"S"parrow "C"hara "A"nd "M"onkey!!!

Flora and fauna have always been an integral component of our ecosystem. I feel NGT is keenly looking into issues and concerns (Yamuna cleaning, construction of hospital in the ridge area etc.) revolving around foliage, I would like to put my itchy finger over kingdom Animalia.

Recall the age old days when elephants were brutally killed so as to smuggle the ivory tusks. Poor ancient smugglers! They didn’t know that such gruesome act which would decrement the jumbo count wasn’t the correct way to earn their lavish livelihood. Financial gains could be earned just in their name too. After all, written proof holds more significance as compared to visual or verbal ones. I know all office goers esp. corporate professionals would definitely agree to this, nobody gets to work until a mail pops up in their inbox!!

Anyways, my point is better re-instated by the scandalous scams.

Courtesy: Google Images

 For instance, just in the name of livestock, esteemed politicians got involved in a fodder scam amounting to Rs.950 crores and that too on legal papers!!! Had this political acumen been used for optimal utilization of resources, India would have become the world leader in a flash. How astutely this whole thing had been designed is flabbergasting. Investigations of vehicle number plates meant to carry the purchased cows were revealed to be of scooters and cars. (Not viable to carry off cattle, as per my comprehension!!) Better known as ‘CHARA SCAM’, it has actually left the politicians with no chara as they have been shown the prison door.

On one hand,  “Monkey Gate” is making headlines getting a mention in Ricky Ponting’s biography and on the other hand monkeys are creating their own ruckus by opening gates to the free flow of liquid for another set of bilkers. Rs. 25 lac was spent in a single month buying bananas, cucumber and gram to feed the opulent arboreals. Did the officials took conservation of fauna too seriously to serve food free with gold, diamonds, Swiss watches or was the food being served as a luxurious five-star cuisine with limitless hospitality configured?

Peeping more closely across the Cloud, I found that our chief minister has declared “The House Sparrow” as the “State Bird“ for the national capital. Also, the task to recover the count of plummeting sparrows has been initiated. I think aerial observation is the need of the hour to keep the terrestrial swindlers at bay.

At last it’s time to give some respite to my itchy fingers tired of counting sparrows, Oops! I mean scams.. But you do write to us if you see any helpless stray animal around you, some official might already have a plan funded by the tax-payer's money to sort this out!!

RE-DEFINED IN REFINED WORLD!!

Quoting Sir Francis Bacon - "Knowledge is power",

Courtesy:Google Images

but it seems that this pearl has been lost amidst precarious pile of books gathering dust in prized book-shelves. What sounds prevalent (to me) today is:

Time is money!

Money is power!

Power tends to corruption!!

Okay! Many of you might think that I am going a little overboard here but just pause and ponder if the old adages or even older versions of stuff (moral values, designations etc.) hold the same purport today.

For instance: 

1. "Does gold seem glittery these days?" Besides bringing a teary twinkle in the eye, this sparkle has somewhat lost its sheen by burning a huge hole in our already contracting pockets.

2. Is "Honesty the best policy" really? Won't you think a hundred times before being honest after seeing how an iron-willed officer was inculpated for exposing the sand mafia for just doing her job she was supposed to.

3. "Speech is silver, silence is gold". But doesn't the silence of high political authority in India echo everywhere like a crass cacophony?

4. "It’s my firm conviction that when Uncle Sam calls, by God we go, and we do the best we can". Does this conviction seem that absolute nowadays? Twist of fate or harsh truth, the world doesn't feel like the protégé of Uncle Sam anymore! A superpower that has an opinion about almost everything, soldiers and drones spread across the world, gargantuan money power blah blah, but caught in an impasse! Chalo! “Time and tide waits for none” still seems a bit prevalent.

5. "Practise what you preach" seems totally absurd. Forget what preachers preach, it’s time to preach them to practise humanity. We have our nation's very own latest self-styled Godman turning into a ghastly beast making headlines these days and eroding the faith of millions in 'teachings and values' they stood for!

6. "An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind" as per Mahatma Gandhi's prominent quote on peace. It’s an apathy that we still haven’t understood its essence as we aren't ready to give a piece of mind to recurring conflicts, uprisings, sectarian/religion-based violence. I guess the recent riots in Muzaffarnagar and the in vogue caste politics give us a clear insight. 

But not all is lost. The axiom that stands out totally is : "You cannot adopt politics as a profession and remain honest" with scams (2G, 3G, sand, coalgate, fodder and counting) erupting faster than the speed of light and politicians being shown coop at a snail's pace though. But you know that, "slow and steady wins the race".

I rest my pen here for I think my itchy fingers have pointed out my thoughts, I hope without pointing my fingers at anybody.

WATCH OUT!!!!

Everyday technology ranging from televisions, microwaves, washing machines, dish washers etc. are turning smarter. Have any vintage stuff that you can’t do without, a few technological touch-ups and voila! You have a smart version of some real cool stuff at your disposal. These days, we have a new range of device popping up – THE SMART WATCHES.

As per my prowess in biology, they use smart phones as their hosts particularly as the Reservoir host. Smart watches are liable to do much more than an ordinary wrist watch. So gear up to ask someone more smart a question rather than a simple “Time by his watch”, for now it’s going to be a time-out for the prosaic ones. I’ll just jot down few jargons and activities that are now going to change the definition of an hourglass.

Courtesy : Google Images

It may sound puzzling, but the next time you see a person speaking to his wrist, don’t mistake him to be insane or demented. He has just strapped one of those watches to his wrist which is helping him send (receive) sound signals to his loved ones. Some brands also allow message exchange through it. Ahh! I forgot to cite that major tech giants like Google, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Apple, Qualcomm, Pebble etc. have entered this arena to play with time.

Coming to the key specs: it will have a large screen, either with the conventional buttons or ultramodern full touch support. It adorns itself in riveting colours too which might be in resonance with your wardrobe. This one’s more suitable for gals out there!!! Neither is it bulky nor obese, thus enabling it to come into the category of comfortable wearable gadgets. Powered with numerous Apps running on multiple operating systems, it’s enough to satiate an App freak’s appetite. It comes in handy to health and fitness conscious generation too keeping up with the busy lives that most of us lead today. It has a Heart rate monitor, Cadence sensor etc. to keep your health parameters noted. Aptly in time, no!! GPS for navigation purpose could prove really helpful in times of need. I believe camera, thermometer, compass, chronograph, calculator are just a few characteristics that one can long for in these skilled timekeepers.

As the chronometer is on the road to revamp, I wish it could do more than just being a wearable computer. If it could let me travel my timeline and relive the past moments with the same emotion (after all, it’s smart, so should be able to set the mood!!!). And for that matter, if it could help students to hold the time from passing by rapidly in a time bound examination!!! What say!! Share more that you want from your SMARTWATCH!!!

Well! This time my itchy fingers are not pointing towards anything but are itching to get my hands on a smart watch shortly.

I can just say that the clock is ticking for a timeless change in no time. I mean, who knows my coming blog posts might be posted from a smart watch. Waiting for your comments from a SMART TIMER!!!

DISPATCHED GRACEFULLY!!!

Commuting between places would never have been as adventurous and soothing at the same instant,  if there wouldn’t have been disparate flavours of conveyance. Moreover, being a native of Delhi – the capital city provides a lot of options to travel. As my father states: Move an inch out of Delhi (towards the NCR) and you’ll be pinched by the paucity of public conveyance.

Today, I point my itchy fingers towards the various modes of transportation that have made my not so very punctual life somewhat easier!

 

Yellow-green vehicle – the Auto rickshaw is my first choice. Presently it comes in various colours, styles and has transformed into a chic carriage. Pink coloured- specifically for women can be seen manned by male drivers along with the Tuktuk (Radio auto rickshaw service-just a phone call away). Then there are meterless auto in coherence with the standard metered ones running all over with jocund quotations, traffic instructions and important phone no.s (like eye care, baldness reduction, women helpline, victimized husband’s cell etc.). Let me describe the interesting interiors too. Morphed Bollywood majors’ posters stuck inside stare at you from all the corners eye to eye and if you’re lured by them, Maa-kali glancing from the front mirror is there to keep an eye on you. Gramin-Sewa, alias shared auto is the essence these days. Wheelman is such a benign and munificent person that he welcomes all. You can either sit on the door if there’s a space crunch or even stand on conductor’s request whose skillful foreknowledge about the co-passengers and management skills can give an IIM-ite a run for his money. 

Courtesy : Google Images

There are certain auto shaped “Dhodas”, as I like to call them. Do tell me if you have a better word for them!. They are omnipresent with goats/cows/oxen/hens in abundance peeping out and their tardy pace bringing the hell out of you.

Rick shorthand for rickshaw - manual or the eco friendly battery operated ones are the saviour for short distances. Though these battery-run rickshaws are in vogue yet the older hand-pulled or naturally air-conditioned cycle rickshaws can never be a passé. I remember travelling with my friend to our college daily by those and giving final touch ups to our maquillage on-board!!! CRAZY!!!

Then we have our venerable, loyal, wallet-friendly buses racing the tarmac with a certain fatherly air about the old drivers. Though Blue/Red killer variants are now defunct, the green DTC buses are a rage among passengers. Feeders are a recent addition to the category, a subset of this juggernaut. Driver ferrying the people fools them about the movement by simply moving the bus hence and forth, repeating the exercise probably for half an hour. And the conductor is a budding dude with lots of tattoos and gelled up hair. He would forcefully push people inside stating that “No photo-shoot is happening for those hanging about the door!!” Nomenclature of various stoppages shows their mindfulness too. For instance a bus-stop near White House Apartment, has been popularly named as “Obama ka ghar (Obama’s Residence)”!!!!

And yes, who can forget the splendid “Metro-DMRC”. But I think it should add more coaches or should be made into a double-deck. (No! Seriously). I mean you can catch people of all ages, genders, shapes and sizes 17*7*365 at the metros ready to get past through you. 

Yesss! I just grabbed a seat and before letting it slip away to someone else I’ll just doze off.

You too have a safe journey and keep in mind : “Pappu te gudiya di gaddi hun Keep Dishtanche ! Warna buri nazar wale tera muuh kala!! Ok! Tataa! Bye- Bye!!” ;)

Courtesy : Google Images