Location: Udaipur. Rajasthan, India

29.11-2.12.2009

Day 1

  We arrived to Udaipur very early in the morning before sunrise. It took us quite a while to find an accommodation, but in the end we stayed at the hotel we saw  first before this extensive search. Arne still didn’t feel well and felt very tired , but his diarrhea disappeared. We were glad to watch some TV and films in our hotel, because most of the budget hotels don’t have TV. Later on I went to take a stroll in the town taking the  camera with me and making a couple of pictures. The Lonely Planet said that Udaipur is maybe India’s most romantic city with a romantic lake and few building rising from the romantic Pichola Lake. I wasn’t sure if I would agree with the description from the Lonely Planet. The lake was dirty looking very polluted with local women on its banks shaping and drying the cow’s shit for use as fuel and bricks. But some buildings around were quite pretty. One of the buildings rising from the lake  was a very posh Lake Palace Hotel where you will pay 1000 Euros for a room. Also the Maharaja’s Palace sitting on the bank of the lake was spectacular. There were a few more nice buildings surrounding the lake, which could be romantic, if the lake wouldn’t be so dirty and polluted. After that I  went strolling around a bit more looking inside of souvenir shops and shops with clothing. Arne stayed inside and watched lots of movies.

Day 2

Arne started to be very worried about his health and he was considering to go to a private hospital and get a stool sample test done, but we talked about it and decided to wait for two more days and have it done in Mumbai, where we were intending to go after Udaipur. I went again to take a stroll and I was stopped by an Austrian guy we met a few days ago in Amritsar. We talked for a while and he advised to go to the hospital as soon as possible to get the test done, so Arne doesn’t take wrong antibiotics, which will only weaken his immunity. He was talking from his own experience in India, because he had similar troubles with stomach and antibiotics he took. I went back and told it to Arne and both of us went to the hospital.  Although it was a private hospital it still wasn’t as clean and well organized as the hospitals in Europe. Arne first had a consultation with a doctor and he told him to keep taking the antibiotics he was already taking. He didn’t really considered the stool test, but Arne persisted he wants  the test being done. When the whole procedure was over, they told us to come in two days to get the result. Arne spent the afternoon browsing on the Internet and chilling out and I was doing my bits and pieces and relaxed. We had our lunch on the roof top of our hotel with a fantastic view over the town with the lake, buildings and surrounding hills.

Day 3

Arne started to feel a bit better today, so he had more motivation to do things. Udaipur was a very artistic town with lots of artistic souvenir shops, we hadn’t seen anywhere else. We were visiting the souvenir shops and bought something for us and the family. We also went to book a ticket to Mumbai at the bus station. From Mumbai we already booked the train to Goa. We had only three weeks before returning to Europe and a difficult decision to make how our trip will carry on. We were tired of rushing and seeing as much as possible, so in the end we went for the more relaxing option, which was going to the beaches of Goa and from there we will see if we feel like doing anything else. The second option was going to Mumbai for a few days and from there to Ellora Caves  and from there to Goa. But seeing the journey we had to accomplish we just couldn’t do it even though it would be interesting to see. I started to see the romantic feel of the town by now and I started to like Udaipur very much. The streets were cleaner, than in any other towns of India, which felt nice and there was an artistic feel to this town.

Day 4

We were leaving today, because our plan was to take a bus to Mumbai and from there a train to Goa. But before we left we went to see the City Palace, which was a big complex with different buildings and gardens. We haven’t seen all of it, just gardens around and the palace museum, which was very different from what we ever seen. There were lots of paintings of different motives all inside of the building including  portraits of the maharaja, the latest dweller and owner  of this palace, who doesn’t live here anymore. We had seen also his bedroom, living room  and other rooms of the building which were before part of his residence. The architecture and taste was quite unique  with some  beautiful mosaics of peacocks and glass mosaic room, which looked very impressive. We finished with strolling around in the gardens and came back to the hotel, packed our stuff and went to the hospital to get the  stool result. We had to wait for another hour, because there was something wrong in the result, so they send it to a further examination. The test came positive with e. coli bacteria in his stool, which kind of scared us. He prescribed another antibiotics, which is very strong and the only one still in tablet form which could kill the bacteria. If that didn’t help he would have to come for injections. We bought the medication and ran to catch the bus to Mumbai, because we were very late. It took us about 16 hours to come to Mumbai, but the journey was quite pleasant and we slept the most of the time on the bus.

Sending gifts of flowers and cakes on special occasions to your close ones and intimate contacts in Udaipur India can make the relationship more endearing and everlasting.  You can create memorable moments in your association or relationship by just the simple act of sending custom-made and specially packed floral gifts and cakes.  There many occasions in your life on which you can send these gift items.  Now sending them to Udaipur India is very much easy with online shopping. In the past it could give you hassles and concerns especially if you are under tight schedules.Suppose you are a busy professional mostly on the move and you want to send a cake on the eve of Diwali to your niece in Udaipur India Or,you want to send specially cut and packed floral gifts on the 20th birthday of your fiancé, but you are too busy to attend to the arrangement of the gift and its dispatch.If you entrust it with someone, you may be apprehensive whether it is done properly or not.

Now sending any gifts, be it flowers, cakes, designer garments, or gadgets of your preferred choice to Udaipur India you can engage the service of online service providers.You need only to sign up in their website and place order with them and give the dispatch address.  Payment can be done though online banking or through your credit card.You need not be concerned as to the quality or promptness of the gift or its dispatch and delivery.  As they are professionals in the field with years of standing, quality will be good and you can be confident that the gift will reach your kith or kin in Udaipur India by the expected time. Now there are several establishments which deal in online sale of flowers,cakes and other gifts in all prominent centres.

India’s Oberoi Group will formally inaugurate the new Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai hotel today. Opened earlier this month, the 436-room property is the only hotel within the Bandra Kurla complex, located in the heart of the city’s new financial and commercial district and 20 minutes from the airport.

Each of the 412 rooms and 24 suites are furnished to cater for each guest’s business and leisure needs, including a comfortable bed, glass-walled bathroom with privacy blinds, LCD television with DVD player and iPod-compatible radio alarm clock, high-speed internet access, dual-line telephones, workdesk, in-room safe, minibar and coffee-/tea-making facilities. 7 accomodation types are available to guests, ranging from the contemporary Deluxe Rooms with light oakwood flooring and red accents to the luxurious 223 square meter Presidential Suite, which features a welcome foyer, separate living and dining areas, well-appointed study, a large bedroom and fully-equipped pantry.

Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai offers guests 4 unique dining outlets. Named after the telephone code for the city, the all-day dining restaurant 022 serves international cuisine ranging from wood-fired pizzas to Japanese sushi from an interactive sushi bar and open kitchen. The elegant restaurant also comprises a chic lounge bar, wine-tasting room and an imposing collection of over 1,500 bottles of fine wine. Botticino, the Italian specialty restaurant presents traditional Italian cuisine with a contemporary twist and features India’s first grappa display, while Maya captures the essence of modern India, allowing guests to sample delicacies from the region in an environment highlighted by elements of red and gold. Rounding up the quartet is the Trident Patisserie and Delicatessen serving salads, chocolates, cheese and a range of sweet and savoury snacks.

Business travellers and meeting planners are provided with an array of facilities capable of accomodating small- or medium-sized events. The event space includes 6 meeting rooms, 4 boardrooms and the 348-square meter Golconda Ballroom which can host up to 550 guests. All facilities are supported by the hotel’s business center and equipped with state-of-the-art technical equipment including drop-down projectors, large screens and Bose sound systems.

After a day of business, guests can relax and unwind at the hotel’s spa and fitness center. At the spa, 8 therapy rooms overlooking a garden courtyard and with an attached rain shower and steam facility lets guests renew and rejuvenate from treatments by skilled therapists. For a more intense workout, the fitness center is equipped with a complete range of cardiovascular and strength training equipment while the outdoor pool provides a liberating sense of space to soak.

Owned and managed by The Oberoi Group, Trident Hotels have been rated the best first class hotel brand in India for the fourth consecutive year at the Galileo-Express Travel World Awards 2008. The Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai joins 8 other sister hotels located across India in Mumbai’s Nariman Point, Agra, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Cochin, Gurgaon, Jaipur and Udaipur.

For more information, visit www.tridenthotels.com.

Udaipur is a lovely lakeside city surrounded by a green hilly countryside. It was definitely my favourite city in India so far. It was a very relaxing place to stay despite the noisy Hindu temple, blasting its music at midnight and then at the crack of dawn every day, the many wedding parades, and the nightly firework displays. It was a nice place for shopping as well. The shops sell beautiful silver jewellery and handicrafts and the shop owners are nowhere near as pushy as in other cities. So it was a very nice place to spend a few days. It also helped that there was a great German bakery called Eidelweiss which actually served Italian espresso and apple pie!

Udaipur’s claim to fame is that it was the setting for the Bond film Octopussy so most of the restaurants around town show the film every night. The Lake Palace, which is on an island in the middle of the lake, was the home of Octopussy in the film. The palace is now a luxury resort and costs around $850 USD a night.

While in Udaipur we visited the City Palace, the largest royal complex in Rajasthan, comprising of eleven smaller palaces which were constructed by successive rulers of Mewar. The first one was constructed in the late 1600’s. My favourite part of the palace were the stone carved hallways and stained glass windows used in the women’s quarters to hide them from the lustful gazes of men as part of purdah.

The next day we visited one of the old mansions owned by the royal family. Inside was a museum containing the usual household items, swords, etc. from the time of the royal family but also included a massive turban and a room filled with styrofoam representations of major buildings from around the world which was a little odd.

The mansion also hosts a cultural performance every evening so we decided to attend on our last night. The first act was meant to be acting out the story of a Hindu god and was a bit strange. A man with a sword came out first and posed around the stage looking rather scary. Then another man dressed as a woman came out riding on top of another man who was meant to be a horse. The man dressed as a woman fought the warrior and then proceeded to pick up hot coals with his teeth and put them onto a flaming dish.

My two favourite acts were the ones demonstrating the balancing skills of the women who carry pots full of water from the well to their village on top of their heads. We had seen this in the villages in the Thar desert near Jaisalmer. In one act, two women demonstrated this by performing a graceful dance while balancing a pot of fire on their heads. In another other act, a women balanced a large pot on her head while dancing and gradually more and more pots were added until she balanced a total of ten pots! At one point she even sat down and picked a handkerchief off the ground with her teeth and still managed to keep the pots balanced.

The sunset in Udaipur is very pretty so on our last night we decided to go for a boat ride to see the city from the lake. We were actually very lucky to be able to do this because the lake had apparently dried up for the past four years due to a severe drought in the region. It was only this past summer that there was enough rain to fill the lake.

One of the most charismatic personalities on the face of the Indian political scene today is Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State in External Affairs Ministry. With his tweeting habits and the occasional ‘misquoted’ comments has made him a media darling. Me and my friend Pratyush had the opportunity to interview him before he became a representative in the Indian Parliament. The interview was taken in a picturesque palace-turned-hotel in the beautiful city of Udaipur earlier this year in February and has been published in my magazine, my final year project of college. Making this interview public for the first time- the complete transcript. Dr. Shashi Tharoor at his witty and intellectual best before he became a rage in India.

Q. A student journalist, a writer, a diplomat all by the age of 22. How did you manage to put on such an assortment of hats, what was your drive?

A. I am not sure if anybody can fully explain what drives them, it comes from within. I remembers years ago while reading about George Bernard Shaw, he was asked “what makes you write” he said “I write for the same reason that a cow gives milk.” In other words, it inside you it going to come out. And its self-evident. So a part of me says, that I do the things that I want to do because I cant help doing it . Now that’s not the whole of it obviously, various other things come into it. You have to have a talent for something, you have to have opportunities to show that talent and that talent in turn has to be recognized. I am not so immodest as to suggest that a certain amount luck doesn’t come into all of this as well. But the opportunity was that my first story was published when I was 10 years old, a short story by me was first published. There is nothing more exciting and even addictive than seeing your name in print the first time, you keep wanting it to happen. Its like a first kiss. It carried on and I did that right throughout my school days. It also definitely helped that I was an asthmatic child and so the number of opportunities to go out and play with friends, which all of us did as kids, were often curtailed by my inability to breathe properly and keep up, as I had to sit down and huff  every few minutes. So you know, that too becomes a factor. But anyway, I saw my name published and it seemed I was getting a certain amount of appreciation in what I was doing so I kept going with that. On the other stuff, the studies front, that was because as a child of middle class parents, parents said, you its great, you have a talent you must write. But, it better be a hobby, no-one makes a living by writing. So they told me to go take exams and sorts and have a normal career, whatever that maybe. The would be happy if I was a doctor or an engineer, or an IAS or IFS. But the whole ambition was that make sure by conventional yard sticks you do that. So, come home finish your homework and ten if you get time you can write, so that was always the case. Because, unfortunately the reality of living in a high zone with a salaried father and a low income, cushioned to rest upon as it were, I naturally always saw that writing was something in addition to, and not in lieu of my studies. That’s why  the both tracks were together.

Q. So it was a hobby, and you had a career in it, as well as somewhere else too?

A. I was always good in taking exams. I mean there are many many people  who are solid in a number of areas but who didn’t have this talent. Einstein dropped out of school for that sake, he failed in his school. I on the other hand would not claim to ever be an Einstein. But I can come first in some of the things and can come first in class. In our country that opens doors. I got highest rank in school throughout, and when I left school I could join any college I wanted to, as they were happy to have me. St. Stephen’s did not even take my interview, because my marks were so high. So, I basically went through that kind of a track and then carried on in the academic stream and then to a conventional profession. I never gave up, the feeling that evenings, weekend whenever I can get time, I used to write. Again no TV, no computers no distractions, that also helped.

Q. Since you have spoken about the Indian education system, there are a lot of products of the Indian institutes of higher education, who have made their name globally, but somehow the institutes themselves  are not that renowned globally. Why is that?

A. Well, there are a number of factors. Lets take Stephens, I am convinced that it is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the world. But you don’t have a way of getting international recognition for one institution because in our system, Delhi University has 54 colleges from which St. Stephens is just one. The fact that the teaching, the ethos, the extra curriculars, everything is around the college, doesn’t matter if its international or Delhi University. Secondly we are looking at not only the overall performances but also at things like the facilities and so on. Our own system frankly has a lot be desired in terms where modern education is elsewhere _we have far lesser choices, we have old syllabi and prescribed texts. I remember in my time, I had a 5 pointer, and I was like getting the highest marks in school one assumed, that if I didn’t want to go into the sciences as I had done humanities, I would do economics, as that was seen the next track up. But I wasn’t interest in economics, and even if I had gone into economics, the prevailing dogmas were of socialism. And if you weren’t a subscriber to that point of view, there is no way you could do _or study economics in India. Because the syllabus prescribes a certain point of view. That kind of thing I would be outgrowing slowly, I haven’t looked it more carefully. But, the truth is that in our country, we are extremely bright and gifted people, who sometimes it is said, or has to be said, triumph despite the system rather because of the system. Having said that, one thing I will say. The incredible amount of pressure that we put on our kids at all levels, to get into first grade in school, right up to graduation and then college, admission into colleges, admission at every stage, means that we are given the drive to excel, cause it’s a question of survival. You see a mediocre student in America will get into a fairly good college if other things are going for him-they are looking at a well-rounded class . In our system, you not only have to be able, you have to be very hardworking, just to be able to cut across each of the thresholds. That means given the tools Indians do outstandingly well. I certainly couldn’t believe I was 19 when I graduated from college, I was the youngest student in my graduate school in States. I was 19 when I came out of my undergraduate college. So I saw a bit of a jump, but then I discovered when I was attending the classes and writing graduate papers that somebody who was from the Indian system, it was extremely easy, and the resources available were far greater. Those days in the 70’s _there were no computers but I could go to the library, I had access to material that I could have only fantasized about in my rather good college in Delhi. So as long as the mind had been reasonably trained and the habit of writing, as in India we used to write papers, rather than multiple choice, that was there. While American students older than me were struggling to write term papers, for me it was a breeze, because we were just trained to do that. And I am told that the same applies to IIT kids when they go to America and other meritorious students from India. So because of that I don’t think that you should think negatively about the Indian system because some of the bad habits in the Indian system actually translate very well when it comes to international competition. Even our one of the biggest weaknesses, which is the emphasis on rote learning, the mugging up as we say that, that has some strengths as well. The bad thing is it hampers creativity. You are told to study a certain thing and this is the answer you have to write for the exam. The good thing is. It really sharpens people’s memories. And to this day, at least the people of my generation, I am not sure if its true of yours, are able to quote chunks of Shakespeare, famous poems or famous idioms in English or whatever language, which we can do with ease, as it was drilled into us from a young age. Whereas, in America, even my contemporaries, let alone the other people dont have a clyue becuase they were never taught to learn anything by heart. You see, so you can have  too much freedom as well, in the academic space. It’s a balance, there are good things about our system, there are bad things about our system. The bad things about our system particularly involve lack of imagination, lack of freedom of thought, lack of options, lack of choices, lack of resources and so on. The good things about our system include the ability to really press the student, that student has the ability to excel in a certain array, that the students in the west are simply not called upon or challenged to do. So that gives a huge advantage to all of us.

Q. So do you describe yourself as a product of your education received in India or the higher learning in the west?

A. Yes, its India very much.

Q. It is quite startling that in your years of international work, you have retained your Indian citizenship, though you reside much in the west. You keep coming to India, every now and then, why is that?

A.  My situation is also very conscious in the sense that, I wasn’t migrating anywhere. I happened to have taken an international job, that put me in different countries in different terms. I did have opportunities obviously, when I studied in America. Many of my fellow students were staying on and getting jobs, but that never interested me. I always saw myself as an Indian. When applied and joined the UN, my first posting was in Geneva, then I was posted in Singapore, then it was Geneva again, then I moved to New York. I went to each of these places without trying to become Swiss or become Singaporean or become American. Why, because it was the job that takes me there, not that country that attracted me. If New York wasn’t UN headquarters, I wouldn’t have gone to New York, its as simple as that. So while I was there, I remember getting offended, whenever people accidentally or inaccurately referred to me as an Indian American, I said I was an Indian Indian and not and Indian American, right now I happen to be in America as my job is here. If tomorrow my job is over, I’ll leave. And that’s what happened, as my job is over, I started spending more and more time in India, and the transition has simply brought me back to my own country.

Q. You have worked with the UN, now this organization remains the sole international body with a worldwide presence. In the context of the Iraq war, do you think the UN has bee reduced to a mere instrument, for the big powers getting legitimacy for their illegal actions? The Rwandan genocide, the Darfur situation, and the biggest example being the Iraq war. You have been a votary of the UN, and sill vehemently support it, but the image the UN has that, its just a mere stamp?

A. Not at all. Let me explain. First of all, when the American and the Brits wanted to attack Iraq, they went to the United Nations Security Council asked for legitimization, they never got it. The Security Council basically did not respond to that. After 6 weeks of debate, hey withdrew their draft resolution, they could not get enough support to get it through. So your very example, makes the counter argument, that it didn’t do the rubber stamping. It is true, that after the Americans took over Baghdad and had established themselves, they went back to the council to seek legitimacy for the new state of affairs, and that they were given. But you see, fact is why would countries  not give them that. They appeared to have completely won and the Iraqi people appeared at that point to have accepted that result. So, it was simply a question of legally accepting a new reality. But, as things began to unravel it was very interesting to see, that the US continuously went back to the UN to get and extension of their authorization to remain. And finally, when it expired last year, the international legitimacy part was over, the US forces are now staying on as a bilateral agreement with the legal government of Iraq. So this is the  way in which it unfolded.. Darfur is a different story altogether, there some of the powerful countries actually wanted to condemn Sudan and Darfur, but other powerful countries protected them.  And why is it, the U.N. is a mirror of the world. It is an organization of sovereign countries, and these sovereign countries then get together, and decide what is before them. Suppose if there had been no UN, you did not have the UN framework, would anything had been any different in this regard? Clearly the powerful countries would still decide. At least UN gives them a framework within which they can see and explore and consort  their policies. If you had no framework, you would have much more of a law with powerful countries doing what they wanted to do. So we should be glad that we have this framework. Again I point out,  Dag Hammarskjöld, the 2nd UN Secretary General, had said 50 years ago, that UN was not created to take mankind to paradise, but rather save them from hell. So, the limitations of the UN are easy to point to, no one points out the successes. When so much is done, going back to the cold war and preventing cold war fro turning hot. The invention of peacekeeping as a means of diffusing local and regional conflicts, before they ignite a superpower conflict. The whole work in such areas as passports etc. Everything that no one country  or a group of one countries, however rich and powerful they might be, can solve on their own like climate change, terrorism, drug abuse, refugee movements and so many examples, so you do need a body for all this. So to reduce the UN on one issue or 2 issues, when its dealing with a thousand issues is insane.

Q. Sir in 2005, the then Secretary General of the UN Mr. Kofi Annan, headed a report titled ‘In Larger Freedom’, pertaining   to UN Security Council reforms. Do you think the current permanent members, especially US and China are amenable to the expansion of the Security Council?

A. I think it’s a challenge for us to take, or continue taking on. It was clear by the following year, in 2006 when I contested, that the reform of the council was not going to happen. And one of the reasons was very normal, that it was not just powerful countries, one might think that the powerful countries don’t want to dilute their power. But is was also all other countries  that set not to be gained anything by a handful of other countries becoming more powerful. And for every aspirant for a new permanent seat, there were at least one, and sometimes two or three, who said unko kyu de rahe ho, humko kyu nahi (why should they get the advantage, why not us), called the coffee club. So, the result of that was that, the initial talk of Germany and Japan, the Italians said that “what’s all this talk of Germany and Japan, we lost the war too”. Then you have got the Chinese who were not happy about Japan, Koreans were not happy about Japan, Chinese being quietly unhappy about India, but they didn’t feel any need to oppose us publicly as Pakistan was opposing us strongly and Indonesia to some degree not so publicly. And in Africa we have got the whole issue of, everyone supporting South Africa, so Nigeria and Egypt are getting exercised. and then countries like Algeria were not getting either way, saying why should anybody become first among equals in our continent. So they have not been able to get any African countries to sign on because Africa has got a policy of united approach. And Latin America, Brazil is almost like India in South America, in terms of size and weight, but all the other countries are saying, these guys do not even speak Spanish, why do we want them represent us. So the result is that they are unwilling to find a formula, which is further complicated by the very high threshold which you have to cross. You have to get a 2/3rd majority in the house. And then ratification by 2/3rd parliaments, including all the 5 permanent members. So it has to be a formula, which is acceptable to 2/3rd and is not unacceptable to any of the permanent members. Now such a formula has been elusive. My opinion is that we should go to Obama early on, and say this is the priority for us, help us and as far as we are concerned, we believe that if you take this issue on, you will be able to break the logjam in ways that nobody else could till now.

Q. The Bush administration came up with a criteria. It needs to be a democracy, contribute to the peacekeeping force and have a larger economy. They explicitly supported Japan, but it almost seemed that they were willing to accommodate India as well, in that fold. What will be the change in Obama administration, one can not see that happening. Bush  portrayed there open disdain for the UN, they appointed John Bolton as the ambassador, who was an open critic of the UN. Is the regime change in the US going to help matters?

A. It could. It also depends on how effectively we approach them. During the time of the Bush administration we had the so  called the G4. Which was Brazil, Germany, Japan and India. We should resonate the G4, and if possible we should informally associate South Africa with it and then we should frankly go, with a new position to the Americans saying we have taken all your criteria into account, we have taken all that. But, this we think is the formula that can work. If you are prepared to sign on this formula and if you indicate your support for it, it would break the logjam because a lo of other countries including American allies have been taking refuge behind America’s indifference. But the longer this indifference continues, the more untenable the council will become, the more anachronistic it will work.

Q. Sir this country’s name US, it just keeps coming up everywhere, in every sentence of this discussion, so definitely we understand that it is a uni-polar world at the moment. But the leading economist Dr. Amartya Sen recently said in an interview, that the current recession will mark the end of US dominion over the world. How far do you agree with that?

A.  Well the recession is certainly having a serious impact. But America is capable of creatively responding to the recession, I would not write them off so quickly. They have a tremendous amount of economic dynamism, and they have to make a number of additional mistakes, for it to undermine that much, to the extent that they are negatively affected so as everybody else. So, relative terms they are still top dogs. Secondly, you are finding that despite the recession a lot of people are sending money to America. Right now the US dollar is up not down, the US stock market is down while the US dollar is up, strictly illogical. Why? A lot of people feel the safest place to park their money is American treasuries. So this is not logical, but that’s the way its working. I have great respect for Amartya Sen, he is a friend of mine. He knows more about economics in his one little finger, than I can know in my entire life. So I do not want to say that my views are based on any sound economic principals. Its just my gut feeling. It is too early to write off America. Chinese, for example, are the only serious threat to American dominance. So the Chinese are well on course, on becoming the America’s equal within next 20 years. They have also suffered a set back. 75% of their GDP is dependant on exports. If countries that are importing from China, are not able then they are also in serious trouble. We are hearing reports of young men in China being laid off by factories, wandering back to villages, where there are no jobs. We don’t know what kind of social unrest etc. will be following. So, I think its premature, to either write America’s obituary or to assume that anybody else will come up. We were to have a world war, America will not be the sole superpower , but we are also not going to have a world, where America would be one among half a dozen equal powers. I think, all the signs in my lifetime are that they are going to be a very major dominant player.

Q. Now sir, coming closer home to domestic issues. Do you think the present age of coalition politics, with a significant regional component, is sabotaging the national interests?

A. I wouldn’t put quite so directly as that. I certainly am not a very big fan of coalition governments. I have said this in my articles, for a very simple reason, I think it promotes governance by the lowest common denominator. Because what it does is, it means you can’t take any policy initiative unless 20 different netas have signed on to it. In the old days, there was collective cabinet responsibility. That is if somebody disagreed, once the collective cabinet had decided, party discipline, cabinet discipline meant that it would continue, and the government could implement the policy. Today if one decides he actually has an impact of blocking at one policy, and two or three more reject it then the policy cannot be implemented as it was initially conceived. Now this kind of thing, it seems to me, is already a luxury in many democracies. But in very affluent, industrialized countries, maybe the basis is so high  it doesn’t matter. I our case, or challenges are still so enormous as a developing country  that we need decisive action, to move things forward. So that is my main argument. I am not against smaller or regional parties, because after all in a democracy, any means of articulating the interests of a group of people in our country is legitimate. I will much rather see they do that by becoming a regional party than becoming a guerilla movement. As far as I am concerned, please go ahead. If you are going to say to people ‘vote for me not because I’ll do something for you but because its time people from us were in power. Vote for me because of my cast, vote for me because of my origin’ that thing will become limited after a while. We saw it in the famous case of Lalu Yadav. He won 2 elections on that message, but by the third election people were saying  bijli, sadak, paani and I think that, he himself is now focused on accountability, in his role at the Railway Ministry. So it may be a part of maturation of our politics. People will become more accountable. But I certainly want to encourage people, to think nationally and to vote for national parties, that will have national interests at heart. Because India is more than the sum of the states. There is a larger idea in India, that you must have a national vision to promote and then protect.

Q. Do you think India should trade the Westminister Model of governance for a Presidential Model.

A. I have said so, and that view is not very popular in our country, so I should probably stop saying so, as it has zero support. I am giving you all the arguments why, I think it will be more effective. I think it is a particularly British perversion to elect a legislature that will perform the executive. The result is that you get legislatures, legislators who are not  qualified to form the executive, whose principal virtue is that they are electable not that its able. So, I don’t quite see the logic of that. Whereas I do believe the separation of the part, that elect a  legislature to hold the executive accountable and direct the laws, and hold the executive to go out and work and implement changes in the country for a fixed period of time, so that they are no constantly looking over their shoulders to see how to stay up. In fact I was saying to Manmohan Singhji recently, that in my view the one advantage of the unusual arrangement between him and Soniaji is that, for once the Prime Minister has more time to focus on governance than on sustaining himself in governance. So the problem really right now is that, that is for us a genuine challenge.

Q. Sir, there are people in India’s right who overtly opine that Hindutva is a synonym form Indian Nationalism , do you share he assessment? And do you believe that it can pose as the greatest threat to Nehru’s idea of secular India?

A. Yes I certainly believe that and in my writings I have given the arguments very eloquently.  Indian nationalism is a nationalism of the Indian idea, it is not based on either language, region, religion, caste or whatever, for the simple reason that we are looking at a country with such rich diversity, that there is no one particular kind of identity that alone can claim to be more Indian or more truly Indian than any other.  And that’s the great magic of us. As I said last night (at Maharana’s facilitation ceremony) you can be many things and one thing . When hindus, who after all are speaking for a faith that accounts for 81% of the population, see that’s the whole kind of nationalism. First of all, they are excluding the rest 19%. But they are also excluding a rather a large number of people, who are not the followers of their kind of Hinduism. I am a believing Hindu, I am very proud to be a Hindu, but my Hinduism has nothing in common with the intolerance and bigotry of these people. I feel that even though I may have read the holy books only in English translations, that my understanding of what I have read from the Upanishads or the Bhagvat Gita and so on, would be completely Greek to Pravin Togadia or such others. To me its not only not nationalistic, its actually genuinely anti national. And in fact, as an Hindu I will even argue that it is un-Hindu. Because Hinduism is a faith, that has traditionally never had any notion of heresy, you can believe practically anything and be a Hindu. it’s a very broad based, tolerant, eclectic faith, it has tremendous capacity to observe different ways of looking at the world. And those are strengths, those are not weaknesses. The people of the Hindutva persuasion are seeing our greatest strengths as our weakness, and they are trying to make us more like the Semitic faiths. Clear doctrine, rigid rules.

Q. But don’t you believe that, because of the centuries of  invasion of the Afghans, the Mughals the need to assert individual identities and even the cultural homogeneity because of the globalization has a lot to do with this resurgence, this need to shout out loud from the roof tops and say  that you are a Hindu and that India needs an identity  of its own and not just become…..

A. Well what’s wrong with out identity being made up of many identities? For me the answer is yes we should have an uniquely Indian approach. So our’s should  be, in fact an example to this globalizing world. Of our approach that says that the best way  in India, is also the best way for the world. Which is to say people have their identities, how ever they perceive them, provided they live in harmony with other identities, and they do so under the carapace of a common Indian identity, or in broader sense, common human identity.

Q. Indian inc. including the Indian bigwigs like the Ambani’s and the Tata actually went on to say that Narendra Modi would make a good Prime Minister. How would you react to that?

A. Look, the business people are clearly racing purely on the basis of who has given them a friendly business environment in his state. But, a Prime Minister incarnates much more than a lets say a friendly Business Minister. Interestingly in the British cabinet, there is actually a job called Business Secretary. Now I would be very happy to have a Business Secretary in our government, whose whole job is to make a friendly business environment. Bu I would find it very difficult to accept, the notion of a Prime Minister, who has presided, without an apology, over the kind of carnage, the kind of bigotry, the kind of hatred, the kind of tragedy that we saw in Gujarat in 2002.

Q. Talking of extremism, how do you read the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan , and Is effects in India? Do you think that there is a realistic possibility of Taliban gaining active control over Pakistan in near future?

A. I think the danger is certainly there. Because we have seen that the Taliban has essentially been given control in the SWAT valley, which is only about 100 miles or 160 km from Islamabad. So you are not talking about something, that is that far away. If Taliban were ruling in Chandigarh, people in Delhi will have to worry, its as simple as that. Having said that, there are also some counter arguments in Pakistan, though it looks like a failed state, it does has some very strong institutions the strongest institution being the army. But they also have a bureaucracy, they have a parities of state in Punjab, Sindh and to some degree in Balochistan does operate in function, and thus one could argue that they have the capacity to reassert themselves. So its not tomorrow that they are going to collapse as a country. Having said that, we also know Pakistan is an artificial creation. There is very little holding them together, except an ideology that’s based truly on Islam. That didn’t hold them together in 1971, when they lost East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh. So, a repeat of a Bangladesh situation, where Islam feels insufficient to hold this new polity together, can be seen as an hindsight, which happens as a logical continuation of the fundamental flaw, in the nature of the creation of that state. So, I am not prepared to become complacent about Pakistan. My big worry, is of course much more, what will happen in Pakistan will have effect on us. So far we have found that, there is almost no particular internal arrangement in Pakistan, that is good for India. If the military are in power, that means they have no checks upon their desire to cause mischief, whether it is Zia Ul Haq sending support for terrorists and militants in our country, whether its Kargil. And then, when civilians are in power, in fact Kargil happened when Nawaz Sharif was in power. We found that civilians were either too weak to prevent the worst or sometimes they are anxious to outdo the chauvinists in the populist appeal to the worst elements of national patriotism by being hostile to India. So, we have a sort of, permanent menace on our borders. Made up of people whose principal reason for existence is that they are not us. And its principal justification seems to be hatred of us, which they described to the west as fear of us. I keep saying, what is this Pakistani fear based on? I can’t say this if I am in he government, but as a private citizen I say, look they have nothing that we want. There is nothing Pakistan has, that India wants to take. So, why should they claim to be afraid of us. And yet they mange to convince so many in the west that they have designs on them. So the result  is that the military in Pakistan today has the largest share  of the country’s GDP of any country in the world. Its he largest institution in Pakistan and its astonishing. In India we are used to a situation where the state has the army, but there the army has the state. So we are obliged to be very attentive. Sorry that was not a very precise answer to your question, but you know why one can’t say much more than that at this point of time.

Q. Sir, you are a cricketing buff we know. What would be the repercussions of the attack in Lahore on Sri Lankan cricket team? Not only on Pakistan but on the wider Indian sub-continent.

A. That’s not very pleasant unfortunately. Because its very clear now that the impact of the Lahore attacks first of all, has been on cricket in Pakistan that no foreign cricket team is going to travel there. But it has also created a lot of anxieties about travelling to India. Everyone knows that India is not Pakistan, but everyone knows that India is next to Pakistan. And if the kind of people who do Mumbai, can do something in Lahore, what is preventing them from doing it in Mohali or Delhi or whatever, that’s the big fear. Now, this is what lies behind the current  imbroglio over the IPL. Because, would not have to worry so much about the security. but in the wake of Mumbai first and then Lahore, many cricketers will hesitate to come, unless they have guaranteed assurances of security. Now interestingly in India, our security of such events has been very good, so far there has never been any incident. So far the only incident that we can think of is the stupid time in early 90’s when the Shiv Sena activists dug up the pitch in Mumbai. And that was the kind of thing that could have been prevented if we just had security, one day before in the ground. But what people are worried about is the direct life and limb of the players, and for that we have a pretty good record in terms of being able to organize ourselves, to keep control. So my feeling is at this stage, a lot depends on the IPL being able to assure these foreigners, that in addition to normal security precautions there will be extra special security provided by the state. And the state can only provide that, if they are not taking people for the election duties. That is the picture at this moment.

Q. Now sir, a personal question. Your non-fictional writing mainly pertains to politics only, but comes process that even in fiction, you can not get over the political thought process. Is that a conscious choice? Also, along with the obstinacy in theme your writing pattern is repetitive at times, with you using certain phases again and again. Is that a creative block?

A. (laughing) On your first thing, your answer is absolutely correct. It is very much a conscious choice. I write because I have something to say.  And what I have to say, is about the things that matter to me. And a lot of these fundamental political issues matter to me. The reason for repetitions is twofold. First, I am modest enough to say, I should not assume that anything that I have written earlier has been read. And worse, even if it is read, it is remembered. Secondly, I also feel as a writer, if I am making an argument it should be complete in itself. Lets say for example if you look at the first essay in ‘Elephant, Tiger and Cellphone’ about the Indianness  80% of that, I am not exaggerating and I say so, that 80% of that essay, consists of ideas that have already been expressed in ‘India- From Midnight to Millennium’, and in many cases I have used the same words. Now obviously, you are entitled to point out that this is repetition, and you would be right. But, the problem is, there are a large number of people who will pick up ‘Elephant, Tiger and Cellphone’ have never picked up ‘India- From Midnight to Millennium’. And to think will miss out, on a fundamental restatement of my premises as to where am coming from, for all the other stuff that follows. If I do not repeat myself, it is easy to write a preface as to read this book as a companion  novel for ‘India- From Midnight to Millennium’. and suppose people don’t. and the fact is you are of a certain age, though perhaps you have read this, there may be many people who are coming into this sort of book reading now, who may read this (Elephant, Tiger and Cellphone) as first book of mine they are reading, before they know anything about me. And frankly, because it’s a collection of pieces. It will already look a bit scattershot. In fact, there was only couple readers who were upset.  This book is all over the place. Where is the coherent message and argument, such coherence thus comes from that introductory essay, therefore even that will not be apparently enough for them. So if that wasn’t there, it will look even less coherent.  So these are the challenges. Now, I have to say in my defense that you will also find things that are quite dissimilar. For example the ‘Nehru’ book or you look at something like my novel ‘Show Business’, there is nothing in those books, that has appeared anywhere else. So, judge the work by its own integrity. And, in my view I genuinely felt that some of this may not have been sufficiently complete without some repetitions. So I was conscious of repetitions, it was not so accidental or forgetful on my part, that I keep saying the same thing. And in speeches my repetitions, I jokingly call them recycling, I make a quick judgment that I am speaking to an audience where 80 to 90% would have not heard me before, I feel free to repeat everything I have said. About the thali metaphor, I can’t tell you how many people have come up to me and said wah kya bole aaj aap. But the truth is, for you guys who have heard this before “this guy has nothing new to offer”

Q. You have started a new company named the Afras Ventures. Can you share with us, what does the nme actually means, and what does the organization do?

A. Well actually, I wish it could be Africa and Asia put together, showing my global interests. But the truth is, its not. What happened was, when I left UN, or actually before I had left and was just deciding to leave, I was approached by a number of potential employers we can say. One set of offers came from the academic world. I felt I was no ready for the ivory tower. The other set came from the multi national corporations trying to expand in India. And I felt I couldn’t go from being Mr. UN to being Mr. Walmart or whatever. And the third was this gentleman, who was an Indian, in fact from Kerala had been working in Dubai for the past 17 years, this chap is called Mr. Nand Kumar Radhakrishnan, who has an existing company called Afras, so that’s where the name came from. And Afras in his case is an Arabic word for mare, a female horse. Nothing more significant than that. And he said to me, “I know what I am doing would be of no interest to you”, as he is a major dealer in pipes, fittings in oil and gas industry in the middle east, I have no interest in that. But he said “look, I have abroad for 17 years, you have abroad internationally for 29 years. Isn’t it time we gave back to India?” And that was the argument I was receptive to. So I aksed what he meant, and he told “that if you and I get together, with my business savvy and your visibility and access in India, we can start new ventures in India that can get going.” So that’s how Afras Ventures was born. I only gave him 2 conditions, first I said I only want to do things that can help change people’s lives, I was not really interested in business as business, in any case I have no background for that. And he said that was no problem. And second I said, I can only give you half of my time. In the other half I have to continue with my writing, my speaking and all of that. And he said no problem to that either. So it has been a very good arrangement. So, the first venture e actually started, though we looked at a number of things, and had a number of meetings as well on various fields, before we set up a serious project. So far the only thing that is up and running, is the Afras Academy for Business Communication. Which is a school of the techno park in Trvandrum, that trains people in business communication skills. So we have the state-of-the-art facility, we have an American executive director, who made her career in training foreign doctors to be understood by American patients in the New York hospital system. So that’s he kind of technique pace and delivery, intonation emphasis etc. A part of problem with our kids, is when you get beyond the big metros, that they come out of these second tier towns having learnt English only in books.  They know the science, they know the math, they know the IT but they don’t have the confidence to express their ideas. And when they do speak, they do so in an accent that is incomprehensible to the outsiders.

Q. Sir, we heard strong rumours and this morning the Indian Express in Delhi, said that you are contesting on a Congress ticket from Trivandrum. Is it true?

A. Yes, I have certainly shown my willingness to the Congress Party, which is the only national party with the kind of bision that I am prepared to share, and I feel it is the party which is right, in a number of the key issues facing the country. Particularly,  need for economic growth. Country has to grow if it pays attention to the bottom of the national population. Secondly foreign policy, robust, independent and at the same time realistic foreign policy, that has geared to the needs of the Indian people. And third of course, the preservation of  the India’s democratic pluralism. And you may have noticed I keep referring to pluralism rather as secularism. But pluralism in the sense of a land with all these different identities with which we have a chance of flourishing together. So this my view is what Congress Party stands for and I have signaled to them that I am quite willing to work with them in these elections. Obviously, untill and unless they have formally given me a nomination I can’t say anything more. But, it should be a matter of days. By principal by tomorrow or day after (tomorrow) there should be a decision coming out, because the elections are just over a month away. And I certainly am looking forward to an opportunity to put my feet where my mouth is. That is, I have been talking and thinking and writing about politics, let me see if I can be a successful member of active politics.

Q. Sir, if you get elected one portfolio, that you would like to handle and one major policy change you would like to make in that ministry?

A. There is no politician worth his salt, who already says he wants to be a minister. These are in the hands of the government. First and most important duty of an M.P. is to represent his voters.  So if I am the candidate from Trivandrum, my first and most important objective, and the difference I want to make, is to help change Trivandrum, make Trivandrum more of a global city. And bring sort of resources and things to make Trivandrum into a worthy showcase of the state of Kerala. So that’s all my ambition as at this stage. Beyond that I don’t see whoever will be the new Prime Minister, I am hoping my party will provide the Prime Minister.

Thank you sir, for giving us this opportunity.

hello and a warm greetings to all the readers.

normally, this blog acts as collection of various thoughtsand ideas, some of which are my own, and some of them caried or derived from internet.

this post, however talks about 1 of the most important event in my life, “entrance exam for IIM ” known as “CAT.”

IIM, is 1 of the leading management institution in india, and, to get admission, 1 has to go through somewhat tuff exam, which is basically common aptitude test.

the exam, mainly focuses on testing your presence of mind, logical reasoning and overall knowledge in subjects of mathematics, data interpretation, and english.

being in the category of differently able persons because of being visually challenged, according to IIM, i was allowed to bring scribe/writer with me.

he should be of lower qualification then me, and should not be appearing for CAT for this year, and next year.

i’ve been really working hard since last year for this examination, and fortunately, this year, the exam was changing its overall structure and pattern, and from a paper based objective test, it upgraded it self, and, news reads, “cat09 goes online!”

at first, i thought that they will let me use speech output softwares such as screen readers, and i will be able to give the exam on my own, but it turns out that still, there’s a time for extreme upgrades, and despite of the exam going on computers, i have to follow the traditional way, and arrange for scribe.

from going to bank, filling the application forum, getting scheduled for the exam, getting the admit card on email, the process was pretty easy, and everything just worked out to be perfect.

although arranging the perfect scribe, and establishing the coordination for exam is not that easy, and i’d really appreciate if in future such institutes like IIM provides screen readers or other software support enabling us to give the examination individually on our own.
luckily, i was able to find helpful and friendly scribe, and filled the scribe forum just a few days after submitting my own examination forum, and got the approval from IIM to bring him as my scribe.

and, finally, after so many days and nights of tiring studies, came the day when the exam was scheduled, 3rd December, 2009.

i chose the center to be gandhi nagar, amedabad, as it was nearest to udaipur, the place where i’m presently living for final year of my BCA.

reached the place well before time, and located the place where my exam center, Vishwakarma Government Engineering College was situated.

next was to find out nearest hotel, and book rooms for me, my scribe, and parents.

thanks to dad’s strong marketing network, rooms were booked well in advance in the nearest hotel.

the journey from udaipur to gandhinagar was overall good, but i was quiet for most of the time, as it was 1 of very important event of my life, and i wanted to perform at my best in it.

heck, couldn’t even sleep the night before the exam, scaring dreams and thoughts accompanied me the whole night.

at last, it was 6AM!
talked to nikita, 1 of my very good friend, got ready, and left for exam.

the exam time slot was fixed from 10 am, so had to check in the center at around 8 AM, and no late then 8:30 AM.

having near hotel helped for sure, and reached the center well on time.

the staff was really cooperative, got my and scribe’s documents checked and verified, and was allotted the workstation at around 8:30 AM.
my finger prints and picture was taken after a while, and the test begins.

as it was previously mentioned on IIM’s website, the timer started from 3 hours 30 mins instead of 2 hours 30 mins, as extra time is given to candidates who are appearing with their scribe.

now, the main thing, is the exam, which was not that hard overall.

attempted sufficient amount of questions from all 3 section, and the extra time was very well required.

i’m not disclosing any further specific detail of the exam as it is prohibited, but i can confidently say, that i can expect a good result.

tried my best, and gave the exam on satisfactory level.

the results will be declared on 22nd January, and i’ll definitely let you all know when it comes out.

i’d like to specially thank rajpal for being my scribe and for such a grate understanding and friendly support he gave me right from the preparation till the exam.

also, a big thank goes to my parents for supporting me in every possible way,
IMS udaipur for taking the responsibility of teaching me and trying various methods to make me grasp the concepts, and nikita for motivating me whenever i gave up or felt low, and many more peoples who were directly or indirectly involved in making me appear for CAT.

now, i’m off to take a well deserved brake, and relax for a while.
till i blog again, take care everybody!

Udaipur, English Language Teachers from all over the country and almost a dozen Asian countries met in Udaipur last week to discuss issues in decolonizing English Language Teaching.  The occasion was First International ESL EFL Conference cum Sixth Annual Conference of Rajasthan Association for Studies in English organized by the Department of English, Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University, Udaipur. The conference began on 5^th Nov. 2009 and continued up to 7^th Nov. 2009. More than two hundred delegates attended the conference and presented their research papers in these three days. The scholars came from countries like USA, France, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Korea, Iran and Oman. Eminent language experts like Prof. Sara E Kuehlhorn (South Korea),  Prof. Channerong Indraprasset ( Thailand) , Prof. Khairi -Al -Zubaidi  ( Malaysia),Prof. Bidisha Bhaduri ( Symbiosis , Pune )etc. made presentations at the conference.  Prof. Z. N. Patil ( Hyderabad ) , Prof. R. P. Bhatnagar ( Jaipur) , Prof O.P. Juneja ( M.S. University , Baroda ), and Prof. Rajul  Bhargava ( Jaipur) were the key speakers who made plenary lectures at the conference.

The papers received from foreign and Indian delegates were divided into five major themes namely Issues in English Language Teaching and Research; Ethnicity , Culture and ELT;  ELT: Across the Borders;  Decolonizing English Studies; Perspectives in Language and Literature Research and Teaching / Learning contexts in Asian countries. The papers took up issues related to teaching methodology, Teaching practices involving technology, English Language text books and their improvement , researchers in testing , Indigenous Languages and English experiences of language Teaching and Learning in various countries and different states India , Issues in teaching English as a foreign language and also as a second language. The significance of the conference increased with the participation of delegates from such Asian countries where, like India, English a second language. The Korean experience was found to be quite different from India in many ways though Language learning situations in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were found to be comparable with the Indian situation. There were seven parallel sessions everyday in which ten papers were presented. There were four workshops and five plenary sessions. The inaugural function was held in the new auditorium of Rajasthan College of Agriculture while all other sessions and the Valedictory function was held at Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University Campus at Pratapnagar near Airport Road.

Addressing the Inaugural function Vice-Chancellor of Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University, Udaipur Prof, Divya Prabha Nagar said that Engish Language is now a language of empowerment rather than the language of enslavement . New methods and strategies should be evolved to make the teaching and learning easy for the rural masses. She welcomed the delegates from various countries and expressed her hope that their experiences will enrich the Indian scholars. Key speaker of the inaugural session Prof. R. P. Bhatnagar said that there is an urgent need to decolonize English Language Studies in that no self-respecting country would allow the teaching of another country’s literature in the name of Language. Prof. Channerong Indraprasset (Thailand) said that one has to visit his country in order to understand the teaching – learning situation there. Prof. Sara Kuehlhorn, South Korea talked of her experiences and read her paper on code switching in an Indian film Kal Ho Na Ho.

Prof Z. N. Patil delivered the first plenary address. He took up the task of setting the ball rolling. With his vast experience of teaching in India, Japan and Vietnam Prof. Patil suggested several methods of improving teaching practices in India. He demonstrated how literature could be used as a potential source of teaching nuances of language use. He remarked that the texts used in India for teaching English are hopelessly monotonous and boring. According to him the teacher’s attitude and performance are the key factors in the success of a foreign language teaching situation. In the beginning of the inaugural function Prof. S.N. Joshi, President of Rajasthan Association for Studies in English introduced the theme of the conference. Prof. N.K. Pandya, Principal M.V. Shramjeevi College gave the welcome address. The organizing secretary Prof. Hemendra Singh Chandalia read the message of the Chancellor Prof. B. S. Garg . Dr. S. K. Agrawal , Associate Prof  in the Department of English offered the vote of thanks . Dr. Sharda V. Bhatt and Dr. Mukta Sharma, Associate Professors in the Department of English convened the programme . On this occasion Prof. R. P. Bhatnagar was felicitated for his life- time contribution to the field of ELT. Sh. G.K. Sukhwal, a Teacher Research Fellow in the Department of English was honoured for his painstaking role in organizing the conference while Dr. S.K. Agrawal , Dr. K.S.Kang , Dr. H.M.Kothari , Dr. Ankit Gandhi and Sh. Sunil Bhargava were honored for playing the role of organizing secretary in the previous conferences of Rajasthan Association of Studies in English . The conference souvenir published by the department of English, Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University was released by the Vice- Chancellor Prof. Divya Prabha Nagar. She released two issues of the Journal of Rajasthan Association of Studies in English. At the end of the inaugural function national anthems of fourteen countries represented in the conference were played.

The three- day conference was enjoyed by the delegates. The vegetarian food served at the time of breakfast, lunch and dinner was relished by the Indian as well as foreign delegates. Melodious presentations were made by Sanchita Choudhuri, Atish Sarkar (Rourkela), Brian Mendonca (New Delhi), Shweta Sharma (Jaipur) Fateh Singh Charan ( Chittorgarh), Sayyed Bagher Mirshojaee ( Iran) Indira Nityanandam ( Ahmedabad) etc. Besides, the delegates made their presentations in creative writing sessions and were taken round the city of Udaipur to view the world-famous lakes Pichola, Fatehsagar , Maharana Pratap Smarak, Sahelion – Ki- Bari, Manikya Lal Verma Garden etc.

The Valedictory address was delivered by Prof O.P. Juneja, Professor Emeritus, M.S. University Baroda. In his address he underlined the importance of computer aided language learning and said that in the age of globalization a teacher of English has to keep pace with the demands of the market. The chief guest of the valedictory function Prof. M.S. Agwani, former Vice – Chancellor of JNU, New Delhi said that the growth of English should not be allowed at the cost of Indigenous languages. He quoted several instances where English was responsible for the extinction of indigenous languages. Presiding over the valedictory function Sh. Prafulla Nagar expressed the need to strengthen English Language Teaching in tribal and rural areas. He felt it necessary as it would open new opportunities for them. Prof. H. S. Chandalia , Organising Secretary of the conference presented the report of the conference . Dr. Sharda V. Bhatt. convened the session whereas Dr. S.K. Agrawal offered the vote of thanks. Dr. Mukta Sharma, Dr. Bhatt, Mrs. Nandini Mathur and Sh. Basant Jain were felicitated for their contribution to the conference.

]]> http://iswimchapati.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/maharajas-at-the-v-a/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:06:46 +0000 Griselda Murray Brown http://iswimchapati.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/maharajas-at-the-v-a/

The Victoria and Albert Museum is within close walking distance to my latest temporary home in London. Right now, as well as its impressive permanent collection of glinting treasures, it is home to Maharaja: The Splendour of India’s Royal Courts.

Visitors walk through the rooms as through history – chronologically. It all begins in the early eighteenth century, when the decline of the Mughal Empire left a vacuum for the old regional kingdoms to reoccupy.

The Maharajas sought to reinforce their position with opulent and symbolic spectacle. A  life-size, artificial elephant forms the magnificent centrepiece of the first room. It would have been the focal point of a stately procession, adorned in all the bejewelled and woven finery the maharaja atop could muster.

Beside the elephant are displayed the ruler’s various accessories including an impressive pair of karnia (round fans), once belonging to the Maharaja of Merwar. Each has a sun on one side and a moon on the other, indicating both his permanence and his claim to have descended from the sun.

On the walls around to the elephant, the modestly-sized scenes of religious ceremony and court life seem impossibly intricate. Visitors get right up close: the busy detail draws them in, like a Where’s Wally? double-spread. Paintings almost three hundred years old seem to teem with life, the jangling, hooting sounds of a procession in Udaipur recorded earlier this year providing the soundtrack.

In a long scroll showing the Maharaja of Mysore heading up a procession, every face in the crowd is different. Turbans are of different colours, skin various hues, and beards and noses individually-shaped. If the artist used stock figures, it’s hard to spot the duplicates.

Their subtly individualised features seem to bestow upon these figures a measure of individual intent. They are all depicted side-on, but some point left and others right, all apparently following their own noses. If they weren’t extras in an eighteenth century court scene, they could be the figures who bustled up and down Chandni Chowk, the congested beating heart of Old Delhi, when I walked its full length on my last day in India. Behind the coolly stylised, half-closed eye lids, I could see at once in these crowd scenes the chaos born of individualism.

My favourite of these paintings is Maharana Swarup Singh of Mewar at Holi (1851). Holi, the Festival of Spring, is still very much a feature of the Indian calendar: I celebrated Holi this year in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where I watched teams of men astride elephants sling powder wildly at each other ‘playing Holi’.

Though the kings and courtiers in the painting are on horseback, the scene is remarkably similar. Framed on four sides by the turreted white architecture of the palace at Udaipur plumes of red, green, blue and yellow colour cut soaring arcs through the air. The artist, thought to be ‘Tara’, looks as though he might have had an ‘spray paint’ aerosol can among his materials, so fluffy and light are his streaks of colour.

Maharana Swarup Singh of Mewar at Holi (1851)

The paintings and jewelled objects in these first rooms are full of significances and symbols beyond my comprehension; they draw on a visual language I cannot read. While some symbols, like the karnia’s sun and moon, are at least partly decipherable, others are more obscure. The label beneath a small painting of Raj Singh of Mewar explains that he is shown offering paan (nuts and herbs wrapped in betel leaf) to his guest ‘as a token of polite dismissal’.

Walking through the first rooms of this exhibition, one gets the sense of a culture – of its customs, symbols and self-representation – largely untouched by Western tastes and values.

***

Enter the East India Company. Bhim Singh receiving Sir Charles Metcalfe in the Mor Chowk (c.1826) is, at first glance, like the paintings that precede it. But look again and there are white-skinned British officials in uniform sitting stiffly at Bhim Singh’s feet, their legs crossed in half-lotus position. In another painting in the same series painted slightly later the British and Indians sit at the same level on Western chairs. Just as they did under the Mughals, the maharajas were beginning to adapt to the cultural norms of their foreign conquerors.

The next room takes us past the 1857 ‘Indian Mutiny’ or ‘First War of Independence’ (depending from which side you view it) to the time of the Raj, when the Brits where no longer canny traders but rulers with direct control over three-fifths of the subcontinent known as ‘British India’. (They controlled the remaining two-fifths indirectly.)

Though they had been relegated by the British from ‘kings’ to ‘princes’ or ‘native chiefs’, the maharajas seem obsessed with impressing them. The gifts of a formal exchange are displayed: the maharajas gave magnificent jewels, swords and shields; they received, in return, bibles and dictionaries, the supposed benefits of a British culture and imperial rule.

On the wall opposite a vast depiction of Queen Victoria’s coronation as Empress of India (in absentia) is an only slightly less giant sepia photograph of Jai Villas in Gwalior. The two tell of the great gulf in understanding and respect between the two peoples.

The enormous Jai Vilas, modelled on the Palace of Versailles, was purpose-built at vast expense by Jaiaji Scindia of Gwalior to house the Prince of Wales on his one-night stopover in 1875. The apparently uncomfortable sprawling pile makes a mockery of Jaiaji Scindia’s desperation to impress his British counterpart, just as the sheer size of the coronation scene is made ridiculous by ‘the Empress” conspicuous absence.

William Dalrymple writes in the Guardian: ‘The exhibition examines the legacy of India’s princely rulers, and especially their fateful relationship with the British. Jai Vilas is really as good a symbol of any of the misunderstandings that always beset that troubled relationship.’

This culturally-intelligent exhibition ends with a pair of portraits of the Maharaja of Indore in morning coat and in Maratha dress: in neither does he look he entirely comfortable. Inhabitors of a country beset by invadors since Alexander, the maharajas have always had to adapt to foreign ideas and tastes while maintaining native traditions and local power. It is just another facet of India’s remarkable – though not untroubled - pluralism.

Sir Yeshwant Rao Holkar, Maharaja of Indore

***

Maharaja exhibition curator, Anna Jackson, on the opening night

With much difficulty, I have collected temperature data, as clinching evidence to prove my point.

 MEAN TEMPERTURE FOR THE YEARS 1951 TO 1980

 The mean temperature has been shown correct to one decimal point in the record whereas figures for 2007 are shown in round figures. So I have rounded off the mean temp. figures too,  for proper comparison.                

 Except in a few cases, there is remarkable similarity in temperature recorded 200 years ago and now ! This exposes the fallacy of global warm-mongers. In big cities like bombay the increase in temp may be due to huge concrete forests constructed and this can in no way be called global.                         

  Statement 2  (Mean temp. in degree Fahreheit)

Statement 3: Latitude and mean temperature

ANALYSIS OF TEMPERATURE DATA

 Figures speak the truth. The temperature data, comparing previous periods with the current period in respect of Indian and foreign cities are available in the statements above. Statement-1 shows temperature of Indian cities (both coastal and inland).

These have been collected from the meteorological department library at Mausam Bhawan, Delhi.

 You will see that in the cities mentioned below, the temperature has remained stable during the last 50 years.

 Bhuj, Bhawnagar, Surat, Punjim, Honavar, Alapuzha, Kakinada, Port Blair, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata (temperature has actually decreased by 3 degrees), Bhubneswar (decreased by 3 degrees), Ajmer, Pune, Bangalore, Agartala, Alhabad, Kota, Madurai, Koimbature, Kolhapur, Udaipur, Nagpur.

 The increase in temperature by 5 degrees in Mumbai is glaring, especially when we see the temperature in Surat remaining stable. In other words, for Mumbai the reasons my be local and not global. This requires investigation. My guess is that the huge increase in concrete buildings in Mumbai has contributed to the increase in temperature.

 So far, I have been speaking about the maximum temperature. A scrutiny of the minimum temperatures reveals a certain trend of distinct increase.

 Bhuj, Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Ajmer, Pune, Hyderabad, Udaipur and Kanpur show increase in minimum temperature by 3 degree. If you total the minimum temperatures of all the cities,  then and now, there is an increase of 20degrees in respect of 15 inland stations whereas the maximum temperature in respect of the same stations show a decrease of 8 degrees. It should be remembered that the minimum temperature are recorded during winter months (December, January) when the sun is far away in the Southern hemisphere and this cannot be assigned to the heat radiated from the sun.  Mr. Milner has also written about the winter becoming milder over a period of time. In my younger days, I use to find it difficult to take bath in cold water in winter in Delhi. Now, excepting some days of severe cold mostly caused by heavy snowfall in the Himalayas, the water is not so cold.   The obvious inference is that this is actually global defreezing caused by geothermal energy.

 Statement 2 shows temperature variation over a wider period of 200 years. The figures for the previous period have been taken from Milner’s book which was published in 1853. As these figures are in Fahrenheit scale, current figures too are shown in the same scale. The figures in respect of the following stations indicate stability.

 Cairo, Algiers, Cincinnati, New York, Beijing (decrease of 3 degree), Paris Dublin, Copenhagen (decrease of 6 degree), Quebec, Petersburg, Bordeaux, Vienna (decrease of 4 degrees) – 12 out of 20 cities. London, Geneva and Paris show exceptional increase. However, it should be remembered that the increase is over a period of 200 years.

 A word of caution: the current data have been extracted from the website “World Weather Information Service” and so the authenticity has to be verified independently.

 A very reliable and scientific method for evaluation of the temperature of the globe, is latitude wise mean temperatures. Milner’s book shows 29 degree centigrade at equator, gradually and linearly decreasing to zero degree centigrade at the poles. I am unable to get corresponding figures for the current period. However, I could see from the website that figures remain almost constant, even though the figures for the polar region,  now shows as approaching minus 20 degree centigrade. This may be due to better technology being employed by scientific team exploring the polar regions. I have calculated the value of current mean temperatures in respect of a few stations, comparing this value with that shown in Milner’s book. These are given in statement 3.

 MELTING OF POLAR ICE CAP

 The density of water at zero degrees centigrade is 0.9999 grams per cm. The density of ice at zero degree centigrade is 0.9150. In other words, 1 cc of ice weights only 0.91 gm and hence will displace only 0.915cc of water, when the ice is floating in water. When the ice float, almost the whole of body sinks below the surface of water, expect a small portion projecting above the surface. In the North Pole area, there is no land. The crust of the earth forms a huge bowl filled with seawater and a huge mass of ice floating in it just like an ice cube placed in a bowl of water. The volume of ice submerged below the ice may be almost 9 times more than the icecap which we observe above the surface of water. The molecules covering the underwater portion of the icecap absorb heat from the sea water in which it floats and melt into water. This is a continuous process happening round the clock, allover the year, irrespective of summer or winter. As I have explained in my booklet, the necessary energy is supplied by the earth itself. The role of the Sun which shines only for a limited period is too insignificant to have any impact on this process. As the density of water is more than that of ice, the volume of water generated by the melting of ice is less than that of water originally occupied by the ice block in the ratio 9999:9150. Therefore the sea level will actually  come down because of the melting process. In practice, this may not happen because of the continuous deposition of snow in the polar region which will continuously push down the ice cap.

 A lot has been talked about the rising of sea level because of Global warming. This is a misconception. In some places, the sea level goes up and in other places, it recedes. This phenomenon has been extensively discussed in Milner’s geography.

 My contention can be tested by a simple experiment. Place ice cubes in a tumbler and fill it with water until the water overflows. Leave it until all the ice melts. Watch for any overflow of water during this process.

 I quote from Milner-page-513

Excessive summers

In 763 the summer was so hot that the springs dried up.

In 870 the heat was so intense ,that near Worms the reapers dropped dead in the fields.

In 993 and again in 994,it was so hot that the corn and fruits were burnt up.

The year 1000 was so hot and dry ,that, in Germany ,the pools of water disappeared ,and the fish ,being left in the mud ,bred pestilence.

In 1022 the heat was so excessive ,that both men and cattle were struck dead.

In 1130 the earth yawned with drought. Springs and rivers disappeared ,and even the Rhine was dried up in Alsace.

In 1159 not a drop of rain fell in Italy after the month of May.

The year 1171 was extremely hot in Germany.

In 1232 the heat was so great ,especially in Germany, that it is said that eggs were roasted in the sands.

In 1260 ,many of the Hungarian soldiers died of excessive heat at the famous battle fought near Buda.

The consecutive years of 1276 and 1277 were so hot and dry as to occasion a great scarcity of fodder.

The years 1293 and 1294 were extremely hot ;and so were likewise 1303 and 1304,both the Rhine and the Danube having dried up.                    

In 1333 the corn fields and vineyards were burnt up.

The years 1393 and 1394 were excessively hot and dry.

In 1447 the summer was extremely hot.

In the successive years 1473 and 1474 the whole earth seemed on fire. In Hungary , a person might wade across the Danube

The four consecutive years  1538, 1539 ,1540 ,and 1541 were excessively hot ;and the rivers dried up.

In1556 the drought was so great that the springs failed. In England wheat rose from 8 shillings to 53 shillings a quarter.

The years 1615 and 1616 were very dry all over Europe.

In 1646 it was excessively hot.

In1652 the warmth was  very great, the summer being the driest ever known in Scotland. A total eclipse had happened that year, on Monday the 24^th of March,which hence received the appellation of ‘Mirk Monday.’ 

The summer of 1679 was extremely hot.It is related ,that one of the minions tyranny ,who in that calamitous period, harassed the poor Presbyterians in Scotland with captious questions, having asked a shepherd in Fife ,whether the killing of a notorious Sharp, Archbishop of  St.Andrews, which had happened in May,was murder; he replied , that he could not tell, but there had been fine weather ever since.

The year 1700 was excessively warm, and the two following years were of the same description.

In 1718 the weather was extremely hot and dry all over Europe. The air felt so oppressive that all the theatres were shut in Paris. Scarcely any rain fell for the space of nine months and the springs and rivers were dried up. The following year was equally hot. The thermometer at Paris rose to 98 degree Fahrenheit. The grass and corn were quite parched.

In some places the fruit trees blossomed two and three times.

Both the years 1723 and 1724 were dry and hot.

The year 1745 was remarkably warm and dry; but the following year was still hotter insomuch that the grass withered, and the leaves dropped from the trees .Neither rain nor dew fell for several months ; and ,on the continent, prayers were offered up in all the churches to implore the bounty of refreshing showers.

In 1748 the summer was again very warm.

In 1754 it was likewise extremely warm.

The years 1760 and 1761 were both of them remarkably hot, and so was the year 1763.

In 1774 it was excessively hot and dry.

Both the years 1778 and 1779 were warm and very dry.

The year 1788 was also very hot and dry ;and of the same character was 1811 ,famous for its excellent vintage, and distinguished by the appearance of a brilliant comet.

Our first bus trip...

The troublesome trio (A.K.A Rob Awesome, our Kiwi companion from Jaisalmer, MK Ultra and Pollie) travelled swiftly and surprisingly without delay to Udaipur from Jaisalmer. This was our first bus journey,  across some hair raising terrain – a windy, cliff side, bumpy, narrow road with a sheer drop on one side, traffic in both directions, and a driver with a death wish (aka every driver in India). We learned one lesson quick and that was never sit at the back of the bus. Apparently running water has reached India before the wacky invention of suspension. Three spinal chords, three cups of chai and several ropey roadside samosas later, we arrived at our hostel feeling like we had just been in a washing machine for 7 hours, but were soon relaxed by the beautiful surroundings and dirt cheap hostel. Right on the side of the famous lake used as the setting of Octopussy (which was shown at around 7pm every night in just about every café and we felt obliged to watch), it felt quite different from anything we had yet seen in India.

The lake palace in Udaipur

Although the palace, royal car collection (with free thali!) and the town were beautiful, we found that the hostel terrace by the lake was great to sit by with a beer or five. We spent the majority of our time here, with regular excursions back into town for supplies and drunkenly haggled souvenirs. The lake itself was a nice break from the desert-scape and dirt we had been used to through the rest of Rajasthan.

Chilling in the 'rooftop swimming pool' in our hostel

No words needed...

Audition for Karate Kid

After 2 nights there, onward to Mumbai. Our first overnight coach journey was definitely a journey to remember, although we‘d prefer to forget. We were positioned in horizontal sleeper cabins – effectively a two man coffin. We knew it was going to be an interesting ride we had to gaffa tape the window to keep it shut. By chance (or strategic tourist placing) we were at the back of the bus yet again and sure enough, it claimed the award for worst journey so far! We all agreed that the most disturbing feeling was waking up in mid air as we bounced from the potholes in the road after about a minute interval of sleep. The deafening horn that was sounded every 5 minutes, playing a cacophonous jingle was the icing on the cake. With no sleep and empty stomachs we were dumped the next morning… at the wrong end of Mumbai (population 16 million). After a taxi ride to the wrong location and much debate (always enjoyable after an 16 hour bus ride), we found a Salvation Army hostel and set up camp.

Some wise words in Mumbai

Chowpatty beach

Over the next couple of days in Mumbai, we explored some of the city, picking up more friends old and new on the way. The coastline was quite nice, we ventured to Chowpatty beach where we were treated like celebrities by the local kids but we missed the ‘Indian feel’ of the city and the size of it was daunting. Ollie and Kara (our American friend from Jaisalmer) managed to star in a Bollywood film offering their English speaking acting skills for voice dubbing an upcoming movie (500 rupees for half a days work) but Mikey and Rob didn’t complete the journey across the city due to a prior engagement with the bars of Mumbai. The journey to Bollywood was just too much so jumping out half way there, their adventure began. The day ended with a man down (Rob) and a trip to a club underneath the Hyatt hotel called China House where the Indians were rich and the music was… better than usual! It was quite a surreal experience going to the club because you had to clear security twice then walk through the very modern and western hotel, out the back through a Japanese water garden and down a back staircase. After blagging our way onto the exclusive guest list through a friendly Indian with connections we had befriended, we had a memorable night seeing how the other half of India partied. Although the night was fruitful, we agreed that we had had enough of the big city and were ready to hit the beaches of Goa!

Rob, Mikey and Kara explore the beach

The entrance to India - India Gate

Quotes:

Mikey: Hey man, this is the only place with sound Indians in Mumbai.
Ollie: Yep, you gotta pay three grand to meet them!

Sun setting over Mumbai skyline

Availing a golden triangle tour in India means you are going to explore all the prominent tourist attractions of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Destinations such as –Delhi, Agra and Jaipur during his/her leisure moment, then his/her India tour is incompleteMany tourists plan to visit India only to see the wonderful architectural monument of Agra i.e. Taj Mahal.
Some tourists plane to make their India tour to explore the royal and colorful charm of Pink City whereas some plane to take a trip to India to experience the metropolitan and sophisticated life of capital city of India i.e. New Delhi where they get chance to explore many historical and other tourist attraction sites. But, if you get chance to explore all these three charming destinations through an exclusive tour package i.e. Golden Triangle Tour Package in India, then you can imagine the significance of this personalized tour package. Indeed, the golden triangle tour package in India offers best tour interlay through which tourists not only get chance to take a glimpse of world’s wonder Taj Mhala only but they also get opportunity to see other historical monuments of Agra, such as-Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra: the tomb of Akbar and many others. Similarly, they also visit many heritage sites of Jaipur and Delhi such as- Hawa Mahal (Palace of winds), City Square & Palace, Albert hall museum in Jaipur and Kutub Miniar, Red Fort, Lotus temple, Akshardham Temple and many more other sites in Delhi.
Depending on your limitation of overnight stay, this tour package molds its schedule of overnight night stay as per your suitability. The most important thing about this golden triangle tour package is that it can be covered in very short duration. Some golden triangle tour packages are made of 2 nights and three days involvement and some are made of more than 2 overnight stay throughout the tour. It depends up on you that how much period you have planned to spend for your leisure.
Some golden triangle tour packages are attached with some other tourist destinations apart from Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Like if a tourist is a wildlife lover then he/she can choose ‘Golden Triangle Tour with Birds and Tiger Tour’. Such kind of golden triangle tours are intended to offer a choice tour with a popular tour package Such some popular tour packages with golden triangle tour are Golden Triangle with Lake City Udaipur, Golden Triangle Tour with Ganges and Golden Triangle and Bandhavgarh with Khajuraho.

Rani Padmini, the famous queen of Chittor, led all the royal ladies of Chittor to commit suicide (known as Jauhar) in the 13th century A.D.  Inorder to save their honour from the lustful army of the Sultan of Delhi, a huge fire was lit and all ladies jumped into the fire following Rani Padmini.

Location: Maharana Pratap Memorial, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

I’m sitting outside the room that I’m staying at in the Astha training center, the NGO that I am volunteering for.  We (me and the other two interns) moved last week to this new room that is outside the center.  There is a small building with two rooms and a bathroom (toilet and shower) next door.  It’s a nice place that starting to grow on me now that the sun is shining.  The last couple of days have been freeeezing here with the weather turning to 60’s and raining.  We’ve all been huddled around chai and wool blankets and shawls for the last two days. Yes…it’s 67 and its cold. This is winter here and it’s amazing how quickly one gets used to the hot weather here.

I’m sitting on a wicker bowl type chair that is comfy (I so wish I could get one home as they would make great chairs back at my apartment) typing to Irish music in India.  There are small hills surronding me and greens and blues of the sky and the garden that surrounds the grounds at Astha.  It’s very peaceful here and really I can’t complain about life right now. I just get time to relax, read, and really spend some quiet moments for myself that I haven’t allowed myself in many years.  Time has slowed down and it feels good.  I went for a cycle ride to go to the ATM and get some salad materials for dinner (20 Rp…so about 50 cents for an entire salad!) and had relatively few comments about a white girl on a mens cycle….quite amazing…really. I’ve had a woman hit me in the arm, children throwing rocks at me, and comments that I’m really quite happy I can’t translate. And using my middle finger is useless as it means absolutely nothing here in India. Seriously!  I will have people point directions to me using their middle finger and gesture with it.  There is no meaning attached to it…so I wonder what people from India think about Americans using it when they are in the United States….

I’m working on a project for Astha that is pretty cool if I should say so myself.  I’m working with the self-governance unit of Astha that works with the local Panchayat Raj system in Southern Rajasthan.  This is the local government system in the villages that is really at heart a grassroots approach to democracy. There are local village councils that are elected by the people for the people.  They can make changes and projects within their villages without any state approval. Of course, there are glitches in this system but overall it is supposed to help the poorest of the poor in India.

My project is to develop interview questions for local Ward Panch (board members of the council) and Sarpanch (president of the village council) who are women elected in those positions.  The laws of the Panchayat Raj system had a 33% reservation for women and now they have a 50% reservation for women in the next election two months for now. That means that 50% of the local government seats must be held by women. Change is in the air and the government and people at the NGO hope this means that change will occur for the women who live in the villages.  So I’m to interview the women who are currently elected and talk about how they feel as elected women politicians and the changes that have occurred for them and for their community.

See, as I’m sure you are aware women are in a pretty tight spot here in India.  Not only were they under British rule for many years but are also are under the rule of men.  Women struggle to hold jobs, be financially independent, leave the household and travel alone, know how to read and write, be able to attend school, and choose who they marry at a reasonable age.  They are in a better position then fifty years ago, but change is happening very slowly here.  The government of India hopes that being elected, that the changes can happen faster.  From the women I’ve talked to already, I’ve seen some changes.  They focus on Widow payments, scholarships for girls to go to school (as many parents will not pay for their daughters education since they will just be leaving their household for their husbands), road construction, water tanks for their villages, ensure that honesty and transparently occur in the government and their local council the Ward Sarha.  They are focusing on issues that the men do not typically focus on their position and they are working hard. Astha develops trainings for these women and support groups so that they can learn how to read and write (as many have only basic or no literacy levels), talk to government officials, how to write reports, what their duties are as an elected official and how to accomplish what they want to get done. Most important of all in the trainings is the development of their self-confidence. Many of the village women veil themselves with their sarees so that men can not see their faces in public and one of the women I interviewed said that she will no longer veil herself since she has been elected. That she has the right to be a person and is proud of who she is.

With women such as her in the local villages, there is hope in the air for women in India and one can hope that in the next fifty years there will many positive changes for women in this country.

I spent quite some time observing these kids pickup a poly-bag with some left-over meal in it. Both of them seemed really hungry and nibbled on some crumbs bit by bit. When there was a last chunk of bread left, the elder one happily offered it entirely to the little one, without hesitating a bit. It made me sit back and think that all of us were selfless as kids but somewhere in the process of growing up, this innocence disappears and gets overpowered by greed.

Location: Udaipur, Rajasthan.

This photograph was taken at Saheliyon-ki-bari at Udaipur. This place was built for the royal ladies and their friends where they would perform raas~leela, which was presided by their Raaj-mata.

Location: Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Today we spent a large part of the day in an internet cafe making travel arrangements.  This is what happens when you don’t make plans before you go, let this be a warning to you all!  On a separate note, there seem to be a lot of German Bakeries in town, I think this is odd and there must be some sort of explanation for it, however there is no explanation and nobody else thinks that it is odd.

PZ enjoying his favourite pastime, thankfully no hands in pants

I’m not sure if it’s just where we are staying, but Udaipur seems like a town for tourists only.  It is however very pretty and we spend the day exploring the lake and the little streets.  Part of the Bond film ‘Octopussy’ was filmed here and a lot of restaurants have taken to showing the film along with dinner every night.  We had dinner in one such place and I was sure I wasn’t the least bit interested in seeing the film but within a few minutes I was hooked.  I’m feeling generous so 2 pictures today!

The view of the Lake Palace from our hotel room

PZ considers options in the breakfast alcove

That day, they made us get up in the middle of the night to fly to Udaipur. Wake up call at three o’clock, to the airport, and I was so tired I don’t even remember getting there!
We started off by visiting a Hindu temple. As always outside temples, there are people selling all sorts of offerings, from food to flowers

I liked that lady with her cell-phone, a lovely mixture of modernity and tradition

Then, we visited City Palace,

with its ornate windows

We looked at the view from the top of the Palace,

Later on, we sailed to an island on the lake, and in the afternoon, we visited the lovely garden dedicated to the ladies in waiting of the princess, Saheliyon-ki-Bari
In the evening, we went to the colourful bazaar

More photos of Udaipur here