Resurgence

New Story - Clue

2012-01-02T23:48:00.000+05:30

Winter had set its foot on the accelerator. The roads wore deserted look even at 8 in the evening (quite uncharacteristic for the metropolis the city was). He checked his watch again. The radium lit dial showed that it was close to midnight. He was sitting in a park. Fog had taken reign of the entire area. The night was eerie aided by the absence of functioning street lights. He whispered something under his breath, waited and tried to look through the dark. If he was counting to keep impatience in check then probably the trick was failing him. The lone functioning light in the park flickered and went off. He suddenly felt a further dip in the temperature. Though he was well guarded, he had not expected such harshness from the weather. And then suddenly he heard a faint giggle.

“You are late.” he said.

“And what makes you think so?” came a female voice. The voice had a certain enchanting quality in it.

“Ah!! Now you would not accept that you are late. I am sitting in this cold for last half an hour just for you.”

“Just for me!! I am flattered. By the way, how do you know that I was not here since then? Observing people wait provides an understanding of their need and commitment. Besides it is fun watching you wait - reminds me of old time. You are becoming impatient with time though.” She had come closer and he could sense her presence.

“Severe cold can sometimes dampen your spirits.” He passed a weak smile.

“You have lost that convincing charm mister”. She was standing beside him. He could see her silhouette.

“I need your help.”

“How mean!! I am not even offered a seat!!”

“Baith jaa meri maa. Since when do you require special invitation anyways?”

“Thanks” and she sat by his side. “Now tell me.”

“I need your help.”

“That is quite obvious. I am not required for anything else. When was the last time you met me? Umm…”

“March.”

“What?”

“I last met you in March.”

“Yeah!! And after all these months you meet me to directly seek help. You know, you were never very good with social skills.”

“I know. And can you keep the ‘analysis of yours truly’s character’ part for a later discussion?”

“No problem. I am glad that you have given the idea of later discussion so much optimism. So, what brings you here? The serial killings?”

“Yep.”

“I had inkling that you would not be able to resist the lure of getting involved in this case. Good to see you back at what you do best.”

“No!! This is just a one off case. They requested me to join them as a consultant for this one. I think retirement was the right decision. It has helped me seeing life in a different light. Besides it seems that I have lost all my abilities.”

“It does not look like you are enjoying your current stint very well though. Tell me… do you really find peace in what you do now?”

He was silent for a moment. “I do not think now is the right time to discuss this. At this time I am bothered by this case.”

“Okay. Tell me what is troubling the supercop?”

“Don’t address me with this adjective. You know I never liked it when people called me that. Besides I am no cop anymore.’

“Okay baba… tell me what is disturbing you?”

‘Everything - the modus operandi… crime scenes… and especially the frequency of the killings. The entire case is like a complex
maze. The more I delve into it the more confused I get. And though the entire city has been fed with this ‘serial killer on prowl’ hypothesis, I have a gut feeling that these murders are not serial killings… at least not all of them.”

“Why So?”

“Well, I have been to nearly all the crime scenes… barring the first few. The crime scenes were clean… no fingerprints… no weapon… no clue whatsoever. It seemed as if the entire scene was cleansed before we arrived… Consistent across… Gave the sense of work of a professional… A single man… But…”

“But…”

“When you look at the way the wounds were inflicted on the bodies of victims… the story changes tracks. Though all the victims were murdered using sharp weapons, the execution of some of these victims bore the marks of refinement – almost as if the killer considers it a work of art. Few other victims were executed with finesse but having entirely different signature… precision was there but it looked more of a work of a trained professional carrying out his job with perfection and not of an artist. There is another set of victims who…”

“Whose murders do not seem to be the work of a professional at all… casual execution, many wounds… classical examples of murders done in charged emotions?”

“Exactly.”

“Different signatures… hmm… different people at work or a deliberate ploy? Interesting.”

“Could be a ploy as well but just look at the frequency… It started slowly. The first few murders were well spaced but now it is taking the shape of an epidemic. Plus look at the geographies being covered… The coverage area for the murderer is the entire metropolis… Add it to the frequency and it does not look like an average serial killer case. Does it?”
“I agree that you have a point. Have you sounded your concerns to the department?”
“I have but they are sticking their neck out to the deliberate ploy version. I agree it has few points in its favour especially the mark but…”

“Mark?”

“All the victims have been brandished with a mark – a cross at the neck. It is as if the murderer is claiming the body… almost like a sign of a conqueror. In a way it is vindicating the single man theory and this is what perplexes me. Despite the uninterrupted media coverage the mark factor is yet beyond common knowledge… the fact that all the victims have been branded with the same symbol takes steam out of my theory. And still I am pretty sure…”

“Are the symbols same on all the bodies?”

“Yep.”

“You mean there is no variation even in terms of form, size etc.”

“Nope.” He took out a laptop from his bag placed by the side of the bench and showed her the pictures of the victims.

There was a weird silence before she spoke “Interesting!! Very interesting!!”

“You are the best crime analyst I have ever seen including the ones they show on TV. I am counting on you to help me in this case.”

“Not bad at all. Learning a few tricks to sweet talk people? Good attempt… you could have included some more compliments though.” she chuckled.

“Well I must appreciate you then on having one of the best networks of informants at your disposal.” He said with a smile.
“Coming from someone who has a reputation of being the confidant of the most unlikely and reliable group of informants I take it as a great honour.”

“I do not boast of that gift anymore… lost connection to my entire network… they do not talk to me anymore… so you…”

“So I become your source for tapping information?”

It was an awkward moment for him but he answered with a straight face though a little reluctantly “Yes.”

“Don’t be hesitant. I know my place.” She said with a sigh.

“You have taken it in a wrong way…” he was trying to come up with some excuse before she stopped him. “Do not sweat. There is no need of being apologetic every time.”

He smiled at her. “I like that smile.” She said “And by the way you are looking smart today. Is this the same jacket I gifted you?”

“Yes” he nodded.

“I must acknowledge that I have a great sense of fashion unlike you… but let us focus on the work in hand. Is your laptop connected to the central server?”

“It is not. Remember I am only a consultant now.”

“Then I believe you would have used your jugaad to get access to all the files.”

“You bet.” He said with a triumphant smile.

“Let us take a look at the murders now.” There was excitement in her voice.

They started analyzing the crimes, case by case, evidence by evidence. The temperature was plummeting but they were too involved to notice the dip in the mercury.

“Hmm… can you draw any relation between the victims?” she said.

“That is what seems strange to me as well. You cannot demarcate the victims into any specific group… belongs to varied age groups across social strata… not goes in line with your regular serial killer types. Though…”

“Though what?”

“Nothing”

“I have an idea. Let us see if it works.”

“What?”

“You have classified the murders in three categories…Right?”

“Right”

“Now let us take each group and analyze them as if the others did not happen.”

“Shit!! Why it didn’t strike me?”

“Because you are not me” she said with an air “Will you run the data for me?”

“Of course.” He immediately sprang into action. His machine was processing the data for them.

“You surely are losing your abilities. How could a supercop miss such basic analysis?” she said with a taunt.
He was about to reply to her taunt when the laptop beeped twice to indicate the completion of processing. The screen was flashing a few graphs, some tables and a couple of grids.

“Ha ha” she was excited “look what I told you. Can you identify the patterns?”

“Yup. I can see them.” There was smile playing on his lips. “So in all likelihood, we are looking at more than one culprit for the killings. The first two set of murders bore distinct and different time stamps. The area of operation still remains an issue – it is still very big for both the sets. But this gives a fillip to my theory.”

“Exactly. But don’t you think this is an opportune time for you to acknowledge my contributions?” she was all theatrics.

“Thanku ammaji.”

“My treat?”

“Woh bhi milegi. But first let us wrap this up. The third set… the apparent crimes of emotions is the only scenario which shows the spurt in frequency… which means… ”

“Which means it is taking shape of an epidemic… these are not the handiworks of a single person… in all probability common people are taking shield of serial killings to commit crimes… honour killings… settling personal scores etc.”

“Hmm… In that case it becomes even more important to nab these serial killers at the earliest – otherwise this city will pay a heavy price. But there are too many loose ends even now.”

“Then tie them up.”

“If these crimes of passions … eh… charged emotions are committed by ordinary folks then why the crime scenes are sanitized as if to give the reflection of a work of a professional?”

“Most certainly someone out there is sanitizing the scenes before you guys arrive… but that would mean either having upfront knowledge of crimes which deflates our theory or having a well-oiled information system which seems a little farfetched.”

“Exactly… Again if the murders are committed by different people why all the bodies are branded in the same way?”

“Certainly adds to the intrigue… I have been thinking over this… these have to be the work of a single man… could be either of the two serial culprits or an altogether different person… I have an inkling of the motive though…”

“What? To create panic?”

“Not exactly. The idea most likely would be to create hysteria… but to take it to that level which will induce common people to succumb to their dark sides and commit heinous crimes with the hope to escape in this serial killer wave… in a way he is offering a free ride to the potential culprits on this ‘serial killer on prowl’ syndrome. Once this becomes rampant it will not be controlled easily and…”

“This city will never be the same again… We need to do something urgently.” He looked expectedly to her.

“What? I do not have any idea on who he is or how he gets information about the crimes before you guys.” He was still staring her.

“Okay… I will ask my network to see if they can provide us with any information… and only because you are not able to connect to your network.”

“Thanks.” He smiled at her.

“I might have found you another reason to thank me” she chuckled.

“What?”

“Have you noticed that most of the victims of the second scenario have undergone organ transplants in the last couple of years?”

“Yes. I have been trying to work on this angle but things are still hazy.”

“Well then you must have noticed that the other victims were scheduled for organ transplants in next few months.”

“What? No!! Is that so?”

“Yes. The second serial killer… the one whose trade signature is precision seems to have problem with people undergoing organ transplants.”

“A person possessed with the idea that…” suddenly his cellphone beeped twice. He had received a SMS.

“Not again” he reacted after reading it. “Got to go… Another strike. Thanks for everything.”

He put his laptop in the bag and was about to leave when she advised “If I were you, I would be looking for a doctor preferably
a surgeon to solve cases related to the second serial killer.” She said with the knowing smile.

“You know the culprit!!”

“If you have complimented me on having a good network of informants then I should not betray your faith. I think I should be looking for someone who has a history of mental illness and have been relieved of his duties recently. There aren’t many fitting this description. Are they?”

“Thanks a lot… But if you know about it from beforehand then why didn’t you tell me directly? Why this drama?”

“Frankly I didn’t know every aspect of the case… especially the point related to that mark and the fact that crime scenes are being sanitized. I staged it because it allowed me to spend quality time with you… reminded me of the old days…”

He was in turmoil. He didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry that I do not spend time with you anymore… but you know the reason… Do you know anything more which could help me on this case… Anything on the first killer?”

“First go and catch one then we will talk of the other.”

“You know something. Don’t you?”

“I am not bound to share everything with you. Am I?” she said with a playful smile.

“Don’t play with the lives of innocent people. Every second we fail to nab that man means that we endanger the lives of many.”

“I do not mind endangering the lives of a few ‘not so innocent’ people.”

“Do not aid murderers for god sake. You have taken a vow to protect lives… Remember!!”

“Probably you have forgotten then that I am not bounded by that vow anymore” came the curt reply.

He felt a pang in his heart. He could not speak for a moment. When he did the voice was feeble – “I am sorry for what happened to you. It was my mistake and…”

“Shut it. It was not your mistake. You have never been wrong.”

“I was… at that time… when it mattered the most…” his voice trailed off.

“Hey!! You are the most upright and honest man I have ever known. You stand for justice and that is the reason I love you. It is time that you let go of that burden you have forcefully kept on your heart” she caressed his face. They shared a brief moment in silence in which he regained his composure.

“I shall be moving now” he said.

“Of course.” He moved towards the exit. A lamppost in the vicinity flickered back to life.

“Hey!!” she said.

“Yeah.” He looked back.

“Keep me posted about the development.”

“Will do - would expect some more help from you when we meet next.”

She smiled. “So I can expect a meeting soon.”

“Haan” he had a glint in his eyes.

“I will try to find out whatever I can on the man who has been busy giving it the shape of an epidemic.” She assured him.

“Thanks in advance” he smiled affectionately.

“You are most welcome.” As he watched, her body shimmered and disappeared within a few moments. The famous ‘ghost communicator cop’ stared in the blank for an instant before making his way to the exit.

Gateways to Patna - Part 3 (Bus Terminus)

2011-11-13T13:37:00.001+05:30

As I write the last article of the series I realize that I have been fairly erratic with my timings. Despite my desire to complete the series at the earliest, I could not do so due to unavoidable situations. In the last two articles, I have tried to suggest a few measures which would help in developing the two gateways of Patna – Patna Junction and Patna Airport in a passenger centric manner. This article would try to explore possibilities of improving the facilities at third important gateway – Bus Terminuses.

A few months back I had to visit the ISBT at Kashmiri Gate in New Delhi. It was in deplorable condition with crumbling infrastructure, leaking lavatories and small enquiry cum ticket cabins devoid of the relevant personnel. The unsheltered area was either flooded (I went during the peak of Monsoon season) or strewn with filth. I wondered how this important landmark was left behind of the beautification drive led by the various authorities of Delhi in the run up to the Commonwealth games. ‘Perhaps they thought the international tourists would not avail the bus facility from ISBT’ – my friend tried his hand in the root-cause analysis. I pointed out the group of tourists standing at a corner visibly upset with the facilities available at the terminus. I illustrated the incident above to drive the point that while developing other important gateways to a state / city, one cannot ignore the Bus Stand(s). Any gateway should at least ensure basic amenities to all the passengers and make their stay as comfortable as possible.

Take for examples, my experiences at the bus stands of Chandigarh (Sector 17) & Bangalore (Majestic) – while I do not claim that they offer world class facilities, there seemed to be an effort to address the concerns of passengers by providing decent amenities (I do not know about the present as my experiences are a bit dated).

Coming straight to the topic – what do the bus terminuses in Patna offer to its passengers? Patna as we all know has two major intercity bus terminuses – one for the state owned vehicles near Gandhi Maidan while the other for the private operators at Mithapur. At present I do not think they offer anything other than the facility to board and de-board buses in the name of passenger amenities. There have been news reports to suggest that the state government has been planning to give a facelift to the government bus stand by providing better facilities including a shopping complex. It is a welcome move but we need to be cautious in switching to the celebratory mode considering the past records of various departments in the state. While one can be hopeful for the upgrade of the government bus stand, there is no sign of relief for passengers at the Mithapur private bus stand. This stand has always been in news and mostly due to wrong reasons – news reports suggest that criminals rein the place and the passengers are usually a harassed lot. There were some reports a few years back about the relocation of the existing bus stand inot two different locations(on 10 acres plot each) – one at Pahari and other at Saguna More area. Nothing substantial have been heard since then.

Let us look what basic facilities an ideal bus terminal should offer to both the passengers as well as the operators:

Passengers:

1. Ticketing facilities including advance reservation

2. Cloak rooms, Waiting rooms

3. Toilets / Washrooms

4. Public Addressing and Information System

5. Clean / Hygienic surroundings

Operators:

1. Parking facilities for Buses

2. Offices /Rest rooms and facilities for operating/running staff

3. Fuelling station

4. Maintenance Facilities (Bus washing / minor repair and servicing facilities)

The above mentioned are the minimum facilities that should be present at any bus terminal. Both the existing intercity / interstate bus terminuses in Patna do not offer many of these at present. My last tryst with both these (almost a year back) were not pleasant – I had captured the chaos, filth and mismanagement on my camera phone but could not publish the same as I lost the access due to memory card corruption.

As stated previously above mentioned factors are must for any bus terminal but as a gateway to Capital City of a state which has a rich tradition and glorious past, I think Patna’s bus terminuses should offer more to the people. Let us ponder over the next few points and see if these can be viable (and hopefully valuable) addition to the amenities / infrastructure along with the discussed few:

1. The existing compound of private bus stand in Mithapur does not boast of concrete floors – it results in inconvenience to the passengers especially during the rainy season. Is it that difficult to provide concrete flooring and boundary to the entire compound?

2. Chaos runs supreme with each bus operator competing to ‘grab’ the next passengers. With no proper demarcation for buses to various destinations passengers are usually the confused lot. Why can’t we have a platform system where platforms are dedicated to the buses of specific routes thereby reducing the chaos and the resulting confusion? With proper display system about the schedule, availability and fares of buses, it would act as a delight factor for the passengers. Further, each platform should have shelter and seating arrangements for the benefit of the passengers.

3. Administration in consultation with the operators (both private and government) should come up with viable schedule for each route to ensure optimal availability of buses round the clock.

4. A capital city represents the culture and heritage of the state and a gateway should allow people to experience / cherish the feel of the state. It would make sense to have a government operated memorabilia / artifact shop in the premises to allow people to carry the memories with them. It would also give a boost to the artisans of the state (especially with the plan to introduce bus services to the neighbouring states). Also, quality shops for delicacies of the state (Maner ke laddu, Silow Khaja etc.) at such gateways would allow passengers to take ‘sweet’ presents back home. This can be a small way of marketing different aspects of life in Bihar.

5. It also brings me to the important topic of food – the bus terminuses should boast of standard facilities for refreshments for the passengers and others. Thousands of passengers board buses daily from these two terminuses. A food plaza / court would be ideal for this setting.

6. As I have already suggested in the article on Patna Junction, engagement with the passengers becomes very important in turning a transportation hub into a cultural center. The aspect of entertainment / engagement ranks very high on the list of hapless passengers waiting for their transport. The availability of entertainment avenues like a sports zone, multiplex, theatre, shopping center would not only charm the passengers but would also draw residents of the neighbouring areas to such gateways increasing the viability of such ventures.

7. This would mean integrating facilities for parking of private vehicles as well for other public transports like city buses, autos and hand rickshaws within the premises for the benefit of the general public.

8. Another important aspect would be the availability of lodging facilities. While both the locations have hotels / lodges in the vicinity, it would make more sense if the administration would be able to develop decent budget lodging facilities within the premises itself.

9. The topping would be to add another dimension hitherto missing from the existence of the two terminuses – Security. With increasing engagement of the general public with such gateways, it would become important to ensure their safety. Administration would have to work hard to earn the trust of normal public in this aspect.

Patna is on a growth path and with each passing day its gateways would cater to more and more people. It becomes extremely important that these gateways act efficiently and present a good image of the capital city / state. The planning should be made keeping the future in mind with the objective of catering to the aspirations of the people.

Gateways to Patna - Part 2 (Patna Airport)

2011-09-11T15:20:00.000+05:30

Inthe previous article I had tried to put forth my vision for upgrading theneighbouring areas of Patna Junction – this article would concentrate on PatnaAirport. In recent times, Patna Airport has always been in news both for goodand bad reasons. Good because it ranks high among those airports which areregistering maximum traffic growth; Bad because it is considered as one of theriskiest in the country because of the short length of its runway.

Patna’sJai Prakash Narayan International Airport has a peculiar location – it issurrounded by the botanical garden on one side and railway tracks give itcompany on other. Bounded by the city on other sides, there is little scope forthe expansion in its current location. Also, the presence of tall trees (ofbotanical garden) on one side, historic clock tower of old secretariat andrailway cabin on others affects the approach funnel resulting in further reductionof effective runway length available for the aircrafts. This not only makes it riskyfor the aircrafts operating from the airport but also renders airportunsuitable for the usage of big planes restricting airport’s potential. Thisshortage of space (254 acres vs. 4000 acres of Bangalore Airport) also affects inproviding quality amenities to the passengers. Thus, it is imperative thatPatna needs a new and better airport.

Thesearch is on for a new site. Initially the proposed site was Bihta (35 km Westof Patna) as it boasts of basic infrastructure including a runway. However, due to difficulty in acquisition ofland, the idea was dropped. Now the news filtering out is that another site isproposed in Nalanda district which is approximately 65km from Patna. I have earlierexpressed my reservations (in another article) on having airports at a largedistance from city limits as it defeats the purpose of air travel. Further, thesite is not very far from another operational airport at Gaya which is alreadybeing developed as a full-fledged airport.

Mypoint is that if it not possible to provide adequate land very near to Patnathen we should look for a site which would create more value to the state. Weknow that connectivity drives economic activities and in turn growth and prosperityof a region. Projects like International airport, World class railway station,Metro service etc. provide tremendous potential for the development of neighbouringareas and its people. This is primarily the reason that I think it would be reasonableto explore the option of having the airport north of Ganga. While the firstreaction can be of justified alarm, let me put forth my points to support thisview:

Agreed that there are issues ofconnectivity as of now with Mahatma Gandhi Setu perennially plagued of jams.However, even if the site is identified and go ahead given today it will atleast take 3-4 years to make the new airport operational. By that time, in allpossibility, Digha bridge would be operational as well as Mahatma Gandhi Setuwould have been adequately repaired. With the proposal of another 8 lane megabridge doing the rounds, we could have a very good connectivity of the northernpart of state with Patna by the time such an airport comes into existence.
Further, state government has evincedinterest for setting up Metro services in Patna. If that service is startednear along the banks of Ganga (I am not a technical person to know theviability of such a proposition) then can’t it be extended to provideconnectivity to across Ganga as well?
The third argument for connectivity (thougha minor one) could be to explore the option of supporting surface transportwith water transport. With good vessels, the distance can be covered withoutmuch ado (jams, snarls etc.) and could provide a viable water transport modelif made operational with good frequency and service.

Andnow that the issue of connectivity has been more or less addressed by the above3 points, let us look at the impact of such a move:

Bihar would have two operationalinternational airports (one at Gaya and one for Patna as proposed in thisarticle) which would be catering to its two geographic divisions – Gaya toSouth Bihar while Patna to North of Bihar. This makes sense and the two regionswould gain equitably from such airports. With North Bihar gettingaccess to an International airport not too far away, the logistics relatedissues of agro based industries would be addressed to large extent. Further,keeping reasonable distance between two airports would allow each of them torealize its own potential.
It would help Hajipur (North of Patna acrossGanga and a zonal headquarter for Indian Railway) to be developed as the twincity to Patna. I know that the master plan for Patna Metropolitan Regionincludes Hajipur as well but what is the harm in giving another incentive forits development.
There could be many other economicbenefits for both the regions in selecting the airport of Patna across riverGanga and not in South Bihar.

Withthe inevitability of shifting of Patna airport from its current location innear future, one can wonder what would happen to the current facility. Onepossibility is that the existing facility co-exists albeit for smaller planesor as a training facility or for certain specific economic / commercial purposelike a dedicated agro based airport. However, I would personally like it to beturned into green. Patna can have its own version of Central Park in New York.Though the area is roughly 30% of the Central Park, it would still be welcomenews for the Patnaites craving for Green cover. This proposed cover and thebotanical garden can then literally become the lungs of the city.

However,till the time such arrangements are made, AAI officials and state governmentshould work dedicatedly to improve the existing facilities at the currentairport. This becomes important especially as Patna gains prominence as a city withpotential of future growth.

Improving Gateways to Patna – Part 1 (Patna Junction)

2011-08-28T15:20:00.000+05:30

I think many of you would agree that the gateways to any city hold extreme importance in building the image of that city. This is the primary reason why I would like to take this particular aspect of our beloved city in this article. Patna as we all know have three important gateways – Patna Junction, Airport and the Bus Stand at Mithapur. The first one in this series would focus on Patna Junction.

Step out of the Patna junction and you would have a glimpse of the chaotic life of this city. While the Mahavir Mandir stands tall in harmony with the neighbouring Jama Masjid and the newly built Buddha Park has added its own flavour to the surroundings, one can’t help but wish for a little more of order in that place. Rickshaws, Autos and Buses jostle for space and compete for every potential customer in a manner which would not leave a good taste to many. To complicate the matter, encroachments on the station road does not leave much space for the vehicular traffic to move swiftly leading to traffic snarls throughout the day – All this do not present Patna in a positive light at least to someone coming to the city for the first time. Also, once chosen to be upgraded as a world class railway station, Patna Junction does not even offer basic amenities to the passengers at the present moment.

While the Junction premises comes under the purview of Indian Railways, I think with active collaboration of state government and municipal body the surroundings of the area can be improved substantially for the comfort of not only those visiting the city but also for the residents of the city. What I am going to suggest are my vision for that area and may require fine tunings for actual implementation:

I think that it has become necessary to reconstruct the ‘New Market’ area on both sides of the Station Road on the lines of City Centre Mall of Kolkata (I am yet to see City Centre of other cities to make a comment on them). I am making this statement without even having an idea of who owns the land and if the civic body / government would be able to convince the shop owners in order to do so. However, if implemented it has the potential of not enhancing the aesthetics of entire area but also provide various amenities to the people. Let us now think what can be done if we redevelop the entire place:

1. Patnaites can get rid of encroachment on Station Road. The proposed market can be designed smartly to accommodate vendors who till now encroach the street.

2. Since (in this idea) the market area would be rebuilt thus it is possible to design it in a way to widen the road as well. The effective width of the road would then be much more than at present as a) the vendors would be relocated within the market and b) the width of the road would increase. This would go a long way in reducing the traffic snarls.

3. The proposed market can provide facility of Car Parking (Underground or Multi Storied One) to address one issue plaguing the city throughout.

4. If planned properly, the extreme ends of the market can be developed as Auto Stands with platforms for different routes just like the Bus Stand at Majestic. The government should ensure a mechanism that an order is maintained while availing autos from those stands like having a queues system for autos. The autos should be charged a nominal facility fee for using the facility. This would help to curb the menace created by some auto drivers. The same can be done for the Rickshaws as well.

5. With the Karbighaiya – Budh Marg section of the Mithapur flyover scheduled to open shortly, I think it would not be difficult to develop the Bus Stand at the Karbighaiya end. The flyover along with Chiraiyantad flyover would allow the buses to take their desired routes.

6. Now this is a bit farfetched – but to provide ease to the passengers (who normally have heavy luggage with them) to travel to both ends of the stations, can the administration in consultation with railways authorities devise a mechanism to introduce ‘Walkator’ within the station premises?

7. And can this Walkator system be introduced to ferry the people to and fro between the auto stands and station premises? With proper shelter, more and more people may be inclined to use the system. It would also help as the auto / rickshaw drivers would feel less need to come near the station gate to support their business resulting in easing of pressure near the station gate.

8. Coming back to the proposed market place – With proper design, it could create a decent circulating area in which the residents can find another breathing space in the increasingly ‘concretifying’ (Don’t worry. It is not a word. I have just made it up) city. It can be landscaped aesthetically to bring in that effect.

9. With enough space now at hand, the road can be lined up with trees on both sides and if possible on the divider as well giving it a look of a boulevard.

10. The market can have an entertainment zone with games like bowling, pool, TT and others to engage people. This would not only help those whose trains have got delayed and need to kill time but would also get patrons from the residents of the city as the city still lacks in proper outing avenues for families. One could even think of a multiplex

11. To extend the argument, if the plan would be to extend the complex to multiple floors then government could look into developing budget accommodation with decent services and amenities in a certain section. This would help those looking for reasonable accommodation in the city.

12. Coming to accommodation, Patna does not boast of any good hotel to provide luxury to high and mighty. In fact, even Prakash Jha said that even if he wanted he could not shoot in Patna as it does not have proper amenities for the stay of the stars of his films. In my last visit to the city, I could see a vacant land by the side of Hardinge Park. Again, I do not know who owns the land. But, it struck to me as a very good place to have a luxury hotel (5 star) – it is central to the city and has Railway station, Airport and even Bus Terminal in its vicinity.

13. Even the Karbighiya end should be landscaped to improve the aesthetics of the place.

Some of these ideas may seem reasonable while others farfetched. The questions can come on funding of the project as well and how to ensure the interest of the existing shop owners. Funding can be either entirely by government (a proposal to have another artery to Mithapur bridge connecting it to Chiraintad flyover to ease traffic around station worth Rs. 180 crore is already on its table) or through PPP mode. Administration would have to be persuasive while keeping the interest of the existing shop owners in mind and do the negotiation.

I think our city needs this intervention along with many others to make it a ‘City of Choice’.

Thoughts of an Ignorant

2011-08-17T15:33:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, had a talk with few Anna enthusiasts, kept a tab on social network (Facebook primarily) and watched news channels – Few things were evident to me:

Many either could not offer a definition to corruption or had set a very restrictive scope for it – Ideally one should know what he / she is fighting against.

Self-introspection and improvement are down the list of many in this fight against corruption – or to put it more bluntly people are using different lenses to judge acts by different parties. I just wish now that Anna has awakened them from slumber, he would also aid in developing an instinct of self-improvement and check.

To some it is not fight of principles – it has turned into a slugfest against individuals. Fight against corruption and its protector. History has shown that once people start getting personal they lose focus of things to achieve.

Media has showed immaturity in the way it has handled the coverage of this episode. It appears that the coverage is biased. I am not sure if the attempt to sensationalize every news item would be beneficial to this country either in long or short run. Though the cause is just, media houses should keep the sanctity of their institutions intact.

Opportunism is on show and it appears that people involved are either too ignorant to detect it (which is highly unlikely) or have simply shut their eyes to it. Both the cases are highly deplorable.

This ‘revolution’ primarily appears to be a middle class assertion which is good in many ways. The only caution one should keep is to not bring in self interest in this endeavour and work for general good.

Finally, in a fight for ‘democratic values’ (and everyone would accept that yesterday it was assaulted badly) people are not willing to listen to different opinions… ‘If you are not with Anna then you are for corruption’… And why should that be? I am as free to express and retain my views as anyone else in this country… And a person can be with the intent of Anna but may have a different perspective on how to bring about changes. Does that make a person pro corruption? Rationally not but I have no clue on what the popular perception would be.

There are many more points that I want to list down but would do without them at the moment. I wish the corruption is cleaned from our society – if this is the first step then I think the second step would be achieving 100% target on the self-correction front for each individual of this country.

P.S: Was watching the news during the lunch break – plagued by a question since then. Is this movement taking the right course? The theatrics is on display and so is the power tussle. I simply hope that we do not lose the cause in the midst of such chaos and frenzy.

Fast for a Cause

2011-06-06T17:14:00.003+05:30

‘Stop being a glutton. How much would you eat? At least pay heed to the emergency call from your waistline.’ I cautioned him.

‘Are!! Do not stop me from eating, at least not today. I am in preparation mode.’

‘Preparation for what?’

‘I am going for fast unto death from tomorrow morning. This is my last meal before the fast. So let me have it in peace.’

‘Well, if it is fast unto death then I think this is probably your last meal.’ I winked at him.

‘Well, maybe. But, if the government agrees to the demands then I would be spared of an untimely death while the society would benefit a lot.’

I had never known him to have a strong viewpoint on anything except of course on food. Probably, he had been influenced by the recent emergence of a strong and vocal civil society. Anyways, the crusade against corruption has caught the imagination of millions in this once sacred land.

‘So, now we would watch you on national television making a case for bringing back black money to the country.’ I said with a straight face.

‘No, no, no!! I am not joining that fast. Let them take care of corruption. I am going to raise another pertinent issue.’

‘Really!!’

‘Yes. I am going to raise the issue of environment and the need for its conservation.’

‘And you are planning to start this fast tomorrow?’

‘Yes.’

‘I do not think it is the right time to start this movement of yours.’

‘Well, I think it is the perfect time to start it. World Environment Day has just gone by and I did not see any major initiative taken or reported barring the Greenathon on NDTV. It is time the concerned authorities start giving due importance to the cause of the environment.’

‘I am not against your cause. I am just saying that it is not the perfect time to start this movement. Remember, at present, there is a hyped movement going on against black money. The hype is so much that the news channels forgot to give due importance to an important occasion like World Environment Day. Your movement will be drowned by this tsunami. Remember the boxoffice rule – never release your film along with a biggie.’

‘I have a plan to garner attention. Everything is possible in this age of social media. Facebook was instrumental in bringing revolutions in the Middle Eastern countries – it will help this cause as well. Further, I have friends in media who have promised me coverage.’

‘I doubt if social networking media would generate similar support for this cause. But what is the harm in giving it a try? As far as coverage in traditional media is concerned, remember there is a difference between coverage and effective and impactful coverage.’

‘Why are you being so cautious?’

‘There is a reason. I do not want such an important initiative to meet an immature death.’

‘So, you are with me on this?’

‘I am supportive of the cause. I am not sure of the method though. I am not sure that a protest by fasting is a panacea to all our woes. Though fasting would definitely help your waistline.’ I smiled at him.

‘Look all around you. Fasting is a credible and effective way to draw the government’s attention to an issue. It also ensures that government acts in a desired way.’

‘Or in other words – arm twisting the government?’

‘No. It is not a way to blackmail the government. It is to make the government perform its duties. Look at the success of the agitation for an effective Lokpal Bill.’

‘Even though I do not concur with your views, I will not debate on this contentious issue. If you feel that keeping fast for your demands is the best way forward then go ahead. But, you will have to ensure a very good support for your act. If you couldn’t then in all probability your mission will fall short of its goals.’

‘I know. Until there is a show of strength and solidarity, the careless government would not pay heed to my demands.’

‘And what are your demands? I am sure you would have consulted some eminent environmentalists and experts before drafting your demands.’

‘Hah!! No need. I am much sensitized towards the need of the environment and its preservation in the country. And even if I am no expert, the demands are very basic in nature and should be easily implementable.’

‘So, tell me your demands.’ I asked.

‘The first and foremost demand is the immediate restoration of all the glaciers especially Gangotri to their position at the time of independence; Also to restore the original course of rivers of the land.’ I had a hearty laugh at his suggestions.

‘Why are you laughing?’

‘Be a little practical my dear friend. How can one immediately restore the glaciers? Further, for some rivers change of course is a natural phenomenon.’

‘Are!! When people can demand immediate retrieval of black money from foreign countries and also declaration of illegal wealth held abroad by Indians as national property then why are my demands illogical. But if you deem these illogical then I have also worked on some reasonable and logical demands.’

‘Like…’

‘Like immediate mechanism to stop pollution of rivers by setting up sewerage treatment plants and effective waste management systems at major towns and cities; protection of aquatic wildlife especially endangered species like river dolphins.’ He was agitated but now he was making some valid points.

He continued, ‘Then there are issues like promotion of green energy. When we can look for building nuclear reactors, why can’t we fund generously for researches to find cheap and alternative ways to light our villages and cities? And there should be mandatory 20% green cover for all the cities and towns in the country.’

I realized that the issues raised by him warrant meaningful debate / discussions and also required larger participation from the civic society.

‘You have raised some pertinent issues.’ I said. ‘But why go on a fast to pressurize the government when the foremost need is to sensitize the common people.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Sewerage treatment plant is fine but don’t you think we are also responsible for the pollution of our water bodies by throwing garbage, ‘puja materials’ and other waste directly to these life giving water sources? There is a need to build a sustained campaign to implore people to resist pollution of our rivers.’

‘Hmm.’

‘Similarly, making it mandatory for a city to have 20% green cover sounds great – but, what if residents of these cities actually come out and plant trees in a planned and systematic way to make their city green.’

‘I see your point.’

‘There needs to have an engaging debate among commoners, experts and authorities to come up with a plan for sustainable environment. It is not always necessary to be at loggerheads with the authorities – sometimes coordination works well. And such causes require coordination between all the stakeholders.’

Despite my persuasion he went ahead with the fast. His fast did not last for a day. There was no huge gathering, minimal media presence (his friends kept their promises) and no illogical demands. He realized that he would not be able to generate the desired momentum through this route and hence broke his ‘fast unto death’ with a hearty meal. However, he has started working on a plantation drive in his city with a few genuine enthusiasts whom he met during his fast.

Making of a Bhojpuri Album

2011-04-15T20:31:00.000+05:30

As I came out of the plane, a sudden chill in the air welcomed me to the capital of the country. I enjoyed this reception by the weather – here in Calcutta (as I maintain I still prefer it over Kolkata) the weather does not allow one to indulge with the winter. It was still January and I was expecting this encounter with ‘cold’. The mobile phone had finally succeeded in reestablishing the communication with one of the leading telecom networks in India. I dialed the number – ‘The flight has arrived. Where shall I meet you?’

‘I know, I know. First catch hold of your friend and then tell me your location. I will be there within no time.’

I was in Delhi for the wedding of a very dear friend. Many of the college friends were supposed to attend the wedding – it was meant to be a small get together for us. One of them was scheduled to arrive just before me and I had asked him to wait for me – we met outside the terminal. He had not changed at all in these two years with all his charm, mannerism intact. True to his word, my friend, who had come to receive me, appeared within no time in his car.

‘So, how is life?’ I asked my friend as he drove through the wide streets of Delhi. There was a playful smile on his face.

‘There is a surprise in store for you.’

‘I have a fair bit of inkling on that surprise though.’ I said with a smile. It was his time to be surprised.

‘Do you?’ he asked.

‘Yup!! It has to do with the studio that you have established some 2-3 months back?’

‘How do you…?’

‘I am your childhood friend and I am also fairly well connected. So, why didn’t you tell me earlier?’

‘The studio was meant to be a surprise for you.’

‘He he… better luck next time buddy!!’

‘Well then you will not have to wait long…’ I looked enquiringly at him as he continued ‘I am producing a Bhojpuri music album.’

‘What?’

The current state of popular Bhojpuri music industry is not a secret – it is dominated by songs with suggestive meanings and very ordinary music. The videos of such songs naturally are raunchy (for the lack of better word) & regressive in which the women are projected as materialistic objects. As someone who has lived outside my native state of Bihar for a better part of last decade, I have always felt that such products from Bhojpuri music / cinema industry are often instrumental in bringing ridicule to the culture of Bihar. I have often tried to point out to my friends and acquaintances that the culture of Bihar is beyond what is reflected in these cheap / vulgar products. The response is generally a smirk which thrives on the presence of thousands of such videos on youtube and other online repositories. The sad part is that that there is a lack of online content which brings out the real culture of Bihar – its music, its dance, its art and its spirit.

‘So what have you named your company?’ I asked my friend. Though the friend who was getting married had arranged accommodation for all of us, I chose to stay with my friend.

‘Myth Media Solution Private Limited.’ he replied with a glee.

‘Myth?’

‘Has some similarity with my name plus to me it appears cool.’

‘Point taken. But why a Bhojpuri album?’

‘Have you seen or heard the trash they produce in the name of Bhojpuri?’ I nodded in affirmation. He opened ‘youtube’ and clicked on some of the videos. ‘Don’t you think, in a way, these songs malign us and our culture?’

‘I could not agree more.’

‘I feel hurt with such misrepresentation of our identity. Creators of such ‘trash’ claim that such products are churned out because of the existence of popular demand. I want to bring a change in this perception. I believe there exists an equally big, if not bigger, market for good quality entertainment in our languages.’

‘I think it is a nice thought… I am with you in this initiative. Do not hesitate to ask if I could be helpful in any ways.’

‘Why are you being so formal? Even if you would not have liked the idea, I would have dragged you into this.’ I smiled at his comment.

‘So, how far have you progressed?’

‘Still at the initial stage. There are some good talents in my team. Kal studio chalenge to sabse milwaunga. And you will also be able to listen to the scratch of some of the songs. Now take rest. You must be tired.’

I liked the way he had designed his studio. Though located at the basement of a bungalow in Noida, the studio oozed creativity and warmth. I am not accustomed to the equipments used in media production but the gizmos there surely impressed me. ‘We are aiming to provide complete media solution to our clients in addition to producing albums not only in Bhojpuri but in other languages as well.’ said my friend. And then I was introduced to a very young, talented and ambitious team. I could remember the name of a few if not all – Nitin, Nitesh, Pankaj, Saurabh, Prem, Amit, Priyanka, Garima, Bhavana and of course I knew their leader Mithilesh. They were all excited with the way their venture had started to pick up the pace.

‘Would you be kind enough to listen to the scratch of one of our songs?’

‘I would be privileged.’

‘Remember, a scratch is just like the rough work. While the basic beats may remain same, everything including the voice will change in the final version.’ I nodded.

I closed my eyes and listened to the basic version of a song which would become my favourite of all – ‘Mehangai’ (Inflation / Price Rise). It was similar to ‘Mehangai Dayan’ of Peepli Live in spirit and essence but I think quite different in terms of treatment. It is a satirical and livelier take on the issue which has hit the common man of late. My friend didn’t have to ask for my reaction – the joy on my face gave it all.

‘What next? How many songs are in the pipeline for this album?’

‘May be 5 or 6 more. One would definitely be on Bihar – on the transformation that it is showing in last few years.’

‘Good idea.’

‘Do you think it would be a good idea to experiment in my first album only?’

‘Why?’

‘I want to introduce a new sound in Bhojpuri. While most of the songs will retain the earthy flavour, I want to test if a different kind of sound will work for Bhojpuri.’

‘I do not think there is any harm in trying anything new. Anyways you are trying to break the mould.’

For last two months, I have closely watched the way the album had shaped up. I have witnessed how these enthusiasts have crossed all the hurdles they have faced. It is dues their indomitable spirit that this soon to be released album boasts of some wonderful tracks – my personal favourites (apart from ‘Mehangai’) being ‘Thumka’ and ‘Aasmani Achra’. However, this is my opinion (which may be biased) – you could always form your opinion by visiting these songs at the following link:

http://www.bigmms.com/music-files

This album is a first step towards changing the (mis)perception regarding the Bhojpuri music in particular and culture of Bihar in general. This may be a fine first attempt but a lot needs to be done. My friend accepts that there are many challenges in bringing the educated class closer to the popular regional entertainment. He and his team creative team for the album comprising of Animesh (Music Director), Sahil (Music Director), Kukku (Lyricist) and a set of talented vocalists and artists are trying to swim against the tide to prove a point. The million dollar question is – Will the educated class appreciate /support such an attempt to bring the lost glory back?

A Night to Remember

2011-04-04T00:01:00.000+05:30

My eyes darted back to the pages which detailed an adventure of Feluda. Virat Kohli had just been removed out of the equation by a superb catch from Dilshan. I cursed myself – ‘Why did I have to watch the match so intently again?’. I had switched my Totka (Believe me, I really do not know the English term for this word) after the fall of the master’s wicket – I would not concentrate on game but would read Feluda instead. In between my eyes darted to the screen every time a ball was bowled but would withdraw to the book otherwise. It was working fine until I decided to throw caution to the air and started watching the match with intense passion – it was only 5 minutes and Kohli was made to leave the field. Needless to say I sacrificed much of the excitement for the sake of India (I hope someone would document this sacrifice when the history books are written).Simultaneously, I was involved in another interesting Totka – My friend would message the runs needed to be crowned as the world champions after every 10 odd runs and I would reply in a long sentence. The only time I deviated, Sachin missed the opportunity to score his 100^th ton on this incredible day. I believe thousands (if not millions) of Indians and fans of Indian cricket were involved in such small (maybe nonsensical) acts to push team India towards the Victory line.

I had never known how it feels to be world champions – many others like me were waiting for last many (28 to be precise) years to experience this high (For a moment leave aside the crown of 20-20WC… You would have to accept that ODI WC is in a different league). And so when Dhoni majestically swayed his bat to take India to this memorable win, we all experienced something we had never before. The sheer joy of being the world beaters sent me in a dizzy. I did not know how to react - I was shouting, jumping, throwing my fist in air and was on the verge of tears all in single moment. As I put it on my Facebook status – ‘the feeling cannot be explained in words… it can just be shared with the 1.2 billion Indian souls’.

The images of team India holding the cup would remain etched in our memories for a long time. The calm of Dhoni; the tears of Yuvraj, Bhajji & Gambhir; the ecstasy of Kohli & Raina; the smile of Sehwag, Pathan & Patel; the joy of Zaheer and Nehra; the excitement of Chawla, Sreesanth & Ashwin and most importantly the satisfaction on the face of Sachin Tendulkar would inspire generations to come. I have heard somewhere – Greatness, however brief, once achieved remains with a man forever. These men in blue have achieved that greatness.

This is not just the victory for a cricketing team but is as many have already put it - a victory of the spirit of India. One only has to witness the celebrations to understand it. People, irrespective of their affiliations of caste, creed, religion, region, were celebrating the ascent of India as the new powerhouse of world cricket. Just after the presentation ceremony I went to Park Street (which is just a few minutes’ walk from where I live) to be a part of this celebration. The environment out there was electrifying – Thousands were out to declare to the world that we are the champions once again. With hundreds of tricolours in sight, it was a rare demonstration of nationalism on streets. People were shouting, screaming, dancing, singing – chants of ‘INDIA… INDIA’ could be heard every now and then. And what better sources to derive for the celebrations than our great festivals – It was as if Holi, Diwali & Eid was being celebrated at a single go. I walked through the crowd to become a part of this sea of humanity – waving at complete strangers, shouting intermittently, passing smiles and of course capturing these unforgettable moments on my camera phone. I enjoyed what I saw – faces brimming with joy, a sense of hope and optimism, blurring of boundaries with even foreigners joining in the celebrations and an attitude that reflects confidence and dynamism. Cricket has been for sometimes been called a religion in India. It unites people and inspires them to take on the world. This victory has the potential to act as a catalyst for accelerating the reemergence of brand India in Global context.

While I was returning few thoughts fleetingly crossed my mind.

Will we able to see such celebrations regularly and in sports other than Cricket? Will the governments / sporting bodies take cues from this victory and support other sports with increased fervor and zeal? News reports suggest that all states have opened their kitty for these ‘Kings of Cricket’- which is a good thing. I only wish they also utilize this platform to encourage other sports as well.
On my way back, I saw people (poor / destitute) sleeping on pavements completely oblivious of the celebrations in the vicinity. I felt that such celebrations would remain incomplete till the time every Indian becomes a part of it. It is only possible when concerted efforts are made by every Indian to realize the idea of inclusive growth. If such a day arrives in my lifetime, my celebrations would surely know no boundaries.

P.S: Does this post contradict my earlier post when I denounced demonstrations against the team India when they exited early from WC 2007? I believe not. I stand by both of my posts.

What did I learn: I missed watching the Finals with my friends as I did during the Quarter Final and Semi Final. It was bad planning from my end. I learnt that one should not be too dependent on others for the execution of his plans. I will keep this in mind next time.

Patna Needs this campaign

2011-03-26T23:14:00.000+05:30

I have shared my grievances on the current state of the public transport in a previous article यातायात और हम. I believe I had raised a few pertinent questions in that article. In this article I would like to highlight another important concern for any commuter – safety (and no I am not referring to the usual law and order angle). This is important especially in the context of the reemergence of Patna as a potential growth city. As a keen follower of news related to my native place, I have noticed an upward trend in road accidents / road rages in last few years. However, what coaxed me into writing this was a post in the Patna Community on Orkut where a member had narrated about a road accident. The incident took place near Boring Road crossing in which a couple of school kids on a bike hit a pedestrian and ran away – the man was critically injured. She then went on to describe the apathy of police and the indifference of common people towards the incident – despite heavy gathering none (including the Police) showed the interest in calling an ambulance for the man until his identity as a big shot was established.

I narrated the entire incident (as provided in the Orkut post) to emphasize on the seriousness of the issue in hand. It made me wonder – has Patna changed for good or worse? As a child, I was once involved in a road accident and a complete stranger helped my father to take me to a hospital. He stayed till I was treated by the doctor. That had also happened in Patna albeit some two decades back. Has that spirit of Patnaites withered away with time? However, I would resist questioning the conscience of an average Patnaite and would try to focus mostly on the practical aspect.

A city is characterized by the life it offers to its citizen. An emerging city like Patna needs to be promoted as a favoured destination for the talented – this would bring business / investment not only to Patna but to the entire state of Bihar. And this is the reason why it becomes important to give due attention to the concerns related to traffic and public transport. Unfortunately, Patna not only boasts of a shoddy public transport system but is also marred by regular traffic mayhem. Add to it a complete disregard to traffic rules by both motorists and pedestrian and one has a complete recipe for a disaster. Thus, before this situation spirals out of control, there is a need of concerted efforts from all sections of the society to fan out this menace.

Initiating and implementing reforms for improving public transport in the city would take some time; so would creating infrastructure (Parking lots / widening of roads) to decongest traffic. However, a campaign could be planned and carried out immediately to imbibe responsibility and traffic sense among common people. This would require initiation from Traffic Police, support from all the media groups operating in the city and a will to improve the existing situation from the Patnaites. The following pointers can act as a guideline for such a campaign:

Discourage Underage Driving: As pointed out in the incident narrated above, the perpetrators were most likely underage. Almost a decade back, when I was in school, underage driving was still a norm (It was fun for many). However, I think that the time has arrived to rectify this attitude – with the increase in the magnitude of traffic in the city underage drivers pose serious threat not only to others but to their safety as well. Such a measure would require cooperation from parents, school administrations and vocal support from media organizations. Most of the school going kids would not be eligible to drive vehicles – Traffic SP and DM can ask the schools to strictly enforce a rule which would bar the underage students from bringing vehicles to schools. Parents need to be persuaded by constant pressure from school administrations and media groups. The first step would be for the Traffic Administrators to call a meeting of school principals and editors of media groups to brainstorm over the issue and arrive at an effective way for implementation.
At least a month long campaign in all the leading dailies / news channels / radio stations to inform the general public about the traffic rules. Carry out a general survey about the traffic sense (say ask them about Zebra Crossing) and I am sure the results would be eye opener. There should be an appeal to follow the traffic rules and basic traffic sense while on roads – maybe repetition have an effect on the mentality of Patnaite.
I am sure people who have lost / nearly lost their dear ones in road accidents would willingly support the cause. Seek their support – bring out the stories of such families. It is necessary that people realize that one rash act can devastate the lives of so many. This would probably be the most influential way to ensure that people act in a responsible way while on road.
Bring in NGOs, Clubs (like Rotary) etc. to engage people through various activities / road shows to improve awareness about traffic rules.
If fund becomes an issue, then enroll leading car manufacturers in the campaign. With Patna emerging as a vibrant market for cars, I am sure these companies will readily sponsor such initiative / campaign.
Finally, build pressure on the state government / local administration to start giving due attention to the traffic woes of the city – introducing effective public transport system; installation of traffic lights / street lights; sprucing up the traffic police with resources (both human and technical); building foot overbridges and underpass for the convenience / safety of pedestrian etc.

I believe such a campaign is a necessity for Patna. In its fast pace of catching up with other city, this city should not ignore the essentials of a good / vibrant city.

Rehash of my Old Stories #2

2011-03-17T01:59:00.002+05:30

Gift

Authorspeak: I first started writing it in 2003. I distinctly remember the cover page of the notebook in which this idea first found its foothold. However, I could not complete it. Some of my friends who had read the draft wanted it to be completed though – Sougata can now be a happy man (if he remembers this story). I have tried several times in last 7 years to complete it but none of those efforts could take it to its culmination. Finally when I have completed this story, I do not feel jubilant – I only feel relieved. I still believe that I could have shaped it much better if I had completed it in my first effort. Though it belongs to the category of short story – it has become long for a blog post (4004 words to be precise). Thus, I am splitting it in 3 subparts for the convenience of blog readers. I would still like it to be read in one go but I think it is too much to ask for.

Gift – Part 1

I looked at my watch in resignation. The train was already late by more than two hours and there had been no information flow regarding its possible arrival. I had already made two trips to the enquiry counter only to get a trained answer – ‘Pata chalte hi announce kar denge (We will announce the same once we get to know about the timings)’. One does not expect Indian Railways to run on time especially during winters. The least they can do is to keep the passengers apprised of the situation.

It was a chilly day. As the temperature plummeted to a new low, most people preferred to stay within the comforts of their homes. The fact that it was a holiday also helped them in sticking with the choice. But I was not that lucky - I had to venture out for an important professional trip. In fact, you can also tag it as one of the most important trips in my small but eventful career. I looked around. Despite the weather, the platform was abuzz with activities. Passengers and those who had accompanied them (I prefer to call them ‘see off troupe’) were braving the cold breeze in the company of their winter wears. Those who could afford were flaunting expensive brands while there were also a few who had only ‘ragged something’ to shield themselves from the cruel winds. This disparate crowd, however, was unanimous in its choice of beverages – Tea stalls owners were having a field day. Even the ‘Poori-Sabji’ & ‘Pakoda’ stalls were doing brisk business. It was almost lunch time and I could feel the rats warming up in my stomach. And though the food items on the platform stalls were quite inviting, I could not fall for their charm after being diagnosed for a liver ailment recently. I had to look for a better alternative but the uncertainty over the train’s arrival was severely restricting my options. And then came the breather – the announcement system on the platform crackled and came to life after a very long time. ‘Patna bound Saadharan Express would arrive on platform number 5 at 1:45 pm. We are sorry for the inconvenience.’ I had more than half an hour at my disposal. I decided to invest that into pacifying my hunger.

When I returned, train was already stationed at the platform. I felt relieved. I glanced through the passenger chart before boarding the train. It is an old habit – started in my teens primarily to gauge the potential of ‘bird watching’ but as I matured it was more to know about my fellow co-passengers. Yes! Even reservation chart can provide you sufficient initial information about a person – you just need to have a trained instinct.

‘B1?’ I asked the person standing at the gate even though I knew the coach number (Old habits die hard!!). He nodded in affirmation. Passengers in the coach were still settling down at their seats. However, none had arrived to claim my neighbouring seats. I decided to take rest as the train was scheduled to make a halt at my destination in the early hours of next morning. So, I hopped into my designated upper berth and waited for lady sleep to seduce me with her charms. She did not make me wait for long. As she came and embraced me in her arms, I could feel passengers settling in the berths below.

Dreams have always fascinated me – more so, after the release of Christopher Nolan’s Inception. And even without knowing the technicalities of dreaming, I have always loved the dream world. Colours of a more vibrant life explode in this world. So, you can fight the evils and be the savior of mankind; you can transcend the laws of physics – move across timelines; woo beautiful ladies and destroy the armies at the slightest movement of your fingers; enjoy the beauty of mountains, rivers, fountains, lush green fields and what not – you can be at prairie in one moment and in alps the next. In this particular instance, I was enjoying the final of a Cricket World Cup (between India and Pakistan) when someone just pushed me out of the stadium. I woke up in start only to find the TTE looking for my ticket. I scrambled to find my ticket and finally produced it to the TTE. Content that I was travelling on a valid ticket, he moved on to other passengers. I checked my watch – It was nearing 5 pm. I slept for almost 3 hours!!

I descended and took my designated seat at the side of the lower berth passing the customary pleasantry smiles at my co-passengers. The couple sitting by my side was newlywed (part observation and part information gathered from the passenger chart). They looked like a perfect pair – the kind for which you develop an instant liking. And they were adorable – they offered me some snacks (within minutes after I sat) which I politely declined (After the recent spurt in criminal activities on trains, I prefer to be more cautious). The side berths were occupied by an old couple who seemed to be quite content with their life. The lady was engrossed in a magazine while the man was enjoying the music on his music player. While the duo sitting by my side was busy holding each other’s hand, I was drawn towards an interesting discussion taking place between the two middle aged men sitting on my opposite berth. They were discussing topics like inflation, corruption, international geo politics at one go with ease and authority. I wanted to join the discussion but for some unknown reason resisted and remained an interested audience.

Suddenly I felt a gaze at me. In a movement of my eyes, I identified the source – ‘she’ was looking at me with a somewhat curious eyes. Sitting just opposite to me, she quickly looked the other way. A few moments later, I again found her passing furtive glances at me. She again looked the other way when it became evident that I had ‘caught’ her. I was beginning to enjoy this game. And why wouldn’t I? She was beautiful – a strand of her locks was on her face making her look ethereal. She was in her early twenties and probably was related to the man sitting in the middle of the opposite berth. Her face had turned crimson with the knowledge that she was caught in her act. In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, she passed a smile at me. And as those dimples settled on her face, I wondered how beautiful would she look while laughing. She was elegantly dressed in a Salwar suit and a vibrant coloured cardigan. And when our eyes met next, in another of her futile attempts to look at me, I could not resist and said ‘You have a beautiful face and a very bright future.’

‘What?’ she looked stunned by this comment.

Rehash of my Old Stories #2

2011-03-17T01:58:00.001+05:30

Gift – Part 2

I was able to attract the attention of my fellow co-passengers with this single comment – they were all staring at me. The man sitting in the middle of the opposite berth was evidently more agitated. ‘What did you say?’ he demanded while rising angrily. His booming voice had attracted even more attention to the section in which we were seated. I could feel being a cast of the over the top soap operas which are bombarded on our idiot box throughout the day.

‘I said she has a beautiful face and has a very bright future ahead.’ I replied calmly.

‘How dare you?’ he snarled. There was a growing murmur and I anticipated a rising support for the angry man and the beautiful lady. I had to do something and that too quickly.

‘I was just stating the facts. There was no malicious intention. She is beautiful’ I paused for a second as she turned crimson again ‘and as far as her future is concerned, she would redefine success. I can bet anyone of you on this.’

‘And how are you so sure of her future?’ asked the old man sitting on the side berth. The earpiece of his music player was now lying by his side as he became an intent participant of the entire drama. My words had brought the desired effect – simmering ‘mob fury’ had given way to a genuine curiosity.

‘I have been trained to do so. Have you heard of Pandit Rohit Sharma of Varanasi?’

‘The famous astrologer?’ asked a few.

‘Yes’ I replied ‘I am his son Mritunjay Sharma. When I commented on her future, I was not passing a general remark for fun. She definitely has a ‘Raj Yog’ but one cannot achieve one’s destination without following the path of ‘Karma’. I was trained by my late father. And I can tell a lot about her or for that matter anyone just by reading the face.’ I could sense a building excitement as the passengers from other seats started gathering around our section.

‘Well, then say something about her. Let us see if this is real.’ I clearly identified the tone of sarcasm associated with the comment. I looked at the challenger. He was a stout man with a balding head – he reminded me of the principal of my school. I passed a reassured smile at him before starting ‘Her name starts with G.’

‘Ah!! That anyone can tell by having a look at the reservation chart.’ said the man in the middle of the opposite berth who as I said was apparently a relative of the girl.

‘Even I know her name. It is…’ came a voice from the crowd. Surely, he had also perfected the art of assimilating the information on the chart for ‘bird watching’. The girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Obviously, she did not want to be the part of this ‘game’.

‘I am not referring to ‘Geeta’… I am talking about her nickname… Is it Gudiya?’ I asked the girl.

Startled, she looked at her relative. Her face bore a mix of surprise and fear as she looked back at me. The face of her relative had turned pale. The gathering knew that I was correct.

‘You could have heard me calling her by that name.’ said the relative.

‘Well, I did not. But even if that is the case, then how do I know that she is in a government service… just joined probably in the rank of officer?’ I waited for the reaction. The duo sitting opposite me were startled and were growing uncomfortable while the crowd just loved it. I then added a punch ‘You have lost your dear ones in an accident some years back. Isn’t it true?’

There was a moment of disbelief on her beautiful face. ‘How do you know?’ she asked. This was the first time I noticed her voice. It had a certain musical quality in it. The crowd had more or less believed my claims and I could hear a few claps too.

However, before I could answer her, I was accused by her relative ‘He is a stalker. There is no way he could have known it otherwise.’ He yelled at the top of his voice.

‘No, I am not.’ I defended myself. ‘Every incident of your life leaves a mark on your existence and since face is the most expressive part of human body, it is etched there. One just needs to be trained to read those marks. Bring anyone in front of me and I would refute your claim that I am a stalker.’

The couple sitting next to me volunteered. I pointed out some instances from their lives which startled them. With their verification, I was vindicated. The gathering cheered with each of my observation regarding them. Mobiles were out of the pockets of few, who were clicking my photographs and a guy was even video recording the entire episode. I concluded a session with a few pointers to their future. Content that I have proved my point, I looked at the duo sitting opposite me. The man was still looking angry. The girl was a little pale, subdued and was looking at a magazine placed on her lap. I cursed myself for robbing the radiance from her face.

I wanted to apologize but before I could say anything, I was flooded with the requests of fellow passengers who were eager to know their future. I have this problematic trait – I cannot say ‘no’. So it went on for next three hours in which I was analyzing future and suggesting remedies related to family problems, heart breaks, business deals, health related issues, aspirations and what not. In between there would be some enthusiast who would want my business card or even my autograph!!!

‘You should charge them for your services.’ suggested the man sitting next to me. His wife nodded in agreement.

‘Then I will have to charge you first.’ I said with a smile.

‘We are willing to pay you.’

‘No, No!! It is not my profession. I am an entrepreneur. It is just a coincidence that I was forced to use my training today.’

There was still some time to dinner when I got rid of people citing exhaustion. Though I was fatigued, there was a sense of satisfaction. I had placed an order for a vegetarian dinner from the pantry service though there were many tempting offers made by fellow co-passengers of sharing their dinner (which I refused politely). I was sitting with my eyes closed when I heard a gentle ‘excuse me’. I opened my eyes to identify that the voice belonged to the man sitting at the window seat of the opposite berth. ‘Yes?’ I asked.

Rehash of my Old Stories #2

2011-03-17T01:56:00.003+05:30

Gift – Part 3

‘I know you are tired but I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes of your time for me.’

‘Not a problem. Please tell me what do you want.’

The couple sitting next to me offered me the window seat so that I could sit closer to the man.

‘My name is Suresh. I am a native of Patna. I have seen that you have a great gift of God. I have lived a satisfactory life and I do not want to know anything about myself. I was just wondering if’

‘If I could tell something about the future of your adorable daughter?’ he was taken aback by this statement.

‘You truly have the blessings of the God.’

‘No, I don’t. I just saw it on the wedding card kept by your side. It’s clearly written in bold ‘Mamta Weds Prem’ and gives away your name ‘Suresh Singh’ as the bride’s father.’ I explained. ‘So, when you said that you do not want to know anything about yourself, I presumed it would be about your soon to be married daughter.’ My comments have made the duo sitting next to him to pay more attention to our conversation. Probably they saw it as an opportunity to nail me. Geeta had regained her composure and was looking like an angel.

‘I cannot believe that whatever you did till now was just by observation.’ said Suresh.

‘It is not the case. Astrology is a science but observation plays an important role in perfecting it.’ I smiled. This answer would have disappointed the passengers sitting next to him. ‘Can you provide me with the date of birth of your daughter?’

After he gave me the information, I started making my own calculations. Predicting future from the date of birth is more like a mix of mathematics and statistics. There are many probable scenarios and you chose the one best aligned under a given set of conditions. And while I do not like either mathematics or statistics, I love this beautiful science of astrology. After making my calculations, whatever I divulged to Suresh had apparently pleased him.

‘Is it true?’

‘Absolutely. As I told you she will indeed have a very blissful life ahead. There would be some hurdles somewhere but what is life without facing some challenging situations.’ I commented.

‘What kind of difficulties?’

‘Do not worry for that. Just cherish that your daughter would lead a happy life.’

‘I was worried because…’

‘The bridegroom is of a different caste.’ I completed the sentence.

‘Yes. How do you…’

‘When I know the future of your daughter, will it be difficult for me to know this?’ I laughed. ‘Well, it was just a guess. The surnames of the two families mentioned on the card do not match. Thus, I hazarded this guess.’ He smiled at me.

‘You are smart.’

‘In my line of work, one has to be.’

‘What do you do?’

‘I am entrepreneur.’

We discussed a lot - From my business to his job to his daughter to my interests and what not. The pantry service had delivered the dinner. I offered him something to eat.

‘I have my own Tiffin.’ He smiled at me.

And within few minutes, all of us were having our dinner together – me, Suresh, the couple sitting next to me and the old couple from the side berths. Surprisingly, Geeta and her companion joined us too. Her companion apologized to me – ‘I am sorry for my behaviour in the evening. Actually, I am very protective about her.’

‘It’s okay. It was not appropriate for me to pass that comment. Actually I was trying to impress her in my own ‘dehati’ way.’ I said mischievously.

The group laughed at my comment.

‘So whatever you told about my future is not true then.’ She asked.

‘It is true – provided you follow your own instincts.’

We had a good dinner. At the end of it, Suresh invited everyone to the wedding of his daughter.

‘Before starting this journey, I did not know any of you. But now I know. This dinner was more like having dinner with family. I know it would be asking a bit too much but if you could be present at my daughter’s wedding and bless her then she would be most fortunate. And especially you Mritunjay. I would like my people to meet you.’ He handed out cards to us which we accepted respectfully. It was an emotionally charged moment.

‘This occasion demands for something sweet.’ I said.

‘Let the train halt at next station. I will buy sweets for all.’ said Suresh.

‘No need. I have a bag full of homemade laddus. Who loves ‘gond ke laddu?’’

All hands went up. I reached out for my bag and brought out a big container. I took out a laddu and placed it in Suresh’s mouth. Then I had one myself. The celebrations were probably a bit louder as we again had a gathering around our seats.

‘I think we should distribute the laddus to the entire coach.’ I handed over the container to Suresh.

‘Let the train halt at next station. I will buy sweets for all of them. You keep this container or else all the laddus will vanish before you know.’

‘No problem. You can distribute them. My mother had sent them for some of my relatives in Varanasi. I will bring them these in my next trip. My work brings me to my native town quite frequently.’ After much insistence, Suresh accepted my offer. The laddus were distributed throughout the coach. Geeta and her companion were reluctant initially but finally caved in to the pressure of the fellow co-passengers. The celebrations went for some time before all settled for their sleep. I bid goodbye to each of them. I had to disembark at Varanasi and did not want to wake up anybody at that time. Everyone wished me luck – some took my mobile number for their reference.

‘I would stay awake with you so that you do not get bored.’ offered Suresh.

‘No need. From tomorrow, you would have to work round the clock for your daughter’s wedding. You take rest. And I have my iPod to keep me busy.’

‘I will give you company. Anyway, I am a late sleeper.’ said Geeta’s companion. His name was Shashi. We talked randomly for about half an hour before he started dozing off.

‘You better take rest.’ I advised ‘It’s only a matter of 2 more hours. I will manage.’

He was drawn to lady sleep almost immediately. Finally train approached Varanasi. Before leaving, I went to everyone in the coach and bid them goodbye while they were asleep.

It was one of the most memorable journeys for me. It had been 28 hours since I left the train and still I was playing small incidents of that journey in mind. The professional trip had been highly successful and I have been praised by my peer group for my achievement.

‘You have made to the front page.’ My associate smiled while putting the morning paper on my desk.

‘Oh!! Have I?’ I feigned ignorance.

I looked at the newspaper. It was written in bold letters

A Gift to Mamta

I read the details. An excerpt of that article is provided below:

“In what could be described as one of the most daring episodes of heist in recent memory, Raju Chor of ‘Nashakhurani Gang’ struck the Patna bound Saadharan Express late last night. It should be recalled that Raju Chor had challenged the newly appointed DGP of GRP Mr. Shashi Khurana when he vowed to end his menace on the trains passing through this zone. Raju in his challenge had said ‘Book your ticket in any of the train you want – you do not need to inform me. I will burglarize that train. And no I will not do that in hiding. I will come before you before I perform my task. Use all the security personnel you want.’ Interestingly, nothing has been stolen apart from the service revolvers of DGP Shashi and his colleague and niece Ms. Geeta Khurana. Raju has left two notes before he left the crime scene – One to a Mr. Suresh Singh from Patna and another to Ms. Geeta Khurana. In his note to Ms. Khurana, Raju has written ‘Follow your own instincts. You were right the first time. I was the man but you lost the plot once I turned on the heat. Trust your abilities and you will go places.’

In another interesting note left for Mr. Suresh Singh, Raju has wished Mamta (Mr. Singh’s daughter) a blissful married life. His note says - ‘Wishing you a very happy married life. And just to reemphasize – Your father loves you a lot.’ He has also left her a wedding gift – her horoscope which says ‘A Gift to Mamta’ and a Maa Bhawani’s locket.

Passengers of the coach B1 recall Raju to be a very affable and well mannered guy. He had apparently won over the passengers with the display of extraordinary skills in astrology. It is not known if Raju truly owns this ability. They also volunteered to share his photos and videos with us, which they have captured on their phones but all the data was found to be deleted…”

‘The DGP has sworn a revenge on you.’ said the stout balding man who had challenged me on train.

‘If that makes him happy then let him be.’ I chuckled.

‘Beware!! I have heard this is his first failure in such a long career.’

‘I will.’ I laughed at his suggestion.

‘I do not understand one thing. Why you did not let us rob this train? There was probably loot worth more than a crore on that coach.’

‘I do not know myself. I found myself too much attached with the passengers in this journey - Probably, because it was a very important journey for me too. And also because I was reminded of the dialogue from The Dark Knight – ‘Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.’’ I passed a smile.

‘You will always remain filmy. So, when shall we plan for next loot?’

‘I think we should take a sabbatical for the time being.’

‘So has Raju Chor changed?’

‘You never know.’

Sporting Revolution

2011-03-06T15:56:00.000+05:30

Recently I read a news article which informed about Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s desire of promoting sports culture in the state. The article even suggested that he has directed the concerned department for setting up a national level sports training institute in the state. Being a native of Bihar, I am delighted that the state government is finally acknowledging the importance of sports in the development of any society. However, before I go gung-ho about the information, it would be prudent to analyze the ground situation and possible way forward for such a ‘sporting revolution’ (if I may use the terminology).

Let us start with analyzing the present situation of sports in the state of Bihar. Though I am no expert on sports and related fields, I can safely claim that Bihar has not been making waves in the arena for quite some time now (especially after its bifurcation). Take for instance the performance in the recently concluded National Games held at Ranchi. While the host Jharkhand (earlier a part of Bihar and marred by mismanagement for most of the decade of its existence) stood 5^th with a total of 96 medals (33G, 26S, 37B), Bihar could only manage 12 (1G, 5 S, 6B). I agree that after bifurcation, most of the sporting infrastructure went to Jharkhand (mainly Jamshedpur) but Bihar could have slowly built its own infrastructure in the last decade.

At present Bihar does not boast of any sporting venue / facility of international standards. Once a pride of Patna, Moinul Haq Stadium is in shambles (at least it appeared so when I visited it one and half years back) thanks to the apathy of the administration. The upcoming Sports Complex at Kankarbagh is under construction since eternity. Bihar has not hosted any international sporting event for past one and half decade. I think the Cricket World Cup match in 1996 between Zimbabwe and Kenya and the Asian School Football Tournament held sometime in mid 90s were the last of such events.

The state government has taken some positive steps to promote sports at grassroots level. I have heard that playgrounds are being provided to government schools and local level stadiums are also under construction at various places. However, these initiatives are not enough. There is a need to provide a proper system / channel which would nurture the sporting talents in the state and ensure that they achieve their full potential. It is almost criminal to teach one how to dream but not adequately equipping him / her to realize those dreams. We were bereft of many cricketing talents when the cricket administrators of Bihar failed to get a full-fledged member association from BCCI post bifurcation. The fact that talented cricketers of Bihar are still left (even after a decade!!) with no other option than to move to neighbouring states for getting due recognition gives a fair indication of the state of affairs in sports managing bodies of the state. And this apathy is not restricted to the state of Bihar. Once I was having a discussion with a member of the national governing body of a reasonably popular sport who was responsible for talent promotion (courtesy a close friend). With all due respect to his passion towards the sports, he was reluctant to expand the reach of his programme. I believe that until and unless there is concerted effort to democratize the sports (by which I mean the reach of it), India would struggle to become a powerhouse in the global sports arena.

Nitish Kumar has expressed his hope that Bihar would perform better in sports at national level in the coming years. I would urge him to expand this vision to include international platforms as well. When one has to dream then why not dream big and make efforts to convert those dreams into reality?

I think that Bihar would need a three tier strategy to bring in this ‘sporting revolution’.

The first step, which is already under implementation, would be to invest in the infrastructure at grassroots level. This would be the key to inculcate the sports culture among the common masses.
The second step would be to nurture genuine sporting talent. In my view, in the beginning the state should choose a mix of sports and invest in them. Thus ideally this mix should include some sports which require comparatively lesser infrastructure and some sports which would require huge investments in infrastructure. Once this selection is made, the state should come up with regional centers of excellence for each of these sports. Thus, suppose a district headquarters houses a development centre for swimming while another town (in some other part of the state) has a centre for archery. This would create a pool of potential champions.
The final frontier would be to create a world class training facility to prepare the best to take on the world. It could be in the form of a satellite sports city near Patna which would have facilities for training in all the sports. Considering the investment and infrastructure requirements, it would take some time to come up even if the state government goes ahead with this idea. And unlike the previous two steps, this center should be to train potential athletes / sportsperson from across the country (with some preference for Bihar / Jharkhand). This would give Bihar another image boost.

Finally, Bihar government can make serious attempts to bring sporting events (both national and international) to the state. It can institutionalize an international tournament which could be a yearly fixture in the sporting calendar. The invitational Nehru Cup Football Tournament has prize money of $100000 (~Rs.4.5 crores). If the state can start a yearly Asian Youth Football Tournament or something on the similar lines in different sports then it would go a long way in imbibing the spirit of sports among the people of the state.

However, this is easier said than done. If the ‘sporting revolution’ has to come to Bihar, it would require a vision, an effective system and a will to execute. It would also require investment in the form of creating infrastructure, using the services of better coaches and support staffs and also for providing necessary facilities to the sportspersons. It would need proper planning in consultation with athletes and sporting greats; it would also require seeking assistance from international sports community in the form of guidance and coaching. This is not easy at all – but I think, this is the only effective way to go ahead. People may object that a poor state like Bihar should invest in other fields than indulging in promotion of sports (and that too at the level I propose). My only submission is that sports can be a triggering agent for a changing society of Bihar. The road to ‘sporting revolution’ may bring in following changes:

1. The move will give young people a chance to explore better sporting facilities and make a name in the sporting arena. This move may bring out several hidden talents in the state (and in the country) to the forefront.

2. Once Bihar has sporting icons through this initiative it will boast of some genuine and inspirational ‘Brand Ambassadors’ for brand Bihar.

3. Promoting women in sports may actually help in elevating their status in the society further and bring in socio-economic change in the longer run.

4. There is an economic aspect to it as well. With the emergence of sports in the state, the state can also explore the opportunity in Sports Industry (Businesses based on sporting gears and accessories, Training institutes etc.) which may provide employment to thousands.

5. Finally, it is not that state government will have to bear the entire cost. If there is a well laid plan then even the corporate can be persuaded to be a partner in such initiatives. Who knows, this can actually open gates for investment in the state?

With the government willing to take the next step, I sincerely wish that they would at least consider on these lines before preparing the roadmap for this much needed ‘sporting revolution’.

Saraswati Puja

2011-02-08T23:33:00.000+05:30

Gust of cold wind hit us as we ventured out on our endeavour. And though we were well shielded, the assault by the cold air had an impact on our enthusiasm.

‘Let’s finish this as fast as we can and return to the warmth of our rooms’ said my companion. I nodded in agreement.

We knocked on one door and then another and then another with purpose. We were getting good response. On one such door, we were asked to wait for a couple of minutes. While the request was not unjust, the cold weather outside was affecting our judgment. We looked around – we had already covered all the rooms on that floor. We even thought of returning later but decided against it. Finally, the door was opened and we were let in. ‘Sorry dost! I was offering my daily prayers and hence could not come. I am sorry to keep you waiting but as you can see none of the other residents of this room are here at present.’ We had suspected this from the beginning and it was a small dampener as we wished to engage as many people as we can in our endeavour. Nevertheless, I started out with the much rehearsed lines, ‘We are organizing Saraswati Puja in campus on behalf of the student community. Would you be willing to contribute for the purpose?’

‘Of course. How much do I need to pay?’

‘The contributions are voluntary. You may help us with any amount you like.’

‘Fine’, he said and handed us a note of Rs. 100.

‘So, how much do you want us to write against your name?’

‘Are!! Keep the entire amount.’ We were receiving Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 on an average as contributions towards the Puja preparation and this was unexpected. In those days (almost 7-8 years back), Rs. 100 used to be a substantial amount for any boarder of a residential engineering college.

‘We are getting around Rs. 30 on an average towards Puja and if you wish we can return the rest amount to you.’

‘This is for Maa Saraswati na!! Keep it. Do inform me about the schedule though.’

‘We will.’ We were excited. The response to our request was overwhelming and we had made good collections from our batch. There were still two more floors to cover. Nature had put her foot down on the Cold pedal but we braved the harsh winds for the final victory march.

‘Are we going to this room?’ my companion asked me.

‘What is the problem?’

‘Some of its residents are not of our religion.’

‘So?’ and I knocked the door.

The residents received us very warmly and contributed willingly for the Puja. While my companion’s fears were allayed, it was me who was able to grasp a subtle insight – ‘Probably Saraswati Puja is not a religious event at all’. When we returned to our rooms, we were the custodian of a handsome amount for the Puja. This was way back in early 2003 when I was in my first year of engineering.

‘Students nominated from West Bengal and those of Bengali origin organize Saraswati Puja every year in this college. We pass on this heritage to every new batch which carries it further.’ These were the words which were told to us by our seniors when we joined the campus. I was excited but was never sure of the scale of the event. We brought the Idol of the Goddess from Calcutta (I still prefer it over Kolkata) while returning from our winter vacation. But the preparation did not start until a week was left for the auspicious day. It was at that time, I realized the scope of the Puja – it was not easy to arrange everything within our limited means for more than 1000 students, faculty and neighbouring residents. It required a lot of planning, effort, bargaining and perseverance. As a first year student, I juggled with attending classes, preparing for the semester examination and working for the event. And unlike what we were made to believe initially, the event was not exclusively handled by those nominated from West Bengal or those having a Bengali origin. Agreed that the organizing committee was entirely constituted of people nominated from West Bengal but it was the participation of students from across the spectrum which made the Puja a successful event every year. I was a part of the organizing committee for four years in different capacities and with each passing year the Saraswati Puja at our campus grew in grandeur, aesthetic sense, scope, participation and more importantly in evoking the spirit of Saraswati Puja.

Organizing Saraswati Puja for all those years helped me to grow a lot as a person. On a more evident platform, it put to test my organizational abilities, my abilities to persuade and convince people and to settle the differences among various members. However, on a personal note, it helped me bond with people and friends; provided me with many cherished moments which I would like to carry to my pyre; but more importantly helped me in gaining a different perspective of life. I realized that if the cause is correct / just then people will leave aside their differences (no matter how strong those differences are) and work together. I also gathered that trusting others is not a bad thing at all. But, the one thing which I cherish the most is the understanding that one should judge a person only as an individual and not on the basis of his / her origins (caste, creed, community, region etc.).

I have already stated that perhaps Saraswati Puja is not a religious celebration at all. To me, it is more of a cultural expression. According to Wikipedia, Saraswati is the goddess of Knowledge, Music and Art. She represents Intelligence, Consciousness, Cosmic Knowledge, Creativity, Education, Enlightenment, Music, Arts and Power. All the above are secular fields and do not come with caveats we generally associate with religion (in a way it is construed by the ones whom I like to term fundamentalists). This is the reason, perhaps, that people irrespective of their religious association bow their head before Goddess Saraswati. In this strife-torn world where religion is playing more of a divisive role instead of a unifying one, Goddess Saraswati qualifies as one of the few secular gods. She acts as a unifying force and this is the reason we should seek her blessing. She also represents purity and simplicity – considering the pace at which scams are being unearthed in our country, I think it is extremely important to seek her guidance on this aspect as well.

P.S: I miss the days at my Engineering College where we used to celebrate the Saraswati Puja with festive fervour. Today, I just prayed in front of her idol. And put my facebook status as ‘Happy Saraswati Puja to All - May Goddess of Knowledge bless us with a more mature outlook towards our life and our world’. Finally, I have to put a code in this post and this is the best place to put it - X286NQX79BZW.

Death of Liberal

2011-01-16T01:43:00.003+05:30

It was a dull day. I could not remember the last time I felt so spiritless. Nevertheless, one has to earn his livelihood and so I dragged myself slowly to the office. ‘It’s going to be a bad day’, I thought. I was walking drearily on the pavement of the big city when suddenly a commotion sought my attention. I identified the source – it was coming from an assembly of people at a distance. ‘What’s the matter?’ – I was tempted to join the group. I looked at my watch – still a few minutes left before I could be officially declared ‘late’ for the office. I consulted my guidebook for office principles and found rule 65 specifically stating – ‘Thou shall not attempt to arrive late at workplace – it ruins your appraisal but more importantly robs you of some of your hard earned money from your salary’. But who said that rules are always to be followed? So, I joined the continuously swelling crowd to take a firsthand account of whatever was happening.

Ours is a country of onlookers / bystanders. It is our favourite activity which provides us with ample scope of entertainment and excuse to waste time. So, it took me sometime to cut through the sea of humanity and reach the front. The sight shocked me. A man was being mauled by several hounds. I could recognize the breed of a few hounds – ‘Fundamentalism’, ‘Feudalism’, ‘Regionalism’, ‘Casteism’, and ‘Communalism’. I had to face some of these breeds earlier but those were not as strong as the ones in this particular case. The man was in peril – ‘I need to do something’, I decided. I looked at the fellow ‘bystanders’ for help and saw a few terror stricken eyes; some others had glee on their face while others looked completely indifferent to the plight of the man. And then I saw a small group of visibly tensed people with concerns in their eyes. I had finally identified my support group. I made my way towards them. Once in the vicinity I asked – ‘Why are you guys not helping the man?’

‘Does it make any sense to court trouble? We had our share of bad days. This time it is not our fight.’ said one.

‘And just look at those hounds – have you seen how strong they are? Even if we enter the battleground, it will hardly change the script of this episode.’ remarked another.

I looked at the ‘battleground’ – the man, despite being critically injured, was trying his best to fight back. But the result was evident – it was a losing battle. If the man was not helped immediately he was sure to die. ‘I thought that the guy was one of your acquaintances and thus assumed that you would help. I’m sorry. It seems that I would have to help this guy on my own then.’

‘He is indeed a close aide. But this time we cannot help him. And I suggest that you keep yourself out of the trouble’s way.’ said the elderly one.

‘Then I suggest that you keep your suggestions to yourself.’ Mouthing this cheesy dialogue I moved towards the arena with a swagger that would have made Sunny Deol proud. And at the very next moment I found myself restrained. The ‘wrongly identified’ support group used all its muscle power to hold me back. I tried to break free but failed. ‘Leave me. Leave me. That man will die. Help him or let me help him.’ I cried.

‘You need not plunge into the midst of this confrontation. Think of your family, your loved ones.’ the elderly tried to reason with me.

‘Understand your limits. You cannot stand the evils of these hounds. It is better if you let them have their say.’ advised the strongest of them all.

They hold me back while I watched the hounds taking the man to the doors of death – their claws ripping his clothes, their teeth sinking into his flesh. I felt a stream of water running down my cheek. As I wiped my tears, I heard the sounds of sirens coming from a distance. A cavalcade of ‘Lal Battis’ (cars with red beacons) came to a screeching halt at that place. The hounds, having completed their task, stood to their ground. No one came out of the cavalcade though. The hounds growled & barked at the cars and then dispersed. And suddenly there was a flutter of activities. Occupants came out of the cars – one declared the man dead; some others gave ‘important bites’ to news people who had come along with them; some other took photos while the ones in khakis started with their job of dispersing the sea of ‘bystanders’.

The group eased me out of their restraints. I sensed that they shared my remorse. I found some of them with moist eyes.

‘Today we lost another visionary.’ said the elderly.

‘Who was that guy?’ I asked.

‘He used to go by the name of Liberal - A great man and a true believer of humanity.’

‘Why did the hounds attack him?’

‘Well, he was preaching a way of life which would have driven these hounds out of our society. He was urging people to support peace and reason. He wanted people to believe in co-existence of ideas & identity.’ explained the elderly.

‘And that brought him his death. We warned him that the idea is too radical for our times. But he would not listen. He went overboard with his philosophy and met this sad end.’ quipped another from the group.

‘But I do not think it is too radical for our times. Is it? In fact it is more relevant now. What is the harm in accepting that there can be a different view than mine or that others have as much right to live as myself?’

‘You are naïve. I sensed it when you decided to help him. There were so many people out there. Most of them knew that he was correct but how many actually come out to help him? None. Not even us. Being a ‘Liberal’ is not easy. Once his way was emerging as fad but now the opposite mentality drives the market.’

‘So, he died for nothing.’

‘The most likely answer is yes. However, there is a glimmer of hope that his death will galvanize the terror stricken ones and the indifferent ones to take a stand – the righteous one. Otherwise this society will slowly move to the gallows.’

Our discussion was interrupted by the khakis who wanted us to leave. We bid goodbye. I checked my watch – it was meaningless to go to the office at that time. I looked back at the body of Liberal. They were readying him for a transport, probably for a postmortem. While I trudged back, I wished that his death does not go waste.

P.S.: One of my posts with similar topic can be found here.

Voice of Common Man

2010-12-30T18:02:00.001+05:30

Authrospeak: This article did not shape up in a way I wanted it to be. It may not leave the impact I thought it would have. Nevertheless, it is my tribute to the common man of India.

Before writing this article, I asked an important question to myself – Am I qualified enough to represent ‘Common Man’? Representing ‘Common Man’ has never been easy, irrespective of what Mr. R K Laxman has made you think over the years. If you do not believe me then ask either Priyadarshan or Khiladi Kumar on what went wrong with their portrayal of the ‘Common Man’ in Khatta Meetha. ‘Common Man’ goes through such myriad emotions that it would be foolhardy to proclaim that one represents ‘Common Man’ (I think the present day government at the Centre made this small mistake). So, a common has to fight for his space daily in the shoddy public transport provided for his comfort to reach workplace (I am spared of this ordeal as I was smart enough to look for an accommodation very near to my office); has to bribe his way to make his legitimate work get done (Again I am lucky till now. I am yet to graduate to that phase of my life where I will have to grease the palms of corrupt officials to get my work done); has to dole out ‘donations’ and hefty tuition fee to ‘celebrated’ educational institutions in order to ensure ‘bright’ future for his children (Again not graduated to this phase of life. Being Single has its own advantage); has to use all his bargaining skills to persuade the retailer while purchasing food items (I’ve left this tension to the guy who provides me with the Tiffin service) and what not. Certainly, I have not been at the receiving end of many blows that life hurls at the Common Man. However, on the second thought, I am not very dissimilar too. Even my salary increment, just like that of Common Man’s, is much less than the inflation rate making me relatively less ‘well-off’ each passing year (a simple fact alluding top honchos of our respective companies); even I have to put my life in danger by crossing roads in the absence of effective traffic management and footbridges; even I feel hurt when my Tiffin does not have onions as an ingredient to Salads. Thus, though I may not be a clone of Common Man, I can partially represent him on some forums. So, I decided to give him some voice through my writings. Next few paragraphs are the thoughts of Common Man.

It is not that I have never been given chance to speak out before. My good friend Laxman had always put forth my concerns / my sensibilities to you. Also, there have been some good people in past who had raised their voices for me. I am not new to you. Am I? I have always been there in your mindspace. Initially I was not very inclined to grant this newbie’s request to have an exclusive session with you. What would I say? - The same old things. You are aware of all my tales. But this guy was persistent. And though I did not buy his argument of presenting the same old wine in a new bottle (as most of our filmmakers do), I could not say no to him for long. He even suggested to me a topic – ‘2010’. In this way even if I presented the same old facts, it would be with a new perspective. I liked this idea.

Before I start a discourse on 2010, it is important that I take you to the very beautiful morning of the first day of this year. 2009 had not been a good year to me. Due to the global economic meltdown, I did not get any increment to my salary. To add to my woes, bonus was also stalled. And if that was not enough my son failed to land a job after passing out from a ‘reputed’ B-school. I was very eager to bid that year of misfortunes goodbye. So, when the sun finally broke the shackles of dense fog on the morning of first day of 2010 to reach out to me, I welcomed him with open arms. ‘2010 would be my year’ I thought. To me 2010 was supposed to be the year which would bring hope to one and all and which would correct the wrongs of 2009.

Now, at the end of 2010, when I look back I am not sure if this year even falls into the ‘Meets Expectation’ category. For the last few days (especially last Sunday) I have been reading news articles in which some people have adjudged me the ‘Person of the Year’ along with luminaries like Sachin Tendulkar, Nitish Kumar, Julian Assange etc. I have been given such awards before also. Frankly speaking such awards make me nervous. They set a lot of expectations from one. This year’s award comes with another rider – I am expected to smile through continuously while I bear the brunt of scams, inflation, terror, traffic snarls and what not. A bit too much, don’t you think? While I would like to be the recipient of an honour like ‘Person of the Year’, I would like to do so with my dignity and respect intact. Is that too much to ask from the ‘karta-dharta’(s) of this country?

Well!! I got carried away. I tender my sincere apologies for this digression. So, I was saying that 2010 was not as good as I expected it to be. In fact, it was bad and so I am again looking forward to welcome the New Year with open arms. Maybe this coming year will bring answers to all my problems. But will it be really any different? I am hopeful. My friends always point out that I romanticize with optimism too often. But despite their justified criticism, I remain a diehard optimist. Take for example the scams that hit our country this year. It is bad that we have not been able to get rid of corruption even 63 years after attaining our independence. But, on a positive side, it also shows that we have amassed wealth as a nation (leave aside the fact that it is going into the pockets of a corrupt few). The fact remains that Delhi now boasts of a world class Metro service, a state of the art International airport, new flyovers and stadiums (only at the expense of few thousand extra crores from my share). Well, it is the Capital of a great country and so it deserves all these facilities but... I just hope that next time when the concerned people decide to swindle money, they just imagine what could have been done with those thousands of crores. Just think a possible scenario. Our governments (both Central & States) allow food grains to rot every year in the absence of proper storage facility. If we had to create a decent storage at each district headquarter at the expense of INR 10 crores for each of the 631 districts, then the expense would have been just 6310 crores, a figure much less than what was siphoned off on the pretext of organizing CWG. With the total money which went to the corrupt, I think we could have given Metro services to 10-15 tier II towns enabling them to become the growth drivers of the future. If they could have just imagined!! I hope they do so in future.

Sometimes, I feel exasperated by this constant expose of scams by the media houses. But as usual, political parties of this country felt my pain on this issue. They often go ‘out of their way’ to raise my voice in the corridors of power (irrespective of their political affiliation and oblivious of the fact that in some other time and space they have all been perpetrators of the same crime). This time also they have been standing by my side to show their support. They have just successfully stopped the parliament from running at a total cost of INR 200 crores. They would not discuss my other problems until they ensure that I get justice on corruption. The fact that they just robbed me of INR 200 crores might have skipped their mind in their enthusiasm. Where in world do you find such supportive representatives?

Depressed? Don’t be. I am not. There are still a few saviours for me out there. I distinctly remember the day when Sachin scored his 200. I was in deep shit that day but he took me out of that mess and brought a smile to my face. And every time I saw the tricolour being raised during CWG and Asian Games, my heart swelled with pride. These sportspersons, despite all odds stacked against them, made us smile throughout the year 2010. And do not forget Cinema especially Bollywood (I know all the criticism against it – have been listening to them for time immemorial). But as much I like to appreciate quality cinema, I also like to enjoy the regular masala stuff. Didn’t you like Salman Khan in the desi Robinhood avatar or Katrina in ‘Sheila ki Jawani’ number? I love the Khans, the Roshans, the Kapoors, the Kumars and many more who add so much to our daily existence and add fillip to India’s soft power.

I know I have not been very congruent in my approach towards this discourse – switching from one topic to another. But with so much to say in a limited space is not easy. I have tried my best to evolve as a person in 2010 and I can proudly claim that I have matured a lot. You do not need microscope to see that change. Look at the Ayodhya verdict. You were afraid that I would not act responsibly and would engage in unlawful activities post the verdict. To tell you the truth, I was equally apprehensive about the political class and so called religious leaders of this country. The fact that the verdict did not allow them to engage in their usual acts is another thing but I was never instigated. And if that is not the sign of maturity then look at the way I voted in Bihar. I do not claim that I have completely broken the bounds of Caste system but I have at least embraced Development. This maturity has given me a new perspective. I see a hope – this time a real one. I realize that if I act maturely (the way I did in the last two examples) I can shape my own destiny. I have heard this philosophy many a times but never thought it applied to me as well. Now that I realize the importance of acting in a sensible way, I resolve to act accordingly more often in the coming year. I wish 2011 will be a ‘Sunshine’ year for me. I want you to join me and say ‘Amen’.

Numb

2010-11-21T20:50:00.002+05:30

As a researcher, one needs to know the pulse of the market. One supposedly has to be thorough with the product understanding, category knowledge and has to have a grip over the territory for which he works. In my short stint as a researcher, I have worked across categories and geographies. Some projects are exciting while others are routine (read boring). For some projects you would not hesitate to put in demanding hours while others are more out of compulsions. One facet which is really important is that one has to keep aside his / her apprehensions in order to produce terrific insights (ahem!!). This short post was written by me long back when I was assigned my first tobacco related project. It reflects the emotions which are true even now but as I say we are only researchers – Our job is to observe and analyze and nothing else.

I am sitting along with a pile of cigarette packs (No they are not empty. With a mindboggling number of 240 they are staring at me with a wistful smile. What an irony that I have never even lighted one of their occupants in my life time… sigh…). It is not that I have not been in the company of Mr. Cigarette in my life. Many of my friends have already made the choice of giving the title of ‘best buddy’ to Mr. Cigarette and thus being their friend I have a little acquaintance with Mr. Cigarette. I have seen the positive impact that Mr. Cigarette has brought to many lives it has touched upon. He brings in passion, joy and ecstasy to their life. He provides them with the ‘kick’ required by them to think and deliver. He is a master craftsman who moulds anyone in his company to be a ‘winner’. Once impressed by his supreme craft, I tried to find out his background. And that search was a revelation: he has been best friends with two prolific figures of human existence: cancer and death. They have conspired together to bring about changes in demographics and have been responsible for maintaining a check on the ‘overload’ of humans on mother Earth. They are doing their best for the cause.

Why am I writing this? Because it is an amazing feeling to realize that you have finally cracked the code. Mr. Cigarette and his best buddies survived all onslaughts from their adversaries just because of the fact that humans need livelihood in today’s world to survive. One man’s livelihood becomes the means of death for another. So, here am I sitting with a pile of cigarettes numbed by the fact that I will be building my career partly based on the support from Mr. Cigarette. Sadly, I have become so numb that I could not feel a sense of guilt or regret.

P.S: With not enough time to write a new post, I thought I would share this with you guys.

Rehash of my Old Stories #1

2010-10-26T20:16:00.005+05:30

Authorspeak: I will revisit stories written by me long back in this series. I would try to improvise on them (No guarantee though). I wrote this story in my board examinations almost a decade back. That story was much shorter (because of the word limit of probably 350 words). As I do not have the original version there may be a change in the narration style – there has been some changes in the climax as well.

You do not really expect Indian Railways to take you to your destination on time, especially if it is the festival season. So, it was a pleasant delight for everyone on board to see the train pulling up at Patna Junction bang on time. The journey was not very comfortable – train was overcrowded but no one was complaining. I enjoyed being a part of various discussions mostly as a listener (a trait not usually associated with me). With elections round the corner, most of the talks veered to the performance of the current government and likelihood of its coming back to power. The discussions went late into the night and, to my surprise, no one in the compartment even requested to shut it down. Festivities had already begun.

There is something in the ‘mitti’ (soil) of the native place which makes one forget all the hardship of the life and smile for a while. Patna has changed a lot in last few years and has grown at a rapid pace busy catching up with other big cities – some would argue that it has lost its old charm but for me it still is my birthplace. As I stepped out of the station, the familiar ‘Mahavir Mandir’ and ‘Jama Masjid’ welcomed me along with their new companion – A Buddhist Stupa standing right across the street. Sun had started its march lazily from East. I quickly took an auto to my aunt’s place. My journey had not come to an end – I had to go to my ancestral place to celebrate the festivals. My parents and brother had already reached the village located in the district of Nalanda.

My aunt insisted that I stay at her place for at least a day but I was getting restless. After much persuasion she allowed me to go. It was already 4:30pm when I reached the bus stand. The two buses to the route were jam packed and I could only arrange a ride at the bus top (I admit I indulged in this illegal or rather non-legal activity but because of the upcoming elections most of the buses were grounded/requisitioned). Weather gods had decided to bring in winter early this year and so one could feel the embrace of early cold especially if he is sitting at the bus top and that too in the evening. I pulled out my sweatshirt from the bag and took its shelter. The ride was smooth unlike my previous visits. Whatever claim the state government has made of improved road conditions was quite visible. Fellow passengers sitting at the bus top (and there were quite a few) started singing a beautiful folk song – I had listened to the tune in the childhood but could not recall the words. I started humming along with them. There was an instant reconnect with my culture. The group suddenly switched to other song and I could again only recognize the tune. Nevertheless, I tried my best to lip-sync based on the tune. This journey was turning out to be unexpectedly pleasant. Sun had finally called the day off. Light was fading fast when suddenly the bus came to a grinding halt.

We initially thought that the bus had stopped to load or unload some passengers as was done before but when it did not move for a couple of minutes we started to become impatient. A few looked out to find a few people standing outside the bus. We could now hear the commotion below.

‘Kya hua bhai (What happened)?’ asked one of us.

‘There is some problem with Bus. We are looking into it.’, answered the conductor.

Even before the reply, people had started to disembark from the bus top. I followed.

‘Kitna time lagega (How much time will it take)?’

‘Keh nahi sakte (Can’t say).’ was the reply from the driver.

I checked my watch. It was close to 7pm. I enquired about the distance of my village from that place. It was still 8 km away. Walking 8 km was out of question. With no sight of autos which used to ply on the route I decided for the bus to get back on the road.

‘Aur kitna samay lagega bhaiya (How much more time will it take)?’ I enquired the driver.

‘Ghanta bhar kam se kam. Mechanic ko phone kiye hain. Aata hi hoga (At least an hour. Have called a mechanic. He would be here soon)’, pat came the reply.

Meanwhile some people have decided to embark their remaining journey on foot. I called my father to inform him of the delay. My cousin was out on a trip on his bike and so a pickup could not be arranged.

‘I will try to see if I can get a ride to fetch you.’ he said.

‘No need. I will be there within a couple of hours.’

‘Election hone se gaadi ghoda ka thoda problem ho gaya hai (The problem of getting transport is due to election)’ quipped a fellow passenger.

I nodded. Another 20 minutes had passed and there was no sign of the mechanic. And suddenly I saw a glimmer of hope. The light from a headlight was breaking the reigns of the darkness around. The speed suggested that it was definitely not a bike. Finally the auto arrived where the bus stood without life. It was already overcrowded. It was not going all the way to my village but would have dropped me 3 km away from it. I hopped in along with a few more. It was a dangerous ride with so many people but fortunately nothing untoward happened till I was on it.

It was 8:10pm when the auto dropped me at the designated place. The driver gave me the directions to my village.

‘Do not listen to or take help from anyone in between. Go straight till you reach the crossing of your village. From there it should be easy.’ He said.

I smiled back. ‘Are criminals still out there?’

‘Not in this area. But ghosts are.’

‘Ghosts? Really!!’ I managed to show a broad smile but was not comfortable at the thought of walking alone on that stretch.

‘Be safe babu.’

It was dark with clouds covering the shine of the moon. I could see distant lights from rural households – probably from my village. I tried to call my parents but there was no signal. It was getting cold and I tucked in my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt as I started the final lap of my journey. I had walked for a kilometer or so when a voice from back caught my attention.

‘O bhaiya!! O bhaiya!! Kahan jaa rahe ho (Where are you going)?’

I saw a silhouette of a man running towards me. I was both relieved and petrified at the same time. The parting words of the auto driver came back to haunt me. A part in me argued not to pay attention to such superstitions while other wanted to run away as far as possible. Sometimes your mind starts playing devious tricks on you especially when you are in doubt.

As the man approached me, he asked again ‘Where are you going?’

‘Sarai.’ I said.

‘Great. I am also going there.’ He had come a bit closer. I took out my mobile to see the face of man in its light (It was mostly of the fear of being trapped by a ghost and also because of my belief that ghosts, if they exist, are afraid of light). I recognized the face.

‘Bansi kaka’ I exclaimed. Bansi kaka was a very good friend of my uncle and I was both relieved and delighted to find him there.

‘Shekhar!! So, finally you have found time for us. How many years it has been?’

‘Five.’ I smiled sheepishly.

‘Chalo. Let’s take you to your place.’

I didn’t need that push anyhow. I again tried to call my parents so that they can be relieved but again there was no network signal. We started talking on a lot of issues. He was a fun man. He used to pamper me and my brother when we were kids by bringing us gifts. I remembered he had taught me a few tricks on carom. He had represented the state at national competitions.

‘So, when are you marrying?’ he asked.

‘Abhi time hai (there is still some time).’

‘Koi time wime nahi hai. Abhi bhaiya bhabi se baat karta hoon(Not at all. Let me talk to your parents).’ I smiled back.

We would have traversed another kilometer when Bansi kaka took a turn to follow a ‘pagdandi’ (a raised mud trail). I stopped midway.

‘What happened?’ he asked.

‘Our village is that way.’

‘This is a shortcut.’

‘I know. But I think we should take the main road.’ As a child I was always warned not to use this trail especially after the sun sets down.

‘What is playing in your mind beta?’

‘This trail goes through the haunted garden.’

He laughed hard at this. ‘You believe in all this? After being so highly educated, you still follow these superstitions. I am disappointed.’

Even I was feeling a bit ashamed on myself. However, the setting would make any rational person think twice about his / her belief. It was pitch dark apart from the light of my mobile which was guiding us, there was eerie silence apart from a few howls of owls and chill had set its foot on the accelerator.

‘What?’ he asked again.

I hesitated for a moment before joining him on the trail.

‘Feeling okay?’

‘A bit.’

‘Don’t worry. I am with you.’ I smiled at the reassurance.

‘Where is your uncle?’ I realized that he had not talked about his friend during all this time.

‘He will be coming tomorrow. Hadn’t he talked to you?’

‘No. We have not talked for quite some time.’ I noticed a certain edge in his voice. The tone disturbed me. Maybe they were having some personal problems of their own. The tree cover was thickening and it was increasingly becoming difficult to walk on the ‘pagdandi’ even with the light of mobile. Suddenly, there was a beep sound from it. The battery was dying.

‘Bansi kaka. Battery will not last long.’

‘Don’t worry. We are almost there.’

The light started to fade soon after and the phone died after some time.

‘What shall we do now?’ I panicked.

‘Do not worry. I know this place by heart. I can traverse it even with my closed eyes. Just follow my voice.’ This time the assurance was not enough. But I was left with no other option. After a couple of minutes, we could hear a distant commotion.

‘What’s that?’

‘I think people have started the celebrating.’

‘That doesn’t sound like celebration to me.’ I could not see a thing. My heart beat had created a new record and I could feel tiny little droplets playing on my forehead.

‘We will soon find out then. Another 5 minutes and we are there.’

‘Come along.’ The pitch of his voice was a bit different and appeared to be coming from a distance.

‘Bansi kaka. Wait for me.’

‘I am just ahead of you. Follow my voice.’ But this time again the voice appeared to be coming from a distance. The commotion had grown further. It appeared as if an army is marching for a raid. Terror struck me. I was petrified and my foot denied moving any further.

‘What happened?’

‘Why is your voice coming from a distance? And what is this commotion all about?’

‘Frankly I do not know what this commotion is all about. As far as my position is concerned, I am just ahead of you. Let me show you.’

I was expecting a hand to come out for me - instead a wave of cold air caressed my body sending chill down my spine.

‘I am here to guide you beta. You just need to take another leap’, came a voice out of nowhere and with that a strong gush of wind pushed me ahead. I fell for not more than a couple of seconds but it appeared to be eternity. I had bruised my hands and had a cut on my left thigh. Loud, terrifying laughs echoed the area. This mixed with the increasing intensity of commotion created a terrifying atmosphere. I was on the verge of tears. In my last ditch effort for survival, I cried for help. No one came. Suddenly there was silence for a moment before a rush of cold wind hit me on neck. I fainted.

I opened my eyes with my parents sitting by my side. Almost all my relatives were present.

‘What happened?’ I asked.

‘You should tell us what happened. We found you in a ditch in the middle of the haunted garden.’ said my brother. There was concern in his tone.

I narrated the entire incident to them. Some shook head in disbelief. I could see tears in the eyes of my uncle. I certainly had been out for quite some time.

My grandfather finally explained though I had understood most of it. Bansi kaka had died in an accident almost a year back near the village. So, it appeared that I met with his spirit. ‘But why would he put me in danger?’ I asked.

No one had a clue. I looked at my uncle. His lips quivered. He wanted to say something but chose not to go ahead.

‘And what was that commotion all about?’

‘They were us. Ankit was coming back on his bicycle when he saw a guy taking that route. He didn’t know you were the guy. He didn’t have the courage to go after you and bring you back. I figured it out that such stupidity can only be expected from you.’ said my brother.

‘He saw just one guy?’

‘Yes. But he said that the guy was talking to no one and hence suspected a ghost angle from the very beginning. I told him that you talk so much that you can even talk to air if no one listens to you.’ He winked at me.

‘I think we should let him rest now.’ my father said.

‘I think he should eat first.’ said my mother.

‘I am with Maa.’ Everyone smiled at my comment.

My brother started enacting like a news anchor ‘You have heard a very captivating story. It had high voltage drama, thrill and my favourite angle … horror. Before we leave we would request one last comment from Mr. Shekhar…’ with that he put an imaginary mike near my face.

‘I will never take that route again in my life.’ I said with a wry smile.

2010-09-27T17:05:00.000+05:30

Deception of CWG

Authorspeak: Characters of movie ‘Inception’ have been used in this article. It is again a big post but can’t help it. Like every Indian, I am hurt by the way things have been handled in the build up to the Commonwealth Games. Mismanagement and inadequate infrastructure have been the hallmark of the buildup to CWG 2010. If we cannot deliver even after spending such huge amount of money then it does not paint a good picture of India / Indians. What anguish me most is that we have failed to celebrate the spirit of such extravaganza – ‘Sports’ in the buildup to the games. World Cup soccer (which was not hosted in India and where India had not even qualified) had seen a 90 days countdown from Indian media with in depth analysis and much more. Alas, we have failed to celebrate our biggest sporting carnival in such a way till now.

‘Cobb! Whom are we running from?’ asked Ariadne.

‘I’ll tell you once we are safe.’

‘Safe!! What’s the danger?’

‘I have been asked to do a very big job… probably the grandest of our lives even our our times. I refused and we are being hunted now. The entire team is in danger.’

They were sitting on a private jet on its way to drop them off to farthest point in Northern hemisphere. Cobb’s facilitator in this escape had assured him that no one will be able to locate them and they will be safe in their hideout until the imminent danger is over. Cobb and Ariadne were accompanied by their team members – Arthur (the pointman), Earnes (the forger) and Yusuf (the chemist).

‘And why would you refuse the opportunity to do the grandest act of our times? Where is the Dom Cobb we know?’ asked Arthur.

‘Very much here. I refused because it is very complicated… almost next to impossible, risky and morally incorrect.’

‘Come on man. We have done Inception. It was impossible till we did it. Also, what we do never comes under the purview of morality. What is it Cobb? What was the job?’ Earnes questioned.

‘Okay. Heard of Commonwealth Games?’

‘Yeah. Erstwhile British colonies take part in it. This time it is happening in India – next week I believe.’ Yusuf shared his knowledge.

‘Yes. Well, the Games this time is in mess. Heard that lack of planning, preparedness & coordination along with excessive corruption caused this.’

‘So?’ exclaimed all.

‘The guy in the midst of all this is named Kalmadi. He wants us to put an illusion on the entire world so that the Games can be hailed as a success. He wants it to be perceived as better than the Beijing Olympics.’

‘I say we do it. Those Chinese are gloating about the Olympics ever since they have hosted it. We do it and shut the mouth of those bloody Chinese forever.’ quipped Arthur excitedly.

‘No. We should not.’

‘Why not? Aren’t they offering good money?’ asked Earnes.

‘They are. Beyond even our imagination. After all they have apparently made huge sums for themselves.’

‘So what’s the problem?’

‘First, it is difficult to cast a spell on the entire world simultaneously – the design will be too complicated. Second and more importantly, we are talking of ‘Sports’ guys. The only thing which can help to unite this torn-strife world is Sports. Cinema is a distant second. We cannot let someone corrupt the spirit of Sports so that he can hide his incompetency.’

‘I do not get the whole thing. Are we supposed to be moralists after all we have done?’ asked Ariadne, ‘and though I know that the design will be complicated, I am confident that I can make it work.’

‘Look…’ while Cobb’s team was debating the issue events were unfolding at rapid pace in India.

Kalmadi was a disturbed man. He was supposed to meet CWG boss in an hour and till then he had no word on whether Cobb had been recruited or not. He was pacing in his office when there was a soft knock on the door.

‘Come in.’ a close aide moved in.

‘Give me some good news.’ Kalmadi said in exasperation.

‘Sorry. But till now we have not been able to trace either Cobb or any other member of his team.’

‘What am I supposed to say to the media when I meet them with the CWG boss? I was stressing on the fact that ‘Games will be better than Beijing Olympics’ because you let me believe that Cobb will work for us.’

‘He will. We will trace him. For the time being scale down your rhetoric. Say we will host good games.’

‘As if that is possible in current state!! Why can’t we hire someone like P.C Sorkar to cast a spell on all? Or have some potions from Harry Potter movies to make everyone forget everything – perhaps even the fact that Delhi is supposed to host the games.’

‘Don’t panic sir. We will be able to manage it well by the end. Just like our Sports Minister had said – it will be like a big Indian Wedding.’ He chuckled a little.

‘What?’

‘Nothing. The first thing which came to my mind while I uttered the views of our respected Sports Minister was the movie ‘Monsoon Wedding’ – this Games is quite similar to that. We have a hyperactive monsoon season and everything is in chaos and we still expect everything to be fine.’

‘There is nothing hilarious in what you said. Let me talk to the Sports Minister. And ask the chauffeur to get the car. We need to drive to the airport soon.’

The phone rang for quite some time before being picked up by the operator – ‘Hello, Sports Ministry.’

‘This is Kalmadi. I need to speak to the Minister.’

‘Sir, he is busy preparing a presentation for the Prime Minister…’

‘Tell him it’s urgent.’

Soon he was connected to the Sports Minister who by his appearance would represent any Ministry but the Sports Ministry.

‘Hello.’

‘Gill sahib… Good Morning. How are you?’

‘I’m fine Kalmadi. Nice weather… I am enjoying it. Tell me what’s so urgent?’

‘Sir, we still do not have Cobb. Without him, it is impossible to have this ‘Games’ successfully. You have assured that we will have him by today. What am I going to say the CWG boss?’

‘Assure him that we will host a great ‘Games’. As far as Cobb is concerned, I have assigned some of our best men to track him down. We will have him soon. And why are you so concerned about the deadline of his delivery? You of all people should know that in India nothing is done within deadline.’

‘Gill Sahib… ab aap bhi mazak uda lo.’

‘Are baba… just relax. Even if we do not have Cobb, I have an idea which will make this ‘Games’ memorable for the visiting teams.’

‘You do?’

‘Yes. Look, despite our economic growth, what is one image of India which has stuck with the foreigners?’

‘What?’

‘Exotic land – land of snake charmers and sadhus and of filth. Look at the success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ or any other depiction of Indians in their movies (of my time).’

‘So?’

‘So, if we have not been able to clean the entire village then also it will be able to let them relate to ‘Slumdog’. Also, the entire village in built near Yamuna so the visiting teams are bound to see snakes in this Monsoon season. I have already put some snake charmers to work near the village compound. The teams will carry a long lasting image of India with them. It will be much more than their expectations.’

‘Sir, this is a brilliant idea but I am a bit apprehensive.’

‘Don’t worry. It will work.’

‘Okay Gill Sahib… I have to move now to welcome the CWG boss.’ With that he disconnected the phone.

While Kalmadi was moving to airport to welcome the CWG boss, Cobb was not able to convince his teammates to not get involved in this ‘task’. All, apart from Cobb, were highly charged by the challenges thrown by this ‘Impossible Task’.

‘Look Cobb!! We are a team because we do things we believe in. This may not be right thing to you but we will not be able to get such huge opportunity in our life span. We have to do this man and we will fail without you and your expertise.’ pleaded Earnes.

‘All right. But I am doing this for you guys. I do not agree with what we are doing.’

‘Great!!’ said the rest of his team.

‘Okay. This is a very complex task. We need to take the help of Nolan to accomplish this. We did ‘Inception’ with him successfully. It is time to prove that even ‘Deception’ is possible.’

2010-09-13T00:44:00.000+05:30

40000 for 4000

Authourspeak: This issue based post again is based on Patna. However, the content is universal. I hope people will recognize the fact of the depleting greenery of our cities and would start working cohesively to maintain the green cover of their cities.

Patna Airport was in limelight a few days back – this time not because of the unprecedented growth but due to the fact that it is one of the riskiest airports in the country because of the short length of its runway. All the major publications of the state (whether print or online) covered this news with justified alarm. The state government was under tremendous pressure as the Ministry of Civil Aviation hinted at shutting down the airport unless the safety of passengers and aircrafts are ensured. Several actions were suggested to avoid the possible closure of the airport – however, the one which stood as the sore thumb was the proposal of cutting down nearly 4000 trees in Patna Zoo to clear the approach funnel. There was a visible discomfort in the decision as the Patna Zoo is perhaps the only area in the centre of the city to boast of such greenery. It is for nothing that it is called the ‘Lungs of the City’. It was heartbreaking for many, including me, who wish to see Patna remain green. Over the years, the green cover of the city has depleted (now at an alarming rate) to make way for residential colonies, offices and roads.

I was perturbed but I also saw an opportunity in this situation. It may be inevitable to cut down (or at least prune) the trees in the zoo to maintain the viability of the current airport until a suitable alternative is found. However, if we are bound to lose those 4000 cherished friends then we should make it a point to get 40000 more. I believe that if pressure is mounted on administration through right channels then we can actually see few concrete steps to restore the greenery of the city. Obviously, this would require a lot of planning as the city is being stretched for space. I put this idea on the Patna community of Orkut (Social Networking Website) only to find there were no takers. The discussion was on everything except the task at hand. Now, I am making one more effort to put forth the idea – this time through this medium and gauge if it has got any support here.

The Chief Minister of Bihar has envisioned making Patna a ‘City of Parks’ – wouldn’t it be much better if we can have a topping of ‘City of Boulevards’ to it? Trees lined up on both sides across city roads would make any city look beautiful. Further, if you look at the history, Patna in ancient times had many boulevards. When we are trying to shed the image of ‘laggards’, it wouldn’t hurt us if we reclaim some of the old glory. And further, aren’t we hoping to see the tagline ‘Green Patna Clean Patna’ become true? ‘How will it be possible?’ can be the question which comes first in your mind. I am not sure if there is any way other than the participation of the entire community (and not only the environmentalists). We need sustained campaign which has popular support to achieve this task – a campaign which is anchored by respected institutions like ‘Taru Mitra’, ‘Patnadaily’, ‘Hindustan’, ‘Dainik Jagran’ etc and supported by people across demographics. The only criteria would be that the campaign needs to provide solution.

Not long back, ‘Dainik Hindustan’ has launched an admirable campaign against encroachment in the city. It was effective in bringing out the complexity of the issue and the discomfort faced by the common man. Where it failed, I think, was in bringing out concrete solutions to deal with the issue. The campaign would have been complete if the newspaper had also carried concrete steps suggested by respected experts (City Planners / Architects in this case) for each area it covered in the campaign. It would have given us and the administrators a blueprint to act upon. It would also have become a tool to ask pointed questions from the authorities in case of non performance. Alas, we missed that opportunity.

For making our city green, we need a similar effective campaign. The task, as mentioned earlier, is difficult as the city is rapidly expanding continuously looking to utilize every inch of available space. It is especially difficult in the congested Old Patna. However, with proper planning and expert guidance this can be achieved. One would need experts to canvas the entire city to come up with blueprint of the entire plantation exercise. Then it would be left to the media institutions to take it to the people. If one can present them with an envisioned imagery of our city then they are bound to support the campaign. Administrators will have to be involved at the conceptualization stage to ensure that the final draft is implemented for the betterment of the city. Institutions like Taru Mitra would have to be actively involved in the entire exercise. Non Resident Biharis can always chip in with their contributions. These are just broad guidelines. If the idea finds some acceptance and some institutions come up with a resolve to achieve a ‘Greener Patna’ then many of the steps outlined above may undergo changes. The big question is whether the citizens and esteemed organizations of Patna would recognize the challenge and come together to work seamlessly to achieve this task.

And this effort should not be restricted to Patna. There should be concerted effort to make every city and town in our country green as well. In our fast faced life, we are losing touch with nature. I hope such a campaign finds a place in our heart which would reconnect us with ‘Mother Nature’.

2010-07-21T16:46:00.000+05:30

Inception

As the movie reels came to an end, the hall erupted with signs of appreciation. Many, including me, thought it was appropriate to give the movie a standing ovation as others chose to clap for a while from their seats. My friend immediately called his girlfriend to recommend the film. As we were coming out of the theatre there were some visible signs of discontent (or more appropriately disappointment) as well. ‘I was not able to grasp what he was trying to convey’ said one. ‘I was expecting a lot more. After all this man had made Memento’ commented other.

Till evening more reports started filtering in, courtesy Social Networking media – and they were not as unanimous as I had initially thought they would be. My brother was effusive in his praise for the movie and recommended it to everyone in his very own distinctive way. A friend in Bangalore was disappointed that the movie did not provide further depths to the characters and probably some more complexity to the plot. Another friend in the office argued that Memento was a much better product offering from the director. To me, it is the best motion picture to come out this year till now – it challenges its viewers, engages them and at the same time entertains them.

Dreams have enthralled and intrigued many. Nolan makes this interesting aspect of our life the theme of his film. Imagine yourself to be a person who can extract information from anyone by entering into his / her dreams – Sounds exciting? That is the job of Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). He is an accomplished dream extractor struggling with the demons of his past. And no, he does not do his job alone – he needs a team of experts. The team would ideally have an ‘architect’ to design the dream world (played by Ellen Page), a ‘point man’ to do research on the target, a ‘forger’ to impersonate someone in the dream sequence and a ‘chemist’ to formulate drugs required to sedate so that the concerned persons can enter into the dream state (played by Indo American Dileep Rao). Had it been an ordinary movie or even for that matter a Bollywood product this would have been enough. Not here – one needs rules to operate in the dream world. Thus, we are introduced to the concepts of projections, physics of dreams and its different layers and how ‘death’ and ‘pain’ work in ‘dream world’. We slowly start understanding this intricate world and become a part of it. The thrill begins when one of Cobb’s jobs goes wrong and he is offered a choice – to walk away or earn his freedom by using his skills to perform a nearly impossible task. He is hired by a businessman to implant an idea in the mind of the heir of the rival firm – the act of implantation being called ‘inception’. ‘Inception’ is apparently impossible because in the longer run the mind can decipher the deception and realize that the idea was not original.

Inception takes a leap at this stage and it is a big leap – from an apparent ‘sci-fi’ it becomes part ‘sci-fi’, part ‘thriller’, part ‘mindbender’, part ‘philosophy’ and part ‘heist movie’. We are drawn into each and every aspect of planning done by team and engrossed into the actions which unfolds on the screen. The maker of ‘The Dark Knight’ does not forget to add grandeur which makes the movie a visual treat. To add to it there are some stunning chase sequences which keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. And there was something more as well – the depiction of how detailed planning and admirable teamwork is important for achieving something big (I acknowledge that this spirit has been depicted in many other good movies but what is the harm in highlighting a good thing which probably would be missed by many while watching this well made movie).

In the end, ‘Inception’ works because it seamlessly weaves together reality and dream. One of my friends was keeping the track of the ‘level of the dream’ in which the action was going on. It also works because after a long time a genuine entertainer has hit the cinemas, which challenges you to use your intellect. It works because Leonardo DiCaprio is convincing in his act and is supported by a great cast. And finally it works because it keeps you guessing till the very end (and by that I mean till the very end).

2010-06-23T12:30:00.000+05:30

Airports Aur Hum

‘I’ll land at around 9 am. I think I’ll change at your place before proceeding to the meeting.’ I told my friend over phone.

‘When is your presentation?’

‘At 11 am.’

‘Dude… It is not a feasible idea. I would suggest you go directly to the meeting. I’ll pick you up once your session is over.’

‘What’s wrong with the idea? You are suggesting me to come geared in formals all the way from here.’

‘Do that. The Bangalore airport is far off from the city. It normally takes more than an hour to reach city from there. And you are not making things better for yourself by arriving at Office time. You would be lucky to start your presentation on time.’

His analysis was not far from accurate. The Bangalore airport is so far from the city that it almost appeared to be located in a different universe altogether. I was in Bangalore after a gap of 3 years – obviously this was my first tryst with the newly built Bangalore International Airport (operational from May 23^rd 2008). To neutralize the effect of distance a 6 lane expressway has been built and frequent transportation to the airport is arranged. This comes with a premium price tag though – while the Volvo buses operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) charge you in the vicinity of Rs. 175 (I was charged Rs. 165 from HAL airport on my way back), the cabs can make your pockets lighter by Rs. 900 -1200. People may argue that the passengers who can afford air travel can easily shell out such an amount. May be but I doubt it. I have a feeling that a substantial proportion of air passengers, especially those travelling through the ‘low cost carriers’, feel the pinch of such a pricing mechanism. Availability of transportation only solves the issue of connectivity; the time to commute still remains a big headache. There are plans to have a high speed rail link but it still is many years away from realization (considering the present fate of ‘Metro’ project in the city).

One of the prime objectives of air travel is to facilitate speed. In a fast paced world if it takes nearly 2 hours to reach the Central Business District (CBD) of any city then it somehow undermines the importance of air travel. My friend has stopped taking flights to his hometown of Hyderabad form Bangalore – ‘It doesn’t make any sense. I now prefer Volvo buses to visit Hyderabad’, he says. Sometimes, the distance has other implications as well. On my way back, the flight got delayed by over 4 hours. I called my friend to inform him of the situation.

‘You want to come back.’

‘Naah… the travel will take more than 3 hours. It is better if I stay here and read some novel in the meantime.’ I said.

‘Good for you. I believe you have not read any novel in a long time.’

‘Thanks. I will take it as a consolation.’

Many of the new / upcoming Greenfield airport projects are facing this problem of accessibility. Eventually with the passage of time they are bound to come within the city limits but would that affect the travel time involved in the absence of an effective ‘Rapid Transportation System’. I acknowledge the many difficulties involved while selecting a suitable spot for such projects – foremost being the availability of the required land. Perhaps this is the reason why the present regime in Bihar is deliberating to shift the Patna airport to Bihta. Even the Airport Authority of India thinks that the place is suitable for the new Airport. Just for the information, the present airport at Patna has one of the riskiest runways in the country with the length of just about 6000 feet. Considering the factors of passenger safety and ever increasing air traffic, it is imperative to shift the airport. The only problem is that the current choice of location (Bihta) is approximately at a distance of 35 – 40 kms (As covered in some news reports) from the city.

I have some reservations based on the expected commuting time to this proposed airport. Further, Bihta is situated west of Patna while Patna is expected to grow towards east as well (as per the master plan). Thus, the distance to the airport from the other end of the growing city is expected to be substantial. If the decision makers have access to the master plan of the city, isn’t it possible for them to identify a suitable spot which is almost equidistant from the extreme limits of the future city? Further there would be a need to develop a rapid transit system to reduce the time of journey (to the airport as well as within the city limits). While the above observations are made keeping Patna in mind, I think these would hold true for many upcoming cities.

2010-06-14T16:36:00.000+05:30

‘Relevance’ for Media

Jama Masjid - Patna (Image from: biharplus.in)

Mahavir Mandir - Patna (Image from: biharplus.in)

Buddha Smriti Park - Patna (Image from: hindustandainik)

I was at my home this weekend and had the luxury to do things at my will – I thought watching TV was not a bad option. Not oblivious of the ‘World Cup’ fever, I watched a couple of decent contests. And then I followed news. News channels had their hands full – ‘Bhopal Gas Tragedy’s verdict’ and the subsequent events were keeping the ‘(breaking) news mongers’ busy plus they had the added responsibility of covering the ‘biggest sporting carnival’. One thing that struck me was how media somehow misses small yet important news bites. To illustrate it with an example, I will guide you through a couple of news related to my native place Patna.

Patna was in news last weekend. For those who care - BJP was holding its national executive meeting in the city after a decade and half. It was a treat for the national media with every news channel of some worth giving this meet the ‘desired’ attention. And to their delight, there was some ‘masala’ added with the outburst of CM Nitish Kumar over an Ad depicting him alongside Narendra Modi. As I have already pointed out the entire event for two days received the ‘desired’ media attention. I personally do not have any qualms with the ‘extent’ of coverage of this ‘big meet’ – what irks me is the complete disregard for ‘non sensational’ news by the media fraternity of our country.

Consider this – Venue: Patna; Date: 27/05/2010 (Buddha Purnima); Event: Inauguration of ‘Buddha Smriti Udyaan’ by his holiness Dalai Lama and almost the entire national media gave it a miss. Many would argue the logic of equating the inauguration of a park with the ‘national executive meet’ of the main opposition party. However, this is not just a park – here, kept in a 200 feet high ‘stupa’ are the remains of Lord Buddha donated by various Buddhist countries; the park also houses the saplings of the famous ‘Bodhi Tree’ - one from Bodhgaya and other from Sri Lanka. Further, I think even the regional media which covered the event missed the symbolic relevance of this park. Located just outside the Patna railway station, in the heart of the city, this park helps in providing a new identity to Patna. With the coming up of this park, distinct symbols of three major world religions now lie within a radius of perhaps 25m. Just opposite to the park is the famous Hanuman Mandir with the distinction of having the second largest budget / revenue by any Hindu shrine in Northern India (behind Vaishno Devi). Not far away is the ‘Jama Masjid’ of Patna with its beautiful minarets. Together these three structures symbolically offer a humble lesson of ‘co-existence’ & ‘brotherhood’. Dalai Lama offered the ‘Stupa’ & the park to the service of mankind and as a source to spread ‘Peace’ across the globe. In today’s difficult times such messages need to be propagated. Unfortunately, this time our national media missed the opportunity completely. I sincerely hope that from now onwards, media would give a little more respect to the ‘spirit of human existence’ in its coverage and would place it at least at par with the ‘bickering of our political leadership’.

2010-05-26T00:07:00.001+05:30

My first attempt in 7 years to write an article in Hindi

http://resurgence-2.blogspot.com/2010/05/9-100-100-100-100-100-300-1953-57-4.html

2010-04-28T01:05:00.000+05:30

SAVE WATER

This is post in my other blog http://resurgence-2.blogspot.com/ after a very long time. If you find it relevant then pass on the message (Not necessarily the post)... :)

2010-04-16T14:33:00.001+05:30

Ragging

A bunch of new joinees… Aha… One would think – Some change in the overall appeal (We will not pass the judgement i.e. ‘good’ or ‘bad’ until we have a thorough analysis done on the ‘impact’ of the new change) of the Office. However, since morning the excitement which usually accompanies such events is missing. There is some visible change with multiple groups of colleagues coming down to have a look at the new bunch of ‘Fachchas/ Fachchis’ and some going out of their way to extend a warm welcome to them and still I think that the ‘Occasion’ could have been grander. This preconceived notion about such an event can be traced back to my background. As an Engineering student (especially in second year), you wait eagerly for the ‘New Arrivals’ (at least it used to be that way when I joined Engineering and I think there is no need to mention the reason behind such anticipation).

The much dreaded ‘ragging’ (Am I politically incorrect in using this term?) period eventually turned out to be the ‘bonding agent’ for the 2002-2006 batch of my undergraduate college. The reason – A common enemy (read seniors) brought us together and there was a sense of association, a feeling of oneness and above all an understanding of each other’s plight. We were forced to interact with people, came to know of the names (by face recognition algorithm) of a batch of around 250 in just 7 days (I still don’t know the names of many in my current organization despite spending nearly a year here) and were put to some difficult challenges which made the entire batch gel as a unit. We still fondly remember the day when we ran into jungles (oblivious of the fact that we could face a cheetah or a tiger in our expedition) just because of the fear of seniors or the day when we were first introduced to our seniors (in a very peculiar manner – every college used to have a typical style. Just imagine the ‘Jahan panah tussi great ho’ of 3 idiots and you would realize to what I’m pointing at). And it was not that the seniors were out always hunting for us. They were supposed to be mentors and guardians looking after their juniors and apart from few psychoheads they used to do a perfect job. Obviously when we went to second year, we were eagerly waiting for the ‘Freshers’- Some would have got the opportunity to get the revenge of the thrashing they received by doing the same to their juniors, however, most would have loved to interact with the new lot and welcoming them to the family with some fun. That was not to happen – a diktat from the college management made it almost impossible for the seniors to interact with juniors. It was not as if there were no earlier attempts to stop ragging but this time the management was determined and they succeeded. However, in hindsight, they also assured that the subsequent batches never shared the warmth and the bond of the previous batches. My friends were in the college this winter and the Faculty informed them that the current batch of students lack the kind of association we used to have with our batch, college, department and faculty. Sometimes we overlook the other side of the coin while implementing certain things. I am not supporting ragging but I think there has to be a rethink on the exact definition of ragging. Maybe it can be introduced as a ‘Management game’ or ‘Strategy exercise’ in which members of a particular side never knows that they are a part of the game.

In my post graduate college, there was no ragging. No one could ever complain of harassment because there never was one. However, there was a process in place which introduced us to the ways of our college - an elaborately planned arrangement which made sure that once we were through the phase, we were ready to take on the challenges thrown to us by the rigour of the post graduate study. Not only this, the senior batch used to go out of their way to ensure that every piece falls in place so that the training is ‘effective’ and ‘fruitful’.

Why did I write this post?

I really do not know now. The above was written two days back sitting in the office when I was awaiting some information to proceed in my work (Yeah, sometimes you have to wait that long … J ). Now that two days have passed I really do not have any clue on why I wrote this piece in the first place. However, somewhere deep inside there is a feeling that the ‘New Joinees’ should be given the opportunity to explore the fun side of the organization as well – The reception could have been different and they could have been involved in a fun filled ‘Strategy game’.

Do I support ragging?

Well this is a tricky one. I do not support thrashing and that one thing is for sure. But I’m pained when I see students attempting suicides or leaving colleges even if they are not allowed to have their favourite fish (Yes this is true) or trivial issues like this. ‘Ragging’ (even if you exclude the physical part) used to make people mentally strong and prepared them for any adversity they would face in future. I have never ragged or harassed anybody but I do acknowledge the ‘positives’ and some ‘negatives’ which that brief phase gave me. On whole the positives outweigh the negatives (Of course I have not faced the kind of thrashing that would leave deep scar on me for the rest of my life).

P.S: I only think that there should be a rethink in the strategy which regulates the interaction of seniors with juniors. Of course do not allow anything that will scar the psyche of the ‘future’ of our country but allow the space which allows a healthy interaction and also prepare the new students (just out in the big bad world) for the adversities they are likely to face in future.

Disclaimer: This post in no way promotes ragging or any similar concept. There had been and there are still many ‘sickening’ form of practices prevalent in our institutions in the guise of ragging – those should be stopped immediately.

2010-03-18T12:38:00.000+05:30

Pursuit of a Bhoot

Living in the valleys of mighty Himalayas has its own charm. And I spent four precious years of my life in the foothills of Himalayas studying (now this may be an exaggeration) Engineering. My father still maintains that NIT Hamirpur boasts of one of the most picturesque campuses in the country. He stayed there for two days and me for 4 years. However, Hamirpur as a small, sleepy town would be off the tourist trail of many visiting Himachal. It is the headquarters of one of the largest and most literate district of Himachal and still is not as ‘urbanized’ as many would want it to be. And expectedly the avenues of entertainment would be limited. Thus, once a group of ‘First Years’ were done with the ‘charms’ of visiting the town (read: roaming freely on roads away from seniors; eating ‘Mommos’, ‘Samosas’ & ‘Jalebis’; eyeing beautiful local girls & watching movies in the local ‘Video Halls’) they had no other option than to sit together and enjoy (This was mostly the state of affairs till the fag end of second year when most brought in their computers and got engrossed in the magic of the ‘Desktop’).

One of the ways we used to pass our time was by sharing stories – our favourite genre would invariably be ‘Horror’. One of the interesting aspects of living in the foothills is that you will be exposed to various legends about ‘Ghosts’ (Pret/ Aatma whatever you would want to name them). The elders of the town/ college would advise us against venturing out alone in dark (less to do with their fear of us being attacked by wild animals and more to do with their belief that Supernatural elements do exist and would hurt someone if certain limit is crossed). We respected their concerns and at the same time were more than willing to explore the ‘Unexplored’. This is not to suggest that I am a ‘Braveheart’ – I am not and I never was. But at that time there was a child like curiosity to get to know more about the ‘World of Bhoots (Ghosts)’. So, we would have many story sessions (especially after dark) that would entirely concentrate on the ‘supernaturals’. I now realize that if I compile all the stories that I have heard during my stay at Hamirpur, I can come up with an engrossing novel.

However, this would not delve into any one of those stories. This account would just be a reflection of our immaturity, enthusiasm and probably stupidity to some extent at that point in time.

There was a soft knock on the door. I noticed it and ignored it. Who would want to come out of his quilt in the cold of the night (almost 2 am in a December night) just to satisfy the muse of one of his wingies on his way to visit lavatory? Further, I was glued to a thriller novel and was at an interesting stage of the story. ‘No way I’m going to open this door’, I thought. However, after few moments, the intensity of the knocks started to gain momentum and strength. I could hear my name being called and could sense some kind urgency in the voices. My roommates’, who were already fast asleep, were disturbed by this kind of sound and urged me to resolve the issue at the earliest so that they could sleep in peace. I had no other choice but to leave the comforts of the quilt.

Three of my batchmates who were visibly excited greeted me at the door. ‘We knew you would be awake’, Toad said excitedly. Toad was the name given by us to a very endearing and animated character of our batch.

‘What’s the matter?’

‘I think, we have seen a ghost. We are going out to check. Are you in?’ said Ram.

‘Okay. But how do you know, it’s a ghost?’

‘Are, it was almost 10 feet tall wearing an overcoat. We saw it from our window. Now don’t waste time. We will miss it. It has gone towards the Admin block.’

And that was it. The search party of four ran out of the hostel in order to look for a claimed ‘Bhoot’. We were moving in the direction of Admin block and were looking at every possible turn where he could have slipped away in the darkness of the surrounding jungles.

‘Are you sure, we are after a ghost?’ I asked.

‘110%’, said Ram. ‘No human being can be that tall. Further its movement was not characteristically human.’

‘Meaning?’

‘I mean it seemed to be gliding in the air.’

‘Ramu. You are out of your mind.’

‘May be. But these two have also seen that.’ On this the other two nodded in agreement.

We had reached a dark corner. None of the next three streetlights were working and we weren’t even carrying a torch. And suddenly, a sense of fear gripped all of us.

‘Should we go ahead?’ I asked.

There was apprehension in everyone’s mind.

‘If we have come till here then we will go ahead as well.’ said Billa, the most daring of us all.

So we moved ahead with a heady mix of excitement, fear and thrill. As the light of the next streetlight came within reach, we took a sigh of relief. The pace has picked up and we were at a crossroad – one went towards the Admin block, other towards Library while the last one meandered towards the Computer Science Department. The one towards library was not even lit properly. We decided to split. I chose the well lit CSED road but there was a ‘Catch’. I had heard stories that the place next to it was haunted. The lit road was the only consolation. The other three split and went in the other two directions.

After a brief search we met back at the crossroad. None of us had any success in spotting the ‘Bhoot’.

‘We were so close in unraveling a long standing mystery.’ said Ram.

‘All this for nothing’, were the words of Toad.

‘At least we had fun’ said Billa.

As I came to the terms that the entire exploit was a wasted exercise, I realized that I was out in the cold December night with only a T-shirt to protect my upper half. The rush of adrenalin which kept me charged all this time was long gone and I suddenly felt cold. I was shivering and Toad noticed it. He passed me his shawl and we made our way back to the hostel. I went to my room and found comfort in the warmth of my quilt. I did not touch that novel. The ‘Pursuit of the Bhoot’ gave me a ‘High’ that would not be given by the thrill of any book.

2010-03-15T18:24:00.000+05:30

At the Mecca of World Cricket

They call it the ‘Mecca of World Cricket’ – it certainly is especially when you are chanting ‘Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo’ along with the capacity crowd (okay it should be the existing capacity crowd. Few blocks of the stadium are closed for renovation/ reconstruction work). I went to watch my first match at Eden (after living in Calcutta for more than 6 years) yesterday with lots of expectations and was not disappointed with what I saw.

When I ventured out of my PG at around 2pm, I confronted a raging Sun. As I left the auto 5 minutes later, I was in the advance stages of sweating. However, I must acknowledge I was not properly ‘geared’ to wage on a battle with the mighty sun. With a dark coloured full shirt and jeans, I was inappropriately dressed for the occasion – pointed one of my friends. As always I took it as another testimony of my ‘terrific’ dressing sense.

It took sometime before the entire group assembled at the destined place (Others who were not able to join us were directed to reach the Stadium directly). The entry was not smooth and has something to with the management of the flow of people. I wonder how they used to manage when the seating capacity was around 1 lakh. However, the passage through gate led us to an entirely different world – A world where the ‘Magic’ of cricket eclipse everything else. As we were moving towards the stands with fear of getting seats at the back, God was busy modifying the script of the day. He decided, it would be appropriate if we sit on the first row just behind the cheerleaders of KKR. The only thing which came to my mind was ‘God Tussi Great Ho’.

And it was not all. It was as if the Stadium had come to life, the atmosphere was electrifying and at least half the battle arena was ‘Purplified’ (I know no such term exits. But who cares. When one runs out of word, he needs to create a word). And then there were ‘Hoog Lee’ (The adorable Tiger Mascot of KKR which were booed by the crowd for interrupting the view). One of my friends was so excited seeing them in action that she actually went ahead and pulled the tail of the ‘tiger’ (Of course, she very innocently, had taken the permission of the police official standing there). However, the main source of our attraction was still the Cheerleaders. One of our friends, did us a favour by using his ‘5 mega pixel’ camera phone to capture those images. (As soon as he shares those pics with me, I will put them up in my Orkut profile).

With all these, the stage was set for the ‘Battle Royale’. KKR didn’t disappoint us with an assured performance. Watching ‘Dravid’, ‘Dada’ and ‘Kumble’ battling it out was humbling and enjoyable. And then there were some terrific display of shots by Kallis, Tiwary and Hodge (Even Dada entertained the crowd with a six). However, the fun was when the entire stadium went for the initial rounds of Mexican wave. Seeing it and being a part of it was one of those ‘magical moments’ which I will cherish for a long time. However, towards the end, it turned into a tiresome and boring exercise. Not that we did not have our share of jumping, shouting, singing, cheering, booing and of course dancing. And in this task, we were not alone – Our endearing & beautiful cheerleaders were always with us and so were the cute ‘Hoog Lee’. As the KKR dragged their way to victory, we decided to visit this experience once again in next few IPL matches.

P.S: Under the floodlights, a friend and I discussed about the immense potential of this format (it’s not exactly cricket but it sure is entertainment). Sports in our country will benefit a lot from this experiment.

2009-12-24T17:32:00.000+05:30

Avatar

I did not get time to write this before but I had to do it. My views on Avatar:

As the credits rolled, I asked the friend sitting next to me about his opinion on the movie. His simple response - ‘I am speechless’. The girls on my other side did not seem to consider leaving seats as one of the viable options as the movie came to an end. My friend asked my view – ‘Not the best cinema but certainly one of the best cinematic experiences ever’. This is the impact of the latest cinematic extravaganza of James Cameron – ‘Avatar’. If you ever wondered ‘Where the hell is James Cameron?’ (I have not seen the documentaries which he made after Titanic) then this movie provides a logical explanation. After all, creating anything new takes time – and here he has created an entire new world.

One of my friends who went to watch the film on my recommendation called me during interval. ‘What’s so special in this film? I do not find anything path breaking.’ – The guy had by mistake taken the ticket of the Hindi version in 2D (I am not suggesting it is not good in Hindi. I have not seen the Hindi version). And though at that point of time he was not able to appreciate the world created by James Cameron, he called me after the movie to express his happiness on watching the movie (He is watching it again this weekend – this time however in 3D). The movie does not boast of a path breaking storyline – it is the same ‘Good vs. Evil’ saga exploited in Hollywood and Bollywood umpteenth times. Yeah it is true – you will not find it much different than a Bollywood story in terms of flow – however the master craftsman (Cameron) paints the canvas with colours never seen before. You will fall in love with the planet ‘Pandora’- a world so beautiful that you wish it to exist in our times. The jungles and its inhabitants – the ‘indigenous’ Na’vi and other animals (magnificent horses, rhinos, dogs, dragons etc. like creatures) are designed with so much detail that you cannot keep your eyes off the screen for one moment. One has to salute the genius of Cameron and his team which dared to expand the limits of alternate reality. When the seeds of the revered trees fell on screen, you can feel them coming to you (in 3D) – it is a feeling you simply cannot describe; it creates a moment where you feel the return of innocence and possibly connect with the nature. And Cameron does not stop here – he gives you floating mountains with waterfalls, fluorescent plants and varied creatures.

And when there is so much ‘Good’ then how can the ‘Evil’ be left behind. As in most of the Hollywood film, this time also the Aliens are the ‘bad guys’ – the only difference is that this time it is the human race which is alien to the beautiful world of Pandora. US marines (Can someone explain to me why US has most tryst with the aliens) have set up their base in Pandora; their mission – to mine a rare mineral ‘unobtainium’ which is the key to solve the energy crisis on planet Earth in 2154 AD. The only problem is that the ‘indigenous’ Na’vis have their village (a large tree) located just on top of the largest pile of ‘unobtainium’. And the human race knows only one mantra – when diplomacy seems to fail then wipe out the problem through the use of force. Thus an army of well trained marines with advanced weapons march to wipe out the colony of bow-arrow wielding Na’vis. One of my friends who had seen the movie earlier than me had pointed out that the movie is a cross between ‘Terminator’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ (Advanced machines taking on dragon flying warriors gives the analogy).

Cameron stresses on the need of connecting with nature and laces the screenplay with many such moments where one feels to bond again with the nature. This is especially true in the background of recently concluded Copenhagen summit. This movie may well do what the world leaders failed to do- sensitize us over the need to reconnect with nature and preserve it. The beauty of nature was perhaps never present in such a breathtaking way before on silver screen (okay 3D screen).

Watch it and if you have access then preferably on a 3D screen. It is an experience which you will not want to miss.

2009-12-22T15:32:00.001+05:30

Do Our Part

A new post on the other blog...

http://resurgence-2.blogspot.com/2009/12/do-our-part-this-one-is-not-directly.html

Hope this time some people read it.

2009-12-09T16:42:00.000+05:30

VELLAPANTI

I am so tied up with work that I am unable to find time to write anything. I found this while going through my old mails and found this to be different (though I may concede it may be boring). However, take this with the spirit that a set of friends were having fun and two of them tried to pull each other’s leg. This conversation took place on 15^th May 2009. The name of the concerned person has been changed for anonymity.

The Mail:

Disclaimer: The author of this letter has been a witness to one of the catastrophe in the world of friendship. All resemblance to the characters addressed in this missive, living or lost is utmost intentional. Though the author has no intention to sound stodgy never the less he warns on the consequences of reading through this entire letter. This letter is strictly prohibited for pregnant men with surged bellies and children who refuse to grow up.

To,

The Phantom of the Orient,

Hi sir,

Firstly I would like to begin with the virtues of a good formal education. In a country like us where people dreamt, that a day will come, when they needn’t pray in biblical parables “Give us this day our daily food “. A guy in millions earns the opportunity to pursue a Higher Studies. There are stiff competitions. Millions of rupees flowing in the “Coaching “industries, promising a bright career. Lakhs of aspirants sitting through those boring lectures, hundreds of them sneaking through the attendance register to find out the names of some attractive opposite gender. And countless parents and relations hung optimistically, eying at their kids with eyes full of hope, “May be this year he/she gets through “. And the aftermath is dejection, failure and regrets. But you sir, saw it through. And what did that Higher Studies promised? Yes a thick wallet. But my friend did you forget the virtues that are concomitant with a good formal education. Basking in the dawn of a huge wealth and fortune you forgot, that the education promised a pregnant wisdom, a rich intellect and humility.

Today I witnessed a horrifying DEMISE of FREINDSHIP. Dear Mr. Phantom , the one who was considered no less than a deity ( akin to lord Krishna ) by his humble friend MR. X , who was more like a Sudama . He was insulted straight on face. His face still ruddy with the lashes of word that you have heaped. His eyes beams with tears, the thick eye lashes holding them to spill over .Only the blood flowing in his vessels speaks, he is crestfallen and sad . You sir, made a sorrowful end to the friendship tale of “Jai-Veeru”, You sir, made an end to the friendship which bosomed in a small hostel room in Hamirpur. I still remember the days when the big guy stopped you from watching “The realm of senses “. The days when he restricted your hours on Computer, stereotyped on Ashoka . Sleeping snobbishly in front of it, having chocolates. And everything so that you don’t get deviated . Like lord shiva he drank the poison meant for you. And today my friend when you are a Man Of Man you abuse the person, who loved you the most. The person under whose tutelage you have grown up to become this dashing young gentleman. Mr. X couldn’t have fathomed this coming, while he sat partially doped, celebrating your joy, amidst your friends. He never could have guessed that the cheap liqueur he was sipping and the sale meat that he gobbled will one day sit as witness in the coffin of his feelings.

I feel too sad to continue …

Regards,

A philanthropist

The Reply

Dear Mr. Philanthropist,

It has been a privilege to come across the views of someone as esteemed, knowledgeable and caring as you. Believe me, I have been enlightened by the thoughtful insights you have provided on the prevailing educational system in our country. I completely agree with you on the issue that many, who pursue the dreams of getting admitted to the institutes of Higher Education, faces failure in their attempts. It has been of great concern to the incumbent government at the centre and thus they decided to open 8 IITs and 7 IIMs to reduce the impact of this dejection on the spirits of an apparently ‘Young India’ (Christened Youngistan by Pepsi India Co.). As you yourself have agreed that this exercise provides fringe employment to many and thus this move seems to have taken in accordance with a strategy to see through the impact of economic slowdown on Indian economy. However, the issue of economic slowdown brings me to more pertinent issue raised through your mail – the issue of thick wallet. As you would have known through many insignificant views of pedestrian economists and the news of ‘pink slips’ being handed over to many budding executives, the things in the corporate jungle are rather getting ugly. The entry to this terrain has become tough and the survival tougher— and this experience has provided some of those caught in the midst of hostile terrain enough intellect and humility.

Sir, today you lay bare your feelings for the abused, crestfallen and deprived. Just like Rahul Gandhi you have declared to the world that finally you have arrived as the protector of mankind. How deeply moved I am by your observation under the heading ‘DEMISE of FRIENDSHIP’ can not be expressed in simple words. Your gesture of taking up the cause of crestfallen Mr. X who has been no less than Sudama has been appreciated all around. You have rightly shown a cruel, ruthless, arrogant person his true place in this world. You have done great service to the mankind by bringing out the tale of modern Krishna- Sudama just as ShahRukh did it in Billu but your tale has much more depth, innocence and emotions into it. As you feel sad for the demise of this legendary friendship, I feel like a fool who had done so much harm to the innocence of so many people involved in this mail chain and inflicted such torture to the emotions of Mr. X and ‘your highness’. I am ashamed by this act and have decided to take a plunge in river Hugli and end my life……….

From a soul soon to be departed

2009-11-09T01:05:00.000+05:30

New Blog!!

I started a new blog - an attempt to segregate my writings. This one is called Aaina. Address: http://resurgence-2.blogspot.com/

2009-10-21T15:48:00.000+05:30

Diwali Dhamaka

The video of the last post- enacted by two very dear friends Kunal & Arunava at Diwali Celebrations at our office.