Change visa rules? OkThanksBye UK!

Almost two and a half years ago, when I had a choice to either to stay back in India to finish my degree or choose to do another two full years in the UK, I happily chose the latter for more reasons than one. It was not just the prospect of having a ‘foreign degree’ (that has become such a celebrated thing) but it was the experience and more the opportunities to see new places and encounter many more interesting people. But there was also one more very important opportunity that convinced me to sign up for this twinning programme – Work after study. This sounded like such a plan that no one could talk me out of. I was able to convince my father to spend most of his life’s savings in sending me abroad for two whole years.

Its been two years now and just a few months ago, the coalition of Clegg and Cameron’s, announced the ban on the Post Study Work (PSW) visas effective of 5th April, 2012. (A PSW is a visa, usually referred to as the TIER 1 visa, that was given to any non- EU student who successfully finished his/her degree from any University in the UK). So this means, all the students who achieved their degrees successfully before the date could apply for PSWs. I’m in my final year and I am short by a few months of hopefully achieving my degree here at Swansea University. But with no prospect of applying for a PSW, finding work after an Under-graduate degree is going to be harder than I thought. The new rules according to the UK Border Agency allow only ‘highly skilled immigrants’ to stay back and only 20,700 of them. Moreover every student who comes under this category requires to earn a minimum of £20,000 AND be sponsored by a ‘recognized’ employer. The other obvious route is to pursue a Post Graduate degree but this is going to set me back by another £25000 for a single year and I simply do not have enough money for it.

So what’s my issue?

International students bring almost £9 billion to the UK into the UK Economy according to the BBC and shutting them off from a PSW will surely stop interesting half the students who plan to come here to study. At this juncture, Universities in Canada and Australia and New Zealand have opened up and loosened many regulations to let more International Students come in, not only for the extravagant fees we pay but also for offering them almost equal opportunities to successfully apply for work after graduation. So, as long as you are better than the local students, you stand an above average chance of beating them to it. This means that if the rules are going to be tightened, students will simply look elsewhere in search of better opportunities. As an Indian, I believe we form one of the highest number of International Student counts in the UK and I can see that reducing very soon, if the rules stay. It is not only unfair that the government does not let companies hire overseas students who have better scores and better aptitudes and capabilities but also end up hiring local students who probably have lower grades and so on. This way, it benefits neither the company nor the better student. In times when there are quite obviously fewer jobs than in the last 30 years, companies are surely looking to hire only the best and to shun internationals from even applying for work, is more drastic than anything.

[Prajwal Parajuly, an Oxford student and author of The Gurkha's Daughter, said: "I highly doubt if universities like Oxford and Cambridge who attract the kind of students who would be discouraged to apply simply because of changes in the visa rules.

"So, if the UK wants to be silly and turn away the world's best qualified people it's the UK's loss and the home country's gain."] – BBC

What is most evident is that by implementing such a policy, putting things in a long-term perspective, UK based companies would have no choice but to employ only the best local students, who bring in practically no cultural diversity or background which can form such a strong point on many occasions. So if the companies can’t get the best to work for them, this might even deter the interests of investment, local or foreign.

My point is neither that overseas students are better nor that we take education more seriously than drinking. I firmly believe that if a country invites students to study, it should also provide them with equal opportunities to work and pay off massive loans back in the home country. If the UK fails to recognize this soon enough, it might lose way more than it can gain.

(The UK Border Agency has not given out a lot of information about this nor have the media written much about it. I write this with the confidence that firstly, this message can be passed onto thousands of international students who still have no idea about the new visa changes and secondly, to educate all the citizens of the UK about the same)

If you are still considering a degree in the UK, please think again and make a wise decision.

First Food Review

I was invited a few days ago to do my first ever food review at the Ganesha Utsav which takes place every year at the A.P.S College Grounds in Basavanagudi, Bangalore. I’ve written about Politics, Sports and most prominently Travel and Photography clubbed together but there’s always a first time to everything, no matter how cliche that sounds. The most interesting and yet ironic subject, quite clearly was the person doing the review, ME, has probably the worst apetite in the world and in a way might just add a new angle, if any, to all the delicacies served that evening.

I landed there to be escorted to the food stalls which of course was quite overwhelmingly claustrophobic with all the smell of the dishes that were associated with various parts of Karnataka. Hosted by one of Bangalore’s top Fast Food chains, Adiga’s, it couldn’t have been a better start ( like the branding makes a difference). To start off with actually, my wasn’t on an empty stomach. The history being, I was flying off to the UK in a couple of weeks so I was with friends all afternoon at another Cafe. This, to add to my horrible apetite. But there’s something about certain kinds of food and the aroma, no matter how badly stuffed you are, you can manage to eat as much as you want, as though there existed a new/bottomless stomach. I hoped today was one of those days with one of those feelings. I was then introduced to one of the staff members who would then take me around to taste all the food, made fresh, in small quantities, just for me

To start off with, I was given some chaat to taste and I don’t know how this was associated with anything to do with being ‘local’ but it was appetising anyway. I’d avoid it if I wanted something authentic. Like DUH! The next counter is where it all started and from then on I was in a different world. I was given a plate of SHAVIGE BISIBELE BATH. Bisibele Bath is usually made using rice but this was a speciality from Mysore and it was made from Vermicelli. It didn’t taste as interesting as it looked. Although delicious, you tend to set high standards when you have other dishes competing too right? Next was South India’s and India’s favourite South Indian food – The Masala Dosa. And one thing I have to say, there’s no one who can make it better than any of the fast food places in Bangalore and this was really right up there. It was crisp and I did have one of those ‘melting in the mouth’ moments. Next I was thrust with a plate of SHAVIGE CHITHRANNA. Literally translates into Mango rice made instead with Vermicelli. I’m not a big fan of the Mango rice in general, but this wasn’t too bad, but not good enough to increase my love for the same.

I was then escorted to the next stall where the food came from the Northern region of the State. My first dish happened to be the RAGI KILSA, which personally was my favourite of the evening. It was a sweet, looked more like a HALWA from another store but it had the right amount of sweetness to it and I could actually finish an averagely sized piece. As the name suggests the base was made from RAGI – the finger millet, one of most popular pulses in Karnataka. It was the first time I had ever tasted it and I’m going to hunt it down till I can find it in Bangalore. My next plate came from Coastal Karnataka and around called THATTE IDLY with SHUNTI KEMPUChuntney. The Idlis were really soft and burnt my tongue because it was so fresh. The ginger red-chuntney was not bad at all and it was the perfect combination with Idli. Just as I managed to finish the Idli, I was thrust with a plate of hot Sabudhana Vada, which I think was from the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. It tasted alright but again I think sometimes food tastes better when its not steaming hot and that’s why a lot of times, food cooked in the morning tastes better at dinner time.

Next, I was given a plate of what looked like BHEL PURI. It tasted pretty much similar to Mango Bhel at any Chaat shop/vehicles but they called it GIRMIT. It was quite spicy laden with a lot of green chillies but it was good change from the steaming hot food. Took some time to finish it and the staff was quite patient right through and helped me with through with a couple of water bottles that become a necessity in order to neutralize the taste and also get the food going down the throat. The next stall was food from Coorg and surrounding areas and my first plate was something that looked like Idli again. Called KOTTE KADUBU, it was apparently made from the inside of the tree bark. I wish had more time to ask how exactly they managed to do that but it tasted a lot like Idli though. This time the accompaniment happened to be another kind of Chutney.

Just as I was relishing the taste of the chutney off my fingers, I was given a plate of NEER DOSA. Literally waster dosa, it’s made without or sometimes with minimal use of oil. Unlike the Masala Dosa, this was quite bland to taste. But the accompaniment was what made the dish my 2nd favourite for the evening. Named KAI HOOVU, it was sweet and went very well with the Dosa. This kept the chutney at bay and for the only time that evening I had a 2nd helping of a dish. Yes, I do think there’s something with me and having a sweet tooth! I took some time to relish it and then made way for the stock dish again from North Karnataka – JOLADA ROTTI. Roti made from corn is one of the main dishes in many regions in Karnataka and it is eaten with curd/yogurt and Egg plant curry.

And finally I had to finish it off with a sweet again from Coorg called the KAAI HAALU. More like payasam made from Rice and dry fruits, made as my desert for the day. Certainly a great experience to eat as much as I could, more than how much I’d usually have for a stock meal. But again how many times are you going to get opportunities like this to eat as much street/fast food? I think I’ve made the best use of it and I hope I’ve done a little justice to all the food that tasted so heavenly.

I might just actually do it again. MIGHT. JUST.

Hop, Skip and Trip!

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Well almost close to tripping, if you actually trip from the trippy place, you’ll fall into another small not-so-trippy place, but still trippy enough to get you trippy!

Yes, I was referring to Gokarna and the small town happens to be a place called Karwar, just an hour from the Goa border on one side and the earlier mentioned town. It falls right in between these two places, so that makes it less crowded, less commercialised and all that goes with an unorthodox tourist location. The town is filled with a sense of warmth and welcoming-ness as though one was part of the place.

So it all started when I said I want to do something alone, so I travelled alone. But personally I don’t see ‘travelling’ and ‘alone’ fit in the same sentence because the whole intention in travelling is to get rid of any loneliness. So, I booked the bus tickets on www.RedBus.com just a day before leaving. I still hadn’t decided on which Hotel to stay in. So I searched for a couple of sites which had the required Hotel information, called up the Hotel and asked for vacancy. Savan Deluxe Hotel is a decent boarding abode, not too luxurious or also on the other extreme ( the OCD class). It is like I said earlier, decent. So I was all set to leave. I took along with me a couple of DVDs, books and of course my camera to satisfy some more of that lust.

Karwar is a good 12-14 hour bus journey from Bangalore, with some stretches of roads actually having the courage to throw you off your seat. So depending on the road, you should reach in 12 hours. This coastal town, like any, is humid and hot. Savan Deluxe Hotel had a great cooling system to help me cool off in my AC  deluxe room. The room costs are reasonable and the AC deluxe room (my presidential suite!) costs Rs. 650 including taxes (as on May 15, 2010). Checking in was not really formal and you don’t see a lot of people around (or in) the hotel, especially in MAY! I dared to go for it at such an odd time, even when the likelihood of rain was high. One thing you should remember is that all activities close during the months of June till end of September. Supposedly after the monsoon onslaught, is the best time to go. Hence, being the hottest month of the year, there was obviously no problem with getting the room.

The hotel has a bar and restaurant but it was a little too shady. If you’re travelling alone, you might want to be safe because it can get crowded with not the best kind of crowd. I suggest you order food/drinks to your room or just get out of the hole and go exploring. Being the person I am, I chose the latter. I wandered through the streets of Karwar, mostly parallel to the beach and that’s it to the city. The restaurants close pretty early, compared to the Sagars and the Darshinis in Bangalore or Mysore. So you might want to head for dinner at around 7.30-8-ish to be on the safer side, also before it can get too crowded. After a filling dinner at one of the few restaurants, I walked back a good kilometre or so to my hotel and settled in for the night with a good movie.

Getting up in the morning is probably the easiest things in Karwar. There is the thought of the fresh tea/coffee and breakfast. But much before the breakfast, one will get up and head down to the beach. So did I. It is almost that temptation, a sort of urge that needs to be fulfilled and if you’re wise enough, you’ll head down early to avoid much of a crowd. After just sitting there and doing my first bit of introspective rounds for over an hour or two, I had to attend to my next urge. My Stomach.

This time I head to another restaurant serving some piping hot south Indian coffee and some chow-chow bath. Ecstatic was the word. Such a small town can produce such amazing amount of happiness, for the stomach of course. I filled myself with as much as I could to keep me happy till lunch. Once I got out of the restaurant, I couldn’t help but curse myself for choosing such a time of the year to visit Karwar. The humidity hits you so hard, that you’d either want to jump in the water or jump in the bus back home. I chose none. Instead I took the long walk back home, switched on my air conditioner and off I went into paradise again. After all I was on VACATION!

There is honestly not much you can do in Karwar and go ga-ga about, but why I’d like to recommend this place to each person is because of it’s simplicity, the warmth of the ‘real’ kind, not commercialised and corrupted by ‘hospitality’. Since I went at a time when the rains were on their way, most fun outdoor activities were cancelled, something that I was looking forward to sincerely. about a half an hour auto-rickshaw ride from Karwar, gets you to a place called Devbagh. Technically, Devbagh is an island, so one has to reach it only by boat. The boat to Devbagh seems to have been privatised to one of the premier resorts in India, who also happen to own a resort on the Island. The Devbagh Beach Resort conducts many outdoor activities, mainly water-based. (DUH!) A day package could cost you a little over Rs. 1000 (as on May 15, 2101). The price includes meals, activities and transfers to and from the island. If you wish to stay back at the Resort, depending on the availability of the rooms, you will be given accommodation and of course charged. I missed out on all these activities as the Resort closed down for Monsoon a couple of days before I arrived. After an enquiry, the Resort said that they could arrange something, but all the outdoor activities would remain closed. Disappointed for obvious reasons, I decided stay back and end my day with another tasty dinner.

The following day was my last day at the place.

Since my bus was late that evening, I wanted to sleep in but I happen to be up early and thought I’d go for a walk on the beach before it gets too hot. I did go for a stroll after a hot cuppa tea just outside the hotel. I was back pretty quick and as expected the sun began to get scorching enough and I couldn’t wait to come back to to the comfort of my air conditioned paradise. I got some food from the restaurant below but it was pretty awful and I wished I’d gone out for lunch. With absolutely no such intentions, I put my legs on the bed, decreased the temperature and off I went to sleep in no time. I checked out late and the guy at the reception charged me extra although there wasn’t anyone else in the hotel. But I still did have an amazing trip and I cleared the bill with a sense of satisfaction

The bus journey back home wasn’t bad and the next thing I knew I was back in Bangalore with the claustrophobic feeling creeping back in after such freedom and miles and miles of just sand and water. I’m going back. Someday. Soon…

Swansea – Abertawe

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That one rainy evening, the sun still shone

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Dandeli – swalpa stamina, full vegetarian, sooper majaa!

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Since I plan to start from the latest trip, I’ll write about Dandeli.

April 9th-12th, 2010.

So, I was walking down the main block of Christ university and I happened to see this board which had the words – nature conservation, trekking, all meals included, Dandeli and Rs. 2600.

I signed up for this, not knowing what to expect and there we were, 21 people, in the railway station on the 9th.

This was exactly how one of the best trips I’ve done so far began. I mean, it was something that supported what I believed, that you know you’re travelling and you don’t know what to expect as an end result. As I was saying, we reached that Dandeli station after no night’s rest, whatsoever. This was a sign to come.

We reached the Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Resort in the same named Reserve, situated along the River Kali, which flows into the Arabian Sea. It is a good 10-12 hour drive from Bangalore and about the same by train. The closest airport is Panaji, Goa, about 2-3 hours from the Reserve. It is 100 kms. from the nearest coastal town of Karwar. Speaking of which Gokarna is not very far either.Coming back to the Resort, it is owned by the Forest Department so you will need to contact the department for permission to stay here. The main animals that are spotted most frequently are birds like Hornbills, Shikaras, Kingfishers, among others. There are very high chances of spotting leopards in summer as they exist in plenty. Tigers are spotted too, but only the lucky ones do. [A tiger was spotted behind one of the tents just three days before we arrived ]

We were not exactly in the middle of nowhere, but it was a good distance away from ‘human settlements’ (I won’t say civilisation) . It was pretty hot when we reached there and we were going to be allotted our tents only after lunch, which was a good 3-4 hours away. Since there was so much time, we were given about an hour to just freshen up and head for a late breakfast. After breakfast we were guided into a hall where we were given some caps and a T-shirt for the trip.

Just when we thought that the rest of the day would be free and to ourselves to explore the place, the organising committee dropped the bomb. “We’re going for a small trek, just about 3 kms”. Of course it sounded awesome, but not when most of us hadn’t even got our bit of sleep in the train the previous night. So we followed their instructions and left for the trek, panting and puffing, already!  The trek was actually not bad, except the timing (11 am in mid-summer at 38ºC). We set out and it was strenuous because it was more of climbing up and down, well laid out concrete staircases. (Wait a sec! This was not my idea of trekking in a jungle) We finished the ‘trek’ in about 2 hours where we visited Sintheri Rocks and then headed for the river where all of us just jumped in. Some of us had to be pulled out of the river, by force (it was that refreshing!). Since I was adamant enough not to carry extra clothes, a couple of them joined me in settling on top of the jeep and we headed for our allotted tents.

Excited as we all were, the tents turned out to be perfect. Brilliant ones, with three of us in a single tent although in ours we managed with four. Somehow we settled in and went off to sleep for a while after the sumptuous lunch. We freshened up again for some more presentations about tigers and other animals that could be found in the vicinity in the evening. Most of us switched off early to compensate for the previous night. Also, for what was coming the next day. The 6 km. trek.

We were supposed to get up at 0530 and get ready to collect our breakfast by 0600. We were slated to leave at 0630 but by the time everyone got out of their tents, filled our water bottles (most of us carried two or more) and left, it was almost 0700. So we left in our jeeps, feeling the cool breeze in the morning. It was good as we started out early, we couldn’t feel the heat of the sun, even if it was up by about 9, completely blazing. The jeeps dropped us off at a certain point and we walked from there. We walked and walked and walked. We walked more and more. Then we finally came to a pit stop after climbing down for a while on some stairs. It was a nice place with a small cave inside which contained stalactites and stalagmites and also a naturally made statue of the ‘linga’. After touring the caves, we climbed down  little more and finally reached the river where we were going to swim again. We ate the breakfast that was provided to us by the river and then jumped in. I did get a few pictures in the river. After what felt like heaven (about an hour and a half) we readied ourselves to continue the journey, now upwards. We climbed and climbed for about a km. or two and then we finally reached the plain stretch land. We walked another 300 mts. to find the jeeps waiting for us. We jumped in and most of us passed out for about an hour until we reached the Resort.

In the evening, an environmentalist Mr. Bhatt came to visit us. We had a little chat with him and then we were informed that they had scheduled a night walk, yes a walk in the jungle at night. It would be pitch dark and we would walk, one behind another, not knowing what would be lying in front of us. When the time arrived, we equipped ourselves with torches only to learn that the leader alone was allowed to use the torch, not the 20 of us walking behind. We were given instructions to remain as quiet as possible as it would increase the chances of catching a wild animal. So we walked for about 10 minutes and then we heard something running. When the person flashed the torch, we saw nothing. It was supposedly just a small animal, according to Mr. Bhatt and the locals. After the futile search, we were made to sit down in our paths in three rows. We sat there for another 15 mins. observing the sounds of crickets, other insects and a few birds. We spent just half an hour but it has to be one of the best experiences of my life.

Just when we thought that our trip was coming to end, we were informed that we would be going for another trek, the following morning. But we were allowed the wake up a little later than the previous day, at 0700. We eventually would leave only at 0845 after a few games conducted for us. This was going to be the toughest trek of the tour. Now the path that we were walking in, inspired me as it was the ‘real’ trekking type; hard, slippery and narrow. We walked across dry rivers, even ones that were tributaries of River Kali. We trekked for almost 2 hours, some girls already crying out of fear. Then we reached the point that struck us all by surprise, making it worse for more women. A hill next to the waterfall!! We were going to trek on the mountain, without any support or safety measures. We helped each other and I managed to get a small scratch on my camera lens as it accidentally hit something while climbing. (Carrying a camera around your neck and climbing, not a good idea at all!). It was a mind-blowing experience no doubt, but tested our stamina. Being a sportsperson, I did not  feel the pinch, except on the first day (because of lack on sleep and tiredness of the train journey!). I got some brilliant shots though, of the camouflaged lizard and the pink dragonfly. After what seemed like ages, all of reached the top of the waterfall and then to the plain stretch of land. This was about 6-8 km trek. Although the trek consisted of a lot of other things, the mountain-climbing experience had to one of the most memorable ones.

We got back to the hostel and I was actually ready for more. We had lunch and we were instructed to pack our bags as we were leaving that evening. We packed and assembled to discuss about the entire trip, how all of us enjoyed and what we all learned from the trip. (I learned to bond with nature and I’d definitely do more to give back to them, in whatever way I can). Certificates were distributed and then they took us to the Crocodile Park. It wasn’t any big park, but just a small area where you could just see crocs swimming freely but the water was polluted from the paper factory waste. There were lots of them, we would have easily seen 20 of them and the man who feeds them regularly said that during October-November one can easily spot upto 200 crocs in the area. I did get some nice shots of them swimming.

Satisfied as we were, we headed back to the Resort for an early dinner (at 1830!!). I ate light and we were off to the station. This time no one dared to be up the entire night and most of us passed out until morning. It was one of the best nature conservation camps that I had attended, not that I have attended many, but I know it wouldn’t be of this quality.

This trip is strongly recommended. The best time to go has to be before May and after the rains. Winter is great but it would be cold so stack up some warm clothes. But in case you plan to do that trip, please carry cargo pants and do not trek in jeans or in shorts. 3/4 pants should be okay as long as your socks can cover the rest of your leg.

Cheers.

P.S: All the pictures from the previous article were taken in Dandeli.

I think with my legs and eat with my eyes.

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“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson.

From here this blog is going to be seriously dedicated to my travel and photography, for which I believe, I’m born for. I’m restless, continually in need of something new, something exciting, something that satisfies this lust, but I know that it is not easy to put to rest, because once I do, I’m done with life. SO here I am, to wander, to travel and capture that memory, naked and share it with the world.

The endless journey never begins, it never stops, it has been endless since.

Indian Benami League

Well as far as the second most expensive league in the world, IPL, is concerned, I have nothing much to say except positive remarks. But about the commissioner of this league, Lalit Modi, I have too many words and most, not that positive.

My blog appears to endorse Tharoor and his antics, but how much can you really blame me. He’s in the news all the time, screwing the right people and this time fortunately or unfortunately, it happens to be the other Modi. Lalit’s true image slowly comes out into the open. First, he has been charged for possession of cocaine in the US courts. Also in the same court, he has pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges. Finally, he has a huge stake in Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, which of course is illegal in itself. How can a criminal be THE head of such a huge tournament, one that can edge out EPL only in it’s third edition of the same offering, when the latter has been around for years and way more fan base than any other sport in the world??

I think we should go back to the saying “it happens only on INDIA” and convince ourselves that it’s just a small thing. After all, some of them have even killed and punishing those who kill!

And as far as Tharoor and his “girlfriend” is concerned, I have nothing to say at this moment. I’ll get more updates on this asap.

But whatever it may be, the Indian ‘Benami’ Premier League might just be here to stay.

The Congress’ reactions towards the Minister for State for Foreign Affairs, Shashi Tharoor’s Tweet shows how inconsiderate and spoilt-sports they can be. A modern party and a party that rides on youth ministers, disapproves of satire. Tharoor, who is known to be one of the most educated party member, would think twice if he wanted to call the economy class the “cattle class”.

Immaturity as is seen, the Congress must buck up and look at other concurrent issues that need immediate resolution. Such issues within the party will take them nowhere and should not be debated about.

Akshay

P.S: Check out these!!

Tharoor constituency backs him

Welcome, should I say?

Well I’m not too sure about my first step in blogging but here I am, a bit too late perhaps but to convince myself, I’ll say its better late than never.

My blogs will mainly contain my views and perspectives about all the things that interest and of course those that do not. It may be semi-professional to personal and also sometimes savaging, if I may say.

For those of you who save my grace by reading this blog, please do not forget to leave a comment or two about what you think and I shall reply, at my own discretion of course.

Cheers,

Akshay