Holy madness that is...Benares

Call it Kashi, Varanasi or Benares all these names are the key to after life. This is believed to be the greatest ‘tirth’ or the crossing over from earth to heaven, for a Hindu. Benares is the oldest living city in the world and one has to leave behind one’s city attitude to take in this holy madness

No frowning or irritation allowed- get rid of your city attitude, I had to constantly remind myself so as to not ‘lose it’

The (a)incessant honking, every nano second by scooters, rickshaws, bikes, cars, jeeps, buses makes one feel Bombay is a veritable haven on not just the road transport mechanism but also on noise pollution it is probably the most silent city in India. (b)The splash of ‘paan’ on the streets and walls because they don’t chew their paans there, they keep it in the mouth for 2 hours or more, and relish the juices that collect and then, splash it outward when the mouth is full. (c) The manner in which every outsider is seen to be a total ignoramus and ‘educated’ about the Ganges is masha-allah too endearing. (d) The filth, the beggars, the touts, the greedy pundits, and the general madness many times had me see sawing between being amazed and wanting to run home (e) the humungous population in this tiny area of the ghats was difficult to deal with despite having lived in this country for years!!

Nothing prepares you for Benares honestly, I had read up a lot, asked friends more, and more, but the live experience is so very different from hearsay and second hand impressions, I almost feel Varanasi is a ‘concentrated’ India with all its colour and chaos. I think am still reeling with the onslaught on my senses, and in order to make some sense of all the jumbled up thoughts about Benares in my head, I need to step back a bit.

Concluding on Russia

Olga and Illina accompanied me to the Bolshoi theatre because I threw a fit one evening as it occured to me that I had yet to see Moscow by day! So in crumpled day clothes I very sheepishly stepped out of the car towards the Bolshoi theatre as if anticipating drumbeats and music to welcome me :-)

Bolshoi means ‘large’, ‘grand’, it was intended for opera and ballet originally, as these were considered nobler than drama. With excitement bubbling in me, I looked around me in awe:-)

The exterior of this building was magnificent resplendent with grandeur, a great example of fabulous Russian architecture. The interiors were breath taking and bold too. This building now, is state owned and I found out by reading some granite slabs in there, that it had a turbulent history to it. Apparently the first owner of this Imperial building not only became bankrupt & penniless, the entire building was gutted by a fire forcing the State govt to take over the reins, and reinstate its lost glory

Happily I entered this magnificient theatre looking for a stupendous experience… and The Swan Lake delivered it! I was lucky to have 2 local friends with me, who gave me a thorough understanding of what was to unfold which is why I enjoyed it much. It is worth doing some research before a show to enjoy the details and to have a memorable evening out. I still have the tab of the ticket to Bolshoi, kept with me, as if to remind myself that I saw a bit of history too:-)sitting up there in the dress circle with those binocs to get a closer glimpse of each and every move of the dancers- O twas magical!

At interval break I got speaking to some local theatre personnel and felt that, with its reconstruction and past glory set in place, the Russians are now hopeful that the Bolshoi will be back at the centre of world stage. I certainly wish them well!

...more on Russia

St Petersburg, one of the most fantastic cities I have seen, cool, picturesque, impressive architecture, I dont know anybody who doesnt like this city:-)

We walked into our hotel, one of the finest the city had to boast of, and surprise - as one enters the doorway- I was surrounded by a hundred (atleast) gambling machines in combination with those blinking lights. Everyday this casino beckons the gamblers from all around the world as it works round the clock, and as you'd expect pretty women and smart looking men hang out in such places as they were hanging out here this afternoon

For a minute thr I sincerely thought the driver had got us to a wrong place, I kept turning at him looking askance - are you sure we are at the right place?! And at the end of this very large casino area we come to a very small inconspicuous reception area, as if trying to almost, not exist! There were few people standing thr with their passports for check in, and within minutes I was shown to my room, efficiency personified

A lovely room, with a view of the Neva river with trees lining the both sides of the river, getting sprayed gently by white fluffy snow, and, despite the snow I could see joggers in full track pants running by the side of the river.

The first day passed in a haze with meetings and more mtgs. The second day early morning I came down for breakfast to the cafe restaurant to find not too many people there. So I guess I was happy sitting in one of those brightly lit windows with sun streaming in and making the cafe look warm golden yellow- the sun was most welcome after a hard day of snow! I found a table that had a wonderful view :-)

A couple tables away was another guest waiting for his breakfast.

After looking at the menu which I couldn’t read a word of, I asked the steward there to help me understand what was for breakfast. And he couldn’t speak a word of English so I asked for a cup of coffee and walked to the buffet area to check what was on offer

You got to believe this- about 40 odd platters with not a single vegetarian offering, not even cheese! :-( You got to believe this honest! I came back very despondent to my table and sat there heavily, wondering where will I get food here for the next week

Soon the Unilever client was at my table and with glee serving himself breakfast!:-) While I waited patiently hoping someone will ask me what I would like - "maybe a hot crisp aloo parantha with a tall glass of mango milkshake?!" - there is no harm in dreaming, right?

And now my eyes fell upon the table where the other guest was sitting, and by now he had a large, very large portion of a leg? Horse rib? or smthg? In front of him digging into it, like he had not seen food in years. Hungrily!

That did it for me, I asked for another cup of coffee and my breakfast was done, I had absolutely no desire for breakfast no more :-), not even mums aloo parantha!

It was time to get away from this hotel towards some english speaking folks and maybe some cookies during the meeting. O yes, the meeting was sounding promising and I was looking forward to the meeting now:-) On the way to the office I was overwhelmed by the dimensions of the buildings I saw, absolutely fabulous!

Russia, with love

So, this trip, it was to be Moscow, Ekaterinberg and St Petersburg

Ekat is a small town with not too many top notch hotels to stay in, largely populated with middle class or lower class
(Economically speaking), with very warm hearted people, and not too many choices to spoil one!

If you are looking to be spoilt, then you need to get to Moscow, and see how the rich and famous and the infamous live:-) I had heard about the mafia there and in this trip I saw and interacted with one too

I felt that while the Russians liked me cos I was from the land of Mithun Chakraborty and Raj Kapoor, there is this undeniable distrust of foreigners. They don’t open up easily, they need to spend a good amount of time tracking you, to know you are trustworthy

Luckily for me given the folks I had to deal with had seen me around a couple of trips, twas a wee bit easier to bond with them.
My faithful driver Sergey could not utter more than a "yes", "no", 'sorry' & "thank you" in English, could still communicate with me and reach me the right places uncannily!
He was a thorough gentleman, who during work trips, would point out things of historic value to me and that’s how I saw the Red Aquare and the Kremlin:-)and discovered Moscow by day

One evening the boys decided they had to go clubbing and no amount of me pleading out, got me off the hook, so I had to tag along with this male group to the clubs

We started by getting to some posh club the second night there in Moscow. While the locals had to grin and were waved in, I was whisked through a dimly lit corridor where I had to submit my passport through a dark slit window, and then suddenly the thick doors closed behind me, then through some mic/speakers I was told to walk through the next set of automated steel doors with bullet proof glass, and wait. And then suddenly some air whooshed and my passport landed with a thud at another dark window - not a single person right thru this process interacted with me, was a bit scary and in my head I was thinking all weird thoughts, that Jodie Foster movie, where somebody puts some dope into her bag and how she is caught and put behind bars in Bangkok (Bangkok Hilton?) and how no matter how she pleaded not guilty nobody gave a rats ass for
her! While I was standing there looking blindly around me, wondering where is my passport, where the hell have I landed myself in when the steel doors opened and 2 leather clad drop dead gorgeous looking blondes came my way with my passport! I was bemused, and stoopidly relieved

They now escort me through another set of doors into this fabulous bar area where the pole dancers are doing their number and the guys are busy looking! As I reached towards them, they got busy telling me about this club, the owner and the guests at the club that night. Apparently this was a club owned by one top notch mafia man
in Moscow, backed by some politician. And here comes this leather clad 6'5" tall man to greet us and is introduced to us as Tony!
Tony waves amd guides us to a table which has a full view of the podium where the dancers are teasing the men, and I look around bemused

Now the guys are busy with their drinks and the women and I am wondering what I am doing in this place, when my phn rings and I dart to the quietest corner of this room and away from all that tease! Call over and when I get back to join the group, to see some of the women who have perched atop few of these guys. ha-ha

I decide to amble around -Tony gracefully has one of the hostesses accompany me to 'show me around', so I move away from this central bar room and into a area that can be best described as a vast courtyard but beautifully lit and very gracefully done up

We walk into one room and my guided tour has begun, the hostess opens the lace curtains and signals me through - wo! A threesome!

Flushed in the cheeks I walk out , she walks ahead of me into another room, gay men had their act going on here in this room and there was a crowd gathered in that room watching them. And the next room had slave girls and slave boys, and the next room had a full fledged orgy! And soon I couldn’t stomach this anymore, I excused myself, I have no idea how I got outside the club at 2am! It was snowing hard and I called Sergey who promptly brought the car around and dropped me back to the hotel! Merci gnite and the safe haven of my room finally!

I wasn’t afraid of where I was, I was repulsed to see this cold display of sex and flesh. I was hugely embarrassed to be with male clients; maybe it would have been different if I had gone to this club with friends. I don' know ( still wondering!):-)

That night was put down to "another experience". A
4 wheel drive bullet proof Mercedes had picked us up, only to realize early in the evening that it was sent by Tony the mafia dude, everything that looks sexy is far far from being sexy up
close!:-)

Garden of Eden

We all have our favourite teams in the Premiere League right? Well I had been rooting for Kol Knight Riders since day 1. Reason 1- Dada, Reason 2- SRK, Reason 3- my fave city.

So here we are - the setting- Kolkatta. A match between the Kol Knight Riders (KKL) and Kings XI Punjab. The result has to be a no brainer right? It has to be advantage most definitely, for Dada and his men...

Well, if you were sitting amongst the mammoth crowd there, you wouldn’t be so sure till the last ball was bowled! Tension in the pit of stomach, the match result right up chasing the wire, the game swinging sometimes the Knight Riders way and more often than not Kings XI way!

Glorious Eden Garden packed to capacity, with over a lakh plus people, all rooting for Dada and his team of valiant Knights. What an evening it was. Large screens covering the ground, the hoi polloi and the masses of Kolkatta rubbed shoulders with each other, all reveling in this mammoth party zone, the night sky was beautiful and clear, the air was expectant with tension and drama.

A day & night game, the public willing the Knight Riders to go for it,
Eden Garden, with its floodlit huge night lamps was picture perfect, the deafening roar of humans mixed with drumbeats and stereo sound; made for a mind-blowing wonderful atmosphere. Am a total convert to this T20 format - what an absolute experience watching this game LIVE

Dada had a competitive total to chase, and a wicket that he and his men were familiar with. But the second innings didn’t go the scripted way!

Wickets toppled, runs were not scrambling on the score-board, the strangled muffled sounds of a 1 lakh plus crowd in the stadium was close to suffocated silence, shuffling restless feet, willing the Knight Riders to ride the storm.

And Umar Gul takes strike, and whoosh! Did he make the crowds start to breathe again? His first six off the first ball he faced, had the crowds on their feet with elation as if they had won:-), the next six off the second ball had the voice box of this 1 lakh crowd, restored:-) There was palpable tension now. Then came Dada with his fabulous six as if to say "nothing comes in my way to victory, I swear!":-)

This saw the Knight Riders turn the heat on, and get a fabulous, inspirational win, that helped restore battered pride. I promise you, nothing compares! The Premiere League is here to stay:-)

And of course having accidentally eavesdropped into a high octane debate happening around where we were seated- so vehemently some agreed and disagreed to " IPL wants to mix sex with cricket", another said "so what’s wrong with it", another said " they will make cricket more juicier than Bollywood if they do that" speaking of the cheerleaders. Infact one individual also remarked that " native Indian men are sex starved. When they come to US for a short visit, first thing they do is go for ‘escorts’ and call girls. It gave IPL a clear idea how to sell these western cheerleaders and make some more money”. And soon the game had started and all eyes were trained on the pitch:-)

Well, not withstanding this sex and cricket debate, what a sensational victory that was in the Garden of Eden:-) Folklore will be made of this Sunday game and the creators were none other than Dada and his golden men!

Goa and Music

There is a palpable excitement I feel, when I land in Goa, almost instantaneously, expecting something magical to happen.

The cab that takes us to our hotel has lovely konkani music playing as if to signal the party is on! He played traditonal songs, folk music, right through our 45min ride to the hotel- mwaah, lovely!

As we enter our hotel there is lovely local music streaming through the doors!I think music flows through the blood of every Goan. I later understood that, in schools, music is encouraged whether it be singing, playing an instrument or creating beats.

Goans love for music can be heard round the clock, not only in the houses but at social occasions. The talented goan musicians dish out popular Indian and western hits and not forgetting the show stopping, foot stomping goan manddos which get goans of all ages up on the dance floor.

Goan music merges Indian and Western traditions, and the Mando is a treat to hear. Starting with a sad beat, gradually it ends on a faster beat known as 'Dulpods'. Based on the Latin American tune, Mando is sung by girls and boys in chorus or sometimes one line of the song one after the other. Beckons one to move:), just as we did on the boat, on the river Mandovi.

At lunch time in the hotel coffee shop we met some fellow holidaymakers who let us know that Roger Waters was playing LIVE the same evening. My God Pink Floyd , well not entirely, but nonetheless Pink Floyd legacy in the flesh!

We made our way that evening to see Roger Waters, a rock concert like I've never seen before. An unforgettable night , probably one of my favourtite rock shows amongst the ones I have seen all over the world. All credit goes to the fact that it happened in Goa:-), the people, the swaying, no smashing bodies or puking adults, the production of the event, roger waters himself, the open spaces, near the water front, all of it cast a spell on me, marvellous:-)!

I went to the flea markets by day and another by night, and o boy! I was surrounded by trance, hip hop, psychedelic beats, with many shop keepers selling mp3's and so many locally composed cd's, that I was quite baffled by it all and not sure which one I wanted to buy, because truly, any music in Goa, sounds pretty awesome!

Finally all this gave way to my kinda day - I slump in a shack by beachside, find myself a super vantage deck to worship the sun, request for the music to be louder from inside the shack, and it all merged so well with the sounds of wind, surf and voices- Goa- ah! Where time passes slowly and the music keeps you company:-)

Speaking of a capital city

Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes along & tries to make peace.
The first two get together and beat him up.

What’s this hoopla about Goa?

I was in Class 5 when I first went to Goa with my extended family, and some recollections of that trip:

We checked into this govt hostel for Rs 20/- a night and my uncle was nowhere to be found, when I went looking for him, (he had the keys to my baggage) I found my old uncle smoking! He was an absolute non-smoker, never seen him smoke before! And now in Goa he was transformed! :-) Wow that was amazing!

Next day at Vagator beach –my brother in law is most happy being on the beach. Reason? Not the surf and the sand but the nude sunbathing bodies. And for a naïve 5th standard student like me this was most embarrassing:-)

Evening dawns- everyone is chilled, like never before, the city seems to have taken away this family’s inhibitions and worries. My older coz sister offers me a glass of beer mixed with fanta! “You are on a holiday, go ahead and drink- we will not tell your mum!” And omg the first sip and I was ready to throw up, it was horrible! I went behind the bushes and chucked it all down and they were most happy thinking I had guzzled it all – looking at me furtively from behind their glasses at night, “is she tottering yet”!:-)

Another evening and this north Indian family (excluding me), went berserk on sea food, it was the yummiest meal for them, this vegetarian had the most feeble weak dal and rice:-)

And I can go on and on about these foolish escapades and the many susegado’s, the thonged men, the drinking binges, the beautiful days of non ending conversations, music and parties, betting and casinos, unique pottery that stole my heart, 3 of us girlfriends traveling by a scooter /bike, the sea, the palm trees, the relaxed atmosphere, Tiracol estuary, all of this brings a smile to mah face;-)

My love affair with Goa started then, since I was in 5th stdJ My Dad could never understand what appealed to me about this ganja hashish smoking old port! For him it was just a place to do business, for me it was a place to relax, unwind and be anonymous, relax like one can never, in ones own town, wear or don’t wear any clothes and nobody there really cares, it is and has always been a place to “just be” for me:-)

So you see this hoopla about Goa is a very personal thing, you gotta seriously love your freedom and yourself to want to be in Goa!! Indulge and be free, that’s what Goa has been always for me:-)

Benares is Varanasi

A friend of mine nudged me to watch this brilliant docu on NatGeo or was it BBC, on, Varanasi. Not a romanticised version of this religious city, nor a drubbled to the ground version of dirt and grime and pollution in the Ganges river, but a very matter of fact narration with as many aspects as could capture of a city where people celeberate birth and death with equal piouty

I was simply captivated! I absolutely have to see this holy city myself- not as much from a spiritual point of view but from a discovery context. I want to see the waters in the day and by night, I want to hear the temple bells and see the magical aarti's by evening, feel the civilization and live, breathe on the steps of Ganges. To hopefully, get a small glimpse, into the soul of this most mystical city of India

Here I come Varanasi- next month definitely, as the wanderlust has now bitten bad, for this "must visit", on my list of travels:-)

Aamchi Mumbai!

Its May in India! Traditionally a hot month all over the country. Irrespective of where you maybe, Goa beachside or high altitude Bangalore, or in aamchi Mumbai, the heat is a killer!

Then again maybe its my intolerance of the heat that makes me feel absurdly bothered! Today travelling from Santacruz to Andheri to Chembur and then back to Bandra, simply had me in a tizzy! Despite a beautifully strong aircon in the car, the effort it takes to cross the road to go to Alpha and then on return to wait for the car to come out of the parking - the sun beats down unrelentingly and I can feel the sweat beads start to form on my forehead! If this is not enough the human traffic on the roads is another story altogether! Given thr is'nt enough covered parking in the city, the car often has to be left parked right under the sun, as a result by the time you come back to the car, you are sitting in a ultra hot oven!

Once inside Alpha the aircon is just for namesake, because the door is perpetually being opened every second, the number of people inside the store is phenomenal- how can the aircon possibly keep pace with this churn?!

Gosh, when will May give way to the monsoon clouds I see forming every evening in the skies? When will the rains cool down this parched city? When will the cart pulling man heave a cool sigh of releif. When will the scattered thin green in the city learn to shrug off the dust n grime and breathe and grow again?

Need rescue and respite from this Mumbai heat soon!