The past few centuries have seen a subtle, yet profoundly suggestive shift in how we, you and I, think of travel. There have been plenty of narratives to guide us towards the essence of travel – Dante’s journey through the three realms of dead comes to mind, along with Homer’s odyssey. Yet, unfortunately, it seems that travel, for journey’s sake, has fallen out of being fashionable. While we do hold the capability to travel all around the world, that too in a very short span, travel is rarely valued for its own sake. The pleasure of travel is eclipsed by the anticipation of checking off all the destinations on our personal version of “The Tourist List”.

But I think we need to, at times if not mostly, make a conscious choice to decelerate, and transpose time into an article of abundance instead of inadequacy. Our travels connote flashes of light between tunnels, angled glimpses of the sky and plenty of scope for headaches. But slowing down helps us to form an individual relationship, or reshape our existing ones, with places and spaces. It also encourages us to interact more intimately with the diverse communities that we encounter, and through which we travel. The journey itself becomes a state of mind. It is about having the courage to not go the way of the crowd. Popular wisdom may suggest that a first visit to Italy must necessarily include Venice, Florence and other ‘must-see’ spots. But I personally feel that there are no ‘must-see’ destinations. Now I am not saying you should not visit these places at least once, but there is much more to any region than the most popular spots. We go after the beautifully shot colored pictures in glossy travel magazines. Tour operators and public relations agencies hype cities and regions, resorts and restaurants. And modern tourists progress from place to place, ticking off countries, cities and communities as staging posts in a pilgrimage of mass consumption.

I would rather abandon the false credibility bred of shared chatter about “My Greece experience” and instead take to the back streets, linger longer and perhaps try to understand what makes a community live the way it does. I usually try and stick to locally owned cafes, eat good {at times not-so-good} regional produce, use local transport and visit places teeming with locals. These are, more often, not necessarily the same as the bigger and more popular tourist sights. Sites of historical and cultural significance are great to see, but if it’s culture you’re after, I personally feel that it goes beyond a 2000-year-old tomb or the made-for-tourists dance performances. Checking out those attractions is great, not knocking them at all, but they only illuminate one side of a nation’s culture, the ancient, not the living, breathing, present. One of the defining elements of slowing down is the opportunity to become part of local life and to connect to a place and its people. It is about my, and hopefully yours as well, personal conversation with the culture there.

Sitting on an unobtrusive bench in the plaza outside the most common tourist location in Istanbul allowed me to soak in the daily grind of the locals there. I could see their animated reactions every time a horde of tourists that would arrive, and their tired expressions when all by themselves. I spent an entire day in that plaza, and by the end of the day, I was friendly with many of the vendors, most of them peddling guides to Istanbul in various languages. Friendly enough for one of them to invite me to her house for dinner with her family for a traditional Turkish meal, and their traditional drink, the taste of which I still fondly, or mostly coldly {due to the aftermath} recall. Friendly enough for another to take me to the Asian {the non-touristy} side across the Bosphorous strait in a small boat, as opposed to the big ferries {which is what most tourists use}, thus letting me experience the crossing from a completely different point of view. There, like-minded people allowed for a simplicity of lifestyle, as opposed to the agitated dynamism on the European side. Now I am not saying be completely trusting and careless and follow people you do not know. You hear of enough scams to be wary of such movement. But I am sure that, with enough applied common sense, you will be able to avoid uncomfortable situations.

As an architect, I find the process of experiencing a place essentially phenomenological. I tend to look for the “Spirit of the Place”, or Genius Loci, if you will, which basically means the sum total of all experiences, both tangible {architecture, styles, views, monuments} and invisible {culture, history, belief, memory and even stories}. For example, it would mean the experience of seeing a multitude of sky-scrapers at a particular place, combined with the feeling of the wind caused by the tunnel effect ruffling through your hair. Many a time, that means I end up visiting spaces that are off the main tourist route.

The main city centers, or even smaller scaled neighborhood nodes, were hardly designed as a place for tourists, but rather the context of everyday lives, the collision and collusion of commonplace and daily routine of the residents.  This act in itself is handed down from generation to generation, in the social and societal evolution, and is called tradition. Hence, such places deserve more than a casual glance, or a customary photograph of out-of-context architectural styles. Such cityscapes are there to be studied and perceived in detail. They deserve your deliberate observation, the type you can only do when you stop and sit down somewhere, and take in all the aspects of the place, instead of just focusing on areas that every tourist photographs. They are spurs to meditation, and only much later can words flow.

But approaching the world in this particular mode is not the prerogative of anybody in particular, nor can anyone claim any ownership over the notion, this notion of “unhurried travel”. These ideas have been within the overall symphony of orchestrated travel thought for decades. Eminent people like Vidal de La Blache immersed themselves in the environments they studied. It is only now that these ideas of slowing down are being discovered by the general population.

Slowly moving through a place need not take much time, just more time than usual. Enough time for people to open up to you and call you thier friend. One of the most beautiful aspects of travel is the element of surprise. Slow down your pace where most people wouldn’t to uncover treasures that otherwise would have gone unseen. This type of travel reinvigorates our habits of perception, taunting us to look more deeply into that we thought we already knew. And at its best it reintroduces a welcome measure of uncertainty into travel. But for some travellers, that very uncertainty is disquieting. Fast lives demand confirmed arrival times. Slow travellers delight in the magic of the unexpected. Théophile Gaultier, that nineteenth-century French travel writer, regretted that even in his day there was little adventure left in travel. The absence of the unexpected breeds only a numbing boredom which makes Moscow and Madrid seem indistinguishable. “What charm can there be in a journey,” asks Gautier, “when one is always sure to arrive and find horses ready, a downy bed, an excellent supper and all the comforts that one enjoys at home?”

So try it the next time you travel. Take the quiet side street, slow down and observe — casually find the details that exist — they will be there.

image courtesy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/

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“Yuvraj Singh is one of the best batsmen to watch in world cricket when he’s in form. He is ego personified. Yuvraj doesn’t just hit the ball, he lets it rebound off his aura.”  Jarrod Kimber

Two of the most inspirational sports fables the average Indian sports fan has known are those of Lance Armstrong and Yuvraj Singh. These are men who have extricated themselves from the murderous jaws of death and made a fairytale comeback. These are personalities that transcend sport, nationality or any other affiliation for that matter. They are everything that stands for guts, toil, courage, everything that dreams are made of and everything that we aspire to be. Sadly, Lance Armstrong’s fairy tale, that so many of us marveled at, reveled in and romanticized was shattered like a flimsy piece of bone china. The initial shock was met with denial. As the mind assimilated the truth, denial transformed into heartbreak, which metamorphosed to anger and then a deep, seemingly irrevocable despair. The despair has unconsciously and stealthily been replaced by indifference. Indifference, hopefully, is the last stage of this painful journey, after which it might be only a fading memory, which eventually will be completely erased by the inevitability of time.

The other tale, more local – that of one of the finest One Day International players to have ever donned the blue jersey, is the only one we now can clutch onto. My earliest memory of Yuvraj takes me back to Nairobi, Kenya in 2000, where this lanky 18 year old was annihilating a menacing Australian attack, led by the likes of Mc Grath, Lee and Gillespie. Thanks to his swashbuckling 84, India rudely squashed the Australian juggernaut and went ahead to play the finals of the much coveted ICC Knockout trophy. At a time when the last major championship India had won was back in Sharjah, 1998, these were heartening times. The tournament had set the stage for Yuvraj to lead India to many ODI and T20 victories to come.

The mind then jogs to the Natwest trophy final, 2002, a time when India, under the audacious leadership of Sourav Ganguly, had transformed into a unit which feared no one. The genesis of this transformation found its seeds in this fearless brand of cricket endorsed by a young, talented and brash brigade—Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Zaheer and Sehwag. Reputations held no meaning; an eye was met with a smoldering stare and if you sledged, you got it back – no holds barred. Thanks to their unyielding tenacity and willingness to fight till the last ball, the Indian fan had begun to lose its decade long habit of switching off the television with the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket. An uncanny self-confidence had sprouted within the Indian team, something that our team had lacked for a long time. In a Herculean partnership with Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh whisked the game away from England, in front of a slick, suited up and stunned full house at Lords. Motley memories of a jubilant Ganguly, bare chested, swirling his T-shirt above his head like the blades of a chopper, from the balcony of the Mecca of cricket still bring a smile on any cricket fan’s visage. For me, this was a pivotal point in the history of Indian cricket, for they had declared that they can win major tournaments without their mainstay – Sachin Tendulkar. More than a statement, it was a strong reinforcement of a constantly ebbing belief, that they could actually do it without Sachin.  Also, to me, Yuvraj’s career from 2003 onwards can be viewed as the microcosm of Indian ODI cricket, for there has been a very strong correlation between Yuvraj’s performances and Indian victories from then on.

One of the highlights of Yuvraj’s career, and this is my personal favourite, was his altercation with Flintoff in the 2007 T20 world cup quarter finals. Flintoff, at the end of the 17^th over, mouthed something which visibly enraged our lad from Punjab. Gesticulations were made with the bat and one immediately knew there was a storm in the offing. Yuvraj, under the bright floodlights of Durban, then unleashed one of the most brutal attacks in T20 history, on a young, inexperienced Stuart Broad. 6 sixes in 6 balls. With this, Yuvraj had announced himself as one of the most feared T20 cricketers in the world, a reputation which he only strengthened with time. India also won that World Cup.

It would be unfair to write an article on Yuvraj and not talk about his impact on the field. Just like every good fielder, this big, 6 foot 2 unit too had something feline about his fielding. Nimble, agile and perpetually on the prowl. When he and Kaif became a part of Team India, it was the first time India could boast of having some of the best fielders in world cricket.

After being sent reeling out of the 2007 ODI world cup in the first round itself, Team India had a lot to prove at the 2011 World Cup. That the World Cup was to be hosted at home and to be Sachin’s last, the only stone still eluding his shimmering crown, made the pressure almost maddening for Team India. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Yuvraj wanted to win the world cup for Sachin Pa, as he would put it, and with four Man-of-the-match performances {and the man of the series}, he eventually did. His war cry, while he fell to the ground on his knees, as Dhoni sent the ball sailing over long on, is still vivid in the memory of the Indian fan.

But, unfortunately, this was also the time when a cancerous tumor was sprouting within him. Yuvraj suffered from bouts of coughing and occasionally vomited during the World Cup, but, in the heat of the moment, attributed his ailment to something trivial like a bad stomach and braved on. Little did he know that the zenith and the nadir of his life journey would be so close apart. The news of the cancer struck the cricketing fraternity like a thunderous bolt. But as it happens, after the initial shock and media frenzy, the dust settled. The media sunk its teeth into other news, the fans moved on to find newer heroes and all Yuvraj was left with was his family and himself. But as he did throughout his career, he fought and he endured.

If the cancer was relentless, so was Yuvraj’s mental stamina, his will to survive, his support system in his parents and  friends, the prayers of his fans and above all his irrepressible desire to do what he loved the most. Play for India.  And play for India he did.

After a hiatus of almost 2 years, Yuvraj was picked back in the Indian team to play the format he flourished in. The decision of playing him straight in the T20 world cup was met with skepticism and mixed feelings. Some opined that the selectors were being swept by emotion and Yuvraj wasn’t fully fit to handle the rigors the modern day cricket demanded. But aren’t we an emotional bunch? Don’t we just love movies which make us cry? Don’t we all love happy endings? I will reserve my judgment on whether his selection was justified, but I can confidently say that I was feverishly praying for Yuvraj to do well.  Unfortunately, other than sporadic glimpses of his usual brilliance, there hasn’t been much to cheer about of his comeback performances.

At 31 years, Yuvraj still has a ton of cricket left in him. He is still a lynchpin for the Indian ODI unit, owing to his resourcefulness in all facets of the game. I pray to God that this fairy tale, whenever it ends, does so in a crescendo, at a staggering high that catapults one of the most loved Indian cricketers into an immortal all-star list.

{Image courtesy: www.theasiantoday.com, www.images.indiatvnews.com}

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We read brotips, tumblr, brain pickings, watch TED talks, so on and so forth, all things that echo the same sentiment – go after what you want, find your passion. One found, and still finds, inspiration in ‘Sky above me, earth below me, fire within me’ and ‘Be you, do your own thing, and work hard,’ ‘Don’t be like the rest of the World,’ and of course ‘Find what you love and chase after it!’ We thought that it was as simple as finally finding what drives you, and that’s all it would take, and that’s all that mattered. So we found it, after much {or none} dabbling and experimenting, and in that moment our life became everything we wanted it to be, and that moment is what true happiness really felt like. But then the brevity of the situation hits, and all of a sudden we’re left thinking – this is not what I signed up for.

When you start something of your own, especially when it’s driven by sheer interest and desire, you pursue it because it brings this unquantifiable joy to you. You find beauty and breath in the simple things – for me it was a new discovery in the City I call home, a conversation with a stranger who grew into a friend, a tryst about town by myself, a book in hand and an idea in mind. The thought of knowing that there were no limitations to my growth and learning, that I was as big or small as my own imagination was invigorating, enchanting and motivating. So I gave in to my hearts desire, took a chance, found a belief, and began a run that has slowly unfolded into a long and winding marathon of sorts. The truth about finding my passion? It’s not the end, it’s just the beginning. And the challenge will never be you or yourself. I’ve found a way to deal with all my inner conflicts and struggles. I’ve gone for runs, walks, met friends, drunk wine to resolve those. The challenge is all the dozen and counting things that constantly remind me of how much more there is to learn, how far I have to go, and that sometimes I can’t make it on my own.

I said this at a TEDx talk once, and I find myself echoing these words ever so often- your idea is never really your own. Because I, sitting here in flesh and bones, am a composition of every person I’ve met, every experience I’ve lived, the books I’ve read and the movies I’ve watched. There’s a bit of every inspiration and each interaction in the way I conduct myself and in the way I think. What they didn’t tell me about finding my passion, is that it’s not mine to keep, it’s mine to share. I need to love it, need to hold on to it, but the only way it’ll grow is if I let others have a share and stake {literally, sometimes} in its well-being. Others can share my passion too, you know? It solely comes down to my willingness to let others in, and give them a voice and an opportunity to make it their own. This path is difficult, because it requires me to let go, to trust, to bear the brunt of mistakes that aren’t mine, and to share accolades and regard with others. But by overcoming the limitations of my own ego and learning how to take people along, slowing down for others, and understanding a colleague’s biggest strength and weakness- I’ve found that it’s the road best taken.

I’ve met people who’ve supported me without demanding anything in return. A few good people have seen me through my weakest moments, days of glory, and everything in between. But when one lives in a world that is governed by quantifying actions, and one in which everything has a monetary value, I’ve taught myself to play that game too. What they didn’t tell me about finding my passion is that money changes a lot of things. It brings out the best and worst in others – colleagues, acquaintances, and even me. When I’ve been in a position where money becomes the sole bone of contention in an association of any kind, I’ve found it best to give the person sitting across me the benefit of the doubt. This has not only helped me dismiss my own greed and monetary glutton {as I like to call it}, it also helped me assess motives and incentives. At the end of the day, it’s my work and it’s the end result that should be of concern. How and the extent to which I involve people around me is my prerogative, and knowing what works as an incentive for them is half the battle won. So I’ve learnt to give to those, unconditionally, whose inputs and thoughts inspire me and help deliver results. And I’ve set clear boundaries and task sheets with those who are in it for the dough and fame. And I’ve found that never should I hold a grudge against anybody, or stay in comfortable complacency of  anyone’s intentions.

This idea and dream that I love needs balance sheets, a legal team, marketing plans, networking, working weekends, accountants, interns, employees, design, sleepless nights, broken conversations, tears, sweat and things that I thought I was incapable of. Most importantly, my dream needs to pay bills. And what they didn’t tell me about finding my passion is that it needs to have a solid revenue model, an input-output structure, and hard truth- it needs to be driven by more than just a pretty smile and a positive attitude. Sure, it’s taken me a long way. But there’s a significant half that’s involved having a clear understanding of projections, figures, RoI’s, people management, HR, contracts, and events and evenings spent in building belief and networks around what I do. Based on the nature of my business- oh yes, it’s a business now- I’ve needed to evaluate everything, and think more often than just doing. That gets frustrating, heart-breaking, and sometimes makes me forget why I started this journey. But in moments like this, I take time out to do what I love and get back to the basics. When I’m down and out, I read the first article I wrote. I write. I read articles by others. I meet someone I’ve never met before. I smile at a stranger {nothing sleazy, all kosher.} And that’s when I reignite my passion.

For me, following my heart hasn’t been the hardest part. Keeping my head above my heart, opening up my dreams to include those of others, and working diligently and hard to achieve collective success has been the climb. To know that kindness may not be reciprocated, that perseverance comes with no definite reward, and when the dust settles, I just may be the only man {woman} standing- yet, doing what I’ve set out for yourself, that to me is finding my passion.

“If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much.”

From If by Rudyard Kipling.

The post What They Didn’t Tell Me About Finding My Passion appeared first on Little Black Book, Delhi.

India, to the western eye is an ancient exotic land of spirituality and mysticism. The dust, the crowds and the poverty are all part of the ‘charm.’ A place westerners run to when their all-too-comfortable lives have induced an existential crisis, as they realize the void, contrary to their parents’ words, is their insignificance.

The common westerner’s life, like most modern first-world countries, is founded on a healthy dose of consumerism, i.e. ‘I want something, I work debatably hard to acquire it, enjoy it, feel a sense of happiness for a fleeting moment, get bored of the newly acquired item, lose that happy feeling, want something else/happiness, work some more to acquire it..’ and so on. Eventually, some of us begin to form a realization that those small moments of well advertised consumer happiness don’t last.

In fact, to the contrary, they become increasingly hollow.

So, what do you do? Well, you pick up your latest source of fleeting happiness/the new ‘thing’ and book tickets to India in search of something else.

Arriving in India seems to induce a pretty strong knee jerk reaction – culture shock if you will. The desire of exploring a new culture is met with a greater fear of the new and unknown. This seems to cause a huddling of foreign people and another bout of misguided consumerism. There becomes a need to buy anything tie-die/hippy-ish, followed by a slow and constant deterioration of personal hygiene. Seemingly unaware of their surroundings, the sudden change in appearance seems to be an attempt to blend in, a bit of a warped preconception of what life in India is like. The image of the sixties free loving Woodstock era comes to mind.

I was lucky enough to avoid the worst of these side effects, but I still found myself confiding in other foreigners who were going through similar experiences of the uncomfortable and unfamiliar kind. But like true Indian hospitality, it did not take too long before I felt comfortable. The country captured my heart and mind and has become a place I miss. India has a flavour, a spice that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. It comes from its diversity, the contrasts and contradictions, the organized chaos and most of all, from its people. A people of adversity that have helped create an amazing history, a landscape now littered with majestic temples, castles and shrines. A people that still value centuries old rituals and traditions. A people of pride.

As I traveled through India and its relics, I would think about India’s future – What will India be like in 50 years time? As the government of India discusses economic reforms, the country continues its drive to a ‘first world’ title. The rise of the middle class. A ticket out of poverty and into comfort and security bought by wealth. The closing of the gap between the rich and the poor, the educated and uneducated. A beneficial world for everybody. But with money, will India become another sanitized, soulless and lethargic first world country?

As the world becomes smaller it is also becoming homogenized, a one world culture. A culture of disconnected social sites and windowless shopping malls. Consumerism, the god; Capitalism, the temple. Our streets are filled with repetitive logos pushing repetitive products. Individuality is defined by what we buy, what we wear and how we wear it. A slow bleaching of humanity, belief and tradition. A nonchalant malaise glazes over the many when enough consumer comforts are acquired to not care about the outside world.

There is a dying belief in the individual in the first world, and a growing sense of helplessness under the ever expanding ‘big government.’ Change seems feeble, as the powers that be blend into the same shade of conservative, controlling grey. America claims to be the shinning example of a democracy, but it is no longer the land of the free. That title has slowly decayed along with its civil rights under its own political paranoia, corporate contributions and lobby groups.

I, like millions around the world, marched in protest against the Iraq war. A global opposition was formed, the largest of all time. What effect did that have? The unjustified invasion still happened and the voices of millions were met with guarded ears. One of the last great acts of defiance of the individual fell short and has since marred the lethargic world in which westerners now live.

India seems to still hold belief in power of the individual. There is still a vitality that can, and has, effected change. India is the land of the free. The fight for family, culture and country still exists. If an Indian doesn’t believe in what is happening in their country they will fight to be heard. There is still a hope, a pride and passion that lies in the people. They harbor a genuine belief that change is possible and a have a genuine desire to fight for it. It is not a blind patriotism that America suffers from—Indians know their country is not perfect, they know things need to change and they want change. There is still a belief that a single person can change a whole system.

As India grows, signs of modern capitalism are seeping in little by little. The rising middle class continues to entice more and more shopping malls and American fast food chains. International brands spatter the shirts and shoes of those who can afford it. The American dream is sold one skin whitening commercial at a time. My hope for India is that it holds true to its identity and escapes the fate of so many other culturally bleached countries. The strength lies in the people. A people of great spirit and pride. They will decide whether or not India’s unique culture and traditions survive as the modern world encroaches, and they should fight to retain this.

About the Author | Michael Latham is a cinematographer, who has been traveling to wherever in the world he can get a ticket to, shooting stories, documentaries and gathering experiences, that ranges from the beautiful to the bizarre. He spent close to a year traveling around and shooting in India. The thing he misses most about the country is the food.

{Image courtesy: http://www.doorsofperception.com/infrastructure-design/a-tale-of-two-trains/}

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I have always been under the impression, that in all the coarse contentiousness within the back and forth of history, the early humans were wanderers and their lives, if contextually inconsequential and short, were a journey too, marked by constant movement and discovery. Perhaps, this was more from marked necessity, the inevitable need to move around, than actual yearning for travel. But the desire to seek out and explore far away lands, for the purposes of knowledge, enlightenment, glory, or even for profit for the suitably inclined, has been a predominant trait that has passed down from generation to generation. And that trait, deeply integrated in our subconscious, instructs onto us an instinctive need to seek out change, the desire to experience new things. We need to have that constant movement, at least in our minds, or maybe even emotions. And that’s why we, you and I, all of us, aspire to travel.

We all have our own reasons for travelling, or even for the intent and the ascribed aspirations – the lust for drifting amidst the unknown, the love for experiencing a new culture, the need to meet new people, the desire to just leave it all behind, the need to forget, or to merely lengthen a conversation. The new, the exciting, the different, and the adventure – it’s all there when you travel. That’s what makes it so interesting, intriguing, and inviting to us all. It calls us. It empowers us, and beckons us to come with it to new lands and unfamiliar retreats, and gives us a respite and sanctuary from all the chaos and regimented world that we have grown accustomed to, and from walking everyday on the same paths. It shows us new places, people, and cultures. It’s always giving us something new – not only outwardly, but also inwardly. So, I travel.

But for me, the most important reason is that travel allows for change. It becomes a way for me to deal with different situations, experience new things, or help search for a sense of self. My days no longer are dictated by tasks to be accomplished, work to be finished, or business hours, but by the changing winds of my own heart.

As much of a cliché as this may sound like, I prefer to, and usually do, travel alone. As an old-timer-world-weary gentleman had once said, “When the traveller goes alone, he gets acquainted with himself.” My solitude and thoughts become my trusted friends to give me company, my apprehensions become my advisors, and my instincts become my guide. I remember my first solo trip was to Thailand, a few years ago. I was 24 years old. After a few weeks of travelling around, getting lost, getting mugged and finally, all by myself, using hand gestures, a map and the help of a toothless old lady at the corner store, I returned home. I had learnt to rely on myself. I realized that I can solve problems, get over the blues, and find hidden treasures all by myself. That filled me with confidence to face challenges later on in life. As for the recognition of hard travel as rewarding, the feeling is mainly retrospective, since it is only in looking back that we see how we have been enriched. But if feel you would rather not be alone, please find a co-adventurer, by all means. As long as your tastes, your life cycles, your eagerness match. Trust me, there is nothing worse than having a travel partner who would rather sleep in when you feel the need to go out exploring, or the other way around. Once, recently, on a short photographic expedition, I travelled with a certain someone, who, while undoubtedly being a remarkable conversationalist and an unparalleled dinner companion otherwise, made this three day excursion into an unfortunate series of excruciating discords, the primary reason being the lack of proper amenities and service. Mind you, we were in the backwoods of our rural countryside, not quite the most developed; our entire expedition was supposed to be camping out and this lack of comfort was expected completely. So discern your partners-in-travel wisely and ensure everyone is aware of, and agree to, all facets of your journey together.

However, I would still insist that everyone travel alone, at least once in their lifetime. There is, without a doubt, a lot of happiness, or even comfort, experienced in sharing the beauty you come across in your travels with someone else, but experiencing that beauty all by yourself has a lot of charm, and even contentment, to it.

I believe it to be necessary to plan to a certain extent before you can actually start, but I also believe that travel, like a lot many other things in life, needs to be mostly spontaneous.  You will never feel completely comfortable with the timing of your travel – either to begin or to continue where you left off. There would always be reasons aplenty for you to postpone it. Perhaps, you’re not courageous enough. Maybe you doubt your ability to adapt to foreign situations; perhaps, you would want to wait to learn the language beforehand. Maybe, if you are fairly inexperienced, you would be unsure of your choices. But that doubt is pernicious. Because it makes it sound like we have the best of intentions when really, we are just too scared to do what we should. So start now, without putting too much thought into it. The beginning is the most exhilarating bit. As someone had once said – There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.   In any case, it doesn’t take long to get acclimated to a new place. A good map and plenty of patience can get you anywhere you want to go.

And in the end, it’s not about just travel really; it goes beyond just the sights and the experiences. It’s about freedom as well. We travel to be free: to explore, to escape our daily lives, to relax, to step outside ourselves and shake things up. It allows us to lead a life different than the way we normally do. We travel because we are curious. We travel to feel alive.

So tell me, why do you travel?

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Formula One to me is one of the most complete sports there is. It is a sport that combines the spectacle of the circus, with incredible feats of human skill and excellence, and a display of the most advanced and intriguing technology known to man. From March through November every year, I wait eagerly for each new weekend, as the circus travels to a new country with each race, the ‘great’ drivers dominating, new upstarts bursting onto the scene, and stars past their prime fading.

The run-up to a race weekend is electric. The speculations coming in as the teams arrive for a Grand Prix, whispers of new changes in practice, surprisingly quick lap times by ‘dark horses,’ and then, stage one of the showdown: qualifying. Some of the most aggressive driving as merchants of speed go all out over a single lap, in pursuit of the best grid position.

Then the race itself. Steve Slater going crazy with joy on Star Sports as five red lights flag the race off, the mad scramble for the first corner, the season’s first collision, and the game is well and truly afoot. It’s been a ritual for eleven years of my life now, and I’m eager for the dozenth.

2012 was an epic season in so many ways. It started with six world champions on the track. Each of the first seven races went to a different driver. Sebastian Vettel’s star continued to rise, as Michael Schumacher struggled with a tough car and tougher luck in the last season of one of competitive sport’s greatest careers. 2007 champion, Kimi Raikkonen, came back in style to cement his place as the sport’s dominant Finn, and ended the season in a respectable third spot on the World Championship.

Sebastian Vettel won his third title, the youngest driver to do so, but the season’s best was Fernando Alonso, who fought the odds with a clearly underperforming Ferrari to come within three points of the world title.

2014 will see sweeping technical changes brought into the sport, and this year is the last that we will see with the existing 2.4 litre V8 engines. Teams are looking to gain the maximum out of their last season under current regulations, and an inconclusive phase of testing over the past weeks means the championship is deliciously open-ended this time as well.

2013 will see one World Champion less, following the final exit of Michael Schumacher from the scene. Of the five remaining, expect Sebastian Vettel go out with all guns blazing as he rewrites history, season after season. However, Ferrari seem close to their legendary form, and we could see why two-time champion, Fernando Alonso, is worshipped the way he is. Also in line is Kimi Raikkonen, the incredibly entertaining Iceman who will be looking for a title win to prove he still numbers among the sport’s best. Jenson Button has a job on his hands, fending off the exhilarating newcomer, Sergio Perez, the 23 year-old Mexican having proved with Sauber last year that he can hit an incredible pace when he wants to. Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 champion, might have to struggle as he fills in for the outgoing Schumacher at Mercedes.

All in all, one hell of an interesting contest, with over 19 races spread all over the planet. Melbourne is not far. Come March 16, the fun begins!

{featured image courtesy: http://images.autosport.com}

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Three months on, one ambitious budget and one suicide later, the ground reality of the tragic situation begs a revisit. We’ve been shocked, moved; we’ve protested, witnessed an indifferent leadership, read, heard, expressed anguish and proposed myriad ‘solutions,’ that mostly qualified as kneejerk reactions, at best. Now that the introspection has passed, it’s time to take stock of what we really can do and what we ought to do to prevent such a crime from ever being committed, or condoned, in our society.

I want to share with all of you an idea. What if all the struggles that women face, either in the form of physical abuse or discrimination at the work place, based on unrealistic parameters like gender, are merely a transitional reality? What if the answers that the budget makers, the legislators and the social activists seeks so reverently, are right in front of us?The founding fathers of the Indian Constitution, never envisaged the Constitution to be ‘a mirror of perverse social discrimination.’ To the contrary, they promised the mirror where equality is to be reflected brightly, and with that in view, they gave us our right to Equality.

My idea is, what if all us women and men stopped looking at the various rights and duties as options, and saw them for what they are – ‘imperative obligations.’

Rape occurs, and has been occurring in this country since before December 16^th, 2012, and the same will continue to happen; however, the only way to ensure the fact that justice is delivered and no inconvenience is caused to the victim, our rights have to become inescapable duties, which we must fight for. If a girl in this country is raped and her complaint is not registered, my due process is under as much stress as her’s. I have to be my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper; keeper of their right and my obligations. 

The life of Nirbhaya would be short changed, if all that her death results in is a few amendments in the existing Penal Laws. I feel that the only way to weigh Nirbhaya’s life is on the scale of our own duties. More than ever, this incident should make us question not just our security forces, our government and our society, but ourselves and our conditioning. The judgment of society cannot be so myopic as to justify any kind of violence against women on ridiculous parameters such as, choice of clothing, social strata, lifestyle, etc.

After the Nirbhaya Case, most {if not all} citizens of Delhi think that the itinerary of a rape victim would be:

1.  To be left unconscious, partially clad and helpless on the side of a road.
2. To have no one help or call the police, under the fear of being looped into the investigation, until one passerby gives the victims a phone to call the police.
3. To have the man who is battered in the same crime be left to his limited capabilities to call the police, and after the police arrives, have them stand and argue on jurisdiction before getting any medical help for themselves.
4. To have no one touch the victim to have her carried to safety, except the man who was also a victim of the same incident.
5. To not have an FIR be filed in reasonable time, and be provided the level of investigation the case deserves.

However, for the knowledge and assistance of all the citizens of Delhi, this is what the itinerary of a Rape/ Sexual Assault Victim should look like:

1. Right after the incident, the victim or any person/ citizen of India witnessing the crime or the dilapidated state of the victim should immediately call 100 and give the said information to the Police. The Police have to, thereafter, send a PCR to the location of the incident and escort the victim/s to the nearest hospital.
2. Thereafter, an FIR is to be filed by the Police Officer, which has to be swiftly followed by investigation. It is imperative that the FIR is filed as soon as the incident occurs, also the victim must insist on her/ his medical examination at the time of the FIR, as well as, the medical examination of the accused at the earliest available opportunity, as the medical report should also be attached along with the FIR.
   However, it is pertinent to point out that in the event the Police officer for any reason refuses to file an FIR and give the victim a copy of the same, the victim must at the earliest, in writing and by post, submit a statement of facts before the Superintendent of Police Under Section 154(3) and even thereafter, if no action is taken by the Police, then the Victim must contact a lawyer and file a complaint of facts under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a First Class Magistrate, or such Second Class Magistrate who may be authorized by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of  the said jurisdiction so that investigation against the accused may commence.
3. After the FIR is filed or a direction of investigation is given by the Magistrate, the Investigation commences, where the statements of various witnesses to the incident, the statement of the victim, as well as, the official witnesses such as, the examining Doctor etc, are to be taken. After taking the relevant evidence, the Final Report is submitted by the Investigating Officer.
4. Thereafter, the trial commences and the Charges are framed by the Magistrate; the said Charges must include amongst others the Charges of Rape and/ or Sexual Assault.
5. After the framing of Charges, the Accused either pleads guilty, or not guilty, to the Charges.
6. Thereafter, the Statements of the victim, witnesses, including, but not limited to, the official witnesses, such as the doctor, etc., various documents, such as the medical report, etc., are exhibited. Then an option is given to the defence lawyer to cross examine the witnesses and rebut the documents. The option is given to the Accused of making a statement as well, before the Magistrate.
   I would like to stress that Section 301 of the Code of Criminal Procedure gives the Victim, or any witness, the right to appoint a private pleader as the Assistant Public Prosecutor. The said Private Pleader has the right to assist the State/ Government appointed Public Prosecutor, and also, written arguments may be submitted by the pleader so appointed. In view of the said provision, the victim/witness {just as the accused} can hire a suitable private attorney to assist the Public Prosecutor, as well as, be represented vide the same. 
7. Thereafter, the Magistrate is to either deliver a conviction with the relevant Punishment, or acquittal.

Although, the above procedure looks fairly straightforward, various bail, other applications and appeals from orders in favour, or against, the accused often render this lengthy and convoluted. It may be clarified that the above is a mere vernacular description of the procedure to be followed and there may be inaccuracies therein, due to the lack of space to explain the in-numerous intricacies of the various applicable laws.

While reading the Justice Verma Committee Report aimed at the amendment of Criminal laws in India, I was awed by the analysis offered by all the contributing parties and the thorough in depth study on the subject. However, I was shocked at the fact that this report presented a one sided interpretation of the existing and recommended laws; this non holistic approach has, according to me, made the report fall short on its obligations towards the innocent men and has not foreseen the misuse of the recommendations so made.

However, as a woman; a wife, sister and daughter, and as someone who works in the legal profession, who needs to protect not only herself, but also the men from falling victim to harsh and unrealistic one sided laws, here are the suggestions I put forth that should be implemented in our situation:

1. There should be, what is referred to as the ‘Good Samaritan Law’; the perfect example of this is the Argentinean law on “abandonment of persons,” which includes the provision in Article 106, “a person who endangers the life or health of another, either by putting a person in jeopardy or abandoning to their fate a person unable to cope alone who must be cared for … will be imprisoned for between 2 and 6 years.”
   The premise, that I am my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper is what makes a safe environment. All the people who witness a crime, or are in a position to help a victim, must do so if it does in no way endanger their own physical and emotional well being.
2. That for the Good Samaritan law to be effective and useful, it is imperative that the right of all citizens not be bothered by the law enforcement agencies, like the police, etc., and also be protected against the actions or threats of the accused, or any person related to the accused. That strict and swift action be taken against all those interfering with, or acting in any manner to hinder the course of justice.
3. That currently, under Code of Criminal Procedure, a statement given before an Investigating Officer is of little value, however, a statement made before the Magistrate is considered to be made under oath, and any deviation from the same gives the right to the State or the Prosecution to proceed against the victim/ complainant for Perjury.
4. To prevent the accused from being rendered unfairly susceptible to the whims of the victim/ complainant, similar weightage be afforded to the statement of the victim, in keeping with the emphasis placed on due process being followed against the accused. At the stage of the FIR itself, a statement must be taken from the Victim under oath, and she must not be allowed to conciliate, or make a conflicting statement at a later stage, as this would be antithetical to the purpose of fair and due process.
5. Further, it must be realised that the process of Judicial Scrutiny is unfair on the accused as well, and that the ultimate acquittal in trial may not be able to wipe the deep scars of ignominy. There must be checks and balances on the misuse of the rights and processes awarded to women, as there are on the use of the said rights. For example, if a women alleges dowry and cruelty against her husband and in-laws, the process of the prima facie decision should not take more than 6 months and no one should be taken in judicial custody during this process. If thereafter there is an acquittal, the husband and her in-laws must be allowed to pursue a case of false implication against the wife and she should, at the outset, be made aware of the consequences of such serious allegations.
6. Most important, is the fact that the tools provided in the Code of Criminal Procedure, running up to 484 sections, must be analysed and used by the prosecution, as well as, the defence. Tools such as, treating a witness as hostile, ensuring that the trial is conducted in camera without anyone who is not required being present, having a judge who is alive and intervenes in the event that anything illegal is done.

One must realise how badly the hands of our enforcement agencies are tied and the limitations of their resources and the constraints on their time, and not view their actions under the prism of a sensationalised newspaper headline.

The reason that the writers of not only the Indian Constitution, but also International Human Right law, put equality at the epicentre of each right and duty is because they realised, that just as a crime can come from all genders, races and colours, problems like bigotry and small mindedness can plague the minds of not only the accused, but the law makers, enforcers and protectors too. Thus, the actual relief to any and all victims comes not from a change in the legislation, but a change in society.  Fear and/or indifference cannot be an excuse for callousness on the part of any citizen; be it the witness, the security forces, the law makers, or even the victim.

In the end, I would like to pose a question to you, the reader: If Nirbhaya was alive today, what would she say; would she ask the legislature to introduce harsher punishments, would she feel remorse over not calling her rapists her brothers, or would she ask for a candle light vigil? With this pertinent question in mind, I pledge to try and help as many women undergoing Rape trials right now, not shirk from my duty as a citizen of this country, and above all, respect you and your decision to celebrate yourself, even if you are watching a movie in the middle of the night.

About the Author | Tania Sharma is a partner in the law firm, ‘JT and Partners;’ she has been practicing in Delhi for the last 8 years, and for the most part this defines her. She is a needy daughter, wife and friend, and she has tried to inculcate jogging twice a day into her routine for as long as she can remember.

{Image Courtesy: http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/419114/20121229/delhi-gang-rape-victim-dies-mount-elizabeth.htm}

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Sugar Daddies, Moneybags, Plastic Fans, Glory Hunters. If you happen to be a peripheral observer to a football centric conversation today, you’d be excused to think that these words are central to modern day football vernacular. As the new Benefactor model of ownership splits opinions across the footballing universe, due to concerns partly valid and partly jingoistic, there’s absolutely no denying the fact that football’s stranglehold as the world’s most popular sport is now stronger than ever before. Especially from an Indian context, the popularity of the sport {particularly the EPL} is at its absolute peak. Food for thought, then – is it possible that this seemingly maverick model of ownership, and its emergence over the past decade, has actually helped football consolidate its status of the most popular sport in the world?

A few caveats first, though. It’s very easy to completely destroy all scope for debate if this discussion becomes about specific clubs involved – there’s Chelsea with their tangible success, but questionable policies of administration; there’s QPR with very little to offer on the plus side at all; there’s Arsenal, which is run like an economically viable dream, but struggles to shrug off its feeder club status.  Much like anywhere else, you’re likely to find success and failure pretty easily depending on which one you’re looking for. The assertion here would much rather pertain to the whole sum of the positives and negatives.

First and foremost, let’s understand what the added financial impetus {since that’s what the benefactor model is mostly about} does at the most fundamental level. Consider the English Premier League, which as you’d realize, if you look across at the list of winners since its inception in 1992, developed its set of ‘most likely winners’ over time. In the first 10 seasons, Manchester United were crowned champions seven times. Continued success kept bringing them a wider fan base, and they were, arguably, the first English club to aggressively market the brand, ‘Manchester United,’ further increasing their popularity across the globe. Consider this process repeating itself over time – success increasing the brand value of United, and then the increased brand value helping them sustain their success. Understandably then, there came a point where other clubs struggled to compete.

That’s what the benefactor model largely aimed to undo – it got clubs to compete. There was a financial incentive for talent to join them – be it players, managers, coaches etc. Facilities were upgraded so youth could come through better. Stadiums were upgraded so revenue streams and fans could be better taken care of. Basically, it bridged the gap that you’d find between a football club and a massive football dynasty. While I remain agnostic to the question of fairness to the dynasties in question, I’m going to stick my head out and say, that I certainly do favour a league with multiple able competitors over a league with fewer ones.

{Roman Abramovich- The Chelsea Benefactor}

There’s an argument about increased viewership due to increased expenditure, and this is probably where an Indian context would lend most clarity. It could be said, that the most drastic increase in the game’s stature in India was just after the onset of the Abramovich era.  This, incidentally, was at the same time when Manchester United’s superiority {and hence, viewer fatigue – both globally and within the niche viewership, that existed in India} was showing signs of decline. This is when the Premier League genuinely became more exciting to watch – a new challenger had risen to the occasion and some of the world’s best talent was being linked to or joining the league.  Sure, there was an element of fascination to it all – it seemed like someone was putting together a world XI to take on dynasties that had been in the ascendancy for way too long, but you simply cannot ignore the increased attention that came with it.

This was furthered by ManchesterCity, who, post acquisition by their new Abu Dhabi owners, were probably even more relentless in their pursuit of world class talent. All of this culminated in possibly the most exciting season of any sport of all time last year, with a 9-month league title being decided in the final minute. Quite simply, a sport that’s a fantastic spectacle in its most basic form is most likely to be the fastest growing one, and this is why you’ve seen a much greater interest in recent years.

Even investors have jumped onto the bandwagon – Malaysia, Russia, The United Arab Emirates, India and the United States of America, represent five countries from which an individual / entity has owned a premier league club over the past three seasons. If you take the curious case of Manchester City again, their Abu Dhabi owners did invest a lot, but not merely on short term goals. They promoted the club {and by extension, the sport} well in the Emirates, invested heavily in youth and infrastructure and created a brand that would {perhaps, sometime in the future} lead to a more sustainable growth pattern. This definitely qualifies as ‘betterment’ to football in a region that was previously not on the sport’s radar.

At this point, I’m going to draw a parallel with the growth of European football. To start with, one would only have the option of watching a few games that were broadcast {usually, the established superpowers – the Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern etc.}. As interest in the league grew in Europe rapidly, a greater number of games were telecast and subsequently, some of the lesser clubs got greater visibility. Across different periods of time, teams like Deportivo La Coruna, Lazio and Borussia Dortmund turned heads, which weren’t very visible to English viewers previously. There’s a chain reaction that was triggered by the increase in popularity of European football, one that lead to greater visibility to lesser known teams, and therefore their domestic leagues.

It’s this pattern of growth that has so far, and will continue, to lead to the betterment of football in countries like India. It’s fair to say, that the English Premier League was indeed the flag-bearer of football as a sport in the country, especially from a viewership point of view. As viewer interest increased in a rejuvenated and more competitive league, the same chain reaction has been observed – interest in the European Champions League has increased and other top quality domestic competitions, like the Italian Serie A, The German Bundesliga and La Liga, are now broadcast more than ever before.

While we can’t be churning out the next Lionel Messi just yet, popularity is imperative for the growth of a sport in a country, and the popularity aspect is the most noticeable change between the pre and post benefactor era. Your individual allegiance may or may not disagree with the model of ownership, but you wouldn’t disagree with the fact that the league today is way more exciting than the one that started a decade ago.  Football before benefactors had your curiosity, now it has your attention.

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1. Gas guzzlers become more expensive: SUVs are now going to be taxed at a slightly higher rate. At the same time diesel prices are in the process of being increased on a regular basis, which means a double whammy for all those who enjoy their rides being super sized.
2. Tapping into the smartphone mania: In case you thought the latest phones weren’t expensive enough, the prices are going to only go up, with duties being hiked on all phones over INR 2000.
3. First time home buyer? Good time for you: First time home buyers get an additional tax SOP on house loans less than 25 lacs.
4. Eating out just became a little more expensive: Service tax will now apply on all air conditioned restaurants, so get used to seeing one more line at the bottom of that long bill.
5. Women are on their minds: Following the events of last December, it was expected that the Government would make some stronger moves towards ensuring women’s safety and empowerment. The budget proposes a new 1000 crore “Nirbhaya” scheme for women and establishment of a new Bank focused on women.  We’ll have to wait and see if these initiatives manage to have a tangible impact.
6. Exam bonus: If you’re doing one of the many certified training courses that target improving skills levels, there is now an added incentive of monetary rewards, of an average of Rs 10,000, on passing your course.
7. Smokers pay more: Smokers are used to being targeted, and this time is no different: Taxes on cigarettes have increased by nearly 18%, and yes, the tax applies on fancy cigars as well!
8. Take from the Rich: And finally, make sure you don’t appear on Chidambaram’s list of 42,800 people who earn more than 1 Crore. Or else, get set to pay an additional 10% surcharge on your income as a ‘super rich tax’ to help plug the government’s ever growing deficit. If you’re at the other end and make less than 5 lacs, you can look forward to a tax credit of Rs 2000 which should make most seem richer by the end of it.  Pay for the extra cigarettes, diesel, or eating out, anyone?

In the end of course, the 28^th of February comes and goes, and it doesn’t actually make that much of a difference. This one was similar. Some small changes in prices and taxes but probably not a big change—good or bad—for many of you. 

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Marriage is one of the strongest institutions that keep a family, a society and its people together. Over the years, the roles that members of a family perform have modified. No longer is the man the exclusive earning member and the wife a full-time custodian of the house. Their roles have diversified due to which they have common characteristics. There is sharing of responsibilities in what was once considered, essentially gender-based chores like child rearing, cooking, and cleaning for the woman and travel-related jobs, outstation conferences, etc. for the man.

Needless to say, to keep the institution of marriage efficacious, both the spouses have to compromise for each other constantly. In many ways, a girl still has to measure up and stretch out far more than the boy, as the prerogative to break or keep the family together most usually lies with the woman. At the time of marriage, women are far more astute, mature, and pervasive in a house than a man. By their look and persona, they can make the house a warm place for friends/relatives or mar it completely. This is an inherent quality a woman possesses, which is different from men and can only be explained by saying that men are from Mars and women are from Venus.

Thanks to the fact that women have found a voice and have increasing financial security, they are not in a hurry to jump into marriage. There is no right and proper age for marriage. Girls want to be sure that their spouse is someone who is compatible and someone who she can relate to, physically and mentally. The shift is from looking up to a husband to standing equal to him like a friend.

Women have evolved more than their male counterparts. They have embraced new ways of the world copiously and now feel emancipated and worthy. Not only are they balancing their roles at home and out of the house effectively, they are also excelling in fields that were so far dominated by men.

Most men are still in a state of transition, primarily because the stereotype of a docile wife still persists among several sections of society. Thus, the perception lingers in their minds, and they rationalize it by presuming that their parents are not yet ready to embrace a liberated daughter-in-law. It would be invalid to say that all men are coping with this dilemma, even though some have actually come to terms with this development. A woman in many cases is not only an earning member, but possibly the principal wage earner, whereas the man maybe an auxiliary. Depending on the pressures at work, some men have decided to be house husbands willingly, a concept that was unheard of until a few years ago.

On the other hand, there are men who covet a progressive woman who challenges and contests them in the same way as their male colleagues. They are likely to prefer a woman who is well acquainted with the modern endeavors of the world. Nevertheless, they also tend to get intimidated by the idea of marriage. These men too seem to be in the process of consolidating their sense of self, in order to handle the changing definition of the women of today.

It is due to this discrepancy in the evolution of coherent understanding between men and women that the sacred institution of marriage appears to be a bit shaky. This phenomenon is not limited to the west, but signs of its vulnerability are apparent in our country too.

However, I firmly believe that now is a changeover period. The time has come when the foundation of a healthy matrimony will be the alliance of two equally balanced states of mind with a spirit of camaraderie to attain collective intends. Only then, beyond doubt, the institution of marriage will once again become the formidable force it once used to be.

About the Author | Poonam Kirpal has written ‘Saccharine and a Lot of Spice: Shaping Successful Relationships,’ a book that talks about post-marital relations.

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