Letter from Rio

The biggest landmark of Rio de Janeiro is the huge hillock like statue of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, atop Mata Atlantica, overlooking the entire Rio, with his hands spread into the air, in a gesture to embrace the mankind with his kindest love. And, the road that takes you to him, called Green Line, a steep electrical train railroute, going up for four kilometres amid natural vegetation and overlooking the city from within the trees at times. On the top, it is the greatest sight you may expect to see from such a height. And, with the falling sun, a roseatte sky, Jesus becomes all the more divine and the mankind below all the more distant. The city is like a great master-plan of a town-planner expressed through a live model. And, the day changes from bright daylight to the falling rays of dusk, and so does the look of the city. After seeing hundreds and thousands of men and women, all fair, yellow, tanned, and dark, with clothes next to nothing, and with an abundance of smiles, hugs, beer and kisses, it was a relief in a sense to go to meet Jesus up there. Rio is fun, just fun, a paradise for the tourists, a haven of drugs and drug-lords running a parallel administration in selected areas, a pilgrimage too, and Copacabana and Ipanema beaches providing the perfect holiday for the single ready to mingle, for the couple ready to double, and for the family wanting to pay homilies to one another.
I have come to know first time that across the Copacabana beach and even Ipanama beach, there are some 10-12 points, one point being of say 200-300 metres stretch. One point is for the gays only, one point for the lesbians, one for the intellectuals (artists, writers, media honchos, academics, etc), one for gender activists, one for the plain and simple company-seeking singlers, one for the couples, and what not.
This is the latest caste-system I am enlightened with after the infamous caste-based quota system and the battle against it in the only nation of the world where a section of the citizens feel proud and privileged to be called ´backward´ and take more pride in remaining so.
The economics of World Cup was evident when I had gone to buy a phone card. The usual 100 US dollar phone card was available with 20% extra time given with the request that I pray for Brazil´s repeated championship this time too, and if my prayers are answered favourably by the Almighty, I will get another 100 USD card FREE!! I just could not say to that pretty 20-something Brazilian lady with green and blue attire (in that whatever little she was wearing) that I shall NOT be in Brazil till the end of the games and would not be there to claim the additional 100 dollar benefit!
Merchandise is a big business with a hyped up event, and is proven no better by the sheer speed at which the Brazilian football uniform is being sold: green and yellow T-shirts. Yours sincerely included!Great time in Rio. See you soon, Brasilia, Furteleza, Manaus, Sao Paolo..... Work starts now, after my cameraman reaches in an hour, yesterday was just fun. Love to you all. June 14, 2006