Coming back the earlier day was disheartening as I mentioned . On the way, I sat down in a park and thought over the fate of our Indic civilisation. The apathy and the disdain for our heritage that our young generation carries is shameful to the least. The superiority of arms had been confused as superiority of culture long back by our so called elite, first with the Muslim kings and then when they got banged up the British, English culture became the thing. Sadly Marathas had too little time to consolidate.
Next day , I set off to see the La defence ( pronounced La de faan) to see the defence arch and take a walk down the Champ élysées . I took the train from Robespierre to nation(line 9) and then changed to RER ( A) at nation to La defence. The station opens up into a very large mall and there are many stores. Sales season had just finished anyway. I climbed two floors and came out of the building to see the 'Defence arches' . Beautiful it is, may be 30-35 stories tall and it has a kind of shade just under it.
At the back of it is a beautiful boulevard and in the front is a beautiful laid out open space dotted with buildings housing defence establishment, Total group, BNP paribas and some nice water bodies. I took my shoes off and dipped them in the cold water. Sat there quietly, looking at the Champ élysées in the distance. This road lead to the th emits famous of the French icons - élysées or what they call 'Arche de triumphe ' . I must say that French have figured out how to live life, except may be how to pay for it.
I decided to take the plunge and walk towards the Champ élysées and started the walk. Came down the la defence area and on towards the highways and on the sides, I started walking. On route, there are many boutique and shops, a beautiful movie theatre and more importantly there are the showrooms of Harley , Triumph, Kawasaki & Honda. Also VW , Citren etc. one thing I realised that this was pre dominantly a Gaul neighbourhood . There were coloured people but less number than I saw anywhere. May be this is what the French call the 'Bougeiours' (Rich old money) area. French women are neat, clean, slim and by well read unlike their counterparts in America or Britain. Drinking as a culture is prevalent but not the 'Binge drinking' propagated by the Brits.
The walk is around 5+ km one way and on the way I met an Indian family who looked suspiciously at me & moved away. I smiled and said 'Dhanyawad' , men answered me back in half French and half English , we live in France, daughter answered with 'Aap Kahan se aaye hain'. We spoke for a few minutes and then I turned back and saw the old man scolding the daughter.
On the way I saw a beautiful sculpture of Prometheus pushing the rock . Felt pity for him as he would never be able to take the rock to top, it's a fruitless exercise, something similar to what our government continues to do with manufacturing history to hide the crimes of Mughals/Muslim kings and their Sufi cohorts.
Truth has a strange way of coming out and it will. I walked back to the water body, the sun was going strong as it was only 8.00 PM. I sat sat down, feet in the water, looking at the reflection of the buildings and Champ élysées in the front and Arche la defence on the back. Someday, my nation will rise upto claim it's manifest destiny. Someday, we will have a life which we lost, children putting themselves in the pursuit of knowledge , leisure and take the universal quest of 'Creator' or the myth of it forward. It can't happen till we are a secure & strong nation. What better setting to think of it surrounded by the might of French defence establishment, less than 1% of world population and 4% of the resources.
Was reminded of the poem by the Rabndra babu, "where the head is held high..... "
Next day , I set off to see the La defence ( pronounced La de faan) to see the defence arch and take a walk down the Champ élysées . I took the train from Robespierre to nation(line 9) and then changed to RER ( A) at nation to La defence. The station opens up into a very large mall and there are many stores. Sales season had just finished anyway. I climbed two floors and came out of the building to see the 'Defence arches' . Beautiful it is, may be 30-35 stories tall and it has a kind of shade just under it.
At the back of it is a beautiful boulevard and in the front is a beautiful laid out open space dotted with buildings housing defence establishment, Total group, BNP paribas and some nice water bodies. I took my shoes off and dipped them in the cold water. Sat there quietly, looking at the Champ élysées in the distance. This road lead to the th emits famous of the French icons - élysées or what they call 'Arche de triumphe ' . I must say that French have figured out how to live life, except may be how to pay for it.
I decided to take the plunge and walk towards the Champ élysées and started the walk. Came down the la defence area and on towards the highways and on the sides, I started walking. On route, there are many boutique and shops, a beautiful movie theatre and more importantly there are the showrooms of Harley , Triumph, Kawasaki & Honda. Also VW , Citren etc. one thing I realised that this was pre dominantly a Gaul neighbourhood . There were coloured people but less number than I saw anywhere. May be this is what the French call the 'Bougeiours' (Rich old money) area. French women are neat, clean, slim and by well read unlike their counterparts in America or Britain. Drinking as a culture is prevalent but not the 'Binge drinking' propagated by the Brits.
The walk is around 5+ km one way and on the way I met an Indian family who looked suspiciously at me & moved away. I smiled and said 'Dhanyawad' , men answered me back in half French and half English , we live in France, daughter answered with 'Aap Kahan se aaye hain'. We spoke for a few minutes and then I turned back and saw the old man scolding the daughter.
On the way I saw a beautiful sculpture of Prometheus pushing the rock . Felt pity for him as he would never be able to take the rock to top, it's a fruitless exercise, something similar to what our government continues to do with manufacturing history to hide the crimes of Mughals/Muslim kings and their Sufi cohorts.
Truth has a strange way of coming out and it will. I walked back to the water body, the sun was going strong as it was only 8.00 PM. I sat sat down, feet in the water, looking at the reflection of the buildings and Champ élysées in the front and Arche la defence on the back. Someday, my nation will rise upto claim it's manifest destiny. Someday, we will have a life which we lost, children putting themselves in the pursuit of knowledge , leisure and take the universal quest of 'Creator' or the myth of it forward. It can't happen till we are a secure & strong nation. What better setting to think of it surrounded by the might of French defence establishment, less than 1% of world population and 4% of the resources.
Was reminded of the poem by the Rabndra babu, "where the head is held high..... "
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