Republic Day

Its the day after R-Day.Everything shuts down and the city takes a breather.I watched a bit of the Delhi parade,but now it looks repititive and dated.Somehow the display of military might for the benefit of the foreign janta has shades of days gone by,retrieved from the cupboard,dusted and put on display.Why cant we have a celebration of music and dance which involve the aam admi? why not a day of introspection when we can contemplate the last 60 years and put some true joy and fun in the proceedings? Im tired of the tacky floats and the tribal dances down Rajpath,the childrens faces tired and tense from having lined up since dawn for their 2 minutes of glory.Unfortunately things never change here for the better and there will always be dissenting voices.
Meantime life goes on for our brave Senas R-Day or no R-Day..this time its the Shri Ram one which has covered itself with saffron glory by beating up a few defenceless girls in a pub in Mangalore.I really wonder how much lower we can stoop and to what levels this process can take us.Looking at their faces I see hate,arrogance,venality and a desire to control.In spite of their vermillion streaks on forehead and saffron scarves,they are no better than the Nazi thugs in pre war Germany.At least the Nazis were willing to fight in the field against the enemy...these Senas crawl out at opportune moments from under rocks and slither in again when the heat gets too much.Meantime the Govt.in Karnataka does nothing with the leaders mouthing the usual inanities,making sure their allies are protected.What a shame for the nation........

Morpheus

Sunday today.Its a day I like for some reason.The newspapers,lack of traffic and the sheer dullness of the day has a sopoforic effect which is soothing in many ways.Sunday is like a blank page of the week on which you can pretty much write what you want.You can even just snooze the whole day and get up for periodic sustenance if you wish.Can you believe Im yawning as I write this? well thats sunday for you.Back to bed for me zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Victory Hotel

I have a memory like an elephant I always say,and remember things which most contemporaries have forgotten.Its a boon sometimes,at others an uneccessary cabinet full of grey dusty files.I still remember the Poona I loved so much with its old world buildings and alleys behind Main Street.The low roof houses with wooden slats through which you could see the Parsi residents sitting on reclining chairs reading the sunday papers.I remember the smell of fresh baked bread from the many Irani bakeries and the cold winters when temperatures dropped to near freezing.But most of all I remember Victory Hotel.Dont know where to begin because its a place I virtually called home for several years.In fact it was not a Hotel at all but a section of a rickety one storey building,partitioned off on the top floor to make several small cubicles on one side, leaving a large open area for a restaurant.The cubicles were rented out to bachelors and students on a monthly basis and the tarrif included food.The ground floor was partly occupied by the landlord Sebastian D'Lima , wife and brood of 5 children.A large, adjacent independent "suite" was carved out for a long time resident Dr Benjamin.More of him later.How I landed up there is another story,but the fact is I came for a week and stayed for years.Why one may ask.The awful food,unrelenting bed bugs,lack of regular water and clean toilet facilities and Sebastain with his middle parted hair , Hitler moustache and constant whining were enough to drive anyone away.But Victory had something to die for.......location,location,location.It was open to a broad uncrowded road in the heart of the camp area.Next to the West End movie theatre and a hundred yards from Main street.Everything was within a stones throw.Plus the fact that the company was interesting.....other students,older guys,transients,regulars.It was an amazing experience.One that I wouldnt miss for the world.So because its been such a part of my life I will talk about some of my experiences there.I might go back and forth but forgive the rambling because its a slice of life......

First post

I thought that opening a blog spot in the New Year is appropriate.The year gone by has been eventful,albeit with the wrong kinds of events.Stuff we do not need encores of.But then there is hope,however cautious,and a desire to make things better.The common citizen wants change and he wants above all else peace and security.Is he going to get it? I dont know.I am not sure that new systems,checks,weapons,equipment et al will do the trick.The change we need is to root out the apathy and corruption which is so hard wired in the genes of those in power.I am afraid that without this no system,however modern, can work.As long as we have a group of people for whom rules,checks and balances are just another opportunity of making money,there can be no real progress or security.In times when things are "normal' this corruption is viewed as a neccessary evil.Something that facilitates the wheels of society.However when we are hit by a virtual terror invasion and lives are lost, guns misfire,bullets pierce outdated helmets and we are left weeping, holding the bloody remains of our city,then the rot hits closer to home.The "what ifs" and "if only" questions start pouring in.We have seen the heroism of our foot soldiers,laying their life on the line.What is needed now is some real patriotism from those who lead.It is time to say Enough!! let there be accountability instead of rhetoric,governance instead of grandstanding,concern instead of arrogance and nationalism instead of vote bank jingoism.