Has Goa Lost It’s Soul?

My first couple of days I really thought Goa had lost its soul!  There were no native Goans to be found, no Konkani (local language) to be heard, not even the plaintive nostalgia-laden lilt of a mando (folk song)!  I was hard-pressed, distraught even, to find that Goa’s unique “culture” had somehow become subsumed in the larger ethos of the subcontinent!

It was so unlike my all-time favorite beach resorts, Hawaii and the Bahamas where the local culture is so immersive! In Hawaii, lei garlands, hula dances, aloha greetings and Hawaiian music (even the ‘wedding song’) are everywhere!  In the Bahamas it’s all about flame swallowers and fire walkers and Goombay music and Calypso! 

Not so in Goa! I had to travel all the way to the village of Aldona (near Mapusa) - my Mum’s ancestral home - to find real true-blooded Goans!  Thirty years ago, at statehood, Goan residents out-numbered visitors (domestic and foreign) by more than ten to one. Today, by my unscientific count, tourists seemed to far outnumber residents and native Goans!

Where Did the Natives Go?

Everybody in Goa is an “outsider” now - the entire tourist industry is filled with non-Goans. Where did all the natives go? Well to America, for one thing, and Australia and Canada and the Arabian Gulf and of course to Portugal and its former colonies of Brazil, Angola and Mozambique. 

Like other desis, Goans were hardworking and excelled at language skills, mechanics and accounting. They got jobs as government workers and bankers and educators - or as operators in the refrigeration and oil industries of Bahreïn and Das Island and Saudi Arabia - or that fave standby for every Goan, it’s become cliché : as bandsmen or crooners or chefs!  

The Best Musicians in the World!

The Bombay music industry, especially the orchestras, used to be crowded with Goans!  Like the Filipinos, they are the best musicians, singers and dancers in Asia! There are relatively few Goans who can’t sing or dance. I think it may be the most “civilized” thing about them: this ability to outsing and outdance most which also distinguishes them from the larger desi melting pot and what separates Goans from those who just can’t get Western music: either the accent is wrong or the feel is off (Usha Uthup being the rare exception)!  In general, Goans shine in this sphere!

We went to Martin’s, a famous restaurant in South Goa and were blown away by Kenny at the keyboard doing English and Hindi. After a bit of persuasion, he even did a mando medley for us (“Mogan Ason Borem,” “Undra Mujea Mama,” and “Ya, Ya, Maya Ya” of Remo Fernandes fame), although he claimed not to know the most well-known mando ever “Aum Saiba Poltodi Vetam!”  A version of that mando was made famous in the Hindi film “Bobby!” Hey, what’s that about - are young Goans forgetting their language and culture?   Shame on them! 

Goa Vibe

I’m happy to report that the fabulous sunsets, the moonrise over the Arabian Sea, and the golden sands are still as beautiful as I remembered them - despite the rampant and ubiquitous commercialization and the karaoke beach shacks full of rowdy male visitors jumping about, minus any musical or dance talent!  Yes, despite the vendors selling pineapples, cheap beads, hair braiding and footrubs, Goa still retains a certain “je ne sais quoi” ambience!  It is a laid back vibe that doesn’t exist anywhere else in India. It is hard to explain! Let’s just call it a mix of India and Portugal with young visitors shedding their conservatism and inhibitions in favor of freedom, mobikes, and western attire!  

The Portuguese colonized Goa for more than 450 years. How they withstood the Bahmani and Bijapur rulers, the Vijayanagar Empire and the Marathas - with only a small navy and military force - is a matter of conjecture, even today!  Fort Aguada - a well-preserved 17th century fortress and lighthouse near Candolim, overlooking the Arabian Sea, stands like a lonely but imposing sentinel. For more than 250 years a freshwater spring within the fort supplied water to passing ships, which is how the fort got its name ("aguada" means water).  

St. Francis Xavier

One of the most famous proselytizers and saints of 16th century Europe spent a significant amount of time in Goa. He was St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit from the Basque region, whose religious missions took him as far away as India, China, and Japan. He died off the coast of China in 1552 and his remains were brought to Goa on its way back to Spain. After a series of incidents (deemed to be miracles), it was decided by the locals that the saint "wished" to make Goa his last resting place. The body (which is perfectly preserved, though shrunk), is kept in the Bom Jesu Cathedral in Old Goa and displayed for public viewing every ten years or so.

Portuguese Inquisition

Goa and Kerala are probably two of the only states where the highest castes were converted to Christianity. Most Indians are taken aback to hear that the Portuguese Inquisition (in its most tyrannical form) existed in Goa in the 16th and 17th centuries and lasted for more than 250 years or that the caste system is so prevalent with Christians (who are proud of being Brahmin, forget JC and brotherhood and equality!) Even now, you can find the instruments of the Inquisition in the museum in Panjim. The Jesuits were clever enough to realize that if they got the landowning educated Brahmins to convert, the rest would follow. 

In 1961, when Nehru’s threat of sending in the Indian army resulted in almost overnight independence from the Portuguese, the ratio in Goa of Christians to Hindus was perhaps 40-60. That number has reduced dramatically to less than 25 percent of the population with many Christians opting to go overseas. One can hardly blame them. 

Like my Tamil-speaking Dad (a non-Goan, writer and avid student of history) was fond of saying, "the Portuguese did nothing for Goa." There was no infrastructure of any kind: schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, electricity, running water. All Goa had were churches and bars! The Goans had no option but to emigrate in large numbers. My Mum's entire family went to British India to attend high school; the girls went to Loreto Convent in Calcutta and the boys went to Don Bosco's in Bombay.

The 21st Century Hits Goa!

Even though Christians were always fewer than Hindus, they wielded a lot of political and economic clout that belied their numbers. The Goans who chose to remain behind were teachers and educators. I wonder what the deceased members of the Soares family (Mum’s family) would make of all the changes in Goa. The ancestral home is very dilapidated and ramshackle and that for sure would have broken my grandmother’s heart!  The land and house and grounds, including the cashew plantations, have now been donated to the local school - but that’s not the only thing that’s changed. 

Indoor plumbing and electricity and roads and schools have come to the more remote areas of Goa and (to my astonishment) people actually speak Hindi!  That’s huge!  I was also glad to see that many old-timey desserts can still be found: bebinca, and dodol and, of course, Goa's most famous (alcoholic) product, cashew feni is alive and well, still relatively inexpensive and still consumed in large quantities by native and visitor alike! 

Most importantly, however, Goa is a haven of peace and Goans continue to live with each other in perfect harmony - whether they are celebrating Carnival or Christmas or Dassehra or Eid! One can hardly minimise the importance of this after the talk of "love jihad" or fictional Queen Padmavati or a slew of imbecile controversies plaguing other parts of the country! 

Ludi Joseph
Dec. 8, 2017

November in Delhi: not what it used to be!

WiFi Sucks!

Connectivity is so poor in Delhi, worse than last year! I’m looking at my swanky new 4G iPhone and it has one bar and says Airtel; one second later there are three bars and it’s says Vodaphone; another second later it says “No Service” which persists for half an hour!  It’s the same with my iPad and other iPhone. And this is at the Hilton!  I couldn’t use What’s App at the airport. I had to resort to the most expensive international calling feature to alert my friends outside. My devices are physically inches apart and “airdrop” takes forever to work. I could go on, but I’ll stop!  Like I’m so fond of grumbling, WiFi sucks here, oh-so bad!  

Such an irony when you think that the entire world is filled with smart Injuns creating IT companies or sitting on boards of top ones in Silicon Valley - never mind all those wallahs toiling away in the Chennai back offices of Visa, AMEX, Master Card, the World Bank - keeping the entire planet’s IT systems buzzing so beautifully!  It is rare at the IFC to ever have a communications failure, so - if they can get the entire world to function - why can’t they get their blooming act together in this country?  My friend Girish A. says “it’s all politics” - of course it is!  He’s gone back to using his landline! How pathetic is that?

Traffic is a Nightmare!

Nobody uses GPS, the traffic is horrendous, the pollution is actually visible, but more on that later!  It took us an average of two plus hours to get to anywhere!  Most of it was bad driving but traffic is truly a nightmare!  No one stays in their lane, I was trying to stop myself gasping out loud whenever I saw another vehicle get within a hair’s breadth!  How we survived I don’t know!  I guess it wasn’t my time!  I’m not sure what is more stressful: the traffic, the way folks drive or just the general dirt and grime and dust that gets in one’s eyes and hair and clothes!  It’s as if one gets washed with a film of filth every time one goes outdoors! 

Statistics compiled by the Research Wing of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in its report titled ‘Road Accidents in India 2016,’ showed that Delhi had the highest number of deaths — 1,591 — due to road accidents which peaked at 8,623 in 2014 before coming down to 8,085 in 2015 and 7,375 in 2016 (The Hindu, Sept. 7, 2017). The decrease in deaths is due to an increase in vehicle population, say experts. The number of vehicles is more than 10 million (over 94 percent privately owned). This is shocking when you realize there is no proportional increase in road space in a city that houses nearly 20 million residents!  Lax enforcement and speed are considered the main killers, say road and design experts. 

World’s Most Polluted Capital!

According to Bloomberg News, air pollution is estimated to kill more than half a million Indians and Pakistanis every year, while the World Bank has said environmental degradation costs India $80 billion annually. We have all heard of illegal crop burning, coal-fired power plants, vehicle pollution, and the PM2.5 particulates in the air at their most hazardous level of 400 - 40 times the safe levels recommended by the WHO!

A recent report in the Lancet medical journal said pollution had claimed as many as 2.5 million lives in India in 2015, the highest in the world. For some years now, Delhi (not Beijing) is “the world's most polluted capital” according to the WHO, with pollution levels that regularly exceed Beijing’s. 

I experienced the foul acrid smog within a few minutes of standing outside the airport waiting for my ride. It was a disgustingly toxic combination of vehicle emissions from diesel mixed with smoke and dust. I was outdoors less than half an hour but my lungs were filled and I was choking with the putrid fumes!  

I felt this again and again whenever I went outside. It is gross, it is relentless, it is everywhere - and it is inescapable!  Masks don’t help, really!  Indians are literally killing themselves - and future generations - without any evidence that things will ever get better! 

Conclusion 

I do a blog every time I come to India and, sadly, things only seem to get worse!  I am disheartened not just by the lack of any kind of visible progress from last year or the year before or the year before that! The current culture wars (beef eating, women in movies) and the all-too-present specter of mob rule - versus the struggle with the more liberal secular forces of the kind of India I grew up in - are coming to a head like never before.  How will it end?  Hard to say. 

Final thoughts: for me, what is worse is to see educated citizens (including friends and school mates) in complete denial of what’s going on! They even make excuses for the lynchings!  It’s hard to have an honest discussion!  Instead of acknowledging problems they’re talking about what’s wrong with America!  Like the media spent weeks dissing the U.S. over the silly sari controversy!  But I’m optimistic. Maybe next time I’m here, things will be better!

India in November!

FAPS Reunion

We had a wonderful school reunion lunch at the 5th Maratha Light Infantry Officers’ Mess. Our former headgirl Anupama Miglani and her husband Jogi (Gen. JJ Singh, previously Indian Army Chief, Governor of Arunachal and Ambassador to Algeria) really went to town with the arrangements. 

I’d forgotten how well the Indian army far outdoes the Brits and other former colonies with pomp, pageantry and splendid displays of ceremony!  We were elaborately salaamed and saluted everywhere we went!  They even bring the leg up in a salute! (If we weren’t in  a car then, I might’ve tried to emulate and fallen on my face!). The fife and drum band were particularly masterful. The General, a prolific and successful writer, spoke about his second book and his areas of focus for the future: Indo-Pak relations, for one. 

Formed in 1922 by the British, the Maratha Light Infantry fought with distinction in World War II and saw action in North Africa, Eritrea, Mesopotamia and Imphal. Two soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross. The General and I were speaking about WWI and WWII battles and how often the sacrifice of Indian soldiers is forgotten!  For example, when I visited Gallipoli in Turkey (WWI) I had to remind the tour guide that Indians had also lost their lives along with Kiwis, Aussies, French and British soldiers. The General had been recently to Monte Cassino in Italy to pay his respects to fallen Indian soldiers. The Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery outside Cassino is a burial place of British, New Zealand, Canadian, Indian, Gurkha, Australian and South African casualties. 

Deepak’s Party

Former FAPS headboy Deepak Kochhar and his wife Anita celebrated their wedding anniversary with an afternoon party at their beautiful home. There was an excellent Goan DJ, Edwin Fernandes and his partner doing English and Hindi songs and guests joining in. The food was so good: makki ki roti, sarson ka saag, moong dal halva! Deepak’s glamorous film actor-cricket anchor son, Samir Kochhar, was present. Wonderful to meet him and daughter Diya. 

There were tall trees (maybe mango, jamun, neem) and birds chirping away so loudly they almost drowned out the singing at one point! I could actually see a flock of parrots! One wonders how they survive with all the pollution - I guess they make do!  The weather was great: a balmy winter afternoon with sun, dappled shade, a light breeze, an almost clear sky!

Yes, think twittering birds, temps in the 70s, a soft haze, Delhi like it used to be a long long time ago!  One could almost forget the nightmarish traffic only a few feet away beyond the shamiana at the gate and the loony Sangh Parivaar Rajputs ready to cut off noses and heads to defend the honor of fictitious princess Padmavati! Yup! That’s Inja for you: absurd and contradictory and heartbreakingly far away from its Independence Day 1947 ideal!  

Ludi Joseph
Nov. 26, 2017

FAPS Reunion

Deepak's Party

Iconic Brit Rock Band Queen Performs with Adam Lambert 

It was a sight to behold: a vast sea of Queen fans, ranging in age from teenaged goths in glam attire to boomer moms with Queen tiaras, long-haired granddads sporting 70s Queen tees (bought on eBay!) and little kids milling around wearing Queen badges and other memorabilia. 

They were gathered for the Queen+Adam Lambert Concert at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena (capacity 20,000). "It's a once in a lifetime show," said Charlie (last name unknown), a long-haired aging rocker standing in line behind me, perspiration pouring off his face in 112 degrees heat!  We were waiting for the arena to open. After melting outdoors for half an hour, we were allowed inside only to be blasted with such cold temps, you needed a blanket to prevent body and brain freeze - good thing I came prepared!

Living up to the Legendary Freddie!

I had my doubts about the show. The notion of yesteryear bands carrying on after their larger-than-life frontmen have passed is usually a bad idea. Freddie Mercury (who died of AIDS in 1991) was easily one of the greatest lead singers in musical history; anyone taking his place would be a pale imitation!  

But Adam Lambert (of American Idol fame) lived up to the challenge! He has the looks, the voice, the charisma, and the stage presence, mixed in with a dash of humility. During the show, Lambert sashayed to the front of the walkway and said that nobody could replace a talent as big as Mercury's; he felt like a fan who had the honor and privilege to sing with one of his favorite bands. It was a smart way to break the ice and build instant rapport with the audience. 

"Love of My Life"

Halfway through the show, guitarist Brian May also had a touching moment when he paid tribute to Freddie. Playing a solo acoustic rendition of "Love Of My Life," a video clip of Mercury singing the song appeared on an overhead screen. With May on the left of the stage and Freddie's image singing on the right, it looked like they were performing together again; you could see May brushing away a tear. 

Drummer Roger Taylor and the rest of the players onstage also paid their respects to Freddie throughout the night. Every song inspired a singalong, and the crowd hooted, hollered and applauded Lambert and May whenever they sauntered down the raised long walkway that cut through the middle of the arena floor. 

Cherry-Headed Lambert!

With his hair dyed bright red, wearing full-on makeup, huge shades, multiple earrings, fingerless gloves, high-heeled platform boots, and an American flag vest, Lambert went through a dozen or more costume changes, including skintight magenta leather pants! Each wardrobe change was equally striking. Freddie of course used to take off his shirt and often performed in white trousers or white shorts. Adam may be better looking but lacked some of Freddie's grit and flamboyance! 

The enthusiasm of the band was evident. They played each song with precision. Lambert's voice, May's guitar, and Taylor's drumming were crystal clear. What was lacking perhaps were the backing vocals which were too soft. In earlier recordings, the band's robust harmonies were one of their most distinctive qualities. 

Giant Robot

A dynamic video show added visual flair and extreme noise intensity - to the extent, I had to put on ear plugs! A 3D projection using a giant red-eyed robot from the band's "News of the World" record cover appeared throughout like a mascot: gesturing and waving a massive metal hand over the stage.  Every song had a different eye-catching projection on overhead screens. The robot's head rose from the floor at one point to reveal Lambert perched on it, singing "Killer Queen."

Lambert has the vocal chops and the falsetto and hit all the high notes. On "Bohemian Rhapsody," he began the song; then, half-way through, the band's 70s visuals and vocals took over; it was another moment, and you could see many in the audience tearing up. Lambert came back to finish strongly. 

"Bohemian Rhapsody"

Considered one of the best songs ever written, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is unusually complex and encompasses rock, ballad and operetta. Freddie took five years to finish it. You need a stadium of 20,000 voices singing his words to appreciate his genius:

"I see a little silhouetto of a man,

Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?

Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning. 

(Galileo.) Galileo. (Galileo.) Galileo. Galileo Figaro Magnifico.

I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me,

He's just a poor boy from a poor family.

Spare him his life from this monstrosity.

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?

Bismillah! No, we will not let you go

(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go."

Queen’s current tour coincides with the 40th anniversary of the band’s “News of the World,” an album that was released before Lambert was born; "I was “negative 5," he wryly noted!  Since 2012, Adam has been performing with the group to sold out shows worldwide including an extensive U.S. tour in 2014. At 35, he is about half the age of May (69) and Taylor (68)!

25-Song Set Singalong

The acoustics in the stadium were excellent. Every word and note carried. I wondered why an aging 70s British band would be so popular but it's the quality of the songs that make the band great. It was fun for the crowd to sing along to the 25-song set, including classics like "Somebody To Love," "Don't Stop Me Now," Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "I Want it All," "Radio Ga Ga," and the two anthems, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions."  

Queen+Adam Lambert played all the songs that people wanted to hear, and played them with verve and energy; they crushed it!  When you have a song catalog as incredible as Queen's, why retire?  

###

Queen Trivia:

Queen is the only group where every original member wrote at least one tune that was a chart-topper.  All four band mates have been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame including singer Mercury, guitarist May, drummer Taylor and bassist John Deacon.

Ten years ago, former Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers (one of the top rock voices of his era) fronted for the band but that collaboration was nowhere as successful as Lambert's. 

Queen's "We Will Rock You," one of London's longest running musical shows, has won the Olivier Audience Award for best musical, the only award voted for entirely by the public. The show is worth a visit!

Many people are unaware of Freddie Mercury's Parsi (Zoroastrian) origins. He was born in Zanzibar (off the coast of Tanzania) and studied at Panchgani in India before going to England. His real name was Farrokh Balsara (which translates to mercury)!

Freddie had buck teeth! The four extra teeth in the back of his mouth pushed those at the front forward. He was afraid that his unique and sonorous voice would be negatively impacted if he had his teeth fixed! 

Ludi Joseph

Las Vegas, June 24, 2017

See Photos from the Concert, for Video Clips, check out my Facebook page:

India: A Feast for the Senses, often overwhelming...

My sister and I just got back to the U.S. from a high school reunion in India - we were in Delhi, Manesar (Haryana), and Kerala, and I still feel overpowered with the sights, sounds, and smells!

Sunsets, Massages, da Gama

We enjoyed the beach at Kovalam: the warm water, silky sand, and dramatic sunsets are such a contrast to the gray freezing water - even in the summer - of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast U.S.; the little houseboat rocking in the backwaters at Alleppey; the Ayurvedic massages with hot scented oils being poured down one's back and fragrant rose petals to soak one's feet; and historic old Cochin with its Chinese fishing nets, synagogue*, and Vasco da Gama Church, now (ironically) Anglican!

Yeah, da Gama would be turning in his grave that his former burial place is no longer Roman Catholic!  The Portuguese took his body away and reinterred him in Portugal, unlike St. Francis Xavier** in Goa. To think that, even before da Gama landed in Cochin in the 15th century, the early Jews and Christians had already arrived in India, fleeing persecution. (One wonders if it was a different country then, perhaps more welcoming to foreigners and minorities)!

Pollution at a Critical Level

The traffic and pollution in Delhi have reached a critical level. One of my friends and a former colleague from the New Zealand High Commission, is suffering from advanced lung disease and is tied to an oxygen machine. His doctors think his irreversible breathing problems (only a small portion of his lungs work) were caused by the ever-present smog, the dangerous particles from diesel fuel, and driving a Vespa scooter for more than 35 years. We were sad to see Rajan so diminished.

When we arrived at Indira Gandhi Airport, you could see and smell the smoke and haze. According to a State Department official who visited Delhi during Diwali, the sources of pollution are wide ranging: crop burning, vehicles, construction, fireworks, and (worst of all), poor people burning non-biodegradable trash, including plastic and rubber, to keep warm.

My acupuncturist told me that southwest China has seen the rise of alarming new sinus cancers that may be caused by particle pollution from construction sites.  Is India going the same route?

Currency Crisis

The demonetization of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes on the eve of our visit caused all kinds of hassles.  We were lucky to have a friend who brought rupees to our hotel, otherwise we would've been in dire straits!  There were press reports of people dropping down dead while standing in lines outside banks, queueing up for hours (often unsuccessfully) to change their money.

We visited former BBC chief of bureau Mark Tully - who still does programs for the Beeb - and his partner, Gillian Wright. Tully agreed that otherwise smart and savvy Indians have a bee in their bonnet when it comes to the PM and his policies; they refuse to acknowledge that the government messed up and caused a currency crisis because of poor planning. Gillian, who writes Urdu books, had spent the morning trying and failing to get money out of a bank in Nizamuddin and then Parliament Street, and was not happy.

Public Hygiene

It is wonderful to go back to one's country of birth and who wouldn't be proud of India's successes!  But public hygiene is still a major issue.  I've not seen so many people peeing in public as I did in New Delhi!  What's happened to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) is another disaster: it could attract the same level of tourism as, say, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, but it doesn't.  It needs investment, planning, and heightened public awareness.

Other developing countries have made huge strides in improving sanitation. According to a study I saw at the World Bank, only 1 percent of Chinese and 3 percent of Bangladeshis relieve themselves outdoors compared with half of Indians. It is a question of both attitude and access. Constructing and maintaining millions of toilets in India would cost a lot of money; however, a survey found that many people still prefer going to the bathroom outdoors!

Tourism Infrastructure

I visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in the 1980s when it was still fairly pristine, with the waters of the Triveni Sangam (the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean) meeting at Cape Comorin. It was a spot where one could immerse oneself in romantic, mood-enhancing sunrises and sunsets!  Sadly, much of Kanyakumari is now like a public latrine with mounds of trash, broken down stalls, plastic litter, and vendors cluttering up the place. To add insult to injury, an entire wardrobe of discarded saris, half saris, "dupattas," underwear, "dhotis," "chappals," and sandals had been abandoned and draped all over the rocks - just where we were trying to view the sunset!

The problem may be with Tamilnadu and the deterioration of tourism infrastructure - or just infrastructure in general. I remember how efficiently-run the hotels of the Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation were in earlier decades and how closely the TTDC worked with the Archaeological Survey of India to create the right kind of environment for historic and cultural sites.  On the other hand, the same cities that I visited in Kerala in the 70s and 80s have progressed in ways that Tamilnadu hasn't. Maybe it's the high level of literacy in Kerala but, whatever it is, it's working for the state.

Jayalalitha

The Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Jayalalitha, passed away while we were in Cochin.  Life came to a sudden halt in Tamilnadu where politicians (many of them former film stars) are revered like minor deities!  I recall when a former Chief Minister Annadurai died; girls at Nirmala College, Coimbatore were throwing themselves on the floor in hysterics!  When MGR (also a CM) died, mourners were just as melodramatic and unhinged!  That's Tamilnadu politics!  But Jayalalitha was one of a kind; we may never see her like again.

As I write this, it is a frosty 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.33 degrees Celsius!) in Washington.  After the balmy weather in India - the temps were in the 80s in Kerala and 60s in Delhi - this is like a punch in the guts, a shock to the system! I can't stand it! I need to head back!

Ludi Joseph
Washington D.C.
December 15, 2016


* Check out the photos: "Jew-Town" and "Jew Town Road" would cause a few worried eyebrows to be raised in the U.S. And be branded anti-Semitic!  But folks are less P.C. in India!

**Legend goes that the Portuguese colonists tried several times to bring Francis Xavier's body back to Portugal from Goa but, after a series of unfortunate events, they decided that the perfectly preserved (although emaciated and shrunken) body did not "want" to be returned. It was declared a miracle! Millions of pilgrims have viewed the remains of St. Francis which are kept in a casket in Old Goa's Bom Jesu Cathedral. It is more than 500 years old.

Check out my blog post on New Delhi from two years ago!

Sunset, Kanyakumari 

Remembering Vasco da Gama

Plaque, St.Francis Church, Cochin 

Exterior: St Francis Church 

Exterior: Synagogue, Cochin

Street Sign, Cochin

Street Sign: Jew Town

Houseboat, Alleppey

Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Confessions of An (Almost There) First-Time Voter!

A friend asked me if I had voted early. Many states let you do that and, as of now, maybe 40 million people across the country have already done so. I said no, I was waiting for the big day, November 8. While exercising my civic duty, I even speculated that I might be voter-intimidated by big burly gun-toting white-trashy low-IQ rubes! Just half-kidding, or am I? This is the District of Columbia after all, not some southern state. Not to dump on southern states or anything, but y'all sure appear to be the bastions of Trump-world and the ultimate experts in voter suppression of poor folks!

This is my first time voting in the U.S. having only become a citizen last year. I was excited to vote for America's first woman president, an admired and accomplished person - check out my cool stickers, buttons and badges at the end of this blog.  I also wanted to dwell on, drink in, and fully appreciate the ambience of the voting booth while floating on a cloud of woolly-headed patriotism! How clueless of me! All that was before this entire election cycle was hijacked and turned on its head by that "orange amoeba" as they once referred to him on Saturday Night Live!

It's not just ordinary Americans who are bemused and befuddled by these strange goings-on. The world is watching these shenanigans play out on their TV screens and is scandalized (almost daily) by how this dreadful man out-Trumps himself at every turn, and gets away with it. Reagan was known as the Teflon president (because nothing bad ever stuck to him); this guy has an even thicker skin and more demented followers.

Worse than what the candidate is saying is what he has unleashed in a large portion of the electorate: open hatred of anyone who doesn't think or look like them, racism, bigotry, misogyny, and prejudice. By his words and actions, Trump tells his followers that it's okay for them to savor and spit out the bile they're feeling; that it's fine to discriminate against Blacks, Latinos and other minorities; to mistreat women and the disabled; to deny not just climate change but all science and all reality; to disregard and question NATO; to let all that long-suppressed xenophobia out, and blame everyone else for their troubles! I know there are real problems of unemployment in an underperforming economy, but shattering the voter's psyche is not how you fix them!

Public discourse has never been as rancid as it is today.  Even after his projected November 8 defeat, the 30-40 percent of the electorate that supports him are not going gently into the good night (to paraphrase Dylan Thomas) or returning to their opioid-abusing lives of unquiet desperation. No, the genie is out of the bottle and may never ever go back. All the advances made in civil rights from the last half-century and more are being kicked into the sewer.

We are already hearing about how the Senate plans to impeach Clinton and strangle her Administration by investigating her ad infinitum. (We saw how Obama was blocked and stymied by the Hill for the last eight years). But, worse still, Senate Republicans have said they will never allow a Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed as long as there is a Democrat in the White House. And this from John McCain, who was himself the GOP presidential nominee in 2008 and not usually given to idiocy but, then, he did foist Sarah Palin on an unsuspecting electorate!

All this is so extreme and so unprecedented that one has to ask oneself: is America on its way to becoming a third-rate banana republic?  State Department officers in the far corners of the world are hanging their heads in shame trying to explain the unexplainable!  (Yeah, America, no more lectures to "backward" countries that reportedly mistreat minorities; first clean up your own front yard!  I was a working reporter in the 90s in D.C. when India was constantly being scolded by Congress and the Administration about a range of fractious issues from stealing patents to "extra-judicial killings" in Kashmir and Punjab).

But I digress. We are already witnessing the politicization of the FBI which is interfering with the electoral process in unheard-of ways. Remember all those stories about J. Edgar Hoover blackmailing Martin Luther King and the Kennedy brothers (JFK and RFK) after illegally listening in on phone calls?  The current FBI action seems to be in the same hoary Hoover tradition, except that happened more than sixty years ago!

Perhaps the most mind-boggling phenomenon we are witnessing is Russia's blatant intervention through state and non-state actors - including Wikileaks - hacking and publishing Democratic Party and private emails!  Such abuses of power ought to be strongly condemned by all progressive-minded countries but those countries are themselves afraid of what's going to happen if the election goes the wrong way and this unhinged man gets into the White House.

I appeal to my fellow South Asians including those who have cast their lot with Trump!  Have you seen some of his rallies on TV?  There are minorities (self-loathing Blacks, Latinos, and Asians) positioned in the front rows - to fool us into thinking that the Trumpsters will take care of them when "Celebrity White House" comes to Washington.  Maybe in an alternate reality!

After Brexit, I thought there might be a nationalist (near-fascist) sharp right turn in Western Europe but who knew it could happen this side of the Atlantic, in this great bastion of democracy!  This tests one's resolve. I know people who are resorting to apathy. They're saying, my vote can't or won't make a difference. But, hey, stop and think!  Give a damn! Don't be scared by the KKK tactics of the other side.  I'm going to cast that vote, come November 8, and no big burly school-dropout roughneck is going to stop me!

Ludi Joseph
Washington, D.C.
November 6, 2016