Diwali Firecrackers...

In response to Abhi's wall post on my Quiet Diwali campaign, here is some doggerel of my own...

अमावस की रात

अमावस की रातें ऐसी भी थी

हम भी bomb और पटाकों से ख़ुशी मनाते थे

bomb की गूँज में रागों के सुर नज़र आते थे

gunpowder में गरम मसाले का स्वाद हम पाते थे

हवा में उड़ता वोह rocket

हमारे उड़ते हुए अरमानों का rocket था

चकरी और अनार से छूटते अंगारे को

तालियों से सम्मानित किया जाता था

फूल झरी, बिजली, parrot bomb सब हम जलाते थे

अमावस की रातें ऐसी भी थी

कान में bomb की वोह गूँज आज भी सुनाई देती है

राग अब सुनाई नहीं देते

सुर जो वोह bomb छेड़ा करते थे

अब television के static की तरह लगते हैं

अमावस की रातें ऐसी भी थी......

दो कदम चलने पुर सांस अब फूल जाती है

फेफड़े gunpowder के कारखाने की तरह

कभी भी फटने की धमकी लिए बैठे हैं

gunpowder अब गरम मसाला नहीं

गरम मसाला gunpowder लगता है

अमावस की रातें ऐसी भी थी......

अमावस की रातें ऐसी भी थी......

I am not a workaholic

I just discovered this about myself. Yeah - about bloody time; That's the reaction I expect from most readers. Hear me out though - and maybe you'll discover something about yourself in the process. After all - this blog is titled "Ethereal Meditations" - so maybe my introspection and reflection will help you as well.

Over the last few months, work has crowded out most of my other priorities. For one reason or another, I haven't been playing any sports, and I never seem to have the time to sit down with a good book like I used to. Of course with an office in Gurgaon that works round the clock and another small team in Hyderabad just cranking up, plus clients in the US, its easy to get sucked into this round-the-clock marathon of work (and email). So finally when we did manage to get to the badminton courts sometime last month, it took only 2 games of singles to wipe me out. I barely made it through the rest of the hour. Came back home sore and walking bowlegged, with body parts hurting and complaining.

Since that painful start, we've now been playing 2-3 times a week, sometimes badminton, sometimes tennis. Its still tough - but the stiffness has started to recede, and some of the coordination and playmaking is returning. Goody.

So what does this have to do with the title? Well - I'm suddenly more relaxed and able to handle situations and people much better. Things at work don't annoy me as much as they used to. Driving in Hyderabad doesn't send my blood pressure shooting off the chart. Thus the epiphany that kicked off this blog post. I am not a workaholic. I enjoy my work (mostly), I like challenges, I work well under pressure, and I (think) I get along well with my customers. But......I don't thrive on stress. I'm not buzzed by working round the clock, nor do I get a thrill talking to or about Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Texas. I need my time off. When I let work run my life I get burnt out rather quickly and my health and attitude suffers. By making time for exercise or cooking, or friends, or reading - or some such activity - I am able to regain my balance and find equilibrium. Which as a Libran (for you astrology freaks) is important to me.

This may still be a - well Duh! - moment for most of you. But I hope you had fun reading. And if even one of you finds your balance after reading my post - pay it forward :)

"of?", "by?" and "for?" the people

Whenever I feel that the system is at its worst, it manages to bring out a new depth level to amaze me. Last week we had a contractor dig up the roads outside our house making impossible for us to leave. When asked why they didn't inform us the guy nearly came to blows speaking something in Telugu that if I had heard the translation I probably wouldn't want to repeat in front of my grandmother. When told that a complaint would be registered against him he regarded me with contempt and disdain, secure no doubt in the knowledge that the complaint box at the water works department was directly attached to a paper shredder (cross cut, 1/2 hp motor, only Rs2,500 sir!)

So the bottom rung of the government is corrupt, uncaring and broken. Who doesn't know that? Lets make some excuses for them. They are underpaid; the system is such that the contractor has to pay money to get the tender, even if he is the lowest bidder; Labour unions have him over a barrel; The quality assurance inspector demands bribes and doesn't care about the quality of the work etc etc etc.

Today my neighbour has had a run in with the top rung - the leadership. The outcome is much worse.

A car in which the politico (Mr Anon E. Muss) was travelling rammed into my friends car. Reports suggest that said leader's car turned onto the main road and hit my friends car from the side. Immediately after Mr Big Shot jumped out of his car and started abusing my friend. The police were brought in and instructed to hold my friend at the police station for "questioning". His daughter was waiting at the school to be picked up. No matter. Nothing is more important than the wounded pride of a politician. The Police Commissioner was called and directed to detain the driver of the car at the police station. Forget who was at fault. Forget that this was a mere car accident that two ordinary people would resolve by calling their insurance agent. Forget the terrorism red alert, the real criminals. Spend the energy of the police force to teach the common man a lesson. Or rather to forget one. The one about Government - For, Of and By the people.

He will now be booked u/s 279 IPC for rash and negligent driving on the word of a fine upstanding member of society.

What excuses to make for Anon E. Muss? That he wasn't hugged as a child? That he has a morbid fear of cars? That he doesn't have car insurance?

This is nothing but a naked display of power and arrogance. While I certainly didn't expect fairness - this unwarranted aggression has left me very disturbed. This after all could happen to anyone. Any stupid ordinary common man.

Perhaps we do need a security cover and pilot cars for all our politicians - to protect us from them.

The Mark Of Vishnu

I admit it. I am a city slicker. Yes when my parents moved to South Delhi back in the day (when I was a toddler) it was considered the backside of beyond as you had to cross the Ridge Road to get to it. We had mongoose, likely snakes, peacocks and lots of trees around us. My earliest memories though are of a fairly well settled neighbourhood, although if went into the ruins of some old fort nearby we did see peacocks (even some charsis but that is neither here nor there).

My brush with wildlife has been restricted to safe, physically restricted environments - such as the zoo or the TV for instance. No matter how lifelike the image on National Geographic HD, it didn't put the scare of God in me. We did hear coyotes in San Diego in the hills behind our house, and legend has it that small pets had to be kept inside at night for fear of snakes and coyote packs, but other than the racket they created, I never did see one close up and personal.

All that changed today. Today we were on our usual early morning (early for me anyway :) ) walk. Matilda and Xena were particularly frisky chasing squirrels, birds and if they had had their way, dogs. Xena was nosing around as usual when suddenly she jumped two feet in the air and landed next to me. There in front of my eyes, no more than 8 feet away was the hood of a Cobra, the Mark of Vishnu plainly visible on it. Unaware of the danger they were in, Matko and Xena wanted to get a closer look at this strange creature, and I held on to them tightly as we backed away from the snake. I checked Xena all over for any signs that she may have been bit, not knowing what I would do even if she had. Fortunately for us, the cobra was not interested in confrontation and it slid away to find a quiet spot to rest in.

This experience has left me shaken (not stirred) not least because anything could have happened to Xena. I've always known and seen peacocks, monkeys and other fairly safe wildlife in the hills, but now that I know what danger lurks there, it gives me pause. After all, I am a city slicker.

Blame it on the rain

Summer had made me lazy and sedentary. Between hectic travel schedules and late night conference calls, I could barely open my eyes by 7am, by which time the mercury had already touched 30C (86F) well on it's way to a blistering 42-44. I had all but stopped my morning walks, much to the consternation and disappointment of my two babies - Matko and Xena.

But hopefully all that is in the past. The weather has improved, the mercury has come down and monsoon has set in. Yesterday rain lashed hyderabad for well over 3 hours, and though that brings with it waterlogging, power cuts and other problems reserved for a later post, I could only look at the bright side. All the wind chimes in our house have been ringing madly, heralding the change in season in a symphony of sheer delight. Our "ghumi time" as Xena knows it wasn't the tortuous 30 minutes of summer heat in the blazing sun with hot air rising from the ground. We walked, we ran, Matilda happily chased squirrels. Peacocks called out all around us. Frogs lent their voices to the madness as well. Much needed, much awaited - the rain was finally here.

Hyderabad ... Again

The Hyderabadi Alphabet

A - (deprecated) see Y below
B - Biryani - of course! The much hyped Hyd product
C
Compulsory often used as a demonstration of good faith that an action or item requested will be completed, but seldom actually delivered.

• "Please ensure that the street is cleaned after the function. ". "Yes Sir! Cleaning compulsory!"

Co-brother wife's sister's husband

Charminar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charminar The famous Hyderabad landmark

Cellar Basement

Cover A plastic bag provided for all items large and small as a courtesy. Environment be damned.


D - Doubt generally used instead of Question.

• "I have a doubt."
• "I need to clarify my doubts"
  

E - Ello One of the primary colors. The hex triplet #FFFF00.

F - Figh The number between Four and Six

G - Golconda An impressive ruined fortress city west of Hyderabad, with fantastic acoustic effects.

H - Hech Not to be confused with the actress, or the green thingy around English gardens, This is the phonetic representation of the letter that begins the word Hyderabad.

I - Irani Chai Supersweet milk beverage with just a pinch of tea leaves.

J - Jubli as in Jubli Checkpost and Jubli Hills. Also Jubli Bus Stop (nowhere near Jubli Hills)

K - Kal technically the next day, in local jargon, the day that never arrives.

• "When can you come to fix the leak?" Ans: "Kal aata. Compulsory."

L - Landmark A building, statue, park or other prominent structure that can be used to provide directions in a manner only slightly less confusing than street names.

• "Where is the Adidas showroom?" Ans: "Jubli Hills checkpost ka baaju mein hona."
  

M - Marriage used to describe the wedding ceremony as well as the actual event. also Mirchi Cancel standing instructions to prevent an overdose of spices at any restaurant.

O - Opposite pronounced Apojit. Describes the relationship of the landmark to the destination. Confusingly, it can be used to mean both "across the street" as well as "adjacent to".

P - Promise Often used to convert an expectation into a commitment, as in "You promised you will make the payment for the mobile phone on the 14th. It is still unpaid." or "Sir you had promised you will visit the site, when can you come?"

Q - Qutb Shahi Tombs A series of ruined tombs that provides the perfect backdrop for a royal round of golf.

R - Reddy. Only part of India where the question "Are you ready?" could be answered with "No not really, I am Rao"

S - Satyam No introduction needed.

T - Tiffin A snack or a meal after lunch and before tea

U - Up Used primarily for directions. "Masab tank se up mein jaane ko"

V - Vaastu compliance with which is necessary (Compulsory) for the house to sell.

W - Wash basin An essential accessory for any Hyderabadi dining room. A gentle hygiene reminder for certain guests perhaps?

X - X-road A type of Landmark (see L above) at which 2 or more roads meet and where the Police and Traffic lights are equally ignored.

Y - Yay The first letter of the English alphabet. Supercedes "A"

Z - Zero (deprecated) synonym for not as in "Your payment amount is two-not-seven. You promised to pay by 14th. Payment by 19th compulsory or connection will be disconnected."

Hyderabad Blues

Why? Why oh why is everything doubly hard in Hyderabad? From finding a bulb for my fridge all the way to getting a passport renewed...every time I have to get anything done I find myself running for cover. Delhi is like a sanctuary. Everything is available. Anything can be done. No ifs, buts (sirf Jat?), excuses ("sorry sir. out of stock"). Delhi means business. Hyderabad is just mean.

Ethereal Meditations

Ok. Its about time I had my own blog. My corner in the ether. No really. My own little meditative spot to reflect alike on mundane and exciting experiences (see where I am going with this?). Hmmm... meditative, ether, keep it real.... ok I got it! I'm gonna call it Ethereal Meditations. Voila!