Why Driving is Over-rated

 Like many other things, driving is vastly over-rated, in my view.

First off, you have several factors that you have no control over, when you drive. Other drivers, who seem to be nitwits to use a mild phrase, mostly.

Second, you have to contend with traffic. And signals. My God, that RED circle stays with you for eternity.

The zigzagging morons. Less said the better.

Highways which earlier were a paradise, now have a serpent. The toll booths. Not sure for whom that bell tolled, but these toll for you.

Best of all, those who come straight at you, driving on the wrong side. And then give you a mouthful when you so much as stare at them... 

Well, that is why I drive no longer. Unless my life depends on it.

Driverless cars? I am all for them. Let the machines fight it out. May the best robot win. And why stop at cars? Let's have driverless scooters and motorbikes too..the more the merrier! What say?

Rain in Bangalore

 Not sure if it's climate change, or something else, but the rain in Bangalore has been fast and furious, and unending. Almost through the last six months at least.

I am sure there are benefits to some people who suffer from water shortages and the umbrella sellers, but for a large segment of mere mortals, it causes great difficulties. Roads that are badly designed/maintained choke up and make it tough to go anywhere. Traffic is already bad, and during rains, adds another 20-30 minutes to an hour's commute.

Is it Indra or Varuna that is in charge of rain, I don't remember, but whoever it is, they are unhappy with mankind. Maybe we deserve it too. But surely, there must be a way out. We should try and find it.

Hurried Versus Languid

 Why is everybody in a hurry? Where are they going? And, if they are actually going somewhere in life, can't it wait a few minutes?

These questions always arise between 9 am and 10 am in the morning, and between 4.30 and 5.30 pm each working day, in my mind. After that, they vanish, to come back again at the same time, to bother me.

Research is needed, maybe, to figure out if we would achieve anything more if we were 5 minutes ahead of normal/usual. Will that stop global warming, floods, war, general nastiness and dictators clinging to power in more countries than one?

Will it lead to us smiling instead of throwing a tantrum at home or workplace? 

Partly, it depends on your mode of transport too. If you have a comfortable seat on a bus or a commuter train, you may not care about traffic conditions, or delays of some kind. They would be minor distractions for you. But in the driver's seat, it may feel different. 

So, maybe learning to relax and take a deep breath, and not rush in where angels fear to tread would be a good approach. What do you think?

Udaipur Musings

It's fashionable to muse these days. And I can't afford not keeping up. So here goes, after the trip into Udaipur.

Why is the whole city white? And Jaipur pink? Was it through an order from the respective kings?

Such lovely art that shows up wherever you go- on the ceilings, walls, and anyplace you can draw. Why is it that we have lost the art of 'the everyday art'? Rembrandt and so on are fine as creators of the masterpieces, but we need more daily doses of it from being creative ourselves.

How did these guys actually fight wars riding horses wearing 20 kilos of armour and holding shields that remind you of that of Chief Vitalstatistix? I find it difficult to go to work if my shoe feels heavier than usual. Brave!

Why do they allow cars in the city? It's such a pity. It messes up the otherwise beautiful place.

Why don't we operate more ropeways in our towns and cities? They might boost tourism in lots of places that have a view to offer.

Lakes add a lovely touch to any place. How many new lakes have we built in urban areas in the last sixty years?

Maybe more thoughts will occur; maybe not.

Duty in Dubai

Went to a short trip on duty, but once I was free,  I did not miss the duty-free shopping for my essentials (read good single malts-everyone's definition of essentials varies). Anyway, the trip was memorable for my meeting an ex-student and her husband and two kids. Her little girl was naughty as hell, and entertained everyone throughout, remaining awake till very late (for a 2-year old). The stay was at Al Muhaisnah in the Dunes hotel which also has service apartments. Saw a lot of kids playing cricket early in the morning- the day is hot right now. The course we (IIM Indore) run there is a weekend MBA/PGDM. There is also a regular program for traditional students on other days, at the Dubai Men's College campus in Academic City.

Happened to pass by IMT campus there,  on way to an eating joint for lunch. Having been a part of IMT, I had visited a couple of times. And Smita, my student I mentioned above, had also worked there as an HR exec.
Smita's family and I went on a meteor-gazing expedition around 4 am. Were happy to spot five shooting stars in the pre-dawn period. Forgot to make any wishes though!

Learnt a lot about traffic towards Sharjah in the short time I was there. Luckily, my trip back through the airport at Sharjah was quite pleasant. Saw a lot of Air Arabia flights taking off, including one to Nagpur and a lot of Southern Indian cities. 

Pune Warriors

This is not about the short-lived IPL team supported by the ill-fated Sahara group whose chairman is going through bad times. This is about the everyday wars being fought by the Punekars on its roads, and so on.

Historically a culturally rich, progressive city, it retains (many) shades of it even today. But on one count, it falls short of expectations (to be fair, all Indian cities fall short here)- traffic and its management. Public transport needs huge improvement, because people seem to believe today (rightly) that a two-wheeler of your own is a must, if you want to get around and reach anywhere. Someone said that a city's public transport system is a mark of how civilised it is. I am beginning to agree.

Autorickshaws are expensive for daily commutes of any lengths. Parking is non-existent in most parts of town. A metro should have been built about 8-10 years ago, and there is no sign of it yet.

There are a lot of pluses in Pune, but lots of civic facilities seem on the verge of a breakdown. Urgent repairs needed, and mostly within municipal limits- pun intended. Let's hope Pune is not "Bangalored" in its road conditions.

Learnings From Traffic

Traffic is the ultimate punching bag for all of us, with apparently no redeeming features. But during one such heavily-filled road journey, I came up with the following things one can learn from negotiating traffic on our roads (apart from of course, learning to use choice expletives, which some consider a useful part of language training)-

1. There are no kings or commoners here. We are all as the maker intended-equal.

2. This makes us contemplative- note that my (above) contemplations happened on the road.

3. This teaches us patience- I would have said forbearance, but I realise not many would recognise the word.

4. It lets us appreciate the beauty of our existence- the mind wanders into all the beautiful places that one could have been in -especially when you are not driving (it could be fatal if you ARE).

5. It makes us acutely aware of how much we long to be at home, or even at work. Therefore, it increases our positive feelings for both. Even the boss appears to be better than what we are going through.

Happy Trafficking (of the right kind, with the right mind).

A Walk in the Park

That's just the idiom or a way of expressing the idea. What I really want to write about is walking-anywhere. Compared to the gym, it has numerous advantages, for instance. You don't need a membership that comes at a cost. You don't have opening and closing hours. You don't need an expert to tell you what to do-unless you want to hire one for crossing roads heavy with traffic!

A jog is boring, as it forces you to concentrate on the act. While walking, you can let the mind wander about, and it can go beyond the road you are walking on- on roads less travelled, so to speak. Walking is free, and comes with health benefits such as exercising the muscles, and sometimes making you more agile, if the traffic is heavy and you need to do some quick thinking to avoid oncoming cars and bikes.

Walking in a park may be a luxury, and environmentally unfriendly, since you may need to drive to the park unless you live close by. But walking anywhere is better than taking a  car anywhere. This major realisation came to me after observing what happens to a car (and the person in it) in Delhi. If you can't walk, take the metro or the bus, is my sage advice to anyone who is not busy honking their way out of the traffic around.

Actually, my preferred personal transport is a personal flying vehicle, but the question arises- what do you do for flyovers in the sky, once traffic builds up there? Maybe that's why the sages (powers-that-be) wisely decided not to build such devices.