It Paes to be at Wimbledon.

On a whim, considering that we have very (very) few days left here, we thought we'd see if we could get into Wimbledon.

On the day tickets are difficult to get. Or so they say. The Wimbledon website agrees and tells you how to queue for tickets.

Armed with the 'Guide to Queueing' (yes, there is such a publication), we were expecting long lines of hungry people baking in the sun. No such joy. We got there at about noon and just breezed in. Tickets were easily available. Expensive, but I guess you get your money's worth the longer you stay. Ground tickets (at £17 per head) allow you entry, access to Court 2 (standing) and all courts from 3-18. Only Centre Court, Court 1 are not included.

Our timing was perfect. The first match of the day on Court 2 was the Gentlemen's Doubles Quarter Finals starring Leander Paes. We were lucky to see him play, I guess. A superb coincidence.

The match itself was fun. Paes & Dlouhy (CZE) beat the two Israeli players in straight sets 6-3.6-3, 6-3. Paes was easily the better player of all four. Some of his serves went over the court boundaries, prompting an Indian lady to quip that 'This is not cricket!'

A lovely day for tennis (supposedly the hottest day of the year so far), the grounds were packed with girls in summer dresses, barely-there shorts and red, sun-burnt skin. Also spotted one of the Amritraj brothers. I think it was Vijay, but he looked too 'grungy' for me to be sure.

If you can make it one of these days, I recommend it highly. It is a fun experience and something to do when you're in England. If we had known it was this easy to get in, we'd have gone every year.

Getting there
Take the District Line to Wimbledon. Get off at Southfields (2 stops before Wimbledon). You can wait for the bus to the Championships (£2 per ticket, flat fee), take a shared taxi (£2.50 each) or do what everybody else does - walk. A short walk from Southfields (about 10-15 minutes) takes you to 2 separate routes for Ticket Holders and Non-Ticket Holders. Get through the right route and you'll be fine.

At the Barbican: From Bombay to Bollywood

As part of the City of London Festival, the Barbican is hosting the oddly titled 'From Bombay to Bollywood' weekend showcasing films, documentaries and workshops .

21 June: Before Midnight - A Portrait of India on Film 1899-1947 (PG)
21 June: Bombay Railway (PG) + Introduction by director Gerry Troyna
22 June: Bollywood for Beginners Talk with Cary Rajinder Sawhney
22 June: Mother India
23 June: Sholay
26 June: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Those with a Heart Will Take the Bride)

Mr.R and I should be packing, but we can't possibly miss one particular movie. I've seen Sholay about 21 times so far (yes, I've kept track) and this will be a fantastic opportunity to watch it on the big screen again, with Mr.R, in London. How cool is that? :)

Tickets for Sholay are almost all gone, so hurry if you want to be there.
For tickets and other info, click here.

Dress rehearsal - 2

Adding to my rant on non-availability of suitable dresses for 'normal' Indian frames (is it just me?), I want to quickly make a comment about the quality of clothing.

Coming from India, I would expect (usually) more expensive clothing to be of better quality. That just doesn't hold here, I'm afraid. The bigger the brand, the pricier it gets. Quality is suspect. I saw quite a few outfits today in the £100-150 pound range that were cotton-polyster mix with some sequins thrown at the neck, some of them missing. Now, for that kind of money, not only would I expect a 'decent' material, but also that all the bits were intact!

Also, why does t-shirt material count as 'formal' wear here? What happened to silks, chiffons and elegant fabric? I'm sick of jersey dresses that cling and look like they were made for the aunties in court shoes. Every shop has those - maybe they're meant to be fashionable, but it makes me cringe.

Which reminds me, what does one do when one wants to buy something other than what the shops deem to be 'in' at the moment? Nothing. There is no alternative. Right now, every shop has the grey, shining silver fabric, the disco tops and dresses meant to be worn with black leggings. Where does one go for an alternative?

Rant over.

'Dress' rehearsal

The hunt is on.

With the summer clothing finally off the shelves, it is time to go hunting for that elusive party-dress again. I need to find something festive for a upcoming occasion, but it seems I'm a bit early for the winter collection (when the Christmassy clothes start coming out).

Nevertheless, some shops already have a supply of sparkly dresses, disco tops and the always-in-fashion black dress.

The trouble is, I find it hard to find anything to fit me.

Don't get me wrong. There's a lot of stuff in my size, but nothing seems 'appropriate'. Today, I've spent over 4 hours on Oxford Street, tried on 12 dresses (ranging from £150 - £30) and have not bought a single one. The reason : the dresses either don't fit well, have plunging necklines or look tacky. And who the hell can wear those floor length maxi dresses? Besides supermodels?

There was one that I liked - a black halter neck with sequins on the neck and waist. It fit rather well too. Until upon closer inspection I noticed that a lot of the sequins had fallen off. The label said 'Made in India'. It's a shame it was so mangled.

Waste of time? Well, at least I now know where NOT to look. Eliminating this, this, this and this store makes life so much easier. Or does it?

2nd September : To Do

If you are in London, head straight to Regent Street tomorrow which is being transformed into a mini-India complete with dhol-wallahs and a Goan beach among other things.

If you're game for some thing silly, head to Hampton Court Palace for the first Great British Duck Race. Let me know if you win a prize!

Indian summer

As Independence Day fever builds up here in England, there's a lot of fine performances to choose from, if you're feeling home-sick.

There was Nitin Sawhney & Anoushka Shanker at the Proms last week, with a lot of Bollywood dhin-chak sounding music.

29 September - Kavita Krishnamurthy performs 60 years of Bollywood Hits at the Barbican. Promises to be a fun evening. Seats are almost sold out, so hurry! Other performers on the evening are Hariharan, Alka Yagnik & Roop Kumar Rathod accompanied by their orchestra and compered by Harish Bhimani.

Then there's the whole India Now festival that's on in London from July to September with lots of stuff happening.

If you know of any other event, let me know.

Weekend tales

Has the weekend been here yet?

Ooof. It's been a hectic few days. Monday's already come and gone and I'm still waiting for last Friday. How did that happen?

Friday, precious Friday, was taken over by a funeral. The rest of the day just went by.

Saturday saw my inaugural football match. Nobody told me football would be so tiring. Just watching it! Mr R & I had tickets to see Fulham v/s Wigan Athletic at the Fulham stadium. The match itself wasn't anything great, but the crowd! What entertainment just watching the Fulham side go beserk, especially toward the end! Mr R got caught up in the excitement and pretended to care deeply about cheering the home team on. The look on everybody's faces as Fulham lost to Wigan 0-1 was worth watching.

The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic. If it's like this for a 'small' match, wonder what it'll be like for one of the bigger matches?

Only one way to find out...

Yesterday was spent at the National Gallery watching the splendid Velazquez exhibition, followed by Cezanne in Britian. Both were wonderful and are highly recommended.

Go see it now!

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Monday evening : Mr R and I are back from a tango lesson. We've just learnt how to do the 'carousel', which involves me(!) being turned around gently on one foot. What fun.

A Marriage in Trafalgar Square

It was an unusual experience watching the first stars appear at Trafalgar Square. What made it special was the angle at which I watched dusk fall - on my back.

Along with about 4000 other people (about 18000 across the UK), Mr R and I were in Trafalgar Sq last night to watch one of the BP big screen relays of a performance from the Royal Opera House.

Last night's performance of 'The Marriage of Figaro' began at 7 pm, but we sensibly got there early, picked a good place to sit and then proceeded to enjoy the sunshine and atmosphere. Goodie bags generously given by BP helped us sit more comfortably - as they had inflatable cushions that saved many possible sore rear ends. Inflating those was enough though, to burst a lung. Fortunately, midway through huffing and puffing, I figured the technique and it was child's play after that.

Back to the Square.

So there we were. Lounging on a blanket, cushions available, newspapers, cool drinks and strawberries for company. It was delightful. The somewhat empty square began filling up fast after 6.30 as people arrived in droves with work mates.

At 7 sharp the broadcast began from Covent Garden and we sat through the next 3 1/2 hours spellbound as a filmi plot enfolded. Before we knew it, the traffic, sound and lights of one of London's busiest tourist sites had faded away into the background as we were drawn into the story. We did not know when the sun had stopped burning our bare arms and the shade fell over our sunglasses. Twilight fell and the only concession to that awareness was everybody reaching instinctively for their jackets; a reflex action against the sudden drop in temperature. By the time the event was over, we were all but shivering in the late night air. The magic of the music however would keep us warm till we got home.

This , easily, was one of the best evenings I've spent in England so far. A night on the concrete in Trafalgar Square is highly recommended. Put it on your to-do list, even if you've never heard opera before.

The next performance is on July 7. Bring a picnic along with some friends and have a memorable summer evening in London.

Trafalgar Square pictures

The crowd watching the screen

Before the telecast...picnic baskets and cool drinks

Nelson's column shrouded in mysterious underwater images. Almost 2D against the twilight sky

In 30 minutes...tea is ready.

It's half past 11 on a bright Saturday morning. We are standing opposite the Fortnum and Mason store in Piccadilly. The lovely clock looks interesting and merits a few pictures.

We pass that way again at 12, on our way to the RAof Arts. We hear the clock chime 12 and turn to look. To our luck, we see the doors open and the next few minutes were a real treat. Here are some pictures. Click on the images to see them in detail.

The clock strikes 12.

And the doors open.

Some tea, anybody?

Show's over. The two men go back into their kitchen, hopefully to brew some more chai.

Atleast in China...Spring must be coming...

Eewww.

The minimum forecast for today is -4. It was bitterly cold as I walked down one hill and then up another on my way back from work. If I stood still for a few minutes, or so I thought, I would turn into one of those characters in Narnia, frozen till doomsday with icicles dripping from every surface. Brrr.

The weekend was another story altogether. We were in London on Saturday to see an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts - China : The Three Emperors. What a display of 16th-18th century artefacts on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing. Gorgeous costumes, porcelain, calligraphy and portraits. Simply stunning and in such good condition. We took about 3.5 hours to complete the exhibition and I picked up a lovely animal jade bracelet from the RA shop to commemorate the visit. (No, that's a lie: picked it up because I liked it!)

It was a lovely day to be out. The sun was shining brightly and although it was cold, it was a cosy kind of cold,not the want-to-curl-up-and-die kind of cold. Mr R took some nice pictures of the quiet London morning. Funnily enough, the traffic wasn't heavy although it was almost noon. No cameras were allowed inside the exhibition , so we couldn't bring you that. Never mind. You'll have to trust me on the fact that its worth seeing. If you're in London, make a beeline to the RA at Picadilly.

Bamboo shadows criss-cross the window
the moon must have risen.
The scent of flowers waft indoors
Spring must be coming.

(Poetic couplet, in running script by The Yongzheng Emperor 1678-1735)

Painting the Sky.
An unusual portrait of the statue outside the RA entrance.

















Bazaar scenes: Images of the market at St.James' Church, Picadilly (Mr R's orchestra have their concerts there)



From Russia,with love.

A slice of Kerala in the heart of London

If you are in the heart of London and longing for some home cooked South Indian food, head to Oxford Circus.

Tucked away a few meters from the tube station, this unexpected little restaurant serves authentic Kerala food. Don't expect to find a tikka masala or your typical 'Indian' (read 'Bangladeshi') style meals. This is authentic stuff from God's own country.

I've been there a few times, the last being on Friday with baby bro, who was in town between flights. Oxford Street is a favorite haunt for shopping and what better way to start the afternoon than eating rice, sambar, steaming cabbage cooked with mustard seeds and rajma, along with egg curry. The main course buffet costs £6.95. Starters and dessert are extra at about £1.95 for each course. The price is low, but the food is yummy. Whenever I long for good sambar, I think about going there (till I figure out how to make it myself!)

The staff are courteous and unobtrusive. They also make a yummy Mango Lassi! The decor is a mish mash of sarees, earthen ware pots, plants and Yakshagana masks - a pot pourri of Indian decor that manages to blend somehow with the wooden paneling. The end effect is cosy and inviting. Ask for a seat at the back or upstairs if you don't want to look out onto the street.

The only grouse is that they don't make their pricing very clear, which causes confusion and some annoyance with patrons. Their sign proclaims the buffet for £6.95, which is what people see and walk in, not reading the fine print below which says that dessert and starters are extra. Now, the buffet table is all laid out without a break, so unsuspecting diners take it all in and are surprised when the bill turns up much more than expected. I'm sure other people have complained, because I spotted the waiter taking a couple to the buffet and saying, in a strong Malayalee accent, 'This is starter, this is dessert, this is main course. All 10.95. Enjoy your meal' And then he walked away with a smile leaving the couple gob-smacked!! They had to ask the manager to clarify.

Once that is out of the way, you enjoy the food and if you're homesick when in London, drop in for seconds. I know I will.

Take a look inside, here.

Chrysmas arrives at Trafalgar Square

The Oslo Boys Choir with Sissel, the Norwegian singer belting out carols in English and Norwegian.
The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square
The Norwegian Tree being lit by the Mayor of Oslo.

An artsy shot of the fountains at Trafalgar Square with the church of St Martins in the field in the background - courtesy Mr R

The War on Christmas

Apparently, celebrating Christmas is now politically incorrect. Or making a big hullabaloo about it, atleast. We are now supposed to wish people "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Offices and other organizations worry about putting the 'C' word on their December newsletters for fear of hurting the sentiments of non-Christians. Playing carols in secular workplaces at this time is frowned upon. Celebrating the birth of Christ has suddenly acquired sinister political overtones, almost accusing the Christian world of forcing the rest into joining in the celebrations.

Which is all rubbish, ofcourse. You, I and the man on the street know that this is a concoction by people who have nothing better to do (read politicians). Why should the minorities in England feel threatened by a timeless festival? So what if it is so commercialized? Does having Christmas Cards and carols are in shops in October mean that minorities feel slighted or hurt? It's absurd. But then that's what this world has become. Absurd.

Can you imagine this happening in India? The "minorities" celebrate their festivals (and that of the "majority" community) with equal fervor and gusto. Can you imagine a toned down Diwali or Ganesh Chaturti just because the Muslims, Christians and Parsis might feel bad about the scale of the celebrations?

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

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I spent the better part of an afternoon looking for Christmas cards with images depicting the Nativity. All I could find, however, was oodles of glitzy cards with Christmas trees, Santa's or words like NOEL or Merry Christmas printed on them. No sign of images of the Nativity itself or anything remotely related to the event. It's fashionable not to be 'religious'.

Finally found one which had a drawing of the three wise men. That would have to do for now.

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Mr R & I braved cold winds and freezing temperatures to stand in Trafalgar Square on Tuesday evening to watch the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree. The Trafalgar tree is Norway's 'thank you' to England for her help in the second World War. Each year, since 1947, a tree in Oslo is chosen by the Lord Mayor of Westminster and then shipped to London where the lights are lit by the Mayor of Oslo in a ceremony full of pomp and music.

This year, the Oslo Boys Choir were accompanied by Sissel, a Norwegian singer who also features on the 'Titanic' soundtrack. The choir of St Martin in the fields, a brass band and mini-bells wrapped up the program. It was wonderful listening to carols in English and Norwegian, even though we couldn't feel our toes and fingers by the time the ceremony started.

For me, that is what Christmas is all about - braving all difficulties and hardships and yet finding the strength to celebrate the birth of Christ.

To all those who look at only the vast sums of money being spent on the festivities, I say leave that critical eye aside for a moment and just enjoy the feeling of joy that surrounds this month. You can feel it, even with the credit card debt and the demands on your time and wallet. You really can.

Merry Christmas everybody. No apologies here for saying it, and meaning it.

Going Underground

While researching for a new article, I came across this very interesting site on London's tube network. Take a look at www.going-underground.net. It is a delightful compilation of facts, legends and urban myths about this popular British institution.

Look for some very funny posters, pictures and drivers announcements throughout the site. It's great!

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If you have ever lost a picture of yourself in London, take a look at http://www.isthisyou.co.uk/. Maybe you'll see your photo or one of someone you know!!

WHEN WHAT WE'VE FEARED COMES TRUE- II

Mr.R and I are fine. Thanks to all those who called, sent texts or emailed to ask about us.(For those of you who didn't bother, you're off my Christmas card mailing list! :)

But seriously, yesterday brought to mind how similar London and Mumbai really are. We've all seen our share of bombs on BEST buses, of packages left on trains and briefcases exploding on the street. Just thinking about it brings to mind several incidents on the local trains where panic was generated just by some smoke coming in or by trains halting every few minutes due to an electric problem. It's so easy to generate panic, really. But the scenes coming in from mobile phone cameras in London show a remarkable order and calmness in the evacuation from the tube tunnels. The disaster plan was in place and everybody knew what they have to do. You have to be prepared at all times and you need to have trained people to take over - not just people who look into cameras surreptiously (and even wave!) while pretending to control the panic.

Looking at Manmohan Singh standing behind Tony Blair as he gave his statement surrounded by world leaders at Gleneagles made me think that we could learn from the way the emergency plans, here in the UK, are in place for either natural, man-made or terrorist attacks, and how seriously they take their plans. Never mind that they couldn't stop it (you really can't, in a city of millions), what interests me is how the 'System' take over once something does happen. It's amazing and a system worth emulating.

Another eerie reminder is the fear of reprisals on the Muslim community. An all too familiar scene, backlash and mindless revenge immediately after such incidents usually have a political overtone in India, but here it may be right-wing extremists and local hoodlums who would take this opportunity to press their case for stopping the inclusion of non-white cultures into mainstream Britain. Fingers crossed to see what will happen in the coming days.

It's about 24 hours since the first explosions happened and Londoners are back in business, just like MW's after a similar day. Two great cities, each with different ways of reacting,planning or dealing with disasters, but ultimately, each with people who are resilient and determined not to let evil take over our lives.

WHEN WHAT WE'VE FEARED COMES TRUE...

Watched Spielberg's new film 'War of the Worlds', based on H.G.Wells' novel and stars Tom Cruise.

The movie, in one word, is Spectacular. Keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. See it if you can. For an accurate review, click here.

There will be no sweet dreams tonight......
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I'm glad London won the bid for the 2012 Olympics. I watched the presentation in the morning and then waited with bated breath for 12:46 and the announcement from Singapore. I'm glad they won the bid, because it means that in although in the next seven years train delays will be doubled due to changes in infrastructure, by 2012, a working system will be in place. Atleast, you can dream of a future with a deadline here. There will be inconveniences, sure. But (I think) it's a small price to pay for such a big event. I'm very happy London got the bid. It's funny, because I have no real affinity for the city - just goes to show how you can root for a place even if you don't belong there.........

Desperately Seeking Trains (and some glass)..

There was just one creature hopping mad at the Fulham Symphony Orchestra concert in London on Saturday evening. A pigeon had flown in, unannounced during the opening notes of the program. It was either terrified by the number of people or by the noise generated by the orchestra in the enclosed space of the Town Hall. It flew from this end to that, from ceiling to dome to a low whoop over the orchestra players head and back again. It was very distracting for everybody and eyes strayed away often from the evenings performance. The Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham was in attendance, in full regalia complete with gold chains etc; perhaps the pigeon was a fan...

Mr.R and I were at the FSO performance as guests of one of his friends who was playing that evening. The two of us also sat and helped sell tickets at the box-office before the performance. Post concert, we were going to stay over with friends at their new flat at Kew Gardens. The evening had ended nicely, but that was not the way it had begun.....

TRAIN TROUBLES
Two days ago, a bridge/tunnel collapsed over a railway track two stations away from ours. As a result, train services on this line have been suspended till repairs and restoration are complete, possibly in the next 10 days. Of course, Mr.R and I had to take a replacement bus service to the next town about 20 mins away and then catch the tube into London from there. We hoped the rest of the evening would go smoothly, but changing lines to get to Kew Gardens where our friends were, was a pain.

Anyway, that done, we watched the Live8 concert telecast from Hyde Park and around the world and the friends exulted as Pink Floyd made their reunion debut after decades. Text message heralding this historic event were sent to sleeping friends back home in India, just to make them jealous.

We spent the better part of Sunday (after a lazy late breakfast of dosa's and coffee) loafing around the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew hunting for Dave Chihuly's spectacular glass sculptures scattered across the garden. The garden itself is a neatly laid out paradise of plants and rare species from across the world. Take a look at their website for more details - they have successfully managed to recreate a tropical environment in their huge 'greenhouses' to mimic the conditions of the desert, the tropics or the rain forests. The plants are real, as are the efforts that go into keeping them alive and thriving.

THRU' HELL ON THE WAY BACK
Something like this would have never happened in Bombay. Really.

Mr R and I said our goodbyes post lunch and set out for the Kew Gardens tube station where we were met with signs, announcements and a bewildered crowd trying to make sense of the announcements that said ' Services suspended'. There were no trains. At all. We had a long way to go and we didn't really know much about this part of London. A short chat with the ticket window gave us a vague idea as to what our next steps should be. In Bombay, no matter how much engineering work is to be done (usually on a weekend too), you would never ever see the entire line being closed down to the public. You would cripple the city if that happened. But London's Rail network is notorious for it. Divided into several 'lines', weekends usually are a problem. Like Today. A 45 minute journey took us almost three and half hours to complete. The journey involved two buses, three trains and lots of footsteps. Crazy really. There would have been a riot in Bombay if this would have happened there and the motorman would be ducking for his life. Every cell phone would be buzzing with the news that there was a rail problem afoot. You could stop and ask any chaiwallah or newspaperstallwallah for information. In England, cell phone's are not used for local chit-chat. And news of disruption of rail links are not high on anybody's priorities. And there are no chaiwallah's or paper-boys. On a weekend, even the shops are closed. So nobody sent us a text to warn us that we were going to be stranded for a while, trying to get onto overcrowded buses or figure out where Richmond tube station was...

Am so glad that the weekend has come to an end. Need a holiday just to recover from the tiresome travelling!

Hope your weekend was better!

In Hyde Park

I am in Hyde Park. It's a bright Wednesday afternoon and I'm sitting under a tree all by myself. For company, I have the sounds of airplanes overhead, rustling leaves and lots of running feet. A cycle or two join in occasionally, but other than that, there is silence and peace.

There are hundreds of people around, of course. Tourists in groups, mothers with babies in strollers, kids romping about, families having a summer picnic on the grass, boys playing an impromptu game of cricket and tennis courts full of people with Wimbledon fever. But like elsewhere, people tend to talk softly. And you would hardly know that there were others around.

There is a girl kneeling on the grass under a tree across the path from me, a book on her lap, her brows furrowed with intense scrutiny. There are many women on their own here, in London's parks and generally too. Some like me are whiling away the afternoon under an old tree, reading or writing in the shade. Others are running - there are a lot of runners at 1 pm today - perhaps they are practising for one of the many summer runs and races that are organised all over the place. Whatever the case, there are many women and men pounding the grass at this time. At the Diana Memorial Fountain I meet a young Japanese girl, a tourist, or perhaps a student, all by herself. She asks me to take a picture of her by the stream. That done, she takes off her shoes and soaks her feet in the cool water, like many of the other people around, some reading while they relax. Diana's allure is still strong. Someone has left a bunch of red roses on the grass by the fountain in her memory, ignoring the sign that says 'Please keep to the path. New turf.'

Earlier, I had walked around, following a path by the Serpentine - a 40 acre artificial lake. The lake is full of rowing boats, ducks and some swans. There is a dog cooling off in the lake, right under a sign that says 'No swimming, fishing or dogs allowed in the lake'. The dog obviously can't read English or more likely, doesn't care.

Following the Serpentine takes you under the road into a grotto. For a moment, you wonder where you are and a few steps later, you realise you have crossed the road and have walked into Kensington Gardens. The Serpentine Gallery based in the gardens is closed for renovation until July, so I walk to my tree and take up my book and laze around watching the preparations for the Live8 concert this weekend. The most important things are already in place - rows and rows of porta-loos! Just imagine, in three days time, some of the world's biggest performers are going to be here in this very space. It's going to be an amazing event.

I'm in Hyde Park. On my own. And enjoying every minute of it.

A moving experience.

It's been a few days since Mr.R and I moved house. We're now closer to London (It took us under 40 minutes by train to get into London Victoria yesterday, which is very good we think). Moving wasn't such a painful experience, though Mr.R is sure to disagree. What was painful was unpacking. The movers left our worldly possessions - mostly books and the like, no furniture, neatly packed in a zillion boxes around the house. It has taken us the better part of a week to get unpacked and stack the boxes in the garage. There are still some lying around - evidence that the work is not yet done.

Apart from the back-breaking business of unpacking, Mr.R and I got to entertain our first guests within 48 hours of moving in, which was quite nice. We've also managed to take a break from the boxes and make two trips into London on Friday to see the Caravaggio exhibition at the National Gallery and on Saturday to see a marvelous exhibition on The Turks - journey of a 1000 years followed by a concert by Mr.R's orchestra, one in which he didn't play in because he couldn't make it for some rehearsals as we were moving and things kept getting in the way. It's been fun, except for this weather. The cold is unrelenting. It's been snowing, raining and the chilly winds never cease. This country would be so much more fun if only a few degrees warmer.

The Exhibition
The exhibition on the Turks was simply amazing. Both Mr.R and I had several 'aha' moments when (as Mr.R puts it) a piece of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place. I found it amazing that cave paintings found in China dating to the 6th and 7th century depict pictures of gods like Surya, but with Chinese eyes! Also depicted were things that we think are so Indian - some items of clothing, some words used like ' kitabkhana'(a bookhouse, but also used to store art, jewelry and other artifacts), 'bakshi' (a scribe), depictions of several 'sadhu' like figures who were most un-Chinese like....It's interesting how so many centuries ago, the Turks managed to travel across lands, distances from present day Central China to Turkey, Iran and the Middle East. The Turks had reached as far as the gates of Vienna apparently and their influence was felt far and wide.

The exhibition had some exquisite pottery, wood work - doors, boxes, Koran cupboards. There were fabulous carpets - amazingly large carpets about 30 or 40 feet long for palaces, and still in mostly pristine condition - how they must have worked to get those carpets done. And oh, the kaftans! Gorgeous brocade, silk and satin in stunning colors and patterns. Truly fit for kings and emperors.

Mr.R and I took a little over 4 hours to walk through the galleries; I finished earlier because I speed read and don't stop to imbibe every little detail. Mr.R, on the other hand lives for such days - days when he gets to indulge in his love for etymology.

If you're in London anytime upto May, this exhibition is highly recommended.

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Today, March 6 is Mother's Day in the UK. So, to my mum and Mr.R's and to all you mummies out there, here's saying that we appreciate all that you do for us and although 'thank you' may never be enough to show our gratitude, you know that we know what you have done for us.