First of all I am very glad that I have started this blog to speak my mind. I always have been a deep thinker of varied subjects. Especially when it comes to matters related to philanthropy and Humaneness. These topics have been magnified during my trip to India in mid October and early November of 2008. My wife and I have travelled almost 10000 miles from Portland OR to Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh, India. It was exhausting but we enjoyed it and arrived safe.
We landed in Rajiv Gandhi International Airport which I believe opened in early 2008 and is really a very nice airport with all amenities meeting if not exceeding international standards. The glare of the lights reflected softly from the clean granite floors. It was around 1am local time in Hyderabad. I think the temporary "busyness” was all caused by passengers from our plane. We waited for almost 2 to 3 hours before we got our luggage. All were intact and arrived safely. Then we got through the customs and stepped outside the airport where we were welcomed by family. There were others who welcomed us as well to gain our business to transport us home safely. But my brother rented a big truck and we quickly loaded our luggage in the back of the truck and hopped in the back seat for a ride of our life time to home.
The roads leading in and out of the airport are all well maintained with street boundaries raised by black and yellow painted curbs. There were tropical trees on the side of the streets and in the street islands. The air was dry/chilly and I guess it was about 60~75 degrees F. The air felt very good as we navigated ourselves out of the airport.
We landed in Rajiv Gandhi International Airport which I believe opened in early 2008 and is really a very nice airport with all amenities meeting if not exceeding international standards. The glare of the lights reflected softly from the clean granite floors. It was around 1am local time in Hyderabad. I think the temporary "busyness” was all caused by passengers from our plane. We waited for almost 2 to 3 hours before we got our luggage. All were intact and arrived safely. Then we got through the customs and stepped outside the airport where we were welcomed by family. There were others who welcomed us as well to gain our business to transport us home safely. But my brother rented a big truck and we quickly loaded our luggage in the back of the truck and hopped in the back seat for a ride of our life time to home.
The roads leading in and out of the airport are all well maintained with street boundaries raised by black and yellow painted curbs. There were tropical trees on the side of the streets and in the street islands. The air was dry/chilly and I guess it was about 60~75 degrees F. The air felt very good as we navigated ourselves out of the airport.
The driver apparently wanted to save a little Gas/distance or whatever and took us on local streets instead of the highway and it was a nightmare. There were big potholes in the middle of the street, some traffic, big trucks included, was operating in pitch darkness without lights. No kidding here. We were stuck behind a truck transporting chicken and the stench of it is unforgettable. In some areas there were people standing on the street, at 3am local time, chatting on the streets with no apparent regard for the oncoming traffic. It sure scared the crap out of us. We noticed those occasional dogs wandering on the streets aimlessly looking for scraps of food. They seemed to be operating in their own world which seems so isolated from our own. After a nail biting ride we finally arrived at home in an hour or so.
I was totally taken aback for a while looking at the streets. In my memory these same streets were a little wider than they were. Again my vision might be deceiving me because of living in the USA for so long. I thought after a day or two I will come to my senses and see things as they are.
We stayed in India for 3 weeks. I am going to summarize the experience of these three weeks now. It was bitter sweet experience. I enjoyed being home but am aghast looking at the traffic and the crowdedness. When I left India in 1995 the traffic wasn't this bad and certainly there weren't that many cars on the road. Now everyone seems to have a car or a truck. My own friends who came to a small get together that I hosted at a close by restaurant came in cars. My brother and I once went to some shopping in the city on his "Hero Honda" motorcycle. I couldn't tell if good reflexes will get you where you need to go or if you just have to play the mind game by assessing the other co-riders on the road to see yourself safely to your destination. I begin to wonder if any of these commuters question just how much gas they are wasting simply sitting in the traffic. I also noticed stray dogs pretty much in every part of the city. They looked so confused and frightened with their tails between their legs and perhaps asking why they were there and if they belong anywhere at all. I pray that someone takes a stand on behalf of them.
Divali "festival of lights" was just around the corner when we went to India. This was part of the reason why we chose to go there at the end of October. The other reason is attributed to the moderate winter temperature which is quite congenial for Nancy. Nancy was moderately excited about the festival. My brother and I went to a wholesale compound and bought close to 10,000Rs worth of fire crackers. Among them is my favourite "10,000 wala" (a garland of 10,000 middle sized fire crackers). It is a feast to watch when this is fired. If laid straight it would stretch approximately 35 feet and fires for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. We had a lot of other fireworks and let my nephews fire them safely as we watched. People can't wait for this festival and don't want to let go of it, so they stretch every bit of it by firing the crackers two days prior and almost 5 days after. While it is fun it does get annoying when you can't get a decent night of sleep because someone wanted to have fun firing some fireworks at 2am.
We went to Salarjung Museum "very famous for hosting the valuable gifts and possessions of the renowned Nizams who ruled Hyderabad for about 150 years from late 17th century till Hyderabad merged into Indian Union in 1948". It is the biggest one man's collection of antiques in the world. Museum wanted to charge a large sum of money for Nancy's entrance to the museum. For those of you who don't know Nancy she is my wife and she is a Caucasian. I really wanted to ask them what extra amenities they are providing for her since in their view she is "Foreign". But I shied off and put it off for a later day with the hope and intention not to leave it to posterity. The museum was wonderful although Nancy felt the bathrooms could have been managed a little bit better. We are very much interested in viewing all the various things to view in the museum but we had to deal with occasional visitor to the museum stopping us and asking us about our whereabouts and our relationship. And then there are those who just outright stare at us because we are bi-racial. The museum staff is wonderful and helped us feel at home whichever room we were in. They provided some details to us and also had a little fun in chatting with us about things other than the displayed items. There are simply too many things in the museum to pick a favourite. To me I wish this was my home. And for Nancy I think I can speak for her in some instances and she wouldn't mind a lifestyle like the Nizams and who wouldn't.
We both wondered about these great men whose armored suits were on display. The suits were really huge and looked pretty heavy from the looks of it. To put this into perspective: Just imagine for a second these men were to wear these suits "probably 40 ~ 50 Kg or approximately 100lbs" and hold a metal plate in one hand to protect themselves and a 5 to 6 foot Sword in the other and move around in not only protecting themselves but to also fight and kill an enemy. Man o Man these guys must have been like giants. We both were dwarfed in front of the suits on display as we stood there agape and in our own mesmerized world thinking about the lifestyle of these men. Then we went into a room of art where we saw the famous marble sculpture of Veiled Rebecca "her face visible behind the delicate genuine marble veil. The trip to the museum wouldn't be complete without watching the marvelous clock purchased from the British, where a watchman would come out of a door every hour and beats the gong indicating the time. People line up or flood the area to be precise to witness this spectacle. One other artifact in the museum is the wood sculpture of Mephistopheles and image of Margareta in the mirror. There are numerous sandalwood artifacts that are, simply put, the culmination of countless hours of dedicated, determined, coordinated work of the finest of human beings from the past. Further details about this wonder can be found here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_Jung_Museum)
One day we went to Charminar (Masjid built by Quli Qutb Shah in 1591). It was very exciting for me to see this monument again after so long. I used to go there with my friends for buying kites and reels of thread during the festival of Sankranthi (a festival to celebrate the end of winter and welcome the harvest season, but for the young it is kite festival). The Indian tourism seems to have become over smart. Not sure why they charge 100Rs for my wife but only 10Rs. for me. I didn't have the time to argue with them so I went with it. But as soon as we entered the corridor and laid our eyes on the tall arches (almost 4 stories high) of the Charminar we forgot what we paid. It was fascinating. Beautiful arches were supporting the floor between the four minarets, where the great men used to offer their prayers to the Gods above. The delicate artwork on the four minarets when lit at night make the walls look like lace. For the interested you can follow this link and read all the glories of Charminar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charminar). My brother, sister-in-law, Nancy and I all climbed up one of the minarets. It seemed like a stairway to heaven. Once we reached the main floor we were treated to blissful views of the city all around us. We also got to see the notorious traffic below and it was very daunting. We spent a little time there taking pictures and meeting occasional "friends of curiosity" who wanted to get their pictures made with Nancy. We can also see the "Golkonda Fort" the previous capital where the kings used to live. After a little more sightseeing we climbed down and went to the Mecca Masjid across the street from Charminar. We took pictures of the mosque, the pond, birds, the hospital (Unani) across the street and the Charminar of course. We had a lot of fun overall and closed the day with a traditional Indian dinner.
I was totally taken aback for a while looking at the streets. In my memory these same streets were a little wider than they were. Again my vision might be deceiving me because of living in the USA for so long. I thought after a day or two I will come to my senses and see things as they are.
We stayed in India for 3 weeks. I am going to summarize the experience of these three weeks now. It was bitter sweet experience. I enjoyed being home but am aghast looking at the traffic and the crowdedness. When I left India in 1995 the traffic wasn't this bad and certainly there weren't that many cars on the road. Now everyone seems to have a car or a truck. My own friends who came to a small get together that I hosted at a close by restaurant came in cars. My brother and I once went to some shopping in the city on his "Hero Honda" motorcycle. I couldn't tell if good reflexes will get you where you need to go or if you just have to play the mind game by assessing the other co-riders on the road to see yourself safely to your destination. I begin to wonder if any of these commuters question just how much gas they are wasting simply sitting in the traffic. I also noticed stray dogs pretty much in every part of the city. They looked so confused and frightened with their tails between their legs and perhaps asking why they were there and if they belong anywhere at all. I pray that someone takes a stand on behalf of them.
Divali "festival of lights" was just around the corner when we went to India. This was part of the reason why we chose to go there at the end of October. The other reason is attributed to the moderate winter temperature which is quite congenial for Nancy. Nancy was moderately excited about the festival. My brother and I went to a wholesale compound and bought close to 10,000Rs worth of fire crackers. Among them is my favourite "10,000 wala" (a garland of 10,000 middle sized fire crackers). It is a feast to watch when this is fired. If laid straight it would stretch approximately 35 feet and fires for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. We had a lot of other fireworks and let my nephews fire them safely as we watched. People can't wait for this festival and don't want to let go of it, so they stretch every bit of it by firing the crackers two days prior and almost 5 days after. While it is fun it does get annoying when you can't get a decent night of sleep because someone wanted to have fun firing some fireworks at 2am.
We went to Salarjung Museum "very famous for hosting the valuable gifts and possessions of the renowned Nizams who ruled Hyderabad for about 150 years from late 17th century till Hyderabad merged into Indian Union in 1948". It is the biggest one man's collection of antiques in the world. Museum wanted to charge a large sum of money for Nancy's entrance to the museum. For those of you who don't know Nancy she is my wife and she is a Caucasian. I really wanted to ask them what extra amenities they are providing for her since in their view she is "Foreign". But I shied off and put it off for a later day with the hope and intention not to leave it to posterity. The museum was wonderful although Nancy felt the bathrooms could have been managed a little bit better. We are very much interested in viewing all the various things to view in the museum but we had to deal with occasional visitor to the museum stopping us and asking us about our whereabouts and our relationship. And then there are those who just outright stare at us because we are bi-racial. The museum staff is wonderful and helped us feel at home whichever room we were in. They provided some details to us and also had a little fun in chatting with us about things other than the displayed items. There are simply too many things in the museum to pick a favourite. To me I wish this was my home. And for Nancy I think I can speak for her in some instances and she wouldn't mind a lifestyle like the Nizams and who wouldn't.
We both wondered about these great men whose armored suits were on display. The suits were really huge and looked pretty heavy from the looks of it. To put this into perspective: Just imagine for a second these men were to wear these suits "probably 40 ~ 50 Kg or approximately 100lbs" and hold a metal plate in one hand to protect themselves and a 5 to 6 foot Sword in the other and move around in not only protecting themselves but to also fight and kill an enemy. Man o Man these guys must have been like giants. We both were dwarfed in front of the suits on display as we stood there agape and in our own mesmerized world thinking about the lifestyle of these men. Then we went into a room of art where we saw the famous marble sculpture of Veiled Rebecca "her face visible behind the delicate genuine marble veil. The trip to the museum wouldn't be complete without watching the marvelous clock purchased from the British, where a watchman would come out of a door every hour and beats the gong indicating the time. People line up or flood the area to be precise to witness this spectacle. One other artifact in the museum is the wood sculpture of Mephistopheles and image of Margareta in the mirror. There are numerous sandalwood artifacts that are, simply put, the culmination of countless hours of dedicated, determined, coordinated work of the finest of human beings from the past. Further details about this wonder can be found here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_Jung_Museum)
One day we went to Charminar (Masjid built by Quli Qutb Shah in 1591). It was very exciting for me to see this monument again after so long. I used to go there with my friends for buying kites and reels of thread during the festival of Sankranthi (a festival to celebrate the end of winter and welcome the harvest season, but for the young it is kite festival). The Indian tourism seems to have become over smart. Not sure why they charge 100Rs for my wife but only 10Rs. for me. I didn't have the time to argue with them so I went with it. But as soon as we entered the corridor and laid our eyes on the tall arches (almost 4 stories high) of the Charminar we forgot what we paid. It was fascinating. Beautiful arches were supporting the floor between the four minarets, where the great men used to offer their prayers to the Gods above. The delicate artwork on the four minarets when lit at night make the walls look like lace. For the interested you can follow this link and read all the glories of Charminar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charminar). My brother, sister-in-law, Nancy and I all climbed up one of the minarets. It seemed like a stairway to heaven. Once we reached the main floor we were treated to blissful views of the city all around us. We also got to see the notorious traffic below and it was very daunting. We spent a little time there taking pictures and meeting occasional "friends of curiosity" who wanted to get their pictures made with Nancy. We can also see the "Golkonda Fort" the previous capital where the kings used to live. After a little more sightseeing we climbed down and went to the Mecca Masjid across the street from Charminar. We took pictures of the mosque, the pond, birds, the hospital (Unani) across the street and the Charminar of course. We had a lot of fun overall and closed the day with a traditional Indian dinner.
On another occasion Nancy and I went to the World's Largest Film Studios situated in the out skirts of Hyderabad. It was beautiful. The man who built this "Mr. Ramoji Rao" also owns "Eenadu" and perhaps Deccan Chronicle, both well known newspapers. Everything is well coordinated as far as getting you inside the studio and out. The facilities are also well taken care of. Some of the sculptures in this studio are magnificent and magnanimous in relation to detail and size. I noticed a woman watering 25foot sculptures in one of the gardens and kind of exclaimed to myself if I should appreciate Mr. Ramoji Rao for providing her with a job or not knowing the details asking myself if this was cheaper for him than installing an automatic sprinkler system. Overall our trip to these studios was a great success and a pleasure to the eyes. We didn't see it at night which would have been even more gorgeous. You can read all about it here (http://www.ramojifilmcity.com/flash/film_index.html)
I had to keep a promise to go to Tirupathi "the home of Lord Venkateshwara" who sits on top of 7 hills. I climbed up all seven hills by foot. I wore my shoes "an egregious and sacrilegious act" but I didn't want to take a chance and get hurt and get stuck in the middle. But even then it was a trek of a lifetime. It makes one humble in front of the lord as you fight to reason why you were there in the first place and struggle to take the next step. But I knew why I was there and did struggle to take the next step. I made it safely to the top in about 2 hours 55 minutes. I did have to take a few breaks on the way. I just couldn't go non-stop to the first hill as I did in the past. That's what two back surgeries (@L5-S1) will do to you. Good thing is I am recovered enough to make this expedition. I was treated to gorgeous views of the mountains, valleys, and wind turbines on top of several mountains, cottages, temples, monkeys, deer park and the constant prayers being offered to the lord broadcast from the loudspeakers. It was a beautiful and unforgettable experience. I only wished my friends were with me. Hopefully we will convene some day and do this trek together. I long for that day. Anyway after reaching the top I connected with my brother who took a taxi to the top and arranged a cottage for us to stay. We knew some key officials there who arranged from time for my tonsure to getting us to the "Darshan" (visit the Lord's abode). Being pressed for time we had to do this. My brother and I got in through VIP entrance and were able to complete the Darshan (by Gods will) in 45 minutes. Then we went and visited a few nearby temples and also got blessed by an elephant who only blesses you if you give him Rs. 2. I guess everyone evolves. We also picked our "prasadam" (treated like Ambrosia). In a few hours we packed our stuff and also secured return tickets on a return train to Hyderabad. The train journey 1st class AC and 2nd class AC was really nice. We were given a clean bed sheets, a pillow, a blanket and a hand towel and a cabin with door that locks from inside. In second class AC you miss the privacy as you are behind a curtain and not a door and they didn't give us the hand towel.
On yet another day Nancy and I just drove about town (we were driven in a taxi) and went to "Tank Bund" (Hussain Sagar - Man Made Lake) and saw the world's largest monolith statue of Buddha. As a denizen of Hyderabad I can't ignore the troubles the local government faced and the loss of life in placing this monument in the middle of Hussain Sagar). A small boat ride will get you to the statue. New country roads were built exclusively to bring this 350 tonne monolith to the shores of the Hussain Sagar. Then about 200 sculptors chiseled it for about 2 years to perfect the sculpture. It was the talk of our time from 1985 (inception of the project, to bringing the rough monolith to the shores in 1988 to placing the 18 meter high sculpture on Gibraltar rock 1992). Several parks are created around this lake e.g. lumbini park and NTR Gardens). Then we drove around the lake via Necklace road, viewed the NTR park from outside, and then went to Birla Mandir (another temple for Lord Venkateshwara built in Hyderabad entire using marble stone). At night this temple shines like a diamond for miles away. For personal health reasons Nancy and I viewed the temple from the parking lot. I remember going to this temple numerous times with my crony Anand. I also used to take my C programming classes at Pam InfoTech across the street from this temple in the Birla Museum. Free entry for me as I am a student. A small perk I suppose. Birla Planetarium is just a small walk away from here as well. Nancy and I then went to the Planetarium but couldn't go around it to get a scenic view of the city. A lot of things have been built and lot of controls were placed now. After this we called it a day and went home. You can read lot more here: (http://www.aptourism.in/laketourism.html) I showed Nancy, the school where I studied till 10th grade. We went to a temple in our neighbourhood every now and then. We took a lot of walks in the park across the street from our apartment. I met with friends whoever is left in Hyderabad as several of them moved away to various parts of the world. I also met with my English teacher and introduced Nancy to her family. I met my friends' parents and introduced Nancy to them. They were very excited and complimented me on my choice. Well I guess I am running out of what else to say. Nancy and I consciously decided to cut our trip short by a week and rebooked our tickets for early November 2008. It was hard to say good bye to my folks especially my Mom. But I hope to see her soon in a couple years. My nephews grew big and tall. My brothers' kids are grown too. Especially "Madhu" (Madhulikha) is so sharp. Nancy had the most fun with her.
Finally on November 8, 2008 at 11pm we left home and went to the airport on our way back to Portland via Amsterdam. It was a bitter sweet experience. It was bitter to leave my family again, but at the same time sweet to come back to my cats and home. If you have any comments after reading this please don't hesitate to post it on the blog. This is a friendly commentary I provided for colleagues in the US and some around the world. So I won't be hurt if some comments are negative. But just go easy on me if you can. I would appreciate this very much.
Suresh :)
