ideas & universe

India is Fast becoming Asia's Art & Literary Hub by Abhay K

2011-01-30T17:16:00.000+05:30

India is fast becoming Asia's art and literary hub. India Art Summit and Jaipur Literary Festival are two significant art and literary events that took place back to back this January in India's capital Delhi and Jaipur respectively. Jaipur, also known as the Pink City, is located 281 kilometers from the national capital Delhi in the Western India state of Rajasthan. Delhi and Jaipur along with Agra, where the famous Taj Mahal is located, form the Golden Triangle of India's tourist hotspots.

India Art Summit started in 2009 while Jaipur Literary Festival started in 2006. Since then both the events have been gaining wide popularity in India and abroad. These are two pan-Indian events that bring together art collectors, artists, curators, art-critics, publishers, writers, poets, book-lovers from all over India with many foreign visitors.

This year India Art Summit showcased works of 84 galleries from India and abroad (from 20 countries) under 8,500 square feet of space at New Delhi's premier exhibition space Pragati Maidan from January 21-23. The event had additional attractions such as Sculpture's Park and special Video Lounge besides the exhibition space.

The first India Art Summit attracted 10,000 visitors and this time the event witnessed a much higher turnout.

Jaipur Literary Festival, proclaimed to be Asia-Pacific's largest literary event, ran for five days long at the 19th century mansion Diggi Palace, beginning January 21st. Many luminaries of the literary world were present at the event. Nobel Laureates in Literature Orhan Pamuk & J.M. Coetzee were a great attraction, as were the icons of the Indian film industry Gulzar & Javed Akhtar, Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, and great literary figures such as Vikram Seth, Ian McEwan among others. The event drew a large crowd of literature lovers.

India is fast becoming the publishing hub of the world with many large publishing houses such as Cambridge University Press, Random House and others setting up their offices in India.

India's burgeoning art market has led to the foundation of an Indian online auction house Saffronart in 2000 on the lines of Sotheby and Christie.

India's art and literary scene looks vibrant and growing at unprecedented pace. This certainly adds to India's traditional soft power that comes from its ancient civilization, dynamic democracy, its amazing geographical and cultural diversity, unparalleled Bollywood and re-energized world of Yoga & Ayurveda.

What makes the 21st century different from the 20th century?

2011-01-30T17:12:00.000+05:30

What makes the 21st century different from the 20th century?

By Abhay K.

What makes the 21st century different from the 20th century? One word answer to this question is most likely to be Internet. Perhaps this is true to a great extent. From Google to WikiLeaks, Internet has made the difference in our everyday lives. But who are the people behind these novel and revolutionary websites which have come to define Internet itself? What's their background and inspiration? Let's look back at the movers and shakers of the 21st century as Wikipedia- World's free encyclopedia celebrated its 10th Birthday on 15th January this year.

Google began as a research project by Larry page & Sergey Brin in January 1996. Both aged 37 now, were just 23 when they started Google. The domain name 'Google' which was actually a misspelling of word 'Googol' -meaning a hundred zeros after one, was registered in September 1997. Its first server was located in a garage in California and it originally ran as a sub domain of Stanford University website. Since then Google has found a special niche is our lives living up to its motto of making the world's information universally accessible and useful.

Blog is abbreviated form of weblog (we blog). The term was first coined by Peter Merholz in 1999. The same year popular blog hosting websites such as Live-Journal as well as Blogger were founded. Blogger was founded by Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan. Evan Williams who later became the co-founder of Twitter was in his late twenties at the time he started Blogger.Blogs since then have revolutionized the publishing world with more than 110 million blogs active and alive in the blogosphere today.

Wiki is a Hawaiian word which means quick and in technological parlance stands for collaborative creation. Wikipedia was started in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Both of them were in their thirties at the time of launching of wikipedia website. Since then it has never looked back. It has 17 million articles written by millions of volunteers. This is the greatest collaborative project in human history. As Wikipedia turned 10 on 15th January this year, its 10th birthday was celebrated in several cities across India and the world over.

Facebook is a social networking site with more than 500 million registered users and this number is growing viral everyday. It was started by Mark Zuckerburg at the Harvard University in February 2004 when he was just 20. The name Facebook originates from the colloquial name of the book given to university students in their first year by the university administrators so that they get to know each other better. In the beginning it was only started for the Harvard students but since its launch in 2004 it has gone viral.The movie 'Social Network' tells the story of how the idea of Facebook came to Mark's mind and developed further.

Flickr is a popular website for posting photographs. Flickr was founded in February 2004 by a Vancouver based company Ludicorp and now is believed to have 5 billion images. Images uploaded on Flickr are widely used in the blogs and in social media sites.

You Tube made it possible for anyone with Internet connection to post videos to a worldwide audience within minutes. It has become the third most visited website after Google and Facebook since its creation in February 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. All the three now in their early thirties, were in their twenties when they started one of the most innovative companies on Internet. 'Me at the Zoo' was the first You Tube video uploaded on 23rd April 2005 which featured Jawed Karim- one of the founders of the website. Millions of users upload and share videos on You Tube everyday.

Twitter was started in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone. All of them were in their early thirties when they started Twitter. It has close to 200 million subscribers and generates 65 million tweets a day. Twitter has changed the way top statesmen as well as organizations share information. It has added to democratization of information distribution. Within a short span Twitter users include several Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers as well as several Government Organizations.

WikiLeaks was launched in 2007 by a number of dissidents, mathematicians and technologists. WilkiLeaks has nothing to do with wikipedia or wikimedia foundation as most of us would think. It derives its inspiration from article 19 of Universal declaration of human rights i.e. freedom of opinion and expression regardless of frontiers. WikiLeaks publishes news leaks from unidentified and anonymous news sources. It offers a new model of journalism which works without profit motives. It has become controversial lately because of the cablegate and activities of its director Julian Assange.

Looking at these innovative initiatives in the cyber world which are changing our lifestyles in an unprecedented manner it becomes clear that our world is being shaped by the young and the innovative at a pace unknown in human history. Facebook, founded in 2004 with more than 500 million registered users and Twitter, founded in 2006 with close to 200 million users are classic examples. This is just the first decade of the 21st century, we have ahead of us nine decades of innovative zeal and entrepreneurship.

Views expresses are personal.

Inspiring Obamas

2010-11-16T17:48:00.000+05:30

The visit of Barack and Michelle Obama has left India mesmerized, especially the young India. President and the first lady share a great chemistry, mutual admiration and warmth that is rare these days among the world’s top political leaders which could be an example for many here in India and across the world. Michelle did not only made inspiring speeches in Mumbai but also danced into the hearts and minds of million of young Indians bringing them closer to the United States of America.

Michelle Obama during her speeches emphasized on her modest background but strong values, the importance of education and the audacity to dream big in life. She did not only introduce President Obama to the students of St. Xavier College but also exhorted them to ask the President tough questions and keep him on his toes. President Obama admitted that he did not like to speak after charismatic Michelle whom he considered a better speaker than himself.

President Obama began his pilgrimage with these words in the visitor book at the Mani Bhawan where Mahatma Gandhi spent 17 years of his life- ‘Mahatma Gandhi is a hero not just to India but to the world’; while the First Lady wrote- ‘This visit will be one that I will always treasure.

The life and teachings of Gandhi must be shared with our children around the world.’ Later when they visited the Rajghat to pay tribute to the Mahatma President Obama again wrote- ‘We will always remember the great soul who changed the world with his message of peace, tolerance, of love. More than 60 years of his passing (away), his light continues to inspire the world.’ The climax of his great tribute to Gandhi came during his address to the joint session of the Indian parliament when he said– ‘And I am mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as President of the United States, had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with America and the world.’

The Obamas thus rekindled the spirit of Gandhi, his message of peace, tolerance and love at a time in history when the world is gripped by waves of terrorism, extremism, fundamentalism and ‘Clash of Civilizations’ looks real; when our generation has started forgetting the ideals, methods and talisman of Mahatma Gandhi.

President Obama began his historic speech at the joint session of the Parliament with these words ‘I bring the greetings and friendship of the world’s oldest democracy - the United States of America, including nearly three million proud and patriotic Indian-Americans’, ‘Bahoot Dhanyavad’ and ended with ‘Jai Hind’.

These words reflect his great sensitivity to India’s language, culture and traditions. The speech was unique and historic in making liberal references of the great sons of India- Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore & Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Some of the oft-quoted lines included 'Where the mind is without fear...from Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali, ‘Ayam nijah paro veti, gananaa laghu- chetsaam, udaara- charitaanam to vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ from Panchatantra etched on the entrance of the Central Hall of the Parliament, ‘To be the change we seek in the world’ of Mahatma Gandhi & ‘Holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character’ of Swami Vivekanand.

His reference to the invention of zero by the Indians deeply touched the heart of entire country–‘It’s no exaggeration to say that our Information Age is rooted in Indian innovations -including the number zero.’ His praise for India’s recent achievements in S&T he said–‘from the supercomputers you build to the Indian flag that you put on the moon’ received thunderous appaluase from the Parliament.

When we have doubts sometimes regarding the efficacy of decision-making of our democratic system, President Obama expressed undiminishing faith in our democratic system to deliver saying -‘India has succeeded, not in spite of democracy; India has succeeded because of democracy.’ He termed our democratic excersize to elect new government something extraordinary on the planet- ‘When Indians vote, the whole world watches. Thousands of political parties; hundreds of thousands of polling centers; millions of candidates and poll workers -- and 700 million voters.

There’s nothing like it on the planet’ and expressed solidarity with us in the new century -‘As you carry on with the hard work ahead, I want every Indian citizen to know: The United States of America will not simply be cheering you on from the sidelines. We will be right there with you, shoulder to shoulder. Because we believe in the promise of India. We believe that the future is what we make it.’

President Obama came across as a true global leader, not only with great oratory skills but one who promises ‘a global partnership to meet global challenges’ between our two countries.

Obamas’ greatest Diwali present to the young India was inspiration & motivation to believe in the promise of India, the promise of standing right there with us ‘shoulder to shoulder’ and bringing the message of Mahatma Gandhi closer to our hearts by exhorting more young Indians to join the public service.
Obamas stayed with us only for three days but have left us with three questions to ponder over–

What do you want India to look like in 20 years?
What kind of partnership do you want in 20 years from now?
How do you want to make the world a better place?

Let’s find our own answers and these will shape the 21st century.

Views expressed are author’s own.

http://www.sarkaritel.com/news_and_features/nov2010/16inspiring_obamas.htm

Art exhibition for beginners and what to appreciate

2010-11-12T13:19:00.001+05:30

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

Opening of my art exhibition at Adzak Museum, Paris

2010-11-02T00:22:00.003+05:30

More Photographs

Open publication - Free publishing - More paris

eGov 2.0 Award 2010 for best use of Social Media tools

2010-10-30T00:49:00.002+05:30

Abhay K. along with Navdeep Suri receiving eGov 2.0 2010 Award at the Claridges in New Delhi

Abhay K. along with the momento of eGov 2.0 award 2010

The story began on Thursday 8th July 2010 when I opened a Twitter account of IndianDiplomacy and put the first official tweet of the Public Diplomacy Division -'Special Issue of India Pespectives on Tagore at http://www.scribd.com/doc/34044322/India-Perspectives-Special-Issue-on-Rabindranath-Tagore ' before leaving for his village in Nalanda. The rest is history. Facebook, Youtube, Blogspot & Issuu followed and caught the imagination of the mainstream media.About 16 stories appeared in HT, ToI, Mail Today, Tehelka etc. on the social media initiatives of the Public Diplomacy Division. And then the award came on Thursday 28th October 2010. It was a victory of team work, able leadership of Navdeep Suri who fought many battles to let me continue implementing my vision.

E-Release of 10 Questions of the Soul

2010-10-04T21:55:00.001+05:30

I think that these questions are based on ancient Indian philosophy. For me, they are a very interesting mixture of Plato, Voltaire, Vernadsky etc.

As a careful reader, I would like to make some comments on author's philosophical system. I am not quite sure that everybody craves for physical immortality. To my mind, people are simply afraid of death and the suffering connected with the process. If it were in some other way, there would be no Epicurean philosophy of death, but only Stoic.

From what I have read, SQ is an inborn stable quality of a person. I think that everybody can develop spiritually, so SQ can be flexible (improving). This would give a perspective to any person.

I also believe that a person is a combination of spiritual and material. When material dies, spiritual is liberated and goes on living. I do not see this as immortality, to my mind, our spiritual part is only lent for the period of our physical existence. It is just eternal, without the beginning or the end.

It was very interesting to read 10 questions after reading author's poems, because now I know that I have got the correct understanding of the philosophical foundation of author's poetry.

Prof. Irina Burova
Department of History of Foreign Literature
St. Petersburg State University
March 2010

Open publication - Free publishing - More universe

Elements: My five years art journey

2010-09-24T19:31:00.003+05:30

My art journey began in Moscow in 2005 when I met the famous artist Zurab Tsereteli at his art museum in the centre of the city. He invited me to paint at his studio located within the museum and I painted a restless man standing between hope and despair. Then I continued painting, more intensly in St. Petersburg where I had the opportunity to participate in the art life of the great city for almost three years, participated in several group and solo exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Paris. Art became a way of life for me in St. Petersburg. Artists, poets, writers were my regular guests. Regular interaction with them resulted into a very inspiring book about the transformative power of art which I plan to publish as 'Colours of Soul' in the coming time. Here I present the digital catalogue of my art works so far for the benefit of the viewers. I hope you'll find it stimulating.

Open publication - Free publishing - More art of abhay k

India 2010

2010-09-17T22:00:00.000+05:30

I had left New Delhi on 15th August 2005 for Russia and returned to India on 4th July 2010 when the country was preparing for the Commonwealth games. I have now spent little more than 2 months between Nalanda(just 5 days) and Delhi and would like to share my impressions of the changes which have crept in the last five years.

At the very outset I would like to add that the perspectives of individuals, the way we look at things, also changes with time and experience. I would have perhaps written a different account of the changes in the last five years if I would have stayed back in India all these years.

What attracted my attention first and foremost was a newly built terminal at the Delhi International Airport, pre-paid taxis from the airport to the city(no haggling or overcharging). Auto rickshaws have changed from yellow-black to yellow-green and strangely were strictly charging as per the meter-rates, no haggling or over charging.

The number of cars has exponentially increased on the roads and traffic congestion has increased over the past five years but traffic regulations were absent as was five years. No lane discipline, random driving but surprisingly I saw a very few traffic accidents.

From villages to cities, almost everybody has a mobile phone. I saw solar lights being put in the villages and a dish antenna on the top of every home. The roads were wider and new. Train services has improved

There were labour shortages though in the rural areas, not enough people to sow and reap the paddy plants. Lots of people have migrated to the urban areas and it was difficult to grow agricultural produce without sufficient number of people.

India has established two international universities- Nalanda University in Nalanda, Bihar and South Asian University in Delhi.

There is construction going on all across Delhi in light of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. Many places are dug up for reconstruction. Delhi has a new and efficient metro system which is expanding with time.

There is a new residential complex for the Indian diplomats in the beautiful Chankyapuri. Life seems to be getting better.

Several new art galleries have cropped up during the past five years in the outskirts of Delhi. India now hosts India Art Summit annually which attracts the top notch art galleries, artists, art critics and collectors from the whole planet. The next one is coming up in January 2010.

Delhi is growing fast in its suburbs NOIDA and Gurgaon. Malls, new housing, entertainment centres such as Kingdom of Dreams, India Place etc. now are the highlights of these places.

My favourite Khan Market where I used to spend my evenings at the Barista cafe along with friends has changed. Barista cafe has shifted to a much larger space (though the old charm seems to be lost), Chonas restaurant has opened a new outlet 'Chona's pub' and the market has been dug up for rennovation.

Mumbai has a new Sea Link.

There has been no change in the uncleanliness and order in the streets in either the capital or the smaller towns and cities. They await their saviours.

Views expressed are author's own.

San Martin Marg

2010-09-12T20:37:00.000+05:30

Ever since I have arrived in New Delhi I have been wondering who is Sam Martin after whom a road in Chanakyapuri Diplomatic Enclave is named? I live in the newly built Residential Complex for the officers at the Radhakrishnan Marg(road) which meets San Martin Marg at ninety degree. I often travel on San Martin Marg by car or stroll on it making my way through this leafy promenade. It is one of the important roads which connects Panchsheel (Five Principles) Marg with the Mahatma Gandhi Marg(popularly known as the Ring Road). Important buidlings such as the buildings of British School, Vivekanand International Foundation, Asian Development Bank stand on sides of this road.

After two months of curiosity, finally today while strolling in the evening I had a glimpse of the tablet showing who was Jose de San Martin. What caught my attention was San Martin being called as 'Saint of Swords'. He is in the company of the Greats such as George Washington and Simon Bolivar. He is known as the liberator of the Spanish part of the South American continent from Spain. He is national hero of Argentina and Argentina's highest award is named after him.

Details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADn

Meeting with a Poet, Artist, Philospher & Civil Servant

2010-09-02T20:38:00.001+05:30

A few days ago an acquaintance Amar Anand introduced me to the website of Sangeeta Gupta, a poet, artist, philosopher and civil servant. Sangeeta Gupta has written several books of poetry, done 23 solo exhibitions, participated in many group exhibitions in India and abroad, is a serving officer of the Indian Revenue Service and has a noble purpose to establish a museum titled 'Earth'. Born in Kushinagar(where Budha got Mahanirvana) in the home of learned parents Sangeeta Gupta started reading Dr. Zhivago, War and Peace and other classic, as well as writing poetry since the age of 13. She joined the Indian Revenue Service in 1984. While posted in Calcutta she came in close association with Mother Teresa and her philosophy of true service. When Sangeeta Gupta expressed the desire to join Mother Teresa, Mother advised her to serve people in her capacity as a revenue officer. Sangeeta Gupta rededicated herself to the service of the people. It was in Calcutta that Sangeeta Gupta came in touch with an artist and received formal training in art. Since then she has not looked back.

Sangeeta Gupta shared some deep thoughts on art-

Art as passion vs. Art as profession: Artists who make their money out of art become repetitive and predictable. True art is a spiritual exercise free from any expectations of exhibitions or sell of the art works.

National themes vs Universal themes in art - People often tell her that she could me more successful as an artist if she used Indian themes or motifs in her art works but she dismisses this nationalization of art. Art should have universal themes with which any man or even the aliens can associate themselves.

Art vs literature- Art is eternal while most of the literature is temporal. For example one cannot read a 16th century classic today in its original form but one can admire a 16th century classic painting.

It was a pleasure meeting such an enlightened soul who also happens to be a Civil Servant.

Asian Renaissance begins with Nalanda & South Asian Unversity

2010-08-26T23:17:00.000+05:30

August 26, 2010 (Thursday) has become a very special day in the history of India and Asia as the Indian Parliament passed the Nalanda University Bill

( http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article596265.ece ) today evening at 2000hrs and the South Asian University (http://www.southasianuniersity.org/) started formally functioning from today. About eight hundred years ago (in1193 A.D.) one of the world's most ancient universities, the learning centre for the whole Asia, was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji. With the destruction of Nalanda, decline of Asia started. India and China, the world's largest economies of that era slowly and gradually waned from the global stage while the rise and rise of the Europe started. While Nalanda was being destroyed, the Cambridge was being built. Magadh, which was the most powerful of the Mahajanpadas of India, slowly truned into present day Bihar over the centuries. Now wheel has taken the full tun and right there in Nalanda, a beautiful lotus is blooming again.

India has not taken up this project alone. The beauty of the new Nalanda University is that it has provided a platform to many Asian countries to come together. East Asian Countries have come together to build a great University in the vicinity of the ruins of the old Nalanda University, which is in itself a great diplomatic feat for Asia. Asia has a symbol with each majority of Asian countries can identify themselves. Nalanda is a common Asian heritage and new Nalanda University is the harbinger of Asian renaissance.

Another landmark achievement of the day is the functioning of the South Asian University, an innovative model university with the main campus in New Delhi and campuses in SAARC countries. Only 50 % of students will be from India, the rest from the other South Asian Countries. The seeds of a South Asian Identity are being sown, benefits of which will be reaped a few years later. JNU, so far acted as an International University where students from many South Asian and other Countries studied together. With a South Asian University, SAARC Visa exemption scheme, South Asia seems going on the right path.

Disclaimer-Views expressed are author's own.

Follow globally what is followed locally

2010-08-21T17:29:00.000+05:30

Why can't we have the same arrangement for the two countries(USA & Canada for example) what we already have for two states (Karnatka, Tamilnadu or Texas, California for example) that they have to go to a court to sort out their differences, not to war. Why can't we add one more list of subjects above State List & Central List, let's call it Global List(Climate, Space, Terrorism & Global Pandemics etc.) and let the UN Parliament(does not exist, but can be a game changer) legislate on them for us all? What works best for Tamilnadu and Karnatka, can work for countries as well. But no...there are several reasons and excuses not to do it...some one would say...well there is no precedent...someone would say it will simply not work, present system is the best...but isn't our whole history about evolving from tribes& clans into city states, nation states and now United Nations. Then what are we worried about...what are our fears talking about global governance...'no that's idealistic viewpoint, romantic ideas...get real'-what one generally hears when proposing innovative ideas which can be game changer.

The point is that we sorely miss a global leader, a figure like Sardar Patel who had the courage and vision to unite over 570 princely states, gave us an United India so that the states could focus on human development, pursuit of happiness and not keep on fighting wars with each other. Can we imagine an India with independent states today? Our story could have been very bleak... The same story applies at the global level, our planet would be in a much better position to pursue goals of development which we all want with a constitution which allows nation-states to sort out their differences legally, denies them the right to go to war over disputes. Average man would be much happier with such an arrangement but defence companies with trillion dollars of capital would certainly not allow anything like that in the near future. Defence establishments will abhor the idea, but they can certainly be redeployed in Humanitarian assistance and reconstruction, policing activities. What use would be of diplomats? We would become something like resident commissioners...but our self interest should not hinder us in promoting greater common good.

I believe that there is a way forward and that is to be innovative, to help build new institutions which would let us concentrate on our development and secure for our citizens justice, equality and liberty.

(Disclaimer- Views expressed are my own and has nothing to do with any organization)

Origin of the idea of South Asian University and how a dream turned into reality

2010-08-21T16:47:00.004+05:30

In May 2005 I penned down my article 'South Asian Affairs' after returning from a group visit to Nepal,Bangladesh & Sri Lanka with by batchmates from the Indian Foreign Service. One evening my friend and batchmate Aman took me to an evening party to the residence of Rana Gurjit Singh, MP at Pherozeshah road. At his residence I got introduced to Rajya Sabha MP and a member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Shri P.K. Maheshwari. He came across a gentleman, soft spoken, sauve and friendly. I immediately vomitted out all the new ideas I had gathered during my visit of Nepal and Bangladesh. Shri Maheshwari liked the idea and asked me to send him a written note at a later date. I and Aman went to meet him in the MP flats located near Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he lived. I handed over the note to him, he read it and assured me that he will discuss this idea with the Standing Committee of Parliament on External Affairs. A record of our communication and note are below. I had immediately communicated my communication with Shri Maheshwari to my Civil Services batchmates who attended the 74th Foundation Course in Mussorie and are part of a group mail 74fc@yahoogroups.com

Tue, May 24, 2005 12:44:34 PMSouth Asian Affairs!
From: abhay kumar View Contact
To: 74FC@yahoogroups.com
2 Files Download All
South Asian Affairs!.eml (38KB); South_Asian_Affairs.doc (25KB)
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Note: Forwarded message is attached.
hi everybody,
long time !
here is something to ponder for all of u. Please do send your questions, doubts, comments etc.............
abhay
http://www.abhayspeak.blogspot.com/
Note: forwarded message attached.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new Resources site!Fw: note!
note!24 May 2005 10:50:15From: "abhay kumar"
To: "pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net" pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net
On Sat, 21 May 2005 pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net wrote :
My dear Abhay,
It certainly was a pleasure to have met you last week.
I am happy that you have proposed for a South Asian University and look forward to receive your note about it.I have not finalized my programme for June but would be there likely in the 3rd week. I will inform you of my final programme and certainly would meet you in any of those days.
With regards,
Yours sincerely,
P.K. MAHESHWARI
Original Message:
----------------
From: abhay kumar abhay_ifs@rediffmail.com
Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 05:36:01 +0000
To: pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net
Subject: Hello!
Sir,
it was very nice of you to hear me patiently.I would like to discuss the idea of a South Asian University further with you any day any time of your convenience.Kindly let me know when you have some time for me. I would send you a note regarding it in my subsequent mails.
with warm regards
abhay Kumar
IFS 2003 Batch
9818449745
Abhay k.
http://www.abhayspeak.blogspot.com/
i exist because i think!
---------------------------
Summary
South Asian Affairs

There is a great deal of goodwill today between the two giant neighbors of South Asia, India and Pakistan. I believe the heavy ISD rates, which exist between India and its South Asian neighboring countries, create artificial barriers in the free and natural interaction of the people of the region. Governments of the SAARC countries need to ponder over this issue and take visionary steps to ease and facilitate greater exchange of ideas and information and ever-greater interaction among the South Asians by converting ISD rates into STD rates. While traveling to South Asian Countries capitals I felt welcome at Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu. It has a separate counter for facilitating immigration and customs for the South Asians, which IGI Airport does not have. As part of my training I visited the Foreign Ministries and the Foreign Service Institutes of the neighboring countries. It gave me the opportunity to meet the young probationers or officer trainees of Sri Lankan and Bangladesh Foreign Service. An annual meeting of the Officer Trainees of the Foreign Service of the SAARC countries for a week would greatly add to the quality of diplomacy in South Asia. The idea of greater, wider and deeper interaction among the South Asians always brings the memories of my days in Delhi University and JNU. A SAARC University would be a welcome step.

South Asian Affairs

Abhay K. *

Disclaimer: - The views expressed in this article are the author’s own opinion and has nothing to do with the view of Government of India .

There is a great deal of goodwill today between the two giant neighbors of South Asia, India and Pakistan. Here lies a great opportunity to convert this amount of goodwill into some concrete institutional measures for the greater good of the whole region. During my visits to some of the South Asian countries I came to realize how costly it is to make a phone call from Nepal, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka to India. It is cheaper to call Canada from Colombo than to Chennai. I believe the heavy ISD rates, which exist between India and its South Asian neighboring countries, create artificial barriers in the free and natural interaction of the people of the region. This is against the ethos of promoting further and extensive interaction among the South Asians. It actually hinders the flow of ideas and information from one country to another and thus hampers the spirit of regional integration and globalization. Governments of the SAARC countries need to ponder over this issue and take visionary steps to ease and facilitate greater exchange of ideas and information and ever-greater interaction among the South Asians. It would be a great step forward if ISD rates of making a call in the neighboring countries can be converted into STD rates.

While traveling to South Asian Countries capitals I felt welcome at Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu. It has a separate counter for facilitating immigration and customs for the South Asians. Though it is a small gesture, I feel it carries a great deal of importance and value. It reminds us our South Asian identity and one feels at home while at the airport. It consolidates the regional identity. I found the same facilitation counters at Colombo and Dhaka international airports. While returning to my own country India I felt a little strange and awkward when I could not find a separate facilitation counter for South Asians at the IGI Airport in New Delhi. This made me think and ponder. We too need to do some more thinking and ground work in embracing a South Asian identity.

As part of my training I visited the Foreign Ministries and the Foreign Service Institutes of the neighboring countries. It gave me the opportunity to meet the young probationers or officer trainees of Sri Lankan Foreign Service and Bangladesh Foreign Service. Meeting them was like meeting my own colleagues, young and dynamic, full of energy and ideas. We thought together how great it would be to meet all of our colleagues in the foreign service of SAARC countries for a week and share each others experiences, ideas and learn from each other. What a feeling would it be to be together, to learn together and belong together even for a short while. I put forward this idea in front of the many seniors and colleagues who readily agreed that such initiative was required and should be encouraged. May be Indian Foreign Service Institute could take the first step in this direction and show its leadership in the region.

The idea of greater, wider and deeper interaction among the South Asians always brings the memories of my days in Delhi University and JNU. I tremendously enjoyed the company of many students from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan, Mauritius, Thailand and Central Asia, who as classmates, batch mates and friends enriched my academic life in various ways. May be this kind of interaction could be given a new impetus and height by creating a SAARC University at Nalanda or Taxila.

I have heard the plans of the Delhi Government to come up with a South Asian Haat on the lines of Delhi Haat, which is very popular among the tourists and the locals. It would really help to bring together the handicrafts, ethnic wear, handlooms, cuisines, literature, music and other specialties of the whole region to one place. This would certainly add to the enrichment to our lives.

* The writer is Indian Foreign Service Probationer, currently in New Delhi; he can be contacted at abhay_ifs @rediffmail.com
May 2005

----------------------------------------------------

In August 2005 I was posted to Moscow and had to leave Delhi on 15th August leaving the idea of a South Asian University with Shri P.K. Maheshwari and with the hope that it will reach its logical destination via the Standing Committe of Parliament on External Affairs.

And it so happened that Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh outlined the idea of a South Asian University in November 2005 at the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka.

Later when I got the news I wrote to Shri P.K. Maheshwari regarding this great news-

Wed, December 19, 2007 4:48:32 PMWish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
From: abhay kumar View Contact
To: pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net
-----------------------------
Dear Sir,
Warm greetings from St. Petersburg, Russia!
Thank you so much for your warm wishes!I wish you and your family a merry Christmas and a very very happy new year !

Sir, now I am in posted in St. Petersburg as Consul in Consulate General of India. Yesterday I read in the Indian Express about the plans of building of an International University in Nalanda which I always dreamed of and had the opportunity to discuss with you when I was in New Delhi. SAARC Summit in Delhi has also passed a resolution to build a South Asian University. I am delighted that real action is taking on some of the ideas we discussed together in New Delhi.

With kind regards,
Abhay
Abhay Kumar,
Consul,
Cosulate General of India
St. Petersburg,Russia
Ph-+78125796633 Fax- +78125795088
You can visit me at www.abhayk.com
---- Original Message ----
From: "pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net"
To: abhay_ifs@yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 11:31:36 AM
Subject: greetings

Dear Abhayji

Wish you a very happy and merry Christmas and happy new year. May God give
you a very happy and prosperous life, and grant you all those wishes
whatever you want.
yours sincerely

P.K.Maheshwari
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Thu, January 10, 2008 4:40:15 PMreply
From: "pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net" View Contact
To: abhay_ifs@yahoo.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Dear Abhay,

I am please to know that you are now posted as Counsel in St. Peter’s Burg.
When will your new posting will come up? I had raised your Idea about the
International University in the meeting of Standing Committee and I hope
they have recorded your Name and Idea, which came from you.

Let us see the shape in which it materializes and would be very happy to be
associated with it when the time comes.

With greetings and Good wishes

Yours Sincerely

P.K.Maheshwari
-------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web.com – What can On Demand Business Solutions do for you?
Fri, January 11, 2008 7:31:17 PMRe: reply
From: abhay kumar View Contact
To: pkmaheshwari@vsnl.net
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Sir,

Thank you so much for your kind reply and mentioning my name to the Standing Committee of Parliament.
I joined St. Petersburg in August 2007 and will be here for the next three years. I do not know about my next posting yet.

With warm regards and New Year greetings from Russia,

Your sincerely,

Abhay Kumar
Consul
Consulate General of India
St. Petersburg,Russia
________________________________________________________________________

The idea which was a dream of young probationer in April 2005 has now become real and one can visit the website of South Asian University at http://www.southasianuniversity.org/
It does not matter if recognition was not given to me, what matters is that I dared to dream, I brought it to the attention of right person in the right place and my dream turned into a reality. It is time to rejoice.

Thoughts on Home

2010-08-21T15:18:00.000+05:30

Thoughts on Home: My recent trip to India

Abhay K*

India I found during my brief visit from 26th Feb to 26th March 2009 was a different India than what I had seen a year and half ago in 2007. What I found changed was the penetration of mobile phones and roads in the remote areas of the country. It was heartening to access Internet at my ancestral village in Nalanda in Bihar. I often dreamed about it a decade ago. I could also travel to the remote villages on bike or car where a few years ago it was only possible to go walking or by limousines powered by bulls. Centuries old isolation of these rural outposts has been broken and a new connected society has started to form in the remote heartlands.

I was even more surprised by the village Primary School. A visit to the premises of the Government Primary School in my village that had been upgraded to a middle school since my last visit was heart warming experience for me. I saw a well constructed school campus with toilets, water-pump and a painted recreation room. How much it had changed since the time I attended this school twenty years ago.

I was specially touched by the news that soon the Internet services would be available on mobile phones at affordable cost. We live in an interesting time and the mind boggling advances in technology now make it possible to realize our dreams in merely decades. At this pace of development, very soon the last villages in India will be connected and the poorest of the poor will have a mobile phone.

IT has been put to the service of the people and now Railway reservations can be made through internet saving long queues at the Railway stations. Land records have been digitized which directly benefits the common man in the villages. What India now needs is a revolution in the power sector so that each and every small or large settlement in India can get unhindered electricity supply. This can be achieved by making use of both conventional and non-conventional energy resources. Solar energy can be a major source as India gets good sunshine throughout the year. Intensive R&D is required in this field in the next few years to solve India's power shortage problems. Nano-technology is a promising area in this regard as better poly-silicon is being made today using nano-technology. Russia is one of the leaders in this sector and we can benefit from technology sharing in this area.

During my travel to Jodhpur I found scribbled on walls of an elite city club 'Clean Jodhpur, Green Jodhpur'. It was heartening to see that city dwellers care for the city they live in but a moment later found a garbage heap lying by the corner of the wall. The club members passed by that garbage heap everyday without noticing it, or perhaps noticing but ignoring it. I observed similar conditions in Kerala, one of the most literate states of India and in my home state Bihar. 'Clean homes, Dirty streets' seems to be a pan Indian story. Streets with kids openly defecating in daylight, streets with cows and dogs, snake-charmers and recently violent street-beggars -mostly kids and young women who scratch you to irritation if you refuse to give them money. Putting large dust bins in the street and purchasing garbage can be the solution. We need a good waste collection and treatment mechanism in order to improve hygiene and image of the country.

The movement of traffic within the cities or the highways can cause heart attack to someone who is in India for the first time as everybody has his own rule on Indian roads and the rule is 'drive wherever you want, as you want'. It was alright when there were less number of vehicles on the road but now with increasing number of vehicles with the rising prosperity of the Indian middle class, the situation looks worrisome. The traffic rules need to be strictly implemented and driving licenses need to handed over with due care. Without which I fear that travelling on Indian roads will be an adventurous affair.

I found an improved public transport during my travel to Delhi from Jaipur and from Delhi to Chandigarh and back. The construction of Delhi Metro has greatly eased the traffic burden from the auto-rickshaws, taxis and buses but auto-rickshaws have not changed themselves from pre-price fixing and not using the meter. In the country side buses and trekkers continue to overload people on the roofs as cattle and people continue to defecate on both sides of the roads approaching villages in lack of public or private toilets. But the good news is that NGOs are active in the villages and offering people to get toilets on half-cost sharing basis. I hope it should work.

Elections are nearing and this time I hear that everybody in the voter's list has got an electronic voting identity card and the voting will take place on electronic voting machines throughout the country. Many constituencies have been delimited and old caste equations have changed. Now candidates can spend maximum of Rs. 25, 00000($US50, 000) on the election campaign and that will include all the expenditure including expenditure on vehicles. Posters cannot be pasted on walls this time. Interesting developments but reforms in how elections are funded will be a major step ahead in making our democracy more open and transparent. I wonder if one can get an Election-loan as Educational loans are granted to the students.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are personal.

* Abhay K. is author of the book 'River Valley to Silicon Valley-Story of three generations of an Indian family' and 'Enigmatic Love: Love poems from the fairy-tale city of Moscow'. His forthcoming books are 'Fallen Leaves of Autumn, Candling the Light, '10 Questions of Soul' and 'United Earth: The New Global Institution for the New Millennium'. He currently lives and works in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Published in 74th FC Newsletter in April 2009

St. Petersburg: The Light of the North

2010-08-21T15:10:00.000+05:30

St. Petersburg: The Light of the North

St. Petersburg,

The Light of the North,

Window on Europe, saviour of the Russian soul,

Harbinger of the Russian Renaissance,

Birthplace of Great Russian literature and ballet

City of novel ideas, beauty, glory, revolution and grandeur,

City of Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky and Bronze Horse Man,

City of white nights, innumerable canals and bridges,

City of Heroes,

City that withered the nine hundred days of blockade.

St. Petersburg ceased to be the capitals of Russia a long time ago but its inhabitants still call it as the Northern Capital or Cultural Capital of Russia. Peter I (Peter the Great) founded the city in 1703 reclaiming the marshland to open a window on Europe.

The area where St. Petersburg is located today was under the control of Swedish King Karl II whom Peter I defeated in the battle of Poltova and built St. Petersburg with the help of the prisoners taken during the battle. Many thousand lives were lost in building this beautiful city out of a marshland but St. Petersburg was built from scratch and became the capital of the Imperial Russia in 1713. It continued to be its capital till 1918 when Lenin, after the Russian revolution of 1917, decided to make Moscow the capital of the new Soviet Union. After the revolution St. Petersburg was renamed as Petrograd and in 1924 after the death of Lenin it was renamed as Leningrad in his honour however after the break up of the Soviet Union, its original name St. Petersburg was returned to it in 1991.

People of St. Petersburg consider their city one of the most beautiful cities in the world and especially more beautiful than the Russian capital Moscow. Moscow and its culture is considered here a little rustic and crude compared to the finesse of the St. Petersburg traditions with an European touch. Having spent two years in Moscow, which I found grand and magnificent, I have to be diplomatic about my admiration for Moscow while being asked ‘which city is better between the two’. Each time my answer would be –‘Moscow is magnificent but nothing compared to St. Petersburg’. And I wonder sometimes, it is true. St. Petersburg has innumerable, rivers, canals and bridges adding to its splendour. It is also the city of White Nights, world famous Hermitage museum, Marinsky theatre and the birthplace of Great Russian literature and Russian ballet. Above all it is a compact and convenient city without much of traffic hassles.

St. Petersburg has population of 4.6 million people and is the fourth largest European city and the most populous city at its latitude. St. Petersburg has a very compact historic centre which has been declared as UNESCO heritage site. In fact almost all its activities take place around 6 lanes wide beautiful Nevsky Prospect and one can see majority of the great architectural monuments walking on this long street. These include Elisievsky Palace, Alexandrsky theatre, Kazan Cathedral, Church on Spilled Blood, Winter Palace, General staff and Admiralty building, St. Isaac cathedral and Central Manezh. One can admire the panoramic view of the river Neva, Rostral Coulumns and St. Peters and Paul Fort (first settlement of the city) standing on the Palace bridge that opens every night at 12:30 A.M. during summer months.

City Blues

The city is more than three hundred years old and so are most of the buildings built in baroque and neo-classical architectural styles. But the outer beauty compensates very little for the inner comfort. The water pipes are old and rusted and tap water must be first filtered and boiled and then again filtered before it is fit for drinking. Buildings being old do not have lifts and though I am lucky to live in a building that has a lift, the lift starts from the first floor (In Russia floors are counted as ground floor, first floor and so on…). It seems the building planners during Soviet times just were too busy to look at these small details and as a result now I have to carry things up to the second floor before I can put them in the lift and take them to the fifth floor where I live. I tried to find out what was the reason of putting a lift from the first floor and was told that the residents of the first floor during the Soviet times did not want to pay for the lift services so the planners decided to deprive them of the free lift services. In that process they forgot about those living on the higher floors!

When I came to St. Petersburg, I could not think of travelling in Metro because of skin head fears and buying a car was not easy at all, first I had to put an order and wait for the car to be imported. When the car was imported, the price quoted by the car dealer had already changed and I was left with no choice but to pay the price they wanted. Once I had the car, I had to take it to several places for registration.

Since I have bought a car, I have had an adventurous driving experience in the city. Drivers here are full of adrenaline and aggressive driving is the norm. The insurance companies are legendary in this city. In case one has an accident, the vehicle should not move an inch till the traffic police arrives and takes all the measurements and issues a certificate. Afterwards the trial begins. Parties involved in accident have to go to the regional central office of the traffic police where ‘who is guilty’ will be decided and it might take months. After obtaining certificates from this office one has to go and file for an insurance claim. First the long queue and then inspection and then again to the repair shop for inspection and quotation of the prices and more…it can take anything like 6-8 months for the repair to be done.

The traffic signs in the city could be more confusing than assuring and at any given time some or the other road is closed for reconstruction purposes. Besides that, there can be VIP movements any time without warning and the traffic police can shut any road any time and then people have to wait for hours to find one’s way out from the resulting traffic mess.

Lately there have been a lot of investments in automobile sector and St. Petersburg has been turning into a Russian Detroit. It seems there will be many more cars on the road in the near future though the financial crisis has provided a respite.

The Great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin said- “Nature does not have bad weather” but St. Petersburg is severely cold in winters and it rains most of the spring and summer. The normal sunny days in St. Petersburg are rare. Though Peterburgers love their city, they are always ready to leave it for the warmer and sunny tropics viz. beach resorts in Turkey, Egypt, India, Thailand or Maldives.

Silver linings

But every cloud has a silver lining. I have spent a year in St. Petersburg, and what a tremendous year it has been for me. What has been remarkable is the number and variety of the people I have met during the past year- writers, painters, singers, poets, diplomats, soldiers, businessmen, song-writers, actors, theatre-artists, students, dancers, professors, political leaders, thinkers, museum curators, interpreters, India-lovers and more. I have enriched by their energy, ideas and friendship beyond expectations and have no hesitation in saying that St. Petersburg is a city of creative people, a city of people with beautiful minds.

St. Petersburg is cultural capital in true sense as its inhabitants have real love for arts and culture. The statues of their writers, poets and painters adorn the squares and streets of the city. I have had the opportunity during the past one year to know many people who form the core of the St. Petersburg art circle and are internationally reputed. They have inspired me to look at life from a different angle. They have shown me the power and beauty of arts and the influence it has on our lives. It has helped me to acquire a new language to express my deeper consciousness through colours, drawings and paintings and photographs which I could not do through written or spoken words. St. Petersburg has inspired me to paint and now I also have a small gallery at home of over fifty paintings I have done in since my arrival to St. Petersburg.
(Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1qhnzmDsoE )

It would be difficult to imagine St. Petersburg without its greatest treasure i.e. Hermitage. Hermitage is an institution in itself and has a huge influence on the city dwellers. It has inspired generations of St. Petersburgers and moulded many of them into fine artists. It has some of the finest collections of Renaissance and post Renaissance paintings and sculptures. From time to time it organizes special exhibition and invites members of Hermitage’s Friends Club along with the members of the Diplomatic Corps in the city.

Besides Hermitage, Russian Museum, Marinsky and Mikhailovsky theatres, a number of art galleries play a central role in the cultural life of St. Petersburg. Pushkinskaya- 10, Art Centre, is one such address in St. Petersburg which leads the contemporary arts scene in the city and is well known in European capitals such as Paris, Amsterdam and London as well as in New York. Loft Proekt Etazhi at Ligovsky Prospect-92, is another such Project that has transformed an erstwhile bread factory into a centre of contemporary arts in St. Petersburg and since the past one year I have been a witness of its mind boggling transformation process.

One can enjoy walking in the legendary Summer Garden built by Peter the Great (which the City authorities plan to close for three years for its transformation) and the Nevsky Prospect, along the banks of Fontanka River (the boundary of the old city) and the Garden of Joy in the Elagin Island or take the boat rides in the Neva, Moika or Fontanka rivers and watch the sunset at midnight from the Gulf of Finland from the bank of the Baltic Sea on the Vasilievsky Island. One can go to Peterhof (a palace located on the shores of Baltic Sea with fountains and design like the Palace in Versailles) riding a speedboat, driving to Pushkin (Tsar’s Village) and treading upon the golden leaves of autumn or can see the ancient city of Novgorod (190 Kms from St. Petersburg) or the city of Vyborg (close to border with Finland and has unique architecture) or one can play volleyball at the beaches in the north of the city in June or July on sunny summer days or can walk around the city whole night.

I must say I have loved working with friendly and open hearted St. Petersburgers who love India, know our culture and wish us well. I would like to end this with these lines that came to my mind spontaneously-

I know the glorious short summer will be over

And the long cold winter will arrive soon

There will be no sunny skies

It will be all grey and gloom.

But then I’ll turn to the inner lights

And cherish the wonders of life

Till summer comes again

And the Light of the North turns white once again.

Abhay K. is author of ‘River Valley and Silicon Valley- Story of three generations of Indian family’ ‘Enigmatic Love- Love poems from the fairy-tale city of Moscow ’ & ‘Fallen Leaves of Autumn’. His fortcoming books are ‘Candling the Light’, 'Colours of Soul'. Views expressed here are his own.

Published in 74th FC Newsletter in October 2009

Quest for Democratic Global Governance

2010-08-21T14:27:00.000+05:30

This article is inspired by an elegant, thoughtful, timely and visionary piece by Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh Ji 'Ancient Wisdom Guides India's Future' on the eve of G-8 summit.

We are very near to satisfy the thousand years old quest of the humanity to belong to one Empire, Khanate, Caliphate, Ulema, Sayuz, Government or Federation whether this quest manifested through Alexander the Great, Romans, Chengiz Khan, Tamerlane, Marx , Lenin, Rhodes,Woodrow Wilson, Nehru or F.D. Roosevelt.

The defining question of this century is how do we address the formidable challenges of global governance in a dramatically transformed world.

Humanity needs a new thinking in order to survive and prosper in an Internet driven information age. The inherent rights of nation-states to go to war in an interconnected and interdependent world are not only self defeating for the states which decide to do so but also counter-productive for the global community. What's the point of elaborate and expensive independent security arrangements if war cannot be beneficial for neither the victors nor the vanquished states? Why not to create and strengthen institutions of common security?

'The only way peace can be achieved is through world government.' These were the words of a visionary Jawaharlal Nehru, 1st prime minister of the Republic of India who had a deep understanding of the World History ,(reflected in his book 'Glimpses of World History-a great read) and knew that our history is not confined to national borders as events outside the national borders shape history as much as events happening inside national borders, and that's even more true for our internet driven world of 21st century, where we communicate everyday beyond our national borders, make friends, enter into international relationships and feel as World Citizens. (I am a proud citizen of United States and a fellow citizen of the world- Barack Obama in Berlin)

Let's look at Asia- India is a great soft-power and China a hard-power(Joseph Nye). Any confrontation between the two Asian giants over territorial or resource dispute will push the world economy into a long recessionary winter, causing incalculable losses and it will take decades for the world to come out of it. Can the world afford an India-China confrontation?

I believe that short and long term interests of soft powers (and interests of the world) lie in ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam as Shri Manmohan Singh ji emphasized in his G-8 article i.e. strengthening the institutions of global governance. I would take it to the extreme and would say taking away the rights of sovereign nation-states to go to war in an interdependent world as Bismark did for Germany or Sardar Patel did for India. Investing in global security with the creation of volunteer global army as recommended by the Our Global Neigbourhood report seems to be the best bet if the world community wants Perpetual Peace(to borrow the phrase from Kant).A Global Supreme Court, that can resolve all territory or resource related disputes among nation-states as our Supreme Court does for Cauvery water dispute between Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Imagine these states going to war to solve water disputes or Texas and California going to war over such issues?!

UN Reforms

Reforming UN system will not be enough as UN is product of World War -II bipolar industrial world and 20th century thinking (when the world was partially connected ). In information and knowledge age even the meaning of 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam' needs liberal expansion to include not only humans across the world but all living beings and life supporting systems. What our world needs is not 'United Nations' but 'United Earth'- A brand new global institution of global governance with a mandate to protect the all living beings and life supporting systems(Refer Earth Charter and Agenda 21) on the Earth from both internal(war, famine, environmental catastrophe) and external(asteroids, comets) threats.

United Earth with a 'Global Parliament' directly elected by the people through internet voting(example first global internet voting for the election of the Board of ICANN, UN agency that regulates Internet) empowered to legislate on global issues {Climate change, Common security, Space exploration, Research in alternative energy resources (oil and gas will end in 2075), international terrorism, International immigration(imagine Indian English teachers , nurses around the world), Global arms trade}.

This will not only provide an extra layer of essential democratic governance we need at the global level(against the present International undemocratic governance).

Hard powers may not gain as much as soft powers will gain from a democratic world federalism but the whole world will be a much secure and prosperous place.

Here I am leaving you with an Earth Anthem that I composed in January this year-

Earth Anthem

Our cosmic oasis in the vast Universe

Cosmic blue pearl

The most beautiful planet in the universe.

Africa, America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe

Atlantic, Arctic, Indian and Pacific

We are your children

We crave for your love

Our cosmic oasis,

The most beautiful planet in the Universe.

United we stand with all flora and fauna

United we stand as the people of one world

We are all your children

We love you, deep in our heart

Our cosmic oasis,

Cosmic blue pearl

The most beautiful planet in the vast universe.

(Views expressed are personal and does not represent views of any organization)

Originally written on 14 July 2010 and circulated among friends on e-mail.

The Power of Culture

2010-08-15T01:18:00.000+05:30

Culture is power. It is perhaps more powerful than weapons. What I mean by culture here is cuisine, dance, music, art, literature, dresses etc. Culture is essence of goodness of all nations, societies, communities. The great thing about it is that though culture has many forms, it unites mankind. It takes us away from thoughts of war and conflict. Culture promises us that there is the other side of life, good, rosy and after a hard day's work one can get back to that rosy side of life.

Our openness to get a glimpse of other cultures, helps us to break the stereotypes about them. We get to know that there is something common among us humans since ages-the love of good life, the divinity expressed through dance, music, literature and art.

Long ago, almost ten years ago, I had thought of a 'Global Bazar', one stop place to get acquainted with cultures of different continents, their cuisines, dances, art works, literature, dresses etc. I believe that its a sound business idea where lots of people would like to spend their weekends with families. Global Bazaar will not only be a good business idea but also a cosmopolitan cultural hub as 'Delhi Haat' is for India.

I can already see Bharatnatyam, Belly Dancing, Samba, River dance, Bollywood dance and many other such dances happening at one place with the traditional cuisine available in plenty amount to eat from different countries.

I am sure such a place can help people understand each other better and thus promote international peace.

Views expressed are personal.

Release of the River Valley to Silicon Valley in Russian

2010-08-14T00:07:00.000+05:30

The Russian translation of the book "River Valley to Silicon Valley" was released on 24th April in St. Petersburg at the St. Petersburg Association for International Cooperation. The book was first translated by Ms. Svetlana Shakhovnina and later it was again translated and edited by Ast.Prof. Sergey Pakhamov, Philosophy Department of the St. Petersburg State University. Book Details-
ISBN 978-5-98012-044-3
Svytoslav Publishers
Pages-104
Bookblog- http://www.vputotrechnoidolini.blogspot.com/
The book release ceremony was attended by Indologists, diplomats of different countries, journalists, students, artists etc. They expressed their happiness about such an initiative taken by me and they felt that the Russian translation of the River Valley to Silicon Valley will bring the two great civilizations of 'Ganga & Volga' closer.
Natalia Eleseeva, the President of the St. Petersburg Association of International Cooperation wished that I could continue to write in future -about my impressions of Russia, Diplomatic Service, Moscow or about the Russian people.

The ceremony was marked by warm and friendly atmosphere. The guests mingled with each other over champagne and choclates while I signed my books for them. Later a Russian musical group performed Indian songs and classical dance for the guests.

Enlightenment

2010-08-13T23:19:00.001+05:30

ENLIGHTENMENT

Exhibition by Abhay Kumar at Selskaya Zhizhn Gallery

17th Jan-8thFeb 2010

Paintings and drawings of Abhay Kumar return us to the avant-garde art of the early twentieth century. The artist plays with the themes and motifs of works by Kazimir Malevich and Mikhail Matiushin with home-made ingenuity. And, despite the fact that over the past decade, the legacy of the avant-garde has not inspired new experiments of even one generation of artists, works of Abhay Kumar make no repetitions. Without the tension and pathos he makes the simple open art, playing the odds, which is given to the followers of Henri Rousseau. Images of the classical avant-garde are included here in the hieroglyphic language that is not talking about artistic utopias of 1910-20 years, but the new project for the future. Abhay Kumar creates an allegory of planetary consciousness - emblems of the unity of the peoples. This is not propaganda agitation, but the characters suggested by the political reality of India – the Republic uniting dozens of different cultures. Petersburg tradition knows other artist, writer and diplomat, who dreamed of universal harmony - the Banner of Peace. In his landscapes, Nicholas Roerich synthesized elements of Buddhist and Hindu icons. Abhay Kumar draws images of spiritual unity, a futuristic reworking of figurative and suprematic motives. In St. Petersburg and Moscow, he blend in with the culture of high dilettantism that traces its origins in the work of Velimir Khlebnikov, OBERIU, Arefievsky circle and Lianozovo school.

A native of eastern India, a diplomat, writer and artist, he brings themes and subjects from different national and political traditions to independent art. His poetry and autobiography was published in English and in Russian translation. On the art scene Abhay Kumar debuts in role of the educator developing the characters of utopia. Without a doubt in the gallery "Rural Life" the ideas of planetary consciousness must be dreamed freely. The hospitable and cozy house, holding a fort in the center of promptly built Kolomyagy district - one of the most Russian places of the modern art of St. Petersburg. Around the bulky new buildings and uninhabited penthouses, post-Soviet skepticism and pragmatism of the new bourgeoisie reigns. With regard to the ideals of the Enlightenment, far from being realized, except universal literacy. And yet, outside of Russia they are still in force: a bright future, which is inspired by the artist, is India's true democratic socialism.

-Stanislav Savitsky

I hear the song divine

2010-08-01T08:39:00.000+05:30

I hear the song divine,
With the music of the chirping birds
Peacocks, Mynas, Sparrows, Cuckoos
I find myself submerged in this spiritual realm
The world of spirit that moves everything
I wonder, how cannot one see, feel the Divine all around
Only interruptions to this divine rhythm
are man-made machines
Fans, air-conditioners, cars, trains...
And their jarring hymns.

Elements: Exhibitition of artist Abhay Kumar at the Door Gallery, St. Petersburg

2010-07-29T20:04:00.001+05:30

Elements: Exhibitition of artist Abhay Kumar at the Door Gallery, St. Petersburg
- Andrey Khlobystyn-noted art historian, St. Petersburg Dec5, 2009-Jan17 ,2010

Elements’ is another exhibition by a St. Petersburg artist Abhay Kumar, who is playing an active part in the cultural life of our city. Mind you, it is not a misprint; the Indian Consul did say in one of his interviews that it was St. Petersburg that has turned him into an artist. But, first and foremost, his paintings have this strictly Petersburg feel.

Abhay Kumar fits well into St. Petersburg ‘titanism’ with denial of one-track specializations: if you feel yourself to be in an elevated and balanced state of mind, then you can easily express yourself through different types of art. Abhay Kumar is a diplomat by profession; he has already published several books of poetry and prose, participated in a number of exhibitions and festivals as an artist and started collecting art-pieces as well. Striving to understand Art on a larger scale, trying to combine the social service, philosophic poetry, symbolical painting and cosmic-scale of thought remind us of the Silver Age, Roerich, Ciurlionis, etc. If we put this into a more Indian perspective, we will get Rabindranatha Tagore, naturally.

In the small format of Abhay Kumar’s work, the St. Petersburg traditions can be easily spotted, through the images of the Russian ‘Avant-garde’ art of the early XX th century. The geometry of Malevich and the musical coloured vision of Matyushin gain typically Indian colour vibrancy and even somewhat folklore inflections in the abstract and half-abstract works of Abhay Kumar. These creations are truly minimalist and are aimed at the elementary components of our perception. Elements, or ‘natures’ as they are called in European tradition, are placed into five lower chakras of the human body, according to Indian tradition, and through them the projection of the world around us is created. Chakras hold the five basic elements – Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ether.

But the main Petersburg trait, the one that we can all understand and sympathize is the spontaneous and direct approach to the material and the traditions in the works of this artist, who has bravely picked up a brush about three years ago and started painting on chocolate boxes at first. Such approach, it can be said, has been suggested to Abhay Kumar by the local artists of the 80’s generation among others, since from these people you can always pick up a positive charge of existential expression.

Nowadays, when the Consulates of the Western countries have grown weary of St. Petersburg art and started treating it formally, even though during the Cold War and Perestroika they have been actively participating in the artistic life of the city, Abhay Kumar, an Indian diplomat, has become a prominent figure in the cultural life of the Northern capital and is doing some real work, trying to lead the contacts of the two great cultures to the new frontiers.

ABHAY K : THE YOUNG VOICE AND THE POETRY OF ETERNITY

2010-07-29T11:59:00.002+05:30

THE YOUNG VOICE AND THE POETRY OF ETERNITY

I met the poet and diplomat Abhay Kumar on 7th of May – a very significant day for Indian literature, Rabindranath Tagore's birthday. Even though Rabindranath Tagore was born over a hundred years ago, in 1861, all the lovers and admirers of the Indian literature consider this day to be very special. So special in fact that festivals and conferences are held, on this day not only in India, but all over the world, where people read and love Indian literature. Moreover, this day can be an opening or a culmination for some novel. On 7th May 2006 this festival of literature was celebrated at the Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy in Moscow. There were a number of speakers that day and I was invited to talk about the connections between the Indian and Russian literature. This is a vast, captivating and varied subject, and among multiple examples of the close bond and intertwining of our literatures I remembered «The Namesake», an English novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. The main hero of the novel, a Bengali, is called Gogol. He lives in a modern globalized world with his wonderful name, the name that was given to him for the time being by his parents, but instead became his destiny. And I mentioned that in my view one of the main goals of this literary namesake of Gogol is to remain faithful to one's national roots, when by the will of fate you were born and live far away from the native lands of your forefathers. Paradoxical, but the best way to save this faith and understand your own national identity is through the name of the Great Russian writer. And this was how I came to know Abhay Kumar. Indians call such meetings «Samyog», a lucky coincidence. It turned out that Abhay knew and loved this novel, besides he was a JNU alumnus. Not long before thisliterary meeting with the young diplomat, I had returned from Delhi, where I was researching the latest modern Hindi literature in JNU under an international exchange program. I was even more surprised when I found out, what the talented poet and writer, Abhay, who is not much older than my students studying Hindi and Indian literature, was writing about. During that time he was finishing his novel «From River Valley to Silicon Valley». The problems of connections and intertwining and the attraction and repulsion of various cultures and characters interested him greatly.

In the book «Fallen Leaves of Autumn» the love of the spoken word and the admiration for the marvellous and unfathomable nature coexist with the urge to capture the moment harmoniously be it through word , brush, digital camera or internet. But the most valuable thing about this book, in my view, is the higher feeling of human dignity before the incomprehensible universe and the aspiration to share with the near and dear ones, what you cherish the most.

Before going to the book itself, I would like to mention my other two meetings with its author. In summer of 2007, I was pleasantly surprised to get an invitation to Abhay’s wedding, to meet his mother, who had flown from India, his charming young wife Ekaterina, relatives, friends and diplomatic colleagues. I was very glad to speak to the teachers of Russian language who helped Abhay so much to grasp the complexities of our beautiful language. It’s wonderful that a book of his poems «Fallen Leaves of Autumn» is now being published in Russian as well. And to me it is yet another coincidence, because the next time I met Abhay after a year, it was in autumn at St. Petersburg, almost under the silent shuffle of the falling autumn leaves. I saw Abhay Kumar, a diplomat representing the Republic of India in St. Petersburg, and talked to the inspired poet, who felt the importance and interest of living and writing in our country.

Abhay had just returned from his trip to Karelia and was overflowing with new experiences and new ideas. And behold, another dream is becoming reality, a new book of poems is being published. I think it is amazing that the opening poem is titled «Moments».It is true that our lives are woven from various moments. Many have talked and written on this subject. Whoever reads this will have one’s own feelings and associations. Being brought up in European and Russian traditions I feel strong association with a famous Faust line: «Stop, oh moment, you are wonderful!» or Pushkin’s «I remember the amazing moment...» My Oriental education also suggests that Abhay Kumar, the poet, is carrying on the long-living tradition of speaking about «being one with the Mother-Earth and limitless skies», seeing everywherethe image of Jivan Devata (the God of Life) like Rabindranath Tagore as well as Vedic and Upanishad texts long before him. Someone might be reminded of Hafiz or Khayyam’s poetry as well. It only seems that the moments are not connected between each other. If you stop for a moment, look back, you will see a guiding star, some sort of thread (To each his own, either «Ad astra per aspera» or «Ariadna’s thread») and Abhay Kumar and his persona is being led by it from River Valley to Silicon Valley, from Nalanda district in Eastern India, famous for its ancient Buddhist university, to the capital of India, Delhi, to one of the best universities in India, JNU, then further west to the Russian capital, Moscow and even further to St. Petersburg. If you are a true poet, even if you are a diplomat, the fate will lead you to the office on Ryleeva Street, named after yet another poet. Some would say, it is just another coincidence, not a single poet lives and works in this street, but being a teacher of Literature myself, I think that a true work of literature has no coincidence in it. And the book you are holding right now is a fine example of modern literature, in which everything has a meaning, especially the world in which it was created. Even Ryleev’s name is not accidental for Abhay is just as big a romantic as the poet from XIXth century. And in the opening book he calls to the Almighty. Behind that word, Almighty! is God, Nature itself or something unfathomable and indescribable, something that in some way is present in the nature. And it is to these powers that the poet and the human beings are calling, carrying on with the centuries- long cultural and literary tradition. In this combination of sound, word and image we notice that the eternity exists in every moment and often overlooked tiny details become so meaningful and limitless.

Abhay Kumar’s poetry is obviously lyrical and therefore very subjective. To the European readers that kind of thought might seem banal but let us not forget the fact that Indian literature has only recently become free of the literary canons, stopped following the higher ideals using the distinct ancient genres and forms, stopped describing the traditional heroes and started to talk about what a common busy man experiences and worries about. Modern Indian poets no longer write about the toils of Radha and Krishna or epic adventures of Sita and Rama regardless of their magnificence, instead they depict an image of a working-day morning where one can still catch a few moments to feel the eternal beauty of nature. Let us not forget that in the days of yore, nature in Indian tradition was no more than Maya (illusion) that must be overcome and cast away before uniting with the Divine Brahman (the Absolute). And if you take all this into consideration, the poems in the book you are holding in your hands at the moment are certainly very modern. There is no doubt that everything described in this book was experienced by the poet, and later on depicted in his beautiful poems – and how else! Just listen to the sounds of the poem «Garden»:

The garden behind

my workplace,

So beautiful and peaceful!

A walk there takes away all the stress,

It’s certainly my kind of place,

Though it’s just behind my workspace,

But seems so far away in space.

It is built completely on alliteration. The words with recurring«s» are used, and these sounds are followed by the melting snow, the spring chirping of the birds and the shining Sun. And in the end the long found happiness that there is just such a heaven on the Earth. Almost hypnotizing, repeating and tranquilizing rhyme of «workplacestress- place-workplace-space» takes us away from remembering that everything shown and glorified here is just behind the workplace, in the garden. But the set-off between here and there is omnipresent to the reader, being constantly reminded about it by the slight breaking of the rhythm and the rhyme in the first verse, and the breach of the rhyme in second verse. But the poet’s admiration and romantic loftiness are what attracts us the most, if you remember that Abhay Kumar is a diplomat you don’t even have to concentrate on imagining the environment, but instead you could simply recall the image of the place being described here.

Obviously, this is Moscow’s downtown, the grand metropolis, overflowing with traffic-jams and tram bells, which stifles even the birds’ singing. Without even mentioning it, the poet has described the street with a wonderful name of Vorontsovo Pole (Raven’s Field), where the Indian Embassy is located. The people who live in Moscow can easily recall the garden behind the Embassy’s building that goes down to the Yauza River, and the reader can see on a picture inside the beauty of this place.

The reader would also revel no doubt, about the «morning of a working man» which can begin with the realization that heaven is here, on the Earth, absolutely near, one just has to look at it. And in this respect, Abhay Kumar is the true follower of the Indian tradition, which invocated the futility of going on pilgrimages to the holy lands, if God and Eternity can be acquired within one’s own soul. In this poet, who in years is surprisingly too young for such wise poetry, youthfulness flows over to the brim, and he feels the similar youthfulness in the universe around him. His poem «The Young» and his self-confidence in himself confirms that. And not everyone can speak on behalf of the whole Earth, like he does in his poem «I am Earth». But he grows up, and the all consuming happiness and peace of mind morph into sadness and regret for the lost freedom, like inhis poem «I saw the leaves dancing with joy». At all moments the poet finds himself one to one with the Divine, as he goes on a date with Nature. Moreover, he presents this gift to his readers.

And this is how this wonderful collection of poems ends, which regardless of its contemporariness, remains true to the traditions of the great Indian Nature lyrics. Yes, the poems are in English, translated into Russian now, but still, Abhay Kumar, is without a doubt, a true follower of the multilingual Indian poetry. And his young lines call to many of the things created in the years past, the poem Rithusambhava, «Seasons», ascribed to the great Kalidasa, and the collection of verses of Rabindranath Tagore «The Gardener », or the lines of the Hindi poets of the early XXth century, the Chhayavadis, Jayshankar Prasad, Sumitranandan Pant, Nirala and Mahadevi Varma. Some of them, like Tagore are known throughout the world, others, like the Chhayavadis only to those who read and love the Hindi poetry. But their poetry lives in Abhay Kumar’s lines, whose name means «A Fearless Prince». I wish that our young poet would turn one day into a real Raja (King) of the Indian English language poetry.

Guzel V. Strelkova

Assistant Professor

Faculty of Indian Philology

To Matyushin & Guro

2010-05-06T13:36:00.000+05:30

Third time I visited your home
But it was third time, you did not receive me...
But I'll not stop...
I'll come again to your doorstop,
Ring the bell and climb the narrow wooden staircase...
Stand in the balcony, take a deep breath and contemplate
'The victory over the Sun'
'The journey from Cubism to Futurism and Suprematism'
I'll try to understand the foundations of futurism,
O' Elena and Matyushin- prophets of Avant Garde
Gracious hosts of Malevich and Mayakovsky
Embrace me as your own
Even though I am a century late.
I'll come again at the Peshochnaya-10
Stand in front of your grey wooden home
Ring the bells and climb the staircase...

To Alexander Blok

2010-04-17T01:42:00.000+05:30

Your lonely apartment by the canal
Carries images of a bygone age
Age before the torment began
And the thugs took over
Your peace, your poetry, your life
(and with you, of your generation).

You rightly said Blok-
'Night, a street, a lamp, a drugstore, a senseless wan light.
Live another quarter of a century- all will be the same.
There is no way out.'
Yet my spirit craves for change
A human family, a planet as home.

Long live verses, beauty fades!

2010-04-17T01:16:00.000+05:30

A poet lived here,
On the banks of the river Moika
With his young wife Natalia
Who had two sisters and four kids
The poet had fallen in love
With the young damsel of sixteen
Who never understood the depth of his love.

She loved balls and social status,
So the poet brought her to St. Petersburg
The Imperial Capital
He rented eleven rooms apartment with servants for her for five years
But he could only live here for four months
Before he was killed in a duel.

The poet was provoked by a young officer
Who has noticed Natalia at the balls
The poet had to save his honour
So he challenged the young officer for a duel
Though the poet always knew
He was not good with guns.

How could the poet have kept mum,
Natalia was young and beautiful
The poet did, all he could,
For the happines of his love,
Today the poet is still alive but the beauty is dead
Long live poet's verses while beauty fades.

The Hermitage

2010-04-17T01:00:00.000+05:30

On Sundays or Saturdays
Or whenever I can
I rush to the Hermitage
For a rendevous with my loves
Those hang on the walls
Danaes, Floras, Madonnas, Venuses, Psyches...
Compete for my attention...
And wow what I see...
The menacing cupid, untying the girdle of Venus
Tahiti girl with her tropical fruit,
The woman with the wild flower,
Judith trampling over the evil,
Mary Magadelene lying in the grotto,
Zeus, the bull taking away lovely Europa,
St. Cecilia playing music for dying Cleopatra
Or perhaps for the broken hearted lute player?
The dance of the veils on the banks of the Neva
The saviour of the treasures of civilizations-
Pharao's tombs, gold and diamond treasures,
But above them the Onessa petroglyphs,
Hermitage, you are the only one!
And, I'll rush to you,
From far corners of the Earth,
For a rendevous with my loves,
That hang on your walls.

Milky Way

2010-04-08T00:38:00.000+05:30

Milky Way, Milky Way
Like four armed Swastika
How many stars have you got?

Sun and the planets, one out of billions
Making a circle in 250 million years
What was it like in the beginning of last Sun year?

You have all the secrets,
You have all the answers,
Tell us, how many more years are left ahead?

Milky Way, Milky Way
Drifting slowly in the vast Universe
When will you merge with Great Attraction?

Five year of blogging and what happened to my seven wishes!

2010-04-06T13:25:00.000+05:30

When I look back at the journey covered in the last five years of blogging, it seems tremendous. I started blogging on 5th April 2005 when I was in Delhi and kept blogging during my two years stay in Moscow. When I arrived in St. Petersburg, blogging took a beating as I had so much work to do but still I did not completely stop it. Blogging got some adverse attention during this period and it had to be temporarily stopped, however blog or Web Logs are online diaries and those of us who are in the habit of writing chronicles, blogs can't be stopped, they run inside.
It was blogging that helped me express myself through prose, poetry and earned me friends worldwide from Canada to Australia, Africa to Latin America, Europe to Philippines. Friends with whom I could share my thoughts, from whom I could learn. Blogging made sharing ideas globally easy and making friends without borders easier. Blogs brought our common humanity a step closer making the world a little smaller.
On this blog 'Ideas & Universe' I wrote and shared more than a hundred poems, a few short stories and many thoughts and ideas attracting about 13000 visitors from 120 countries.
During this period I have been able to publish three book 'River Valley to Silicon Valley'(its translation in Russian) , 'Enigmatic Love' & Fallen Leaves of Autumn. 'Candling the Light' is soon to be published.

On 6th April 2005 I had written down my Seven Wishes
I would like to note down the progress so far in the last five years.
1. First Wish- Building a primary school and health care centre at the place I was born, connecting it with a road and providing electricity and telephone connection. -There is already mobile phones in every home and 10-12 hours of electricity in the village. A road (not metalled yet) has been built linking it with the main road. Primary school and health care centre are yet to come. I tried very hard with the district administration of Nalanda but have not been successful yet. Hope in the next five years, it will be possible to achieve that. (Incidentally my elder brother is building a temple there but not a school).
2. Second Wish-to build a Girl’s High school at the village I have grown up and studied till the primary school level. -The primary school has been upgraded into a middle school and would be upgraded to a High School in the coming years(hope to be the next five years). Though there will not be a separate Girl's High School, girls can still study upto High School.
3. Third Wish- to build a SAARC University at Nalanda, the place of the world’s most ancient seat of learning where once Nalanda University existed for many centuries. I have been lucky in fulfillment of this wish as my wishes have been granted in double as Govt. has decided to build a South Asian University(SAU) near Delhi and Nalanda International University(NIU) near Rajgir. The land has already been acquired and foundation stones been laid down. I hope in the next five years, both of them start functioning.
4. Fourth Wish- A flood free Bihar- No concrete developments have taken place.
5. Fifth Wish- South Asian Union - The situation is in flux.
6. Sixth wish- Earth Council- Successor of UN or a reformed UN, an organization for global governance with a parliamentary assembly. Some steps in this direction are visible.
7. Seventh Wish- Spreading the seeds of life in the Universe- Mars Mission seems to be moving forward.

What I have found surprisingly that no additional wishes have come to my mind in the last five years. I have been painting a lot since last two years and surprisingly my themes revolve around these wishes. I hope that in the coming time I am able to write that all the wishes have been fulfilled.

The planet will be the same

2010-04-05T18:08:00.004+05:30

Air will change,
Water will change,
Climate will change,
People will change,
Country will change,
My friends say,
Hearing the news,
That I have to leave.

Dear friends, I say,
Air will change
Water will change,
Climate will change,
People will change,
Country will change,
But, planet will be the same.

At the Alexander Blok museum

2010-04-03T20:44:00.000+05:30

I visited today afternoon the flat of Alexander Blok(1880-1921) , the Russian poet of the Silver Age after my verses were compared with his by Guzel Strelkova in her article on my poerty for a literary journal. His life ended tragically after the October revolution when he was forced to live in a smaller place and was burdened with the mundane.
Blok said - 'A poet is not someone who writes poems but someone who has rhythm inside'

His haunting words -

Night, a street, a lamp, a drugstore,
A senseless, wan light.
Live another quarter of a century-
All will be the same. There is no way out.

You die-you begin from the beginning,
And everything comes round again:
The night, the icy ripple on the canal,
The drugstore, the street, the lamp.

and...

I would forget about valour, deeds,

And glory on this mournful earth

When your face in the simple frame

Would shine before me on the table.

Alexander Blok

Contemporary Man

2008-12-09T18:47:00.003+05:30

Contemporary Man by Abhay K.

Guash on Cardboard,

35X50

Life

2008-12-09T18:46:00.001+05:30

Life by Abhay K.

Acrylic on Canvas

40X50

Autumn Nostalgia

2008-09-25T02:39:00.001+05:30

Carton, leaves & glue

50X70 cm

Autumn Nostalgia

By Abhay K.

24th Sept, 2008

Keeping Autumn

2008-09-25T02:31:00.002+05:30

Carton & Oil

50X70 cm

Keeping Autumn

by Abhay K.

23rd Sept.2008

My painting journey

2008-09-24T13:17:00.001+05:30

I had never seen a painting in my childhood, and the schools I went to, never had any painting classes. When I came to Delhi and went to visit the gallery of Modern Art, I realized the power of art to stir somewhere deep within me.

Then Moscow was a real eye opener. As soon as I came to Moscow, I visited Tretyakov art gallery and the love of the Russians for their paintings and literature stirred me once again. It was Moscow where I wrote my first book and all my poems. I bought my first paint brush and a set of colours and painted my first painting on carton recycled from a used chocalate box.

In Moscow, I had the opportunity to meet and paint with the master artist Zurab Tsereteli and then I did not paint much as I was busy writing poetry.

When I came to St. Petersburg, I was amazed by the love for art of the city dwellers. It seems half of the city consists of writers, painters, poets, actors, theatre artists, ballerinas and Yoga enthusiatists. I think Hermitage & Marinsky build such a great influence here. Since my arrival in St. Petersburg, I have visited Hermitage, over a hundred times perhaps, and each time I have discovered something inspiring & new.

Besides Hermitage, there are a number of art galleries in the city where contemporary art is exhibited which I regularly visit. In this process I have made a number of friends from the arts field and they constantly inspire me with their work.

I paint Cosmos because somewhere deep within me there is a realization that we are Cosmic beings, some of us realize it early, some late and some never.

Untitled

2008-09-16T00:09:00.001+05:30

Untitled

Oil & Canvas

30X40 cm

by Abhay K.

Looking at home from Mars

2008-09-16T00:05:00.002+05:30

Looking at home from Mars
30X40 cm
Oil & Canvas
By Abhay K.

Impressions

2008-09-15T23:53:00.004+05:30

Impressions

30X40 cm

Oil & Canvas

by Abhay K.

Third Eye

2008-09-06T01:14:00.001+05:30

Third Eye

Carton & Oil

35X50 cm

by Abhay K.

Earth: Our Cosmic Home

2008-08-19T00:41:00.006+05:30

Oil & Canvas
30x40 cm
Earth: Our Cosmic Home
By Abhay K.

Candling the Light

2008-08-13T02:14:00.005+05:30

30x40 cm
Oil & Canvas
Candling the Light
By Abhay K.

The Sacred Sound

2008-08-05T01:03:00.006+05:30

Oil & Canvas
30X40 cm
The sacred sound
by Abhay K.

A year in St. Petersburg

2008-08-01T21:18:00.002+05:30

Today I have completed one year in St. Petersburg and what a tremendous year it has been for me on both personal and professional front. What has been remarkable is the number and variety of the people I have met during the past year- writers, painters, singers, poets, diplomats, soldiers, businessmen, song-writers, actors, theater-artists, students, dancers, professors, political leaders, thinkers, museum curators, interpreters and India lovers. I have been enriched by their energy, ideas and friendship beyond expectations. I can say St. Petersburg is a city of creative people, a city of people with beautiful minds.
During the past year I have tried to take as many photographs of this city as I can take and have posted some of them on PICTURESQUE.
I have visited Hermitage and the Russian Museum and its wings several times and a number of art galleries and other museums. This city honoured me by publishing my book 'River Valley to Silicon Valley' into Russian in April this year and since then I have made book presentations at the historical 'Dom Kniggi on the Nevsky Prospect' and 'The House of Friendship' on Liteny Prospect and have got an overwhelming response from the readers, scholars and critics.
I have enjoyed walking in the Summer Garden and the Nevsky Prospect, along the banks of Fontanka river and the Garden of Joy in the Elagin Island. I have loved the boat rides in the Neva, Moika and Fontanka and watching the sun set at midnight from the gulf of Finland.
To be continued...

Delhi

2008-07-28T19:50:00.005+05:30

I loved when it rained in JNU,

I went around riding my bike

Along the ring path, through the divine greens,

And I loved India-gate at nights

And let a few balloons loose in the Delhi sky

I loved the tombs and temples

Those scatter around the ancient landscape

And the black ‘Jamuns’ ripened by

The summer heat of the ancient civilization

Adorned all over the roads of the Lutyen’s Delhi

Spreading their woody fragrance

I loved those green & yellow auto-rickshaws

Available around the corner of every street

Making their way through the busy traffic

Taking me across the city; DU to JNU and JNU to DU

I loved the pristine Lodi garden

Where I jogged with my father every morning

And gave food to the birds, ants and squirrels with my mother

And the unforgettable ‘Khan Market’

Where I spent many evenings with my friends at the ‘Barista’ café

And the ‘Cannought Place’, the heart of New Delhi

Where we went for pilgrimage,

Every year after our College exams got over

The D’ School and the Delhi University garden

Walking through St. Stephen and the Kamla Nagar

The weekend movies at ‘Shakuntalam’ ‘Priya’ & PVR

Dear Delhi, how much I miss you

You are one beloved with many lovers

Nevertheless, I have loved you with all my heart

And I’ll return to you, with the waves of time.

Home- my concerns on canvass

2008-07-20T23:56:00.007+05:30

Oil & Canvas
40 x 30 cm
Home
By Abhay K.

Blessed

2008-07-14T02:20:00.003+05:30

Pic. by Abhay K.

Blessed are the ones, who live immersed in beauty,

Blessed are you, with earth-blue eyes,

Your golden locks made of the shooting stars,

Glowing as the full moon in the dark starry nights,

The epitome of unearthly beauty-eternal, impersonal,

Blessed! Beyond desires.

Blessed is the earth! Blessed is the Milky Way! Blessed is the Universe!

Blessed is the billion years journey since the Big Bang

You were the meaning, you were the purpose,

Something that Philosophers would never understand.

What is literature?

2008-06-23T00:30:00.003+05:30

What is literature? This question came to my mind when a colleague commented about my poems-"I can't say that your poems have any literary value but they are instant expression of human emotions..." This comment made me think ;what is literature? Do I write to express myself, to pour out what is on my mind; or to consciously make literary contributions?

So I did my search and came upon this definition of literature- "Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material"- Esther Lombardi, About.com
The word literature did not come to designate the body of imaginative text till the late 18th century. In Latin Littera means letters and as etymology suggests literature is anything written.

So I became happy for a while, deriving meaning of literature from its etymology and the definition of literature by Lombardi but my happiness did not last very long. I soon came upon another definition by Erza Pound-" Literature is the news that stays relevant" meaning those works of art or imagination that will be read years from now. Now this one is a gray area. How do we know then which books are great pieces of literature and which ones are not? It can be decided many years later only.

So I got further confused what constitutes literature and what not?

More search led me to the following definition by McFadden-

Literature is a canon which consists of those works in language by which a community defines itself through the course of its history.

According to this definition one has to wait for many years for the community to decide if it would identify with the work of writer A or B.

Now let's look at some more definitions-
In a 1877 article in New York Times, Mr. Stopford Brooke says-"By literature we mean written thoughts and feelings of intelligent men and women arranged in a way which will give pleasure to the reader."

Some other viewpoints-

Professor Barry Laga - What is literature ?
Patrick Galloway- What is literature?
Myron Magnet- What use is Literature?
Stopford Brooke - What is Literature (pdf)

It seems that it is difficult to define "Literature" and therefore I would not like to wander in the vast universe of Literature but continue writing as well as I can, expressing my thoughts and feelings without bothering if they will be read after many years from now or not; or become part of the canon by which any society will identify.

I write because I can't do without it.

Some related Books-
"What is Literature and other essays" by John Paul Satre
Hindu Literary Review on Satre's book- 'What is Literature'

Our Universe is flat

2008-06-17T15:53:00.004+05:30

Our Universe is not spherical or saddle shaped but flat- images by NASA

Since a long time I have been interested in having an atlas of the Universe. Today I found some interesting internet resources where one can learn more about the Universe we live in.

Atlas of the Universe
This website gives different maps of the Universe based on the distance from the Sun in light years, beginning from 12.5 light years to 14 billion light years away from the Sun.

BBC : Interactive Map of the Universe
This interactive map can be fun for the kids and grown ups both. It gives you a chance to put the solar system in order and briefs you about a lots of other interesting space related terms.

NASA: Our Universe
It gives interesting information on the new findings about the shape and fate of the Universe.

Long ago people thought the Earth was flat and the Universe round but now we know it is other way round- the Universe is flat and the Earth is round.

I think these three links will prove very useful for anyone who wants to broaden one's knowledge about the Universe.

Fountainhead by Ayn Rand:Book Review

2008-06-13T16:59:00.002+05:30

Fountainhead by Ayan Rand is a blistering attack on the prevalent definitions of originality, success, networking, egoism, altruism and traditional human values. The fact is that hardly much has changed in the ways of the world since the book was penned down. The philosophy outlined in the book is closest to the philosophy espoused in the great Indian book ‘Gita’ (The Song Divine) Ch-II, Verse No. 47

Karmanyevadhikarste ma phaleshu kdachan,
Ma karmphalhetubhrurma te sangdostvkarmani.

Your right is to work only, but never to the fruit thereof. Be not instrumental in making your actions bear fruit, nor let your attachment to inaction.

Ayn Rand has skillfully and vividly illustrated this philosophy through the character of Howard Roark who is an architect and works only for his pleasure, without bothering about what the rest of the world thinks, creating the architectural masterpieces. He never asks for someone’s opinion about his work. He is only responsible to his self and lives for his own self and not for anybody else.

Ayn Rand has heavily attacked the concept of altruism that demands that a person should live for others. She calls such persons ‘Parasites or Second Handers’ who make a living feeding on the works of the original creators.

What worries Rand most is that humanity has come to regard altruists, tyrants, emperors, dictators who are the worst parasites and second handers while the creator is denied, opposed, persecuted, exploited. She laments that these parasites and second handers are the best of the civilization who work their way up by networking and slavery.

A few enlightening paragraphs from the Fountainhead ...

Thousand of years ago, the first man discovered how to make fire. He was probably burned at the stake he had taught his brothers to light. He was considered an evildoer who had dealt with a demon mankind dreaded. But thereafter men had fire to keep them warm, to cook their food, to light their caves. He had left them a gift they had not conceived and he had lifted darkness off the earth. Centuries later, the first man invented the wheel. He was probably torn on the rack he had taught his brothers to build. He was considered a transgressor who ventured into forbidden territory. But thereafter, men could travel past any horizon. He had left them a gift they had not conceived and he opened the roads of the world.

That man, the unsubmissive and first, stands in the opening chapter of every legend mankind has recorded about its beginning. Prometheus was chained to a rock and torn by vultures- because he had stolen the fire of the gods. Adam was condemned to suffer- because he had eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Whatever the legend, somewhere in the shadows of its memory mankind knew that its glory began with one and that one paid for his courage.

Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, the vision un-borrowed, and the response they received- hatred. The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, and the inventors- stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced. The first motor was considered foolish. The airplane was considered impossible. The power loom was considered vicious. Anesthesia was considered sinful. But the men of un-borrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won.

No creator was prompted by a desire to serve his brothers, for his brothers rejected the gift he offered and that gift destroyed the slothful routine of their lives. His truth was his only motive. His own truth, and his own work to achieve it in his own way. A symphony, a book, an engine, a philosophy, an airplane or a building-that was his goal and his life. Not those who heard, read, operated, believed, flew or inhabited the thing he had created. The creation, not its users. The creation, not the benefits others derived from it. The creation which gave form to his truth. He held his truth above all things and against all men.

His vision, his strength, his courage came from his own spirit. A man’s spirit, however, is his self. That entity which is his consciousness. To think, to feel, to judge, to act are functions of the ego.

The creators were not selfless. It is the whole secret of their power-that it was self-sufficient, self-motivated, self-generated. A first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, a Prime Mover. The creator served nothing and no one. He lived for himself. And by living for himself was he able to achieve the things which are the glory of mankind. Such is the nature of achievement.

Man cannot survive except through his mind. He comes on earth unarmed. His brain is his only weapon. Animals obtain food by force. Man has no claws, no fangs, no horns, no great strength of muscle. He must plant his food or hunt it. To plant, he needs a process of thought. From this simplest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have, comes from a single attribute of man-the function of his reasoning mind.

But the mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. There is no such thing as a collective thought. An agreement reached by a group of men is only a compromise or an average drawn upon many individual thoughts. It is a secondary consequence. The primary act-the process of reason- must be performed by each man alone. We can divide a meal among many men. We cannot digest it in a collective stomach. No man can use his lungs to breathe for another man. No man can use his brain to think for another. All the functions of body and spirit are private. They cannot be shared or transferred.

We inherit the products of the thought of other men. We inherit the wheel. We make a cart. The cart becomes an automobile. The automobile becomes an airplane. But all through the process what we receive from others is only the end product of their thinking. The moving force is the creative faculty which takes this product as material, uses it and originates the next step. This creative faculty cannot be given or received, shared or borrowed. It belongs to single, individual men. That which it creates is the property of the creator. Men learn from one another. But all learning is only the exchange of material. No man can give another the capacity to think. Yet that capacity is our only means of survival.

Nothing is given to man on earth. Everything he needs has to be produced. And here man faces his basic alternative:he can survice in only one of two ways- by the independent work of his own mind or as a parasite fed by the minds of others. The creator originates. The parasite borrows. The creator faces nature alone. The parasite faces nature through an intermediary.

The creator’s concern is the conquest of nature. The parasite’s concern is the conquest of men.

The creator lives for his work. He needs no other men. His primary goal is within himself. The parasite lives second hand. He needs others. Others become his prime motive.

The basic need of the creator is independence. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot be curbed, sacrificed or subordinated to any consideration whatsoever. It demands total independence in function and in motive. To a creator, all relations with men are secondary.

The basic need of the second-hander is to secure his ties with men in order to be fed. He places relations first. He declares that man exists in order to serve others. He preaches altruism.

Altruism is the doctrine that demands that man live for others and places others above self.

No man can live for another. He cannot share his spirit just he cannot share his body. But the second hander has used altruism as a weapon of exploitation and reversed the base of mankind’s moral principles. Men have been taught every percept that destroys the creator. Men have taught dependence as a virtue.

Men have been taught that the highest virtue is not to achieve but to give. Yet one cannot give that which has not been created. Creation comes before distribution- or there will be nothing to distribute. The need of the creator comes before any other beneficiary. Yet we are taught to admire the second hander who dispenses gifts he has not produced above the man who made the gifts possible. We praise an act of charity. We shrug at an act of achievement.

Men have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others. But the creator is the man who disagrees. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to swim with the current. But the creator is the man who goes against the current. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to stand together. But the creator is the man who stands alone.

Men have been taught that the ego is the synonym of evil, and selflessness the ideal of virtue. But the creator is the egoist in the absolute sense, and the selfless man is the one who does not think, feel, judge, or act. These are functions of the self.

Degrees of ability vary, but the basic principles remain the same: the degree of man’s independence, initiative and personal love for his work determines his talent as a worker and his worth as a man. Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value. What a man is and makes of himself; not what he has or has done for others. There is no substitute for personal dignity. There is no standard of personal dignity except independence.

In all proper relationships there is no sacrifice of anyone to anyone. Men exchange their work by free, mutual consent to mutual advantage when their personal interests agree and they both desire the exchange. If they do not desire it, they are not forced to deal with each other. They seek further. This is the only possible form of relationship between equals. Anything else is a relation of slave to master, or victim to executioner.

No work is ever done collectively, by a majority decision. Every creative job is achieved under the guidance of a single individual thought.

The first right on earth is the right of the ego. Man’s first duty is to himself. His moral law is never to place his prime goal within the persons of others. His moral obligation is to do what he wishes, provided his wish does not depend primarily upon other men. This includes the whole sphere of his creative faculty, his thinking, his work. But it does not include the sphere of the gangster, the altruist and the dictator.

A man thinks and works alone. A man cannot rob, exploit or rule alone. Robbery, exploitation and ruling presuppose victims. They imply dependence. They are the province of the second hander.

Rulers of men are not egoists. They create nothing. They exist entirely through the person of others. Theirs goal is in their subjects, in the activity of enslaving. They are as dependent as the beggar, the social worker and the bandit. The form of dependence does not matter.

But men were taught to regard second-handers- tyrants, emperors, dictators- as exponents of egoism. By this fraud they were made to destroy the ego, themselves and others. The purpose of the fraud was to destroy the creators. Or to harness them. which is a synonym.

From the beginning of history, the two antagonists have stood face to face, the creator and the second hander. When the first creator invented the wheel, the first second-hander responded. He invented altruism.

The creator-denied, opposed, persecuted, exploited- went on, moved forward and carried all humanity along on his energy. The second-hander contributed nothing to the process except the impediments. The contest has another name; the individual against the collective.

It is an ancient conflict. Men have come close to the truth, but it was destroyed each time and one civilization fell after another. Civilization is the progress towards a society of privacy. The savage’s whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men.

A rendezvous with the Divine

2008-06-11T13:13:00.004+05:30

It was a cloudy white night,

It was still bright over the horizons

And the cold breeze blew into my face

After the storms and rains;

The green pine trees stood silent

And the half moon smiled over the green grass carpet,

The whitish Seren flowers were in full bloom

And I strolled overwhelmed that night

Among the pine trees, Seren flowers, half-moon, rains and storms

That night eternity embraced me gently; and

It was a rendezvous with the Divine.

For more pics please visit PICTURESQUE

Light

2008-05-11T15:14:00.002+05:30

Hard to delete the impressions,
They are going to last long;
That moment your light struck my soul,
The deep impact ,
The lasting images,
Your thoughts,
Restlessness to see,
Your light again and again!

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

2008-04-11T14:28:00.002+05:30

Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Indialog Classics, 2003
ISBN-8187981563
Pages-381
Taking a break from the Great Russian literature I started reading ‘Kim’ by Rudyard Kipling which I got as a gift from a Russian friend. Kim is set in the beginning of the twentieth century in British India where events take place in the backdrop of the Great Game. Kim is an orphaned son of a soldier in the Irish regiment and lives in the streets of Lahore before meeting a Tibetan lama. After meeting with the Tibetan Lama he sets on a spiritual journey with the Lama who is looking for a mystical river that will help him to free himself from the circle of birth and death and attain Nirvana. During the journey Lama and Kim become very fond of each other. Kim begs for the Lama, helps him to find his mystical river.
On the way Kim is found by the Irish regiment who recognizes him and take him away from the Lama to groom him into an officer (Sahib). Kim does not want to become a Sahib but he is sent to a boarding school in Lucknow anyway for education. The Lama goes to Sarnath in the search of the river and takes shelter in a temple. Later Kim is hired to spy by the intelligence authorities. He finds the Lama again and they set on a journey to Tibet together where the other players of the Great Game are active. The book has an interesting end- The Lama finds the mystical river within himself and find the salvation too but he returns to his mortal body once again to help Kim to find salvation.
“And I meditated a thousand years, passionless, well aware of the Causes of all Things. Then a voice cried: ‘What shall come to the boy if thou art dead?’ and I was shaken back and forth in myself with pity for thee; and I said: ‘I will return to my Chela, lest he miss the Way.’
Nobody can doubt the literary mastery of Rudyard Kipling. He uses spoken vernacular words with great elegance and paints a vivid picture of the early twentieth century India. Though the book is not a smooth read it needs to be read.
I end the review with one of the lasting poems of Rudyard Kipling-

‘If’

If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

The Illusion of Time

2008-04-10T14:51:00.003+05:30

Time is the greatest illusion or hallucination of human mind. The rising and setting of the Sun, day and night, the biological process of birth, ageing and death create impression of time-time that is unstoppable, time that is passing by. But what is time?

There is no time, there is only illusion, as the train runs fast and if one looks out of the window,one finds that the ground and trees are running away in the opposite direction,as the Sun appears going around the earth everyday.

The fact is that universe begins, it changes and then it ends as any other object in the Universe. Nothing lasts forever. Our histotries, thoughts, pride, greatness, meanness, beauty, magnificence will all be buried one day in the cosmic dust and a new Universe will begin afresh with its new laws.

There is no immortality, no eternity and no timelessness because time does not exist independent of the events. Only there is a circle of birth and death of all that we see and all that we do not see with our eyes, all we experience from our limited senses and all we do not experience.

The straight lines we see, such as progress of civilization or evolution going in a certain direction are merely straight lines of a bigger circle. In our universe straight lines are all but a continuum of a circle. Eisenstein understood it and put forward that there is no space, there is no time but only space-time continuum. This continuum is nothing but the change taking place in the universe.

Thus the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning.

Russian short stories from Pushkin to Buida

2008-03-28T15:37:00.003+05:30

Russian Short Stories from Pushkin to Buida edited by Robert Chandler
ISBN-13: 978-0-140-44846-7
Penguin Classics 2005

Pages-396

Short stories and poetry are the backbone of the Russian literature and its greatest achievement whereas in the West a novel is treated as the acme of achievement in literature and short stories and poems are considered as a minor genre. The fact is that Russia’s most celebrated and popular literature personalities are the poet Sergey Alexanderavich Pushkin and the greatest Russian short story writer Nikolai Gogol. There is no Great Russian writer who has not written short stories. Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades” is a masterpiece and since then the glorious tradition of short story writing has continued with Lermentov’s ‘The Fatalist’, Gogol’s ‘The Nose’ and ‘The Overcoat’, Tolstoy’s ‘God sees the Truth but waits’ Leskov’s ‘The steel flea’, Chekov’s ‘In the cart’,Bunin’s ‘The gentleman from San Franscisco’, Zamyatin’s ‘The Lion, Joshchenko’s ‘Electrification, The Bathhouse’, Platonov’s ‘The Return’, Kharms’ ‘The Old Woman’, Shalamov’s ‘Duck’, Shuskin’s ‘In the autumn’ Eppel’s ‘Red Caviar Sandwiches’, Dovlatov’s ‘The Officer’s belt’ and Buida’s ‘Sindbad the Sailor’.

The book “Russian Short Stories from Pushkin to Buida” is the best collection of Russian short stories in any one compact edition available. This book takes one on a journey to the heart and soul of the Russian literature and is a must read for anybody interested in Russian literature, culture, history or society.

Your perfumed presence!

2008-03-25T18:21:00.001+05:30

Your perfumed presence,
your polite ways,
your perfect smile,
draw a rainbow in my eyes!
Your soft voice,
your moonlit face,
your open heart,
the way you dress
the way you walk!
What a joy
to have you in my life!

Let's light a candle

2008-03-17T19:34:00.005+05:30

Pic by the author

Fellow rafters
in the rocky waters,
We should row on
however rocky be the path;

Let's light a candle,
Because a candle in the darkness
is a good thing;

And things will be on track,
And we'll reach the destination
though it will take some time.

1st Inter-consulate Table Tennis Tournament in St. Petersburg

2008-03-14T18:51:00.005+05:30

I love to play table-tennis . I remember my university days when I was a student at the K.M. College in Delhi University and lived in the College Hostel. At the hostel in 1998 I saw for the first time a table-tennis table, racket and an orange ball and students playing this game. I touched the racket, took it in my right hands and hit the ball across the net but the ball never landed on the table. I tried many times to put the ball as other players did but I did not succeed. Then days, weeks, months and two years passed by and I did not touch the table-tennis racket or ball.
Then I moved to the Jawaharlal Nehru University where I stayed in the Narmada Hostel. It was at Narmada that I again took the table-tennis racket in my hand and I found the balls falling at the right places after a few days of practice. Since then I have moved from strength to strength. I played table-tennis during the lunch break at the Embassy in Moscow with the Embassy staff. To play table-tennis was great way to relax and stress out. I simply loved the game.
Now I am already in St. Petersburg since the last six months and have mingled with the diplomats from the other countries in this city. Last month I proposed to host an Inter-consulate table-tennis tournament. We got participants from Cyprus, Finland and Hungary. We held both the doubles and the singles. Finland won the doubles. In singles there was a tie among Magnus from Finland, Gabor from Hungry and me. I had reached to the final beating all the participants except Magnus but finally Magnus got the first place, Gabor the second and I got the third place. The other players were Anton from Cyprus, Kai from Finland and Jagdish from India.
Whatever were the final results, we enjoyed playing table tennis greatly and got to know each other much better than we ever get the opportunity to know them during the diplomatic parties over a glass of fine champagne. We have decided to host the next Inter-Consulate table-tennis tournament soon...by the first or second week of April with many more participants from many more countries.

Interesting facts-

Table-Tennis was banned in Russia in the early twentieth century as it was considered to have an adverse impact on the eyesight of the players.

Table-tennis was included in the Olympics games in 1988.

Table-tennis started in UK and developed in the United States where it became popular as 'Ping-Pong'.

'Ping-Pong' is not of Chinese origin as it seems sometimes.

George Bernard Shaw and his aphorisms

2008-03-13T16:52:00.006+05:30

George Bernard Shaw Aphorisms
ISBN-5-94320-023-1
Anima Press St. Petersburg 2003

I came across a little handbook of 'George Bernard Shaw and his aphorisms', at the House of Books in St. Petersburg, a few days back. I found a treasure of common sense and witty remarks flipping through its pages. GBS once said that he had made international reputation by thinking once or twice a week. How true indeed! I wonder how many times in a year do we really think? GBS also said that our careful observations are simply termed as cynicism and the best way to joke is to tell the truth. I read all the aphorisms compiled in this little book and thought about each one of them and then I found myself in agreement with the sharp and witty Shaw on many of his observations but of course not all...rather I have serious disagreements about many of his observations.

George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin in 1856 and moved to London at the age of 20 to earn a name in writing but he was a failure as a novelist. He found success as an art critic though and then as a playwright. Shaw lived a long life of 94 years and earned both Nobel Prize and an Oscar. Shaw was not a perfect thinker though. He believed in the Socialist paradise and eugenic politics and supported Stalin's regime.

I am putting below some of the aphorisms of Shaw that I have really liked and found useful -

Forget about likes and dislikes. They are of no consequence. Just do what must be done.This may not be happiness but it is greatness.(sounds like Krishna preaching Arjuna at Kurukshetra :Gita)

There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get one's heart desire. The other is to get it.

Marriage- when two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive and most transient passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.

He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.

I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.

It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.

it is most unwise for people in love to marry.

Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.

The world is populated in the main by people who should not exist.(One of his extreme opinions)

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to br serious when people laugh.

Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life.

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them,but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.

A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it; it would be hell on earth.

Do not try to live forever. You will not succeed.

All great truth begins as blasphemies.

The things most people want to know about are usually none of their business.

Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.

If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.

There is no love sincere than the love of food.

The perfect love affair is one which is conducted entirely by post.

Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is Genius.

Life's not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

A family is a tyranny ruled over by it's weakest member.

The only service a friend can really render is to keep up your courage by holding up to you a mirror in which you can see a noble image of yourself.

Beauty is all very well at the first sight; but whoever looks at it when it has been in the house three days?

Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough.

Life at its noblest leaves mere happiness far behind; and indeed cannot endure it. Happiness is not the object of life: life has no object; it is an end in itself; and courage consists in the readiness to sacrifice happiness for an intense quality of life.

As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.

Democracy is a device that insures that we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy.

Better never than late.

Success covers a multitude of blunders.

Of all the damnable waste of human life that ever was invented, clerking is the worst.

To be in hell is to drift; to be in heaven is to steer.

Anarchism is a game at which the police can beat you.(sounds like Mahatma Gandhi)

Every man over forty is a scoundrel.

In heaven an angel is nobody in particular.

It's all the young can do for the old, to shock them and keep them up to date.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him...the unresonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself...all progress depends on unresonable man.

Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get.

We must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy.

Nobel Prize money is a lifebelt thrown to a swimmer who has already reached the shore in safety.

Nothing is worth doing unless the consequences may be serious.

Life is not meant to be easy, my child; but take courage- it can be delightful.

There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.

The harder I work the more I live.

The only way to avoid being miserable is not to have enough leisure to wonder whether you are happy or not.

When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport, when the tiger wants to murder him it's called ferocity.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family.

Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.

I want to sleep...( these were his last words)

How many hearts broken?!

2008-03-10T18:53:00.002+05:30

How many hearts broken
How many lives shaken
How many tear drops fell?
From those tender eyes;
How many curses bespoken
For his pig-headedness
For the pursuit of happiness
For living up to one’s dreams
For his sins…

He didn’t break any hearts
He didn’t shake any lives
He didn’t cause tear-drops fall
He just moved on …
He the flow of life
Pursuit of happiness is what he lives for
Living up to one’s dreams does no harm…

Anna Akhmatova( On her 42nd death anniversary)

2008-03-05T14:11:00.007+05:30

A portrait of Anna Akhmatova by Nathan Altman
On 1st March I was invited to visit the Literary Museum at the Fountain House (part of the Sheremetev Palace). Here Anna Akhmatova spent many years of her life in a Communal flat where she shared the kitchen with at least ten other people. The museum has well preserved the articles,utensils, furniture,paintings, books etc. from that period.

Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966) was born near the city of Odessa as Anna Gorenko but she moved with her parents to the Tsarskoe Sello(The Tsar’s village)near St. Petersburg when she was just one year old. She began to write poem at the age of 11. It was at the Tsarskoe Sello she met the poet Nikolai Gumilev who proposed to her but was shown a cold shoulder by Akhmatova. Gumilev went to Africa to forget the bitterness of rejection and in the meanwhile Anna Gorenko’s parents separated and she went with her mother to live in Kiev. Gumilev wrote-
“You can’t call her beautiful
But all my happiness is in her”.
Later when Gumilev returned from Africa he again proposed to Anna Akhmatova and they got married in 1910. She completed her first book ‘Evening’ which was published later. Their son Lev was born in 1912. Their relationship was not easy as Gumilev himself was a well known poet and both of them pursued their hearts in terms of relationships.
The legend is that one of the ancestors from her mother side was Ahmad Khan, from the family of Chengis Khan and when her father told her that it was not good to be poet for a girl from a noble family then she changed her surname from Gorenko to Akhmatova.
Anna Akhmatova was one of the leading figures of the famous ‘Silver Age’ of the Russian literature and she shared the stage with writers and poets like Mikhail Kuzmin, Aleksandr Blok, Osip Mandelstam, Mayakovsky etc... Akhmatova had a long life and she was witness to the Bolshevik revolution led by Lenin and afterwards the repressive Stalin years. She did not leave Russia even though her friends and fellow poets either emigrated to the West, were sent to the Siberian camps, died or were killed. Her husband Gumilev was charged with anti-revolutionary activities and was arrested and shot. Their only son Lev Gumilev was arrested and released and arrested again. She could not publish her poems in the Stalin years until the Second World War began and she was given the opportunity to publish. During the 900 days of blockade of Leningrad she wrote her great poem ‘Courage’ to inspire her countrymen to withstand all the sufferings and defend the motherland. During the war years she wrote “Poem without a hero.” But once the war was over she was again banned from publishing and her son was arrested. She began to glorify Stalin for the sake of her only son Lev but this did not help much and Lev had to spend ten years in Siberia. In the 1960s Anna Akhmatova wrote her most important work ‘Requiem’ which had not been written since the last twenty years. Requiem celebrates the memories of her very near and dear ones. She wrote-
"To forget is a terrible thing
I remember each one of you".
Anna Akhmatova published her poems after the Stalin Era was over and the ‘Khrushchev Thaw’ began. She lived a long life and vividly narrated the history of her generation through her poems. In 1962 Robert Frost visited her country house. In her last years Akhmatova wrote memoirs and poems and made many translations. On March 5, 1966 Anna Akhmatova died. I am placing below one of her most widely read poems 'Requiem'.

Requiem

Not under foreign skies
Nor under foreign wings protected -
I shared all this with my own people
There, where misfortune had abandoned us.
[1961]

INSTEAD OF A PREFACE

During the frightening years of the Yezhov terror, I
spent seventeen months waiting in prison queues in
Leningrad. One day, somehow, someone 'picked me out'.
On that occasion there was a woman standing behind me,
her lips blue with cold, who, of course, had never in
her life heard my name. Jolted out of the torpor
characteristic of all of us, she said into my ear
(everyone whispered there) - 'Could one ever describe
this?' And I answered - 'I can.' It was then that
something like a smile slid across what had previously
been just a face.
[The 1st of April in the year 1957. Leningrad]

DEDICATION

Mountains fall before this grief,
A mighty river stops its flow,
But prison doors stay firmly bolted
Shutting off the convict burrows
And an anguish close to death.
Fresh winds softly blow for someone,
Gentle sunsets warm them through; we don't know this,
We are everywhere the same, listening
To the scrape and turn of hateful keys
And the heavy tread of marching soldiers.
Waking early, as if for early mass,
Walking through the capital run wild, gone to seed,
We'd meet - the dead, lifeless; the sun,
Lower every day; the Neva, mistier:
But hope still sings forever in the distance.
The verdict. Immediately a flood of tears,
Followed by a total isolation,
As if a beating heart is painfully ripped out, or,
Thumped, she lies there brutally laid out,
But she still manages to walk, hesitantly, alone.
Where are you, my unwilling friends,
Captives of my two satanic years?
What miracle do you see in a Siberian blizzard?
What shimmering mirage around the circle of the moon?
I send each one of you my salutation, and farewell.
[March 1940]

INTRODUCTION
[PRELUDE]

It happened like this when only the dead
Were smiling, glad of their release,
That Leningrad hung around its prisons
Like a worthless emblem, flapping its piece.
Shrill and sharp, the steam-whistles sang
Short songs of farewell
To the ranks of convicted, demented by suffering,
As they, in regiments, walked along -
Stars of death stood over us
As innocent Russia squirmed
Under the blood-spattered boots and tyres
Of the black marias.

I

You were taken away at dawn. I followed you
As one does when a corpse is being removed.
Children were crying in the darkened house.
A candle flared, illuminating the Mother of God. . .
The cold of an icon was on your lips, a death-cold
sweat
On your brow - I will never forget this; I will gather

To wail with the wives of the murdered streltsy (1)
Inconsolably, beneath the Kremlin towers.
[1935. Autumn. Moscow]

II

Silent flows the river Don
A yellow moon looks quietly on
Swanking about, with cap askew
It sees through the window a shadow of you
Gravely ill, all alone
The moon sees a woman lying at home
Her son is in jail, her husband is dead
Say a prayer for her instead.

III

It isn't me, someone else is suffering. I couldn't.
Not like this. Everything that has happened,
Cover it with a black cloth,
Then let the torches be removed. . .
Night.

IV

Giggling, poking fun, everyone's darling,
The carefree sinner of Tsarskoye Selo (2)
If only you could have foreseen
What life would do with you -
That you would stand, parcel in hand,
Beneath the Crosses (3), three hundredth in
line,
Burning the new year's ice
With your hot tears.
Back and forth the prison poplar sways
With not a sound - how many innocent
Blameless lives are being taken away. . .
[1938]

V

For seventeen months I have been screaming,
Calling you home.
I've thrown myself at the feet of butchers
For you, my son and my horror.
Everything has become muddled forever -
I can no longer distinguish
Who is an animal, who a person, and how long
The wait can be for an execution.
There are now only dusty flowers,
The chinking of the thurible,
Tracks from somewhere into nowhere
And, staring me in the face
And threatening me with swift annihilation,
An enormous star.
[1939]

VI

Weeks fly lightly by. Even so,
I cannot understand what has arisen,
How, my son, into your prison
White nights stare so brilliantly.
Now once more they burn,
Eyes that focus like a hawk,
And, upon your cross, the talk
Is again of death.
[1939. Spring]

VII
THE VERDICT

The word landed with a stony thud
Onto my still-beating breast.
Nevermind, I was prepared,
I will manage with the rest.

I have a lot of work to do today;
I need to slaughter memory,
Turn my living soul to stone
Then teach myself to live again. . .

But how. The hot summer rustles
Like a carnival outside my window;
I have long had this premonition
Of a bright day and a deserted house.
[22 June 1939. Summer. Fontannyi Dom (4)]

VIII
TO DEATH

You will come anyway - so why not now?
I wait for you; things have become too hard.
I have turned out the lights and opened the door
For you, so simple and so wonderful.
Assume whatever shape you wish. Burst in
Like a shell of noxious gas. Creep up on me
Like a practised bandit with a heavy weapon.
Poison me, if you want, with a typhoid exhalation,
Or, with a simple tale prepared by you
(And known by all to the point of nausea), take me
Before the commander of the blue caps and let me
glimpse
The house administrator's terrified white face.
I don't care anymore. The river Yenisey
Swirls on. The Pole star blazes.
The blue sparks of those much-loved eyes
Close over and cover the final horror.
[19 August 1939. Fontannyi Dom]

IX

Madness with its wings
Has covered half my soul
It feeds me fiery wine
And lures me into the abyss.

That's when I understood
While listening to my alien delirium
That I must hand the victory
To it.

However much I nag
However much I beg
It will not let me take
One single thing away:

Not my son's frightening eyes -
A suffering set in stone,
Or prison visiting hours
Or days that end in storms

Nor the sweet coolness of a hand
The anxious shade of lime trees
Nor the light distant sound
Of final comforting words.
[14 May 1940. Fontannyi Dom]

X
CRUCIFIXION

Weep not for me, mother.
I am alive in my grave.

1.
A choir of angels glorified the greatest hour,
The heavens melted into flames.
To his father he said, 'Why hast thou forsaken me!'
But to his mother, 'Weep not for me. . .'
[1940. Fontannyi Dom]

2.
Magdalena smote herself and wept,
The favourite disciple turned to stone,
But there, where the mother stood silent,
Not one person dared to look.
[1943. Tashkent]

EPILOGUE

1.
I have learned how faces fall,
How terror can escape from lowered eyes,
How suffering can etch cruel pages
Of cuneiform-like marks upon the cheeks.
I know how dark or ash-blond strands of hair
Can suddenly turn white. I've learned to recognise
The fading smiles upon submissive lips,
The trembling fear inside a hollow laugh.
That's why I pray not for myself
But all of you who stood there with me
Through fiercest cold and scorching July heat
Under a towering, completely blind red wall.

2.
The hour has come to remember the dead.
I see you, I hear you, I feel you:
The one who resisted the long drag to the open window;
The one who could no longer feel the kick of familiar
soil beneath her feet;
The one who, with a sudden flick of her head, replied,

'I arrive here as if I've come home!'
I'd like to name you all by name, but the list
Has been removed and there is nowhere else to look.
So,
I have woven you this wide shroud out of the humble
words
I overheard you use. Everywhere, forever and always,
I will never forget one single thing. Even in new
grief.
Even if they clamp shut my tormented mouth
Through which one hundred million people scream;
That's how I wish them to remember me when I am dead
On the eve of my remembrance day.
If someone someday in this country
Decides to raise a memorial to me,
I give my consent to this festivity
But only on this condition - do not build it
By the sea where I was born,
I have severed my last ties with the sea;
Nor in the Tsar's Park by the hallowed stump
Where an inconsolable shadow looks for me;
Build it here where I stood for three hundred hours
And no-one slid open the bolt.
Listen, even in blissful death I fear
That I will forget the Black Marias,
Forget how hatefully the door slammed and an old woman
Howled like a wounded beast.
Let the thawing ice flow like tears
From my immovable bronze eyelids
And let the prison dove coo in the distance
While ships sail quietly along the river.
[March 1940. Fontannyi Dom]

FOOTNOTES

1 An elite guard which rose up in rebellion
against Peter the Great in 1698. Most were either
executed or exiled.
2 The imperial summer residence outside St
Petersburg where Ahmatova spent her early years.
3 A prison complex in central Leningrad near the
Finland Station, called The Crosses because of the
shape of two of the buildings.
4 The Leningrad house in which Ahmatova lived.

Anna Akhmatova

Chuck Close at the Hermitage

2008-03-04T17:53:00.007+05:30

Pictures taken by Abhay K.
Chuck Close- who is he?
A painter, photographer and a master printmaker. Chuck was born in Washington, USA in 1940. He has painted large portraits from photographs and
belongs to the school of hyperrealism.A hyperrealistic painting is a painting that resembles a high resolution digital photograph. For example this oil painting of Bill Clinton by Chuck Close.

The painting of this woman below by Chuck Close is also an example of a hyperrealistic painting.

Chuck Close also works with the carpets and the self portrait of Chuck Close that can be seen below is his work on a carpet.

Chuck Close is a master photographer as well. His photos of the top model Kate Moss has been published by the Adamson Editions, Washington DC. The six prints of Kate Moss by Chuck Close can be seen by clicking here.

With our meeting

2008-02-29T16:38:00.006+05:30

Pic by the author; for more please visit Picturesque

The distances have been bridged,

New ideas have taken wings

With our meetings

Exactly the way

A new story begins

History is made

and destinies change!

Rumi & Whirling Dervishes in St. Petersburg

2008-02-27T18:56:00.007+05:30

Pictures by the author, for more PICTURESQUE

On Sunday I was invited to an evening with the poetry of the great poet and thinker 'Rumi' and watch the whirling dervishes dancing at the auditorium of the St. Petersburg hotel. The location could not be a better place as the hotel is located on the bank of the river Neva just opposite the place where the famous battleship ‘ Avrora’ stands after its retirement. The occasion was the 800th anniversary of the birth of the great poet and sufi Mowlana Zalaluddin Rumi. Though Rumi was born on 30th September 1207 in Wakhsh in current day Tajikistan , he had migrated and settled in the town of Konya in current day Turkey. In this town he wrote his divine verses and founded the 'Whirling Dervishes' sect that aim to be one with the Almighty by whirling endlessly.

The event was organized by the Eurasia Dialogue, the municipality of the town of Konya with the help of the Committee on culture of the St. Petersburg City Government, the Russian federal government and the UNESCO.
What was really striking at the performance of the whirling dervishes was their white attire cocooned under a black veil and long sandy colored caps. When they started whirling with the recital of the Rumi’s poems, a surreal spiritual ambience set in the hall. Their elegant movements in white dress that spread out below the waist as white roses bloomed upside down, turned them into angels of love and peace . Their face lit up with the inner light of faith and purity. They forgot their ‘selves’ and got merged into the infinite eternity. I learned there that these rites are called ‘Sama’ and they aim at the union with the Divine.
Here I am leaving you with some pictures I took during the ceremony of ‘Sama’ and a poem by the great poet ‘Rumi’ .

A poem by Rumi

The day I've died, my pall is moving on -
But do not think my heart is still on earth!
Don't weep and pity me: "Oh woe, how awful!"
You fall in devil's snare - woe, that is awful!
Don't cry "Woe, parted!" at my burial -
For me this is the time of joyful meeting!
Don't say "Farewell!" when I'm put in the grave -
A curtain is it for eternal bliss.
You saw "descending" - now look at the rising!
Is setting dangerous for sun and moon?
To you it looks like setting, but it's rising;
The coffin seems a jail, yet it means freedom.
Which seed fell in the earth that did not grow there?
Why do you doubt the fate of human seed?
What bucket came not filled from out the cistern?
Why should the Yusaf "Soul" then fear this well?
Close here your mouth and open it on that side.
So that your hymns may sound in Where- no-place!
Schimmel, Annemarie. Look!

(Source of this poem:-This Is Love: Poems of Rumi. Boston, Mass.: Shambhala Publications, 1991.)

Reading Gogol in the 21st century

2008-02-25T13:04:00.007+05:30

Pic by the author, for more visit PICTURESQUE
I am already more than six months old in St. Petersburg living on Vasilivsky Island and working not very far away from the Nevsky Prospect but I could get to read the two most haunting short stories I have ever read- 'The Nose' and 'The Overcoat' by Nikolai Gogol just yesterday.

'The Nose' is surreal and bizarre story of Major Kavaliov who finds one fine morning that his nose has disappeared. He does not believe it at the first instance but the reality slowly sets in. He goes out in the city streets to look for his nose and to register a complain with the chief of the city police about his lost nose. At Kazan cathedral he finds his nose praying dressed in the attire of a state councillor which is of higher rank than a major. He is awe struck and gingerly approaches his nose to return to its right place but the Nose refuses to even recognize him. Baffled he goes to a newspaper office to put advertisement about his lost nose but the newspaper office refuses to entertain his request fearing loss of credibility for the newspaper. Finally the major mired in hopelessness retires to his apartment but there is a knock on the door and a policeman comes up with his dried and dead nose. Major Kavaliov calls the best doctor to put his nose back but the doctor declares it impossible. The major drowns in despair but in the morning he finds his nose intact as it always was. He goes around in the street courting women once again with a new vigour.

'The Nose' has many conotations. It is surreal, it is satarical but most of all it is about faith. The dates 25th March(when the major loses the nose) and 7 April (when he finds the nose) are the same day acrroding to the old Julian calendar and the new Georgian calendar and that day is celebrated as the day of 'Ascension' by the Orthodox church.

The Overcoat is a masterpiece and has all the elements of a great story. It tells about the society's obsession with the small material things, ranks,medals, social status etc. and the pervailing spritual vaccum in our lives. His tales become even more relevant in our times as we increasingly encounter material forces clapsing us all in its jaws. The Overcoat is a mirror for the humanity where we can see our indifference , atrocity and apathy to the fellow human beings because of our obsession with material things and lack of spritual consciousness.

The protagonist of 'The Overcoat' is Akaky Akakievich, a copying clerk who is a bald, middle aged, mediocre, unmarried St. Petersburger. Everybody at work makes fun of him and he always finds himself in wrong places at wrong times. He is almost subhuman in his old tattered overcoat and has only one desire i.e. to get his overcoat repaired but the tailor refuses to do the job and insists that Akaky Akakievich gets a new overcoat. With this begins the year long preparations for stitching a new overcoat- selecting the material for the overcoat, comparing prices, selecting the material for the collar etc. Akaky Akakievich saves money and invests all his energy to get a new overcoat and one fine day when he gets it he finds himself on the top of the world. His colleagues at the work do not take lightly to his share of happiness. They insist that he should throw a party to them and when he shows liitle interest in doing so then one of his juniors decides to throw a party and invites him to add some insult to Akaky Akakievich. Reluctant Akaky Akakiviech goes to the party but does not how to behave himself as he had never been to a party. While on the way back home his new overcoat is taken away by some hooligans in the street. Akaky Akakiviech is shocked and can't believe it. He goes to the police but of no use. The overcoat that lit up his life for a moment is taken away. His only light of life, his only hope is robbed and he catches high fever and dies after a few days. His ghost appears in the streets of St. Petersburg and snatches the overcoat of a high official who had burst over him when he had gone to him to complain about his lost overcoat.

Gogol was born in Sorochintsy, Ukraine on 1st April 1809. He moved to St. Petersburg in 1828 where he worked as a civil servant for a brief time and later as a history teacher. He wrote 'The Nose' between 1833-34 and 'The Overcoat' in 1842. He wrote his great play "The Government Inspector" in 1836 and his novel "Dead Souls", which he wrote in Rome, was published in 1842.

Gogol's work today seems to be of great importance to me and I'll read his other works soon and post reviews.

To the dreamland and back

2008-02-22T16:43:00.007+05:30

'To the dreamland and back' is dedicated to all those who are ready to give up all they have to travel to their dream lands and make money without being fully aware of what the dreamland has in store for them. This poem is an attempt to throw some light on the grim realities of international migration for the young people with little or moderate skills, without their families, friends, familiar culture and food in a foreign land. I hope that young people will invest their energies in building their villages and towns and making them better places to live and work.

Thirteen souls
left their homes,
left their villages to make their dreams come true
They gathered at the ‘Railway station’
They sat in the Bogey no.13
with dreams in their heads
and hopes in their hearts;
and travelled two nights
thinking of the bright days in El Dorado ;
Finally they arrived in New Delhi
Where they met another thirteen
At Paharganj
Brought from the villages of the north
By the scheming agents-
The dream-merchants ;
They ate , the played cards
And nursed their dreams
While visas were arranged;
The agents took their time
Ran here & there and everywhere
While the 26 nursed their dreams;
Finally visas were ready
Air-tickets were booked
There was joy among the dreamers
But now they had different routes;
The routes to Europe
The land of prosperity
The land of opportunity
Passed through different lands
Delhi-Uzbekistan-Russia-Finland
Delhi-Kiev-Germany and so on;
The agent had assured them all
Employment with thousand bucks per month
In restaurants run by his friends;
But immigration was tight
And plans went wrong;
The agent was at loss
And fled with their air tickets and cash
They were left at large
In a dark hole in the city of white nights
With nothing to eat, nothing to drink
And with no money to buy anything;
They found they had not paid the rent
When the young land lady with a bottle of beer
Knocked at their door, shouting…
‘pay me rentttt…, renttttttttt…pay me zenigi...zenigi...’
Or else my boys will tear you tomorrow;
They were scared and terrified
They called for help
Searched for the disappeared agent
In the babble of drowning voices
But help was far…
The night fell
And the her boys arrived
‘Boys with vodka’
They drank and enjoyed
And she screamed with wild joys;
Then the fell upon the ‘dreamers’
Like hungry wild panthers
Bled them one by one…
Their violent screams filled the black space
But help was far
Hopes were shattered,
Dreams ruined
And they could not even go back home
Without ‘exit visas’
They had overstayed
They had broken the law of the land
And they awaited deportation;
A good Samaritan,
A fellow countryman
Came out with help
Offered them rice and breads
Offered them a place to live
Gave them dignity;
A fellow countryman
A good Samaritan
Helped them with exit visas and deportation;
A month passed by
They returned home
With mental scars
Hopes dashed
Hearts broken
Dreams shattered
Debts to be paid;
But they returned home
With steely determination
To build their lives,
Build villages,
And to build a new India
The India of their dreams.

For more pics you may visit PICTURESQUE

The First Century

2008-02-18T20:58:00.004+05:30

Black, brown, white and yellow,
Different colours but one truth-
We are all humans
And the whole earth is our home;
A new millennium is beckoning us
At its dawn
And we must listen to
Its clarion call-
“All for one and one for all”;
Let’s make twenty first, the first
Century of ‘one earth, one humanity’
A century of peace & prosperity
A century to transcend all the barriers of the past
A century with a new beginning, a brand new start;
Let’s make twenty first, the first
The first century of humane-nity.

Ganga and Volga

2008-02-14T19:30:00.003+05:30

Ganga and Volga
Lifelines of two mother civilizations
Flowing in silence since centuries
Without a word
on making and unmaking of humanity
Whispering to each other
Go on, go on, go on!
Wash away the sins of your children,
Purify them once again,
Give them life
Bring them wealth
Bless them again and again ;
Ganga and Volga
Two sister with different destinies
Flowing in silence since centuries

Wishing a bend!

2008-02-12T17:07:00.001+05:30

Tied to a pole
That stands still
In stagnant waters
Looking at the river
That flows by
With noise and roar ;
Wishing a bend could appear
In the river of life
And the strength of its streams
Wash away the years of stale
That’s suffocating the soul...

Moments of Eternity!

2008-02-07T15:38:00.001+05:30

The waves of time
Brought you to me;
The waves of time
took you away;
I know…
I’ll never see you again;
But let me thank you
For the few moments of eternity!

Tilting at Time

2008-02-01T13:18:00.001+05:30

O' Time, stop for a while

Let me absorb the fullness of the moment

It's richness,

It's all hues and colors,

Stand still!

Don't move!

You rush too fast...

I can't catch up with your pace,

Slow down!

Wait a little!

Let me move on...

The first Bionic book published in St. Petersburg

2008-01-23T13:33:00.000+05:30

Imagine a book written by a computer!!!

It's true and it has been published by Astrel SPb, a publisher in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 320-page novel, called "True Love" is a variation on Leo Tolstoy's 1877 classic "Anna Karenina" but written in the style of Japanese author "Haruki Murakami".
It is based on 17 famous literary works that were uploaded onto the program. Within 72 hours, the computer generated its novel about true love.

Plot- Characters find themselves on an uninhabited island. All of them have amnesia. They know who they are, but they don't remember if they are married or have children, and what relationship they have with each other. In a way they are given a chance to build their relationship anew. The book is about how they make it.

But can a computer compete with a live author?!

'Help Improve the World'- Bill Clinton

2008-01-18T18:34:00.000+05:30

In this video Bill Clinton outlines the goals for the Humanity in the brand new 21st century and inspires with his gift of gab to come together to help improve our world. It has some powerful images. The image of roatating blue earth in the space has always inspired me to overcome differences among ourselves and to imbibe and strengthen our common humanity and achieve the goal of 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam'(the world as one family) outlined in the first book of the world 'Rig Veda'.

Let's cheer for the common man!!!

2008-01-11T21:47:00.000+05:30

Tata has revolutionised the Auto Industry by coming up with Rs.1,00,000 car(US $ 2,5000) car. The car is a victory for the common man of India as well as for the citizens of the developing world who can now become proud car owners. The car is not only cheap but also meets the emission laws and safety standards and carries great style and look. It has 624cc engine and has a mileage of 23 Km/ litre.

After a successful communication revolution in India it seems that now an Auto-revolution is bound to happen as more and more automobile companies will venture into making small, eco-friendly, energy-efficient affordable cars.

Let's cheer for the common man!!!

A Beautiful Truth?

2008-01-01T19:23:00.001+05:30

I know
it's not for ever
it comes from nothing
and goes to nothing
I know the perfect truth,
the ultimate reality
But could it be a little
soft, serene, mild?
A beautiful truth?
The ultimate reality?

Kaya

2007-12-29T20:38:00.001+05:30

Kaya kalp ki kaya ho
Ya keval ek maya ho
Ho es brahamand ki ek adbhut
Ya ho Mahaswaroop ki ek doot

Phulon se tum sunder
Chandra kirno si komal
Khile kamal si tumhari muskan
Sangeet si madhur tumhare swar

Pariyon ke ghar se aayi ho
Lakhon khushiyan layi ho
Hum denge tumhe apna sara pyar
Jabtak nahi chhodenge ye sansar

UK's Foreign Secretary blogs

2007-12-23T02:37:00.000+05:30

This is a great news and when I came across it I was surprised and delighted. Please check out the blog of UK's Foreign Secretary David Miliband & a couple of Ambassadors by clicking at the link below-

http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/

Isn't it amazing!!! That's what you can call "The way forward" in public engagement.

Some of us in the Indian Foreign Service have created "Diplomatiqa" (http://www.diplomatiqa.blogspot.com/) - an online discussion forum only for the members of the Indian Foreign Service. One can join it by sending a 'request to join' mail at diplomatixs@yahoo.com

At the moment it is a closed blog only for the members of the Indian Foreign Service. I hope soon we'll able to create a site for Indian Foreign Office (IFO) blogs.

The Way Forward...

2007-12-21T02:34:00.001+05:30

Words for words
The dead end
Words with silence
The way forward...

Thoughts, imagination, reality
Dimensions galore
All lead to you
All is your revealation!

Can borders be there?
When all belongs to you
Humanity ?!
What are you waiting for?

When wishes come true!!!(200th Post)

2007-12-19T03:37:00.000+05:30

Dear Freinds,
I am putting below an article appeared in the Indian Express "New Nalanda would teach Buddhism and global warming"for you. I hope you'll find it interesting and inspiring.

"New Nalanda would teach Buddhism and global warming" Tuesday December 18 2007 00:00 IST
ASHWANI TALWAR
NEW DELHI: In keeping with the times, students at the new Nalanda University would study subjects like global warming and business management.That can be figured after the second meeting this week-end of the Nalanda Mentor Group - a panel headed by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen – which is helping revive the famed university which drew the brightest students from across Asia and beyond. It could house upto 10,000 students. At one time, Chinese monk-scholar Xuanzang (Hsuan Tsang, for those familiar with the old way of spelling him) was among them.The new Nalanda too is being developed as an international institute. It is being revived through a collaboration of India and countries with a sizeable Buddhist presence. Heads of government discussed it at the East Asia Summit in Singapore last month, attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. By next year’s summit, they hope the framework of the international university would be ready.And later, they plan to sign an inter-governmental agreement with everyone chipping in with the money.At its peak, the University – set up near present-day Patna in the fifth century AD and laid to ruin by Bakhtiyar Khilji in the 12th – might have focused on religion and philosophy but it covered a wide range of contemporary knowledge. So would, it is hoped, the revived institute.At the week-end meeting in Tokyo, the Mentor Group proposed that the Nalanda University in its new avatar would have six schools: Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions; Historical Studies, International Relations & Peace Studies; Business Management and Development Studies; Languages and Literature; and Ecology and Environmental Studies.The Mentor Group - which first met in Singapore in July and will next discuss the Nalanda revival in China – agreed that it would be “a secular academic institution.”According to the External Affairs Ministry, it resolved that the university should “draw on an understanding of the past while remaining contemporary and emphasizing its relevance to the future.”

It's a matter of great joy that famed Nalanda University is being revived and moulded as per the demands of our times. It seems one of my seven wishes (Please click this link to read about them http://abhayspeak.blogspot.com/2005/04/seven-wishes.html#links )will see the light of the day soon. Interestingly the South Asian University was also included in the action plan in the latest SAARC summit in New Delhi (April 2007)which was historic in many sense.

SAARC summit declaration no. 20.( http://www.saarc-sec.org/data/summit14/ss14declaration.htm ) "The Heads of State or Government decided to establish the South Asian University in India. They welcomed the signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement establishing the University. They further directed that the Intergovernmental Steering Committee be set up at the earliest to complete its tasks relating to the Charter, bye laws, rules and regulations, curriculum development, business plans and other issues. They also decided to strengthen cooperation and dialogue on educational matters through development of exchanges between academics, experts, policymakers, students and teachers. They called for inter-institutional cooperation, partnerships, and other regional initiatives in the field of education."

This is what I wrote more than two years ago in April 2005 on my blog with the title "My Seven Wishes"
"My third wish is to build a SAARC University at Nalanda, the place of the world’s most ancient seat of learning where once Nalanda University existed for many centuries and attracted students from all over the world. Nalanda symbolizes the excellence in learning and knowledge. Now time has come to build a university where students from the whole South Asia can learn, live and grow together. Nalanda is just 100 KM from Patna, the state capital and Bodh Gaya, the place where Buddha got enlightenment. Bodh Gaya has an international airport which makes Nalanda easily accessible to students and scholars from all over the world. Nalanda is also part of the Buddhist Circuit which includes places like Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, Sarnath, Rajgir and Bodh Gaya. Buddhist Circuit is a major attraction for the tourists from Bhutan, Srilanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Japan and other countries where a sizable number of Buddhists live. This brings a lot of money and ideas to this region and funding for a university should not be a problem. A world class university at Nalanda will only add up to prestige and dignity of Asia."- 6th April 2005

I think it's never too late to dream. I remember from the 'Alchemist' that if you really want something then all the forces in the univerese conspire to make your wishes come true. I hope my other wishes also will have the same luck.

Cheers
Abhay

What one does?

2007-12-17T01:04:00.001+05:30

What does one do when one's all dreams come true...
and nothing is left to be achieved
and there is nothing to fight for or die for?
When the radiant truth is shining above
and all the doubts are gone
paving the pure path of beauty
What does one do?

Does one go to the pyramids high
or travels to the sacred Himalayas
or crosses the Atlantic in a small boat
searching for the answers ?
The answers one must find
to go on, or there are none?

My Grandpa- A life

2007-12-08T00:56:00.000+05:30

Shri Shiv Singh(--1917-4December 2007)

"My grandfather was a local wrestler. He started each morning by putting a handful of soil on his body to strengthen it a little before wrestling with at least ten other wrestlers from the neighbouring villages. He lived as the early humans did in the beginning of the river valley civilizations like the Nile, the Mesopotamia or the Indus."

These are the opening lines of my first book "River Valley to Silicon Valley" and that great man for whom these lines are written is no more. My dear paternal Grandpa died in a fire accident on Tuesday(December the 4th) night while he was sleeping and the house caught fire. Unfortunately he could not escape.He was a man whom I really admired for his courage, wisdom and his health consciousness. He was 90 years old but his grip was strong and he could walk for hours. He had never had the opportunity to have formal education but he was a wise man, he had learned so much from the Open University called Life.

Shri Shiv Singh was the second child of his parents and my great grandparents. His father Shri Bhattu Singh had moved from a nearby village to found a very small village 'Bhattu Bigha" (named after his name) on the banks of the River Paimar. My grandpa had grown up on the banks of the river Paimar grazing cows and buffaloes and had always been a "River Valley Man". Though he was illiterate he understood the value of education and he sent his children to school. His eldest son and my father Shri Rajendra Singh became a teacher loved and respected by a large number of villagers. Though my Grandpa never told me any stories as my grandma did, he taught me a number of excercises to keep myself healthy and strong. I really admired his strong appetite and strong eyesight. He never had any diseases, never went to a hospital in his life time and never wore glasses.He had a long life according to the modern world standards and if not for that unfortunate accident that happened I am sure he would have lived more than a hundred years.

I was looking forward to meet him along with my wife soon but I am so sad that I was deprived of this great occasion.

Grandpa,

You'll always be in my memories

till the last day of my life

though the waves

will try erase your footprints

from the sands of time!

We pray for you dear Grandpa! May your soul rest in peace!

'Angel-A' The movie you must watch!

2007-12-05T21:49:00.000+05:30

I would like to reccomend you one great movie I have seen recently on the first day of December - Angel-A by the French Director Luc Besson.

It's about a helpless American in Paris fighting for his life, his survival, who is saved by an Angel, straight from the sky. The angel is a beautiful lady with great charms and the American is almost an ugly dwarf. The Angel teaches him to love himself, respect himself because only that can save him or perhaps the whole humanity...

The movie has been made in black and white.

November Highs- Museums, Music, Meditation and a lot more

2007-12-02T19:12:00.000+05:30

Russian pop star Dima Bilan at the Ice Palace

November 2007 has been one of the finest months in my life and career. Throughout the month I have been engaged intensively in work and intellectual pursuits.

In the sphere of work I have successfully managed to perform the given duties in independent capacity and turn the organizational energies towards meaningful pursuits. I have been able to bring people together and instilled within them the pride of being the member of a great team.

We celebrated the festival of lights 'Diwali' with great flair and it was a great team effort. I have already posted about it last month on this blog. We organized the screening of the film 'Parineeta' with English subtitles for the young Russian viewers from St. Petersburg State University, the 'Hindi School- School no. 653' and a number of other institutions.

On cultural and intellectual front the last month proved to be very productive. I watched almost all the movies made by two acclaimed Soviet directors Andrei Tarakovsky and Sergei Eisenstein. I got the opportunity to attend the concert of currently the most popular pop star of Russia Dima Bilan , the best living interpreter of Beethoven's piano sonatas Andras Schiff, the violin maestro Shlomo Mintz, the world famous Harlem Gospel Choir and the award winning Spanish Pianist Antonio Ortiz. Besides that I visited the recently renovated state of the art Marinsky Concert Hall to enjoy the opera the Golden Cockerel by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsekov based on a poem written by the poet Alexander Pushkin. I also came face to face with the amazing world of Spanish Dances including Flamenco and the Rhapsody of Valencia towards the end of November.

Besides concerts, I had the privilege to visit the Russian National Library where I had the rare opportunity to see and read the original hand written letters written by the statesmen like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John Quincy Adams and others. I was struck by the their letter writing style and language. For example one letter by George Washington ends with - 'in all cases I am your friend and humble servant' and he is not alone in ending the letter with the above quoted sentence:)

Last month I also had the opportunity to visit the famous Russian Museum where the icons and paintings of the some the great Russian masters viz. Andrei Rublov, Kuinji, Ilya Repin, Surikov, Vasnetsov, Brullov, Venetsianov hang on the walls.

I also visited the Hermitage where two very interesting exhibitions are currently on display - The return of Buddha and The Dance of Quill and Ink. Contemporary Art of the Middle East.

Last month the Russian Ethnographic Museum celebrated 140 years of the exhibition titled 'The Slavs of Europe and the people of Russia". They had put a large number of mannequins dressed in their ethnic wear depicting their way of life. The occasion was used to make speeches about the Pan Slavic movement by a few dignitaries who were present there.

Not only that I also had the opportunity to meet a number of poets and writers from the Russian Association of Writers- St. Petersburg chapter. They offered me a great insights into the world of contemporary trends in Russian literature.

Last month I met two very interesting persons- A historian from the St. Peter & Paul Fortress who is an expert on Russian royalty and it was indeed pure pleasure to discuss Russian History before the Revolution with her and to hear her take on India from where she had recently returned. The second person I met was a Yoga teacher who is well conversant with all the major schools of Yoga in India. I heard for the first time 'Chants of India by Pt. Ravi Shankar' at her Yoga studio and loved 'Asto Ma'. Since then I have put it as the background music on my website. The Yoga teacher introduced me to a Vedic vegetarian restaurant 'Botanica' located in the centre of the city. Botanica offers great 'Pumpkin soup' and 'Veg Sushi'. It's 'Ginger Drink' is exciting too.

Books- Read 'One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich' by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. You can read the review by clicking here.

Rondevous with Music masters- Schiff & Mintz

2007-11-25T01:57:00.000+05:30

Andras Schiff playing piano at St. Petersburg Philharmonic on 17th Nov. 2007 (Pic by Abhay K)

St. Petersburg is a great place when it comes to live music concerts by maestros, rock stars or ballets, operas or theatre. I have had the opportunity to hear two great masters -Piano Maestro Andras Schiff and Violin maestro Shlomo Mintz just within a gap of seven days. Andras Schiff was here last Saturday on 17th November and Shlomo Mintz today evening and both happened to perform at the historical St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (named after D.D. Shostakovich)in the heart of the city where the great composers like Glinka, Chaikovsky and Stravinsky have performed earlier.

Andras Schiff is widely acclaimed as one of the best living interpreters of Bach, Schubert, Schumen and Beethoven. He has given concerts in different capitals of the world performing the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven. He has won two Grammy awards for the best instrumental soloist performance. You can see him performing by clicking here.

Last Saturday was my debut in the Grand Philharmonic as a listener and I truly loved every moment I spent there listening to Schiff. Before going to his concert I also listened to his lecture-recitals on Beethoven at Wigmore Hall, London and even to a first timer into western classical music like me they were highly revealing. You can listen to them by clicking here.

In 2006 the Milwaukee Sentinel wrote of Shlomo Mintz's performances that they are 'the most ravishingly beautiful playing we mortals can hope to hear...' but today evening he seemed a bit out of form. nevertheless it was a great evening listening to him playing violin. For his performance videos you may click I & II

The next month on 8th December I am eagerly looking forward to hear my favourite Bryans Adams at the famous Ice Palace here in St. Petersburg.

Wish you all a great week ahead!

Book Review- One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich

2007-11-22T16:37:00.000+05:30

One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich
By Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Everyman's Library(Knopf)
ISBN-0-679-44464-5
Pages-159

This book may be a modern Russian classic but its English translation(translated by H.T. Willetts) and published by Alfred. A. Knopf is so bland and boring that I used it for at least two weeks as my pillow book. By 'pillow book' I mean the book that makes you sleep quickly. I could hardly read a page and my eye lids would start closing with heaviness. Such a powerful stuff is the 159 pages long novella of the Nobel Laureate Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. I hope the original Russian version is a better read.

The book as titled tells the events of one day in the life of Ivan Denisovich and other Zeks ( inmates in the Siberian prison camp) Shukhov, Senka, Tyurin etc. in a Siberian prison camp where they struggle for their everyday existence under the whim of the camp authorities who know no laws, have no respect for human values, dignity or rule of law. The books clearly states the hopelessness of those times when anybody could be sent to Siberia on flimsy grounds viz. showing disrespect to the ruler, belonging to a particular community or just at the whim of any petty official. The book at the same time preserves hope and the triumph of the spirit even in gloomy times by giving its characters strong voice.

This book is a continuation of the great Russian literature where history, suffering and servitude are omnipresent and give shape and direction to the characters.

Enlightenment of the soul!

2007-11-15T03:06:00.001+05:30

In a moment
the soul
millennia crossed
the brilliance and the glory
of that moment
left it touched
for ever and ever
the world changed;
reality ,ambitions
the perspective of the whole life changed;
oh! what a fool
what a fool have been the soul
wasting life on false pursuits;
how long, how long
the clouds of morality
covered the longings of the soul
and in the prison the soul suffered
till that moment came
and came the liberation
the victory day;
and soul's deepest desires-
a life of solitude
full of coffee beans
books and films
a villa on the top of the hill
or in the middle of the jungle
by the lake
not far from the cafe house
but far away from the maddening crowd!

Diwali celebrations in St. Petersburg

2007-11-10T14:43:00.000+05:30

Diwali- 'the festival of lights' has always been close to my heart since my childhood days when I used to go shopping for crackers and candles with my father. In day time we used to clean and wash up the whole house and at night we used to put 'Dias' and candles inside and outside our house and have fireworks. It used to be such a special occasion for the whole family. For reunion, for forgiving each other, for solidarity and a very special occasion for the children.

Now I live far away from my home but it is said 'home is in the heart' so I carry India of my imagination, a little of her, in my heart wherever I go, even to Russia. Here in St. Petersburg it has been snowing since a few days but it did not dampen our spirits to celebrate the festival of lights. We decided to celebrate Diwali at the Consulate and everybody showed their enthusiasm. An Indian Classical Music Group "Nirmala" consisting of seven members came forward to perform for us as a special gesture on the special occasion of Diwali. We invited a number of Indian and Russian guests who have been associated with us for a long time and arranged 'Samosas & Amritis' for them along with chips, juice, cold drinks, chai & coffee. Our Russian chauffeur brought the Russian dish 'Blinis' from his home and also a lots of candles to decorate the whole entrance and the sitting hall. The music group sang 'Bhajans, Aartis and Qwalis' and performed 'Kuchipuri' dance. It was amazing to see Russians singing 'bhajans' and playing 'tabla, dholak & harmonium' with great skills. Many Russians could not believe that the members of the music group were Russians. The kind of perfection they showed in playing Indian music is not only inspiring and praiseworthy but also worth emulating.

Aboveall we had a great Diwali in St. Petersburg, not missing anything where people from a different country participated with great enthusiasm. What can be a greater bliss!

An October to Remember

2007-10-31T17:58:00.000+05:30

Sunset in St. Petersburg(Gulf of Finland) by Abhay K.

October has been a remarkable month for me. I have spent the whole month as I had thought of a few years back when I wanted to become a diplomat. As I am looking back at the my engagement schedule of the last month while writing this post, I find that I have attended 16 functions including 6 National Days of different countries. Besides a number of official dinners, receptions, concerts and call ons I have also been to a number of places with my friends and family. There has not been a single evening I have not been to some place or the other.

This month I also started going for meditation every Saturday for an hour and restarted swimming to keep fit. I have read two amazing books on Russia this month-

1. Natasha's Dance- A Cultural History of Russia by Orlando Figes &

Natasha's dance took me to the roots of the origin of the Russian culture and helped me to go in the depths of this unique fusion of Asian and European civilization. The book has been written with a great style and I would like to reccomend it to anyone who wants to know more about Russia.

2. Inside Putin's Russia by Andrew Jack

In Putin's Russia by Andrew Jack is another well written book. It throws light on many aspects of modern Russia, its politics, its economy and its people. It also tells the saga of country in transition and the actors who palyed key role in bringing this change. After reading the book one understands the prevailing situation in Russia in much better way.

The last month I also watched a few classic movies by the two great film makers of the 20th Century- Andrei Tarakovsky and Sergei Eseinstein. Esenstien's landmark film 'Battaleship Potemkin" left me impressed and I am looking forward to watch more of his movies soon. Andrei Tarakovsky's epic movie "Andrei Rublev" gave me a lot of food for thought. I have got hold of his other seven movies and will watch them all one by one this month.

Thats not all. I think the whole experience of the last month can't be written, it can't be narrated even I think! A large part of our lived experience remain with us, more than words can say, more than we can express through any media.

I have taken a few pictures of St. Petersburg, mostly on the way from home to office. You may have a look at them by clicking HERE

Wish you a great November!

Cheers!!!

The Swan Lake Ballet in St. Petersburg

2007-10-29T16:44:00.000+05:30

It has been more than two years (exactly 2 years 2 months) since the time I landed up in Moscow in August 2005 but I could not watch the most famous ballet "The Swan Lake". Yesterday I got the opportunity to watch it but not at the famous Marinsky Theater in St. Petersburg but at the Theatre of Ballets and Operas that is located just opposite of the Marinsky on the Theatre Square. The reason is that Marinsky is always booked by the tourists and turns out to be very expensive for the city dwellers of St. Petersburg.

No doubt Swan Lake is one of the most famous ballets because it combines the opposites- soft and slow rhythms with hard and fast beats, good with the evil and a number of other opposites. There are a number of versions of this Ballet but in the one I saw yesterday, the evil sorcerer dies in the end and love triumphs. I was specially enchanted by the soft music of Tchaikovsky in the second act/scene of the ballet. The soft gliding movements of the ballerinas in white dresses offer a visual treat and soft music adds to the overall experience.

VERY BRIEF SYNOPSIS- A prince runs away to the forest because he is being asked to marry without love. He finds Odetta who turns into a swan in day but into a princess at night under the influence of the evil sorcerer. The prince falls in love with her but the clever sorcerer turns his own daughter into princess Odetta look alike and the Prince declares his love for her and wants to marry her but soon he realizes his mistake. Ultimately the prince unites with the real princess Odetta and sorcerer dies.

For more details- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake

One day at Derzhavin Museum in St. Petersburg

2007-10-26T15:21:00.000+05:30

Reading the poem "God" by Derzhavin

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Derzhavin Museum in St. Petersburg, named after the famous poet during the times of the Catherine the Great. I was invited there by Mr. Michael Tcheriatiev from the International League for the protection of culture who was very kind to guide me through the collections of this museum. There I got to see the photographs of the first cultural performance in the space at the "MIR" space station by the Russian astronauts. He also introcuded me to a number of poets, painters, scientists who have dealt with the cosmos in their work.

There I also got the opportunity to read the original text of the poem "GOD" by Derzhavin. Later Mr. Tcheriatiev sent me the English translation of the poem done by none other than Nicholas Roehrich. The poem is one of the best poems in the Russian language and has been translated into a number of foreign languages. I am posting the English translation of this poem done by Nicholas Roehrich for you all. Wish you a great reading!

For more pictures please PICTURESQUE

GOD

O thou eternal One ! Whose presence bright
All space doth occupy, all motion guide;
Unchanged thru time’s all-devastating flight;
Thou only God ! There is no God beside !
Being above all being ! Mighty One !
Whom none can comprehend, and none explore;
Who fill’st existence with Thyself alone;
Embracing all, supporting, ruling o’er;
Being whom we call God - and know no more !
In its sublime research, philosophy
May measure out the ocean deep, may count
The sands or the sun’s rays - but God ! For Thee
There is no weight nor measure ! None can mount
Up to Thy mysteries, Reason’s brightest spark,
Though kindled by thy light, in vain would try
To trace Thy counsels, infinite and dark;
And thought is lost ere thought can soar so high;
E’en like past moments in eternity.
Thou from primeval nothingness didst call
First chaos, then existence; Lord, in Thee
Eternity had its foundation; all
Sprang forth from Thee - of light, joy, harmony,
Sole origin, all life, all beauty, Thine.
Thy word created all, and doth create;
Thy splendour fills all space with rays divine.
Thou art, and wert and shall be ! Glorious, Great,
Light-giving, life-sustaining Potentate !
Thy chains the unmeasured Universe surrounds,
Upheld by Thee, by Thee inspired with breath,
Thou the beginning with the end hast bound,
And beautifully mingled life with death !
As sparks mount upward from the fiery blaze,
And as the spangles in the sunny rays
Shine round the silver snow, the pageantry
Of Heaven’s bright army glitters in Thy praise.
A million torches lighted by Thy hand,
Wander unwearied thru the blue Abyss !
They own Thy power, accomplished Thy command,
All gay with life, all eloquent with bliss,
What shall we call them ? Pyres or crystal light,
A glorious company of golden streams,
Lamps of celestial ether, burning bright,
Suns lighting systems with their joyous beams ?
But Thou to these art as the moon to night.
Yes ! As a drop of water in the sea,
All this magnificence in Thee is lost -
What are ten thousand worlds compared to Thee ?
What am I, then ? Heaven’s unnumbered host,
Tho’ multiplied by myriads, and arrayed
In all the glory of sublimest thought,
Is but an atom in the balance weighed
Against Thy greatness - is a cipher brought
Against Infinity ! What am I, then-naught
Even to the eternal throne of Thy divinity,
I am, O God ! And surely Thou must be !
Thou art directing, guiding all, Thou art !
Direct my understanding, then to Thee;
Control my spirit, guide my wandering heart;
Tho' but an atom midst immensity,
Still I am something fashioned by Thy hand;
I hold a middle rank ‘twixt heaven and earth
On the last verge of mortal being stand
Close to realm where angels have their birth,
Just on the boundary of the spirit land !
The chain of Being is complete in me;
In me is matter’s last gradation lost,
And the next step is Spirit-Deity !
I can command the lightning, and am dust !
A monarch and a slave; a worm, a God !
Whence came I here, and how ? So marvellously
Thy light, Thy love, in their bright plenitude,
Filled me with an immortal Soul, to spring
Over the abyss of Death, and bade it wear
The garment of eternal day, and wing
Its heavenly flight beyond the little sphere,
Even to its source, to Thee its author there.
O thought ineffable ! O vision blest,
Though worthless our conception all of Thee
Yet shall Thy shadowed image fill our breast,
And waft its homage to Thy Deity.
God ! Thus alone my lowly thoughts can soar;
Thus seek Thy presence - Being, wise and good;
Midst Thy vast works admire, obey, adore !
And when the tongue is eloquent no more,
The soul shall speak in tears its gratitude.

Ring- Fusion of Ballet and Hip-hop

2007-10-16T15:34:00.000+05:30

Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to see the Ring that is a hybrid of ballet and hip-hop. Though its a true joy to watch the classic ballets like Giselle, Swan lake or Nutcracker, the Ring came out as a very fresh and innovative fusion bringing the elments of the classical ballet and modern hip-hop together.

The Ring is danced by a St. Petersburg dance company called 2H. Its a tradition breaking material as it uses electronically enhanced loud hip-hop music along with ballet. The fusion ballet is a contest between the dark and good forces clad in black and white and the contest takes on the stage that is modelled like a place for heavy weight boxing. The last evening the dark forces outdid the good ones at the stage and it was a real joy to see their powerful dance.

Princess Turandot- A memorable evening in St. Petersburg

2007-09-19T15:25:00.000+05:30

Yesterday evening I went to see the famous opera Princess Turandot at the Muzique Holl theatre in St. Petersburg. I was struck by the sounds and colours of the spectacle. The Beijing Opera did a superb job and it made the evening of 18th September one of the memorable evenings of my life.

The Opera tells the tale of the beautiful but cold Chinese Princess Turandot who has put a condition to all her suitors to answer her three very difficult riddles in order to marry her. Those who accept the challenge but fail to answer her three riddles will be put to death. Many Princesses and young men have lost their lives in pursuit of marrying the young and beautiful Princess. The Prince of Persia has just been executed. A Tartar Prince is determined to try his luck and accepts the challenge. The people dissuade him warning that all who have tried their luck so far have met a sad end and he should save his life, there is still some time left. But the Prince is adamant and is ready for any outcome.
Princess Tourandot put three riddles to him –
First riddle -"What is born each night and dies each dawn?" The Prince correctly replies, "Hope."
Second riddle -"What flickers red and warm like a flame, but is not fire?" The Prince thinks for a moment before replying, "Blood". Turandot is shaken.
Third riddle- "What is like ice, but burns like fire?" As the prince thinks, Turandot taunts him. Suddenly he cries out victory and announces, "Turandot!"
Princess now has to marry the Prince and she cries bitterly about her loss. The Prince is kind and tells the Princes that if she tells his name by tomorrow morning then he will die and she will become free once again. The Princess orders the whole city to find asnswer by tomorrow morning or face death. The ministers of the Princess question two persons , an old man and a young girl, whom he was speaking to earlier. The old man says he knows nothing but the young girl says she knows his name but will reveal nothing. She is tortured by the ministers of the Princess Turandot and then she is put to death. Prince himself tells the princess his name and says that its upto her to let him live or die as if the Princess takes announces his name the Prince will die.
The Princess does not announce his name in the morning and love triumphs in the end.

More details - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turandot

NB- Pics and Videos to follow

Book Review- Catherine the Great by Henry Troyat

2007-09-18T17:29:00.000+05:30

Catherine the Great by Henri Troyat

ISBN-1842120298
Publisher- PhoenixPress 2000
Pages-394 Price- 750 Roubles

This book is divided into 26 chapters. It tells the story of how an ordinary and insignificant German Princess Figchen became Catherine the Great of Russia. This book is an eye opener for me into Russia’s past. The story of Catherine the great is a story of the triumph of will power. She is an outstanding example of what one can achieve if one is clearheaded and determined, if one knows what one wants. At the same time it is a fine book on statecraft. It is one of the best books I’ve read in a few months.
This book is a journey into the life of one of the most interesting personalities in the Russian and European history. Her life, her conflicts, her aspirations, her achievements, her failures, her energy, her liberalism, her debaucheries, they all leave one amazed and exasperated at the same time. What was Catherine made of- one wonders once one gets to know her. She becomes more and more mysterious and one can’t help oneself thinking more and more about this person who shaped the destiny of the Russians for the most part of the 18th century and continue to influence the thinking of a great many Russians till today.
Henri Troyat has done a good job. He wrote this book in French and I could only get the translated work to read nevertheless the book is a great read for the history lovers or for those who love reading biographies or memoirs.

Moscow by Caroline Brooke, A book review

2007-08-21T16:00:00.000+05:30

Moscow- A literary and cultural history by Caroline Brooke
ISBN- 1-90495522-3 Signal Books, Oxford
Paperback
Pages-268

It’s a marvelous book I have enjoyed reading every page of this book. One day I was wandering around in the huge “Dom Knigi’ at the famous Nevsky Peospect in St. Petersburg and I came upon this book accidentally. I fell in love with its content, style of writing etc. with the first glance.

Moscow is a very special city for me due to many reasons. It is the first city I came to after being assigned the diplomatic assignment and instantly fell in love with its magnificence, its beauty and even with its harsh winter. I wrote my first book “River Valley to Silicon Valley” in this ‘city of writers and poets’ and wrote more than a hundred poems. And, above all I fell in love with beautiful Ekaterina and got married here.

I was always curious to know more about the mysterious and magnificent Moscow but could not find a single book that could give me all I wanted to know. When I started reading this book, not only I relived in this city but also got many new insights about everything I saw in this city when I lived there.

The book is divided into nine chapters. Each chapter deals with a separate theme. Each chapter can be separately read. The first chapter tells the in-depth tale of Kremlin, the seat of the Russian political power. The second chapter describes historical Red Square and the monuments that proudly stand in the Square. The third chapter takes us to Revolutionary Russia and gives insight into the changes in Russian society and culture during those times. The fourth chapter tells about the city during the Soviet times and afterwards. The fifth and sixth chapters give describe Moscow as the city of writers and theatre & music. The seventh and eighth chapters explore the city from the sociological and economical angles and chapters are titled “City of the rich and poor” and “City of utopias and slums”. The last chapter looks at the architectural beauty of Moscow through the chapter “City of Palaces and Monasteries”.

The best thing about the book is that there is a personal touch in everything the author has written. She has visited all the places she has written about many times and thus each and everything she has written has become very special. The author is surely in love with great city and that comes out in her writings.

I am sure anybody who loves reading about the city of the colourful onion domes will find this book a delightful treat.

The Hindu Literary Review 5th August, Sunday

2007-08-09T13:07:00.000+05:30

River Valley to Silicon Valley; Abhay K; Bookwell; Rs 195.
Perseverance is the key. For young Abhay Kumar, who worked his way from a rural background into the Indian Foreign Service, this was the magic mantra. Kumar’s simple handbook tells his story as it is. From the banks of the river’s valley to Silicon Valley, how his brothers and he overcame their handicaps to achieve what they eventually did. This is also a commentary on the tremendous change in India, its values and culture and how education and competition can make way for anybody to break out of the mould.
The book outlines some of the gradual and persistent changes in the country. One is the farmer tilling his land and grazing his cattle; the other is the modern young India at ease in a global village, wired into the newest technology and part of the new and dynamic economy. Through his own life and the tremendous difficulties he overcame, Abhay Kumar tries to draw the portrait of a modern young Indian. If it weren’t for the terrible typographical and grammatical errors, this little book could have served many such aspirants.

Reviews of 'River Valley to Silicon Valley' and Meaning of life!

2007-06-29T15:45:00.001+05:30

Since the time "River Valley to Silicon Valley" has been published, there has not been a single day I have not heard from somebody or the other about this book. Writing and publishing it has been a journey back in time for me. I wrote it in about five months beginning October-November 2005 and completed it in February 2006. While writing the book I was completely unaware that publishing a book can be harder and more time taking than writing it. From March 2006-March 2007, I sent the manuscripts of this books with the working title'Three Generations' to number of publishers. Some responded with rejection some never cared to respond. During this period I concentrated on poetry and wrote around a 100 poems in Moscow. Finally in April 2007, Bookwell India saw the manuscript and was delighted to publish it and the book got finally published last month on 3rd May and was released in New Delhi. Since that day there has been no looking back. In Moscow in the Embassy library there is already a queue to read 'River Valley to Silicon Valley'. The book has been reviewed so far in Australia, Poland, Russia and India and all the reviews are very encouraging. You may click at the links below to read the reviews-

1. Lindsay Byrnes, Melbourne, Author of the Blog" Lindsay Lobes"
2.. Malgorzata Kucharska,Poland, Author of the Blog "Let's Rock & Roll"
3. Vivek Kumar, Moscow, A Diplomat & Author of the Blog "The Other Side"
4. Divyabh Aryan, Mumbai, Author of the Blog "Divine India"
5. Alexander Turkov, Moscow, Interpreter and Political Analyst

The meaning of life?!

The reviews have given me great insight about my own work as well as has helped me to find some understanding of the greatest philosophical question of all times- "What is the meaning of life?"
When I wrote 'River Valley to Silicon Valley' I just wrote whatever came to my mind, my memoirs of the bygone days and I enjoyed writing and for me the story ended there. I had no particular intention in my mind or a particular meaning I wanted to attach to anything.
When I read the reviews of my book by others I was amazed to read their interpretations as each has a different take on the same book. This is very insightful perhaps in understanding the meaning of life.
"Life has no meaning of its own. The meaning is given by us. It depends on us."

Link- What readers say about 'River Valley to Silicon Valley'

A Day Opens Slowly

2007-06-20T17:37:00.000+05:30

It was a day like no other in Moscow. The day was blessed with the ideal temperature, not too cold, not too hot. Nazim royally got up around 9.30 am and watched his favorite program ‘Click’ about the latest developments in the cyber world on BBC. It was a day planned for an evening party but his guests got busy and it had to be postponed. Only Hafez had nothing to do for the day and expressed his willingness to roam in the streets of Moscow with him. Not the ordinary streets of Moscow but its historical center which has stayed despite being burned by Mongols, Tatars and Napoleon since the city was founded in 1147 A.D.

Since long Nazim had been planning to visit the gallery of Lumiere Brothers at the Central House of Artists near the Gorky Park and freed from the worry of entertaining guests and preparing for it the whole day he had found the opportunity to visit the Gallery. He called up Hafez once again and they decided to meet at the Okhtyabrskaya Metro Station and walk from there to the Central House of Artists where the gallery of Lumiere Brothers was located. Hafez had his Moscow State University Student Identity Card while Nazim had saved his old Student Identity Card from the Moscow State University, that had long expired. There was 50% discount for the students and Hafez showed his identity card which was thoroughly checked at the counter while Nazim showed his identity card from a distance. The old lady at the counter was satisfied with his infectious smile and did not bother to verify his identity card. So they got inside cheap with 100 roubles put together.

Central House of Artists is a huge complex on the bank of the river ‘Moskba’ that houses many interesting galleries, Museums and exhibition halls. The new Tretyakov Gallery is also located in that complex along with the Doll Museum.

It took them some time to locate the Lumiere brother’s gallery because it was too small a gallery compared to other galleries. When they got inside the gallery they found only a few photographs in black & white hanging on the walls and nothing impressive that they had expected earlier. These black and white artistic creations belonged to just one Russian photographer. They had to got it completely wrong. It had got nothing to do with ‘Lumiere brothers’ who are credited with the screening of the first moving pictures. A girl who sat there and was loudly talking on phone said that the gallery had taken that name just because they liked it. Nazim and Hafez were thoroughly disappointed and so they left the gallery to wonder around the hall and see the rest of the central hall. There they found some very interesting pieces of art hanging on the walls. They found a book there that had 537 blank pages, closed and it proclaimed to have secret drawings inside.

After a while finding not much of great interest they moved out in the huge central courtyard inside the Central House of Artists where a book festival was going on. All titles placed there were in Russian and books were being sold at discounted prices. The place was full of men and women and small kids. It seemed that parents had brought their kids there as a day out. The kids were playing with their parents in the courtyard.

Nazim bought espresso for two of them from a nearby Swedish café and sat outside in the shadow of a tree watching kids play with the wooden toys and sipping espresso.

Hafez had made a profound statement while he met Nazim in the morning at Okhtyabarskaya metro station-“Love is death!” Nazim could not understand Hafez and what he meant when he said “Love is death.” Hafez then at length had explained to Nazim how had he come to that conclusion while they walked from the metro station to the Gorky Park. According to him he was in love with one Russian girl called ‘Elena’ whom he had met in the University canteen at Moscow State University last year. She was a very beautiful girl as Hafez described her. He told Nazim –“she was initially interested in me but later she started playing games with me. She told me that she had a boyfriend. She gave me her e-mail address and I wrote to her several times and she responded too at times and I wrote to her how much I loved her. That girl is killing me. I can’t stop thinking of her. What should I do? How will I pass my exam? Tell me some solution of this issue.”

Nazim had told Hafez while they were walking from the metro to the park– “You should find an alternative, I mean a different girl and then you’ll slowly forget her. You like her because she is not accessible to you. The time she will become accessible you’ll start moving away from her. So forget her and find an alternative.” Hafez had said that time that he understood what Nazim was saying and would try to solve his 'issue'.

For some time the discussion on ‘Love is death’ was stopped while they were busy looking at the pictures and paintings inside the Central House of Artists but when Nazim bought Hafez a cup of coffee, Hafez could not resist to bring back the issue that had been troubling him that day since the morning.

Hafez said sipping his espresso- “I have another Russian girl who is rich but not so beautiful, by the way her name is also Elena, and she is willing to be my partner but I can’t forget the first Elena. She is killing me. She is playing games with me.”

In the meanwhile they were enjoying their coffee under the gentle sun a girl was watching them with curiosity. She approached them speaking a bit of Russian accented English. She introduced herself as Nastya. Nastya was a slim girl of the medium built. Her hair was brown- reddish and she had brown eyes. Her attitude was friendly and she easily talked and laughed with them. She said that she worked as a manager in a printing press that printed journals like Esquire and was also defending her diploma from the Institute of Printing in Moscow. After introducing herself she asked them many questions viz. from where were they, what did they do in Moscow and how long they had been there and then subsequently how old were they? She told them that she has been to India, Turkey and Egypt. In Goa she said she had spent two weeks. Hafez first introduced himself- ‘I am from Iran and a student at the Moscow State University and I am 26.’ Then Nazim followed- ‘I am Nazim from Turkey and I am a businessman here and I am 29.’After they told her their ages she immediately asked them to guess her age and Hafez like a master age-teller of women hit right on the nail. Nastya then informed her within 15 minute of their meeting that she was going to turn 23 in just a few days. They could not help themselves asking “what are doing on your birthday?” And she was as quick as lightening in her response-“I am going to spend my time with my mother at the Dacha (countryside home).” Then she automatically went on to tell them how her mother and father had met in the Soviet times. She said that her mother was from Belarus and father from Siberia and they met in Moscow one day somehow, that she did not care to explain, and decided to settle down here in Moscow. Then the conversation moved on –“Did they like Moscow?” and Hafez as always was ready with his oft-repeated phrase- “I hate Moscow”. This was certainly shocking for Nastya who was born in this beautiful city but Nazim’s great love for this city was helpful in doing some damage control. Then the discussion moved in the traditional territory of making comparison between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Hafez asked her – “Which city do you like more, Moscow or St. Petersburg?” She said-“I love Moscow as I was born here but I love St. Petersburg more because that is a more romantic city.”

Hafez was carrying a new book on Persian poetry and when Nastya saw it she immediately took it from Hafez and wanted to gift that book to her friend. Hafez offered her that may be the next week he would be able to give her that book but right now he would be very happy if she returned it to Hafez. It was a bit awkward but what to do…

Then she told them that she had bought some books at the book festival but she was feeling a bit shy to show them as she termed them as “women’s stuff”. Then eventually she showed those books she had bought at discounted prices. She had bought two books. One was the life and works of the famous Mexican painter Frida Cahlo and the other a biography of Audrey Hepburn. Nazim looked with great interest at the paintings by Frida. He had seen the Hollywood movie in which the famous Mexican actress Salma Hayek had played Frida and thus was aware of the life and works of Frida Cahlo.

They were planning to leave that place and Nazim and Hafez were interested in knowing about the interesting cafes in Moscow from Nastya. She told them that she loved the café “Propaganda” located near the metro station “Kitaigorod” as she worked nearby and it had a great business lunch at affordable 160 roubles and a set of cafes called “Piragis”. Behrouz was interested in going to Kitaigorod so they said goodbye to Nastya thanking her for her interesting chat with them, the complete strangers and enriching them with such useful and interesting knowledge about the city.

They exchanged phone numbers to keep in touch. Hafez explained to her that at times he feels extremely lonely in this huge city and would like to give her a call sometimes. She readily agreed to show him around the city whenever he calls her. They were ready to say goodbye to Nastya but she had forgotten to ask it seems a very important question and here she was-“Oh! I forgot to ask you guys, how did you meet?” Nazim immediately thought that his orientation was under threat and said-“we were both students of Russian language at the Moscow State University a year ago and we are meeting today after a very long time.” Then they parted.

They moved from the Central House of Artists towards the metro Okhtyabarskaya and then by metro they reached Kitaigorod. Hafez in the middle updated Nazim’s knowledge about the city informing him –“You know Kitai Gorod does not mean China City but Wooden City.” Nazim knew that it did not mean “China City” but “Walled City” but this “Wooden City” was news to his ears. They came out of the metro and asked people in the street about the café “Propaganda.” Hafez preferred to ask women than men and he told Nazim that he thought that women were more responsible than men. A woman told them the address of ‘Propaganda café’ and they moved on in the told direction. When they reached that street where they were told to go and were looking for Propaganda, an old man could not control himself helping them and approached them with his knowledge of the area and finally told them to go back in the same direction from which they had come. Hafez was more than happy to find a man ready to help in this big city and declared him immediately the first gentleman in Moscow who had offered them help looking at their confused faces. They wandered around half an hour in Kitaigorod looking for ‘Propaganda’ and came back to the same place where they had met the spirited old man ready to help and then they found Propaganda just two meters away from that place.

Well, fuming and furious at the first gentleman of Moscow whose able guidance had cost them half an hour of their precious time; they went inside the Cafe and enjoyed its economically priced meal. Nazim had his favorite Greek Salad and Hafez his Casear Salad. They were told by the manager before being given the table in the café that it was up to 7 pm only and Nazim was quick to tell the Manager –“We won’t be here long”! But Hafez was furious. He told Nazim-‘How can they say that kind of thing. I’ll be here as long as I want.’ Nazim had just discovered that it was in fact a night club and in day time functioned as a café and Nastya might have worked here. Hafez was hard to convince and he came up again with his ‘Love is death’ issue.

Around 6 pm they left Propaganda. The sun was still high in the Moscow sky and both of them decided to walk in the streets of the center of the city. From Kitaigorod they moved towards the Lubyanka where the Headquarters of notorious KGB were located in Soviet times. On the way they took a sneak into the beautiful Globus book shop. It was even bigger that the “Dom Kniggi”on the Arbat and had a number of books in English language. Then they moved towards Kuznetsky Most and from there towards the Tverskaya Street through the Kamergichisky side street where a large number of eateries and summer cafes were located including the famous Café De Artiste. There they met a Gypsy woman who was begging right in front of the Café de Artiste. She asked them for money and asked if they were Moslems. Hafez was interested in giving her a few roubles but as soon as she mentioned religion his hands that were searching for a few rouble coins froze inside his pockets. Hafez was opposed to giving h money in the name of religion but not opposed to begging as such. Nazim asked the Gypsy woman if he might photograph her. She readily agreed and even posed begging for Nazim’s satisfaction and Hafez was pleased too. He now had found a new reason to give her money and he gave her two coins of five roubles to her and thanking her for posing for the photograph.

Soon they were on Tverskaya Street and they walked from one end to another (from Metro Okhotni Ryad to Metro Myakobskaya) and even further in search of a bookshop called “Respublica”. Hafez had visited almost all the bookshops in the city and somehow he has not been to this bookshop yet. He did not want to miss this bookshop that had a café as well and worked twenty four hours. They visited a number of bookshops in their search of Respublica and met a few interesting people on the way. Finally they found it at the end of Tverskaya Street and went in.

At Respublica they had found some very interesting books and sat there in the café where all furniture was pink. They had espressos and talked about book, poems, some philosophical questions about individuality, freedom, war & peace and the unity of everything in the Universe. In the bookshop Hafez liked the quotation on a card so much that he wrote it down in his cell phone, wait…initially he wanted to buy it but it was priced 150 roubles so Hafez decided to write it down but there was no pen so finally mobile phone came handy. The quotation was- “Cats and women will do as they like to do and dogs and man should get used to this idea.”

They came back on the same street till Pushkinskaya metro station where a large greenish statute of Pushkin looks over and where the young lovers of the city gather in the evenings. That evening a band was playing some cool R&B music and a number of young people including a few homeless drunkards were dancing with great spirit. A young lady dancing in the center of the circular crowd was leading all the men. They asked many people including some policemen who were standing there if they knew where was the famous Café Pushkin located? They had no clue surprisingly. They had to wait for half an hour to get to the right man who knew the location but even he told them only the rough direction of Café Pushkin.

They moved in that direction and walked through the park in Tverskoy Bulevar looking for Café Pushkin but they had no luck. On the way they saw a statue of the poet Ecenin standing tall in the park. Hafez proposed a new idea by the evening that “one should marry a simple woman as the beautiful women do not stay for long with one man.” They discussed it till they reached the other end of the park. Reaching the other end of the park they asked a policeman standing there about Café Pushkin and he told them to go towards the other end of the park from where they had come. They decided to return to the Red Square walking through street Bolshaya Nikitskaya. On the way Hafez saw a church and expressed his immediate anger over Christianity. He said- “I do not understand Christianity at all as I find this idea of extending your other cheek while somebody slaps you on one cheek. Christianity is very funny.” They walked to the Metro Bibliateka Imena Lenina and took different metros to their homes.

Vincent van Gogh-I

2007-06-15T02:21:00.000+05:30

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on 30^th March 1853 at Groot Zundert , a small village near the Belgian border. His father was a pastor. He had three brother and three sisters. Vincent was the eldest among them. Theo or Theodorus was his younger brother as well as a friend and confidante of Vincent. Vincent went to his local village school and then to a private boarding school and finally to a high school. He left his studies in 1869 at the age of 16 for the reasons unknown to anybody. His uncle was an art dealer who found him a position as a clerk at the Goupil Art Gallery in The Hague. He did well there and was sent to London branch of the Gallery in 1873. Theo was the only member of the family with whom Vincent got along with and they had sworn an oath of life-long friendship.

In London he formed an intense interest in British art and literature and became a fluent speaker of English. He was happy there till he fell in love with his landlady’s daughter Eugenie which was rejected. This had an adverse effect on his morale and his performance at the gallery suffered and in 1875 he was permanently transferred to Paris and was dismissed in 1876. Not knowing what to do after dismissal he took the job of a teacher. Later he took to preaching sermons however he returned to Holland in 1877 and worked in a bookshop in Dordrecht. The same year he began preparations for the entrance examinations to the faculty of theology at the University of Amsterdam. He could not succeed and went to Brussels for a much shorter course to become a lay preacher. He failed even this course but some how managed to get him sent to a Belgian coal-mining district as a lay-preacher. There he gave everything away, even almost all articles of his clothing, slept in an outhouse on straw. His sponsors withdrew support on account of his state of uncleanliness but blamed it on his poor public speaking talent.

He returned to Brussels in 1980 and then moved to Etten where his parents now lived.

He worked hard at Etten hoping to become a draughtsman. Vincent again fell in love with his widowed cousin Kee Vos which was rejected. His relations with his parents worsened following his refusal to attend church on a Christmas day and he left for Hague.

In 1882, in search of his models, he met Clasina or Christine Hoornik(he called her Sien), an occasional prostitute elder than Vincent who was addicted to drink. He made drawings of her (Sorrow) and set up house with her. This distressed his parents. In 1882 Christine gave birth to a boy whom Vincent called “my little boy”. Later his relation with Christine deteriorated as she reverted to her former life he had to leave her.

In 1883 he went to north of Holland but could not bear the loneliness after the Hague and returned to Nuenen where his family had recently moved. There his relations with parents did not improve. They thought him as a barking dog with wet paws, a foul beast unfit for the home. He disliked his family name ‘van Gogh’ and signed all his works with his first name ‘Vincent’. His life was again complicated by Margo Begemann who was in love with him but her family opposed their friendship. Later he tried to take Piano lessons to improve his paintings but he did not pursue them for long. He painted at Nuenen ‘Potato Eaters’ a work which is now recognized as the summation of Vincent’s artistic faith that time.

In 1885 his father died suddenly of a stroke. He left Nuenen for Antwerp and never set foot in Holland again. He enrolled himself in the Antwerp Academy but his teachers were not impressed with drawings and he was relegated to the elementary school. He had been feeling ill at Antwerp and had lost several of his teeth. He was also diagnosed with a very advanced stage of syphilis and he moved to Paris with his brother Theo into a large apartment in Montmartre. Relations between two brothers became very strained there. He met there many painters- Seurat, Pissarro, Emile Bernard, Anquetin, Lautrec, Signac, Gauguin etc. who were impressed with his work.

He left Paris and arrived in Arles in 1888 where he painted ‘Night Café’ and ‘Sunflowers’. Later he decided to go to an asylum in St. Remy where he painted ‘Starry Night’, ‘The Irises’

Later he moved to Paris for three days and moved to Auvers where is painted ‘Gachet’s portrait, ‘Wheat field under threatening sky with Crows’ and ‘Wheat fields under the clouded skies’ and where is shot himself in the chest. Theo arrived and tried to convince Vincent that there are good chances of his survival. Vincent said on this-“La tristesse durera(there is no end to sadness). He asked for Theo’s forgiveness for all the trouble and expense he had caused him and he died in his arms in the morning of 29^th July 1890. Theo died six month later.