Try being a traffic cop in Mumbai

A few days back, I was waiting for my dad at Goregaon Check-Naka. [If you unfamiliar with Mumbai, this is one of the busiest traffic signals on Mumbai’s western express highway.] It was about 7:45 PM and traffic was bustling from all four sides of the chowk. There were three traffic cops trying their best to man the traffic lights (cops were manually handling the lights since the traffic was uneven so the automatic option was not viable) and at the same time, trying to make sure no one disobeyed the lights. It took a lot of effort but they were managing exceptionally well. They were at the peak of their efficiency. I felt proud and happy to see how professional they were!

In the midst of the controlled chaos, some upstart teenager yelled at one of the cops to make his signal light green. The cop gave him an earful (once again I felt happy!). In due course, the light turned green and the teenager sped away. But as he went past the cop, he hurled an abuse and vanished before the cop even had the time to think!

I was standing next to the cop and I felt angry. The cop stared in the wake of the teenager’s bike, enraged. Slowly, as the event sunk in his mind; shoulders crouched and head down, he walked away from the signal to take a temporary break from his duty. His was the walk of a schoolboy wrongly ordered out of the class by the teacher!

Is this what we give him for doing his job and that too exceptionally well?

Sometimes, I think as a race, we are crass!

Two news items!

Two news items y'day made me think.

First one is regarding the Jessica Lal murder case.

The entire investigation has been a circus. A lot has been said about this case. This is fresh news and hence sharing it.

Tehelka people did a sting operation on the key witnesses who turned hostile. Links below:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2030283.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2030310.cms

If true, these are startling facts!

A young model is killed without any fault of hers. More than seven years since the murder, the charge is not proved, key witnesses have turned hostile and the victim's family is living through hell!

Justice served, M'lord!

Another news item is from Karnataka. This is related to Karnataka government's order on shutting down English medium schools:

http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/sep/27spec.htm

An immediate question is that if the schools accepted to abide by the language policy, why they didn't? However, the real question is what could be the reasons for the state to have such a policy in first place? The policy should have been protested way back in 1994 when it was formulated.

Anyhow, easier to be wise after the event!

I still can't understand why the government took such a drastic step in the middle of a term!

Paradox!

I have an orange colored nightbulb in my room. There are times when lying on my bed, I gaze at the ceiling made golden by my nightbulb. My thoughts, my dreams, my memories flock to me. I feel as if the entire universe is wrapped up in my room!!

There are times when going home, the evening sky is bright orange. I feel as if someone has lit my nighbulb in the sky!The sky feels like my ceiling, the roads as hard as my bed!I feel as if the entire universe is my room!

Office Humor

Caution: This post contains a lot of Hindi/Urdu/Marathi words so if you aren't conversant with any of these languages, please stop right here.

My team is feeling a bit poetic today. Shayaries are being exchanged over emails since morning. Here they are:

(This one is in Marathi)

Shabda tuze sur maze
Shabda tuze sur maze
Jeevangane gau ka?
Gaal tuze haat maze
Kana khali lau ka?

(Now on in Hindi/Urdu)

Ulfat ke paimane par chilman-e-husn ka furkat se sharmana,
Ulfat ke paimane par chilman-e-husn ka furkat se sharmana,

Samjhe kya………..

Ulfat ke paimane par chilman-e-husn ka furkat se sharmana,
Yeh line samajh mein aaye to humko bhi samjhana…

(Now they turn serious)

Talaq to dete ho tum guroor aur keher ke saath
Talaq to dete ho tum guroor aur keher ke saath,

Meri jawaani bhi lauta do mere meher ke saath.

(Talaq – Divorce, Guroor – pride,
meher – token of promise given by the groom to the bride while getting married in muslims, which the bride takes along with her if they get divorced).


Lehra ke jhoom jhoom ke la, muskura ke la,
Phoolon ke ras main chand ki kiranein mila ke laa
Kaun kehta hai ki umr-e-rafta kabhi laut ti nahin
Jaa, maikade se meri jawaani utha ke la

(umr-e-rafta=life from past, maikada=pub)

Such emails are so compatible with lazy fridays! Make the day even more resplendent!!

Love this guy!!

Sachin tendulkar hits a century after returning to professional cricket and the entire world is talking about it!I only want to make a small point:

Too often, as a cricket fan, I have seen cricketers struggling when they play after a long lay-off. To me, it is a sign of supreme professionalism if an individual excels in his first match after staying off the ground for a while. Tendulkar did that y'day and did it with such an authority!

I simply love this guy!Sometimes it is difficult for me to ascertain whether I like him more for his abilities or for his attitude!I don't have heroes or role models but if I ever decide to get one, this fellow is going to be a top contender!

Liberating????

A few days back, when I was considering starting a blog, a friend wrote to me 'Do blog.....its quite liberating'.....

The term 'liberating' caught my fancy. I thought people blogged because they wanted to write, they wanted to express, may be keep in touch with equally bloggistic(!!!!!!) friends but I never thought blogging could be liberating...I don't think that will be the case with me!!

Anyhow, that's not the point. The point is about a question that the comment raised to me.

What are the things that are binding me?

Of course, the answers are subjective to each individual. What I realised though, was that there could be various answers to this question for a single individual. I had more than one answer and one of them goes as this:

I am bound by my work. I am bound by my family. I am bound by my comittments, I am bound by my friends, I am bound by my hobbies and interests. I am bound by my likes,I am bound by my dislikes. I am bound by my shortcomings, I am bound by my abilities, I am bound by my feelings, I am bound by my thoughts, I am bound by my wants. I am bound by who I am.

I am bound by me!

Hello World!

This is my first attempt at blogging!And as is usual with all my first attempts, I am jittery. Of course, this doesn't mean that I won't be jittery at my further attempts!

Nonetheless, have been thinking of writing a blog for some time(Lazy people are never lazy at thinking!) and finally gathered the will to write a few lines!

In the title(and in the url), the word 'lazy' is spelt as 'lezi' not because I wanted to be different. Someone already has a blog with that name so I had no choice!Anyhow, it is easier to change a spelling then come up with an entirely new name! Besides, if I fail to keep this blog updated regularly, the name explains why!

Happy Reading!