CAMBRIDGE

" She walks in beauty, like the night ,Of cloudless climes and starry skies;" Lord Byron.
"Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred." Lord Tennyson.
"I Wander'd lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils"; William Wordsworth.
My "Palgrave's Golden Treasury" came cascading down my memory lane, as I entered the hallowed grounds of Cambridge and its famous Colleges. Were any of these poems written here by these great poets? They studied here at Cambridge, the first two at Trinity and Wordsworth at St. John's College.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi , S. Chandrasekhar, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Amartya Sen, were alumnis of Trinity. Amongst other well known names from Trinity are Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Byron, Bertrand Russell.

Dr. Manmohan Singh and Vikram Sarabhai were from St. John's College, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma was from Fitzwilliam College. Stephen Hawking, Salman Rushdie, Keynes, Darwin, Oliver Cromwell, Emma Thompson, and so many others are all from other colleges of Cambridge.
Cambridge University began in 1209, when some scholars practicing archery at Oxford, accidentally killed a towns woman. They had to flee from there with their lives. Some went to Paris and some landed at Cambridge which had a number of monasteries. These fleeing scholars with the help of the Church founded the first College which was called "Peterhouse". Later on Kings helped in founding more Colleges. Today there are 31 colleges in Cambridge with about 15,000 students.

Since medieval times every student at Cambridge had a tutor and a Supervisor. The Tutor did not necessarily teach the student. He was a senior member of a student's college responsible for the overall welfare of a student, like a guardian. A tutor was called a Moral Tutor at the "Other Place". The "Other place" is traditionally what students of Cambridge refer to Oxford as. A tutor is responsible for the domestic arrangements and welfare of his own undergraduates, graduates, post-doctoral researchers, and staff in general.

The principal method of teaching at Cambridge colleges is the "supervision". These are weekly hour-long sessions in which small groups of students—usually between one and three—meet with a member of their Supervisor. Students are normally required to complete an essay or assignment in advance of the supervision, which they will discuss with the supervisor during the session, along with any concerns or difficulties they have had with the material presented in that week's lectures. This teaching system is unique to Cambridge and Oxford (where “supervisions” are known as “tutorials)

In medieval times lectures were held in the morning and the afternoon was left free for recreation and sports. Attendance of lectures was not compulsory, but attendance of Supervision was compulsory, without which a student was not allowed to take the examination. The Examination, called "Tripos" leads to a B.A. honour's degree. Tripos was originally a three legged stool on which the examiner sat and the student had to defend his proposition in an oral debate. Another unique tradition here is that a MA degree is awarded on request, it is conferred by right on holders of the BA degree of the University, and on certain other senior members, and is not available as a postgraduate qualification

In medieval times, colleges were founded so that their students would pray for the souls of the founders. For that reason they were often associated with chapels or abbeys. A change in the colleges’ focus occurred in 1536 with the dissolution of monasteries at the time of Henry VIII .He ordered the university to disband its Faculty of Canon Law and to stop teaching scholastic philosophy. In response, colleges changed their curricula away from canon law and towards the classics, Bible and mathematics. Churchill after visiting MIT at Boston laid emphasis on Science, and Engineering in a college which he founded here. All degrees awarded at Cambridge are Bachelor of Arts. There is no B. Sc degree here.

Amongst all the colleges at Cambridge, King’s College has the most imposing and grand building. King Henry VI founded the King's College in 1441. The Building and the Chapel at King's College are really magnificent. The windows of King's College Chapel are all very beautiful stained windows. One can simply marvel at the sheer artistry of the whole picture. There are 12 large windows on each side of the chapel, and larger windows at the east and west ends. The College Chapel is late Gothic architecture. The Chapel features the world's largest fan vault, stained glass windows, and the painting "The Adoration of the Magi" by Rubens. (See picture above).Originally, the college was to be specifically for boys from Eton College which was also founded by King Henry VI. From 1865 non-Etonian undergraduates arrived to study at King's.
Another beautiful College is Trinity which was founded by King Henry VIII. It is the richest and biggest College in Cambridge. On the beautiful gate of this college is the statue of the college founder, Henry VIII, in a niche above the doorway. In his hand he holds a table leg instead of the original sword.( See Picture). This College has an enormous central courtyard. Here traditionally, first year students attempt to run round the perimeter of the Great Court(approximately 367 m), in the 43 seconds during the clock striking twelve. Students traditionally attempt to complete the circuit on the day of the Matriculation Dinner. Trinity has a strong academic tradition, with members having won thirty-one Nobel Prizes. Sir Isaac Newton was a student and later teacher at Trinity.

Another magnificent building is that of St. John’s College, which has very huge grounds where the grass is mown only once a year, to allow the flower bulbs to grow undisturbed. These grounds are over very old burial grounds and traditionally every year the choir at the St. John's College get on top of the Church and perform their programme.

The idea of women attending the University was not welcome when the thought was raised in the 19th century. However in 1868 Cambridge's Local Examinations Board allowed women to take exams for the first time. They were taught by some teachers a little distance away from Cambridge. Only after The Girton College (1869) and Newnham (1872)colleges were formed for women that they were allowed into lectures, even that was at the discretion of the lecturer. By 1881, women were allowed to sit university examinations, and in 1921 were awarded certificates and not degrees. The Queen mother was awarded a degree in 1947 and women since then could get degrees

Cambridge has a strong tradition of sports and recreation. Rowing is a particularly popular sport at Cambridge, and there are competitions between colleges, notably the bumps race, and against Oxford, the Boat race. There are also matches against Oxford in many other sports, ranging from cricket, rugby to chess and tiddlywinks. The formalised version of the rules of football known as the"Cambridge Rules" were drawn up by Cambridge student representatives of leading public schools at Trinity in 1848.

Cambridge has a unique round Church.( Photo Above).There is an American War cemetry here,where amongst many others is also buried Joseph Kennedy, the eldest brother of JFK. The Cambridge University press is also another institution here.It is both the oldest publishing house in the world and the oldest university press.It has been producing books continuously since the first University Press book was printed in 1584.

The thought that studies have to co exist with recreation, sports and out door activities is rampant here. It is not only academics that are developed here. A student has to grow and evolve completely. There is so much emphasis given on building up knowledge as is seen by the use of the word,"defend" when giving their Tripos in the medieval times. It is said that once an examiner simply asked at the Philosophy Tripos, the question, "WHY?" Unimaginable today!!

Cambridge where walked the mightiest of men with its traditions and atmosphere of studies, knowledge and theories is a magnificent place. Here the pen was surely mightier than the sword! The very air that one breathes, remind us of all those people who lived, studied and made this place what it is today. Walking on the same roads, traversed by people who were guided, moulded and left such a huge impression on the world, by itself, was a thrilling experience. I loved my day at Cambridge, and left with the wish that someday, I would return here to attend the Graduation ceremony of some loved one from my family.

LONDON OF SHAKESPEARE & DICKENS

One of the things that I love doing is walking. I can walk and walk and walk. As soon as I read about the London Walks I had to go on the walk. Today was the 5th in the series, when I went on a tour called "The Dickens and Shakespeare Walk". It started from the St. Paul's Cathedral tube station. The walk was for two hours. Our guide has been taking people on these walks for the last 30 years. Was he good?? He was excellent!!! He loved his work and one could see the pride he took in conducting us through all those places connected with both Shakespeare and Dickens. It was aptly very theatrical and a lot of recitation of lines was a bonus.

As we walked we first reached the Guildhall. In Shakespeare's time, in fact even before that, in London, there were Guilds for the various trades conducted. They controlled the way in which trade was conducted in the town. The members of the Guilds also became involved with civic duties and were appointed to important and influential positions in the community. The chief spokesman of the Guilds became the Mayor of London. The various guild halls were Armourer's, Brazier's, Haberdasher's, Brewer's, Girdler's, Pewterer's, Goldsmith's, Wax chandler's, Carpenter's, Draper's, Grocer's, Mercer's, Barber-surgeons's. Note surgeons and barbers were termed together!! The barbers practiced surgery.

London was founded by the Romans in 50 AD, and they fortified the city within a wall which had seven gates. The four original gates were on the North, South, East, and West. They were Alders gate to the north, Ludgate to the west, Aldgate to the east, and the Bridge Gate to the south, over London Bridge at Southwark end. Besides this there are Bishopsgate, Moorgate, Cripplegate and Newgate. They were, and still are referred to collectively as the “Seven gates to the City” None of these gates have survived. Yet the names still continue to exist.

"The City" as it is called has very fascinating names of lanes. Aptly they were all named after the trade that took place on the street. There is Cheapside along which are lanes like the Pudding Lane, Milk Street, Bread street, Ironmonger lane, Threadneedle street, Oat lane, Honey lane, Wood street, Gutter lane, Mason's Avenue, Ropemaker's Street, Shoe Lane. Besides this there is the better side of trade like the Goldsmith Row, Silver Lane, Silk Street, etc.

As we reached the place where Shakespeare lived, near The London Wall, in Bishopsgate, we crossed the place where St. Leonard's Church existed in Shoreditch. It is believed that Shakespeare was either an atheist or an agnostic. However he would have regularly attended Church, as it was compulsory to attend the Church every Sunday. If anyone missed Church then he would have to pay a fine. (The photo in the center is the exact place where Shakespeare lived).

At that time, Shoreditch was a haven for artists and actors, and notorious for boozing, prostitution and violence. As plays and playhouses were banned within the City, Shoreditch, on its northern fringe, had become a haven for actors and writers. The St Leonard's church was also local for the playwright-spy Christopher Marlowe, and later Ben Jonson, Shakespeare's friend and rival.

None of the plays of Shakespeare were published during his lifetime. They were published by John Hemminge and Henry Condell, his co partner's in the Globe Theatre in 1623, almost seven years after his death. This publication was called "The First Folio". They gave their rights away and did not get any pecuniary benefits. What they did was priceless, as had they not got these dramas published, the world would have been deprived of the same.

Shakespeare owned the Globe theatre which was one of four theatres in London. The others were The Rose, Swan, and The Theatre. Theatre was booming business and a new form of entertainment. The ticket for the play was 1 penny so that people could afford to go to the theatre, theses spectators were called Groundlings as they stood in front of the stage and watched the performance.

Close by there is a famous meat market in this area which is called Smithfield . It has existed in this place for 800 years. In earlier times the cattle was brought and slaughtered in open air. The names of streets in this area are Cow Cross Road, Lamb's Pas, Poultry. After the cattle was slaughtered and meat removed for selling, the remaining portions which was of no use to the butchers went southwards into the river so we have street names like Skinner Street, Saddler's Hall etc.. Ultimately the skin went across the Thames to the other side of the river, where leather work was done. Smithfield place was also used for public executions. "Wife sale was also popular in early 19th century. Divorce was difficult, so men brought their unwanted wives alongwith normal goods to the meat market to sell them." - Quoted from plaque in this market. Barbaric!! (Picture on top left is of present day Smithfield Market). St. Giles Church in Cheapside was the church associated with beggars and cripples. It was also another place where executions were conducted publicly. (The picture on bottom left is of this church.)

Most of the buildings which existed at the time of Shakespeare would have been destroyed in the great fire of 1666. A few survived like the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, where the movie "Four weddings and a funeral" was picturised. (A picture of this church is given on top right).There is also the St. John's Gate where the Revel's Office was located and Shakespeare had to get all his plays registered there before they could be played at the theatre. The author with his manuscript had to go their often as it was not easy to get the registration done. This office was the ancient version of the censor of today.

Charles Dickens lived in the 19th Century. The London of that time was quite crowded. There was a lot of poverty and filth. Houses were taxed as per the ground space occupied by them, therefore the ground floor was small and overhanging protrusions were made as top stories were added. This made the streets very dark and damp. Street sweepers attempted to keep the streets clean of manure, which was the result of thousands of horse-drawn vehicles. The city's thousands of chimney pots would belch coal smoke, resulting in soot which seemed to settle everywhere. Therefore we have stories of chimney sweeps going down the chimney to clean them. In many parts of the city raw sewage would flow in gutters that emptied into the Thames. There were street vendors who would hawk their wares and add to the cacophony of street noises. Pick-pockets, prostitutes, drunks, beggars, and vagabonds were everywhere.

Dickens, because of the childhood trauma caused by his father's imprisonment for debt and his consignment to the blacking factory to help support his family, was a true champion to the poor. He repeatedly pointed out the atrocities of the system through his novels. He also wrote vividly about children and apprentices and debt.

In Oliver Twist we have Oliver and Sykes passing through Smithfield Live Cattle Market, when they are on their way to burgle the Maylie home. They passed through this market as Sykes wanted to make Oliver horrified.

Walking across roads and streets which were used by Shakespeare and Dickens is a great experience. Imagining their world, seeing the nooks and alleys about which Dickens wrote was a journey walk back in time. Except for the stench, squalor, poverty of those days, London and its lanes and streets remain the same. I had a fantastic time and enjoyed my walk.

PRUNING & GROOMING

In mythology it is said that Hanuman was not aware of his power. He had to be made aware of his powers. Similarly most of us are just not aware of the power that we possess. It is only in a moment of crisis or stress that a person takes courageous steps, quite unknowingly. The entire internal power of a person comes to the fore front and a crisis is met head on.

I saw a very cute demonstration of this power a few days back. At the Annual Sports Day of my grand children's School, after the sports of the students was over, a couple of events were held for the visitors. The visitors being the parents and the young visitors, which meant the younger brothers and sisters of the students. The sports day was held at The Battersea Park Milllenium Sports Arena which has a proper running track. In the running race for siblings, the participants were little children between the ages of three and six years. As soon as the whistle blew the cute little children all began to run. But lo and behold, the finishing line was not visible. Therefore, the children at the fore front kept running onwards. They kept running and running and running!! They encircled the entire running track -they actually ran 400 metres!!! Little babes, going on and on and on. No stopping them until the finishing line was visible. We were all amaaaaaazed, we couldn't believe it. 400 metres is a long distance and for babies with tiny legs it appeared too far away. Yet they continued. It brought home to me the message that a person has a huge capacity to perform, if the will is there. One can keep jumping over the raised bar, if the desire to win is strong enough. For a person with will power, determination, and strong motivation the sky is the limit.
Our endurance and capacity to work is proportionate to our determination and desire to complete whatever we have started. In one of the famous love stories of the East, "Shirin and Farhad",the father of Shirin had put a condition on Farhad to dig a canal single handed in a difficult terrain. Farhad actually did it, obviously his love for Shirin was very strong. Faith moveth mountains- they say. Indeed this too is possible. Faith is very strong and a very strong motivator. As Shahrukh Khan said in "Om Shanti OM" if you have a very strong desire for something, the powers of the entire universe will come to help you to achieve it. It is actually true. If one wishes for something very desperately, the wish usually comes true. Why does this happen? It happens because, when our wish is very strong then we do anything and everything within our power to fulfill our wish. We take all the steps needed to achieve our goal. Due to dint of extreme labour and effort, our wish comes true. However we do not take credit for this accomplished task, as we do not realise that the potential to achieve the result was within us. We are unaware of our own power, therefore we pass on the credit to divine intervention!!

When I was in college, I was staying in the hostel. One morning my room mate suddenly had an attack of epileptic fit. She started foaming from the mouth and was thrashing her hands and legs about without any control. I had never seen this and was quite distressed by what I saw. All my own resources came to my help, as I suddenly remembered that when a person has an attack of fit, a spoon should be placed between the teeth so that they do not bite their tongue. I did that, then I called the Hostel Superintendent, called my room mates, local guardian and tried to do what I could. Only when the local guardian arrived did I sit down and and lost control over my tears. I remember this incident, as then too I had realised the power within me to tackle a crisis without knowing '"how to".
Often, I am amazed at our untapped potential,capacity and strength. A human being is the most complete creature on earth. We are power houses who do not know our own powers. Someone has to keep driving us to achieve our goals. Someone has to keep pulling us up to extract the best out of us. If no demand is made, nothing is achieved. Demand and it shall be given!! Be reticent and passive and one will find that life is drab and unfulfilled. Unless we guide our children and demand that they use their entire faculties, they will not reach the heights that we want them to achieve. That is the distinction between an achiever and a non achiever.
As a child I was always told that I had to be better than their best. I had no option but to come first. I was to be an achiever. My father had come first in his district in the matriculation examination and also in graduation. I was therefore told that I had no option but to be a topper too. I did it. In my Graduation I topped the university. I was a gold medalist. Demands were made on me and I always came up to expectations. I never failed to come up to my parents expectations. My capacity was given the motivation and also a goal. Both my brothers also are achievers. Both my children have also been achievers in their academics and now in their careers.
Even in the family of my husband, all his sisters and he himself have been achievers in academics. There is a gold medalist in Medicine from Lady Hardinge Medical College Delhi, who received her medal from President Dr. Zakir Hussein, the then President of India. There is a Lecturer who had come second in her graduation from Delhi University.TNN my husband, himself came first in Engineering in the third year and third in the fifth year of engineering. Obviously there must have been demands made and motivation provided for these achievements. Leaving a child to do his best is not enough. A child has to be guided, motivated and made aware of his own potential. Unless proper grooming and pruning is done, even flowers do not bloom beautifully.

MISERY CONFOUNDED

They say marriages are made in heaven. What is heaven, or rather where is heaven? I guess our home is our heaven. In India marriages are fixed. As soon as a girl or boy comes close to the marriageable age, the parents start frantic search for a proper match. Parents are responsible for fixing up a proper match, considering all the associated factors that are needed to be seen. The background of the family, the educational qualification, job prospects, or financial stability of the groom is usually ascertained. The house and living standard of the family is seen and after a lot of deliberation and consideration, a match is fixed. A girl is usually told to make sure that her marriage works. A few words of wisdom are imparted to her, to obey and respect elders, to adjust with the new family, and so on and so forth.

A girl trustingly enters a new house, a new family and a new relationship, where she is totally on her own. She is unaware of their customs, systems, behaviour patterns. She has to learn everything about her husband, his family and adjust. The operative word here is ADJUST.

In spite of best efforts made by the bride, sometimes marriages fail. The sad story in India is that a girl is always told to try and keep trying to make her marriage work. The entire onus for making a marriage work is on her. Even if life becomes too miserable and sad for the bride, the option of divorce is seldom thought of. It is considered a stigma to be divorced. A girl has to think ten times before she can speak about her problems with her own family. Once she speaks with them, after much deliberation once again she is advised to go back and try to adjust. Quite often, parents are worried about the younger siblings and their marriage prospects, which could be jeopardised due to a divorce in the family. Financial implications too are a major issue. Even if the girl is working and financially independent, she normally goes back to live with her parents, as she needs the emotional support and security that goes with it. Indians still frown upon girls who are divorced. A divorced man goes scotfree and within no time gets married a second time. A divorced girl is usually so scarred and pained that she takes a much longer time to get out of her grief. She takes a much longer time to get back to normal and lead her own life. Thinking about a second marriage is very far from her thought.

If there are children then, even if life is extremely miserable for the girl, leaving the matrimonial home becomes even more difficult. A woman is basically a home maker, even if she is the major bread winner, it is she who makes sure that her children are cared for, get a proper meal, and everything else that is needed to make life comfortable for the child. The men, particularly in India don't even THINK that they have any role to play in taking care of the needs of the children. Children are always the responsibility of the mother. There will be very few men who would have changed the diaper of their baby. It is a common thing for fathers to call out to the mother to come and clean the baby. She also doesn't think twice before doing the needful. A woman is responsible for just about EVERYTHING. The husband may be a person who does not earn, sits at home all the time, yet he is considered the poor thing. No thought is given to why he has become the "poor thing". Because the wife is responsible and will not take chances, so she struggles with home, work, children and the ego of her husband. Where she is and what she is undergoing is never thought of by anyone. Where that person with desires and dreams of her own has disappeared-no one even pauses to think about it. The woman is to blame to some extent-why did she let herself get lost, why did she try to love others more than her own self? Why did she let others take her for granted?

Even if the husband has an affair with a woman less than half the age of his wife, the wife is expected to take it in her stride. Like the sacrificial lamb she actually submits to this too-again for the sake of her children. Even if the husband is totally irresponsible, gives her grief due to his own insecurities, it is the wife who is expected to support him overcome his difficult time!! Even if the husband remains out for nights, she is expected to keep quiet and manage her home-again for the sake of the children!

Who will think about that girl, who gave up a secure family to marry a stranger. That girl who thought of making a home with a total stranger, fitting in with strange ways and strange habits. The one who changed her name to fit in with a new family. She had dreams, aspirations, hopes....who will think about all those shattered hopes. Why is she solely responsible for making a home? Why is she solely responsible for keeping the marriage intact? Why does she have to go on forgiving? Turning a blind eye to indiscretions of her husband?

When will we start teaching our daughters to remember that they are equal to men? They can have their dreams and aspirations. They have a right to live happily. They are equally responsible with their husband to make a home. The onus is not on her alone. Will we be able to teach our daughters that they are individuals who have a right to be happy. A girl must learn to respect her own self and love her own self. Whatever she does, must be for her own happiness. Will that day dawn when our daughters will be able to come back holding their head high, as they have kept their dignity intact, and have walked away from a marriage where there was no respect and love. A divorced girl has to remember that she is loved, cared for and important for her family. An irresponsible, dishonest husband, is not worth crying over. She has to start loving her own self all over again, more than she loved her husband. She has to start afresh. Life is short. It is time to look at the brighter side of life and start living, wherever you may be. We only have one life-live it to your heart's content. Nobody on this earth is worth the pain divorced women give themselves.

An irresponsible father is not better than no father. Women can bring up their children single handed too. An irresponsible husband can never be a responsible father. An irresponsible husband is so used to having his own way in everything, he is selfish and dishonest-can one expect a child to learn anything from such a father?

HEVER CASTLE-KENT,ENGLAND

The Water Maze

Courtyard

"Anne of the 1000 days "was a movie I saw eons ago. It had generated a lot of interest in my mind about this person who left such a mark on history. She was Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, who had six wives. For the love of Anne, he broke away from the Roman Church as they would not allow him to divorce his first wife who was Catherine of Aragon. He founded The Church of England and after getting his first marriage annulled, married Anne. How very important she must have been to him! However, this love did not last long and Anne had to die within three years of her marriage. She met a rather gruesome end, as she was beheaded at the Tower of London. Charges against her were horrendous. She was accused of incest. Anything was possible with this King, as he now wanted to marry Lady Jane, whom he married within ten days of the beheading of Anne. Henry wanted a son to continue his dynasty. He did have a son from this third wife, but that son ruled for about six years and died early. Anne incidentally was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I who reigned for a long time, and also started building up the British Empire. The defeat of the Spanish armada in 1588 associated her name forever with what is popularly viewed as one of the greatest victories in English history. Elizabeth's reign is known as the Elizabethan era, famous above all for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, who set sail across the ocean, exploring new worlds.

Hever was the castle where Anne lived with her parents , a brother George and a sister Mary. Hever is about 30 miles from London. King Henry would visit the castle and stay there too. There is a room in the Castle which was set aside for the King when he visited. The King also brought in a huge retinue when he came.
The oldest part of the castle was built around 1270, and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey, all surrounded by a moat and approached by a wooden drawbridge. In 1500, the Bullen (the original name)family added a comfortable family house inside the protective wall. Hever Castle still has one of Henry's private locks, taken with him on his various visits to noble men's houses and fitted to every door for his security.There are a lot of things kept on display at the Castle, which makes the place worth a visit. A copy of The Book of Hours owned by Anne, with the words, "The time will come", written by Anne is kept in the Castle. Letters written by Henry and Anne are also kept on display.

The Boleyn family had tragic lives. First Henry VIII had a long affair with Mary Boleyn. Then he married Anne, had her beheaded along with her brother, with whom he accused Anne of having an incestuous relationship. The parents of these three children died soon after these beheadings. The lineage too ended with this. The Castle also passed into the hands of King Henry VIII, and was passed on to one of his other wives, Anne of Cleves, as settlement for divorce.

Hever Castle was purchased by the rich American tycoon Waldorf Astor in the beginning of the 20th century. He developed the castle and restored it to it's olden glory. He bought furniture and furnishings as they would be at the time when Anne lived there. He also got huge gardens laid out all around the castle. Today there is a beautiful Italian Garden which has a lot of statues including some which are about 2000 years old. There is a water maze, a yew maze and also a rose garden. There even is a lake at the end of the Italian garden. The layout of the gardens and the surroundings are very beautiful. The moat surrounding the castle along with its draw bridge gates takes one back in time to experience the ancient times when people lived there in the middle ages.

We went to Hever by train from London. The train ride took about 40 minutes. The view from the train of the English countryside was amazing. Hever station is very small. It is unmanned, so one cannot purchase tickets there. There was a map outside the station giving directions to the Castle. The road to the castle was narrow and there was no path for pedestrians. The walk took us about 20 minutes. There was hardly any traffic on the road so the walk was very comfortable. The English countryside with large shrubs and flowering trees is beautiful at this time of the year. Walking along farms, horses grazing in them, a little inn, a pub, a church and hey presto, we had reached the Castle! As soon as one sets eyes on the castle, one feels a sense of having arrived - the castle is actually as one visualises a castle to be! Draw bridge, a moat, fortification, towers, winding stairs, large surrounding gardens, and peace and quiet!! To add glitter to gold(sone par suhaga-for my country folks) the castle is supposed to be haunted!!! What more does one desire? It is enough to transport one back to the medieval ages, and experience history as it happened. Romance, intrigue, plotting, rebellion, false accusations, beheading, all so theatrical, seems like a story,except for a fact that this story actually happened. It wasn't only a story, it was his-story!

GOODBYE

Yesterday I watched the memorial service for Michael Jackson. It was a very touching farewell, very composed, very beautiful, with a lot of sorrow, dignity and emotion. He was indeed a great entertainer. His music was enthralling, the words had a lot of thought and depth. He spoke of people, despair of war, hope, the living, importance of caring and loving. It was sad to think that a person who entertained everyone and changed the lives of a whole lot of people, an icon, hero, inspiration to millions, had so much sorrow in his own life. What do some people gain out of creating misery for some others? Is it not possible for everyone to try and live in peace.

The earth is very big, and their is space for everyone to live here without treading on someone else's toes, yet we are seldom happy to see the growth and development of others. Instead of trying to improve our own lives, we are usually caught up in the business of watching what someone else is up to. Our eyes and thoughts are hawking and stalking the activity of someone else, to find fault and find a reason to ridicule them. If only people spent their own time for making their own lives better, the world would become a better place for all.

Talking rudely, making sarcastic remarks, sometimes becomes such a habit that we don't even realise that we are sarcastic by nature. I was told a few months back by a dear friend that I was often sarcastic while talking. So much so that I didn't even realise it until it was pointed out. Since then I have tried to improve my speech, so that I do not hurt anyone. In India we have a saying which means that an arrow which has been shot and a word that has been spoken can never be taken back. It is therefore important for each person to think before speaking. My mother always told me to count up to ten when I was very angry and wanted to say things which could hurt someone. I never followed that advice, but I think now, that it really is a very good way to control one's temper and harsh words. Anger is really another form of insanity,where one does not have full control of one's emotions and so there is an effusion of words and acts which one later regrets, but usually has no recourse to.

From what I read, Michael Jackson had a sad childhood. There are so many other children who are tormented by their parents, without realising the full impact of their utterances on the simple and trusting minds of children. Sometimes we threaten children with dire consequences, which could scare the children enough to leave their minds develop phobias or have nightmares for ever. Our words said casually, could leave scars which would take a long time to heal. Parents generally have the best interest of the children at heart. They want their children to grow up and be better than they themselves are. In the process using harsh words to discipline children often becomes necessary. Perhaps with proper planning one can control every incident and deal with every insubordination or act of defiance in the best way possible. People have to remember to remain in control of themselves at all times. Loosing temper, feeling defeated, feeling helpless, are emotions which need to be conquered.

What I am saying today is because of the sadness I felt for a life that has gone. An ace entertainer had to suffer so much sorrow. Did he really know real happiness? A person who changed his entire persona, hid himself, put on a happy face to entertain us. There is so much that was said yesterday, so much support shown to him, but what about all those years when he went away to the Middle East? His living years? People go away, and no amount of wishes, or eulogies can matter to them, once they die.

I liked the songs of this great singer. I was a fan. I saw Michael Jackson from very close quarters inadvertently one day. I and Chaitali were at Sloane's Square in London a couple of years ago, and we saw this person in front of us wearing a huge huge hat covering his entire face, with his son also with a similar hat. I was delighted, as the walk, dress and figure could be none other than Michael Jackson!

Goodbye Michael, I am sure I would love to do my bit to make this world a better place. Indeed, I am already on the task.

A SUMMER'S DAY

Sitting under an awning, on a pavement in front of Starbucks, on the Northcote Road, Clapham, London is bliss. All that one needs is a book in hand and some coffee on the table. The world goes by, life goes by!!

It is a hot summer's day. The temperature is around 28 degrees Celsius - strangely, this would be a coooooool day in Delhi, but in London it is actually sweltering. There are signs on the entrances to the tube station telling a person how to remain cool and hydrated. The hospitals have been alerted, as they may have to attend to people suffering on account of the heat. There is a lot of discussion all over the print media as well as on Television that the heat is too much and advising people how to deal with the heat. One would think that people would remain indoors to avoid the heat....... far from it, they are all out on the Commons trying to get a nice sun tan!! No one moves out without sunscreen and suntan lotion!! All this at 28 degrees Celsius???

The fact is that the sun actually scorches you and appears to be closer. The direct rays of the sun burn and cause a lot of discomfort. There is no pollution, no dust haze, nothing between the sun and the human being. People love to sun bathe, and look like tomatoes as their skin gets tanned and before tanning looks red. Strangely, they want to attain the skin tone which looks brown. We in India think a dark complexion is an absolute no-no. How we advertise complexion lightening creams and lotions! Children are taught very young that a dark skin is not desirable. Every one would remember having been told in childhood, "don't drink tea or your complexion will become dark". This sort of a statement is enough for the lasting impression to form in a child's mind that dark complexion is not good and must be avoided. This is how we inculcate the sense of discrimination, superiority and bias in the young and clean minds of children. The way we try to lighten our skin with milk, lemon and all sorts of concoctions!! No one is happy with what they have. We brown skinned people want to be fairer. We have so many different shades of fairness. Read any matrimonial advertisement in India, and one is sure to come across the term- wheatish complexion-which actually denotes a slightly lighter shade of brown.

Coming back to my lovely day under the awning - I was loving every moment of it, as I sat in the shade and relaxed on a pavement. Cannot think of doing this in Delhi, even at 20 degrees Celsius. Firstly, in any metropolitan city in India, there is no space on the pavement, and if there is space then someone will stand next to my table and stare alternately between me and my cup to determine by when I would be pressurised to vacate the table, for him or her to occupy. Relaxing, taking your own time and sitting sprawled with one cup of coffee for the whole morning, is an unheard of thing.

Life in the western hemisphere is so different from the east. There is something called personal space, which we in the east are not used to. In a store people queue up to pay, in India as well as here. The difference is that in India we stand very close to each other. We do not leave any space in between. We literally breathe down the neck of the person standing in front of us. If we leave space, someone is bound to come and stand there. In the western world I have seen space and respect for the space that one is entitled to. There is a lot of patience too. Everyone waits for their turn. No jostling, no pushing, no craning of the neck, and no exhibition of rage. Patience is a virtue which is very visible here. Patience makes a person more tolerant, because everyone learns to wait for their turn. This virtue of patience changes the entire attitude and perspective of people and it is people who make a nation.

Back to my pavement again-sitting on the pavement and watching people go by is a lovely feeling. I saw young mothers with babies in prams going about their business, old ladies meeting for coffee, people waiting for a bus, young people jogging along by a side lane listening to music on their i-pods........ time just went by for me. It was a lovely morning doing nothing but enjoying the time of the day with no bother in my head, except to see the fleeting moments of time go. I felt free, without a care in the world, at least for that moment. Coffee, a book, people going by, time by myself on a hot summer's day in London is indeed bliss.