nidhiramblers

As a rambler I hesitated to take on the subject of Terror for my blog. Then I see that the editor of Guru Magazine (Bangkok Post) has written to Santa asking for many things for Christmas and eighth on the wish list is for a definition of the word 'terrorism' . While he has written this in a lighter vein, I am still relieved that I am not the only one who is confused. There is so much written about the Mumbai Terror that I still keep getting fws . on the subject. I admired the one written by Payoshi Roy, Class XI, Bishop Cottons Girls School, Bangalore and forwarded it to others. (I know most of you abhor Fws .) Her purpose: 'We are here to figure out what exactly is wrong with us, because it is evident that there is something horribly amiss in this country and it's people'. She is very clear about our faults. ' Discrimination is sadly practiced in every nook and corner of our country. We think it's insignificant, we think that it's just the wa...

" The day is going to remain with us for a long time to come . One of those days when you go through a roller coaster ride of events that leave you breathless and anxious while on the ride, but then, at the end, give you this sense of fulfillment and joy and achievement. That was our day on Sunday, November 9, 2008. May be the right way to start writing about this day would be from 7 pm. That’s when the East Marries West recital began. We had the Royal Anthem followed by the lighting of the lamp by M.L. Poomchai Chumbala, a prominent member of Thai society and one of the most well known of the landscape artists and architects in Thailand. The program began with a solo recital on the cello by Saskia Rao-de-Haas . It is difficult to put in words the ambiance that she creates through her music and her presence on stage. In her hands, the cello becomes this soulful medium that adds a different dimension to Indian ragas. Many of us have heard ragas on the violin, but the sound prod...

The whole evening was unexpected. I did not know I would be meeting Maestro Zakir Hussain and shake hands with him. The only thing I could think of saying at that moment was 'I was fortunate to hear your father in the sixties...' and before I could complete my sentence he said ' And still you came... ( to hear me ! ) ' with a smile. I had no quick response for that! I did not tell him that I almost did not come. The program was titled 'Masters of Percussion'. I was not really sure about a program of this nature. I had heard him in India and was mesmerised by his exuberance and the sheer enjoyment he showed while accompanying on the tabla. I felt that it was better to keep my old memories intact. The concert was held at the 'M' theatre. I suppose 'M' meant modest. We waited at the lobby tucked in between 'Starbucks' in the front and the car park at the rear! As we went up to the theater, the stairs reminded me of the fire escape. Proba...

We were standing at the entrance of the movie theater at Siam Paragaon. A tall farang walked up and shook my hands and said 'Welcome to Bangkok, I am Nick Snow' . I said 'Thanks' wondering ' where did I meet him and how did he know that I was not in Bangkok for almost six months!' Luckily Tara caught on and told him 'Did you think he was Shyam Benegal? Well he is not, we are also waiting for Mr. Shyam Benegal!' It felt nice to be mistaken for Shyam Benegal! It surely was an honor as I am a great admirer of his movies. While I have not seen some of his later movies, the earlier ones 'Ankur, Nishant and Manthan' are my all time favourites! Ankur changed my perception of Indian villages totally. I had this very idealistic view of a village having never lived in one. And who can forget Shaban Azmi's role in that movie! It was an astounding piece of acting on her debut. Shyam Benegal is standing next to Gayathri!! Let me explain! Shyam Bene...

Beijing  Our Chinese friend Charlie was at Mala & Bharat's place at 9.30 a.m. sharp as promised! He was his usual cheerful self and said 'Knee How?'  I said 'Fine'.  It is actually a greeting in Chinese, but I thought he was asking me about the condition of my knee after the previous days climb at the Great wall. A very apt question as my knees were really tested the day before! Charlie is one of the friendliest persons I have met. He was there to receive us early in the morning at the arrival area looking absolutely smart in a suit and a natty tie. As we reached our friends Bharat and Mala's home, it was nice to see Bharat who was waiting for us to just say hello! He was on his way to Shanghai for a tennis tournament with the school kids. They teach at the ISB in Beijing and were Tara's colleagues at NIST in Bangkok. The Great Wall Mala had planned that Charlie would take us to the Mutianyu sector of 'The Great Wall' on the first day. As I wa...