Govinda Govinda

Tirupati is a small town in Andhra Pradesh in the South Eastern part of Great India. Here resides Lord Venkateshwara, an incarnation of Vishnu. According to the Hindu Mythology, Lord Venkateshwara was angry with his beloved wife Padmavathi and took seven giant steps back which became 7 hills. It is well known as Tirumala. There is a beautiful temple for the Lord which is decorated with with Golden Dome (Gopura). People throng to see this temple and have a darshan (view) of the lord. For ages, people have been coming in millions to visit this temple. He is considered as Kaliyuga Daiva (God of this new age). It is said that this temple is second richest in this world in terms of revenue.

People come here with utmost devotion (bhakti) and worship the lord. It is believed that he grants all the wishes that one may have. Of course this will continue for a long time to come. The scenario has changed nowadays. Couple of years ago, there was an assassination attempt on former chief minister of AP, Chandrababu Naidu. The temple authorities have enforced strict security in and around the temple premises since then. It all starts at the bottom of the hill. All vehicles heading towards Tirumala have to undergo rigorous security check. You feel that you are visiting the Prime Minister of India and not to see the idol of the lord. Security officers come with metal detectors and check on individual basis. This is the first step. At the main entrance of the temple (Mahadwaram), you will notice security guards armed with guns. There are sand bags laid out here and there and officers keep a vigilant eye on the proceedings. It gives a feel that the devotees are walking through a battlefield. Finally, there are X-Ray scanners to check the contents of the hand bag inside the temple.

Due to the exponential increase in the devotees visiting the temple year after year, the temple authorities have come up with a scheme of issuing tokens mentioning the date and time for darshan. It reminds me of taking an appointment with a VIP. An image of the finger print and a photo of the individual is taken while issuing the tokens. Don't be surprised if a retina scan is made in the near future. This is done to prevent sale of tickets unofficially.

With all this commotion and chaos, does bhakti (devotion) still sustain in people? Only time will tell.

Welcome to India

Finally, my long wait to see my family was over. It was time I packed my bags and left for India, my Motherland. I was very excited and eager to land in my hometown, Bangalore. It all started at 5:30 AM when I took the taxi from Amstelveen to Schiphol Airport. The taxi driver dressed very neatly approached me with a smile and wished me good morning. When I reached the
airport, he showed absolute courtesy and wished me a pleasant journey. It was a feel good factor. I went straight ahead to the check in counter where a beautiful lady with a smile took in my luggage and checked in. I could see smiles everywhere right from the security check to the cabin crew in the flight. For even once did I have a feeling that I was passing through rigorous securitycheck. After a long wait at the terminal, I was in the flight with a long
curve on my face. Two hours later I reached Paris. I was amazed with the way the airport is built. It was a gigantic. I literally took a bus to reach the terminal where my connecting flight was waiting. At the immigration counter, a Frenchman greeted saying "Vanakkam". He could close his eyes and tell that I was an Indian. I boarded the flight to Bangalore. My pulse was racing and I was literally counting the hours left for reaching my destination.

I landed in Bangalore at 30 minutes past midnight. Now comes the interesting part. The aircraft had to wait in the service lane since the terminal was occupied by another flight. We had to wait almost 30 min before we could hit the terminal. Finally, I came out of the aircraft and was really excited to get out of the airport and head towards home. The entire scenario changes when you reach India. People are no more friendly, there is so much chaos around you, rude immigration officers and confusion. I came out of the immigration queue tired. To my surprise I saw that there was literally a fight to collect the baggages. I managed to push through the crowd and stand near the conveyor belt waiting for my luggage. 45 minutes passed waiting for my luggage and still no sign of it. It was very frustrating. Then I heard someone cry out my name from behind. I turned back and noticed a young lad in a suit was carrying my name on a name plate. I approached him to find out that my baggage was missing. I was taken aback. How could this ever happen? He quickly handed over a form to me. Before I could question him, he asked me to fill out the form for claiming my luggage. I spent an hour in the airport to figure out what happened to my luggage and when I would get it back. I felt like tearing my hair off. What a contrast in behaviour of people in India and people abroad?

I handed over the form at the counter and made my way to the exit. I encountered a customs officer at the exit. He asked for my baggage to carry a routine check. I told him diplomatically that he was unlucky that day since my baggage was missing. He put an evil grin on his face and told me " WELCOME TO INDIA" (it all happens here).

I pondered over his statement and got out of the airport.

Its a Bird's life

Birds are a wonderful species gifted by nature. Humans have drawn inspiration from them and learnt to build machines that can fly like a bird. When birds breed, they build nests ensuring that their siblings are kept away from nature's fury and predators. The mother bird collects small branches and twigs from trees, put a lot of efforts and builds its nest. These wonderful creatures await for that special moment when the eggs hatch and a new life begins. The new borns are innocent and helpless. They cannot fly, hunt and feed themselves. Its the Mother who takes care of them, feeds them, keeps them away from danger and nurtures them until they can take care of themselves. But what happens when the birds are fully grown adults? They fly in different directions in search of their life.

I now compare humans with the birds. We have been gifted a life by our parents. They have made many sacrifices in life for making us what we are today. Most of us go in different directions in search of goals leaving them groping in the dark. There may be many reasons behind this. Let us not become BIRDS in this case. Let us ensure that we are there for them when they need the most. Its time for us to repay.

P.S: Inspired by real life incidents.

Chup chup ke.....

Recently I watched Priyadarshan's "Chup chup ke". I am still tearing my hair off. I have been a fan of Priyadarshan and I am really disappointed with this one from him. He has pulled off many a hits like Hungama, Hulchul and Malamaal Weekly. One would go to Priyadarshan's movie with the expectation that there would be a wholesome entertainment. This one fails to bring any smile on your face.

I am surprised by the selection of the star cast by the director. Except for Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Rajpal Yadav the others are surprise inclusions. I am wondering what Neha Dhupia was doing in the movie. Apart from shaking a leg or two in two songs, she has nothing much to do. Probably the audience is used to seeing skin show by her which is not presented in this film. By the way that reminds me of the songs in this film. Himesh has scored mediocore numbers that fails to entertain even the front benchers. God save Multiplex audience. Paresh Rawal for the first time is a disappointment. But this has been compensated with some lively performance by Rajpal Yadav. He is a live wire in this movie.

Shahid Kapur has been struggling in this industry and this movie does not do any good either. Its difficult to tap the talent in him even by the best of the directors. Kareena plays a dumb girl in this movie and has done a decent job. The director has thrown some surprises by casting Sushma Reddy in a widow's role (I am still laughing). Did I mention Suniel Shetty? Ahem....yes he is also one among the star cast. He is portrayed as a caring and protective brother of Kareena. With his wooden looks, he is also a drawback for the movie's success.

All in all, this movie has no elements of comedy. The director is confused with the plot and so is the audience. Hopefully, Priyadarshan realizes and comes up with a good flick next time.

Going Dutch

There is a saying that "God created the world and the Dutch created Holland". Holland (officially called Netherlands) is small and peaceful country in the North West part of Europe. This piece of land was reclaimed from the sea. Holland is below sea level. Yes you heard it right "below the sea level". It is surrounded by "Dykes" which prevent sea water entering the land. It is amazingly flat and there is no sight of a hill or mountain anywhere. The population of the country is 7,35,000 (not an exact figure).

So what is so special about the Dutch? I am diving right in. The Dutch people are very tolerant. They are open to many cultures of the world. In Holland you will notice people coming from different Origin. My initial fear of how these people would treat Indians was erased from my mind. My first meeting with a Dutch colleague was an amazing experience. I walked through the corridor and took an elevator to the sixth floor. I encountered a well built man in a navy blue blazer, well groomed hair and with a briefcase in the elavator. Casually, I had quick look at him and took my eyes off him. He immediately said "Goed Morgen" (Good Morning) with a smiling face. I was taken aback with his reaction. We (Indians) are generally not used to smile at strangers. I did not know how to react. I just managed to give him a smile. The elevator door opened and the man went away saying "dag" (nice day). Before I could say anything, he had vanished. I moved along the corridor and went in to the meeting room. I was 2 minutes late for the meeting. My Dutch colleague was already on time and waiting for me. We exchanged a handshake and started our meeting. I realized that the Dutch are very punctual and expect everybody on time. One of the very good qualities about them. To my astonishment, almost every person in Netherlands can speak English. This was a comforting factor for me.

It is very inspiring to see how they plan out their schedules and execute them. Another noticeable Dutch behaviour is that they are open to suggestions and opinions. Decisions are not taken without consulting all the colleagues. This means that there are lot of meetings and coffee.
When you see the Dutch in offices, shops and public places, you will always be greeted with a gentle smile. This is definitely one of the striking differences I find when I compare it with my culture. One of the very good points to pick up from the other cultures of the world.