Dancing Ferns of Sumatra

 

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” - Roald Dahl

 

From the moment we, Taruna, my wife, and I, learnt that we would be moving to Indonesia, we felt a magnetic and uncanny pull towards the country. How absolutely blessed we thought, we were, as we set about reading about the country which was going to be our home for at least three years. Indonesia, an archipelagic nation of more than 18,000 islands and islets, of which only around 6,000 are inhabited has enormous natural, historical and contemporary treasures to appreciate and soak in. It is also widely diverse in terms of traditions, languages, ethnicity, religionS and biodiversity. Interestingly, Indonesia’s national motto is “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” meaning ‘Unity in Diversity’ is akin to India’s own national ethos. For me personally, the tropical rain forests of Kalimantan and Sumatra with their orangutans and honey bears, the Komodo islands with their dragons held a special appeal.

Another aspect of Indonesia that particularly fascinate me, is the national obsession with abbreviations, acronyms and telegraphic language, a trait which I personally have grown to practice and enjoy. Quickly I had to quickly figure out that Ambassador is 'Dubes', short form 'Dutabesar'; 'Monas' is 'Monument Nasional'; and 'Nataru' stands of 'Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru' meaning Christmas and New Year. Even political parties use abbrevations, and unlike India where we use alphabets, for example Bharatiya Janata Party is BJP, in Indonesia the words are also  abbreviated by syllabes. So 'Golkar' is the abbreaviated form of 'Golongan Karya' or Party of Functional Groups and 'Gerindra' is the short from of Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya, the Great Indonesia Movement Party. There is even 'DO', meaning School or University 'Drop Out'. The Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Train is onomatipoeically called 'Whoosh', the short for 'Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Hebat' which means, 'Timesaving, Optimal Operation, and Excellent System'. I thought to myself, deciphering and remembering cryptic acronyms is truly going to be a roller coaster ride.  

Amongst our friends and extended circle, we sensed a great deal of fascination bordering on obsession with Bali. They reacted as if we were getting posted to Bali itself. Hardly, anyone said, “see you in Jakarta”, everyone said, “we are coming to Bali’. But Indonesia is certainly so much more than Bali. It has strong religious, cultural, and civilizational links with India. Even in modern times, India and Indonesia were leaders in decolonisation of the world and worked together in the non-aligned movement. In more recent times, with demcracy taking firm root in the country in the late 1990s, India and Indonesia are the two shining examples in Asia of a democratic order bringing people together and bringing them prosperity and opportunities. The more I read about Indonesia and its religion, culture and people, I resolved to get to know the country better. What was also intriguing, particularly from an Indian perspective, in reading Clifford Geertz, Hamish Macdonald and Sadanand Dhume, was the lingering prevalence of mystical traditions in the country's sophisticated Javanese culture.

We had never travelled to Indonesia ever before. I had been to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and Laos, but somehow Indonesia I had missed. Perhaps the best was kept for the last. I reached Jakarta on 14 August 2023 just in time to be able to attend the Independence Day celebrations. I noted that India obtained independence on 15 August 1947, while Indonesia became free on 17 August 1945. To reach Jakarta, I had to switch planes at Singapore. It was startling that two large countries, maritime neighbours, hardly had any direct air connectivity. Remedying this was certainly a top priority for me. 

No prizes for guessing that our first destination was Bali, which charmed us with its mesmerizing shoreline, captivating mountains and cultural extravaganza evident in the lives of the ordinary Balinese people. If you are sensitive, there is without a doubt a vibe, an energy that soothes, that is impossible to miss. Hinduism in Bali is manifest everywhere. On exiting the airport, at the roundabout, there is a magnificent statue by the master Wayan Winten of Karna and Ghatotkacha, reminiscing Mahabharat depicting Ghatotkacha sacrificing his life for Arjuna as he made Karna use the Vasavi Shakti that he was saving to kill Arjun. On every street, infront of every shop or house, floral offerings to divinity are ubiquitous.

Our next destination was Lake Toba, the largest tectonic-volcanic crater Lake in located in the island of Sumatra formed formed from a super volcanic eruption in Late Pleistocene, 73,500 years ago. The Lake is 87 km long and 27 km wide and has a maximum depth of 530 metres. The natural beauty of Lake Toba, enchanting landscape, friendly and fascinating Batak people and their distinct culture, attracts tourists from all over the world to Lake Toba. The Lake also has a large inhabited island, Samosir, popular with backpackers.

We went hiking in the forests of Sibuaten on the slopes of the volcano, near Simalem resort, on a trail that led us to twin waterfalls. As we walked in silence just listening in awe at the sounds of the jungle, a sense of peace and contentment started pervading our senses. Our guide, Pak Desman Kaban, had done this for 30 years and showed us time and again various leaves, stems, roots and explained the medicinal properties they contained. We  walked spell bound, watching our steps on the mossy stones of the trail, trying to make no noise yet  minding our steps. Suddenly, Pak Kaban, who was some steps ahead of us pointed to a tree and  exclaimed in a hushed tone, “This is a Bird Nest Fern on a tree. It is absolutely still at the moment but sometimes if you are the lucky you can see it dancing.” We were a little surprised by what he said and walked on ignoring his proclamation. Lo and behold, as soon as we came closer to the tree, the leaves started to move, quite strongly, as if they were waving or rather dancing at us. There was no breeze in the forest and not a single leaf on any other tree or shrub was moving. The guide looked at us, with a didn’t I tell you so look, but himself astonishingly pleased. He then smiled and said, “Mother nature is welcoming you.” One felt much gratitude at this connection with the energy of the great mother and her display of the warmth that she always has for her children. Fortunate we indeed were. At the next turn, barely twenty metres away we saw two large gibbons frolicking in the trees. We watched them silently in awe, reconciling the emotions arising from the dancing ferns on the tree we crossed and gibbons dancing on the trees in front of us. 

The dance of the ferns can be seen at:

https://youtube.com/shorts/ecaCl5tMHW0?si=ZGLplXdAc5noaHlX

The frolicking gibbons are at:

https://youtube.com/shorts/bxIU6KWIqaM?si=Qs1uXJd4xhAlF-Nd

Our hearts are full of gratitude that we have been welcomed in ‘Wonderful Indonesia’, not only by its lovely and kind people but even by the land and nature. We are already looking forward to many more connections with these islands and the lovely beings that inhabit them.

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Quite An Incredible Rise

Reading “Not An Accidental Rise” by Dr. Dipmala Roka, chronicling the career of Harsh Vardhan Shringla, evokes in me a wish and a regret. I am articulating the wish early on and will keep the regret for the end. The wish is that that “Not An Accidental Rise’, were an autobiography and not a biography. Mr. Shringla has occupied a ringside view of Indian diplomacy for more than three and half decades and has much to tell all of us – curious as we are to know what happens in the diplomatic corridors of power and inside  negotiation rooms. The hope remains that as his workload lightens after demitting charge as Chief Coordinator of the the G-20 Summit, in the coming years, he will have the time and compelling reasons to pen his autobiography or books on diplomacy, just as many of his illustrious predecessors have done. In having a good harvest of books from its fold, the IFS have been very fortunate and we are optimistic that Mr. Shringla will continue the tradition.

‘Not An Accidental Rise’, captures vividly and in detail, the astounding career of one of India’s leading diplomats, who has witnessed and participated in India’s transformation, in the India story vis-à-vis its external relations like very few have. Every Indian diplomat will aspire to follow in his footsteps or be in his shoes, so remarkable has been his career, whether it were his foreign postings or the desks he worked on at headquarters.

Being a career diplomat myself, helped me relate to the narrative captured by Dr. Roka in a special way. Knowing the protagonist personally further provided me a vantage point. I have attempted an analysis of the principal character in the book from the perspective of commonalities and dissimilarities with my own trajectory. 

I will start with the dissimilarities first. School and college education was from India’s best institutions and the family had a clear idea that the son should join the IFS. Then a career in the Foreign Service with enviable responsibilities including Ambassadorial posts in Thailand, Bangladesh and the United States and culminating with the top job of being India’s Foreign Secretary for more than two years, without the need for an extension in service to guarantee a two year tenure. Occupying such critical positions in the MEA, one after the other, allowed Mr. Shringla to chisel outcomes and influence courses, which is seldom obtained by or possible for many others. In this, the book holds tremendous inspiration for young and mid-career diplomats, who have, at least to some extent, the power to shape their careers and the country’s diplomacy.

While the author refers in detail to the professional achievements of Mr. Shringla, the subtext and the recurrent theme is that of Mr. Shringla being an extremely humane, kind, friendly, affectionate and a team oriented officer. A friend describes him as a “Shahenshah of Friends’. Anyone who has worked or dealt with him has come away being impressed by him being so personable and caring to a fault. Added to this is his willingness and ability to meet almost anybody, irrespective of the social or professional status of the person. As long as the person and his message is genuine, Mr. Shringla is willing to indulge the person. While I was Consul General (CG) in New York, his staff officer would ask me whether Ambassador should meet a particular person or not. Oftentimes, in a bid to reduce Ambassador’s burden, I would say that there was no need as the CG is in touch with the person. To this the response from Ambassador always was -- if the CG can meet him, so can the Ambassador. Till today, a stream of visitors comes to Delhi from all the stations he has served in and meets with him. I know this for sure, as some of those who come from Bangladesh and New York also end up meeting me. These are qualities, with which most of us start our careers with, but they soon disappear in the sands of time and get replaced with arrogance and hubris. Refreshingly, Mr. Shringla has retained these qualities, as the book clearly brings out. 

 So many years later, I still carry memories of my first interaction with Mr. Shringla. It was on a trip to Mozambique, in 2009 along with Minister of State, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, to attend the swearing in ceremony of the new President. As Maputo did not have an Ambassador in place at that time, Ministry had asked Mr. Shringla to help with the visit. He was then between postings, from being CG in Durban to taking over charge as Joint Secretary (JS) in MEA. I had never met him before yet both of us worked closely for the success of the visit, as if we knew each other from before. A difficult visit, due to lack of local support, was pulled off with aplomb. I was taken in by his friendliness and team spirit.

Several years later, when he was JS responsible for Bangladesh, I had routine interaction with him as Deputy High Commissioner, Dhaka. Always accessible, his problem solving attitude made him very popular at the High Commission, High Commissioner and all IFS officers included. He went to great lengths to be always available and responsive to the needs of the Mission. Several path breaking initiatives were taken and concluded which transformed an essentially political relationship with our neighbour to an economic relationship, building on dependencies and connectivity.

During these interactions, another aspect of his came to my notice. That is his signature. I haven’t come across a sign like his, and I have always wondered, how he executed it to perfection, time after time. Perhaps it defines his personality, rounded yet in possession of many layers.

After working on the Bangladesh relationship, our paths crossed again, as Mr. Shringla took over Ambassador to Washington when I was CG, New York. India’s most important bilateral relationship and Mission with 5 Consulates General and a gigantic footprint in several domains benefited from his leadership. As the book correctly documents, Mr. Shringla hit the ground running. Soon after arrival, the Farmington University scandal - where students had been entrapped into enrolling in a non-existent university and then arrested for fraud tested his mettle. Ambassador Shringla took on the challenge on a war footing with a clear direction to the Team that the students were not at fault, they were the victims, and we had to do all that was possible to reach out to them, many in jails, and get them bail or sent to India. The power of video conferencing (VC) was then revealed to us. Almost every day we would have a VC and were required to give updates on the fate of the students -- how many had been met and for how many had we been able to arrange lawyers. This was accompanied by strong public diplomacy conveying that the Mission was at work and the students were being cared. The potentially damaging episode was deftly managed by the Ambassador leading from the front.

I distinctly remember, that given the demands and frequency of  VC, we all switched to acquiring modern devices, which stood us in good stead, later in the year for ‘Howdy Modi’ and then when scourge of Covid hit the US badly.

The Farmington University case and then ‘Howdy Modi’ revealed the inclusive approach of Mr. Shringla, well alluded to in the book. While organising ‘Howdy Modi’ at Houston, we quickly fathomed that it had to be a nation-wide effort involving close coordination with community organizations. When it was learnt that President Trump was to also join the event, our task requirements changed from getting maximum community participation to also obtain attendance by US dignitaries. The event was a mega logistical and security challenge, which was pulled off primarily due to meticulous planning and attention given to detail by Mr. Shringla, proven by the participation of a large number of US dignitaries travelling long distances to be part of history.

          Being located at an outpost i.e. New York and not at the Embassy in Washington, I was not privy to the many other elements of Mr. Shringla’s Ambassadorship, but from his occasional trips to my jurisdiction, I became acutely aware that his trips had to well planned with every available minute packed with interactions and meetings with a cross-section of opinion, from the Diaspora to the Media to Senators and Congressmen, and the New York region had many. Such extensive outreach came useful later in the year in 2019 when the task of building public and congressional opinion in favour of abrogation of Article 370 and the Citizenship Amendment Act became an important task for India’s diplomatic representation in the US and was achieved with success.

The Author refers to particular incidents of preventing anti-Indian elements from laying siege to our Embassy and Consulates. As part of Team India in the US, I can vividly recall the instructions from Ambassador. He was very clear that we could not cede ground to the secessionists and here again our approach, coordinated across the entire geography, did achieve the desired results.  

Audacity grips me while I bring to light some convergences and commonalities. I too, got double promotion in school ( but did not have such an exemplary academic record), took coaching at Rau’s Study Circle and like Mr. Shringla worked on our relations with Bangladesh and the US. However, unlike him, my becoming a diplomat was entirely due to accidents of circumstances, and perhaps my career progression continues to be so. While I was ending my tenure in New York, he asked me to come back to headquarters to take over as JS in charge of the t Europe West (EW) Division, where many years ago he had also worked. I found in him deep understanding of the demands of the EW Division and he stood like a rock behind me, supporting the work of the Division.

The Author documents well the inspiring career of Mr. Shringla and charts every phase of his education and professional life, starting from attending Mayo School to being Foreign Secretary of India. The book would have been a better read with the weaving in of personal anecdotes and glimpses and tales from Mr. Shringla’s interactions and tete-a-tete with foreign interlocutors. Tighter editing will make the story more crisp and gripping. Here I mention my regret. The author had approached me for an interview which sadly couldn’t materialize due to conflict of schedules.

There is a lot more in the life and times of Harsh Vardhan Shringla.  This book is just an hors d’oeuvre; the main course and the dessert along with the accompanying rich bodied French burgundy is yet to be served. As the well know advert proclaimed – “Yeh Dil Maange More”.

 

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Stealing From Our Grandchildren

                                 

                            Stealing From Our Grandchildren

The Oscar winning documentary, ‘Elephant Whisperer’ is a heart warming account of love between humans and animals in the resplendence of the natural beauty of Mudumalai National Park. The viewer marvels at Nature’s creation, the human ability to love, and reciprocation from an animal. However, love amongst animals or with animals lacks intergenerationality. The offspring of Raghoo, the elephant, will not carry forward the relationship that existed with his caregivers – Bomman and Bellie. Amongst the characteristics that distinguishes humans from animals are speech, language, consciousness, tool use, art, music, material culture, commerce, agriculture, non‑reproductive sex and mental time travel. 

We can think about our past, contemplate our present and visualise our future. Clairvoyants even claim to perceive future events beyond the range of sensory contact. While many animals have intelligence and  display behaviours that we’d consider as human, as evident in Raghoo, the range is limited. The supreme manifestation of advanced consciousness and mental ability make humans the only species on the planet that can care and think for not only their children but also their grandchildren and beyond. In the animal world we find pairings for life and and either the male or the female parent taking care of their progeny, but caring for the progeny’s progeny is not observed. This is a distinguishing feature which bestows on humans an enormous burden of responsibilities which no other species on earth has to carry. 

In our epics we find several generations co-existing. The oldest participant of the Mahabharata War was Shantanu’s elder brother Bahlika, representing the first generation, while Ashwatthama, son of Dronacharya, was a sixth generation participant. Even in present times, with life expectancy extended by medical science we find in a family the great-grandfather along with the great grandchild. As this becomes a prevalent phenomenon, in our own lifetimes, we have to face the prospect of answering to not only our children or grandchildren but even to those who come after them. 

When medical science and Nature has given us this blessing of long life and the ability to love several generations of our progeny, it is our solemn and sacred duty to ensure that the world we leave behind is livable for our successive generations. Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) marks the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth regenerates during the entire year. In 2022, EOD was on July 28. For the rest of 2022, we maintained ecological deficit by drawing down local resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Every year we are running a deficit which is subject to the viciousness of negative compounding. In 2023, the EOD is likely to be sooner, as humanity’s performance has steadily declined since 1971, when it was estimated that the draw down of Earth’s resources could be replenished in a year. 

When we are overshooting, we are taking a loan that we can not only never repay but will make our children sink under the debt burden. We will not leave behind clean air, water, soil and food for them to thrive. The recklessness with which we are destroying the planet will leave no elephant for our children to whisper to. The imperative is to undertake climate action at mega-scale. Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) is not a mantra but a toolkit for survival of the human race. We have to push back the EOD from July to December, every year, or our own children will accuse us of theft. Rabindranath Tagore said “every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged by man”. The present generations have to leave behind such an Earth that the child is not discouraged by man.

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No Photo Please

    

    The chiseled face of Richard Emblin floats in from somewhere in my mind as the annual circular from the External Publicity Division of the Ministry on inviting foreign journalists lands on my desk. Richard Emblin, a Canadian, is a professional photographer. For many years he has lived in Colombia and was the photo editor of Colombia’s leading national daily, “El Tiempo” (The Time). We got to know Richard and his wife Maria Claudia, (we all called her MC), rather well during our stay in Bogota from 2002 to 2005. These days he and MC run Colombia’s only English language newspaper, The City Paper.

    In those days, when militancy and terrorism were at their peak, there wasn't much one could do in their free time. Even clubs were not safe and I recollect with horror the bombing of club ‘El Nogal’, the shock waves of which we could feel at our home, miles away. So we just hung around with friends and we did hang around a lot with Richard and MC. Partly due to our friendship I was able to convince Richard to go to India on the familiarization programme for foreign journalists and report from the ground.

 

    Richard was in India for about two weeks and his paper published several stories and photographs with his byline. Once he was back in Bogota, Richard invited us for dinner home. For dinner we had Ajiaco, the unique  Colombian potato and chicken stew. It is  made of 3 types of potatoes, papas criollas, papas pastusas and papas sabaneras (these varieties of potatoes are found only in Colombia), corn and the Colombian herb guascas (Galinsoga parviflora) which  renders an indescribable aromatic flavour to the stew. It is served with slices of avocado, capers and cream. Many claim that Ajiaco is the national dish of Colombia. Once we went to Palacio de Nariño, the Presidential Palace, for lunch with President Andres Pastrana. Ajiaco was the main course.  

 

    After the hearty meal, Richard asked us to move into his study for a slideshow. He seemed uncharacteristically perked up and excited. I asked him what it was all about? He had arranged a special slideshow for us. Those days, in the early 2000s, before the dawn of digital photography, slides were the only way one could project photographs on a screen. Each roll of slides had 36 frames. Richard would show us pictures he had shot in Karnataka. 

 

    He dimmed the lights, and switched on the projector. All  four of us sat comfortably in couches in the book lined study with mugs of Juan Valdez coffee. Richard had the remote in his hand and the projector started rolling. Enchanting stone art of the glorious Hoysala temples of Belur and Halibed went up on the screen. Each frame  was striking. From the temples, Richard moved to the coast and there were slides of the mesmerizing Karwar coast among others. One by one we reached slide number 25. Then we moved to slide number 27. 27? What about slide number 26? There was no slide number 26. I turned to Richard and asked him why, what happened? Richard sought patience. He got up and turned on the lights and told us his story.

 

    While returning from Mangalore to Bangalore, Richard and his companion from the Foreign Office were crossing the temple town of Udupi, famous worldwide for its cuisine. Richard’s companion asked him if he would mind stopping at Udupi for a while. The town of Udupi was home to many mutts (monasteries) and he was a devotee of a particular monk who was much revered. Richard’s companion proposed that they go and seek the monk’s  blessings. Richard happily agreed. 

 

    Richard found the monk charismatic yet serene. He was rather enthralled in his presence. The monk blessed them and as Richard was leaving, it occurred to him to take a photograph of the monk. Richard requested permission to take a photo. Surprisingly for Richard, the monk declined. He responded on the lines that as he was a monk, a holy man in spiritual pursuits, holy men don’t like being photographed. He further added that he always avoided being photographed as somehow his photos never worked out. Richard was unrelenting and insistent.  He said he had come all the way from Colombia and was a professional photographer. He even claimed that he almost never got it wrong. Richard even promised to send the monk a copy. The monk said that if Richard was able to capture him on film, he would be happy to receive a copy of his photo. After taking the monk’s photo, Richard left for Bangalore. There were no other photo opportunities in Udupi.

 

    From Bangalore, they went to Shravanabelagola, 144 kms from Bangalore. There is the imposing 57 feet tall monolithic statue of Bahubali Gommateshwara on the top of the  3347 feet Vindhyagiri hill. The statue of Bahubali, sculpted in 983 AD during the Ganga dynasty, is the world's tallest monolithic stone statue carved out of a single granite block. One needs to climb about seven hundred steps to be able to see the statue from near. As Richard was climbing the steps, he found a group of disciples carrying a holy man on a stretcher up the hill. Richard found the image fascinating and couldn’t resist taking a picture. That was slide number 27. 

 

    As MC got us refills of the world’s richest coffee, Richard continued with his narration. The missing slide number 26 was the photo he had taken of the Udupi  monk. He couldn’t figure out what happened to the slide, after he developed the roll. Each and every slide of the roll was there except the slide which had captured the photo of the holy man. Such a thing had never happened in his professional career- as if someone had neatly incised a slide, leaving no trace at all. 

 

    Richard then dimmed the lights again and asked us to look carefully at slide number 27. It was the slide of the holy man on a stretcher being carried up the hill of Shravanabelagola by his disciples. The photograph was crystal clear, every detail was visible. One could see the holy man in saffron robes on the stretcher and the top of the shoulders of the disciples. Richard asked us to look at his face. There was just an outline and a white patch. There was no face.

 

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Reciprocity, the DNA of All Relationships

https://www.speakingtree.in/article/reciprocity-the-dna-of-all-relationships

 

Reciprocity is undertaking exchange for mutual benefit. It may seem the most natural thing to do, but few realise that the wheels of society and more so diplomacy are driven by it. Some say diplomacy is 99% reciprocity and 1% generosity. Even in matters of faith, while it is logical that the supreme consciousness is neutral and loves all beings equally, still the belief is that if there is more display of devotion to the Lord, the Lord will be more kind to us. 

 Working together or exchanging services, people by reciprocating are able to accomplish more than they would individually. Reciprocity is not always an even exchange, which opens up the potential for abuse yet people are often willing to perform a proportionately larger favour in return for something small. In 1974, sociologist Phillip Kunz mailed out Christmas cards with a note and photograph of him and his family to approximately 600 randomly selected strangers. Kunz received nearly 200 replies. Reciprocity operated - Kunz had done something for them and many felt obligated to respond. 

 Our upbringing plays an important role in the internalisation of reciprocity. In school we happily share our tiffin with friends but not with the bully, who just takes and does not share. Through experience, children learn to share with others, take turns, and engage in reciprocal actions.

 Several types of reciprocity are recognised. Balanced reciprocitywhich involves a calculation of the value of the exchange and an expectation that the favour will be returned within a specified time frame is most common. It is essentially quid pro quo or you scratch my back and I will scratch yours. Car pools are a pragmatic application whereas wedding gifts are an extreme example. If reciprocation is inadequate it may lead to breakdown of relations. Politicians seek votes invoking reciprocity. In diplomacy, election of candidates in multilateral organisations is conducted by tying up reciprocal support amongst countries.  

 Generalised reciprocity or exchange involves give and take within families, friends, within and outside the kinship groups and also in the metaphysical world. There is no expectation of a returned favour; instead, people simply do something for another person based on the assumption that the other person would do the same thing for them. Generalised reciprocity is based on the acceptance of delayed gratification. Returns may not materialise at all but if it does it provides the greatest of benefits. It builds trust, loyalty and stability in society.

 

Our belief in karma is  internalisation of reciprocity. People live righteous lives for escaping the cycle of rebirth. If we behave well with people, others will also behave well operate in our daily interactions. Giving and getting women in marriage outside kinship groups sustains the institution of marriage, giving rise to family, the building block of society. So is philanthropy and charity. Uncertainties galore in these exchanges but faith in delayed and indirect reciprocity drives them.  

 These days even marketers are using sophisticated methods of reciprocity. They start by an innocuous freebie and then there may not be any going back. E-commerce, OTT platforms, Youtube, Spotify, Amazon, software package solutions providers such as Zoom among others give free subscriptions for a time period and then termination without cost. But since they keep credit card details, only the most rapacious will not continue.  

 Negative reciprocity where one takes more than gives back leads to societal decay. The saddest example of negative reciprocity is pollution and organised crime. For a vibrant society and healthy environment we have to be eternally vigilant and always question ourselves whether we are taking more than we are giving back to society and Mother Nature. 

                            

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"Bhooch Pooch"- Recreating a Recipe

         Debasish, my cousin from Tripura, went to Regional Engineering College, Kurukshetra (RECK) in the 80s to study civil engineering. Often he’d stay with us in Delhi and used to tell us stories from RECK. One was about Bhooch Pooch. Most engineering students eat and drink a lot and are perpetually hungry. Debasish was no exception. One day he enigmatically told me that only Bhooch Pooch could take care of the midnight hunger pangs of the RECK students (those were pre-Maggi days). All the RECK canteens and dhabas made  Bhooch Pooch. 

What is Bhooch Pooch and what does it mean? Well I think it means a mish-mash of a dish. It needs lots of eggs, sliced bread and onions. So when Debasish was at our home way back in the early 80s I insisted that he make Bhooch Pooch for breakfast. We had a large family of six to feed. So in went a big loaf of Britannia sliced bread. We could add only six eggs as Ma would allow only half a dozen eggs for an experimental dish. It turned out to be quite a tasteless as the amount of bread overpowered the eggs and the onions. We were quite disappointed with Bhooch Pooch that we never made it again. Debashish was crestfallen. The signature dish of RECK canteens and a big part of RECKulture sank on debut at our home. 

Nandini, my daughter recuperating from the Omicron variant, said that she wanted me to make breakfast. I said fried eggs? She said No!. I said omelette? She said No!, I said Eggs Chakra?, She said No! I said Bhooch Pooch? She said what is that? I said let me make it for you. I was relieved she did not say no to Bhooch Pooch.

It has been 35 years since I even heard myself say Bhooch Pooch. I had faint memories of how it was made by Debasish. One thing that I remembered from the debacle at our home was that it should have less bread and more eggs. So I conjured the recipe sticking to the basics of bread and eggs as I had no idea of how the original is made. The 1&Only Bhooch Pooch recipe is:

Heat a small pan and add the oil. When the oil gets heated, at low flame add the diced ginger, green chilli and onions. Let them fry and turn brown on low flame. Cut the two slices of bread into small pieces and add it to the pan. When the bread gets a bit fried and mixed well with the onion-ginger-chilli, break the three eggs into the pan. Mix well so that the eggs coat the bread and get well cooked. At the end add the diced coriander leaves and mix them well. Bhooch Pooch is ready. Best served with Maggi Hot Tomato Ketchup.   

I have no idea if the original Bhooch Pooch tastes the way I have made it. But Nandini liked it and it made my day. Maybe one day I will visit Kurukshetra to have a real taste of Bhooch Pooch and RECKulture. 

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"Eggs Chakra" - Invention of a Recipe

Eggs Chakra - Tutorial  

                                      

    

In 2020, my Ministry decided to assign senior officers as mentors to young officers joining the Indian Foreign Service. I was asked to mentor three extremely bright officers, all engineers, Prithika, Himanshu and Nitin;  an experience I found to be both engaging and enjoyable.

Through our numerous sessions, I got to know them and to instil in them- in small doses- lessons that I imbibed myself in a quarter of a century of being a diplomat. The importance of camaraderie, building relationships, being open to other cultures and peoples, the need to develop a large variety of skills from reading, writing, travelling to cooking were discussed.

Entertaining people is a basic skill to acquire for diplomats, something I strongly emphasised to my mentees. To drive the point home, one day, I decided to cook dinner all by myself and asked them over.

 With false bravado, I decided to take on the challenge of preparing the entire meal. I invited not only my three mentees but to add to their fun (and my misery), I invited some of my other colleagues as well. In all, there were nine diners that night. 

The task at hand was to put on the table a decent evening meal for nine, all from scratch. Friday morning came and I drew up a menu for the evening of the following day. After work, I went shopping for all the ingredients needed to make the evening a success. As a good old Bengali, egg curry was at the top of the recipe. I then added Chicken Teen Piaza (my invention), Doodh Paneer (a recipe popular in Eastern UP), Dal Makhani, Tossed Salad, and Rice Pulao to the list. I kept out rotis and parathas as rolling and baking bread is an art I haven’t been able to master yet.

On Saturday morning, when I lazily drifted into the kitchen, the first thing I did was boil the eggs. Neatly, one task was done. I thought to myself that since I made egg curry the best, I will keep the eggs aside and make the curry at the end.

Then the enormous chore of preparing food for nine  persons single-handedly began. One by one I started cutting and chopping and putting things together. By the time the initial preparation was over, it was almost noon. I took a break but was soon back to business. Lunch time came and went and I didn’t seem to have made much progress. For lunch, I ate some of the leftovers in the fridge, cautious not to waste time making lunch for myself. Energised with carbs, I was back to the task with avengeance, and by around 5 p.m., I was done with all the preparations except the egg curry. I looked at the boiled eggs on the counter and said to myself that making egg curry is the easiest of things. Let me take a short nap and I will then come back refreshed and finish all remaining tasks. 

Exhausted, I drifted into a deep sleep. When I woke up, it was dark outside. I got up with a start as there were many things left to be done. I had to set the table and arrange the living room to receive the guests. As I set myself to doing the remaining chores, at the back of my mind, the unfinished task of making egg curry persisted. By the time I finished making the arrangements for the dinner and setting the table, it was well past 7 p.m. The guests were expected at 7:30 p.m.

I thought about skipping the idea of making egg curry as there was enough to eat. I went to the kitchen with this thought and looked at the forlorn eggs. However, after another look at the eggs, I immediately changed my mind. How could we have a Bengali dinner without egg or fish curry? Yet I did not have the stamina or the time to make the traditional curry, which requires making a base curry with onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes along with the ubiquitous potatoes and then adding the boiled eggs to them. This was a daunting task. But I had to make something with the eggs. But what?

I opened the fridge with an experimental mind and three things stared back at me: Mayonnaise, milk cream, and cheese spread. I took them out. I thought to myself, why not make a base curry with these continental ingredients? But these ingredients would make a white sauce, not a curry. So I thought of mixing in some masalas. On the shelf were three small pearl pet containers with haldi (turmeric), mirchi (chilli) and dhania (coriander) powders in them. I thought of using these three along with the three continental whites I found in the fridge. In diplomacy, we have heard of 2+2 dialogue; here I thought of implementing a 3+3 fusion.

From somewhere, an unseen hand guided me. I had no recipe and no idea even of the proportions of the ingredients or the final outcome. It just happened on the fly. I took a pan, poured some oil in it and as soon as the oil heated up, I added haldi, mirchi and dhanai powders to the oil and let them fry for about 30 seconds. The oil turned a rich golden-red. In this mix, I slowly rolled in the eggs. Wow! The eggs turned golden red. They looked nice. I reduced the flame and added the mayonnaise, cheese spread, and the cream in almost equal proportions and within seconds the whole thing looked golden-yellow and beautiful. I opened the shelf which contained our continental condiments and chanced upon the jar with oregano and another with sesame seeds. Without much thought, I added in some oregano and sprinkled the sesame seeds on top for additional seasoning.

The whole preparation time, excluding the time required for boiling the eggs, was about two minutes, almost like the time it takes to put together a bowl of masala Maggi. A simple, fusion recipe combining ingredients from places stretched far apart on the globe. Content with my invention, I promptly named it "Eggs Chakra", half after myself but more so as it is a hodgepodge of a recipe.

 Since its creation, the impact of the invention of "Eggs Chakra" has been strong and lasting. The dinner with my mentees and colleagues was a hit, more so as I spun a tale around the new recipe. Ever since, it has occupied a pride of place in all the meals that we have hosted, and, every time, the eggs have disappeared before all else on the table. Encouraged by the appeal, my daughter Ishani, who wants to build a career in the culinary arts, entered the recipe and the associated story in an Instagram contest– and she won. I suspect one of the reasons the recipe may have appealed to the jurors is the circumstances of the creation of “Eggs Chakra".

The 1&Only Recipes: Eggs Chakra  

Ingredients:

- 4 eggs

- 1 tbsp. coriander powder

- 1 tsp. turmeric powder

- 1 tsp. red chilli powder

- 2 tbsp. neutral oil

- ½ cup mayonnaise

- ¼ cup fresh cream

- ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese or cheese spread

- 1 tbsp. oregano leaves

- Fresh coriander/parsley to garnish

Preparation:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, lower the eggs into the water one at a time. Maintain a gentle boil and cook the eggs for 10 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water. After the eggs have cooled down, gently crack and peel the eggs.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add coriander, turmeric, and red chilli powder to the pan. Stir until the colour is uniform. Then add the eggs and coat them in the masala.

3. Add mayonnaise, cream, and cheese to the pan and mix well. Add oregano leaves and mix again.

4. Garnish with chopped coriander or parsley and serve.

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