the wintery summer day

It's been hot as hell and April is still a month away. Bangalore, the then garden city that didn't need even a fan in peak summer, today has A/Cs running around the year. In an unexpected but pleasant change, the last two days have seen the mercury fall, almost 6 degrees. Sitting in the middle of the southern peninsula, I can smell the heady scent of the rains soaked earth far away on the eastern coast.

Nature beckoning, I headed out to do the South Banglorean thing. Hot crisp dosa and a by two coffee with a friend at the famed Vidyarthi bhavan in Gandibazar. The fragrance of the garlands - hung on the road side trees for sale welcomes - the foodie in me.

Riding back was a relaxing enjoyable experience. It was as if the tensions of the city were some how removed by the calm soothing weather. I can't help but let nostalgia creep in - of the days gone by when Bangalore had a lot more of such days.

The Bull ride

After long, I had a lovely experience that made me wanna blog.

A friend of mine has got a new bike, a lovely Bullet electra with a thump that thumps up one's heartbeat. We decided we would hit the roads at night, being in Bangalore traffic is something that can kill the joy of riding even a "Bull".

A short ride ended up being a ride all the way out on kanakapura road till the AOL ashram. We crossed the bustling city streach and voila! The nearly empty, tree lined, winding road; the heavenly vault with the cresent moon, twinking stars and the bike head light leading our way; and the pollution free, warm, summer air united the heart beat with the thumping of the bike and the chords of nature.

It's been many years I went on a long ride being the pillion. It's been a decade or longer I sat on a Bullet. It was a first time experience riding out of the city late in the night. As we returned home, I was strangely at peace but I only wish...our highways were safer at night.

Im begining to wonder that we are indeed thankless

Mumbai terror blasts. The news channels have been raving abt this and blaming everyone from Pak to Politicians to People. In all this we forgot to say thank you to those who came forward and saved hundreds of lives. Be it those commandos who faced the enemy or the doctors who worked 3 days without sleep. All that we like to do is point fingers and blame. Can we get any less thankless? The media was all hyper when pak media blames them but why are they not showing images of doctors saving lives or the wounded commandos taken care of? And just say one word, "THANK YOU" for saving so many lives, for being brave and facing the enemy and bringing it to an end.

yet another ad with a missed attention to detail

Recently I saw Amir khan in an ad where he is washing utensils for his wife. I am not very sure but I vaguely recollect he had split up. Anyway, the actual annoying thing was that he had the tap running as he was just scrubbing the plate and talking into the camera, and the water was flowing in full force!! Why waste so much water!!! :(

Going global

Sometimes I wonder what makes Indians so desperate that we are ready to forgo our traditions just to make money. Especially so with the so called Global companies coming into the arena.

Deepavali/Diwali is a time of year where traditionally the company gives gifts to employees - at the very least a box of sweets. If a company sends a mail greeting people and saying gifts will reach in 30 days, perhaps the management got it's ideas really wrong, considering diwali and it's dates were known at least a year ago! I wonder how it would be to hear such a thing around Christmas time. Motivation... oh well ya a month later buddy :-)

I have even heard of companies where people are given holidays in line with US. In fact to such an extent that they get holidays for US independence day but not Indian. Did someone say globalization? Perhaps it's synonymous with westernization...

The iron ladies

I am pleasently surprised at the fact that the media houses are airing movies focused on LGBT and for a change not the movies don't relating to the only thing that everyone seems to want to link LGBT with - AIDS.

The first one I can recollect is Birdcage aired on star movies recently. It's about how this couple wants to lead a normal life involving getting the son married to a conservative politician and the like. This is a typical US movie. More here.

Today morning WM channel aired The Iron ladies. A thai movie shot in 2000 about this group of G and T group who play volley ball against straight men and win, that too at national level. It was quite nice to see LGBT being portrayed as sportsmen and better still that the team consisted of all kind of queer people, the quite and masculine to the loud and queeny types. More here.

Hope that the 377 case is fought fair and won. It's not just the health issues that is of concern here (I am sure AIDS does not discriminate homos and heteros) but more importantly the suppression of a minority's right to lead a normal life.

judgement call

Setting:
Riding to office on the bike. Stranger "uncle" on the road looking for a hike.

Thoughts:
a) Humanity and the crap, lets give him a ride. It's just another person looking for help
b) He has a helmet, bike might have broken down. He sure can afford a bus ticket as he looks quite well off. Bus stand 2 steps from where he is. Don't stop, might be a risky proposition.

Act:
Too many loose ends. Better to keep going.

Justified further by:
I live in Bangalore. Quite a few bomb blasts of late. Festival day. Better off without the risk.

vandalism and ads

Just when I thought of posting about an ad I saw recently on tv, I read this post. It verbalizes my thoughts most aptly.