bay area

I've been in the bay area for more than a month now (visiting for work) and have had
a chance to go around during the weekends.
We've (me and another colleague) been to the Monterrey bay , Santa cruz beach,
Yosemite national park and the half moon bay. An hour long cruise from pier 39 took us under the golden gate bridge and near alcatraz islands and back.
We drove to SFO to get a view of the golden gate bridge at night last week. From one vista point we could see the lit up bridge and the lights of the city illuminating the dark waters beyond.
Enjoy the pics !

kodai trip

Visited kodai a few weeks ago in the end of March. The weather was just right (17 -25 c) - and we managed to get there before the seasonal rush. We got there in the morning (tuticorin leaves B'lore at night and gets there early morning). Kodai road is a sleepy little station where we got off and took a cab to kodaikanal. The 80 km drive took 2.5 hrs (most of it was uphill) early in the morning was a refreshing break from the monotony of my regular office commute in the smoke filled city. Kodai is situated 2100m above sealevel in the Palani hills. We took a break before the climb to get some breakfast and sat back to enjoy the ride. As we got closer to the top, the air got chill and we caught brief glimpses of the morning sun through the canopy of leaves above and a panoramic view of the hills. The driver pointed out various places of interest (museum, waterfalls with no water in them!, coffee plantations).
The hotel gave us a pretty good 360 degree view of the sorrounding hills too (see pics). We did some sightseeing the first two days - coakers walk is definitely worth the 'walk' with 1km of breathtaking scenery of the hills and the greenery below. We also went boating on Kodai lake - the lake is spread over 24 hectares and the promenade that skirts the lake is around 4kms. The kids (I've 2 daughters) had a good time when we rented bikes and cycled around the lake. It was the first time in many years me and my wife had cycled ! Some of the villas on the lake front really looked like the houses we've always dreamt of owning.
On the 4th and last day, we took a long walk on the mountains, taking the steep road up from the hotel and were pleasantly surprised by the peace and the quiet of the village atmosphere, disturbed only occasionally by the rumble of a passing truck or motorcycle. The hill was dotted with quaint little cottages on one side leaning over the edge and by the terraced vegetable fields and wilderness on the other side. We spotted some interesting varieties of wild roses on the edge of the road. As we climbed down, the sun was setting in the hills far below and we sat down to watch it disappear in a hue of fiery orange. We retired with aching legs but a renewed spirit that night, and got ready early next morning to leave.
On the whole, it was a good trip, the dull menu in the hotel's restaurant and the lack of any good restaurants in the area were a pain to cope with, but could'nt spoil the goodness of the fresh air and the great sights we got to see. We returned with a bag of home made choclates, some hand made clothes for the kids and plenty of pics.

quality of life in india

Ever since I've returned to india, I've tried to put my finger on what really constitutes "quality" of life. Does this depend on factors within our control ? Does a good standard of living ensure a good quality of life ? Does the measure of quality depend on the person ?
The answer seems to be that QOL, being a subjective measure of the well being of an individual, is an amalgam of these. Its essential to have a good living standard (economic, health,social, environmental) to begin with - these factors can be measured in terms of average incomes, access to medical care, pollution free air and water etc., and most of the time, life in india revolves around satisfying these basic needs. However, the degree to which we are free to pursue activities in the other levels of the hierarchy of needs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow) is a measure of QOL.
I've looked at various definitions and studies by organizations that research this field, and liked these defns of QOL --

• The degree to which a person enjoys the important possibilities of his/her life - Quality of Life Research Unit, University of Toronto
• The best way of approaching quality of life measurement is to measure the extent to which people's 'happiness requirements' are met - ie those requirements which are a necessary (although not sufficient) condition of anyone's happiness - those 'without which no member of the human race can be happy.' -McCall, S.: 1975, 'Quality of Life'

So, what makes the QOL in India suffer ? Our standard of living ! We're too busy trying to earn higher incomes hoping that this would liberate us, but think about this - If you owned a ferrari, where would you drive it ? If you owned a beautiful lake side mansion, can you avoid the dirt and pollution when you step outside ?
The other intangibles that add to QOL are far too insignificant in this place and time -- spending quality time with your kids in quiet sorroundings, taking a walk on a clean sidewalk in the morning, breathing the fresh morning air laden with the scent of flowers that bloom on the tall, shadowy trees above, space in your apt complex for the kids to run around, being able to walk on the street without bumping into someone, getting a doc's appt when you need to see him/her and not when he's free ...

jammed for life

can any one be reticent about the traffic in bangalore ? I've seen even the most timid and inhibited types let loose a barrage of pent up emotions when they're confronted with this topic. For others who have seen the city change, it evokes memories, sights and smells of a quiet garden city that it once was. Having spent part of my childhood in B'lore, I remember it as a quaint town with a cosmopolitan population. Returning to B'lore 25 years later, I found it had turned into an ugly shadow of its past. This is a classic example of bad planning or lack there of. And then, there is a half hearted effort to patch up things .. as life goes on ..

you could get mad
you could be sad
you might be stressed
or even depressed
you could complain
or fret in vain
you could lose your patience
or curse in silence
you might even question
your life's destination
if you have to drive thru
the roads of bengaluru
the one ways are there
but the other's under repair
the lights are there
but working ones are rare.
you think your light's green ?
no! its the other sides light you've seen
to go or not to go ?
have you ever been confused so ?
remember our priceless tradition -
is to blend with the confusion.
just stick to that dictum
and dont break the system.
most indians are color blind
and traffic lights they do not mind.
besides following rules is stupidity
and beneath our dignity.


If you're at an intersection
there's no time for consideration.
we dont believe in right of way
the one who drives faster has his say


OK. so its not a rosy picture.
its worse! I dont even see a future.
All I hear is grand plans
of metros, wide roads and trams
that in rumor surface
and then die without a trace.
nothing's changed in a decade
and dont see nothin coming Iam afraid.


Then, whats life without hope,
how else with reality do we cope ?
I would hate to assume
that I'd have to resume
my journey to work
from home without a break
resting for a drink
or catching a wink.
To spend my life waiting
at some level crossing,
or retire enroute
a lengthy commute.

ode to the indian spitter

Why is that we pride ourselves for being among the cleanest people (we deride the western habit of using toilet tissues and the occasional shower ), but we dont seem to show the slighest hesitation in throwing filth in public places and desecrating our sorroundings in every conceivable way ?
this is my first post, and is dedicated to our not so endearing habit ..

spit, splat, spit !
why do we spit
where we stand or sit ?
on unsuspecting passers -by
on streets we walk by
from buses on the window side
from cars we shine with pride
on the freeway cruising
at the traffic light cursing
In over crowded alleys
In dark, silent gullys
with jets of betel chewed
or juices of tobacco brewed

does the traffic make us sick
or do we just get a kick
do we salivate in excess
or just swallow a little less
do we hate clean walls
or just like to mark them all
are we too senseless to care
or do we eject in despair

can all this ever change ?
and india get a clean image ?
will our streets be spit free ?
to a tolerable degree ?
i must hope that'll come true
for i hate to step on goo.