Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Nile vs. Brahmaputra....

Now for a confession...an honest one at that...no sour grapes here...
The River Nile ( or as its pronounced in Arabic, the Neel ) is not that great really. The Brahmaputra has far more character and is more majestic....any day!!!

Trip to Cairo.....

I took a train to Cairo early morning on Sunday. We were four of us. The journey was smooth and we reached Cairo within 3 hours. Once there, my colleague, S's cousin was there to recieve us at the station.We took a taxi and thats when we got a real taste of Cairo. Its like any other metropolis ....with horrible traffic snarls. The taxi driver convinced us to visit a certain New Garden Palace Hotel , waxing eloquently about its various facilities!!! The location of the hotel was without doubt impressive...it was amidst the big names in the Hotel Industry....the Hilton, the Grand Hyatt, the Four Seasons as well as the British, Nigerian and the American Embassies, near the River Nile. After driving through the rather posh streets, we came across a neon sign on a ramshackle building proudly displaying the name "New Garden Palace Hotel". The foyer looked pretty neat but with an eerie blue hue. Anyway, the taxi ride was long and we were quite tired by then. So we decided to have a look at the rooms. We were given the option of either taking a 4 bedded room or two double rooms in the 5th and 8th floor respectively. So we boarded the elevator and never in my entire life been in such a rickety old elevator. It was just a boxand there was a gap between the door and the box (it was just a box!!!), so if you looked down through the gap ,you could see the empty space and I always got the dreadful feeling that the elevator would plummet and that would be the end of my trip to Egypt!!!

Anyway, to cut the long story short, after the horrid experience in the elevator, the rooms were no better. So we decided on the 4 bedded room on the 5th floor. There was a funny odour in the room and things in the room looked ancient but at 70 Egyptian pounds per person (including breakfast), thats roughly $ 13, in a peak tourist season, we decided to take it.

So we booked the room and visited the bookshop in the American University. The University campus looked anywhere other than Egypt. The students were a cosmopolitan lot and very fashionable, no head scarf, no burqa....... normal teens with a strong American accent. Probably most of the children of the elite in Egypt as well as the Diplomats stationed there, frequented this University. It was quite an expensive institution, annual fees totalled $ 12,000. The bookshop had a good collection but they didn't have too many books on Gender Studies. I got an edited book on Political Islam by John Esposito, an edited book on Gender and Development Thought by Naila Kabeer and a book on the Status of Women In Islam by a scholar from Bangladesh. The books were quite expensive especially since most of them were published by foreign publishing houses.

After our work was over, we visited a souvenir market in the Al Azhar square. Picked up some curios but it was like Janpath in New Delhi. The prices were steep and it is a touristy place. Bus loads of people from all over the world visit that place everyday, during the tourist season. Like India, Egyptian markets are bright and very colourful. Lots of foreign tourists had bought portable sheeshas to take back home. Anyway, it was evening by the time we had lunch....the food was very good........and by that time all we wanted to go back to our rooms.

******************

The next day (thats yesterday), we went to a bookshop that sold French books...as two of my colleagues wanted books in French. Since we had some time in our hands, we visited the Al Azhar University. The University has two campuses: the old campus is adjacent to the mosque and the new campus is in the suburbs. We wanted to visit the Department of Islamic studies there but we couldn't meet anyone. The language barrier was a big problem ....they mistook us for foreign students seeking admission. Anyway, we visited the old campus and the UNESCO Identity did the trick and we could finally meet a few lecturers there, but even they spoke Arabic. Both the campuses are beautiful.....wide green spaces, palm trees and flowers, but photography is banned. There were lots of Asian students..... mostly from Malaysia and Indonesia.

On our way to the mosque, I saw what looked like the ramparts of an old settlement on either side of the road. It resembled the ruins of an old settlement.....just the walls...with windows....but no roofs. When i made some enquiries, i was told that they were not old settlements, but cemeteries. Each family had a house, where they buried their dead. Probably they built it like a house to provide the departed souls with a homely feeling....i don't know...it is very fascinating!!!

Yesterday , I also had the opportunity to visit the Al Azhar Mosque...women are allowed inside...provided they wear a scarf. Its a beautiful mosque and the atmosphere is very serene. It was my first time in a mosque and I loved it. We also visted the inner sanctum housing the tomb of the Caliph Al Azhar.

In the evening, we took a shared minivan back to Alexandria. On the whole, the Cairo trip was fruitful. Its a cosmopolitan environment but it has all the trappings of a big metropolis...its noisy, congested and dirty. Alexandria, on the other hand, has a lovely climate...thanks to the sea. It is also less crowded. I am glad I am back in Alexandria.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Observations....

In all the interactions I have had with the men here, there is an overarching preoccupation with marriage. Everywhere I have been so far, the men, have without fail posed me the question "you married?" Yesterday, was the heights. I had gone to a local bazaar near the makhtaba to buy some stuff with my friend.So there was this young fella...a shopkeeper who asked me where I was from and if i was married...when i replied in the negative, he asked me "You marry me?" in a manner that could be construed as part joke-part serious.....I was quite taken aback...but like all things in Egypt...i just laughed it off saying vociferously " la, la" (thats No in Arabic ).

Then another incident was in one of the many branches of the passport office ....I was in the office and there were this particular gentleman who was asking me questions about India...population, religion, general stuff...he couldn't speak english properly...but he was in charge of approving my residence permit. So i went along with the conversation. Then we were suddenly talking about India being a big country with a large population ...and then he asked "you married?". We were discussing population disparity ...about how families in the villages have large families and urban populace prefer more compact families. So this man probably gets ideas in his head. He then went a step further and asked if I were to be married, how many children would i prefer. Man that question really caught me off guard...as if my answer had any bearing at all on my residency permit.

When i mention an overarching preoccupation with marriage, its not so much the marriage that they are obsessed with. It is women and sex. The reason why they ask about marriage is because, for them its haram to have a liason with a married lady. So the proverbial bakra is the unmarried women. The problem is deep rooted in the society...its a cultural thing for them.

So its all right to kiss and hug someone from the same sex, but not the opposite sex!!! That would be a shameful thing to do. But if you watch the cable channels, there is skin everywhere, music videos ( arabic and western and Indian too)!!! Can you imagine a rap video in Arabic...which is a wannabe-western type..so the guy tries to look like a clone of enrique iglesias, with a constipated look on his face and the women are no better than some of the girls in our very own punjabi videos, but obviously failing miserably to convey the image !!! I am not saying skin show should not be there...but the contradictions are just too apparent. The media is all prevalent and it enters the living room of every household and then the women are expected to dress in a particular way and men and women are supposed to interact in a particular way...so its really strange u know...

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Sunday, September 10, 2006

"Trouble" by Ray Lamontagne...

Sometimes you listen to something and you take an instant liking towards it. The song "Trouble' by Ray Lamontagne is one such song. I first heard it on the radio during my vacations and i loved it. Its probably the melancholy , the pain or just an honest expression of one's emotions that come across so vividly that captured my attention. Beautiful!!!!

The lyrics of the song "Trouble" by Ray Lamontagne....

TroubleTrouble...
Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble
Trouble been doggin' my soul since the day I was born
Worry...Worry, worry, worry, worry
Worry just will not seem to leave my mind alone
We'll I've been...saved by a woman
I've been...saved by a womanI've been...saved by a woman
She won't let me go
She won't let me go now
She won't let me go
She won't let me go now

Trouble...
Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble
Feels like every time I get back on my feet she come around and knock me down again
Worry...
Oh, worry, worry, worry, worry
Sometimes I swear it feels like this worry is my only friend

We'll I've been saved...by a woman
I've been saved...by a woman
I've been saved...by a woman

She won't let me go
She won't let me go now
She won't let me go
She won't let me go now

Oh..., Ahhhh....Ohhhh

She good to me now
She gave me love and affection
She good tell me now
She gave me love and affection
I Said I love her
Yes I love her
I said I love her
I said I love...

She good to me now
She's good to me
She's good to me

**Its worth it.....try and get hold of the song.
*** His official website http://www.raylamontagne.com/

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For an everlasting freshness....the theme song of the sitcom Friends by The Rembrandts:


I'll Be There For You

So no one told you life was gonna be this way [four claps]
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.

It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but


CHORUS

I'll be there for you(When the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you(Like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you('Cause you're there for me too)

You're still in bed at ten and work began at eight
You've burned your breakfast so far, things are going great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these
But she didn't tell when the world has brought you down to your knees


CHORUS
No one could ever know me, no one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with
Someone I'll always laugh with
Even at my worst, I'm best with youYeah!

It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but
CHORUS
**********

And another song that reminds me of the times in the past.....

California Dreamin' (by America)

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I went for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.

California dreamin'
On such a winter's day

I stopped into a church (stopped into a church)
I passed along the way (passed along the way)
You know, I got down on my knees (got down on my knees)
And I pretend to pray (I pretend to pray)

Oh, the preacher likes the cold (preacher likes the cold)
He knows I'm gonna stay (knows I'm gonna stay)

Oh, California dreamin' (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day

All the leaves are brown (the leaves are brown)
And the sky is grey (and the sky is grey)
I went for a walk (I went for a walk)
On a winter's day (on a winter's day)

If I didn't tell her (if I didn't tell her)
I could leave today (I could leave today)

Oh, California dreamin' (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day (California dreamin')

On such a winter's day (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day

Thursday, September 07, 2006

A Proud Moment for Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

The following is the text of the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh's speech in the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Lady Shri Ram College (my alma mater).


Check the link below....
http://indiaenews.com/2006-08/20587-text-pms-lsr-college.htm

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim.....

The phrase "Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim" has always captivated me. Since i flew Kuwait Airways to Alexandria a few days ago, i got to hear this phrase quite a few times just before take off. Wanting to know more about it, i did a google search. In a nutshell, this phrase can be best described as "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate."

One can check the following link for a better understanding of the terms:

http://wahiduddin.net/words/bismillah.htm

Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim.....

The phrase "Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim" has always captivated me. Since i flew Kuwait Airways to Alexandria a few days ago, i got to hear this phrase quite a few times just before take off. Wanting to know more about it, i did a google search. In a nutshell, this phrase can be best described as "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate."

One can check the following link for a better understanding of the terms:

http://wahiduddin.net/words/bismillah.htm

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Picking up some words in Arabic....

Trying to pick up some Arabic along the way. The Library is called a 'Makhtaba', Tea is Shai (not difficult at all), Pineapple is Ananas, Carrot is Gazar, Coffee is Ahwa, Sugar is Sukar, Finish is Khalas (like Khallas)!!!! So its not difficult...pretty similar to Hindi...similar parent language i guess!!!

A view of the Mediterranean Sea from Bibilotheca Alexandrina...

Bibliotheca Alexandrina.....Inside the Library...