Air India : The pride of India, Or is it shame?

Over the past month one has been reading stories about the pilots strike in Air India and the drama being witnessed each evening on all national news channels with both the Management and the pilots talking tough and finally the Prime Minister and the civil aviation ministry intervening to sort out the problem. All the while the losses were piling up and the staff did not seem to have a care in the world.

This is not the first strike and will not be the last. We have had the cabin crew, ground staff and the other Air India staff going on strikes at the drop of a hat in the past, with little care or consideration for the millions of flyers who opt to fly this airline. No staff is ever allowed to be disciplined by the Management for any misconduct. They seem to think that they are above the law and keeping going around doing whatever they please. Since it is a public corporation the people working here take their jobs for granted. Not even a single employee cares for the welfare of its flyers. They think that by working for Air India they are doing a service to the nation and do not hesitate for a moment to blackmail the Management and the public as per their whims and fancies. All the while from within they try every possible means to suck the airline dry. Their families fly for free everywhere and see that they get upgrades while flying at the cost of other paying passengers.

The attitude of the cabin crew and the ground staff at airports makes you feel sick. You don’t see any welcoming smiles, but scowls and sulking when you draw their attention.

In January this year while flying from Mangalore to Dubai, I swore to myself that even if Air India remains the last and only airline in this world I would rather walk or swim, than fly this good for nothing airline again. The reason for my anger is this. My wife and I were flying and we had 20 kilograms check in baggage each and a little above 14 kgs, but less than 15 kgs of the allowable hand baggage. I pulled out two novels from my bag and showed them to the check in clerk. He refused to let me take these 2 books and instead asked me to pay for 1 kg of excess baggage. When I requested him again, he called in his supervisor who had a nasty and unpleasant scowl on his face and he looked at me as if I was some kind of rabid and stray dog and did not even bother to listen to me insisting that I pay one kg excess baggage. I pulled out the books and handed them over to my brother who had come to the airport to see me off, because I was in no mood to pay a single nickel in excess baggage. I informed the check in clerk that the day was not far away when this airline would close down and that I was eagerly waiting to see the 32,000 miserable employees of Air India walking on the streets with begging bowls, and they could expect no sympathy at all from the Indian public at the mess that they had created for themselves and other honest tax payers..

He did not seem to bother with what I said as he seemed to think that he was a government employee with a permanent job which nobody could take away from him and that he and his fellow staff could continue holding the entire nation at ransom whenever they pleased. I waited for a while and saw people who were friends of this supervisor carrying excess baggage and being checked in without any problem. I was very keen in creating a scene then and there, but I was pulled away by my wife, who said that I would be only ruining my mood and health by taking on people who were simply thick skinned and beyond reason. They have one set of rules for their friends and relatives and another set of them for the rest. I would have been extremely happy if no exceptions were made and all treated equally as Air Arabia and Jazeera do.

Another instance was when I travelled with my 2 years old nephew about 8 years ago from Dubai to Bombay. The poor boy was hungry and wanted food. Even after many requests the crew took their own sweet time and when they did finally come up with the food, the boy had gone to sleep, just eating the biscuits that I had with me. The coffee served after meals was cold and when my colleague requested for some hot coffee he was rudely asked to sit down and take what was offered. He being one of a mild nature just let it go, while I was simply boiling inside.

I remember a couple of years ago when all the social organizations in Dubai were working overtime to persuade the civil aviation ministry to start flight services between the Gulf countries and Mangalore. Even today organizations in Saudi Arabia are working on introducing flights between Saudi Arabia and Mangalore. The people from Mangalore working in the GCC and already thoroughly disappointed with the service and the fares and how badly they are swindled by the airline during the last 2 years. When you call yourself a budget airline, you only charge budget fares which are same as other budget carriers like Air Arabia and Al Jazeera. In case of Air India express the fares charged are that of a regular full fledged airline, but the service provided is that of a low class budget airline. Even basic snacks are either not provided and when provided even a hungry dog on the streets would not bother to touch them. Again the passengers are not given baggage allowances as other airlines and even when some consideration can be shown the staff simply wait to pounce on helpless people and empty their wallets.

Today everybody is eagerly waiting for the new terminal to be inaugurated so that other airlines can begin to fly Mangalore and the people are released from the clutches of swindlers from Air India once and for all. The Mangalore route is a cash cow for the airline and therefore they are trying their best to delay this. Once other airlines begin operations, I don’t think they could find any flyers, because there has been no goodwill created by the airline and one only feels a deep hatred towards Air India and its entire staff.

I was keenly following the newspaper articles and the news on the strike. I was very happy when the CEO was planning to declare a lock out. I wanted this airline to simply close down and put an end to our national shame once and for all. The people working here have not learnt anything over the years. The recession and the woes of the industry mean nothing to them. They are so self centred and selfish that they seem to care only about themselves and their families. As far as they are concerned the rest of the world can go to hell and that includes the millions of Indians who used to once think that the airline to be the pride of India.

As I am writing this piece, I read in today’s papers of another shameful episode which occurred 30,000ft in the air while overflying the territory of Pakistan on a Lucknow bound flight from Sharjah. Throwing safety to the winds the pilots and the cabin crew went is for a free for all sessions beating up each other while all that the shocked passengers could do was sit back and watch in horror. Is this not another feather of shame added on to a long list by our illustrious servants of Air India. They may demand an extra bonus from the Management for this act.

Everything about this airline stinks. Whenever I fly Jet Airways or Kingfisher my heart swells with pride at the class we get on offer. This really makes me proud to be an Indian. I see fellow passengers of other nationalities looking on with unbelievable wonder in their eyes at the service, courtesy, professionalism that they witness and experience while flying on these private Indian airlines. I also heard that there are other carriers like Indigo and Go-Air too are equally good. And when we have such wonderful choice who needs this stink called Air India, to shame us Indians the world over. But the fattened staff of Air India will fight on a dirty fight and put many a hurdle before the private airlines, to see that they incur losses and they have their supporters inside the government too, to help them continue with the con act.

Away for a while

Friends, I have been away for a while and have resumed work today. Will try to be regular from now on with new postings

Sambhar - For bachelors

Ingredients

2 – 3 drumsticks
50 grams toor dal
50 grams masoor dal
One large onion
3 green chillies
One inch ginger
2 medium sized tomatoes
20 – 25 curry leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3-4 teaspoons sambhar powder
1 teaspoon Rasam powder
Half teaspoon bafat masala powder*
One table spoon oil
Salt to taste
Vinegar – 1 teaspoon
Half bunch coriander leaves, chopped fine ( optional)

Method :

Wash the toor and masoor dal, add two cups of water and pressure cook for 5 minutes ( after the first whistle).

Clean and cut the drumsticks into one inch pieces and keep aside
Finely slice the onions, slit the green chillies and finely cut the ginger and keep aside
Cut the tomatoes into large pieces and keep aside.

In a vessel heat the oil on medium fire and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds start sputtering add the curry leaves, then the sliced onions, ginger and green chillies and fry for one minute. Next add the drumsticks, sambhar powder, rasam powder and the bafat masala powder and cook for 2 minutes. Stir all the while so that the masala does not catch the bottom and burn. Then add the pressure cooked dal, 3 cups of water, salt to taste and vinegar. Cook for about 20 minutes until the drumsticks become soft. You may keep adding water if required or leave it as it is if you want the sambhar to be thick.. Once the drum sticks are cooked add the tomatoes and cook for 2- 3 more minutes. You may now add the chopped coriander leaves, but this is optional. Check the salt and vinegar and add more to suit your taste if required.

Enjoy the sambhar.

* Bafat powder is popular with the Mangalorean community. This gives the sambhar a better taste. If not available where you are, you may do without it.

Grilled chicken

Ingredients

a) 6 – 8 whole chicken legs or 10-12 chicken drumsticks

b) One and a half teaspoon whole black pepper
c) 1 teaspoon cumin powder
d) 8-10 cloves
e) One inch cinnamon stick
f) Pinch of turmeric powder

g) juice of 4 small limes
h) 4 green chillies
i) One small onion
j) half bunch coriander leaves
k) 12 mint leaves
m) half inch ginger
n) 6 flakes of garlic
o) salt to taste

p) two tablespoons butter ( melted)


Method

Pull out the skin of the chicken, wash apply a few cuts with a knife and keep aside.

Grinding :

Powder items B to F in a mixer / grinder

Add items from G to O and grind them all together into a thick paste. Add water while grinding only if required. Apply this paste well to the chicken legs / drumsticks and keep the vessel inside a refrigerator for marinating for about 6 – 8 hours.

Grilling :

Before beginning the grilling process in your electric or gas grill, please microwave the chicken for 2 minutes (This is required because during grilling the meat on the outside of the chicken tends to get cooked, while the meat close to the bones remains uncooked and raw. Microwaving for 2 minutes before grilling ensures that the chicken is evenly cooked).

Once the gas/electric oven is hot, place the chicken legs / drumsticks evenly on the grilling tray, and apply the melted butter on to the chicken with a brush and begin grilling. Keep turning sides and keep brushing the chicken with butter.

Depending upon the oven the grilling process will take up to 20 minutes. Keep watch so that you don’t burn the chicken. Remove once done and serve. You may squeeze some limes juice if required while serving

Why Pillar of Hercules?

Many of my friends have been asking me about the name Pillar of Hercules. No specific meaning or reason should be attached here. As i was growing up i had taken a liking for Greek and Roman mythologies and would always look for stories to read on these two great mythologies. Later on in college i opted for English literature as my major, and had to study the Iliad and Odyssey as my major subjects. Hercules / Heracles was my first hero while i was a kid and that is why i opted for this name for the blog.

The two mountains at the entrance of modern day Gibraltar are named as the Pillars of Hercules and they were created by Hercules to guard the straits of Gibraltar from the monsters who would have otherwise entered the Mediteranean. These pillars were also used to indicate the entrance to the rest of the world by the Spanish, as a gateway to the new Spanish overseas colonies in the Americas. It seems that the Spanish coat of arms also bore the images of the Pillars of Hercules. Additionally the cover page of Sir Francis Bacon's Instauratio Magna ( Great renewal) bears the image of the Pillars of Hercules and the motto at the bottom of the page when translated into english means MANY WILL PASS THROUGH, AND KNOWLEDGE WILL BE THE GREATER.

Pillars of Hercules denotes both the entrance and the exit..........Therefore what i write here could be an entry for new thoughts, or an exit for old and outdated ones.........You readers and visitors please decide and let me know through your comments.

My beautiful Mangalore

A few years ago, while in college a friend of mine told me this story relating to Mangalore. He went on to tell me that according to Hindu mythology after the great sage Parashuram had nearly annihilated the kshatriyas and satiated his anger, had arrived at the mainland near modern day Mangalore and flung his great axe into the sea. It seems an island was formed on the spot where the axe landed and gradually over a period of time, this island joined the mainland. He described that this very island was modern day Dakshina Kannada and that is why it is described as Parashuram Shristi or creation of Parashuram. This therefore was and would always remain a land of peace and tranquillity. I am not an expert in Hindu scriptures and mythology, but as I grew up I really believed this story.

That was so until recently, but today I am not sure at all. The recent incidents in Mangalore have been so shocking and it is hard to imagine if this is the same Mangalore that I grew up in. While we were school kids any kind of communal tension was completely alien to us. I studied in a catholic institution until my pre-university days. Right from the beginning we would have students from all communities and backgrounds studying with us. We had a Hindu majority in each class, followed by Christians, Muslims and Jains. We had a few students from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra and here and there a few North Indians as well. We would joke and poke fun at each other, but none of these jokes were taken seriously. Any religious festivity like Diwali, Dasara, Christmas, Easter or Eid was an occasion to be celebrated by all. Students belonging to other communities would treat us with sweets or some goodies whenever they celebrated a religious event at home. In our neighbourhood we had Hindus, Christians and Muslims all living together in peace and harmony. During our school vacations we would all be seen playing together in playgrounds or at a friend’s place eating food and having fun together. Religion, caste, creed and languages were simply not part of any discussions. During the famous Car festival, Sri Krishna Jayanti processions or the Dasara processions people belonging to all faiths would join in the processions and mingle with friends. Mangalore indeed was the greatest place to be on earth then.

Today the Mangalore of my school days seems to have suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. It has become a city without a soul and a heart. People who have lived together in peace and harmony for decades suddenly have become strangers to each other. There is suspicion, animosity and mistrust everywhere. Even cracking any silly joke on a person from another community has the potential of creating a riot. We have better roads, more modern buildings, better infrastructure, yet when the whole country is moving forward, we Mangaloreans have taken definite steps backwards. Areas of the city are becoming enclaves where only communities of one faith live. In short each community is beginning to form its own enclave and trying to isolate itself from the rest.

How and when did this change take place? The recent unfortunate incidents are not the beginning but only a culmination of the rot that must have been brewing for some time now. Nobody noticed it to take timely measures before it began to fester. We do have this habit of blaming politicians and the communal agenda that they adopt. To a large extent this is true, but how did a city of intelligent and educated people let themselves be led and brainwashed this way? We have some of the best educational institutions in Mangalore, We are considered the cradle of Indian banking. Mangaloreans are spread far and wide across the seven seas distinguishing themselves in each and every field and they have been our idols and source of encouragement. Yet we find ourselves in this pathetic situation today.

Every other day in the National media we hear news about Mangalore. Most of them are not good or pleasant to hear. Crime and murders, underworld, moral policing, attacks and destruction of religious places, Communal tensions, beating up of women on the streets are all the news that we get to see and hear. We are the subject of discussions and debates on several national channels frequently. Any incident taking place elsewhere is being described as the repeat or example of the Mangalore incidents. On a sarcastic note I could say that today probably the whole of India and most people from overseas are familiar with Mangalore. We are a famous city today, but for all the wrong reasons. Parents from far away who were looking forward to send their kids to our colleges have begun looking elsewhere. They no longer find it safe to send their children here.

Not so long ago, we Mangaloreans were considered to be highly educated, ultra modern, secular and fun loving. But, today we find ourselves in a situation where we are ashamed to reveal our Mangalorean identity to outsiders. When questioned about the recent events we try to avoid giving answers as we have none to offer.

The recent political events too have taken a serious toll. We today belong to one of the two camps or parties. One describes the other as fundamentalist party and the other reciprocates by calling the opposite as a minority appeasement party. We have totally lost our identity as peace loving and patriotic Mangaloreans who were proud of our roots and our culture and our city.

Where then does the solution lie? I am not really sure. Nobody is trying to make the first move in trying to rebuild the broken bridges. Each one is waiting for the perceived party, to render an apology, and make amends. Each one irrespective of his religion thinks that he is the victim who has been wronged, and is waiting for the other side to right this wrong. Our community and religious leaders have no solutions to offer. Our political leaders are extremely happy with the situation. We have easily fallen into the trap that they had set for us. While we are crying today they are laughing and reaping the benefits created by our division. The Law enforcement agencies are the most mistrusted of the lot. They are trusted by nobody.

We therefore have to look at solutions within ourselves as no help will come from outside. This disease from which all of us are suffering is only self curable. Each one of us needs to introspect very deeply, and to come out of this trance that we are caught up in, to understand that we are one irrespective of our religious affiliations. We need to understand that religion is a private matter and does not belong to the public domain. Religion is not an instrument to be misused and mutilated at will. We need to understand our neighbour his religion, his culture, his habits and respect him. In today’s world you don’t impose your will on others, but learn to live together in mutual respect.

I am sure that wisdom will dawn upon each of us sooner than later, and that the most beautiful place on earth Mangalore will regain its past glory as the friendliest and most welcome place on earth. It will once again transform itself into an abode of peace and tranquillity, The real Parashuram Shristi as my friend once described it to me.

Mackerel Salad

One of my hobbies is cooking and i indulge in it whenever i am free and or during weekends. I try out new things each time. Some of the dishes come out well and some flop miserably. I was told that the one below is good, which is why i decided to publish it. More will follow in the comming weeks.

Ingredients

2 Large Mackerels
Pinch of turmeric powder
Half teaspoon pepper powder
2 Medium sized onions
One medium sized tomato
Half inch ginger
Three green chillies ( Two if you want it less spicy)
One teaspoon vinegar
Salt to taste.

Method

One : Clean and wash the mackerels and cut them into three pieces. In a small vessel add water and boil. In the boiling water add the mackerels and the turmeric powder and cook the mackerels for some time.

Two :Once the mackerels are cooked drain out the water. Scrape out the meat from the mackerels and discard all bones. Shred the mackerel meat and keep aside.

Three : Chop finely the onions, ginger and green chillies. Pour this chopped masala in a small vessel and add the mackerel meat. Next add the pepper powder, vinegar and salt. After mixing well keep aside for some time ( preferably in a refrigerator) and serve.

Pork Salad :

The same method can be used for pork salad as well. The pork ( boneless) should be cut into small pieces and cooked in water with a little salt & turmeric powder for about forty minutes. Once cooked drain out the water and floating fat and shred the meat. All other procedures remain the same.