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!"