The Festival of Lights in the Middle Kingdom!

We are here in Beijing, China, on a holiday, with our daughter Neelima and her husband Maulik. It has been a very nice trip and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is always a great pleasure to be with children. 

It gives immense satisfaction that we can be of some assistance to them albeit for a short period, running a bit of their errands for which they can’t spare time in their very tight schedule. That is the usual pattern of life for the young couples when they are both so occupied with their work and fast pace of life. To give them a helping hand is really of utmost significance and relaxing. 

On their part they have taken us around Beijing showing us various places of interest, historically and culturally and to a far off place like Hangzhou too. The latter too is a very scenic and beautiful place with Buddha relics, a Buddha temple, estates growing the famous green tea on the slopes of the land with a nice lake – the focal point of attraction. 

It was a great time for us to be here with them as Diwali happened to be on Sunday, 3rd of November. We were looking forward to celebrating it with them.  Celebrating festivals in a foreign land is quite different, starkly different from what we would do in India, though the festive joy is no less. 

We improvised tea lights as diyas and they served the purpose very well in place of the traditional earthen diyas. Once the diyas were lit, we did puja in our own simple way as we always do and wish for the good health and the prosperity of all. 

The big difference was that there were no crackers, no noise, and no consequent air pollution arising out of the smoke, though otherwise, air quality in Beijing is generally quite poor.  Moreover, the noise of the crackers could bring about an unnecessary panic or confusion in the society here, who I presume, may not be accustomed to such celebrations. However, today, the use of crackers is increasingly being discouraged in India too, because of obvious hazards. 

Taj Pavilion, one of the Indian restaurants, here in Beijing was considerate enough to wish its regular clients like Neelima and Maulik a very Happy Diwali with a box of traditional Indian sweets which served us well for the occasion. 

Meenakshi's culinary skills were at their very best - a special meal cooked at home gave us a treat for Diwali in our own way. On the whole we enjoyed the Diwali with children after a long time. 

The Indian Embassy here did invite the members of the Indian community on Sunday, 10th November, over a Diwali dinner. Due to other commitments, we had to miss this occasion.

And this reminded me of my time in Africa. Several years back we had a very pleasant experience of celebrating Dussehra in Kampala, Uganda. Before the rise of Idi Amin, there was a very large, progressive and vibrant Indian community there, especially the Gujaratis. We used to have Garba dance for some days, just like we would have in India. The diaspora was so keen to participate in all the activities there with a great fervour.  The venue used to be the Hindu Temple. The great nostalgic memories of those days are still fresh in our minds. We did miss our kith and kin at such times when we are far away from them. No doubt that is an integral part of life.

Certainly, this was an enjoyable Diwali!

Some Quirky Chinese Beliefs & Taboos...!

It is very interesting and a good learning experience to know about the weird thinking of different communities and nations, how they conduct themselves. No particular community or nation is immune to this. The western and so-called developed nations have similar notions. 

No wonder we observed similar things in China!

We stay with our daughter Neelima here in Beijing in a multi-storey tower on the 12th floor.  As we took the lift very often to go up and down, we noticed that the floors 4 and 13 are missing. We learnt that people avoid taking any apartment with an address bearing number 4. Towers and the hotels avoid having floors and rooms with such numbers since the clients won’t take them.  The number “4” is an unlucky number in Chinese. It is a homonym for “death” or “to die”. For the same reason, numbers like “14” and “44” are also inauspicious and avoided. Some hotels in China now don’t have a 44th floor because many Chinese guests wouldn’t like to stay there.

The number “8”, on the other hand is a very lucky number. It sounds like the word “getting rich” in Chinese, especially Cantonese. Therefore, the business houses love to have “8” in part of their address or phone number. They believe that the usage of number “8” will bring them good luck and prosperity. In  fact, people spend a lot of money to get phone numbers or license plates that incorporate the number ”8”. Similarly, a real estate property with an “8” in its address will be in greater demand, and a vehicle bearing “8” in the license plate will signify that the owner has spent a fortune to procure it. A very similar thinking is noticeable in India where you may spend a huge  amount of money to get your desired number which you may think is going to be lucky for you.

The number “6” is also considered a favorable number. It sounds like the word “happiness” in Chinese. Beware of the number “38”; it is especially problematic when associated with women. In Chinese parlance, it can mean bitchy, bimbo-like, or shameless depending upon the context. Ironically, March 8, or 3/8, is the International Day of Women. It is a day when all Chinese women take a half day off from work. Stores and restaurants have special concessions for women on that day.

Big ears with thick and large ear lobes are considered auspicious signs and people who have those are thought to be very lucky in life. No wonder some of the great men like Gandhiji  and Obama do have big and prominent ear lobes and stand as a testimony to the belief  prevalent here in China. It is not to say that the greatness was thrust upon them. They did great things for the society to ameliorate their sufferings and earn a name for themselves.

One month long, post-birth rituals, or zuoyuezi, are the most well observed and well respected rituals in tradition. It literally means “sitting for the month” in Chinese. During this month, a new mother is not allowed outside of her house so that she won’t catch cold from the blowing wind. No shower or head bath to avoid headaches and arthritis in later life. However sponge baths are allowed. She has to follow a diet regime of lot of chicken or fish soup without any salt added to promote the production of breast milk. No television or reading of books or magazines allowed to protect her eyesight. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks even on hot days to protect from cold in joints. Similarly the use of air conditioners or fans is prohibited. It is pertinent to mention here that such rituals are very much in vogue in India too, more so in the smaller towns and other rural places. Even the metros aren't immune to all this. 

Modern education, great advancements in medical science and improved civic amenities in life are bringing about a lot of change in the lives of people everywhere. While an upwardly-mobile lifestyle with a broader outlook is gradually replacing the old, rigid and dogmatic views, some quirks are bound to stay here in China, as we have seen in India. 

On The Trails of Marco Polo.... Part II

The Leifeng Pagoda overlooking the city from Sunset Hill is another attraction in Hangzhou. Originally built in the year 977, all that remains of the original pagoda is the crumbling foundation, to be viewed from outside the glass case that it is housed in.

Leifeng Pagoda

The Pagoda Remains Memorial Museum is at the bottom floor of the pagoda. With escalators and elevators, a totally new pagoda sits on top of the foundation. There is not much to see within the pagoda itself. It was most recently rebuilt in year 2000. However, the view of the city skyline and the vast lake is one of the best from here. The reflection of the beautifully lit pagoda in the evening and night in the lake waters gives a good view to enjoy.

Pagoda view at dusk

A few miles outside Hangzhou, tucked away in the hills west of the West Lake, the world famous Lingyin temple, boasts of a history of 1,600 years and is home to the country’s largest statue of Sakyamuni, rising 24.8 meters into the sky. 

Lingyin, meaning “heart of the soul’s retreat”, is one of the three oldest and most famous temples in China. There are hundreds of Buddhist stone statues carved into the cliffs in the “Peak Flying from Afar”.  This depicts very clearly the influence of Buddhism there in China as in the rest of Southeast Asia. It is very much evident that the people here have a great reverence for Lord Buddha. They prostrate before Buddha with all the humility and respect. We were lucky to be there when the evening prayer, much like the Indian “arti”, was being performed by the monks. They were 80-100 in numbers and were going round and round for about half an hour in three rows around the massive statue of Buddha humming a very soothing prayer. All of us (the visitors) were watching and soaking all this to our memories.

Monks prostating

Monks doing their aarti

Hangzhou is also known as the “China’s Tea Capital”. The Longjing tea is one of the most famous teas in China. It is a green tea, enjoyed by all here and taken several times a day. The green tea is hand plucked.  The tea plucked in the month of March is most expensive while the one plucked in April and May is a little cheaper.

Longjing tea gardens

Longjing tea, a kind of green tea

We enjoyed the tea at a local farmer’s house in Longjing village after visiting the tea gardens there on the slopes of the hill. The restaurants there were doing a roaring business. The city is also a blessed land of silk and sericulture with a China Silk Museum, China silk town and Du Jinsheng Embroidery Museum. Hangzhou is also famous for pearls after green tea and silk.

On The Trails of Marco Polo.... Part I

This is our second visit to China, and after going around Beijing, seeing the beautiful Beijing Capital Museum, Confucius temple and Art Galleries in 798, Neelima and Maulik planned a visit to the beautiful city of Hangzhou in the southeast of China. 

Hangzhou is a main city of the Yangtze River Delta. Located on the Hangzhou Bay, it's barely180 kilometres southwest of Shanghai. For over a 1000 years, Hangzhou had been one of the most powerful and prosperous cities of China, in part also due to its beautiful natural scenery. Hangzhou was the capital of China in olden days, before it was shifted to Beijing. 

The Venetian merchant Marco Polo supposedly visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century. He referred to the city as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world....The number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof."

The renowned 14th century Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta visited Hangzhou and said it was "the biggest city I have ever seen on the face of the earth."

Today Hangzhou is one of the most important tourist cities in China, famous for its natural beauty and historical and cultural heritages.  

A two hour morning flight to the city from Beijing by Air China was smooth with a vegetarian breakfast (by choice) served on board was refreshing. On arrival at the airport, it was a revelation that the airport is quite big, sleek and modern with all the amenities and handles domestic and international flights, including flights to Delhi(!) on Ethiopian Airlines.

The temperature outside was pleasant, at around 17 degree Celsius. We stayed at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, and we were surprised to learn that its Chinese nomenclature Hai Hua Hotel was also inscribed along with. Perhaps it is customary here to give everybody a Chinese name, including the persons who come here to work.

Hangzhou is a modern, well planned city with wide roads, side roads, lanes for the cyclists and zebra crossings for the pedestrians. Tree plantations along the roads are a treat for the eyes and enhance the beauty. A very pleasant sweet scent drifts from the gold petals of Osmanthus flowers over miles, making it ideal for some quiet reflection. As long as you walk around, the enchanting aroma will linger on.

The city is blessed with the West Lake, Xi Hu (pronounced ‘she who’), measuring almost 3 Km by 3 Km. It is the most famous scenic sight. Within the lake area itself are various islands and causeways, while the shores are home to endless parks. “A voyage on this lake offers more refreshment and pleasure than any other experience on earth...,” so said Marco Polo.

A visit to the Xixi National Wetlands Park is a great way to see birds and other wildlife. The birds are especially beautiful and varied.

A boat ride in the park is an exhilarating experience with stoppages at the islets where you can have local fruit, like the fiery red Persimmon from the vendors. A walk around the lake or a ride on bicycle on well-maintained pavements and tracks is memorable, especially in the morning, when people of all ages, children, young adults,  middle-aged and senior citizens are roaming around the lake, taking a walk or doing various types of exercises, practicing tai chi or martial arts or yoga and even dancing.

People doing Tai chi on the banks of lake Xi Hu

There were others who were enjoying and passing their time playing cards. We saw that some people had brought their own food and the vendors were there selling breakfast snacks.

Local fruit, including Buddha's hand

A boat on the lake

Another curious observation was that some old people with long paint brushes and a can of water were busy doing calligraphy on the tiled floor. Since water is used instead of paint, it has a short life. Communication was a barrier because of the language problem, but it was apparent that they were indulging in some sombre thoughts or contemplating over the wise sayings of the saints. Everyone was completely relaxed and appeared to be happy go lucky by nature. The cool temperatures of the morning with all the varied activities on the shores of the lake were a great experience for us to relax and carry good memories with us.

The evening visit to the lake gave another glimpse of its beauty. There is a musical fountain. Rising about 100 meters into the sky, the fountain is a perfect combination of light, water and a fine collection of musical masterpieces.

A beautiful view of musical fountain on lake Xi Hu

It is best appreciated at night, when the colourful streams shoot into the sky accompanied by beautiful music and giving the feeling of dancing waters. The crowds wait anxiously for the fountains and it is a beauty worth a visit once one is in the city.

The Ritual of Getting Through "Customs"....

While working in Uganda with the Ministry of Health, as a doctor, I used to go home to India on leave to India almost every two years. That privilege was often soured by the fear of passing through the Indian Customs, quite ill-reputed in the seventies and eighties. They were known for harassing genuine travellers as well who were not smugglers or illicit drug traffickers. The customs officials generally are very smart with hawkish and penetrating eyes, trained to spot smugglers through their peculiar behaviour and suspicious movements.

As the journey came to an end and we neared India, almost all of us got nervous and panicky. I was reminded of those old days when we had to clear our MBBS professional exams and had to pass through so many examiners, especially for viva-voce. They would enjoy pulling our leg for sheer amusement, which would be very embarrassing and traumatic for the examinee. It is pertinent to mention here that not all the examiners were of that temperament.

Needless to say those were the days of scarcities in Uganda during the regime of Idi Amin. Still, as we headed home, we had to carry a few gifts for the family. It was a dilemma to select items for taking home, when everyone would prefer to have ‘imported’ electronic items, which was such a big craze in India at that time. Under such conditions, it was really difficult to do justice with the choice and the high prices and to satisfy the recipients of the few available items. However, all those are side effects of staying and working outside in a ‘phoren’ land. This was also noticeable that one could not avoid all this. The expectations from NRIs are very high, no matter where they live and work and under what conditions.

Once as we were returning to India and were asked to declare what dutiable items we were carrying, I did mention about a camera. The customs official started probing the hand baggage and came across a toy camera that our children used to play with. He got so pissed off that stopped searching further. In fact, he was rather annoyed with us thinking that we were making a fool of him. The fact was that our recent acquisition, an Asahi Pentax, was in the same bag which he really missed as he thought it was a waste of time to look further, and searching another traveller would be a good and rewarding option.

On another occasion, we were in transit to India for onward journey to Zambia after a few days. We were carrying a black and white NEC TV with FM radio (two in one), which was supposed to be endorsed on the passport to be exported to Zambia on our further journey. The customs people were more concerned if we decided not to take it with us to Zambia. Now the young custom official wanted to ascertain if it was a colour TV since it was not mentioned on its carton. He was told that it was only black and white, but he won’t take our word, and we told him to switch it on and see for himself. On that he consulted his superior, seasoned and more experienced officer who agreed with us and let us go.

On our finally leaving Zambia for good in 1987, we moved with our household goods on transfer of residence. The boxes were a part of unaccompanied baggage, may be 8 or 10 in number. Once they arrived in Delhi, we went for its custom clearance. The custom official wanted to know the contents of the various boxes. We explained they contained household effects, kitchen ware, my medical books, and the kids’ books and toys, etc. He was also duly informed that we were returning after 17 years of service abroad. Now to make sure of the authenticity of our statement, he wanted to see things for himself. On his asking, one of the boxes of his choice was opened for him to see the contents physically. He further questioned about things in other boxes. He was told that those also contained similar household items or books and toys for children. 

The official seemed to be more frustrated than us to find that we had not brought any electronic goods worth the name for which we could be charged the custom duty. That is the occasion which gave us a sense of guilt when he commented that after 17 years of stay outside we returned with this stuff only. On the contrary, we had an immense sense of satisfaction that wherever we worked, we rendered our best and had a great job satisfaction. Our employers, the Ministry of Education (in the case of my wife), and Ministry of Health did not want us to go. They were of the opinion that we had rendered a useful service to the people there and were still capable of doing that. That was our greatest ‘wealth’  which we valued more than the materialistic possessions  we lacked.

Tianjin - An Interesting Blend of Influences

Our journey to Tianjin earlier got postponed as we were not able to get the right reservation for the bullet train. This time we booked in time and boarded the 9 o’clock train from Beijing South Railway Station (Beijing Nan) to be there in time and have a good amount of time at our disposal to see various places of interest, and return home in the evening.

The railway platforms and booking counters in Beijing are well organised, spic and span and the young officials, mostly girls, are very efficient. The language barrier though does become a stumbling block in our interaction with them. Unlike India, one doesn’t have to struggle to board the train. The whole system of people getting off the train and others boarding is done quietly and efficiently so there is no panic on the platforms. 

The travel by a fast train, called bullet train was an experience worth enjoying. The train started exactly at 9 AM. Every 30 minutes there is a bullet train shuttling between Beijing  and Tianjin. It is very comfortable and the adjustable seats are just like those on planes. There are foot rests and folding tables, so you can comfortably work on your laptop, read or just relax during the journey. On both sides of the train above the seats there are shelves to neatly stow away bags. The washroom is spacious and surprisingly neat and clean. Everything in the washroom – from the door locking mechanism to the flush – is controlled by tiny buttons. 

In fact, the whole train is very tidy and very well maintained. The speed of the train and the temperature outside is constantly displayed on a screen in the compartment in both Mandarin and English. It is fascinating to see how the train gains speed within minutes. The temperature outside was varying between 14-16 degrees centigrade.

The train gradually gained speed and reached  a maximum of  293 km/hour. It didn’t exceed 300km/hour.  Sometime back it used to ply at 350 km/hour or more, but due to some mishap in the recent past, the speed was restricted to below 300km/ hour. Sitting in the train one is not conscious of the high speed as there are no jerky movements or high-decibel noise. Our journey of 80 km from Beijing South and Tianjin was accomplished in just about 35 minutes, and a very refreshing one.  One notable remark about the public toilets in Tianjin station is that these are not very hygienic. 

Tianjin, China’s third-largest city, is located to the east of Beijing near the coast. The streets of Tianjin are a curious blend of 19th century European architecture and ultra-modern steel and glass skyscrapers. China’s sudden economic rise is evident from Tianjin’s business district. Skyscrapers such as the 75-storeyed World Financial Center dominate the skyline. 

With rapid economic development changing the city’s skyline, the officials in Tianjin have had the foresight to protect the colonial structures in the city. We strolled around Wu Da Dao (loosely translated as Five Avenues), an area where different European communities lived in the 20th century and established their imprint with their own unique architecture styles. There are different sections where different foreigners used to live: Japanese, Russians, Americans, Austrians, British, Italians and Germans along the banks of the Hai River.

Chinese writer Feng Jicai, a Tianjin resident, once led a campaign to preserve the old city. He said: “Once a nation has lost its own culture, it faces a spiritual crisis more dreadful than that brought on by material poverty. If you regard a city as having a spirit, you will respect it, safeguard it, and cherish it. If you regard it as only matter, you will use it excessively, transform it at will, and damage it without regret.”

As we walked around Wu Da Dao, we came across a curious building which appeared to have been put together with broken pieces of porcelain, elegant vases and dinnerware. We stepped in out of curiosity. It turned out to be something called China House Museum. While the museum ticket says that it traces the history of porcelain (and it is covered by porcelain outside), the museum houses antique furniture. A collector named Zhang Lianzhi turned an old French-style building into this porcelain showcase. He has used more than 700 million porcelain pieces, porcelain vases and dishes, and a few stone sculptures.

Tianjin is also famous for a museum dedicated to Zhou En Lai, a contemporary of Jawaharlal Nehru. However we could not make it possible to visit the place. 

We had our fill of pasta and pizza in one of the Italian restaurants on the Italian Style Street is very interesting with its unique Italian architecture, food, plazas and fountains. You can even buy typical Italian curios like models of the Leaning Tower of Pisa right here in Tianjin! The local Chinese seem to be fun-loving people and they move about freely, shopping and enjoying a variety of cuisines, whereas we get restricted because of our food habits due to our cultural or religious beliefs. Interestingly, we saw three couples in their wedding finery (Western style) getting elaborate photo shoots done in the Italian Style Street.

We returned to Beijing in the evening. We got off the train and started taking photos alongside the bullet train. As soon as we got off the train, workers stepped in and rotated their chairs effortlessly towards Tianjin’s direction for the journey back! Outside the train, more workers started to quickly clean the train with large wet mops. We were very impressed to see how they maintain the train. This is in sharp contrast to the appalling conditions of our Indian Railways, one of the largest employers in the public sector. We have to pick quite a few lessons from the Chinese railway administration which is so efficiently managed. There is no shame in doing .that.

On the whole, it gave us immense satisfaction to have visited a new city of a different and interesting world altogether, not very far from us, so to say a the trip of lifetime for us!

“I Climbed the Great Wall”

As part of our Chinese sojourn, our next visit was the most important and significant one for us. No visitor to China will return home without paying tributes to the ancient Chinese who toiled hard to create one of the wonders of the world, the Great Wall  of China. 

Known as 长城 (the long fortress) or 万里长城 (The long wall of 10,000 Li), the Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan, by the Yellow Sea to Jiayuguan Pass in the Gobi desert. The Great Wall is an astonishing feat of engineering and ingenuity of the ancient Chinese. The practice of building walls along China’s northern frontier began in 5th century BC and continued until the 16th century. The Chinese have walled their cities since earlier times and during the Era of the Warring States simply extended the practice to separate rival territories. The first emperor, Qin Shi  Huang, after having united China under one empire in 3rd century BC, joined and extended the sections to form one continuous defence against barbarian Mongol tribes. With the Ming dynasty, the wall’s upkeep became a priority, and from 14th to 16th century, military technicians worked on its reconstruction. The Ming wall is the one you see today.

The wall, 7 meters high and 7 meters thick with 25,000 battlements, served to bolster Ming sovereignty for a couple of centuries. It prevented the movement of the nomadic peoples of the distant minority regions and their plundering raids. Now this great monument is a great business. The restored sections of the wall are "besieged" daily by rampaging hordes of tourists, and touted by the government as a source of national pride. Its enduring image adorns all manner  of products, from wine to cigarettes and is even used on the visa stickers.

There are many sections of the Great Wall close to Beijing, including Badaling, Mutianyu, Simitai and Jinshanling. Some of them, such as Badaling, are teeming with people. We chose to go to Mutianyu instead to avoid the masses.

The Mutianyu Great Wall is a 3 km long section about 90 kilometers northeast of Beijing. We drove for nearly two hours along the expressway to reach Huairou, a small town at the foot of the wall. It was almost 2 o’clock when we reached there, so we stopped at Subway to grab a sandwich before getting on to the wall. Some tourist sites in and around Beijing – including remote ones such as Mutianyu – have popular fast food chains such as KFC, Subway or McDonalds, a welcome respite for people like us (especially Indians) who cannot eat a lot of Chinese food because of dietary restrictions.

Passing along a ridge through some lush green undulating hills, this part of the wall is well endowed with guard towers, built in 1368 and renovated in 1983. From the entrance, steep steps lead up to the wall, but we opted for the cable car to reach the wall. After a short walk through a rather touristy bazaar where locals were hawking everything from sun-dried fruit to t-shirts and curios, we reached the cable car stop.  

Seated on the cable car, one gets a rather majestic view of the territories all around. The wall goes up and down the green hills, punctuated by its watchtowers. In the distance, one could see the verdant mountain slopes.

Reaching the top was an exhilarating experience. The wall is pretty well-preserved and as you stand on top and watch the wall snake its way up and down the mountain peaks, you get lost in time. You can only imagine how it must have been like back in the day, with soldiers patrolling and guarding their territory. The wall runs across nearly 21,196 kilometres and was built over a period of 1,000 years! It is hard to imagine how anyone was able to build something like that over such diverse and difficult terrain.

We stayed on top of the wall for a while, climbing up and down, and trying to soak in the ambiance  We steered clear of the immensely steep stretches – if we went down those, we would have to endure a very arduous climb back up.

There is something to be said about tourist infrastructure in China. The Great Wall, from what we saw, was pristine and beautiful. Unlike a lot of historical places in India, the monument is kept clean – there is no rubbish anywhere. People don’t vandalize it – you don’t see youngsters etching their names on the wall. Once you are on the wall, you are not besieged by hawkers and touts – something that’s very common in India. The only exception is people selling water and cold drinks. Again, they don’t bug you. Because of this, you are able to appreciate the monument for what it really stands for. It was also interesting to see Chinese, young and old come out to appreciate the heritage of their great land!

Going down from the wall was another exhilarating experience. I chose to use the toboggan slide instead of the cable car. The toboggan slide zig-zags down the mountain slopes and you have to control it with a hand-held brake. Sliding down the valley was a refreshing  experience.

Back at the base, I bought a T-shirt. “I climbed the Great Wall,” it proclaimed. I deserved. it.

你好 中国 - Ni Hao China!

It had been long since we ventured out of India. Returning from the African continent in 1987, after serving there for almost two decades in the beautiful countries of Uganda and Zambia and then continuously working in the North Indian twin towns of Jagadhri and Yamuna Nagar, which also happen to be my home towns as well. 

A well-deserved break was a must. The last two decades have been a turbulent period for us in various ways. We had to establish ourselves in India with not much moolah in hand. The biggest worry was to educate children in the right environment so they could stand on their own as honourable and useful citizens of India. The second thing on our minds was to take care of the ageing parents back home. Now in hindsight, it appears we could achieve our twin objectives to a logical extent.

Our son Rajeev works in Mumbai as a banker and his wife Neeti is a marketing professional, and had been working with telecom and FMCG companies and now heads a FM radio station. Both are doing very well there, and we have been visiting them at least once a year.  

Our daughter, Neelima , a journalist, is working as a Senior Editor, with a business school, in Beijing, China. Earlier, she was in the US on a Fellowship with the University of California in Berkeley for a year and half. Her husband, Maulik, an architect who did his Masters from Berkeley, works as chief urban designer with an architectural firm in Beijing. Their long standing invitation brought us here.  It gave us immense pleasure to be with them after a prolonged wait.

So little over a week back, Meenakshi and I flew into Beijing - nearly after over ten days of painstaking preparation - getting the visas done, forex, etc. We flew in on an Air China Airbus A330 directly from Delhi. The flight took off from Delhi's swanky new Terminal 3, which has been constructed by the GMR Group - a symbol of India's resurgence. The flight took nearly 6 and a half hours - it was quite comfortable  though we could not sleep a wink. 

Despite a capacity of nearly 300 passengers, this Airbus A330 was less than a quarter full. Most passengers were from Punjab travelling to Tarraanto (Toronto) and other places in Cannadda (Canada) - I have tried to reproduce in verbatim the way rustic Punjabis call Toronto and Canada in a guttural fashion! These passengers were to transit through Beijing.

We touched down at Beijing in the morning. My first impression was obvious - Beijing, the capital of China is a great city with old traditions and modern flavours. The airport is quite well developed and modern with an internal subway system (metro rail) to take you for quite a distance to baggage claim belts.

Neelima was there to receive us as Maulik was in the United States for a week on work. The journey from the airport to their home in Shuangjing took about 40-50 minutes in a taxi. The ride was an eye opener. The roads are well paved without any potholes, no honking, and not many red lights to keep you waiting on the road. Traffic is very disciplined. There are so many flyovers and flyways to keep you going at a steady speed. Almost all the roads are lined with beautiful trees, well-trimmed hedges and beautiful flowers blooming with all sorts of colours. Greenery is there for all to see and enjoy. It was a lovely drive passing through the avenues of skyscrapers which are in abundance all around.

These days there is mild chill here in Beijing as the winter is fast approaching. We have started our 6 o’clock morning walks in the garden below the building where we are staying. We find many people doing various types of exercises like tai chi, some take their dogs out to ease themselves – in specially designated doggy toilets! Others are seen going to their work places, and small children going to school.

Change of security guards takes place in these well-planned towers clustered all over – the day-time security guards replace the night guards. These building guards are young, smart and very active, and can often be seen marching around like military men. Sometimes in the morning, we see someone fishing in a pond created for the water fountains. We wonder if it is permissible to do fishing as the fish therein are actually colourful and decorative meant for recreational purposes.

What struck us the most about Beijing is the cleanliness all around. There is no littering anywhere. As we go around shopping, we come across some workers picking up tiny scraps of paper, polythene and even small pieces of rubbish on the pavement. They put them in the dustbins which are quite well-placed at regular intervals. The good thing about the dust bins is that they are not shabby and the place around it is not dirty at all. If a hedge is being trimmed, all the trimmings are picked up and disposed of from the place at the same time.

As we watch from the window of our 12th floor (actually the 11th floor – because of traditional Chinese beliefs, a lot of Chinese buildings don’t have the 4th and 13th floors) apartment living room, we find the vehicles running smoothly at a normal speed on the road below. Drivers willingly stop at red lights even when there are no police personnel around to keep a vigil. No one misuses horns, and no one jumps the red light. Pedestrians also cross the road only on green lights meant for them to do so. This observation holds true even at 2 or 3 AM. All the roads have special paths for the pedestrians and special ones for the cycle riders who command due respect and are not despised.

  

Much like India, China too is an ancient land, with a long history, an impressive culture and deep ingrained sense of tradition. But the path to growth here in China is very different - its orderly and not chaotic as we see in India. We have a lot to learn from this ancient land!

Return from the Vacation

Arriving in India after 27 months was a real excitement, and meeting my own people at home was a sheer pleasure.Sharing my experiences of Uganda, the social life, climate, living conditions there, the simple folk, food  habits and the life style was of great interest to all. It was just a happy reunion with people at home. Life in India was simple as usual. Having landed in India during summer months, the sweltering heat of north was quite an experience after the pleasant cool climes of Uganda. Nothing unusual for me though.

Time was flying. Then got a breaking news and shocking indeed. In August, 1972, President Amin declared that all Asians (Indians) especially with British passports had to leave the country within 90 days. Nobody could believe it. The Indians were taken to Uganda Protectorate by the British in late 19th century, as labour was to lay the railway lines from the coast to the interior for the haulage of the produce from the country to Britain and the finished products from there to Uganda. It was to open up the interior, when the roads and communication were almost non existent. Those early Indians in Uganda and elsewhere did pioneering work. They constructed rail lines, maintained the services and run the rail traffic in an efficient manner. Later they diversified into small businesses, starting dukas in the remote areas in the countryside. As the time went on their progeny went into various professions, like medicine, teaching, nursing, engineering and accounting etc. Still later they started cotton and sugar cane production. Then gradually went into industrial processing of cotton, sugar, beer and glass etc. This is all well documented in the early history of East Africa. With the stroke of a pen, all this was to come to an end. Most of the Indians had to be out of Uganda in a period of three months. There was a lot of turmoil in Uganda.

As my time for return to Uganda was approaching, my apprehension was growing. I got in touch with Uganda High Commission in Delhi. I wanted to make sure whether the Ministry of Health in Uganda still required my services. So there was a correspondence in this regard and I was assured that my services were very much needed by the Ministry. I was of the opinion that I should not embark on my journey before the deadline set for the exodus of the Indians lest I land in the already troubled waters. Once the deadline had passed, I started my journey for Uganda by taking the Air India Boeing 707 flight from Bombay-Nairobi-Entebbe on 30 November. The plane was almost full and to my great surprise all disembarked in Nairobi. On the next leg of journey to Entebbe for one hour, I was the lone passenger in the flight. This gave a little uneasy feeling. The crew were also showing a surprise that I was heading for Uganda from where the Indians were fleeing from the torture of Idi Amin. It was on  that day that I had a queer feeling of a lone Maharaja travelling by the Air India flight. 

The plane touched Entebbe at about 4 in the afternoon. As expected, the airport was being manned by the young Ugandan soldiers, who wouldn't allow any Indian entering Uganda. There was an official from the Ministry of Health, Entebbe to receive me at the airport with a letter from the Ministry.  The soldiers were in no mood to listen to any argument to allow me in. The officer called the Ministry of Health from the airport and Dr. SLD Muyanga, Chief Medical Officer, rushed to the airport to solve this tangle. No amount of explanations or arguments could cut the ice with the soldiers. I was not one of those Indians affected by the expulsion orders of Amin, not being one of the old settlers, a businessman nor with a British passport but  an expatriate on contractual terms with the Government of Uganda. 

The plane was to head back at 5 PM. I was told by the purser on the plane that once I arrive in Bombay, they will have to keep my passport till I paid for the travel from Entebbe to Bombay for which I had no ticket. That done, the flight took off with a few Indians who were on their way to India. I was in a mental turmoil while on journey of one hour to Nairobi. As the plane touched the tarmac in Nairobi and we were proceeding to the transit lounge, somebody was asking for Dr. Gupta. I wondered I had no acquaintance in Nairobi and yet somebody is looking for me there. He was one Mr Kapoor, Airport Manager, Air India. He told me that he had received a telex message from Uganda to contact me and to issue me a ticket Entebbe-Nairobi-Entebbe if I am willing to go back to Uganda. I was in a bad state of mind and very furious and on the spur of the moment refused to go back. Mr.Kapoor was very cool, and offered me coffee and requested me to calm down and reconsider the proposal of the ministry of Health. The plane was to leave for Bombay after one hour. He asked me think about it  with a cool mind, and he would return in half an hour. Thinking with a cool mind about all the aspects, I decided to go back to Uganda and Mr Kapoor  gave me a ticket for a flight back to Uganda by an East African Airways flight to London via Entebbe at midnight. Again everyone on the plane was surprised to see me entering troubled waters.

The same official from the Ministry was there to see me through. This time there was no checking at all and the soldiers waved me on. I was lodged in Lake Victoria Hotel,  and in the evening Dr Muyanga came to see me and explained the whole affair how the problem got solved. After failing to solve the issue at the airport and as my plane started for Nairobi, he went back and contacted the Minister of Health, Dr Gesa who was in a cabinet meeting, among them one the Minister of Interior, who allowed my reentry and saw to it that the same soldiers remained on duty so as not to repeat the problem, and also got in touch with Air India officials there in Nairobi to authorize the issuance of the relevant ticket. It was a great relief for me with all that was going on in the country at that time. Brisk consultations and quick action on the part of various officials could solve this tangle to a satisfactory level. My own state of mind was in turbulence those days when I was resting in the Lake Victoria Hotel and waiting for my unaccompanied baggage to arrive. It took about a week, good for me to have a relaxed period and meet people of various hues and exchange views on very hot topics of those days. In the hotel, I met Dr I. N. Bhatia family who were leaving Uganda for good.. He left Hoima Hospital, where I replaced him.

Proceeding on Vacation

Successfully completing my tour of service of 27 months, with the hectic work in three different districts and hospitals in Uganda, I was looking forward to travelling back home and meeting my people and sharing my exotic experiences with them. It was a great time for me.

Towards the end of May, 1972, I completed various formalities with the Ministries of Health and Personnel before proceeding on leave . To my surprise it was quite simple and easy to deal with the officers in different ministries. Files would move without affixing any wheels or greasing them. Not only that it gave me a good feeling, it also spared me of lot of time, allowing me to follow my profession sincerely with full dedication and devotion. 

This time I was to travel by sea. I boarded East African Railways train in Kampala on way to Mombasa via Nairobi. It was a very scenic journey giving a panoramic view of the East African countryside. The train  was comfortable, giving the passengers a sleeping berth with neat and clean sheets and blankets and dining facilities. Of course we had to buy the coupons for food with Uganda currency before the train crossed the border and entered Kenya. The train journey was comfortable as well as enjoyable (quite comparable with our present day Indian Railways Rajdhani trains, though minus the speed and  air conditioning, which , of course, was not required because of the salubrious climate ).

After travelling for more than 2 days, the train steamed into Mombasa and I stayed in Hotel Astoria there. I  had more than 24 hours there in Mombasa, roamed around here and there window shopping. One could discern an obvious stamp of Arab and Indian influence there in the architecture and the language Swahili incorporating a lot of Arabic words. This was all due to lot of trade going  on in eastern coast of Africa, including Kenya , Tanganyika and Zanzibar( comprising present day Tanzania ),  and Middle East and India.

Next day I boarded the ship of Shipping Corporation of India sailing between Mombasa and Bombay. For me there was a double joy since the name of the ship was the 'State of Haryana'. So virtually I was home before touching the shores of my motherland India and reaching back home, in Haryana. The ship was captained by a Goan, Nazareth and most of the other employees on the ship were also from Goa, quite appropriate for them since Goa is on the sea shore and they are attracted to sail around the world. Quite fascinating and exploring it is. 

My first two days on the ship were really troublesome because of sea sickness. The sight of food made me feel nauseating. Third day onwards I got accustomed to the movements of the ship.On the ship they kept us busy with different activities every day. There was a musical troupe of young boys from India and they were entertaining us with film music, one of the boys singing in a female voice rendering Lata Mangeshkar songs. 

One day there was a beauty contest. There were three judges on the panel for that. Despite my refusal to be on the panel, they forced me to be there. The lady who was selected as Beauty Queen happened to be the wife of the marine engineer on the ship travelling as a family. Then there were film shows, I recollect having seen 'Khamoshi' featuring Sanjeev Kumar. Then there was a fete on one of the days

During the journey,  much to everyone's amusement, crossing the Equator was made to be a big event just to arouse our curiosity. The ship arrived at Seychelles, we had to disembark to get an X Ray done on a child for he fractured his clavicle bone falling from a Table Tennis table on the ship, and for further medical treatment.

Soon we approached Indian waters. Our ship had to anchor some distance away from Bombay harbour for a day due to congestion at the port. After completing the usual immigration and custom formalities, I started train journey to Delhi and Yamuna Nagar alongwith my elder brother who had come to Bombay to receive me. There was a great amount of happiness and satisfaction after joining my family once again!