It was my birthday on 26th. Usually I don't plan any celebrations. I always thought I should not plan celebrating my day of birth, but I would always feel nice if someone else planned it for me. The idea of a surprise birthday party thrown by friends always seemed so nice. This time I was feeling different. I don't know why, but I wanted to plan myself and invite friends.
So Devansh and I sat together about a week before to plan how to celebrate. We initially thought of going to Lingampally station and do some cleaning there. We got other ideas too. Finally we decided to sell books written by Gandhi. We basically intended two things through this. We wanted to get a feel (and also give a feel to our friends whom we were to invite) of what it is like to sell something out on the street. And we also wanted to distribute some works of Gandhi. One doesn't find much on Gandhi in books stores, and hardly anyone goes to buy his books. I once asked a store owner if he has any books written by Gandhi ji. He politely declined. But then said " oh sir, we do have the new harry potter book. If you would be interested". I smiled and said no thank you. Harry potter seemed to have taken over the land of Mahatma.
I even called two friends Mumbai and Pune, but only Ruchi could manage to come. I had a list of about 10 people in mind who would join us in the 'party'. The plan was to buy books, sell them on the Punjagutta crossing and then have food.
Ruchi and I went book hunting. Devansh had told us about a shop in exhibition ground in Nampally. When we reached there and said we were looking for books on Gandhi ji, they seemed surprised. As if saying are you sure?? It reminded us of the munna bhai film. The old man took us in the store, offered us seats and asked us which book are we looking for. "All of them", we said. The look on his face made us feel happy about ourselves. He showed us all the books. His autobiography, his book to students, to lawyers, about health and vegetarianism, about village industries. The cheapest was Rs.5 while the most expensive was Rs.35. Gandhi sells cheap, thankfully. It seems the government has given some kind of subsidy on his works so as to encourage people reading it. But I guess the youth today is not attracted by subsidy only. The youth requires some kind of glamour to move.
The next day was 26th. In the morning there was a small ceremony of flag hoisting in the campus. It got over by 9am and we decided to leave by 10am. Unfortunately only 4 of us could gather for the occasion. So off we went. We reached Lingampally station and decided to do a dress rehearsal there. The response we got there was totally unexpected. We didn't manage a single success. Everyone turned down the offer. Some gave funny looks, some laughed. One gentleman said "Gandhi...something something something"...I couldn't understand telugu, but figured that the man doesnt think much of Gandhi. At that point I thought maybe it was a bad idea. I got conscious too. Others too were feeling a bit down, but we still continued with our plan.
We reached Begumpet station, and decided to walk to Punjagutta crossing, which is about 2 km from there. On our way we would try to sell to any prospective buyer. Just then an uncle ji stopped. He seemed interested. He saw all the books we had and decided to buy two. That was our first sale. Our 'boney', and boy we were excited. It was then we decided we will sell all the books and only then go for the biryani.
We spent the next hour and a half at the Punjagutta crossing. The sun was bright. We got all sort of looks. The beggars at the crossing were also interested in what we were selling. One of them even flipped through the books. "I also sell books sometime at the crossings. But have never sold Gandhi ji's books" he said. Yeah I know, I thought.
The books I had were bought by an auto driver. When Ruchi was trying to sell one to two guys on a bike, one of them said he doesnt like Gandhi. But immediately the other one said he likes Gandhi and bought one from her. Devansh met a guy who asked the source we got our books from. He said he would go to the same shop and buy books from there. Devansh tried to sell the books in front of Himalaya book store, thinking that the people who would come there would be interested. But soon the store owner came with his guard and asked Devansh to leave the place...
All in all we had fun. After that we went to paradise to have some nice biryani. Thank you those who came and made my day, and those who could not make it, well we missed you.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Taare Zameen Par
It was may,1997. I was 15 years old. It was my third trip to Amarkantak. Amarkantak is suppose to be the highest point in the vindhya range in central Indian state. The sacred river Narmada originates from a spring here. People have built a temple over this spring. Right opposite to the temple is Baba's home. His name is Shri A.Nagaraj Sharma, but I always addressed him as Baba, meaning grandfather. I thought thats how my dad wanted me to address him. He probably related to him in father-son relation. My earlier trips to Amarkantak had been in 1990 and 1991 along with my family and other colleagues of my parents. This time, my dad had already been in Amarkantak, and my mom was not coming. So I was traveling alone. Well not alone entirely, I had Gaur uncle who was a faculty in Mechanical Engg department in IIT-D, Naresh Mamaji, his son Kapil who was my age, Neeraj who was 4 years elder to me and Sandeep who was few years younger to me. Then there were Sanjeev bhaiya and Ritu bhabhi also. Among them, I was the only one who had been to Amarkantak before.
My dad had left for Amarkantak in first week of May. Before leaving he had urged and also warned us (mom and I), to join him for the shivir. Jeevan Vidya had grown in the last 4 years, and he had been requesting us to do a shivir. For some reason, mom and I both had been giving him a slip on the issue. I'm still not sure what reason's mom had, but I had no reasons. The only possible reason I could think of is probably the fact that JV was still a rural thing. All the shivirs were held in rural India, and mostly farmers were getting associated with it. At time, I had a bent of mind, where it was difficult for me to relate to rural Indians. I felt more comfortable with my elite friend circle in Delhi. And so before leaving dad had given a sort of warning to both of us to come for the shivir, otherwise he may not return home. I guess, my mom decided to take a mid-path. She allowed me to go, but herself stayed back in Delhi. I also guess, Gaur uncle was also traveling for a similar reason.
As a child, I had always seen such kind of struggle between my parents. On one hand was my dad, totally against the modern world, who saw all the answers in JV, while on the other was my mom who wanted to be more practical. It was very hard for my mom to imagine a life without the usual luxuries in life, specially when our neighbors and relatives kept adding something each year. For me, dad was always correct, but I was too lazy and weak to start living the way he wanted me too. I loved wearing nike shoes, playing basketball, watching T.V, when I always knew one day I would leave all that. I just hoped to postpone that day a little bit. Our other relatives always had high regard for dad, but thought he was a little impractical. All this had been happening in my house, when finally dad gave us the final warning this time before leaving for Amarkantak.
Meanwhile in Amarkantak, people were gathering for the shivir. All of them were either friends or friends of friends who were coming by the word of mouth. Some of them were curious to know what JV is, while others were coming for the sake of their friendship, just like me and Gaur uncle. They expected some 60 people to gather, and so in terms of numbers this would have been the biggest JV shivir till then. Dad was suppose to take it, while Ransingh Mamaji and others would take care of the arrangements. I remember Ganeshji's presence there, but what role he was playing is not clear to me.
We started at 1pm from Nizammuddin station by Kalinga Utkal express. In the evening, somewhere in Madhyapradesh we met, two more people who were headed for the shivir too. It was quite exciting for me to just meet someone like this, heading for the same place, same purpose. One of them was a very old man Sindhu Chacha. He must have been over 70 then, had a long grey beard. Sindhu chacha had been in the freedom struggle along with Gandhi ji.
We all reached Pendra road next day at 11.30 am. Sadhan bhaiya, had sent a jeep for us, but with the extra two passengers and also our more than expected luggage it was not possible for all of us to travel in jeep together. Amarkantak was still 35 km away, deep in the forest and on top of the mountain. So Gaur uncle, Naresh Mamaji, and we kids (Neeraj,Kapil,Sandeep and I) decided to come by bus. Our luggage was taken by the jeep. When the bus came, it was jam packed. It happened to be some religous season, and so people from far away were coming to Amarkantak. While Gaur uncle and Naresh Mamaji managed to get in the bus, we kids went on the roof. Surprisingly they didn't object to this. That was the first sign I got from others that I was a grown up kid now. They trusted me, when it came to traveling on the roof of bus. But sadly, the driver noticed us soon, and we had to get off the bus. There was no room inside, so we decided to stay back, while Gaur uncle and Naresh Mamaji continued their journey.
Neeraj asked me if I knew the way to Amarkantak. I said, I'm not sure. No I don't. We all laughed. I was surprised. But we all laughed. There seemed no fear of getting lost in the unknown land. It seemed even the adults had no such fear, and so they left us alone. Had my mom been there, it would had a completely different situation. I was sure, if mom comes to know of it Gaur uncle and dad would have had a good taste of her mind. But that was not happening here. We were only kids left behind, in the Jungle. There were no adults to worry.
After an hour, another bus came. We got on it. Some one offered us a part of their seats. Its pretty normal in India to adjust children. The bus played the song "tum to thehre pardesi,ghar kab aaoge". I'm not sure of who the singer was, but he had Raja in his name. This song had topped the charts during those days. For the next one hour, the driver played this song. Only this song. He would rewind and play it again. It was that part of my life, where I was trying to develop a taste for English movies and songs. Listening to Hindi songs was a sign of backwardness to me. So I was probably the only one not enjoying that song, and wondering how can someone enjoy this kind of music. The fare was Rs.9 each. When we asked for the ticket, the conductor looked at us in surprise. In that part, only the government buses give tickets. This was a privately owned bus, and they see the need of giving tickets to passengers. It was only a waste of paper. It then again surprised me, but now I can understand the concept.
We reached Amarkantak after an hour. Amarkantak was no where to be seen. It seemed the bus stand had shifted out of the town. Next to us flowed the great Narmada. We started walking where everyone was going. I remembered that baba's house is opposite to the temple, from where Narmada originates. And it would not be difficult to find that place. While walking I saw somebody familiar. Dad! Hey thats dad. He had come to receive us at the bus station. I was so happy to see him. All the kids touched his feet while I hugged him. " Don't tell this to your mom, she won't like it". I smiled. We took a short-cut to baba's home. It actually was a longer route, but it was away from the road. We walked on a 'pag-dandi' (a path among the grass), all along the Narmada, to enter baba's home from the back. Everyone was there. It was a Mela.
The next 7 days I spent in the shivir. I understood nothing in the shivir, just saw people laughing and enjoying. Some would even weep quietly. I could make out, the shivir was a hit, but still didn't know why.
We returned home in June. After two months my dad died. He was suffering from cancer.
My dad had left for Amarkantak in first week of May. Before leaving he had urged and also warned us (mom and I), to join him for the shivir. Jeevan Vidya had grown in the last 4 years, and he had been requesting us to do a shivir. For some reason, mom and I both had been giving him a slip on the issue. I'm still not sure what reason's mom had, but I had no reasons. The only possible reason I could think of is probably the fact that JV was still a rural thing. All the shivirs were held in rural India, and mostly farmers were getting associated with it. At time, I had a bent of mind, where it was difficult for me to relate to rural Indians. I felt more comfortable with my elite friend circle in Delhi. And so before leaving dad had given a sort of warning to both of us to come for the shivir, otherwise he may not return home. I guess, my mom decided to take a mid-path. She allowed me to go, but herself stayed back in Delhi. I also guess, Gaur uncle was also traveling for a similar reason.
As a child, I had always seen such kind of struggle between my parents. On one hand was my dad, totally against the modern world, who saw all the answers in JV, while on the other was my mom who wanted to be more practical. It was very hard for my mom to imagine a life without the usual luxuries in life, specially when our neighbors and relatives kept adding something each year. For me, dad was always correct, but I was too lazy and weak to start living the way he wanted me too. I loved wearing nike shoes, playing basketball, watching T.V, when I always knew one day I would leave all that. I just hoped to postpone that day a little bit. Our other relatives always had high regard for dad, but thought he was a little impractical. All this had been happening in my house, when finally dad gave us the final warning this time before leaving for Amarkantak.
Meanwhile in Amarkantak, people were gathering for the shivir. All of them were either friends or friends of friends who were coming by the word of mouth. Some of them were curious to know what JV is, while others were coming for the sake of their friendship, just like me and Gaur uncle. They expected some 60 people to gather, and so in terms of numbers this would have been the biggest JV shivir till then. Dad was suppose to take it, while Ransingh Mamaji and others would take care of the arrangements. I remember Ganeshji's presence there, but what role he was playing is not clear to me.
We started at 1pm from Nizammuddin station by Kalinga Utkal express. In the evening, somewhere in Madhyapradesh we met, two more people who were headed for the shivir too. It was quite exciting for me to just meet someone like this, heading for the same place, same purpose. One of them was a very old man Sindhu Chacha. He must have been over 70 then, had a long grey beard. Sindhu chacha had been in the freedom struggle along with Gandhi ji.
We all reached Pendra road next day at 11.30 am. Sadhan bhaiya, had sent a jeep for us, but with the extra two passengers and also our more than expected luggage it was not possible for all of us to travel in jeep together. Amarkantak was still 35 km away, deep in the forest and on top of the mountain. So Gaur uncle, Naresh Mamaji, and we kids (Neeraj,Kapil,Sandeep and I) decided to come by bus. Our luggage was taken by the jeep. When the bus came, it was jam packed. It happened to be some religous season, and so people from far away were coming to Amarkantak. While Gaur uncle and Naresh Mamaji managed to get in the bus, we kids went on the roof. Surprisingly they didn't object to this. That was the first sign I got from others that I was a grown up kid now. They trusted me, when it came to traveling on the roof of bus. But sadly, the driver noticed us soon, and we had to get off the bus. There was no room inside, so we decided to stay back, while Gaur uncle and Naresh Mamaji continued their journey.
Neeraj asked me if I knew the way to Amarkantak. I said, I'm not sure. No I don't. We all laughed. I was surprised. But we all laughed. There seemed no fear of getting lost in the unknown land. It seemed even the adults had no such fear, and so they left us alone. Had my mom been there, it would had a completely different situation. I was sure, if mom comes to know of it Gaur uncle and dad would have had a good taste of her mind. But that was not happening here. We were only kids left behind, in the Jungle. There were no adults to worry.
After an hour, another bus came. We got on it. Some one offered us a part of their seats. Its pretty normal in India to adjust children. The bus played the song "tum to thehre pardesi,ghar kab aaoge". I'm not sure of who the singer was, but he had Raja in his name. This song had topped the charts during those days. For the next one hour, the driver played this song. Only this song. He would rewind and play it again. It was that part of my life, where I was trying to develop a taste for English movies and songs. Listening to Hindi songs was a sign of backwardness to me. So I was probably the only one not enjoying that song, and wondering how can someone enjoy this kind of music. The fare was Rs.9 each. When we asked for the ticket, the conductor looked at us in surprise. In that part, only the government buses give tickets. This was a privately owned bus, and they see the need of giving tickets to passengers. It was only a waste of paper. It then again surprised me, but now I can understand the concept.
We reached Amarkantak after an hour. Amarkantak was no where to be seen. It seemed the bus stand had shifted out of the town. Next to us flowed the great Narmada. We started walking where everyone was going. I remembered that baba's house is opposite to the temple, from where Narmada originates. And it would not be difficult to find that place. While walking I saw somebody familiar. Dad! Hey thats dad. He had come to receive us at the bus station. I was so happy to see him. All the kids touched his feet while I hugged him. " Don't tell this to your mom, she won't like it". I smiled. We took a short-cut to baba's home. It actually was a longer route, but it was away from the road. We walked on a 'pag-dandi' (a path among the grass), all along the Narmada, to enter baba's home from the back. Everyone was there. It was a Mela.
The next 7 days I spent in the shivir. I understood nothing in the shivir, just saw people laughing and enjoying. Some would even weep quietly. I could make out, the shivir was a hit, but still didn't know why.
We returned home in June. After two months my dad died. He was suffering from cancer.
Monday, January 14, 2008
What Attitude !!
Last year in IIT-D, I saw a student wear a t-shirt which read "I'm what you aspire to be". What attitude I said to a friend. Why would one want to wear such a logo and move in the streets? what is he thinking? what does he want others to think?
They say knowledge brings humility. Is it true? Why don't I see that humility in students here? Are they not getting knowledge or the saying is false? A student fears bad grades here more than anything else. It seems if given a choice between C grade and death, they would choose death. You ask the reason of fear, and in most cases the answer will be "what will people think. What will I think of myself".
My perception about myself depends on what others think about me. So is the case with others. So it seems everyone here, is in the process of feeling good about oneself by trying to impress others. And in an institute like this, nothing is more impressive than grades. You get good grades, people will love you and so you feel good about yourself. You feel confident about yourself. In the next semester you fail an exam and your world comes crashing down. The professor forgets your name, the friends get busy and your life stops. Everything stops. Even eating food seems a waste of time.
I was talking about this to a friend and she seemed to agree, though reluctantly. The most popular professor here has students who are feared by the campus. People love the prof for his humility, and fear his students for their attitude. And it seems both the prof and his students enjoy the situation.
I'm still an outsider here, watching things from a distance. And I already feel uncomfortable. And the JV tag is attached to my name here. He is Harsh Satya JV wala. Thats how people introduce me here.
They say knowledge brings humility. Is it true? Why don't I see that humility in students here? Are they not getting knowledge or the saying is false? A student fears bad grades here more than anything else. It seems if given a choice between C grade and death, they would choose death. You ask the reason of fear, and in most cases the answer will be "what will people think. What will I think of myself".
My perception about myself depends on what others think about me. So is the case with others. So it seems everyone here, is in the process of feeling good about oneself by trying to impress others. And in an institute like this, nothing is more impressive than grades. You get good grades, people will love you and so you feel good about yourself. You feel confident about yourself. In the next semester you fail an exam and your world comes crashing down. The professor forgets your name, the friends get busy and your life stops. Everything stops. Even eating food seems a waste of time.
I was talking about this to a friend and she seemed to agree, though reluctantly. The most popular professor here has students who are feared by the campus. People love the prof for his humility, and fear his students for their attitude. And it seems both the prof and his students enjoy the situation.
I'm still an outsider here, watching things from a distance. And I already feel uncomfortable. And the JV tag is attached to my name here. He is Harsh Satya JV wala. Thats how people introduce me here.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Hyderabadi flavor- part II
I've been in the city for 6 months now, and so have now some knowledge about it. This post can be taken as a continuation of my first post. I'm writing this for those friends, who when visit Hyderabad will have some idea about it.
Travel-The buses, in Hyderabad are all state owned buses. One needs to really get into it asap, otherwise there is a likely hood that you will be left out and the bus would move. For males, don't expect the driver to stop the bus, if you wish to get in or get out. At best he would only slow down. The bus stops only when there is a lady. The bus conductors could be of both sexes and well educated. I recently met a conductor who has done a masters in technology and wanted information for admission in doctors program in IIIT. The lady conductors are usually more strict than their male counter parts. Don't even think of not buying a ticket. Unlike in Delhi, I have not seen any ticket checking flying squads here.
There are two ways of traveling in an autorickshaw. If you wish to hire it for your own, then they will over charge you for most occasions. They usually refuse to take you by metered fair, unless it is after 10pm. After 10 the rule is to charge 150% of whatever the meter reads. The other way to travel by auto is by sharing it. In this case the fares are usually fixed, anything from Rs.3 to Rs.10 depending on the distance. One auto is usually shared by 5 people.
The cabs are also available on sharing basis. There are a lot of corporate cabs (usually Indica cars), who move through the city and the driver in order to earn some extra bucks, takes in passengers when there is no corporate customer. In such cases again the fair is reasonable and fixed, and this is the fastest mode of transport in the city. There are no cabs like those found in Delhi or Mumbai (with yellow and black paint, or radio cabs). You can hire cab for yourself (mostly Indica) through any travel agent.
Then there is a local train which runs right through the city. It is called a metro, but don't mistake it for those in Delhi. It's more like those in Mumbai, but in much better condition. The crowd is much less in number, and the trains are also more spacious. The frequency however is one in 15-20 min, but if one is staying near by the railway line, I would say this is the best mode of transport. It takes you away from all the traffic and pollution of the city. The traffic in Hyderabad can get really bad, specially in the peak hours. At such times, the metro is for sure the best option.
There are no hand pulled rickshaws in the city. At least, I have not seen any.
Food- Hyderabad is known for it's biryani. Since I'm a vegetarian, the best veg biryani I have had is at a place called Paradise. This restaurant have 4 floors to it, as you keep climbing, the price tag on each meal increases. I've heard the biryanis served at Hyderabad house is also good. They are a chain of restaurants, scattered in the city. Then there is a restaurant by the name Haveli, located behind lifestyle mall at Begumpet. It serves a good lunch buffet at Rs.130. For those who have a good appetite, this is a good option. It is also very close to Begumpet station, so linked with metro. There is then Chutney's located at Nagarjuna Chowk near Punjagutta. It is known for its south indian delicacies. If you plan to visit it on weekends, be prepared to spend some time waiting outside. They seem to have no space inside, so people usually end up waiting out on the road, while the door is shut. They have a different section for buffet which has plenty of space, but only for buffet. Then there is Eat street which is a combination of number of eating joints. It is on the necklace road, on the banks of Hussainsagar lake. In the night, the view is good and nice breeze blows across the road. Though sometimes the smell of the lake can be a bit annoying. Next to it is some restaurant which has water in it's name. It will not let you in unless they are sure of your paying capacity. So one needs to be 'properly' dressed to enjoy food there (as I wasn't, I didn't went in there so have no idea about it). Next to it is an artificial cricket pitch where a machine bowls at you. You get to play 3 over for Rs.50 and if you can score 50 runs, you get another 2 overs for free. It's not easy to score that many runs.
Discos- There are some discos in the city, but I have had no opportunity to visit them. I've never been to one ever and thought to visit it once to see what it is all about, but someone told me they do not allow single males, (they do allow females though).
Cinema- Movie going here is much better than Delhi or Mumbai or Bangalore. I say betterm because one has a choice of seeing it in the order of Rs.30-40. Such choices have disappeared in Delhi and Mumbai (specially after the closure of Chanakya in Delhi). They do have multiplexes here, but the other cinema halls are equally good (in terms of sound and seating), and reasonably priced. The most famous is the Prasads which claim to have IMAX technology which I have no idea about. Of course they charge you heavily.
Travel-The buses, in Hyderabad are all state owned buses. One needs to really get into it asap, otherwise there is a likely hood that you will be left out and the bus would move. For males, don't expect the driver to stop the bus, if you wish to get in or get out. At best he would only slow down. The bus stops only when there is a lady. The bus conductors could be of both sexes and well educated. I recently met a conductor who has done a masters in technology and wanted information for admission in doctors program in IIIT. The lady conductors are usually more strict than their male counter parts. Don't even think of not buying a ticket. Unlike in Delhi, I have not seen any ticket checking flying squads here.
There are two ways of traveling in an autorickshaw. If you wish to hire it for your own, then they will over charge you for most occasions. They usually refuse to take you by metered fair, unless it is after 10pm. After 10 the rule is to charge 150% of whatever the meter reads. The other way to travel by auto is by sharing it. In this case the fares are usually fixed, anything from Rs.3 to Rs.10 depending on the distance. One auto is usually shared by 5 people.
The cabs are also available on sharing basis. There are a lot of corporate cabs (usually Indica cars), who move through the city and the driver in order to earn some extra bucks, takes in passengers when there is no corporate customer. In such cases again the fair is reasonable and fixed, and this is the fastest mode of transport in the city. There are no cabs like those found in Delhi or Mumbai (with yellow and black paint, or radio cabs). You can hire cab for yourself (mostly Indica) through any travel agent.
Then there is a local train which runs right through the city. It is called a metro, but don't mistake it for those in Delhi. It's more like those in Mumbai, but in much better condition. The crowd is much less in number, and the trains are also more spacious. The frequency however is one in 15-20 min, but if one is staying near by the railway line, I would say this is the best mode of transport. It takes you away from all the traffic and pollution of the city. The traffic in Hyderabad can get really bad, specially in the peak hours. At such times, the metro is for sure the best option.
There are no hand pulled rickshaws in the city. At least, I have not seen any.
Food- Hyderabad is known for it's biryani. Since I'm a vegetarian, the best veg biryani I have had is at a place called Paradise. This restaurant have 4 floors to it, as you keep climbing, the price tag on each meal increases. I've heard the biryanis served at Hyderabad house is also good. They are a chain of restaurants, scattered in the city. Then there is a restaurant by the name Haveli, located behind lifestyle mall at Begumpet. It serves a good lunch buffet at Rs.130. For those who have a good appetite, this is a good option. It is also very close to Begumpet station, so linked with metro. There is then Chutney's located at Nagarjuna Chowk near Punjagutta. It is known for its south indian delicacies. If you plan to visit it on weekends, be prepared to spend some time waiting outside. They seem to have no space inside, so people usually end up waiting out on the road, while the door is shut. They have a different section for buffet which has plenty of space, but only for buffet. Then there is Eat street which is a combination of number of eating joints. It is on the necklace road, on the banks of Hussainsagar lake. In the night, the view is good and nice breeze blows across the road. Though sometimes the smell of the lake can be a bit annoying. Next to it is some restaurant which has water in it's name. It will not let you in unless they are sure of your paying capacity. So one needs to be 'properly' dressed to enjoy food there (as I wasn't, I didn't went in there so have no idea about it). Next to it is an artificial cricket pitch where a machine bowls at you. You get to play 3 over for Rs.50 and if you can score 50 runs, you get another 2 overs for free. It's not easy to score that many runs.
Discos- There are some discos in the city, but I have had no opportunity to visit them. I've never been to one ever and thought to visit it once to see what it is all about, but someone told me they do not allow single males, (they do allow females though).
Cinema- Movie going here is much better than Delhi or Mumbai or Bangalore. I say betterm because one has a choice of seeing it in the order of Rs.30-40. Such choices have disappeared in Delhi and Mumbai (specially after the closure of Chanakya in Delhi). They do have multiplexes here, but the other cinema halls are equally good (in terms of sound and seating), and reasonably priced. The most famous is the Prasads which claim to have IMAX technology which I have no idea about. Of course they charge you heavily.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Time- the traditional Indian concept
I met Tenzin ji this Sunday who was visiting his parents in Hyderabad. He had brought some books from SIDH for me. Along with the books was the yearly planner published by SIDH. They named it SAMYOJNA. I guess the word comes from combination of Samay and Yojna. Samay means time and Yojna is plan. So a planner would reflect to planning of time.
The starting few pages in the planner are taken to explain the traditional Indian concept of time, the traditional calender (Lunar calender) and how the calender varies from one part of India to other. Reading those pages filled me with joy and excitement. I was happy to learn the Lunar calender and excited to know that extensive research has been done on the concept of time in India. I was so excited, I felt the need to share some of it in the blog.
Traditionally, time (of kaal) is considered in three ranges in the Hindu philosophy. The first is the cosmic time determined in terms of the life span of Brahma. Brahma is the GOD in Hindu philosophy also referred by Om. In Hindu mythology, one year represents one day for the divine. 360 divine days make one divine year and 12,000 divine years make one Mahayug. Mahayug is also devided in 4 yugs namely Kali yug (432,000 human years), Dwapar yug (864,000 human years; dw= twice), Treta yug (1,296,000 human years; tre=thrice) and Krita yug (1,728,000 human years; 4 times kali yug). 72 Mahayugs make one Manvantara i.e the life of Manu (a character in Hindu mythology). And 14 such Manvantaras make one day (kalpa) for Brahma. This works out to 4.35 billion human years. According to Panchang (a hindu way to calculate time), in the year 2008 (the gregorian way), the universe is 1,955,855,109 human years old.
The second range of time is the Panchang time, which is measured in units of days and months. This is used in determining the seasons etc. There are 6 seasons in one year, namely Vasant (spring), Greeshm (Summer), Varsha (Rain), Sharad (Autumn), Hemant (Winter) and Shishir (early spring).
The third range of time is ishorological, which is used to determine the duration of day and is measured in lesser units. This I found most interesting, though I'm not quite sure what the word ishorological means. The Truti (particle) is the smallest unit of duration. In modern terms it ranges anywhere between one ten thousand millionth of a second to one Kshan (moment). The Kshan (moment) loosely ranges from 2/45th of a second to about 4 seconds. The Nimesha/Mimisha (twinkling of an eye), which is the time taken for upward and downward movement of eyelid is equal to 4 kshanas. The lava (fraction) is the duration of a completed blink (i.e the time taken to shut completely and open the eyes) is equal to 8 kshanas. The taal (hand clap) ranges from one quarter to three quarter of a second. It is an extremely elastic phenomena depending on the intensity of clap.
All this seemed very excited to me for mainly two reasons. One, we could go beyond a second and accurately calculate the time taken by very real and common phenomena of blinking and clapping. And secondly, our research on time w.r.t to celestial movements. I guess the study of Indian astrology would be interesting.
By the way, since I'm writing this blog on the new year day I thought I would also mention that in many parts of India the year starts from Makar Sankranti, which this year would fall on 14th Jan.
The starting few pages in the planner are taken to explain the traditional Indian concept of time, the traditional calender (Lunar calender) and how the calender varies from one part of India to other. Reading those pages filled me with joy and excitement. I was happy to learn the Lunar calender and excited to know that extensive research has been done on the concept of time in India. I was so excited, I felt the need to share some of it in the blog.
Traditionally, time (of kaal) is considered in three ranges in the Hindu philosophy. The first is the cosmic time determined in terms of the life span of Brahma. Brahma is the GOD in Hindu philosophy also referred by Om. In Hindu mythology, one year represents one day for the divine. 360 divine days make one divine year and 12,000 divine years make one Mahayug. Mahayug is also devided in 4 yugs namely Kali yug (432,000 human years), Dwapar yug (864,000 human years; dw= twice), Treta yug (1,296,000 human years; tre=thrice) and Krita yug (1,728,000 human years; 4 times kali yug). 72 Mahayugs make one Manvantara i.e the life of Manu (a character in Hindu mythology). And 14 such Manvantaras make one day (kalpa) for Brahma. This works out to 4.35 billion human years. According to Panchang (a hindu way to calculate time), in the year 2008 (the gregorian way), the universe is 1,955,855,109 human years old.
The second range of time is the Panchang time, which is measured in units of days and months. This is used in determining the seasons etc. There are 6 seasons in one year, namely Vasant (spring), Greeshm (Summer), Varsha (Rain), Sharad (Autumn), Hemant (Winter) and Shishir (early spring).
The third range of time is ishorological, which is used to determine the duration of day and is measured in lesser units. This I found most interesting, though I'm not quite sure what the word ishorological means. The Truti (particle) is the smallest unit of duration. In modern terms it ranges anywhere between one ten thousand millionth of a second to one Kshan (moment). The Kshan (moment) loosely ranges from 2/45th of a second to about 4 seconds. The Nimesha/Mimisha (twinkling of an eye), which is the time taken for upward and downward movement of eyelid is equal to 4 kshanas. The lava (fraction) is the duration of a completed blink (i.e the time taken to shut completely and open the eyes) is equal to 8 kshanas. The taal (hand clap) ranges from one quarter to three quarter of a second. It is an extremely elastic phenomena depending on the intensity of clap.
All this seemed very excited to me for mainly two reasons. One, we could go beyond a second and accurately calculate the time taken by very real and common phenomena of blinking and clapping. And secondly, our research on time w.r.t to celestial movements. I guess the study of Indian astrology would be interesting.
By the way, since I'm writing this blog on the new year day I thought I would also mention that in many parts of India the year starts from Makar Sankranti, which this year would fall on 14th Jan.
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