A Taxi Driver In Mumbai
I’m just watching the BBC documentary of a London cabbie trying to drive a cab in Mumbai. Fascinating.
I posted this story of my holiday in Mumbai.
It’s Even Cold In India
I like this article from Rahul Tandon on the BBC’s web site.
What is going wrong with the weather?
Win The Toss, Win The Game
They’ve just said this, on the cricket commentary of the last game of the one-day series between England and India, as all games have been won by the side winning the toss.
I’ve always thought that the toss has too much influence.
Perhaps it would be better, if the first toss in a series was done say the day before the first match in a broadcast ceremony. And then after that the toss would alternate.
But then what do I know about cricket?
The Dignity Of A Sari
On Saturday, I was on a 30 bus at Highbury Corner and an Indian lady of about sixty or so got off the bus and walked up the road.
She was obviously going somewhere special, as she was immaculately dressed in what looked to my untrained eye an expensive sari. She was also carrying a big bunch of flowers, so perhaps she was going to visit a friend or family for lunch.
She had this aura of dignity, that I have observed so many times in India, with women dressed in a similar way.
You don’t see Indian women dressed this way so often where I live.
The first time, I came across a lady in a sari, was when my mother had an operation for varicose veins in the 1950s. The doctor then was a very beautiful Indian lady, who used to do her ward rounds in a sari. Both my parents incidentally, thought it perfectly normal.
I also remember, when I used to work at ICI in Welwyn Garden City, that one of the team I worked with; Manju, occasionally came to work in a sari on important days, or perhaps when someone was leaving.
You don’t seem to see Indian women in the workplace these days dressed in a sari.
A Tale Of Two Young Women
Today we had the good news of Malala Yousafzai leaving hospital after being shot by the Taleban in Pakistan for speaking up for the education of girls.
But the student, who was raped and murdered in India hasn’t been as lucky. The latest news is here on the BBC.
What is it in the sub-continent about their attitude to women and girls?
But saying that, there is a surprisingly large number of Asian men in jail in the UK for sex offences.
Boris Gives It Straight To The French
Boris Johnson in India has taken the French government to task over their statements on ArcelorMittal. It’s here on Reuters. This is an extract,
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson on Tuesday described France’s Socialist government as left-wing revolutionaries that were driving investors away in a dispute with steelmaker ArcelorMittal.
The Conservative mayor mocked the French government as ‘sans-culottes,’ a radical left-wing class during the French Revolution of 1789, while adding that British capital would welcome business fleeing from France.
The French are going to have to realise that the world has changed and the rest of the world doesn’t owe them a living. Especially, as their policies are driving the best and most creative brains out of France.
Henry Blofeld Is In Fine Form
I woke early today and after sorting my e-mails, I went back to bed to listen to Test Match Special from India. It wasn’t just England’s batsman, that were in fine form, but Henry Blofeld was as well, as have gave an amazing talk on his memories of India during the lunch break.
He told the tale, about how he nearly played for England in 1963 in India, when the team was decimated by the dreaded Delhi Belly. This link points to the paragraph containing the tale in Wikipedia, but it is much less colourful than Blowers account.
He also told how in 1976, he was one of five, who took a vintage Rolls-Royce all the way to India by road, travelling through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. As it was such an immaculate vehicle, it was treated by everyone with the respect it deserved. Try doing that journey now. But it was done by many in those days. My cousin, John, did it around the same time in a Thames Trader gown van. There was even a regular bus to India called something like the Overland Trail.
Henry Blofeld until recently used to wear a pith helmet whilst reporting cricket tours like India.
He must be one of the last great British eccentrics. Hopefully, his talk will appear on the BBC iPlayer after play finishes for today. It’s well worth a listen. It’s here.
Incidentally, C who was a barrister, appeared several times in front of his elder brother, the judge, Sir John Blofeld.
Indians Execute Mumbai Gunman
The Indian authorities have executed the lone surviving gunman from the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. It’s reported here on the BBC.
I am against all forms of judicial killing, whether they be after a fit and proper trial in a Court of Law or not. So I will not condone what the Indians have done.
Remember that these attacks in Mumbai, were just after I visited the city and stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in the city. How many of the staff, that attended so well to my friend and myself died in the attack?
But even being that close to an attack, doesn’t make me change my view on the death penalty.
India’s Strike Against Foreign Supermarkets
Two Tesco stories in a row, must be some sort of record for this blog. But India has had a partial strike against opening up their economy to foreign supermarkets. It’s reported here on the BBC.
Perhaps, Tesco and the others, should strike and refuse to serve anybody, who looks like they come from the sub-continent. Or perhaps they could picket Asian corner-shops.
On the other hand there must be a compromise, which would be best for all!
The Best Chicken Tikka Dupiaza In The East
When we lived near Woodbridge, C & I usually went every Monday evening for supper in The Royal Bengal.
I usually had chicken tikka dupiaza and this picture shows why.
Chicken Tikka Dupiaza
Being in the area, I couldn’t resist popping in for lunch.
It was just as good as I remembered it and served by the same staff as when it opened in 1982.
The Anonymous Widower 