A time to leave Washington

Washington was always a loved place! The climate was cool in February, that time I landed up in the Dulles Airport where I stood at the conveyer belt of steel to pick up my large suit cases. Once out a friend guided me through and got a taxi cab, a fairly large one at that.  The Driver of the cab was a good natured guy who showed me a map and enquired if the point he was showing was the place I wanted to go.  The Seminary Towers of Alexandria was a the place he was showing and I agreed.

He stopped at the Towers and we were guided to a friends place. The office to which I was selected was in Washington and work started the next day. Then there was the usual in house training, introducing seminars, and so on.  Getting other paper works to stay on etc. took a couple of months and at last it was just office work and falling back home after tedious office hours late into the evenings.

The walk to the Farragut West is in my memory and then it is Pentagon where we waited for a metro bus for Kenmore Avenue.  Many years passed and now it all seems to be a dream. The car we drove, a Honda Civic once were covered with white white fluffy snow which hardened overnight and then taking out the car was a tedious work.  While cleaning the car the key was lost and it had only one key and that was it.  The old technician of AAA tried to open the car in the middle of the night for a couple of hours and retreated saying : 'I shall send somebody in the morning if you don't mind" We did not mind and they next morning a Chinese looking (or was he of Korean origin? I don't know) young gentleman came up in the sunshile with a great smile!  He was an expert and the morning sun helped him with warm sunshine.  He used a baloon to pressure open the door and once inside connected his computer to the car and told us "I have to first deactivate the old key, then shall make a new one". He did it with elan and worked on for an hour and more and at last the new key was ready and the car got started!  He collected a tidy sum for AAA and left.  We were relieved that the car can now be used.

The Magruders, the Landmark mall and the Grandmart were all in the daily routines one day or the other.
At other times I was working away in the office.  At times running for the fire drill along with all others.  This happens once or twice in an year when an alarm is set off an Fire Marshalls appear to guide all who are walking down the steps for many floors.  Their guidance seemed to be invaluable.  Once outside people kept standing speaking to one another or smoking or moving a little more away for snacks etc.  In a matter of half an hour or so the clearance will be sounded and all are called back.  Now one can use the elevators, as lifts are called there.

One interesting thing noticed are the hapless people along with way from Farragut West to the Centre asking for alms either showing a large cappuchino tumbler or a hat etc.  One African American Gentleman was always seen doing a beautiful bugle everyday in the moring.  He is neither a beggar nor a great musician but the energy he gave the morning office goers were tremendous.  I was touched when on a rainy morning, I could distinctly hear his bugiling sound from afar and there he was sitting in the rain and bugling as if there was no rain.  While departing Washington I walked up to him and gave a few dollars and asked him what makes him do this everyday without fail.  He replied "This is the only work I know. And I am trained to do this from my childhood!"  That was some courage!  He was doing it as a job, with out any complaint to any one.  He accepted any small donations given by any one and thanked them profusely.  But never complained of anyone for not giving him anything at all.  He went on doing his songs on the bugle to the great enjoyment and enlivening of all around him.!

After the rain

The heat was at it's extreme when I wriwr my last piece, last week. It changed this Monday, when it first went cloudy and then rained, the next day.

What a relief it brought to the parched Delhi and its suburbs where the trees were carrying the dust on them, all through the last couple of months.

The temperature fell and the trees and plants became clean. The flowers brought out their fragrance. It became Ajoy to walk on the pavement or in the parks.

The rain and cloud continues to carry over into July.

The Hot Delhi June and a travel by the Delhi Metro

The hot Delhi is dusty, but an afternoon wind pushed away some of the heat. As my computer went to sleep with out warning, it's difficult to write anything!
But the fall in temperature inspires me to jot down some thing!

A travel by the delhD metro was the last escapade I had. Travelling from 'biaasi mode' to Botanical Garden is the toughest part.  This can be accomplished by autorickshaws, private buses and of course the UP State Road Transport Buses. At last I got a UP bus and in a matter of forty minutes reached Botanical Garden! Here one gets 20 minutes to buy a ticket. The first try was to get a ticket from the vending machine ! Since everything is going digital, thought of trying a hand at it! But once the prompt reached the payment of ₹40/- the machine insisted use of notes of denominations of ten, twenty or fifty which I didn't have. I had a hundred and was thinking of checking other machines if those could accept a hundred Rupee note. My next machine traveller lost ten Rupees in front of me as he didn't get Ten Rupees after he ordered a ticket for RS. Forty just what I was trying to do!

This jolted me to get a ticket from a manual vending window! Once this was  accomplished  travel was really easy and international class with best and clean surroundings! It reached me in central Delhi in a matter of ninety minutes in a relaxed atmosphere!  Once one can reach the ends of the Metro, travel in Delhi has become pretty good with a nice Metro line, all thanks to the Metro Mab and his enthusiastic team ..!

Keeping the Grannies in good humour...!

I normally do not get my grannies to seee as we live apart in different towns. But once in a while the duo lands up in our town for their medical check up and medicines. Once they arrive they take over me as if it is their duty to look after me which I normally do not object.

But the difficulty is their forcing all kinds of good behaviour and ettiuettes on me which I despise. At least I do not understand their logic of many of them. For example Grand Pa gives me a sweet or so as soon as he arrives which is very welcome. But once the fellow unwinds he and Grand Ma starts with such enquiries with my mom: “The child has gone down since we left last, no?” As if I was a huge guy earlier. I was 10k then and I am 10k now as my Dad says. Then comes the uestions: “Did he have a wash? Has he eaten? Has he urinated? Has he....Has he......?” My God, all the has he...s galore.

I have done none of them at least that day as he arrive in the morning itself. In fact, I am not keen to do all that in the very morning itself. I have my own times for every things like that. I do not do such things hurriedly. May be, Dad has to do them as he has to go to office. I don't. But Grany insist that I have to be trained in childhood itself. Ghosh! And Grand Pa keeps quiet! He is always my man and friend. But when such ticklish occasions come, he keeps quiet! I do not understand his silence at such times. I at times feel, if I have to stop his friendship on these counts. But when it comes to the sweets and toffees he gives me and his taking me out, which Grand Ma can't or won't, I stop all such thoughts. Apart from these quiet parts, he is a good fellow. He plays with me and also at times takes me for a swing on the overhead bars on which he hangs upside down when he is in a mood. All the more, he does not object whenever I pull his spectacles. His spectacles are really a good set. I see things much bigger through it. When I look at Grany she looks much bigger when I look at her through Grand Pa's spectacles.

I can go and stop him doing any work at the computer, which I am going to do now. If Grany is around, I am not allowed to go near him if he is at work. But if I can make eye contact with him I can always pull him to my side and placate Grany. But at such times, Grand Pa do not look at anything except his computer or book where he will be writing or lost in thought ...! Getting him to look at me is the diifficult part. The rest is easy. He makes me one gadget or another, or a spinner at times either with wood or with palm leaves.

I can't make Grany also unhappy as she is the one who gives me milk and other foods from time to time. Grand Pa is no match when it comes to food matters. In fact, I have seen he too is dependent on Grand Ma in these matters.

Next comes the two real guys my mom and dad. They are the ones who really are with me when Grannies go away. So I can't displease them too. So, you see, I have to be very cautious when I handle these guys until after uite a few years!

The Eight Screen Presence....!

The Eight Screen Presence

The new generation has presented a fresh problem in front of all. That is the number of screens one has to attend to. In earlier times, the general screen output and in take was only one screen. That is the movie screen. During the still pictures and then the moving pictures all required only one screen. And all were satisfied.

Now with the onslaught of the mobile phones all that has changed. Before the mobile phone itself, the desk tops, lap tops, tablets had arrived in the market. Many elderlies shied away from the mobile phones as it was having a lot of radiation, it was a deviation from the seed phones with push buttons which was in use(they themselveds were a replacement of the earlier ITI black phones which had the round round rings which had to be circled for catching the required numbers)ager etc. Some doubted the pager phones and these mobile phones had some connection and may become obselete as the 'pagers' which went out of the market in six months times of its coming. Thce Pagers had the disadvantage that it can only show you a message and you have to run to the nearest phones, which were, of course, the fixed land line phones to make a call back to the sender of the message. Since sending a message to any one to his hand directly was not possible till that time, it was an innovation which people in India had not seen. They bought it but it went obselete in months and there came the cell phone which is now being called the 'Mobile Phone'

Now most of the people had an eye for a computer which became a master piece, show piece and status symbol in society.

Of course any one who could afford some how or the other bought one and kept it well covered at a place where friends and relatives could feel the presence of a computer. The owner of the equitpment could then explain the stories behind its need, ownership and uses to all.That suddenly became old story as some others outsmarted them by pulling out a computer from their bags and bragged “Who will want a Desk Top these days. It is cumbersome to go to it where it is when it is needed. I carry mine in my bag. That way it is available to me whereever I go” . That nailed the Desk Top and people looked at the owner of the mobile computers the lap tops with awe! It did not last long!

The light particles were being disentangled and they were being used in the little mobile phones and the touch screens were replacing the ordinary cell phones with liquid crystal digits and letters. Once the touch screens were in market, the little mobile phones were quickly replaced by the touch screens and every body who could get one got hooked to it.

Now most of the people who owned the previous versions kept the previous ones for the love of it with which they bought them or got them.

The items with screens can now be counted. The Desk Top Computer, the Lap Top Computer, The tablet computer, the ittle two and a half inch mobile phone, then the four and a half inch touch screen. The earlier camera and the little liquid crystal mobile phone which are still in use do not come in these, even though they are very much in use. These are all to be topped by the Television Screen which is invariably in use in all homes (if they can have one, most of the medium homes have one). All these have slowly but steadily taken a toll on reading, writing and letter writing. At places, they have created complaints of people talking less to each other too. Let us watch our own situation and see that these developments do not affect us badly...! Let us beware....!

A look at a general meeting place, a bus station or a train compartment f the old and now in India gives a stark difference! It was customary in olden days for those at an assembling place to share niceties and ask about the welfare of one another. That has changed. Many are hooked to their touch phones or tablets, if not  lap tops straight to see movies!

Dharavi of Mumbai .....

Dharavi is said to be a slum, but one of the biggest in either Asia or the world. Even though passed Mumbai at times, en route to other place, never had the chance to visit the sacred place. Now the book by Rashmi Bansal and Deepak Gandhi make it a feeling. A feeling that makes one uneasy of not visiting it. Now reading their book "Poor Little Rich Slum". Shall revert after reading. Good bye, reader friends!

The Dharavi tangle.....

Starting Dharavi reading was rather easy. But once one is in Dharavi, it is not easy to come out. Dharavi people are simple minded having concern for each other near by, regardless of religion, region or colour. But the lack of amenities and space is always a concern. When one is illiterate and without an assured meal a day, all such thoughts go away. Once, the number of meals are good enough for sustenance, one thinks of a family and the needs of bringing up children come up.

It is here, the people of Dharavi wins laurels in that they help each other and has thrown up so many 'do gooders' who have selflessly thrown themselves into the realm of helping others around! That too, in utter disregard of the fact they would have made a fortune if they had cared!

Enamavu to Palghat and back...!

The bus stop was empty as the time was late morning.  The extreme busy period is the school time.  We were there by eleven of the clock.  But then there will be waiting.  Sure enough, there are no long intervals for a line bus.  In fifteen minutes the bus took us.  the sun `was strong, but the cool breeze kept the climate under control.  Trichur was forty minutes away.  Once there, it was the panic to catch the next KSRTC bus to Palghat from near the King's Statue near the Dharmodayam Building or the St. Thomas College. 

The bus conductor mumbled 'Binni' is the next stop, if not then the next one is at 'Shaktan'.  That is a warning.  Either you get down at Binni or else.  We got down at Binni.  'Binny' is a cloth shop where clothes from the brand name 'Binny' is sold.  Next is Shaktan meaning the famous 'Shaktran Thampuran' Bus Station which is the private Bus Stand.  Soon we understood the mistake we made by getting down at 'Binny'.  As we walked up to the Dharmodayam and Paramekkavu Temple front, we understood the Buses to Palghat are not coming there any more!   Times have changed.  There are new routes in force now.  The Buses have to be found out.  We enquired of the KSRTC bus conductor whose bus was there.  He advised: "Catch something to KSRTC Station or go to Shaktan.  We had already disembarked from our bus which was going to Shaktan.  Now we can reach by Autorikshaw to the KSRTC Bus Station which we did. As soon as we reached the hilarious Fast Passenger Bus was coming out the Station which took us to Palghat.

From Palgthat we were to get our car and drive back.  The roads were fine except for some constructions going on for a toll are near 'Kuthiran' mount and  a couple of other places.  We got the car soon enough, after getting off from the Bus at the Palghat Station.  A gentleman had driven it for us from Coimbatore.
The drive home in the afternoon against the afternoon sun was really good but for the hitting sun on your eyes which had to be warded off with the sun shade.  A two hours clean drive reached us back to Trichur as the sun was setting which was enjoyable.