Wherever you hear about 'India Shining' campaign these days, every columnist or speaker mentions the sprawling malls in metros, youth attending hip parties, pubs, buying branded clothes and accessories. Along with the note of increased confidence in today's youth, they also do not forget to mention their fat pay packages, how their first salary is often greater than their dad's last salary, how they are using this money to party, buy luxury items etc etc. Change is lifestyle and increase in consumption are being touted as signs of development. Studies are also showing that people in general, especially youth are flocking cities and changing their lifestyles. And that People are crisscrossing countries and wherever there is an opportunity, our generation is ready to lap it up.
All well and good. It is great to see the influence of India increase om the comity of world nations. It is great to know that the current generation is enjoying their lives to the fullest and is helpful in reducing so many ills that pervade in our country. Its good to know that people are earning more and average purchasing power of Indian is increasing, however seeing all the signs of development praised in the media one question comes to mind "Is westernization same as modernization?, Is development nothing but westernization?"
why no body ever mentions what all it costs us at personal level and to some extent at social level.
For example all those who grow up in cities and craving for a holiday abroad, or those who migrated to greener pastures abroad,may enjoy the sights of european country sides, will they ever come to know of the beautiful countrysides of India, which they never saw. Won't they miss coconut groves of Kerala, Nilgiris of TN, lush paddy fields of Konaseema AP, rocky wonders of deccan plateau, ghats of Khandala, sand dunes of Rajasthan, thick mangroves of central India, majesty of himalayas etc.
There are countless villages, hamlets,hills, lakes, valleys, streams which are yet to find the beholder of their beauties. Meanwhile their much publicized western counterparts get all the credit for their beauty and siphon off all the money in the name of tourism.
Those who lick their tongues at the mention of italian, mexican or chinese cuisines, will they ever get to explore the gamut of cuisines offered by the states of India often varying from region to region, district to district? For instance I know atleast 6 distinct styles of cooking in my home state alone. But will these cuisines ever get so much of popularity when queues are heading to the western cuisines? Are these western cuisines popular because of their taste alone or because of the media image built up so that anyone who eats them immediately becomes a part of NewGen?
It is hard to find so called NewGen people these days, who celebrate a Ugadi or a GudiPadua or a Sankranthi with as much pomp and fervour as they celebrate a New years day or a valentine's day. Thanks to the popular cinema with loads of EQ(emotional quotient)in it, somethings like Holi, Rakhi are still popular. Celebrating anything else is so OUT of fashion, that we may loose tons of heritage and culture in the process.
Likewise speaking one's mother tongue is OUT, speaking a language mixed with English as main ingredient, decent sprinkle of french/spanish and an Indian language for garnish is so IN
Hearing folk or light classical is OUT, rock or rap is IN
Shopping at the bylane grocery store or a village fair is OUT,shopping malls are IN
There are many more to list but at the end of it Iam not saying that everything that is IN is bad and everything that is OUT is good, all Iam worried is the GenNext is going to miss all the positives of the things that are being pushed OUT, thus it will be their loss at personal level. The loss of centuries old culture, traditions, heritage etc is the loss of the society.
Again I get this question in mind,
"Is westernization same as modernization?, Is development nothing but westernization?"
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Friday, 20 July 2007
Sample Swiss itinerary and some tips
Here is the itinerary we followed, when we visited Switzerland from UK. Its perfect for a break of 5/6 days. Its against the logic of a conventional budget tourist who takes up cheap flights between Luton/Stanstead and Geneva. But point to be noted is the low cost airlines saves money only if you fly early in the morning eitherway.
For this you have to reach Luton the previous night and secondly you have to start touring as soon as you reach Switzerland which is again tiresome. This is the disadvantages of your TO Journey. In your return journey a morning flight means that you have to take an extra day off from work. so keeping in view all this we have planned it such that we fly at convenient timings and we have a night's sleep before starting the actual tour and an extra day off from work is not required. Thus our plan originates from Zurich. Likewise conventional tourists went for random hotels and B&Bs at different places, I went for Ibis which is budget class, but a global chain with very good uniform standards all over. Many of my friends found the following itinerary very helpful. You can alter it as per your requirements.
Day 0:
Departure at 7:45PM
London City Airport to Zurich, Airfrance by CityJet
Arrival in Zurich 10:30 PM local time
Out in 15mins Checkin to Zurich hotel and go to bed
We stayed in Ibis hotel, Zurich city west
Day 1:
Zurich local sightseeing, Lake Zurich, Rhine falls etc
A Zurich day pass would do
Evening return to hotel
Day 2:
Buy a 4 day swiss travel pass.
Checkout Hotel and leave for Luzern (50min Journey)
Checkin Luzern hotel by Noon
Mount Pilatus( which involves the so called Golden round trip) (half-day would do if based in Luzern)
We stayed in Hotel Ibis, Kriens
Day 3:
Luzern to Engelberg (1 hour picturesque journey)
Mount Titlis (lots of snowy slopes here for snow sliding, playing , ice flier etc)
Return to Luzern
Day 4:
Luzern to Interlaken (2 hour very picturesque journey)
Interlaken to Jungfraujoch via Lauterbrunnen (2 hour very picturesque journey, involves mountain rail, stops for view points etc)
1-2 hours time to spend on Jungfrau, glacier, snow capped peaks, Indian food etc.
Return all the way back to Luzern this time via Grindelwald - again picturesque journey
Day 5:
Luzern local sight seeing. Old bridge, lion monument, Lake luzern etc
Evening Go to Zurich, Zurich to London city flight at 7PM, arrival in London by 8PM local time.
Some useful tips:
1) Zurich airport to Hotel Ibis city west (if this is the one you have booked) should not cost more than 50 to 60 Swiss Francs (CHF). Have printed copies of all your hotel reservations.
2) Zurich Hardbruckee is the station nearest to the Hotel Ibis. Take a printout of the map from google. Eventhough it is near, if you start walking in the opposite direction you may loose track.
3) Swiss rail passes and day travel passes will not be available in Zurich Hardbruckee. so you may have to buy a ticket in ticket machine just for 2or 3 CHF to go to Zurich main station, called Zurich HB (next stop itself)
4) By the time you check-in to the hotel on Day 0, it might be 11PM +. At this time you may not get anything else other than a sandwich. so if you wish, you can carry something for dinner.
5) Swiss rail passes will be available in Zurich HB (Zurich haupt bahnof). They require your passport to issue rail pass. so don't forget it.
6) Be familiar with some common terminology like bahnof - station, HB - Main station, gleis - platform, apotheke - Pharmacy
7) In Luzern if Ibis, Kriens is your hotel, then note that from Luzern you have to take trains going to Giswil and get down at first stop Kriens Matenhof (3 to 5 mins) from Luzern. Note that even though trains destined to Engelberg or Interlaken pass through the same station, they won't stop at Kriens. However some late night fast services do stop at Kriens.
8) Take a printout of the route from Kriens station to Hotel Ibis. Again its easy to be confused and walk almost in opposite direction. It should not take more than 10mins by walk.
9) There is a MacD near the Ibis, Kriens. Hence you will get something to eat till late
10) Migros and Co-op are the supermarket stores which you will find all across Luzern, Zurich etc. One is right below the Luzern station. Will be useful if you have to buy any necessities, baby foods etc.
11) All mountains Pilatus, Titlis etc have multiple levels and rope cars stop at each level. so don't get too engaged at intermediate levels, as the highest level is what one is looking for.
12) For all mountain trips you have to buy tickets separately even though you have a Swiss rail pass. The pass will entitle you a discount of 50%.
13) Interlaken station has a enquiry centre on PF1. They will give you a nice train schedule to go up to Jungfrau and return.
14) There is an ice flyer at Titlis, don't miss it. But with babies one must be very careful, because other than a metal rod there is no other restraint while the flyer goes over the glacier.
15) Apart from your cards, have some cash in swiss francs with you. Will be useful for miscellaneous expenses.
16) Regarding food, non-vegetarians anyway have no problems. For vegetarians, eventhough not listed most pizza corners will prepare a vegetarian pizza for you if you ask for it. Other options are a falafelle(salad wrap) or a veg burger (in MacD).
For this you have to reach Luton the previous night and secondly you have to start touring as soon as you reach Switzerland which is again tiresome. This is the disadvantages of your TO Journey. In your return journey a morning flight means that you have to take an extra day off from work. so keeping in view all this we have planned it such that we fly at convenient timings and we have a night's sleep before starting the actual tour and an extra day off from work is not required. Thus our plan originates from Zurich. Likewise conventional tourists went for random hotels and B&Bs at different places, I went for Ibis which is budget class, but a global chain with very good uniform standards all over. Many of my friends found the following itinerary very helpful. You can alter it as per your requirements.
Day 0:
Departure at 7:45PM
London City Airport to Zurich, Airfrance by CityJet
Arrival in Zurich 10:30 PM local time
Out in 15mins Checkin to Zurich hotel and go to bed
We stayed in Ibis hotel, Zurich city west
Day 1:
Zurich local sightseeing, Lake Zurich, Rhine falls etc
A Zurich day pass would do
Evening return to hotel
Day 2:
Buy a 4 day swiss travel pass.
Checkout Hotel and leave for Luzern (50min Journey)
Checkin Luzern hotel by Noon
Mount Pilatus( which involves the so called Golden round trip) (half-day would do if based in Luzern)
We stayed in Hotel Ibis, Kriens
Day 3:
Luzern to Engelberg (1 hour picturesque journey)
Mount Titlis (lots of snowy slopes here for snow sliding, playing , ice flier etc)
Return to Luzern
Day 4:
Luzern to Interlaken (2 hour very picturesque journey)
Interlaken to Jungfraujoch via Lauterbrunnen (2 hour very picturesque journey, involves mountain rail, stops for view points etc)
1-2 hours time to spend on Jungfrau, glacier, snow capped peaks, Indian food etc.
Return all the way back to Luzern this time via Grindelwald - again picturesque journey
Day 5:
Luzern local sight seeing. Old bridge, lion monument, Lake luzern etc
Evening Go to Zurich, Zurich to London city flight at 7PM, arrival in London by 8PM local time.
Some useful tips:
1) Zurich airport to Hotel Ibis city west (if this is the one you have booked) should not cost more than 50 to 60 Swiss Francs (CHF). Have printed copies of all your hotel reservations.
2) Zurich Hardbruckee is the station nearest to the Hotel Ibis. Take a printout of the map from google. Eventhough it is near, if you start walking in the opposite direction you may loose track.
3) Swiss rail passes and day travel passes will not be available in Zurich Hardbruckee. so you may have to buy a ticket in ticket machine just for 2or 3 CHF to go to Zurich main station, called Zurich HB (next stop itself)
4) By the time you check-in to the hotel on Day 0, it might be 11PM +. At this time you may not get anything else other than a sandwich. so if you wish, you can carry something for dinner.
5) Swiss rail passes will be available in Zurich HB (Zurich haupt bahnof). They require your passport to issue rail pass. so don't forget it.
6) Be familiar with some common terminology like bahnof - station, HB - Main station, gleis - platform, apotheke - Pharmacy
7) In Luzern if Ibis, Kriens is your hotel, then note that from Luzern you have to take trains going to Giswil and get down at first stop Kriens Matenhof (3 to 5 mins) from Luzern. Note that even though trains destined to Engelberg or Interlaken pass through the same station, they won't stop at Kriens. However some late night fast services do stop at Kriens.
8) Take a printout of the route from Kriens station to Hotel Ibis. Again its easy to be confused and walk almost in opposite direction. It should not take more than 10mins by walk.
9) There is a MacD near the Ibis, Kriens. Hence you will get something to eat till late
10) Migros and Co-op are the supermarket stores which you will find all across Luzern, Zurich etc. One is right below the Luzern station. Will be useful if you have to buy any necessities, baby foods etc.
11) All mountains Pilatus, Titlis etc have multiple levels and rope cars stop at each level. so don't get too engaged at intermediate levels, as the highest level is what one is looking for.
12) For all mountain trips you have to buy tickets separately even though you have a Swiss rail pass. The pass will entitle you a discount of 50%.
13) Interlaken station has a enquiry centre on PF1. They will give you a nice train schedule to go up to Jungfrau and return.
14) There is an ice flyer at Titlis, don't miss it. But with babies one must be very careful, because other than a metal rod there is no other restraint while the flyer goes over the glacier.
15) Apart from your cards, have some cash in swiss francs with you. Will be useful for miscellaneous expenses.
16) Regarding food, non-vegetarians anyway have no problems. For vegetarians, eventhough not listed most pizza corners will prepare a vegetarian pizza for you if you ask for it. Other options are a falafelle(salad wrap) or a veg burger (in MacD).
Thursday, 19 July 2007
Presidential Polls in India
Witnessing the current presidential polls in India, lots of things come to mind both about the system of election as well as the kind of candidates it brings in.
Firstly How will a person elected as president on the mercy of a political party act independently when he has to make important future constitutional decisions involving the fate of such party? Doesn't this seem to be the biggest flaw in electing our sovereign in India by indirect election rather than a direct election?
Here president is drawing power from one or more political parties. Will s/he show gratitude and accountability to them or to the people of India? Agreed that the MPs and MLAs themselves are elected by people so indirectly their choice represents the choice of people. But this to some extent is OK if parliament,assembly and presidential elections are synchronized. But as it is happening now, a president is chosen by MPs and MLAs elected some 2/3/4 years ago, by now some or all of them would have become so unpopular that an immediate election now makes them all to lose elections. But still they get to choose the president anulling the pretext that presidential election reflects people's choice.
Secondly what kind of candidates crop up in the current system of presidential polls? Candidates whose names are unknown to most people of the country !!!, assuming they are well known all over the country what is thier position/opinion on the issues that matter? Do they have enough insight to steer presidential duties etc, how will a common man come to know the calibure , ideological standings, intellectual capabilities etc of a person who is going to be their sovereign?
If a person who is about to retire or had already retired is made the incharge of a nation, what active interest and "attached" responsibility will s/he take in discharding presidential duties. Wouldn't he or she be detached and aloof if they have no future career? Assuming they have a future career, given the method of election wouldn't they be indebted to people who will possibly rehabilitate him/her after the tenure?
At the end, all of you can say, who cares, president is anyways a rubber stamp in India, its an altogether different matter but according to Rajinder Puri's article in Outlook a week or two weeks ago, even constitutionally also president need not be a rubber stamp if he s/he chooses not to be.
Firstly How will a person elected as president on the mercy of a political party act independently when he has to make important future constitutional decisions involving the fate of such party? Doesn't this seem to be the biggest flaw in electing our sovereign in India by indirect election rather than a direct election?
Here president is drawing power from one or more political parties. Will s/he show gratitude and accountability to them or to the people of India? Agreed that the MPs and MLAs themselves are elected by people so indirectly their choice represents the choice of people. But this to some extent is OK if parliament,assembly and presidential elections are synchronized. But as it is happening now, a president is chosen by MPs and MLAs elected some 2/3/4 years ago, by now some or all of them would have become so unpopular that an immediate election now makes them all to lose elections. But still they get to choose the president anulling the pretext that presidential election reflects people's choice.
Secondly what kind of candidates crop up in the current system of presidential polls? Candidates whose names are unknown to most people of the country !!!, assuming they are well known all over the country what is thier position/opinion on the issues that matter? Do they have enough insight to steer presidential duties etc, how will a common man come to know the calibure , ideological standings, intellectual capabilities etc of a person who is going to be their sovereign?
If a person who is about to retire or had already retired is made the incharge of a nation, what active interest and "attached" responsibility will s/he take in discharding presidential duties. Wouldn't he or she be detached and aloof if they have no future career? Assuming they have a future career, given the method of election wouldn't they be indebted to people who will possibly rehabilitate him/her after the tenure?
At the end, all of you can say, who cares, president is anyways a rubber stamp in India, its an altogether different matter but according to Rajinder Puri's article in Outlook a week or two weeks ago, even constitutionally also president need not be a rubber stamp if he s/he chooses not to be.
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Witness
It is said that the best way to curse a person is to wish him "May you live in interesting times". I do not know how far we are cursed or blessed but we are living in very interesting times indeed.
Thousands of 'interesting' things, both pleasant and unpleasant, are happening all around at any given point of time. Whatever the happening might be, be it Social, political, geographical, economical, personal, physical, emotional, spiritual or mundane incident, however lasting its impression on our minds might be, it is certain that the moment we come to know of it certain ripples of thought are created in the otherwise peaceful ocean of mind.
Usually in serene times one will have all the time in the world to capture and reflect on the throughts before the ripple dies down. But this is the age where in, the only comparison to state of mind is, a pond where a thousand kids are having stone pelting competition. So best place to capture the ripple is immediately after a stone is pelted.
Here I go, putting in my two cents of worth for some of the stones pelted into my sea of thought.
Thousands of 'interesting' things, both pleasant and unpleasant, are happening all around at any given point of time. Whatever the happening might be, be it Social, political, geographical, economical, personal, physical, emotional, spiritual or mundane incident, however lasting its impression on our minds might be, it is certain that the moment we come to know of it certain ripples of thought are created in the otherwise peaceful ocean of mind.
Usually in serene times one will have all the time in the world to capture and reflect on the throughts before the ripple dies down. But this is the age where in, the only comparison to state of mind is, a pond where a thousand kids are having stone pelting competition. So best place to capture the ripple is immediately after a stone is pelted.
Here I go, putting in my two cents of worth for some of the stones pelted into my sea of thought.
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