Ganges River and The Velvet Underground

The Ganges is much more that a river.............it has an exalted position in the Indian ethos..........

The Ganges has long been held as a spiritual icon.........it is believed that the Ganges was formed when GANGA was sent down to earth to cleanse the souls of the 60,000 sons of King Sagara......Sagara's son's were killed by a sage from the "nether world" named Kapila......Kapila was disturbed by the son's while he was meditating........and when he opened his eyes, all of Sagara's son's were instantly burned to death.



The Ganges still serves the purpose today as it was intended to centuries ago.........it is used from birth to death in the live of those in India......

The song below does a fine job of capturing the essence of the Ganges...I remain fascinated by the river myself..........how it draws millions of people to it's banks and into its gentle current........it is much more than a river.....it is much more than meets the eye......it is hope.........it brings purpose to one's life......it is sacred.......




TEACH THE GIFTED CHILDREN

Teach the gifted children
teach them to have mercy
Teach them about sunsets
teach them about moonrise
Teach them about anger
the sin that comes with dawning
Teach them about flowers
the beauty of forgetfulness
Then take me to the river (take me to the river)
and put me in the water (and put me in the water)
Bless them and forgive them (take me to the river)
father cause they just don't know (take me to the river)
All the gifted children
Teach the gifted children
the way of men and animals
Teach them about cities
the history of the mysteries
Their vice and their virtues
about branches that blow in the wind
On the wages of their sins
teach them of forgiveness
teach them about mercy
Teach them about music
and the cool and cleansing waters
What do they say, take me to the river (take me to the river)
take me to the river (take me to the river)
Put me in the water (take me to the river)
and teach the gifted children (take me to the river)
All the gifted children (take me to the river)
(Take me to the river)
(Take me to the river)

Lyrics by Lou Reed

Hinglish..........and a fitting poem by Lord Cromer!

My understanding of Hindi is getting better after living in the country for a little over a year and a half............I am finding that in more and more business meetings that I can pick up words and phrases much more than I could when I first arrived.......but other than a few of the phrases that I have memorized, I cannot speak Hindi at all.

I have shared some "unique" signs that I have seen throughout the country, and here are a few more for you to enjoy.......along with a fitting poem that illustrates that English can sometimes be a difficult language to learn........for several reasons.

OUR STRANGE LINGO

When the English tongue we speak.
Why is break not rhymed with freak?
Will you tell me why it's true
We say sew but likewise few?
And the maker of the verse,
Cannot rhyme his horse with worse?
Beard is not the same as heard
Cord is different from word.



Cow is cow but low is low
Shoe is never rhymed with foe.
Think of hose, dose,and lose
And think of goose and yet with choose
Think of comb, tomb and bomb,
Doll and roll or home and some.
Since pay is rhymed with say
Why not paid with said I pray?



Think of blood, food and good.
Mould is not pronounced like could.
Wherefore done, but gone and lone -
Is there any reason known?
To sum up all, it seems to me
Sound and letters don't agree.



This was written by Lord Cromer, published in the Spectator of August 9th, 1902
and extracts were quoted in an SSS pamphlet in 1930.

King for a day!

Well I don't really consider myself to be "royalty"..........but being on the river, fly fishing with Preston........was just what was needed at the end of a very busy month.


The Kosi River - See the elephant crossing in the distance?

While I was back in the US, Parker and I and my mom drove from New Orleans to Gonzales,a town just outside of Baton Rouge, La (for all of you that are not familiar with the US) to Cabella's Sporting Goods.........and I purchased two new fly fishing rods and reels.........the rods needed to break into four pieces each to fit in the suitcase..........the ones we had at home were three piece rods and they were too long.......



I didn't grow up fishing in a moving river..........with crystal clear water......growing up in south Louisiana, the water is typically dark.....or salty.....nor did I grow up fly fishing.......that didn't happen until I was 40 I think......



Fly fishing, for those who have never ventured to try is truly an art.......and I am no artist by far....self taught and still am amateur at best......but I love the challenge of outwitting an animal that at times, despite the small size of it's brain, is smart enough not to be fooled by whatever is being offered on the other end of the line.



While I do not have a picture of the Mahseer that I caught, I will never forget the experience.......it was the first time that I have ever caught a fish......on the fly, in a river similar to the trout streams and rivers that exist in the northwest United States.....



Words simply cannot describe the feeling of standing in a stream........water rushing over the small boulders.......the sounds of the rapids.........the pressure of the force of the water on your legs.......the coolness.......watching the surface for signs of fish feeding........a fin breaking the surface.......ripples in a calm pool formed by an eddy...........and trying to place an artificial fly, the size of ....well a "real" fly.....and just as light......in just the right place......in just the right manner.......



I must have made a hundred such casts until I felt that familiar tug and I saw that Golden Mahseer shooting like a rocket across the tops of rocks......my pole bent in that all familiar arc.....doing my best to keep my line tight while I fought the weight of the fish and the force of the current......



What size.......I would guess around 2.5 - 3kg......5 lbs......nice fish...felt like he was 15 lbs fighting against the rapids......

My day on the Kosi.......will long be remembered.....it was a great day.....

While I do not have a picture of the fish I caught.......I had witnesses........but what about Preston.........he too landed a beautiful Golden Mahseer.....he just didn't make much of a scene to announce his catch......



Linda claims that anyone downstream knows that I caught a fish..........I was yelling for Preston, who was about 300 yards downstream.......but he couldn't hear me over the sound of the rushing water........Linda was about 100 yards further downstream..........on the deck above the river and behind the hotel, watching us......and heard every word...



Catching that fish.......and fishing alongside Preston....... made me feel like the River King!

Enjoy the pictures!

Here Kitty, Kitty.............our Jeep Safari - Corbett National Park

When we checked in at the hotel we were staying at.......we were assigned a "naturalist" to assist us with planning our nature based activities......fishing, fishing........more fishing......oh....and our second attempt to view an elusive Bengal Tiger in the sanctuary known as Corbett National Park. Preston and I decided to fish Friday afternoon just behind the hotel, which overlooks the Kosi River.....which was arranged by our "naturalist"....for a fee of course. More on that story later.....at dinner that evening, he came to our table and stated that the "permits have been arranged, but could we meet at 6:00am at the Main Building and use your car to go to the permit station?" Sure thing......I replied while thinking......."you are cutting into my time on the river fishing.....buddy"!

Obtaining permits is not an easy thing......trying to see a tiger is almost as bad as trying to obtain a one year Visa to live and work in India. If you are a "foreigner" you are required to bring your passports, fill out two forms in triplicate.......pay your money and hope that your "connection" gets your permits to enter the park. PASSPORTS....to enter a Park????? Now the fun begins!

At 5:30am I am typically bright eyed and bushy tailed......but not this morning.....the cold refreshing beer we had on the deck overlooking the Kosi after fishing all afternoon hit the spot....I lost count (it was happy hour).......and the ones at dinner, they were good too!....I was thirsty.......I wasn't hung over......just not as "quick and sharp" as usual.

Here is a condensed version of the conversation that Linda and I had.

Me: "Where are the Passports and money"
Linda: "In the safe.....the code is _ _ _ _"
Me:"OK"....beep, beep, beep, beep (pressing the buttons)
Me: "S_ _T! Mother of God" "Son of a Biscuit Eater" (you get the idea)
Linda: "What happened?"
Me: "Nothing"...."S_ _T!" "Stupid S__T"
Linda: Now Up out of bed....."What?"
Me: "My finger hit the wrong button and I hit the # button and reset the damn combination on the safe and their is still things inside"

I wasn't worried about getting everything out......being in the business I know that these electronic safes have a backup plan for STUPID GUESTS LIKE ME!....I was just thinking about my fishing and my pending appointment to obtain these BUREAUCRATIC PERMITS to enter the park......which I was now running late for.

I met "Dev", our naturalist....not at 6:00am as he asked, but at 6:15...and off to the Permit Office we went.....me driving! The Permit Office is in a typical Indian Governmental building (old and in need of maintenance, cleaning and repairs)inside it was the India version of stock trading on the floor of Wall Street. Men were in the middle of the room trying to get the attention of the one man in charge of issuing the limited number of permits available each day......they are holding up sheets of paper......yelling out in Hindi......"Panch" "Char" "Do" (4, 5 and 2) in Hindi.....Luckily for us, we stayed at a hotel that has "connections".

Not what I needed at 6:30am........but I endured.

We were scheduled for a 3:00pm Jeep Safari....

Even though the beautiful Bengal Tigers eluded us again........we saw some very neat things.

The park is also home to many wonderful species of deer......





We spent a great deal of time watching one of the wild Asian Elephants graze.....and we were quite close to that action.







And not to be disappointed, on the way out of the park and at the tail end of our journey, we were able to spot a Peacock.......who fanned out his feathers for us......it was the first time, outside of witnessing it at a zoo that we witnessed such a thing........very cool.







Enjoy the pictures!

April was a Blur!

Admiring The Rocky Mountains somewhere over Colorado


Where to begin............?

April was a blur........fast paced, hectic, Delhi to Paris, Paris to Los Angeles, LA to New Orleans..........volcanic ash........New Orleans to San Francisco.....Frisco to Hong Kong.........Hong Kong to Delhi........Delhi to Jaipur......Jaipur to Delhi.......a much needed getaway.......some fly-fishing........a jeep safari.....and while there was certainly some time that I could have used to jot down a few thoughts.........I just wasn't motivated.

Here are some highlights:


Beverly Hills Palms

It was good to get back to the USA for a short time.......the first thing I did when I reached LA was to seek directions to IN & OUT BURGER.......it has been over 2 years since I had a hamburger from IN & OUT........Hollywood.......Palm Trees, Beverly Hills, Bugati's and up close and personal with a legend!


A Legendary Moment - Not bad for Wax!

Why L.A.? Annual company conference.......it was exciting as usual, and India and the efforts of my team were showcased quite a bit......it was great to see friends and colleagues.


My Rental Car

From L.A. to La.........yes......New Orleans........the land of jazz, crawdad's, po-boys,April Azalea's....and even though the city never stops.......I could not fit in everything that I wanted to do or eat everywhere I wanted to eat!


Springtime in the Southern USA

I did have the chance to spend some quality time with Parker..........almost 21....well, not almost, I think he has about 7 month to go......but I stretched his legal age limit and on one of those nice hot New Orleans nights and we found an Irish Pub serving some very nice cold beer and we sat down and caught up on life.


Future Base Camp

Of course, it was great to see my mom as well.........always making sure that everyone did not go hungry.......we spent a few days driving across the lake from New Orleans to see the house that my sister and brother-in-law are building in Abita Springs......gorgeous......and it means that my mom will be moving in with them sometime this summer when the house is complete. Exciting times for her........for everyone actually......and what a fantastic house. It will more than likely serve as "base camp" for us when we return to the US on trips to visit from India.


Inside Base Camp

My sister and brother-in-law.........my neice........nephew........and the latest addition to the family......Baby Claire......


Baby Claire

and then.........the PAIN IN THE ASH.........Eyjafjallajokull........yes the ASH spewing pain in the REAR END that caused so much chaos.....this was the most aggravating part of the journey to the States.....for those of you who feel that being an international traveler is full of glitz and glamour, I just feel the need to share with you some of the frustrations and challenges you feel when something goes wrong.


Pain in the ASH

AIRLINES - My flight back to India was scheduled to leave from Houston on Sunday April 18th, at 4:30pm........scheduled to land in Paris on Monday morning at 8:30am.....the airport was officially closed until 8:00am.........this gave me a 30 minute window of hope......Until the airline cancels your flight, you cannot make alternative arrangements.....the website for Air France was giving updates on the status of flights and the airport closure, but for two days it had not changed....my 30 minute window was holding. Parker and I were to leave Saturday for Houston, but opted to stay until Sunday, as I did not want to be stuck in Houston when I could be spending more time with my family....our decision to leave early Sunday morning turned out to be the right thing.....we set out on our 6 hour journey to Houston, my 30 minute window of hope still part of the latest update......we traveled no more than 40 minutes when I received an email from the airline that my flight was cancelled...the next flight that I could book on Air France to return to India was one week later, as all of those who were previously the victims of cancelled flights, were re-booked on the next available......while I would have enjoyed an extra week in the US.....it just was not feasible....work was calling....well "Screaming" actually......things were piling up and there was just no way I could stay. The 18 hour flight across the Atlantic into Europe was out of the question. The only other option......fly over the Pacific to avoid the ASH CLOUD...after contacting the Travel Agency and making all of the necessary arrangements, I was India bound.....the journey.....almost double the normal time it takes........32 hours of traveling.......19 alone in the plane across the Pacific from San Francisco to Hong Kong......it was the first time I was served Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast all on the same flight! I haven't counted the time zones.....maybe one day I will.


Touching Down in Hong Kong

HONG KONG.....I can now say I was on Chinese soil.......the Hong Kong Airport rivals anything that is in the United States.....simply unbelievable. Very impressive.


Hong Kong Airport - Ceiling

Finally....at 3:00am Wednesday morning....after 32 hours of traveling I was back home in Delhi......and back to work at 3:00pm that afternoon......it took a few days to adjust.

After doing some quick catching up, I finally got to take a break with the family........Preston had a long weekend, so I took the following Friday off and we headed northwest, back to the foothills of the Himalaya's to do some relaxing and relaxing........Preston and I enjoyed our time wading in the rushing waters and quiet pools of the Kosi and Ramganga rivers.......and did our very best to place a fly in front of an eager and hungry Mahseer........the India equivalent to a Louisiana Redfish.

So......while I have had quite a bit going on...........and after a long break from writing, I felt that more than enough time has gone by and it is time to bring everyone up to date on the "adventure". Thanks for hanging in .....stay tuned....more to come!