English Diary - Episode one

Hark, Been a long time since I did this. Its been quite an effort to put myself up back after the events of the past three months, which have been quite to say the defining moments of my career and will without doubt influence and mould the events and my outlook for the next five months, which (incidentally :)) will define what I do upto the later half of my twenties ( I already seem to have made up my mind as to what I will do in my thirties !!). So getting into the whirlpool will be a damn lot easier as I have discovered a branch to cling to if I have to.

England, Great Britain, The United Kingdom welcomed and greeted me with both arms spread. It would be an exceptional moron who would not be charmed by the sheer grace and beauty of the place. Well defined streets (if not better planned), a nice undulating landscape, things made by nature so curiously and pleasingly blended by the ones made by brethren of our kind were the things I saw and noted immediately on my arrival into these nations which for the past couple of centuries have so notably been involved in the destiny making of the globe.

The British people are a nice bunch with their well defined rules of politeness and etiquette. It was a bit strange for me to get started with the rules of common etiquette which we have relaxed a bit here in India. for example, I had to develop the habit of thanking the person who asked me my health and well being ( I wouldnt have thanked a guy for asking me in India, because we always reciprocate by asking the other guys health and avoid the Thanks). Nevertheless it was an exciting time getting to know the new rules and ways.

The Streets and the roads were an object of great observation to me. I was quite impressed with the way the roads and the streets meandered around vales and fields, to potray the lush green countryside. The nice markers along the roads, the helpful traffic signs, the discipline of the driver to give way to the pedestrian were indeed commendable and Manholes were kept surreptitiously out of the sight. I bow down to the facilities extended to the pedestrians by providing them with well defined promenades and closed drains, something we could emulate back in our Indian cities.

Architecture is one thing which stunned me if stunned can be claimed as an adequate word to describe my feelings. They have these lovely houses along the street with not more than 3 storeys, neat little chimneys, a nice regular appearance and blending beautifully with the general landscape. Driving along the Upper Bristol Road in Bath was quite an experience as was the walk in London across Whitehall and the Parliament Street ( This surely merits another blog).

I have to laud the discipline of the British people and the pains they have taken to maintain such things over the years. True that they have all the affection anyone could get from nature by inherting a dust free and a cool atmosphere, but the efforts to integrate materials like masonry and timber with other materials has truely paid off.

It would be a worthy thing to experience the delight of driving through the English countryside to the reader, as any description of it in words would be naive mockery and an insult to the fine views and the mirth one gets while driving through.

Hats off to the Country Planners. You have done your job well. We can only wish for similar innovation in our Indian counterparts who I know have a long way (but not difficult) to go to establish such standards ( Though I know they are fully capable of achieving it)

Watch out for Episode Two