Decadence

The current political system spawns the local cable network guy / real estate agent / milk booth vendor /jobless rowdy elements/ Regional language chauvanists and the likes of them to aspire for being catapulted into the political arena with strappings way beyond their ultimate dreams. Believe it or not , milk men, petty shop keepers and cable guys have acquired Scorpios/Innovas/Accents by just selling a fraction of their land in Bangalore....& eying the political scenario!!! Where are we heading to at this rate???? The divisions of our Country started in 1956 just a few years after freedom. While Dr Bala Saheb Ambedkar initiated the freedom of downtrodden classes another class worked differently and divided us on linguistic basis...& today we have the scourge of language dividing the masses...its sooooo ridiculous and shameful that we have the seperatists in different forms in south of india.We can combat adversity of this form by dessimination only...Plz write to newspapers expressing your concern for decadence of the political system....and maybe more will ventilate vociferously.

VP Singh Passes away. Somebody asked why - a holiday?

HOLIDAYS FOR MOURNING?

Of course, a holiday should be declared whenever a former Prime Minister or President dies. In fact, a holiday should be declared when a politician dies cutting across party lines. Many of us miss the mournful sad tunes, which used to be aired on DD and radio whenever a leader died. This used to help us to grieve much better and keep solemn faces during the mourning. Oh, how we miss those bygone days!

Now, I do look forward for an unexpected holiday for my office so that those unfinished domestic odd jobs / like a repair job / repotting pots or lazing on the easy chair or even catching up with a movie in the multiplex can be done. The last time some one died I thought of the person so many times during the day - when I was in queue at the theatre I thought about the person - when I was shopping in the mall I did think of the great soul for if he hadn’t conked off I wouldn’t have been there. Even when I was having beer with friends in the afternoon I did think of the leader. Now, tell me how can you mourn when you go to office? You would be doing your routine mundane work without any thought or grief of the poor departed soul. I now keep a list of people holidays, who which might happen suddenly. You never know.

Editor dear, how can you even think of having a public debate on the subject? By this you might unwittingly elicit views so strong that the Govt may even get into a rethink mode on the idea. I dread the day!

Ajit Lakshmiratan

bangalore gridlocked on18th Nov 2008

silent sufferers phew!!! what a tolerant lot we are!! that we can tolerate nincompoops & sychopants rule the roost and take us for a ride (5 hours to cover 4 kms!!) in our own city we have stayed all our lives??? Farmers, who have never ever tilled the land landed in bangalore from the hometown of the guys who cry hoarse that they are "sons of the soil" - made merry whistling at women and girls alighting from school buses....do you feel like burying the so called sons of the soil in deep soil?? I do!! Where is judicial activism to put in place such happenings affecting the lives of peace loving law abiding Bangaloreans??? Shame on the leaders for insensitive utterances ..dont forget to throw them out in the next elections

mundane ramblings!!

Have been in and out of Bangalore in the past few months. Places like Haveri, Shimoga, Davangere, Hassan, Arsikere, Mangalore & Chitradurga were revisited. Travelling mostly by the state buses on interior mud roads and state highways the vastness of the places hits you. Simple folk tending their cattle and goats with a mobile phone close to the ear or a tractor driver juggling with two mobile phones while being overtaken by a honking and impatient bus driver trying to edge him off the narrow road are sights which make you sit up and realize that technology has finally arrived in the hinterland. Yet, there is a vast bridge between Bangalore city and the towns in the state. "Xeroxing done in all Langages" "Hair Cating saloon" "Chineez manchuri nudles" are common enough signages though even in Bangalore you can see some hilarious ones. Office work also took me to Mysore and the city was all poised with preparations for the Dasara Festival. What an extravaganza the finale was!!! The gaiety and splendour of the celebrations was a sight to behold.
I stayed just for a day or two in all the places except in Mysore where it was a little longer. The early morning walks were a pleasurable experience. Now back in Bangalore and getting ready to face the office routine..................more in the next . bye

Gandhigiri actually works!!!

GANDHIGIRI EXPERIENCE

Of course, Gandhism or Gandhigiri as it is now better known works (Thanks to Munnabhai) if it does not have anything to do with values!!

My experience with Gandhigiri relates to chaotic traffic and driving on Bangalore roads especially on the IT Corridor. I travel from my home near Brooke Fields to office in Nrupathunga road almost on a daily basis. Driving on Airport-Whitefield Road means you are in the stream of white Indicas/Sumos/Qualis cars ferrying call center guys in a tearing hurry. Most drivers have absolutely no idea of lane discipline.

Now, suppose you are moving in the left stream of traffic and chugging at 10 kmph and find a parked car obstructing you then have to somehow get into the next right lane to move ahead and for this thrusting out your hand or signaling by indicator will definitely invite aggressive looks & honking from the driver behind.

The Gandhigiri trick, I have now learnt from some clever cab drivers is to put on the indicator and at the same time stick out your hand but all the fingers have to be joined together facing the sky like how you would originate flying kiss from your lips! This is similar to the action some pedestrian would indicate to you that your mobike lights or on during daytime. Now open and close your fingers. This signifies to the guy behind “Hey, please man please” in an imploring way and if need be reinforce the action with a quick reverse peek meek smile and note that guy would definitely allow you to enter the lane in front of him!!

The Gandhigiri trick also works when you have to take a U turn at a median gap but the opposite stream is continuously streaming past not giving you a chance. Seeing you waiting will also trigger a slow driver behind in the stream to accelerate just to get the pleasure of not allowing you!! What you have to do is to keep inching forward and when you notice a slightly bigger gap just nudge forward sticking out your hand over the hood all the while with your fingers performing a double action of opening and closing. And when you finally make it just allow the guy to overtake you and flash a smile. In all probability he will smile back!!

The Gandhigiri trick is to convey somehow to the other guy that you are subjugated and the other car is more important!! Try it out man, it works!!

LAKSHMIRATAN (Ajit)