REFLECTIONS

Finally winter gave way to spring and it warmed up in UK! At the onset of spring I decided I wanted to see the cliffs of UK once more and this time without the fog and frozen air. I’m sure some Norwegians, Russians or Americans would be laughing at my description of cold UK considering they are acclimatised to the extreme negative 30 deg. of temperatures in their winters but we Indians are happier when it’s hot… atleast those of us from the central and southern parts of India… and minus 5 deg. is the coldest that I’ve experienced so far. Seaford is a place on the southern coast of UK with the longest range of white cliffs along the coast. They are called the Seven Sisters. The journey to Seaford was long. The rail transport in UK is designed in a peculiar manner. The rail network is routed via major cities instead of creating direct tracks from one place to another. So if you want to go to the south of London from anywhere in the north or west you need to first go to London an...

Dover in its entirety has only been captured in my memory. I have not a single photo of it. Reason being, I visited Dover at the peak of March when the spring is still breaking the winter and the fog doesn’t budge. The fog was so thick that we ourselves couldn’t see 10 feet ahead of us. Clicking photos in such weather was absolute waste of time. Dover is a small town in the county of Kent on the eastern coast of England. It is host to a major port and is one of the links of England to France. So much so that the sign boards on the streets of Dover are in both English and French. Despite the trade route, Dover is a small insignificant place. Everything is at a 20 min walking distance. The roads are narrow and the people are simple. Mind you, the city wasn’t laden with fog as you would have imagined but the main attraction of the place was. The cliffs! Dover has chalk cliffs all along its coastline. Formed out of millions of years of deposition of different kinds of sulphates a...

Student life in UK is very different from the student life in India. Most students work part time in order to earn their living and very few hang around with friends after college hours on campus. Social life is mostly active in pubs and clubs and no one is bothered about how the others are coping with their assignments. Vacations are used to earn as much as possible or to go back home, by almost everyone. With this backdrop, we Indians from Oxford Brookes University or rather from Crescent Hall (student residence) were planning to go to Cardiff for New Year’s 2013. It was supposed to be six of us including two of my friends from Coventry. So we booked our bus tickets for the 30 th of Dec and our hotels for two nights. There isn’t any direct bus route to Cardiff from Oxford. It goes via Bristol where it changes service. Ironically, it takes five hours to travel from Oxford to Cardiff, but just half of it to travel from London to Cardiff. That’s because the service from London is ...

Once you have gone around London in those tube trains and learnt your way around them, it becomes an adventure to travel to different places through those zones of London and choosing the shortest route from all the railway lines. It is fun to figure out which line would take you there fastest and what combination of lines would work the best. Sometimes some lines are down and that’s the best adventure day. Working your way around broken railway lines and finally reaching your destination through the maze of the London tube is one hell of an experience. On the other hand, when you see professionals rushing past you on those escalators trying to reach the platform before the escalators do, you can’t help but feel that they are missing out on the fun. Daily life on those tube trains in the rush hour of the office goers could be lacklustre. So Greenwich was on mind this time around. What could be the best way to reach Greenwich from Paddington? Now Greenwich does not come under ...

Excitement, anxiety, boredom and impatience defined me as I killed my time in the long 8 hour flight to London Heathrow. I knew my sister would be waiting for me at the airport long before the flight lands. Noone could be more particular than she is in maintaining a well-planned buffer of time while receiving or meeting someone. So I waited … until finally the plane screeched to its landing. I stepped into London with a rush of excitement to explore this new country, new people, new culture and new life. Tai had good plans to take me around London as soon as I arrived. My university was due to begin a week after and I had plenty of time to acclimatise to this place. This is where my journey around this country began… London As a typical Indian would, I knew London by The Big Ben and The London Eye. These landmarks are frequently used in Bollywood movies and they still don’t fail to strike you with awe when you first see them for real. They are magnificent and very strategica...

"Whether you are open minded or not,  really, depends where your mind's walls are built." Did Einstein think of this while formulating his theory of  relativity? You ask any Indian and the answer you'll get is that 'The west' is open minded. Ask them why and they will tell you that, they openly speak about relationships and sex and they don't have a conservative society that they need to fear like we do in India. They are open to cross cultural marriages and they don't have to seek their parents' permission for major decisions of their lives. Really? Is that open mindedness? I care to disagree.  What we have said just now is not open-mindedness. It's just a culture! This is how I look at it: 'The west' in general are wealthy countries with high per-capita income which means that their standard of living is better than 'the east' in general. They get many privileges since childhood in their country. Just as an exampl...

The morning is here Translucent clear Thoughts are a smear Its yet another day Vacations hungover Vapid times hover Very dull and somber Its such a long day Hours and hours of vacancy How huge a fallacy Hack the mask of snow and see Its a bunch full of days 'Wanna stay on my own' Words I can't disown Wind my way out or moan Is it a useful day? Lots in it to learn Linger around or earn Level your head, be stern Its a new day Comprehension to my rescue Dreams I should pursue What a wonderful cue! Its a brighter day! What a day!