Driving in India- Part 2

A month ago, I wrote a blog on Types of drivers in India which was very well received. Since there is never a dull moment on Indian roads, I decided to write a sequel to the same, one that mainly focuses on the ‘sights’ one witness while on the road !

1. Growing up, we were taught to never waste anything. Well, some people took this lesson a bit too seriously. Why else do you think our two-lane roads suddenly morph into five lanes!



2. Indians love challenges!
  • Only got space for 10 but have 40 passengers to transport? No biggie

  • Have to carry luggage but haven’t got much space? Not a problem!


3. Hakuna Matata: No worries for the rest of your days…. We have so many people on the Indian roads living by this motto !
  • On seeing a ‘No parking’ sign - अब दंगल होगा !( This is Sparta.)

  • One should be alert and fully aware when riding a two- wheeler: Screw that, YOLOOOO!

  • On seeing a ‘Go slow’ sign : *Dhoom machaale, dhoom machaale*
         


4. India is a beautiful country. Taking a road trip through the countryside is bound to leave a traveller with sweet memories of the simple folk, vivid mix of culture and images of the picturesque nature. Then comes the side-profile of a vomit-stained State Road Transport Corporation bus that ruins the whole mood!!!




5. Getting stuck in a lane behind trucks and autos is just the worst! But when those vehicles have funny slogans painted on the back, it kind of eases up that pain. Here are some of my favourite ones:








6. Baby you light up my world like nobody else…. STOP. DOING. THAT. RIGHT. NOW.
Can someone please educate drivers in India on when to use High-beam and when to use the Dipper!!

 


Road trips in India are obviously super- entertaining. My tip to you: Always keep a camera handy! You never know what marvelous sight lies in store for you.
Comment below to tell me about the unforgettable visuals from your experience of driving in India.


Thousands have lived without love, Not one without water

-W.H. Auden

    Hola folks!

Just a week ago, I was discussing a news article with Mitali and Manasvi about Cape Town soon running out of water, and how much I wanted them to write about this unimaginable yet very real global crisis- WATER SCARCITY! Sensing my urgency to do something about this sad situation, they suggested that I guest-blog on Musings & Mutterings, so here I am!

Folks, no matter how busy we are in leading our oh-so-hectic lives, climate change is happening NOW. And unlike Netflix, we can’t hit pause on this just because we are too busy to deal with it at the moment!
Imagine waking up one morning and being told that you will have access to only 25L of water per day to meet ALL your needs i.e. from brushing, bathing, flushing, car cleaning to cooking, dish-washing to everything. While you are digesting that piece of news, another disturbing fact comes to light - Those 25L of water will not be accessible through taps in your home. You would have to earn it by standing in long public queues every morning. (No, I am not being EXTRA!)



And this is not just for the underdeveloped or developing nations, it might soon apply to the developed nations of this world. This fictional scenario is actually coming to life as the fortunate ones(myself included) sit in the comfort of our fully-equipped houses. One of the world's most favourite tourist destinations is already grappling with this desperate situation. No, it is not some landlocked desert city, but the coastal city of South Africa, Cape Town. Shocking? You bet!

Cape Town
As of 2018 Cape Town is experiencing a water crisis, following a drought that began in 2015, which is said to be the worst the region has experienced in one hundred years. As of 5 March 2018 the city has projected that 'Day Zero' will be reached on 15 June 2018, when most of the city's water will be shut off, and residents will have to queue to collect a water ration of 25 litres per person, per day.
All of us are aware of the 'adjustments' one has to make while living in a big city. For instance, those of us who live in Delhi, cry and complain about the awful air quality, traffic jams, etc, but we have somehow internalized all that and accommodated a place for it in our lives. However, what do you think will happen when the whole city's population is forced to wake up at the crack of dawn to stand in a long queue to access a basic human lifeline i.e. WATER?? Let me list a few grim possibilities off the top of my head on what such a scenario might look like:

1. Elitism will make an appearance here as well, with the VIPs and the rich people throwing their name and power around. They will obviously remain unaffected by this crisis the longest.

2.Meanwhile, some would still not grasp the sense of the gravity of this situation. They’d continue to be audacious enough to consider it a temporary glitch because, Hello? "ये एनवीरोंमेन्टलिस्ट्स बेरोज़गार हैं, तभी  हल्ला कर  रहें है. कुछ  दिन में थक कर भूल जायेंगे और सब नार्मल हो जायेगा "
Screw logic and facts. Geography and ecological balance can take a hike. These are the people who would just shut their eyes and act like there is no problem, thinking that by ignoring the same, it would miraculously go away.
This is exactly how we tackled/are tackling air pollution *Pat on the back*

3. Then there will be complete MORONS:
-People dying of hunger: Continues to waste food
-Not everyone has access to electricity: Leaves every light on in the house, as if every day is Diwali
-There is a scarcity of water: Doesn't affect him/her. Goes on to throw an all-exclusive, invite-only, pool-party!!

4.The honest law abiding AAM-AADMI (a majority of the population): The middle-class citizen would once again be at the receiving end because he has no option. So basically, apart from all the other 'adjustments’, he would now also accommodate the time for the water queues in his schedule because come on! This class is born to work, work and only work.

5. Then those who will bear the brunt first - the POOR FOLKS. They will end up spending hours in line, the time that they could have spent working somewhere to earn hourly wages. Some might even die..... (Demonetization flashback). But this collateral damage is no biggie, right?.

While the poor and the not-so-well connected may be the first ones to be knocked out, the rich, elite and the powerful won't be exceptions/bystanders/onlookers to this crisis.
Everyone will only have themselves to blame for this crisis. Let’s face it, it is because we are too inconsiderate to let go of our long showers or we were too naive to believe that water scarcity is the next generation's problem and not ours, that we have reached such a scary point.

Talking specifically about Delhi, it is a city heavily dependent on groundwater and the table levels have already reached alarmingly low levels. Let us not ignore the stats and start being proactive by cutting down at least one instance of using water recklessly and postpone, if not prevent, this nightmare. 

If nothing is done, the day is not far when you might not be able to afford diamonds water  ..........

'Women's Day'

Dec 2012- Nirbhaya Rape Case
Oct 2017- 10year old Indian rape victim, impregnated by one of her uncles.
Jan 2018-  8 month old baby raped by her cousin
Mar 2018- Semen filled balloons flung at a young girl in the street 
To think that these acts are committed by humans who live among us is just inconceivable. What kind of a sick, twisted person does this? Just thinking about all these incidents gives me goosebumps. Reading about them in the news is enough to bring tears to any empathetic person’s eyes. And to those people who say- “She was sending signals to me.” or “It’s because she dresses like that”, tell me this- What kind of ‘signals’ of an 8 months old baby could indicate that she was ‘asking for it’? As I write this article and think about all the atrocities inflicted on women, my heart is sinking with disappointment and blood is boiling with rage". 
Forget feminism. Where is your humanity? 

Women are considered expendable in this country. Use them according to your own whims and dispose off of them when you’re done! When a man becomes a widower- he is remarried before one can blink, no matter what his age is. But, when a woman becomes a widow even at a young age she is expected to live a dull and lonely life. Even if she dares to get remarried and seek some happiness she is looked down upon by society. Why? Why don’t women have the right to be happy? Whatever happened to free will? What have men done to deserve all the ‘privileges’? 

But the times are slowly changing, The ‘Time’sUp’ and ‘MeToo’ movements in Hollywood are a proof of that. Women are gradually realizing that if they support each other, they will be unstoppable. We should not bring each other down, we should be each other’s strength, then let’s see who can take us for granted. I sincerely urge all women/girls reading this article to always stand up for other women and to not be a silent victim of anything. NO crime against your decency or body is ‘small’, speak up, we’re all here for you. To all the men/boys reading this, who think that women are inferior to you, WAKE THE HELL UP- Women make up 50%of the population and give birth to the other 50% so you have absolutely no right to disrespect one. This world doesn’t run without women, literally. Just try to imagine your day without any woman in it, I’m sure most people wouldn’t make it beyond 10 minutes. Women might not be at the forefront of all things the whole damn time, but we're there, watching, supporting and encouraging others. After all the things they do, women still need to ‘fight’ for their rights. We have to ‘fight’ for equal pay. What a sorry state of affairs it is that we need a special f***ing Day to celebrate women (and then everyone goes back to ridiculing them for the rest of the year). 

I can’t wait for the day when having a woman President or Prime Minister isn’t a big deal, when it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear that the CEO of a successful company is a woman and most importantly, I can’t wait for the day when girls and women can do what they want without even a hint of fear. 


P.S.  Ladies listen up- 'You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist', so get out there and be your own superhero. Let us celebrate every day as women’s day!

The Oscars Week- Part III

The list of Oscar awardees is out and so is out last review!


1. Phantom Thread 

-Reviewed by Mitali Khachi
 
Phantom thread is a dark love story about a high-end fashion designer, Reynolds Woodcock and his muse Alma. Set in the 1950’s Britain, Woodcock played by Daniel Day Lewis is a workaholic who has no time for romantic hang-ups. He is a cynic when it comes to marriage and any kind of romantic commitment because according to him, marriage brings with it, expectations and assumptions that cause heartaches. His one true love is fashion, so much so, that he personifies the garments! (“ Let’s take her for a walk” , “ She looks beautiful” are some of the things that he says about his clothes). Anybody who comes between him and his work is considered a distraction, and is immediately removed from his life.

In walks Alma, played by Vicky Krieps, a foreign waitress who immediately becomes Woodcock’s muse. She, like any other young girl, is charmed by his good looks, mannerisms, his passion for fashion, and attention to detail. Her initial attraction towards him soon turns to love, but sadly for her, it is one-sided. In the beginning she accepts all of his quirks, his rude and curt behaviour, she even changes herself to fit in his life the way he wants. Despite all this, neither is she able to hold his attention for too long, nor get two kind words of appreciation for her, for all that she does for him. Any viewer is bound to feel sorry for her, and a little disdain for Woodcock at this stage in the movie. Then comes the climax. All that sorrow and pity gives way to shock, leading to a total reversal of emotions for the main characters. I can’t elaborate on this further without revealing the plot of the movie, so I’ll just quote a dialogue from my favourite scene-

“ I want you flat on your back, helpless, tender, with only me to help, and then strong again. You are not going to die, you may wish so, but you are not going to die. You need to settle down.”
One realizes just how dark and twister, almost toxic, a love story can be and the extent to which lovers can go just to be able to hold onto their partners.
While Phantom Thread slows down a bit in the middle, it makes up for that with an exciting climax; the last fifteen minutes of the movie are particularly scintillating, multi-layered characters and gorgeous costumes. It encompasses ‘power imbalance’ and ‘male chauvinism’, two very widely spoken and trending topics of these days. Also, barring Daniel Day Lewis, the rest of the cast is entirely female, which is another plus point for this movie!

2. Get Out

-Reviewed by Manasvi Neyol

I was hesitant about watching this one because the trailer seemed kinda scary (and I’m a wuss who doesn’t watch horror movies). But, it was nothing like that! Sure, it was creepy, but it wasn’t ‘keep you up at night’ scary.
Get out is the story of Chris- A 26 year old African-American boy who’s girlfriend (Rose Armitage) is white. He is nervous to visit her parents’ for the weekend (for obvious reasons). On reaching their place he finds that something is off about the whole Armitage family, especially their black servants who behave in the most unusual manner. He later uncovers a horrendous secret about the Armitages.
The story was brilliant and executed beautifully. The suspense in the movie is next level! I was not able to make out what the suspense was until the very last moment. When it was finally disclosed my jaw dropped! It was amazing, totally worth the wait.
Daniel Kaluuya was convincing as Chris Washington. He displays the variety of emotions felt by the character perfectly. Allison Williams (played Rose Armitage) was my favorite performer in the movie!
Overall, I would rate this movie ⅘

3. The Darkest Hour

-Reviewed by Mitali Khachi

I love biopics, and this one was no exception. This movie is about one of the most dramatic periods in the life of Sir Winston Churchill, when he became Prime Minister in 1940. After the British cabinet had lost its confidence in Neville Chamberlain, Churchill was appointed as Prime Minister. He faced the impossible task of leading a coalition government, during a time when World War II had just begun; unwelcoming colleagues, a skeptical King, a scared public, advancing enemies and unhelpful friends - these were some of the challenges that Churchill had to face after his appointment. To paraphrase a dialogue from the movie, the Prime minister ship was not a gift, it was a revenge.

Churchill faced a lot of opposition when he took two decisions, one was regarding the dynamics of the rescue plan ‘Operation Dynamo’ of 300,000 soldiers stuck in Dunkirk (Here is a link for our movie review), and the second was changing the strategy of  negotiating a peace treaty with the fascist regime, instead he decided to retaliate against the Nazi army with all their might instead. Despite being advised against the same, he decided to fight on with full strength. (His strategy proved to be correct as it eventually saved the lives of may troops which were stranded in Dunkirk)

Everybody knows of Churchill as the popular and successful statesman, but The Darkest Hour also shows another part of his life, where he is ‘Bertie’, a loving husband and father with a great sense of humour. There is a scene in the movie, where his typist points out that he’s been doing the V-Victory sign incorrectly. The way he has been posing with the sign actually means ‘Up your bum’. One would expect a Prime Minister to get angry and embarrassed in such a situation, but he cracks up and has a good laugh about it!

Since Churchill was an excellent orator and a wonderful writer, this movie is full of exceptional dialogues, many being the actual speeches given by him. Here is an excerpt from one of his speeches to the public-
‘Victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terror. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival'
After watching The Darkest Hour, I bow my head to Gary Oldman for a spellbinding performance. He has managed to duplicate the mannerisms of Churchill so well that in my opinion he brought the man back to life, at least for my generation. Here I would also like to mention that his makeup team is a bunch of magicians. Only after talking to a friend of mine did I get to know that the actor who played the lead was in fact the same person who played Sirius Black in Harry Potter. That is how good the makeup was!

So this is the end of our Oscar movie review series. We hope you enjoyed because being movie-buffs, we most certainly did!

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