Well I read this book recently and want to write about this book. This is a book titled 'The Civil war'. An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C .Ward with Ric Burns and Ken Burns.
As the title indicates, it is a book about American Civil War. Normally any history book is supposed to induce sleep. But this one is too good and if the history books prescribed in schools are anything like this no one will go to sleep in history class I suppose. I think you need a maturity to understand and appreciate history. That may be one of the reasons for history classes being a bore in school.
This book is illustrated with lot of pictures (photography was just then invented and quite a few photographs were taken at the war sites) and also maps and maps of placement of troops etc. I remember one of my teacher for my history MA telling us that history has to be studied with a background of geography, other wise it will be like it is hanging in mid air. This is so true and I could appreciate this concept while reading this book. These maps made it so realistic and everytime I read I referred to the maps for better understanding.
The main thing which struck me after reading was the great reconcilliation that has taken place after the war between the south which was called confederates and the north which was called the union. There may be some abberations here and there but by and large the reconcilliation and integration is complete.
The whole life style of the southern people changed and slavery which had a sanction of the constitution before the war which was fought for 4 years between 1861 to1865 was completely abolished by the end of the war. Here what I mean by complete abolition is the abolition constitutionally. In reality, it has taken more than 100 years for the blacks to get into direction of the main stream and the process of them joining in the main stream is still going on.
I could see from the book how many who fought on both sides had soft corner for the other side . They all met at the certain site of the wars after 50 years. (civil war is not a single war as it was fought in many many fronts and in many places). The people who had fought with each other and killed each other meet after 50 years as people who are civil to each other and as the citizens of the same country.
Like the author says before the civil war, the united states was mentioned as 'The united states are....' (meaning different states) becomes The United states is..... after the war. The number
of Americans died in this war was much more than the number of Americans died in the two wars put together.
Since anu lives in Baltimore which is just one hour from the capital Washington DC I could appreciate the book much more as I could visualize the many places mentioned in the book. The confederate capital Richmond is just 100 miles from the Union Capital Washington. While driving to North Carolina I could read many signs for places which I could identify with the civil war like Manassas the first place where the first shot was fired in the civil war.
It really made a wonderful reading that I could see a different perspective of America.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Sanitary Commission
I was reading a book about Civil War. I read about the unhygenic conditions prevailed during the war, the wounded and the dead and the unavailability of good water etc. I read about the Santiary Commission which was trying to do its best though it was 1860s and they were not much aware of the connection between the death rate and the unhygenic conditions. ( for example the surgeons using the same instrument for removing the bullets from different patients just after wiping it and things like that).
I had a chat with vasu which was about the apalling condition of Railway coaches even reserved AC coaches which have rats (Yes it was rats we were talking about) in it.
These two lead me to think about the sanitary condition in India and how we just don't give importance to it at all.
It is ok in 19th century if people were not aware of hygene. But it is unpardonable if in 21st century we are not aware of this. We are aware that diseases are spread by mosquitoes, cockroaches and rats. These abound in places which are kept dirty. This is simple truth every one knows.
Coming back to railways previously each coach used to be thouroughly cleaned before taking up a second journey. Now I wonder if it is done at all. The screens put in the AC compartment is so dirty I wish it is done away with. In the station while we waited, we just could not stand still but dance as there were so many mosquitoes around us. We were in the end of platform where there was no fan.
We are hearing so much about the dreaded chickengunia(how ever it is spelled) which is taking its toll and is spread by mosquitoes.
What we need is a separate sanitary team (in all probabalities we will be having one or more department I suppose) which is given the first priority, money and power so that cleaning is done in war footing.
I remember one of my relative who was of my grand father's generation used to be a sanitary inspector, who used to work in rural areas and used to go from village to village. I wonder what work he did but he used to make his wife's life miserable asking her not to do this or that .
We must be having those posts even now who must be issuing certificates to hotels and eateries. The whole cleanliness of public places has to be taken in a serious way and that department should be given sufficient importance and fundings from the Govt. and should not become a punishment postings like archives department. I feel by rediscovering Sanitary Commission or Department some improvement can be seen.
I had a chat with vasu which was about the apalling condition of Railway coaches even reserved AC coaches which have rats (Yes it was rats we were talking about) in it.
These two lead me to think about the sanitary condition in India and how we just don't give importance to it at all.
It is ok in 19th century if people were not aware of hygene. But it is unpardonable if in 21st century we are not aware of this. We are aware that diseases are spread by mosquitoes, cockroaches and rats. These abound in places which are kept dirty. This is simple truth every one knows.
Coming back to railways previously each coach used to be thouroughly cleaned before taking up a second journey. Now I wonder if it is done at all. The screens put in the AC compartment is so dirty I wish it is done away with. In the station while we waited, we just could not stand still but dance as there were so many mosquitoes around us. We were in the end of platform where there was no fan.
We are hearing so much about the dreaded chickengunia(how ever it is spelled) which is taking its toll and is spread by mosquitoes.
What we need is a separate sanitary team (in all probabalities we will be having one or more department I suppose) which is given the first priority, money and power so that cleaning is done in war footing.
I remember one of my relative who was of my grand father's generation used to be a sanitary inspector, who used to work in rural areas and used to go from village to village. I wonder what work he did but he used to make his wife's life miserable asking her not to do this or that .
We must be having those posts even now who must be issuing certificates to hotels and eateries. The whole cleanliness of public places has to be taken in a serious way and that department should be given sufficient importance and fundings from the Govt. and should not become a punishment postings like archives department. I feel by rediscovering Sanitary Commission or Department some improvement can be seen.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Life Style
Some thing has dawned on me in this trip to America. Every time I visit this place, or in fact when ever I am in KL, I tend to compare it with India and always think when it will be that India could become like these places,, I mean the houses, lay outs, roads, life style etc etc. Finally it dawned on me that given any number of years it is impossible for India to be an America or for that matter America to be India.
Now that I have seen quite a few places in US where anu/srini happen to live I find a common thread to each city and the lay out etc are very similar. You have a very very busy 'downtown' in each city which is nothing but the 'city centre' (which is called 'pusat bandaraya' in KL) where lot of offices are located. These areas are not normally very fit for living in the common sense, as they are crowded and expensive and it is some times considered as not a very safe place to live also. I don't know if 'Manhattan' down town in New York comes in this category, for safe living, as I have heard that to live there is considered a luxury.
Well coming back to the general cities, the cities just have grown in vast expanse around the down town which can be called the suburbs. Each suburb is so big and has wide roads which can be reached either by local roads are by highways. That is each exit of a high way takes to a suburb and you should know which exit to take. Again it should be mentioned here that USA has a very poor public transport system. They have the usual set of stores to buy your groceries and other necessities and being an Indian you get to know the location of Indian store also which has the same set of indian grociers and also rotting vegetables from which you pick up the good ones. (I wonder why they can not throw the rotten ones every night before they close the shop).
I have the experience of living in aparment complexes. Each apartment complex is maintained by a company so everything is in order and you can just go and complain if anything does not work and you have lot of space to park your car and also lot of pathways to go for walks.
In the apartment a net is provided for all the windows and doors of the house so you are protected from insects. (This time in India I could see lot of mosquitoes every where and even while waiting for the train to come in the station and in fact inside the train also. We are discussing how to curtail the mosquito menance in the coimbatore house.) These are just nets which any body can dismantle which are fixed on the outside of the glass doors and windows. But no body bothers to remove them or take them away. But this can never be done in India as it is most unsafe ,for somebody will remove and take away the net and also the glass door is not safe at all. Similarly here the roads are not cleaned every day (in fact I have seen them being cleaned in India and also in KL) but I don't see any plastic or papers littered on the road. It has become a culture with people not to litter. Roads are broad and paved (tarred) till the end of the footpath and neat footpath is laid on many roads and so there is no question of dust and mud. where as in India we pave the roads only in the middle and it is another story that vehicles come over the foot paths if at all there are any foot paths in the narrow streets.
Similarly I can fillup another page writing about the condominiums in Malaysia where about 200 to 300 aparments are in a single complex managed comparitively well and it is a different type of a life style.
If such things have to be done in India first of all the hafazard development which has already taken place without any planning should be destroyed which is just impossible. Houses are built anywhere and everywhere and then roads are built in and around the houses. I only hope at least some more roads are built in India so that cars and vehicles can move.
So I have decided to sit back and enjoy the expanse of America, the condos of KL and also the relative independence I get walking to and fro from my banks and autoriksha stands and other places.
Now that I have seen quite a few places in US where anu/srini happen to live I find a common thread to each city and the lay out etc are very similar. You have a very very busy 'downtown' in each city which is nothing but the 'city centre' (which is called 'pusat bandaraya' in KL) where lot of offices are located. These areas are not normally very fit for living in the common sense, as they are crowded and expensive and it is some times considered as not a very safe place to live also. I don't know if 'Manhattan' down town in New York comes in this category, for safe living, as I have heard that to live there is considered a luxury.
Well coming back to the general cities, the cities just have grown in vast expanse around the down town which can be called the suburbs. Each suburb is so big and has wide roads which can be reached either by local roads are by highways. That is each exit of a high way takes to a suburb and you should know which exit to take. Again it should be mentioned here that USA has a very poor public transport system. They have the usual set of stores to buy your groceries and other necessities and being an Indian you get to know the location of Indian store also which has the same set of indian grociers and also rotting vegetables from which you pick up the good ones. (I wonder why they can not throw the rotten ones every night before they close the shop).
I have the experience of living in aparment complexes. Each apartment complex is maintained by a company so everything is in order and you can just go and complain if anything does not work and you have lot of space to park your car and also lot of pathways to go for walks.
In the apartment a net is provided for all the windows and doors of the house so you are protected from insects. (This time in India I could see lot of mosquitoes every where and even while waiting for the train to come in the station and in fact inside the train also. We are discussing how to curtail the mosquito menance in the coimbatore house.) These are just nets which any body can dismantle which are fixed on the outside of the glass doors and windows. But no body bothers to remove them or take them away. But this can never be done in India as it is most unsafe ,for somebody will remove and take away the net and also the glass door is not safe at all. Similarly here the roads are not cleaned every day (in fact I have seen them being cleaned in India and also in KL) but I don't see any plastic or papers littered on the road. It has become a culture with people not to litter. Roads are broad and paved (tarred) till the end of the footpath and neat footpath is laid on many roads and so there is no question of dust and mud. where as in India we pave the roads only in the middle and it is another story that vehicles come over the foot paths if at all there are any foot paths in the narrow streets.
Similarly I can fillup another page writing about the condominiums in Malaysia where about 200 to 300 aparments are in a single complex managed comparitively well and it is a different type of a life style.
If such things have to be done in India first of all the hafazard development which has already taken place without any planning should be destroyed which is just impossible. Houses are built anywhere and everywhere and then roads are built in and around the houses. I only hope at least some more roads are built in India so that cars and vehicles can move.
So I have decided to sit back and enjoy the expanse of America, the condos of KL and also the relative independence I get walking to and fro from my banks and autoriksha stands and other places.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
jet lag
Well here I am again travelled from one corner of the Globe to the other. It has sort of become a routine with me to travel once in one or two years like this. I am amazed at the different life style in the different parts. I was in India just a fortnight back and the people, the lay out of houses, the shops the narrow roads, traffic etc., makes me think now it is some other planet. or may be now I am in some other planet. What ever it is I am groggy as I have this jet lag which is making me awake at all odd hours of this place and makes me sleepy the whole day.
From India it was KL which has better roads, better shops but still crowded only. Here in USA the places which ever I have visited so far it is the expanse of space which strikes you first. Though it has lot of cars and traffic and in some places lot of people, each locality is spread out with wide roads and lot of greens and lot of space around you. You will be lost if you don't have any transport and that is why I see cars wizzing past with just one passenger all the time. The shopping is so typical which I have mentioned earlier that it is not the customer's choice, it is the shopkeepers choice that certain things are available in only certain stores and there is no variety in the store. (but there is definitely variety in the merchandise, it is almost nausciating to see so many wares displayed). It takes some time for the mind to adjust to the new surroundings and the only order as far as I am concerned comes from the routine I have at home which is almost same which ever part of globe I am in.
From India it was KL which has better roads, better shops but still crowded only. Here in USA the places which ever I have visited so far it is the expanse of space which strikes you first. Though it has lot of cars and traffic and in some places lot of people, each locality is spread out with wide roads and lot of greens and lot of space around you. You will be lost if you don't have any transport and that is why I see cars wizzing past with just one passenger all the time. The shopping is so typical which I have mentioned earlier that it is not the customer's choice, it is the shopkeepers choice that certain things are available in only certain stores and there is no variety in the store. (but there is definitely variety in the merchandise, it is almost nausciating to see so many wares displayed). It takes some time for the mind to adjust to the new surroundings and the only order as far as I am concerned comes from the routine I have at home which is almost same which ever part of globe I am in.
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