About shoes, employment, attrition and meaningful cinema!

Today I read how certain politician whose name will remain more obvious if I don't mention it, flew her jet to Mumbai (her "humble" abode is somewhere in central state of india) to get her favorite pair of shoes!

Now people cut her some slack! She just needed some shoes. And we know how crazy women can be for these designer feet covers! Plus she only used means available at her disposal. So what if she chose to use it for what seems like the most ridiculous and worthless purpose! Had she been educated (read wise) enough she would have known otherwise.

Not to forget how this will give a cause to those politicians to resurface after a long hiatus (during the anna protest)

And aren't we forgetting the numerous uncivilized, guys she has employed who help her boss around and earn the much coveted "vote bank"! We are talking EMPLOYMENT here. So what if this isn't the conventional means and usually the resumes of these "goonda's" won't be shortlisted by any decent employer, but that only solves another problem: ATTRITION!

It is not that our nation is always at war! So what do we do with guys who have serious adrenaline and ego issue? It is difficult to contain so much of energy in them, so once in a while they pent it up in raping, killing, bullying and torturing lesser people (a small price compared to the larger picture). Plus this also contributes to the entertainment industry. Where do you think those filmmakers, who make "Meaningful Cinema", will go  and what will happen to those actress' who once in a while reduce their layers of makeup to appear in these movies to "act". And national awards will totally go for a waste!

Coming back to my original point, I'd like to conclude by suggesting that one should not trust these Leaks! They are only out there to embarrass us and our politicians who once in a while get carried away. They are only disturbing facts which mean nothing, because the money still gets wasted on politicians like her, poor still remain poor and people like me are still blogging about it!

Happy Place :)

Have you seen that episode in Friends, in which Monica mourns her breakup with Richard and Phoebe asks her to shut her eyes and go to her happy place to relax?

Do you have a happy place? It can be a figment of your imagination or just a beautiful memory from your past. For me it’s a place where I spent a prominent part of my childhood. Each time I think of it I feel happy J

 Friends create happy places for us :)

Years ago, when I was 10, my dad got transferred to this inside-the-jungle-out-of-no-where township, surrounded by many villages, in MP. My first emotion was that of remorse as it was 20 kms from my school and that meant at least an hour of bus ride and a painful battle with motion sickness. From tooth-aches to head-aches I was out of all kinds of excuses to bunk school. I got regular, the day I was only left with “loose motions” as my reason for leave. So, finally I had to suck it up and face it.

While my bus journey and school days eventually turned out to be one of the best days of my life, the highlights were the evening playtime at the backyard of my house with friends :)

My house was last in the row, and behind it was the most breathtaking scenery. There was a hillock, partly green, partly brown on which we had many trekking-cum-picnic expeditions. Attached to it in the panorama was a beautiful green stretch of land with only 2-3 really prominent black rocks. And at the other end of that landscape was half a kilometer of eucalyptus plantation. I remember spending most of my Sunday’s playing house envisaging those rocks as our furniture and those trees as our farmland. We were rich farmers :)

Some days we would simply sit there gazing the night sky counting stars and spotting constellations and other days we would just lie on the grass to catch our breath after a racing competition, watching birds return home after their days work. It was a place of limbo where time stopped and nothing mattered.

The entire place was like this huge enclosed space with a gigantic semicircular blue top and green floor with perpetual wind and deafening silence occasionally interrupted by a distant chirping. And in those six years that I was there nothing changed. 

 Now close your eyes and imagine that you are in this picture :)

When we were leaving, I went to that place for the last time to capture it in my memory. I was sad, feeling a little sick for leaving it behind but I knew I will visit it again as my Happy Place :)

Delhi Trafficking

A few prominent categories:

- People owning mid-segment sedans drive as if they are part of the fantastic four team and their car like a rubber is gonna squeeze through the congested, narrow spaces. Inko jub gussa aata hai toh jupiter pe volcano fat-ta hai and inko gussa bahut aata hai!

- Hatch-back owners are show-offs. They switch lanes faster than you can even blink! Inka dimag Chach-chaudhari se bhi tez chalta hai (who is apparently quicker than a computer) They define "zipping through". Its like the moment they lay their hands on those wheels, a part of Shahrukh Khan gets into them. There is a sub-category who even manages to smoke while zig-zaging their way through. They define multitasking!

- Bikers are like item numbers in the main picture. They get into any lane, dance for a while and then disappear into the next gap they see. They are these un-touchable time-bombs, the minute you so-much-as touch them with your car, BOOM!

- Beemmers, mercs and other luxury cars are beyond my reach to comment. As the moment i see one of them i end up dreaming of owning one. Plus they are like these obnoxious hippos, don’t come into their territory and they won’t bother you, but if u dare, get ready for the raining pain and misery.

- SUVs are giants unperturbed by what these small minions of cars are doing on the road! They are like large Girraffes, tall, carefree and above everything.

- Now the most notorious category, which deserves special mention. They are the CAB drivers. Yes! I think every cab driver goes to a special military training school. I can actually visualize their motto: "Always, Charge!!". He comes from a very rare school of thought that believes in: "Road is a battleground, other cars are your enemies and changing lanes with complete dis-regard to road rules is their birthright!" I think they are unacknowledged “jihadis”

A few common beliefs:

- Excessive honking will make the car in front of you disappear! ( I dunno if this has ever worked but people seem to believe it)

- Signals are just govt's way to delay you from getting to your destination

- Overtaking from wrong side is simply what you do, as you are a better driver!

- You bumper is the most frequently changed accessory and can be used to nose your way into tightest of lanes!

- Driving time is the best time to make calls! All you need to ensure is that you keep some change in case you get caught.

- Car glasses are to be tinted black! You are a VIP in your own right and the rest of the world should be obliged to even get a glimpse of you. Not to forget the rear glass is to declare your religion, kids name etc. The scarier the font (blood dripping) the stronger the impact on the person tailing you!