What do you say to a know-it-all lady with anger management issues?
Nothing.
You make an easily understandable no-nonsense poster for her.
The unsolved mathematics behind replacing JEE and AIEEE with ISEET
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aSphalt
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Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Photo By: Mohi Narayan
Scrapping JEE and AIEEE is no joke. To what extent is it justified? One needs to ponder over it. What necessitates replacement of JEE with ISEET? And, why is this proposal being pushed in such a hurry?
Ministry of HRD has grievances – much to state the unexplainable stress management – against the pattern of JEE. There, Kapil Sibbal poses, in volumes, about (ISEET) Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test. This new entrance exam, based on the lines of SAT, aims to unify multiple entrance examinations – not counting private engineering colleges which have yet not joined the “cause” as maintained by the minister – putting forth a question that how this step unifies the already hassle free AIEEE and JEE leaving aside hundreds of other entrance exams of different private institutes with a pair of ‘E’ at the end of their spellings.
Scrapping JEE and AIEEE is no joke. With such a step, one is deconstructing the gateways to the top institutions of the country, the IITs and the NITs. To what extent is it justified? The obvious reasons pointed out by Sibbal are as debatable as the ministry itself. One needs to ponder over it. What necessitates replacement of JEE with ISEET? Stress levels? Even the examinees hesitate to buy that. Doing away with multiple entrance exams? Bring private institutions under it.
Ignored by the ministry, India has been facing dilution of private institutions which could have stood tall with the IITs. The reasons are more obvious than those pointed out against JEE. Admissions are largely invited under the management quota for which parents pay gaily. Moreover, the government seems to be too ignorant to notice the ever increasing number of engineering colleges across the country – without proper structure and faculty – producing a mammoth pool of less competent engineers. Parents are ready to pay even for those. Education mafia in India has penetrated deep into the minds of the ignorant mass. And, everyone seem to have got accustomed with it. Needless to infer that the future awaits more unemployed youth.
The ministry, however, is obtuse about all other affairs and seems to be more concerned about scrapping JEE to reduce stress levels and to reduce number of coaching centers – another issue magically coined by them. The latter appears to be doubtful as advertisements of ISEET coaching have already been set afloat in the “markets”. The former, on the other hand, would lead us to one of the profound implications of introducing aptitude test in engineering entrance exams: the ministry must have had constructively planned to recruit new faculty at IITs and NITs who would indulge into teaching graphs and fundamentals of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics to the students possessed of aptitude. Faculty is yet another thorny issue that this front has been facing since years. Not just the IITs, almost all the Universities are malfunctioning in acute shortage of proper faculty.
There was no need to disturb the well established and the most reputed, oldest chain of educational institutions of the country. The ministry could have proposed recruitment of quality faculty or any step to raise the standards of private institutions would have been a much more sensible and appreciable effort. And, why this proposal is being pushed in such a hurry? It took the Janlokpal over 60 years and few fast unto death fiascos to come into light, after all.
Avengers. IMAX 3D Dubai. Shit just got Real!
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entertainment
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And before I begin, let me give a humble advice to all. If you want to try the IMAX 3D experience, choose superhero movies. Or better choose superheroes’ movie.
Or best, choose The Avengers.
I have seen quite a lot of 3D movies before, and more often than not, have returned home either with a ringing headache or a thoroughly unsatisfied experience, thanks to the blurry flimsy 3D glasses that apologize for having sat on your nose.
But this movie in IMAX 3D, as Captain America says for Loki, “grows on you.”
Script-wise, there is nothing new. The same old story – one earth with powerless junta, one super-crazy villain desperate to rule them all, only to be defeated by a bunch of guys with superhuman powers, who happen to be at the right place at the right time.
Now, add to this bland cliché of a story a sensible development, portrayal and handling of the individual characters of the superheroes. They are not an army. The are one-man-army. All of them. You see them individually. It feels the right way, as if every superhero is unbeatable in his own might, instead of being in a forced hierarchy.
Captain America (Chris Evans) looks alienated as ever, getting nostalgic about the war era he actually belongs to. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is strong, and he’s proud of being a God. It shows. Hawkeye plays different anyways, as he fights for Loki in most parts of the movie. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) impresses with her interrogating powers.
But three characters surface real good in the movie.
The second is the incredible Hulk/ Dr. Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Ruffalo replaces Edward Norton in this flick. This Hulk is a bit more intelligent ( or less dumb, to say it in a better way), and it turns out that he has learnt a way to control his emotions ( sniff sniff… another hulk sequel on the cards?) Ruffalo fits Hulk. In a strange way. May be it’s the immense calm on his face, stemming out of the assurance of raw power inside.
And finally, we have none other than Loki. The Loki. The adopted son of a God! Tom Hiddleston plays Loki in this movie in a subtler, graver way. You can smell the hunger for power, the jealousy for respect and the hunt for approval which would feed his self esteem at last. People are saying that they saw a hint of Joker in him.
The meticulousness, yes. The humor, No.
But Loki anyways doesn’t crack satirical jokes. He wears a two horned helmet and is dead serious about ruling the earth. You cannot and should not compare two super-villains whose motives are very different. The joker was a mad dog running after cars, remember?
All in all, a power packed flick. There are some lows in the movie, like, you wonder what the hell is the Black Widow doing among the Super-Guys, when she’s neither a Superhuman, nor a crazy genius of a scientist (She’s an overhyped spy). Cobie Smulders (our favorite Robin) has been terribly wasted. And the plot becomes very predictable when the US army launches a nuclear missile!
Nevertheless, these small tid bits are taken care of when you add to it all the amazing experience of IMAX 3D.
I remember jumping back in my seat when the Hawk-eye shot an arrow right into my eye-balls right inside the one and only IMAX 3D theater of the entire United Arab Emirates.
And I swear it almost hit me in my left eye!!!
What’s the connection between the Arab culture and a disposable razor?
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travel
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So the other day, I was working in my office, trying to ponder over why disposable razors are not a craze in India (we prefer system razors with spare cartridges refills), while in arab countries, they sell like hot cakes.
And then, like any other post-lunch-yawn-filled office hour, my train of thoughts led me to think about the way people behave in UAE in general and Dubai in particular, and compare it with the rest of the world. And I reached a dilemma. But we’ll get back to it later.
For now, the only word that comes in my mind when I think of the Arab culture is…
“Conservative”. Yeah, I know you had already guessed it.
The people here are proud of their culture. And they should be. Hell, I am, for my country’s culture.
But there seems to be a sense of unusual continuation. And there are contradictions. For example, it makes sense to wear white robes with heads covered when walking under the hot sun in desert areas. But if you have left the hot deserts for air-conditioned malls and camels for the BMWs and the Ferraris, why not adapt the attire too?
That’s for us to wonder and them to know.
Moreover, how much sense does it make for the ladies to wear all black then. Even in the desert in the first place. I visited Dubai museum. Couldn’t help but marvel at the commendable hard-work they have put into building a city from almost scratch. Extremely persevering people the arabs are, I must say.
But then you also see the traditional statues. You just can not miss the extreme slave-like appearances of the traditional arab women folk. The picture below shows a display in the Dubai museum:
You can see a man and a woman in the picture above. No, wait, you can’t. I ain’t a burqa-critic, but I would like to understand the reason behind this immense protection. It leaves me with two ideas:
- Either the arabs consider their women so precious that they don’t want to share them with the world.
- Or the arabs consider their women as slaves. Since the beginning.
I would like to believe the first one. Whatever may be the reason, UAE is not a honeymoon destination, for sure. Not even for the Indian Muslims. The culture shock is just too much to handle.
The Arabs are very closed about their culture. They would have banned tourism had it not brought money into their economy. The laws are different, the expectations are different and the living is different. Even in the age when the entire world is becoming a global village, the arabia stands tall with a separate Burj Khalifa.
Whether the arab culture is better or worse, I am not qualified enough to comment on. But yes, they are a conservative bunch of people. You can see them, but all hell would break loose if you touch them. Like the displays in the museums say.
And that brings me to my sweet little confusion. If the Arab people are this conservative, why is the disposable razor such a rage here, even among the ladies? In India, we are more used to the razors with a static handle and keep changing cartridges, while here people throw away the entire thing after using.
Not conservatism. After all the disposable razor advocates the ‘Use and Throw’ mode of life. For both men and women.
Does it say something about the hidden aspirations of the sanctuary of a civilization or am I just being a cynic?
That’s for me to wonder and them to know.
Alok K.
P.S. I didn’t have any intention of maligning any culture while posting this article.
Google’s Project Glass: Are we ready for it?
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tech
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Does anybody remember Alex James Murphy, the cyborg police officer of Detroit? Our very own RoboCop? Google’s augmented reality glass reminds me of him. Especially, when a virtual overlay map starts giving you directions on the road, you video talk to your boss on the go, you reply to emails in the middle of a meeting, you click pictures by blinking your eye while passing by a hill, you fill an empty plot with a virtual image of your dream house and what not, without any obtrusive headgear. As a matter of fact, you do so without holding a single device like those of smartphones and tabs in your hands.
It’s small piece of eyewear magically wrapped around your head to connect your real and virtual world; doesn’t sound like present like photo copier of Mission Impossible 4 Ghost Protocol. All my childhood fantasies seem to find a spectacle. Literally. Yes gentlemen, this is the future!
Project glass will be one of the biggest breakthroughs in the AR technology. Gone are the days when we talked about VR (virtual reality). The next decade would witness such breakthroughs one after another. From nanobots to flying cars to driverless automated vehicles, the future is all set for a fantastic cyber advancement. It would be interesting to watch the biggies competing over augmented reality technology. Who and What after Google, if project glass succeeds? We will definitely miss Steve Jobs in this war yet to happen.
The question hits, are we ready for the change? It does sound amazing to have an unobtrusive eyegear that will enable us to interact and digitally manipulate the information about the surrounding real world but do we really need such a gear? Forget hazards caused to eyes, there can be issues with the extreme nature of this project. What I mean is, it will definitely take over us inevitably with the projected exhaustive list of functions and as shown in the Project Glass Video released by Google. Are our brains programmed to handle this kind of information overload and multitasking all the time? The bigger question, are we ready to convert ourselves to cyborgs?
The tale is twisted from one side. Project glass is a way to what has been shown on celluloid since the dawn of VR technology. We have fantasized about it, so why can’t we have it?
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
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literature
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As I read the name out loud, “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”, I did realize that this book has something deep attached to it, an emotion unexpressed. Plus, the CROSSWORD Recommends sticker on it and a piece of information that it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2007, made me take the book to the cashier, and back to my pad.
Most of the scripts and storylines post 9/11 had a typical ink scent that made them cliché after a time.
Mohsin Hamid looks at it in an entirely refreshing way.
First, the writing style of the book is right from the author’s pen. The first person monologue intrigues you more than any multilingual dialogue would be able to.
The Pakistani stranger ,Changez ,talks to an American Tourist at a Lahore Café, unfolding his entire biography about the time spent in the States. How he graduated Princeton with the best of grades, was hired by a top notch company Underwood Samson, and how he fell into the rat trap of the world; how he gradually got in love with Erica, and what led further to a tragic end of a realistic love story.
The protagonist manipulates your moods well along a sine curve, by coming back from his story to the happenings in the café around him, and then back to the serious issues of his life. He opens up to us his honest foreign insight of an alien land.
The way Mohsin writes simply makes your lips curve upwards every now and then. You would certainly appreciate his detailed observations of things we overlook, and the textual elegance with which he puts everything into a richly decorated sentence.
The book looks at various facets through a new pair of eyes- relationships and their effect on us, competing with the never ending competition itself, the global turmoil post 9/11, politics, perceptions, changes, existing fundamentals, and the metamorphosis into an Islamic fundamentalist.
As crossword did, even I would recommend the book to you. Take time to read it. Cherish every sentence. I love the kind of books which gift you with sentences that linger in your mind. Another such recommendation from my side would be ‘The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch’.
P.S. I came across this interesting analysis of the naming pattern followed in the book.
Underwood Samson- Uncle Sam, United States ; reporting one side of the USA, the fast and moving life, nose to nose competition and its associated enjoyment.
And Erica- from America, the other side of the dime, the slow paced love life, the emotions, the need for spending time with your loved ones.
As we come round to the end of the book, we see loads of changes in Changez (obvious now?), which of course I won’t reveal here, but leave for you to find out.
Of Belly Dances in Arabian Nights: The Dubai Desert Safari
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travel
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That random summer placement procedure had once decided that I was going to do my summer internship in Dubai.
And some six months later, I was actually in a desert near Dubai, reclining back on a muslin cushion, watching live performance of a Belly Dancer, who was shaking her hips on wavy arabian tunes, while my friends were busy filling their memory cards with the images and videos.
I came back to my senses, and took out my faithful SONY H55.
It made a whirring sound as the lens opened its eyes. I could not take off my eyes from the belly dance, hence shot the video without even looking at the screen!
Here’s the youtube link to a 3 minute long recording. Pardon the occasional camera swings!
Okay, now that you have watched the climax of the desert safari, let’s begin from where it all began. Dubai’s weekends start from friday itself (that’s the norm in most islamic countries). We didn’t want to waste our first weekend, and hence decided to kick start the fun with a full fledged desert safari in the Hatta Oman desert near Dubai.
The dune bashing:
Banned in Australia, and ultra-addictive in the Middle east; that’s dune bashing for you. Having had the experience of drifting cars in nfs games (if it even counted as an experience), we started our desert safari with a Land Cruiser, literally drifting on the elusive edges of mighty dunes. Every time the cruiser took a sharp turn, we would be flung to our sides, and fine sand would dance noisily in front of the windows.
The driver was an arabian guy who had warned us that in case we puked, we would be fined 500 dirhams (In Indian currency, that’s around Rs. 7000!!!). The arabian music blaring loudly in the SUV didn’t help either!
We didn’t puke. One doesn’t puke when ecstatic.
The Sand Surfing:
Now this was something I had never done in my life. Surfing on slippery sands is something one needs to experience to appreciate. It looks adventurous, but when you do it, it’s sheer fun!
All you need to do is to balance yourself on a rickety surfing-board which is slipping uncontrollably on fine sands. And yes, you may fall on your face if you don’t balance yourself good. Easy, ain’t it?
The quintessential camel ride:
Now this one was a disappointment. Three camels tied to one another, walking slowly for less than 5 minutes, and voila, your camel ride has ended.
We were left begging for more!
The calm evening on a calm dry desert:
Tired of everything, we spent the next half an hour just sitting on the fine sands, doing nothing. It feels strange when you do nothing. Arbit ideas come in your mind.
“What am I doing in this random desert near a random city in a random country!” I got reminded of India. This place is not very different. Same people, just different clothes and slightly accented voices. :D
Anyways, I captured some more pics.
The Belly Dance!!!
While we were lazing around in the sands, this loud arabian music started coming from near the stage. Somebody said, “It has begun!!!”
We came down the dune and entered the ‘Majlis’. A large Square Kaleen was lying around which muslin cushions were kept. Some of us sat while the others checked things around. The loud arabian music faded to light beats.
The belly dancer came.
The next hour saw us watching the dance totally mesmerized, while she swung her hips and belly along the serpentine tunes of that arabian song; as if she was riding on waves.
“Waves of Sand. Sands of Time.”
Here are some pics of the performance. They are not NSFW, but parental advisory might be needed. ;)
All in all, this desert Safari was an amazing experience. I knew that Dubai would be fun. But the sands would be this interesting – I had no friggin’ idea!
Alok K.
April 7th, 2012
P.S. While waiting for the Land cruiser to take us back, we played with shadows. Can you see what we did with Dubai?
Now, Were you a Dennis or Calvin when it came to School ?
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arbit
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My heart beaming with pride, let me declare my latest possession : a T-Shirt with its tag line screaming bold and clear to everyone who cares: Growing old is mandatory , growing up is NOT. [ \m/ ]
I want to go back to where it all started. For all of us. In a school. Unlike the more stressed kids of today, I’m guessing you directly went to Kindergarten, not pre-nursery or pre-pre-nursery. LKG and UKG, it was. Colourful clothes with a hanky carefully folded diagonally and pinned to the left pocket of the shirt/frock. Waterbottles dangling around the neck as we hopped along to school, gingerly holding the hand of our darling caretaker. And tiny bags having even tinier lunch boxes!
One more thing I’m guessing will apply to most of us : being ever energetic to go to school --- a feeling that lasted only until its gates. There, it would be a 5 minute ritual to cling to mummy and try blackmailing her to not leave her precious tot alone for those never-ending two hours. Who knows, maybe a super big Jerry would kidnap me and take me away to the mousehole! Would she risk being left all alone in this big bad world without her tiny superman or powerpuff girl?
Once the journey started, it was a roll. From nursery, to the actual school. The smell of freshly covered notebooks and the sound of chalk crackling on the wooden blackboard as we stood, nervous 5 year old students. With seasons, the activities changed. Nevertheless, it was fun all throughout. From PT in the grounds during summer [which took up almost 60% of our school time, a luxury which was taken away as we progressed to highschool], it shifted to lying on the carpet in the classrooms and telling exciting stories to the teacher during monsoon.
Oh ya, a famous fact: Having a friend in the “secondary classes” immediately got you celebrity-level popularity. A sister who had money to buy you something from the canteen or a big brother who’d rough up anyone who bullied you. And with this latter thing came the realisation that everyone is equally likely to get punished for being mischievous in school, how much ever of a mummy’s baby they were at home.
Schools are synonymous with FRIENDS! And their –ships. These were the people who were our benchmates; with whom we shared jokes in the class, sitting in the last bench, or rushed through notes before a test or cheered for the House matches and competitions or played pranks on fellow classmates. These were the people with whom we spent literally half of our waking hours back then.
Since its a package deal, we also found that schools are synonymous with TEACHERS - The 'elders' at school who could see through us however tough we wrinkled our little faces, as clean as a beam of light through clear water. [ Oh, those years of innocence! ]. And EXAMINATIONS - those things that haunted us and, much to our distaste, revealed what we didn't want to know -- like a litmus paper going red.
Things have changed so much since the time when we sincerely and obediently hung onto every word of the teacher, did every little bit of homework and came to school in ‘complete and correct’ uniform. Remember that day when you spent two whole hours shopping for your very first pen? Or your birthday when you sparkled in an angelic frock with frills all around? I remember it all; as sweetly as sugar, with a nostalgia that feels like the comforting breeze of spring. Even the day I welcomed my brother to the youngest class, myself already being a so-called senior in 8th standard.
Of course, I still enjoy multi-course, multi-cuisine lunches with friends and I do submit assignments, albeit hurriedly done in the last moment. We connect over facebook and can spend hours chit-chatting about anything under the sun. Still, we wouldn’t ever trade the memories we have had within the gates of primary school. That building which has contributed, in whatever concentration, in making us what we are.
Now let me ask you, have you ever questioned yourself why you went to a school in the first place? Why take the trouble of going through rigorous discipline where everything new you learnt had already been discovered by someone else?
That’s because a school is where all the above mentioned ingredients came together and after mixing them carefully, in all the right proportions, for over 10 years, we, the next generation, were created. As potent as wine. Ready to fire away as soon as unleashed to etch a place in the world. Our name, our identity.
This journey through a blessed childhood and schooling empowered us to make a difference. To create amongst ourselves more Ramanujans, Tendulkars and Saina Nehwals. More Lata Mangeshkars, Shahrukh Khans and Tarun Tahilianis. More Ambanis, Sunita Williams and Vishwanathan Anands.
Not such a bad deal after all, don't you think?
Is UPSC ‘killing’ talents? Or corrupting them? Think about it.
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india,
issues
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Legend has it, becoming an IAS or IPS officer is the ultimate gift a talented young person can give to his/her family. You might not want to agree, but the truth remains that many of us have been at one point of time in life, ‘inspired’ ( or were tried to be inspired) by our fathers and uncles and grandfathers to study hard to be an IAS/ IPS officer.
Legend also has it that there is no power and status compared to an IAS/IPS in the administrative circle. Even the politicians can only transfer you, but they can’t fire you. You roam in ‘laal batti’ cars, and make decisions that matter, and you know that you are among the very few capable and deserving of making such decisions.
So, every year, tens of thousands of young talented men & women in India gear up for this ultimate test of old school wisdom of their country. A wisdom that is not based on mere laboratory experiments or calculus formula, or financial/marketing/entrepreneurial knowledge, but one that requires a basic understanding of how each of these important factors should be administrated in such a way that the nation progresses as a whole.
And then, surprisingly, the next thing you hear about an IAS/IPS officer is that whether he/she has been killed or, suspended for being involved in some kind of corruption. Either it’s a problem with the way media presents news to us, or there IS some actual flaw with the way IAS/IPS officers have to lead their lives in India.
What’s common between Narendra Kumar (2012), Yeshwant Sonawane (2011), Jagadananda Panda (2009), K.C. Surendra Babu(2005), Chadalawada Umesh Chandra (1999), G. Krishnaiah (1994)?
You seem to be getting a hang of this post. Yes, these are names of some of the many IAS/IPS officers who were either brutally murdered or committed suicide (after killing their family members). And the years in brackets doesn’t show their cadre or batch. They show the year they were killed.
Some of the news clippings read:
“Bhopal: It has been less than 2 days since IPS Officer Narendra Kumar Singh was murdered, another officer has been attacked by Mafia in Madhya Pradesh. Alleged members of the sand mafia fired at the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and sub-divisional officer (Police) in Panna district Saturday afternoon.”
~After killing Narendra Kumar, another officer targeted by Mafia, news.biharprabha.com, March 11, 2012
“MUMBAI: The additional district collector of Malegaon, Yeshwant Sonawane, was on Tuesday burnt to death by the petrol and diesel adulteration mafia when he went to conduct a raid, police said.”
~Senior Maharashtra govt official burnt to death by oil mafia, The Times of India, January 25, 2011
“ Bhubaneswar: An under-investigation IAS officer who allegedly shot dead four family members before killing himself has left behind a letter claiming he was innocent of the corruption charges against him.”
~ Innocent cry before suicide, The Telegraph, August 2, 2009
“ HYDERABAD: Amid heart-rending scenes and a charged atmosphere, K.C.Surendra Babu, the Munger Superintendent of Police, who was killed in a landmine blast in Bihar, was cremated with State honours at Nalagandla in Ramachandrapuram here on Friday.
“HYDERABAD: A senior IPS officer, Chadalawada Umesh Chandra (33), his driver and gunman were shot dead by suspected People's War Group activists at Sanjeevareddy Nagar in the heart of the city this morning.”
~Senior IPS officer shot dead in AP, Express India News Service, September 5, 1999
The other side of the coin shows many IAS/IPS officers getting suspended for being involved in high level corruption case. Patna’s DM, Gautam Goswami, and scores of IAS officers involved in the Adarsh ghotala clearly show how the high level decision makers can and do easily get involved in corrupt practices. Just google ‘corrupt IAS/IPS officers’, and the wikipedia page for IAS mentions it, for crying out loud!
This brings me to the basic question. What happens to the starry eyed, grandfather-inspired, talented, outspoken, wise UPSC aspirant, who once left no stone unturned to burn all his midnight lamp studying the rich heritage and geography and political nuances of India amongst others?
The question is a bit disturbing. Suddenly the IAS, IPS posts start appearing as a sharp pointed hill. You either roll this way or that way.
It’s projected as if there is no mid way. As if there is no way an IAS/IPS officer can remain honest and alive.
It’s projected.
Is it a problem with the media, then? How about talking about some honest IAS/IPS officer retiring after having lived a spotless life. How about showcasing the achievements of an honest officer while he/she’s alive?
But what if we haven’t any? It’s something to be pondered about.
The UPSC talent hunt continues in the meanwhile. And the killings too. And we celebrate Holi.
Alok K.
March 12th, 2012
P.S. I apologize for having not raised the issue of mafia and the criminals and the illiterate politicians who comment after a brave IPS/IAS officer is killed. They are the real culprits, all of us would agree.
Egypt: The sandy land of the Mummies and the Pyramids
Our annual family trip plan meandered through various options until it finally reached in the ‘desert’ed ,(yet brimming with tourists ) land of the pharaohs, the mummies and the great pyramids!My heart was filled with an ecstasy which can’t be explained in just a few synonyms. So, we set off through the Qatar Airways, and as we neared Cairo, I kept peeking out of my window to get a glimpse of the pyramids (impatience was never a sin). Me and my misfortune landed on the grey ribbon of runway laid on the huge cloth of sand.
The Cairo Airport was unwelcoming, so was the city traffic. We used to snail through the traffic jams while looking onto the pedestrians crossing us.
Right after we landed, we rushed to see the light and sound show at the Pyramid complex at Giza. It was indeed beautiful and gave us a brief summary of the history of what we were about to see the next morning.
After a good night’s sleep at the Shepheard’s hotel, one of the oldest in Cairo, we reached the pyramids again.
And this time, the feeling of being right in front of the grandiose wonder of the world, touched our hearts.
We entered the Great Pyramid, and stooped low while climbing the steep ramp that lead us to the chamber where the coffin was kept. It had been removed, but the feeling of being in the pyramid, with yellow lights placed alternately in the narrow path surrounded by stones- was similar to being filmed for a movie like the Indiana Jones.
Our shades and the beautiful backgrounds behind us kept our temptations to keep clicking the photographs.
Before we went on to catch our overnight train to Aswan we ate. Never realized taking photographs was so exhausting! We being vegetarians have little choice most of the times but looked like some angel up there did not want us to eat a pizza from pizza hut even in Egypt. We ate a dish called ‘Kosharey’.
A bowl filled with noodles, macaroni, beans, lintels, and sauce. SIMPLY YUM.
On the way to the station we stopped over at two showrooms. Both famous for the famous souvenirs one must buy from Egypt- Papyrus paintings and Perfume bottles. And we went to Aswan, gulping down the Falafels for our dinner. At Aswan, we visited a a rose granite quarry wherein was kept an unfinished obelisk, and the famous temple of Philae ( whose entire complex was dismantled and reshifted as a UNESCO project).
***
***
Aboard the cruise.
The cruise itself was an unforgettable experience. Especially when you have a room with a view- A view that resurrects the poet in your heart.
समुद्र के नीले दुपट्टे पे सलवट
हर सलवट को हवा छू जाए
वो दूर की हरियाली को देखने के लिए
दुपट्टा खुद एक आइना बन जाए
पहाड़ो के पैरों पर पड़े पेड़
उन रेगिस्तान के अचलों का आशीर्वाद मिल जाए
जब उनके उम्र और तजुर्बा मिलें
तो स्वयं भगवान् बन जाए
What was more lovely, was the really cute way the housekeeping used to set up our rooms for us everyday.
***
We sailed to the temple of Kom Ombo, then visited the temple of Edfu in the afternoon.
The second morning was followed by a visit to West luxor, where we saw the valley of kings and went down in the natural pyramids of Ramses the Second. There’s also the Temple of Hatshepsut nearby, a very renown female Pharaoh.
Next stop, east Luxor- a very good area which invited us to the huge and seemingly infinite Karnak temple. Egypt is a place that will be only enjoyed if you have a guide with you( which we fortunately had, and a great one at that). The way the history unfolds and you realize that the walls, the carvings, the monumental standings were made like 4000 years ago, the beauty of the place hits you hard.
Our next visit was to the Luxor temple. The pictures here show the obelisks, the great colonnade and Alexander the Great’s cartouche.
Then we flew back to Cairo from Luxor, and went to Alexandria by a long road trip.
So in the trip as a whole, we covered many means of transport( Including a horse ride!).
Before the road trip to Alexandria, our evening at Cairo was spent in a divine place. Watching Sufi Dancing with music was one of the few moments that leave me speechless, with no mood to utter a sound, click a photograph, just stay mesmerized by the music reverberating through the mind.
Alexandria had quite a lot to show in the short time we had there, but I guess it was sufficient. We visited the catacombs( Sorry, no photographs were allowed ). The roman amphitheatre was quite a welcoming structure with a very peculiar and interesting thing that the guide showed us. You stand in the center of the amphitheatre, at a particular spot and your voice echoes strongly. And you move one step elsewhere, it doesn’t. Interesting right?
The great grand library of Alexandria, as it was in the ancient times- The bibliotheca Alexandria is today’s modern library which left us wide eyed and open mouthed at its grand structure, and mind-blowing architecture.
Before going back to Cairo, we stopped to try a Turkish coffee. You won’t believe how many of my nights went by in just counting sheep.
***
Our last day in Cairo was spent in seeing the Egyptian Museum (Yes, we finally saw the mummies. Yes, we could see their hair and their skin too. No, they did not come out alive from the their glass enclosures and chase us around.) , the hanging church, the Alabastar mosque, and a bit of shopping, before we flew off back to India with loads of memories in our hearts, and a myriad of photos in our camera.
The time we visited was just perfect. No summer- no scorching sun. Light winter breezes with the warm sunshine was the perfect tourist weather. And no threat from the ongoing protests, we came back alive and well, with no problems at all.
One trip to Egypt gives a tangible touch to an extent of the ancientness that our imagination takes us to.
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