Random snippets

This blog post comprises random snippets/thoughts that I have had in the recent past to close out the year:

1. The fish woman - During the numerous local rides travelling to and fro in the Mumbai metropolis have encountered this fish woman as I would like to call her. She is middle aged and carries a basket full of fish wrapped in black polythene.. As the train crosses the various sub-urban stations she looks out for dogs, and on spotting one she lets out a strange cry & throws a packet of fish on the platform towards the dog. She seems to be a regular in the route though I haven't yet figured out which local she usually takes. Interesting to notice that even the inflationary pangs haven't stopped her. Happens only in Mumbai!

2. The New Year & the year gone by- The arrival of the year brings about feelings of hope and joy normally in most people as it ushers in hope of a new beginning and a new era which would bring in joy & happiness. The year 2008 has been a pretty much uneventful year for me personally. Will remember it best for the sister that I have got post my bro's wedding. The second most remarkable event was my best friend's wedding earlier this year. Apart from that it is probably a year where I might have matured a bit and become a bit more responsible arising from my change in residence. Its also a year where a few friendships got stronger. In terms of news or worldly happenings the memories of the recent terror attack will remain though possibly diluted with time...

At the end of am experiencing a mixture of disbelief at the year having gotten over so soon, and a feeling of uncertainty about what the year ahead holds as it might just be a pivotal period in my life... Loads of decisions to take from the many paths ahead of me both personally & professionally.... There are definitely miles to go before I sleep, as I walk on with hope and a little prayer for the best.

The Mumbai Shootout Saga…

The recent terror attacks in the city can be described at best as shocking, un-nerving, and unprecedented in scale and execution.

The two strong emotions it led to were one of gratitude for the fortune of being alive, and two a mixture of fear and anger. A constant obsession with the news channels, newspapers and websites covering the events non-stop only worsened matters. In fact think by now I have mastered most statistics, and conspiracy theories floating around – a PhD in it may be due soon!

All that information caused quite some unease. In the days following the siege my thoughts were centered around my possible response if cornered in office or at home by some of the terrorists. One part of my head said ridiculous while the other said think again. If the stoic impregnable Taj could be laid bare and stripped in such a savage manner how safe was my humble abode or the work place.

As these thoughts threatened to unsettle me a new realization dawned – life in Mumbai (or for that matter off late in most cities) is possibly a gamble – a matter of luck and hence it was better to give up worrying and to just appreciate and enjoy the small pleasures of life till death do us apart. So that’s what I have finally started doing..

Most conversations however continue to be centered around it which has all of us rehashing and analyzing the details specified in various channels. Resilience has become a badly misused word - used to signify numbness in the head and heart... Candle night vigils, Peace marches, long drawn TV debates and the blame game among politicians continue unabated..

Personally feel the manner in which the internal security of the country needs to be managed. It has to have a centralized reporting structure, clear specification of responsibilities for generating and following up on leads, appropriate remuneration and compensation at various levels of the intelligence and defense personnel. It is also necessary to fix responsibilities of the bureaucrats and the politicians. Anger is good but it needs to be channelized well and peace marches or candle night vigils are alone not enough.

Just found this old pic of the Oberoi & the Trident in much happier times... Hope to see the same back again soon :)