randomsporadicscribbles

2011-11-10T15:24:00.001+01:00

कलकत्त्याहून विमान गौहत्तीच्या दिशेनं झेपावलं कि काही मिनीटांतच डावीकडे एक अद्भुत द्रृष्य दिसू लागतं. दूरवर क्षितीजावर धीर-गंभीर हिमालयाची हिमाच्छादित उत्तुंग झळझळीत शिखरं म्हणजे जणु एखाद्या जागृत देवस्थानावरील सोन्याचे कळस. आजवर युरोपातले बरेच बर्फ़ाच्छादित डोंगर बघीतले पण जाणवतय ते असं की अशी उत्तुंगता, भव्यता तिथे नाही. हटकून दादा-वहिनीची आठवण झाली आणि हिमालयानी त्यांना लावलेलं वेड मला उमजलं. दुसरी आठवण नीलेशची छाया-प्रकाशाचं वेडच त्याला. क्षितीजावर पृथ्वीलोकाच्याही दशांगुळे वर असलेली काळ्या-करड्या आसमंताच्या पार्श्वभूमीवरची ती हिरण्यवर्णी सजावट पाहून तो नक्कीच हरखला असता.

नजर ट्प्प्याट्प्प्यानी खाली उतरावी तसं दिसतं की देवभूमीत उगम पावलेले खळखळणारे असंख्य जीवनस्त्रोत पठारांवर शांत तर झालेले आहेत पण तरीही एका अनामिक ओढीने ते सागराकडे झेपावतायत. परंतु ही मिलन-मुक्ती मिळवण्याच्या नादात भारतभूला सुजलाम् सुफ़लाम् करण्याचं कर्तव्य मात्र ते विसरणार नाहियेत...

2011-06-05T21:14:00.001+02:00

दारूसेवनाच्या किमान वयोमर्यादा कायद्यासंदर्भात...

सध्या आमरण उपोषणांचा सीझन असल्यामुळे महाराष्ट्रातील तळीरामांनी देखील तोच मार्ग अवलंबायचे ठरवीले आहे. राज्यसरकाराच्या विचाराधीन असलेल्या दारूसेवनाच्या किमान वयासंदर्भातल्या कायद्याच्या निषेधार्थ हुतात्मा स्मारकाजवळ, गटारी अमावस्येच्या मुहुर्तावर उपोषण आंदोलन करण्यात येणार आहे. कळकळीचा, ज्येष्ठ दारुडा आणि सत्तरीच्या दशकातला गरम धरम उर्फ़ धरमेंद्र तरुणांचे नेतृत्व करणार आहे.

वयाच्या पंचवीस वर्षांपर्यंत दारू पिऊ न देणारा हा कायदा लोकशाही तत्त्वांची पायमल्ली करीत आहे. तरूण वर्गात त्यामुळे प्रचंड असंतोष पसरलेला आहे. दारू पिण्याच्या व्यक्तीस्वातंत्र्याची गळचेपी सहन न झाल्याने सिद्धार्थ मल्ल्याने आंदोलनाला पाठींबा जाहीर केल्याने आंदोलनांना आवश्यक असणारे ग्लॅमरही लाभणार आहे.

ज्या तरुणांना हुतात्मा स्मारकापाशी येणे शक्य नाही त्यांनी आपापल्या गावातच स्थानिक हातभट्ट्या व बार येथे जमुन आंदोलनाला पाठिंबा देण्याचे आवाहन करण्यात आले आहे.

ह्या अमानुष कायद्याचा फेरविचार करण्याबरोबरच सरकारचा दारूबंदी विभागच बंद करावा अशी कळकळीची मागणी करण्यात येणार आहे. फेसबुक व मेणबत्त्यांव्यतिरीक्त आणखी काय काय करता येऊ शकेल ह्याबाबत समितीचा सध्या विचार सुरु असुन हे आंदोलन यशस्वीरित्या पार पडेल असा आत्मविश्वास सगळ्यांनाच आहे.

2011-05-02T11:53:00.000+02:00

क्रिकेटचा देव क्रिकेटचा देव कसला? सचिन एक महान खेळाडू आहे हे निःसंशय पण म्हणून त्याला देवत्व? साक्षात सरस्वती! लता मंगेशकरवर खरोखरीच सरस्वतीचा वरदह्स्त आहे. आणि ह्या गायिकेचं श्रेष्ठत्वही वादातीत आहे पण म्हणून ती साक्षात सरस्वती होते का? जमेची बाब ही कि ही दोघही स्वतः असले दावे करत नाहीत. पण परमेश्वराचे स्वयंघोषीत अवतार आपल्याकडे कमी नाहीत. गल्लीबोळात सापडतात. सार्वजनीक माध्यमांनी खरतर ह्यांवर टीका करावी. पण सत्यसाईबाबा या स्वयंघोषित अवताराच्या अंत्यदर्शनाला जेव्हा सचिन गेला तेव्हा एका वाहिनीने "साईबाबा के अंतीम दर्शन के लिये साक्षात भगवान" अशी बातमी दिल्याचं वाचलं तेव्हा काय बोलावं हेच कळेना. पुढेमागे दाऊदला अंडरवर्ल्डचा देव आणि कलमाडीला भ्रष्टाचाराचा देव म्हणायला ह्या वाहिन्या कमी पडणार नाहीत.

आज आपण जो धर्म हिंदू धर्म म्हणून ओळखतो त्यात विशिष्ठ धर्मतत्त्वाचा आग्रह नाही आणि त्याचा जोरकस प्रसार करणारी मिशनर्‍यांसारखी केन्द्रीय संस्था नाही. एकच एक देव नाही. त्याचा एकुलता एक प्रेषीत नाही. मोक्षाचे साध्य साधण्यासाठी मार्गही पुष्कळ अणि साधनेही अनेक. द्वैतवादी, अद्वैतवादी, ईश्वरवादी, एक ईश्वरवादी, अनेक ईश्वरवादी, निरीश्वरवादी, चर्वाकवादी, सर्वदैववादी, भक्तियोगि, ज्ञानयोगी, कर्मयोगी हे सगळे तितकेच आणि सारखेच हिंदू.

प्रत्येक व्यक्तीत ईश्वराचा अंश असतो अशी आपली सांस्कृतीक धारणा. नमस्कार हा उपचार म्हणजे समोरच्या व्यक्तीतल्या त्या अंशाची घेतलेली दखल. पण हे करता करता हाडामांसाच्या माणसाला आपण देव समजू आणि संबोधू लागलो तर ते योग्य होइल का?

2011-03-01T15:20:00.000+01:00

Legal or Ethical?

Ethics are a personal matter and values are a subset of ethics; ethics of individual members of a society loosely come together to form morality and the laws or the legal system is the framework of it all. However, from an individual’s perspective everything that is illegal may not be unethical or everything that is ethical may not be legal.

Forcing a section of a population to follow a law that goes against their ethics is a threat to their freedom of choice. But then who decides whether their ethics have any place in the social morality? Should they necessarily be conforming to the majority?

This is when the rights movements come in picture. Radical changes take place. Society evolves. The archaic is challenged and the road is paved for the novel.

Even as laymen we all should possess the ability to challenge our own values and review our own ethics.

2011-02-16T23:13:00.000+01:00

भेटणं

देहबोलीच्या संकल्पना प्रत्येक संस्कृतीत वेगवेगळ्या असतात. आपलं कुणी भेटलं की डोळ्यांनी आणि ओठांवरच्या स्मितानं त्या cयक्तीची दखल घेणं, मनापासून 'काय म्हणताय' किंवा 'कशी आहेस' अशी विचारपूस करणं, अंतरीच्या बंधाचे सुखद ताण परस्परांना जाणवणं ह्यात मोठं समाधान असतं. wassup करुन मिठ्या मारुन muah muah करणं मला अजुनही जमत नाही आणि मी तसा प्रयत्न केलाच तर माझं अवघडलेपण समोरच्याच्या नजरेतून सुटत नाही!

2011-02-13T06:30:00.001+01:00

I shall Win

No matter what I do or don't

No matter how much I try or avoid

It ends up the same way...

What or who has cast this spell?

Where did I lose my winning ways?

The endurance is being tested

The commitment being examined

This too shall pass

I shall come out as a winner

For I don't want any other choice...

2011-01-24T21:49:00.001+01:00

जगाला निर्भीडपणे सामोरी जाणारी ती तशी कणखर आहे. best foot forward वगैरे strategy ती कधी वापरत नाही. तिला जसं वाटेल तशी ती जगापुढे येणार. दुसर्‍याची भूमिका समजून घेण्याची विलक्षण क्षमता तिच्यात आहे. भले ती भूमिका तिच्या भूमिकेशी विसंगत का असेना. तुझी भूमिका तुझ्यापाशी आणि माझी माझ्यापाशी असं वागणं. एरवी अशी सुसंगत असणारी ती तशी बर्‍याचदा स्वतःबद्द्ल मात्र ह्ळवी होते. स्वतःतल्या द्वंद्वांना मग तत्त्वज्ञानाची जोड लावते. पण असा आतल्या आत विचार केल्यानी मग तिचे कयास चुकीचे लागायला लागतात मग कधी ज्वालामुखीचा उद्रेक आणि मग दीर्घ शांतता तर कधी उपरती आणि नंतर सारवासारव. आणि ह्या सगाळ्यात कायम असतो तो तिचा खरेपणा. आणि नेमकं हेच मला भावणारं. तिला उमजलय की नाही हे माहित नाही पण तिनं तिच्या आसपासच्या आमच्या आयुष्यांवर कायमची मोहोर उमटवलीय हे नक्की आणि तिनं ह्या बाबत तरी शंका घ्यायला नकोय...

2010-12-02T08:02:00.004+01:00

An Eyesore

Gossip mills won’t stop.

The grind begins & goes on into the late evening – incessantly!

Fall in line, fall in line – choose your camp.

Fierce & independent is such a bad combination – you are so bad.

Why can’t you be lame or tame or as they say – politically accurate?

You know you will be loved by one and all – they just know you won't gnaw.

You know the heat will be on you, you know it, don’t you.

But you will still hang in there, still, won’t you?

You are an eyesore …

2009-10-15T12:07:00.003+02:00

दिवे लागले रे, दिवे लागले रे,
तमाच्या तळाशी दिवे लागले;
दिठीच्या दिशा खोल तेजाळतांना
कुणी जागले रे? कुणी जागले?

रित्या ओंजळी दाटली पुष्पवृष्टी
असे झाड पैलाड पान्हावले;
तिथे मोकळा मी मला हुंगितांना
उरी गंध कल्लोळुनी फाकले...

उभ्या रोमरोमांतुनी चैत्रवाटा
कुणी देहयात्रेत या गुंतले?
आरक्त त्याच्या कृपेच्या कडा अन
उष:सूक्त ओठात ओथंबले...

- शंकर रामाणी (पालाण)

Let this Diwali be the celebration of our Inner Light. Let this inner light outshine all the darkness.

2008-01-07T09:19:00.001+01:00

अक्षरश: स्वत:च्या अभिरुचीचं प्रतिबींब असं एका designer मित्राचं वेगळं आणि अतीसुंदर घर. सगळ्याच वेगळेपणात एक वस्तू अगदी जवळची वाटते ती म्हणजे kitchen cabinet मध्ये लपलेला दळणाचा मोठ्ठा डबा.

स्वत:चं घरटं जेव्हा थाटलं तेव्हा साखरेच्या सुबकशा नवीन बरणीत मात्र किल्वरच्या आकाराचा तो बुटका चमचाच ठेवावासा वाटतो. food processor, १०-१२ सुर्‍यांचा तो लाकडी ठोकळा असूनसुध्दा एक विळी विकत घ्यावीशी वाटते. ग़ुबगुबीत गादीवरही आईच्या साडीच्या गोधडीची आठवण येते.

प्रतिष्ठीत उद्दोगपतीच्या ऑफ़िसमध्ये मीटींग असली की त्याच्या आवडीचा चहा आणि वडा-पाव असतो म्हणुन तो मला आवडूनच जातो. एका बड्या हस्तीच्या एरवीच्या अलिशान घरात असलेल्या जुन्याच mosiac tiles आणि 'वैष्णव जन तो' ची मंद धून ऐकून आदर द्विगुणीत होतो.

परदेशात असताना बाकी रंगवलेल्या तोंडाच्या आणि वेगळ्या वेगळ्या केसांच्या तर्‍हा असलेल्या मुलींमध्येच एक वेणी घातलेली आणि दिसताच साधी वाटणारी मुलगी बघुन तिला मैत्रीण करावंसं वाटतं. मध्यरात्र उलटून पार्टीतून परतताना 'तशाही' अवस्थेत सिद्धीविनायकाला हात जोडणारा colleague सगळ्यांपेक्षा वेगळा वाटतो.

मूळचे चिरंतन मध्यमवर्गीय संस्कार म्हणजे हेच का?

2006-11-15T14:04:00.000+01:00

Orkut is an addiction. For a long time I ignored invitations from my friends and cousins to join this 'online community that connects people through a network of trusted friends.' My being far away from home, availability of Internet at flat rate and ample of free time were the reasons for me registering myself on Orkut, besides the tireless persuasion of my loving sister to start 'orkutting.'

Within a few days I got consumed by the fascinating virtual world of Orkut. I was happy to rediscover my long lost school friends, suddenly discover profiles of cousins and stumble upon amicable strangers. Soon, the world of online communities was what I got introduced to and started becoming members of countless communities. So much so that I came across a community for those who are 'members of too many communities', phew...

Slowly I 'unjoined' irrelevant communities and focused of few interesting ones. And now, finally, I have got hooked on to it so badly that I hate being a part of the whole orkut thing, in the first place. One of these days I might just delete my profile in a miff...have been saying this for too long..haha!!

The Internet is dangerous. I call google my second brain. Unbelievable as it may sound, I need google for anything and everything. in our office if someone asks a question, pat comes the reply, 'google it you moron, don't waste my time!'

Back to the original topic of me being a victim of orkut addiction - to my irritation - much similar to the irritation of an alcoholic or a drug addict - this orkut thingy behaves as if it has its own mind. Often I am greeted with the irritating message - 'Bad, bad server. No donut for you.' The performance of this 'google family' member is so miserable these days that shamelessly the display says 'Unfortunately, the orkut.com server has acted out in an unexpected way.' It does not stop here further it reads 'It's likely that the server will behave this way on occasion during the coming months.' How horrible! Such bad service from google is not accepted at all.

Having faced that, as I mentioned, I need google for everything, so I 'googled' for 'bad, bad service. No donut for you.' (by the way what is this 'donut' thing all about??) and I came across this blog post by a fellow blogger. His way of writing is so mind blowing that I have become a fan of his writing. Have a look! Happy blogging!

To those, who are yet not a victim of Orkut, believe me, you are not missing anything and please, I appeal to you - do not fall prey to this growing orkut mania...you will be happier that way...

2006-11-01T20:09:00.000+01:00

It snowed :-)

View from my house yesterday & today!!

(click on the pics to enlarge)

Hey...you know what...it snowed today!

In was unusually cold today, something like -2. I thought it might start snowing in a day or two so I asked my colleague to read the weather forecast. While he was at it, I looked out of window and screamed...he got scared...lol! It was snowing!

I started jumping around like a kid...you should have seen my face :)

But then in stopped :( then it got dark. After a couple of hours I left office. I came out of office and there was snow every where...it had continued snowing after it got dark. there was snow on the footpath. Man it is so slippery, i was about to fall only :)

Snow on the cars, snow on the roofs, snow on the cycles, snow on the benches...what fun!

I came home and looked in the mirror - the fine featherlight flakes were all in my hair and on my shoulder...I didn't want it to melt but what to do the heater was on na :(

But its OK now am not a snow virgin any more :)

PS: This morning, while walking fast fast for the bus...I slipped and fell....hahahahahahah....it was so embarassing ...there were many people watching the fun. But - nobody laughed, nobody helped!!!!!! Forget helping but atleast have a hearty laugh.......strange are the people here....I was laughing to myself till I reached office.... didn't care for the looks I recieved.....hahahahahha

Walking on the snow seems to be an art :)

2006-10-19T19:33:00.000+02:00

नन्नाचा पाढा

आताशा थंडीचा तडाखा चांगलाच जाणवू लागलाय. बर्फ पडायला जरी अजून अवकाश असला तरी कोट-कानटोपी शिवाय बाहेर पडता येत नाही. आज ऑफिस मधे शिरल्या बरोबर लक्षात आलं की floor heater overnight चालू ठेवायला सुरवात करायला हवी. घरातली जमीन लाकडाची आहे हे एक बरंच झालं.

बटण चालू करणार तोच लक्षात आलं की कोण्या असामान्य रंगार्‍यानं मस्तपैकी स्विचबोर्डावरुन oil paint असा काही मारलाय की बटण चालू होणं केवळ अशक्य! वैतागच आला. बरं असंही नाही की मारली गाडीवर टांग गेलो कोपर्‍यावरच्या मजूर अड्ड्यावर आणला एक गडी झालं झटक्यात काम. काहीतरी खुडबुड खुडबुड करुन झाला एकदाचा तो heater सुरु आणि दमुन मी खुर्चीत बसलो आणि आमच्या ऑफिसमधल्या शिपायाची इतकी आठवण आली. तो असता तर ह्या सगळ्याचा चार्ज त्यानीच घेतला असता. वर नंतर गरम कॉफीचा आयता कपही बसल्या जागी मिळाला असता...

कॉफीची आठवण झाली म्हणून उठून percolator चालू केला आणि कपाट उघडून बघतो तो काय, साखर इल्ले! बरं असही नाही की लावलाय कोपर्‍यावरच्या वाण्याला फोन आणि आलाय त्याचा पोर्‍या सायकल हाणत पटकन. बाकीच्यांना काही सोयरसुतक नाही कारण ते पिणार black coffee. दिवसभरातल्या बाकी कॉफ्या जरी black चालत असल्या तरी ही पहिली कॉफी मला आपली दुध-साखरेची लागते. मग काय पुन्हा एकदा कोट-टोपीचा जामानीमा केला आणि पडलो बाहेर...

रोज अगदी हटकून आमच्या कामवाल्या बाईंची आठवण येते. स्वैपाक आपणच, धूणं-भांडी, केर-वारे आपणच. सगळं आहे. washing machine, drier, microwave पण करावं तर लागतच ना!

एक दिवस मजाच झाली. बर्फ पडायला लागण्याआधीच बूट घ्यायला म्हणून दुकानात शिरलो, बराच वेळ झाला तरी माझ्याकडे कुणीच येईना. या साहेब, या साहेब नाही. थंडा गरम नाही. बेंचखालून फर्रकन पायाचं माप घ्यायचा तो स्टॅंड ओढणं नाही. पटवा पटवी नाही. माळ्यावरच्या माणसाशी अगम्य भाषेत बोलणं नाही. आकाशातनं पडल्यासारखे त्या भोकातून पडणारे आपल्या मापाचे बूट नाहीत. कुणी तुझा पाय हातात घेउन बूट घालून देणारे? स्वप्नात आहेस का काय? भानावर येउन मी आवडलेला बूट हातात घेतला, बाजूला ठेवलेली जीभ मदतीला घेउन घालून बघितला. स्वतःच स्वतःला अभिप्राय दिला आणि माझी मिळमिळीत खरेदी उरकली...

जागा वेगळ्या पण परिस्थिती अशीच. पोष्टात जा की बॅंकेत एक तर सगळं automatic. माणसाच्या मदतीची गरज पडलीच तर मशीनमधून नंबराच तिकीट काढायचं आणि indicator कडे बघत तिष्ठत उभं राहायचं.

संध्याकाळी घरी येताना बसला गर्दी नाही, अंगावर खेकसणारा कंडक्टर नाही. कोपर्‍यावर ओळखीचं हसणारा चांभार नाही...काही मजाच नाही...

2006-10-07T15:49:00.001+02:00

स्फुट

मुल लहान असतं तेव्हा आई भोवताली असतं. अगदी आईला सोडत नाही. जरा रांगू लागलं की ते उंबर्‍यापर्यंत जातं आणि परत येतं. जरा चालायला लागलं की अंगणात फाटकापर्यंत जातं आणि परत येतं. आतापर्यंत त्याला आईच माहित होती पण आता मात्र त्याला आई, घर आणि अंगण माहित झालयं. मग पुढे पुढे आई, घर, अंगण आणि शाळा. त्याहीपुढे आई, घर, अंगण, शाळा, कॉलेज आणि ऑफिस...

कधीकधी मग त्याला आई, घर, अंगण, शाळा, कॉलेज, ऑफिस... आणि नॉर्वेही माहिती होतं. पण म्हणुन काय ते आई, घर... सगळं विसरतं? शक्यच नाही. उलट प्रकर्षानी आठवतं.

त्याला माहित असतं की ते सगळं आपलच तर आहे. ते कुणीसुध्दा हिरावून घेऊच शकणार नाही. आणि म्हणूनच ते निर्धास्त असतं. परतायचं तर असतच, मग काळजी कसली?

प्रसाद

2006-10-02T11:15:00.000+02:00

Gandhi Jayanti

I am aware of the wave of ‘Gandhigiri’ post the release of Munnabhai. This article may appear as yet another ‘me too’ sorts but there lies the success of the film. The film simplified Gandhi and has left a lasting impression on me. It will be difficult to find an Indian who is not familiar with the name Mahatma Gandhi but hardly few really know what this name stands for and his contributions to modern India.

It is the most overexposed name and since childhood I have been hearing, reading about him. But somehow the lectures delivered by leaders on the national celebrations or the lessons in the history books never caught my attention.

No sooner than the person achieves the greatness he is elevated to a great height and thus becomes inaccessible to the common man. Gandhi’s philosophy, his lessons and teachings were made into an ‘ism’ and thus were taken away from the layman and were posed as something meant for the elite and the intellectual. This movie brought it back to the layman.

Many must have criticized and ridiculed the movie but for me it worked. Despite the flaws and minimum content it aroused my interest in Gandhi. Voraciously, I read all the information on Gandhi that I could Google. In the quest for more I booked the autobiographical ‘The story of my experiments with Truth’ at the Oslo city library as my next book to be read. As expected, the book is already borrowed by some one else and I am on the waiting list.

Our tragedy is that we make a God out of wise men. People call them incarnations of the God. Statues are made and people start worshipping the statues. I do not mean to attack beliefs. Of course, it is a wonderful method, idols and statues constantly remind you their deeds but one needs to take inspiration from them and not merely worship them. It has to go beyond observing a dry day and declaring a national holiday.

It will be a tall statement if I say that am turning to be a Gandhian. Many of his philosophies may not be as relevant today. But I know one thing for sure his teachings and messages are like a torch light in the dark. Today, on his birth anniversary, for the first time in my life I offer tribute to him. I am going to end this article with a few of is quotations that have impressed me

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."

"Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being ... When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagvad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midsta of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of tragedies and if they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita."

"The sayings of Mohammad are a treasure of wisdom, not only for Muslims but for all of mankind."

“If all Christians acted like Christ, the whole world will be Christian.”

"Yes I am a Hindu. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew."

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean, if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.”

“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

And many more…

2 October 2006

2006-09-28T20:27:00.000+02:00

Karl Johan Street on a typical Summer Sunday

This is going to be a photo feature, so that I can give glimpses of Karl Johan Street - the most important street of Oslo. Named after the King Karl Johan the street connects the Sentral Stasjon (as they call the central station in Norsk) to the Royal Palace. This beautiful paved road is the heart of the city. Many important tourist attractions are within walking distance. The street is bustling with activities all through the day. Many restaurants and cafes, especially in summer have tables set out on the pavements. The biggest shopping malls are in the surrounding areas and so are the government offices. Some of the best hotels are on the Karl Johan Street. This being one of the oldest areas of the town has one of best buildings known for their architecture.

On a typical Sunday in summer the street feels and looks like a magical place with its cafes, parks, shops, plenty of street musicians, entertainers and performers. A few drug addicts and beggars too! Families and tourists stroll and sit around and children play.

The cobblestoned sidewalks and the street is for pedestrians only. The street is also the main area for all sorts of parades and demonstrations. I got my first culture shock on this very street on my 3rd day in Norway when I witnessed the annual gay parade of Oslo. And a few days back when we had participants form all across the world for a Conference, we had marched on this very street to the Central Hall where the Nobel Prize Laureates from 3 countries addressed our gathering.

Just after shifting to Oslo and before getting my own apartment, TV or Internet, this was the place I used frequent.

Last week, when a colleague of mine was in town we visited the street and the Parliament. Please enjoy this virtual tour...click on the following link...

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/554443858JKiYUC

Prasad

28 September 2006

2006-09-23T22:42:00.000+02:00

All is not well in the wealthy country of Norway. For example - family values, or rather its decline. The divorce rate amongst the Norwegian couples continues to climb. Highest amongst the age group between 35 – 39. The issues of single parenting, lonely childhood, child abuse, and battered relationships in the household, drug addiction, unwed mothers are interwoven. I was chatting with my colleague at the Belgium Consulate in Mumbai. She was curious to know how I was doing and we discussed my views about family values to her. Her analysis was interesting. Having stayed in Mumbai she knows how the family units in India function. She partly blames the much hyped and praised social security and health care systems in the Western Europe. In her opinion, apart from the natural bond and the Sanskar, the family units in India are tied to each other for various reasons such as monitory needs or need to have some one when ill, some one to take care in the old age, economy of shared resources etc. When the government takes care of these needs what do people need each other for?

When I tell the female colleagues about the schedule of my mother from 6am till midnight, when I tell them that my 93 years old, sick grandfather still stays with us, my brother’s family also stays in the same house – it is beyond their imagination.

Interaction with the students was like a mirror. The experience was shocking for me. As a part of the exchange programme we are going across various towns and visiting the schools for interactions with students. The typical age group is 16-17. In the following paragraphs I narrate my experience. I must clarify that it is a direct comparison between the kind of school that I went to 15 years back and the schools that I visited today. I do not know what the situation is in the Indian schools, today. So, the premise is my vernacular school in Chinchwad versus Norwegian schools.

As we were reaching the school, we saw groups of students walking in. The high school students looked more like college students. Norway doesn’t seem to have school uniforms, I exclaimed! The colleague said they indeed do not have uniforms! So here I see these handsome boys and beautiful girls in jeans, T shirts and designer clothes. Body piercing, tattoos and colored hair was too much to associate with students.

So we enter the class and I was in for a shock! I notice a girl sitting in the lap of a guy! I turned a blind eye and proceeded with the presentation and I was constantly getting distracted by these horrid things going on in the class. Someone is holding hands and caressing, someone is running their fingers in someone’s hair. But I ignored it all and continued with the topic, in a few minutes I grabbed the attention of the students and suddenly in between a long haired guy just put his head down on the desk and I lost it. I asked him to leave if he was not interested and to my surprise he obeyed me!

After a while a guy put his foot on the desk. I decided to deviate from the actual topic and settled myself on the table and told the students about my school and asked them if whatever is going on in the class is normal. They said it was! I asked them if they think this is indiscipline, they did not think so. All this was happening in presence of their regular class teacher. She had sheepish look on her face. Later on she confessed to me in private that it was not always like this and the situation in schools is deteriorating rapidly and is a worry of the parents. It is one of the favorite topics in the Norwegian media.

In another class, three girls were bored on sitting on the chair so they decided to lie down on the floor. The school bag was their pillow and they were lying down throughout our interaction. They were participative; they were asking questions etc but everything lied down! One of the girls was real specimen. She had long hair on half of her head and the other half was shaved bald!! She had pierced her ear at 1000 places and in addition had pierced her nose, lower lip and right eyebrow. She looked rather scary. How do parents allow all this at this age? I told them that in our schools we could not even stare out of the window or chew some gum and we had to seek permission to pee. They looked at me as if I was an alien.

In yet another class, a big fat student walked in a bit late and just threw himself on a table and the table broke in two pieces. There was a riot of laughter in the class but no shame or fear. After the class, while we were waiting for the taxi, I spotted a group in the premises and the bald girl was smoking a cigarette. I decided to strike some conversation and asked her what she will do on the weekend and stuff and the answer was she said she will get drunk. Thank god the taxi saved me from further conversation.

While I write this, I must confess that there were many students which can be categorized as ‘good’ students as per the standards of my judgment. But I thought of writing things that bothered me. At the end I am happy that I got my education in our Indian schools. And I thought no matter what the situation is I think we have better school life for youth of our country.

The students here are lucky in one way. Swanky and ultra modern schools. The school had doors that opened automatically. There were many LCD monitor computers in the corridors with high speed internet connections for the use of students. The class rooms had fitted LCD projector suspended from the ceiling. The blinds of the windows were remote controlled. Each class room had its own toilet attached had a water station.

At the end of talk I just compared situation in most of Indian schools and pointed out to them that they are lucky. I appealed to them that they take maximum advantage of the facilities and provisions but made them realize that there are many deprived childhoods in other parts of the world. I hoped that they keep this at the back of their mind and do something to make the world equal, in their own possible way, now and when they grow up. During this there was pin drop silence and I could see that the students were thinking…all is not lost…there is hope…

2006-09-15T14:02:00.000+02:00

Flora – a typical Norwegian village

Last weekend I got a chance to stay in at a typical Norwegian village. Flora is a tiny village amidst mountains and by the Fjord. This picture perfect town is a so beautiful! Inhabited by just 10,000 people the village is serene and quaint.

The town has one central street which is the main market and two parallel streets and that’s the expanse of the town! Despite the size and far off location it is not less developed or rural in that sense. The most impressive thing about Norway is that its development is equal. Whether it is a village of 10000 people or a commune of a few houses in the country side, the people are not deprived of any public facilities such as transport, health care, social security or even broad band internet for that matter.

Flora has its own domestic airport. This is more like airplane stop – like we say bus-stop! Just one counter for check in, very quick security check in a small room and from the other door you are out on the tarmac to board a small 40 seater plane. You can easily compare it with our ‘lal dabba ST’ which goes to remote villages. Just like the bus conductor knows all the passengers by name the air hostess knew her passengers. She was having small personal chat with each passenger. The passengers being from the same village knew each other. Inside the plane the environment was very homely where people were checking on each other as to how they were and probably talking about the usual business! Just like it happens in ST buses of our villages.

Fjords – the word is a gift by the Norwegians to the English language. Fjord is very central to the life of Norwegians, especially in the country side. Fjords – the specialty of Scandinavian geography – are the canals or inlets of sea water inside the mainland through the valleys of the surrounding mountains. Many towns are situated on the banks of the fjords or on the islands made by the fjords. Flora is one such island village. The wooden houses have their parquet floored wooden verandahs extended over the fjord waters. The café of the hotel I was staying in was on one such verandah. Below me, through the gaps in the wooden planks I could see the water, kind of scary! But not for the locals! They do not even have any parapet for safety. I wondered if any accidents happen when children play around or the drunkards quarrel!

Beyond the verandahs they have their boats parked in the water which they probably use for fishing. Some have other types of leisure boats too!

Despite being a village the traffic rules were as strict as the capital city of Oslo. No one dare drive without wearing a seat belt or in a drunken state. Pedestrians would cross the roads only using the zebra crossings.

In the evening we went out for a walk through the village. It was so nice to walk through the small streets, the small but tastefully done shops on either side. The beautiful window display in the shops, windows and balconies of the houses above were lined with flower beds. The windows of the Norwegian houses are so well done. You can notice the frill and satin of the canopies and the curtains tied on the sides and a candle stands, pot of a plant, a statue or such artifacts carefully displayed.

It was the special day for the people of Flora and it was a special day for us as well. The occasion was the visit of the Crown Prince and the Princes of Norway and we were the invitees! The mayor of Flora was to be felicitated by the Prince for outstanding performance of the community towards promotion of international friendship. The local school has a friendship tie up with a school in Malawi - one of the poorest African nations. The community also has tie ups with a municipal county from Lithuania – one of the poorest European nations. The village has supported many asylum seekers from Srilanka, Iraq, Pakistan etc. The Prince was to hand over a present to the mayor as a token of appreciation to motivate the villagers to continue the good work. We were invited to speak to the students in the schools and share experiences from our parts of the world.

The Prince was to arrive by a boat through the Fjord. The locals were out on the streets in their traditional attire to welcome the Prince. It was a rare opportunity for them. There was no threat to law and order. Very few policemen were just keeping an eye on the people no Major security precautions were needed. They say that the Prince is a very down to earth person and the Prices is not from any Royal background and is one of the average Norwegians. The society that believes in equality says that tomorrow if the Prince has to withdraw money from an ATM he would be expected to stand in the queue!

The function was held in the city hall – each town has its own! A usual sequence of speeches, performances by local talents, children’s dance on the theme of internation integrity etc. The only difference was the discipline. The event started dot on time. No crazy rush at the gate, no gate crashers everything as planned! And yes, I did not hear a single mobile phone ringing during the entire event!

The interaction with the students was an experience in itself ..watch this place for an article on that!

15 September 2006

2006-09-14T14:49:00.001+02:00

ऑस्लोमधील कुत्री.

आता तुम्ही म्हणाल की कुत्री हा काय लिखाणाचा विषय आहे, पण आहे, ऑस्लोमधील कुत्री हा लिखाणाचा विषय नक्कीच आहे.

एवढी नशीबवान कुत्री मी कधीच पाहिलेली नाहियेत. एकजात सगळी अगदी गुबगुबीत तरी किंवा उमदी, दमदार तरी. लूत भरलेली, अशक्त, पांगळी अशी कुत्री कुठेही दिसली नाहीत. एक तर मोकट कुत्री एथे नावला सुध्दा नाहित. सगळीच पाळीव आणि एकेकाची ऐट तरी काय. त्यांच्या गळ्यातले ते फ़ॅशनेबल पट्टे काय, त्यांचे ते ओढ्ताण होणारे लीषेस काय. कुणाकुणाला तर पायात पायताणं सुध्दा घातलेली बघितली. आणि हे बेटे मालकांबरोबर (किंवा मालकीणींबरोबर!) अगदी विनासायास हिंडत असतात. बसमधे सुध्दा. छोट्या पिलांना बाळासारखं कडेवर काय घेतात, त्यांचे मुके काय घेतात.

कुत्र्यासारखी कुत्री पण कधी कुणाकडे बघुन भुंकणं नाही की कधी कुणाच्या मागे लागणं नाही. कधी एखाद्या सायकल स्कूटरस्वाराला घाबरवून पाडणं नाही. अनोळखी माणूस बघूनसुध्दा वेड्यासारखं उगाच शेपुट हलवणं नाही. नको त्या जागी हुंगणं सुध्दा नाही! एवढच कशाला आपल्या इतर मित्र किंवा मैत्रिणींकडे बघून वेडंपीसंही होत नहीत. मालक ( हो किंवा मा... ण) दुकानात गेलेला असेल तर ही बाहेर बांधल्या जागी शहाण्या बाळासारखी बसून राहतात. कधी कधी मला भिती वाटते की हि कुत्रीसुध्दा झेब्रा क्रॉसिंगवरून वगैरे रस्ते क्रॉस करतात की काय आता...

आणि प्रकार तरी किती. आपल्याकडे मी त्या सॉफ़्ट टॉइजमधे अनेक प्रकारची कुत्री बघितलीयेत. मला आपलं नेहमी वाटायचं की अशी कुत्री कुठे असतात. मी आपलं समजायचो की लहान मुलांना गंमत वाटावी म्हणून बनवत असावेत. पण नाही, अशी कुत्री असतात. मी पाहतोय एथे. अगदी खेळण्यातली वाटतात पण खरी असतात!

पण एथली लोकं फ़ार करतात हो कुत्र्यांचं. फिरायला घेऊन जाताना शी केली (म्हणजे कुत्र्यांनी हां) तर वाकून प्लॅस्टिकच्या पिशवीत भरून पुढच्या केराच्या कुंडीत टाकतात. ट्रेनींग वगैरे तर देतच असणार.
एक मात्र आहे, कुत्र्यासारखं जगणं किंवा कुत्ते की मौत मरना असले वाक्प्रचार इथल्या भाषेत नसतीलच!

14 September 2006

2006-09-13T14:41:00.000+02:00

Ethiopian Restaurant:

A few days back me and a few local friends decided to explore this Ethiopian Restaurant in the downtown Oslo. A few of my Norwegian friends had been to the land of Queen Sheeba but I was new to the experience.

The most surprising thing was that there is no concept of dinner plates! The food is served on a big platter for the table and we are supposed to eat it from the platter! A traditional bread called Injera is made from the smallest grain of the world – teff. It is a spongy thin flat bread which covers the huge platter and the meat and salad dishes are placed on the Injera. Injera looks somewhat like uttapams but is brownish. We had chicken, beef, a salad and lentils placed on the injera. The food is yummy. Most of the meat was like a stew with variety of spices. The lentils tasted very Indian – it was a masoor dal. Different but tasty (and spicy) food indeed!

Request members to contribute the information that thay might have about Ethiopian restaurants in Pune (I doubt) or Mumbai. Questions are welcome too!

Prasad

13 Sept 06

2006-08-14T14:40:00.000+02:00

Bollywood Fest

Today I witnessed the Bollywood Fest of Oslo. This is the third consecutive year of the festival. Is it succesful? Yes, it indeed is. 3 movie halls are screening all latest bollywood flicks from Omkara, Yun Hota To Kya Hota, Krish, GolMaal and so on. All the movie halls have huge movie posters of the bollywood movies. The entrance resembles a movie set. The eateries are serving Punjabi Samosas and Chutney Sandwiches. Bollywood CDs and DVDs are on sale. They even have the bolywood style jazzy clothes and jwellery and people are buying it. There is a stall for Indian handicrafts too. Also bollywood dance workshops are run parallely. Sure, for Norwegians it is a colourful extavaganza.

This evening we went for Yun Hota To Kya Hota. Me and 3 of my Norwegian Bollywood fan friends. In fact it was their initiative and not mine. This one girl Mriam that I met this week-end just finished her exchange programme in India. She was in India for 1 year and had got an opportunity to be on the double decker bus of Bomabay on which Munna Bhai MBBS II was shot. She was one of the extras! She was feeling so excited when she narrated the experience. It was so cute to hear her telling us how the public was shouting and screeming at Sanjay Dutt as Baba Baba...She has arranged an exhibition of her photographs from the shooting and other photographs of India. Another guy Petter, whom also I met this week-end was rather disappointed with the movie because he was looking forward for those rather unrealisting but famed song and dance numbers in this movie and when I told him that 36 China Town is what he can look forward for..he is up for it!

The Indians and Pakistanis were there in large numbers but there were many Norwegians too. In fact Petter is unique. He has not been to India ever but loves everything about it. He is just 19 but he knows a lot more than me about Hinduism and Buddhism. He is a strict vegetarian. I liked the shoes he was wearing and on asking him where he got them and for how much he told me that the shoes were made of recycled rubber sole and fabric. They were also free from child labour and were a Fair Trade product. He did not mind spending 600 kroners for them! Quiet a guy!

India is everywhere.....did you know that one sixth of the world population is Indian?

Prasad

14 August 2006

2006-08-11T14:37:00.000+02:00

House guest of Norway.

Am writing from a resort just outside Oslo. Because of its proximity to the international airport it is frequented by crew members of various airlines and transit passengers apart from the seminar and conference people like us. All in all a nice place to spend a week end.

The Norwegian Government agency who is the facilitator of the exchange programme decided to get all the participants present in Norway together for a week-end seminar where we will discuss issues such as UN Millennium Development Goals, poverty, child labour, unequal distribution of world resources and other such development issues. Based on the discussion we will come up with presentations and create lecture modules for students of age 14-16. We will Devide ourselves in groups of fours and tour across the country visiting various schools and delivering seminars during the fall. We will make it more interactive and fun filled and not dull and boring. We will make the students learn through games and interactions and not power point presentations!

Rich country that we are in, everything is lavish! I sometimes feel it is a criminal waste of money. Imagine just for making modules of the seminar we are here in a posh hotel for 2 nights. It is not far from the city centre the express train can get us here in 19 minutes but still the Government would like us to stay here in this resort! The actual work starts tomorrow but in a true Norwegian style we arrive here on the prior evening. Spend about 45 minutes knowing each other, introducing each other and discuss each other's expectations over a coffee or a choice of range of fancy softies and ice-creams! I am sure they must have paid for the conference room as well which we used just for merely 45 mins. This could have happened, first thing at the start of the actual day. It does not stop there. Then we have a silver service 3 course dinner with a choice of accompanying wines. This follows by drinks at the bar before we retire for the day.

And you know what happens tomorrow? from 10 till 12 we do a brain storming and from 12 till 1 we relish the lunch buffet. After the hard work we deserve a break so till 4 pm we go out for a walk and may be play some sport etc and from 4 till 6 we have a wrap up session! And on the last day we actually do a mock up of what we will present in the schools and post lunch leave for home.

Substantial work does happen, no doubt. Pampered youth of this country is made aware of various challenges that the developing couturiers are facing. Norway happens to be on the top of the list of countries that keep aside a large chunk of their budget to be given in aids and donations. But the lavish way of life is killing. It will take time for me to come to terms with the ways these people work.

Did you know that all employees in all sectors are entitled for 5 weeks of holiday at a stretch? The maternity leave I guess is 6 months and paternity leave is about 4 months. All paid leaves! And people enjoy them as their birth right. Jokingly, they say that the Norwegians need a break every 45 seconds! On a sunny summer day these people just vanish from their offices. It is hard to keep them in the office after 3pm on Fridays! In fact if it is nice and sunny people just walk out of the office during lunch our, strip themselves and sun bath on the lawns of the office premises..during office hour!!!! A recent survey reveals that

Asian workers spend more time on the job than the rest of the world, striving on average nearly 50 days more a year than their counterparts in Western Europe.

It is a nice group of exchange participants from many African and Asian countries apart from the Norwegians. I think together we are going to have an interesting week end.

I decided to stop thinking and just enjoy the hospitality of the Norwegian Government...but it is hard! Every time I am reminded of the millions of poor and less fortunate countrymen and I fail to enjoy the luxuries. I know people will feel I am going crazy but that's the way it is...

11 August 2006

2006-08-01T14:31:00.000+02:00

Food for thought

It is then called a real success of the nation when the technology and science make the life of the common man easy. We can only say we are an advance country when the inventions touch the life of the ordinary citizens. Today, we are proud of our control over the software industry. But the development is lob sided. The gap between the haves and have nots is ever widening. Bangalore, Cyberabad, Pune and Mumbai coexist with Patna, Kanpur, and 1000s of such towns. The young BPO breed spends money lavishly in he city pubs on one hand and the farmers from Andhra and Maharashtra commit suicide on the other. 45 floored residential towers turn a blind eye at the slums at their own feet. Let me tell you why am I saying so. How did I go for the movie..

Just went to the website and searched where Omkara was being screened. Selected a theatre and visited a comprehensive portal of London's transport. Just like Oslo all you need to do is type in the post code of where you are and the post code of where you need to reach. A click away is you travel plan which includes a map from your house to closest bus stop/ tube station/ tram station; the next departure; a map from final bus/ tram/ tube station to your destination. It gives combination of routes as in take bus no A to tube station B, take tube C to D and again a bus or such combinations. What is the case with us in Mumbai? Western Railway fights with Central. Suburban Railway section has issues with the national railway. BEST has nothing to do with railways. Strangely apart from running the buses it has something to do with distribution of electricity! I never understood the relation. In case of Pune there is a total absence of strong public transport anyway. Whatever bus network is there is divided between PMT and PCMT and the talks on merger of the 2 are on since last 10 years minimum. Common, population is not an excuse if Mumbai has 18 million people London has 12 million, Tokyo has many more. Nothing is impossible. We have to make it happen. If you feel Central, Western and Harbour lines form a complex network hold your breath London Underground has 12 lines. All criss-crossing each other underneath the city.

We also can do a lot. All we need is think on those lines...it is our country and we need to make the difference...Kelyane Deshatan...go around see things and implement ideas....it is we the youth who will bring in the change...

1 August 2006

2006-08-01T14:27:00.000+02:00

Omkara and London

Today I watched Omkara. There are at least 10 multiplexes in London exclusively for Bollywood movies. Not so surprisingly there were not many people in the audience for such an offbeat film. I am sure same must be the case in India. It is truly a fantastic movie. Till date many movies have been made, both in Hollywood and Bollywood, based on Shakespear's Othello. Vishal Bharadwaj has adapted it extremely well in the context of rural north India. The Hindi is a bit difficult to follow but the subtitles helped. For once the subtitles made sense. They were not literal translation of words through some language software. All the actors have played their part very well. Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan will definitely snatch a few awards this year. Song and dance sequences have always been an integral part of bollywood, the addition is the item numbers, in that sense Bipashu Basu succeeds in sizzling the screen. But all in all an excellent effort. The movie theatre was very ordinary something on the lines of Eros. I guess our Imax adlabs at Wadala or the fast mushrooming INOXes and Cinemaxes are far superior to the theatre I went to.

Now you guys will feel I am exaggerating but no I am stating facts. The Upton Park area where I went for the movie too is full of Desis. If I thought Central London was full of Indians this place was much beyond that. I was counting and I saw about 10 white European faces and 22 Afrikan and 100s of desis on my way back from the movie hall to the tube station. I even spotted some Swami's Math. I was wondering where this familiar Aarti and Pooja sound is coming from and spotted the Math. The shop I entered to seek directions was mannd (or womaned? hehe) by a Panjabi lady. I mean it has reached to a level where I am slightly disappointed. I just have not got a truly British experience yet. My colleagues suggest that I travel outside London to see the real Britain. It is something like Mumbai. Mumbai is in Maharashtra but there is no Maharashtra in Mumbai..ditto..

1 August 2006

2006-07-24T14:22:00.000+02:00

Glimpses of London

Yesterday was my first day in London. I am so happy to be here. It is a welcome change. I am a big city boy. (Mumbaiites stop giving that sarcastic smile. Pune is a big city too when you compare it with European cities) Mumbai and Pune are much, much bigger cities than Oslo. Where the 18 millions of Mumbai and barely a million and a half of Oslo. Of course the town is pretty, it is a first world city with the highest standard of living in the world, no pollution, no congestion etc. However, the big city life is different any way!

So here I arrive in the big city London for 2 weeks on official work. To start with the traffic direction is what I am used to. I am more confident on the streets. People speak English! You do not miss Mumbai a bit here. First of all there are lots and lots of Indians everywhere. Until now whatever shop I have visited in Central London is either owned by an Indian or a Pakistani. On the streets, in the buses, on the tubes, at the underground stations you see Indian families, boys, girls, men, women, office goers, working class people and so on. Of course many amongst them are Pakistanis as well. Indians make the largest ethnic minority group in London. Then of course the famed double decker buses which is something common between Mumbai and London. I was little disappointed to see the modern version of the same with automatic doors and Volvoish look etc. Gone are the good old double deckers. Then the tubes here overflow with people, well, not literally, that the fact is they have automatic doors but they are crowded. In Oslo even at the peak hour you can easily secure a seat on a bus, tram or the underground. Last but not the least the architecture. You feel as if you are in south Mumbai which we can not forget was built by the British.

On the streets you see faces of all races, Asians, Africans, Latin, Hispanic, Nordic it is clearly the melting pot of cultures. As a result you have multi cuisine restaurants all over promoting their own food.

A few things that caught my attention:

An Udipi restaurant complete with Balaji, the Samai, the Agarbattis and the garland and the lingering aroma of Sambar.
Boys standing on the either side of roads facing the traffic, holding banners and hoardings announcing something or the other. I used to think this happens only on Marine Drive or Pedder Road since human labour is cheap but no it happens in London as well.
Fair, blue eyed, blond beggars beg in polished and polite British English like the one at Piccadilly Circus Station saying, “Sir, may I ask you for a Penny or perhaps you have an extra cigarette on you.”
Most phone booths have small obscene posters announcing their ‘sex talk’ services.
A sex shop!
I saw a club called Gentleman’s Club where the handsome doormen were wearing expensive suits and I though it is a kind of club where dogs and Indians are not allowed, as they used to humiliate us in our own country. Later, when I saw the brochure at the hotel I realised that it actually is a notorious club famous for its American Style Table Dancing…whatever that meant!
You all know that the civil partnership amongst the same sex is now accepted by the law in the UK. As a result marathit sangaycha tar homosexuality akshrshaha boklali ahe. But there are interesting hoardings at places. Some targeting the gay consumer who have enough money at disposal and lead fashionable life style and some more educative like the one I saw in the tube which was about acceptability at work place and ended with something like ‘…discrimination is so over.’
Unlike Oslo and like Mumbai pedestrians do not bother about traffic lights and they just look here and there and cross the road.
Theatres and museums and long, long ques to enter them. Announcements of the famous English Musicals, Operas and other theatre productions.
The underground tube is so fucking deep in the ground that it is scary. You escalate (what is the word to escalate down..hehe kuthetari mala English daga detach) down atleast equivalent to 5-6 floors. The only openings are the escalators. I can imagine the panic the bomb blasts must have created . Even the thought was scary.

We stay at the heart of the city a stone’s throw from the Oxford Street.

Finally, it is really so funny to see all the places like Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street etc that we had once bought while playing the Monopoly!

24 July 2006

2006-07-14T14:16:00.000+02:00

Settling in Oslo

It has been over a month that I have left Pune for new horizons. I just thought I will give you an update..

I finished my 3 week training at a town called Tromso. It is the nethermost town and is in the arctic circle. So enjoyed the midnight sun! It was crazy, we used to party till 2-3 am and come out of the nightclubs to see the sun shining on the horizon! But it is a beautiful island city. Surrounded by the north sea and lined by snow peaked mountains. This was the first time I touched the snow!

However, now I am back to Oslo and work is picking up steadily. It of course is a very very pretty city. Needless to say clean, tidy and beautiful. It is small compared to Indian cities. Olso only has 4.5 million inhabitants but this small European capital city has fully developed underground subway network and overground tram network besides the city buses. I have got a chick studio apartment for myself.

14 July 2006

2006-06-08T14:10:00.000+02:00

Tromso

First three weeks was a training seminar at a town called Tromso. It was a wonderful experience for two reasons. First, we were 25 of us of 9 different nationalities. The age limit for this exchange programme is 30 and hence all of us were of the same age group. It did not take us too long to connect with each other. It was a great learning experience for all of us. Besides the regular training sessions we learnt a lot simply by mixing around with people from different cultures, from countries with different levels of development, people from different socio-economic backgrounds etc. The second reason was the town of Tromso. It is the northernmost town of Europe. It falls in the arctic circle hence 24 hours sunlight! It was rather unusual. We used to party in the pubs till about 3am and come out only to be greeted by the sun shining over the horizon. The pretty town of the prosperous Norway is much developed and is far from any Indian city as far as infrastructure and public facilities are concerned. The fact that I am in a first world developed country is visible everywhere. Norway enjoys the highest living standards in the world. It was a summer for the local people but for me it was worst than winter! I mean even the snow on the mountains had not melted yet. The thermal wear was must before setting out of the hotel but the town had come alive to enjoy the warm (!) summer. Hence there were a lot of activities at the town centre till late night everyday. Tromso is situated on an island in the North Sea and beyond the sea are snow capped mountains. It is scenic! It was a wonderful stay. Salmon and the Caviar the exotic and expensive food varieties were a part of each buffet! The best salmon and caviar comes from Norway.

Last night we went to a local pub. it was happening. Tromso is like Pune full of international students hence is not as stiff as Oslo. its kind of youthful. outside temperature was like 6 degrees but everything here is heated so inside we could remove our overcoats.

8 June 2006

2006-06-06T14:03:00.000+02:00

Blues

hehe

the WC herrer means gents toilet and WC damer means ladies toilet. But i related herrer to her and thought damer is for us. The whole of yesterday i visited ladies toilet outside the conference hall. i Norwegian colleague caught me today and brought this to my notice.....now that i think...the whole of yesterday i kept wondering that the toilets here do not have urinals and i had to use the WC to pee. Now i know why :)

at one of the breaks i saw water jars at the coffee counter with orange slices in it and i shouted ...who dropped oranges in water? the Norwegians laughed because its a custom here to do so. it gives water a mild orange flavour.

6 June 2006

2006-06-02T13:59:00.000+02:00

I arrived safe at Oslo. It was a hassel free travel. Mumbai-Pune is more tiring and hectic than Mumbai Oslo. Really. And the whole country is like a fridge so am fresh as a flower despite flying through continents!!

Just a few fun remarks about this place:

· I have to get used to look on left first before crossing the road.
· One is not supposed to cross the road unless its a Green for the pedestrians. And in absence of a signal if you are on zebra crossing cars actually stop for you...phew.
· Have not heard a single blow of a horn during my drive of about 50 Kms from the airport to the city.
· The entire city is like one big five star hotel.
· An Indian restaurant right opposite my office.
· Indian embassy is in the next building
· It's summer so a lot of bikers on the roads. lot of people sitting in open air cafes in the sun (looks stupid to me hehe)
· There is a rule that the headlights have to be on even in the day time. How weird!
· I just saw one Indian lady and a sardar at the Oslo airport

2 June 2006