Dan the Global Nomad

In this very thought-provoking and entertaining podcast based on his speech for a community in New Jersey, Dan reviews the basic tenets of the major religions of the world and leads the listeners to the ultimate unity of science and religion. He finishes with a commentary on Einstein’s idea of a cosmic religion. This is a must-listen podcast for everyone with the slightest curiosity of human nature and our world.

Novelist Henry Miller says “It takes a lifetime for someone to discover Greece, but it only takes an instant to fall in love with her”. I couldn’t agree more.

The darling of travelers, Greece always fascinated me. But I also felt that there was something mystical about it. Isn’t that why we use the expression “Greek and Latin” for something incomprehensible? More than six hundred years before Christ, Greece transitioned from a mythology-driven society to rational modernity. A number of Greek philosophers debated and wrote commentaries on issues concerning daily life, merging the abstract with the real—science, religion, and mathematics. Their work formed the basis of the evolution of modern city-states like Athens. Later, this evolution spread to many European countries and beyond. The contribution of erudite Greek thinkers to our world is profound. Fortunately, everything in Greece is not all Greek and Latin, neither is it just some high-brow philosophy. In reality, Greece is a lot of fun. Enjoying the delightful sun and sand, taking in a little history and culture, and perhaps overindulging in some local brew to wash down the sumptuous seafood that only the Greek isles can produce - This is why I go to Greece. It is out-of-this-world good. For a real vacation, few places in the world can come close to Greece. Greece has some 5,000 islands, large and small, scattered between the Ionian and the Aegean seas. Only about 250 of those are inhabited. Not all of them are similar in their vegetation or rock formation, but most have a vestige of an ancient civilization. One thing is common, they all possess a breathtaking, picture-postcard beauty that comes from the crystal-clear, deep blue waters surrounding them, and their gorgeous beaches tucked between the surfing water on one side and the rugged mountains on the other. Beyond their natural beauty, these little islands are packed with history, mythology, and geological wonders thanks to their volcanic past. My favorites, the popular islands of Mykonos, Milos, and Santorini in the Aegean are part of the circular group with a special name, Cycladic. Santorini is romantic. It is for lovers and honeymooners. It is a place to laze around in the sun, sipping your favorite drink, taking in and enjoying the indescribable vistas of nature’s artistic creations in various shades of blue and white with a colorful backdrop of rugged mountains.

The charming village of Oia is where most of the blue-domed, picture-postcard churches are located. That is where I looked for Aishwarya again and again.

St. Petersburg in my eyes is the most spectacular city on our planet. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, Catherine Palace, and Peterhof in St. Petersburg define imperial affluence. If I were to see only one city in the entire world, it would be St. Petersburg.

Venice of the North.

With their magnificent museums and palaces, large and lush gardens, Paris, London, Rome, and Madrid have been the most popular destinations for discerning tourists. And then there are other great European cities like Venice, Milan, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Prague, and Vienna, most with meticulously planned public spaces, some with delightful waterfronts and aesthetic bridges, and almost all with towering churches, spacious plazas, and famous statues and monuments that are architectural masterpieces. Major parts of these beautiful cities have grown organically over centuries.

Now imagine a brand-new city planned and developed from scratch and combining some of the best features of the famous older European cities. That was the dream of Tsar Peter the Great. He wanted the best of European art and architecture in one place, his place. So 300 years ago, in the year 1703, he specially commissioned some of the greatest architects of Europe to build for him the city of his dreams. They did exactly what he had in mind and thus was born St. Petersburg. It is simply unmatched in its beauty. If you have been here before, you would want to come back again and again. St. Petersburg is the nation’s cultural capital, rich and diverse in its offerings. It has an astounding number of public facilities—221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, and 100 concert organizations. It is home to the Hermitage, one of the greatest art museums in the world, on par with the celebrated Louvre in Paris.

Also located here is the world-famous Kirov Dance Company (now Mariinsky), the greatest center of music and ballet and historically, home of brilliant dancers like Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, and Mikhail Baryshnikov who are admired throughout the world. Among the innumerable tourist attractions here, the biggest appeal is for the former imperial residences like Peterhof with its majestic fountain cascades and paradise-like parks, and Tsarskoe Selo which has the impeccable Catherine Palace of stunning baroque design.

St. Petersburg in my eyes is the most spectacular city on our planet. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, Catherine Palace, and Peterhof in St. Petersburg define imperial affluence. If I were to see only one city in the entire world, it would be St. Petersburg.

With their magnificent museums and palaces, large and lush gardens, Paris, London, Rome, and Madrid have been the most popular destinations for discerning tourists. And then there are other great European cities like Venice, Milan, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Prague, and Vienna, most with meticulously planned public spaces, some with delightful waterfronts and aesthetic bridges, and almost all with towering churches, spacious plazas, and famous statues and monuments that are architectural masterpieces. Major parts of these beautiful cities have grown organically over centuries.

Now imagine a brand-new city planned and developed from scratch and combining some of the best features of the famous older European cities. That was the dream of Tsar Peter the Great. He wanted the best of European art and architecture in one place, his place. So 300 years ago, in the year 1703, he specially commissioned some of the greatest architects of Europe to build for him the city of his dreams. They did exactly what he had in mind and thus was born St. Petersburg. It is simply unmatched in its beauty. If you have been here before, you would want to come back again and again. St. Petersburg is the nation’s cultural capital, rich and diverse in its offerings. It has an astounding number of public facilities—221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, and 100 concert organizations. It is home to the Hermitage, one of the greatest art museums in the world, on par with the celebrated Louvre in Paris. St. Petersburg is the nation’s cultural capital, rich and diverse in its offerings. It has an astounding number of public facilities—221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, and 100 concert organizations. It is home to the Hermitage, one of the greatest art museums in the world, on par with the celebrated Louvre in Paris. The people of St. Petersburg are known to be among the most cultured in the world with their interest in the performing and fine arts, similar to the Parisians. They are also people of supreme tenacity and great bravery. During World War II, German forces besieged Leningrad (as St. Petersburg was called then) following the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The siege lasted 872 days or almost two and a half years from the 8th of September 1941 to January 27, 1944. This siege proved to be one of the longest and most destructive sieges of a major city in modern history. It isolated Leningrad from just about everything. More than one million civilians were killed, mainly from starvation. More than half a million others escaped or were evacuated, so the city became largely depopulated. Remarkably, it survived and literally rose from the ashes—a real city version of the proverbial bird, the phoenix. There was profoundly serious damage to the city. The only important landmark not damaged by German bombing was the St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Apparently, the Germans saved it to leave it as a useful reference point for their bombing missions on other targets. Amazingly, the Russians saved most of the works of art from their museums by storing them in St. Isaacs. Later, they reconstructed and restored all buildings, works of art, and museums as before! That was a most remarkable feat!

The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include designing and constructing massive pyramids, temples, and obelisks some 4,000 years ago. They knew then, advanced mathematics and medicine, irrigation systems, and agricultural production techniques. Egyptian art and architecture have been widely copied and carried to far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries.

Iconic sights of the Giza Necropolis and its Great Sphinx, as well as the ruins of Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings in the South and Alexandria in the North, reflect this legacy. This long and rich cultural heritage is an integral part of Egypt’s national identity today. Welcome back to a new season of the Global Nomad podcast. I am Dan Mayur. In these episodes I bring to you the experiences and impressions of my travels giving you a new perspective on this fascinating world of ours.

If you miss something, you can always skip back and listen again. These podcasts are based on my books Global Nomad and The Four Ls where a lot more interesting information awaits you.

We are blessed. We live in a marvelous world, full of art and music, sculpture and architecture, and science and technology, all products of human creativity. Human civilization is defined by the body of this collective knowledge. Together with the Indus Valley, Greece, and China, Egypt has been a cradle of the great civilizations of the world.

Reflecting on the great civilizations in human history, as a family-loving man, a thought comes to my mind. If countries were people, Egypt would be the muscular grandfather, India and China would be the loving and caring grandmothers. Greece would be the wise father, Italy the college-going, artistic daughter, and America would be the rambunctious son - just entering his terrible teens. With all the idiosyncrasies of its individual members, this is a family dear to my heart.

I would love to know what you thought of this episode. If you please, do write to me an email at [email protected]. And, if you liked the episode, share it with your friends. I believe in making these podcasts free and accessible to all. I am Dan Mayur the executive producer and narrator. Thanks for listening.

This brief trailer provides a glimpse of the contents and style of the various episodes of the podcast based on the book Global Nomad.

This is a trailer providing a brief glimpse of the Marathi episodes of the Global Nomad podcast. It talks about how people’s behavior varies from culture to culture and also describes three distinct types of travelers. It is intensely humorous and will leave you wanting more. For that you must listen to the full episodes. Global Nomad are episodes are in Marathi and English. However, they are independent with different topics and not translations of each other.

In this highly entertaining episode in Marathi, the Global Nomad talks about a few interesting events in his childhood in his trademark style with great humor and sensitivity. And then he adroitly describes a couple of most fascinating characters, Gangudada and Aaba who seem to have appeared straight from Pu La Deshpande’s famous Batatyachi Chaal. Gangudada reminds you of the India of the stalwarts Tilak and Agarkar. The vivid description of Gangudada’s unexpected late night appearance is most entertaining as is the story of the improvised hair cut uncle Aaba gave the author. But the podcast’s main character is Grandfather Baa whose larger than life persona will leave the listeners speechless.

Bangkok - The City of Angels

Celebrated American author Agnes Reppelier says:

“The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.” How True!! Hope is all I have.

In this episode, we explore the beautiful city of Bangkok, Capital of Thailand and truly the ultimate playground of the world. So, Sawadee khap! That is a common Greeting in the Thai language.

Bangkok was made famous by American soldiers engaged in a long, no-win war in neighboring Vietnam in the nineteen sixties and seventies. This was their coveted destination for periodic rest-and-relaxation breaks. But today Bangkok has taken over Paris, London, and New York as the most popular tourist destination in the world. And that is for good reason. Europe is all history and culture. Places like Hawaii and Bali are all play and rest. But Bangkok provides a healthy mix of history and culture, rest and relaxation like no other place in the world.

Americans and Europeans come to Bangkok, for its year-round warm weather, relatively low cost of living, and great hospitality. Now the Chinese and Indians, with their newfound wealth, are flocking in droves to this city. In comparison, squeaky-clean Singapore is too boring and Hong Kong, too expensive. I see several reasons that make Bangkok immensely popular—food, shopping, nightlife, sightseeing, and business. There is one more reason and the most important one. The infectious smile of the Thai people. But that does not surprise me at all. With the kind of divinely delicious food they have and those gorgeous girls around, everybody here should be smiling.

CBS newsman Bernard Kalb spent a lot of time in Asia. He says:

“Bangkok is a rejuvenating tonic; the people here seem to have found the magic elixir. Life has not been wasted on the Thais”.

In this highly entertaining episode in Marathi, the Global Nomad talks about a few interesting events in his childhood in his trademark style with great humor and sensitivity. His account of his early book writing will resonate with the amateur authors and so will the story of his puppy love in elementary school. And then he adroitly describes a couple of most fascinating characters, Pítale Dada and Arminda Oza, who seem to have appeared straight from Pu La Deshpande’s famous Batatyachi Chaal.