Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 22 of 58

Everybody Loves Ganesha

January 29th, 2010

Learning Moment: Chennai, India

I don't buy a lot of souvenirs. I have enough 'stuff' and less than enough room.

Also, airlines are making it extremely difficult to transport your toothbrush, let along a war mask.

Still, I do like to collect the occasional memento. For example, a couple of days ago, I bought these two Ganesha statues at Dakshinachitra (for US$6 each). This got me wondering what my purchase criteria is. After some thought, I decided that the souvenirs I buy have to meet at least some of these criteria:

• They are 'of the place I bought them' or will remind me of that place.
  I don't buy India crafts in the US or Balinese crafts in Japan. I want art that represents at least one component of the culture (if not more). The Ganesha represent a Hindu god. They also show India musical instruments.
• They have elements of both 'art' and 'craft'.
  This is totally subjective, of course. First, I want my piece to have some element of spirit; to represent an artists view of something. I'm not big into literal representations (I have my own camera, thank you). I want to feel like I'm looking at a part of the world through the artists eyes. Second, it should be well made. There should be a level of skill required to create it. These statues are artistic interpretations of Ganesha that convey a sense of grace and humor that I find appealing. They are also very solid, with an interesting 'wire' technique.
• They must represent something I like.
  Typically, this means music or dance. But it could include favorite animals, architecture or more. I like both elephants and music, so these Ganesha satisfy the criteria.
• It helps if they are usable.
  Furniture, lamps, musical instruments, and kitchen ware are great examples. If you can use a souvenir, it pulls double duty. These Ganesha serve no function, unfortunately.
• Finally, cost and size are always a factor.
  For obvious reasons... The Ganesha are four inches tall, so they work perfectly.

Do you buy souvenirs?
What are your souvenir criteria?

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 20 of 58

Geetha, Jaishree, and Uthra

January 27th, 2010

Learning Moment: Chennai, India

Today was a relatively quiet day.

It was cloudy during my commute into work; the first cloudy day we've seen. I continued reading "You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman" during the ride. Just as we reached the office, rain began to fall. Everyone seemed surprised, as the rainy season isn't due to start for another month. It was a short rainfall. The rest of the day was pleasant.

Our second day of the "Managing at KT" workshop was engaging. The group asks many interesting questions. We spent a fair amount of time on SMART goals. Most people don't realize the power of well-written goals, but these folks understood. It's rewarding to see them create strong goals.

Members of our stellar Human Resources team - Geetha, Jaishree, and Uthra - stopped in to make sure all was going well, so I took the opportunity to pose them for a picture.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 19 of 58

Celebrating India's National Day

January 26th, 2010

Learning Moment: Kovalam Beach, Chennai

Today was National Day in India. We slept in a bit, ate a buffet lunch, and then went to Dakshinachitra to look at Indian architecture and crafts. We saw folk dance, shadow puppets, very cool buildings, and some great art.

I bought two Ganesha statues and then we headed back to the hotel.

There was still daylight, so I headed down to Kovalam beach to make new friends. I watched an informal game of cricket and then spotted this boat flying the Indian flag. It seemed like a good idea to get a photo of the flag on national day, so I introduced myself to these fishermen and got a picture of all of us around the flag.

Don't You Dare Me...

As we were sitting at the dance festival in Mamallapuram on Saturday night, a ticket collector came around to check our seats.

"Here comes sour face", said the man next to me. "We've been coming here for 5 nights straight and she hasn't smiled yet."

Hmmm... I don't know a lot, but I know a couple of things. First, I'm pretty confident that I can make anyone smile at least once (it's easy if you're willing to make an ass out of yourself). Second, it isn't that hard to make an Indian smile.

"Really...", I said to him, as I turned around to her.

I would have placed a bet with him, but he'd already said he was spending US$16 a night on his hotel room - so, the stakes would have been too low to bother. This exercise would merely be to make a point.

Within three sentences, I got a smile out of her.

And no, I didn't have to do anything stupid.

"Wow", the guy said, "That's the first smile I've seen from her".

"Well, you had to challenge me", I replied, as he put up his hands in mock surrender.

She has a face built to smile. This photo is my proof and my reward.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 18 of 58

Coconut Milk Appam

January 25th, 2010

Learning Moment: Chennai, India

Today I facilitated day one of our flagship management workshop - Managing at KLA-Tencor. It was great session, with excellent questions.

During lunch, my friend Lawrence Sanjay took me to an Appam restaurant for lunch. He described appams as a 'kind of pancake', which wasn't far off. We had a coconut milk appam as a starter - I absolutely love coconut milk - and a mutton appam with curry for the main course.

If I'd ever had an appam before, I didn't know what it was. Now, however, I will not forget.

They are delicious. I highly recommend you try one, wherever you can find it.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 16 of 58

Bharathanatyam Dance in Mamallapuram, India

Saturday, January 23rd

Learning Moments: Mamallapuram, India

I often get asked why I love to travel so much.

In response, I can offer a day like today...

We went to Mamallapuram to see the monuments located in the World Heritage Site. During our walk we saw centuries-old carvings; scenic vistas over rice fields and ocean; goats, dogs, and monkeys living in peace; and loads of friendly people.

At the end of the day, we headed to the Mamallapuram Dance Festival. There, we bought some trinkets from a wandering carver and chatted with a husband and wife who have retired from teaching in Michigan. They are now on a two and a half month journey through India.

Then the dances started. There were three dance troupes - a local folk dance troupe, a large group of folk dancers from Uttar Pradesh, and a local classical dance troupe from Chennai.

The first group was amusing, but unremarkable. Most folk dance is rather unsophisticated, but these dances looked like they were choreographed under the influence of heavy drinking. The second group was very good - beautiful girls, colorful costumes, and great music.

The third group performed Bharathanatyam, which we have seen many times before. This time, however, felt like I was seeing the dance for the first time. Grace, precision, and athleticism combined to hold the entire audience in a trance.

Angie and I were in awe. Our drive home consisted of each of us saying "Wow. Could you believe when they did that?"

We've often wondered if it is redundant to return to a country or region that we've visited before.

Today reminded me that life (or travel) is like a kaleidoscope - the elements might be fixed, but the arrangement is always changing. To take just one look insures that we'll miss a lot of beauty.

Groundhog Day

An interesting pattern played out last week as I was conducting workshops at the Fortune Palms Hotel in Chennai. Every morning and every afternoon, we would take a traditional 10-15 minute 'tea break'.

On Tuesday morning, both the staff and my co-workers asked if I would like a hot tea or coffee.

"No thanks", I replied.

I have never drank a cup of coffee. The smell disgusts me. I don't even like the smell of coffee beans. Additionally, I'm not a big fan of hot drinks. I enjoy ice cold drinks: water, soda, iced tea, cocktails... You get the idea. I like cold drinks.

They drank their hot tea and coffee. I drank my cold water. We moved on.

Or so I thought...

On Tuesday afternoon, the same servers and co-workers asked me again, "Would you like a coffee or tea?"

"No, thanks. I don't drink either."

"Really?"

"Really. We discussed it this morning. Water is fine."

This exchange recurred twice on Wednesday, twice on Thursday, and - yes - twice on Friday.

I know they're showing hospitality, and I'm a very patient guy - but I have to admit that a part of my brain wanted to snap!

I shared this with Angie last night at dinner (where I was drinking an ice cold cocktail) and she said, "Groundhog Day".

What?

"Groundhog Day. You're living the movie. You're supposed to learn something from this and change the pattern".

Really?

She laughed, "No. You're just supposed to live with it!"

Thanks...

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 15 of 58

The Monkey God Hanuman in a Kathakali Dance

Friday, January 22nd

Learning Moment: Mamallapuram, India

Last night, we attended the annual Mamallapuram Dance Festival. For US$3, you get to watch two hours of traditional Indian dance in front of Arjuna's Penance - one part of a spectacular World Heritage site.

The show featured dancers from Kerala, in Southern India. There were folk dances, as well as the famous kathakali dance. The costumes, as you can see above, are spectacular. We saw men dance in costumes with five-foot wide boards on their backs, and with 20-foot towers attached to them. It was quite a spectacle.

My favorite part of the night came when the character above appeared. I immediately thought 'that's got to be Hanuman'. I don't know why, but I become unreasonable excited when I see the white monkey god from the Ramayana. Part of it is every kids fascination with monkeys, I guess.

Here's clip of the dance, from YouTube.

It's fascinating to see variations on a theme. In two weeks, we'll be in Bali, where the Ramayana dance will present Hanuman in a more physical role, with a more realistic costume.

Two countries, two versions: both creative and impressive.

Further proof that there can always another twist on a common theme.

We're heading back to the festival on Saturday to see classical women's dance.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 14 of 58

Winners of the Paper Tower Contest

Thursday, January 21st

Learning Moment: India

I love leading workshops in India.

The attendees are energetic, reflective, and curious.

They fully invest in whatever the topic is. That is such a pleasure.

I learn as much from them as I 'teach' in any session.

Yesterday, we conducted a "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" workshop. As part of the workshop, we did the 'Personal Histories' exercise, where team members share the most difficult time of their childhood and their greatest influence other than their parents.

I felt honored to be able to hear their stories.

I've known most of the participants for four or five years, but I had no idea what many of them had gone through, how hard their parents and other family members worked for them to educated, or how thankful they are for where they are today. It was truly remarkable how many of them could point to one person in their lives and say "I owe everything to that person".

In a world as challenging as the one they grew up in, it is often the prodding of one interested party that makes all the difference. I couldn't help but think about those who prodded me. I also couldn't help but hope that one day I can do the same for another.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 13 of 58

Bharathan, myself, and Angie

Wednesday, January 20th

Learning Moment: India

Tonight, my wife and I were invited to the home of Bharathan and Sharmila Prahalad. Bharathan is the head of Human Resources for KLA-Tencor India and a great guy.

He wanted us to meet his family, eat a home-cooked meal, and see an Indian home. We were impressed by all three.

His wife, mother-in-law, and three children greeted us warmly and made us feel welcome.

The dinner was incredible: diverse, tasty, interesting - and it seemed to never end!

His home was comfortable and beautifully decorated.

All of the literature I've read extols the hospitality of the Indian people.

As we saw, the literature is right on target.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 12 of 58

Tuesday, January 19th

Learning Moment: India

If I've learned one thing from Bollywood films, it's that a dance can break out anywhere, anytime.

Well, while dining at our restaurant at Fisherman's cove a dance broke out nearby. Of course, the dancers were hired to perform for an Accenture party, but that didn't make the surprise any less cool.

We got to eat our dinner under the stars, listen to the waves pounding the beach, and watch a classical Indian dance.

Obviously lesson: Carry a camera everywhere...

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 10 of 58

Sunday, January 17th

Learning Moment: India

Great day in Fisherman's Cove.

I spent the morning at the pool - working on storyboards for a course I'm designing and swimming laps.

We then had an excellent outdoor Mediterranean buffet, with champagne, at the Upper Deck restaurant. Overlooking the Bay of Bengal, we enjoyed our food while spotting kingfishers, butterflies, and lizards.

We worked off lunch with a trek up and down the beach, where we encountered this happy gentleman. A small fishing boat had just come in from the bay and sold it's contents to the locals who crowd the beach.

This man is showing off the two fresh fish that he just bought. I love the vibrancy of life in India. I also love that people enjoy posing for photos.

"Namaste! Namaste! Hello!", we kept hearing.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 9 of 58

Saturday, January 16

Learning Moment: Chennai, India

On Saturday, we flew from Singapore to India.

The cover on the left is there only because I like it.

It caught my eye in the airport book store, so I snapped a picture of it. Su Tong is the author of "Raise the Red Lantern", which Zhang Yimou made into a stunning film, starring Gong Li. If you've never seen it, you must.

Anyway, we had a good flight to India and even cleared immigration quickly.

Then we reached baggage carousel hell. One carousel broke down, so two planes worth of baggage was sent to one carousel - 600 people crammed into a space built for about 100.

It felt like being in the front three rows of a rock concert, but without the music. Tight, sweaty, hot, uncomfortable. After getting our bags, we walked a mile or so to our taxi, dragging the bags through dirt, mud, and rocks while cars lined in single file honked their horns at each other just to see what they sound like.

Sixty minutes later, we were in Fisherman's Cove, at our hotel - our sanctuary.

It felt like we found our own redemption.