Coffee Nirvana

(Image courtesy: Citizenmatters)

Blame it on the Environment day or my active conscience pricking me; for the last few days I have been travelling by bus from office to home. So far it had been great, the bus service is more frequent than auto rickshaws in my route and there are several new Volvo buses, BIG 10 and JNNURM sponsored sleek ones. My bus experience has been pleasant, similar to bus travel in the Western countries.

Yesterday, however, it was a different tale. Waiting for nearly 10 minutes, I couldn’t find any new buses that could take me home. So I caught the next bus that came along with a sign board that said ‘Yelahanka’. The bus seemed empty. Unluckily when my turn came to board the bus, I could not spot any vacant seat. I bought a ticket and stood silently behind the driver seat, in front of the motor. So far, so good. More people came in and left the bus at next few stops but, alas, no place to sit.

At the Hebbal bus stop, several people rushed in through the front door. The bus was suddenly very crowded and I could hardly stand. It then dawned to me that it was a Doddaballapur bound bus & hence the rush.

It must have been a regular commuting time for them & they were waiting for this very bus.

A little boy stood beside me, stamping my foot whenever he lost balance. A lady kindly elbowed me when she had to find the right change for the ticket. Another girl, although tall, had to hold the bar in front me so that I could smell her armpit. I amused myself by comparing her oscillating hand to a car windshield’s wipers. After a few minutes of braving it, I gathered enough courage to request her to hold the rod above my head; she obliged to my request by moving a quarter of an inch.

So there I was, standing on one and a half feet, trying to keep my nose away from the moving hand, avoiding elbows and generally looking at the roof which was the only sparsely occupied space in the bus. It was then I spotted the Kannada translation for ‘LADIES’ label above the first seat. It said ‘LADIES’ & ‘Angavikalarige’ (for handicapped). Very true. We were handicapped for space in the bus. Oh, the painter must have been an enlightened soul!

I dont usually write promotional mails but this one is an exception.The organisers are from Bangalore Weekend Shoots (BWS) group, a popular city based photography enthusiasts.

This contest is organised by www.infinityF.com, open to all in Bangalore. It’s to be held on on Sunday, Apr 25, from 8 am to 8 pm. The rules of the contest are fairly simple. Each participant gets 4 themes. You can shoot from 8 in the morning to 8 at night, you can photograph any aspects of Bengaluru, in any public space, based on the themes. A participant will be allowed two photographs per theme. There is an entry fee of Rs. 100

For more information visit http://www.infinityF.com

Magadi, now a small hamlet near Bangalore, was once the home an refuge of Kempegowda – the man who built a fort in Bengaluru and placed it on the map as an important trading centre.

However, Magadi, just like Bangalore is much older. It is famous for a temple built for ‘Magadi Ranga’, the Lord Ranganathaswamy, built during the time of Cholas.

As one enters Magadi, a street on the right lazily meaders towards the temple. The temple complex is typical of those times. At the right of the entrance is a kalyani with steps leading to the water. The courtyard is quite spacious, reminds one of the bygone era, where temples just like any public buildings were built with much importance to its design and architecture; unlike the temples that spring over footpath in the city today.

One has to leave the footwear near the entrance. Don’t expect old world charm from the folks here. They are very wise and would be happy to share the money that a city dweller brings in. Everyone from the lady who ‘guards’ the footwear to the gurkha and finally even the priest is out to get a few rupees.  Only the Lord stands mute amidst this religious marketing.

As I entered the inner courtyard, the inner gopuram was clearly old styled and different to the colourful outer one. Many temples have mixed architectural styles that show how the temple evolved during the patronage of kings during different periods.

Inside the garbhagriham, to my surprise the usually reclining pose of Lord Ranganatha is standing upright here! The priest then enlightened me that this Lord was ‘Pashchima Venkateshwara’, ‘west facing Lord Venkateshwara’.

The Lord here, however, was alone. The Goddess, Padmavathi was worshipped in a different garbhagriha. At the back of the main deity was a small reclining deity of Lord Ranganatha, who has made the place more famous than the standing lord. A boy priest gave me theertham(holy water) and mentioned that the idol keeps growing – atleast that’s what he has heard from the older ones. Hence the name ‘Belayo Ranga’ (growing Ranga). The explanation seemed to me more convincing about the priest than the Lord! The idol is so small that even the lord here has one leg folded!

No one knows the reason why this temple is more famous for the small idol of Ranganatha rather then the main deity. There is a story that this place was hastily renamed during the time of Tipu Sultan’s reign who knew only the famous Ranganatha who presided in Srirangapatna, his capital! Of course like all charming stories, it has no facts, atleast not that I know of. Here’s a link from Alemaari‘s blog that i liked.

Once a bustling town that flourished under Kempegowda, the place Magadi is now a sleepy town famous for its history. Don’t expect a flourishing tourism industry here like Hampi. Its an ideal place for a picnic or a hike in the nearby hills of Savandurga. For a decent meal, one has to come back towards the Bangalore City which is not more than an hour by car. One could also try Ruppi’s Resort off Magadi road, near the Dodda Alada Mara (Big Banyan tree).

This is a sequel to my last post. My list of the ten best experiences I had during those trips round the world.

1. Friendly Immigration Staff

Immigration desk is one dreaded moment, where you feel that you are virtually at the dock, teetering between the ship and land. You feel like a person awaiting the judgement in the court. With such thoughts in mind, when I stood at Aus Staff, I loved the way he welcomed me – “Hmm, first time to Australia? You’ll love it here” – with a broad smile. Wow, I felt like I was a visiting dignitary. New Zealand too was great. The staff said they love the Indian Masala! Whoever says Aus are racial should stand at the US immigration; to them we are aliens until we get the stamp of approval! Not just I, even Bill Bryson thinks so.

2. Concerned Airline Staff at Hong Kong

It was my first flight & I did not know the difference between transit & immigration area. A friendly Sri Lankan passenger directed me to the United Airlines counter. She was a concerned mother hen. She showed me the transit boards and asked me to return back to the counter if I couldn’t find the area. I loved the pampering especially when you are travelling alone with no family or friends.

3. Upgraded to a First Class since the Economy was full.

This happened at the LA Airport. The flight was overbooked (don’t ask me how). I had a valid economy ticket to Delhi but there were no seats! The harried lady said that she’ll put me on the flight if there were any cancellations or else they would have to accommodate me on the next flight. Someone in the First Class cancelled and I was upgraded, much to my surprise, without any extra amount!

4. Heavy baggage checked, without any fine.

It was in Frankfurt, the most harried transit stop in the world. My cabin luggage weighed a lot. I would have to shift it to cargo if asked. But the sweet staff person just told me go ahead.

5. Lovely Weather at Los Angeles

Wearing a pink Salwar Kameez , sitting in a window seat of a small plane as the sun shone brightly, it could have been a flight from Mumbai to Bangalore; except that I was flying from LA to San Diego and felt completely at home. That’s the thing about California.

6. Fantastic view of the land below. Worth getting that the window seat.

If you fly from India to Europe in daytime, don’t sleep. Get a window seat – a ring view to the colourful landscape of Europe – the plains, the Alps, the huge lakes. It’s a free National Geographic documentary without the TV.

7. A friendly conversation that cuts the travel monotony.

An old Chinese saying says that a good conversation can cut the travel time(atleast that’s my bad attempt at translation). I have never met a handsome dude, on any flight, who charmed me with mentally stimulating talk, a la romantic novels. But the most memorable conversation was with an uncle whose daughter taught at UCSD, San Diego. His vivid description of UCSD almost made me want to enrol as a student once more.

8. Engrossing movies on long journeys.

I watched a Bond movie, Friends episodes and an interesting French movie on this flight. I was so engrossed that I missed a meal!

9. Widely spaced seats even in Economy so that you can stretch a bit.

This must have been on an US airliner. It was a Boeing. Wonderfully, the economy seats were spaced a wee bit away from the usual ‘packed sardines’ type of model. Believe me when I say even a few inches away is good.

10. Hot Idlis for breakfast on the last mile back home.

It was a long international flight that landed in Mumbai at Midnight. Early next day, I was on a Jet flight from Mumbai to Bangalore. The stewardess brought hot steaming idlis & lovely coconut chutney for breakfast. I was home.

Many of us from India would have travelled around the world, thanks to the IT industry(simply put Computer Programming). Being a geek, rather an ex-geek,  I have clocked many air miles in different airlines, all in economy of course.

There have been some great experiences and some not so great ones. My list of ‘Murphy’s laws’ on Air Travel – is what I call the troublesome, awful or ‘Oh my God’  moments; would love to exchange notes if you have had the same feeling or you would add to this list.

1. You are late for the flight and your suitcase handle gives way.

You’ll be lucky if you find a friend or a fellow passenger to help you with the suitcase until the cargo belt. Else it’s      quite an exercise.

2. Getting the last seat in the Airplane.

You might be the first to be served, but remember you’ll also be sitting next to the toilet door that’s being swung  open approximately every 15 minutes and continuously after meals. Ugghh. Worse, the person in front of you swings back his seat to sleep and you can’t do the same since yours is the last seat!

3. Your incoming flight to the transit airport has been an hour late. You have get a boarding pass for a connecting flight.

You are standing in a long queue behind six footers, vainly trying to get the over worked staff’s attention that you incoming flight was late and the connecting flight leaves in 15 minutes!

4. Touring a city on transit visa. You reach the airport an hour before the plane leaves.

This happened to me at Bangkok. Just as we entered and took our boarding passes, I noticed that the Airline had advanced their time by an hour, which meant I had to rush to the boarding gate!

5. Sitting in front of a family of boisterous kids.

The parents are fed up. The children restless and you are kick boxed whenever they are restless. Happens everytime I fly Air India.

6. Sitting on the aisle side, next to a passenger who loves his drink.

This means he/she visits the toilet often. This means you have to get up and give room every time they have to go.

7. Talking to the Airport Staff in a non-English speaking country in English

Yes, English might be the most widely spoken language, but trying to understand whether whatever the Thai staff tells you is a question or a statement requires some practice. Same with the German Staff. Even their gentlest statement feels as if they are scolding ‘you brown Asian who took away my son’s job’. In Paris, don’t ever speak in English. At Heathrow, if you have to talk to a staff person who’s from up North or a Scot, you’ll wonder if what you learnt back home was indeed the same language!

8. Sitting next to a moony couple in the middle row with a hefty uncle who takes two seats on the other side.

You can’t budge. You can’t squirm. You have to listen to all that talk & other stuff. Worse, when you want to make that visit to the toilet, the uncle would be snoring on the other end and you don’t want to disturb the busy couple.

9. Your preference of Vegetarian is goofed up. Vegetarian spans across Fish, Egg, garlic based food, vegan, Indian etc.

The stewardess is usually helpful. She gives you some fruit, juice or a veg dish that she has somehow bargained with another passenger who doesn’t mind an occasional fish.

10. It’s a busy flight, you get the boarding pass in the last minute and after a really long flight, you find your cargo missing.

This happened on my first return flight back home. Get the form; explain to the staff and think of all the stuff that was in the suitcases can be quite draining, especially if you have to take one more domestic flight to head home. Also, it’ll be an agonising wait until it’s found and redirected.

Not all experiences have been bad. My next post will be the ten best things that happened to me during air travel.

Sipping chai in a Kettuvallam (houseboat) as it glides on the calm and serene waters; numerous mangroves and coconut trees that dot the landscape, time standing still – the setting is picture perfect. This tranquil image is more than enough to attract a city dweller who suffers from a chronic too-much-of-traffic-need-a-holiday migraine in our chaotic metros.

Kerala Tourism has done its job really well. After having visited the hills and tea estates in the northern part of Kerala, ‘God’s Own Country’ still beckoned me to visit the beautiful backwaters of the south. When the time came for us to take a family holiday, a lakeside resort in Kumarakom was what we chose. My Malayali friend had remarked that such resorts represent the rich tourist’s ‘gated Kerala’ and the ‘real’ Kerala was always shielded from the visitors. I was about to find out soon enough.

Kumarakom is easily accessible from Bangalore. The state transport corporations and private operators run comfortable A/C buses for the overnight journey from Bangalore to Kottayam, the nearest city from where one can take a taxi or another bus to Kumarakom. If you book in advance, the Kanyakumari Express from Bangalore to Kottayam is perhaps the most convenient way to travel. The quickest option is to take a flight to Kochi (Cochin) and hire a taxi from there to Kumarakom. We chose the third option as we wanted to maximise time spent in Kumarakom.

As I sat in the taxi from Kochi to Kumarakom, I had some conflicting emotions – happy that we were on a well-deserved holiday but apprehensive of a touristy and sanitized resort.  The ride to Kumarakom was a blur of coconut trees, paddy cultivations and near misses. It reminded me of the Formula 1 races we watch on Sundays. Do all the coastal drivers learn from the same school where Schumacher and Hamilton learnt to drive?

The resort

(courtesy: www.makemytrip.com)

Kumarakom is one of the tiny villages that dot Vembanad Lake. The chief occupations in the area are paddy cultivation, fishing and coconut plantations. The place would have stayed as such if Kerala’s tourism industry had not made it famous. The fascinating beauty of the lakes and lagoons was intelligently positioned for the drove of tourists who love the relaxing ambience of the backwaters. Even though there are innumerable resorts right along the lake’s coast, weekends and long holidays are especially busy times and we were lucky to get a booking in one of them, the Backwater Ripples.

At the end of a longish journey we ended up at the resort two hours late, and I couldn’t wait to hit the shower. Not before a lady in a traditional white-and-gold saree applied ‘chandanam’ on our foreheads and did an aarti. Visions of the welcome received by visiting cricket teams and foreign delegates flashed across my mind. This simple Indian welcome has become so touristy and synonymous with foreigners that I had forgotten one could greet our own people this way.

Backwater Ripples is a lovely resort. Facing the lake, it’s a more economical option compared to the spectacular Radisson and the famous Taj next door. A swimming pool on the very edge of the resort, almost touching the lake bed gives a feel of swimming in the vast lake. Predictably, the resort also offered the famous Kerala ayurvedic therapies.

Curiosity drove me to the massage parlour and some simple marketing by them made me try some treatments. To their credit, they were quite good and professional. The medicated oil that they sold also provided some relief to my parents’ rheumatic problems back home in Bangalore.

The day we arrived at the resort, we took a complimentary boat ride on the lake. Vembanad Lake is the longest and largest lake in Kerala. The lake is fed by many rivers that rise in Western Ghats and flow westwards to join the Arabian Sea. Cities like Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kottayam are set on the periphery of this scenic lake. Watching the lake’s coast, in Kumarakom, with its many beautiful resorts, the monotonous drone of the motor, the slight breeze in the twilight can be very hypnotic. I retreated gently into a mood of idyllic tranquillity.

Kumarakom Village

A walk through the village is one of the activities suggested in the resort’s guidebook. “Oh! That’s for the foreigners ma’am. They are interested in such things. Of course we (Indians) know all about it.”, the dainty receptionist explained smilingly when I asked for details. Well, being a city-bred person, I did not know ‘all’ about rural life, and therefore forced my husband to leave his book and hammock aside and walk through the winding lanes of the village. I was determined to explore the Kerala, beyond the resort.

Life in Kumarakom revolves around the lake water. The lake provides them Karimeen (fish) and is the main source of water for the paddy cultivation and the coconut trees. The water is everywhere. It lazily meanders around homes, in front of the doors and into the fields. Most houses have a basic bridge that consists of a rope to hold for support and a coconut tree trunk as the base! Can’t be easy to get back drunk late at night if one isn’t used to tight-rope walking.

Some bigger homes have better concrete-looking bridges. As is typical with India, the water of the lake is used for bathing, washing utensils and sadly, also as the only sewage outlet. With all the money from tourism, why can’t the Government invest in good sanitation? The roads were also a let down. Being a preferred holiday destination for politicians and film stars, I had expected better roads atleast.

A few churches dot the village scene, an indication of local religion of the land. Along the main road connecting Kumarakom to Kottayam, new spacious houses were under construction and I could spot television sets in many homes. Clearly the local people are earning extra income through the thriving tourism and are well-connected to the outside world. One of them showed us how to temper a bamboo stalk to make it straight and use as an oar for the small boats. These boats are used to navigate through narrow moats and carry clay that are used in pottery.

I couldn’t help feeling that Kerala has succeeded in convincing its rural citizens that by parting with their lands for building resorts, and attracting tourists, their lot could also improve. Further up north on the Arabian coast, the same effect hasn’t yet been achieved in Karnataka, which perhaps has exactly the same set of attractions to offer to tourists – the backwaters and coconut tree-filled landscape. To their credit, Kerala has also not gone overboard as Goa perhaps has. The tourism industry realises that its charm lies in retaining some of its old world character.

“If anyone tries to lure you for a boat-ride up the lake, you should bargain heavily”, advised our rickshaw driver while swerving to avoid a moon-crater like pothole on the road. We were clinging for dear life on the way back from Kumarakom’s bird sanctuary. The sanctuary is huge and one of its main visitors is the Siberian crane. Atleast that’s what the board says. Visiting this place at 10 am, there was not much chance of spotting any.

The rickshaw driver acted as our self appointed guide, so I ventured to ask him a good place to taste the local cuisine. The Kerala restaurants in Bangalore list mouth watering menu of appams, idiyappams, stews and sea food.

But here in the small towns and villages, we learnt from him, it is mainly chor (boiled rice) or parotta (not to be confused with the Punjabi paranthas) with Karimeen (fish) curry.  Having tasted parotta in a highway hotel, I did not want to try it again. However if you are a non-vegetarian and love sea food, you might like the Karimeen they offer.

So we decided to pamper ourselves with the exotic cuisine back at the resort. Anticipating a lunch of appams & stew, we were easily shocked that the lunch buffet was entirely North Indian – rotis, sabjis and pulao. The largely North Indian tourists, we were told, love Kumarakom but prefer North Indian dishes. Disappointed but determined we requested the chef for an entire coastal spread for dinner.

(courtesy: Wikipedia)

The request was serviced and later that night, having a sumptuous dinner of appams, stew, chor and rasam, it still wasn’t the same. From the banquet hall, one could hear loud Bollywood music for a party of techies from one of the many IT firms from Bangalore. A family from Delhi next to us were feasting on rotis and alu curry.

Though we witnessed a Mohiniattam by a graceful petite Malayali danseuse after the dinner, my friend’s remark about a ‘sanitized’ Kerala rang in my ears. However Kumarakom, just like any other town or village in Kerala, exists beyond the beyond the resort’s beautiful setting. Venture out and observe through a traveller’s critical eye. Enter in and get pampered like a Bollywood star. Best of both worlds.

The venue for IITM (India International Travel Mart) event could not have been more apt. Set in the spacious grounds of Bangalore Palace, the summer home of the erstwhile ruler of Mysore, it exuded both royal comfort and verdant gardens that many urban dwellers desire. The huge garden in front of the palace was picturesque and so were the brochures that enticed the visitors and revealed how enchanting our country really is.

At the entrance, facing the beautiful lawns, were different types of horse drawn carriages, the automobiles of an early era. The exhibition stalls were set behind the Palace. Tickets were modestly priced Rs 20/- per head.

The stalls were huge and with many props that showcased the states’ attraction. While Andhra predictably put up a prop of the Charminar, Gujarat had a 4-winged frame in which each frame acted as a collage of attractions of a particular city. Kerala enticed both the elite and the backpackers. A set of stalls marketed affordable homestays while there were others which sold us dreams of luxury on a houseboat.

Karnataka’s section was designed after the Patadakkal temple. The Karnataka brochure encapsulated the state’s map & its attractions – beaches, waterfalls, culture, heritage, wildlife and adventure tourism – along with lists of travel agents and tour operators for the state.

Karnataka

The staff at the Puducherry (Pondicherry) stall handed me a brochure that showed that the place was more than just Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. I knew that the city was mentioned in Sherlock Holmes stories but did not know that Man Booker prize winner -‘Life of PI’ – revolved around this city. A handy map of the city centre is also given in the brochure.

I also loved the stall Wandervogel who specialise in customised tours and adventure tourism in the North East and Ladakh.

There were also magazines like Travel Media, Safari Plus and World Travel to name a few. The international stalls in the exhibition were interesting – Jordan, Greece, Dubai and Thailand.

It was a head spinning time browsing at the various stalls. Busy Travel agents and tour operators flipped in and out of stalls. Small business operators, families and individuals like me were also a part of crowd. Looking at the number of people who thronged the exhibition, I wonder if  the recession’s over.

The diverse places, exotic holidays, adventures and leisure all contained in the handful of brochures, I walked out happily.

About the event

Bangalore: 18th – 20th July 2009

Venue: Bangalore Palace Grounds (from the entrance opp. Mount Carmel College)

Tickets: Rs 20/- per head.

Website: http://www.iitmindia.com/

“In this water, I invoke the presence of divine waters from the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri”

As a kid, I have heard my father recite this shloka (hymn) everyday before he took a bath. However, I had hardly realised the importance of this Vedic hymn at that time.

Rivers are an important source for the development of any community. Around the world, almost every famous city in the past or present are by the banks of a river. In India, we consider all our rivers as divine and worship them. Even the word ‘India’ is derived from  the  word ‘Indus’ or ‘Sindhu’.

As I grew older, from the school’s social studies curriculum I learnt that the Indus Valley civilizations – Harappa and Mohenjodaro – lie in Pakistan. My knowledge of the region was also very vague. I knew that their big cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad were similar to our cities and the rest , I assumed, consisted of feudal gun-toting tribesmen. That was before I read this book.

I bought Alice’s book since I had been told that it was a ‘best seller’ in the travel category. The book chronicles her Indus river journey and describes in detail the history, culture and important events that took place on the banks of this ancient river. As a historian and traveller, Alice leads one through different periods of history and its significance to the sacred Sindhu River – the bedrock of our very ancient civilization.

In the initial chapters one learns the importance of Pakistan’s low caste Hindus (Shudras) who keep the sewers clean in the fabric of Pakistan’s society. The chapter then describes the period of vivisection of India and Pakistan and reveals the stories of the refugees. At this stage, it did not speak much about the river itself. However, as one reads further, it becomes quite clear on what Alice is trying to achieve. She provides the socio-political events as a context to explain its impact on the Indus. Going through the travails of Sindh, the follies of the British and the power struggle in present Pakistan government, the tale is so absorbing that one feels that he is a silent spectator during the Pakistan’s  evolution.

Her journey is in reality as a set of travelogues interspersed with history. The volume of her travels is so huge that each chapter can become a story by itself. Whether it’s the rise of Sikhism or Buddhism or Islam on the banks of the river or the conquests of Alexander or Ghazni, the river becomes an important backbone to every tale.

Until she explained the similarities between Islam and Buddhism – intense religious learning, non-idolatry worship– one could have never believed that such a concept can exist. Swat, a place that has become a victim to Taliban was once known as Uddiyana, an ancient thoroughfare of trans-Asian Silk Road. This and many other similar facts unfolds the roots to early Vedic and Buddhist history of India. In fact, if  the Taliban had read this book they would never have destroyed the huge carving of Maitreya Buddha in Swat.

The famous Alexander and Puru’s battle on the banks of Indus has been often told with glorification of either of the great Kings. A much distorted (read Americanised) Hollywood movie, where Alexander speaks with a North American accent, was released a few years back. To understand the actual facts on how Alexander met his match at the Indus river and used his military tactics to defeat Puru’s huge army is a captivating tale in this book.

The migration of early Vedic civilizations from the Indus to the banks of Ganga, a more fertile region, the tempting but unsubstantiated claim of the Aryan-Dravidian theory and the distorted theory that the Aryans were early migrants from Europe depict the extent of research that has been done for the book.

As she travels further north into the vast spaces of Tibet and Ladakh in her quest to seek the source of Indus, civilizations and cultures are left behind and the river and the landscape takes over. The Indus is Senge Tsampo (Lion’s mouth) here, her guides are Drokpas, the terrain are mountains and valleys.  The last few pages narrate the end of her journey, to the source of a river that was known as ‘Saaransh’ (flowing for ever) in the ancient Vedas, and ends with a warning that the river might be ‘dammed out of existence’ due to man’s costly mistakes.

You can’t read this book in a day. Nor can you finish reading it just one time. Close the book now. I can guarantee that you’ll reopen it; maybe to read about a tribe or history of a conqueror or life of a Wajiristan’s tribal or about the ‘older than vedic age’ and yet surviving Kalash culture or about the Indus river herself. Awards or no awards, its a very spellbinding tale of a river that gave a name – India – to our country.

(Image courtesy: Wikipedia)

‘Sikh student becomes 20th Indian victim in Oz’, ‘Aussie teens try to cut Sikh youth’s hair’ announced today’s newspaper. But what caught my eye in yet another repetitive news clip about the Oz ‘racism’ attacks was the word ‘Dandenong Station’ and a ‘Singh’.

Dandenong is a place that I have been to and know very well. I was sent to work in the General Motors (GM) office in Dandenong for a few months. Every morning, I took a train from Flinders Station to this far-off suburb. The suburb is nearly an hour’s journey on train from the city. At the Dandenong station, it was another 15 minute taxi ride to the GM office in Dandenong Industrial zone. As you ride out of Dandenong town, you can see the factories or ware houses in the industrial zone that borders the town. Dandenong once thrived due to automobile economy.

Then as the auto slump happened, the factories were shifted to China; the warehouses either closed or just have a token presence here. Scores of factory workers were displaced. An Aussie colleague told me that this was huge impact on the locals and the living standards declined. If you take a train from Dandenong to the city on a friday evening or in the weekends, you can see the antics of alcohol induced morons who take the train back home.

However, the suburb has also got a strong South Asian presence. Like any other suburb of big cities, the cost of living is cheaper here and the immigrant community thrives on small businesses. Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians all have storefronts that have names like ‘Taj Mahal’, ‘Zamzam’, ‘Kohinoor’ etc that cater to every Indian need. GM’s canteen was not very vegetarian friendly. So I used to frequent one of the hotels in Dandenong town for a much needed masala dosa or a channa masala, especially on fridays, when work was low.

In Oz, most of the Indian taxi cab drivers are Sikhs or Punjabis; the other huge community, the Telugu speaking Andhra students prefer manning the stores. Many Punjabis who come to study here also have a motive of settling in Australia. A ‘resident’ status for a Punjabi is an obsession. I once met a friendly Punjabi who joked, “If it was declared that Punjabis do not need visas to go abroad, the entire Punjab will become empty in a day”. They work in night shifts, drive cabs on weekends all in the process of making money for their living expenses and also for residency application fees.

The life of an International student is quite tough. The business of ‘education’ is quite cruel as it lures International students by marketing the country’s ‘standard of living’. They have to take up odd jobs to make ends meet.  An andhrite once told me, “After spending much money(read dollars) on an MBA, why would I go back to India?”. Makes sense.

But a racist attack in Dandenong is very surprising considering that the strong South Asian population here. Though the teens are noisy and boisterous on trains or in cabs, I hadn’t expected them to be racist in Melbourne. In fact I felt more alienated by my own very ‘Indian’ project team than any white Aussie however drunk he may be. But then I never travelled beyond 9 pm.

I  have frequently heard that Indians or Chinese are attacked as they are ‘soft’ targets in all Western countries like the US, the UK, Germany and also in the ‘eastern’ Australia and ‘New Zealand’. What’s surprising is its coverage now in Indian media. Why has it woken up now? Is it because of ‘racism’ in Cricket? The Indian Media bristles at every Aussie jibe on the Indian team. Maybe now they are ‘giving it back’?

Whatever the reason maybe, it has worked well. Australia has now woken up to this problem. It might not be always ‘racist’ as the media suggests, but the bad press has made Australia try to curb this problem.

Ending on a lighter note, a tip for all the Indian journos out there – try the ‘masala dosa’ in Dandenong restaurants. Best I ever had in Australia.

Recession. So what, you can still go on that holiday. Just make sure that these points are checked on your list.

1. Prioritize – Do you want to make frequent short trips or that travel destination abroad that you always dreamt for an annual holiday? I am a travel-oholic and I need to hit the trail once a month. If you are my kind, you are better off doing frequent weekend breaks or make a short trip once a month or 3 months, rather than fly to an exotic locale this year.

2. Plan – Once your priorities are clear, you decide to make a trip next month, plan in advance. Search through travel guides for other places you could visit near the destination of your choice, transport, hotels, happening events. This will save time, money and also give you the window to complete your work deadlines. You dont want to lose your day job for an ill-timed holiday, do you?

3. Budget – This will definitely influence your priorities and hence the planning. If you are on a very tight budget, then you should probably look at making shorter trips or stay in economical hotels. Sometimes the nearer places are just as exciting as the far off exotic sounding destinations.

4. Accessories – If you want to do a trek through Himalayas, then you might want to buy some trekking equipments, camping gear etc. Again budget how much you would have to spend. Unless you are a pro, you could rent these equipments from a nearby store or a supplier. You might still have to buy hiking shoes, so include it in your budget.

5. Travel Agent – If you are travelling abroad as a family, choose the travel firm you are comfortable with. Also, it helps to check with the airlines the schedule of your flight. I once nearly missed a return flight from Bangkok since the Thai Airlines and the agent had a communication lapse.

6. Airlines – Choose the Airlines that give you minimum transit or direct flight options. If you choose a less expensive airlines but with an overnight transit, your lodging and travel expenses to see the city in the 12 hours makes the trip very expensive. Sometimes it is better to opt for a slightly expensive airline that provides direct flights.

7. Discounts – Recession also brings freebies, discounts. After all, every travel firm is looking at innovative ways to attract customers. Choose the discounts that help your travel. It does not help getting free mileage in an airline if you are not a frequent flier. If it’s a group discount, see if you can get some like minded group to travel with you. Don’t make a trip that has a huge itinerary, just because of its attractive discounts; chances are that you might be so tired that you will need another holiday after the hectic tour!

8. Insurance – I am a safe traveller. I always take insurance. I don’t mind paying the extra few dollars/rupees if it will insure my baggage or camera or credit cards. I always take travellers cheques. Well if you don’t mind a few risks, you could opt out of it. But then chances of losing your expensive laptops, camera or foreign currencies in a far off land can be very unnerving.

9. Medicine – Taking a few common off the counter medicine helps. Patients with high blood pressure or diabetes, please pack enough tablets with prescriptions that can last for your entire stay abroad. Drugs are very costly for us Indians when we convert our rupees to the local currency. Always take a health insurance policy. You’ll have to cough a huge amount for even a minor health check up.

10. Accommodation – If you are a backpacker, there are many budget options in many countries. In India, you could try YMCA hostels or many budget hotels that provide good accommodation. If you travel as a group, you could ask for discounts. You could try camping if you are on a trekking tour. If alone you could try some B&B accommodations instead of a hotel. Plan your visits around your hotel area. Use the freebies given by your hotel. Try changing the options. Can I get a free ride to the city instead of the extra dinner?

Hope this helps. Have a nice trip.