Reflections

Concluding part of the article by SHREYA DUTTA The next week was extensively involved in wiring and solar panel installation (capacity: 3 KW). By the second day the guys’ and girls’ dorms (classrooms basically) had fans and lights working. There was no teaching but on interaction with the local children it was evident that they have been more exposed to English medium of education since lots of foreign trusts have visited and donated to the school in the past. On the third day, the villagers started preparing for the elaborate farewell ceremony which was to take place at night. Extra lights were connected in the playground, furniture set and the children rehearsed song and dance. The thread tying and blessing ceremony for this village was grander than the previous and this time even the children participated. The villagers performed for us and we performed for them. They thanked the team by offering us body parts of a barbequed pig which they had slaughtered in front of some of us i...

Continuing the account by Shreya Dutta of a Laos trip On 15th June, 2014 we started our journey. Michael, an engineer from Rezeca Renewables, a relatively fresh start-up engineering firm joined us as we boarded our flight at Changi International Airport to Wattay Airport, Vientiane. After a quick immigration, we made our way to Luang Prabang from the domestic terminal. The view during the hour long flight was breathtaking – with the first glimpse of the Mekong River, the valleys and the cloud-covered mountains and multiple rainbows. We were welcomed in Luang Prabang airport by the general manager (GM) of MyLaoHome, essentially a chain of hotels and villas in UNESCO World Heritage Site Luang Prabang. The GM, Mr. Ninthala also happens to be the education minister’s son. We had an authentic Laotian meal and called it a night in the New Daraphet Villa. Next day, some of the team members went along with Michael to purchase items required for electric wiring in the school in the first vi...

My daughter recently visited Laos as a member of a Nanyang Technological University student outreach team. This is her account of the trip. By the Banks of the Mekong By Shreya Dutta Laos People’s Democratic Republic or ‘Lao’ as the French call it is a South-East Asian country and ASEAN member. I start this write-up with this basic information as many, or let me reframe, most people I know didn’t know what or where Laos is until I explained that it’s a country of its own. A friend got it confused with Lagos in Nigeria and congratulated me for having the opportunity to travel to Africa. Some were in the belief that it’s just a part of Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand or Vietnam. Some knew and one fellow pleasantly surprised me by saying, “Oh you’re going to Laos! Its capital is Vientiane, right?” Laos is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world with about a third of the people being below the poverty line and it being the 25th most hungry nation. It is also the world’s ...

Dunsinane Hill ( picture from www.geograph.org.uk) In our school days, English Literature was taken very seriously, especially for those who appeared for the Senior Cambridge examinations. And inseparable from Eng Lit was, of course, Shakespeare. If I remember right, we studied Julius Caesar in Class VIII, Midsummer Night’s Dream in Class IX and finally Macbeth for the finals. Shakespeare fascinated me. I knew and still know large chunks of some of these plays by heart (as we used to say in those days). I am still liable to spout Macbeth’s speeches (“Is this a Dagger”) or Antony’s speeches at the drop of a hat as my long suffering wife and daughter will vouch. One of my classmates; today he and his wife run West Bengal’s No 1 jewelry chain; was a superb actor and he brought to life the three witches as they plotted in the heath as he did Shylock as he complained “ when you prick us do we not bleed? “ However we hardly ever saw the plays acted professionally. I remember that t...

The Shiv Sena has a bad reputation. Starting as small time bullies who preyed on Udipi shops in Mumbai, they have grown to a major force, more so after the last elections.The recent episode of forcing a Muslim staffer to eat allegedly non edible chapati when he was observing the Ramadan fast made headlines. The story appeared to be the usual bullying of an inoffensive Muslim by the bullies of the saffron brigade. But the Hoot website which, in my opinion is one of the best reporters of media matters in India had a different take. This is well worth reading because it proves that what seems obvious need not always be true. At the least, it is a credible alternate version of the tale that was told by the so called national media whose agenda is always suspect. This appeared originally here This appeared on 25th July 2014, thus the reference to dates and current events must take into account that date. Shiv Sena MPs and the roti fiasco By Nivedita Khandekar The alleged att...