Frugality for Sustenance - The Way To Go

The other night, Travel & Living was showing a programme on the culinary traditions of Korea.
The programme featured an interesting insight into the Buddhist and Tao monasteries of Korea.
Meal for the monks is frugal - sufficient to keep them going but not too much to prevent any discomfort so that their meditation can go on.
To ensure that the monks are reminded of their responsibility, they use only four bowls for their meal. They begin their meal with a bowl of soup, which is followed by a few spoons of boiled rice in the second bowl and vegetables in the third. Water to aid digestion is in the fourth bowl.
The monks are supposed to ensure that every grain of food in the bowls is consumed and not wasted away.
Frugality is of essence - they eat just enough for nourishment and sustenance and not for pleasure.
As an epicure, I find it difficult to practice what the Korean monks do. But surely, for say 5 out of the seven days of the week, it does make sense to follow the dietary habits of the Korean monks, in the name of a healthy lifestyle.

Amazing Indian Landscapes Part 5

This set is from a trip to Gujarat. We took an early morning Jet Airways ATR 72 flight to Bhavnagar (I always swoon over the matchless connectivity small towns in Gujarat have with Bombay!).

Daybreak at 39,000 feet, classically, would not qualify as a landscape. But I am still putting in photos of daybreak. as that sight was simply breathtaking.

Landing at Bhavnagar may seem quite uneventful, but there is a certain indescribable beauty of the meandering estuaries merging into the chocolaty ocean. The starkness of the salt pans is also something to be seen from above!

Amazing Indian Landscapes Part 4

The Monsoon is great time to be in India. The clouds create breathtaking masterpieces in the sky, that never cease to amaze me.

This set of photos is from a village nearly 30 kilometers out of Jodhpur city. Within a span of 20 minutes, a flotilla of dark clouds invaded the bright blue sky. It was a wondrous sight to see the rain actually move towards us. You can see that from the third photo.

Amazing Indian Landscapes Part 3

After hiatus of over a year, Amazing Indian Landscapes is back!!!

The landscapes series had come in two parts on August 17, 2009 and August 20, 2009.

This set of landscapes is from Tadipatri, in Ananthapur District of Andhra Pradesh. I had visited this place in August this year. The Monsoons were on and the place was in full bloom - green and breezy!

And I was trigger happy, with my 5MP Nokia camera!!!

The End of An Era!!!!

The writing had been on the wall for a few years now, we all knew it but never wanted to admit that it would come, come so fast.

But when I read the article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times, I knew that the time had come. The era of the Boeing 747, that began in 1970, was finally coming to an end.

The Los Angeles Times article spoke about how the first commercial Boeing 747, which was introduced by Pan Am for its trans-Atlantic routes (it is said that Pan Am's Juan Trippe wanted an aircraft with double the capacity of a Boeing 707 which prompted Boeing to develop the Jumbo!), was being junked in Seoul, South Korea and the strong emotions the demolition was generating.

My love affair with the Boeing 747 began at New Delhi's Palam airport way back in 1981, long before Terminal 2 was constructed.

We had gone to see off Papa. It was a summer evening and there stood a magnificent Air India Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, shining in the warm North Indian sun!

The glistening hump of the 747 will always remain an enduring image in my mind!

From then on, I always used to ask Papa and Mummy when we would travel in a 747.

As I grew older, my love affair with the 747 became even more intense.

I recall landing at Sahar, Bombay, in 1984, and seeing neatly parked 747s of Air India and Pan Am. The Air India 747s looked regal in their red liveries with magnificent palace motifs adorning the windows! Truly, they were "Palaces in the Sky", fit only for Maharajahs! The Pan Am 747s looked modern and very American with the blue livery and and the blue globe on the tail.

Years passed and I still did not get travel in a 747. I had to be satisfied with Boeing 707s, 727s, 737s, Airbus A300s, McDonnell Douglas DC 10s and Hawker Siddeley 748s.

During these years, I kept looking at airline advertisements in magazines proudly showing off their 747s in all their splendor and used to wonder when I would get to fly in the gentle jumbo of the skies.

During those years, Papa once got me an Air India ticket jacket (those were the days of paper ticket booklets, ticket jackets and sticker labels!), which had a full pic of a 747 on a runway. Nothing excited more than seeing a 747.

In 1985, we were flying out of Bombay. Because of a technical snag, our flight got delayed after we had boarded. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. When I woke, we were already airborne and Papa told me that there was an Air France 747 on the runway, which had passed us by and he had tried to wake me up but..... I was crestfallen and sullen for the rest of the flight as though I had been rejected by my first crush!

My next encounter with a 747 was at Lusaka International Airport in 1987 - as our DC 10 was throttling towards takeoff velocity, I saw a 747 of the now defunct French airline, Union des Transports Aériens parked at a remote bay. That was enough to intoxicate me for the rest of the flight to Bombay. And when we landed at Sahar, Bombay, I walked past our "Palace in the Sky" - Air India's 747s always made me proud!

I got my first real chance in 1998, when Papa and I flew from Bombay to Delhi in Air India's 747 red eye flight as I had to catch my MBA entrance interview in Delhi the next morning. As we moved towards the aerobridge, the sight of the classic hump excited me a lot! Yes, I had finally made it.

Years moved by. Countless journeys on the Airbus A320 ensued, and then I moved to Bombay in 2004.

Those days, Air India used to offer discounted fares on its red eye flights on Bombay - Delhi sector that suited my budget. And I was too happy to take those flights. Afterall, most of them were 747s. A 747 had always been there for me when I needed it the most. It took me home when Ammi was breathing her last few breaths, took me to meet Neeti the first time and for our engagement as well!

And nothing beats the sight of a 747 taking off and I cannot help but wonder how the hell can something as massive as this gentle beast lift off into the heavens!

And then about 2-3 years back, news came in that Air India was retiring the 747s from active service on premier routes, only to be used for VIP service or for Islamic pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia. The 747s were replaced by Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s in their fleet, but these aircraft certainly don't fit the "Palace in the Sky" description, for sure, though they maybe quieter and more efficient.

Air India is not alone - the world over, the 747 alongwith jetliners of its era are getting junked, for newer and quieter machines, that claim to be more economical! A slightly dated list on Wikipedia suggests this.

They say that the Airbus A380 is a worthy successor of the 747. To me, the A380 looks like nothing more than a fat sausage. It does not have the sexiness that the 747 did, the grandeur, the appeal that the 747 did. Who knows whether it would emerge as the queen of the skies or not.

Today as you roll down Bombay's 9-27 runway, you can see a couple of Air India 747s parked at the Kalina hangars, ready to be mothballed. It's sad to see them die that way.

Boeing, I am told, is developing a new generation 747-8 to succeed the 747-400 range. But sadly the passenger version got orders only from Lufthansa and Korean Airlines, though it may be a success in its freighter avataar.

And when I read this article in the Los Angeles Times, I knew that the era that Juan Trippe ushered into this world, which was brought to India by JRD Tata and Air India was ending!

I will always miss the heady feeling of sitting in a 747 and feeling its power. Adieu, may the Palace of the Skies rest in peace!

Did this Advertisement Foretell 9/11?

A few days back, my sister, Neelima, sent me an email forward which had a copy of an old advertisement, of Pakistan's flag carrier, PIA, from the 1970s.
The commercial advertised the shortest flight time to New York as 16 hours 30 minutes, via Orly, Paris. The advertisement showed the World Trade Center Twin Towers and the shadow of a distinguishable Boeing 747. Evidently, the Jumbo Jet was flying in to World Trade Center.
The email forward described the PIA advertisement as "visionary advertisement".
The email froward also quoted a media visionary, Marshall McLuhan, who apparently described advertising as the greatest art form of the 20th century. Though this is the first time I heard of Marshall McLuhan, I agree with him. Some advertising campaigns do fit that bill - the Amul Butter campaigns, since the mid-1970s, featuring the lovable Amul girl is a notable one.

Another notable campaign was Bobby Kooka's Air India Maharajah - a lovable, pot-bellied character with a handlebar moustache and a round turbaned head. The Maharajah defined Air India for decades with tongue in cheek campaigns showcasing their various destinations.
The email further went on to say that art at its most significant is a Distant Early Warning System that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen to it. That is a bit debatable.

Let's take the example of Bollywood. In the 1980s and till the mid-1990s, Bollywood was all blood and gore. But our society did not degenerate to those lows.
But for sure, the PIA advertisement did in a very significant way, foretell the future.

Oui, nous aimons la France!

This morning, I received a text message which joking said:

When asked why he is readily signing so many defence deals with Sarkozy,
Manmohan Singh replied "Have you seen the bomb he has brought with him. Agar
sample aisa hai to pura consignment kaisa hoga!!!"

While the joke on the Indo-French deals and Carla Bruni was funny, there are a few realities about France that makes it bit easier for others to depend on them.

France is an unusual Western nation with a mind of its own. France stood out alone among United States' prominent NATO allies that opposed the Bush wars for good reason. So much consternation was caused in the United States that french fries were rechristened Freedom Fries!

France was the lone Western nation which adopted a moderate line towards India's nuclear tests in 1998, while rest of the West bellicosely imposed sanctions on India. The French had been warm with India even when the chill of the Cold War froze the world.

People love to bash up France calling it an Islamophobe nation, but it has perhaps recognised the danger posed by militant versions of Islam and Sarkozy has sought to legislate an opening of the Islamic sections of French society, which has the potential to modernise and integrate them into the mainstream. No other Western power really had the balls to do this!!!

While France is indeed a bit rational in its use of power, it still has to be relevant in the emerging world order. And that is what brought President Nicholas Sarkozy to India, to do business, though he was quite a bit more suave than President Obama who declared that he would get 50,000 jobs from India!!!

I would not hesitate to say "Oui, nous aimons la France!"

Can the Leaks be Plugged?

Julian Assange has finally been arrested!
And the way Assange made power centers in the West tremble has broken quite a few myths.
The West has always claimed to champion the rights of people as a free society. The way the West responded to Assange's exposes on Wikileaks prove that the West is no better or no worse than say, a Chinese or Myanmarese government that would jail a dissident.
The West claims to have laws on detention and custody. But the way in which, or rather the "excuses" given before Assange was arrested simply show that the West only pays lip service to the values it extols.
I am not trying to suggest that Assange is a saint. Why could Wikileaks not expose the supposed power struggles in China, the transition in North Korea, the Russian "musical chairs" style of governance or nexus of the United States lobbies and the military industrial complex?

It appears Wikileaks was selective in its approach to leaks.
Frankly, the diplomatic cable leaks were no big deal. Any astute political observer would have always known what happens behind the scenes in diplomatic circles. The leaks were no grand surprise.
But Wikileaks so far never had anything on India, except for a copy of the very unsexy agreement that Kingfisher Airlines signed with Airbus SAS for acquisition of various Airbus aircraft. I am still waiting for a grand leak on Indian politicians, their scandalous affairs and their Swiss bank accounts!!!

Greed Couldn't Be Better!!!!

This may be the Year of the Tiger of Chinese, but for India, this is the Year of Scams, an annus horribilis of sorts!

First, we started off with Modigate, then Kalmadigate, then Rajagate, and then Adarshgate, and then Radiagate and now LICgate. Wait a second, am I losing count now?

I cannot imagine how we are getting through all this crap.

Rajagate for instance, we are told, cost our country Rs. 1,76,000,00,00,000/- - that's ten zeroes, a good Rs. 1.76 lakh crore.

Simple arithmetic will show up startling results. If indeed this amount of money was swindled in the scam, then the Raja has deprived each poor Praja family of approximately Rs. 20,000/-. And that's a hell lot of money for many.

This calculation assumes that the scam money were to be distributed among 30% of 1.2 billion people who are near about or below the poverty line. The broad numbers assume that each family would have about four members.

The Rs. 20,000/- per family could have had multiplier effects - each family could have opened some small form of enterprise - say a tea stall, a tyre repair shop, newspaper vending etc. bringing each family a steady stream of income. In all probability, this would have led to a better life for the marginalised sections.

I hold the Prime Minister and the First Family personally responsible for allowing all this under their noses. How was it that all this happened and despite their knowing it, they chose to ignore it? Were there more beneficiaries than we know of publicly?

Just as we were witnessing the curtain raiser of Rajagate, LICgate and Radiagate broke out.

It is common knowledge that corporates employ services of middlemen to pursue their business with public sector banks.

We all know that lobbyists, like Ms. Niira Radia, have always had a field day in Delhi. We all know that the media had always made themselves available to certain business and political interests, little wonder Radiagate revealed some names.

Was it that the unveiling of LICgate and Radiagate were diversionary tactics to suavely silence the rabble and the media? There is too much of a coincidence to all this.

Once the attention of the rabble has been diverted, the media silenced, the loot will be evenly divided. And tickets to Zurich will be in demand.

In March this year, I thought Greed was Good, but today, Greed Couldn't Be Better, couldn't be sexier!!!!

Indian Healthcare Needs to Mature, Fast!

That's the kind of call I always dreaded receiving.
A few days back, at about noon, just as we were relaxing for a lazy weekend ahead, I received a call that Neeti's Pa had suffered a major heart attack that morning.
I was shell shocked, it hit me hard. I thought "How could this happen to us?"
It was even more surprising because Papa was extremely conscious of his health and has been a stickler on having the right kind of diet.
Immediately we rushed to book tickets on the internet to be in Delhi with them. Despite all the progress we all claim to have made, connectivity in the country is still woeful and pathetic. The earliest flight we could get was at 6PM, a good 5 hours away. Those were a testing 5 hours!
We landed on time thankfully and proceeded straight to the hospital, reaching there at 9 PM. Neeti was quickly ushered in to meet Papa. She came out in 5 minutes and I was relieved to see the furrows on her forehead gone.
Papa was fine. He had just had a light dinner and was settling for the night with a slight pain from the procedures that had been done. We were assured by all that he was out of any kind of danger and the pendulum was fast returning to its mean position.
It was Mom's presence of mind that ensured that the situation remained under control. She rushed Papa to hospital within 30 minutes of the attack.
Neeti and I stayed back in the hospital at night. It was indeed shocking to see how tough it is for relatives of patients to manage. Having to make do with high handedness of hospital staff and attendants being forced to buy pricey food and beverages from the "official" cafeteria is really a pathetic experience.

While we were in the hospital, I observed quite a few Kashmiris, Afghans, Iranians, Africans and whites who had come to this hospital for treatment - I witnessed medical tourism, one of India's emerging industries, right in front of my eyes.

But I also wondered why Kashmiris were here for treatment? They claim to hate India, some want azaadi and some want to amalgamate with Pakistan. Doesn't Pakistan have hospitals, why can't they go there? Or is it that they want best of what India has to offer, but want to keep the rhetoric alive? Or are they plain hypocritical? If they hate India, they should not come here to Delhi to get treated, they should travel across the LOC instead.
Gradually, as Papa was recovering, the insurance claim process was initiated. I was pretty confident that since he was insured by a public sector insurance company, the claim process would be smooth. But I was informed by Neeti and my sister-in-law that the TPA, which was founded by one of India's leading insurance agents and connected to Bollywood's first families - one of yesteryears and the other today, was creating massive issues preventing a cashless settlement - all those excuses were made up. After each query was resolved a fresh one was made in quick succession making it apparent that those supposed to provide the suRaksha were doing the exact opposite. What is the point of having a cashless facility, when the family of the patient has to run around in virtual agony to get the claim process initiated?

Finally we had to concede - agree to not taking a cashless facility.

Clearly there is a case for IRDA to examine the (mal)practices the TPAs and insurers have been following for so long and give some respite to the hapless patients and families.

Frankly, it is a real pain to fall seriously ill in this country. First the hospitals and the doctors will fleece you, ensuring that the medical bills run in to pages, let alone ancillary charges. Then the insurer and the TPA will virtually make the relatives sick from stress.

In short, if you are in India, try to never fall sick, for if you do, your family will go through an ordeal of stress and anxiety that could bring them to a brink! For sure, our healthcare systems need to mature.

It's A Matter of Perspective

How much is enough? That is a question which is far too difficult to answer. At the end of the day, it is a matter of one's perspective.
We work hard for a good life, for that big, fat bonus at the end of the year. But while toiling for that, we end up losing peace of mind, health and valuable time with loved ones - we take our loved ones for granted, but lives are short..... Are our perspectives right?
And when I was thinking of all this, I received this email from my friend, Khuzem.
After a having few weeks of writer's block, this message below was appropriate to restart my blogging. Here goes.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the
country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be
considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what you learned from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have
walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect
them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all thank God for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have!

Opening Retail - The Multiplier Effect

Much had been spoken about the opening of the retail sector in India in the context of President Obama's recent visit of India.
There has been a lot of speculation on the opening of the sector and whether there has been a quid pro quo with the United States on doling out defence deals and broad agreements on geopolitical issues in return for India easing restrictions on entry of the so-called big retail.
I believe that is the case. Gradually, the controls will be eased, just as what happened in the insurance sector.
But opening of retail has been a political hot potato. The communists oppose it in the name of ideology while elements on the centre and right oppose it simply because the Marwaris and Banias form their support base and have always been a source of their funding. These communities have been in the trade for centuries.
Let's put it simply - there is a reluctance to challenge the present paradigm.
Big retail will seek to achieve economies of scale not only on the consumer end but also on the sourcing side. That would necessitate bulk sourcing which would also translate into some element of discounting for the end consumer.
In short, the consumer would benefit from the lower prices and also a wider range that the neighbourhood bania cannot offer.
Opening retail would bring with it a whole host of opportunities for the not so well educated youth. Organised retail will hire big time for logistics, sourcing, security and manning the stores. And the youth will have a grand opportunity to pick up some skills and who knows, some opportunities for entrepreneurship in the future.
Vendors will have an opportunity to directly sell to the retail chains bypassing middlemen.
Organised retail has to develop and evolve logistics solutions including cold chain solutions to ensure fresh produce reaches the markets. This would trigger the much n investments in logistics solutions, warehousing, transportation, repair and maintenance which would lead to entrepreneurship opportunities.
Clearly opening of retail has multiplier effects on the economy.
But does this mean that it would be the end of the road for small retail?
Certainly not!
Models of hub and spoke in retail trade, involving, say a Walmart and a network of neighbourhood retailers can be thought of. That way it is a win-win for all. Traditional retailers stay in business while Walmart increases its footprint.
In short, opening retail should not be a political hot potato. Instead, it would have multiplier effects on India's GDP, in the long term.

An "On Top Of The World" Break!

A week before Diwali, Neeti and I, took a much needed break from this mad-mad-mad Bombaypolis.
We packed our Dreamliner, headed out to Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar, 250 kilometers away, early that Saturday morning.
The drive was a breeze, the air crisp and refreshing, the 80s-music great, the mood, undoubtedly, on top of the world.
Some snapshots of the reprieve from the hypertension of Bombay are here for you to see.

There's always light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Amazing Banyans at Wai!

The final leg - getting a high!!!!

My idea of relaxation!

Magnificent Silver Oaks at the Prospect!

Strange ways of this world - A holiday for us means work for him.

And gently flows the Krishna!

A fiery sunset!

Our cottage!

The Sun plays hide and seek!

The Prospect stands tall, 98 years on!

Stand tall, stand firm!

Coffy for anyone?

Silence, despite the cacophony of the crickets!

Do 50,000 jobs today, matter?

This was so familiar.
During his visit to India, President Obama behaved like a super smart, manipulative college lass who uses the boys who swoon over her to her advantage, get them to do her homework, assignments, etc.
It is indeed true that Manmohan Singh swoons over America. Indians do admire the United States.
So his speech in the Central Hall of Parliament which was liberally peppered with references to our mythology, freedom struggle, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Chandni Chowk and a lot more was meant to sound like music to Indian ears.
The references to India's emergence as a great power were tailor-made to sweet talk India into doling out business deals.
That seems to have worked very well for Obama. Besides the deals signed by SpiceJet and Reliance Power, the press had been receiving selective leaks suggesting that POTUS' sales trip was immensely successful.
A blog on Indian defence, LiveFist, authored by a well-informed defence journalist, Shiv Aroor, recently reported that the Indian Air Force is buying an additional six C130J Super Hercules transport aircraft.
Instead of the publicly announced order for 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, the Indian Air Force may just end up ordering 17. Similarly, the Indian Navy could order a few more Boeing P-8I Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
The bottomline is that we have gifted the United States over 50,000 jobs. The salesman-in-chief, POTUS, would now expect a reasonable bonus, read: a re-election!
But 50,000 jobs do not matter for India, neither do 100,000 jobs, or for that matter 1,000,000 jobs.
What matters is whether we are able to extract the right leverage from the United States.
It is certainly true that Obama's long-winded sales spiel in Parliament does not mean anything for India. We do not need his stamp of approval to get into the United Nations Security Council. We cannot rely on the United States to solve our regional security issues, afterall the United States is no headmaster to punish an errant Pakistan. It's our job to teach the Pakistanis a lesson.
How we would get the right leverage in the United States is clear. The United States has been asking Indian corporates for investment, which was explicit in the recent visit of President Obama.

It would not matter much for India if Mr. Ratan Tata would get Jaguar Land Rover to set up a plant in Detroit or Mr. Mukesh Ambani setting up a refinery on the Gulf of Mexico.
Increased corporate investments would lead to increased transfer of technology and know how. That also has an unintended but useful consequence in the form of penetration of lobbies in Washington. Undoubtedly lobbies help, Israel has shown that well. That is the leverage we need - the ability to influence policy when so desired. That should be the strategic objective.
That means we are in it for the long haul. So 50,000 or 100,000 or even 1,000,000 jobs do not, do not matter at all in the immediate future.

Salesman of the Year - POTUS!

The POTUS landed here today. And the POTUS came along with the FLOTUS.

I am not talking about any spacecraft. I am talking about the President of the United States and the First Lady of the United States.

Just before 1 PM, the Air Force One touched down at CSI Airport, with the salesman of the year, Barack Obama.

It appears after the Republican Tea Party routed him in the American mid-terms, he has no option but to show some action.

What better way than to fly down to the new El Dorado, India, selling his wares and contemplate the defeat by the Tea Party over a warm cup of tea at the Taj Mahal Hotel! (The Taj does serve very good tea, my personal favourite is Assam tea, though, I am told Darjeeling is equally good!)

Let's accept it, that the American economy is on a downslide. That's what cost him a mid-term.

Today, Obama has no option but to become a roving salesman for America Inc.

He does not love India the way Dubya Bush did (that was a mutual love affair!!! I miss Dubya a lot when it comes to United States - India relations!), but it is money, it is business that speaks.

China will not import volumes from the United States. Europe is half-dead economically. The rest of the word has insignificantly small long term potential. That leaves only India in the reckoning. If business with India increases, so will jobs in the United States. That is what forces him lift curbs on transfer of dual-use technologies to India. That's what prompts him to make a pitch for hi-tech exports, nuclear technology, defence deals, aircrafts and you name it, its on sale!!!

It is a game, we need to play it well to get the best from the United States. We have to make the United States dependent on exports to India to force them into a strategic partnership, that helps us stand up as a counterweight to China's quest for dominance in Asia as well as quelling Islamic extremism.

POTUS' visit rings a bell - remember when Bill Clinton was forced to write back sanctions on China for economic reasons?

So far, salesman POTUS has done a decent job, now it is turn. But without doubt, POTUS is the salesman of the year, he wins the award hands down.

Bombaypolis Moments.... Part 10

A view of Worli from Bandra Reclamation!!!

Sunset at Carter Road!

A lovely view, at Carter Road!

The stray chills out at Carter Road!

My doctor's calender says it so rightly!

"Oops, I just pee'd!!!"

Lokhandwala Pizza Hut doesn't even a proper complaint book. Yum! seems to have awful standards in India!

Terminal 1C at CSIA is breezily smooth! Imagine how a little common sense made all flights take off on time!

A rain-kissed view of Juhu beach...

This is the best view of the Monsoons - bright, vibrant colours, with dark clouds adorning the horizon!