MY TIME TRAVEL TO DICKENS LONDON

Tower Bridge London

Taking a walk down a road in London brought back to my mind long lost memories of the Dickens books that I had devoured in my youth. It brought to life all those scenes read eons ago. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Pickwick Papers, A Tale of Two Cities, all by Charles Dickens were read, re-read and revised by me as they were part of my English syllabus.  In those days I had to try and imagine the places mentioned in the books.  Now I was actually traversing those very roads, streets, and was looking at those inns and pubs and everything else that I had tried to imagine then. Pip, Fagin, Oliver Twist, Mr. Pickwick ....all those characters walked ahead of me!

I have visited London a number of times. I have driven past a lot of land marks of History. Yet, recently when I decided to simply walk instead of taking the public transport, which is very easily available and easy to get on, I was transported about 150 years back.

48, Doughty Road.House Of Dickens

I had gone to see Charles Dickens house, maintained as a museum. I felt delighted being in the rooms where lived and wrote such a great author. He died at the age of 58. I am amazed to see the immense body of work that he has created in this short time. He wrote about poverty, squalor, sad childhoods, small children working as apprentices and fending for themselves, and the miserable condition of the poor. He wrote about indebtedness, being sent to jail if you were in debt, and he described vividly the sad life of the general public of Victorian London. I had always wondered about the life of young boys trying to make a living in bad conditions, in London, until I saw a small film shown in the house of Dickens about his life. As a young boy of 12 he had to fend for himself, as his entire family except Charles was imprisoned and were lodged at the “Marshalsea debtor's prison”. Dickens had to work at a Blacking Warehouse. He had to paste labels on shoe polish. He worked for 10 hours a day and earned 6 shillings a week, in appalling conditions, with rats running around the place. Can you try and imagine those gloomy, dirty, sad, lonely days of despair of a 12 year old boy! I thought this was sufficient to psychologically damage any boy to be a pessimist with totally sad thoughts. But look at the genius of a man that Dickens turned out to be. The strenuous – and often cruel – work conditions obviously made a deep impression on Dickens, and he used all those experiences to write his novels. What fantastic novels were penned by him! Charles Dickens has said, "Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape." What profound wisdom! This is what greatness and genius is all about! 

After visiting the museum instead of going towards, Russell Square Tube Station, I decided to walk to St. Paul's Cathedral, which has recently been restored to its pristine glory. The Cathedral is 300 years old; its Foundation Stone was laid on 21st June 1711. The recent repairing, restoration and cleaning took 15 years and cost 40 million pounds! Walking on I passed the Gray's Inn. I had read that great stalwarts of India were members of this Inn. Dr. B R Ambedkar, M. K. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, M. A Jinnah, had all passed through these portals, and walked down these roads. I was transported back to those times. The best part of London is that the buildings and roads remain unchanged. The facade is maintained as it was, road names are not changed, and therefore what existed about 150 years back was easy to see. It remains the same!

Staple Inn Holborn

Walking on, I reached Holborn.  Pip in “Great Expectations”, took up residence at Barnard's Inn which was located here. This area has been associated with the legal profession since the 13th century. In the 13th century, King Henry III decreed that no institutes of legal education could exist in the City of London, and the Pope also prohibited the Clergy from teaching Law. The lawyers therefore settled immediately outside the City, close to Westminster Hall, and stayed in Inns in Holborn. All the four Inns of law, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle temple, Gray's Inn were located in Holborn.

These inns were lodgings where barristers traditionally lodged, trained and carried on their profession. There were also minor Inns of Chancery viz. Clement's Inn, Clifford's Inn, Lyon's Inn, Strand Inn, New Inn, Furnival's Inn,Thavie's Inn, Staple Inn, and Barnard's Inn. These Inns were all attached to any of the four Inns of law.  Interesting indeed! How and why Inns got to be actually Institutes of Law.

On my way over the Holborn Viaduct (bridge) I saw a statue of Sir Richard Whittington, who had been Lord Mayor of London 3 times. I was thrilled, as till now I had thought that this was simply a fable. "Turn around Dick Whittington, Thrice Mayor of London"...So the church bells were supposed to have been chiming. He was actually real, he existed! Then I reached The Old Bailey. It is the ‘Central Criminal Court’ now. A pretty building with the statue of Justice on top. Interestingly, this statue holds the scales, a sword, but is not blind folded. I was quite impressed. Indeed justice is not blind. Above the main entrance is inscribed the admonition, "Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer".  This was the site of the Old Bailey, close to the medieval Newgate Prisons. This was where Charles Darnay, a character of "A Tale of two Cities" was tried for treason.  

Cental Criminal Court with Statue of Justice

I walked on and reached St.Paul's Cathedral. By now it was 4 pm and the visitor's time was over. Just ahead I saw Ludgate Hill, which would lead me on to Fleet Street. What a fantastic name! It was the street where the newspapers’ offices were located. I used to think that Fleet Street was so called because of the fleet footed news reporters that worked there! In reality it was the name of the river which had since been covered and the street was located over the river. Fleet Street has the famous pub, “Ye Old Cheshire Cheese” which was frequented by Dr. Johnson, Mark Twain, Tennyson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and of course Charles Dickens.

At the end of Fleet Street I saw the imposing Royal Courts of Justice.

London School of Economics& Political Science

Walking on I saw London School of Economics and Political Science. I had to stop in my tracks because LSE was the place where our erstwhile President  K R Narayanan had studied from 1945 to 1948. At that time my father, was studying Engineering at Batteresea Polytechnic, London. They had become friends then.  Other famous alumni of this College were Bharat Ratna Dr. B R Ambedkar, J F Kennedy, and Harold Laski. Another Bharat Ratna Dr. Amartya Sen taught here.

Bharat Bhawan-High Commission of India

Just opposite LSE was Bharat Bhawan with my beautiful Tricolour and the Lion capital of Ashoka. After paying my respects to my High Commission, I walked on and reached Strand. Onwards I marched towards Trafalgar Square.  I took the route behind the Trafalgar Square and walked on Shaftesbury Avenue, with all its theatres, then walked on Charring Cross Road  which is where Dickens worked in the shoe polish factory.  In present day Charring Cross is the famous Foyle’s Book store founded in 1903 by two brothers who had failed their Civil Services examination. They wanted to sell their books and so was founded this huge book store. People who frequented this store were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G B Shaw and Walt Disney..

 I walked on towards Tottenham Court Road. This place is actually London's Bhagirath Place. All Dilliwallas know Bhagirath Place to be the market for electrical goods in Delhi. Of course ours is located in Chandni Chowk, right behind the beautiful historical State Bank of India building of Chandni Chowk. Tottenham Court Road, on the other hand is next to the posh Oxford Street. Having reached Tottenham Court Road, I perforce walked on towards the glamorous, full of tourists Oxford Street. 

OXFORD CIRCUS 

This place is always full of people, walking, walking, and walking. It is such a narrow road, with pedestrian crossings after every few feet. Oxford Street transported me to an altogether different world.

My trip to 18th century London ended in the 21st century London. It became a memorable day, with a lovely walk, and amazing time travel! Lots more to see and experience...some other day...some other era!!


If you want to experience the long walk - just click here to open the google maps for the same.

TO MARRY OR NOT?

They say marriages are made in heaven. Some say that marriage is a defunct institution. Some wonder what is the need for a marriage. Some ask why should one vow to remain together till the last breath, come what may. A lot wonder why anyone would want to marry a second time. When this happens after an earlier disastrous marriage, the question does prop up in one's mind.

Perhaps one has to understand that marriage is just a convenient way for two people to get related to each other. Two people from any part of the world may want to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. I believe that all institutions in this world, social, or otherwise are created by people, for the sake of convenience. There is no heavenly hand in this.

There is only an emotional attachment, a legal binding, a social responsibility, and a coming together of two people and their families in the institution of marriage.

When two different people decide to get married they make a commitment, and  take vows about a lot of things as per their own customs, practices and choices too. These are promises which bind them together, make them obligated to each other and responsible towards and for each other.

HAPPY PEOPLE

In such circumstances, marriage is just a simple binding or pact between two people. As is usual different people have different attitudes, interests, food choices, and habits. Even twins often are not exactly identical. Therefore when two people decide to stay together, for the sake of harmony in the house, each person has to adjust. There is usually a pattern that gets set in every house, and willy nilly each person of the house takes on a role, shares responsibility and builds up a cozy home for themselves. A home is also a place where people have to manage each other. Mostly what I have noticed is that after some time has elapsed people start taking each other for granted. Each person knows the other so well that they start presuming what is going to come next. Words, actions, rebukes, hurts, insults, sarcasm everything creeps in because we leave the door wide open for all these things to walk in. Instead of communicating and taking things as they come, we expect the worst, and wait for those words which are bound to hurt us. When the expected reaction comes, we feel comfortable and smug! I wonder how many of us would behave like this in a work situation? Why is it that we take pains to be righteous, just, fair, nice, well behaved in our office? Why do we give benefit of doubt to people who actually do not matter to us? Why do we try to maintain peace and harmony in the office, where we need not build lifetime bonds?

How does a marriage give us the license to hurt or humiliate a person who actually matters to us. This person is the one whom we care for and who cares for us! Why do we take them for granted and sweep them away with mighty glares, stares and anger? Each partner in a marriage does that. Each person in the marriage finds ways and means to hurt, humiliate and get even with the spouse. The entire anger of the world is taken out on this helpless person in the marriage, who also feels trapped. None of us can actually say that we are the lone victims in the marriage. Each person is actually coping. The Greek Philosopher Plato(427 BC - 347 BC) is said to have said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."   However much we may try to show ourselves as the victim of an abusive marriage, a sad life, a person trapped in an unhappy marriage, one has to remember that the spouse too is suffering some pain of his/her own. What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander. A marriage is actually a working partnership. It has to be worked upon all the time.

CONTINUE TO BE  HAPPY

Why do we feel trapped in a marriage? Does it have anything to do with a mindset? Do the old philosophies, teachings make us want to rebel? Is that the reason why now people think that there is no need for marriage? Quite at the beginning of my own marriage, my husband used to say that a marriage license should be renewable after every three years. We had a civil marriage ceremony,no religious ceremony, by choice.

I personally think that a marriage makes a house a home. A home is made by people who have emotional attachment, bonding, concern and love for each other. These are the people who will be affected if something happens to us. A legal binding ties us down, whereas a live in relationship does not. Splitting, walking out, is easier in a relationship. Marriage is a legal and social binding with responsibilities and duties. It is not so easy to walk out, and climbing the steps of the courts to get a divorce is a very difficult proposition.There is therefore safety in being tied down. After all as Rousseau said,"Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains". I think  we bind ourselves in chains by choice. That is what civilization is all about! Otherwise the law of the jungle will take over!
Having said that, I think a marriage needs to be saved so that we can grow old in the cozy home built by us in the comforting company of the person with whom we have shared the maximum part of our life. The same person who stands by us through thick and thin, life's ups and downs, shares memories of some happy days and many sad days, and very often IS the reason for our sad and bad days! Yet, I think, a legal binding makes it safe, secure and comforting!

THE STAGES OF LEARNING AND REJUVENATING

MY TEACHERS

"Which cereal bar will you have Aaria", I ask showing her the green, blue and pink bars. "Geen",she says. She is three years old.

While travelling in the car she suddenly says to her mother, "Mummy, I've got cupcakes". 

It took me a while to figure that one out! She had heard us earlier in the day saying, "Oh Aaria has got hiccups!" Hiccups sounded like cupcakes to her! Simple! To this wizard of words, I am her "friendly dada",she loves to tease me and refuses to call me dadi. Only recently when I spoke with her on Skype from London she called me "Naughty Dadi"

Aaliya age seven, asked me this morning,why I was wearing jeans when I usually wear those 'fluffy bags'? Come again, what was that?? I had to think, and then it dawned on me that she was talking about the "Salwar", if you please!

Oh yes indeed, this is the  the world of children and their innocent, sweet sounding words! They are like honey to our time worn ears, which usually hear sane, sarcastic, serious or busy words!

Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing. One of these days’ people from the sane world may brand me an old woman going a little wonky in the head. I keep laughing at the oddest of times and the oddest of places, when I suddenly remember words spoken by my dearest clan of the youngest generation. Some of their observations are so funny. It is how they understand and use their words, which makes all the difference in the world to an observer. Childish prattle and innocence are the fresh air that we need to revitalize our lives in this mundane world. Children do not have preconceived notions, they are eager to observe and learn. They have no bias and no phobias. They are willing to accept whatever we teach them. It is up to us to fill their minds with our phobia or allow them to grow up in a free world with free ideas. Leaving them to explore the world with a bit of guidance is a good idea. Just show them the path and let them explore. If their goals are clear and their journey is watched over by us, these children will go forth and enjoy life as it is meant to be. They should not be too free as to go astray, and not too straitjacketed as to feel stifled. I know it is a tough choice, but each one has to find their own threshold, as each child is unique.

One day I was telling Aaria, that we have to eat. She says, " No, it is not a good idea to eat". I told her that we need to eat to grow up and be big. Aaria said, "I don't want to grow big, I want to be gorgeous like Didi". Coming from a three year old this sentence totally zapped me, but then that's how it is. I told myself that I better get used to this new world. "I buyed it, I tooked it"...my pretty grand daughters have figured out that there is a past tense, and this was their way to express the deed done in the past. How logical!. Good conclusion, I say.

These little babes have their DS( Double screen),Nintendo, they play on the I- phone, they know which particular TV show they want to see. They take decisions when they are given choices. Usually their decisions are right.

Aaria rattles off the names of the planets and knows we live on earth and that mercury, which she pronounces as mertuti is closest to the sun. She knows there is an "entire world", for which she wants to bake cookies!

THE PLANETS

At age three, did I understand that there was a Solar system? The world is developing very fast, although time is moving at its own pace. We travelers have to gear ourselves to be aware of the new developments. Life has come a full circle, as I often have to ask my grand son Kunaal to help me with one of the latest applications on my I phone or latest gadget that I have acquired. He is very aware, observant and grasps everything very fast. The children of today solve latest gadget problems in a jiffy, without referring to any manuals.

When I was a child, in my Convent school, we were told, children should be seen and not heard! Times, thinking, values, have since changed. We need to change our own thinking and accept that child is indeed father of man. We, of the old school sit in our isolated tower where we think that we are wise, old and knowledgeable and that  everyone must turn to us for advice. This thinking is now old belief. It is time for us to understand that we are ALWAYS in the learning stage. One has the capability to learn - always. We simply need to keep our mind open, our faculties alert and not sit satisfied that we have already been there, done that. In this fast changing scenario, age is all in the mind. Once people thought that they were too old to learn. Today we know that the brain cells keep rejuvenating themselves if they are allowed to grow and keep themselves fresh. Let us do that. Keep alive, alert and youthful. Be with it, with the times and see how life turns more beautiful as we go back to the school of learning.

ALIVE