"Sajit, we are alive."
My first words as we woke up on 11th May, 2011 at Pangong Lake, 14500 ft above sea level. I was surprised that we were not dead from asphyxiation.
What Aamir khan depicts as a sunny picnic spot for kids in 3 idiots film is actually a salt water lake surrounded by cold, dry, icy, barren mountains where nothing survives except for Ladakhis of course.
We reached here the previous evening after our qualis got stuck in the melting snow that had fallen just last week. our survival kit for the night included 6 hot water bottles, 3 blankets, Fuel vodka, Black Cat rum procured by our helpful hotel guys from the army, a dairy milk fruit n nut chocolate and yes, an oxygen pump which saw us through the night.
The morning was rewarding. We watched the sunrise over the blue waters of pangong tso. The view was stunning. Not that we woke up early to watch it. But, we couldnt sleep anyway because of the lack of oxygen.
But...God could have created this same scenery in a tropical place where everyone could have enjoyed it in real sense. Why create it in such inhospitable conditions, where you can't even sit on the banks the coloured clear waters and read a book.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Rickshawallah Psychology:
Chapter 1: Learn customer service from them.
They will speed, honk, take risks and stop right in front of the gate to make sure the passenger reaches on time.
Chapter 2: If the rickshaw has a salman khan poster on the sides, it increases the chances of the driver being rash.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Origins of Amdavadi Traffic Sense
A typical Amdavadi driver is not used to driving on straight roads and sticking to just one lane. Contrary to the popular belief, Ahmedabad was not always a city, like Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta or say even Bengaluru.
The people of Ahmedabad always lived in pols which has very narrow lanes meant for walking. They were never designed for the movement of vehicular traffic. But soon, Bajaj scooter came into being and people in pols took to it like seagulls take to flying and black pomfret take to swimming. The pol lanes are multi purpose. Kids play, old folk plod around, one has to dodge cows feeding on left overs disposed off from the houses. It's a free world out there. You can stop any time and start walking any time. This applies to humans and domesticated animals.
Hence the Amdavadi driver is used to honking everytime for moving an inch forward, driving zig zag in order to find a little space, stopping anywhere to say hello to a friend or picking up vegetables from a vendor. The concepts of wide roads, lane driving, no honking, no stopping anywhere but the side of the road, giving a side signal etc are alien to him.
When Ahmedabad became a city, the roads broadened but not the traffic sense. So, please excuse the drivers.
HORN EVERY 2O M, OK PLEASE
The people of Ahmedabad always lived in pols which has very narrow lanes meant for walking. They were never designed for the movement of vehicular traffic. But soon, Bajaj scooter came into being and people in pols took to it like seagulls take to flying and black pomfret take to swimming. The pol lanes are multi purpose. Kids play, old folk plod around, one has to dodge cows feeding on left overs disposed off from the houses. It's a free world out there. You can stop any time and start walking any time. This applies to humans and domesticated animals.
Hence the Amdavadi driver is used to honking everytime for moving an inch forward, driving zig zag in order to find a little space, stopping anywhere to say hello to a friend or picking up vegetables from a vendor. The concepts of wide roads, lane driving, no honking, no stopping anywhere but the side of the road, giving a side signal etc are alien to him.
When Ahmedabad became a city, the roads broadened but not the traffic sense. So, please excuse the drivers.
HORN EVERY 2O M, OK PLEASE
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