Overtly corrupt

India is corrupt, every government office in India is, blah blah… How much of this have we heard? Same with me. I ve heard a lot of this. Real lots, to the point that I’m bored of it and it ‘s nothing more than one of the most common (and boring) essay topics. Never thought this will be a post on my blog, until recently…. when I saw it, right there, so openly.

It was when I got my license. Oh yeah, I got my license-for 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers as well . How cool is that? J

(Yeah.Yeah, no more bullshitting, my point is right here!)

I was there at the RTO office at ten like my driving school instructor asked me to (I gotta admit, I learnt privately. And my driving school id and report was all fake). I practised a bit, carefully driving my way through the very curvy ‘S’ shaped path. The ‘8’ for my scooty was facile. Pleased with myself, while waiting for the inspector to turn up, I delved into my pocket for my mp3 player, but it wasn’t there. I scurried to the car hoping to find it. For the second time in one minute, I emptied my pockets, this time for the car keys, and to my horror, it wasn’t there either. I knew where it was, the ignition.I’ve never felt that dumb and helpless in all my life. And as if to illustrate the most rotten luck ever, the inspector chose the same minute to enter the office. I had no idea what I was going to do. If not dad’s Santro, I had to drive a jeep like dirty thing parked in the corner there. The thought of it made me nervous. The driving school instructor said I could try the curvy ‘S’ on the jeep looking thing if I wanted to. I climbed into the jeep and there was some old guy who was almost barking at me. I was struggling to make sense out of the barking. And he was sitting right next to me all the way through the ‘S’. I was supposed to carry out all that he asked me to and nothing more. Infuriated, I climbed out of the car careful not to touch the grease and black crap all over the car.

Soon I was called for the scooty pep test, I was done in ten seconds (The inspector didn’t look at me for even 2 seconds). I was watching the others. There was this guy who made his was through the ‘8’ with one leg on the ground, and I was bewildered when he got through too. Everyone did! The test was just for the procedure’s sake. Following this was my car driving test and shockingly the old guy was right there instructing me even this time. The inspector didn’t bother one bit. I passed. (I got my license that night.)

On the way back I was discussing this with our driver, who made it clear that passing the test without a driving school’s help is highly improbable. Half of the cash paid to the driving school fills the inspector’s pockets. And all the inspector has to do is nod and sign the papers. And done! Everyone profits. The inspector obviously does. A guy who sucks at driving passes the test. The driving school gets more popular. Noone complains!

To me the most appalling thing was how openly it was done. There was nothing clandestine about it. Little does anyone think of the safety apects. Who knows, a more fair and just test might mitigate accidents to a substantial extent. Only when this is given some thought it’s magnitude and hence its consequences can be realized. And I don’t see any change happening in this system, as it is one that keeps everyone happy.

Sad, but true!

It used to be just a line of them outside temples. Now, they are more spread out. They exist in trains, buses, markets, roads….everywhere!! They are ubiquitous. They’ve increased in number at such an enormous rate that, they’ve become a part of Indian roads. Harsh it may sound, but its true, and there is no denying to it. Surely, you know who I’m talking about. It’s palpable. Beggars!!
You’re running late. You’re on your bike, speeding, hurrying to class/work. And unfortunately for you, the signal glows red. You stop, cursing your rotten luck. And when you’re muttering things (swearing :P) under your breath, you see this woman with a baby, pleading for help. Surely your in no mood to even smile. But a look at that hungry baby, you pity it. You give the lady the first coin your fingers find in your pocket. And you forget it at that instant. (Even a thought about it later, it is more of a feel-good thought, as you tell yourself, the woman needs the coin more than you do) This is a common scenario. If not the same, something similar. The point I’m trying to make here is, in most situations, the woman(in this case) in the end gets what she wants.
It’s true that beggar is poorer and he/she has needs more than we do. But are we encouraging beggary by this little act? Shouldn’t the beggar (unless he/she is disabled or too old to function) earn by other decent, respectable means? Why encourage an able guy this way? Can laziness be a disability?Are we doing harm, in the name of generosity?
That too, after stories about well-off people, who choose to beg (as it’s supposedly a profession with decently high income), you’ll never know,the guy who walks around in rags, might be as rich as you. And worse, after slumdog millionaire, you can’t even be sure if the coin you gave satisfies the hunger of the kid you pitied. It might end up adding to the wealth of some rogue, who heartlessly beats up kids (sometimes ruthlessly blinds kids).
I’ve never been able to take a stand on this. I’m always caught in between rational deliberation and sympathy. But I believe there has to be an end to beggary.
P.S.: If you live/stay in Coimbatore, tell me your opinions. Every time I walk into RSPuram, I see so many li’l kids begging. I always think of the movie,Slumdog. You think it’s possible that there’s something more to it than what is evident?

Value every moment u’ve got!

Back in school, I remember….. there was this li’l boy (my friend’s nephew), who was truly a source of happiness to everyone my friend’s (more of an acquaintance) family. He was 3 or maybe 4. I’ve never seen him, but I’ve heard a lot, real lot about him. So from what I’ve heard, this li’l toddler was so adorably cute in everything he did. Everyone loved him, and to the friend (the acquaintance, like I already told you) he was everything, he meant a world to her.

Letting that stay there, let’s get back to NOW. Recently, I was talking to Akshaya. We were together after real long, so we had loads to talk. And suddenly, in the middle of something else, she asked me if I remember that li’l kid, I was just talking about. I did remember, yeah. I told her that. And what she told me next, came as a big shock to me. She said, “He passed away”. I’ve never seen the kid. I’ve never heard him talk. I’ve never known him enough to love him like many of my friends did. Nothing at all. But this was just too much to take. I was too shocked to even talk, so I remained quiet, and she explained to me about the accident that killed him, and left his mum and dad (who survived with injuries) and the whole family shattered.

This for some reason has been lingering in my mind all the time, right from the minute she told me. I still cant digest it, though there is no two ways to it. It has happened. It’s a fact. It seems so cruel though, so cruel to be true. It hurts to think of the pain the kid must have endured and the pain his parents must be going through after having lost their only kid.

I’ve been thinking about this all day. DAMN!! One day, the kid is the sweetheart of everyone in the house and the next day, the kid is no more. It scares me to realize that life is so volatile, that everything is uncertain. The worst part is that such bad things happen when we least expect them. Imagine having a conversation with someone today, not knowing if it might be the last one. It creeps me out.

But, It is no use complaining, we’ve just got to accept it. That’s the way life is, I guess. It’s sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but uncertain all the time. So it’s best to value every moment of life that there is, cause God forbid, it might evaporate the next hour.

Li'l is beautiful!!

Before I begin, let me introduce to you, Govindamma (in short, Goindma), a woman in her fifties. She is the maid, who works at my place. She s been with us for almost ten years now (probably even more),a very cheerful woman, who is all smiles most of the time, in spite of the numerous problems she faces (that too single handedly, she doesn’t live with her husband). Truly, she s someone who has been there all along, behind the scene, doing things I hate doing. Being in a hostel now, I realize how cumbersome washing clothes and cleaning can be. Lol. And I really wonder how someone can wash clothes and vessels and clean things everyday and still smile at the end of it (had I been in her place, I’m quite sure, I’d spend half my day frowning).lol

Till a couple of years ago, many times when she has tried playing around with me or my brother, we’ve been snobbish and sometimes even snapped back. She didn’t give up then. She continued being what she was- playful, forever cheerful and lively. She still is. The difference now is the change in my attitude I suppose. Now when I’m nice to her, and when I make her smile, it makes me real happy to see the happiness reflecting on her face. And this is when I realized that I don’t have to do big things to delight her. Very little things can do the job. A chat about her grandson, or a toffee for him, or sometimes just a smile would do. I’ve made a “hi” and a “bye” accompanied by a warm smile, habitual.

It’s not just her, a lot of such people who do li’l li’l things- cleaning the roads, waiters, drivers… It often happens that we take them for granted. A minute thought of a world without them would do more than telling us how important they are. It’s important that we give them some momentary pleasure. That’s the least we can do. A smile, a “Thanks”, any friendly gesture (even a nod)… They cost nothing, but can mean a lot.

Let’s do the li’l we can, to make them smile and to make their life beautiful. :)

I HATE THEM!!

I accelerated my scooty hoping I’d speed past the signal before it turned red. I almost did, when the green disappeared and red replaced it. Damn!! Waiting on the road at a signal at noon’s the worst thing that can happen on a sunny summer day. Ninety seconds left!! I was gazing at random people on the road as I waited for the green signal. And suddenly, I almost jumped out of my skin, as I heard something loud and deafening. It took me a second to realize it was the horn of the huge truck behind me. The truck driver honked not just once. He honked continuously until I turned back and stared hard at him. It was extremely irritating, to listen to ear-piercing sounds especially when the source of it was right behind me, and also, when it was totally unnecessary to honk. Did honking even help him?? He had to wait the same sixty seconds as everyone else. Couldn’t he have been a bit more patient?

Sometimes, people get impatient and vent it all out by honking. They don’t realize how much they frustrate the other people on the road by doing so, people like me in particular.

Obviously I don’t object to honking, when necessary. It’s just that I can’t stand unnecessary unpleasant noise all around.

There are a lot of such people, who for some reason, love honking. Some honk when a dog is crossing the road fifty metres away, or even when a woman and her kid have almost crossed the road. There are others who honk when they get impatient, or angry. Some honk when they are happy, irrespective of how empty or crowded the road is. Some even honk in the tune of the song being played in the vehicle (I know someone who does).Some people honk for the fun of it. There are these people who get supposedly stylish horns installed. These sound different from the usual ones, but are as irksome if not worse. For whatever reason, these people just derive pleasure out of pressing that button there every once in a while. Aaarrrggghhh!!

I hate unnecessary honking. It’s so pissing off. And I dislike people who honk when not needed.

So if you’re in the same road as I’m, take your hand off the horn. Honking is prohibited in my vicinity, unless it’s a necessity. J

Random stuff!!

I've not been able to find much time for a blog update the last couple of days, considering the little time I've spent on the computer (or even at home). Even today, I wasn't at home at all. So I'm just posting this, to maintain continuity.

Anyway, I'm goin to keep it short. Today was a great day too. You are probably wondering why I call everyday awesome. I can't help it!! Each day seems better than the previous one.

I realized Salem is actually a nice place, rather, Yercaud is. A beautiful place it is!! Also I realized how nice it felt to get close to people all over again, during a get-together after real long.

Anyway, hoping for better days ahead.

I'll get back soon with a better post. :)

A jolly good day!!

You might not understand most of what I’m talking about in this post, unless you were in my school. If you were, I m sure u would be able to completely relate to it.

Yesterday was one amazing day. I ve been having quite a lot of fun the last one week, but yesterday was exceptional.

The day began, as six of us met in sne’s place, as planned (only things were delayed a bit, credit to me. I was on the phone. lol.). And we were off to school. Though college is a lot more fun, there was something about school that was nice too.

Anyway, we met the new principal, and once we left the office, there was Paneer sir beaming at us. It felt so good, to meet him after so long, and to see him smiling that too (after a lot of problems he had faced a couple of years ago). He was and he still is one of the very few teachers, we really respect. And we couldn’t believe it, but he said we could play basketball in the school court, even though we no more belonged there. Anyway, after this we met many other teachers. Some who we liked and some for formality’s sake. Was nice to meet everyone from the computer department as well, only we missed Mrs.Indira L . (My favorite teacher ever!!) After this was canteen time. After a small chat with the lady there(who loves our gang), we left school.

All of us got back at 4, after a change of clothes. Paneer sir was delighted to see us, all ready and excited to start playing. We walked into the games room, and immediately felt nostalgic..all those days back in school when we used to bunk class and sit there for hours, doing nothing. It was great fun. This was when it started to rain, dampening our spirits. Hoping it will soon cease to rain, a few of us who were once upon a time a part of the school basketball team, were chattering about those good old days.

Once it stopped raining, we began our game. And, I got to admit, I have no stamina. At the end of fifteen minutes of play, I was famished. But we continued the game and enjoyed it so much that the fact that it had started to rain heavily again didn’t seem to bother us, but it did bother some teacher, who chased us out. We didn’t want to let anyone stop us. We went to the other side of the building, got wet and drenched. It was a lot of fun. And after sometime, we got back to the basketball court, and continued our game, in spite of the heavy rain. Our spirits rose higher as the rain got heavier. We played to our heart’s content, and left for akshay’s place, for a snack. And then we got back home.

On the whole, it was an awesome day!!

Wish me luck!!

I wish to make a new beginning. I' m not going to say much. Wish me luck. I need it. :)