Day 132

 Manila ,Philippines was the venue for  a world conference of Banking Institutes  hosted by the Philippines Institute of Bankers and I had the good fortune to attend the same. The conference was held in a grand five star hotel. Apart from academic activities, we had a  few sight seeing trips. Two of them are etched in my memory .

• One was to an island a few Kilometres away from the main city. We went in a very big boat in very choppy water, with the boat shaking very much.
• In this island the main attraction- if one may say that – is the graves of American solders, mainly. At the entrance itself this is put on the board and behind a very massive grave yard could be seen.**
• Then there was a light and sound show on WW 2. Here we were taken to an artificial tunnel. Once you enter, one will feel as if we are in the battle field with all  the fights going on. By the time you come out of the tunnel, you have an experience of inside the battle ground and feel relived that it was only a show!

 I also recall the sight from the top of the Island,, the expansive ocean could be seen on all side. A great sight.

• Another tourist spot was to a building that was bombed during the second world war. The building  is left as it is for the people to see and recall probably the barbarity of War and crimes! Both left lasting impact, that I am able to recall as if it happened  only yesterday.

Another sight which is etched in my memory has a link back to this city of Mumbai. While returning to India ,we headed towards the airport through such road, I felt that the journey was through the Dharavi area, ditto with dirty canal and overhanding shanties… so one is common in all  poor countries, their housing and living conditions are almost similar.

Like Mumbai, Manila also depicts great pomp on one side and squalor on the other… that may be the story elsewhere too.

During one of the bus journeys someone showed me the working of mobile banking  which I was seeing for the first time and was wonderstruck. Mobile phones itself was still to make an entry into our country in  those days !

**Last week I saw a video in which US President  announced the end of the American role in Afghanistan and the reasons thereof. 

• He stated that the USA trained some 3, 00, 000 Afghanis over the last 20 years and spent over 3 trillion dollars- a million million-1000,000,000,000 or 1000 Billions and it had cost nearly 3000 American lives, some 9 lac US military had to spent long years in far away Afghanistan, a war started in 2001 after the 9/11 catastrophe faced by them. 
• He gave an impassioned speech about the why and how of the US withdrawal, worth listening and understanding the under currents/dynamics and the price US had to pay for keeping peace in this fragile world-  while others are mostly paying lip sympathy!!!

Be happy. Be safe.

ॐ

8 AM