Trust Me, I'm Lying - Ryan Holiday

 Ryan Holiday's book comes with a byline - 'Confessions of a Media Manipulator'. Ryan trained with Robert Greene of '48 Laws of Power' fame and was Director at American Apparel with books translated into 20 languages. One can safely assume he knows what he is talking about.

Ryan talks of bloggers as a community (any social media influencer or content provider) and how small unverified stories are planted and picked up by large conglomerates citing source as these unverified sources. One can easily see the danger of such a trend because news was previously verified and cross checked and published. Now rumours, fake news, viral sensations, breaking news, rule the roost with fake research adding to it. Ryan advises us to look and pay for accurate news and not make do with free inaccurate news. Blogs profit with their pay for click policy which makes them use unethical tactics like making up headlines that draw a click, or use a visual that draws a click where the content is completely unrelated. When blogs profit, people lose, he says.

Ryan says that with these sensational headlines from small blogs stories get picked up by legacy media and then by national media where it becomes the truth almost. He cited how one particular blogger posted a story about a lady who said nothing racist but lost her job because the way the post read made her sound like a racist. He apologised but the damage was done. Or this guy who threatened to burn the Koran and finally did it, was blacked out by most media for the sheer mischief and trouble it would cause, but then a small blogger posted that story resulting in 27 people being killed in Afghanistan as a retaliation.

Clearly traffic is money and bloggers strive to drive traffic at all costs, by any means. He cites Hulk Hogan's leaked sex tapes as an example of how far they go without taking permission or even verifying the sources (like JFKs pic with several ladies in a boat). The blogger and publisher get together and drive these stories that can manipulate public opinion, can influence elections and power centres, can bring down and push up people. Ryan talks of how people are bribed subtly to promote stories in related influencers, commissions being paid for traffic, celebrities endorsing stuff for commissions and so on. The way stories are leaked deliberately which are then fanned to go out of control. How people do not seem to do any research and depend on press releases for their information, how many depend on Wikipedia and how someone read out of wrong name in a major event based on a Wikipedia account.

The mantra he says is this - if it does not spread, its dead. Another PR gem - If your response is not as interesting as the allegations, don't bother. The current form where subscription models have died and free content is provided adds to the fire. Ryan says shamelessness is a virtue in these spheres. They are seekers of attention and cannot stand silence. One poignant story of one person who was hounded and was on a media trial based on fake news finally asked after the courts acquitted him - where do I go to get my reputation back?

It's interesting and its mostly stuff we know to some extent but what surprised me was how fake stories can be easily peddled on the internet and sold to make viral news, to see ideas. Dangerous stuff.

But then, Ryan is a self-confessed media manipulator so one gets that sneaky feeling - is he manipulating us again?

Day 21 - Indulge Yourself

 A lovely Kathiawadi meal.

The Rajkot Diaries - Day 6

 Early morning walk at 7, or should I call it morning walk. Back by 8. Jyo and I decided to walk it to the Dolls museum which was about 15 minutes by walk. It is an initiative of the Rotary Club of Rajkot and houses some 500 odd dolls from various countries - perhaps all continents - USA, UK, Scotland, Gambia, Brazil, Greece, Alaska, Malaysia. Dolls, doll houses, cars and many such. The entry was a strict procedure by a lady who keenly examined our identity proofs before letting us in.

Dolls from Scotland

Doll houses

Dolls Museum

After spending about an hour there we walked to the Ramakrishna Mission which for some reason was closed. 

Ramakrishna Mission

We legged it past the Rajkumar College which has these stately grounds where I saw one of the students practising horse riding. 

Rajkumar College

Chai at a tapri and some dhokla and we headed back to the hotel. For lunch we went to the TGT and enjoyed a lovely Kathiawari meal.

Back in the room for a bit and Chattu, Jyo and I visited the local zoo - the Pradyuman park. 

Pradyuman Zoo entry

The zoo

Auto guy charged us a nice 200 buck fare. 

Aquarium - Colorful little fishes

Bengal tiger

Chattu and Jyo

We bought tickets for a battery operated ride and saw tigers, Asiatic lions, fish, reptiles, deer and such.

The reptile show

Birds - on a tree in the pond

Chattu and Jyo seemed quite happy to watch all the animals. Back to Tea Post where we drank some tea.

The Rajkot Diaries - Day 5

 Went for a morning walk around the race course. Freshened up and went to the stadium and watched the match. Back by late afternoon. 

Old, unoccupied house - many such in Rajkot

Thought we would stop by at TGT and partake of the lovely Kathiwadi thali everyone is talking about - unfortunately there was a long waiting list of half an hour. So we dropped in at the Platina hotel next door which served a decent Gujrathi thali (nothing to write about). Back at the hotel, some pending work and some rest.

Evening went meeting with Chattu and Jyo in the room, then dinner and a long walk that ended with a paan.

        Paan maker 

Calls from the US from Sunnie and Sloka and one from Pooja from UK kept me up. Finished reading Brene Brown's 'Dare to Lead'. 

The Rajkot Diaries - Day 4

 Prakash came this morning to the hotel at 6 and Jyo and I headed off to Somnath in a rather comfortable Swift Desire. Except for constantly chewing gutkha which made his speech unintelligible for long periods of time, Prakash was an excellent driver and guide. I caught up on my sleep in the drive and woke up at 830, just in time for breakfast at Nandanvan Hotel. The menu was simple - paratha, thepla, idli and dosa. We chose to try both paratha and thepla which came piping hot and were excellent to taste. A nice cup pf tea and off we were to Somnath,

Jai Somnath - At the Somnath temple

The Arabian Sea right next to the temple

Somnath is a temple town with the Shiva temple (the holiest of the 12 jyothirlings and one of the four dhams established by Adi Sankaracharya) standing right on the edge of the Arabian sea. It's beautiful, the site, the temple, the airiness, the openness, which is normally not found in other temples which are rather dark and cavernous. The temple by itself is small. You enter the premises through one gate, drop off your phones and large purses and bags in a locker, drop off your shoes next in another area, walk into the temple complex after a couple of pat downs by security people, breeze through the darshan and are out in a jiffy. The shiva linga is clearly visible, lots of light and we stepped out feeling pleasantly happy at the efficiency of it all.

Triveni Sangam

We stared at the sea for a bit, stood in line for prasad which did not show the same efficiency, gave up and returned. On the way back, we collected the photo some photographer took, collected our mobiles and stuff, and saw the Somnath beach next to the temple complex. There is some reclamation work going on there and a small road has been created for people to walk, a marble temple for Goddess Parvathi is under construction and one can see a lot of activity being planned. The beach had horse and camel rides. We walked out, had a drink of coconut water and headed out to the car.

Gita Mandir

Lord Krishna's idol

Prakash then took us to the Triveni sangam which looked nice, with a fine expanse of water. From there we went to the Gita mandir which was constructed by the Birlas - a temple with Krishna which has eighteen pillars which have gita slokas carved into them. Its a very beautiful place and right next to the river that joins the sea at the sangam. One can spend hours just sitting in the peaceful place, under the trees. Its very well maintained as well.

From there Prakash took us to the Bhalka Teerth where Lord Krishna was shot at accidentally by an arrow that killed him. Its a large complex with a temple, a smaller one, a pond, lots of cows, lovely trees.

The Bhalka Teerth

Idol of Lord Krishna resting when shot by an arrow

Somnath and Veraval are sister towns - Somnath being the religious city and Veraval being the normal town with all other activity. On our way out we saw a huge area where hundreds of fishing boats were anchored, a fishy smell enveloping the entire area.  

Fishing boats

We headed back to Somnath by about 1, stopped at Krishna Restaurant near Junagadh on some Prakash's recommendation. Turns out that Sachin Tendulkar visited this place in 2014 and there are  several pictures of him. We tried tawa roti and undeo, bhajra ka rotla and baingan ka bhartha and some buttermilk.

Back in the hotel by 4. Chai with Chattu.

The Rajkot Diaries - Day 3

Chattu, Jyo and I went on our morning walk at 645 am, walked all around the race course road which is blocked off for walkers in the mornings so hundreds of people walk. Make the bough green and the songbird will come they say - create the facilities and the desired actions will happen. Along the road I saw that a small ledge was made for people to sit which is such a nice, people-friendly idea - most places I see are about discouraging people from any kind of leisure. Rajkot scores heavily there - the government seems to be very people-friendly which can seen in all these measures.

The ledge to sit

On the way back after our 5 kms walk we stopped at the sweet shop where Jyo wanted to try some morning snack and we parked on the ledge near the Satya Vijay ice cream shop and snacked a bit before heading back to our hotel.

Chattu and Jyo walking ahead - looks like COVID marking on the road

Having freshened up at the hotel Jyo and I decided to head to the Dolls Exhibition which was shut being a Monday so we decided to go to Kaba Gandhi No Delo. 'Kaba Gandhi No Delo' translates into Kaba Gandhi's house. Karamchand Gandhi was known as Kaba Gandhi and he moved from Porbandar to Rajkot to serve as the Dewan in the court of the king. He was granted 400 sq yards upon which he built his house and in 1881 the family moved into it. Until then, from 1876, Mohandas Gandhi, a seven year old, and the rest of the family lived in a rented house. Though Karamchand Gandhi passed away in 1885, the family continued to live there until 1915. It was bought back by the government from the owner and converted into a museum which is maintained by the Gandhi Smriti Trust.

Kaba Gandhi No Delo

The walk from our hotel to the Kaba Gandhi No Delo was about 15 minutes and we soon realised that it was located in the middle of cramped shops, much like General Bazaar in Secunderabad. Cars cannot go there and one pretty much has to walk from the main road. The house itself is beautifully maintained and there is a permanent exhibition there called Gandhi Smriti which lots of rare photographs of Gandhiji in his early years and later years.

A corridor at the back end of the house

Courtyard inside - over the arch was where Gandhiji's room was originally

One gentleman named Jolly Singh took us around the house and explained various things - the kitchen which was outside, Gandhiji's room which was over the entrance now converted into a balcony, an office, a reading room, verandahs. The architectural style is so subtle and complete, the doors and windows so well made that we admired the craft so much. Jolly also took some pictures of us in some nice places that he chose for us.

The house is located in this neighbourhood - Dharmendr Road

There is no entrance fee. When we went we were the only people there and as we left a few more people landed up. It really felt surreal to be in the house that Gandhiji lived. So glad we made it there.

As a tribute to Gandhiji I have decided to give up non-veg for the rest of the tour!

The Rajkot Diaries - Day 2

 The sun rises a bit leisurely out here in the western parts so its early light at 645 am which is when Jyo, Chattu and I set out on our walk. The idea was to find that park near the race course and enter it. So off we went past the quaint little street down the hotel road - little fruit shops, a quant hair cut place, sweet shops serving jalebis and stuff, an old Ambassador from that era - and walked to that road and the park.

Nothing Inside

There is no board except that it said something about Rotary Club whatever. The traffic rotary has a shape like a bull. There's a sculpture outside the park which is titled 'Nothing Inside' and an inscription that said that the human mind is full of love for all, the virtues of a clean mind and a loveable heart.

A Gazebo

Inside the park there were well laid out lawns where people played all sorts of games - badminton, cricket, football - in whichever place they could. There were those exercise machines which were being used well by the fitness freaks, loud shouts and grunts by the laughing club and so on. We walked through the park and exited and once outside I asked two girls if this was the Jubilee Garden to which they said it was not - the Jubilee Garden was that way. 'It's the hub of Rajkot,' said the young lady who pointed out the direction.

Another old unused building

Mahatma Gandhi Museum

On the way back we passed our fruit shops, ate breakfast and decided to visit the Mahatma Gandhi Museum which is hardly 10-15 minutes away by walk. It is a solid European structure built over a large area in the middle of the town, next to Jubilee Gardens. Originally called the Alfred School which was started in 1853 (at various times known as Rajkot High School and Mohandas Gandhi High School) it was funded by the Nawab of Junagadh and was the first English school in Saurashtra. Mahatma Gandhi studied here and graduated in 1887 at the age of 18, one of the two students to matriculate in his batch. He then moved to Samaldas College, Bhavnagar before heading off to London to study. In 1017 the school was closed - it has such beautiful classrooms - and converted into the Mahatma Gandhi Museum at a cost of 26 crore. 

Jyo and I walked from the hotel and took the main entrance to the museum. There is a lot of parking there and well maintained lawns and gardens behind the building. Large trees with benches to sit on, very well maintained counters (spick and span). Entry was some 25 bucks (400 for foreign nationals, no restriction on cameras). We pushed the door and went in to a meditation hall where we sat until a guide joined us. Jagruti was well versed with her job, though slightly impatient. A few foreigners were ahead of us probably with an English guide. 

Mahatma Gandhi's Classroom

The ground floor rooms which were 18 in all, covered various aspects of Gandhi's life, chronologically from his birth to his demise. Pictures, audio visual stuff, well designed ways to make it more interactive and interesting, air conditioned rooms. Pictures from his life, videos of the Dandi march..an animated part of the incident in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Then we went upstairs and viewed his philosophy, heard his speeches over audio, learned about his spiritual guru Srimad Rajchandra. 

Hot and spicy

We stepped out and found this place which had the best tea. Another joint which was serving phaphda or something which he made absolutely fresh for us with some  papaya salad and some chilly. Refreshed we walked down the road to Watson museum which was inside the Jubilee Gardens. One very nice elderly gentleman took the trouble of showing us the way to the museum and I fell in love with all that's old and nice about life. He has this quiet, smiling, helpful demeanor that I could have easily gone to his house chatting about this and that.

Watson Library

The Watson museum is considered to be one of the oldest museums in the state having opened in 1853 based on Col John Watson's collection and funded by the Jadeja Rajputs who were the rulers of the region at that time. The two floors has many copies of artifacts from Mohenjadaro and Harappa, sculptures, idols, paintings, weapons, clothes and so on. Entry was cheap but they have a camera charge of 100 bucks which needs a form to be filled up that we will not use the pics for commercial purposes and all that. 

We strolled in and viewed all the stuff on display. There were some people from Telangana - some under 17 boys who were participating in a swimming event here. The museum does not take too long because it is contained in those two floors. The entrance is quite impressive though with two lions guarding it.

Satya Vijay Ice Cream

Milk Shake

We headed back to the hotel for a bite and to relax before an evening walk where we hoped to drop in at the cute little Satya Vijay Ice Cream store which looked very inviting. And so we did - and ordered half a milk shake which was rather filling.

The Rajkot Diaries - Day 1

 Took the direct flight to Rajkot at 230 pm from Shamshabad. Jyo bought some nice egg sandwiches which were very handy and we got on to the flight. Upma was ordered for us by the travel agent who use their creativity in such matters. It was quite nice though.

Old quaint structures in Rajkot

Rajkot is an hour and a half away from Hyderabad and that's when we realise that life is just that - it is so near but in our mind it is so far. We are somewhere on the westernmost part of India (to think that we were in Nagaland in January and in Kanyakumari in September - far east and far south and now far west!) The town is mall, clean mostly, lots of old houses most of which are being pulled down for big commercial buildings. The food is mainly vegetarian and there is no alcohol here so everyone is set to detox their system.

More old buildings

The island near the Race Course Garden

A walk in the morning led us to a public park not far from where we stay - and I was amazed at the number of people who were walking and running, many older women part of the walk/run/cycle gang. Quite encouraging. We did not step into the park because we did not have enough time but for sure tomorrow I would like to explore that part of Rajkot.

More old structures

Chai point - A nice hangout place

Cute little stores selling fruits, sweets, namkeen, chocolate items are all over and I could not resist taking their pictures. There's this lovely college with huge grounds on another side. I can see that there is a Mahatma Gandhi Museum closeby and one Watson museum both of which I would like to see tomorrow.

Dog on a car

Spots not too far from here are Somnath which is three and a half hours away and Dwarka which is about the same. Hoping to do both while I am here. Meanwhile a good win against Meghalaya set us off right on the campaign. Now for the big guns.