ഒരു പുനര്‍ വിചിന്തനത്തിന്ന്‍ വേണ്ടി . .

കഴിഞ്ഞ മാസം അൽപ ദിവസത്തെ അവധിക്ക് നാട്ടിൽ പോയിരുന്നു. ഏഴ് മാസമേ പിന്നിട്ടിരുന്നുള്ളൂ , അതിന്നിടയിൽ എന്റെ ശ്രദ്ധയിൽ പെട്ട അതിശയിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ചില മാറ്റങ്ങൽ നിങ്ങളോട് പങ്കുവെക്കുന്നത് നന്നായിരിക്കും എന്ന് തോന്നി. വിമർശനമല്ല ലക്‌ഷ്യം. പരിഹാരം തേടേണ്ട ഗൌരവമുള്ള വിഷയങ്ങളാണ് ചിലതെല്ലാം. 

- ഏറണാകുളം കോഴിക്കോട് യാത്ര ഓർമവെച്ച കാലം മുതൽ ഉള്ളതാണ്. ഇത്തവണ കാറിൽ. പടുക്കൂറ്റൻ പരസ്യ ബോർഡുകൾ മുക്കിനു മുക്കിനു കാണാം. പതിവ് പോലെ ഫ്ലാറ്റ് - വില്ലാ സംരംഭങ്ങളും പട്ടിന്റെ പൊലിമയും ജ്വല്ലറി പ്രളയവുമാണ് മുൻപന്തിയിൽ. എന്നാൽ അത്ഭുദം തോന്നിയത് വന്ധ്യതാ നിവാരണകേന്ദ്രങ്ങളുടെ പരസ്യത്തിലുള്ള ആധിക്യമായിരുന്നു. 
ഇടയ്ക്കു പറയട്ടെ - ചൈനയിലെ ഷാങ്ങ്ഹായ്ക്കും ജിയാങ്ങ്സു പ്രവിശ്യയിലെ സമാന ദൂരമുള്ള ചില സ്ഥലങ്ങൾക്കും ഇടയിൽ റോഡ്‌ യാത്ര നടത്താറുണ്ടായിരുന്നു . ഒരൊറ്റ സ്വർണ പരസ്യം കണ്ടില്ല. പട്ട് സാരി പിന്നെ അവരുടെ ഏരിയ അല്ല എന്ന് വെക്കാം. കണ്ടത്‌ കൂടുതലും ഉപകരണങ്ങളുടെയും വിവിധ കാർഷിക-വ്യാവസായിക ഉൽപന്നങ്ങളുടെയും സംരംഭങ്ങളുടെയും പരസ്യങ്ങൾ... ചിന്തിക്കണം നാം)

- KFC മോഡൽ ഫാസ്റ്റ് ഫുഡ് / ബ്രോസ്റ്റ് കടകൾ പെരുകിയിരിക്കുന്നു. എത്രത്തോളമെന്നല്ലേ ? ഒരു ബൈകിൽ എന്റെ നാട്ടിലൂടെ വൈകുന്നേരം യാത്ര ചെയ്യുന്നു എന്നിരിക്കട്ടെ. വെന്തുരുകി കറങ്ങുന്ന കോഴികളുടെ നറുമണം നാസഗ്രന്ധികളെ പുളകിതമാക്കാതെ ഒരു അങ്ങാടി പോലും പിന്നിടാൻ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് സാധിക്കില്ല. അമേരിക്കൻ - അറബ് ഫാസ്റ്റ് ഫുഡ് വിദ്യകളുടെ നൂതനമായ സമന്വയം സക്ഷാത്കരിച്ചതിൽ അഭിമാനിക്കാൻ നമുക്ക് വകയുണ്ട്. ആശുപത്രികൾക്കും.

- റോഡുകളൊക്കെ തരക്കേടില്ല. കുത്തിയൊലിക്കുന്ന പേമാരിക്കാലത്തെ പരിഗണിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ഭേതം തന്നെ. എന്നാൽ ആഡംഭര കാറുകൾ മുൻപൊന്നുമില്ലാത്തവിധം സർവ്വസാധാരണമായിരിക്കുന്നു. പട്ടണങ്ങളിലെ കാര്യമല്ല നാട്ടിൻപുറത്തെ കാഴ്ച . . 
മുൻപ് പട്ടണങ്ങളിലെ പോലെ ഇവിടങ്ങളിലെ റോഡുകൾ വാഹനങ്ങളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. അതുപോലെ ഒരു പാട് വാഹനങ്ങള്‍ അപകടത്തില്‍ പെട്ട് അങ്ങിങ്ങായി ചളുങ്ങിയും ഒടഞ്ഞും തല കുത്തിയും താഴെ ഇറക്കില്‍ വീണും കിടക്കുന്ന കാഴ്ച ഇതിനു മുന്‍പ് വീഡിയോ ഗയ്മുകളില്‍ മാത്രമേ കണ്ടിട്ടുള്ളൂ.

- നാട്ടിൻപുറം നന്മകളാൽ സമൃദ്ധം എന്നൊക്കെ പറയും പോലെ നെൽപാടങ്ങളും വഴിയോരങ്ങളും പുതിയ പുതിയ വീടുകളാലും കെട്ടിടങ്ങളാലും സമൃദ്ധം. പുഴയിൽനിന്ന് മുൻപ് കൊട്ടയിൽ പൂഴി വാരിയിരുന്ന സ്ഥലങ്ങളിൽ ഇപ്പോൾ മുളക്കംബില്‍ നെറ്റ് കെട്ടി deep water excavation നടന്നു വരുന്നു. 

- കേരളത്തിലെ പ്രവാസികൾ തമിഴരും ബീഹാറികളും പിന്നിട്ട് ബംഗാളിൽ എത്തിനില്ക്കുന്നു. ദിവസക്കൂലിക്കാരായ അവരുടെ കയ്യിലും സ്മാർട്ട്‌ ഫോണ്‍. !.!

- മുഖ്യധാരാ ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷകളെ നിഷ്പ്രഭമാക്കി കുട്ടിചാത്തൻ ലുക്ക്‌ ഉള്ള ഒരു പെട്ടിക്കൂട് വണ്ടി രംഗപ്രവേശനം ചെയ്തിരിക്കുന്നു 

- മലബാറുകാർക്ക് തെക്കോട്ട്‌ തീർഥാടനത്തിന്ന് പോകാൻ പുതിയൊരു കേന്ദ്രം കൂടി നിലവിൽ വന്നു - ലുലു മാൾ

- അങ്ങിങ്ങായി 'നിതാകാത്ത്' എന്ന് പേരായ തട്ടുകടകൾ കണ്ടുതുടങ്ങി 

എല്ലാം കണ്ടു സായൂജ്യമടങ്ങി തിരിച്ചു പോവാൻ നെടുംബാശേരിയിൽ കയറിയതോടെ ആശ്വാസമായി. ഉടൻ പ്രവർത്തനമാരംഭിക്കാൻ പോകുന്ന ഏറണാകുളത്തെ ഒരു വമ്പൻ വ്യവസായ സംരംഭത്തിന്നു തൊഴിലാളികളെയും നിക്ഷേപകരേയും തേടുന്ന പരസ്യങ്ങളാണ് വിമാനത്താവളത്തിൽ നിറയെ. - സംഗതി അടുത്ത ആശുപത്രി ആണെന്ന് മാത്രം.

ഇരുട്ടിന്റെ മറവില്‍ വിമാനം പറന്നുപൊങ്ങി. ജനലിനരികിൽ നെറ്റി കുത്തി താഴെ കാണുന്ന എൻറെ സുന്ദര കേരളത്തിന്റെ മിന്നാമിനുങ്ങ് പ്രഭയിൽ കണ്ണും നട്ടിരുന്നു. കാർമേഘപാളികൾ ജന്മനാടിനെ മറക്കുപിന്നിലാക്കും വരെ...

Trustworthiness of the Media

Here are the links for comparitive study:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/merchant-vessel-mol-comfort-splits-into-two-off-mumbai-coast-crew-rescued/1130174/

http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/merchant-vessel-mol-comfort-splits-into-2-off-mumbai-coast.html

http://gcaptain.com/mol-box-ship-suffers-broken-back-sinks-off-yeme/

http://www.mol.co.jp/en/pr/2013/13032.html

http://marnews.net/mol-comfort-sank-yemen-storm/

വിവാദങ്ങളും നമ്മളും. . . 

ഇന്ത്യവിഷൻ നിർമാണവും നമ്മൾ മുസ്‌ലിം സമുദായം സൗജന്യവിതരണവും സംഹാരവും നടത്തി ഇപ്പോൾ കെട്ടടങ്ങിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന  പർദ്ദ വിവാദത്തിന്റെ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തിൽ ചിലതൊക്കെ സ്വന്തം സമുദായവുമായി പങ്കുവയ്ക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുകയാണ് ഇവിടെ.

സമുദായത്തിൽ തന്നെ മുസ്‌ലിം ആവുക എന്നത് തറവാട് വക സ്വകാര്യ സ്വത്തായി കരുതുന്നവർ ഇതുപോലുള്ളത് വായിച്ചതുകൊണ്ട് നേരം പോയത് മിച്ചം. ഇസ്ലാമിനെ ജീവിത മാർഗ്ഗമായി അറിഞ്ഞു തിരഞ്ഞെടുത്ത സഹോദരി സഹൊദരന്മാരോട്മാത്രം ചിലത്.

വിമർശിച്ചതിനെയോ പ്രതികരിച്ചതിനെയോ നിരുത്സാഹപ്പെടുത്താനല്ല ഇത്. 

ഏതു കാര്യത്തിലും അനുകരിക്കാനുള്ള ഉത്തമമാതൃകയ്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി നാം ആദ്യം അന്വേഷിക്കേണ്ടത് ദൈവിക ഗ്രന്ഥത്തിലും തിരുനബിയുടെ ചര്യയിലുമല്ലേ ? ഇവ രണ്ടും ആഴത്തിൽ അറിയാനും ജീവിതത്തിൽ പകർത്താനും വേണ്ടി ഞാനും നിങ്ങളും  എന്ത്  ചെയ്തു ? എത്ര സമയം മെനക്കെട്ടു ? വാക്കാലുള്ള ദുരാരോപണങ്ങളെയും വിശ്വാസി സമൂഹത്തിനു നേരെയുള്ള വിമർശനങ്ങളെയും എങ്ങിനെ കയ്കാര്യം ചെയാനാണ് ഖുർആൻ  പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്നത് ? തിരുനബി എങ്ങിനെ അവ നേരിട്ടു കാണിച്ചു തന്നു ? പകയും പ്രതികാരബുദ്ധിയും മൂത്ത് എന്തൊക്കെ നാം എഴുതി വിട്ടു,.. വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു, പ്രചരിപ്പിച്ചു ? നമ്മുടെ ഉള്ളിൽ  പതഞ്ഞു പൊങ്ങിയ പക തീർക്കുക എന്നതിലപ്പുറം എന്ത് അനന്തര ഫലമാണ് നമുക്ക് ലഭിച്ചത് ? 

 യുക്തിഭദ്രവും മാന്യവുമായ  പ്രതികരണങ്ങളും പ്രതിഷേധങ്ങളും ഉണ്ടായെങ്കിലും അവക്കൊന്നും അധികമാളെ കിട്ടാതെപോയതെന്തുകൊണ്ട് ?

 സ്വസമുദായതിന്നു നേരെ മക്കയിലെ ശത്രുക്കൾ  അഴിച്ചുവിട്ട ക്രൂരകൃത്യങ്ങളെക്കാൾ നമ്മുടെ നായകനായ മുഹമ്മദ്‌ നബി(സ)യെ  വ്യാകുലനാക്കിയത് അവർ പ്രബോധനത്തെ ചെവികൊള്ളാത്തതും തന്മൂലം അവർക്ക് വന്നുഭവിചേക്കാവുന്ന ദുഷ്ഫലങ്ങളുമായിരുന്നല്ലൊ. ഇവ്വിഷയകമായി ഖുർആൻ സൂക്തങ്ങൾ അവതരിപ്പിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് അല്ലാഹു അദേഹത്തെ ആശ്വസിപ്പിക്കുന്നുവരെയുണ്ട്. നമ്മൾ  അനുയായികളുടെ  സ്ഥിതി എന്താണ് ?

 പ്രവാസം മൂലം നമ്മുടെ സമുദായത്തിൽ വർദ്ധിച്ചുവന്ന ഒട്ടനവധി പ്രശ്നങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ചും പ്രസ്തുത അവതാരിക വിവരിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. പറയരുതാത്തത്പറഞ്ഞതിന്ന് അവരെ കണക്കിന് ശിക്ഷിച്ച നിലക്ക് പറയേണ്ടതുതന്നെയായി പറഞ്ഞതിനെ നമുക്കൊന്ന് ഗൗരവത്തിൽ പരിഗണിക്കാം : അവയിൽ ചിലത്:

 പിതാവിന്റെ സമ്പാദ്യത്തിൽ മതിമറന്ന് വളരുന്നവരിൽ പതിവായ അധ്വാനതോടുള്ള വിമുഖ ത, അച്ഛന്റെ സാനിധ്യമില്ലാതെ വളരുന്ന തലമുറയിലെ പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾ, ആഡംബരം, ആഭരണ ഭ്രമം, സ്ത്രീധനം, അന്ധവിശ്വാസം, സദാചാര ഭ്രംശം...  ഇതിനെക്കുറിച്ചൊക്കെ അവർ പറഞ്ഞതുതന്നെ ചിലരൊന്നും അറിഞ്ഞുകാണില്ല (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=154151304758030) 

ഇനിയുള്ള ഊർജം നമുക്കൊക്കെ വളരെ നന്നായറിയുന്നതും നിരന്തരം അനുഭവിക്കുകയോ നേരിൽ കാണുകയോ ചെയുന്നതുമായ  ഈവക പ്രശ്നങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് സ്വന്തത്തെയും സമുദായത്തെയും സമൂഹത്തെയും ബൊധവൽകരിക്കാനും  മോചിപ്പിക്കാനുള്ള ജിഹാദിനായിരിക്കട്ടെ !

ഇസ്ലാമിലെ സ്ത്രീകളുടെ വസ്ത്രധാരണത്തെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള തെറ്റിധാരണ കൾ അഴിച്ചു പണിയാൻ ആണുങ്ങളെക്കാൾ നല്ലത് സ്ത്രീകളായിരിക്കും. ആ ധർമം സ്വന്തം ജീവിതത്തിലൂടെയും, വാകിലൂടെയും പ്രവൃത്തിയിലൂടെയും അവർ തന്നെ ഏറ്റെടുത്താൽ തിരിയേണ്ടവർക്ക് തിരിഞ്ഞോളും. തിരി യേണ്ടാത്തവരെ തിരിയിപ്പിക്കേണ്ട കാര്യവും നമുക്കില്ല ('തിരിയുക' എന്നാൽ മനസ്സിലാകുക). പിന്നെ - കറുത്ത നിറമള്ള വസ്ത്രം ധരിക്കാൻ ഇസ്ലാം സ്ത്രീകളോടാവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നുണ്ടോ എന്നതൊരു ചോദ്യവുമാണ് !

Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend http://tanzil.net/#trans/en.wahiduddin/41:34

Sa’eed bin Musayyeb says: Once the Prophet was sitting with his Companions, and one person used insulting words against Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), causing him pain. But Abu Bakr remained silent. The person again used bitter words against Abu Bakr, and still Abu Bakr did not respond. The third time when this ignorant person hurt Abu Bakr with his tongue, Abu Bakr tried answering back.

At this point the Prophet got up. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him, “Are you displeased with me, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “No, but (when you remained silent) an angel came down from the heaven responding to this man’s talk. But the moment you started replying to that man, the angel went away and the devil sat down. And I cannot sit where the devil is sitting.” Abu Dawood 041 4878 

Some High-heeled thinking…!

Some High-heeled thinking…!

Advance Bail: This analysis is written with determined purpose of provoking thought on a common social problem, and with due respect to all sane members of both sexes. The problem in discussion, however, is perhaps just the tip of a socio-cultural iceberg.

******

Suppose a horse trots by while we relax in a built up area. How do we first get to know? - Very often by the tip-tap of its horse-shoe clamping, right?

In a much similar fashion, some ladies - while on the move - advertise their presence by the tip-tap of their high heels. However, if you happen to look at this inviting presence, their face would continue hosting the pre-programmed emotion of preoccupation which often suggests you to mind your matters.. (Perhaps, some of them are trying to imitate the blank face that fashion models on the catwalk sport? Who taught and trained the model that in turn is interesting food for thought! )

However, there is an essential difference between the former and the latter: The horse was forced on a metal shoe by humankind, with the intent of protecting its hooves from strong terrain while at human disposal.  The horse is given no choice, and that any way protects it from damage. High heelers, on the other hand, very often opt for it at their free will (or is it so?) and thenceforth inflict numerous damages and risks to their very own safety and health and to others at times.

With so much of prelude, I’ll share the brief history which ended up in my writing on this lucrative subject!

******

Late 80’s, Rome Airport: I was aged below 10, and our family was in transit from Libya on the way back to India. I remember running around with my younger brother, making good use of the otherwise long and boring wait for the onward flight. Suddenly, I heard a series of sounds approaching us. It seemed like a herd of horses arriving in a disciplined, slow pace. Amused as I was at the thought of seeing horses in this lavish airport lounge, I stopped all action and paid attention to the direction of perceived arrival. To my despair as well as astonishment, it was a fairly big flight crew proceeding on duty – probably for a jumbo. I scratched my head and looked at those noisy things the ladies were wearing. Not having grown up in societies that use the high heel, I couldn’t even comprehend that they were footwear at all. Perhaps it would be some essential gadget required for the aviation profession. Then why didn’t the gents wear them? Any way why do they have to walk in them? – My innocent childhood painfully visualized the struggle of walking with those attachments for myself, all when those madams would have been long used to it. Questions generated in my young mind stayed dormant for decades altogether.

  

Mid 90’s, Kozhikode, South India: A hot afternoon yielded into a humid evening by the end of school hours. I ended the seemingly long walk home from the bus stop with a jolting surprise. There stands parked below the portico, a pair of footwear which was overt 3 inches high, throughout from stem to stern! My astonishment was quite natural since my mother, who was the only lady of our 5 member family used nothing more than half an inch. It was also my first look at what I later learned to be a ‘Platform’. It belonged to a second cousin who was sent in from a little far, to take a few high-school lessons from my mother who was a teacher. She was a little short for her age, and probably wanted to cover it up. However I felt sad and confused of her attempt to offset a God-given trait with this seemingly awkward and obviously dangerous contraption. She left with mom the next morning. The same night, when I asked Mom how she would walk safely in it, she told me that while leaving home that morning, her foot caught the edge of the road and she fell sideways. “Oh! What happened then”? – I remember asking… Mom replied solemnly: “Well, I helped her up, dusted the dirt from her dress, and we proceeded as if nothing has happened. What else to do?”

2000, NIT-C, Kozhikode: A gloomy day, in the second semester of engineering, I was relaxing at the verandah of the first floor of our Institute’s main building, gazing at the garden down below, that made the large courtyard nice and bright. All of a sudden, there was a horse shoe clamping, and a ‘thud’ and a scream followed by a quick series of cries for help. This girl had appeared from the passage below, stumbled and fell at the step. As helpless as she was while afloat on those heels, she couldn’t get up without help, which she thankfully received from some gents who passed by. 

(Image was taken from internet, I lost the source so unable to quote for courtesy)

Coincidentally, it was in the same semester that our (now Late) Professor of Engineering Mechanics explained the unstable forces and moments acting on the body of a high-heeler, by depicting the case neatly as an analogy with a bicycle wheel that had improperly designed spokes. He taught that alternate spokes could be taken as alternate legs while rolling compares to walking.

2010, Wuxi, China: I was one among a crowd of people who just alighted from the train. We passed underground and moved along the passage which ended at a fleet of stairs leading up to the exit. Unfortunately, there was no elevator or escalator, requiring all passengers to ferry heavy baggage up the stairs. Now this young lady in front of me was trying to offset the weight of her heavy wheeled trolley by attempting to pull it along the ramp beside the step. However, her pointed shoe heels bent into an arc whenever her effort shifted to the trolley. She thus struggled with the imbalance of ‘external’ and ‘internal’ moments for quite some time after which the futile attempt was aborted without major damage to the subject or passers-by..!

So, my thoughts grew as experiences widened. Some questions found answers. Others persist. Having travelled in plenty across nations with people who have a considerable share of high-heelers, I couldn’t resist anymore the urge to write on the seemingly harmless and insignificant subject. So thus I do here forth, in a sincere hope that it will help and benefit the reader and her/his circles in some way or the other:

******

We should stand for women’s rights. They are our mothers, our first teachers, guides, groomers and the best home makers. While most men work only during their official working hours, majority of women work all day long and they like doing it that way out of love for the family. If they are full-time home makers, they indulge in doing that job with perfection, from wake-up time unto when they go to bed. If they go out for work, then we know how much added load they bear.

Every one ought to make life easier for women – Everyone means men as well as women. – Why?

- We start our topic.

******

I have often tried to figure out a thing that men wear, which serves no specific duty as a piece of dressing, and is risky and unhealthy by default. I couldn’t arrive at anything save the neck-tie as a remote possibility. But even that is not so much of a common health hazard, (though first aid does teach us to remove it in case of suffocation symptoms) and serves some sort of purpose in the cold countries where it is primarily popular.

Is there something they put on ignoring inconvenience and health risks, just to attract attention from others? Not anything common came to mind. Can you think of one?

As for women, aren’t there quite a few things that easily qualify?

Statistics (3 years ago) show that 43 million Americans experience painful foot problems—such as hammertoes, callous, and bunions—and high-heeled women comprise the vast majority of them. For every five women in the U.S., one suffers from aching feet as a result of donning heels to impress partners or colleagues¹.

According to Physiotherapist Jane Snyder who is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), a woman’s body will attempt to compensate for the off-kilter balance heels cause by flexing, or forward bending, the hips and spine. In order to maintain balance, the calf, hip, and back muscles become tense. At the end of the day, this makes for excess muscle fatigue and strain. Over time, wearing high heels can also cause the calf muscles to cramp and bulge¹.

There would be very few high-heelers who are unaware of its risks to health. In a study conducted on 1000 girls by a renown shoe firm, it was found that more than a third have fallen while wearing high-heels and that back-pain is up ten-fold.  ‘The Sun’ quotes physiotherapist Joshua Wies warning that many could face hip replacements. He says it is worrying that under-18s are experiencing problems usually associated with Old Aged Patients (OAPs) .

******

Women have to think for themselves. Ask these questions – who is behind the design, propagation, advertising, production, distribution and glorification of such useless stuff, in the name of ‘fashion’? Who tempts you to embrace danger and inconvenience? For whose selfish whims are you being lured into self-torture? Does it amount to liberation or freedom? 

These looming thoughts should also haunt those who are required to wear mini-skirts as part of their work. Be it flight stewards, attendants, receptionists, secretaries or waitresses… Why are you forced to wear something which makes even sitting down at a public place an acrobatic task?! Who wants you to put on such outfits in the name of ‘business wear’? Do think for yourselves, dear sisters…

What gets you draped into some Sari sets that are 6-metre long to get into, still exposes your belly to the public while you can’t run at your will to catch a bus, and also forces you to reserve one hand to regularly service the oft-falling trailing edge?! If it is really for you yourself, then well and fine…

Well we are straying away from our topic of discussion..!

A friend says that she got into the habit of donning heels to offset lack of height while living in a society that had a mix of people, many of whom were taller. When she later managed to get rid of the risky habit, it was tough to walk in normal footwear for quite some time. Her body had adapted to the high-heel and it was for some-time a bother especially while getting down stairs!

Another tells of her class mate who was advised by her doctor while only in eighth grade, to rid herself of heeled shoes, owing to severe back-ache.

It is high time to  be cautious of the greedy alliance that co-exists within elements of the fashion industry to teach its existing and prospective customers that everything they churn out is for our own good.

(taken from an advertisement, click on the image for source)

Think free, live free !!

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1 - http://www.iowasource.com/health/health_heels_0504.html

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Above content was written about two years ago. It remained with me so long, as I was planning to expand the content further, but couldn't so far...  I was in China then with no access to most popular blog sites etc.

Courtesy to my wife and all those ladies who contributed advice and content

A Visitor's Guide to Shanghai and China

The number of outsiders visiting China is increasing consistently. So, let me share what I have learnt out of travel, experiments, trial & error, reading and guidance from friends.

This should serve as a quick guide to a visitor to Shanghai in particular and coastal China in general. 

My intention is to give you information that will save time and sometimes save yourself from getting lost! This is not a tour guide, and does not talk about places to visit etc. – you can find plenty of info on that in the internet

General:

1.       The people here are nice, willing to help and generally unbiased and simple minded.

2.       Not everything you get to know from the outside media about China is true. You will quickly realise this fact once here.

3.       Most people in China don’t speak or understand English. Only places you can expect assistance in good English are at major international airports and high class hotels etc. But this will not be a big issue, read on to learn how to get around that. Most big and medium level cities have road signs, symbols and pointers in both Chinese and English.

4.       Chinese people don’t refer to their country as China. They call it ‘Zhongguo’ pronounced something like ‘chong-hua’. They don’t say ‘Yuan’ for the currency, but ‘Ren-min-bi’ or written in short as ‘RMB’. Price for Grocery etc. are displayed for 500 grams with a ‘π’ symbol to denote the currency.  The language is not called Chinese, but Zhōngwé

5.       Biggest Chinese holidays fall during the lunar New year (dates keeps changing with respect to the solar calendar) and in October. Think twice before travelling during these holidays, on grounds of congestion. Northern half has pretty cold winters while southern areas remain pleasant or a bit humid most of the time.

Communication:

Try to carry a digital camera or a mobile phone with a good cam. Take shots of important places and sign boards since they can be shown to taxi drivers or co-passengers for guidance. At the arrival area of airports in major cities, you will probably find take-away tourist maps of the City. Don’t forget to look for them amidst hurrying for exit. If you don’t find English maps, still take one in Chinese – better than nothing! Most hotels and restaurants have visiting cards kept at receptions. These will have directions for locating the place, including a small map on the back. Make sure you keep one of those with you – it will save you, should you lose bearing or have to take a taxi.

Above: A sample card from a hotel.

When seeing Chinese script at first, we naturally ask ourselves – Goodness! How in the world can these scribbling make any sense? Well, remember that 1 in every 5person use it. There is a method of writing Chinese words as such in English alphabets, and this is called ‘Pinyin’.

Now, Pinyin is easy to master with a little understanding, and it will make things a lot easier. This is because it is widely used hand-in-hand with the Chinese script. But if you just start reading Pinyin as you read normal English, no Chinese person will understand much. So here are a few tips:

‘Q’ is read as ‘Ch’ Eg: ‘Qingdao’ a city in Shandong province is pronounced as ‘Chingdhao’ as in Cheer

‘X’ is read as ‘Sh’ Eg: ‘Xian’,a historic city is pronounced as ‘Shi-aan’. ‘Xiamen’ is read as ‘Shiaamen’

‘C’ is read as ‘Ts’ Eg: The name ‘Cao’ is read as ‘Tsao’ as in Tsunami.

‘D’ is always pronounced as ‘Dh’

‘Zha’ is read as ‘jha’. Eg: The name ‘Zhang’ is read as ‘Jhang’

‘G’ is always pronounced as in ‘Goat’ and never as in ‘Giraffe’

‘T’ is read as ‘Th’ and not ‘Ta’

‘V’ is read as ‘Wee’             

Understanding English spoken with a Chinese accent: This is important since people in the travel, tourism, education sectors and those in the industry can talk a little English.

They can’t pronounce ‘r’ (in the French or Indian style) since it’s not there in Chinese. So if a Chinese tries to tell you ‘Strawberry’, he/she will actually pronounce it as ‘St-law-bely’ and u should relate what that means. Had they tried to talk English with a British or American accent where ‘r’ is pronounced as ‘azh’ they could have done better, but they invariably follow the oriental style.  If you are told ‘Vely vely nice’, know that they meant ‘Very very nice’! Keep a pen and piece of paper handy. If you can’t make out what someone is saying, ask them to spell it or write it down, and that should sort out the problem. Same way, they may not understand your accent, however much you repeat, and in such cases easiest way out is to spell or write.

Now comes the most important tip: If you have a laptop, most hotels have free internet access. Use translate.google.com  to convert phrases to Chinese, then double check with a reverse translation and take a screen shot on your camera for use later. If you are in a hurry, find some common words below:

If you use google chrome browser, it will detect Chinese websites automatically and translate it to English. If it doesn’t, you can try by inputting the web address in Google translate.

If you are hunting for some information on a Chinese website which has an English version, keep in mind that the English version will not have full information in most cases. You have to use the Chinese version with a translator, to get full information.

Travel:

East China has excellent road, rail and air transport networks which are augmented by ferry services in several places. With a little acquaintance, you shall enjoy travelling.

Let me start off with Shanghai in this post, as that is where I go most often:

If you have time, have a look at travelchinaguide.com for other cities - it gives you lot of info and guidance.

Air Travel:

Arriving from abroad, you shall probably touch down at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It is located on the eastern outskirts of the City, and about 40 Km from the City Centre (If there is a centre to this huge metropolis, that is!)

Quick tips on Pudong Airport:

·         Has two terminals – T-1 & T-2, linked by a walk way under 10 minutes’ walk between check-in areas and easy to locate with sign board directions.

·         Most of the economic (and good !) restaurants and snack bars are located in between the above walk-way. Restaurants that are located inside arrival/departure lounges are pretty expensive as usual.

·         In the middle of the above walk-way, you will find directions for two options to go to the city: A – Take the metro (line-2) which will take about an hour to downtown and costs just about 4 Yuan. B – Take the Maglev train for a great experience and arrive Longyang road station which is near downtown in just under 10 minutes [see my video]. (40 Yuan if you have a flight ticket to show, 50 Yuan if not). Remember to have a look at the Maglev Museum located on the ground floor, before exit. Free entry if you have a maglev ticket)

·         At the arrival area, you can take city shuttle buses to reach various points. Ask the help desk for details (see here for schedules) or hire a cab/taxi by following sign boards to the respective area.

·         The airport hotel is located above the walkway, and offers comfortable and economic overnight stay. Refer to section on accommodation for details on booking etc.

If you are connecting to another city on a domestic flight, you may have to transfer to the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (read as Hongchyao ) for which you should consider a minimum transfer time of 60 minutes. Both Airports are connected by regular shuttle bus  [Minimum travel time 50 min, 30 Yuan] and by directly connected metro line-2 (8 Yuan). A taxi will also take you there in about an hour at under 200 Yuan.

Some tips on this airport located to the west of the city:

·         The Hongqiao airport also has Terminals 1 and 2. The second terminal is just open before the Shanghai World Expo 2010, and is so big that you have to consider upto 15 minutes to reach your boarding gate from check-in counter, if your plane is docked at the far end !

·         If you are arriving by Taxi, keep a 15 minutes buffer for traffic congestion as you approach the airport entry area.

·         Check-in counters are plenty, but so are passengers, so expect a minimum time of 10~15 minutes in the queue.

·         The two terminals are a bit apart, and served by regular shuttle bus service. Metro line-2 takes you only to T-2, but this is where most flights operate from.

·         Sudden change of Gates cannot be ruled out, so keep an eye on the displays or listen to announcement.

·         After boarding, Air traffic delays are common, and consider up to 20 minutes from scheduled time for take-off, during peak hours. All the above timings are precautionary measures and generally this airport offers a good travel experience.

 Above: Check-in rush at Hongqiao T-2

The best place to search for domestic flights in China and find good deals is ctrip.com

They have a good English site and an easy interface, excellent customer care support in fluent English. To book tickets, you need a credit card or can make cash payments in major cities. Just register with your details for an account.

Getting around in Shanghai:

The fastest, cheapest and most convenient way to get around in Shanghai is the Metro.

At the moment, there are  12 interconnected metro lines, parts of which runs underground and connects every nook and corner of Shanghai with over 250 stations and expanding, further stretching out into suburban towns in all directions. The metro is the longest in the world, and in itself is an engineering and management marvel about which you can read more here.

Before you travel, make sure you have a copy of the metro map. Since the metro is expanding very fast, try this official map or lookout for small hand-out maps at hotels, tourist attraction areas etc. All you have to do then  is look out for the metro symbol and follow the directions. 

You can transfer between many lines without exiting the station. Automatic ticket vending machines have English service.If you are not used to metro trains, see this video clip for a demo on taking a ticket/using a smart card in the wallet, time for next train etc.  You need 1 Yuan coins or small denomination bank notes. If you shall be using the metro for a few days or times, then buy a smart card which is called Shanghai Public Transportation Card (SPTC) or Jiaotong Yikatong (simplified Chinese: 上海公共交通卡; pinyin: Shànghǎi gōnggòng jiāotōng kǎ)

Ask for it at the metro ticket counter. You have to pay a refundable deposit of 20 Yuan and the remaining amount to recharge as required. This same card can be used for Taxi, train, ferry, bus, maglev etc. Read more here.

All station names, exits, interchanges etc are indicated in English, so it’s very easy.

Above: A typical exit/entry showing available lines, name of station etc.

Railway:

Use this site for searching schedules all over China.

You can easily hook on to the nation-wide railway network from Shanghai. There are four stations. The biggest one is Shanghai Railway Station. You can take Metro line-3/4/1 and get down at the Shanghai Railway station stop. The busy Railway station is just above the subway station. 

Some Tips:

·         If you are taking a day train without prior reservation, then consider enough time before your intended departure for purchasing a ticket. Seats get filled up fast. For eg: If you are taking a fast train to Wuxi (about 40 Mins travel) at 8 AM on a working-day, then arrive atleast at 6 AM to get a ticket in time.

·         To book tickets before 8 AM, go to south square and use the automatic ticket vending machines available there from 6 AM. After 8 AM or so, the north square ones are also open.

·         Trains are classified as D, K, G etc. based on speed, stops etc.

·         Train journey is a nice experience. Railway stations are well equipped; trains are nice and clean and reach top speeds of up to 350 Kph depending on the type. 

·         For sectors like Beijing-Shanghai etc. compare the fare with flight prices. Sometimes they are comparable and you can save time if opting for a flight.

Above: A night view of the Shanghai Railway Station from North Square.

Other railway stations are the Shanghai West, Shanghai South and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway stations, all of which are directly accessible from the metro lines. (see metro map)

Taxi:

After getting out of the metro, best option to get to the right place (if it’s not walking distance) is to opt for a taxi. Current minimum fare is 13 Yuan. If you are lucky, you may get a driver who talks little English. Else, make use of photos/maps/Chinese texts etc to get to your place. If you have a phone with you, Call Shanghai help line for live assistance (No: 962288). This number can be used for any other information in Shanghai also. They talk good English.

Road Transport:

I admire the road infrastructure that they have built all over China. Several express ways connect most parts of the Country.

Above: A Typical interchange.

Finding out buildings from their street number is very easy. The street pointers always indicate the starting and ending building numbers. Also, buildings prominently display their number. So just lookout for the numbers and directions on the boards like these:

I haven’t tried out city buses in Shanghai. It needs some knowledge of routes and directions etc. This is why metro is more popular among foreigners. None the less, buses are a fine mode for short distance transport and cheaper than even the metro itself. Get more info here.

For long distance buses to cities of adjoining provinces etc, just go to Shanghai Railway Station. The bus terminus building is in fact at one end of the railway station building. Regular buses operate from here as well as from the bus station near Shanghai South Railway station as well. Most inter-city bus stations in china have a passenger management system similar to airports. You enter a ticket hall to purchase tickets, pass through baggage screening to enter a departure hall. There will be boarding gates with numbers indicated on your ticket. About 10 minutes prior departure, you can board your bus through the respective gate. Normally standing tickets are not permitted.

Important: As far as I have seen, it is difficult to find buses departing after 6.30 PM (5:30 at times, esp during winter), if the final destination is not more than a few hours. First buses may start as early as 5.30 AM.

Accomodation:

The good thing about Shanghai is that even though it is one of the biggest cities of the world, decent accommodation at an economic price is very much available. There are hundreds of hotels in shanghai and the best way to find and/or book one is using ctrip. They have a great hotel database and search facility. You can locate the hotel with maps, read reviews and in most cases make a booking without any advance payment, and pay at check-out.  A little research will give you good command over locations and preferred hotel quality.

 Food:

Wherever you come from, you will find your favourite restaurants here in Shanghai. Until I find time for a separate detailed post on eating out, use the following links for those which I have tried:

Indian cuisine:

http://www.indianembassy.org.cn/Indian_Restaurants_in_china.asp

www.bukhara.com.cn

http://istor.indyarocks.com/1052972/12_48120558159.jpg

www.indiankitchen.com.cn

Indian Spices & Provisions:

www.bhoomistore.com, www.indiankitchen.com.cn

Western:

http://shanghai-restaurants.mychinastart.com/

American: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai/dining/foreign.htm

Turkish: http://enjoyshanghai.com/dining/directory/turkish/kervan-turk_6977.htm (Metro: People’s Square)

To find Halal food eateries run by Chinese, look for characteristic hoardings over the shop, with arabic script and colourful pictures of mosques. They are very common all over China.

For strict vegetarians, life in China is tough, especially if there is no self-cooking facility and you are not in one of the bigger cities. However, you can find temporary refuge in Pizza Huts which are very common and have a ‘Garden Veggie’ Pizza on their standard Menu. But then how often are you going to eat pizza?!

Tips for people with food preferences:

·         Pork and Beef are part of staple diet in China, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

·         Fruits and Veggies are plenty, cheap and readily available in department stores, and you can find those in a short walk from wherever you are, as they are so common.

·         Chinese have a practice of mixing meat in bread, and some seemingly veg dishes. So ask them to confirm before eating. Keep a print out of the translation shared earlier above, if you have preferences.

·         Animal oil is sometimes used for cooking, although not very common in servings at good hotels.

·         When buying bread from stores, ask if it has minced or powdered meat inside. If the answer is ‘Me-yo’, you’re safe! If it is ‘Yo’, that means ‘Yes, it does’!

Faiths and Worship:

As you know, majority of Chinese either don’t believe in God, or are not really bothered. With the recent reforms and opening up, religious freedom has improved considerably. Big cities like Shanghai as well as medium level cities have plenty of facilities for worship.

Mosques can be tracked out easily from here. Islamic prayer timings applicable are available here. China has a sizeable minority Muslim population, mainly constituting of  Uyghurs and Hui people. They are spread throughout China and can be spotted easily as they wear white skull caps and run Halal eateries serving spicy noodles and other popular dishes. (But don’t be surprised to see that they serve beer there! I presume that’s a sales compromise because not many people will go there otherwise)

Find out about Churches in Beijing here and Shanghai here. I have seen beautiful Churches in Shanghai and there are facilities for believers in most major cities. I couldn’t find a comprehensive resource or Church locator in the web, though.

Temples: Plenty of magnificent Budhist temples with huge adjoining gardens can be seen all around China. Some of them are major tourist attractions too. However there are no Hindu temples yet. For Hindu believers, get some guidance from here

Banking and Finance:

If you have a VISA enabled debit card from abroad, it may work at ICBC ATMs. Just try your luck, but always keep Forex in case that doesn’t work. Bank of China (BOC) is the easiest way for a foreigner to open an account in China. Note that if you hold an account in certain province and withdraw from ATMs in different provinces, some service fees are involved, albeit minor. Ask for an online account with the security key generator, as the service is available in English and is at times very useful.

Partly torn or creased bank notes will be accepted in most places, so raise an objection only if the note is so bad. Most merchant outlets accept local debit cards for payment.

Fake notes for 50 and 100 denomination are there in circulation although rare. I am no expert in detecting that, and was tricked once. But one way is to look at the water mark area and see if the ‘50’ or ‘100’ imprint is transparent enough or not. Banks and ATMs always confirm authenticity before issuing cash.

Some banks have a lump sum charge for exchanging currency in addition to the exchange margin (I am told this is only in the Airports). For Eg: ICBC charges 50 Yuan for one transaction.

Internet:

High speed internet is easily available. However, many sites like you-tube, google groups, facebook, blogspot, blogger etc. are blocked by the authorities. Indeed, VPNs can help go around the blockade, but it is not always fool-proof. This is why I have to use this not-so-user-friendly blog site, and share videos through this pestering advertisement-packed service. (Hope they change soon). You can use indyarocks, way2sms.com etc. for sending free SMS to Indian numbers. I am using my airtel sim card on roaming here. Incoming SMS is free. So that establishes a free two way communication link as well. 

Conclusion:

Please note that the above are mainly based on my limited experience. Some may be wrong or better options may exist. Prices, info etc. are up to date to the best of my knowledge, as on date of posting, and I shall try to keep it updated. I have taken time and effort to put this in writing, because I always felt the absence of such guidance for travellers, which would save a lot of trouble. Please correct me/add useful info through comment / message

Have a nice trip and Stay!

Suggested reading:

www.shanghaiexpat.com 

www.indianassociation.com.cn

http://indiansinshanghai.blogspot.com/