Trauma of driving in India

Each and every country around the world offers its own different set of driving culture, mannerism, and funny practices. And it is equally interesting to get a first-hand experience of these varied facets while commuting on city roads. While you enjoy this city travel experiences there are a few experiences which are equally annoying and painful, both at the same time.

While driving in India, there are a few things which would take a toll of your head to the extent that it might burst. But relax, there are some easy way around on how to by-pass them and drive “stress-free”.

It doesn’t matter what type of vehicle you are on or at what point of time you are driving. With the second largest population of the world, one can certainly expect the roads here to be packed most of the time.

The HONKERS: This is the most common and certainly the most annoying category of drivers you will encounter on roads. They have this firm belief that irrespective of the lane, speed, time and type of road they are driving, they can expect to get a SPECIAL treatment.

The CRUISERS: They certainly don’t care in which lane or in whatever direction you are driving. This category of drivers will happily barge-in and drive in the most insane manner possible. They don’t mind risking their own lives and of other drivers. The most critical aspect about these drivers is the ultimate rush they would always demonstrate.

The JUMPERS: This category comprises of mostly 2-wheeler drivers, who simply love to jump between the lanes, bypassing vehicles of any size and most important without any “warning” or indication. They are least bothered about the direction of traffic. These drivers in peak traffic don’t mind encroaching the pavements dedicated for pedestrians- This is showcasing stupid and irresponsible behavior.

The BREAKERS: This category of drivers are silent as a ‘Ninja’ warrior. They would sometimes be driving rash or even in control. But when it comes to making a turn or changing the lane in a rush-hour traffic or otherwise they would simply plunge into taking that turn. Resulting in you ending up breaking the speed unevenly, and simply gazing at this driver looking like a fool. This category of drivers vary from college kids to old people.

These are some of the crazy head drivers I have encountered so far during my driving experience across several Indian cities. Do you know any of them?

If any of you drivers from the above categories who are reading this note- I humbly request to drive safe, take toll of others and their family members as well while driving. Thank you for cooperating.

Do share more such experiences from the hilarious and stupid experiences you have encountered with idiotic fellow drivers.

On Murthal

Sad state 😦

The Woman Inc.

by Meha Khanduri

This article nearly never got written because as I start to write on the issue I start seeing red. When India was raptly watching students of a prestigious university go through a long drama of whether slogan shouting students had committed sedition or not…rampaging mobs were burning, looting, and ransacking the cities of Haryana, right next door to the capital Delhi. Nobody was really outraged, no resignations were called for, no charges of sedition were made and after nearly two days of looting and burning worth 34000 crores, the government cordially accepted the demands of the rampaging mobs and the burning and looting came to an end.  An amicable solution all around..except for criminality and couple of thousand crores of national property but …..this is India!

Four days later some ghost stories started floating around. The whispers said that not only Haryana’s cities had been burnt and…

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Living room Lamp

A living room should exude positive vibes with a brighter light. With the exclusive range of multi-colored table lamps from Casa, it is possible. The fresh orange colour is a perfect piece to brighten up your mood and alleviate your spirits.

Ideal for placing in the corner of the room, the base of lamp measures 22 x 8 inches and the shade measures 7 x 13 inches. Designed in the shape of a creeper, this lamp does not occupy too much space.

Impress your guests with its unique design with a fresh inspiration and new decorating idea for your home.

NOTE: This post is created purely for an academic exercise and no other purpose.

Garden Fountain

A lovely marble fountain at front entrance will offer tranquility to your family for the years to come. Carved in white marble, this triple tiered fountain offers exquisite beauty and pure elegance to your surroundings.This is along with sculptural and artistic detail with a circular pool.

This is a meticulously designed and crafted piece of art made available in varied artistic designs as well.

Features:   

• Intricately designed
• Anti- corrosion
• Longer service life

NOTE: This post is created purely for an academic exercise and no other purpose.

Ladies Wristwatch

Perrelet presents trendy and stylish women wristwatch. It features a stylish dial with high-end alloy case with an attractive and studded pink flower design. A combination of red and silver analog design offers a classy touch to your looks.

It runs on QUARTZ movement. The timepiece comes with a comfortable pink color belt and overall stylish looks. It is an iconic, fresh and contemporary selection that will appeal the restless and dynamic youth of today who wish to accessorize themselves with the best.

This design is from the finest collection of watches personally chosen by our special team that truly define a style. Feel like a celebrity with our collection, whatever may be the occasion.

NOTE: This post is created purely for an academic exercise and no other purpose.

Men’s Jacket – Winter wear

Winters are usually naughty, so why not keep it away with North Face Men’s winter jacket.

A perfect solution built with a special fabric that is windproof and water-resistant. Designed for a streamlined fit with multiple colors, this jacket offers a classic touch with attached hood, a drawstring fastening, a short zip closure, long sleeves, and a kangaroo pocket.

The amazing jacket offers an enhanced soft-shell liner with stretch, which maintains a comfortable level of breathability even during aerobic activities. You can wear it together in cold and even in wet conditions as well. Wear it over a solid tee, a pair of distressed jeans and boots while you head out.

Key Features:

• Wind Protection
• Breathable
• Comfortable
• Complements your fashion statement

NOTE: This post is created purely for an academic exercise and no other purpose.

Open letter to a friend – Get a LIFE, Dude!

Dear Friend,

I know you have been doing fantastic. With this letter I intend to share some of my observations and pour my heart out about my feelings on our recent though exchange. As you know it you were and will always be my good friend. We have known each other for close to a decade now. Hailing from the same state we share the same bond and affinity to the land we call “home”. Even after college we have managed to be in-touch using the ever-changing social networking tools and capabilities.

From our recent conversation (context of which you are already aware about) I was slightly disturbed, agitated and annoyed with you. This was simply because I was just not expecting you to endlessly beat-around-the-bush on the same topic even after repeatedly being requested to STOP. This sentiment was shared by some of our other friends also. Well, you never bothered to think or rethink for that matter, and continued-on with your loose talk, and at-last the day was over. As I was reconsidering the events of this very same day, some observations started shadowing my mind about you. I wish to share that with you with some possible suggestions (as I care for you, I really do). By taking them into consideration I feel will help you become a better person.

No proper career prospects:As I understand after we completed our college course, many of our batch mates were either placed or were in-process of acquiring something good job, and further begin their respective career journey. As for you, things were not that great. You were struggling hard to find a secure job. This is a topic for a separate discussion, which we can take up at a later stage. With limited career options in metro cities, you decided to roll back and settle in your hometown. Honestly, I was rather surprised to hear about this drastic relocation. This was rather intriguing for me as we both knew what was in store for you there. I do realize your true potential, and was convinced you would have done really great for yourself, only if you would have stayed back a little longer. Back home, you somehow managed to survive, and will continue to do so in future also. I have absolutely no qualms about your life style as I always want your well-being. As your friend it really hurts me to see you like this, and I seriously wish you have a proper job and live a better life for yourself.

Get married soon and have kids: Well I suppose this point is somewhat related to the earlier one. Your better career will maximize your chances for a great life partner and further supposedly help you lead a happy life. Though it is not the only option. You can always get married based on family referrals. I am definitely not an expert there (as you know in what state of life I am into). So moving on, I wish you get a LIFE after marrying a nice girl and start a happy life. I believe it should get you busy, with life’s daily affairs.

Increase your INTELLECT: From what I have noticed since our college days to present, there is a serious necessity for you to increase your intellect. Possibly through reading more and on a regular basis, following intelligent columns, discussions etc. You are now a grown and supposedly a mature human being. I feel you seriously should read up on developments and happenings from across the globe, not just restricting it to your home town. It is therefore of utmost importance that you develop your thinking process and scope for creating a better outlook.

Political Stance: I honestly don’t care what your political stance is, I really don’t. It doesn’t really matter to me which party you hate the most or which one you like. All I ever requested you was to keep your political interests to yourself, and not try to influence others to buy-into your opinion especially amongst friends. Let me put this in explicit terms for you, our social platform (group as we call it) enables us as friends to connect, interact and share various developments of life with each other. So, if you wish to promote, publicize or religiously follow a certain political out-fit totally your choice. However STOP pushing the messages or agenda of your favorite party on the said group.

In addition to that I even believe you have this misconception that I shy away from discussing politics, and moreover have a soft corner for a certain political party/group. Just to clarify, I DON’T. And discussing politics is totally fine, but making baseless comments and badmouthing someone is just juvenile. My dear friend, either you should have the guts and will to step-up or make that change or stand down and watch the events unfold on their own.

All said and done I really feel sad and sympathetic towards you. It is high time you try to even get professional help, if required. The constant cribbing of yours about things around will certainly not garner you anything. It might boost your ego but it is not going to take you anywhere in the long run. Honestly, your bad words don’t matter much as things will happen how they are supposed to happen. So why waist energy and time on something you can’t change?

Finally as a dear friend, I sincerely feel you should to get a LIFE, dude…you certainly do. Hoping you will read this with a positive perspective in mind, and try to bring out the REAL change in your life. Trust me of that happens I will be the happiest person in the world.

All the best.

-Your Friend for Life!

Hijacked by an insensitive Jet airways

This is certainly disturbing…

Boyahead

Laveena and I were excited about our Easter weekend plans in Dubai. We were booked on the Jet flight 9W 542, scheduled to depart at 0920 hours from Mumbai on Thursday April 2nd.

As boarding time neared we walked to our gate and waited. A short while later a heavily accented announcement indicated a delay due to bad weather conditions in Dubai.

The new time on the airline departure display monitor showed 10:20. I ordered my second Americano and had a second breakfast as my eyes repeatedly redirected to the monitor to keep a check on the new departure time. At 09:45, it said boarding. Laveena and I walked to the gate, surprised that Jet had started boarding just 35 minutes before the scheduled departure. Once on board, the captain announced that due to VIP movement, there would be a further delay and that we were number 4 in line…

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Chronicles of an URBAN Douche!

This is the story of a young, dynamic and extremely over talented human being. One of the rare characters and possibly the 9^th wonder of the world. Consider yourself super ‘lucky’ if you encounter one such in your life.

Well before I describe more about the star of our story, for convenience sake let’s just call our lead as – “Douche”.

Upbringing: Our Douche was born in one of the well-known metro cities of India, with best of facilities for his upbringing. Ironically, after completing his graduation he never worked anywhere but in-turn forms his own company, with zero understanding and experience of how industry, society and most importantly how employee psyche works.

With a limited exposure of business world and market dynamics, he prefers to hire people, mostly top brass – to make his venture a success.

Sounds like a great idea, but here is the catch! Even though he has great structure with excellent people around, he doesn’t TRUST anyone. With how he wants to conduct business, and as he lacks vision, direction but doesn’t want to improvise.

In India, like any other country in the world one can always find people to employ. People who are willing to join, earn and contribute to build a great venture. Though with our douche’s venture, the story has a drastic contrast with people- joining and moving out frequently. This trend becoming a norm which doesn’t stop or affect him to continue with his so called business.

As part of this process, douche doesn’t value the time, effort, and pain of his team members. One funny habit of our in-famous star is talking about obligation, work ethics, and their importance in the professional world. Though amusingly these terms don’t apply to him at a professional level, and for obvious reasons.

Like a mastered con-artist he continues to cheat organizations, and would lure them into making his clients. Though the days were not far when the industry fraternity and people realized his true potential of bluffing. And for those protesting against his actions were instantly asked to leave, with reason of his choice, which were mostly hilarious.

Life goes on for douche as he continues on this pace…Nobody just nobody in this world is in a position to take any concrete steps to stop him. This is as if he is UNSTOPPABLE.

While being probed on why he continues with this attitude for nothing, he would shy away at first, and further create irrelevant arguments to escape the questions.

Are you listening, Douche? We need answers and we need them NOW.

Learnings from LIFE

While I began writing this post an old but interesting advice from elderly people about mistake management came to my mind which goes like this – “ always learn from your mistakes and move-on in life.”

Well … how about a scenario when you end-up committing the same mistake twice? Isn’t it ironic? I feel for someone who is caught in this dilemma the whole situation could be painful.

And moreover if this mistake is from a regular job context how should one react. With limited options in hand the future certainly appears dark and confusing, because you are already in a self-guilt and depression mode, contemplating what to do while not able to look at light at the end of the tunnel.

Ever wondered what happens why it happens and if it can be controlled….well that is what anyone would do day-in and day-out, but I believe there are no correct answers to this tough question.

Here are few points  I  have put together hoping it will help some of you based on recent experiences. I have tried to cover more of the sober tactics, and there could be more than 100 different strategies to deal with this situation.

Talk it out

It is a good option to talk, discuss openly with the management team to understand and assess the on-ground situation. Clear dialogue always help to get answers to even the most complicated questions.

Conduct your own research       

While you may be hearing good and positive things from the concerned authorities about how things will change dramatically in the coming days, you should always conduct your own investigation/research into this matter. This is possible through industry contacts/friends/associates etc. If this is not available then you can always follow the industry trends and map where your company stands.

Start exploring future options

In process of exploring the company stand in the industry, it might also be a good option to map your skills with the upcoming job opportunities and see if you are fit there. There is no harm in exploring options to secure your future.

Decide and prepare your counter action

This is the final and most crucial one indeed. Once you all the fallen and scattered pieces together, align them in order and sequentially analyse them. I bet, most of you by this stage would have made-up your mind on what to do. But I feel this decision should not be in haste but by carefully studying all the options, within the current company and the external environment.

Well, after careful consideration announce your final decision to the required stakeholders and how you wish to plan the new phase of your life.

Hope this helps….wishing you all the best for future!!