PART 4...

 

THE NICOLA TESLA MUSEUM

This masterpiece was just next to me, 1.5 kms apart, which houses a huge collection of Nicola Tesla’s work who’s known for his remarkable contribution in the fields of Electromagnetism and wireless radio communications. 

The museum is like a small world of Tesla wherein one can upgrade himself with any form of information viz. books, journals, original documents, photographs etc. apart from this, there’s always a person as a guide who’s well versed with at least two languages to help enlighten the visitors about this great personality and his contributions to the society aiming to bring life at ease. Being an Engineer in Electronics and Telecommunication, I was lucky to witness Tesla’s experiments through demos, it reminded me of many of the curricular activities that I had come across during my college days. 

A wish to be here can cost you around 500 Serbian dinar which was nothing compared to the stuff that you get to see inside which is practically like a temple for curious priests like us.

DAY AT THE SCHOOL

Next day was already scheduled for a visit to a school for an interactive session between us and the kids there. Being a cultural exchange program, I had decided to wear a ‘sari’, which helped me stand apart from the crowd as when I entered the classroom, I got to hear whispers of ‘wooowwww’ from the kids sitting there. 

There was a reason for that which was, that the people there, they love Bollywood movies and this attire was something they have had a chance to see just in movies and that day it was their first instance of seeing someone standing before them in a sari! It became a special welcoming moment for me! We had the role of language instructors so it was our job to interact with the kids and enlighten them about our cultures and places we had come from. As I concluded my presentation, the questionnaires began to come up. 

Initially I hadn’t thought much about this because the students were hardly around 12 to 13 years of age but they seemed very confident as they didn’t hesitate to put their doubts before me. It was a good interactive session in process, and as it was proceeding further, all of a sudden there was a kid who asked me “Why do you guys worship cow, because here it is like food for us?” A question that left me flabbergasted and also confused as to how I should reply that. Of course that must’ve come genuinely considering age of that kid and the curiosity that they have, so I tried explaining practically: India is a country which still carries its long lasted occupations of agriculture and animal husbandry. Also, Cow is an animal which is very helpful to us as in number of ways. We get milk from it which is considered to be a complete food as it is enriched with almost all the nutrients. Further, cow is also helpful for plowing a field which in return is useful for growing food grains, even cow dung has many uses, it can be used as a manure, secondly, it is often used as an insulation by applying it on the walls for temperature control in the houses, and many more. So if cow is capable of helping us in so many ways and somehow is responsible for our good health, it sure is worth worshipping and we are proud that we treat it that way. I hope my answer must’ve made a positive impact on the child and also to the people present there.

PART 3...

 

Kalemegdan, as I would like to imagine it, may have been a believer of “Atithi Devo Bhava” or maybe it must’ve liked being generous towards its frequent visitors! As I had become one of them, I had the pleasure of enjoying one of its sweet surprise! Yes, I’m talking about that Serbian guy who had approached me with Namaste. He had a simple look and must have entered his forty’s. The streak of unusual surprises that I was experiencing since the beginning, hadn’t given up on me I guess! I greeted him back, and our further conversation went on in English. I came to know that he had guessed about my nationality looking at my attire and looks (in a positive way, nothing racist!). He happened to be someone who I can frankly say to be unique as, in today’s technology driven world, he was someone who had kept himself away from android and virtual media, and mostly was fond of newspaper reading and other printed media. He had read a lot about India and eventually had started to like the country. He was glad to meet someone from his favorite country and was curious to know more about the different cultures, people and languages. I mean who wouldn’t like such a diversified place right, I feel complete pride that we are so special for the world!

He had developed a strong desire to visit India and settle there and was ready with a rough action plan to make it possible. He further expressed his wish to learn Hindi and he insisted me to teach him! Although the situation wasn’t like I could teach him properly, so the least I could do was to enlighten him with some commonly used expressions in hindi and shared some links which he could refer for his learning. As this went by, coincidentally we were approached by a lady who greeted us “Namaste” to which he was quick to reply in excitement, which followed with “Kaise ho”!! I was happy that he took a good grip and had started trying to speak hindi. and also was having a not so smooth conversation with the lady! The vocabulary wasn’t perfect, but his commitment was worth watching!

                                                                      **  TO BE CONTINUED **

PART 2...

 

                                                                                           
So, there’s a new girl in the city with no belongings of her own, thanks to the airline staff! I could understand we all are humans, we make mistakes and I wanted to understand that and take things peacefully but the cold weather there was in no mood to provide support as it remained the way it was, refusing to improve! Anyways, there was nothing that could’ve been done but to wait for at least 2 days for my luggage!

After a while the hosts of the organizing committee had arrived for my welcome when we further went to the guest house which was pre-booked for the members. I may have been the last one to arrive there as I saw most of the candidates already present and were settling down. We had an ice-breaking session between us considering the fact that we were all from different parts of the world! It was comforting to some extent and I was excited to the fact that I was with such diversified crowd. Even in our room, there was an interesting discussion over coffee which I have described the same in one of my blogs posted before: https://wordsmith97.blogspot.com/2020/02/humanity.html?m=1

It was time for a quick power nap, following which, the visit had been scheduled to the designated kiosks to get the ‘Bus Card’ which could be used for local commutes, as, many places were to be visited by us. But who would’ve thought that another ‘surprise cum shock’ was ready to hit me there as well! The cash which I had kept for such local affairs, I couldn’t see it in my wallet. Either I dropped it or forgot somewhere or someone must’ve stolen from me, couldn’t figure that out. This was like another demotivating setback right there after the airport incident. That was the day I realized that the stories shown in those traditional TV serials actually had a touch of truth in them, a girl enters a new city and suddenly all the ill things start to happen with her in her initial days! Well, I had to be there for almost 50 days and this was just the first, so I had to maintain my patience, I at least realized why digital payments carry so much importance nowadays! Now regarding the cash, obviously nothing could be done, “so let’s move on” was what I had to convince myself! Further I just decided to go back, relax and have a proper ‘ME time’ for the rest of the day.

………………..NEXT MORNING: KNEZ MIHAILOVA STREET………………..

Fortunately my yesterday’s decision had given me a good time to plan for my next day. I had heard about ‘Knez Mihailova Street’ situated in the heart of the city, which was well known for shopping and amusement and that the ‘localites’ often are found there shopping or chilling in the restaurants and many more. I decided to go there. The place was not quite far from where I was staying, just a 20 min walk, so next morning after getting ready I stepped out having a good promenade, interacting with people on my way, due to which I got to know that the elder & aged crowd there wasn’t that comfortable to interact in English although they understood it but, the younger chaps like me, were well versed, so that helped me in seeking the directions from them. I know! I could’ve used maps instead, but I like going old school sometimes, as along with helping you locate your destination, you also enjoy the benefit of communicating with the local people there. After all those are also one of the many things which you have in mind whenever you decide to visit somewhere!

I was at the ‘Knez Mihailova Street’. It is always crowded because it connects the 2 important places here viz. ‘Kalemegdan – The Fortress’ and the ‘City Centre’. It has a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, shops of famous brands and also some souvenir shops. There is also a monument dedicated to Knez Mihailo and that’s the most famous meeting point. I saw some Serbian delicacies there which included Proja, Karađorđeva, šnicla, Grašak, Pasulj, Burek, Sarma etc. and went on to try some of them as they all looked mouth watery! After that, it was time for some shopping.. I found some really unique things in the souvenir shops like ornaments, magnetic show pieces, sweets, toys, etc. They were very artistic and were designed in a way to depict the Serbian culture. Booze lovers could also try ‘Rakiya’ an alcoholic drink which is readily available at the shops and most preferred by the people! My curiosity about it pushed me to get one for me too! I’m sure I must’ve enjoyed it because I don’t remember much about that evening now!!

………………..KALEMEGDAN – THE FORTRESS………………..

Built on the confluence of Sava and Danube rivers, this monument sure has a lot of fan following as it is also the most visited spot in Serbia. It consists an old Citadel (Upper and Lower town) and also the Kalemegdan Park. As it is located at a huge height, it gives a great look out of ‘Great war Island’ and also the confluence of Sava and Danube rivers from above which adds to the list of interesting features of it.

The place was really calm and soothing, which is why at every hour it would be occupied by people taking a walk, sitting on the benches, even I had made it my favorite hangout spot. I loved sitting on the bench by the edge as I loved to witness the sunrise from there. The view of the sky turning colorful after the hours of darkness, along with the commencement of the chirping of birds sure used to give new hopes for the day and also a lot of energy to start the day! Some 2 – 3 days passed in this way when one day as I was on the bench with my eyes closed, relaxed, and out of nowhere, I got called out by a Serbian guy “Hey, Namaste!”

                                                   ** TO BE CONTINUED**