Calvin’s Wardrobe and Mine

Traveling out of the country to the Western world in the nineties taught me that what you wear is a ‘signal’ and you are judged by it. In the world today where travel is restricted due to the pandemic and meetings and classes are conducted online the ‘dress codes’ have changed. But Calvin is still making a point here!

Unni-Verse

I started writing this blog Unni-Verse in 2016 and the first post I wrote was titled ‘Worldly Wardrobe Woes’. I was at my daughter’s place in Chicago and reflecting on my sense of traditional/ethnic wear and the Western choice of clothes. Today I came across this Calvin and Hobbes cartoon in the newspaper and was reminded of the same, social norms or mores (characteristic customs and conventions of a society) with regard to dress.

Hobbes is stating the norm or mores of the Western way of clothing where in summer everyone strips down to the bare minimum! “Don’t you get hot wearing long pants in the summer?” Long pants out, shorts are in!

In my post of 2016 I recorded a similar ‘Hobbes’ sentiment as expressed by ladies in New Haven, Connecticut. I reflect in my earlier post “In the early nineties, when I was a post-doc at Yale University…

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To market, to market to buy a fat fish!!

I enjoy visiting informal markets, hats (in Hindi), market fairs. In this blog I put together photos and notes on informal markets I observed in different parts of the world. Each is unique in its own way.

Unni-Verse

Lac Bangles, Bapu Bazaar, Jaipur, Pink City
Art Bazaar, Moscow

I am not an etymologist so anything I say on this subject should be taken with a pinch of salt. As far as I understand, the word Mandi in Hindi means a market place. Mandis are named after the products they sell. So a market selling vegetables, sabzi in Hindi, is referred to as a Sabzi Mandi or Vegetable market. The Mandi often gets extended into a local fair with other sellers occupying nearby spaces and selling street food, trinkets and with entertainment stalls for children. Such Mandis or Fairs are also called Haat or Bazaar in rural areas in India.

While the Hindi meaning of Mandi is a market place, it has different meanings in other languages. Mandi in Malayalam means a foolish girl. “What a Mandi she is following that fool around.” A foolish boy is called a…

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Boat crossing at St. Pancras Lock, Two levels at Regent Canal, London

Regent Canal in Central London is this two level canal and we witnessed this amazing boat crossing from one level of water in the canal to the other level! Take a look at the videos of the crossing!

Unni-Verse

One Friday afternoon while we were casually strolling around King Cross area we came across this amazing boat crossing across the Regent Canal which was at two levels. There were boats parked on both sides of a Canal gate which was at two different levels. While we were wondering how this was supposed to work we saw this amazing feat accomplished manually, A gatekeeper opened the gate to allow water to flow out and level the two parts of the canal. As the boat at the higher level slowly came down to the lower level, the gates opened and the boat crossed over. Surprising only one side of the gate was opened and we wondered how the boat would come through. To our delight the boat was skillfully manipulated through the single open gate by the boatman!! See video of the crossing.

St. Pancras Lock, Regent Canal, London

Yeah, Boat…

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Visiting Pittsburgh: Unusually Picturesque City!

I travelled to Pittsburgh a couple of years ago. Pittsburgh is very different from other cities in the US. First its topography is undulating and it has three rivers Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio. The Allegheny River and Monongahela River unite at Point State Park to form the Ohio River. It is an amazing site from the top of a hill on … Continue reading Visiting Pittsburgh: Unusually Picturesque City! →

Polo Forest: Maharana Pratap’s Hideout

This is the fifth in the series of posts on our visit to Polo Forest. See the earlier four posts on the Heritage Palace, Vijaynagar, the natural beauty around the forest, the ancient Shiva Temples and the Jain Temple ruins, Angkor Wat of Gujarat here. Polo Forest turned out to be a dream for exploring fascinating sites. After our … Continue reading Polo Forest: Maharana Pratap’s Hideout →

Polo Forest: Ancient Jain Temple, Angkor Wat of Gujarat

This is the fourth in the series of posts on our visit to Polo Forest. See the earlier three posts on the Heritage Palace, Vijaynagar, the natural beauty around the forest and the ancient Shiva Temples here. Exploring along a not very clean path at the back of the Shiva Panchayatan-2 we discovered a wonder … Continue reading Polo Forest: Ancient Jain Temple, Angkor Wat of Gujarat →