Checkpoint Charlie

I've been experiencing quite a few events over the last months which have been very moving. I was in India for three weeks and it all started there. Some of my very own bloodlines never seemed so unambigious. I saw them in a completely different way to what I had always. They were like an open book to me which had everything written in a horribly simple verbiage. Rather, I must have seen them in a way I wanted to see them - all the time.

The next spike came only a week back when I was in Berlin. For more than two years, it was my wish to visit Berlin - at leisure. Reason: to see and live moments in retrospect - of the fall of Berlin wall. I am happy and feel blessed for the time to have come at last.

After having done a super satisfactory guided walk tour in Munich, it was clear that I will do a similar tour in Berlin as well. Only that it was better this time - I did a Bicycle tour. Our guide was an American dame, quite enthusiastic in her part time job. After a quick briefing of the tour, we were on our way through the city, religiously following our guide and stoping at all so called points of interest. It was just another trip until we stopped at the "Checkpoint Charlie". The Guide meticulously draw a small map on the pavement and started to take us back in history - to the fall of Berlin wall.

Checkpoint Charlie - one of the crossing points along the Berlin wall, the Soviet Union had installed to control movement of people from both the sides (The checkpoint divided Berlin into East and West - ruled by Soviet union and the rest of the Allied forces, respectively). While there's no checkpoint anymore, the streets at the juncture have been serried with placards of text/and very German high definition pictures of the historic times - the times that might have been at a bare minimum - brutal, barbaric, vicious and inhuman. The checkpoint was a heavily guarded gate, people from either of the sides were required to pass through - to even just walk to the other part of their own town. The pictures themselves are very disturbing. It goes on listing the chronology of events for the fall of wall, names of the people who were killed for their attempts to illegally cross these checkpoints, the hurdles the people had if they were to visit their loved ones who lived on the other corner, the vast difference between the currencies and the impact it had on their lives, their agony which sunk them deeper and deeper into no man's land. To be honest, I was in tears to have read only a few of the placards. I am sure, checkpoint charlie is one of the innumerable checkpoints one can learn from history - from every corner of the world. Be it from South Africa, America, India, Germany, Israel, Tibet or Timbukto.

While I stood bewildered, I went on questioning myself as to who the hell is anybody to question anyone's freedom? How on Earth can anyone take it for granted the right of dictating terms without any rationale? These souls are at best a pest to Humanity - who should be castrated, beaten to death and burried deep under. Why does one bear with this torture until it turns into a volcanic outburst? Shouldn't it be nipped in the bud? I had no answers. I went on digging deep. Aren't pests inherent to any society? YES. So, who then is the bigger problem? The people who are exploited themselves? May be. Isn't it in fact the right and duty of every human soul to fight against atrocity? Shouldn't we as intelligent animals of this era fight and uphold and respect our very own freedom? A resounding Yes thundered from within. As minutes passed, the variables in the equation dwindled - the only ones remaining turning into constants - Myself. I vowed to live for righteousness and not to let my integrity succumb.
Still sunk, croseed the street to see that all the other folks back to their bikes and waiting for just two of us (myself and my friend). Running, I hopped on to my Bike, introspecting myself for the rest of the tour.

Anyways, the stop for lunch was at a beer garden and glugging a mug of Beer did put me back on track for the rest of the tour.

Hail freedom.

In the name of BABA - Get stoned.

Wish you a great 2010 for all you folks out there. Hope you too were sloshed and stewed (and stoned too?) on the first hint of 01.01.10. I was; this time in Amsterdam - the sin city. The city of Grass, Alcohol and Sex. Hmmn, didn't my Mom ask me to be away from all these?! Yes, so was I:)

There was definitely one thing that struck me - not sure where to categorize it though. It could be the Indian invasion into the West in every possible walk of life or the new age marketing strategy or a (de)mystification of Hindu mythology.

It was around 23 hrs and the streets were packed with no room even for a stampede. At one time, I realized just walking in a direction that the crowd headed to - with no idea whether I was away or towards the train station. I regretted not having bought the T with the print "Don't follow me, am lost too" for a few people stopped by me and asked for the directions:) I could only wish I could answer them.

If you've ever been to Amsterdam, the walk in the downtown is just like a matrix of ladders. Every 50 mts you would find a bridge with a so called coffee shop embracing the corner. One such corner had so much of frolic that folks were nothing less than roaring. I lift my head up to see a huge board reading "BABA". Hmm, this used to be (still is?) one of the popular tobacco brands in India! I could easily recall having seen many good fellas with those small cans of tobacco flakes named BABA.

The tinge of Grass was in the air and even more so in people. I decided to get in and take a sneak look at it. First surge of emotion - Wonder+Contempt. While it was a small joint selling heavy joints - of all kinds, from flavoured to pure, from 3EUR to 15EUR/5 gms, it was by large the hottest of the joints out there. The joint was in itself very international - I could see Africans, Chinese, Americans, Locals and what not. Of course, I was the only Indian around, other than the Gods thereof! The joint welcomed its guests with a 5 mt giant idol of lord Ganesha, with replicas on all other walls. Just above the counter, was a strip of idols (engaged in a war) that we usually see in temples. Could the Joint be also called a temple?! For it had the idols and surprise! - Gods too.

In one remote corner was the real lord. He was an easy 7*3 giant with tattoos all over selling the stuff after having meticulously weighed them to the nth decimal. Was he was the modern Ravana? Or even Indra?! That reminds me of one of the oldest and popular discotheks in Hamburg, its called Indra. In fact this is the place where Beatles played for quite some time before getting into limelight.

While I keep my eyes open to uncover further Indian invasion, this could be an opportunity for our own TV channels. I am sure they can make a good story out of this, establish connections, inteview people and make it a big show split into 9 episodes - If you're one among them, don't forget to show this line: "Special thanks to: fiale.blogspot.com"