Itna na mujh se tu pyar bada

As we were going around in the bus for sight seeing 0n 28th February, 2014and looking at all the places where tthe film Sound of music was shot.Suddenly there was a tune and I told myAustralian student look they have copied this music from an old hindi film song and of course there were no words and only music.She laughed and said this is Mozarat.Then i serached in you tube and made her listen to the famous hindi song Itna na mujh se tu pyar bada ki mai ek badal awara and only today in Salzburg I discover that the music is lifted completely whole lock stock and barrel from Mozarat.Who is the music composer but we kept listning to the original and the hindi song which was a great favourite.

My school friends fro the 1970to 1972 Batch.

 My student Salil shared a Photo of his class mates and wrote, East or west KVP 1990 batch Is the best !

I want to share with him the photo of our Batch of 1970 to 72  and told him we thought the 72 Batch was the best. Our lives have changed since we got together with our class after forty years and today we are spread around the world in Australia, USA, Canada, India and of course the RH, Resident Hyderabadis.

With the students of Wyoming University

 

With the students of  Wyoming University.Most of these were visitinf India for the first time and had already spent a week in a rural area before coming to Hyderabad.They told me every thing is so different and one's senses are hit by the sound, smell,colour and the crowds.They found Indian people to be very welcoming and hospitable and we are amazed at how welcoming people can be though they had to say this more about rural areas than urban areas.They are going to make a film on their experiences in India and another on the Indian women's movement and the American women's movement.I am looking forward to seeing these films.

Food in different Cultures

 Interesting to see how food is eaten and the philosophy behind a food system

Versailles Palace: Reliving a piece of History

on 26th December, 2013,  we visited the Versailles Palace, built by Louis XIV in  the 17th century.To me this place is associated with the turbulent times of the French Revolution.  Louis XIII built a hunting lodge at the village of Versailles outside of Paris in 1624. The small structure became the base on which Louis XIV, constructed one of the most costly and extravagant buildings in the world. The men in charge of the project were Louis Le Vau, architect; Charles Le Brun, painter and decorator; and Andre Le Notre, landscape architect. About 37,000 acres of land were cleared to make room for tree-lined terraces, walkways, and thousands of flowering plants. There were 1,400 fountains and 400 pieces of sculpture. Louis XV and Louis XVI also called Versailles home. Austrian princess and wife of Louis XVI Marie Antoinette occupied the Queen’s apartment in which she had to submit to the obligations of her position: levee, toilette, audiences, public meals, etc. But, more used to the simple ceremonial of Austrian palaces, she found it hard to put up with the pomp and ceremony of the Etiquette at Versailles and sought a more intimate life. After the beginning of the  French Revolutionin  1789, the royal family had to leave Versailles and move to the Tuileries Palace.Soon they were beheaded.

After the fall of the monarchy, the Palace of Versailles was put into the hands of the new government. In 1792 portions of the Royal furniture was sold and dispersed and many works of art from the Palace were taken to the Louvre in Paris. Napoleon Bonaparte later took an interest in the Palace and commissioned restoration work, which was later continued by the reinstated monarchy in 1814 by Louis XVI's brother, Louis XVIII. In the 1830's Louis-Phillippe decided to make the Palace into a museum of French history, which was inaugurated in 1837. The Palace continued to place an important role in European history: in 1871 the Hall of Mirrors was the setting for the Proclamation of the German Empire and in 1919 the Hall was the site was the Treaty of Versailles was signed which ended World War I.

Christmas time in France

 

I finish my teaching on 20th December and I had asked my travel agent to book me a return ticket to India on 23rd December and got my tickets. The day he came to hand ove rmy tickets he told me , madam,  we book so many tickets for people to go and have Christmas in Paris and you are returning back, just two days before.  Hence I cancelled my tickets and booked a new one and extended my stay till 28th December. I  shift to Paris after my teaching assignment. I think this was a good move for I have seen for the first time Christmas celebration in France. The towns become alive from November itself. France,  bursts out of its sleepy autumn quiet and lights up-- literally and figuratively every nook and corner. In Arras, Lile, Lyon and even Paris , I could see trees strung with garlands of shimmering light, and many other places around the city are decorated in the same festive spirit. Though it is cold in France and often rainy or icy. Temperatures approach or descend below zero. Snow is rare, but a Christmas  tradition is the temporary ice skating rinks that get set up around the city. There are huge wheels put up and there is often a small market like our Shipa rama which is found in most of the cities. Christmas market, an outdoor "village" of wooden booths offering gourmet treats like mulled wine and gingerbread, gifts, decorations, and other delights. Each street is decorated in a different way with a different design of light. I wish I had the SLR camera of my son, Sankalp to capture some of the night lights and I cannot do any justice with my small camera but the time in and around Christmas is indeed a beautiful time to visit France.

 

A Christmas in Pairs, France in 2013

 A very happy Christmas and a new year to every one. May, Joy resounds in the hearts of those ,Who believe in the miracle of Christmas! Wishing  all the peace, joy, and love of the season! 

I had one of the best Christmas on 24th December, 2013. We were invited to a family gathering of prof. Michele Cheleni at his home. Christine his wife wore a saree and looked so graceful. After  a lovely dinner , we attended the midnight mass and I found the ceremony so beautiful. Every thing was in French but I could make out few words like Alie-u ya, Glory and holy night. I found this church to follow a lot of African culture for there was beating of the drums, dancing and swaying to the music in the African style which was very beautiful.Returned home at 2,00 at night.