Taking stock...

I almost missed today's update, thinking it was only the 28th but recovered my senses early enough (to realize it's Feb) to be on time for March 1. This would be the last piece from India as I'm all set to go to Japan in about a week's time. I'll be spending the next six months in Japan. This is known as "kaadaru maasam, naadaru maasam" in Malayalam (six months in the forest, six in civilization). It's difficult to pinpoint which one is forest and which one corresponds to civilization and either way it's bound to create unnecessary tensions. So, let's leave it at that.

Taking stock of the five months I stayed in Trivandrum left me with some positives, some negatives and some others, which I call the pogatives.

First, some of the positives.
I barely noticed the five months that went by, which means that overall it was a busy and entertaining session.
While there were many things that initially bothered me (attributable to the long absence from homeland that preceded the move), most of them turned out to be much better than anticipated. For example, BSNL. I had ranted about their ineptitude in the first couple of weeks, but after using them for the last few months I find BSNL to be pretty reliable. The broadband stayed up most of the time, though there were a few slow days, and the most important thing was that I never had to call them for any troubles as such.
I found the tourism industry here booming, which I had earlier thought to be just hype from overenthusiastic tourism officials. This I found out when a friend came visiting and I had to find accommodations and houseboats etc for her and family. The sight of umpteen (dumb?) tourists walking under the scorching mid-day sun in Trivandrum almost every time I went out helped in reinforcing that image.
Another positive was the revival of our defunct resident's association. Even the cynic in me was touched by the overwhelming response to the association's activities. People expect these things to work. I, in fact, went on house-to-house visits with the executive members just for a lark, and was impressed. So, not everything is hopeless. Let's hope these grassroots movements work.

Going to the negatives.
Privatization is bandied about as the cure-all for the problems affecting us. Not necessarily. Especially, here in Kerala. Three examples.
I got Asianet's broadband for my sister. The only consideration was redundancy. A trait that is left over from my previous incarnation as a network engineer. If BSNL goes down, I'll have this as a backup. However, the way in which the Asianet guy cold-shouldered me when I called up the first time left me confused. Probably just a bad-hair day, though we'll never know. The service itself, while pretty stable, did go down and I had to call them for repair (contrast this with the state-run BSNL which never died).
A brand new private hospital where I took my dad surprised me with their level of incompetence, arrogance and apathy. Just like a government hospital but in cleaner, air-conditioned premises.
An American friend who visited mentioned about the attitude of a clerk at a leading store in the city as that of someone from the government.
Other negatives include the house renovation work that never took off, with plumbing and electrical problems still remaining. Also, the cooking gas connection never materialized. Though the newspapers say there is no shortage, the reality is that you have to wait for months. I'm into the third month and Indian Oil Corp. didn't even reply to a query regarding this booking.

Now, couple of pogatives.
I gained 5 kgs in 5 months, courtesy appam-beef, idiappam-mutta, idli/dosa-sambar, puttu/kadala, avial, meen, theeyal, kaaLan, olan, pappadam, payasam etc. Now I have to try and reduce this in the next 6 months but considering that sushi, yakiniku, tempura, takoyaki, basashi, ramen, soba, udon etc are waiting (along with beer and shochu) for me there in Japan, I'm terrified.
My parents were very happy to have us (my son, more than me) here, but now I sense their sadness at our departure with each and every passing day.

Well, tomorrow is another day. Lot of things to rant about. Lalu just announced a Garib Rath, or poor man's chariot, a train with 25% lower fares for A/C travel. Go figure! This guy never ceases to surprise me with his intellectual depth. It boggles the mind. He should be running the country instead of railways. In fact, he should be running the world and not the other dimwit who is coming here today to sign some fake "nu-kiler" deal. The left managed to keep El Presidente from addressing the parliament, which is a shame. Imagine the kind of TV ratings we would've had if Lalu and Bushie engaged in a debate in the parliament.

That reminded me of WWJD, or the "What would Jesus do?" campaign. This was something that became popular in the U.S. in the nineties, though I don't remember where I first saw it. This rhetorical question assumes that the person who is asked the question is able to think. Hmm, I don't think many people do that. People, and I include me, would rather have straightforward directions rather than rhetorical questions that require them to think. If someone comes and gives me 100 Rs and asks me to go and have a few drinks at a bar, there is no confusion. The more specific, the better. "Here's 100 Rs. Go to Mukaddan's Bar and have Old Monk rum". No room for confusion. Instead, if I'm given 100 Rs and then told "WWJD", I'm confused. To watch the Ind-Aus cricket match or to go to Mukaddan's (though I'm sure I would have ended up choosing Mukaddan's)?

What would Jesus do? Who knows? He might just go and buy that i-Pod shuffle or wait in line at Akihabara to buy the latest Playstation as it won't be released in Jerusalem for another month. And, Nikos Kasantsakis might end up writing a new book titled "The latest temptation of Christ". So, what I feel is that we don't need questions. We need clear-cut answers. Imagine if someone had told El Presidente that "Jesus won't kill Iraqi women and children and call them collateral damage", El Presidente would be addressing the joint Parliament session tomorrow in India. JWDT should have been the catchphrase.

P.S. The next one is from Japan and it'll be delayed by a few days.

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