Since I'm poor, and to complicate matters, aaram-pasand...... I almost always travel in Bombay by autorickshaw. Therefore I'm about as qualified to have as many posts on Auto's as Annie, but my aaram-pasand nature doesn't allow me to ponder long on such things or get up & blog them.
So what's causing me to resurrect myself now...? Well, recently I've noticed a movement that's motivated me to contribute to the cause.
These days, almost every autorickshaw I see has "Mulgi Shikli, Pragati Jhali" written neatly (and sometimes not so neatly) at the back of the hood. Literally translated from Marathi that means "Girl Educated, Progress Happened".
I'm excited at the humble auto's use as an advertising medium to drive this very simple but extremely crucial social message.
Perenially curious, I made some enquiries with various rickshaw drivers until I got my answer two nights ago. Apparently, the RTO doesn't "pass" any new vehicle that doesn't have this social message emblazoned on it's back.
The best part of this drive is not that every commuter on the roads in bumper to bumper Bombay traffic reads this message & is aware of it's importance. That is only a fringe benifit. The best part is that each poor, semi-literate autorickshaw driver now knows that this is an important message!
The results I guess will be seen only 20-25 years from now, and maybe at that time no one will be able to pin point the stimuli behind the sudden change in India: Literate people, staying away from trouble, creating intellectual & material wealth for their country!
All the more reason to applaud this very noteworthy effort right now. Whoever has initiated the idea needs a sound pat on the back. And if there is a Social equivalent of the Nobel, that as well!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Friday, July 22, 2005
Eagle Sighting!
I think... My limited bird-watching experience makes it difficult for me to tell the difference between Eagles, Kites & Hawks; but I think I saw an Eagle today in the most unlikely of places!
Initially I thought it was a Kite, since I believed Eagles are not native to India, but a little Googling threw up a few Eagle sightings in India so I'm assuming this one was an Eagle after all.
BIG, Confident Bird. Brown, heavily feathered & extremely good looking.
And not in the midst of a jungle, but seated on the scaffolding of my 6th floor office window. It created quite a buzz on my call center floor. Apparently this is the second day that the Eagle has come to perch on the same spot on the scaffolding.
Amidst jokes by one of Team Leaders on how the Eagle has been trained to report on time, and the agents wondering aloud on which of the women the Eagle had lost his heart to, this Team Leader pointed out that the Eagle cannot look inside the building since we have reflective glass. It dawned on my that the Eagle has discovered it's reflection in the mirror and is probably in love with it's own reflection. It sat there braving the rain staring at his reflection as we admired him. I wanted to take a picture of him, but I first need to confirm whether there are any security restrictions on cameras in my building. Let me see. If he returns, I will try & get a picture of him up here.
Watch this space for an update on what happens to our feathered Narcissus.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Re: PS to meme posts
My second post finally happens... This is a tag I wrangled out of Annie. Here goes...
Total # of Books I Own:
Our Family has 3 cupboards full of books. How many of those are mine I do not know. Generally any Reader’s Digest books having to do with the Human Body, “Vanished Civilizations” or Tennis, were ordered by me & paid for by Mom at that time (Yes my interests were different). But they’re still OUR books more than mine. We’ve always looked upon everything like that. It makes it much easier for us to individually claim that we own 3 cupboards full of books. :-)
Last Book I Bought:
I SERIOUSLY have no recollection! Work leaves very little time to read & my very limited tastes are sufficiently catered to by my Sister who picks up a book for me if she thinks I’ll enjoy it. So most of my books these days are gifts.
Last Book I Read:
Who Moved My Cheese? Finished it in an hour. Now trying to plod through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Boring? Yes. What to do? Being in the Corporate World wreaks havoc with your self esteem and eventually makes you turn to the books once shunned saying “I don’t need these silly self help books!”
Five Books that mean a Lot to Me:
Hmmm… It took me a long time to think of 5 Books that I had read, but I finally have five! :-)
These are truly representative of my reading taste (or lack of it) and have everything to do with my attitude towards life.
Douglas Adams’: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Hilarious! And so original! Made me want to read all the sequels. Managed to give up on the third one eventually!
Tom Holt’s: Paint My Dragon.
Wicked, Wicked Humour! This man is truly a Creative Genius! I intend to read all his books one day! Unputdownable!
Kiran Nagarkar: Ravan & Eddie.
I had long resisted reading any Indian authors foolishly thinking that they dwell only on what is the sad, the destitute and the soppy! Then my Sister handed me this book that had me alternate between throwing my head back in laughter & bowing it in reverence to Kiran Nagarkar. Gave me a bad neck that lasted a damn week!
Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca
I had injured my back & had to sleep on the carpet in the drawing room for a week. That’s when I read Rebecca late into the night. I could look out from the Drawing Room window & see the silhouette of the trees in the dark night. The tone of the novel combined with the setting that I was reading it in makes me remember it as one of the scariest books I read. Marvelously written. Lovely Book!
Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo
Read when I was thirteen, I still remember the thrill it gave me. Fast paced novel in an era where everybody wrote books that seemed to take you eons to trudge through. The adventure, the concept of revenge… Ahhh…!
I will add a sixth book here. This may not be looked upon as being a great book by most, but to me it is one of the BEST I have ever read.
Robert Ludlum’s: The Bourne Identity
Using a real life chase of a world famous criminal as the background, Ludlum penned the Best Thriller written ever! Fast paced, with so many twists & turns that you would need to have a remarkably uncluttered brain in order to keep pace.
Tag Five People And Ask Them To Do This On Their Blogs:
I don’t know 5 people who have Blogs… :-(
Total # of Books I Own:
Our Family has 3 cupboards full of books. How many of those are mine I do not know. Generally any Reader’s Digest books having to do with the Human Body, “Vanished Civilizations” or Tennis, were ordered by me & paid for by Mom at that time (Yes my interests were different). But they’re still OUR books more than mine. We’ve always looked upon everything like that. It makes it much easier for us to individually claim that we own 3 cupboards full of books. :-)
Last Book I Bought:
I SERIOUSLY have no recollection! Work leaves very little time to read & my very limited tastes are sufficiently catered to by my Sister who picks up a book for me if she thinks I’ll enjoy it. So most of my books these days are gifts.
Last Book I Read:
Who Moved My Cheese? Finished it in an hour. Now trying to plod through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Boring? Yes. What to do? Being in the Corporate World wreaks havoc with your self esteem and eventually makes you turn to the books once shunned saying “I don’t need these silly self help books!”
Five Books that mean a Lot to Me:
Hmmm… It took me a long time to think of 5 Books that I had read, but I finally have five! :-)
These are truly representative of my reading taste (or lack of it) and have everything to do with my attitude towards life.
Douglas Adams’: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Hilarious! And so original! Made me want to read all the sequels. Managed to give up on the third one eventually!
Tom Holt’s: Paint My Dragon.
Wicked, Wicked Humour! This man is truly a Creative Genius! I intend to read all his books one day! Unputdownable!
Kiran Nagarkar: Ravan & Eddie.
I had long resisted reading any Indian authors foolishly thinking that they dwell only on what is the sad, the destitute and the soppy! Then my Sister handed me this book that had me alternate between throwing my head back in laughter & bowing it in reverence to Kiran Nagarkar. Gave me a bad neck that lasted a damn week!
Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca
I had injured my back & had to sleep on the carpet in the drawing room for a week. That’s when I read Rebecca late into the night. I could look out from the Drawing Room window & see the silhouette of the trees in the dark night. The tone of the novel combined with the setting that I was reading it in makes me remember it as one of the scariest books I read. Marvelously written. Lovely Book!
Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo
Read when I was thirteen, I still remember the thrill it gave me. Fast paced novel in an era where everybody wrote books that seemed to take you eons to trudge through. The adventure, the concept of revenge… Ahhh…!
I will add a sixth book here. This may not be looked upon as being a great book by most, but to me it is one of the BEST I have ever read.
Robert Ludlum’s: The Bourne Identity
Using a real life chase of a world famous criminal as the background, Ludlum penned the Best Thriller written ever! Fast paced, with so many twists & turns that you would need to have a remarkably uncluttered brain in order to keep pace.
Tag Five People And Ask Them To Do This On Their Blogs:
I don’t know 5 people who have Blogs… :-(
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
New to Blogging
Ladies & Gentlemen!
I'm not new to the world of blogs in the sense that I'm an avid reader, but this is the first time I'm putting one up. In fact I wanted to call this blog me-too.blogspot.com, but like my kid Sis forewarned me, that one's already taken. It's a bit depressing to realize that even in the world of me-too's you can come second or third! Didn't realize that there's a race on even for Conformity!!! What's our World come to???
Anyway, I was introduced to blogs through my kid Sis. However what prompted Internet-Crazy me to put one up was the fact that Blogger is a Google initiative. Anything Google recommends I end up doing. In fact they were hiring recently. I applied. They recommended that I keep my CV to myself. So I did.
The first blog I read was a remarkably hilarious poem from http://pututhecat.blogspot.com. I recommend that everyone should check that blog out. The writer seems really talented & original.
But the most talented writer hides some of her work here: http://knownturf.blogspot.com. This blog however, doesn't even begin to showcase the author's prodiguous talent.
I too nurse a mostly secret desire to write but unfortunately my limited ability becomes too evident in my work, which has hitherto stopped me from any publishing endeavours. But there is much to be gained from being brave. So I'm now going to ask you to be brave, for I'm going to share my "work" with the world. And I'm going to be open to criticism. However, my definition of "open to criticism" may itself be open to interpretation. However let that not deter you, for most of the time, I am only joking.
Another word of caution. Well begun is half done is only half true in my case. Starting off is easy on enthusiasm alone, but a sustained effort will be missing here as from all other spheres in my life. I am essentially lazy. So watching this space may not yield much for you except what it promises literally. But anyway, Watch this Space.
I'm not new to the world of blogs in the sense that I'm an avid reader, but this is the first time I'm putting one up. In fact I wanted to call this blog me-too.blogspot.com, but like my kid Sis forewarned me, that one's already taken. It's a bit depressing to realize that even in the world of me-too's you can come second or third! Didn't realize that there's a race on even for Conformity!!! What's our World come to???
Anyway, I was introduced to blogs through my kid Sis. However what prompted Internet-Crazy me to put one up was the fact that Blogger is a Google initiative. Anything Google recommends I end up doing. In fact they were hiring recently. I applied. They recommended that I keep my CV to myself. So I did.
The first blog I read was a remarkably hilarious poem from http://pututhecat.blogspot.com. I recommend that everyone should check that blog out. The writer seems really talented & original.
But the most talented writer hides some of her work here: http://knownturf.blogspot.com. This blog however, doesn't even begin to showcase the author's prodiguous talent.
I too nurse a mostly secret desire to write but unfortunately my limited ability becomes too evident in my work, which has hitherto stopped me from any publishing endeavours. But there is much to be gained from being brave. So I'm now going to ask you to be brave, for I'm going to share my "work" with the world. And I'm going to be open to criticism. However, my definition of "open to criticism" may itself be open to interpretation. However let that not deter you, for most of the time, I am only joking.
Another word of caution. Well begun is half done is only half true in my case. Starting off is easy on enthusiasm alone, but a sustained effort will be missing here as from all other spheres in my life. I am essentially lazy. So watching this space may not yield much for you except what it promises literally. But anyway, Watch this Space.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
