Bax to school

there is a lot of chatter these days about “back to school” in those economies where schools and other institutions of learning function normally. the august-september period usually sees the advanced economies starting the academic season. other economies start the season with the onset of the monsoon.

today (3^rd september) is a particularly significant day for me. for it was on this day a few years back that i went back to school. business school, to be precise. in one of the most storied cities of the planet. whose name originates from the old roman word for swamp (how ungodly!). called lutetia at one time, and lately, well, since the 9^th or the 10^th century ad -…paris.

this day is also the anniversary of the day when the world was plunged into the deadliest conflict it had witnessed till then. but that’s for the historians.

my descent into france was not entirely planned. like most indian children of my vintage, i had harboured the desire of studying and living abroad. but the question was, “where?” let’s face it – it’s a big planet, there are over 200 countries on it (ok, not every country welcomes foreign students, or is suitable for such an endeavour), and it wasn’t easy for a lad with limited means, fiscal and intellectual, to just pack a bag and go west. besides, my interest in marketing and communications was no guarantee of untold riches in the future; unlike finance, law, tech, or astrology.

like most good things that have happened in my life, the decision to go to france was crystallised in quite an unexpected manner. over a cup of tea with a french rugby player in mumbai (formerly known as bombay), if you must know. this gent was the regional representative of a french bank in the dear city, and i was a lowly wage slave in his office. learning the ropes of commerce as a trainee something-or-the-other (any similarities to mike and psmith are the result of a fevered imagination).

this gentleman was the product of one of the best grandes écoles de commerce (business school for the anglo-saxons) in france. he suggested i try for one of those schools. so i did a bit of research (a major task when one had to rely on real intelligence), and zeroed in on ESCP Business School. the world’s oldest business school, which offered the Master’s I wanted.

it's not an easy place to get admitted to. but surprisingly for such a venerable institution, and french to boot, it processed my admission at a speed one did not usually associate with that country. i was processed and pronounced ready for admission in six weeks. the chest puffed out for much longer than that.

at the beginning of fall, i flew northwest (ever geographically challenged, west was not my direction) and landed in france in a german aircraft on the 1st day of september. and entered the portals of the school on 3^rd september.

france was not really on the radar of indian students at that time for business studies those days. the flow was more for language, literature and theoretical science streams. in fact, i was the first indian to be admitted to ESCP. so when i entered the classroom on the first day, i was about as familiar to my classmates as a mango in a baguette.

but there was a "social ecosystem" in place for indian students in the city - housing in the maison de l'inde, the occasional cricket in the bois de boulogne, plenty of friends and fellow countrymen – which took care of the leisure hours.

the academic system was an altogether different story. for a lad used to leisurely readings of economic theory and french poetry, the weekly surprise tests, live case studies with real brands after a 2-hour lunch with a charming bordeaux, and the realisation that although i had spent nearly 10 years soaking up the language, its literature and way of life, i couldn’t understand a word of french for the first week, made me doubt the wisdom of my decision for a few days.

but one thought kept me going. the memory of my parents at the airport seeing me off.

the trip to the airport was a subtle signal to the world that the child was off to do the family proud. my father was not known for expressing emotion of any kind, and he probably produced a grimace-trying-to-be-a-smile under a force-majeure clause (he was a lawyer...). but it was brighter than the lights of the eiffel tower for me. my mother was content to bask in the knowledge that the boy was out of her hair for the foreseeable future.

though my expression in the photo does indicate a slight FOTU (fear of the unknown), the warmth and camaraderie of my classmates, professors, and every person i met in paris helped me overcome this in a matter of days. i also finally understood french as she is spoken.

Raksha Bandhan. A bro's POV

 

raksha bandhan (protection money in today’s jargon) is a uniquely indian tradition. like slurping tea from a saucer. or trying to match your maternal grandmom’s younger brother’s daughter’s class mate to your paternal uncle’s elder sister’s boss’s brother’s son. it is colourful, loud, confusing, and creates a wave of emotion that only a brother separated from his sister will understand.

the theory is that the sister prays for the well-being of the brother, the bro agrees to protect the sister from all kinds of bad stuff (including pink cotton candy) and hands over a gift in cash or kind. or bitcoin.

the festival in its current form is more folk culture than dictated by scripture (no, it is not a mafia tradition either). it is celebrated on the last day of the shravana month in india. bang in the middle of the monsoon. so not only is the hapless bro separated from hard-earned dinero under the guise of sibling affection, he might have to wade through inches of water to reach his sister’s demesne. especially if the sister resides in the boondocks.

i have two unique lenses on this festival. my father was one of eight brothers and in the middle was a sister, one. so naturally, my aunt raked in the stuff by the sackful. on the distaff side, my mother is one of six sisters and one brother. my uncle was empty of wallet by the time the festival trundled to an end. with no appetite for the sweets pressed upon him by the squadron of sisters.

i myself have two sisters. and a platoon of what we natives call cousin sisters (did i see the english purist wince?). but they are all my sisters. without prefixes or suffixes. and they all build the conviction that keeps me going. for that, thanking you kindly.

with the passage of time, the advent of air travel, and that quaint tradition called marriage, siblings moved away from each other. in-person engagement was not always possible. letters, phone calls, and latterly zoom calls did help to bridge the distance somewhat. but ‘twas not the same. the twinkle in the sister’s eye (not to be mistaken for a gleam at imminent riches), the bro’s sidelong glance at the tray of sweets (diminishing due to rising sugar levels as the years went by) and the whack of the sister’s palms on the bro’s back as he bent in obeisance – none of these could be replicated on a screen. even with surround sound.

be that as it may. things are as they are. not as they should be. so on this raksha bandhan day, to all my sisters – long may you live, with health, wealth, and stealth your forever companions. we bros are ordained to be at your command.

just don't keep the sweets at harm’s length.

 

the doors (with apologies to jim morrison, of whose existence i was unaware till early adulthood)

 

i was born and formed in the verdant bylanes of shivaji park in mumbai. where every street was a path to glory (with apologies to jeff a). shivaji park is just aft of the suburban border. so i am legitimately a townie. there are multiple types of townies, but that’s another blog.

shivaji park couldn’t decide whether it was utterly middle class, or middle class going on slightly upper middle class. “go west, young man” was the mantra in my knicker days, when every young person in the forementioned by lanes was expected to fly off towards the sun, not unlike icarus. that flight was expected to deposit the young, just-out-of-college person into the acme of academe, aka america. no one worth his or her salt (forgive me, but i can’t handle pronouns) thought of any other life choice.

in my street, every building had at least one person spending in dollars. they were all gifted with bulging foreheads, laser focus, and a burning desire to shorten their names from makarand to mak, or mark. the makarands made their mark with degrees that had more alphabets than meta. then, got into that safest of professions – tenured professorships – and proceeded to scrape off everything remotely shivaji park from their skin and soul.

unlike most houses around the park, our house was a tiny one room + kitchen. what is called a “studio” in today’s real estate patois. it was to port of the building entrance and faced the stern of the building opposite us. not quite a view, but then who wanted a view when shivaji park in all its glory was just abaft the building wall.

this space was where my parents made a home for their 3 children. and any number of family who visited, from places near and far. it was bright, resonated with laughter, bulged to breaking point with books, redolent with the smell of good food for which my mother was known.

from this house, my parents got their children educated, and encouraged me to dream beyond the three steps leading into the family room. being directionally challenged, i decided to go northwest instead of west. to france. and from france on a journey that took me to 12 countries and a life and career that has had many highlights (yet another blog).

in the early years of the 21^st century, the parentage and baggage including their last-born moved to a bigger house. in the ‘burbs of Mumbai. across the rubicon, verily. the house was three times the size of the shivaji park house. my parents had their own bedroom. and didn’t have to share the bathroom with the neighbours. this house is a testament to their quiet desire and tenacity to do better with the cards they were dealt with.

i left the shivaji park house. but the “studio” architecture didn’t leave me. by default or divine design, i ended up living in studio sized apartments wherever I dropped anchor. i only coped because the mind had been broadened by vilayet.

a score and two years after I left the shivaji park house, i went back. the house is empty, its walls tired and cracked with age. the entire building looks like methuselah on his last legs.

i felt as empty as the house. nothing stirred inside, nothing choked me up. what I did feel was wonder that the parentage and siblings made this somewhat grotty space sparkling and vibrant. and how all of us dared to dream and made those dreams come true.

it’s never the size of the house. it’s the size of the dreams you carry out of it.

Foreign countries can be closer than you think!

A food vlog on Bhutan brought back memories of my first trip abroad.

I was a wee stripling in shorts, oversized glasses, and a pronounced bias towards food, and lots of it. I didn't tip the scales as much as inflicted grievous bodily harm on them.

The father figure decided to celebrate my "coming of age" - I turned 12 that year - by sending me as far away as it was possible in those days. His younger brother, aka my uncle, was planning a family trip to the east of the dear country. I was added as supernumerary, one.

The uncle was a larger than life figure for us striplings. He had a tremendous sense of humour, ran the largest dairy brand in the country, and had an appetite for life that to me was the next best thing after daal and rice. A trip with him and family, which included my aunt (naturally) and 2 siblings in a similar age bracket to mine, sounded about right to a lad whose longest trip had been to the other end of Jamnagar.

Most of the itinerary was a secret - hushed discussions between the adults, furtive glances at paper tickets, and so on - but it was made known that the first leg would cover Calcutta and North Bengal.

The flight from Bombay to Calcutta was cancelled - a rather ominous start to a holiday über alles! The replacement flight was delayed repeatedly, and we finally landed in Calcutta at midnight.

The flight had several firsts - my first airplane trip, my first glimpse of the departure side of an airport, my first wide-eyed stare at an airhostess, my first airline meal (I asked the airhostess if I could have a second one, setting the tone for many such negotiations in the future), and my first experience of air turbulence. Not something I recommend on a full stomach.

It was also the farthest east I had travelled - Santacruz East having been the most I had travelled eastwards till then.

After a week of decadent travel, food, and sightseeing across Calcutta, Siliguri, Kalimpong and Darjeeling, the uncle called for a Round Table. In grave tones, and a look to match, he announced that the morrow would bring forth an experience that would enrich our young, growing minds no end. We were going to a foreign country!

Being a geeky sort of lad, with an inordinate interest in collecting bits and pieces of random information (continues to this day), I knew that going to a foreign country required a passport! Which I didn't have. The fear of abandonment immediately raised its head - did the others have passports? Would I be left behind? Should I have made a will, leaving all I possessed (particularly my spectacles, of whom I was very fond) to charity? My aunt shushed me, and said "We don't need a passport where we are going". My natural and sometimes pesky curiosity egged me on to ask about our destination, and the uncle said "We are going to...Bhutan!"

The next day we drove from Siliguri to the border of India and Bhutan. A lump formed in my throat at this imminent departure from the country of my birth. Even if it was only for two days. Would I return a changed lad? Would I develop a worldview? And most importantly, would I develop an accent?

The "border" wasn't there.

We just continued driving without being stopped by fierce-looking soldiers bristling with weaponry. There was nothing but a goat chewing placidly on some old trousers. The only indication that we were in a different country was a milestone that read "Phuntsholing - 30 kms".

Bhutan. Exotic. Closed to the world for the longest time. Pristine. Untouched by tourists. But open to Indians. Without passports. Just come in. Tashi Delek!

My first foreign crossing felt more like crossing the road to go to my library than a Vasco da Gama-esque voyage across heaving seas, facing strong winds and unknown dangers.

I do not remember much of that trip but I do recall the hotel we stayed in was called "Tashi Delek", and that I had a stomach upset from a surfeit of lychees. Love the stuff!

I did not develop an accent. I did develop a respect for hill people, and a love for Calcutta that continues to this day.

I crossed many borders in later years, in "developed economies" (Europe) and "growth economies" (sub-Saharan Africa). All were road borders. But the contrast was as startling as night and day. Borders in Europe are nothing more than a truck-stop or a pretty hedge. Just miles and miles of roads, with no sign of any outpost or border control. The only true borders, where documentation is demanded and scrutinized with the zeal of the truly converted, are at airports.

Road borders in sub-Saharan Africa are a seething mass of humanity - vendors of curiously shaped food rubbing shoulders with soldiers brandishing full armories. Crossing one of these borders demanded presence of mind, several packets of cigarettes as facilitators, and the patience to negotiate passage without parting with several large denomination bills.

Over time, my view of border crossings changed.

At twelve the thought of a border crossing was hair-raisingly exciting.

In adulthood, it's just another man-made inconvenience.

I look forward to a time when crossing a border requires only a return ticket and a promise of good behaviour.

And perhaps a goat placidly chewing on some old trousers.

Happy 70th to the parentage

Three score and 10 years ago today, a shy (I think), docile (I think) and pretty (no doubt at all!) lady entered into holy matrimony with a rather cocky (I am convinced), confident (no doubt there) and darkly handsome (any doubts at all?) gentleman. Eight years after the country gained independence, this couple agreed to give up a measure of their independence to plight their troth and tread the walk of life (no apologies to Mr. Knopfler!) together, hand in  hand.

Over the years that followed, this couple did what married couples usually do. They produced a brace of daughters,  and (rather unexpectedly, at least to the subject himself) a son, the gentleman engaged in a profession that got in the daily bread and eventually allowed him to lead a quiet, peaceful and relatively relaxed retired life. 

They also became proud and happy grandparents, and like all doting grandparents, considered the grandchildren to be better products than the children.

But this was the routine, textbook part. There was a side to this couple that is not always seen in married couples. Something that kept them glued to each other for 63 years of matrimony. And that something was not something that could be defined, articulated or expressed. One had to just...sense it.

That something was the unspoken happiness and comfort of just being together. Of things being done for each other almost automatically because each was so finely tuned to the other. That unspoken sense of knowing if something was right or not right with the other. Even when they argued with each other (have you seen two Scorpios, one a lawyer, the other a proud daughter of a feisty mother, jousting with each other? It's a sight to behold!), they still managed to keep a sense of comradeship.

Their life was not an easy one. The struggles to manage a family on a limited income, managing hereditary and acquired health conditions, the challenges of being part of extended families on both sides, all kept this couple on its toes. Their married home was tiny by any standards, and to fit in 5 people would have been a task to beat Hestia. But they managed. The coped. They not only kept the immediate family happy and well-fed, they opened the house to any number of visitors, domestic and international, and made sure they were well looked after. Mom is an excellent cook, and to her, feeding a brood is the closest to heaven.

They were not give to PDA. In fact, the gentleman asked the son to procure flowers for their 50th wedding anniversary - saying he had work to do! Needless to say, this daft enterprise was nipped in the bud and the matter addressed through some excellent staff work by the son (he called the florist and got him to deliver flowers to the lady as a "surprise by her mate").

But there were moments when their affection for each other shone through loud and clear. And never mind who saw it.

And then one Sunday evening the gentleman decided to shuffle off. Into that other dimension where we all land up eventually. The lady, outwardly a quiet doe, showed her inner steel. She coped. And continued with her routines. The marriage didn't end just because one half went walkabout. The conversations still happen - they're just more muted, more implicit, unspoken whispers under the comforting memories of their times together. 

Happy 70th mom and dad. Marriages are made in heaven. But you made your paradise right here on earth.

No More, No Less

A door opened. A shaft of bright light shone through.

Why hello Pops! What’s up?

Nothing much. Thought I would look in on you. See what you are doing.

Ah. You know how it is. Wondering when the long night will end.

The day follows the night, you know.

Heck, Pops, I didn’t know you followed Dire Straits!

Well, over here you follow a lot of things. I was telling your granddad the other day…

Hey, you met him? That’s cool, Pops! How is he? Did he recognise you?

He’s good. Not aged a day since he came over! And why shouldn’t he recognise me? He sired me after all! I even meet your grandmom every day. She still tends to confuse me with one or the other of your uncles.

Hehe yes I guess so. You all were quite a handful, weren’t you!

ARE a handful, laddie. Things don’t change just because we’re on a different side! But enough about me. Tell me, how are you? Are you still spending money like there’s no tomorrow? When will you learn to save money? Plan for the future?

Pops, the future is as the night. Dark, cold, and bottomless. So, what’s the point of saving money? What’s the point of anything, for that matter?

And that’s where you are wrong. Never thought rationally. God knows how many times I used to tell you to think, ponder, and not just talk. But you didn’t ever listen. And for that matter, what are you doing about your weight? I have told you a thousand times, if not more, that you need to control your weight.

Pops, chill. Relax. I AM looking after myself. And don’t you worry about my weight. Like I used to keep telling you, I have a V-shaped body. Only, it’s an inverted V.

Very funny.

Why Pops! I didn’t you know you had a sense of humour! Developed it over there, did you?

If you only knew, young man! I was known in my circles over there for my wit and humour. Ask your mom and sisters.

Talking of your circle, how are they all? They must have been surprised to see you trundling in!

Umm, not really. As you said in your message that day, the inevitable is well, inevitable. So, the folks over here, with the wisdom granted to them because of their change in status, expected me sooner or later. And well, there I was, one fine evening!

Look Pops, any chance of your coming back? There’s a lot I need to talk to you about. A lot to DO with you! I need you to read my book and tell me if I should continue. I want to….

I haven't gone anywhere. I am still around. Just in a different form. A thought, a memory. No more, no less. And hey, I put that idea of writing in your fat head! So, I obviously want you to continue. At least listen to me now! Instead of being like Balaam’s Ass.

Quit with the classical allusions Pops. Speaking of which, did you meet Plum?

Not yet. It’s too crowded over here, and there’s a long line of people waiting to meet him. But I will meet him eventually. I do have all the time now, you see! Eternity and all that y'know.

Yes, eternity is a rather long time...

Look, I need to go. It’s too hot here. And too noisy. It’s so much better over there, though your uncles could learn to talk a little less loudly. But I suppose it's too late for that! You look after yourself. And everybody at home. Spend more time with everybody. And don’t you worry about me. I will be around. You only have to think of me, and I will be there. In your fat head. And go for walks! Don’t laze around in front of the television.

Right then, Pops. Thanks for dropping by, and for the free advice. Guess some things don’t change, whichever side you may be on! Keep in touch. And hey, wait! The next time round, I want to hear the story of the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar and the Morris Minor...

The light dimmed and disappeared. The door closed.

Quizzes: questionable activity or a quest for answers?

It’s an addiction. Children, teens, young adults, adults. Male, female, cisgender, non-gender, whatever. Everyone can get addicted to it. Because this activity has nothing to do with age, sex, appearance, or socio-economic backgrounds. Success in this activity depends entirely on your ability to recall random information instantly, and the “pre-ability” to absorb and store arbitrary factoids in a dark(ish) recess of your mind.

This addiction is called a Quiz. A four-letter word, which like all four-letter words, promises infinite possibilities. It binds together people from varied backgrounds, walks of life (yes, that’s Knopfler – a quiz question for newbies) and food preferences. All united by the urge to pit their grey cells against a Being – the Quiz Master.

The origins of the activity, and the word itself, are hazy. Surprisingly for the subject matter, no one really knows how the word “quiz” came about, what was the first quiz question (I would have thought “To Be Or Not To Be”, that would be the question), who won the first ever quiz, and so on. One would have imagined that this primordial question would have been answered by the myriad quizzards dotted about the planet. But alas, ‘tis not to be. Theories abound, but no irrefutable sources (the bedrock of any quiz) are available. The mystery is huge, and to delve into the various theories would be the equivalent of several Christie novels. Of course, along the way you might learn the name of the first actor to play Hercule Poirot on television.

Quizzing is a hugely popular British Question. It seems to be most prevalent in the Mother Country and her many ex-colonies. In India (Jewel Of The Crowd, sorry Crown), quizzing is a particularly raucous and heated activity in the eastern and southern parts, though the western part does hold its own! Kolkata especially is a hotbed of questionable activities, with children being taught to read and absorb varied bits of trivia as soon as they can say “Ilish”. The north seems to be stuck on “Who invented Chicken Tikka Masala?” (Disclaimer: this is my perception and is not backed by verifiable facts).

The Brooklyn Eagle Quiz on Current Events (a quiz on an American radio channel started in 1923) is widely considered to be the first ever “quiz show”. This has degenerated into macabre, dystopian shows such as the Spelling Bee (in which young students, usually of South Asian origin, are asked to spell words like Appoggiatura and Smaragdine) and “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" (where answers are exchanged for…money!)

The acme of quizzing as an activity for pure intellectual satisfaction, with no lucre involved, is no doubt Mastermind, aired on the BBC. With its classic line “I’ve started, so I will finish” (inspired no doubt by Nelson just after the first shot at Waterloo), the show is capable of reducing the most erudite contestants to sweaty, blubbery, blobs of unanswered questions. The mother country also has another quiz variable – the Pub Quiz. Burns and Shorter had no idea how wildly successful their idea would become as a marketing strategy when they launched it in 1976. More on this in a later post.

But what is it about quizzing that fascinates people so much? There is no single answer. But to me, quizzing is a lot like life itself. Lots of questions. You know the answers to some questions, you get the answers to some questions from others, and you leave at the end with several questions unanswered.