January 7, 2008

Viewpoint



I am back..

From the land
Of a variety of food, often served along road side cafe and from cart
To the land
Where almost all know the phone number of pizza hut by heart

From the land
Of diversity where one gets to see mini-skirts to
pallu covered girls
To the land
Where men don
dishdasha, and women abaya, diamonds and pearls

From the land
Where on a given day the temperature can be from zero to thirty five
To the land
Where boiling water flows from taps marked cold, be bold and survive

From the land
Where simple rural women have not heard of a salon for ladies
To the land
Where one drives to beauty parlors every 100 metres in a mercedes

From the land
Where a movie is watched or not in theatres, depending on its review
To the land
Where tykes feel Aamir, Salman and Shahrukh’s love is all so true

From the land
Of
soma and ambrosia, discotheques and mujrah, one feels like a star
To the land
Where beer is not available, let alone enjoying a disco or a dance bar

From the land
Where one gets to taste wines, vodka and creamy pinacolada
To the land
Where no alcohol is sold, so got to learn to be content with a cola

From the land
Where owning a car is a life’s dream to a quite a few, at times many
To the land
Where driving license is difficult to get but no problem with money

From the land
Where diesel is much more often used, not petrol, for road travel
To the land
Where water costs more than petrol, no mystery about it to unravel

From the land
Where cars share the road with large and brightly decorated trucks
To the land
Where you find the best of all, including finely woven Persian rugs

From the land
Of verdant game filled forests, whose beauty enamors like drugs
To the land
Of arid desert filled with more crushed cars than smashed bugs

From the land
Where roads are shared with tractors, bicycles, rickshaws, and carts
To the land
Where the latest Audi, Lamborghini and Ferrari are common cars

From the land
Of Bandhavgarh forests where there dwells a tiger every 4.7 sq kms
To the land
Where a sprawling shopping mall is constructed every 4.7 sq kms

From the land
Of temples, churches, mosques and palaces dotting along countryside
To the land
Where mosques abound, no matter in which direction you stride

From the land
Of beautiful waterfalls and winding rivers, where trees stand tall
To the land
Where most people have not seen a meandering river at all

From the land
Of the vast seas and the great natural Himalayan range of mountains
To the land
Where one receives entertainment from skating rinks and fountains

From the land
Of enchanting
India, from my soul its name I lovingly utter
To the land
Of familiar Kuwait, it’s here in comfort I earn my bread and butter


*

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

You need a new career if all you earn is bread and butter. (ha-ha)

I enjoyed the comparisons. Welcome back Celine.

imac said...

Welcome back, - as always another interesting blog post, with great photo.

Merisi said...

Beautiful. Makes you want to go where you come from, it must be a magical place.
I hope you are treated well at your workplace, giving up so much.
Happy New Year from Vienna,
Merisi

Ananda Niyogi said...

Awesome!!!!!! Loved the comparisons...and I can sense more than a little favouratism towards "enchanting India" :-)

AJEYA RAO said...

Nice...Hope you had a good vacation

indicaspecies said...

chewy:

You find my 'figure of speech' amusing, huh? If and when I decide to change jobs, I'll seek employment in Boston...haha.

Thank you for the warm welcome and glad you enjoyed this little post Darlene. :)

indicaspecies said...

imac:

Thank you very much for the warm welcome and your kind comments. :)

indicaspecies said...

Merisi,

Thank you for your greetings from Vienna. A very happy new year to you as well Merisi.

India never fails to enthrall me. Every trip there has been nothing but beautiful and full of new experiences.

It's so sweet of to ask, and the answer is: yes, I am treated good at my workplace, and respected as well. I've managed to travel to India 4 times in 2007 - I think that itself speaks a lot. :)

indicaspecies said...

Ananda,

Thank you very much. :)

You are absolutely right in sensing favouritism. Ain't it but natural since it's MY motherland? ;)

indicaspecies said...

Ajeya,

Thank you. A trip to India, even if its just for relaxation, has always been a pleasure, and to think of the additional travelling I did this time was a bonus. :)

Saibal Barman said...

Lovely flow and flair. I love its jolly rhythm of a limerick.
Impressions drawn against two distinct silhouettes—where memories twirl around in gentle breeze of an innocent past and where drudgeries dwell in senile apathy of the present—eventually intermingle into portraying a unique image of a tiny moment of life.
It's a pleasure to get a glimpse of one such image.

indicaspecies said...

Saibal,

Limerick (aabba) or not, humorous or not, I typed out my thoughts at random and ended up trying to rhyme it as abab.

I am not quite sure I can call this poetry - whatever it is and however it turned out, writing it down did relieve me of the post-holidays sentiments that were entrapped within me. I am now glad that I posted this.

Thank you for appreciating it Saibal. :)

Anonymous said...

Boston is nicknamed "Bean Town". They pay in beans.

Keshi said...

Cute last pic :)

Keshi.

Jeevan Baretto said...

Hello Celine.. Thanks for the wishes. And wishing you too a great year ahead!! and nice to see u back blogging.

You were in Mumbai and didn't contact me?? :(

Bendtherulz said...

So finally you are settling down...its kk as some wise guy said - kabhi jameen to kabhi aasmaan nahin milta...what you get is what you get !!

So you were in delhi - hmmm...if you come again this way and only if you wish and want to know more about those monuments, the trees and architecture let me know , it will be my pleasure to show you around.
Did you visit Old Delhi !!and before I forget- Nav varsh aapko bhi phalein !!

final_transit said...

Gr8 to see you back in action. I think I know a lot more about Kuwait now, the best line was 4.7 sq km :)
-Priyank

GMG said...

Hi Celine, glad to see you back! I wish I could make such a beautiful trip to India as you just did; unfortunately, don't think I'll manage to make it as soon as I wished... :(( One day!

San said...

Welcome back, friend, to Blogland. I missed you!

Love your reverie about the contrasts and ironies of a strange and beautiful land. Like life itself--colorful and unexpected, fraught with surprise. Lovely.

Sameera Ansari said...

That was simply wonderful!

Having just returned from India a few days back,could so relate to it.

Good things just cannot last forever,can they?Sigh!

Lakshmi said...

I really liked your portrait of India ...and the way you practically end it..but india is all that- magic and sadly not too many realize it !

Anonymous said...

Oh, now I feel like visiting India... I have always wanted to, but your depiction is amazing!

Anonymous said...

That was nice! And beautiful pics too. :-)

Home will always be sweet...that's a part of the fun part of travel too, when I return back to my own bed.

indicaspecies said...

chewy:

Darlene, as long as they don't pay peanuts..LOL

indicaspecies said...

Keshi,

Thank you. :)

indicaspecies said...

jdb:

Jeevan, thank you very much.
I lost one of my mobile phones somewhere in between Agra and Gwalior yaar. So couldn't contact. Sorry about that. Please email me your phone numbers. :)

indicaspecies said...

bendtherulz:

Thank you for your sweet wishes. I don't even know your name..LOL

Earth meets sky at the horizon, and the irony is horizon doesn't exist. Yet I wish to believe in that horizon as it's the meeting point of earth and sky. Now why do I think of the majestic Himalayas which reach out to the sky with so much love?

This time I rushed through Delhi to have another look at the already seen sights (except Akshardham Temple which was a first time visit). And it was very foggy day, so hardly got any good pictures.

However, time and again I pass by Delhi as it's generally my landing place in India and from there I begin my travels mostly. The next time am there, it will be my pleasure to contact you to hear more on those the trees, monuments and any other interesting narration you might have (provided you email me your contact numbers!) I'd love to know more. Thanks for your kind offer. Appreciated.

Have you got any plans for another trip to VoF this July/August?

indicaspecies said...

final_transit:

Priyank,
Welcome back and it's great to have you back in blogland. Can't wait to hear your fascinating tales. :)

indicaspecies said...

gmg:

Gil,
Thank you for the kind words.

Oh, India can wait for you till you are ready. I hope someday I'll be around there to welcome you as well. My best wishes to you to start off the new year on a great note. Cheers all the way. :)

indicaspecies said...

San,

Thank you for your sweet welcome. You must believe this: I thought of 'Red Quarreling with Black' at some point during my holidays. Now you know how much it impressed me!

Thank you also for the lovely words appreciating my Viewpoint and am delighted that you liked it. :)

indicaspecies said...

Sameera,

Thank you very much.
I hope you had a good holiday.
Yea, good things can come to an end, but there is fortunately an opportunity to taste the goodness again and again. Now let's smile to that. :)

indicaspecies said...

backpakker:

Lakshmi,
Thank you for your kind words, and am delighted that you liked my portrayal of India.

Some do not realize what India is, since they do not see it through with the kind of eyes some of us, like you and I, do. You know what I mean. :)

indicaspecies said...

Zhu,

Even though I'm out of India right now, I'll still say welcome to India! I feel like visiting the fascinating land as well yet again, and again.
Thank you for your kind words. :)

indicaspecies said...

Shantanu,

Thank you. :)

Jeana said...

great stuff chilla. really. i think you should get back to mlore for a yr and a half and explore this place now:D

indicaspecies said...

Jeana,

Only a year and half?
jinxzi..mwah! :D