Being in anothers shoes...

This is a phrase often used to understand the other persons view point or perspective. It can also mean being the other person for some time, in the situation the perso is in.This minute, i feel like "stepping into my brothers shoes" Why?? Because he is in India with my parents. And all my relatives are visiting. I used to have so much fun when he was here in US and me in India. Now, the tables have turned.

Coming from a big family, i know that family functions means FUN!! I would give an arm and a leg (just another phrase.. wouldnt do it in real!) to be there in India and have that kind of fun. THe babies running here and there, the elders talking(loudly) just to be be heard over the other conversations going on in the place. Man! Do i miss that. The funny thing is, the "oldies" (read older than me) lose their voice due to the "strain" of talking too much.Ordering food from outside and having a swell time eating and taking food from other plates.....How i miss all that!!!! (sigh)!!

An interesting read...

I found an article at rediff... It makes and interesting read.. I know that some of my readers are lazy enough not to click on the link and read the whole thing.. So, iam employing the "cut and paste" method. This article is by a Frenchman. The text in red are the parts i really liked about the article.


Why is India giving France the cold shoulder?

February 17, 2006

For a long time, there was an intense interest about India in France. French philosopher Pierre Sonnerat wrote: 'Ancient India gave to the world its religions and philosophies: Egypt and Greece owe India their wisdom and it is known that Pythagoras went to India to study under Brahmins, who were the most enlightened of human beings.'

Then we find what French journalist Roger Pol Droit calls L'oubli de l'Inde, the forgetting of India, which was mainly due to the influence of Christian missionaries, whether Catholics in Pondicherry, or Protestants in the rest of India. India was wiped out of philosophical treaties and became what Pol Droit calls 'helleno-centrism' (Greece-centered) education, which means that France (and the West) believed that all philosophical systems started with Greece and that there was nothing worth the name before them.

Did you know that at one time, the whole of India could have been French? Dupleix, the brilliant governor of France, by intrigue or alliances, managed to take over Madras, Hyderabad, the whole of the Deccan plateau and had his eyes set on Mumbai, when he was recalled by King Louis XV, who had no interest in India. The French Indian empire collapsed and only Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Chandernagore and Yanaon remained in French hands.

The handing back of French territories was much more harmonious than the British and the Portuguese. France and India came to an agreement where an important cultural French presence would remain in Pondicherry and it has been so. A French alliance, a college, a research institute, a huge consulate and a whiff of France in India, remain to this day in Pondicherry.

Why is French President Jacques Chirac's visit to India on February 19-20 important?

Firstly, because there is indeed a natural attraction between the people of India and France, even, if there is a mismatch. The average French man or woman are much more knowledgeable about India than, say the average American, who is often very ignorant, to the point that he or she does not know where India is situated geographically.

There is also in France a natural sympathy towards India: France is the only country which did not condemn India at the time of its nuclear tests (though France had just conducted her own in the Pacific) and we find in France an understanding of India's political emergence. Whereas in the US again, India is still often seen as the land of poverty, or at best of fakirs and maharajas.

Secondly, and most important, we need a multipolar world, now that the Soviet Union has stopped balancing America's hegemonic hold over the world. Unfortunately, there is an obsession with the US in India. This goes across all barriers. Talk to some of the RSS leaders, Congress, or BJP and you will find that at least one of their children has gone to the US to study (and will stay there in 99 per cent of the cases).

The Congress party, however pro-Iranian, is also obsessed with the US. George W Bush's visit in March has monopolised the attention of the government and the media and pushed the French president's visit to the back page.

Experts have also said that India's military nuclear programme is being neutralised by the India-US nuclear agreement crafted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In the face of the Chinese and the Pakistani nuclear threat, is it a wise thing to do?

This is why it is essential that India pays a little more attention to the French visit. An official of the French embassy, who prefers to remain anonymous, has told me that they have literally had to run after the external affairs ministry for Chirac's programme.

The Prime Minister's Office has shown very little interest in the visit. In fact, requests for an interview with La Revue de l'Inde, the only French magazine that deals exclusively with India and is read by most of France's decision makers, including Jacques Chirac, were not even acknowledged by Dr Sanjay Baru, the prime minister's media adviser.

Does India really want to buy all its weapons from the US? As it happened after its nuclear tests, Washington will freeze weapon delivery or withhold spare parts and India will be strangled. Yes, France is a weapons manufacturer, but it has a friendly attitude towards India. If vested interests want to torpedo the Scorpene deal, it will set a bad precedent and French weapons manufacturers will just shun India as an unreliable customer.

Finally, it is also true that France has to make an effort towards India. I feel that France could show its goodwill in two ways. Firstly, the French government has officially recognised that Tibet is part of China, even though it is known that the Chinese have perpetrated an unprecedented genocide in Tibet.

France also implicitly recognises that the claim of China over Taiwan is justified. Why not also recognise that Kashmir has been a physical, cultural, and spiritual part of India, instead of always saying that 'it is a dispute between Pakistan and India and France does not wish to interfere?'

India is a democracy, a huge country with an enormous economic potential and Pakistan is a small unstable Islamic country, always at the mercy of a dictatorship, whether military of Islamic. It would not cost France anything and earn her tremendous gratitude here, for France will be the first Western nation to do so.

Secondly, if the US can flout the nuclear international norms and craft its own civil nuclear agreement with India, why can't France do the same? Up to now the French government has always repeated that it wants to abide by the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, but when France conducted its nuclear test in the Pacific, it braved the ire of the entire world and got away with it.

And lastly, France has to be a little more patient, I would even say humility towards India. Most French officials come to Delhi, Bombay or Bangalore, for a few days and think they have seen and understood everything. India is a complex country and it is not as easy to do business here with all the rules and red-tapism still in place here. But it is the future of Asia, a democratic, pro-Western, liberal nation, which is a bastion of freedom in an Asia torn by Islamic fundamentalism and the shadow Chinese hegemony. India is the best bet for France and the Western world in Asia.

Francois Gautier

Sweet memories....

Memories of childhood are always sweet (atleast in my case). I have a lot of fond memories which till this day never fail to bring a smile to my lips. I was in a joint family. Being the youngest among the cousins, i was the most loved as well as teased. Boy!! Did i have a temper back then?! But i never used to retaliate because they were much older than me and i was never sure of what to say. And when iam angry, i cant argue. I cry (Its true even now!). But my pride did not allow me to cry in front of my cousins and my brother( ya ya! he teased me along with them too! :-) But he is the best brother in the world!!). I was fond of a calf called Uttara. The reason i was fond of her in particular was because she was born blind and if i remember right partially-deaf. I felt such love and also felt protective of her. I was always in the cow shed, giving company to my grandad who used to feed them. But uttara was under my care.. atleast, as far as giving her water. I loved it when she drank from the feeding bottle. I used to give her lots of water, for which my grandad scolded me nicely. Too much water leads to diahhorea for the cows(did u know that?? I didnt at that time). Anyway, coming back to my way of dealing with my cousins, i used to get angry, storm out of the room, go to my "friend" uttara and pour out all my woes. My cousins found it funny. Till this day, they find it funny. I do too. But, i understand the rationale behind such an action. When u feel the whole world is against u and u feel lonely, u need someone to listen to UR woes. Well, that someone was my pet Uttara I guess. If i got the opportunity, I would do things exactly the same way. When i was in school, i used to cringe at that memory. But now, being mature (more than what i was at school of course), I know what i did was nothing to be ashamed of and I dont care what people think of that incident. I did what i felt was right and it is a fond memory for me... now.

Rush for tickets....

This season, March-April, is "supposedly" a lean time for air travellers... But hey I havent been able to get a seat for March 3rd.. They call this the lean season? I call it "fake"!! This is the season where they slash their prices " a bit" and then make sure they fly full! The rates are good no doubt, but very few seats are offered in this rate. As the departure date comes up and the flights not full, they release some more "slashed" fares!!! I've been going crazy trying to fly on a particular date. But i havent given up hope.. If not, i will fly 2 days ahead of the planned date. Lets hope i get the date i want and the fare i want...

Unexpected Visitor

It was 10.00 p.m. I wanted to go out for a drive. When my husband and I stepped out of the house, we found this cute little doggy loitering in front of our house. By the tag around his neck, I knew he was someones dog and not a stray (do they even have strays here??). It was quite cold outside and no one seemed to be searching for a dog as far as our eyes could see. He was very playful and seemed to take an instant liking to H... and of course yours truly! We didnt have the heart to leave him out in the cold all alone. Nor could we keep him through the night in my house because of the carpet and lack of doggy food. we were in a quandry. But decided against leaving him unattended in the cold night. H was trying to lure him so that he could check the tag for name of the owner. Giving H the slip, in a blink he was inside the house running up and down the living room and the kitchen! :-) We finally managed to calm this excited fella and found a phone number. We found out that the dogs owner lives in our street but the phone number was that of his father!! Luckily, the owner was at his dads place and we managed to catch him there. He left right away and it took him about 10 mins to reach our place. In that ten minutes, the doggy managed to go out the door and run down to a house two doors away. I whistled to him and he came running! and once i lured him inside the house, the imp found out that he wasnt that scared of the dark after all and went to the bedrooms on the first floor. Made my poor hubby run behind him. He was quite obediant...really. He responded to commands well. And we used the "Stay" command most of all! :) The owner was real grateful. This morning, i just keep thinking of that cute doggy. BTW, his name is Bear!! :-) Funny name for such a friendly and cuddly puppy! Hope to see him sometime soon!

Before i sign off... I did get to go for a ride!