We were sitting and looking up at the dusk sky from my favorite rooftop restaurant in Hyderabad. Evan munched on garlic bread and nestled in Mommy's elbow. Vivian sipped her Shirley Temple and showed us the crescent moon. Jo pointed out a very bright Venus. As the sky grew darker more stars started to twinkle in. Vivian asked how many stars were there. I told her that we know there are more than a 100 billion galaxies each with hundreds of billions of stars in the observable universe. "Where do stars come from?", she asked. I considered giving her a made up story for a moment. Then I took a deep breath and gave her the 30 second spiel on star formation. She listened very intently.
And then she said "Daddy - I like talking about the universe with you".
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Zoo Again
Vivian is learning about animals at school. The other day "Daddy - did you know that Kangaroo is a marsupial?" and "Mommy - marsupial babies are as small as a one rupee and are blind". And she is sight-reading her third book - this one about animals. Today the school had organized a field trip to the zoo for the kids from pre-primary I and II. I thought of writing my phone number on Vivian's arm before dropping her off at 8:45am this morning.
We didn't have to pick her up till 2:30pm. Which meant that we had lunch without Vivian. We tried a new place - the Latitude Cafe. The red lentil salad, carrot soup, and grilled fish with zucchini spaghetti were great. The chicken satay was too coconutty. Half-way through a very peaceful lunch Jo observed that because she loved both kids it would be hard to decide which one to give away, but Oh How Nice It Was (and usually is) when there's one kid around.
When we went to pick Vivian up from school, I noticed that the kids had their name and the school phone number written in large letters on their arms. It may not be permanent marker, but it certainly doesn't wash away easily.
We didn't have to pick her up till 2:30pm. Which meant that we had lunch without Vivian. We tried a new place - the Latitude Cafe. The red lentil salad, carrot soup, and grilled fish with zucchini spaghetti were great. The chicken satay was too coconutty. Half-way through a very peaceful lunch Jo observed that because she loved both kids it would be hard to decide which one to give away, but Oh How Nice It Was (and usually is) when there's one kid around.
When we went to pick Vivian up from school, I noticed that the kids had their name and the school phone number written in large letters on their arms. It may not be permanent marker, but it certainly doesn't wash away easily.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Evan Pictures
Evan is a hard one to photograph. He sees a camera and starts to run to it, sticking his face or hands on the lens. Here are a couple from this evening where I caught him sitting for a few seconds.
Eventually (about five seconds later), it was business as usual.
Eventually (about five seconds later), it was business as usual.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Hydgang Lunch
Mayura is in town for Sarla Aunty's book signing. Here are pictures from lunch today. Over lunch I made some comment or the other about telling Vivian when she was a few months old and we were in Boston that she had to go to MIT. She told the table that "dad is being sarcastic". Tiki asked her what sarcastic meant. Vivian replied "not telling the truth". Important life skill - being able to detect sarcasm.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Art Fair
The India Art Fair is on in New Delhi. That on the heels of LitFest (Jaipur Literature Fair) with much publicity about Salmal Rushdie's non-visit. Rushdie is from India. Muslims in India canvased hard and successfully to keep him away from LitFest, and Indian politicians - in an election year - tripped over each other to acquiesce.
The art scene at home is more harmonious. Evan sometimes gains control of Vivian's paintbrush and I once tried to get Vivian to drink her paint water by mistake. But otherwise.
Carol is a pragmatic artist. Oil painting was my mother's favorite pastime. Art skipped a generation (in both Jo and my case) but it may have made a reappearance. Vivian is turning out to be very visual, imaginitive, and coordinated. The other day she created her first abstract water-color piece. And said "abstract" very carefully. She also delights in making cards - the blue one below is for her neighbor Eleanor. And even Evan sits down to paint during art time.
The art scene at home is more harmonious. Evan sometimes gains control of Vivian's paintbrush and I once tried to get Vivian to drink her paint water by mistake. But otherwise.
Carol is a pragmatic artist. Oil painting was my mother's favorite pastime. Art skipped a generation (in both Jo and my case) but it may have made a reappearance. Vivian is turning out to be very visual, imaginitive, and coordinated. The other day she created her first abstract water-color piece. And said "abstract" very carefully. She also delights in making cards - the blue one below is for her neighbor Eleanor. And even Evan sits down to paint during art time.
Teachers
We are up to our elbows in teachers. The other day Jo found one of Vivian's teachers almost hysterical - due to Vivian's in-class hysterics. And the next day we met her principal and coordinator, who have stepped in to help out. And then we had lunch with Mrs. Anwar Hussain and Mrs. Usha Qadar. Mrs. Hussain was my class teacher in 7K. And Mrs. Qadar taught history and english from grade 9 onwards. I still felt like a schoolboy around them.
Crazy Evan
The kid is crazy. This evening my Dad was over for dinner and Evan was on crack the whole time. At one point he was dancing without any music playing - at least none outside his head.
This picture is from this morning. Tomorrow is India's Republic Day. Today Vivian wore green to school - one of the colors on the Indian tricolor. She put on a green bindi to complement the green t-shirt she wore (she doesn't own a green t-shirt, so she borrowed one of Evan's with a picture of a cowboy on it and it says "dude"). Evan had to do the same. That's why he's got a green bindi on his head.
Evan has drunk from glasses for months now - no sippy cups for him. At nap and sleep times, he jumps into Vivian's bed, pulls the sheets up to his chin, puts his head on the pillow and snaps open a book. And then howls with indignation when he's hauled off to his crib. He wears Vivian's mildly-heeled pink sequined shoes and cries for lipstick. And when Vivian goes to school in the morning, Evan has to go drop her off. He can climb jungle jims like Vivian can, and goes up to the highest slides in any park.
This picture is from this morning. Tomorrow is India's Republic Day. Today Vivian wore green to school - one of the colors on the Indian tricolor. She put on a green bindi to complement the green t-shirt she wore (she doesn't own a green t-shirt, so she borrowed one of Evan's with a picture of a cowboy on it and it says "dude"). Evan had to do the same. That's why he's got a green bindi on his head.
Evan has drunk from glasses for months now - no sippy cups for him. At nap and sleep times, he jumps into Vivian's bed, pulls the sheets up to his chin, puts his head on the pillow and snaps open a book. And then howls with indignation when he's hauled off to his crib. He wears Vivian's mildly-heeled pink sequined shoes and cries for lipstick. And when Vivian goes to school in the morning, Evan has to go drop her off. He can climb jungle jims like Vivian can, and goes up to the highest slides in any park.
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Murky Separation of Church and School
A news story is making the rounds of my atheist friends' FB posts. It's about Jessica Ahlquist, a sixteen year old girl in Cranston, RI who successfully got a United States District Court to order that her high school take down a banner with a prayer on it. The judge who ruled is a Reagan appointee. The girl has received a stream of assault, death and rape threats and required police protection to go to school. Her congressman called her evil on a radio show. Her mayor called it hate from one person exercising her constitutional rights. The prayer is innocuous as prayers go:
The law and legal precedent for the last few hundred years arise from a clause in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The historical irony is apparently that Madison, the drafter, was trying to drum up support for the ratification of the constitution in states like Virginia that had state religions and were afraid that the federal government would create a national religion
The practical implication of the first portion of the amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" during the last fifty years has generally come to mean that the Congress will not form a religion and will not prefer one religion over another. This is what comes into play when the courts scrutinize laws allowing tax dollars to be used to pay for education of students including private religious education (mostly allows), public displays of religious artifacts (depends), or public school prayer (nope, nada).
Over the years, the courts have created and dismantled several tests like "secular purpose", "primary effect" and "excessive entanglement". The strictness of the tests change from narrow to wide to narrow again based on the biases of the judges of the supreme court. Then there are subtleties: an Alabama judge was fired when he refused to take down a display of the Ten Commandments he had installed in a state courthouse, while the Texas Capitol was allowed to keep a monument with the Ten Commandments on it.
On one hand, the courts have more or less uniformly disallowed prayed in public schools. It clearly does not meet the secular purpose or primary effect tests. Simple. But doesn't the government also have to protect the free exercise of religion? I want to pray in school and you are not letting me. It turns out the the courts have given greater weight to the establishment clause and less to the free exercise clause when the two conflict.
On the other hand, most schools read and students recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, including the "under God" portion that was added to the pledge in the 1950's. Students can't be forced to recite the pledge any longer and may instead remain silent. Subtle again. It seems obvious that the idea of the pledge in spite of the under god portion is secular and the primary effect is not to promote or inhibit a religion. But doesn't it clearly promote all religions and inhibit the atheistic point of view? The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that a prayer does not get any constitutional protection just because it is non-denomination and non-sectarian but the pledge apparently does. And if silence and non-participation works for the pledge, why not do the same with school prayer?
Ironically "So help me God" (courtroom oath) and "God save the United States and this Honorable Court"(courtroom opening ritual) are other examples of violation of the establishment clause in none other than the judiciary. And then there's the most visible sanctioning of religion by the US government. "In God We Trust" has been inscribed on US coins since 1864 and paper currency since 1957. It's the official national motto since the 1956 and re-affirmed three months ago by the House citing a crisis of national identity and mass confusion among Americans about their nation’s motto. The courts hold that this display is safe from scrutiny of the establishment clause because it has lost it's religious significance due to rote. And the Supreme Court ruled that the nation's institutions presuppose a Supreme Being, and that government recognition of god does not constitute the formation of a state church and hence does not violate the establishment clause.
Why then object to a banner that has hung from the walls of the auditorium of a high school since 1963 because it mentions "God", that presupposed supreme being? What if the school took down the banner and replaced it with a poster of a magnified portion of the back of a dollar bill?
Most religions require you to defend your faith and advance it when and where possible. In face of this constant onslaught, stopping opportunistic religious squatters from infiltrating any further into public institutions is an important and valid idea. But religion is almost ubiquitous among humans. Institutions, whether schools or governments, are built by humans. Trying to excoriate all traces of religion from government must be futile and frustrating.
Democracy is the rule of the majority. Protecting the basic freedoms of the individual including her right to practice her religion is what prevents democracy from becoming a blunt club wielded by the lowest common denominator.
But people take religion too seriously. The constitution protects it. The Congress reaffirms it. The courts scrutinize it. The moral majority pushes it. The atheists fight it. Too bad it's not treated more like the size of your penis. You know what you've got, and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. Vivian has a favorite color. It's purple. The right to a favorite color is not protected by the constitution. Vivian could end up in a school with beige walls. Will she fight against state-sponsored colors? Will she change her views on god when she walks past a banner professing him? And in the end, will purple or god have a greater effect on her life?
The law and legal precedent for the last few hundred years arise from a clause in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The historical irony is apparently that Madison, the drafter, was trying to drum up support for the ratification of the constitution in states like Virginia that had state religions and were afraid that the federal government would create a national religion
The practical implication of the first portion of the amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" during the last fifty years has generally come to mean that the Congress will not form a religion and will not prefer one religion over another. This is what comes into play when the courts scrutinize laws allowing tax dollars to be used to pay for education of students including private religious education (mostly allows), public displays of religious artifacts (depends), or public school prayer (nope, nada).
Over the years, the courts have created and dismantled several tests like "secular purpose", "primary effect" and "excessive entanglement". The strictness of the tests change from narrow to wide to narrow again based on the biases of the judges of the supreme court. Then there are subtleties: an Alabama judge was fired when he refused to take down a display of the Ten Commandments he had installed in a state courthouse, while the Texas Capitol was allowed to keep a monument with the Ten Commandments on it.
On one hand, the courts have more or less uniformly disallowed prayed in public schools. It clearly does not meet the secular purpose or primary effect tests. Simple. But doesn't the government also have to protect the free exercise of religion? I want to pray in school and you are not letting me. It turns out the the courts have given greater weight to the establishment clause and less to the free exercise clause when the two conflict.
On the other hand, most schools read and students recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, including the "under God" portion that was added to the pledge in the 1950's. Students can't be forced to recite the pledge any longer and may instead remain silent. Subtle again. It seems obvious that the idea of the pledge in spite of the under god portion is secular and the primary effect is not to promote or inhibit a religion. But doesn't it clearly promote all religions and inhibit the atheistic point of view? The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that a prayer does not get any constitutional protection just because it is non-denomination and non-sectarian but the pledge apparently does. And if silence and non-participation works for the pledge, why not do the same with school prayer?
Ironically "So help me God" (courtroom oath) and "God save the United States and this Honorable Court"(courtroom opening ritual) are other examples of violation of the establishment clause in none other than the judiciary. And then there's the most visible sanctioning of religion by the US government. "In God We Trust" has been inscribed on US coins since 1864 and paper currency since 1957. It's the official national motto since the 1956 and re-affirmed three months ago by the House citing a crisis of national identity and mass confusion among Americans about their nation’s motto. The courts hold that this display is safe from scrutiny of the establishment clause because it has lost it's religious significance due to rote. And the Supreme Court ruled that the nation's institutions presuppose a Supreme Being, and that government recognition of god does not constitute the formation of a state church and hence does not violate the establishment clause.
Why then object to a banner that has hung from the walls of the auditorium of a high school since 1963 because it mentions "God", that presupposed supreme being? What if the school took down the banner and replaced it with a poster of a magnified portion of the back of a dollar bill?
Most religions require you to defend your faith and advance it when and where possible. In face of this constant onslaught, stopping opportunistic religious squatters from infiltrating any further into public institutions is an important and valid idea. But religion is almost ubiquitous among humans. Institutions, whether schools or governments, are built by humans. Trying to excoriate all traces of religion from government must be futile and frustrating.
Democracy is the rule of the majority. Protecting the basic freedoms of the individual including her right to practice her religion is what prevents democracy from becoming a blunt club wielded by the lowest common denominator.
But people take religion too seriously. The constitution protects it. The Congress reaffirms it. The courts scrutinize it. The moral majority pushes it. The atheists fight it. Too bad it's not treated more like the size of your penis. You know what you've got, and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. Vivian has a favorite color. It's purple. The right to a favorite color is not protected by the constitution. Vivian could end up in a school with beige walls. Will she fight against state-sponsored colors? Will she change her views on god when she walks past a banner professing him? And in the end, will purple or god have a greater effect on her life?
Random Pictures
Here are some random pictures from around the house. In the first, Vivian is helping Evan wash his hands before dinner. He didn't ask, we didn't ask - just from the goodness of her own heart. Sometimes she is nice like that. When she's not snatching every toy out of his hand, or suckering him into exchanging a good toy for a piece of junk.
To be fair - they have their sibling moments. In the mornings he climbs on to her lap and puts his arms around her neck. Or they sit on top of each other and watch movies. Yesterday Evan wanted Vivian to carry him from the car to home. It isn't a short walk but Vivian took short breaks and obliged. Today when Vivian was upset in the car, she lay her head down on Evan's lap and closed her eyes. Evan stroked her hair and comforted her (yes - the kids don't recall what car seats are).
Jo took this second photo. She calls it Evan's Tom Cruise moment. Cute, huh? In the next picture, Evan is eating dinner. He has taken a Christmas sticker from a greeting card and stuck it on his forehead. When in India, every sticker is a bindi.
To be fair - they have their sibling moments. In the mornings he climbs on to her lap and puts his arms around her neck. Or they sit on top of each other and watch movies. Yesterday Evan wanted Vivian to carry him from the car to home. It isn't a short walk but Vivian took short breaks and obliged. Today when Vivian was upset in the car, she lay her head down on Evan's lap and closed her eyes. Evan stroked her hair and comforted her (yes - the kids don't recall what car seats are).
Jo took this second photo. She calls it Evan's Tom Cruise moment. Cute, huh? In the next picture, Evan is eating dinner. He has taken a Christmas sticker from a greeting card and stuck it on his forehead. When in India, every sticker is a bindi.
Flat Stanley visits HPS
Eleanor's cousin is sending around a Flat Stanley and it finally made it to Hyderabad in an envelope last week. We decided to take it down to the old school for a photo shoot. We thought the kids at Flat Stanley's school may like to see the pictures of a school in India.
We dropped Vivian off at her school and drove on to HPS. Evan was still in his pjs. We had to park quite a ways away and walk - which was interesting because we walked through the primary school block. I pointed out my old classrooms to Jo - Mrs. Lamary's PP-II class and Mrs. Bahl's 1-S class. Then we walked past the stairs that led upstairs to what used to be the primary school hostel in my days, where I was a border in my fourth class. We met an aaya who knew Josephine and Mariam, our school aayas when I was 4 years old. The playscapes in front of the primary school must be museum relics - they are exactly as I remember them over forty years ago. The hemispherical jungle-jim, the snail-shaped jungle-jim, and the upright rocket-shaped thing with the metal sign from Regal Sports.
We finally made it to the old main block and then towards the dining hall stairs and the senior school hostel. And around the front of the Science Block. Evan walked around and threw a few rocks. So many things look the same. And so many have changed. The old school bell no longer hangs where it used to - there is still a ring in the arch where it used to be. The lawns are better manicured. The principal's office has moved. The primary hostel has been converted to classes. No cars are allowed in the main school area any longer. And there are girls. Yes - I know they have been around for more than 25 years, but it's still a huge shock.
On the way back the morning recess bell rang in the primary and every child tore out of his (or her) class and dashed around madly, screaming and yelling and running into each other in the corridor. I'm glad some things haven't changed one bit.
We dropped Vivian off at her school and drove on to HPS. Evan was still in his pjs. We had to park quite a ways away and walk - which was interesting because we walked through the primary school block. I pointed out my old classrooms to Jo - Mrs. Lamary's PP-II class and Mrs. Bahl's 1-S class. Then we walked past the stairs that led upstairs to what used to be the primary school hostel in my days, where I was a border in my fourth class. We met an aaya who knew Josephine and Mariam, our school aayas when I was 4 years old. The playscapes in front of the primary school must be museum relics - they are exactly as I remember them over forty years ago. The hemispherical jungle-jim, the snail-shaped jungle-jim, and the upright rocket-shaped thing with the metal sign from Regal Sports.
We finally made it to the old main block and then towards the dining hall stairs and the senior school hostel. And around the front of the Science Block. Evan walked around and threw a few rocks. So many things look the same. And so many have changed. The old school bell no longer hangs where it used to - there is still a ring in the arch where it used to be. The lawns are better manicured. The principal's office has moved. The primary hostel has been converted to classes. No cars are allowed in the main school area any longer. And there are girls. Yes - I know they have been around for more than 25 years, but it's still a huge shock.
On the way back the morning recess bell rang in the primary and every child tore out of his (or her) class and dashed around madly, screaming and yelling and running into each other in the corridor. I'm glad some things haven't changed one bit.
Foo
Bought myself a new USB-miniUSB cable at SPAR. It's so long I can leave one end connected to my computer when I go somewhere with my camera...
Grandpa came over for dinner yesterday. When dinner was served, Evan took it upon himself to try to lift Grandpa off the arm chair and bring him to the dining table. He said "Foo" (food) and grabbed my dad's arm and pulled at it with all his might.
Earlier in the evening, I had fixed an appetizer for my dad - one of his favorite all-time snack foods - puffed rice dry roasted with peanuts. It was a big hit with the kids too. They stood around Grandpa's armchair and helped him polish it off. I saw Evan putting handfuls of it into Grandpa's hands and then asking him to "ea" (eat).
Grandpa came over for dinner yesterday. When dinner was served, Evan took it upon himself to try to lift Grandpa off the arm chair and bring him to the dining table. He said "Foo" (food) and grabbed my dad's arm and pulled at it with all his might.
Earlier in the evening, I had fixed an appetizer for my dad - one of his favorite all-time snack foods - puffed rice dry roasted with peanuts. It was a big hit with the kids too. They stood around Grandpa's armchair and helped him polish it off. I saw Evan putting handfuls of it into Grandpa's hands and then asking him to "ea" (eat).
Monday, January 16, 2012
Where did all the pictures go?
I hear you.
Shut up and post pictures of the kids. You changed the blog format to show bigger pictures and then you woke up one morning and thought you were a hot-shot writer. Now STFU.
I left my camera USB cable in Hong Kong. As soon as I find a replacement you will have your photos. The management regrets any inconvenience.
Shut up and post pictures of the kids. You changed the blog format to show bigger pictures and then you woke up one morning and thought you were a hot-shot writer. Now STFU.
I left my camera USB cable in Hong Kong. As soon as I find a replacement you will have your photos. The management regrets any inconvenience.
This Early?
The other day Vivian made a card for her friend. On the way to school she asked me if I thought he would like it. I said "Probably not. Boys don't like cards and stuff". When we reached her class, Shwana Teacher asked what it was, somewhat hopefully. Maybe the problem student had turned over a new leaf in the new year and was going to be a teacher's pet. Vivian replied "I made a card for Y". Shwana Teacher scowled.
A couple of days later I was there to pick up Vivian from school. She and Y and a few boys were horsing around the playscape. Y's mom was sitting on the steps with a couple of ladies in head scarves. When Vivian ran by her, she said "Vivian, Y has made something for you. He'll bring it to school tomorrow."
The next day Jo went to get Vivian from school. When Vivian got back from school, she said "Daddy - I have something for you." She showed me a card, which in four-year old scrawl said: "Vivian <3 (heart) Y". And there was a hand-drawn Spiderman.
I gaped at it. Vivian said "See, daddy. Boys like cards".
I thought I had more time. Does it start this early? In Hyderabad?
A couple of days later I was there to pick up Vivian from school. She and Y and a few boys were horsing around the playscape. Y's mom was sitting on the steps with a couple of ladies in head scarves. When Vivian ran by her, she said "Vivian, Y has made something for you. He'll bring it to school tomorrow."
The next day Jo went to get Vivian from school. When Vivian got back from school, she said "Daddy - I have something for you." She showed me a card, which in four-year old scrawl said: "Vivian <3 (heart) Y". And there was a hand-drawn Spiderman.
I gaped at it. Vivian said "See, daddy. Boys like cards".
I thought I had more time. Does it start this early? In Hyderabad?
Ju
Friday was a holiday for Vivian on account of Sankranti - the kite-flying festival. So we packed up and went to the zoo ("Ju" in Hyderabadi). The Nehru Zoological Park is almost fifty years old and in it's heyday was one of the finest zoos in India. It was designed without traditional cages for most of it's inhabitants (leopards, jaguars, and cheetas are the exceptions), instead relying on large natural looking enclosures surrounded by moats.
We opted not to drive (there's a main road the winds around the zoo) or take the "visitor vans". It a cool morning before the crowds and the heat of the day. Evan and Vivian enjoyed the monkeys and chimpanzees, the elephants (most of whom were eating breakfast), a roaring white Bengal tiger (with a spot of diarrhea), two rambunctious juvenile tigers, hippos, a rhino, and an variety of birds. We went to the safari park and saw two lionesses very close up, and two Himalayan black bears that rambled past us within arms reach.
Evan called all the smaller animals "dogs" and all the larger animals "cows". It's a much simpler classification than ours and he has stuck to it steadfastly for many months now. He roared with the tiger. And flirted with a girl sitting next to him on the safari, managing to hold her hand by the end of the trip.
Vivian was like a jaded teenager. Some sparks of interest here and there but mostly wanting ice cream and complaining about how tired she was. Some college-age girls hijacked her briefly for photographs and cheek-pinching. She enjoyed the overall experience enough to extract a promise from Jo and me that we'd come back again to the Ju soon.
By the end of our trip the place was overrun with picnicking families and thousands of school boys and girls in uniforms. They looked at the animals but they gawked at Jo. I'd say she generated at least as much excitement as the other white animal - the tiger. Next time I'm going to ask the zoo to waive her entry fee. All 20 cents of it, dammit.
We opted not to drive (there's a main road the winds around the zoo) or take the "visitor vans". It a cool morning before the crowds and the heat of the day. Evan and Vivian enjoyed the monkeys and chimpanzees, the elephants (most of whom were eating breakfast), a roaring white Bengal tiger (with a spot of diarrhea), two rambunctious juvenile tigers, hippos, a rhino, and an variety of birds. We went to the safari park and saw two lionesses very close up, and two Himalayan black bears that rambled past us within arms reach.
Evan called all the smaller animals "dogs" and all the larger animals "cows". It's a much simpler classification than ours and he has stuck to it steadfastly for many months now. He roared with the tiger. And flirted with a girl sitting next to him on the safari, managing to hold her hand by the end of the trip.
Vivian was like a jaded teenager. Some sparks of interest here and there but mostly wanting ice cream and complaining about how tired she was. Some college-age girls hijacked her briefly for photographs and cheek-pinching. She enjoyed the overall experience enough to extract a promise from Jo and me that we'd come back again to the Ju soon.
By the end of our trip the place was overrun with picnicking families and thousands of school boys and girls in uniforms. They looked at the animals but they gawked at Jo. I'd say she generated at least as much excitement as the other white animal - the tiger. Next time I'm going to ask the zoo to waive her entry fee. All 20 cents of it, dammit.
Patang
From when I was 8 till up to about 12, I spent most of my winter
holidays squinting up at the sun and holding the "charak" (the line
winder/reel) while Alu flew "patangs" (kites) and had "penches"
(dogfights) with other patang flyers. It culminated on Sankranti day
when the sky was dark with kites and the roof tops rang out with screams
of glee or groans of defeat and the lanes were full of children chasing
"kati patangs" (vanquished kites) that lazily drifted down to earth.
There were kites stalls on every street corner, each with its special
"manja" - powdered glass and other chemicals glued to cotton line, all
the better for cutting someone else's line in a pench. And every kid had
cuts on his fingers - scars from numerous penches. Strategies of
"dheel" or "kheech" (let-out the line or pull it in) and merits of
Charminar versus Kachigudda manja dominated conversations.
Yesterday and the day before, Vivian had a chance to partake in the rituals. The scenes have changed. We went to the Secunderabad Club and Golf Club for their kite flying festivals with hundreds of others instead of solitary fighters on every roof top. The manja, like everything else, comes from China. Many kites are made from mylar (refered to as "chamak" or shinny) but there are still a lot of traditional paper kites. And there's band-aid and sunscreen now. But the biggest change is that the kite flyers are all middle aged men - and a few saree clad middle aged women. Partha and his friends were the exceptions.
Vivian enjoyed herself and flew a kite like a champ. She was enthralled by Partha and his kite flying. This morning we went back to the Secunderabad Club cricket pitch for our Crossfit workout and Vivian found a few kati patangs and had more fun.
Unless she and Evan and their generation get into patang pilana and pench lagana, the skies over Hyderabad on Sankranti day will be empty in another decade or two.
Yesterday and the day before, Vivian had a chance to partake in the rituals. The scenes have changed. We went to the Secunderabad Club and Golf Club for their kite flying festivals with hundreds of others instead of solitary fighters on every roof top. The manja, like everything else, comes from China. Many kites are made from mylar (refered to as "chamak" or shinny) but there are still a lot of traditional paper kites. And there's band-aid and sunscreen now. But the biggest change is that the kite flyers are all middle aged men - and a few saree clad middle aged women. Partha and his friends were the exceptions.
Vivian enjoyed herself and flew a kite like a champ. She was enthralled by Partha and his kite flying. This morning we went back to the Secunderabad Club cricket pitch for our Crossfit workout and Vivian found a few kati patangs and had more fun.
Unless she and Evan and their generation get into patang pilana and pench lagana, the skies over Hyderabad on Sankranti day will be empty in another decade or two.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Hyderabad Edition
Today is the start of Week 2 of the Hyderabad Edition of the I Am Crossfit Challenge. Vivian is a veteran - I did the IAM in 2009 and Jo in 2010. Sharath, Jo and I are doing it this year. Eight weeks to jumpstart the year.
We workout at the Club. It takes us about 20 minutes to drive there in the morning and about 30 to get back in traffic because 11:00 am is the morning rush-hour here. But Charri does the driving and Jo and I get to chat without the kids or read the Mint (WSJ affiliated local paper).
The gym at the club is well equipped. To borrow a term from Sharath, we workout during auntie-hour - ladies in salwars gently wiping any hint of sweat from their brows. The trainers are fun to watch. Jen would have to kill most of them within minutes out of sheer professional embarrassment if she were here. We do outdoor stuff at the basket ball court and longer runs around the cricket pitch.
Eating paleo in Hyderabad isn't any harder than doing it in Austin. We've finally got it down to where we aren't ging to grocery stores every day. Spar and QMart and our usuals. They aren't bad. But I realized how much I miss a good grocery store when we went to Hong Kong and I tried to buy everything everytime.
Eating paleo out is a bit more challenging. But there's So - a roof top restaurant that is beautifully landscaped with lush plants and banana tress and palms. The food is good. The wait staff is better than at most. There's no alcohol - which is good during IAM. The kids run around. There's almost no one else there when we go - 7pm isn't dinner time in Hyderabad. We went there last night - Jo's third visit there this week (she and Vivian had a girls-only lunch date there a couple of days back). I started with a green papaya salad and had the grilled snapper with ratatouille. They happily substituted the basmati rice for steamed green beans and broccoli. Vivian drinks their non-alcoholic Shirley Temples served in elegant wine glasses.
The two hardest thing about doing the IAM in Hyderabad? Not drinking. And not drinking. Not so much because right now I want to swim in a vat of Silver Oak 2001 Cab. More so because drinking is how we socialize and at hosted gatherings it is downright rude not to partake. And we only had three of those during this week (by Hyderabad standards we are hermits - Hyderabadies seem to go to three parties every night). On the positive side, my wife isn't mad that I'm not drinking!
Today's workout: 12 minute AMRAP: 3 30lb dumbbell shoulder press, 6 broad jumps, 9 supermans.
We workout at the Club. It takes us about 20 minutes to drive there in the morning and about 30 to get back in traffic because 11:00 am is the morning rush-hour here. But Charri does the driving and Jo and I get to chat without the kids or read the Mint (WSJ affiliated local paper).
The gym at the club is well equipped. To borrow a term from Sharath, we workout during auntie-hour - ladies in salwars gently wiping any hint of sweat from their brows. The trainers are fun to watch. Jen would have to kill most of them within minutes out of sheer professional embarrassment if she were here. We do outdoor stuff at the basket ball court and longer runs around the cricket pitch.
Eating paleo in Hyderabad isn't any harder than doing it in Austin. We've finally got it down to where we aren't ging to grocery stores every day. Spar and QMart and our usuals. They aren't bad. But I realized how much I miss a good grocery store when we went to Hong Kong and I tried to buy everything everytime.
Eating paleo out is a bit more challenging. But there's So - a roof top restaurant that is beautifully landscaped with lush plants and banana tress and palms. The food is good. The wait staff is better than at most. There's no alcohol - which is good during IAM. The kids run around. There's almost no one else there when we go - 7pm isn't dinner time in Hyderabad. We went there last night - Jo's third visit there this week (she and Vivian had a girls-only lunch date there a couple of days back). I started with a green papaya salad and had the grilled snapper with ratatouille. They happily substituted the basmati rice for steamed green beans and broccoli. Vivian drinks their non-alcoholic Shirley Temples served in elegant wine glasses.
The two hardest thing about doing the IAM in Hyderabad? Not drinking. And not drinking. Not so much because right now I want to swim in a vat of Silver Oak 2001 Cab. More so because drinking is how we socialize and at hosted gatherings it is downright rude not to partake. And we only had three of those during this week (by Hyderabad standards we are hermits - Hyderabadies seem to go to three parties every night). On the positive side, my wife isn't mad that I'm not drinking!
Today's workout: 12 minute AMRAP: 3 30lb dumbbell shoulder press, 6 broad jumps, 9 supermans.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
What's the most amazng thing you read in 2011?
Or "What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation?" that you came across in 2011, if John Brockman of edge.org had asked me.
The most amazing book that Vivian read in 2011 was probably the first book she learned to sight-read. The Hungry Caterpillar.
Jo got me a book about elements for my birthday - "The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements". Easily qualifies as the book with the longest title that I read in 2011. As a book it was average. But it had three pages in there that were astounding.
Ninety percent of the universe is hydrogen. The remaining 10% is helium. Me, my macbook, the room I'm in, this planet, and all the solid stuff you can image in the entire universe? That's just noise. In a first approximation we can ignore all that.
As if that were not amazing enough, there's this story about how hydrogen ends up being converted to you and me. Stars form when there are very slight differences in the distribution of matter in the emptiness of space. Gravity starts pulling more matter together till it is dense and hot enough for the star to burn hydrogen and produce helium. A star could stay lit for billions of years burning hydrogen. Once the hydrogen in it's core is gone, it starts burning helium in the core. The star grows in size - our sun would be large enough to engulf the earth by this time in it's life. After helium, if a star is massive enough, the core creates and burns successively heavier elements, one at a time - carbon, neon, oxygen, and silicon, and eventually iron. The star runs out of each successive type of fuel faster, from billions of years for hydrogen down to a matter of days for the last stages. Once thermonuclear reactions can't be supported, the core collapses downwards rapidly (in seconds) and there's a huge explosion called a supernova that shines brighter than an entire galaxy of billions of stars - for a month or so. This collapse and explosion makes all the other elements which are pushed out into space unevenly due to the explosion. From which new stars start forming. And in one case, eventually, you and me.
By the 1920s we knew that stars produce energy by burning hydrogen in thermonuclear fusion. By 1957, most of the major portions of this theory were in place. So this was old news by the time I was born. And I managed to remain completely ignorant about it till 2011.
The most amazing book that Vivian read in 2011 was probably the first book she learned to sight-read. The Hungry Caterpillar.
Jo got me a book about elements for my birthday - "The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements". Easily qualifies as the book with the longest title that I read in 2011. As a book it was average. But it had three pages in there that were astounding.
Ninety percent of the universe is hydrogen. The remaining 10% is helium. Me, my macbook, the room I'm in, this planet, and all the solid stuff you can image in the entire universe? That's just noise. In a first approximation we can ignore all that.
As if that were not amazing enough, there's this story about how hydrogen ends up being converted to you and me. Stars form when there are very slight differences in the distribution of matter in the emptiness of space. Gravity starts pulling more matter together till it is dense and hot enough for the star to burn hydrogen and produce helium. A star could stay lit for billions of years burning hydrogen. Once the hydrogen in it's core is gone, it starts burning helium in the core. The star grows in size - our sun would be large enough to engulf the earth by this time in it's life. After helium, if a star is massive enough, the core creates and burns successively heavier elements, one at a time - carbon, neon, oxygen, and silicon, and eventually iron. The star runs out of each successive type of fuel faster, from billions of years for hydrogen down to a matter of days for the last stages. Once thermonuclear reactions can't be supported, the core collapses downwards rapidly (in seconds) and there's a huge explosion called a supernova that shines brighter than an entire galaxy of billions of stars - for a month or so. This collapse and explosion makes all the other elements which are pushed out into space unevenly due to the explosion. From which new stars start forming. And in one case, eventually, you and me.
By the 1920s we knew that stars produce energy by burning hydrogen in thermonuclear fusion. By 1957, most of the major portions of this theory were in place. So this was old news by the time I was born. And I managed to remain completely ignorant about it till 2011.
Caffeine
Today I got stuck in traffic on my way to pick Vivian up from school. By the time I got there she was the last one in class. She and her two teachers.
Me: "Hello Vivian, hope you had a good day at school."
Vivian: "Hi dad. I had a good day."
Shwana Teacher: "Good day, Vivian?"
V: "I got into a bit of trouble, dad."
S: "Bit of trouble, Vivian?"
V: "OK - I was in some trouble, dad."
S: "You want to tell your dad why you didn't get a smiley face?"
V: "I didn't get a smiley face today, dad."
M: "What happened?" (looking around for blood or the body by this point)
S: "She danced all day. We even had her sit in front by the board. She still danced."
M: "Vivian, you danced?" (not being able to fully hide my smile)
V: "Yes, dad."
S: "She was in a special mood. Could not stop dancing."
M: "Vivian - why couldn't you stop dancing?"
V: "I think it was the caffeine, dad."
I burst out laughing, hastily apologized and grabbed Vivian and left. Jo and I don't drink caffeine and it's hardly ever mentioned around the house. Where does she learn these things?
As I turned the corner of the stairs I briefly looked up and saw two slack-jawed teachers staring after us and shaking their heads.
Me: "Hello Vivian, hope you had a good day at school."
Vivian: "Hi dad. I had a good day."
Shwana Teacher: "Good day, Vivian?"
V: "I got into a bit of trouble, dad."
S: "Bit of trouble, Vivian?"
V: "OK - I was in some trouble, dad."
S: "You want to tell your dad why you didn't get a smiley face?"
V: "I didn't get a smiley face today, dad."
M: "What happened?" (looking around for blood or the body by this point)
S: "She danced all day. We even had her sit in front by the board. She still danced."
M: "Vivian, you danced?" (not being able to fully hide my smile)
V: "Yes, dad."
S: "She was in a special mood. Could not stop dancing."
M: "Vivian - why couldn't you stop dancing?"
V: "I think it was the caffeine, dad."
I burst out laughing, hastily apologized and grabbed Vivian and left. Jo and I don't drink caffeine and it's hardly ever mentioned around the house. Where does she learn these things?
As I turned the corner of the stairs I briefly looked up and saw two slack-jawed teachers staring after us and shaking their heads.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Deport Me
Last week, by the time we landed in Hyderabad it was late. The kids finally fell asleep during the last few minutes of the Bangkok-Hyderabad flight. When we landed, we carried the snoozing kids out of the aircraft and asked for our gate-checked stroller.
This is always an adventure at Hyderabad airport. People act like they have never heard of strollers or gate-check before. Last time they told us that the strollers were "just there". "Where?" I asked - "On the jetway, inside the terminal, at baggage?" They only repeated "just there". Till a fellow showed up with a red stroller and asked if that was ours. I politely said no. Then he got someone's attention down below on the apron beside the aircraft and mimed out "baby" and "stroller" (by rocking an imaginary baby in his arms and then pushing a stroller around). I waited wondering if I should get his contact information in case we pull together a game of charades. Then he reappeared with the red stroller and asked if I was sure that it wasn't ours. A good bit later our stroller showed up.
This time everyone we asked told us that the stroller would be sent down to baggage. Gate-check be damned. So we took the long walk through the terminal to immigration with two snoozing kids but without the stroller. Before letting us join the immigration line we had to show our boarding passes to an official. We had four sets of passports and four sets of PIO cards and four sets of disembarkation forms filled out and ready but the boarding passes were buried in our hand luggage somewhere. By now Vivian felt like she weighed a ton. Then we waited in line at immigration. There was a "Ladies with children" section that was empty but I didn't want to walk down to the end and be sent back by a flunky. Finally we went up to an available counter. And found the slowest immigration clerk ever. He stared at each of the 12 documents in turn as if it were a piece of alien paraphernalia. Each time, amazement, surprise, and eventually due to the passage of time, more wrinkles appeared on his face. My arms were burning and I had semi-propped a still sleeping Vivian up on a slippery handrail at the immigration counter. We finally finished, thanked him, and walked four steps away to only reached another official who must have the most redundant job at the airport. He re-checked our documents, making the previous guy look like Einstein on speed.
That's when I heard Jo mutter under her breath "Oh, please deport me".
This is always an adventure at Hyderabad airport. People act like they have never heard of strollers or gate-check before. Last time they told us that the strollers were "just there". "Where?" I asked - "On the jetway, inside the terminal, at baggage?" They only repeated "just there". Till a fellow showed up with a red stroller and asked if that was ours. I politely said no. Then he got someone's attention down below on the apron beside the aircraft and mimed out "baby" and "stroller" (by rocking an imaginary baby in his arms and then pushing a stroller around). I waited wondering if I should get his contact information in case we pull together a game of charades. Then he reappeared with the red stroller and asked if I was sure that it wasn't ours. A good bit later our stroller showed up.
This time everyone we asked told us that the stroller would be sent down to baggage. Gate-check be damned. So we took the long walk through the terminal to immigration with two snoozing kids but without the stroller. Before letting us join the immigration line we had to show our boarding passes to an official. We had four sets of passports and four sets of PIO cards and four sets of disembarkation forms filled out and ready but the boarding passes were buried in our hand luggage somewhere. By now Vivian felt like she weighed a ton. Then we waited in line at immigration. There was a "Ladies with children" section that was empty but I didn't want to walk down to the end and be sent back by a flunky. Finally we went up to an available counter. And found the slowest immigration clerk ever. He stared at each of the 12 documents in turn as if it were a piece of alien paraphernalia. Each time, amazement, surprise, and eventually due to the passage of time, more wrinkles appeared on his face. My arms were burning and I had semi-propped a still sleeping Vivian up on a slippery handrail at the immigration counter. We finally finished, thanked him, and walked four steps away to only reached another official who must have the most redundant job at the airport. He re-checked our documents, making the previous guy look like Einstein on speed.
That's when I heard Jo mutter under her breath "Oh, please deport me".
Pests
There's no way to put this delicately. Vivian has a rampant infestation of head lice.
On the way back from HK I noticed Vivian was scratching her head. Next morning Jo checked and found some tiny black insects crawling around. I got on the phone and asked Dr Sahu. He calmy informed me that it was head lice. We spent many hours researching CDC and many Indian websites. Medicated shampoo was bought and used. Sahiti oiled and combed Vivian's hair with a fine tooth comb and showed us how to do it. Bedsheets were washed in scalding hot water.
Swtiching gears, again rather indelicately, we have a pigeon poop problem. Pigeons have made a nest in the service balcony above where the clothes line is. They poop on the drying laundry. Jo goes out on the balcony and periodically rattles a broom around and attempts to rouse the fearless pigeons. Rats with feathers I tell her.
Which brings us to rodents. Jo opened the pantry the other day and shrieked. So loudly that it made Evan bawl in the living room. Appears that our pet mouse jumped on her in it's attempt to get out of the pantry.
ps. I forgot to mention our collection of friendly house geckos. They lurk behind curtains and picture frames during the day.
On the way back from HK I noticed Vivian was scratching her head. Next morning Jo checked and found some tiny black insects crawling around. I got on the phone and asked Dr Sahu. He calmy informed me that it was head lice. We spent many hours researching CDC and many Indian websites. Medicated shampoo was bought and used. Sahiti oiled and combed Vivian's hair with a fine tooth comb and showed us how to do it. Bedsheets were washed in scalding hot water.
Swtiching gears, again rather indelicately, we have a pigeon poop problem. Pigeons have made a nest in the service balcony above where the clothes line is. They poop on the drying laundry. Jo goes out on the balcony and periodically rattles a broom around and attempts to rouse the fearless pigeons. Rats with feathers I tell her.
Which brings us to rodents. Jo opened the pantry the other day and shrieked. So loudly that it made Evan bawl in the living room. Appears that our pet mouse jumped on her in it's attempt to get out of the pantry.
ps. I forgot to mention our collection of friendly house geckos. They lurk behind curtains and picture frames during the day.
Hangover
The last few days involved lots of late nights - flights in the middle of the night, Lan Kwai Fong, missed ferries, Secunderabad Club, Sin. By Jan 2, Jo and I were a bit ragged. We were driving somewhere and Jo said she was tired and slightly hung over. Vivian piped up from the back seat: "Mommy, is that because you had too much alcohol?"
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