End of quality journalism

With so many news dailies and news channels available to us, the fourth-estate has entered an era of pure-play commercialism. What is appaling is the fact that this commercialism has come at the cost of quality. Each day I come across so many errors and mistakes, ranging from spellings and grammar to data and facts, in newspapers that I sometimes feel miserable about the entire state of affairs of the press. Having been associated with the fourth-estate at some point in life and the respect I have for the profession, the feeling of foreseeing the end of quality journalism is more dreadful.

These following two articles are excerpted from today's (December 10, 2009) Mumbai edition of The Economic Times (there might be more such discrepancies which I may have overlooked in the limited time I browse through the newspaper).

It's said that the way to get noticed is to do quality work - but somehow, my post brings to notice something exactly opposite.

Right to Revoke

A recent proposal at office has been the reason for much resentment as well as humour for the last couple of days. Realising that employees have started buying cars like hot-cakes and that the current parking space of over a hundered bays would not suffice with the growing demand, it has been proposed to reserve more than half the parking bays for officers above a particular grade. For the lesser mortals, the existing system of first come first park would continue to exist.

The reason for resentment revolves around the fact that why should there be a gradation in a world which is moving towards meritocracy. Why should people who reach the office early be not provided reserved parking spaces to accomodate the cars of people who come late and find it difficult to get a parking bay?

At the same time, the reason for humour revolves around the fact that people have started marveling at what could be the possible extension of this gradation - reservations in elevators and reservations in the gymnasium. Some people have also gone to the extent of imagining reservations in the wash-room and walking passages too. It was fun to see everyone laughing out loud at the rationale given by a colleague for washroom reservations - people at the higher cadre are typically of the elder generation and with age and diabetes they would have tendency to take frequent leaks!

On a serious note, I understand that the crux of the resentment is nothing but the fact that we are not acceptable to situations where the rights / privileges given to us are revoked or withdrawn. Had the same policy been there since the inception of the organisation, how many would have revolted or retaliated? This instant issue is actually an extension of what applies in our personal lives - how uncomfortable and choked we feel if people who give us certain privileges and rights to their lives / decisions / choices / preferences, revoke those privileges and rights all of a sudden and out of the blue? I guess, it is always better and comfortable not to have such privileges sooner than run the risk of being deprived and feel ackward.

It goes without saying that planning since inception of an organisation should be based on the understanding of human psyche, more than anyting else. This, for sure, goes a long way in making a great organisation.

Walk and talk...but don't drive and talk!

From November 1, 2009, Mumbai Traffic Police has banned the usage of cell phones while driving. They have started impounding the Driving License (DL) of errant drivers, who need to produce themselves before the Court and in case the Court is not satisfied with the genuineness of attending the call for emergency reasons, the DL is to be sent to the concerned RTO for making appropriate notings against the DL registration.

Yesterday, I just managed to save myself from this ordeal. To begin with, I must clarify that I make it a point not to make or receive phone calls while driving and ensure that I park the vehicle in case I need to attend a call. Sometimes though, if the call is urgent and it's difficult to park the vehicle to attend the call, I receive the call and utter "I'm driving, call u back in a while!" and hang up. I have also completely ceased to reply to any sms while driving.

But yesterday in the evening, I was stuck in traffic (no movement at all) for over 15 minutes near Safed Pool and my cell phone's ringtone played on - it was an expected and urgent call. Leave apart parking the car, I was not even in a position to move by a centimeter, it was a bumper to bumper situation. As it was destined, I received the call and even before I uttered anything, the car ahead of mine moved a bit and I saw 2 traffic sergeants staring at me. I uttered "calling you back" in the phone while one of the sergeants was waving his hand asking me to get the car aside. I realised, I was in trouble and chanted my mantra - "when in trouble, keep cool!". The sergeant guided me to a path 100 metres ahead where I parked the car and got down. Here follows the conversation:

Me: Yes, sir. How can I help you?

Sergeant (S): DL please.

Me: Sir, there was so much traffic that I did not have any place to park to attend the call. And you had seen that I hung up after saying "calling you back".

S: Receiving the call is an offence. DL please.

Me: Sir, I understand that. (handed over my business card) But you would appreciate that I am also a public servant and I expect your co-operation.

S (glanced at both sides of my b-card, one printed in Hindi and the other in English and his tone mellowed down): Sir, you'll have to deposit the DL, it's my duty.

"He has mellowed down and is addressing me as 'Sir' now; I guess, he can be managed and I need to act authoritatively now" I said to myself and handed over the DL.

S: Oh, West Bengal license. It'll have to go to that RTO for checking your records.

Me: I do not want to submit my DL. Please tell me what can I do for you and what you can do for me.

S: (started scribbling something on his challan pad) Sir, I have to meet my targets and I cannot do anything.

Me: I do not get time on weekdays so I do not want to submit my DL. I would prefer paying you the fine in cash now.

S (stopped scribbling and took out a a bundle of DLs from his pocket and started counting them): Sir, these are just 12. I have to make at least 20 cases to meet my target for the day.

Me: It's a weekend and it's just 4 pm now. By 8, you would easily find 8 more victims. You need to help me out.

S: Sir, all I can do is change the case and make it a 'no parking case' and you can collect your DL directly from Powai Police Station on Monday. I guess, you stay in Raheja or Nahar.

Me (wOw, this guy is smart - knows my current address despite the DL bearing my Kolkata address): Raheja Vihar. But I do not get time on weekdays and I do not want to get into that hassle. And if I have to send anyone from my office in BKC, you know how things in a sarkari office are. Can we settle it in cash now itself? I'm in a hurry, please.

S: Let's sit in the car. 

We sat in the car; I put on the ignition, turned on the air-conditioner and handed him the bottle of water which I invariably always carry. He sipped around 200 ml, placed the bottle back and asked me to drive towards the way to Kaju Pada road; Thereafter, I was asked to park at a place where there wasn't much crowd.

S: Sir, the fine for using cell phone is very high.

I took out a Rs. 100 note and handed it to him (wish I had currency of half it's denomination).

S: Sirr....(I interrupted!)

Me: I know the fine is Rs. 100 only and this is okay. And if I can be of any help to you in future, you can call me on the numbers mentioned on my card. Btw, I forgot to ask you your name.

S (handing over my DL to me): Vivek Sir, I'm Jadhav and I'm at Powai Police Station when not on field duty! We'll see each other again.

Me (wondered, "he would've been some Yadav but has changed it to Jadhav just to escape the vandalism of a certain regional political party :p"): Thank you, but I do not really wish to see you for this same reason again.

He...he...he....both of us giggled and he got out of the car. I drove ahead!



Okay, I know what I did was not the appropriate thing to do - I actually bribed Mr. Jadhav. But then, the rationale behind the same is that in a busy city life, why do I need to go from post to pillar to pay the same amount which I can actually settle upfront at the spot? Why doesn't the Government come out with a system for spot fine payments instead and increase the fine amount considerably to curb offences? Perhaps, the only reason I can figure out is - "How else would such Mr. Jadhavs and his colleagues make a killing, then?"

Jinke apne ghar sheeshay ke hon....

Had captured this shot on my way to town last Saturday. After yesterday's hooliganism of Shiv Sena's men at IBN Lokmat offices, it is apt to say "Mr. Thackeray,  jinke apne ghar sheeshay ke hon, woh dusron par pathar nahi phenka karte!"

जिनके अपने घर शीशे के हों, वोह दूसरों पर पत्थर नहीं फेंका करते|

Fly, fly...

A beautiful shot, captured last weekend (currently serves as my desktop wallpaper). The pic reminds me of Celine Dion's Fly, Fly....

Fly, fly little wing

Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love
Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again.......

The Parrots

A few shots of my new-found buddies who are a good sight to watch from my room's window. 

here I am...

this is me...

there's no where else on earth I'd rather be...

here we are - still goin' strong...

right here in the place where we belong...

here I am - next to you...and suddenly the world is all brand new!

I'm sorry!

"I'm sorry", including all it's variants ("...really sorry", "...extremely sorry", "...sooo sorry", or simply "sorie"), is the most astounding statement in English language. Yes, more astounding than even "I love you" because how often people are even sorry for loving someone.

Most often the statement -"I'm sorry"- is perceived as a magic mantra, by chanting which, all what one intends to undo is undone for ever. To my techie mind, that sounds like the closest real-life replica of the 'ctrl+z' function - commit a mistake / error / blunder and just undo it - wOw! Wish life were as simple and easy as that, but it's not, unfortunately.

The only merit I find in the statement is that it makes one feel that someone is concerned about you and has hence bothered to make that statement, at all, and a sorry serves it's purpose only if the mistake is unintentional. But does it surmount the misery, pain, hurt, loss, distress, anguish, trauma, suffering, whatever, caused? Is it the panacea which cures all ills?

Moreover, is it so easy to forgive people just by hearing them chant that mantra? And even if we do, can we forget the instances for which they were sorry? Extremely difficult, if not impossible, for 'mango people' like us to do either. That's why they say - you feel like God when you forgive someone. But how often can we play God? - not always, not too often, not everyday, not until eternity!

More importantly, do people even think and realise their mistake before they make that statement? And if at all they do, what course of action do they take not commit the same one, if not any, again? All that most do is - gear up to be sorry yet again!

To conclude, I'm reminded of the dialogue from the movie 'Sex and the City' - Steve is all about the "I'm sorry". "I'm sorry" e-mails, "I'm sorry" voice mails, "I'm sorry" flowers, "I'm sorry" cards. How about, don't do anything to be "I'm sorry" for?

Beyond region and religion

Having read Chetan Bhagat's '2 states' recently, I pondered over a few things. Despite there being a lot of critics about the book, I somehow liked a few nuances and messages which the book delivers - the most important being - moving beyond region and religion and having an integrated India. Of course, I do not buy the idea of making love to a Madrasi (read: Tamil Brahmin girl) to unite our country, but certainly it's time that we Indians get over our biases of region (different states of India) and religion.

The words of my Hindi teacher at school (when I was in eighth standard), Mrs. Kaur, still distinctly ring in my ears - "अगर कोई आपसे पूछे की आप कौन सी जाती के है तो कहियेगा - हम मानव जाती के है!" - "if someone ever asks your religion or caste, tell them it's HUMANITY!"

Of course, Mr. Raj Thakery would not like this, but the current captain of the Indian cricket team is a so-called bhaiya from Ranchi. Does any marathi manoos detest our Dhoni? Did we ever think that Sachin 'the God' Tendulkar was a marathi manoos when he scored past 17k ODI runs with a fantastic (yet match-losing) knock of 175 against the Aussies? I understand that cricket, per se, is a religion in India but why can't we be sportsmen enough to give the same acceptance to different regions and religions in all spheres of our lives?

I know we're becoming more and more acceptable to this view, of late. As my boss narrated one day-"Vivek, when I go overseas and see any Indian there, I do not stamp him/her as a Bong, Punjabi, South Indian, or Kashmir, but purely as an Indian."

Perhaps, in our hearts we are still Indians first and that's the only reason why our country is still integrated and not divided / scattered into countless individual countries despite the varied differences across states. But at times, we do falter, and that is what we need to address. Makes me pray - "into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my country awake".

Answers to difficult questions

Whenever I call up the customer care centre number of my service providers and ask the customer care representative any complicated or difficult questions pertaining to the deficiency in service, I get a few typical responses:

(i) Sir, we are extremely sorry but you can get that information only at our retail outlet.

(ii) Sir, our system is very slow at the moment - please call up after sometime and check back.

(iii) Sir, our server is not able to retrieve the information at the moment.

(iv) Sir, our IT system is undergoing maintenance activities and hence I would not be able to help you at the moment.

(v) Sir, our servers are being upgraded, so the information is not available.

Probably, they've been trained to answer that way when they do not know the answer. But in real life situations, when we come across friends and acquaintances and ask them complicated or difficult questions which they want to avoid, how do they react or answer? Here are the top-5 responses which I keep coming across:

(i) Dunno!

(ii) I'm not sure.

(iii) I've never thought in that direction.

(iv) I'll think over and let you know.

(v) I have no idea.

Sometimes these are indeed genuine and true answers but often it's difficult to separate the grain from the chaff. As the idiom goes - "there are no difficult questions, only difficult answers" - indeed, I find these answers difficult to understand and comprehend.

SUBWAY - SUBstandard!

Strangely,  I visited SUBWAY twice in the last 4 days and both the experiences were so contrasting. Tuesday's experience at SUBWAY (Hiranandani Gardens, Powai) was a good one but today's (Friday) experience was a horrendous one when I went to the SUBWAY at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Bandra (East).

The reasons for this unsatisfactory experience are:

Firstly, unlike other Subway outlets, which have separate counters serving Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian orders, there was just a single counter serving both.

Secondly, I noticed that the guy who was stuffing the sub sandwiches did not change the gloves which  he was wearing even though he was almost alternatively processing a veg and a non-veg order. On noticing that he had processed a non-vegetarian order, stuffing a Tuna in the sub, just before he started to stuff the aloo patty in my sub, without changing the gloves, I got irked and asked the guy what kind of practice it was. Though he apologised and changed his gloves and made a fresh sub for me on being asked to do so, I was utterly disappointed with the incident. I guess, this is a usual practice at that particular outlet and of which, I'm sure, most vegetarians and hygiene conscious people like me would detest.

Thirdly, I am yet to understand the reason for variation in pricing for the same subs at two different outlets in the same city! The prices of Aloo Patty and Paneer Tikka at the BKC outlet were Rs.110 each while the same cost Rs. 100 each at the Hiranandani Outlet, which is more spacious and plush! There were variations in the prices of other menu items as well. What kind of policy is this?

It is high time for Subway Restaurants to focus more on their processes and quality as well as standardisation. I do not think too many Indians would be interested in accepting anything SUBstandard for long!

Customer is King!

I have this uncanny habit of almost always filling up the feedback form which is handed over at restaurants or coffee shops or fuel stations or even online shopping websites. As an extension to this habit I also make sure to give a feedback to the service providers whose services I use whenever I face any problem with their services and also whenever I exceptionally like something about their services. Given my experience, most often a feedback ensures that any deficiency in the service is abated. In fact, after hearing the many stories of how effective my feedback has been, a buddy of mine has suggested me start a professional service of reviewing and providing feedback on various services to service providers for a fee. On the other side, there is another friend who is still adamant that "feedbacks are just for the sake of a formality".

Anyway, this recent experience of mine at the R-City Mall (Ghatkopar) is yet another saga of how important a feedback is and how organisations are actually striving to keep their customers happy.

I've been regularly visiting R-City Mall for the last few months but this Sunday's experience was an unfortunate one. While entering the Mall I learnt that the parking has been made a paid parking and I had to park my car on level 'H' (8th floor) given the rush of cars due to the recently opened Big Cinemas. However, while I was exiting, it took me over 35 minutes to reach the parking payment kiosk. It was a real pain to move so slow in a downhill ramp. Further, given the tariff structure of parking I had to pay the parking fee for an additional hour just because I took so much time to exit the parking bay because of improper management of Metro Parking. I was completely dissatisfied with the experience. I have been to other malls across the city and they surely have better parking management and charge cheaper parking rates.

The same day, after returning home I sent a mail narrating the above experience to Mr. Siddharth Sahgal (Centre Director, R City) and urged him to take appropriate and prompt actions to resolve the situation. To my surprise, early next morning I received a mail from Mr. Sahgal assuring that the bottlenecks would be resolved. Subsequently, I received a call from Ms. Jyoti from R-City apologising for the inconvenience caused and stating that they've taken up the matter with Metro parking (the vendor who manages the parking system of the mall). Further, I was sent a bouquet of flowers from the management of R-City.

Surely, I am overwhelmed by the pro-activeness of the mall's management team and they have indeed made me feel like a King!

Wake me up when September ends!

The last few weeks have been a potpourri of an experience and the hectic schedule and the pace at which things have moved have precisely been the reasons why I haven't been able to blog for long. To sum up, my experiences over the last one month have varied:

(i) from numerous visits to hospitals, clinics and chemists to an almost equivalent number of visits to ice-cream parlours in the city;

(ii) from surviving a stampede at Lal Baugcha Raja to visiting the Siddhi Vinayak temple in almost complete isolation;

(iii) from struggling with the office lunch to get my minimum calorific requirements to hoarding loads of calories by having pizzas for lunch as much as thrice a week;

(iv) from working late at office for almost the entire month to sneaking out for a four hour lunch session during office hours;

(v) from attending to a galore of guests at home and craving for my personal space to being in complete isolation and craving for people around me;

(vi) from being in the clouds at Malsej Ghat to sweating around in the streets of Ghatkopar;

(vii) from a failed attempt to watch Abhishek and Ash shooting for Ravana to sharing the elevator with Bobby Deol and his family adn not even greeting him with a 'Hello';

(viii) from making up an altercation with a friend over lunch to having an altercation with another friend after a lunch;

(ix) from attending a training on structured investment products at BSE to struggling with taxation matters of the family;

(x) from quarelling with the car mechanic and crying foul over their customer care services to being sent flowers by the management of a Shopping Mall for giving them a feedback on their services;

(xi) from eating street food in the by-lanes of suburban Mumbai to being at Leopold's and Theobroma in the heart of the town;

(xii) from enjoying the loud and heavy downpour of a retreating monsoon to suffering the heat and humidity of this peculiar season;

(xiii) from struggling with the gears and pedals for hours in the traffic to driving at over 100 kmph in the city.

But for now I want to enjoy this extended Dussera weekend by sleeping over and wish to be woken up only when September ends!

Technology - complexity of simplicity!

I'm an ardent admirer of technology (flair for technology as I coined it!) - it makes our work easier and simpler. But sometime, making things simpler can end up creating complexity. My recent experience with the Jet Lite website rightly demonstrates so.

The website provides the facility to check Flight Status but thanks to the complexity they've created (probably to make things simpler), I was unable to use it.

I wanted to check the status of a flight which was scheduled to land at Kolkata Airport (CCU) at 2340 hours. So, I searched for Arrivals by Airport and selected the date and the airport from the drop-down list. Now comes the complicated part - I had to select the earliest time and latest time (both in hours and both drop-downs providing numbers from 00 to 23). Since I wanted to check the flight status between 23 hours and 00 hours, I selected the options accordingly.

Bleep - "Choose latest time greater than earliest time" - erupted the error in red!

"Preposterous!" - I exclaimed. The site has a validation script which prevents entering the latest time lesser than the earliest time and hence preventing me from checking the status of any flight scheduled between 2300 hours and 2359 hours! Thank you Mr. IT Guy who programmed the script!

I intend to post a link to this post as a feedback to Jet Lite (since the site does not accept a feedback more than 200 characters - another complexity!). Hope they fix up the bug(s) soon!

Two wrongs make a right!

Mathematically, two negatives (multiplied) make a positive. But do two mistakes or two wrongs make a right? A recent incident has made me ponder over this theory.

It was evening and I was about to leave office, waiting for the elevator in the lobby when I heard a senior colleague (SC) calling, "Vivek, which car do u have - is it an 800?".

Me: "I drive a Wagon-R, any problem, ma'am?"

SC: "No, I've left my car key inside the car (Mistake no. 1), just wanted to check if some other key could help. Do you know anyone with an 800?"

Me: "XYZ and PQR bring 800 to office, but they would've left office by now. We can try using my key or else I know how to open the door using a ruler - let me see if I can help you out."

We went to the lower basement taking along a chauffeur who drove an 800 and had met us in the upper basement.

A few tries with the two keys on both the front doors and the boot lid did not help. The only course left was to slit open the rubber lining on the window and use a ruler to unlock the door.

I was about to go to my cubicle to get a ruler when the chauffeur who was accompanying us shouted - "The rear door is open, you forgot to lock it madam!" (Mistake no. 2)

"wOw, what a blunder!", I said to myself with a smile on my face and bid farewell to the SC.

Coming upstairs to the upper basement I mused over the incident and muttered, "Two mistakes can actually make a right!"

Wish life was indeed that way - two wrongs/mistakes making a right!

Top 13 food items I miss from Kolkata

Mumbai is a good city and I truly like it. But when it comes to food (apart from ice-creams), I can hardly compare it with Kolkata. After having left Kolkata 13 months ago, here are the top 13 (in no particular order) food items I miss from Kolkata:

1. Bhel Puri @ Belurmath.
2. Garam Samosa and Faluda Kulfi @ Tiwari Sweets [counted as 2 separate food items].

3. Garam Rosogullas at night from Shreedhar (local bengali sweet shop near my place).
4. Pure veg dinner @ Gangaur (Park Street).
5. Doodh-ThumbsUp @ Bhawanipur (Sardarji's dhaba beside the gurudwara).
6. Sabji Kachori and Jalebi @ Sharma's in Bhawanipur [counted as 2 separate food items].
7. Chole Bhature @ Mission Cafe.
8. Chilla @ Vardaan.
9. Pav-bhaji @ Mayaram and Kanishka.
10. 'As You Like It' ice-cream @ India's Hobby Centre (Park Street).
11. and finally....Puchka (pani puri, as called in Mumbai) @ any damn place in Kolkata.

Am I missing something? Not in the list - but I'm missing the people with whom I used to have these food items (my friends and family members). I'm sure without them these would have never tasted soo good!

An agnostic - I am!

A buddy of mine had felt offended after reading the fact that I call myself an agnostic. There might be some other souls too who might be incorrectly interpreting my agnosticism. So, here is the version of the clarification which I had mailed to my buddy:

Etymologically, an agnostic is a person who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God (but does not deny that God might exist).

Of course, I believe (a belief - which is a vague idea in which some confidence is placed,  is different from knowledge - which is the  psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning) in the existence of a Supreme Authority (called by whatever name) but unlike most ignorant people (I call them so), I do not claim to have true knowledge about the existence of God.

The version which we hear about God in our everyday lives is a result of  religious prejudices. Why else would Allah, Jesus, Guru Tej Bahadur, Rama, et al. have different origins? Why do we have different versions of God for different religions (I often associate such version with technology only - different operating systems for different micro processors - Mac or Windows; Symbian or Android; etc.)? And for a person like me who believes in the religion of humanity - have we ever heard the name of the 'God of Humanity'? Perhaps, we would never hear it 'coz that God lies in the good deeds we do -  be it a gesture of kindness, a smile with purity or even some words of truthfulness. A movie addict like you would appreciate the monologue from Angels and Demons in the same context: "Religion is flawed because man is flawed" - this is precisely the contention that I have.

Further, I also see my parents as a manifestation of God. And there are so many other people and things with whom I can relate the so-called Godliness (have been hearing the idiom 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness' from my early childhood).

Why is there is plethora of confusion when we actually think about the existence of God? I do not have the answers! Hence, I call myself an agnostic.

i-Pill - boon or bane?

"Q. What are the two things that have beaten the economic downturn in India? A. IPL and i-Pill!" - aptly read the sms that I had received a couple of months ago. But the recent splurge in the promotional activities (numerous TV commercial during prime time, advertisements on Meru Cabs, slideshows on the advertising LCDs at Cafe Coffee Day, hoardings at prominent crossings and bus stops, jingles on FM radio channels, etc.) of i-Pill make me wonder something else - Is i-Pill promoting more unprotected and unsafe sex than preventing unwanted conception? Is i-Pill promoting more of unplanned sex amongst youth? What really could be the repercussions if my doubts are valid, given the fact that India is already among the front-runners of the number of HIV +ve cases?

Can the safety warning (which is hardly legible on the i-Pill website and reads - Important safety aspects: i-pill is neither a regular contraceptive nor an abortion pill. It is not a substitute for condoms and does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.) be made a mandatory part of any promotional activity for all similar products?

Driving in Mumbai

It's been almost a year that I've been driving in Mumbai but the experience in the last few monsoon weeks has been the worst of all. The other day I drove for over five and a half hours (in three sessions- - Powai to BKC to Jogeshwari [via Powai] and back to Powai), travelling a distance of less than 50 kms. And day before yesterday (Sunday), I nearly escaped a fatal accident (near Crawford Market) - a taxi driver hit on the front bumper of my car b'coz the wipers of the cab were not working properly.

While pondering over the incident (a speeding taxi hitting the car on the right side), the following thoughts, of what driving in Mumbai actually is, struck my mind:

1. No matter how well you drive, there would always be a few errant drivers to ensure that your car has a few scratches and dents.

2. Even if you drive recklessly at times, there would be a few souls who would ensure saving their as well as your vehicle from damage.

3. 'Bumper to bumper driving' is a literal expression.

4. Bumpers are meant for scratches and dents. You can see a car without any scratches on the bumpers only in a showroom.

5. Once in a while you would come across speed-breakers to make you realize that your car needs some extra ground clearance and that an SUV is actually meant for cities in India.

6. Maintain safe distance from female drivers (only when they are driving). With little observation, you can invariably identify a car parked by a female driver.

7. Cars used by motor training schools and those having the 'L' sticker have every right to halt in the middle of the road, that too when you least expect them to.

8. Car manufacturers have provided the flexibility of adjusting the wiper speed but the flexibility of intensity of showers in Mumbai can obviously beat them.

9. In crowded streets, the side mirrors of the vehicle serve the purpose of honking.

10. You'll come across a traffic police, ready to be bribed, at least once every quarter.

11. The shortest route generally takes the longest time to cover.

Beauty

I had gone out for lunch with a few office colleagues at Barbeque Nation (Bandra/Khar (West), Mumbai) a few day ago. As usual, there were a few good looking girls in the restaurant. Out of the blue, a female colleague popped a question - "What is BEAUTY?" to the  three males in the group (including myself). I was busy savouring the desserts and did not really want to participate in this abstract conversation but it was difficult to escape the continuous badgering. I recollected the short story which I had written a few years ago, showcasing how beauty is not what you see but what you feel and what you believe. Here it goes:

“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”- an idiomatic phrase which you might have heard, read and even spoken a thousand times before, but what follows is a tale that you might be reading for the first time. Let me take you to Tiny Tots, a kindergarten school in South Kolkata. One early morning, soon after the classes for the children had begun, a worried mother rushed to the entrance of the school with a bottle of milk in her solicitous hands. On being questioned by the school-maid the reason for her anxiety, she reasoned that her daughter had forgotten to have the milk in the morning breakfast and so she has brought the same for her to have it now. The maid offered to help her by asking her daughter’s name so that she would give the bottle of milk to her. To this, the mother, peeping through the fence which barricaded the garden where the children were all playing, replied, with a smile on her face, that she wanted the bottle of milk to be given to the “most beautiful child” in the school. Yes, her daughter was a true cherub - curly blonde hair, rosy lips, chubby cheeks, and blue eyes!

But the phrase “most beautiful child” somehow struck the maid in a divergent overtone which instigated her to restate in an appalling tone– “most beautiful child!” The mother, with the smile still on her face, replied in the affirmative – “Yes, please give this bottle to the ‘most beautiful child’ and let her have it as I watch through the fence”. The maid passed through the fence to enter the garden, went near a group of children and handed the bottle to a clumsy, dark complexioned little girl and let her have the milk. The mother, watching through the fence, got this blow out of the water and her smiling face deformed into a tragic face. Barely, had her wide-opened eyes blinked when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. It was the hand of the principal of the school. She smiled at the mother and said, “The girl drinking milk from the bottle is the maid’s daughter. To every mother, her child is the ‘most beautiful child’ of all”.

Beauty, after all, is not just what you see but what you feel and what you believe! 

Prized possessions

I have a bad handwriting yet a pen has always been an object of admiration and fascination for me. The latest additions to my collection include a Parker Sonnet Silver Fougére Fountain Pen and a Waterman Hemisphere Mars Black Gold Trims Fountain Pen (pics below).

These recent gifts have surely become my prized possessions but what I observe in deep thought is what makes an object a prized possession for a person? Is it the monetary value which is tagged to that object? Or the utility of that object in a person's life? Or the importance of the person who has gifted that object? Or is it the envy of friends, neighbours and the world for that object?

Somehow, for me all my belongings have been my prized possessions, be it the first TV video game my mom got for me way back in 1994 (was as good as new when I gifted it to my nephew a year ago) or the pencil box which I started using when I was in the second standard (and I still have and use) or the ordinary handkerchief which I use everyday.

Most of my acquaintances find this strikingly odd and unusual. But I truly treasure and take pride of ownership of all my belongings, no matter how cheap or even obsolete they might be!

Is it my 'moh, maya'? Certainly not! I can live without these objects and can even gift them  to people I want to but does this necessarily mean that I need not classify them as my prized possessions? I would prefer leaving that unanswered.

Anyway, after these two recent prized possessions, I'm craving for a Montblanc StarWalker now! :)