Bizarro Bengalooru

‘Bizarro’ is a term associated with a character in Superman comics. This is a guy who is exactly the opposite of Superman (in terms of everything). Everything in his world is the opposite of Earth. Up is down. Right is left. Yes is No. Good is bad.

The context in which I envision this concept is our very own – Bengalooru. I started thinking if indeed such a thing as Bizarro Bengalooru(BB) existed, what it might look like. What would it be like to live in BB? Would the sky be a different color? Of course not. Would the traffic flow on the right hand side (not that it doesn’t happen now) of the road? Not at all. My vision is more about the people than the semantics of the city itself.

For the record, BB would still remain the capital of Karnataka. The first thing people would notice when they arrive in BB would be that everyone is extremely friendly and helpful. Getting out of BB’s railway stations or bus stands, auto rickshaw drivers actually would come running up to you and help you with your baggage. They would make you feel comfortable by asking you how the journey was and if everything was in order. Next they would start the engine without any qualms about your destination or the related fare for the ride. The vehicular movement in the city would be orderly and people would actually let you pass through if you were to honk just once. Honking would be a thing of emergency only. If anyone were to honk then it would be an assumption that something serious has occurred and needs priority. Needless to say ambulances, fire engines and police vehicles would get automatic importance in such situations. Buses would keep a minimum distance of 5 feet behind any vehicle to ensure safety. Irrespective of the condition of the roads everyone would maintain a safe speed and over-taking would happen, again, in extreme cases only. Traffic signals would contain the humble traffic policeman back in place. No more digital urgency here of the second timer that is more for a racing track than common traffic. People would stay behind the zebra crossing and wait for the signal to move ahead. Every citizen would be cautious about their vehicle’s condition and thus pollution would be considered offensive. People would respect each other and the law with a warm feeling of comfort that would envelope the city.

What occurred to me as I envisioned this version of Bengalooru was that our city was like this not so long ago. If being like this means being bizarre, then I guess it is not so bad after all.

Isn’t it?

--irKahS

Smile please, Mr. HDK!

I guess the title of the article says it all. Do you still need me to elaborate? Gladly! Our dear Chief Minister is doing a lot to score points with the public. And why shouldn't he? After all the only proof governing bodies can provide that they support the people is by doing things for us, isn't it? So here we have dear Mr. HDK going around the state checking into the various villages dotted across the state and dining in them. Fair enough. Here we have Mr. HDK fending off accusations with the familiar shrug we have gotten used to it with a lot of integrity. Good enough. Here we have Mr. HDK dressed as the common man in a simple cotton shirt and trousers to symbolize his down to earth personality. Bull's eye!

But if there is one area our dear CM saar needs a little help with is his body language. A lot of chief ministers in the past have had their own unique personas. If Mr. Krishna had a profound thinker's look on his optimistic face then we had the 'leave me alone…I am tired!' look in Mr. son-of-soil. If we had to put up with the unshaven machismo Mr. Hegde exhibited then who can forget the dancing miracle in Mr. Bangarappa! Indeed we have had our share of a very interesting bunch of individuals who have steered our state in various directions and at varying speeds. Mr. HDK is quite possibly the best thing to happen to us after a long time as far as age is concerned. We do like to see young men and women become part of our aging administrative force in Karnataka. And if the chief of staff on that committee happens to be a bright 40 year old then the better, one would think.

But that is where the error occurs. I challenge you to Google Mr. HDK's photographs and I can confidently wager that you will find only one smiling photograph of our dear CM saar. Does this seem like something we should be bothered about? Yeah! I have always believed that a smile goes a long way. A firm hand shake takes us places and a gentle wink at the right time can do wonders for a career. The situation with Mr. HDK has gotten so beyond hope that even his cartoons and illustrations showcase him as a 'Angry Young Man'. Is Mr. CM so bogged down with baggage that he has forgotten how to smile and send out positive vibes? I hope not.

Come on, sir. We could use a new smiling photograph of yours. I think it is about time. Say cheese please!

--ShaKri

ShaKri Writes...: September the 11th

ShaKri Writes...: September the 11th

A Painful Anniversary

A Painful Anniversary

It is the most dreaded date in the modern Calendar. It is the date that no one wants to remember. It was the day that many people lost their loved ones to the barbaric acts of some fanatic terrorists. It is the day termed as the "Black Day" in the history of this century which crushed about 2996 lives and changed the lives of thousands of people. Yes I am talking about September 11, 2001 and today is the fifth anniversary of this heinous act.

Among the thousands of innocent victims are a few Bangaloreans who perished. One of them is a relative of mine Shashikiran Kadaba.a 25- year old Bangalorean who was on a project for the city based Wipro Technologies. Shashi is a 9-11 Hero whom I have never met but heard a lot about him through his father Mr. Lakshmikantha Kadaba. Lakshmikantha is my father’s cousin and I have met with him at Family gatherings and functions and who always makes time to talk to me about my life, career and welfare. We always had a good conversation and I was very proud that his son was in New York, USA working for Wipro

When I first learned a couple of days later, that Shashi was on the 97 floor when the plane hit the World Trade Centre, my heart stopped for a minute because this was a name I was familiar with, and I could not control my sorrow at what had happened. I imagined the mental state Mr. Lakshmikantha and his wife would be when they would have heard the news. It was so disturbing week to 10 days for me until I came to reality. If this was how I felt for a person whom I had not met, then what about the mental condition of the loved ones of the victims ? My heart goes out to all those heroes from Bangalore and India whose fate dragged them to the top of the world.

I personally felt that Wipro Technologies should have remembered Shashikiran and all his colleagues today who lost their lives on this fateful day. Unfortunately there was nothing on their website today. A search revealed "No results for Shashikiran Kadaba".

Wipro might have forgotten these heroes but not Bangalore. I dedicate this page to all those Bangalore 9-11 Heroes. On this fifth anniversary I pray to God Almighty to keep the souls of all the 9-11 heroes in Peace. If you want to pay your tributes to either Shashikiran or any 9-11 Hero visit http://www.9-11heroes.us/v/Shashi_Kiran_Lakshmikantha_Kadaba.php

Each time someone visits this page, a flower is added to the bottom as a small sign that someone remembers this person and wants to honor and appreciate their memory.

To know more about Shahsikiran visit http://memorial.mmc.com/pgBio.asp?ID=324

I also would like to quote the message from one of the visitors Manakkal V Ramesh who paid his tribute to ShashiKiran Kadaba.

You were born in a religion that advocated ahimsa even towards the meekest, weakest the tiniest of tiny creatures; considered the whole world one family, prayed for the well-being of all living forms and Mother nature and since ages worked and wished that Peace prevail in our Planet and in all other Planets and galaxies too.

The immortal Gita assures that all evil will have an eventual end and ONLY DHARMA AND TRUTH WILL PREVAIL. You have valiantly laid down your precious life. YOU ARE NOT DEAD BUT HAVE BECOME IMMORTAL AFTER THAT TRAGIC DAY.

Your life will surely inspire several hundreds too to LEAD A LIFE OF PURITY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.

OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIHI

Over to Mr.CM - A great initiative

Under the flagship of Deccan Herald a new initiative has taken birth. One more shot at getting our dear CM to listen to the pleas of thousands of Kannadigas/Bangaloreans. It is no secret that a lot of the roads in the state are in absolute disrepair. This has lead to several accidents and still continues to do so. This initiative titled 'Over To You, Mr.CM' showcases readers' complaints in a wider platform.

I had posted an article just yesterday mentioning how it was vital for people to follow traffic rules. I had also mentioned that the quality of roads was an important factor. This article justifies the same.

You can click on the image given here to read this week's complaints and areas covered.

Will this change anything? Only time will tell. Till then we too sincerely hope that our dear CM is sleeping with one ear open.

ShaKri

Old truth from a new source

Grocery shopping to me is a weekend ritual. A ritual I have been following religiously for the last six years. To make things easier for myself I have a taxi driver I know who always waits outside the supermarket I frequent. He has been giving me taxi rides back to my apartment for almost four years now. It has never occurred to either of us that we should find out each other’s names yet. Nonetheless we still engage in everything from deep philosophical conversations to light hearted happenings about the life around us. We discuss everything from politics to traffic situations to weather to lifestyles. He even manages to ask me personal questions like ‘How come you bought a lot this week? Is a girl coming over?’ to which I sheepishly smile back with a standard response ‘Yes’ fully aware of facts that might be a tad askew.

Coming from a city like Bangalore getting exposed to multi-ethnic and multi-layered opinions is not new to me. The problems that plague Bangalore plague most of the developing cosmopolitans around the world. Chaotic traffic scenes, polluted clouds pouring down acid rain and the poor condition of the crumbling infrastructure. All the time I was in Bangalore a couple of months ago I was convinced that the mantra to improving the city’s traffic mayhem was making new and better roads.

Today I dragged myself out of the supermarket with another week’s supply. As always the taxi driver hailed me into his vehicle and we began with our usual chit chat. Within minutes we found ourselves stuck in a hopelessly deadlocked traffic zone. As we sat discussing the situation, I told him about similar conditions from back home and how I believed better roads are the only solution. Being a man who is always up for a healthy debate, he did not seem too convinced. He nodded his head in disapproval and said, ‘If people do not respect the rules of traffic, no amount of advanced roads will ever do any good. I can give you at least five examples of cities I know where vehicular movement is the best in the world not because they have six lanes going together, but because the citizens there are law abiding. Good roads are fine for the vehicles but good principles are what the driver needs. And if the driver does not follow rules then the law should be enforced strictly. No two ways about it. Is this not the case in your city too?’

As his words fell around me like tiny daggers of pure truth, I could not help but feel humbled by this common man with seemingly limited exposure to the outer world but with a lot of sense about the inner self. If people are good citizens the public life irrespective of the location automatically becomes a well planned out haven. Having a good infrastructure helps but the charity called self-discipline definitely starts at the home called ourselves.

My mind shot back to the many architectural initiatives back in Bangalore - multi-lane, flyovers, metro rail et al - that promise a better life ahead for the regular commuter. The real focus seems to be, however, on the commuter's behavior and law enforcement process itself.

As I got off at my apartment I promised myself that I would ask the man his name next week. I just hope I remember to.

--ShaKri

Bangalore 2010

Bangalore 2010 - Think Vertical !