Back to India – 2

I know, I know, the Back to India – 1 wasn’t a blog post It was just an email to friends, but then I left out many folks in the email and started getting complaints So, here is a new way to address that problem, this is the second installment of the update, hopefully not nearly as long as the first one but with some meat to it.

First off, I will try to address some questions from the first post and the picture of the scooter with 4 people riding on it. By law, only the driver of a two wheeler needs a helmet, which is why the passengers (women and children in the picture) are not wearing any helmet. I remember the days when I was riding a bike to my college and the government was trying to enforce the helmet law and it was pure mayhem. People came up with all kinds of excuses not to wear helmets. Surprisingly now, I see that almost all two wheeler drivers have helmets. I am also hoping that it is not due to the fear of law, but from their own safety awareness that people are wearing helmets. If that is the case, then soon the government would be able to enforce a helmet rule for the passengers as well. I mean, they are equally (if not more) at risk as the driver !

Yesterday, May 7th, was a ‘hartal’ day in Kochi and in most parts of Kerala. Hartal is a form of public protest against a government ruling or a policy. It is usually called upon by a major political party (mostly the opposition since the ruling party cannot object to its own policies !!) and followers cooperate by closing their stores and offices. The issue at hand this time around was not a very sensitive issue and the hartal was peaceful. Most offices (including Cabot) was open and private vehicles were allowed on the roads. Most restaurants were closed and it dampened our coffee break in the morning and made our evening coffee break a very expensive one because we walked into a five start hotel to grab a coffee. Of course, the ambience was very good there and Shibu and I had a corporate ad hoc planning session that lasted about an hour.

Today, Veda had her interview at the school. I am not sure what to make out of it. Kids who ‘passed’ the entrance test on April 22nd were asked to be present for the interview. There were a total of 15 kids. I believe about 45 of them took the test. Veda was the third child to be called in for interview. We went into the Principal’s office. My good morning was met with a stare. We took our seats, even though we weren’t asked to, not sure if that was disrespectful in the Indian standards ! The vice principal was also there for the interview. Veda was asked two questions, what is your name and which school did you go to and she answered both of them. I was asked why I chose to come back to India and even though I was a bit taken aback by the question, I answered it with sincerity. And that was the end of it. We were asked to present the papers at the office and remit the fees. Now I am not sure if the recommendations that Veda received were so high that the interview was just a farce or if it is just a regular affair. The two folks who were ahead of us also seem to get the same nod and they were also in the office to remit the fees and stuff. I was told only 9 kids would get in at grade 1 in that school this year. Everyone there seemed to have some kind of ‘connection’ to the school, so I am wondering who were the 6 kids that were turned back at this young age? Even though Vani was present with me at the time of interview, the Principal didnt seem to notice her at all. We were never asked if we had any questions or anything else to share etc. I have heard good remarks about that school from friends of mine and my sister is a teacher there, but after today’s interview session I am not sure about the general qualities that Veda will learn from this school. Like I mentioned to Shibu after the interview, we may have to start our own school. Of course, that is after we start our own Bank, Pharmacy and Hospital ! LOL

Until next time….VT