Mezze Moments

India Art Fair 2012

2012-01-30T09:22:00.000+05:30

The fourth India Art fair has just closed its doors and it is not too early to mark your diaries for a visit when it re-opens its gates next year at its purpose built area in Okhla. The facade which was done by Sumant Jayakrishnam was a lovely combination of cool metal with the warmth of coloured wool which gave a rainbow effect.

Walking around this venue I came across a work which just made me smile, Hangover Man III. I havent seen I and II so I dont know if this is an improvement on the others but it was fun. Siddhartha Karawal created it with the help of knotted white T shirts- he said it was a satirical account of time and space he lives in.

There were about 80 galleries exhibiting from all over the world, White Cube and Lisson Galleries in London. Vadehra and Grosvenor one of the foremost galleries in Delhi and London, Abadi Art very much on the experimental side and a host of others which were taking part for the first time. A sign of the times ? Undoubtedly though by a french curator's humble opinion Indian Art has just become too pricey too quickly. Still, it is there for all to see and admire or hate as the case may be and I have to confess to a moment of arted- out when I simply could not take in any more.

On my tour it was clear that Rashid Rana is one of the foremost artist being displayed by a number of galleries for his beautiful pixalated art work. I will never forget seeing one of his works at the KNMA which presented a whole different image up close (small pictures of slaughterhouses) to looking at it from a distance (a beautiful Persian carpet.) Pakistani in origin and talking a lot about the social inequalities and issues in his country. They are massive works and do not come across in a small picture but once you see his work you cannot miss it thereafter.

There was also work that was positively off the wall and perhaps not to my taste but I very much enjoyed seeing some of the younger artists and what they were doing. One such was Rathin Barman who was born in 1981 ( Yes, I know that young ! ) who is concerned with urbanism and materialism. I loved the way he took bricks from a wall and created little homes on individual pieces or used bricks to build a tree encased in a metal frame.

Shivani Aggarwal took the ring of embroidery and created a number of beautiful images connected to creation and perhaps womanhood. Finally there was even Damien Hirst with what must be his tamest works of art yet. No sheep in formaldehyde nor sharks just concentric rings of some beautifulof butterfly wings or pieces of them. Can't imagine they are real as there would have been an uproar but the effect was pleasing although a little kaleidoscopic.

Jaipur Literature Festival 2012

2012-01-27T12:23:00.001+05:30

The titles were captivating, the followings fantastic, the authors uncompromising and the sun all embracing. Thus began the 2012 Jaipur Literature Festival. After four days of non stop stimulation two results are likely. Total collapse or unprecedented literary verve. I am teetering close to the first and eager to convey some of the second to all of you with or without the verve.

Starting with Salman Rushdie as the "now you see him now you dont" scenario had a couple of bonuses. It galvanised the authors to react and it reinforced the importance of freedom of speech. The result was that almost from the first session we attended to the last - from Hari Kunzru to Richard Dawkins authors came out with single line statements, wordy support, or extracts from Salman's works. The effect was actually electrifying as the participants could easily comprehend that many of them were putting their own safety at risk and were standing up to be counted in a sea of Salman supporters. It need not have been so and for whatever reasons were actually at the heart of him being kept away it was a sharp and necessary reminder that India was regressing in its approach to the freedom of speech. A petition is now out asking that the ban be lifted from his works in India and if any good comes of that it is at the JLT that it all began.

Hari Kunzru who wrote "The Impressionist" and now "Gods without Men" spoke loudly to me about the responsible and required attitude to censorship and the written word. "It is after all just a book, Not a bomb, not a knife or a gun.Just a book". Jeet Thayil, the author of "Narcopolis" and Ruchir Joshi did something similar and by then the calls and recriminations were coming in thick and fast. I don't for a minute think that any of them regretted their actions and when the heavyweights like Dawkins and A.C Grayling added their voice to the debate there was no doubt that this was a message that had to be delivered despite the alleged threats.

Amitava Kumar and Hari Kunzru

Young authors also pledged their support and Taiye Selasi started her session with the opening sentence from "Midnight's Children". She then read from her story "The sex life of African girls" which shows great talent and literary craft. Her new book "Ghana must go" is out later this year. She is one of the truly exciting young authors coming out of West Africa, together with Teju Cole, author of "Open City", named one of the best books of 2011 and Ben Okri whose latest collection "A Time for new dreams" also came out in 2011.

Taiye Selasi

Anuradha Roy, the Moderator, Geiling Yan and Taiye Selasi

To counter the dense and severly undiplomatic were sessions which shocked and stirred and entertained to the max. Shabhnam Virmani enthralled the massive crowd with readings and songs of Kabir and there was standing room only for Gulzar and Chetan Bhagat.I have blogged already about Oprah's appearance.

The stirrers were more Amy Chua who wrote "Tiger Mum" not ever expecting that it would receive an overwhelming and entirely mixed reception world-wide. This is one mum who was going to make sure her kids performed and at some considerable cost often to the kids to her and to their family life. She has been severly criticized for her parenting but also praised. She alleges this was written as a satirical account -Madhu Trehan, as the moderator was brilliant. "Did you or did you not say you would burn all your children's stuffed animals ? Did you or did you not leave Lulu out in the cold because she would not play the piano properly aged 3 ? She was big enough to say that she had learnt her lessons and finally allowed her daughter Lulu to give up the violin after she rebelled completely.Her daughter Sophia came on stage and supported her mum's parenting but Lulu was conspicuously absent. Hmmm, I am not sure that this woman who perhaps is much admired around the world for being a "Chinese mother" has much idea how to live a happy life - even by her own admission.

Amy Chua with Madhu Trehan and Sophia

Whereas the exuberant Vinod Mehta had no such problems. He got a third at university and actually considered himself quite dumb, almost despaired about being able to find a job, when he started working for the Indian equivalent of Playboy, called "Debonair" in Mumbai with several gay editors which clearly was not going to lead the magazine in the direction it needed to go. He thrilled his audience with stories of his early career, his restlessness over a decade before he finally settled in "Outlook" magazine, a very well respected journal here, for the past 15 years. Read his book "Lucknow boy" for all the inside stories.

Vinod Mehta

The chutneyfication of English was hotly debated by Gurcharan Das advocating that Indglish and not Hindglish is here to stay and is the unifying language of the future for India whereas Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka fame said it was a legacy of the Brits and was the cause of the loss of some of India's languages and of further social division. Shashi Tharoor told us how he used Twitter as a way to disseminate his political messages in a session on the uses of Twitter.

Gurcharan Das

A fascinating session for me was called "Reworking Voices" and on the podium were two American women who had lived in France for many year and had just completed a new translation of Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex." They spoke about this as ground breaking and unabridged and how they had read countless sources and materials to ensure that they captured what she meant with her writing then and not according to today's interpretations.Traslating that first line "On n’est pas, on le deviant "– they said had not been an easy task and one which did attract some controversy.

By contrast a Swiss writer, Urs Widers, who writes in German was sitting next to his translator Donald McClaughlin.With a lovely Swiss sense of humour he recounted how he had decided to write a book about his mother's lover and the first line of the book was "Yesterday my mother's lover died". Problem was said Urs he was not dead and he kept waiting and waiting for him to die until finally he decided to go ahead.

Donald read an extract from the English translation and Urs said he had liked it very much; it was almost like reading the work of another author. These are the dilemmas facing countless translators around the world of how they retain the author's voice and his culture in the translated text. Both author and translator said how refreshing it was that their Indian publisher was giving both of them recognition on the front cover of the book.

Biographers undertake a colossal act when they decide to write about someone’s life. Simon Sebag Montefiore said that ever since he was a child he wanted to write about Stalin. I was so intrigued by this statement and his spellbinding account of Stalin that I went to ask him what it was that got him interested. He said that he was a young boy of maybe 10 when he read an article about Stalin. Well that was his future mapped out. For 45 minutes he talked engrossingly about Stalin and his wife, their children, their differences and their problems. This was a man who signed not just the deaths of millions of peasants but his daughter's homework, who showed signs of being a caring father but was also a ruthless mass murderer.

William Dalrymple and Simon Sebag Montefiore

Listening to Peter Popham talking about Aung San Suu Kyi and her future was beautifully balanced by having Thant Myint- U there who is a well known author on Burma talk about his take on the unfolding political scene The discussion was ably moderated by David Malone a former Canadian HC to India.

My other favourite topic is of course those conversations that involve historical research and contemporary analysis and there was a plethora of that to choose from. From Kuldip Nayar's recollections of India during the Emergency to David Hare's theatrical work, "the Wall" in Palestine to William Darlymple's fascinating account of his new book on the first Afghan War. " If only Tony Blair and Bush had read the history books" must be the line of the day !

John Keay with William Dalrymple

Lioner Shriver "We need to talk about Kevin" showed a grounded and very amusing woman who by her own account "is a wordy m.........r". She was amazed at seeing her book being turned into a succesful film with minimal dialogue. Jamaica Kincaid floored the audience with her wackiness - her works include "My Brother"and "A usual Place"

Tom Stoppard explained how his works were sometimes hi jacked and abridged and how in order to write everything in his surroundings must be "just so". He stressed the importance of clear enunciation.

Perhaps for me though the most fascinating was listening to Professor Richard Dawkins. He is of course the writer of many books on Science and God with "The Selfish Gene" and "The God Delusion" being some of them. Here he quoted extensively from his more recent works which were "Unweaving the Rainbow" and "The Magic of Reality" a book that he wrote for young people. A must read for any young person these days. He summed it up by saying that science has its own magic and that magic is reality. He made a statement in support of Salman Rushdie and explained how we are too soft on religious faith. Faith, he said, is a dangerous weapon. He urged those who did not have answers to seek them even more instead of just settling for the assumption of the superior being. He uncompromisingly noted that he looked forward to the death of all religions. And he reminded us that Stephen Pinker who was also at the festival has spoken about how the world is getting to be a better place- that over the years society has evolved, so that slavery and racism are no longer acceptable and we can find our moral values through channels like responsible journalism and civil society. In a world which has seen centuries of crusades and fatwas and pillages in the name of religion this is a message that has its rightful place in the 21st Century and one which I was happy to take on board among the many treasures being offered up at this amazing venue.

Professor Richard Dawkins

Oprah in Jaipur

2012-01-23T10:30:00.001+05:30

The anticipation was palpable and people started arriving early to catch a seat for the "O" moment. We sneaked around to where the press was at the front and a lovely AP man gave us his seat. We were less than five metres away from the front stage by this time absolutely packed with cameramen and crews.

There may have been some 17000 there and the housekeeping announcements came in thick and fast all building up to when she would be arriving. At one point the big doors at the entrance of the Front Lawns where she was going to be, were pushed open and there was a real scrum from disappointed fans who wanted entry but were finally denied it. It is moments like these that I take off my hat to the organizers like Sanjoy Roy and William Dalrymple because controlling the expectation and the crowd is no mean feat. Twice I have had friends coming to visit me in India and twice I can truthfully say we were only minutes away from a stampede. There are, as Oprah said, a lot of Indians and whereas one million here would be "a full restaurant" in the States she acknowledged that would be a lot of people.

She arrived to cheers and whoops and the press had their moment. She was tastefully dressed in sandy trousers and a shalwar kamize with a pink scarf and flat sandals. On her hand some large gold bangles. Her face radiating joy at being there – perhaps some surprise – what is it with red lights she asks ?

“Do they mean stop or are they for entertainment value only ?”

She gave out some advice – don’t text while you are driving, that is insane on these roads – the key to everything is education – people notice excellence so work at what you are good at and give to others – a piece of cake tastes better if you can share it and that tweeting was really a waste of time, well her time anyway because she could be spending the time reading a book.

Her love for books was always there but it was almost accidental that they gave books a 5 minute slot on her show – perhaps the thought was that you can’t do books on TV. Then from there and word of mouth she read more and more and started inviting the authors on to the show. She is happy to have been influential in this way as well as reviving the classics which she said she was always a little wary of reading so getting a couple of millions to read with her helped.

Oprah characterized herself as a connector, as a person who wants to give and who wants to make life better for girls and women. She spoke warmly of her Leadership Academy in South Africa and her meeting with widows here who are marginalized in society for the sole reason that their husbands have died. She talked about how she decided to share her experience of her sexual abuse to comfort a woman who was describing her own experience. How she had grown up poor, dirt poor and that she always turned her work in early, especially her book reports!

She was full of praise for Barack Obama while acknowledging that he is a man, not God and "we all make mistakes" but that she was endorsing him for another four years in the White House confident that he could do great things.

This was her first visit to India and her first reaction was that everything was pretty chaotic but behind the chaos there was a calm. She laughingly noted her surprise at Indians living with their families while an Indian asked her what is it with you westerners not wanting to live with their families ?

She said an arranged marriage was not her kind of thing. She felt that she was not a marrying kind ending with

"I am my own kind of woman." to the delight of all the audience.

Surrepticiously Salman

2012-01-21T22:14:00.000+05:30

Salman Rushdie has been kept away from the Literature Festival in Jaipur. The rumours that were flying around mentioned fanatics still determined to do him harm, a government wanting to keep its Muslim voters and organisers who, though daring, had their wings clipped.

Sitting in a packed tent of eager participants, we waited to hear the authors. One by one, session after session they publicly declared that freedom of speech and expression was something that should not be taken for granted. Statements were pronounced and read in his support, the programme organisers were jittery and issued a statement to distance themselves from what was going on, but the authors seemed to be determined to make their point. Freedom of expression had been denied and this was not right. Salman had been kept away but as author after author read out parts of "Midnights Children" and the "Satanic Verses" it was clear that Salman was surreptitiously all around and twitters were flying out of the Literature Festival unstoppable and uncompromising with Salman replying to one

"Thank you for what you just did.Say hi to the audience"

Camels on the highway

2012-01-20T23:19:00.000+05:30

I went to a session about positive thinking yesterday in Delhi and this morning I was up at 5 am to get on the train to go to Jaipur. The road was dense with fog and we travelled at a snail's pace through it. The cold was penetrating and the roads were empty.Suddenly we came across a herd, if that is the collective term, of 100 or so camels with their riders on the highway.

Well camels on the highway are not the most common sight at 5 am but it signalled that this is India and that the day would get warmer and that positive thoughts were what we wanted to carry us through the cold and into warmer camel-like environments. We start the weekend with warm pictures of sandy beaches and lovely moments.The camels said it all and this is for Gab for whom positive thinking turned so much about her life the right way round.

Twitters,scents and swimmers

2012-01-10T14:19:00.002+05:30

The sea life, the bird life but also the flora in this little coastal strip of India is quite remarkable and I only saw a little bit of it which I am sharing with you. On our way to Tiracol Fort the air was heavily perfumed with the scent of cashew flowers and buds. When we were sitting at the Fort having a drink overhanging our table was a cashew nut tree. I have blogged about cashews before because I had the opportunity to see how they were extracted from the fruit or kernel and it is a delicate operation as the substance in which they are found is quite toxic to the skin. This time though I was able to see them growing on the trees and they are wonderfully fecund.

The delicate and highly scented flowers

The cashew nuts beginning to form on the base of the cashew apple.

We travelled around the coast which is dotted with estuaries and mangrove swamps and enjoyed seeing the immense number of black shouldered and brahmini kites swooping in the air.The fish eagle surveying the beach and keeping a watchful eye on the nest where two chicks were poking out. The dark cormorants contrasting with the snowy egrets on bare branches.

We swam in the sea and walked along beaches and my son picked up this strange looking fish which was just extraordinary. It was as if it was balancing on a tripod the two sharp fins being its two front legs and then the one sticking up on its back ready to pierce you. I have tried to identify it but have not succeeded. Would love to hear from any of you if you know what this is. The crabs abounded but these shells I only found on one beach. Admire the bright pink in them. Just beautiful.

You would not want to step on this one.

Goa poles

2012-01-06T16:23:00.001+05:30

Starting off the new year on a beach is probably one of the nicest ways to set off on a new voyage of discovery, experience some financial waves, curious predictions and swelling hopes. So we said goodbye to 2011 and welcomed in the new year with fireworks falling into the sea and sand under our feet.

Goa continues to attract us at this time of year and we spent some fabulous days on the beach and exploring the coast line - this time from the very north to the very south - polar ends but lacking the ice caps. Instead a beautiful portuguese fort perched on a hillside on the northern most tip with majestic views of the bay and a palm fringed beach on the southernmost tip which has the reputation of being one of the best beaches in Goa.

Tiracol Fort was built by Marathas on the tip of a small island that is only reachable by ferry, to command the area and when you visit you will see just how succesful a location this was for them. It was captured by the Portuguese in 1776. The fort houses St Anthony's chapel in the central courtyard which is a functioning church. It is now a heritage hotel.
The southern most tip is the beach of Palolem and it is a protected cove surrounded by leaning graceful coconut palms, white sands and some lovely rock formations and the most beautiful pink shells I have ever seen. It is quite a drive but well worth it for its natural beauty and calm seas.

I will blog about the wildlife and sealife in Goa in my next blog.

2012 What kind of a year ?

2012-01-01T21:13:00.001+05:30

Will it be the end of the world as some calenders like to forecast, the end of the eurozone area as a fiscal unit, the end of the euro as we have known it, the end of Britain in Europe, the end of unleashed spending, the end of Obama, the end of dictators and autocrats the world over, the end of the boom of the Indian economy, the end of Congress's rule in India, the end of protests?

Or the beginning of something even more exciting, the imposition of some checks and balances, the establishment of a united states of Europe and fledgling democracies spreading their wings.The re-election of an American president who can speak eloquently and effortlessly on the work that needs to be done even if the doing is limited by the obstacles he finds along his path, the growth of markets in ways which allows commerce and industry and new jobs to be created for the sake of all our children and the re-establishment in all our hearts and minds that less is more, that the basics are enough, that the limitless and often thoughtless spending of previous years is simply not where we should be heading.

A chance to pick up the history books and literature and loose ourselves in them, a chance to explore a little corner of our existing world before it changes beyond recognition, a moment when we can gather our families closer, in as much for economies of scale as from our want to be with them and share more with them.

I am quietly but positively optimistic that the unpredictability of 2011 will inform and be a platform from which good can grow and stability and growth can take hold. That is my wish for 2012.
To all of you Happy New Year and health and happiness worldwide.

Merry Xmas everyone

2011-12-25T19:04:00.000+05:30

A specially happy one to all the boys in Salaam Baalak Trust and all the dedicated staff. I will give them a promise that this coming year I will work even harder for the boys and the girls there.I took all my boys to meet the kids and here are some of the pictures of the day.

Distance and how to shorten it

2011-12-23T10:44:00.000+05:30

A lot of us go into slight meltdown at this time of year because we become nostalgic for tradition, family and that comfort of familiarity. For a lot of expats living here keeping contact with loved ones can be an issue, for all sorts of reasons, time zones, distance, costs.

Email and skype have made life easier but we are always looking for other solutions and information that is relevant to us, so I was pleased when I came across this site which basically is a combination of support and business.The business side offers attractive rates for international calls. The support side is in the form of an interesting online magazine called " The Social Expat" which is basically a combination of articles on a variety of subjects ranging from culture to travel to practical information. Check it out on :

http://socialexpat.nymgo.com/

Ellora Caves

2011-12-19T21:38:00.000+05:30

The other half of Ajanta is Ellora. They sound more like girls names then ancient sites. These sites probably did not see any women present at all but they are definitely worth looking into as Ellora is the follow-on from Ajanta and spans the 5th Century to the 8th and 9th Century AD. Here there are no paintings. There may have been some but most have been destroyed or defaced. What is very impressive on this site of three to four kilometres, and worthy of a long day's investigations, are the temples carved in basal stone.

However you have to see it to believe it because telling you about how they did it just does not convey the enormity of it. They built a temple, the biggest one in this complex, known as the Kailas, from the top downwards. So imagine you have one huge lump of rock and a chisel and hammer and you start from the roof top and you chisel all the way down to the bottom creating the most exquisite statues, columns, sanctuaries and interconnecting structures, in perfect symmetry with no corrections or omissions but from ONE ROCK. This is the biggest monolithic temple in the world and it is truly something to behold. Not surprisingly it is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

The so called 34 caves are actually man made and are all Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples. There is surprisingly little differentiating them on the surface but the devil or should we say the god is in the detail. Today I will just talk to you about Kailas as this is the one you meet first.This is a picture of it dug out from the rock.The Hindu temple's shape and structure resembles a chariot.

The immense hallways dug into the rock

There are panels of elephants and lions and behind are the steps which lead up to the main temple.

The pillars on either side of the temple are 17 metres high and are symbols of the caves.

The Gajalaxmi on a lotus in the lotus pond with elephants bathing her.

We walked all round the top of the temple and took the pictures looking down.

The other Hindu temples are not as impressive in grandeur but they have exquisite carvings like the statue of Ganga here.

More on the Buddhist and Jain temples soon.

Delhi 100

2011-12-12T08:52:00.001+05:30

Today is Delhi's 100th birthday as we know it.Happy Birthday Delhi !

On 12 December, 1911 the Capital of India was shifted from Kolkata to Delhi. This made Delhi the political centre for ruling the Indian sub-continent. This was not the first time that Delhi became a capital.

Between the 12th and the 19th century AD, Delhi was the capital for many rulers. Siri, Tughlakabad, Jahanapanah, Ferozabad, Dinpanah, Shergarh and Shahajahanabad are the historic ‘seven cities’ that existed. The eighth city, New Delhi, as we know it was built by the British with the help of Lutyens and Baker and is the one which is celebrating its 100 years today and in which I live.

This is where it all began:

At Coronation Park in North Delhi on the 12th of December 1911 at the Durbar celebrating the visit of George V and Queen Mary to India . It became a tented city of some splendour and the pictures of the processions and the celebrations are truly impressive.

The flowing gown in stone of George V

Some of you who follow the blog may recall that I blogged about this some months back and said I would go back to check the MDCs plans to overhaul this historic but much neglected site. Sadly everything is in turmoil and this is the picture of Coronation Park on its centenary.It will eventually be done but not for this important date.

The last two images are to me powerful reminders of how in 100 years and despite the tremendous growth and development of India on some levels, little had changed for the common man on the street who is still there in his threadbare garments chiselling the stone with a simple hammer as he and his forefathers have done for centuries.

Ajanta Caves

2011-12-09T18:23:00.001+05:30

It is hard to fathom, even harder to execute but there can be no mistaking the effort and the years that went in to creating Ajanta because it is there for us to see not far from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The caves, not real ones, but man made, were on the ancient trade routes where money and influence seemed plentiful and the earliest date back to the 2nd century BC or as it is now noted 200 BCE. They continue to be built until about the 5th Century AD, 600 CE when they were abandoned for the caves of Ellora which I will also blog about, and they lay abandoned and ravaged by weather and time until an unsuspecting Britisher John Smith, out looking for tigers, came across one of the bigger caves.

A river flows through a rich and green ravine and the horseshoe rock face on the one side is what Buddhist monks decided to chisel into, using nothing more than a chisel and hammer. The caves, about 30 of them, are all masterpeieces of Buddhist art and architecture and have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They show elaborate paintings of Buddha and his life and of course the life of others around him, including women with intricate hairdos and even make up , men with socks and playful scenes of life in Buddha's court.All this painted with natural colours and dyes and done with little or no lighting in exquisite detail and design.

One of the entrances

Probably the most famous painting of the Caves Boddhisattva Padmapani holding a flower, but due to reduced lighting in the caves it is actually quite hard to get a good picture as flash is not allowed.

A scene of the court life

One of the Buddhas in Cave 4

One of the paintings

The patterned ceilings

Men of the Court with their socks !!

One of the many images of Buddha and the animals depicted below

The only reclining Buddha in the Ajanta caves.

Look at the peace on his face and the ease of his body.

The Taj Lookalike

2011-12-05T19:22:00.001+05:30

In the south of India and in a hurry ? Want to see the Taj but have no time to get to it. Want something like the Taj experience and that Diana moment on the bench - Look no further.

Baba ka Maqbara is the place for you - it is a replica of the Taj in the Deccan. Built by Aurangzeb's son on the outskirts of the town of Aurangabad as a tribute to his mum Begum Rabia Durani it is to all intents and purposes a Taj Lookalike but without the crowds.

The Taj never tires

2011-12-01T20:02:00.002+05:30

The Taj never tires. It is just as amazing every time you see it and it doesn't matter how many times you visit. Each visit is different for its colours, the season, the light and the people.This time the morning colours were sharp, in focus and so bright.The people are awed by its beauty and proud that it is part of their heritage.

This is the first time I visited the Taj Museum and I saw some spectacular pictures of the Taj from many centuries ago, the orders for materials and all the drawings and plans that went into creating this architectural wonder. We visited it with a little boy who was there with relatives and who engaged me in conversation for all the time we were in there. I complimented him on his English and he smiled, turned to face me and said "Your English very good too. ". He is the small one in the centre of the picture.

Ah but did you know there is a Taj Lookalike ?? More soon,

HotelsUnder100

2011-11-24T09:11:00.000+05:30

The news from abroad is singularly depressing, the global economies are suffering. It is an unanswerable question for me why those in the know did not ring out the warning bells earlier or why they even allowed this to happen, but perhaps that is another discussion for another day.

So with the exception of our well known billionaire friends in India and abroad all us mortals have to be a little more careful with the pennies. It is so welcoming therefore to see initiatives like the one recently launched by my good friends Philippa Kaye who conceived and planned a new site called Hotels Under 100.

The 100 refers to £100. She has collected the choisiest and most appealling venues and has put them all under this banner. It is user friendly and attractive both financially for all but also tantalizing to our travelling tastebuds. Click on it everyone and plan away.

http://www.hotelsunder100.co.uk/

Peacocks

2011-11-20T12:35:00.001+05:30

The area where I live is awash with peacocks, peahens and peababies. I know so little about them I decided that this blog really needs to be about the National and sacred Bird of India which is so beautiful and so infuriating at the same time. Bit like India some may say ?

The story begins many years ago when my husband bought me a shawl from a very beauitful shop in London called Liberty's and while the eyes were depicted as red and not blue, so representationally inaccurate, it has been much admired and worn.

It continues with the true history of Gustave de Revilliod de la Rive who bequeathed all the land on which the Palais des Nations was built in Geneva. He stipulated in his will that peacocks should always roam free on the grounds.I would often walk in the grounds and admire the birds who defied Swiss regulation.

Now here in India they are found everywhere but more so in the open areas in South Delhi where I live. They play hide and seek in the bushes at the back of my house, they strut along the pathways chicks in tow. They perch on the fences and cry ferociously and infuriatingly and they dazzle daily with their feathers.They are mainly blue and green here but white peacocks also exist. The colours result from the micro- structures of the feathers and way light falls on them. Male birds have the upper hand here as you know and perhaps like most things male it is a carefully constructed and thought out plan- the goal is clear- to get the woman.

The eyes do it and their dance which is called a "shiver" is exactly designed to lure the women in. Once breeding is over they shed their feathers which grow back longer and finer the following year with trains reaching 1.5 metres in length. They roost in trees which seems almost an impossible feat as they seem unlikely flyers and balancers yet they manage well and their populations are healthy. They are considered a sign of good luck and well being in all of Asia.

Forever looking for the associations between my origins and my life here I have found a story of how peacocks got their eyespots.

According to Greek mythology, peacocks got their spots thanks to a woman named Io. She was a priestess to Hera, the wife of Zeus. Zeus took a fancy to Io and turned her into a heifer in order to disguise her. Hera who was no fool, tricked Zeus into giving her the heifer/Io as a present. Once she had the heifer in her possession, Hera appointed Argus, a man covered with eyes, to guard Io. Zeus then sent a minion to rescue the priestess, who killed Argus in the process. As a tribute to Argus and his many eyes, Hera bestowed the "eyespot" onto the peacock.

I have no idea if their marriage survived but all is well in peacock land where males can have more than one wife.

A tree of many names

2011-11-16T08:57:00.000+05:30

The weather in Delhi is perfect at the moment and being out and about in the day as well as the evening is a pleasure. Driving around the city recently I noticed a very strong scent and started asking around to find out what it was- no no not sewage, not frangipani, nor urine ....the usual suspects, this was distinctly different, almost overpowering a mixture of heavy spices, cloves, allspice, juniper, which hit your nostrils with an unmistakable and captivating aroma.

It took several leaf pickings and several pickings through my tree book because I could not readily identify it until my landlady said she knew it as being alstonia - so here it is Alstonia Scholaris also known as Saptaparni aka as the devil's tree, ditabark tree, white cheesewood, milkwood pine, blackboard tree-Saptaparni, satpatia, chatium, satwin, satni, shatan ka jhad ! I never knew a tree could have so many names. Courtesy of Pradip Krishen's book on Trees of Delhi.It is the small white flowers that are so heavily scented.

This was planted in Delhi in the 1940s when colonies like Golf Links ( one of the foremost colonies in Delhi )were being planned out and I am little proud to say that the oldest, largest tree is on Archbishop Makarios Marg who was of course the first President of my country on Independence.Ah these links ...

Breathe them in.

Frida, females and fun

2011-11-12T09:56:00.001+05:30

Since visiting Mexico some years ago with my family I am fascinated by the figure of Frida Kahlo. It seems I am not alone in the world and my good friend Kanchan Chander has dedicated a part of her recent new solo show to this fascinating woman. Kanchan in her own right is also quite a woman and she occasionally pops herself into her beautiful artwork so that we dont forget her lovely face.

The Cover of the Catalogue

Frida led a very adventurous life in the 30s in Mexico City but she was also quite a tragic and troubled figure.

She was married to the painter Diego Rivera but was known to have had various lovers in her life, even apparently a short affair with Trotsky who was in exile at the time in Mexico.

Courtesy of First City.

Kanchan has taken her face and recreated it in a million different ways all with the finest detail and materials and with sense of colour and vibrancy which is captivating.

She is fascinated by the female form and a lot of her smaller works concentrate on this with senses of its multifarious functions in the form of a lover or a mother but also a doer of jobs and it is one of Kanchan's delights to slip in the odd artefact that she may pick up at a flea market and which embellishes a face or a body at once like a piece of jewellery but also as a tool.

Go along to the exhibition and then and enjoy a coffee or tea on the first floor while browsing beautiful art books.

"Revisiting the Popular" is on at Art Positive from now until the 3rd December-

Address Lado Sarai F 213 B

Delhi

Autumn in Europe

2011-11-10T10:12:00.001+05:30

Autumn is definitely one of my favourite seasons and I am happily visiting the UK to see my boys at a time when the weather is still mild and the leaves are clinging to the trees in a myriad colours of burnt oranges and reds, subtle yellows and screaming ones too.The view of this wonderful drainpipe is outside my window.

I wander around and delight in the beauty of the place, the quaint gardens, the stained glass windows and the impressive doorways. I dawdle in the parks and the coffee shops and I soak in the atmosphere all around me in a city which if you let it runs away with you.

Liverpool

2011-11-06T17:53:00.002+05:30

When my husband told me all those years ago that we are moving to Liverpool I really did not know what to expect but truth be told it was not a good first impression. This was a grand city that had thrived in the past but the latter part of the 20th century has been cruel, the city had become depopulated, jobs had been lost in their thousands, poverty had set in and it was evident all around the city. I saw urban dereliction like I had never seen before. In spite of all this we spent some very happy years there and lived not far from the beach in a beautiful old house complete with stained glass windows and a fabulous garden and met great people who will forever be friends and part of our family.

We have just been back for a fleeting visit and we could not believe how much the city has changed. As Cultural Capital of Europe in 2008 money came flooding in and transformed the city centre and the area around the Albert Dock. It is buzzing and bustling, futuristic and fabulous.

We particularly enjoyed a walk along our old beach to see Anthony Gormley's famous men - His art work of Cast iron statues modelled on himself dotted along Crosby beach. The statues are embedded deep in the sand and are covered or uncovered as the tide comes in or goes out. They are now slightly barnacled and mossy green but from being considered a complete aberration with people calling them eyesores and dangers they are now lovingly part of this seascape. We took in the bracing sea breeze and the seagulls both missing features of our life in Delhi.

Anthony Gormley's statues on Crosby Beach

The centre

The Liver Building in the distance

The Docks

The Liverpool Eye where we had some maginificent views of the city

The Super Lamb Banana was the original work of Japanese-based artist Taro Chiezo.At first Liverpudlians really did not know what to make of this strange art work. Now they are very proud of it and it has taken on a thousand other forms but keeping its original distinctive shape.

A pink Lambana by the Mersey

Looking over the Mersey

This is a city which has so much to offer, from the wonderful Liver Bird buildings to the Museum of Liverpool life to the Liverpool Eye, the Cavern where the Beatles sung and the Albert Dock. A regeneration of truly impressive proportions. If you ever get the chance to visit do go.

TJ 's

2011-10-30T14:46:00.001+05:30

TJ's not TG's. Yes, you heard me correctly. This is TJ's as in TIHAR JAIL. Tihar being one of the largest prison complexes in the world. The total population in ten prisons is around 12000 prisoners. It was built with a capacity of 6250 prisoners.

So if you are in it you might as well learn a skill and recently in one of the busiest malls of Delhi there was a whole market to advertise and sell products, baked items, furniture, paper items, pottery, you name it they do it. I was impressed. Now, that is no reason to go to jail, but this is one place where you can say they make the most of their time there ! I picked out some items for you to admire and loved the paintings of the laid back tiger and the woman and child. I should add that a lot of the paintings were of women and children, probably the families the inmates miss so much.

Rangoli time-for Diwali

2011-10-26T22:03:00.001+05:30

Diwali and the festival of lights is a festival of light and colour and giving. The colour comes from the wonderful Rangoli that every indian family will have at the entrance to their homes

Most of the patterns are circular, indicative of the endlessness of time. The day-to-day Rangoli patterns are simple or intricate. The most common rangoli designs start with dots which are connected to form lines and other geometrical shapes such as swastika, aum, stars, squares, circles or triangles These geometrical patterns must be formed in continuous, unbroken lines often made with coloured sand and rice.

We had the pleasure of being invited to a particularly beautiful Diwali celebration. Our hosts cooked a special meal for us and wrote out the menu and explained the ingredients used in all the delicious dishes. Then each woman was offered a coconut, a fruit, haldi, spices, betel leaves and a gift.

We helped light the small lights and then sat back and enjoyed their warmth.
Happy Diwali to all. May the year ahead be happy and prosperous.

Sweden, Nobel and India

2011-10-23T10:06:00.001+05:30

Last night we drove down our pot holed road to north Delhi, gave biscuits to the poor begging at the window of our car, took deviations to avoid the gridlocks that were forming everywhere because of the heightened traffic for Diwali shopping and made our way somewhat painstakingly to the Swedish Embassy which was celebrating Nobel Memorial Week 2011, a week long fest of seminars ranging from public transport by Volvo to seminars on sustainability, creating innovation and operatic performances. Last night was the party to close the week which was a fantastic lavish affair superbly organised by the Ambassador, his delightful wife and I am sure an entourage of staff.

We were treated to the most incredible laser show, a firework display which was just explosively mind blowing and no less than three bands, including an all female ABBA sound-a-like band who got the invitees dancing to the rhythms of Dancing Queen.There was an ice bar serving cocktails and a man with a power drill forming sculptures from it.

This paralleled with a buffet which had paneer tikka on the one hand and smoked salmon and herring on the other which the guests could eat in the comfort of IKEA furniture while looking at the various pictures of Indians who had won the Nobel prize. Mr Nobel of course having made his money in discovering dynamite all those years ago.

Bizarre, mind blowing, paradoxical - yes, all those, exactly what we have come to expect of India on a daily basis except that there is no system or meter in the expectation - the degree of amazement remains unabated each time.

The Red Fort in Agra

2011-10-22T08:49:00.000+05:30

Walking through this amazing collection of beautiful buildings I felt very much the sense of what it would have been like to be living there at the time. Its location optimum, its vantage point over the surrounding land perfect, its attention to detail unparalleled. It started out way back in 1080 as a fortress and was rebuilt in the red sandstone by Akbar in the 1570s. His grandson Shah Jahan embellished its buildings with fine marble ones and it was used as a palace before it became the place of his incarceration. He was imprisoned there by his son Aurangzeb.Agra Fort played a part in the 1857 uprising and if you want to read a first hand account of those times pick up "1857" the account of two Brahmin itinerant beggars who were caught up in the fighting.

For me it has an aura of glory superior to that of Delhi and my two most favourite scenes there are looking out onto the Yamuna over the bend in the river with the Taj in the distance, and the exquisite marble fountain which sadly now has been cordoned off to visitors.

Fatehpur Sikri

2011-10-18T08:48:00.002+05:30

This is a ghost town on the outskirts of Agra. The interesting thing about this wonderful place is that it should remind us of two things and two things alone.

The first is that Akbhar built it to honour Shaikh Salim Christi (a Sufi ) who lived here, as it was the Sufi who told him he was going to have a son. No expense spared, it was the first planned Mughal city, it took nearly fifteen years to build, they lived in it for fourteen and then it was abandoned - WHY ? They made a HUGE miscalculation on the availability of water and the rest is history. I wonder in 50 years time how many cities in the world will face similar problems.

The second, and to me this is even more fascinating, is the secular nature of this city. Akbhar was not called the great for no reason. He was a visionary and an aesthete and a lover of learning. He built three palaces for his three wives who came from different backgrounds and had different religions and he was sensitive to these differences but also conscious of the need to be inclusive and accepting of all. How liberating and how forward thinking in a man of the 16th century. His secularization is a lesson for every ruler in every country. Well at least that is what my friend Celia and I believe !

Mehrauli Flower Market NO MORE

2011-10-15T15:03:00.001+05:30

This, to me, was always my first port of call for any visiting friends. Mehrauli Flower Market- up the road from where I live, tucked away in a side street off the busy main road and thriving,buzzing,dazzling with the garlands, rose petals and marigolds.The colours were arresting, the fragrances breathtaking. Even the pigs feeding on the debris at the end of the road were a feature I really enjoyed. Here are some of the lovely stalls I captured at an earlier time.

Last week it was destroyed. Brought down and this is all that remains. I have no idea why or what for. I can only think of all those poor people looking for another place to sell their beautiful flowers especially in the run up to Diwali and suspect that some municipal corporation is being hasty in its action, unplanned and unthinking, where no alternatives have been put in place and people's livelihood and security are taken away in a day. A sad loss for all.

Power out - head out

2011-10-12T10:11:00.000+05:30

The weather in Delhi is almost perfect now, warm without being hot and bearable without outside aids. Sadly though in spite of the lesser consumption Delhi is currently experiencing daily long power cuts and water shortages which are troubling and inconvenient but also a sign of worse to come.

What to do when this happens, turn everything off and head out and take in all that is around. Nature is free of Delhi Municipal Corporation's trying systems and flourishes wonderfully in the lead up to Diwali the festival of lights. The lights, the festive nature, the gift exchange are all ahead but also around us.

Just up the road from me are flowering teak trees. Broad based leaves with strong and sturdy bases but look at the flowers - little baubles of delicate Diwali lights in the most splendid of greeny yellow hues. The bushes sprinkled with a dust of snowy patterns and the ubiquitous poinsettias which are so in your face but an unmistakable sign of festive times.The purple bells and finally the flowering amaltas which are the neon lights of the season.

Come back in and you may find power restored but then again perhaps not....

Dussehra The triumph of Good over Evil

2011-10-06T11:56:00.001+05:30

A special day in India today and after the fasting comes a massive celebration of the triumph of Good over Evil - Evil is represented by the evil Ravana and Good is of course King Ram around whom the whole of the epic Indian story of Ramayana is based.

Just some thoughts about this year's celebrations. The Ravanas this year are promised to be Technic ! A bit like Lego Technic with articulated arms and apparently fire and tears and even cries of pain as they burn.A real marriage of the traditional with Indian techie expertise put to best use. Eyes will light up and the evil Ravana will appear larger than life and very menacing ...or maybe not....

....as the Ravanas are reportedly getting smaller because of inflation and transport costs ....so are we hoping that Evil is a much diminished commodity these days ??

Anna Hazare doesnt think as he will set off his Ravana which will symbolise the evil of corruption over society.

Happy Dussehra everyone and may the good in you shine out over the evil.

Mezze Snippets

2011-09-29T16:11:00.002+05:30

Today Anna Hazare is starting to blog so you can read and hear what he has to say. annahazaresays.wordpress.com

Today some scientists in Brisbane reported that they have developed a vaccine that can be applied as a nano patch and which doesn't need refrigeration. In countries such as India where refrigeration is still a huge issue this is fantastic news and fills me with admiration for these scientists.

Today it is reported that effigies of Ravana, representing evil, are no longer selling like hotcakes. Inflation and the cost of transportation as well as the crack down on large gatherings has meant that the traditional Ramlilas planned where the effigies are paraded and burnt have been curtailed.

Ramlila is an enactment of the Hindu Epic Ramayana.it talks about the life of Lord Rama.It begins with the Ganesh Puja on the first day of Navrati ( A period of fasting ) and continues for 11 days.On the 10th day Dussehra which this year is on the 6th of October effigies of Ravana are burnt to symbolise the triumph of Good over Evil.

Today is the first day of freedom from annoying SMS messages selling you an apartment you dont want in Noida or adding two inches to your height or to other more sensitive parts of your body !!

I leave you with this picture - aaaa how lovely to be able to phone and order a PhD.

Feline frolics

2011-09-28T10:07:00.002+05:30

Cats are an underclass in India, a serious minority, hardly seen, hardly heard. You have to ask yourself why and perhaps the answer is the desi dogs that are SO prolific the poor cats dont stand a chance.If you ask around the answers are that Indians think that cats are carriers of bad luck and disease. It is particularly bad apparently if a black cat crosses your path. However on the occasion that I have seen them I have to say they are adventurous, plucky and different.

This is a cat in Kaziranga National Park, in Assam in NE India, who didnt think twice in the few minutes the jeep was parked to climb inside and find a tasty snack.

Even more impressive for me was this cat that I saw in a warden's hut. There are such things as Leopard cats, perhaps this is one of them. What an astonishing cat this is.

There is a book entitled "Why are there no cats in the Bible"

The sequel could be "Why are there no cats in India !"

Sunset at Neemrana

2011-09-25T08:36:00.000+05:30

We sat on the terrace overlooking the valley and took in the great view and the unfolding storm. The clouds had rolled in, darkened the sky, and dropped round, fat raindrops. Then the darkness lifted the sun dipped in the sky and this followed.

Neemrana - choose your room and your century

2011-09-23T17:11:00.001+05:30

Neemrana is located about 122 kms south of Delhi and it seems to be an unlikely place in an unlikely setting but it is even more unbelievable when you finally find it.

I will not pretend that getting out of Delhi on the highway is anything other than sheer madness. The roads out of Gurgaon are chocker block and flooded -

The highway - what highway - it has been under construction repair and renovation for as long as we have been here, is non existant - Hence do not be surprised when you are travelling down to see cars and trucks coming up on your side of the highway as in the picture above. On our journey, the cars and trucks coming in the opposite direction were so many that we were thrown off the road and into the ditch !

So persevere is all I can say. Dusty dirty, dangerous ...but you turn into some industrial estate and through some back streets and there perched on the hill is Neemrana Fort Palace. The baby of a couple of men with an eye for detail and a love of history.

Here it is a fort perched high in the hills spanning the centuries - lousy picture apologies

The entrance and passage up to the fort

Our sitting room

Our bathroon

One of the pools and the hanging gardens

The fort is perched on the side of a hill and it is an assortment of 14th century ruins with subsequent centuries of tasteful additions brought screamingly and happily into the 21st with considerable success. Dont come if you dont like stairs as the place is a rabbit warren of hidden passages and stairs some of which lead to rooms, others not.

We explored the village and the baoli , a nine storey step-well of some grandeur and proportions, sadly now the home of bats and rubbish but reminiscent of the ingenuity of those forebearers who managed such contructions without even one JCB in the area.There is of course a zip wire as well which can amuse the younger more adventurous among us and some foolhardy oldies too.

Pretend you are an Indian princess and step out onto your roof top and survey the beautiful land below and holler for that prince. Mine was right round the corner.But the best was yet to come...

Move over Mexico Mizoram calling

2011-09-16T09:22:00.000+05:30

A lot of us live here with husbands or partners who are often called away on business, and perhaps some of us are spoilt with the occasional gift, a shawl, a good book, though I have to say mine is not great at bringing gifts home, until the other day when he arrived happily back from Mizoram with a jar full of the fieriest chillies ever. Look at those colours ! He is a fan - so move over Mexico, we have been reliably informed that Mizoram has the hottest chillies ever. I am off to buy some yoghurt for dinner tonight.

A celebration

2011-09-12T08:07:00.004+05:30

Blogging is of course about sharing but I have rarely put my family in the forefront of my blog. Today however marks the exception and while I dont talk about him often or show him I know that in deciding to spend my life with Charles or Charlie, as we affectionately call him, I chose an uncertain path and one where I was giving up so much, but which ultimately has offered me so much more.

Today we are quietly but happily celebrating 25 years of married life and a longer history of knowing each other for 35. I can hardly say the numbers - they seem best confined to the old and the infirm, to couples with pot bellies and blue rinses but here we are in India of all places, empty nesters and totally content in each other's company and values.

He annoys the hell out of me, is particular about airports and the radio but he engages me daily with his vast knowledge, his caring attitude and his youthfulness. He says he will outlive me of which I have no doubt but in that amble to the finish or whatever it is, I would like to believe we will have many more shared moments of a life spiced with adventure, harmony and happiness.

Natural Indian hazards

2011-09-01T14:59:00.001+05:30

We were sitting having coffee with a few women in my living room when water comes gushing out of the A/C mounted on the wall and drips down onto my antique Chinese cabinet. Buckets and mops were hauled in and A/C repair man called.

One holds the ladder, the other climbs and as he dismantles it all he asks for a bowl or bucket. The drain pipe was chocker block with gecko eggs which are much larger than you could possibly expect these small lizards to produce. They eat mosquitos and insects so when I enter the room and they scurry to hide I know I should be kind and leave them be but it is just one of the facets of Indian life that you get gecko poo falling out of your A/Cs and geckos squashed in the printer when I press the command for print. Their getaways are often what stops your machines working efficiently so next time you have an A/C problem or your printer jams you know what to look for.

Well recently I had a snake in with the geckos and of course the snakes love eating the geckos but I was not quite so happy about that particular resident slithering around my living room.

On another front this is what I came across on one of my walks. The colour was watermelon pink - almost shiny and furry and my was it impressive. Here is a picture which conveys some of its potency.Have tried to indentify it but failed. Any ideas ?

But that is not all - of course the centipedes are all over and the bats too and this one landed into our front door and lay stunned momentarily. Normally we see them at dusk as they dive bomb us in the pool.

We took this one in and gave it a rest before taking a picture of it and then releasing it.

The phenomenon that is Anna Hazare

2011-08-26T09:03:00.001+05:30

Whether you are resident in India or resident abroad chances are you will have heard this name by now.

This is the 74 Indian who has sparked a wildfire of indian peaceful protest for the elimination of corruption in India. He is currently fasting and he can be found in Ramila Maidan in the centre of Delhi.

Daily, the newspapers are full of reports of his movements and his pronouncements, of the ever increasing crowds that come to lend their support and the jittery and uncertain steps of Congress as they attempt to douse the fire and take things back from his control.

My driver Shiva who is from Kerala went to lend his voice and support to Anna Hazare and this is his account:

"I went by Metro though I was not sure where to go. As soon as I got out of the Metro someone took out a tricolour waved it in the air and we all followed him. We went to Ramila Maidan. This is a large area like a stadium. The place was full of supporters showing their solidarity in a peaceful way. There are thousands of volunteers who clean up the stadium from the plastic and the plates. Others have set up stalls with food to feed all the people who come. There are others selling snacks and cold drinks. The atmosphere is jovial and determined and we spent many hours talking to others and hoping to hear him. He has three doctors with him who monitor his medical condition now he is fasting.

In the evening we went to India Gate and from there we started a candlelit procession. There was a man of 94 who came from Haryana who was carried by his family. He wanted to be part of this. There were buses full of supporteres from all over the country. I was so happy to see people were finally taking a position on this terrible corruption which eats into our society."

The need for sleep

2011-08-22T08:57:00.002+05:30

Coming from a Mediterranean background my parents daily siesta after lunch was my nemesis. It was a time when I was asked to play or read quietly in my bedroom. For a lively little girl the hours dragged and there were many a day when I would jump up and do something different with the occasional accidental door slamming in the the wind. My father, who worked hard and took his siesta very seriously, was not amused !

Years on, I am unbelievably middle aged and now sleep creeps up on me. For my husband who comes home from work, the inevitable nod after dinner on the sofa. For me an occasional zzz after lunch if I am reading.

For all those around me sleep is hugely significant. Its a recharging and rebracing for what lies ahead. Sleep patterns or habits here leave me aghast only because often they seem to require considerable dexterity and some interesting body adjustments but emphasizing that it will take place at any cost and under any circumstances.

On a barrow of vegetables

Under a container trailer

On an ice cream cart

On a ledge

On a pillar in the middle of the highway

On a piece of concrete

You often find people asleep in the central reservation of a busy road. On the ledge of a narrow pavement. On a wall. In an autorickshaw in what seems like a supremely uncomfortable position. Under trucks and on carts.

What is the most unusual place you have slept in ?

Gulmarg

2011-08-19T08:51:00.000+05:30

Looking all around me and I could be in Switzerland, which I love so much, but actually this is unmistakenly India and it is full of all the beauty of mountains and water but spiced with the green eyes of the local population which makes us stare rather rudely, kawha tea and Kashmiri food, beautiful stallions and exquisite pashminas.

I am in Gulmarg - at 2,730 metres ( Meadow of Flowers ) and all around me are majestic mountains, fir trees, meadows with the most beautiful alpine flowers and fast flowing rivers.

This is a hill resort well known for skiing and winter sports. The summers are of course a time for alpine walks and horseriding and this is what we chose to spend our time indulging in.

The clouds rolled overhead in the mornings and threatened all manner of damp destruction but actually the winds seem to carry them away and within 10 minutes we would often see a completely transformed weather front.

Walking up to the border with Pakistan where we could see the barbed wire posts through binoculars was a little hairy as the soldiers seemed reluctant to let us go. Finally we were shown a back route.We walked slowly and purposefully. The air is thin and the going is hard. We were lucky, the weather held off but we were hopelessly underprepared and I briefly worried about the power of the mountain over my life. The terrain, large boulders, often decorated with bright yellow funghi- the softer ground full of bright red flowers and edelweiss. The Swiss, it seems, do not have the monopoly on them.

We headed up and up with clouds and swirling winds around us to get to what is called the Frozen Lake although during these summer months it is not frozen and takes on the colours of the surrounding mountains.

We sat eating our picnic at the very top and taking in the majesty of it all.

The alpine flowers

The swirling clouds and winds

The soldier who was afraid to let us go any further

Toboggans that have seen better days

Gentian blues and marigold yellows

The frozen Lake

Looking across to the border with Pakistan

We headed down happy and tired ready for a good dinner of mutton and baigan giagni, rice and channa and vegetables.The next day was another adventure this time on the back of some formidable horses. We rode in and out of the forests and streams to a flowing river where we sat and cooled our toes and hands. I marvelled at the fact that I managed to hang on. The steep rocky slopes were frightenting and the paths barely visible but that was part of the this wonderful adventure.

Shrinagar

2011-08-17T15:53:00.001+05:30

Shrinagar (Sri- rich /abundance Nagar- a Town) is the capital of Kashmir and it has clearly been a favourite destination for Moghuls, Britishers and anyone who has a love of nature and beauty. The Moghuls thought of it as a place for rest and relaxation and somewhere to take the Begums - so they planned and planted the most beautiful gardens for them to enjoy.Modern day husbands can take a leaf out of that book.

There are several gardens worth visiting - Chashma Shahi (the royal fountains); Pari Mahal (the palace of the fairies); Nishat Bagh (the garden of spring); Shalimar Bagh; and the Naseem Bagh. The Tulip Gardens have been recently opened to public by Sonia Gandhi.

The attention to order and linear form is strangely comforting and the variety, colour and fragrance is wonderfuly enticing. Unlike in a lot of places in India where the Moghuls designed their char baghs the waterworks here are kept in good order and the soothing sound of water flowing is the only audible noise.

The Shalimar Gardens

Take a walk - I would say in any season- when we were there the dhalias were out in their full glory. I said we must return in the autumn to catch the changing leaves of the Chinar tree which is the tree of the area, a type of plane, tall, with a huge base, wonderful leafy foliage and characteristic of the area.

The Nishat Gardens

The Pari Mahal on the hillside overlooking the town

The town is an interesting mix of very old and beautiful wooden buildings and lots of bakeries selling kashmiri breads and sweets. The bazaar is buzzing and the people, oh the people, they are so very handsome and welcoming it is hard to leave.

Indian Independence Day 2011 and some snake charm

2011-08-15T07:51:00.001+05:30

Its the 15th of August 2011 and India's Independence Day. I was busy catching up on emails and sorting out paperwork at my desk.Holidays are good days for catching up on such things, since we chose not to go to the Red Fort in the pouring rain. I got up to tidy away some box files that had been on the floor for a while.

As I was ready to pick them up a snake slithered from out of one, a foot long, grey-green with a forked tongue. I called my Knights in shining armour who arrived armed with barbeque tongs and gardening gloves and between them Charles managed to pick it up gently behind the head while Anthony held it down and they took it out into the garden where we released it.

To be absolutely honest I was a little freaked by it all.

Hope this indicates a madness of good luck and fortune on this auspicious Independence Day for India.

Kashmir - where beauty pays a price

2011-08-14T12:23:00.001+05:30

Most Europeans would not entertain the idea of visiting Kashmir. Last year there were quite a lot of disturbances there and for years it has been plagued by the unhappy politics being played out by India and Pakistan. I ask myself whether this is this the price you pay when there is so much beauty as everyone wants a part of it?

Kashmir was in the hands of a Hindu Maharaja at the time of Independence but it always had a large Muslim population. At Independence there was an expectation that it would go to Pakistan but in fact the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession which was accepted by the Indian government. The resulting war in 1947 produced a divided state where India claims the majority of it but there is also Azad Kashmir administered by Pakistan and Aksai Kashmir administered by China. Throughout the years disputes, militancy and armies have kept this region on the edge and its people have suffered endless hardship and injustices.

I cannot lie- the military presence was everywhere. Barbed wire fences, sand bags, barricades, smart and large Indian soldiers wielding weapons and impressive army establishments like the High Altitude Warfare Institute are all around you.

Our balcony on the houseboat

The dining and sitting room

Typical Housboats

The bird life is right there in front of you swooping and singing all day long

All the more reason to say enough - these handsome people should not suffer any more and need to be supported to promote the beauty of their country and the two or indeed three dominating countries have to find a peaceful way forward. I will not lose sleep over this or hold my breath but feel I need to say it as I come from a divided country too- probably the last in Europe and half my homeland is under occupation 37 years since it was invaded by the Turkish army but I still hope that one day there will be a settlement which will allow us to live and prosper, side by side, in our own beautiful land.

So we visited Kashmir and it was truly magnificently beautiful and strangely one of the most peaceful places I have been to in India. Shrinagar is the capital of the state and we stayed on a houseboat on Dal Lake. As often when I am faced with new situations I question how things came to be- who started the tradition of houseboats and why. Part of it was the reluctance of the Maharaja to allow anyone to own land and the increasing desire of the Britishers to spend time in this cool paradise. Doonga boats were introduced to house them and they eventually lead to the sophisticated, elaborate and plush houseboats that you can now find on Nageen and Dal lake all of which are almost exclusively used by tourists and which are stationary but come complete with wood carved ceilings and ornate balconies facing the lake, electricity, Kashmiri carpets and flush toilets and a cook who prepares and serves aromatic Kashmiri food.

The Lakes are surrounded by high mountains- I could have been on lake Leman, lake Como or Annessy in France - but this was even better because the best way to move around on the lake was on a shikara, a shallow wooden boat with an awning and cushions to recline on, steered with a single heart shaped paddle by an obliging Kashmiri through the lotus and marigold flowers. The light plays games with the colour of the water and the mountains cast their reflection downwards to add to the aura. More on the the areas around the lake in my next blog.

The heart shaped paddle

A shikara

The lotus flowers in bloom

Our wonderful shikara man Lhasa who spoke the Queens English and had never been to school.

Sentiment sound if not the spelling

2011-08-03T17:54:00.000+05:30

But what they don't say is women need to do so too. Everywhere you go in India you find the men wearing safety helmets but the women and children riding on the back are always without any protection whatsoever.

Less important, more dispensable, or just a question of cost ?

Slut walks and walking tall

2011-08-01T08:40:00.001+05:30

Delhi has just experienced its first ever Slut walk. Just saying it is distasteful in my mouth and I really cannot imagine why oh why anyone could have happily attached such an awful name to such a good cause. But that is just me and perhaps we need to get beyond the names to see the real essence and appreciate the urgent need in this country for equality in the sexes and education of the way men in particular behave towards women in society. I have blogged about the incidence of rape here - it is APPALLING and any moves to educate and eliminate unacceptable behaviour can only be a welcome step in the right direction.

This event happened on the same day that I saw a small but not insignificant announcement in the Delhi Times Matrimonial section. I am sure most of you are familiar with the many convoluted messages posted looking for suitable brides and bridegrooms. This one however was special

In Red Letters---------HIV POSITIVE

1982 born, HIV + Engineer, Punjabi, 5' 8'' No health problem, seeks reputed family, qualified girl. Contact

Tel no ..................

I find that so refreshing.Just saying it the way it is and looking to a better future as he and every other HIV+ is entitled to. Change is indeed on the way.

The Island

2011-07-30T10:26:00.001+05:30

The Island by Victoria Hislop is a story written about the island of Spinalonga off the coast of Crete. The island was a leper colony from 1903 to 1957.It was probably one of the last active leper colonies in Europe.

The story : The Petrakis family lives in the small Greek seaside village of Plaka. Just off the coast is the tiny island of Spinalonga, where the nation's leper colony was once located—a place that has haunted four generations of Petrakis women. Eleni, Maria, and Anna. Alexis, Eleni's great-granddaughter, visits Greece to unlock her family's past.

This is a novel of lives set in the Mediterranean during World War II. The Island is a story of dreams and desires, of secrets desperately hidden, and of leprosy's touch on a family. ( A shortened review )

Lead complete.

Life leads

2011-07-29T08:45:00.000+05:30

One thing leads to another - how many of you find that in your lives you take a path, visit a place, meet a person and this leads you into something unexpected, new, different or exciting. My present little journey started with a British Contact Group Coffee morning- pretty ordinary you might think. This lead me to MESH and SOCHYO - more about the latter soon but MESH which I blogged about just the other day does a lot of work with people who have leprosy.

How many of you I wonder have even come across this disease or know anything about it? I have this biblical image in my head of people with leprosy banished to leper colonies. When I visited India many years ago I saw some begging on the street. Perhaps part of my ignorance is that it is not a disease you see often in the west - but then I think again and realise that just recently a hugely popular book was written about a leper colony on an island in Greece. Literally on my doorstep -another lead -(See next blog entry)

So here goes

Leprosy is caused by Bacteria. It usually starts off as a small patch of numb skin. This may lead to sensory loss and disfigurement of limbs. If you have it, IT IS COMPLETELY CURABLE - perhaps something that was not obvious to most people many years ago who thought it was highly contagious.Campaigners these days call it the world's "least contagious communicable disease".

From an article in the Guardian in March of 2011 comes this moving account:

"Narsappa was just 10 years old when he was told he had leprosy, but the news changed the course of his life forever. People in his Indian village immediately began to shun him and told his parents that he had to leave. He says his mother started grieving for him "as if I was already dead". Shortly afterwards, his father took him to a hospital two hours away from home and left him there. No one ever came to visit him and Narsappa never went home again.

Now 42, he now lives in a leprosy colony on the outskirts of Hyderabad and campaigns on behalf of people affected by the disease. "I lie awake at night thinking about how I was treated and how I can stop others from going through the same thing," he says.

India may have one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but 130,000 Indians are diagnosed with leprosy every year – more than every other country put together.

Read full article .....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/24/leprosy-india-hidden-disease

So these people are not only battling with the illness which is bad enough but the unwarranted social stigma that seems to cling on to the disease for no good reason. And this in the 21st Century. MESH gives them a purpose and a way of earning a living.And hopefully that is just a start to them achieving a socially inclusive and dignified existence.

How our eating habits can affect the handicapped.

2011-07-26T13:49:00.001+05:30

Pictures courtesy of Sochyo

No I have not gone completely mad. There is a correlation and I wonder how many of you might be able to guess what it is ? I recently had the opportunity to visit a wonderful NGO called MESH- It stands for Maximising Employment to Serve the Handicapped and it has a shop at 5 UDAY PARK NEW DELHI 110049. Phone NO +91 11 26965039. http://www.mesh.org.in/- Do visit and come away with wonderful items like the ones pictured above.

Mesh's focus is to work with people affected by Leprosy and other disabled groups. It buys from 42 groups in 12 states in India and it sells their products through Fairtrade organisations in Europe, North America and Australia.

Changes in eating habits in the west but here as well suggests that there is no longer the emphasis on eating meals around a table which in the traditional way would require a tablecloth or placemats- with couples being busy with full time jobs, with microwave meals taken at any time and with less time for family meals there has been a marked dropped in the demand for tablecloths and placemats so the weavers who are directly affected by this must look for other innovative products to produce and sell.

Remote but relevant and directly affecting their livelihood.

When I was raising my children I had one rule and that was that we ate around a table every night. I never cooked a separate meal and the children ate the food we ate. There is nothing they dont eat and dont enjoy and I am blessed with three boys who take joy and pleasure in their food and the way they eat it. Next time you are thinking of cutting corners think again.

Facing it

2011-07-24T17:08:00.002+05:30

Is there an acceptable face to these children ? One that we can live with. Are these faces better examples of what I described in my previous post ? Yet it is what we come across all the time. Rich dark hair sometimes unkempt but more often carefully braided or pigtailed, dirty grubby clothes and dirty faces sweating in unbearable temperatures or shivering in the cold.

They light up with smiles so broad you are almost in disbelief. There are so many out there and each one is more beautiful than the last. Is this painting an unrealistic picture of a horrible hand to mouth existence. Are there right ways to behave and wrong ways ?

Are they in that trap and cant get out whatever they do because there is addiction and glue sniffing and stealing ? Is it hopeless or hopeful ? These are all young girls. Could you see your daughters begging, selling pens and flowers, their bodies perhaps, to make it through to the next day ?

A different face

2011-07-21T09:10:00.001+05:30

Living in India means that you often encounter street children begging on the streets or living on the roadside.

We talk about their plight and their life. Some beg,some sell pens or flowers, some play with siblings or carry the babies. Some of us develop relationships with these children and give them support whether it is in the form of old clothes or biscuits or even a bottle of clean water. Others find the experience too much and wind the windows up or simply ignore them. However we deal with them the reality is that rarely do you see sad faces.

Today however I saw a different one

A little girl, pigtailed, in shorts and a shirt which were grey and grubby, barefoot, walking on the inside of a double carriage way. On the side of the oncoming traffic.This is dangerous but not unusual nor unexpected. Only minutes before I had seen a little child barely of walking age crossing this road by himself.

Her head was ever so slightly looking down and she was sucking her thumb. I dont know why I felt that child's sheer vulnerability through that small gesture but I did. There was something so unbelievably poignant about her need to be comforted and her ability to find this sucking her thumb.

Nutmeg and Mace

2011-07-17T17:44:00.002+05:30

And the winner is Mr Anonymous( please dont be shy) ....who said Mace.. which is half the answer of course and the other half is Nutmeg. The picture you saw was of the drupe. It is not a fruit and it is not a nut - it is a drupe and all its parts are used. In some parts of the world they make jam or chrystallized candy out of the fleshy part and then you have the intense red veining called the aril which is dried to make mace which if also a spice like nutmeg but less pungent, a gentler version if you like.

Under the aril is the dark shiny nut- like pip and inside that is an oval shaped seed, which is the actual nutmeg, with very pronounced veining - the inner kind, which you see if you grate one.

They are such beautiful spices and they have been around since the 16th century. They are native to the Mollocus Islands also known as the "Spice islands" and Grenada where the nutmeg tree grew very well became known as the Nutmeg Island and it is even on their flag.

It is said that 16th Century monks used to tell young men to annoint their genitals with nutmeg oil to assure their virility and the other story I found which is such fun is that if you tucked a nutmeg under your left armpit before a social event it was believed to attract admirers.

Now that I know I am not attending any more social functions without my nutmeg tucked away for that extra protection and attention !

A southern delight

2011-07-14T14:10:00.000+05:30

My driver comes from Kerala and his family are up in the Delhi visiting and apart from gifts of big yellow fleshy Keralan Bananas I got this. I tasted a corner, I marvelled at its natural attributes, sensual and inviting every way you look at it, I prodded and cut it and I googled it to death. I have the answer but do you ?

Pataudi Palace

2011-07-09T10:35:00.000+05:30

Living in Delhi is a bit of a skill and it takes a lot of energy to get it right. Escaping occasionally is necessary to recharge those tired batteries and give you a breather but finding places which are easily accessible is a harder task.

Pataudi is one such. It is about 60 kms south from Delhi which is a reasonably easy journey and it is tucked away off the main road so you might just miss it if you are not careful but it is a bit of an oasis and a lovely place for a day's wanderings or a weekend break.

As soon as you are there you feel the presence of the family who owned it, the Nawab Ali Khan who built it circa 1935 ( aka Tiger ). The current family boasts some Bollywood stars among it. One of them was captain of the Indian Cricket Team which is not a small honour these days. The corridors are full of pictures of eager sports teams competing with others.

The billiard room is an example of how little was undertaken as a small operation. Its size is impressive and the games played there must have been memorable with seating for eager participants and onlookers.

The colonades at the back give the shade you seek when the weather is not kind and the pool provides a welcome refreshment.

The rooms which are mainly up an impressive stair case are all furnished with period pieces, impressive four posters and luxurious bathrooms.

We spent some time walking in the gardens which have beautiful roses, snap dragons and some family tombs.

Moments of immense joy and pride

2011-07-02T14:50:00.001+05:30

There are some times in all of our lives that mark unforgettable moments and yesterday was one such for my family. My eldest son's graduation from Cambridge University, a place close to out hearts and dear to our souls for so many reasons. The day dawned blue - vibrant blue, not a cloud in the sky and we overlooked the lawns of Downing College as the robed young men and women congregated with their families for a picture of the year and then the procession down to Senate house through the cobbled stone streets of Cambridge flanked by historic colleges along the way. A ceremony conducted exclusively in Latin which seemed somewhat archaic but in conformity with the ritual and the 800 year old history of the University.

He has loved every minute of it and it will be a very special part of his life forever.For us that moment was mixed with nostalgia as this is where we met, pride and joy for his achievement and a slight tinge of sadness that it might be a while before we return.

Season of plenty

2011-06-27T01:22:00.001+05:30

All these months the heat and the dust have taken their toll on the country, dust covers everything, the grass is looking yellow and there is a general wilting affecting lettuces, humans and flowers.

Yet in all of this it seems that June is also the month of plentiful fruits and everywhere you go you encounter barrows piled high with delicious fruits ready to bring some sweet relief to parched palates. So where on the one hand we have the the heat's strength searing through everything, by the same token and a different strength we see its power to ripen and proliferate.

Mangoes, lychees, peaches and cherries from Kashmir, green young almonds which are delicious to crunch and apricots.Enjoy.

The Shimla- Kalka Railway

2011-06-18T08:54:00.002+05:30

This is my last blog about our trip to Shimla and it is about the railway. We left Shimla on the Shimla-Kalka train and it could not have been a sweeter descent through the cedar forests.The railway was completed in 1903 so it is over 100 years old and still going strong.

It resembles a toy train and is on a narrow gauge. It has 103 tunnels on its route,102 actually as no 46 was done away with. It toooooot toooots before it departs and it twists and turns through the mountains stopping at white washed stations with mediterranean blue trims and delightful names like Summer Hill and Barog the latter being the name of one of the engineers who tragically gave his life to the railway. The vistas are wonderfully soothing, going from dense cedar forest to spruce and pine and then as we approached the plain more Indian oak and big euphorbia, with terracing on various hillsides and little communities dotted about.The air changes from the cool fresh mountain air to the hotter drier air of the plains but the gradual descent allows for a more comfortable adjustment.

The journey from Shimla to Kalka was very affordable and took 4 1/2 hrs. On the day we travelled the train driver was retiring after 31 years of service so we had drums and dancing and he wore garlands of 10 Rupee notes which became more and more as we approached our destination. It felt like a celebration all the way home.

The Viceregal Lodge at Shimla

2011-06-15T16:55:00.002+05:30

You can't visit Shimla without seeing the Viceregal Lodge so I am devoting a whole post to it. It must have been such an ambitious project for its time and it was executed succesfully in every respect.

This is India in the 1880's - not much mechanization and before the hugely important completion of the Kalka Shimla railway. That will be my next post. Difficult terrain and harsh weather but Henry Irwin, the architect entrusted with building this, used local grey sandstone and teak wood and created a magnificent building in what is called a Scottish Baronial Style that is stunning to this day.

What makes it particulalry noteworthy is that this was the first place that had electricity in Shimla, hot and cold running water and even a system for collecting and storing rain water since perhaps surprisingly water is in short supply in these hill top towns. There were extensive terraced grounds, a huge ballroom, an indoor tennis court and elaborate kitchens. You walk in to this building and you cannot help but be awed by its construction and grandeur.

Its historical significance cannot be underestimated. This was the site of the Shimla Conference of 1945. More importantly in 1947 representatives of Congress, the Muslim League and the British sat around a small circular table in one of the rooms and decided the inevitable and irreversible partition of the sub-continent.

Since 1964 however it has been the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies and has flourished under the auspices of the government and many renowned researchers and fellows. The old ballroom is now a valuable library. Times move on, buildings stand firm, but all that goes on inside them is constantly evolving.

Wildflower Hall and the forest in Shimla

2011-06-12T13:31:00.000+05:30

If you are looking for a special place to stay in Shimla go to Wildflower Hall. it is quite exceptionally beautiful.Others appreciated its unique location when it was built as a residence circa 1876.

A picture of the original house and one of the subsequent hotel.

The original house was burnt down and the second residence built was where Lord Kitchener stayed. He developed the extensive gardens but this house was demolished and a three story hotel was built which suffered a similar fate as the first and it was destroyed by fire in 1993. The present building was constructed in 1995 and is the perfect luxurious getaway from the summer heat of the city.The rooms are wonderfully comfortable, the staff is one of the best trained and most obliging I have met and the hotel is run by a charming couple who are very willing to share all of Shimla's charms with you.

The present day hotel

The wildflowers in the garden

The view from our room

The wonderful jacuzzi and the view from its vanishing edge

The beautiful indoor heated pool

Some happy customers

An even happier one. He stole the oranges from our room and then sat on the edge of the verandah and ate them greedily

Un unknown species

A hedge blue seen on one of our walks

The cedar forests are the most extensive in the Far East

A giant Malabar Squirrel

Enjoying the views, the fauna and flora and the mountain air.

Shimla Town

2011-06-10T14:06:00.001+05:30

This place so reminded me of my childhood when my father used to send us to a wooden cabin in the Troodos range of Cyprus for some of the summer months. We would while away the hours picking pine cones, going for walks in the woods, riding tame horses and putting on our finest for a walk and an ice-cream in the main square.

That is what Shimla town is like. A big plateau perched on pointy hillsides with stunning views in either direction with a grand central pedestrianized walk called the Mall full of eateries and tourist shops, hotels and restaurants. Christ Church is perched on the highest plateau together with statues of Indira and the Mahatma.

Indian tourists in their finery stroll with their children, they sit on benches and eat their chaat, they slurp at their ice-creams they gaze at others, so many others around them. Children take pony rides and eat candy floss and here is a joviality that is hugely missing from the daily Delhi density.

There is a mixture of old and new. The established hotels, the Cecil and Clarkes in the centre of town, the old bakeries, the men carrying everything from gas cylinders, to sacks, to furniture strapped onto their backs. The Levis and Hilfiger stores and the modern sneakers and trainers hanging ready to go from shop fronts. My favourite of the town was the sweet shop with such enticing colours you just had to walk in and beg to be sweetened.

Clarkes Hotel in the Mall

The shops in the Mall

This bakery was established in 1876 in the Raj Heyday.

A picture of the main square in fading light

The sunset from the plateau

The enticing sweet counter

Shimla

2011-06-08T18:15:00.000+05:30

44 C and possibly on the way up - walking into my kitchen is like entering a furnace full on. They say heat rises and of course it does - it all seems to be in my kitchen- but you will be happy to hear that this does not happen at 7,234 ft above sea level. There it is positively spring- like, warm but with a fresh breeze blowing, cooler out of the sun and in the evening a chill allows you to wrap your pashmina happily around your shoulders.

We escaped and we headed to the hills and were soon reminded that in the olden days it took them four days of back breaking travel to get from the burning plains of hindustan to the hills but they considered it well worth it. When you go you too will realise what a completely different feeling Shimla gives you.

The Britishers as they are called, collective name for a bit of a disparate lot but we all know who they are, discovered this area around the 1820s and by 1864 it was crowned the summer capital of the Raj. A place that Rudyard Kipling said was "full of frivolity, gossip and intrigue" and which brought much relief to the many who wanted a respite from the summer heat.

Shimla was dicovered and within a short period summer residences dotted the hills and grand baronial buildings were built to house the officials and their administration. You can see much evidence of old Shimla in Shimla today and that has an enduring appeal to me as I am always curious to see the history and live the present.

It is built on seven hills- that is what makes it a meandering, high, precipitous place which is both colourful and congested, refreshingly different but familiar. The houses are high rises built on the sides of the mountains with many having their parking at ground level. All houses, eateries and even offices have monumental views and the roads wind and twist around these seven hills in a slow slithering line of traffic which mercifully still moves at snail's pace but where soon the vehicles on the road will simply out strip the horizontal ground available to park them.

Much to write about in the next blogs from the wonderful Wildflower Hall to the Viceregal Lodge but I leave you today with pictures of Shimla at a distance and a crazy cow with a head for heights ( see behind the parked car by the edge of the building works ) !

Arushi Girls home - a Salaam Baalak Trust Home

2011-06-05T14:29:00.001+05:30

It is to my good friend Celia Marsh from Switzerland that I owe this initiative as she very kindly and generously supplied the money for it and I put it into operation. I visited Arushi girls home sometime last year and was struck at how well organised it was and how the girls supported one another. I asked what they lacked and the idea was planted - the girls love to dance and listen to music but they didnt have a proper sound system so today a compact but top of the range sound system was delivered to them.The girls wanted to know about Switzerland and I said it had snow and lakes and was very beautiful like Kashmir and that quite a few Bollywood films were made there. They wanted to know how people earned their livelihood so I told them about Swiss cows and banks. Someone jokingly said yes that is where Indian politicians keep their money !

They were curious about Anthony and me and how we liked India and what we were doing here. I practised my few words of Hindi but much more impressively they talked to me in almost fautless English that they learn in school

Once installation was complete we needed to try it all out so we did at full blast and the girls danced away and I joined them for some faulty Bollywood moves at the end. Great fun.

Rewari

2011-06-02T10:08:00.001+05:30

Did you know that there is a special place not far from Delhi where Steam Engines and their controllers live ?

Yes, for all of you out there who were brought up on Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends and model railways this is a little corner of India worth exploring- it is called Rewari and it is some 80 kms from Delhi, an easy car journey to Rewari itself but be aware the shed is tucked at the back of the Main Station and there is a detour of some interest to get to it.

Rewari was one of the biggest junctions of the meter gauge route dating back to 1893.It existed for some 100 years but was shut down in 1993. In 2001 it was decided to convert it into a heritage shed and since then wonderful locos have been brought here from all corners of India and lovingly restored and fired up. Usually one is fired up every Sunday but check before you make the journey if you want to see them in action. It now has a little coffee shop and a small but very interesting museum with all the coats of arms of the various districts and the implements used all those years ago. It is the pride of dedicated lovers of steam engines and it will not surprise you to hear that on the day we visited a coach of British steam engine fans arrived, all the way from the UK, on a special Indian steam engine trip of considerable excitement to them all

Cos they are both Special Boys

2011-05-27T15:28:00.001+05:30

Today's post is dedicated to two wonderful men, one lives by my side and the other was the first Prime Minister of India.They are honoured today for their illustrious lives.Both are capable of abundant love. I am fascinated by them in equal measure and whereas the quotes of one are profound and finite the quotes of the other are somewhat cynical but continue.....I have collected a few that I share with you today.

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”

How true for all of us living here.

“Time is not measured by the passing of years but by what one does, what one feels, and what one achieves."

“I have become a queer mixture of the East and the West, out of place everywhere, at home nowhere.”

Even more pertitent for many of us who live disparate existences all over the world.

“What we really are matters more than what other people think of us.”

"Life's a bitch and then you die."

"English is a precise language."

"Money is merely a tool".

Seher and Subash

2011-05-26T09:57:00.000+05:30

These are my little choclit kids - they belong to the landlady's driver. The family came from Bihar because the wife has some health problems which at great cost and a lot of time the driver is trying to solve with limited success it seems. The result it that they have been living on our compound for some months now and they are the sweetest and handsomest children I have met for a long time. Their names are Seher and Subash and their smile and countenance are instantly uplifting whatever your mood.

There was a time that I was concerned that the children were not going to school and that they needed to. I think so much was spent on the wife's medical expenses that there was little left over for school fees and uniforms but also because the children were enrolled to go to school in Bihar.

The end result - no school while they were here and a joy for us all to share. We hopped, we ran, we chased Tara, we bounced on the trampoline and we did crazy kiddie things together which perhaps now that my boys are older I miss and I had endless supplies of "choclit hai ? " I have sat down with them and done lego and looked at books though my Hindi is pitiful and their English not much better but we understood each other perfectly and had fun.

Sadly for me they have now gone to Bihar because it is not usual for employees to have their families living with them and in their father's sadness to see them go I too feel keenly their absence from my life.

Fleeting Moments

2011-05-21T13:14:00.001+05:30

My previous post generated a lot of comments and I welcome each and every one of them though I may not agree with all. NIMBY by the way stands for NOT IN MY BACK YARD. My friend N, is familiar with this term as it is something that occurs in every corner of this planet not just India.

Daily thoughts and scenes are always a mixture and in as much as the previous post was critical of the state of affairs here, this post is a reminder of the quirky and the different which is also so prevelant but often so fleeting.

A morning of dancing butterflies. Went on a wondeful walk with Tara in Vasant Khunj and spotted no less than 15 different varieties of butterflies from irridescent blue, to bright yellow, to flaming orange to whimsical white and ice-blue. Just beautiful.

Watching crows eat melted ice-cream from a pavement. They bend their head and suck in the ice-cream sideways. Hilarious.

Seeing a man riding a bike with one hand along a busy road holding a baby asleep on his shoulder.

Frightening.

Seeing a family on a motorbike as you often do but the little boy was fast asleep on the fuel tank.Uncomfortable. This one I captured for you.

NIMBY

2011-05-17T15:46:00.001+05:30

I was waiting to be collected from a well known shopping precinct. I stood on the corner by a small kiosk that sells sweets and tobacco pouches, both popular in India, and manufactured "singly" so people can afford them. The trouble with that is that men buy them, tear them open and throw the packet on the floor. The kiosk man was busy cleaning the patch in front of his kiosk. He painstackingly moved motorbikes and shifted chairs and swept all the rubbish into a nice pile and then ...he swept it under the parked car right next to the kiosk !

A young man finished his Sprite and simply threw it on the floor as he walked to his motorbike. I was too stunned to protest but patience is a virtue here and as I stood waiting, a woman with a worn and tatty sari came along carrying two plastic bags full of plastic bottles and plastic cups. She scooped up the plastic bottle and hey presto instant recycling.

On my way home I saw a mum lifting her toddler onto a wall and the toddler pooped in someone else's garden.All part and parcel of the state's failure to provide ....

Hence the well known acronym NIMBY. Don't for a moment think this is India's problem only.It happens wherever that selfish gene takes over and shows a lack of responsibility to the community you live in. In India's case one could say there are mitigating factors perhaps because of the states failure to provide.It is all a question of education and collective consciousness but you would have thought that 60 years was long enough to get this sorted.

Can you guess what it stands for ?

Moet Chandon introducing cousin Mohit Chander

2011-05-14T11:58:00.000+05:30

Moet Chandon introducing cousin Mohit Chander
LVMH owned Moet Hennessey India, the importer of Moet Chandon Champagne plans to produce in Nashik a premium version of the French bubbly that might be christened as Mohit Chander (MC), writes Subhash Arora who believes the nick name will be Chandon as in the other non-French countries where the big daddy of Champagnes already produces sparklers under this label.

http://www.indianwineacademy.com/item_1_434.aspx

There is a very funny side to the above announcement but also something terribly exciting about it. Indian wine and wine manufacture is getting bolder every day. I need cheering up and this made me smile.

Chini

2011-05-10T08:35:00.002+05:30

This is Chini our Indian stray who we adopted when we moved here. She moves like a gazelle, she has the eyes of a seductress and she is the best guard dog in the world. Sadly we live on a compound with non dog lovers and Chini was returned to the dog sanctuary from where she came yesterday. We are very very sad about this and want her to be adopted by a family who can give her the freedom to roam around and to enable her to be a guard dog.She is happy living in or out and has two half cups of dry food per day. She is at Jeevashram which can be visited and contacted as follows :

http://jeevashram.org/

Jeevashram Animal Shelter,

Rajokri, Rangpuri, Delhi

011 25064114

Dr Sharma is the Vet in charge and he holds Chinis vaccination sheet which is up to date.
Can you offer her a better home ?

Kanha National Park

2011-05-07T11:10:00.001+05:30

You know what it is like going to a National Park and having that weighted expectation of seeing the BIG ones. Well we dont - we go along and we enjoy the park for what it has to offer and this takes the pressure off for the driver and the guide and makes it a much more pleasant experience. Our interest is not just in the animals but the birds and the butterflies and of course the trees which are truly magnificent in India.

So it is with these same principles that we entered Kanha National Park on a spring morning. Kanha has been around since 1955, just a wee bit older than me, but much larger at some 940 sq Kms.It was not always national park. Some of it was farmed and 27 villages were relocated to ensure room for the animals so you can still see evidence of mango trees and other fruit trees in the park. It is right bang in the centre of India and a bit of a challenge to get to but it has a lot to offer. There are many lovely camps to stay at and I will tell you about the one we stayed at in another blog.

Kanha's size means that there are a lot of routes on offer with varying vistas. Meadowlands, river beds, quite thick sal forest and grasslands. Its tiger population is healthy and on the up but Kanha is famous for having saved the Swamp Deer Barasingha from extinction. I think it is a wonderful acclaim for any National Park to be able to credit such results and Kanha can. Swamp deer numbers which were in the tens are now rising to hundreds.It has other deer types as well not least the barking deer which we heard bark. They sound just like a dog.

Kanha of course is also good for tiger sightings and we did see one in the distance with lots of other jeeps. So instead of showing you the tiger at this point I am going to show you the jeeps. It is heartwarming to see the ever increasing numbers in the parks.

For a variety of reasons we did not opt to do what everyone else was doing and we decided to take a long drive up to a ridge to enjoy the blooming trees en route as well and the birds aand the butterflies.This is the superb creature that we met en route. She was on the road we were travelling on and she was truly magnificent and we were the only car there to enjoy her as she sat down in the shade and caught her breath, suveyed the scene, and then gently moved off the road and back into the forest.

We had to catch our breath at her beauty and we carried on our journey elated at this fantastic sighting. There was more so here are some of the select moments of our time there for you all to enjoy.

Madhya Pradesh in the springtime

2011-05-05T08:51:00.001+05:30

We are drawn to MP like bees to a honeycomb and in this case there was evidence of that as well with these honeycombs all over this kapok tree.The countryside was full of flowering trees and the houses had a very distinct style to them. Swept courtyards, square houses, most painted a very distinct and vibrant blue colour, small upper windows, thatched or tiled roofs.

The trees were a blaze of colour and blooms. The roads, inches deep in fallen leaves, but the surroundings still clung to some green and some watering spots that were favourites with the animals.

This interesting mass is an ants' nest which is made quite high up in the tree. How ants collect and put the leaves together is truly impressive.

More on the National Park and the animals in my next blog.

The Royals

2011-05-02T18:39:00.000+05:30

Hopped over to the UK to do a few odd jobs but also to enjoy the spectacle of the royal wedding and even your die hard republicans will agree that it was a grand and lovely affair. Just to give you a small flavour one of the biggest department stores in London called Selfridges had live people in their windows " doing the Windsors". Hilarious but also a sign of a nation that doesnt take itself seriously all the time.

A comment I wanted to share with you

2011-04-24T21:33:00.001+05:30

My blog on Coronation Park raised this comment from a reader and with their kind permission I would like to share this with you all. She said:

Your pictures remind me of the poem "Ozymandias" by Shelley:

"I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.

And on the pedestal these words appear --

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away."

Shelley captured so well how imperial power ends in wrecked, broken and neglected statutes, even as it always imagines that it will be permanent.

Coronation Park

2011-04-20T08:58:00.002+05:30

Some distance from the Civil Lines in Bhai Parmanand Marg, little known and visited is Coronation Park. This is the famous venue for the last Durbar in India on 11th December of 1911.The first Durbar was in 1877 to commemorate Queen Victoria as Empress of India. The second was to commemorate the accession of Edward VII to the throne in 1903 but it is the third one held in 1911 which actually had the King and Queen attending. On this occasion King George V proclaimed Delhi as the new capital of India and Queen Mary laid the foundation stone. The capital was moved from Calcutta to Delhi and Lutyens was the architect encharged with taking this forward.

It was Lord Harding however, the Viceroy at the time, who organised the Durbar of 1911. For any of you wanting to see what this splendid event looked like go to the "1911" Bar at the Imperial Hotel, order a drink and then wander round inspecting all the wonderful pictures of that time.

The park now is a huge expanse on which boys play cricket. In the middle rises an impressive Obelisk to commemorate the Durbar of 1911.

Just to the side of the obelisk is the park. When I went I was at the same time shocked and saddened by what I saw. The park is small but dotted with red stone plinths. On some of these plinths stand imposing figures of the era commemorating their importance in the history of India.

The most impressive is the gigantic statue of George V whose cape is totally splendid and rivals that worn by Princess Diana on her wedding day. The statue is mercifully intact though pigeons use it as a perch and there is a tree root growing from the plinth.The light was fading so sadly you cannot see the fine detail of his clothes and cape which show the meticulous details of the sculptors of the day.

To the side, lesser statues but no less significant of important personalities of the day. The park is shamefully neglected, with weeds growing out of control and the pigeons damaging the statues. Some have been destroyed or lie on the ground. It is sad to see this and since I visited I was asking various people about the park in an effort to find out more. Is it the British High Commission who have neglected this or the Indian Government ? It is more likely to be the latter and this was confirmed in the Times of India recently in an article to say that plans are afoot to restore the Park in time for the centenary celebrations in December of 2011. I will hopefully visit again and blog about the changes.

Till then, do not be put off, this is a fascinating step back in time and one well worth seeing.

British India of Bygone days

2011-04-15T07:55:00.000+05:30

One of the most appealling aspects of living in India is that it is almost an open history book. With little imagination and some background you can actually visualize places and people as there is so much evidence of past times here still. So it was with considerable interest that I visited North Delhi to explore that time in colonial history at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th Century.

I wanted to see the Civil Lines - the area where the British lived and look at the community around there which includes the cemetery and St James's church.

The story is a captivating one, not unlike some of the relationship aspects of mixed couples in "White Moghul" written by William Dalrymple.

Skinner was the mixed race son of a scottish father and a Rajput mother. He was rejected by the British army but he fought in other battles and was badly wounded. He prayed to God that if he survived he would build a church and he built St James's Church near Kashmere Gate which became the Church attended by the Viceroy and all the Anglican community. Skinner is actually buried in the church. Afer surviving Skinner started a cavalry regiment called Skinner's Horses or the Yellow boys (from their uniforms) and he went on to win many battles. His regiment was finally made part of the regular Indian army and still exists today. Skinner had fourteen wives and countless children some of whom are buried in the church ground.

Just a little further is the Nicholson Cemetery- The grave of John Nicholson can be seen just near the entrance on the right. He was one of the officers who fought during the first War of Indian Independence in 1857.
It is well tended, clearly less used these days, but the headstones talk loudly to you of a troubled time, of a time of battles and lost young lives. I looked carefully around and there were few headstones of older people, most losing their lives in their 20s and 30s in battle or through disease.

More poignant however were the countless messages from grieving parents who lost their babies and toddlers at very young ages to fevers, disease and malnutrition. There was a resignation and a graciousness in these messages giving their children up to God's will.

They touched me deeply as there is no greater loss than that of a parent burying a child.

Indian twists and charms

2011-04-12T11:30:00.001+05:30

In Europe you microchip pets. For those of you who are not aware of this system, your pet has a microchip inserted by a small shot gun into the back of their neck. This microchip which is the size of a grain of rice has a unique number on it.You are then the registered owner of this animal and if the pet is lost it can be traced to you. And believe me this works - our cat, lost in Geneva, was traced back to our vet in Liverpool who contacted us and told us that our cat had been found.The woman who found her had gone to her vet with our cat and her unique number was traced to us.

Here, as with all things Indian, there is a twist to the tale and it is snakes, like king cobras, that are being microchipped. As the art of snake charming has apparently being banned this is the way the government is giving some limited licences to the owners of the slithery creatures.

Just glad I am not the vet in charge of this job !

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/king-cobra/

Jazz at Nehru Park

2011-04-10T11:39:00.003+05:30

Nehru would have liked this - a collaboration of European embassies and learning institutions coming together to bring Jazz to Delhi on a beautiful evening in Nehru Park. The event takes place over three nights and if you havent gone along, tonight is your last chance.

I was there last night and was probably the oldest thing there, with a few exceptions, but enjoyed it just as much as the young things ! The event is free and the stage is set under a wonderful neem tree decorated with lanterns of silver strands shimmering in the evening breeze.

We caught Frakal, with the rather experimental Amyt Datta and Jivraj Singh playing some very loud music that almost bounced off my chest, as we were sitting quite close to the front. They were followed by Jump4Joy which did exactly what its name says - it made the whole audience JUMP FOR JOY.

No mean achievement and the energy brought to the show by Ulf Sandström was just astounding and electric. Part preacher, part philosopher, big part performer he wowed his audience who couldn't get enough of him. He was supported by his excellent band with a talented woman saxophonist which is quite a rare sight.

Life here is like this ...

2011-04-07T08:27:00.002+05:30

Amidst the more serious news -

A seventy year old man called Anna Hazara is on a hunger strike to protest at the level of corruption in the country. His cause is spreading like wildfire and protests and support rallies are being reported on a daily basis.

There is a superbug in Delhi water - as if the normal bugs were not enough !

Are scenes like these :

How to transport a door or several.

Dubious at the best of times and written in English a language NOT understood by millions of people living here.

Well would you be happy heading off with them ?

In case you missed it she is carrying that enormous branch.

And finally the Pet shop with everything even Dog.

India Cricket Champions

2011-04-04T08:51:00.000+05:30

For anyone who may have missed it in the world INDIA have just won the WORLD CUP IN CRICKET.
Congratulations Team India !
The parties went on all weekend.

In the right direction

2011-04-01T10:36:00.001+05:30

It is easy to be critical in India - so much, on so many levels, isnt right but today is a reason to be cheerful and encouraging.

Sometime back I reported on the 1411 tigers left in India - the news just out is that the tiger population has increased to 1541-1875. This is one of them that we saw recently in Madhya Pradesh and what better advertisement than her to emphasize how important their care and preservation are to India.

Even better news is that for the first time since Independence there is a slowdown in the population growth. I81 million added this decade as opposed to 182 million for the last decade. Still huge and it is the cities that are exploding but some of the poorer states show a drop in population growth.

India is 17.5% of the world population !

The gap between the male and female literacy rates has become smaller and literacy rates in general are up to 74 % if the figures are to be believed. Better than 51% in 1991 but way to go before it is up there with other developing countries like South Africa at 88%, Sri Lanka at 91% and China at 93% .

So Sri Lanka has the edge in literacy - but does India have the edge for the WORLD CRICKET CUP ??

On Saturday in Mumbai billions of people will be watching.

Morning Greeting

2011-03-30T12:47:00.000+05:30

Colour palettes with gossamer wings

Around them bumble bees sing.

Butterflies in such delicate shimmer

Oh the world is a- glimmer.

My friend Ruchira Mittal's greeting to me this morning !

Matches made in political heaven.

2011-03-28T08:19:00.001+05:30

I am quoting from an extract written by George Joseph at george.j@ians.in and can only say that this was a tasteful, fragrant event, with wonderful Kashmiri -Gujerati food offered to all the guests.On three days of the marriage celebrations the flowers and the colours changed from Marigold for the mehendi, to white jasmine for the wedding day to sweet scented purple red roses for the reception last night. The saris were to die for as were the girls wearing them and the evenings were warm and welcoming for the couple who begin their life together with the heavy duty of family and responsibility weighing "lightly" on their shoulders.

The loveliest touch in my eyes was the white highly decorated electric car with the usual array of tuneful tins trailing at its tail and a "Just Married" sign. A welcome change from the helicopters and the BMWs that seemed to be the more "in " presents for recent society weddings. Perhaps an indication of how close they are to the PM and Mrs Gandhi both of whom were present and who are averse to displays of conspicuous opulence.

"Two hearts and a VVIP political wedding

Their families like to call it a meeting of intimate hearts. But when Faisal Patel weds Zainub Nedous in the capital Friday, it will also be an alliance between two influential political families, one from Gujarat and another from Kashmir.

Faisal is the son of Ahmed Patel, who hails from Gujarat and is political secretary and right-hand man of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Zainub belongs to Jammu and Kashmir's well-known Nedous family, to which union Minister Farooq Abdullah's mother Akbar Jehan belonged.

The capital's political and social circles are abuzz with the Faisal-Zainub 'nikah' ceremony Friday and the reception Sunday. Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are among those likely to attend the reception. According to reports, Faisal will wear a sherwani designed by Tarun Tahilani and Zainub will wear a lehanga created by Rohit Bal. "

We wish them the best and happiness evermore.

Kiran Nadar Museum of Art closer to you

2011-03-24T09:00:00.001+05:30

I have blogged before about this wonderful initiative. At the time it was in Noida but more recently the Museum has opened a new branch in an unconventional setting perhaps even controversial. It occupies a large part of the ground floor in South Court DLF Saket Mall. Yes, a shopping Mall, that haven of Indian free time. There is some method in the madness or so I would like to believe, in that the art work which is completely free and open to the public is so approachable,so inclusive- half an hour to kill between your big Mac and the next shopping frenzy ?- pop into the gallery and BE AMAZED.

The surroundings are smooth, streamlined and beautifully lit. The paintings and art work are hung and displayed to maximum effect. This is one of the only places you can escape the congestion of the street as there are few bodies wandering around in here but there is a little part of me which wants to return to it seeing it crammed full of interested onlookers.

The aim is undoubtedly to bring art closer to the people, to make it more accessible and as I spoke with the assistant curator it was obvious that ambitious programmes were afoot to devise workshops and projects which would have that effect. I built a bridge immediately and put her in touch with Salaam Baalak Trust so it will be lovely to watch and report what comes out of that initiative.

The gallery is divided into rooms where a particular theme or subject is displayed. The Body Room with the captivating casts of A Balasubramania of South India, capturing his own body in contorted shapes, deflated, distorted, elated and shadowed are particularly powerful.

The fabulous fibreglass elephant of Bharti Kher whose bindi work all over the body lends itself to countless interpretations.We walked round and round the elephant, a tired one, a dying one, a weighed down one, listing all that come into our head just viewing this piece of art work that must have taken months of careful planning and hugely detailed work to create.

The impressive and expensive art work or S.H Raza and how his background as the son of a forestry official was influential in his choice of colours and shades when creating his abstract art.

Mrinalinis Mukerherjees upright and proud jute work of orchids and flowers and suggestive female sexual organs are staggering in their complexity and composition as are the iron works of Ranjani Shettar that fill a whole room with the most delicate creations suspended in mid air.

A room celebrating Ghandi, a room celebrating the city and urbanization, many more. One art work which I particularly liked by Surekha was "The Fragrance of Jasmine" with her representations of women and children wearing the braids of jasmine in their hair which are shown to us by way of a mirror through a photograph. Beautiful in the simplicity of its execution but complex in its message. The museum is open to the public and is a treasure of creativity, originality and imagination. These are the kind of gifts I am ready to embrace on all levels.

http://www.knma.in/contact.asp

Holied- the Festival of Colours

2011-03-20T12:37:00.002+05:30

It happened early in the morning- I was walking out of the house with Tara and little Rituu came along with her paint and painted me pink. Bhaju, the gardener followed, ringing my doorbell and while it is done with reverence, a touching of my feet first, he proceeded to dab bright pink paint all over my face and neck.

This is the first Hindu festival in the Hindu calender and marks the end of winter, we have put away the duvets and hot water bottles this very weekend and enjoyed a wonderful party in the garden.

The Holi festival commemorates the victory of good over evil, with the burning and destruction of the demoness Holika. Holi got its name as the "Festival of Colors" from Lord Krishna, a re-incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who liked to play pranks on the village girls by drenching them in water and colors.

It is full of fun and spontaneity and magic

Even Tara got holied !

A day at Tiklibottom

2011-03-16T16:06:00.001+05:30

Nestled close to the Arivali hills beyond Gurgaon is a little haven of tranquility and tastefulness. Some years back Annie and Martin Howard found themselves being propositioned by friends to take on two acres in this area next to a stud farm.They did so and Tiklibottom is the outcome - Just the name conjures up all sorts of interesting thoughts but actually visiting is an even richer experience and very happily so for the whole area.

Tiklibottom itself is built by an Indian architect in a style I hugely admire- rooms around a basic courtyard. In this case an attractive courtyard with a fountain and a lovely airy rooms leading off. They look as if they have come out of House and Garden and I suspect that this is a lot to do with Annie's wonderful style.

The lawns at the back have flowering beds and guinea fowl walking through. A camel with a wooden cart lies on one side to take its guests for an amble in the countryside. Annie and Martin have four double rooms to rent out and this is a perfect weekend gateway but in our case it was a day excursion with a purpose- to enjoy the lovely lunch they had prepared for us complete with the quintessential english apple crumble and the most wonderful banana pancakes but also as an opportunity to see the Howards' school which they started with the purpose of educating the children of the three villages that surround them.

It is a private school and it is run like one with motivated teachers, rigorous but engaging educational programmes and the proof of how successful this is, was the statement from the headmistress that the children come to school early and want to stay after school is over.

We visited the school and had the opportunity to listen to one of the classes belting out "This old man, he played one he played knick knack on my drum...we all joined it and really enjoyed it.

The school has been built in bits and pieces, basically as the money comes in and the latest and encouraging benefactor is none other than Sir John Major who had the opportunity to see the school and who offered to build additional classrooms which were much needed. The Howards are constantly raising money for the school because there are so many running costs like staff salaries, subsidies for books and uniforms and much more but they are doing a great job and you can see the results in the childrens faces and their engagement with a truly vibrant learning environment.

If you want to get involved, visit or donate please do - this is such a worthy cause.
Go to http://www.tiklibottom.com/

Garden of Five Senses

2011-03-10T09:43:00.002+05:30

February- March is Garden time in Delhi - from the wonderful Presidential Gardens which are open to the public at this time to the various parks and gardens scattered around this lush green city.

The Garden of Five Senses located in MB road near Saket is worth a visit at this time. It is spread over 20 acres and the brochure says it is "a park designed to stimulate one's sensory responses to the environment.

As we were going in we saw a sign saying "maintain standards of decency" which we thought was a bit strange but all was revealed. As with all outdoor parks and places in Delhi whether archaeological or natural they are a haven for lovers and flirting couples. I love the fact that there is a courtship time for so many young people here but perhaps the reality is slightly less romantic and suggests a lack of freedom where they can openly meet and interact. Whichever case the park was packed with couples and my mother in law and I were a bit like the Odd Couple in their midst.We walked through the lovely entrance of stainless steel birds round to a pool (empty) with impressive elephants made out of red stone. Through the formal garden to enjoy the dahlias and the hollyhocks and daisies. Up to the hillside to admire the lovely sculptures representing the seasons and on to the tree of wind chimes. Sadly some of the water features were not in operation.We saw the various restaurants dotted along the far end of the park and walked past the amphitheatre and the park of colours.