Archive for March, 2007
Bangalore: Wind of Change
The heat makes the air stand still, the skin feels washed from dust and in spite of unforgiving chaos, the pace of the city moves a few degrees slower than usually. It’s summertime in Bangalore; some call it bluntly “hot season”. Time to sharpen the remaining senses in sleepless nights without A/C and observe what is happening beneath the crust. The thoughts, their intentions and their results are alert as usually, so is the change sweeping through “Garden City”. Old one-story buildings in the centre are being vacated, the Mum & Pop stores are empty ; the wrecker’s ball is reporting for duty. “Sytematically organizing the retail sector is a huge opportunity”, the investment bankers say. Oh yeah, “so much value out there” and “the time is now”. Get a life, my small laundry shop around the corner has gone, too, where I confidently dropped my clothes. Where have the people gone who reliably used to wash my laundry in the scarce water of Bangalore to have it then dried in the hot air which is standing still? Wind of change.
Video Snippet from n-tv’s Bangalore Report
A little follow-up from my previous notes about the German news channel n-tv coming to Bangalore in December. Two weeks ago Nadja Kriewald’s reportage got broacasted and I wanted to share that 4 minutes bit where myself and Melanie Martinelli, a Swiss friend also living and working in Bangalore, are being featured. It’s in German language.
The entire reportage of almost 30 minutes has in my view succeeded very well, because it really deep-dives into the complexities of India and letting those – in western eyes – contradictory impressions live side by side without falling into the near-fetched gesture of accusation. This attitude is quite refreshing as many other reportages I have seen so far forcefully try to either judge or reconciliate the extremes this country has to offer. This is doomed for failure, and does not reflect India by any means.
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Shakira in Prague: Hips don’t lie
Prague, city of beauty, centre of history and home to Kafka. Once she instills her charm on you, it feels like a magnet that pulls you back for more. It’s been some 7 years that I had been there the last time – hence high time to a reloaded homage of presence.
The other side of the medal is clearly that hardly anywhere else the wisdom “you are not alone” is as true as in Prague. Although beginning of March is not even top-season for traveling, other people seem to fall for the same line of thought to pass Prague a visit on the weekend. Low budget travelers from Eastern Germany, likewise usually purchase power strong Japanese. Like this guy who pretends not to have anything to do with the “who is the gayest chap in da house”-contest by looking deliberately into the other direction – LOL
In contrast to my previous visits when everything was literally “dirt cheap”, prices have moved up steeply. In addition, cities which live to a good piece from tourism tend to develop an unpleasant environment of scams, touts and overcharging. After three years in India, my skin has certainly become thick and my attention vigilant to such stuff, but it becomes really annoying where you expect it least. And it goes like this, for example: All written guides about Prague warn you about the taxi drivers who want to take you for a ride. As you are on vacation and don’t want to be in constant “combat mode”, you ask your concierge a 5 star hotel to call you a taxi to bring you to a place 8 minutes away on the other side of the river. The taxi drops you, charges 350 Czech crowns and you wonder that this was quite expensive (EUR 12.-) compared to what your tour-book suggests. Back to the hotel, whereto you flagged a cab yourself, kept vigilant, the price for the same route amounted suddenly to only 150 Czech crowns, you complain about overcharge to which the concierge’s dry reply is: “Well, the 350 crowns are a fixed price, so you are comfortable that you don’t get cheated.” A Kafkaesque joke couldn’t crack better …
Everyone needs an anchor. Mine for coming to Prague was a woman, my undisclosed long-year companion, and another woman we went to see, listen and cheer: Shakira. Playing live on her “Oral Fixation”-Tour through Europe. One of the few artists I always wanted to watch in concert.
Her performance exceeded all expectations, especially after such an event I feel like starting to revalue the artistic work of music which goes beyond just an omnipresent sound-carpet running in the background. In spite of being a super-talented writer, musician, dancer, beautiful woman, Shakira’s appeal lies in her natural appearance which doesn’t need huge special effects or an army of choreographers. She is the show, the show is her and her truth is that hips don’t lie
“And I’m on tonight
You know my hips don’t lie
And I’m starting to feel it’s right
All the attraction, the tension
Don’t you see baby, this is perfection”
Prague and Shakira together, certainly the combination of accomplished perfection.
Web 2.0-Bullshitting
Whoever feels occasionally overwhelmed by the magnitude of buzzwords in the “Web 2.0″-sphere or reminded of the hype-times from the dot-com bubble, don’t worry. Here is relief for you: “Build Your Own Web 2.0 Application Using Fluff and Hot Air“.
A funny “how-to”-guidebook how to certainly (not) succeed with a super-innovative Web 2.0 service :-)
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