A Strange Thing Called Life

A date with Ganga

2010-12-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

Since my posting in Delhi, a visit to Haridwar and Rishikesh have always been on the anvil. We have often toyed with the idea of going on a bike trip up there. However, it never materialized. In short, Rishikesh and Haridwar have always ranked high on my places to visit.

Everything finally came in place 2weeks back on the last weekend of November -10. But this trip was quite different from my other trips. For one, I was going with an entirely new group, my roomie being the linking factor between me and them. The entire planning was done by them, and unlike our usual pack and leave kind of trip,they were planning it for nearly a month.

Accordingly, a tour package was booked withan agent at Rishikesh costing about 1.5k per head. It consisted of camp, barbecue and white river rafting in the ganga. The main confusion was on the mode of transport. The initial plan was to book a cab without a driver and do some self drive. But soon this idea was dropped and we decided to go with a professional driver. The next dilemma was on the vehicle to hire. One group wanted Ford Endeavor, the other an Innova. I belonged in the Ford Camp. But finally the unavailability of Endeavor and the high cost of the ones that were available made us go for Innova.

With a couple of guys dropping out, the group finally consisted of 6 members. It was planned to set out at 6 in the morning as the route, though very short, is notorious for its traffic. We were ready by 5:30 all eager to set out, only to learn that the driver hasn’t showed up at the taxi centre. The departure thus got delayed till 7. 5 of us joined from Delhi and we picked the sixth on the way, from Noida. The surprises were still not over though.

The CD player in the cab seemed to have a mind of its own as it kept rejecting perfectly working CDs for no obvious reason. Only two were working- Sai Bhajans and a collection of AR Rahman hits. We went for the second. But many of the Oscar winning musicians songs were too slow for the driver who kept changing them and then with an occasional taunt asked us whether we have only such “rona-dhona gaanas”. The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful except for a major buffalo market on way near Muzzafarnagar, which attracted huge crowds with rented lorries to carry off their purchases.

We reached Rishikesh around 2 and after reporting at the tourist agent’s, went straight to camp. We were allotted our tents followed by a simple yet delicious lunch. The camp is located on the sand banks of the river and after a bit of rest we started playing some beach volley ball. This was followed by football, till one guy got knocked out with a strike on his head, and then cricket.

By 6 the sun started setting and we started gathering for the camp fire. It wasn’t really a camp fire but did enough to keep us engaged as we kept taunting the camp organizers for making it strong. We had an amazing sunset, followed by a nice dinner. One of the best time of my life.

Next day we were supposed to set out at 10 for rafting, but everyone woke up only around 9. After freshening up and a heavy breakfast, we were finally ready to get physical with ganga. The guide gave us instructions and safety tips to follow while on the raft and going head on against the rapids. Thus we set off, 6 of us with two guides, myself and my roomie manning the bow of the raft, the guides forming the rare.

Highly unsynchronized in our efforts, the guide roared himself soar scolding us. With very low spirits we prepared ourselves to meet the first rapid. Boy, words cannot explain the sensation of having freezing cold water hitting against your face and the relief you feel once you have made it out in one piece. The first two rapids were supposedly the most dangerous and we made through the first. But the second one held more surprises.

While I was rowing full strength in the second rapid, I felt some serious commotions just behind me and saw one row blade flowing past our raft. The guy sitting immediately behind me had fallen into the water and the guides put in a valiant effort to pull him back aboard. This was followed by another roaring session of the guide. But I guess the mishap followed by the guide’s humiliation fired all of us up. We found harmony in our movements and after the next couple of rapids, the guide started praising us.

Soon we hit flat waters and were allowed to take the holy dip. Thanks to the life jacket, I was able to float around in the 60 foot deep, freezing cold water. Soon, one of the members started shivering, what the guides called being possessed by GOD, and we all climbed back. We took the raft aground and had some tea and hot maggi from the only vendor along the way. This was followed by cliff jumping.

After everyone had their share of fun, we continued our journey downward. Finally, after nearly 4 hrs of rafting we covered the 17kms journey from Shivpuri to Rishikesh covering 5 rapids. Everyone was excited, no one have had such an experience before and immediately started planning for the next trip.

After a quick lunch, we continued our onward journey towards Haridwar. We reached just in time to watch the evening Arathi. Finally, we came to the end of an amazing weekend. Now looking back its impossible to imagine how much fun was packed into those two short days. Eagerly waiting for the next trip to meet the dear lady Ganga.

Ranthambore-On the Tiger Trail

2010-05-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

Summer was fast approaching. Every week new records were being set for the highest temperature. We started planning for what could possibly be the last bike trip of the season during the second weekend of April. After pondering over the numerous hill stations around Delhi we finally zeroed in on the small but little exploited Landsdowne. Preparations were in full swing but then life is so full of ironies. This nature trip of mine came in conflict with the nature saving initiative of my company- the introduction of Euro IV fuel grades in India. We were loaded with so much work that I had to bail out of the trip in the last moment. My friends had a wonderful time and got some nice pictures, much to my envy. I was at an all time low having missed out on the season’s last journey.
But as my friend says “The biggest problem of getting bitten by the travel bug is that constant itching to travel further”. One month hadn’t passed after Landsdowne and we started to consider the next possibility. With temperatures soaring ever so higher our initial dilemma was between Nainital, Dehradun and Kasauli. Each were ruled out for their distinctive disadvantages. My disappointment of having not seen a tiger in Sariska made me suggest a trip to some tiger reserve. Sunil, my friend, having visited all tiger reserves except Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh and the North Eastern ones suggested Ranthambore. This was the ideal time for sighting them there. But 400kms by road oneway, in this climate and with just two days made a road trip almost impossible, and we decided to go by rail.
We started scouting for tickets. Unfortunately, all trains to Sawai Madhopur district where Ranthambore is located were full. We finally booked a sleeper in the Mewar express. Our return tickets were in RAC. Got a room booked at Hammir Resort in Ranthambore. Also booked a morning trip to the forest on 1st May. On 30th April we caught the train at 7:30 PM. Reached there at 1 AM.
In Ranthambore we can go in either in a gypsy, 6passengers, or in a canter, which is like a truck with 14 passengers. Gypsy costs Rs 600 per head and canter Rs 400 per head. We wanted to get a gypsy for just the two of us. Unfortunately, none was available. This was a little disappointing as Sunil being an avid bird watcher wanted to have the freedom of stopping the vehicle whenever he saw even the smallest of birds which wouldn’t be possible in a canter. Further, you are put up with 12other people which is not always good when you gor for a wild life trip.
Our morning trip was at 6 AM. So after a 3hour sleep we got ready to leave. Our worst nightmares came true when we saw the people in the canter. They were making so much noise that we lost hope of seeing any interesting wildlife let alone a tiger. They had no interest in anything except seeing the tiger and some even thought there were lions in the reserve. They got on the nerves of our driver and guide and even got “Gallis” from other vehicles for the noise they were making.

But I guess luck favors the stupid. After about 30minutes into our journey we had the first sighting. There was a group of 3vehicles, two infront of us, and walking towards us was the female tiger T-19. Since we were last in line we couldn’t get a good shot of the animal. But it passed by the side of the first few vehicles and then went into the jungle crossing right in front of our canter. It was so close, like the strays that cross our vehicles on city roads. What a magnificent animal it was. And it was very huge. I imagined wild tigers to be sleeker than those in zoos as they are not spoon fed. But she was huge. This sighting changed our moods for the better. We waited for some time hoping it will come out ant then moved on. There were quite a lot of other animals as well- spotted deers, sambhars, neel ghais, hanuman langurs etc and a lot of bird life as well. But the tiger was missing. We were nearing the end of the 3 hour trip and the driver started taking us back. But just about 15 meters from the boundary gate was parked a canter and gypsy and its occupants were buzzing. And there it was basking in the morning sun, right in the middle of the road, another huge beautiful female T-17, the sister of the one we saw earlier. It was less than 8ft away from our vehicle, unperturbed by the trespassers into her territory. We got about 15min with her until the calm was disturbed by a vehicle full of school kids, who on seeing the animal couldn’t control their enthusiasm. But after this everyone was really happy and excited, satisfied with the journey. On returning to the resort I handed over 1000Rs to the guide for the seats in the canter as is the case in Sariska. He was very happy and asked whether we will be going in the evening. We said we haven’t decided. But after returning to the reception, we learned that the money for the seats were to be given here and not to the guide. The guide thought we had given him a handsome tip, which explained his eagerness in getting us to go with him in the evening. But the excitement of seeing the tiger helped us overcome the huge dent this blunder made to our pockets.

From the reception we came to know about a guy called Sunny Patil. He is an ex navy guy, who quit that job and now worked as guide at the Oberoi. He also takes people on private guided tours to the Chambal ravines around the sanctuary. Though his charge of 4000Rs was very high, we decided to go ahead with it as the ravines are famous for mammals like jackals, fox, Indian wolf, caracal, sloth bear; reptiles like the crait, cobra etc. Also, his tour included a trip to a lake as well with ample bird life. We set out at 5 from the resort and on way got sighting of a Jackal family. Unfortunately, when we reached the lake, the staff of one of the hotels was having a picnic there. They were making such noise that any chance of seeing wildlife disappeared. However the place was serene and beautiful. Would have been excellently peacefully had it not been for the people gathered there that day. After the sun went down we started our return journey, ideal for spotting mammals. But misfortune continued as it started drizzling slightly. The climate became so pleasant that our hopes were crushed. We saw camel spider, a whole lot of jackals, a couple of rufous tailed hares. But nothing in the scale of what we had expected. We returned disappointed. But our guide was very impressed with our knowledge on wildlife which was not the case with most of the other tourists that he takes out. He was esp impressed with Sunils knowledge on birds. So next day we planned to meet again, this time free of cost.
After dinner, we set out on a night stroll hoping may be a leopard will jump in front. But after walking a few hundred kilometers away from the resort, the place becomes so dark and spooky that the flashlight you used rarely when you set out comes into use for every rustle of the leaf you hear.
Next day morning again we came to know that we got a canter only. Our spirits went down slightly. But the group this time was very interesting. They were wildlife enthusiasts, not just tourists who came to see the tiger. They enjoyed other animals as well, even the smallest of birds like us. So it was an interesting trip. We were in Zone 1 this day. It’s a very small area surrounding the very famous Rajgadh water hole of Ranthambore. But there was no tiger any where. At the centre of the lake is a fort. News had come that the tiger is inside the fort with a kill. We kept circling the water hole but as I said earlier, it seems tiger comes out only for stupids. We saw lots of other animals and birds but just not tiger. Finally we gave up and settled below a tree hoping the tiger would come out of the fort. After about half an hour of patient waiting one guy with a bino spotted the animal. It set the entire canter abuzz. We managed to get a long shot of the animal. It was the same T-17 we saw earlier, but the pictures we got was more natural than the previous day’s. The spirits shot up and everyone left the park happy.
That day after lunch, we took a gypsy for 2000 and went to a nearby place called Kundla. Roamed about for a couple of hours. Got pug marks of tiger and sloth bear but dint sight any big mammals except the jackal. But we were lucky to see the juvenile of a flame backed king fisher being attacked by three rufous backed treepies.

After this we met up with Sunny Patil. He took us to a place were leopard sighting is common. But it started drizzling again. Though we dint see the leopard, we got pictures of a chinkara juvenile, sand grouse etc.

Finally our trip was coming to an end. I dint feel like coming back from there. The place is so cut out from the rest of the world. There you see how people respect the wild life. Our return trip was by the 1 o’clock Mewar express. We were packed up and ready to leave by 11. Our tickets which were RAC also got confirmed. So after two days of excitement and very little sleep we were ready for a peaceful and comfortable trip back. But our adventure was just not getting over yet.

We reached station way before time but were surprised to check the reservation list. Neither of our names were there on the list. Our confusions increased and we were incensed by the inefficiency of the railways who after sending us a confirmation sms has failed to put the names on the list. But we were in for shock when we analyzed the ticket. Our ticket was for 1:00 AM on 2/05/2010 which meant the train left early morning Sunday. We got mixed up with the AM-PM confusion and booked the wrong train. Finally we had to book a general class ticket and come in a train all packed with humanity. Thus came to an eventful end a very eventful trip.

A trip on HOLI

2010-03-02T01:37:00.000-08:00

Holi, a scary proposition for me from college. As it was approaching I was on the look out for ways to escape Delhi. As it fell on a Monday I had at hand a 3 day weekend. My friend and I started contemplating a bike trip for the week end. The climate was ideal for the same, neither hot not cold. The possible destinations ranged from the deserts of Rajasthan to the hill stations of Nainital. Finally we decided to visit the Sariska Tiger reserve considering the huge campaign tats been started for protecting our national animal.The plan was to reach Alwar district where sariska is situated. Get an accommodation there and then visit places of interest around. If time permits we also decided to drop by Jaipur on the return journey. We set out early on Saturday morning around 6:00 AM. Me on my Thunderbird, my friend Sunil on his Std 350. We drove continuously taking breaks only for tea and then for pictures at interesting locations in between.

Reached Alwar before noon. Our first destination in Alwar was Silisereh lake.

A former hunting lodge for the royalty, the lake is located in a very scenic location surrounded by hillocks. The hunting lodge is now an RTDC resort. But it has just 12 rooms so don’t dream of getting one without months of advance booking. After spending some time at this scenic location we climbed down hill. At the base was another RTDC resort. We booked a cottage for a paltry amount of 1200Rs. After resting our aching bodies for a couple of hours we set out to explore Bala Quila in the city.

The Quila has a Balaji temple, Balaji refers to Hanuman not Tirupathi Balaji, at the top. The ascent was superb with a good population of wild life along the way. We dint visit the temple but spent sunset atop the hill. After dark we returned to base and after food and watching India loose to SA hit bed.
Early next morning we set out for Sariska which is about 30Kms from our hotel.

Booked a jeep at the reserve for 1000 Rs and spend 3 hours inside. The reserve was frankly a let down. Inspite of the fact that the resort has only 3 tigers, deep down we were hoping we would get a sighting. We didn’t. The other wildlife was also ordinary and common, except for the migratory Bar Headed Geese, the highest flying birds in the world.

After lunch we set out for Jaipur. Though this journey was at the height of noon, still it was a pleasant drive. We reached Jaipur around 2 in the after noon. After freshening up we were joined by two of Sunils friends working in Jaipur. We decided to visit Jalmahal and the Nahargarh fort, of Rang De Basanti fame. After getting separated and lost for some time in the busy and confusing lanes of Jaipur we finally regrouped and reached Jalmahal to witness a beautiful sunset and moon-rise.

Then we went up Nahargarh. The way is full of hairpin curves and is completely dark. One wrong move and you will be plunging down. To add to the woes, half the climb is fully pot holed road. After some tricky driving all four of us reached the top in one piece. But the view and atmosphere up there is worth while. The entire jaipur city all lighted up looks extremely beautiful. We dint feel like coming down from there.

After the fort we decided to get a taste of some authentic Rajasthani food. We fixed up on some restaurant suggested by our guides. But when we reached the base of nahargarh tragedy struck. Sunils front tyre got punctured. Must have happened on one of the many pot holes en route. Fortunately it happened right in front of Jalmahal. So leaving Sunil and the girls behind I went in search of the mechanic. After loads off begging and promise of a good reward, one agreed to come. As the time was getting late the girls were packed off in an auto. Our plans for authentic rajasthani food was dropped and we decided to eat something after reaching our hotel. But this puncture was the crowning point of the entire journey. No bike journey is complete without some thing like this, esp when you are going in Royal Enfield. We got the thing rectified and reached our hotel just before midnight. In place of authentic Rajasthani we had just bread omlette.

After two days of early rising and continous driving we decided to wake up very late on the Holi day. We set out after a heavy brunch on our way back to Delhi. Reached back at around 5 PM covering 783 Kms in 2.5 days. One day later sitting in office typing this, I am already feeling nostalgic.

The Indian Diplomacy

2009-12-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with the bungling done in recent past by our celebrated diplomats abroad. No I am referring to the day to day diplomacy, which we street smart Indians employee, with much better elegance than our appointed diplomats.

I have been driving my bike around in Delhi for abt 6 months now. Those who drive will agree with me that when you are at a new place identifying red lights are most difficult. Especially in our country when half the time they don’t even work. Thus jumping the red light is the most common transgression committed by a driver in India. Hence I must be pardoned for getting caught violating this simple law 3times already. The first two times it happened around CP (Connought Place) which for me has become the most confusing round-about in the world. I had no idea where the red lights were and was actually more concerned about finding my way tat I became easy prey for the scary Delhi Police. On both these occasions I escaped paying a simple fine.

The third time I got caught was on my regular route, during my journey back to home from office. From a distance I saw that the green light had started blinking. It turned yellow by the time I crossed the zebra lines. As my bike doesn’t have a reverse gear and seeing cars which have reverse gears still proceeding I also decided to take the plunge. As I just passed the crossing the lights turned red and there waiting with open arms were the cops. Naturally I was the only driver to be pulled up. The reason I was the last to cross after the light became yellow. My argument that shouldn’t the first person be pulled up cause he tempted the others to follow suit apparently fell on deaf ears. They checked my license and other papers while I continued my argument about the light being still yellow doesn’t mean you should stop etc. Finally fed up with my arguments, and possibly after hearing quite a lot of English words being interspersed with my still fragile Hindi, they asked what I was doing. The response I got when I told my companies name is something that I have seen many times in various places of North India - respect.

Till then I was the one calling them sir but all of a sudden the power formulae changed. The officer who caught me had a relative in the outskirts of delhi who required a gas connection. Seeing an opportunity in me he changed his stand bringing in the street smart diplomacy I was talking about. I assured him I will do all I can after he took my number and confirmed I dint give him a fake one by giving a missed call immediately. I went scot-free but my joy was soon overcome with the prospect of explaining to my boss about helping out some random person living in some far flung area.

Fortunately it’s been some months now and I am yet to receive any calls from the person. So hopefully his gas issues got resolved without my intervention. But it does make you wonder whether the IFS officers need to be trained on how to be street smart by these experienced diplomats.

Stalked By a Dog

2009-11-06T05:38:00.001-08:00

This is an incident that happened to me during the initial months of my stay in Delhi. During that time I was put up at my company’s guest house in Noida. I was in sector 15A which falls right at the border with Delhi. I had some friends putting up at the Delhi side of the border at a place called Mayur Vihar. It was about 5kms from my place n I used to regularly take rickshaws to visit them.

The period was about November and my first winter in Delhi was setting in. The climate was very pleasant and so after visiting them in the evening I decided to walk back to my place. It was around 8 PM at night and since it was a Sunday the road was pretty deserted which is strange considering the fact that it’s the main connection between Delhi and Noida.

Now those who have visited this are would testify to the fact that after humans the most common living things in this neighborhood are cows and dogs. These creatures have been left stray by their owners after their utility expired. But they are domesticated and tend to be close to passersby who may remind them of their erstwhile owners. As I was walking back I saw a dog coming in the opposite direction. Now I have always been afraid of dogs and so slightly stepped aside to let is pass before proceeding. But after going ahead a few steps I realized that I wasn’t walking alone anymore. The dog was coming after me following my pace. I stopped again and let it go ahead. After going ahead a few paces it stopped and then lay down. Happy that it’s found its sweet spot I continued on my way only to realize that it’s also started. Being a cynophobic as I already mentioned, I got into a panic. Not knowing what to do I picked up my pace only to find the dog also get into his stride. When I reached a slightly busy junction I crossed the road hoping to loose but found the dog was with me when I reached the other side.

I realized that I had to find a faster way of transport and a human pulled rickshaw wont work. I continued walking praying an auto will come by. My prayers were soon answered and I jumped into the first auto that came my way agreeing to pay him the unreasonably high rate esp considering that more than half the distance was already covered. But my priority for the moment was to escape my “Stalker”.

I reached home safe with all body parts intact only with a much lighter wallet. My last sight was that of the animal running behind the auto with his tongue hanging out as it panted. But after reaching home I felt very bad for the animal though. He must have picked up my scent which reminded him of his old master; the animal seemed to be of a good breed and not a common mongrel. I felt I should have treated the creature better esp since I consider myself a nature lover. Next time I went to my frnds place I was looking out for the animal hoping to find it. I never did.

Getting over my Writers Block

2009-11-06T05:15:00.000-08:00

Well it’s been a very long time since I put up something here. To be exact my last post was on 28th March 2008, Friday. I guess it’s just a coincidence tat I decided to come out of my writers block n start posting here on yet another Friday more than 17 months later. Many a times during this period of inactivity I got the urge to start up something here. But I never got beyond that urge. This urge never materialized. This got me thinking. What could be the reason that after making about 10 posts in less than a month I was unable to come up with even a single paragraph for more than a year? Either the world had gone terribly boring or I was no longer interested in the hap hazard state of its affairs. What ever is the reason I hope I am over that phase and will be able to become a regular here. Your remarks in the forms of comment would be a great welcome. Bless me in my second innings here. Cheers :D

Mamooty Vs The State of Gujarat

2008-03-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

There's little doubt in my mind tat if u ask Mr. Mamooty which is the place he hates most in India the answer would be Gujarat... This birth place of Gandhiji whose ppl are famous for their resilience against calamities, both natural and man-made, has become an eyesore for this great actor... This came to light after Mamooty's remarks at a DYFI meeting that the presence of DYFI in Gujarat would have prevented the 2002 riots... Being the responsible citizen ( with a known left inclination) that he is, it is natural for Mr. Mamooty to express his indignation on what may be described the most horrible "communal carnage" in independent India... His outrage is even more justified by the fact that the state which is supposed to guarantee protection to its subjects played the part of a silent partner in the whole episode... But his claim that DYFI could have averted this butchery is nothing but an over statement...

He is talking abt an organization, which along with the SFI, is responsible for the largest destruction of public and private properties in our state (Kerala) as part of their hartals, dharnas, marches etc... This is an organization whose strategy for political domination mainly involves physical suppression of its opponents... As such the comments make you wonder on what factual basis it is based... Further take the case of other states with left domination... After Kerala the CPM is dominant in Bengal nd some other north eastern states... Why is it that this model organization was unable to thwart the massacres in Nandigram??? Why are they helpless in suppressing the ever increasing Naxal problems in the North East??? And more recently, why did this peace-loving non-violent group take part in the most organized political vendetta in our state's history by methodically eliminating the RSS-BJP workers in Kannur after the CPM state conference in Kottayam...

Mamooty's comments wud have been apt if they came from a leftist leader... They are known for their obstinacy and dogmatism and often come out with the most frivolous explanations for their actions... { The leader of this very organization recently stated that the impasse of public life during a hartal is a reflection of the citizens empathy towards it... How immature and removed from truth is the leader if he mistakes the apathy of the public for empathy??? }... But its is wholly unexpected from a person like Mamooty... He is undoubtedly one of the kings in Malayalam filmdom and is loved, followed, and even worshiped by a large majority in the state... The fans are from all shades of life and such politically biased comments would only alienate the star from the crowd... If he still claims to be an ordinary man with the right to speak out nething, then the public also has the right to treat him ordinarily... Then why did this ordinary man become so worked up and arrogant when a fan touched him during his promo works for the movie Roudram???

His tirade against Gujarat doesnt end there... In every film after that he has managed to mention the state one way or the other... In the film Nasrani he talks abt how the police remained silent when the mob went on rampage... At least tat movie had a situation for this reference to be made... But I was wonder struck when he made a reference to Gujarat in the movie Kadhaparayumbol... There was no reason whatsoever to make the reference and it was a one-liner included in the middle of a rhetorical dialogue...

If the actor is trying to insert elements of social responsibility into his movies then why doesnt he include the excesses of all the political parties in his films??? Why does he only speak along the lines of a communist and take up their propaganda in his movies???

The simple fact is that he is using his star value to impress his fans towards his political direction... He is trying to mix his reel life and real life... He may see his actions to be completely justified and it is sad that he doesnt realize his folly... There are actors with different political allegiances in different industries and it is scary to think what the fate of Indian films will be if they also indulge in such political manoeuvering thru their movies.....

Bourgeois Bureaucracy

2008-03-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to a comment i saw on a friend's blog. The blog was an unbiased scrutiny of the indian polity and the "i am helpless" attitude of indians. The gist of the comment was something like this-- "Have u seen yes prime minister.. That ll give you an indication of how much power the politicians truly have"...

My first response was one of mirth... I cudnt fathom the rationale of a man comparing the exaggerations in a satirical with the real world... I quickly concluded tat he must be a post modern junkie, belonging to the burger-pizza-coke generation, who is so hooked up on serials tat to him they represent reality more than newspapers n history books...

But further reflection showed tat his views are not at all isolated... Majority of the Indians see the civil servants as a bunch of corrupt, self indulgent n irresponsible bourgeois, in spite of the fact tat they are among the best brains in the country... The politicians play their part to perfection in propagating this image by blaming the officials for every failure of the government... This throws up a couple of questions:
If the officials are responsible for every failure then they must also be the ones behind every success of the government... How come the credit of success is always given to the ministers while every failure is the result of an erring official???
How can officials be blamed for govt policies??? The policies are drafted by the cabinet, the officials are responsible only for implementing them... As such the failure of the policies must be seen as lack of foresight on the part of the govt; the only blame tat can be leveled against the officials is in the delay of implementing the plans... But then bureaucratic red-tape is a well accepted drawback inherent in ne such system...

It is true tat the politicians depend heavily on officials nd take thr advices... This is natural considering the educational qualifications most politicians but these advices are in no way binding... We have so many instances of ministers doing a volte-face blaming only officials for actions which whr started by them... Take the cases in this govts tenure:

The major one was the Munnar eviction drive spearheaded by chief minister's man friday... When things started gettin messy the chief-minister washed his hands off the whole affair... The leader of the team is yet to be given a new post...
The second member of the team got transfered twice after tat once for implicating the kin of the PWD minister (the second one) on a dubious land deal...
The resignation of the former chief secretary resulted from the govt tryin to blame her for their failures... The merchiston land deal n the HMT land deal has both been blamed on the officials...
One final case is tat of valarpadom evicts... The police used force to remove people from their homes... The CM later explained it as the actions of the collector in response to the remarks of PM's principal secretary...

These are very few of the cases that comes immediately to memory... From the time of our independence officials have been made the sacrificial lambs to cover up the failures of the govt... The simple reason is that the politicians need to face the public every five years for elections... To win they need to blame someone else for the miseries of the people... When you are in the opposition u blame the govt; when you are the govt u blame the officials... The officials, on the other hand, neither has to face elections nor do they ve the right to speak out... So ve never learn both sides of the story...

I am in no way tryin to justify the bureaucracy... The system in our country is highly inefficient... The stranglehold of politicians on officials is just one reason... The concept of a bourgeois bureaucracy is however outdated... It was applicable to the Vice-Roys who ruled our country on behalf of her imperial majesty the Queen of England {I love sayin it :)}... What we have now is a complacent bureaucracy, which is happy to neglect the well being of the citizens as long as they can secure their posts by serving their political masters..........

MCPs of the malayalam film industry

2008-03-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

For ages i ve been listening to critics crying thr heads off complaining abt the male domination in the malayalam film industry... Feminists have been lockin horns with the actors for extending thr domination from the real world to the reel world... The latest came tirade was in an article on indian express.... Actually it had nothin to do with film.... It was criticizing(as usual) the recent series of public interest advertisements from the KSEB advising ppl to conserve energy by switchin off all the electrical appliances esp durin the peak load hours.... It is the actors who "chastise" the women 4 wastin power.... This makes the writer wonder whether it is yet another form of female oppression.... What this did was, all the opinions; regarding the inefficiency of the board n the imbecility of the ads; which the writer had built up till then, where destroyed in an instant... What it also did was that it got me thinkin on why everyone is so hell bent on portrayin malluwood as the haven of Male Chauvinistic Pigs...

I confess that i am neither a qualified film critic nor a multi-lingual film expert.... But from what i ve seen, it is only the english movies that give the fairer sex their fair amount of time in the limelight... All the indian film industries; whether it be bollywood, kollywood,tollywood or mollywood; r more or less male dominated... The reason is tat films r more or less a reflection of the society... They all ve some society as the backgrnd nd hence will also inherit the goods nd evils from them... Western Society, even with all its handicaps, is among the most gender equivalent communities in the world... There they treat ppl as individuals with the same rights in everything not as men nd women.... Thus in almost every film v ve a female lead with the same importance as tat of the male protagonist.... Even in films tat dont need a female character thr ll be one by the side of the hero till the end....

Our country has always had a male dominated society... This is the case north south east n west and this is wat is on display in all the woods mentioned earlier.... How many hindi movies r thr with powerful female roles... U may come up with examples like Bandit Queen or Mother India or even Black... But try as u might u still find tat they only form a miserly minority.... Malayalam films also have such occasional instances of female grandeur... Thr r other woods in the above list that dont have even a single movie of this genre(actually most of them ve never had a project tat cud be categorized as a good movie. All they do is churn out trash after trash)...

Then y r malayalam movies always made the victims.... One reason cud be tat actresses in our industry stay in business for a very short period after which they get married... The ideal example is manju warrier.... But thr counterparts in bollywood stay in the industry till their mascaras can no longer hide thr wrinkles, gettin into new affairs every couple of months, creatin controversies before finally settlin down for marriage... I assume tat this creates a false impression regardin thr talents as an actress n tat may be the reason y they r never criticized....

Ne other reasons cotinue to escape me.... But one thing has to be cleared... We watch movies for entertainment... So y dont these ppl let us enjoy the films irrespective of whether it is male dominated or female dominated nd criticize the movies for wat they r worth... Wat does gender difference have to do with enjoyin a gud movie.... In this world whr everyone is demandin 4 reservations, v can only hope tat the ladies dont go up in arms demanding sops to ensure tat they get enuf lead roles in movies...

Happy Days

2008-02-28T03:57:00.000-08:00

Most of u reading this blog must ve seen this years run away hit movie Happy Days. A majority among that must ve fallen head over heels for the movie callin it may be as the greatest campus movie of all time. The others, the ones with their rational thinkin capability intact n brains in workin condition, must be cursin the person who dragged them to c the movie(if u can call it one). Which ever category u fall into this blog isnt for discussing the film. Infact such trashes shud never be discussed ne whr. I ve just "borrowed" the movies title because i myself am on the threshold completing my college life.

I wud never call my college life peachy, the reason being an unbelievably wonderful school life. My 12years whr spend in the same school. Thr whr many like me who spend thr entire student life at tat institute n seeing each other 4 such a long time left no option but to hit on a cordial relation. V had such a grt friend circle thr always upto mischiefs which wud traditionally be considered college level stuff. The teachers, who had been seeing us from near infancy, used to let us off the hook with mere warnings. They whr really carin supportive n school was very much the second home tat it was supposed to be.

But everything changed with college. Not only did i ve to leave behind abt 18years of life but i found my self in the middle of nerd country. Abt 90% of the students here had lived thr lives thus far aimin only for IIT nd had never heard the word fun b4 . While they whr relishing this new found freedom doin things tat i deemed school boy stuff; i retreated to the seclusion of my room, reading nd lookin 4ward to the next opportunity to run home.

3years later i concede that i ve made considerable progress here. I ve got a good grp of frnds though not as close as the ones i left behing. But then its hard not to become frnds with ppl with whom u ve been spending every minute of your waking hours for the last couple of years. Nd now with hardly a couple of months left in my col life; a life with no responsibility, a completely dependent n easy life; i am suddenly overcome with a wave of nostalgia. I yearn to be back in my first year room, with my solitude n the desire of going home 4 company; I long to spend a few more months in my college, stay in my current room which i ve retained for the last 2years nd sleep on my "mutant bed "with 5 legs; I wish to extend my student life 4 a few more months nd procrastinate the life of responsibilities n uncertainties tat lay ahead.

I realize now tat thrs a small part of me which is anxiously lookin 4ward to my life after col {with marriage being an immediate prospect :) }, but thrs an even larger part of me that wants to stay as a student nd live in this college that i never loved.

The Big Bad Wolf

2008-02-24T21:25:00.000-08:00

Humans r supposed to b the most evolved, most intelligent, most complex n most creative species on earth. But throughout our long history of evolution v ve set examples to show tat v r also the most primitive, most destructive n most violent class of animals. No other species on earth has the ability to unleash such massive destruction on nature n other fellow beings as human. V r the only predators who kill not 4 food but 4 the pleasure of doin it. Gone r the days wen huntin was the only way for humans to it. Gone r the days wen exotic species whr killed in the thousands to be displayed as trophies at mansion. These r the times wen v take pride in declaring ourselves as the most civilised beings. Nd yet even now given the first opputunity v show how violent n inhuman v humans can get. Thrs a sayin tat no matter how tame a wild animal one day it ll show its true killer instincts. V r provin this true more than others.

The incident tat i am referrin to took place at Konni in Pathanamthitta district Kerala. A young wild pig accidently made its way into the village as they often manage to do. The ideally idle villagers, who wud usually spend the time gossiping, saw the oppurtunity of playin the big bad wolf. They welcomed the pig as if it was a wild elephant pelting stones n sticks at it. After repeated assaults they suceeded in breaking its leg n it was running arnd on its 3 healthy ones draggin the other one limply behind. Even this dint satisfy the mob who by this time whr in pervert heaven. Some called the wild life dept who decided to view the show. This is the same dept which a few years back booked a man for nursing an injured mountain squirrel on charges of capturing endangered species. When they no longer got the sick pleasure from abusing the poor animal they deided to capture it n take it to the hospital. Once it was captured they whr posing 4 the TV crew flashin victory signs as if they ve brought down a terrorist threatenin to blow up the entire village. By the time it reached the hospital the poor animal had breathed its last.

Whr r the animal rts activist who go out tooth n nail at non vegetarians 4 killing cows n poultry. Killing these animals, which r reared primarily for food, is not against the laws of nature. Its natures providence tat u kill to eat. But killing 4 pleasure is wat needs to be stopped. Thrs taped evidence in this incidence of who all r responsible. But no action has been initiated thus far. This is just one of such numerous instances whr natures creatures dont receive the due respect tat they deserve from us n the authorities who r responsible for ensuring this respect remain mum
on the situaion.

R v showin our inherent violence n cruelty in such incidents. Or is it our frustration in living a worthless n helpless life tat comes out in the form of such violence against creatures more incapacitated than ourselves?

A Pakistani Soap Opera (Continued)

2008-02-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

Musharraff gets himself elected in a pres poll which is boycotted by the opposition n gives up his uniform becomin a civilian president.Just wen u thought the drama cudnt get ne better, thr comes the news of bhuttos assassination. This was followed by heated discussions abt the cause of death with bullets,shrapnel n a lever being the main culprits. Wen the govt came out with the report tat the cause of death was her head hittin the car, there was public outcry abt a massive govt conspiracy with witnesses claiming tat they saw bullet wounds on her body nd further investigations whr handed over to the infamous Scotland Yard. At the same time the responsibility of the party was handed down like family property to bhuttos son Bilawal.

The only person, with the exceptions of Bilawal nd his immediate family, who shud be happy with this decision is our young turk Rahul Gandhi. We are always at his (baby) face for his political n historical ignorance, his public blunders, his lack of political charisma, so on n so forth. Now he has someone who is more ignorant n inexperienced than him for company, who ,like himself, has shot up to the top of the political ladder thanks to his last name(well actually bilawal got in by virtue of his middle name; his last name being sardari). Maybe they ll some day become PMs of their respective countries at the same time just like thr parents once whr.

The sleuths from the yard comes out with the same conclusion as the govt. So now whr r the witnesses of the bullets??? Whether bhutto was killed by a bullet or a lever, the fact tat the Govt. failed to provide protection to her n allowed the assassination attempt to take place that too at the centre of its military prowess, Rawalpindi, was enuf to implicate it. The govt cannot shy away from its mistake by bringing out a report tat she wasnt killed by a bullet. So the whole episode of govt conspiracy nd handin over the case to the foreign agency cud ve been avoided. But i guess thrs nothin wrong in makin things irrefutable with a second check.

The election tat was postponed due to the assassination was held on 18th Feb amidst accusations of rigging in presence of foreign observers. The results have come out in favor of the opposition n now discussions r goin on in formin the govt. Thr r also plans to curtail the powers of a president in replacing the cabinet. In short musharraf after 10years of one man rule finds himself in a position with his wings cut. With its bloody history musharaff shud even fear for his life. Infact the whole reason y he is hanging on to power using every trick in the book is this realization.

The days of democracy r not far now 4 the pakistani ppl. But they dont have much to cheer abt. The two parties at the helm doesnt have a gud record up thr sleeves nd history has this very bad habit of repeatin itself. Also this time they r formin a coalition which is always a difficult proposition. One ll ve to wait n see how well n how long the power sharin is goin to work. This being this case it wont be surprising if the country gets thrown back into turmoil in the near future. As for indians v can only hope n pray tat the new govt ll take bold actions against fundamentalists not just as a pretext but with all sincerity. But the harrowin truth is tat if america(no matter how much u hate thr hegemony) no longer breathes down its throat the pakistani govt ll roll back to its older days, not botherin n even supportin cross border infiltration.

The soaps doesnt end here. The comin days promises to get even more interesting. So lets lay back n enjoy the show.

Sarcasm

2008-02-24T02:03:00.000-08:00

Noun: sarcasm saarkazum

Witty language used to convey insults or scorn
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U may find this a very strange topic 4 a blog. The motivation comes from an argument i had recently with a cousin of mine. My scorn irritated her to such an extent that she ended up declaring sarcasm as the worst word in the english language. That got me thinking about this powerful weapon in our speech.

Sarcasm is the best way of irritating, tormenting and frustrating ur opponents in a duel of words without uttering a single word that wud be considered obscene and abusive in a court of law. The excruciating harassment ur opponents endure gives u a sort of perverse n demented pleasure. This is particularly true if ur adversary is not gifted with this weapon in his arsenal. U can drive him to the limits of his patience, push him towards the border of the sane n insane, n subject him to such mental trauma tat the only way he can respond is thru physical violence(then it will take ur best scooting skills to emerge unscathed).

More enjoyable than subjecting a person to an assault of sarcasm is in being a third-party listening to such an argument. Then u ll realize tat sarcasm is allegorical. Things meant r not literally but figurative. U ve to dive deep to grasp the true meanings most of which ll make u laugh ur heads off.

The bad part is wen ur antagonist is better equipped in using this weapon than u. Sense(read as law) of humor requires u take a joke on urself as gayly as u make joke on others. Similarly the Law of sarcasm requires u to accept scorn on u as sportingly as u scorn others. But abiding the law is always the difficult part n so the best strategy ll be to "run like the wind".

Remeber

"Sarcasm is the language of the Gods as long as ur wielding it that goes to the devil the moment ur foe grabs hold of it"
-AN :)

A Pakistani Soap Opera

2008-02-24T00:41:00.000-08:00

This week witnessed the climax of wat cud only b described as the most melodramatic political shenanigan in recent history. no i am not talkin abt the controversial release of Jodha-Akbar but the outcome of the pakistani general elections. after the 2 main opposition parties cried themselves hoarse abt how rigged the elections wud be the outcome saw them emerging with the majority while the rulin front was pushed back to a distant third. while the world is hailin the results as the 'victory of democracy' it wud be gud to luk at the facts n history n determine wat impact this wud ve on the ppl of pakistan nd more importantly its implication on our country.

Gen(retd)Musharaff, though among the most hated men in the world along with bush,olmert,laden etc, is by far the best leader pakistan have had from the indian perspective.from the time of its creation, no pakistani leader ve done nethin to control cross border terrorism let alone stop it.trifling as it is,musharaff is the only person to ve done something.no other leader have had to face such bad-blood from the muslim fundamentalists in pakistan which clearly indicates that his steps have atleast made a scratch on the monster called terrorism.ofcourse mush's efforts whr not out of benevolence to the indian ppl or respect for our country.it was just a pretext for receivin pecuniary benefits from America for suporting their global war on terror.it is also true that of the millions of dollars tat they received only a very small portion have been used for fighting extremism.major chunks have gone into the proliferation of weapons which wud no doubt be used against india the first opportunity they receive and for fattening the officials pockets.all this being said, something is better than nothing,nd mush continuin in power wud ve ensured the continuation of his paltry fight against terror.

his real troubles began abt an year back after his spat with the judiciary.prior to tat his major problem was the extremists nd thr occasional attempts on his life which he continued to escape.ofcourse ppl wud ve been dissatisfied.discontent is an inherent property of human beings.it is true 4 ppl arnd the world.that is why in the last few decades no single party have been able to hang on to power for two continues tenures in our country.neither grp is better than the other nd yet v always c the grass to be greener on the other side nd keeps oscillatin btw the two fronts on successive elections.so u can imagine discontenment of the ppl being under the rule of a single man for almost 10 years.the lawyers takin the fight to the street gave the drive for the ppl to show their unrest.

till an year back noone cared abt whr bhutto n sharif was n wat they whr doin.all of a sudden u ve bhutto as the "savior of democracy", "the hope of the pakistani ppl", "the daughter of pakistan" etc nd sharif,though overshadowed by bhutto, is the male equivalent of bhutto.everyone suddenly forgot thr impressive records wen they whr in the highest office.bhutto possibly has the unique distinction of being the only PM to get herself thrown out of office twice.she never bothered abt terrorism,she least cared abt the common man.all she did was improve her bank balance.on both occasions she wasnt overthrown by a coup.usually in a coup the corruption charges levelled r fictious n the real reason is unrest in the army nd a power hungry leader leadin it.sharif was overthrown in a coup which shud ve given him more credibility.but america saw the more westernized bhutto as the better option nd brokered a deal btw mush n benazir.all of a sudden the corruption charges that whr levelled against her r dropped nd she is welcomed to pakistan.

this leaves a couple of questions

1.wat abt all those ppl who r in prison 4 petty corruption charges committed durin the same period.ll they b released?
2.if bhutto was accused of genocide wud US ve brokered a deal absolving her of those crimes.if yes then wud all other murderers in prison for crimes durin tat period be released?

the irony of the pakistani ppl is tat they want to get rid of a dictator nd thr only option r two leaders who r so tainted they shud b lukin 4ward to long prison sentences,nd the choice among those two is made by the americans whom the pakistanis hate as much as the indians.

To be continued

ME

2008-02-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

What can i say that ll impress u
What is there in me that ll interest u
What can i say to make u read on
What ll it take to drag this on

I know. This is possibly the worst instance of a verse in the history of poetry writing.

Me??Lets think. HMMMMM. HMMMMM. An even longer HMMMMM..

Am just one of those boring individuals who lives on for the sake of living. A person with no spl abilities. A person who can in no way change wats happening around him. A person who takes ne trash tats shoved down his throat by those who can control n change things, the politicians. Am just a helpless n tormented soul living in this unfair world tryin not to loose his way nd strugglin hard at it. Am just one of those whos tryin to learn n cope with this Strange Thing Called Life. I am the guy who knows ur gettin bored readin this trash n yet tryin to put something down tat someone somewhere ll deem interesting. Yep tats me just ur average hypocritical Indian.

For those who reached thus far thank u 4 the patient reading. For those who dint, i promise am not always this boring n my blogs ll be real entertaining. Yep really really really entertaining.

PS: For those who dint get it the last sentence in the previous para was sarcastic.......