This is one incident that will remain in memory for long.
During my graduation days, I was on the lookout to enroll for a computer course, in my hometown, Pune. Walking up to the reception area of the institute, I met a lady with whom I made my inquiries.
After filling up the form, etc she asked me if I was from Tamil Nadu (after noticing my surname).
"Yes", I answered.
"Can you speak Tamil?", she asked.
"I can speak, but not too well. I can speak Marathi better."
She said, "My mother tongue is Marathi, but I would mostly speak Tamil".
In the conversation that ensued thus, I found out that, though Marathi, she was from the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.
The smile that followed was spontaneous as we paused and reflected on the peculiar condition that both of us had in common.
The Marathas (specifically, Shivaji's father, Shahaji) were given three districts of Tamil Nadu by the then Mughal empire.
She was part of the same legacy; Marathi - but, in a way, more Tamil than myself.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
North Clarke Street
Memories of my wanderings in Chicago came up today (after mulling over an extemporaneous conversation I had with a chatty, likable Irani restaurant owner, in which he says that Punekar Brahmins are leaving in droves for the US of A). The context of our conversation was something different altogether.
This street of Chicago is a menagerie of people from different ethnicities and cultures. The particular street I'm talking about is the one which goes by the Wrigley stadium.
You have quaint old bookshops, small cozy pubs, yoga classes, comic book stores and much more. I guess it's true that any place is made lively by the people that inhabit it. This is true of Chicago, one of the most cosmopolitan centers of the world.
It's interesting how different places across the globe are witness to a dramatic flux of cultures.
To quote from this article by Benoy. K. Behl: "...People of different countries rubbed shoulders with each other in its marketplaces. Portuguese merchants brought the best horses from Arabia, diamonds came from Golconda, and textiles and spices flowed in from all corners of the world. It was one of the most thriving and cosmopolitan places in the world..."
The flavor of this cultural flux is quite unique though, as it emanates from the belly button of the world's economic and political super-bully...
This street of Chicago is a menagerie of people from different ethnicities and cultures. The particular street I'm talking about is the one which goes by the Wrigley stadium.
You have quaint old bookshops, small cozy pubs, yoga classes, comic book stores and much more. I guess it's true that any place is made lively by the people that inhabit it. This is true of Chicago, one of the most cosmopolitan centers of the world.
It's interesting how different places across the globe are witness to a dramatic flux of cultures.
To quote from this article by Benoy. K. Behl: "...People of different countries rubbed shoulders with each other in its marketplaces. Portuguese merchants brought the best horses from Arabia, diamonds came from Golconda, and textiles and spices flowed in from all corners of the world. It was one of the most thriving and cosmopolitan places in the world..."
The flavor of this cultural flux is quite unique though, as it emanates from the belly button of the world's economic and political super-bully...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Ruffian crow
This crow is unlike any other crow I have seen.
The terrace of our apartment is quite spacious, resembling a squared U-shape almost closing up on the right-end of the U.
Every morning I traverse the U from one end to the other. Now here's what happens - as soon as I approach the left end of the U he emerges like a phoenix crowing caw-caw and menacingly flying overhead as if you were targeted for attack.
He doesn't reserve this behavior to the human species, but also to his own with added viciousness. He fought with one of his brothers (i.e of his species) and caught hold of the poor fella by his toe-claw. The victim helplessly fluttered upside down, under his oppressor begging frantically for release. He was held like that for a few torturous moments before being finally released. The victim flew away, probably never to venture into the ruffian's territory again.
He has a distinct feature as he springs up and perches onto the TV antenna. His sprightly small hair on his head brings to one's mind of a super aggressive sports-person at work. Maybe Sreesanth would be a perfect match. (But we now know his bark is worse than his bite :-) )
The terrace of our apartment is quite spacious, resembling a squared U-shape almost closing up on the right-end of the U.
Every morning I traverse the U from one end to the other. Now here's what happens - as soon as I approach the left end of the U he emerges like a phoenix crowing caw-caw and menacingly flying overhead as if you were targeted for attack.
He doesn't reserve this behavior to the human species, but also to his own with added viciousness. He fought with one of his brothers (i.e of his species) and caught hold of the poor fella by his toe-claw. The victim helplessly fluttered upside down, under his oppressor begging frantically for release. He was held like that for a few torturous moments before being finally released. The victim flew away, probably never to venture into the ruffian's territory again.
He has a distinct feature as he springs up and perches onto the TV antenna. His sprightly small hair on his head brings to one's mind of a super aggressive sports-person at work. Maybe Sreesanth would be a perfect match. (But we now know his bark is worse than his bite :-) )
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Doughty public servants of Pune
He was the most unusual conductor I've encountered in a PMT bus. An expert in managing the crowd, courteous and efficient.
'Dost aage badho', 'Aji varti ya', 'Peeche kadhe rehne wale tumhare bhai hi hai, aage badho', are some of the comments he used to courteously manage the crowd.
It's been a while that I've been traveling by public transport. The drivers have to be commended on negotiating the bus through crowded streets and traffic cutting across recklessly. It's a superhuman feat surely. And the job of the conductor is no less difficult. Having to ask for change from each customer, keep an eye on the bus-stops, managing the crowd, etc is enough to keep his hands full.
The odds are stacked against these doughty public servants, but they go on with the show - day after day.
'Dost aage badho', 'Aji varti ya', 'Peeche kadhe rehne wale tumhare bhai hi hai, aage badho', are some of the comments he used to courteously manage the crowd.
It's been a while that I've been traveling by public transport. The drivers have to be commended on negotiating the bus through crowded streets and traffic cutting across recklessly. It's a superhuman feat surely. And the job of the conductor is no less difficult. Having to ask for change from each customer, keep an eye on the bus-stops, managing the crowd, etc is enough to keep his hands full.
The odds are stacked against these doughty public servants, but they go on with the show - day after day.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Targetting immigrants
It's kinda odd.. hardly a week back I was watching documentaries on environment and related issues at the NFAI, organized by the MIT Inst of Design.
Odd because I was thinking of just the kind of scenario that has occured - immingrant baiting.
The fact that civic/political authorities work in connivance with vested interests to mismange civic issues like transportation, environmental pollution, etc points to a deeper malaise - that of depriving the citizen of exercising the power of the community of which he is a part, by distorting value systems that favor narrow market oriented policies of the industry.
The nexus between the poltician and industry is nothing but evil.
The strain on the poorly equipped civic resources makes immigrants an easy target for baiting, especially by politicians who want to wash their hands easy of the problem.
Let there be no mistake - politicians, almost across the political spectrum (barring a few) are together in this.
This further poisoning of the minds of the community must be resisted at all costs.
Odd because I was thinking of just the kind of scenario that has occured - immingrant baiting.
The fact that civic/political authorities work in connivance with vested interests to mismange civic issues like transportation, environmental pollution, etc points to a deeper malaise - that of depriving the citizen of exercising the power of the community of which he is a part, by distorting value systems that favor narrow market oriented policies of the industry.
The nexus between the poltician and industry is nothing but evil.
The strain on the poorly equipped civic resources makes immigrants an easy target for baiting, especially by politicians who want to wash their hands easy of the problem.
Let there be no mistake - politicians, almost across the political spectrum (barring a few) are together in this.
This further poisoning of the minds of the community must be resisted at all costs.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Green Film Festival
Organized by : MIT Inst. of Design
Venue : NFAI
Date : 18th to 22nd Jan, 2008
Timings : 3:00pm- 6:00pm
"Youth for Environment" was the title of the Digital Film Festival held at the NFAI by the MIT Institute of Design.
Attending the screenings on the 2nd day to a rather sparse audience of mainly students, among others, I watched a documentary on how Cuba adopted an effective way to tackle their energy crisis, after the collapse of the USSR, through a community centered approach.
The documentary was well received by the audience judging by the response, by way of queries to the architect Mr. Sharad Mahajan, founder of 'Mashaal'. Mr Mahajan professes to follow the footsteps of Laurie Baker, the famous architect who successfully designed low-cost eco-friendly housing (without compromising on aesthetics) in Kerala.
The waking upto a crisis situation was evident in the imploring tone of Mayor Vandana Chavan, who is quite articulate and sensitized to the relevant issues. She admitted that the citizens had a tough battle ahead as they were facing 'powerful lobbies' with 'vested interests' (in reference to a solution to the transportation problem).
Dr. Oza from the PMC gave some mind-boggling statistics related to the overgrowing traffic, pollution levels and their associated cost.
The second documentary by TRIPP, IIT Delhi on how cities across the globe implemented different public transportation schemes and the pros & cons thereof.
Pune is, we're told, at a unique crossroads in it's development history where it can choose effective solutions to it's civic problems.
References:
http://www.communitysolution.org/problem.html#1
http://www.communitysolution.org/poc.html
http://punecorporation.org/informpdf/transport/Tran_Pol_Eng.pdf
Venue : NFAI
Date : 18th to 22nd Jan, 2008
Timings : 3:00pm- 6:00pm
"Youth for Environment" was the title of the Digital Film Festival held at the NFAI by the MIT Institute of Design.
Attending the screenings on the 2nd day to a rather sparse audience of mainly students, among others, I watched a documentary on how Cuba adopted an effective way to tackle their energy crisis, after the collapse of the USSR, through a community centered approach.
The documentary was well received by the audience judging by the response, by way of queries to the architect Mr. Sharad Mahajan, founder of 'Mashaal'. Mr Mahajan professes to follow the footsteps of Laurie Baker, the famous architect who successfully designed low-cost eco-friendly housing (without compromising on aesthetics) in Kerala.
The waking upto a crisis situation was evident in the imploring tone of Mayor Vandana Chavan, who is quite articulate and sensitized to the relevant issues. She admitted that the citizens had a tough battle ahead as they were facing 'powerful lobbies' with 'vested interests' (in reference to a solution to the transportation problem).
Dr. Oza from the PMC gave some mind-boggling statistics related to the overgrowing traffic, pollution levels and their associated cost.
The second documentary by TRIPP, IIT Delhi on how cities across the globe implemented different public transportation schemes and the pros & cons thereof.
Pune is, we're told, at a unique crossroads in it's development history where it can choose effective solutions to it's civic problems.
References:
http://www.communitysolution.org/problem.html#1
http://www.communitysolution.org/poc.html
http://punecorporation.org/informpdf/transport/Tran_Pol_Eng.pdf
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Film review
Film Name: Dealer
Director: Benedek Fliegauf
The main protagonist is a drug dealer. What's remarkable about this film is that the usual elements that you would expect are missing. We have the following basic elements in the film - the dealer, the substance he peddles and the consumer. Cold, stark, minimal and desolate, just as the landscape and the general mood of the film.
It's as if we're seeing the outcome of an experiment - almost surgical. The emotive aspect is repressed, almost ruthlessly. The result is an intense build-up, almost claustrophobic that sears through the barren landscape of the film.
Repeated, almost monotonous sounds punctuate and add to this build-up.
The viewer is forced to make sense, cerebrally and/or otherwise, to counter the immense void and the slow, but sure and steady, destruction that he witnesses on-screen.
Director: Benedek Fliegauf
The main protagonist is a drug dealer. What's remarkable about this film is that the usual elements that you would expect are missing. We have the following basic elements in the film - the dealer, the substance he peddles and the consumer. Cold, stark, minimal and desolate, just as the landscape and the general mood of the film.
It's as if we're seeing the outcome of an experiment - almost surgical. The emotive aspect is repressed, almost ruthlessly. The result is an intense build-up, almost claustrophobic that sears through the barren landscape of the film.
Repeated, almost monotonous sounds punctuate and add to this build-up.
The viewer is forced to make sense, cerebrally and/or otherwise, to counter the immense void and the slow, but sure and steady, destruction that he witnesses on-screen.
Up at Rajmachi
Made the most of the trekking season this June, 2007. We had a wonderful trek to Rajmachi. The smooth walk all the way to Rajmachi took around 5 hours and we had the time to douse a bottle of beer to get a good headstart ;-). Many such waterfalls were sighted en-route to the base village.After some good home-cooked lunch we were back on the trail, but this time to Karjat. The descent was pretty steep and aggravated the ligament injury on my knee. The good thing was that it healed itself for good, thereafter.
We got caught in a few more showers on the way down.
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