Hot fudge, here comes the judge!
Certain memories, not captured in photographs, not laced with emotions, were buried in the subconscious but they had never vanished. At the most unexpected moment, and at the subtlest cue, they sprung up in full liveliness as if they had occurred the last evening.
I have been going to the United States since 1999 and have been to different places in connection with some or the other work. One such trip took me toSt. Louis with young Hamish Sahni, now Chairman, Klenzaids Contamination Controls Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai. They have been setting up the Integrated Biologicals Formulations Facility for Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad for which we met.
The field of how to handle biological contamination was entering into India and Klenzaids was the leading company in India making HEPA (high-efficiency particulate arrestance) filters. So, I landed up in St. Louis for a technical conference I was attending with Hamish, without any idea about the place. The Internet had not yet come to our phones and one couldn’t Google to know whatever crossed one’s mind.
I was amazed to see the iconic Gateway Arch monument that symbolizes the city. It was a very tall arch that could be seen from everywhere. After completing our work, we visited the arch site, went up the 630 ft. (192 meter) arch in a cable car and watched a film in the underground theater about the importance of the monument. Constructed on the Western bank of the Mississippi River, the monument, which forms the state line between Illinois and Missouri, commemorates the westward expansion of the United States.
Christopher Columbus started his sail from Spain to India for a share in the seemingly limitless riches of the “Golden Bird” and stumbled into Puerto Rico calling it the West Indies (India in the West). The saddest part of the story is that Columbus tried three more times—in 1493, 1498 and 1502—but could reach only up to Panama on his last trip and never put his foot on the North American continent. He returned to Spain disgraced and died in 1506.
English exploration began almost a century later. They arrived in Virginia in 1585 and called it “The New World.” The first British settlers in the New World stayed close to the Atlantic, their lifeline to supplies needed from England and established their colonies going northward up to Canada. By the 1760s, the thirteen British colonies contained 2.5 million people along the Atlantic Coast east of the Appalachian Mountains. The Colonies defeated the British and established the United States of America on July 4, 1776. The war however continued till 1783.
During the 1830s and ’40s, the flood of pioneers poured unceasingly westward which required the crossing of the mighty Mississippi River. The French were ruling this territory. In 1803, they sold it to the U.S. for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile. The United States nominally acquired more than 2 million square kilometers. The biggest joke is that the French were mere squatters there. The original inhabitants, called natives, had no role in this deal. Gateway Arch monument celebrates that crossing of the Mississippi River, as I learnt while watching the film.
Another memory ofSt. Louis is the relaxed Sunday forenoon I spent at the Grand Hall Market. It was an old railway station converted into a marketplace. The trains now pass through the underground station. There I came across a fudge-maker’s shop. A huge African-American man was singing loudly in his baritone voice and making some sweet dish. I stood there as if hypnotized. I observed that the man was making a sugar candy by mixing sugar, butter and milk, boiling it to the soft-ball stage and then beating the mixture while it cooled so that it would acquire a smooth, creamy consistency. The aroma, his singing and beating sounds were creating the magic.
A middle-aged lady, with pink skin and blue eyes, arrived. She was carrying two bags, which she kept on the ground and started clapping, singing and even gracefully dancing with the singing fudge-maker, making a perfect chorus. Many others also joined the singing. This went on for some fifteen minutes and concluded with the fudge ready. A few people bought little pieces but most of them were there to enjoy the making and singing. The lady standing by my side did not buy anything; she just lifted her bags and walked away as if nothing had happened. I learnt at that moment that this is the spirit of America. The lady was living in the present moment. There was no status consciousness. Neither was there any indulgence on the part of the fudge-maker – please buy… at least taste a bit….
So, what triggered this memory after 20 years? I think it was a juxtaposition of many things. The background was the recent visit of the Prime Minister to the coronavirus vaccine development facilities. Those images brought out the Klenzaids, who made such facilities. The shining steel interiors of vaccine-making plants brought out the memory of the shining Arch. But the singing fudge sprung up when I was microwave-warming the Mysore Pak before taking a bite. I think I overheated it, releasing the aroma of burnt sugar, and then started singing to hide my embarrassment…
Queen Bitch, eat the rich
I’m on the second course today.
I’m not the first and I won’t be the worst
She’s done most of LA.
We have to live little moments as they come before us. That is what that middle-aged lady demonstrated before me that day. It was a Sunday; her grown-up children must be sleeping at home and instead of breaking her head with them, she came out to this vintage shopping area and sang cheerfully like a little girl, fully immersed in the present moment. And once the moment passed, she detached herself and moved on.
Life is indeed beautiful if you have time to observe its beauty. There are so many little pleasures hidden behind the shouting TV and the clutter of social media. We may have come from a great civilization, but we are miles behind in civility and treating other people with loving kind respect. Advancing materially – becoming rich, buying toys, luxuries and conveniences – has never made any one happy, so why would you be an exception? Everyone needs fudge, it is how God helps us cope. Don’t judge everything and keep pronouncing verdicts. Cheer up!
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What a fascinating and brilliant blog on such an important aspect of life’s conscious and subconscious activity. If I may steal and paraphrase a comment of on of your reader on other platform (Facebook) i.e., Your writing is like a comprehensive multivitamin that boost, stimulate and catalyses our thought, observation and behaviour for positive sum. This warm fudgy blog helped nudge my memory to a beautiful Zen short story, I read some days ago.
While entering master’s room, a Zen disciple removed shoes and umbrella outside. Master: I saw through window that you were arriving. And asked, did you removed your shoes to right or left of umbrella? Disciple: I have not least idea. But how does it matter, I was thinking of Zen Secret. Master: If you don’t pay attention in life, You learn nothing. Communicate with life, pay each moment attention that it deserve, that is only secret of Zen.
Dear Sir, reading blog I enquired why you wrote both foot and meter for hight, I inferred You considered ease for your wide audiences Americans and British do not use meter).
In this my last comment on your blog in 2020, all I want to say – Thank you very much for this opportunity and lesson on multifacets of life.
Your year end blog highlighting the beauty of life is refreshingly different Prof Tiwariji ! Your subtle message of living moments as they come before us is wonderful. These little pleasures buried in our subconscious cheering us at the most unexpected moments of life is like enjoying fudge without judgement!
Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for a very different and refreshing blog. The two important messages from the blog for me are 1) live the moment (live in the present) and ii) Don’t judge others.
Most of us would like to dance like that old lady, but we always are worried about what others think of us. Our past, our position ,our status in the society always prevents us from freeing ourselves and do what we want to do. But all said and done we still are conscious of others. The other factor is that we are supposed behave in a particular way at different ages of our life. This again is unwritten but followed very religiously. More as a convention. But this I find changing in cities as we have lesser acquaintances. Though it is very convenient, I don’t like people of old age wearing half pant and coming out. Probabaly self imposed restriction and mental block. If not as that old lady did, we can still live for ourselves and can live in the present and still follow the norms set for ourselves.
Coming to the point of Judging others I would like to recall two couplets:
उँगलियाँ यूँ न सब पर उठाया करो
खर्च करने से पहले कमाया करो
ज़िन्दगी क्या है खुद ही समझ जाओगे
बारिशों में पतंगें उड़ाया करो
Ungliyan yoon na sab par uthaya karo
Kharch karne se pahele kamaya karo
Jindagi kya hai ye tum khud hi samajh javoge
barishon me patange Udaya karo
Dr Rahat Indori
परखना मत, परखने में कोई अपना नहीं रहता
किसी भी आईने में देर तक चेहरा नहीं रहता
Parakhna mat, parakhne mein koi apna nahin rehata
kisi bhi aayine mein der tak chehera nain raheta
Dr Bashir Badr
Both these couplets essentially tell us that we should avoid judging others. First one says please look at your self before passing your judgement on others and second one tells us that we will loose people if start judging.
Essentially let us live and let others live as they want. Thank you sir for bringing out two very important philosophies of life for living happily.
Professor Tiwari, what a beautifully written article ladden in history and triggered by memories. I will now always remember iconic Gateway Arch and story of crossing of the mighty Missisippi river. This story reminded me of the time when I was applying for my Masters of Science to various universities and Washington University in St. Louis was one among them. You make a point of status consciousness in India.
It reminded me of question that my mother was asked when she was on panel discussion – “What do you think about unity in diversity of India?”. Her answer was “When the North Indians will stop referring to South Indians as Madrasis and South Indian stop referring to North Indias a bhaiyyas, etc.. When the north appreciates musical notes of Carnatic music and likewise the South the soulful Hindustani music this is what we will call unity in diversity in India and that day shall come.”
Sir, this was really a truth of life. We should live every moment of life fully before it come to the end. Because every moment is a precious gift of God.
Respected Sir, One of the best article which roam around our life and our understanding about life. Pride, anger, desire etc. mostly rule the maximum part of our life. Moments free of them are indeed real life.
Beautifully written piece. ‘Live the moment.’
These days I spend lot of my time at my farm..unlocking myself form city life and pollution and I can enjoy the earthy fun and superb sense of humour I notice in the farm hands and other staff. What fun they have with little little things.
Thanks a lot.
“Taking in the moments as they come” is apt and a subtle commandment to incorporate in one’s life.
To live in the present and not worry about what tomorrow might bring , living for experiences rather than materialistic things, I feel the ability to detach and move on to experience new things is a present in itself.
Thank you sir for such a feel good and astonishing article. Looking forward to read more of your experiences sir.
Fascinating, Sir! How the mind moves and makes connections seamlessly…it created a brilliant piece of writing here – the effect almost as lighthearted and comforting as the song and the fudge! The takeaway is, of course, to “immerse fully in the present moment and then detach and move on.”
In the US, they perhaps talk about it in terms of keeping the “inner child alive”. In our culture, I have seen people who have reached the same state — a happy forgetfulness, non-opinionatedness, an open mind, and yet just the right concentration when necessary — by steady practice of Yoga and its various aspects.
Some are born that way; but it is possible for others to get there too. Thank you for pointing out what to aspire for!
Dear Prof. Tiwar, Your recent post has reminded me of my own visit a couple of years ago to St Louis and the arch. I had gone there to participate in a conference on aflatoxin. However, I do not recall arch’s historical significance and other aspects. Thank you for giving us glimpses of American history. Yes, indeed, America is (was?) a great country, but its greatness is now showing fissures here and there. Sincerely hope, it repairs itself.
‘Living in the present moment’ is alien to our culture. Since we believe in rebirth and in our duties towards our parents and children, we are worrying always on how to ensure our better rebirth or moksha from the cycle of death and rebirth. ‘Living in the present moment’ requires our cultural reorientation. Life is life – full of surprises. Some can see beauty in it, whereas it can be a burden for others. It all depends on one’s state of mind. However, ‘living in the present moment’ is wonderful and gives one freedom from worries of the future.
You have also let out the secret of your sweet tooth.. Mysore Pak is too rich in sugar and ghee. You need to watch out. Warm regards.
Wonderful and thought provoking piece of memoir Sir.
What a read that was! No wonder, the Gateway Arch, formerly called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a staple of St. Louis culture and a feat of modern architecture. It’s indeed a sight to behold and a majestic one at that.
The fudge melted in my mouth, the confectioner’s song without a mistake brought my imaginations to life and to my feet a jingle. If blessed with food, shelter and a job we can sure make our presence felt by a dance or a march of life.
May our ardent prayers be heard and dirges of many a kind fade away into obscurity.
Dear Arun, You are a fantastic narrator; keen observer and a magnificent learner. You bring out great things from very simple incidents. You are very right when you say that one should live in present and enjoy the life.
Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the God made for fun. A depressed man always lives in past and ambitious one in future. But beauty lies living in present like a child. Wish you good luck.
A pleasure read! The repetitive reading not only made more sense but each read was more enjoying than the previous…
It hinted me to listen to this beautiful song “Hot Fudge” — to break up the virtuous narrative rendering and move on. Cheer up!
Sir, I liked this blog most for it celebrates positivity and goodness of American life, no one really discusses. In our country, we probably had strong traditions and culture that we valued. But in the United States, there are also important American values – the things that are most important to people. I want to share my two observations here.
I found Americans are very proud of being self-reliant, or being able to take care of themselves, and they tend to think others should be self-reliant as well. When someone reaches a goal, that is typically seen as the result of his or her own hard work. In Indian culture, we tend to see accomplishments as a reflection of an entire family or community and expect successful people to share their riches and when they do not, we grudge a lot.
Americans are often very direct. This means they often tell you what they think, and they will be assertive about what they want. Being assertive is generally seen as a good thing in America and bad in India. What may appear rude is not intended that way. Americans are not trying to be rude – they are just being direct. When I was living in the U.S., I never missed having a bite of fudge. I wish you had tasted it that day in St. Louis.
Dear Arun sir, thank you! Wonderful and refreshing read. I had to admit that I too had a similar memory flashing in front of my mind while I was reading your blog and so had a smile on my face!
One was to recall my visit to America and witnessing “spirit of America” in one of the domestic flight form Sarasota to Cleveland. The way flight attendant conveys the safety instructions make everyone on-board smile with great humour. That was the first time I had seen how a serious message too could be conveyed in a jolly way. Many such incidents where we get amazed by the “spirit of America.”.
The second incident that I recalled was related to fudge. I visited Cambridge several times and one thing I do not miss to visit is the famous Cambridge fudge shop. The way you narrated the fudge making was making me clearly visualise the same! Moreover, yes, many people gather there too to see those special fifteen-twenty minutes while the sugar settle down and makes a perfect smooth fudge.
The third one was when you mentioned the “Mysore pak” – clearly took me back to my days at Bangalore and memories related to Mysore and famous food recipes from South India!
The message you conveyed in the blog was exactly I was going through – enjoying the read and cherishing simple yet refreshing memories that bought smile on face. That is all we need.. Smile in present times.. as “Present” is the greatest “Present”!
Thank you so much Arun sir for sharing your thoughts and bringing smile.. Keep inspiring!
Excellent writing Prof. Tiwari! The photo of the Gateway Arch brought back wonderful memories to me as well. We stopped there on a drive (circa 2003) from Wisconsin to Louisiana to visit relatives. My son was only 8 years old then and I remember well the cable car ride up to the narrowing top!
The theme of your article reflects in part the quote from the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu – “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.”
As I ponder this quote it reminds of my father who would often express joy at the beauty of God’s nature – whether it was a beautiful fall day or a running stream at the farm land he grew up on. Only now I can appreciate that he was in fact truly living in the present and enjoying the beauty that life gives us.
Thank you Prof. Tiwari for reminding us of this simple but important principle. You have enlightened us once again with your writing.
Thank you Sir for sharing this exciting article. I could visualize the whole hot fudge scenario in my head and imagine what a delight it would have been to witness that incident, I had similar experiences here in New York. I believe New York is a city that brings out the best in people and there is something to learn from each person.
While wandering on the streets of Times Square in the evening, I would often find someone randomly put on pop music and start dancing to the tunes of it. Others would shortly join in and it would feel like a carnival festival. Once there was a flash mob dance which was so amazingly done that everyone in the crowd was awestruck. Everyone in the crowd had a struggle story to tell and yet they were all smiling and living their lives to the fullest.
There was one library in Manhattan wherein you could rent a stranger instead of renting a book and get to know their life experiences and stories. I had never heard of such an amazing concept before and was mesmerized just by the idea of it.
Once I randomly took the subway till the last stop and wandered on the streets of Manhattan and found my way to my favorite show ‘FRIENDS’ building set. It was crowded and people were beaming with joy standing in front of the building. I took quite a few pictures with strangers who did not feel like strangers.
There would be a huge line in front of the hot dog’s food truck and what was even more fascinating was to see well-suited men and women standing in line waiting patiently for their favorite hot dog. Money, status, and power would cease to exist in these lively streets. Everyone belonged to the same group-the group that loved and deserved a good hot dog after a long tiring day at work.
All these experiences have taught me a lot. As you rightly said, it is important to live in the present, to live as one and to enjoy whatever life offers us. I will be making an Indian version of a hot dog too after writing this comment.
Prof Tiwari, The sentence that you employed at the beginning elicited a barrage of thoughts about what the subconscious keeps! Good and bad moments of someone’s life are edged in the vaults that at an appropriate time they will surface as if only to tell you, “look at where you have come from”, encouraging you to move on with living and never to give up.
Different people live different lives, the impact they make emanates from the consideration they make of other people around them, living the Ubuntu spirit while echoing the one and only principle of life taught by the Greatest teacher this World has ever seen, The Lord Jesus Christ who in Matthew 7:12 told us to “In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets”.
As you correctly said, ‘We have to live little moments as they come before us.., we have to learn to get fully immersed in the present moment, living a day at a time so you say. And once the moment has passed, we detach ourselves and move on. We need to learn to create time in observing what our lives bring along as there is plenty for which to be grateful for, social, visual and print media relevant as these are to our day and age, have robbed so much of our quality time that its time we reclaim ourselves and teach our children to learn from our mistakes before its too late, advancing materially – becoming rich, buying toys, luxuries and conveniences – has never made any one happy, so why would we be an exception?
We shall do well to invest in goodness, now and always….
Dear Arun Ji, You have presented your observations and impressions imprinted in your memory during a visit to St. Louis very beautifully. Occasionally we see people, like that American Lady, who take out time to sing, play, and have fun amidst their daily chores and struggles. I have met many such people in the villages in India too.
Your description of the voyages of Columbus and the ‘discovery’ of the new world by British explorers is very interesting. This helps us to visualize the events that have shaped the American way of life. Since we are living in a globalized, hyper-connected world, we have the means to gain a broader outlook toward life and celebrate the beautiful moments that life offers us.
I think this is your last fortnightly blog of the year 2020, Therefore, this is an occasion for all of us to welcome 2021 with the hope that it will bring more joyous moments in our lives. Look forward to your coming blogs of 2021. Happy New Year and Thank you.
Respected Sir, I am really delighted to read your lighthearted blog. I had COVID-19 infection with my wife and daughter and we really went through a lot of stress but emerged from it. Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question indeed reflects your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic — and it even affects your health. You have been my personal role model of optimism and how you managed your cardiac situation. The positive thinking that usually comes with optimism has been a key part of your success at work.
We have to be like the lady you described at the St. Louise market. Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you keep your head in the sand and ignore life’s less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst. I can tell from my own experience that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. I shared this blog with my wife, and she is going to make our Indian version of fudge coming Sunday.
Dear Arun Ji,
The spirit of America is well defined. Unfortunately, most of us live for others and always wanted to see who is observing us or following us. Living like a kid, giving damn to surroundings will be the best tonic for happiness.
Truly refreshing post Sri Arunji… So simple & beautiful fact of life to live in present and enjoy every bit of it nicely weaved through the whole story.. Could almost visualize the singing of fudge maker and dance of the lady with passer-bys enjoying the most of the scene.
Most of us have ourselves complicated the lives so much that we hardly find time to be quiet, peaceful, cheerful and calm… We look for an annual vacation to cover up for everything we miss all around the year.. And we get so desperate on making the most of that vacation that a little not so great experience around hotel, food, place, travel makes us as stressful as ever..
Couple of boons from these Covid times are that many of the unwanted tasks, activities and travels have cut down and many families have come much closer than ever before. We have learnt to be together, eat together, go for a stroll together, workout & play together..
Always looking forward to pearls of wisdom packaged beautifully in your blog posts. Shubham bhooyat!
Wonderful message at an apt time! I think people do need this thought to recognise the value of life. The pandemic, increases race of competition and our monotonous attitude towards oneself have overwhelmed us, at this time a little moment like the lady had in this event could light-up the interest to live life with an apt perspective. However, these all are very spontaneous moments.
Dear Sir, I enjoyed reading your narratives linked to history. You beat my colleagues in the Department of history, University of Hyderabad. Thank you so much for reminding your audience (readers) to live and enjoy the present moment like the way an American woman sang and dance on that Sunday forenoon at the vintage fudge maker’s shop and went away without purchasing the sweets. I need to learn to enjoy life at the moment in spite of heavy academic workloads.
Prof Tiwari Ji this BLOG of your beautifully defined life and the value of doing little thing consistently that would result in a big outcomes. Undoubtedly, understanding history offers several learnings and it is up to us how do we interpret it; I wish some of the professors/teachers of history teaches the students in such an interesting manner as you have described.
While our philosophical documents describe the efforts of YOGIs and saints in understanding the meaning of life and how to live life, your observation and description of an American lady enjoying the moment without any prejudice defines it all. Creator has made the life simple; have we made it complicated? Let’s ponder upon. Let’s enjoy every moment of our work and live in present rather than being worried for “what will I get.” Thanks for this reminder.
Sir, a very refreshing blog. I always wondered why Europeans took more than two hundred years to cross the Mississippi River when they have crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Now I realized that they felt no need for that and when the need came, they did not hesitate.
May I add that when gold was discovered in California, acquired through the treaty that ended the war with Mexico in 1848, waves of treasure seekers poured into the area. The California Gold Rush was a major factor in expansion west of the Mississippi.
That westward expansion was greatly aided by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, and passage of the Homestead Act in 1862. That act provided free 160-acre lots in the unsettled West to anyone who would file a claim, live on the land for five years and make improvements to it, including building a dwelling.
Please do write more on your experiences. You have a great gift of seeing through things and people.
I find it real fun to see through your eyes Arun ji that part of the world which I haven’t seen earlier, learn that part of history of which I’m still ignorant or get updated on several worldly affairs, thoughts and those unending experiences of yours which besides enlightening do add the right amount of manure to make minds fertile. Thanks for your blog…. it’s always eagerly awaited.
Gateway Arch – The history and geography of this Gateway to the West made an interesting read and what always adds spice to the food is your involvement, presence and the narration coming – straight from the horse’s mouth. It’s a joy for keeps.
Your experience of St. Louis – Grand Hall Market, the making of fudge by the shopkeeper, the lady a spectator dancing to her glory ignited that fire which generally kindles in an individual but needs a catalyst to flare. Living life full on is a must in today’s materialistic world.
Lot of awareness is now-a-days showered on good health which constitutes of nutritious and timely intake of food, proper regular exercise and good stress-free sleep. One additional thing which needs to be emphasized in my opinion is leisure time.
What we Indians need but certainly lack is taking a break. This is very much in vogue in the western countries and only now the younger generation burning out fast under stress and duress of work pressure have realized and started prioritizing. To take a break from our mundane life, even if it is a short break – like short weekend breaks or a planned longish holiday once or twice in a year, in my opinion is a must.
Going out travelling, meeting people, friends, relation and having a nice leisure time should form the right of way. This besides adding up energy levels both physical and mental will lead to a full productive blast once back at work. Leisure time devoid of any shackles of work, responsibility or liability, without any agenda or without any specific motive lets out those positive and good hormones which make one feel good and life beautiful. The feeling of being on top of the world in turn adds up to ones longevity.
Fully agree with you, when you write one should enjoy little moments as they come before us. Your burnt sugar gave you that pleasure, that happiness which made you enjoy your leisure time…the burst of rhyming the words was but natural akin to your pink skin blue eyed lady who sang, clapped and danced while the fudge was in the making. The lady didn’t buy anything but did enjoy her leisure time without caring a fig about the other assembled. This is life indeed….
The Hot fudge moment…. says it all.
Thank you Professor Tiwari for writing a blog about my home town, St. Louis (spell it the right way), Missouri. On the left side of the picture of the magnificent Gateway Arch you will see a large baseball park. It is called Busch Stadium, named after the owner of Anheuser-Busch Beer (manufacturer of Budweiser, the King of Beers). That is where the St. Louis Cardinals, the Major League Baseball team which has won the second most world championships (after the New York Yankees, of course) play their stellar brand of baseball
I spent a lot of time at the ballpark with my father, and my friends, and those were very special memories, where the love of the game was passed from father to son. The St. Louis Cardinals were (and are) in the National League. As I was growing up there was another Major League Baseball team in St. Louis, the St. Louis Browns, which played in the American League. My cousin Elliot Stein, was co-owner of the St. Louis Browns, along with the legendary Bill Veeck, who wrote the classic book about Major League Baseball, “Veeck-As In Wreck” So, as I grew up in St. Louis, I would listen to the St. Louis Cardinals games on the radio in the kitchen, and the St. Louis Browns games in the living room. To say that I was (and am) a baseball nut would be an understatement. In 1954, following eight straight losing seasons, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore, and became the Baltimore Orioles (this is relevant for the rest of the story).
When I moved to Washington, DC, as a freshly minted lawyer I noticed that at that point Washington, DC had no Major League Baseball team, as its team, the Washington Senators, had decamped to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Washington Senators were a sorry franchise owned by a racist owner, Calvin Griffith, who refused to let blacks be part of the team. That was a bad marketing strategy in Washington, DC, whose population at that time consisted of 80% African-Americans. It was said that the Washington Senators were “First in War, First in Peace, and Last in the American League.”
So, starting in 1990 I led the movement to bring Major League Baseball back to Washington, DC. I formed a company, Capital Baseball, to bring baseball back to the nation’s capital. We were blocked from getting a team by, you guessed it, the Baltimore Orioles, by that time owned to Peter Angelos, who argued that we would destroy the market for Major League Baseball in Baltimore, only 45 miles away from Washington, DC. Angelos threatened to sue me for trying to wreck his market.
When Major League Baseball added two franchises in 1994 our group, Capital Baseball, was one of five finalists to get a team, but those honors went to Phoenix and Tampa/St. Petersburg. Our failures, however, were the fertilizer of future success. We persisted, however with our efforts, and paved the way for the national pastime to return to the nation’s capital. In 2005 the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, DC and became what is now the Washington Nationals, which won the World Series in 2019. And we beat the St. Louis Cardinals along the way! The owners now of the Washington Nationals, the Lerner family, have done a great job with the franchise, and I have the best of both worlds, season tickets to watch Major League Baseball and no responsibility for paying the huge salaries of today’s Major League Baseball players. When I go to see the Nats I am flooded with the memories of my home town St. Louis and those many games I used to see there, under the famous St. Louis Arch.
Horace Greeley, the famous American newspaper publisher, said “Go West, young man,” his famous advice to America’s youth, and the St. Louis Arch is designated as the Gateway to the West, to celebrate the expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1804 that explored the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. This phrase has been linked to America’s quest for its Manifest Destiny. I did the opposite. I went East, migrating to Washington, DC after going to Harvard for my law degree and Johns Hopkins for my Ph.D in International Relations. I have projects in many countries now, including India. Along the way I met the wonderful Arun Tiwari, who has expanded my knowledge base and my vision. We are grateful to have him to teach us important lessons in life, including the magnificent pleasure of eating a hot fudge sundae.
Indeed a memorable experience. Sir, thank you for sharing your valuable perspective on life, which makes life easier understanding and living.
Respected Sir, you told the story of a lady singing at the fudge maker’s shop in our class. It is more than 10 years, but I still remember and feel very happy reading it today in the blog. You told us through this story that one of the best, unforeseen consequences of simplifying our lives is it has allowed us to begin living our lives in the present moment.
As you subtly pointed out this lady avoided nagging with her ‘grown up’ children sleeping late on a Sunday and came to the market. What we learn from this story is to soak in as much of today as you possibly can – the sights, the sounds, the smells, the emotions, the triumph, and the sorrow. These are in our daily lives, but we often forget to take them in and truly appreciate them.
Please do share more stories from your vast treasure. I remember you most for the stories you used to share at University of Hyderabad, We learnt a lot from them. Thank you Sir.
Sir, Most of us aren’t enjoying the present moment of life and wasting time on overthinking about future. Indians are more affected with this attitude towards life, I observed this more frequently after coming to Sydney. Like you mentioned about a woman in USA, in Sydney as well, I have seen people enjoying the moments in life. Even have seen children in small groups performing on streets not for money but to get appreciation, some time they raise funds by these activities for animals and homeless people to help them.
The nation has developed a character of its own, which is very much-needed in Indians. As an Indians we haven’t developed any national character however we have generated personal character like Sir Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Sachin Tendulkar etc., but failed totally as a national character. But nowadays we are seeing some Improvement in our character towards a nation, hopefully future bright and will lead the world with examples in near future.
Very nicely written Tiwariji. I totally enjoyed traveling down your memory lane as much as you did. It was definitely a light themed and enjoyable read 🙂
Sir, I loved reading about St Louise market incidence. Unfortunately, people in India, especially in cities, are very status conscious and they treat people around them with contempt. Just listen to how people speak about their favored objects, persons, land regions, language, culture, ice cream, music, art, etc. As if it is their own creation. They gloat in their parental money and boast of the achievements which are not their own. This attitude has taken it to an extreme off late and is causing arguments and fights in public places and unnecessary divisions among people.
I got a new perspective about Columbus. As an explorer Columbus was mediocre at best. He knew less about the sea than did the average sailor on his ships. He mistook islands for vast continents. And how did Columbus discover America when the people were already living there? What kind of history have we been taught? After Columbus reached there the natives became Indians, called naked and uncivilized, and had become King and Kingdom from another world and a God from another sky. Thank God, Columbus did not come to India. But when Vasco De Gama came, he brought a lot of bad luck here.
Wonderful article Sir. Memories indeed create much stronger impact. We live most of our life creating memories so that when we want re-experience those feelings, visuals and atmosphere all over again.