Bangalore beckoning

Work took me to Bangalore some weeks back. I am always excited when I get the chance to go to Bangalore, the city I was born and brought up in. But more interesting was the flight to Bangalore. I happened to sit next to another colleague who also worked for the same company that I work for. He also had moved to Germany and made it his home for the last 13 years. Very similar in that sense to me as well, but he moved from a small county in South Africa. It was extremely interesting to understand how he had gotten used to life in Germany and how we could come to some of the same conclusions about different facets in the last decade or so. We also got to comparing the traffic conditions in India and Germany. One of his remarks was very interesting – He said that despite the fact that there are no real traffic rules followed by anyone in the Bangalore roads, somehow everything works out fine because the people take care of each other. It is not the rules of the law that guide them but it is the basic human feeling of taking care of another human being that makes it work. Whereas in Germany traffic is so well regulated mainly because everybody is following the rules diligently. I was thinking aloud if the reason they follow the rules is also because of the human care that people have for each other. Interesting observation and conversation.

It was lovely to hear the officer in the immigration counter at the Bangalore international airport smile and ask me in Kannada the local language, if I am back in town. But he was kinda disappointed to note that I would be leaving back in few days. Told him that kiddies and hubby was back home and I need to get back soon, he nodded knowingly. He told me that next time we should all come together for vacation and stay longer. I told him we were here in 2010 and we really had a nice time together. Could not possibly have this conversation with somebody sitting in an immigration counter back home in Germany  but I still imagined how that would play out.

The hotel was nice, the breakfast buffet was brilliant and the best part it was bang opposite the Bangalore office. It could not get better than this, no Bangalore traffic madness for the next days. The only small glitch was that most of the time was spent trying to cross that busy road in the morning. I realized that my dare devil run across the road skills had slightly diminished, but I was gonna work on that. On the last day I managed to crush the fear within my head and glide through the road, knowing very well that all the Gods were on my side.

The thing that always hits you when you walk into the offices in Bangalore is how energetic and young the crowd around you is. The negative though is that I can no longer be content thinking that given 99% chances I am the youngest one sitting in the meeting room. You can be damn sure that everyone in that room is probably half your age, what a bummer. But you also realise that everybody has so many options in Bangalore, and I wondered if they all share the same sense of commitment that I felt when I started off in my corporate journey 14 years back. Something to ponder about I guess.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the chance to meet with family and loved ones. On this front nothing had changed, thank God for that. Lots of yummy food, unconditional love, warm hugs and enquiries galore about hubby dear and kiddies back home in Germany.

Everybody sighing and awing about hubby dear and how he manages everything singlehandedly when I was away. Yeah, hubby dear is indeed my secret weapon that actually makes all this possible for me. My strength and solid foundation for everything in life, I could’nt wait to get back and see the delight in the kiddies eyes and the sense of relief in hubby’s eye.

Narro...Narri....it's carnival time again

It's again Fasching zeit or Carnival season here in Germany. Fasching is a term derived from the word Fastnacht meaning "eve of the beginning of the fast." What I love the most about it is the masks and costumes that people wear as part of the different parades.






Especially the very traditional Alemanic carnival parades are a highlight at this time of the year. Like in the last years we were with friends in the little town of Oberkirch in the Black Forest and it was so much fun to be part of the local Fasnet parade. The carnival celebrations in the Black Forest are completely different from the carnival parades that happen in cities like Köln or Mainz. Here you can find traditional wooden masks, even for little infants with all the accessories, head gear, make-up and wigs that match.

A beautiful sight indeed and some serious tradition that has been carried down since several years. Hubby and me donned our red and purple wigs, little bunny dressed up like a frog princess and little rabbit was a cute little ladybug. But there was stiff competition from the witches, devils and carnival fools who donned their scary wooden masks and paraded down the streets of Oberkirch. Over the years little bunny seemed to take on a very professional attitude to the whole candy gathering exercise which is a very important part of the whole event for kids. She would look straight into the eyes of the scary monsters and demand her candy, and as always her charm did seem to work on these creatures of the carnival.

You have to be prepared if masked witches grab your arms and legs and put you in a cart and you become part of the procession and if there is confetti poured on you, there is no getting mad at anyone, it's carnival time folks :-)

When the witches shouted 'Narro' we all shouted back in unison 'Narri'. Hopefully we did manage to drive out the evil spirits of the cold winter months.

Riding the train of my thoughts

Friday evenings are beautiful, you have the promise of the whole weekend ahead of you. Friday evenings are also dreamy where you don't have to keep applying the brakes on your thoughts and force yourself to stay focused on the next task to be accomplished. Sitting here I think of the question a work colleague posed to me when we briefly talked about my vacation in December. She asked me if I vountarily came back. Now for a split second my mind raced through all the great times I had during my vacation and I was at a loss on what should be an honest answer from my side. It was clear that a part of me wanted to stay back home and a part of me wanted to come back  home. Home as in both India and Germany!!! I don't know if she quite understood that. Anyway the meeting went well and on the walk back to my office I continued to ponder on that thought. Well, and today being Friday evening I continued to ride that train of my thoughts. For the sake of this post I will get off the train at a station called Kollur.

A place I had the chance to go back to, once again last December. Kollur is home to the famous  Mookambika temple which dates back in time to more than 1200 years.It was fascinating to soak in the sights around the temple and inside. The long colorful and fragrant flower garlands eagerly waited to adorn the Gods.

The sculptures and statues were elaborate and grand, drenching in a shower of ancient folklore. The paintings on the walls looked very symbolic with a very specific kind of style that I have not seen elsewhere.

 A scene that will stick in my mind's eye is of this cow quenching its thrist from the taps installed in front of the temple.

A great trip and some great memories too!!

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

With the dioxin scandal being so rampant here in Germany I was definitely not going to buy a fat pig, but today being a Saturday is when I usually shop for groceries for most of the working week. As I was walking through the aisles of vegetables filling up my veggie supplies my mind kept wandering back to our vacation time in India and one of my visits with hubby's Mom to a local market or Sante.

It was a pleasure to see rows and rows of vegetables of all types, sizes and colors. Little bunny's standard question would be 'Mama do we get this back in Germany?'

I remember this lady who smiled beautifully as she agreed to have her picture taken. She asked me to try on some of the beautiful glass bangles she had on display along with betel leaves and arecanut.

The sacks of red chillies looked menacingly hot and fierce and the thought of their intense flavours woke me up from my little reverie.

Yakshagana behind the scenes

The entire coastal belt of South India is so rich in their different traditions and customs. Especially South Kanara is very colorful when it comes to their folklore and their ancient art forms. Yakshagana for example a rich folk dance is an unique art form depicting various events from epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

I got to see two beautiful Yakshagana performances and I am really thankful to my mother-in-law for making this experience possible for us. One was a performance for children with little children performing. This show took place in the early evening hours unlike the usual performances which take place late in the night until the  wee hours of the morning.

Little bunny had the chance to sit down with child artists and see how they had their makeup was done. Once they knew she was really interested they even answered her questions about how one could learn this ancient art form integrated as part of their standard education system.

Bunny kept telling me that she would like to learn this art form along with going to ballet classes. Now that is going to be a tough request to accomodate I guess especially back in Germany. I am posting some pics here from behind the scenes.

Does it matter now?

Have’nt still gotten over the bitter loss that Germany had against Spain in the semi-finals on Wednesday 07-07-2010. But well, it’s just a sport and in sport the best team always wins. I wondered how well my colleagues at work were able to detach themselves emotionally from the game. Thats an art, that definitely I need to master.
Well, well it really does not matter to me now who wins the world cup. Of course the better team will win hopefully. Lets see if that's going to be Netherlands or Spain. Nor does it matter to me if Germany would get the third place beating Uruguay coming Saturday. Atleast thats what I think today but come Saturday and lets see how I feel. Anyway time to relax on the weekend, put my legs up and really enjoy the match no strings attached whatsoever. The octopus can make his pick.

Summerfest and celebrations

It was the Sommerfest in Wiesloch starting Friday 2 July until 4 July. The best part of the festival was on 3 July after 18:00 pm.

The whole town was celebrating the victory of Germany against Argentina 4:0. The match was just unbelievable.
I was ga ga over the last match already but this one beat all expectations. I mean, come on Argentina of all teams and such a major defeat.

Well it was party time in Wiesloch and we all had such a blast. Now again I am nervous thinking about Wednesday evening where Germany will meet Spain in the Semi-Final.

I hope to post more such pics of jubilation next week as well :-)

What a match!!

It's not very common that you see public display of national pride here in Germany. But today was a day of celebration indeed. What with Germany thrashing England in the world cup 4:1. The match was just awesome, the first goal by Klose was just perfect and then the momentum just kept building up.

The team work was so evident in every move the way the ball was passed superbly among the team members. After the match driving around town was so much fun. Everybody was filled with glee and complete cheer.

People in their cars honked away loudly, blowing their vuvuzelas everybody totally in a mood to party.

Now I am looking forward to next Saturday (July 3) when Germany will play Argentina. Already makes me nervous but I am just hoping that Germany will win again!

Take this quiz

1) You are driving through a bend once at 30km/h and then at 60 km/hr. How does this change the centrifugal force?

a) twice as great
b) four times greater
c) equal


2) To which vehicles does the ban on driving on Sundays and holidays apply?


a) For lorries with a permissible total mass above 7.5 tonnes
b) For motor tractors with trailors
c) For all lorries with trailors


3) How far may a load protrude to the rear beyond the rear red reflex reflector without requiring designated markings/signs?


a) 2 m
b) 1 m
c) 1,5 m


4) You are driving at 100km/hr and perform a normal braking manoeuvre. How long is the stopping path according to the applicable rule of thumb?


a) 100 m
b) 130 m
c) 160 m


5) What must you check as the driver of vehicle-trailer combination with a trailer featuring an overrun brake before driving off?


a) Whether the compressed air-hoses are hitched
b) Whether the overrun brake is effective



Answers

1) b

2) a , c

3) b

4) a

5) b


Loving these questions? These are a few sample questions out of some 1800 questions I need to know in order to pass a theory exam which would then qualify me to take a practical driving exam in Germany. Check out some more here. Unfortunately biking to work or car-pooling with hubby dear will no more be an option with having to play chauffeur to two little ones.

Sunday morning ritual

I love fresh baked bread! I guess this will be one of the things that I would miss a lot if I would not live in Germany any more. On Sunday mornings it has been a tradition at home that we always get fresh bread from the bakers. Very few bakeries are open on Sunday mornings and for only few hours. So today morning like every other Sunday hubby dear said that he is going out to get some bread and I went about getting everything ready for breakfast. When he came back, along with some some yummy bread he also got this cute little torte.

That was a nice surprise indeed but the toughest part after that was trying to explain to little bunny what Valentines day was all about :-)

Its Carnival (Fasching zeit) time..

It is Carnival time in Germany. Last weekend we were in a small town called Oberkirch in the Blackforest to take part in the traditional carnival parade. A ritual that was started thousands of years ago to drive out the ghosts and blues of the winter. I have to admit that the snow this time is determined to wait it out for some more weeks.

The carnival in Oberkirch is really special because of the thousands of costumes that people wear representing their towns and the symbols that they stand for.

Its the fourth year that we were in this little town thanks to friends who have family in this region. Little bunny got to collect a lot of candy and it was definitely a fun time indeed.