• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

G. Srinivasan

In a globalised world, surprises seldom cease even as the financial meltdown triggered by the sub-prime crisis in the US casts its gloomy shadow on major economies. For a group of Indian journalists visiting Down Under recently, a few surprises awaited us right from arrival. This correspondent was pleasantly surprised to be greeted in chaste Tamil by the customs official at the immigration counter in Sydney International Airport. The name tag on his shirt read ‘Thani kachalam’, indicating that the official was probably a Tamil from India or an ethnic Tamil from Singapore, Sri Lanka or Malaysia.

As we set out to meet the host, the driver of the official vehicle asked me whether I had been following the India-Australia test series in Bangalore. In all the bustle of departing I had been unable to keep track of the game’s opening day. But before I could tell him that, he impatiently informed me that the Aussies had scored 430 runs on the second day with the opening Indian batsmen safe in the crease piling up 60-odd runs!

The shared interest in the game truly has the potential to generate greater goodwill between the two countries provided it is channelled right and not allowed to divide the people over the provocative actions of individual players.

Sydney boasts beautiful beaches and a natural harbour right in the heart of the city; no visitor can miss the massive steel-frame of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Those brave enough to climb to the Pylon lookout on top will be rewarded with a thrilling panoramic view of the city in all its splendour.

Sydney’s most striking landmark is the opera house built in the 1970s, with the striking blue waters and the harbour in the backdrop. The exterior of Sydney Opera House bears similarities to the Bahai Temple architecture in South Delhi! Going around the opera house, one realises that the performances reflect the nation’s multicultural character… I was delighted to sight a billboard announcing that India’s tabla maestro Zakir Hussain was scheduled to give a live performance here on November 9.

Of course, there’s nothing new or unusual about such performances by Indian artistes abroad. But with a skilled workforce radiating out of India to all corners of the world, the arrival of the artistes in their midst brings with it a slice of home for the expatriate soul. The rich feast of art and culture indeed provides a welcome relief from the financial uncertainties and security concerns buffeting the world.

More Stories on : Tourism | International Travel | Impressions

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line