Diary Entry

Posing

Greenery at the Ashram

On the second day, I had written an entry in my diary. That seems to be the best way to convey the effects environment can have.

Bangalore Ashram, 4th December 2007, 2.15pm

"The life in the Ashram seems like a dream, completely out of this world! Life is at a standstill, yet there is so much flow of energy.

Life is rarely ever so peaceful! Words like stress and tension simply vanish in this environment.
The food is so simple and yet so amazingly tasty! Whenever I am at a AOL centre/event, it has a very positive effect on my apetite. It is amazing the purifying effect the environment can have!

Kids playing at the grounds

Yesterday after dinner we saw a bunch of asamese kids playing at the grounds. These kids are fully sponsored by the institute. Their innocence combined with maturity is simply amazing. Lucky are those that get to growup in this environment!

There is an ayurvedic clinic, known as 'panchkarma centre' on the campus. The doctor practices 'Nari Pariksha' and diagnoses all ailments. Just by feeling your pulse he is able to determine the imbalances and suggest suitable remedy. He correctly diagnosed most of my problems. Also, the full body message and 'shirodhara' are just heavenly experiences! No one should miss them if they are visiting the place. The aurvedic medicines are made at a factory within the campus, and are sold at the aurvedic store. I am planning to try out his prescription. But he stressed that the most important was control over the diet. The 'do not take' list is a comprehensive list of all the stuff that I like to eat!! That might be a tad difficult! Though at this place, everything seems to be possible!

Today, after a long while my mind seems to be free from certain agitation and craving. Today is the start of a new beginning!"

Bengaluru - the Spiritual Centre

Do you believe that there can be a 'Heaven on Earth'? If not, you certainly need to visit the Art of Living ashram in Bangalore. Yes, it's that amazing! Situated roughly 15kms south of the city, on the way to Kanakpura, the Ashram sprawls over a wide expanse.

Vishalakshi Mantap - An architectural marvel!

The Amphitheatre as seen from VM

Initially, I had dreaded about getting bored staying in the Ashram by myself for two days. No course or any such activity was scheduled for that time, and at a place so far away from the city, I was quite worried about what I would do during the entire day. Things surely have a way of sorting out by themselves! Minutes after I entered the room alloted to me, I heard a taxi approaching. Somehow I knew that someone else was coming to this room, and yes, there was a knock. Initally both of us were confused as we weren't sure if we were supposed to share rooms. But then when we saw that the exact same room was alloted to us, and that there were multiple beds, we just accepted it. This guy was from Amritsar, and what was amazing was that he too came just to visit the Ashram for exactly those two days, and it was his first time at the ashram too! I have always been amazed by how quickly a bond of friendship can develop when people are thrown together in the same situation. Especially when there is something unknown to be faced. Both of us hit off quite well, and started to explore the campus.

The Panchkarma Centre (Ayrvedic centre)

The Ashram turned out to be a complete world in itself. The region is very hilly in nature. It is a marvel how the architecture has woven around the undulations of nature, rather than bulldoze the land according to requirement. There is an organic farm, and they provide free (or the costs are included in the lodging fee) meals 3 times a day to everyone in a huge canteen. There is a vedic school where the children learn about our ancient scriptures, and they are taught about other things in a modern board affiliated school. There are playgrounds, meditation centers, a privately run cafeteria, bookstore and a general store. There is also an aurvedic treatment centre, where the doctor practices 'naripariksha'.

There is a ATM and a travel services office, that can take care of all travel needs, including railway and flight reservations. There is also a branch of the software firm Sumeru, whose profits go towards the 5H program supported by AOL. The food, though purely vegetarian and 'sattvic' always tasted so good! The organic fruit juices available at the canteen is the purest and tastiest I've ever had.

VM at night - a sight to behold!

And there is the Vishalakshi Mantap, or VM as called by the ashramites. It is an architectural jewel, situated atop a hill. Shaped like a lotus, it has five levels of petals. The first two comprise the main meditation hall. The other levels are seperate halls, which can be used for several events at the same time. At night when the mantap is lit, it is simply out of this world! The sphere at the top etherially keeps changing colors. One has to see it to believe!

Assembling for the evening Satsang

We woke up at 5.30am, and went for the daily kriya at 6. Breakfast was served at 7.15am. On both days we went to the Panchkarma centre in the morning. There was a guided meditation at noon, and lunch was served aferwards. We took a hearly afternoon nap after that :) Evening began with another meditation session at 4pm. Before dinner we explored parts of the ashram, and browsed through the bookstore and the general store. Dinner was at 7.30 followed by satsang till 9pm. The evening satsang in VM was attended by all the people staying at the ashram, and was a wonderful exprience. I recognised some of the sigers there as the ones whose albums I saw at the bookstore! It was a melodious epiphany, complete with all sorts of musical instuments and drums. After such a climactic end to the day, we slept early at 10.

Bengaluru - the Silicon valley

Most of my batchmates are either located in one of the silicon valleys - bangalore or bay area. I meet the fellows over at CA quite frequently whenever I travel there. I had been out of touch with the others. The next day I met with three of them over lunch. Not everyone could come as they were not in town. For a varietly of reasons, I had the idea that those situated there are permanently settled. But I was proved wrong, with most of them talking about plans to shift to the US. It seems to me that in about a year or two, I will find my entire CS batch (including myself!) over there at the bay area :) This was rather surprising since life in Bangalore seemed pretty decent, the only gripe being the over-congested traffic. Still, the city seemed to have a better system of flyovers and traffic flow than Kolkata.

The desi version of Ferreo Rocher as seen at a store!

The grass does seem greener on the other side. I cannot deny that even after all the economy boom, the strengthening of rupee, it still pays more to work in the US. With prosperity, the prices of commodities has also risen sharply. Sure, if you have money you can live like a king, but you can't make that sort of money while staying here. The only possible way to buy a property in a good part of the city is to use dollar savings. Spending money has never been easier, with the prices touching direct conversion amounts from dollar. Staying at a place like this, it is quite natural to be tempted by opportunities to earn and save more. And going to US is a sure and easy way of doing that! Over there, as we mull on the possibilities of coming back to this place, the people here seems quite set to get there!

Bengaluru - the land of booze!

Now this friend of mine loves his lovely home so much, that he rarely likes to travel outside it. Hence, that evening I planned to meet up with a school friend of mine. He was one of my closest friends, but I haven't been much in contact with him for the last 8 years. Recently, through Orkut I got to know that he is situated in Bangalore. It was a reunion after a long time and both of us were quite excited at the first meeting. In fact, as soon as I got into his car, and he put it in reverse, he straight away banged into a Qualis parked behind! Unfortunately, the driver was sitting inside and he threatened to throw a brick at our car if we attempted to run away. We had to wait for a while, while the owner got done with his hair coloring in a salon. Fortunately the damage was just a dent, and he demanded a reasonable amount to repair it. My friend initially asked him to claim from insurance. He flatly refused and asked us to accompany him to the police station in case we refused to pay. I was quite confused by this, since in such a situation, claiming form the insurance is the most natural thing that comes to my mind. Later, what I discovered was that the concept of liability insurance just did not exist, atleast for automobiles. The most common form of insurance that people have is collision insurance, and in case of liability, you are supposed to pay from your own pocket. I am not sure what would have happened in case of extensive damage, but we finally paid the amount that he demanded.


We went straight to Forum, a big mall located in Koramangala. There we met up with another class friend of ours. We shared a few hours reminiscing about our old days. But, what we seemed to discuss more was about our careers. I had remarkably little to say, given that I am still following a linear line straight out of school. Their paths have been more dynamic. After his MBA, one of them completed his masters in aviation from London in eight months, while doing a part time job to sustain himself. Now back in Bangalore, he is a project manager at a software firm. The other friend had met his wife during training at TCS. Now married, both of them work for other companies!

The MG Rd - Brigade Rd crossing: Nightlife of Bangy

Bangalore known as the city of pubs, was true to its name to me. The first night we had a few bottles of foster. I met with a motley crowd of bengalees at his place and they refused to let me go home for the night. Initially there was much hushed discussion about what form of drink to get, because of the presence of a female. Once she left, the bottles came out, and the party began! This seemed in contrast to the states, where atleast talking about liquor is not taboo in front of females!

The burette of beer!

There was nothing remarkable on day 2. The evening was spent at a pub at the MG Road/Brigade Rd area. The drink was served in a tall tower somewhat resembling a burette from chemistry lab! It was a nice place with good ambience and crowd. We had a booking at a city restaurant for the night. We couldn't get a reservation at the best place that they recommended; it had to be booked days in advance!

I am back!

Finally got some rest after the hectic schedule of visiting three major cities in 10 days. All this while I had this guilt somewhere at the back of my mind of not working towards my research. The first thing that I did after getting back was to finish a fair bit of coding, and getting these red and black lined graphs as result!

The first set of results after a month!!

I've been meaning to write up my travel experiences, even before I started the journey. I was always trying to observe any noteworthy traits of the places that I happened to be. The itenary was mostly unplanned, calling up friends just before arrival and letting things flow from there. That sure caused some unexpected turns!

To put things in chronological order, I arrived in Bangalore on 7th December. Since it was a weekday, I had thought that everyone would be attending office, and I would be left to myself. But fortunately, the friend with whom I was staying, had taken leave on that day, and had come to the airport to pick me up. At my previous inquiry about the directions to his place, he had merely laughed at the proposition and had offered to pick me up. On the way to his home, I realized why. There is no call-taxi service that I am so familiar with in my city. Rather the autos are metered, and ply as taxis (In Kolkata, autos mostly ply on a shared basis at fixed rate on certain routes, much like the bus service). Most of them do not understand any non-local language, and it is near impossible to give them any complicated directions. Also, the roads there (atleast in that part of the city) are quite convoluted and confusing. My friend directed the auto driver with constant - righta, lefta, straighta and stop-mari. Fortunately his place wasn't far.

For my lunch, he offered to treat me to the authentic Andhra cuisine. He assured me that he has his regular lunch there. Before placing the order, he did warn me about the spice levels. But with me accustomed with ordering 8/9 and occasionally a 10 spice level at Indian restaurants in US, did not heed much to the warning. Oh, and how wrong I was! The dal itself had a spice level of 15 on my ordinary scale!! Not to mention about the spicy shrimp fry! Both of us had ordered thalis, and the yogurt gave me a little respite from this. Thus, I gained a newfound respect for the Andhra cuisine :)

The city of Joy!

When I started preparing for the journey home this time, I had a sense of trepidation. Three years is a long time by any count. And all the reports of India shining, developing faster than ever, had me convinced that I would have difficulty in recognizing the face of my home city!

On my way from the airport to home, I did notice some more concrete than what I remembered; a couple of more over-bridges... but, that was about it. The roads, the people, the cars, buses, autos, the canal... everything seemed exactly the same. Infact, the traffic seemed more unruly than ever! I told myself that maybe I'm looking at the wrong part of the city. Maybe much more has changed elsewhere. But, after several trips into the city, I'm yet to see any far-reaching change. I guess I had hoped for too much; three years is too short a time span for that!

I did realize something else while trying to discover the change around me. I noticed to my surprise that the change I'm searching for wasn't so much around me, as much as within me. A foul-smelling open dumpster, by the side of a major road. Crows, rats, cats, dogs and god knows what other creature feasting on it. Such a sight was never uncommon in the city. But the extreme reaction it elicited in me was surprising! Buses, taxis, autos have ever been unruly, aggressively inserting themselves in the tiniest of spaces. A taxi charged directly towards a cyclist, and at the last moment, the cyclist miraculously missed the vehicle by a few millimeters. And the driver was completely unfazed! It wasn't a mistake, it was just how things were.

Recently I had read in a regional newspaper that people in the city had become more aggressive and insensitive as a result of the fast paced growth. From whatever I could see in these few days, it seemed to be true. The leisurely pace of the city had been taken over by this giant machinery. As things have speeded up, so has the pace of life. No one wants to be left behind. People are quite sure that they are going. Going fast. I'm not sure if they know where!

After attending two weddings and receptions, there is a brief interlude before I go to Durgapur. Thereafter, I'll embark on a ten day journey to the three corners of the country. In hope of understanding more about my country. In an effort to reconnect to my roots. And evaluate everything around me, as well as within myself.

Sixth Day at the Land

25th Novenber 2007

These few days were spent in adjusting to the environment. The general nature of ill-maintenance was quite stark at start. The initial shock was fast transformed into acceptance and re-accostomization. The frequent excursions in these few days helped with it. I also spent considerable time evaluating the amount of transformation of my home city over these three years. Those thoughts for a later time!

Already I have been to the wedding and reception of two of my very close friends. The wedding was a rather small affair, with about 60-80 guests. Even the rituals were quite simplified, I guess in view of the fact that the groom is not a Hindu.

The Wedding

The reception on the other hand, was a gala event at a club of south kolkata. That such a big area existed within the city, was previously unknown to me!

The Reception Venue

At the reception, a friend of the groom, had just flown in from the bay area. He had a 12-hr halt at the thai airport, and the lounge being under construction! He had apparently spent the day in shopping for his wedding (in another week), and then had come for the event. After all this, he looked quite as fresh as anyone else! I could not imagine myself doing so, jet-lag and tiredness would surely take its toll. Some people are quite insensitive to the amount of sleep and tiredness.. I envy them!

I had to take the Metro for both the events. The good old Metro, which was my daily transportation for more than three years. Those carefree school days! Seems like another lifetime.

10pm, Same day

... One more hurdle crossed! I had heard horror stories about JFK international.. and was mentally prepared for it. But even then the sheer complexity and confusion had me for a ride! If it is possible to get completely lost at an airport, it is right here.. the security personell are not too helpful either, I guess they get tired of continuously directing lost souls.

The security queue was quite long, with a shrill periodic reminder of our 'middle class' nature - 'business and first class passengers, over here please!' Something that amazes me at airports, and especially here at NYC, the center of the world, of how such a diverse and diverging population converge into this cesspool. The 4 yr old crying on seperation from a dear one, the 'carrie-miranda-charlotte-samantha' of NYC bothered by it, the teenager on cellphone and the elderly just hoping that the line would end.

There is a gradual transformation in the nature of crowd as I progress towards my destination. Already at the emirates gate here at JFK, the proportion of Inidans are in a majority, rather an overwhelming majority. Even the ratio of bengalees seems to have grown significantly. I dread that the last leg is going to be them exclusively. Although most of my friends with whom I am comfortable are from the region, but for some reason, the 'typical' probashi bengalee causes an allergic reaction in me. I guess its just the over-importance of self that we typically possess.. I have to get used to it soon!

The general energy levels at airports usually are very low.. most people are concerned about the journey, hoping for a smooth ride. Some are engrossed in the things that they leave behind, and others in the thoughts of things to come. Very few, if any, are present at the scene. Except for the children. The children are liveliest here. Freed from the cramping confines on-board, they give full vent to their energy. It clashes starkly with the sombre thoughts of the 'grown-ups'.

I am about to leave the american soil in a couple of hours. The bindings to this land pull me hard, I just have to break them without looking back. I had come to this new land to find a new beginning.. feels like the circle has come around, with me looking forward to a new adventure ahead!

Start of a Journey

18th Noveber 2007

I've been meaning to start this for a couple of days now.. but with all the pre-travel blues, this is the first time I am actually free enough to just sit and write.

Currently 5pm, Nov 18th at the Pittsburgh international airport.. waiting for the delta flight to JFK. All my initial concerns turned out to be baseless, the baggages got checked in fine.. had to do a minor adjustment, transferring some stuff to the carry-on. Thankfully, I did not have to take the heartbreaking decision of choosing which gift to leave behind!

Sitting at the terminal, I feel an unusual floating sensation. Wafts from my earlier identity seeping in.. thoughts and events that had turned so bleak and insignificant through these three long years, are claiming their identity once more. The indian grad student at cmu seems to gradually dissolve as the foreign staying son of proud parents comes into focus.

At this moment I'm acutely feeling how roots grow at a place. Over these years, I've become completely accustomed to calling this city my home. Now it feels like I'm moving away from home, away to a another home. All that might change in the first few days, but i'm making no assumptions.

I have read blogs recounting the experiences of visiting India. But all were westerner's view of our 'exotic' country. I'm about to embark on a journey to rediscover. Stay tuned to to follow me through the myrad expression that is India, my home.