International Women's Day (IWD )

International Women's Day (IWD )was celebrated on March 8th and it marked the 102nd anniversary of IWD worldwide . In our office though and in most other offices we celebrated it on 7th March as 8th was a public holiday .India and especially Maharashtra has a long legacy of pioneering women – namely Savitribai Phule , Ramabai Ranande , Lakshmibai Tilak etc . But how have fared in these 102 years – here's a small poem to mark that occasion :
On 101 years of International Women's Day and 125 years of Savitribai Phule's birth


It is 125 years and the struggle is still on
The walk that started
Is still on
Reached some milestones but the goals kept on stretching
Some fellow travelers helped
During the rough patches
Some didn't
In the heady whirlpools and uninvited hurricanes
The walk just got longer

Though in our office we used a generous sprinkling of Maya Angelou-Phenomenal Woman and Subhadra Kumari Chauhan – her famous Rani Jhansi poem
The spirit of IWD continues ....

Travels...

January and February took me twice to Pune and the new property that has come up there – Ishta ( which is actually a branch of the famed Ananda resort and spa ) was quite nice for a weary business traveler . The food spread is huge and the spa ( though a bit expensive ) offers lot of good services and facilities – reflexology oriented massage , use of ancient ayurvedic treatment like shirodhara etc .

Then March it was Kuala Lumpur at a glance . Petronas towers , China town market , malls etc are the usual suspects where any Indian goes - but as part of our meet we were taken to Songtek -a quaint restaurant where there was a cultural show . The show displayed influences of all cultures in Malaysia(no wonder they call it truly Asia )- Chinese, Indian , Malay .

One note of caution though which any hardcore Indian vegetarian has to pay attention is that the food served to you actually has only vegetarian elements !!

Oh Singapore !!

With its smartly managed construction and busy moving traffic Singapore almost reminds you of a military parade- everything in perfect precision . Wish we had more and more of that kind of discipline and the ensuing comfort that comes along with it !!! At . least we in Mumbai can learn a lesson or two from there .

The Chijmes area in Singapore where I went today is a foodies delight with multiple cuisines served under one roof. A particular Brazilian restaurant servies tons and tons of meat . The premise being that you are given a card once you want any meat preparation the red side of the card should be up. Once you have had your fill the green side should be shown by any individual patron . There were some Brazilian attractions like fire dancing etc !!

But there is flurry of constructions activities in Singapore and my sense is that all small quaint structures will not be visible in times to come . The space crunch and increasing needs due to commercial expansion is the inevitable cause .

Cookery shows on television

Even children these days seem to like cookery shows. The chatty nature of the program coupled with the fact that pleasant things like food are shown and discussed with no reference to the daily stresses of life - so generously used in Indian sitcoms and daily serial shows to get those adult viewers addicted . Children at the end of the day even seem to get bored of cartoons and don’t mind watching the cookery shows . These food shows have also enhanced our vocabulary related to varied cuisines and we are most open to experimenting with new dishes , different additives in our day to day food . So keep the good working going !!!

The Balance

The Team Anna crusade continues in some way or the other . There could be lots of debates and arguments related to the movement but at least a germ of an idea is sown and it will flourish going ahead .
Talking about ideas in a fast city like Mumbai there is no time to think – where will the new things , concepts to grow , progress come from !! Along with the speed , race and movement we also need time to reflect , introspect and grow !! Both speed and stillness go hand in hand if we have to strike that balance !!

The icons of the new economy…

A recent business trip last week took me to NOIDA – the busy NCR region could not escape my observations . There was lot of greenery around and it looked like a planner's delight . Then there were the obvious pictures of Sister Mayavati looking at you at every corner and reminding you that your support is necessary to make her the next Prime Minister of India .

NOIDA, Gurgaon are the new India – full of confidence , new jobs , new economy , plush cars etc . However one thing that struck the nostalgic streak in me – there are hardly any signs of old economy – no friendly neighborhood grocer shops , no vendors , no trace of any old fashioned type of selling . The Mall culture is all pervasive and people have taken to it like nobody's business . Under one roof you have it all – daily utilities, window shopping , food , entertainment etc .

Fasts and more .. but fast please

So now that the period of fasting is over for Team Anna and also a lot of other people around India – the period of introspection begins as we have got a lot of food for thought . Did we really win as a democracy or such movements are possible only in a democracy ? The heartening thing is that the cause managed to awaken the urban middle class from the ennui that has set in .

I personally think that we need to take up the cause of the Mumbai infrastructure in a big way i.e. the Anna Hazare way if you may say . The flooding and perennial construction work has affected the commute , the general living standards . Then there are a host of issues related to infrastructure, certain amenities like playground etc - but no one really has taken up the cause in a focused way like the way it was done in nearby Thane and other places . We really need some help here !!