A week at Queenstown

This will easily rank as one of the best holidays we have ever had.

A week at the beautiful Queenstown.

The view from our cottage of the mountains called 'Remarkables' (very aptly named...we thought) every morning took our breath away...and so did many other places in and around QT.

We had taken our little Indian coffee-filter, so made our own little cuppa. Sipping the Mysore Indian brew while watching the remarkables waking up to its snow-capped glory as the sun rose has left an indescribable and indelible impression in us.

This thought of ours found endorsement by an umpire who stood in the one-dayer on the 31st between NZ and Bangaladesh. He preferred to stand with his back to the mountains lest he get distracted by the captivating beauty of the remarkables and err in his decisions.

A great morning walk around the lake Wakatipu refreshed the soul and the place was so quiet and tranquil that sometimes I thought even speaking at a slightly higher volume would be considered rude by God.

Be Happy and Get Rich

The search for the holy grail of investment that can make hopeless investors to financial whiz kids led Arun Abey, an Aussie investment Guru to come up with these nuggets of wisdom:

THE WISDOM OF ABEY

1. Money alone will not make you happy. Living an "authentic life" will. People have more money today than 50 years ago, yet are no more happy.

2. Have a financial plan for you, not your money. Those with a financial plan report greater satisfaction with life than those who do not.

3. Your plan should be based on your goals, not goals someone else says you should have. Those selling dreams are probably trying to sell you something else.

4. Understand "The Prize". Over the long term, cash makes a real return of 0%-1%, bonds 1%-3%, property (without leverage) 3%-5% and shares 5%-8%.

5. Understand the "enemy within". You are wired to make bad investment decisions, and your financial plan needs to defeat that.

6. Beware false accounting. An investment you bought for $100 five years ago, and sold for $150 yesterday, but cost you $4 to buy, $10 in finance interest costs, and $11 to maintain and insure, made a 25%, not a 50% return.

7. Drip-feed money into the markets so you do not worry about short-term ups and downs. You'll be buying in both.

8. Do not attempt to chase fads, or time the market. You will fail, unless you are lucky. Very few people are consistently lucky.

9. Do not watch your investments constantly. Review annually.

10. Have a financial planner. Make sure he or she is not a commission salesman.

Diwali 2007

Colourful, great crowd, food and shows!

Olive Riley Returns to Broken Hill

Watch the amazing 108 year old blogger

Navaratri Kolu 2007

Happy Navaratri

May Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi's blessings be on all of us.

Gandhi comes to Wellington

October 2nd saw the first Gandhi statue being installed in New Zealand, thanks to the Governor General Anand Satyanand's efforts.

The location was carefully considered and decided to be the front of Wellington Railway station (you can see the station at the background, covered for some renovation work). The choice was made based on the fact that the Mahatma was a great user of the train.

Needless to say many Indian office-goers' hearts will feel a moment of pride and honour when we pass the landmark every working day.

I took this photo yesterday.

Perfect Friday

Beat this!

It was a perfect Friday.

Waking up at 4.30 and watching Indians run over the choking South Africa in the 20-20 super 8.

Sweeter was Indians' success in that they let the nervously waiting New
Zealand into semi-finals by restricting SA to under 125.

Freshly brewed filter coffee providing the gentle kickstart; a little
bit of Yoga (though distracted by the marauding Indians on the telly) to
nourish the tired muscles and bones.

MS' Suprabatham and Sahasranamam on the ipod on the way to work, shorter than usual weekly meeting, sunny afternoon without the absence of the notorious Wellington wind.

Expectations for a relaxing weekend - today being the last day of the
school term before holidays - meaning no sport during the weekend for
kids - meaning no driving around to deadlines.

Someone informs next week is bad weather. Next week may be different.
India could win; New Zealand could win. One or both might disappoint.
Next week is next week.

Let me make the most of this perfect Friday. Hard to beat one like this!

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi (click on picture to enlarge)

Happy Krishna Jayanthi

Krishna attracts. AkarshaNAt Krishna.

Krishna ploughs our hearts and removes weeds, like a farmer, Krushi.

Ghatam (musical pot), Vikadam (mimicry) and Vadam (as in Sanskrit)

Great fun this one.

Cus(h)toms India

(*In Tamil Kashtam means trouble)

The visions of my home town floated below like a delightful dream. Motherland beckoned me as the flight touched down at the Chennai Airport.

We came out of the plane, pleasantly surprised the way the Airport looked. It was getting better and better as we have observed over our biennial jaunts. More efficient in the way the immigration officials handle the travellers. Flashier cafes and polished floors.

We descended the escalators and stood to receive our baggage on the carousel, once again stunned by the crowd (having got used to the uncrowded Wellington).

A couple of Customs officers (in their crisp white uniforms, well oiled hair and vibhuti and kumkum) came near us and as we were identifying our bags, jumped close to the carousel and picked a suitcase, put it on the trolley. Thus they helped us with all the four suitcases and I couldn’t believe my eyes!

Here are some Government servants, really rendering efficient customer service. I sincerely thanked them and was beginning to delight in the thought that much has changed in my India!

The customs officers accepted my thanks and I thought that these two Samaritans will move over to assist a number of other travellers who were having their anxious wait. But they did not move.

My Chennai-bred caution quickly replaced the momentary ecstasy of gloating over my Motherland’s progress.

One of the uniformed guys came close to me and very politely whispered ‘American dollars iruntha konjam thaanga sir (If you have some U.S dollars please give).

I said sorry…"I don’t have greenbacks. Only the humble Kiwi and some Singapore".

“Paravaillai Singapore thaanga…oru 20 or 30 kudunga pothum”. (It’s Ok give us Singapore dollars say 20 or 30).

I shelled out twenty dollars and geared myself up for yet another exciting stay in my hometown.

A Funny Quote

Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry - Bill Cosby.

Guru Purnima

What is Guru Purnima?
Just as the moon shines by reflecting the light of the sun, and glorifies it, all disciples can dazzle like the moon by gaining from their Gurus, their masters and their teachers. The history of this day is that it is sacred to the memory of the great sage Vyasa who edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata. Vyasa even taught Dattatreya, who is regarded as the Guru of Gurus.

What is a Guru? The sanskrit root"Gu" means darkness or ignorance. "Ru" denotes the remover of that darkness, therefore one who removes darkness of our ignorance is a Guru. This is a day to give thanks to all our teachers and those who have enlightened us whoever they may be.

"Often what is universal is not personal and what is personal does not belong to everyone. What is "mine" and what is "universal" is completely opposite. This is the cause of fear, greed, jealousy and lack of contentment. On this Guru Purnima wake up and realise that the Lord of the Universe is very personal to you. Your personal guru is the guru of the whole world. The guru is your very Self and your Self is the very life in every being. Make the universal personal, it makes you richer, wiser, stronger. Make the personal universal; you will find freedom, compassion and love".
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ~ Guru Purnima ~ 1997 Tahoe City

Commute or Electrocute

A blogger's article on fascinating Mumbai train travel prompted me to write this post.

(1996-1998)

Yes, the Mumbai travel is a great experience, though not a very pleasant one. It is a great leveller. The sights and sounds assault you and make you breathless. You are literally breathless at the end of your daily commute - that's a different story.

I remember a few things vividly about my two years of Mumbai life and daily commute in the Harbour and the Western lines.

While the train left Vasai Road, it will be amusing to watch a few groups in action. One group will start playing cards at 7 am...with the meticulousness and solemnity of morning prayers. Another group will start singing bhajans with their God's photo and some percussion instruments.

Within a few seconds I will be drenched in sweat, the freshness of a bath (in water scare Vasai) vanishing before the train reaches Dahisar.

Enter a guy nicknamed 'Sumo'...who with a mighty shove will send a few passengers fighting for their balance. But the crowd support will ensure one does not tumble. 'Sumo' will be greeted by our Card group and he will nonchalantly make his way into the compartment as if the bunch of people were non-existent. A push this side, a shove and and elbow to the other and Sumo is safely home with the players.

Amidst all this enters a blind beggar who sings in a melancholic voice...in perfect tune and rhythm 'Tum Tho Tehre Pardesi'.

The train arrives at Andheri and I am gasping for some fresh Oxygen. My briefcase is held at an awkward angle, like Sehwag's bat when he jump-cuts Brett Lee on the off-side.

My neck and face are totally in another direction...and I position myself towards the exit.

The crowd does the rest. I hurtle outside...my briefcase following with a swoosh and my glasses are tilted at an odd angle. I am happy to be alive and running...to queue up for the auto rickshaw.

A similar encore in the evening and I am pleased to be with my family, In One Whole Piece.

All this in a First Class Compartment. Pity the ones that travel in the Second class.

What would haunts me for many days was the beggar's melody.

NOW

Contrast this to Wellington. See the train above (it's a Choppu or Toy train compared to our Indian giants). In my last few years of living here...on very few occasions has my 'Private Space' been invaded in the Welly trains. In peak times the trains will have a few more compartments. Otherwise, they are real 'Choppus'.

Even in the peak times, one can get a seat on most of the days. No pushing, no shoving, no Sumos...no Cards...bhajans or beggars.

In twenty minutes time I arrive at my destination. No dramas no delays.

Do I miss the drama and the colours?

I don't know.

But I have this strong feeling that it was Mumbai which might have given me the ultimate push to a much quieter and less populous city at the bottom of the world.

25/7/07

In today's NZ Herlad there was a story on Mumbai trains. The stats quoted were shocking. Every year 4,000 people die due to falling from the trains, electrocuted while sitting on top of the trains etc. In 2007 a new record is in the making - already 1,200 have died in the first 4 months.

Flattering to Deceive & Tilton

Yet another World Cup disappointment.

Last time it was India who flattered to deceive in the finals. This time, it is our own Kiwis (our bond to our adopted country had grown stronger) who let us down in the semis.

Our entire family woke up at 2 am NZ time and stayed glued to the TV. Me and my wife drank a few cups of filter cofee and even had breakfast at that unearthly 3 am. By 7 am we were having doubts if the Kiwis could make it. By 9 all seemed lost.

As Fleming lost the plot, Bond's mission was aborted. Malinga was Chuck(l)ing and Murali weaved a web of unorthodox magic (another chuck(l)ing Lankan?).

Weary, a little bit teary and bleary eyed, we pulled ourselves up, feeling bad for the nice Kiwi team.

"Well", I thought, "Even This Shall Pass Away" as Tilton says in this Vedantic poem.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Once in Persia reigned a king,
Who upon his signet ring
Graved a maxim true and wise,
Which, if held before his eyes,
Gave him counsel at a glance
Fit for every change and chance.
Solemn words, and these are they;
"Even this shall pass away."

Trains of camels through the sand
Brought him gems from Samarkand;
Fleets of galleys through the seas
Brought him pearls to match with these;
But he counted not his gain
Treasures of the mine or main;
"What is wealth?" the king would say;
"Even this shall pass away."

'Mid the revels of his court,
At the zenith of his sport,
When the palms of all his guest
Burned with clapping at his jest,
He, amid his figs and wine,
Cried, "O loving friends of mine;
Pleasures come, but not to stay;
'Even this shall pass away."

Lady, fairest ever seen,
Was the bride he crowned his queen.
Pillowed on his marriage bed,
Softly to his soul he said:
"Though no bridegroom ever pressed
Fairer bosom to his breast,
Mortal flesh must come to clay-
Even this shall pass away."

Fighting on a furious field,
Once a javelin pierced his shield;
Soldiers, with a loud lament,
Bore him bleeding to his tent.
Groaning from his tortured side,
"Pain is hard to bear, " he cried;
"But with patience, day by day,
Even this shall pass away."

Towering in the public square,
Twenty cubits in the air,
Rose his statue, carved in stone.
Then the king, disguised, unknown,
Stood before his sculptured name,
Musing meekly: "What is fame?
Fame is but a slow decay;
Even this shall pass away."

Struck with palsy, sore and old,
Waiting at the Gates of Gold,
Said he with his dying breath,
"Life is done, but what is Death?"
Then, in answer to the king,
Fell a sunbeam on his ring,
Showing by a heavenly ray,
"Even this shall pass away."

-THEODORE TILTON

The Present

Train to Work, with a newspaper

Brilliant Sea shimmering through the window
Office goers immersed
in yesterday's disasters

World Cup Time - Sledging

Cricket won't be cricket without sledging.

Here are a couple of (in)famous ones: *******************************************************************************

South African Daryll Cullinan was on his way to the wicket when our Shame (deliberately spelt)Warne (see pic taken by me in the Basin Reserve) told him he had been waiting two years for another chance to humiliate him.

Shot back Cullinan "Looks like you spent it eating".

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The ever mishievous Miandad (Javed) called Merv Hughes a fat bus conductor. A few balls later Hughes dismissed the Pakistan star. "Tickets Please" Hughes said as he ran past the departing Javed.

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VisAlAkshi at Bangalore - Absolute Serenity

One of the few beautiful buildings I saw during my recent visit to India. Visalakshi, in the shape of a lotus has a few tiers, with many meditation halls, named (aptly) Buddha, Mahavira etc.