Trip to Hampi

Break to Blogging : Over the past few weeks I have been cursing myself for daring to promise a sequence on posts on conversions. My busy schedule at work precluded my attempts to get back to blogging. However last week was kinder but by then the hot topic is no longer conversions but the Mumbai attacks.  So I guess that post has to wait .

Hampi : Meanwhile, some colleagues inspired to take a trip to the world heritage site Hampi. Its a bit difficult to describe the feelings that the place evokes. I was expecting some old stone structures and erotic sculptures that are so typical to Indian tourist spots. However, Hampi has lot more to offer. The old Hampi (erstwhile capital of Vijayanagara empire, whose ruins are the main attraction) seems to be the ultimate evolved city.. complete in every aspects with guard towers, markets, entertainment theaters, amphitheaters, swimming pools, public baths, dancing halls, secret underground meeting halls, dining halls for soldiers, irrigation system (a rare place where you get to see the old-time aqueducts) and numerous temples. It is simply breathtaking.. here are the pics if you are curious(not annotated). If you are interested in medieval history its all the more interesting. I spotted several foreigners who were actually taking notes at the site . Going around on a bicycle is the preferred way to get a good view of the place.

Message to Terrorists : While I was roaming around, I noticed an overwhelming number tourists in the VILLAGE (yes, despite all its past glory Hampi is a remote village where mobile network and power supply are damn scarce). Hampi is practically an Indian village  with foreign population in that sense.  At the local Virupaksha temple I got to talk to this Czech lady residing is US. Inevitably our conversation turned to Mumbai and she said “See, I am not at all scared. I love India and would like to visit it many times over. I think this only worsens the image of Pakistan, not that they have a great image anyway!!”. I replied with gratitude “That’s the best message we can give them”. Its a revelation to know, what the world thinks of Pakistan (Dont think I am generalizing, the lady was pretty well educated and seemed to have a knowledge of world affairs).

Nice Gestures : And just before the trip I was of course very very angry and anguished by the attacks. And inevitably, the thought crept in : ‘Lets see what Indian Muslims have to say now’. For a day or two nothing happened while the regular terrorist apologists were busy painting the incident as Zionist conspiracy while some others even dared to take the you-deserved-it tone. I wondered why people like Shabana Azmi who accuse Indian polity to be biased dont come out now and a show that they really belong here. Yeah, yeah I know I am sounding too rightist.. but given the situation and the suspicion with which the Indian Muslim community is looked upon, a nationalistic gesture is the most desirable thing. Fortunately, slowly but surely many Muslims have spoken out… the three best gestures (in my opinion) being i) Refusal to bury the terrorists (Although I wonder if its in line with human dignity) ii) Suspension of Black Day protests and iii) Making Bakr-Eid Celebrations a low key affair. Personally, I see this kind of reaction superior to arguments like “why do we have to prove our loyalty every time?”. In a polarized nation, such gestures should be seen as a sign of maturity and courage and not as sign of fear.

Some pics on Mumbai have appeared on Boston Bigpicture : attacks, post-attacks