The Fascinating Sculptures of Prague

Every time I visit Prague, I end up visiting the same old places like Old Town Square, the Castle District etc. This time I had just one day to spend and I decided to do it differently. I went about seeking and reading about some of the peculiar and interesting sculptures the city is famous for: 

1. Dancing head statue or Statue of Franz Kafka by David Černý - The 42 mobile tiers of this eleven-metre-tall sculpture align to form the face of the famous Czech writer Franz Kafka. This 39-ton bust by artist David Černý is one of his recent works. 

2. Man hanging out by David Černý - This sculpture, found in Prague’s Old Town, is easily missed if you’re not looking up. It depicts the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud hanging by one hand on the top of a building, seemingly pondering whether to hold on or to let go. It is said that during his life, he suffered from a number of phobias, including the fear of his own death. 

3. Statue of Franz Kafka by Jaroslav Róna - This surrealistic sculpture depicts a mini Kafka riding on the shoulders of a giant, empty suit. The image was inspired by the writer’s short story ‘Description of a Struggle’ (1912), in which the narrator explores a fantasy landscape from the shoulders of “an acquaintance”. 

4. Iron Man by Ladislav Šaloun - This statue has a story. This faceless knight is said to have killed his lover in a fit of rage. The knight was turned to stone as punishment. He can be freed by the love of a pure-hearted woman but only once every 100 years on the anniversary of the murder. The exact date, alas, has been lost to history. 

5. Memorial to victims of communism by Olbram Zoubek - This harrowing series of bronze statues portrays seven broken, decaying men descending a flight of stairs commemorate the victims of Communism in the Czech Republic. 

6. Crawling babies by David Černý - You can spot these larger-than-life babies in two locations around Prague: at the Zizkov Tower and in Kampa Park. These creepy-looking babies are a symbol of the Communist era and how the totalitarian rule stifled their ability to reach adulthood. 

7. Piss statue by David Černý - Just in front of the Kafka Museum is situated a fountain titled Piss. The basin of the fountain is made out of bronze, and it is formed in the shape of the Czech Republic. Two men are standing on opposite ends, and they appear to be peeing onto the country. Visitors can even send an SMS to the fountain, and the men will write the message into the water. 

8. Statue of St John of Nepomuk - This statue is one of the 30 sculptures mounted to the balustrade of the Charles Bridge. The statue represents the court priest of King Wenceslas IV, who supposedly died after being thrown off the bridge in 1383. Legend has it that the king had him killed because St John refused to reveal the secret confessions of the queen. Touching the statue is supposed to bring good luck and ensure that visitors return to Prague soon. 

9. Il Commendatore by Anna Chromý - Outside the Estates Theater, where Mozart conducted the 1787 premiere of his opera Don Giovanni, there is a heavy shroud around an empty space. This figure represents the opera’s character Il Commendatore, who appears as a ghost. 

10. Czech Musicians by Anna Chromý - This is by far my favourite. It has four bronze figures dancing around a fountain. All are blindfolded, and each plays a different instrument. They represent four major rivers of the world: the Ganges, the Amazon, the Danube and the Mississippi. The dancers are so expertly captured that it is hard to not be enchanted by their fluidity and expression – it’s almost as if you can hear their music being played. 

 

And then I include some bonus sculptures which may not be as relevant as the above mentioned, but which I stumbled upon and found very fascinating as well. 

11. This lady stood at the back side of the Church of Our Lady before Týn 

12. This statue I found perched on the corner of a random building 

13. Statue of King Charles IV at the entrance to the Charles Bridge

© Nishtha Khurana, 2019. All rights reserved. The text as well as the pictures are both subject to copyright and are the property of the author. Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.

Standard Procedure: Harass Divorced People

Disclaimer: I am not sure whether divorced males also go through the same harassment. For all I know, they might. Hence, I am keeping this article as gender neutral as possible. However, I must warn you that since it is based on my personal experiences, some people might find it reeking with ‘Feminism’.

Situation 1

After being forced to include my 'spouse's name' in my passport just two months before my mutual consent divorce at the time of renewal, I was now faced with a situation where I had to get it removed now that the divorce was finalized. Because of the harrowing experience I had had with the authorities, I had managed to procrastinate and put it off as much as I could, but I realized that I had to eventually get it done. I found out about an agent who helped with anything related to passport. So, basically he charged me a fee and he filled my application, paid passport fee, secured an appointment and arranged my documents (read checked whether I have arranged all required documents). I handed him my documents in the third week of February.

Me: How long does this take? I am asking because I will have to travel sometime in last week of May and will also need time for Visa.

Agent: Oh! May is too far yet. The process nowadays is very quick. I’ll arrange your appointment within a week, and we will apply for a "post-verification". So, you will have your passport within 4 days of your appointment. The police verification will keep on happening later.

The sly agent then kept making excuses and only managed an appointment for 11th April.

Me: Isn't it too close for travel? What if there's a delay?

Agent: Naa, naa! You don’t worry! I know people there. We will apply for a "post-verification". So, you will have your passport within 4 days of your appointment.

So, I went for my appointment. Luckily, contrary to my previous experience, the appointment went very smoothly. I expected some nasty questions about my divorce but there were absolutely none. I was happy about the whole routine; until I got the acknowledgement for my application, that is, for my acknowledgement clearly mentioned "pre-verification". Almost panicking, I called my agent who very conveniently hadn't even shown up at the 'Passport Seva Kendra' (PSK) that day.

Me: Madan* ji, my acknowledgement says "pre-verification". I thought you applied for "post-verification".

Agent: Naa naa ji, I cannot choose that option while applying. They themselves decide.

Me: But, what do we do now? I have to travel in the last week of May and I will need 15-20 days for the Visa as well.

Agent: Oh ho, don't worry! Just relax! Nowadays passports come well before 30 days. You'll have enough time for the Visa.

Me: That's okay. But what if it doesn't? I don’t want to be tethered to the hook till the last minute.

Agent: Nothing like that would happen. I am there naa? I will get everything sorted.

As it happened, my passport did not come back till 40 days and while my agent blissfully gave me excuses and stories, I was running between Police Station to Passport Verification Cell in the Commissioner's office and pleading just about anyone for expediting the process including the very efficient and tech-savvy MEA and RPO on twitter. (Well, a short note of thanks to them who eventually printed and dispatched me the passport within hours after police verification report was submitted.) All this while, I called my agent at least thrice everyday only to have the same conversation every time.

Me: Madan ji, what’s the status?

Agent: Ma'am, the status is same. The police verification report is pending.

Me: Please do something. I need my passport.

Agent: Ma'am, what can I do? I have no control over the police verification report.

Me: You got me into it. You filed the application so late and then you didn't even get it in "post-verification" like you promised.

Agent: I never promised "post-verification". Your case is not even eligible for "post-verification".

Me: What do you mean?

Agent: Ma'am, divorce cases never go for "post-verification" or "tatkal". They only go for "pre-verification".

Me: What? What stupidity is that? What does my divorce have to do with police verification? The police will not check my marital status. They only ask for address proof, identity proof and signatures of two neighbours stating that I live where I say I live.

Agent: I know ma'am. But it is always so in legal matters.

Me: Legal matters? There is no legal matter here. It's all sorted and I have submitted a decree of divorce from a competent court as part of my documents. Am I some criminal or what?

Agent: I can understand ma'am. But it is what it is. Divorce cases never go for "post-verification" or "tatkal". That’s standard procedure.

Seething with fury, I shut up because I knew that nothing could be done now. What hurts is that not only I am being harassed because I am divorced, but even my child is not "eligible" to get her passport under "post-verification" or "tatkal" ever because of her parent’s marital status. And she didn't even choose our divorce. But, that is standard procedure. 

Situation 2

The very next day of getting my passport in hand, I apply for the business visa. The guidelines say that there should be clear 10 working days between the date of application and the date of travel. In my case, it is at best 10 days and not 10 working days. Still my company pulls some strings through their headquarters in the country I want to visit and my application gets accepted and I am called in the VFS to submit my documents. The agents there are generally helpful and friendly and they tell me that my documents are in order until one of them (let's call him Agent 1) scans through my application to see whether it’s complete:

Agent 1: Ma'am, are you divorced?

Me: Yes.

Agent 1: Ma'am, have you attached a proof of divorce?

Me: No.

Agent 1: Ma'am, we would need a proof of divorce from you. Are you carrying it?

Me: No. It was not mentioned in the list of documents on your website or by the travel agent my company deals with.

Agent 1: Not an issue ma'am. I will give you my email id, you can mail it to me today. I assume it would be a decree of divorce that you will have.

Me: Sir, I'm sorry, but, I don't understand. Why do you need my decree of divorce? What does it have to do with my travel? I am applying for a business visa. I am travelling for company work on a trip entirely paid for by my company. I am not even mixing it with leisure or tourism. And I have provided you all documents to substantiate that. Where does decree of divorce come into the picture?

Agent 1: Yes, ma'am; but we need a proof of your marital status.

Me: Do you ask for marriage certificates from people who are married?

Agent 1 burst into a laughter and then looks at the serious expression on my face and controls himself.

Me: You think I am being funny?

Agent 1: No ma'am.

Me: So, please answer my question. Do you ask for marriage certificates from people who are married? Or unmarried people for that matter? Do you ask them to prove they are unmarried?

Agent 1: No ma'am.

Me: No. You don't ask for proof of marital status from married or unmarried people then why do you need proof of marital status from me? Right now, I'm single or unmarried. That's it.

Agent 1: Look ma'am, I can understand that you are upset about being asked for a document that is not mentioned in the list. 

Me: Look sir, you need to understand that I am upset about being asked for a document that has got nothing to do with my business trip and moreover that is not asked from other people at all. I do not understand why my case should be treated any differently.

Agent 1 is quiet and looks lost but he still manages an answer: Yes ma'am, but it is standard procedure.

"Standard procedure" again; and by now I am fairly pissed off. But I shut up because I need my Visa to be processed as soon as possible and I didn't want to create any situation that may delay the process. 

A while later, my will power is further tested when another agent (let's call him Agent 2) who was standing right behind Agent 1 was asked to hand over a folder so that Agent 1 who was entering my data in the system could put my papers in it. Agent 2 suddenly glances over my marital status just as Agent 1 was turning the page. He stops Agent 1 and puts his finger on the word divorced.

Agent 2: Ugh, ma'am… Are you divorced? Ma'am we would need a proof of your…

Agent 1, looking a bit embarrassed, immediately stops him by hand and fumbles with a weak "I've already told her and she will mail it to me". I just look at him and don't answer. 

Agent 2: Okay. But please do it today itself because we won't be able to process your application otherwise and I see that you need the Visa as early as possible.

Me (impatiently): Okay. If you need it so urgently, I have a scan in my laptop which I have submitted outside at the baggage counter. I can show it to you right away if it's what you want.

Agent 1: No ma'am, no need. You can mail it to me. I've mentioned my email id here.

Agent 1 (now looking at Agent 2 who was unable to understand why I was so irritated): Ma'am will do it today.

Situation 3

This incident is from a year ago and I had vented part of my frustration after the incident in my blogpost here. The incident happened in my daughter's schools (we had just shifted her to a new one) where the school Registrar insisted on biological father's details in school even if the father has had nothing to do with the child, either socially or financially. She maintained that she is just "following the law" and granting rights to the biological parent. No matter how much I tried to reason, she insisted on stating those details on ID Cards, Report Cards etc. as a permanent reminder to my child that she has a father who doesn't care at all for her. Well, my daughter has overcome that now but let me tell you that it was very frustrating for her initially. More so because they held back her ID card and Almanac until I relented and allowed them in writing to put the name in their records and even "reimbursed" the costs they had incurred on printing the "incorrect ID Cards" (And there were 3 of them including Parents ID Cards). Talk about blackmailing!

Anyway, at that time, they had convinced me – verbally of course because they never give any such commitment in writing – that for all practical purposes I would be the guardian and my details would be used. Then, three months down the line, we received a "Doctor-on-call" card from school which states the person to be contacted and their details in case of any emergency, primarily medical, that the child may be in. The card conveniently carried the father's details there.

Needless to say I was irked and I showed up at the Registrar office with the card.

Me (after explaining the situation): Ma'am, I was promised by you that you will put a remark in my daughter's file that I would be the one who would be referred to in all scenarios as a parent and guardian. What is this all about then?

Registrar (very casually): Relax ma'am! It’s just an oversight.

Me: Oversight? You call this oversight? This card is to be used in a medical emergency. My ex-husband, and I know him better than you, will not react to any such situation you contact him about. Which essentially means that there is no one who will be there if – God forbid – my daughter is in a situation.

Registrar: Ma'am. You are over reacting. We are not responsible for this. We only share details of all students with the outsourced vendor who is the card-issuer and putting the father's name as person to be contacted is just the process they follow. 

Me: Oh really? First, you did not ask my, or for that matter any parent's, consent before sharing my daughter's details with an outsourced vendor. Second, you are making a generalization and define a process whereby only fathers will be contacted in case of emergency. If you are so hell-bent on including both parents' names on the ID card then why not here?

Registrar: Ma'am there is space for only one name on the card.

Me: What? Wow! That baffles me now. You are so particular about "following the law" and then you deny me "equal rights as a guardian" which the SC has allowed me as a mother simply because there’s no space on the card.

Registrar (coolly smiling and thus getting more and more on my nerves): Ma'am, there's nothing of that sort. We respect your rights as a guardian, this is just standard procedure.

Me: Standard procedure?

Registrar: Yes. However, I understand your concern and we attach a lot of importance to that card. So, obviously we would not like the wrong person to be stated on that card. We will take down your request for a new card and we will issue one to you. Please write an application on a plain paper and append that card with it. Then give it to the admin department along with the card charges. That would be Rs. 200/-. Your daughter will get a new card with your details next week.

Although I was boiling with rage here, I shut up because after all it was my daughter's school and I didn't want her to suffer any further. As I patiently wait for the school to put my name instead of my ex-husband's in the fee invoices and receipts as well even after being associated with the school for over a year, I have by now come to terms with the fact that it's nothing but 'standard procedure' and that as long as my office payroll department and the Income Tax Authorities accept them as valid Investment proofs, I should be okay to live with it.

*name changed.

To heaven and back!

I recently had the good fortune to visit Kashmir, in particular Srinagar with day trips to Pahalgam and Gulmarg infused in between. It was a short trip - mere 4 and half days - but I bring back with myself memories to last a lifetime.

Initially, we were scared to go to Kashmir. Well, my mother was worries because a lot has been heard about the political tensions in Kashmir and we were a bunch of female travellers only: just me, my mom and my 7 year old daughter, Kashvi. But, that was not my worry at all. I had heard a lot about tourists visiting Srinagar and coming back to tell awesome stories. My cause of worry was the weather. I had seen snowstorms earlier when I had lived in Europe and had absolutely no interest of seeing another. I hate the snow after it stops snowing and becomes all messy and sludgy. But, my mom and daughter had never experienced snow ever in their lives. So, I thought, as long as flights are operating, we would go. Besides Kashvi was just so excited about it and had informed all her teachers and friends, I didn't feel like breaking her heart .

So, we landed amidst snow and headed straight for our houseboat which we had pre-booked for our stay in Srinagar. Reaching the houseboat was an experience in itself because the one chosen by us was not on the bank but rather on the other side of the lake. So, we had to take a Shikara every time we had to reach or leave the houseboat. The houseboat was beautiful. It had intricate carvings on the wooden frames, doors, windows, etc. The interiors were done in traditional Kashmiri style with beautiful carved Walnut furniture, Kashmiri carpets, and Kashmiri chain stitch curtains. We received a very warm welcome from the owner, who welcomed us with the traditional Kashmiri Kehwah (a famous green tea with cardamom, cinnamon, honey / sugar and saffron) and explained to us that shoes are to be taken off outside as this maintains hygiene inside. We were then shown into our room, which had a double and a single bed, a dressing table, a couch and coffee table, all in the same style as the rest of the furniture on the boat. We were mesmerized.

After refreshing and a light breakfast, we left the houseboat for a Shikara ride. We chose to take the Shikara all the way from Nigeen Lake, where our houseboat was, to the Jetty at Nehru Park area in Dal lake instead of fixing hourly rates and touring at random. It took us close to 2 hours and it was by far the most picturesque experience of our trip. The lake was not only serene and calm; it gave us awesome sights of the interiors of Kashmir. The snow-capped mountains made breathtakingly beautiful mirror images in the lake. The Shikara owner explained that it was only in this season that it is possible to row on this route because as soon as the flower season starts, the lake would be covered by the water lilies and lotuses and it would not be possible to row in the interiors of the lake. The Shikara rides would then be restricted to the main Dal lake area known as Dal gate which is frequented by the tourists.

The next day, we decided to leave the houseboat and shift to a hotel. Despite its grandeur and beauty, houseboats are not very comfortable especially when you are travelling with kids. The interiors are extremely cold in the colder season as you are directly over water and the houseboat is made of only wood which does not have 100% insulation. Besides the electricity is deficient and even if it's there, the voltage is meagre and the appliances don't work (in our case, there was a heater in the room but it was not working despite a generator). After spending about half a day in searching a good hotel in the Dal gate area with the lake view plus centralized heating facility and decent comforts, we spent the other half in exploring the Mughal Gardens of Shalimar and the Nishat Gardens. Personally I feel that they, although beautiful were in need of severe maintenance. The plants were well tended to I assume considering that the flower beds were all toiled and the grass was cut. But the infrastructure like the fountains, pillars, etc. were close to shambles. It was not the flower season so we missed the beauty the valley is famous for, but there were areas of fresh untouched snow and my daughter loved playing in the same. We had come to know of a three day curfew in Srinagar owing to some unfortunate clash between locals and security forces resulting in the death of a local boy. But, we were surprised to see that the same was so efficiently managed by the security forces to result in the least discomfort possible to tourists. As a tourist, we did not once feel the impact of the curfew except the minor obstruction of not being able to undertake any shopping in the main city and instead being restricted to the markets around dal gate and other tourist areas in the outskirts.

The third day of our visit was devoted to Pahalgam. We saw the Saffron, Almonds and Walnut fields and the willow orchids en-route our way to Pahalgam. There were numerous shops selling saffron and dry fruits as well as cricket bats made of willow wood (considered to the best cricket bats in the world). There were also many units manufacturing these cricket bats. We stopped at one of the shops selling saffron and dry fruits and drank one of the best Kehwah (garnished with almonds) we had during the entire trip. We also purchased some to bring back home. We reached Pahalgam in about three-hours, an enjoyable journey to say the least. It was a bright sunny day and although we were told that Pahalgam at that hour was reeling under zero degrees, we didn't really feel the chill thanks to our warm coats and jackets. Besides we had been prudent enough to rent rubber boots so as to be able to walk on the cottony snow. From Pahalgam, one needs to hire a pony to go further in the interiors, more so because there was about four feet of unseasonal snow in Pahalgam that day. It was quite an experience. We saw the Lidder Valley, Kashmir Valley, Baisaran, and Kanimarg (also known as the Betaab Valley since the Sunny Deol - Amrita Singh starrer movie Betaab was shot there). We got off our ponies at Baisaran and Kashvi got a chance to play in real snow for the first time ever. She bombarded me with snowballs and we made a snowman together. Right from slipping down on the snow to narrowly avoid being hurt by a speeding sledge to helping her pony drink water from a small stream of melting snow, Kashvi had a whale of a time. On our journey back, me and my mom were audience to hours of imaginative stories by my darling daughter about herself and her white pony whom she had christened 'Snowy'. She had talked to 'Snowy' sweetly during the whole ride and had stroked her neck and was absolutely convinced that 'Snowy' loved her and would remember her forever.

Again, next day, we ventured outside Srinagar and visited Gulmarg. The weather was gloomy and raining but we thought we would go ahead with the hope that it would improve during the day. They say in Kashmir that "Kashmir's weather is like Mumbai's fashion... changing by the minute". In fact, we did ourselves saw the sudden changes when it was raining one minute and suddenly within seconds the rain had stopped and it was suddenly sunny but unfortunately it lasted only about five minutes after which it started to rain again. So, we again drove to picturesque farms for an hour to reach Tangmarg. Until Tangmarg, there was hardly any snow on our way. Instead we saw beautiful houses with tilted hut shaped roofs and green lawns. We passed villages inhabited by fair faced people with beautiful features and glowing pink cheeks. The terrain was flat and not hilly considering that Gulmarg houses the world's highest Cable Car, the Gondola. In Tangmarg, we were bombarded with people offering to take the services of a guide or helper, which we politely refused. Some of these people told us that owing to sudden snow, Gulmarg's Gondola, is open only till stage 1 and will not go further to stage 2 (from where you can actually look down at the LOC and the mountains falling in Pakistan occupied Kashmir). We were also told that there is approximately 6-8 feet snow and the temperature is sub-zero so much so that our snug coats and jackets will be of little help there. So, we again rented rubber boots and warm oversized jackets with extra fur coating inside to wear over our existing jackets and coats. We then hired another taxi to take us over to Gulmarg. The way further was steep and had to waded through snow-scraped narrow roads, so the taxis that could go up were the ones which had heavy iron chains tied over the tyres of their rear wheels. Once we reached Gulmarg, there was a further quarter to two kms stretch to be covered either on foot or on a snow sledge to reach the starting point of Gondola. We chose to take the sledge considering we were not adept at walking over deep snow. There was shining white snow all around us, almost all of it was untouched as rows and rows of tourists just waded through the snow in one line and actually looked like little coloured ants on the huge white glimmering background. We stopped on the way to give a little breather to the sledge pullers and Kashvi took an opportunity to try her hands at skiing. Later, we when we boarded the Gondola, it was absolutely mesmerizing. The 10 minutes ride gave us a view to last a lifetime. We could see fir trees, hundreds of meters tall; and small huts submerged in heavy snow so much so that we could only see just a few inches of the rim of their roofs. Occasionally, we could see a row of footprints or a row of ski-prints (is that actually a word?) and we would wonder who actually could manage to come up till this altitude. It was drizzling slightly when we boarded the Gondola but as we went higher and eventually got off the Gondola, the rain turned to snow. It was soft and pure and beautiful. Even the view around us was mesmerizing - pure, white and serene. The mount Apharbat could not be seen but we could see clouds floating around us. If there is a heaven, it was there and we witnessed it in person.

The return journey was eventful and consisting of heavy rains, flat tyres and scouting for replacement cabs. Eventually when we reached Tangmarg and later Srinagar, we were just too tired. The warmth of the hotel room was very much welcome and we busied ourselves by planning the next day. Early next day, we checked out of our hotel and went to Chashm-e-shahi. It is a beautiful garden housing a natural spring said to be having the ability to grant good health. But, honestly, by looking at the water, more so the way people were using it, we could not bring ourselves to disregard the dirty feet of the people inside the spring and the unhygienic plastic bottles and canisters immersed to collect and carry water; and drink it. So, we just explored the beauty around, got my daughter's picture clicked in the traditional Kashmiri outfit for a memoir, did a bit of shopping of jackets with traditional chain stitch embroidery and moved on. Then, we went on to see the Temple of Jayeshthadevi. We would have loved to go and pay respects at the Shankracharya Temple, but considering that one has to climb close to 300 stairs to reach there, we changed our mind (My mother is 58 years old; my daughter is 7 years old; and to be honest, I am not much of a climber / trekker myself). So, instead we went to the other not so popular temple. Now it turned out that this one too had about 100 stairs overall but then it was kind of a series of small temples with almost 25-30 stairs each. So, we got to rest while we paid our respects in each temple. And the surroundings were clean and beautiful and very well maintained. Also, since it's not a popular tourist spot, there were hardly any people around and we got the opportunity to explore it at leisure. It was almost appropriate that this had to be the last stop of our journey after which we headed straight to the airport for the evening flight.