Roads in Auroville

The road network of Auroville was designed as part of the city's master plan. The main roads in the master plan look like spiraling arcs coming out of a centre point, resembling a galaxy. Some of the main roads are there, most are yet to be constructed. Many roads or walkways have also been made not necessarily in accordance with the master plan. People solved their problems spontaneously instead of waiting for the master plan to be implemnted. This group of rodes are more organic in shape.

Whatever the case might be, there is hardly any straight line in the Auroville road network. Therefore, to go straight actually means to stay on the path no matter how dramatic the bends are.

Chennai to Auroville

I'm in Auroville right now. Going from Chennai airport to Auroville turned out to be a relatively simple task. As easy as 1-2-3:

1. There are prepaid taxi services in front of the airport. Took a taxi to Koyambedu Bus Terminus. Price 250.00Rs.
2. At the terminus, had to go to the mofussil section. The buses have electronic display on them showing Tamil and English. Had to get on a bus that says "ECR" (east coast road). These buses go all the way to Pondicherry. So I had to ask the helper man to drop me off near Auroville instead of at Pondi. 190.00Rs.
3. From the drop off point, there were yellow autorikshaws. I took an auto to the visitors center in Auroville. 150.00Rs.

A year in Canada

Thank you Canada

Today is the completion of my first year in Canada. It has been a very good year.

I worked hard at an university and studied harder for a masters degree. Volunteered in a few places. Learned to grow. Explored science, art, life and spirituality. Found the time to work my own self, to make myself a better person. And while doing all these, became friends with a few Canadians whose hearts were big just like their country is. I'm grateful to those friends. Also grateful to my former self, who had decided to come to Canada. We gained more than expected. Thank you.

I'm leaving for Tamil Nadu now. See you in summer, eh!

Image credit: Emily

Tamil - Bangla Comparison

Bangla and Tamil vowels

First step of preparing for the upcoming Tamil Nadu trip is to get familiar with the language. Tamil, the main language of Tamil Nadu is of Dravidian origin. My first langauge Bangla is Indo-Aryan. This puts us in two entirely different language families. However, the written forms of the two languages have a common ancestor, the Brahmi script. Brahmi script was in use in India around two millennia ago. I've decided to start learning Tamil from the script because it is the meeting point of these two languages.

Rani Pokhari

Rani Pokhari or the Queen's Pond

Rani Pokhari or the Queen's Pond was not really on my list of places to see in Kathmandu, but I ended up passing by more than once. It's located near the center of the city and one of those hard to miss points. It's good sight to see after all. A temple to Shiva in the middle of an artificial lake accessible through a long foot bridge. But the pokhair itself is not open to public most of the days. Only on the day of Bhaitika, which is part of Tihar celebration, the gates are opened to public.

Parvati Restaurant in Pokhara

The Parvati restaurant in Pokhara has a decent dal-bhat deal besides kalo-chia, rara and of course, momo. Away from the busy lake side roads, this quiet little place is a good place to sit and relax.

The Red Cow in Manang

The Red Cow milk cans serves as prayer wheels in Manang

Growing up in the 80's and 90's in Bangladesh, The Red Cow powdered milk was something very familiar to me. It was also one of those things I never expected to find in another time or place. Manang proved me wrong.

Homemade Nepali Beer

Almost every part of Nepal have its own version of homemade beer which is frequently prepared and consumed at home. Often accompanied by small snacks. The beverage is different from what is known as beer in the western world. The organic residues have a strong presence in the form of icky taste, smell or both. Sometimes, its not that bad - its an acquired taste and getting used to with takes a while. Such was the case with Chhang in mountains. Its a great challenge in most other cases though.

Corn beer of Sindhuli

The fluid substance seen in the accompanying photo is homemade beer of Sindhuli. The yellow color (as can be seen in the photo) is due to corn from which this is made from. Citric vomit like taste and smells (which cannot be seen in the photo) is due to the fermentation process. The snacks in the small dish next to are pieces of goat meat. Neither the snack nor the drink agree much with me. But I tried my best not to offend my host. Being a world citizen is not always easy.

Phewa lake

View from east shore of Phewa lake before sunset

One of Pokhara's many attractions is the beautiful Phewa lake. If the sky is clear, reflection of the Annapurna range on the lake offers a spectacular view from the south shore. Many postcards and souvenirs have this picture too. Alternatively, one can watch sunset from the west shore.

You can hire a boat to get yourself to the small island in the middle of the lake. There is a nice little shrine there. Or you can actually go all the way across the lake. There is a large Buddhist temple on top of a hill on the other side. The place where they tell you to dock your boat, there is a little restaurant. The lunch served over there is very good.

View of Phewa lake and parts of Pokhara town

Machapuchare

Machhapuchare peak

My most favorite mountain in the world is Machapuchare. I first saw the it from Sarangkot. It was a cloudy evening in late August 2011. When I reached the viewing point, a thick layer of cloud was blocking my view of the peak. After a few minutes an opening formed as the clouds moved away and I could see the Machapuchare peak in it's full glory. Near the peak its too steep - almost vertical - for ice to cling on. The bare rock face was glowing in golden light of the setting sun. There was something amazingly beautiful and captivating about that bare rock face.

I fell in love and realized that I would like to climb mountains someday. Not like some arrogant mountaineers I had met before, who climb mountains to conquer them. My inspiration for climbing a mountain would be to appreciate it.

A little research on the internet afterwards reveals some interesting facts about Machhapuchare. It's almost 7000m high and lies in the Annapurna mountain range. The meaning of the Nepali name is 'Fish tail'. Named so because of its twin peaks. The mountain is revered as sacred by local people. Machapuchare has never been climbed to the summit. Out of respect for local customs, mountaineers have decided not to set foot on its peak. I learned most of these from researching on the internet after coming back home awe stricken by the sheer magnificence of Machapuchare.

Su Cha

The Tibetan butter tea, known as 'Su Cha' (or is it 'Su Ja' ?) in Manang is an excellent beverage for the Himalayan conditions. In absence of central heating or other such provisions to fight the cold, reliance focuses on calorie rich diet. Su Cha serves this purpose well.

Su Cha served with a couple of Tibetan breads and a plate of spicy potatoes makes a good breakfast

The preparation is very simple. Add a tablespoon of tea leaves and about 200gm of butter in 1L of hot water. Add salt according to your taste. Stir to melt all the butter, then enjoy :)

Yak Meat

Click on the picture to see album, WARNING: BLOOD

Although Vajrayana buddhists by religion, Manangis don't consider killing yak for meat as a taboo. Probably for practical reasons, they have resorted to tweak this part of the religious laws.

One fine morning, Tashi invited me to watch the ritualistic slaughtering and butchering of yaks. The event took place in a field on the outskirts of the village, by a little stream.

Four cows and a bull yak were slaughtered. Instead of slitting the throat open, a long narrow knife is driven right into the animals heart. This ensures quick death without spilling much blood. Every part of the animal is consumed or used in one way or another, including the blood.

Use of axe and hammer in butchering is another speciality of their culture. For an animal as thick skinned and heavy boned as the yak is, this is no surprise.

Only men are allowed to go on the butchering field. Perhaps a tradition being carried on since the hunter-gatherer period.

Skin Protection in the Himalayas

Cracked skin on my knuckles

Himalayan air is usually very dry except for the monsoon season. Skin cracks in all kind of strange places of our body. Skin on my knuckles cracked. Another guy had the palm of his hands cracked.

Locals rub fat from yak and other domestic animals on their skin to prevent cracking.

EU Visa Policy

Checking the visa policy of the European Union countries can be worth while before you make your travel plans. This page on wikipedia comes in handy in this regards.

Yak Artifacts

Yak plays an important role in Tibetan society. Food, garments, fuel come from the yak. Over the course of evolution, the yak has also found way into their myths and folklore. Here is a collection of artifacts derived from or related to yak, as seen in and on my way to Manang, Nepal.

Yak's head is hung in the front of houses, near the entrance sometimes. Probably considered a good luck charm. The head is preserved by hollowing the skull and then drying in sun.

Yak skull used to decorate the interior of Hotel Mountain Lake. Not sure if it's for good luck or just decorative purpose.

Yak rug in Hotel Mountain Lake. Manangi equivalent of grizzly bear rug, I guess.

Dried yak meat, eaten raw.

Ceremonial yak mask, seen in Manang Heritage Museum.

Stuffed yak head, in Manang Heritage Museum

Yak

My first "English Alphabet & Words Book" of childhood said, "Y is for Yak". The accompanying picture looked like an odd shaped cow with long hair all over its body. I was curious whether this animal makes smooth moo sound like cow, or is it hoarse like the water buffalo ? I had to wait for the answer till my first night in Gunsang. It was early October 2012.

Han ye ba ?

Where are you going ?

The mountain environment influences people and their culture in amazing ways. It encourages separation of what matters more in life than what does not. Totally disregarding the latter in some instances. This influence is manifested in several ways in the culture of Manangi people, an ethnic group of Tibetan origin living in Manang district of Nepal.

If you meet a Manangi traveler on your way, the usual greeting in Manangi language is "Han ye ba ?". Where are you going ? Where you are going is more important than where you come from.

The usual response would be (if you are going to Manang) "Manang ye ba".

And after a little chat, when its time for you to go your separate ways, say "Yo jo" to each other.

Rara-Para-Ara

A Nepali man enjoys Ara, around mid-day

Heard this rhyme from Tashi R. Ghale, who, in his good sense of humor calls this a summary of Nepali lifestyle in the mountains.

Bihano khaunchha Rara
Dinso khelchha Para
Beluka khaunchha Ara

Tibbetan bread

As the name suggests, Tibetan bread is a food of the Tibetan diaspora of Nepal. A minor variation named Gurung bread can be found in some areas, e.g.: Sarangkot. Its basically a flattened dough with three parallel slits cut in the middle deep fried in oil. The Gurung bread has two slits and a few herbs infused in the dough. The bread is usually eaten for breakfast with Su Ja, the butter tea. People eat food with high fat content to fight Himalayan cold, the Tibetan bread is no exception.

Chapati

A nicely blown up chapati makes chef Sanjay happy

Almost every restaurant on the around Annapurna circuit serves Chapati in breakfast. Chapatis are also known as 'Roti' or 'Ruti' in some parts of South Asia. I used to make a sandwich with a fried egg tucked between two chapatis. It packs good amount of energy and fibers; good trekkers' breakfast.

Momo

The iconic Nepali snack momo has Tibetan origin. From the tibetan diaspora of the himalayan parts, the delicious dumpling spread to all parts of the country. A good example of culture diffusion.

momos waiting to be smoked or fried

Nepali Porters

Do you think your job is hard ? You probably don't know about the Nepali porters. Their job is one of the hardest ones known to me.

Porters carry huge load across mountains of Nepal

Mule Train

Mule Train, photo credit: Subbotsky

The Nepali alternative to rail cars in the Himalayas are mule trains. Villages deep in to (or high above) the Nepali Himalayas are inaccessible by motorized vehicles, let alone railway. Helicopters and small planes have emerged as a new option in recent decades. Mostly to be used in search and rescue operations. Trekking and riding stays predominant modes of traveling for personnel, while mules serve as the most common and effective options of cargo.

Stone in Nepali Masonry

Houses are made of brick sized stone slabs, mud-gravel mixture is used as mortar

Stone is predominant material in Nepali masonry. Specially in the Himalayan parts. Rough slabs of about uniform thickness is the most common form. Mud-gravel mixture is usually used as mortar. The slabs in use having varying length/breadth gives rise to an strong organic texture, unlike the regular pattern of brick walls.

Stone slabs are also laid on flat ground to make pavements, much like cobblestones are used in European architecture. Slabs are laid on sloppy hillsides to make stair ways. Large to medium stone slabs are usually used. These stairs can go all the way starting from deep river valleys to the villages perched on mountain tops.

Didi

Ladies of Nepal are your "Didi" (elder sister). That's the ubiquitous polite way of addressing a Nepali lady. You'll see them running grocery stores, tea stalls, restaurants, working in fields, carrying big loads across mountainous Nepali landscape and may be managing the hotel you're staying at.

Ongma Didi, busy maintaining business correspondence on a snowy morning in Manang. Ongma manages a hotel in Manang with her husband, Tashi.

Picking Up Nepali Language

Picking up a language is fun. It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, except that the pieces are words, phrases and grammatical structure of the language you're trying to learn. If written form of the language has a different script, that adds a new layer of challenge and fun.

Nepali Beer

Beer comes in big 750ml bottles in Nepal and they cost only 200NRP (less than 2 Euros). There are several options too. Nepal Ice, Everest and Gorkha are the ones I liked. Nepal Ice being the lightest one. But these are the options for average tourists. For the more adventurous ones I recommend trying things brewed at home.

The culture of Nepal is quite accepting of drinking and almost every house in a village brew their own booze. The home made beer is called 'Chhang'. Depending on the village of origin, it tastes and smells between strange to horribly repulsive. In some parts you may also find home made spirit, called 'raxi' (also spelled 'ragsi' on hotel menu). Same applies to 'raxi' regarding smell and taste.

Nepali men usually lose control when they drink, so be careful. Most start talking really loud. Some would start singing or dancing - I liked the ones of that kind. Have mixed feelings about another kind I found who start speaking English after a few a shots and believe alcohol improves ones English language skills.

SAARC

SAARC stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It was envisioned by a Bangladeshi gentleman* and was founded in 1985 with seven member countries e.g. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Later, Afganistan joined SAARC in 2005.

I knew most of this from my education in Bangladeshi public schools. What school did not teach is the more important part, the dormant potential of unity and growth for South Asia that lies in SAARC. This realization came to me during my first visit to Nepal in August 2011.

Through out the week long trip I observed similarities and differences in our languages, culture, problems and possibilities. The Nepalis and Bangalis are same and at the same time different on many levels. This intrigued me a lot. After contemplating over things I became convinced about the potential of a greater South Asian unity some day. I shared my thoughts with my travel partner who was working at the Danish embassy of Dhaka at the moment. He provided a thought through analysis of the situation in SAARC, drawing parallels to EU 50 years ago. To conclude it, he said that Europe is not just a geographic entity; it's a concept and it's growing. That was one of the best comments I've heard about future potentials of human unity anywhere in the world. I'm sure something like that can be done about South Asia too. But it's going to take a while.


*sadly enough I cannot agree with his political ideology of "Bangladeshi Nationalism"

Asian misconceptions : Cold Europeans

Clearing misconceptions between cultures is an important prerequisite for a racism free world. Being born and brought up in the orient, I'm quite familiar with the misconceptions most Asians hold about Europeans (or Westerners in general). In this series I'll try to address these misconceptions.

One such misconception is that Europeans are cold. They lack emotions and don't "connect like we do". I've seen many South Asians and South-East Asians holding this misconception. Many also tend to think that the western way of maintaining individual boundaries are inferior to the oriental way of maintaining no boundaries, hence the use of the word "cold". I don't agree with the idea of drawing us-and-them boundaries to begin with. Do you really know who "they" are, who you are ? Aren't these distinctions very superfluous ?

Mother Language Day

21st February is International Mother Language Day. Quoting from wikipedia,

International Mother Language Day is an observance held annually on 21 February worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

About half a century ago, my people stood up against cultural oppression and made sacrifices to protect the right to speak their language. Through a bloody revolution, the right to speak a language was protected. In effect, it also protected the right to practice their culture. The sense of identity and unity later inspired the independence movement of the country. Bangalis are not the only group to sacrifice for their language and culture in recent recorded history. I know that similar incidents took place in Assam(India), would not be surprised to know of more incidents like that. But Bangalis are probably the only group to work their way from cultural freedom to independence of their country. I consider that a good example. And proud of that.

As of now, let us all be proud of our languages. Speak your language, teach it to others. Learn theirs too. Discover how close we are, people of the world.

Coming Back to Bangladesh

June 29, 2011 Dhaka, Bangladesh

When I came back to Bangladesh for the first time, she welcomed me with her heavy monsoon rain. I got fully drenched in the rain soon after coming out of the airport. Infections on my back and legs hurt from rubbing against my clothes. There was foul smell of an overflowing drain on one side and pleasant smell of fruits from a stall on the other side. There were loud hydraulic horns and almost musical jingle of riksha bells. In front of me was the chaotic Dhaka city. People and vehicles on the streets and footpaths going in every direction. Vehicles about to collide somehow managing to slow down or divert their courses at the last moment. It's like a chaotic dance performence.

Yes, I was back in Bangladesh. My sense of touch, smell, hearing and vision has been overwhelmed. The only unattended sense was taste which could be taken care of easily at the tea stall on the other side of the street. I stepped out on the street and joined the chaotic dance.

Infection

The hot and humid environment of the Malaysian rainforest is a perfect breeding ground for germs and my body had no immunity against them. Be prepared to have infections on your surface wounds if you are like me regarding immunity. At one point I was carrying nine infections on my right leg and ten on left.