All-in-a-day's-work?

Well to start with, I dont really know why I'm writing this..

I have been travelling a lot these days, sometimes local, sometimes to different states. Quite a percentage of these travels have been by bus (yeah.. cant belive that) and many a times by the (in)famous 'lal-dabba' - the ST.

What fascinates me the most during these journeys is not the never ending green (usually sugarcane or rice) fields, or the sight of 'simple' gaav ki kudiyaan, or the beautiful village sunsets (clear skies make the sun look like a large orange fireball which is usually faded by the ever-increasing layers of smog in the urbans), but the work.. and life of a conductor!

He wakes up at the most unearthly hours and sleeps at times when most of us are working or dining. Although one would find his job the most well defined but immensely monotonous, it actually isn't (no.. i'm not planning to take it up as alternate profession)

Dressed in the same clothes everyday (all govt jobs have pathetic dress codes), they travel through places most of us havent heard of. They meet a variety of people (probably the most) from all castes, age groups and lifestyles - everyday. For a salary they couldnt boast of, some of them have enough know-how of different streams of the different industries - something even your boss cant boast of!

Quite truly.. all that glitters is not gold, and so is its corollary.

Solitude..

The hibernation is over
Each one heads out a different way
Moving, finding, venturing alien lands
A new story each day

College life has sung its swan song
Those lukkha days said its last good bye
But memories still linger behind
Of college canteen and anna's chai

Its hard to understand
Why distances grow with age
Success in each one's mind
What's in is change

This uncertainty engulfs me
The fact that we may never meet again
To leave me in my solitude
Making desperate attempts to dodge the rain

No Captions Attached..

Posing for Peace!!

Slimy web..

Skillful lighting..

A new day awaits us..

Crystallo-graphic effects..

A Thin Line Between..

Love and Hate
Brave and Foolhardy
Caring and Nagging
Adventurous and Crazy
Calculating and Cunning
Make and Break
Creation and Destruction
Success and Failure
Faith and Foolishness

Love and Lust
Brilliance and Excellence
Genius and Ingenious
Good and Great
Realism and Pessimism
High and Drunk
Known and Famous
Religion and Spirituality
Want and Desperation

and finally one of my favorites:
There's a thin line between being almost there and being there.

So many people give up on their dreams, not knowing how close they were to realizing it.

Keep the Faith.

Another Critic Against Government

There's one thing that an Indian citizen knows well if not anything. That precisely would be cursing the Indian Government and its policies - either in practice or in the making. And rightly too.

Everyone here knows- or rather doesn't know what goes on behind the usually 'seen' handshakes and the 'fights' in the Parliament. Every policy made or to be made is so intricately formulated so as to protect the rights of the 'few' with whom rests the power. Common man is but a mere puppet in the hands of these political masterminds.

A generally seen phenomena about the price hikes (atleast for petrol) is hiking it up slightly higher than required.. then when there is mass rebellion against it, reduce it to a comfortable zone. Why..? If the prices are soaring everywhere, why subsidise? And to what extent. And where are the so called Five Year Plans. Is the committee that 'plans' not updated about the latest developments worldwide and recognise what sort of action needs to be taken so the Common Indian is protected?

The latest RTI Act - probably the most welcome and talked of Act in recent times, needs to be amended? Why? Obviously, since it gives away too much of power to the common man and leaves very little for 'filling the white pockets' with the Ministers. It was a fight against all odds to win the enactment of such an Act. And when it finally came, within months of being rightly used by the people, it needs amendment. There are a few seemingly righteous people like Anna Hazare and Arun Bhatia fighting for the people's Rights.

But there is another side to this.. every coin has two sides. The real reason why people still complain about mismanagement in the Government is simple- they just keep complaining. No one wants to come forward with a solution or a brave decision of not accepting or tolerating injustice. An everyday example of slipping a 100 buck note to the cop is an act of 'tolerance' - as I would put it. Small steps like not committiing a mistake in the first place and then not 'bribing' the next time your caught might help. Try being a little considerate for the 'poor' Government lacking funds required for the 'welfare' of the Indians.

Remember - One person cannot make all the difference. But when a large number joins in against corruption, maybe we could see a more well managed India. And maybe someday, the Common Man will have to power to fight righteously for himself. And maybe someday the policies will be made in the true sense of 'welfare of the people'. The list goes on and on..

Also - Only one failure for a recognised law (in science) can completely destroy its worth.
Only one spark is enough for a flame to ignite.
One weak pillar can shake the foundation of a palace.
Only one - YOU can make a difference to improve the society.
Social Injustice only exists until it is tolerated.

It might sound ridiculous (it did to me when I heard it first), but come to think of it, you really can make a difference. Try it.. Be brave.. But dont be stupid..! Cheers.

Bang-lure

Bangalore a.k.a. the City of Gardens - well its not very different from back home -Pune.

Well the first thing you notice wen you enter a new 'city' is that you've been cheated by the rickshaw-wala or the taxi-wala.. "its a city thing.. you know what I mean?".. N yeah that was my first observation too, wen i paid a whooping 110 bucks for a lift from the Cant Stn to Indiranagar II (ppl who know this area wud tell you wy they're laughing their wits out).

The other striking observation came while I took a lonely walk down the 'Main's and the 'Crosses'. There were traffic cops out there at 9 p.m.! Thats one thing one wouldn't find in Pune.

I would be understating to call myself lucky being in a place like Indiranagar and not paying a penny for the stay and the food - the rent out here is sky-rocketing wit people shelling out 16.5K per month for a 3B apartment.

The only thing missing here is company - everyone's parted.. going their own ways for careers and higher studies. But thats a phase eveyone needs to pass least once - distance makes the heart grow fonder.. but seriously speaking, with all the tech advances, distance no longer means much to many- we have phones, internet wit messengers and things are jus getting better by the day.. we cud imagine a world as small as a village.

All said and done, Bangalore has treated me quite well for my first visit.. and there's so much more to see out here..

Too quite.. for too Long..

its been quite a while since i last posted..

lemme c.. aah it sbeen ages hasnt it?.. but come 9th of June.. n there'll be an endless no. of posts on this..