The Old Lady !

After a brief stint as a salesman/accountant/branch manager/ in “Mangalore Dresses” a cloth shop in Berhampur my father joined State Bank of India. His first posting was in a rural branch in a small village named Kodla in coastal Orissa. He had his own set of trials and tribulations during his stint of seven years in that place. He had shared most of his experiences with me but the one which he shared a few months back was really mesmerizing.

During his stay at Kodla, mostly he was alone. Reasons, unavailability of potable drinking water, electricity, proper transportation facilities etc. which made him to keep the family at our home town Berhampur. He stayed in a rented house owned by an old lady who was residing next to it. The old lady had a son who hasn’t turned up to see her from ages. She used to miss him a lot and was longing to see him. She used to like my father very much and every evening she used to sit besides him and talk for hours about his son and others. My father also developed a sense of belongingness towards her. Sometimes she also used to take help of him in running errands. My father used to happily do it and whenever he used to return back to Kodla after a vacation/leave he used to get some fruits and goodies for her which used to make her very happy.

Once my father took a couple of days leave and came to Berhampur to spend sometime with the family. On the very second or third day of his leave he felt very uneasy. Something was bothering him which he couldn’t understand. He immediately informed my mother that he will resume his duty and will leave the next morning. My mother was surprised but she didn’t say anything. My father had a sleepless night. He woke up early in the morning and boarded the first bus to Kodla. After reaching his house he saw a small gathering in front of the old lady’s house. He dropped his luggage and immediately went inside. To his utter dismay he saw the old lady lying on her deathbed. The neighbours informed him that for the last two-three days she was in the same condition and was uttering my father’s name unconsciously most of the times. When my father took her in the lap she opened her eyes. She smiled and drank a few drops of water and that was her last activity.

No Pain No Gain - My Election Experience

I am back - safe & experienced after attending the official duty of the World's biggest democracy. All my fears turned true on the previous day [April 29, 2009] of the election when I got my posting order for a hypersensitive booth - Perivayu - a small village close to the Kerala Border.
I was a little scared when I read in the newspapers that there are 22 naxal infested booths in the Dakhina Kannada district of Karnataka. I started my journey towards Puttur with a small group of people - all Micro Observers - mostly Bankers for the election duty from Mangalore city. We arrived at Puttur at around 5: 00 p.m and we were sent immediately to our respective booths.

To my dismay I had to travel alone in a jeep to my destination. The roads were horrible and it was a jungle area. I finally reached my booth affter an one and half hour of drive. My polling station was in a small school surrounded in the midst of big trees and mountains. I took my bag and went inside. The school was in a dilapidated condition, but far better than any of the Govt. Primary schools of Orissa. I was surprised to see electricity with glowing bulbs and moving fans. Introduced myself to the presiding officers and the polling officers of both the booths - as I had to observe two booths. Felt a little better after that.

I took a round of the premises and noticed the big well at the far corner of the playground. It was absolutely thrilling to bath in the open near the well after such a long long time........ .I used to see my university batchmates doing the same with ecstasy at the Campus during my Post graduation days.

Food came by 9 'O' Clock in the night on an auto provided by the Sector officer. I had my dinner sitting on the ground with all of them. I felt nice to do that. It was boiled rice and I literally had to gulp it rather chewing. After that I Joined the big school benches and made my bed. Applied the newly purchased Odomos cream all over the body ...closed my eyes thinking about my next day's work. Got up at 4:30 in the morning cleansed myself at the well once again.

The polling procedure started at 6:30 a.m. The ritual Mock Poll completed peacefully and the polling began at 7:00 a.m. A little altercation took before the start of the poll between the congress & BJP polling agents but later it was peaceful. Each hour passed by.........I reported regularly and gave my reports to the sector officer and the Election Control room through the phone.

Ladies with children on the laps , old men and women on wheel chair...giggling young gals....serious men folk........ .ladies with burkhas..... ......it was lovely to see all of them at the ing station..

Anxiety increased after 3 p.m as there was only two more hours left. Finally, the clock struck five..and the polling was official declared closed. Doors were closed by the security men...and after observing the closing of the machines, their packing and sealing we all waited for our pick up bus. It came at 6:30 p.m......again a travel of one and half hour back to the Mustering centre to Puttur ...bid goodbye to my polling team and reported to the Assistant Returning officer. I received Rs.1,000 for my services from the Election Commission, Govt. of India. Finished my food which was arranged by them and started back with the same team of Mircobservers back to Mangalore. Submitted my observation report to the District Collector/Observer at Mangalore . Exchanged experiences with my other colleagues on the bus and finally reached home at two in the night.

It was a lovely experience! but if you ask me whether I want to go once again?
Presently my answer is "Can't Say".

Gokarnath Temple at Mangalore

Jai Veer Hanuman

Jungle Se Nikalte Hue Ek Train !

Khidki Ke Paas Baithi Ek @#$ ?

Paradise

I hate this Vegetable but seeing something like this, I can eat it Raw

What do you Say?

Life after Childhood - Chakravuyuh

Nature's Magic

Dhimsa Dance of the Eastern Ghats

Abi Delhi Door Hai!

During the first year of Journalism, when we didn't even know what is in the curriculum, what subjects we have to study, I had already started enquiring about Internship and I was damn sure that I will do my summer training at Delhi. Occasionally I used to ask my batch mates, even before they would give me an answer, my answer would be ''moon Delhi re Koribi". I don't know why I was so inclined to do something in Delhi in Mass Communications.

I grilled Raja (1999) asking questions about his internship experience at Zee News, so to Bandita (2001) and even to that hunk – Anurag Arora (2000 –BJ) popularly known as Tony Arora who did his summer training at an Advt. agency in Delhi and according to him he was immediately offered an job on his internship performance.

Delhi was always known as the hub for Journalists/Journalism. During my brief stay in Delhi before joining Journalism, I had many times seen how the TV Journalists used to run behind our Politicians in Akbar Road & Aurangzeb road to get their sound bites. Maybe I was quiet fascinated by that, or carried away by good time I had spent listening the chirping birds at dusk at India Gate, drinking tea at three in the night with bihari friends, eating Gongoora Chicken at Andhra Bhavan ( Firozshah Road), Mewad prem Ice cream at Lodhi Colony, seeing movies on ten rupees ticket at Satyam (Patel Nagar) & Priya (Chankyapuri), drinking water for rupee one at Kendriya Terminal or eating dosha at rupees five at INS building behind All India Radio.

I wanted to go to Delhi.

Five months passed in the first year and my friends were not much bothered till then about internship, but I had already started enquiring about the internship dates. So many things happened during those precious three months in my life, I forgot everything. Most of my friends did their internship at Delhi - Jayant, Sanat, Mihir, Rashmi, Lakshmi - who never had any plans. I had to settle at All India Radio, Berhampur and The Hindu, Vishakapatnam. I felt so bad. Now I was mentally prepared that if not Internship at least I will start my work in Delhi. I passed out in 2002. Four years have since passed, most of my friends are working and well placed in Delhi, others who are working elsewhere had made a point to visit Delhi at least once. I am here in the southern most State of the country, still hoping that I will go to Delhi someday, maybe I am not keen working there, but I want to eat mewad prem, eat gongoora chicken, listen to the chirping birds at India Gate, want to walk on Akbar and Aurangzeb road, see all my friends at Munirka and Katwaria Sarai and board the metro train ( the last two are the latest addition).

But again! abi delhi door hai !


Vijay

Where are the Moolahs, Maulvis, Fathers and Pandits ?

A small scene in the movie or a small article in the media can hurt the sentiments of our people, for which they can destroy marketplaces, stop the trains and transport, close the schools and colleges and can bring the whole life to a standstill. Reason, they site is that it has hurt the sentiments of the people/religion/nation or whatsover it is. And whatever they have done is the reflection of the national sentiment.
Does a small cartoon or picture or a writing has such a sentiment?
Recently in Kendrapara, a district in Orissa, some people of a community didn't participate in the Pulse Polio Immunisation Camp, saying that it may retard the growth of the child and lead to impotency. After much counselling by the health workers, some sent their daughters but not their sons. This is the level of knowledge and literacy there, it was a national press item, but where were our maulvis and pandits. I don't think this can be of any cause for them to come forward.
Till our so called messiahs and godfathers behave in such way, India can never be free from such dreaded diseases. A day will come when every second person in the country will have an HIV infection and the disease like Polio will be found only in our country.