Back to Blogging

How many times in PR presentations have I quoted the statistic that the average life of a blog is one day? Well, at least my initial foray into the blogging arena lasted a little longer - one month, to be precise. Perhaps it's a testament to the wonderfully packed schedule that Tom and I enjoy here in India, or maybe it's a sign that I am spending way too much time in the car getting from A to B and drinking too much Sula Sparkling Wine to really put my time to good use? Either way, I am committing to try and maintain some semblance of regularity on the blog front so that at least I can remember what our time here was like. Since last blogging in April, just after Raj Kumar's sad demise, we have experienced many amazing things which I will write up in due course. But as an overview: together, Tom and I have spent many wonderful hours on (and off) horseback, honing our skills at the Embassy Riding School; I have taken up teaching (very poor) English to a group of young girls at a non-profit; Tom continues to grow and develop in his role at work; we had our first 'overseas' visitors when my Mum and Step-Dad came over for three weeks, during which time we took a trip to the Taj Mahal; we moved apartments, after spending hours supervising contractors, and then being 'forcibly ejected' by our caring landlord; we hired a wonderful new driver called Manoj who has made my life a joy, in turn, making Tom's a joy too!; we have celebrated many amazing Indian occasions, including Holi, the Ganesha Festival and my first Pooja; and of course, we have made some lifelong friends with whom we are lucky enough to share this crazy journey! p.s. I also celebrated a 'zero' birthday with a wonderful party and our first trip home to the UK and US! It's been a whirlwind four months but we are having a ball!

Lock Down Part Two

So, we are now in the first full day of the Bangalore lock-down! Since the death yesterday of actor Dr. Rajkumar, the city has been in turmoil. News reports say that five people have died in conflicts, cars have been burned, buildings stoned, people attacked, and the police have resorted to 'lathi charge' (basically, thrashing people with a big bamboo stick!)

Tom arrived home around midnight last night and admitted that their building had indeed been stoned (although security gates were locked). Word on the street was that if you were seen driving a vehicle that did not display either pictures of Dr. Rajkumar, a Karnataka flag, or if you didn't speak Kannada, you would be taken out of the vehicle and beaten up!!! Ever diligent, Tom and our driver, Veeru, taped pictures of the demised to both the front and back of our lovely shiny new Hyundai Getz! And even the taxis taking home other workers from Tom's company did the same. Very scary - glad I didn't know this last night!!!

Today has been a quiet day with most TV stations blacked out, apart from local channels showing loops of the actor's movies, and some news channels reporting on the Bangalore situation. Stores are closed, along with cinemas and most businesses. It is such a sad state of affairs that this first official day of mourning is over-shadowed by violence and loss of life. Yes, I said 'first' as I believe that tomorrow may also be a day of mourning.... we are waiting for a call from Veeru to tell us whether it is safe to hit the streets and go back to work. Ironically, tomorrow (Good Friday) is a holiday for many companies here, but given lost work over the last day or so, most people will end up having to work it, or over the weekend, to catch up. Let's hope we can reach Easter Sunday peacefully and have the city back to some semblance of normality.

Lock Down In Bangalore

What a strange day! It all started in the usual way - painter turns up late, carpenter doesn't come as he's hurt his hand, Tupperware lady pops round, friend drops off her ironing (does this sound like June Cleaver's life???) I was looking forward to nice cocktails and dinner with an English friend of mine when at around 4 p.m. she called to say that a famous actor had died and Indian people at her husband's work were warning of rioting!!! After a quick internet search, I discovered that a 77-year old actor from Bangalore, Mr. Rajkumar had passed away this afternoon. We figured that maybe they were being a little dramatic - would we see riots if Michael Caine passed? Or even Robert Redford (can't bear the thought)? Or maybe Bob de Niro?? We decided to take a rain check til 6 p.m. then figure out whether we should venture forth.... Bizarrely, it seems that the fears were founded! It's 9:30 p.m. here, and the whole of Bangalore, no, Karnataka State, is at a standstill - shops, theaters, businesses, all closed - with some pockets of violence emerging. See news here. It's eerily quiet outside the apartment but I keep hearing sirens - for the first time since arriving in India, it sounds like New York! My husband is on lock-down at his company, another English friend was on lock-down but now their security is escorting people home, and I just got a call that the PR event I was working on for tomorrow morning is, of course, cancelled. It's kind of reminiscent of the New York City blackout a couple of years ago; only there wasn't much rioting, just a lot of partying and making do with the romance of candles for one night. Those who remember it, may remember that not only did the city blackout, but I did too - thanks to a lot of red wine and my ever game-for-a-drink friend, Katie! Of course, everyday here, people make do with no electricity, whether it's just one-minute power cuts that are quickly rectified - we get about half a dozen a day - or whole areas that are blacked-out for days with no back-up facilities to kick-in. You are told about these in the newspaper ahead of time, so you can get the candles ready! So with no blackouts to phase people, it's obviously more important things that affect their daily lives - like life and death. It is still amazing to think though that an actor can stir up such emotion; he was apparenly revered as a demi-god and he was once kidnapped a few years ago, again provoking unimaginable scenes of protests and rioting. Probably unimaginable in the US, but here in the Indian democracy, anything seems possible. Mr. Rajkumar is due to be cremated tomorrow and may he rest in peace - along with the state of Karnataka.