I think flat-hunting is one of those jobs that is most tedious, yet most adventurous, when done alone.After one year in Calcutta, armed with my knowledge of Bangla (largely restricted to daily words like clothes, dishes, wash, pillow, etc.), I decided to hunt for a flat. Approaching brokers made me realise that my vocabulary got me nowhere in the world outside my home, and I took to saying that I did not speak Bangla at all.One enthusiastic broker was excited at this rare opportunity to show off his Hindi, which bordered so much on Bangla that I was able to understand it despite his thick accent. He engaged me in long conversations and was delighted that I loved his Calcutta and the people of his land. Growing steadily more excited, he said, "You want an appointment, no?""Sorry?"He smiled knowledgeably at me. "Students like appointments, correct?"Bewildered, I made a … [Read more...]
Detective!
From the time I was about seven, I wanted a mystery to solve every vacation. It was not fair that only Enid Blyton people (for me, they were people, not characters) got to solve such convenient mysteries, with the additional advantage of barely getting older each time around.When our guide Vishwas started telling us how much goes into being a guide, I wondered whether he had similar unfulfilled childhood wishes.Every time we sighted any animal, the pride in his voice was heart-warming. He pointed out to us that a single alarm call (that we, the tourists, had ignored) had led us to our wonderful tiger-sighting. He commented with pride on the fact that all the jeeps ahead of us had ignored the sound, but his constant attention had given us a beautiful sighting of the changeable hawk eagle that had just made its kill. He exulted in the fact that his forethought in having led us through … [Read more...]
Surviving in the Jungle
Eight safaris with the same guide ensured that we became friends of sorts, and once he realised that three people out of five in the jeep understood Marathi, he opened up fifteen long years of experience to us. One fascinating safari was devoted to attacks by different animals, and how to save yourself."If a tiger is nearby," Vishwas told us, "just be calm. If he doesn't feel threatened, he won't attack you." For me, this translates as, "If a tiger decides to attack you, you have no hope. Your best bet is that it won't attack.""If a bear attacks you," Vishwas said, "climb the bamboo. Bears are great climbers, so climbing any ordinary tree won't help; you must climb bamboo. They can't follow you." For most city-people, this translates as, "If a bear decides to attack you, you have no hope. There's no way you can climb a bamboo, even if you are adept enough to climb a tree.""If a … [Read more...]
Tadoba
Our guide at Tadoba said, "All these people who come from big cities - Pune, Mumbai and all - they take photos of anything!"He laughed incredulously at me when I was awestruck by a hare bounding into the jungle, chased by a wild dog. "Khargosh?" he laughed. "Hehe..." But truly, for this urban creature, it was fabulous to watch that hare leap away!Our guide saw chital (spotted deer) so often that he counted how many in a herd while we lost our hearts to those eyes.Our guide told us, "People come from all these cities - Pune, Mumbai and all - and all they want to see is tiger, tiger, tiger. I tell them to go to the zoo." Yet, the tiger was breathtaking. People who take photos of tigers have to be accustomed to seeing tigers. Otherwise, it's impossible to remember that such a thing as a camera exists when the tiger is looking at you. I thought I was very smart and set my video camera … [Read more...]
An Old Lady in France
Having performed at Aix-en-Provence (close to Marseilles), and being readers of Dumas, we couldn't not go to Marseilles and visit the Château d'If. We had read and heard enough about it to want to go and see how picturesque it was. We went to the tourist office and found out what we were supposed to do. Excited and eager to set off, we stepped out of the office and unfolded the map we had been given, trying to find the the bus-stop. The map did not make sense to us at all. We looked up and around, trying to find places that corresponded to the map. We found none, so we turned the map upside-down to see if that would help. It did not.An old lady was watching our animated and amusing little drama, easily understanding what our problem was. When we turned the map upside-down, she finally came up to us and asked in that French accent that I've come to love so much, "Doo you need 'elp?"I … [Read more...]
Jeep Rides
Some people say that if you can drive in India, you can drive anywhere in the world. Others are more specific. They say that if you can drive in Calcutta, you can drive anywhere in the world. Some people are even more specific. They say that if you can drive in Calcutta and Darjeeling, you can drive anywhere in the world. I think the last set of people are right. You can drive anywhere in the world - even on a Formula 1 race track.Jeeps on the slopes around Darjeeling are convenient and cheap. If you have the time, the toy train is touristy and picturesque, but jeeps are more practical. The roads overlook the green valley that is so spectacular that it takes my breath away. Nothing can compare with hill-beauty - the firm green trees, the feeling of freshness, and the clouds caressing your face as you walk.The problem, though, is that your heart is in your mouth so often that you look … [Read more...]
The Eiffel Tower
I was not at all impressed when I first saw the Eiffel Tower. My problem with the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Mona Lisa is that they look just like the pictures. When you go and look at them, there's nothing that you have not already seen or sensed, unlike, for example, when you see the Notre Dame, the Sistine Chapel or the acropolis. When I said this, everybody told me that the charm of the Eiffel Tower lies in how it's lit at night. So my sister and I decided to go at night to see the Eiffel Tower and then take the last train out from Paris back to Grenoble.It was worth it, people were right; the Eiffel Tower was truly beautiful. Paris by night is charming, and the Eiffel Tower carried some of that mood - call it romantic, call it festive, call it anything.We worked out our schedule to the letter, planning perfectly how long the metro-ride to the station would take so that … [Read more...]
Torre Pendente
We had just a few hours at Pisa, but we could not travel all over Italy and not visit the famous leaning tower. So we asked a lady on a train what to do, and she wrote for us the name of the bus stop to which we needed to go to see the leaning tower.We showed a bus driver the stop, written in my diary, and he seemed confused. He asked us a question in Italian. We did not understand. We shook our heads regretfully. "Leaning tower?" we asked.He shrugged. "Torre pendente?" he asked.We shrugged. "Leaning tower of Pisa?" we asked, leaning slightly, to convey what we wanted."Piazza del Duomo?" he asked."No, no, no duomo!" we said. We knew that word. 'Duomo' meant cathedral. "Leaning tower!" we cried. "Seven wonders of the world! Leaning tower of Pisa!" It's strange how the subconscious believes that volume can surmount the language barrier."Pisa," nodded the bus driver, and … [Read more...]
No Television
I moved into a flat that looked as if it had been painted by the landlord himself. It had definitely been painted by someone who had never painted anything before. I loved the flat despite that, though, and I particularly liked my landlord and landlady. They were extremely curious about a girl who wanted to live all alone. More than that, they were curious about this girl who had come all the way from Pune to live in their beloved Calcutta and study there. And most of all, I was a rare specimen because I spoke little Bangla.As helpful neighbours, they came to talk to me even before I had moved in. They asked me what I did and my landlady suggested to me where I should put my bed and other things."I don't have a bed," I said apologetically."Oh, okay, okay." That was normal. "You can put your TV here.""I don't have a TV.""Oh!" That was not normal. "No TV?"I … [Read more...]
Interesting Artichokes
The word 'interesting' is a perfectly tactful word that expresses nothing. It has become a word that's neither positive nor negative, conveying that exact degree of neutrality that is considered diplomatic. And 'interesting' was exactly the word associated with my first experience of artichokes.I had read about artichokes and was willing to try, especially in a place where vegetarian food is typically associated with aubergines and courgettes, neither of which I enjoy tremendously.So, coming to artichokes. You pluck the leaf, dip one end into the sauce and suck the pulp. Then you put the leaf aside to throw away.Then you pluck another leaf, have the tiny bit of pulp with sauce and put the leaf aside.Then you pluck another leaf, have the tiny bit of pulp and put the leaf aside.Then you pluck another leaf, have the tiny bit of pulp and put the leaf aside.At the end of half an … [Read more...]