colour blind

Accidents, killing cyclists and those walking on the road, are common in India. But the Indian government has suddenly woken up to realise this fact.

Perplexed to find ways to tackle the problem, the Ministry of Surface Transport has come up with an idea to introduce a law that from now on all the bicycles would come in bright orange colour. The argument is that the colour would make the cyclists clearly visible on the road and therefore no accidents. Fair enough, the colour would definitely make the cyclists visible. But, is that all required to stop accidents and road rage which thrives on Indian roads.

In India black is the colour for all the basic bicycles, which serve as a common mode of transport, especially for those who can't afford the luxury of travelling in overcrowded public transport, like buses and trains.

I was bewildered at the wisdom of our government. Instead of ensuring stringent compliance of traffic rules and instead of educating people to strictly adopt the road safety measures, the government is planning to change the colour of the bicycle to ensure the safety of cyclists.

I am wondering....will the change of colour would actually help cyclists save themselves from the speeding MUVs and SUVs - raving on the Indian roads with vengeance. The owners of these cars (mostly the politicians or their henchmen) firmly believe that the roads belong to them - them alone and no one else (especially not to those who are either walking or who are in smaller vehicles - be it cycle or scooter or even a small car). Even the government run buses speed and every second day the newspapers report the death of either school going children or of women.

So, the question is - will this bright orange colour be powerful enough to deter the owners of these powerful big machines from their usual road rage? Or will the colour be inspiring enough to let them show a little courtesy to cyclists or even to those walking on the pavement or crossing the streets?

Personally I don't think so. I am not so hopeful. Rather, I would suggest that its high time we Indians should start `behaving' on the road. Let's start showing some courtesy and some manners while driving. What the government can do is to ensure that the extensive traffic laws/rules, which exist in India are implemented in their true letter and spirit. There should be strict punishments/penalties for those who violate these rules. The politicians and their men too should NOT be spared when they break the law.

Many would argue that it is not possible as the country is so big and there are so many vehicles and so many people on the roads, its not practical to penalise everyone. Not everyone can observe patience while driving. Also, people say such behaviour (which is in the blood of even a growing up kid in the west) is not possible in a big country like India.

Even if the argument holds any weight, does that mean we accept the rude and uncivilised behaviour and practice it in our daily lives? I don't think so. At least we can make a start to ensure road safety. Two simple steps can be taken at practically no cost to anyone - implement the law on the government part and behave our best on our part.

Let's face the fact - in India maximum death happen due to road accidents. If these two steps make a slight change on our roads and make the traffic conditions better and safer for people, we can continue walking, but stop if these two steps fail.

During my recent visit to UK I saw how the cars follow the cyclists if they are on a ``no-overtaking'' road. They wait patiently and no one honks, no one rushes the cyclists. The cars overtake the bicycle only when the road signs permit them to overtake. The cars stop if people start crossing the road, even when the pedestrian signal is red. All the vehicles give way to others trying to reverse or turn.

Instead of introducing an interesting colour for the bicycles, the need is to stop and ponder why there are two extremes of behaviour on the roads? One in the west which is sensible, courteous, polite and legal and the other which is mental, discourteous, aggressive and illegal. In my belief it is simple respect to life - which they do and we don't.

For all those who love Beatles

A day at Mathew Street in the amazing city of Liverpool (in its own peculiar sense - which I will talk about later) in England......
It was nostalgic as it took me decades back. All of us (in my age group) have grown up listening to Beatles and we all are aware that Liverpool is the city associated with this legendary group.
But standing at the place where this (then inconspicuous) group used to play and from where these boys turned from city lads to `The Bealtes', was unbelievable.

The whole street reverberates a nostalgic ambiance. The Beatles Shop - selling everything under the sun with Beatles on it or The Lennon's Bar - the whole place, full of stories of The Beatles. As I tried to soak the atmosphere, we are in front of the Cavern Club - the place from where the group started their journey from nothing to the top of the music world.










We went down the eighteen steps to reach the basement - I was instantly transported to an other world. The graffiti on the exposed brick walls of the basement - which used to be a warehouse in the 1800s, the old phone box with Beatles pictures inside, the Beatles' bigger than life size face murals on the wall - nothing was missing as young Richard Batty aptly filled the gaps.












Richard was the young star of the day - strumming his guitar with nimble fingers he was singing all Beatles songs in his mellifluous voice. The ambiance had everything to transport us to a different era. I requested him to sing Imagine... and he obliged me instantly.





The description outside the Cavern Club tells the story of the rise of The Beatles and the actual pictures of that time display the mania this group created in people fond of good music.

The visit to this place was a real treat for me and I thank Sandra and Alfie for this, who took me there. I had no clue that this small basement would open a new world for me.

As we came out to the real world, a thought emerged. Even we Indians have many legendary singers - for an example Begum Akhtar or KL Sahgal. Why havn't we ever thought of making them immortal in this way. We have never celebrated the places, which made these singers or any artiste for that matter, famous.

Why have we never tried to create cultural tourism popular in this way?

Life doesn't start at any age...

In 2007, when I turned forty five and longed for a steady relationship, people started telling me not to think about myself as my life is more or less finished. ``It's time you should concentrate on your children' lives'', this was the most common phrase I was advised.
I started wondering - ``Am I really on the verge of dying?'' ``Is my life really over now?'' Also, if I think about myself, does that mean I am not thinking about my children or I am neglecting them?''
I had no answers, yet I decided, ``No, I will live my life the way I want and will also look after the needs of my children.''
Next year, I happen to travel to England and here in a small village of Cornwall, I bumped into a group of grannies - all in their eighties, dresses to kill with manicured hands and styled hair. They were chatting and laughing while sipping their Devon Cream Tea at a restaurant. Awestruck, as I was, I left my tea and started staring at them. They finished their tea and each one paid one's share.
Suddenly, I realised that they were about to leave. I approached them and requested them for a photo. They happily agreed and posed. One of them with her frail and wrinkled hands grabbed me by my waist and asked the restaurant owner to click us together.
This was my first stint with the fact that life has nothing to do with numbers of age. Young or old is what our brain tells us.













I am again visiting England. This time, another small village - Shaldon (Devon). On a sunny afternoon I see a group of over twenty women (all above sixty) sitting next to the Bowling Green. Their laughter was the only sound that was echoing in the quiet surroundings.
I was curious to know more about them and unable to resist myself I went closer and found that it was the County Bowling Team having its tea brake. Reading shock on my face, one of them said, ``We too, need to move our joints, isn't it?'' I looking dumb nodded my head.
How can they understand what goes on in my head when I see these old women playing, laughing, dressing up, meeting friends and in short `living' their lives. They cannot fathom what goes in my head when I see that these old women have their lives beyond their homes, husbands and children. They laugh without feeling guilty. They paint their nails and get their hair styled without the fear of being given names. They look after themselves without being called selfish.

Back home what I have seen and what I have been preached is that women should not think about themselves. Once you have children, you should put your life on the back-burner and should think only about your children' lives- this is the most common rhetoric which most women are forced to listen to. It is sort of crime if a woman over forty dresses up glamorously and looks good. After having a really short hair style about a couple of years back, what I heard about myself shocked me. ``She has a daughter of marriageable age (my daughter was at that time only 21) and look at her she is trying to look like a teenager''.

Look at this woman in the picture. Isn't she looking pretty? Travelling in a bus she was dressed picture perfect. I gave her a careful glance to see if I can spot a guffaw to criticise her but I failed. She was simply perfect at seventy plus. Once settled in the bus she opened her bag and took out a plastic bag full of toffees. Leisurely she popped one in her mouth and at the same time she saw me staring at her. She gave me a girlie smile and softly said, ``Can't resist chocolates''.

Absolutely!!!

life less miserable

The ownership of Harrods has changed in London. The government has changed in the United Kingdom. One thing that hasn’t changed in this country is courtesy and consideration. The moment we come out of Heathrow and get on to the Tube (underground metro rail service) there is an announcement that the central lines are under repair and people willing to go to London city will have to change to buses and then to another tube to reach their desired destinations.

While listening to this announcement I shuddered with apprehension... Oh no, not this hassle of tagging the luggage along and struggling to find a bus, I have just arrived in this country. Coming from India, I started imagining the worst. Before we could reach the next stop to look for a bus connection, I started picturing a crowd of people pushing each other to get on to the first bus, and rest of the people resorting to an endless wait with their stuff, for the other buses to come.

Dreading the journey ahead, we got off at the next stop. What I saw outside was beyond my imagination. A row of rail staff with their glowing jackets was standing at every corner to help the commuters. The back of their jackets boldly read ``Rail Replacement Help Service’’. What I see next is a row of buses carrying similar signs – ``Rail Replacement Bus Service’’. In other words – there was no hassle, no pushing, no waiting and no chaos.

Everything was so well organised. The government had planned to do the repair work on Saturday and Sunday – obviously as a consideration for thousands of people who use Tube to go for their work. Proper arrangements were made for those too, who had to travel on holidays.

The consideration made me think why can’t we (Indian government) think with so much consideration for its citizens? Why can’t we have a system in place –which helps the government function smoothly and at the same time let the citizens live a life less troublesome? Am I asking too much??

Elephants.. in Lucknow & in London

There is something common between London and Lucknow these days.....

Both the cities are adorning statues of elephants.

Mayawati – the chief minister of the most populous Indian state of Uttar Pradesh – has erected statues of elephants – the symbol of her political party (Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP) – all over Lucknow. Then there are organisations in the Queen’s land, which have put up figurines of the pachyderm at several places all over London.

The only difference between the two places is that when Mayawati gets elephants’ statues erected she does not think about the animal. Her government is least concerned about the status of the elephants or for that matter any other animal anywhere in the world or even in her own state. The only purpose behind those hundreds of elephants in pink stone – which can be seen anywhere and everywhere in Lucknow – is to push her political agenda and tell her people that she has immortalised the elephant (read the BSP).

But the elephants figurines, which adorn the lush green lawns in London – be it the greens of the parliament or any tourist site like London Eye – they stand there with a message – save the Asiatic elephants – which is on the brink of extinction because of shrinking habitat. There are agencies which are exhorting people to come forward and save the Asian Elephants. The agencies call on people to join the elephant family.

Organisations like Eco Movers and Fallow & Ball also organised an Elephant Parade in London, sometime back. The companies provided paints for colouring the statues band electric vehicles to transport the statues to different places. Various artists and designers painted the elephants’ statues in striking colours. Now these vibrantly coloured elephants are kept at various public places sending across the message to save the animal by adopting it.

ELEPHANTS’ RULE IN U.P.:
Elephant is the symbol of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is ruling the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In recent times the elephants displayed, in various ways, their might and underlined the fact that they are the most powerful species – at least in this state.
It started with two elephants losing control and going on a rampage, thereby creating a violent show (which carried on for more than 12 hours) at the busy highway connecting the nation’s capital Delhi to the state capital Lucknow.
The occasion was the marriage ceremony of the children of two members legislative council from the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party. To display their close alliance with the party, the politicians invited all the who’s who in the political circles. An interesting guest list included, apart from a fleet of politicians and ministers, at least three dozen horses and two dozen camels and elephants. And why not, especially when elephant is the symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party!!!
Following several rounds of incessant gun firing (which is a status symbol in any function in this most backward but politically most volatile state) the animal lost its cool. It threw its Mahout on the ground and ran towards the highway trampling all the SUVs and MUVs parked at the road side. The vandalism by the elephants blocked the traffic for hours before wildlife experts could arrive at the site and control the situation.
Consequently, the Mayawati-led government in Uttar Pradesh state had to issue a notice banning the entry of "tamed wild animals" in densely populated areas. The government also issued directives for periodical medical check-ups of tamed animals and asked their owners to maintain proper medical records of their wards. (This must have made the animal lover politician/activist Maneka Gandhi a happy person.
If this could not satiate the rowdy nature of the elephants of Uttar Pradesh, news poured from different places of the animal damaging the crops worth millions of rupees this month.
The importance of the pachyderm was confirmed when it even intervened the judicial system of India. The Supreme Court, hearing a Public Interest Litigation, asked the Uttar Pradesh government to count how many statues of elephants have been erected in the state and the amount of money spent on the same. The bureaucrats and babus are busy these days counting the statues in over a dozen memorials and parks under construction in the state for last three years since Mayawati took over as Chief Minister.
Each memorial and park getting constructed by the government has several figurines of elephants – of course, that’s the symbol, the blue flag of the Bahujan Samaj Party proudly displays. One of the memorials even has even an elephant gallery having 60 stone carved elephants, each costing 6 million rupees.
The court also directed the Election Commission to see if this was violation of election code of conduct since elephant is the symbol of the ruling party.
After holding several brain storming sessions with colleagues and bureaucrats, S.C. Mishra, the Legal Cell Head of the party, could prepare a reply for the Apex court - ``The elephants statues in the parks and memorials cannot be termed as BSP’s election symbol. Reason; the trunk of the elephant in the BSP symbol is facing the ground whereas the trunk of those in parks and memorials is facing the sky, which is a welcome sign in Hindu culture. Similar elephants also adorn the building of North Block and South Block in New Delhi. So that ways it is not the party symbol in any ways.’’

birthday celebrations of a different kind

Fluorescent laser beams, colourful strobes, young cheer girls dressed in skimpy dresses and flashing their pom poms, blue fairy lights..... the scene is not from any teeny poppers party or from a stadium, which is pronouncing the opening of a friendly football match at night.
It was the celebration, which marked the 54th birthday of the Indian queen of Dalits - popularly addressed as Behenji (sister).
This mild description of the gala event presents only a glimpse of the musical and colourful celebrations, which were organised by the bureaucrats to appease their master - Mayawati - the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
The broad lane in front of her official residence was washed and fitted with temporary bomb detectors. The long fleets of white Ambassadors with blue beacon lights, made it evident that all bureaucrats of the state were on their duties - bow before the queen if you want to retain your post.
The hall where the chief minister normally holds the press conferences was ornate so garishly that it beat any fat Indian wedding. As the birthday girl makes a grand entry all cameras shift focus and so the bureaucrats vying with each other to be the first one with the best bouquet. Quite predictably, she is dressed in her favourite pink salwar kameez, the neckline of which is flashing her new gold necklace.
various troupes of girls dressed in different attires are waiting for the birthday girl to take her seat. After a formal exchange of pleasantries with a few privileged at the front row, the queen settles in her big sofa (the only sofa covered with a white towel).
The girls from a local chain of school start their singing and dancing. The girls are swaying and gyrating on birthday songs from old Hindi movies and with each song they are eulogising the wonderful schemes launched by Mayawati and the works done by her government in their last three year rule in the state.
The state which is most populous, most backward and most corrupt and which boasts to have the biggest brigade of illiterates and where poverty rules the roost. It has set the records for maximum number of children dying of diarrhoea and reporting high figures of maternal mortality and infant mortality. Women in this state are still giving births to their children on bullock carts on rickshaws and also at hospital steps.
Clean drinking water and uninterrupted power supply remains a distant dream in the state. The hospitals either do not have doctors or if by chance one is lucky to find a doctor, one should thank her/his stars if one finds medicines there. The state still tops the list with maximum number of polio cases. Death of over 300 people every year due to Japanese Encephalitis is considered normal here.
A visit to any village of the state displays that poor in this state are not only suffer from poverty but live in inhuman conditions.
Luckily, our Behenji, the Messiah and Mascot of Dalits understands the problem. That's is why she clarified that from this year her birthday would be observed as ``people-welfare day'' and not as ``party fund day''.
She gave a demonstration of her generosity and announced schemes worth Rs 7,000 crore (70 billion rupees), which included construction of bridges, fly overs, roads, power stations, hospitals and so on. This was not all - Madame exhibited her real generosity by announcing a monthly dole of Rs 300 (US$7-8) for poor people of Uttar Pradesh.
``We have this tradition of giving return gifts to the people of the state on my birthday,'' she proudly said.
Well said M'am! The poor of Uttar Pradesh must be singing - ``Happy birthday to you...'''

teaching etiquette - its high time !!!

The Delhi government has initiated a movement to teach its people the common etiquette and manners. New brochures and leaflets have been printed telling the public not to spit or throw rubbish on the road and also not to pee on the road. The blatant message for the people is :-``Do not become Su Su Kumar or Thu Thu Kumar''.

Good move! It's high time people, not only in Delhi but in the rest of the country as well, must learn to regard their nation and respect their surroundings. A mere statement that `Mera Bharat Mahaan' is not enough to convey our love or respect for the nation. It is much more than that - respecting our surroundings, our neighbourhood, our cities and our country in true sense.

All of us have witnessed these gross sights - spits all over the road and paan -stained corners in each and every government building and public place and revellers throwing rubbish at any place of their choices. The streets are used as open urinals where men can be spotted shamelessly standing with their pants down. The sight of a bottle or an empty can of cold drink or a packet of crisps flying out of a speeding car is not rare sight on Indian streets.

One of my friends (an educated one) once confessed to me that he doesn't mind throwing rubbish out on the road - when driving but he concsiously does not do the same when in some other country. There was a lengthy argument which followed between him and me. I tried convincing him that we should follow the right pattern of behaviour when it comes to etiquette rather than chosen behaviour at given situations. His argument was : ``Do in Rome as Romans do - here everyone throws rubbish on the road, me alone restraining would not make any difference''.

I totally disagree with him. I never throw rubbish on the road or spit on the road whether in India or any other country. I have taught my children also to follow the same pattern of behaviour. We often end up bringing the rubbish home and then throwing it in our bin. It has to start from somewhere and from someone. Why not me? If everyone starts thinking like my friend, the country would soon become a big garbage bin and an open public urinal. But if all of us resolve to behave - the way we should be behaving - we can definitely make a difference.

Similar argument I had once with one of my old colleagues. He objected to my criticism of Indians who did not behave. He said he loves his country and felt hurt if someone says anything against India or Indians.

I questioned him - Is simply being an Indian enough to be proud of our nation or do we need to do something for the nation to make us feel proud of it ?

He had no answer. I had one - before claiming to be Indian and being proud of the fact, make sure that you respect India. It start from our homes and reaches as far as our neighbourhood, our city, our work places, our other cities and eventually our country as a whole.

Kudos to Delhi government which has at least taken this initiative to change the age-old behaviour pattern in its people. I wish them success and hope some sense would prevails in the minds of Indians and they stop littering their own roads and dirtying their own surroundings.