Friday, August 27, 2004
Monsoon stories
Keep the rythm of one blog a week is quite difficult. Time to collect and to restitute is not always there like for trekkers or hitch-hikers permanently moving and discovering new places. (In fact time to collect is there, but I won't bother you with company stories, even if some would be worth telling like a maintenance collegue coming at every production morning meeting with the notepad's colorfull cover : "flowers are the lover's true language"...)
Rather late than never I discovered the number and diversity of forts around Pune : most of them were built by Shivaji - 17th century - a real hero in this state. Why? Because he was the guide of the resitance against the Mogol control of whole india. Still used a national symbol for hindouism & especialy in Maharashtra since he was from there and this state always resisted (like a small village in French Britany at roman time - let's say to simplify, he is a kind of indian Asterix without cartoons...). Lots of stories about him, once he is supposed to have used a rope attached on a big lezard to climb a defense wall and to conquest a fort. I heared that a new religion was supposed to start by january 3rd 2005, excluding brahmanes (the ones who know and don't share, in hindouism) and devoted to Shivaji...probably a big success in this state, but it sounds a bit marketing-like : you throw a new religion like you bring a new product to the the market...how there is a strong business plan behind backed by good market studies...
Back to the forts : they all are on mountain tops (over 60 were built at that time), monsoon is the best time to visit them, people say. By the way there are 2 periods in the year : the summer, when you wait for monsoon, and the monsoon itself, when you can enjoy it!!! It is related to a feeling of happiness when rain is falling. Sounds a bit contradictory, but people here prefer to wander/climb under the rain or through the fog, because the temperature is low (25-30), the water drops are quite refreshing and the lanscape all around is green with waterfalls. Nobody cares about panorama. Once I realised how late I was in this fort discovery process, I visited my first even under the rain : Sinhagad (Sinha = lion / Gad = fort). After 10 minutes it was no more avoidable to go in deep water (running on the main road) with my shoes (I recommand boots now) in the middle of the rice fields. The ground and the plants were permanently changing in unexpected and unexperimented forms and colors. Half the time was done with open umbrella (very elegant...). I did part of the short way with two friendly students, crossed a indian couple in their fifties going twice up and down every thursday to train for a 18 days trek to Everest base camp in december... Once at the top the mood is very mysterious, you never know whether you reached the real summit (check the picture on iDenTiC !), but you can enjoy delicious curd, buttermilk, roasted ognions (cooked wit kerosene!) and special bread. Still Raigad (Shivaji's capital), Rajgad (nice looking fort with 20m vertical climbing at the end), etc, to visit...
Obvious drawback during monsoon is the status of the roads : the newspapers publish in average one page a day about potholes statistics and stupid statements from politicians about the road policy. Compared to it, the polish road network is excellent!
After 20 days without sun in Pune, I felt like living again as I travelled to Chennai last tuesday for a one-day trip to a corean car manufacturer. Sun, no cloud, lunch on a banana leaf (rice and curries to be mixed and eaten with the hand, without chapati, according the southern tradition), made me forget the high temperature. I checked...when I will move there, monsoon time will just start...but they promissed me it would be lighter and shorter than in the north. Let's keep fingers crossed.
august, 15th : independance day in India, but no big parties : it is a "dry day" (no alcool for sell - all pubs closed - strage way to celebrate). I was looking for an opportunity to share a Belvedere vodka bottle - brought back from holidays - with my kashmiri friends, so we just sat talking on the terrasse, eating chicken bariani (hmm...) and enjoying -20deg polish vodka in small glasses. I was proud to teach them how to drink unmixed alcool & then "na zdrowie". After some glasses they were quite successfull in pronoucing it. Long life to India!
Snake festival was on 20th (Nagpanchami) : snakes are worshiped because of their benefit to the agriculture (eat rats & other animal destroying crops). Suprisingly on that day a lot of women were dressed in silk saree with henan drawings in their hands. I wished happy nagpanchami to our secretary, she was pleased and told me to wish it to another woman working in the office, who was crazy about snake (Nag) and was specialy dressed and prepared for that event...I heared there was a hill where captured snakes were supposed to be freed on that evening. I did not insist to know where...
Next festival : on sunday 29th : raksha bandhan to celebrate this so special link between brothers and sisters : sisters give beautifull red bracelets (lots of men have it today in the plant, sometimes with svastika on it) and brothers offer presents like sarees with tender wishes (I forgot august 1st as official "friendship day"...). But no traditonal father's or mother's day...
Just finished a nice book called "the french in India from 17th to 20th century". Quite interesting after France gave up any ambition in 1763, lots of them stood there and served Maharadjas, Rajputs, Mogols - even England (Estern India Company) for some of them. Motivation ranged from making peacefull but profitable business, "mercenaire"-job (using their military skills gained on european battlefields to support local kings, organize their army against each other or England), pure adventure, to preparing France's hypothetic come-back...The big cities basic history is quite easy : all the names ending with "-bad" are from Mogol (persian muslims) time : Hyderabad, Allahabad, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, all inside the country (Mogols came through land, no sea culture). Then you have the main old british "comptoir"-harbours along the coast : Bombay-Madras-Calcuta. Add Dehli in the middle and you have 90% of the top 10 indian cities. Simple.
Olympics : India won it's first silver medal since independance in '47 (no gold either) in ... shooting. The happy shooter is a major from indian army. I made some jokes on the next day with my office collegues about optimum training in Kashmir...(black humor)...but it turned out to be true : some days later I read an article at the limit of the polical correctness presenting proudly the records of this champion's army section : more that 300 "terrorists" killed in Jammu & Kashmir within a few years ...Where is the olympic spirit? Fore sure not yet landed here! Everyday a new article blaming India for it's poor results in the Games : 1/5th of the world's population and only one silver...
Culinary tip of the week : in bombay brasserie (terrasse) : excellent grilled mutton and "muzaffar" desert : sweet nut creme with crispy vermicelle on the top...
Vocabulary : "to live from hand to mouth" : to work with minimum stock or ressources
Rather late than never I discovered the number and diversity of forts around Pune : most of them were built by Shivaji - 17th century - a real hero in this state. Why? Because he was the guide of the resitance against the Mogol control of whole india. Still used a national symbol for hindouism & especialy in Maharashtra since he was from there and this state always resisted (like a small village in French Britany at roman time - let's say to simplify, he is a kind of indian Asterix without cartoons...). Lots of stories about him, once he is supposed to have used a rope attached on a big lezard to climb a defense wall and to conquest a fort. I heared that a new religion was supposed to start by january 3rd 2005, excluding brahmanes (the ones who know and don't share, in hindouism) and devoted to Shivaji...probably a big success in this state, but it sounds a bit marketing-like : you throw a new religion like you bring a new product to the the market...how there is a strong business plan behind backed by good market studies...
Back to the forts : they all are on mountain tops (over 60 were built at that time), monsoon is the best time to visit them, people say. By the way there are 2 periods in the year : the summer, when you wait for monsoon, and the monsoon itself, when you can enjoy it!!! It is related to a feeling of happiness when rain is falling. Sounds a bit contradictory, but people here prefer to wander/climb under the rain or through the fog, because the temperature is low (25-30), the water drops are quite refreshing and the lanscape all around is green with waterfalls. Nobody cares about panorama. Once I realised how late I was in this fort discovery process, I visited my first even under the rain : Sinhagad (Sinha = lion / Gad = fort). After 10 minutes it was no more avoidable to go in deep water (running on the main road) with my shoes (I recommand boots now) in the middle of the rice fields. The ground and the plants were permanently changing in unexpected and unexperimented forms and colors. Half the time was done with open umbrella (very elegant...). I did part of the short way with two friendly students, crossed a indian couple in their fifties going twice up and down every thursday to train for a 18 days trek to Everest base camp in december... Once at the top the mood is very mysterious, you never know whether you reached the real summit (check the picture on iDenTiC !), but you can enjoy delicious curd, buttermilk, roasted ognions (cooked wit kerosene!) and special bread. Still Raigad (Shivaji's capital), Rajgad (nice looking fort with 20m vertical climbing at the end), etc, to visit...
Obvious drawback during monsoon is the status of the roads : the newspapers publish in average one page a day about potholes statistics and stupid statements from politicians about the road policy. Compared to it, the polish road network is excellent!
After 20 days without sun in Pune, I felt like living again as I travelled to Chennai last tuesday for a one-day trip to a corean car manufacturer. Sun, no cloud, lunch on a banana leaf (rice and curries to be mixed and eaten with the hand, without chapati, according the southern tradition), made me forget the high temperature. I checked...when I will move there, monsoon time will just start...but they promissed me it would be lighter and shorter than in the north. Let's keep fingers crossed.
august, 15th : independance day in India, but no big parties : it is a "dry day" (no alcool for sell - all pubs closed - strage way to celebrate). I was looking for an opportunity to share a Belvedere vodka bottle - brought back from holidays - with my kashmiri friends, so we just sat talking on the terrasse, eating chicken bariani (hmm...) and enjoying -20deg polish vodka in small glasses. I was proud to teach them how to drink unmixed alcool & then "na zdrowie". After some glasses they were quite successfull in pronoucing it. Long life to India!
Snake festival was on 20th (Nagpanchami) : snakes are worshiped because of their benefit to the agriculture (eat rats & other animal destroying crops). Suprisingly on that day a lot of women were dressed in silk saree with henan drawings in their hands. I wished happy nagpanchami to our secretary, she was pleased and told me to wish it to another woman working in the office, who was crazy about snake (Nag) and was specialy dressed and prepared for that event...I heared there was a hill where captured snakes were supposed to be freed on that evening. I did not insist to know where...
Next festival : on sunday 29th : raksha bandhan to celebrate this so special link between brothers and sisters : sisters give beautifull red bracelets (lots of men have it today in the plant, sometimes with svastika on it) and brothers offer presents like sarees with tender wishes (I forgot august 1st as official "friendship day"...). But no traditonal father's or mother's day...
Just finished a nice book called "the french in India from 17th to 20th century". Quite interesting after France gave up any ambition in 1763, lots of them stood there and served Maharadjas, Rajputs, Mogols - even England (Estern India Company) for some of them. Motivation ranged from making peacefull but profitable business, "mercenaire"-job (using their military skills gained on european battlefields to support local kings, organize their army against each other or England), pure adventure, to preparing France's hypothetic come-back...The big cities basic history is quite easy : all the names ending with "-bad" are from Mogol (persian muslims) time : Hyderabad, Allahabad, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, all inside the country (Mogols came through land, no sea culture). Then you have the main old british "comptoir"-harbours along the coast : Bombay-Madras-Calcuta. Add Dehli in the middle and you have 90% of the top 10 indian cities. Simple.
Olympics : India won it's first silver medal since independance in '47 (no gold either) in ... shooting. The happy shooter is a major from indian army. I made some jokes on the next day with my office collegues about optimum training in Kashmir...(black humor)...but it turned out to be true : some days later I read an article at the limit of the polical correctness presenting proudly the records of this champion's army section : more that 300 "terrorists" killed in Jammu & Kashmir within a few years ...Where is the olympic spirit? Fore sure not yet landed here! Everyday a new article blaming India for it's poor results in the Games : 1/5th of the world's population and only one silver...
Culinary tip of the week : in bombay brasserie (terrasse) : excellent grilled mutton and "muzaffar" desert : sweet nut creme with crispy vermicelle on the top...
Vocabulary : "to live from hand to mouth" : to work with minimum stock or ressources
