Another day and for another occasion i took a metro

 Another day and for another occasion i took a metro

Another day and for another occasion i took a metro to reach a cyber cafe which functions from a basement. Before exiting the metro came across one gentleman who had taken a seat and slept with his mouth wide open conveying the idea that he had the right and irreversible token. Before i could figure out if he had shut his mouth to prevent flies from engaging in a series of bout i took a seat and amidst a manageable crowd collection collective thoughts went for those who boasted of being left with enough electoral rose.
Base is what a leading party had reached and yet some members found it fit to not restrain themselves from declaring themselves as winners and all-weather friendly swimmers. Swimming as an expedition they had channelised their energy on innumerable occasions and this time they were  swimming against a current which they believed was no more than some pitching their temporary tent. Debates and dentists who participated in the same suggested they had not been able to fix the teething problem and what was preventing them from seeing themselves perched on tenterhooks was the very fascination of having in their household multiple cooks. After the votes had been counted and the voters who cast them identified the leading party of leading luminaries gathered  at an undisclosed place to dissect the voting pattern and their repeated hitting the electoral result base. Conclusions from the parleys and amidst parle biscuits suggested the roadmap the party needs to adhere to know who is who to get a voters clue.


Not conceding defeat and away from reality heat 

Gathering of party leaders happened immediately after some of them marking their presence at tv theatres where the anchor in anticipation of results and reverberations had begun to call participants of all sensation. Most of the participants declared at the party meeting that they had held on till the very last to not concede defeat as it involved just two states and the resulting heat. Had it been half a dozen states a clear winner and a clear loser this electoral bout could have divulged. With two states and one among them returning less than two members from the previous blast we as party members of a leading political party were within our right to declare ourselves as winners. Some party members had been dispatched to tv theatres before noon had set in to declare with all sincerity the win and their winning run; this exercise was kept alive till the debates appeared to be tight. Here at party members gathering we seek to garner support on this line of action which we need to dish out every time we get this electoral shock which some esteemed members see it as a case of never-ending sensation. After unanimity was reached on the line of action to be taken in future, the members dispersed to their respective residences revolving with the idea that revolving chairs that anchors tear into can never visit them as their position in the party is secured given the monthly feeding to seniors of a ground report that their party is not a rocking boat.

When the party boat gets rocked, it should be dismissed as an aberration which would be corrected soon with a new lot. Party members of the leading party were thankful to those hosting the debate in tv theatres that at least they were helpful enough to raise the issue of new faces from other party coming to national stage/cage thereby diluting any attempt to highlight the rout this leading party had faced. TV anchors they had pressed into service had delivered and in future they would remain equally clever.

People of Somnath i have been in touch with

The Saturday and the visit to seek mosquito refills

The Saturday and the visit to seek mosquito refills

As i begin to write from a cyber cafe in the heart of national capital, the ride to this place was completed in a metro. Therein i came across a gentleman immersed in thoughts and ideas and putting the same in seeking new acquaintances. On to a set that could be identified as stable enough to carry in a hand he went through the profiles of those who had intended to research and retain him . Social connect through a network he had been in the past on several occasions and this time round it was no different. When this exercise got heavy and less hearty enough he bent his head to his hands which had been placed on a palm. Sleep was the next step and in vicinity were those who thanked themselves that they were not diehard plywood tracebook fanatics which forces one to fancy their chances of erecting their fort on the back of new acquaintances and their glow. If nothing comes out after search and scissor, then simmering discontent sets in sentencing you to a sleep in a public transport where crowd pull and pressure on occasions can get bitter. Apart from this nothing else could be recalled on a ride that on occasions look to be a long haul.

The Saturday visit

As for the recollection of a Saturday visit, the intent was to seek a series of mosquito liquid refills and the search took me to Ramakrishna Ashram Marg. Kashmir Store was the first to be visited which during that time had a fair share of visitors. Looking for Liquid refill was not a lengthening episode but lengthening was the search for the mosquito liquid vaporiser machine that has a durable sheen. There was another with the name GP Store and herein as well the success was nowhere in sight. From all the indications and inventions i came across the best bet was to approach connaught place and close my search there. It was near Shivaji Stadium bus terminal i was told by a vendor who sells sweeteners that right across the road the liquid refill and the machine could be procured. The machine which is sleek and long lasting was finally in the saddle not  long before the never-ending battle that led me to a search in ramakrishna ashram and roundabout. A search that took over two hours and innumerable interactions across a slew of provision and prevailing stores with the prevalent thought that the machine you are looking for they have run out or of the specimen you mention they don't store.
Sleek mosquito liquid vaporiser machines are more durable and those which come with push button are equally handy. Though these machines may not be the ultimate answer to fighting mosquitoes but at least they set the atmospherics right for one to gain at least five to six hours of sleep. As for the night battle and night patience on mosquitoes and their most-repeated acts, the other option could be to keep room neat and tidy; no clothes or papers strewn on mattress or table.  A sleep that is not preceded by debates and  dissent helps you as well to put  up a spirited fight against mosquitoes who on occasions enter the premises late.

Mosquito refill machines and their procurement

Though some have been procured from Tirumala, equally handy has been the purchase from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. Some from Gujarat proved handy as well.

Conversations across national capital including on Udhagamandalam

Conversations across national capital including on Udhagamandalam

It was a day when i was not able to decide on which part of the city i should visit. A wait at Kamal Cinema bus stand was enduring enough to goad me to take a walk to Africa Avenue. Before setting on road correction, i was amidst two school boys who had been attending afternoon school in Sec.12 R K Puram. The fees they were paying was comparatively less than what morning students pay.  On the way i tried for tea but with flies having collected in the kettle, it was better to leave it at that stage. As i reached Africa Avenue and moved to the road where buses go towards S N Market, i noticed one gentleman who had taken a seat at Kamal Cinema bus stand. Having sensed that i had seen through his design, he found it fit to take the next bus than wait and become wiser by attending to the chore of finding out where i was headed for. This has been happening on innumerable occasions.

As i waited for the bus the conversation with a guy from the North East was on hardships they face in places like Delhi. Learning about completion of his graduation from Coimbatore, i broached the subject of Udhagamandalam and Coonoor, the famous tourist destinations i had visited last year. Over one-and-a half year separates me and the visit to these two places. The Manipur boy has been doing a job in a BPO in Dwarka and his discipline to gain graduation was computers. Having stayed for over three years in Coimbatore, the Manipur boy would have been much familiar with the disciplined outlook the majority have in the states of South. It was a thrill to meet him and reminisce about Udhagamandalam.

From hereon i took 610, the red coloured airconditioned bus for Mandir Marg.  It was crammed to capacity and till the very end it was hard to get a seat. DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) should understand that it is better placed to run green coloured non airconditioned buses than running a skeletal service of red ones. For the entire journey from Africa Avenue to Mandir Marg the moment i used to move from left to right the left seat would get vacated and vice versa. With no seat in view i deboarded at RML. Walked a while before getting tea from an outlet which is about 200 metres from Kali Bari. Walked till Patel Chowk and took a metro. As i came out of  INA station, the rickshaw i got in to reach a cyber cafe was headed in the wrong direction. Had to abandon midway and dropped the idea of  mapping details of the days gone by.

Venkateshawar temple in Kali Bari Marg 

The other conversation was on soon to be completed Venkateshawar temple in Kali Bari Marg. The guy who runs a flower shop in the vicinity told me that the land was allotted in 1993 and to date the temple project is not complete. There are some issues with NDMC or the body which gives the final approval. It was in 1997 that Puja for starting the temple construction project took place and since then it is waiting for the final nod. That ceremony was extensively covered in The Hindu with pictures. 

It was a day when conversations across national capital brought out episodes of certainty and courage. It was also a day when i kept myself away from debates and opinions expressed which are no less than dissent.    

Other cyber cafes that i have visited

As i begin to write from a second cyber cafe, the first which i visited in K Sarai was not enterprising by any standards. In the basement the cafe had not enough lighting to persuade you to stay for some time. I tried my best to persuade the boy to hand me the desk that had enough lights. The boy suggested that the terminals right across were duly occupied by people who had ventured out for a while. The one where i was seated was a tad different, dismissive from the word go. There was one boy sitting on the right side holding a piece of paper. His work conduct suggested that he had to oscillate between looking at the paper which had some typed message and spread glance on who was sitting next to him. The boy appeared to be fishy and no less fishy was the guy sitting on the left. The moment i began to work, the first though that crossed the guy sitting on the left was to take a broad view of what all i was typing and whom all i was tearing. For a while the guy stood just behind and kept looking at my terminal. Having realised that i had noticed him staring he decided the best bet was to sit back on a terminal behind me separated by a cubicle. Strange were the conduct of the guys on the left and right and the one with a sheet of paper believed his mind was all into what he was holding. The way they were discussing about job potential and the plateaued platform they had reached gave a fair idea that none was into any job, it was all bunkum and given the large scale unemployment and a large scale of fraudism it was best to rotate your views on a job on which the person concerned has no views. One said:  " Mein toh teen saal se ek naukri mein raha. Kuch job prospect nahin." The other said: "Teen saal mein koi tarakki nahin hui hain."  In between they would make effort to look at my terminal and look at what all i was keying in. From the conversation one could make out that none were into any job. Even if they were it was probably a past blast.

The boy who was making due entry at the register section seem to be a fair one. His failure to hand me the terminal i desired may have been logical but the guys sitting on the left and right were by no means therapeutic. Never fault the boy who makes entry to the register in  a cyber cafe; it is other visitors who visit the terminal who make it a difficult proposition.  If this was not enough by now the thumping of the floor above us had started and the mosquitoes and their gathering had begun to give a tough time. This cyber cafe i visited after one year and here tv boxes serve as terminals. It is the limited budget that could have goaded them to convert tv boxes as desktops. Still my best wishes to this basement cyber cafe in katwari sarai as the owner is a gentle soul and the boy who makes the entry in register is equally simple. It is the set of visitors with their set of whims and fancies that take the peace from a cyber cafe.  From here i moved to another cafe in the basement which is comparatively peaceful and works with no hidden agenda. As long as snooping and tapping would continue one would be faced with these hard realities.

As for the daily usage items i procured from S N Market, the break up is as follows

lopchu tea   5 packets of 176 each totalling  880rs
chawal ka atta for 64 rs
kanodia kolhu brand mustard oil for 620 rs
sundrop 753 rs
saffola 358rs
aahar dal 99rs
chana dal 87rs
nestle everyday 850rs
surf excel 175 rs
dhania 140 rs
250 gm zeera 70rs
2 LG  hing 96 rs
garam masala 74 rs
And the grand total is 4266 rs.

And the grand total does not give me that elaborate pleasure than the idea of procuring these items on your own. One should have the capacity to go to the market and procure items of necessities than letting delivery boys deliver at your doorstep. For over six years some of the tenants took pride in getting items delivered at home not realising how much mayhem it was leading to. Not once but four to five times a day the delivery man would enter create nuisance and leave. Inside the house on the stairs and nearby some among them  would spit and shout. Forget about law and order and the machinery, the best antidote to those who create nuisance is to procure items on your own and don't let strangers enter your household. Experience of over five years suggest be true to yourself and don't play into hands of elements who swear by you that they are there to secure you.You are best secured if you have taken measures to not increase interaction with outsiders.

Fog to hit next week

Fog to hit next week

Reports are out that fig is to hit next week. Funny is the nature of fog as it comes at a time when people intend to work and slog. In winters, it sets in early morning and on occasions depart when people rise and start frowning. It hits those destinations more which has an active summary of traffic and its depleting glow.

As reports of its invasion strikes much before its initiation, invention is the key to success; the falling attendance at offices and boss residences is the real marker of the unfolding stress. Boss is told the previous day that my stomach is too old to fight fog and the fever and let me excuse myself from your home as a gatekeeper. Those boss who have shown intent that their juniors should report to office alone are told that their body is not uptodate to fight the fog blade and they be excused from office work where more than their half time is spent in keeping a watch on who entered the loo and who exited with what clue. Loo keeping is the work assigned to them and failing which they get a hit to their bum. Innumerable are the inventions during fog and most could be realised in loos of airports and railway stations which has a schedule that flip flop and taking its own time to correct this flaw. Hours the passengers spend in these two sectors of sense suggest that fog may not at all be a bad idea as its emergence keep us tied in places where there are women and gents. Here they talk at length on issues from family to security and most believe the best way forward is to upgrade ourselves instead of looking for answers from those who don't apply gell. The best security is in our hands and look for opportunity to relay the same to our friends who on occasions are caught in a traffic jam. Right from a car pool to moving in groups can help us to be in the loop.  

As i begin to write from a cyber cafe

As i begin to write from a cyber cafe which is a notch above ground floor, the Basrurkar market visit was commendable given the tea that was easily available. Well the bus which i had taken from Naurojini Nagar was meant to take me to Delhi Cantt station, just two kms before i got down sensing the visit to the station was against circumstances that could hardly lead to any stage of sensation. The national capital and the cold that has sweeping the same suggests apart from warm fabric wrapping it is the physical exertion that would help you fight the cold. Still the best bet to fight cold is to take brisk long walks coupled with a cell duration that by no means encourage the same sentiment of sorts.

It is hard to digest why people speak on a cell when they don't have any information to tell. Even the visits to the market need not be advertised on a cell as that won't give you a welcome of a red carpet. The other day i visited Sarojini Nagar Market in New DElhi to get the necessities meant for monthly usage. It comprised commodities that are actively searched and soaked in Kitchen, the amount i had to deposit at the cash counter ran over 4200rs. The staff was cooperative and equally cooperative were the gems who left no chance to exchange views on issues on which they don't have clues. One lady entered the ATM centre with a query on which machine she should look forward to get cash. As i was struggling and trying to figure out among the three machines which had the acceptability to accept my proposition to dispense with cash, i could still read the mind of the lady and the laundry that she could collect and convert which won't leave her in a quandary. As i left the ATM the words of wisdom she had conveyed to the machine and the men were not to be forgotten and hopefully recalled when you are feeling low and put on ear cotton .

As i reached home and tried to tally the commodities and the price paid for the same, there was no discrepancy and all i gathered was this was meant for monthly usage comprising among others lopchu tea, nestle milk powder and kanoria cooking oil. Against the visit to S N Market, there was another visit to INA market to gather bakery biscuits. In all purchased four packets for over 170 rs and  waited at the bus stand which has its own set of freebies. All in all the two visits to two different markets were no less inducing as it gives you a fair idea of daily necessities and their price string.

As i write from a different cyber cafe in South Campus against different set of people, the first cyber cafe i approached had malfunctioning desktops working to a capacity which few would appreciate. The men at work took refuge that server is slow and problem pichche se aa raha hai. This cyber cafe i dare to visit after a gap of over eight months and here nothing had changed, even those overseeing the operations had not been temptingly close to tentatively set a date when their desktops won't be overweight. So i shifted to the old warehouse which has amidst the collection some north east flavour who tentatively come to browse.

According to reports appearing in newspapers and the one read and researched by newspaper vendors, the car prices is to rise in January. Well the month of January would consist of 31 days from first to thirty first and the rise can happen on any of the day. This day could even be a Sunday. Car manufacturers have risen to the occasion to bury the occasionally fiddling on the price front and discharge their responsibility on price and the rise they want to raise as a rent.  The car prices that are to be raised and preserved comes close on the heels of a string of surveys on how disposable the people in the metro are and how disposed they are to the idea of a car bar. 

The debate and the dessert

Yes

When you are staying in a country that has been up against all sort of battles , two thoughts cross your mind. First, the urgency to save water and second, the course correction which we should set in to keep power usage at low. Particularly true for national capital where the urgency to keep the usage of water and power to bare minimum does not cross minds of many. Perhaps the goading by others let them dig deep into deep reserve of water which by any chance won't remain deep if unchecked usage is resorted to. Delhi gets water from Uttaranchal, Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir and yet the repairs now and then can delink you from water. Water is precious and we should be careful enough to seek this resource and if we are able to check our expenses water and the quantity available won't appear to be a terrifying sight. There were occasions when deep reserve was run for 7 to 10 minutes. Later this transformed to 15 minutes and if this was not enough it was run for 25 minutes and above for one floor.  A sheer wastage brought out by the fact that outsiders seeking water have to be kept in good humour. A wrong precedent that should never be encouraged.

Resources we have we should be thankful for that instead of trying to build this argument that we need to augment income so that happiness comes in a ton. If we are good to the resource, the resource would be equally good to us.

The visit to INA market

The visit to INA market

The visit to INA on a day and at a time when most have hardly got over from their last night shine was meant to procure biscuits and milk. Instructions were on bakery biscuits as they are less sweet and after consuming them one radiates less heat. Two packets of bakery biscuits came for 150rs ( fairly expensive) and i was to blame for not doing an elaborate search as some stores packets were coming under 40rs bracket. Jaggery came for 20rs, milk of amul tone came for 60rs (2kg), bananas of a kg came for 50rs (fairly expensive as in Kolkata the local flavour comes for 15 rs and those lifted from Bhusaval and deposited in Kolkata table come for 30rs a kg). Boroplus and acilog came for 50 rs as the storewallah expressed his inability to shower me with a smaller tube.  Nescafe came for 96rs. All in all the breach to the wallet was close to 500rs and this was an experience worth remembering.

The city where we live in and the number of people who surreptitiously work in a cabin, the best bet is to procure all necessities on your own and if some outsiders still indulge in getting the delivery men they need to pitch outside their tent. Tent would not be advisable as forecastmen has dared to forecast that rains in the city is long overdue and though the quantum would be less this would be beneficial in fighting the beasts and the blues. Coming to INA market and those who are least bothered about their budget and have more than occasionally INA target don't realise that the high prices can blow their wallet and make their options flat. Customers of all commendable nature, who claim to have never lost the lustre, should bear in mind that prices that are defendable should be agreed to and any consistency by opening the fat wallet would give the storekeeper the much-needed clue. INA market has changed much from the 80s basket when there were few shops and fewer were sighting of gems with their dogs. Now all customers who seem to radiate as content clever visit and the price fluctuation reveals the market's losing sensation. As for cyber cafe in INA, there are none. One has internet connection that spells 10 rs for 20 minute photo sensation or 20 for 10 minute sensation. This does not work as cyber cafe as there is only one terminal and it is primarily used to prepare documents.

Ride to Mahipalpur

As for the ride to Mahipalpur the other day the ride was amidst volunteers of Sohan Band  South Delhi who were going to play the band followed by taking a wholesome meal to fill their belly. In the bus there were people who were entering and exiting at will; some showing the bus pass thunder to enjoy the travel thrill. The cyber cafe here in Mahipalpur has downsized its operations and by and large it was peaceful and some coming for xeox after having taken their ration. It was after i exited that Metro feeder service was exhibited. The small bus is crammed to capacity and what to talk about standing even the seating passengers have to adjust and their kitty. The ride is terrifying and one can afford to take if one has ample time. A bigger bus with a reduced frequency would be handy than cram passengers in a vehicle that no one has a clue.    

The second ride to North Campus

The second ride to North Campus

The second ride to North campus came with a rider that in the evening i would be visiting Okhla to fetch my share of veggies. North campus the previous week was not hard to access as multiple of buses were accessible with no sign of overboarding. This time round, Metro looked to be feasible given the Hudson Lane exit i was looking for. It would have been a little after noon had set in when i exited from gate number two and the final destination to reach i had all the clue. Barely 200 metres away i was looking for a cyber cafe that functioned from a basement. What i could gather during the course of conversation was this cyber cafe had shut down and in effect there were others in the bylanes with their share of fame.

The one i entered had some steps to its entry/exit point and the dust that had settled on the keyboard meant the cafe did not have the round the clock shine. The cafewallahs were kind enough to let me in and during the period i used the net they were having meals and wearing jeans. Would have stayed for a while as sufficient light is a must when you are working on stories on a city on how to assess and adjust. As i came out convinced that i would seek their services next time, the search for others near Patel Chest  proved to be of no success. Finally took a metro ride to Okhla and at Central Sectt. took the tube that went to Badarpur which had amidst passengers who place a series of bet. It was at Kalkaji metro station i came out not forgetting during the ride that there was a lady who was trying to flip through the pages of brunch and the least degree of concentration suggested she hadn't had a wholesome lunch.Some boys at this station were kind enough to suggest the bus ride i could afford to take to Okhla and one has to walk about 500 to 750 metres before reaching the stop.  The bus ride lasted barely five minutes and i was amidst the vegetable thunder in Okhla that has events that come every calendar.

 It was at 4.47 in the evening i was in Okhla and this time i stayed away from checking the whereabouts of Rajdhani and all those who had the synergy and the clout. Some of the veggies i could procure included gobhi (cauliflower) for 15rs a kg, parwal (pointed gourd) 20rs a kg, bhindi (ladyfinger), ginger and peas. The entire bunch came for a little over 100rs. This time round the Okhla subzi mandi seem to be peppered with a series of emotions riding on large numbers who had ventured out to purchase vegetables.


Ride on a green bus
It was on the rate of pointed gourd and my submission that it came at 10rs a kg in azadpur saw one vendor in okhla lose his cool. Perhaps he may have been correct given the rate of 30 and above the customers would have consistently paid. It is a customer or a series of them who shy away from bargaining and this leads to an upsurge in vegetable price which has its daily share of gaining. As i stepped out the bus that would take me to AIIMs was not hard to locate. This being Sunday the rush inside the green bus meant majority inside were going to take part in celebrations like birthday. THe city is more comfortable in running green buses as red may have some followers but it has its share of misses as well. It consumes more fuel releases more air and makes the city resident more used to sounds of comfort lasting for a few minutes. The traffic too on a Sunday was thick and less therapeutic and by the time i reached home the tv theatres were thick with news on all those who went to Rome and alone.

A life led on saving is a life worth living 

yes 

yes 

What cell can do to you apart from making you lose your cool

It has been observed that people tend to lose cool in the morning when they have not spoken on a cell for long. Cell conversation centre on issues of least significance and primarily leave the user in a state of tense. 

One Sunday in national capital was historic

One Sunday in national capital was historic

One Sunday in the national capital was historic as i was amidst an exercise to clear a room that had collections old enough to lose sheen of being therapeutic.  Faced with an uphill task to clear the papers and other disposable articles, it was a race against time as room had old papers/bags of  Cambodia and other countries comprising Asia.  The first intervention by me was not welcome but soon after taking bath most of those residing decided this task had to be completed by threesome. Third person happenned to be me who on that day was free to a fair degree. Old papers were collected and released in a gunny bag. There were a series of articles on the years/decades gone by and it was better to release them in a gunny bag as this is the prevailing fad. Letterheads too were dispensed with after carefully tearing them apart. There were old fans and old magazines that had lost their novelty which too had to be dispensed with given the space it was taking and by no means looking fit. Search was on for articles which could be preserved for a while apart from photos that showed the synergy we shared that had eluded places like Kyoto.

As for writing pads which could be utilised were retained and those beyond redemption were sent to disposable fame. It was an exercise that picked up speed just before noon and by half past four in the evening we had cleared much of the room and it began to look fresh with a new tune.

With gunny bag as big as those brought by scrap paper dealer, the numbers were over four. In fact just after two we had begun to give calls to scrapwallah who seem to suggest that he would approach us once he has finished his lunch and taken the  rest. Calls were being made every half an hour to make him realise the import of the exercise and he should collect the scrap paper was our sole advice.  When the scrap man came, alone was his arrival and after five and we hoped he won't be shy. He duly filled all the scrap papers in the gunny bag along with heavy books that rotated at one time as telephone directory and answering your A to Z query. When we requested him to take some more scrap, he seem interested as his cycle had no room to get adjusted. In all he carried five gunny bags and probably would have reached his shop without paying any street tax. Nothing is known on the kilo the scrap weighed and what weighed in his mind all we can say was he was kind. This scrapwallah looked comparatively fresh as on a previous occasion he looked tired and twisted. As for me, the entire day i refrained from taking bath and only in the late evening i took oodles of water on my face and hair as it needed this fare. Late evening i had my share of meals and late in the night with physical exertion enough sleep was kind to me and those who cleared the old disposable hub.

If Sunday was exhausting the other day when i went to INA market in Delhi led to my options getting exhausted.   

Yes 

Spitting is a national obsession

Spitting is a national obsession

There has been no dearth of people who wish to spit and who wish to flee. Spitting may be a national obsession and you would be lucky enough to witness and experience this national commitment which has not diluted over the years. Most would take this rationale that by and large public has a wide open space to spit and shiver. But this very open space could be one where you would be standing or the one from where you would have gone past just a second before. It would be entirely dismissed as a coincidence that if you go to fetch vegetables or deboard a bus the people spit and and take a long deserved rest.

Why people spit and where its origin lie? It is a tale dating back to 2008 trail when the law and those governing had become law unto themselves and began to assert in a colony with zeal and hourly sounding of bell. These were all provoked by plainclothes men who took to their advantage the deteriorating situation and sensed an enduring sensation. Others had been shrouded in a bad repute and here it was better to employ plainclothes men who could hourly shoot. People made most of the deteriorating situation and who all could soak the pleasure were set in motion. Right from delivery boys to maids coming to your house, all seem to be partaking the raining benefits and this set the agenda for snooping and spitting mavericks. Spitting is a thought that they have developed with, the quantum they can release at one go is the feedback from their masters who carry a spitting kit.

The spitting kit elaborates the posture the man who is to oblige you with spit should be - and the posture should be such that it may half-heartedly convey that it was entirely meant for you. Spitting rekindles the fire in their belly; at least they have been assigned some job which they can unleash clearly. The man who is about to spit would be told in advance about the target and as the target is near him or about to go past him the plainclothes guy would spit and look at a direction as if he is reenergising for another hit.

Elaborate partners
Who could be elaborate partners in spitting? Going by clinical fashion at which spitting with sporting enthusiasm has been carried out, the lot if plainclothes and those in other form have been exhausted could comprise of parking attendants, delivery men with a new spitting firmament, slew of drivers who drive vehicles ranging from autos to buses and any number of men and mavericks duly assigned the task. Mind you all these people mentioned above could be spitting in the normal course but the new and recharged energy level brought to the proceedings easily convey that they have been prodded and duly asked to have the habit preserved.

Spitting kit is what keeps them enthusiastic round the year and if by chance they run out of posture and perseverance they look to the kit and run their writ. Had these unemployed men who remain only employed till the period they are spitting been duly assigned a constructive assignment they would not have been spitkind. Spitting is here to stay and one can easily distinguish between those who spit at will and those who spit when they have been prodded by others to spread the thrill. Part of the thrill should be shared by their masters; once this sporting endeavour has been shared by one and all they won't be complaining that they have to spit since they had failed to answer nature's call.

The tea leaves procured from Lal Bazar in Kolkata 

The second ride to Okhla in a space of 20 days

When i am at a cyber cafe there are no dearth of people looking for air tickets

Stay in national capital amidst different rides

 Stay in national capital amidst different rides

The stay in national capital has been consistent with different rides to different destinations. One that took me to North Campus would be worth essaying. It was a Sunday and the wait was for a bus that would take me to North Campus via ring road. Ring road primarily meant i would be amidst vehicles of all shape size and sensitivity which hit the road on a Sunday which in most parts of the country is hailed as a holiday coinciding with some celebrating as their birthday and some getting their remuneration on a tray.

Before i attempt to write i just went through a you tube post on a cheating boss and his position in the office looking tight. Probably those who cheat and those who can sustain this enduring heat are those who have developed a mastery on this feat. It is no easy to cheat and chew your enemies in the same breath as there are a large number of people who seeing you with this twin advantage begin to fret. So the tube post not looking alarming but acting as a deterrent to my writing sentiment, it was time to get back to ring road that presented a picture of calming.  Started from Naurojini Nagar bus stop. The bus went past Moti Bagh, Dhaula Kuan, Naraina, FCI Godown before coming to its destination at Punjabi Bagh. Here i was told to take another bus that would take me to Ashok Vihar and from where i would get a series of options for North Campus. Neither the wait at Punjabi Bagh or Ashok Vihar was lengthening nor the crowd at bus stops that could be described as alarming. On most occasions i was able to secure a seat with some eager to direct me on how to get the appropriate connection. From Ashok Vihar the bus went via model town and azadpur where people come to take a vegetable tour. Had it been a direct bus i can say with certainty a little under an hour i would have reached North Campus. Given the three different buses with no sight of those spraying flying kisses, i reached North Campus in over one hour with some emerging at the bus stop reenergised as if they had taken a shower.


Time to rejuvenate
It was time to rejuvenate and what better way than take the tea served in a cup in a location where there are fewer sensations. With tea gone inside and tribulations kept aside, i waited for my return journey at the metro station bus stop. An impression and impassioned plea that i could get the return connectivity saw the wait endure. Probably under the illusion that a direct bus i would get till AIIMS from this bus stand via Azadpur and Dhaula Kuan kept me glued to the spot for long. Finally the air was cleared when mudrika people told me that at most i can get the bus till Punjabi Bagh and from there i have to get another one. Again took another mudrika- these are orange coloured buses which probably run under DTC- and here a series of conversations conveyed the upsurge in bus fare and bus pass. Well during our time the student pass used to come for rs12.50 and a monthly pass probably for 100rs. Nowadays the student pass comes for 115rs and a monthly pass for over 800rs. Student pass for 115rs one can understand but there is little justification for 800 rs upwards for monthly pass. As i reached Punjabi Bagh there was an airconditioned bus heading towards AIIMS but seeing the crowd inside and the level of stress they were in it was better to skip. Again an orange mudrika came and i successfully reached my destination with fewer sighting of ameliorated sensations.

As for these two rides on a single day, one can say with confidence that ring road which looked to be a battle in the past if one wished to go from AIIMS to North Campus can easily afford to take a ring road provided the traffic and sense of the same has been made. Bus rides are a must in a city where there are fewer chances to get witty. Wilting under pressure comes easily and the window that separates you from a cashier is not clearly. Voting to veto the chance of those whom you want to oppose can be done if voter i card has been made and won. If you approach a voting card centre to get the card, the personnel at the other side of the counter look to be poles apart. Probably with a govt job the first task before them should be redress the grievances of public who come to seek a card and not see them waste hours and hours in gossip and tea glass.  Improvement in public delivery system is a must and a beginning has to be made that is enduringly long to not rust.

Some other phone booths i came across

Some other phone booths i came across
Some other phone booths i came across

It won't be hard to accept that phone booths have seen a phenomenal drop in their location given the majority who seek instant solution. Instant solution for their professional commitments and instant remedial measures if personal options are dropping by the hour. Still one can locate phone booths across cities and towns.

With most of the notings made about Kolkata and some parts of Gujarat it is time to look at other centres.
In Tirumala there is one from where a series of mutts begin. Though it is not functioning the entire day, the evening is the best time to avail and its exact location is right next to a bus stop and a public sector bank.   There is another where songs in praise of the Lord are sung and heard round the clock and here it is functioning from morning till midnight. This is handy for devotees.  

There used to be one near the Central Reservation Office where people used to approach TTD employees seeking extension for their rooms. That has been discarded and no replacement has been put. In Manmad there is one about 300 metres away from railway station. In Ahmedanagar and to be precise Shirdi there is one near the water tank and this is primarily a coin dipping one. Well another one is near Dwarka Mai coming with a rider that a change would help you access the same.  In Mcleodganj there is just located in a book shop and any attempt to locate others would prove futile. Leh comes with some near the bus stand and a one near meditation centre which doubles as cyber cafe.

All major bus stations and railway stations across country need to have phone booths as on occasions mobiles may fail to shoot With frequency not dropping during the day, the phone booth could be ideal platform to convey and converge on a host of issues.

Well there has been disappearance and deviation as far as phone booths are concerned, the primary trigger being the cell turn. Well the national capital boasts of over 4 crore mobiles in the present fiscal trying to underscore that be it work or sabbatical, the residents take to cell  as every day is a new battle.  A battle that primarily may not be on bottle or brevity but could essentially be on your creativity which others may dismiss as a hangover from last night session of witty and a peace treaty.

People of Leh and Somnath i am in touch with

Phone booths i came across

Phone booths across country


There has been a desire to search for phone booths across country. The freedom that comes along can be entirely understood if one ever seeks to free himself/herself from a cell bell. It is the cell that sets you in a state of suspended animation leading to animosity of thoughts and ideas. Repeated usage of a cell not only leads to a state of disenchantment; it could also lead to repeated postures where to smell the raw scent you have to bend.  What better way to get over this than free yourself from cell and the accompanying bell.

In Kolkata

In the city of Kolkata, right in the heart of Howrah station the phone booth facility is no less sensation; one near the departure gate right before the taxi stand and another at the first gate from which you enter/exit. There could be a fair sprinkling of landline advantage in other locations of station premises as well. Going to Bentinck street, there is a phone booth on either side adjacent to a hot tea outlet. This can be identified by a board that suggests the rate for hot tea effective from 19/9/2011; special full -12rs, special half - 8rs. One stationary van in the Bentinck street also serves as a handy outlet for making phone calls; the present status is not known. In Lenin Sarani there is one near Hotel PAradise; the shop also dangles the advantage of selling travelling bags of different sizes which most can brag.

In Rasbhari Road there is straits restaurant and in its vicinity are a slew of typewriters in operation. Right opposite the typewriters is a cyber cafe which doubles as STD/PCO booth. This is known as Peoples Book Centre. Further down the road in Kalighat there is one opposite the temple and if you set yourself on a search for others the chances are you would find it hard to zero in.  There could be innumerable in and around Bhowanipore; probably a walk inside the market could get you the phone booth. One is sure of a phone booth near Bijali theatre where there are over half a dozen shops on xerox.

If one is moving around new market area next to S S Hogg market there is aircel message point serving as a phone booth with the personnel at the counter as energetic as ever to hand you the change if a big note has been shown. Santosh Tailors also has a phone booth inside and here too the cooperation is widely appreciated. There could be handy if not innumerable options on B B Ganguly street and Chittaranjan avenue and once one is able to place them the same can be elucidated.

In Ahmedabad

Moving towards Ahmedabad in Lalbazar area near Relief Cinema there is Salapose Road. And here the outlet selling soda drinks has in the vicinity one phone booth with an equal spread of biscuits and attar.In the main railway station of the city, there is a phone booth away from platform one.
In Somnath there are none in the shopping centre and one has to walk a bit before accessing the one run by vaidhya bhai in prabhas patan. Veraval can get you in the market but probably none in the bus stand.

As for national capital, the search for a phone booth near AIIMS is not bothering except for the fact that as one starts making calls to Leh and Mcleodganj there is an active gathering of people who till the other minute were engaged in acts of catering. Privacy lost and and amidst preservatives lot, the act to convey your consent on a concert gets defeated and at most the next time round you could be garland feted. Perhaps the urgency to seek phone booths from Kanchipuram to Kanniyakumari has been to turn myself away from tweets and tense teeth as this act of tweeting is nothing but blowing the trumpet and let the world know who are equally capable of carrying a bucket. Tweets are here to stay as day is not far away when water won't come in the bucket and equally tempting would be the tweet on how to get water ticket. So far no tweets have come on water and waiter and once they begin to come you can say with certainty you have a rotating bum. Herein the policy should be to lift the veil on phone booths and endorse those gems who root for this decades old truth.      

The ride to Okhla

The ride to Okhla

It was after spending some moments with an old man at AIIMS bus stand i decided to take a bus that would cover a distance and reach a destination that is fairly grand. The bus coming with a packed to capacity load still gave me the chance to get inside which had amongst passengers some fairly old. The wallet and the will to not wilt under pressure were twin concerns guiding me; equally concerned about the destination i intended to reach. Amidst the surging crowd i had yet to decide on a destination and by the time i reached NSIC ground i decided to get out of the bus. From hereon i was told that Okhla Mandi was not that far. Given the uncertain state of affairs i was in i decided the best option would be to visit Okhla Vegetable market later and here i was amidst people who were in Nehru Place Terminal. The Terminal is in disorder given the road inside is ruptured and a crowd fairly less from the 90s gathering of stress. This is probably to do with the Delhi Metro that runs in the vicinity. I returned home by a DTC bus and herein the frequency has scaled down as most are metro bound.

It was another day with another set of people i took the bus for Okhla Depot. There are three emerging and functioning centres in and around. First is the Okhla Railway Station. Second is Okhla Depot and third is Okhla Subzi Mandi. As you enter Okhla station, there are three trains that go past you. First is Samata Express from Visakhapatnam to Nizamuddin at half past four followed by one going towards Kosi Kalan  at 4.32 and Mumbai Rajdhani at 4.47pm. With adequate notings made of the trains it was time to head towards Subzi Mandi where some musketeers have a different set of fame. As you step out of the station, the first impression is of no sanitation facility in and around leading to people relieving on a heap of garbage. Here one can build the toilets as there is ample space and also help the residents realise the worth of cleanliness. Inside the subzi mandi, the vegetables pricing is fairly reasonable and as one walks to the bus stand still the thought of no sanitation structure near okhla station comes haunting you and engaging you in a spell of rant. From the bus stand one can get the buses till AIIMS.

Nothing much had changed at Okhla Station from the one i visited in the late 90s. Primarily a local station meant to cater to local people the rush in EMUs is no less in the evening.    
     

The Sealdah station and surroundings

The Sealdah station and surroundings

As i reached Sealdah station, the board on running of locals suggested the operation begins at 3.46 in the morning and continues till 11.42 in the night. As you enter the Sealdah station, the first sight is of the enquiry counter and herein i was amidst a gathering that is fairly less. The response on Sealdah Rajdhani  departure suggested that long distance trains are to depart from platforms 9A and 9B. Few metres away is  a pure safe and drinking water shed which is quite handy.

Wait amidst locals ferrying pasengers

As i wait opposite the Mother Dairy outlet which has a rich collection of mishti doi among other dairy products it coincides with innumerable announcements on Gangasagar Express which has a waiting list of over 500; some of which were as follows.   WL 387 comes to HQ (headquarter) S3 19, WL 407 comes to HQ S3 22,  WL 432 to HQ S3 25, WL 433 to HQ S3 26 and WL 505 to HQ S3 18.

Amidst reading of this list, there are passengers waiting for Uttar Banga which takes 14 hours to reach Cooch behar. They are sitting in a line much before the departure of the train and herein i am told that things are under less level of stress vis-a-vis 1991. Meanwhile an announcement is made for Asansol-Sealdah Intercity which is supposed to depart at 4.45. As for some other locals there is Budge Budge local, Baisipur local, Lakshmikantapur local, Bangon local and Dankuni local.

Local stations the train went past

As the Sealdah Rajdhani leaves  at 4.50 pm, i recall the morning ride to Park Circus to get mishti doi. Here Idol of Goddess Durga in Nonapukur Lohatty Durga Puja Samity in AJC Bose Road seems to be the most moving experience.Perhaps the coating of the idol is truly uplifting. May the Nonapukur Lohatty Durga Puja Samity in AJC Bose Road continue with this over 50-year-old tradition in the most befitting fashion for decades to come. The Rajdhani goes past Eastern Railway Men's Congress, Route Relay Interlocking Cabin, Sealdah GRPS CB Camp 2.   THe train goes past Bidhan Nagar Road at 4.59, Dum Dum 5.06, Dakshineswar at 5.12 followed by Ballyghat.  For passengers willing to get a view of Dakshineswar the best bet is to take a side seat. At 5.21 comes Dankuni East. Soon after Dankuni station we are amidst huge tract of fertile land on either side. Masgram comes at 5.54 and Burdhmann (Burdwan) comes at 6.08 pm.

Durgapur coming at 6.44 and Asansol at 7.16. On other side at Asansol is Burdwan-Hatia Express. In that train there is a fair gathering of jhalmuri vendors suspending the passengers with their flavours.  Around 7.35 we go past Barkrar station and at 7.45 Vananchal Express goes past us. This is followed by Kumardubi station. At 8.27 Dhanbad comes and here one guy before getting down prefers to elaborate on a cell that on most of the occasions when he has travelled on train the urgency has meant employing ulterior motives to get ticket; effectively meaning paying to tte a sum desired by him. Early morning Kanpur comes and a little after half past 10 we are in New Delhi Station.

A word of praise for train catering personnel  U C Tiwari.  There were other families on board and the one hailing from Saharanpur did not mind wasting the food served on train. There have been innuumerable experiences when the food served on train gets least element of attention from passengers and they waste at will.
As for train reservation from reservation centre near GPO in Kolkata, just under 20 minutes all seats were taken up and this showed the rush and other factors that are beyond control. Perhaps a strict monitoring at the reservation windows across country would help to break the impasse.

The visit to Azadpur Mandi and Old Delhi Railway Station

The visit to Azadpur Mandi and Old Delhi Railway Station

The stay in the national capital has been truly mesmerising, witness to a a spate of release of advisory on your long-lasting battery. Apart from revealations having widespread ramifications, truly revealing has been the price of vegetables and other commodities brought to your table.
It was a second visit to Azadpur Mandi in five months and herein i was amidst vegetables and other gems. The visit the second time was post 12 prime against a ride in Delhi Metro which took 30 minutes to reach Adarsh station and which had among passengers some expressing concern on price of petro. Having successfully negotiated the stairs i walked at a brisk pace to reach Azadpur and its base. Streams of cart and a little less visible small trucks laden with vegetables were seen in operation,  reaching their destination.

As i entered from a rear gate i came across men and those possessing the power to prove the same carrying bagful of vegetables and other variables. Probably would have walked 300-odd metres to reach the vegetables which were on a budget parameter tempting hot. Gobhi ( cauliflower) could be seen in plenty; some reaching as high as 15rs and touching a low of 10rs a kg, quite a monumental achievement given outside they have a high price firmament. All i could gather during the stay in Azadpur Mandi was a handful of gobhi (cauliflower), parwal (trichosanthes diocia) (also known as pointed gourd), tomato, ghiya (bottle gourd), ginger and onions.Gobhi came between 10 and 15rs a kg, parwal around 10rs a kg, tomato rs 10 a kg, four pieces of ghiya for 10rs and perhaps onion coming for 20rs a kg. Perhaps i could have added a fair sprinkling of aloo (potato) and todi (ridge gourd) but the prevailing load coming for 120rs was enough to discourage me to go for any extra.

The walk back to metro station was not without its share of sighting of kashmir apples being unloaded from trucks. Herein one needs to stress that it is better to get vegetables from here as outsiders look for every opportunity to exploit you and in the name of monthly payment take away your peace. It would have been better to keep expenses low so that the dependence on outsiders would be less which would at least close one window of exploitation.

The other day the visit to Old Delhi Railway station too happenned agaist a ride in Delhi Metro. Herein to be noted is the time and distance it takes after you exit the metro and reach the station is considerable. Given the rush and people using this option, some extra time should be kept if one intends to reach station to catch a train. Once you are out of station, the first sight on the left side is of a space that clearly instructs not to relieve yet the persuasion has not produced the desired result. Better would have been to raise a public toilet.

As you reach the station the window which used to be on the left side of entrance for procuring platform ticket has been shifted to a place where general tickets are disbursed. As you enter the station on the left side of the first platform which used to house railway canteen has been split between a private party running a food outlet and railway canteen in the rear.

The first platform has a bunch of vendors selling tea and eatables and here unless the nexus is broken tea vendors and different department people would continue to sail. Apart from the premises that is split between a railway canteen and a private food outlet, there is another private food outlet which has outlets across railway stations in the country and it gains more gathering at any given time. Railway canteen should have been given priority. If you look at the tracks the repeated usage it shows but the funds meant to keep it entirely fit does not show.  Some believe every year this Old Delhi Railway station gets funds released for its maintenance and upkeep. And herein if funds are properly utilised with a record kept of vendors operating on platforms who get their licences renewed for their services and not for pleasing higher authorities, this railway station would get its sheen back. Transparency in the entire railway station and the functioning would prove fruitful for the entire railway organisation.

The recognition and revelation

The recognition and revelation

According to reports appearing in a section press of national capital and probably carried to other centres which periodically stage power and water battles, the plea by a leader to derecognise a political party has been turned down. The plea was made to derecognise the political party as some had begun to view it as haughty.

The moot query is why the plea was turned down and those who were turned away did not bring all facts on an unbreakable tray. In the times of recognition and revolution, derecognition is an ill conceived idea given the efforts that go into get oneself recognised and periodically get reenergised.

 Recognition and fame is all that we look for when in the crowd of uncertain people and uncertain agenda, we can at least showcase our certainty of getting continous recognition  and fewer thana ka danda. It is solely recognition that is driving our opponents to regularly seek mental sermon and the doctor on duty too would loose recognition if customers seeking mental strength and sentiment don't come to him with their rotating sum. It is a long cherished recognition that is keeping us in a floating boat and no thanedar more recognisable than us can shoot and bloat.

This recognition reminds us of the sensation that binds us and being members of a recognised party we can visit markets to purchase vegetables and by no means recepient of a parking attendant spit. Right from parking attendant to delivery boys, all know our recognition and before us they are no more than toys. Parking attendant and other toys may make life less pleasurable for others as they are law unto themselves and their active collaboration from other quarters makes them above the law and getting a degree of recognition that few can flaw. Flawless has been the conduct of those in uniform as they scout everyday to seek a new recognised force to get into a provocateur form. From those at the wheels to those with building zeal, all report to those in uniform on a daily basis and chalk out a strategy to create an upheaval that can send even a sane to torn.

Derecognised are those who have to think twice before stepping out of house and have to think thrice before returning on foot. Because there are a large number of recognised entities with whom the derecognised batteries have nothing to do but once they sight them coming on foot, the first thing they do is to engage in a verbal hit and loot. In between some would spit and spew venom which is largely seen as a mandatory duty to declare them as gem.
Being a recognised party with a large number of members who are hale and hearty we know the residences where we stay in and have in the vicinity no member of a thana who can provoke people to troop in our house, bang the gate and make us active recepient of a spit fate. Spitting is true for ordinary mortals but for people like us we have to content with a larger opposition battle. As for derecognised lot, the best medicine we can prescribe is to not play into the hands of provocateurs who could have khaki gears and raise all round fears.
We fight for the rights of people and for the derecognised lot we can only say that paisa bolta ha. A recognised party like us has been  striving to seek restoration of rights of people and in this endeavour we are holding chintan baithak across country where we would like to display the recognised entity's arsenal and entry.

The visit to Kali Bari Mandir Marg in New Delhi

The visit to Kali Bari Mandir Marg in New Delhi

Having reached national capital from Kolkata just a day before Dussehra, i was too tired to try out varying options. The best bet was to visit Kali Bari in mandir marg. Just a little before 1 in the afternoon i reached Kali Bari with the hope that if i am not able to take part in the rituals at least i would be able to savour the prasad bhog.

 The queue for prasad bhog was nowhere to be seen. Just under 10 minutes as i returned from Kali temple the serpentine queue and the people who were surplus to join them was the unfolding sight. I managed to get in a few metres away from where a range of taps are placed. Why i insist on calling it serpentine is the fact that though it may not look fairly long but once the devotees begin to get inside for prasad, the realisation dawns that those who were ahead of you were multiplying every minute.

Here i was amidst people who seem to be too tired to stand for the entire duration and scooped a sitting advantage whereever they could sight one. I was no exception, and secured the same advantage ranging from stairs to platforms. The wait lengthening, i ventured out once to take tea which was not hard to find. More than a handful could be seen gorging on eating options available across the road. Getting back to the queue was more desirable as it entailed the risk that if i didn't  join soon the people may skip the possibility to place me .

Temple administrators comprising young blood could be seen making repeated announcements for switching the lights in the prasad bhog ground. People were heard saying "Ek ghanta se besi lage". A little after half past two we entered the prasad bhog hall after it had been clinically swept by volunteers. Ours was the second group and the seating capacity this time was close to 500. At least in the entire ground which is utilised for watching plays in the evening the seating capacity for taking prasad bhog could easily touch over 500. Before prasad bhog is distributed Durga Ma Ke Jay rents the air  and the man overseeing seating arrangements is the force behind it. I could place him despite having no link with Pujo celebrations in the national capital since 2008 for reasons it would be better to not spell out.

Prasad bhog comprised of pulao, one mixed vegetable, tomato serving and kheer. Though kheer came after inordinate delay, the pulao served on three different occasions made up for that shortfall. Kheer as part of prasad bhog has been too tempting to be missed. And this temptation largely drew me to Kali Bari after 2008. In 2008 as well, i could go just once despite staying in the national capital for the entire pujo duration.
All in all a visit to the temple which had the best arrangement made possible by temple administrators and volunteers. A place that has a large contingent of public and volunteers chip in with their bit shows the best in us.

Visit to Hatibagan in Kolkata

It was on a Saturday i visited Hatibagan to meet an old man near a sweet shop. The ride i took in a bus from Chittaranjan Avenue suggested i had taken a wrong route to reach the desired destination. From hereon i had to bide my time before Shyambazar could be reached. Perhaps a query before Jitendra Mohan Avenue could have solved the riddle . The best way to reach Hatibagan from Esplanade is to take a bus from Lenin Sarani which i failed to do so. In Shyambazar after a ride lasting over 30 minutes, the approach to Hatibagan was best defined by taking a tram. Because the shop i was searching for could only be explored by taking a ride in a tram which gave ample time to scan the proceedings minutely.

B N Basak happenned to be the shop at 22A Bidhan Sarani and the man at the counter was Subol Basak. The man at the counter seem to be different from the one i had met last December when i visited Divine Cyber Cafe in the vicinity. Here a brief exchange over seeking a 100rs change led to an unexpected and undesirable intervention from a man who was not even in the frame when i sought the change favour from a sweet shop. It was better to forget and turn to the task i had come for. Laminated Picture of Lord Venkateshwar i handed to Basak  which he acknowledged as the best interactive exchange over a period. Some xerox of the same picture was handed to others including the one running D Ratan & Co Est. 1915.

Roy's store in the vicinity was equally cooperative in handing the change. Tirupati Tools Traders at 225/1 Bidhan Sarani and Tirupati General Stores in J M Avenue were among other stores i came across while taking a ride towards Hatibagan.

On different occasions on a bus ride from near Esplanade to Rasbehari Avenue i came across a Khaja vendor. Shudh Khaja; Badam Khaja. Ek piece teen taka, char piece das taka. Khaja is a rage here as more than a handful could be seen savouring the delicacy. In the same Rasbehari Avenue area there is  a shop with the name Nalin Chandra Das & Sons Exclusive varieties of Sandesh here.  While Regale Restaurant is at 123 Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road, The Chef , test says our quality, is another eating joint near Lenin Sarani.

Disappearance of Phone booths across country and emergence of a new factory

Disappearance of Phone booths across country and emergence of a new factory

Well there has been no study to date to decipher the disappearance of phone booths across country, the  very submergence of people to mobile venture speaks of not that commendable culture. The mobile tower and expression of desire to raise more of this is meant to make people mobile and keep them in a moving posture failing which they fail to acknowledge day to day gesture. Mobile has been motivational enough to keep people rise early in the day and hooked to a cell that has fairly high level of untold tale.

Mobile is the motor that drives them

People rising in the morning check out the mobile beat even before they show will to check out the bowel heat. Health may be affected by remaining positioned in non physical activities but once cell begins to radiate their thoughts and tones, they step out to give a fillip to their range of creativity. Mobile is the motor that drives them from morning to evening and if time permits they have their share of meals and some among them put on their ear ring.

Maintenance of body to maintain mobile

Maintenance of mobile is not that hard but it is the maintenance of the body which should be in a position to maintain the mobile and the hobby which is proving to be dearer and calls for the services of a stewart. MObile laden eyes are those which come after one has spoken for long last night lasting till  day turning bright. After this one goes to sleep and as they get up they realise they wept and amidst mobile misty eyes have a mobile story to weave.

They enumerate on their last night mobile experience and what motivated them to mobilise all set of mobiles before them as one set ran short of battery they took to a second set of category. Mobile is a must in a season of feast and as long as mobiles would be there people with phone booths dare not open their shops flanked on either side by those selling necessities like underwear. Most tales of underrecovery of toll-cum toil companies have been shared on a mobile at times in a bathroom wearing underwear and on a floor of tile. Not underestimating the will of the people to consume oil, the narrating companies want to bring the underrecovery story to a stage of boil. What better way to do than take the mobile clue. They tell the personnel on ground to spread the alarming situation of alarming losses being incurred by marketing-cum-narrating  companies and their bosses resulting in their long talk in the middle of night on how to get the situation tight. Had it been phone booths the alarming situation of alarming companies would have seen little sight and tooth.

Extolling the virtues of phone booths

Phone booths are a way to not up the heat and to maintain sobriety these booths are known for this feat. Whereever people sight them they enter, speak less and pay the bill and in a liberalised economic drill enjoy the thrill. Mobile has been mostly waved by wanderers and on occasions this feat has been repeated by caterers. Mobile is here to stay as phone booths would take time to settle and sway. Once phone booths would settle, it would be handy for people to bring to boil the tea kettle. Phone booths are a must in a country which boasts of a large number of factories that focus on how to snoop in a zest. And once the man of the street is able to lead a life freed from snooping greed and those armed with provocateur heat, phone booths would be handy and whoever visits them would be handed a candy.

Phone booths i came across
In Somnath one can find in Prabhas Patan; in Kalighat next to the temple; in Ahmedabad, scores line up in relief road. 

The rally in national capital to raise fdi belly by Puneet Rajhans

The rally in national capital to raise fdi belly

The govt of the day, made possible by forces inside parliament and those holding other firmament, is of a firm view that it needs to overhaul itself to meddle in affairs where it sees least quantum of fears. The ruling party and the spate of revelations that are largely coming during day and truly reenergised by these set of revelations has truly revealed to itself that time has come to prepare itself for a motorcade-less rally and a resolution passed in a sitting posture post filling of the belly.

Preparations and preservatives

Preparations are in full swing in the National Capital, which primarily involves Delhi and other visible battle, to hold a rally where the party governing the nation for over eight years and fighting against eight fears would elaborately explore the possibility of winning the hearts of people on issues like multibrand retail and those opposing it by taking the stand of a rebel. As pictures began emerging in the publications of national capital ensnaring those with national outlook, the reading of the published illustration and text underscored the seriousness of those who had been assigned the task of making the rally a success and at no point convey a picture of stress.

creators, readers and leaders

The picture of a motley group of politicos who daily feed the news channels on their triple strengths of  creators, readers and leaders is meant to convey that they are true to the task of ringing the fdi fever come rain or discovery of a new river. In all five stages would be erected at the rally ground where speakers would be feted with a new set of crown. Speakers would be those who expressed their inability to speak in Parliament and having remained  speechless for this long would hand out fdi lore punctuated with rhymes which sensationalised others during their school floor. In the run up to this mega rally exemption would be made for those with mega belly by erecting a special stage for them where they can shine with their speech and bum.

KYC forms on fdi song

To make the rally a mega success, the govt has decided to give power tariff a breather for the period those in offices and homes switch on their tv sets and primarily watch and whistle for the rally best. For this purpose KYC (know your customer) forms have been distributed across households in the national capital where the residents have been told to elaborately explain the reasons they watched tv during this period when by and large on a Sunday during this time they entertain middlemen with no meddlesome nature in their private hut. A tariff breather here and a traffic advisory there, the govt and party would hold out such lollipops for those seeking a relief from high water and power fief. "You praise us in private and public, we will hand you more such reliefs that is true of a Republic."

Connection flaunt


As for the rally, the organisers have been clearly told to bring in attendance over 1lakh people and to make this happen they are flaunting a newspaper edit page article. Translated in Hindi and regional languages, the article conveys the sum and substance of bringing in fdi in godowns like fci and those who are championing the cause have won popular elections and they are no less than a boss. While most organisers have dismissed the article as another desperate attempt by the authorities to horn and media connection flaunt, it has not lulled their confidence and those behind the rally are of the view that time has come to give the country the fdi clue. Well this article is not the first  and surely won't be the last on how to put fdi in circulation in a country where millions don't have access to sanitation and wash basin. During the rally the speakers would be elaborately fed and photo framed by electronic and print wheels who would praise them that in this season of uncertainty they could elaborately undertake the story of fdi sail-cum-sell. There are no dearth of journos in print and electronic wheels who have been caught in fdi breeze. Their outstation assignments and out of country sensations every other month conveys the rising constituency of fdi bunch.

After the rally gets over the crowd would disperse in different directions desperately searching for loos and other non-fdi clues. Dispersed crowd would be of the view that it would have been better to spend the hours lost in the fdi roar in a toilet than listen to those who positioned themselves as multibrand fdi pilot. In their effort to disperse and reach the destinations from where they were picked and had fdi lines rehearsed came this piece of news that govt has decided to revise the auto and taxi fare in the capital as those running it have promised they would bat for fdi if their tariff is raised failing which they too would lend support to fdi fry.

Stomach tense?

As rally and rhetoric would come to an end, the print and electronic tentwallahs who pitched their tent to gauge the fdi sentiment would return to their homes/offices to understand what the rally was and how it damaged the entire cause. Sectors after sectors providing services and bartenders would seek a raise in tariff in lieu of blanket support for fdi horse. As a result, the governing party would spearhead an agitation that it be allowed to hold rally in the entire country than solely subjecting itself to activist bout. Cities and towns would be fed with fdi rally and in case some among those in attendance had stomach tense, remedial measures would be provided by doctors posing as fdi gents. In the run up to twenty fouteen, fdi would be the buzzword and if ever you come across any article or a story in print/electronic gym, better understand it as fdi hymn.

As for organisers, who held the rally by raising at the venue hoardings on departments of husbandry and hasta hua car battery, would seek a pledge from readers rediscovered as leaders to sing a song in praise of fdi reborn. Those who fail to do so would be dismissed as hailing from Hindi heartland and Bong birthland. As for those who sung and wept would be feted with fdi carpet possessing the qualities of sahi kapda heft.

Visit To Hatibagan in Kolkata

It was on a Saturday i visited Hatibagan to meet an old man near a sweet shop. The ride i took in a bus from Chittaranjan Avenue suggested i had taken a wrong route to reach the desired destination. From hereon i had to bide my time before Shyambazar could be reached. Perhaps a query before Jitendra Mohan Avenue could have solved the riddle . The best way to reach Hatibagan from Esplanade is to take a bus from Lenin Sarani which i failed to do so. In Shyambazar after a ride lasting over 30 minutes, the approach to Hatibagan was best defined by taking a tram. Because the shop i was searching for could only be explored by taking a ride in a tram which gave ample time to scan the proceedings minutely.

B N Basak happenned to be the shop at 22A Bidhan Sarani and the man at the counter was Subol Basak. The man at the counter seem to be different from the one i had met last December when i visited Divine Cyber Cafe in the vicinity. Here a brief exchange over seeking a 100rs change led to an unexpected and undesirable intervention from a man who was not even in the frame when i sought the change favour from a sweet shop. It was better to forget and turn to the task i had come for. Laminated Picture of Lord Venkateshwar i handed to Basak  which he acknowledged as the best interactive exchange over a period. Some xerox of the same picture was handed to others including the one running D Ratan & Co Est. 1915.

Roy's store in the vicinity was equally cooperative in handing the change. Tirupati Tools Traders at 225/1 Bidhan Sarani and Tirupati General Stores in J M Avenue were among other stores i came across while taking a ride towards Hatibagan.

On different occasions on a bus ride from near Esplanade to Rasbehari Avenue i came across a Khaja vendor. Shudh Khaja; Badam Khaja. Ek piece teen taka, char piece das taka. Khaja is a rage here as more than a handful could be seen savouring the delicacy. In the same Rasbehari Avenue area there is  a shop with the name Nalin Chandra Das & Sons Exclusive varieties of Sandesh here.  While Regale Restaurant is at 123 Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road, The Chef , test says our quality, is another eating joint near Lenin Sarani.

When in a private colony those meant to maintain law and order create ruckus

It has been for years and years together that the machinery which is meant to maintain law and order provokes others to create nuisance. If for some minutes turning to hours nothing is heard from a room, these provocateurs try to create nuisance by instilling confidence in the people who are raising a new structure to raise decibel level and increase the noise that emanates from their operation. Bringing hammer to the wall or removing sheets or tubes, they hit it hard against the ground as if this structure they are raising is one of its kind in the country. On occasions it looks as if the hammer is being thrust to your wall or digging is being done so that you are exposed to cracks. All digging and development work they do it at a pitch that one can hear even 300 metres away. Other structures are also coming in the vicinity but none make so much of nuisance that this structurewallah is making for the past few months. If someone returned from outstation after 30-odd days, they would begin the work right in the middle of night. If that is not sufficient they make some of the colony drivers and chowkidaars hurl at you with a ferocity that you find it difficult to escape. Mind you these chowkidaars and drivers were never part of this exercise as this exercise of giving trouble to others was led by a different set of drivers in the past. So new ones have joined the fray.

If one is returning from work and coming on foot from a bus stand, the first thing they would do is place any man who is at the wheel or private chowkidaar who would scream at you with the act repeated several times. All this is meant to provoke you. Why would a colony driver or private chowkidaar try to run you down unless and until he has been prodded by others. This precedent was set eight years ago and now you have new entrants to the game.

 If this is not sufficient between 2pm and 5pm they would ask all the maids or the delivery boys to bang the gate to make their presence felt. This the maids and delivery boys don't do to other households.The law and order department is meant to keep vigil and not provoke others. These law and order people believe that by provoking others they would be able to do what other resourceful could do easily for over two years, they are highly mistaken. In fact the foundation of this session of inhuman behaviour was laid eight years ago by a man who had the resources to give you a daily blow and after two big lobbies played their part to their satisfaction the baton has passed on to the administrative machinery. 

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Going past Barrackpore Bridge: Dakshineswar temple and roundabout

 Going past Barrackpore Bridge: Dakshineswar temple and roundabout



On a Friday i visited Dakshineswar temple. Started a little after eight in the morning went past Barrackpore Bridge at 8.40. A ride lasting over an hour in three different buses. The crowd inside the temple was not strong enough to keep you away but it took a  while before the queue arithmetic could be understood. For those intending to skip the queue qualm, the best part about Dakshineswar is one can gain a glimpse of Goddess from rear which is as overwhelming as one made possible by joining the queue. In the precincts are Jyotirlingas in a row which is followed by a Hooghly river. Quite close to the bathing space came across Jagdish Das, newspaper vendor, and Uttam, tea vendor, who seem unfazed by a large number of devotees taking a dip in the Hooghly and getting themselves into a new fabric. Herein spotted an old man, Vibhuti, sitting under a tree, who seem content to keep to himself than reach out to a new set of friends.

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's room

As for the room where a picture of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the articles used by him are displayed, the floor has a shine round the year. There is a different entry and exit to Ramakrishna's room. Opposite to the entrance to the temple is Pnya Bithika. A maruti esteem bearing number wb 02 X 0018 is  sighted in the temple area.  The same car i spot near Tirupati General Stores, 36 C  J M Avenue on a different day.
While leaving the temple area at 10.55, came across "welcome to second vivekananda bridge tollway". The dunlop-shyambazar bus ride was by and large along expected lines with B T Road looking as complicated and congested as ever. There were numerous stoppages on the way due to pile up of traffic and once i was in the vicinity of Shyambazar some breathing space could be visualised.

Taking a Shyambazar-Esplanade tram

As i took a tram from Shyambazar to BBD Bag/ Esplanade, inside is a board on last date of renewal monthly tickets;  last date of deposit refund. Kindly tender the exact fare,  5 and 10 rs notes cannot be changed by the conductor. Other messages put in the tram were:
- This car is yours. Please take care.
- Please move inside the car.
- Smoking prohibited.
- Beware of pickpockets.

With the tram from Shyambazar heading towards BBD Bag/ Esplanade, the sightings in Hatibagan and roundabout came as follows
- divine cafe 26, bidhan sarani, kolkata 6
- paul jewellers
- ghosh & co sweets
- new college law hostel, 14 bidhan sarani
- vidyasagar college, board pointing inside
- darpana theatre (there are three theatres in a row)
- shyambazar p.o 700004
- second theatre had tollywood badshah celebrations underway
- next to third theatre is nati bindonini sarani
- bharat engineering stores corp had pictures of munshi prem chand and a message


In rasbehari road and other places:
Straits restaurant for meals (combo meal comprising veg fried rice with veg manchurian comes for 49rs). This reminds me of probably Vittal's in Nashik where the brunch till last year too came under 50rs.

From rasbehari road to lake road
-bharatmata mistaana bhandar
-nepa sweets & snacks
-sharma sweets & snacks
- chandana sweets, 32C lake road (those running the sweet shop are an organised lot with no  airs whatsoever) Against this one in the vicinity seems to be haughty and timid probably to do with surroundings that are humid.
- amrapali learning centre: english, european
- mahaprabhu mistaana bhandar
- shree hanuman bhandar 4, lake road
- lake tea centre
- bytes cyber cafe (run by partha bose, a cooperative and gentle soul)

During  various rounds to rasbehari road/avenue, attempts were made to snatch a meal or two and on one occasion it led me to a regale restaurant. Well, mixed vegetables came for 50rs, and in view of no plain rice (15rs), basmati rice came for 25rs. The eating joint has sitting arrangements and if they start serving plain rice, some can visit more often.

The visit to tea centres in Lalbazar and other areas in Kolkata by Puneet Rajhans

The visit to tea centres in Lalbazar and other areas in Kolkata

After returning from Dakshineswar, the ride to Lal Bazar was effectively accomplished in a tram. A place teeming with series of activities, a slew of tea shops on the left while approaching BBD Bag conveyed the tea the tea masters wanted to showcase. Fewer would be found tripping over tea and the discourse during the course of purchasing tea is not confined to benefits the tea releases; it equally underscores the benchmark the tea companies have set for themselves.

Perhaps there is a tram stop in the vicinity but given the time consumed in taking the receipt followed by taking the tea leaves in a wrapping almost an hour gets spent. By this time more than two to three trams would have gone past you. Sometimes it can get more than that depending on the rush to the tea centres and those refusing to relieve themselves from the task of standing in the queue even after collecting tea in a ton.

A return from Dakshineswar the other day i was split on the areas i should approach. Certain was a tram i had to take from Shyambazar at any cost. A tram from Shyambazar which would take me to BBD Bag i took and in the course had a different set of sightings. Somewhere after reaching Bipin Behari Ganguly Street the thought crossed on why not take the tea from Dhruba Tea Centre which the other day i had spotted.

The tea flavour i could not recollect

As i reached the shop, the build up to the queue had not started but under 10 minutes the gathering-momentum gained. A lady ahead and an employee of a company behind engaged me in a conversation on tea and the flavour that were not fewer. I told them i was not in a position to recall the flavour which is admirably used by tea vendors near k c das food joint.The lady thundered "fennings" and this was handy enough to seek fenning favour from the man at the counter. Mind you tea leaves here are a bit expensive despite the state of West Bengal having a reservoir of tea gardens. One kg fennings were in the range of 300rs and up. I sought for 170rs which the counterman expressed his inability to do so. Finally had to settle for 500 grams for 150rs.

Taking tea and the receipt

The process of taking tea is to first make payment, take the receipt which has a number on it. One foil of the receipt is handed to the person who is putting tea in a wrapping. At one go not less than 10 to 15 foils go to him. These foils are put on the tea-putting wrapping table by the cashier who puts cash in a tray. Arrangement is fine as the foils put at the last minute are taken later and those buried under are taken first. No fault at this stage. My number was probably 708 and by the time i could hear the counting it was somewhere at 650. In between i came across a large number of instances where the number was read and the person concerned had not come to collect tea. Some leaving with one wrapping and some with five to seven different tea wrappings, all determined by the budget they had. I was told that tea began from 200 to 300rs a kg to touching all the way to 5000rs a kg were available here and in other tea centres.

As my turn came i came across an instance where an old man who had a receipt was told to pay 30rs extra as the quantity mentioned and the amount he paid had a disparity. The cash was handed to the cashier with no receipt whatsoever. And herein given the large number of transactions, there would be a repeat of such instances where receipt won't be handed and that would not be appropriate for those reporting for work there. Second given the big boxes in which tea had been preserved it took no extra effort for the men who were putting tea leaves in different wrappings quite familiar with which box had which flavour.

Given the insurmountable nature of transactions and the weighing machine nearby, there won't be a dearth of little hits and misses here and there. When the business is big and the customers seeking services no less there is bound to be malfunctioning to a degree. Here the owners need to lay stress to their staff that howsoever the big trade may be the staff has to be vigilant to adhere to procedures.Against this the Dhruba Tea Centre in Rasbehari Avenue had no crowd pressure whenever i visited. The rationale for this was only locals procured tea from here and in LalBazar there was a big bunch of outsiders placing tea orders.

As i left the tea centre i noticed a large number of staff members being served readymade tea made mandatory by the number of hours they were on foot and the number of orders they had to cater to. A strict arrangement where any customer who is asked to pay extra for the extra filling his wrapping has should be handed a receipt for the same. That would do a world of good to the entire tea centre.

College Street and roundabout

College Street and roundabout


As for College Street, the place  i resided for 10 days in 2011, the eating joints before one comes to college square are: new college sweets, kumar's canteen and bastana cabin. In the vicinity are plumbing & sanitary, engineers & suppliers . As for New College Sweets, the name could be gained after putting a query like: "Tumhar dookan Naam Ki?"

The board showing direction to bankim chandra library has a tea shop inside the lane.
On Surya Sen street, Mouchak restaurant which serves kachodi (4 to 5rs a piece) is among the finest in the city. Next to this is a weighing machine "try your weight & fortune". Few shops away is Puti Ram sweets. There is College Square Sarbajanin Durgotsab Committee bus stop. Besides there is choose & pick store at 18, College Street.

Coming to "try your weight & fortune"  machine, it is broadly an attempt to broadly define the weight that one has gained/aimed over the years leading to a fortune that others fear. Weight is all about the will to wilt under pressure and those with weighty exterior lose no time to weigh options on whom to apply the barber scissor. Days have turned to months, months to years and all along one has heard about the repeated failing in taking up the reading assignment sum. Probably other eating joints in the area would amplify messages like: "Eat here, beat fear", "Eat what you cherish, take on the plate all visible dish".

As i left Mouchak restaurant coming on the back of a repeated odyssey to the same, it would be desirable for those visiting Kolkata to get in line with what the eating joint offers and aims. Misti Doi is a must and so are other sweets that come for less than 5rs a piece thereby promissing all-season buzz.

Hopping on to a tram belgatchia/shyambazar - B.B.D. Bag / Esplanade, the route shown is  belgatchiashyambazar coolutola/hedua bowbazar PO/wellington esplanade /BBD Bag (fare ranges between 4 and 6rs).