A typical week at London

A typical week at London

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Three days a week,
I am running,
And always on my feet.

I bow down to tax,
Even forgetting to relax.
Then comes Thursday, with the spirit to yell,
A time to gel.

Fooseball intermittently,
And Passfield dinner reluctantly,
I pass the week off,
In a quandary.

Devoted to those ten minutes which made be wonder what I do in a typical week. I know it does not sound too rhythmical, but then reflects the actual and truer than true state-of-affairs.

Dear old Passfield !!!

Waking in central London,
Within the Tavistock dungeon,
Stands one not-so prominent
Endsleigh Extension.

Hidden yet awake,
Passfielders work in their mansion
Accommodating every dimension,
Sweeping all tension.

There I reside,
In its confines,
Wishing to subside,
In its indomitable ravines.

Visualization there being enormous,
I fathom fully conscious,
Discussing full throttle,
In essence the non-obvious.

Then the Passfield Bar
And the fooseball gang-war;
All of it adds to the passion
To live here mere yaar.

Dedicated to my fellow Passfielders ...

London Random in Camera

The proud hallmark of London, Big Ben.

The guardian of the times.

Adjoining the Victoria Memorial

On way to the Parliament. I really like the later part of the inscription.

Victoria Memorial

Buckingham Palace itself

At the Buckingham Palace

A view of Green Park

On way to Greenwich

Central London, Holborn

London - Delhi: Visualizations

Christmas break and rush on air-ports are complimentary. So was the case this time as well. Even though the Christmas break has still technically not started, the rush has crippled the air port service. Heathrow being the busiest (though it does not have any bearing on the quality of service offered) was no different. This Virgin Atlantic plane is just waiting its turn at one of the 55 gates at Terminal 3 of the Heathrow, of course all flooded and occupied by a sea of humanity, waiting for their turns to fly back home in the company of their near and dear ones. [And as for a photograph, I could not take one because of the 'privacy' issues.]

But then this is just the tip of the ice-burg. The real rush was at the check-in counters where the queues were huge, man-power insufficient and perspiration levels running high (even with temperatures as low as 2 degrees), personal space decreasing (with people crumbling and huddling to make space for more people) and what not.

Having underwent the shady part, it was time for some relaxation and energy-boosting. Nothing better than a hazelnut hot chocolate at Star Bucks. Tasty and refreshing. Worth the 3.25 pounds spent. Free for two hours (thought better to reach early than miss the flight), it was time for a fun ride at the tax free shops. Starting from (couldn't have been better) the Victoria's Secret perfume collection (really I don't recall what they call it as) was like a trip to paradise. One (or may be two) of my senses were having a good time to pass though the display racks and sales representatives.

Then through the chocolate store, thinking if people ever wondered how many brands were there really, leading to the London toy and gift shop. Beautiful collector's editions up for sale but with exorbitant price tags. Could have bought them cheaper on Oxford Street (am really addicted to that place now). And then the homely Boots, leading to the CD shop. Displaying the latest DVDs, Bourne Ultimatum (I think only because it was shot at the Waterloo Station, UK) and cosmic gadgets, really a paradise for a geek.

Walking amidst the European fantasy and treats; wines and spirits were the special-of-the-day. Offering amazing Christmas discount (really just a reason to buy, not the cause) and glittering gift-wrappers, promising another festive season ahead. But in all, a nice lights-and-sounds show.

And then finally the boarding call and ahead to my flight. Two hours walking already, it took another half an hour to gate 42 (woefully at the rear end of my terminal but unfortunately the one where my flight was scheduled for). Another sea of humanity; all boarding at the same time for Toronto, Abu Dhabi, New Delhi and Auckland at parallel gates.

Ten hours of continuous flight (thanks to the Air India flight ahead whose pilot could not trace the run-way and delayed us by an hour) led us to the 'under renovation' IG Airport; seriously, a domestic one could have looked better. No ceilings, bare walls, stinking walk-aways, and seriously dis-proportionate allocation of man-power. More people at work then work and passengers combined. And then the conveyor-belts not running or running without informing the 'May I help you desk'. A chaotic landing indeed. Thanks to the green channel, didn't take long to come out. But overall a forgettable experience.

Finally, back to the same old dust-covered roads, honking cars (cannot recall when was the last time I heard a horn in London) erratic drivers and the same wonder-that-works environment. Really I love my country.

Perspectives at Thames

A random stroll across the embankment, gust of chilly wind, freezing waters, steaming ferries, faces representing various races, a culmination of world cultures really. Thames really has a lot to provide in terms of ideas and inspirations. No wonder these people (ofcourse its only the British who claim such) claim that London is THE center-point, the place marking the start of world civilization. They have gone so much so that they have got this claim included in United Nations Charter and [Article 38] of the Statute of the International Court of Justice enunciates this claim of 'civilized nations'.

So much for the claim-blame part. What I really bring to you is Thames. Not a very clean river (even at times Ganga may be cleaner), nor a huge one. Flows steady and calm, never uprising or tidal. River-Waters-trade perhaps seem to have started from here. But gives you a good background material to work on, no matter which stream of art you represent. As a painter, you have countless opportunities to take your call of the subject-matter you want to cover; As a dramatist you have the world at your disposal, you thing of a country and you will find a representative sample of inhabitants from there (no wonder Shakespeare go so much success here).

And then comes the lesser-mortals like me, who just go for a walk along-side the Thames. Neither to draw any inspiration nor for any soul searching. Killing time probably (who so ever invented that phrase, really required appreciation for the good words), or may be even to see the fairer skin (someone will kill me for that), may be to qualify as an adventurer (not being much of a bungee jumper) or just for the hake of telling people back home that I am standing in the heart of London, the heart of British empire, if empire it is.

The river-cruises would hurt your pockets and so would London-eye. So a walk down the Westminster Bridge or the Waterloo would remind you which strata of income you belong to (ya with Porsche, Ferrari etc. passing by, not to mention the lower segment Mercedes, Audi, Renault passing by, though sometimes I really wonder are they really in lower segment???). They would also remind you of the old times and memories these bridges share. After standing for three hundred years is really an achievement by itself.

Then if you want to explore modern London but are still fascinated by Thames, try the Blackfriar, or the London Bridge. You will find the same water underneath but in between the modern-architecture-designed-steel-bridge will fill in some reflections of the changing times and cultures. A further trip down east leads you to Dock-land-yards, really an nice place for curious onlookers and those interested in examining geological changes.

Then you start getting tired and so head to a coffeehouse (and remember not a 'cafe') where a sip of hot chocolate or the stronger hot-shot refreshes you to carry on the adventure again, but this time returning back, looking back at the Tower bridge and remembering of Queen's jewels and the Kohinoor.

The sun has suddenly hidden himself amongst the passing clouds and you find another chilly gust whistling past your over-coat, which is suddenly insufficient to cover you all up against the pressing winter. But then your adventure spirit challenges you and you pace ever faster against the cold wind, hands freezing and teeth chattering, eyes watering and body shivering. ...

London: The sea of humanity

Well well well. The London School of Economics alone has a student population hailing from 156 countries, what to speak of London itself. One of the few cities which have witnessed the dark ages, renaissance and are still contemporary in this modern world, London is arguably a pivotal center of economic and political organization, shaping the present and the future of the world today.

And why shouldn't it be so? It carries with it people from all generations, backgrounds, cultures and traditions, bringing with them the virtues and vices from the world over. I call this 'the sea of humanity'.

No matter where you are; peering from the Holborn Station in Central London; being at the eastern end at Heathrow; the so-called Indian town Southall in the west; you will always wonder as to where do all these people come from??? Its a question better not answered for it leads to many other perplexing questions. And if you are and Englishman, then even to frowns and anger, from being perpetually turned into a minority, both ethnic and cultural, in your own backyard.

It seems it is the outcome of the 400 years of one way transmission, which the United Kingdom has been instrumental at, that it has come to be occupied by the so-called 'outsiders'. Having sown the seeds of the English culture and mannerisms across the globe, those who have had been recipients of these imparted lessons, have come to plague this country and particularly London in the last 50 years, and the numbers are continuously rising.

But don't forget here that the sea of humanity refers to much more. It symbolizes the epitome of a cultural bridge that people are constantly crossing. The inter-mingling of sorts, the march towards cross-culturalization, and giving the world a message of the future. It gives a peep into the times to come, a time when cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, geographical and national differences of the inhabitants would be so inter-merged that there will be just one race, the world race. No black, No white, No Asian, No African, No American and No ... . Just one class of people everywhere.

The march to it is already on. The European movement to consolidation, the US attempt to take together its North American counter-parts, the South American organization of sorts, the Asian culmination etc. though all having a common-point of trade interests in them, are potent indicators to where the march is marching towards. A harmonization at a continental level, which will undoubtedly lead to one at the world level.

So this sea of humanity has a message for us; forget the prejudices, join hands towards making the world a better place to be in. Lead the march to a civilization which has no essential traits but one, respect for mankind and tolerance for others. So let us march in our quest for "making this world a better place to live in".

Yesterday I was reading the London Paper (yes, the free tabloid one) where I found a column titled "The Columnist" the purpose of which is to invite people generally to write about anything on earth that they feel others should read and know about. The idea is win-win situation for both the writer and the newspaper; the writer is happy to find a place where the world can read his thoughts and the paper is overjoyed since the contents can be published for free.

I thought I could borrow the idea for this site. However since I am not a newspaper and therefore not a very prominent one, I would instead begin with writing for myself and thereon will invite friends and people I know to write for us all: Sharing knowledge for the mankind.

With this game plan I am beginning to write this blog.

(8th November, 2007)