Quota wars...

Before i begin my angry rant, what is the point of designating Azad Maidan as a 'space for demonstration'? For 3 days when doctors were demonstrating in the so called protest area, no one noticed. Now when they got close to politicians' residences and the governor's residence, the police lathi charge them. What is the point of a protest when the protestor cannot make the protestee aware of his/her demands?? (completely off the topic, Rahul Gore and Rajiv Thakkar, also the two university viva jurors, with all due respect, this is why i did what i did for Amritsar A.D. A large open space does not work as a protest space.)

Now comes the fun part. i hate cops. i make no bones about it. They're corrupt. They pick on innocent couples, bikers and any woman who's on the street at night. They fail to do their job well. They do not give a rat's ass about helping anyone else but themselves. Even something as simple as passport verification is bungled up. Elephants in a zoo are in better shape than all the pan chewing, obese, orthodox men in khaki. But today, the Mumbai police crossed all limits.

The images on TV are horrendous. i'm sure by now all of India has seen them. What pisses me off the most is the balls of the Mumbai Police Commisioner. He has the guts to come on TV and say, 'They shouldn't have demonstrated.' SHOULDN'T HAVE DEMONSTRATED?? i can point atleast a hundred similarities between today's video footage and that taken in the 1930s when Gandhi led the country. What freedom have we achieved when a valid point is made repeatedly but one pig headed politician with one eye on the votebank and both his legs dangling precariously over his grave refuses to consider the ramifications of his decision? The reason for the lathi charge is that the students came out of the 'designated demonstration area.' 3 days of demonstration in the designated area invited a small mention on page 5 of the major newspapers. What is the point of the demonstration then? Have politicians become so independent of the citizens that an opinion is accepted merely as token?

And why does Manmohan Singh, the architect of India's economic liberalisation, not speak up? Oh sorry. His voice is the voice of the new Mother India. One who is simply trying hard to ensure her children's future. Nothing should come in the way. Not even the lives of millions of youth.

And why do these things affect me? If you are asking that question, switch on your TV. And tell me if you don't feel a thing...

Standing By...

The other day i was walking along one of Bandra's busy lanes when i see a speeding car (a sedan i.e. ikon, esteem, siena type cars), probably dark blue or black in colour (it was night time, so couldn't see much). As it whizzed by, i heard a loud screech and by the time i looked behind, a man was flying through the air. The impact with the car must have AT LEAST broken his leg. In addition he flipped three times in the air. He must have been thrown a good 10 feet off the ground. i was atleast a hundred feet away but i could hear the thump as he fell. And what does the car driver do? He/she simply drove away as fast as he/she got there. i regret not helping the injured man. i regret not being able to note down the car number. i regret walking away after the initial 2 seconds of shock. This happened on the 5th of May at around 8.00 p.m. near Noodle Bar in Bandra and it took me more than 5 days to write about it which again i regret. i scanned the papers the next day and there was nothing. Maybe if a celebrity was involved, it would have made news. The guy who got hit may be in hospital or at home or may even be dead cos it would be very easy for his head to hit the kerb of the pavement after getting thrown in the air. i know this may be of no use but just once i want the driver of the dark-colored sedan to know that he should atleast feel guilty if he isn't already. Atleast more guilty than i am feeling right now.

Arrival...

Himesh Reshammiya. His reshami nasal voice has left the country in a tizzy. It didn't strike me till a few days ago exactly how popular he was until i noticed a Subhash Ghai movie ad having the words 'Music: Himesh Reshammiya' larger than the title of the movie itself. But yesterday, i was convinced the self-confessed 'rock star' was bigger than anything in the world right now. Here's a list of what was playing around 8.25 pm on the 5 major radio stations in Mumbai:
1) Radiocity: Zara jhoom jhoom (sung by h.r.)
2) Go: A-a-ashiqui mein tere (sung by h.r.)
3) Red: Naam hai tera (sung by h.r.)
4) Mirchi: All day all night (sung by h.r.)
5) Rainbow: Aashiq Banaya Aapne (sung by h.r.)

At one point of time, all these songs were playin at the same time.
i am sure MTV and Channel V must be having some h.r. song playing at 8.25 p.m.

Has he arrived or what!!!

Practise what you preach...

Apparently,
All builders compromise on quality.
All builders do not realise the importance of good lighting.
All builders want is to earn money without putting much effort.
All builders will give you a suffocated, congested space if it means they save one extra rupee.

All architects know ergonomic requirements like the back of their hands.
All architects talk about comfortable work spaces.
All architects talk about light as an inspiration, light as an expression of space.
All architects talk about ventilation as an essential component of the experience of space.
All architects talk about spaces inspiring one to work on even the most mundane tasks.

Then why do most architectural offices resemble sweatshops?

In Anticipation...

This vacation, i promise to do the following:
1) Jog every morning. Running out of breath after running up the stairs has set alarm bells ringing
2) Read two good books atleast. Every vacation the short trip to the book store seems looong. This time its even shorter with Crossword opening practically next door.
3) Watch lesser TV. Eats into time for #1 and #2. Also might be contributing to increase in power of glasses.
4) Play more sports. Haven't played much whole of last year.
5) Contact old friends. Haven't heard from them for most of last year.
6) Clean my desk. Recently, i found a tracing from 1st year. Shocking, considering 2 month old models do not make it to the vivas.
7) Search for better computer upgrades. And install new devices, some waiting for almost 6 months to be installed. And figure out what to do with aging monitor.
8) Fix drafting table. Won't need it much next year, but repair might increase resale value.
9) Sleep 8 hours a day. Actually make that 10 hours, to catch up on lost hours.
10) Enable World Peace. Arrange meetings between all warring parties and give them a 24-hour deadline to fix things done wrong. Another 24 hours to sign 999-year binding contracts with no escape clauses.... (now you know how serious i am about this list)

Looks like it's gonna be #3 and #9 all over again this summer too. Happy Holidays!

RIP Pramod Mahajan