Visiting Family Friends

Like on all trips, I had to make the customary visit to family friends. This time, it was KAru sitepa's ex-colleague, Narasimhan Uncle, who is originally from Chennai but happened to be living in Bangalore at this time. He was working with my uncle for the past few years and had only returned to Bangalore on Oct 2nd. He had resigned from the company as he apparently couldn't stand the work ethics of the Chinese people here.

My uncle had given me his contact information, asking me to call Nara Uncle should I face any problems. But prior to my trip, my uncle had already emailed him, informking him of my arrival. So how could I NOT at least call him and say hello?

So I called him either on December 4th or 5th which was like 10 days after I first arrived. I apologised for not calling earlier etc and he said that if I couldn't meet them, he and his wife would come to the hostel to meet me. No way!!! So I compromised and said that, I'd call him once all my events are over and I'm free.

That day happened to be December 7th. I called him and we made arrangements to have dinner that night. He came in an Auto with his wife at around 6.30pm. We went to his house straight, where we had tea and chitchatted for a bit. We then met up with his daughter at a restaurant for dinner. After that, he saw off his wife and daughter, and then together we took an Auto back to the hostel. Customary visit all over and done with! *phew*

They even wanted to accompany me on my trip to Mysore and Kerala, but I managed to talk them out of it, using the excuse that I was travelling with colleagues and we had plans of our own. This was not true as we had yet to make any plans but still....! :-)

Still in Kerala...then back to Bangalore

It was already almost 2pm so the next stop was lunch. Since we were in Kerala, we wanted to eat Seafood. After all, Kerala is famous for it's seafood and having had only chicken and sometimes mutton for so long....seafood was a welcomed change.

Fasulu/Fasula took us to an eatery by the roadside, which was fine as many tourists and locals were also there. It was better than having to go to an air-conditioned restaurant or hotel. It just wouldn't feel local.

There were plenty of choices but we had to stick to our budget. In the end, Rosmah and I ordered prawn fried rice and spicy grilled fish. We had imagined finding big, succulent prawns in the fried rice but alas....much to our dismay and disappointment, the prawns were not small but TINY!! And then the grilled fish came. Hmmm.....I expected ikan panggang. Well....ikan panggang it was but let's just say it left much to be desired.

After lunch, we were back on the road again. Fasulu/Fasula took us to see the Kochi Synagogue. It is also known by the names of Cochin Jewish Synagogue or Mattancherry Synagogue. It is the oldest working synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations. But alas....as it was a Saturday, the synagogue was closed. :-(

[Jewish Synagogue]

Next was The Mattancherry Palace, also known as the Dutch Palace. It features Kerala murals depicting Hindu temple art, portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi.

[Dutch Palace]

By this time, Rosmah and I were dying from the heat. If Bangalore was cool and windy, Kerala was so hot! And I was wearing a long-sleeved, slightly thick top with jeans, thinking the weather would imitate Bangalore!

We had to get back to the jetty by 4-ish, so after the Dutch Palace, we headed back to the jetty. Although it was still early (our bus back to Bangalore was only at 9pm), we decided to head back so that we could wash-up and get ready for the loooong ride home.

We missed seeing a few other places but the few that we visited was worth it. We also made a short stop at the Fish Market after the Chinese Fishing Nets and a short stop at Fort Cochin Beach. Many people told us to visit the famed Kerala Boathouse but as we only had a day, there was simply not enough time. One would need at least 2-3 days to enjoy the boathouse experience. It's like staying on a floating hotel. That's one experience I'm hoping to experience with my family.

Anyway...so we reached the hotel, rested a bit, washed-up and then headed to the bus station. Getting to the CORRECT bus station was another problem!

The Auto took us to the wrong bus station!! Thank God we left early, and thank God the correct bus station was only about say...1km away. So Rosmah and I walked all the way to the correct bus "station" which was actually a sidewalk on the main road!! I should have guessed that there was no bus station coz it was written on my bus ticket, "Platform 0"!! To make matters worse, the bus was nearly 45 minutes late, scaring both of us into thinking we'd miss the bus!

The bus this time was nicer and we did not have the last row. The almost 11 hour bus ride was smooth as the bus took the highway instead of the hilly road we came on the last time. We reached Bangalore slightly after 7am the next day.

Part 2

After breakfast, we headed down to the reception for some information; where to go, how to get there etc. Armed with what we hoped was enough information, we took an Auto to the local market, Broadway. The place was sort of like Campbell-Kimberley Street here in Penang. Rosmah bought two saree cloths that she planned to use to sew baju kurungs; I was still searching for things to buy.

After that, we took an Auto to the Main Boat Jetty, where we paid Rs.5 each to board the jetty that would take us to Fort Cochin. I was expecting to be seasick but alas…I didn’t. The boat ride took about 15-20 minutes, and upon reaching the Fort, we were immediately mobbed by Auto riders who wanted to be our guide. Armed with our experiences from haggling in Bangalore, I must say that we managed to get a good deal. Our Auto-cum-tour-guide, Fasula/Fasulu and us agreed on Rs.150 for a trip to all the tourist attractions.

[Main Boat Jetty]

First stop was the famed Chinese Fishing nets. Truth to be told, it was nothing spectacular. Rosmah and I stood around looking at these net things and there weren’t any fishes!! Apparently, it was not the fish season! *roll eyes*

[Chinese Fishing Nets]

After that, we were taken on a ride through what I would call the “landed-roller-coaster”. We went through small alleys and narrow streets, up and in potholes, bouncing our way as we passed the Jewish and Dutch Cemetery (I don’t know why this is a tourist attraction). Fasula/Fasulu even expected us to take pictures!! Of what...I don’t know! Then we stopped at St. Francis Church, the oldest European church in India. It was under renovation or refurbishment, so nothing grand to see.

[St. Francis Church]

Of course, on the way, Fasulu/Fasula made stops at expensive Kashmiri shops, “just for see”. Apparently, he gets one ‘point’ every time he brings customers to their shops. On our trip alone, he managed to get 4 points. He had wanted to collect 6 but Rosmah and I managed to stop him. We refused to get out after the 4th shop. It was just tiring and time consuming, having to pretend that we were interested. Also, every time we stepped into a shop and said we were from Malaysia, the reply was always “oh...Malaysia…truly Asia!!” Grrr!!

Fasulu/Fasula then stopped at a small local shop, where I managed to buy two tops. Yay! My first purchase, or rather second, after the holy strings I bought atop Chamundi Hills. After that, we were taken to the Spice “Market”, which turned out to be a small spice shop. There happens to be numerous Spice Markets, which are actually small spice shops. Market!!

To be continued...

Traveling in India - Part 1

So I am going to skip the remaining days of my stay in India and just jump to when Rosmah and I decided to extend our stay. After much thought and persuasion from the local partners, Rosmah and I decided to extend our stay for another two days.

With that decision made, plans to re-book our tickets were done in a hurry and cost us RM250. *cringe* But what the heck I thought. It’s not every year I’m in Bangalore.

Once we got our new tickets, we had to plan our itinerary for the next two days. We didn’t want to waste any time. Therefore, after asking around…a lot…we decided on this route: Bangalore-Mysore-Kochi, Kerala-Bangalore. Looks like a hurried trip and hurried it was.

So on Friday morning at 6am, Rosmah, Chela and I set off to Mysore, in our rented taxi. Initially, we thought we’d forgo Mysore as we were getting mixed reviews about the place. In the end, Mysore fitted our itinerary and I was ecstatic as I got to see the famed Mysore and Summer Palaces, temples within the palace grounds and a temple atop Chamundi Hills. We reached Mysore at almost 9am, had breakfast and then toured the city.

[Mysore Palace]

[Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace]

[Chamundeswari Temple, Chamundi Hill]

Rosmah and I then headed to the bus stop to catch our 5.30pm bus to Ernakulam (Kochi’s twin city). Since it was a last minute booking, we got the last two seats on the last row. And since the journey was through a hilly terrain, it was like sitting on a roller coaster for 11 hours!! Yes…we only reached our destination at 4.30am!!

In addition to reaching the place so early in the morning…we didn’t have a prior booking at a hotel. Thank God there was a decent hotel just 100 meters away. So we checked-in, had a bath and fell asleep. Waking up the next day at around 8-ish, we changed, had breakfast and our day in Kerala began.

Day 12 in Bangalore

So like I predicted, the moment my colleagues arrived, it was work work work. As you can see, I stopped at Day 5 and am now continuing from Day 15.

Once we moved from the apartment to UTC, everything was in full swing. The momentum just grew, and before we knew it, it was already December 3^rd morning – THE DAY!

Day one was chaotic! There was no proper organization, everything and everyone was everywhere….it was unbelievable. Not everything was bad though. Things went as smoothly as it could under the circumstances. Many people were helpful, although sometimes, too many cooks spoiled the soup.

Day two was better. Things were more organized, people knew what they were supposed to do; we managed to find a rhythm. Of course, the photocopying and printing was constant. In fact, I was still printing up till the last day of the Tribunal!!

Day three was more relaxed. It was the ending of the testimonies and presentations and it was only a half-day event. My duties were not over though. As I was in-charged of taking care of the jurors, my problems started as soon as they started deliberating! The printer we provided to them was not working and it took Rosmah and me three trips to 9 Marks Inn to fix the printer. And still….it did not work!!

Day four was supposed to be a fairly free day for us but no….Rosmah and I were up super early to get the damn printer fixed!! Thank God for the spare printer that we had with us. If you’re wondering why we didn’t replace the spoiled one with the spare one….don’t bother asking…it’s another story altogether.

Day four was also judgment day. After years of blood, sweat and tears, it all came down to this. Was the tribunal going to decide in our favour? Were we convincing enough in our evidence and calls for justice? Did our messages get through to them?

Judgment: The tribunal found in our favour!! YES!!! Almost all my colleagues were emotional. Even the lawyers had tears in their eyes. It was a momentous occasion. We all know how hard we’ve worked towards achieving this, and to have our work validated and recognized….what a feeling it is!!

The renowned law professor Upendra Baxi mentioned that the indictment was really good. The jurors had initially thought that the indictment was written by the lawyers. Upon finding out that it was not them, but rather us at PAN AP who came up with 274 pages of solid facts and evidence, they were highly impressed. Upendra even said that it was worthy of 3 PHDs!!! Now that’s a compliment I’ll take to my grave!!

Post-tribunal: we had a de-briefing session. Boss gathered all 5 of us to thank and congratulate us for a job very well done. I was especially singled out, quote “Shakun…you were the best! Everyone was jumping on you to get this and that printed and all, and you just kept cool. It was good that you managed to keep cool!”

The four days just flew by. Up until now, I still can’t believe that the tribunal is actually over!! I was supposed to leave on December 9^th, but having talked to some people here, Rosmah and I decided to extend our stay till the 12^th. This would give us ample time to go sightseeing and shopping. This was such a last minute decision and I haven’t even given thought to the added expense this would cost me. But I know that, should I not extend my stay, I would regret having miss sightseeing and shopping.

I suppose I can say that I deserve this short holiday and that the extra expense is a bonus for me.

BUUUSSYYYY!!

iSo my last entry was about Erwin and me waiting for my other colleagues to arrive. And since they arrived, it's been work work work non-stop! We sleep about 4-5 hours a day and are either out, running errands around Bangalore or stuck in the apartment sorting materials. Usual bedtime at the apartment was around 2am and we're all up by 7.30am.

After staying in the apartment for a week, we moved to the united Theological College. The place is so serene and green. It's just such a beautiful place. :-) Pics will be up once I am back in Malaysia. I wanted to take lots of pics but alas....there's just no time.

So the tribunal started yday and God was it hectic!! I hardly sat, walking up and down the hall, running here and there, doing this and that. But just imagine, I was in the same room with such distinguished people like Upendra Baxi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upendra_Baxi), Gianni Tognoni and Ricarda Steinbrecher!

Day two (today) was much smoother and a bit more relaxed. I managed to sit down for most of the session. Lol!

Tomorrow should be equally, if not more relaxing as it's already the closing arguments and then the jury will deliberate.

There's supposed to be livestreaming of the event, so check it out: www.agricorporateaccountability.net, although the internet is just crazy!j

So...till I come online again!!! Namaskar!

Day 5 - early update

As Erwin and I waited for our colleagues to arrive, we got news that one of our colleagues was denied entry!! And that too the coordinator of this whole event!!

All because of a fact-finding mission that he was part of last year. It was in Singur, the police stopped them (I'm not sure if they got arrested) and apparently, that did the damage. It's on record and now, Gilbert is being deported!!

The danger of my job just got to me. We're all here on a tourist visa but are actually working!! I don't think anything bad will happen...but one can never be too sure!!

Geez....if this doesn't prompt me to make a move...I don't know what will. Gosh...I'm still reeling!!