Today is my first day as a Faculty member of the Accenture Core Analyst School :)  This is going to be a fun 2 weeks...  Stay posted for pictures and stories :)

My days in India are coming to an end.  I've been lucky enough to celebrate Navratri again here in Gujarat...tonight is the last night and then we have Dassera...

 

Now, I'm just counting the days until I'll be back home.  In fact, I'll be in Chicago a week from today...

 

And so...this blog journey will soon come to an end as I don't anticipate too many exciting things to happen over the next 6 months...

 

Thanks for reading :)

Here is the step by step progression from the not so cool Ravo to the now hip, macho, sexy, manly thing that this stache has made me...

 

Yooo...lets start a new trend?  If everyone reading this grows a stache and tells all their friends to do the same...this can really blow up...  Trend setters baby...this is what we do...

Please don't say that I didn't stick to my word...here you go...a full blown stache!!!  I'm not as appalled as I thought I would be...  In fact, I think it is growing on me...  Hey, if Anil Kapoor can have a stache and be as cool as he is, then why not me?

 

Since today is Sunday and there isn't much to do, I thought I would try out a few different hair styles to go with my new stache.  I don't have a favourite but I think that they all look pretty good.  Man, I am going to be the new hot thing on the streets of Bangalore.  Can you get any "macho"er???  I don't think so!

 

And for those ladies back home who may now feel that romantic interest developing, my return flight is booked for October 17th...please don't ALL be waiting for me at the airport :)

 

LOL

Okay okay...I should have done just the stache by now but it really is not easy to do.  Do you know how hard it is to look in the mirror when you have a one month old thick black stache staring at you...  What's left of the goatie doesn't help that much but at least it is something.  This is the weekend...for sure...no backing out now...

 

By Monday, I promise that you will have the real deal...

 

 

Couldn't put these up sooner due to some stupid laptop issues that I have been having...

This weekend, I took a last minute flight to Mumbai and met my family for the first time since I've been in India...  I bought the ticket at 2pm, left work at 4...left Bangalore at 7...and was in Mumbai by 8:30.  The flight from Bangalore to Mumbai was 1.5 hours and so was the rickshaw ride from the airport to my masi's house...  I've been to my masi's place so many times that I was able to get myself there with only a few small mistakes...

 

Once I decided to go to Mumbai, I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to surprise my cousins.  In fact, I spoke to Nirav on the way to make sure that they would be around...  Shweta opened the door and her reaction was priceless :)  I wish I had a camera to capture the look on her face...it was great!!!  Well, I did have a camera but I was too busy living the moment instead of capturing it...  It was funny because I just had a relatively long conversation with Shweta just a few days back and was complaining that I hadn't seen any family yet...

 

Friday night we just chilled out in Borrivali.

 

On Saturday, I took some time in the afternoon to visit Don and a few other relatives from my Mom's side...  Now lucky for me, I happened to be in Mumbai on the biggest festival of the year...it was the end of Ganesh Utsav aka Ganesh Chaturti aka Ganesh Visarjan...  In short, it was the last day of the Ganesh festival which is absolutely nuts in Maharashtra and specifically in Mumbai.  I'll write a separate blog about this event...I'm so glad that I went...but it was no easy task.  I was warned by everyone that it was not advisable to go to Bombay Chowpatti where the celebrations are the biggest but I really wanted to experience this.  Somehow, my mom and grandfather got involved with the whole thing all the way from Chicago.  The one thing I have learned here is that if you want to do something, you need to make it clear.  There will always be a million other options that will surface but you have to be firm and know what you want.  I went back and forth a few times and at one point, my masa was going to come with me.  After actually going there, I am so glad that I didn't ask my masa to accompany me as he offered many out of love but it just wouldn't have been right...  In the end Don came through and we had a great time...

 

On Sunday, we went to a mall called Inorbit in Malad.  Wow!  I thought the malls in Bangalore were awesome but this one was huge...  It had like three anchor chains and a lot of little shops.  We spent more time there than I wanted to but I was with family so it was fun :)  This is where I met Don's fiance, Riddhi, for the first time.  Riddhi is very sweet and I am very happy for Don...I wish I could be here for his wedding...

 

That evening, masi made some awesome guju food and I was sooo happy to not have to eat out.  I know that Sunday is a fun day in India and a lot of people eat out but I was happy when masi pulled out the valan and made garam garam rotli...man..there is nothing like it...  We had ice cream for dinner, listened to music, danced a bit and just chilled out...it was GREAT!

 

In other news, my masa makes the BEST tea ever...hands down...no competition...I must have had like 10 cups over the course of the weekend...

 

Photo Descriptions:

 

The first picture is the meal I was given on my 90 minute Jet Airways flight...that is a real metal knife...and you get a refresher towel at the beginning too :)  There are no safety announcements at all or anything like that...  Very different from an equivalent flight back home where half the cause of the delay is the annoying 30 minute lecture on safety and all you get is a coke and some stupid cracker snack...

 

T, Sanj and Mobb...remember..."Excuse me...are you from the mum-bai???"...or as T would say it..."are you from the boom-bye"... 

 

Man...Mumbai is one crazy city...I wonder if there is any other city in the world like it...from what I have seen, Mumbai is definitely one of a kind...  This morning, I was on a major road/highway (to the airport) that was being shared by people walking, bikes, scooters, motorcycles, rickshaws, cars, trucks and anything else with wheels...as well as animals you'd expect to see on a farm.  The vehicles ranged from very cheap as hell to BMWs, Benzs and other luxury automobiles...  On either side of the highway, you'll have huge apartments and building complexes as well as small communities of inter-connected shacks (you can't really call them houses)...  Separating the road and these small communities of shacks is an external sewage system (gutter) where it is not uncommon to see people  (I only saw men and children) use it as an outdoor toilet.  At first, I felt like they should be embarassed or at least discrete about what they were doing but what choice do they really have?  I mean, better directly in the sewage system than around the place they actually live, sleep and raise their children.  I saw one kid just squatting on the side of the road and she actually ended up squatting in a puddle of her own urine.  It was sad...but in a country with this population, it seems so difficult to think of an effective solution...  I was told that the government tried to provide pay per use toilets but come on, those people that are on the streets are not the ones you should be going to for money to fund public toilets...

 

I was tempted to take a few pictures to describe what I saw but it didn't feel right...I just couldn't do it...

 

I'm not knocking Mumbai at all as it is probably my favourite city in India but it is very hard to ignore some of these things...and it is obviously not like this everywhere...but it does exist...  I honestly wonder when this will change and how...

I spoke with my manager and he wants me to stay here for 2 weeks longer than scheduled.  So, here is what my itinerary looks like now:

I'm gonna have to make up for yesterday's loss of food today...Cadbury Fruit and Nut...here I come!!!  I woke up early this morning and went to Ramesh Jain's house to break my (relatively short) fast!  I still can't believe I made it...was definitely a tough mental challenge...

 

In the morning, we walked to the temple first, where he was the guest of honour and got to open the main gates...  There was a procession with live musicians like a wedding!  This was his 9th time fasting for the entire 8 days.  His sister in law fasted this way for 30 days...the name for that has to do with conquering death or something like that...apparantly, people have died while attempting this...I can see how that could happen...  Ramesh said that from his experience, the 3-4 days after the fast are tougher than the fast itself.  Most people eat too quickly too soon...and end up getting sick and vomiting and stuff...  He is only eating liquid foods for the next 2 days and will gradually get back to a normal diet.  In this lifetime, I would like to do this 8 day fast...  We'll see if it ever happens...  You need to have some serious will power...one day was tough enough for me...  I do think that I can do it though...

 

The food in the morning was good but I couldn't eat too much...  I'm glad I met Ramesh and his family and got to experince life as a Jain in India...it was perfect timing...

 

 

 

 

8:30am – woke up and got ready

9:00am - ordered chai and toast as usual but remembered afterwards that it was the last day of Paryushan and that I was thinking of fasting…  I was so close to just leaving it as a thought but I built up some will power and decided to go for it…  It was especially hard to make that decision now because a day in India without food to me is the equivalent of 10 days back home without food because the food here is SO SO SO good…  Every meal I miss out on here a tremendous loss...

10:00am – got to work (no cravings for anything yet…this could be easy)

10:30am – would really love a cappuccino from Cafe Coffee Day…

11:00am – still really want that cappuccino or a coffee of some sort…

11:53am – going to go and buy my first bottle of water for the day…I need to consume something…

12:30pm – just thought of having a paneer wrap, chocolate cake, masala chai, chaat, etc.  I am really realizing that I have been eating some AMAZING tasting food over here and I am going to miss it like crazy when I leave…cause I miss it like crazy right now and it hasn’t even been half a day yet…mmm…dosa, idly, chutney, sambhar, naan, paratha, malai kofta…  I wonder if thinking about food is the same as eating it…I think that it may be the case in Jainism…  I believe they say that true will power would be to not succumb to your desires and to not even feel the lack of them…  So, you shouldn’t even miss the things that you choose to give up…now that is definitely a difficult task…

2pm – fasting sucks.  It is def not easy…  I just came back from lunch and found myself rationalizing why it would be ok for me to eat something small…maybe just fruits or something…it is funny how the mind works…

3pm – getting sleepy now…not sure if this is because of the fast or because I went to bed late last night…

4:30pm – so glad the day is more than half over…I can’t wait to sleep…only because I know that I can eat when I wake up in the morning…it must be very difficult to do this for 8 days straight…CRAZY... 

8:00pm – leaving work now...I think I made it!  But I'm heading over to a friend's place (and maybe a bar) before I go home...if all goes well, I'll be tired as hell by the time I get home and will fall asleep...

We are getting really damn close now...  I had the beard removed and trimmed but I did NOT touch the stache...  If you look at my picture now, you should be able to visualize just the stache...

 

I would say that we're about a week away from the real deal...  As Usic said, the Indian Ron Burgandy is about to be born...and you know what they say, "When in Rome..."!!!

 

For the sake of bringing you all right into this adventure with me, I had some pictures taken of the transformation...  For now, you can call me trucker Ravo...

 

Hindu Festival - Ganesh Chaturti

 

Jain Festival - Paryushan

 

I'm probably the last guy you would expect to practice some of the ritualistic aspects of my religion but today, in observance of our 24th Tirthankar, Mahavir Swami Bhagavan's birthday... I am going Jain.  Well, as Jain as I can get on such short notice :) 

 

A Jain diet is like a vegetarian diet on steroids.  You can't eat anything that is grown underground.  That includes, onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, etc.  You are not supposed to consume anything before sunrise and after sunset...not even water.  The water you drink should be purified (bolied or filtered I guess)... 

 

During Paryushan, Jains fast for 8 days straight.  So, that is purified water only during the hours between sunrise and sunset...some serious stuff...  I'd like to do the full 8 day fast someday...a personal challenge if you will...maybe I'll do it when I'm 65 and not eating much anyway...LOL...  I'm def not doing it while I'm in India and tempted by everything edible that I see...  Please insert my Dad yelling at me right now, "Ravin!  Never have passion for food"...  Man, he used to get so mad when we would go "mmmmm....." excessively over food...  The other famous quote was, "Do you eat to live, or live to eat?"...  I better not answer that right now but I think that my answer is exactly why it is good for me to fast and proove to myself that I have self control...

 

So far, I'm doing okay today as a Jain.  I find that being Jain here is similar to being vegetarian back home.  You may have one or two options everywhere but rarely a full menu to choose stuff from...  I'm sure it is a little different in Gujarat or other place with a larger Jain population...

 

Tonight, I am going to go to the Jain temple near my house which I think is one of the bigger ones in Bangalore...and I don't plan to consume anything (even water) after sunset...I better drink a bottle of water just now :)  I think it'll be pretty interesting to be at the temple today.  I've never been to a Jain temple in India during an important day before...

We had a celebration dinner at a restaurant called Ebony on Friday night.  It was a lot of fun...the food and drinks were good...and the view of Bangalore (from the 13th Floor) was awesome...  The only thing is that the night dragged on a bit... Over here, it seems like people like to sit and enjoy the entire evening at one place.  I mean, it makes sense for a group that was as big as ours but dinner lasted from 8 to past 11...  Personally, I ate a lot of apps and didn't have too much room for dinner...paneer was my ingredient of the night...I had a hell of a lot of it...  Yeah I know...I'm going to double in size but I'll work out twice as hard when I get home...  For a guy that doesn't really work out, I guess that means just working out will mean it is double for me...

I took a cooking class this weekend.  It was a North Indian style cooking course where we learned how to make the following items:

I think that it was a decent class and I am glad that I took the course.  Before I go into the things that I would change, let me point out some of the good points:

 

1) The family running the class was nice and it was cool to talk to them since they are also Jains...

2) Their cooking methods seemed relatively simple and easy to reproduce... 

3)  According to the site, this family/organization does a lot of social work and promotion/education for vegetarianism which I think is great...that is the main reason why i agreed to write a testimonial for their organization... 

 

I just wanted to highligt some of the positive points before I more or less bash them with my opinions for some clear areas for improvement:

 

1) Let us do the actual cooking.  It is much easier to learn by 'doing'...  It was a waste of my time to actually write out the instructions/steps to follow for every dish.  I should only have to write down notes, not the instructions themselves.

 

2) Have the recipes and instructions printed for the students ahead of time.  If I am playing 650 rs. for a course, don't make me run out and photocopy papers with just the ingredients listed on them.  And that too was also a very unprofessional and marked up list of ingredients.

 

3) Please don't teach me how to cook in your home clothes or "night dress".  It is very uncomfortable to be in presence of someone dressed like that...unless you're at home and it is your mom or something...

 

4) Please don't add a stupid 10 rs. application form charge for a business that you are running out of your own house.

 

5) Anything to do with cooking or eating should be one with cleanliness.  I don't expect anything fancy, but your refigerator and all items related to food (cooking area, pots, pans, etc.) should be spotless.  I was NOT impressed with the cleanliness of where the class was held.

 

6) Please include all details about your address and how to get to your place on your website.  You have a website for a reason...to provide easy access to information.  What is the point of just having you address when you know for a fact there is no way for anyone to easily get to any address without landmark information. 

 

7) Please let me feast on the items that were just made as a result of MY cooking class.  I got to taste the items but then they were served to me in tiny tasting quantities and I could not choose what I wanted to try more of as the foods were taken to another room after being made...  I think that the items made each day from the class were lunch for the family :)  I dunno...

 

8) Please don't ever ask a prospective client (me) to call back again and again.  I am planning to give YOU my buisness and that should be reason enough for you to make some effort on me.

 

9) I assumed a lot about this place becasue they had a website and a lot of courses to choose from.  http://www.anjalicookingschool.com.  Having a website is good but obviously does not say too much about the business.  In India in general, I find that there are a lack of direct resources to find exactly what you are looking for...espicially in a small amount of time...  That is why I just stuck to this place and didn't bother to find another vegetarian cooking school or even though I know that they must exist. 

 

 

You know...this reminds me of May Kaidee and her business in Bangkok...now there is a very good business woman!  I LOVE May Kaidee...honestly...I LOVE her...  I wish I would have taken her course...  I also wish she would have accepted my marriage proposal...  FYI, here's her site: http://www.thaivegetarianrecipes.com.   She was so happy and jovial and proud of her cooking...and just a cute person...  I loved it when she sang her song too...  Ahhh...May...

Finally, a real night of clubbing...  Well, the closest I've come so far and probably the closest I'll get during this trip to Bangalore...  As usual, due to that stupid police commisioner, the music cut at 11:30pm and we were booted out very soon after that...  Everyone keeps telling me about how the party used to go up to 3 or 4 in the morning...and about how Bangalore night life is so great...  I bet they'll lift the rule as soon as I leave...

 

I didn't drink much since I was still on anti-biotics...  The music was actually really good and well mixed but they refused to play Bhangra :(   It was mostly dance, trance and house...with some hip hop and reggae towards the end...  The venue was really nice.  It was on the terrace of a building and the theme of the club was the deck of a ship.  It was amazing to be in the fresh air while jamming...there was a pool...lots of sitting area and the floor was made from wooden planks and stuff...  It was raining but the majority of the area was covered by ship like tarps and the temperature was perfect...

 

I did my best to take pictures of the local Bangalore party 'crowd'...some pics were taken especially for the boyz ;)  I went with Richa and some of her 20/21 year old friends so at times I felt like an uncle but they were all fun loving so I had a great time!  Until the end where one of them got pretty wasted and I was 'volunteered' to drop them home in my car...  Ahhh...it's alright...I def been there before...like last week or something...LOL

 

So, a few years ago...Gayatri, Guhan, Me and Mini go to a Pizza Hut somewhere in or around Toronto...I'm thinking Waterloo but I can't remember for sure.  Anyhow, we order garlic bread with cheese and Gayatri tells us she wants ketchup...  We look at her and then at each other...  We start to laugh and mock her as we normally do.  She was appalled and wasn't amused at all.  To her, it was a normal request and she went on to say that everyone gets ketchup with garlic bread...especially at Pizza Hut.  Sure Gayatri!

 

Anyhow, Gayatri doesn't care about what we said and she calls over our waiter and asks for ketchup.  The guy looks confused for a minute and tells us that he doesn't have any ketchup...and in fact, ketchup is a condiment that Pizza Hut does not carry.  Gayatri tells this us (and the waiter) that she has had ketchup with garlic bread at Pizza Hut.  This guy assures us that Pizza Hut does not carry ketchup as nothing on the menu calls for it...  We agree but Gayatri KNOWS that she is right and the Pizza Hut employee doesn't know what he is talking about...  We decide to just let it go and Gayatri frowns as she eats her garlic bread with cheese...

 

BUT.....

 

On Saturday, I went to Pizza Hut here in Bangalore where it ALL came together...  It must have been that year when Gayatri disappeared in the motherland when she saw everyone eating ketchup with garlic bread...everything is eaten with ketchup here (tomaato sauce)...  I ordered garlic bread with cheese and was given a bottle of ketchup to eat it with... 

 

So, Gayatri really was right...Pizza Hut does have ketchup and there is nothing unusal about having it with garlic bread with cheese...IN INDIA :)  What a revelation this was for me...  Now, if any Pizza Hut employee tries to be smart and tells you that Pizza Hut doesn't carry ketchup...we all know what to say...

 

 

Mmmmm...this is probably not what I should have had at lunch given that I am still trying to fully beat my sickness but hey...the thing was calling my damn name...that and I'm a fatass with no control with the food in this country...

 

Tonight, we have a dinner celebration for work followed by some clubbin'...at least that is the plan...  I will have my camera with me and hope to get some party shots...  I think that is what some of the boyz have been waiting for...I'll see what I can do...