Bangalore - Ottawa - Bangalore

My Ottawa Travel
I travelled to Ottawa, Canada from Bangalore on 3rd October. This visit was for about 8 weeks. Though It was an official visit, but gave an oppertunity to see Canada.

It is always difficult to be away from family for long and particularly after getting married and having a naughty daughter. But if we have to grow, all this sacrifice is needed. That is why our parents have decided to allow us to do studies and jobs away from them. If for our affection, they would not have allowed me to go away from them, then I would not have studied well and got a job etc.

I along with other colleagues started the journey on 2nd October night. The flight operated by Lufthansa was at 1:55 AM on 3rd october. Pravin Prakash had arranged the taxi at 21:00 Hrs. He had also arranged air tickets and other official documents etc. for me as I was away at my native just before our departure to Ottawa.

Ganaraja NG was already there at airport. The new Bangalore International Airport is very beautiful and has world class facilities.

We boarded the flight as per schedule.

The route was Bangalore - Frankfurt (Germany) - Montreul (Canada) - Ottawa.

There are very few flights to Ottawa, so we need to hop through Montreul.

The first leg from Bangalore to Frankfurt was about 9:30 hours. I slept for some time in between and reached Frankfurt at 8:15 in the morning German time.

The next flight from Frankfurt to Montreul was through Air Canada. This took off from Franfurt at 10 AM German time and reached Montreul at around 11:30 AM Canada time. It took around 7:30 hours.

During flights originating from India or going to India, we can get Indian food, in other flights, it is a problem. I had booked "Asian Veg Meal" in flight from Frankfurt to Montreul. But it was not sufficient to put off my hunger.

From Bangalore to Franfurt, Ganaraja, Pravin and I got adjacent seats, but were not lucky in flight from Frankfurt to Montreul. This was a problem because I can not talk to anybody and so just remain seated with tight lips, try to sleep and thinking sometimes, why I am travelling.

I was having window seat, and so whenever I had to go to toilet etc. the other two passengers have to be unseated. This is another problem for long flights.

Every minute of this 7:30 hours from Franfurt to Montreul was like one year long. I passed it somehow.

Next flight was at 12:55 PM to Ottawa. So we had 1 Hr. 10 Minutes to get next flight.

In Montreul, we needed to do Immigration and Custom clearances. Usually it is not allowed to carry open food items etc. Dairy products, meat/plant products etc. are strictly banned. I heard that one colleageue had got 200 $ fine for carrying Ghee. So during customs checking, it is possible that they ask to open baggage and verify the claims. Every person has to sign a declaration form of what all he/she is carrying.

I went through customs official and she allowed me to pass through. But she stopped Pravin as well as Ajit Phadnis and asked them to get the baggage checked. For Ajit, they did not opened his baggage and let him go after a few questions, but for Pravin, they opened his all luggage and verified each and every thing. Then they allowed him to proceed. During this period I was a little tensed because if they feel anything "objectionable" they can put heavy fine including imprisonment. But when after about 20 minutes he came out of the customs room, I felt a sigh of relief.

Then we had to checkin our baggage. Kenny, by mistake put his cabin bag also on the checkin belt. This would have been a problem as without identification tag, no luggage will be loaded in the aircraft. So he started searching his bag. We rushed to checkin counter to inquire about the flight, only to know that it had already left.

The lady there at counter helped us a lot. She booked seats for us in another flight which was 2 hours later at 2:45 PM. But during all this hungama, we lost Kenny and through airport authorities, we made an announcement for him. But till 2:15, he was not there and we asked the lady at counter to shift his ticket to another flight. She rushed towards aircraft to take down the baggage of Kenny, which was already loaded. It is not allowed to send baggage without passenger.

But then suddenly, Kenny appeared. The lady at counter was frustrated but again she helped and Kenny and his baggage got though this flight itself.

The flight from Montreul to Ottawa is about 45 minutes. It was through a small 40 seater ATR plane. This was my first experience through ATR plane. Because it was small and so was shaking very much. Till we reached Ottawa, we were holding our breath.

We had a booking at Hotel Cardinal Suites, so hired a Taxi till there. The taxi driver was from Ethiopia.

So finally we reached Ottawa to be there for next 8 weeks.

We got two rooms, in one Me and Pravin were staying and in another room Ganaraja was staying. We were doing cooking in Ganaraja's kitchen, as it was bigger.

I was a little disappointed by the behaviour of the manager of Cardinal Suite. He had promised us a three bed room suite but when asked, he started denying and showed his inability. He also talked in higher tone, which was unacceptable, as we were his customer. So we decided to leave his hotel after one month. One month advance we had already paid to him so in case we would have left earlier, he might not have returned that. So we decided to be there for one month and shift somewhere else for next month.

Canada: A brief history
Canada is a beautiful country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area,and shares land borders with the United States to the south and northwest.

The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of additional provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster in 1931, and culminating in the Canada Act in 1982 which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.
A federation comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. Technologically advanced and industrialized, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.

It is a member of the G8, NATO, and Commonwealth of Nations.

The name Canada comes from a St. Lawrence Iroquoian word kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement". In 1535, inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct explorer Jacques Cartier toward the village of Stadacona. Cartier used the word 'Canada' to refer to not only that village, but the entire area subject to Donnacona, Chief at Stadacona. By 1545, European books and maps began referring to this region as Canada.

The French colony of Canada referred to the part of New France along the Saint Lawrence River and the northern shores of the Great Lakes. Later, it was split into two British colonies, called Upper Canada and Lower Canada until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, the name Canada was adopted for the entire country, and Dominion was conferred as the country's title. It was frequently referred to as the Dominion of Canada until the 1950s. As Canada asserted its political autonomy from Britain, the federal government increasingly used Canada on legal state documents and treaties. The Canada Act 1982 refers only to "Canada" and, as such, this is currently the only legal (and bilingual) name. This was reflected in 1982 with the renaming of the national holiday from Dominion Day to Canada Day. The fur trade was Canada's most important industry until the 19th century. First Nation and Inuit traditions maintain that aboriginal peoples have resided on their lands since the beginning of time. Archaeological studies support a human presence in the northern Yukon from 26,500 years ago, and in southern Ontario from 9,500 years ago. Europeans first arrived when the Vikings settled briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows around AD 1000. Canada's Atlantic coast would next be explored by John Cabot in 1497 for England and Jacques Cartier in 1534 for France; seasonal Basque whalers and fishermen subsequently exploited the region between the Grand Banks and Tadoussac for over a century.

French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608. These would become respectively the capitals of Acadia and Canada. Among French colonists of New France, Canadiens extensively settled the Saint Lawrence River valley, Acadians settled the present-day Maritimes, while French fur traders and Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana. The French and Iroquois Wars broke out over control of the fur trade.

The Death of General Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham at Quebec in 1759, part of the Seven Years' War, the English established fishing outposts in Newfoundland around 1610 and colonized the thirteen Colonies to the south. A series of four Intercolonial Wars erupted between 1689 and 1763. Mainland Nova Scotia came under British rule with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713); the Treaty of Paris (1763) ceded Canada and most of New France to Britain following the Seven Years' War.

The Royal Proclamation (1763) carved the Province of Quebec out of New France and annexed Cape Breton Island to Nova Scotia. It also restricted the language and religious rights of French Canadians. In 1769, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony. To avert conflict in Quebec, the Quebec Act of 1774 expanded Quebec's territory to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley and re-established the French language, Catholic faith, and French civil law in Quebec; it angered many residents of the Thirteen Colonies, helping to fuel the American Revolution. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded territories south of the Great Lakes to the United States. Approximately 50,000 United Empire Loyalists fled the United States to Canada. New Brunswick was split from Nova Scotia as part of a reorganization of Loyalist settlements in the Maritimes. To accommodate English-speaking Loyalists in Quebec, the Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the province into French-speaking Lower Canada and English-speaking Upper Canada, granting each their own elected Legislative Assembly.

Canada (Upper and Lower) was the main front in the War of 1812 between the United States and the British Empire. The defence of Canada contributed to a sense of unity among British North Americans. Large-scale immigration to Canada began in 1815 from Britain and Ireland. The timber industry surpassed the fur trade in importance in the early nineteenth century.
Fathers of Confederation by Robert Harris, an amalgamation of Charlottetown and Quebec conference scenesThe desire for responsible government resulted in the aborted Rebellions of 1837. The Durham Report subsequently recommended responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into British culture. The Act of Union 1840 merged The Canadas into a United Province of Canada. French and English Canadians worked together in the Assembly to reinstate French rights. Responsible government was established for all British North American provinces by 1849.

The signing of the Oregon Treaty by Britain and the United States in 1846 ended the Oregon boundary dispute, extending the border westward along the 49th parallel and paving the way for British colonies on Vancouver Island (1849) and in British Columbia (1858). Canada launched a series of western exploratory expeditions to claim Rupert's Land and the Arctic region. The Canadian population grew rapidly because of high birth rates; British immigration was offset by emigration to the United States, especially by French Canadians moving to New England.
An animated map, exhibiting the growth and change of Canada's provinces and territories since Confederation Following several constitutional conferences, the Constitution Act, 1867 brought about Confederation creating "one Dominion under the name of Canada" on July 1, 1867, with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Canada assumed control of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to form the Northwest Territories, where Métis' grievances ignited the Red River Rebellion and the creation of the province of Manitoba in July 1870. British Columbia and Vancouver Island (which had united in 1866) and the colony of Prince Edward Island joined Confederation in 1871 and 1873, respectively.

Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's Conservative government established a national policy of tariffs to protect nascent Canadian manufacturing industries. To open the West, the government sponsored construction of three trans-continental railways (most notably the Canadian Pacific Railway), opened the prairies to settlement with the Dominion Lands Act, and established the North-West Mounted Police to assert its authority over this territory. In 1898, after the Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Territories, the Canadian government created the Yukon territory. Under Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, continental European immigrants settled the prairies, and Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905.

Canadian soldiers won the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. Canada automatically entered World War I in 1914 with Britain's declaration of war, sending volunteers to the Western Front who later became part of the Canadian Corps. The Corps played a substantial role in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and other major battles of the war. The Conscription Crisis of 1917 erupted when conservative Prime Minister Robert Borden brought in compulsory military service over the objection of French-speaking Quebecers. In 1919, Canada joined the League of Nations independently of Britain; in 1931 the Statute of Westminster affirmed Canada's independence.
The Great Depression brought economic hardship to all of Canada. In response, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in Alberta and Saskatchewan enacted many measures of a welfare state as pioneered by Tommy Douglas in the 1940s and 1950s. Canada declared war on Germany independently during World War II under Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, three days after Britain. The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December 1939. Canadian troops played important roles in the Battle of the Atlantic, the failed 1942 Dieppe Raid in France, the Allied invasion of Italy, the D-Day landings, the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944. Canada is credited by the Netherlands for having provided asylum and protection for its monarchy during the war after the country was occupied and the Netherlands credits Canada for its leadership and major contribution to the liberation of Netherlands from Nazi Germany. The Canadian economy boomed as industry manufactured military materiel for Canada, Britain, China and the Soviet Union. Despite another Conscription Crisis in Quebec, Canada finished the war with one of the largest armed forces in the world. In 1945, during the war, Canada became one of the first countries to join the United Nations.

In 1949, Newfoundland joined Confederation. Post-war prosperity and economic expansion ignited a baby boom and attracted immigration from war-ravaged European countries.
Under successive Liberal governments of Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, a new Canadian identity emerged. Canada adopted its current Maple Leaf Flag in 1965. In response to a more assertive French-speaking Quebec, the federal government became officially bilingual with the Official Languages Act of 1969. Non-discriminatory Immigration Acts were introduced in 1967 and 1976, and official multiculturalism in 1971; waves of non-European immigration changed the face of the country. Social democratic programs such as universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans, the Foreign Investment Review Agency, and the National Energy Program were established in the 1960s and 1970s; provincial governments, particularly Quebec and Alberta, opposed many of these as incursions into their jurisdictions. Finally, constitutional conferences led by Prime Minister Trudeau resulted in the patriation of the constitution from Britain, enshrining a Charter of Rights and Freedoms based on individual rights in the Constitution Act of 1982. Canadians continue to take pride in their system of universal health care, their commitment to multiculturalism, and human rights.

Quebec underwent profound social and economic changes during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. Quebec nationalists under Jean Lesage began pressing for greater autonomy. The radical Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) ignited the October Crisis in 1970 with bombings and kidnappings demanding Quebec independence. The more moderate Parti Québécois of René Lévesque came to power in 1976 and held an unsuccessful referendum on sovereignty-association in 1980. Efforts by the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney to constitutionally recognize Quebec as a "distinct society" with the Meech Lake Accord collapsed in 1989. Regional tensions ignited by the constitutional debate helped fledgling regional parties, the Bloc Québécois under Lucien Bouchard and the Reform Party under Preston Manning in Western Canada, relegate the Progressive Conservatives to fifth place in the federal election. A second Quebec referendum on sovereignty in 1995 was rejected by a slimmer margin of just 50.6% to 49.4%. In 1997, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled unilateral secession by a province to be unconstitutional, and the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien passed the "Clarity Act" outlining the terms of a negotiated departure. The Reform Party expanded to become the Canadian Alliance and merge with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. The Conservatives were elected as a minority government under Stephen Harper in the 2006 federal election. Later that year, Canada's parliament passed a symbolic motion to recognize the Québécois as a nation within Canada.

Years of neglect and abuse by government agencies prompted aboriginal First Nations in the 1960s to use federal courts to press land claims and initiate negotiations with federal and provincial governments to recognize historical treaty rights. In the 1990s, frustration at the slow pace of negotiations gave way to violent confrontations in Oka, Ipperwash, and Gustafsen Lake. However, in 1999 Canada recognized Inuit self-government with the creation of Nunavut, and settled Nisga'a claims in B.C. In 2008, Canada's government officially apologized for the creation of residential schools set up to culturally assimilate aboriginal peoples which resulted in multiple abuses towards aboriginal people in these schools.

Memories from 3rd October to 11th October
We joined Alcatel-Lucent office here. It is at 600 March Road, Kanata. This place is about 45 minutes by Bus. Bus service is very good here. We have taken a Bus Pass for month at about 88$. This has given the freedom to use any bus anytime at will.

Sunday, 5th October, we visited Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton. It is a beautiful temple and became a bit relaxed after having a darshan of the Lord and mother Goddess.

Lord says in Geeta....

".................Yoga Kshemam Vahamyaham......"

"Those who leave everything on me, I takes care of them."

Things are going smoothly. Cooking etc. is a problem as after getting married, I stopped cooking. But its getting managed. Also this provides a good oppertunity to spend time.

This time we are preparing Roti also. So far in my trips abroad, I was always dependent on Rice only. Mostly for dinner it is Roti and for lunch it is Rice. We (Pravin, Ganaraja and Alok) prepares Arhar (Toor) Daal and some vegetables like mix of Potato/Cauliflower or mix veg like beans+peas+carrot+corn etc.

Juices and Milk are also being taken, mostly in breakfast, so far it has been Corn-flakes+Milk or Banana+Milk

We may have to leave this hotel from 1st November, we had asked for a three bed room suite but hotel is unable to provide that. Kenny is searching for me a 3-bed room apartment for the month of november at some suitable location. We have to give them 14 days notice period and by 15th I will tell them about our decision.

So far weather has been moderate here. Day Temperature is in between 10-20 and night temperature is below 10. But the people here say that in next two week or so the temperature will fell down to around Zero degrees which will follow the snowfall. But anyway I am equipped with proper clothings to handle that.

On 10th and 11th October, I got the oppertunity to Visit the Ottawa City downtown. It is well maintained and properly laid out. On 11th I saw Parliament of Canada,Cannaught Place, Rideau Center etc. in Ottawa. I will keep on roaming and gaining as much knowledge about Canada, as I can.

On 11th, Pravin left to meet his friend Yatin Patel in Toronto as well as to visit Niagra. I along with group of Kenny will follow next week.

Memories from 12th October to 19th October
11th October evening, Kenny called me if I can accompany him to Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton. So on Sunday 12th Morning we started for temple. Kenny came to my Hotel and He+Ganaraja+Bala Sarma and I started for the temple. We took the bus to Carling Station, then train to Greenboro and then from there bus to Hindu Temple. When we reached there, some Mantra chanting was in progress and then Aarti for Lord "Jai Jagadeesh Hare...". We all participated. Those were very great moments. The name of Lord brings confidence and relaxation.

After Aarti, we took Prasada (Lunch) at temple. It is an attraction for many visitors from India to be at Temple on Sunday afternoon to get good Indian Food at Lunch (Prasada).

After temple we came back to Hotel to prepare for next week office.

Monday was an holiday and so passed peacefully. Pravin came back from his trip of Toronto and Niagara.

Trainings were in progress throughout the week. Somethings are looking a little complicated but hopefully with practice, they will be understood easily.

During weekend of 18th and 19th October, we had planned to visit Niagara. Initial plan was to go by Bus and then got changed to go by a rented Car being driven by Premchand. But Swamy and other few people suggested not to travel in own driven vehicle in a foreign country, so on Friday after hectic discussions, we dropped the plan. Kenny and Premchand wanted to go by Car, Ganaraja, Ajit and I were in favour of Bus or any other means in which we need not drive. In this all hotch potch the program got postponed. Now it has to be seen whether I can visit Niagara or not as now slowly the mercury is going down and once snow-fall starts, there will not be any charm going there.

So during this weekend, we visited Canada's Parliament and Rideau Canal to Ottawa River. The walking alongside the Rideau Canal to Ottawa River was very good. We started from "Ottawa Lock" on Rideau Canal.

Something about Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal, also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 and is still in use today, with most of its original structures intact.The canal system uses sections of major rivers, including the Rideau and the Cataraqui, as well as some lakes. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The construction of the Rideau Canal was proposed shortly after the War of 1812, when there remained a persistent threat of attack by the United States on the British colony of Upper Canada. In this period, the British built a number of other canals (Grenville, Chute-à-Blondeau and Carillon), as well as a number of forts (Citadel Hill, La Citadelle, and Fort Henry) to impede and deter any future American invasions of Canadian territory.

The initial purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended to provide a secure supply and communications route between Montreal and the British naval base in Kingston, Ontario. Westward from Montreal, travel would proceed along the Ottawa River to Bytown (now Ottawa), then southwest via the canal to Kingston and out into Lake Ontario (and vice versa for eastward travel from Kingston to Montreal). The objective was to bypass the stretch of the St. Lawrence River bordering New York State, a route which would have left British supply ships vulnerable to attack or a blockade of the St. Lawrence. An engraving of the Rideau Canal locks at BytownThe construction of the canal was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers. Private contractors such as future sugar refining entrepreneur John Redpath, Thomas McKay, Robert Drummond, Thomas Phillips, Andrew White and others were responsible for much of the construction, and the majority of the actual work was done by thousands of Irish and French-Canadian labourers.

The canal was completed in 1832.

Once the canal was constructed, no further military engagements took place between Canada and the United States. Although the Rideau Canal never had to be used as a military supply route, it played a pivotal role in the early development of Canada. Prior to the locks being completed on the St. Lawrence in the late 1840s, the Rideau served as the main travel route for immigrants heading westward into Upper Canada, and for heavy goods (timber, minerals, grain) from Canada's hinterland heading east to Montreal. Tens of thousands of British immigrants travelled the Rideau in this period. Hundreds of barge loads of goods were shipped each year along the Rideau, allowing Montreal to compete commercially, in the 1830s and 40s, with New York (which had the Erie Canal), as a major North American export port.

Canadian Parliament: A Little History
The Parliament of Canada (French: Parlement du Canada) is Canada's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. It consists of three components: the sovereign, the Senate, and the House of Commons; the sovereign is normally represented by the Governor General, who appoints the 105 members of the Senate on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The 308 members of the House of Commons are directly elected by the people, with each member representing a single electoral district, frequently called a constituency or a riding.

The lower house, the House of Commons, is the dominant branch of the Canadian parliament. The upper house, the Senate, rarely opposes the will of the other chamber, and the duties of the sovereign and Governor General are largely ceremonial, although both have reserve powers in which could refuse to grant royal assent to a bill, and could dismiss the Cabinet and call an election unprompted. The Prime Minister and Cabinet must retain the support of a majority of members of the Lower House to remain in office; they need not have the confidence of the Upper House.

After Great Britain conquered it from France during the Seven Years War (1754–1763), Canada (which then consisted mainly of the modern Province of Quebec) was governed under the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This proclamation was superseded in 1774 by the Quebec Act, under which the power to make ordinances was granted to a Governor and Council, both appointed by the British sovereign. In 1791, the Province of Quebec was divided into the provinces of Upper Canada (which later became Ontario) and Lower Canada (which later became Quebec), each with an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council.

In 1841, the British Parliament united Upper and Lower Canada into a new colony, called the Province of Canada. A single legislature, consisting of an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council, was created. The assembly's eighty-four members were equally divided between the former provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, though the latter had a higher population. The British government, through the royally-appointed Governors, still exercised considerable influence over Canadian affairs. This influence was reduced in 1848, when the province was granted responsible government.

Montreal Parliament after the fireFrom 1841 to 1844, Parliament met on what is now the site of Kingston General Hospital in Kingston, Ontario. In 1849, the Parliament Building in Montreal, which had been the home of the legislature since being transferred from Kingston in 1843, burnt down. The fire was part of a Tory-led riot caused by the Rebellion Losses Bill and a series of tensions between Francophones and Anglophones, as well as an economic depression. In 1857, the legislature was finally moved to Ottawa, after a few years of alternating between Toronto and Quebec City.

The modern-day Parliament of Canada, however, did not come into existence until 1867. In that year, the British Parliament passed the British North America Act 1867, uniting the Province of Canada (which was separated into Quebec and Ontario), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single federation, called the Dominion of Canada. The new Canadian Parliament consisted of the Queen (represented by the Governor General), the Senate and the House of Commons. An important influence was the American Civil War, which had just concluded, and had indicated to many Canadians the faults of the federal system as implemented in the United States. In part because of the Civil War, the American model, with relatively powerful states and a less powerful federal government, was rejected. The British North America Act limited the powers of the provinces, providing that all subjects not explicitly delegated to them remain within the authority of the federal Parliament. Yet it gave provinces unique powers in certain agreed-upon areas of funding, and that division still exists today.

The British North America Act 1867 granted the Parliament significant powers, but with several restrictions. Most notably, the British Parliament remained supreme over Canada, and no Canadian act could in any way abrogate a British one. Furthermore, the United Kingdom continued to determine the foreign policy of the entire British Empire.

Greater autonomy was granted by the British Parliament's Statute of Westminster 1931. Though the statute allowed the Parliament of Canada to repeal or amend British laws (with respect to their application in Canada), it did not permit the abrogation of Canada's constitution, including the British North America Acts. Hence, whenever a constitutional amendment was sought by the Canadian Parliament, the enactment of a British law became necessary. Still, the Parliament of the United Kingdom did not unilaterally impose amendments on the Canadian federation, only acting when requested to do so by the Canadian Parliament. The Parliament of Canada was granted limited power to amend the constitution by a British act of Parliament in 1949, but it was not permitted to affect the powers of provincial governments, the official positions of the English and French languages, or the five-year term of Parliament.

The Parliament of Canada last requested the Parliament of the United Kingdom to enact a constitutional amendment in 1982, when the Canada Act 1982 was requested and passed. The act ended the power of the British Parliament to legislate for Canada, and the authority to amend the constitution was transferred to Canadian legislative authorities. Most amendments require the consent of the Canadian Senate, the Canadian House of Commons, and the Legislative Assemblies of two-thirds of the provinces representing a majority of the population. The unanimous consent of provincial legislative assemblies is required for certain amendments, including those affecting the Queen, the Governor General, provincial Lieutenant Governors, the official positions of the English and French languages, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the amending formulas themselves.

The present Queen of Canada is Elizabeth II, the Monarch of UK. Her functions are normally performed by her vice-regal representative, the Governor General, either by convention or through the Constitution Act, 1867. The Chamber of the House of Commons is decorated in green, and that of the Senate in red, following the tradition of the British Parliament.The Parliament of Canada is composed of three parts: the Monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons.

The guided trip inside the Canada's parliament was very exciting. The guide Karina, who is a student at University of Carleton, told us a little about the History of the Canadian Parliament. She took us inside the Main Blocks of Parliament and explained about the House of Commons, the senate and the Parliament Library. The House of Commons is like Indian Lok Sabha and the senate is like Rajya Sabha. There are many similarities in the woring of both Canadian and Indian Parliaments. It is obvious as Indian Constitution is influenced by Canadian and British Constitutions.

The Rising India
The feel of Rising India can be seen here. Pravin and I visited the famous book shop "The chapters" on the Elgin Street. There were many books on India. This indicates the rising interest of the people to know about India.

On Sunday, 19th October, when we went through the guided tour of Parliament, Karina (Tour Guide) introduced herself and then asked how many of the people from the group are from Canada, then USA, Germany, Russia and then she asked India. Pravin, Ganaraja and I raised our hands. Some people from crowd cheered and I felt really proud.

Yes it is true. India is rising and it can not be ignored by the world community. But it is just a beginning, we need to improve ourselves and go forward with our traditional values intact.

Memories from 20th October to 26th October
This week passed a little hectic. A lot of trainings. On wednesday we were asked to come to office at 8:30 in morning. This was a little problem as it means getting up early, preparing rice and then 45 minutes bus drive to office. Anyway we make it comfortably in time. We reached there at about 8:10 in morning, though the training for which we came so early was cancelled as proper projector was not available. Otherwise it was normal like leaving around 8:00 in morning and coming back at around 5:00 in evening.

Our normal schedule for weekdays are as follows:
Getting up around 6-7 AM and be ready for office. Meanwhile Ganaraja cooks rice. Same Daal + Vegetables is taken, which was cooked last night.
In office attending trainings for both sessions, pre-lunch and post-lunch. Usually lunch is taken in between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM.
Back to hotel at around 5:00 PM and then after some rest start cooking at around 7:00 PM for night as well as for morning.

Thats how time is getting passed on weekdays. Training schedules are very tight and it seems that after going back to Bangalore, we need to put a lot of hard work as expectation are very high here.

Kenny was looking for us a suitable three bed room apartment. On Tuesday, 21st October, He, Pravin and I visited Kanata town to meet one Sardarji, who works as a bus driver in Ottawa. Besides his job he is also active as a real estate broker. Kenny met him in a Bus.

Sardarji took us in his Car and showed two-three houses. But we did not liked them. They were having very basic amneties with no bed etc. Besides they were in basement, which we did not liked. Finally we finalized a three bed room apartment with the help of Kenny's broker Aadib Saad. So we (Pravin Prakash, Ganaraja NG and myself) will be in this apartment for the month of November. For October we three are in two different rooms in Hotel, with Pravin and I sharing one room.

Saturday 25th October passed away without any activity. It was raining full day and so did not allowed us to go out anywhere. It became difficult to pass time. I just did net surfing, gossip etc.

Sunday 26th, Pravin and I visited The Canadian Museum of Nature. It is quite good and in a castle like building called "Victoria Memorial Museum". This building was built in 1905 and hence this museum is oldest in Ottawa.

Its collections, which were started by the Geologocal Syrvey of Canada in 1856, include all aspects of the intersection of human society and nature, from gardening to gene-splicing.

This massive stone structure is an excellent example of early 20th century architecture in Ottawa, and was built for $1,250,000 by architect David Ewart who is responsible for many similar structures around the city. The construction of the building involved the importing of 300 skilled stone masons from Scotland. The architectural style is sometimes described as 'Scottish baronial.' Ewart was sent to Brittain to study the architecture of Hampton Court and Windsor Castle, which greatly influenced his design of this building.

Distinctive double staircases on the mezzanine, taken from the south-west corner. Statues outside the museum.Unfortunately, because of the presence of unstable Leda clay in the geology of the site, a tall tower that was situated at the front of the building had to be taken down in 1915 due to settling and the concern that the foundation could not support the weight. The unstable site forced some workers to stop working, as shifting foundations in the basement shot bricks and stones out from the walls, hitting some construction workers.

The building found itself filling a more auspicious role than originally intended when in 1916, fire consumed the majority of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill. The recently completed Victoria Museum Building became the temporary home of the House of Commons, and the affairs of the government were run from the site until the completion of the new Parliament building in 1922.

In 1968, the National Museum that occupied the building was split into the National Museum of Nature (eventually renamed the Canadian Museum of Nature) and the National Museum of Man (eventually renamed the Canadian Museum of Civilization), although both entities continued to share the same edifice. In 1989, the Canadian Museum of Civilization moved to a new location in Gatineau, Quebec, and the Canadian Museum of Nature was able to occupy the entire Victoria Memorial Museum Building.

A major renovation of all parts of the building, which began in 2004, is expected to be completed in 2009, including a lighter-weight glass "lantern" taking the place of the former tower. The renovation plan exemplifies the difficulty of determining what building features to preserve in old buildings, as the installation of the modern lantern (meant to evoke the pre-1915 history of the building) necessitates the demolition of the historical mezzanine over the main entrance (home to distinctive double staircases).

It has total four floors. First floor has collection of fossils dating back to millions of years ago. We also saw a small documentry here on "How Dinasoures disappeared".
Bones and rebuilt models of different dinasoures were amazing.
Second floor is dedicated to evolution of mammels.
Third floor is for exhibitions. We saw an exhibition realted to paintings on Canada's flora and fauna by Catarine Parr Traill and Barabara Gamble.
Fourth floor was for the evolution of Birds. We also saw here a documentry show of about 50 minutes titled "Seasonal Forests of the world". It was very good show and covered forests from Arctics, North Americas, Europe, India and Madagascar.

Mr. Ram Dubey
On third floor, while we (Pravin and I) were looking the exhibition paintings, we met with Mr. Ram Dubey. He was working as a security staff there, under "Securitas Canada". He told us that he was a Research Scientist with University of Ottawa and now retired, so for passing time, he joined job of a security person with museum. He belonged to Mirzapur (Varanasi). His kids were studying here. He was a little disappointed that Indians are not taking as much initiative towards Science and Technology as they should.

He visited the land of his ancestors last time in 1983. I asked why so long gap now. Its almost 25 years. He smiled and told lot of issues like ticket money etc.

He also told that the condition of Old People in Canada is very bad. It is not like India where they are cared by kids. He told with a tone of sadness that nobody cares for elderly here so they have to just smoke, drink, watch TV and wait......

From Museum, we went to Byward market and took our lunch at "The Indian Cafe". It is run by a Bangladeshi from Sylhut, Bangladesh.

Then a little shopping of vegetables at Byward market and took bus back to hotel, reaching there by around 5:00 PM. By this time sky was covered by dark clouds, but we were fortunate.

Byward market is like traditional market of Canada. It looks like that most of the traders are the aboriginals of Canada. It gives a feel of normal vegetable market in India, though a little sophesticated here. Vegetables etc. are little cheaper here than other big stores.

Byward Market, Ottawa: A little history
The ByWard Market is where Ottawa was born. This is due to the separate actions of two completely unrelated men, Philemon Wright and Napoleon. Wright settled in Hull, and started the lumber industry. Napoleon, through his wars, closed the Baltic ports to British vessels during the early 19th century. The British, up to that point, had relied on the Baltics for all their timber needs. With the access to those supplies eliminated, they turned to their colonies and Ottawa benefitted most from this new trade.

The first settlement in the area was Hull. An American by the name of Philemon Wright, from Woburn (Mass.) just outside Boston, was granted title to most of the lands that were part of Hull Township in 1800 and, in just a few years, established a booming lumber village called Wrightsville. Within five years, in addition to hundreds of acres of cultivated fields, the village boasted two sawmills, a blacksmith's shop, a tailor's shop, a shoemaker, a gigantic bakery and a hemp-processing mill which was used to produce rope and clothing. In fact, Mr. Wright won a silver medal in 1814 at the Agricultural Committee for the Arts Society in Quebec City for a 14-foot hemp plant. By 1810, Wrightsville produced 85% of all hemp sold in Lower Canada.

With the War of 1812, the British became interested in building a water passage for ships between Montréal and Kingston. Scouts were sent to assess proper locations and, upon arriving at Wrightsville, determined that the Rideau River would be the shortest and best route. This would require building a canal, however, because the Rideau Falls were the only point of contact between the two rivers. In fact, the British had no idea how difficult this undertaking would be. If they had known, it is doubtful the canal would ever have been built. Between Ottawa and Kingston, boats would have to be locked up and down about 135 metres (450 ft) because of the different water levels over the 200-km journey. Estimates first called for £162,000. The figure was later inflated to £400,000 and ended up costing more than twice that amount. One of the driving forces behind the project was Lord Dalhousie, then Governor General.

Lowertown was predominantly Irish and French. The French Canadians of Lowertown were mostly lumbermen who had been working for Wright in Hull and who had supplied the canal works with wood and related materials. This made Lowertown a mainly Roman Catholic area, while Uppertown was mostly Protestant. As people were competing for jobs, old animosities were revived. The French Canadians, who remembered the still-recent defeat of 1760 (je me souviens), and the Irish, fresh off the British conquest of their country, became arch-rivals with the Englishmen of Uppertown, who were better educated and wealthier. Another major source of resentment were the living conditions in Lowertown, which contrasted enormously with the ones in Uppertown. Lowertown was mostly shanties, whereas Uppertown was starting to have some elegant mansions.

Uppertown residents also administered the affairs of the town. When Bytown got an elected Council, only men with mortgage-free property were allowed to run and vote in the elections. This meant that people from Lowertown had virtually no chance of participating in the administration. Again this goes back to the early canal-building days. Back then, well aware that the canal workers were Frenchmen and Irishmen, the Crown had instructed Col By not to sell the lots in Lowertown, but instead to lease them to their occupants. This explains why almost none of the first buildings in the Market have survived: most were built cheaply out of wood and were not designed to last. When the political situation escalated to a crisis, in the 1830s, the Crown agreed with local officials to start selling the lots. At this point, brick and stone buildings slowly started replacing the wood shanties and log taverns - and people gradually earned mortgage-free property and the right to vote.

This didn't happen smoothly. After the canal was completed, jobless Irishmen became restless about their situation. They were known as the Shiners. They began to wage intimidation campaigns against the French raftsmen and against Orangemen. The violence, which started out as street fights and bar brawls, escalated until it crested with a series of assaults and murders in 1837. Bytonians' tolerance levels also were evolving, and by this time they were enlisting in militias. The end of Shiner terror came when their leader, Peter Aylen, left Ottawa to settle in a large mansion in Aylmer. By that time lots of Shiners were finding work anyway, and tensions eased. This didn't mean an end to violence in Bytown, but the focus now shifted to wider Canadian politics, of which the city was a microcosm. Englishmen were mostly Tories while the French and Irish were Reformers. In Bytown, each lived in their own part of town. The Tories spent the decade of the 1840s incensed at the Reformist-minded politics of the Governor General, Lord Elgin. This started riots most notably in Montréal, where Tories burnt down the Parliament following passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill. This incident prompted Elgin to look for another capital. When he released his plans to come to Bytown in September of 1849, the people of Lowertown started preparing a royal welcome. Uppertowners were instead of the opinion that he should be ignored. A meeting was called in the ByWard Market building to discuss the situation. It erupted into a bloody riot where stones were thrown and one person was shot dead. The event is known as Stoney Monday. Stoney Monday could have lasted the entire week, but the next day, as Lowertowners tried to cross Sappers Bridge into Uppertown, the army was called in and faced the riot with fixed bayonets. The soldiers could have been overrun as they were badly outnumbered, but the bluff worked and the riot dispersed.

After Stoney Monday, the ByWard Market area became somewhat more peaceful. Six years later Ottawa was made capital and the Market concentrated on booming business. Which is not to say that there were no more bar fights. They still exist today.

"Indian Restaurents"
There are a lot of "Indian Restaurents" here. But only by name they are "Indian". Mostly these are run by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.

Memories from 27th October to 2nd November
This week started as usual with getting up early morning, taking breakfast and rushing to office.

This week we saw the first snowfall of the season. It was about 10 cm.

We are just expecting that on 29th November, when we have to take flight from Ottawa to Bangalore, the weather should be fine, otherwise we or our luggage may miss the flight from Franfurt to Bangalore, as there is only 70 minutes gap in between arriving at Frankfurt and departure.

On Saturday, 1st November, we shifted from Hotel Cardinal Suites to an independent 3-bed room house.

On Sunday, 2nd November, we visited The Canadian Art Gallery. The Gallery is housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was designed by Moshe Safdie and opened in 1988. The Gallery's former director Jean Sutherland Boggs was chosen especially by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to oversee construction of the national gallery and museums. The Gallery was first formed in 1880 by Canada's Governor General John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, and, in 1882, moved into its first home on Parliament Hill in the same building as the Supreme Court. In 1911 the Gallery moved to the Victoria Memorial Museum, now the home of the Canadian Museum of Nature. In 1913 the first National Gallery Act was passed outlining the Gallery's mandate and resources.[4] In 1962 the Gallery moved to a rather nondescript office building on Elgin Street. Adjacent to the British High Commission, the building now serves as office space for various governments departments, especially the Department of National Defence. It moved into its current building on Sussex Drive in 1988, beside Nepean Point.

In 1985 the newly created Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP), formerly the Stills Photography Division of the National Film Board of Canada, was affiliated to the National Gallery. The CMCP's mandate, collection and staff moved to its new location in 1992, at 1 Rideau Canal, next to the Château Laurier. In 1998 the CMCP's administration was amalgamated to that of the National Gallery's.

The Gallery has a large and varied collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. Although its focus is on Canadian art, it holds works by many noted European artists. It has a strong contemporary art collection with some of Andy Warhol's most famous works. In 1990 the Gallery bought Barnett Newman's Voice of Fire for $1.8 million, causing a storm of controversy as the painting was no more than three strips of paint. Since that time its value has appreciated sharply, however. In 2005 the Gallery acquired a painting by Italian Renaissance painter Francesco Salviati for $4.5 million.

Also in 2005 a sculpture of a giant spider, Louise Bourgeois's Maman, was installed in front of the Gallery.

The Canadian collection holds works by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven as well as Emily Carr and Alex Colville.

The Gallery organizes its own exhibits which travel across Canada and beyond, and hosts shows from around the world, often co-sponsored with other national art galleries and museums.
The Gallery's collection has been built up through purchase and donations. Much of the collection was donated, most notable are the British paintings donated by former Governor General Vincent Massey and that of the Southam family.

Memories from 3rd November to 9th November
Weekdays passed as usual, going to office, attending training sessions etc. Sometimes in the evening I tried to go out to visit down town or some other parts of City. Pravin and I visited Merivale Road shopping center, it is quite good, with lots of shops etc.

Our Rice and Flour etc., that we had carried with us got over, so Friday evening, we went to Baseline area to search one Desi shop named Andy's. Kenny had informed me that I can get good rice over there. But we could not loacte the place and instead after some time roaming here and there and purchaing some Vegetables/Juices/Milk etc. from Loeb shop, we came back.

Weekend of 8th and 9th November was planned to visit The Canadian Museum of Civilization and The Canadian War Museum. As Ganaraja was not accompanying us to these museums, he agreed to go to Baseline area and search for Andy's on Saturday morning. We had rice left just only for Saturday only. So it was important to get the Rice/Flour etc. Fortunately Ganaraja found the shop and bring the Rice.

Meanwhile Pravin and I had gone to The Canadian Museum of Civilization. In midway Kenny and Ajit also met with us as they were also heading for the Civilizaion Museum.

We took tickets for both Museums as well as for the two movies in the IMAX theater inside The Canadian Museum of Civilization. These two movies were "The Wild Ocean" and "Grand Canyon: The death of a river".

So Saturday was the day to explore the Civilization Museum as well as to watch the two above said Documentries. Both were of about 40-45 minute duration.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC)
It is Canada’s national museum of human history and the most-visited museum in the country. It is located in Gatineau, Quebec, directly across the Ottawa River from Canada’s Parliament Buildings. One needs to cross the Ottawa river from Ottawa downtown to reach there. The museum’s primary purpose is to collect, study, preserve, and present material objects that illuminate the human history of Canada and the cultural diversity of its people.

For the visiting public, the CMC is most renowned for its permanent galleries, which explore Canada’s 20,000 years of human history, and for its architecture and riverside setting. The museum also presents an ever-changing program of temporary exhibitions that expand on Canadian themes or explore other cultures and civilizations, past and present. The CMC is also a major research institution. Its professional staff includes leading experts in Canadian history, archaeology, ethnology, and folk culture.

With roots stretching back to 1856, the CMC is one of North America’s oldest cultural institutions. It is also home to the Canadian Children's Museum, the Canadian Postal Museum, and an IMAX Dome theatre.

Permanent Exhibitions
The museum has four permanent exhibition galleries: the Grand Hall, the First Peoples Hall, the Canada Hall, and Face to Face: The Canadian Personalities Hall.

Grand Hall
It is on the building’s first level is the museum’s architectural centrepiece. It features a wall of windows 112 m wide by 15 m high, framing a view of the Ottawa River and Parliament Hill. On the opposite wall is a colour photograph of similar size. It captures a forest scene and is believed to be the largest colour photograph in the world.

The picture provides a backdrop for a dozen towering totem poles and recreations of six Pacific coast Indian house facades connected by a boardwalk. The homes were made by First Nations artisans using large cedar timbers imported from the Pacific Northwest. The grouping of totem poles, combined with others in the Grand Hall, is said to be the largest indoor display of totem poles in the world. The Grand Hall also houses the original plaster pattern for the colossal Spirit of Haida Gwaii, the largest and most complex sculpture ever created by the celebrated Haida artist Bill Reid. The pattern was used to cast the bronze sculpture displayed outside the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. An image of the sculpture also appears on the Canadian twenty-dollar bill.

We completed the Grand Hall in Installments. First we visited here, then went to IMAX Theater to watch the documentry on "The Wild Ocean". Then we came back again here to the Grand Hall and then again went to IMAX Theater to watch documentry on "Grand Canyon: The death of a river".

Both the movies were excellent. The first movie took us to the Gold Coast near South Africa. It is one of the very few places left in this world, where ocean nature is still alive. The presentation was excellent and the Theater was amazing. It gave the feeling of 3-D movie.

The next documentry was on The river Colarado. The river which originates from Rocky mountains is now in bad shape like other great rivers of the world. Depleting water sources, polltion and Dams have inflected an almost irrepairable damage to this once a giant river. I remembered the state of great Indian river like Ganges, Yamuna etc. They are also in the same bad state.

The game the Man is playing with Nature is going to cost him dear.

We came back from the documentry and finished the Grand hall.

First Peoples Hall
Also on the museum’s first level, this permanent exhibition narrates the history and accomplishments of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples from their original habitation of North America to the present day. It explores the diversity of the First Peoples, their interactions with the land, and their on-going contributions to society.

Chronicling 20,000 years of history, the hall is separated into three larger zones:

"An Aboriginal Presence" looks at Aboriginal cultural diversity, achievements and prehistoric settlement of North America. Included are traditional stories about creation and other phenomena told by Aboriginal people such as Mi'kmaq Hereditary Chief Stephen Augustine who recounts the beginning of the world in the Creation Stories Theatre film.

"An Ancient Bond with the Land" examines the relationship between Aboriginal Peoples and the natural world.

"Arrival of Strangers - The Last 500 Years" examines Aboriginal history from the time of European contact to today. It examines early relations, the Metis, the clash of Christianity and Aboriginal beliefs, intergovernmental relations, the introduction of a wage economy, and post-War political and legal affirmation and civil rights. It also features a ten minute video about sustaining Aboriginal culture, and introduces visitors to Native art.

By this time it was about 3:30 PM. Kenny and Ajit went to "Peace Garden" to enjoy the vegetarian food. Pravin and I had also not taken lunch so were badly hungry. But going out to any restaurent was out of question because in that case we would have missed something. The museum closes at 5:00 PM. So ate some granulated Gram and Moong and one apple that Pravin was carrying and we continued with Museum exploration.

Canada Hall
It occupies most of the building’s third level. Presented as a “streetscape,” it invites the visitor to stroll through a thousand years of Canadian history beginning with the arrival of Viking explorers: the first non-Aboriginal people known to have set foot on what is today Canadian soil. The journey starts on the East Coast circa A.D. 1000 and then moves westward through time, roughly in keeping with Canada’s development since the time of European contact. Along the way, visitors learn about the various waves of immigration that arrived on Canada’s shores, the resources and opportunities that drew the newcomers, the discrimination and hardships that some new Canadians encountered, and the contributions all immigrant groups have made to their new country.

Animating the exhibits in Canada Hall are members of the museum’s resident theatre company, Dramamuse. Wearing period costumes, the players bring history to life through short plays and improvisations.

Highlights in Canada Hall include numerous life-size recreations, ranging from the interior of a Basque whaling ship, circa 1560, to an airport lounge, circa 1960. Other exhibits include a New France farmhouse; a stretch of main street, typical of an early Ontario town; an actual Ukrainian church that once stood in Alberta and was moved in its entirety to the museum; and a 10-metre-long fishing boat that once operated off the coast of B.C.

Face to Face
By the time we reached here, it was about 4:45 PM, so not much time left, but still we tried to capture as much as possible through our hungry eyes. But we could not go much far as Museum was closed. So we could not explore this floor more than 25%.

This hall introduces the visitor to people — in the museum’s words — "whose vision and action had a significant impact on Canada and its inhabitants." Located on the museum’s top level, Face to Face is the CMC’s newest permanent exhibition. When it first opened on June 29, 2007, the exhibition profiled 27 individuals. They included writers, artists, entrepreneurs, explorers, activists, and military and political leaders. The line-up of personalities will change over time, but the number profiled at any one time is expected to remain fairly constant.

History
The museum was first founded in 1856 as the display hall for the Geological Survey of Canada, which was accumulating not only minerals, but biological specimens, and historical and ethnological artifacts. Originally located in Montreal the museum was moved to Ottawa in 1881. In 1910, upon recommendation from Franz Boas, the anthropologist-linguist Edward Sapir was appointed as the first anthropologist in the newly-formed anthropology division of the museum. Soon after, the anthropologists Diamond Jenness and Marius Barbeau were hired. In 1910, now named the National Museum of Canada, it moved into the brand-new Victoria Memorial Museum Building on Metcalfe Street in downtown Ottawa. The National Gallery of Canada also occupied half a floor in the building. In 1968, the museum was split into the Museum of Nature and the Museum of Man, but both remained squeezed into the same building. In 1982 Pierre Trudeau's government announced that the Museum of Man would be moved to its own separate facility in Hull (now Gatineau).

In response to criticisms that "Museum of Man" could be interpreted as gender-biased in light of modern sensibilities, a competition was launched in 1986 to find a new name. The National Museum of Man became the Canadian Museum of Civilization. In 1989, the museum moved in to the new facility.

The museum attracts over 1.3 million visitors per year, making it Canada's most-visited museum.

I will suggest that if anybosy wants to visit this museum then he should be there exact at the time when Museum opens, the only one can explore fully this vast ocean of Knowledge.

Though we were badly tired but still we walked from Museum and crossed the Bridge. Then once in downtown we took the bus to our apartment.

Next morning, Sunday, we started a little early and reached War museum by about 10:30 AM.

The Canadian War Museum (CWM)
It is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum focuses on military conflicts that occurred on Canadian soil, involved Canadian forces, or had a significant effect on the country and its people. The conflicts range from early warfare among First Peoples to today’s “war on terror.”

Much of the museum’s public exhibition space is devoted to its Canadian Experience Galleries. These permanent exhibitions underline the profound effect war has had on Canada’s development and the significant role Canadians have played in international conflicts. The galleries also devote much attention to war’s impact on individuals: to what it calls the “devastating human experience” of war. Complementing the permanent galleries is a changing program of temporary or special exhibitions.

The CWM also houses an impressive Military History Research Centre, a vast collection of war art, and one of the world’s finest collections of military vehicles and artillery.

The museum originated in 1880 as a collection of military artifacts in the possession of the Canadian federal government, organized by militia officers of the Ottawa garrison. However, its current building, located less than 2 km west of Canada’s Parliament Buildings, opened in May 2005. The building's striking architecture has received much professional and public acclaim.

Main exhibit Galleries
Radiating from a central hub, these four permanent exhibitions are organized chronologically:
Gallery 1) from earliest times to 1885;
Gallery 2) 1885-1931;
Gallery 3) 1931-1945;
Gallery 4) 1945 to the present.

Besides these there were two Exhibitions going on, one was on "Deadly Medicine: Creating the master race" and another was on "Life in Trenches". Both were amazing.

The former exhibition was related to Nazi philosophy of creating a genius race by killing all those whom they think are inferior. Though in other parts of the world, including England, USA and Canada, there were advocates of these theories but in Germany it was followed horribly by the Nazi party. It included holocost of Jews and killing of even infants in Gas Chambers. I was horrified and just speechless.

How much Inhuman a Human can be!!

The another exhibition was on trenches. These were introduced in First world war and the exhibition depicted what was the day to day life of a soldier in these deadly places. How they used to entertain themselves, away from home and in constant fear of death. They evolved a unique "Trench Culture".

After visiting these two exhibition we started with permanent galleries.

Gallery 1: Battleground
This gallery looks at the earliest wars Canada was involved in, many of which were pre-Confederation. Beginning with First Peoples Warfare, it highlights New Alliances between the Natives and Europeans, the resultant Clash of Empires, The American Revolution, The War of 1812, and finally Conflict and Confederation.

At the end of the Clash of Empires displays, a movie called the Battle for Canada illustrates warfare in the time period, with three narrators reacting to the events as if they were part of a televised hockey game. The three viewers make comments on behalf of the British (represented by an actor wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey), the French (Montreal Canadiens), and Aboriginal Canadians (Vancouver Canucks, whose logo design is like Haida art).
Today we had bring lunch from home so we did that in cafeteria after visiting both exhibitions and first gallery.

Gallery 2: "For Crown and Country"
The museum progresses chronologically into the period from 1885 to 1931, beginning with The South African War. The First World War is introduced, leading into The Western Front, In the Trenches, Vimy, Passchendaele, Costly Victory, and Aftermath.
There are two films playing constantly in this gallery. One is on Vimy, while the other looks at the aftermath. Highlighting the dark, mucky, and dangerous conditions faced during trench warfare is a simulation. Those with ancestors who served in the First World War (CEF, Canadian Expeditionnary Fore) can view their enlistment papers in a database.

Gallery 3: "Forged in Fire"
Just as The Rise of Dictators started the era leading to the Second World War, this gallery looking at 1931-1945 begins with Adolf Hitler (whose personal limousine is on display and labelled "a symbol of evil"), Mussolini, and Tojo. Continuing through the gallery, visitors learn about The Battle of the Atlantic, Japan Strikes in the Pacific, The Home Front, Dieppe, The Air War, Italy and Normandy, both of which are created in detailed lifesize displays, Liberation and Victory, and Homecoming.

In the midst of the Normandy display is The Lookout onto LeBreton Gallery.

Gallery 4: "A Violent Peace"
Spanning 1945 to present day, A Violent Peace begins with Welcome Home, showing the rise of suburban Canada. From World War to Cold War, Korea, NATO, NORAD, U.N. Peacekeeping, The Cold War at Home, Cold War Twilight, and The Savage Wars of Peace all are featured. Short films play continuously regarding both peacekeeping and modern conflicts, the latter covering events as recent as the September 11, 2001 attacks and the fall of Saddam Hussein. The NATO exhibit includes a simulation game, and visitors can also take a self-guided physical to compare their stamina to military requirements.

Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour
Displayed in this exhibition hall are military honours, certificates of service, works of art, Remembrance Day poppies, and other material objects used by Canadians to remember and commemorate their military past and to honour those who have worn a Canadian uniform. Among the highlights is the original plaster model for the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

Regeneration Hall
It is a soaring, peaceful space. The north wall of the hall is a tall series of windows through which it is possible to view the Peace Tower of the main Canadian Parliament building.

The rooms features the plaster casts (maquettes) of the figures which were incorporated into the design of the Vimy Memorial which commemorates the military victory of the Canadian forces attacking and taking Vimy Ridge during World War I.

We completed the things by 5:00 PM.

Badly tired but satisfied with our exploration, we came back for good dinner and sleep. Tomorrow again we have to getup early and attend training sessions at office.

Memories from 10th November to 1st December
Week of 10th November was not good as my beloved grandfather passed away on 15th november evening. His life has always been an inspiration to me. I have hardly seen him in any stress. He was always happy, was always content with what Lord had given to him, never cheated to anybody in any manner. I do not know how much I can follow his ideals...

May Krishna let his soul rest in peace....
HARI OM TAT SAT

I was very sad and crying from inside. Many times I was just about to cry and then Pravin helped me a lot. He took my attention to be let here and there so that I am away from those painful moments.

I saw a few movies also like Johhny Gaddar, Woh Kaun Thee, 192o and Wednesday. I liked Wednedday very much. I found myself very close to the role played by Nasiruddin Shah.

Weather became colder and colder by day...a little snowfall and chilled wind.

Mostly remained confined to home or office.

There were two small idols of Ganesha and Sai Baba at the Pinecrest home. I was not sure who put them there. Perhaps our other colleagues, who were there before we occupied. I thought these idols to submerge into Ottawa river on 28th November. Pravin and I went there and put these at junction of Ottawa river and Rideau Canal. The reson was that as other occupants may not know about these and so should not desrespect them unknowingly.

While submerging those idols at water I slipped in snow and fell down straight on ground hurting my back. It was very painful for initial few moments and I thought I may have to visit a doctor, but later it became better. Pravin tried to help me by putting pressure on my back bone. It gave temperory relief. But still, even after returning to Bangalore, I had a little pain.

on 26/11/, there was mayhem at Mumbai. Some demons killed about 200 people including some foreigner guests. Obviously this was done to put a bad name to India. But these demons do not know that India has given birth to Warriors like Rama and Krishna, Arjun and Bhim...once that spirit again rises in India and these bastards will never get a place to hide. These cowards does not have guts to come in open and challenge our mighty armies. From small holes they spray bullets on innocent people and assume themselves as big braves...shame on them!!

Finally we started from Ottawa to mother land, Punya bhoomi Bharat Varsha on Saturday 29th November and reached Bangalore on early hours of Monday, 1st December. Journey was tiring particularly the last leg. It was also eventless except that duty free wine bottles purchased by Shivananda and being carried by Shivananda and Ganaraja were caught by security officials at Frankfurt airport. Wine bottles were seized by them. Their logic was that they can allow duty free items purchased only from European Union.

Ganaraja
I know him since last 5-6 months. He is very intelligent. He is trying hard to improve his skills further. I wish him good luck.

I wish all other colleagues, Pravin Prakash, Ajit Phadnis, Premchand Daruvuru, Kenny Lingineni, Shivananda and Sachin Saraf with all the best. Their presence at Ottawa made things very smooth for all of us. "Thanks" is a small word. I wish all of them good luck for all sat-karma.

Let Krishna shower his blessings on all of us!!!!
(...Concluded)