Grocery Shopping in LA!

Some things never change.

This is the thought that went through my mind as I was pushing my shopping cart at Ralphs in Glendale earlier this week. I was back in Los Angeles and made my mandatory visit to the local grocery store with Mona's shopping list. It's been nearly ten months in India but there are some things that we still miss. Such as Mexican Food!

So I am here - 10,000 miles away from Bangalore and still shopping at the store for salsa, beans, tortillas and cheese! Of course, I can't forget the muffin and biscuit mix.

Most other products are now easily available in Bangalore but for some reason, supplies for Mexican food are virtually impossible to come by. But we are well equipped now for our next meal of fajitas, enchiladas, spicy salsa and spanish rice!

Buenos Noches!

'Jet'ting to London

I flew Jet airlines on my recent trip to London. For those among you who are regular travelers to India, Jet is a well-known name. They are one of the premier domestic airlines known for great service, terrific cuisine and friendly staff. The airline has recently been granted licenses to fly on overseas routes and has started flights to Singapore, London etc. The New York segment is scheduled to be operational soon.

I was not disappointed flying an international route on Jet. The 777 was designed with passenger comfort in mind. Subtle design changes (like moving the handset/remote control from the side of the seat to the back of the seat in front) make flying more comfortable. The TV screens are huge and are equipped with touch screen control. Seats are ergonomically designed with built in comfort such as lumbar and neck supports.

Service is exceptional as expected and the cuisine is top class.

In the eye of the storm

The monsoon season in India is a unique experience especially in an urban center such as Bangalore. September is supposed to be the highest rainfall month and as the resident expert here, I can certainly vouch for that. While Bangalore rains do not come close to Bombay rains, they come down hard.

I have written numerous times about the traffic in Bangalore so my regular readers can imagine the impact of the rain on commuting. Without a decent drainage systems, roads are generally flooded within minutes of a heavy downpour. The traffic clogged streets get further congested and the vehicles (except for bicycles and 2-wheelers) come to a virtual halt. And of course, this is precisely the same moment when the drivers of vehicles on the roads (especially the large buses) take leave of their senses and rather than heading for their destination, start moving in the direction of any empty space that comes in their sight.

You must have the ability to set aside your anger, frustration and other negative emotions and learn to enjoy this (unless you are an hour late for an important investor meeting). If you can do that, it is quite entertaining and in some ways uplifting! The fury of the rains is insufficient to quash the human spirit here. It is amazing to see children playing in ankle deep waters or pedestrians bravely making their way to their destinations with minimal protection against the rain. And the patience of the drivers – to my knowledge there has not been a single incident of a person shooting some one else due to road rage.

Now that is Nirvana!

It's a dog's life

Mona joined a Yoga class last week. An instructor from the Art of Living foundation offered a week-long course (2 hours daily) at the building. Over two dozen residents from the building participated in the class. Mona has been gaga over the class and I spent an hour learning the basics from her today.

Of course, tennis lessons are still going on (thrice a week) for both Mona and Aanish. They have been learning for months and I suspect they are both getting pretty good at it. Ayaana makes a new friend every week and with her new and shiny bike is out every evening.

I am trying to visit the gym twice a week and a gym trainer has developed a customized one-hour workout plan for me.

Back to School

It is September 1.

According to the Vedic Calendar, it is Chaturthi h. 06-33, Asvini Nakshatra h. 54-16, Vriddhi Yoga h. 48-41, Balava Karana h. 06-33.

Aanish and Ayaana have been back to school for a couple of weeks and a new routine has set in our daily life. There was the usual excitement about new classes, new friends, meeting old friends, getting new books & supplies and meeting new teachers. Ayaana is continuing Bharat Natyam lessons while Aanish plans to continue guitar lessons. Ayaana has moved out of the primary block. She will be leading the school assembly next week and will lead the singing of the Indian National Anthem (yup - she has memorized this).

Aanish has an interesting program this year with some exciting classes. His business studies class is quite fascinating and is focused on turning 9th graders into real business people.

The road to school has been upgraded (it was a bumpy rocky road for miles) but there are more kids in school this year. So the trip to school still takes about 40 minutes.

A new director of administration is in charge this year and discipline has been tightened. Strict guidelines for hair (short for boys, shoulder length or tied up for girls), uniform and behavior have been posted. iPods and video games of other students have already been confiscated for the academic year!

Move aside Mel

Bollywood beats Hollywood once again! If you thought that Mel Gibson's troubles with the law when he had the altercation with cops last year was a big deal, you have seen nothing yet. Two of the biggest stars of Indian Cinema have been sent to jail within a few weeks.

Sanjay Dutt was charged with possession of illegal arms about 14 years ago (yes, yes ... that's the pace of the legal system here) and has finally been convicted of the crime and sentenced to 6 years of prison time. He started his jail term a couple of weeks ago causing huge distress to movie producers who have millions of dollars invested in films starring Sanjay Dutt on the production floor.

Meanwhile, Salman Khan (another Bollywood favorite) has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for the shooting of two black bucks (considered to be a protected animal) during a hunting trip in 1998. Salman is expected to be arrested today.

As expected, the news media can't stop talking about these and you get to see/hear friends, families, lawyers, cops, news analysts, film industry colleagues all expressing their opinions!!

Saare Jahaan Se Accha

If you want to get a feel for the vitality in India, you must visit the country around August 15th - India's independence day. This year, the country is celebrating it's 60th year of independence. While there is a lot of hope and optimism about the country's future, there is also a growing recognition about the problems (poverty, overpopulation etc.) among all. The newspapers today were full of debates and discussions about the progress made since independence and the way forward.

At the office yesterday, folks split up into three teams and competed to create an exhibit that represented India. These are the guys who represent the future of India where nearly 50% of the population (500MM) is 25 years old or less. It was a fascinating experience to view the country through their eyes. One exhibit represented India as a growing sapling (high prospects) on a rock foundation (difficult circumstances). The second had the country represented as a pigeon in a cage with the door open. The cage is open but the bird has not flown out yet. The third was full of optimism and was a celebration of the country's achievements and prospects for the future.

The residents association at our building had organized an Independence Day celebration complete with flag hoisting, march past, children's concert and breakfast. A school next to our building had their celebrations at 10AM with speeches and patriotic songs. The theme in all these events was pretty consistent - future looks bright and there is no stopping the young, bright and talented of this country. But there is also a tremendous responsibility to ensure that the opportunities are made available to all (250MM still live in dire poverty!).

Jai Hind!

Enchanting Tamil Nadu

The children's summer vacation was coming to an end last week and we planned a quick last minute vacation to Tamil Nadu. We decided to visit the famous temple city of Mahabalipuram (also known as Mammalapuram) and Pondicherry (famous for it's French Quarter - a'la New Orleans). We took a train to Chennai where Mona and the kids spent the day sightseeing while I spent the day at work.

Next day we drove to Mahabalipuram - destination GRT Temple Bay. This is an exquisite beach resort and a must-stay during any visit to South India. The kids absolutely fell in love with our beach front villa and did not want to leave. Game room (X-Box, table tennis, dart board, carroms and more), Infinity pool, fabulous restaurants and organized tours - you name it and they have it.

The highlight of our trip was a visit to see the old and ancient temples built during the fourteenth and fifteenth century. These heritage sites have been well preserved and are quite a sight and experience. The recent Tsunami has uncovered a few more temples under the water and a small boat ride from the resort takes you to close to the spot where you can see the roofs of the temples under water.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 2-day stay here and moved on to Pondicherry. But more on that in a future post.

Bangalore Monsoons

The monsoons have finally arrived in Bangalore but so far they are nothing compared to the rain that we have seen in Mumbai. It rains hard several times a week. You don't get to see this kind of rain in Los Angeles so it is a new experience for us. Monsoon rain creates some unique challenges for people out here.

There is a lot of two-wheeler traffic on the roads in India. When it is pouring hard, the roads clear up amazingly quickly and if you are in a car, you are zipping to your destination. Most folks however are not deterred by the rain and getting soaking wet is taken in stride. The children are loving this season and actually head out to play outdoors when it rains.

Occassionally water will seep into our flat and towels strewn around the place during heavy rains is not an uncommon sight. Mona also gets impacted by rain because her tennis lessons get cancelled! But at the end of the day, we all enjoy the rains! Water level in the lake across from our building is rising and the green cover in the city looks fresh and rich.

Fun in Fundustan!

We were in Hyderabad last week and finally made it out to Ramoji Film City. This has been on our list of places to visit for quite a few years and this time we were determined to make it part of our visit. Film City is the Universal Studio of India and has the credit (according to the Guinness Book of world records ... don't believe me? Check it out here.) of being the largest film studio in the entire world.

We did not know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised. Film City is spread out over 1.5 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and is an attractive tourist destination as well as a successful studio for movie and television production. Indianized versions of popular Universal Studio attractions (stunt show, behind the scenes, tour through movie sets etc.) are combined with themed attractions such as a haunted house and a ride similar to It's a Small World!

No tour is complete without good food and this was no different. Our tour package included lunch at the 5-star hotel Sitara located on the grounds. All I can say about the food is ... YUM!

Potter mania hits Bangalore

Harry Potter is no less a sensation here in Bangalore than any other place in the world. The release of book 7 - Deathly Hallows was as heavily anticipated here as in any other major city around the globe. There was plenty of pre-release media buzz and Indian children were anxiously wondering the fate of the wizard boy - who would die and who would survive?

We had the book reserved at Landmark several days prior to the day of the launch. Saturday morning (D-Day) we set out to buy the book. Fortunately, there were no long lines and crazy crowds at the bookstore. There appeared to be an adequate number of copies for all. Aanish was determined to start reading the book at 7PM. I suggested that he wait until 8:17PM (77 minutes past 7PM). He started reading it the minute we landed at home with a plan to read about 100 pages/day. He finished it the following day!

The Hindu reported a sale of 20,000 copies in Bangalore on the first day! Clearly a global phenomenon.

Live Earth!

If you were at the Live Earth concert last week (7/7/7), we were there with you! We watched quite a bit of the 24 hour marathon concert held in over a hundred countries to focus attention on the climate crisis. One of the major highlights for me personally was to see a holographic image of Al Gore opening the event in Tokyo. Cool! It was fun to see the coming together of Genesis and Police, see Bon Jovi in New York and Shakira in Germany.

While we feel pretty good about our contribution to help solve this problem (significantly less trash, reduced power consumption, high degree of recycling etc.), we came up with an action plan to do even more. Aanish has the responsibility of turning off appliances that are not in use while Ayaana has promised to take shorter showers. I took an oath to reduce the usage of air conditioning in the office and Mona is already doing more than her fair share of this.

If you have not had the chance to see any part of this event, check it out online (YouTube, MSN etc.) and help save the planet!

Partying - Indian Isshtyle!!

The Mantri Sarover (building where we stay at) home owner association planned a big bash last weekend to celebrate the onset of the monsoon season and to welcome new residents who have moved in over the past few months. They promised an evening of fun, games, music and good food. We decided to give it a try and am glad we did!

The party was organized on the tennis court. There were probably over a 100 people (40 of them young children under the age of 10). While the kids were busy playing Treasure Hunt and Bomb the City, the adults were enjoying beer and appetizers (hot potato tikkis, chilli paneer ... yummm!). It was funny watching Aanish join the fun and play these games with 5-year olds! But heck, you can never stop being a child. Actually, he was not very keen on coming but his opinion changed when he won Rs. 500/- in a game of Tombola (also known as Housie or Bingo in other parts of the world). Ayaana enjoyed herself thoroughly and stayed back late even after we had gone back home.

The company was good. We met a lot of new and interesting people. Food was delicious. Music was a bit loud but you can't listen to Bollywood any other way.

Great party and we are looking forward to the next one.

A new Dawn of the Brain Gain era

In the 80's and early 90's, India was suffering from a massive Brain Drain. Talented and highly educated university students and professionals were moving to the US, UK and Middle East in hordes to create a better future for themselves. The India Boom has reversed this trend and the country is now experiencing a Brain Gain as many of these professionals are moving back in equally large numbers. These folks are bringing back world class expertise, overseas professional experience and higher education from reputed universities and helping to accelerate the growth of India Inc.

I recently met with Asif Noorani, who is a reputable journalist with a Pakistani newspaper, Dawn. He was fascinated with this phenomenon of returning expatriates and has written a piece in the newspaper. I get a mention in his piece as well! You can read all about it here.

Monsoon Landing

From the hot and dry climate of Los Angeles (90 degrees+) to torrential rains of Mumbai!

I have never been in Bombay during the monsoons so it was quite an experience for me. Mona sent me an SMS while I was at the Kualalumpur airport indicating that the Bombay airport may shut down because of the monsoons. All passengers had their fingers crossed as the flight to Bombay took off from KL. Fortunately for all, there was a brief respite from the rain when the plane arrived in Bombay.

Over the next couple of days, the rain was non-stop and the downpour brought over 10cm of rain just on Saturday. City services were crippled and streets were deserted. Over 40 people have died as a result of this year's monsoons. But spirits are still high and Mumbaikars are getting on with life despite the rains. Bombay has seen worse in past years! The drainage system is going through an upgrade to deal with the heavy monsoons but the project is not scheduled to be completed until 2011.

Bad 'Air Day

So I am in Binghamton, New York on Monday and have a flight scheduled to Boston on Tuesday morning at 7:30am, scheduled to arrive in Boston around 11:00am.

05:45am - Wake up grumbling
06:30am - Scramble out of the hotel and leave for the airport
06:50am - At the airport and checked in (Good!)
07:30am - Flight leaves on time (Great!)
(BTW, Binghamton airport is a charming little airport.
On this day, there were a total of 5 flights departing this
airport between 7am and 3pm.)
09:00am - Land in Philadelphia on time (Good luck continues ....)

This is where the horror begins. A couple of half-hour delays in the departure are announced after which the flight is cancelled. Some weather related problem somewhere in the country has messed up US Airways and all flight schedules have gone awry.

We manage to get ourselves on a 12:30pm flight which in turn is delayed by a few minutes (no big deal!). We board a tiny plane and quickly settle in our cramped spaces only to discover that the plane has been overfueled and will have to be defueled! There is also some paper-work induced delay. 30 minutes later, we are finally ready for take off.

We arrive in Boston around 3:30pm minus Todd's checked in luggage. Another hour later we leave the airport without his bag. Finally arrive at the hotel at 5pm - almost a 12-hour adventure!!

America's Favorite Pastime

Good to be back in Los Angeles once again! One of the highlights of this trip is attending a baseball game with family. Inspite of spending twenty years in the US, America's Favorite Pastime has somehow never managed to become mine. I have not been able to get into this sport. Not sure if it is out of loyalty to Cricket or what.

But I must admit that I had a lot of fun when all of us went to the Angel Stadium to see the Angels play Pittsburgh. Richard and Kanan invited us to the suite (which is really the only way to attend a sporting event in the US). Got a chance to catch up with family and friends which is always a treat. Anupam uncle gave me a quick tutorial about baseball which made the game even more enjoyable. Of course the usual frills of attending a baseball game (hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, cotton candy, nachos, beer etc.) were all there.

Best of all, Angels won 10-1!!

Airline Efficiency?

I have been doing a fair share of flying while in India and have been very impressed at the ability of all airlines to minimize ground time. Planes land, passengers de-plane, new passengers board and the aircraft is back in the sky in less than half hour. But before you start giving a lot of credit to the process efficiencies, 6-sigma and ISO-9000 programs within the airline companies, I believe that most of the credit needs to go to the passengers.

As I have mentioned in a couple of my postings before, Indians do not like to wait. Earlier this week, I was observing passenger behavior sitting at the Hyderabad airport. Even before the plane has landed, passengers are already crowded close to the gate. As soon as their plane lands, more passengers huddle around. As soon as the first boarding announcement is made, ever passenger is up, in line and pushing ahead to board.

Of course, getting off the plane is no different. You can sense the urgency among fellow travellers to tear off their seat belts and lunge for their hand luggage the moment the aircraft touches down. Despite pleas by the air hostesses, folks are up and getting ready to de-plane before the "Fasten Seat Belt" sign has been turned off.

So - much credit to the passengers for the increase in airline efficiency (and profitability!)

Chief Destruction Officer!

I have never heard this one before but according to a quote attributed to Tom Peters in The Hindu, he refers to CEOs as CDOs - Chief Destruction Officer! Highly compensated guys who work tirelessly to blow up their own companies before their competition does.

In an uncanny replay of a similar scenario that is being hotly debated in the US, CEO compensation is the topic of discussion these days in India Inc. According to today's editorial in The Hindu, Indian CEOs are much better off than their counterparts throughout the world when their compensation is taken as a percentage of their company's profit. If the salary difference between a CEO and the company's lowest paid employee (x1000) is a cause for angst for many in the US, consider that the difference is between 15,000 to 20,000 in India.

Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, urged companies to take a hard look at this issue and of course prompty came under fire because his suggestion was considered as anti-reform!

No guns, knives, bombs etc.

I am not kidding about this. I noticed this as I was waiting in the line for Security Check at the Chennai airport last night. Large flat panel monitors above the x-ray machines listed items that were unacceptable in your carry-on baggage. Here is a sampler:

• Brass Knuckles
• Crowbars
• Knives
• Golf Clubs
• Dynamite - other types of explosives are probably ok
  
• Razors - pretty normal .... but read on
  
• Gels including shaving creams - pretty normal ... but read on
  
• Books (1 or 2) - more than that could be construed as a weapon!
  

Items that are permitted:

• Shaving kit (without a razor and a shaving cream?)
  

You got my attention!

One thing you realize quickly when you are in India - there are a lot of billboards around here. And they are HUGE!!! If you are in a major city (and a not so major one), you can't help but notice the large number of billboards everywhere. And some of them are as tall as a building. Besides size, they use attractive models, catchy phrases, colors etc. to attract your attention - each one attempting to stand out in the crowd.

I was trying to figure out the popular categories and here are the results of my unscientific study. One major cluster is related to housing and furnishings. With a massive demand for housing and an explosion in the real estate market, it is hardly suprising to see billboards advertising a piece of heaven on earth (and some divine furniture to go with it). Then you have the clothing and the jewelry category advertising must-have outfits for discerning men and women. Of course, you have the usual others - automobiles, cell phones and banks. But by far the biggest category is Movies. The movie billboards are the biggest, the most colorful and unique in style and design. I guess this is a reflection on the huge popularity of the Bollywood, Tollywood and Lollywood industries in India. Larger than life images of Tough heros, Mean villians and Gorgeous heroines provide some distraction and relief during your daily commute!

Into the Green Paradise

We are back in the Southern State of Kerala - God's Own Country. This time we are in Wayanad, on vacation with our extended family. Four families, eight adults, six kids, one van and one SUV in a beautiful plantation resort for the weekend!

We spent the weekend at Tranquil Resort - a private coffee and vanilla plantation spread across 400 acres. Our hosts, Victor and Ranjini have created paradise in this corner of Kerala. Lodging include guest cottages, suites, tree house and even a tree villa! The interiors have been conceived and designed by the hosts themselves, who also live on the property with their daughter, son-in-law and two grand children ... and yes, a half dozen absolutely wonderful dogs. The hospitality and the service is out of this world. The resort has five chefs who turn out one excellent meal after the other.

There are nearly a dozen trails on the property, a comfortable pool, massage facility and games for the kids. You never have to leave this place to seek fun and adventure.

Harvesting Water

In a world where water is starting to become a precious resource, you can imagine the water crisis in a country like India where the population crossed the 1B mark a couple of years ago and industrial growth is accelerating. The establishment of large campuses by global multi-national firms and the explosive growth in massive residential complexes to house the growing affluent and the returning NRIs have increased demands on scarce water resources. In an earlier posting, I had written about the dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu regarding the distribution of the Cauvery river. This sort of issue is not limited to this part of the country but is seen all over.

While travelling through Kerala a few weeks ago, I learnt about the phenomenon of Water Harvesting - which gave me a lot of hope. Kerala appears to have a highly developed system and infrastructure for harvesting rain water. The system involves capturing rain water from rooftops, capturing water from seasonal flood waters etc., purifying it and using it for a variety of purposes such as drinking water, irrigation, cleaning etc.

This technique has been extended to "Grey" and "Black" water harvesting. Grey water refers to used wash water from bath, shower, sink etc., while Black water refers to water containing fecal waste. To my amazement, techniques have been developed and perfected to harvest both Grey and Black water as well so that it can be recycled for a variety of functions.

It is heartening to see the efforts, foresight and leadership being made in this area to help in water conservation and recycling efforts!

Emperor of Fruits

If the mango is the king of fruits, the Alphonso (also known as Hafuz) is the emperor.

It is great to be in India during the heart of the mango season. Our visits in the last couple of decades have been usually during the winter so we have always missed the peak season (April/June). But now that we are here, we are thoroughly enjoying eating mangoes. The Alphonso is considered to be the best mango in terms of sweetness and flavors. It even has it's own page on Wikipedia, if you care to read more about this exquisite fruit.

We are pretty much in the peak season now and you can get the sweetest and tastiest Alphonsos at this time of the year. They run about Rs. 400/dozen - so you are paying around $1/mango. But when you sink your teeth into this juicy, sweet and succulent fruit, it seems like a price well worth it.

Just found out that the restrictions from the US agricultural department have been lifted on the Indian mango and starting in 2007, Indian mangoes can be shipped to the US. Keep an eye out for these delectable fruits at your local supermarket. You will never understand the joy of eating one of these until you actually try one!!

World's best chilli dog!

It's good to be back in Los Angeles!

One of the highlights of this trip was a visit to Pinks in Hollywood. If this is conjuring up seedy images of a dim-lit cabaret bar in a dark alley, think again. We are talking about the most famous hot dog stand in the country. Paul Pink started his hot dog stand in 1939 and sold oversized hot dogs with chilli, mustard and onions in a hot bun for 10 cents.

Today, hot dogs sell for around $3.50 each at the Pinks hot dog stall. It is a small place at the corner of Melrose and La Brea and you can spot it easily because of the crowd gathered around this place. We had to wait in line for over an hour before making our way to the counter. I ordered a spicy Ozzy (polish sausage, grilled onions, mustard, cheese and chopped tomatoes!).

Quite an experience at this historic landmark!

Indus Day

Last week was the annual Indus Day at the children's school.

WOW!

At Indus International School, they are serious about the International bit. Children from over a dozen countries were represented in the show. Performances ranged from Indian folk dances like Bharat Natyam to a popular Korean dance. The kids did a reproduction of the musicals Annie and Oliver Twist. Indian kids sang western songs while Australian kids danced the Bhangara. During one performance, children representing their home country came on the stage waving the flag of their country - Holland, UAE, UK, Australia, Germany and India. Conspicuous by it's absence was the American flag!, Finally, all the students of the primary section got on the stage to sing the Indian National Anthem!

Truly amazing performances by the young children and the event made you feel like a global citizen.

Wedding Bells for Aishwarya!

The prettiest woman in the world (this is according to popular media and an opinion not necessarily shared by me .... in case Mona is reading this!) ties the knot with popular movie star, Abhishek Bachchan. If you have been following this blog regularly, this is the same lady who married a tree in order to ward off evil for her future husband. You can refresh your memory by reading about that piece here. So Abhishek is safe!

There has been a media frenzy about this wedding. Detailed analysis of the big event started weeks before and avid fans got details ranging from the saree that Aishwarya was going to wear to the entertainment program that was being planned for the wedding. Speculation about the guest list was rampant and you got to hear from those who made the list and those who did not. There was also open debate about why folks did not make the list. For example, another popular Indian actor, Hrithik Roshan, did not make the list. The reason? In a recent movie starring Aishwarya, Hrithik and Abhishek, there is a kissing scene between Aishwarya and Hrithik!

The day after the wedding, photos of the event were splashed on the front page of every newspaper. Post-wedding analysis started immediately with astrologers and marriage counselors analyzing the personalities of the couple and making predictions about their future life together.

Days after the wedding, the news about the couple is still making front-page news. Today's headline - Father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan declares that his daughter-in-law can continue her acting career while Aishwarya has formally assumed the Bachchan last name and has signed her first autograph as Aishwarya Bachchan.

Summer camp comes home

It is summer holidays for most children in India. Unfortunately, this does not include our kids. They are attending an International school and the vacation schedule at this school is similar to the schedule in the US schools. Summer vacation will start for them in June. But that has not stopped them from being able to participate and enjoy some of these activities.

Kids here have a huge choice of activities for summer vacation ranging from Karate lessons and art to learning Japanese and playing tennis. Best of all, these activities actually come home instead of the kids having to be shipped off to summer camps. Classes are offered in residential apartment complexes and the biggest challenge for parents and kids is to figure out a schedule where activities do not overlap each other. An evening stroll through the campus feels like a walk through a summer camp. Karate classes by the pool, Art lessons in the indoor recreation room, tennis lessons at the court!

Horn OK Please

In India, roads are noisy and you can hear the traffic not only when you are stuck in traffic but also when you are sitting in the living room of your thirteenth floor apartment sipping a drink!

I was on my way to work the other day looking at the crazy and chaotic traffic on 80 ft Road (yes, that is indeed a street name in Bangalore) and the main reason for this noise hit me. Almost everyone around you (including your own driver) is continuously honking the horn of their vehicles. There are no exceptions to this. This orchestra is played out starting from the ringing of a bell on a bicycle to the deep bellowing honk of a bus and includes melodious horns of cars and the wheezing sounds of an auto-rickshaw horn.

And of course, nobody really pays any attention to this din so clearly the purpose is not functional. So what could it be? I realized that everyone honks because they are being told to. If you look on the rear sides of large trucks and buses, you will see big signs that say the following:

• Sound Horn
• Please Sound Horn
• Horn Please
  
• Horn OK Please
• Please Horn

and many other variations of the same ....

Mystery solved!

In God’s own country

Today, we returned from our first vacation since our move to India and the verdict is unanimous – this one ranks among the best! We spent a week in the southern state of Kerala which carries a tag line of “God’s own country”. Besides having the distinction of the most literate state in India (over 95% literacy), Kerala is a gorgeous state and has some of the most beautiful scenery that you can find in India.

Our travels included visits to national parks and bird sanctuaries, boat rides on the back waters, hikes and drives through pretty amazing landscapes. Food (which is typically an important measure of a vacation for us) was exquisite at every location ranging from roadside stands to our hotels. While the vacation was overall pretty relaxing, we managed to get quite a bit of sightseeing done. Within a couple of days in the state, you understand very quickly why this place is called God’s own country. Nature is at its best in Kerala and tours and hotels are geared towards providing you with the best experience. Kerala is a feast for nature lovers with exquisite bird watching, wild animal sightings and the vegetation. The place is also heaven for history buffs because of its rich and fascinating history. For example, in the seaside city of Cochin, you get to see Chinese fishing nets that were installed in this region between 1350 and 1450 and are still used by local fisherman to haul their daily catch.

The highlight of our trip was a stay in a Kottavellum – a houseboat made completely of wood and coir in the town of Alleppy. We had a personal staff of three – a captain, a chef and an engineer on board and we had exclusive use of the entire boat. Our stay included cruises through the backwater, visit to a village for an up close view of life in this region and gourmet meals cooked according to our preference. Sitting on the deck at sunset was one of my most memorable life moments.

Other places we visited during our vacation included Thekkady, Kumakarakom and Munnar. We ended our tour with some sightseeing in the temple city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu where the highlight is the Meenakshi temple – built over a thousand years ago to honor the Hindu god Siva and his consort, Parvati.

Making the grade

I attended my first parent/teacher conference at Indus yesterday and had quite an experience. My last such conference in India was probably over three decades ago when I was the student being discussed at such a conference. We never had a formal conference in those days and it was just a quick discussion on the report card.

At Indus, the middle school conference was held in the massive indoor sports complex. Teachers were seated at separate tables in the large gymnasium. Parents picked up the child's report card at the entrance and met each teacher individually. The teachers gave out the results of the latest exam and had a frank and critical discussion about your child's performance.

From what we heard, grade 8 is a tough one to manage. Kids are going through a transition period and beginning to rebel. The chemistry teacher was expressing his relief at being assigned only a single 8th grade section to teach (out of 3!). The english teacher was highly critical of the inability of today's children to write well and speak effectively. Her students find her attempts at teaching them Queen's English humorous. The computer teacher was wondering why children from the US and UK are better behaved than the Indian kids - can you believe that?

Fifth graders on the other hand appear to be a delightful bunch and all the teachers seem to be happy and excited to work with them.

The IB curriculum does sound very interesting and the approach to education (learn, think, analyze, apply) makes a lot of sense. The experience is different and hopefully will give our kids a broader perspective on the world and people!

Failure is not an option

India is in the midst of cricket fever! World cup 2007 is being played in West Indies and as always the country of a billion cricket fans are glued to their TV sets and radios to follow the action. And the fans are expecting the best from the "men in blue" during this world cup.

Alas, the Indian team did not live up to the expectations. India lost the very first match against Bangladesh and the Indian fans were not happy. And I am not talking about being disappointed that your team did not win. I am talking about being seriously unhappy.

Effigies of the Indian team were burnt the day after the match. Angered fans ransacked the property of one of the Indian batsmen, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (see attached photo). This property was gifted to Dhoni by the government and the fans felt that he does not deserve it. The cover photo on Times of India showed a group of women with batting pads challenging the India team to a match with them. There were protest marches, poster burnings and other equally exciting events throughout the country.

Cricket is serious business here and is not for the faint of heart!

The bag that could but wouldn't

If you are on the road a lot, you have probably had a baggage problem or two on a few trips. So a story about lost/delayed baggage is not real exciting. But I had quite an adventure earlier this week and felt that I must absolutely share it with my friends.

This incident happened during my trip to Birmingham, Alabama earlier this week. We were scheduled to leave from LA on Tuesday afternoon on a United flight via Denver. Our plane landed in Denver ahead of schedule but due to gate congestion, sat on the runway for over 45 minutes. We had less than 15 minutes to make our connecting flight but we made it (sans a few calories lost in the mad dash!). But guess, who (or what) didn't make it? Yes - my brown duffel!

The next flight from Denver to Birmingham was scheduled to arrive the following afternoon at 1pm. And we were scheduled to be on the same plane for our return flight at 1:30pm. I was on the phone with representatives from United (friendly CSRs from India and Phillipines) begging them to route my bag back to LA and NOT send it to Birmingham. I was scheduled to be on a flight back to Bangalore on the same day and I had to have my bag. After several calls to United, I received assurances that the bag would be routed back to LA.

The bag was routed to Birmingham.

Of course, not having a clue as to the location of the bag at any given point, I had accounted for this possibility. I must have spoken to the entire staff of United at the Birmingham airport because the Sikora Bag seemed to have been designated a celebrity status. When the plane arrived from Denver, the ticket agent asked the baggage handlers to locate the bag, retag it and leave it on the aircraft. This must have been the turning point in the story. As it turns out, the bag was on this plane and was thankfully not unloaded.

My duffel made finally made it back to LA on the same flight with me. Happy Ending!

Fast food nation!!

I never thought I would say this but I love junk food! I have never been a big fan of hamburgers etc. but something about being away for a few months has made a difference.

It's great to be back in Los Angeles. I have been here for less than a week and I have had close to half dozen hamburgers and chicken sandwiches with fries in that time. My recent one was a hamburger meal at 12:30AM in Birmingham, Alabama at a McDonalds! How much more American can I get?

It was good while it lasted but now I am craving again for some good Sambar Rice. Glad that I am headed back to Bangalore tonight.

The drive to be first!

Indians want to get ahead!

No, I am not talking about space exploration or software development or business process outsourcing or even medical research. I am referring to the inherent drive to be the first in a queue! In India, you will notice that the queues work a bit differently. I am referring to queues in banks, airports, movie theaters etc.

Three characteristics about queues jump out at you here - they are generally very long, they move extremely slowly and people are constantly cutting in, shoving and pushing to get ahead quicker. People seem to take this need to move forward rapidly within a queue at any cost as their birthright and appear confused when others get offended at their behavior.

An example to highlight this phenomenon.

I was at the Bangalore international airport and there was a huge line to get in. Either a breakdown in the security equipment or some inefficient bureaucracy had created a bottleneck. Many folks were waiting patiently in the slow moving queue for nearly half hour just to gain entry into the airport building. Meanwhile, I could see some passengers simply walking past the queue and attempting to enter the building at the front of the line. One such gentleman standing next to me and attempting to enter the line behind me got yelled at by folks further back in the line. However, this did not seem to bother him and he somehow managed to work himself into the queue ahead of many other folks while shaking his head in puzzlement at the anger of his fellow passengers. About 10 minutes later, a similar thing occurred with another passenger. The gentleman who had cut in to the line earlier was furious and indignant that someone would behave in such a manner.

Go figure!

Rang Barse

Yesterday Indians celebrated the colorful festival of Holi! Holi is celebrated each year at this time of the year and people throw colored water and powder at each other in celebration during this festival. Of course, as is common with most Indian festivals, there is a lot of fun, food, music and dancing.

While Holi is celebrated to welcome the onset of Spring, it has it's origins in ancient Hindu mythology. As the legend goes, King Hiranyakashyap was the king of demons and a staunch enemy of Hindu god, Vishnu. His son, Prahlad was a devotee of Vishnu and as such the king ordered him to death. Prahlad survived a fall from a mountain, a herd of elephants and other attempts at his life. Finally, the king's wife, Holika was assigned the task of killing the boy. Holika had a boon that would allow her to remain unharmed even if she was set on fire. So she held Prahlad and sat on a large bonfire. But miraculously, Prahlad survived while Holika burnt to ashes. During Holi, a large bonfire is let to commemorate this event.

The association at the building had organized a Holi event at our complex. This was a two-day affair that started on Saturday with a talent show for children and a dinner. It was a great opportunity to meet with many of our neighbours. The talent show was cute. Next day, the festivities started at 10am in the morning when over a hundred people took part in the throwing of colors. Mona and I have not celebrated Holi in 20 years and of course the kids have never experienced this. Needless to say, they had a blast. They had a complete license to do what they wanted and they made full use of it. Against the background of loud Bollywood music, we had a blast playing holi for hours.

Praying for success

Religion is a big part of people's lives in India and it is truly integrated into their daily lives. Folks are constantly seeeking divine intervention in their daily lives in order to make good things happen such as pass an examination, get promoted, find a bride/groom, get well from sickness etc.

We reached a key milestone in our business and were moving into a critical stage with a customer. A pooja (prayer) was scheduled in order to pray for the success of the operation and the eventual growth and prosperity of the business (and major stakeholders such as myself). It was the first time that I participated in such a ritual and I found it to be quite fascinating.

We had two pujaries (priests) perform the pooja. One of the rooms in the office was converted to a pooja room for this occasion. There were pictures of various Hindu gods and goddesses with special focus on Lord Ganesa (eliminator of obstacles) and Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth). The pooja included the chanting of holy verses with occasional offerings of flowers and fruits to a small idol. Key elements of nature (wind, water and fire) are integrated in this ceremony as well. Wind drives away evil, water cleanses the environment and fire provides the light necessary for you to see your way.

How effective is this? Check back in about six months.

A truly "International" Experience

I am in Zurich attending the 2-day the 17th World Newspaper Advertising Conference and Expo and am blown away at the global-ness of this event. It is truly one of the most unique conferences I have attended in my life. Over 500 participants from 65 countries are in attendance including is a large delegation from India. The presentations and Q&A were in four or five different languages. There are over a dozen translators here that are translating the proceedings in real-time. Sophisticated headsets and audio controls enable participants to select the language of their choice.

What is most interesting is the the common nature of the challenges and opportunities that all participants face in their respective businesses. Almost everyone is talking about the impact of media convergence on the future of newspapers and new opportunities in the multi-media space. The forum is a really great example of a truly global platform for shared learnings and interconnectedness.

And on a personal note, it is great to be back in Zurich. The place has brought back fond memories. Mona and I were here in 1992 on our honeymoon!

Ground Floor

Floors in a building in India are numbered differently than those in the US. Ground floor is labeled as floor 0 here while we are used to referring to it as the first floor. Trivial issue, you say? After hitting the button for floor 1 for the nth time (when I really wanted to go to floor 0), I realized how painful this transition to the alternate numbering scheme can be. In general, elevators here move at about a third of the speed of their US counterparts. Same thing is true for the speed at which doors open and shut. Secondly, there is a continuous traffic of people in and out of residential buildings, which means that the elevator will make several stops before reaching your target floor. Of course, it does not help that we live on the top floor in our building.

So having the elevator stop at one extra stop (floor 1) can be VERY PAINFUL. Especially when you are rushing the kids to school or charging off to an important meeting.

On the other hand, if you look at it technically, this numbering system does make logical sense. The ground floor ought to be considered 0 and the basement -1. But then if I am on the 13th floor, am I really 14 floors high?

Madam Chief of Staff

Having a good life in India depends heavily on the quality and effectiveness of domestic help. And just so you get the proper perspective on this, domestic help consists of the following:

- Driver (daily from 8am-9pm)
- Maid 1 (daily/morning - housecleaning)
- Maid 2 (daily/evening - dishwashing and miscellaneous cleaning)
- Milk/Newspaper delivery (daily/morning)
- DVD delivery (occassional/as needed)
- Cooking Gas delivery (occassional, as needed)
- Laundry pickup/delivery (occassional, as needed)
- Miscellaneous (general home care and errands)

As you can see, managing domestic staff is not an easy affair and I am excited to announce that Mona has effectively transitioned into the role of the Chief of Staff in our household. After getting early training managing the staff at the guest house in January, she comfortably eased into this new role as we moved into our new place. I am very impressed with her negotiation and resource management skills although she needs to work on her patience. Managing half a dozen people daily to get your home running and operating smoothly is quite a feat! And I am glad that she is the one doing it.

The mCommerce boom

Mobile Commerce is big in India! And no, I am not talking about purchasing movie tickets, books, music etc. using your mobile phones. I am referring to the thriving hawker industry in the country that caters to the consumer on the go. I have never seen the quantity and range of stuff available for you to buy while you wait patiently in your car waiting at the traffic signal for the light to turn green.

Major street intersections in Bangalore (and most major cities in India) are like an open air mall. As you stop at a red light, street vendors make their approach towards you. These guys sell everything from cell phone chargers and sun shades for your car windows to toys, magazines, cleaning rags, towels etc. This open market is aligned with trends and seasons. For example, on January 26^th (Republic day of India), everyone was selling Indian flags of various types and sizes on the streets.

The hawkers themselves are young and old, men and women. Business starts as rush hour begins in Bangalore (around 9am) and ends when the traffic starts to wind down (around 9pm). These folks are hard working, persistent and resilient! They appear magically as soon as your car stops at a traffic signal. They present their merchandise in an entertaining fashion and transact quickly.

"Urulu Seve" - a unique form of protest

There has been a simmering conflict between the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the distribution of water from the Cauvery river for several years. A tribunal was set up to analyze the situation and deliver a verdict regarding water allocation to the states that depend on the river. Last week the tribunal issues a verdict which favored the state of Tamil Nadu.

Bangalore was tense and security measures were put in place for riot control. The day the verdict came out, schools and offices shut down early and folks hurried back to the safety of their homes in anticipation of trouble in the city. Malls and buildings covered themselves with large safety nets to protect themselves from a potential hail of rocks and stones. Tens of thousands of police and security personnel were deployed in various parts of the city. I was one of the last guys to leave the office and it was amazing to see the city and the roads reasonably empty.

Things seemed to be under control and no major rioting took place. But protests and debate continues. A bandh (the city shuts down) was declared for today but has been postponed to Monday because there is a prestigious air show in progress. The most fascinating form of protest was conducted by Mr. Narayana Gowda, the leader of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (political party). He performed "urulu seve"! This involves people rolling on the ground over quite a distance for some time. I am attaching a photo for those who are having a hard time getting a visual on this!

Wanted: Brides and Grooms

The matrimonial ads in the Sunday Times are an interesting read. No, there has not been a change in my marital status. I am still very much in love with and devoted to my wife. But I like to read these ads because I believe that they provide a good reflection on current social and cultural trends in a country.

There are over four full pages of matrimonial classifieds in the Sunday Times – over 600 ads! Ads are split evenly for prospective brides and grooms and are organized in the following categories: Caste, Community, Language, Religion, Profession and Nationality. There is a special category for NRIs (Non-Resident Indians).

Top three characteristics being sought for brides? Fair, tall and slim.
For grooms? Professional, well qualified and well placed (in a good job!).

Most ads are placed by the parents or close relatives. Ads placed by men or on their behalf are typically larger and use highlights such as color, borders, special fonts etc. This might indicate that men are having a bit more difficulty in finding mates than women.

Here’s my favorite one among the lot:

Tall, Fair, Athletic 35 years,
looks younger independently settled
30 Lacs annually
seeks independent & educated Como girl.
Caste no bar.

Care package

For those of you who have had the pleasure of moving into a new home, you probably know the typical challenges you would face while settling into a new house. Since our move to India is not a permanent one, we did not ship furniture or transfer household goods (like linen, towels, kitchen utensils, cooking supplies etc.). Yet, we moved into our new place on Sunday and were up and running by Tuesday morning.

The secret? Mona's mom!

A few days before we moved in, five large bags and one suitcase arrived by courier from Mumbai. When we unpacked these on Sunday, an endless stream of supplies seemed to flow out of these bags - bedsheets, pillow cases, napkins and rags (all neatly washed and ironed) to kitchen utensils (including fine china) and kitchen supplies. If you are unfamiliar with an Indian kitchen, this is the most complicated part of the household to setup. Indians use about half dozen different types of flour and over three dozen different types of spices. And all of this is specially processed by hand using raw ingredients purchased from shops scattered all over town. Getting our kitchen fully operational would have easily taken over a month.

Mona's mom has surely labored over this for weeks (after returning from a trip to Australia with a broken wrist). She has thought of every little detail in putting together this stuff and has taken into account our special quirks and preferences regarding food. Her thoughtfulness and effort has made our transition into our new place smooth and thoroughly enjoyable.

I salute you, mom!

Homecoming (or going?)

We have finally moved into our new apartment (or flat as it is commonly referred to here)!

Four weeks after we landed in Bangalore, we now have a place we can call home. We were expecting to be able to move in within days of our arrival. But this was before we really understood the mechanics of how time works in India (for more on this, refer to my earlier post on this subject).

We first saw the apartment the day we landed (Jan 1 '07). Judging by the work in progress (carpentry, painting and electrical), we realized with a sinking feeling that this could take a few days longer than we anticipated. The landlord and the contractor assured us that the delay was only a few days and the place would be ready for us within a week.

One thing you learn very quickly here is that planning, estimation and time management are not part of a general contractor's vocabulary. Neither is the word - deadline! People make commitments with the intent to end the conversation.

It seems like nobody anticipated the holidays (Republic day, Sankranti, Moharram - yes, this is in a span of three weeks!) or labor fatigue (just did not feel like showing up) or productivity swings (did not feel like working hard today) etc. Hours stretched into Days which stretched into weeks and finally a month has gone by. We begged and we pleaded and we threatened. Not sure if any of this had any impact but the work is finished (well ... almost!).

Now that we are in our place, the wait seems well worth it. We were anxious about logistics, furniture and utilities. But all of that went surprisingly smooth. Suppliers were very flexible and accomodating to our frequent requests to change delivery schedules. But everything was delivered on time and services were activated pretty quickly.

More about the place in a future post.

Honey, I shrunk the sticks!

One of the thing that strikes you about India is the "smallness" of everything. From buses to elevators to fruits to match sticks - stuff is small here. I had not noticed this until one day I was making toast and picked up a match box to light the stove. The match sticks were about five times smaller in length and volume compared to their counterparts in North America.

Then I started noticing this all around me. Tea cups, plastic bags, soda cans, sandwiches etc. are all much smaller than what we are used to. Perhaps this is a conscious conservation effort. Maybe there is a desire to limit waste. Or probably Indians are just not into BIG. Whatever the reason, the consequences of this are positive. Humans buy less, use less and consume less over here.

One exception to this are billboards - which are too many and too big. But this is a topic for an entire post. Stay tuned!

The Water Dance

A nation of billion people uses a lot of water and water shortage has been a problem that Indians have lived with for decades. I vaguely remember my dad waking up (over twenty years ago) before sunrise to fill up pots of drinking water before the water supply turned off. Water tanks on top of buildings and homes are a common site. Many homes have a system consisting of an underground tank that collects water, a pump that drives the water to an overhead tank which is then routed through pipes by force of gravity to the taps. I did not think that I would ever have to deal with this problem in my life.

WRONG! I am back here now and guess what? Continuous, dependable water supply is still a problem out here. First week was relatively comfortable but problems started in week two. We are renting two bedrooms in the service apartment and each has it's own bath. One day, the water supply in one of the bathrooms was shut down completely for several days. We had to fill buckets of water in one bathroom and carry it to the other. Since the kids had to leave for school at around 7:30am in the morning, this dance would have to start pretty early. After several calls to the manager, the problem got resolved. But around the same time, one of the water heaters conked out. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a geyser this is a small water heater that is installed in each bathroom and is used to heat water. There is no central water heating facility.

So now, we have water in both bathrooms but no hot water in one. So the water dance continued for a few more days until the heater was fixed. A day later, the cold water supply stopped in the second bathroom. Now hot water had to be transported from one bathroom to the other.

There is a positive side to the story. This early morning workout has helped me knock off a few pounds!

Life in a “self”-service apartment

The rapid pace of growth in business in Bangalore has led to a surge in demand for temporary housing. Hotels have no vacancy and room rates have gone through the roof ($300-400/day is the norm in the city). There is a construction boom in the city and huge residential complexes with hundreds of apartments are being built all around. A service apartment industry has been created to provide alternate housing to accommodate business professionals and executives.

Full service apartments are regular apartments that are rented out for a few days to several weeks. These apartments offer home-style comfort with full-services that include laundry, meals, cleaning services etc. The apartments have a full-time caretaker, who lives in the premises and is your primary service provider.

Unfortunately, we landed in a service apartment that was more like a self-service apartment. The place was sparsely furnished and the poorly maintained. On the first day, when the handle to one of the bedroom doors came off, I knew we were in trouble. Kitchen supplies were minimal and there was no facility for food and hot beverages. We ended up buying basic supplies, cooking breakfast and keeping the place clean and organized. Mona had to take charge and began supervising the caretaker. I had to iron my shirts for the first time in years.

But don’t let this scare you off. I spent six weeks at a different service apartment in October and November. It was quite a different experience there. With the right caretaker and management in place, these can actually be pretty comfortable places to spend a few weeks in.

Tomorrow never comes

No! This is not the title for the next James Bond movie. It is a phrase that I have coined to explain the concept of time in India. Here, time works differently than most other parts of the world. People unfamiliar with this can suffer from dizziness and disorientation when first exposed to this. Once you get used to this system, your stress level goes down and you begin to feel the same pleasurable sensation that you feel while vacationing in a tropical island.

In order to understand this phenomenon, you have to learn to interpret the words and phrases related to time within the Indian context. This is best explained through a few scenarios:

Scenario 1:

You are planning to meet a friend for dinner in the evening.

He says “I will pick you up at 6pm”

He means “I will pick you up some time between 7pm and 10pm”

Scenario 2:

You call a colleague at work to discuss an important sales presentation and she is on another call.

She says “I am on another call and will call you back in 5 minutes”

She means “I am on another call and will call you back later today or tomorrow (if I remember)”

Scenario 3:

You have just ordered some furniture and are discussing the delivery schedule with the store manager.

He says “We guarantee next day delivery. This furniture will be delivered to you on Tuesday.”

He means “We guarantee next day delivery. You can expect this furniture this Tuesday or the next or the next or the …”

Simple! So how do you plan and work within this system? I will tell you tomorrow.

India Poised!

I left India 20 years ago for the US. At that time, I could not imagine the transformation that would take place in the next two decades. I am back here after 20 years and I see the change around me and still have a hard time believing that it is actually happening.

The change is evident by the energy, enthusiasm and optimism of the people around here. You can see it the attitude and lifestyles of the new citizens. Change is also physically evident in the buildings, roads, bridges, cars etc. You can see it, smell it and taste it.

On the other hand, you can also see an India that remains unchanged. The common man faces many of the same challenges that he faced 20 years ago. Many of the beat up buses, trucks and auto rickshaws that were on the road 20 years ago are still driving around!

Times of India has coined 2007 as the Year of India. The media company is running a 6-week campaign called India Poised during which it is examining this transformation. It is an interesting study and if you are interested, you can check it out here.

Back to school

Monday was the first day of school. Parents were required to accompany new students. Aanish and Ayaana are joining school in mid-term and we are all anxious. The drive to school is longer than expected (a 5-minute stop at a railroad crossing did not help matters either). The road (if you can call it that) to Indus School is undeveloped for a large stretch with potholes the size of a small Jacuzzi! Driving this stretch in a mini cab makes you feel like you are in a cartoon show.

None of this really matter when you pull up to the gates of the school. The school campus is gorgeous. You could be inside a palace or at a Las Vegas casino! There are beautiful Romanesque buildings surrounded by spectacular gardens on a forty acre property. Classrooms are big, neat and well organized. The indoor sports complex is huge and the outdoor swimming pool looks inviting. The administrative staff is extremely helpful and courteous.

We had the opportunity to attend the school assembly in the outdoor amphitheater. After the school prayer, the principal welcomed the students back to the new term. This was followed by a series of announcements followed by introductions of new teachers. The older boys were chided by a school official for their long hair. These students were told to return to school the next day with hair cuts or pay a visit to the school barber. The assembly ended with the Indian national anthem, which remarkably both Mona and I were able to recite from memory!

Living the nomad life

It’s one thing to live out of a suitcase when you are a road warrior but it’s an entirely different issue when you are moving across the globe with your family. It’s been a week since we have landed in Bangalore and we are still several days (hopefully) away from moving into our new place. This has given us an opportunity to live life as nomads in a temporary service apartment.

We traveled with eight check-in and six carry-on bags. Have you ever tried to locate a tie or that special pair of socks or a game charger for a Nintendo DS in fourteen bags? I do not recommend this. I must admit that I have developed a lot of respect for gypsies, nomads and other traveling tribes that are moving continuously and setting up a different domicile every few months. I speak from personal experience – it is hard work!

Our landlord just informed us that our new place will not be ready for another week. This is disappointing news but we are hoping that all the work being done will be well worth the wait. On a positive note, I have just learned that this week is not an auspicious one for a move. Next week, the stars are in a much better alignment. So there is some good news out of this after all.

We are eagerly looking forward to the day where we are settled in our new place and life is a bit more organized and the kids are no longer tripping over pieces of luggage and I don't have to wear the same orange shirt to work every other day!

Rose Bowl 2007

The biggest tragedy about the timing of our trip for my son was the fact that we would miss the USC/Michigan Rose Bowl game. He is a die-hard Trojan fan and sports fanatic and could not imagine missing the game of the year.

Under the circumstances, I did what any good, caring father would do for their child. I woke up at 4AM and accessed a near real-time play-by-play game update on my Blackberry. If you have never experienced the joy of staring at football game updates on a tiny screen at an ungodly hour with an excited twelve year old while your head is pounding from lack of sleep, I highly recommend it! This was the best experience I have had watching football in years. No peanuts, nachos, beer and big screen TV, but just bleary eyed excitement at 6am in the morning.

Best of all, USC won 32-11! Fight on.

Rise and Shine

Here’s a piece of advice for your next trip to Bollywood land. You can leave that travel alarm clock at home since it is not in the least bit necessary here. I learnt this fact on day one.

The place wakes up (quite noisily) at about 4AM and wakes you up along with it. Around this time, a variety of noises start making their way through glass and walls into your bedroom. These are a mix of a muezzin’s call to prayer, tollywood (yes, the Tamil film industry is actually known as Tollywood!) songs, devotional music and loud conversations! All of this is against a background of barking dogs, highway noise and other unrecognizable sounds. And this was not a unique celebration of New Year’s day because the entire performance repeated again on day two.

I have been told that it takes about a couple of weeks for your brain to adjust to these noises and treat it as normal background sound. At this point, the brain is able to push these sounds to the back of your mind and peaceful sleep would return. I will let you know when this happens. Meanwhile, pack a dozen ear plugs!

The Move

M-day is finally here and we are going through mixed emotions. We are excited and enthusiastic about our upcoming adventure while being sad about leaving our home and friends and anxious about the challenges ahead.

Our cousins, Umesh and Trupti along with their daughters Dvisha and Brinda were driving us to the airport. Our life was neatly packed in eight chec-in luggage (carefully optimized by me to meet the 50lb Lufthansa airline weight limit) and six carry-on (caution thrown to the wind as far as weight is concerned) bags. I was convinced that we would need a fleet of cars or a U-Haul truck to carry all of this to the airport. But Umesh’s Chevy Suburban fit it all … and all the passengers as well! I have renewed respect for this beast of steel.

Check-in and security at the airport was extremely smooth and our flight took of on time (German punctuality at its best). New Years eve was on the plane as we flew over Mumbai. Champagne was served on the plane and the passengers cheered as the captain heralded in 2007. Not quite the “dropping of the ball in Times Square” but definitely beats the heck out of curling up on a cramped airline seat and trying to catch a wink of sleep.

Arrival in Bangalore would have been totally uneventful except for the fact that one of our eight bags did not make it from Frankfurt. This delayed our exit from airport since we had to wait for all the bags to be unloaded and file a lost baggage complaint. All in all, a fairly good trip and we are now in Bangalore – our new home for the next couple of years.