Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Why we're such bad drivers

There are so many times that one wonders about the kind of people driving on the road. Of course, I'm being very civilized when I use the term "wonders". This is a worldwide phenomenon, I'm sure, but it's very rare that one can find a justification for the presence of such elements on the street, main road, gully or highway. But lo behold! As is possible only in India, there is a very valid reason for erratic behaviour while driving. Not only that...I have now come to believe that it might be a requisite by the transport dept.
This is because recently a colleague showed me the form that one has to fill to one's driver's licence. I just had to share... Enjoy....
(click on the thumbnails to view the form)




Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Relocated

Tonight I finally shifted... bag and baggage (no comments, though *wahhh*) to this new spotty location. The last one refused to let me add my friends' blogs or anything else for that matter. Pretty much like those high 'n' mighty princesses who can't abide by any change to their routine once trained. (Please notice back-handed compliment.)
Well...won't write much now...just you wait for all the fun stuff to come in the future...
Happy reading....
(And suggestions are welcome as always)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Catching up and an autowallah’s theory

I suddenly realized that I hadn’t written in more than a year. Blame my completely disorganized life for it. But here I am, trying to catch up.
Well, this is a post I have been thinking of writing up for quite some time. A couple of months back I was frantically looking for an auto to office during a hot, sweltering morning. As usual, no one wanted to go or they asked for some exorbitant fare…which, those who know me know, I would not give at all. I found it highly surprising that autos would refuse to go to such a prime location as CP. After all, isn’t that one of the places where these guys would get more customers. Apparently, I was wrong.
So finally, after asking at least 13-14 autos, this one guy asks me if I wanted to go to the IP Metro station instead. Jumping at the opportunity to get at least somewhat close to work, and the fact that I can take the (god-blessed) metro to CP, I said fine…and what do you know… he even agreed to go by meter.
A couple of minutes later, when we were standing at a traffic signal, I ventured to ask the auto guy the reason for him and his brethren’s reluctance to go to such a central location for a fair price (after all, would our employers give us more money just because we demand it. Rather, in today’s age of rising inflation and a tumbling market, it’s quite the contrary). And so started his narrative explaining the logic of not going to CP. (For my convenience I will write his narrative in first person… Also, I think it’ll be more convincing.)
See, in the morning, everyone wants to go to CP, and since CP itself is not a residential place, there is no one who will go FROM CP TO ANYWHERE. So, if I take a customer to CP, I will have to bring an empty auto back to at least Pragati Maidan or to the IP metro station. That will take another 20 minutes plus the gas that I burn in the commute.
If I go by meter, I will get Rs50-55 at the most. Most autowallahs ask for Rs60-80. Which is in a way fair because of the amount of traffic that’s there on the road and the amount of gas that’s burnt. (Yeah right…as if we don’t waste as much time in the traffic jams as well…but, I do agree with the fuel bit…my car’s mileage goes for a toss considering the amount of time I spend driving on first gear and going forward 10cm at a time.) But I’m looking at the bigger picture. By going to the metro station… I get Rs40 at least. I avoid the traffic jam at ITO—both to and fro, so I save time and fuel. I immediately get passengers, which I won’t get at CP because most people will want to go there, but at office time…who will want to get out of CP. And if I get male passengers, I can get two or three of them at the same time and that triples my earnings. (SMART!!!)
So, while the rest of the autowallahs are earning Rs300-500 a day, I’m earning Rs1,200 (that’s Rs36,000 a month. Not bad, I say). My kid can go to a good school. I can give my wife at least Rs800 at the end of the day. I don’t have to grudge my family the simple pleasures in life, like if my son wants a McDonald’s burger…no probs; my wife wants a new sari for some friend’s wedding…no problemo. This makes my family happy… I’m happy… and I’m not really asking for more money am I… I’m taking you to a point from where you can get another mode of transportation easily…so, you’re relatively happy (to be fair…he’s not related to me, so it’s technically okay not to be concerned with my happiness). Everyone wins.
Match Point: Auto guy! (Doesn’t do much for my frustration about not getting an auto in the morning, though. But I have learnt the trick… just take the auto to the metro station.)

PS-- This is a brilliant documentary made by Arvind Iyer, a film student, on autos and auto fares in Chennai. A must watch! Click here-- For Hire!

Monday, September 22, 2008

In my time...

Let’s face it…the phrase “in my time’ doesn’t seem right coming out of my lips. No more do “today’s generation” and “kids get it so easy these days”.
But, here I am, mouthing these very phrases on a regular basis, and with increasing frequency. Scary!!!

Am I getting old to fast, or is the current generation of kids really jumping the gun in to premature adulthood?

Thursday, August 14, 2008

I wonder

Being an Indian...is it unpatriotic to wish a Pakistani friend "Happy Independence day" on the 14th of August???

Monday, February 4, 2008

Darcy’s Story by Janet Aylmer: A review


It’s a fact commonly acknowledged that almost 93% of all girls who have read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are in the want of a their own arrogant Mr Darcy. The readers’ age may span from a mere 10-year-old girl to a woman of 60, but they all seem to understandably fall in love with this quiet, straightforward, blunt, and of course tall, handsome and rich man of Pemberley.


Author Janet Aylmer is no different. The only difference being…what we all imagined the man of our dreams would have thought and felt during those scintillating conversations with the adorable Lizzy (Elizabeth Bennet), Aylmer went ahead and penned them down.

Starting off with a conversation about his deceased parents with his cousin Col Fitzwilliam, Aylmer sets the tone of the book by projecting Darcy’s softer and emotional side. The only trouble being, the emotions seem very simplistic.

A mirror image, if you will, of P&P, the story line in Darcy’s Story goes parallel to the original book. Aylmer has consciously and painstakingly never deviated from the original plot and chronology of events, reining in her creative urges to take liberty with the plot. An art many of our modern-day adapters and screenplay writers may want to learn.

Aylmer has tried to be honest to the spirit of even the minor characters that were portrayed in P&P, but due to their significance in Darcy’s life, they have more prominence in Darcy’s Story. Little nuggets of information and conversations that open up the protagonist’s character a bit more are immensely enjoyable, but unfortunately lack the finesse and wit that Austen is famous for.

Another aspect that is sadly lacking in the book is the complexity of character and the tendency to over-simplify situations. The one-liners and situations that pack a punch in the original sometimes lose their sparkle in this version. But that’s not to say that Aylmer hasn’t tried. The window into Darcy’s thoughts especially when he first proposes to Lizzy, or the time when Jane is ill and Lizzy stays at Netherfield, or when and how Darcy helps find Wikham and gets him married to Lydia are just invaluable. One can’t help but feel gratified that all the curiosity to a man’s thoughts…and that too when the man is none other than Fitzwilliam Darcy…is there for them to read and feel.

All in all, Darcy’s Story is a very enjoyable read. The best part is the idea itself and the author’s true love of P&P can be clearly felt in each and every word, which is what makes this book worth reading. Read this book just to experience the evergreen classic Pride & Prejude through the eyes of English literature’s most beloved heart-throb.