Tag: India

In other news…

Clutter Free went past 10,000 users

Clutter Free went past 10,000 active users :)
Clutter Free went past 10,000 active users :)

Get it here.

I discovered some dark chocolate that I’d packed, but forgotten

Lovely surprise - Lindt dark chocolate
Lovely surprise – Lindt dark chocolate

I finished a book

Anita and Me
Anita and Me

And…

I’m bored to death. The smog ensures that I can’t even go out for a walk. And the dry, depressing atmosphere inside the house makes it so sad that I don’t even want to speak to anyone.

The book was an escape. It got over. So, now I’ve started listening to podcasts again.

Also, bought a bluetooth speaker off Amazon, so I stream of Hindi songs on it for everyone during the day.

Planning to start work on a small update to AcceleReader for Instapaper tomorrow.

That’s all, folks!

Smog

It’s been 3 days since I arrived in India. I’m yet to see the sky.

The cab driver called it fog. But the daytime temperatures are in high 20s, even saw 31°C yesterday. Yet this fog never clears.

I’m in my hometown. When I was growing up here, we used to lay on the roof at night, and try to recognise all the constellations.

In three days, I haven’t even seen a clear sun or moon.

Back home in Guildford, we still see the sky bright and clear – just the way it used to be here when I was growing up.

I miss that clear sky. That sharp, clear sunshine. And that bright and clear moon at which my boy barks.

Everyone knows this is smog. Everyone knows what’s causing it. (I think) everyone knows it’s quite bad for their health.

And yet, no one’s bothered about it. Not one bit.

Continue reading Smog

Going home

Tomorrow I’m heading to India. A 12 day trip, all of it planned to be spent in Karnal. No plans, yet, of travelling, meeting friends, or spending any nights away from home.
Feeling a bit weird. It’s been a while since I did this, since I spent time there.

In 6 years since we moved to the UK, I’ve made a total of 5 visits home – once when grand dad passed away, then one to see F&F, next after our wedding, then for my sister’s wedding, and last for R’s sister’s wedding.

It’s almost 5 years since I visited to meet family outside of an occasion.
It’s been way longer since I stayed in Karnal for anything over a week.1

Continue reading Going home

Boxer ‘shorts’

Wikipedia:

Boxer shorts (also known as loose boxers or as simply boxers) are a type of undergarment typically worn by men.

The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement (“footwork”) is very important.

I know they’re called shorts, but they’re really underwear – something you wear under your shorts / trousers / jeans …

This confusing nomenclature seems to have confused a load of people in India.

Had a friend over few weekends ago. After a long day walking out, we all changed into comfortable home clothes, and he came out of his room wearing a tee and … boxer shorts. I queried him, and he confirmed that he was wearing ‘underwear’ under them. I explained to him (hopefully not too rudely) that they were underwear, and not really shorts.

This wasn’t the first time either.

A couple of years ago, at home in India, the whole joint family had gathered for a wedding. A cousin emerged from the shared bathroom, walking through the living room where all the relatives were gathered, in his …. boxer shorts. Again, wearing an underwear under it.

Back in my B-school hostel too, a lot of batchmates used to roam around in their boxer shorts. It may have been them just walking around in their underwear in a men-only hostel. Or maybe they too were wearing underwear under their boxer shorts.

Ideally, Jockey (who first popularised boxers in India), should’ve done a customer education campaign to inform buyers that the shorts were meant to be underwear, and not regular shorts. However, driven by profit motive, and seeing a large proportion of their customers using boxers as outwear shorts, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them actively promote the boxers as … shorts :)

 

Peppy music, warm days, and the Apple invasion

The day began well, with me polishing off a few long-pending long posts in my Pocket. The walk got delayed, due to reasons coming below, but was a brisk, happy one when it came.

Thank you for the music

One of those rare days when I felt like listening to music on the walk. Not sure about what to play, just asked Google to play a random playlist of songs I like. It was fun!

  • Vangelis’ Chariots of fire theme,
  • Rolling in the deep, by Adele,
  • The man, by Aloe Blacc,
  • Hello, by Adele,
  • All cried out, by Blonde,
  • Peace on Earth, by Bing Crosby & David Bowie,
  • Khalbali, from Rang de basanti
  • Rumour has it, by Adele
  • Eko ile, by Fela Kuti & the Africa 70,
  • Feel, by Bombay bicycle club,
  • Kandisa, by Indian Ocean
    and continuing…

Charlie (a young Vizsla), and Monty (a forever young Jack Russel) wrestling each other to get more attention from me, halfway through the walk, just added to the delight.

Rarely have I returned from a hot weather, brisk walk so energised. (The brisk bit, and the protein smoothie may have helped too)

Warm, dry, dull days of my youth

The region of India I grew up in has a long, dry and hot summer. 2 decades of living there have trained my brain to expect (imagine) things when the weather turns warm and dry. Like today.

Thoughts of watermelon, cool water dips in tube wells & canals, hanging with friends from undergrad, cycling around with the only friend from my first school, smell of the earth.

Beautiful, torturous memories :)

Continue reading Peppy music, warm days, and the Apple invasion

Boiled eggs

Warm, boiled eggs, salt and pepper sprinkled on top.

Taste just as good in cool and wet autumnal England, as in cold and foggy winters in northern India.

Taste just as good at 36, as they did at 10, and at 19.

Taste just as good sharing with wife and dog, as they did with mom, dad and sister, and later with friends and wingies in hostel.

Some things, thankfully, are just the same everywhere :)

Kashmir.

Kashmir

My cab driver yesterday was South Asian, and we’d been conversing in our mother tongues – a mix of Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.

As is the custom amongst fellow desis, once we were a bit comfortable, he asked me where in India I came from. I gave him the usual answer.
I asked him whether he was from India or Pakistan. He replied, nonchalantly, Kashmir.

Those familiar with South Asian geopolitics will understand, that this statement of origin says a lot.

Continue reading Kashmir.