Amamma and Email

The world was once divided as the Haves and the Have Nots .... but today it is divided as the digital haves and the digital have nots ..

Technology has only one simple aim - to enrich and simplify people's lives. Then why is it that so many people are intimidated by it ? In my opinion its the digital haves who snootily and jealously guard technology from the less informed.... it gives you that social edge in your family.. 
How many times have we seen this ...... proud middle class Indian parents gifting a PC to their child after scrimping and saving for it . The home maker mother religiously dusts it and cleans it each day .. this is the kaamputer that holds the key to her child's brilliant future. She wants to partake the wonders of this box , but is so afraid that she may spoil an expensive gadget ( it does not matter that she can run a mixer grinder, microwave, TV and home theatre with amazing dexterity!) ... 

The jargon is also what intimidates her .. email,sms,internet,google,blogging,facebook,orkut .. And so many times she longingly hovers over the shoulder of her computer erudite kids , when they are online not to pry upon them , but out of pure wonder and awe...When the kids do want to teach her ,some people leap at the opportunity, some retreat back to their comfortable cocoons if the initiation to the digital world is not too smooth.

It is our duty and responsibility to keep coaxing the interested ones to let go of their fears and use our pcs and laptops and palmtops ... so what if it crashes. they can always be mended ( for a reasonable cost ,... just remember to take backups of your important files,though!). ..

My 73 year old grandmother just sent out her first email yesterday ... ( she did everything on her own , from getting an e mail id to typing a mail out , slowly , one keystroke at a time, asking for help each time she was stuck ). She has sent out mails to all her grandchildren. Right now as we talk she is talking of setting up a Facebook account  :-).

For a forced college dropout( she got married, though she was excellent in studies way back then) and home maker,this is her ticket to staying tuned with the times.
Her  feeling of elation and achievement..... that's priceless!

For me, technology has truly achieved its purpose . 

Carbon Footprint... and ...singing in the shower

Just checked my Carbon Footprint by doing a lifestyle analysis on a popular website.

Its simple I thought ... I am a vegetarian,and I recycle,take care to conserve electricity, minimize my use of plastic, love to consume vegetables from the local bhaji wala bhaiya ..( the occasional broccoli is bought off the shelves from malls , so are bell peppers :-) ). I should be a very "Green" Person ..and my carbon footprint would be very small...

I was in for a rude shock ... I had a huge Footprint ... not something to smirk about . That is because I occasionally use my husband's car as a mode of transport while commuting to office .. I take rickshaws instead of buses... and I use the shower to bathe!!!!!

All I wanted to do was try and make a difference to the environment and bring down global warming. But now to do this , I must bathe using a bucket ,that means not use the shower, try and avoid using the flush ( !!!!!!!!!!!),walk down to office ( I could use that :-) ).. I am so confused ... I plan to try these life style amendments ...though not without protest .....( boo hoo hoo , as it is, I have an austere lifestyle.)

Do I go back to the Stone Age now ? Will ask Ravi to gather food by hiking down to Aarey Milk Colony ... I am blowing this way out of proportion ...Sigh....!

Well I do want to give this a fair chance as I want there to be a Planet Earth for my grandchildren (cheesy liner) ....No harm in trying ... but Singing in the Shower might never be the same again...

Go Green ,

Sravs

Kettuvallams ... Captain .. oh ...Captain

Kerala will be so incomplete without the Houseboat experience in the Kerala backwaters ... This post is an effort to chronicle the experience of six awestruck travelers for posterity.

After a long drive in the sweltering Kerala heat, we reached Allepey - Venice of the East , from Munnar. And then we embarked on the experience of a lifetime.

Houseboats in Kerala are called Kettuvalams ( In Malayalam , kettu - means tying and valam -means rustic boats). You are transported to the main Kettuvalam in small canoes .. yes the very canoes which are a primary source of transport in the backwaters. Well , the six of us sat in the canoes without as much daring to move a finger for fear of capsizing the canoe. We had heard enough stories of friends being dunked into the backwaters.

And then we saw our Kettuvalam , Mayoora tethered to a coconut tree. It was a 1BHK,stocked with a home theater and a library, with an unfurnished upper deck. That was all we could get on that day , considering we did not have any previous bookings and wanted a good deal for the money spent....(read something easy on our pockets...:-) )

After a traditional welcome by the staff, we set out on a magical cruise with a helper,cook and attendant in tow. As we were cruising along the waters - we came across many kettuvalams, rented by mostly foreign tourists. Some of thekettuvalams had upto 11 bedrooms and were huge.

As we went along, the waters suddenly opened out to the vast expanse of Lake Vembanad. For three magical hours , we were engulfed by the sounds of the screeching of sea gulls,the waves lapping against the boat and the dull drone of the engines.

We were served lunch cooked on board, sea food bought fresh from the banks of the backwaters. So after a sumptuous meal ,we settled down to watch the waters and the landscape glide by.

Sadly, we could not extend our cruise as the next occupants were a newly wed couple on their honeymoon.. the staff had started decorating Mayoora for them , much to our amusement.

I don't know ... but somehow that glide along the vast waters , put a lot of things into perspective for me.

The next time we are on a Kettuvalam, I want it to be on a moonlit night. Or at the time , monsoon announces its arrival in Kerala ,or gliding in the waters when there is a slight drizzle.

I have struck one thing off the Things to do before I die list ...

Happy Exploring ,

Sravs