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Joyful Jamboree Just for you
January Edition
HOPE IN UGLY UNDERBELLY New Year was a cold affair not because the mercury went down but because it left a trail of blood that continued to haunt the common man with fears of terror unleashing from unknown quarters,
Theory of Relativity
True enough it struck again. This time it was a certain home grown terrorist called Raju Ramalingam . He shook up the country by fudging accounts and shot down dreams by hoodwinking thousands of people of their savings and jobs overnight. As the Satyam Saga hogged and haunted the headlines there was a hush in the air. This bubbling country of 1 billion lost all fizz and stood like a flat can of coke yet again. There seemed to be no hope at all .
Everyone talked about the same thing - “Where is this country heading?” Even with the fantastic track record of surviving recession and growing economically, our diversity, our democracy, our billion strong population , everything that can turn around the future into a golden reality, seemed to do just the opposite. Every time we almost give up, however we are also magically awakened to a new hope like Vikas Swaroop, book Q and A , made into a brilliant film by Danny Boyle. Slumdog Millionnaire which floored the Hollywood recently and bagged several awards is like an epic saga of India - This amazing country that manages to pick up a new thread of
life and survive the worst of calamities and rises and shines like never before. Only perhaps because we are destined to be a great nation.
NAILS IN THE FENCE There was once a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day, the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive
those nails into the fence. Finally, the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his that all the nails had been taken out. The father took his son by the hand and took him to the fence. He said, " You have done well, my
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son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave scars just like these. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. But it won't matter how many times you say you are sorry, the wound will stil be there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Joyful Jamboree
Page 2
PAGES FROM PAPA’S DIARY Dearest Gudiya and Noor,
had a dinner show with traditional Polynesian dances.
This month has been rather busy and to an extent exciting. I have been travelling almost the whole month.
Manila is which is the capital can be compared to any one of our class B cities. It is a mix of the traditional and the modern. It is one of the emerging economies of the region. Unfortunately corruption is rampant and a
First it was to the Far East and presently I am in the UK. It started with having to go to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Toy Fair. I was there for two days. Hong Kong as you know was a British colony which they had leased from China up to 1997. Now it is a Special Administrative Region of the Peoples’ Republic of China. The territory is made up of a handful of islands including Hong Kong itself and Kowloon which is on the Mainland. Coming into Hong Kong, you land on the first airport made on an artificial island in the sea. Since it is so short of space most of the buildings are skyscrapers. The other thing that strikes you is the number of bridges (and a tunnel) linking various islands and the mainland. Though an expensive city, it is very vibrant. It has a very cosmopolitan culture and is a commercial hub of the Far East.
large number of the people are impoverished. From Manila we went to Cebu which is a very beautiful island to the South. While Philippines was initially colonised by the Spaniards, later especially in the south there was a strong British influence. We had three days to ourselves and on the third day we were more or less free. So we managed to take some time off and saw the sights around Cebu. I landed back from Cebu in Hong Kong at midnight and took the ferry to the Chinese mainland the next day I had a few meetings in Zongshan a southern industrial town during the day and then drove to Guanzhou, the capital of the Guandong province. It was called Canton by the British and the people here speak Cantoneese. While the official language is Mandarin, Cantoneese is largely spoken in this region and in Hong Kong. One thing that impressed me was the scale of development of the roads and
other infrastructure. The majority of the population is, needless to say Chinese, but they consider themselves a separate country. While Guanzhou is the commercial gateway to the There is a fairly large Indian population there who citiindustrial Southern China, there are a large number of zens. In fact I had to meet a gentleman who has been special economic zones being set up all over the country there for the past 40 years. He invited me home for a meal especially along the eastern coastline of China. I was visited, while in Guanzhou by a former employee of ours who and he looked after us while we were there. now has moved back to his hometown near the border of The next port of call was the Philippines. We were Korea and China. there for recruitment of staff. We landed in Manila late at night. Unfortunately for us it was the rainy season in the Next day I flew out early in the morning to NanPhilippines. There was a cyclone that had just passed jing which was the erstwhile capital of China and later the through the southern part of the country, which is made up winter capital. It is situated on the Yangtse River which of over 7000 islands.
flows on to meet the sea a couple of hundred kilometres downstream at Shanghai. While I spent the entire day in The two days in Manila were very hectic and the the industrial complex 40 km south of the city, In the eveonly thing we managed to do was go to a restaurant which ning we went to Nanjing to visit an amusement centre and
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who I had to meet was quite knowledgeable and filled me on in the history of the region. Around midday we went to Nanjing has a old walled city which used to have a Liverpool and got back in the evening to Chester. Chester, moat around it. Parts of it are quite well preserved. We was an old Roman town and was a walled city. A part of had dinner in the old quarters in a restaurant close to an the wall is still preserved. On the outskirts is the estate old and famous Zen temple, situated on the banks of a ca- of the Duke of Westminster, who is one of the wealthiest nal. The area was lit up and decorated, probably for the Englishmen. He owns large tracts of land including ChesChinese New Year, which happened to be on the 30th of ter and Central London. Before coming back to London I January. Early next morning (it was -6o C) I flew back to met up with an old friend who lives just across the border Hong Kong early in the morning and then took a late night in Wales and her family. then to have dinner.
flight back to Dubai. After a frantic week in Dubai, I had to go to Doha for a couple of days. I tried to call up Mr Koushik, your friend’s father. However they happened to be in Bahrain for the weekend. I got back at midnight and next morning
Today I am staying with Pishi and a Ma’s cousin is coming in the evening and I go back to Dubai on Monday. Today we intend to go to Coventry Market in the morning. I’ll finish the letter and post the
left for London for a trade show of amusement machines. Having grown up on British literature, London was an interesting experience. Though an old, crowded and expensive city, it has maintained its character. However, there has been migration of many different nationalities over the last 50 years, both from former colonies of the U.K. and east European countries. On first day I went over and met Munmun Pishi who lives in Central London after work in the evening. She lives very close to the Tiklu & Muns Tate Gallery of fine arts and is a stone’s throw from Westminster Abbey and the House of Parliament which in turn is on Birds Eye View from CEBU the River Thames. We walked over to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus where we had dinner. The next day we walked along the South Bank of the Thames where I had to go and visit an amusement centre at the Council Hall (of Westminster). On day three I had some work at the Piccadilly Circus after which I met up with an old friend of mine and Pishi. Pishi and I went to watch Les Miserables, the musical, because it was the thing to do when in London! Notwithstanding that, the show was brilliant and I believe has been running for the last 30 years. Yesterday I had to go to a historical town of Chester which is close to Liverpool an important port and Manchester, the birth place of the Industrial Revolution. Travelling to Chester by train I got to see some of the English countryside. Though it had been drizzling the countryside was beautiful and to an extent reminded me of Kashmir in autumn. The gentleman
In search of maach bhaat
next part next month.
Stranded in Heathrow
Gudiya, get rid of your anxiety and relax and take your exams. Don’t worry, you’ll do well. Noor, how is your hand? Hope you are getting better. Keep up the good cheer. Love you my darlings…. Baba
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Joyful Jamboree
This puzzle is called Lateral Thinking. Scroll down slowly and be honest to yourself. Think like a wizard . . . this is an example Q1.
man --------board
Ans. = man overboar Okay, let's see if you've got the hang of it. stand Q2. -----------i Ans. = I understand OK . . Got the drift ? Let's try a few now and see how you fare ? Q3 /r/e/a/d/i/n/ g/ Ans. = reading between the lines Q4.
r road a d
Ans. = cross road Not having a good day now, are you ? Redeem yourself. Q5.
cycle cycle cycle
Ans. = tricycle Not easy to figure out ha! 0 --------M.D. Ph.D. Ans. = two degrees below zero Q6.
Page 4
Q7.
knee -----------light
Ans. = neon light U can prove u r smart by getting this one.
Q8.
ground ------------ --feet feet feet feet feet feet
Ans. = six feet underground Oh no, not again ! ! Q9. he's X himself
Ans. = he's by himself Now you are messing up big time. Q10.
ecnalg
Ans. = backward glance Not even close ???
Q11.
death ..... life
Ans. = life after death Okay last chance ............ ...... Q12.
THINK
Ans. = think big ! And the last one is real cool - - Q13. ababaaabbbbaaaabbbb ababaabbaaabbbb. .. Ans. = long time no 'C'
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Sanchita from Switzerland In her third trip to Switzerland, her favorite holiday destination, Sanchita trails the Interlaken to the top of Europe, a place called Jungfraujoch and to the incredibly picturesque Swiss Oberland, enjoying a few days away from the stress of work at London.
I flew to Zurich from London and took the fast intercity train to Interlaken. As the name suggests, Interlaken is a small town situated in between two beautiful lakes - lake Thun and lake Brienz . The town is mainly a tourist destination, quiet and slower than other bigger cities with very friendly people catering to the tourists well. After checking in, I took a walk along the high street. Straight across a park by the high street, I was amazed at the stunning view of the mountain ranges – Jungfrau and part of Schilthorn - Weather was lovely. I thanked my stars. I figured out that the sun would set over the mountains and stayed back to watch it- a heavenly experience with the sunrays playing over the snow capped peaks, changing their colour from white to red to golden, before fall of dusk. I was filled with awe but did not forget to click the shutter. My plan for the following day was to explore the mountains and therefore had an early night.
the distance at all times and marvelled at the wonders of nature. From Lauterbrunnen, the single track train goes up to Kleine Scheidegg (2061m). This is at the foot of the Jungfrau peak. At this station, I changed trains once again to the Jungfrau Bahn or Jungfrau railway. This is also a single track train and is the world’s highest railway. At the station, I got the best view of the Jungfrau peak so far – was awesome. I could not have asked for better weather. The train on its upward journey, goes into a tunnel from a place called Eigerletscher (2320 m). This is to protect the tracks from being iced up as there is snow at that height all year. There are three stops along the route and glass windows in the tunnel enabled me to have some great views of the glacier before actually reaching it.
Eventually, I reached the ‘Top of Europe’ – the Jungfraujoch. No words are adequate to describe the beauty and grandeur of The next morning, I set off for the mountains. Interlaken is a miles of spotless white snow part of the Jungfrau region which is where the most gorgeous that unfolded before my eyes. mountain ranges of the Swiss Alps are. The two important peaks are Jungfrau and Schilthorn but there are several others The sky above was cloudless like Eiger, Monch etc. Jungfrau is the highest peak in Switzler- and blue and the sun shone land (4158m). There is a glacier just below the Jumfrau peak - brightly over the peaks and the glacier and the reflection known as jungfraujoch. dazzled my eyes. The JungThis is called the top of Europe (probably in terms frau peak was majestic, overlooking the glacier. The temof accessibility) and is perature was -15 degrees 3454 metres above sea (month of June, mind!), but I level. felt nothing of it in spite of After purchasing the tick- being in a summer jacket and cropped trousers. I went out on ets, I started my journey to the glacier and touched the snow. That was cold! There is a viewing gallery over the mountain peak facing the glacier. The building houses restaurants, toilets, an ice museum and a shop. I stayed on the top for a couple of hours, took photos, had some lunch and spoke to my parents in India. My mobile the top. The Berner Oberland phone worked even at that height! Before leaving, I thanked railway starts from Interlaken. the Almighty for the extraorThis goes through the beautiful dinary experience. valley in between the mountains to a place called LauterReturning from the glorious brunnen (796m). From here, mountains, I decided to go on there is a single track train goa boat trip on the lake Thun. ing further up. The journey reveals some of the most scenic views of the land. I could see the The water of the lake was a rare sea green and was crystal clear, lovely Swiss chalets, the lush green valleys, flowers and the bearing the reflection of the beautiful clear streams of water. I also saw the mountains in surrounding peaks. After about
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20 mins down came the rain in torrents. I was disappointed but got to see a waterfall (of mud mainly), which according to the local people is a rare occurrence. So there you go! I came back to my hotel after some shopping and retired for the night.
and glass panels along the ceiling arch. This enables passengers to have a panoramic view of the scenery on both sides, right from the ground up to the sky. This route is open all year and a ride every season is recommended to see the changing scenery (unfortunately, I am not rich enough!). I took a two hour round trip – Interlaken – Montreux –Geneva and back.
The weather was cloudy with spells of sunshine and rain, nevertheless, I had a wonderful experience as the amazing scenery The next morning I was on my unfolded before my eyes. The train ran along the banks of the way to the mountains again, this time to Schilthorn. The route two lakes, lake Thun and lake Geneva and through the small is the same up to Lauterbrunnen. From there, I changed trains villages in between towns. On both sides there were artistically to Murren (1645m). From this station, a cable car lift would built and beautifully decorated chalets, green pastures, vinetake me to the top of Schilthorn (2960m). There is a short yards, alpine firs, flowers, small streams of water and of course walk along the mountain peaks between the train station and the mountains in the background. There were cows grazing in the cable car station. It was a unique experience walking down the pastures and the sweet tinkling of the cowbells filled the the narrow tracks along the steep mountain drop. The alpine air. There were clouds overhanging the mountains and was firs were lovely as was the mountains. lovely to see them moving along. All this was a real treat to watch and brought back memories of pictures I drew I reached the top of Schilthorn by the cable as a kid. car. These mountains are lower than the Jungfrau ranges so there was less snow. My tour came to an end with my return to the hotel They had quite a distinctive look – rockier and I flew back to London the following day. I was and had a few small clear lakes in between overjoyed at the experience I had and came back with the peaks. The Schilthorn peak is surmemories that would be everlasting. On the return rounded by other mountain ranges. The flight, I met a few people who went to Interlaken Jungfrau ranges were also visible at a disevery year and I promised myself that I would be back tance. At the top, I was surrounded my as well. The land still seems to beckon me and I am peaks on all sides – it was incredibly beaulonging to be among the mountains once again. tiful. The mountains seemed to give me a warm welcome. N.B. For those who are not aware, the best way to travel in The Schilthorn peak houses the famous Piz Gloria, the revolv- Switzerland is with a Swiss pass which allows free unlimited ing restaurant. It is indeed a technological masterpiece. The travel on all trains, buses and boats. This also entitles the whole restaurant complex has two stratas – both rotating in bearer to a 50% discount on the mountain train tickets. It is opposite directions upon each other. Sat in the restaurant, I got available for 4, 7 14, 30 days and has to be activated upon ena 360 degree panoramic view of the whole region and the sur- try to Switzerland. The pass has to be purchased from outside rounding mountain ranges through the large glass windows. Switzerland and is available online. The weather was lovely once again and I enjoyed to the fullest. Bharati Pishi and Pishe. On my way down, I stopped at the Trummelbach waterfalls. Tiklu is their only daughter. These are ten waterfalls in a row draining most of the Jungfrau She grew up in Kolkata. region. The falls run down the rocky mountains and join the lakes at sea level. There is illumination at night and sound and light shows run as well. In the afternoon, I took a boat cruise along the lake Brienz. The weather being good, I had a very relaxing experience, cruising along the serene waters, with the cool breeze blowing into my face. This lake is known as the soul of Switzerland – the water is a bluer shade and very clear. There were stunning views of the clear waters and the surrounding peaks. My day’s tour ended with the cruise and I was filled with delight. On the last day, I explored the Swiss Oberland – travelling along the Golden Pass panoramic route. This is a scenic route through the whole of the Oberland extending between Lucern and Geneva, including some other towns like Interlaken and Montreux. There are special panoramic route trains – they have large windows extending from the level of the seat to the top
Sanchita Sen or Tiklu lives and works in Porishead, a lovely little sea side town just south of Bristol. She is in the second year of the five year rotational training programme for registrars, training to work as consultants in that country. Her speciality is Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She work for the National Health Service and is placed in Taunton at present.
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HUMOUR IN VATICAN ; The Secret of Advertising The top marketing director of Nescafe manages to arrange a meeting with the Pope at the Vatican.
Again, even more sternly, the Pope replies, "That, my son, is impossible. For the prayer is the word of the Lord and it must not be changed."
Nescafe official, 'Your Eminence, I have some business to discuss.
Finally, the Nescafe director says, "Your Holiness, we at Nescafe respect your adherence to your faith, we realize that tradition is essential to your beliefs, we fully understand the importance of the word of the Lord but we do have one final offer. Please discuss it with your cardinals. We will donate $500 million."
We at Nescafe have an offer for you. Nescafe is prepared to donate $100 million to the church if you change the Lord's Prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily coffee'." The Pope looks outraged and thunders, "That is impossible. The Prayer is the word of the Lord, It must not be changed." "Well," says the Nescafe man somewhat chastened, "We anticipated your reluctance. For this reason, and the importance of the Lord's prayer to all Catholics, we will increase our offer to $300 million. All we require is that you change the Lord's Prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily coffee'."
The next day the Pope convenes the College of Cardinals. "There is some Good news," he announces, "and some bad news..... The good news is, he continues to a hushed assembly, that the Church will get $500 million." "And what is the bad news, your Holiness?" asks a Cardinal. "Sadly" says the Pope, "We would have to lose the Britannia Account."
A recipe for new year Take twelve whole months. Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy. Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into 28, 30 or 31 parts, but don't make up the whole batch at once. Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients:
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
play and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation and one good deed.
smile and serve with quietness, unselfishness and cheerfulness.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of
Enjoy!!!
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Dear Gudiya and Noor,
I am not totally at ease even after all that. I am still so worried about you two.
For the best part of the month while baba was travelling ( Chandnichowk to China and having a balle balle time ) I was moping and crying and generally doing all those things that I ask my students not to do...negative thinking, spiraling and psyching myself to depression. But what the hell , I am woman! I have a birthright to behave erratically ,right?
Gudia I hope you learn to optimise your fear in such a way that it gives you enough focus to study. No point of taking it beyond that baby. The moment you buckle under fear you must look for a quiet place and do the daisy pool meditation. Snap out and rejuvenate yourself with the white light of cosmic energy. You can do it. You have everything going for you. Maintain clarity and just give your best shot.
But I also managed to do some exciting things whenever the cloud lifted a bit. One was a “content providing” job of writing fictitious horoscopes for a life insurance agency. Voila! I thought , who could read the crystal ball better than me? But churning out sixty of those was not a joke. Gudia who saw me go trough the grind finally said “ Gosh if this is the way they are manufactured , I’d stay away from reading about my stars hereafter.”
I am also trying to figure out why Noorie is getting so temperamental…( esp becos no one in the house is like that - couldn’t be my genes.LOL!) I am sorry Noor you probably have a small bit of my wonky DNA in you, but nothing you can’t circumvent. Be yourself—the beautiful, patient, understanding and the loving girl that you are. Send the genes for a dhobi wash. They will fade.
I also watched n number of movies ( courtesy my friends at the movie hall). I thought “Slumdog Millionaire” was a rather neat one. However the music if ask me wasn’t any great shakes and certainly not Rehman;s best. I also followed the entire gamut of controversy that raged over it and found it even more amusing. It was the masala over the chai and every bit of it made me feel a little more alive to the world around me. I also got around with my group to firm up on he HIPE KID we wrogramme we were planning to start for awhile . Frankly we achieved very little professionally but made up for it with loads of laughter and fun. Gosh ! How they made my day.
Freaking Forty Four
lots and s t o L & o ve s of l kisse & s hug
MA
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January Edition
HOPE IN UGLY UNDERBELLY New Year was a cold affair not because the mercury went down but because it left a trail of blood that continued to haunt the common man with fears of terror unleashing from unknown quarters,
Theory of Relativity
True enough it struck again. This time it was a certain home grown terrorist called Raju Ramalingam . He shook up the country by fudging accounts and shot down dreams by hoodwinking thousands of people of their savings and jobs overnight. As the Satyam Saga hogged and haunted the headlines there was a hush in the air. This bubbling country of 1 billion lost all fizz and stood like a flat can of coke yet again. There seemed to be no hope at all .
Everyone talked about the same thing - “Where is this country heading?” Even with the fantastic track record of surviving recession and growing economically, our diversity, our democracy, our billion strong population , everything that can turn around the future into a golden reality, seemed to do just the opposite. Every time we almost give up, however we are also magically awakened to a new hope like Vikas Swaroop, book Q and A , made into a brilliant film by Danny Boyle. Slumdog Millionnaire which floored the Hollywood recently and bagged several awards is like an epic saga of India - This amazing country that manages to pick up a new thread of
life and survive the worst of calamities and rises and shines like never before. Only perhaps because we are destined to be a great nation.
NAILS IN THE FENCE There was once a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day, the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive
those nails into the fence. Finally, the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his that all the nails had been taken out. The father took his son by the hand and took him to the fence. He said, " You have done well, my
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son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave scars just like these. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. But it won't matter how many times you say you are sorry, the wound will stil be there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Joyful Jamboree
Page 2
PAGES FROM PAPA’S DIARY Dearest Gudiya and Noor,
had a dinner show with traditional Polynesian dances.
This month has been rather busy and to an extent exciting. I have been travelling almost the whole month.
Manila is which is the capital can be compared to any one of our class B cities. It is a mix of the traditional and the modern. It is one of the emerging economies of the region. Unfortunately corruption is rampant and a
First it was to the Far East and presently I am in the UK. It started with having to go to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Toy Fair. I was there for two days. Hong Kong as you know was a British colony which they had leased from China up to 1997. Now it is a Special Administrative Region of the Peoples’ Republic of China. The territory is made up of a handful of islands including Hong Kong itself and Kowloon which is on the Mainland. Coming into Hong Kong, you land on the first airport made on an artificial island in the sea. Since it is so short of space most of the buildings are skyscrapers. The other thing that strikes you is the number of bridges (and a tunnel) linking various islands and the mainland. Though an expensive city, it is very vibrant. It has a very cosmopolitan culture and is a commercial hub of the Far East.
large number of the people are impoverished. From Manila we went to Cebu which is a very beautiful island to the South. While Philippines was initially colonised by the Spaniards, later especially in the south there was a strong British influence. We had three days to ourselves and on the third day we were more or less free. So we managed to take some time off and saw the sights around Cebu. I landed back from Cebu in Hong Kong at midnight and took the ferry to the Chinese mainland the next day I had a few meetings in Zongshan a southern industrial town during the day and then drove to Guanzhou, the capital of the Guandong province. It was called Canton by the British and the people here speak Cantoneese. While the official language is Mandarin, Cantoneese is largely spoken in this region and in Hong Kong. One thing that impressed me was the scale of development of the roads and
other infrastructure. The majority of the population is, needless to say Chinese, but they consider themselves a separate country. While Guanzhou is the commercial gateway to the There is a fairly large Indian population there who citiindustrial Southern China, there are a large number of zens. In fact I had to meet a gentleman who has been special economic zones being set up all over the country there for the past 40 years. He invited me home for a meal especially along the eastern coastline of China. I was visited, while in Guanzhou by a former employee of ours who and he looked after us while we were there. now has moved back to his hometown near the border of The next port of call was the Philippines. We were Korea and China. there for recruitment of staff. We landed in Manila late at night. Unfortunately for us it was the rainy season in the Next day I flew out early in the morning to NanPhilippines. There was a cyclone that had just passed jing which was the erstwhile capital of China and later the through the southern part of the country, which is made up winter capital. It is situated on the Yangtse River which of over 7000 islands.
flows on to meet the sea a couple of hundred kilometres downstream at Shanghai. While I spent the entire day in The two days in Manila were very hectic and the the industrial complex 40 km south of the city, In the eveonly thing we managed to do was go to a restaurant which ning we went to Nanjing to visit an amusement centre and
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who I had to meet was quite knowledgeable and filled me on in the history of the region. Around midday we went to Nanjing has a old walled city which used to have a Liverpool and got back in the evening to Chester. Chester, moat around it. Parts of it are quite well preserved. We was an old Roman town and was a walled city. A part of had dinner in the old quarters in a restaurant close to an the wall is still preserved. On the outskirts is the estate old and famous Zen temple, situated on the banks of a ca- of the Duke of Westminster, who is one of the wealthiest nal. The area was lit up and decorated, probably for the Englishmen. He owns large tracts of land including ChesChinese New Year, which happened to be on the 30th of ter and Central London. Before coming back to London I January. Early next morning (it was -6o C) I flew back to met up with an old friend who lives just across the border Hong Kong early in the morning and then took a late night in Wales and her family. then to have dinner.
flight back to Dubai. After a frantic week in Dubai, I had to go to Doha for a couple of days. I tried to call up Mr Koushik, your friend’s father. However they happened to be in Bahrain for the weekend. I got back at midnight and next morning
Today I am staying with Pishi and a Ma’s cousin is coming in the evening and I go back to Dubai on Monday. Today we intend to go to Coventry Market in the morning. I’ll finish the letter and post the
left for London for a trade show of amusement machines. Having grown up on British literature, London was an interesting experience. Though an old, crowded and expensive city, it has maintained its character. However, there has been migration of many different nationalities over the last 50 years, both from former colonies of the U.K. and east European countries. On first day I went over and met Munmun Pishi who lives in Central London after work in the evening. She lives very close to the Tiklu & Muns Tate Gallery of fine arts and is a stone’s throw from Westminster Abbey and the House of Parliament which in turn is on Birds Eye View from CEBU the River Thames. We walked over to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus where we had dinner. The next day we walked along the South Bank of the Thames where I had to go and visit an amusement centre at the Council Hall (of Westminster). On day three I had some work at the Piccadilly Circus after which I met up with an old friend of mine and Pishi. Pishi and I went to watch Les Miserables, the musical, because it was the thing to do when in London! Notwithstanding that, the show was brilliant and I believe has been running for the last 30 years. Yesterday I had to go to a historical town of Chester which is close to Liverpool an important port and Manchester, the birth place of the Industrial Revolution. Travelling to Chester by train I got to see some of the English countryside. Though it had been drizzling the countryside was beautiful and to an extent reminded me of Kashmir in autumn. The gentleman
In search of maach bhaat
next part next month.
Stranded in Heathrow
Gudiya, get rid of your anxiety and relax and take your exams. Don’t worry, you’ll do well. Noor, how is your hand? Hope you are getting better. Keep up the good cheer. Love you my darlings…. Baba
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Joyful Jamboree
This puzzle is called Lateral Thinking. Scroll down slowly and be honest to yourself. Think like a wizard . . . this is an example Q1.
man --------board
Ans. = man overboar Okay, let's see if you've got the hang of it. stand Q2. -----------i Ans. = I understand OK . . Got the drift ? Let's try a few now and see how you fare ? Q3 /r/e/a/d/i/n/ g/ Ans. = reading between the lines Q4.
r road a d
Ans. = cross road Not having a good day now, are you ? Redeem yourself. Q5.
cycle cycle cycle
Ans. = tricycle Not easy to figure out ha! 0 --------M.D. Ph.D. Ans. = two degrees below zero Q6.
Page 4
Q7.
knee -----------light
Ans. = neon light U can prove u r smart by getting this one.
Q8.
ground ------------ --feet feet feet feet feet feet
Ans. = six feet underground Oh no, not again ! ! Q9. he's X himself
Ans. = he's by himself Now you are messing up big time. Q10.
ecnalg
Ans. = backward glance Not even close ???
Q11.
death ..... life
Ans. = life after death Okay last chance ............ ...... Q12.
THINK
Ans. = think big ! And the last one is real cool - - Q13. ababaaabbbbaaaabbbb ababaabbaaabbbb. .. Ans. = long time no 'C'
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Sanchita from Switzerland In her third trip to Switzerland, her favorite holiday destination, Sanchita trails the Interlaken to the top of Europe, a place called Jungfraujoch and to the incredibly picturesque Swiss Oberland, enjoying a few days away from the stress of work at London.
I flew to Zurich from London and took the fast intercity train to Interlaken. As the name suggests, Interlaken is a small town situated in between two beautiful lakes - lake Thun and lake Brienz . The town is mainly a tourist destination, quiet and slower than other bigger cities with very friendly people catering to the tourists well. After checking in, I took a walk along the high street. Straight across a park by the high street, I was amazed at the stunning view of the mountain ranges – Jungfrau and part of Schilthorn - Weather was lovely. I thanked my stars. I figured out that the sun would set over the mountains and stayed back to watch it- a heavenly experience with the sunrays playing over the snow capped peaks, changing their colour from white to red to golden, before fall of dusk. I was filled with awe but did not forget to click the shutter. My plan for the following day was to explore the mountains and therefore had an early night.
the distance at all times and marvelled at the wonders of nature. From Lauterbrunnen, the single track train goes up to Kleine Scheidegg (2061m). This is at the foot of the Jungfrau peak. At this station, I changed trains once again to the Jungfrau Bahn or Jungfrau railway. This is also a single track train and is the world’s highest railway. At the station, I got the best view of the Jungfrau peak so far – was awesome. I could not have asked for better weather. The train on its upward journey, goes into a tunnel from a place called Eigerletscher (2320 m). This is to protect the tracks from being iced up as there is snow at that height all year. There are three stops along the route and glass windows in the tunnel enabled me to have some great views of the glacier before actually reaching it.
Eventually, I reached the ‘Top of Europe’ – the Jungfraujoch. No words are adequate to describe the beauty and grandeur of The next morning, I set off for the mountains. Interlaken is a miles of spotless white snow part of the Jungfrau region which is where the most gorgeous that unfolded before my eyes. mountain ranges of the Swiss Alps are. The two important peaks are Jungfrau and Schilthorn but there are several others The sky above was cloudless like Eiger, Monch etc. Jungfrau is the highest peak in Switzler- and blue and the sun shone land (4158m). There is a glacier just below the Jumfrau peak - brightly over the peaks and the glacier and the reflection known as jungfraujoch. dazzled my eyes. The JungThis is called the top of Europe (probably in terms frau peak was majestic, overlooking the glacier. The temof accessibility) and is perature was -15 degrees 3454 metres above sea (month of June, mind!), but I level. felt nothing of it in spite of After purchasing the tick- being in a summer jacket and cropped trousers. I went out on ets, I started my journey to the glacier and touched the snow. That was cold! There is a viewing gallery over the mountain peak facing the glacier. The building houses restaurants, toilets, an ice museum and a shop. I stayed on the top for a couple of hours, took photos, had some lunch and spoke to my parents in India. My mobile the top. The Berner Oberland phone worked even at that height! Before leaving, I thanked railway starts from Interlaken. the Almighty for the extraorThis goes through the beautiful dinary experience. valley in between the mountains to a place called LauterReturning from the glorious brunnen (796m). From here, mountains, I decided to go on there is a single track train goa boat trip on the lake Thun. ing further up. The journey reveals some of the most scenic views of the land. I could see the The water of the lake was a rare sea green and was crystal clear, lovely Swiss chalets, the lush green valleys, flowers and the bearing the reflection of the beautiful clear streams of water. I also saw the mountains in surrounding peaks. After about
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20 mins down came the rain in torrents. I was disappointed but got to see a waterfall (of mud mainly), which according to the local people is a rare occurrence. So there you go! I came back to my hotel after some shopping and retired for the night.
and glass panels along the ceiling arch. This enables passengers to have a panoramic view of the scenery on both sides, right from the ground up to the sky. This route is open all year and a ride every season is recommended to see the changing scenery (unfortunately, I am not rich enough!). I took a two hour round trip – Interlaken – Montreux –Geneva and back.
The weather was cloudy with spells of sunshine and rain, nevertheless, I had a wonderful experience as the amazing scenery The next morning I was on my unfolded before my eyes. The train ran along the banks of the way to the mountains again, this time to Schilthorn. The route two lakes, lake Thun and lake Geneva and through the small is the same up to Lauterbrunnen. From there, I changed trains villages in between towns. On both sides there were artistically to Murren (1645m). From this station, a cable car lift would built and beautifully decorated chalets, green pastures, vinetake me to the top of Schilthorn (2960m). There is a short yards, alpine firs, flowers, small streams of water and of course walk along the mountain peaks between the train station and the mountains in the background. There were cows grazing in the cable car station. It was a unique experience walking down the pastures and the sweet tinkling of the cowbells filled the the narrow tracks along the steep mountain drop. The alpine air. There were clouds overhanging the mountains and was firs were lovely as was the mountains. lovely to see them moving along. All this was a real treat to watch and brought back memories of pictures I drew I reached the top of Schilthorn by the cable as a kid. car. These mountains are lower than the Jungfrau ranges so there was less snow. My tour came to an end with my return to the hotel They had quite a distinctive look – rockier and I flew back to London the following day. I was and had a few small clear lakes in between overjoyed at the experience I had and came back with the peaks. The Schilthorn peak is surmemories that would be everlasting. On the return rounded by other mountain ranges. The flight, I met a few people who went to Interlaken Jungfrau ranges were also visible at a disevery year and I promised myself that I would be back tance. At the top, I was surrounded my as well. The land still seems to beckon me and I am peaks on all sides – it was incredibly beaulonging to be among the mountains once again. tiful. The mountains seemed to give me a warm welcome. N.B. For those who are not aware, the best way to travel in The Schilthorn peak houses the famous Piz Gloria, the revolv- Switzerland is with a Swiss pass which allows free unlimited ing restaurant. It is indeed a technological masterpiece. The travel on all trains, buses and boats. This also entitles the whole restaurant complex has two stratas – both rotating in bearer to a 50% discount on the mountain train tickets. It is opposite directions upon each other. Sat in the restaurant, I got available for 4, 7 14, 30 days and has to be activated upon ena 360 degree panoramic view of the whole region and the sur- try to Switzerland. The pass has to be purchased from outside rounding mountain ranges through the large glass windows. Switzerland and is available online. The weather was lovely once again and I enjoyed to the fullest. Bharati Pishi and Pishe. On my way down, I stopped at the Trummelbach waterfalls. Tiklu is their only daughter. These are ten waterfalls in a row draining most of the Jungfrau She grew up in Kolkata. region. The falls run down the rocky mountains and join the lakes at sea level. There is illumination at night and sound and light shows run as well. In the afternoon, I took a boat cruise along the lake Brienz. The weather being good, I had a very relaxing experience, cruising along the serene waters, with the cool breeze blowing into my face. This lake is known as the soul of Switzerland – the water is a bluer shade and very clear. There were stunning views of the clear waters and the surrounding peaks. My day’s tour ended with the cruise and I was filled with delight. On the last day, I explored the Swiss Oberland – travelling along the Golden Pass panoramic route. This is a scenic route through the whole of the Oberland extending between Lucern and Geneva, including some other towns like Interlaken and Montreux. There are special panoramic route trains – they have large windows extending from the level of the seat to the top
Sanchita Sen or Tiklu lives and works in Porishead, a lovely little sea side town just south of Bristol. She is in the second year of the five year rotational training programme for registrars, training to work as consultants in that country. Her speciality is Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She work for the National Health Service and is placed in Taunton at present.
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HUMOUR IN VATICAN ; The Secret of Advertising The top marketing director of Nescafe manages to arrange a meeting with the Pope at the Vatican.
Again, even more sternly, the Pope replies, "That, my son, is impossible. For the prayer is the word of the Lord and it must not be changed."
Nescafe official, 'Your Eminence, I have some business to discuss.
Finally, the Nescafe director says, "Your Holiness, we at Nescafe respect your adherence to your faith, we realize that tradition is essential to your beliefs, we fully understand the importance of the word of the Lord but we do have one final offer. Please discuss it with your cardinals. We will donate $500 million."
We at Nescafe have an offer for you. Nescafe is prepared to donate $100 million to the church if you change the Lord's Prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily coffee'." The Pope looks outraged and thunders, "That is impossible. The Prayer is the word of the Lord, It must not be changed." "Well," says the Nescafe man somewhat chastened, "We anticipated your reluctance. For this reason, and the importance of the Lord's prayer to all Catholics, we will increase our offer to $300 million. All we require is that you change the Lord's Prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily coffee'."
The next day the Pope convenes the College of Cardinals. "There is some Good news," he announces, "and some bad news..... The good news is, he continues to a hushed assembly, that the Church will get $500 million." "And what is the bad news, your Holiness?" asks a Cardinal. "Sadly" says the Pope, "We would have to lose the Britannia Account."
A recipe for new year Take twelve whole months. Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy. Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into 28, 30 or 31 parts, but don't make up the whole batch at once. Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients:
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
play and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation and one good deed.
smile and serve with quietness, unselfishness and cheerfulness.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of
Enjoy!!!
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Dear Gudiya and Noor,
I am not totally at ease even after all that. I am still so worried about you two.
For the best part of the month while baba was travelling ( Chandnichowk to China and having a balle balle time ) I was moping and crying and generally doing all those things that I ask my students not to do...negative thinking, spiraling and psyching myself to depression. But what the hell , I am woman! I have a birthright to behave erratically ,right?
Gudia I hope you learn to optimise your fear in such a way that it gives you enough focus to study. No point of taking it beyond that baby. The moment you buckle under fear you must look for a quiet place and do the daisy pool meditation. Snap out and rejuvenate yourself with the white light of cosmic energy. You can do it. You have everything going for you. Maintain clarity and just give your best shot.
But I also managed to do some exciting things whenever the cloud lifted a bit. One was a “content providing” job of writing fictitious horoscopes for a life insurance agency. Voila! I thought , who could read the crystal ball better than me? But churning out sixty of those was not a joke. Gudia who saw me go trough the grind finally said “ Gosh if this is the way they are manufactured , I’d stay away from reading about my stars hereafter.”
I am also trying to figure out why Noorie is getting so temperamental…( esp becos no one in the house is like that - couldn’t be my genes.LOL!) I am sorry Noor you probably have a small bit of my wonky DNA in you, but nothing you can’t circumvent. Be yourself—the beautiful, patient, understanding and the loving girl that you are. Send the genes for a dhobi wash. They will fade.
I also watched n number of movies ( courtesy my friends at the movie hall). I thought “Slumdog Millionaire” was a rather neat one. However the music if ask me wasn’t any great shakes and certainly not Rehman;s best. I also followed the entire gamut of controversy that raged over it and found it even more amusing. It was the masala over the chai and every bit of it made me feel a little more alive to the world around me. I also got around with my group to firm up on he HIPE KID we wrogramme we were planning to start for awhile . Frankly we achieved very little professionally but made up for it with loads of laughter and fun. Gosh ! How they made my day.
Freaking Forty Four
lots and s t o L & o ve s of l kisse & s hug
MA
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