Mountains vs Sea

I haven't been writing so often (it's been more than year now; though I tend to attribute it to being busy at work, I am convinced that it is not the right reasoning to make; I have to make and get time if I need some, as simple as that

4 months ago, during Easter, I drove to Slovenia to just get away on the long weekend and I had an unbelievable experience. In fact, I blogged sipping local Lasko (pronounced as Lashkow) in a ultra local pub and guess it should have been beer (or rather just me) who forgot to save it before all of it was gone:(
I am in Denmark this time to attend the wedding my Mayt and I drove to Odense, to get away from emails, emails, and emails. After having done the city tour by foot spanning over 10 kms, I am in the best rated local hangout in Odense, and I have to say, I am not disappointed at all

Though I did not manage to rewrite the blog I was almost done with in Slovenia, I thought to merge it with the one I wanted to pen about Denmark

While I was super excited about Slovenia, I was indifferent towards Denmark on day 1, but then I have to say, both of them have a class of their own. Denmark is twice as large and populated as Slovenia but with an opposite geography. The former being on sea level and the latter full of mountains.
What I really appreciate about Denmark is that the cities are so meticulously planned for cyclists, that I have to say that biking is not a supplementary mode of transport at all; it is on par with cars instead. All the roads I have been so far had a separate lane for cyclists, each of the intersections with blue signboards on possible directions and distance. Renting bikes is simple and easy; one needs to get into one of the bike kiosks and all what is needed is a (smart) mobile phone! Register online as a guest, send an SMS with the details of the bike and boom! You got a bike for 10 Kroners an hour. Return the bike in any other kiosk near to your destination. Running less in tyre pressure? Stop at one of the air fuelling stations, free of cost! Simple and beautiful. The people themselves, most of them speak German and English, so not a problem for any tourist who knows the Queen's tongue. The Danish are not utterly friendly to Tourists but not unfriendly at all! One pays at the cashier which means tipping is completely on satisfaction levels. Most of the businesses close at around 8 and there isn't a spectacular night life. Denmark is also expensive as oher Scandinavian countries, a big pizza slice costs about 30 Kroners and a Beer, 60 (this is 8 eur for .5l)


The city itself has a polished look, with everything very neat and tidy. The main stret is well cobbled with even the manhole covers carrying some kind of artwork! The museums and exhibitions are superbly put up, they carry a flair of itself. Modern and Contemporary art is quite every where. All comes with a free wifi if you are the city center or in any of the government / public office vicinity like libraries. 
What they also say about Denmark is that one is never more than 30-40 kms from the sea! That's all the distance you need to make if you are a beach beast. Cannot comment much as I am not one...

Slovenia on the other side is "easy and approachable", yes that's the phrase for I ought to give! It's a tiny little paradise that is by far unexplored. Its a heaven for hikers, mountaineers, archeologists (it has a lot of natural caves running into kms long), and of course, lovely people. I had driven alone to Slovenia (Bled) and never felt being alone. I was with locals, so damn friendly, who invited me to join them, I got phone calls upon reaching DE, addresses to stay at their homes the next time I visit Slovenia, tips to fit my taste, and a free night stay in the hostel where I was :) "Easy and Approachable"
The mountains are superbly paved for all hikers from amateurs to experts. I tried a few of them and they are no less than a heaven. Hike up the mountain Stol or Comna, 2500 mts high and you have a breath taking experience of the views. Huts up these mountains serve food and beverages and even accommodation for 50+ people! What a perfect vacation would that be to hike up 2500 mts, crash there and continue conquering the adjacent ones the next day! Cost wise, it is a paradise too; good food for about 5 eur, a beer for 2 and accommodation starting as low as 20 eur

I have to say though, both are not the best of the places for Food (or Beer), Germany still tops the list of mine which already has quite a few countries across Continents

While the interesting part of exploring cultures continues, so does the beer in Carlsens Kvarter; Cheers

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"

Nowhere --> Now here

I am sure I have more time these weeks for I am writing after the one I wrote only a few weeks back.

One thought that has kept thumping my head for the last few years is on discovering my strength - In the sense of what I am best at. I hate to admit, I still do not know. It has till date been a journey with my arms, ears and eyes wide open to someday bump into that very strength I wanna embrace for life. I in fact envy artists who are at the pinnacle of their ecstasy while they are into their art. I know a fellow colleague of mine who is an amazing painter. I envy her for she's engrossed in painting for good number of hours to the extent at times even a tornado goes unnoticed by her! I envy musicians on stage who are at absolute bliss (Of course, at times I am also in bliss when I adopt alternate strategies :) I envy architects who seem to be in their own world of impeccable nirvana (until the edifices crash of course :)

Having said that, I do not even mean that I do not enjoy whatever I am doing at present! Very often, I do not know how time flies while I am at work. For most of my work these days is limited to MS Office, hours pass by when I prepare some presentations or when I review some or when I analyze some rso called risks! I do enjoy those moments like anything; nevertheless, I am not sure if it is the same ecstasy that I exhibit as that of folks I spoke of. One reason could be that my job is not the one of my choice but of chance. I am sure I never dreamt of analyzing risks and getting brainsick of custom shapes and animations in MS PowerPoint while I was in school! I believe I just took the life as it came along - What a stupid statement! I should take my life wherever I wanna go.
Do I have the conscious of Stone Age? I do not know!

Recently, I read a book "Stumbling on Happiness" and some of the logical conclusions thereof were worth a few kilo bytes in my brain and so is its shedding in here.

It goes on to prove that the human brain is anatomically obliged to get influenced by the current situation while we attempt to foresee/recall something in future/past. It is due to the fact that the part of brain called the visual cortex gives priority to reality than to anything else. The brain is obliged to give the right of way to present reality than to future imagination/past memory. Cryptic isn't it? zum beispiel, let’s say on a hypothetical day, my Manager appreciates me to glory in a team meeting (hmm, Scott Adams will hang himself if he gets to read this:) and soon after the meeting, if my colleague who is foxed making a selection for his new car asks me how happy am I with my car - - I am more likely to put a positive picture to him even if I usually envy other cars while I am driving mine! The rationale is simple, the brain just cannot objectively decide on anything that is not happening now without being influenced by what's happening now!! Mathematically speaking, the frame of reference is always "Now". Our feelings about everything else (equally for past and future) are nothing more than a function of present.

Future = f (present); F = f(P)

The corollary I could deduce is that, when I think and feel to be 1000 times happier flying a Chopper rather than dying with flying animations in PowerPoint, rest assured, I WILL not feel 1000 times happier when I actually fly one! Simply due to the fact that my happier (?) feelings of flying are considerably influenced by whatever I am doing now.

The concept looks so damn simple and in fact, one can easily correlate to a lot of philosophy as well. So, why think about something else and get into a sovereign illusion than enjoying the Now?! I think it is a constant back and forth of "Now here --> Nowhere".

Nevertheless, one day I am sure I will realize what I wanna do - living in seventh heaven with every moment being as ecstatic as it can get! Who stops me from dreaming anyways?! I know I like illusions :)

Are you an Aryan?

I have been searching the Internet inside out for some several weeks on one question - "Who are Aryans". I couldn't sotp myself to kill time this Sunday by writing what I've deduced out of a hundred sources*. I strongly suggest folks to not to get into this labyrinth of chaos that has been created on the very interpretation of the word 'Aryan', read this and thank me instead:)

Lemme start.
The word "Aryan" in Sanskrit means "One who is Noble". Perfect. Question answered. Who are Aryans? The ones who are noble! You, He, She, They, We and possibly I - are all Aryans. Then an army of questions invaded my empty mind: Why did Hitler have to use it for what he believed to be right? From where did the term Indo Aryans come? Are Aryans and Indians different? Are Indians Aryans? Where did this originate from? Am I an Aryan? and many more...

I have to go back to Evolution to make it a bit confusing:-) The first signs of human societies are discovered to have been around 3000 BC when Civilizations like Babylonian and Indus Valley (IVC) dwelt. Babylonia which is somewhere in present Iraq has been the cradle of civilizations and Indus Valley of course is along the river Indus epicentered in NorthWest India. This is also one of the hypothesis of the origination of the term 'Hindu' - to have derived from the Sanskrit word - Sindhu (river Indus). Contemporary civilizations started in other parts of the world.

The IVC lasted until around 1200 BC termed as Late Harappan period and then started to decline. One theory puts forth that there was an Invasion from the West and the natives of IVC were pushed down to the South who were/are later called Dravidians (more on this in another blog). The invaders settled in NW India and began extending their footprint. This is the time when Mahabharatha is said to have taken place** (800BC; coincidently, Homer wrote Odyssey and The Iliad at the same time). The chronology continues until the era of Mouryans (Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka, 300-250BC) who almost conquered Persia (Iran) and Babylon. Later on started a fresh set of Greek invasions in 180 BC and rest is history.

The mighty people who are said to have invaded India were supposed to be Aryans. Let me say that this theory has been largely contested and proved otherwise. One of the reasons is the lack of substantial evidence in any form. Over and above, the Vedic works do not cite any invasion of India from the West at this time.

To the second hypothesis (includes some of my own minute derivations as well):
Etymologists have long remarked a lot of similarties between Indian and European languages. It was the German Sprachforscher (Linguist) and many others who have proved this fact over and again. If we were to categorize the languages, they can be derived from a parent group called Indo-EU languages (This superset I guess includes the world's most of the most spoken languages)

As I mentioned already, the word Arya means 'Noble' in Sanskrit. It is also a word in Persian and some other variants as well. Because these languages had many more similar words (like Arya), one rule of thumb was to put them into a common subset "Indo Iranian or Indo Aryan" under the superset of Indo-EU languages. This is where it all begins and ends. Indo Aryans are a population who speak a language based on one or the other common substratum. This poulation speak languages like Sanskrit, Persian, Hindi, Konakni, Zazaki, Kurdish, Waziri and many others.
Going by this theory, an Aryan is one who speaks an Aryan language! Which means anyone can be an Aryan - irrespective of being noble or not:)

The word Arya henceforth took many forms and became an anchor for catastrophies like Nazi Germany, American civil war, Apartheid and British Raj. I guess there can be no better example for human (mis)interpretations, excellent thinking capacities and the blunders they create thereof.
We camouflaged history to our own vims and fancies and created a comprehensive color code to address and treat people likewise; brighter the better, rather nobler! Blacks the inferior and White, the super superior. Quite logical.

Thanks to great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, MK Gandhi and many others who lived the word "Aryan"; Kudos.



* The content pulished here contains extracts from sources that I believe runs into hundreds. I've not coiped anything in verbatim. It is more of a representation of what I've read and possibly understood from all of them
** Not to say that Mahabharatha was a result of the invasion

Do you have freizeitstress syndrome?

I am Home from my first class of second level German and the chapter the Tutor took us through is still lingering fresh in my mind. By the way, the Tutor was a young Dame working part time as a language Teacher, who I believe was not more than 22 yrs of age. Hmmn...at the offset, all my concentration was riveted at her two primary arguments*. Ok, it was time for ground zero. The topic was "freizeitstress" which translates into "Free time stress". What a topic! Yes, this was yet another proof for my belief of German over-engineering - It's in everything and everywhere. Ubiquitous I call.

The situation was that one of the two friends was guiding the other to overcome freizeitstress. The stress that over-engineered souls go through while picking the right activity they wish to do (among many of their interests) in their free time. Germans, the text said, of 148 hours a week have 77 hours of freizeit. Of these 77 hours which includes for example weekends, often (some) Junta get into the dilemma of doing one of many they want to do - the result? sTrEsS - which in turn has the obvious consequence of screwing up their work days - not to mention that this subsequently leads to less effectiveness and I guess which ultimately jeopardises the German economy. Catastrophy!

The syndrome is having an ever increasing trend and Doctors have started showing up on Television giving Gyan on leisurely enjoying the freetime.

A brainstorming session followed and we were supposed to opine. I was the first to start and I made faces as if it was the most ridiculous of all I have come across. I went on to say that I do not suffer from this syndrome for I enjoy my weekends, rather I keep looking for my weekends all through the week :-) I make my weekend plans very much in advance and usually its decided as to what I shall be doing for the next two to three weekends. Hmmn..my comrades nodded and seemed to agree. Good attempt. It was the turn of others and to my surprise, a few of them did agree that they often do have some confusion as to what they should be doing in their free time. They were torn by options like - Cycling, Theater, Cafe, Swimming, Mini Golf, Tennis, Books, TV, Shopping or just being at Home. My inner Being couldn't stop giggling at them....They were suffering from freizeitstress syndrome.

While on my way back to the parking lot, I started attempting to figure out my weekend plan and an avalanche of ideas started fighting for existence - finish the book I started reading last week/take my Bike out at least once/time to clean/prepare for that important meeting on monday/rock concert n beer/snooker/catch up with Sonali and Pradeep/drive/blog/hjuy../......Darwin's theory of Survival of the Fittest didn't seem to apply here. I gave up.

Afterall, Darwin cannot be wrong! There was one winner - the one which was silently peeping from that cornermost lobe of my brain: "I do have symptoms of freizeitstress syndrome"

Do you?!


* For folks who got it, the owner of the metaphor is a very lovely friend of mine and I take liberty to reproduce it here, am no Plagiarist :-)

The Godly "The God of small things"

While I was in Bangalore, I had been to Landmark in Forum to pick up books I had shortlisted while reading other books. To my bewilderment, the gentleman at the counter searched all the titles and grinned- "all your titles are age old". I saved my face and looked around - to find one unequivocal winner - "The God of small things", a Booker prize vistor, by Arundhati Roy. I had heard quite a lot about it. With all pride, I picked it up with a few other books and walked away.

On my return, I had stuffed 'em all into the inundated shelf (not with books though:) of mine and they laid with all majesty and a topping of fine dust for more than two months. Finally it was time, I started with the winner over this weekend and here I am - craving to read it again! What a narration; from a first timer. Small things portrayed as naked as they could get; sailing the reader (read "me") into his own Self to live each and every character and situation. A better than the best amalgamation of suspense, humor, drama, hatred - all in the very own Indian fragrance. No wonder it has been a landmark in today's literature.

I could not resist to pen down a few of the best ever articulation I have ever come across. Here they come; in a small way. I do not want to dilute them by giving the context, they'll speak for themselves (of course, have hinted at a few).

"......strange insects appeared like Ideas in the evenings and burned themselves on Baby Kochamma's dim 40-watt bulbs"

"She wondered what had caused the bald pilgrims to vomit so uniformly, and whether they had vomited together in a single well-orchestrated heave (to music perhaps, to the rhythm of a bus bhajan), or separately, one at a time"

"The chaise longue on which Baby Kochamma reclined had crushed peanut shells stuffed into the crevices of its rotting upholstery"

"The one who had once led her (swimming) through their lovely mother's cunt" [In context of two-egg twins, medically termed as Dizygotic]

"Then the gristly-bristly face contorted, and Estha's hand was wet and hot and sticky. It had egg white on it. White egg white. Quarter boiled" [An innocent boy exploited by a near paedophile to get his cum fired]

"The slow ceiling fan slicked the thick, frightened air into an unending spiral that spun slowly to the floor like the peeled skin of an endless potato"

"...as though phlegm was an Arithmatic answer sheet that had to be revised before it was handed in..."

"The air was heavy with moisture, wet enough for fish to swim in"

"The silence dipped and soared and swooped and ooped in figures of eight"

"...mud that oozed through toes like toothpaste"

"Insanity hovered close at hand , like an eager waiter at an expensive restaurant (lighting cigarettes, refilling glasses)"

"...where woodshavings blew about like blonde curls"

"...could see it coursing through his veins, as clearly as an egg down an ostrich's neck"

"He grew to depend on Margaret Kochamma for not depending on him. He adored her for not adoring him"

"Comrade Pillai had finished his avail and was squashing a ripe banana, extruding the sludge through his closed fist into his plate of curd.."

"Batons in their hands, Machine-guns in their minds"

"...the posse of Touchable Policemen acted with economy, not frenzy. Efficiency, not anarchy. Responsibility, not hysteria. They didn't tear out his hair or burn him alive. They didn't hack off his genitals and stuff them in his mouth. They didn't rape him. Or behead him"

"Fear fermented in her and the spit in her mouth turned sour"

and ....

and ....

and ....