Hailing from a land of chaotic traffic, where the unruly vehicles of all kinds ranging from four-wheelers, three-wheelers to two-wheelers, heavy and light, man-animal pulled and motorized whiz around in every plausible trajectory, I was awe-struck by the orderly flow of traffic on the wide and smooth Sydney roads. Continue reading “Glaring contrast”
Cycle stand minus the cycles
Scores of girls speeding on their scooters is a common sight in urban India today. Perched smartly on their two-wheelers, confidently negotiating chaotic traffic on roads, girls are on their own. Thanks to the light scooters without gears, girls today enjoy far greater independent mobility than the women in the past. Independently, they crisscross the city while commuting for education, employment, shopping and recreation. In fact, the two Ms which have contributed significantly to women ‘liberation quotient’ are –‘Mobile phones ’ and ‘Mobility’. Of course, girls do drive cars but for the majority, these are the scooters which provide mobility.
I am envious of these young, enthusiastic female scooter riders whose speed and alacrity amazes me .The moment the traffic light turns green, the girls on their scooters whiz across the road while I still struggle to get my car moving in the traffic. Their swiftness at the traffic signal baffles me but what rattles me is their attire. A majority of the female scooter riders do not wear helmets but keep their faces thoroughly covered. Evidently skull safety does not bother them. It is the skin protection which is their priority.
As these smart girls on their scooters zoom past me, I can not help recalling my own college days when majority of us boarded the college bus or cycled our way to the college. Of course, two-wheelers were there in early 80s but were the preserve of men, certainly not for girls to drive. In those pre-Maruti days, not many cars could be spotted on city roads. Not only were the cars rare, but were used sparingly. Only a couple of girls had the luxury of chauffeur driven cars for commuting. I remember one of them was the daughter of Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar who would be dropped and picked up from the college in a white Ambassador with the red beacon on the top. It is another matter that at that time I was not aware whether it was use or misuse of the official car.
In contrast to my college days when the humble bicycle used to be the personal mode of conveyance for us, today the auto-geared scooters have caught the fancy of the college girls who have patronized these light two-wheelers in a big way. In not too distant a past, every college had a cycle-stand where scores of bicycles used to be lined up; when one bicycle fell the rest tumbled down one after another. But today cycles have disappeared from the landscape of the colleges; instead we have an array of fancy scooters of all hues and make. Cycles might have vanished from the stand but as a hangover of the past, in common parlance the stand continues to be labeled as ‘cycle stand’. Even today colleges have a place designated as ‘Cycle Stand’ but of course, minus the cycles.
(Published in the tribune as MIDDLE ON JULY 19,2013)
The Indiagate scam
The incident dates back to pre-independence period. My father must have been in his early 20s, when as a fresh graduate, he was selected in the Defence Accounts Department of the government of India. For joining the job he required a medical certificate. After his medical examination he had to get the final stamp of approval from the chief medical officer who happened to be a British. As my father’s name was called out, he entered the room of the medical officer. While the C.M.O. kept shuffling the papers with one hand, he kept gesturing with his left hand from beneath the table as if he was asking for something. Repeatedly the officer asked my father, “What shall I write?” My father could not comprehend anything. Ultimately the medical officer signed the paper and my father came out with the medical certificate in his hand. The other candidates, who had to part with what ever money they had in their pocket, were curious to know how much my father had to shell out. My father did not pay a penny. He was too naïve to understand that the officer was asking for a bribe. Continue reading “The Indiagate scam”
Not so civic
During my teens I was an ardent reader of now defunct, ‘The Illustrated Weekly of India’. Deeply entrenched in my memory is a cover story published in the magazine decades ago Continue reading “Not so civic”
Five-Day Week: Challenges ahead
In alignment with the Panjab University work schedule, its affiliated colleges are set to have a five-day module. If it is appropriate for the university to function for five days a week, it should be logical for the affiliated colleges to follow the same pattern. Continue reading “Five-Day Week: Challenges ahead”
