Waiting....

Waiting patiently for the train to come.

Attacking the 'To Read' pile

I finished Vikas Swarup’s ‘Q&A’ in less than 48 hours. But, it took two years and the success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ for me to actually start reading a book I purchased nearly a lifetime ago.
I really enjoyed the book, as I knew I would when I picked up a totally unknown book by an equally unknown author based purely on gut feel. And yet, I had to virtually be forced to read it!
I am addicted - I can’t stop buying books. But if this doesn’t teach me to attack my ‘To Read’ pile from the bottom, nothing will.

Drabble (n) - an extremely short work exactly one hundred words in length. The purpose of the drabble is brevity and to test the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in an extremely confined space.

Portrait of a burqua clad woman

“Mamma, why don’t you buy that dress”, asked my five-year-old pointing to a burqua.
I was left speechless, like I so often am these days.
"But that dress is so pretty, and black is your favourite colour", he persisted, sensing my hesitation.
Wanting to avoid an elaborate explanation, I muttered something it being too hot for satin, and distracted him with a poster of SRK.

But of one thing I am glad. Despite the environment of hatred and mistrust, we’ve brought him up believing that wearing or not wearing a burqua is a sartorial choice, not one dictated by religion.

Lage Raho

The message on his shirt says it all. 'Lage Raho' - that can be the unofficial mantra of this city that I call Home.

Jana Gana Mana....

While in school, it was mandatory to sing the national anthem at the school assembly at least once a week, but the song and I became virtual strangers after I started college. I must have heard the anthem about half a dozen times, and sung it not at all till my son started attending school a couple of years back. Now, I definitely hear it twice a year – on Independence Day and Republic Day – and since I insist on my children standing to attention whenever it si played on TV, I end up hearing it a lot more than I did previously.
And somewhere along the line, while mechanically going through the words, I discovered that the national anthem had the power to move me to tears. I am definitely not one of those people who wears their patriotism on their sleeves, but there is something in the song that resonates inside me, and makes me proud of the nation that I am a citizen of.
It was, however, a purely emotional reaction till yesterday. While singing the song yesterday at my son’s school, I was acutely aware of how much has changed since Independence Day when the same song was sung at the same venue by the same set of people. This time round, I was reveling not in what my country has accomplished, but dreaming about what she can do once people like me start taking ownership for steering her destiny.
There is nothing tangible that I can put my finger on, but I sense the coming change. I can see people thinking about India as a nation, and about what we can do to make a difference. Small things make me optimistic – last year, at the Standard Chartered marathon, people were shouting ‘Run Mumbai Run’. They did so this year too, but much more than that, people yelled ‘Go India Go’.
A cynic may dub it as token symbolism, but I think it goes beyond that. People are willing to invest time and effort in determining the destiny of India, and while change may be late in coming, I know it will.
Maybe the next time I sing the national anthem, the hope for a better tomorrow will be seasoned with the beginnings of concrete changes.
Who said I was not an optimist?

Four legged BMC worker

This guy sure looked very comfortable in the uniform of the BMC worker - wonder if he is on the payroll of the municipal corporation!!!

Picture taken at 5:30 am outside Marine Lines station.

High Court building

Picture of the High Court.
I have no idea what a mosquito proof well is, but I thought the signage incongruous in front of such a lovely structure.