innocent cries of children, brutal destruction of the Chinars, suffocation of the Dal Lake ... the soul of the land known to heal the soul of humanity is being ripped ... is there some logical explanation or is it fate? I am sure there is some bigger reason behind this suffering in the grand scheme of things but who knows what...till then God Bless Kashmir!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Dealing with the reverse cultural shock
A lot has been written about the cultural shock that people face when they immigrate or live for an extended period of time especially in the western countries from India. A lot has also been written about the emotions or circumstances that lead people to come back to India. However, I haven't seen much written on the process of readjustment in India.
Yes, readjustment to India is a process and it does take a while to feel at home in India again.
Recently, during a conversation with an interesting person named Prashanth (who now happens to me my boss in the company I work :)), I came across some interesting facts. Prashanth asked m e if I realised how my expectations had changed after I had spent considerable time in the US. He then asked me that how to I plan to manage this changed expectations?
Yes, I went to the US as a student and after finishing my Masters degree, I set foot into the corporate world. Tech companies specially the ones in the Silicon Valley are known to pay well, and unknowingly I got used to a life of comfort and ' material luxury' (by Indian standards).
When I came back to India I never realised that my expectations had changed and a life or material comfort became the norm for me. Yes, I did face trouble, but I never realised that it was due to the conflict in expectations.
Add to that, I had changed a lot as a person. I refuse to accept fate or destiny unlike most people in India. My 'go-getter' attitude was in conflict with the society here.
Last but not the least, I had almost all of my close friends back in the US and though I have the family around me, the level of bonding and topics of conversation that I share with my friends, was hard to recreate in India. I think, forming a social circle with like minded people is the hardest. Prashanth found that by attending Indian School of Business, he found like-minded people (and his would-be wife) and from that point onwards the process of adjusting in India was easy. All of us may not go to the ISB, but yes there are several avenues to build a social life in India, some of them are : Joining clubs (Bombay has lots of them), social-organizations (there are a lot of them to choose from - Akanksha, CRY etc).
Once you have a good set of friends in India, a good home, a good job or your own company - it is every bit worth living in India.
Yes, readjustment to India is a process and it does take a while to feel at home in India again.
Recently, during a conversation with an interesting person named Prashanth (who now happens to me my boss in the company I work :)), I came across some interesting facts. Prashanth asked m e if I realised how my expectations had changed after I had spent considerable time in the US. He then asked me that how to I plan to manage this changed expectations?
Yes, I went to the US as a student and after finishing my Masters degree, I set foot into the corporate world. Tech companies specially the ones in the Silicon Valley are known to pay well, and unknowingly I got used to a life of comfort and ' material luxury' (by Indian standards).
When I came back to India I never realised that my expectations had changed and a life or material comfort became the norm for me. Yes, I did face trouble, but I never realised that it was due to the conflict in expectations.
Add to that, I had changed a lot as a person. I refuse to accept fate or destiny unlike most people in India. My 'go-getter' attitude was in conflict with the society here.
Last but not the least, I had almost all of my close friends back in the US and though I have the family around me, the level of bonding and topics of conversation that I share with my friends, was hard to recreate in India. I think, forming a social circle with like minded people is the hardest. Prashanth found that by attending Indian School of Business, he found like-minded people (and his would-be wife) and from that point onwards the process of adjusting in India was easy. All of us may not go to the ISB, but yes there are several avenues to build a social life in India, some of them are : Joining clubs (Bombay has lots of them), social-organizations (there are a lot of them to choose from - Akanksha, CRY etc).
Once you have a good set of friends in India, a good home, a good job or your own company - it is every bit worth living in India.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Honda FCX Clarity
Finally, the impossible has manifested - Honda has rolled out the first edition of hydrogen fuel cell powered cars! Wow! What an achievement. These cells use oxygen and hydrogen from the atmosphere and release water and heat as the by-product. Heat is definitely not good in the context of global warming, but I am sure heat will be dealt with in due course. What a remarkable day for the environment and what a feat by Honda!
Read the complete article on New York Times :
Honda releases FCX Clarity
Read the complete article on New York Times :
Honda releases FCX Clarity
Monday, May 05, 2008
Mission Accomplished
I came to India almost five months back, fuzzy-headed, confused, looking for direction and a welcome break from the six-and-half years of mechanical existence in the US. I did not know what to expect from India. India had changed in many ways from the time I left for US in 2001.
The India I left was struggling in many areas even though software and IT sectors were doing good. Life was starting to get better for the people employed in the IT industry but others went about their lives the usual way with the familiar attitude.
The India I returned to is full of energy and enthusiasm and is bubbling with hope. I witnessed the launch of the Tata Nano, world's cheapest car. The self-confidence and the can-do-never-give-up attitude of the people is contagious and amazing. People it seems are itching to change the system and the way of doing things, and they are now courageous enough to be the starting point for the change they want to bring about. New ideas are welcome in India and a lot of young people are taking the entrepreneurship route to success and change.
What has touched me most is the blend of old-world charm and the new-found desire for change. The ancient Indian tradition laid emphasis on honoring the guest 'Athithi Devo Bhava' - your guest is like God. Most people are very warm, helpful and friendly and maintain the ancient tradition of honoring the guest . Ofcourse, we all come across and read about nasty incidents, but overall the majority of people are nice and are willing to extend a helping hand sometimes without you asking. I have had wonderful experience while travelling in trains and buses.
I don't know how many people feel this way but I feel there lies a sense of peace beneath the chaos of external material life in India. People are in general happy and content with life here. In the US, I always felt a sense of chaos and fear beneath the perfection of the external material life. There everyone seems to be in a rush to head somewhere.
Now once again, I find myself at the crossroads :). I have found what I was looking for in India. I feel a sense of completion to my trip to India. I now want to move forward from here, but don't know where. As always, I believe with time I will have all the answers and life will lead me to my next destination.
The India I left was struggling in many areas even though software and IT sectors were doing good. Life was starting to get better for the people employed in the IT industry but others went about their lives the usual way with the familiar attitude.
The India I returned to is full of energy and enthusiasm and is bubbling with hope. I witnessed the launch of the Tata Nano, world's cheapest car. The self-confidence and the can-do-never-give-up attitude of the people is contagious and amazing. People it seems are itching to change the system and the way of doing things, and they are now courageous enough to be the starting point for the change they want to bring about. New ideas are welcome in India and a lot of young people are taking the entrepreneurship route to success and change.
What has touched me most is the blend of old-world charm and the new-found desire for change. The ancient Indian tradition laid emphasis on honoring the guest 'Athithi Devo Bhava' - your guest is like God. Most people are very warm, helpful and friendly and maintain the ancient tradition of honoring the guest . Ofcourse, we all come across and read about nasty incidents, but overall the majority of people are nice and are willing to extend a helping hand sometimes without you asking. I have had wonderful experience while travelling in trains and buses.
I don't know how many people feel this way but I feel there lies a sense of peace beneath the chaos of external material life in India. People are in general happy and content with life here. In the US, I always felt a sense of chaos and fear beneath the perfection of the external material life. There everyone seems to be in a rush to head somewhere.
Now once again, I find myself at the crossroads :). I have found what I was looking for in India. I feel a sense of completion to my trip to India. I now want to move forward from here, but don't know where. As always, I believe with time I will have all the answers and life will lead me to my next destination.
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