DIDGERIDOO !!

The last few weeks have been very hectic. I've been in 4 countries and 3 continents after returning from India. China, Korea and obviously the good ole US of A. The APAC trip was so hectic that Deepa and I have a running joke that home was a transit spot for me in December. More on this later.

Okay, enough of talking abt things that have no relevance to the wierd sounding title of this blog. So here it goes:
We definitely needed a vacation after a hectic year and I wanted to up the ante on adventurous spots to go to for the chuttis.

There comes the third continent and the 4th country - AUSTRALIA ! (More on AU too later)

One of the coolest things in Sydney that I came across was this long hollow wooden pipe calling itself a musical instrument. Its called Didgerridoo. Trust me folks, the sound is just awesome. High in bass, it looks and sounds way too cool. The sound instantly reminded me of the Jaane Kyon song of Dil Chahta Hai. And a couple of Google searches later it was confirmed - the starting bit of the song that kind of stays on for the entire song - that incidentally is picturized in Australia - is indeed Didgeridoo. We saw a very cool show of Didgeridoo that I promise to take some videos during our trip here.

The instrument is made out of Eucalyptus trees that are eaten up by termites from the core. Termites can't penetrate the outside of the tree. Custom is that the aboriginals look at the yellow leaves to locate and tap the hollow trunk of these trees to find out if termites have left the tree.Some finishing touches later, Didgeridoo is ready.

Originally called the Yediki, Charles Darwin first named this the Didgeridoo based on the sound he perceived it created !

Now back to DCH. I noticed a similar sound in the Tanhahee song (the heavy bass rhythm that plays throughout the song). There were only two songs picturized in AU in the movie, so chances are high that its Didgeridoo. Let me know if someone knows for sure what that bass sound in the Tanhahee song is.

Anyways, Didgeridoo (and Sydney in general and AU so far) are super cool!

Need to run for my flight....

Metros, mega cities and places to live

In the last 2 weeks I've been to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Udupi. Though I didn't spend more than 5 days at any given place, each place left me with a unique feeling.

Ahmedabad has always been special for me. Having grown up here, I am familiar with every knook and cranny of the city. I am very disturbed by the degrading air quality of the city though. Every year I come here, the air quality seems worse. I landed during Diwali taking off from a clear ocean view of SFO to a sky so polluted that only the haze of the million lights in Ahmedabad were showing through.

Bengaluru was a little light due to the holiday season. But with one of the worst traffic congestions in the country, the former Bangalore will always remain a place where many young 20 something Indians start their career. Bangalore still hasn't lost its allergens and the cold and chilly nights. I know of very few people who don't suffer from allergy attacks here.

I'd been to Chennai a few years ago - during college days. The sight of public transport buses jam packed with people and about 8 odd passengers hanging by the door with one hand and one foot hanging out is still very common in the old city. Life size cut outs of Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi are still sprawling. I stayed at the Niketana Guest House - situated at the posh Boat Club Road. This "home away from home" guest house is worth staying for anyone fond of some luxury in a traditional setting. The roads in this area are full of early morning walkers. Overall Chennai was a city worth exploring more. Nov is the best month to go. Otherwise there are only 3 seasons in Chennai - hot, hotter, hottest. The original Saravana Bhawan food is spicier and has Paneer Pasand, Hariyali Kabab (with aloo), Papri Chat and even Dhoklas amongst other "North Indian" dishes in 4 pages of a 5 page menu!!

Mumbai stay was very limited in scope, but much has been written abt it already. The highest density of people you'd ever see per sq inch anywhere in the world, worst traffic in the country and fashionable people with loads of attitude sums up the city. The city has a unique character and remains one of my fav on the country.

I spent most of my time in the serene and peaceful Udupi. Starkly different from the Amdavad landing; while landing at Mangalore's Bajpe airport you can see the lush green ground from the sky so clear that one can start counting the leaves in the trees below. After a tumultous NH17 journey we arrive at Udupi - the Krishna Math town. The 5 + 2 days I spent here were truly relaxing. Starting with the happy bird chirps in the morning, palm trees in every backyard, a well in every household, kritters in the night and some of the yummiest and healthiest foods anywhere, Udupi is what living on this planet should be like. Spending a lifetime here only comes to a lucky few.

I wish some of our metros and mega cities cared a little about preserving the ecosystem. As cities around the world show that its possible to have millions of people living together and still maintain an air quality that's not laden with dust, roads that actually last all 4 seasons, and noise created only through the passing ambulances or fire brigades.

Living in India is fun, with the culture, people, colors, and plenty of life around - but we deserve a cleaner air and a little less chaos outside the 4 walls of home.

TWO OMs AND ONE SHANTI

Of the 90 odd channels broadcasted in a cable network in India about 50 of them are 24x7 news channels. On this day of Diwali 2007 – Nov 9^th, the top two news items being covered are Anil Kumble’s test captaincy and the release of two simultaneous Bollywood biggies – Om Shanti Om (OSO) and Saawariya. There is apparently nothing more important going on in the neighbourhood – maybe that’s good.

We just returned from being a part of one of this breaking news event. We watched the first day first show of Om Shanti Om at the Red Carpet in Ahmedabad. There are some movies that inspire me to write about them instantly, and I’m writing within the hour of returning. However this time, I left the theatre feeling something was amiss. And then Deepa described it perfectly; she likened watching OSO to chewing gum. “It feels good while you’re chewing, but once it’s out you feel like cleaning the after taste with a plain old glass of water”.

OSO is something like that. It’s a re-incarnation flick with the first half set in the 70s and feel-good rendition of the Bell Bottom days in Bollywood fashion. The first half is extremely hilarious with great sequences, one-liners, clichés and everything one loved in those old Hindi movies. Must watch sequences include SRK’s ‘South Ka Rising Star’, ‘Bhago’ sequence that is aired in the trailers and the visual effects in “Dhoom Tana” song. Big props to Sandeep Chowta for re-creating the 70s background sound during the sequences between SRK and Maaa (Kiron Kher).

In the second half, SRK returns to his own self, Deepika re-appears inviting the biggest cheers and whistles I’ve heard in a while, the ‘Deewangi’ song with 30 odd stars and then starts the revenge track. Both halves have enough funny moments, slapstick and quality humour, intense drama and lots of Ms Padukone. But, you’ll enjoy the movie while watching it, but many like me might return feeling that something was missing.

The problem lies in the parallel storylines. There are two tracks in the movie. Besides the re-incarnation track, there is Farah Khan’s tribute to Bollywood of the 70s and today. I feel that this movie-within-the-movie track is so dominating that the intensity of the re-incarnation is lost at times. The eerie sequences in the second half add to the intensity but again make you lose focus of the re-incarnation track. Plus, a lot of things have been shown in trailers, revealed in press and the Dastaan song of the movie already. This leaves very little surprise element in the movie except for the eerie track. They say don’t search for logic in this kinda movie and treat it as a Manmohan Desai film. However, some of the sequences don’t do justice even to the lack of logic. The ‘Jag Soona Soona’ track comes without the audience really feeling for the actor. The way Arjun Rampal / SRK sequence switches from song to final dialogues in the climax left me searching for a missing reel somewhere. SRK adds a lot of energy in the first half, and is par excellence. His energy is visible in every frame and that’s the reason he’s where he is today in Bollywood. The movie belongs to Deepika Padukone – who has a dream debut. Going by the whistles – she’s bound to have a long career in movies. Arjun Rampal is a good Pran. But, the movie left me asking for more. It’s worth watching for the fun but be prepared to look for a glass of water to freshen your taste buds after watching.

Nobel thought?

Last Friday the news shocked me. Al Gore, Mr. Global Warming himself, has won the 2007 nobel peace prize. A NY Times article wrote - The prize is a vindication for Mr. Gore, whose cautionary film about the consequences of climate change, “An Inconvenient Truth,” won the 2007 Academy Award for best documentary, even as conservatives in the United States denounced it as alarmist and exaggerated.

WHAT!???

Since when has the Nobel prize - remember Mother Teressa was one of the recepients of the peace prize - become a sympathy vote? !!

But this wasn't all. I also learned that day that Mahatma Gandhi has never been awarded a Nobel peace prize. To quote the Norwegian Nobel committee he could not be given the awar as he was "neither a real politician or a humanitarian relief worker".. Apparently, the Nobel committee saw the list and realized - "I think we are missing someone who really brought peace during tense times".. As the executive director of the Nobel Foundation in Sweden says "We missed a great laureate and thats Gandhi. It is a big regret". !!!

It gets better. Apparently Bapu was nominated 5 times (1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and in 1948 - a few days before his death). In 1948, the Nobel Committee did not announce any winners because "ther was no suitable living candidate that year".. !!!!

And finally the clincher - in Feb 2007, when Al Gore's nomination was recommended, this is what one of the Norwegian lawmaker said - “A prerequisite for winning the Nobel Peace Prize is making a difference, and Al Gore has made a difference,” Conservative Member of Parliament Boerge Brende, a former minister of environment and then of trade, told The Associated Press. !!!!!!

Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of coverage in the media about which Indian movie should make it to the Oscars. There was also a huge movement to make Taj Mahal as one of the "new" 7 wonders in the world. The entire country came to a standstill when 20-20 cricket winners returned, with 24/7 news channels airing this well, 24/7. I found this information on the 10th page in a small paragraph of the Indian Express. Is it that trivial??

SUVARNABHUMI..

Thats the name of Bangkok's new International Airport. I'm on my way back from a short tip to Bangkok - and this is the only thing I'm getting to see in Bangkok. More on that later.

First - the name. Suvarnabhumi means "The Golden Land" and it has a Sanskrit base. But as the following site points out - http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Suvarnabhumi.htm, there is an interesting history to it. The region known today as "South-East Asia" (South of China and East of India) - region including Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia has always had a strong influence of Indian culture. One visit to these countries make this very apparent. And this is no coincidence. I was amazed to read that there is a mention of "Swarnadvipa" in Ramayana (that Sughriv sent some of his soldiers to the Yawadvip in search of Sita). Whats Yawadvip - thats where Java comes from; dvip = island, yawa = barley corn. It was even more interesting to read that the Chinese call it the "Kin-Lin" and guess what Kin means; gold.

I'm cosily ensonced in the airport lounge here, but one of the things that really struck me was the sculpture as soon as you get out of immigration departure formalities is a 30m wide, 5.5m high sculpture of the "Churning of the Milk Ocean".. Yes - we are talking about Samudramanthan. Check out some pictures..







Amazing eh? The sculpture was built for $1.1M by Suvarnabhumi master concessionaire King Power (courtesy: http://www.moodiereport.com/Martin/?p=57). Pictures can't capture the grandeur and the beauty of the sculpture. Its one of the most wonderful depiction of Samudramanthan that i've ever come across.

The airport itself is a grand venture - the pride of Bangkok. It was completed and opened for air traffic last September 2006 and it took about $4 Billion to complete. The airport has faced many delays and constantly comes under local scrutiny since it is built on a swamp. There have been complains of cracks in the runways,
inability to handle exteremities. But the vital statistics of the airport are impressive: two parallel runways to cope with simultaneous arrivals and departures (most airports have only one), over 120 parking bays and 5 of them capable of handling the A380 and an ability to accommodate 76 aircraft movements in an hour and 45M passengers annually.

Serirat Prasutanond - the mastermind behind the airport was sacked when the military coup dethroned the PM who took personal interest in completing the airport. Serirat believes Suvarnabhumi could become one of the top 10 airports of the world. Only time will tell!

Bangkok is a lovely place. Lively streets, yummy food (both restaurant and street food), very courteous people and lots of greenery. The green reminds you of Singapore but the street life reminds you of India. Can't get better than that !.. It was hot and humid - a full fledged sauna - but these are not the months to enjoy Bangkok. November apparently is the most pleasant month. The place where we were staying - Sukhumvit, another example of the Sanskrit influence - is a big shopping district and hence 'twas a little more lively here. Pity I couldn't spend much time outside. Definitely one of the places I'd like to come back to.

Need Poirot

Breaking news in TOI.. (I've only copied a section of the article - for the full article click the title).

'Champagne bottles passed on to Woolmer by Ahmed'

ISLAMABAD: In a new twist to the Bob Woolmer murder case, a Pakistani television channel on Thursday claimed that two champagne bottles which were reportedly mixed with poisonous substance were passed on to him by the Pakistan bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed.

Ahmed, who received the bottles from some other person, passed them to Woolmer, ARY TV quoted Pakistan's media manager for the World Cup, Pervez Mir as saying.

Mir said team manager, Talat Ali, was a witness to it.

According to reports in British media, some weed killer was mixed with the champagne bottles.

I have one question to ask.. Why would anyone give a bottle of champagne when the team had just gone through one of the most humiliating defeats in the history. And then - why would anyone take it??

The article goes on to say that one bottle was found empty and the other full from the hotel room. So great - someone drank the champagne too!

Ridiculous!

Marauding Maharajas!

I read this article in the Economist (title borrowed) about Indian companies on an acquisition spree of multi-national firms. Some of the data in the article is really worth noting.
- 34 acquisitions announced in 2007 so far worth $10.7B
- In 2006 this was at a staggering $23B
- The 2006 number was more money than the foreign companies put into India
- Some of the acquisitions are really impressive:
Hindalco acquired Novelis for $6B creating the biggest alluminium rolling company
Tata Steel acquired Corus for $13.2B
Ranbaxy has already acquired 8 companies and just recently was eyeing Merck
(The Mittal Steel acquisition of Arcelor at $32.2B doesn't count as Mittal Steel is Europe based)

For the chart junkies here's a graph on how Indian companies have made an impressive growth in acquiring multi-national companies.

*Source: The Economist March 29th, 2007