Yesterday we took a hop-on hop-off in Brussels. Having read the tour books before I knew that all museums are closed on Monday. We still decided on the tour to get familiar and also to kind of recuperate from a tiring trip to Bruges on Sumday. The weather was cloudy too. The first stop we got off was the "atomium". Just a simple blow up of an atom. It was constructed during the 1958 world expo. The construction is more like a molecule with atoms at vertices. One atom contained extensive history on immigration in Brussels. Given the recent shenanigans in Arizona I was very curious to see that.
One exhibit succinctly declares "Immigration is not an unmitigated good nor is it the root cause of all evils". No such museum in USA would dare to state that. I've been to Ellis Island, New York and its all about how America welcomed the immigrants. The poem by Emma Lazarus at the pedestal of "Statue of liberty" in fact proclaims 'give me your tired and huddled masses'. It is exactly that which is being called into question now as USA struggles with 12million+ illegal immigrants and with no end in sight of new ones crossing over by the day. I appreciate the honesty of Belgians in putting the issue in politically incorrect phrases. Many exhbits drove home the point how immigration is a mixed blessing.
One exhbit stated exactly what Hispanics in USA often tell immigration opponents, "we do the work that no native Belgian is ready to do". Another exhibit framed the economic concerns plainly "when economy does well businesses need immigrants to supplement local labor, during recession it becomes a flash point".
The pivotal point on immigration is about 'assimilation', one exhibit stares at that issue forthrightly "they are immigrants when they come, they are immigrants when they live amongst us, WHEN will they become US?". I am a big votary of assimilation. We immigrants "CHOOSE" to go to a particular country. Especially a country like USA makes it possible to become citizens and raise families. We owe it to America to be Americans. I find it obnoxious when Indians derisively say "oh this is a country of immigrants". On that score only Africa, anthropologically speaking; is purely native. America, in the course of its history, has gained a certain character, its THAT character that has America what it is today. Whether its Mexicans or Indians I expect them to play by the rules and be good Americans. If Mexicans or Indians want to replicate their homeland in USA they might as well buy a ticket home.
After the 'atomium' visit we just stopped by sundry memorials. Every such building is stamped with Gothic architecture. Ornate, yes, unique, no.
The other interesting stop was at a shop to buy some lace work. We saw two very exquisite table cloths. One was priced at 90 Euro (including 8 napkins), the other was 140 Euro (no napkins). I asked why the price difference. The store woman answered with derision "oh the cheaper one is 'made in China' ". I pressed further 'well they look alike so what is the difference'. More condescension from the woman "oh they imitate very well but the fabric is cotton whereas Belgian lace is made out of linen'. I wanted to ask her 'well if the CHinese can imitate so well what stops them from doing it on linen too?". As an Ameican I am used to "Made in China", when Apple can brag "Designed in California and made in China", what can anyone say. Its typical Old Europe, snobbish. But I got to give it to her the children's clothing she showed were far superior to some of the best I've seen in USA.
We also visited another sundry sight called "mini Europe". Its a small collection of minature models of chief buildings of EU member countries like British Parliament, Eiffel Tower etc. The park had a brochure with info on EU and each country. The brochure boasted about superior quality of life in EU Vs USA, especially with respect to pension benefits. The newspapers of the day carried news on how across the EU pension benefits are being cut. With the very future of EU in question I found the brochure to be churlish. Also why the comparison with USA. Even in the good old days EU could not stand against USA on economic or military benchmark.
The day ended with a visit to Haagen Daaz resturant. Yes, HD runs restaurants here. The HD outlets we have in USA are pathetic compared to what I saw here. This is gourmet food at its best. Who could have thought of combining cafe latte and a vanilla scoop...drooling. The ice cream choices and smoothies are a world away from the cheap "Dairy Queen", "Coldstone" variety. One thing which surprised me in Zurich was the Lindt stores. We have Lindt stores in USA too but the selections are a paltry subset of what they sell in Zurich. Likewise we have Godiva chocolate outlets in USA but that is nothing compared to what I see in Belgium. Haagen Daz only sells ice cream scoops in USA (like Baskin robbins in India, 11 years back) not the finer selections. Its been 7 days since we had anything Indian to eat and we dont miss it, yet....
Bottomline when it comes to food and clothing Europe wins hands down. America scores by a mile on affordability and variety of a different scale. Other than Harrod's in UK (where only the rich can shop) there is no rival to the quintessential American mall. I remember an article by Malcolm Gladwell on the science behind mega malls and how its an American phenomenon.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Bruges: More Canals and a Michaelangelo statue.
Bruges (Brugge in Flemish) is called "the Venice of Northern Europe". Wateways cut across the city just like Venice. The city is as pretty as they come in Europe. Its an hour and half from Brussels. A convenient day trip by bus (picked up from hotel) was tempting. After 2 days of what are called "bus tours" I am a little disenchanted with them. They are the most convenient for a family with a toddler. We get picked up at hotel (especially when you stay at some hotel like Hilton), we are dropped back at our door step. No need to get train tickets, to and fro stations, etc BUT these tour guides will take you to places like unncessary shopping just to line their pockets. In a 5 hour trip we lost precious time because our tour guide took everyone to a chocolate shop, this to people coming from Brussels, total waste. He kept winding through the same monastery garden twice. Charming as it was, it was just an unkempt garden nothing great. During the Amsterdam trip instead of giving us an hour extra to go places the tour guide took us to a humdrum craft store which people used more for the restroom than anything else since the 3 hour return trip was non-stop.
The two chief places in Bruges are "church of our lady" and "Basilica of blood". We managed to visit "church of our lady". This church is known for just one thing, a statue by Michaelangelo. As anything by Michaelangelo the statue of "Madonna and The Child" is exquisite. I am no art critic so I shall stop with that but what kicked up my curiosity was that the statue was made in 1504. Imagine this. An Italian sculptor is known across the continent in 1500's so much that the local aristocrat goes to great lengths (its 1504) to acquire a sculpture by him and bring it to Bruges. In his book "Geography of thought" Nisbet argues that a Greek would love to travel just to see a play or a performance. Nisbet calls that a typical 'western mind'. An oriental mind would not do that and would rather prefer to see "the world in a grain of sand".
During our walk around the city we saw a woman by the door knitting a lace. She was using 100+ spindles. We snapped away but she did not lift her head once. Apparently they are arranged to showcase the talent and merchandise of Bruges.
Rowena then wanted to go on a boat ride. Given the time crunch I had to sacrifice "Basilica of blood". Flowers, flowers, flowers everywhere for the europeans. Everywhere you turn its made for picture post cards. These places are a photographer's delight. Cruising the waterways behind the houses we saw snippets of Bruges household life. Most curtains were of the 'lace' kind. People enjoy having lunch/dinner out on the backyard overlooking waterways. Everybody looked like they are in no rush. THe laid out table was always perfect with flatware and wine goblets.Bruges is to Belgium what Lucerne is to Switzerland. Better to stay in Bruges than in Brussels, the hotels are swanky.Yet again the food at a local "Brasserie Vivaldi" was just too good.
The highlight of the boat trip was retrieving a hat. A tourist on the street lost his hat to the wind. Our good boatman decided that it was his duty to retrieve the soggy hat. He manouvered the boat, used his ubmrella as stick etc and did finally toss the hat back to the amused tourist on the ground above us. I was perplexed because my bus was waiting also the back and forth in a tiny canoe filled with people was not a great idea. Apparently there are no tort lawyers in Europe (or Bruges at least). The boat would not be allowed license in USA. No life jackets, we do not sign any waivers, the canals with low clearances had no warning notices. The whole scenery was simply unaffected by litigation concerns.
Our next trips around Brussels and Cologne we decided to do it ourselves. Lets see how that turns out.
The two chief places in Bruges are "church of our lady" and "Basilica of blood". We managed to visit "church of our lady". This church is known for just one thing, a statue by Michaelangelo. As anything by Michaelangelo the statue of "Madonna and The Child" is exquisite. I am no art critic so I shall stop with that but what kicked up my curiosity was that the statue was made in 1504. Imagine this. An Italian sculptor is known across the continent in 1500's so much that the local aristocrat goes to great lengths (its 1504) to acquire a sculpture by him and bring it to Bruges. In his book "Geography of thought" Nisbet argues that a Greek would love to travel just to see a play or a performance. Nisbet calls that a typical 'western mind'. An oriental mind would not do that and would rather prefer to see "the world in a grain of sand".
During our walk around the city we saw a woman by the door knitting a lace. She was using 100+ spindles. We snapped away but she did not lift her head once. Apparently they are arranged to showcase the talent and merchandise of Bruges.
Rowena then wanted to go on a boat ride. Given the time crunch I had to sacrifice "Basilica of blood". Flowers, flowers, flowers everywhere for the europeans. Everywhere you turn its made for picture post cards. These places are a photographer's delight. Cruising the waterways behind the houses we saw snippets of Bruges household life. Most curtains were of the 'lace' kind. People enjoy having lunch/dinner out on the backyard overlooking waterways. Everybody looked like they are in no rush. THe laid out table was always perfect with flatware and wine goblets.Bruges is to Belgium what Lucerne is to Switzerland. Better to stay in Bruges than in Brussels, the hotels are swanky.Yet again the food at a local "Brasserie Vivaldi" was just too good.
The highlight of the boat trip was retrieving a hat. A tourist on the street lost his hat to the wind. Our good boatman decided that it was his duty to retrieve the soggy hat. He manouvered the boat, used his ubmrella as stick etc and did finally toss the hat back to the amused tourist on the ground above us. I was perplexed because my bus was waiting also the back and forth in a tiny canoe filled with people was not a great idea. Apparently there are no tort lawyers in Europe (or Bruges at least). The boat would not be allowed license in USA. No life jackets, we do not sign any waivers, the canals with low clearances had no warning notices. The whole scenery was simply unaffected by litigation concerns.
Our next trips around Brussels and Cologne we decided to do it ourselves. Lets see how that turns out.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Amsterdam: Land of Canals, cycles, philosophy and carnality
Yesterday we took a day trip to Amsterdam. After a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel (wonderful filling spread) a bus picked us up. I was prepared that this trip would be an insult to Amsterdam, it would give us just a glimpse, actually only a peek. The commute was 6 hours to and fro Brussels. As soon as we entered Amsterdam we passed by "President Kennedy's Lane" to a boat trip. Most boats are covered with a glass canopy the reason being that the canals have very low clearance so to prevent accident they have canopies. A bus load of mostly old chinese joined us on the boat. What a ruckus they kicked up, safety advisories were brushed off, never kept the line, whipping out cell phone camera they ensured nobody else could have a decent shot.
The boat took us around Amsterdam's hundreds of canals. Amsterdam, like New Orleans, is under the sea level. Most construction is on foundation unique to the water level. Narrow streets, old houses, older cars, wide windows (used for many purposes like hanging your feet and having a drink). We cruised by the home where Anne Frank had lived in hiding prior to her capture. Anne Frank talks about Gandhi in her diary. What a life, what a diary!!! Rembrandt and Spinoza were other very famous residents. Rembrandt has a statue. No mention of Spinoza.
As we wove through the canals and I watched the steets I noted that there was ZERO posters or invitations to Amsterdam's most notorious area, "red light area". Prositution and drugs are legal. Drugs are sold in tea shops we were told. Yet the streets were clean. In NYC one could see taxis with advertisements for strip clubs and cards would be handed out brazenly at Times Square. I guess legalizing vice (adult pleasures) and cordoning it off keeps the rest of the city clean. No need of a Supreme Court to decide if an exotic dancer removing her G-string is protected by First Amendment right (expressing creativity).
Amsterdam moves on cycles. Cycles, cycles everywhere and they do not stop for anyone. Whether its Paris or Zurich or Amsterdam or Belgium one can safely assume a Pizzeria or some Italian variation will be within sight. Europe knows good food and good clothing. We have never been disappointed with food. Its extremely difficult for vegetarians though. Europeans love meat and sea food, chicken options are not much.
What impressed me most is Europeans are very stress free (excluding Greece for now). People take their own sweet time doing things, mostly smiling, enjoy food, enjoy leisure, put simply 'enjoy life'. On the other hand the dynamism of NYC, especially Times Square, is unmatched. Also the rich diversity of people is rarely seen in Europe.
A very curious incident happened in the courtyard before the palace. Suddenly some 'model' like girls showed up, they stripped down to their bikini's, started playing beach volleyball. Apparently they had a photo-shoot. No wonder the place got crowded in minutes.
On our way out we stopped by the only windmill within Amsterdam. Very picturesque. A Rembrandt statue was nearby. I really wished to see Anne Frank's home and some thing connected to Baruch Spinoza, well some other time.
The houses were all picture post card perfect. Most window sills were decorated with flowers. Homes in Switzerland were similar. I guess Europeans love neatly decorated homes.
This trip was only to give a tasting of Netherlands. Gotta go back some other time. Next day was a planned trip to Bruges.
The boat took us around Amsterdam's hundreds of canals. Amsterdam, like New Orleans, is under the sea level. Most construction is on foundation unique to the water level. Narrow streets, old houses, older cars, wide windows (used for many purposes like hanging your feet and having a drink). We cruised by the home where Anne Frank had lived in hiding prior to her capture. Anne Frank talks about Gandhi in her diary. What a life, what a diary!!! Rembrandt and Spinoza were other very famous residents. Rembrandt has a statue. No mention of Spinoza.
As we wove through the canals and I watched the steets I noted that there was ZERO posters or invitations to Amsterdam's most notorious area, "red light area". Prositution and drugs are legal. Drugs are sold in tea shops we were told. Yet the streets were clean. In NYC one could see taxis with advertisements for strip clubs and cards would be handed out brazenly at Times Square. I guess legalizing vice (adult pleasures) and cordoning it off keeps the rest of the city clean. No need of a Supreme Court to decide if an exotic dancer removing her G-string is protected by First Amendment right (expressing creativity).
Amsterdam moves on cycles. Cycles, cycles everywhere and they do not stop for anyone. Whether its Paris or Zurich or Amsterdam or Belgium one can safely assume a Pizzeria or some Italian variation will be within sight. Europe knows good food and good clothing. We have never been disappointed with food. Its extremely difficult for vegetarians though. Europeans love meat and sea food, chicken options are not much.
What impressed me most is Europeans are very stress free (excluding Greece for now). People take their own sweet time doing things, mostly smiling, enjoy food, enjoy leisure, put simply 'enjoy life'. On the other hand the dynamism of NYC, especially Times Square, is unmatched. Also the rich diversity of people is rarely seen in Europe.
A very curious incident happened in the courtyard before the palace. Suddenly some 'model' like girls showed up, they stripped down to their bikini's, started playing beach volleyball. Apparently they had a photo-shoot. No wonder the place got crowded in minutes.
On our way out we stopped by the only windmill within Amsterdam. Very picturesque. A Rembrandt statue was nearby. I really wished to see Anne Frank's home and some thing connected to Baruch Spinoza, well some other time.
The houses were all picture post card perfect. Most window sills were decorated with flowers. Homes in Switzerland were similar. I guess Europeans love neatly decorated homes.
This trip was only to give a tasting of Netherlands. Gotta go back some other time. Next day was a planned trip to Bruges.
Friday, May 28, 2010
In the land of Waffles
I left for India on May 27th. Its a 7 year hiatus. The last 3 visits were tied to marriages including my own. I left India in 1998 and I go to a vastly changed country today. I am very eager to see the changes that everybody keeps talking about. I decided to take a short break in Europe enroute. Having chosen Jet Airways (pretty good one) I took a break at Brussels for a week. We landed in Brussels on May 28th and were greeted by an ad for Starbucks next to a coke vending machine. Long live America. The customs check was a breeze due to our American passport.
Belgium sits nestled between France and Germany hence French and German are used in most places. English is used too. This is where Napoleon was humbled and his dreams of a french empire came crashing in Waterloo (close to Brussels). Flanders has thousands of war dead buried during World War 1. I remember a poem Nehru quoted in his 'Glimpses of world history', 'In flanders field....". Bharathi wrote a poem lamenting how Belgium was mauled by Germany during World War 1 despite its declared neutrality.
Waiting for a cab I was surprised to note that all cabs were Mercedes, 100%. I know that in Germany BMW's run as taxis did not expect it in Brussels. This is our second Europe trip so the generic small European cars were expected. Most cars were German made, some Italian. I saw just one Toyota and one Ford. All along the way to Hilton in downtown the buildings were unremarkable. Mostly flat topped, mostly old, pretty ordinary buildings. Just like Madras of 80's. The cab ride was interesting, the cabbie played Western Classical music (Chopin's nocturnes, Mozart sonatas --- I peered at the play list :-) ). I asked him if all cabs do that. He proudly said only he does that, that earned him a generous tip.
Our hotel, Hilton Brussels, is close to downtown situated in a street lined with designer shops. Armani, Faconnable, Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, Hermes etc. I visted the shops while Rowena and Preeth slept. Its the first time I saw Ralph Lauren merchandise priced way above Faconnable. Also the dresses sold by RL were very unlike anything I've seen at their boutique shops in US (not the facory outlets). America is good to shop economically but Europe is where quality is. I've felt that way during my visit to Zurich, Paris last year.
In the evening we took a road map and walked towards the most famous landmark in Belgium, 'Mannekin Pis' (Dutch for 'little man pissing). Its a non-descript cheeky statue of a small boy pissing, its located in a hum-drum location on street by the side, yet its the most famous sight. Then we proceeded to Grand Palace Cote. A Jazz festival is on for 3 days. There are Jazz performances in several parts of the city. The streets are mostly cobbled stone roadways. The trams are old and creaky unlike the swanky ones in Zurich. The road side bistros are typically European, we have a poor imitation of those in parts of NYC. I did not see a single 'chain' restaurant. The plebian American in me. We had lunch and dinner in different places. A waffle is not a waffle if you have not eaten it in Belgium. A crispy waffle topped with nice vanilla ice cream studded with some really luscious straw berries. The chicken pot pie we had for dinner was simply out of the world. Of course the usual irritants of having to pay for water (its costlier than soda) was there and no doggie bags (yet again the American)
Hollywood really rules here too. Whether its Paris (and the snobbish French) or Belgium its Hollywood all the way. The theater near our hotel features "Sex and the city part 2" complete with a tall poster of Sarah Jessica Parker sashaying in a gown slit all the way upto the hip. There was Russel Crowe staring menacingly in a poster for 'Robin Hood'.
I stepped into a Faconnable store (there is one at NYC opposite Saks). The store assistants really would prefer to help you try out clothes rather than you helping yourself. Not sure if it was because the store was an upscale one. The home stuff in RL store was breathtaking. Talking of shops, next to waffles Belgium is known for hand sewn intricate lace work clothing and lace work material. We bought a small souvenir and marked out some table cloths for purchase on our last day. To say that they were 'intricate' is an understatement.
The Louis Vuitton store was interesting. Their hand stitched leather goods are considered the best and of course priciest too. It was cute to see store assistants handle the boxes and bags like they were jewellery. They placed the bags on the table on a nice soft cloth like a jeweller showing of a diamond. The boxes and bags are stored in cloth covers.I guess any LV store across the globe would do that.
Before I part for today a really curious thing. I've heard from my cousin who visited Germany about their curiously designed toilet bowls. When I stepped into the bathroom in my hotel room I was taken aback to see 2 commodes. One was our usual one. Another one next to it had no lid and interesting had two taps, cold + hot just to wash away the urine. Yes its only a urinal. One wonders at the need for hot+cold water for THAT.
Belgium sits nestled between France and Germany hence French and German are used in most places. English is used too. This is where Napoleon was humbled and his dreams of a french empire came crashing in Waterloo (close to Brussels). Flanders has thousands of war dead buried during World War 1. I remember a poem Nehru quoted in his 'Glimpses of world history', 'In flanders field....". Bharathi wrote a poem lamenting how Belgium was mauled by Germany during World War 1 despite its declared neutrality.
Waiting for a cab I was surprised to note that all cabs were Mercedes, 100%. I know that in Germany BMW's run as taxis did not expect it in Brussels. This is our second Europe trip so the generic small European cars were expected. Most cars were German made, some Italian. I saw just one Toyota and one Ford. All along the way to Hilton in downtown the buildings were unremarkable. Mostly flat topped, mostly old, pretty ordinary buildings. Just like Madras of 80's. The cab ride was interesting, the cabbie played Western Classical music (Chopin's nocturnes, Mozart sonatas --- I peered at the play list :-) ). I asked him if all cabs do that. He proudly said only he does that, that earned him a generous tip.
Our hotel, Hilton Brussels, is close to downtown situated in a street lined with designer shops. Armani, Faconnable, Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, Hermes etc. I visted the shops while Rowena and Preeth slept. Its the first time I saw Ralph Lauren merchandise priced way above Faconnable. Also the dresses sold by RL were very unlike anything I've seen at their boutique shops in US (not the facory outlets). America is good to shop economically but Europe is where quality is. I've felt that way during my visit to Zurich, Paris last year.
In the evening we took a road map and walked towards the most famous landmark in Belgium, 'Mannekin Pis' (Dutch for 'little man pissing). Its a non-descript cheeky statue of a small boy pissing, its located in a hum-drum location on street by the side, yet its the most famous sight. Then we proceeded to Grand Palace Cote. A Jazz festival is on for 3 days. There are Jazz performances in several parts of the city. The streets are mostly cobbled stone roadways. The trams are old and creaky unlike the swanky ones in Zurich. The road side bistros are typically European, we have a poor imitation of those in parts of NYC. I did not see a single 'chain' restaurant. The plebian American in me. We had lunch and dinner in different places. A waffle is not a waffle if you have not eaten it in Belgium. A crispy waffle topped with nice vanilla ice cream studded with some really luscious straw berries. The chicken pot pie we had for dinner was simply out of the world. Of course the usual irritants of having to pay for water (its costlier than soda) was there and no doggie bags (yet again the American)
Hollywood really rules here too. Whether its Paris (and the snobbish French) or Belgium its Hollywood all the way. The theater near our hotel features "Sex and the city part 2" complete with a tall poster of Sarah Jessica Parker sashaying in a gown slit all the way upto the hip. There was Russel Crowe staring menacingly in a poster for 'Robin Hood'.
I stepped into a Faconnable store (there is one at NYC opposite Saks). The store assistants really would prefer to help you try out clothes rather than you helping yourself. Not sure if it was because the store was an upscale one. The home stuff in RL store was breathtaking. Talking of shops, next to waffles Belgium is known for hand sewn intricate lace work clothing and lace work material. We bought a small souvenir and marked out some table cloths for purchase on our last day. To say that they were 'intricate' is an understatement.
The Louis Vuitton store was interesting. Their hand stitched leather goods are considered the best and of course priciest too. It was cute to see store assistants handle the boxes and bags like they were jewellery. They placed the bags on the table on a nice soft cloth like a jeweller showing of a diamond. The boxes and bags are stored in cloth covers.I guess any LV store across the globe would do that.
Before I part for today a really curious thing. I've heard from my cousin who visited Germany about their curiously designed toilet bowls. When I stepped into the bathroom in my hotel room I was taken aback to see 2 commodes. One was our usual one. Another one next to it had no lid and interesting had two taps, cold + hot just to wash away the urine. Yes its only a urinal. One wonders at the need for hot+cold water for THAT.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Casablanca: Ilsa's capricious Love
I happened to watch "Casablanca" past weekend for the nth time. Reams have been written on how Humphrey Bogart turned a romantic hero, the war related backdrop etc. Let me turn to a different aspect of the movie. A very lovely, stunningly beautiful Ingrid Bergman plays Ilsa Lund. The pivotal moment of the movie is when Ilsa sashays into "Rick's Cafe" and sees Sam playing on the piano. She is 'surprised'. Not shocked. Not thrown off. Just a 'surprise'. Note that she sees Sam who is a friend of Rick, the guy she had left high and dry in Paris after convincing him that she was deeply in love with him. Ilsa strides into the cafe with her "supposedly" true love the revolutionary Laszlo. Ilsa asks Sam the whereabouts of Rick like one would ask about a schoolmate not like he was a 'soul mate'. Then coyly asks Sam to play "as time goes by". Rick had banned that song from his life. Sam used to play that song when Rick and Ilsa were in love.
The scene at the station is classic. Its pouring rain. Germans are expected to march into Paris. Rick is fleeing Paris since he is hunted by Germans. Ilsa was to join him. Instead he gets a letter "I cannot go with you. I can never see you again". When Ilsa walks into his life again Rick is furious. Ilsa comes to see him later that night alone. Rick asks "have you counted the days". No she has not. Why would she? She is a woman. She thought Laszlo her hero was dead. She meets Rick and is charmed by him. Unfortunately for Rick Laszlo turns up when Ilsa was to join Rick and escape from Paris. With her hero back like Lazarus Ilsa trashes Rick to the dustbin. Of course the day before she had swooned in Rick's arms asking him to kiss her "like it was the last time".
As luck would have it Ilsa and Laszlo are in Casablanca to go to Lisbon and they need exit visas which had fallen into Rick's hands. A bitter Rick refuses to part with them for any money Laszlo would offer. Ilsa tries her hand at beguiling Rick like she is in love with him and would stay with him if he could give one visa to Laszlo. The movie hurtles to the famous climax where Rick engineers Ilsa's and Laszlo's escape. Before parting Rick tells Laszlo how Ilsa tried to convince him that she was in love with him while she was only in love with Laszlo. Ilsa smiles a proud smug smile at her supposed "virtue".
I happened to see a Tamil movie after a long time in the theater. It was "Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya". A X-ian girl falls in love with a Hindu boy. After falling in love with him during a conflict with family she sends a SMS text message "GO away, Leave me alone". She goes on to marry and be happy. The boy, well dont we all know.
"Go Away", "Leave me alone". "Oh those letters they are childish, can't believe I wrote them".....Whether its Cleopatra or Ilsa or Trisha or XYZ I always wonder at how beautifully women walk away and to rub it in they act like the guy was an "idiot". La Belle Dame Sans Merci. Can women truly fall in love? Or be truthful to what they say they love?
The scene at the station is classic. Its pouring rain. Germans are expected to march into Paris. Rick is fleeing Paris since he is hunted by Germans. Ilsa was to join him. Instead he gets a letter "I cannot go with you. I can never see you again". When Ilsa walks into his life again Rick is furious. Ilsa comes to see him later that night alone. Rick asks "have you counted the days". No she has not. Why would she? She is a woman. She thought Laszlo her hero was dead. She meets Rick and is charmed by him. Unfortunately for Rick Laszlo turns up when Ilsa was to join Rick and escape from Paris. With her hero back like Lazarus Ilsa trashes Rick to the dustbin. Of course the day before she had swooned in Rick's arms asking him to kiss her "like it was the last time".
As luck would have it Ilsa and Laszlo are in Casablanca to go to Lisbon and they need exit visas which had fallen into Rick's hands. A bitter Rick refuses to part with them for any money Laszlo would offer. Ilsa tries her hand at beguiling Rick like she is in love with him and would stay with him if he could give one visa to Laszlo. The movie hurtles to the famous climax where Rick engineers Ilsa's and Laszlo's escape. Before parting Rick tells Laszlo how Ilsa tried to convince him that she was in love with him while she was only in love with Laszlo. Ilsa smiles a proud smug smile at her supposed "virtue".
I happened to see a Tamil movie after a long time in the theater. It was "Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya". A X-ian girl falls in love with a Hindu boy. After falling in love with him during a conflict with family she sends a SMS text message "GO away, Leave me alone". She goes on to marry and be happy. The boy, well dont we all know.
"Go Away", "Leave me alone". "Oh those letters they are childish, can't believe I wrote them".....Whether its Cleopatra or Ilsa or Trisha or XYZ I always wonder at how beautifully women walk away and to rub it in they act like the guy was an "idiot". La Belle Dame Sans Merci. Can women truly fall in love? Or be truthful to what they say they love?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
On Education Part 5: An IIT-ian's letter and Columbia's Core Curriculum
A few years back CBS aired a program on IIT's replete with superlatives calling its admissions more exclusionary than Harvard or MIT. IIT's were Nehru's dream of India's own world class institutions. They were,each, formed by a statute of Indian parliament as 'autonomous' colleges. Yet not a single IIT'ian has won the Nobel, not even in US, let alone as Indians. Do IIT'ians deserve the aura? In a word, NO. The aura of IIT is something IIT-ians themselves take pride of. Why have IIT's become mere assembly line feeders for Ivy leagues cracking a perfect score in GRE/GMAT but most end up as run of the mill graduates indistinguishable from the hoi-polloi? Its time we held them accountable.
An IIT alumnus had written "An Open Letter to Director, IIT Bombay" lamenting how IIT hostels equipped with round the clock internet access had robbed inmates of valuable socializing. He notes with pride, "IITians are known today across the world as great warriors who fight against all odds without losing their sense of humour and wit...I am sure that IITB community will be able to face up to the problem and come up with solutions that will guide all other institutes, colleges and universities not just in India but also abroad". He thinks of IIT-B as a beacon to the world and as having a 'brand value'.
The letter is notable for his comments on the poor presentation skills and lack of ability to communicate an idea effectively by IIT grads. "An average student of IITB during the late seventies honed his skills at discussions, argumentation and debate in the mess, corridors and steps of hostels. I remember that when I came as fresher, I could hardly speak English. In less than a year, I was speaking fluently - albeit, with a lot of slang"
I was surprised to note that an entrant to IIT could barely speak in English. The recent mess in IIT-JEE gave the clue. IIT-JEE is conducted in both English and Hindi. Good number of North Indians go through vernacular schools and learn only rudimentary English. Also unlike MIT or Harvard or Stanford or Caltech IIT admits students based only on test scores. Soft skills, extra curricular activities, rounded personalities, diversity etc are of ZERO value to get into an IIT. C.P. Snow, famous for his book on 'Two Cultures' lamenting the gulf in education between humanities and the sciences would jump over a cliff seeing these cardboard characters pass out of a college with no knowledge of classical literature or fine arts within their curriculum.
A friend of mine, who did his PhD in Nuclear Disarmament in UIUC (Chicago) wrote to me, "
At the risk of oversimplifying and generalising the problem, I would say that IITians are (there may be always exceptions) generally inept in social skills. They are quite brilliant at doing certain narrow set of things. But because their brains have become compartmentalized they seldom appreciate broad based education. What I really lament is the lack of an interdiscplinary orientation of our learning process and education in general.Coming to IITians, you can't have a decent conversation with most of them on broader issues (say, politics, society, religion philosophy, economics etc). Since I was studying in UIUC, where hordes of IITians migrate for MS and PhD, I have seen them from close quarters. At UIUC, I always enjoyed interacting with grad students in the less privileged departments like political science, economics, etc. They generally came from liberal arts colleges (Loyola, Xavier, Vivekananda, St Stephens etc) and lesser known science and engineering colleges!"
I can attest to that having seen a sampling of these grads at work and elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, they are all pretty intelligent, many do excel in their respective fields. However given their aura, their own pride it is fair to hold them up to a higher criteria for judging and I'd say "The emperor has no clothes".
Louis Menand, professor of English in Harvard, writes "A college's general education curriculum, what the faculty chooses to require of everyone, is a reflection of its overall educational philosophy". Columbia University, New York, comes in for a singular praise for its "core curriculum". Columbia requires all its students to have a good grounding in liberal arts and they consider that such an exposure would widen a student's perspective and help a student be the best possible student for his/her lifetime.
What is 'liberal education' or 'humanities' that US universities lay so much stress on for graduates? "Liberal education is not reducible to a specific body of knowledge. It's a background mentality, a way of thinking, a kind of intellectual DNA that informs work in ever specialized area of inquiry".
"Columbia college believes that there are certain books that everyone ought to have read by the time they graduate...At Columbia..they must take Literatuer HUmanities, which is a great books course. At Harvard, not just any history course will do; students must take a course that introduces them to historical analysis". Important caveat is that this is only for graduate studies not for masters in which many Indians and IITians enroll thanks to their ability to 'crack GRE'.
Quite often Ivy League professors, usually themselves students of Ivy League colleges, appear on TV or write op-eds conveying complex issues for public consumption in lay terms. Many write Pulitzer or other prize winning books meant for lay people. This is important because it demonstrates an ability to take arcane issues and 'explain' them captivatingly. Many serve in government and appear in Congressional testimonies explaining to lawmakers intricate details on live TV. I ask the IIT-ians, where is your Carl Sagan? Who is your George Smoot? Do you have a Louis Menand? Who is your Drew Gilpin Faust? Who is your Neil de-Grasse Tyson?
Now it would be fair to compare the deans of IIT-B and MIT. Dean of IIT-B was featured in India Today's list of people to watch for in the millennium (he was a professor then). Going to IIT-B website a mangled page takes you to a 'blurb' (yes its just that) on the director. Going to that page you cannot even click on an icon to go to homepage instead you have to scroll back. I am sure he is an accomplished professor in his field but can he stand toe to toe with Susan Hockfield, President of MIT. Check out her page http://www.iitb.ac.in/director/director.html and her CV at http://web.mit.edu/hockfield/hockfieldcv.pdf . Ofcourse the MIT logo at top left would always take you to the home page. What caught my attention in her CV was her 'Board Memberships'. Fine Arts (Boston Symphony Orchestra), Corporate (GE), Government (Several), International (World Economic Forum). she writes Op-Eds on a variety of subjects relating to research and education. Her speeches and essays are an eclectic collection of a truly 'renaissance' mind.
An IIT alumnus had written "An Open Letter to Director, IIT Bombay" lamenting how IIT hostels equipped with round the clock internet access had robbed inmates of valuable socializing. He notes with pride, "IITians are known today across the world as great warriors who fight against all odds without losing their sense of humour and wit...I am sure that IITB community will be able to face up to the problem and come up with solutions that will guide all other institutes, colleges and universities not just in India but also abroad". He thinks of IIT-B as a beacon to the world and as having a 'brand value'.
The letter is notable for his comments on the poor presentation skills and lack of ability to communicate an idea effectively by IIT grads. "An average student of IITB during the late seventies honed his skills at discussions, argumentation and debate in the mess, corridors and steps of hostels. I remember that when I came as fresher, I could hardly speak English. In less than a year, I was speaking fluently - albeit, with a lot of slang"
I was surprised to note that an entrant to IIT could barely speak in English. The recent mess in IIT-JEE gave the clue. IIT-JEE is conducted in both English and Hindi. Good number of North Indians go through vernacular schools and learn only rudimentary English. Also unlike MIT or Harvard or Stanford or Caltech IIT admits students based only on test scores. Soft skills, extra curricular activities, rounded personalities, diversity etc are of ZERO value to get into an IIT. C.P. Snow, famous for his book on 'Two Cultures' lamenting the gulf in education between humanities and the sciences would jump over a cliff seeing these cardboard characters pass out of a college with no knowledge of classical literature or fine arts within their curriculum.
A friend of mine, who did his PhD in Nuclear Disarmament in UIUC (Chicago) wrote to me, "
At the risk of oversimplifying and generalising the problem, I would say that IITians are (there may be always exceptions) generally inept in social skills. They are quite brilliant at doing certain narrow set of things. But because their brains have become compartmentalized they seldom appreciate broad based education. What I really lament is the lack of an interdiscplinary orientation of our learning process and education in general.Coming to IITians, you can't have a decent conversation with most of them on broader issues (say, politics, society, religion philosophy, economics etc). Since I was studying in UIUC, where hordes of IITians migrate for MS and PhD, I have seen them from close quarters. At UIUC, I always enjoyed interacting with grad students in the less privileged departments like political science, economics, etc. They generally came from liberal arts colleges (Loyola, Xavier, Vivekananda, St Stephens etc) and lesser known science and engineering colleges!"
I can attest to that having seen a sampling of these grads at work and elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, they are all pretty intelligent, many do excel in their respective fields. However given their aura, their own pride it is fair to hold them up to a higher criteria for judging and I'd say "The emperor has no clothes".
Louis Menand, professor of English in Harvard, writes "A college's general education curriculum, what the faculty chooses to require of everyone, is a reflection of its overall educational philosophy". Columbia University, New York, comes in for a singular praise for its "core curriculum". Columbia requires all its students to have a good grounding in liberal arts and they consider that such an exposure would widen a student's perspective and help a student be the best possible student for his/her lifetime.
What is 'liberal education' or 'humanities' that US universities lay so much stress on for graduates? "Liberal education is not reducible to a specific body of knowledge. It's a background mentality, a way of thinking, a kind of intellectual DNA that informs work in ever specialized area of inquiry".
"Columbia college believes that there are certain books that everyone ought to have read by the time they graduate...At Columbia..they must take Literatuer HUmanities, which is a great books course. At Harvard, not just any history course will do; students must take a course that introduces them to historical analysis". Important caveat is that this is only for graduate studies not for masters in which many Indians and IITians enroll thanks to their ability to 'crack GRE'.
Quite often Ivy League professors, usually themselves students of Ivy League colleges, appear on TV or write op-eds conveying complex issues for public consumption in lay terms. Many write Pulitzer or other prize winning books meant for lay people. This is important because it demonstrates an ability to take arcane issues and 'explain' them captivatingly. Many serve in government and appear in Congressional testimonies explaining to lawmakers intricate details on live TV. I ask the IIT-ians, where is your Carl Sagan? Who is your George Smoot? Do you have a Louis Menand? Who is your Drew Gilpin Faust? Who is your Neil de-Grasse Tyson?
Now it would be fair to compare the deans of IIT-B and MIT. Dean of IIT-B was featured in India Today's list of people to watch for in the millennium (he was a professor then). Going to IIT-B website a mangled page takes you to a 'blurb' (yes its just that) on the director. Going to that page you cannot even click on an icon to go to homepage instead you have to scroll back. I am sure he is an accomplished professor in his field but can he stand toe to toe with Susan Hockfield, President of MIT. Check out her page http://www.iitb.ac.in/director/director.html and her CV at http://web.mit.edu/hockfield/hockfieldcv.pdf . Ofcourse the MIT logo at top left would always take you to the home page. What caught my attention in her CV was her 'Board Memberships'. Fine Arts (Boston Symphony Orchestra), Corporate (GE), Government (Several), International (World Economic Forum). she writes Op-Eds on a variety of subjects relating to research and education. Her speeches and essays are an eclectic collection of a truly 'renaissance' mind.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Carnatic Singers and Bharathi
Whenever there is a carnatic vocal recital, especially in USA under the aegis of the numerous Tamil Sangams, we can bet our farm that a song from Bharathi would be sung, mostly towards the end. You can also safely bet that the rendition would be replete with sanskritised pronunciation of Tamil words. Example: Senthamizh would be pronounced Shenthamizh; Selva Kalanjiyam would be 'Shelva Kalanjiyame". There are several dimensions to this.
Bharathi songs became part of a Carnatic vocalist's repertoire in the wake of Dravidian politics that accused Carnatic musicians, mostly Brahmins, as having a step-motherly attitude towards their own mother tongue. There are some safe songs of Bharathi, like "chinnanchiru Kiliye" that are easy to be rendered beautifully. The other most famous song is "alai payuthe" (not by Bharathi). Its the horrendous pronunciation that irks me. Would a Bengali tolerate Tagore's songs being mispronounced? To say well this is just "our" way of pronouncing is sheer insult. If a Chinese opera singer, performing in NYC, is expected to be perfect in pronouncing Italians words I'd expect no less from any so called "doyen of music" who happens to sing in his/her mother tongue.
K.J.Yesudas is famous for mispronouncing Tamil words and completely altering the meaning. The most notorious song is where he sings "theru kovile" (street temple) instead of, as the words should be sung, "thiru kovile" (sacred temple). KJY, being humble, accepted the mistake and said "well I am a malayalee the lyric writers or the music directors should have corrected it". I am surprised that these self-professed connoisseurs of music think its ok to butcher a language. Where is our Henry Higgins to put these Eliza Doolittle's in their place? The language that they sing in is the language of Kamban, Valluvan, Ilango, Avvaiyar and has a tradition of 2000 years how dare they mutilate such a wonderful language that has so many unique sounding letters, such nuances in inflection that I cannot transliterate in English.
The worst tragedy is when Carnatic singers take on Bharathi's soulful patriotic songs or his plaintive numbers that bemoan his penury and speak of the promise he holds forth. The best rendition of "Nallthor Veenai" is in "Varumayin Niram Sigappu", all else have taken the spirit out of that song. When these preening musicians render Bharathi they focus on "thala","laya","Bhava" etc and the so called "rasika" should be content to say "wah". They can render it in perfect raaga and rhythm but one who fails to convey the agonized spirit of Bharathi completely falls flat. Show me one good recital of "agni Kunju" in the concert halls, who has captured the vivid imagery of "Kaani Nilam vendum", who can make your nerves tingle with "vande mataram", not D.K.Pattammal or MS with their quivering voices complete with phlegm and coughs or UnniKrishnan with his made for romance voice or T.M.Krishna who make a lady's heart flutter with his charisma. The songs in "Yezhavathu Manithan" (especially 'Kakkai siraginile') are good versions. Carnatic musicians due to their illiteracy in the field of composing or 'symphony' (carnatic music is melodic not symphonic) cannot rise to the task of depicting complex Bharathiar songs.
People who come to listen Carnatic music vocal are already well versed in the Telugu Kritis and which is what a vocalist is trained to sing. Let them stick to it. I do not agree with the stupid idea that Carnatic singers should sing in Tamil in order to convey the meaning to a Tamil audience. No opera presentation in NY is diluted with American slangs. If I go to opera I have to study how to appreciate opera, else I should stick to Britney Spears or A.R.Rahman. If I go to see a Beethoven symphony I better be prepared and educated else I should be content with Bruce Springsteen. Carnatic vocalist do a disservice to both their audience and Tamil with these sham performances.
My plea to carnatic musicians is simple: Please, for the sake of Tamil, leave Bharathi alone. Tamil does not need you to sing these like crumbs thrown to us.
A parting thought. Why is it that only Bharathi songs are chosen? Why not any song of Bharathidasan? Is it because Bharathi is a brahmin? I wonder.
Bharathi songs became part of a Carnatic vocalist's repertoire in the wake of Dravidian politics that accused Carnatic musicians, mostly Brahmins, as having a step-motherly attitude towards their own mother tongue. There are some safe songs of Bharathi, like "chinnanchiru Kiliye" that are easy to be rendered beautifully. The other most famous song is "alai payuthe" (not by Bharathi). Its the horrendous pronunciation that irks me. Would a Bengali tolerate Tagore's songs being mispronounced? To say well this is just "our" way of pronouncing is sheer insult. If a Chinese opera singer, performing in NYC, is expected to be perfect in pronouncing Italians words I'd expect no less from any so called "doyen of music" who happens to sing in his/her mother tongue.
K.J.Yesudas is famous for mispronouncing Tamil words and completely altering the meaning. The most notorious song is where he sings "theru kovile" (street temple) instead of, as the words should be sung, "thiru kovile" (sacred temple). KJY, being humble, accepted the mistake and said "well I am a malayalee the lyric writers or the music directors should have corrected it". I am surprised that these self-professed connoisseurs of music think its ok to butcher a language. Where is our Henry Higgins to put these Eliza Doolittle's in their place? The language that they sing in is the language of Kamban, Valluvan, Ilango, Avvaiyar and has a tradition of 2000 years how dare they mutilate such a wonderful language that has so many unique sounding letters, such nuances in inflection that I cannot transliterate in English.
The worst tragedy is when Carnatic singers take on Bharathi's soulful patriotic songs or his plaintive numbers that bemoan his penury and speak of the promise he holds forth. The best rendition of "Nallthor Veenai" is in "Varumayin Niram Sigappu", all else have taken the spirit out of that song. When these preening musicians render Bharathi they focus on "thala","laya","Bhava" etc and the so called "rasika" should be content to say "wah". They can render it in perfect raaga and rhythm but one who fails to convey the agonized spirit of Bharathi completely falls flat. Show me one good recital of "agni Kunju" in the concert halls, who has captured the vivid imagery of "Kaani Nilam vendum", who can make your nerves tingle with "vande mataram", not D.K.Pattammal or MS with their quivering voices complete with phlegm and coughs or UnniKrishnan with his made for romance voice or T.M.Krishna who make a lady's heart flutter with his charisma. The songs in "Yezhavathu Manithan" (especially 'Kakkai siraginile') are good versions. Carnatic musicians due to their illiteracy in the field of composing or 'symphony' (carnatic music is melodic not symphonic) cannot rise to the task of depicting complex Bharathiar songs.
People who come to listen Carnatic music vocal are already well versed in the Telugu Kritis and which is what a vocalist is trained to sing. Let them stick to it. I do not agree with the stupid idea that Carnatic singers should sing in Tamil in order to convey the meaning to a Tamil audience. No opera presentation in NY is diluted with American slangs. If I go to opera I have to study how to appreciate opera, else I should stick to Britney Spears or A.R.Rahman. If I go to see a Beethoven symphony I better be prepared and educated else I should be content with Bruce Springsteen. Carnatic vocalist do a disservice to both their audience and Tamil with these sham performances.
My plea to carnatic musicians is simple: Please, for the sake of Tamil, leave Bharathi alone. Tamil does not need you to sing these like crumbs thrown to us.
A parting thought. Why is it that only Bharathi songs are chosen? Why not any song of Bharathidasan? Is it because Bharathi is a brahmin? I wonder.
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