A Period of Protest

It was one year ago today that the actor Raj Kumar passed and Bangalore went on full lockdown: eight people were killed with many hundreds injured; companies, shops, and offices were forced to close as the city was torched and came to a standstill. For a couple of days. Today more than one thousand extra police were on duty in the city, in case of repeat protests, and people were being asked to stay calm and remember the actor in a peaceful way. As if Mr. Kumar is trying to keep us indoors, we find ourselves in the middle of a thunderstorm and the rain is coming down in buckets. It's the first time it's rained here for about four months and it will serve us well as the State faces a water crisis, an electricity crisis (it's off and on every five minutes), and a petrol crisis, with the pumps all closed tomorrow in protest at something or other. In fact, sometimes it's a little hard to keep up with what everyone is protesting about! I'm not sure how far it gets people at all, but here's something I'd protest about: Indian women civil servants are now being asked to reveal details of their menstrual cycles in their annual appraisals! Here's the BBC report. You know that it's not so they can give their female employees a little extra TLC at certain times of the month. No, here periods are still taboo; women who are menstruating are often made to eat and sleep away from the rest of the family and many are not allowed to take part in normal daily life, like going to temple. Shockingly, the number of women that use manufactured sanitary protection is still in single digits. And if I were to go on a protesting spree I could have a field day.... take today's Bangalore Times: it showed an artist's impression of how MG Road will look in five years, when the monorail is built. That's great, and shows real vision, but where will the kids who beg and urinate on the barely passable sidewalks go? It's hard to cover up some of the grime with a bit of glitz. In just over a year here, I've seen the coffee shops with outdoor seating closed down by the State for fear that drug deals were going on there (the ones indoors were okay though...); a licensing law enforced which closes all bars at 11:30 pm, even on New Year's Eve, in what used to be known as the 'pub city', for fear that an extra half an hour or so would send the city wild; and now they're trying to shut down the Bangalore Turf Club and ban horse racing to stop gambling. All in all there seems to be a lot of attention paid to things to stop people having fun when it's the people that don't have the money or the lifestyle to have fun that 'they' should be focusing on . Clean up the slums, educate the kids, stop the female children from 'disappearing', tackle the loan sharks... the list is endless and what's more, it's full of things that are really worth protesting about.

Back to Bangalore

So after many weeks out of station, as they say here, I am back in Bangalore where summer has set in and I am now suffering heat exhaustion vs. freezing in England! My 'sabbatical' included six weeks in England and a couple in New York - now that's what I call cold!

My time in England was spent mainly with my mum and her husband during a difficult time as she is beginning treatment for breast cancer. It has been admirable the way they have handled the shocking news earlier this year which resulted in two operations and subsequent chemotheraphy treatment. They have managed to stay positive and take each day as it comes, which I am sure will help massively on the road to recovery. Mum has even started her own blog; who knows, she may manage more postings than me!

New York was a whirl, catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones - my friends' Kate and Pete's four month old twins (boy and girl). Now that's what I call hard work, although they are as good as gold (at least for the most part!)

Now back in India, I am defrosting, and just spent three days in Bombay which makes Bangalore feel positively cool! Bombay was a bustle as I went to support and celebrate the launch of my friend Fiona's book, Love Bangalore which is a MUST for anyone travelling to the city; a beautiful collection of Bangalore's hidden gems.

Returning here was a little bitter sweet as I had become a little too settled in the ways of the west - driving myself around on fairly uncongested roads at speeds of more than five miles per hour; shopping in 30,000 sq ft supermarkets with an entire aisle of toilet roll to choose from; and guzzling more than my far share of world wines at reasonable prices. Of course, this has all taken a toll on me and I need to visit the gym frequently and soon.

We have also had to say goodbye to two lovely families, both of whom have coincidentally moved to Singapore. The ex-pat life has many positives, but the transient nature can make it difficult when establishing friendships and learning to part with them far too soon. Both were relatively unexpected moves, although a trip to Singapore will no doubt be in the offing and guess what, as well as wonderful friends, they have an abundance of shopping and sightseeing that would make any western city envious!

For now, I am settling back into Bangalore life which is definitely not a bad one at all! Great friends, great food, great travel, and, of course, it's not known as the pub city for nothing!

Winter Whinger

I am clearly not cut out to be a dedicated blogger given the date of my last posting and that a number of significant events have happened since then, i.e., Christmas (a balmy day in Bangalore), New Year (dinner, sitting outside our favourite restaurant), numerous Indian holidays (including my favourite name of all - Pongal), plus extensive travels to the northern and southern hemispheres. Having spent three wonderful weeks in Australia (Great Barrier Reef, Hunter Valley, Sydney) basking in +30 degree temperatures, I now find myself in Yorkshire, suffering single digit temperatures, which hopefully will acclimatize me for my trip to NYC next week, where the single digit temps are preceded by a minus sign. Ouch. I am somewhat prepared, having bought a pair of Uggs in Sydney airport (yes, I know, I am the last person in the world to own a pair, but these were for practical vs fashion purposes) and borrowed a down jacket from my friend Fiona in Bangalore, who actually climbed to Everest base camp in it, so it's the real deal. I am horrified to think that at this time of year c. 15 years ago (or so!) I would have stood on line at a northern nightclub in little more than a strappy dress and flimsy shoes. What was I thinking? I am currently IN the house wearing MUCH more than that and despite the central heating cranked up high, am STILL freezing! Maybe it's old age. Maybe I have become too soft and spoiled in the relatively baking heat of Bangalore. Maybe years of excessive alcohol consumption has permanently thinned by blood! One thing is for sure, I will NEVER complain about being too hot in India again! Now, where is that hot water bottle....