Inhaling the Roads- Book review

The book, "Inhaling the Roads" by Harsh Shah is nothing but a delight to read at any given point. Before I give you my review on it, here is the summary of the book. 

Everybody chooses to fly high these days or taking a road trip is not extraordinary anymore. But how many of us have dreamed of taking a cycle ride to see the world? 

Harsh Shah, a commerce and Spanish language professor, an amateur cyclist narrates his ride from Mumbai to Kanyakumari. He gives us a fascinating insight of his journey on National Highway 66. The story takes us through all the disquietude and excitement from the very first day of his ride to the feeling of accomplishment & satisfaction on the last day after reaching the southern tip of India. 

He begins this 14 day adventurous journey from Mumbai and narrates to us his ups and down every time making us smile after finding an accommodation to live for the night and leaving his readers teary eyed after slipping and falling in the woods. He recites to us his aspiration to redeem, gain confidence in  himself by not only testing his physical but mental abilities too. 

Harsh rides us through the coastal region of India via this book: from the change in the language & the food of the locals to the highways, the rocky roads, the countryside, the scenic, tranquil view of virgin beaches of the western coast and his final destination. 

"A bicycle rider that belonged to a

native of Gujarat, born in Karnataka, brought up in

Mumbai, about to enter Goa in few hours, has

lunch at a Rajasthani restaurant that serves Punjabi

food– Time and again, I had, indeed, felt proud of

being a citizen of such a diverse nation". 

(This excerpt from the book made me laugh the most and also made me feel proud of being an Indian). 

The last 500 km of his journey surely pumps the adrenaline rush in you and doesn't make you want to keep this book down until you reach the end of his journey. It is a light read that inspires you to get up and buy a bicycle and get going on your own personal ride. 

Harsh plans on cycling this year to the northern tip of India : Mumbai- Jammu.    

When marriage changed everything : a sister's perspective

Marriage is a huge gamble in India, especially arrange marriages. 

As the saying goes, "Marriages are made in heaven" well, my brother's was made on a "marital site".  

I write this article six months after my brother got married. 

He found his "love" on a marital website. Still astonishes me, but I am happy if he is happy! (Cliche no. 1)

The entire world except for India remains curious on how arrange marriages work. How do we marry and start living with our spouse without knowing them. Probably that is the beauty of an arrange marriage, you fall in love later. 

But what a gamble !

It is also true that, In India not two people but two families get married. (Cliche no. 2)

Here we were, six months before we welcomed the daughter-in-law of the house. And so began the adjustments in the house. 

Change no. 1: In a family of four, where we were habituated to take 4 plates                                          at the dinner table, or our car was used to accommodating four members                             now it had to get used to 5. A family of four became a family of five.   

According to Hara Estroff Marano in the magazine "Psychology Today", siblings are generally present before the formation of friendships and beyond lives of parents. Like each brother-sister, our relationship was the same. 

But soon this relationship started changing over a period of time, I started missing my brother.  Even though we all live together, I miss spending time with him as a sister.  

Change no. 2: My father, my brother and I are big fanatics of football and tennis.
                       We three are used  to pulling up all nighters to watch matches.
                        But soon this changed as my sister-in-law arrived.
                          We were used to cheering and celebrating our team's victory at night,
                    now it is either my father and I or just myself at night watching the match.
                     I miss our hi-5s. I miss having sports conversations with him.

Change no. 3: It was also slightly difficult to accept the fact that he has his own new                                 family apart from us when he went on a vacation with his in-laws this year.                    We have been going on for vacation together for the past 25 years and suddenly                    one day he flies away with someone else. Slightly weird !

Again let me tell you I am not unhappy but it is just another aspect of brother- sister relationship that I am discovering along with him.  I don't think my brother has realized the change yet.

I don't blame him or anyone. The couple has to be together too. Newly-weds after-all.

I wish my brother and his wife a very happy and successful married life !

Why should youngsters stick to their traditions?

Before I begin to reason out "Why should youngsters stick to their traditions?" let's have a look at the survey I took a few weeks ago on "Indian traditions and youth".  

My first question on the questionnaire was to know if people understood what did tradition mean. 

While some answered that "Traditions are something that we have kept faith in for centuries", They are our "yesterday's action that we follow today", others commented, "Its a simple idea made by humans for humans". 

According to the Oxford dictionary, "Tradition is transmission of customs and beliefs from one generation to another". And culture "The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. i.e folk music,  cinema, dance etc." which is close to a few definitions specified by people. 

My next question was "If they followed any Indian traditions? Which ones and why? " 

75% of them followed Indian traditions because they liked and believed in them and not because they are forced by their parents or the society. Women follow traditions like wearing a toe ring or vermilion on forehead after marriage. And young ones like touching feet of their elders. 

My next question was "Do you believe today's youth follows traditions?' 

37.5% of respondents are of the opinion that today's youth do not follow traditions. 

Voila ! This leads to my captioned title, "Why should youngsters stick to their traditions?"

In this fast-paced, rational thinking world, where western people are turning towards India for peace, Indian youngsters are highly influenced by the West. With modernization, youngsters are slowly forgetting their roots and adapting to a new lifestyle. While one should walk with modern times, one shouldn't forget their origins. Traditions are a part of one's identity.  

If traditions are customs and beliefs that we pass on from one generation to another then are grand-parents and parents to blamed for not teaching their grand-kids their customs? Or do we blame Westernization and the changing times? 

According to the survey, 40% of the youth do not follow traditions is because "they find it a waste of time and do not have faith in it" or "they look out for logic and reasoning" or "they are unaware about the reasons and meaning behind the traditions."  

Therefore I take this opportunity to tell my viewers what will happen if we forget our traditions.

But first let's have a look at a few Indian traditions that do have "logic" and "reasoning" even in the 21st century.

Namaskara

One of the simplest and everyday examples from the Indian traditions would be the "Namaste" or "Namaskara". It is one of the five forms mentioned in the Hindu scriptures to greet someone. The joining of the hands mean, "I bow to you" or "May our minds meet".
It is also demonstrates avoidance of physical contact with the other person. Thus a person coming from outside, (for instance: from work) brings germs along with him. Where an immediate physical contact like, a handshake might transfer these germs, a Namaste would avoid them.



The second example that I would like to acknowledge is "Eating with hands". It is no mystery that Indians eat with their hands. But the logic still remains incomprehensible to me when youngsters today eat with a spoon when in restaurant. For example, a Dosa. Dosa, a flat pancake made from fermented rice flour is supposed to be eaten with hands. Unfortunately, one suddenly turns sophisticated in a restaurant but enjoys relishing it with hands at the fullest when at home. According to the Vedic traditions, one is supposed to eat with hands because, before starting to eat one can enjoy the smell, the texture and the colour of the food. These senses preludes the ignition of fire in our body that helps in digestion, informing the brain to ready itself for the digestive process.

Like I mentioned earlier, women used to apply "Sindoor" or "Vermillion" on their forehead. But modern women of the 21st century find it illogical and carry "it-doesn't-go-with-my-skirt" attitude. The logic behind wearing a sindoor on your forehead is it carries a physiological significance. Sindoor is prepared from turmeric-lime and metal-mercury. Due to its intrinsic properties, it controls your blood pressure and also activates sexual drives. 

Hindu traditions exists as long as the Hindu civilization has existed. Not following them would lead to a culture-less society. Having no festivals to celebrate, no family get-togethers to look up to. Is that what we want? If we find a ritual meaning-less, we should try to improve it, modify it but not abandon it. At the same time, we should also keep in mind if something doesn't work we can't blame it on our traditions and beliefs. Our ancestors were not fools, nor were our grand-parents, nor are our parents who have been following these traditions. 

It made sense then, it makes sense now. Hence, following them and passing them on to our successors by explaining to them the right logic is all we must do. 

Food Revolution in the city !

Thane has slowly been gaining a reputation of serving not just Indian food but also intercontinental dishes. It is a so-called “Food revolution” happening in this city where Francophone is one such European bistro contributing to it.

For those who have been looking for tasting French cuisine and some Italian dishes, look no further than Francophone.  

Situated in one of the narrow lanes of Manpada, is not easy to miss. As soon as you enter the bistro, it immediately catches your eye with its well-thought interiors which makes you feel as if you are in one of the cute, little roadside café’s of France. Adding to the feel are the classic French songs that will make you groove and comfortable at the same time with seemingly welcoming patrons.   

After settling ourselves, we started off with the French classic Soupe à l’oignon (French onion soup). The soup was served with two large portions of bread in chicken stock made with onions and grated cheese. It was a remarkable soupe à l’oignon that I must have ever seen. The soup was served in a large bowl that would suffice two.  

Next on our menu was another French specialty, La quiche- a crunchy tart filled with chicken and pita bread on the side to go with it. The first bite of Quiche took me back to my vacation to Paris in France. Nothing more to say!

     

At last it was time for us to have the dessert; we tried the Chocolate Eclair. A creamy choux pastry filled with cream and topped with icing. This chocolate eclair couldn't be more chocolatier, more creamier and more softer. You cannot keep it down without having two bites at a go!  

In the end we couldn't leave a French restaurant without a bite of Macaroons! Macaroons are quite difficult to master and every pastry chef's nightmare. But not for the one who works at Francophone. Macaroons is his forte. They were crunchy, light and highly sinful. Slightly expensive but a must have at this restaurant. 

And lastly, we couldn’t give a miss to the Crème bruleé- light but rich custard base, topped with contrasting layer of hard caramel. Here, the chef gave his own touch by serving well diced mango pieces. It is one crème bruleé to die for! 

Though I would like to be a little selfish and keep Francophone all to myself, the polite, always happy and customer- concerned staff, the chef’s specialties and the bistro’s ambiance with a quick service is too good to stay hidden from foodies. There is no doubt that a table at this European eatery will become the fastest reserved one amongst all the eating places in Thane!  

Where are we heading towards?

This one is going to be a little deep and a bit philosophical. 

As I lead my mundane life of waking up early morning, waiting at the bus stop and later at the train station, I observe many people eagerly waiting for their bus or their train to arrive. At the same time I see differently abled people patiently waiting for their ride. I see how hard it must be for the differently abled to cross the road to catch a bus or a taxi or to even walk in the city.

It makes me feel guilty when I am unable to help a blind, an elderly person cross the road only because I am in a hurry and helping and walking with them would slower my pace making me late. How inhuman and shameless have we become, engaged in our own world, not bothered to help anyone.

So where are we heading towards? What is up with the world !

Every time I see a differently abled person it reminds me of the time when I participated in an annual festival, "Antarchakshu" (the inner eye) organised by the blind students of         St. Xaviers College, Mumbai. The games organised by the blind students were really simple. There was football, there was dart, cross the road, distinguish between the coins, the grains etc. and all of this blindfolded! So if you wish to participate in these games, you got to be blindfolded. As I played these games, my scoreboard (a volunteer who accompanied me) told me I failed miserably at each one of them. I couldn't hit a goal, nor could I hit the bulls eye, nor could I distinguish between a 5 Rupee and a 2 Rupee. I couldn't enjoy the simple things in life like, playing dart or distinguishing between food based on its smell or touch.

It was at that point I realised, how we all take it for granted; our eyes, our senses, our life.   

Everyday when I head to work, I always think of this old, differently abled cobbler who sits opposite my office gate. I have been observing him everyday for the past 8 years now, quietly doing his job of repairing shoes. He doesn't own a shop, he sits under a tree on three pieces of marble tiles. If you are on time, you will be lucky enough to whiff that beautiful fragrance of those incense sticks he lights up every morning at his corner side workplace. I see no worries, no inquietude in his eyes. It is just an elderly man peacefully doing his job, having to run nowhere, making me realize that life could be lead this way too. Late afternoon, I see him happily sipping his evening cup of tea. As for me, I am running to go back home. Frankly, I sometimes envy him. Even though he doesn't possess big luxuries in life, he looks really content.

What is the rat race about? Where is it taking us? Do we know our destination yet? Does everything boil down to money and power?

If a man with no roof can work painstakingly, a child with no eyes can lead a life with so much pride then what are we "normal" beings rattling about?

I read a beautiful post yesterday of an experienced man, who has lived as a bank manager for over 23 years. He says, "Leave this mobile phone of yours on the side for sometime-just do nothing- sit near the sea just be...just breathe" . - Humans of Bombay

We must understand that life is so much more beautiful than possessing materialistic things.

Just imagine of "How beautiful is it that the same God who created mountains and oceans and galaxies looked at you and thought the world needed one of you too."  -Anonymous

Is it all destined?

Being a strong believer in destiny, I have tried to convince many that it exists. That it is all written. And that we don't write our own destiny. But many try to ignore it under the name of coincidence. 

But is it always a coincidence? 

I hope to convince at least one of my reader by citing two anecdotes.

It wasn't a longtime ago when one of my Indian friends contacted me and asked me if I knew anyone with whom he could converse in Spanish and polish his speaking skills. I, therefore got him in contact with my Canadian friend who was also learning the same language. Soon they started conversing through a social networking website.

My Indian friend was so driven by the language & the culture of Spain that he had to take a trip to the land of Gaudi and Sagrada Familia. It was evident from the photos he uploaded that he was mesmerized by the country, the food, the people and their accent. 

One fine day, he sends me a long text message from Spain. 

"It was early morning today while I went for a jog that I met a passerby, said Hi to him and jogged along. Little did I know I would meet him again for breakfast at a small nearby cafe. I smiled again and asked him from which part of the world was he. While the passerby mentioned he was from Canada, I mentioned I was from India and my name was Harsh. He asked me if I were Harsh Shah. And my jaws dropped. How did he guess my last name! That is when he mentioned he was Jeremie Gagnon, the Canadian guy with whom I had been practicing my Spanish. It took me a good amount of time to realize that it was really him. We couldn't stop laughing and laughed for good 15 minutes."

I was amazed as it clearly wasn't a coincidence.

7 continents, 196 countries, 7 billion people and yet two guys who have never seen each other but exchanged a few messages in the past meet each other in a small town of Spain. Unbelievable, isn't it?

Here is a photo that Harsh sent me from that morning. The two of them in front of their favourite bridge, Puente Neuvo in Spain. 

Moving on, to tell you about another episode of why I believe that destiny exists. 

It was Saturday evening, sitting beside our city lake, I was discussing with a bunch of my friends our next plan of action for the upcoming month when a tall, dark, pretty girl approached us asking what were we up to. That is when we explained to her that we were a team of youngsters that meets every Saturday and discusses on how we could develop our city. It is only then that she mentioned that she was also along with a group of her friends discussing about the same issue and if we would be interested to join hands. My friends and I immediately agreed and we promised to stay in touch in future. It was a few days later that I was expecting a message from her and tried looking up for her on Facebook but unfortunately, couldn't find her. On the other hand, I found her organisation on Facebook and dropped a message to them. They soon got in contact with me and we decided to meet the following Sunday. We exchanged ideas and decided to team up. One of the volunteers from their team asked us, "What do we do exactly to develop our city?". We explained to him our past events. Two of my friends had attended a seminar conducted by an urban planner, the previous day. They explained to him the gravity of the situation and how we would be in a big trouble if we didn't save our city now. According to the urban planner, we needed a decent number of signatures to oppose the plan of the government to save our town from destruction. The volunteer to whom my friends were explaining, contemplated for a while, understood the depth of the issue and immediately laid a plan of action; calling a few more volunteers from his organisation. By the end of the week we got signatures of around 600 citizens and achieved to oppose the government's hazardous plan to uproot the green cover of our city. 

After all the hardship that went under, I started wondering, had the pretty looking girl not approached us that Saturday evening, had I never messaged her foundation on Facebook, had we never concluded on joining hands, had we never decided to meet their volunteers would we have been successful today to save our city and help the urban planner of the town reach his goal?

So was the girl approaching us that evening an absolute coincidence? Well, not according to me. 

To conclude my article on my blind belief in destiny, I clearly don't think my friends meeting in a random town in Spain was planned by anyone but destiny. I also do think the pretty looking girl approaching us was that evening was a part of the plan laid by destiny so that we could save our city. 

It is all written. It does exist. One hundred percent. 

"Eventually, everything connects."

Happiness for Happiness

"Happiness could be found in the smallest of things only if you let yourself find it." 

It gives us immense pleasure to make someone happy, isn't it?

I think the act of giving, letting go, sacrifice, freedom, optimism are the reasons that make us feel satisfied and content.

Offering a kid a bite of your chocolate, an elderly woman a seat in the bus, helping a blind person cross the street are those simple moments of joy that one should be looking for.

It was just yesterday, on the eve of Gudi Padwa (an Indian festival) when my friends and I distributed buttermilk to the policemen of my city. We often forget how important role do they play in our lives. And hence, we decided to celebrate Padwa with them. It is difficult to put it in words the satisfaction I witnessed on their face when they had their first drop of buttermilk standing in the middle of the road in the scorching March heat. Their hardship has gained even more respect from all of us.

That is where I found Happiness in place of Happiness.

To narrate an anecdote from my trip abroad last month, my friend had requested me to buy him a box of his favorite cookies. That joy I saw on his face after he had the first bite of his cookie is inexplicable. It couldn't have made me happier.

And once more I found happiness in place of Happiness.

I am sure everyone has one such story to narrate from their "Happiness for Happiness" box. And if you don't, make one. Fill that empty jar with random act of kindness and prove the famous quote (Money can't buy Happiness) right. Because it really can't.

So much attachment, but why?

I write this article after my trip abroad last month. I met some generous people from around the world during my stay. It couldn't have been a more emotional affair than this one. I lived with these people for a couple of days. Attended classes with them, had lunch and dinner with them and saw them day in and day out. 

Our two week stay was about to come to an end and it was time for us to say our good-byes. And like we know, good-byes are the toughest words to say. I had never been attached to anyone so much after my Quebecois family. 

It is amusing how you meet someone from a foreign land, spend some time with them and boom! I wouldn't feel shy or ashamed to confess that I cried on our last day of the trip. 

So what gets us so emotional?  So much attachment but why?

The very thought of never knowing when would be the next time you would meet such kindhearted people all at once broke me down. It was the same sadness I experienced while waving a goodbye to my Quebecois family three years ago. A simple thank-you isn't enough to equate the love and affection my French family has extended.  

I also wept while saying good-bye to one of my Indian friend whom I met during the weekend on my trip. Even after knowing I would be meeting her this May, I wept. We spent two entire days laughing, giggling, sight-seeing and that is what got us together and perhaps that is what touched me. I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart for those two memorable days.  

What also fascinates me is how strangers from a completely different part of the world you never knew existed suddenly become a part of your family. How their simple gestures touch you. 

There was so much I learnt, there was so much emotional baggage I brought back home for all the good reasons. There are some people you cannot forget, the short time you spend with them is worth a lifetime. The time I spent with them in understanding the French, the Indian, the Algerian, the Kazakh, the Cambodian culture was and is unforgettable. Where else would you get to meet so many people from so many different nations sharing their love, warmth and their enthusiasm?

Coming back to 'good-byes', while I was at the airport heading back home, standing in the queue waiting for my turn to check-in I noticed a young couple who hugged and kissed each other. The girl's emotions knew no bounds. She probably wasn't going to see her better-half for a while. Their relationship was going travel long distance now. 

So even though I knew I wasn't going to see my Quebecois family for a longtime after my 2 week stay with them or the amiable people I met last month, what exactly bonded us?  Or the young boy and girl at the airport why were they so hitched to each other when they knew one had to leave?

After seeing so many sentiments, I started wondering and what prompted me to write this article, why do we fight so much when all that everyone wants is "to stay to together"? 

An Indian Linguist's Dilemma

India has about 22 official languages and most Indians speak on an average of two languages: their regional language and Hindi. It is a country where people speak in different languages every 5km.  Me, living in a metropolitan city, I am surrounded by people who come from different parts of the country. And thus I can speak my mother tongue "Marathi", the language in which I studied at school "English", the language commonly spoken all over India and one of the official languages of India "Hindi" and then I was introduced to "French" during my school days, which I also happen to graduate in and the language I took up as my career opportunity as a French Language Professor.   

Being a French language professor I need to keep myself updated with the happenings in France, Francophone countries and the French language. Therefore, I have to listen to different accents, listen to the radio, watch videos, read articles, newspapers, novels and speak in French as much as possible so as to be able to teach it too. 

Not trying to boast myself here, I have become quite fluent in French and I am proud of it. It is a foreign language that I have been learning for the past 10 years. But to "learn one language one has to unlearn the other".  It occurs quite often that you tend to forget one language because the other language starts overpowering your brain. And which I believe has happened in my case too. I feel very unfortunate and dreadful to say that I can read, write and speak fluently in French than Marathi or Hindi, the languages that I should know as an Indian. 

And now it has created a dilemma in me whether I should be proud that I can speak, read and write in French unlike most Indians or should I feel inglorious that I can't read, write and speak in my mother tongue as an Indian. On one hand French is giving me a job, my living. Thanks to French I get to learn a new culture. It has widened my perspectives, my boundaries, my experiences. Whereas, on the other hand I am forgetting my roots, my culture. 

Is it justifiable? 

As for now, I feel language is just a medium of communication let us try to spread love and happiness in all the languages possible.