Inside Edinburgh

Sometimes, the day gets set up just so, and the wind feels right on your cheek. The hours flow by, and that pretty girl in the dress looks up from her coffee as you pass by - and smiles. The haggis and whisky were brilliant last night, and yet you don't feel like a pig today. You smell beauty, love and hope in the air, look up to thank God for being alive, and there it is - the most amazing sunset you've ever seen.

Some days are monochrome on the Bridge

Some days are moody on the Bridge. The fog rolls in and the incessant hum of traffic is muted. There are no cyclists, no joggers, no thrill-seekers. The bridge is sufficient, in and of itself - introspecting silently in the fog. It reflects my thoughts faithfully, my footsteps muffled.

A cloudy day on the Golden Gate Bridge

In a different light: Shoreline at dusk

In London

In London - a magical place! I'm certain it's the only place in the world where you can see a sphinx along with an oversize clock and an Abbey all together...relics of the Raj, you see! Harks back to the days when the sun never set on the Empire, and India was the Jewel in the Crown. There, it's done - I've managed to bring together at least three cliches on the colonization era in a couple of sentences. All inspired by the incredible concentration of history and heritage visible in almost every street and alley of London. It's a heady experience to be in London - the historical perspective is a constant backbeat, the effect of being the financial center of the world (becoming somewhat debatable, true!), the upsurge of probably the most trendy & hip crowd in any city, and the waves of immigration that have shaped the city's neighborhoods. A reverse colonization, if you pardon that little conceit! But so true, I reflected, as the suburban train pulled out of Southall, probably the only station in the world outside India where the name of the station is stated everywhere in two languages - English and Gurmukhi (Punjabi script).

That said, the impact of British colonization on India itself has been incredibly profound and is well documented too. But perhaps one does need a reminder periodically, that being a British colony is after all, only a generation away for the country. That's right, this year it'll be sixty years since India's independence! The previous generation paid the price, and this generation is beginning to reap the benefits - for, as I like to observe, India was colonized in parts by the British, the French, the Portuguese and even the Dutch. And the British managed to throw everyone else out, which how most Indians today are fluent in English. The colonization had a completely unforeseen fallout that has become a key competitive advantage in today's global economy. An object lesson perhaps, of the law of unintended consequences!

Footnote:
The law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people—and especially of government—always have effects that are unanticipated or "unintended." Economists and other social scientists have heeded its power for centuries; for just as long, politicians and popular opinion have largely ignored it.

The concept of unintended consequences is one of the building blocks of economics. Adam Smith's "invisible hand," the most famous metaphor in social science, is an example of a positive unintended consequence. Smith maintained that each individual, seeking only his own gain, "is led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention," that end being the public interest. "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, or the baker, that we expect our dinner," Smith wrote, "but from regard to their own self interest."

(extract from Unintended Consequences by Rob Norton, Library of Economics & Liberty, The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics)

Outside Edinburgh: Rosslyn Chapel

Edinburgh is beautiful for me, perhaps because of what the city has in itself and maybe because of the happy combination of the city and some lovely old friends who happen to live there. There is a sense of living history in Edinburgh as with most historic old cities - not just in form of cordoned-off protected monuments for tourists, but as ancient palaces, churches, chapels and whatnot that are still in use. An excellent example - Rosslyn Chapel, located on the outskirts, that became famous through the Da Vinci Code book. It's got some amazing sculpture and representations not seen in any other church across the world, and tourists throng there even during the extensive restoration. But the really striking aspect is that it's still a living breathing place of worship.




And of course, the views from outside the chapel are worth a moment or two as well!

Birds of a feather

On sailboats

One quiet California summer afternoon I drove out to Santa Cruz, thinking of taking pictures of the ocean, sunsets on the beach and whatnot. When I got there, there was no idyllic view to be found. The place was teeming with folks on the beach - sunbathers, surfers, and hordes of squealers on the Boardwalk. Lots of people who believed that there was a special rush in riding roller coasters by the ocean. As I threaded my way between some of the sun-worshipers, I realized I was conspicuous by my clothes, or rather, by the amount of clothing I had on, and by the camera stuff hanging by my shoulders. There was absolutely nothing to take pictures of, unless one was interested in immortalizing vacationing thrill-seekers from the Midwest, their ghostly-white legs a dead giveaway....! It was disappointing, to say the least.

I decided to take a walk, maybe catch a beer to commiserate in silence and wandered away from the beach, through a neighborhood, past a large gray stone whale with a perky smile. As I crested a hill, and looked downward, I saw a sailboat in the distance. Then another, and another. And many more.



Sunset forgotten, I spent the rest of the afternoon with the sailboats. The boats were amazing - in their simplicity of purpose, the complexity of their operation. It felt like each boat seemed alive - with it's own personality, it's own intentions. As the sun went down I realized that it wasn't really all that quiet down by the boats. There was the usual magical California afternoon hush, but the language of the boats made it extra-special - sail-ropes creaked, prows rubbed against the dock, the clink of cook-pots, the murmur of weekend warriors plotting their next escape.