Best museum visit ever !

Today I learnt a lot. Because today, I went to the museum. I felt like a kid again, and boy, was it fun. This would be my best museum trip ever. I visited the Melbourne Museum in Carlton, just because I had a day off and didn't kmow what else to do. A day well spent.

First off, I have always had dual relationships with museums. The name is supposed to spark curiosity, and fun, and questions. But the museums in India are so poorly done, the only question it invokes is "Why is this place still open ?". They don't have that many speciemens, due to …well, lack of funding. They focus on near history, our recent past only, and no address what we know in the long term. And they also don't bother about the future. They put up paintings and sculptures on their walls, but they don't spark curiosity.

But I have had better museum visits outside India. The natural history museum in Helsinki had dinosaurs. The one in Austria focussed on European flaura and fauna. Also..Vikings ! These guys really know their stuff. So I had high hopes when I walked into the largest museum in the southern hemisphere , in Melbourne.

The dinosaur walk was front and center. And they talked at length on the earth, meteorites, and a little too much about crystals and stones. Nothing fancy about that. One or two collections would have been enough. But upstairs, they talked about evolution, and the principle minds that worked behind that idea. And a room full of taxidermied animals ! And more bees and butterflies !  Some of Darwin's and Owens' original specimens are also on display, you have to squint to spot them ! The focus was on animals found in Victoria, but they also added a polar bear and a panda. The whole arrangement, lighing, and occasinal sound effects were all perfect.  Just enough information to answer your queries, without a long monotnous speech. Sadly, I missed the marine room.

The outdoor installation of Forest history is very cleverly done. I doubt anybody else would have thought about that. They already had giant trees in the back, and they built underground installations to show the birds and animals of such a forest.

Wonders never cease. They have spent a good portion of their space to talk about Victoria, and Melbourne's own little history. Through detailed research and hundreds of actual historical pieces, they have told a continous story of this city from its colonial past. The original natives of this place is mentioned, and without sugercoating, they have also detailed the cruelty these people had to suffer at the hands of 'white-men'. After the gold rush, and a huge influx of migrants, the city planners really had to work overtime to get back to a planned, livable city.

This is where the history of Melbourne differed from a place like..well, an Indian city. Through planning , and efficient government, they built the most livable city in the world, out of slums and closed mines. They go through both the world wars, and were able to successfully move to modernizatin. There are separate exhibits of objects used in all these various time-capsules. The first electrical appliances, the first cable driven trams, old movies, and radios, and then music and footy..the time travel was instantaneous ! I specially adored the pieces designed for their maritime history, with scale models of wooden clippers, and large luxury liners, even a navy ship. They have these little photo albums placed at various points, with real photos taken by people living in here, in various points of time. Thanks to photography, we can now glimpse how they lived , more than 120 years ago. No question, they put on their best clothes while posing for the cameras !

So, in closing, this is how a museum should be designed. There is no way a place can cover 4 billion years of history in a day. The key is to show snippets, and answer questions that really matter. If you have a spare day, spend it at the museum, you feel like a kid again. You won't be dissappointed.

Kappa connection

I was in the local Indian store this week, and in the freezer section, saw a packet of..wait for it…tapioca ! Called casava in some countries, it is lovingly called 'kappa' and even 'kolli' in God's own. At one point, it used to be the food of the poor, who could not afford to buy rice. But today, it is packed, frozen and sent to practically every country to be enjoyed in its simplicity. And back in Kerala, it is now available in top hotels and restaurants.

What wonderful times we live in !

Which reminded me Kerala's long lasting connection with the tuber.  Visakam Thirunnal Rama Verma  ruled only for five years in the 1880s, fell ill and died at 48, relatively young per today's living standards. It was this king who introduced the vegetable to these shores. Tapioca or manioca was brought from South America as a viable alternative to tackle food famine. It was planted on the edge of Kawdiar palace surroundings and that area came to be known as Maracheeni veela. The dhobbie wash area and royal pond was in this region once uoat. Later became the first housing subdivision for government senior leaders and renamed Jawahar Nagar. The utility or some other documents still record it as marcheeni veela. Swami Vivekananda made his historic stay in Tvpm, speaking at this place. The combination of kappa cheeni tapioca with fish later emerged as a balanced nutritional option meeting protein and calorie requirements.

This is probably why none of the other south Indian states seem to have any recepies using the tapioca. It is best enjoyed simply boiled, with some fish curry. Kerala style fish curry.

1947 was a year of changes, and in south India, the kings and queens were being asked to give up their reign and kingdoms. Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore was the last queen of that region of Kerala. While she served fried fish to her English guests, her cooks prepared and shaped kappa into an imitation, so she could eat keeping her religious beliefs !

How extraordinary !

But as recent as the fifties, there was a government initiative to introduce tapioca based western cuisine to the people of Kerala. While it was a famine which brought kappa to us, it was another famine which led the EMS Government of 1957 to rethink the kappa plans. At the time, Kerala produced a little less than half the rice it needed to feed its people.

The audacious plan was to start the production of tapioca based macaroni, yes the Italian food macaroni, to Malayalees. Originally called synthetic rice,  CFTRI in Mysore developed it as a remedy for rice shortage.

“The Institute has recognised the need to reduce the pressure on rice. One of the ways of doing it is by making use of tapioca… The Institute has begun making macaroni by mixing 60 parts of tapioca flour with 25 parts of wheat flour and 15 parts of groundnut flour (for protein)."

Predicably, the plan went nowhere. Because the people hated it. Thank goodness.  The communist government was ridiculed for introducing western food to the poor. Read this fantastic retelling of the great macaroni scandal.

So Malayalees today enjoy kappa in its truest, simplest form, without any western interruption.

Keep calm and eat kappa.

Australian visas and immigration: Changes from July 1

Longtime in the works, Australia is changing their immigration laws, reducing the overall number of Visas being handed out, but allowing for migration to its rural areas. This will allow the cities to shed some of their growing population, but also encourage economy and development in relatively un-populated areas.

Immigration cap lowered

Following months of posturing on the issue of growing congestion in Sydney and Melbourne, the Federal Government announced in March this year that it will cut back Australia's annual permanent immigration intake to 160,000. The intake has been capped at 190,000 since 2011 but the actual intake fell to just over 162,000 in 2017-18 for the first time in over a decade.

The impact of the overall cut will be absorbed by Skilled Independent visas that allowed people to live and work anywhere in Australia. The annual quota of this subclass has been slashed from over 43,000 to nearly 18,000 – a move that has temporary residents in Australia worried that it might force a prolonged temporary residency period on them.

The government said the cap will be maintained for the next four years.

New regional visas

The government also announced an increase in the number of visa places for regional Australia with 23,000 skilled visas being reserved for those willing to live and work in the regions.

The two new provisional regional visas to be introduced in November this year – Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa and Skilled Work Regional Visa will have 9,000 and 14,000 places respectively within the annual immigration cap of 160,000.

Visa holders of these subclasses will be required to spend at least three years in regional areas in order to become eligible to apply for permanent residency, instead of two years. A new regional permanent visa will be introduced in 2022.

International students will be able to access an additional year of post-study visa if they study in an educational institute in the regions, outside of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and southeast Queensland.

The changes to the points test are to introduce:

· more points for having a skilled spouse or de facto partner (10 points);

· more points for applicants nominated by a State or Territory government or sponsored by a family member residing in regional Australia (15 points);

· more points for having certain STEM qualifications (10 points);

· points for applicants who do not have a spouse or de facto partner (10 points); and

· points for applicants with a spouse or de facto partner who has competent English (5 points).

Citizenship changes abandoned

According to media reports, the Federal Government has abandoned the legislation that would have made migrants to wait longer and prove they have competent English proficiency before they could apply for Australian citizenship.

New parent visa

The new Temporary Sponsored Parent visa applications are being accepted from 1 July 2019. The visa – first promised ahead of the 2016 federal election – is being made available this year after the legislation it was tied to passed through the federal parliament in October last year. The new visa is linked to a sponsorship framework under which Australian citizen or permanent residents have to first apply to become approved sponsors. Once they are approved as sponsors, their parents will be able to apply for the visa that will allow them to stay in Australia for a continuous period of up to five years with a single opportunity for renewal. The total number of visas issued is capped at 15,000 per year.

What this means

The decrease in total number of Visas is clearly aimed at decongesting Australia's cities, where immigration has been a hot debate topic for years, as that is where most of the skilled migrants end up. The increase of geographically restricted visas outside the capitals  is aimed to moving some of the incoming migrants to the parts of the country most in need of help. The points system for migrants to these rural areas has also ben revamped so that immigrants qualify with enough points inorder to get through the set thresholds. Already the minimum points required to qualify for a 189 skilled migrant visa is 85 , a far cry from the minimum requirement of 60 from just two years ago.

Forrest Fenn's treasure

Its surprising what one can find online, when one has the time. I was ill for a day, and started going through youtube for things to keep my brain active. One thing lead to another, and I came across a video about Forrest Fenn's memoir and the treasure he has supposedly hidden in the rocky mountains of America. Also about the more than 350,000 people who have searched for the treasure so far, unsuccessfully.

I was hooked.

Now there is no way I could go up to those mountains in the US to look for the treasure, valued anywhere between 1 and 5 million USD. This story is remarkable in more than one way.

Forrest Fenn himself has an enviable career and past. He grew up near the mountains, and spent much of his childhood there, wandering the forests. He served in the air force, and travelled abroad on missions. Probably picked up some history while he was there. Retired, and became a collector, of all things, and setup an art gallery. How does one go from the airforce into art ? He earned his riches selling his art to Hollywood and the rich. There were cases registered against him for stolen art. He fought off cancer.

And he says his motive of hiding the treasure was to give people hope. And to get them outdoors, looking for the treasure.

Well, that definitely worked. Today, there are dozens of online groups and communities were enthusiasts meet and share information and their interpretation of the poem. What poem, you ask? Fenn left a poem in his memoir, which has 9 clues which leads to the exact spot the treasure is buried. The problem is, that poem itself can be interpreted in hundreds of ways, leading to thousands of spots across four states in the US. It all depends on one's local knowledge.

In the decade that followed his memoir, fans and treasure hunters have pestered and question him for more clues, a request he has till date denied. But he has maintained that all that one needs is the poem, a map, and a sandwich! Still, people go to great lengths to try and decipher the poem to some place off the beaten track.

Some people have already died.

While Fenn himself has accepted that a few have got to 200 feet of the treasure.

Its fun to see people using new gen technology, like google maps and google earth to chart hidden pathways. Then using weather and elevation maps to cross reference points. Everyone is disappointed when their predictions fail, but they return with renewed energy. Some have even spent tens of thousands of their own money to find the treasure. But they still persist.

It’s a story of sheer determination, of being outdoors, of trekking in the wild. Treasure hunting ! Without a map. Solving clues, deciphering maps. The stuff of kids movies.

The hunt is still on.

Don't fight. We have so little time.

Our universe is 13.772 billion years old. Earth is 4.5 billion years old. We humans occupty such a short sliver of time in the grand scale, its actually insignificant. We take our life and time for granted. But once in a while, something happens which leads us to sit up and take notice. And that event is…

a death in the family.

Or it could be someone you have interacted with closely, a friend from the past. The passing awa of someone dear or near leads humans to contemplate their own time in this universe.

This is me contemplating.

I lost an uncle in the family. He and his family was long estranged from the rest of us. His son lead him to take a series of bad decisions, which inluded lies and deceit. When the others found out, everyone decided to cut ties with him. It did not matter to them he was their eldest brother, and that his hand was forced by his own son. In India, pride of the family, and respect within society is more important than personal ties. I was too young to understand, and I still do not understand how people can simply write of relationships.

Anyway, we came to know of his death from the papers, sort off. And now , decades later, people are overcome with guilt, I think ? As they say in the ancient fables, blood relations are special. Its easy to say a decision was right to save 'honour', but conscience does ultimately weigh in. We now have to live with that feeling that we were probably wrong.

Relationships could have been saved, wounds would have mended. A few day's anger could be overcome after some second thoughts.

We are all not going to live forever. There is no point in making enemies for life. We have so little time.

A quote says: "we live a long as we are remembered". That would mean the recently departed is still among us, as we reminsce the good old fun days we had back in the day.