Bulgaria Trip Introduction People, who are interested in the dry details of history/geography/culture/politics etc. of Bulgaria, may refer to the following links or to the CIA World FactBook. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria http://www.bulgariatravel.org/eng/index.php Now that I have done my duty of educating my readers by giving the above links, I am free to write a non-official, non-standard, non-internet-researched, non-influenced-by-either-Communist-or-Western-propaganda account of my own Bulgarian experience. Bulgaria, or the part of Bulgaria that I have seen, is such a beautiful, lush green, fertile country that no wonder that diverse people and nations have tried to win and hold the country. Its history is full of wars, foreign occupancy and uprisings, but all the same, Bulgarians are an innately calm and peace-loving people. We had gone from Mumbai, Mah... read more

Dubai Visit - Introduction The Gulf Countries invoke an image of oil-rich, arid, desert countries populated by traditional, Muslim people. Mostly this image is true, but Dubai is an exception. It is NOT oil-rich and the society is the most cosmopolitan that I have seen, and the desert is enlivened not only by the short date palms but also by tall, chrome-and-glass skyscraper buildings which are tantamount to Prosperity. (Dubai is clean but not very green. I could not find a single tree more that 20 feet in height, whereas in India, trees more that 50-60 feet high are fairly common. The world’s tallest trees are, of course, the Redwood trees of California.) This prosperity is the result of the ruling Maktoum family’s unbroken bloodline of capable leaders. They had the vision and the ability ... read more

Seoul Tour We were travelling from Los Angeles to Mumbai by Korean Airlines in March 2006 and had to spend something like 12 hours at the airport. Fortunately, Incheon airport is one place where you can find a decent place to sleep and rest. However, you cannot sleep at an airport for a very long time, so we decided to take a 6-hour city tour. At the Incheon airport, once you book the city tour, you can get a temporary 'transit visa'. The Tour bus company also gives jackets to wear to the tourists. However, we had our own heavy-duty winter jackets, so we declined their offer. I forgot to take my gloves, cap and scarf and regretted it later. It was VERY cold. Korea is influenced by both the China and Japan as it ... read more

Ramoji Film City - Day 2 By our second day in Ramoji Film City, we had learnt to thump every structure, statue and pillar to find out whether they were real or ‘fake’. If they sounded hollow, then they were ‘fake’. Otherwise, just by sight or touch, you could not tell them apart. (By ‘fake’ I mean made of fiberglass, plywood or Plaster of Paris.) Some structures in the Ramoji Film City are ‘real’. Hawa Mahal is solid granite stone. Thinking that it must be made of wood, I had thumped it rather forcefully and later my palm tingled with the impact for a long time. Afterwards, I was a bit wary about thumping. And now I will tell you about the leading role that I played in “Sholey No. 3”, which is a 3-minute ... read more

Hyderabad Our Hyderabad trip was jinxed. We first booked it in September 2006 and then had to postpone it three times before we could make it. Ultimately, it materialized just after my VRS. “This is your Retirement Present.” Avi told me. So we took an early morning flight to Hyderabad on 14th Feb. 2007 and went to the Salarjung Museum the same day in the morning and to Char Minar in the evening. Salarjung Museum is positively a store-house of Art. Of particular interest to me were the halls of porcelain and sculpture. Somehow, oil-paintings do not impress me much. Neither does the metalwork like the Bidri work or the Banaras Brass or Tanjore bronzes. Even ‘Dancing Natraj’ I am not particularly fond of. (Sorry about it folks, but there it is.) There is no ... read more