Dinesh

Day 5 Today was supposed to be the last day of our official tour, but I had other plans. I decided to stay back for one more day to explore the local areas. Fortunately, one of my colleagues from the cohort also had the same idea, and she knew a local who had helped us. After breakfast, we left the hotel and took public transport to the meeting location. Some key persons we met during the trip attended this final meeting. We were joined by representatives from the Ministry, and together we provided feedback on the agenda we had been following throughout the tour and suggested a few action items. Honestly, I’m not sure how many of those will be implemented, but we don’t have much say in that. The official tour concluded with a networking lunch, and we were free for the rest of the day. The group decided to return to the hotel for a quick siesta and then visit the market area in the evening. Berlin, the capital, was undergoing numerous construction projects, and we saw "work in prog...

We packed our things and set off for Berlin, the capital, via a private bus, as covering the ~200 km distance by public transport would have been difficult. One curious thing we noticed as we began the journey was that the driver insisted everyone wear seat belts—it was mandatory. I found it uncomfortable sitting in a two-seater with a seatbelt on and felt a bit suffocated. So, midway through the journey, I moved to the back seat, even though it was technically against traffic regulations! You won’t believe this, but during my entire week of traveling across the country, I heard a car horn only twice. The first time was on this long road trip, and even then, it was a mild sound, and the second was in a Berlin market area. The trip taught us many valuable lessons. For instance, everyone strictly followed lane discipline. There was a ~25 km traffic jam on the national highway due to heavy truck traffic, but none of the vehicles, including our bus, moved into the car lane, even though it ...

The very next day was maximum of travelling. We left to  Braunschweig via ICE (Inter-City Express). We had the breakfast from the hotel and taken a parcel for afternoon, as we'll be mostly travelling for the day. The plan was to have a changeover at Frankfurt and take the second train to reach our destination. But for our surprise, the train was running late for about 40 minutes, co-passengers said that this is not usual. Due to the delay, our plan got changed. Instead of changing in Frankfurt, we were asked to change in Hannover.  We were travelling in the reserved coach and we were not sure whether someone will come there to occupy the seat after Frankfurt, as our original reservation was till then. Finally we managed to reach Hannover without any hassle. Till now we had seen the country, which is quite calm , neat and less populated. But the scene in Hanover was completely different. The station was so crowded and it was not that clean. We all were puzzled and even to board...

The very next morning, despite feeling tired, I woke up at 5.45 AM. Not only on that day, but throughout my entire stay there, regardless of what time I went to bed, I would always wake up around 5.45 AM. This might be due to the long daylight hours in the area, as the sun rises as early as 4 AM. I decided to go for a morning walk with my colleagues, and during our 45-minute walk, we covered almost 70% of the city. It was a beautiful sight to see the historical buildings and streets illuminated by the morning sunrays, devoid of people. Early Morning Sun - Picture taken at 4:30 AM Near our hotel stood a majestic old building that seemed to carry a sense of legacy. Curious about its history, I inquired with the locals who informed me that it used to be an old post office building but had been converted into a shopping mall. A small portion of the building still serves as a post office. One of the many things we Indians can learn from the German people is their commitment to protecting an...

As many of you know, I was in Germany for a week as part of my official trip. It gave me a lot of insights about Europe, the EU, and specifically about Germany. It was a wonderful week that I spent there. In this mini-series, I'll share the things which I had learned and observed there. I visited three cities: Karlsruhe, Braunschweig, and Berlin. In each city, I spent roughly a couple of nights and had the chance to explore Berlin a little more than the other two. I also traveled through other cities by train or bus and learned a few things along the way. What was my first reaction? Like anyone else, I too felt a little nervous and anxious before traveling. Even though I usually travel alone to many parts of India, this was my first international trip, and I was traveling alone. I became more conscious and observed even the smallest details around me to avoid making mistakes and not miss anything. My travel agent suggested to go with Qatar Airways, which required a connecting fligh...

வேலையற்றவனின் டைரி  ஆசிரியர்: ஜி.ஆர்.சுரேந்திரநாத்  வெளியீடு: இந்து தமிழ் திசை  நம்மை சுற்றி பல நகைச்சுவைகள், கேளிக்கையான சம்பவங்கள் நடந்துகொண்டுதான் இருக்கின்றது. காலஓட்டத்தில் பெரும்பாலானோர் அதை கவனிப்பதில்லை அல்லது அசட்டையாய் இருந்துவிடுகின்றோம். ஆனால், அவை அனைத்தையும் - பள்ளிக்கூடம் போன நாள் தொடங்கி சினிமா பார்த்தது; பஜ்ஜி சாப்பிட்டது; நண்பர்களுடன் கதை அடித்தது; காதல் வயப்பட்டது - ஓரிரு பக்கங்களில் படிக்கநேர்த்தால்? அதுவே இப்புத்தகம்!!  இக்கட்டுரை இந்து தமிழின் இணைப்பிதழில் தொடராக (வரம் ஒரு அத்தியாயம்) வெளிவந்த சமயத்தில், தற்செயலாக ஒரு நாள் படிக்க நேர்ந்தது. அதன்பின் வாரம் தவறாமல் படிக்க தொடங்கினேன். படிப்பதில் பலவகை genre உள்ளது, அதில் இப்புத்தகம் / கட்டுரை தொகுப்பு lite reading material. பெரியளவில் மூளைக்கு வேலை கொடுக்காமல் பொழுதுபோக படிக்கவேண்டிய கட்டுரை தொகுப்பு.  மத்திம வயதில் இருக்கும் பெரும்பாலானோருக்கு பகிர்ந்துகொள்ள பழங்கதைகள் இருக்கும். இளம்வயது விளையாட்டுகள், பதின்ம வயது காதல், நண்பர்களுடனான பொழுதுகள்... இப்படி சொல்லிக்கொண்டே போகலாம். அப்படிப்பட...