Day 268-2011 : Life In The 'Fast' Lane

I have been feeling exactly like that for the last few weeks.  Hours turning into days, days into weeks and weeks into months in a jiffy!

Nevertheless, the one thing that I have noticed in these busy times, is that the phenomenon of 'fasting' is suddenly catching on.  All credit to Anna Hazare.  The latest on the bandwagon was 'Aapno Na-Mo'.  And then it was a case of 'counter-fast', when Shankarsinh Vaghela also started his fast at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad at the same time.

First up, the Na-Mo fast.  It was very interestingly called The Sadbhavana Mission.  Sadbhavana means, prayer for togetherness.  Togetherness and Narendra Modi?  It just does not sound right.  The man who is accused of telling the police forces to let the Hindus vent their anger and not interfere during the Godhra riots is now talking about togetherness.  Quite farcical.  It was also a 5-star fast!  No...no...I am saying that the rules of the fast allowed 5-Stars to be consumed (similar to a Perk advertisement).  However, the fast was a unique one, conducted in the fully air-conditioned Gujarat University Convention Hall.  Throughout the day, dignitaries from the BJP and other specially 'invited' prayer groups of all religions came to the stage to shake hands with the CM.  The entire bureaucracy from the capital, Gandhinagar, had stationed themselves at the hall as well.  Hence, practically, no work happened during the 3 days in the government corridors of Gandhinagar.  It was also very widely reported in the media that chants of 'Allah-O-Akbar' rented the air at the venue.  Now, were they really 'rented'?

The CM was photographed in various head gears offered by the visitors throughout the three days.  But, the bluff was called when an Imam offered Na-Mo a skullcap, which Modi politely declined to wear.  Boom!  So much for 'Sadbhavana'!  This looked to me as more of a positioning exercise before the next Assembly elections in Gujarat and the next General Elections in the country.  Clearly, the ambitious man that he is, Na-Mo has his eyes set on the national political canvass.

The competing 'counter-fast' did not even get a mention in many sections of the media.  I guess, it is very difficult to be a congressman in Gujarat these days.  So, I shall also limit my references to it on this post.

Talking of fasts, my mother was with us for the last week.  She fasts three times a week!  I have been asking her quit, as by now, I argue, all her wishes might have been fulfilled.  However, she continues to observe the weekly fasts quite fastidiously!  Let me not talk about my various experiments with fasting in the last couple of years.  The latest one is to fast for a day of the week, consuming only water and nothing else.  I am told it has a very good detoxifying effect.  The only thing that I notice it giving me is a severe headache!

In other fast lane happenings, the buzz is on for the first ever F1 race in India and I am slowly revving up my desire to be there.  Still have to figure out my schedule and whether it allows me the diversion during this festive season and the busy time of the year.  Watch this space for that.

Take care.

Day 253-2011 : Chennai Times

Last week I was in Chennai for a couple of days, which I guess, is no surprise to anybody who has been reading the copious amounts of status updates that I have been posting on FB, to mark the occasion!  I was there to attend the wedding of former colleague and friend (and fellow blogger!) Navin Kumar to Subhatra.  Having received the invite more than a month ago, I was determined to be there for the occasion, in spite of the two days in question being working days.  In fact, I was looking forward to be in Chennai after more than a year and was excited at the prospect of catching up with old colleagues and friends. 

I hopped on to the flight to Chennai last Thursday afternoon.  The differences between Chennai and Mumbai, especially the infrastructure, was very stark.  The taxi ride to Savera took just 25 minutes!  To cover the same distance in Mumbai would have taken more time.  The roads seemed to me like an ice-skating rink.  After driving on Mumbai roads this was pure pleasure.  There were fly-overs to be seen in places where there had been none a year ago!  New buildings have come up in record times.  The city of Mumbai, which is known for its 'pace of life', is being shamed by this southern metro city with its pace of infrastructure development and execution.

The wedding itself was very well-attended.  I attended both the ceremonies; the reception on the eve of the wedding as well as the wedding early next morning.  I was also honoured to meet Navin's parents, who I know were looking forward to this event since the last couple of years!

At Navin's reception

I met a lot of friends during both the occasions. It was also interesting to note how different some of them were looking, and how some of them had not changed a bit in the last one and a half years.  I was surprisingly at a loss of words when I met some of them. I made at least one mistake remembering a name...a slip of tongue, which probably was construed as me not remembering her name. So embarrassing!  And then, in the ensuing panic in my mind, I mixed her up with someone else.  Very very embarrassing.  Anyway, it was great to meet up with first and foremost, Navin and then all the others, namely, Vijay, Sukumar, Bonny, Dinesh, Karthik, Prem, Prabhu, Sathish, and Alagappan.  I met Jayanthi, Vandhana, Hari and Uma the next day morning.  It was also wonderful to catch up with Venkat (another fellow blogger!).  I was also a bit dissapointed at not being able to meet a couple of others like Chris, Raja and Murali.

In the more than adequate time that I had before my evening flight back, on Friday, I went hunting for Dumka Roat, a previously unknown commodity to me, but a delivcacy which is apparently in great demand amongst my colleagues in Mumbai!  I also picked up the mandatory Badusha for the better half.  I was trying to arrange a drop to the airport from the hotel (costing Rs.600!), when Sukumar suggested it was possible to go in the local trains as well.  So, I travelled for the first time in a Chennai local train from Mambalam to Tirusoolam for a princely sum of Rs.4!  Even the local train infrastructure reminded me of how woefully inadequate Mumbai's infrastructure is compared to Chennai.  The Tirusoolam station is actually connected physically to the Chennai airport through an underpass; Mumbai still does not have connectivity between its local train network and the airport! 

From the calm of Chennai (even the local train ride was very quiet) to the bustling 'visarjan atmosphere' of Mumbai, was quite a change.  Diversity, thy name is India!

Take care!