DilliMeriJaan

Apologies for terrible pictures, I forgot to take my camera in all the excitement. Russia has the dubious distinction of being the most unfriendly country in the world. But it is also the land of Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and this year’s Football World Cup. So I set out for ‘the land of no smiles’, armed with a solemn expression and a Russian speaking friend. The second was most useful but the first was absolutely unnecessary. Go to Russia with a grin and an open mind – the place is bursting with friendly people who will materialise at every metro station and street corner, and try to help. It will be a long process of wild gesticulations as they don’t speak English. But at the end, you would have had a really nice time if not the direction to your destination. Some of my favourite things from the trip are: 1.        Music– I had read about the healing powers of Russian nuns singing, in a book.   We didn’t hear nuns but we heard ...

Part 1 -  https://dillimeriijaan.blogspot.com/2016/04/times-when-i-shudder.html As we publicly berate mindless acts of eco-vandalism, we continue to get unpopular. In a sudden moment of methodical madness, I decided to categorise us unpopular earth lovers, according to primary passion.   1.        Tree planters – there is a fanatical band of tree growers, thanks to whom we still continue to breathe. They are planting despite ‘objections’ (people want to park cars, rather than breathe), with or without permissions. They are clinging to trees to stop them from getting chopped and becoming very unpopular in their neighbourhood. 2.        Car avoiders – my CXO-level friends hang from metro rails and reach office beaming with sweat and joy. They don’t have to swerve through crazy traffic and also get to be green. They are very unpopular with colleagues who just don’t ‘get’ why their boss has to be so ‘cheap...