Travel back in the past

This is exactly how i felt yesterday. I had a flat tyre on my way to the office. This occurred at the Sea Link. Unfortunately my spare tyre was also flat, so asked one of my factory workers who was with me in the car to take the spare for repairing and get it back.

This was not that easy, as the cars were speeding across the sea link. We managed to request one of the drivers to take my person along with him. This reminded me of the days at the highway when even a small breakdown of the car meant difficulties galore. In fact he had trouble convincing cab drivers also to come to the sealink after having the tyre repaired.

While waiting in my car, I removed my cell phone from my pocket to call at the office. An lo, the cell phone battery had decided to ditch me. So there I was without any mode of communication, in the middle of the sea , quite literally. It was like in the past, when there were no cell phones, and one is totally cut off form the world in case of breakdowns. No PCO’s, no cell phones, no contact with anybody. For more than one hour I was just sitting over there, unaware of the time (because of my bad habit of depending on the cellphone watch, i dont wear a wrist watch), watching the cars zip thru. This was how the Mumbai Highways used to be around 25 years back.

Though here I would like to appreciate the fact that the sea-link CCTV’s were watching on me, and the towing van did infact turn up, after an hour or so, but during that period, I felt that I have travelled back in time.

Accident waiting to happen

The curves on Worli Bandra Sea Link require good maneuverability by the car driver. Over speed often lead to crashing in the crash railings installed on the side of the sea route. However what has always scared me is that till the second carriageway of the sea link is commissioned, traffic is allowed from both sides on the current carriageway. What if some nerd is not able to control his vehicle and crashes into the approaching car from the other end. This is what I witnessed today. A  driver was not able to control his car at a curve….and crashed into a car coming from the opposite direction. The accident had fatal results, but what I really thought was a saving grace(?) for the family of the deceased was the fact that the car didn't topple over and land in the water, because there I am sure our Mumbai Coast Guard would have found it very difficult to get the car out. I am sure we are not equipped for such tragedies. This brings me to my fear, what if an alive person goes down in the water along with the car. A sure shot watery grave. Scary. But I feel this is one accident waiting to happen, and we Mumbaikars are going to find that we were not able to save that person because there was no proper equipment ready at hand to do so.

After marriage life and technology

Its marriage season and there is a marriage every other day. I was wondering whether like yesteryears, do the brides still cry during their marriages? Not as before I feel.

So what does that mean? Are they emotionally detached from their families unlike before?

Again I feel the real reason is not attachment or detachment. In the past the means of communications were very limited or hardly there. If the bride had to go to another town, then it was always difficult for her to be in touch with her family. An occasional letter(if the girl could read and write), a messenger in form of a visitor to the town, Long distance trunk calls, occasional snapping of photographs(if girls in-laws allowed that) etc etc. For meeting the family sometimes it would take as much as more than a year.

Nowadays, a must have item for the girl to take with her to her in-laws place is her private cell phone. Social networking will keep the family posted of everything from her first day in the new  bedroom to her honeymoon to her different stages of life.

Girls nowadays laugh at the thought of crying during marriage, their normal retort is ….we will be in constant touch with each other…..so why cry.

Like always, technology has succeeded in reducing one more emotional moment in everybody’s life….but at the same time added new emotions one has , while sharing life LIVE…….

Games for the empty mind….

Travelling daily for 60 km to my office and back, I have a lot of free time to empty my mind. And sometimes I find the I have emptied my mind totally. Yesterday while driving I was playing a game in my head. Simple but effective enough to spend the one and a half hour on the road.

I started off with my brother in law and his siblings names. My brother in law’s name is Vinod and his siblings are Harsha and Mayur. As per the hindi meaning of the name…all are related to each other by meaning also. I started racking my head over other such names. Didnt have to go far. My brother in laws cousins are named Jyoti, Deepak and Sandhya. Again all meanings related to light. Good way of relating the kids with names also. Then I remembered a family in my building, Deepak and his wife Deepali. Their two sons are aptly named Deep and Divesh. All of them indicate lamp.

I tried to rack my head over more such family names but was not able to , I am sure there might be more. So I shifted gears to families with name starting from the same alphabet. My immediate neigbour is Jeetu, his wife is Jagruti and their son is named Jash. So they have a common ‘J’ amongst them. I remember one more family I was acquainted with….Mac and Marie Machado, and their kids Manisha and Mihir!!! Again ‘M’ as a common link between them.

Frankly these many names took me the entire route of 30 kms with this mind game.:)

Might start more mind games while travelling now…..

Wedding Invitations….

The best issue about wedding is taken up in a recent Vodaphone advertisement, where the character is ruing the fact that even after posting of wedding cards one still has to call up the relatives etc etc etc.

As far as the relatives and friends are staying at a far away places, posting the cards to them and then calling them is ok. But if they are staying in your own city or even in the neighboring cities…then posting the card is considered a definite way of breaking your relation with them in India.

The guardians of the boy or girl to be married move out in the morning and end their day in the night, distributing the cards. Sometimes they look like zombies during the marriages if this procedure is not ended atleast 3-4 days before marriage.

What I dont understand is why are we Indians are so hell bent on receiving the marriage cards personally. Why can the poor family of the bride and groom be spared this torture. What is wrong in receiving the cards by post or courier? After all the family has other chores to complete before the marriage. Shouldnt that be considered OK to accept the cards by post or courier.

Second is that why cant we accept the fact that if we receive the card with an additional card asking about the number of members who will be attending the marriage, it is ok. This is considered a BIG INSULT. Nothing wrong in it frankly….if the family of bride and groom are aware beforehand as to how many people will be attending the function, at least they can be assured that the food wont be more or less during the marriage. This system is followed in certain castes but is considered under no-no in majority of the castes. Some castes also mention that only a certain number of people are invited per card. Again nothing wrong.

But such issues are sufficient for severing off the ties amongst families and friends. Having a marriage in the house is a big thing, but it also is a major reason amongst many for make or break of relations.Things need to be changed…wonder if they will???