My life in Cairo - a Pictorial description

Outside office a lot of time was spent in the car doing the 40 minute commute.  Mahmoud my driver, was more than my driver - he was my friend and guide too.  I realise now that he is probably the person with whom I have spent the maximum time during the last two and half years.  Sadly for the last 2 months he has been advised by doctors not to drive due to his blood pressure.  I have been experimenting with various other drivers - however, none of them came up to the high standards set by Mahmoud in terms of discipline and time-sense.  He is one person to whom I owe a lot.  Just the fact that he will promptly turn up at my house at 8.15 am will force me to get up from bed everyday and stick to a disciplined schedule. 

I was pretty much a home bird.  Given the time I spent at home I furnished it in a way that I am most comfortable with - minimalist and almost spartan.

A lot of the time was spent in the kitchen - my vegetarian diet did not give me too many options in restaurants.  And as my wife testifies, I am very finicky when it comes to food - it has to be simple and almost bland

There are not too many Indian type vegetables available in Egypt - so I thrived mostly on Potato, aubergine, beans, cabbage and cauliflower which are available in plenty.  But I missed the karela, long beans etc 

What would I have done without the Indian made Panasonic food processor?  I used it solely for grinding the Dosa and Idli batter.  Like a true South Indian, I went crazy if I was deprived of my dosa for long, so my batter making skills improved dramatically.  However, getting the urad dal was a challenge. I got it from Dubai and built up a huge hoard of it.

Is there anything in the fridge?  My daily diet was mostly rice - packed curd rice for lunch, and rice and some vegetables in the night.  Many a time when I have returned tired from office, I have been saved by the rice in the fridge.  Give me curd rice and pickle - and I will survive anywhere.

An Indian restaurant opened-up near my house recently.  I went there a couple of times, but felt very uncomfortable.  Unlike other cities like New York, Mumbai or Dubai, the city of Cairo is still a very family oriented city - and single men dining in restaurants is not a common sight.  I had described my experience in my blog post here.  So it was back to home food for me.

Outside the kitchen my time was spent largely on Skype chatting with my family back home.  Skype was the greatest boon to me - and I would not have been able to cope with the bachelorhood without it.  I would wait expectantly for the call from my dear wife every morning.  Most of Friday and Saturday was spent on Skype too catching up with the children.

And then there was of course my harmonium.  This is what kept me going.  It was my sole companion whenever I felt down and out. I would put on music by famous musicians, and pretend I was accompanying them for a live show on the harmonium.  Once while I was practicing in the early morning the neighbours  complained, and from then on I started using headphones.  My favourite headphone broke and as I did not like any other headphone, I repaired my favourite headphone using a lot of yellow cellotape. 

Strangely enough I watched very little TV.  Watching TV made me think of home, and depressed me.  

I must have read the massive tome "Security Analysis" by Ben Graham at least twice.  I am thankful that I found the time to do some quality reading - especially on investment related subjects.

This is the view from the kitchen balcony.  My maid came every Friday morning to clean up the place, and would hang up the clothes to dry on the balcony.The maid was crucial in motivating me to keep the house neat - otherwise I would have ended up staying in a pig sty.

My Reebok shoes - During the summer I would go out for my long morning walks, followed by a bit of Yoga.  However, during winters I found that difficult because of the extreme cold.

The room heater - how would I have survived the harsh 8 degree winters without it?

Who is at the door - the laundry-man, the electricity man or someone else?  For a few months after the revolution I would use the peep-hole before opening the door - however, very soon this habit vanished as my confidence in the security situation improved. 

Because of the total communication cut-off that had happened during the revolution, the office thoughtfully provided a satellite phone in the event of an emergency.  I can proudly state that I never had to unpack the satellite phone from its original packing.

Initially when I had taken the residence I was concerned that there will be too much noise from the School opposite my house.  Later, I actually would look forward to hearing the noise of children from the school - and I was glad that I stayed in this apartment.

It is easy to go to pieces, or go astray when you are staying alone in such an environment.  Prayer saved me.

A couple of months ago all 3 wall clocks in my house, and my half dozen watches stopped functioning.  It was almost as if they were sending me a message.

I, Moving

Barely 2 weeks to go before I bid good-bye to Egypt, to take on a new role in Nielsen based out of Dubai.

I came into Egypt in December 2010 completely oblivious of the impending Revolution and the cataclysmic shake-up that it will unleash in our personal and professional lives, including mine.

I don't want to pretend to be the cool guy and claim that this period has been a cake-walk.  I admit the last two-and-half years have been tough, but it did help me understand myself better.

I don't want to be melodramatic either, and say I will shed tears on leaving Egypt - a country still close to my heart.  Egypt is now part of what I have become - for the better and for the worse - and I will be forever grateful for this.

Why every Harmonium sounds different - Tuning

Have you ever wondered why every harmonium sounds different in terms of the tonal quality.  The situation becomes worse when the same key e.g. Black 1 - is at different pitches in 2 harmoniums.  In this situation one cannot play both harmoniums together in the same program.

Have you ever put on a Hindustani classical piece on your music system, and then tried to accompany on your harmonium - and then found to your dismay that your harmonium pitch is at a completely different pitch from that of the vocalist, and you could not therefore play it?

And then of course you would have heard of the controversy around tuning - should harmoniums be tuned to 440 hz which is the Western Classical standard?  Do these harmoniums sound better than harmoniums tuned at a different pitch e.g. at 430 Hz?

This was the dilemma I faced when I acquired my new custom made Triple Reed Harmonium described in my post here.  Here is a short video explaining the concept behind tuning harmoniums - hopefully it would help remove some of the myths around harmonium tuning.

Custom-made Triple Reed harmonium

I took possession of my new custom made triple reed harmonium last week.  It was crafted at the Bombay Harmonium Works, Mangalore.

This harmonium features 3 sets of reeds - Chorus, Male and Female.  The Chorus and Male reeds are German reeds taken from another old harmonium, while the Female is a new Palitana set.  Old German reeds are the best - Indian reeds do not come anywhere close in quality.

Because the reeds are German, it is tuned to 430 Hz - and not the concert standard 440 Hz.

Here is a short video about the features of this harmonium, and why I consider this as a really special harmonium.

And here is a short video of I and my son doing riyaz - with I using this harmonium.

On Bearded Outlooks & Cloudy Futures

For some time I have been considering growing a beard. This is not just because it is now seen as an essential requirement to become a President in certain countries. It is also because I thought I could compensate for my lack of intellect by growing a beard. You see all my intellectual professors, and Gurus in the Market Research profession have all sported lush beards, and I think growing a beard will give me the respect that has long been elusive.

The question is : what kind of beard? Should it be the lush beard that I often see nowadays on Egyptian TV? Yeah, several of my professors had those kind of beards. I considered it for some time, then I decided against it. Growing such a beard might get me into trouble with all those clean shaven, bad moral people who roam the streets of Cairo targetting women and bearded men.

Then I considered growing a Frenchy beard - you know the goatee – the kind of half-beard that is there only on the chin? This kind of beard is especially popular among Market Researchers who use it to good effect while contemplating a scruffy problem. But then it has become a bit too common. What I need is something that will make me stand-out – that will make people to immediately say when they see me approaching "Here comes an intellectual worthy of our respect".

So I finally thought I would grow a sailor's beard - you know the kind of beard that senior Admirals in the Navy sport – the beard that imparts a look of distinction, and that would especially go well with my elegant silver hair. And maybe that kind of a beard will make the watchmen outside client offices allow me entry without first checking whether I have come there seeking a donation.

So I waited for my next 5 day long weekend and grew the beginnings of a sailor’s beard. But before I exposed myself to the general public I, like a true Market Researcher, thought it prudent to get an opinion as to how it suited me – some ego-massaging suggestion on how elegant I looked, and what I can do to further fine-tune my beard to make it look more elegant..

So over Skype I showed my 5 day stubble to my wife and my daughter.

My daughter took a look at my elegant gray stubble and wrinkled her nose “You look EVEN more old now” she said.

I cleverly pretended to avoid noticing the insult:“But does it not go well with my grey hair – and does it not give me an air of distinction?” I countered.

My wife now intervened.

“You know it certainly looks good on you – certainly makes you look mature” she said.

I was ecstatic. I always knew the wife had a better taste in beards than my daughter ….

“BUT ….” She added. She said it with that peculiar emphasis that I have learnt to dread ….

“Yes?” I challenged defensively. I was ready to counter any sarcastic comment about my looks and age with a scathing rejoinder…. .

“It looks good on you …. But…. you have a disgruntled look when you have a beard ” she said.

That took the wind out of me. One can have shabbily dressed leaders. One can even have leaders sporting grey hair. But a leader walking around with a disgruntled look? That will be career suicide.

So I shaved off my stubble immediately.

My wife seems to have forgotten the entire episode because she did not comment when she next saw me without my beard. Being more clever than my wife, I have of course not reminded her about this subject either. 

A Circus

I wrote this letter 15 years ago (before the blogging era) describing our visit to the circus with our then 2 year old daughter Ashwini (Anupa).  We recently discovered a copy of this letter while cleaning a cupboard.
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11th May 1998
Dear Preethi,

Yesterday, all of a sudden, I had the brilliant idea that it is time I educated my off-spring about animals.  And what better way than to take her to the friendly neighbouring Gemini circus?

Arrive at the circus with just 5 minutes to go for the start.  Start rushing for the ticket booths ....

But, Anupa has her priorities right : "Ice Cream" she commands.

The one-eyed robber at the ice cream stall sizes up Anupa's mood and decides that he can ask for a premium and get it easily : "Fifteen rupeees" he demands for a tiny ice cream cup which costs only Rs 11.

Then the rush to our seats past the smelly elephant, horse and hippopotamus stalls.

Very stuffy and hot inside the circus tent.  Anupa decides to pour some ice cream on my lap to cool me down.

"Anupa, look at the elephant riding the cycle".  Anupa looks at the elephant with a bored expression which seemed to say : "So what is so great about an elephant riding a tricycle - I can ride a tricycle better".  No quarrel with that.

5 minutes later Anupa decides she has seen enough elephants riding tricycles to last her a life-time.  "Let us go home" she says.

We buy her silence by bribing her with some biscuits.

The joker of the circus makes his appearance and carries out his buffoonery.  Anupa laughs.  We become happy that Anupa is at last enjoying the circus.  But alas we are mistaken.  She is only laughing at the small baby in the next seat who has started liberally drooling over the chair.  The circus is for the birds.

The joker is carrying out his buffoonery.  "Anupa, look at the joker".  Her response : "Pichs. I want pichs".

"Chips, chips anyone, hot chips" shouts a voice in my ear as a chips seller clambers over my feet and displays his wares to Anupa knowing he has got a captive audience.  These vendors are everywhere treading on someone's toes here and blocking somebody's view there.  Why, some of the enterprising vendors have even clambered on to the stage and are trying to sell some chips to the joker.

"Anupa, look at that horse standing on two legs".

Anupa gazes uninterestedly at the horse, and suppresses a yawn which seems to say "So what, I am also standing on two legs".  Then she looks at the chips seller and says : " Pichs, I want pichs".

"Anupa, look at those people jumping up and down on the trampoline".

"Pichs, Pichs" she says and starts jumping up and down on my lap.

Finally curtain call and we head back home.

The neighbouring uncle greets us on our return.  He asks Anupa : "So sweet heart, where did you go today?"

"Cirrrcussss" she says, gladdening her parents' hearts with her quick response.

And what did you see there?" the uncle asks.

She knew this question was a toughy, so she gives careful thought to the question before answering.

"Pichs" she says.

And they say kids love the circus?  Now I know why.