Arnab in India - In and Around India

Each weekend I try my best to vacate Bangalore in search of fresh air or for sites with historical or cultural significance. One such outing was to Nandi Hills, a giant block of granite that rises 1.5 km high. Once atop this monolith, I wandered across the uneven and rocky terrain (not to be confused for Bangalore “roads”) and surveyed the landscape in all directions. One point is known as Tipu’s Drop, where the famous sultan had his prisoners tossed into oblivion. This practice has not endured into modern times, so the point is now a favorite destination for lovers to commit suicide. On another weekend escape my destination of choice was Coorg, a scenic locality in Karnataka full of rolling green hills. I went with a group of German and Dutch interns. Most of the time was spent relaxing in a secluded cabin, reading, playing games, and imbibing. I also took an elephant ride around a park and visited a Buddhist monastery which is the second largest Tibetan settlement outside of Tibet itself. We had lunch at the local monk hangout. These monks were quite modern, shelling out rupees for such earthly delights as toilet paper and Thums Up (India’s favorite soft drink).

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On November 1st (Karnataka Day), Bangalore was officially renamed Bengaluru. This provides scope for considerable confusion as I am a Bengali from Canada in Bengaluru where they speak Kannada. In related news, the Bangalore Banger monicker was dropped in favor of the Bengaluru Tiger.

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My Bangalore Bengaluru office is located in the northern outskirts of the city in a place called Hebbal. It is a newly constructed facility. So new, in fact, that construction is still taking place on some floors while others are already inhabited by workers. The walls in the stairwells are covered by red stains, which are remnants of chewing tobacco and paan which are frequently to be found in the mouths of construction workers before being spat out in dramatic fashion. Hebbal is a combination of a dusty village and several burial sites of different religions (including a Parsi tower of silence), with a business park planted in the middle of it. It takes between 45 minutes to an hour for me to commute to my workplace, which is reasonable in comparison to the multi-hour one way travel times of several coworkers. For an additional fee, Satyam provides a daily bus service to its employees. The bus stops around 2 kilometers away from my flat. Usually, I take this bus on the way back from work. In the morning I take an auto rickshaw since I do not wake up in time to catch the bus and since I am not going to walk 2 kilometers twice (4 kilometers!) in one day.

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And one more thing...

Calcutta Celebrates, Maharashtra Marvels

As the world celebrated Arnabmas with happiness and delight, the citizens of Kolkata rejoiced with additional fervor as the first day of Durga Puja (the largest festival for Bengalis) and ARNABirth coincided on the same auspicious date. My time in Kolkata was devoted to visiting my many relatives and in experiencing Durga Puja to the fullest. Accompanied by a Taiwanette, I visited as many pandals (elaborate platforms containing the idols) as possible and also attended a Durga Pujo that took place on a barge on the mighty Ganges (Ganga) river.

Note: Thanks for the ARNABirthday Card!

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On one long weekend, I ventured to Maharashtra with the goal of exploring the famed Ajanta and Ellora Caves along with 3 South Koreans and another Canadian. The nearest major city to the caves was Aurangabad. In and around the city we visited Daulatabad Fort, complete with cannons, moats, bat infested tunnels, and other hazards, and also Bibi ka Maqbara, the “poor man’s Taj Mahal”. Ajanta contains only Buddhist sculptures and paintings compared to Ellora’s broader range of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain artifacts. Nonetheless, I preferred Ajanta due to its spectacular natural backdrop. Having finished the caves in two days, we had a day too spare. Pune was nearby so we headed there. In Pune, I went to the zoo, parks, gardens, and a building where Mahatma Gandhi had been imprisoned. On the train journey home, we celebrated the birthday of my Korean roommate, with cake bought at the train station and some Rums Up (composed of India’s favorite soft drink, Thums Up, and another popular liquid).

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One day I was approached by a beggar who said something to me in rapid Hindi. Being a frequent viewer of Bollywood movies and a heavy visitor of matrimonial websites, I only understood the word “shaadi”, which means “marriage”. I also assumed the beggar’s request had something to do with money. I interpreted the phrase as “My sister is getting married, so please give me money”. My Hindi-speaking coworker informed me that what was actually said was “Give me money and I will pray for a quick and happy wedding for you”.

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For the second time in as many months my Arnab Sense failed me, and again I was the unknowing victim of an aerial assault. I only noticed the malodorous kernels once I had sat down and my hand had skimmed a gooey substance. I discovered a partially dry beige stain on my right pant leg. Previously, I had disregarded the stench as that of the sweaty locals, my own ArnabBO, or a potent combination thereof. It must be mentioned that ArnaBO (Body Odor) is most effective in neutralizing the raw attractive force generated by the ArnaBeard. Following the advice of my elders who had informed me that heavenly bombardment is a blessed event after the previous incident, I wore the same pants for the rest of the day.

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Advice on ARNABride from a concerned citizen: "You have to find the girl who you can always want to take care of her because you so so like her."

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Notable Quotable

Female flatmate (no longer beguiled by my masculine charms): "Like you know, I’m not your mom who have to do everything for you."