Chhoti si Asha

As usual, it was refreshing hear the clanky grungy almirah open. With frail quivering hands my ageing mother lifted an ornately decorated necklace; " पूरी  ज़िन्दगी महनत की है  इस दिन के  लिए. एक एक पाई जुटा दी. बस एक ही छोटी आशा है, एक क्यूटी क्यूटी गुडिया दे दे ना ". Another bahurani is about to join us. Mom, a radiologist and real estate investor, is eager to find gratification in another set of grandchildren. Dotty is now almost a young lady. My brother is planning to deliver on his filial obligation. This is a strange time for us. When I was 15, I thought we would all be loosely knit family. We would all be settled in different timezones and would rarely ever meet. Our parents were both working people with diverging interests, and if that was not enough, our generation resisted indoctrination into either. Maybe it is unfamiliarity that generated respect. We tried the cosmopolitan mix-n-match approach and over the 8 years or so that followed, realized, like many others in our generation, that family meant a lot more to us, more than we might ever have imagined. So here we are, I quit my job and my first world lifestyle to return and take charge of family matters. It is something most of us Indians miss in foreign lands. With my mom, I have a common interest in real estate investment and in farming. It has been years since I met my adoring chachis and loving cousins - I wonder if they still look up to me for career and business ideas - I remember brainstorming the prospects of a clandestine love affair, two marriage proposals - both sisters, and hearing out on career plans. I remember Rina wanted to be a Harvard MBA and Bina wanted to be an architect. Regardless of how my suggestions affect people, it is nice to have a say. Most importantly though, I am back because I want Mom to have dotty around. Her face lights up when she sees my daughter. Suvidha, a corporate executive, enjoys my mom's godmotherly encouragement in career matters.  We are waiting with doting eyes to be joined by a woman, and in the near future, a child. Sometimes, you search the whole world for happiness and find it in your own backyard.

National integration, then and now

The national integration ad titled 'Mile Sur Mera tumhara' by Piyush Pandey and Louis Banks (music) has not quite faded from memory though it appears only rarely on DD - you would be lucky to see it:
.


- I find funny Narendra Hirwani's representation of Sindhis. Tanuja waving her Maharashtrian flag when she actually married into a bengali family is quite funny too, but that might well be part of the idea - Mallika Sarabhai appears as a gujarati - despite her quintessentially nehruvian background and her rigorous tamil brahmin indoctrination into baratnatyam. Another, a little less callow ad film featuring athletes can be found on yt, in case you ever watched DD and are in retro mood :


A new breed of commercial film makers and musicians has been using national integration themes to sell cell phone plans in globalized india. Among these is Birla's Idea network ad with Abhishek Bachan :

Home sweet home

Waking up in Dheeraj's room, to which I had been assigned, was one of the most pleasant experiences I had in the summer of 1996. Taking the trip up 101 to bucolic Sonoma county, I had arrived at my aunt and uncles' beautiful home. This was my first summer in the silicon valley at the end of my very first year away from parents in India. For an year, I tried my best being an active resident of  a 'five ihstar' community in Fremont, mingling with Indian couples, playing volleyball with the oracle gang and taking trips to Half moon bay every odd weekend. Sometimes, I swam in the mini pool, a 1000 laps an hour. Sometimes, I took a yoga class, and some other times, I hit the bookstore, starbucks in hand. Sometimes, I went to the indie movie theatre, ingurgitating 'cinema of class', sometimes, I called upon friends and some other times, I tapped my keyboard in vain, hoping to find a soulmate. I needed to cosy in as one did with family. I was not too uncomfortable here - it did not feel like a foreign land - but the only substitute for family is another family, possibly your own. So, when masi showed me into Dheeraj's room, with it's untouched clean white linen, I felt like I had returned to my bearings. I threw my backpack onto the spongy mattress; it was quiet enough that I could hear it bounce, and retired early that night, feigning exhaustion, and pretended to sleep off in my Indian night clothes. Half awake, I thanked my aunt for giving me a private room under their roof. The next day was like any other; my uncle and I hit the gym and played some tennis, did rounds of the wine county, all the while listening to Masaji's interesting stories about his Italian collaborator, his credit union presidency and so on.


Now that I have returned home to Mumbai, after about 10 years working in the industry, I recognize that weekend as a revelation. My mom here has dedicated two rooms to me and my brother. They have bought a large apartment in a quiet, though upcoming, suburb of Mumbai, considering our possible future requirements. Me and my younger brother might want to move back, consummating our techie/banking exploits in foreign lands, to settle down back in a joint family. A large bedroom is for me and a study cum bedroom is my brothers. On the walls are preserved our old pictures, and in the closets, I can find some sturdy old jackets, in the drawers, I see my old notepads and CD's. How good it is to have a place you can call home. For this, I feel blessed. But it does not end at that. My mom promised me about 3 lakhs or 6000 USD startup expenses for my marriage, almost double that amount in gold ornaments to be given to the bride, and  she also has a list of prospective women lined up to accept that golden deal. Ditto for bro. Isnt that mindblowing ?

Countryside beckoning

  I met Sulakshana 'teacher' again. She taught me in school, about 25 years ago. Her aunt ran a playschool where I and my then 5 year old bro were kept when mom and dad had other things to attend to. She kept in touch after marriage as well, which was with a brokerage analyst Mr Saurabh. We had a few things in common. We liked dogs - she had helped me pick a pom when I was 12, and suggested a Doberman for my 15th birthday.

  I heard from her that Mr Saurabh now lives in a farm near Nasik, with 18 dogs and a wind turbine for company. He has a few local boys to help him with his daily chores. I am curious now if this is a legitimate epilogue to a Walls Street career. Next holiday, Sue and I plan to drive down to this Nasik farm and spend some time shooting doves.

Coffee with the Malhotras

The Malhotras were known to us through my aunt who is their family doctor. I had taught Riya when she was in high school. Not much had changed in their luxirous Hiranandani Gardens duplex. The sofas, the television were as they had been 10 years ago. Rekha aunty maintains a pooja room and affiliates with the hare krishna mission. Mr. Malhotra, an almost enigmatic presence, runs his manufacturing business from Pune, or so I hear. Riya, who has grown up a little, confesses her lack of interest in papa's business. ' I really want to be an actress', she says. I take a sip from my coffee and nod in agreement. Riya grew up knowing Shah Rukh Khan personally in Bandra. 'SRK's sister is a very good friend of mine' she adds, before I have a chance to pontify - any well meaning elder would point out various advantages of a life in theatre or dress design over the precariousness of bollywood. Rekha aunty adds, while refuelling my coffee guzzlejug, ' How many times have I told Ree to take an easier career path like fashion. Look at her paled physique. She smokes to stay slim'. I do not condescend on women who smoke but smile hard just in case my cheekbones indicate otherwise. I ask the acting-fashion graduate if she had considered any alternatives; a career in fashion as her mom would like, or perhaps, even mass media communications. She says that the latter is a possibility - she has written to channel V and she considers VJ'ing to be an exciting prospect. My coffee mug looks empty and I am about to leave. Ree promises to send me her portfolio in case I had contacts in bollywood.

What is happening with the Malhotras used to be unusual among middle class families; it was always a tell tale sign of upward mobility. That a family is a sum of three different individuals might be a rather normal malady in the west but in India, only the very wealthy suffer from such afflictions. Rekha aunty, who comes from an erudite academic family, would rather wish they all lived together and pursued spirituality. Mr Malhotra, on the other hand, insists they would rather indulge with individual pursuits, and Ree, confused about what is right, is smoking cigarettes, although, she adds in favor of her good morals, she does not have a boyfriend. As India marches into the 21st century, many Indian families find themselves embroiled in the chore of conflict resolution at home. Can Indians handle western standards of independence or might we need to adapt western culture intelligently, so as to optimize its good effects ? It is clear that tossing kids in a hammock of enduring family bonds is desirable but to what extent aspiring parents can compromise their individual convictions or aspirations is something they would rather find out in advance.

kya bebo ban saktee hain ek acchee stepmom

लव बिर्ड्स सैफ अली और करीना के बीच आयी दरार

क्या सैफ अली खान की प्रेमिका करीना कपूर सैफ के बच्चों से जमा पाएंगी ताल मेल (सैफ-बेबो). फ़िल्मी ज़िन्दगी में पिता की प्रेमिका की भूमिका निभाने वाली करीना क्या असल ज़िंदगी में ले पाएंगी यह जिम्मा. सैफ जिन्होंने तारा रम पम और थोडा प्यार थोडा माजिक जैसी पिक्चरों  में पिता का किरदार निभाया है, आज सोच रहे हैं की उनके बच्चों को किस किस्म के पालन पोषण  की ज़रुरत है. करीना के बर्ताव से त्रस्त  दोनों ने बच्चों के मामले पर झगडा किया और हाल ही में पता चला है की दोनों ने बात करना तक छोड़ दिया है. क्या बेबो फिर से सैफ और बच्चों का दिल जीत पाएंगी ? या फिर इश्क की सीमायें पार होती नज़र आ रही हैं.

Who could have thunk ?

The Chopras, Madhu, Priyanka and Ashok

with bro Siddharth

Young Priyanka

She is there, finally. 'Desi girl' Priyanka Chopra, also known in bollywood as PC or 'Piggy Chops', is the most kissable star in India. Director Siddharth Anand did a marvelous job directing her in 'Anjaanee. Audience ko bohot bohot pasand aaya. We take this moment to thank Siddharth, producers Sajid and Krishika, and the entire crew of 'Anjaanee. This is a jubiliant victory for the rising starlet. Ladies and gentleman, I welcome PC to take the award for *the most* kissable star. A decade after winning the most coveted Miss World title, the daughter of Dr.'s Madhu and Ashok Chopra is the # 1 starlet in Tinsel town.


On a ligher note, who could have thunk from her childhood pics that this little girl from a rather middle class family would reach this dazzling a stature. Do PC's family pics suggested anything different ?

Petrovsky and the Nawab

Mumbai's creative directors have a mandate to throw interesting images at viewers. Pan Vilas' cool new ad with Manoj Bajpayee is quite a show : Petrosky_and_the_Nawab 

Meeting with an Indian finance geek

With my mothers help, I found a few relatives in the financial field. Dewang seemed the most knowledgeable. Kotak is the best local firm around. So, I took the rick to Kotak's Kalina office. Walking into the aircon was an immediate relief. It was not a large campus. Only a couple of buildings off the main road, concrete walls secluding them from the noise. I asked the receptionist and she pointed me up - "Managing director ka office 4'th floor". It was the corner room and Dewang was in a meeting. I made myself comfortable on the cushy office chair. It was even chillier than the rest of the building. Dewang appeared soon, in a thick half sweater and apologized. It usually is that cold, unfortunately. He realized we had never met. I told him that Divya didi had mentioned him very often. I found out that we were relatives from two different angles. He was my cousin from one, and my nephew-in-law from another. It is a bit odd to think that Divya didi, 15 years my senior, is my niece and her father, almost 40 years senior, is my cousin. We had conveniently chosen to refer to them as didi and mama. These things were common in feudal families in those days. My maternal grandpa was the youngest of 8, his eldest two sisters being almost 30 years senior to him. The two were already married and had mothered children before his birth. How we were cousins, I forgot to ask. But he recounted. It was through Surat, where his brother and sister owned a nursing home of high repute. What mattered was our present overlap of interest. He had managed his own mutual fund when younger and was now a banker at a leading firm. I had seen Chicago's financial world. My grand niece, or maybe niece, Mansi  was now a student at Wharton, also studying finance, the second or third person in a large envelope of relatives to hit the shores of North America in recent years.

We got down to business quickly and he was pretty quick to point that Indian investors were very risk averse. After what had happened on Walls Street, it would be hard to convince pensioners to invest in complex quant products. I told him about my experience in Chicago and my long association with ill-fated CDO's. He did not think it was impossible to find firms interested in hiring a Walls Street banker to succor decision making, but he was not very sure if the quant route was really palpable. I did not feel disheartened. I was certain I wanted to settle down in India. I discussed my future options with a few other colleagues of his and they did seem to know what I had seen. It was an interesting conversation but I almost felt like quitting finance to do something less exotic, locally. When will India allow unleashing investor appetite for exotics ? Hope, it is soon. We need to catch up with those East Asian tigers. Meanwhile, I am actually taking the idea of returning to generic physics and engineering related computing research.

Anjaana-Anjaanee

I finally saw this film with cousin and his wife - they enjoyed it more than I did. Being recently married might have helped. This drama gets mushy in a very bollywood sort of way. What I liked about this film is PC, failure on the street, NYC, Nevada and PC. Priyanka is finally there - she is a noted actress - and this eludes most beauty contest winners in the last 15 years or more - Sushmita, the first to completely flop and Aish, who never had anything her own - Even with piggyback points, she doesn't come up to PC standards; her roles in Taal and Guru were really short. Then there is Diya, who simply vanished from the big screen after jeena hai; and Lara, who only rarely appeared, like in Billu Barber. Aren't all of them just cameo girls. All the talent and all the beauty could have meant nothing to audiences ? That PC has made it is actually a miracle. Wow ! I am so exccited !!! says dotty's latest sms - she loves PC. Will Ranbir fall for her as the grapevine suggests. Ranbir and Priyanka did come close during the filming, even with mom Neetu watching. Can PC reach Zinta's heights ? The latter has turned bad productions around, was the closest we had to bollywood's first lady in recent years; we would estimate her wealth at about 400 crores or about 80 million USD, close to Madhuri Dixit's net worth. Surveys suggest PC will be a hot favorite among producers as they crossover into hollywood/ABCD territory - a domain where her physical perfection and jaunty manner should be an advantage. So what if she lost the lead in hollywood's biopic on premier Indira Gandhi to Bebo. At least the producers made it clear that the choice was overwhelmed by facial resemblance factors.

Desi boys and desi girls

The bollywood crazy are awaiting with bated breath the release of Siddharth Anand directed film 'Anjaana Anjaani'. Industry gossip indicates that Anand may have been inspired by american sitcoms including 'Friends'. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Krishika Lulla, the music track for the film is by duo Vishal-Shekhar. Anand's career does not critically depend on this film's fate at the box office - he has plenty to his credit.

We remember how Anand fomented debate on the difficult topic of live-in relationships in Preity Zinta-Saif Ali Khan starer 'Salaam Namaste'.






The film became a cult favorite in urbania despite shortcomings. Anand followed up with 'Tara Rum Pum' and 'Bachna Ae Haseeno'. The latter had some groovy Vishal-Shekhar numbers and its theme - that of a commitment phobic one foot-home-one foot-abroad software tramp - was groundbreaking, though events depicted in the film barely stray from fantasy.

Dostana, Karan Johar's triangle with gay angle

It is Piggy Chops whose career may be at stake in Anjaanee. Well known Chopra's existence is acknowledged by hollywood, but we cannot remember a single major hit film in which she commands presence as the lead actress, except possibly Bhandarkar's Fashion which shared with her some of its critical acclaim. Surveys indicate a grand opening for Anjaana'jaanee abroad. Actor Ranbir Kapoor, who worked with Anand in Bachna', has gained traction with the Gen-X crowd and bollywood pundits believe that his presence will keep the box-office rocking. Vishal-Shekhar have not missed a single opportunity to endear audiences. But promos indicate that it is not certain whether Anjana's score will meet the chart busting standards of  'Salaam Namaste', 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', 'Dostana' and 'I hate Love Storys' .

Khan in KHNH

Khan and Saif in a triangle (KHNH)

Siddharth Anand and Karan Johar seem to have carved out a genre - films revolving around NRI or Gen-X  characters shot in the occident or in Australia, underscored by fusionists like VS. These films typically contain a few shots of scenic drives in convertibles, lead artists in sunglasses, pre-marital honeymoons, azure beaches, relationship issues and breakups. Not that there is anything very noveau for bollywood's audience. These films are only continuing an established trend seen in Roshan's half-hearted but stunning Lucky Ali underscored 'Kaaho Na Pyar Hai' and Farhan Akhtar's classic 'DCH' ('Dil Chaata Hai'). Both these are movies based half in India and half in picturesque Australia and Zealand and predate the current wave of Johar-Anand NRI flicks.

It is not just western culture that is being aped here, Hollywood scripts or "property" may have served as inspiration as well. Anand had seen Jeff Goldblum starrer 'Nine months' when he conceived the controversial 'Salaam Namaste'. Johar was inspired by 'Step Mom' before he summoned the cast and crew of 'We are Family'.

Still from Stepmom

We are Family: Bollywood's take on divorce

Hollywood inspires Joharwood

Still from little children

Johar's lesser-said-the-better film 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' is a loose Indian adaptation of hollywood's 'Little Children' which he conceivably saw with Shah Rukh Khan in Mannat. 'Alvida's collections at box offices abroad though impressive, the film was a complete flop in India. Industry pundits suggest, the audience might not have identified with'Alvida's bizarre characters - Khan is a successful and happily married soccer player in the US, beta Bachan is an ABCD jerk and papa Bachan, a philandering father.
Johar and Anand are looking at different sides of NRI- Gen X culture. While Johar seems focused on transcendetal bonds, love triangles, extra-marital relationships and "gay angles", Anand leans on casual relationships and hip and hopping youngsters . Despite the slip shod acting, these directors need to be commended for dealing with sensitive issues.

What happens to Piggy Chops' flagging career on the big screen remains to be seen. Hopefully she is content as the queen of the small screen serving teen guna zyada danger in star littered indian surviror 'Khatron ke khiladi'.

Know your IQ

My wife Suvidha wants me to take an IQ test she thinks is very accurate. Time and again, I am bemused by her obsession with vocab and anal development; could be a hangover from various national level management exams. I feel lazy and give up on such questions, often too easily. I find myself regurgitating the importance of a 'milansaar' approach to people skills - I liberated myself of guilt the day I entered the land of opportunity. Americans, I found, were much more open minded than us. Being business oriented, as contrasted with being business process oriented, can be an advantage here, something you can see from the glittering navratri celebrations all over NJ. The americans do not gauge smartness from scores alone, which may be a function of cultivation, often a distraction from the real callings of business, or even technology. If the deal you bring to the table is smart, you need not feel embarrassed about every odd score. This is probably a comfortable antithesis of Indian mandarin culture, which IMHO need not apply to business, other pursuits maybe withstanding. Going back to the times of nehruvian brahmin condescension of business, jokes about stupid baniyas appeared in widely circulated news papers. One went thus : Einstein went to heaven and a gujju bhai approached him. Humbly, the latter asked in congenial adoration : ' how did you manage to solve the greatest riddles of physics ?'. Einstein replied 'I have an IQ of 148,...  I would like to learn how you managed to make so many millions in the stock market ?' at which the gujju bhai responded, ' well I have an IQ 82' !! When I went to work at a prestigious financial firm in Chicago, I realized how narrow our Indian preconceptions about business were. Einstein himself, the son of a businessman, might have studied with great interest the application of probability to the stock market, a subject that dated back to Bachalier. In the end, even Einstein did not have a very high IQ for his accomplishments; he outshone most similarly endowed aspirants of genius. So, I tell Suvidha, 'correlations do not imply causation' ; and...business by the way is not correlated with low IQs, it is just that in India, people with lower patience with scoring subjects are relegated to business'. So, in the end, all that we do on Walls street is a genre quite independent of IQs or theoretical physics acumen, both of which are quite independent of each other. It may be that smart people have an advantage here, but so do stupid people, by being singularly focused. Suvidha does not look impressed. But so what. Who cares anyway.

Are NRI grooms still in demand ?

Frustration gleamed from their eyes. Jaws clenched, they would move on their toes from chore to chore, as if postponing  urgent needs. They would look back, only askance, in case reason instigated quandary. Dude, where's your lady ? One might argue that you are, by indian standards, an accomplished professional. You have a respectable job, a good salary and belong to a good family. The answer would usually be a query  "Bhai, kidhar hai ?. Where are the women ? Do you think anyone single-by-choice ?" Reason could argue - if not in the continental United States, can you not find them in New Delhi or Mumbai or wherever else you are from, No ?... firmly No. The girls who showed up online were not our type, usually. We had all grown up around a certain kind of women; we could not find them on the NRI matrimonial websites. When we went back to Desh, we saw them everywhere. Everywhere. And with guys just like us, except they had jobs in India. Suddenly, the NRI groom was not a thing of fantasy. I take a step back to retrospect.

Back in the silicon valley, where I had worked previous to Chicago, I knew a girl who volunteered at Maitri, an NGO dedicated to "rescuing" NRI brides from abusive husbands and families. I was aware of the famous Ambati case - Balamurali Krishna Ambati was a real life Doogie Howser; his family had managed to create waves a second time around tormenting their newly arrived daughter in-law over dowry. I had thought these cases to be rare. Even so, my own mother thought the risk would not be worth taking if she had been in the marriage market to offer brides instead. In the public imagination, such aggravating NRI stereotypes are being promulgated by movies like Mahima Chaudhary - Shah Rukh Khan starer 'Pardes'. You can ask young women and they blithely come up with fine examples of abusive NRI grooms. "Yahin ho jaaye to acchha". As if the indian bred avant garde engineering contingent did not even exist in the US. What fine husbands we might not make, helping in the kitchen, planning cross country trips and whipping out board games every night. Also, just imagine how poignantly hard it might be to make it small in a foreign country. How living next to millionaires, nobelists and olympic medalists may not already have whittled down techie egos. But this entire section of NRI society does not appear in the popular or unpopular media. Fire brand feminist Deepa Mehta, in 2008, released "Heaven on Earth", another cynical tale of an educated punjabi bahu yoked to a sickly often violent unemployed sikh-canadian groom, and here is where I feel up to my neck in feminist hype. Look, enough of this. Khoop zhaala he sagda says my friend Anil ; he is parked in my living room, periodically taking breaks from Nandan Nilekani's book.  He says in Bollywoodesque candor, Bohot ho gaya ye sab. Kuch karna padega. We need to resolve our internal differences attend to our exploding demographic problems.

All ye NGOs and filmmakers out there. Could you please make something less cynical ? Do you realize, how good the life of an NRI is in comparison to your average suburban mumbai ka chokra. Do you realize, the NRI crowd is quite diverse. What we need is a little compassion for the NRI millionaire. Could you make more Kal Ho Na Hos and American Desis, which by the way are also quite representative of NRIs, sections that do matter in this information age - we should not be cutting our own wood here.You do realize that NRIs grooms might be able to offer movie star lives, and they could also be intelligent fun people. Please also realize Desi public is easily disposed to complacency. Bad stereotypes would tip the argument a little too heavily against migration, and with that innovation could go boink. Unless, of course, we want to mitigate all the fine progress Indians have made in businessworld America.

Meenakshi Sheshadri's second life

For whatever it is worth, some people follow the lives of Bollywood's leading ladies well into their second, if not third, lives. Meenakshi used to be an old favorite of mine. The film that impressed me the most was Damini, but other than that, it was just the phenomenal charm of this talented Iyengar damsel from Jharkhand that etched solidly onto LTM. During my freshman year ragging at college, I made the mistake of mentioning her as a favorite, the one least forgettable. My aggressor leapt out at first, but just pulled back and quipped "bhen he, aur koi ?", and I rolled my eyes searching for names other than Madhuri. In that decade, she was pretty much the best looking, I thought. In an age where most actresses stereotypically marry billionaires, Madhuri married a rather upstart LA surgeon, about one twentieth or lesser in salary, and vanished from Bollywood. Since then, her #1 spot has remained vacant. I realized then, Meenakshi had executed a similar plan. She had picked a software engineer groom and settled in the US; IMHO a rather novel after life to a Bollywood career. In these days of desi opulence and cautioned NRI shy families, it is soothing to recollect what NRI grooms once meant to the Indian woman.

The lamp that lights the way

There are times when you need to recognize your geniuses. Even in a business dominated by the Telgu, the Kannadiga and various brahmin communities, some Gujaratis have made their presence felt.

Dewang Mehta, a chartered accountant by qualification, once thought he wanted to explore the media arts. In addition to his professional obligations, he worked with filmmaker Shyam Benegal, and maintained a keen interest in computer graphics and journalism. As chief of nascent Nascom he had a more successful career assisting then communications minister Pramod Mahajan foster innovation in the IT industry. He is accredited with relaxing regulations hurdling growth, eschewing long delays experienced by other sectors. Is he the man behind the scene, the brain behind "India's shining" ? Now deceased, Mehta is celebrated by the entire IT industry as torchbearer and thought leader.    

Sam Pitroda grew up the son of a middling carpenter in Orissa. His parents had enormous respect for the Mahatma and young Sam was schooled on national scholarships, awarded entirely on the basis of merit. Sam Pitroda is the forbearer of the indian IT revolution. Read wiki article for more trivia.  

The legendary Vikram Sarabhai, father figure and inspiration to all thought leader wannabes.

Soorat Unlimited

When Mom, Masi and Mamaji left for Soorat, I imagined the trio would return with stories from a different era - bumpy rides on horse drawn buggys and lambs squealing by gravelly paths. I was a bit surprised when their odyssey sounded more like a trip to Portola Valley. My distant cousins in Soorat whom I had never even heard of except, perhaps, while scaling the telescopic stretches of our genealogical tree, seem to have created a little self-sufficient universe for themselves there. One which, in many ways, emulates a Silicon Valley venture capitalist's home. A relatively close cousin of mine lives in the valley. He does not have a movie theatre in his basement. My mom saw 3 idiots for the 3d time in a private multiplex, and she feels inspired to build something on those lines. Sometimes, I wonder if it would have been easier to be a doctor, and to have owned a hospital of sorts. Even bankers do not make as much. These guys worked hard. They had almost as much as we did, if not lesser, when they started their hospital. Not just them, the entire town of Soorat is littered with luxurious homes.Thanks to the timeless gujarati spirit of enterprise, India might regain its "sone ki chidiya" glory someday, with Soorat as a diamond in its crown.

Is Chidambaram a shetty ?

I never get this thing exactly right. I know many Chidambarams who are highly educated, but it seems they are Chettiars, or something like Shetty from the town Chidambaram in Chettinad, Tamil Nadu. Did I get that right ? Gosh, this thing really puts me off. How do you identify someone's caste, without actually asking a native. Here are some places a foreign student or NRI could make blunders. Shashi Tharoor sounds similar to Shashi Kapoor. Only after his marriage to this enigmatic "businesswoman" Sunanda Pushkar, did I note that he is a Malayalee Nair, not a punjabi born in Kerala. Mira Nair aint not a nair but actually Mira Nayyar, a hardcore Punjabi. Ambani and Malani could be related to Balani but it turns out they are usually gujarati speakers from the Kutch in neighboring Saurashtra. Sachdeva sounds like a south Indian but is usually Sindhi from south. Maniar sounds like Nambiar but is not a south indian; is gujarati. Yes! Chittal sounds like Mittal, but is not an agraseni. The great musician Milind Chittal posted a note informing me he was something like "Chittar", a GSB from Karwar. I have made certain huge errors trying to come up with formulas to identify castes in India, for whatever it was worth; this effort promptly abandoned. It goes out of rhyme pretty often.

Learned Sobreity

Following his objections to the proposed Vedanta resources mining project in Orissa, a local newspaper dubbed environment and forestry minister Jairam Ramesh an Indian Dr. No.

Is Jairam Ramesh a Dr. No "Evil"

Ramesh is obstructing 622 projects, taking note of small print acknowledging environmental destruction and tribal displacement. One of these projects is the Navi Mumbai airport, from which I personally stand to benefit. I always regarded Jairam sahab as a hero. He is our man in New Delhi.  By 'our', I mean the engineering & medicine community; the educated middle class, la Mr Bhalla and Mr Wagle. Though, since he obstructed the Navi Mumbai proposal, I am beginning to suspect him and the entire highly educated south indian community, of a stereotypical bulldozing emphasis on high education and morals. Running down business interests can spare the nation in the sphere of education but yield sobering results on overall development. Clearly, the Sobra were never oblivious of the misgivings of federal bureaucracy. After all, it was diplomat Mani Shankar Aiyer, a former member of the Marxist society at Cambridge, his brother Swaminathan Ankleswar Aiyer, also an economist and columnist, and long term congress coalition cabinet minister P Chidambaram, who flushed opinion columns with meaningful comments helping India's confused intelligentsia through the early years of globalization. To his credit, Chidambaram has been on the board of directors of Vedanta resources and once represented the controversial Enron project. But he may be a little bit of an oulier.

P Chidambaram

Swami Aiyer

Mani Aiyer

My suspicion of Sobra interest in national development derives from the relative scarcity of Sobra owned businesses. With no malice to any community, can we ask why the Sobra have stayed way behind the "gang of four" namely the Marwaris, the Gujaratis, the Sindhis and the Punjabis. Here is a list of the most prominent Indian business people : 
1. Ambanis of Reliance
2. Birlas
3. Laxmi Mittal of Arcelor Mittal
4. Tatas
5. Godrej
6. Jindals
7. Mallya of Kingfisher
8. Ruias of Essar group
9. Agarwals of Vedanta
10. Jagtiani of Landmark
11. Hindujas
12. NarayanaMurthy of Infosys
13. Azim Premji of Wipro
14. Tulsi Tanti of Suzlon
15. Sabeer Bhatia of Hotmail
16. Hiranandani of Hiranandani builders
17. Rahejas of Raheja builders
18. Grandhi Mallikarjun Rao of GMR
19. TVS Srinivasan of TVS
20. Oberoi

Note that NarayanaMurthy is an accidental businessman. GMR is focussed on the rather federalistic business of national infrastructure development and maintenance. Mallya is a party man and poster boy of liberal capitalism.  All are unconventional. If you look at the list, it is dominated by the gang of four plus parsis and bohris. The latter are speakers of Gujarati.

Real Estate developer Tarneja needs to grease Commissioner DeMello in Kundan Shah's classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron

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Harpreet Singh Bedi, an unlikely CEO

Karthik Shankar : stuck in second tier, despite being a topper

Kulwant Bhatia( Manmeet Singh) asks a suited-booted presenter : what are the effects of floating long term debt in a potentially inflationary economy. The lady sitting by lowers her nose rims "do you know anything about inventory management ?". Yes, Indiabulls is creating smart investors.

Here is a link to the Manmeet Singh Indiabulls ads. Although Punjabis and Sindhis have sparked ire over media portrayals of their ilk as stereotypical back benchers, they have never thanked the media for advertising their stereotypical leadership skills, which matter more in the business world.  Either fortunately or unfortunately, both sides of the stereotype might hold up against the morass of empirical data. The Sobra however, are comfortable with their academic genius, musically gifted conservative-moralist image.

But is it true that the Sobra community intends to obstruct India's economic progress ? In the the light of the fact that there are a number of pejoratives associated with being highly educated in the business world, it is possible that prejudice may exist on the side of the businessman as well. The learned men in white linen need to get their hands dirty; without that it is unlikely that the seemingly undereducated business community of India will lose its thought leadership.

Is the SS putting mumbaiites over profits ?

SS(Shiv Sena) activists are known to devour neighborhoods like Amazonian Piranha. At other times they feed on constricting liberals. Since when did they put the environment above people ?  They seem to be obstructing the Navi Mumbai project with green vigor.

Look who's going green

Arun Shourie, journalist, social commentator and politician dedicated state funds towards environmental friendliness :

http://www.iitk.ac.in/news/ese/


 

To deforest or not to

Recently, I encountered a classical dilemma. I had invested in some property next to an upcoming airport. With the initiation of the promised construction, the land would rise in value. I learnt lately that there is a small hitch. The area is a mangrove reserve and various environmental organizations have been lodging letters of protest against the constructive act. The green brigade has a point or two about saving the environment that I might like to empathize with. In principle real estate geeks like myself could even be green freaks, but were the airport project to not take off, the implications on my personal health, wealth and happiness look less than beckoning. What if I was the sole arbitrator. Would I allow the construction ? The dilemma is smarting my wits. Am I unthinkingly contributin to a Mad Max future while profiting on paper ?   To a silicon valley suburban resident, there is no contradiction between an appetite for construction and green friendliness. Why in this country is every construction project in abeyance on such grounds. It would be easier if  we could just blame it on politicians. They always pick controversial land to do their development. Or maybe a section of the green freaks, an otherwise liked minority in Hindu dominated india; they are hell bent on finding some or the other issue with every major developmental project. I tell you, it is the neo-ludditism that keeps this country down. Look at the chinese. Or even the malayasians. They are getting ahead of us, if not way ahead of us. Arre koi kuch karo.

Hiranandani in trouble

Real estate moghul and doctor Niranjan Hiranandani looks like he is on the run:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/CBI-issues-look-out-notices-to-airports-against-Hiranandanis/articleshow/6252154.cms

CEO Profile : Bhavin Thurakia

Check out entrepreneurial geeks Bhavin and Divyank. They started from scratch in college. Directi.com today is worth more than $300 million and growing.

East meeting west

Karsh Kale and Buddha Bar (album cover)

What brought pentagram vocalist Vishal Dadlani and classical musician Shekhar Ravijiani to compose together is probably fickle chance but they appear to have struck the right chords. With 'I hate love stories', the duo who prefer to sign off as Vishal-Shekhar have created another popular album to follow up the retro-remix mood of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno' and OSO. Over the years have tried listening to various fusion artists. I remember pulling out Shakti, Buddha Bar and Karsh Kale labeled CDs with great curiosity. More often than not the discs bounced back into their dust jackets returning me to my prosaic little island of quaint compositions.


(clockwise) Vishal and Shekhar, Atif Aslam, Sukhwinder, S-E-L, Kailash Kher Rahman





Bollywood music since Rahman filled in the gap in an adorable way. Shankar, Ehsan and Loy, a trio with classical and western classical expertise appeared with a few notable scores. It is an arena we could interpret as fusion, for lack of a better alternative. Maybe it is because of our jugalbandi tradition and the strict popularity meter aur audience imposes on film music that these hybrid products could well be among the best in the world of fusion music.

Punjabi Humpty Dumpty

Humphty Dumphty sat on a wall,
Humphty Dumphty had a great fall,
All the kings' horses, all the kings' men Couldn't put Humphty Dumphty together again

Punjabi Translation:
बाबा करनैल सिंह बैठा सी दूकान ते'
बाबा करनैल सिंह दिग्ग्य धडाम से,
पिंड दे लोग फिर आ के कहां लग्गे,
बाबा करनैल सिंह ते गया हूँ काम से

'Baa Baa Black sheep have you any wool?'
'Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for the master, one for the dame, And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.'

Punjabi Translation:
'कलि भेद, कलि भेद, है कुच्छ उन्?'
'हाँ भाई,हाँ भाई, तिन पानदान गिन,
एक तेरे वास्ते, एक तेरी वोटी ली एक उस मूंदे ली ! जेहरा खरा रस्ते'.

'Pussy cat Pussy cat, where have you been?'
'I have been to London to see the Queen'
'Pussy cat Pussy cat what did you there?'
'I frightened a little mouse under the chair!'

Punjabi Translation:
'मनो बिल्ली, मनो बिल्ली, किथे गई सी?'
'रानी जी नु मिलन मैं विलायत गई सी'
'की चन चरेय तू ओथे जा के?'
'घर वापिस आ गई मैं चूहे खा के!'

A brief history of IIT Mumbai

Monastery, Sanctuary, Laboratory (Rohit Manchanda)



A book about IIT mumbai: http://www.easternbookcorporation.com/moreinfo.php?txt_searchstring=16310
got me thinking about IIT alumni and their contribution to the industry. The book is written in the style of narrative history. It traces IIT's history from its inception following the seed soviet UNESCO grant to its unarguable prominence in IT symbolized by Nilekani and Nrayan Murthy's grand success. I have been googling for anecdotes related to IT, ITans, IIT and IITans.

Both Nilekani and Narayan Murthy happen to be of Karnataki origin with strong links to Bangalore, where their empire is based. Both had been influenced by some shade of socialistic thinking. Here is a wiki article about Fabian socialism which is the philosophy Nandan Nilekani's pop subscribed to. I prefer a lighter word like altruistic federalism to describe their orientation in life.
Suprisingly, distinguished applied mathematician Narendra Karmarkar (right below) existed at the same time as Nilekani, who is the other super distinguished alumni as noted by the book. Here is an anecdote I found about these luminaries :

"Here I will describe a few incidents (will add more later if I have the time) that will throw some more light on Nandan Nilekani's personality and why I thought highly of him. Nandan Nilekani Leads Narendra KarmarkarIt was a rare event. Karmarkar, Nilekani, Somnath Sinha (likely or was it Prem Kamble?) and I were assigned to the same group in our electronic circuit design lab course by a professor who wanted balanced groups. Normally, toppers didn't associate with non-toppers. Here was poor Karmarkar in risk of losing a grade point or two and jeopardizing his chances of getting the president's gold medal. Whatever thoughts crossed his mind, outwardly he remained calm. We had a meeting to decide on our shares of the workload. I was quite enthusiastic, as was the case with me during the first week of most semesters, and proposed a fairly equitable distribution of work. Nobody else said much and the meeting was adjourned.After that Nandan left with me towards our hostels and then asked me in his Bombay Hindi, what was I trying to do. I asked him to explain what he meant. He asked me why din't I leave technical work to Narendra Karmarkar who was best suited for it and we manage the project. At beginning I didn't like this idea since I wanted to learn and contribute too. However, I agreed to his idea. In our next meeting Nandan proposed a solution that passed on major share of the lab work to Narendra Karmarkar and he seeemd happy about it. At the end of the semester when my grade report card showed an A for that course, I too was happy."

Jairam Ramesh (top left), Kanwal Rehi(top right) and Jug Mundhra (bottom left)

Manchanda's book leaves out a few colorful products. Jairam Ramesh (senior politician), Jug Mundhra ( B movie maker in LA), Kanwal Rekhi (venture capitalist) are not in view.

Music and the mind

Known well is that prodigious mathematician Manjul Bhargava plays the Tabla professionally . A few others, lesser known :
Ravi Dattatreya : Emmanuel Derman mentions Raavi as his mentor at Saloman Brothers. Ravi hails from Karnataka and studied OR at IISc and Berkeley. He now runs a fusion factory with Russians http://www.ravalex.net/
Arun Dravid : IIT/PhD MIT chemical engineer, stood first in his class at IIT while studying hindustani vocals in the Jaipur Atrauli tradition with Kishori Amonkar and her mom Mogubai Kordikar.

Hum Naujawan (1985)

This is a movie you do not want to miss. Dev Anand plays Hans, principal of Oceanic college. Hans is an idealist. He exhorts his students to abide by good moral values and culitivate good study habits. Hans deplores smoking, drinking and partying. Most students love him. But despite this popularity, he has his enemies. Prodigal Shammi (Atlee Brar), son of major national politician Desai (Lagoo), rallies a bratpack of amoral wasted youths against him. These rambunctious party animals prefer indulging in cigarette, daru and 'kothas' (places of ill repute) to books and lectures. One day Hans's daughter Priya (played by debutante Tabu) is found murdered and the autopsy reveals a rape. An underwear and a caricature taunting Hans, both with fingerprints of the suspected, are also discovered. The rest of the drama is a tale of vengeance. It is the tale of a man caught in a decript social system that systematically misguides youngsters. Can Hans wade through the intricate web of political connections that refuses to chastise the powerful ? इन् सब सवालों के जवाब के लिए देखिये हम नौजवान. An amazing performance by Dev sahab and drop out actress Richa Sharma known to Page 3 geeks as Sanjay Dutt's long term wife.

Prof Apoorva Patel

Check out Dr. Apoorva Patel's page.
http://cts.iisc.ernet.in/Personnel/adpatel.html
He now has a note on his time at IIT.
http://cts.iisc.ernet.in/Personnel/adpatel/Apoorva_Patel.pdf

paranjpe trivia

Some may be surprised to know that director Sai Paranjpe, the director of films like Sparsh, Chashme Baddoor and Disha, is the daughter of a Russian artist and an Indian film actress. Her name originates from her second father R P Paranjpe, better known in Maharashtra as Wrangler Paranjpe. Wrangler Paranjpe was a Cambridge educated Mathematician and administrator. He is an enduring cult symbol in the state.

रोज रात का राडा

रात को राडा हो गया। पोलिसे आया। अर्रेस्ट बर्रेस्ट नहीं हुआ पण राजू को बोहोत देर तक सताया। If you've come across people from all walks of life in Mumbai, you might be quite familiar with Munna speak. I grew up in a quiet middle income lakeside neighborhood near the rustic outskirts of what was then Mumbai. So it amused and depressed me when we came across individuals who lived in colonies which were a lot poorer or more 'illiterate' and who described in tragi-comedic frustration the vagaries that affected the communities they lived in; someone was found singing konkani songs under a copious overdose of whisky, someone got mugged on the way home, someone got arrested or someone got brutally mauled. At these times, I thanked my parents and grand parents for being boring and diligent, for working their way through the system and for raising us in morally sanitized neighborhoods. An antagonism would be the worst mess we would face. We would head for the shores of foreign countries an order of magnitude saner in their civic conduct. We would live there not knowing shortages, having to ourselves a piece of unaffected land in a green haven and commuting at odd hours without fear. When we returned back home, hit a local poolroom to rub shoulders with some of those we had left behind, we would feel like movie stars in suits. Sure, they can say that corporate lives are fake and needlessly enervating but, I would say, the sanity they offer is heaven in comparison to your daily dose of maximum city. Dealing with organized crime for these less fortunate brethren is not an extreme event. It is something like a daily chai or cigarette. Roj ka hai. And that is why they wish their parents could have been successful people at any cost. At the cost of breaking queues, at the cost of a guilty conscience and at the cost of their family jewels. So that they could have been blessed with the life of an actual doctor, not a society ka doctor. I walk by the table, changing sides restlessly. Perhaps I resemble a greek or a persian, a moghul or a rajput or maybe an english babu. I wonder if this is the thought that reverberates in the stifled pool room. It shakes my faith in law as a paradigm. What if one of these brawny pakyas decide to rob or kill me ? Thankfully, I am a small fly. There are better targets in the vicinity. Worst case possibilities are usually not a healthy consideration in life but I am still grim. I feel arrested. What if this were the philosophy that our youngsters wake up to. To raise clean shaven bankers and doctors, you must first obtain necessary resources which could be done by any means available. It seems oxymoronic. But it is probably just cryptic if not logical.

Power on Demand

Recently visited our farmhouse near Shahpur, south of mumbai. This time I noticed the diesel generators that power this "pollution free" region. The air is clean and the land green. But you can hear them grinding away when in any office. Even the police station has one, rated at 750 VA. It is loud but it does the job. I checked with a relative of mine. He owns a small industry in this area. It is the most convenient thing. Every day between 10 AM and 4 PM, there is no power in the mains. Occupying a tiny chamber next to his factory, it generates a 50 KvA with ease and produces unit kWh at about 11 Rs, about twice the cost of government power. Diesel is the major expense. He says he does not care if he lost the unit. Power is available on demand and for the convenience, the pollution and the cost bump may well be worth it.

PAL to NTSC

It is pleasing to see my 4 year old LCD TV being used at home in Mumbai. I find it bit hard to bear the sight of people throwing equipment without excellent reasons. This one was bought in NY 2006 and when I moved to Singapore, I figured it could be used with a TV tuner box (obviating a PCMCIA and a dedicated computer) which would convert anything to VGA through AV cables. This approach works - in case you happen to be a curious web surfer googling out conversion of PAL2NTSC. I was a little unsure how easy to use it might be to my parents and how durable the box might not turn out to be. But with Tata SKY it is very straightforward, and the box which you can get in any good hardware store has lasted well over an year now.

LED DLP micro projectors

I bought Samsung P410M SVGA (800X600) "pocket projector". It is about 2 pounds with wiring and fits into your palm. We could blow up DVD prints to 60-70 inches and it can look good except for rendering darks which is a minor bother. For VCD a 40-50 inch size is better. You cannot compare the quality with LED TV but the portability compensates.

Mumbai Blues

What if you returned home after 14 years and found everything you had left virtually undisturbed. Perhaps I am striking a chord with Nagesh Kukkunoor's character in 'Blues. As his low budgest flick has it, the then 35 yr old engineer had bored himself away and although he had a good life in Atlanta driving a lexus, living in a mansion all to himself and working as a senior chemical engineer at Coke, he wished he could time travel 15 years back into his pre college shoes. There are his friends, his family, his Bo Derek wallpapers and quite possibly more importantly a hopeful love life. I guess you do not see charming indian MDs riding kinetic on the Atlanta turnpike.

delhi power woes

Every once in a while u hear people harping about it. Rajdhani mein bijlee ki problem. This time it was from my brothers' prospective father in law. He whines about power cuts all the time. They could happen at a critical time. I hope not to experience a monsoon wedding like situation. The lights just went out. Hopefully it is a wire trip but god forbid it could be another 6 hour power cut. What if it happens in the summer at formidable temperatures of 40 C and above ? How do delhiites chill in the summers. Maybe they do not. Relatedly, what about people who cannot afford generators or trips to barista. Uttaranchal might have helped but the capital city and much of the north indian hinterland is still quite powerless. Maybe parabolic concentrators are the solution. Maybe thin film PV's which are around the corner. They could help reduce the cost of solar conversion consuming land and wall space instead of expensive silicon. It is such an embarrassment that our rajdhani unlike for example Kuala Lumpur breathes heavily at every picture perfect moment. Rings are about to be exchanged. Pepole are waiting with bated breath. Bhagwan, aur dus saal power mat dena par abhi mat kaatna.

Thin film PV and such

A couple of years earlier, a google funded startup called Nanosolar, based in Palo Alto, had claimed that solar power could become a lot cheaper with the development of thin film PV's. Another company Flisom in Europe, led by Ayodhya Tiwari and Anil Sethi, similarly claimed that in a few years this cost may become comparable to conventional sources. It appears many indian firms have already started investing heavily in thin film PV production. It was rumored that China is building a large permanent magnet levitated wind turbine which would be more efficient and cost less to maintain. But later this was proven to be a hoax. But the idea is cool. Low maintenance would make this more attractive, especially near the coasts where wind momentum is consistent. Designed well wind power can take India far because with low capital depreciation, power generated can be considered free. Nuclear power seems to be one major alternative. With time there are companies supplying pico plants. I would not want to risk being nuked but it is probably a sound alternative.

O Brother, where art thou

My brother is finally visiting me. I have always met him in Pune where he was based. This is his first overseas trip and I am dying to impress him with first world life. Finally comes at a great time. We are both engaged. He is set in his career, getting good reviews from his manager and I finally have the time to think of pursuing my own enterprise(s). Best of all he has given up his chimerical aspirations of becoming classical musician. Both my father and I introduced him to classical music - Jaipur gharana and Mansour were our favorites then. He became interested and later committed to pursuing music full time. Although later, he gradually weaned off classical and became interested in middle of the road fusion music. His classmate Arnab Chakravarty who is now a distinguished classical musician having learnt from Buddhadeb Dasgupta in California was a continuing source of inspiration. Life situations also help. Content that he had a maid to take care of him, understanding affluent parents and a house by way of inheritance, it was not hard to take a backseat in career. He sat through science college hoping someday he would be awarded an interesting and potentially nobel prize winning project which would stroke him into action. It took me a lot of work to get him to understand that science and music require a lot of initiative, something he claimed not to have. You are better of taking up a simple profession and exploring prospects of greatness by the side. He took a private masters in computer programming and started coding professionally. I had to use Milind Chittal as an example - a chartered accountant who had acquired fame as a classical vocalist, to keep him focused on his coding. From then to now, it has been a marathon ride. He now writes code with people from engineering backgrounds, who might otherwise have been 10 years his superiors. I feel like saying, Wah ustad wah.

Around the World

Found a rather good travel series - BBC and Cruickshank go to 80 patel points in "Around the World in 80 historical sites". The images are good and the narration is optimal. Makes it worth watching. I saw Visions of Greece from the Visions series. Again very good images - taken from a helicopter mounted camera. Visions is a good series but focussed on Europe. I hated IMAX, the little I saw of it because it had too much narration and none of the IMAX films were focussed on patel points. One note I have made from Baraka is that it helps not to contrive a story or a grandiose theme out of a geographical and historical site.

Startup or desk job

You have a job that pays well and a group of colleagues that you like. You get good projects, career progression opportunities in time, a good life. Why would you contemplate building a startup. That is the question I face from friends and colleagues. I do get encouragement, often from unexpected sources. There is my housemate Harold who thinks having your own firm could be vastly more satisfying IF you can be successful. Some have told me it is entirely worth having a go at the 5 million jackpot even if you fail. Were it not for the big IFs. How many businesses in India end up folded leaving their founders in bankruptcy. You can lose your family jewels if not your shirt. Money making is never risk free. But it still seems enticing, given I worked at a desk job for four years after 5 years of a gruelling PhD program. Desk jobs are awesome because you end up making some powerful contacts and get a few prominent firms on your resume but then there is often the issue of what you can own. Interestingly enough, I find my cousin, about 10 years my junior, in the same situation. A graduate of the London Metropolitan University, he is embarking on a biotechnology production unit. My uncle and aunt have been practicing doctors for the last 20 years and they have some finance to offer. But how to get it all working is the question. Among the few things I like about this young fellow is that he is also spending more of his time and money pursuing hobbies now that he has made up his mind not to study further. Done with one stage and on with another, a little bit of fun in the interregnum. His latest acquisition is a billiards table. I could use that when back home. We have another common project - to claim a share of our ancestral property. My grandfather left a huge haveli of which half would be shared between four brothers including my father who is the eldest. But all of it is in the name of the second eldest who has been handling the family business. It is for our generation to negotiate a fair deal for the two doctor families since our seniors are not interested in getting into an argument. That is another project.

Travel Shows

Have been searching for good travel shows to help plan a world tour sometime in the next 2 years. I was inspired by my cousin who works as a programmer in the silicon valley. He and my sister in law took a long break between their US citizenship and the first child. They chose Africa, latin America and SE asia which they thought would be hard at a late age. Here is a couple that has travelled the world, yet never been to Paris ! They decided to bias themselves to non tourist places. The collection of negatives they returned back with were slide shown on a film projector for the rest of us. Some images were breathtaking and replicated the visual joy of visiting Africa. Of course, not a substitute for the "real thing" but if only you could get a high resolution movie for every major site you wished to visit, maybe something like IMAX with to the point narration. That got me to search the library catalogue and the web for quality travel shows. I did not like Francesco's trip to the mediterranean aired on BBC, nor too much the Destination series. The hosts talk too much and the focus of these shows is not the touristy places that one would pay to visit but wherever the traveller goes. I realize there is a difference between a traveller and a tourist. I probably fall in the latter category. I had also seen Ron Fricke's Baraka. Produced with a small 4 million dollar budget, this lavish film consists of artistic wide angle clips of many major religious and cultural destinations. It includes some interesting time lapse photography taken with an automated camera. Since this is an art film, there is no narration or causality. It is an exercise to identify the locations. I wish I could get some technically gifted people to make IMAX quality clips of all the major "patel points" and release them on Blue Ray. Maybe some day you could go to your neighborhood dome theatre and virtually walk through inaccessible places in Latin America, Southern & Eastern Europe and Africa.