It was one of my usual business trips when I try and cover all contiguous markets to save time and money. So from Istanbul I flew Turkish Airways to Cairo. Turkish Airlines was an accidental yet a good surprise.
Infact I had protested to HRG Sita my travel agent why they put me on Turkish, an untried though Star Alliance carrier. HRG told me I had approved it. This must have been those hypnagogic moments when I say yes to many things which I believe do not merit minute attention. But as you can imagine I later regret.
But the airline was a delight. The Business class was good, hospitality I think second to may be Singapore Airlines, fare competitive and food choices enough. The Business Class was also quite sparsely populated that added to the comfort.
The day I landed in Cairo, Tunisian dictator Ben Ali had sought asylum in Saudi.
Cairo was whispering. The soothsayers predicted turmoil if not doom. The contagion of the Jasmine Revolution was deemed to take over this north African land of the Nile.
Call it determinism or the operation of the anthropic principle, the children of Tutankhamun seemed destined for a period of unrest and strife. I say anthropic as I think the conditions are determined by the outcome as much as the outcome by the conditions. The argument may sound counterintuitive on a logical plane but on a platonic one you will see it holds merit.
Well Egypt indeed bears similarities with India. The society is hierarchical. The culture is rich and ancient. Anthropomorphisation was integral to both cultures till the wave of Islamisation swept the land of Nile like it did all the contiguous lands. The only difference being that India retained its culture in some variegated form, like wine maturing in a bottle, and Egypt lost it to Islam. It took the westerners to help Egyptians recognize the science of the Giza Pyramids or the pristine nature of their cultural richness and heritage.
In fact in some respects, the rot in Egypt was evidently more than India. I traveling with my agent whose car bore the sign of the Parliament. He was hailed by a cop for overshooting the zebra at A traffic light. Noticing the sign of the Parliament on the car, the cop smiled and stepped back. In India now a days they do make a pretense of the equality before law.
Also at the entrance of the museum I got a feeling some Americans were let in with out proper identification. When I shouted/protested, the security officers were apologetic. This too was familiar. First allow in violation of a rule and upon being checked behave sheepishly, in fact the guards at the entrance thought I was some person in authority even though not Egyptian. The only difference being, that in India they would perhaps not allow foreigners without frisking but anybody in white khaddar or an I card with steel chain (a bureaucrat )they would.
Infact I had protested to HRG Sita my travel agent why they put me on Turkish, an untried though Star Alliance carrier. HRG told me I had approved it. This must have been those hypnagogic moments when I say yes to many things which I believe do not merit minute attention. But as you can imagine I later regret.
But the airline was a delight. The Business class was good, hospitality I think second to may be Singapore Airlines, fare competitive and food choices enough. The Business Class was also quite sparsely populated that added to the comfort.
The day I landed in Cairo, Tunisian dictator Ben Ali had sought asylum in Saudi.
Cairo was whispering. The soothsayers predicted turmoil if not doom. The contagion of the Jasmine Revolution was deemed to take over this north African land of the Nile.
Call it determinism or the operation of the anthropic principle, the children of Tutankhamun seemed destined for a period of unrest and strife. I say anthropic as I think the conditions are determined by the outcome as much as the outcome by the conditions. The argument may sound counterintuitive on a logical plane but on a platonic one you will see it holds merit.
Well Egypt indeed bears similarities with India. The society is hierarchical. The culture is rich and ancient. Anthropomorphisation was integral to both cultures till the wave of Islamisation swept the land of Nile like it did all the contiguous lands. The only difference being that India retained its culture in some variegated form, like wine maturing in a bottle, and Egypt lost it to Islam. It took the westerners to help Egyptians recognize the science of the Giza Pyramids or the pristine nature of their cultural richness and heritage.
In fact in some respects, the rot in Egypt was evidently more than India. I traveling with my agent whose car bore the sign of the Parliament. He was hailed by a cop for overshooting the zebra at A traffic light. Noticing the sign of the Parliament on the car, the cop smiled and stepped back. In India now a days they do make a pretense of the equality before law.
Also at the entrance of the museum I got a feeling some Americans were let in with out proper identification. When I shouted/protested, the security officers were apologetic. This too was familiar. First allow in violation of a rule and upon being checked behave sheepishly, in fact the guards at the entrance thought I was some person in authority even though not Egyptian. The only difference being, that in India they would perhaps not allow foreigners without frisking but anybody in white khaddar or an I card with steel chain (a bureaucrat )they would.
Each and every word describing the aspects at all junctures is a visual treat to read..most importantly the joy profound to know the malfunctioning establishment in EGYPT too On the same indian level soothes the turbulent mind that if egyptions united can throw the mismanagement out...so can we..there is a sence of people getting angry...and that gives a faint hope of YES WE CAN TOO...
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