"Tiempo para un viaje por carretera" - call for change

Its been over a month since i got back to Texas and all i have done in this period is write...write...research...write...and more research. And barring the trip to California early this year, I really havnt seen much of US barring the airports and aerial views from the air plane! My conscience for sure is screaming out loud that i havn't used my time rationally. But i do give my share of priority time and due importance to Google and Yahoo (mail/chat). I must say that new themes on Gmail are inspirational and i dont even feel like signing out!!

In any case at the end of two years.....what do i get?
- No job for one because the economy has gone downhill ! In fact its rolling down!
- A master's degree and a speech from the outgoing president of this country... Now, although some would consider themselves previleged, being a rare ocassion for a graduation ceremony, i am at this time neither happy nor sad....the all important factor being i am not gonna be able to spend much time in the US... - and that is 'the inconvenient truth', whether Al Gore accepts it or not!

Hence my focus is on the immediate future ;) I am really looking forward to the next two weeks.....to visit Hollywood!!, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam....a fun road trip.
And it all starts within 12 hours from now!

Some would probably ask, if it really makes sense to go for a trip when the economy is in a pulp, jobs are at stake; and i would say if ya'll have jobs keep em' and be worried about it. I don't, and neither is anyone interested in hiring at the moment. Might as well make my time 'useful' instead of wasting on sending applications to positions that dont exist, and when HR's are so keen to send rejection letters.
But there is still another reason for the timing being appropriate for a road trip. One look into the oil barrel prices says it all! Gas prices have not been any cheaper than 2.0 $ to a gallon over the past few years, and now its 1.7 $. Its unbelievable that oil barrel prices actually dropped from 140 to 40.

Talk of 'freakonomics' heh....!! So ya'll professionals can take your time and figure out what to do, while i am gonna have some fun, and i want to see some decisions made when i return!!

¿Entiendes?

flushed and drained....

There are those certain days when you know right from the time you wake up, 'Today is going to be a bad one'. Especially on seeing the clock which was trying to do you a favor by crooning a melodius piece in the ear, is now on the floor breathing its last....all it took was a chop of the hand!

Since that happens on a regular basis the other indicator is the watch which, if its especially is a swiss make will show the exact time - and in essence i had woken up at 2 in the afternoon! How does one combine breakfast, lunch and tea ?? After a quick 'brun cha i', I ran to catch the 4pm bus on route 4, got out of the bus at the usual unmarked destination on campus, started walking towards the recreational centre and a dazed brain sent out weak alarms - 'you have left your keys on the bus, dummy'!!

Frantic search in the innumerable pockets of the tracks reaveals that the brain is working, but on an celeron processor @ 256 Mhz... Unfortunately the campus bus services are impromptu, even if one has the schedule in hand. It is a working Indian service model, which meant i would have to wait another 25 mins for this bus to come back, and would you have ever guessed what could possibly go wrong?
The bus changed !! The driver changed !!...and the new kid on the block behind the wheels had no clue where i should go to look for it. I tried my best to give clues to get answers that i was searching for, but in vain.

It dawned on me in a few seconds later - i was 'homeless'. Brain was spinning @ 512 Mhz now.

Previous experiences on loosing wallets and cell phones, and finding them in the lost and found department had helped in cementing a belief that I will be able to get back whatever i lose....eh..'personal items' ofcourse!!
Fortunately i had my cell this time and a few enquiries resulted in possible leads to nowwhere, where in i can trace my keys to a unknown locations. But it so happened that all items that are lost in the bus are brought to a counter sometime in between 8 and 10 pm...At a time like this one would count on being happy that there are possibilities, and its often snatched away in seconds...My cell phone let out beeps which indicated 'recharge me' and as it grew louder i took the life out of it - staunch believer of energy conservation!
The passing minutes seemed to feel like hours, and a little after 8 i approached the help desk to see if the items lost for the day have been turned in to which i got a negative response. The same happened at 9 and 9:30 pm.

Homeless, A dead phone, tired legs and the worst time for stomach to groan helplessness. Brain at 1Ghz but the stomach was churning even faster.

Reading and rereading stale articles on the campus newspaper was tormenting and worse was that I didn't have my 15" screen when i needed it. A little after 10, with an eager face, searched through a bunch of keys, goggles, hats and an umbrella; all that have been lost in a day ?? And there were quite a few cellphones in it too....everything except MY keys! So, i was still homeless. Emergency services was the only way out -
Revived my dead phone one last time which seemed to care less about my predicament, flashing sign of 'invalid battery', a call to the apartment office in asian chopped english - "key lost, please help, outside apartment..."
Trudged back to my apartment, waited in the cold without a jacket, courtesy of google desktop weather which predicted 12 deg in the evening but didnt tell me it would be windy....A hispanic in what seemed like a golf cart came by a few minutes later, check my id and gave a spare 7 day key (ofcourse it didnt mean it was gonna deactivate or melt on its own, but they were to charge me after 7 days - i miss india at times like this, I would have easily found a duplicate-key maker on the streets).

'Home value' had just topped the charts for me and all i wanted was to sleep without feeding my stomach. What more could probably go wrong ? You would think....
A quick glance at my 15" screen confirmed my brain dead status - 2 rejections lay in my inbox, to job posts that i was hopeful to getting while applying for! Life is good, no second doubts about it.

Swami Sharanam...

I woke up to a bright sunny day on 16th August in the Malayalam month of Chingam; the Ayappa temple at Sabarimala was to be re-opened on this day for the various rituals. Me, my dad and my uncle were to leave in the afternoon by car, so as to reach the foothills by the river Pamba before evening. Our aim being to reach the 'sannidhanam' (the base of the temple) by night and rest until dawn. Since the private bus operators had ceased services to Sabarimala, the only option was to hire a taxi or drive own vehicle. Sabarimala is also known to be the world's second largest pligrimage centre, after Mecca. Hence in november-december during the mandala season, one is most likely to see a mishap or disaster in the news flashed across the malayam channels courtesy of mudslides....
I took over my usual position behind the wheels, after concluding our rituals at home, and taking our shares of coconuts filled with ghee and other traditional offerings, all in the 'irumudi kettu'. Chanting "Swamiye Sharanam Ayappa" and listening to a few bhakti songs, we embarked on our journey as i glanced at the yellow mile markers which seemed to be almost toppling into the ditch on the highway. Ernakulam to Sabarimala read roughly 280 Kms. A piece of cake; with one stop for tea we were able to cover the distance in 3 hours time...
(My foot once jammed on the pedal refuses to accept the significance of the insignificant other - 'the brake', i was probably born to be a race car driver !! - somehow the lines engraved across my palm read - illegible)
It had been nearly three years since my last visit to Sabarimala, and this probably was my 15th time, as a child i used to visit this holy siting once a year along with my dad (visits - 40!!). As i glanced around for familiar faces (namely the donkeys, a few cows...gosh!!..there seemed to be none. Cleanliness around the Pamba!!... Scrutinizing the street a little more carefully my eyes adjusted to what seemed like...dustbins??...there sure seemed to be a 'change', from what used to be at one time clogged with animal wastes, plastic, paper...you name it. Hundreds of Vehicles already thronged the street side and thousands of devotees besides the river. The numbers were more than we had expected to be at this time of the year....This spells disaster in mathematics...thousands more on the uphill climb....thousands coming downhill....5 lux illuminance....total lane width averaging 5m....unpaved, muddy, slushy....and its the monsoon season!! When it rains...it pours. Lucky for us, we didn't take a dip in the cool inviting waters of Pamba and hence made good time in reaching the temple precincts after a three hour climb acorss the Western Ghats (Sahyadri Mountains). My bare feet were already sore and ready for replacement, a slight ankle injury attained years back seemed to have resurfaced, thereby making the climb all the more difficult. 'Enhanced' lighting made sure that all our feet had skin contact with different types of worms and leeches, sand, mud, rock...etc etc, all through the walk across the forest. There were no snakes this time around.
I have always wondered, how in this ever wide world was this humongous temple set up in the first place thousands of years back?.... A large number of the devotees come from Tamil Nadu, since Sabarimala came into being under the Pandalam Dynasty, which had roots from across the border. (When it comes to 'myth', India leads the world countries, with a million gods and a million beliefs.... ). Of all the world temples, this is the only one which considers the diety (Lord Ayappa) and the devotee to be equals (both known as ayyappa or swamy). People of all castes and religions are allowed to visit, though there are age restrictions for women. The 18 holy steps which must be climbed to reach the diety coated with gold represents in other words the different desires that must be conquered in life.
Normally, a highly secured zone with police officials, especially since these holy places have been a target for terrorists....hence no one is allowed to bring in cell phones, camera's and the family species of electronic equipments. This time around, I was surprised to see devotees clicking photographs....some even had the nerve to bring SLR's!!! I pointed out atleast 15 people to my uncle and dad, and the so called security officials were busy playing on their own handsets.... (To beef up the security and create a commotion, all it needs is a hoax call....that would bring in all the news channels, and sabarimala would be in the news for search/stampede/etc....for a week. There is only one aspect having a perfect coordination in india....thats media & the police.)
Sleeping in the corridors was the most difficult task courtesy of the unexpected devotee traffic leading to over booked lodges. Worse was trying to convince my grey cells to ignore a snoring kumbhakaran. Surprisingly majority of the devotees were already awake by 4 am and were queuing up at the entrance, as many more kept flowing in. The chants of "Swamiye Sharanam Ayappa" (meaning "lord Ayappa, give me shelter") grew louder as the auspicious time approached. Pushing, Screaming, Stamping....just to see the lord in gold and bathed in ghee, for a few seconds longer...Sanctity maybe not, but the belief was so.
The climb down seemed a bit more torturous....the stones on the uphill journey felt like glass shreds on the return journey and the overnight rain added 'character' to a slushy path...small natural streams at frequent intervals cleansed the feet. After paying respect to the dieties guarding the foothills, the sparkling Pamba river beckoned us to take a bath in the same. A mere touch of the water sent ripples across the nerves. Seemed as though someone had the nerve to throw packs of ice as the water flew down from the mountains. Uncle's strong grip ensured that i was dipped in from head to toe....a breath of freshness....the feel of purity (irrespective of the fact that there were hundreds at the same time). I wouldn't actually mind to take a trip to Pamba on a daily basis for a dip....eh, but probably only in the monsoon season (when there is water) !
Since all the sins had been washed off (or believed to be), and behind the wheel we resumed on the return trip to Kochi. Hair pin turns for a few kilometers in the dense forest saw a crowd gathered around one bend where an Ambassador had fallen off the road vertically and was caught in the branches of a tree. Luckily the passengers were left unscathed.
"Swamiye Sharanam Ayappa", chanted a few devotees as they walked past. If its to be believed, the myth sorrounding this temple and beliefs is to be believed for it has 500 million visitors in a year.

Back - Tracking

Heylo!! fellow bloggers and my dear non-existent fan followers....it's been one huge break from the art of blogging. Not because I had lost interest, but was extremely busy in keeping my self busy in India. Boy!! The amount of traveling done this time around in Kerala and in particular the experience on road in Kochi, is beyond imagination. There sure are lots of travel stories to update on from my visits this time around.

And i will start off from the very beginning...

13th August 2008
Jet Airways flight from Houston lands in Mumbai at 11:30pm in the night. Nearly 4 hours of waiting time before i catch my connecting flight. So here I am, sitting on a ‘comfy’ chair provided by the Airport Authorities of India, in a revamped Mumbai domestic airport and thereby suggesting a promised 'international look'. The overall journey has been satisfactory, courtesy of jet airways promise to provide a world class hospitality and service. But they sure did give me the scare by mentioning that my baggage has not reached! All misconceptions of the so called quality service were diluted in my grey cells for 15 minutes, and the unexpected as always to be expected in India, happened. Talk of providing wrong information, in an information age or era, and that too from Newark, my first stop for change of aircrafts. If it happens in a developed nation, we being a part of a 1 billion in a developing nation should have the heart to accept faults…..I repeat ‘faults’; and not ‘complacency attitude’. Having arrived in the international terminal in Mumbai, it took more than three hours, waiting in an amoeba shaped queue with multiple branches, to transfer to the domestic terminal. If that were to be believed, it will be easier to believe, that the so called international terminal was under construction, and hence provided with bare minimum facilities – seats ONLY and coffee @ 40 Rs a cup. Two fans hovered @ turtle speed in a hallway measuring roughly 6000 sq ft (waiting hall or corridor i am not sure). The occasional breeze as a result of the monsoon and aimless security personnel walking in and out of the hall was the only form of air conditioning. As always, a potbellied sardar took the responsibility of performing what one would assume to be as ‘security check’. American security seems flawless due to the technological advancement and measures taken even on domestic sectors. We would probably be ranked 100^th in a world listing. Though wary of the security measures, the Indian security personnel like to smoke out the criminals, if not force a confession; which would result due to delays, unreasonable reasons thereby adding to stress fracture in the memory cells. Bribes are taken in the open by the ‘go-cart-boys’ and our elite task force, to schedule a faster security check-in. “We are like that only” is the common belief that unites Indian citizens.

Upon arrival in the domestic terminal I was rather taken aback to see the utilization of glass and steel, a resemblance of international airports designed and constructed in the 1990’s in the United States. (FYI: avoid Chicago airport if you can - looks like one humongous industrial shed). The International terminal in Mumbai, located 1.5 miles away, brought back memories of the dilapidated state of Ahmedabad International Airport (and to think this was under construction). India is progressing and has been over the past few years, and i believe the attempt is starting at a domestic level in most metro cities (that is/maybe a positive sign). After all money is the soul factor which deludes the common man; and our government as always has been quite effective in channelizing through sources they deem to be right. No questions asked, none answered; as international travelers continue to face hardships even in metro cities. I could only smile and say 'welcome to india' to the foreign tourists who like me had been waiting in a non-existent line for the past 2 hours to catch the transfer bus.

14th August 2008

"Kosher Kochi" - Flight lands in Kochi on time. My eyes got adjusted to familiar sights as i looked out of the window - dense coconut trees,and parched farm lands (due to lack of rain). Its 7am and the airport was springing with activity; few people wandering around the counter (seemed to be officials), non-interested taxi drivers in white mundu and shirt loitered around a local taxi hiring agency counter. On the way to my home from the airport (roughly 35 Kms), I passed through one of the busiest intersections in the outskirts of Kochi. An increase in the ownership of personal vehicles was evident as the car crawled through 100 ft in the space of 30 minutes. Bordering the vehicle on either side stood two monstrous trucks filled with sand, as we continued to tail a tilted state transport bus that seemed to spill people. To make existing matters worse, the government takes initiatives for road widening and building flyovers once in a million years. The same three pillars of concrete that I had seen one year back stand vertically on a land mine in the middle of a road with no demarcations. The strategies adopted in Kerala governments needs to be lauded!! and the on-ground efforts cannot be seen by the naked eye. Hats off to promoters of the state for coming up with the theme of 'God's Own Country'...Delete the backwaters and the greenery from the picture, rest assured even the demons wouldn't prefer to live in these cities (the fear of death as a result of getting hit by a private bus). I must say that people who drive an s class mercedes benz in such circumstances is extremely courageous.

This was only the start of things to come over the next 25 days - Time to break the shackles, break the rules and go into 'Overdrive'.

a flavour unfolded.. 'India'

15th August, sparks celebrations nationwide...and worldwide (Independence Day). The day India liberated the British. I had least expected myself to be in India on 15th August; but life as always delivered the unexpected. Marked on the globe with a significant shape, known to millions as a centre for tourism, and a millions others due to the issue on kashmir, and still a home to a billion. Yet many facets of this country remains unknown, and many secrets untold. As always there are two sides to a coin. Life and death go hand in hand,and so does joy and fury.

From the deserts of rajasthan to the tea plantations of Munnar there exists a diversity in urban and rural life. Moments of joy are unbound as the first few drops fall from heaven.

Wilting in the summer, prancing in the rain
A motherland, for you and me

Blend of nature, blend of colors
Diwali, for you and me

Dense are the cities with people and vehicles sharing the same narrow streets, and traffic is controlled by police for making a few extra bucks. Crime is as common as a road fatality. Politicians thrive by creating a turmoil. A peaceful day might see a night in flames.

Traffic at its prime, streets filled with crime
A sinister land, for you and me

Population on the rise, prices await a reprise
A crisis, for you and me

Scare Tactics at the Airport

I don’t have even a week left before i spend 27 hours in flight, towards my destination - India! Guess what? I will be older by ten hours on reaching India. Talk of time travel heh....?? My worst come worst fears though is not 'age'; but airport delays causing missed connections, missed baggage etc. Having already faced ridiculous situation before I certainly am not keen on traveling via Chicago nor take an Air India flight (They are on time, especially when you dont want them to be).

Airport Security is traumatizing in itself. I had dwelled on the security measures in an earlier post.
The security personnel tend to ask questions which really test one's IQ. Tackling a GMAT examination question would be comparatively easier. Some of those questions are real tricky!! You need to keep a straight face while answering them plus an IQ level of atleast a 100.

For instance, you are standing in line to check in baggage. Obviously you have to screen it first, and just when you start loading your bag back in the cart; your worst fears come true, decibels bouncing of the ear drums - HE SPEAKS!! HE IN THE UNIFORM....!!!
"Sir, Is this your baggage?"

We tend to look down and around, the heart beats starts to flutter, followed by a stutter of gibberish...even though it’s obvious that we would be taking our bag!! Any particular reason why you would choose to load someone else's? But you still tend to make sure; the name tags are right. The BLUE band right across the handle bars. Ah. Confirmation; "Yes it is mine". Before you know it, the next sets of questions drop even a bigger bombshell.

"Sir, did you pack this bag yourself?"
"Do you know what the contents of your baggage are?"

At the point of time nervousness starts to show and a flurry of thoughts mix with the slurry in the brain, left brain starts accusing the right. It’s not like as though your neighbor’s servant packed your bag! Or did he/she?? It’s not wrong to cross out possibilities. This is about the only point of time when our ego doesn't come in the way and we tend to question our own actions. 'Did we pack right? Was there something inappropriate?.......?........?'

Fear Factor hence: I-ntelligent Q-uestions....Scare tactics employed at the Airport.

A Midnight Stalker.....

Just so you all know, my sister is getting married on 21st of August 2008. Not even a month left, and i feel terrible being stuck in this desert till the 12th of August instead of helping my parents prepare for the wedding. Shucks!! I hate grad school and my star 'visakha'. Fellow visakhites, i know you all share the same feeling too resulting in indecision at the appropriate moments.

At this point of time i can practically forsee what i will be doing, who all i will be meeting with (75% people i wont have a clue of); everything except what i will be wearing. As my sister insists that she picks the appropriate dress for me; like i dont have no dressing sense huh?
Eeks. I picked the wrong moment. The other side of me is still awake at 2:30 AM.!
(pssst....look into your wardrobe dude. All i see are the colors red, blue and black...!!and an ocassional green. Does it always have to look as though some one beat you up???)

I know, I know!! but my mom begs to differ with me! She thinks dark colors suit me!
(Duh??? I dont think there is any difference between you and Jesse Owens)

Uhuh? Thanks for the confirmation and stop treating me like a narcissist!
(Allright get on with it will you, the readers are getting bored with all this talk about you)

Yeah, okay if you say so. Stop stalking me. You are getting under my skin.

Well so the point i was driving was.....was...eh...uh....ahem....well......?? none, actually!

So feel free to ignore this post. I am in no mood to write anymore. Has anyone tried an intravenous therapy by substituting blood with caffeine?? I think i need some.

'Mon-soon' Endeavors....

I can feel it in the air; RAIN!! Here in texas or for that matter of fact in the land of america's, a monsoon season does not exist! Heavens break loose at any point of the day, any day of week, any month of the year.
Irrespective of the difference in geographical positions, rain still smells and feels like rain. Of recent its, courtesy of Hurricane Dolly which hit South East Coast of Texas. (I know its complicated -but why do all these disasters have a feminine touch to them.?? any idea? - Dolly, Rita, Katrina...)

Monsoon in 'mera bharat mahaan' had a feel of its own. It cannot be replicated eslewhere. Activity on the streets, mixed emotions....all were caught in my eye than in my camera (its not waterproof!!). While working in Ahmedabad, at the end of the day (irony being, it was night usually) i always used to look for something different. But a visit to a roadside vendor for tea was never ruled out...Biking on the highway during the rains, was a favorite activity too....My 'dark knight' (hero honda splendor; :))...had been true to me for 7 long years!! Be it water logged streets or fuel crisis (170 miles to a gallon, now compare that with the paltry 32 miles to a gallon by a car here)....

Now let me try to portray the scene, as i walked to the parking lot having wasted 12 hrs in the office..., with the first showers, the combination of tea with bhajiya, tea with corn etc...sells like hot cakes! Warmth outside brings the warmth inside....that changes with the course of the rain. The first showers rejuvinated me and my passion for biking.....

Walking up to my 98cc, none other than a black knight
Shimmering in the darkness, lonely in a dusty lot
For thee, another day with a signature end

Looking up to the sky, eyes searched for an unfamiliar sign
A smile on a sullen face, nose caught a familiar smell
For me, the night broke the signature trend

Mean clouds caught a cool breeze, heaven burst into infinite tears
Sounds of rejoice, faces tilted skyward embraced the rain
Eyes searched for combinations, hot tea and grilled corn was around the bend

Parched trees showed signs of revival, an aura of rebirth
Hanging cloth sheltered a certain livelihood, life overshadowed blight
Simmering tea and spicy corn worth a 100, hole in wallet was easy to mend

A sip followed a bite, thunder and lightning was in sync
Drenched from head to toe, mounted on the ‘dark knight’
My throne of shining leather, one I will never lend

Time stood still, thin stream rolled across my shining ‘swatch’
Knee deep water and open drains, distress amidst a swollen sky
Eyes searched for shelter, children ran helter-skelter

Mounting on my 98cc, none other than a sparkling knight
A rip of the throttle, engine and thunder was in sync
For thee, a night with a signature end

Looking up to the sky, eyes searched for a familiar sign
Harmony of the clouds and breeze, rain splattered on my shining armor
Speeding on a desolate highway, life will take no ‘u-turns’

For thee, another day with a signature end
For me, the night broke the signature trend

words of wisdom for american/asian (other than india) brand ambassadors....

Of recent statistics seemed to indicate increasing number of foreigners (Americans flocking to visit India instead of Europe). Thats understandable, playing see saw with the Indian rupee is more profitable than with the Euro. India has always stretched her arms wide open....more inflow of dollar!!. Tourism is one of the biggest industry in many states across the nation of one billion. There is diversity in the approaches too. Rajasthan promotes drinking, Gujarat is a dry state and Goa (it goes without saying). Some of my friends (americans and asians) had been asking me of the tourist destinations, the do's and don'ts, etc... Thats usually a never ending list in a country such as India. Let me start of with explaining some of the do's/dont's and watch out's.... It is not a comprehensive list but certainly, things that one would want to consider for sure.

Let me start of with priority: on road features!!
1. Walking is safe, as long as you walk on the road and not on the pedestrian pavement, for there are no pedestrian pavements! You are more likely to fall into a ditch, twist your ankle while walking on the so called paths. Or you are more likely to trip over an electric wire, people, cycles. Almost anything and everything can occupy a pedestrian path.
2. Keep a watch out for traffic in all directions. In america, all are trained for 'defensive driving', but in India its all about 'attacking driving'. 75% of the people love formula 1 racing on the streets where the maxium average speeds are at the most 30 mph (50kph). Don't even bother to look at the speedometers in a taxi if you end up traveling one. Heart failure is possible.
3. Never drive your own vehicle. Thats as good as seeking an appointment with death.
4. People love to use the horns. They even try to make it a musical tune. So dont be offended. If your ears are sensitive, be sure to carry an extra pound of cotton. You will need it.
5. Never stay in a line. You are more likely to cause congestion by doing that. Every space on the road counts. Hence dont stick your head out of the vehicle. You don't have health insurance coverage in India. Dont be surprised either to see side view mirrors of vehicles kissing each other.
6. Never stay behind an auto rickshaw. They are likely to do a 180 deg turn at any point of time. Always watch out for hand signals, in some cities the leg is used. Indicators are mere show cases.
7. At night, if you happen to travel on the road, watch out for the one eyed monsters. Mostly, they are trucks with one functioning headlight. Its most likely the drivers are drunk.
8. Animals have their own right of way. Its totally flexible. If you see a cow, dont disturb it. Cow is sacred in India. Dogs often have the tendency to run besides two wheelers and cars, baring their teeth. Its just a show of affection, but i would advise against sticking out your hand or leg for that matter!
9. Policemen/con-men are everywhere on the streets. And they will dissapear exactly when you need them. Its black magic. Even if you happen to see a green signal, always keep a watch on what he policeman signals. Traffic moves according to his musical arm movements.
10. Never enter a one way street. Its most likely that you will confront vehicular traffic from the opposite direction. One way essentially indicates one way in both direction. In some cities like bangalore, one ways have so been planned that you would end up circulating. Reminiscence of the American freeway loops - difference being ten lanes there, and two lanes here.
11. Camels, Horses, Oxen are all part of the traffic composition. We in india believe in equality.
12. If you happen to visit chennai (you would know by the yellow colored auto rickshaws, and taxi drivers who have faces similar to veerappan), walking would be a cheaper option to a rickshaw or taxi. Drivers have the tendency to be extremely friendly and show you the whole city while covering 5 miles.
13. People will be often found to be hanging from buses, vans, trains. Its perfectly normal for someone to jump or fall off a moving vehicle. Accident rates are as high as US, less with people but more with animals. We believe in being a global nation.

Most of the 'routes' mentioned above help attain 'Nirvana'.

Market Features:
13. Walk around with a local you know, lest you get duped while buying. That which is sold at Rs.100 to an indian, you are more likely to end up paying Rs. 500 (as bare minimum). Dont even try to argue in such a case. Indians have no idea of bargaining.
14. If you happen to walk into shops run by chinese, dont bother taking an indian with you. Indians cannot bargain, and the chinese cannot give a bargain.
15. If people are eyeing you on the streets, those are not signs of inquisitiveness. Make a run for it with your belongings, take cab to your hotel, get under the bed and wait until its dawn.
16. You would want to avoid eating food from the streets. Colorful as it looks, dont get deceived. It would also be home to a number of bacteria, viruses and fellow cousins. Only the indian digestive system has been designed to fight it.
17. If you happen to visit Kerala, dont be surprised if you dont see people. Its most likely that there has been a call for a protest (and dont be surprised if the reason is someone has got killed in thailand). Another aspect, majority of shops in Kerala close at 8pm. People actively watch soaps on TV. So shopping is a day time activity.

These are the basic principles. So dont worry, now you have a clear picture of what to DO. Its not a great deal. Keep an open mind. India always welcomes foreigners. The best locations, cheapest arrangements, diverse ethnic food and tastes...you name it!! Welcome to Heaven.

New Blog

Fellow Bloggers and Readers! An update:
I am starting to write up a second blog - this time though its purely memoirs.....
Some incidents are treasured for a life-time, some just cannot be forgotten....so before the power in my brain cells start eroding and i opt for a generator; i think i will start penning them down. I wont say they are as they happened; but close to it. I think i will trust on my creative instincts to add a little twist now and then....
Gosh!! Don't give me that look. Its just to amuse you all. I am not the JOKER!...maybe i am at times.....but i am a not a serious joker...just a sincere one.
So here is the link....

http://memoirlane2400.blogspot.com/

Have fun reading; Oh! btw , I havn't actually written my first post yet. Having fiddled around with the HTML section to understand the computer jargon, i am feeling a little worn out.

tea time stories - memory lane

If there is one thing that stimulates the senses its either tea or coffee. Caffeine no doubt is necessary to keep one awake, but what if the reason is purely an excuse? 'Chai' was a signature of excuse to spend some time away from work. Architects somehow always seemed to prefer 'tea' to 'coffee'. Nothing abstract in the thought; and neither is for the choice to start work from ten in the night. God knows how many cups of tea we used to have in a single day during undergrad. The terminology used in the conversation is 'ek cutting'; meaning a half cup of tea. And then pointless discussions continued over one hour of tea and snacks. The usual spot preferred was by the railway station. The sequence of events which followed during submission are what i have tried to reflect in this poem.

U, ‘Chai’ & I

Three minutes to four, for some its time to snore
A knock on the door, same as before
Eye Meets the Eye, for some its time for ‘Chai’
A chilly winter looms ahead, for U & I

Four sheets down, six sheets to go
Detailing a door was once easier than kneading the dough
One minute to four, one hour to dawn
Eye Meets the Eye, neither has moved the pawn

Three A1 pinned to a wall, for some its time to whine
Sound of snapping bones, none other than attrition of the spine
Eye Meets the Eye, for some its time for ‘Chai’
A long walk looms ahead, for U & I

One minute to five, a desolate depot roars to life
A tap on the shoulder, same as before
Eye Meets the Eye, “do cutting, ek plate bhajiya”
Short was the kid, curt was his reply “ji bhaiyya”

Smell of ginger and smell of onions, for some this was bliss
Sound of crackling oil, a taste too good to miss
Eye Meets the Eye, for some its time for ‘Chai’
A day of finite lines looms ahead, for U & I

Five minutes to six, ‘Intercity Express’ sounds siren of arrival
A lull street fills with people, sparrows screech from a steeple
Eye Meets the Eye, “vapas chale bhai?”
A long walk looms ahead, for U & I

Sun winks through a cloudy eye hole, for some its time to rise
An elderly at the hostel steps, stimulations of reprise
Eye Meets the Eye, “bun butter aur Chai?”
A long day steers ahead, for U & I

Back in Room No 75, light bounces off hanging glass
3 sheets hung from the wall, 6 meant skip the class
Eye Meets the Eye, “Wake me in an hour”
It is only apt to say, Brains are at Par

Dawn meets Dusk, for some its time to lie
For U & I, It is time for another ‘Chai’

Monday the 21st of July 2008...

Nothing spectacular about Monday the 21st of July,2008... Am not sure why i have titled it hence. But I am in no mood to use the 'delete' key today. There is an ugly spot on it that requires cleaning.

"I have been losing track of the days and time since the past month. Dont me give that ridiculous look, Mr.warriOr!!" said the warriEr to the warriOr...who is none other than a persona identified by the author as a result of a ludicrous state of mind. Now one would imagine there would be a plausible reason; but the answer is 'NO' (font size 200 if it exists!). All i am trying to do is get into a character, a character who is a part of me; maybe within me....some one who is yet to identify his identity. This is a honest venture in the research of self-identifyology....(i created that word). Hmm....this reminds me of the JOKER. I am serious.

'The Dark Knight' hit the theatres on Friday the 18th (not the 13th). With all the hype surrounding it and ofcourse being the last movie by 'heath ledger', i too wanted to act like a batman fanatic. In a city like College Station, you would not really have expected a theatre to be house full; which was the case and hence I had to wait for a 11pm show (ah...these crazy texans). Painful as it was i had made up my mind to watch the movie even if it meant sitting in the second row. The american phrase "you are in my face" holds good, especially while monitoring the movements across the screen at an angle of 42 deg and 27 minutes. At the end of 2hrs and 30 mins, one would not have to wonder the reason for the death of a promising actor at a young age who has delivered a stunning performance, and they remain etched in the brain cells as you leave the hall. To get under the skin of the JOKER and portray his 'identity'on the screen is tougher than scaling Mt. Everest....Now all those medications are understandable. Heath Ledger had an identity! Now he has a dual identity as he lives in the hearts of millions.... I second the motion for a posthumous OSCAR!!

"Allight Mr. WarriEr! now that you have proved your pointless point, can we make a move? After that one hour work-out in the jam packed rec-centre, I am more concerned about OUR stomach than YOUR identity".

"Eh... Mr. WarriOr, I am trying to mobilize my feet but at this point of time they seem to be paralysed due to the horrendous tunes played by some asian chick. I think she is learning the piano, but does she have to choose the memorial centre???...talk of horrifying memories!!"

One look at her face; i could not make out her brand... (chinese/korean..? singaporean?..).! Here i am complaining about 'identity', God help these Asians. But please do identify yourself before you do that!! I am tired of religious wars in the name of Allah, Ram, Krishna, Jesus.......

Architectural Reminiscense

Upon graduation with a bachelors degree; there is always a shine in the eye and a vigour to prove yourself to the world. With a degree in Architecture too its very much the case. Styles have moved on, technology has moved on; but the mentality of people is very much the same. A NORMAL architect's life often starts with sorrows and ends with sorrows - (if you know what i mean). Believe me when i say it "I am abnormal". Its a path less taken; hence I felt like taking a stab at poetry and converting a daily sequence of a recent graduate with a degree in architecture from say the University of India (who cares), into poetic expressions....Just a second stab, just so you know before you start ripping it apart!!

-------------------------------Architect’s life-less Parody----------------------------

Midnight Calls, Noon Meetings, Shifting Shifts
Often an epitome of ‘Architecture’ degree Gifts

Awaken by a distant hooting; an owl’s day breaks
Heart skips a beat, nerves apply a brake
Clock strikes two, two blinks of an eye
Time for milk and rye

Silence screams in the air, twin cylinders make a pair
Brain tussles with the Heart, wind ruffle the streaky hair
Streak of lightning meters away, speedometer fakes a ninety
Rusty Yezdi is still almighty

A musty smell greets an abstract entrance; Raamji snores few feet away
An empty bottle and a smile of satisfaction; peace engulfs as he floats away
Rolls on the floor, drapes apart; light music sets the tone
For you know you have entered twilight zone

Plans, Elevations, Sections throng a free standing wall; music skips to‘one must fall’
“More changes”, rued the solemn soul; if only client meetings were a brawl
Corinthian columns, dome roof, brick walls and curtain glazing; murder at 1400
If only this was a set on “The 300”

Clock strikes six, thunder sounds a warning bell
Clock strikes eight; but there is more to 'struggle' than a battle with CAD and DELL
A tap on the shoulder, heart skips a beat; boss is here
If only there was nothing to fear

“More changes”, rued the solemn soul, perfection is not here to stay
Satisfaction is all, but a mere display
Staring at the pampered wall, eyes search for the route which was forsaken
Framed in glass was the only reminiscence of a path less taken

Midnight Calls, Noon Meetings, Shifting Shifts
Often an epitome of ‘Architecture’ degree Gifts

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some of you may wonder about the 'rusty yezdi'. For those who have no idea; Yezdi previously known as Jawa were a brand of motorcycles made in India but they could not survive due to the competition from the Japanese. It was not unusual for bikers in the yester years to opt for it; may be so in recent years but like i mentioned earlier, architects often choose the path less taken. Its sometimes these 'smaller' ventures which make them a class apart in a society of engineering and management graduates.

A rural perspective...

Having seen regional movies a lot over the years and been in the rural parts of kerala; there is one thing i have always caught my eyes - small shacks run by either a person, or a mother and her kid. The locations have bothered me more than the appearance of the shack. I often wonder if they actually make enough to sustain themselves. This is an attempt to describe one such person's life....call him peter or muthuswamy or ibrahim.

---------------------------A RURAL REFLECTION--------------------------

Yet another Sultry Morning
Trudging along a gravel path, the path of mourning

Opened the door to the wooden shack
Bottles fell from a dangling rack
Six bells chimed in the distance
Yet no change in my stance

A solitary soul wandered the nearby field
A plough in his only hand, yet he does not yield
Shoddy clothes, hours of sweat, and a parched farm
‘Toddy*’ works better than a balm
Approached, the diminutive man towards the shack
No doubt, with the intent to quack

“Sparks in the Sky”, said the guy
I chimed, “What will you buy?”
A derogatory response, it was
My prerogative, it was
Six bells rang in the distance
Yet no change in my stance

Sun gave way to the Moon
I trudged back to my ‘castle of hay’, by the lagoon
A solitary reaper visited my humble shack

As always, dangled the onion sack

Yet another Sultry Evening
Trudging along a gravel path, the path of mourning

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This has been my very first attempt towards writing a poem: Successful or not, meaningful or not, i still feel like a poet!! I have neither a garland nor a bouquet to give to myself!! :(

A pen perhaps? Naah...bloggers dont use pens!

'Toddy' is also known as 'Palm Wine', common in South India - obtained from the sap of Coconut Trees (locally known as kallu). Next time when you drive along the rural parts of kerala, you would know where to stop to ask for directions and where not to!!

what happens when mental imbalance, nature's balance and global humanitarian concerns mix... SLUSH!!

Fellow Earth Beings!! (why earth beings?? because i am excluding the aliens...and there are some crazy discussions on UFO sightings in Texas. I ask you, why on earth would aliens pick Texas??? - a fantasy for cow boy boots and riding horses perhaps).

Coming back to the topic of concern; Rising prices!! Its happening all over the world and has nothing to do with Nature....(Ahem...well maybe it does. M.N.Shyamalan's, 'The Happening' deals with the same scenario; dont be surprised if all the people come out of the theatre hall looking dazed....they all including you would have got hit with unexplained 'scientific theories'. The final verdict is plain and simple - DONT MESS WITH NATURE!!...Huh you would think anyone is listening? At this moment probably hundred more wells are being dug in search for oil....And this crazy country wants to still import and not tap its resources in Alaska).

I guess i have gone off track again...this is one of those days of multiple nerve fractures! With the Dollar see-sawing with the Indian Rupee, and a stronger Euro; people will now consider flocking towards the East instead of the West...EEks....does that mean the population density is going to increase??? 1.13 billion indian in india...and a million others outside...As it is nearly 10 people stand in 1 square meter space in the Mumbai suburban railway! If an architect expains to you the 'less is more' philosophy; be sure to throw him on of those trains during peak hours....
Ah...you must be wondering which direction am i headed. Not to worry....All roads lead to Rome (and I didn't make that statement). Increasing population, soaring prices of commodities, rising fuel prices....I wonder, Isn't anything going to go down??? This is an explicit case of Imbalance....
But sure enough, in a competitive market the necessity arises to cut down on costs! "lay offs" has been the fear factor in 2008. Over the past month, mergers have become common; the airline industry has cut down on staff and routes.....(personal prayer: I hope jet airways and continental stays afloat...) Imagine a world without airlines (A face to face meeting with talking mummies would be a more comforting thought)....We can take the 'columbus' route though...but atleast we know the location of INDIA...The whole world is swarming with Indians (16% of the world population...) makes the task a touch difficult...I can imagine landing in the 'icy' 'Greenland' (talk of irony huh) and being greeted by a Gujarati, Raman patel..."Kem cho saab...khovayigayo che?"... (How are you sir? Did you lose your way)...shucks! side tracked yet again...

Before complainig about inflation we really need to think about the millions living BPL (I am not referring to British Petroleum...think beyond fuel)...'Below poverty line'. Hence the question of affordability/equality...The prophecy is that 'all are equal in the eyes of the God'; i wonder, did god just turn his back ???....a diplomat i must say. Talk of Dirty Politics huh...

Oh my god!! did i just spot an alien??? Someone please dial 'MIB'....
Ah, finally...a positive sign, the temperature just dropped a few degrees; normalization curves....beep...beep...beep

Security s 'T' imulations....

Those who have traveled to the US, and been in and out of airports in the various cities here would be able to relate to the following colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green....
And for those who have no clue...(dont rack your brain......they do not have anything to do with recycling!!)
Those are results of security measures taken by the department of homeland security. Color codes which in essence indicates the risk you have just taken by opting to travel....! Let me explain this a bit further; i have always been intrigued by the sense of 'terror' that seems to prevail in the people here....
Red - A Severe Risk of 'T' Attack; - "forget the freaking flight and run for your life....and terrorists we are coming to get you...."
Orange - High Risk of 'T' Attack; - "do not even trust your own belongings or the kid sitting next to you if he/she is unrelated!! be suspicious of everyone....!!!"
Yellow - Significant Risk of 'T' Attack; - "keep a look out for those unusual movements or signs.... did that guy just raise one of his eyebrows...???"
Blue - General Risk of 'T' Attack; - "you are as safe as you can be when walking on Indian Roads...."
Green - Low Risk of 'T' Attack; - "not saying you are safe....but dont walk under a ladder..."

Now isn't that not a wonderful piece of color coding?? Everytime i have walked into an airport, within 15 mins (especially if there are lots of International Flights to Asia) I hear this...."...the dept. of home land security has raised the safety level to ORANGE....". I feel indebted to them as a passenger for making me feel extremely SAFE!!.... Ever since 9/11, there are tremendous concerns with security. One of the biggest all time disasters but....One question; why is it that, this is the only country feeling threatened???.... One can safely remove India and Pakistan from the list though; citizens of both countries have got used to bombs/blasts....But what about other non-american countries?...aah..MAYBE they have hidden weapons!!...you know like spears and arrows....Now i see the reason to invade iraq....okie who's next in line??

Often, when i see the weather channel here on TV; again a bunch of color codes !!! Unless you are a geography major it is going to sound gibberish....hence it always is, to me. Given the feel of security measures all over and especially at airports; there porbably should be an additional channel - 'now it is time for an update of the terrorist weather report'....

A possible excerpt: "Its sunny today....but this section to the north east is a little mellow...oh i am sorry...yellow!!, and Arizona though hilly and having temperatures soaring as high as 50 deg C is green....as it always has been :)
oops!! alert...alert...chicago has suddenly turned from blue to orange....
Miami has been hit by a tornado, but its totally safe out there....the color is green...so enjoy the beaches....Have a nice day."

Soccer Fever....

Would you believe it?? Turkey....Russia.....in Semi Finals of the Euro Cup?? Under rated teams always seem to perform beyond expectations when the situation demands....and the prolific scorers of teams such as Netherlands, Italy, France become mere spectators. Huh...the way the French played, even high school kids would have defeated them! They really do not even deserve a spot in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In fact i think even the Indian soccer team (oops....does it even exist???) can make french toast out of them....

Spaniards got the better of the crafty Italians.....I am not really surprised by that! There has to be an limit to fake emotions and fouls committed on field....And it really doesnt help for the opposition team that the Italian face structure is such they seem to be in pain all through their life... Huh....So one would think a polished appearance helps? Nah....Poland could not even enter the quarterfinals.

Hats off to the Germans though!! I didn't think anyone would have given them a chance....let alone their supporters! Aging players, a half polished attack, an invisible mid field and one of the worst defence in the world....and yet they are through to the finals having defeated the young turks today. Mirosilav KLOSE hasn't even come CLOSE to the ball until today....The german goal keeper has never been more ridiculous....DUDE!!! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RUSH IN AND GATHER THE BALL and not play with a ..."...come to daddy attitude..." !!!

The final's of the euro cup has all the making of a stephen king's script provided, the German gene's remain young for one more match. Russia or Spain?? Who is going to be the opposing team...that remain's to be seen. Hmm....Having witnessed the rape of Netherlands by the blood thirsty Russians....I don't think the spaniards have any chance, unless they bring their horses and armor......"¿los viejos hombres, usted sigue?" (old men....do you follow?)

I really am a sucker for soccer!!! One aspect that I have really failed to understand even after two years, is why the american's call their game 'football' - when all they do is run with the ball in their hands, clutching it close to their chest like a baby. I really am in a really wierd country....

Rejections and Dejections....

Fellow Architects, Planners and other professionals in the industry that deals with public service; if there is one thing we all have in common - that is the mental imbalance to join such an industry with an underlying value (for it is NOT evident on the surface). Yet we are strong willed to carve a niche in the market and inflict changes in the lives of people - a change for the better.

Shucks!! two more rejections just floated into my inbox. I had been dearly missing them since the past month. 'P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E' .... I just realized that infinite combinations of the letters runs through my veins instead of blood. Am I not human ??

Ah ... time for a break, sit back and enjoy .... my favorite radio show on City 101.6 FM, Dubai - Birthday Pappu!! Time to laugh off the rejections, and boost my morale - "I believe I am over qualified for those positions".

20-20: decimating the GAME or the Spirit....?

Cricket is nothing short of being considered another 'religion' in india and pakistan. Fanatics throng a ninety thousand seating capacity eden garden's stadium to cheer the 'Bengal Tiger' (a.k.a Sourav.G), and even a greater number scream for the demi-god; 'Sachin...Sachin' at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The irony of it all, he returns back to the dressing room after edging the very first ball to the keeper.
Over the past year and half, cricket has increasingly been converted into a business than a game. Right from its unveiling in UK (2003) to the advent of the Twenty Twenty World Cup in 2007, the games have ensured investment of billions of dollars and exchange of millions. The spectators 'may' have been benefitted having had to spend only three hours in comparison to eight hours in a typical one-day game. Limited Overs - Limited Time, but More Money to jazz up the environment! Bring on the cheer leaders....bring on the actors...and the game has been turned on its head into a 'ballroom tango' with disco lights and a rock band in play!! Is anyone complaining?? Why should they....there isnt any calculation of cost v/s benefit in such a scenario.

But in essence, the game has suffered. Textbooks of 'cricket' need to be re written and so do the averages....It is still a contest between nations, but reduced to a mockery between the batsmen and and the bowlers. When the money starts flowing, the aspirations become bigger and hence the 'selection process' has been tarnished by giving it a new lingo : the IPL (Indian Premier League). Auctioning Cricketers...??Are we recreating a roman empire? If so...the cricketers are being sold as slaves. If, having states fight for their boundaries was not enough, this particular event has built the foundation for establishing supremacy of one state over the other through cricket. Instead of 'Indian supporters', now we have region based supporters!!......Its Dawn! The writing is as clear as water across the skies. Cricket is now nothing, but a money spindling machine. Gone are the days of strokes! A 'stroke' is more likely if one happens to see the balance sheets.

Las Vegas...encounters

April 27th to May1st: National American Planning Association Conference!! Okay...that didnt make sense!...A National 'Planning' Conference in Las Vegas? a city which is hardly sustainable from any angle you look at it?....Hmm...From a planning analyst's perspective, it is the worst choice of locations. From a Business point of view, its the apt choice. "You lose... I win"! So the saying 'life is a gamble' holds true in Vegas.
In any case, it was a frightfully enjoyable experience....meshing with with old and the young (who hardly seemed to move from their chairs from dusk to dawn)....ears in sync with the sounds from the slot machines (reminded me of the those irritating toys that we used to have while we were kids). As i looked down the endless aisles bordered with tables for black jack, poker, roulette; only one 3 words of wisdom flashed across my grey cells for the folks in Vegas - "GET A LIFE"...!!

........next steps?

Finally, all course work has been completed. A sense of triumph prevailed and has been lingering on in the mind ever since the final presentation. I am just one step away from being set free into this 'cruel' world with a masters degree in urban and transportation planning. So here i am sitting on a comfy chair in my balcony, enjoying the evening breeze and the children playing in the park. The serene atmosphere is suddenly disturbed.... "Knock...Knock Nitin!! The biggest step: you still have to write the dissertation!!"
Hmph!! Trust my inner soul to provide me the solace at this moment!

A planner i am, but interestingly i have barely planned the next steps of my life. "Huh! A planners life cannot be planned"....There goes my plans, trashed before i can even formulate them! But the ultimate goal of life is clearly defined. No one can snatch that from me..."hehehe....how can anyone...you aren't even close to achieving it".

Gosh! He is right, i havn't yet secured a job and i am just 2.5 months away from walking down the aisle of the Reed Arena, dressed in black and maroon, a cap on my head; to get my Degree. Wow!! I am ecstatic, just picturizing the very moments - "a rush of adrenaline, thats all it is". Okay 'Mr. You know it all', I know!! Let me have my moments of peace!
'PEACE', who ever composed that piece?? Half the world is still fighting: with itself, a neighboring country or one located on the other side of the Globe !

"You are losing your way palindrome". Sure enough, an email had just made its way through the complicated network where exists a thousand other Nitin's and made itself comfortable in my inbox, because i am the warriEr. This better be good! Ah! a mail from a prospective employer!
'We have received numerous application for this position (I have heard that before), but on this occasion we have selected another candidate whose experience and background fits our present needs. However......" without bothering to read through it, i just dragged that mail into the folder "Rejections". Have got quite a comprehensive list by now.

Being used to rejections, it doesnt take time to sink the feeling. I look up into the sky asking myself, 'is there light on the horizon? ....
The inner voice reappears....."Wake Up dude!!! Cant you see the SUN SET?".
Wise Guy!!!

Dictionary of the 'Common Man' - Part 1: Politics

'The Common Man' - is none other than you and me. Who esle has depicted him as 'us' in the best possible way, along with the day to day issues faced,other than R.K.Laxman. The underlying humor in the 1.5 inch by 2 inch cartoon at the left hand side corner of the Times of India newspaper beats the great indian laughter show, hands down. Irrespective of being an indian national settled in india or abroad we still have our individual perspectives of 'life', which is certainly not as gamorous as shown on the Discovery or National Geographic. Serious talk apart - we all know that rome was not created in a single day and neither is it still considered to be a perfect city! It is important to hence touch the humor in serious discussions; a possible solution to hair loss!!

When is it that you tend to pull your hair the most? Let me give you the apt instance; a common feature in every other indian city. After years of lamblast faced by opposition leaders, the reigning party undertakes a positive step: relaying of the main roads and filling all potholes.! Ah!!.. kudos to those who have finally understood the stress and strain imposed on the vertibrae while riding a car or bike, that is if you havn't already fractured it. Just when the road looks brand new and you are all set to take your vehicle out (washed and shining), a second set of trucks appear (god send) and unload concrete pipes big enough for the 'hunchback of notredame' to stand. Either sides of the road are dug up to incorporate the pipes - "we are improving drainage facilities!!" Don't be surprised if the public works department chose to do the same exactly during the monsoon season. Delaying of work thereby increasing the cost and hence asking for more money from the centre or the state. If that wasn't enough; the telecom industry brings down their machinery to dig right in the middle of the road (lest they have to deal with the underlying infrastructure) - and believe me there is competition (Reliance vs TATA vs Vodafone vs Airtel). Why have a road in the first place if it is meant to be dug up every 6 months and can be used functionally only for 2 months in a year???
There is the dark side of an intent of goodwill - which is intentional !!.

'Politics' - on hearing the very word, the first reaction is to crib. Not Surprising. Ever since independence people's dictionary have grown to associate the word to a sufficient others to provide a more wholesome meaning! Some of them being - scandals, elections, rally, riots, power etc...Notice the 'positive ring' to it???. Its not that we are blind when politicians claim the development of a dam, providing 24X7 electricity, water supply, resurfaced roads under their reign; all for another five year stint.

The same is very much applicable to even the the developed countries we look up to like Great Britian or the USA. At this point of time i must admit that i am totally fed up of the Hillary v/s Obama campaign trails which is the only topic of discussion; amidst an economic recession. On the other hand there is also the reigning Bush Govt. which is being criticized by channels and public all over the world for the amount of $'s spent on war. A particular sequence in the recently released movie 'Jodha-Akbar' where Akbar's counsellors were criticizing him of the gold wasted towards waging wars, reminded me of the present day world. People still havn't learnt their lessons on 'Power'!!

midnight speculations....

I am sure all of you have a zillion things to ponder over and do on a sunday....I do too, except for the moment!!! The general thought process is initated by opening the diary and listing..."...i need to clean the house...need to pick up a few items from the store...need to print a few pages of my report....wash clothes etc etc..." Half the day would have passed in listing and then you find yourself sitting in an arm chair switching channels. Why does that happen? Because you have just 'planned' your 'sunday'....
Just when you have completed a list of jobs which are going to take more than a few hours of a sunday which can otherwise be spent by engaging in lethargic activities; the brain nerves force the eyes to scan the list one more item to prioritize...Round 2 of analysis begins! "...i could do this first since its nearer....department is too far off...i have run out of quarters for the washing machine and dryer....will have to spend a lot of 'Joules' in cleaning the house..." The activity that takes the least energy lands on top of the list. Inevitably, that is watching your favorite TV show (you have made sure that the time has passed peacefully in introspection until the show time) and the list stays on the table where you had have left it a week back. 'planning' is applicable to everyother day of the week except 'SUNDAY'...More the number of hours at your disposal, more confused you end up being...

Its 3 am here in College Station, and i am not able to sleep and neither have i been able to figure out the answer to the billion dollar question: "what should i be doing". Staring at the taskbar of my laptop; i have one browser window open on the federal transit administration...one cad drawing of my site plan, gmail...and last but not the least my blog! I just realized that neither or them are related to the other. Ocassionally i have been skipping to my gmail to check if there are owls like me online...none of my friend in the US are, and neither are the ones in India (guess why?....its a sunday there as well). Who is to blame? Who invented the calendar??? Why is there one sunday every week and why should 'sunday' be a holiday???....The irony of it all; the radio channel i am listening to "city 101.6 FM-dubai" is playing the song...."pal...yaad aayenge ye pal"...
I think i need a cup of BRU Coffee!

Childhood Memoirs...cartoons n comics

Till date i love to read comics and watch the odd cartoons! Now that doesnt necessarily indicate i am still a kid, does it? The effort that goes into creating a comic strip is in itself intriguing, and voracious readers like you and me feast on them (obviously you are one, otherwise you wouldnt be reading my blog!); oblivious of the art and time taken to create it. Some people may associate it to timepass!

As a kid, while all others of my age grew up watching walt disney (mickey mouse & gang), i was given the golden opportunity to watch arabic cartoons! In those days in muscat, cable tv was not a common phenomenon and my parents obviously didn't feel the need to watch Asianet or any other malayalam channels which capture the viewers through the never ending episodes and people end up shedding buckets of tears. Hence, by switching on the the idiotbox all you hear is a buzzing sound and lots of dots (like a stippling exercise) which indicates that you are in the wrong channel;the other option being Oman TV which has nothing but arabic and the NEWS in English in the evening! Two of my favorite cartoons yet were - Captain Majid and Voltron. Football was a passion and the only sport i knew to play in middle school. Second obsession was with robots! I still recollect the characters and will appear goofy in comparison to today's age of computronics,flash and animation. Arabic was certainly not my strong point though i still had to learn it for 2 years; but to greet a person only the following words were deemed necessary..."As-salaam alaykum"......and "Wa alaykum as-salaam" in reply.So while all other words of the language were as legible as 'swahili', the action kept me engrossed! After a few years of tormenting ourselves with the local language (the idea was certainly not to show appreciation or affection), we finally got cable television.

As i had mentioned earlier, robots cartoons were second in the list of favorites; so you can imagine me jumping with joy while watching 'Transformers'! Automobiles were my non-living pets - the 1:100 scaled models. I always used to have a miniature model of a ferrari or jaguar in my shirt or trouser pocket on going outdoors - heard of the term 'walk the car'? yeah...always go for the expensive ones; to own a true scaled one i would probably have to pull off 'the italian job'! I could never have imagined that the cartoon originally created in 1983 would actually be made into a Movie in 2007....would have thought of spielberg to come up with such a wierd idea...but it wasnt to be, from the depths of darkness into heights of fame rose a "mr. michael bay".

Comic Books were certainly an inspiration to laugh at odd moments just because at times you tend to associate what you see with what you have read. Its absolutely normal to do it even when among adults since you havent yet crossed the age of 12. Children in india grew up reading Tinkle, while i took a liking to Tintin. Asterix and Obelix came a close second. Hence there used to be quite a fight to get a hand on those comics in the class library (something you can relate to in the indian parliament). Later on, as i moved into high school the fights continued for 'The Hardy Boys' - crime scene investigators! I was an adventurous kid...Limited to books! what sort of an adventure can you look for in the desert?? - 'the case of the missing sand viper'...perhaps?

All through college though i never had the opportunity to read comics, but the caricature by R.K.Laxman on the frontpage of the Times of India paper always caught my eye; irrespective of the catchy but at times daft headlines! I am not going to be a cartoonist though i did try my hand at it once, not in this life....its better to stick to what you know best - reading!

TP vs TE

Dont get any wierd ideas! The context here is my favorite topic: Transportation Planning. Ever got into this conversation between a transportation engineer and a transportation planner. It is amusing, at the same time amazing to hear the exchange of jargon. But the plain truth is that the engineers always have the upper hand because they produce numbers! So who can question numerology to a bunch of literature and a large map which looks like the advertisement of 'asian paints', that the planners come up with? Here is an excerpt, indicative of the linguistic skills that each possess.
A discussion over a cup of coffee; one can feel the energy through the caffeine!

TP: So, this is the site we are dealing with, located adjoining this minor arterial.According to the thoroughfare plan, we should be upgrading it to a major arterial and providing bike lanes.
TE: Is that a recommendation? Have you conducted a 24 hr count? Whats the estimated AADT? Do we have a breakup of the modal mix?
(at this point of time the planner feels he has an upper hand since he knows what these terminologies mean!!)

TP: eh...well, we have conducted a traffic count at the major interchange and the estimated volume is 4523 AADT.
(one would think, with a number like that, you would have to be fairly accurate)
TE: I would like to have a look at the excel sheet and calculations. I feel the volumes are much higher. Also please do arrange to send me the projected year volumes and the memo which provided information on the retail development, with the TIA.

TP: Sure thing. I have reasons to believe that the Impact Analysis would need to be conducted again, ITE manual does not seem to provide with a reliable number for cross analysis.
TE: Are you kidding me? That reference book is the only reliable source of data. All Transportation engineers abide by that. It is as good as the Bible, Quran or the Gita.
(The planner being an indian was quick to identify the 'gita' with the 'bhagwad gita')

TP: Allright. But what about the model? Future land use considerations have not been taken into account. Obviously the trip generation matrix is wrong.
TE: My dear friend. Emme2 is the best of the lot.
(if one had not taken a course in transportation modelling, that would have hit you like a rock...what 2? which 2....)

TP: Just how in this ever wideworld do you reason with the gibberish? We are supposed to take it on facevalue? The output of any model is going to be based on the input. How do i vouch for the input characters?
(this is the time when you feel victorious...the heart is jumping with joy....you are just about to score one point over your opposition after a long battle.
Not for long...he has the final word)

TE: Elementary!!....Its called "ENGINEERING JUDGEMENT".

Research.....or re-search !

Whomsoever 'invented' the education system and criterion for graduation never would have really given a second thought on how stressful writing a research or term paper can be. With the advent of Google pages and other search engines there is no limit to the amount of 'crap' that turns up on hitting the search button. Reading books is an alternative, but who is going to take the pain to go to the library and search the catalogue, rummage among the racks and lined shelves with a spacing which is just about adequate for a person with 32" waistline to get through. On top of it all, chances are that book will be located in the adjoining rack! It can get tiresome and irritating, and not to mention dusty if the books have been lying there since the establishment of the library. At this point of time,I am glad that senses prevailed and that i disliked history!

So coming back to writing, given the obvious choice of internet surfing; you are most likely going to find hundreds of papers of which 10% would be relevant and many others you would have to cook up; especially if professors want two pages of bibliography, irrespective of whether you have read them or not. Research, in a nutshell can be defined as; the art of an ongoing process of searching (for the same item or a different species); or a complete waste of time for people who have no idea of what to look for! Kudos to those eminent scientists who have published endless books and papers; what we today term as 'sources' in our documents. At the least we can skip all that process of building the base. The reliability of data hence, is accepted on face value; the question is, whom can we question? It has been passed on from forefathers to fathers. No point in digging up graves.

Ah...You can see, I am just bored of reading! I think i had better not build a mentality of the 'argumentative indian'; instead just accept darwin's theory and complete my research paper in order to graduate. At this point of time, i neither see the start line nor the horizon...

The Beginning

Finally, after spending two days thinking of various means to do 'nothing' (the excuse being SPRING BREAK); i have decided to put pen to paper....how dramatic!! Well, nothing beats the feeling of holding a pen and its motion on paper with finite texture; but at the end of it all i might not be able to read what i have written...! Instead of wasting paper, i might as well follow a more 'sustainable' practice... the use of the 'delete' button on my DELL-icate laptop.

Come to think of it, my handwriting sure has worsened over the past five years! Ofcourse, it was at its best only during the five year trauma, an approach to get a degree in a creative field called 'Architecture'! But those five years have been the best to date ...

Hmm....so what have i achieved to date? Having reached 27...i have lived through nearly a third of my life; if i was to take the conclusions of a scientific research - the magical figure of 75!

Time for a retrospect: Spent the first six years in Kerala (people term as God's own country...sometimes i have reasons to believe GOD might not want to live there), three years in a school in trivandrum but hey what the heck, my grandmother was the principal there at one point of time!! hehehe....I have got my RIGHTS! ;)
Just when i was getting used to the dialect, I got transferred to the Middle East (a haven for keralites), and spent another nine years immersed in books and football, in Indian School Muscat...got renamed to TINTIN,...was called a math and engineering drawing freak when on the verge of entering 12th boards.
My thought process was very much streamlined then...1st std, 2nd std, 3rd std... to 12th standard. Once you are in the 12th, parents starts pressurizing you to frame 'GOALS'!!The only goal i knew of then was when i used to kick the ball into the net and scream 'goaaaaaaaallllllll....'

But there was always the creative side of me from birth - sketching automobiles, people, buildings....Having limited knowledge of the different fields out there, other than the zillion times people mentioned 'medicine' and 'engineering'...i was to make a choice! I chose ARCHITECTURE...a field that very few have a clue of and a word that computer hardware maniacs would associate to as 'computer architecture'. I am talking of buildings here....i wanted to design, sketch and relate to the people's thought process including myself...Having made up my mind before hand i had no idea of what laid in store over the next few years...

There i was in the jungle, one among the thousands of applicants in line for registration to the common entrance exam conducted in CEPT, Ahmedabad (a premier institute for architecture and planning in india); no clue of what to expect. Did i mention, why i chose Gujarat of all places in India? Well, to date i have no clue...
Having missed out a place in CEPT by one spot, the obvious next choice was M.S. University in Baroda. Only in my second year did i realize that it stood for MAHARAJA SAYAJIRAO and that the university was once the part of the palace that stood across the road. Allright!!...i was elated - i am studying in one of the historical ruins of India. Mind you, restoration works were going on! But the five year period from then on was a blast...a reincarnation of a warriEr. Helped me to inhibit my fears, become to be known as the silent fighter and a biking freak. Also developed a bonding with the gujju's (real and fraud), some of whom are my best friends.
Ah..finally the end was nearing.Graduation in 2003 was well awaited for; with tight security...not for us! but for the beloved C.M of Gujjuland (Mr. Modi). Little did i know he will be a core part of the decision making process in the projects that i will be working on in my first job.

All done, there i was, in kerala relaxing in the summer looking forward to take a two month break having undergone a series of operations in structure, materials and design. But the vacation was short-lived; pressure now to join the workforce. Hello??? Anyone out there looking to hire an architect? The pay scales of an architect a few years back were so low, that you are most likely to come under the 'low income category' of the masses. Five years of architecture,and i was no longer interested in getting back to the drafting board. I needed to draw a different line from the same vertex. Tried to get through various examinations for pursuing a masters in industrial/product design but in vain. Somehow the interviewers felt the ideal candidates are the ones with engineering backgrounds.....the math freaks!!! Is it a wonder that nowadays you find products of tata, godrej, philips etc lacking in design!.

In the meantime, there was an opening in CEPT; where i had stood in line once!! The post was for a research assistant in planning. I had some idea of planning; since my seniors had also worked in the same position. Hence i decided to give it a try...what the heck,it was different from architecture anyway!! The twist in life started just then. From the days of drawings and creative design to planning, policy and reports; from design sheets to power-point presentations; conceptual sketches to preliminary reports. Shades of grey were just starting to set into the brain cells. 'Torrid' would be the appropriate word attributed to the three year duration; a learning process to think beyond the box and most of all develop PATIENCE ! Had i hung on for one more year, i would have become a PATIENT. But the stint at CEPT helped in gaining an admission and funding into a two year master's program in Texas, in Urban and Transportation Planning.

So here i am, after 27 years, on the verge of completing my two years master's degree in Texas A&M (aggieland)....still chalking out my next stage of life. But today i am spending some 'worthwhile' time into blogging! An activity that i had been 'planning' to start since years - Sunday, the 9th of March 2008.
Shucks...there isnt even a historical event to associate this day to except for the fact being it could be my last spring break ! God forbid an inspiration to pursue a PhD or MBA after a few years....You never know. Unpredictability is a part of my life, dependability probably a curse.