The DDLJ diaries

One of the things that we had decided to when we were planning our trip to Switzerland was to visit the places where Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge (DDLJ) was shot. 

The movies holds a special place in the hearts of many and ours too. I must have watched the movie at-least a dozen times. The dialogues have been learnt well, the scenes all to familiar. 

So after finding it out on the net, we got to know that the places we needed to head out to were Gstaad and Saanen. These are small towns in the Western part of the country. With the briliant public transport system that switzerland boasts of, getting there was never going to be a problem. 

On the way to the town of Gstaad and Saanen we spotted many such churches, which I think are the way churches would be in the country. But remembering 1995 when I first saw the movie, it was a unique church. 

This is the church that Simran askes Raj to take her to. Though in the movie the scene that follows, i.e. the inside of the church is not this church. We did go inside to verify it also.

This is the small town of Gstaad, where the movie's super hit song Zara sa Jhoom loon mai is shot. The town is so small that you can walk across the entire town in less than half hour.

After spending the time in Gstaad where only the song was shot, we headed to Saanen, where most of the other shooting happened.

We were on the lookout for the train that matched the color in the movie. The coaches' quality has improved, but the color remains. They are a part of the Golden Pass Railways.

We stumbled upon this small sculpture, and thought whether this could be the inspiration for the musical instrument that Raj plays in the movie.

Behind the church in Saanen, was this beautiful cemetery, just at the foothills of the beautiful landscape.

The Saanen town itself is very small, though larger than Gstaad.

The golden pass train makes its way into the Gstaad station.

The famous bridge over the river leads to the railway crossing that you see in the background. This is the place where Raj confesses his love for Simran, but later says it was a joke!

My Simran, remembering the movie.

This is the Kiosk that Raj engages Simran in the discussion over he being served first because he came first to the store. This leads to Simran missing her train.

And there goes the last train. Will have to wait the night in the town for the next morning train.

The whole of Switzerland is filled with such landscapes. It's no surprise that these hills have played backdrop to many of Yash Chopra's romantic movies.

This is the cafe in Gstaad, where Simran creates a hungama, after being drunk. The Song Zara sa Jhoom loon mai is shot here.

This is the small and easily accessible Saanen airport, that is just beside the railway tracks. Raj is introduced in the movie as showing running alongside a plane on this airport.

This is a typical house architecture in Switzerland, but I like to call the actual Yash Raj Studios :) 

2 kgs Angoor

"Bhaiya, Kukas chaloge?"; I asked the auto rickshaw driver, standing in the busy Johri Bazaar within the Pink city, laden with the bags of Sarees that I had just purchased. 

He must be in his late fifties or sixties, had a moustache and a heavy voice. So typical of the Rajasthani you would expect to meet.  He had a long look at me. Felt he was too old to call him Bhaiya, so I decided to address him as Kaka. 

"Kahan jaana hai Kukas mei?". 

I need to go to my Hotel on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, I said, deciding not to divulge much information. 

"Haan chalenge" 

I asked how much would he charge? 

After pausing for a while, he said, "180 Rupye lagenge."

Just in the morning that day, I had checked with the hotel on how much a to-fro from the hotel to the city would cost and they had said Rs 1200. So the 180 seemed like a great deal for the close to 15 kms journey, considering what I am used to paying in a city like Bangalore. 

Perhaps Kaka was expecting me to bargain, but there was something within me that did not. It was a moment of trust that I built within that moment, when our eyes met.

And then began a small journey, that I would not forget in a long time. 

I sat like a king, in the open from 3 sides autorickshaw. This was the big ones, that ferried almost 10 passengers when plying within the city, and it ran on diesel. So here was I alone with the bag of Sarees, riding like a king. I did have my GPRS enabled mobile phones and was accessing Internet, trying to be in my own world.

Kaka began to sing some Rajasthani Folk songs while driving. And suddenly at that very moment, I stopped all my not-so-important activities and let myself get immersed in that experience that was unfolding before me. He must have been a good singer in his village, I thought.

He drove at a not so high speed. We let the cars, bikes, trucks, and all other vehicles cross us. None of us were in a hurry. He drove at a brisk pace of 35 kmph perhaps. I just gave into the situation and let myself get drowned in that experience that was nothing short of spiritual. 

Just before we left the Main City limits, and were about to hit the Highway, he stopped the auto at a junction. 

"Angoor khaoge saheb? ";  he asked, interrupting me from my thoughts. I declined, saying no. 

He bargained with the fruit seller and asked for 2 kilograms of Grapes for 70 Rs. 

2 Kilograms!!! I do not recall ever buying more than half a kg of Grapes at a time. 

Keeping the grapes in his bag, that rested over his shoulder, he smiled at me and said. 

"Saheb, ghar khaali haath nahi jaata hoon.. toh bacche ke liye kuch le liye. Aaj angoor hi sahi." 

2 kgs! the words ringed in my mind still as I smiled cheek to cheek in this encounter. 

And then we took a detour from the main highway. Now this is where I felt scared for a while. Alone me. Alone he, the dark night and just some vehicles passing by. I was scared, but at the same time smiling. Inspite of the fear of being in a new city, traveling at night on the highway alone with this person, I tried not to panic too much. There was something about him that was so genuine.

Perhaps it was that trust that was initially built between us, that I  I did not mind the detour. 

"Kaka, kya yeh road (detour) waapis highway par milega", I asked him, trying to assure myself that all is well. 

"Haan wahin milega he said. Ek aadmi ko kuch dena hai saheb. Bas 2 minute lagenge" 

I said yes. Though somewhere deep within me, there was that iota of fear that said, what if all is not right. What if he comes back with another person and tries to do the unthinkable? He went out, carrying his grapes filled bag possessively and a parting smile.

Kaka returned. Alone. And in less than 2 minutes, smiled again and we then continued our journey, with his folk songs to give us company on the highway.

"Kahaan se aaye ho Bhaiya?"

Bangalore, I said. I usually do not divulge the right place where I hail from, but it was that initial trust that was at play. 

"Bangalore! Arre wahaan se toh Rahul Dravid hai! Kitna mahaan khiladi hai! " And at that moment, our barriers broke. We were two passionate souls, living in two distant worlds, but living the same moment and experiencing it spiritually. 

We break into a heated discussion. 

Sachin should retire. Rahul Dravid is greater than Steve Waugh and is a class apart. Sachin is also good, but Rahul Dravid is very great. 

Cricket definitely binds the country like nothing else.

We reach my destination. 

I hand him two hundred Rupees note. He reaches for his bag again to return me the change. 

Folding my hands in the most genuine of thank yous, I smiled to him, with throat choking with the experience I had just had, I say to him;

"Kaka, aap poora rakh lo. Bache paise ke bacchon ko mithai khila dena. "

I think I spotted the tears of joy in his eyes, as he thanked me. 

He must have spotted them in mine too.

Call of the mountains

There are few things that give true peace and visiting the mountains is one of them for me. Having spent my entire childhood in the hills of Darjeeling, it was a welcome though nostalgic trip when we (Me, wife, Netra and Naina) went there.  Last December we were up in the mountains in Sikkim and we went up close to the Nathula Pass. The ride was heavenly to say the least and with every curve we scaled, the mountains had a prettier face to show. With every kilometer we traveled I smiled more.

Needless to say, I was sad on leaving the mountains.

Though we did not go all the way up-to Nathula Pass (had to come back just 4 kms short of it), I read the hidden message. It is nothing but a sign that I need to get back there again! I am hopeful that this time will be able to reach the Pass and watch the Chinese soldiers parade.  I promise to go back and attend the call of the mountains.

When life smiles at you

..you smile back and say Thank You.
 
Some time back, I was reading an interview of a millionaire in the US, who confessed that inspite of all the money he had, he traveled only economy class. This allowed him to not only save up a lot, but also stay in his humble self and not get an attitude and let him remain down to earth. The story had an impact on me and I realized that what he said was so true.

However at the same time, when someone gives you a chance to experience something at no cost, then why not grab the opportunity.

Recently on a flight to Patna from New Delhi, all I requested for was an aisle seat. Only to my surprise I found that I had been alloted a business class seat at the cost of an economy seat. Now this was the first time, so I checked with the air hostess if there was anything wrong. And what good had I done to get the business seat. However I guessed that it was either the flight was overbooked in the economy class, or just that they did not know what airbus would be flying in that sector when they gave the tickets.

I just confirmed whether that was the only 3D seat in the flight, and then sat. Enjoyed the seat experience and smiled all through out the flight :)

Moments like these make you say, Life Rocks. :)

The other side of Bangalore

Today I had the opportunity of visiting three engineering colleges in relation to my sister's admissions there. Two of these colleges are located totally out of the city, in Yelahanka to be precise. I got to explore the other side of Bangalore, the villages that surround it and the farms that lie along the way.

While coming back from the Sir M Visvesvaraya Instititute of Technology (MVIT) to the BMS Institute of Technology (BMSIT) , we (me and the cab driver) lost our way. I was not carrying the laptop, else I could have checked the maps there. We had to get to the colleges in time, as I was worried that the offices might close and I would not get the proper information.

We decided to ask a few people and got three different directions. One was a local person, one was a worker who was new to Bangalore, one was a policeman. We decided to follow the policeman's directions. However after a point of time we got lost again. This time we decided to just follow the road and whereever it took us. Our aim was to reach the Doddabollapur main road, that would then lead us to the BMSIT college.

At the end of the day, I feel glad we got lost and took that route. Had we not got lost, we would have not passed through the three villages, which reminded me of the villages back home. We would have not crossed the vineyards that always fascinate me. We would have not crossed the mango orchards, which continuously reminded me that at this time of the year if I am at home, I would be having mangoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner (yes you read that right ! ). We would have not crossed the farm houses, and I would have not remembered my dream of owning a farm house someday and that I need to work harder towards that goal.

The whole experience was so joyful that it did not matter that I was getting delayed to reach the college. Neither did it matter that the radio played Kannada song, of which I understood nothing. It did not matter that roads were not as good as the one that led to the airport, and that we had just left.

What only mattered was that I was enjoying the ride.

Sometimes, life just has these weird ways of making you realize the futility of worrying about things that are so silly and shows you the things that you really enjoy. And I was not carrying my camera either, so it was God's way of telling me that I just need to enjoy it. Period.

I finally did get to the colleges and got all the information that I wanted. 

Oh Captain! Oh Captain!

An interesting thing I read today. Death is certain. One day or the other, every one has to die. The day you are born, there is one thing that gets certain. And that thing is that no matter how much you try, you cannot avoid death. It's like that path wherein you know the final destination. And this path is the biggest path of all that one takes during their lifetime. One should not worry about the certain things in life.

So why am I mentioning a thing as death, which is often feared and not spoken about. Well it so happens that there have been a few instances where I think was real close to it, and escaped. Whether, it is falling from the cliff while doing rappelling, almost setting foot on a venomous cobra, sky diving from the plane without knowing what's going to happen, white water rafting inspite of fearing water and not knowing how to swim etc etc. Needless to say, I am thankful for it, every time I look back at it.

But more than that, I have always had this queer thought in mind. The thought is that when I do come to the end of the life, and am on the verge of this dreaded thing, I should be smiling. Smiling at the things I have done, and a life well lived so far. Of having done things that I am passionate about, and living each day with immense happiness.

The latest of these near end moments was when a bird hit our plane on my way back from Ahmedabad to Bangalore. And smiling I was, when others in the flight were panicking and asking the flight crew to take the plan back to Ahmedabad and make an emergency landing.

The foul smell in the cabin was noticed by many and people immediately started to feel that something was wrong. A few started to take precautionary measures by holding their seats firmly. By the time the smell went off, we learnt that the air conditioning unit in one of the engines was switched off. A few mistook that for the engines being shut off, and hence started to panic more. The guy in front of me, started communicating with the cabin crew in sign language, signaling her to request the captain for an emergency landing. Numerous episodes of National Geographic series came rushing into my mind. Nevertheless, I thought the whole scenario unfolding in front of me was... well .... interesting. And that's when I smiled more :)

Another guy kept pointing to the flashing red light in the cabin, indicating to others that something was terribly wrong and that we compel the captain to fly back. One asked the air hostess if she had experienced such a situation before, to which she replies, oh yes. And bird hits are a common thing. Really? 

I was smiling as the air hostess was calm and was smilingly assuring us that nothing was wrong. Even if she mentioned that to keep us away from worrying, and the truth was something else, I still believed her. I thank her for taking care of the situation calmly and explaining with a beautiful smile to every passenger who asked her what happened. To one she replied, "Poor bird.. It got roasted!" I literally burst out laughing on hearing her! :D

Finally the flight did land without any hitches, and on my way out, I smiled again at the air hostess and said her "Thank you for that eventful flight :) "

She smiled back.

Of travels across India

One of the many things that inspired me to move back from the US to India is been my love for travel. [The other of course being my love for road side chai :) ]

So the days that I have been here, I have tried to do that and am super glad
It started with me landing in Delhi in May and since then I have been on a non stop mode.

From there in June I was in Vrindavan (UP), followed  Bihar (home), Pune (Maharashtra),  and then to Bangalore (to start my company here). July was spent in Bangalore. August mid I was back in Patna and home for a while., August end to September first week, I was in Guwahati (my beloved North east) for a series of workshops. October went to the west coast of India. Explored Udupi, Surathkal, Manipal (Karnataka). December was in Bhopal, Indore (Madhya Pradesh, for a pre-study of a documentary) and then via Mumbai back to Bangalore.  December I went to Kerela (friend's wedding in Cochin) spent almost a week in Chennai thriving on authentic Tamil food (sans the curd rice :P ) after the wedding. Spent the new years in Chennai. January was Bangalore. February was in Goa for another series of talks and workshops.

Scheduled to travel to Gujarat (workshops), Bihar (non profit project and the trip home), Delhi (Meetings), Kolkata (Workshop) and Bombay (seminar) before I settle back here in Bangalore!

I am loving it!

Of AirIndia, Shouting Kids and a (overly designed) Frankfurt airport!

How much ever pride I take in being an Indian, I am often surprised and to an extent sad at the services that are offered by the flagship services in India. The least you would expect in an international flight is working television monitors. There were at least a dozen that was not. That might be understandable, but how do you explain broken seat handles, and seats so hard, that I loved the Indian Railways seats better. However I am not complaining. Even though this is my first time on an international route with Air India, I kind of expected a little more. The flight was full and hence needless to say there was chaos.

Chaos and Indians go hand in hand. They are inseparable. Chaos I think is a part of our lives so much that we almost ignore it in its presence. All throughout the first leg of my flight, I thought I was in some bazaar in Delhi. I expected nothing less in the later part of my journey from Frankfurt to Delhi.

I wonder what it is with Indian kids. I think they have to be honored with the ‘most shouting kids’ award! The funny (or rather sad) part is that the parents do not do anything to keep them under control. Or was it the whole sense of belonging that sets in right when you board any flight. The feeling of "apnapan". Perhaps one day when I have kids of my own, I would be able to understand it better. A kid in the flight shouted out to his sister Geetika a few times, like he would do in his house or in the field. I love kids for they do what they please without caring about what others think. I think that’s one thing I always learn from them. (though do not think I am going to shout in the plane :P ) I could also overhear a few co-passengers discuss ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ too. What a Geetika co-incidence. I love it when these small-small co-incidences happen. It makes life interesting!

I have been reading Barack Obama’s ‘The Audacity of Hope’, which was gifted to me by a dear friend to read on the flight. My friend and me have both been so inspired by Obama. Have followed his speeches, fallen in love with his talks, laughed at his sense of humor, and happily cried at his success. He is a personification of a dream, and meeting him someday becomes another of my crazy aspirations. It is another story (and that is sad) that I am not there in the US following his moves and his actions and seeing US politics from a closer view. I have to say that the book is inspiring indeed. This book along with the mandate of the voters in India in forming the new government, and the role of youth in India, often makes me want to join politics at some point of time in my life! Someday I will. 10 years down the line would be an ideal and attainable goal.

I am writing this from the Frankfurt airport, which for me looks like a very chaotic airport. It makes me feel claustrophobic. I have been so used to traveling US airports with the high ceilings, natural light, that anything less than that makes me feel strange. The pathways are narrow and the long German signage does not make life easier. What is worse is that the paths around the individual gates are not straight. You walk a few meters and there is another cross-section, which leads to other gates.

Even the dustbins are designerly and it constantly reminds one of the hegemony of the Ulm and the Bauhaus design schools. I am however not too pleased with the usage of grey colored fonts on the silver material that the bins are made of. There are many issues to be critical about, but then I do not want to do so without actually having spent more time at the airport.

More laters…..

And we landed in Mumbai...

...after a while.
That while just happened to a few hours. Fifteen to Sixteen to be precise. The journey was smoother than I expected. I slept more than I thought I would. I missed seeing the sunrises and the mountains when flying over them.

But I was happy. We were happy. We had reached India. A place that was close to both of us. A place where our love blossomed. A place where the soul is satisfied.

I must tell you something about Netra. She cannot walk. However, I do not want to go into the details of it. So its like I have to carry her in my arms or on my shoulders all the time. And every-time I do that, I feel blessed to be at her side always. Even though my shoulder hurts at times, I still feel good when I carry her around. Its like having her makes the pain go away. Its a different matter that it hurts when she is off my shoulder. Perhaps as an indication of the pain that people go through in separation.

I have always had this fear, no not fear...rather a strong feeling about people who are in some sort of trouble and still have their loved ones beside them. So when I see someone being loved, inspite of having the inability to walk, or to see, or something else, I think that the other person who is loving is an avatar of God.

So Netra and me go through customs in Mumbai. I must say this was one of the confusing airports within India. It was my first time there, and I guess due to the renovations going on it seems to be a bit of a mess. Hope they fix it soon and project a better picture of themselves. But then I should not be complaining. Should I? Just because I have seen better airports in the world, could I expect better service? Or just be ignorant?

Netra till now was still in her new outfit that I had got for her.

My transfer to the connecting flight was confusing. I had to take a domestic flight, at the international terminal, going through and also not going throug immigration again. Pretty confusing? Yes, thats what it was.

At the stop, waiting for the flight to Chennai, which was at 0300 hrs local time, I struck a conversation with an uncle from Chennai. The interesting part about random meeting people and talking to them is that they always have something interesting to tell you. This uncle was an alumnus of the college I was going to ! Of all the colleges he was an alum of that college! What a co-incidence!

I started the conversation in the context of asking the time , and then he started to talk. He wasjust getting back to India after spending 6 months in the US. He had some pretty interesting views.

Suddenly there was a rush at the waiting area. Apparently almost 70 % of the people waiting were on the flight to Saudi Arabia. And people were rushing to get first in the queue. I felt strange at the sight.

The time said 1 o clock. Another two hours I had to wait further for my flight. Netra was still inside, and I had not yet let experience India yet.

Was she going to be shocked, glad, happy, surprised, content?

Only time was to tell. Another few hours before I land in Chennai.

To be continued...