The Englishman who went up the hill but came down a mountain

At 1:30 in the night what on earth prompted me to open my laptop and pen down my thoughts? It is this movie "The englishman who went up the hill but came down a mountain".
Summary: Two English cartographers visit the small South Wales village of Ffynnon Garw, to measure what is claimed to be the "first mountain inside of Wales". It's 1917, and the war in Europe continues. The villagers are very proud of their "mountain", and are understandably dissapointed and furious to find that it is in fact a "hill". Not to be outwitted by a rule (and the Englishmen who enforce it), the villagers set out to make their hill into a mountain, but to do so they must keep the English from leaving, before the job is done. http://www.blogger.com/www.imdb.com/title/tt0112966/plotsummary


The movie captures emotions around some things which seem to be very trivial otherwise. It shows how the locals develop a bonding and take pride in the some objects in their surroundings. How those objects become the identity for those people and what those people are willing to do preserve their identity. Perhaps the movie isnt among most touching stories that one can come across. But the innocense of the characters definitely captures the attention.

The characters struggle to live with conflicting emotions, between priciples and practicalities, between cheating and honesty, in order to achieve a task that would restore their common identity. And to do so, they raise a hill to a mountain. To this day, according to the movie, it is a ritual in this village for the villagers and the tourist alike to take mud to the top of the mountain and preserve height of the mountain. Legends are thus created. It also symbolizes that it only take that little extra mile to make it big. Cute movie. worth a watch.

Bargaining

Here is an interesting conversation I had with a fruit vendor this evening while bargaining for Oranges. (excuse me for the ban Hindi)
Me: संतरे कितने के है भैय्या
Vendor: बीस के चार
My wife: आअह!! इतना मंहगा ?? ( like she would get an oscar for such a natural expression of shock )
Vendor: मैडम आजकल बहुत मेहेंगाई बढ़ गई है
My wife: क्यों किस शुभ अवसर पर?
Me: दिवाली की वजह से। (oh yeah the inflation and stuff is all crap. only for the new channels TRPs)
Vendor: हाँ सर दिवाली के वजह से ही मेहेंगे है
Me: तोह भाई चलो फिर कल ही आतें है। कल येही संतरे बीस के पाँच मिलेंगे।
Vendor: हांन सर। कल आयेंगे तोह बिल्कुल बीस के चार मिलेंगे
Me: अब आपने सोछी लिया है तोह क्यों न आज ही पाँच देदो। हमारा एक चक्कर बच जायेगा।
Vendor: ठीक है।
Happy customer walking away with 5 oranges.

We move on to the next vendor
Me: संतरे कितने पे दोगे?
Vendor 2: बीस के तीन.
Am I happy or what? first time in Mumbai I felt like a shaana. My wife so proud of me :p

Mobile - an update

Rockrider reporting from Mumbai. Yes, Mumbai. Before I moved into this city, I heard a lot of this place. Some have kept me thinking if I should ever move to this city. Some other compelled to move. And after coming here, there was never a time that was less action packed. More on that later. I have a few thoughts to share. But before I did any of that, here is a sequel to my last blog 'Mobile phone?'.

In the period between March 08 and now, I have changed two companies. I am currently working for a firm which has strict norms about information security. No laptops. No ipods. No mobiles with cameras or with storing devices. (You may now want to go back and read the earlier blog). So much for all that running around for a mobile that would live up to the times. I am going back to my old ugly looking mobile which I saved for no good reason. Life goes in circles... I guess.

Mobile phone?

It has been nearly 4 years now since I am using my mobile phone. It was one of the cheapest models available at that time. The sole purpose was to be able to speak to my girl friend, who is my wife now, for prolonged hours. The phone I bought was a basic model 'armed' with a mono colour display, a key pad that had given my finger more pain than my keyboard and a sliver body harder than hammer.


When you live with things, with or without life, for a long time you grow and affection towards them. More so with few among them like a pets, clothes, mobile phones which have become a part of life. And when they near their life, you start forgiving their behavoir/misbehavoir. Consider my phone for example. It has a weak batter, the body paint chipped out, worn out key pad and out of fashion. Perhaps only 1 out of 2 people trying to call me can get through. To the extent my sister and my wife conspired to part me with the phone perhaps by throwing it under a bus.


Once when I was in the queue for security check in the Delhi domestic airport, the guard frisked with metal detector. I switched off the phone believing it is the protocol. The guard noticed my phone, took it in his hand and switched it on and waited patiently till it turned on. Then he looked at my face and exclaimed "yeh chalta hai" (this one works!!!). Despite that humiliation, I continued to use it for many more months



But then all good things have to go. And so will my mobile phone. So I went on a mobile search. Expectedly I had a budget which was around 10 grands. The first shop I reached was "reliance web world". I told the man at the counter to show me the options. I was asked to show the handset I am currently using. I showed him the one I am using which was breathing its last breath. Then the man said "there are two options 777 and 1331". "what is the price of each?" was my obvious question. "777 and 1331" came an instant reply. I clarified myself once again this time with a stress on the word "price". "sir, the price is 777 and 1331". Evidently the man, after looking at the old mobile, guessed I should be give options with are the cheapest. I quickly made an exit

Lesson 1: Mobile indicates something more than the fact that you are connected

I moved to the next store. This time I went on to look at the GSM mobiles. Once in the shop I was overwhelmed by the choices one have. Technologies like bluetooth, 3G, high capacity memory etc... Added to that I there are N number of companies. Some often heard of and some never heard of. Okay by now my head started spinning.

Lesson 2: Technology is moving too fast. If you are not updated catching up is a headache

So I decided to move to a company outlet, hoping that the choice will be less to choose from. The store attendant approached me. From my previous experience realized that I should be telling the person what the price range is before he asks me to show masterpiece I owned. After that the sales person asked a question that I was not ready for.... "What do you want in your mobile phone". For heaven's sake what kind of question is that? My phone doesnt work as it should be. It is more mobile than a phone.

But this time I did not want to sound like I have come from the Ice age. So I thought for a while and told him, that I need a phone which can play good music and has a decent camera. After browsing through the catalogue I ended up buying a Nokia 5610. Tested it in the shop before I took it. All is well.

The next day I bought an Airtel connection and was in high spirits returning home. And why will I not be, a brand new mobile phone, with a red and black graphics, a built in walkman sort of (yeah I am from Ice age) and a camera with a flash. Then I made my first call to my mother. The call wont go thru... Called up again.. aaahaa!!! no way. Low signal. I go to the window put my hand outside to see that the reception is better. Placed a call and put the phone in loud speaker mode. There it is... okay the phone works good

Except, for the people looking at me, I must be looking like an ape in the zoo trapped behind the grill. with a banana in its hand sticking out thru the grill.

Recession vs Depression.

One has to understand the definition. The word recession is intimidating. Yet the fact that US has undergone nearly 10 recessions in little over half a decade indicates that it is an over hyped ghost that the media has projected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recession
vs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression

If you look at the link below (debt), it's a dejavu. Debt may not be the single factor to a recession/depression. The US govt announcing the interest rate cuts to propel spending and boost liquidity, history says it shows a short-term growth. The short term activity of spending due to interest rate cuts have long term implications like the Sub Prime crisis US is witnessing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression#Debt

Many argue about decoupling theory. Decoupling or not, it is imperative that countries like India should look at alternative markets. It is like you invest in the share market, you will want to distribute your risk across your portfolio. Following is indeed one option.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Bharat_could_save_India_from_US_recession/articleshow/2667404.cms

The years that were

It was sometime in the mid eighties. We lived in a rented house which had 5 rooms in a line like the 5 bogies of a train. The first, facing the main road, was given to a person to be used as a cement godown. We lived in 4 rooms. Ours was the first house in street coming from the main road.

The street on one side had the compound wall of a huge building which hosted the State Bank of India. On the other side of the street were houses of all sizes and shapes. My house had a cement slab. Further into the street, were houses with slant roofs covered with palm leaves. The street had two more narrow lanes giving access to more homes. Only one of the buildings in the entire was two storied. The street ended at a point where it opened into vast fields. These fields still remain in the heart of the City.

There were about 20 household that this street had a access to. Most of them had a kid or two. So by the evening, the street was filled with children screaming, running or playing on the street. In the middle of street was Municipal tap where all the women got together to fill their pots in the evening. Next to the that tap was a thick bush with colorful flowers. We made a hideout among the bushes. It is like a miniature jungle. Mostly the boys territory.

One of my favorite toys is a cycle tyre. yes.. the life-size, slim Altas or Hero rubber tyre. It was a race, keeping the tyre rolling (like it does when fit to a bicycle) with a stick and running behind the tyre. After the dawn, is the time for "ice spies"(what we used to call it). Games went on till about 8pm, which is dinner time. I would slip into a dream world by the time it is 9pm. So my mother had just an hr before she fed me and get my homework done.

There was hut at centre of the street. This was an empty hut and was used by a lecturer to take tuitions for college going students. After 7:30 it was another place used for hiding during our hide and seek games. One evening there was huge vehicle that came to the street. The noise it made was frightening. I could hear it from distance. The sound wasn't from its engine. The Vehicle had another exhaust which was emitting dense smoke. The smell was unmistakable. The smoke had poisonous gases. Someone out there is planning to invade our world. I quickly rush into the hut and close the door.

The sound of smoke emitting monster is getting bigger. It is moving very slowly. As if it is looking for victims. My mom is safe in my house. My little brother is safe with her. My sister has gone for tuitions. And my father hasn’t come back from office. If only I can hide myself from this monster, I can see them again. The sound becomes bigger as if the monster was near the hut and is trying to peep into the hut for me. The smoke is leaking from the slits of the door. The odor is pungent. I just hope other friends are mine have found similar hideout.

Then the monster moves further. I guess it was convinced that there is no one in the hut. Or perhaps it has found some other. But the smoke it has left will remain for a while. I waited patiently till I was sure that the monster has left the street. I made a double check that the smoke has also subsided. Then I open the door and rush to my mother to narrate the story of my survival.

I was 5 years old then. A few year later when I came to know the truth about the monster, I could only pity those student who probably were cursing the municipal corporation for its failure to control the mosquito population. Thanks to me, who unknowingly saved the day for a zillion mosquitoes secretly hiding along with me in the hut.

Confessions of a linguistic convert

Introduction: I am a born Telugu, studied in a place where Hindi is most prominently spoken, married to a lady whose linguistic roots come from Punjab, currently working in a Marathi speaking place, working on software written by the French and working for an English(American) company.

Ohh.... As complicated as it may sound, I must say it is not a rare sight, people like me. Born in India more than half a billion have to face more than one language sometime or the other during their lifetime. And you walk into Switzerland, one is confused between 3 languages. Or so I was told. Then what prompts me to write this?

It has been over 8 years since I left the state I was born in, in search of a career which had taken me to different corner of the country. And the journey is so far so good. No complaints. And in the journey I found my soul mate or she found me (a long story). Since the time I stepped into the campus of IITKanpur, and to this day, Hindi has been the primary language of conversation. From the time I would try hard to make a sentence to this day where my sentences come in a flow except for the Gender recognition, I have come a long way. The fact that I speak Hindi or think in Hindi or for that matter at times have dreams in which I am conversing in Hindi show how well I have adapted to it. Okay no more blowing my trumpet.

Few days back I saw a Telugu movie made in mid 90's. Those who know the Telugu cinema industry even a wee bit, would know K Vishwanath. The man is well known for his choice of stories which rotate around various forms of art. Also the scripts come with beautiful and artful language. The kind the current generation has only seen in textbooks. The dialogues in his cinema flow like poetry. The one that I saw happens to be of a very talented young classical singer whose career and life meet an unfortunate fate with jealousy showing its worst colours in the face of his guru.

In a certain sequence the kid requests the Guru to be, to accept him as his disciple. He compares the Guru to lord Shiva and asks him to bless him in well worded lyrics describing the guru and his appearance as Lord Shiva. The words reminded me of my school days when I thoroughly enjoyed learning the grammar of Telugu. I performed far better in Telugu than in Hindi or English as I enjoyed the language just I did Mathematics. The movie made me fall in love with the language again.

I do not mean to say that there is no beauty in other languages. Just that flow of memories made me wonder for once if I ever came across such grace in any other language. Well the answer is simple. I never took any opportunity to explore any other language as I explored Telugu. Perhaps I will never get the time to in future as well. But when I come to a phase in my life where I have all the leisure in the world, this would be one thing I would want to do. Enjoy the literature!! And by that time I may have come across a dozen languages. But something tells me that nothing would be taste as sweet as ones mother tongue, Telugu in my case.