Checking in from Kashmir

We're in Pahalgam, Kashmir and having a wonderful time. It's very chilly , we're at 7000 ft elevation and  it's the tail end of winter. We're staying at this quaint resort with jaw dropping views of snow capped mountains. We're heading out to Aru Valley for some hiking this afternoon.  Here is a snippet of our trip so far. Pictures to follow after we get back.

After landing in Srinagar, Sindhu asked out loud, why are there so many muslims on the plane? Sindhu was mainly looking forward to seeing snow and skiing and was not aware of anything else. We had a brief discussion on Kashmir but I left out the part that most people were surprised that we were even considering a trip to Kashmir. It would be an understatement to mention that there was military presence throughout Kashmir. So far it hasn't bothered us but I believe the concentration is higher in Srinigar and more unnerving according to some tourists we spoke to. As tourists, we are being treated exceptionally well in Gulmarg and Pahalgam and have felt safe during our stay. We drove to Gulmarg directly from the airport. The drive was very pleasant, minimal traffic and little pollution. The architecture of the brick homes reminded us of ski chalets or homes in the North East of Canada or the US, very different from the rest of India. Due to the unexpectedly warm weather, early construction of homes had already begun. Surprisingly many of the homes were very large but later we noticed that only portions of the homes were constructed and probably the top floors were built later when money was available. Winter is ending now and summer is about to start, we arrived at the cusp of both seasons. The landscape is apparently beautiful in May and June and is the peak tourist season and Dec-Feb is when the foreigners visit to ski. There are many pine trees but the rest of the trees are just starting to sprout leaves and flowers. Along our drive to Gulmarg and Pahalgam, we've seen fields of mustard plants, imagine miles and miles of yellow flowers with a backdrop of snow capped mountains and pine trees. Apple, pear, peach and cherry orchards are common place along with saffron which is specially grown in a small town along the way to Pahalgam.

In Gulmarg, we stayed at Highlands Park hotel and I would highly recommend it as the options in Gulmarg are limited. The views of the snow capped mountains from the hotel are stunning. The rooms have a rustic decor, the walls and ceiling are wood panneled, the heating is through  wood burning stoves (bukhara) but the bathrooms are modern which is probably why it stands above the rest. They have some lovely Kashmiri carpets, curtains and light fixtures which added a lovely touch to the decor. The service is excellent, there is always a staff member available outside of the room. The food is simple, healthy and delicious. I sort of wished we were non-vegetarians, Kashmiri wazwan food which is primarily non-veg is apparently out of this world. When we arrived, there was no power and given the power shortage in Gulmarg, the backup is usually turned on only in the evenings and during the day for essential services such as the credit card machine for checking out. Without power, the geysers were not turned on and you would not believe how cold the water was, it was ice cold, we all had trouble washing our hands. The floor of the bathroom was so cold we could not stand on it without socks or footwear. It took us some time to adjust to feeling cold all the time. I'm not sure if this is also related to the power shortage but the lights are very dim in the hotel rooms in Kashmir.

Gulmarg is a must-see if you ever visit Kashmir, it's relaxing, peaceful, the views are stunning and you can ski there! The only negative is the locals you meet are men because none of the residents live in Gulmarg and they travel from the nearby towns and villages so there is a bit of an artificial feel to the town. There are countless number of flights to Srinigar from Delhi and our flight was pretty full but tourists are still scarce. Highlands Park was only 20% occupied. We knew the occupancy would be low so although I researched hotels and obtained quotes from the travel agencies, in the end, we didn't make any reservations, we just arrived at the hotel and negotiated the prices. We did the same in Pahalgam and will do the same in Srinigar.

After a day in Gulmarg, Sindhu remarked that the Kashmiris did not look like Indians and that they looked like Arabs. Kashmiris are very good looking, many of the young ones could easily be models. They are very friendly and warm and easily approachable.

Next post is about our day of skiiing in Gulmarg and yes I skiied after 10+ years (Raji, the last time was with Prasad, you and Ravi).

School International Day

S & R's school puts on an annual  variety show. Every child participates in it  in some fashion or another. Rushil did a dance and he was the "counter" so you could hear him counting the beats for the other dancers halfway across the audience. He was completely absorbed into the dance and put his heart and soul  into it.  Sindhu acted in the 5th grade play and played the part of Morgan La Faye, the evil sorcerer, the kind of role she loves to play. With makeup she was unrecognizable, people were asking me what part she played as they didn't recognize her throughout the entire play. She did an excellent job, she was loud and clear and she even sang a song with two other girls as part of the role.  

The show was excellent, the teachers and students put in a huge effort. I was not pleased that some classes were cancelled for practice but the end product was impressive.  The theme was somewhat like "It's a Small World", the backdrop, the costumes and the songs followed the theme.

It was a great way to start spring break.

IPL fun

Believe it or not,  I have become a huge fan of IPL.  I went from knowing absolutely nothing about cricket, not recognizing any of the players except for Dhoni and Sachin T to understanding 20% of the game.   I pretty much watch every game regardless of who is playing but I'm rooting for Bangalore Royal Challengers or Deccan Chargers. Rushil on the other hand is a huge fan of Sachin so wants to support Mumbai Indians and wants me to convert over but I told him it's ok to support different teams. He went to a Bangalore/Delhi game with Prasad and Rushil was disappointed that Bangalore lost but he had a lots of fun and got a cute Bangalore Royal Challengers t-shirt out of it.  He plays cricket all day long even in the house, it's a matter of time before something breaks.  I've booked us tickets for April 17th and it will be a doozy, Bangalore vs Mumbai, one family cheering for different teams.

Returning back to the US

Most foreign returned Indians living in Bangalore face a common dilemma. Their children will likely want to attend American or foreign universities and they will have to make a decision at one point whether to move back to the US. Many worry about being able to afford American tuition fees on Indian salaries, it's difficult enough on an American salary.   It's a somewhat new phenomenon and a topic that comes up among parents of children in high school.. They love living in India, being near their families, they have built beautiful homes and have made new friends  but they don't want to be away from their children.  The children seem to have an affinity towards the US and are interested in returning back for college. If the children attended international schools, getting admission into Indian schools may not be very easy, the competition is tough so returning to the US becomes one of the only viable options for a quality eduaction.   It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. 

Recently, there was a a law being considered to allow foreign universities to setup shop in India. If it becomes a reality,  more children may stay back if the quality of the education is at par.  The children ready to attend college in the next few years may not be able to benefit from this but this may be an option for those in the early primary years.

The next question will be if the children who attend American schools will return back to India after their schooling or will they stay back in the US?  I guess time will tell.

Runaway Brides

True story I read in the paper last week. The bride a few minutes before she was about to marry Manjuanth announced that she was in love with someone else. That someone else was among the audience and Manjunath's family tried to beat him up.  Just  like in the movies, his friends rescued him and the bride and disappeared into the sunset.  His family decided there was no point in cancelling the wedding and found another bride among the guests. It was a 16 year old girl that was playing outside. They forcibly married  her off to him, all the while she was crying throughout the ceremony. The next day when her brother dropped her off at school, she eloped with her boyfriend and Manjunath was single again. In today's newspaper, his family apparently found another bride for him and he is officially married.  He has a persistent family.

Rushil's 7th Birthday

We celebrated Rushil's birthday at our place today. 10-12 boys, a few girls (Sindhu's friends), a couple of family friends and some relatives.  Sindhu and I planned the games  only on Friday night and we purchased all the supplies on Saturday, we found this great store within walking distance of our apartment that had a good selection of goodie bags and prizes.  The first game we played was a big hit at Sindhu's party but  did not work at all with the boys. One boy declared he only wanted to play soccer and started kicking the ball around in the house and we could never quite get him engaged with any of the games. I was a bit worried.  Sindhu rounded up the boys to get started and was very patient with them. A few games clicked, pass the parcel (with each layer wrapped with a small gift), pass the balloon, a treasure hunt completely organized by Sindhu and the wheel barrow race.  After cake cutting and pizza, Prasad took a few boys out for 15-20 minutes to play soccer, they finally got it out of their system.  Then onto musical chairs and the marshmallow game.  Rushil had a great time and was looking forward  to the party for days. He woke up with so much excitement and anticipation  and was delighted with the new telescope he received. Prasad and I were exhausted. It is very different handling 10 boys vs 10 girls.  Next year we're outsourcing Rushil's party.

Can you see the difference?

Last year I posted about how Sindhu's formal uniform shirt was dirty and I didn't know how to keep it clean. Back then, I really didn't know what products to use.  Since I have the most amazing maid, she knows how to keep the children's formal uniforms shirts white and it is quite a task now that Rushil has joined the pack. I seriously do not know what he does at school. Washing the shirt in a washing machine won't cut it, soaking it in bleach isn't enough, she uses a Surf bar soap and scrubs his shirt for 1/2 an hour and then we throw it in the washing machine. When he comes home from school, his shirt is literally brown, I asked him if he rolls on the ground all the day long, he doesn't even have PE on the days he wears formals. His PE uniform is dark green in colour so it hides all the dirt, I can't even imagine what it would like if it was white.

Too old to work here

I was reading the job postings in the newspaper today and noticed that there are a notable number of postings that list the age requirement for a candidate.  An  ad for Indigo Airlines had age cutoff for a cabin crew member at 28, not surprising, there is an age cutoff for most airlines in India except for maybe Indian Airlines :-)  Some of the other advertisements were a bit surprising.

GMR Aviation :
Quality Control Manager  between the ages of 40-50
Cabin crew between 24-28 yrs
Captain between 40-50 years. 

A UK based company (no name mentionned):
Mechanical engineer between the ages of 25-30 years.

Orchid Healthcare:
Junior Officer  or Executive - Age limit - 25 years

 I shouldn't be that surprised, considering most of the resumes that we receive at our company list out the birthdate of the candidate without being asked for it. I didn't expect to spot so many ads with an age restriction, I thought India was more progressive than this. Working at an MNC shelters me from the "real" experience of working in India.  If there ever was a doubt, I know that I shouldn't quit my current job and apply for one as a cabin crew member at Indigo because in case you wondered, I'm just a tad over 28.

Commemorating 10 years....

To mark the children's 10th birthday in our Fremont playgroup, Krithiga put together this picture of all the children.  Isn't it precious? I can't believe how much everyone has grown.

Blogging is outdated?

I've been told by two different people that blogging is so yesterday. I asked them both what is in vogue. One suggested twitter or facebook but I don't see how those can replace blogging, they fill two completely different needs. The other suggested that I video blog. I could perhaps video blog to occasionally spice things up but not regularly. I enjoy blogging late at night, in PJs, watching television or working, with video blogging, I would have to be completely dedicated to the activity. I still didn't get my answer, what is the next big thing after blogging?