My lovely life

When I say dry, I exactly don’t mean the eventless moments that you might think I am going through at Infosys because I’ve so far never encountered such a useless moment after reaching my professional home. Life was so full of life when I was in Chennai at the midst of people who speak Thamizh. Here, I get the chance everyday to meet new faces which keeps my experiences with new people fresh, sound and healthy. All I knew before reaching Infy Mysore DC were my PC, mobile phone, TV shows, late night sleeps (apparently it still has got a place in my schedule), juice shop at Abhiramapuram which is just a km away from my place, the lonely walk along the streets flanking Mylapore tank every night after 9 while keeping my mouth busy with a conversation over the phone, bananas, groundnuts (no swapping of the real meaning with what it is commonly understood as in Tamil:-P) and finally, BLOGS! Wow!! Awesome is an understatement to describe the internet with which I spent most of my leisure and it paid me back immensely! I found the time I spent on all my 437 blog posts really laudable for they became the tools for me to generate money that equaled what any IT firm could have paid me as a fresher/trainee in the first 10 months of training. My blog proved to be my window that took me closer to American dollar. Yups!! My salary was paid in dollars and my blog was my employer! It wasn’t too tough for me to strike a balance between blogging and the entertainment aspects of life that include my friends and family integrated with the society that surrounded me. It was fun earning through blogs. It was fun money. Now, I bring back some pulse to my blog after almost couple of months which was the period I managed to crawl into the world of professionals who break their heads to produce things that are only virtual in existence to earn the very real money which is the only thing that counts in the real world! I find this fact very funny, sensible and meaningful. If you ask me what I do at Infy, I would say I am being trained by professionals and taught lessons on how to create what is called software that can never be felt by touch to serve the purpose of an unseen client who remunerates in the form of real money. It sounds to me more like selling an unreal product overseas to make a living. To talk about an advertiser’s product by making my blog voice my almost fair opinion now seems more genuine and satisfying compared to what I would be doing in the name of a software engineer in the next 1 year. And they say these are all the inevitable changes one has to undergo without searching for a choice. The gap that was filled with my transition from a college student to an IT trainee was covered by a 10 month period during which I got my chance to live a life free from commitments and responsibilities. RESPONSIBILITIES. It is a big word to be used while referring to someone who has been whiling away time for 10 full months. That was the period when the world around me started to label me irresponsible. Nevertheless, I felt I was doing justice to God’s attempt to keep me engaged with some really busy leisure. I tasted life in a full-fledged attempt to cautiously stay away from giving any kind of thought to the efforts pumped into the process by the company which I knew would soon be trying to extract every ounce of IT knowledge that will keep emerging within every IT professional endlessly. Life used to be a toll-free highway or at least I was not asked to pay anything through my nose to take my life for a drive. Now, I feel I’ve reached the end of the smooth path and at the verge of entering a way that is no smoother. Now, the responsibility has come down on my shoulder to make my own way smooth and fine before I can enjoy the ride again. My life has been my best friend so far and this fellow had given everything in surplus to me to keep my bond with it strong and steady. Now, my life is done with fostering this divine relationship and time has come for my life to enter the next phase where it would test my survival instincts before it dies off. All I’ve got to tell my life is ‘Buddy, I hurt myself after my first attempt to get along without any problem with my bicycle and I loved you. I had no affinity for education and still it was thrust on me by the mere human tendencies that people possess and I loved you more. Every time I got a holiday, at the end of the day I long for more holidays so that I can enjoy you to the greatest extent possible. You taught me everything bad so that I can get a clear picture of everything good that are left out. Sometimes you gave me what I exactly never wished for so that I could realize what I really need. Now, I understand you are not about the way I live. You are everything because of which I live. So, let us continue our journey together for many more years to come. Stay with me and we can enter the dark room called future which takes a new shape every nanosecond and needs illumination to make our own way to the top if that is what you now wish to provide me with’.

Rules derailed..

I hope you can see clearly who the man at the front is. He is an official in the Indian Democracy. His job is to make sure people in the society stick on to the rules laid by the Government. The rules that they deal with are related to traffic and other procedures that should be followed by everyone using the roads which some say are MAINTAINED by the Government (and still they look pathetic :-P). Hence, in short , this man in Khaki and white on the bike registered to the Government can be put equivalent to a guardian. Rather, guardian of society and rules laid by the Government. I happened to go to Marina beach few days back with one of my friends. When I was driving back home, my ride was interrupted by the flashing red signal. I was almost the first one to bring my bike to a halt just before the stop line. After the signal timer flicked for few seconds, I found someone trying to get on to the front of the lot waiting for the green using the small passage on my left which was not even sufficient for a bicycle to go through. I told myself "Wow! What an aspirant!!! He wants to be the first even at a signal!!" Finally, this man's bike stopped after completely crossing the stop line, the meaning of which he totally didn't understand. You can find the stop line in the picture and the man in the front on his bike as if he his on his way back home after winning the whole world. And you can also find that no one else in the picture had crossed the stop line. From his shoes, pant, shirt, helmet and the color of the bike, I recognized who he is. That was when I felt really bad for the people in our society. A man who is supposed to protect the rules has decided to crush the same under his feet. Several men at the same level as this brute in the picture above stand together at signal junctions just to catch hold of those who they say don't follow the traffic rules. And nowhere have I seen a rule that says these men carry an exemption from these rules and they need not follow what they say is mandatory for the public. I couldn't resist my frustration and I was completely annoyed. But, I couldn't do anything other than take a snap of this immorally molded moron. Had it been a common man crossing the rule, I bet the traffic constable at the other end of the signal would have extracted something from his wallet. What makes the difference here? It is just few things which our Government servants lack. They are supposed to be called the Government SERVANTS. But, their actions make us feel they rule the nation. This is because corruption is all powerful in this nation. It is way above people and society. When even the one who is responsible for keeping the rules intact is not prepared to stand by the book, who else can be considered for filling the most essential niche here? I've had several bad experiences with these beggars in uniform who catch at signal junctions me just to suck my pockets dry. May be this is the reason why I consider my feet more important than these brutes with bulky bellies. Some of my friends even advised me not to put these pictures here on my blog as they fear I might push myself into grave danger. But, I can't help it. I can prove anyone I am flawless just by showing them this picture which I love to keep staring at for the whole day. And I can justify whatever I've told about these roadside vagabonds. The man in the picture is just another creature who makes his living on the roads using what he gets from the society. If you still don't know who he is, I'll tell you about him. Ahh..He is totally insignificant. He doesn't have much importance for me to really talk about. I don't think he deserves any explanation. Leave it. I wish to continue this hunt for these senseless scavengers in Chennai. ;-)

Road behaviors become rude behaviors..

Driving has become a tough job for those who regularly take on the roads of Chennai. With more than 65 million vehicles, the roads in Chennai have become completely cramped and even motorcyclists can't make a way out of the congestion. Traffic police department of Chennai is struggling a lot to bring the increasing traffic under control and their desperation is blatantly reflected by their action of making two-way roads into one-ways. But, the purpose is not served yet. This attempt of the police department has in fact become another reason for the city's traffic to grow bigger. While that is the part of the policemen in adding inconvenience to the society, some people also have bigger roles in building up the annoying congestion, especially when working people are hurrying up to their workplaces in the morning. It was 9.30 A.M and went to an ATM to check my balance in the savings account. After my job was done, I came out and found the far end of the street getting too congested, as you can see in the picture above. It wasn't a one-way and thus, vehicles giving ways for those on the other side of the road isn't a big problem though the road appeared quite narrow. But, that wasn't the cause for the congestion. It was a 2-way and the maroon car was being driven by a moron, who lacked even the basic common sense and parked the car right at the middle of a narrow 2-way road. I had all the time in the world to wait there to watch the other vehicles honking their horns like never before. My mobile phone wasn't too busy and I used it to make a permanent record of the scene that was going on in front of my eyes. As soon as I completed the photo session, the driver came out and pulled the car to the roadside. Just take a look at the maroon car to the righ in the picture. The driver had almost occupied half the width of the already narrow road to park the car. Doesn't it appear like a 3-lane road with a red car trying to break the congestion and enter the street while the moron's maroon car stand right at the middle of the road and the black car was parked at the place where it was supposed to be parked? If an insensitive idiot could cause such a congestion even in a street that is comparatively smaller than the other busy roads in Chennai, I couldn't imagine the impact of such irresponsible brutes who proclaim to be drivers, on the busier streets of the city which is building fast upon its traffic everyday. If these people can understand the basic driving rules and the sense of making the roads traffic-free by following proper lane disciplines, a major part of the traffic in Chennai can be avoided. I don't wish to take the policemen to the task all the time. I want to point to the part of mistake that lies on the side of the public. Either the policemen should be efficient and strictly follow the rules of the department or the people should understand the basic needs to avoid congestion. Situations on the roads of Chennai with people steaming under the hot sun for hours together due to heavy traffic would be the result if the policemen are totally inefficient and incapable and the people are hesitant to stay closer to the rules.

Chain with weak links..

They didn't know what they were doing. They had no clue who they are struggling for. They didn't even know whether it was really an act with a good cause. But, they stood strong in the making of the longest human chain ever made possible in the country even when it was raining. I won't call it a heavy downpour as some of the TV channels with strong political backgrounds did. In a city with a population of more than 7 crores, only few thousands participated in the human chain that had a span of 60 KM according to the media reports and the best part of the funny fable is that the human chain covered some of the most busiest parts of the city, thus making it too difficult even for the pedestrians to walk through. I doubt whether the people other than politicians who participated in the rally really knew what their message through the human chain motion was to the Central Government. If you are one of those who were standing as a link for the chain, let me tell you what you were doing exactly. You were supporting who are completely responsible for all the miseries the country of Sri Lanka is suffering today. You were a wet goat yesterday because the politicians wanted to make you look dumb while they were waving hands at you staying within their bullet-proof cars and Z-Grade security ring around them. You were supporting the people simply because they speak the same language as you do. You forgot the fact that it was with the help of a large section of these people that Sivaraj and Nalini managed to infiltrate India and succeeded in their attempt on the life of this nation's Prime Minister. You were standing on the street on an overcast day trying to be a redeemer for these people who have illegally occupied a big part of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has a Government like India. They have their own Prime Ministers and his cabinet to decide on this issue. Understand that Sri Lanka isn't a part of India if that is what you were thinking while making a clown out of you yesterday. If trying to push the Sri Lankan Government to spare the lives of millions of Tamil people living in Sri Lanka is sensible from your scrutiny, then it is quite acceptable if the Sri Lankan Government tends to interfere in the internal affairs of India and forces the Government of India to do something about it since these militant groups haven't got their hands on Sri Lanka anytime in the past. It's always good for us to know our boundaries and stay within it. At the end of the day, we had the politicians resting at their places after successfully making fools out of thousands of Tamil people, you standing wet on the streets, causing one of the biggest and annoying traffic congestions in the city ever and the world looking down upon you as a muck!

Ultra-modern cities???

Chennai is becoming more sophisticated and advanced in terms of lifestyle, economy, opportunities and entertainment without giving up its image as a cultural hub. With cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad failing terribly in an attempt to acclimatize themselves to the lifestyle of Western hemisphere, Chennai made sure it followed its own unique way of development and progress. Initially, people were laughing at the way Chennai projected itself as a metropolitan city without a big number of night clubs and party floors which the people from above mentioned cities thought were the sign of development. Now, the world laughs at these cities for their ignorance about the real meaning of development and turning a city into a metropolitan on the map. I feel really bad for those cities because they thought they were right on track of development without carrying the reality in their minds, which is actually that they were going exactly the wrong way. Following the way people live in the Western world is good for a developed nation in the East. But, we should not forget India is a developing nation that has a heavy load of 120 billion people on its back and trying to imitate westerners is a blunder which the so called developed cities in India committed. First of all, how can certain cities alone be considered as developed parts of the nation when the whole nation is called a developing one? Isn't the word integration missing right at the root of this point? Development doesn't mean bollywood or night clubs or dance floors. Development doesn't even mean good looking girls wearing Low waist jeans and t-shirts with quotes on them that contain the words 'WANNA' or 'GONNA' in the places of 'WANT TO' or 'GOING TO'. People from these cities should understand development is a collective term that covers criteria like employment, literacy rate, specific, per capita income, establishments in various fields of business and the like. Just because a state owns Nasik, the capital of the state can't be called the New York of India. Chennai survives majority of these criteria, though not all. When it comes to industrial development and literacy rate, Chennai is several folds better than Mumbai or Hyderabad. People have just started to show themselves as trendy. According to a recent survey, among all the cities, the Chennai people spend more on entertainment and thus, Mumbai is beaten to the floor even when it comes to considering entertainment as the main criterion to judge the development of a state. Thus, I cannot search for words other then 'THE BEST' for Chennai and 'SATISFACTORY', though not completely, for other cities which proclaim to be completely ultra-modern, rich and decent.

Menacing 'MAMA's in Chennai..

MAMA. That is how a traffic constable is popularly known in Chennai. I've had some terribly bitter experiences with these police officers in the past. Very recently, I had the worst of all my hands on experiences with the cops who, in an attempt to make Chennai a congestion-free city, are making it exactly the other way. Luz is a well-known place for almost everything you have been searching for so far and your shopping efforts are never in vain when you are here since you would (I bet) get anything you wished for. That is just a part of the Luz I know. There is something big behind the screens for Luz. Its the group of Traffic constables who stand right at the signal and literally pounce on the motorcyclists who don't wish to get there heads overloaded by helmets. One of the signboards in the city said 'Wear your hard hat to protect your software'. I wonder what are the hard hats they are talking about. Are these helmets really hard enough to stay in good shape even when a lorry rolls over your head while you're wearing them? I don't think so. And still these people expect us to wear it while riding bikes. Let us go back to Luz now. I had to take the left at the signal. I was unbelievably so sincere that I was waiting for the green to flash even when the board said 'Free Left Turn'. I guessed 'MAMA' would be standing immediately next to the corner and put on my helmet. To my surprise, I didn't find even a single white shirt and khaki pant. Now why should I wear a helmet? I removed the so called 'HARD HAT' and placed it on the vehicle's petrol tank as usual, without getting a clue of who was closing in behind me. It was FATE!!! Just as I removed the helmet, I found the Man in white shirt and Khaki pant raise his arm and signaling me to bring the vehicle to a halt. Finally, fate caught me. After a session of questions and replies that lasted for some 3mins, I was asked for my license. The usual Traffic police tradition. But what happened after that was something uncommon. The sergeant filled up a form with my name, address and vehicle number and asked me to get it signed by another man in non-uniform standing just behind him. After going through all the legal but senseless formalities, I was asked to pay a heavy amount as fine. Rs.50/-. I don't know why they wasted a good quality sheet for recording my crime for just 50 bucks. And they even spent their PRECIOUS time answering my queries on the CRIME I committed. I handed over a 50 buck note. He stared at me and then saw the mobile court that was standing closer to the platform. I understood what his gaze meant. I went to the mobile court and the two police constables in full khakis asked me to switch off the mobile phone. I was wondering why these people are making a big fuss for just Rs.50. They could have made me pay the fine without all these formalities like they always used to do. Suddenly, my thoughts were shattered by a voice from within the mobile court, which is actually a van, and I heard someone calling my name thrice which reminded me of those old tamil movies where the climaxes are taken to the court. I was shaken by the very arrangements within the van. It carried the look of a real court! (Though I haven't seen a real court in my life. We learn things from movies right? :-P) A Judge was sitting at one end of the COURTYARD and a man was sitting just in front of the Judge, who gave the complaint or the crime record form (Whatever....) to the Judge. I was made to stand within the cage where criminals stand in the courts (Movies depicted it that way. Can't help it). To add the court essence to the scene, this man asked me 'Helmet podama vandi otunaduthan ungal kutram. Idai neengal oppukolgireergala?' Are you thinking of something? For a moment, even I was thinking your way. I thought it was one of those funny and silly dreams. I said 'Yeah. Ok'. The constable with a rifle in his hand, standing next to me, asked me to stand properly since I had my legs crossed, mistaking them for my fingers.:-P I came out of the COURT where I was penalized for my coldblooded crime of not wearing a helmet that hampered the country's economical growth and incited a serious unrest in the city by polluting the minds of the citizens with my inhuman intentions, expecting media to interview me as soon as I made my first step out of the courthouse. Unfortunately, fate was still on my tail. All I found were few other CRIMINALS who were caught red handed, which should really be 'RED-HEADED', for not wearing helmets. The most tragic part which I still couldn't digest is that the MAMA who caught me wasn't in complete uniform. When he waved his hand at me, I thought some restroom cleaner is asking for a lift. The rule is 'Show me your slippers and I'll tell you who you're'. Slippers. Not even a pair of synthetic shoes. Unwillingly I paid the fine for my CRIME. I am now a criminal. Watch out. I could chase you down anywhere!! Thanks to MAMAs in Chennai that I am a macho now! (I know it looks pretty exaggerated. Blame it on the MAMA.:-P)