No i am not starting a novel ala chetan bhagat...though I really liked his latest book on love and parents against love and a win finally. I am just getting 'inspired' from the title of his latest novel to write something which is not about love, nor parents, neither about a win really. It's well more about roads and cars and people and lights and cold and sights and sounds and drivers and passengers and waiting and sickness and well...about 3 states.
Yes, three states.Haryana, Delhi(UT), Uttar pradesh. These are the three states which flash against my eyes when I commute to work and a mere suggestion of this travel plan to my colleagues draws such astonishing looks and physical expressions-which is the only thing that lets me gauge the seriousness of my itinerary.
Well I never think of it as a draining distance. great, yes it is but i think the exertion part of it is more mental than physical and it depends too. Like the days when i am looking forward to work helps me a lot to disengage with the hectic travelling. But the days when i am a reluctant employee, it sinks in...and it sinks in hard.
Sights and sounds greet me. Gurgaon's vast and cold roads, the suburban feel to it, with malls and haryanvi attire dotting the region makes it a splendid place to cross by. Delhi's cosmopolitan atmosphere makes me giddy. so does the serpentine traffic jams in the city, but not before enthralling me with the latest skodas and BMWs that zoom past me or the state of the art buses that ply (without going up in flames) or the costumes that people showcase amidst their hurried steps. I still have not found any affinity for Noida. I am more bruised by the dusty roads and the crime graph peaking everytime there. And well office work is not somewhere where you find solace in. But nevertheless.
There used to be a time when I 'travelled' 3 blocks to go to my school and maybe 300 steps to go to my college. That was in Calcutta. Things changed in Chennai where my college was a good 30 kms away.
During my travel here, I read a book or listen to music or simply stare at the roads and a million things crop up in my brain making me numb to the things outside. Almost everyday I spot the mangled remains of a car lying on the sideway. But reaction has ceased to exist.
Sometimes, i get lost but then the driver knows his way or I ask some helpful people who oblige.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Neighbourhood Trilogy
It's amazing. For the 20 years I have stayed in salt lake, never before I have looked back and smiled. Now that I do, I miss those avenues, those boulevards and the brisk walk to my neighborhood...
Part 1: Labony
The closest and the most accessible. I still remember I used to be fascinated by those interesting wall patterns on the boundary which covered Labony Housing estate so intricately. The first memories go back to labony school-my first familiar landmark in the society-no because I studied there but because my aunt used to teach there and had a lot of tales to tell us about it. And who can forget Murari kaku's shop? It's the 'eastern oriental fair' which james Joyce talks about in his short story 'Araby' for me. Still incomparable and of a much much higher class than the glitzy and swanky mall outlets and branded retail stores in any part of the world for me. There was nothing that you could not get from his shop and the most alluring part was the benevolent smile that used to greet me whenever I used to visit it either for the month's supplies or a piece of soap or a loaf of bread. My mother's hankering over a couple of rupees was also met with the most cordial of all expressions and an unending desire to please his customers. Truly, retailing was a piece of cake for him and he succeeded all right! Just around the corner was a sweetmeat shop called 'dool-phool' named after two sisters one of them who got married and came to stay in our locality. It churned out the worst of the sweets but nevertheless, guests in house would mean a trip to 'dool-phool', since there were no other sweets shop nearby. The old dingy alleys led to the greengrocers with all their fresh splendours-potatoes, onions, lettuces, cauliflowers, freshwater fish, mutton, tender chicken and the list would go on and everybody used to have their own advertisements-either shouting to the customers to come to them and check out the freshest of the lot or simply howling their low price varieties. It was unmatched. Who can forget the stationary shop where a jovial middle aged person tended to the time taken by me to decide which pen to buy, with unparalleled patience. Labony variety stores' ambience was perfect, now that I revive, to relax in a shade when the scorching sun was making its presence unbearable for us. It was a welcome relief amidst the fragnance of the freshly grained lentils and the pungent but titillating mustard oil. These sights and sounds and smells transport me to the olden past world of charm and laziness, only to find my existence now in a drab and mechanical world of commercialization and unemotion. Quite a number of times, I have played criclket with the so called 'rival kids' of labony-alone, in thier team,as well as while representing vidyasagar. My record while playing alone, I would like to believe, has been unmatched. There was a day, I faintly remember, i whacked sixes after sixes to a bowler. Trips to Bimal uncle's home for tuition was a reluctant affair but nevertheless, I miss it terribly now, such a goo teacher he was. But most of the days , the ambience in the house was such-with all the curtains drawn and no one in the house, either of us would doze off regularly, leaving the avoidable RD Sharma maths book unattended. Those were the days. The joy of escaping from the drab world of tuitions was a high for me. I used to run back to my home, only to come down and start my evening playing session with my friends. Later on, Arka and me used to go to labony together-if the either of us had something to buy. Or at least cross the estate if we had to go somewhere else on the same route. The stalls of milk, flowers and Fuchkas outside Labony was a great place to stop by and hang out.Even now, when I go to Kolkata, I make it a point to find an excuse to visit it at least once. During pujas, we used to visit Labony's puja, which 8 out of 10 times was better than ours, thanks to the high budget due the number of residents they had. But anyways, we would find a thousand faults with their pandals, thier idol and a host of other things and leave labony with a sense of accomplishment, grinning ear to ear. We used to dance the hardest near labony gate on the beats of the most rocking tune during durga puja immersion procession (the nagin tune) So a relationship of sweet rivalry existed between vidyasagar and labony but an indispensable bond was unmistakable in its presence between labony and me.
Part 2: CA Market
Arguably, no why arguably, DEFINITELY, the best market that I have visited. When I talk about best market it doesnt mean that it has to have cool stores and heavy tech facilities. My idea of perfect markets is that it should have a warm, cosy and familiar feeling with accessible and comfortable marketing facilities. And CA market suited the bill perfectly. It still does in many aspects. And the charm has increased manifold after I and Jaya used to roam around in the alleys surrounding it. But starting from trips to CA market with Bhaisaab to Amma to my parents to Arka, every trip has been so very special that it is altogether a different experience. Mona kaka's shop was a direct substitute for murari kaku's in labony. I liked dipping my hands into the sacks of rice kept outside the shop and also used to enjoy the star treatment meted out to us. SO often my parents were offered a cup of tea and I, a toffee of my choice, which made my trips even more pleasurable. Another attraction was the cassette Cds shop where, most probably, the first Salman khan Cassette was notched up by me before anybody else. The fruit shop, the magazine shop(where the comic magazines laid neatly on slabs of stones), the roll centre outside, the chemist's, Ravi da's shop outside, Sudeepta on the 1st floor(where all the latest He-man and g.i.joe figures used to entice me), the dressers upstairs, the stationers where I used to buy my school books from-so special they are and so strongly they are etched in my memory that I find it very difficult apart from them now. The malls dont impress me. But now Ca market has 'developed'. The advent of modernity is good but somewhere the charm loses itself...
Part 3: EC market
Yeah it was dirty, disorganised and lacked maintenance. It still is and I dont appreciate the dark roads that lead to it. But nevertheless, without EC market, the trilogy wouldnt have completed. Regular trips to the market was a habit. Sometimes for buying the latest russian books, underpriced and exotic, sometimes to buy fresh and hot vegetable chops and out-of-the-world kheerkadamba sweets with flakes of kheer over it from 'amrita piyashi'. Rows of GIJoe action figures used to hang outside SNCL, an acronym for 'essential' used to live up to its name for me. Everytime, I used to nag about visiting the shop and deriving vicarious pleasure out of watching them and 20 other odd toys, showcased so intricately, glistening and seducing me so much as to give me dreams of them. Then there was the brothers shop which I still did not understand sold what? 'Aahar's' rolls were the one of its kind in Kolkata with tender dumplings of chicken golden fried with a dash of lemon on it.So when I have saleem's or kareem's rolls here, the zing is missing and overpriced still. The shops in all the three markets mentioned were generic in nature but still all of them had an individuality of theirs.
I did not mention Chhorda's store in Vidyasagar as it is in my own locality. The Duttabad market also deserves a special mention as far as charm is concerned. Of late, City Centre and Purbachal market also were favourite haunts but only because Jaya accompanies me to these places.
I long for these markets and neighbourhoods now. So when I doze off while returning home in a bus and wake up and lose the sense of time and place, I imagine that after a little while i will be visiting one of the markets to buy something. And then, I realize that I am miles apart from them and they wont be accessible to me. Only in my distant dreams, perhaps, where i could see them but not touch.
Part 1: Labony
The closest and the most accessible. I still remember I used to be fascinated by those interesting wall patterns on the boundary which covered Labony Housing estate so intricately. The first memories go back to labony school-my first familiar landmark in the society-no because I studied there but because my aunt used to teach there and had a lot of tales to tell us about it. And who can forget Murari kaku's shop? It's the 'eastern oriental fair' which james Joyce talks about in his short story 'Araby' for me. Still incomparable and of a much much higher class than the glitzy and swanky mall outlets and branded retail stores in any part of the world for me. There was nothing that you could not get from his shop and the most alluring part was the benevolent smile that used to greet me whenever I used to visit it either for the month's supplies or a piece of soap or a loaf of bread. My mother's hankering over a couple of rupees was also met with the most cordial of all expressions and an unending desire to please his customers. Truly, retailing was a piece of cake for him and he succeeded all right! Just around the corner was a sweetmeat shop called 'dool-phool' named after two sisters one of them who got married and came to stay in our locality. It churned out the worst of the sweets but nevertheless, guests in house would mean a trip to 'dool-phool', since there were no other sweets shop nearby. The old dingy alleys led to the greengrocers with all their fresh splendours-potatoes, onions, lettuces, cauliflowers, freshwater fish, mutton, tender chicken and the list would go on and everybody used to have their own advertisements-either shouting to the customers to come to them and check out the freshest of the lot or simply howling their low price varieties. It was unmatched. Who can forget the stationary shop where a jovial middle aged person tended to the time taken by me to decide which pen to buy, with unparalleled patience. Labony variety stores' ambience was perfect, now that I revive, to relax in a shade when the scorching sun was making its presence unbearable for us. It was a welcome relief amidst the fragnance of the freshly grained lentils and the pungent but titillating mustard oil. These sights and sounds and smells transport me to the olden past world of charm and laziness, only to find my existence now in a drab and mechanical world of commercialization and unemotion. Quite a number of times, I have played criclket with the so called 'rival kids' of labony-alone, in thier team,as well as while representing vidyasagar. My record while playing alone, I would like to believe, has been unmatched. There was a day, I faintly remember, i whacked sixes after sixes to a bowler. Trips to Bimal uncle's home for tuition was a reluctant affair but nevertheless, I miss it terribly now, such a goo teacher he was. But most of the days , the ambience in the house was such-with all the curtains drawn and no one in the house, either of us would doze off regularly, leaving the avoidable RD Sharma maths book unattended. Those were the days. The joy of escaping from the drab world of tuitions was a high for me. I used to run back to my home, only to come down and start my evening playing session with my friends. Later on, Arka and me used to go to labony together-if the either of us had something to buy. Or at least cross the estate if we had to go somewhere else on the same route. The stalls of milk, flowers and Fuchkas outside Labony was a great place to stop by and hang out.Even now, when I go to Kolkata, I make it a point to find an excuse to visit it at least once. During pujas, we used to visit Labony's puja, which 8 out of 10 times was better than ours, thanks to the high budget due the number of residents they had. But anyways, we would find a thousand faults with their pandals, thier idol and a host of other things and leave labony with a sense of accomplishment, grinning ear to ear. We used to dance the hardest near labony gate on the beats of the most rocking tune during durga puja immersion procession (the nagin tune) So a relationship of sweet rivalry existed between vidyasagar and labony but an indispensable bond was unmistakable in its presence between labony and me.
Part 2: CA Market
Arguably, no why arguably, DEFINITELY, the best market that I have visited. When I talk about best market it doesnt mean that it has to have cool stores and heavy tech facilities. My idea of perfect markets is that it should have a warm, cosy and familiar feeling with accessible and comfortable marketing facilities. And CA market suited the bill perfectly. It still does in many aspects. And the charm has increased manifold after I and Jaya used to roam around in the alleys surrounding it. But starting from trips to CA market with Bhaisaab to Amma to my parents to Arka, every trip has been so very special that it is altogether a different experience. Mona kaka's shop was a direct substitute for murari kaku's in labony. I liked dipping my hands into the sacks of rice kept outside the shop and also used to enjoy the star treatment meted out to us. SO often my parents were offered a cup of tea and I, a toffee of my choice, which made my trips even more pleasurable. Another attraction was the cassette Cds shop where, most probably, the first Salman khan Cassette was notched up by me before anybody else. The fruit shop, the magazine shop(where the comic magazines laid neatly on slabs of stones), the roll centre outside, the chemist's, Ravi da's shop outside, Sudeepta on the 1st floor(where all the latest He-man and g.i.joe figures used to entice me), the dressers upstairs, the stationers where I used to buy my school books from-so special they are and so strongly they are etched in my memory that I find it very difficult apart from them now. The malls dont impress me. But now Ca market has 'developed'. The advent of modernity is good but somewhere the charm loses itself...
Part 3: EC market
Yeah it was dirty, disorganised and lacked maintenance. It still is and I dont appreciate the dark roads that lead to it. But nevertheless, without EC market, the trilogy wouldnt have completed. Regular trips to the market was a habit. Sometimes for buying the latest russian books, underpriced and exotic, sometimes to buy fresh and hot vegetable chops and out-of-the-world kheerkadamba sweets with flakes of kheer over it from 'amrita piyashi'. Rows of GIJoe action figures used to hang outside SNCL, an acronym for 'essential' used to live up to its name for me. Everytime, I used to nag about visiting the shop and deriving vicarious pleasure out of watching them and 20 other odd toys, showcased so intricately, glistening and seducing me so much as to give me dreams of them. Then there was the brothers shop which I still did not understand sold what? 'Aahar's' rolls were the one of its kind in Kolkata with tender dumplings of chicken golden fried with a dash of lemon on it.So when I have saleem's or kareem's rolls here, the zing is missing and overpriced still. The shops in all the three markets mentioned were generic in nature but still all of them had an individuality of theirs.
I did not mention Chhorda's store in Vidyasagar as it is in my own locality. The Duttabad market also deserves a special mention as far as charm is concerned. Of late, City Centre and Purbachal market also were favourite haunts but only because Jaya accompanies me to these places.
I long for these markets and neighbourhoods now. So when I doze off while returning home in a bus and wake up and lose the sense of time and place, I imagine that after a little while i will be visiting one of the markets to buy something. And then, I realize that I am miles apart from them and they wont be accessible to me. Only in my distant dreams, perhaps, where i could see them but not touch.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Telangana tangle (TV script)
ANCHOR LINES: Well, its a new day and a new demand nowadays...for separate statehood. The Telangana tangle refuses to solve itself. and with the partail success of Telangana, other demands have also raked up in the Indian political system, leaving the already worried Congress baffled this time. Here's a report...
(Up sound)
BYTE: G Jagadeeshwar Reddy, TRS spokesperson
(We demand a separate Telangana state from the Centre)
(Up sound, shots of protesters hitting the street with placards, dramatic music in background, tense colours, time lapse)
VO1: And we thought that the British Raj was hell bent on dividing the country...
(shots continue)
The demand for separate statehood based on language concentration has hotted up in India. Supporters of Telangana has finally tasted success after 50 long years of demand, violence and bloodshed. KCR's fast has turned him into the latest poster boy of Andhra politics. His sacrifice has bore fruit. (shots of supporters and KCR in hospital)
BYTE: P Chidambaram, Home Minister
(We will look into their demand and the process of formation of the new state will be initiated)
A moral victory for the supporters of the cause
(Visuals: Supporters holding voctory rally, dancing, celebrations)
VO 2: The Telangana victory has upped the ante of other bifurcators. Gorkhaland...
BYTE: Roshan Giri, GJM Spokesperson
(We demand for a separate Gorkhaland state...want to secede away from the colonial rule in West bengal)
So mush so, that they have met Home Minister Chidambaram and put their foot down. And also called for a Darjeeling bandh on December 14. And the leader of their cause. His truly-the ousted...(file shots)
BYTE: Jaswant Singh, MP, Darjeeling
(The people have been demanding for a separate state for long)
And if you think that was enough...here comes other demands...Bodoland, Maru Pradesh and Vidarbha.
Graphics
Bodoland: Demand by Bodo People's front, demand for 13 years
Vidarbha: Plight of farmers and poor governance drove the demand
Maru Pradesh: In Rajasthan
VO 3: And here's a first of its kind...A chief minister wanting to trifurcate her state...for the sake of its development.
BYTE: Mayawati, Chief Minister, Uttar pradesh
(I have written to the Pm demanding separate states of Bundelkhand and Harit Pradesh)
The Congress Government is in a fix. After the initial agreement for Telangana, they have backtracked, thanks to the collective resignations of Congress, TDP and PRP MPs from the Andhra assembly...so the stir continues and violence is still on.
(Visuals of fresh protests, bandh in Rayalseema)
Hyderabad emerging as a crucial point
BYTE: Madhu Giri, Congress MP
(Of course, there can be no question of creation of Telangana without Hyderabad. It's like a body without its head)
GK Pillai fuelled the fire...
BYTE: GK Pillai, Home secy
(Yes, of course. Hyderabad will be an integral part of Telangana)
Though later on he reverted his statement, it hasnt gone down too well with the congressmen.
And it has decided, now, to wait and watch and not to take any decision in haste. (file shots)
BYTE: K Rosaiah, CM, Andhra Pradesh
(The PM has assured me that it wont take any decision in haste)
VO 4: With fresh demands emerging everyday, like TMC's demand for a separate state carved out in jharkhand, it seems a politics of secession has dawned onto our country. Leaving the ruling coalition helpless. Telangana or no Telangana the demands for separate statehood has sure proved to be a chink in the armour of the UPA. (file shots)
Yashodeep Sengupta
NOTE:
(Up sound)
BYTE: G Jagadeeshwar Reddy, TRS spokesperson
(We demand a separate Telangana state from the Centre)
(Up sound, shots of protesters hitting the street with placards, dramatic music in background, tense colours, time lapse)
VO1: And we thought that the British Raj was hell bent on dividing the country...
(shots continue)
The demand for separate statehood based on language concentration has hotted up in India. Supporters of Telangana has finally tasted success after 50 long years of demand, violence and bloodshed. KCR's fast has turned him into the latest poster boy of Andhra politics. His sacrifice has bore fruit. (shots of supporters and KCR in hospital)
BYTE: P Chidambaram, Home Minister
(We will look into their demand and the process of formation of the new state will be initiated)
A moral victory for the supporters of the cause
(Visuals: Supporters holding voctory rally, dancing, celebrations)
VO 2: The Telangana victory has upped the ante of other bifurcators. Gorkhaland...
BYTE: Roshan Giri, GJM Spokesperson
(We demand for a separate Gorkhaland state...want to secede away from the colonial rule in West bengal)
So mush so, that they have met Home Minister Chidambaram and put their foot down. And also called for a Darjeeling bandh on December 14. And the leader of their cause. His truly-the ousted...(file shots)
BYTE: Jaswant Singh, MP, Darjeeling
(The people have been demanding for a separate state for long)
And if you think that was enough...here comes other demands...Bodoland, Maru Pradesh and Vidarbha.
Graphics
Bodoland: Demand by Bodo People's front, demand for 13 years
Vidarbha: Plight of farmers and poor governance drove the demand
Maru Pradesh: In Rajasthan
VO 3: And here's a first of its kind...A chief minister wanting to trifurcate her state...for the sake of its development.
BYTE: Mayawati, Chief Minister, Uttar pradesh
(I have written to the Pm demanding separate states of Bundelkhand and Harit Pradesh)
The Congress Government is in a fix. After the initial agreement for Telangana, they have backtracked, thanks to the collective resignations of Congress, TDP and PRP MPs from the Andhra assembly...so the stir continues and violence is still on.
(Visuals of fresh protests, bandh in Rayalseema)
Hyderabad emerging as a crucial point
BYTE: Madhu Giri, Congress MP
(Of course, there can be no question of creation of Telangana without Hyderabad. It's like a body without its head)
GK Pillai fuelled the fire...
BYTE: GK Pillai, Home secy
(Yes, of course. Hyderabad will be an integral part of Telangana)
Though later on he reverted his statement, it hasnt gone down too well with the congressmen.
And it has decided, now, to wait and watch and not to take any decision in haste. (file shots)
BYTE: K Rosaiah, CM, Andhra Pradesh
(The PM has assured me that it wont take any decision in haste)
VO 4: With fresh demands emerging everyday, like TMC's demand for a separate state carved out in jharkhand, it seems a politics of secession has dawned onto our country. Leaving the ruling coalition helpless. Telangana or no Telangana the demands for separate statehood has sure proved to be a chink in the armour of the UPA. (file shots)
Yashodeep Sengupta
NOTE:
- This is not a script under an ideal condition
- This could be a script for special treatment and packaging because ideally ant TV script should not exceed 90 secs and should not have so many soundbytes
- Some of the info might (just) be factually incorrect)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Another joining to the TRP scramble
When we talk of TRPs we think about the 'Bigg bosses' and the 'balika vadhus' and to a certain extent India's cricket matches. But I also feel that the apparently drab, mundane and lack-lustre DD Lok sabha and DD Rajya sabha should have a solid share in the TRP pie. There used to be a time when I used to loathe at my uncle's habit of watching the day's proceedings religiously and used to laugh behind his back. Little did I know that after 7-8 years I would be the one fixing my gaze on the screen when the session begins. Of course bills and question hours hold no interest or very little, but the real blazers are the debates. I would not call them lively though. They are more noisy and gives an impression of a brawl taking place. But nevertheless, its a fixed consumable for the newsmakers. They thrive on it. And after wards it turns quite interesting too. So while you appreciate the cool and very gentle composure that chidambaram maintains while addressing any allegation, you simply cant ignore or trash the fiery nature of Ms. Swaraj's maligning. There's a rush, a sense of urgency when the members rush towards the well of the house demanding something. Observation1: They do not, in 9 out of 10 cases, worry about the crucial time that they are wasting and observation 2: The poor speaker, inspite of his apparent powers cant do an inch more than a "please aap baith jaiye" and "please resume your seat".
The present issues hanging in the parliament air apart from climate change debate and the NREGAs are the Liberhan report and the Telangana issue. BOth are not topical, but still retain their vigour and have hit back the sensitive Indian's mind with full gusto. The ghosts of the Babri refuse to die and the tremors of telangana have by now, resulted in the UPA relenting to the TRS's demand. KCR is the new poster boy...rejuvenated. And even the ruckus in the Andhra and Punjab assemblies have made it into the headlines. And when India is concerned, there is no lack of topics and crisis to be discussed. Everything under the (Indian) moon can be converted into a hot debatable issue within the walls of the Parliament.
Recently, something really humorous happened which supplied as a great ingredient for a feast relished by the media. Several MPs were missing from the House during the Question hour. And they cited juvenile and transparent reasons like getting late due to road and EVEN air transport, which left a poor Meira Kumar smiling without having anything else to say or do. Most of them dont maintain a basic decorum in the house and I remember in the West Bengal assembly, some TMC MPs even resorted to flinging chairs and breaking tables. Such a shame. But who knows, when you have a million voters to cater (or rather pretend to) to and their votes to greedily lap for, you are left with a little option rather than maintaining decency. Not everybody can be a Chidambaram or a Manmohan Singh.
So, entertainment comes with all its splendour during these sessions. Our primal instinct to get attracted to any kind of confrontation or altercation and watch them as a silent spectator and derive fun out of them like vultures devouring their preys, is a great aid for them too. So teh next time you are bored of family soaps or dramatic reality shows, just tune to DD Lok sabha and Rajya sabha. And I am sure you wont get disappointed.
(Of course you might choose to watch the most savoury bits and pieces from a news bulletin later or live)
The present issues hanging in the parliament air apart from climate change debate and the NREGAs are the Liberhan report and the Telangana issue. BOth are not topical, but still retain their vigour and have hit back the sensitive Indian's mind with full gusto. The ghosts of the Babri refuse to die and the tremors of telangana have by now, resulted in the UPA relenting to the TRS's demand. KCR is the new poster boy...rejuvenated. And even the ruckus in the Andhra and Punjab assemblies have made it into the headlines. And when India is concerned, there is no lack of topics and crisis to be discussed. Everything under the (Indian) moon can be converted into a hot debatable issue within the walls of the Parliament.
Recently, something really humorous happened which supplied as a great ingredient for a feast relished by the media. Several MPs were missing from the House during the Question hour. And they cited juvenile and transparent reasons like getting late due to road and EVEN air transport, which left a poor Meira Kumar smiling without having anything else to say or do. Most of them dont maintain a basic decorum in the house and I remember in the West Bengal assembly, some TMC MPs even resorted to flinging chairs and breaking tables. Such a shame. But who knows, when you have a million voters to cater (or rather pretend to) to and their votes to greedily lap for, you are left with a little option rather than maintaining decency. Not everybody can be a Chidambaram or a Manmohan Singh.
So, entertainment comes with all its splendour during these sessions. Our primal instinct to get attracted to any kind of confrontation or altercation and watch them as a silent spectator and derive fun out of them like vultures devouring their preys, is a great aid for them too. So teh next time you are bored of family soaps or dramatic reality shows, just tune to DD Lok sabha and Rajya sabha. And I am sure you wont get disappointed.
(Of course you might choose to watch the most savoury bits and pieces from a news bulletin later or live)
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Boss with a baggage
I came to know the arbitrary power of a master after I warned my maid to 'lay her off' ( such a popular lingo nowadays) when she misbehaved. The sudden power that I discovered within me came with a rider. And moments after issuing her warning verbal certificate, I felt damned. So this was the power of the boss. I can wish what I want and i have a thousand people under me tending to me desires. And if somebody fails to live up to my expectations, well...I simply fire him! As far as i am concerned I dont have much experience of playing the boss with people but yes a couple of times I have very well come under their supervision, professionally. And like other 'subordinates' i would vouch that having your boss standing right behind your neck and monitoring your proceedings is not a pleasant affair at all. And then of course, you run that risk of not living up to his expectations and just like the boss in Katherine mansfield's 'The Fly', with one blot of an ink he can wipe me off the daily roster.
Speaking of Mansfield and the character of boss in it, I feel that today's bosses are not that lonely. The boss in the short story must have been a little hyper-sensitive who laments for his lost child after realization dawns on him. But today's bosses are an unscrupulous lot. Sensitive, they seldom are and whenever they are, one can plainly recognize that it is nothing but a garb behind which lie some ulterior motive to get a work done or win your confidence. So one boss can delay your payment when you have taken a leave for a deadly virus attack and ask for papers to prove so, another can fire a bureau cameraperson if he fails to get a guest through to a telecast due to some technical error.
You know that when you are a boss there are a thousand people backbiting you and you also know that there are millions other who will praise you with sugar coated tongue once you lay your eyes on them. Girls have an edge here. And pretty ones can relax even more. Just by a turn of your eye or a swish of your shampooed hair you can entice the gentleman in corduroys and win his heart. But yes, you have to maintain your seduction till the time you decide that either he is distasteful or attacking your virginity or the lack of it or you simply decide to take your charms to another boss somewhere else.
Sensitive bosses like me or mansfield's character, by the terms and trends mentioned above, should not play the boss. because after venting out my ire on the maid,for a moment i realized that laying her off would mean that I have to find a new maid and that is not the easiest job on earth. And I dont have abundant wads of money on me.poor boss me!
Speaking of Mansfield and the character of boss in it, I feel that today's bosses are not that lonely. The boss in the short story must have been a little hyper-sensitive who laments for his lost child after realization dawns on him. But today's bosses are an unscrupulous lot. Sensitive, they seldom are and whenever they are, one can plainly recognize that it is nothing but a garb behind which lie some ulterior motive to get a work done or win your confidence. So one boss can delay your payment when you have taken a leave for a deadly virus attack and ask for papers to prove so, another can fire a bureau cameraperson if he fails to get a guest through to a telecast due to some technical error.
You know that when you are a boss there are a thousand people backbiting you and you also know that there are millions other who will praise you with sugar coated tongue once you lay your eyes on them. Girls have an edge here. And pretty ones can relax even more. Just by a turn of your eye or a swish of your shampooed hair you can entice the gentleman in corduroys and win his heart. But yes, you have to maintain your seduction till the time you decide that either he is distasteful or attacking your virginity or the lack of it or you simply decide to take your charms to another boss somewhere else.
Sensitive bosses like me or mansfield's character, by the terms and trends mentioned above, should not play the boss. because after venting out my ire on the maid,for a moment i realized that laying her off would mean that I have to find a new maid and that is not the easiest job on earth. And I dont have abundant wads of money on me.poor boss me!
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