Wings of Fire
"How can a country with nuclear technology be considered a developing nation".
Wings of fire traces the research and development of the aerospace industry for defence as well as civilian applications of an indigenous launch vehicle. It spans roughly 30 years (1963 - 1991) of the history of rocketry and research and development of missiles in India.
From reading this memoir, you get a sense of what a giant achievement it has been for India to develop indigenously the hi-technology, the infrastructure, the R & D labs which have culminated into such successful projects. The accomplishment is all the more inspiring when one considers the nonexistent aerospace sector and limited R & D in the 60s whey they started working towards a collective goal. It also requires an enormous amount of money, and yet again a poor country like India, has managed to establish itself amongst the small group of developed nations with a successful space program.
APJ Abdul Kalam will be remembered as one of the great men in the field of Aerospace Engineering. In reading his recollections, you are inspired by his unfaltering dedication, perseverance, determination and hard work towards achieving India's independence from foreign technology in the defence and space industry. In this industry, the projects are big: in terms of what you're actually building (ie launch vehicle), the money involved, the time frame required; plus the number of people, organisations, systems and subsystems that must function together in order to achieve success. The development of a space launch vehicle and a multitude of missile technology achieved by successfully building upon a strong foundation illustrates the vision and determination of the pioneers in realising their dream.
Building these complex systems requires sophisticated state of the art technology for subsystems, like guidance and control algorithms, navigation systems, structures, and most importantly visionaries to successfully bring these pieces together.
First come up with a bold plan, then see it through over the long term in implementation.
As the saying goes, those of us who say it can't be done should stop disturbing those of us who are doing it. They did it!
The larger and more subtle accomplishment is the foundation of research labs, fostering research in academia, creating an indigenous industry from which to procure parts, develop algorithms etc. This has the long term impact of having in house knowledge, creating good job opportunities in the hi-tech industry, and building an environment for finding creative solutions to the problems faced by our ever changing world. That is vision!
==============================
Ethics .. Defence Applications
-------------------------------
After reading this book, I found myself excited and very hopeful about ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). The more people working towards making space more accessible the better. Given my background in aerospace engineering, I often find myself wondering about the ethics of working on defence applications, primarily weapon systems.
Having had this conversation many times in my head and with others and also having amended this thought process after reading `Wings of fire', here's how things break down for me:
point:
weapons have the express purpose of destruction and killing. If you don't want to work on destructive technology, then don't work on weapons systems.
counterpoint:
ICBMs are intended as weapons, but are used for launching satellites into space, primarily for peaceful purposes.
point:
anything you work on can be used for destruction. A person can kill with a hammer.
counterpoint:
yes, but a hammer is not created for the purpose of killing.
point:
war is inevitable. If we require our soldiers to fight for us, then they should have the best technology at their disposal.
counterpoint:
I have none, which is one reason I'm happy to pay taxes, some of which go to defence contractors. However, I think fighting poverty is a much more effective way of decreasing conflict; although, since it does not make a small number of people very wealthy it's not considered viable. It also does not directly effect ideological conflicts: meaning, the power struggle between different groups resulting from each of them believing their vision of society or their vision of a more peaceful, prosperous world, is ultimately correct.
While I don't know how one fights such ideological battles, I do think if most people are satisfied with the status quo, then it is hard for such elements to gain support. As an example, in the US, there is a socially conservative base, generally called the religious right, they believe in a more conservative culture. However, since most people, especially in cosmopolitan areas are happier with a freer society, the more socially conservative ideas don't generally take hold.
point:
in developing and supporting hi-technology for military purposes, countries (like India) achieve technological independence. Therefore, the military and diplomatic decisions of a sovereign nation are no longer dependant on other nations from whom you obtain hi-technology.
counterpoint:
since the country does not rely on anyone else for strengthening itself, the world does not exert any control over the actions of this nation.
REMARK: The end effect of becoming independent in this area is that the country becomes an equal partner on the world stage. This requires the nation to be strong economically and militarily. In the end, the destructive power of our latest and greatest weapons is equally (un)safe in the hands of politicians in the East or the West.
Most people you meet in this country will openly tell you that our politicians are dishonest, self-serving, corrupt, and most are criminals. There is an inherent distrust of government here. While one can question the implementation of democracy in India, and wonder whether we want such corrupt politicians wielding so much power - the fact remains that till date the US is the only country that has used a nuclear weapon of mass destruction against another nation (in WWII against Japan). Why is this relevant? Because, given the unilateral decisions made by our politicians under President Bush, would it be better to have more independent nations on the world stage - even at the cost of the world having more weapons?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jungle trails of Mahabaleshwar
01.22.09
9:00 am
Jungle trails of Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar has these beautiful paths in the forest from which you can access remote lookout points. Since it's a bit of a walk to get to these, you'll generally find complete solitude at these places. I walked back from Old Mahabaleshwar yesterday evening - it was a lovely 2.5 hour walk through gentle trails in the forests with a couple of detours along the way to check out a lookout point and Dhobi waterfalls. The waterfall wasn't spectacular, I imagine it's much nicer after the monsoons in sept/oct. However, the place where I was sitting was spectacular. It was a nice open plateau overlooking the waterfalls, the forests below, the ghats and the Konya valley off in the distance.
Sitting by the cliffs, I could hear langurs down below. I was straining to see something in the trees, when all of a sudden I see this flying monkey on the tree canopies far below. It was beautiful. Then he disappeared, except for the movement of the branches. I didn't see any other wildlife other than a possum like creature. The jungle paths are used by locals that work on the bee farm, so they're only busy in the evenings. During the day, when I was walking, I didn't see a soul for the most part except around 5:30ish I started to see people. I did hear horns and cars so I knew I was close to the road and going in the right direction - though I imagine it is pretty hard to get lost here.
I would recommend exploring Mahabaleshwar by taking these long walks in the forest!
9:00 am
Jungle trails of Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar has these beautiful paths in the forest from which you can access remote lookout points. Since it's a bit of a walk to get to these, you'll generally find complete solitude at these places. I walked back from Old Mahabaleshwar yesterday evening - it was a lovely 2.5 hour walk through gentle trails in the forests with a couple of detours along the way to check out a lookout point and Dhobi waterfalls. The waterfall wasn't spectacular, I imagine it's much nicer after the monsoons in sept/oct. However, the place where I was sitting was spectacular. It was a nice open plateau overlooking the waterfalls, the forests below, the ghats and the Konya valley off in the distance.
Sitting by the cliffs, I could hear langurs down below. I was straining to see something in the trees, when all of a sudden I see this flying monkey on the tree canopies far below. It was beautiful. Then he disappeared, except for the movement of the branches. I didn't see any other wildlife other than a possum like creature. The jungle paths are used by locals that work on the bee farm, so they're only busy in the evenings. During the day, when I was walking, I didn't see a soul for the most part except around 5:30ish I started to see people. I did hear horns and cars so I knew I was close to the road and going in the right direction - though I imagine it is pretty hard to get lost here.
I would recommend exploring Mahabaleshwar by taking these long walks in the forest!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Temples of old Mahabaleshwar
01.21.09
03:15 pm
Temples of old Mahabaleshwar
Old Mahabaleshwar is small. The buses stop right in the main gate. It is full of stalls selling touristy things. As you wander up the steps, you notice a number of old Hindu temples. They are made of the same dark stone I saw in Nasik. They are quite clean and lovely. It is a peaceful place.
One of the main temples is where 5 rivers originate - perhaps a sangam (meeting) of the 5 rivers. It is a holy place, I saw pilgrims praying and drinking the holy water flowing in this temple. There were two triangular windows up top. A column of sunlight through the window was the only source of light. When the light reflected off the oily film on the surface of the water, the individual sun rays looked as if they were dancing. It was beautiful.
If you walk up the steps behind this temple, you reach a higher ground from which you can see the village, the temples, and the ghats in the distance. There is a Hanuman temple up here and loads of big trees under which you can sit and soak up the view. On my way down, I wandered through the village, I found it to be quite clean. Only one discarded pepsi bottle and some plastic wrappers.
After walking around for a bit, I came back to the shops at the entrance and started chatting with a young woman who was running a shop:
me: what do people in this village do?
woman: mostly they own these shops. This is one of the shops that
her husband's family owns.
They also work in the strawberry fields
me: Are you from this village?
woman: No, I'm from Puna, I've been here for 3 years since marriage.
me: yes, but is your husband's family from here? The reason I ask
is because I found this place to be quite clean and I was wondering
if that's because most people in this village have
lived here for generations?
woman: Her husband did grow up in this area and their family is from
here.
Aapko yeh jagah saaf lagee (You found this place to be clean?).
me: I did find it quite clean, at least the areas that I wandered
through.
woman: I don't like the people here, they're not nice. I don't like the
place either, it's quite dirty.
me: amused by her perspective and our different views on this place.
I wish I had more time to chat with her about why she does
not like it. But there is a customer at her stall, so
I wish her well and continue on.
Old Mahabaleshwar is about 10km from Mahabaleshwar. There is a tourist bus run by MTDC that leaves the bus stand at 2:30pm, visits multiple view points in the area as well as the temples of old Mahabaleshwar, then returns around 7:00pm. It costs only INRs 72 so it is a good way to see the area. I wanted to be a little more independent so I just took the local bus around 1:30 PM and came to Mahabaleshwar. The return bus is around 5:30. Since I wanted to take a walk and wander around for a bit, that works for me. Currently I'm sitting in the patio of a Punjabi dhaba enjoying a cold drink.
03:15 pm
Temples of old Mahabaleshwar
Old Mahabaleshwar is small. The buses stop right in the main gate. It is full of stalls selling touristy things. As you wander up the steps, you notice a number of old Hindu temples. They are made of the same dark stone I saw in Nasik. They are quite clean and lovely. It is a peaceful place.
One of the main temples is where 5 rivers originate - perhaps a sangam (meeting) of the 5 rivers. It is a holy place, I saw pilgrims praying and drinking the holy water flowing in this temple. There were two triangular windows up top. A column of sunlight through the window was the only source of light. When the light reflected off the oily film on the surface of the water, the individual sun rays looked as if they were dancing. It was beautiful.
If you walk up the steps behind this temple, you reach a higher ground from which you can see the village, the temples, and the ghats in the distance. There is a Hanuman temple up here and loads of big trees under which you can sit and soak up the view. On my way down, I wandered through the village, I found it to be quite clean. Only one discarded pepsi bottle and some plastic wrappers.
After walking around for a bit, I came back to the shops at the entrance and started chatting with a young woman who was running a shop:
me: what do people in this village do?
woman: mostly they own these shops. This is one of the shops that
her husband's family owns.
They also work in the strawberry fields
me: Are you from this village?
woman: No, I'm from Puna, I've been here for 3 years since marriage.
me: yes, but is your husband's family from here? The reason I ask
is because I found this place to be quite clean and I was wondering
if that's because most people in this village have
lived here for generations?
woman: Her husband did grow up in this area and their family is from
here.
Aapko yeh jagah saaf lagee (You found this place to be clean?).
me: I did find it quite clean, at least the areas that I wandered
through.
woman: I don't like the people here, they're not nice. I don't like the
place either, it's quite dirty.
me: amused by her perspective and our different views on this place.
I wish I had more time to chat with her about why she does
not like it. But there is a customer at her stall, so
I wish her well and continue on.
Old Mahabaleshwar is about 10km from Mahabaleshwar. There is a tourist bus run by MTDC that leaves the bus stand at 2:30pm, visits multiple view points in the area as well as the temples of old Mahabaleshwar, then returns around 7:00pm. It costs only INRs 72 so it is a good way to see the area. I wanted to be a little more independent so I just took the local bus around 1:30 PM and came to Mahabaleshwar. The return bus is around 5:30. Since I wanted to take a walk and wander around for a bit, that works for me. Currently I'm sitting in the patio of a Punjabi dhaba enjoying a cold drink.
Strawberries and cream
01.21.09
10:00 am
Strawberries and cream
Fresh, locally grown strawberries and cream is one of the best breakfasts you'll find in Mahabaleshwar. It's a sleepy little hill station, sleepy right now because it is not really the season for tourists. It lies at about 1400m, weather is nice but still fairly warm in the afternoon unless you're walking the forest trails under a canopy of deciduous trees. Then the temperatures are just right with the slight breeze. A lot of jams, and honey is locally produced, hence the large berry production. Street vendors sell strawberries by the kilo and they're all so sweet. I'm generally not a fan of raw strawberries because they're sour, but here I can't get enough of them.
I came here on Monday, found a simple place to stay called Hotel Dwarka - it is undergoing some renovation and the rooms are simple. The main reason I decided to stay here is that they have a lovely garden overlooking the forest covered hillside. There are two swings outside, where I generally sit in the evening and enjoy the cool night air, the sky full of stars and write about random things while listening to music. There's an odd Canadian fellow staying here, I'll on occasion talk to him about the state of the world - though he drinks and smokes a fair bit and the level of conversation is not engaging for too long, plus I need my alone time.
The place is run by a Gujarati guy, Paresh, he's nice, though he was very keen on showing me the sights at first. I think he's just a little bored and looking for company. I generally keep to myself, especially since I'm here for a short time - I'm inclined to spend it exploring by myself. Though he's a totally nice guy, since he realised I'm content spending time by myself, he wishes me well when I see him but no longer tries to take me around. Pandav Yadav is another guy who works here and ensures the guests get their tea, food, hot water etc. I was taking a nap yesterday afternoon and he woke me up with a knock. When I opened the door, I saw this beautiful sunset, and my first comment was about the sunset. He promptly said, `Don't be offended, see that's why I woke you up. Would you like some tea?'. I did have some tea and we chatted, he said he was going to come talk to me yesterday but thought I might not like it so he didn't say hello but today he decided to come chat anyway. I said that was good since it was very nice to talk to him. His village is a ways away so he doesn't get back there often, but he lives here with is wife and two kids. He's very nice to me, brings me two buckets of warm water in the morning. People in general are very curious and friendly here, and we Indians are basically a social bunch and somewhat emotional. In general, I've found most people, the taxiwallas, the auto drivers, the bus drivers, the restaurant workers, villagers and so on to all be incredibly generous and open. If you are polite and treat them with respect, they will go the extra mile to be helpful. They are generous of spirit but you have to respect that spirit within in your social interactions.
There's a small street food place where I stopped by for idli (south Indian ricecakes) on Monday. The guy who runs it was also very hospitable and friendly, so I had upma for breakfast along with chai yesterday morning. He takes great pride in his place, and greets you with a big friendly smile. I noticed they advertised espresso, so I figured I'd try it. It's not really espresso, it is instant coffee which is what we have all over India. Though he uses the steamer of his espresso machine to froth it up and top it off with chocolate. It was good. Evidently the espresso machine is broken so he can't use it to filter fresh coffee.
I have been walking around here a lot. It's the perfect place to hang out for awhile and enjoy the natural landscape. Yesterday, I discovered the tiger trail which is a footpath for the locals that work in the area. It is a cool, shady path, that wanders through the jungle - the locals use it to get around. As I was wandering, I heard a loudspeaker but I couldn't understand what was going on since it was in Marathi so I followed the noise up a small path. It exited at a polo ground where they were having a cricket match. I came out of the forest close to a couple of guys standing by their car, and another guy who'd brought them tea. The guy who was serving tea had a slightly amused smile on his face when he saw me emerging out of the jungle. I asked him, in my perfect Hindi, what this place is, what was going on and some directions. I imagine I must've been a funny sight for him - his look put a smile on my face as well, as I wandered towards the main road onto the MTDC tourist office.
10:00 am
Strawberries and cream
Fresh, locally grown strawberries and cream is one of the best breakfasts you'll find in Mahabaleshwar. It's a sleepy little hill station, sleepy right now because it is not really the season for tourists. It lies at about 1400m, weather is nice but still fairly warm in the afternoon unless you're walking the forest trails under a canopy of deciduous trees. Then the temperatures are just right with the slight breeze. A lot of jams, and honey is locally produced, hence the large berry production. Street vendors sell strawberries by the kilo and they're all so sweet. I'm generally not a fan of raw strawberries because they're sour, but here I can't get enough of them.
I came here on Monday, found a simple place to stay called Hotel Dwarka - it is undergoing some renovation and the rooms are simple. The main reason I decided to stay here is that they have a lovely garden overlooking the forest covered hillside. There are two swings outside, where I generally sit in the evening and enjoy the cool night air, the sky full of stars and write about random things while listening to music. There's an odd Canadian fellow staying here, I'll on occasion talk to him about the state of the world - though he drinks and smokes a fair bit and the level of conversation is not engaging for too long, plus I need my alone time.
The place is run by a Gujarati guy, Paresh, he's nice, though he was very keen on showing me the sights at first. I think he's just a little bored and looking for company. I generally keep to myself, especially since I'm here for a short time - I'm inclined to spend it exploring by myself. Though he's a totally nice guy, since he realised I'm content spending time by myself, he wishes me well when I see him but no longer tries to take me around. Pandav Yadav is another guy who works here and ensures the guests get their tea, food, hot water etc. I was taking a nap yesterday afternoon and he woke me up with a knock. When I opened the door, I saw this beautiful sunset, and my first comment was about the sunset. He promptly said, `Don't be offended, see that's why I woke you up. Would you like some tea?'. I did have some tea and we chatted, he said he was going to come talk to me yesterday but thought I might not like it so he didn't say hello but today he decided to come chat anyway. I said that was good since it was very nice to talk to him. His village is a ways away so he doesn't get back there often, but he lives here with is wife and two kids. He's very nice to me, brings me two buckets of warm water in the morning. People in general are very curious and friendly here, and we Indians are basically a social bunch and somewhat emotional. In general, I've found most people, the taxiwallas, the auto drivers, the bus drivers, the restaurant workers, villagers and so on to all be incredibly generous and open. If you are polite and treat them with respect, they will go the extra mile to be helpful. They are generous of spirit but you have to respect that spirit within in your social interactions.
There's a small street food place where I stopped by for idli (south Indian ricecakes) on Monday. The guy who runs it was also very hospitable and friendly, so I had upma for breakfast along with chai yesterday morning. He takes great pride in his place, and greets you with a big friendly smile. I noticed they advertised espresso, so I figured I'd try it. It's not really espresso, it is instant coffee which is what we have all over India. Though he uses the steamer of his espresso machine to froth it up and top it off with chocolate. It was good. Evidently the espresso machine is broken so he can't use it to filter fresh coffee.
I have been walking around here a lot. It's the perfect place to hang out for awhile and enjoy the natural landscape. Yesterday, I discovered the tiger trail which is a footpath for the locals that work in the area. It is a cool, shady path, that wanders through the jungle - the locals use it to get around. As I was wandering, I heard a loudspeaker but I couldn't understand what was going on since it was in Marathi so I followed the noise up a small path. It exited at a polo ground where they were having a cricket match. I came out of the forest close to a couple of guys standing by their car, and another guy who'd brought them tea. The guy who was serving tea had a slightly amused smile on his face when he saw me emerging out of the jungle. I asked him, in my perfect Hindi, what this place is, what was going on and some directions. I imagine I must've been a funny sight for him - his look put a smile on my face as well, as I wandered towards the main road onto the MTDC tourist office.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Shirin's Place, Magarpatta City, Pune
01.14.09
3:30 PM
Shirin's Place, Magarpatta City, Pune
I landed in Pune on the 31st, met Shirin after almost 18 years. Wewere in school (AFGJI) together in class VII. In class VIII I ended upin a different section, however, we caught the bus together so weremained good friends. Even so, that was a long time ago and we werekids back then. It has been fun getting to know my friend all overagain - we get along great - perhaps one of the reasons I've stayed inPune for so long.Life works in funny ways, not in a million years did I imagine I'd bespending new year's with Shirin. We went out to Post 91, had a nicedinner with good company. Last week I was out travelling but Ireturned on Friday. This week I've been chilling in Pune. It's a neatcity, full of young people. Shirin lives in a lovely community calledMagarpatta city. It is mostly residential with some IT companieslocated within the city. Everything is walkable, very secure, cleanand green. There is a local market about a 10min walk and a nice parkwhere I've gone running on occasion, so you really don't have to leavethis area unless you're looking for entertainment in the city. Thefirst weekend, Shirin's friend Sonia along with her daughters, took usaround Pune University and other historic places in the old city. Wethen ended the evening playing dominoes with a teenager and a 4 yearold over a cup of chai and cake. It was an excellent day!The Kelkar museum is also a must see in Pune, it has a lot of art andthings from all over India all housed in one location. The Osho ashramis located at Koregaon park; I visited the Osho garden - lovely gardenand wandered around looking at the mansions in Koregaon park. There'sa German Bakery in this area which has good bread, cakes, andsandwiches - it also has fast internet, a PCO for local phone calls, agenerally good vibe and is a nice place to chill if you want to hangout for sometime. A lot of backpackers, local college students andyoung professionals hang out here on occasion so you're likely to haveinteresting conversations with people. Though if you're looking forsome solitude, it might be hard to find here.Shirin rents a flat on the 9th floor, with a lovely view at night.It's a nice two bedroom apartment. In spending time with her here,I've found her lifestyle in certain broad terms to be similar to minein Boston. While the cities are different, the climate is different,the food is different (the food here is very good); the long workhours, general lifestyle habits of 30 something professionals and therelationship struggles are the same. Shirin is also an excellenthousemate. She's been incredibly generous in sharing her space. I feelquite at home already - I made dinner for her and another friend lastnight. She went to Mumbai for work early Monday morning, and on a whimmade me sprouts for breakfast before leaving - it was a nice surpriseto wake up to. She's a really sweet person and kind of quirky - we'rehaving fun together in Pune! I feel like as if I've already got acommunity of friends here.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Ajanta, Ellora and Nasik visit
1.9.09
4:30pm
I'm on the bus from Nasik back to Pune. The Maharashtran countryside is beautiful, full of cornfields, grape vineyards around Nasik, lots of trees and hills called the western ghats. The ghats are not so much rolling hills as they are cliffs on three sides, they appear to be granite - wonder if the climbing is any good?
1.5.09 Aurangabad - Ellora
-----------------------------------------------
I caught the bus around 7am from Pune to Aurangabad. I met a young woman on the bus who lives near Aurangabad, she's a biologist, originally from Delhi, working for Monsanto. We arrived around noon. Upon stepping off the bus, I was surrounded by all these autorickshaws trying to take me to a hotel .. and I persistently said I'll walk. The girl from Delhi asked if I needed help or wanted to get dropped off anywhere - seeing as I was being troubled by the autos - I said, no worries I'll figure it out. I asked if she knew which direction the railway station was - and she said, `NO, don't go there'! her eyes wide with horror. She then rattled off some nice sounding inn down the street that she said would be nice for me - I said thanks and proceeded on my way to the railway station. I had an extremely light bag, and ~2.5km is not much when you're used to walking + don't have anywhere to be in a hurry - right? Gives you time to think about useless things like the meaning of life :-) ..
I realised that the only people that really walk in India are those that can't afford a car, a scooter, or the local auto / city bus - so basically the really poor people. And this also means that most cities are not very pedestrian friendly, as in no sidewalks, really dusty and dirty and so forth - because of course, these folks don't really have representation in the govt and so making sidewalks and the city more walking friendly is not on the agenda.
I stopped by the tourism office to get info about the caves, met some backpackers as I was stepping out. The were staying at Tourist Home though heading over to Hotel Shree Maya for lunch; they said Tourist Home was inexpensive and clean so I too headed there. For the next two days I stayed at Tourist Home and ate my meals at Shree Maya which has a lovely dining area with big couches to chill. They also have a free wireless. After getting a room in Tourist Home, I too walked over to Shree Maya and met one of the taxi guys who was offering me a tour at the bus stop, Muhammad - after the bus stop, he must've gone to the train station, where he had managed to find some French tourists and was taking then to Ellora in an hour. He asked if I'd like to join so we could share the cost.
That's how I met Alex and Aurelie and we travelled together for the next two days. They're from Paris, Aurelie is a nurse and Alex is a night watchman - nice people. Though we had a bit of a language barrier and I had to continually be reminded to speak slowly, we managed to have interesting conversations nonetheless. We visited Ellora and the city of Aurangabad that evening.
Ellora
----------
These temples are caves carved into a cliff side about 30km from Aurangabad. They are quite stunning with enormous sculptures and intricate carvings. Most of the temples are Buddhist though some of the latter ones are Hindu and Jain. They were carved between 2nd BC and 7th or 8th AD - amazing to see what the people back in the day managed to accomplish without modern tools.
1.6.09 Aurangabad - Ajanta
-------------------------------------------------
The Ajanta caves are also similar to Ellora in that they were carved by Buddhists during 2nd BC to about 8th AD. These are bigger and looking from one side along the cliffs you can just imagine this bustling city in its prime. The caves contain sculptures and paintings, and are situated near a gorge and beautiful gardens. The archaeological survey of India has done a great job in restoring these, setting up accent lighting, and organising access to the caves so as to preserve this place for future generations.
1.7.09 Aurangabad - lazy day
--------------------------------------------------
Since Hotel Shree Maya has wireless in the eating area and there are only two trains to Nasik, one early in the morning the the other in the afternoon, I decided to take an extra day to hang out here. My friends are catching the train to Hyderabad at 9 on 1.7.08 - I took them to watch Ghajini, at least the first half. It was their first Bollywood movie :-) - maybe not the best choice, but that's the only one that was playing locally.
All the folks at Hotel Shree Maya were very nice to me. I think they're used to foreign backpackers so perhaps they were just being hospitable to a backpacker who spoke good Hindi! In any case, in the morning, the breakfast cook would wish me good morning, ask how I was doing etc.
1.8.09 - off to Nasik
----------------------------------
On the 8th, I caught the 6am train to Nasik and was in Nasik by 9am. I boarded to local bus, came to Panchvati which is where one of the Hotel's listed in my book is located (Abhishek). This is a very nice place, locally owned and run. It is inexpensive, clean, with good food and very friendly staff. Nasik has a lot of historical places associated with Ramayana and thus a lot of temples. I wandered around the temples in Panchvati for part of the day.
Nasik:
-----------
Stone carved ancient temples,
bustling bazaar on Godavari banks.
An economy student,
studying on the temple steps,
A mass of humanity:
bathing, washing, cleaning;
practising their faith.
They do not see the filthy river,
only the sacred river.
Ancient temple at every corner,
how old are they,
nobody knows: very old.
They are not followers of history,
only followers of faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Nasik is also the wine growing region of India, so I took the evening to go visit Sula vineyards about 8km outside the city. Wine making is relatively new in India, though the wines we tasted were all really good - of course, I'm not a big expert on wine, but I liked them. It is a beautiful area, with the winery surrounded by fields of grapes. The young kid doing the tasting and giving the tour was definitely into wine and interested in his craft, which was nice to see. I imagine I looked a bit out of place in my dirty cargo pants, t-shirt and backpack.
4:30pm
I'm on the bus from Nasik back to Pune. The Maharashtran countryside is beautiful, full of cornfields, grape vineyards around Nasik, lots of trees and hills called the western ghats. The ghats are not so much rolling hills as they are cliffs on three sides, they appear to be granite - wonder if the climbing is any good?
1.5.09 Aurangabad - Ellora
-----------------------------------------------
I caught the bus around 7am from Pune to Aurangabad. I met a young woman on the bus who lives near Aurangabad, she's a biologist, originally from Delhi, working for Monsanto. We arrived around noon. Upon stepping off the bus, I was surrounded by all these autorickshaws trying to take me to a hotel .. and I persistently said I'll walk. The girl from Delhi asked if I needed help or wanted to get dropped off anywhere - seeing as I was being troubled by the autos - I said, no worries I'll figure it out. I asked if she knew which direction the railway station was - and she said, `NO, don't go there'! her eyes wide with horror. She then rattled off some nice sounding inn down the street that she said would be nice for me - I said thanks and proceeded on my way to the railway station. I had an extremely light bag, and ~2.5km is not much when you're used to walking + don't have anywhere to be in a hurry - right? Gives you time to think about useless things like the meaning of life :-) ..
I realised that the only people that really walk in India are those that can't afford a car, a scooter, or the local auto / city bus - so basically the really poor people. And this also means that most cities are not very pedestrian friendly, as in no sidewalks, really dusty and dirty and so forth - because of course, these folks don't really have representation in the govt and so making sidewalks and the city more walking friendly is not on the agenda.
I stopped by the tourism office to get info about the caves, met some backpackers as I was stepping out. The were staying at Tourist Home though heading over to Hotel Shree Maya for lunch; they said Tourist Home was inexpensive and clean so I too headed there. For the next two days I stayed at Tourist Home and ate my meals at Shree Maya which has a lovely dining area with big couches to chill. They also have a free wireless. After getting a room in Tourist Home, I too walked over to Shree Maya and met one of the taxi guys who was offering me a tour at the bus stop, Muhammad - after the bus stop, he must've gone to the train station, where he had managed to find some French tourists and was taking then to Ellora in an hour. He asked if I'd like to join so we could share the cost.
That's how I met Alex and Aurelie and we travelled together for the next two days. They're from Paris, Aurelie is a nurse and Alex is a night watchman - nice people. Though we had a bit of a language barrier and I had to continually be reminded to speak slowly, we managed to have interesting conversations nonetheless. We visited Ellora and the city of Aurangabad that evening.
Ellora
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These temples are caves carved into a cliff side about 30km from Aurangabad. They are quite stunning with enormous sculptures and intricate carvings. Most of the temples are Buddhist though some of the latter ones are Hindu and Jain. They were carved between 2nd BC and 7th or 8th AD - amazing to see what the people back in the day managed to accomplish without modern tools.
1.6.09 Aurangabad - Ajanta
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The Ajanta caves are also similar to Ellora in that they were carved by Buddhists during 2nd BC to about 8th AD. These are bigger and looking from one side along the cliffs you can just imagine this bustling city in its prime. The caves contain sculptures and paintings, and are situated near a gorge and beautiful gardens. The archaeological survey of India has done a great job in restoring these, setting up accent lighting, and organising access to the caves so as to preserve this place for future generations.
1.7.09 Aurangabad - lazy day
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Since Hotel Shree Maya has wireless in the eating area and there are only two trains to Nasik, one early in the morning the the other in the afternoon, I decided to take an extra day to hang out here. My friends are catching the train to Hyderabad at 9 on 1.7.08 - I took them to watch Ghajini, at least the first half. It was their first Bollywood movie :-) - maybe not the best choice, but that's the only one that was playing locally.
All the folks at Hotel Shree Maya were very nice to me. I think they're used to foreign backpackers so perhaps they were just being hospitable to a backpacker who spoke good Hindi! In any case, in the morning, the breakfast cook would wish me good morning, ask how I was doing etc.
1.8.09 - off to Nasik
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On the 8th, I caught the 6am train to Nasik and was in Nasik by 9am. I boarded to local bus, came to Panchvati which is where one of the Hotel's listed in my book is located (Abhishek). This is a very nice place, locally owned and run. It is inexpensive, clean, with good food and very friendly staff. Nasik has a lot of historical places associated with Ramayana and thus a lot of temples. I wandered around the temples in Panchvati for part of the day.
Nasik:
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Stone carved ancient temples,
bustling bazaar on Godavari banks.
An economy student,
studying on the temple steps,
A mass of humanity:
bathing, washing, cleaning;
practising their faith.
They do not see the filthy river,
only the sacred river.
Ancient temple at every corner,
how old are they,
nobody knows: very old.
They are not followers of history,
only followers of faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Nasik is also the wine growing region of India, so I took the evening to go visit Sula vineyards about 8km outside the city. Wine making is relatively new in India, though the wines we tasted were all really good - of course, I'm not a big expert on wine, but I liked them. It is a beautiful area, with the winery surrounded by fields of grapes. The young kid doing the tasting and giving the tour was definitely into wine and interested in his craft, which was nice to see. I imagine I looked a bit out of place in my dirty cargo pants, t-shirt and backpack.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Visit to the National Defense Academy
3:00 PM
Kadakwasla (NDA visit)
Chapter 1: Getting on campus
----------------------------------------------------
It's been an interesting day. I just had lunch at the officers mess at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and am sitting outside, waiting for the Major who showed me around the academy.
Let's start from the morning ...
Shirin was working today so I decided to come visit the NDA. The NDA is an institution for training officers in the Air Force (IAF), Navy and Army. The cadets come here after finishing class XII, spend about 3 years here, then graduate by the time they're 20-21, with an undergraduate degree, ready to join the armed services. They then go on to become commissioned officers in the armed services by 22years of age. Needless to say some of the officers look really young.
I took an auto from Shirin's place to the Pune train station. The auto guy didn't have change so I told him to keep the extra which he appreciated and it increased the credit in my karma account since the rest of the day was perfect. I caught the local bus to NDA and was there by noon. Since I didn't have an official ID to get inside, I disembarked at the entry gate. I explained to the jawan at the reception that my father had passed out of NDA in 1964, served in the Air Force for 20 years and I was wondering if there was any provision for visitors to see the NDA. Jawan literally means young; the non-commissioned officers are referred to as jawans. I did not expect to get inside NDA but I wanted to visit so I figured I'd just take a chance and go; if there was no such thing as a visitors pass, then I'd just come back. It would still be very nice to visit Kadakwasla and get a glimpse of NDA where dad had done quite well as a cadet and had many memories.
The gentleman at the gate called the assistant adjutant and asked me to speak directly to him. I explained to the Major how I'd come here and he chided me for coming on a working day without an appointment. I honestly told him I had no idea how it works and just sort of came. The Major then asked how I intended to visit, if I had my own vehicle. I said I was hoping to just walk around till I got tired then head back since I came by bus. I know this sounds silly, but I must stress, I thought there might be some parks or museums I could visit by myself with a visitors permit, of course I knew the access would be restricted, but I figured I'd just give it a try and see if dad being ex-NDA and ex-IAF would enable me to see the area. The Major explained to me that generally I needed to have an appointment with someone inside the Academy who would take responsibility for me as they showed me around but also said he'd see if he can do something.
I told him I totally understood if I can't get inside. I had decided to just come and see the place even though I was doubtful about entering the campus. Now that I know how it works, I'll certainly make an appointment next time. I was just as excited to get a peek through the cordoned off areas, and thanked him for his time and the information.
He said, not to worry, since I was here he would take some time out and show me around. He asked me to catch a ride to his office, which anyone on campus would be able to point out. After spending the afternoon with him, I'm not surprised the Major took the time to take me around - he is incredibly nice. I was lucky he was in his office when I arrived, as I managed to get a nice, personalised tour of the facilities.
Chapter 2: Visiting the facilities
------------------------------------------------------
I went to the Major's office and chatted with him about dad's NDA history. I was excited to be here and it was really nice of him to take the time to speak with me. I wasn't my usual relaxed self as he was also attending to his work. Men in uniform would come in and out, sometimes jawans would march in and salute before discussing their business. Protocol must be followed, as one would expect for the NDA. Plus I wanted to make sure I was being respectful of everything. Since I grew up in Air Force stations and many of our friends are serving, I do have a certain reverence for this institution and a personal connection with it. I also saw that the assistant adjutant is a busy man on a working day, I felt a little guilty for disturbing him but was gracious for his time.
Then the Major took me around. The cadets take the same training for the initial two years, in the final year they train with their specific branch: Air Force, Army or Navy. We started at the Air Force flight training facility for IAF cadets. The gentleman incharge showed me the trainers (super Dimona's) in the hanger. He knew his machine well and must've enjoyed instructing for he was enthusiastically sharing the technical specs. It was nice to hear familiar terms and concepts like the wing's aspect ratio, it's gliding performance, stopping distance and so forth. Although it has been 12+ years since I flew anything or studied flight dynamics, I do remember the basics of control surfaces so it was nice to chat with him.
Next we went to the equitation centre where cadets must pass some basic level of horse riding training. The officer incharge is an avid rider, he was also very friendly and asked if I'd like a ride. I said, sure why not - never mind the fact I had not been on a horse for 18 or so years and that too we'd only taken lessons briefly. The officer who was second in command showed us around - they have 160 or so beautiful horses, who are all very well looked after. Since riding is required, all cadets are exposed to it and there is a strong community of riders here. They also have a variety of show jumping courses and a cross country course with some very tall jumps on the order of a meter and half (yikes!). After the tour I got to ride. It was great fun, I had a permanent grin on my face for the rest of the day as I thanked the officers for the tour.
After this the Major showed me around the grounds, took me to the cadet's mess, I saw the 4 battalions each of which comprise of 4 squadrons one of which is Fox, to which dad belonged. We then saw Kadakwasla lake, created by damming the Mutha river. This is where the Navy Training Team conducts its exercises. Next I was dropped off at the mess to grab lunch while he went off to do work since he's actually on duty. Yet another thought I had: the Major has been genuinely nice in taking me around, all the people I met were very nice and happy to show me around, I think this was, in part, probably because I'm the Major's guest. People respond to his good nature. It's a positive feedback loop, if you're nice to people they in turn are nice to you :-) ..!
At present, I'm just sitting outside enjoying the weather and writing, Jagdish should be back soon to drop me off at the bus stop and it's back to Pune -- nice day!
Kadakwasla (NDA visit)
Chapter 1: Getting on campus
----------------------------------------------------
It's been an interesting day. I just had lunch at the officers mess at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and am sitting outside, waiting for the Major who showed me around the academy.
Let's start from the morning ...
Shirin was working today so I decided to come visit the NDA. The NDA is an institution for training officers in the Air Force (IAF), Navy and Army. The cadets come here after finishing class XII, spend about 3 years here, then graduate by the time they're 20-21, with an undergraduate degree, ready to join the armed services. They then go on to become commissioned officers in the armed services by 22years of age. Needless to say some of the officers look really young.
I took an auto from Shirin's place to the Pune train station. The auto guy didn't have change so I told him to keep the extra which he appreciated and it increased the credit in my karma account since the rest of the day was perfect. I caught the local bus to NDA and was there by noon. Since I didn't have an official ID to get inside, I disembarked at the entry gate. I explained to the jawan at the reception that my father had passed out of NDA in 1964, served in the Air Force for 20 years and I was wondering if there was any provision for visitors to see the NDA. Jawan literally means young; the non-commissioned officers are referred to as jawans. I did not expect to get inside NDA but I wanted to visit so I figured I'd just take a chance and go; if there was no such thing as a visitors pass, then I'd just come back. It would still be very nice to visit Kadakwasla and get a glimpse of NDA where dad had done quite well as a cadet and had many memories.
The gentleman at the gate called the assistant adjutant and asked me to speak directly to him. I explained to the Major how I'd come here and he chided me for coming on a working day without an appointment. I honestly told him I had no idea how it works and just sort of came. The Major then asked how I intended to visit, if I had my own vehicle. I said I was hoping to just walk around till I got tired then head back since I came by bus. I know this sounds silly, but I must stress, I thought there might be some parks or museums I could visit by myself with a visitors permit, of course I knew the access would be restricted, but I figured I'd just give it a try and see if dad being ex-NDA and ex-IAF would enable me to see the area. The Major explained to me that generally I needed to have an appointment with someone inside the Academy who would take responsibility for me as they showed me around but also said he'd see if he can do something.
I told him I totally understood if I can't get inside. I had decided to just come and see the place even though I was doubtful about entering the campus. Now that I know how it works, I'll certainly make an appointment next time. I was just as excited to get a peek through the cordoned off areas, and thanked him for his time and the information.
He said, not to worry, since I was here he would take some time out and show me around. He asked me to catch a ride to his office, which anyone on campus would be able to point out. After spending the afternoon with him, I'm not surprised the Major took the time to take me around - he is incredibly nice. I was lucky he was in his office when I arrived, as I managed to get a nice, personalised tour of the facilities.
Chapter 2: Visiting the facilities
------------------------------------------------------
I went to the Major's office and chatted with him about dad's NDA history. I was excited to be here and it was really nice of him to take the time to speak with me. I wasn't my usual relaxed self as he was also attending to his work. Men in uniform would come in and out, sometimes jawans would march in and salute before discussing their business. Protocol must be followed, as one would expect for the NDA. Plus I wanted to make sure I was being respectful of everything. Since I grew up in Air Force stations and many of our friends are serving, I do have a certain reverence for this institution and a personal connection with it. I also saw that the assistant adjutant is a busy man on a working day, I felt a little guilty for disturbing him but was gracious for his time.
Then the Major took me around. The cadets take the same training for the initial two years, in the final year they train with their specific branch: Air Force, Army or Navy. We started at the Air Force flight training facility for IAF cadets. The gentleman incharge showed me the trainers (super Dimona's) in the hanger. He knew his machine well and must've enjoyed instructing for he was enthusiastically sharing the technical specs. It was nice to hear familiar terms and concepts like the wing's aspect ratio, it's gliding performance, stopping distance and so forth. Although it has been 12+ years since I flew anything or studied flight dynamics, I do remember the basics of control surfaces so it was nice to chat with him.
Next we went to the equitation centre where cadets must pass some basic level of horse riding training. The officer incharge is an avid rider, he was also very friendly and asked if I'd like a ride. I said, sure why not - never mind the fact I had not been on a horse for 18 or so years and that too we'd only taken lessons briefly. The officer who was second in command showed us around - they have 160 or so beautiful horses, who are all very well looked after. Since riding is required, all cadets are exposed to it and there is a strong community of riders here. They also have a variety of show jumping courses and a cross country course with some very tall jumps on the order of a meter and half (yikes!). After the tour I got to ride. It was great fun, I had a permanent grin on my face for the rest of the day as I thanked the officers for the tour.
After this the Major showed me around the grounds, took me to the cadet's mess, I saw the 4 battalions each of which comprise of 4 squadrons one of which is Fox, to which dad belonged. We then saw Kadakwasla lake, created by damming the Mutha river. This is where the Navy Training Team conducts its exercises. Next I was dropped off at the mess to grab lunch while he went off to do work since he's actually on duty. Yet another thought I had: the Major has been genuinely nice in taking me around, all the people I met were very nice and happy to show me around, I think this was, in part, probably because I'm the Major's guest. People respond to his good nature. It's a positive feedback loop, if you're nice to people they in turn are nice to you :-) ..!
At present, I'm just sitting outside enjoying the weather and writing, Jagdish should be back soon to drop me off at the bus stop and it's back to Pune -- nice day!
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