Comics that shaped me!!!!! Part One.

Yesterday I was chatting with my friend's younger sister. She has a kid of the same age as that of my son's age.

Something about my friend's sister… I have always seen her as a very intelligent person… very pretty, having a sensible head on her shoulders. Sadly, she was not able to actualize her potential in academics… and had to work the hard way to become a software engineer. Somewhere down the line, she felt the drudgery of her networked office catching up. Everyday the same old story… home to office and office to home. Then suddenly two things happened and she got her new lease of life- she was blessed with a baby boy, and her husband… who was till now struggling to establish himself in the IT field… got a break in US. She left her job, accompanied him to US and now spending her life… without any botheration for career and future. She plans to do what she always wanted to do… travel, write poetries and watch her son growing.

So while we were chatting… I was sharing my ideas of bringing up my son… and one of the main themes in this idea was to help him develop a curiosity for the world around him. This curiosity, I argued would enable him to explore the world around him… to read and to travel, to feel the magic of snowfall, to appreciate the nature and its elements. I became a serious travel buff only in last few years… wasting some precious 20 years. Sometimes I feel sad for those lost 20 years… and sometimes I argue that becoming a traveler was part and parcel of a process that took 20 years.

And then I suddenly told her to buy a set of TINTIN comics for her son. She laughed and said TINTIN and CHACHA CHAUDHARY also. I vehemently said- no not CHACHA CHAUDHARY… TINTIN… and then recounted how the idea of wandering emanated within me after reading my first TINTIN comics "Prisoners of the Sun" in class 8th (or was it 9th).

This set me thinking, about the comic books I have read during my childhood… and the legacies they have left with me. Were they responsible for sculpturing my personality?

My first remembrances of a comic book was INDRAJAL comics… published by the Times of India group. I remember as to how our newspaper wallah used to drop these comics at our doorsteps every week. They had four characters to begin with-Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, and the very Indian Bahadur. The first two were immensely popular. The publishing house later added a few more comic strips… Buz Sawyer, Mike Nomad, Garth, Rip Kirby. Among the new names- Garth captured my imagination. More about all of them later.

Another set of comic books that I used to read religiously was Diamond Comics… Chacha Chaudhary, Billu, Pinky, Ankur, Fauladi Singh. Chacha Chaudhary and his tussle with immortal Shaka caught my imagination… rest was a passé, compared to INDRAJAL heroes. They eventually faded from my consciousness.

Some time later, I was also introduced to DC comics… Superman, Batman, Robin and Green Arrow. Superman caught my imagination. Around the same time… I was also introduced to a few other characters- Modesty Blaise, Asterix, Spiderman, and Tintin. I was infatuated with Modesty Blaise (she will always remain to me, the most enticing and sexy female character ever created)… dreamt of finding a magic potion to beat the pulp out of those who bullied me… coaxing my parents to buy Spiderman costume for me, convinced that it will automatically give me powers to spin the web… and above all traveling to exotic lands and solving the mysteries like Tintin.

A few years later some Indian superheroes came to the fore… Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Doga, Shaktiman, Jumboo, Parmanu… etc. They all had a transient effect, however most of them had very loose characterization (barring Super Commando Dhruv and Nagraj to some extent)… they just couldn’t sustain their charm on me.

If I am to remember the characters who have enticed me the most… those who I would like to read again and again… and more importantly, like my son to read… they are Phantom and Tintin.

Why?

Phantom represents to me… one of the most enigmatic characters ever created. He has been fighting crime for little less than five hundred years now… and 21 generations. (If some new adaptations like Phantom 2040 are to be believed, then the 24th generation will continue fighting this battle against the evil… some other adaptations suggest that even the 27th Phantom will be fighting evil, though this time the battle ground will not be earth but outer space).

This is the vastest canvass one can get for spinning a yarn… 21 generations, 500 years… phew. To give you just one example- one of the perennial enemies of Phantom are the "Vultures". Vultures are a well oiled crime syndicate, who operate like Vultures, the bird. Strike when the victim is decimated… rob him, loot him. Now if I remember it correctly, Phantom has been fighting Vultures for last 6-7 generations… and has been only able to destroy few cells of Vultures and not the entire organization.

I always used to imagine… what must had 16th Phantom done, what 13th Phantom would had done.

Phantom entices you to imagine… it teases you and beckons you to the land of Bengalla, where he is revered as the Ghost who walks…

I want my son to read about Phantom and imagine what I couldn’t.

Sadly a decade ago, Phantom comics stopped coming and its creator Lee Falk died in 1999. Adaptations like Phantom 2040 were too futuristic and therefore disjointed approach to revive the character. The good news however is that a few days ago Moonstone publications have successfully revived the character… and soon he may hit bookstands in India.

And this brings me to my most favourite comic strip- the Tintin.

Rejoinder to the Pondering over our future. Part Two

Part One

What I want to create is a special University.

No not just another University… a special university. Rather a chain of Universities. One located in each of the six geographical regions of India- North, South, East, West, Central and North-East. May be one in each state… we need it for a billion plus population.

For whom?

For students around the world- from the under-developed Africa, from the advanced Europe and the US, from the aspiring Far-East, everywhere. But with a difference, I would like to reserve a half of the total seats for Indians. This will ensure a heavy dose of international exposure to Indian students… not in the tangible sense of visiting those countries, but in the sense of finding out how a student from Angola, Vietnam, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Armenia, and Algeria perceives the world around him- what he thinks about India and what are his aspirations in life. And for that purpose let the Indian government bear their expenses, it is a capital expenditure… with very very high intangible returns.

The Indian students in these Universities should be encouraged (or may be forced) to take admissions in a University of a different region, far off from his native state. A Punjabi going to South, a Marathi going to North East, a Tamil going to East. Not only this, there should be a regional, communal balance in the student intake… if it requires reservations, so be it. Regional reservations, religion and caste based reservations, rural background reservations, economic class reservations… everything. This University incidentally wouldn’t be creating Doctors, Engineers, MBAs, it will create think-tanks…and that are best created when plurality is given a chance.

What it will teach?

Anything and everything under the sun. The Undergrad who takes admission in this University will be given few basic courses in Science, Humanities, Linguistics, Law and Policy making… and rest everything will be electives. A subject will be taught if more than two students want to take it. One can study Biotechnology and Genomics, one can study French, one can study Ancient Sanskrit Literature- anything and everything… till it is offered and there are more than 2 students who want to take up this course.

Technically, yes- a person can choose his electives in such a way that he will become an Engineer or a Doctor by the end of the course… (Say by choosing all the electives being offered in the broad realms of Engineering or Medicine) but it would actually serve him no purpose… for he will get a Bachelor's degree in Contemporary or General Studies… he will be a half baked Engineer or Doctor… missing out the opportunity to have incurred a vastly superior Liberal Education in the process.

Before every semester, all the teachers will come out with course that they want to teach… and based on that list one can choose what elective one needs to take up.

Who will teach?

Interesting question… these Universities will have a very small permanent staff, best of the best. If need be, selected by UPSC or similar such process. The vast majority, however, will be drawn from various Universities and other walks of life- from India and abroad on temporary basis- on a deputation… they will be allowed to teach their courses for a semester… and their continuation would depend on both Student interest and feedback. However, none among them will be based in a University for long.

The idea needs to be worked upon… but the centrality of the idea is to create a set-up, where students are given truly liberal education… a Humanities expert who knows the intricacies of Science, a Science expert who knows what French Revolution meant for the Sciences a Law expert who knows what is Biotechnology… and when a few of them come together… they create synergies that ponder over the future of India and humanity.

The education in this University will be project driven, not book driven… studying to create body of knowledge. Apply knowledge to create more knowledge… or if not create then at least systemize the present body of knowledge into a useable format.

Learn from the best practices of the world… don’t accept that a criminal-like police is the only paradigm of policing, don’t believe that Western styled Democracy is the only model of governance related salvation, don’t assume that human rights are a mere lip service. People in different corners of the world are doing different things to succeed and they can very well be replicated in other parts of the world.

And not accept the knowledge as given to you in the books are sacrosanct… question them… think and challenge them or get convinced.

I know I am not clear as to what I am talking about… but I am clear what I am aiming at.

Circuit is a state of mind

Circuit is a state of mind. A simile, an allegory.

What matters is where I had been, what I did, whom I met… and most importantly why I did all this. A pertinent question, indeed. More pertinent when I shivered in the cold wave of El Arish, or when I felt lonely in the festivities of Dahab. Couldn’t I have snuggled in the warmth of a quilt in Cairo…? Couldn’t I have relished a cup of warm tea and more than a cupful of companionship that my friends offer me, everyday? Technically, it makes sense. But logic is a passé.

I have no answers… I did what I felt like… Answers lie perhaps in the experiences I underwent in the obscurity of Egyptian heartland. In the effervescence of Cleopatra Bath in Siwa, in the warm sunrays of Port Said… in the loneliness ponderings of El Arish… in the wading of the seas in Dahab… in the strange surrounding of El Tor… and in the terror prone (sic) heartland of Middle Egypt.

But first the circuit that was not to be.

Day One: Reaching Marsa Matrouh, spending few hours in a road side Ahwa, taking a bus to Siwa, reaching Siwa, site seeing in Siwa.

Day Two: Trying to find a way to Baharriya, meeting disappointment, back to Marsa Matrouh, taking a bus to Alexandria, having a dinner in a roadside joint at Alexandria, taking a Microbus to Port Said.

Day Three: Reaching Port Said, visiting Port Fouad, walking down the corniche of Port Said, taking a bus to Qantara, taking a microbus to El Arish, reaching El Arish.

Day Four: Visit to El Arish Zoo, Garnata beach, a quick visit to Rafah border, taking a Peugeot service to Ismailiyya, touring around Ismailiyya, taking a bus to Dahab.

Day Five: Reaching Dahab, strolling around the city, participating in the festivities of Christmas.

Day Six: Taking a lift to El Tor, taking a bus to Qena.

Day Seven: Reaching Qena, visiting Dendera, reaching Al Balyana and seeing Abydos, reaching Sohag and seeing Red and White Monasteries, reaching Assiyut and taking a bus back to Cairo.

If one looks at the map of Egypt… he will realize that it was not a circuit. It could have been… if only I had found some people going to Baharriya… but sadly I couldn’t.

If one looks at my earlier post… the trip was meant to be 11 days… I got a leave of 9 days (actually I applied for 9 only, lest I may need some breathing space to go to Turkey for a brief visit)… I toured around for only 7 days. Why?

When I was going towards Assiyut… I received a phone call from India that my grandmother was unwell and in an ICU… then I received the bad news that former Pakistani PM has been shot dead… I was shattered by both the news… and said to myself, that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself in such a scenario. I chose to come back.

Now what remains?

Practically I have covered the entire Egypt… some wee bit remain… Abu Simble and a few sites in Aswan, Basata and Assiyut-Baris circuit. First two will definitely be done… am not sure about the third.

Reliving two years in ALI- Part Two

By the end of second semester, some of my friends had left ALI… ALI ceased to be a comfortable place… I used to find myself an outcast in the fountain area of AUC, with a very few recognizable faces around. It was also the time when I was lapped up with a lot of work at my workplace… making it exceedingly difficult for me to balance both work and studies. And my Family was back…. And I wanted to make up for the lost time with my family… especially with my 15 month old son.

I had a very slow start in the third semester… unlike other classes… this class of mine was full of Americans. In fact one Indian and one Norwegian only, among 11 odd students.

Among the Americans, there was one guy of Syrian origin Waseem Mardini and another of Taiwanese origin Andrew Jan…. in one of my elective I had an Indian Vohra girl, born and brought up in the US.

It was here that I first noticed the high degree of assimilation in the US society. One may be of any ethnic origin, religious grouping… but as an American- he thinks along the same line, behaves the same way, has same beliefs… It was indeed serendipitous to discover the cultural consciousness, sensitivity, sense of private space, tolerance among an average American. I never saw any complications in the interactions between Waseem, the Syrian American and the other White American. The differences of colour, sex, religion, and race did not matter at all.

Many among us have this habit of demonizing the US… of identifying the US with materialism, consumerism, big and Evil Corporation and irresponsible use of power. We tend to overlook the virtues of the American society. Democracy, civil rights, tolerance, assimilation… every body has a stake in the society. I sincerely believe that it is these qualities that make the US a soft and hard superpower… and will continue to make it so. If we need to import anything from the US… it is these genuine qualities.

Waseem, with time, became a good friend… we discussed a lot of ideas on the Palestinian issue. So did Andrew Jan… though our relation started with a degree of suspicion, with me unwittingly making some snide remarks on China-Taiwan standoff. Then there was one Leslie Egbert… seemingly mysterious… we sat side by side throughout the semester… and Keith Jarret a very simple person… who introduced me to the beauty of his I-Mac. They all were nice people and I learnt from them all.

These interactions changed my opinion towards the American youth. We were always led to believe that an average American person was selfish, hedonist et al. On the contrary, I found them to be very sincere, hard working, aware of a lot of things in life, responsible… and above all spontaneous. They work hard and they party harder.

It was during this semester I also became friendly with Khveh Niazi and Heidi Morrison… mentioned elsewhere in my blog.

I had a wonderful set of instructors even this time. Azza Waked… who taught us grammar… resembled my granny… thus I became very fond of her. She had a funny but effective way of teaching… she was well aware of India, been there, practiced Yoga etc. Then there was a very smart Heba Salem… a great teacher… she really made listening Arabic News very easy for us. Well aware of the happenings around and reasonably opinionated. Then Ibtisam Orabi, a wonderful human being. Ahmed Moneim, my teacher for translation and Shireen, my teacher for spoken Fusha. All were nice people, first and foremost. And very good teachers, indeed.

The last semester started on a pleasant note… in the first week or so, I met Mariam Attia- my first semester's instructor... she had gone down to Manchester to work on her PhD and was back for some field work. I also met Said Al Wakil... he was back to ALI, now as a full time instructor.

I had very good teachers for the semester… Azza Waked continued… this time teaching Media, I also had the opportunity to study with the doyens of ALI… Nariman Al Warraki and Nadia Harb, together the three of them were the most experienced teachers of ALI. And it showed… Nadia made translation look so easy, Nariman made literature seem interesting and worth reading and Azza made deciphering aural media seem manageable. But above it all, they were wonderful human beings… especially Nariman, who despite her age was much more ahead of the times… more liberal and had the ability to criticize the ghettoization Egyptian society is undergoing. Meeting and interacting with her made me realize about the golden period of Egyptian society, when tolerance was high… when the society was far more liberal and modern in outlook.

I had one of the most interesting classes in the last semester… there was one Gabrielle Ramaiah, an American of Indian origin… and though we didn’t interact a lot… I reserve a special place for her, she was very intelligent and sincere. Then there was Aaron Reese- a very intelligent guy- who introduced me to the world of Hadiths in Islam… he had graduated in Islamic Studies… and was here on a Study abroad. Then there was Kristen Chick… a freelance journalist and a Fulbright scholar… intelligent and confident in her demeanor. It was a pleasure knowing her.

No description of the class would be complete without Tiffany Kaba… refreshingly beautiful; innocently simple- she had the proverbial twinkle in her eyes… she loved living life to its fullest. Always all decked up, as if she was on a perpetual party. Throughout the semester, we sat together… we hardly interacted- barring a few occasional jokes I cracked on her and pranks I played with her- which she took sportingly… but in my heart of heart I knew, she was a wonderful person and absolute gem, person with a golden heart. Half Syrian- Half Egyptian, born and brought up in UK, our class wouldn’t have been half as interesting without her charm and élan. I was very fond of her and on the last day of the class…while shaking hand with her… I told her how wonderful a person she was. Take care, Tiffany… and preserve yourself.

I have missed out a few names… Ben, Line from the last semester, Nicola Karp, James Cassey and Allegra from the third semester, Ghazi Ayyad and Yaneez from the second, Matthew Tracy from the first… and so many others…. They all were important… I cherish memories of all of them. And wish to say thank you to all of them… for being there, for enriching me as a human being.

ALI will forever be etched in my memories… if at any juncture of life I come back to Egypt… and I will, it would not be for the Pyramids or Nile… it would be for seeing my alma mater once again.

Reliving two years in ALI- Part One

I was waiting for this hour for last two years… whenever I burnt the midnight oil to finish an assignment… whenever I performed badly in a quiz… whenever I used to cut a sorry figure in front of my instructors for not being able to do my home work... I wished this suffering to end. I said learning Arabic is not my cup of tea… I argued I am perhaps too old a dog, to learn new tricks.

And when it ended, I felt strange… no more waking up early morning and rushing to the class, no more trying to finish homework in time, no more conjugations, verb forms, comprehensions, listening to Arabic news, learning connectors… I was supposed to feel free, supposed to be elated, supposed to gasp a breath of carefree air. But I did not.

Something is amiss. Terribly amiss.

When I was about to join Arabic Language Institute (Lovingly referred as ALI) in the American University in Cairo- one of the seniors in my office told me- be prepared to undergo the best phase of your life. But two weeks down the line- grappling with the mammoth task of differentiating between the sound of ص and س, I wondered what he meant. He smiled and said- wait and watch.

Some more time spent… still grappling, now with the ten forms of the verb, the conjugation, the relative pronouns, the fact that a verb changes its meaning with the preposition attached with it… it all was not only strangely outlandish, but also tormenting. Still no sign of the "best phase"…

In oriental philosophy… it is said that happiness is not overt, it is embedded with the Self… we just need to search for it, within our selves. The "Best Phase", like the proverbial happiness, was happening deep within me… and I was trying to search it in the drudgery of a classroom and heaps of sheets of assignment.

It would be an understatement if I say that these two years have changed me forever… they have not only changed me forever… they have made me more sensible a human being, more liberal a human being and more down-to-earth a human being.

Sure with the passage of time… and brush with the society I live in, I will be back to the old ways… of feeling superior with my transient achievements and feeling intimidated by the superior achievements of others… of being ethnocentric… of being prejudiced. But somewhere deep inside me, I will know that I am wrong and that I have been proved wrong in the ALI… I will know that successes are relative, achievements are relative… and life is all about identifying and following one's dream.

It is difficult to pinpoint the reason behind it all… for as I said, the entire experience was all too intangible… happening within me. But perhaps my interactions with different people over this timeline were a compelling reason behind it all.

There could not have been a better introduction to the language and life at AUC than the very first semester… for in this semester I met people who had a profound impression on me. People I simply adored and people who will forever be a part of my memories.

I still remember meeting my first Instructor Mariam Attia… a Danish national of Egyptian origin… on the very first day at ALI. I remember her passion for the language and her thirst for excellence. Born and brought up in Denmark, it would have been easier for her to take up a profession more attune with times… and yet she chose to live the hard way. I have profound respect for her. My tryst with ALI couldn’t have had a better culmination… after my last class was over; I received a call from her… congratulating me on finishing with ALI. Thank you Mariam.

I still remember Saeed Al Wakil… another instructor from the very first semester… one of the finest human beings, I have ever met. And… Mona Kamel, my very first Colloquial Arabic teacher- her indomitable spirit and zest for life.

Not to forget jamboree of a classroom I had in the first semester… there were two unstoppable Sultan brothers- half Egyptian half Libyan, born and brought up in Italy studied around the globe… they were truly global, fun loving and with a beautiful heart. Anne Mattson, a Canadian diplomat who always gave me complexes for her ease with the language. And the most wonderful of them all Xavier Lesaca- a Spanish simpleton, from the town of bulls…Pamplona. There was something very nice about him… his candidness; his simplicity would forever be etched in my heart. There could not have been a better introduction to Spain… for after meeting him, I fell in love with Spain. I promised- I will be there one day.

The second semester was harrowing for me… my wife's ailment deteriorated and she had to go back to India for a surgery… it was hard living without my family. My house reminded me of the bad phase, my class was my refuge.

I again had a wonderful set of Instructors… Inas Hafez- who worked so very hard with us to make things seem ridiculously simple… Abeer Hassan- who had an amazing way of teaching that somehow the words and lessons taught by her are still etched in my memory. Laila Familiar- by far the prettiest Instructor in the ALI, she was a Palestinian born and brought up in Spain… fiercely secular and independent minded. We had in her class some candid discussions on the Palestinian issue… she had the ability to call 'spade' a spade and criticize countries beyond the US, the West and Israel for the plight of the Palestinians. And not to forget my Colloquial Instructor… Nora Abdel Wahab, I just adored her… it was in her class that I spoke so much that she lovingly referred me as "Daushan"- one who makes a lot of noise.

And then not to forget the wonderful class I had… there was an American Nick Mickinski who epitomizes the proverbial US' out-of-the-box thinking… after the class, I heard that he went on a world tour to study Muslim communities in different parts of the world. And Maria Korkunc… a girl with an enchanting face, beautiful smile and a golden heart. She was an ethnic Turk… born and brought up in Norway… with panache for language learning… she also gave me complexes, donning the role of Anne Mattson from the last semester. I simply adored her.

Rejoinder to "Plans for a great Egyptian circuit" and "Some predicament, this"

Only those who will risk going too far; can possibly find out how far one can go-
T.S. Eliot

For quite sometime… I was facing this predicament. Turkey was off the list because around this time it would have been very cold… this would have forced me to keep myself holed up in Istanbul. I did not like the idea, and vowed to visit Turkey somewhere in the distant future… with my family.

Israel was high on my list, but was ultimately ticked off because of pressing reasons. I again said I will be there, some day.

I am thus left with a lone choice… to wander in Egypt. Visit all those places which I could not in last two years of stay, or even those places that I visited and loved being there. My predicament met its logical solution with my plans for a great Egyptian circuit.

I will be taking some 12 days break… sprinkle it with a budget that is truly shoestring. And then try to rediscover this country again, from the eyes of a pondering vagabond.

Many questions arise out of my plan…

• Can I reach Siwa in a whirlwind fashion, without stopping at either Alexandria or Marsa Matrouh? Does it make any sense to go to the Libyan border at Sollum, just for the heck of it?

• Can I reach Qara without spending a fortune to get in there? Can I reach Bahariyya from Siwa without needing to be a rich adventurer?

• How do I reach Baris? How do I reach Dush?

• Is there any place to stay in Baris, spend a night over there? Or the vastness of desert, a corner of solitude and my sleeping bag will be my only refuge?

• There seems to be a metalled road from Baris to Luxor… does any vehicle ply on them… can I take any public transport?

• Will Egyptian Security let me stay over in Assiyut or Sohag or Qena for a night… and are there places to stay, who will take a foreigner as a customer?

• Where do I go, to Aswan…? Take a felucca there to reach back Luxor, and sleep on a small boat plying over the Nile in the nights? Or proceed to Safaga or Al Quseir, on the route taken by ancient Pharaohs to reach Red Sea?

• How will be the journey over the sea from Hurgadha to Sharm… what do I do after reaching Dahab?

• Would I find a place to stay in the overbooked holiday season of Christmas in Basata?

• How do I reach El Arish from Basata… can I use the road from Nakhl to El Arish, a road that is prohibited for foreigners?

• Do I have to necessarily come to Ismailiya to reach Port Said… or can I take the route on which crow flies?

• What do I do in the Delta- Dameitta, Baltim, Zagazig, and Tanta?

• Above all, Can all this be done within 12 days…?

Yesterday I read these lines of T.S.Eliot… it answered at once all the above questions…. "Only those who will risk going too far; can possibly find out how far one can go"

I will find all my answers, when I set my foot out.

Before setting my foot out, I wondered if I will ever reach Goa on foot and through local transport for a measle 2000 rupees. I did not reach Goa, reached Amboli… and yet saw some most beautiful places on the earth, in Konkan. I still dream of being amidst of golden brown fields when going from Dabhol to Guhagar, I still dream of being submerged by the roaring waves in Harihareshwar… I still dream of being sitting on the edges of Mahadeo point in Amboli. I could have just stayed back in the confines of my comfortable hostel and prepared for pre-placement interviews.

Before setting my foot out, I wondered what I can do in a small duration of a three day leave. I wondered if reaching Diu and seeing the sea is all what I want. Or if I will be thrown out of my job for breaching a three day leave. I did reach Diu… and yet I came back as a changed person… I saw a place with an incredible vintage car collection in Gondal; I became a believer in Somnath…. I saw the world's largest ship breaking yard in Alang, and thought aloud- even if I am thrown out, I will find a job out here. And yes they did not throw me out for breaching the three days leave period. I could have just stayed back to stay in the good books of my boss.

Before setting my foot out, I wondered if I will be able to see Syria and Jordan within 11 days or if 1000 USD will be able to suffice. And what if I overspend, in an alien land. Not only I did it all for less than 500 USD… I did a lot more. I saw Jerusalem; I slept on roofs and 3 star hotels on consecutive days. I made friends; I understood them, their histories, and their milieus. I became a better human being.

Mark Moxon wrote something very prophetic in his website, on why he travels… (I will reprint it, although I know that in a sense it’s a copyright violation… but somebody rightly said- Imitation is the best form of flattery).

"In early 1995 I visited a friend who had just bought a new house. I remember it quite clearly: at the top of the stairs he had a perfectly formed bathroom in which I had what can only be described as a religious experience.

The bathroom was one hundred per cent peach. It had a peach-coloured bath, a peach toilet, peach tiles on the wall and a peach basin on which sat a bar of peach-scented soap. Hanging on the racks were fluffy peach hand towels that neatly matched the peach carpet below, and sitting on the windowsill was a bowl full of peach-coloured potpourri. I realised then and there that if I didn't do something pretty radical, I was going to end up with a peach bathroom all of my own, and the thought filled me with dread.

I never wanted to travel; I just fell into it one day as I was looking for an escape from the seemingly unavoidable world of peach bathrooms, Sundays spent cleaning the car and taking the kids shopping at the weekend."

I too have seen a lot of peach bathrooms in life… I don’t want to own one.

Reminiscence from the Levant: Part Twenty Three – The Wall that separates.

Bethlehem is in Palestinian Territories. To reach there- first you need to go to the Israeli Border Security Check Point (corresponding with Bethlehem) and then cross over.

I started off for Bethlehem soon after checking in the New Palm Hostel. Took a minibus all the way to the Security Check Point corresponding with the entrance of Bethlehem… I was there in 45 minutes.

The Public Transport is very good and surprisingly cheap. Everything else is very expensive. Though, I did not feel the pinch as I was coming from Jordan… and had lived quite lavishly over there. The overvalued Jordanian Dinar makes Jordan a bad tourist proposition- I had never felt the pinch in Egypt, Syria (or for that matter even in Cyprus)… but Jordan was definitely very expensive. In case of Israel, even though the prices are high but it is also geared up to serve the backpackers… so one can enjoy Jerusalem, without spending too much of money. Things like Hostels, good Public Transport, and Low Entrance Fees make the life of a traveler, easy.

Israel and Palestinian Territories are separated by a wall. Since mid 1990s, Israel has been trying to construct a Wall that separates the Palestinian Territories from Israel… it contends that such a wall will help it in protecting its civilian population from Palestinian terrorist attacks. However the Palestinian's counter this claim, calling this wall a racial wall that intends to usurp their land… The wall has assumed iconic position in the dispute between the two parties.

Crossing the wall was an experience. The security apparatus that separates Israel from Palestine is very strict and modern. At one Check Point, I saw a black girl manning it. I greeted her, though her reply was a bit terse. I introduced myself as an Indian tourist, which changed her attitude towards me… I realized that she came to Israel from Ethiopia, some seven years ago. Soon I stepped into the Palestinian Territories; while stepping in- it occurred to me that perhaps this is the last piece of Occupied Territory in the entire world, in an undisputable sense.

The other side of the wall is interesting- it bears the testimony of one of the longest drawn political struggle in the modern history of mankind. The entire wall is painted with slogans, graffiti, and caricatures depicting the "plight of a Palestinian". Some caught my attention-

Give them justice and they will reward you with peace.
Bridges not walls.
Jesus wept for Jerusalem, we weep for Palestine.

Strangely, the roads in Palestine are picture perfect. The best that I have seen in any Arab country. Of course Egypt has wonderful roads, so has Jordan- but Palestinian infrastructure is superlative…. Was I in an occupied land? But as somebody later quipped, these roads are not a gift… yes; the Palestinians ply on them- but so do the Israeli armoured vehicles.

After crossing, one can find a lot of cabs waiting for potential customers… I didn’t want to take a cab, and yet after some querying I realized that Bethlehem (and for that matter, most of the Palestinian cities) are poor in terms of intra-city public transport. I hired a taxi- 20 USD for 4 hours- to see Shepherd Fields, Nativity Church and Milk Grotto.

My first stop in Bethlehem was Shepherd Fields. Shepherd Field is the place where the angels visited, announcing the holy birth to a group of simpleton shepherds. A church was built on the site in early phases of Christianity, but later it was decimated… in recent time, a new church has been built in this place…. Nearby are the ruins of a Byzantine Church and monastery.

Inside of the church is beautiful, the walls are painted with beautiful frescoes depicting the events of the holy birth. I was mesmerized with the beautiful frescoes. The nearby ruins of a Byzantine Church and the monastery are interesting; they depict a lot of information on the life and times of its era.

The Second stop was the Nativity Church. The place where Jesus was born, it is housed in what is arguably the oldest church in entire world. A grand church was constructed in fourth century by the Byzantine emperors. This, however, was destroyed by Pagans. A smaller church came in its site, given protection by the Ottomans. However, later a grand church was made by the Armenians and Greeks at the site.

Staying in this region has introduced me to the contributions of Greek Orthodoxy and Armenians in preserving the pristine sites of Christianity. Most of the sites that I saw in Syria, Jordan and Israel… that naturally were the most pristine sites of Christianity- were manned by either the Armenians (in few cases) or the Greeks (in majority of the cases). Even in Egypt, the Saint Katherine monastery is manned by the Greek monks. The public face of Christianity… that is Roman Catholicism is territorially footloose, in comparison… more stress is given to Vatican than the actual site where Christianity started- that is Levant.

In front of the church compound, there is a place called Bethlehem Peace Centre. The Bethlehem Peace Centre is a cultural centre that organizes cultural shows for the locals and tourists… the importance of the place, however, is in the fact that prior to establishment of the Centre, the building used to house a Police Station… So for the locals, it depicts a process of dismantlement of occupation giving way to cultural renaissance. My Taxi driver told me something I already knew, Palestinians lay a huge stress on modern education and broadening of cultural horizons- they have a high literacy rate, a lot of Palestinians know one of the two big international language- English and French. He also told me something interesting, till a few years ago there were no madarassas in Palestine (of course Israelis would not have allowed them in past) - and even today there are very very few takers for them. The crux being that Palestinians are one of the most modern and progressive society in Arab world… they are readily accepted in Western World, often seen as good and intelligent workers and are actually more trusted on security related issues.

After paying a small visit to the Centre, I was ready to enter the Nativity Church.

Thougts on the Lecture by Hans Kung

Today I attended a lecture by renowned Catholic Theologian Hans Kung. The lecture titled "The Challenges to Islam, Christianity and Judaism in Today's Global Crisis" highlighted the need to positively engage Islam into a dialogue rather than branding it as a rogue religion. Such a dialogue, he said, is all the more achievable because in essence Islam- Christianity- Judaism have common heritage and values.

Hans Küng to Speak at AUC

Kung, according to my back-of-the-envelope calculation, must be in his late 70s. Sometimes his tone and tenor were incomprehensible to me, yet he spoke with a thought-provoking élan and was all too clear and communicable. What Kung spoke has been oft-repeated and yet despite the simplicity and logic of the argument, it doesn’t seem to be catching up.

According to him, the three prophetic religions differ from the oriental religions in a sense that the fountains of wisdom in these religions are prophets whereas the fountains of wisdom in oriental religions are Gurus and Masters. (This to me is a very significant argument, Prophets have a divine purpose… often their source of knowledge is directly from the God… therefore they are irrefutable. This explains the relatively stricter codification of religious values in Prophetic Religions. Gurus and Masters, on the other hand are ordinary humans who have thought over the religious values… and then propagated them… this puts a human limitation over their teachings… thus oriental religions are generally more flexible and have a lesser degree of codification.)

There is a constant argument among the followers of the three prophetic religions on what needs to be preserved and what is not to be preserved, within their religions. Some within them argue that nothing should be preserved (typically Secular) and some other argue that everything should be preserved (typically Orthodox). However, Kung argues, that the typically secular ones and typically orthodox ones are a minority… and the majority follows a doctrine that is neither here nor there.(Oriental religions do not undergo this vociferous debate, because nothing is considered sacrosanct and irrefutable… thus follower of some other doctrine will simply form another sect… or if proved falsified, the challenged doctrine will be dumped without any blasphemy).

And if the majority does not want to preserve or discard everything, then it is imperative to find out as to what are the basic values of these religions. These basic values, thus, can be preserved and compromises can be done beyond them for a reconciliatory process.

Kung argues that the basic value of Judaism is the centrality of Chosen People and Promised Land. Similarly the centrality of Christianity is Jesus, the son of God and the Messiah. And similarly the centrality of Islam is that the Quran as the word of the one and only one God. He argues that a co-existence between these religions is possible if we respect the core values of the each other's religion.

Now how is this possible? This, he argues, is possible by ushering into- what he called an "epoch making upheaval". These upheavals, he argued, are not new or unique and that all religions have undergone them in past and will undergo them in future. He said that these religions have not been static through the passage of history… they have been a developing reality… and modified themselves with the faced crisis.

Take the case of Judaism- it started as a Tribal Religion, graduated into a Monarchical Religion with the advent of King David and Solomon, then into a Theocracy with the perishing of monarchy, and then after the exodus into Rabbinical Religion. And then in mid 1700s came the Reformative Process… which went on well till the world wars… finally with the establishment of Israel came the Zionism. 6 different eras.

Now take the case of Christianity- it started of as an Offshoot of Judaism… the early Christians were Jewish Christian, and then came the Orthodoxy in places like Egypt, Syria and Ethiopia. This was followed by Papal Christianity- when Constantine established the Roman Catholic Church. This was followed by reform process by people like Martin Luther King and John Calvin who propounded Protestantism. Christianity, however, went through serious challenge after the renaissance when serious questions were raised against the Papal beliefs leading to the establishment of Modern Paradigm. Its logical follow up was establishment of Liberal Secularism in 1900s. 6 different eras again.

Islam contends that it has undergone the least amount of change… however it has undergone massive changes in the past. Islam started as a Community or Tribal Religion and for some years it remained so. Then came the Umayyad Caliphate which was based on Arab supremacy… it was during this time the Shiite sect took roots. This era was replaced by Baghdad Caliphate that ended the Arab supremacy and opened the religion for non-Arabs… and in process adopted many non-Arab traditions. With the destruction of Baghdad, the Fatimid Caliphate was established in Cairo- which was Shiite… it was during this period the role of people like Ulemas, Saints and Sufis became prominent. Then came the Ottoman Caliphate under which serious modernization efforts were undertaken in Turkey, Egypt and India… because the Christians have leapfrogged in the competition. However with the disruption of Turkey as a Caliphate, this process of modernization was left incomplete. 5 different eras.

Historical analysis of these religions establishes one fact without any doubt… the religions are not static values but adapt them with time; the only condition being that their basic values are not compromised. Kung, however, points out that the development of any religion is not an eliminative process… and that two or more era of religion can co-exist together.

This brings us to the last leg of his lecture. He argues that if the religions undergo and epoch making upheavals… then it is the time that they underwent yet another epoch making upheaval to catapult themselves to a stage where they could co-exist with mutual respect.

He said that if peace is possible in Europe- that was the fountain of wars all around the world, including the World Wars- then it is most certainly possible in Middle East, Africa and South and South East Asia.

What is this epoch making upheaval? He argues that the religions should be based on an ethical sense. An ethical sense that emanates from the inner conviction- which lays stress on four points: Humanism, Non-Violence, Righteousness and Solidarity. He ended his lecture here.

And I blinked. I have heard it before, somewhere… the inner conviction, the Humanism, the Non-Violence, the Righteousness, the Solidarity….

"Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth"- Albert Einstein.

"..If humanity is to progress, he is inescapable. He lived, thought, acted and inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony."- Martin Luther King

He was the Mahatma, Mahatma Gandhi.