First time at International Airport

Although it has been close to seven years now, the experience of my first travel abroad is still vivid and brings a smile on my face. It was, like for everyone else, a mix of excitement and nervousness. The memories came back to tickle me last week while I was sharing them with a few friends of mine.

Image courtesy of renjith krishnan
 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Having spent close to five man-days of effort between me, my boss and the travel adviser filling / reviewing the form, copying information from the last few approved visa applications, taking print outs and making full use of the xerox machine (and pricking my conscience once again on seeing that I scored more in Social Science than Mathematics and Science in my 10th Board, and still opted for Engineering), another three days during the hot and humid month of April doing rounds of the Consulate in Mumbai, while standing in the serpentine queues gulping random liquids available on the streets, and having ensured that I do all the right things (and avoid using all the "prohibited" words) during the interview process, I was on tenterhooks till the time I reached the airport, exactly four hours before the departure of the flight. Fortunately, for a change, there was no last minute drama, and I was delivered the visa and passport just when I was about to leave the queue outside the entry hall for the seventh time, to join it again at the back! My romance with queues had just started. Tick tick one!

With the newly purchased blue color Aristocrat (somebody had advised that a different color and a different brand is helpful while identifying the bag at the baggage carousel) and the new jacket for the forecast weather conditions (optimum utilization of baggage restrictions made me wear the jacket in that Mumbai weather), I was all set for the journey. Having crossed almost half the length of the kilometer long hall, I got irritated by the constant whistling by the security. Only when I noticed almost everyone staring at me, except for the gentleman in the expensive business suit who must be coming across such idiots during all his fortnightly sojourns to the International Airport, did I turn back and see that all that was for my silly act of transgression - I did not take my luggage through the X-Ray machine. Oops ... there goes a little bit of confidence. Tick tick two!

After checking in the luggage, I followed everyone towards the immigration section. I was so proud of the fact that, unlike other careless passengers, I did not have to make any last minute movements of luggage from the check-in bag to the cabin bag, or between the two check-in bags. After all, who likes to show the entire world how many pairs of undergarments are you carrying or for that matter how many packets of Haldiram Bhujiya and Mom-made Besan-ke-laddoo have you packed in your bag. All this while, I did not notice the small piece of paper in everybody's hands. I was made to realize this only after spending around half an hour in the queue when I was sent back some 50 places and a few meters to collect and fill the declaration form. Well, this was a significant improvement, having repeated this a few times outside the entry hall. Tick tick three!

Image courtesy of charlesdyer @ Flickr

With all the bags in place, forms submitted, all security measures dutifully followed (including the all-important, two-time removal & wearing of shoes, belts, wallets, jacket), honor and pride still intact (well almost, with the interesting concept of frisking making you all but ...), the two-liter, half-filled Bisleri bottle unceremoniously dumped by the security-conscious, environment-unfriendly officer in the garbage bin, and having ticked off three acts of felony from my quota, I finally reached the waiting area, just about one hour before the departure. As advised by a dear friend, I once again checked the multiple copies of passport and visa, the hotel address and local phone numbers hidden here, there and everywhere. More importantly, I double checked the bags for any unknown packets of white powder or unrecognized pieces of glass hidden inside the Parker pen I was carrying. Rest assured, I finally relaxed and began the last hour of my wait.

As I look back, a few things change over the years, a few remain exactly the same. Phones were not so smart those days, nor did they make you feel (or look) smart. Hence, the family in the next row was actually discussing, planning and looking forward to their holidays in the Caribbean, unlike what I witnessed a few months back. Then there was this lady sitting in the far corner all jittery with the thought of traveling alone with the little one in her lap. Yes, that can be some experience. Ask my dearie. And of course, there was this group of 20-somethings who were yapping their way to glory, trying to impress folks around with all those words they had memorized during the GRE preparation. All in all, everything around didn't give me a chance to notice that there were 20 calls I had missed from my Mom. There go the remaining 20 minutes of the wait, one each for the 20 times she tried to call me. Tick tick four!

The announcement came on time, giving me no opportunity to tick off any more chances, leaving enough in my inventory for the journey ahead ...

Wish list gifts for Junior's future

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When it comes to gifts for Junior, the list starts with the usual suspects - from a gaming console to a remote operated two-feet long red Ferrari, from the long-pending European tour to the Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Games collection, from the obvious sounding investments on health and education to the mundane looking clothes and shoes. But since this is the season of wish lists, and perhaps for hard-to-fulfill resolutions, I let my imagination take the driving seat.

My wish list consists of the gifts ...

Of wisdom to make the right choices and confidence to own them up

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With each passing day, we see the list of choices in front of us increasing manifold. Be it for something as simple as "Which political party to vote for?", to something much more complex like "Which movie to watch, and in which theater?", the choices are endless, confusing and usually contradictory. Some times the choices turn out well, some times they flounder. We are the first ones to claim credit in case of the former, but do not hesitate in justifying and taking a step back in case of the later. Be that as it may, we must learn how to own them up and be accountable for the outcomes.

For those of you who are curious about the complex choice, here's the reason - yesterday, when we were at it, we took slightly less than the time taken by AAP to arrive at their decision to form a Government in Delhi, and still ended up watching Western Bank of Chicago go down, the misery compounded by the price of tickets having taken the Gold category reclining chairs, faulty air-conditioning and the more-than-required height of the chair in front ... you know how it feels, right?

Of independence of thought and freedom of expression

Everyone around talks about independence of thought and freedom of expression. Many more make a mention of rights and how fundamental they are to our existence today. The empowered lot comes with the all important issue-based external support. Indeed, these are certain aspects of life that will come naturally to the enlightened generation Junior belongs to. But with this, like the all pervasive "Buy One, Get One Free" offers this shopping season, I would add a few freebies.

• With independence of thought comes the accompaniments of responsible actions
• With freedom of expression comes the sense of accountability and reasonableness
• With rights comes the obvious obligation of duties
• With empowerment comes the acknowledgement of existence of the not-so-empowered-ones

And to accompany this heavy duty list, Junior gets to download the latest version of Angry Birds for FREE! Hmm, that makes it a better deal, isn't it? Much like the Indian batsmen in South Africa getting a full toss in a Dale Steyn over!!

Of developing a constructive hobby

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Many of us collected stamps and coins when we were kids. Then we moved on to comics when we grew a bit older. Cricket came the next, followed by creating multiple New Folder's when computers came in. Replace these with cars, music, travel, painting to the more exotic ones like photography, robotics, artificial intelligence, trekking and so on. We essentially found some default activities to keep ourselves busy and engaged. Then there are a few like yours truly who developed a hobby because it was essential for clearing the MBA entrance interviews.

I believe Uncle Google is more capable of explaining the importance of having a hobby. However, this gift finds a place in my list because this is where Junior will see a rare similarity in suggestions and advice from Daddy Dear and Mommy Dearest.

Going by what Ernest Hemingway says about books - "There is no friend as loyal as a book." - I believe reading is one good choice that Junior must make when it comes to hobbies.

Of loving life as it comes

When life in general has become too competitive, full of daily struggles, it is becoming increasingly important for all of us to love it as it comes. There are just too many variables in our lives to worry about. The short life we have should be lived to its fullest (I know this is easier said than done).  

Here's quoting Polish pianist Arthur Rubinstein -

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back. Of course there is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings.”

Of being a good human being

We live in a world where basic values like compassion and kindness are often derided upon, and hence are on the back burner. We tend to forget that these two are easy steps towards personal happiness and success ... the be all and end all of individual existence today. I would also borrow from my too-good-to-be-true perfect-world wish list and add the following:

• Being dutiful towards society
• Being loyal towards friends
• Being affectionate towards fellow human beings
• Being thankful towards parents

This post is a part of the 1001 Gifts Activity by HDFC Life in association with BlogAdda

Gems from Junior - Bonding with Daddy Dear

Junior continues his tryst with innocence. This time the target was Daddy Dear. During one of those Daddy-Junior bonding sessions, when Junior took a break from watching Doraemon and Chhota Bheem showing their prowess, and was, for a change, not interested in scoring more high scores on his tablet, he unknowingly pulled a fast one on Daddy Dear.

Junior: (After a long observation of Daddy Dear's receding hairline) "Daddy, why do you have so less hair on your head?" (Moving his little fingers in his 'overdue-for-a-barber-visit' jungle) "See, I have so much hair that my fingers get lost in them."

Image courtesy of jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Daddy: "When I was a small kid like you, even I had a lot of hair on my head Junior. But ..."

Junior: "But what Daddy?"

Daddy: (Moving his hand on the head, and thinking of taking advantage of Mommy's absence from the scene) "Junior, this happened because Mommy gives me a lot of trouble. I have started losing my hair now.

Junior: (Scratching his head) "But why does Grandma give you trouble? Doesn't she love you?"

(It was Daddy Dear's time to scratch his head. It didn't cross Junior's mind that it was his (Junior's) Mommy who was Daddy Dear's target.)


Similar session with Junior a few days back left me speechless. It was another day without Mommy around!

Daddy: "Junior, it is 5:00 PM. Come on, milk time."

Junior: "No Daddy! I don't want to have milk."

Daddy: "But how will you grow big and strong if you don't drink milk?" (And this was followed by the usual arguments and counter arguments on milk)

Image courtesy of marin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Junior: (Finally relenting to Daddy's persistence, but with some mischief in his mind) "OK, I will take a glass of milk. But you will have to put one extra spoon of Bournvita.

Daddy: (Closely observing Junior's expressions, figuring out that there was more to come) "And?"

Junior: "And, you too have a cup of coffee."

Daddy: "But I don't like having coffee alone. I always have it with Mommy."

Junior: "You are not alone Daddy. I am here. Won't you give me company?"

Daddy: (Speechless)

Winning gracefully?

The world of Chess witnessed a generation change a few days back. Although the new champion was ranked number one in the world for some time now, the crown officially came to him after he challenged and defeated the current world champion, Viswanathan Anand, last week. Whether this is an end of an era (as so many newspapers shouted out aloud) or not, the world of sports has definitely lost a little bit of humility and politeness. In an interview where he braved questions by the dozen and posed almost endlessly for shutterbugs (this is what our newspaper informed us), the new champion gave us all a glimpse of what lies ahead.

Some excerpts ...

On Anand and the Candidate's Tournament:

"...  if he manages to keep his motivation after this match he will still be a force to reckon with."

On what he has learnt from Anand:

"In this match I showed him in a way that although he's taught me many things in the past, it's probably now my turn to teach him. So, it's safe to say I've surpassed him now."

On role played by age and psychology during the match:

"Age was partly a factor. I could also sense that he was nervous and vulnerable. But regardless of everything else, he just lost to a better player."

On next year's title match:

"I don't think it's my duty to think who will play against me, it should in fact be the other way round. My opponents will have to figure out how to deal with me. I think I will be the man to beat for quite some time now."

Huh!! Just saw the little birdie whisper in the winner's ears that winning gracefully makes champions out of mortals ...

 

Writing Prompt - Mark coming to India ...

Friends, a little birdie whispered in my ears yesterday that Mark is coming to India. That we need to decide what he should know about our country, and perhaps what he shouldn't, makes the news a bit more interesting! You will ask me "Who is Mark, and why are we spending time on him?" Well, to me he is yet another foreigner who plans to visit India enamored with what Wikipedia or Youtube would have told him, or perhaps somebody whose great grand father would have written stories about this being a land of snake charmers when he was posted here in early twentieth century. I wonder whether his opinion about Indian women is drawn from his experience of sharing multiple cups of coffee with the pretty software engineer sitting in the cubicle next to him, or may be by closely following Indian women on the numerous beauty contests where they give good-to-the-ear answers to some mundane questions.

Be that as it may, I would like to spend time on answering these questions just because Mark will go back from my country as one of the many ambassadors who will tell everybody the truth on what this country is all about, based on his own first-hand experiences. And for this very reason, for every 'Yes, it is true that ...' about India, he should also know 'However, it is the same country where ...'. In short, rather than being told what India is, I would rather have him explore the country, by giving him an opportunity to observe both sides of the coin.

And this is where my words take over my thoughts ...

Yes, it is true that something abominable happened in New Delhi in the month of December last year and once again in Mumbai earlier this year. However, it is the same country where not one, not two, but eight banks and financial institutions are headed by women today and where we have woman chief ministers governing different states all over the country. Call it empowerment, call it equal opportunity ... the fact is that this is happening.

Yes, it is true that a certain state went through some communal riots between the two predominant communities a few weeks back. However, it is the same country where during natural calamities, it is these very communities who go beyond their ways and means to help each other survive nature's wrath. Be it the floods in Mumbai, or the earthquake somewhere else. I am sure Mark will be able to get so many of those stories online.

Yes, it is true that a few weeks back, a certain politician called her state a colony of India. However, it is the same country that around the same time celebrated India's Independence Day with a great amount of pride, with perhaps people from her own state participating in the festivities.

Yes, it is true that there are "empowered" sections of society in our country who think first about their rights, much before their duties and responsibilities. However, it is the same country where there are scores of examples of "not-so-empowered" sections of society who do not even think about their rights without fulfilling their duties.

Yes, it is true that many people today are getting ready to open their wallets for retail therapy, it being the festive season, and indulge themselves in all sorts of luxuries, with focus on materialistic pleasures. However, it is the same country where we see people not do these very things during certain fifteen days of the year, and spend time remembering their ancestors, in a way living in their pasts and thinking about their futures.

Yes, it is true that there are many cities in the country where you can actually collect so much water in the potholes on the roads that the water problem of the entire country can be solved. However, it is the same country where we see such engineering marvels like the railways in the Himalayas or Konkan, or whose scientists and engineers have shown their mettle in space science, nuclear physics and information technology, or for that matter, since we are talking about roads, come up with high quality infrastructure like Yamuna Expressway or Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

Yes, it is true that this is the country whose slums formed the background of a recent Oscar-winning movie. However, it is the same country that has also provided a far more enriching background to numerous authors of best-selling books like the one about the monk and his Ferrari! Please ask Thomas Friedman who told him the world is flat?

Yes, it is true that the interference of politics in sports administration of the country has led to its suspension from the Olympics movement. However, it is the same country that has given birth to numerous sportsmen and sportswomen who have made a mark in their field of choice in spite of the presence of these administrators, fighting against all odds. Mark would remember Mary Kom's interview on BBC last year.

Coming back to Mark's visit, I believe he has inadvertently chosen the best time to visit us. Be it festivals of all the major religions the country is going to celebrate, be it the dance of democracy we are going to witness in the month of November, the long-awaited retirement of Sachin and well-timed retirement of Rahul ... he will experience all the facets of the country that is India, with Indians showing all kinds of emotions to the whole world. If he wants to take back a true picture of the country, he must observe all this, and more.

With these thoughts in my mind, I sat down to write the mail to Mark, to welcome him to the land of curious contradictions and interesting conundrums, asking him for his flight details and giving him strict instructions on when exactly should he give me a 'missed call'  ...

 

P.S. Thanks Preeti for the special mention of my entry in your blog.