Travelogue or Travelong?

I wouldn't mind calling up all my close friends and tell them about my adventures atop the mountains at height exceeding 10000 feet. But they say "a picture says a thousand words". So employing a combination of bursts of these '1000 words' and some 'wordy' words, let me pen down my experiences in the latest trip with my dearest friends at IITK. And it is going to be really really long. But, I can say that reading it won't be completely a waste of time.

Obstacles

No, not the ones we faced on the roads while travelling, but those even before we set foot to Lucknow. There were some villains in between like rescheduled project presentations,non-changeable class timings and NDTV's news coverage reporting heavy snowfall in Mussoorie, resulting in my parents pressing the panic button and call me in between the journey and express their concerns. After somehow overcoming these, we could complete what would be one of the most exciting rides in my life.

16:00 Hrs, Feb 11, 2009

After praying to our favourite Gods and waving bye to reluctant friends who were staying back, We started off to Lucknow on this posh Toyota Innova to catch our train to Haridwar at 8:15 PM.We reached Lucknow by 7 PM. But our taste buds wouldn't settle for anything less than Moti Mahal's food. The hotel was 3 km away and in going and coming back in the heavy traffic, we scraped into the station just in time. And UP's notorious train announcement system and jittery me forgetting the ticket in the Innova while getting down made for a chaotic buildup to the wonderful train called "Janata express".Coach S6 had passengers of S1, there were virtually no coach numbers on any of the compartments. Wait, I still haven't mentioned where we were going to. The reason, after managing to find our coach, our itinerary underwent a major revision. We had planned for Uttarkashi and places around it for trekking, etc. But a local of Uttarakhand region suggested Auli for it was supposedly one of the finest ski spots in Asia. So much for my general knowledge, I thought. Other 5 began to ponder as well about the itinerary. So, with a muddled up plan, we landed in Haridwar on Thursday morning.

Thursday, Feb 12, 2009

I vaguely remember visiting the Holy city of Haridwar 17 years ago. We didn't wait longer in Haridwar and took an auto to Rishikesh as it was the point from where the routes split to all the places that were doing a merry-go-around in our thoughts. A word has to be mentioned about this auto driver whose laughter would frighten a laughing hyena. We crossed the ganges at different points and made our way through the road passing through Rajaji park to Rishikesh.

After a brief stop in Rishikesh to get ourselves freshened up, we went searching for taxis to go till Uttarkashi/Auli. And here too, all cab companies were in support for a trip to Auli, could have been with a business motive as Auli is 10 hours away from Rishikesh while Uttarkashi is only 6 hours. We wanted to club a visit to Mussoorie with a trip to Auli. However, the bottleneck came when we realized that we had little time than we had thought earlier. Why? Vehicles are not allowed to ply on hilly roads after sunset. So, when we decided to go to Auli after having this mouth watering Rajasthani Thali, we were too late for Joshimath, Auli's base camp that day. Plus, guys weren't in favour of Mussoorie as by the time we would reach, it would have been sunset there too. So, after a lot of cajoling, I accepted their idea of wandering around in Rishikesh like so many foreign-wannabe-babajis.

First stop was Lakshman Jhoola. We made our way to the temple seeing different businesses like Yoga teaching training, rafting, safari, camping, etc. Also, the western version of Gayatri mantra greeted us throughout the way. It was all fascinating to hear and see.



We then set down to the shore nearby where we sat on the rocks enjoying every pixel of scenery around us. Suddenly, we realized that water level was rising and Ganga was gaining in speed. And in a couple of minutes after we came to the top, the rock these guys were sitting on was covered under water. So, we went searching for another shore and landed on this spot supposed to be Romance corner for foreigners. But, we barged in just like that. From this spot, we could spot the magnificent Ram Jhoola and Ganga's rapids.



As we got back to our hotel, we got a glimpse of sun setting on a beautiful pink background with Ganga mayya giving company to the sky's bright colours waiting to get aboard the coach to adventure on the Himalayas.



Friday, Feb 13, 2009

The human alarm clock, yours truly, was the only person who was working to be ready for a 6:30 AM start with the rest of the gang being supremely confident that Indian stretchable time would prevail.Our driver, one of the best I've seen, was actually on time. So we left at 7:15 AM. Nature must have a special touch when it comes to lighting mornings and twilights. If Rishikesh, last evening was a sight to frame, a treasure of scenic beauties were in store on this tortuous terrain.Have a look at this.



We stopped at Kaudiyala for breakfast. Enroute to this place, we could see sun slowly waking from its slumber and casting its penetrating rays on the gargantuan mountains, Ganga speeding on its course, rafters struggling to stay afloat under Ganga's Godspeed, thatched roof camps on calm sides of the river, it was just breathtaking.

Post breakfast, backseat boys in the Qualis found it tough with curves abound every 50 metres. We zig-zagged our way to Devprayag and Rudraprayag. The former is the point where Bhagirathi from Gangotri and alaknanda from Badrinath merge to form Ganga.We were going to Joshimath, weren't we and qualis decided to follow Alaknanda all the way till 44 kms away from Badrinath. Rudraprayag is the place where Alaknanda and Mandakini river meet. Have a look at these below:





After a modest lunch near Rudraprayag, we started off to greater heights, crossing Karanprayag, Nandaprayag, Chamoli on our way to Joshimath. on our way, the snow mountains kept getting bigger and bigger.The child in all of us was getting excited and could hardly wait. But damn the corporations, NTPC has a hydro plant at such a height.And the route that we had to traverse to reach Joshimath, look below:





The beauty was, throughout this journey, the river was accompanying us, no matter what the height was. On friday evening, we accidentally tripped on Sankaracharya temple, guys wanted to go back to room since they were in shoes, still somehow, something dragged us into the cave of Thotakacharya where we had a miracle in wait. Badrinath's spatik was lying there. It is practice in off season for the spatik to stay in Joshimath and go back to Badrinath by road when season starts. So, despite Badrinath being closed at this time of the year, we managed to get Darshan. It was just an amazing feeling to experience.

Saturday, Feb 14, 2009

All the baba boys, who prefer to be peaceful got up early for the ropeway to Auli. Though some adventurous spirits wanted to bike the 14 km stretch, some sense prevailed and we decided to board Asia's longest (4.15 km) and highest ropecar (11502 feet).We had 25 minutes before ropeway to visit Narasingh temple and have breakfast and as we hurried into the temple, aarthi started. It all went like clockwork. The speciality of this temple is that it happens to be the first stop for all devotees bound for Badrinath. So getting the darshan in the manner in which we did was another wonderful feeling to experience.



On a separate note, few metres away from this temple, the deadly abyss aka road to Badrinath was visible.It maybe only 44 kms, but it surely looks like a point-to-point ticket to hell when one looks downward.



So, we came to this ropecar loading point and in the course of the 22 minute journey, we could see how beautiful the world, indescribable and beyond anyone's imagination.There was Nandadevi peak hiding under the clouds. Snow filled woods on one side, cliff tips covered with ice on the edge under which it is a free fall of 11000 feet on the other side, it was like a snow blanket spread on vast landscapes stretching till infinity...









The above picture was us trekking to the woods and beyond in trying to find a mandir next to which was the natural ski range. The construction of artificial ski in lowe level for SAF games is in full progress. Till then, skiing happens in higher heights and we ran out of time and steam halfway through the search and returned to Joshimath.



So, we rushed back from ropecar station to board our qualis back to Haridwar. We had to put a stop in between on saturday night and we picked Srinagar, a calm town saddled between mountains.

Sunday, Feb 15, 2009

Departing from Srinagar at 7 AM, we reached Haridwar at 11:30 AM. Throughout the stretch, there were sights of a beautiful sunrise and also foggy roads hampering vehicle movement; Contrasting scenarios on way to Haridwar. And Ganga was running rapid fast in ground level Haridwar. One slip, and the corpse will be deposited in Bay of Bengal. We cautiously took a holy dip and got to the station after a sumptuous lunch.



It was not a picture perfect journey. There has to be some balancing element. Once Akbar posed a question to Birbal to make a line look smaller without rubbing it off or cutting the page which had the line. What did Birbal do? He drew another line near the smaller line which was much bigger. If my onward journey was sickening, what did UP railway board do to make me feel better about that journey? Present an even worse experience in the Link Express bound to Allahabad.No comestible food, lighting less coaches, disturbed sleep, 10 people sitting in place designated for 6 and so on...

However, I would discount it as a minor aberration in an otherwise memorable experience. Divine interception, adrenaline rush, peace, visual treat, religious satisfaction, this trip was feeding all my senses in abundance. And the region, uttarkhand is a treasure chest of tourist spots. Trekking, wild life, peaks, lakes, water sport, temples, flowers, etc. My friends, you should all consider visiting this region once atleast. You won't regret it...

(In tune with theme of My Alien Territory, this wasn't my idea for a post, so this post is dedicated to the friend who floated this idea, to my close friends who would have liked to have been there, but couldn't,to all my IITK friends who accompanied me on this wonderful journey and all enablers who facilitated a safe trip)

The Curious case of Slumdog Millionaire

Woo! That looks like a perfect cross breed of two completely different movies which together account for 23 oscar nominations.However, the opinions surrounding the movie that has attracted as many detesters as much as lovers in India will be my focal point.

Two sides of a coin

There is a sizeable section of the society which feels that the movie is showcasing the plight of a chunk of the country's population to mint millions. It is not tune with India's new age image of the next super power in wait. Think of a mixture of imagination cum reality mixed in Jodha Akbar leading to Rajput uproar and subsequent ban of the movie in theatres. So, if someone is trying to make a movie based on theme which is not (or) has not been so uncommon in our country, one can understand the resistance from people who have been priding themselves on the new image of our country.If one looks at the statistics such as Human Development Index (127/177), poor Child malnutrition rates, etc., the argument wouldn't have risen in the first place. Even for the so called foreign investment, that has put us more prominently on the world map, India's rank in terms of friendliness of procedures to grant approval ranks pretty low. The process has lot of approvals and hassles involved. It is one thing about being patriotic and staunchly defending your motherland. Acting in denial is a completely different story. Just because we see the brighter side of moon doesn't rule out existence of a dark side. Wait, I'm not here to take sides about being pragmatic or euphoric. This is just a riposte to so many posts floating around.

I don't know what pre-conceived notions the mud slingers had before seeing the movie. I, for one, went with a completely blank mind, expecting to see another host after Amitabh and Shahrukh hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati.That's all I had information about before I saw it (mine was a small screen experience, so I can understand all unhappy souls who had shelled heavy amounts expecting to see a Van Gogh artistry come to life in a motion picture).

Maybe,a hard dose of reality?

I would like to draw some instances which still have relevance in the new age India. Hindu-Muslim Strife still holds. I read atleast one article in editorial in a week about this. Remember, Mani Ratnam received death threats and stones were pelted at his house after release of Bombay.That's the treatment India's ace director got. This movie, though short, did feature a small scene wherein a Muslim ghetto is demolished by Hindu activists.

The movie supposedly begins in the late '80s wherein kids still used to go gaga over Amitabh Bachchan and when they become teenagers, there is also mention about Shahrukh Khan in the movie.

I feel, that people have a right to feel aggrieved about showcasing that period when it was still seen as land of snake charmers and as a nation mired in financial trouble and which subsequently had to open up its economy.I also empathize with people who feel what's the need for a foreigner to come and show the dark side of India in bright daylight? However, does our risk averse approach help us make movies out of this world? Do our directors have the resources and proficiency in them to direct Brad Pitt and make an out-of-this-world movie like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"? In fact, we have such a rich mythology and our country is a motley of different cultures. Take this, it's been ages since a mythological movie was released on our famous epics, such as Ramayana or Mahabharata. Especially when there are studies mentioning that Mahabharata war was the birth place for nuclear weaponry, wouldn't it make an interesting story for a movie? Hope Mani Ratnam's Ashokvana serves the purpose. Also, treatment meted out to Mani Ratnam post Bombay means we will never get to see daring and indigenous projects on burning issues. Contrary to this, Michael Moore could make Fahreinheit 911 in U.S. Frost/Nixon is a full length documentary movie on how a playful media anchor managed to get Nixon to confess on Watergate scandal. Can some film maker come forward and make a movie on Bofors scandal (still congress till May 2009 atleast)? Will someone have the guts to make a movie on the Shankara Mutt fiasco that happened in 2004, for instance? Will someone have the courage to make a movie on Godhra incident and also put up a disclaimer saying 'based on a true story'?



Marketing - Job well done

One thing these makers of Slumdog Millionaire did was to garner good publicity for the movie. Danny Boyle, is a well known name in UK and U.S., having directed Trainspotting (features a similar scene wherein a guy jumps into a latrine commode, yuck) and sci-fi movie 28 days later. Asian base was covered with A.R.Rahman (Remember Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Maestro is no longer stranger in China). If you want a South American touch, this one looks like the cousin of City of God, a brazilian movie. It was marketed as a feel-good movie as how being positive can turn life around and help regain lost love for a slumdog. Cliched theme it maybe to us, but still formula movies work in Bollywood and I think all those who claim to be fans of Rajnikanth or Shahrukh Khan can have no right to demean this movie as being run-off-the mill stuff. The movie was marketed as a much needed change giving hope and optimism to a world shrouded in negativity and chaos. Take this for instance, Ford CEO is earning $1 a month salary. I read in yesterday's economic times about 'Riches to Rag', the issue being that Obama's first move apart from restriction on H1B visas has been to cap salaries of top executives in U.S corporations.The ingenious financial instruments of Lehman, which were supposed to be fail proof and yielding perpetual returns like a Kalpa Vriksha tree, failed miserably...Sometimes, we want to see something that we can't do or something we wish to see in real life in reel world. I am sure, the timing of release of Slumdog Millionaire, which had the reverse theme of 'Rags to Riches' and which had already generated the desire amongst the audience worldwide, courtesy, its marketing effects, led to its success. I guess the film started before Lehman crisis struck. So, it looks like even the film unit wasn't expecting the movie to become such a big hit.This effect seems to have had a say in Oscar panel's nomination list too.

Worth so many nominations?

I was quite impressed with the screenplay of Simon Beaufoy and Rahman's background score. Intertwining 3 different time slices and coordinating them in a sequence is not something that has been tried many times before this with so much effect.

The songs are definitely not Rahman's best. Ada, Ghajini, Yuvvraaj, Jodha Akbar all fare much better. In fact I read that Jai Ho could not be accommodated in Yuvvraaj and was dangling around till it was fitted in at the end of Slumdog millionaire. A nomination for 'Jai Ho' sounds terrible to me. In fact, I haven't listened to it fully even once. 'O Saya' sounds peppy and energizing, but it kind of again reminds of 'City of God', the picturization included.

The background score is quite brilliant.Whenever,the movie slows down,Rahman pitches in to retain audience interest. Again, less of innovation, more of proper packaging. He had only 15 days to finish the score.'Liquid Dance' reminds me of 'Rangeela theme'. 'Dreams on Fire' is western version of 'Netru illadha maatram'.Few originals like 'Mausam and Escape' and 'Paper Planes' are worth mentioning. Didn't Rahman do the same in Bombay Dreams also? I feel it as a vindication of my faith that all these originals were good enough for oscar nomination by themselves. Let the base be the same, just remaster it. We should all be proud that our own musician can just remaster some of his old works, that were made for us, and present it to the global audience. We have got the first sample of something that is reaching the world after a decade.The feeling itself is pretty different.



All analyses and justification apart, I didn't expect 10 oscar nominations. Golden globe wins and Screen Actor Guild wins have also swung the balance in Slumdog's favour. I feel Golden globe nominations reflected what it truly deserved. After that, it has been 'Halo effect' all along. I feel Slumdog stands a real chance in Adapted Screenplay and Music Written. However, Benjamin Button was too excellent and it will be a close contest. Music written, I feel Rahman will triumph over Alexander Desplat. Benjamin Button's score was much in tune with the movie, sober.

Winners don't take it all - Bigger Picture

Oscar wins always don't go to the deserving. Who can digest John Nash aka Russell Crowe being overlooked for Denzel Washington for best actor in 2003? There are a lot of behind the scene incidents, like a press ruckus in this instance.



Towards determining a proper marketing mix, apart from studying consumer behaviour, there is a need to study macroeconomic factors at work and also competitor behaviour. I'm not sure about how good all competitors are and whether the panel did a comprehensive competitor study, but macroeconomic factors such as struggling economies, political tensions, terror attacks, cultural policing have all played a part in different parts of the world receiving warmly what is a typical movie story. Having said that, it's reel after all and I would suggest all movie lovers to sit back and enjoy whatever part they like and appreciate the finer aspects of the movie, if they can.As Indians, we know who we are, what we have crossed to be where we are today, and I don't think one movie is going to throw us back to the stone age or change the world's perceptions of new age India. In fact, any supposed criticism should be acted upon in a positive way to eliminate it.

Is the door 'slam'med shut?

This post comes in the aftermath of a pulsating Australian Open final.On this backdrop, I would like to dwell on the burden of expectations and the curse that strikes the leaders time and again.

He usually does, but it was horror sight for me to see Federer breaking down after collecting Runner-up plate.This wasn't like Wimbledon final when Federer had to make ground by winning sets 3 and 4. Federer was in control in the first 4 sets at some point or the other. Nadal fought for every point and with every stunning winner he delivered to save a break point, he gained in confidence. Whereas Federer, despite winning set-4 had no momentum going into the 5th. It was a meek surrender in last set. School boy stuff...

Every fan wants to know what's running in Fed's brain and I'm no exception.

Is he still failing to acknowledge the fact that he has to share the limelight with another emerging talent and is he being stubborn in refusing to adapt his style of play to conditions when Nadal is opponent?

I have heard Fed say #1 rank doesnt matter. He was kind of defensive after losing last set 6-0 in French open final saying he has blanked Nadal before. Basking in past glory doesn't suit a champion.

Giving Nadal his due would only help Fed prepare himself, raise his game level, use his brains to devise pre-emptive tactics to get the better of Nadal rather than press the panic button or give up mid-way.

Is he still trying to deliver every shot with the intention of proving he is superior to Nadal?

Some extravagant shots he tried when he was 2 break points ahead were horrendous like the cross court backhand top spin shot which hit the net more than it went in.And no excuses for double faulting when Nadal is at set point.

Is the expectation level getting to him?

Could be. All former greats had tipped him for #14 in Melbourne. However, having handled things well till Wimbledon 2008, this doesn't look a convincing reason for his poor output.

Is age taking its toll on him?

Fed's record in 5 setters is 13-12. So, yes, this could be a reason.Also he is at the wrong side of 25. It did have a say in Wimbledon final. However, here I felt, fatigue's role was less. In fact in last set, he had rallied with Nadal with both hitting back to each other before Fed powers one past Nadal's reach. At that point, I felt, wow, this is his best chance to improve his 5 setter record.

Is Wimbledon loss telling on him?

This I feel is the root cause of all misery. It was adding insult to injury that was suffered after being blanked in French open final. It has hit the Leo's ego so bad that he wants to do something different, that extra bit he wants to try to put one across Nadal. Nadal benefited immensely due to this. His game play was simple, keep hitting to Fed's weaker back hand. Nadal did his basics right. Fed went for colour over correctness, power over precision to assert his technical supremacy or whatever. Nadal used the drop shot twice before Fed used even once. And Nadal was standing much much behind the baseline than Fed and still did it. What took Fed so long to use the drop shot? Nadal never volleyed from the net. He won't, he is not good at it and he didn't have to, given Fed's pathetic shot selection. Whenever Nadal came close to the net, Fed had the option to lob the ball over. Be it any athletic player,running backwards, turning and hitting it inside the court will require more reaction time. However, those cross court passes were the villain again. Had it been any opponent other than Nadal, Fed would have done these right at the right time.

What Next?

I just hope Fed takes some time off the game, maybe engage in more involving off field work like UNICEF, skip some ATP tours, basically free his mind.He needs to believe Nadal is beatable, but he needs to acknowledge him as a genuine contender to the throne than act in plain denial and exhibit negative vibes. Other than these I see no reason for the jitters he showed in 5th set.

Fickle media

Recently, I had an argument with a friend of mine who claimed that Shahrukh Khan is "The International Superstar". Though I had differences with the title that was being attributed to, I still don't belittle any of his achievements. I just want stuff like Swades and Chak De more often from SRK. That's the only complaint against him. SRK has been under spotlight for more than a decade. He has been enchanting so many Indians around the globe and despite being criticised and lauded by different sections of the society, he has handled the media quite well.

Coming back to Fed, I wonder how it must be for him to come under the scanner after Wimbledon loss and this loss (Media widely claimed that he is back after US Open title) despite having won 13 slams. I don't know when the so called Fed fans started following him. Do you become fan of a player who is winning consistently at that time period and is also hot on current form? Or is there some philosophy on the basis of which you become a fan of a celebrity or a player? I certainly base my tennis player loyalty (atleast in Men's ;)) on technical capabilities and ability to be pleasing on the eye.In fact my obsession with Fed began when he toppled my all time favorite of mine, Sampras in Wimbledon 2001 pre-quarterfinals.

Bandwagon effect or True fan loyalty?

How many Nadal fans can claim to have followed him ever since he made his debut 6 years ago? I find that people find it convenient to side with the current form than class. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Wait, wait, I'm not taking anything away from Nadal. He is a perfect sportsman, the challenge he used when Fed had run out of his in a set is a glowing example. Off field, the way he consoled Fed is a sight to see indeed. His mental strength is a great source of motivation for many youngsters, am sure. However, still it will take more than these to win loyalty of so many Fed fans.

Why still hopeful about "#14 Roger that"?

Nadal missed Australian Open 2 years ago due to injury. The work ethic he is following right now can't be continued forever. There have been promising players who were unstoppable once, but they took one serious knock and then had their career development disrupted temporarily or permanently. Brazil's Ronaldo after a career threatening knee injury in 1999 is an example. Nadal is adapting fast to different surfaces, he is improving his range of shots. Heartening indeed. However, these are all employed less. Still the ruthless muscle power yields maximum returns. I would like Nadal to show more guile. I would like him to age wisely using more of brain than brawn. As of now, his brute force has only left me feel like how I would after seeing a horror movie. Chill down the spine!!!Will all supposedly Nadal fans be happy to see the current version and expect him to be the same after 5 years as well? He could fade away unable to expand his game play to match with increasing age. This may look like I'm talking in plain denial, Unable to swallow Fed's repeated failures, disbelief at seeing Fed being usurped so convincingly from his position. I do have past instances where seemingly infallible cam crashing down to earth in no time. Arsenal's 49 match unbeaten streak came to an end abruptly though they looked unstoppable till match #49.It could not go on when you use the same core of 14 players for more than a year and half. Even machines need yearly maintanance. Ferrari's complete dominance in 2004 and 2005 was checked by bringing in rules to promote competitiveness. Fatigue and injuries will eventually take a toll on Nadal if he continues motoring on like this. Who knows, like F1, tennis balls maybe made lighter to promote more serve and volley (suggested by a friend, and I hope such a thing happens to revitalize a dying art). And something on these lines would surely happen, am confident and it could mean that it is too early to write him off and Fed still stands a chance. Maybe, enroute to a slam trophy, he could put one over Nadal or someone else may do him a favour. But I'm highly optimistic about him emulating Pistol Pete.Maybe it could be his final swansong too as I don't expect Fed's fitness levels to cooperate so beautifully like that of Andre Agassi after 30 years.

Grand Slam - Threatening legendary status

Fed may or may not win the French Open and make the grand slam.True, it adds lot of glitter and glamour, the honour of a grand slam. What if he doesn't? Does this make Edberg, Sampras, Becker and Fed lesser mortals?Sampras' 14 slam achievement doesn't lose its gloss due to it. Edberg still remains as the greatest serve and volley player of all time. He happens to be Fed's role model too. Why is it that achievements of these great men are forgotten and only voids are being looked at with microscope?

Is all this fame and favourite tag worth it all?

My dad used to say "If you just pass your exam, no one will pester you to score more as they know that this is what you are capable of. If you are scoring 95/100, they will urge you to put in more to reach 100 or complain about you missing out on 5 marks. if you are used to scoring 100/100 in each test and get 99/100, you are written off as complacent". In the business world, so called leading companies have had to constantly reinvent itself with ingenious strategies to stay ahead of competition. But how long? Is there a limit to human mind's ability to invent (for the good, am not talking about Lehman type inventions which have thrown the whole world economy into a chaos)? Is being a leader actually worth it considering the hard work needed to maintain it? Doesn't winning get boring after sometime? Is winning a curse? Questions linger on.