Nose to the Ground!

I was recently reminded how sterile our lives have become, going from one air-conditioned environ to another. Never touching life if we can, never really tasting or feeling or being in it.

I recently changed jobs and the new office is 35 km away from home, which makes it a bit of a trek to get there and back. 70 km a day, through Bangalore traffic is incentive enough to dust down the motorbike that I bought 3 years ago (in a moment of mid-life madness and then promptly parked with a cover on it) and swap it for the car.

All of last week I made the commute on the bike and it was the most liberating experience ever. (For those of you who don’t know, bikes were my first love when it came to vehicles.) I always thought driving was like a video game and riding was the real thing. On a bike you actually felt everything, every bump, the wind, the speed…everything.

So anyway, one day last week I was riding home and I was suddenly aware. More aware than I had been in years and the one sense that overtook every other was the smell. I realized that I was being bombarded with an amazing smorgasbord of scents. Scents that I had forgotten even existed, scents that brought associations with them that I hadn’t even thought of in years.

All this time my commute was made in a car, windows rolled up, aircon filling the space with cool, clean, dust free air. Breathing an atmosphere that was devoid of the flavours of the world I lived in but never touched. I became accustomed to this safe little bubble that separated me from the reality of the city I live in and it was a comfort that I was unwilling to relinquish.

Well – now I am more than happy to let that go and experience what I did that day – every day. That moment of awareness began with the fragrance of fresh baked bread and biscuits. A bakery by the side of the road, playing host to the office crowd, fresh from work and catching a quick coffee or ‘chai’ with baked goods before wrapping up for the day. Images of college mates and skipping class to get a slice of cake or ‘masala bread’ at the bakery on the corner flooded my mind. I have to admit I was surprised at the strength and vividness of the memories that were evoked just by a whiff of butter and vanilla.

 Mind full of happy thoughts I rode on, only to be taken on a real journey all the way home. The smells of kebabs from an eatery on the ring road, reminiscent of the shawarma rolls we grabbed as working dinner when doing graveyard shifts, the acrid smell of burning rubber from the drag meets that I snuck out to take part in, on borrowed wheels, the sweet scent of wood smoke, coming from a settlement of transient construction workers perhaps cooking dinner a poignant reminder of my grandmother’s wood fired stove. Each odour a reminder of a specific time and place, and bringing with it emotions long forgotten.

It didn’t end there though. There was more to come, from a whiff of eucalyptus smoke to a smelly drain, an incense factory and even just the cold, clean smell of the air, where the city ended and traffic gave way to clear air.

That day I got home feeling happier and with more positive energy than I had in the last few years. Suddenly nothing was insurmountable, no stress too hard to handle. It’s true what they say…biking really does free your soul.

Ladiesaa Gentsaa?

Sometimes it kills me, the way people just stereotype each other and the world around them.

A few Sundays ago, P and I went on an afternoon ride just for fun - for those of you who don't know already, I ride a KTM Duke 200. Headed out on one of the state highways for about 30 km and somewhere along the way we spotted an 'interceptor' on the other side of the road, both of us making mental note of the location for the return trip. About 10 minutes later we decided to head back and made a U turn and signaled each other to keep under the speed limit till we got past the interceptor we had seen.

Coming round a nice deep curve in the road into a straight, sure enough, there they were, the vultures in white, waiting for us with their speed guns. We rode on, cruising past them at the ridiculously low speed limit of 50 kmph (on a highway!) and looking down our noses, very pleased with ourselves for having outsmarted them. Having happily cocked a snook at the traffic police we then opened up our throttles and zipped off down the road.

Our flight however was rudely interrupted over the next crest. The crafty b*****s had another interceptor waiting for vehicles coming over. Buddahey! So anyway, we pulled over and P was on my right, closer to the road. As the inspector sauntered over to us I hissed at P that I didn't think I had my bike documents or license with me. Sighing in most resigned fashion, P turned to the inspector, produced his papers, all in order, typical P style, and said to the man, "Here are my papers. Then he gestured at me and said "The papers for this bike are at home" 

I, in the meanwhile had lifted my smoked visor and was watching the proceedings. The inspector looked at the papers and at P and then glanced over at me and did the funniest double take I have seen. He looked me in my clearly eylinered and maybe mascaraed eyes for a moment.

He then leaned over at P and said sotto voce, "Don't mindaah." He nodded toward me and continued, "Ladiesaa, Gentsaa?" 

The eventual outcome of the revelation that I was indeed Ladiesaa, was that poor P was made to pay my fine for not having my papers - full marks for chivalry I must admit. And of course it made for much amusement and a great anecdote later. 

But try as I may, I cannot ignore the fact that we live in a country, a world, that stereotypes everyone and everything. There are enough girls on motorbikes these days and my appearance was not exactly androgynous but that policeman still found the need to ask the question. Tragic. 

Making way for change

Recently I have noticed a subtle but significant change on the roads in Bangalore. People have been making way for ambulances where not so long ago the sirens would be pretty much static behind a mess of vehicles that refused to move out of the way. I have to say I am very glad it is happening, albeit slow and inconsistent.

Every time I travelled out of the country on work, one of the things that always struck me was how motorists would move over quickly the minute they heard approaching sirens, and I would always wonder why we couldn't be the same way here.

The assumption, based on the minimum requirements to get a driver's licence, is that all the people on the road are at least basically educated. If that is the case how come they don't move? Is it apathy? or a more sinister lack of consideration for anyone but themselves? It can't be that difficult for these drivers to put themselves in the shoes of the family and friends of the person in the ambulance, who is probably hanging on, literally for dear life, while they hog the road and hold up the medical attention they need.

But it is not always a case of selfish behaviour. Our roads are chaotic to say the least and many a time I have found myself in front of an ambulance and desperate to pull over but thanks to the log jam in front of me, left with no room to maneuver. So there we have it - selfish people and choc-a-bloc roads, the perfect recipe for bad situations.

There is lots to fix and I am sure there are probably a lot of other reasons out there for what I have been seeing - but the fact remains that I see an improvement, and no matter how small it is right now - it is a huge step towards what we want to be and hopefully it is just the start.

Evil that people do...

Three bombs went off in crowded areas of Bombay yesterday. 21 people are dead and dozens others injured. Who is responsible and what was the point? Innocent people killed or hurt and much speculation about who did what. The usual platitudes from the politicians and equally predictable outrage from the people of Bombay. Could it have been different? Would it have been different if the people, and I mean all of us, had a different bent of mind?

I can understand the frustration the people of Bombay must feel, after all they have been at the receiving end of terror attacks, natural disasters and goodness knows what other calamities. But blaming the Government for not securing the city, in my opinion, is daft. The most well policed cities in the world have also been victimised by terrorists at one time or another.

Perhaps if the general public were a little more aware, vigilant and responsible it would be more difficult for terrorists to plan and execute their nasty plots. I mean - how many of us would actually take on the onus of doing something if we saw unattended bags or packages lying around? How many of us would actually notice someone strange hanging around our neighbourhood? Most of us go through life in our own little bubble and leave the care of our surroundings to others...well here's a news flash - the 'others' we are depending on to watch out for us are also doing the same thing!

What we CAN blame the Government for, and not just in Maharashtra, but all over the country, is not putting in place a system and the infrastructure to deal efficiently with a calamity when it happens. There was a picture in the papers today of people wounded in the blasts, quite literally heaped into the back of a small truck to be taken to hospital probably because there was no telling when, if at all, and ambulance would arrive.  Response time is insanely slow and the authorities who do respond are inadequately trained and don't follow any kind of protocol when dealing with the aftermath of disasters.

What I am trying to say, is that we have a lot to learn and we are all equally to blame. The government and authorities for their apathy and lackadaisical attitude and the population for their disinclination to prepare themselves for any eventuality and educate themselves. Why do we always look to blame someone else and never take responsibility for our own safety and well being? Surely there cant be a lack of motivation to protect oneself and one's property?

If an average person like me can have a zillion ideas on how to improve the infrastructure and make life safer and better in the cities, I find it hard to believe that politicians and administrators cant think similarly. So now what remains, is to see how long it will take us to stop throwing stones and pointing fingers and take it upon ourselves to improve the quality of our security.

Back! BACK I say!

Can someone tell me exactly what it is about 'personal space' that people do not understand? The other day, I was at a bookstore having my stuff billed when a woman comes up, shoulders me aside and picks up a pen from one of the many on display at the cash counter and proceeds to test it on a scrap of paper. I don't think it ever occurred to her to say "excuse me" or to try not to get in my airspace.

This has long been one of my pet peeves and it makes me want to actually hit people when they shove and push and just generally crowd me when it is not necessary. From people who stand too close in lines to the ones who squeeze into an already crowded lift, squishing you into a corner like a sardine, they are all universally obnoxious.

What really gets me though is that they truly do not realise what they are doing is not acceptable. Our country is a crowded one, lots of people squeezed into everything, from markets to busses, trains, schools and even hospitals. So we are used to elbowing ourselves a space and slipping into it wherever we go. The concept of giving someone their own personal space is rather alien to most of our population and more so if the person crowding you happens to be of the same sex, so it is okay if a woman happens to be pressing up against me in a bus and if I were to show discomfort or object I  would be the weird one! As a people, we don't seem to have too many personal boundaries, and those of us who do are doomed to have them crossed every time we step out into a public space.

As a result I have developed my own defence strategies which include such ingenious things as carrying a messenger bag slung diagonal so it can be swivelled in whichever direction I need protection, and a slightly model-like stance in lines, with one foot stuck out in front (suitably clad in closed shoes of course) to ensure anyone backing into me without looking stumbles over it and then has to apologise for stepping on my toes thus making them more careful for the remainder of the queue time. Also in my arsenal are files or books held in the crook of my arm to impale any frontal attacks, one hand on the hip angled as required to give the elbow strategic advantage, switching bags from side to side and last but certainly not least, the perfected glower, guaranteed to wither all but the most thick skinned pusher and shover.

Perhaps I am being overly fussy - but I genuinely do not like being too close to people who I don't know and I think its perfectly reasonable to expect everyone to respect that. So, please, general public, GET BACK!!!!!!

Beautiful Message

You're NOT the boss of me!

Gulam Nabi Azad was reported in today's paper as having said that homosexuality is a disease and has come to India from 'western' lands or shores or some such. When I saw the article I thought I had misread it - but no such luck.

It is incredible that the Union Health Minister of a country like India would make a statement like that, showing his ignorance, bigotry and overall idiocy. It is really shameful that he is a representation of the quality of people that govern this country.

India has a huge gay and lesbian population, who, I am sure, didn't just pick up their sexual orientation by sitting next to others on a bus. It is a choice that they made and are totally entitled to. As much as I believe that religion is a totally personal thing and should be treated as such, I believe that a person has the right to choose their partner from whichever gender they wish. What gives any of us the right to stand in judgement?

So being homosexual in this country is a disease - but honour killing, rape and harassment of women by repressed creeps is not. Oh no! THAT is our own - our very own Indian culture, the great 'reeti-rivaaj' that is constantly being tom tommed by the moral police and daftoid politicians like Mr. Azad. No western shores involved there, I'm sure! Well done people!

It is not a disease Mr. Azad and frankly I think you and every other bigot and prude in this country should keep your noses out of people's very personal business.