24x7

I wish it were 100x7 instead of 24x7. I have never felt such shortage of the number of hours in a day. I really want them to increase. I have been planning to write a post on a small incident that happened a couple of days ago on the road when I was returning home from somewhere, and I haven't had the time to even open the blogger page.

Anyways. This particular incident caught my attention and I was moved by it to a certain extent- may not be an emotional feeling but still some kind of a trigger that pinched me inside. I was on my bike going home at around 8:30P.M. and I saw an auto-rickshaw trying to pull itself slowly along the road. I used the horn twice or thrice and then decided to overtake it quickly. I managed to move closer to it and a slight pressure on the accelerator would have put me ahead of the three wheeler, but a casual glance at it changed all that was going on in my mind at that moment. The auto rickshaw was carrying ten people in all. By the appearance of the commuters, I understood that the driver was taking few children home from school. The driver's seat accomodated three persons including the driver, of whom the other two (boys) had their feet dangling in the air. The back seat (the main seat) was too crowded and accomodated nearly eight girls with two of them almost hanging out from the side of the auto.

I slowed my bike and stopped it in front of the auto. I got down from my bike and asked the driver, "Is this enough? Or shall I get in too? Are you crazy? There are ten people in your auto and none of them would be younger than ten years, when in reality, an auto rickshaw can carry only four at a time including the driver. This can lead to accidents. Just look at the way the kids are trying to hold on to the side rods to prevent themselves from falling down. Why are you doing this?" I couldn't say anything more than that. I just gave a sympathetic look at those kids and left the place.

The boy sitting beside the driver felt amused at the way I posed this question to the driver, and I won't blame him nor any other kid in that auto rickshaw for their plight. For the next few hours, even at dinner, I thought about the different reasons that could have led to it.

The conclusion is that the auto was on hire on a monthly basis to carry children from home to school and back. Now, who's responsible for this? Who is to be made guilty for this situation?

• The driver who wants to earn as much as he can in just a two-way journey apart from his regular fares?
• The parents of the kids who just think of sending their children to school as their responsibility and overlook the different good and bad consequences that may occur in the process?
• The traffic police who inspite of coming across such autos, fail to impose any restrictions and unfortunately either take bribes or let them go unnoticed?

Good Sign

Finally, I get to see some sincere government officials/ sectors in the country - a positive sign showing that there is still something left in the country to feel happy about. The topic under discussion is the power cut 'issue' at the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh's residence in Nagpur. The electricity department disconnected the power supply to the CM's residence for non-payment of dues of nearly Rs. 1.2 lakh.

It is good to see the sectors targeting even dignitaries like chief ministers and other powerful political people along with the common man.

The whole story can be read here.

d' Name game

If my previous post, The Lost Strangers is adapted for a short play, what title would you suggest for it? You have the freedom to dub the play into any language (only the title would be sufficient) and name it accordingly, but please translate the title in a language other than Hindi or Telugu into English because I still have to learn the remaining 21 languages spoken in India. :D

Let there be someone to test your creativity sometimes. :)

I am not an Indian... but I am called so

Just read the article that appeared in the Rediff today titled I am an Assamese not an Indian. This was said by the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom which was banned by the government) leader, Anup Chetia who was arrested in 1997 at Dhaka.

Not an Indian but an Assamese. Ok, how does this sound? Hello, I am not from India. I am from a part of India, and I do not want this part to be a part of India. I really don't think the government should sit down and have talks with such people.

Mobile Analyst

Endless analysis of online reviews on different mobiles has made me a good specialist. It has become something like a hobby to me - comparing the features and prices of different cell phone gizmos and choosing the best one amongst the whole range of the product. So, I was just wondering if this could be made into a profession. I mean when one can consult professional consultants prior to investing in stock market, then why can't one use the same kind of services when investing in a mobile. Both cost money and both can be risky. That's because you shouldn't repent after spending some thousands of bucks on a gizmo. And, just imagine what would be the case if you spend around 12K-15K on a mobile gadget and end up cursing the poor sound quality or the cam quality after a week or two. This is a risky investment too just like the volatile stock market.

I have infact started advising few of my friends regarding their best bet. They give me the list of features they would like to have in their mobile and I nail down a few phones for them to decide. So, don't you think this can be a good profession to get into?

Are you planning to get yourself a new mobile? Why risk your money without proper research? You can always consult someone who knows how it can be done. You know, right? :D

The Lost Strangers

Scene 1

Characters- Young Lady, a middle-aged woman in a cotton salwar

Ext. Road-Noon

The young lady lost in a new place looking for some help.

Lady: Excuse me! Which bus will take me to Ashok Nagar?
Woman: 5E.
Lady: (in Hindi) Kitne der mein aayega?
Woman: Next stop (Tamil accent)
Lady: Oh! you mean, bus yahan nahin aayega?
Woman: Nods her head to say no.
Lady: Kitna dur hai yahan se woh next stop?
Woman: Little hai. (The lady gives a smile trying to hide her amusement)
Lady: Thank you.

Scene2

Characters- The young lady, an old man (other people pouring in at the bus-stop)

Ext. Road-Noon

Adyar bus-stop down the bridge, quite busy at noon. An old man in white khadi clothes is standing under the sun eagerly waiting for a bus.

Lady: (I guess, this old man could be of some help- should understand some English) Excuse me!
Man : Yes? (In heavy Tamil accent)
Lady: When will the next 5E come?
Man: It left just now.
Lady: Oh, is it? (She damns her bad timing. She already had had a lot since morning) How long will it take to come back?
Man: Not long. You wait.
Lady: Yeah, thank you.

Scene3

Characters- The young Lady, another young lady and a young chap

Int. Bus-Half past noon

The young lady finally gets into 5E after waiting for 20 minutes for it to arrive at the bus-stop. She manages to push herself through the crowd and gets a seat beside a 'typical Tamilian' woman.

Lady: (I hope I find someone who speaks either English or Hindi. This isn't going to take me anywhere)

The woman gets down at the nest next stop and a young working woman occupies her seat.

Lady: (Now confident that the woman next to her would definitely speak English) Excuse me! Could you please inform me when the bus nears Ashok Nagar? Actually, I am new to Chennai and I do not know any place here.
YWoman: Well, I am sorry. I myself don't know much about the places here.
Lady: Oh! At least, will you please tell the woman in the front seat in Tamil to do the favour? I can't speak Tamil.
YWoman: Actually, I too don't know Tamil (She smiles at her)

('Two strangers lost in a similar way sitting beside each other') Both have a hearty laugh.

YWoman: Ok, wait. I will try to help you out of it.

She bends over the front seat and says something to a woman in faltering Tamil. The woman nods her head in confusion.

Lady: (Sees a young chap standing next to their seat) Well, I guess, he should be of some help to us.
YWoman: Who, he? Okay.
Lady: Excuse me, will this bus go to Ashok Nagar?
Chap: Ashok Nagar? I don't know, but it will go to Udayam Theater.
Lady: (More confused and lost now. 'Where's this Udayam Theater? i want to go to Ashok Nagar')

Meanwhile, the woman in the front seat waves her hand to confirm that she would help us

YWoman: Yeah, don't worry. She will help you find the place.
Lady: Hopefully

The young lady spends the rest of the time trying to read the names of the places from the hoardings above shops, unable to trust anyone anymore. After sometime, she finds 'Ashok Nagar' written everywhere at the shops in a particular street and pats herself for having thought of a good idea.

Lady: Listen, I think I need to get down here.
YWoman: Are you sure?
Lady: Yeah. I remember the street there, the place where I have to go.
YWoman: Okay. You sure?
Lady: Yeah. Two hundred percent. Does the bus stop here? Ok, I will ask them to stop.
YWoman: Yeah, do that.

The lady tries to make her way out of the heavy crowd of women trying to grab her seat. She suddenly stops and turns back as if to complete something and smiles at the young stranger who helped her a lot even without doing anything for her.

Lady: Bye!
YWoman: (Smiling) Bye.

The lady gets down as the bus stops at the corner of the street.

(The two strangers get lost again, now far from their unknown friend)

The Lost Strangers' Last Meet.

Ab alvida hi kehna...

We couldn’t have celebrated Independence Day in a worse way. Everything went well until we decided to go out to a movie (It’s just another holiday for most of us :( ). We chose one of the recent releases – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and, for us, it turned out to be an Independence Day lacking freedom. We got stuck in the hall for three and a half hours and the doors were opened only after the end of the show. I never cursed myself so much while watching a film. The question is why one should waste some crores of rupees in making a film like KANK. Moreover, it was a really lengthened movie.

The first thing I expected before the start of the film was the national anthem. Can’t you play it at least once a year? I remember watching a video of our national anthem at one of the theaters in Mumbai last month. It was such a wonderful video –twelve renowned singers of the country together rendering the national anthem. I felt disappointed even before the start of the film. And, the next three and a half hours consumed all my enthusiasm and energy. I always used to be skeptic about Karan Johar type films – utterly sentimental, high drama and no story line. (You may have to carry a few handkerchiefs with you if you are one who gets moved easily).

The music wasn't good either except Mitwa. It was rehashed, particularly one song (I don't remember the lyrics) which sounded exactly like a song from the movie Kyon Ho gaya Naa. No wonder because the music director trio is the same for both the films.

After watching it, I clearly understood the reason behind choosing that title for the film. Karan Johar is trying to tell his audience, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (Please do not stop watching my films after this one). An apt title, I guess! :D I felt Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was a lot better than this one (I personally couldn’t appreciate KKHH though). Looks like, he is diluting his films with time. On the whole, a nap at home instead would have been good for me. Alvida.

Long live 'Its' glory

Happy Independence Day to all.

In memory

Today is the 65th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, the revolutionary movement that drew in a great victory for India under the British rule. It all started on the 9th of August in 1942 and went on till the 15th of August, 1947. It is sad that the day is being celebrated as just 'Raksha Bandhan' and not in remembrance of Quit India, the significant crusade that involved every Indian irrespective of caste, creed, religion or region and that which reminds us of the oneness that held the country together 'once upon a time'.

Creative answering

I would have loved to write something like this in the answer paper but fear of a 'Fail' grade had always kept me away from it. :D