a Guanajuato  b

â  It took around five hours to reach this place through picturesque scenery in lights and shades and extensive under ground tunnels. The Sunset time was around nine at night in the month of May, when I had traveled with an average annual temperature of 18⁰C.

â  This Mexican city Guanajuato, through an hour’s flight from Mexico City to Leon, was designated a “World Heritage Zone” by UNESCO in 1988. History says the nomadic Chichimeca tribe inhabited this region during prehispanic times. The Spanish occurred in 1541 and the territory was formally founded in 1570. By 1741 gwa-nwa–jwato, as is pronounced had been officially designated a city by King Philip V of Spain.

â    On route to the Mathematical World Congress Venue at the majestic buildings of Convention Center spanning two hill tops, we had to pass through a tunnel and cross a dry river running through the city. The place was something like Sikkim without the Himalayas and the Teesta River! The academic people and the subject of lively discussions made me feel quite at home and I was fit in two days forgetting all the obstacles I had been through!

â   From the balcony of the top floor room, in Real De Minas, Nejayote, a Colonial town at Guanajuato, in evenings extended to nine, relishing on unfinished pieces of nice Mexican biscuits and unfinished Mexican fruits picked up from Conference tea breaks, I watched the city movements on the road and remember a band with guitars, performing lively music on roads I could not see. As the first Sunrays in the morning touched the hill top building at a distance, from behind the room, I got a panoramic view of the place!

â    I did not follow Spanish, the language spoken there, and they at dinning room did not follow my English with Indian accent might be they followed the other accents!   

â    The work for which I had traveled such a long distance was over, the initial difficulties of not following Spanish was gone, I managed to learn the language necessary for understanding currency in Mexican Peso, for paying 20 dollars one way to Centhro Dee Convenciones in Spanish with gratis (thank you) and Adios (bye) though have traveled through the Conference bus too. I better felt relaxed using my way of silent communication with stray words in my mother tongue too! A Spanish, a post graduate student, had actually brought a Sari to me for learning the way of wrapping it and had been looking quite Indian wrapped in the beautiful Sari.

â    The chicken tacos I had there was somewhat similar to the chicken roles sold in our fast food counters, with difference that here they were crisper! They differed in taste made tastier with the white whipped cream and flavored by large sized coriander leaves. The soup was tasty at the same time hot. The tomatoes in it were delicious. Other ingredients, except for the chilies, I could not make out, they seemed to be Mexican. They were not Indians at least! 

â     My weeklong stay was nearing the end. I thought of the long journey with four stopovers by British Airways through Gatwick and then Heathrow, though providing all in flight comfort serving snacks, drinks and chocolates every now and then.

â    Food like Seared Salmon with lemon ginger glaze, stir-fried vegetables, the well being selection of mixed salad leaves and chocolate hazelnut bread pudding as lunch. Afternoon tea of sandwiches featuring poached Salmon, egg mayonnaise; cress and smoked Turkey with mango chutney; fruit scone with strawberry preserve and Cornish clotted cream. I picked the stuffs that I could carry, they were so good, put it in my bag to taste later.

â    While returning through Leon, connecting the American Airlines flight to Dallas via Mexico City another soft and delicious Mexican dish I would remember always. I wish I had the menu card to read the name now!

â  I came to know of Bernoulli and Binomial at Indian school doing higher mathematics and so far it remained as a term of text only. Signing the moving Bernoulli Register, one by one, passing on to the next seated, at the General Assembly of Bernoulli Society at the smart looking Auditorium, I confirmed my presence in the live and active Bernoulli there in the World Congress!

â  I learn, from the Bernoulli News letter, of honoring Jacob Bernoulli with a logarithmic spiral, carved in stone to be placed at Basel, next to his grave, in 2005, 300 years after he left, me with a wish of being there then! The present spiral carved on his tombstone is a small Archimedean equally interesting I wish to see then surely in addition! ----------------------------

 

© kaustav mukherjee™