brass knuckles

Hostility seems to be the theme doing the rounds. Wherever you look, it has left its eggs that have been spawned randomly in the unlikeliest of places as well as the usual suspects. BEST buses, local trains, signal crossings, etc being the usual domains and footpaths, college gates, colony entrances being the newbie domains.

The recent addition of 3 reserved seats for ladies in BEST hasn't gone down well with the male populace in these buses. Technically, now, a healthy male below 60 years of age (more than 80% of BEST travellers) cannot sit in the front half of the bus. Most times, you can see empty reserved seats and 5 or 6 standing disgruntled males. To make matters worse, you'll often find women sitting on general unreserved seats, to simmer the hot n' sour soup I guess. All this adds up to bigtime hostility and eventually leads to tiffs, arguments, and even the occasional skirmish which most definitely involves the conductor and a heated exchange in high-pitched Marathi.

I don't even need to bother withe hostility on the local trains - its been done to death. Just visualize a minor bump while boarding a Panvel-bound train at Kurla at 6 in the evening.
These monsoons, like snails and baby frogs, potholes suddenly begin to show up. Its as if they survive beneath the road's crust and show up when the rains arrive. Potholes by themselves are harmless, but when compounded with water and tyres, then you have a party. The latest fad is potholes on footpaths and how pedestrians prefer to walk on the roads and bikers prefer riding on footpaths. Insanity is rampant!

People distributing flyers outside college gates must be locked in a cage and dipped into the ocean with 2 minute intervals. Its bad enough that they don't have lives, but to waste other's time as well as aid and abet the monumental waste of paper that will only be crumpled and tossed away? These are the real criminals.

And yes, hostility at its best can be seen in the vicinity of almost any vacant auto or taxi. The newfound attitude of the drivers of the same is undesirable to say the least. Its as if the drivers usurped control of their vehicles from their owners and now decide to ply only whoever they wish to wherever they wish.

Today morning, I saw this poor drenched crow sitting n shivering on my window grille, who had lost his 'caww' (thankfully) and was sporting a spiked hairdo. That's how I feel when witnessing such hostility in the monsoons - voiceless and pitiful

incentive

the guy with the big fog machine came strolling into my colony.. the huge billowing sweet-smelling fogs took every1s visibility hostage.. and it felt like.. time jus stood still... watever activity u were doin, u had no choice but to stop it.. and get lost in the pretty foggy designs of that morning... the motor sounds of the contraption.. the dense fumes of mosquito repellant..


its beautiful.. and lasts for a few minutes... my windows were closed, but the mosquito net or jaali or watever u call it at the left extreme of the window was the only ventilation then... the fog made way thru that.. and proceeded to get comfortable in its new abode.. checkin out all the rooms.. i was waitin for opinions to be voiced.. none came.. .a brief few minutes later, visibility was restored.. and life realigned to normal... that was surreal.. the fog...


dullness creeps back frm the wall crevices that also houses sloth... they get imaginary lays american cream and onion flavor chips and pepsi for me.. and seduce me into my bean bag... i stare at my wall... the different pics and random stuff dangling on it..

and now im bored again.