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We are the best !

A Chinese astronaut has become the first in his country’s history to take a walk in space. Zhai Zhigang, 42, stayed outside the capsule for 15 minutes while his two fellow astronauts stayed in the spacecraft. The exercise is seen as key to China’s ambition to build an orbiting station in the next few years. Zhang Jianqi, one of the chief engineers for China’s space programme, said keeping three men in the spacecraft, and then sending one outside,”is a big technological leap. The risks are quite high. Sending up three astronauts is a jump both in quantity and quality.” China became only the third nation after the United States and Russia to independently put a man in space when Yang Liwei, another fighter pilot, went into orbit on the Shenzhou V mission in October 2003.

We in India cry hoarse trying to convince our people that we are much ahead of the Chinese in the space race. Didn't we send Rakesh Sharma into space much before any of these dates ? Haven't our Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams walked the space much before on more hi tech and difficult missions ? Precisely quite akin to our normal character, where we twist facts and suppress information to claim that we are the best and the first in Asia, and everyone else is just emulating us. While we piggy backed on the largesse of others, the Chinese have gone ahead and evolved their own completely indigenous programs- all from their own internal resources. It is a pity that while the world forges ahead, we are content basking in reflected glory. Like the Chandrayan program- a minor blip in the conquering of outer space will be touted as an event that will place India ahead and at par with the most scientifically advanced nations.

The sooner we stop this tendency of self glorification and concentrate in making real, meaningful progress and advancement, the better it will be for all Indians. Otherwise we are just squandering precious resources in grabbing headlines- all in the Name of achievements and breaching the final frontiers.

Posted in Science.

4 comments

By amit goel – September 28, 2008

A Platter of Mixed Chaat

Toyota has launched trials of UK’s first petrol-electric hybrid car that can be plugged into the mains. Soon drivers should be able to choose between the petrol pump and the electric socket to power one and the same car. Pure electric cars have been around for some time; offering two pence a mile motoring, lower insurance, and exemptions from both road tax and congestion charges. So far, electric car ownership has been very much about accepting compromises in terms of speed and handling, as well as range. With new lithium batteries the disadvantage of battery weight and space has been overcome. The plug-in hybrid can be used as a conventional electric car for urban commuting during the week, and then as a petrol-powered car for weekends. But renewable energy sources, such as wind or wave power, also stand to gain as the power they generate during stormy nights can be sold to commuters, who should even see their household energy bills come down as a consequence of more of the electricity that is being produced during the night finding a market. In the end (leaving aside well publicised concerns about the safety, viability and cost of nuclear) the main beneficiary of the switch from carbon-based to electric transport will be the environment. Even with the current contribution from fossil fuels to power production, which is currently relatively high, Toyota’s plug-in hybrid offers a 40% reduction in overall CO2 emissions compared with conventional petrol vehicles.

India is not the only country where contamination creates havoc, especilly in childcare. Chinese faced a similar problem, where the distribution of the contaminated products was being made by leading multi national retail chains, like Walmart and Carryfour. Chinese officials say that 432 babies now have kidney stones after being fed with contaminated baby milk powder. Parents show babies suffering from kidney stones at a hospital in Lanzhou, Gansu province. The manufacturer has already recalled more than 8,200 tons of the tainted formula following reports of babies developing kidney stones, Sanlu Group, one of China’s leading dairy producers, has also sealed off more than 2,100 tons of contaminated product. Testing by Sanlu found tripolycyanamide, also known as melamine, in 700 tons of its product,.Suspects added water to the milk they sold to Sanlu to make more money, then added the chemical so the diluted milk could still meet standards.Health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones, urinary tract ulcers, and eye and skin irritation.

The chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants.Hundreds of Wal-Mart and Carrefour stores in China are now pulling the Sanlu milk powder from their shelves.

U.S. government employees received improper gifts from energy industry representatives, and engaged with them in illegal drug use and inappropriate sexual relations. A report was issued by the Interior Department’s inspector general after a $5.3 million investigation “uncovered recreational marijuana and cocaine use” by “a handful” of Interior Department staff, and found two federal employees “engaged in brief sexual relationships with representatives from companies doing business” with the department. The two Interior Department employees “received combined gifts and gratuities on at least 135 occasions from four major oil and gas companies ” Inspector General Earl Devaney says in a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne accompanying the report. Randall Luthi, head of the Minerals Management Service at the Interior Department, said the public had not suffered financial losses as a result of the employees’ behavior.(sic)

Amidst increasing tensions caused by reports that North Korea president was gravely ill, hat North Korea was planning a series of new tests for its intercontinental long range missiles, also comesw the news that Zubin Mehta shall lead the NY Philharmonic to a performance in Pyongyang early next year. The February 26 concert will crown a 48-hour visit that will include master classes and a rehearsal open to music students, the orchestra announced on Tuesday. The three major questions they faced, Mehta said, were, “Would our government wish us to pursue this invitation?” “Could a New York Philharmonic concert in Pyongyang contribute, in some way, to the growing success of the multi-nation talks?” and “If so, what conditions would we face in Pyongyang. The United States and North Korea in October said they would increase cultural exchanges as part of an agreement on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program. “This journey is a manifestation of the power of music to unite people. It is our sincere hope that this visit will aid in the beginning of a new era between the peoples of our nations,” Mehta said.

I recall Zubin, many years ago, perform at a packed Brabourne Stadium. Thje Stadium gave an unprecedented standing ovation, such was the enthu for Apro Zubin. Though he had performed at Tata and NCPA, this was spcial- under a star studded night, a Star conducting a firmanent of other stars to glory. I wonder whether Zubin would not be more thrilled perform in Tehran or Isphahan rather than Pyongyang. But then, in the case of Iran the US govt. makes more noise, and this cacophony, perhaps, is what keeps Zubin away from the land of his ancestorsJ

Posted in Blogs.

4 comments

By amit goel – September 14, 2008

Young Achievers

New Charters for Barters J

DISCLAIMER

The Photo used is NOT that of Stephanie Gerson. It is lifted from a random search on Google Images, and is used just as a marketing tool for the story.

This story is completely lifted, verbatim, from the CNN site. The Link is

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/25/sex.for.stuff/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

While she was studying in Brazil during college, the one thing Stephanie Gerson longed to do before leaving was spend time in the thick of the Amazon rain forest. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a tour that would take her past the forest’s edge.

So, when a college-aged busboy at a resort she was visiting began flirting with her, she asked him if he thought a tourist could survive alone in the jungle.

“He laughed and told me I was nuts,” says Gerson, 27, who works part-time in online marketing for a chocolate company in San Francisco.

Then he told her that he’d grown up in the jungle in a nearby indigenous community. That was all Gerson needed to hear. Although she wasn’t attracted to the guy, Gerson flirted right back in the hopes that he would be her jungle tour guide. It worked. The busboy wormed his way out of work, and the two headed into the rain forest.

“It was amazing,” Gerson says of her adventure in 2000. “We built our homes out of palm leaves, I saw animals I’d never seen before, he taught me the medicinal properties of all the plants, we picked fruit off the trees, we swam with and ate piranhas. And, of course, we had sex … for almost two weeks.”

Body currency system

Gerson never felt sleazy or uncomfortable with her unspoken arrangement with the busboy.

“It was a good barter both ways,” she says. “I got to stay in the jungle, and he got to have sex with a cute, young American girl.”

Such trades aren’t so unusual. Throughout history, humans have used their bodies to get what they want — from ancient Egyptian ruler Cleopatra, who cemented her power through liaisons with Roman rulers Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, to the man and woman who were arrested at a Fort Wright, Kentucky, motel in late June for allegedly swapping sex for gasoline. Regardless of our motivation, scientists say we’re hardwired to use our bodies as a bargaining chip.

A recent study of 475 University of Michigan undergraduates ages 17 to 26 found that 27 percent of the men and 14 percent of the women who weren’t in a committed relationship had offered someone favors or gifts — help prepping for a test, laundry washing, tickets to a college football game — in exchange for sex. On the flip side, 5 percent of the men surveyed and 9 percent of the women said they’d attempted to trade sex for such freebies.

And although they weren’t hard up for resources, the students surveyed “recognized the value of this socioeconomic currency system,” says Daniel Kruger, research scientist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, who published his findings in the April issue of “Evolutionary Psychology.”

“It’s more about getting what you want than getting what you need,” he says. “Unless you think everyone needs a $200 Louis Vuitton bag.”

The handyman hookup

But unattached coeds aren’t the only ones who barter with their bodies. Some professionals will attest that their skills are, well, sexy.

“Women are turned on just by the simple idea of their guy getting off his ass and doing something for them,” says Rocky Fino, author of “Will Cook for Sex: A Guy’s Guide to Cooking.”

It works both ways, he adds.

“Give it to me first thing in the morning, and I’ll play [handyman] all day,” says Fino, a 39-year-old father of two and part-time construction worker.

Ben Corbett, a 39-year-old contractor from Boulder, Colorado, credits his tool belt with prompting the barrage of come-ons he fields from female clients — most of them married — on a regular basis.

“It starts with the flirting, and it just progresses,” says Corbett, who has run a construction and remodeling business for 20 years. “They’ll touch my hand, and there’s all this physical contact. Or they’ll run around in their pajamas.”

“Once,” he says, “I was painting the hallway right outside a client’s bedroom, and she was lying on her bed like a girl at a slumber party with her legs up and her arms crossed and her head resting on them, asking me if I had a girlfriend.

“It’s all about the fantasy of being taken by the rough-hewn construction guy,” muses Corbett, who, despite the temptation, has avoided getting sexually involved with his clientele for fear of jeopardizing his business.

It’s the biology, stupid

Call it crass, sexist or gender stereotyping all you want, but there are thousands of years of biological programming at work here, says Dr. Chris Fariello, director of the Institute for Sex Therapy at the Council for Relationships, a nonprofit relationship-counseling group based in Philadelphia.

Plain and simple, a partner who provides more resources — wealth, shelter, home repairs — is seen as more attractive and stands to reap more sexual rewards.

Posted in Hobbies.

32 comments

By amit goel – August 26, 2008

A rupee 5000 laptop for every child

The advances of Science and Technology will be of limited consequence till they sink down to the bottom most strata of society, giving it a helping hand to leap frog into the world of amazement and wonder. The quest for a Rs. 5000 Laptop computer will make the 'One Laptop per Child' project one step closer to releasing the completed machine to millions of schoolchildren. What makes the computer so unique?

There is nothing original in this post from me. It is an abridged cut n paste from literature available on the net.

INTERNAL HARDWARE

To ensure the laptop is robust and can be maintained as easily as possible it omits all moving parts. It has no hard drive, CD or DVD drive. As it also packs a low power processor it has no cooling fans. Instead of a large hard drive the laptop has 1GB of flash memory, similar to that used in some digital cameras. The memory can be expanded using an SD memory card slot underneath the screen or by plugging in peripheral devices through the USB ports.

Processor: The chip, made by AMD, is slow, operating at just 433MHz. In comparison, some of today’s high performance machines have multiple chips with speeds of up to 3GHz.

The off-the-shelf processor is designed to be energy efficient. Unlike a standard chip, which remains active even when nothing changes on screen, the AMD processor is able to shut itself down, only waking when it is needed.

The laptop has a bespoke Linux operating system (OS) developed by leading open source software company Red Hat. In contrast to sometimes costly proprietary software, open source software is free. In comparison to standard operating systems (OS), it is very small when compressed; taking up just 130MB of space it includes standard programs such as a web browser based on Firefox; a word processor able to handle most common document types, including Microsoft formats; a PDF reader and media player. In addition, it comes with games, a music creation tool and drawing programs.

WI-FI

One of the most recognisable features of the laptop is the dual Wi-Fi antennas, known affectionately as “rabbit ears”. These boost the range of the wireless connection by between two-and three-times the normal range. Using standard wireless protocols, the laptops are automatically able to form a “mesh network” where each machine acts as both laptop and router, able to pass information between computers.

SCREEN

The laptop has a low power dual-mode display, allowing children to toggle between colour and black-and-white screens. Designed for use in outdoor classrooms, the full-colour transmissive mode is similar to any other Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), but in ultra low-power black-and-white mode the screen is readable in direct sunlight. The screen can also swivel around to convert the laptop into an e-book or a games console.

POWER SUPPLY

A range of power supplies are available to countries buying the laptop. Two choices of rechargeable battery are offered with different chemistries. Both cost $10 (£5) to replace and hold their charge for at least four-times the amount of time as a normal laptop battery. In areas without electric power, various contraptions have been designed to plug directly into the laptop including a solar panel, a hand crank (as used on wind-up radios), a foot pedal and a pull-string recharger. The pull-string gives 10 minutes of charge for every minute of pulling. Group recharging stations can also be bought for schools where multiple batteries can be hooked up to solar panels or car batteries.

KEYBOARD

The sealed green rubber keyboard is waterproof and its size is designed for a child’s hands. As well as being offered in a standard QWERTY layout it has various configurations for different languages such as Thai, Arabic, Spanish, and Urdu. Hope Indian languages soon get in! In addition, the keyboard does away with low-use keys such as Caps Lock

PLASTIC CASE

The hard-wearing green and white plastic case is designed to be as waterproof and dustproof as possible for children walking to and from school. When it is closed the Wi-Fi antennas lock the laptop and cover the only external openings, the data ports. The entire package is approximately half the weight and size of a standard laptop

VIDEO CAMERA

Situated on the right hand side of the screen, the still and motion capture camera allows video chat across the mesh network and the internet.

DATA PORTS

Three USB ports will make it possible to connect a variety of peripherals including a mouse or larger keyboard. A microphone input and a line output will allow children to play music through external speakers and record sounds.

All of the ports are covered by the Wi-Fi antennas when the laptop is closed, preventing water and dust getting inside.

An SD memory card slot, underneath the screen can be used to expand the memory capacity or to load new software

Posted in Science.

8 comments

By amit goel – August 23, 2008

Man, Science and Nature

Man, Science and Nature are often seen to be pitted against each other, and represent some sort of a love triangle where two sides are working against the third, and that third side appears to be the sacrificial goat.

It is the integration of all three that results in achievement and knowledge that has led to all the advances in history and all the progress in human achievement. Science has played the predominant role in the development and evolution of nature and man. Every aspect and every component in nature and man is the product of very advanced- almost the ultimate perfection in science and technology. Man is the self reproducing robot that science fiction dreams of and nature is the environment where this robot grows and finds sustenance. Nature evolves on scientific laws, from nature emerges man, and the man discovers the science behind nature and himself. Man only discovers, he does not create science or nature. Man is thus the bridge between science and nature.

Natural products are all scientific. But science can be used to improve the natural products by various means, like, biotechnology, cross fertilization, genetic procedures, etc. Much of the same processes are used by nature too. Then why is it that nature doesn't speed up processes in terms of time, and leisurely takes centuries to do what man thinks can be done in minutes. Does this make man made science superior to natural processes ?

This apparently appears to be a contradiction, and supposedly marks a triumph of man and applied science over nature. Individually when seen from within a narrow band it may appear to be so, with all the power and certainty of logic and analysis. It is when one takes a macro view that realty begins to dawn and the contradictions and dichotomy vanishes.

It all boils down to the fundamental question and rasocination about, Why are We? To me the one reason for the existence of a perfect invention like man is to understand the integration of all the various processes that appear as science and nature. The design of the Universe and Man appears to be so structured that the knowledge of how science evolves and operates the universe is a process that takes roughly the same time as that elapsing between the birth, development, perfection and destruction of the intelligent man in the universe. Man is no more insulated against forces that wipe off a species as the dinosaurs were. With all his scientific forays man will not be able to avert disaster when it strikes. If not as GW, the destruction will strike as our Gaia becoming completely radiation affected (As envisaged by the brilliant soothsayer, Isaac Asimov :) In the limited presence of the intelligent man in the universe everything is measured out and every step is defined to take a particular elapsed time. Like, the birth of a child from conception is designed to take 9 months, for the earth to revolve around the sun takes 365.25 days, rotation of the earth on its own axis takes 24 hours, etc etc. Science observes these time cycles, but is not able to compress or expand them. Similar is the cycle for the understanding of the universe, though the technology for the production of universe in a lab is supposed to be quite well understood.

The speeds of processes are in as delicate a balance as are other natural and scientific phenomena. One may push these artificially but the impact of these will take time to assert itself.

Man is just a bridge between Science and Nature, and cannot override it. Not with current understanding. That it might exceed nature in the future is just wishful thinking; there can be no proof for or against.

Posted in Philosophy.

63 comments

By amit goel – August 19, 2008

Independence

We celebrate 61 years of Independance. We have moved through parttion, exchange of populations, integrating of the princely states, era of Pancasila, the Avadi resolutioins, socialistic pattern, China war, Pakistan wars, breakup of Congress, Indira Gandhi era, Bangladesh war, operation Bluestar, Indira Gandhi assasination, the rise and fall of Rajeev Gandhi and his assisination, Manmohan Singh and his reforms under Narsimha Rao, BJP government, and a 5 year term for a minority government with and without Left support.

Each of these has been momentous, albeit tumultuous, but they all have been mostly reactions- there has not yet been a single assertion of political will to take the country ahead- except in the brief period after Narsimha Rao became Prime Minister. That perhaps has been the only positieve era, pity it was shortlived and the gains could not be consolidated or optimised.

What does the future hold for our country ? Not much different than the now. The events in Jammu and Kashmir are a warning that the next elections will lead to more dirt and religious consolidation than any in the past. After Gujarat, the focus is now going to shift to Amarnath yatra, Adams Bridge, Safety of Hindu majority against threats from a minority, and other non issues. Economic reforms and society will be on the back burner.

After 61 years the plight of the underprevilaged is no better. Resevations take centre stage; the minorities also find this divide convenient and do not clamour for better education opportuintites, schools and teachers at the primary level.

:”Hun nahin sudhrenge”, “hum kahan ja rahe hain”, “yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai”.. these are all what we get decimated to. We do not rise above these and are bogged down by a plethora of prejudices.

We again need someone like JP to give us back our confidence. But none appears to be anywhere on the horizon.

As a Supreme Court Justice recently observed, Not even God can save India.

Posted in Politics.

42 comments

By amit goel – August 15, 2008

Green, and Quality of Life :)

The concept of "zero emission buildings" a system in which there is no net waste, because everything is reused or recycled, is challenging organisations to come up with new green designs  to cut down on carbon footprints. One such project, underway in Singapore is being created by the Building and Construction Authority.  BCA is spending $10 million to modify an existing 3,000 square meter building with the latest energy-efficient technologies to produce a facility that will be 60 percent more efficient than conventional buildings and generate as much electricity through renewable energy as it consumes?working out to zero net energy consumption. To achieve "zero energy," the building will be fitted with enough solar panels to produce electricity for 32 five-room flats. The sun-generated electricity will be used for lighting, office equipment and air conditioning "Personalised Ventilation system" will be used to detect which rooms have people in them and direct fresh air from outside into those areas. Reducing the need for electricity will help reduce operational costs for the building. The organization expects to save $48,000 per year through energy efficiency gains, and another $36,000 annually by using solar panels. Since modifications to the building add 10 percent to the facilities build-out cost, it may take about 12 years to amortise the additional expenses. Modifications to the building are slated for completion in 2009.

 

A Commercial Company in our very own Pune is offering the Solar Option to those who are willing to. The Capital Cost for a 5 KWh/ Day Unit, sufficient for a 2 bedroom apartment (without AC and Microwave, but with lighting, windows, fans, doorbell :) is about Rs. 1.2 Lacs. I know of a few cases where ppl are going solar in this way. The building has solar water heaters for toilet and laundry, and these are effective for 360 + days in a year. Alternate Energy Technology is much closer than we think, it is now just a matter of the last mile connectivity that is anymore the issue. 

 

The Scandinavian island nation of Iceland with a population of 300,000 was recently ranked first in an annual United Nations list of the most desirable places to live. The Human Development Report 2007/2008 rated the countries in terms of their “human development index”: a statistical analysis of factors that influence a person’s quality of life, such as per capita gross domestic product and life expectancy. Icelanders can expect to live 81.5 years, according to 2005 figures in the report. Adult literacy rate is high, and the combined enrollment rate for primary, secondary, and advanced university degrees is 95.4 percent. After Iceland, the next nine best places to live are: Norway, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands, and France. The United States came in 12th, a drop from eighth place in 2006. Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone figure at the bottom of the UN list.

Posted in Technical.

7 comments

By amit goel – August 9, 2008

Race to end Carbon Footprint

Solar Energy and Photovoltaics are fast catching up as an alternative to fossil fuels. Nothing represents this better than the 2,400-mile solar car race from Plano, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. Fifteen teams of students drove photovoltaic-powered cars across the North American Solar Challenge finish line in Calgary Tuesday, led by the University of Michigan Solar Car Team and its vehicle, Continuum. Placing second was the car Ra 7 from Principia College, followed by the sole European finisher, the German FH Bochum Solar Car Team. Michigan took about 51 hours and 42 minutes to come in first. Though it took Principia almost ten hours more than Michigan to complete the race, Principia’s success is as noteworthy as Michigan’s. The college has fewer than 550 students, all of them undergraduates- a sharp contrast from the enormous research universities with high levels of funding.

Posted in Science.

6 comments

By amit goel – July 27, 2008

My Visit to Pakistan- Part- 2

Pakistan has more than a plateful of political turmoil and external interference. India has been a historical opponent, but the later problems outweigh the burden of Indo Pak misgivings. After years of abject surrender to USA they realise that for them the superpower rivalry has been a near disaster. Afghanistan under the Russians was a bitter enemy, the later Taliban period was more of an imposition than one of choice, and the present regime of Hafiz Karzai is looked upon as a US puppet, and hence hated as much as US has begun to be hated of late.

With a large part of their limited resources spent on the armed forces, no wonder India is looked upon with a skewed vision. The trauma of partition is suffered not by those who came back to India; it was equally harsh for the Pakistanis who had to leave their base in India and migrated across. Most Pakis we met had come there from India, there was very little ethnic populace. Karachi population has swelled from 600,000 to 16 million- and most if these are refugees from India. Stories are the same on both sides, and so are the sentiments and nostalgia. Bhopal, Saharanpur, Amritsar, Mumbai- all are as much home for them as are Karachi, Lahore or Sialkot.

Like India, economy is the biggest concern in Pakistan. Petrol prices have been upped 4 times in the last 6 months, though even now they are a shade lower than India. Certain laudable features of their religion, like Zakat, are honestly provided by the economically stronger section of society and are genuinely used for the poor. 2.5 % is normal, though many provide more than 3 % to be sure that they are not contributing less than what is mandated by the religion.

Religion is a way of life, and most Pakistanis are devout Muslims. But their Islam does not have the coloration we Indians dye it with; theirs is a genuine positive religion free of all bigotry and hatred. And perhaps this is what sustains the entire populace and makes them a tolerant and god-fearing people. One does meet many Hindus in Pakistan, and they look to be quite happy and satisfied. Our Pakistani hosts took us to a few Hindu temples, and though not ostentatious, they were fully functional and one could see the sizable number of worshipping crowds.

There is great appreciation for the Indian democracy- much more than what we give it credit for. A streak of realism marks their demeanor, not the rancour we normally associate them with. They are worried by their tenuous alliance of PPP and Muslim League, and wish that it survives the conflicts and pressures from external assaults. But they are prepared for an eventual break up of this coalition, and are resigned to the inevitable if it happens.

The Media in Pakistan was the biggest surprise and revelation. It was frank, fearless and free. One reads a lot about the Indian model, and every analysis of the Indian political scene is tempered with understanding and appreciation. No rabble rousing anywhere. There are 3 major news channels, all quite objective and analytical. There was an interview with Aslam Baig, Army Chief in the nineties, about Pakistan nuclear capability. It was amazing how frankly the General spoke, a one hour talk where everything from Abdul Qadeer to Indian Arsenal was discussed threadbare, but there was no rancour or runaway allegations or anti India tirade. News coverage of the Indian Vote of Confidence was similarly tempered with realism, a much better standard than what one saw on our own news channels.

In various interactions, the Indian personality about whom a lot of curiosity was expressed was Mr. Bal Thakrey. Not an iota of bitterness, but a genuine desire to understand his philosophy, and grasp why it had become well neigh impossible for Pakistan Cricket teams to play in Mumbai.

(MORE LATER)

Posted in Politics.

11 comments

By amit goel – July 25, 2008

A Flight to Pakistan- Part 1

I had recently gone to Pakistan. It was a journey of discovery, a discovery how we allow prejudice and disinformation to ruin our perspective and completely cloud our judgment.

The hostess on the PIA flight was quite cherubic, smart and talkative. Not that pasted unexpressive nonchalant smile of an Air India Fatso. In between serving drinks and lunch and removing the trays she kept on a spirited conversation on how well we would be received in Karachi and that we could not but come back changed and chastised for all our misgivings and preconditioned responses.

It took about half an hour to reach the attractive girl manning (?) the immigration counter. With a smile and in chaste Urdu (I now understood what Gulzar meant when SRK sings . Uski zuban Urdu ki tarah) she told us that we had to go to the special counter for Indians, collect a C form (sic), fill it up and then come back to her. As we reached the C form counter, the man there had run out of them, so he went to get more Xeroxed, and finally after another 45 minutes we cleared immigration, collected our bag and made a beeline for our waiting host who had so graciously come to receive us.

The first stop was at a Police Station, as we had to register our arrival. The friendly policeman had many a story to narrate, and finally gave us another address where foreigners had to register. After all, we were important people from India and deserved special treatmentJ. Next day being Sunday, we were informed to present ourselves on Monday morning. Come Monday, the friendly staff suggested that we wait in the lobby, as our hosts completed the formalities of our registration. This was done 4 photographs, 2 signatures, 45 minutes and 1500 rupees later. This, we were told, was reciprocal.

The brush with authority apart, the visit was marked by cordiality, genuine hospitality and respect, and true sentiments about how the Indians ands Pakistanis were such close friends, the closest any two countries could be in terms of a common history, language and shared dreams and problems, But the politicians on both sides had a vested interest in keeping the people apart and creating irritants so that they can continue to misguide the two populations about the viles of each other.

I completely agree with them 100 %, after what I saw and experienced. There can be no more genuine sentiments than those expressed by all Pakistanis we met- across all social and economic classes, men on the street, everybody.

Pakistanis are a proud race, sensitive to the intentions of people from across, and their feelings are genuine. They are against this special brand of politics that is a characteristic of the subcontinent. And they have of late opened out to a very large extent.. All our TV channels are aired there, movies now get released with great fanfare.

Karachi is a wonderful city. With population rivaling Mumbai, yet clean (mostly) and with wide roads, little traffic congestion, not many high rise, a level city where levelheaded people stay and live in houses, not in flats.

(WILL CONTINUE)

Posted in Travel.

10 comments

By amit goel – July 24, 2008