Ajay from Bombay

Exercising in the monsoons

2020-07-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

I know of people who love to go on night runs in the rains during the monsoons. I tried this a few years ago, but somehow the combination of sweat, rain water and mosquito bites was not to my liking.

I usually either shift my workout to a purely indoor one or just not exercise at all during the monsoons. Walking outside with my heavy rubber fisherman's boots does help me burn more calories though.

This year, however, i have decided to be a bit smarter and adjust my workouts around the weather. We've had a beautiful July with ample rains and sunshine mixed with heavy and cool winds. When the conditions permit I go down and play wall tennis with intermittent rope jumping sessions. The latter sucks my energy, but is a great exercise. When I do play wall tennis, there are occasional passing showers but I am OK with that. It's the feel of the fresh and clean breeze that energises me to play longer.

Every workout is followed with yoga and meditation. I am not sure how long I can keep this up, but I don't pressure myself at all. This is the greatest advantage of living in the present moment. Take things a day at a time...

As long as this lockdown continues, we can keep breathing fresh air. There's no substitute for that at all.

Frogs herald the arrival of the monsoons

2020-07-03T20:09:00.002-07:00

I have witnessed twenty monsoons in Bombay and until this week I felt there wasn't thing about the season or its arrival that I would have missed. So when I woke up around 4 am a couple of days ago, along with the sound of crickets there was something that was unfamiliar at least for Bombay. It was the sound of croaking frogs!

At 4 in the morning their melody had no competition with the birds, and so I heard this concert as male frogs sang away to attract mates! These amphibians were well aware that the monsoons and heavy showers were on their way. And how right they were! Within a few hours, the Hindmata junction in Dadar was flooded!

So the blue skies and relatively mild sun of June has given way to grey and cloudy skies and the kind of showers that no major city on earth witnesses the way Bombay does.

July is a wet, rainy and romantic month in this city (in case you choose to stay indoors). I love turning on my yellow lighting in the apartment and lighting a couple of candles near the windows, which are sprayed by rain drops that slowly move downwards and take down the dust of the summer. Thanks to the lockdown, my florist shut shop. I hope he returns soon. Red and yellow roses look beautiful between my candle sticks by the window.

Like a southern Russian summer

2020-06-25T21:52:00.002-07:00

I can safely say that has been the most beautiful June in Bombay in living memory. The rains arrived in the city on the first of the month, thanks to Cyclone Nisarga and we've had a decent amount of rainfall, but the days have been gloriously sunny with the cloud and winds making sure it doesn't get too hot.

This month in Bombay has felt like a summer month in southern Russia. Instead of dacha duty, I have been trying to use the daylight as well as I can by playing wall tennis for any period between 30 minutes and an hour. It feels so good to move my body in such beautiful weather, supported by cool breeze and fresh and clean air.

When I look up, I see blue skies, warm sun and grey clouds, and of course a canopy of a banyan tree! My building compound is blessed with Ashoka trees, a Banyan canopy and a Gulmohur canopy. It's easy to look up and totally forget that I actually live in one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

This bliss, like all things in this physical realm, is passing. Soon the monsoon rains will lash Bombay and my wall tennis may be curtailed.

For as long as I can, I'll enjoy this Southern Russian summer, fuelled with some outdoor activity, Chekhov, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky and Malayalam literature, as well as mint tea, the last Alfonso mangoes of 2020.

How to keep the streets of Andheri West as clean and empty as they are now

2020-06-23T02:37:00.001-07:00

Under normal circumstances it would take me exactly a few seconds before bumping into someone in the densely packed streets of Andheri West. J.P. Road is a major thoroughfare connecting S.V. Road to Versova, Juhu and the link road that heads as far north as Bombay stretches. Andheri also has its fair share of educational institutions and industrial areas. People who come to these every single day are guilty of dumping plastic bottles, wrappers of chips and other junk food and a whole assorted set of items that belong in garbage or recycle bins. I am no social enforcer so besides a dirty look, I don't bother much with litter bugs anymore, as far as possible.

A wonderful part of this lockdown has been that these people are home and not coming from elsewhere and trashing my area.

It is no longer stressful to go outside. No more loud car horns, large crowds and auto rickshaws. Since schools and colleges are indefinitely closed, the noise that comes from the streets is equivalent to what used to be the case on Sundays. I frankly love it.

Andheri has been abused for decades, as has the rest of Bombay. One of the best ways to decongest both is to throw out industrial estates, the headquarters of the Western and Central railways, Central Government offices and Bollywood. The city's population would fall by a substantial number and places like Andheri West would be more liveable under normal circumstances.

Seeing Bombay from an entirely different perspective

2020-06-15T20:30:00.002-07:00

I haven't left the city in six months. This is my longest continuous stretch in my hometown since 1998, when I was a teenager. Of course, three of these months have been under lockdown, but there is so much that I have been able to notice and observe thanks to this forced isolation.

For starters, the natural light outside. I can easily tell a month in Bombay apart by just looking outside. The 9 am blue-yellow light in December is different from the light at the same time in April when it's more of a lemony yellow. The breeze that blows in to my apartment in May is different from the one in April, although the difference is absolutely subtle.

What I have been able to notice in 2020 is the gradual change between these periods. The cloud formations, the birds (except parakeets) and butterflies were things I never paid too much attention to, but now I can tell the whistle of a black bird with a silver tail apart from the chirping of other birds.

When one is left with few choices, it's easier to notice the size, colour and shape of flowers on the trees. So no, copperheads and laburnums don't just have yellow flowers and the gulmohur flower is not just orange-red.

The late summer twilight is so different from that of January.

And oh the number of big birds that fly in the sky! How could I have never noticed them and their path before?

I have no idea what is going on even two kilometres from here, but I do know that we are surrounded by all kinds of beauty that often goes unnoticed. It's all there for us, to access when we do.

It's time to light candles and enjoy the grey and white rainy monsoon days now. I don't have to worry about being late for a meeting because the rains have wrecked havoc with the traffic or trains.

Palakkad red rice and our heritage

2020-06-14T22:41:00.001-07:00

India’s now-eased lockdown has forced even the strongest opponent of tech billionaires to try and source some groceries online. One of the boons of this reliance on e-commerce for Malayalis is the
nationwide availability of Matta rice from the fields of Palakkad. Those who live in localities (outside Kerala) that don’t have many Malayali residents would find it next to impossible to get this variety at the local grocery store.

The change in diet from the polished white rice to this fine red variety has proven beneficial to this writer in many ways. Besides the obvious nutritional benefits that come with Matta rice, there is the compatibility of Kerala and particularly Palakkad cuisine with this variety. Erishery, sambar and any kind of upperi goes great with this variety...

Read my latest column for Manorama Online here.

The summer of Covid-19 in Bombay

2020-06-11T02:04:00.002-07:00

Old readers of this blog know that I absolutely love the months of April and May in Bombay. The humidity doesn't really bother me that much. There's always a nice cold glass of aam panna waiting for me when I get home. I love the flowering trees, the longer days. We don't exactly have White Nights here, but the sun does set after 7 pm in May and there are traces of daylight till around 8 pm.

The best part of a Bombay summer is the reduced traffic on account of schools being shut, and the fact that many families leave the city for long vacations.

Although I spent most of the Covid-19 summer indoors, I did have to step out for fruits, vegetables and some groceries. What I did notice is that it was much cooler this year than the years past. This obviously is because cabs, private cars and autos were off the roads for the most part. The burning of fossil fuels and the fumes that vehicles emit make it a lot hotter.

This summer was also a pleasant one for birds, which found a lot more freedom thanks to noisy people being indoors. They were always around but I started to notice them more in my building's common areas. The only unhappy birds seem to be the crows, who love feeding off garbage dumps. The very fact that the streets have fewer footfalls means there is less garbage on them,

There were days when I walked to the Andheri market and it felt just perfect. There was life, lots of vendors and a reasonable number of people, but it wasn't hot, dirty, smelly or crowded. Besides the metro line that bisects J.P. Road, the image of the market may been similar to that in the early 1970s.

I did miss having ice cream at Natural's in Juhu and having a sundowner at a bar overlooking the Arabian Sea and walks and jogs on the beach, but spending so much time at home helped me realise how much time I do waste outside, and how stressful the city's streets can be when life is normal.

Once life is normal, I'll make sure that local grocery stores deliver my monthly provisions and I do my vegetable and fruit runs at strategic times to avoid the horns, stress and people as much as possible.

The summer of Covid-19 has given way to the monsoon season of Covid-19. I am not sure how long this will go on, but there are indicators that school will only restart by August 15. I'll use this time indoors the best way I can by reading, learning, indoor and balcony gardening and meditating. Whenever I do get access to the great outdoors in the future, I'll appreciate all the more.

Dealing with uncouth and degenerate neighbours in Andheri

2020-06-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

I am quite fortunate to live in a fairly nice locality in Andheri West. A metro station is just outside my gate, but far enough from my flat to not disturb the peace and quiet. The Bhavan's College campus is 300 metres away by foot and a lot closer as the crow flies. A building just in front of me was torn down in the last weeks of 2017 and nature has managed to take over with wild grass and a Gulmohur tree that is blessing the plot with orange-red flowers this summer.

How does the yin and yang factor play out with all this? With my neighbours of course! For years these people have resisted carrying out structural repairs on this 50-year old building, so cracks have begun to appear on everyone's bedroom and kitchen walls. There is also the issue of monsoon leaks, for which the degenerates have found a solution in tarpaulin sheets! Essentially the black sheets that hang over the top floor of the building look like garbage bags!

Not happy with the pure and clear air that the lockdown has managed to create in Bombay by default, the uncouth top-floor dwellers want hot tar to be applied to their outer walls. When they have garbage bags to protect themselves, why pollute the air and make the walls look ugly I wonder?

The answer to this lies in the fact that these people get some sort of trivial pressure when they get under someone else's skin. They have a problem with my window sill and balcony plants and also with the saplings I have planted in common areas. I told them they'd regret touching my plants and trees if they did make an attempt, so my minor contribution to the environment is safe for now. These people of course have no problem for using the terrace and common areas for putting their junk!

I so realise that it's a drastic difference in mindset that puts me at odds with some of these degenerates, but guess what, I am not going anywhere! (They are a bunch of racists as well, and can't stand to see my foreign guests).

Out of 16 members in this housing society, there are a few good members. I so do value them.
The trouble makers want every member of this society to sell their flats, so that a builder can buy the land and give everyone a large sum of black money. My simple advice to these people is to sell and go. Maybe a more decent set of people will buy their flats?

After years of disagreements and hate-filled society meetings, it has been decided to do the necessary renovations for the building. Hopefully people will get really serious once the monsoons are over. I don't fancy painting and renovating my interiors only for everything to be spoiled later by structural repairs outside.

This blog is back

2020-06-07T01:08:00.001-07:00

It's been almost three years since I wrote anything here. I am not sure how regular I will be, but I am planning to give this blog another shot.

I like the relative anonymity of this space.

I am going to try and use it for book reviews, gardening tips, health and lifestyle suggestions and random musings.

Do comment if you're reading this, and say Hi!

My new fan page on Facebook

2017-08-12T21:59:00.002-07:00

Now that I am a published author, I need a fan page on Facebook.

Here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/AjaySakhalin

Alexander Pushkin's 217th birth anniversary

2016-06-05T21:21:00.001-07:00

I paid tribute to the great poet and playwright in this article

Here is a little excerpt from the article, where I quote three of Pushkin's poems.

“If this life deceives you sometimes, 

Don't be sad or mad at it! 

On a gloomy day, submit: 

Trust - fair day will come, why grieve you?  

Heart lives in the future, so

What if gloom pervade the present? 

All is fleeting, all will go; 

What is gone will then be pleasant.”

Book Review: Once Upon A Hill by Kalpish Ratna

2016-06-05T03:02:00.000-07:00

I live in Andheri, a much-maligned suburb of Bombay that makes me cringe at times. It's also a place that I have grown to love over time. A maddening concrete jungle, Andheri has some hidden patches of greenery like the tranquil campuses of Bhavan's college and the Hansraj Moraji school, both of which have been recently nailed shut to the members of the public.

These green patches are a bird sanctuary and since my building is close enough to the campuses, a lot of beautiful and exotic birds come to my balcony garden. A couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to find out that a large and visible rock in my neighbourhood, Gilbert Hill was once a much larger hill that stretched all the way to S.V. Road. The co-author of 'Once Upon A Hill' even pointed out that my building is actually on the hill.

This wonderful book traces the origins of Andheri and goes back a long way before the advent of human beings. The authors went through a painstaking process of getting old maps from lazy bureaucrats and accessing old books from nasty librarians.

Our journey begins in Andheri East from a Christian village, where there were actually paddy fields till the mid-1970s! We read about local heroes and the earliest converts to Catholicism, as well as the communities that trace their origins to the sun.

Coming back to the western part of Andheri where I stay, I get a proper sense of the length of the hill that once included the part behind the Navrang Cinema, which has been taken over by slums. The writers explain how and when the quarrying was done. The Bhavan's campus is on flat land but now lies where a big part of the hill did.

The writers are rightfully very sympathetic to the poor who settled down by the hill and formed slum clusters.

I don't want to spoil the surprises in the book, so I'll leave that to the readers. But the book is a great guide to those who want to know more about the history of Andheri and Jogeshwari and places that seem to just be names like the Mahakali Caves.

As I stand on my terrace on this pre-monsoon Sunday evening, I remember a time in the 1990s when I could see hills towards my north. Now the metro station and the line is the first sight, followed by high-rises. In the 1990s, I could see Gilbert Hill when I turned towards the south from my terrace. Now I see a monstrous high-rise that came where a beautiful bungalow called Chaman stood. Change is the only constant in life. As the book mentions, the building of the temple on top of the hill is likely to cause untold damage to the basalt columns, but then again, if there was no temple, the land mafia would be more than happy to tear down what's left of the hill!

Like with all books written by Kalpish Ratna, there are welcome lessons in history and science. I learnt a lot about the plague in 'Room 000' and 'The Quarantine Papers' and in this book I got an introduction of the science of geology.

'Once Upon a Hill' is a good read that's incredibly hard to put down, although I think it would have better off without the chapter on the 60 million year journey of a turtle and a frog, or if the chapter stayed with the wider script of the book.

Also, it would only be fair to note that this book is yet another tribute by Kalpish Ratna to Bombay's unsung heroes.

Hong Kong's fading English feel

2016-05-09T21:34:00.002-07:00

I could never praise this wonderful city enough. It is modern, bustling, clean, energetic and has a great mix of urban prowess, nature and culture.

Like every other place on earth, Hong Kong is rapidly changing and reinventing itself. The biggest change I notice in the city now, compared to 2004 when I first visited is that the English feel and heritage are fading. Back then, a lot more of the English accents sounded like the Queen's English.

Sure, high tea is popular, the streets bear the names of the colonisers and English is widely in use and more or less enough to get around most of the neighbourhoods, but Hong Kong is slowly evolving into what it calls itself - Asia's World City. An international city that is at the forefront of financial services.

There is a craze for international brands and a growing awareness of environmental issues, a springing up of vegan and vegetarian restaurants, rising intolerance of mainland Chinese and a host of things both good and bad. I have always found the city and its inhabitants friendly and helpful.

Russia's role in Burma's independence struggle

2016-04-04T19:26:00.002-07:00

It became increasingly apparent by the 1930s that the sun would eventually set on the British Empire. This was the decade that began with the Great Depression and ended with the outbreak of the Second World War. While Britain was in the process of gradually granting autonomy to its most prized colonies such as India, impatience and revolutionary fervor reached its peak in the country now known as Myanmar.

Glimpses of Moscow in the last days of winter

2016-03-27T22:30:00.001-07:00

The winter was extended in Moscow. Here are some images.

Serebryany Bor in the late winter

2016-03-17T21:41:00.001-07:00

Here are some images from one of Moscow's most beautiful forests in the winter

Abramtsevo Estate in late winter

2016-03-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the historic Abramtsevo Estate near Moscow.

Calcutta Collage

2016-03-17T09:24:00.002-07:00

Here are some images from my trip to Calcutta earlier this month.

Hindu and Buddhist art at the Indian National Museum in Kolkata

2016-03-17T05:37:00.004-07:00

Here are images of the museum's great collection.

Overheard in a Moscow underpass

2016-03-12T23:33:00.001-08:00

There I was on lazy and cold Saturday morning minding my own business as I walked to a cafe on Tverskaya Street. The drizzle and gloomy weather ensured that the streets were even emptier than on a regular Saturday morning.

At the cafe, there were some people desperate to get over a Friday hangover by having some wine! I tried to plug my ears to the non-polite society Russian that was being uttered.

As I walked back through Tverskaya I needed to cross an underpass. Moscow's underpasses tend to be places where street musicians perform in order to make some extra money. This Saturday though, it was too early for them to be around. Instead there were two strange-looking people debating the merits of killing someone!

"Why not kill Vova instead," one questioned the other. Suddenly my lazy Saturday morning walking pace got a lot faster and I was out of the underpass in a jiffy. Oh, the empty Tverskaya Street never looked better!

Home sweet Moscow

2016-03-10T21:37:00.002-08:00

You know you're at home in a city when you can easily blend in with its flow and rhythm of life. When I take the Aeroexpress from Domodedeovo Airport and then switch over to the metro at Paveletskaya without batting an eyelid, I realise that it's almost like taking a local train from Dadar after arriving in Bombay by a long-distance train.

I seem to have a magical power to bring in sunshine and warm weather to this city. Yesterday was as warm and perfect a spring day in the capital as possible. And the sun is out today as well, although we are expecting snow tomorrow.

Calcutta's fading Chinatown

2016-03-06T22:26:00.002-08:00

At its peak, the Chinese community, comprising of Hakka-speaking immigrants, in Calcutta numbered 20,000. Then the 1962 India-China War happened and that lead to a drastic reduction in numbers, especially after the entire ethnic Chinese population was interned in a camp in Rajasthan for a few years!

The remnants of this community live in an area which is a walking distance from the West Bengal government's main offices. Small lanes have buildings with Chinese signs and decorations. Mothers take their daughters in cycle rickshaws to school, old men share a laugh at a food stall and older women, who probably have fascinating stories walk to their homes.

I tried some of the Chinese food being sold on the streets and I certify that it is indeed delicious. The community now numbers around 2000 and is dying. I honestly wish there were more Chinese people here, given the fact that they are great businessmen and job generators. Look what the Chinese community has managed to achieve in Malaysia.

Kolkata Marathon: Thank You Kolkata Police and Goddess Kali!

2016-03-06T00:06:00.001-08:00

As soon as I stepped out of my hotel in Shakespeare Sarani (Theatre Road), I had a great feeling about running the half marathon this morning. The weather was lovely and the climatic conditions ideal to run on.

But from the second I got to Red Road, I had to deal with a bunch of clueless volunteers! And it was the volunteers who proved to be the bane of a chaotic and poorly organised run. (More later).

As soon as the run began at 6 am sharp, the heavens opened up and there was a gentle rain. It felt like blessings from Goddess Kali herself. After all, this is her city! A few roads were totally closed for the run and I thoroughly enjoyed the start as gentle raindrops fell on me. The weather stayed perfect throughout the run.

The route took us through the main gate of the Victoria Memorial, the Esplanade, past the tram lines and through some poorer areas and upto Science City before turning back. Although traffic was open for most of the route, the friendly staff of the Kolkata Police were a great help. In fact, they were the ones guiding the runners as many volunteers did not turn up.

Despite assurances, there were very few water stations. (Once again, thank Kali for the weather). We received a bottle of water after the 7 km mark and then again at two more points. The organises did not offer us electral water till the 18 km mark! And there were no mobile toilets on the route (!) To make matters worse, the few existing km markers were kept at the wrong spots. I trust GPS via my Garmin watch more than I do the spots.

This was the first time in a long distance run, I actually stopped to buy coconut water on the route to avoid dehydration! To make matters worse, I had a few close shaves with speeding buses and trucks! A bus driver yelled at me in Bengali for running on the road! And yes, there was a grand total of 1 person cheering us on the path! Come on, Calcutta, this is no way to organise a marathon. I feel sorry for those who ran 42.195 km.

Anyway I felt energetic and strong and held my nerves to run with relative ease as I passed the Victoria Memorial again and into a closed road before storming to the finish line. Even the post-run logistics were a joke!

Despite the poor organisation, I had a great time. This was my first major run since I ran the marathon in Kuala Lumpur in October 2014. It's good to know that I am still in great shape!

Now it's time to celebrate!

A trip to the Indian National Museum

2016-03-05T08:13:00.002-08:00

I was put off with this Rs 20 for Indians and Rs 500 for foreigners entry charge! Come on, Calcutta, India is not a poor country desperate for the foreigner's money anymore...Having written that, I am full of praise for the outstanding collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures the museum houses. There are also a few Jain sculptures there.

I was lucky enough to be in the city when an exhibition of Indian Buddhist art was on display. There are great pieces of both Theravada and Mahayana art.

I just wonder whether the Brits took most of these idols from intact archaeological sites or whether they found them during excavations! Spending an afternoon at the museum, I learned a lot about Hindu and Buddhist art from the 9th to 11 centuries. The works featured sandstone idols from just before the Christian era to basalt sculptures from the 10th and 11th centuries.

Buddhist and Hindu art lived side by side from the 9th to 11th centuries. Judging by what I saw the religions seemed to coexist fine in Bihar, as they did in Ellora, where you have Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sculptures.

This lends credence to the theory I hear often in Sri Lanka that it was Islamic invaders that finished off Theravada Buddhism in the subcontinent with the exception of the emerald island and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (where 98 percent of the population were Buddhists), which were handed to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) by the mischievous departing Brits.

The most interesting sculpture I saw was of Mahavira. The 2nd century BC idol showed the founder of Jainism in a meditative pose and I mistook him for the Buddha, especially because he had oriental features.

Another stunner was a 2nd century AD sculpture of the Buddha offering protection. He is actually smiling! I had never seen a smiling Buddha statue before.

I was also impressed with the various Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and Ganesha sculptures. The museum has Hindu artwork from Bihar, southern India as well as Indonesia.

Ther museum also has parts of the huge Bharhut Stupa, which was believed to have been built by Emperor Ashoka. The copper gates are in great condition and the reliefs such the finest degree of craftsmanship and artistic ability existed in India at that time.

Seeing all these great art works convinces me that India was way ahead of its time right upto the point that the Islamic invasions began.

It's time for us to rise once again and honour our great ancestors!

Remnants of imperial grandeur in Calcutta

2016-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

It's obvious that the British colonisers wanted Calcutta to be some kind of tropical London.

The historic centre of the city is not wanting when it comes to public spaces. There's the huge maidan, which could gobble up the Azad, Oval and Cross Maidans of Bombay and have a vast amount of space. Walking from busy Chowringee to the parallel roads that lead to the Mohammedan Sporting stadium and the Eden Gardens, you see the green spaces. There always seems to be a handful of homeless people in these spaces (Chances are that a local will say they're all Bangladeshis!!!)

Showering has a fabulous collection of colonial buildings fitting of an Imperial British capital city. There is a mix of large red buildings and some whitewashed giants, like the Indian National Museum. Much in Calcutta style though, the sidewalks are full of markets and street food vendors who are cooking some lip-smacking delicacies.

The British continued to have economic interests in Calcutta after they shifted the capital to Delhi, and many businessmen stayed on for a while in the city even after Indian independence. The names of Calcutta-based businesses like Britannia are a legacy of what was once a strong English and Scottish presence.

There are also some lovely churches here and of course, the piece de resistance, the Victoria Memorial, one of the most beautiful buildings in all of India. It's a great place to relax and read a book in the mornings or take an evening walk and enjoy the sunset before the building gets beautifully illuminated.

I love Calcutta as it is, but will continue to embrace every small change I see here. But it's wonderful to see the yellow ambassador taxis, the old buses, the rickety trams and the remnants of once great buildings.

With patches of London surrounded by unbelievable Indian chaos, this is one of the greatest cities on earth.