Trip to Bangalore (Part 1)

Kingfisher Xperience

In month of May-June, it becomes a little difficult to live in Delhi as temp can soar to a high of 44 degrees or maybe even more. And if it’s a humid day, then one can expect the worse. So, when dad asked me for a trip to Bangalore (that is Bengaluru now, but I prefer Bangalore) along with him, I readily agreed. He was going for some business conference & I was in full mood of enjoyment. This time he had booked tickets in Kingfisher airlines. It would be my first time in that particular airline and I was excited because it was only airline in India that provided an in flight entertainment system. The website boasted of Air-premier of newly released movies and had messages like channels powered by Dish TV. I began to wonder, since Dish TV is a satellite based DTH service provider, how could one view channels in the plane, since it not possible to have a receiver in a moving plane (because the direction of plane changes frequently, so every time the plane turned, one needed to reposition the receiver to the tune of satellite, if there was one!) to catch the signals relayed by the satellite!! It was only on my return trip I figured out that these were recorded programs, which were telecasted again & again and average length of one cycle of programs was about 2 hours and 30 mins. There was one channel which displayed the feed from camera placed on the nose of the plane. (But it was not a standard feature, some planes have it, some don’t.)It had 5 channels that telecasted previously hosted programs on TV like some episode of Laughter challenge, Just for laugh, funny videos, Ben 10, Sindbad, Tom & Jerry (one a single cartoon!!), Boss’s day out etc. There were highlights of Test match b\w India & Pakistan also shown on Ten sports (the one in which Viru made 309). The air-premiered movie was really disappointing; it was U Me aur Hum. Its entertainment system also had music channels which were 9 in number. 4 were Hindi and rest English. It was also recorded but they tried to give a look of a professional radio channel by having RJs speaking in between songs and occasional ads. I listened to English radio channels only, it was disappointing to see that runtime of songs was less that 1.5 hrs. While retuning, all the programs, songs, movie was same as that while going. Hence return flight was a major turn down. Also I had problem with the set of earphones provided, the right earphone would have very low volume compared to left one. I changed the set twice, but the problem remained. Thankfully I was carrying my mp3 played & thus I used my own set of earphones. Then, every time there was an announcement, the in flight entertainment system would come to a halt & you be forced to listen to that announcement, the music in your ears would be replaced by an announcement which you probably did not want to hear at the first place. And guess what…you have missed the part of the show/song/movie during time announcement was aired!!! Although Kingfisher is a good airline, I felt Spice-jet was better when came for value for money. Kingfisher was a premier airline, so I hoped to have a good, sumptuous meal in the aircraft. But there also I felt the quality of the foods sold in low cost airlines were better that this ‘premium’ airline’s “Gourmet”. The best part of the meal was the glass of fresh Lime they served before the meals and ofcourse water!!

Trip to Bangalore (Part 2)

BIAL or the new Bangalore airport was a fantastic. It was much bigger and better than Delhi airport. Everything was organized; it was so spacious and could make you feel that you have landed in some foreign country!! Since it was away from the city, there were busses running from the airport to various parts of the city, which were both A.C and Non A.C. The weather was really pleasant over there being just above 23 degrees at noon. It took us a while to reach to the city from the airport. But during my way, I observed that all the traffic flowed only in one direction…everywhere! Most of the roads were unidirectional (one-way). It was due to excessive vehicular traffic. It might look a simple solution to the traffic congestion problem, but because of this unidirectional traffic, a distance of 1 km becomes more than 2.5 kms. The place appeared a lil peculiar to me…every1 including autowalas knew English, though they were not fluent in it, but could understand what you were trying to say, and would reply you back sentences that would have words from English and Hindi also. This was because we did not understand Kannad. I loved the food there; south Indian food was the main diet there & hence their dosas, idlies, vada, sambhar tasted much better than that of Delhi. In the afternoon, I went to the room on for a nap…I opened the door of the balcony and I could feel the cool breeze flowing in the room…it felt really nice, as if I was in some park…In the evening we set out for dinner at Kamat restaurant. As in every city, it’s difficult for a tourist to get hold autowalas who does not over charges and Bangalore was not exception. We asked a local about the rate to the restaurant. But no autowala agreed for that rate bcos they could make that we were tourists as we did not know kannad. Finally we got one who came most close to the rate that we expected. Once there, I was feeling were hungry & I thought I would probably eat everything that they had in their kitchen. I was too eager to get my hands on food. Once seated, they offered Banana leaf (which are very big in size) instead of regular plates…I thght how could we eat in this, would the regular dals, curries spill out? But on the other hand I liked it, since I thght it was more hygienic than plates and cutlery. (The localities do not use spoons for eating) Once food was served, I observed that most of it was in semi-solid state, so that it would not flow outta leaf. It was simple south Indian thaali, which I liked very much. But what I really liked there were the banana that they served after the meal. It was very short, about 2-3 inches long and was sweet and lime taste at same time. I ate so much, that it was difficult for me to walk now (I no I am a petu!) After that it was good night’s sleep. Next morning we went to MTR, the famous Tiffin center for our breakfast. But it was closed, hence had to go to another place for Breakfast. I again I just luved the food there, the dosas, and the bhats (rice preparations) were simply amazing. There was one particular difference with preparation of dosas, wrt to north and over here. The dosas in north are very thin, however in Bangalore, they were very thick, and hence very heavy. I did not realize that before ordering, and hence had to eat more than I could. (I was so full that on that day I skipped my lunch.) I went to see a science museum after that. I had hoped that my time would fly away in the museum, but on the other hand, I knew everything museum had to offer except for the history section, which was really nice. In the after noon I went for some strolling in the neighborhood of my place of stay. (Waise, the paanwala knew English) In the evening I went for Saarkar Raj. It was watchable movie. Then again in night we went to same Kamat restaurant were we went the previous night. But this time I did not like the food as much I had liked it the previous night.

Next morning was our flight back to Delhi. It was time to bid adieu to the city. On the airport, I actually came to see the effect of being on the airport of a tech city. Every second person was working on the laptop and almost every1 carried one. There were some who had no work on the laptop, but because there were many who were working on the laptop around them, how could they be left behind?? Hence they decided to open their laptops and sit idle. Laptops were everywhere from the people squatting on the ground to those who were eating and those who could find a place to sit & thus were standing. My flight was in morning hours; hence the rush was too much. Thought the airport is newly built, but it could not handle so much rush. The vastness of the airport I felt when landed on the same airport 2-3 days back seemed to have disappeared. All the eating joints were overcrowded and restrooms were extremely small. I had to board my flight through a particular door. The door no was known to us but not the boarding time as the flight was delayed by 20 mins. Before boarding announcement was made, there was large no, of people standing the Q. I wondered, why were they standing before the announcement was made? Instead of sitting down at empty chairs, they preferred to stand. Was it to occupy the better seat in the plane (you have seat numbers on the boarding pass)?? Or was it the fear of being leaving behind if you entered last. I must admit, it was a tough one for me to decide. Though the flight was late, I did not have to wait for a long time and soon got into my flight. The flight back home was really boring. Thank fully I had book to read which I had purchased from the airport duty free shop and as a result had to pay Rs. 100 more that the MRP!!

War...1

College is over...and there are still couple of months left b4 I join a university for my masters. As you might have guessed, I have lots and lots of time these days, and I really dont know what to do these days. I am actually bored of doing nothing these days. One might say that there can be many things that can be done like joining a part time job, working with your father, blah-blah-blah...but then, I am extremely lazy!! So I spent most of my time home..doing nothing excepting sleeping (ofcourse).

I picked up a book named "War" when I finally thought enough is enough.( I was too bored by getting bored everyday by doing nothing.) I thought it was a history book, but it was not. I opened its pages and the author had dedicated the book to Napoleon, Sun-tzu (never had herd of him), goddess Athena & Brutus (his pet cat). I was wondering, I can understand dedication of the book towards Napoleon and to an extent towards Brutus (out of love I am assuming) but since I had never herd of Sun-tzu, I had no clue why it was dedicated to him. And more surprizing was dedication to Athena, since in Greek mythology Ares was God of war not Athena. Since she was goddess of wisdom, I thought why was the book dedicated to her, cos I dont think its wise to wage war!!

When I have read a few more pages, I will right more abt the book...I definately seems an interesting book. Here are bits and pieces of the preface of the book

"We live in a culture that promotes democratic values of being fair to one and all, the importance of fitting into a group, and knowing how to cooperate with other people.

We are taught early in life that those who are outwardly combative and aggresive pay a social price: unpopularity and isolation....

The problem for us is that we are trained and prepared for peace, and we are not at all prepared for what confronts us in the real world --- WAR.

This war exists on several levels. Most obviously, we have our rivals on the other side. The world has become increasingly competitive and nasty. In politics, business, even the arts, we face opponents who will do almost anything to gain an edge. More troubling and complex, however, are the battles we face with those who are supposedly on our side.

There are those who outwardly play the team game, who act very friendly and agreeable, but who sabotage us behind the scenes, use the group to pormote their own agenda.

Other, more difficult to spot, play subtle games of passive aggression, offering help that never comes, instilling guilt as a secret weapon.

On the surface everything seems peaceful enough, but just below it, it is every man and woman for him - or herself, this dynamic infecting even families and relationships."

Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

(The above poem was written by Mary Schmich, I found it quit nice...)

The Regional Crowd

It was my first year in coll when I first come in to touch with these creatures, if I may call them creatures. Possibly the most queer species I have seen. They looked acted like humans from outside and came in all sizes and shapes. But thats where the similarity ends. Their strange way of talking, eating, doing things and most of all their mentality and outlooks towards others took me by surprise. I began to wonder...r they normal ?? or am I abnormal ??!!

The way that act in class or group, could make u feel embarrassed and often in a position, where you would not know what to do...n this happened to you because u committed the grave mistake of being with them...n lettin them think that ur his 'friend'. One such incident happened to me: It was first year...we were yet to no the whole class. It was common that they discussed girls of their respective batches. I happened to b present during one of those 'hot' discussions bcos it happened in my room. One girl used b the hot topic for discussion. I committed the blunder of sayin "luks lik shes a nice girl" (goin by their praises for the girl). The very nxt day I was suddenly called by my 'friend'. It looked as if he was in sum kinda emergency. To my surprize, he took me to that girl n said..."he's my friend n wud lik to b ur friend" and went away !! Now it was the first time that I saw that girl n came face to face with her, n moreover she looked like an aunty, definitely not a coll girl. At that point, wt the fcuk ws I supposed to do? I felt too embarrassed to say nethin. I jus ran outta that place, thinking...what hit me? Was it the girl (aunty) or was the way in which intro had taken place. It was clear that I was not expecting such a blunt intro and sounding as if I was a big despo who wants to befriend a girl. And not 2 4get that all this happened because I was his 'friend'.

With them around, if sum1 is talking to a girl, he working out his 'setting' with the girl. Teasing somebody if they chatted with a girl was a common site. C'mon we were in coll...not in some govt school. There etiquettes are outta this world, whether they are talkin to you, teacher, or worse, when talking to a girl. If ur out with them, its obvious that they will make u feel embarrassed but they dont mind any action of their's and think it to be perfectly justified. Bitching about others, faking things, to gain attention of girls was a common thing during those days. Later even girls came to no about their true nature. When it come to money matters, their parochialism was the worst I have ever seen. They would use ur things, even if they had their own (eg deo, pen. etc) so that it saved them money (will sum1 ask them how many paise did they save?).They never seem to be outta words when it come self praising. Possibly the best of best blowhards ever (esp in front of a girl).

Its a gud thing that they are limited in our coll...otherwise lyf cud have been hell. Imagine, what u do particular thing is wrong, but if they do same thing is absolutely FINE. Try listening to there choice of there music, I really dont understand how do they find such useless music tracks? I listen to both English and Hindi songs, but cannot stand a single minute of their 'best' of their songs. One more thing worth mentioning is that u dont want to stand near them. If for sum reason u (god forbid) had to, it wud have been difficult because the body odor of most of them would make a skunk shy away. And if ur around when they are taking their socks off....well...the smell could knock u off !!

It is not that all the regional crowd is alike, there are exceptions also, but they are very rare. I would not mind having friendship with them, but I cannot stand their behavior, there narrow-minded thinking and most of all double standards. My experiences with them leaves me always uncomfortable whenever I meet another person who is from the same region even though I do not know him. I hope you no why................