Private and individual travelling in INDIA since 1986 - by Bernd Symons

Get a view - use the funny Google translator

KERALA DISCOVERY is providing Family Environment Homestay in India, mainly for German travellers. Nevertheless the WWW is a world-wide platform and special offers of international interest should be performed in English, too. I am not yet able to translate the whole linked German website into English since it leads to 9,500 pages now!.

If you are interested to travel far away from the tourist centres and join the everyday life of selected private host families in the HILLSTATIONS of Himalaya, RAJASTHAN, GUJARAT, ORISSA or KERALA, it will be a thrilling experience! Though I can provide flights from Germany only, you can book your own flights - my hosts and me will arrange all inner India events from the reception at the arrival airport until airport transfer at the end of your trip - and be sure: Our host families & escorts will provide a better English. For translation of German chapters, please, use this Google-Link - the computer will amuse you with a strange English which is much funnier than mine ! A machine will never translate perfectly, and some content links will not work - but you'll get a rough sketch about our unique ideas. Do not hesitate to contact me via eMail: Kerala-Discovery@t-online.de

An Invitation of Chandra, a Noble Host
Letter of Princess Divya, Prince Vikram
Divya’s Report: Our Journey to Germany
Modern Dental Treatment in Kerala 85% less than German rates!
I was the guinea pig
World Language Reform
The History of Ayurveda

Indian Dentistry for health and self esteem happiness
Address
INDIA Loosing the PR Battle
Some Singh disappeared...
Raggie: An Email from the Desert
Chandelao - Greetings from Pradyuman

updated: 18 January 2009

To get an impression of Itineraries & rates, please, see the current programs here (most are in English!) - the rates you find in the "Termine & Preise" tables - you'll find out thrilling homestay programs for very low rates!

Dear Friends of India !

We promise we will make your trip worthwhile and enjoyable to be remembered for a long time, as apart from experiencing the majestic Forts and Palaces of the rugged Thar Desert, you will experience the personal attention of all the families that you will visit, the different types of cuisines that your palate will relish, the different types of musicians & dancers that you will hear & see, the different types of cultures, tribes, people, terrain you will meet & see when you will be with the families.

All this you can experience only when you see Rajasthan with your Aristocratic Hosts because we Hosts look after you personally as we want to make permanent relationship with you and not the type of relationship that develops between you and the hotelier, which is impersonal.

So take this opportunity and be OUR GUESTS ! With best regards & we look ahead for your visit

CHANDRASHEKHAR SINGH
"INDRASHAN" JODHPUR (INDIA)

After our main host Chandra who is in the key position for Rajputana Discovery (He opens the portals of many other castles, owned by the noble families of his Rajput-friends) we now read the invitation of Princess Divya of Nachana (see her picture below, Divya standing on the rooftop of her ancient Haveli, Jaisalmer) and her brother, Prince Vikram:

Dear Guests

(whoever wants to travel Rajasthan in the most splendid way ),

We take the privilege to invite you to the most exotic destination of the world. Rajasthan as it is famous world over is a place of Majestic Forts and Palaces and a land of the Maharajas with a blissful blending of nature with high mountains, lush greenery and beautiful lakes at one side to a stretch of the Thar desert on the other side where we will receive you in Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer as one of the guests described us is truly an oasis in the desert. From nowhere does it seems like a 21st century city but many people describe it as a city straight out of the tales of "Arabian nights". The city still has the charm of being at its authentic best.

The citadel which is almost 900 yrs. old stands majestically right in the centre of the city has 99 bastions and is still a living fort where a quarter of the city's population still lives. Besides that every hook and corner of the city is so beautifully carved in yellow sandstone that it will surely leave you amazed. The outskirts of the city are equally amazing with many beautiful temples and a huge stretch of sand dunes. You will surely enjoy the short jeep and camel safari on which we will take you ourselves. The trip which Bernd has worked out for all the people who want to visit Rajasthan is an ideal one and nothing could be better. It will give you an insight into the lives of the people of Rajasthan mainly Maharaja's with whom you will stay during your visit. At most of the places either the family or the Maharajas themselves will receive you. So in this way you will get a glimpse into the Royal houses of Rajasthan, their rich heritage and culture. Our cultural heritage is so rich that one just can't have the idea of it by merely hearing about it but being with the very own people of the land, staying in their Havelis, tasting their rich food with all different kinds of spices, interacting with them and going around with them will surely give you the right idea of their life and culture.

"ATITHI DEVO BHAVA" It is a very famous ancient saying in Sanskrit which means -A guest is like a god and must be treated as same. We firmly believe in this and so we have only few rooms for our guests so that we can give personal attention to each and every guest.

Now I must tell you something about ourselves.......Our place is a brother-sister venture. It is a 280 yrs old Haveli which belongs to my father who is an ex-Maharaja of Nachana which was our state before independence. Me (Divya), I am 23 yrs old and my brother Vikramaditya is 21 yrs old. We both run this place as a hotel and our constant endeavour is to try and make people feel at home.

You will meet us as guests but surely leave us as friends and the proof of it is that almost each and every guest who stays with us invites us to his or her place and one of them called Michael visited us in February with Rajputana Discovery group has gone to the extent of not only inviting us but sponsoring our whole trip to Germany........he has become such a nice friend in just two nights and three days. He wants to show us his country in the same way as we had shown him ours. In fact he is fulfilling our long cherished dream. We are much thankful to Bernd and his company Rajputana Discovery for sending such nice people to us.

At last I would like to say "PADHARO MHARE DESH" which is a line from a very famous Rajasthani song which means "VISIT MY COUNTRY". If once you visit the Golden city of Jaisalmer........I can assure you that you will surely come back as this city will charm you by itself.

AAPRI UDEEK MEIN (which means, AWAITING YOU)

Divya and Vikramaditya Singh,

Nachana-Haveli, Jaisalmer.

Princess Divya of Nachana: Our journey to Germany

A Fairytale Comes True - Germany was a Dreamland for Us

Dear Bernd, dear Friends in Germany - Khamaghani !

Sorry!!!! I am late again but what to do, I was still in the hangover and was busy telling stories of Germany and France to all my relatives -.showing pictures - and also talking about all the great experiences we had.

You might not know but this was just like sometimes in Fairytales what happens - you wish for something and sleep and when you wake up, you see it has already been granted - so our trip to Germany was actually like that - - we had always dreamt of going abroad and because of Michael we could actually do it - and it was so fabulous that it will remain in our memories for ever.

Until we were there we could not believe that we are actually there - Michael had come to pick us up on the Airport -and we were driving towards Kaarst - but still we had no emotions whatsoever as we were stunned to see all that and it took us the whole day until the other day we could feel and express ourselves - ya, it's really true.

What a Huge Airport !

The first sight which amazed us was the huge Frankfurt airport - the only airport we had seen before this was the airport in Delhi and it seemed to be such a tiny and dirty one in front this huge airport - we were a little bit nervous as everybody back home had told us about all the possible difficulties we could face as soon as we reach Frankfurt - and I was also carrying some eatables with me which I was told are not allowed at all - but we were fortunate enough to get out of the airport without any hassles and even the first German we saw on the airport was really friendly and smiling to us.

Traffic So Much In Order!

So we went to a lot of places in Germany - firstly to Dusseldorf - it was raining a little bit then and we went to the big TV-tower from where we had a stunning view of the city - the lift moved so fast -..ya! And the river and the vessels in it looked all so tiny - Oh I forgot to mention - as soon as we were on the highway - wow! - there were so many cars yet all the traffic was so much in order and everybody followed his own lane and besides being so many cars on the road there was no pollution at all and the most amazing thing was that every other car was a Mercedes which we rarely see on the Indian roads - ya, and all sorts of beautiful and the best cars of the world oh - oh I think my brother and Reggie were both going crazy seeing all these speedy cars.

Raju, Reggie, Vikram & Divya in front of the Chinese Restaurant

In the following days we went to Cologne where we saw the famous Cathedral and the nice street where we bought some souvenirs like Eau de cologne and also Vikram bought a big beer glass but the most embarrassing scene for me was in the square just in front of the Cathedral - where two young girls were dancing and stripping - - yes of course for Reggie and Vikram it was the most fabulous one but - o.k. for me also it was completely a different sight and we also sat in the train - which was so clean and fast - that we actually enjoyed being in it.

With Bernd and his tame Parrot under one roof

We stayed at Bernd's and Reggie at Michael's place - and because you (Bernd) are such a nice and cool guy that we actually felt at home - we could come and go whenever we wanted and your Coco also amazed me - I had never seen a bird without a cage and Vikram really relished your Cappuccino - because you came with it anytime he wanted.

It was only on the first day that we had some rain otherwise sun followed us since then wherever we went - what more one can ask from Germany? We must really thank the god in Germany to have been so kind to us otherwise we would have been frozen!

After Dusseldorf, Cologne - now Hamburg!

So next we went to Hamburg - where Charlotte and Johannes also met us and that too in the famous Fischmarkt - it really feels very nice when you meet some of your acquaintances so far away from home - it was really nice of them to have come all the way from Lubeck to Hamburg and that too just to meet us - we will never forget the day we spent with them firstly shopping in the Fischmarkt - it was really humorous the way they were trying to sell their fishes and cheese and the best part of it was that we actually met some Indians who were also selling goods there and from them we actually got a very good bargain - yes in Germany.

Divya und Michael

Then we took the cruise in a big ship around the harbour - and this was the first time we had sat in such a big vessel - wow! - it actually felt great. Michael even asked us if we were a little bit sea sick - but no we were enjoying thoroughly and Johannes also told us some interesting facts about Hamburg - like it is the second biggest harbour in Europe and it had more than 3000 bridges which was really amazing - for us to see such a big river and the huge vessels in it was something out of this world - we also saw the second biggest container vessel in the world - it was being repaired and repainted oh my god! I can't explain how huge was this one - as Johannes himself was a Captain so he told us many interesting things about the ships.

Then we took another cruise, this time in a rather smaller one but beautiful - beautiful - all the houses alongside the river and all those smaller boats and gondolas. At night we went to the musical “Cats” - yes and this was something really unimaginable - all these cats they were dancing and performing so nicely - we were lucky enough to take the autograph of the oldest cat - yes.

Oh my god - if I start to explain everything like this then - it will be too long for anyone to read - so I must cut short !

We Like Smaller Towns and Homemade Food

Then we went to Solingen -which is also one of the most beautiful places we saw in Germany - Michael's parents invited us for lunch which was one of the best meals we had in Germany - yes homemade food always tastes great.

We also saw many Forts around there and it was really nice to see how well were they maintained - this is the only thing lacking in India - otherwise we also have many beautiful things but slowly they are being destroyed because of no maintenance -it's a pity.

For Desert People More Than 3 Trees is a JUNGLE!

I still remember that long walk which we took to go to Burg Eltz - it was so beautiful to walk in the jungle still being so safe - Michael said they are not jungles - but for us they were even more than jungles as we had never seen so many trees - and rivers and he also said that if you really want to see jungle then you must go to Kerala - but one thing which really amazed us was that there was almost no wildlife in there and there were these nice paths where you could walk so easily - so Michael said Germans have made everything to their convenience and Vikram said "I think you ate all the wild animals that’s why there is none left"

I would like if the forts in India could be preserved in the same way - yes this is something what we must learn from you - to preserve our past.

Longest Hiking of My Whole Life

I would never forget the long walks we took and I am sure that I walked more in these two weeks then I had walked in my whole life - yes but now when I am back home where I have no place to walk -..I really miss it.

But my most favourite place in Germany until now is the area near Mosel - which is so green and this small town Cochem - oh, this was for me the most beautiful place and I think heaven cannot be in anyway better than this and now I dream of bringing my mother once to this place - because she loves greenery so much and I am sure that if once she comes here - she would not like to go back, ya!

Mosel Area and Cochem - My Ultimate Highlights!

When I showed her the pictures she said it is like a dreamland - yes I completely agree to her. I think because of the fact that we have always lived in such a small place like Jaisalmer - so my fascination is always towards smaller places - because you kind of get a sense of belonging there whereas this feeling is completely missing in big cities - you are so much more relaxed in a smaller place and also the area near river Rhine was amazingly beautiful.

Paris, Versailles and Disneyland

Then we went to Paris - but first to Versailles - oh I had seen many, many forts and castles and palaces in my life but when I saw this one - I think I don't even have words to explain it's beauty and grandeur - this is something really grand and majestic - oh those big halls, bed chambers, crystal room and the huge gardens and the swimming pools - almost like lakes and those beautifully carved pillars and statues and those wonderful paintings and carpets and oh I think the list will go on and on…..

Then we proceeded to Paris - and believe me - I had never seen a big city as beautiful as Paris - I think Paris must have been a dream of an artist which actually came true - the whole city seems to be decorated and the beautiful churches and the number of museums and even the roads and all the statues - I think they have countless statues in Paris. Now I understand why all the artists go and settle in Paris - there cannot be anything better than this place for an artist - I would also like to go and join an art school to learn painting and sketching - - maybe it just remains another dream of mine.

We also went all the way on the top of the Eiffel-Tower - no sight can be better than this - yes the whole city looks so clean nice and systematic and I think we have some really nice pictures from there of the city. We travelled in Paris in this famous Metro - the underground train - wow! It was I think a very convenient way to travel in such a big city - because otherwise it would had been so difficult to move around in Paris. It was really fast.

Then the other day we went to Disneyland - I think it was like a fairyland - what we imagine when we read a fairytale and people have actually made this place - wonderful - it was - we tried I think all the trains and even the most difficult one - this space mountain - but Michael was intelligent as the first train he took us to was this space mountain otherwise if I had even the slightest idea how dangerous it is - then I would have never sat in it - - Oh I was screaming in it and when we came out I got the most horrible picture of my life - which says "I survived" I think no word can explain my situation at that time than this - and I also have a picture with Mickey Mouse - yes it was a fun day altogether and then we started again to our way back to Frankfurt.

Best Wines & Beers of the World

On the whole - Vikram and Reggie really enjoyed drinking the much famous German beer and I enjoyed my favourite - white wine which is so difficult to find in India and I also bought a bottle of white wine for my sister in law - the Her Highness of Jaisalmer from Mosel and she really liked it very much - she said this is one of the best wines she has ever had. We also visited many supermarkets - which are really nice and so much more convenient than to go to many shops for small - small things - you can find everything at one place.

We learnt many things from this travel and I think it will go a long way with us in providing best of services to our European guests -There are so many impressions in my mind that I am so confused -.but I think we really loved the cleanliness, the systematic way of doing things, the greenery, the perfect traffic on roads, no bargain -no cheating, and these small small gadgets what you guys use which makes life so much more easier.

And No Aggressions Against Foreigners !!

When we were coming to Germany everybody said that Germans are really very cold towards Indians and they don't like them so nobody will smile at you and so on - but the best part of our travel was that we met always people who were nice and were smiling to us - be it anyone - from shopkeepers to even people walking on the road - many times we got gifts from the shopkeepers and even sometimes people walking on the road just stood by to say that you are very beautiful - yes I got many compliments and I could see that even people who were looking at us were looking with praise in their eyes.

It was the same with people in France - and as I could speak some French so they were all the more happier. The only problem I had was with the food - I am very - very conventional in eating - I don't try many things - that's why only otherwise Vikram and Reggie really enjoyed the food as Vikram doesn't likes to eat much chilly but for me food without chilly is a nightmare - but anyway I managed.

Good Food

Talking of food, I would like to mention some of the nice dinners we had - First of all I would like to say many thanks to Raju, his sister Mercy and her husband - for providing us such a great Indian meal - how much I liked it, oh I just can't say - it was really like at home and we could actually eat real Indian food in Germany - Can you please send us the email or the postal address of Mercy so that we can convey our thanks message to them.

Then the next day only we went to this wonderful Chinese Restaurant with you and really that was the best Chinese food we ate in Germany - yes, Bernd many thanks for it as it was really a great evening - and I have some beautiful pictures from that day which will always remind us of that and the best picture is of you with the rose - do you remember? I will send it to you as well very soon.

One Drunken Guy Can’t Spoil My Impressions

Then one day we went with Esther - yes, and that too was a great evening - we walked around in Dusseldorf - did some more shopping and we also called Marion from a public booth just nearby and one very strange thing happened that day - because otherwise I had always felt very safe in Germany but when I was talking to Marion this very strange looking man came and stood just not very far from me and he was staring continuously at me and started speaking something in German - I got really scared and Esther and Reggie and Vikram, all came and stood beside me as if they were protecting me - but I think he was completely drunk - so I finished my talk early and started to walk really fast - but this guy didn't leave us there, he came behind us and even Esther was panicked at this - I couldn't understand why did he came behind me only as there were many people on the street - but sometimes it happens and we got away with it anyway without anymore trouble - then we joined Esther's boyfriend who was already waiting for us in a bar with his cousin and everybody drank to his heart that day and Esther and her boyfriend were so nice that even when it was so late at night when we finished, they came all the way to Kaarst to drop us back home and we all will surely remember this evening as well.

Thanks to Michael

All of us are really obliged and I think nothing can pay back your love and warmth which we received so far away from home but never felt outside it. Many thanks to Michael because of whom it actually happened - and he really made such a nice plan for us that we could see many things in a very short time - and he was such a nice guide. It was all possible because of Michael -..he sponsored our whole trip and even paid for the Air tickets - he also took a 2 weeks leave just to take us around and we went everywhere in his car - he drove us and it would never have been possible without him as we cannot even think of travelling on our own and that too in a country completely unknown to us and also it is so expensive that at this moment we could not even afford it - nothing can repay his kindness, love and care and also we felt very safe with him - and the travelling became so much more easier coz he had already arranged everything -..Many thanks to you Michael!!

Just because of the fact that we were there for a very short time we could not meet many of our very close friends - this was really unfortunate and the worst was that we could not even meet Marion but anyway this will be a good reason for us to come back to Germany!

We loved your country and also your people - We thought until now that Indian hospitality is the best - but now when we have seen yours it feels like - it's not really true and now we feel so much indebted to Michael and all our friends there that we feel nothing can repay it.

Best wishes and regards, Divya and Vikramaditya Singh

Chandelao Garh - Greetings & Invitation

A village ruled by the Thakurs of Chandelao since Generations - and first of all it is not on the beaten track of foreign tourists. That makes Chandelao very interesting for very few Rajputana-Discovery-Guests who experience an authentic village life under cautious guidance of Thakur Pradyuman Singh. Our guests are accommodated in the Castle of Chandelao - known as Chandelaogarh. This is Pradyuman’s letter to our further guests:

The embleme of the Thakurs of Chandelao (PNG-Graphic)

Dear Guest,

I would like to introduce myself to you as Pradyuman Singh of Chandelao. I have a Castle - Chandelaogarh - where I welcome guests for a comfortable stay with our family. You can stay with us for nearly 3 days and I can kep you busy at leisure ! I can take you for a full day's Camel/Bullock Cart ride in the villages and jungles with lunch being served under a tree's shade. On another day we all go for an excursion to Kaparda (Jain Temple) and Balaji Satimata (also a temple of a living Saint). We could also go out to see some form of wildlife in the form of antelopes and migratory birds.

Our family consists of my father, mother, my wife Kiran and son Veer Aditya and we all extend a hearty invitation to you to come, visit us and stay with us to experience a stay with a family. We all look forward to your visit soon.

With best regards and wishes.

Sincerely yours,

PRADYUMAN SINGH.

"Some Singh" disappeared...:

THANK YOU, BHAVNA & CHANDRA, FOR BEING SO GRATEFUL - WE ALL GAVE THE MINIMUM OF HOSPITALITY AND SUPPORT - YOU'D EARN A 100 TIMES MORE. I THANK YOU FOR THIS KIND REPORT WHICH I ENTITLED "A WAVE OF SYMPATHY AND READINESS TO HELP".

Nobody felt any Public Relation reasons for your visit - since we all felt your honest desire to meet us we all felt very important - and so it became the very best Public Relation for our Family Environment Homestay Tourism since your attitude and the enthusiasm of your European hosts became a big compliment for our KD/RD policy!

Warmest regards from Bernd

..........................................................

Jodhpur (Rajasthan) 9th. September, 1999

Dear Bernd, we landed in Delhi on 3rd early morning after a wonderful flight from Frankfurt & Amman and this letter is just to thank you for making our Europe trip so enjoyable and successful ! It is due to you that we made such great, large-hearted and generous friends; otherwise it would not have been at all possible for us to do such a long trip !!! I shall give you a detailed explanation of our enjoyable trip and our experiences :

We landed in London on 19th July at 1700 hours 20 minutes before scheduled arrival time! And our host Jogi Sohal was awaiting our arrival at Heathrow. We went to his house and spent 10 days in UK instead of the planned 4/5. Jogi took us to see London and also took us to stay in a village with guests who had come and stayed with us at Indrashan - Mr. Brian Smith. They were very gracious hosts and we went and saw the city of Kidderminster along the river walking. On another day, Jogi took us on a drive in the English countryside while also visiting his three daughters and his ex-wife Helga who had also visited us. Another friend of ours Valeric also took us to Eton, Oxford and Cotswold for a drive and lunch at a British Pub in the countryside, a very enjoyable day excursion. On returning we were invited by Mary and Vicki in Wimbledon to dinner as they too had stayed at Indrashan. They, along with Paul, Mary's husband gave us a lovely British-French dinner. We rested for a day and stayed with Jogi and his wife Parminder and then took off for Brussels in a Hovercraft from Dover to Ostende and thereafter by train to Brussels.

Again we had planned to stay in Belgium for 2 days but actually stayed for 5 days. we saw Brussels, Brugge, Gent and Antwerp and were impressed by the various churches and Cathedrals. Our Belgian host Marc Brissine and his Indian friend Ansari took turns to show us around these Belgian cities, While in Brussels we made a day trip to Paris before entering Germany and meeting you.

With you we had the pleasure of seeing Koln, Dusselorf, Benrath Castle etc as also we had the distinction of having German, Greek and Indian meals which were very enjoyable. Your sister Ute was always there every morning for breakfast. The five days with you were extremely educative and enjoyable and we were not wanting to proceed ahead but we took off for Baden-Baden on Friday to spend the weekend with Karin Boudjemah who was a member of our first RD Group.

Karin and Wolfgang were very kind and took us to see Baden-Baden, The Black Forest and Strasbourg. Since it was a week-end, Martina Scharpf also landed up and stayed with Karin. She came specially to meet us and we were deeply touched. On a Monday from Baden-Baden, we made a day excursion to Basel and Zurich. We were very unhappy at not being able to call on Heidi in Basel but we just did not have the courage to face her.

While with you, we also made a day excursion to Amsterdam which was wonderful. On Tuesday we left for Berlin via Manheim. A long train journey but we enjoyed the day in the train. Sigret and Herbert were at Berlin-Ost to receive us and we spent three most enjoyable days with them. Herbert took leave to drive us around Berlin and also took us to a hilltop where the whole town had gathered to witness the eclipse.

After lunch we spent the rest of the day at Ka De and then a drive through the notorious areas of Berlin! And on the third day, Sigret drove us to Potsdam for sightseeing and a picnic lunch. We would never been able to see Potsdam if Sigret and Herbert were not our Hosts. Both of them went out of their way to make our stay most comfortable, enjoyable and memorable !!!

Our next destination was Leipzig to visit Dr. Harald Schmidt, his wife Ruth and their son Gunnar. in spite of tnem being exhausted because they had just returned from a lengthy holiday in Italy, they were very gracious and took us around Leipzig and showed us ail the historical places and towns. They took us to the country- side to meet Gunnar's maternal grandmother via Naugang, a town with a beautiful Cathedral. Ms had a sumptuous lunch with Grandma before returning to have dinner with Marita Michels who too had just returned the previous day from a holiday. Marita invited us to an Italian dinner with her sister and neice and Harald, Ruth and Gunnar too joined us. It was a great evening with a slight drizzle, which made the dinner more enjoyable!!!

From Leipzig, we went to Munich for a 10 day stay with Dagmar. Dagmar and Berthold and their 4 charming daughters ware kind to let us be with them for 10 days although they were going to be out most of the time. We saw Munich by bus and did a lot of shopping at Hertie's. At the weekend we went to stay with Barbara and Jurgen in their flat where we were joined by Uta and Heidi, all members of one of our most successful RD-Groups.

While I flew off to Ireland for a weekend business trip, Bhavna was taken around the countryside and the mountains by the foursome and she saw a lot of Bavaria.They were really freaking out till I came back on Monday from Ireland, while all others went to work on Tuesday early morning, Wolfgang, Uta's husband came to drop us in his car back to Dagmar's place, which was very touching as we felt we were badly being spoilt - not allowed to do anything by ourselves!!!

Two more days with Dagmar and we took off to Russelsheim near Frankfurt, where we stayed for two days and left our luggage with Hannelore and Arun, our friends from Udaipur (Arun).

The next stop was Ravensburg and it was the first time in our trip that we experienced heavy rain. Marion was there to receive us at Ulm and she had arranged for a lovely Bar-B-Q party in the nearby village.It was a good gathering and the Bankers at the party were very friendly and quite at Bhavna holding on to her sari and how she tied it.

The next day we went to Lake Konstanz and spent a lovely Sunday there with an enjoyable lunch, We returned to Ravensburg and had a lovely dinner with Marion and her mother Gisela. .The next morning we were scheduled to have lunch with Manfred and Margarate Rohrers in their house in Bellingen near Ulm. We reached bang on the dot and Margarete could not believe that we were actually meeting in Germany. A sumptuous lunch and we left early as Manfred had to reach his office as he was going on a business trip to Denmark.

We went to UIm and walked around for some time till our train at 17:30 for Frankfurt. We reached Frankfurt and Russelsheim. The next day we were to go on a cruise on the Rhine but decided to spend the day at home and pack up for the final journey back home. In the evening we left the baggage at the airport - very heavy baggage - and I was feeling scared we may have much more excess baggage than allowed. We did have extra baggage but we sailed through and left Frankfurt for Delhi via Wien and Amman.

The Royal Jordanian flight from Frankfurt was delayed by one and a half hours and so we made it just in time to catch the connecting flight to Delhi from Amman. Hannelore was very helpful at Frankfurt airport since she worked in Lufthansa there and we would have got lost if she had not been helping us.

And thus came the 6 most enjoyable weeks of our lives to a very happy end, without any mishap or inconvenience or any discomfort!!! Bernd, what can we say ??? We have no words to express our thanks and gratitude to ail the people who made these six weeks for us the most memorable. Everybody was so careful in looking to our minutest comforts - and at most places, our hosts vacated their own rooms for us so that we could sleep comfortably !

We Indians take pride in the fact that we look after our guests very well. But the way we were looked after in July and August 1999 in Europe surpasses all efforts!!! We were given the best food prepared at home, taken out to the best places to eat the local cuisine, we were not allowed to pay for anything, not even the things that we bought for ourselves or Yashu or for our friends, they took leave from work so as they could show us around, they received and saw us off at railway stations and airport and that too at unearthly hours, they loaned us suitcases, bags etc and carried them full up to the 5th floor for us, and did so many things for us which we should be doing ourselves.

Except for you and Marion and Dagmar, we had met the others only once and during those few days at Indrashan, our friendship and bonding got extremely cemented. We feel so overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of all our hosts in Europe who made our trip memorable and cannot fathom how we will ever be able to reciprocate ail this.

We feel extremely indebted to all of them. And we do not even know if we at all deserved the treatment we received during those six weeks? Yes we were nice to them and looked after them well out what we received in return was 100s of times more than what we were able to give.

Both Bhavna and I do not know what to say or how to analyse all this - the only explanation we can think of is the Hindu philosophy of re-birth, we must have done something extremely good during our previous lives so as to receive such wonderful treatment in this life and we don't think we can even return an iota of what we got in this life!! We feel extremely indebted to all of them and consider ourselves lucky that they all consider us their friends.

We hope to unburden ourselves a little by writing to them individually to express our gratitude and request for a chance to reciprocate !!! Do convey our regards to everyone whom we met and also to many whom we were not able to meet.

There are a lot who we could not meet due to various reasons. On our last day in Germany, we were able to meat Heidi Zirkel, who came ail the way to Russelsheim to meet us along with Klaus!! I With best wishes of thanks to you, we end. (do forgot to tell you that we also went to Salzburg on a day trip from Munich and it was great and enjoyable).

The History of Ayurveda

(on our Vettikavumgal-Farms far away from other tourists you can get the original and full range of Ayurveda. It comes in a typical, traditional Indian way – without all this esoteric mumbo-jumbo which is offered in the so called Ayurveda Clinics in touristic areas of India. It is cheap and it is effective – send me an Email for more information!)

The History

by Bhagavat Das

Five thousand years ago in the magnificent Himalayas, one of the greatest sages of India, Srila Vyasadeva wrote down the Vedas for the first time, this included a limb of which is called Ayurveda: "The science of Life" (Ayur means life and Veda means science). The Vedas came from an oral tradition that reached back into antiquity. Srila Vyasadev entrusted the original copies of the texts with his most erudite and enlightened disciples, who, along with other great sages, inaugurated a very long sacrificial ceremony for hundreds of years for the purification and blessings of the entire world. Remember people lived for one to two thousand years back then. During that time, they studied and discussed these ancient texts with their own disciples, who wrote commentaries, and expanded and developed these original and eternal truths without ever altering them.

During the years after the conclusion of this sacrifice, copies of this perfect Vedic texts were placed in various temples and libraries throughout India. They were written down in the original Sanskrit language for the benefit of the general population. (Sanskrit is the father of Latin and most of the world languages). As far as the science of life Ayurveda was concerned, volumes of wisdom poured forth like the rains during the monsoon season. Beside Vyasadeva's information about hundreds of herbal drugs in the Vedas, there were descriptions later on, by other sages like Sushruta, Charaka, etc. on how to perform prosthetic surgery to replace limbs, cosmetic surgery on the nose and elsewhere, caesarean section, and even brain surgery! Everything was described in great detail and archaeological research has uncovered evidence that proves that some of these operations were performed successfully between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago. The great sage Charaka has given information in Ayurveda about the development of the child within the womb week by week, month by month, limb by limb, from conception to birth, that equals our modern medical texts in accuracy. There is information about atomic energy, gynaecology, pediatrics, surgery, anatomy, herbal drugs, Ayurvedic dieting and nutrition. All are described in the most simple and profound manner so as to make it easy enough for any person to have a basic working knowledge of this great science of life Ayurveda. I know this sounds incredible and you may be wondering, "How is it possible to have one system embrace all systems" How would it be applied? The answer is simple. The first step is to ascertain the individual's "Biological Mode" , and than to treat the person accordingly. Prakruti - The Unique Genetic Code of an Individual

Everyone knows that there are no two fingerprints alike. No two voice modulations and no two genetic codes are exactly alike. What makes anyone think we all have the same liver, lungs, kidneys, or anything else the same as the next person. Therefore to propose that we all eat the same foods, take the same drugs when we are ill, or perform the same exercise is more than ludicrous. It is unscientific! Ayurveda uses a system of historical analysis and physical examination done almost entirely by observation (with the exception of pulse reading), to ascertain one's original nature and current imbalances. A diet and health plan are given to the individual according to the needs to correct the imbalance. The basis for all other concepts in Ayurveda is Sankhya (the analytical study of the elements that comprise the universe). Although the modern physicist would delineate well over one hundred elements, Sankhya states there are twenty-four, of which five are the foundation of the gross world: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. Dr. Robert Svoboda compares earth to everything which is solid in the table of the elements. Water is everything liquid, and air is everything gaseous. Ether is the field in quantum mechanics upon which everything rests, and fire is the transformer of one thing to another. These five elements, when joined in different combinations, make up the three "doshas" or "biological modes" which are the "Prakruti" or nature of an individual and the nature of all things. The combination of air and ether gives us Vata or the Kinetic Biological Mode. Vata is that which is electric in the body and causes all movement in and out of the system (breathing, urination, defecation, menstruation, etc. The combination of fire and water gives us Pitta or the Transformative Biological Mode. Pitta is that which mutates or transforms the outside elements of the macrocosm into the inside elements of the body (the microcosm). Pitta governs the digestion of physical, mental, and emotional elements. Finally, the combination of earth and water gives us Kapha or the Structive Biological mode. Kapha is that which makes for both lubrication (mucus, synovial fluid) and structure (bones, muscles, fat, joints, etc). Generally speaking most people are a combination of two modes. One is the primary and the other is the secondary. But there are those who are purely dominated by one mode, and in rare cases, those who are a mixture of all three. This elemental theory broken down into divisions of modes identifies not only body types for humans, but also for animals, vegetables, plants, herbs, geographical locations, times of day, seasons of the years, and activities performed. Everything in the universe is categorized by this system. Ascertaining one's Prakruti (nature of constitution) and imbalances is the service rendered by the Ayurvedic analysis using the processes stated earlier. Then the Ayurvedic practitioner constructs a diet and recommends herbs which would be helpful to regain balance with one's original nature. In Ayurveda different people with the same disease sometimes receive different diet and herb plans. The constitution, the imbalance, and the various nuances of the development of the disease in each individual must be studied to determine the nature of the imbalance whether Vata, Pitta, or Kapha for that disease. For example: Two people have a history of weak lungs and chronic coughing. One is dominated by a Vata constitution with a Vata imbalance. The other is dominated by a Kapha constitution with a Kapha imbalance. The Vata has a tendency towards a dry hacking cough in which no mucus or phlegm is present or being expelled. The Kapha has a less frequent, but heavy wet cough which expels large quantities of mucus and phlegm. For the Kapha dry, hot, spicy herbs and foods are what is necessary for burning up and drying up the excess mucus. Dry ginger, and long pepper are useful while all dairy, fruit juices, and cold food in general are to be avoided. But for the dry Vata cough, hot milk with turmeric is a great healer to soothe and calm the cough, while disinfecting and moistening the dry, hot lungs. Fresh curd with unleavened whole wheat bread (chapatis) and cooling fruit juices are also useful. So a cough is not just a cough according to ayurveda. But according to the constitution and imbalance, "One man's food is another man's poison". Unfortunately people will give up trying holistic health practices because good food was given to the wrong person. The secret of understanding the dynamics of food and which food is for whom is in the taste, therefore, the appropriate tastes with their elements will correct the imbalance of elements in one's constitution if taken correctly. The proof is in the tasting. There are six taste according to Ayurveda: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Pungent, Bitter, and Astringent.

Each is comprised of two elements:

Sweet (earth and water) examples: wheat, sugar, milk, rice, dates; Sour (earth and fire) examples: yogurt, lemon, tamarind; Salty (water and fire) examples: sea salt, rock salt, kelp; Pungent (fire and air) examples: onion, radish, ginger, chilly; Bitter (air and ether) examples: dandelion root, rhubarb root, bitter melon; Astringent (air and earth) examples: plantain, pomegranate, apples;

There are two other considerations in Ayurveda. First, whether a foods action is heating or cooling. The taste sweet, bitter, and astringent are cooling. Sour, salty, and pungent are all heating. The second is the post-digestive effect or how the foods "taste" to the tissues during and after assimilation. Sweet and salty are sweet in post-digestive effect. Sour is sour, and pungent, bitter, and astringent are pungent. Taste, action, and post-digestive effect are known is Sanskrit as rasa, virya, and vipack respectively in Ayurveda. They are the keys to understanding food and herbs. With this knowledge, one can unlock the mysteries of the energetic dynamics of food and be able to make the right choices for oneself.

Raw Foods According To Ayurveda

Raw foods and juices are magnificent in that they are cleansing and energizing. Sprouts are especially wonderful because they contain large amounts of enzymes and nourishment which help with digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Some of the spicier sprouts help to destroy and eliminate toxins in the system known as ama in Ayurveda. Fenugreek sprouts can even help in cases of seminal debility. But in general, raw food is very cold and hard to digest in the Vedic sense as it releases its Prana or nourishing life giving energy in the upper portion of the body between the mouth and the stomach. This gives quick, short-term energy, but not long-term tissue building nourishment. This is good for pittas, and some raw foods are good for kaphas, but this is not very good for vatas.

Cooking Foods According to Ayurveda

Well cooked grains,beans, and vegetables release their Prana in the colon. This provides long-term tissue building energy. However,these energies cannot be released from complex carbohydrates without the assistance of enzymes. A Clean intestinal tract is also essential for proper absorption.This coincides with two of the modern holistic health theories of colon cleansing and enzyme consumption. But the Ayurvedic approach again is practical and individualized. Which herbs for which constitution will produce the best colon cleansing varies. Therefore, some people find some of the standard colon cleansing products ineffectual or difficult for their bodies to tolerate. Triphala ("the three fruits"), used in Ayurveda, is one of the best colon cleansers because it strengthens and tones the muscle action of the colon. It does not cause laxative dependency by doing the work for the colon. Similarly, the consumption of enzyme tablets will cause the digestive organs natural ability to produce enzymes for digestion to become suppressed and lazy and possibly lose their ability to function all together. Ayurvedic cooking uses certain herbs and spices to help stimulate the body to produce its own digestive enzymes.

The Secret of spices in Ayurvedic Cooking

I can hear the sighs now as you read the subtitle and you are asking yourself, "Is he going to advocate eating that hot Indian restaurant style food?" Absolutely not! That is, unfortunately, only a bastardization of the original system. Spices used in small to moderate proportions according to the food being prepared and the person's constitution will stimulate all the digestive organs to produce the enzymes required for total absorption and assimilation. This lets your organs do their work through nourishment without "putting them in a wheelchair" while the chemicals do it.

Thus cooked food and spices are better for the poor digestion of kaphas and vatas. Pittas should use only mild spicing, as their "fire of digestion" is generally strong. As you can see there is no good or bad food, just which food is your food.

Once you understand your body type, you can structure a diet for yourself that will really work to make you feel totally balanced and harmonized. How soon you feel balanced, depends on how much you have abused yourself in the past. Generally, it takes month of healing for every year of abuse. That's why the Ayurvedic practitioner asks many questions about your health history. It is very important to ascertain when the problem began and what emotional and mental imbalances preceded it, so that your diet and health plan can solve your health problem by going to the source.

Consciousness and Food

This is probably the most important aspect of Ayurveda: Your state of consciousness when you eat and when you cook. One of the great sages of India, Rupa Goswami wrote: "If you eat food prepared by the wicked, you will become wicked". I' m not calling anyone wicked, but rather I'm pointing out that if the person who is cooking has fears, insecurities, anger, jealousy, greed or any of many emotions we experience everyday, the chef will infuse that preparation with that emotion. This is important to remember in eating - at home or away - that the consciousness of the cook is in the food. And the consciousness of the animal or vegetable one is eating is in there as well. So in Ayurveda, food preparation is considered a sacred act. Animal food is generally not recommended because of the extreme pain, agony, suffering, fear, anger and terror the animal experiences has gone into the food. Add the highly toxic chemical contamination of modern factory farming like hormones, steroids, antibiotics, pesticides, etc., and you have a prescription for death not life. Vegetables have life also and they also feel pain and discomfort at being eaten. The great scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose showed through extensive research that plants are living, feeling beings that experience emotions like humans on their own level.

The Vedas teach that each living being, from the king to the bacteria, has a soul and is therefore sacred. The kitchen is considered the extension of the altar in Vedic culture. In early Christianity, the people would bring their crops and lay them at the altar for sacrifice and blessing. This was done much earlier in Ancient India, only there everything was prepared in the kitchen according to the principles of taste and elemental energetics and then offered with great devotion to the deities: Lakshmi-Narayana, Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna and others. Therefore, the act of cooking, the place of preparation, the act of offering, and the offering place were all sacred. The consciousness of the cooks was focused on how all the foods were to be prepared in elemental balance. Knowing that they were also made of these same elements and the ability to balance them and prepare them were direct gifts from God, they offered back those elements and abilities to the Lord, and through spiritual consciousness cleansed the vegetarian foodstuff of all negative karma by bathing it in love and devotion. You can do this at home by preparing your food with love according to Ayurvedic energetic principles and offering prayers and meditations of thanks and love to God. You will transform food into prasad or God's mercy. Thus you will raise your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health to the highest possible levels. There is no greater nourishment than this in all the world.

The Right Food for the Right Person

As I think back to the 1985 Whole Life Expo, I can still see the bewildered looks of the crowd. I hope this article helps put things in proper perspective for the confused public. All foods are good, but not all foods are good for all people. You must eat the proper foods for your constitution in the proper consciousness if you want the best nourishment and optimum physical and spiritual health.

The Three Doshas: VATA

A Vata's frame is usually tall or short, and always thin and low in weight with prominent bones and joints. They have thin skin which is rough and dry with a tendency to tan or be dark, with prominent veins and cold to the touch. They will have curly, kinky, coarse, dry hair that's dark brown or blackish. Their teeth will usually be large, crooked and protrude. Both their head and eyes will be small, quick and unsteady. The eyes will also be dark brown or black, dry, thin and dull. Vatas have variable and scanty appetites. They will be thin as children and have troubles gaining weight. They like sweet, salty and sour foods like cake, crackers, and pickles. Their thirst varies and they will nurse hot drinks to keep them warm. Their bowels are usually hard and dry, or constipated. They are hyperactive and can exhaust easily with restless minds that fantasize. They are extremely creative, artistic, and often musical, with extreme moods of joyfulness and fear, accomplishment and insecurity, and often anxious. They are erratic and always unpredictable. Their faith is changed easily. Their memory is good if they study the night before the test. But a week later they will have forgotten everything. If they remember dreams at all, they usually are running, jumping and flying, or a nightmare full of fear. They are light sleepers with scanty, interrupted sleep patterns. They usually speak in a high pitched voice faster than they think. They think and fantasize about sex often, but perform poorly having already expended their energy mentally. They generally spend money impulsively and so stay relatively poor. Their pulse is thin and feeble, and threads like a snake.

PITTA

Stands with medium build, height, and bone structure, with soft, oily skin, that's warm to the touch. They have fair complexions, burning easily. The have a reddish or yellowish hue. Their hair is soft and oily and will bald and gray early. Until then it will generally be reddish or yellow-blonde. They have moderate size, yellowish teeth with soft gums that bleed easily. Their eyes are green or hazel, with a sharp, penetrating, lustrous look, set below a large forehead. They have strong appetites and need large meals to be satisfied, but will not snack. They like sweet, bitter and astringent foods, like candy, green salads and bananas. This is washed down all day long with cold drinks. They have frequent bowel movements with soft, oily, loose, discharges. They must evacuate immediately when they feel the urge. They are moderately active, but with intensely competitive spirits. They can be overly aggressive and assertive, highly intelligent and organized, with nearly photographic memories. They become teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, - and angry when not fed on time! They are easily irritated and can be dangerous when jealous, which happens often. They are fanatical about their faith. They sleep short and deep, with fiery dreams of war and violence, or long conversations with exchanges of money. It's always an epic. They are good orators, but can be sharp and cutting with their speech. They know how to save, but usually for the purchase of luxuries, that make a statement about their position in life and enhance their ego. When not too busy trying to organize the world, they can be roused to passion and perform competently. Their pulse is moderate, and jumps like a frog.

KAPHA

Kaphas are large, thick, big boned and strong. They stand not too tall, but often as the foundation of society. They have a tendency to be overweight and can become heavy by just looking at food! Their skin is thick, smooth, oily, and cool, with a tendency to be pale. Their hair is thick, wavy, oily, dark black or light blonde with strong even white teeth. They seldom get a cavity. Their eyes are large and well formed with ample whites showing and deep blue irises, decorated with thick, long lashes. These are called the lotus eyes in India because they look like lotus petals and because they adorn the lotus face of the supreme Lord Krishna. Kaphas have small appetites and eat slowly - many small meals a day - the big snackers of society. They like pungent, bitter, and astringent foods like spicy dishes, green salads, and pomegranates. But they especially like dry, crispy things. They rarely drink, and have one full and heavy bowel movement daily. They are not very active and must study repeatedly to understand, but will never forget once they learn. Therefore they often prefer repetitious jobs where little innovation is necessary. They make good bankers, insurance agents, or factory workers. Kapha people in general are slow, steady and reliable. They are good with money which they know how to conserve to an extreme. They can become overly greedy and attached. But they are extremely compassionate, forgiving, loving, and patient, becoming nurses, social workers, and the clergy of different religions. They have a deep, steady faith and highly developed spiritual feelings. They sleep deep and long, dreaming of romantic settings by lakes and rivers, or swimming. They speak slowly in a monotonous voice, and are not sexually aroused easily, but perform most admirably once inclined. Their pulse is broad and slow like the swan.

Dental treatment on holiday

One reason to visit Kerala, the beautiful land of palmfringed beaches, rivers, hills Waterfalls & Wonderful festivals is to have state of the art treatments for your dental problems

We are using modern equipment and latest technology. KERALA DISCOVERY is happy to recommend this fine institution.

No Pain! We assure painless dental treatment on par with or better than any German Dental Clinic can offer.
Quick! All dental treatment can be done faster than at most places in the world
Cheap! For dentures, crown and bridges, fillings, we use the imported machines and materials, and it will cost you 15% of the German rates or even less.
Specialities:

*Single sitting root canal treatment*	*Tooth coloured fillings with composites*
*All porcelain restorations*	*Repair of fractured and discoloured tooth*
*Ceramic crowns and post crowns*	*Tooth whitening & bleaching*
*Crowns & bridges in porcelain & vitallium*	*Fixed orthodontia*
*Fixed dentures & cast partial dentures*

· Where? Book Dr. Joy Philip's individual treatment in combination with family accommodation environment and thrilling sight seeing excursions via:

KERALA DISCOVERY
Bernd Symons
Oppumer Str. 48

D-47799 Krefeld (Germany)

eMail: bernd@kerala-discovery.de
phone:+49 2151 565718
fax: +49 2151 565719
mobile:+49 171 74 299 34

We are pleased to welcome you to this Multi Dental Speciality Centre. The state of the art equipment and dedicated professionals join together, in pursuit of excellence in dental care. To save a tooth, to brighten a smile and to improve your personality, we strive hard with decades of experience in this field supported by the best the technology has to offer.

I was the guinea pig

Since I am one of the most sensitive and anxious patients, I never would suggest to search for any dental treatment in India. Like most people I expected a mediaeval status of Indian dentistry. But after a little accident one of my front teeth broke on my last journey. It was a weak post crown which was broken in Germany before. My German dentist fixed it provisional and gave me his estimate for a final solution: A bridge work of 5 porcelain teeth for 16.000 DM!

So I went to Dr. Philip who is a good friend of my keralite host family. And again I expected only a temporary solution.

At the dentist there was no waiting, a young assistant immediately guided me into the dentist's chamber of torture. My bones were quivering, when he put me on that dentist's chair. But I calmed down when I saw all the latest equipment and machines around me. I decided to be brave, closed my eyes and opened my mouth.

To tell it in brief, within 30 minutes Dr. Philip prepared the three neighbouring teeth near my broken crown after an injection - and I felt not even a minimum of pain. Then he fixed a temporary bridge and we made an appointment after ten days to fix the porcelain bridge work.

Since the doctor's offer was so cheap I would have accepted a minor quality supply and even more inconvenience than in Germany. Dr. Philip's estimate for the same supply which was planned in Germany was DM 550 only which is less than 5% of the German rate.

But Dr. Philip surprised me: He showed me the material which was original Made in Germany, and when he fixed the bridge work nobody could identify whether they are natural or not. If you are in doubt - look at my smile!

Of course, I got special conditions since Dr. Philip is a good friend of my Kerala family - but we agreed to give a good discount to our guests, too.

The main reason for the cheap rates for dental treatment is the low rate of the Indian Rupee. For western currencies like i.e. DM, Pound Sterling, US-$ you get a value of 10 up to 15 times more than in your home country. In other words: 10.000 Indian Rupees have nearly the value of 10.000 DM - but you exchange it for less than 500 DM only.

Fact is that costs for medical treatment explode in Europe - especially in Germany. The trend is that many patients go to Poland or CSSR for cheaper treatment, but also made feeling insecure because of poor quality treatment.

India is no destination for such trend. That makes sure that no cheating doctors have settled there, who only want to make profit from patients who leave and are far away if they find out that they are cheated with poor materials and bad supply.

My friend is a well known specialist and the president of the Indian Dental Association, Kerala State branch. With my good name I stand behind that offer. Therefore I suggest to discuss your individual problem in advance. I can send your German dentist's diagnosis to India to find out the possibility for the best treatment for you.

Indian Dentistry for health and self esteem happiness

by Dr. J. Philip

Dentistry is an art and science, which enjoys a unique position among medical specialities With its speedy advancement with latest technologies, most modern equipment and electronic devices, dentistry in India is on par with any of the affluent countries in West or elsewhere. Laser application in dentistry, dental implants, aesthetic and cosmetic dentistry, ceramic crown and bridge works all porcelain restorations fixed dentures, tooth coloured fillings, enamel cloning utilising genetic engineering, and the progress in the research on a vaccine against dental decay are the landmarks in the advancement of the profession.

Dental health is a matter of life long concern. Whatever your age, you can and should have a healthy mouth and a pleasant smile. Any neglect can lead to serious problems. Regular care and strict maintenance of oral hygiene are a must. Your dental health is an important part of your general health. In this modem era much greater emphasis is being placed in an individual^'s appearance as social, professional and business interactions become ever more numerous and fleeting. It is an open secret that an attractive and pleasant appearance opens door to success and fame. Studies of eye movement show that in a face to face contact, or situations the eye primary scan the other person's eye and the area of the mouth with little time spent in observation of other facial features. The demand for aesthetic dental treatment is motivated primarily by aesthetic values as well as by the high social premium our society places on well aligned, healthy teeth and attractive smiles. It is found that attractive people have a higher self esteem happiness and psychological well being.

In recent years the number of people flocking to the dentists for aesthetic betterment has increased due to the greater awareness of the general public. Dentistry has come up with some innovative idea or other in this field. In aesthetic and cosmetic dentistry, the composite restorations, and the wonder material ceramics pervading into all admissible techniques, restorations, and prosthesis.

Humour
Indian Professors supervising
World Language Reform

(UPI Delhi/London) The European Commission has just announced an agreement that English will be the official language of the EU - rather than German (the other possibility). This will be the first step to English to become the one and only World Language.

As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement, and has accepted a 5-year phase-in of new rules which would apply to the language and reclassify it as EuroEnglish.

It will be introduced and performed under supervision of specialised professors of English linguistics from India.

The agreed plan is as follows:

In year 1, the soft 'c' would be replaced by 's'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' Will be replaced by 'k'. This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan now have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome 'ph' is replaced by 'f'. This will reduse 'Fotograf' by 20%.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling, kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent 'e's in the language is disgrasful and they should eliminat them.

By year 4, peopl wil be reseptiv to lingwistik korektions such as replasing 'th'. with 'z' and "w" with 'v' (saving mor keyboard spas).

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords 'ou' and similar changes vud of kors be applid to ozer kombinations of leters. After zis fifz year, ve vil hav a reli sensibil riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrirun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer.

Vat a futur

"INDIA Loosing the PR Battle"
appeared in Hindustan Times on June 15,1999
author is Francois Gautier.

I have just come back from Kargil, I am not an Indian, but a foreign correspondent, but I have lived long in this country I am even married to an Indian and I love India dearly, in spite of all its faults.
I have been a number of times with the army in ground operations in Kashmir and I have always thought that the Indian army is a well-trained, professionally outfit, with educated, dedicated and articulate officers. Even in the case of Kargil where the army intelligence was caught napping. I have no doubt that if the political leadership gives it a free hand, they will be able to dislodge the militants. It will not be as easy as it was made out; it will take more time than fine though and it will be a bloody battle. The militants are well entrenched well-equipped and they have the invaluable strategic advantage of being on heights.
I feel though, that even if that battle is ultimately won and the infiltrators go back dead or alive to the Pakistan side of the LoC (what important is that they leave, regardless of the means).

There is one war which India has been constantly losing since 1947. It is the public relations battle. Look at this particular case. Not only is Pakistan the aggressor - it trained armed financed the Kashmir separatist, put them under the command of Pakistan soldiers in civil and Afgans Mujahideens and pushed them into Indian held territory - but now it is able to portray itself as a peacemaker (and blackmail the world with the threat of a nuclear war ) what an irony.

I have been listening to the BBC and CNN and that is exactly what they have said in the last few days. I quote lise Doucet of the BBC " In spite of Pakistan's peace overtures ( the Proposal to send Aziz and the release of the airman) India is proceeding with its military offensive. And India has not only lost the propaganda battle in this "near war" of today, but lost it the three preceding Indo- Pak wars, all of which lost initiated by Pakistan. Even in 1971, when India had to intervene after Pakistan committed a terrible genocide in what is now known as Bangladesh, the United States took the side of the Pakistan.

Twenty eight years later, whatever the Indian government says, Western public opinion is still not on its side, as Kashmir proves. For 15 years various Indian government have been saying that Pakistan was sponsoring arming and training Kashmiri militants. In the beginning we foreign journalists were a bit sceptical, a bit after some years it became obvious to a few of us that it was the truth because it made sense, it was logical - we were even shown aerial photograph of training camps inside Pakistan. Yet today if we dare to mention in our despatches on Kashmir - the Pakistan trained Kashmiri militants, some of our editors in Paris, London or New York will immediately correct the text to "India says that the Kashmire militants are backed by Pakistan". After 15 years the Indian government has not been able to convince the western press of the truth of its accusations against Pakistan which has a very sad record in terms of human rights.

One obvious reason of course in that the major media players in India, the BBC, CNN the big wire agencies AP, Reuters, AFP, are the ones who are setting the rule of the game and for years they have stuck to their stories India says that "these dispatches are the ones which fashion the opinions not only of our editors in Paris of London but also our politicians. And we can do nothing about in.
Mr. Vajpayee could take a lesson or two from China. This country has probably one of the worst human rights records of the 20th century it killed nearly a million innocent Tibeteans and Mao Zedong wiped out in Chinese camps at least three times that number of its own people. Since the communists took power, China has been under the rule of a ruthless dictatorship, the tenth anniversary of Tianeamen has just reminded us of that fact .But look not only the West is doing business with China but it is a very fashionable place to visit today. China gets ten times the amounts of tourists that Indian received. On top of that, China does not take any nonsense from anybody, whether it is the Christian missionaries, who would have never dared to do in China one thousandth of what they have done in India, or the western press. Which is not even allowed to go out of Beijing without the government's permission.

Not that India should become like china! In spite of its anarchy, this country is a beacon of pro-Western democracy in Asia and its a very sad that the United States is incapable of recognising that simple fact. India should never lose this great tolerance this inner goodwill of India, which is made it so great. But at the same time. It has to devise a code of ethics for the western press here. Which often reports only on the negative aspects of India: its catastrophes, its wars, its poverty, the City of Joy.

The Indian press and government should stop setting its standards by what the Western media think or say about India. During the trouble of last year with the Christian for instance, very few of us bothered to mention that India allowed all persecuted minorities of this planet to find shelter in it over twenty centuries including the Christian - the Christian, who have shamelessly exploited that tolerance. Witness what they did in Goa!

There is an element of Gandhian naivete in Mr. Vajpayee. It was wonderful of the Prime Minister to go to Pakistan by bus to embrace Sharif. But generously is best suited to strong people who can afford to munificent . For while Pakistan was talking peace, it was quietly sending across the LoC its infiltrators. India must learn to be a little more ruthless.

Finally, the prime minister should realise that India at least the leaders of the Congress who shaped India's destiny at independence, accepted the absurd, monstrous and illogical rule of the partition which was devided by the Britsh to divide a wonderful nation. For the division of India on religious lines is an aberration, it created a State -Pakistan, whose only "reason d'etre " is Islam and its only preoccupation the hatted of Hindu India which it has inherited from Mughal times. Kashmir is the visible result of that re-rosily, the living proof of the falsehood of that vision. And it is a dead end a problem without solution.

India feels rightly than Kashmir has always been part of its territory - once it was a centre of Hindustan, then of Buddhism and at the beginning of the century there were several hundred thousands of Kashmiri Pandits who have now fled, thanks to the terror
tactics of the Muslim separatists (it is Kosovo ethnic clearing in reverse - but then nobody in the world is bothered). Pakistan feels that in the (mad) logic of partition. Kashmir should have reverted to its new nation as the Kashmir valley had a Muslim majority. There is no doubt in my mind that the only solution to Kashmir is a rapprochement between India and Pakistan a coming together of the two brothers, who share the same culture, the same languages, the same ethnic stocks under some kind of federation where the other nation of south Asia would also find their place. After all, if the two Germanys the two Vietnams could do why not India and Pakistan.?
Meanwhile, the government has to put across to the world that India is a great ancient
and wise civilisation and a superpower in the make, and as future superpower, it
is entitled a little bit more of respect and attention from the west and its press. But for
that you will have to bang your fist on the table quite a few times "a la Chinoise" –