A Journey called Life....

To be continued...

2010-01-25T14:36:00.003+05:30

Arnav had almost started to believe that he was destined to travel to one obscure corner of Delhi (read Bawana) for his Engineering Education until “that” happened. I have this fetish for using the word “that”. Now this “that” is not “that”. The actual “that” will come much later. “That” apart, let’s move on with the story.

One late October evening, while Arnav was busy preparing for a dreadful Engineering Drawing exam scheduled the next morning, a phone call from a friend made his day or rather evening. The day had already been lost in Pursuit of Engineering Designs and Drawings. Without wasting a minute more, leaving the “Isometric Projections” chapter unfinished; Arnav reached out for his car keys. No, Arnav was not going out for a drive after a long drawn battle with drafters , dividers and scales amongst other instruments; Exactly a kilometre and 200 metres away, Arnav’s fate had been put up on a rickety dusty notice board. In no time, Arnav was at NSIT, searching for the notice board. The final admissions list had been put up and Arnav had been upgraded to a course at NSIT. Arnav was now one among Netaji’s boys. “Wow”, Arnav said aloud – The idea of not having to travel the entire length of Delhi, each day for the next 4 years of his life, in the ever crowded Bahari Mudrikas made Arnav feel ecstatic.

Arnav engineered plans and drew and sketched dreams all night, and the book on engineering graphics was not read further. The unfinished chapter on Isometric Projections did haunt him the next day, but Arnav had just been too happy to worry about materialistic pursuits of the like of examination score.

The next 3.5 years were to be life changing.

To be continued...

The Road Ahead

2009-08-15T12:11:00.001+05:30

Love this picture...The Road Ahead

If only....

2009-06-02T18:45:00.003+05:30

This is what I wrote for a Blog Series started by livemint.com , published Dec 7 2008

If I were the PM ,I would

Enact a law to extend the voting right to only those who can read and write. For how long can a country's future be decided by those who can't even write their names? This can go a long way in promoting literacy. I would make free elementary education available to all.

Make graduation a minimum qualification for seeking election to the parliament and state legislatures. I would put higher educational standards in place for those seeking ministerial berths.

Put a blanket ban on all foreign trips by politicians and bureaucrats. Its time that India puts some austerity measures in place. I would allow foreign trips only in cases such as UN general assembly meetings, SAARC summits etc.

Take to task all politicians who have made umpteen foreign trips in the garb of attending conferences and meetings on terrorism. I would seek a detailed explanation as to what the country has so far achieved by such foreign trips.

Remove all special privileges extended to politicians.Its time that politicians realize that they are public servants and not public masters.

Make salary drawn by lawmakers a direct function of their attendance at Parliament.
Move a law to disqualify political parties trying to push caste, region and religion based policies.

Enact a law to empower people to bring down an under performing government by means of a referendum.

Re Introduce laws like POTA to effectively combat modern problems of terrorism.

If only.....

"Arranged Love"

2009-04-18T22:43:00.000+05:30

Having received enough brickbats for the unsolicited city gyan, I thought I must switch streams. Also, the season of flying footwear that this has been, I decided that I need to be a little careful with my choice of topics. So here is the change, however a disclaimer first: People who know me well should not read between the lines too much :p.

I had been toying with this idea for quite some time until this funny facebook quiz happened. The quiz finally pushed me to go ahead with the idea. The quiz promises to predict if one is destined for a love or arrange marriage, needless to mention that the quiz has been an instant hit. Facebook quizzes have been notorious about the random results they throw up; however this one’s outcome is reason enough to believe or rather hope that it comes true.

Can love actually be arranged? I am sure that my readers are no strangers to this topic, after all Bollywood has churned out a zillion movies on the subject and has made each one of us a bit of an expert.

As things here in India have been, a marriage is first a union of two families and then a union of two souls. Arranged marriages have pretty much been the norm here and have astonishingly been very successful. I wonder how 2 young adults, in a matter of a few meetings, decide to spend the rest of their lives together. Or in fact how can two families quickly conclude that the boy and the girl are “made for each other”. Is it not too much of a gamble? What if the relationship fails to click, what if the two individuals are two opposite poles? It seems that we Indians have mastered the art of making adjustments and arrangements.
The statistics are certainly skewed in flavor of successful arranged marriages, however I still wonder Can Love Actually Be Arranged?

Yeh Dilli Hai Meri Jaan

2009-04-02T18:17:00.000+05:30

It is nothing but mere coincidence that my third blog post also deals with Life and times of a mega Indian city. I might sound living perilously close to be labeled as an “obsessed self styled analyst of cities”-But my home of 21 years , New Delhi ,certainly deserves this blog post.

I am no City Guru, I am an avid traveler and this post is an attempt to amalgamate my varied experiences.

I have vivid memories of a Grade 6 social studies class where the teacher talked at length about Delhi being “Mini India”. To an unwilling, uninterested student Mini India obviously didn’t make much sense. All of 11, I just managed to grasp the crux of the matter – That the topic was an important one and a question could appear in the examination. The question did appear in the exam later that year and for my own good it’s important that I do not disclose how I fared in that exam. I would like to set the record straight now.

The student in question (Moi) has not changed a lot since then. Much of my undergraduate studies have been very very “question” oriented. Just that, on the verge of graduation (Which hopefully should happen this year.. :)) , I have a better understanding of “Mini India”.

A quick look at Delhi’s demographics will tell you that Delhi has people drawn from all corners of the country. There are in fact very few people who “originally” belong to Delhi, most trace their roots to distant and diverse areas of India. When people from such varied backgrounds blend together, it gives the city a very unique character .Languages and dialects spoken in Delhi are equally interesting. Delhi’s Hindi changes fairly quickly..In a span of few kilometers. Try hitching a ride on a Delhi Bus and you shall know this soon. The dialect these Buswallahs speak is hilarious (No offences intended) and interesting .My NSIT batch mates with years of 764 experience would know this better.

Delhi’s architecture is an interesting blend of structures from different periods and cultures. The Mughal structures in old Delhi lend the city its Grand Royal look.
Lutyen’s Delhi, on the other hand is imperial legacy. The lush green environs of the ridge make Delhi one of the greenest capital cities in the world. CP’s majestic skyline can give any modern city a run for its money. The modern structures coming up in the suburbs are the face of a young nation’s quest for growth and development. This amalgamation of the old and the new makes Delhi special. I wonder why Delhi hasn’t still caught the fancy of filmmakers, the way Mumbai has. I remember having watched a couple of 1970s movies shot in Delhi and the city looks gorgeous.

Delhi’s climate has it all too. My little knowledge of geography tells me that, 28 Degrees 35’ north of equator, away from the moderating effect of sea, Delhi enjoys continental climate. That essentially means that we Delhiwallahs get to enjoy all 4 seasons. The scorching summer followed by soothing monsoons and eventually ‘Dilli ki sardi’are seasons to savour. We people spent a few late December nights under the sky while working on a project and that was when I got the real taste of Dilli Ki Sardi.

Delhi is a foodie’s ultimate dream city. Authentic Indian Cuisine to Videshi stuff –Delhi has it all. Eateries in Chandni Chowk have built global reputation for themselves. I personally enjoy the South Indian food that I get here in Delhi (God Talk of food.. I am already hungry. I must wrap this up early). South Indian food lovers like me may want to try stuff served at 2 famous joints in Sector 2 & 12 RK Puram.

Delhi is a little India in itself with a distinct image and a distinct character. Delhi truly mirrors the vast diversity of India.

The next station is..Doors will open to the left..Please mind the gap.

2009-03-11T14:44:00.000+05:30

I wrote at length about the Mumbai Local in my previous post. Being a Delhite, I thought I must also write a parallel piece about the Delhi Metro.

The seemingly swanky metro stations and the swanky trains have surprised Indians and foreigners alike. Much like Mumbai, Delhi metro is fast becoming the lifeline of this metropolis bustling with activity.

I still have clear memories of my conversation over lunch with a Senior Engineer at the Yamaha HQ, Japan .We had been discussing about the Asian countries and the discussion somehow got to trains. The widely traveled Japanese Engineer was all praise for trains in Shanghai and even Hanoi. My worst nightmare came true as he got talking about his experiences in Indian trains. Talking about dismal state of Indian trains, while in company of fellow students from China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, was very discomforting.

Gulping down tasty “Indian food”, for the first time in 5 days, served by otherwise very courteous Japanese, I stopped just short of rebuffing the engineer’s comments on Indian trains. (I simply love the way Akshay Kumar talked about India in the movie Namaste London).I politely requested him to board the Delhi metro on his next visit to New Delhi. The Delhi metro is any day better than the Japanese local trains (Not the bullet of course).

Now people might say the Metro is more imported than desi.I disagree. The technology might have been imported from Japan but the Indian Sweat, toil and blood make it more Indian than Japanese. Taking into account Delhi’s unique pre metro state of affairs, its one of the finest Indian engineering marvels. Thanks to E.Sreedharan and his team.

The Delhi metro, as in the case of Mumbai local, is a world on the move. I have attempted to broadly classify the Delhi metro travelers.

The College going student

Delhi metro is one of the best things that could have happened to the university going crowd (All fellow students would agree, I am sure). Beaming students can be seen chirping and gossiping all along. The college going crowd lends Delhi metro its vibrant look. Thanks to college crowd, the Delhi metro is also the best place to check out the latest fashion trends.

The Babe

The babe tries and looks busy, hooked to either the cell phone or the latest best seller in town. The snobbish looking female invariably finds herself to be the centre of all the attention.

The executive

Donning a smart business suit, the executive can be seen fiddling with his laptop or his PDA. Thanks to hectic Delhi life, the poor soul has no respite in the metro too. Who says Delhites hardly work…Delhites work hard.

The cobbler

Delhi metro has come to the rescue of these daily wagers too. However I have made some disturbing observations. The cobbler would rather squat on the metro floor rather than occupy a vacant seat. There is a glass ceiling somewhere. We guys don’t quite like to share a seat with the daily wager. The Delhi metro isn’t quite The Great Leveler, the way Mumbai local is.

The Birdwatcher and the Over Zealous photographer

This is by far the most abundant specie on board the Delhi Metro. The birdwatchers often go a step further and try and click pictures. Delhi crowd must learn to be a little more decent.

The Nasal Music fans

Wearing garish printed shirts and sporting excessive accessories, these guys can be seen listening to loud nasal baritones (U know what I mean) on their cell phones. Often enough the music becomes excruciatingly difficult to bear. The music director in question would love to travel in one such train. These guys set new fashion statements too …lol…

Just to put it on record, as the recorded female voice says “Listening to loud music in the Delhi metro is a punishable offence”.

Each metro ride is a great experience in itself…A lot can happen over a metro ride: wink. You might just meet “your someone special” while traveling by the metro.

Delhi Dilwalon Ki..Mumbai meri Jaan

2009-03-09T20:35:00.000+05:30

It has taken me 5 trips to Mumbai to realize what I had been missing each time, flying in and out of the glamour city. Thankfully, my latest trip came as a welcome change as I hopped on to the August Kranti Rajdhani to Mumbai.

I was initially very skeptical about the journey; however my experiences en route made up for the time lost.

The longish train journey helped me develop an eye for detail, delve beyond the plastic smiles and cosmetic looks and observe Mumbai under a different lens.

A train journey gives one an unmatched opportunity to delve deep into the psyche of a vast variety of Indians. Indians are a varied lot, the vastly contrasting personality types that I came across continue to dazzle me even now.

I will enlist the people I came across and in the process try and bring out the differences between the Delhi and Mumbai ways of life.

The Happy Go Lucky Delhi couple

The well read elderly couple was sharing the compartment with us. They came across as very social, happy go lucky people.

We had extensive discussions about a variety of issues with frequent jokes and bouts of laughter interjecting the discussions. I later learnt the couple’s daughter is a part of a popular pop band in Mumbai. I have a couple of passes to the band’s next performance in Delhi...one spot up for grabs...Hehe.

The point that I want to drive across is that Delhites are any day more social than people from other parts of the country. The Mumbaikars lack time for socialization and emotions.

I must quickly add, its not that the Mumbaikars are not helpful, it’s just that they don’t have the time to comfort you with sweet talk. The Mumbaikars are very practical and disciplined people and set high standards of work.

The Delhi guys are also dangerously close to being pompous, the Mumbaikars like too keep it simple.

The Spoilt brat

The spoilt brat, presumably an alcohol addict could not keep himself off his bottle. All of us had been thinking that he had been drinking coke until he got his proportions wrong , got out of control and got battered.

Youngsters in the western part of the country certainly know their limits and respect women a lot. This rowdy Delhi chap certainly earned Delhi a lot of disrepute. Mumbai comes across as a very safe city for females when compared with Delhi.

Mumbai local

There is a reason why I classify the Mumbai Local in the list of individuals I encountered. And that’s because the Mumbai local is a world in itself, a world on wheels. It’s a world complete with its own struggles and triumphs and personifies Mumbai. The local is a witness to struggles at every station-struggle to get on the train, struggle to alight.

The Mumbai local is also the great leveler carrying on board people from all walks of life.

The Local is also a business opportunity for many. One can find strategically placed advertisement posters pasted all around. A faith healers advertisement promising relief from all sorts of problems in 24 hours must have struck the right chords with the targeted clientage.

We as Delhites, on the other hand are quite lucky to be blessed with the metro. The Delhi metro is much more soothing and comfortable.

The wise old man

This simpleton septuagenarian was an ocean of knowledge. With his clear cut ideas and excellent communication skills he can give any business honcho a run for his money.

Dressed in a neatly ironed white cotton shirt, he came across as any other Mumbai local traveler. However, as they say the looks are often deceptive. The 45 minute journey from Andheri to Churni Road proved to be extremely enlightening. Our friendly chat touched issues ranging from Tatas and Birlas to the state of Mumbai’s traffic.

We talked at length about Ratan Tata. Ratan Tata has seen a gradual transition and did not become the chairman of the group the day he graduated. He was made to don the

boiler suit at the Tata Steel plant and there began a leader’s journey.

We also discussed why Mumbai has come to be known as a sea of opportunities. The secret to great business success is the fact that traders in Mumbai operate on slim profit margins, often as low as 3 per cent. So even if a trader gains a mere 3 rupees on an investment of 100, he goes ahead with the deal. The lucrative prices combined with a huge demand translate into decent profits.

I asked him why the state of traffic had been so bad in Mumbai. He came out with simple clear cut logic. The fact that Mumbai is a narrow strip of land surrounded by sea, there is not much scope for parallel roads. However Delhi being wider affords ring roads.

Our discussions about APJ Kalam quickly moved towards S Radhakrishnan. S.Radhakrishnan had once addressed a gathering in the United States. The Americans acknowledged that they hadn’t known that English was such a beautiful language until S.radhakrishnan addressed them.

The old man wished me luck and got off at Churni road. His wishes and blessings did help.

The Bindaas autowallah

I took an auto from the IIT Powai campus to Andheri. The 9 km journey covered in 20 minutes flat was entertaining. This autowallah was knowledgeable in his own right and delivered a rather hilarious discourse on God and his men. He did convey a very deep message though. I will quote him verbatim “Bhagwan hai na sab dekhta hai upar se..insaan udi(flies) marta hai..bhagwan kehta hai maar (Man tries being supreme)..phir bhagwan ekdum se gira deta hai..bhagwan kalakar hai(God is a master strategician)”

“life mein sab kuch try karne ka mangta hai..”(This guy once walked 15 kms when his vehicle broke down)

The guy was truly entertaining…man with a big heart.

All said and done, I will continue to love my city Delhi and I will be a little biased. Because Delhi hai Dilwalon Ki.And I salute the Mumbaikar spirit.