COSMOPOLITAN CAIRO

It has been little more than a year now that I have been in Cairo and the quality of this city that has impressed me the most is it being a cosmopolitan city. What is so impressive about being like many other cities across the world? The fact that Cairo is a city in what we call “Middle East” and an Islamic nation too makes it a challenging task for this city to retain its cosmopolitan flavour

The church, the mosque and the synagogue form part of the skyline of Cairo. The Eid celebrations are stupendous, no doubt, but the city also gears up for Christmas and New Year. Fir trees adorn the sidewalks, Christmas ornaments do brisk sales and Santa Claus caps and stockings are on every child’s wish-list in Cairo. Come March and the city will also celebrate the Pharonic festival of Sham-el-Nessim.

Italian, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Thai, Chinese-all kinds of cuisines can be enjoyed in Cairo in addition to the Egyptian cuisine. If you are a movie buff, Cairo affords you opportunities galore to see some brilliant films from all over the world. At the Cairo International Film Festival held annually, films from countries such as France, Spain, India, China, Japan, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon etc are screened. You want to get a peek into the Columbian society without traveling there? You had your chance in Cairo when four Columbian films with English subtitles were screened at the Columbian film festival held a fortnight back Opera, ballet, jazz music, blues, reggae, hip-hop form part of the cultural scene in Cairo. Night clubs are packed on week-ends. At the same time, the tannura dance performances and traditional music also see a full house.

Learning to belly dance in Cairo?-the expected thing!. Learning foxtrot, jive, salsa?-possible in cosmopolitan Cairo. Again whatever language you want to learn, Cairo is your destination with classes being conducted for Italian, French, English etc. You are feeling homesick?-you can bond with other members from your country through the various clubs operating here. Again, these clubs welcome members from all countries. In addition to the locals, Cairo boasts of a very large and vibrant expat community that gives Cairo its flavour as a world capital. The latest in designer wear and global trends can be found and bought here.

I am not writing here about the differential rates charged to foreigners at the tourist sites, the rip-offs by the taxi drivers, the inflated prices demanded by the “Khan” vendors, the higher rates charged by the hotels, maids etc to expats etc…This post is about all good things:-)

Names for streets and bridges

26th of July, 6th of October, 15th of May….these are just not dates but names of important streets in Cairo. When I first arrived in Cairo and saw these dates as names for the bridges and streets, I found it a bit strange. But these are no ordinary dates-they occupy a special significance in Egypt’s history.

26th July is the name of the bridge connecting Mohandissen to Zamalek-an arterial road in many ways and always extremely crowded. This bridge has been named for that day in the year 1952 when the extremely unpopular King Farouk abdicated and left the Egyptian shores. Thus Egypt was once again ruled by egyptians for the first time since the Persians invaded Egypt. The 26th of July bridge culminates into the 26th of July street in Zamalek, home to a host of restaurants and shops.

The 6th of October bridge and 6th of October city are named for that date in the year 1973, when Egypt launched a surprise attack on Israel and succeeded in breaking through the Bar Lev Line, across the Suez Canal. Since that year, this day has been celebrated in Egypt. In the year 1981, the then President of Egypt Anwar Sadat was assassinated during the annual 6th October victory parade in Cairo. It is also a national holiday.

The Tenth of Ramadan city is located some 55 km from Cairo. The name comes from the fact that the date 6th of October in the year 1973 corresponded to the 10th day of the Muslim festival of Ramadan-and hence the name.

Am not sure about the significance of the date 15th of May. In the year 1948, this date marked the commencement of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the first in a series of wars fought between the two parties.

In India, most of the streets are named after famous historical figures. Naming streets and bridges for important historical dates is something unique that I have come across in Cairo.

Street Savvy in Cairo

I chose to walk to my Arabic class today-I have been in Cairo for close to three months now and have not really walked anywhere- walking to and fro from the car to my destination does not count. Having made the momentous decision, I observed the road from my apartment (yes, my apartment overlooks the busy Gameat al-Dowal al-Arabiya street) and decided the spot from where I would cross the road-a number of people were using this spot to cross to the other side; and also it looked to be the shortest distance to the other end.

So, on my maiden walk on the streets of Cairo, I stood at this spot, hoping for a break in the traffic or for the approaching cars to slow down and allow me to go through. When neither of these things happened and I was still waiting, at the end of five minutes I decided to “go” for it- took a deep breath, tightened the shoulder strap of my bag (thank God, I had worn sensible walking shoes that day!) and dived into the oncoming traffic. For a second, I just froze, I thought that I would be mowed down under a car; but then my “Mumbai training” took over and I forged ahead confidently, without hesitating or looking back and lo! and behold! I was “home”. I told myself I had done this before on the streets of Mumbai and I could do it again!

Though I had made it safely to the other side, my woes had not yet ended; I found it difficult to walk on the side of the road with the cars whizzing to within an inch of me –so I thought I would get onto the pavement-is it not the safe and sensible thing to do? Pavements are meant for pedestrian traffic after all! But not in Cairo –I found it impossible to get onto the pavement; the cars were parked so close to each other and so close to the kerb that I could not find enough space to squeeze through and I did not want to go through the embarrassing situation of having to wriggle my way through two cars-What if I got stuck? And even if I did manage to find my way through the maze of cars and to the pavement, getting off would again be a problem….the cars are parked on the keb, then “double parked” and even “triple parked”!

Walking to the class was an education on "street etiquette" in Cairo. I finally made it to the class-hurray! I am now “Cairo street savvy”

Wust El Balad

I had never wished with such intensity that I could understand/ speak Arabic- as I did last night when I went to see Wust el Balad perform at the El Sawy culture wheel. Wust el Balad (‘downtown” in Arabic) were fantastic…moving from soulful songs to “foot tapping” music effortlessly and the audience knew all the lyrics! The fans clapped in rhythm to the music, some danced to their music and still others sat enthralled by their music. I just loved their music- though I didn't know what they were singing about- a blend of oriental and the western. Their three vocalists have such powerful voices; each with his distinctive style of singing -they are backed by five others on drums, guitars, oud and the keyboard. Together they are pure magic!

And contributing to the magic was the venue-the 400 strong amphitheatre at the El Sawy, by the side of the river Nile. You can find this “happening” place tucked away under the 26th of July Bridge, and is the scene for everything from plays, movies, musical performances to yoga programs and even painting, photography and arabic classes. And all of this at very affordable prices-the ticket for the Wust el Balad concert was LE 25, (approx INR 175). The good things in life were never so accessible! A place very similar to the Prithvi theatre in Bombay which is also credited for showcasing “untested” talent from all over the country. El Sawy is an absolute “must visit”, whether for a movie in the wisdom hall, or to borrow a book from its library, grab a coffee by the river Nile or be part of a thrilling Wust el Balad performance!

Though the band was formed in 1999 by two of its current members, they have only just released their first album-till now a live performance was the only way to get your “Wust” fix. If you want to know more about them, check out their website at http://www.wustelbalad.com/

Music is a universal language-this came true for me last night. Hopefully, the next time I attend a concert of Wust el Balad, I will be the audience that sings along to their music!

Cold in Cairo

Brrrr….it is extremely cold in Cairo. The temperature was -2 degrees centrigade last night. Unbelievable!

Have been wearing three layers of clothing at the minimum and also socks,…but the cold is chilling to the bone. Even the Cairenes are feeling the cold this season; apparently this year is the coldest ever in a long time.

Have got ourselves a portable heater –in addition to the heaters already provided in every room. In Bombay, the temperature never dips below 15 degree, if ever. Can now empathise completely with my Delhiite cousins and friends - it is really too cold to bathe everyday!

But I still love the cold-beats the summer anyday. Am enjoying using all my “woolies”. Will be definitely sad to see the end of winter…..

Christmas in Cairo

It is easy to forget that you are in Cairo-an Islamic country….Cairo is gearing up for Christmas in a big way. Visit any shop, walk on the streets, check out the schedule for any club/ association and you will realize what I mean. Christmas trees on sale line the pavements, Christmas balls and santa claus parties are being hosted at the various hotels/clubs, the stores are decked out in the traditional Christmas colors of red, green and white; Christmas trees even blink at you from the hoardings and the walls of building; enter any shop and you are likely to hear christmas carols being played.

Last evening, I visited the Carrefour store at the city centre in Maadi –a huge red Christmas tree had been put up in the foyer. Now, I know a Christmas tree is not red but this one was-potted red plants arranged to resemble a Christmas tree. The lovely decorations on sale at the store made me feel really nostalgic – I realized that I had missed the festive spirit of Christmas during my three years in Saudi Arabia. Cairo is so much like Mumbai in India where every festival-be it diwali, eid or Christmas is a part of the fabric of life.

Christmas this year, is going to be different for me-friends, food, laughter, music and maybe, even a Christmas tree-( I have already selected one, I just have to convince my neigbourhood florist to sell it to me for 30 pounds:)). Here in Cairo, it is not only the snip in the air that reminds you that Christmas is 'round the corner.