The sublime world of Monet and the intensely disturbing Van Gogh

A visit to The Musee d'Orsay was a dream come true. To be in the midst of grand works of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists is something worth dying for.

The d'Orsay has an incredible range of the 19th and 20th century's greatest works of art, ranging from the pulchritudinous Monet, the graphic eroticism of Courbet and Manet, the powerfully disturbing Van Gogh, to the quintessential bad boy of the Art world, Andy Warhol. The collection was made complete with Paul Gauguin's mystical Tahitian women.

What more can a Man ask for.

The d'Orsay, these days, has put up a special exhibition of the greatest artists of modern times, from Goya and Gericault to Lautrec and Picasso, representing the classic theme of Crime et Châtiment (Crime and Punishment). The paintings and the sculptures were, how do I put it, grotesquely beautiful (!?).

The collection also had important sculptures of Rodin but his legendary works like The Thinker and The Kiss are housed in an exclusive Rodin Museum.

There is so much to see, to savour, to fathom the deep recesses of human consciousness. But, as they say, after all... tomorrow is another day.

All this would have been impossible without Chris and Hansu. A special word of thanks to them.

Teaching Biology - The IB Way!

I have been teaching Biology to the Advanced High Level (AHL) Group in the I.B programme offered by Ermitage and discovered a wonderful colleague in Dr. Elizabeth Webb. Elizabeth has a Ph.D in Ecology, is an earnest teacher and a sensitive person. We have been working together in setting up investigatory projects and it has been exciting as the sky is the limit on what we can do. The curriculum is essentially open-ended and I took this opportunity to link digestion of lipids with dispersal of the oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico. Sounded wacky initially but could make it fly. And, the kids loved it. And Elizabeth even designed a thought-provoking assignment on the environmental fallout of the BP oil spill. Cool, eh?

I have been helping Dr. Jason Hearn, a Physics teacher who also happens to be the head of the IGCSE programme, with his classes in Physics and Chemistry. The French system has a unique set of terminology where the 12 year-olds are in 'Cinquieme' and the 13-year olds are in 'Quatrieme'. The kids in these classes are extremely enthusiastic and have responded well. Their understanding of words and their etymology was amazing, But they found my 'Indian' accent amusing. There is definitely more elbow room for creative teaching. One realises that your Indianness is more pronounced in a foreign country. The relationship between student and teacher is cordial but not personal. Children keep to themselves, with a few exceptions.

The Enigmatic Mona Lisa Smile and other wonders

Visited the Louvre and rushed to the Hall of the Renaissance Italian paintings. In the middle of the hall was the iconic Mona Lisa, surrounded by a gaggle of American and Japanese tourists looking in awe at La Gioconda and clicking away furiously. It was a dream come true, after years of gawking into the illustrated coffee books. The painting is placed behind specially-made bullet-proof glass, amidst high security. But, one thought that the painting was seriously ageing as the Mona Lisa looked darker compared to her earlier photographs.

I was in for a pleasant shock when I discovered my favourite childhood painting at the Louvre - Self portrait of Elisabeth Louise Vigee LeBrun and her daughter Julie. I used to collect biscuit cans and match boxes bearing this image. Remember falling hopelessly in love with it.

The Louvre is a gigantic museum showcasing more than 30,000 pieces of great art and sculpture and even after spending two whole days, I have covered less than one-third of the Louvre. I know people here who have been visiting the Louvre for the last 20 years and still end up learning something new.

The Glass Pyramid, completed in 1989 by the famed Chinese architect, I.M. Pei, is a provocative contrast to the Louvre and a piece of art in itself.

The Egyptian Art section was fabulous with its array of artefacts like The mummies, sculptures of Pharaohs, the hieroglyph tablets and other rare pieces. The most famous art piece was The Seated Scribe of Saqqara

At the Louvre

Flora & Fauna - France

Paris Visit Pics

The first ten days in France

It has been 10 days since I landed in France. The first thing that struck me was how quiet the place is, where we live. I don't hear anything in the streets, except chirping of birds, chattering squirrils and the sharp trots of horses. Maisons Laffitte seems to have more horses than humans. There is a race course near by and we can even hear the snorts of the horses. The week days (Mondays through Fridays) are full of activity where one gets busy with the kids, teaching them science, English and Biology. The kids are beautiful here and can be as naughty as our own in India. They do seem to share some common traits like cribbing about food in the cafeteria and complaining to a new teacher about older ones. But, interestingly, I didn't see any fist-fights or other aggressive behaviour. The school is essentially bi-lingual where some classes are taught in English while others are taught in French. The teachers are either Anglophone teachers or Franco-phones. It is a so reminiscent of the situation back home where we juggle between English and Hindi. It definitely helps to know the local language. The school is housed in three different buildings, 46, Avenue Egle, 24 Avenue Egle and The Lycee. The senior classes and the administration is in 46, while the middle and lower classes are in the 24, while the Lycee follows the French system of education.

Beginning to like the French food. You have to just learn to start liking Baguette (French bread) their humungous variety of cheese and, if you are a vegetarian, fruits and yoghurt. The fruits are delicious, especially the strawberries and cherries. The French here drink Wine like Indians drink water during the hot summers. Almost regret the fact that I am a veggie and a teetotaller, especially in France.

Visited the historic town of Normandy, where the Allies landed in 1944 during the II World War. It is now a beautiful town and there are war memorials.

In Paris and L'Ermitage... at last

After a rather tiring journey and some insipid in-flight food, landed at The Charles De Gaulle International Airport, Paris at 7:30 AM local time. Chris and Hansu came to pick us up.
The first impressions of Paris was its orderly traffic and beautiful countryside. It was chilly (7° C) and windy, unusual for Paris in May. The food was an interesting experience, one must add. We had hot potato puree and spinach for lunch along with yogurt. Going to take time to get used to this after 40 years of Indian food.
Hansu, a student from Daly, took us on a stroll to the historic Maissons Laffitte. The area is beautiful. Will be posting some photographs later.

Thoughts in Transit - Bahrain

It is 2:34 AM (IST) of the 5th of May and find myself in the Transit lounge of The Bahrain International Airport, surrounded by a cackle of Japanese, Malayalees, Tamils and even Telugus from Rajahmundry (an ancient traditional town on the banks of the Godavari, in Andhra) along with the ubiquitous Sheikhs going around with a clutch of veiled women and their children. They are quite a sight. The Airport is thick with strong, pungent perfumes, characteristic of the Middle East. Vaguely remember reading somewhere that Mohammed The Prophet having a love for fragrances. I only hope this remark is not tantamount to blasphemy.

Not surprisingly, The Indian is everywhere... at the duty-free shops, the money changers, janitors, airline offices. And then there are the large segment of labourers coming from India, their looks, furtive and anxious. The lounges are 'wified' and it is fun to sit with other laptoppers (all Indian, interestingly) to catch up with mails and chats.

Will be landing in Paris in a few hours....

The quaint Visa Officer and other trivia

Had an interview of sorts with the Visa officer at the French consulate in Mumbai. The Officer couldn't believe that two people (Vinay and me) with absolutely no French between them, except two words (Bon jour!) were going to France to learn and teach. We tried to convince him that the school we are going to was an 'international' school where English is spoken and used but he was still muttering, but you don't know my country, you simply don't know my country'. After some suspense we got the Visa. On our way out I caught the officer looking at me with a wry, knowing smile. I could almost read his mind.... These guys are going to have a pretty rough time in beautiful France... but I warned them... in french of course (Ces gars-là vont avoir un temps assez rude dans la belle France ... mais je les ai mis en garde). Thanks to Google translator.