Noise and Elections

 The brouhaha over elections in some Indian states is almost over. The counting is on May 4th, a big day for individual contenders and the Parties in the fray. So who will celebrate with a party on that day?

I don't have any guesses, because the Indian voter throws up surprises quite often. What now seems like a pattern, is that Southern States will vote a regional party, but I have no idea what Bengal will do.

But whoever wins, the lot of the common man seems to change very little. Jobs are probably stagnant, and so are wages at the bottom of the (large) pyramid. So what will anyone in that position gain from whoever comes to power is a moot point.

The elite usually continue to flourish, no matter who wins. The era of big ticket reforms kicked off in 1991 is almost over, and India will continue growing at 5-7 percent, due to its large population, as a whole. How that translates into the well-being of different segments is what really matters. 

North East

 For me, this includes North and East, not just North-East. So many of my student friends are from these two regions, that I feel completely integrated. Particularly from Kolkata, Odisha, Bihar, and U.P. (Lucknow, Ghaziabad included), and M.P. (Jabalpur, Bhopal, Indore in particular), and of course, Delhi, Jaipur and so on, I can count hundreds of students/alumni.

There are some characteristics that are unique to various parts of India. East and North also have some distinctive ones. Outgoing, respectful to elders, and generous, is what I found Northerners to be. Slightly more reserved, well-read and even more respectful to teachers and elders are what Easterners typically are.

Since I grew up in the South and had relatives in the Mumbai-Pune region because of our roots, my first interaction with the North happened in 1984, when I went to work in Delhi at Living Media. A colleague in IIM Lucknow later told me a joke in which a passenger travels from Delhi to Kolkata in a train, that has him asking somebody to do something, and the answers he gets in various places range from Haan, ho jayega, ..to 'Cholbey na..' 

Anyway, our diversity is amazing, and I have found nice people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (yes, I have had students from Kashmir too, in two B schools, and I visited Srinagar as a tourist and stayed on the Dal Lake in a houseboat long ago). Cheers to all Indians, from everywhere.

Places That I Remember Visiting

 Some unusual places first.

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, where 4 Presidential faces are carved into a mountain, in the U.S.. 

Kodikkarai, on the east coast of Tamilnadu, a nice drive from the deep.

Daman, on the West Coast, a tipplers' delight for those from the Dry state of Gujarat. Daman is a Union Territory which does not have Prohibition.

Tirunelveli, in the deep South again, known for its halwa- a gooey, colourful sweet that is made really well. Calicut also made something similar, I remember.

Chilika Lake, in Orissa/Odisha, that I visited in 1991, with a friend. The waters were choppy, and our boat was not confidence-inspiring.

Pulicat Lake (another Salt Water lake) and the Dutch Cemetery. The Cemetery is badly kept, but worth a visit. The lake, even more worthy of a visit and a boat ride. Near Chennai.

Ethipothala waterfall is near Nagarjuna Sagar dam in Telangana, and the waterfall is visible from a tourist cottage set up opposite.

Jog Falls, Karnataka. Majestic in the rainy season. Climbed down to the base a couple of times..it's a steep climb back.

Gone Mad-the Brand

 There is this brand called Gone Mad. It has a cream wafer stick wrapped in a Rs. 5 singles pack (different flavours) and sold in a carton (below). Made by Garuda Foods, an Indonesian-Indian joint venture, they have distribution in a few Southern states and Maharashtra.

Wondering if anyone has eaten it, because I am involved in writing a case study on the brand launch. If you can, please do share your thoughts about it.

Tamilnadu Diaries

This is a brief travelogue of recent forays we made into the deep end of eastern Tamilnadu. On the way back from a golfing trip to Kodaikanal, we decided to be adventurous and ventured into the area near Vedaranyam, and the tip of the sea nearby at Kodikkarai (pic 2 with me and the boat). Sri Lanka is easily accessible from there. The Tamilnadu government wants to turn the area into an ecotourism destination, as there are forests with animals and birds in and around. Vedaranyam is also a big salt-producing area, with around 5 lakh tonnes of the stuff being produced in a year.

Our route took us from Kodaikanal through Madurai, and after a lunch halt at Mellur (pic no. 1- Biryani in what is called a military hotel in those parts), through Pudukottai,

Pattukottai, , Muthupetta to Vedaranyam and on to Kodikkarai by the sea. Got there just in time for a breezy sunset. We took another route to reach Trichy, our night halt, by way of Mannargudi, and Thanjavur.

Next morning, after a stay at Trichy, we drove back to Chennai via Mahabalipuram (last two pics) via the East Coast Road, and spent some time at the beach near the famous Shore temple. The ECR is a picturesque driving alternative to the regular highway. We also partook of the Kumbhakonam brand of Filter coffee which dots the highway.

The first pic features my colleagues and golf partners Ravi Gadgil (he is also in no.3) and Vijayakumar, from IMT Nagpur.