It was a Thursday night in Bangalore city railway station. It was drizzling and the place was buzzing with people hurrying to make it to their coach on time. I was also moving towards mine with my parents for a short trip to Kerala. Suddenly we hear a loud thud; we turn around to see a porter, probably around 65, on the ground with luggage in his hands. The poor man looked very weak; maybe he had not had any meal that day. His amused customers were also there, cursing him for the time they were losing because of his slip. In a jiffy they collected their luggage and rushed to find their train, without even paying the poor old man who was struggling to get back on his feet.

This might not be an isolated incident; there might be many more helpless souls in different parts of the country living through similar helpless situations every day. I say country because the media last week were abuzz with the government appointment of a council which is expected to implement the much awaited Multi-Purpose National ID card Project, which would provide every citizen of the country with an ID card – I wonder what a smart card would mean or how it will fill the millions of empty stomachs across the country.

Summer stretching on the grass
Summer dresses pass
In the shade of a willow tree
Creeps a crawling over me
Over me and over you
Stuck together with God’s glue
It’s going to get stickier too

It’s been a long hot summer
Let’s get under cover
Don’t try too hard to think
Don’t think at all

I’m not the only one
Staring at the sun
Afraid of what you’ll find
If you took a look inside
I’m not just deaf and dumb
Staring at the sun
Not the only one
Who’s happy to go blind

There’s an insect in your ear
If you scratch it won’t disappear
It’s gonna itch and burn and sting
You want to see what the scratching brings
Waves that leave me out of reach
Breaking on your back like a beach
Will we ever live in peace?

‘Cause those that can’t do
Often have to
And those that can’t do
Often have to preach

To the ones
Staring at the sun
Afraid of what you’d find
If you took a look inside
Not just deaf and dumb
I’m staring at the sun
I’m not the only one
Who’d rather go blind

Intransigence is all around
Military still in town
Armour plated suits and ties
Daddy just won’t say goodbye
Referee won’t blow the whistle
God is good but will He listen
I’m nearly great
But there’s something missing

I left it in the duty free area
But you never really belonged to me

You’re not the only one
Staring at the sun
Afraid of what you’d find
You step back inside
Not sucking on my thumb
I’m staring at the sun
I’m not the only one
Who’s happy to go blind

———
Lyrics Courtesy : LyricWiki

In my place, in my place
Were lines that I couldn’t change
I was lost, Oh yeah

I was lost, I was lost
Crossed lines I shouldn’t have crossed
I was lost,Oh yeah

Yeah
How long must you wait for it?
Yeah
How long must you pay for it?
Yeah
How long must you wait for it?
Oh for it

I was scared, I was scared
Tired and under prepared
But I’ll wait for it

If you go, if you go
Leave me down here on my own
Then I’ll wait for you (yeah)

Yeah
How long must you wait for it?
Yeah
How long must you pay for it?
Yeah
How long must you wait for it?
Oh for it

Singing please, please, please
Come back and sing to me
To me, me
Come on and sing it out
Now, now
Come on and sing it out
To me, me
Come back and sing

In my place, in my place
Were lines that I couldn’t change
I was lost, oh yeah
Oh yeah.

———
Lyrics Courtesy : LyricWiki

Past few years, our country has suffered a lot – Innumerable blasts. Innumerable deaths. Innumerable families orphaned. Innumerable injured for life; What did the mob learn? NOTHING! I really doubt if it is really 2009; seems like the mob is still to get a flight to reach 21st century! I was a bit hopeful after 26/11 – thought the mob would be bit more cautious; the mob would care for the safety of others; hard to believe that they have not changed – they are still the same! Otherwise the sequence of things that is happening in this state would not have happened. I mention this state because the media is filled with news from it now; God only knows how many similar incidents are happening daily in various other parts of the country; and I am sure they are!

I strongly believed that education is the only way by which the mob can get a ticket to the present. But now I doubt! I don’t think anything can change them. Sad.

Its winter in Bangalore and days, particularly mornings, are pretty cold and cloudy. That makes it more difficult for me to get up early and reach office on time I used to be a regular on the Volvo that passes through my place between 7 and 7:10 but lately I have been hopping into any city bus that I come across (cost cutting you see!). Today was one such day.

Early mornings usually means less traffic and less crowded buses. Marathahalli is one of the major bus stops en route to my office, which is always overcrowded and kind of congested. Happened to witness an incident as my bus was reaching the main bus stop today that prompted me to blog. There was this 20 something lady, sipping a tender coconut that she had just purchased from a roadside seller(you should ask my buddy Varun about roadside tender coconuts – he has had a pretty filthy experience ), hurrying to board the bus that I was in. Just before hopping into the bus, she very carelessly threw the coconut on the ground, spilling whatever water was remaining in it – part of it fell over the auto driver who was standing there !! The usual way for them to react is to abuse the offender in kannada – this guy somehow took it in a lighter way by just passing a sarcastic smile Garbage disposal in the city, for whatever reasons, is already pathetic. On umpteen occasions I have seen people throwing them on the roadside because there are no bins around, making the whole place to stink! To add to this there are such ignorant people like this young lady. I wonder what sort of chastisement she would have had to go through if she had done such a thing in any other developed country; true, she is not the first or the only one to do such an act but I feel that the ‘common man’, being part of an educated and developing society, should have a better sense of responsibility.

I feel deja vous when I write about our one day trip to Bheemeswari; the circumstances in which we decided to push off for a long drive (yeah, all of us really needed some charging up after a hectic week) and the time we chose to start the journey (1:30 AM) were similar to our Chikkamagalur trip few months back.

We had only a day, and we zeroed in onBheemeshwari after considering the list of very few places worth visiting for a one day trip from Bangalore. The place is approx 100 Kms to the south of Bangalore, and is famous among trekkers and also for the Cauvery Fishing Camp. Even though there are irregular stretches of bad roads, you can easily reach the place in around 2.5 hours, through Kanakapura (55 Km) – Sathnur (+ 25 Km) – Muthathi (+ 18 Km) – Bheemeshwari (+5 Km). We reached the camp at around 4AM and since we had not made any advanced booking (we believe in impetuous plans ) and because there was NO other hotel around, we had to wait in the car till around 8:30 AM!

A one-day package, including trekking, rafting and lunch will cost around 1K per person. They DO NOT accept cards and the nearest town with an ATM is Kanakapura, which forced us to cut short the visit to only rafting After a costly breakfast (Still wonder why they charge so much!) at Muthathi, we were back in the camp by 9:30 for our first ever ride in a raft The river was not very wild during the 8 Km stretch of our rafting, may be because it was the first experience for all of us, it provided us loads of fun and excitement. We were done and good to drive back by 2 PM.

The trip was amazing because of the spontaneity of the plan. Travel really is one of the best way to get rejuvenated

Some of the pics is available **here**

For some time now, I have been under some pressure – life wise. Got a feeling that nothing is really happening. Been planning for n number of things, but nothing is taking shape. Or is it because the amount of energy that I am directing towards these things is not intense enough? Some of the events in the past have taught me that everything in life has their own ‘right time’ to show up, no matter how hard you try accomplishing them (I have also learned that everything has its own ‘duration’ too!) So maybe I should just go on without worrying too much about when things will ‘happen’ and at the same time not reducing the intensity of my efforts, hopes and faith Reminds me of the below lines from Shawshank Redemption
(Saw it again last nite )

I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.

It was Varun who suggested me to listen to Coldplay sometime back; but until a couple of days back, I never bothered to. They are considered as the successors of U2 – and the depth in their music really makes me believe that they really are the next U2. Below is one of those, called ‘Speed of Sound’ which is one of my favorites

How long before I get in?
Before it starts, before I begin?
How long before you decide?
Before I know what it feels like?
Where To, where do I go?
If you never try, then you’ll never know.
How long do I have to climb,
Up on the side of this mountain of mine?

All those signs, I knew what they meant.
Some things you can invent.
Some get made, and some get sent,
Ooh?
Birds go flying at the speed of sound,
to show you how it all began.
Birds came flying from the underground,
if you could see it then you’d understand,
ah, when you see it then you’ll understand?

Watch the video here

Teaching, according to me, is the best profession one can pursue; at least a few of your students would make it big in their life – satisfaction is guaranteed! Umpteen times I have seen the joy and the glow in my parents’ eyes (both of them are retired teachers), when some of their ‘old’ students bump into them, on the streets back in my hometown. The place where they used to teach, being a small township, and a good percentage of their students not being from very well off families, meant a higher chance of bumping into one of them.

The school where I studied, come September 5th, has this tradition of the students and teachers swapping their roles; Looking back, I feel bit guilty of NOT utilising those opportunities for trying my luck with teaching

Teacher’s Day reminds me of some of the brilliant teachers, whom I was fortunate to study under, during my life in KV. Sometimes feel bad to have played minor pranks during the classes of some of them – realise their value only now! How beautiful it would be, if you could jus go back in time, to a time of your choice, and to start again from there – and live your life in a much better way

Come graduation, and I was again fortunate to connect with some brilliant minds – people who really did more than their bit to keep me and my pals motivated.

Come post graduation, and I was lucky to meet couple of teachers, who were not just teachers, but amazing human beings!

Remembering each one of my dear teachers on this Teacher’s Day, with gratitude

I was in Chennai last weekend to attend my sister’s marriage (my classmate and close friend, she is the one who has been very religiously giving me rakhi on Raksha Bandhan for the past few years ). The city is known for its unbearable heat during summer, and if not for the air condition at the place where we stayed, we would have had a much tougher time (we even gave three bows to it before vacating the room LOL). Tamil Brahmin marriages usually have elaborate rituals which usually extend to two or three days, which with the passage of time (or due to the lack of it rather) has reduced to two or two and a half days.

I had the opportunity to travel in the sub urban train service, of which I became an instant fan. I guess the push- pull electric locomotive is the sole reason for the roads in Chennai being less congested when compared to the ones in Bangalore. Moreover, its probably the cheapest mode of transport in the city – with a train every five or ten minutes, and where traveling in an auto, for example would cost you almost the price of the three wheeler itself With work of a similar but better system (as they claim it to be) in progress in the garden city, people in the city can hope to escape the daily tussle with traffic. There has been protests going on in various parts of the city against the proposed system, but as my friend mentioned, only those who have traveled in it can understand the virtue of it. Hopefully people here too would realize its worth and the authorities will keep the system up to the expectations of the people.