Dear Dad,

When you tried to teach me the value of money,

I accused you of being stingy…

When you tried to teach me the value of a good education and hard work,
I accused you of being patronizing…

When you tried to teach me to be content with what I had,
I accused you of not being ambitious…

When you tried to teach me that there is always a right way to do things,
I accused you of being domineering…

And when you tried to teach me not to accuse others when something went wrong,
I accused you of never recognizing the things I did right…

Thank you dad, for teaching me the things you did,
The most valuable lessons in life…

THE CONSTANT TRAVELLER

MelBlog Part 1 – The first few steps…

There’s just so much to be written about Melbourne, I just don’t know where to begin. But having decided to clean out the cobwebs that have so far accumulated on my blog, and also enlighten the world on my Australian odyssey (at Arjun’s constant insistence), I suppose I’ll have to write these MelBlogs in different chapters of experience.

I arrived in Melbourne on the night of 7th February, 2008 after a 14 hour journey from New Delhi carrying along with my luggage a bad stomach thanks to despicable airline food. To add to this, I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol throughout the journey (Refer bad stomach). All those who know me can imagine only very well imagine the havoc this experience must have wrecked on me. And the jetlag was still yet to set in…

Perhaps I may exaggerate, but people who have experienced jetlag know all to well that it can be compared psychologically, if not physically, to prison camp torture. Your mind and body, in a joint venture, play all sorts of tricks on you. Mine started with hunger at unreasonable hours of the night. And as if by magic, the hunger used to cease during standard mealtimes. This ridiculous pattern was repeated for at least five days to a week.

Another factor of jetlag is that you become completely distant from your surrounding environment and at times the exhaustion can leave you verbally incomprehensive, to the extent that you may not even answer the simplest questions properly. On my second day here, a lady on the bus asked me the time to which I confidently replied, “I’m very well. Thank you” and flashed her all 32 of my pearly whites. I can hardly describe the reaction on her face. She probably thought me to be Melbourne’s original village idiot, but bless her; she just curtly smiled at me and turned to look outside the window at the passing vista.

And don’t even get me started on sleep. For the first week I resembled someone who suffered from narcolepsy. I felt (and looked) like a zombie from a Hollywood comedy-horror movie. I have no doubt that Spielberg or Night Shyamalan would have signed me up for their latest production in a second. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, perhaps even Stephen King would have seen a best seller in that one week of my life.

My own mishaps aside, Melbourne has an abundance to offer the constant traveller. As soon as I exited the Tullamarine airport, I was greeted by a fresh breeze which was rather invigorating. The second greeting came to me in the form of a Punjabi cab driver. It was almost expected, I suppose. I mean, in which corner of the world do you not expect to find a Punjabi cab driver? Not a very good day for Indian stereotypes.

But I loved this city from the moment I took my first steps into it.

Many writers, far more fluent with the English language, have over the years penned many a beautiful word to describe the city that is Melbourne. I’m not going to go into that. I personally would sum it up in one word – DELIGHTFUL. It is quite a welcoming city… and the people even more welcoming so. Every Aussie I have come across in my time here, on knowing that I recently arrived has with a firm handshake shouted an extremely happy “Welcome,” only to be followed by a hearty “Good on ya.”

Aussies are quite a jovial bunch, rather helpful and they always have a cheerful hello for you. And they seem to be quite strict on time. They strictly believe in shutting down work at 5 everyday. It’s not that they’re lazy or laidback, but they do like to live life at a leisurely pace. And they love their beer… A few people have told me that most Aussies spend the former half of the week talking about what they did the previous weekend, and the latter half about what they’re going to do the coming weekend. I can’t ascertain to what extent this is true. All jokes aside, they do seem to work quite hard.

On the rather sad topic of shutting down early, not most places of general interest in the city are open beyond 8 either. But if it’s nightlife you’re looking for, there’s an abundance of that, and shall be covered in another MelBlog.

Contrary to what I heard back in India, I am still yet to come across one Aussie saying something racist to me. Personally, it has been quite the opposite. They may not make friends with you immediately, but over a period of time, they warm up to you. But experiences do differ. I actually know a few people who have seen the uglier side of racial commentary and abuse. Perhaps the difference in cultures is what does the damage. And not all people are the same.

But that’s just the thing about Melbourne. It’s a melting pot of cultures. It embraces the modern whilst still retaining the traditional. All you have to look around and you will see people from all over the world who are here to work, study or just simply holiday. To me, it just seems like the perfect place for anyone – there’s just so much to see and do here. At every nook and cranny of the city, there’s a story just waiting to be told. You only have to explore it with a certain sense of curiosity, patience and adventure. And I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Another thing I love about this city is that the sun sets at only around 9 pm in summers. It just gives you so much more time to do things. And the constellations are upside down here (I didn’t know that). But fellow travellers beware; this city can throw at you extreme climates all in the same day, and sometimes in the same hour. It can suddenly go from a bright sunshine to heavy rains, from a light pleasant breeze to exceptionally windy.

But there’s always still so much to do.

At the recommendation of a friend, I headed to Gaslight, a night market that is held every Wednesday at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market until the end of summer. I took the train to Flinders Street Station and decided to just walk it up from there. Now, not many people know this, but Flinders Street Station was originally supposed to be Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) (formerly Victoria Terminus) in Mumbai and vice-versa. But due to slight human error, the plans got exchanged. And thank God for that. Flinders Street Station is one ugly beast of a building. I suppose the old adage, to err is human and to forgive divine, is rather conveniently apt here.

The Queen Victoria Market is situated on the north-western part of Melbourne’s central business area. It was officially opened on 20th March 1878 and has over time grown to be classified as a Historic Building, being such an integral part of the city’s social-economic history. But to me, the market seemed like organized chaos painted in an enchanting manner on a bohemian canvas. A good part of the market is taken up by stalls with various traders peddling their wares in a unique manner that is extremely educational to any étudient de la vie (student of life). There are various things to choose from; from clothing items to fashion accessories, herbal remedies to on-the-spot massages, from Australian artefacts to Japanese kimonos, and lots more. And one whole row is taken up by the food courts. Here, you’ll find food from all across the world, quite reasonable on the pocket and a treat for the taste buds. To add more colour to the panorama, there are live bands playing on different sides of the market and people dancing to the music sans inhibitions.

You’ll always find a charming crowd at the market; simply exploring the market in search of a good bargain, or catching up with their friends or family over beer, wine and grub from the food courts. But it’s so big that you’ll need at least to come three or four times to explore it to the fullest.

The Queen Victoria Market itself is open on all days except Monday, and it’s a treat for any visitor. I give it four out of five on the MelScale. It’s a great experience just to be there, and take in all the energy around you.

Another thing that gives Melbourne life is the street performers. You’ll find them all around the city. From tap dancing to interesting styles of music, from playing chess on the street to street painting, you’ll find it all here. People here also believe in celebrating the most curious of things. Last weekend, around 200 people got together to celebrate Pillow Fight Day. The amount of energy was resplendent, and the fun magnanimous. I only wish I had carried my own pillow to the city that day.

So this is what I’ve been up to so far. Having to give a certain amount of time to university and studies has left quite a few places on my itinerary yet to be visited. But I promise if the response to this is MelBlog is good, I will bring to you many more such interesting places, photographs and anecdotes, more than you will ever get on Lonely Planet.

In the true spirit of an Aussie signoff, have a good one…

To view photos of my Australian misadventures click on the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/shyamnair11/THECONSTANTTRAVELLERMelbournePart1

THE INDIAN DREAM

Not so many decades ago, there lived a young boy in a small village in Tamil Nadu. One day while returning from school, he noticed a lot of hullabaloo in the village. One coming home, he found that his uncle had just come back from the United States and the village was celebrating his return. He brought gifts for the elders of the village, clothes for the ladies, toys for the young and fine scotch for all the men. On seeing his uncle doing so well, the young boy decided that day that he too would work hard and go to the USA, the land that would fulfill all his dreams, and banish his family’s state of poverty forever. He studied hard at school, did his engineering at MIT (Madras Institute of Technology) and finished his degree with the highest results and he could see the day his dream was to be a reality drawing closer. When it became time for him to leave his land for further shores, something held him back. He found that in order to fulfill his dreams, he needn’t travel across the seven seas. His dream was to become a reality right here in India.

For many long years that one can remember, people emigrated to the United States of America in search of a successful and satisfying life, a life sans discrimination, poverty and unemployment; factors they usually faced in their own country. They were in search of the American Dream. The Dream guaranteed them a better life, one where they were successful, had a higher standard of living, and could basically hold their heads high whilst raking in the ‘big bucks.’

But all that has changed in the recent past. In his book The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman writes that due to globalisation and an immense amount of opportunities opening up in countries not even considered earlier; the world slowly ceases to be round, and in turn is getting flattened. He also states that there are immense amounts of intellectual wealth to be found in countries such as India… and very rightly so. The winds of change are now blowing east and the world in entirety is waking up and taking note of India.

This is the Indian Dream. India is a country that will have been independent for 60 years this August. It may still be very young but it has come a long way from the British Raj. The opportunities that have opened up in the past decades thanks to First World nations outsourcing jobs, and the tremendous IT and BPO boom, Indians have not only lapped it up but also proven to the world where they stand.

But these aren’t the only factors. Here are a few reasons why the world dreams the Indian Dream. The economy of India is the fourth largest in the world as measured by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 35.47 billion (approx.). It is also the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9.2% at the second quarter of 2006-2007. Add to this a world-class Information Technology infrastructure, the sector generating annual revenues of around US$ 36 billion.

With a new dawn is born a new generation. Another prime factor in the Dream becoming a reality is the growing percentage of Indian youth. By 2020, India will be the world’s youngest nation with 60% of the population in the age group of 25 -35 years. The youth today have crossed far more frontiers than their predecessors at the same age; far more politically aware, with a mature, global outlook, and a fiery spirit fuelled by the will cease the moment, the Indian youth look unto the world, challenging it for all its worth.

Another reason fuelling the Dream in the recent past is a sharp trend of people from outside migrating to India in search of better jobs, better standards of living, and far better educational prospects. A vast array of students, not only from countries in Africa, but also from the European Union, and the United States (the former Dream destination) have been coming to the country, falling in love with its vibrant and growing culture and not wanting to leave at the end of their educational terms. But this change hasn’t taken place only because of only education and IT. Industries such as tourism, medicine and many others are huge contributors.

All these above factors given, there is no reason that India in the near future will be still known as Third World. It will soon leave behind the blemishes of the past and head towards a much brighter future.

Cheers India! To a new dawn… to a new nation.

WHEN KARMA MET DHARMA

One dark and cold night, God was bored and decided to create the world. And so there was a huge bang and the world came into existence. Then he decided to put some life on earth, so he created man and woman. After a few million years, he got bored – evolution had taken its toll, and nothing much was happening. So, to make things a little interesting, he decided to give the world Karma and Dharma.

But before we do go on, let us take a minute to understand the meaning of these two terms that form such an important part of our lives. The Oxford Dictionary describes Dharma as ‘the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things.’ Whereas Brother Karma is defined as ‘the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

Yeah, right!

The Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Bhagwad Gita, as well as all other religious texts have forever be advocates of the righteous path of Dharma, as well as the virtues of Karma. If anything, Yudhishtir was a walking, talking billboard of Dharma, and the advertisers of that era were after him to endorse their products. A classical example was Coke – Thande ke saath yudh changa. Even the television industry tried to get him to sign a few shows – Kaun Banega Draupadi-pati, and even Ekta Kapoor’s Kyunki Krishna Ko Karna Ne Kossa Tha. But even our brand ambassador for Dharma is not without a ‘*Terms and Conditions apply.’

You see, the thing is, as righteous as Yudhishtir may have been, he was a little bit of a ‘palti-tition’ (A political person who chooses his bearings based on convenience). Though he preached Dharma his entire life, he was hypocritical enough to bet his wife and kingdom on a game of dice. Even he, in all his “humanity”, never embraced Karna as a brother. And there were many such incidents.

Many people might not agree when I say that Duryodhan was a little more righteous than the ‘Big Y’ himself. But the fact remains, as miserably as Duryodhan is portrayed, he was a bit more humanitarian, not in comparison, but in truth. His kingdom was prosperous, sans oppression, and he embraced Karna as his own brother, when he was cast away for being a charioteer’s son. And Duryodhan did meet his end at the hands of Bheem, who brought the mace down hard on his thighs, the only place on his anatomy which could be used to kill him. And before you do forget, it was against the rules of war to hit below the torso – definitely not prescribed by Dharma. Maybe that’s why Duryodhan was granted entry into heaven, whereas the post-life consequences of the Pandavas tell a very different story. Dharma? Or wait, was that Karma?

Let’s be fair. I’m not out to make fun of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Even the Bible tells a similar story. What about that incident with Kane and Abel? Was Kane just keen to please God at all costs, even if he had to kill his own brother? Or was Abel the only able one? Food for thought, what say? And if memory serves me right, wasn’t it the Romans who crucified Jesus? Hey, wait a second. Isn’t the Vatican City next to Rome?

Ok, no more making fun of religious texts. Let’s get down to some serious business. How valid are the principles of Karma and Dharma in today’s society?

The modern day man is definitely no stranger to religion. If truth be told, the modern man is a very god fearing, religious, hardworking 9-5 person. But even then, I don’t have any reason to believe that Karma and Dharma have remotely crossed his mind.

We see a lot of angst and misery in the world today – plague, pestilence, depression, discrimination, hunger, war, racism and so much more. And it is us human beings that have caused this. At any point did we stop to think that, “Hey? I shouldn’t be doing this.” And the truth is we haven’t.

In greed to fulfil our own desires, we have given way to our animal nature, and also given Darwin’s contention (survival of the fittest), a new definition – survival of the greediest.

People no longer care for each other, for feelings, emotions and all that other ‘nonsense’ that goes into making a Hugh Grant movie. (And he gets paid well for doing it too.)

Truth is, people don’t give a rodent’s rear end (pardon my colourful abuse) about Karma and Dharma. They’re not bothered under which code of life they live, and what will happen in their following births. All they care about is themselves, and who they can stab in the back to make their life better.

Well, I hope God is amused. I certainly am not.