Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Sonia, leopards & elephants
One can read incredible things every day in the newspaper. This morning reading the India Express ("journalism of courage") I learnt that yesterday 2 people had been killed by leopards in a natural park close to Mumbai and that one worker died after a long hunger strike in a collective protest against a building contractor who had not payed the "tribe" for a work done in 2000. "Tribe" because the civil works are done usually by nomade tribes (each tribe is specialised & the women work in saari, what makes it a colour show) that go from place to place where they get work. I'll try to give you some abstacts from the article because the way to say it is also very entertaining.
In fact maybe same things were happening in Poland but unfortunatly I couldn't read it...(I can hear some protests rising!). I really enjoy understanding the local newspaper!
The way from Paris to Mumbai via Incheon/Korea was quite long on monday 21st. I was 2 days in Incheon (half way between the island where is the int. airport and Seoul) for some production trials. Guess in which hotel? In "Paradise", the one which hosted both korean and french teams (probably for the last preparation game during the world cup in 2002, so no good memories for "frog eaters"). Lots of souvenirs like signed balls and a pub called ZiDane! Korean "englisheee" is really catastrophic, much worse than french one (which is supposed to be the negative reference, but improving as you can notice when talking with Christian...). But they are friendly, woman carry umbrella to protect from sun (romantic!), you have individual bells on the pub's table to ring for service, internet in hotel room, high sophisticated toilets ("Toto", made in Japan, with possible automatic water jet as substitute for paper)and some nice rules at diner like you should never serve yourself beer or soju (a sweet potato alcool, 20 degree but efficient...), your neighbour has to and when he does - actually very, very (,too?)frequently - take your glass with both hands.
On the way back I had some time, my camera and a high-tech lounge from Korean-Air with nice computer with USB plug, so I started to build-up my site and unloaded pictures there. Incredible what you can do with "freewebs" within 90 minutes (take a look at www.freewebs.com/identic/index.htm).
Some hours of difficult plane sleep later, as I landed in Mumbai at 2AM, "Murphy's law" had proved to be true again and there was no coach for me (predictible since my stay in Korea had been shortened). Eventually I found a taxi to bring me to Pune (3 hours drive). Crossing the Mumbai suburbs I saw hundreds of rickshaws (black&yellow) parked along the road in the night with their driver sleeping on the rear seat (with open access on both side of the rick'). Was it their home? Where they living to far away? The next surrealistic step was one hour later on the highway columns of ghost trucks climbing the Deccan plateau. Why ghost? Because they had no rear lights (generally in a bad shape & rosted), no light in the cabin, they where very slow (strong slope!) and they had erratic ways so that your could have doubts whether there were drivers or not. The taxi made a great "slalom" between those dangerous moving grey masses...but where they trucks or elephants? I don't remember so well...
You probably followed the dramatic events of the last indian democratic election in may. No casulaties (only political ones) but big, big suspens. At that time I still had a TV (I was in the hotel...) so I could watch daily the progress of the drama. India had no governmnent during about 10 days until Sonia Gandhi decided NOT TO BE Prime Minister even if she had the possibility.
Nobody expected the Congress victory even the Congress itself.
The "foreign origin" of Sonia (everybody calls her like that here), already used by the BJP (right wing, nationalists, main ruling party from previous government) during the campaign was emphasized after the election results were published, and you could hear basic hate and xenophobic speech from 2 or 3 BJP members which didn't honor their party at all. BJP showed absolute non-respect to Sonia as they announced they wouldn't attend the "sworn-in" ceremony which is an important democratic step of enpowering process.
Sonia played great, she had a huge popular support, but guessing that the BJG would systematically block all processes and finally the country would be the victim, she apparently gave up. Clever tactic, she is now bigger than before (her sacrifice is unique) and she is at the head of the ruling party without participating directly in the gouvernement. The PM - Manmohan Singh - is a discret but eminent economist. A Sikh, always in white with light blue turban. He sworn in in front of the president, a scientific, muslem "untouchable", father of the indian atomic bomb...
In fact maybe same things were happening in Poland but unfortunatly I couldn't read it...(I can hear some protests rising!). I really enjoy understanding the local newspaper!
The way from Paris to Mumbai via Incheon/Korea was quite long on monday 21st. I was 2 days in Incheon (half way between the island where is the int. airport and Seoul) for some production trials. Guess in which hotel? In "Paradise", the one which hosted both korean and french teams (probably for the last preparation game during the world cup in 2002, so no good memories for "frog eaters"). Lots of souvenirs like signed balls and a pub called ZiDane! Korean "englisheee" is really catastrophic, much worse than french one (which is supposed to be the negative reference, but improving as you can notice when talking with Christian...). But they are friendly, woman carry umbrella to protect from sun (romantic!), you have individual bells on the pub's table to ring for service, internet in hotel room, high sophisticated toilets ("Toto", made in Japan, with possible automatic water jet as substitute for paper)and some nice rules at diner like you should never serve yourself beer or soju (a sweet potato alcool, 20 degree but efficient...), your neighbour has to and when he does - actually very, very (,too?)frequently - take your glass with both hands.
On the way back I had some time, my camera and a high-tech lounge from Korean-Air with nice computer with USB plug, so I started to build-up my site and unloaded pictures there. Incredible what you can do with "freewebs" within 90 minutes (take a look at www.freewebs.com/identic/index.htm).
Some hours of difficult plane sleep later, as I landed in Mumbai at 2AM, "Murphy's law" had proved to be true again and there was no coach for me (predictible since my stay in Korea had been shortened). Eventually I found a taxi to bring me to Pune (3 hours drive). Crossing the Mumbai suburbs I saw hundreds of rickshaws (black&yellow) parked along the road in the night with their driver sleeping on the rear seat (with open access on both side of the rick'). Was it their home? Where they living to far away? The next surrealistic step was one hour later on the highway columns of ghost trucks climbing the Deccan plateau. Why ghost? Because they had no rear lights (generally in a bad shape & rosted), no light in the cabin, they where very slow (strong slope!) and they had erratic ways so that your could have doubts whether there were drivers or not. The taxi made a great "slalom" between those dangerous moving grey masses...but where they trucks or elephants? I don't remember so well...
You probably followed the dramatic events of the last indian democratic election in may. No casulaties (only political ones) but big, big suspens. At that time I still had a TV (I was in the hotel...) so I could watch daily the progress of the drama. India had no governmnent during about 10 days until Sonia Gandhi decided NOT TO BE Prime Minister even if she had the possibility.
Nobody expected the Congress victory even the Congress itself.
The "foreign origin" of Sonia (everybody calls her like that here), already used by the BJP (right wing, nationalists, main ruling party from previous government) during the campaign was emphasized after the election results were published, and you could hear basic hate and xenophobic speech from 2 or 3 BJP members which didn't honor their party at all. BJP showed absolute non-respect to Sonia as they announced they wouldn't attend the "sworn-in" ceremony which is an important democratic step of enpowering process.
Sonia played great, she had a huge popular support, but guessing that the BJG would systematically block all processes and finally the country would be the victim, she apparently gave up. Clever tactic, she is now bigger than before (her sacrifice is unique) and she is at the head of the ruling party without participating directly in the gouvernement. The PM - Manmohan Singh - is a discret but eminent economist. A Sikh, always in white with light blue turban. He sworn in in front of the president, a scientific, muslem "untouchable", father of the indian atomic bomb...
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
May in Maharashtra...
Maharashtra is an indian state on the north-western coast with Mumbai/Bombay as capital.
Fortunatly when arriving I had not to endure a hot indian summer.
As it was 35 C in Pune (4 million inhabitants, 150 kilometer south-eastern from Bombay, some hundreds meter altitude on Deccan plateau), Mumbai and Dehli had 45 C.
The hot saison in Maharashstra is usually april-may but by mid-may temperature was already decreasing... - I could even enjoy a nice hot wind - ...decreasing until monsoon start (exactly on june 8th, so everything falling before is not monsoon). Can you imagine iceballs falling from the indian sky? There were some this year in a "pre-monsoon" evening.
As everywhere, summer holidays come during hot saison, so april-may, and school start is also monsoon start. By the way, part of english heritage, all pupils are going to school in uniforms with ties - always surprising for french.
Second time off-set ("decallage") is specific to the Pune area where there is no electricity coming from public network on thursday, so day-off is thursday and sunday is worked. Third & last one is the jet-lag, we live 3hours & 30min ahead from Europe.
From the first day on the way to work I was like hypnotised by the permanent spectacle through the car window (I have the privilege not to drive...). People, animals, trees, temples, houses, slums, vehicules, all is fascinating...and noisy. Rickshaws (three-wheelers) are racing together and blowing horn, truck drivers are proud of their decoration ("PLEASE HORN OK"...and often "INDIA IS GREAT") and use hand-signs to get free way, 4 family members are driving on the same motorcycle (3 adults + 1 kid, woman in "amazone"), cows are lying and resting in the middle of the road without beeing threatened by anybody, men are sleeping on the trottoir, somtimes with the head hanging on road area. You feel like everyone is just about to be victim of an accident and in fact nothing happens (or at least much less than what you could expect). No helmet is the rule.
The main factory where I work currently is in Chakan, 30 kilometers and one hour (!) from Pune center. In the last kilometers you are really in country side. Along the road, in small playground between farms, kids play cricket...Power supply cut five times a day in average and Ganesh (the God with elephant face and 4 arms - less is not possible)pictures, swastika and OM-symbol in every corner (all bringing luck...here). In the mechanical workshop, people bring fresh coconut pieces and pour color powder and flowers every morning.
Pune is a huge horizontal city. Only few roads are known by their names (if any available). The orientation works with landmarks (like at sea). Nobody will ask you for streetname and number but for landmark. This landmark can be a monument, a shop, a bank, a temple, anything well-known close to the place where you want to go. As in every indian city, one of the main roads is the MG road (MG for Mahatma Gandhi). First landmark for any foreigner.
Let's end with some usefull vocabulary :
-lakh : 1 lakh = 1,00,000 = 100 000 (thanks to Carsten for warning)
-crore : 1 crore = 100 lakhs = 1,00,00,000 = 10 000 000 = 10 millions (did you know this one?)
-"kadjee" : kilogramme (kg)
-soft copy / hard copy : document in file / print-out
-to take a call = to decide something
Seems that the language here is living its own way, independantly from british-english.
Fortunatly when arriving I had not to endure a hot indian summer.
As it was 35 C in Pune (4 million inhabitants, 150 kilometer south-eastern from Bombay, some hundreds meter altitude on Deccan plateau), Mumbai and Dehli had 45 C.
The hot saison in Maharashstra is usually april-may but by mid-may temperature was already decreasing... - I could even enjoy a nice hot wind - ...decreasing until monsoon start (exactly on june 8th, so everything falling before is not monsoon). Can you imagine iceballs falling from the indian sky? There were some this year in a "pre-monsoon" evening.
As everywhere, summer holidays come during hot saison, so april-may, and school start is also monsoon start. By the way, part of english heritage, all pupils are going to school in uniforms with ties - always surprising for french.
Second time off-set ("decallage") is specific to the Pune area where there is no electricity coming from public network on thursday, so day-off is thursday and sunday is worked. Third & last one is the jet-lag, we live 3hours & 30min ahead from Europe.
From the first day on the way to work I was like hypnotised by the permanent spectacle through the car window (I have the privilege not to drive...). People, animals, trees, temples, houses, slums, vehicules, all is fascinating...and noisy. Rickshaws (three-wheelers) are racing together and blowing horn, truck drivers are proud of their decoration ("PLEASE HORN OK"...and often "INDIA IS GREAT") and use hand-signs to get free way, 4 family members are driving on the same motorcycle (3 adults + 1 kid, woman in "amazone"), cows are lying and resting in the middle of the road without beeing threatened by anybody, men are sleeping on the trottoir, somtimes with the head hanging on road area. You feel like everyone is just about to be victim of an accident and in fact nothing happens (or at least much less than what you could expect). No helmet is the rule.
The main factory where I work currently is in Chakan, 30 kilometers and one hour (!) from Pune center. In the last kilometers you are really in country side. Along the road, in small playground between farms, kids play cricket...Power supply cut five times a day in average and Ganesh (the God with elephant face and 4 arms - less is not possible)pictures, swastika and OM-symbol in every corner (all bringing luck...here). In the mechanical workshop, people bring fresh coconut pieces and pour color powder and flowers every morning.
Pune is a huge horizontal city. Only few roads are known by their names (if any available). The orientation works with landmarks (like at sea). Nobody will ask you for streetname and number but for landmark. This landmark can be a monument, a shop, a bank, a temple, anything well-known close to the place where you want to go. As in every indian city, one of the main roads is the MG road (MG for Mahatma Gandhi). First landmark for any foreigner.
Let's end with some usefull vocabulary :
-lakh : 1 lakh = 1,00,000 = 100 000 (thanks to Carsten for warning)
-crore : 1 crore = 100 lakhs = 1,00,00,000 = 10 000 000 = 10 millions (did you know this one?)
-"kadjee" : kilogramme (kg)
-soft copy / hard copy : document in file / print-out
-to take a call = to decide something
Seems that the language here is living its own way, independantly from british-english.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Agnes & Benoit got married!
First episode of this log-book takes place in Chateau-Thierry/France in the city-hall where both Agnes and Benoit sayed yes on last saturday at 16h00. All the best to them!
I take the opportunity of this short stay in France to dig in my archives and open this dialog to share with you feelings, surprises, discoveries from India where I landed for a long period this year on May 10th. Since that time the experience accumulation process has started and I can't keep anymore all I saw for me.
This tool - already used by a certain Benoit M (another Benoit...) during his trip through South-America (website name available on request) - seems to be the best way to share a maximum of stories with a maximum of close people.
French or english? Accuracy but restricted area of readers or jam-language and wide access (in fact also restrictive to some friends)? Answer could be neither/nor, so polish! or german!
Or permanent switch between english and french every second day. I will start in english and we will see...
I take the opportunity of this short stay in France to dig in my archives and open this dialog to share with you feelings, surprises, discoveries from India where I landed for a long period this year on May 10th. Since that time the experience accumulation process has started and I can't keep anymore all I saw for me.
This tool - already used by a certain Benoit M (another Benoit...) during his trip through South-America (website name available on request) - seems to be the best way to share a maximum of stories with a maximum of close people.
French or english? Accuracy but restricted area of readers or jam-language and wide access (in fact also restrictive to some friends)? Answer could be neither/nor, so polish! or german!
Or permanent switch between english and french every second day. I will start in english and we will see...
