MUMBAI TRAVELS: The Mumbai Traders

One of the most fascinating sight in any city would be the road side traders. Some how they add colour to any city any time. 

On my recent visit to Mumbai, I had the opportunity to click a few amazing shots that depicts the life of the street vendors. From the "Idli" (steamed rice cake) wallah at India Gate to "Moongafalle" (ground nut) seller at Juhu Beach, they all add charm to the glamorous Mumbai.

Mumbai or Bombay as it is formerly known, is well known globally for Bollywood, and from the commercial perspective it is the business capital of India.

But beyond that its these little traders that are the life blood of  Mumbai who serve  Mumbaikaars, day in day out. This is would be a humble tribute to the contribution of the street vendors to the city of Mumbai. 

The Convenience Store, watch out SevenEleven

Pickled Fruit Anyone?

Mobile "Idli" Wallah

Sweet Meats, freshly made, and Coke to down it with.

The Haji Ali Dargah pathway.

How can you miss the Haji Ali Juices or their Falooda!!!

Mammoth Dosa Display

Dosa on the Go....

A hot afternoon at Kamala Nehru Park, Malabar Hills

If you can't trust your barber who can you trust.

Must be checking on the Commodities Market

Laundry, the never ending story......

Just about everything on paper.....

He who controls the spice, controls the world.

Live Life with a little Spice

Variety is the Spice of Life

Where There's Tea There's Hope

Bajji Fry

Where's The Boss?

 

I Need Some Vitamin SEA

I Give Boring People Something To Discuss Over Corn

The Man With a Mission

"In this city, every deserted street corner conceals a crowd. It appears in a minute when something disrupts the way in which the world is suppose to work. It can disappear almost as instantaneously."   - Jerry Pinto (Mumbai based writer and a Poet)

Ravi Varmman

20 March 2018

MUMBAI TRAVELS: KHOTACHIWADI An architecture that paints a thousand stories.

Found this little gem hidden in the district Kamathipura in a village called  Girgaon (not Gurgoun) right smack in Mumbai.

Actually when I stepped into this colony I just felt like I was transported to Goa. One is welcomed by Portuguese styled homes with a cute chapel right smack on on your path. My wife Greeja and I went there almost about 11.00am and were greeted with the fragrance of fish curry coming from one of the houses. Residence of this colony were friendly and greeted us with smiles around. 

This enclave currently houses Catholics, of both Maharashtrians and East Indians. Originally this settlement was inhabited by local fisherfolks, Portuguese migrant from Goa, East India company's immigrants. 

The village apparently was founded in the 18th century when a local resident called Dadoma Waman Khot leased this piece of land to a group of East Indian Christian families. Originally there had 65 homes but now it has dwindled to 27 only. 

Kothachiwadi can been loosely translated as "The Garden of Khot," and was officially adapted by the community in 1880 in honour of Dadoma Wan Khot (who incidentally is a Brahmin).

Th wooden houses typically has Portuguese styled architecture, where it has large open front porch, a back courtyard and very uniquely external stairs leading to top floors. The original wood were imported fro Burma. The walls were made of limestone and sand.

The origins of this settlement was based on the concept of "Gavthan" meaning a self sustaining village, where this hamlet had it's own onion cultivation (Khandivadi), Mango farm (Ambevadi) and jackfruit farm (Phanasvadi). This agrarian community did not only sustain Kothachiwadi at one time but also provided for the district of Girgoun.

The Chapel was constructed in 1899, as a part of the community's thanks giving aftermath the plague where this community was spared to a larger extent.  

One of the famous sons of Kothachiwadi is fashion designer James Ferreiera, who has been instrumental in setting up the Kothachiwadi Welfare and Heritage Trust (KWHT), which have been striving very hard to preserve this enclave from development.

Development is every where, how long will this little treasure will withstand the onslaught is anybody's guess. For now KWHT is fighting hard with both residence as well as developers to protect this little piece of heritage that has stood against time.

So next time in Mumbai, head to South Mumbai, Kothachiwadi, to experience a different cultural experience.

Ravi Varmman
26 February 2018

2018, ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL IN THE JOURNEY CALL LIFE

I am not sure why everyone celebrate the beginning of a New Year. Is it because the previous year brought them great Joy that they want to have another year of greater Joy, or is it because that year was full of misery that they hope the New Year would bring them out of it, or is because celebrating the New Year has been a norm year after year that everyone just follows it like herd.

If it is about hope, then every waking day should be an impetus for a new beginning. One does not have to wait for one whole year to end before making resolutions for a new beginning. 

The Human rush seems to overwhelm life itself. Everyone is preoccupied with chasing something, to a point that many have forgotten how freshly cut grass smells, or even what colours that a Rajah Brooke butterfly have, and the list may go on. 

Life passes day by  day in a self centred cocoon, neither giving a chance for wrinkle to come due to mirth and laughter  nor having any empathy that something is actually wrong with the state of Denmark.

Sad it may seem but when that one day comes, when reflection is forced upon, alas it may be too late to realize that the path taken was a one way ticket and no backtracking is allowed, but the journey continues. Any changes has to come in the forthcoming travel, any changes has to be for the future and not about the past. Mind and body are wonderful things, both matures with different outcomes. Hence as one ages the equanimity between them goes of tangent, which makes change even more perilous.

Just thinking of the poem by Rabindranath Tagore,

Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. 

This poem though was written in Bengali in 1910 (an English translation ensued in 1912) , it was one of the many that inspired the independence movement in India, nevertheless it still pulses meaningfully today. 

So what am I doing now, well its 12.16am, right after this I am going to make fruit jelly for New  Year, and then going to catch some sleep, before waking up in the morning to make  onion sambol (condiment) which accompanies kiribath (milk rice) which Greeja will be preparing. The fragrance of coconut milk, pandan leaves (screwpine) and rice, boiling on the cooker is something that reminds me of how wonderful life is. 

For now I am toasting to an old Irish proverb that goes like this, "What Whiskey Will Not Cure, There is No Cure," Cheers To Jameson and CHEERS To ALL.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.

ravivarmmankanniappan
@123001012018 

caption courtesy:anonymous.  

GURU, TEACHER, SIFU, an Educator by any other name would ................

Lord Dhakshinamoorthy is an epitome that represents the ultimate Guru (Teacher) from the perspective of Siddha/Vedic philosophy. 

Even he in the Skanda Puranam had to bow down to his son Murugan when the latter was giving an explanation on the meaning of Pranava Manthiram (AUM). 

The philosophy behind this story signifies that the role of Guru (Teacher) and Disciple (student) is not only symbiotic but it also interchangeable. Regardless of age a student has to have humility in learning and at the same time a teacher should treat all students the same in sharing knowledge. 

Robert Evans (producer of Godfather), said, "There three sides to every story; your side, my side and the truth. And no one is lying, Memories Shared serve each differently." Educators are known to have the biggest ego. Well that is an understandable outcome, when one has mastered his/her area of expertise, and begins to believe that they are invincible. 

But sometimes this elevated feeling can detach the teacher from grounded footing and drift him/her far from reality. So a reality check is essential to progress further. 

There is a Tamil proverb that goes like this, "what is learned is the size of a palm, but what we have not learned is the size of an ocean." The "Maya" called "Arrogance" can be the biggest deterrent in the pursuit to achieve intellectual liberation.

  Shiva Cosmic Dance

by AV Elango

The abstract illustration above of Shiva Thaandavam (Cosmic Dance of Shiva) explores the exponential probability of knowledge, hence it symbolizes the vastness of knowledge that can be explored for the curious mind.

Analogizing from the Cosmic dance, teachers should be open minded to go beyond the known, and in turn inspire their students to be articulate and instill independent thinking. The greatest service a teacher could do is not to give the student a fish nor to teach the student how to fish but give him/her the faculty to think that fish can be bred, and in all conditions too. 

We are at the crossroads where repetitive actions are programmable and can be automated. Today technology is moving towards creating artificial intelligence, a step closer to make human thinking redundant. 

So as teachers we are no longer going to compete with fellow brethren's but also with the artificial kind as well. Therefore our task as educators has upped multi fold to create a versatile and dynamic thinking students who would be capable in creating a sustainable eco-system, that will preserve and perpetuate all living being.

The road ahead will be challenging, but as teachers I believe we have weathered many, but by making that small ripple, definitely, we can create a tsunami that can make the difference. 

So lets STRIVE for a better tomorrow, and for now lets bask in GLORY and CELEBRATE, that one (or many) thank you note you received from your student, whom you have made the DIFFERENCE.

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY.

GURU, TEACHER, SIFU, an Educator by any other name would ......................(fill in your own experience)

Ravi Varmman

16 May 2017.

WESAK GREETINGS

Today signifies the birth, enlightenment and death of one of the greatest GURU, who's teaching prescribed to ones conduct. 

Moving away from worship based salvation, Sidhartha's spiritual journey brought him to conclude that ones 'just' conduct would determine his/her salvation within.

So what do we mean by just conduct? To that the Gita says, "Do everything you have to do, but not with greed, not with ego, not with lust, not with envy, but with love, compassion, humility and devotion." Devotion here refers to committing with whole heart and effort and not to be mistaken for it's literal meaning. 

But isn't all these obvious as part of an evolved human socio-psychological construct? However what ought to be and and what it seems to be, are poles apart. I guess we all know what we need to do. to create a just society, but we stop short from executing it because the "maya" of self centredness envelopes our thoughts and actions.

We are so caught up with day to day survival that we fail to live. When personal conduct is governed by actions needed to survive, opportune to stray may not even be seen as a moral issue.

So a day like Wesak, should be an avenue to jolt our existence to remind us of the "maya" that has drifted humanity apart.

Sidhartha journeyed to decipher the dotted line between birth and death, and he discovered the truth of living, he says, "No one saves us but ourselves,  No one can and no one may, We ourselves must walk the path." 

So on this auspicious day, whilst wishing each other, and singing praises of  the Buddha, I believe a little reflection on our thoughts and actions would definitely pave the way to create a just society as epitomized by Ambedhkar, "A just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence and descending sense of contempt is dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society."

Ravi Varmman
10 May 2017

FREEDOM I

"Freedom is the highest law and the last Consummation." - Swami Aurobindo.

Interesting perspective on human existence, a statement that resonates the very survival of the human race. Does freedom give one the right to encroach on another to fulfill ones own freedom. 

The poem below by Nelson Mandela, captures the dilemma.

I have walked that long road to freedom;

I have tried not to falter;

I have made missteps along the way.

But I have discovered the secret

that after climbing a great hill,

one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

I have taken a moment here to rest,

to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me,

to look back at the distance I have come.

But I can rest only for a moment

for with freedom come responsibilities,

And I dare not linger

for my long walk is not yet ended. 

It took Mandela a 27 years of patience, to realize the freedom for South Africa, and in the poem above however, he has admitted that in the process of not wanting to falter, he had missteps too. 

It is only human nature to exhibit egoism for survival. In the case of Mandela, his socio-political enlightenment, coupled with inward reflection of his own existence, could have redefined his quest for freedom for South Africa thereafter.

The 3rd Mauryan King,  Ashoka, who perpetrated one of the bloodiest war ever recorded in India, against the Kalingan Kingdom India, in 261BCE, saw the King reflecting on his own action upon his conquest. Until up to that point in time the focus of his governance was efficiency, thus non compliance from existing and new subjects were not tolerated. His contemplation saw the transformation from Ashoka the usurper to Ashoka the bestower. Nobody would ever know Ashoka's motive but the legacy he left behind as a bestower tend to overshadow his earlier despotism. The liberation that ensued must have left deep impression on the psyche of the people to the point that history today glorifies him as Ashoka the Great.

Both the characters above have shown extraordinary leadership and left the most profound mark on human history which hinges on one basic human need ie. Freedom, one as the Oppressor and the other as the Oppressed. But interestingly both met their equilibrium point which resulted in giving us the meaning of Freedom and Liberty.

However, Freedom today has also become a burden to many.

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of political ideology, etc.....etc.....etc..... the list goes on. But the complexity of human interlocking owing to demographic mobility has created multiple overlaps of ideagogue hence the "Clash of Freedom."

To add to this dubiety the entry of neo-liberalism credited mostly to Hayek and later Friedman, further encroached into the morality of "Freedom" under the guise of consumerism. Thatcher and Reagan in the 80's, basically, I believe had institutionalized it not only via governance but also deeply imprinted it in the minds of an entire generations after that. Corporations today hold monopoly to what was once governed by public accountability. So it is now lamented that the economic circumstances of an individual is a matter of choice, for which the choice is an endless cycle of disparity with no hope of "liberation" for the weaker. The system somehow has no room for inefficiency and thus tardiness is pushed out of the ecosystem. With diminishing 'social safety net' and a compromised 'invisible hand', the disparity between haves and have not's becomes wider, thus the appositeness of freedom becomes grey.

Hence in reality Freedom seems ALWAYS to be a privilege of a few, whereby the degree and type of freedom granted is in the hands of that few.

So FREEDOM appears to be not a birth right but rather a conditional enigma.

Abraham Lincoln proclaimed emancipation to end slavery 1863, but racial bigotry still rears its ugly head, as witnessed in the recent Dallas shooting.

The independence of India saw freedom from colonial rule but suffered a bitter partition owing to religious and ethnic enslavement, which still plagues the divided countries.

And today the latest buzz, Brexit also reeks of issues pertaining to encroachment of freedom of choice.

Has civil liberty lost its relevance, succumbing to a consumerist world?

No matter how mild or intense it may appear, FREEDOM seems an UTOPIA that had survived to date because of a single fundamental nature of mankind........ the prescription towards HOPE.

With another year approaching, I leave it to you to contemplate and seek reconciliation within you to define what FREEDOM means to you.

Om Tat Sat.

Ravi Varmman Kanniappan
28 December 2016

 

              

  

MOTHER o' MINE

If I were hanged on the highest hill,

Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

I know whose love would follow me still,

Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!


If I were drowned in the deepest sea,

Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

I know whose tears would come down to me,

Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!


If I were damned of body and soul,

I know whose prayers would make me whole,

Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

by

RUDYARD KIPLING

MOTHER'S DAY, has become one of the many DAY's that has been commercially exploited today. But on the hind side, perhaps it is not a bad thing after all.

Like many other things in life, like the air we breathe, the water we drink, society has taken relationships for granted as well. In this instance MOTHERS.

Many are privileged to have mothers who are socially and financially emancipated, but many more have mothers who had to struggle the wretched path to put a meal on the table so that their underling would have a decent life.

These many underlings, would have a made GREAT life for themselves now, but the foundation was definitely laid by the nurturing of their MOTHERS. Many of these successful underlings adopt their mothers sacrifices as their own inspiration to succeed, but then many more have conveniently forgotten their past and and have become entrapped in the rat rat race. 

But for MOTHER'S the only solace and contentment comes from the bond of LOVE that was established since conception.

Perhaps MOTHERS DAY is a good reminder for everyone to reflect on that BOND of LOVE which is within everyone but momentarily got overshadowed by our own worldly pursuits.

So lets REFLECT, REKINDLE AND CELEBRATE TO THE WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL FOR OUR EXISTENCE.

The poem above by Kipling says it all as it is.

Dedicated to all the SINGLE MOTHERS.

ravivarmman08052016