lundi 14 juillet 2014

CELEBRATING BASTILLE DAY, THE FRENCH NATIONAL DAY IN MALAYSIA

IT is 14th of July 2014
Bastille Day
Fete Nacional France
Celebrations Parades Fireworks
yes in France but I am in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Since I have family in France and some good friends, I decided to celebrate the Fete nacional here. I don't want to go to the French Embassy so why not celebrate it symbolically.
Pondicherry was a colony of France until quite recent times and why not celebrate with a nice meal from that part of the world!
That is not a problem here, since everywhere you look, you can find, representatives of Tamoul Culture here in KL.. so a walk through the Little India, the answer was waiting
Saravanna Bhavan, a well known restaurant catering original South Indian food..

(jewelry from Pondicherry region dating back to 2 BCE can be seen at Musee Guimet in Paris)

 who would not love such a lovely Vegetable Thali? I was reminded of a lovely visit to Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram in December 2008/January 2009 and the wonderful meeting with the Blind Astrologer of Madras!
Soon after that I arrived at the Hotel for the Hospitality Hour where they served MOROCCAN lamb ! Apart from White Wine, this time a Chardonnay from Australia, Perrier Water was available... in France, there would have been champagne, but never mind, we are after all in the Tropics!

The pastry chef at this hotel is exceptional in that each day he produces something different and todays Chocolate Mousse was delicious indeed!

As the night was falling over this city, built on the confluence of two rivers, in a country with no deep history before the arrival of a Hindu Prince from Majapahit Kingdom in the 14th Century, I thought of my dear friends and family, scattered over the globe
France, Belgium, Israel, Miami, Portland, La Habana, Baracoa
Felt good thinking about them, felt good about Malaysia, knowing that I will not be coming back anytime soon. I wish the Chinese and Indian Citizens of this country, peace and prosperity and most importantly Freedom and Equality in the future.
On this Fete Nacional of France, I can only hope that in the years to come Malaysia along with many other countries where there are Moslem majorities would understand what it means by the french concept of Secularism:
French secularity (or Laicism) in Frenchlaïcité (pronounced [la.isiˈte]) is a concept denoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs as well as absence of government involvement in religious affairs. French secularism has a long history but the current regime is based on the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State.


featured posts

CUBA IS THE FUTURE FOR LATIN AMERICA AND PERHAPS THE WORLD

CUBA IS THE FUTURE FOR LATIN AMERICA AND PERHAPS THE WORLD On my way out of Cuba, from La Habana, on COPA airlines flight to Panama, I w...