PUC WOES…

In case you are wondering what PUC is then let me expand it for you. PUC stands for Pollution Under Control. It’s a regulation followed in India by the transport department . If you happen to own a two wheeler or a four wheeler then you are supposed to carry a pollution certificate which states that your vehicle adheres to the prescribed emission levels and you are not harming the environment … and your certificate expires every six months and has to be renewed. Sounds befitting doesn't it? In fact this is a copacetic concept. This routine ensures all vehicles follow the prescribed pollution norms and the vitiation levels can also be under check (At least theoretically).

Now coming to the ground realities… In the real world environment even if you just bought a spanking new bike from a showroom and if you are found without a pollution certificate then you are a perfect candidate for a fine imposition, on the contrary if you have a ten year old vehicle and it emits large amounts of CO2 but you manage to get a PUC certificate then no one can touch you (save the jokes).

How does all of this affect me? Well, I happen to be a proud owner of a *** bike(no marketing) though I can give away details like, it has two wheels(just kidding) .Okay, jokes apart... owning a bike is not a crime but owning it without a PUC certificate is and rather an expensive one; especially when you know you’re not wrong. I have faced a lot of tricky situations with the police department with regard to the pollution certificate and have ended up losing quite a lot to the rigmarole.

Sometime in 2007 ... I don't exactly remember I think it was winter time but what I can retrieve is that it was a perfect morning with bright sunlight(I prefer bright and sunny days). I was jubilant as I was heading for street shopping along with my friend but every thing came to a big halt at one traffic signal. I was waiting for the Red signal to turn Green .. Well it did turn green but a traffic constable jumped right in front of me from no where and suddenly I saw a big RED ,not on the traffic signal but on his face. I smelt the danger coming my way that instance! but I could do nothing as I was stuck in traffic and was unable to zoom away and moreover that constable was standing right in front of the bike. I stopped and he asked me to corner the bike . I did so and then the usual police thing began:

Constable : "Show Ur licence and RC book "

Me: "Here you go " ( I flashed both of them out of my wallet Rajni style ;) )

Constable : "Insurance document "?

Me : " I have it and again I showed the insurance doc as well"

Constable: " Pollution Certificate ?" ( with a wide grin on his face).

Me : " Well .... I .... have it maybe at home .... I guess ... or it expired ... Yes I Have it at home "( It was written all over my face that I did not have it)

Constable: "Ha Ha ; I knew it "

Me: "Come on, my bike is fairly new and it doesn't even spew smoke ... Go and catch those vehicles and spare me "( In a fairly humble tone)

but that guy was resilient enough and I failed to convince him. I ended up paying fine for the same and got the PUC certificate next week itself(I should have done it next day but I AM A LAZY GUY). Well now that I had procured the certificate I was free for the next 6 months(Remember the expiry period). Phew! that was a sigh of relief.. no more police trouble and everything was seeming so perfect.. Months went by and I almost forgot what PUC is and eventually it expired again and I didn't bother as well(remember the lazy thing) . This time around I was way too lucky and managed for more than an year without the certificate(mind you I am not proud about it). My dream run came to an abrupt end when I was caught by a transport police constable again! The same assault re-ran. This time around the constable came straight to the meaty thing without wasting any time. He was like " Show your licence , RC book and PUC certificate" and I was like

"SHIT!!!!! Not again".

For a moment I cursed myself as to why I did not get a pollution certificate done as its not very expensive. At least not as expensive as the fine :( . This time I thought I will somehow manage to escape without paying a fine as the cop caught one more fella just like me . I was happy that both of us can somehow convince but hold on!!!! The other guy had a friend in the local police station and he somehow managed to escape without paying a fine and I was just an onlooker. At that time I really felt the need of a friend in police! ;) Wish I had one :( . Things did not sort out in my case and I ended up paying a bribe as it was much much lower than the fine and the cops didn't mind it either :)(note: I don't like paying a bribe but guys its recession time so COST CUTTING! :)) .

So after this episode I was desperate to get a PUC. I started hunting for it next day onwards and to add to my miseries I was not able to find a PUC outlet ( as these are mobile stations usually in a car). I finally found one almost a week later and then my restless soul finally found solace.Now that I had the pollution certificate I wanted a cop to catch me as I had all the documents and needed a showoff session but now that I had everything no cop would even dare to touch you as if they know inherently if I have the docs or not huh!(such a pain). Days went by and still no luck no cop even bothered to look at me, infact I used to sometimes slowdown my bike near the police checkposts but still no luck.

Finally one fine evening after say 2 months later I got my PUC a cop finally stopped me and asked for all the documents and I was more than gratious to flout what I had with me and it felt so good, trust me! well this is not the end of the story....... Next day the same cop cought me again at the same place and I started laughing and asked him "again....?". He at once identified me and I could see embarassment(worth a millons) written all over his face and it was like a cherry on the cake! While returning back home I kept smiling carelessly on my luck.....................!

THE WORLD OF BLOGS

Suddenly the world is blogging and blogging hard. Moviemakers,actors,sportsmen,musicians ,politicians (err.. not many politicians or rather Indian politicians) are using their blogs to convey their message across which five years ago was not even known to many people, but one thing’s for sure, Blogs certainly are a hit, mainly amongst the youth but why?
There could be many explanations as to why blogs are effective but I guess there are three main reasons why the number of blogsters are going up by the day (in-fact by the minute I suppose), and they are:
1. It’s a free service (Very important ;) )
2. It’s fairly Easy to setup (Not as complicated as developing a website and a person with basic computer literacy should pretty much be good for the job).
3. The Internet is growing by the day and the spectrum of coverage that blogs provide is increasing manifold.

I should have come up with this article a long time ago i.e. when I entered the blogging circuit say about four months ago!, well I guess you are never too late ! :) . The reason ,I started blogging is because when you write, people start believing you firmly, as written mode of communication is always stronger than speech,and moreover it gives an excellent platform to document one's feelings, which could be referred to at a later stage in life.

Boy! Writing has been fun, it really has. I always wondered as a kid that how could someone write a book? Phew! I used to complain that it must be so boring to write one but , when you actually start writing, the ideas and thoughts just keeps flowing in and its then when you start exploring your potential as a writer and you tend to churn out volumes, .. You are right, Volumes of philosophy (in some instances :)).You can take the reader on a journey which you get to script, and there are simply infinite combinations that you can try out :) .

When I finish my articles and I go through them I ask myself, did I write this? It’s hard to believe that someone (me) who doesn’t like reading books can actually write. It’s an amazing feeling which is difficult to explain and by chance if someone compliments your write-up(even if it’s a lie) you tend to enjoy it , pat yourself and feel elated(Human nature ;)).

So folks start blogging and discover its beauty. Remember "its just a few clicks away!"

MY TAKE ON LIFE and TERROR.

Life I believe is a wonderful gift, a gift which only a few lucky individuals get to experience in this dark and dingy universe but sometimes I feel way too unlucky to be born on this planet where people want to kill humans and take great pride in doing so which, compels me to ask myself if I am lucky enough to still be alive? Thankfully the answer to this question is yes :) but lets face the reality we are not safe anymore as people have somewhere lost the motive of LIFE(which is not Live In Fear Everyday). Wanna know what my is my take on life?? Read on..

For a moment imagine the view of our beautiful planet from the space (..try google earth) everything looks so calm and all you can see is the beauty of earth , you can see the oceans which create the amazing blue effect .... wow so mesmerising, isn't it? At that point you don't even think for a moment that there are living organisms on this planet and every thing looks so serene and still . You sense nothing but positivity and no pessimism at all!. That is how you have to look at life each and every day. The moment humans start doing so I feel our planet would be a better place to live in(if not the best), because from that point of view your perspective towards life changes and you start believing LIFE is the best and the most beautiful gift any one can ever possess.

The other day(26Th Nov 2008) I was jubilant after witnessing a spectacular IND vs ENG cricket match and was going through the post match "Expert " analysis on one of the news channels . To my surprise the channel suddenly stopped the cricket analysis and shifted the focus towards the financial capital of India MUMBAI. Initially there were reports of a gun battle between two local gangs in the City. This news made me so unhappy that I switched off the TV in disgust and went to sleep. Next morning I got a big shock when I switched on the TV at 6:30 in the morning.... The gun battle in reality was a well planned terrorist attack at various locations in Mumbai the worst being at the extravagant hotels TAJ and Oberoi which not only had Indian Nationals but a fair number of foreigners as well.

India has had quite a few terror attacks in the past, but this one being the worst of em' all, killing almost 200 people and injuring more than 300 people. Each and every move the terrorists made was planned and tailored perfectly to cause maximum damage.They knew that if they entered the hotels it will be difficult for the armed forces to flush them out (as these hotels took "extra" care towards the privacy of their guests) and the ripples of the attack would travel continents and roll the political eyeballs as they attacked foreign nationals as well. Not only did they kill civilians but also killed few of the finest police officers India had.

Now coming to the main question,What did the terrorists gain out of this ..Money ? well may be ,anything is possible, but as they were on a suicide mission they wouldnt have in any case reaped the benefits out of the monetary aid or rather a cheap bait. I guess their family members would have got the money (God only knows). Come on .. how can you be so insensitive towards mankind and even think about gunning down or hurting innocent people blatantly with pride .I feel its shameful enough to even have such a thought in your head.

So if you are a terrorist and you happen read this article by any means please do read the first half of this write up again and have your thoughts sanitised , for the rest of you ,time to comment!.

MAN vs WOMAN

Couldn't resist myself from posting this !!!

REFLECTIONS AT THE POOL TABLE

Its 5'o clock on a weekday and the pool room sounds a bit buzzier than normal. You can probably sense it meters away from the actual game room when u hear the pool balls banging against each other which trust me is very heart breaking ..Oops before I delve in further this pool zone happens to be situated in our prestigious IT Company "V" and is the same company in which I work... Ok now enough of introduction so where were we hmm... yes when u hear the pool balls being shattered from a distance you kind of sense that someone has already occupied the table and probably you have to wait for your turn to play. When you enter the room you see a bunch of people standing around the table which includes ,people who are playing pool, people who are waiting to play pool and of course newbie’s who are simply there to quietly learn the nitty gritties of the game.

The game of POOL is simply astounding as I have never really understood
why people actually like it (which includes me).The objective of the game is to pot the balls into the holes on the table using a stupid stick called cue and the most stunning part is people derive great pleasure out of it. People actually applaud each others shots (potting the ball in the hole) and refer to good players as "champs of the table". The worst part is when you are eagerly waiting to play a game of pool and a bunch of freshers (at the game) are trying to finish a game yeah you are right trying to finish (as they take ages to finish off the table) and you are helplessly standing by the table cursing them till death which they wouldn’t know because you will be smiling at them making them feel as if they are the best poolsters (if there’s such a word) on this planet. Sometimes rookies actually go to an extent of mentoring a "pro" with feeling of pride and arrogance. Now the most baffling thing about pool, when you hold that pool cue and hit the first shot you immediately know how your form’s going to be on that particular day no matter how good a player you are and how much you have practiced .I don’t know weather this happens because of form or bad luck or may be a bit of both (huh) but whatever is the case it feels terrible when you know you are not a bad player and still you are missing all the shots as if its your first day at the table .. Amazing isn’t it? Yeah it is.

The Pool table also happens to be a hotspot for discussing politics, sports and what not! If you want some internal information or any news going around the company the pool table is the just the place… well what else can I tell you about this wonderful place … Yes the tale of the Cues (the playing sticks). These cues will always be in hot demand (well logically it has to be) .We have a bunch of cues out of which half of them could be described as totally crap (no offence) and useless, half of the remaining rest will be in flimsy condition which can go bad any instance, and one or two if luck is on our side will simply be crafted masterpieces which we in our lingo refer to as GC (golden cues).

Late in the night after a busy day the pool room is deserted and there is absolutely pin drop silence as if no one has ever been there for a long long time. The security guard carelessly switches off the lights with an assurance to the tables that people are going to return tomorrow. Next day the story continues…..

GLOBAL WARMING: ARE WE DOING ENOUGH?

The answer to the statement above would be yes, in fact we are doing more than enough to ensure that the environment takes a toll, yes you are right a heavy toll a price which our Earth is paying to protect us and I am sure I don’t have to tell you who’s responsible for this. I exactly don’t know where the world is heading towards from now which is 2008 and wouldn’t even want to know it because looking at the present scenario the future seems to be bleak. On one hand we are rapidly growing in terms of technology and wealth and on the other we are losing the charm and the glory of the nature and if you pick up any statistical survey most of this has happened in the last 100 years. Man has become so hungry to earn wealth and power that the four and a half billion year old earth is almost on the verge of extinction and all of this is due to the universally accepted phenomenon “GLOBAL WARMING”

When I take a bike ride by KBR park( A lush green park full of trees and vegetation in the heart of the city Hyderabad) on a mid summer night when the city oozes after it has been staked like a beacon I literally feel as if I have reached an oasis when I zoom by the park. This I believe is a gentle reminder by Mother Nature as to how important trees are for a healthy and cool environment and now with the boom in the real estate industry I see more trees being cut for land leading to a bigger dent in the ecosystem.

This is just one part of the story, other ventures which are blatantly murdering the environment and rising the global temperature levels are the so called multiplexes (parallel cinema) and shopping malls or in many cases a combination of both. In May 2008 I visited Kolkata for a family do and I was advised to visit this mall which was reportedly the biggest shopping mall in Asia. I (along with my family members) paid a casual visit to this mall … OMG I was simply stunned to see how big a mall that really was. The lighting left me mesmerized as if mini sun was installed in there .It would have been even heart breaking to even imagine the amount of electricity it(the mall)guzzled and the Humungous amount of heat it generated.

That mall was the best place to describe the word “wastage” considering the fact that not even fifty percent of India’s population has access to electricity. This is just an example of one mall in one city, just imagine about the hundreds of such malls across all the big as well as small cities in India and maybe thousands of malls across the globe. Oh Boy It is nothing less than mass destruction, destruction of the environment and the earth, the earth we live in and these are just a few examples of how the world is getting ruined by the rise in the temperatures and the list is simply endless.

If we have to survive on this planet we have to start nurturing the earth and understand how important it is to protect it because it deserves so. Remember! Even a small contribution like switching off the light or monitors (especially CRT ones) can do wonders to the environment at least to some extent. I individually practice it in my daily life whenever possible as it gives me immense satisfaction … and believe it or not it does make a difference!