My World and Thoughts

The immortals of Meluha

2010-04-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

Immortals of Meluha - The canvas of Indian mythology is vast, with a rich interplay of characters from different ages and cultures, thereby creating many colorful and awe-inspiring stories. Some call them myths; some draw inspiration from them and for some it’s the way of gods and their stories. But have you ever wondered what if the Ram’s, the Ravan's and the Krishna's were real people like me and you in flesh and blood. People with exceptional talents, geniuses in various disciplines that their story transcends time becoming legends and these legends in their turn giving way to myths. What if Ravan as represented in many Indian cultures was not a ten headed demonic creature but an exceptionally learned man with the knowledge and qualities of ten men? His downfall brought about by the cardinal sin of coveting another man's wife or his desire to avenge his sister. Welcome to the world of "Immortals of Meluha". Here the author Amish looks at Shiva as a man in flesh and blood. He is a tribal leader with exceptional talents, who has the tag of 'savior' thrust upon him. The book looks at this simple man coming to terms with his destiny, finding the love of his life and going about his karma, justifying the tag thrust upon him. This is Book 1 of a trilogy from Amish with two other books to follow.

Paintings - Jan

2010-01-30T04:49:00.000-08:00

Action Cricket - 27.Jan.2010

2010-01-27T01:59:00.000-08:00

Hey, you know what; today colleagues from SAA IT department are planning to play ‘Action Cricket’. The last time I played, I scored an incredible ‘0’. I call it incredible because, technically in action cricket there is no “Out”. If you are bowled or caught, -3 runs are deducted from your personal score. So in action cricket, the possibility exits where you can score runs >0 (+ve runs) or score run < 0 (-ve runs). Now you work out the probability of scoring a zero in this game. I think, that’s what makes it an incredible ‘0’, a feat difficult to beat. As for the game today, i hope i will not repeat the feat all over again.

Paintings - 06.12.2009

2009-12-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Moonlight

2009-11-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

Nature

2009-10-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Starry Night

2009-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Potrait - 17th Oct 2009

2009-10-18T07:00:00.001-07:00

Paintings

2009-08-24T08:25:00.001-07:00

Faries in my dreams

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

Dancing in Trance

2009-08-08T23:18:00.001-07:00

Innocence

2009-08-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

An attempt gone Wrong

2009-08-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

Paintings - 02-Aug-2009

2009-08-02T00:19:00.001-07:00

Painting - 14th June 2009

2009-06-14T02:47:00.000-07:00

Back to School - 04th June 2009

2009-06-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been quite eventful. My eldest started her school. I was with her on her first day at school. The surroundings where so familiar, the same smell of school, the same rainy day, parents looking more anxious than their little ones. Parents running around trying to make their kids comfortable, with a prayer on their lips hoping their little ones don’t throw their tantrums. So I take my little one into her class. Now, looking back, did I lead her in or did she lead me in, anyways, my brain tells me, find a seat somewhere at the back. Always been a backbencher myself, mostly because all the action seems to happen there. It provided you the freedom to be in your own world, to make planes using the pages of your school notebooks. If you wanted to make it fly, all you had to do was thrust it forward and give those "I don’t know what happened" looks. And all that the others saw was a paper plane drifting in air. Always had one active notebook, the "Rough Book" so everything, be it math, science, literature anything and everything went into that. It also coupled as my art book, especially the last pages where you found my creativity at its best. For me that book was a treasure trove of all the knowledge I gained in school, others thought otherwise. I had even tried to create an aquarium under my bench, inside my pencil box, until my bench mate gave me away. I thought it was fish; my teacher said they were tadpoles. How crestfallen I was on that day, add to it ignominy of being punished and having to stand outside the class of the entire duration of the day. How I hoped, the teacher knew better, I wanted her to know it was fish and not tadpoles, Come on how could frogs have tails!!! All those days and times, wish I could turn back the wheels of time. And here I was being lead back to the school with my child with the roles reversed, and I was taken aback when she chose the first bench in her class. Was I surprised? Pleasantly surprised, I must say.

Musing - 31st May 2009

2009-05-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

Incredible are these machines that fly. Always held a special fascination for me, since the day I had cut the hard cover of my school notebooks, shaping them and trying to make them fly. To this day, the fascination continues, when I get to travel in one of these machines. Also amazing, are the depths of man’s mind and intelligence creating a technology that stands the test of various elements of nature in its fullest fury/glory. But, It is also a humbling and grounding experience, flying at incredible heights with only the vastness of space above and with only a knowledge that there is ground some where down below. It is then, you are reminded, how insignificant, how tiniest of tiny spec of dust one is in this synchronized inter-play of various elements in the universe. For all the man’s ego, for all his passions, for all his self importance, for all the technology he creates – he is nothing, a mere nobody. Today, as the sun kills the moon and the new day begins, I wonder, if the various element of nature in the universe can inter-play and create this beautifully synchronized symphony, why cannot humans for all their perceived differences, race, color and language work together to make their contribution to this symphony. Would that be the expectation from us by our creator?

On my return back, I met this middle aged man from Japan working with the UN. He had many interesting experiences to share, his work in African countries, Bangladesh and Middle East. The best part he spoke fluent English. Hence, I was saved the effort of putting my hands and expression to use. On my way back to Cochin, I recognized one of the airhostesses and I did fly with her once earlier. I found it interesting. It probably is a common occurrence with frequent fliers, however, today I far from being one.

Japan Diary - 24th May 2009

2009-05-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

It’s time to go home in a few days. Back to the three ladies in my life, my wife and two daughters. Back to some home cooked food and games with my daughters. I have heard monsoon is at its fullest glory in Kerala. Kerala is at its best in the monsoon and truly beautiful. That is if you can put up with the frequent power cuts and the time taken for your clothes to dry. My stay in Japan has been a great experience; the bonds made during the previous visits grew stronger. People who were mere acquaintances in the previous visit, I consider them friends today. Also, I have ventured out to try the impossible, after all, wasn’t it me who wrote in one of my blogs “continuous practice can make u good at a trade”. Sorry, rather it was a friend’s quote, and I reproduced it in the blog. Well, this time around, I did try to learn Japanese. Today, I can count from ‘ichi[1]’ to ‘go[5]’. And also know a few expressions in Japanese. Nothing great, but for perennial no-hoper like me at learning languages, it does mean something, especially, when it is so complicated. For example, “Gambate ne” an expression in Japanese can mean, “Cheering” or “try your best”. In the first instance it is positive and the second instance, it’s rather in between the lines which can be a negative usage. Two cups of tea is “ni hai” while two pen’s is “ni hon”, where hon is used for anything that is long and cylindrical. “Ni[二]” here stands for two. The name ‘Japan’ in Japanese is either Nihon [observe similarity between two pen’s] or Nippon. This is written as “日本”. The usage of “Ni” here means “Sun” and “Nihon” means “Sun Origin/Source”. Oh my, it can be confusing. But, I am willing to try. After all it’s been a language that’s been in usage for a long time. It must have a merit to be in usage this long.

Well, friends this should be one of my last posts from Japan. That is unless I see something interesting that needs to be shared. Back to India and my little world, where I shall write when and where I find time. I hope you have enjoyed these posts. For me, it’s been great and just “Ba tchiri [perfect]”.

Japan Diary - 21st May 2009

2009-05-21T04:55:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to the destination by the limousine bus and there was this message in the bus asking passengers not to make or attend to any calls on the mobile, lest it might disturb other passengers. And I was thinking, why ever own a mobile in this place, if you were not to use it. To my very Indian mind the use of mobile was to ’talk’. Talk wherever you wanted to, in middle of an important official meeting, talk when there was a ceremony being performed, be it birth, marriage or death. I even had this candidate who wanted to attend to his mobile, while I was interviewing. Common man do they simply say, wherever you go, our network follows. This Japanese philosophy was in complete contrast to my way of thinking and I did not understand it. Add to it the complete absence of sound when the mobile rings!!! What’s the fun in having a mobile when you can’t let others hear your unique/obnoxious ringtones? Be it a famous bollywood song, a dog barking, a cat mewing or your child laughing! Where is the color in life man? Where is the emotion that adds to your personality? Add to it a whole culture that has evolved around the mobile in this country. Talking on a mobile in a bus or train is a complete no-no. When you dial in your numbers, the keypad tones must be off. Have your mobiles mostly in silent mode. Switch off your phones when you travel on train and happen to be standing next to the seats reserved for the elderly. Can you believe it; they say the radio waves interfere with heart pacemakers and other medical devices. Common have you ever heard of it!!! I never did in India and even if I did, I never cared. Rules!!! Rules!!! Rules!!! When did we ever follow them? They are made for others not ME!

Japan Diary - 16th May 2009

2009-05-16T02:21:00.001-07:00

On weekends you find many a parents with their kids at the park. It’s a very pleasant sight to see these tiny tots running around and playing. Few older boys of the age 5-10 seem to prefer baseball. Not that I know too much of the game, but just like cricket, there seems to be a bowler, called the pitcher. There is a batting team and the goal is to score runs of the ball thrown by the pitcher. Today, I saw this mother and son, the child not older than 6-7 yrs, at the game. The mother is the pitcher and each throw she makes seems to go every where except for the intended target. The boy, stretching, trying it left handed / right handed, trying everything, except reach the ball. So they go on and on. But, the part that brought a smile on my face, they are still trying. Neither of them venting out their frustration, after each throw the boy goes back gets the ball, hands it back to Momma. There is indeed a bond between this mother and her son. My thoughts went back to my kids back home.

Thank you all for responding positively to most of my blogs. Your feedbacks have been encouraging. Please do correct me, if I get things factually incorrect. Also, these blogs have helped me re-connect with many of my friends, many of whom are in different corners of the world. It has been nostalgic too at times. The blog, where I sang at the karaoke, had a dear friend of mine asking, “I hope you were not singing “'TUM BIN JAU KAHAN “. Bingo!!! If I were to sing a Hindi song, that would have been the one. It always has been one of my favorite. And I was like, when was the last, this friend heard me sing? 11-12 years? It was ages since we discussed anything about music too. Long ago, a friend of mine once likened my singing to “Rock Music”. The ting of pride that I began feel, came crashing down with the next statement. He said,” Well, it sounded like two rocks crashing into each other”. Today, I realize, irrespective of the dimensions of the rock or the velocity at which they collided, my singing seems to have a recall value and a lasting impact!!! Looks like I left most of my listener’s too shocked to forget.

Japan Diary - 14th May 2009

2009-05-14T05:11:00.001-07:00

The economic recession seems to be casting its long shadow over the Japanese economy. Each day seems to be worse than the other. Off course, I am no economist nor very knowledgeable with money matters. But, every new day we hear of people losing their jobs, companies posting losses – highest in their years of existence. I can see the restaurants are not as crowded. Eateries I had frequented during my past visits, no longer exist. On my first visit I was surprised to find homeless in Japan, however, they were the rarest of sight. Now I am no longer surprised, but just shocked by their increasing numbers. There is this park next to my apartment; the number of homeless spending their nights in this park seems to be increasing. These are precarious times, during these times the anti socials and the fanatics thrive. Intolerance and need to prosecute a particular community for all the ills of the world raises its head. The difference between us and them attains prominence. The great depression in 1929 gave us the Hitler’s and the Mussolini’s. Should we be surprised, now we have the Osama Bin Laden’s, Taliban’s and their associates.

Japan Diary - 13th May 2009

2009-05-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

The best thing about travelling, in spite of the various challenges it poses to me in person, is the opportunity it provides to interact with various people from different countries. It’s about meeting peoples from different backgrounds, cultures and with different values. All of this adds to enrich ones life, provided one is willing to accept and adapt different ideas and concept which can be completely contrary to what we have believed and brought up with. This give and take between different civilizations has existed since time immemorial. Else, there is no explanation why the temples in Kerala have more in common with Buddhist pagodas/temples in Japan, than say temples in Tamilnadu or any other part of India. If you are lucky enough, you also get to meet few people who in the limited time span you have known them manage to leave a footprint. There was this person in Liverpool , the most conservative place I have ever been to, who taught me to leave behind my little prejudices and accept people/culture for who or what they are. This not through preaching but by actual practice of what they did. I also happened to meet this person, who in the most modest of ways once discussed the difference between “talent and liking for a trade”. The summary went something like this. “A liking for a trade can convince a person to dedicate themselves to it, thereby through continuous practice get naturally good at it, which is completely different from possessing talent for the trade”. They say it’s the Japanese way. As for me until then, talent and liking always had a two way communication; one did not exist without another. However, if I were to look at the world through the above perspective, there is little one cannot learn through hard work and lots of discipline. Maybe, I could have been a better singer. Maybe, I might have even learnt to dance. But, these little words of wisdom, I take back with me for my children and I know it will make a difference.

Japan Diary - 12th May 2009

2009-05-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had this great time out. It was an all men’s party. The location was a restaurant in Ginza, one of the costliest places in town. A fine place to wine and dine. The menu was the mouth watering, Sukiyaki. A Japanese dish, actually pretty easy to make. The main ingredients consist of thinly sliced meat, tofu, mushrooms and vegetables in sake, sugar and soya sauce. All this placed in a shallow pot over an induction cooker in middle of the table. We had to cook it right there. Once cooked, we need to pick up the ingredient from the pot and dip them in raw beaten egg. Yummy, suited me fine except for the raw beaten egg, which I preferred to avoid. We had a very pleasant and fun filled evening together with lots of laughter, and wine flowing endlessly. The fine dinner was followed by Karaoke, with the men in the group testing out their vocal cords. Incidentally karaoke is a Japanese word, which means “Empty Orchestra”. Singers sing along with the background music using a microphone. We discovered the ‘Tansen’ *of our group, in form of an elderly, multifaceted and talented personality, about the same age of my father. I am in awe of him! The others were miles away, competing to be the second best. As for me, a couple of beers and some sake made me believe, I can sing too! Sing, I did. Clap... Clap... Clap. For all the merits of my song, no one asked me to sing again!!!

*Tansen - is considered to be amongst the greatest musicians in ancient moghul India, he was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist and also known for large number of compositions. His rendering of "deepak raaga" is supposed to have lit lamps (deepak) by their divine quality. (A metaphor to emphasis the quality of his music)

Japan Diary - 09th May 2009

2009-05-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

Trains in Japan can be very crowded. It also means you are jostling for space with others. Being a claustrophobic in these crowded trains is of no help. So one day this crowded train stops at a station and the doors refuse to open. Being on the last coach, I can see the drivers communicating with each other. I have no clue what is happening. I can feel the walls of the train closing on me; I can feel the panic rise in me. The coach being crowded is not helping and I can feel the suffocation. Something blurts out off the speakers in Japanese, hey, my mind tells me” this ordeal is over”. But what are they saying, I ask my co-traveler. He smiles at me! That’s helpful. I ask another, he smiles at me too! I am trying to be brave, closing my eyes, controlling my fear, singing to myself. My prayers seem to work. Suddenly, the train pulls backwards. That’s better I tell myself, at least there is movement. It moves a couple of meters and stops. The doors of the train open. Phew!!! It so happened, the train did not align itself with some guiding marks on the platform to which it must confirm. It overshot these marks by a couple of meters; I did not see or understand the difference off course. Neither had it overrun the platform. Welcome to the land of precision, discipline and zero tolerance to errors. Welcome to Japan! Good Morning, Indian Railways! As for the smiles, I realize, my co-travelers must have understood the question. But, it was English all the way, which they could not speak.

Japan Diary - 7th May 2009

2009-05-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

The society in Japan is a complex one. On the surface, there is gender equality. You will find young boys with long brown-dyed almost feminine looks. Young girls with skirts hiked up far enough, bending the rules there, I guess. Late marriages seem to be a norm, presumably waiting, looking for that Mr. Right or Ms. Right. There is money, young men and women pursue their interest, be it dancing, singing, learning martial arts or travelling around the world. There is every sign of gender quality but still something is missing. It does not tell the whole story. You will find women, looking beautiful, with many heavily made up. It’s like the entire society is conscious of beauty. And this generally holds true for the fairer sex. However, you will find advertisements on TV selling products to make men more handsome, propagating cure for baldness (maybe, I could try one of that cure) etc. In spite of this, as a general rule you will find men more clumsily dressed than woman. I ask myself why it is so important in this society for women to look beautiful. A look at the advertisements and you see punch lines like "Girls be ambitious" or you find a young "cutesy" women/girl looking out from the back page of a newspaper. But in case of men almost by rule it is a 40+ man in an advertisement, explaining the virtues of this or that product. This man seems to exude lots of power and place in society not necessarily wealth. Another thing that strikes you is the lack of ladies holding important position in companies, am not sure if this is true in the government. To confirm my observation, I put this question to a friend of mine, whose thoughts I have begun to respect. The answer was quite telling, it went something like this "Maybe because the companies cannot find a similarly qualified woman for the position". The second part of the answer “Maybe this is true with traditional Japanese companies, not so with foreign companies” the next question that came up in my mind was "Why?”. Is it because the society molds men and women for a specific purpose consciously or unconsciously, thereby segregating work and responsibility? Well, I did not put this question to that friend of mine!

Japan Diary - 05 May 2009

2009-05-05T04:11:00.000-07:00

In Japan, this is the golden week, time to holiday, time for fun and frolic and catch up with near and dear ones. For me, the past few days have been very interesting. It was a privilege to visit the Renkoji temple in Tokyo. This temple is supposed to holds the ashes of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The temple belongs to the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. The original temple was built in 1594, was destroyed in a fire in 1806 and rebuilt. I have no insight of how Netaji's ashes ended up in this particular temple. Though the reason, why it’s still not back in India is obvious. Prominent Indian leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Rajendra Prasad have payed homage at this temple. The words of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, speak of Buddhism being a leading light and bringing peace to humanity and so on. I found it interesting that there was no reference to Netaji in those words. I don’t know what to make out of it! But it was sad that many in the Indian community in Japan are completely unaware of this piece of history/story. I truly believe this "great man" deserves better. Was this the price that he had to pay for being on the losing side of the war? After all, history is written by the victors. I don’t know who said that, but it makes sense.

I also had this entirely different experience of visiting a paint shop, SEKIDO, aka World hall. It is in itself a world of colors, brushes, equipments of every imaginable and unimaginable kind. A painter’s paradise and shoppers delight if you’re looking for quality. One is spoilt for choices. The only deterrent is the price, which I found prohibitive. I also heard that they have some paintings exhibited/on sale there. Would love to visit this place again and spend more time looking around.

Before I close this note, I would like to mention and appreciate two very genuine and highly admirable people, who could make time from their personal schedule, put their personal inconvenience aside and make these visits possible.

Japan Diary - 3rd May 2009

2009-05-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had this long chat with a dear friend of mine. It was a friendship we never went looking for. Rather, it came and found us. A friendship struck in kindergarten, natured sharing the same bench at school and college, matured working for the same companies. Few things exist that qualify as perfect; this friendship was the closest we could get. It was a pleasure catching up with him and a pleasure to know few people never change. They still manage to put a smile on your face no matter where they are. Nothing in life is constant. Everything is subject to change. No matter, how big the change, if we are able to maintain the old relationship and forge new ones, it is a blessing. Had it not been for Mr. Tall Bridge, who I met in Tokyo, my life would have been that much poorer. His company stimulates u intellectually and every time you learn something new thereby enriching yourself. It is he who introduced me to many of the Japanese delicacies and off course SAKE. Stands out for his genuine warmth and his ability to form a genuine equation with everyone he comes in contact with. I have learned to accept his friendship and learned to be a friend in return. Sometimes I wonder if I would have felt just as welcome and comfortable in this country, had it not been for him.

Japan Diary 1st May 2009

2009-05-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Travelling to office for work is indeed a sight to behold. My travel starts around 7:00 am from Kamata terminals. On the way everyone is looking busy, running short of time. It’s like an army of people, men and women on a march. Badthe chalo!!! Except for me, the odd man walking. For me it’s more of a stroll in the park. Taking my time, Observing and taking in the sights that amuse me. But again, this is just a matter of perspective. If the shoes were on the other foot, others would find me just as amusing. So, who am I to be judgmental! Everything is nice and proper until the train arrives. Once the doors open it is everyone one for oneself, each trying to outdo the other to find a seat. Off course not in the ultimate Indian way, it’s more polished and sophisticated in its manifestation. A few unlucky old and slow ones are left out. Think I have managed to compete pretty well; after all being trained in the ultimate play ground (our country) has its advantages. But, sometimes I play these 'what if' games with myself. What if, the windows of the train could slide open just like in India, just that wee little bit, would someone try to drop in his handkerchief/newspaper on a seat? Just to confirm a seat. What if! i wonder.

Japan Diary - 29th April 2009

2009-04-29T01:57:00.000-07:00

One day returning to the apartment after work. I met this man at Kamata station, wanted to know if I spoke English. The next I knew, he wanted some money, and he was there on his knees pleading. In the crowd, I was caught unaware and I was petrified, did not know what to do so I kept walking. I wanted to look back, but I could not find the strength to do so. May be I should have helped him; I was hit by guilty pangs. Maybe he deserved better. I was not sure and I was not comfortable. My little understanding of the people from this country told me they were proud people. Maybe he was desperate. But then my thoughts went back to our Country, where we probably encounter these scenes every other day. And I am sure; I never gave a second thought to those people in a similar condition. Maybe I was just lost in my narrow world, maybe I have become immune to these back home.

Japan Diary - 27-April-2009

2009-04-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Weather in japan can be quite tricky, It was warm in the morning, only to find that by evening it was chilly. I still have not figured out the weather gods. I met this grand old lady on the train, she gave me a smile and was soon we were talking. The only problem, she spoke broken english, and me hardly any Japanese. (There she was better than me !!!) We ended up having an animated talk with me putting hands and facial expression to great use. It surely must have looked extraordinary... as i found most of the people in the train staring at us, with a little smile on their lips. Wow what an attention seeker!!!. Inspite of the weather gods, i think, its people like the old woman and their warm smiles that make this a nice place to be in.