Sadguru's Re-Engineering program

There is no dearth of babas/sadhus/self-proclaimed gurus in India.The more suave and clever ones with even passable English speaking skills have been marketing spirituality brilliantly. Over decades, the materialistically rich but spiritually empty West has sought the Indian babas, willingly relinquishing their money and property to be emotionally, financially, physically and mentally exploited . Thus we find obscenely rich babas who have found means to escape the law, till they are (as wont to happen) ultimately caught by law.
My friends and even acquaintances know that I am a very unlikely claimant for such mumbo-jumbo.
Of late, as most of the needs and responsibilities of life and living seem dispensed with, pensive thoughts on meaning and purpose of life haunt me. Towards this pursuit I have been reading a lot. I read different philosophers. Somehow through all this, I was attracted to Sadguru/Jaggi Vasudev's videos. As a rationalist, I find myself agreeing to most of what he says. What he says isn't new.  These are things I already know. Yet, a validation gives me a sense of vindication.
I enrolled for his re-engineering program which consists of an online course of 7 sessions lasting 90 minutes each. I listened with rapt attention to the discourses as he spoke about everyday stuff that a common man experiences. It made so much sense to me. This course was offered free of cost. Following which, I enrolled myself for the paid physical class of 3 hours x 7 days. And that's when the magic started wearing off.
This is also a lesson for entrepreneurs to take care of their franchises as well as they do with the brand...
Videos from the same online course were played one each day in the classes. Thus, what I heard in the online course got reinforced. I found myself listening to that magnetic voice with the same attention. He didn't speak of religion or spirituality but of empowerment, responsibility, loving self and loving all...
My expectation from these classes was that I can further build on my thoughts on life, its motivation, peace, meditate in groups etc...
But what happened was totally the opposite. The volunteers are given a strict regimen to follow and they apply it with a vengeance. Apart from the 90-minute videos everyday, there was an introduction to Jaggi Vasudev's different courses, programs and yoga practices.
Learning is always good but what if it is enforced? No rules are mentioned at the beginning of these classes but they keep a watch with hawk-like eyes and if they find you violate any rule, they swiftly swoop down upon you, forbidding all that they have apparently been instructed to.
Some rules followed during  the program:

1. Be on time: if you are late by even a minute you are pulled up, made to stand outside the room and asked for explanations.
2. No notes taking.. I have this habit of making short notes of important things. When I wasn't allowed to on my tab, I started doing so in a notebook. But shortly this too was disallowed.
3. Sunday is a full day, When asked about the schedule, you are asked to wait and watch the next day. The venue for the Sunday program is informed at 9 pm the night before. You reach  home at 10 pm and are frantically looking at ways to re-schedule your commute at 5 am the next day! On going to the venue, you learn that some outdoor games are involved and a mandatory participation by everyone, sport shoes or no....
You are asked to come, attend the program on an empty stomach at 6 am but beware no breakfast comes till 9.30 ! You must have woken up at at least 4.30 to get ready and attend this program. So, see if you can remain without food for 5 hours' time after waking up.
Sunday was also a day for guru pooja and you are urged to bring flowers, fruits, coconuts, a white cloth. For those not religiously inclined, this request can be infuriating!
4. 40 people are stuffed into a non-ac room. Fortunately, I participated in winter. Can't imagine how summers would be
5. Any drinking water/washroom breaks are strictly frowned upon. You are supposed to  remain seated for 3 hours in your place.
6. During the program, you are asked to discuss topics among yourselves in small groups but not enough time is given to elucidate the information gathered.
7. If you have any queries regarding the videos/programs, the standard answer is "you will learn it in the next few days of this program."
Don't expect the volunteer conducting the class to have the knowledge or be enlightened enough to know these answers
8. In a room where the acoustics were not really taken care of, I ensured I sat next to the speaker so that I could hear clearly. I sat with my head bent and eyes closed which is my way of paying attention without distraction. But then a volunteer comes running to 'wake' you up.
If you love the discourse so much, you will not get distracted and if you find it boring, and drop off, nothing can make you listen to it anyway, isn't it?

I wanted to leave the program the very next day. But then I continued as I wanted to see it through...and also alert others about it.
What was good...
Breakfast and lunch was provided during the full day session on Sunday. The satvic food consisted of almost 0% cooking. The menu was made of a hot glass of ragi milk, various fruits and salads. It was not only very healthy but also quite tasty. I always believe that the taste of food depends on the care with which one prepares and all that love and care reflected in the food. All cooking was done by the volunteers. The menu, along with the recipe is predetermined.
I am sure that people will be more willing to participate if things are not enforced.
It will be good if they share the detailed program before it starts. You are at least aware of what to expect in the 7 days. Nothing would then seem enforced as you have willingly enrolled for something that you are conscious of and not something that is sprung upon you as a surprise
My recommendation is to continue listening to Sadguru's videos. The re-engineering program online is very good but then don't waste your precious time for these physical classes. Speaking of yoga, practising yoga has many well-known benefits. Just do that. There is no need for all this mumbo-jumbo. 

The woes of traveling by Hyderabad Metro Rail - Part IV

The last and final part to the topic on Hyderabad Metro Rail.
This post contains a list of miscellaneous things that bother me…and also some good things about the metro.

Smart cards: Are they really smart?
You buy a smart card for traveling by the metro train every day.  Once the money is used up, you recharge it. There is no upper or lower limit to the recharge. You deposit Rs.100/- when you buy the card. The advantage is not having to stand in queues every time you buy a ticket. There is also a 10% discount on your ticket whenever you take a ride. That translates to a mere Rs. 4/- off on a Rs.40/- ticket.
If, God forbid, your card is lost, and you have no record of the long id number on the card, you are doomed. You have lost the deposit money plus whatever you have recharged it with.
If you plan to return the smart card, you are refunded only Rs. 60 of the 100/- deposit. Why? Tax, it seems. Remember, you are not warned of these charges when you buy the card. At the time of purchase, you are told that the deposit is returned when you surrender the card.
I think Metro should also think of linking to a bus commute after one gets off the train.

Lack of neatness:
Look at the thin film of dust on the staircase railings, dirt and pigeon shit on stairs, dirt on train floors…its everywhere.
In the initial days of metro travel, when the train was sparkling new, I boarded the train at Ameerpet and saw to my horror that someone had left large puddles of pickle oil on the floor. People were very nonchalantly stepping into it and spreading it everywhere else. I quickly grabbed some tissues from my bag and mopped up the oil so that it didn’t spread elsewhere.
A few tissues later, I saw that I was not only mopping up the oil but loads of dirt along with it! For me, it was mana metro, mana Hyderabad, but looks like this sentiment isn’t shared by the metro personnel. 

The value of time:
Time isn’t really valued much in the metros. We aren’t really aware of when the next train arrives. There is a display at random about the arrival of the next train but then there is no strict adherence to that timing.
The duration of 6.30 minutes, though an improvement on the earlier 15 minutes, can still be improved. If a train is missed, waiting for nearly 7 minutes for the next one can delay your office-reporting time by those many minutes. And time is valuable in the morning hours. 
Those elaborate, international-airport-like security checks…are they really necessary? Many a time, you hear the train overhead leave when you are trying to do several activities at the security gate: remove water bottle--push your luggage through the scanner--put the water bottle back—gather your bag—lug it back on your shoulders--take out the smart card---swipe the card--put it back and then… trot across the concourse---ride up the escalator. By this time, the train is gone. And all you want to do once you reach the station, is scram across the floor and quickly into the about-to-leave train.

The crowds: 
The crowds are thickening now as more and more people start traveling by the metro. The crowds add more noise.
Also, several outlets are set up at Ameerpet station. They make the station appear more crowded.
Does the regular commuter, think of stopping to buy something at the end of the day? All you think of is, when does the next train come and when do I get into one and go home as soon as possible?
The jostling to get into the available 3 coaches has started happening as there is no queue system; the scramble to get into the lifts has also started.
At times, the non-functioning air condition in the train, especially at night times puts the burgeoning crowds to great inconvenience.
Autos are lined up at the water tank side of Tranaka metro station in such a way that they obstruct the travelers from entering the station area.

Some good things: 
The ticket issuing system is smooth. The ticketing staff has always been pleasant to interact with.
Lost property found: I lost and got back my umbrella which I had left in the train while getting off at Ameerpet.
Very thoughtful of them to build a FOB at Paradise station. Getting off or onto the station becomes very easy!
The entire infrastructure is very beautiful. The area around the station, the station, the train, the platform, the drivers… all are world-class. Some stations are kept very clean (like Tarnaka).
Area around Miyapur is like a park where you want to go to relax.
It is heartening to have a commute in Hyderabad which doesn’t make you wait too long and normally sticks to the 6.30 minutes wait time. It is also one of the fastest modes of transport on Hyderabad roads.

Waiting eagerly for HMR to extend the services to Hi-Tech city. It will be a great blessing to thousands of people commuting from the other end of the city.
All my 4 posts regarding different aspects of the Metro are for providing feedback so that if these teething issues are taken care of, we can anticipate smoother operation when the routes are extended.

The woes of traveling by Hyderabad Metro Rail - Part III

The third in the series is one on NOISE in metro station and the train.

How we Indians thrive on noise!

By the time a person reaches Ameerpet station on the last leg of his daily commute, after 8+ hours of work, 3+ hours of commute, at the end of a tiring day, he meets this scenario…

Ameerpet is an interchange station and therefore more crowded than the other stations.

But that still doesn’t warrant the continuous cacophony from the pervasive speakers. You wander if you are in a metro station equipped with the latest infrastructure or in some village fair.

A regular commuter, laden with a bag weighing 5+ kgs on his back, tired, wanting to go home cannot expected to be tolerant of the continuous announcements from the mikes placed all around Ameerpet metro station.

Please do not touch unclaimed baggage. If you see one, report to the authority.

Travel beyond what you paid for is a punishable offence.

Please do not cross the train tracks. It is a punishable offence

Now you have bike facility at xxx metro stations.

Please note the change in metro timings from xxx to xxx on weekends and on weekdays.

You are under CC camera surveillance. Misuse of alarm is observed.

Do not lean on the doors.

Stand behind the yellow line till the train stops.

While boarding or deboarding, don’t get in while the doors are closing.

I forget the others. But this goes on….AND all these in THREE languages continuously in a loop.

People on mobile phone trying to talk louder over this noise…

The security personnel, especially at Ameerpet, talking to one another in loud tones.

The noise continues in the train with some commercials screaming at you inside the train, people speaking on phones, playing music and videos.

In one of the trains, the door behind the drivers’ cabin makes a chattering noise throughout the journey.

There are very few announcements cautioning people from playing music on their phones.They don’t care. But for a commuter, to be subjected to insensitive intrusion into their space, strict monitoring would certainly be helpful.

There is just SO much noise to put up with at the end of the day!

Kensington Market, Toronto

One of the sojourns while here in Toronto was to the Kensington Market.
It is surely one of the most vibrant and diverse places in Toronto. It can be called the 'khau gali' of Toronto but offering much more than just food.
On entering, the Market looks deceptively small. You'd be dismayed by the few options and hoping that there are more inside. And were there more?!
Kensington Market is bounded by Nassau Street, Spadina Avenue, College Street and Dundas Street on its four sides. It abounds with restaurants, eateries and patios offering cuisines of many countries....Moroccan, Tex-Mex, Middle Eastern, Italian, Latin American, Chinese, Indian... and even three vegetarian restaurants! There are many beer & wine shops spread across the Market.
On a leisurely trip, we sauntered along, planning to first assess the market and then decide on what to have. Soon we realized that viewing and remembering the selection was not as easy as we thought. So, we started with a soup in one of the vegetarian eateries. Continuing on our journey, we next had a cheese garlic bread. Priced at $ 3.50, it was a foot long .Warm from the oven, it exuded a heavenly baked taste.

Cheese garlic bread, Kensington Market

After  a 45 minute walk, we went to an Asian eatery where we ordered a salad. The salad, though exorbitantly priced at $11, was a splendid example of how fresh, tasty and crunchy a salad can be. Apart from the many vegetables, it also came with sesame seeds, and the crunch of Ramen noodles.

Asian Salad, Kensington Market

Further on our journey, we discovered an alley that encouraged graffiti. Among the many graffiti on the streets was this one that took our breath away.

Graffiti, Kensington Market

In front of the spectacular wall was this car in which grass and plants were allowed to grow. From what I discovered later, the graffiti on the car is changed every once in a while.

Graffiti, Kensington Market

The meandering walk took us to the adjoining China Town. We entered the street and saw the many Chinese eateries and clothes. Not really in the mood to explore further, we turned back to the Market and walked into a bakery to have churros priced at $1.25. After another 30-minute walk, we entered our last eatery for the day, a gelato shop which offered two scoops for $5. The variety of gelatos and yogurts were amazing.
We walked eagerly into a restaurant named, 'Vegetarian Restaurant' and discovered to our great amusement that their 'vegetarian' concept included the sea food as well! Well, new things to be learned from new places.
For the wine and meat lovers, the  Kensington Market offers mind-blowing options.The market also abounds with the freshest vegetables and fruits that range from the most common to the most unconventional choices.
There were other shops that dealt with clothes, spices, natural products, incenses, tattoos etc.
Towards evening, we viewed a small band of three singing and playing on their instrument, catering to the requests of the audience.

Music, Kensington Market

On Sunday evenings, we were told, that the street remains closed to vehicles and entertaining acts are performed.
Two things I'd suggest: Go with an empty stomach and a full pocket. The place is not inexpensive.

100 days of Bangalore: and coming home

For someone who never really had an opportunity to stay away from home...EVER, to look for a place away from home and staying there for a prolonged period is a big deal. I was excited about going and staying in a new place and have no regrets about the decision. But the 100-day stay made me long for home like never before.

It was the 24th June and the last day of my project. I spent a sleepless night, so overwhelmed was I with the thought of returning home.My countdown had begun 15 days before.I felt swamped about the incessant rain, the huge volume of luggage, the traffic, the auto fare, the coolie. I didn't want anything to jeopardize my return home.
But then as though destined to, everything went smooth. I got an autowallah who charged as per meter despite the showers and the resultant traffic jam. The coolie I got loaded my luggage into the train at a very reasonable rate, and without haggling. My mood was all set wonderfully for a return home.
A big smile broke across my face when I got down from the train and saw the station name in Telugu. My phone told me that we could finally do away with roaming charges
Stepping into my home and looking at all familiar sights felt awesome!
The first big advantage was that when I opened my suitcases I could take things out or leave them as they are. My home, my wish!
In Bangalore every morning as I left my room, I had to gather all my belongings and lock them up in the cupboard .You just cant afford to leave your laptops, chargers, blankets...anything around as the room key was handed to the cleaning person.I would need to take them all out once I was back  And I had just one plug point to charge everything...so the two laptops and the mobile would need to take turns getting the services!
Food is the next big advantage.
1. No more climbing up and down the stairs to access the kitchen.
2. Leaving the vessels in the kitchen sink till I am in the mood of washing.
3. Having all that I need to cook my meals with, in their proper dabbas neatly arranged in the kitchen shelves....including the lighter. Yes, I had to go out to buy a match-box when I realized that a kitchen does not necessarily come with its lighter!
4. The luxury of eating what I wanted to: the flexibility to throw together a few things for a simple meal or make time and space for cooking up an elaborate one.
5. To chuck the leftovers into the fridge without the fear of it getting eaten by someone else.
6. I can cook meals between watching TV and/or working on my laptop.

When I open the taps in the bathroom, the luxury of having hot water gushing through the taps unlike the thin trickle of hot water from an instant geyser whose temperature drops just after filling one bucket!
The luxury of traveling in your own vehicle. When I wanted to have food from nearby restaurants, I would have to walk if time permitted or forced to take an auto during my short lunch breaks. My scooty does wonders for me in attending to the necessary chores in the neighborhood.

The blessing of having a washing machine! I can just dump all my clothes into it and get the task done! I have the lines for drying clothes inside the balconies of my home. When I leave for work, I have no fear of them getting wet. I can bring them in whenever I am free to. There were many instances there when I would put the clothes out to dry and they would be thoroughly drenched by the time I came back.
Though there wasn't really much time, and I dont watch TV much, but I missed the familiarity of having the channels which my home TV had. I missed the comfort of options, whether availed or no..
I like eating out and I realize that it happens because I rarely do so.But when  you eat out three times a day, the heart cries for simple home-cooked food..Hence, if I had any friends/relatives inviting me home, I would accept unabashedly.
Though the accommodation itself was not uncomfortable, yet home is a home. there is an ease of accessibility to all that you need. You set up your home according to your needs and don't have to depend on others. Coming back, I realized that there are so many things that we take for granted and we know their true value only when denied those facilities.

100 days of Bangalore: the hits and the misses

In continuation of my previous post...

The Hits
FOOD:
Though there were practically just two places for breakfast near my residence, I had plenty of options at Malleshwaram, at distances of 2-3 kilometers. In fact, there were so many options that I did not visit a place more than 2-3 times in  the 100 days of my stay, and eating only once at a non-veg eatery. Most of these are the Udipi kind of places where you have tables to stand at and eat...and at times, just stand and eat.... and pretty decently priced for the quality they offer. I will especially miss all those varieties of awesome dosas there. The neatness and hygiene of all eateries, big and small, was indeed  laudable!
THE WEATHER:
Initially , in summer, I slept with the doors and windows thrown wide open but towards April end, when the rains started, I started sleeping with the doors closed, then, gradually with windows closed, then fans shut off, then covering myself with two blankets and later, just before my return, shivering despite that. The weather was just so delicious!
Despite a much cooler weather when compared to Hyderabad, I found myself getting tanned whenever I stepped out in the sun. The clothes hanged to dry out would all fade quickly. Because of the higher altitude?
But yes, a pretty escape from Hyderabad summer!
COMMUTE:
Of course, I'd miss walking to office and reaching within 15 minutes of starting from home.
TREES:
I don't remember, especially after coming to Hyderabad, being surrounded by so many trees. The green landscape all around was such a heartening sight. This, I am told, after being shorn of at least 50% of its green cover.
ROADS:
Most of the main roads I saw were so wide and clean! Of course, the by-lanes  with their potholes are a reminder that I was still very much in India. Few rains and the roads get washed out. And, same like in my city, one drizzle and the traffic would come to a stand still.
The biggest relief was not finding roads splattered with those deep, red paan stains!
AUTOS
Unlike Hyderabad autowallahs, I found the auto drivers there more agreeable to commuting short distances.
70%  of the time, the meters were accurate but if the distances were greater, the drivers would have a gala time literally taking you for a long ride thus upping the meter reading.The GPS on my mobile would be scoffed at. They would lay a claim to better knowledge of the streets and the one-ways.
BUSES:
The buses in number and frequency were commendable, making it easy (and an inexpensive option) to visit friends and relatives staying in far corners of the city. The AC buses were even more comfortable.The average waiting time would not be more then 5 minutes, unless you happen to stay in a remote part of the city.
LANGUAGE:
With Telugu as my mother tongue, I had a smooth sail in Bangalore. I could have got by with Hindi too. But to interact with the autowallahs, the office house keeping staff, the small kirana shops, Telugu helped a lot.
When I said I speak Telugu, many of them would claim to be from AP too...from Rayalseema/Ananthpur areas. They speak a very accentuated Telugu with an abundance of Kannada words thrown in but it was good enough for us to understand one another.
It was amazing to see the office colleagues too slip from one language to another with equal ease and proficiency.
MALLS:
A mall is a mall...anywhere in India...nothing new there... but there is a difference...
I happened to visit the mall once during a weekday and was pretty amazed to find it near-empty. I have never seen malls being empty on weekends or weekdays in mana Hyderabad. That made me wonder...is almost the entire population in Bangalore employed? If the majority indeed happens to be employed, that  is such a heartening thing to happen!

And the misses:
CINEMA TICKETS:
Very weird! Imagine tickets being sold for 800-900 rupees for a new release unlike the flat rates in Hyderabad. My habit of a first day, first show was quickly dumped.
REGIONAL vs ENGLISH MOVIES:
Popular Indian movies run to full houses in Hyderabad, especially during weekends. On the other hand, in Bangalore all movie halls showing regional ones run half-empty till these high prices last (for a couple of weekends or more). But the English movie tickets are all almost sold out from day 1!
RESTAURANTS' CLOSING TIME:
Is it because I stayed in the older and more conservative part of the city or is it the norm? The few eateries I found on my way back from office would down their shutters by 9-9.30 pm. If I happened to reach around that time, all that were left, were the scraps.
EXPENSES:
It is a city of the rich. Practically, everything is 20% higher than the prices back home.
TIME:
Where did all my time go in Bangalore? I had so proudly claimed that I was  not going to waste any time on weekends but go exploring the city and the outskirts but then my very hectic work load drained me of any energy to venture out during the weekends. My escapades were limited to food adventures confined to a 5-6 kilometers radius from my residence.

As you can see, many things I liked about the city and very few things to complaint about.

100 days of Bangalore: the stay

Around the first week of February, I was asked if I was willing to go to Bangalore for a new project, working with a new client.
I may not exactly have jumped at the idea but the prospect of working in a new city and the possibility of learning something new was quite exciting. I said an emphatic 'yes' to the idea and started looking forward to this stint in Bangalore.
When I was packing, I didn't know  where I would stay and when I would find a place for myself. I booked myself into a hotel for the first week hoping to find something by the end of it.
When I saw Bangalore flats and flatmates groups on facebook, I thought that all I needed to do was post in the group and I would find a place. Foolish me! The search wasn't going to be that easy. The office being in Kumara Park West, there weren't many places for renting. Kumara Park West is close to Malleshwaram and both these places are known to be conventional, residential areas. You have many more options in the Marthahalli, Whitefield, Electronic City side of the city.
Renting an independent room in these areas seemed next to impossible as, of the few available options, no one was willing to give a room for 100 days. The minimum expected stay was six months...with a one month deposit to boot (and no guarantee of getting it back).
Finally, I found something that looked custom-made for me. A newly constructed room with an attached bathroom on the terrace of a PG. The whole terrace was mine.There was a TV and a WiFi connection exclusive for my use.
I reveled in the comfort of exclusivity and privacy but at the same time, I didn't realize how tough it was going to be to access the kitchen on a floor below.What separated the terrace from the kitchen was a steep, open staircase. So, if one were to use the kitchen, one would have to carry all ingredients/groceries from the room to the kitchen below. Not having vessels to cook in also added to the woes. I managed to cook bread, Magi and tea at times. Having a fridge and a microwave helped to an extent but then there was a jostle for space to use these assets. And because of this arrangement, I had to have all the three meals outside home. But at least I had some semblance of a home.
The office, headquartered at Belgium, was definitely a great place to work where the employee comfort was well taken care of. The product I documented was vast and challenging. But what fun if you don't get a challenging project?! The work was invigorating but also pretty demanding
My working time was from 11 am to 8 pm. I would need to complete my morning chores, get ready and decide on a place to eat before I could step out. There were very few options around the place I stayed.
The time till 11 was ruled out and coming home at around 9 ish also ruled out any possibility of venturing out, watch movies or even explore places.
It was on weekends only that I could clean, wash clothes, attend mails/bills, visit friends and relatives and search for decent lunch places for that weekend.
The commute was the best part of staying in Bangalore. Having a permanent address in Hyderabad may not allow me to stay close to office, but that was not so in Bangalore. I could rent a place, less than a kilometer from my office. The commute time, on foot, was just about fifteen minutes...a bliss for every office-goer. To top it, walking under a canopy of trees helped ward off the hot sun till I reached office.
Trees all around my residence also meant waking up to chirping birds...instead of wakening to the rude hoots and rumbles of passing vehicles...something that I have not experienced since my childhood days.
Well, back to home sweet home now.

Sikkim: Pelling

Sikkim provides the much needed succor to the urban eye tired of fast-pacing itself through concrete jungles and air-conditioned cubbyholes.
What you find is greenery in abundance, mountains, slopes, fresh unpolluted air and plenty of waterfalls.
Pelling is closest to Mt. Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain peak in the world.  The view is something to die for. No painter's hand can do justice to this scenic beauty.This is the view that you wake up to:

Kanchenjunga: view from our room

Kanchenjunga: another view from our room

And there are waterfalls of all sizes! There are so many that our car had to drive through one of them as we went to visit the Kanchenjunga waterfalls. A natural car-wash ! Here's the picture:

Driving through a waterfall

The swirling waterfalls, the regal mountain peaks and the lush greenery all around make Pelling a worthy trip.

Sikkim: tastes, tips and takeaways

Some tips for the tourist, not found in a tour itinerary:

1. When you go on a tour, the norm in India is that the tour operator stops at some restaurant for lunch-break. In Sikkim, you find no such 'proper' place for lunch. You only find some small eateries selling local food.
The local food normally found is noodles, thukpas and momos.  We had a dig at all three. The Momos were quite tasty and my family liked them particularly because of the really spicy chutneys served with them. The chutneys vary from place to place and so do the momos' size. But inside, it is the same stuffing of finely chopped cabbage and carrot.
By default, the thukpa was rejected by family as it was a very, very watered down version of Chowmein and was quite bland in taste. The Chowmein, we found, was ok, though not yummy.

The Thukpa

Momos with the spicy onion-green chilli Chutney

 
2. It is also important that we do not waste much time in eating at a restaurant. One, there aren't many on your way to the tourist sights. Two, you cannot afford to spend about an hour on ordering and eating food as it is dark by 5 pm itself and you need to complete all the sight seeing before that time.

3. Another strange thing is the abundance of banana trees on all the mountain slopes. Surprising to find these trees one normally associates with the tropical plains and not the colder temperate regions. You are, therefore, assured of finding banana fruit wherever you go. The abundance does not convert to inexpensive though.

4. Day times are ok but nights are cold. So you need some warm clothes. October was pleasant and just one sweater was enough for me. Nathula is much colder and you need to properly protect yourself.

5. Lower oxygen levels at Nathula could be a deterrent for BP patients.

6. As mentioned in my earlier post, a visit to MG Road in Gangtok is a must-visit place, not just for its walk, but also for its many eateries (and pubs too).

7. Sikkim, being a mountainous terrain, you get some very good exercise as you keep climbing and getting down slopes all the time. It looks easy for the locals as they do it all the time but it is not the same for many of us whose only exercise is to move our fingers across the keyboard. Even to go to eating food at the MG Road, we had to climb up a steep flight of 50-60 steps. To do this, I had to stop at least 3-4 times. Going here may not be a great idea for the elderly.

8.  A pleasant surprise was to find many restaurants claiming 'pure vegetarian' food. I found this to be a relief as I thought the North-East India is known for its meat eating habits. Later, I came to know that it is because of the prevalent Buddhist religion which forbids consumption of meat and second, to support the vegetarian tourists who visit the monasteries here.

9. Rabdentse  Palace Ruins at Pelling can be skipped. One, it is almost razed to the ground. Two, you need to walk 2 kms up and down the mountain and it is not worth it! I say this because the climb is definitely quite tough for people not used to trekking. And if you have to go, then start at at least 2:30 pm and not later as you cannot see anything in the dark if you reach late. It took me (a person not used to any physical exercise) almost 45 minutes one way. It was the ancient capital of Sikkim and may be of historical value for the interested.

10. All the monasteries are worth visiting because of the peaceful aura.

11. Particularity intriguing are the 'Mani Khorlo' or the prayer wheel that we found almost everywhere...mostly near monasteries. We are supposed to rotate them clockwise as we say our silent prayers. We found two giant ones in Sikkim...about 10 feet high! Here's the ones that we found on our way to Rumtek Monastery:

Mani Khorlo: On our way to Rumtek Monastery

If I'd stay back, I am sure, with all the physical exercises going up and down the mountains and through breathing the pure mountain air, I'd return much thinner and healthier.

Kolkata: Places not to be missed

Among the places mentioned in the WB tour itinerary, I was interested more in Belur Mutt for its quietness and serenity. This was how I remember it from my childhood when I had visited it and thankfully not much has changed since then.
If you have no time to see any other place, the below two more than make up for everything that the city can offer to the tourist.

 'Boi Para' on College Street is not listed in any tour itinerary but I had short listed it and boy, was I glad?!
Any book-lover will drool over the thousands of books lining both sides of the street. You have around a 2-km stretch selling study books, fiction, non-fiction, old editions...every kind of book one wants, at throw-away prices. And yes, no pirated versions...only original, second-hand books. I picked up about eleven of them. I could hang on forever but had to drag myself away for paucity of time. It is a virtual feast for a book-lover and even if you spend all your allotted time here, you'd be left hungering for more!

Boi Para on College Street, Kokata

The Mother House  is listed as a tourist attraction. We were about to give it a miss but fortunately, we did not.

Entrance as humble as the place within

Even as you enter the street leading to the Missionaries of Charity, you have people helpfully pointing to the House. It is so easy to miss the simple building. Sisters who we met, humbly joined their hands in a gesture of greeting. The entrance has a sign showing that 'Mother' is 'IN.' When you step inside, a quietness and peace seems to engulf you. Immediately to the right, you have a hall housing the last remains of Mother Teresa. You need to only step into the room and you feel some connection with Mother. A feeling of spirituality encompasses you. Your eyes see the traffic just outside the windows with their old-fashioned half-curtains; yet, you are no longer a part of the world outside; you no longer hear the noises around, nothing seems to distract you as you allow the peace within to seep into your soul. Some ethereal experience as you kneel to speak to mother.
I had a sister talk to me and pray with me. I was gifted pendants with Mother's image on it. I was given quite a few and am willing to share with anyone who wants them.
We went upstairs and saw the room that Mother spent her days in. The room was the size of a prison cell: one tiny bed that was barely enough to accommodate her tiny frame, a box, a small cupboard, a table and chair. And NO FAN in the hot and humid Kokata weather! She never had a fan installed despite the fact that her room was directly over the kitchen where food in huge quantities gets cooked.
Photographs are forbidden here but how I wish I could share the picture of her room to inspire millions of people. Even otherwise, you feel somehow that you violate the sanctity if you take pictures. Something stirs deep within when you sit there to watch the room in awe. (found the photograph here.)
You are not required to remove your shoes inside, you are not required to queue there, you are not required to pay to get a faster 'darshan'; no one pushing you or jostling for place; whether you choose to donate or no, you are treated with respect. I got a special picture of Mother Teresa as I shared my memories of meeting her when she graced our school decades ago.

People who read this post and go there to experience what I did, may/may not feel the same way. I felt a deep, deep connection. Seeing the peace on the faces of the sisters working there so quietly, overwhelms you. Is it possible to give yourself so totally to a cause wanting nothing in return?!

Stay at Pelling, Sikkim: Hotel Hill Retreat

We were driven to Pelling, a distance of 110 kms from Gangtok, through a mountainous terrain. It is at a higher altitude than Gangtok and increasing altitudes leads to lowering expectations of the quality of accommodation.
Our tour operators chose some other accommodation for us but we got it changed to Hotel Hill Retreat which is ranked#2 as per Tripadvisor. Below is the picture of the room that we were allotted.

Hotel Hill Retreat, Pelling, Sikkim

Definitely not as big as the one in Gangtok. It is about 3/4th the size. What is comforting is that the room was carpeted wall-to-wall. And warm water is provided for drinking. These two factors are a must, I realize, or else it is difficult to handle the cold temperatures.
Pelling is chosen as a tourist spot because it is closest to Kanchenjunga. And the view from the room is awesome!
The hotel is housed in a lovely building, the size, space and design is something that we in Hyderabad would die for. But it looks like once it was built, people had no idea as to what to do with it. The service or the amenities do not match up. First, they still have the archaic bell system to call the reception and not the telephone. And to top it, the bell wasn't working! So whenever you needed to call the help, you had to walk down two sets of stairs. If you are ranked #2, one expects the best.
Getting hot water through all the taps in bathroom is compulsory in Pelling. Yet, the tap supplying hot water in the wash basin was broken. You had to go downstairs to let them know that you need hot water and only then the geyser switch is turned on at the reception. They switch it off once they feel everyone in your room had had his bath. The bathroom did have the basic amenities but not really well-maintained. Also, the towels provided had some marks on them and were dirty. We could not use them and it is on this last leg of our journey that we had to take out the towels that we carried as a stand-by.
The bed is also a bit small for two members. The curtains instead of being thick were rather flimsy and we couldn't block out sunlight before we were ready to get up in the morning. And remember, sun-rise happens at around 5 am there. So you keep lying in your bed tossing and turning after 5, wishing to block out the rather too bright sunlight.
Breakfast on both mornings we were there happened to be the same: aloo paratha and bread toast. Meals are cooked for you on request but we got a delayed order as there weren't many tourists when we were there. Food and the restaurant are quite decent. The food is slightly expensive though.What they are really good at are their 'phulkas.'  Small round, thin rotis, fresh off the stove...awesome in taste.
Because the hotels in Sikkim cannot compete in amenities with the bigger cities, all they can do is provide superior service.  But, there was nothing in the service that I can say went beyond expectations.
Yet, they don't fail to put the Tripadvisor logo on the front door, proud to be recommended by them. To be ranked# 2, you need to provide much better services and amenities. My rank would be a 2.5/5.

Stay at Gangtok, Sikkim: White Conch Residency

I must begin by saying that as far as hotels in hill stations are concerned, the expectations, as per my experience, are pretty low. They are so far from the plains and not really easy-to-access. It would be too much if one has expectations as from the hotels in a bigger city.
Hence, when we went to Gangtok, we were prepared for a not-so-great accommodation. But when we stepped into the room, we were all smiles when we saw the size. Huge! And all the three beds ready and prepared. Here's a pic of a room that we were allotted (from Tripadvisor):

White Conch Residency, Gangtok

Pretty decent, don't you think?
The pluses of the room was the size, neatness and came equipped with all necessary furnishings. We weren't into the pricing details as the accommodation came as a part of the package that our tour operator provided.
The room was quite well-lighted as it has glass windows all around. The view from the largest window is that of the Kanchengunga mountain range and it is a sight worth waking up to! This teeny town has its greatest and one of the two shopping complexes, on the MG road very close by. The wooden floor helps absorb cold and you can dare walk bare foot despite the cold. 
A huge plus is the size of the double bed and the excellent mattress used. Quite firm and gives you a comfortable sleep. 
The staff is very courteous and try to help you in which ever way they can. The manager at the desk is quite informed about Sikkim and it is a pleasure to interact with him.
The minuses: Despite the fact that this is a hotel in the capital, they don't have the amenities provided in a larger city. Apart from the toilet roll, a soap and a shampoo sachet, there really isn't any other more-sophisticated stuff in the bathroom. And you don't really mind. That they have hot water from all  taps 24/7 is enough. The best part is that the manager knows this and admitted that they, of course, can't compete with hotels of a bigger city.
Another funny incident was that when we left the room, we had agreed for a room service. They seemed to have outsourced this stuff to a couple of cleaning ladies. When we came back, we found that all the plastic covers which we used to carry our extra pair of shoes, all the bigger 2 liter empty bottles which we kept as stand-by, all were thrown away. The ladies had gone around the room with a comb and trashed all that they thought needs to be. LOL! During travel, I am wary of throwing away anything till just before the last leg of the journey and was now at a loss as to how to wrap my extra shoes. This concern was more so as Sikkim, blessedly, doesn't allow plastic at all. When I told about this, the staff provided me some cloth bags. So if you go there, rule out room cleaning, especially if your stay is short like ours was.
We had agreed to this hotel as it had advertised itself as a hotel with a vegetarian restaurant but when we went there, there was no restaurant at all. It was supposed to be under renovation. Our lunch, on the first day, was brought from outside and arrived after an hour of ordering by which time we were like half-starved to death. 
For all other meals, we ate at the MG road before we came back to rest at our room. They provide a breakfast free with the package, though not a buffet.
By our Hyderabad standards, this hotel might not stand a chance but as per Sikkim standards, I would rate it a 3.5/5. This is for sheer courteousness of the staff.

Stay at Kolkata: Casa Fortuna

I short listed some hotels for our stay at Kolkata. The typical middle-class me tried different deals to get some discounts. Make my Trip was one of those. But later, I realized that you get a better deal by directly talking with the hotel rather than going through any agent. Especially, if you are not clubbing it with a tour package.
I also learned that using TripAdvisor is like using a spell-check in MS Word. Some things may not fit your requirement but are still okayed. This applies especially to Kolkata Hotels.
The hotel we selected, Casa Fortuna, ranked 7 as per TripAdvisor, was Rs. 6000/- per day for a teeny-weeny room. An extra bed, and there was no room for maneuvering. We had to wait to give space when another person walked by. They are so crunched for space that the bathroom had a sliding door with a mirror which doubled up as a dressing table. If you have the other person in the room wanting to use the bathroom, you find your dressing table sliding away like in a bhooth-wala cinema.  The room reeked of cigarette smell, doubly unbearable as none in my family smoke. On complaining, we had some kind of a triangular devise which was said to absorb the smell! 
We arrived in batches of two. One person in the morning as per his train timing and two of us by the noon flight. This was clearly told to the hotel. Upon arriving at around 1330 or so, we were very starved as we had had a meager breakfast at 0730 before we caught the flight to Kolkata.A welcome drink was part of the deal. We had to ask for this welcome drink (imagine). And then it arrives a good forty minutes later as we were just about to leave for lunch. Sometimes a warm moist napkin accompanies your welcome drink but what I was unprepared for was a small towel almost dripping with water along with our drink (canned juice). 
The house-keeping services were pathetic too. When we left the hotel for lunch and came back late evening, we found that the dishes ordered for breakfast were still not cleared though someone had stepped into the room to take away the smell-absorbing device.
And due to the highly congested traffic, during the time of check out, we barely were left with any time to talk to the hotel for the discount discussed earlier, and though we overstayed by 2 1/2 hours, we were charged for one extra day despite the fact that we had had complementary breakfast only on two days and not three days which is supposed to be a part of the package.
To top it all, the hotel calls itself a Boutique Hotel. LOL! They need to search for the meaning of the term before calling themselves one.
If one were to pay the same amount in Hyderabad, one gets a far superior room and amenities. For less than half this price, we got an excellent room, much larger and with same amenities in a tiny town like Rourkela (Hotel Radhika) in 2010. And to our great surprise, it had such a vast spread for a breakfast, that we couldn't do justice to even half the fare.
Casa Fortuna, the plus: Proximity to many significant places, including the Metro. A decent breakfast buffet. Noise-free room. No unnecessary intrusion from the staff.
My take away: Take any review of Kokata Hotels with sackfuls of salt as the expectations of a room, amenities and service seems pretty low. Rooms priced as they are with the service provided would not last two weeks in a city like Hyderabad where hotels are compelled to provide services exceeding expectations all the time.

The Annual Vacation: to the top of the world

2009 saw an extensive 20-day tour of Rajasthan; 2010 was Orissa; 2012 saw two trips: Kerala and now Sikkim. And Sikkim has to happen via Kolkata.
These days we no longer do things as we did when younger; viz getting up early in the morning and rush to catch (pre-booked tickets on) the state bus to visit the designated local sight seeing.
Things are planned much more elaborately. We do a lot of research on the best accommodations; best tour packages;  even customize the tour packages; cabs to book; the most recommended places to visit; places where we get the best local cuisine;  places where we get to explore the local markets for the best shopping and so on....and thus it is a good 3-4 weeks of planning to optimize the tour experience.
Trips have now  become much more personalized, more comfortable and customized to meet our personal comfort levels resulting in now sitting back to enjoy the trip rather than a breathless frenzy of a series of sight seeing places as marked in the government agenda.
Sikkkim has been an out of world experience. I will be writing more on the trip in the next few posts. Yet, to sum it up in a few lines:
Sikkim: a land of hills, slopes, waterfalls, steps going up and down all the time, hazardous roads and routes.
Kolkata: a land of huge huge traffic jams. Most of the time all that we did was sitting in the environs of our AC cab waiting to reach our destination.

Vinayaka Chavithi/Ganesh puja : the preparations

Our Ganesha this year

Ganesha after our puja

Jilledakayalu

Let me add a disclaimer even before I start writing this post.
I am not a person who is regularly into the traditional pujas and stuff. For me, God is everywhere and I pray wherever and whenever I feel the need to have a conversation with Him
I celebrate all our festivals by wearing new clothes, preparing sweets and a longer prayer than usual. But if there is one puja/festival that is done with great zeal, it is Vinayaka Chaturthi.When praying to this God, one does not ask for riches or any other generous gifts. All that we ask is removal of obstacles on the path to our intended goals
This post is for all infrequent worshipers like me who want to follow the traditional path once in a while but are not conversant with the preparations. Provided below, a check-list of all things that need to be bought or readied as it is considered inappropriate to get up in the middle of performing the puja. If I have left out anything, do let me know. Probably, the same method is used by all South Indians.
We need two of everything as we worship the pasupu vinayakudu first and repeat the puja with the actual idol.

No:	Telugu	English	Quantity	Description
1	Pasupu	Turmeric		One is not supposed to ask 'how much' for Pasupu and Kumkuma. Their supply ought to be limitless.
2	Kumkuma	Vermillion
3	Doodi	Cotton	Two for each family member who performs puja	To make Vattulu, Vastramlu, Yagnyopaveetamlu: (Wicks, clothes, sacred thread)
4	Gandham/Chandanam	Sandalwood paste	One teaspoon
5	Akashantalu	Sacred rice	Half cup	Rice and a pinch of turmeric powder mixed with half teaspoon of water or a drop of oil
6	Agarbattullu	Incense Sticks	Two for each family member who performs puja
7	Karpooram	Camphor
8	Aku- Vakka	Betel leaf and Betel Nut	Ten  of each
9	Panchamrutam	Translated as a nectar made of five liquids	Half-cup	A mix of milk, sugar, ghee, honey and curd
10	Neellu	Water	Half glass for each family member who performs puja	Insert spoon in each glass
11	Deepamulu	Lamps	Two	Deepam to be filled with oil. Light them at the beginning of puja
12	Puvvullu	Flowers	About 250 grams for each family member who performs the pooja	Any kind, one of which may be a lotus
13	Aakulu	Leaves	To use 21 varieties if possible, but I make do with 5	Of these, one that is compulsorily  used is grass. I try to include leaves of fruit-bearing trees like guava, jamun
14	Pallu for naivedyam	Fruits as offering	No limit but at least one per family member if possible	Banana is considered Ganesha's favorite. Coconut is compulsory. And any other fruit that you want to offer
15	Jilledakayalu	An Indian sweet		A sweet made of rice flour is compulsorily made for this puja
16	Vinayakudi vigraham	Ganesha Idol	One	Available in the markets a day before or can easily be made with clay (link)
17	Pasupu Vinayakudu	Ganesha idol made of turmeric paste	One	A few drops of water added to turmeric powder and shaped into a small mound
18	Data needed at the beginning of puja			Name of the Telugu year, the tithi, name of the week, your name, surname and your gothram
19	A camera			Gods and pujas have to be uploaded to Face book and other social networks (Sigh!)

Showing respect: the Indian way?

From an article in TOI
1. The 49-year-old, Gurgaon-based CEO of a software product company was in for a rude shock some months ago when one of his young employees peeped into his spacious cabin with a beaming smile and said: "Hey, your cabin's goddamn big... What fun man!" The irritated chief executive instantly summoned a senior hand, a 52-year-old, to check on what could be done about the cheeky geek. The senior executive told the CEO, "We have an army of such guys, how many can you reprimand? It's their style."

Another instant: 
2. A guy wrote an extremely anguished mail on a forum seeking suggestions when he found "an extremely junior and subordinate staff" address his boss by first name in her mail. He feels she should not have addressed someone very senior  (age and position) by first name. He wanted to know how he should advise or warn her to follow proper etiquette while addressing seniors?
(This was written in such atrocious grammar that had I reproduced it as it is, it would have been incomprehensible)

Another instant:  
3.  A well-known food blog says that unless you show respect by addressing as ji/garu/shri/shrimati/Mr./Mrs./Ms., your comments will be ignored...

What do you think of these instances?
If I was in the place of the CEO in the first instant, far from getting irritated, I would have smilingly waved him in and  invited him to explore the cabin as he seemed to have liked it so much. Why and for what he should be reprimanded is beyond me. He hasn't shown any disrespect towards me with those innocuous remarks. On the other hand, he has openly expressed that he liked the place. He might be considered disrespectful if there was an important meeting going on and he had intruded.
If only the seniors more experienced know how to harness this abundant energy of the youth without impeding their thought process, without ridiculing their ideas however implausible they seem, without denting  their self-esteem through discouragement, but work in unison by giving a positive direction to the yet-uncontaminated minds, they can achieve wonders.

In the second instance, I was quite befuddled by the query. What is the meaning of "an extremely junior and subordinate staff"?
A dictionary search threw this meaning for Junior: of lower rank or standing and this meaning for subordinate:  belonging to a lower order or rank/subservient or inferior. Do I infer then that being in a lower rank permits one to consider the person as being subservient or inferior? 
If the criterion for showing respect is age, then should I respect Osama who is older to me? And if the criterion is position, there is the once President of Uganda, Idi Amin. Again, I do not understand what did this person want to "warn" the subordinate about? Mind you, the content of the mail wasn't mentioned anywhere. So my assumption is that there was no issue there.

In the third instance, I do not understand how tagging the blogger with ji, or garu or Ms. or any other title portrays respect to the person.To be able to give a detailed and simple step-by-step guidance to cooking and to have so many clicks on the You-tube, is truly an amazing accomplishment and inspires respect for the work. But to demand ( "I expect and insist") respect through such tags takes away something.
I have read blogs by many senior citizens of India...people in their 60s and 70s who have hundreds commenting on their blogs and addressing them by their first name. (Zephyr and Gappa to name just two). I respect these really senior people, not because of their age but that despite their not-so-robust health and advancing years, their yearning to keep blogging and be able to keep up with the times (as evidenced in their writing on contemporary topics...topics which people of all ages can relate to).

On the personal side of relationships, in India, the touching of feet is considered the ultimate sign of obeisance. But then whose feet does one touch? Any person who is older to you or the one who inspires in you that reverence towards him/her? And looking at the way these Pairi Paunas (feet-touching) happen, I wonder whether they are paying their respect or playing out a farce. A quick 30 degrees bend forward and sometimes side-ways, your hand brushing against the legs just beneath the knees is Pairi Pauna? Personally, I don't allow anyone to touch my feet. I am not God I say, and am as imperfect as everyone else is.

'Respect' is 'to show regard or consideration for.' Every person's being, his space, feelings and thoughts deserve to be respected irrespective of his age, position or status.
Respect is a two-way street. Authoritarian ways never beget respect. One of my favorite authors in Telugu, Chalam, said that in a society that believed in the children being indebted to their parents, he proclaimed caring for and bringing up of children as the fundamental duty as parents. To all those parents who demand respect through unquestioned obedience, I ask:
If Ji/Garu are signs of respect then why Pithaji, aap but Ma, thum ( in Hindi) Nannagaru, meeru but Amma, nuvvu (in Telugu)?

From Pretty to Plastic

Image Courtesy: Google

Image Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle

                             A tale of the present-day women actors as they peak in their careers.

Sipping my Chai

Some obsession with Chai, I feel, which leads me to write about it again after my earlier post here.
This might have you imagine me with a permanent cup of tea in my hand. No, that's not so.
Exactly an hour after breakfast I have this urge which keeps telling me that its time to complete my breakfast experience. And for me, this happens with my first cup of tea in the day.
I have a large red colored mug which can hold about 500 ml of the brew. To hold that large mug in my hands and feel the warmth of the brew as you sip through leisurely...heavenly! 
My son holds this strong opinion that all his mother's cooking skills fail when it comes to preparing tea. Down but not out, I try to best my efforts by a trial and error preparation method. And this time, I changed the tea powder too! I had been to Kerala and got the supposedly best tea powder from the Kanan Devan gardens...and also picked up a new method of preparing tea.
I came to know that tea is not supposed to be boiled to death like I do with Rasam preparation but to add just a little tea powder into the boiling water, shut off the flame and keep it closed with a lid for 1-2 minutes and then pour it. This method brought a new and better taste to my chai.
This continued for four months by which time the powder brought from Kerala was over and I switched back to my old favorite, the TATA Tea Gold. AND the taste of that powder combined with this new method of preparation...a magical combination! That hot, thin, brown liquid with its swirling aromatic steam rising from the bottom of the red cup...!
That one cup of tea brings me enough energy to see me though my day.

Tao of positive expectations

Had this forwarded  to me and I feel it is too beautiful to keep it all to myself...

Dr. Robert Rosenthal of Harvard University conducted this experiment in a San Francisco Bay area school:
At the beginning of the school year, the principal called three teachers into his office.

He said to the teachers, "As a result of your teaching excellence over past years, we’ve come to the conclusion that you are the best teachers in this school. As a special reward to you, we’ve identified three classes each with 30 of the brightest students in this school—the students with the highest IQ’s. We're going to assign them to you to teach for the entire year.

"Now, we don't want to be accused of discrimination, so it's very important that you don’t tell these children in any way that you know they've been selected for a screened class. And second of all, we're not going to tell their parents, because we don't want to cause any complications there. I expect you to teach exactly the same way you normally do, using exactly the same curriculum. And I expect you to get very good results with these students."

The results: At the end of the school year, these students led not only the school, but the entire school district in academic accomplishment.

Calling the three teachers into his office, the principal said, “Well, you've had a very good year."

"Yes, we have. It was so easy!" replied the teachers. "These children were so easy to teach. They were so eager to learn. It was such a pleasure to teach them."

"Well, maybe I'd better tell you the truth," said the school principal.

"This has been an experiment. These 90 children were chosen out of the school population at random. When I assigned them to your class at the beginning of the year, I had no idea what their IQ’s were at all."

"That's incredible!" exclaimed the teachers. "But how could it be that they scored so high? They did so well. They got such good grades. Ah hah! Yes! It must be because we are such excellent teachers."

At which the principal said, "And I think I should also tell you the other side of the experiment. At the beginning of the school year, we put all the teachers' names in a hat, and yours were the first three names that were drawn."

***

You can understand why these average students did so well if you understand the Tao of Positive Expectations: you achieve what you expect to achieve and what others expect you to achieve.

An inexpensive fine-dining experience: New Santosh Dhaba

Whenever we, at home, decide to eat out, we try to ascertain whether we want just the food or the experience as well.
There are some joints in Hyderabad which may not have a great ambiance but are known for their tasty food. Like, at times, we get the Paradise Biryani parceled. Biryani packets, I am told, are kept stacked at the parcel counter and those stacks vanish rapidly. There is also a Raj Dhaba close-by which is right opposite to our old Satyam office and we employees used to frequent the place for our small parties. The office is no longer there but the Raj Dhaba still stands, though the owner laments the closure of the office as it was a source of steady profit to him. We continue to patronize the dhaba as the curries there are quite delectable and truly value for money at around 60-90 bucks per plate. Of course, the last time we got stuff from there, we noticed that they have hiked their fare as well.
The point I am trying to make is that there are times when you don't want to cook at home and get some decent stuff from outside. And there are times when you want to make the effort to dress up, keep your hunger pangs going, make an effort to drive all the way to Banjara Hills, linger over your food and enjoy the experience. Well, it is this experience that the foodie in me looks forward to once a month. But what's  happened is that the last two months, I was invited by my close family or friends to the restaurants that I already had been to and this didn't leave me the time to experiment with a new restaurant.
Therefore, I was more than eager to eat at a restaurant that offered a fine dining experience. Just as I was contemplating going out, I was asked to attend to something at Abids. Well, I hadn't really explored this part of the city for its food and therefore decided to throw in a lunch with the work that I needed to attend to.
As I neared my destination , I noticed that there was a Santosh dhaba close-by. My thoughts went to the 2 reviews of Santosh I had done earlier: Santosh Dhaba at Abids and Santosh Banjara at Banjara Hills and therefore, though I was in the mood of a fine dining experience, my mind danced at the prospect of eating at the Santosh dhaba again. I had just loved their food.
As I walked to the dhaba, I noticed to my trepidation that over Santosh Dhaba was the word 'New' written discreetly. Gosh! Isn't this the same one? As I entered, I also saw that even the environment was nothing to speak about. I sat down and went through the one-page menu and ordered for a Paneer 65 as a starter. I also found, to my relief, that this was a pure vegetarian restaurant as well. The menu has done away with frills like soup and desserts. It concentrates only on North Indian food. Even before I could decide on the main course, the starter was there in front of me. Must have taken about 5-6 minutes to arrive. It was delightful to find the paneer so fresh and soft. Though I love paneer, the rubbery taste in some of the restaurants makes me wary of trying it. While nibbling at the starter and browsing the menu, I found another amazing thing...that if you desire, you can also place an order for half plate of the main course at nearly half the price! For small eaters like me this is a blessing. Especially that day, as I had gone alone for my business and hadn't anyone to share the food with. I ordered for half plate of Punjabi kofta and one Masala kulcha. The plate came with two koftas, just about an inch across and with plenty of gravy. The masala kulcha was rolled out very thin and was stuffed with different vegetables. How can one stuff so much into the thin rotis, I wonder. The food was simply yummy and finger-lickingly good. The bill came to 242/- . Serving time is just about seven minutes. And even if you were to dab at the food with a tissue, you'd find no extra oil in the food.
Truly satiated with the taste, I went to the counter to compliment the owner on the great food that was being served here. On hearing this, the owner was flattered and offered a taste of his famous biryani. I politely declined as I was stuffed. He still insisted and I got to taste a couple of teaspoons. Even before I could put the biryani in my mouth, I could sense the delightful aroma emanating from the dish. The taste was in keeping with the rest of the meal that I had just eaten.
Somehow, we got into a chat and he showed me pictures of the fine dining restaurant  that they plan to open in a nearby place. I also came to know that it was the same owner who had run the Mango Spice at Banjara Hills and for which I had done a review. And NOW I understand what was missing from that restaurant.
To compare: Govinda  is an actor appreciated immensely for his comic timing and spontaneity. He has the rustic Virar-ka-chokra image which, try as he might, he can never shake off. Were he to try a classy Aamir Khan act, I am not sure he can pull it off. Aamir Khan, on the other hand is known for his immaculately detailed planning and not really given to spontaneity of acting.
What the New Santosh Dhaba had tried to do was something like making Aamir Khan and Govinda act in the same movie, not realizing that the clientele they cater to is different. And therefore a mishmash of menu items, the inability to add that magic pinch of class to their Italian menu.
Even when I had gone to do the Mango Spice review, I had realized that the North Indian food was much more delectable than the Italian food on offer. In the new restaurant they plan to open, they intend to have an Italian section as well. I hope they don't.
North Indian food is what they do best, and I am sure that I don't mind going all the way to Abids to taste the food again and again. If this very delectable food, combined with an oil-free preparation is not fine dining, then what is?