Vedasri Siddamsetty

“I told you so”, Nina’s Mom told her for the nth time. I knew this would happen, I warned you against it, I know, I know, were the phrases that Nina’s Mom most used. Coming from a parental background where she was always told not to question the parents, to know what is given is it, Anna, also known as Nina’s Mom lived a life highly shielded. Her own parents were strict disciplinarians who did little but expected loads. Growing up without information about the world at large, all her questions were answered by tight-lipped parents who lived with a sense of scarcity. There never seemed to be enough in their heads, whatever their living condition, there never seemed much. While Anna and Marc thrived on successful careers minting money after becoming successful IT professionals that sheer harshness of life literally got to them. The beginnings were tough with Marc having to raise a student loan just like Nina as they taught themselves how to code while at the same time getting on with assignments, temporary jobs and student politics. However, by the time, Nina came around, a pretty rotund child with shiny bouncy curls there was not a need for anything. But the mind was made up and all the wealth in the world never seemed enough. Nina was always told, they have it better, they’ve got more, we dont have enough, we need more and thus their world spun around.

In school Nina was asked to measure every step she took, she was asked to calculate every grain she ate, and then all her growing up years she was asked to check on every word she spoke. She was asked, asked, and asked. As words, endless words entered her ears she knew nothing better than to follow them. Her own voice was drowned in the endless tirades of her mother. Her father kept his words simple and short but notions were made clear through gestures and actions. Without any body to hold her court she never had a court anymore. The teachers at school spoke too, the shoulds eclipsed the coulds, the musts eclipsed the cans. The poor child was tormented even without having anything to be really tormented about. Words, well they can cut deep, they can mold a person into not being themselves. The loudest in the room can eclipse the softest, the harshest can erase out the meekest. That was just the way of the world. And Nina was soon becoming one such example. A bright child she excelled in things that she ended up doing alone. Like writing her science papers, and conducting specific research on particular topics. From following her parent’s footsteps in IT, after being prodded by them to continuously code, she managed to make her way into the world of science. And when science and tech collided, it resulted in an app that could make lives a whole lot easier. Though life gently prodded her in directions of her merit, Nina’s mother did not think that the universe could be right for her child. And every supposedly wrong turn on the road was approached with her favorite phrases of “I told you so”, or even better, “I already knew it”.

And today Nina got a letter from the investors in her app, there was a hitch. The funding well may have run dry. “We are extremely sorry to have to write this mail. The unforeseen circumstances have tied our hand and the funds allotted to seed funding the Vishwamitra app may need to have a break.” Nina’s eyes welled up. And looking over Nina’s shoulders Anna went on relentlessly, “I told you so. I knew that this would lead to nowhere. You should have listened to me. I know. I have seen life. After all what are you. I know that this is bound to happen. What did you think. Why did I stick to my corporate job. Inspite of all my creativity because I knew doing things like this will not work. I know my Nina, I just know.” For the first time, the girl who had always listened did not want to listen. She looked up at Anna and her Mom knew better, better than to continue. As for the rest of her words, they never saw the light of the day as she immediately shut up and let her daughter be. The incessant background chatter stopped all of a sudden. As for Nina she managed to catch the next flight out to Silicon Valley where she met up with the VC board and presented her case about the application. How close she was to getting the app into the beta phase and eventually strategising its launch became increasingly clear as the days went by.

And just like that, the app was launched, and the world welcomed the Vishwamitra app with open arms. At the launch success part, Nina was asked if she would ever consider selling the app if she got a price of her choice. As she clinked her champagne glass she said, “There is much for me to look forward to in life and much of it has to do with cautioning the use of the words that were entering her head. Temperance in thought, word, and deed, means a lot. To caution oneself from hearing things one need not hear. It is such a pity that we cannot shut out our ears.” She looked out at her colleague. A blonde with impeccable style. She asked, “Georgia, have you ever had the courage to not hear what you clearly do not need to hear?” Georgia smile and replied, “I once knew a man who over time turned stone deaf just because he could not bear to hear what was being said loudly and consistently. All the ill talk he could not bear and over 4 decades, his body willed him to shut off the sense of hearing. It is true, the body keeps score. Either one bends into turning into the words he hears, you are what you hear, becoming one with the words being battled if not battered into you or if one really manages to retain one’s thinking, may slowly go tone deaf.” Nina could not help but thank her stars. And a couple of years later when the journalist said, “What got you here?” indicating all the success Nina garnered. Nina unblinkingly said, “I tempered the shoulds.” And with that she winked as she said, “Maybe you should too.”

temperance

/ˈtɛmp(ə)rəns/

noun

1. the quality of moderation or self-restraint.

This is when we would start practising the annual Christmas play, which would be centered on the Birth of Jesus, the gift of the Magi or some such. At home I’d be bullied by my brothers on how unhindered my Christian knowledge was becoming. But the spirit of Christmas today seems to be more than religion, why I see Christmas trees being set up even in the ultra South Indian localities of Jayanagar. The red, white and green clothes come out after a year and everyone is suddenly getting on the plum cake making endeavours. The enthusiasm is highly contagious. Not to forget the Gifts, Secret Santas, the annual discounts and a work culture that leans highly to the west. Holidays are planned accordingly and no one questions all the work not done in December. It is the season to be jolly ofcourse for after all Santa is coming to town.

Bred on carols, stories, miracles and socks this month I present to you all some fun fiction. Tales that I am writing to capture the festive cheer and also the seven heavenly virtues. It is also the time we make our yearly vision boards, goals and perhaps take on a gym membership 😉 May the tales entertain you this month. It’s story time in December and while we go brrrrrr under the blankets here’s a warm read. Ofcourse one can guess the virtues and if not up for moral policing can simply enjoy the read!

So we’ll, it’s December and I am convent educated, so that means something!

Comic con is said to have about 50000 visitors in its 2 day extravaganza sponsored by Meta, it had us scramble to post reels, tag meta, indulge in AI and literally run around for wifi as we posted all that digital information, tagging, retagging, including, learning the ropes of the media, for one challenge they asked us to use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and finally to email ourselves the media before we could complete a set of 4 challenges to win a really snazzy meta bag. It was harrowing not to say the least because not just was it so difficult to maneuver in that crazy crowd, but it was also so hard to make sure we had the bandwidth to post all our creations, it was also an utter waste as the bag however snazzy it looked, was of the worst quality possible and began to crumble simply within three weeks of the fest. At the Comic Con we swore not to come back next year, probably giving it a year or two before we next ventured in there. The popularity of digital media, gaming, movies and characters was just amazing. Needless to say my watch list grew a couple of furlongs as we made out of the crazy populace. The cosplay was fun though, at a point I thought we met Thor, the man was dressed to the t, immaculately.

And then, the Bangalore Lit fest happened, I am not sure how many people attended the event at the Lalit Ashok, but I must say we could breathe. I have been a reader since I was taught to read, and Belle was the Disney princess I most related myself to as a child, dressing as Belle for every fancy dress competition. Ariel came a close second, well because she’s a mermaid and I loved to swim, but I did quite take to the zealousness of Belle, and of course her courage to see beyond appearances. I remember spending hours with my Grandpa accompanying him to his various government meetings, (he was an IA&AS officer) since there was nothing more I detested than staying at home. And on the way to the sometimes day long meetings, we would stop at the bookstore, buy a book to read and one to color or draw in and head to the meeting, where I would sit on a side or sometimes in an ante-chamber reading tomes, not realising the time till a peon would come and call upon me saying it was time to leave. There would be lunch breaks, there would be tea breaks, sometimes a lovely conversation, and sometimes cricket (if my brother was involved in that outing) but mostly it would be my time with books, to read in or to draw in. Writing happened sporadically, with my Mom being my greatest cheerleader, reading every word I would write, some were letters to embassies, who would send me goodies in return to my kind words, and others that got me my teacher’s attention in school. Then elocution happened, that came with writing, and doing that well gave me the confidence to showcase my opinion, of course, Twitter gave it a radical boost, my first Boss, Architect Yeshwant Ramamurthy showed what editors may be interested in, my father introduced me to newspaper editors, where my weekly articles appeared for about 6 months and then finally WordPress gave me a podium to write without being published per se. Like they say everyone has a book in them and I do wish mine could see the light of the day someday. And these feelings were only fanned at the Blr Lit Fest!

A meeting point of reader, writers, smart opinionated feisty people, chill Uber cool millennials, authors who have a point, authors who do not want to have a point, people who came for a unique experience or then some who landed up because their wives said so! I for one was so happy to see so many authors, who’s books I have bought or newspaper columns I have read in true flesh and blood, speaking their minds. Sunil Chhetri was there too, talking about the book Awakening the Blue Tiger, speaking of football, why India is not a sporting nation, what it will take and why sports should be mandatory in school and then in life! If not the Olympic medals he says, India with a have a population that is physically fit, mentally stable and healthy in general. (Maybe injured too, my mind thought, considering all the injuries sports people endure) But then he did make a valid point. Then there was Shobha De, who seemed much more intelligent than her books which was very refreshing. She had a rather lovely conversation with Surya HK, and there was an interesting point of view there. Ahead I thoroughly enjoyed the Q&A with Manu Joseph who rightly observed that in Chennai every argument is won by the statement, it is scientifically proven that… Much like his column his views are tangents and give one a unique point of view. Don’t hate me he says, and then firmly tops it up with, hate me of you want. The Maverick Maharaja is a new book that I would like to read, it was sold out at the fest bookstore by Atta Galata, after hearing Yaduveer Wadiyar, who did catch my interest. How difficult it must be to be a torch bearer of a legacy that man made irrelevant if not irreverent. But then I did get my stash of books, signed even by Kubbra Sait. That woman was a revelation, am waiting to read Open Book, but her conversation was by itself so much fun and so exciting. Her vibe utterly exquisite. Now I think awesomeness may just run in families. It is probably genetic!

For the kids there was a lot to do. My son was thrilled with the jumping castle and all the games, he was enthralled at a session by Priyanka Agarwal Mehta, who writes with the sole intent of teaching EQ to kids, I wonder if it can taught though, and of-course entertaining kids with her character of Samara. Tinkering robots got children to build a robot, which was super fun, while Whale Tales got them to hone their illustrious arty side. The resultant processes were super great.

It was surely just another day in paradise and though I missed lots, with 6 sessions happening parallelly and having an interest for almost everything it is certainly hard to be everywhere, it was one of the funnest day ever. Book lovers and book worms be warned, this is one place you may never want to leave!

To be a good architect, be a good human being.

To be a great architect, be a great human being.

– Seah Chee Kien

No, Chee Kien is not a Chinese scholar, with a long white beard, or a modern-day Sadhu playing golf or riding a bicycle across a subcontinent. He is a Singaporean Architect, who was once upon a time my boss, and now is the Head at RSP Singapore. That one line is distilled with so much wisdom and offers a plausible explanation to the ever-precious inquiry of what it takes to be a great architect, one who builds the built and sometimes the unbuilt spaces in our living and non-living world. And he could not be more right just as Samarendra Ramachandra, again a former boss, also the author of the book Architecture of Value, published in 2021. In fact, reading this book got me thinking of everything that Chee Kien would actively say every single day during my time at the leading worldwide firm that has a million square feet under construction at any given time. While goodness is a value, greatness is a quality and a fine one at that. It is embodied and then expressed in all its finery, one that is not just seen but intrinsically noticed. And all goodness or greatness comes from integrity, simplicity, and humility. In humans and then in architecture. That is the premise of the book and Ramachandra expresses the gist, leading the reader through a trajectory of reason before arriving at the conclusion.

There are a bunch of extremely valid and relevant points, that point one in the right direction, also affixed by not just the author’s personal experiences but a bunch of collective experiences from architects who have been practicing the craft across India. The author’s poem titled “It Comes” is something that I would like to imprint on my home decor, just so that I can read it every single day. In the few lines there is a truckload of wisdom, naysaying what seems to be happening, to toasting what could be, extrapolating again that in reflectiveness there is gold, silver and all the jewels of being alive. Being in the moment is extremely precious, that every guru tells us these days, but the only way to make something of wonder, something of relevance, the author reinstates is by reaching into the depths of one’s consciousness, into the mills of silence, of watching oneself to the brim, Here’s are a few excerpts of the said poem that begins the book.

not by cleverness of one’s mind

not by plodding a ritual’s grind

not of targets set or lofty missions

nor those well-rendered submissions

not by beckoning a well-timed style

nor a self-generated twisted profile

not for deluding others in many ways

nor bowing to a high master’s grace

in quietened thought, the answer dwells

like the prepared ground for a seed tells

the values learnt from a tradition grown

nurture the bold minds to hold their own

the subtle art to intelligence in design

where a human reaches, meets divine

in a silence deep, where the mind hums

quietly there, the truth creates, it comes

While the book begins and ends with several notes from architects across the country, including the likes of Charles Benninger. Jaisim, Shirish Beri and Yeswant Ramamurthy, Architect Shanker Narayan quite in essence captures what the book tries to say, in four words he says, “your architecture is you”, so one can be quite certain of where certain buildings come from, they are all after all inspired by people. To headfirst dive into the subject of the book may be too random, so the author first provides definitions of what is value and then what it is to be an architect. An architect’s definition he says must go well beyond a person who designs buildings or who supervises their construction but should ideally encapsulate one who contributes through design, thought and practice to the creation of our built environment. While having a scientific temperament is a must for an architect, there is no denying the crucial part that artistic insight plays in the being of an architect to enable one to see beyond the mundane. We all know that an artist perceives subtleties of emotion and beauty, then expresses them in various mediums – visual, literary, theatre, and music. But then, more important than science and art, more important than what meets the eye is the essence of what is, is value, thereby he says instead of hustling to build a marvel of science or wonder in art, architecture must be centered on a core of value and that value centered architecture can only take its root in a value-centered aspect of the human mind. A pursuit of value in architecture is simply a pursuit of truth and hence an architect’s creation is an expression of the highest truth that a human mind can produce.

The next part of the book explores the human story in correspondence with architecture focusing on evolution, need vs greed, nature vs human, technology vs progress and then the need for aspirations of empathy, oneness and freedom in the architecture of the future. The idea of the country India is explored, more so as a gesture to pay heed to our roots, to what value a motherland imprints on its citizens, and finally coming to why clarity is important, of where we come from, where we want to go for confusion is the cause of conflict. And the conflict can be done away with, when there is a pause, an ability to reflect,and understanding the essence of our being. The following chapters address concerns that the students of the profession face and the doubts a young architect may harbour. Of course none of it would skirt an architect or a person who is conscious or even is aware with crystal clarity of their reasons for the choices made. Like they say when you know you are in the (k)now!

Now here is a book that tries to make a very relevant point to architects in the practice, mentors students of architecture and presents a philosophy that every person should do well to embrace. It is a conversation with the author, one that looks forward to further initiating a conversation within one, and in that intent, championing the spirit of inquiry it wins.

There is something in the air of Goa, apart from the fact that there is lot of water vapour in it considering the beach is rather close, the apparent chill climes are what attract people in droves. In the peak season, Goa is unbelievable, the crowds are massive and unless one is staying in W, one would have to ensure massive reservations, dodge Russian travellers on the beach for the best shack views and of course be ready to be swamped in street markets! While eat, sleep, repeat could be the mantra of the day, swim, shop, surf make up for all the time in the day. With a beach or so walkable, Goa becomes more applauseable, with a ton of so of beaches there are some that are to be keenly avoided while others can be finished starting from the north.

Right at the northern most part is Arambol following which are Mandrem, Ashvem, Morjim and then come Anjuna, Calangute, Candolim before heading to Dona Paula and Bambolim. Of these Ashvem is highly popular with stunning views and places for chilling by the dozen, though the beach is much cleaner and more beautiful than the precincts of Calangute which is best avoided. Candolim on the other hand is wonderful offering up views of the fort Aguada. The southern beaches of Colva, Varca, Mobor and Canacona are much calmer and away from the party places of the state but are good enough to enjoy nature at its best. For food Susegado brings out the best of Goan cuisine, Thalassa serves up a Greek storm, Antares gives Greece a sigh and EDM a roll, Yazu the best of experience and cuisine without overdoing the Greek whites that are a given in the state of Goa. Gunpowder is rated super high but the South Indian fare there is not fun to say the least. Jamun in Goa sticks to Indian and the Burger factory pays ode to Burgers than are milled from a factory of sorts. All in all there is so much to eat in Goa, literally the cuisines of the world in one platter and the themes and mixes are just amazing. We stayed at the Hard Rock hotel and while the brand works I’d highly recommend Marquis beach resort, due to its proximity to the beach and it’s new rooms for sure. Located in Candolim it is very close to happy places and stores that imbibe the vibe of Goa.

But the star of this round of Goa was definitely Assagao, a quiet inland village known for leafy streets and lined with elegant colonial villas and Portuguese era churches. It is today a hub for creative businesses, home to design stores, upscale resorts, restaurants and yoga studios. The vibe of Assagao was simply amazing. My favourite haunts in Assagao were Rangeela and No nasties (I have long been their planet positive clothing consumer, right when they started in 2015) but Rangeela was surely a find. They stock most of their merchandise from Cochin Blue, a South Indian company that sells really pretty house and clothes wear. All available online ofcourse but one can’t exactly feel the vibe online!! The boutique hotels in Assagao feel highly Portuguese and while staying there one my indulge in laisse faire Portuguese neighbors sitting around in verandahs and literally swatting flies! The houses that have been converted to restaurants are so super snazzy that one would never want to leave. Jamun is one such restaurant where the attention to detail and the personal touch is absolutely touching. The restaurant that sits in an old Portuguese house, still holds the old well and all its rooms intact. The name and theme is inspired by all things Indian, specifically Goan, with a special mention made to the tropical fruit that is super indigenous called the jamun. The food by itself is delightful ofcourse.

Goa is fast commercialising, franchising and changing at the speed of light. Not too different from the world we live it. However it would have been nice if Goa balanced all that new with the old a bit better. That’s exactly what I felt being in the state of wonder.

In the last line of the limited series of Spotify, The Playlist, Daniel Ek says, when he thinks of the negotiations, he feels that he should have said that this is the future and if you want to be with us then you have to be with us on our terms. Basically he says that he shouldn’t have listened to people for things to have been better. But every tech company has a mammoth number of people it listens to, investors, the shareholders, the board but it doesn’t listen to the people who use these services. The users are the commodity, their data is mined and sold, when we ran out of land to mine, there are people and soon there will be something else. In fact tech companies tell their users what to do, supplying them with content that they apparently cannot refuse. I am one of them, the commodity I mean, in fact I cannot blame the tech companies, even plain Jane hoardings across the city can spark my curiosity and hence interest in most things. As I flex by abstinence muscle there are a huge bunch of influences I may have to stay away from, not to mention the influencers. I am told that the influencer market is almost inching towards the construction market in the world. The millennials certainly prefer experiences over anything else!

But honestly the Playlist, made me feel like I was watching the Social Network itself, probably every company in the Silicon Valley feels like it is absolutely hedonistic with a very sinister personal agenda. Digital communism then becomes an aforesaid notion, but then what is life without capitalism, ofcourse the musicians make the music, but Spotify makes sure it is seamless, enjoyed across devices across time and for that they probably charge a royalty and pretty much should. The middle man seemingly has become the main man. If you don’t want to fight, walk away, if you do not want to support something walk away. But can we really walk away from Spotify, Facebook, Twitter or whatever else there is? Can we actually walk away from the future to make some sense? Well it’s all until the next dawn of civilisation catches up, perhaps it will be hinged on morality or liberty. Knowing history that seems very unlikely. Exploitation against oil, coal, diamonds, animals, trees, crops, intellectual copyright and now finally data, where is the end? While we seem so busy making our lives more convenient with technology many we traipse back to the essence of humanity, even if the rich get richer and the poor poorer, let there be a twinge or perhaps more of humanity in every gesture. After all kindness is contagious as they say. That may spell some hope and that may be the future we all would want to walk into!

Phew! With all that traveling we decided to nestle close to Bangalore in another luxury tent and then a tree house. Well, I am talking about a highly Instagrammed place, sold so marvelously on the outskirts of Bangalore in Tamil Nadu, October was a month of tenting for us as we shuttled between the Kabannas and the Machan or the tree house fabricated by Loom Crafts Bangalore. The Treehouse was a welcome stay for of course, the view is always better from the top! But on that note, I must say that for all the joy that Instagram brings it mostly fabricates a story (well that sounds better than stating the fact that it tells a lie!), so at the Kabannas in Bedouin we were greeted to luxury tents, well in the pictures we saw a hint or an angle of the space, while in reality we saw 360 degrees of views that werent too kind. But the most beautiful part I must say and everyone would completely agree with me is that of nature. Time spent in nature is not just healing but it is also the most worth it of all. The only flora and fauna we were treated to were what we’d have in any urban setting, but were able to pause and notice them better.

Having nothing to do though is a boon at times and this was such a time. With a tiny pool at our disposal and not a much obliging weather we lapped in the pool for a bit before retiring indoors or heading for a walk. The part that I found most intriguing is the fact that the hospitality space built within a gated community being open for business! That someone could think of leasing out a plot in an enclosed gated community turning it into a money spinner is quite a win. Not having plots sitting as just idle investments is quite another thing. Just as slices of the investment is being put to some fantastic use, the marketeers of the concept property project partial views of the space to entice people to spend a night or a weekend at the tent accommodations with a tiny pool to unwind in. Just like Instagram allows one to view others lives in parts or through filters, wouldn’t it be lovely to view our own lives in rose-coloured filters! The only entertainment at 16 Bedouin are the cows that take an early morning walk on the neighbouring property, or rather some city cats who have retired to Hosur and hence the climes of Bedouin. It is an example of an extremely well marketed place, like they say a good salesman can even sell the Taj Mahal, but the reality is quite different. Here’s to the people who are not influenced by the influencers, and happily so, will probably stay far away from Bedouin!

The landscape of Cappadocia mainly lies in the Eastern part of Anatolia, the stunning rock formations were once molten lava cooled down and weathered over millennia. The resulting effects of rocky earth in a semi-arid region all endowed with fairy chimneys, towering palaces, and busy trails making the region the most Instagrammed place of all time. Goreme is a village in the Cappadocia region that expands over the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Extremely popular with tourits Cappadocia caters to all kinds of culinary experiences and makes one feel very much at home, as do the numerous cave hotels in the village. The Cappadocia Cave hotel was once a space which the Hittites carved into the rock to produce rooms, workspaces, and living spaces. While Goreme records what happen over the ground, Kaymakli and Derinkyu record similar rock-cut dwellings under the ground, even at times at over 85 m. These underground cities were used to store grapes, make wine, sell wares, live, and pray especially when times got tough or the Hittites took refuge from incoming warrior tribes.

Each of these cities is extremely well-ventilated, lit through man-made means, but are air-fed through aptly located shafts and ventilation chambers. The crafted models guide the visitor through the space and once safely at the bottom of an underground city, for the not-so-faint-hearted, it is a revelation. These dwellings underground were never said to have been used as permanent dwellings but were used intermittently. But there are so many in the area, that the maze is real. Even while following a trail to the wild expanse we are greeted with churches and homes carved into a towering block of rock. All parts of the world are victims to the vicissitudes of climate change and Cappadocia is no less. The gases in the air erode the rocks even faster as they come in downpours, in an arid area it could mean a change in the landscape. Climate change is real, but that is what made the beautiful rock formations in the first place so the nature of impending doom is highly debatable. The ice age caused the present day, and the present day will cause another age, it is but a way of the world, just having no plastic does make the surroundings of the earth a lot more palatable!

Getting on one of the highly acclaimed trails in the region to the Red Valley and the Rose valley, named because of the colors of the rock formation, we lost our way and ended up in Mendesehir Valley walking through narrow passages between cut-out rock, the Goreme National park that is within the Mendesehir valley holds unique shrubbery of flora and thankfully no fauna! The region with all its dryness is extremely beautiful, but better avoided during a sunny day when the caves promptly come to rescue! While I treaded on to the Rose valley the spectacular scenes literally showcase the boss Artist of all time – God, and once we tread over to the Red valley the vast expanse of Cappadocia comes into full view, and it is here with the sky streaked in colors one cannot find logic in Atheism. Well Cappadocia, you make me a believer. The world in its raw natural state is so beautiful and as a part of this world, we humans are magical as well! I couldn’t then doubt when we find a multitude of churches in the trails. Churches that are beautifully adorned with indigo blue (from India), gilded golds, and bright yellows telling stories of Christ that want never be forgotten.

Good heavens! I wondered as I made my way inside the caves of Cappadocia and above the ground of Cappadocia. In the Hot Air Balloon we looked down on this vast landscape, while the host of balloons in the sky provided so much affluence, down below we saw men climbing trials and women running with long trailed dresses capturing the perfect moment in a picture-perfect place. With so much light bouncing off the landscape, there is no need for extra lighting! The light that Cappadocia lights within anyone who treads on it is well, more than enough. The nights in Cappadocia are magical as well, the man-made fairy lights compete with the fairy chimneys to bring magic in the air, and consequently in oneself. Tourist attractions are attractions for a reason, it is undebatable. Thriving on tourism the region does its best to present a pretty picture no matter what happens in the cities, Goreme is very Turkish in all its beauty, with a wild rose or two reminding one to not simply dismiss the aridity of the land it’s lacking. I for one turned a believer in more than one thing, but firstly and mostly in myself. The climb to the Red Valley was something and everything!

Bursa was once a major capital of the Ottoman kingdom. It is today one of a centrepoint for the making of silk and Bursa silk is an extremely popular fabric not unlikely located on almost the end of the Silk Route! Bursa is known for its two features, the Grand Mosque of Bursa, it’s silk and if I may add, the cats of Turkey. First of all the Grand Mosque in Bursa, is reached after the Caravan Serai, the grand bazaar and upon entrance it fills one with a certain degree of fineness since the mosque itself is an epitome of finesse. At the mosques centre is its most unique feature, a fountain! Once open to sky it’s roof, today covered in glass, the roof brings in light from above rendering the mosque with a degree of affluence. The mosque is an example of the early Ottoman architecture and is also a proponent of the Seljuk Turkish architecture. It was designed and built by architect Ali Neccar in the 1300s.

Silk of Bursa is touted to be a must have, at as the city was the terminal of the famous Silk Route, it is said that the best silk in the world, all with the cocoons, was once found in Bursa. The Ottomans literally spun the silk industry to international fame and the patterns made by the Ottomans are in trend even today, they are classic now! Today Ipek shops dot the region, and Bursa silk is markedly a luxury item, aspirational even. Gercek Ipek or 100% ipek does not mean that the silk is pure, even with a label. For let me warn you that Turkey with all its beauty and allure is a scam capital (of sorts) in the world. While one friend got pick-pocketed in the Istanbul metro, another’s phone was hacked using the airport wifi and yet another one bought a silk scarf, with a fake 100% Bursa silk tag. Though Turkey did break my recent jinx of injury on travels, but that also could be my absence from sharing my life on social media. And that superstitious thought brings me to the most intriguing part of Bursa, and in effect Turkey, its cats!

In Istanbul cats are kings, but in Bursa, cats are queens, and what royalty indeed. Outside the Grand Mosque of Bursa, after a while of debating and discussing the beauty of the mosque all supplemented by facts, we sat by the mosque to catch a breather. Deep in the discussion I barely noticed a cat climb into my lap, and when I did imagine the fright. Cats can dig their claws deep if they want to and cannot be dislodged easily. As it curled up and refused to leave I tried telling it to go, but no, that’s not what it wanted, and well cats get what they want. The blessed creature did not go, even when several cat lovers in the group tried to get it to lets say greener pasters but no, it wouldn’t budge. The Persian ladies, well they had a laugh. Cats are very well treated in predominantly Islamic countries, and the Prophet is said to have a fondness for these animals. The cats well, they seem to love me. There’s a thing or two about cat attack!