Going down Nostalgia Lane (Delhi)

These were some of the things that I enjoyed best...once upon a time...
Simple and fun, when life seemed to be much less complicated.
But then, that's what Nostalagia Lane is really all about, isn't it?

Looking forward to that particular time slot, once every week, for catching 'Der Kommisar' a fantastic German serial dubbed in English on Delhi Doordarshan.Simply because it was the only proper Detective serial that we could view.

Eating 'Chaat, particularly 'Golgappas' at that corner in South Extn Part 1, because they tasted the best..
Or was it because that 'chaatwaala' was our friend gave us two extra for the same price?
Simply because our monthly allowance could be made to stretch only that much...

Heading towards Janpath and buying shirts/T shirts for Rs 25. (yes thats true... ) for that's all they cost.And therefore being able to have a great wardrobe for college.

Eating a whole Hot Chocolate fudge at Nirulas and loving it.
So what if one was groaning with a stomach ache, one hour later,(the result of sheer greed...)

More musings follow...in my next blog entry

Indian students abroad-Forced to deal/cope with 'Racism'

28th May 09-25 year old Baljinder Singh pleads for life, but is mocked by his attackers, in Melbourne..

As a result, they spare his life but stab him repeatedly, leaving him bleeding.....until someone finally managed to rush him to hospital.From where the world gets to see images of him in his hospital bed, bandaged....

Looking sad, wistful,confused. Possibly wondering what went wrong?

9th May, again in Australia -Sourabh Sharma is brutally beaten up in a train - can we call it an 'opportunistic crime' or was he too a victim of racial hatred?

More such incidents can easaily come to mind, we only have to delve a little deeper.

For we all know /know of someone who's been somewhere there...

Our own daughter Neha.... who has been studying in the UK for the last three years has a couple of incidents to tell us about.

While about to cross a red light in Nottingham, she pressed that particular button which would bring traffic to a halt so that pedestrians could then walk on.

Just as she did so, a middle aged British lady, leaned out of her vehicle and told her off. "You silly Paki, don't you see that I wanted to go past..."

The second one was even more hurtful.For she was out on a Charity drive collecting funds for cancer research and treatments, for residents of the UK.

In one of the towns they stopped, (possibly Leeds), a group of these young men and women were moving around the town square, managing to collect whatever came their way.

Neha by nature, is an active enthusiastic person, and it shows in everything that she does.So while her collection was going very well, it all changed as she approached two old women seated on a bench.

The answer that she got from them was as sad as it was stupid, "There's no way that we would give any money to the likes of you.....!!!??"

The way she puts it.... It dampened her natural enthusiasm for all of five minutes, by which time a close friend of hers came and stood by her side.Which surprised those women, for he too was "one of them"

And together they they moved on and away.Away from those foolish women living in their goldfish bowls.Who possibly dont even know that there is another---whole wide world that exists out there.

But the thought that niggles at me.From the day that she told me of these incidents.

It is probably the children of such parents who are out to hate, stab and maim our children, and their friends.

Ever thought of what happens next?

Say you go to a lovely buffet lunch or a dinner.

Where the table is groaning with a delightful spread,

And you love the look of it all.

But even more, you love the taste of it all..

So you do, what most of us would naturally do in such circumstances.

Eat just a a little bit/or possibly, a lot more than you would normally.

Which is fine, because it really is...an exception.

But have you ever thought of what happens to all that lovely looking and tasting food after that?

Well this is what I learnt today, and it really made me wake up.

To a new reality.... one that I wasn't aware of earlier.

Here in Oman, we have very strict food and hygiene regulations.

Because food standards of freshness, cleanliness etc are very carefully monitored by the concerned authorities.

So that all the food after an event, ( particularly all non veg items) are just put into big black garbage bags.And binned/trashed/thrown away.

Making me wonder, is that sometimes too much of a good thing?

Or then, how many hungry people all over the world, could fill their stomachs and get a peaceful night's sleep?

Questions, questions, questions,

With few, if any answers