Born Again

Usually September is the month I wake up to things that I've left on my back burner for too long. Blogging on Squiggles this time. I'm not sure if it is because September is my birth month or just a coincident that September is when I tend to restart certain dormant activities, lost amongst the routines of life.

I have not stopped blogging. I have continued to blog on my corporate blog. Just that it has restricted access. I felt bad that I have not blogged in three years now when I read some of my own posts. How my writing style has changed. May be not much but certainly a tad different.

There has been plenty of happenings in my personal life in the last year and a half. I've relocated to the US. I've recently experienced the fear of returning back. Finally got a project. Now planning to relocate to a different state within the US.

I've decided to use this space more as my personal diary to reflect on what I think, what I hear and experience. I'm sure I will enjoy reading these posts someday when I'm all done.

Train Thrill

I had not taken a suburban train in the last 10 years and the idea was as enticing as a plate of jalebis to me. It was a warm Saturday morning and I set off on my trip to visit our appartment-in-making at Pallavaram. I rode my bike to Guindy and parked it at the shed next to the station. I then paid five buks to a sleepy pair of eyes to watch over my priced two-wheeler and went in search of the ticket counter.

There were three counters and almost all of them were nearly empty. A ticket to Pallavaram costed me four rupees. I slipped the ticket into my pocket and walked through a reception of beggars to reach the platform. It was just a few minutes wait until I heard the thundering iron boxes screeching to a halt before me.

I hopped onto the bogie before me and found a seat next to a young couple. As the train started to move, I plugged my ears to listen to an audio book on my ipod. A few minutes later I could hear some simple rhythm. It had nothing to do with the audio book I was listening to. Ah! there they were - mobile jukeboxes. A mother and her daughter had decided to entertain us with a song in Telugu, two pieces of broken tiles for the metronome. I quickly reached out for my wallet and drew a rupee coin, knowing what was coming up.

The singing sensations hadn't finished the first stanza in their cacophonic recital and the little girl raised her arm in style to ask for tips from the passengers. One rupee and some pity were all that I could spare.

- more to come

Quota - Quoted Epithet

India has been a free secular republic since 1950. I mean it. I have to repeat this statement at least a thousand times to remind myself of this fact. Let me come to the point. The very idea of introducing quota was to help those specific communities destitute of a stable standard of living to gain ground. Now that was justifiable because India had just disengaged from the clutches of colonial powers and was struggling to bring all her subjects at par in living standards.

We have now crossed 50 years of independence. We seem to have accomplished a few key goals that our leaders envisioned, and yes our constitution and governing policies have provided ample space for everyone in this country to grow and to gain ground in the last five decades. We are now seen as a nation developed in all capacities. So why continue to be partial towards so called "Backward Caste"? If we call ourselves as beyond caste and creed, why still give preferences in the name of caste? You learn that the caste system has been abolished in India while your admission into the school was based on a caste quota. What an irony!

A quota of 27% reserved seats for those who would proove that they belong to a backward caste. Isn't that a self instilled insult? Does this happen anywhere else in this world? - ah.. I would call the whole system as an epithet.

Whats being cosmo

I record my thoughts from a browsing centre in Bangalore. I had an enlightning discussion with one of my colleagues here in Bangalore about how cosmopolitan the city is. To me the very word Cosmo sounds something that breaks free from the conventional living. But is that all cosmo means?

My friend says that he feels that Bangalore does not really reverb the "cosmo" status that others attach to it. He says that the city has nothing more than just pubs all round this place and just nothing else! Sounds surprising to me. Surprising indeed.

So what is being cosmo? going to pub? wearing those torn pair of jean? streaking hair like as if you were too close to sun a day back? Is that all it is to show off that you are cosmopolitane'? I'm yet to find out for myself.

This is me 

Can credit cards buy everything?

I was using my credit card today to buy something and was reminded of this incident that happend some years back in my family. My parents had been on a tour, down south. They were taking a stroll at a nearby market when my father was boastfully describing the power of his credit card that could buy anything in this world with that piece of plastic.

Quick at her wits, mom said "okay now, buy me that balloon from that pedlar". I have never seen my dad flash his credit card before mom since then.

Execution before celebration

I read that China executes those sentenced to death before their festive seasons. They carry out the sentence before other convicts are taken on a public procession! Today's news is that 16 convicts were executed in China and there is no hue or cry about those found dead for their deed.

And here in India... one execution of a rapist sparks debates, news items, articles in the magazines, discussions on the television and political point-fingers. Where are we?