Monday, December 31, 2018
Darjeeling and therebaouts - A soothing Himalayan balm
Nirvana and unambiguous verdict of me being a mountain person.
I had a nirvana moment while on the back seat of the taxi from Darjeeling to Bagdogra airport as the car wound through the hills. I looked at the majestic and green Japanese Pines flitting past, and contemplated the people I'd met (Tenzing, our own 'sherpa' guide as we undertook a much humbler hike than that undertaken by his own namesake in the 1950s, the pleasant smiles on the staff of the Tibetan Seven Seventeen hotel, Subash the founder of Ashmita treks..) , the geopolitical themes I'd discussed (the case for Gorkhaland statehood, rumblings at the China border nearby, Tibetan settlements) , the unparalleled views I had witnessed (the embrace of the Kanchenjunga and the view of distant Everest, as they basked in the pink rays of dawn, the hill railway train undertaking its smart 'turn on itself' as part of the 'spiral railway' civil engineering sleight of hand), the diverse flora and fauna I had been in the proximity of (Markhor, the national animal of Pakistan with its flowing beard like that of a wise Mulla at a mosque, the trees- Rhodendron, Pines, Himalayan Oaks, Magnolias, and the bushes of Daphne flowers) and the sharp tingle of the chilly weather I had felt. And I felt a shiver run down my spine and my eyes mist up. This description of the Himalayas I came across at an exhibit at the venerable Himalayan Mountain Institute ring true:
"The entire system of Himalayas, stretching in a languid arc from the Indus in the west for nearly 2,000 miles along India's northern boundary, to the Brahmaputra in the east and for 150 miles or so northwards from the plains of India to the highlands of Tibet, is the dominant physical feature of the earth. They are, and always will remain, a rich storehouse of material wealth, an endless source of inspiration to poets and artists, a standing challenge to intrepid explorers and climbers and a soothing balm for nerves frayed by the stresses and strains of present-day life"
Till this time, I thought i was both a beach person and a mountain person. However, while I do enjoy the sun n' sands, I hereby proclaim myself to be a mountain person. The woods close by, the nippy weather, and the inviting climbs tilt the scales. Further, the fact that I'm not a sea food eater, definitely tilt the scales further.
Context
I was to embark on a 6-day Sandakphu trek with the ol' India hikes troupe with N and S in tow. However, my ankle did not pass with flying colors the various stress tests I subjected it to (multiple 10+ km walks along the walk-spots of Bangalore- Agara lake, Madiwala lake, Cubbon Park). N had a faulty butt and S felt diminished by the cold- and it became a case of 'And then there were none'. Thus, the winter holiday was reduced to a much more sedate Darjeeling holiday, with a 1-day * 17 km hike thrown in.
Demographic observations: plurality in religion, nationalities and ethnicities; singularity in socio economic status; women empowered.
An eclectic mix of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity prevails. When it comes to nationalities, there are the Indians, the people who sauntered in from Nepal (not much of a border to speak of- as I saw on the hike), those who fled from Tibet. As for ethnicities- there are the Gorkhas and their various castes (Sherpas, Chettri, Tamang etc), the Indians from the plains, the Indians from the north east. I learnt about the grouse that the Gorkhas have- that despite them having served with distinction in the armed forces (ref: Gorkha rifles regiment), often in middle India they are referred to as Nepalis. I bought a book which referenced a movement called 'Run with Roshni' in which the author is striving to get Gorkhas, with their inherently hardy musculature, to get Gorkhas to represent India in the Olympics, and get them fame and accomplishment to rival those of the Kenyans, in that field.
Further, purely by eyeballing, the share of BPL population seems much lower here than in the plains. While Tenzing attributed it to the sense of industry among those in the hills, NP had a different argument. When it comes to living in the hills, it is just hard to survive, and there are few BPL survivors. Or else, BPL folks just migrate to the cities. Must be a mix of both.
It was clear that women are more 'empowered' here- many more women proprietors of commercial establishments, women comfortably occupying public spaces, active women cops bossing traffic around.
I saw many boarding schools in Darjeeling and in Khurseong- classic locations for boarding school campuses, in the lap of nature amid hills. That's a way many an Indian know these hills. I remembered my flatmate Ankit, who recounted the multi-cultural mileu from his school in Kalimpong. He also introduced me to Bipul Chettri, the folk/soft rock musician from his school who he said is quite the star in these areas now. And he sure was right - heard the catchy 'railgaadi' playing in one of the cabs and saw a big billboard proclaiming Bipul Cheettri live.
Buddhism's influence grows around me
Multiple friends (RR, BS and AR) have gone to Vipassana, which involves a week of silent contemplation and mediation. Yuval Noval Harari, a scholar of towering knowledge and startling insight, has declared Buddhism to be the most relevant religion in today's times. On this trip, I stayed at hotel 'Seven Seventeen' which is founded by Tibetans and has entire walls bedecked with beautiful artefacts and paintings on the themes of Tibet and Buddhism and Dalai Lama. I also ended up purchasing a book 'Miracle of Mindfulness' by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
Geopolitical schisms
If the above section refers to Djling as a 'melting pot' - in terms of Geopolitics, it's more of a simmering pot. On the domestic front, there's the demand for statehood in the form of Gorkhaland. The case which has overwhelming local support, is that Djling and thereabouts (Kalimpong, Pedong) is distinct from West bengal - different language (nepali v Bengali), different life (hills vs. plains), different industry (Tourism and Tea vs. more industrial). I learnt that Djling has mostly had 'Delhi' centered MPs (and not WB or locals) - eg- Jaswant Singh and SS Ahluwalia (a Punjabi). The locals resent tea and tourism revenues lining the coffers of WB. I see a strong parallel with Uttarakhand's separation from UP. Well, if UK separated out, why not here? Tenzing bristled against Tea estates having all their operations in Darj. but headquarters in Kolkata.
ON the national front, there's a sprawling cantonment at Siliguri. I sped past a firing range in which there were atleast 100 jawans milling about, and 10 of them were lying prone, perched behind the sights of machine guns mounted on the ground. Sikkim with its China tension lies close by.
Last year, as both the Doklam and Gorkhaland tensions flamed at the same time, army was summoned to Darjeeling with the dual responsibility of containing the Doklam related fallout, and restraining the Gorkhaland protests. A symbol of the dual-tension.
Coming to Tea
We visited the Happy Valley tea estate and sampled plain and flavoured white, green and black teas, of which I liked the black ones the best. Learnt that the tea which India has is CTC tea (crushed, tear, curl). CTC makes it sound like you are absolutely ripping into the natural benefits of the leaf. Well, if processed food is bad, then perhaps processed tea is also bad, when compared to unprocessed tea? Tea tasting can be a strong competitor for wine tasting. Given that millennials are dropping off the alcohol bandwagon, tea tasting could emerge from the shadows and Darjeeling could deliver Bordeaux a blow. however, there is a critical gap in the plan- wine lovers have a word to describe themselves (Sommelliers) but there's no such for tea lovers. I propose kettlehead, tea totaller, or Jillosophers (Darjeeling and Philospher) or Jillophile. I scanned through at Happy Valley the painting "Tea revives the world" - a funny telling of the world of tea trade replete with delightful little snippets (eg: Tibetans drink tea churned with butter and other ingredients and drink up to 80 cups per day) Bought some White and Green for Ankit, herbal for NP, and herbal and black for ourself. These purchases were made at Sunset lounge, an excellent cafe (no tea equivalent word, again) which lords over great valley views and serves teas from Nathmulls estates.
Nippy weather; pleasure to slip into Columbia amid a sea of fake North Face
The cold weather was a delight, and so was the process of slipping into all my Columbia wear, which was a masterly protection. A hat doff (the blue Columbia sun hat, of course) to PJ, who had implored me to go Columbia and ditch Quechua. I am warmly chuffed (quite literally) with my Columbia wares- heat retaining tracks, 'Titanium' fleece jacket, the water proof army fatigues colored gloves, and finally the piece de resistance - the 'Outdry' Down jacket in resplendent light-blue. It's a great feeling to wear this attire and step out and say to the cold- 'Bring it on!'. It is amusing to see the cornucopia of fake 'North Face' jackets doing the rounds. People have taken to it big time, and a competing brand like Columbia must surely feel left out. They should roll out a strategy for wresting mkt share from rival North Face in the fake apparel markets of Darjeeling.
Startup idea- Retreena
What's an immersive travel experience without a startup idea to boot (Rick Steve's audio guide app for India!). Retreena- an app that you can point at various flora to identify. The backend uses a reverse image search, and tacks on the result a fact pack on the identified species. Fact pack also tells you whether it's edible or not- so you can even pick off a fruit and sample it right there. During the hike, I bugged Tenzing quite a bit towards identifying flora. By the end, I was comfortably identifying- Japanese Pines, Rhododendrons, Himalayan Oaks, Magnolias, Daphnes- and this left me mighty pleased. I did feel much more 'one with the mountains' after this.
Fauna
Padmaja Naidu zoo is the best I believe in India, and compares with the Singapore Zoo which I visited in 2012 and which is touted to be among the world's best. They have a great collection of fauna of the mountains, including various high altitude antelopes (the Tahr, the Markhor I've talked about above), and the highlights of course- the red panda (mowgli's buddy) and snow leopard (though it's coat was quite dirty). The environ the animals are kept in is very natural to the species- the mark of a good zoo. I enjoyed hiking up and down due to the natural hilly terrain of the zoo. Spotted 4-5 birds during the entire trip, of which Himalayan Whistling thrush I identified. At the bustling mall road, I saw a Siberian Husky, which thankfully must feel much more at home than at Carter road in Mumbai, where I'd last seen one.
Plans going forward
Read: From Mountains to Oceans- Run with Roshni, Miracle of Mindfulness
Watch: Seven years in Tibet
Outdoors: Long term- Sandakphu in March 2019, Goechala in 2020 or 2H 2019; Short term- Western Ghats hikes; regular ankle workouts!
Other links
A pun-jabby journey through Darjeeling: Link
I had a nirvana moment while on the back seat of the taxi from Darjeeling to Bagdogra airport as the car wound through the hills. I looked at the majestic and green Japanese Pines flitting past, and contemplated the people I'd met (Tenzing, our own 'sherpa' guide as we undertook a much humbler hike than that undertaken by his own namesake in the 1950s, the pleasant smiles on the staff of the Tibetan Seven Seventeen hotel, Subash the founder of Ashmita treks..) , the geopolitical themes I'd discussed (the case for Gorkhaland statehood, rumblings at the China border nearby, Tibetan settlements) , the unparalleled views I had witnessed (the embrace of the Kanchenjunga and the view of distant Everest, as they basked in the pink rays of dawn, the hill railway train undertaking its smart 'turn on itself' as part of the 'spiral railway' civil engineering sleight of hand), the diverse flora and fauna I had been in the proximity of (Markhor, the national animal of Pakistan with its flowing beard like that of a wise Mulla at a mosque, the trees- Rhodendron, Pines, Himalayan Oaks, Magnolias, and the bushes of Daphne flowers) and the sharp tingle of the chilly weather I had felt. And I felt a shiver run down my spine and my eyes mist up. This description of the Himalayas I came across at an exhibit at the venerable Himalayan Mountain Institute ring true:
"The entire system of Himalayas, stretching in a languid arc from the Indus in the west for nearly 2,000 miles along India's northern boundary, to the Brahmaputra in the east and for 150 miles or so northwards from the plains of India to the highlands of Tibet, is the dominant physical feature of the earth. They are, and always will remain, a rich storehouse of material wealth, an endless source of inspiration to poets and artists, a standing challenge to intrepid explorers and climbers and a soothing balm for nerves frayed by the stresses and strains of present-day life"
Till this time, I thought i was both a beach person and a mountain person. However, while I do enjoy the sun n' sands, I hereby proclaim myself to be a mountain person. The woods close by, the nippy weather, and the inviting climbs tilt the scales. Further, the fact that I'm not a sea food eater, definitely tilt the scales further.
Context
I was to embark on a 6-day Sandakphu trek with the ol' India hikes troupe with N and S in tow. However, my ankle did not pass with flying colors the various stress tests I subjected it to (multiple 10+ km walks along the walk-spots of Bangalore- Agara lake, Madiwala lake, Cubbon Park). N had a faulty butt and S felt diminished by the cold- and it became a case of 'And then there were none'. Thus, the winter holiday was reduced to a much more sedate Darjeeling holiday, with a 1-day * 17 km hike thrown in.
Demographic observations: plurality in religion, nationalities and ethnicities; singularity in socio economic status; women empowered.
An eclectic mix of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity prevails. When it comes to nationalities, there are the Indians, the people who sauntered in from Nepal (not much of a border to speak of- as I saw on the hike), those who fled from Tibet. As for ethnicities- there are the Gorkhas and their various castes (Sherpas, Chettri, Tamang etc), the Indians from the plains, the Indians from the north east. I learnt about the grouse that the Gorkhas have- that despite them having served with distinction in the armed forces (ref: Gorkha rifles regiment), often in middle India they are referred to as Nepalis. I bought a book which referenced a movement called 'Run with Roshni' in which the author is striving to get Gorkhas, with their inherently hardy musculature, to get Gorkhas to represent India in the Olympics, and get them fame and accomplishment to rival those of the Kenyans, in that field.
Further, purely by eyeballing, the share of BPL population seems much lower here than in the plains. While Tenzing attributed it to the sense of industry among those in the hills, NP had a different argument. When it comes to living in the hills, it is just hard to survive, and there are few BPL survivors. Or else, BPL folks just migrate to the cities. Must be a mix of both.
It was clear that women are more 'empowered' here- many more women proprietors of commercial establishments, women comfortably occupying public spaces, active women cops bossing traffic around.
I saw many boarding schools in Darjeeling and in Khurseong- classic locations for boarding school campuses, in the lap of nature amid hills. That's a way many an Indian know these hills. I remembered my flatmate Ankit, who recounted the multi-cultural mileu from his school in Kalimpong. He also introduced me to Bipul Chettri, the folk/soft rock musician from his school who he said is quite the star in these areas now. And he sure was right - heard the catchy 'railgaadi' playing in one of the cabs and saw a big billboard proclaiming Bipul Cheettri live.
Buddhism's influence grows around me
Multiple friends (RR, BS and AR) have gone to Vipassana, which involves a week of silent contemplation and mediation. Yuval Noval Harari, a scholar of towering knowledge and startling insight, has declared Buddhism to be the most relevant religion in today's times. On this trip, I stayed at hotel 'Seven Seventeen' which is founded by Tibetans and has entire walls bedecked with beautiful artefacts and paintings on the themes of Tibet and Buddhism and Dalai Lama. I also ended up purchasing a book 'Miracle of Mindfulness' by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
Geopolitical schisms
If the above section refers to Djling as a 'melting pot' - in terms of Geopolitics, it's more of a simmering pot. On the domestic front, there's the demand for statehood in the form of Gorkhaland. The case which has overwhelming local support, is that Djling and thereabouts (Kalimpong, Pedong) is distinct from West bengal - different language (nepali v Bengali), different life (hills vs. plains), different industry (Tourism and Tea vs. more industrial). I learnt that Djling has mostly had 'Delhi' centered MPs (and not WB or locals) - eg- Jaswant Singh and SS Ahluwalia (a Punjabi). The locals resent tea and tourism revenues lining the coffers of WB. I see a strong parallel with Uttarakhand's separation from UP. Well, if UK separated out, why not here? Tenzing bristled against Tea estates having all their operations in Darj. but headquarters in Kolkata.
ON the national front, there's a sprawling cantonment at Siliguri. I sped past a firing range in which there were atleast 100 jawans milling about, and 10 of them were lying prone, perched behind the sights of machine guns mounted on the ground. Sikkim with its China tension lies close by.
Last year, as both the Doklam and Gorkhaland tensions flamed at the same time, army was summoned to Darjeeling with the dual responsibility of containing the Doklam related fallout, and restraining the Gorkhaland protests. A symbol of the dual-tension.
Coming to Tea
We visited the Happy Valley tea estate and sampled plain and flavoured white, green and black teas, of which I liked the black ones the best. Learnt that the tea which India has is CTC tea (crushed, tear, curl). CTC makes it sound like you are absolutely ripping into the natural benefits of the leaf. Well, if processed food is bad, then perhaps processed tea is also bad, when compared to unprocessed tea? Tea tasting can be a strong competitor for wine tasting. Given that millennials are dropping off the alcohol bandwagon, tea tasting could emerge from the shadows and Darjeeling could deliver Bordeaux a blow. however, there is a critical gap in the plan- wine lovers have a word to describe themselves (Sommelliers) but there's no such for tea lovers. I propose kettlehead, tea totaller, or Jillosophers (Darjeeling and Philospher) or Jillophile. I scanned through at Happy Valley the painting "Tea revives the world" - a funny telling of the world of tea trade replete with delightful little snippets (eg: Tibetans drink tea churned with butter and other ingredients and drink up to 80 cups per day) Bought some White and Green for Ankit, herbal for NP, and herbal and black for ourself. These purchases were made at Sunset lounge, an excellent cafe (no tea equivalent word, again) which lords over great valley views and serves teas from Nathmulls estates.
Nippy weather; pleasure to slip into Columbia amid a sea of fake North Face
The cold weather was a delight, and so was the process of slipping into all my Columbia wear, which was a masterly protection. A hat doff (the blue Columbia sun hat, of course) to PJ, who had implored me to go Columbia and ditch Quechua. I am warmly chuffed (quite literally) with my Columbia wares- heat retaining tracks, 'Titanium' fleece jacket, the water proof army fatigues colored gloves, and finally the piece de resistance - the 'Outdry' Down jacket in resplendent light-blue. It's a great feeling to wear this attire and step out and say to the cold- 'Bring it on!'. It is amusing to see the cornucopia of fake 'North Face' jackets doing the rounds. People have taken to it big time, and a competing brand like Columbia must surely feel left out. They should roll out a strategy for wresting mkt share from rival North Face in the fake apparel markets of Darjeeling.
Startup idea- Retreena
What's an immersive travel experience without a startup idea to boot (Rick Steve's audio guide app for India!). Retreena- an app that you can point at various flora to identify. The backend uses a reverse image search, and tacks on the result a fact pack on the identified species. Fact pack also tells you whether it's edible or not- so you can even pick off a fruit and sample it right there. During the hike, I bugged Tenzing quite a bit towards identifying flora. By the end, I was comfortably identifying- Japanese Pines, Rhododendrons, Himalayan Oaks, Magnolias, Daphnes- and this left me mighty pleased. I did feel much more 'one with the mountains' after this.
Fauna
Padmaja Naidu zoo is the best I believe in India, and compares with the Singapore Zoo which I visited in 2012 and which is touted to be among the world's best. They have a great collection of fauna of the mountains, including various high altitude antelopes (the Tahr, the Markhor I've talked about above), and the highlights of course- the red panda (mowgli's buddy) and snow leopard (though it's coat was quite dirty). The environ the animals are kept in is very natural to the species- the mark of a good zoo. I enjoyed hiking up and down due to the natural hilly terrain of the zoo. Spotted 4-5 birds during the entire trip, of which Himalayan Whistling thrush I identified. At the bustling mall road, I saw a Siberian Husky, which thankfully must feel much more at home than at Carter road in Mumbai, where I'd last seen one.
Plans going forward
Read: From Mountains to Oceans- Run with Roshni, Miracle of Mindfulness
Watch: Seven years in Tibet
Outdoors: Long term- Sandakphu in March 2019, Goechala in 2020 or 2H 2019; Short term- Western Ghats hikes; regular ankle workouts!
Other links
A pun-jabby journey through Darjeeling: Link
Labels: Travellog
Saturday, December 01, 2018
Bad blood- the Theranos story, and I discovered a great new booklist
Bad Blood won the FT- McK book of the year, and it's about the spectacular rise and fall of Theranos. Fantastic read, finished with a classic, vintage 4 AM Saturday night finish (like a Sachin straight drive). Also, I have discovered a new source of books which could well be the gift that never stops giving- the FT-McKinsey business book of the year. I am hereby to this from the Time Top 100 novels for my go-to book list. Next up: Janesville, an American story, about the impact of the closure of a GM plant on a community. Here's the list, fellas: wiki link.
Theranos was a company, led by the Fortune cover-page starrer Elizabeth Holmes, which claimed to have invented a novel way of blood testing, wherein regular syringe-drawing of venous bloodwas replaced by a pin prick on the finger- just a couple drops of blood in place of the entire vial. At its peak, Theranos was valued at $10 Bn (above Uber). John Carreyrou of WSJ broke the story about the underlying fraudulence, and is the author.
Some reflections from the Bad Blood (some spoilers embedded):
Large, old-world companies, which don't understand tech very well, should
be wary when they suddenly jump into the tech start-up game- the rules are very different. Example: WalGreens
with Theranos.
Theranos was a company, led by the Fortune cover-page starrer Elizabeth Holmes, which claimed to have invented a novel way of blood testing, wherein regular syringe-drawing of venous bloodwas replaced by a pin prick on the finger- just a couple drops of blood in place of the entire vial. At its peak, Theranos was valued at $10 Bn (above Uber). John Carreyrou of WSJ broke the story about the underlying fraudulence, and is the author.
Some reflections from the Bad Blood (some spoilers embedded):
The book gets heated up so early- zero dilly dallying. First chapter- she fired the CFO!
Going up against premier law firms which these large cos have requires hiring an attorney- an expensive which individual employees can't undertake. Individuals are quite powerless vs. the large companies. Coupled with a strict NDA, the company is impregnable- the co can get away with murder- and the employee can say nothing.
After a failed attempt to unseat her, nice quote- "When you strike at the
King, you must kill him". Coz does she squelch the two rabble-rousers or what.
Love the depth to which he goes into the lives of employees such as lab technicians - Their motivations, emotions, little jokes, idiosyncrasies, their post-work habitats, and so on. A wonderful panoply of small and big characters for you to really connect with.
Check out this advert for Theranos: Link. "The 'intense way' of looking at you while talking was highly persuasive" - hell yeah! Such a carefully cultivated deep voice, those penetrating blue eyes and her hypnotic way of talking. And looking at that seemingly perfect skin/outfit- she looks almost like a robot- one of these new humanoid pop stars/waiters etc. Looks like they are making CEOs also, on those lines. Robot outfit inspired by Steve Jobs. But wait, when you go past that voice and the penetrating blue eyes- and it's just ultimate faff- can you put a finger on what she is saying?
$100 Mn invested by Safeway, $100 Mn + invested by Wallgreens, $50 odd mn of VC money, a BoD consisting of Larry Ellison and Henry Kissinger among others. What the hell- without testing the product!
Ana was by design
excitable and a whirlwind of activity- interesting- people can inherently maintain that style of communication. Executive presence trainings don't encourage it.
Frigging power of
connections evidenced time and again- Chuck's friend helped his son get into 'Webb' - some fancy
school. And that apart, the entire Elizabeth story- the first monies she cobbled together from contacts.
How many people will
she try to swindle! She's reached out to military to deploy in Aghanistan. The gall Elizabeth has.
Lies- hats off to her power of deceit because while she was lying, she had to keep in place that gruff voice and that penetrative gaze.
Number of funny moments in which the author distinguishes himself- "Boies (an old lawyer who was trying to intimidate the author like he intimidated many a hapless NDA-bound employee) grew angry. He was suddenly no longer the amiable grandfatherly figure. He growled and flashed his teeth like an old grizzly bear" Yet another fantastic analogy, wherein the author met a renowed pathology research, who was debunking Theranos. On asked about 'cracking the nut' of analysing blood pricked from the finger, "I'd be less surprised if they told is they were time travelers who came back from the twenty-seventh century than if they told us they cracked that nut".
Really smacked my lips at the part when the author enters the book in 1st person, halfway through the book. Like a swashbuckling hero to save the day. One of the latest entries of the first person into a book, no?
Labels: Books
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