Prepare Delhi Now

It's not only about the Mumbai rains or BMC...it about the lack of general preparedness as a nation to combat potential natural disasters. Follow this link where the rains are, for a change, flooding the Delhi airport!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoshow/4828251.cms

So, how are we changing our thought process on planning out our future cities? Infrastructure is not only about building fly-overs and mono-rails, right? Is all the infra planning integrated? Do we have task-forces to actively research, prove feasiblity of projects and get faster clearance from Environment ministry, Urban development authorities, railways and I don't know what not...that comes in the way of integrated planning and a smooth execution.

Catch this show on Discovery..or NatGeo, probably.. Mega structures...the one on a chinese mega suspension bridge (Xihoumen, I guess). The project was scheduled to be completed in Oct 2009. The bridge was ready and open for traffic in Dec 2007 in four years flat! You can't help but compare it to our Bandra-Worli Sea Link done up in a little over 10 years...

Moment of Truth

New Levels of Oblivion

One step and another,
This aimless journey uphill,
'Keep going', they say, 'keep going',
And, look where have I reached!

New levels of oblivion,
There is magic in the breeze,
The ultimate levitation,
And, look where have I reached!

A world of blissful indifference,
So hollow there is no space,
Voices turned to mere noises,
Both time and purpose have ceased.

Mera Bharat Mahaan

This is a real incidence. Though you'd find it mundane, ordinary and definitely not shocking, I still emphasize its real because otherwise the issue behind these significant yet mundane things is dismissed with everyday humor.

Last night, a white SUV drove-in straight (via the pavement) to the porch of a well-known south-mumbai movie multiplex. I was waiting there for the rain to allow me to hail a cab. My husband was on phone alongside me. Two white-kurta-pyjamas-clad politicians with visible security men walked out from the SUV that stopped inches away from the glass-door entrance. The first thing one of them did was to spit 'pan' or whatever he was chewing right in front of the spic-n-span entrance, in front of us. And in full public view, he also threw his cigarette butt carelessly around. "...Talk about civic sense..", I thought to myself and looked away. But, my husband who is a li'l more sensitive about these things couldn't help being sarcastic and that too aloud, "Mera bharat mahaan" he said in an even tone.

The guy turned around, posed for a while, like Mahatma Gandhi often did with an index finger pointed out at you, except for the fact that he was looking more threatening and angry. "MERA BHARAT MAHAAN?..." he asked, "DON'T try and act smart with me...". I just stared at the guy and his audacity(the politician's, of course). But, my husband went ahead and asked him why is that cigarette butt thrown there and that dirty pan-residue spit right out the door. Suddenly, the security men came forward. The man from this country's leadership fraternity kept reinforcing.."do not try to be smart with me..". I stood like a rock beside my guy [by all means I was not moving much less giving any signs that I was alive ;)]. The man goes "Pitwa dalunga.." in full view of the entire junta that can hear all this and go home and sleep peacefully.

Needless to say, the kind politician spared me and my unapologetic husband. Subsequently, I swore and abused the politician within the closed doors of the cab.

This morning a lot of questions popped-up in my mind...no great answers though, I have an idea...like we have those basic etiquette classes for management trainees, we should have some classes for politicians as well. For example:

>>Civic Sense - More and more educational institutes have started culturing kids on not littering etc to internalize these things. When they grow up & realize that they are the only fools who practice it..they will associate civic sense, rights and duties with the 'aam-admi syndrome'. Wouldn't that be destructive in the long run?

>>CRM as in (customer relationship management) - Who are the end customers of the governance in a country? Citizens, no? Then, when would we be treated with a little more respect like how a typical firm treats its customers? Or much less, may be. Are customers segmented clearly in politics? Why are most of these customers not heard or treated better? Is it a culture issue? Is this phenomenon pervasive?

Anyway, so that was that. Oh and I forgot, the movie was just alright.

Do you google?

I think most internet creatures are being increasingly blinded by google search engine. All search results seem to be sponsored sites, in one way or the other....at least on the first few pages. It now appears more like any other commercialized advertising portal. Searching for relevant stuff has become a process where you manually filter out the nonsense.

The Origin of River Krshna

I'm back from a happy tour to Mahabaleshwar. Before I actually visited "Panchganga Mandir", I was mighty excited about visiting the source of a river. I was doing it for the first time. In my imagination I had already peeped into the source of the stream flowing down through the hill right to the bottom....from between grass and pebbles.

As we walked up to the source, we discovered that the it was made into a temple. There was no source in sight. Drains were built over the sources (five streams originate on that mountain) and then water was routed into one single stream which was visible flowing out of a stone sculpture (a bull's mouth). It was nothing like the nature lover's place that you'd expect. Sadly, there were so many people fighting over getting drops of that water and in the process the whole stream and the pond beneath became muddy and dirty. Lots of children were there as well. Children couldn't get through to the source so they would copy the pious adults and sprinkle muddy water of the dirty pond over their face and head.

I don't know what...but it got me thinking.

When Truth Is Lame Enough

Usually, I don't lie. When I have to, it's super-smart, quick and the excuses are far from mundane, lame ones.

But have you ever thought about what to do if you are in a situation where the truth was so flaky it sounded like a lame excuse? It's amusing actually. Let me relate. Recently, I moved into a new city where I have a couple of cousins and friends stationed for years. One of those friends invited me to a restaurant to meet some of her friends. I joined them. From the middle of nowhere, (one of her friends)'s mom had come to join us. Suddenly, a girl from the group got up, came close to me and whispered, "hey, I'm not carrying a bag to put this in...you know, there's this aunty now...dropping it in ur bag, will take it back later...". I looked at her hands pulled beneath the table top. It was a pack of cigarettes and a match-box. I didn't have too much to say anyway, so I let her.

I came back home. Went back to work the next day. Nothing happened. Then after work, I came back to my acco. A colleague, who I'm still getting to know better, comes to me and asks for something. I pick my bag upside down and there! The cigarette and the match-box fall out. Now, the background to the story is that the other day we were exploring each others habits and we had a casual conversation about how I have never taken to smoking even when most of my last few roomies smoked regularly! Anyway, so there I was, picking the pack of cigarettes up from the floor and I had to say something so I started like this -

Me: "Well..not mine..."
Her: "hmm...that's OK"
Me: "ha ha...its amusing...actually a friend slipped it in my bag last evening.."
Her: "accha accha.."
Me: "well...it's strange that we talked about this only the other day and then this girl put it in my bag and forgot to take it back...." (it kinda trailed off)
Her: "Of course, yar...in fact it's okay even if you smoke"
Me: "am sure it is...just that I don't.."

What could have I said to not make the issue any more important and still put it clearly that I wasn't lying when we casually spoke about smoking that day!?!

Another one:

It was my cousin's birthday. He called his friends and me and we all ate out that evening. As luck would have it, two leaders from my project (like the top guys) were eating in the same restaurant. When I noticed I went up to them to say hello etc. We chatted for a while very casually.

As elderly people put it, one of them asked, "So is that young man in stripes your fiance, Shilpa?" (FIANCE...? I freaked out hearing that term!)
I wanted to say, "which part of that question is really your business?"
But I uttered, "fiance?...m not..er...well, who...?" (turned around to realize my own cousin was wearing stripes) "Oh..that....I said, that's my cousin..".
"Ah!" he goes.
"it's his birthday today.." I go on aimlessly.
"Oh good, this is a nice place to eat...well enjoy your evening.", he ends.

OK, I hate that "this is a nice place to eat.." shit! Especially if that comes with a look that gestures at me suggesting as if I'm lying! As if, he's saying, "hmm...cousin...that's the lamest excuse".

Excuses are much easier, if you have to make them at all, that is. But God! what do I do with truth, now?

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P.S.:- After reading this, my friend added (you can catch her blog at http://tranquilabundance.blogspot.com/ ):

Happened to me a few days back. Sukhleen's (her roomie) bf kunal..was trying to take parathas frm my plate..i was trying to dodge him..somehow..i hid the paratha in da kitchen..and ran to the kitchen..and he caught my hand. Sukhleen walks in wid a quizzical xpression..i say..he was takin my paratha and no paratha in sight! She was like..yeah..its cool..and i was like..no i was really trying to save the last piece fr myself. she ends it..its ok yaar..i know u guys are da closest pple to me.