Derby through Indian eyes

By Madhav Kara, GSE Team from D3150

After a recent visit, Madhav Kara, Deputy City Editor of Indian newspaper The Hindu, reveals what he thought about his time in Derbyshire and the East Midlands.

It was as if I was chased out of the F1 circuit of life and dumped into the slow lane on the M1. No screaming headlines, no dreadful deadlines.

Life’s pace almost came to a screeching halt all of a sudden! From the breakneck speed of the hurried world of journalism, life turned into a gentle stroll!

It was as if someone had erased the very concept of speed from my regimen.

Here I was thousands of miles away from home in South India, and yet at home amidst people from the Big Raj whom I never knew in 33 years of my existence!

And yes, the English skies were full of stars and like its people circulated warmth contrary to what everyone had to say about its weather!

I was in the hinterlands of England, the East Midlands where the hearts are larger, the smiles bigger and arms ever welcoming than anywhere else in the Old Blighty

And here I was suddenly finding time for everything in life and at the same time having the time of my life!

Time for quiet contemplation, time to look around and take in the purest of air and the most beautiful of landscapes and yes, time for conversations that only seem to get shorter and shorter in today’s fast paced world, time for knowing one another and letting the waves of new friendships lap gently against the shores of my sensibilities.

Was this a rebirth of sorts? A rediscovery of one’s own self or was I afloat in the river of dreams?

All these and more thanks to Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange Programme that brought me all the way to Rotary International District 1220 comprising of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire

Two months back I hardly knew about Rotary except that it was one of the largest voluntary organisations in the world, and here I was living with Rotarian families and getting to know them from such close quarters in no time!

Caught up with the he-alleged-she-alleged rigmarole this was what the doctor had ordered and Rotary was the magical prescription and I can surely vouch for its efficacy!

Newark, Mansfield, Cropwell Butler, Dovedale, Ripley and Derby, a new place and a new home every three days, new families to live with and friends for a lifetime to be made!

With the Rotarians welcoming me and my team mates with open arms and doing everything possible to make us at home, we couldn’t have asked for more.

Aparna, who trains people for the call centres and in all the Rotarian meetings the very mention of her profession invariably produced loud sighs, Prasuna, principal of a 3,000-strong girls college and Shiv, a hard-selling insurance trainer and last but not the least the group leader Rajeev Puri, chartered accountant turned technocrat, would surely vouch for that!

Even if one had a gold mine back home and played golf with gold globules on silver coated blades of grass, one wouldn’t get a chance to see life in another country from such close quarters.

The farthest the tourist trail can take you is to the big cities and their garish lights and at best, give a peripheral look at the world.
A regular tourist trail is like the railway tracks, you would always go parallel to the local ethos and culture and never become a part of it nor live as one taking in all the flavours of life But the Rotarian world has long lasting plans!

Shepherd’s Pie to the Apple Pie, mascara-eyed cutie pies in low waist jeans and grandmas with a twinkle in the eye recalling their courting days and naughty grandsons pulling their legs, rolling meadows and cows returning home with the sun sprinkling its gold on their pathways as if to show them direction.

Old pubs in every neighbourhood coming alive with the tinkle of glasses and the jingle of conversations, those imposing churches leaving you awestruck and yes, the inevitable question that pops up everywhere dominating all conversations and opening lines – the English weather!.

And how can I forget those long queues in front of Indian restaurants dishing out that delectable Chicken Tikka Masala! Phew! Never knew the desi recipe could whip up such a voracious appetite!

A zillion thanks to all our hosts! With just a few more days to go, all I can do is go down on my knees, look up at the skies and pray, “Can someone turn back the clock please!”

Madhav Kara