Category: Travels with Twinny!

Maybe it is the sun kissed island effect, the sight of the bright blue Aegean Sea.. or the feel of the gusty Mediterranean winds…
Whatever it is…one comes away from Greece with a wish ..
To live a life less hurried!

There are 2000 islands in the Aegean .. 200 of which are inhabited .. names as romantic and idyllic as the islands themselves..
Read aloud …
PAROS, CHIOS,SKYROS, MYKONOS, SANTORINI….!
Beautiful and rhythmical…

See the HOUSES… white washed and calming.. with doors and windows in cerulean BLUE
.. painted ‘blue’ specifically …to ward off evil…
In fact if you see a ROOF with a shape like this…..

Or like these…

….You can be sure you are in Greece…
And if you see a white cylindrical threestoreyed structure … with a rotating 12 spiked wheel … the ancient WINDMILLS …
You can be doubly/ triply sure… you definitely on a Greek island !

These windmills were made between the 13- 17 th century AD…
They were amazing , harnessing the power of the strong Mediterranean winds to grind wheat and barley to flour..
This was then used by the islanders or traded to distant countries by plying ships.. big business in those days!!
Now …
replaced with mills run on electricity .. but they remain.. A sturdy testimonial to the genius of man ….

So the islands , the houses ,the windmills .. simply charming ..
and then you meet a Greek FAMILY…. warm ,inviting, robust, friendly ! With RICH family VALUES and traditions…
Generations live together .. grandparents , parents , children ….
MARRIAGE very sacred and to be taken seriously ..
Divorce rates LOWEST in the EU..
And Retirement or OLD AGE HOMES unheard of..
Ask a local….about an old age home…and they say
‘What is that ??!’

The Greek system of PANIGIRI or
Festival time dedicated to the local saint…..
is for the FULL FAMILY !Full of fun ,frolic ,fiesta!!
The Greeks DONT celebrate birthdays .. rather they celebrate the BIRTH of the saint whose name they share … and each Greek ,male or female definitely shares a name with a saint!!!
Bazaars ,feasting and dancing…PANIGIRIA..!Have a look at this video…
You will feel like getting up and just joining in…!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OozOpGqRzEA

Very much like Pravins mandolin is the Greek BOUZOUKI…. here’s a picture with a small piece….played by the best bouzouki player in the world .. well in 2011!

Ah music , love and the sun .. !
No wonder that on the Greek island IKARIA…people have forgotten to grow old !!
85 -90year olds here are mentally and physically agile …
Here are their SIMPLE SECRETS…
Firstly no one in IKARIA keeps time-pieces or clocks… there’s no need!
They get up each day ONLY when fully awake and rested.. whatever the time … could be noon…!
They Start their day with GARDENING…. Pushkala / geetanjali can vouch for the curative touch of tending to plants …

Next they have a meal.. usually only from ‘HOME GROWN PRODUCE'( fava which is chickpeas ,tomatoes, peppers and of course aubergines !)
With rusks and homebaked bread ….
Drizzled with olive oil( preferably not heated olive oil)
Salads with their beloved feta cheese,
Plenty of yoghurt and honey..
Coupled with a few glasses of home pressed wine …
Non vegetarian food only four times a month..!

After their meal ….back to sleep .. Ikarians stress the importance of SHORT NAPS throughout the day .. that’s easy .. we all can do it!!!
Evening is time to socialise ,wine and dine TOGETHER..with friends and neighbours …play games , gossip .. a type of community living!!!
Also Ikarians stress the importance of an ACTIVE SEX life …. REALLY ??
At 75/85/ 95 .. ????
Well yes!!!
Wow !!!!!
Simple ways to a good healthy long life ..!

Makes one want to get up and start  ANEW…  walk a path not  taken … shift gears..get into pottery….make ceramic pots and tableware…

Maybe  start a business stylising and painting surfboards…

Maybe make soaps and honey .. give anyone a run for their money !!

Or even plunge into something totally adventurous.. what say Pradeep??? Deep sea diving …discover the sea .. hey! Shipwreck archaeology…!! Not enough people doing that ! Though Greece has the most number of archaeological museums in the world !!!

One could do anything .. actually…other than be a doctor !!
Simply because .. Here, Every one in pretty good shape …!!!
Despite the fact that Greece has the most number of smokers in the EU!!!
Well cheers to that!!

Yes yes… this is the land of HIPPOCRATES and we stand by his Oath…
The land of HOMER and the ILIAD…
Of scholars and inventors..
Of poets and philosophers ..
Of brains as big as Mount Olympus
Even the chosen NATIONAL animal .. the DOLPHIN( worlds most intelligent animal )…
And the NATIONAL bird .. the OWL …,Are WISE!!
Who would think that this Greek shipping magnate busy on his laptop analysing world data …

..Was actually playing
PATIENCE!!😉!
Byeeeeee!
Twinny on a break for a month..
See you all sooooon!

Hi all !

Twinny  back from the land of olives ,love and peace.. Greece!

Amongst the pretty sights of this delightful land is the heart wrenching one of Hellinikon airport .. the old airport of Athens .. home now to 67000 Syrian refugees ,half of them children..

Another  12000 homeless scattered on the idyllic Greek islands … here are some pictures.

Here they are.. men women children ..in makeshift camps, Living day to day .. Uncertain of the very unsure tomorrow …

Living in an airport taking off to Nowhere….

It’s been 5 years 5 months and 5 weeks …since the Syrian Civil War began…
And just why did it begin???

Well…

In 2011 some civilians revolted against the oppressive Bashar Al Assad government ….

Instantly the government took action…A tad too harshly!

In response, angered rebel groups formed ,calling themselves Free Syrian Army ( FSA) …. Though fragmented themselves they

garnered support from Saudi Arabia , US , France…All these on one side.. …

And

the Ruling party’s Syrian Armed Forces ( SAF) on the other …supported by Iran ,Iraq ,Russia….

A FULL SCALE CIVIL WAR ensued and is STILL in progress….since 2011 !

Tit for tat !Tat for tit…tit for tat , tat for tit … Nonstop fighting..

A war where NO ONE winning , BOTH sides loosing..

LOOSING …PRECIOUS LIVES and TIME…Alas…!!!

This WAS beautiful Syria …

And now … Ravaged , incarcerated in a heap of rubble …

Here is a picture of a Syrian boy rescued from the rubble of a detonated home….taken just a few weeks ago … tearless ,stoic ,unmoved by the sight of blood ,  the sounds of explosions ….he has seen and heard the same many a time ..

Bulldozing its way into a country already on its knees is the vicious IS (Islamic State) ,killing gruesomely anyone not agreeable with its extremist views………mass destruction……..the only agenda …

Destroying even world heritage sites of ..ancient cities Palmyra and Allepo… DEVASTATING HISTORY forever!!
In all , nearly 3 Lakhs Syrians have been killed ..

And Half of Syria …11 million out of a total population of 23 million( same as that of Austrailia…)forced to flee their home …..saddled with a new name ..

”Refugees”……..
Amrita just why are you pulling at my skirt??

Want to say something Twinny .

Now what??

Well if you allow me .. Wanted to tell you how an artist evolves.. NOW amruta ???? Must you .. At this juncture …???!

Yes it’s relevant ..!

Pleasssse!

Ok ok go ahead…

Well.. This is about Ritu Dhillon .. My amazingly prolific artist and friend …

I want to tell you her journey…How she started her career ,fresh out of JJ school of Art .. And As all talented young artists do,started with realist paintings like so….

Then came her romantic Bedouin phase .. Her favourites and mine too … Soulful eyes and all…

Then the phase of angst….Some Paintings crying out , some caged in and dark , some fighting out…
Faced with the loss of her brother and father and the simultaneous fracture of her painting arm.. She stopped painting..becoming more or less reclusive ..spending a lot of time alone watching news channels and reading magazines while bringing up her twin children…..

In the last five years , her sensitivities awoke  to the horrors in Syria …

.. And She started painting again.. When an artist has more to say .. The painting is less ,the complexity of thoughts more….Have a look…in order ..

‘The Child Soldier’

‘Troy ‘

‘Lost ‘

And finally ‘Displaced’

Look at … DISPLACED closely .. To you ,it looks like a mass of black lines.. See the left corner… Human figures walking away from their ruined homes.. Leaving for a land Unknown….. Desperate ,Terrified….Displaced!

From their homes.. from all things familiar… challenging even for a single night… leave alone 5 years of ones life…..

So what the heck is the world doing to help ..??Greece in an economic dump…one in four unemployed…so getting jobs here for Syrians super tough..

Yes ,the UN , EU , UNICEF sending food ,clothing etc.. but for how long …??

Talks of truce last week .. between the US and Russia …. the beginning of hope ….. and maybe better times to come..

Today is 21st September ..INTERNATIONAL PEACE day ..

It’s time….!

Time to……

Let go egos….!

Lay down guns …..!

Time to ..

Awaken to morning peace ….

And evening prayer …

It’s time …!!!!

Extend the OLIVE branch !(biblical Greek offer of peace…..)

Set free the DOVE!

Ring the PEACE BELL!

For all over the world .. whether from India chile syria ., all of us the same ..(well 99.99% )

We all want the same things.. peace love laughter and a good meal and …

And as you can see in this Greek cafe …

……. Freedom to WhatsApp!!!!

And does this Greek cafe have a good menu…???

Yes! Here it is!

Isabella … come on rustle up  a dip .. the Greek Tzatziki…!

 

Enjoy !

Byeeeeee!!!

Twinny reporting from the land where DEMOCRACY, PHILOSOPHY and SCIENCE originated..
ATHENS!
Named after the goddess Athena ,this citystate has a magnificent citadel ‘The ACROPOLIS .. Sitting atop an immensely rocky outcrop ….
standing 150 metres tall…..visible from almost anywhere in the city ..
Acropolis means HIGHEST POINT ..!

Made in the ‘golden age ‘of the Greeks 460 to 430 BC by the great statesman PERICLES….. The Acropolis and its various buildings esp the PARTHENON were constructed so perfectly they have survived attacks/ fires/earthquakes / sieges and are a symbol of Ancient Greek grandeur !!
Have a look…!

Ancient Greece was the centre of Great thought .. The land of SOCRATES , PLATO , ARISTOTLE !
Socrates never wrote down anything … His method was to ask questions and coax answers .. The Socratic Method…the premise that he lived on was .. ‘ all I know is that I know nought’
He was supposedly ugly , died because he was poisoned with a cup of hemlock .. But oh …the legacy he left behind…

Socrates’ student was Plato .. Who started the Academie of teaching .. He believed that LOVE is the most powerful motivator… PLATONIC LOVE… ‘comes from his name…Plato !!!
If Platos teachings were to be described as SILVER then the teachings of his student Aristotle .. Were GOLD!
Aristotle presided over the Lyceum and wrote books on Politics, Physics,Philosophy and Ethics…! Here are pictures of Plato and Aristotle !
All three may have lived in the 4th century BC but THEY are our teachers …..EVEN TODAY….!!! Amazing!

Greece was made up of a number of independent city states …They really couldn’t be united because the rocky mountainous terrain allowed neither access or unity….!Also there was always the fear of natural calamities like earthquakes .. So each city state venerated a GOD or GODDESS to protect it !
Greek gods and goddesses were powerful but surprisingly very human in their behaviour ….Easily getting hurt / jealous / vengeful ..
One could write a book on their idiosyncrasies!
Have a look at..ATHENA! Next …Her father…..King of the Gods and the Sky.. ZEUS! And Zeus’ brother…the moody God of the Sea and Earthquakes…Poseidon!!

So Athens was the centre of GREAT THOUGHT,

GODS and GODDESSES… And one more thing .. You will never guess !!
Of GRAFITTI !!!
What Athens….Centre Of GRAFITTI ??!
Amruta … Are you crazy??
No Twinny … !!!
In fact GRAFITTI comes from the Greek word ‘graph’ ( to write )….Athens is the so -called ‘Mecca of this so -called street art ..!!!

This ‘spray can ‘or ‘subway art ‘may have originated in the 1960 ‘s in NewYork ..and maybe seen in London,Mexico City , Paris …
But has assumed bewildering proportions in Athens ..!
Ranging from ‘tagging’ to shockingly talented art ….Delivering messages . .. Spewing angst …This art has become an epidemic !!
You can’t help but notice…
It is all over ..!!!
Have a look…

So what exactly is the problem in Greece??!
Why the anger/ the ire ???…..Causing vandalism of even the Acropolis??
Well…Ever since the country joined the EU .. 8 years ago…And changed its currency from drachma to euros .. The price of every thing increased THREE FOLD!!
This made everyone cut down on expenditure and overheads .. Causing unemployment ( one in 4 unemployed)…
Add to this ,LOANS taken to start businesses not used for purpose borrowed for ..
Corruption at the top similar to our Bharatmata ….. Instead of bailing out citizens ,money borrowed from banks used to fill individual coffers..
The country just falling headlong into a black hole of irreversible debt..oh no!!!

But Enter a
Coffee- crepe street cafe/ a taverna / a night bar…..And one sees sunny burly happy Greeks ….!
Go up into the mountain villages …The people farming and happy ..
Take a boat to any island … Life a dream!
Hence the picture of Greece fully confusing …
Ask any citizen….Are you not worried ??
The situation so grave… And they say ‘ what is the use of worrying.. Face problems when they come face to face…till then ENJOY!
This philosophy exemplary …Inherited from Athena .. Greek goddess of WISDOM!

This Greek goddess everywhere !
She also the Goddess of WAR and VICTORY .. Called Athena Nike …
Which reminds me .. Have to go for a walk!!!
Will get out my Nikes – And just do it!!
Am in Olympic city .. Citius! Altius! Fortius!!
Swifter! Higher! Stronger !
Emerge victorious
Athens…!!!
You can do it!!
Sail the High Seas again!!!

Hi all ! Brace yourselves for one long ride….Twinny in celebratory mood… And conveniently in city that loves to party… Mads and Biraj’s favourite city …BOSTON!

Right from 1773!

American colonists dressed up as native Indians , boarded 3 ships and gaily tipped 342 crates of tea into the Boston harbour…

The Boston Tea Party!!!

Tea was lost

But lost more was the imperial British temper!!!

Instantly Punishing Acts passed… Catapulting

a chain of events leading  straight to the American WAR of independence in 1776!

Ah Freedom at last !!

Freedom…

Commemorated by artistic, mostly bronze statues of Boston greats… In Boston commons… In Newbury street …..you don’t have to take a specially guided Boston Duck tour… To see them…They are all over!!

Boston could easily be called City of Statues !!

Boston Commons , by the way is a 50 acre park, the oldest in the whole country !! Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr. have spoken here….

The OLDEST  PARK  , the  OLDEST UNDERGROUND SUBWAY SYSTEM….

.. Of the nation… Both in Boston!

Oldest subway ,but as efficient as subways of London,Glasgow ,Budapest …

“Old ” and historical this city maybe ..but it sure is modern and tuned into the ‘now’… Boston was the FIRST city in the US to LEGALISE  GAY or  SAME SEX MARRIAGES in 2003..! Since June 26 th 2015 …all 50 states of the Union decided to follow suit … 👏🏼👏🏼!

Boston home to the creme de la creme of universities ….

Harvard ..

MIT….

Berklee College of Music….

Alumni members of Harvard include Bill Gates,

Barack and Michelle Obama and Mike Zuckerberg …

Need I say more ??!

Here are pictures of the amazing MIT campus( Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and 2 alumni members… Our very own ex Governor ,Reserve Bank of India…. Raghuram Rajan and

Shiva ayyadurai … Inventor of Email!

Email been around since 1982……we in second Mbbs then….

So long long ago…!

Nor is it an exaggeration to say that Boston is the centre of  ART and MUSIC in the US!The number of art hubs and music clubs is astounding…!

The Boston symphony hall is where Broadway shows are often created and practised before being staged in newyork

…

Twinny very keen to know about OPERA ..This complete and compelling art form joins poetry drama music..with emotion ….On subjects like forbidden love …ah so exciting …!

To sing opera requires gruelling hours to first study the script ( libretto) , set it to a musical score and train the voice to sing loud and long …with emotion… Singing could be in Italian German russian or french ..

Here’s the Boston symphony hall .. One of the worlds best three in acoustics ….

Remember dr Raj Rao ?. 2 years our senior.. Well ….here’s a video clip of his daughter Saloni … Singing opera… Twinny taken aback by the maturity in her voice… someday this 17 year old will be one with the likes of the most famous opera singers the world has ever produced …. Maria Callas

And Luciano Pavarotti ..

Listen in…

Americans love their basements !!! In an American home a basement very handy and Quite a lived – in space ….In the basement of his very posh town house … Raj’s son Cameron serenaded us on his

saxophone .. Am posting this piece with wishes galore for the entire gs 80 batch …on this our first anniversary …

Here’s to all of us…!!!

And That’s not all..!

Jews celebrate longevity of their relationships by breaking a glass !

This is done by the groom for his bride… On their wedding day , post which the celebrations begin!!!Break a glass and let the celebrations begin….??! The logic??

Well … Once a glass is broken it can never get back to its original form .. How can it??

So also once this glass is broken ( the one that  Twinny is going to stomp on … Er just now …)

The group can never hope to be seperate entities or revert to their singular selves ever again !!!

Outlandish ??!

No ….just Jewish !!!

Haha… That was one big PJ!! Vivek Mehan .. King of PJs .. Move over….Twinny is here!!!

But  today …Put your brainy heads aside … Just this once … Just for today ….guys and gals… Today’s our day to celebrate … our first anniversary of the game medical group 1980 batch on WA!

Here it comes….

Twinny a tad tentative!!…  And  quite chicken!!

Convinces trusted  househelp Bahadur ….

To Break the glass !!!!

Ready steady go….

MAZEL TOV!!! To  us!!!

Cheers!!!🍻!

Hi all !Twinny hot and bothered!! Not only with the murky ‘ news of the day….’
But also …just

Can’t keep pace with Washington… Declared the’FITTEST’ city in USA… 3 years in a row…!

Paritosh … you not doing too badly either .. Denver Third fittest city in the US!

Everyone exercising , walking ,jogging.. the number of parks in this particularly green city encouraging physical activity!

Watched this trampoline gym video… Currently the rage… And died of exhaustion…just watching !!!

So  outrageous and energetic  was the jumping!!!

Americans name things simply…..

Oval Office because shape oval

Pentagon because shape pentagonal

The Monument  called so ….because well …it is a monument.!

This obelisk is 555ft in height

( Eiffel Tower..984ft, Qutub Minar….. 393ft… Just for reference)…

….is Special because made of stones stacked over each other without any cement…! Quite remarkable…

Dedicated to George Washington … This structure took over 100 years to make ..!

One  thing in which Americans were ‘snail pace’ slow…

The other being…. And Loomingly large….The abolishment of the slave trade…It took nearly 300 years to stop the buying and selling of slaves like they were cars ,cattle or commodities….

Abraham Lincoln fought for civil rights of blacks in 1863 … But was assassinated 6 days after the hour of triumph …

100 years later Martin Luther King Jr was still beseeching for equality of mankind in his moving

‘ I have a dream ‘ speech. Delivered extempore at the Lincoln memorial in Washington in 1963…..

It was only more than 50 years later that America got its first Black president …

Above are  pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. , the Lincoln memorial and the gigantic statue of Abraham Lincoln inside it….

Being a slave to habit is bad

Being born a slave … A curse!

Millions of the strongest healthiest Africans dragged from Africa by Europeans and sold as slaves to work on tobacco and cotton plantations in the 16 and 1700’s…

Life was just ….

Blood , sweat, toil and tears !. Unpaid labour! Unfair ! Mean! Horrific! And the denial of education…the last nail in the coffin…

Without the means to think…slaves left handicapped and helpless … For life… Here is a picture of an  AUCTION  BLOCK Where slaves sold …

And fields where they toiled

And whipped… oh no!!

Black slaves had no choice… They denied Right to Education ….

But in nearby Pennsylvania and Ohio .. Live the ‘AMISH’ Americas Plain people… Who CHOSE NOT to be educated .. Beyond the 8th grade!!

They shun technology!

No radios, no computers, no photos ,no television, no vehicles… They use oil lamps and water heaters ( run by gas powered generators)

In  this day and age!!

They spend their time in farming and carpentry ..Leading the straight and narrow life… With decidedly no frills….out of Choice!!

At age 16… is the ‘RUMSPRINGA’..Amish youth are allowed to leave the village and go forth into the real American world for 2 years..
They are allowed to choose whether they want to come back , get baptised and continue Amish way of life… Or carry on living their new life !

And guess what 90% Amish choose to do…..

Back they are to their cocooned lives to be baptised and live as before ! The old ,old-fashioned way…

Long beards!

Plain clothes!

Huge families with plenty of inbreeding!

Shocking!!!

Maybe Amish are in a dilemma … To use a horse and buggy …

Or to use a car…

Twinny in no such dilemma!!

Happy to live life livewire!!!

With radio , tv ,computer ,WA !!

Guys and gals !

Make your Choices…And know you can always change them!!

Bye …. !

… And now to get ‘Washington fit’….TIME FOR SOME SERIOUS EXCERCISE….!

Byeeee!

See you next week!!!

Hi! Twinny now in Washington, D.C.! Finally!

D.C.   ….for district of Colombia … Because discovered by Christopher Columbus !

Washington ….because of George Washington …who decided that this compact 8 square miles on the Potomac river would be CAPITAL  of the worlds foremost nation!

Let’s begin with the White House …

All 44 presidents have lived in it except George Washington .. ! Why ?

Simply because It wasn’t ready!

Made in 1800, oil lamps lit up this Georgian construction till electricity introduced in 1891…..

Meetings both ceremonial and important have taken place in the Oval Office…

Scandals too! Humans after all ,human ! Can recall scandals all too vividly… Whether Watergate and Richard Nixon …

Or Monica and Bill !

‘Ask not what the country can do for you …instead… Ask what you can do for your country’…

These famous words part of invocation speech of everyone’s all time favourite president JOHN F KENNEDY 35th and youngest elected president of the US. Only 43 years old when elected..Erudite charming , charismatic ,quick decision maker…

with an open progressive agenda, he…

Inspired optimism.

Very few knew he suffered from Addison’s disease .. Yet  he was always energetic..

Twinny’s dearest friend Mekhela  and  she would do a prayer service for JFK on his every birth and death anniversary (may 29th 1917 and..Nov 22nd 1963 respectively)…

Of course …They were young teens and smitten!!

Carried away with the romance of the Kennedy family history…..!

Here is a picture of the handsome JFK and his wife Jackie

And of the completely irresistible Marilyn Monroe!!

.. singing ‘happy birthday ‘ to  the President  …..in 1962

Like Abraham Lincoln JFK too ,

horrifically assassinated in 1963 ,3 yrs into his presidency..while travelling to Dallas in a motorcade..

Visited the Arlington cemetery where his grave lies …,lit poignantly and permanently by an ‘ eternal flame’

And wondered ..’just why??’

Next to Arlington and Across the Potomac is an enormous pentagonal shaped building…. Of course it’s called…. The PENTAGON.. !Headquarters of US defense…HUGE! Over 6 million square feet .

Symbol of American military strength …

Construction started on September 11 th 1941

60 years later to the day Sept 11 th 2011 terrorists attacked and destroyed one third of it …

Resilience key to humanity … The building repaired and functioning within a year!

Acapella ……Means singing without any instruments ….

In the nearby university of Pennsylvania .. Is a group of 15 south Asian boys who have perfected the art… Of acapella . Group called ‘ PENN MASALA’

Recently they sang in Mumbai …

Simply amazing…

Please hear … You will be zapped out of your mind… Remember it’s just their voices , no instruments!!

Comin up …. folks!!

Ain’t that Groovy??!

American slang for ‘too good’!

And finally here are some pictures of cheery ” cherry blossoms ”in Washington.

They  Bloom seasonally…

….every year in April ..

Cherry blossoms beautiful …!

But  here’s a picture of Twinny with her very own cherry blossom……

Cherry Blossom Boot polish… Still the very best!!!

Bye!!! See you all next week in  freshly polished shoes!👞👞!

.. Lots of love twinny!