India sleeping

In India, it might take some time for something to happen. Or to become a part of it all. But when it does, the tsunami of volumes is unstoppable.

In my three decades, it happened with the TV first. Then the mobile phone. Then, to an extent, the internet. And here, in the picture above, sure, unmistakable signs of this happening to aviation as well.

The picture above is from the departures area of Delhi Airport, this morning at 4.40 AM. Seats all across are occupied by people catching up on their sleep before they take the two hour flight to get to some other part of the country.

Sitting here, i have a large number of people around me. Young and old. Men, women and children. Some flaunting their riches. Some in rags. Some women in the Ghoonghat. Pradas and louis vuittons for handbags. Sacks and jholaas for the same. A mobile to everyone's ear. Godmen and Godly looking persons.

Breakfast options- FresCo and Baker's cafe. Costa coffee and KFC. Laddoo and alu-puri.

Dress- Bandini prints and Kanjeevarams.

Shop- Odyssey and Metro.

So many languages i hear. Telegu and Assamese. Portuguese and Punjabi.

I love the diversity, variety and colour my country offers. Be it at a bus stand or an airport. And i love it when i see the airports getting more egalitarian, tending to bus stands and raiwlay stations.

The mobile revolution has made Indian talk like never before. The now-on-now-off low cost airlines revolution is making a lot many more Indians go, by the aerial route. I think the volumes, the demand in all there. Indians as a people love to connect. The airlines need to get their act right. Play on the volumes.

And i would love that to happen- to see that little difference would exist between a Road transport corporation travel and air travel. Egalitarianism would have triumphed- but for sure, if the scene at Delhi ariport is any indication at the moment, it is on its way !

Learning to write

A moment to live for, and die for

Rock star gives his first public performance

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I must admit i was nervous ! Really so.

Wonder why, but it was palpable.

We were invited by Jaadoo's school for a public performance by all children of his class, meant for parents. The theme was transportation, and every child was supposed to speak on a certain mode of transport.

My nervousness stemmed from two things-

1) The poor guy, Jaadoo, is not at all comfortable in English, the lingua-franca at school

2) The children who had performed before him, gave very good performances, and i was worried that a poor performance by Jaadoo might be detrimental to his confidence. He could slip into a shell. Or begin to dislike school again.

I was really psyched when one child even made a power-point presentation. Here was a 4 -5 year old making a powerpoint presentation on the modes of transportation, and seemed quite at ease.

The minutes passed.

Jaadoo's turn came.

And this is what he dished out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ0Zkl4Vd7U

I never knew he could speak for about two minutes in a language which is alien to him at home, and which he surely, is not comfortable.

On the content, i look at him, and realise that somewhere midway, he just cut himself free of the script which had been dished out by his teacher, and came up with his own stuff.

Like, a car can go to India, USA and Mexico.

Or, if the driver does not wear a seat-belt, the police will catch him at the traffic signal.

!

My nervousness was replaced by surprise. Children have this way of coming up with the unexpected in which noone else can.

Probably, it is because they have a perspective which is so refreshingly innocent and different. That could perhaps explain why they are considered to be the representatives of God on earth.

1 2 3 4

Mowgli again.

Ravana comes calling to hyderabad

First view divit view

Familiar scene

Ammji and jaadoo, at the breakfast table

Chef Sanjeev kapoor beware

A 10 rupee note from those days.got it at a sweet shop in hyderabad. They don't make these anymore

Animated conversations

indian images

Good morning hyderabad

This came free, with todays morning newspaper.
101 percent guarantee to get benefits within 31 hours

Incredible India has space for everyone

Good morning hyderabad

This came free, with todays morning newspaper.
101 percent guarantee to get benefits within 31 hours

Incredible India has space for everyone

Regards
Deepak

is it a train, is it a duck ?

At eat street, hyderabad

Counting a la jaadoo

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 21. 22. 26. 27. 28. 20-ten.

The man. Spider man

Regards
Deepak

Mehr becoming a woman from a girl

In a typical calcutta saree

At home, this guy

Twenty going on 21

Move over, sound of music as jaadoo completes his essay upto 20

'tis is all over Hyderabad; view from office

This is the view from my office- here in Hyderabad, it is YSR all over......

in brazil, its hardly a dog's life

Scene at Rio, Copacabana as a little doggy enjoys a shoulder view of the beach

Dogs are being increasingly considered a viable, less expensive, more managable alternative to children for many in Brazil: Sao Paulo has the world's largest pet population and an important segment of the economy which revolves around dogs and cats. From saloons to supermarkets and shoes to pyjaymas, its all there for our four legged friends

La petit provincial

Papa. French textbook in school at Simla and Chandigarh. The story is called 'La petit provincial' (not sure of the spellings).

its a simple story- Child doesn't drink milk. child's mother gets her a cup, with a glassy reflector at the bottom of the cup. The incentive for the child is that she will get to see herself if she consumes the milk. Inspired, the child goes on and gulps milk down.

And now. Circa 2009. The circle of life. Times repeat. Just the actors change.
The cup is one with a small cow toy inside. Is from Switzerland- gifted by Claudia in 2001. At Chandigarh, Papa tells Jaadoo the same story. Modifies it by saying it is a cow inside. And voila ! Jaadoo takes a concrete step towards abandoning the feeding bottle for the cup. Long live Pedia Sure !
:-)

Seventeen years on....

24-aug-2009, on board DXB to GRU
From an enclosed coupe, up in the sky
Its seventeen years to the day today, almost to this very hour, that a journey began. On platform No. 8, Howrah station, Rajdhani Express, 1630 hours IST. And yes, it has been an exciting ride. Like most other exciting rides, this has been full of thrils and spills, of joys and sorrows, of exuberance and despair. Also, like most other exciting rides, its been full of trains and planes, of catamarans and vans, of buses and boats, of bicycles and rickshaws, of walks and a lot of talk.
When i look at it all as a 40000 feet view, literally in this case, and of course, metaphorically, there is an overwhelming sense of feel-good, of positivism. Most importantly the realisation that i continue to be loved and cared for, and in whichever way it was, i have made a positive difference to lives that i have touched along on the way. Maybe a fleeting difference, but for that moment, fulfiling.
These 17 years have been half a lifetime and have seen several transitions:- from someone who lives with his parents to someone who lives as a parent- from someone blissfully ignorant of the world beyond home to someone who is almost always out of home- from someone who is unmarried- from someone who is not from a pedigree institution- from someone who is a student- from someone who has never been on a plane- from someone who thinks India is 'superior' to all other countries- from someone who is unsocial- from someone who is quiet, shy and reserved- from someone who plays good cricket and pitches it up straight- from someone who can pass a Class XII examination- from someone who can't travel alone, can't even cross the road on his own
several others, since that fateful day....
While with the transitions, there are a few things that have remained the same- the sheer fulfilement and purpose in being loved and enjoying the affection of so many. Cliched it sounds, but there's nothing bigger than being loved.
And since i have the advantage of a 40000 feet view, with nothing but the blue waters of the Atlantic down below and a view peppere with tiny clouds somewhere in between, is there anything i want today. No, no..let me rephrase it. What all do i want today....let me put down my wish list, in the order in which it comes to mind-
- to be with the ones i love and the ones who love me- to be a good father, a good son, a good spouse, a good friend, a good sibling- to be famous- to see myself on the TV and in the papers- to hear the applause- to wirte a book (if its a bestseller, the better ;-) )- to do some genuinely meaningful work that impacts the less privileged- to travel a lot more: Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, Antarctica, Everest base camp, Trans- siberian railway, Amazonia, and also see the Taj Mahal- to be into public life in India- to bat at the Eden gardens (if a few people can watch, the better. if i can hit a six, still better)- to be a student again, in the company of interesting and capable people- to bring together all my friends- from school, college, work, otherwise, on to a common platform and to have a mega get together (not on the net, though)- to ask meaningful questions and to enrich the debate on fundamental, existential questions
Hey, hello....stop stop.. dont repeat the camel and the Arab story...
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Ronaldo is back, with corinthians

Modern day ganesh ji

With his laptop, Ganesh ji does an alt control del to All worries and evils

Ganesh ji on the road.

Hyderabad. Amerpet. Eve of Ganesh chaturthi. Revealed just a portion of the
famous and lovable Indian God.

Is he also the cutest ? I think that is a very tough one, with my top two
being hanuman ji and Ganesh ji. Baby Krishna comes a creditable third. But
if I were to indeed take a call, Ganesh ji would get silver, the gold medal
going to the irrepressible hanuman !

Grand parents on a grand board. Little jaadoo learns to write

School ad in Sunday newspaper

And I am yet to find a school which says we want to make good human beings

There is another hardik in town