Hello Auto

Three wheels, a pig like face and as synonymous with India as Elephants and snake charmers, welcome on board our very own autorickshaws! Apart from being one of the most common modes of transport, it is a face of every city in India. Funny but true, every city is recognised by it's Auto drivers. So I'd just like to take you through a ride of autorickshaws in different cities.

Well, let's start with the capital, Delhi. The auto drivers are absolute thugs who hardly use the meter and charge you as they please. But their USP is the long routes they take to justify the amount they charge. And if you're new to the city, nobody can save a hole in your pocket. They step out with a drilling machine and aim at pockets. One good thing however is that they hardly refuse to go to any area. Even if you want to go across the street, they'll ask you to sit while they take you for a ride.

Well, this exactly is the biggest difference between Delhi and Bangalore. If you ask an autodriver to leave you at a place 5 km away, he'll tell you directions and ask you to walk instead! They really are that dumb! But don't get mistaken when they seat you and turn the meter on. They fiddle with meters and you end up charging more than you would in a Delhi or Chennai. Even though not so common, it is something to watch out for in the city of pubs.

Next is the turn of the most notorious autorickshaw drivers! The cymbals clash, the trumpets blow and the applause roars! Make way for the undisputed winners, Chennai! First and foremost, meters do not exist. No, not even for decoration in some autorickshaws, hence exorbitant rates. Next is their attitude. I'm sure, Himesh wouldn't write "fulltu attitude dede tu zara" if he had travelled by Chennai autos ever.

And the biggest reason for their notoriety is their driving style which can make any atheist chant hymns and mantras out of nowhere. If you want your auto to stop, you better watch the incoming traffic because they would just switch lanes and hit the footpath without seeing anything that would be coming their way. It's at the end of the ride that you get to know the exorbitant rates were actually for a roller coaster ride in the guise of an autorickshaw.

Well, after going through all these cities, you finally go to Mumbai. Step out of the Railway Station or airport and hire an auto. He'll say yes, seat you and turn the meter on. All of a sudden life is simple.

Please Use Me

life nowadays is becoming more and more materialistic. More in terms of disposing material, rather than possessing it. There was a time when a pen used to be a treasured possesion. one would keep his pen for ages put together. Now even cameras dont last that long. The only option we have is to dispose. technology changes so fast that repairing costs more than buying new.

On one hand we talk about recycling and reducing wastes. on the other hand, we dump huge possesions becaus there's nothing we can do about it. Income is also treated in terms of disposable income. Quiet literal, it simply means the more income, the more you dispose.

"Disposability" as i may call it has creaped into our lives to such an extent that it goes beyond materials. Be it relationships, jobs or even contacts, nearly everything is disposable. Simply put, the disposition of disposing is quiet fast catching up.

The Reverse Big Bang Theory

Edwin Hubble in 1929 discovered that celestial bodies and galaxies are drifting away. Thus was discovered "The big bang theory" which states that the universe is in a constant state of expansion. The theory goes on to prove that spaces are ever-expanding

Having said that, I would like to say that today we live in times which holds relevance to what i would like to term as a 'reverse big bang'. The stars may still be drifting away but today spaces and distances are shrinking. Continents might not be merging to form the Pangea again but geography for sure has become history.

We talk regularly to people halfway across the world. I need not explain how technology helps bring people from various parts of the globe on a common communication space, though not physical or geographical. One of the most common examples would be that of chatting over the internet with people from all parts of the world. Ironically though, we may not even know who lives in our neighbourhood.

When I mention that spaces have shrunk, I not only mean distances between places, but also personal spaces. Earlier where families would use the same products and commodities and watched television together, today, each member has his/her own "brand" for every commodity. And also separate televisions playing separate channels/programs.

The time of joint families is long gone. Nowadays, even nuclear families are on the decline with the rise of single parenting. Thanks to shrinking personal spaces. The shrinking now goes beyond separate televisions that i've mentioned above. Media is getting as personal as possible with "media-on-demand", namely ipods and laptops. We are in the process of being reduced to secluded species, both socially as well as intellectually.

All that said, could Hubble's theory still hold true in today's social scenario, considering the fact that bodies are continually drifting away?

Am I the only one?

There is a saying which goes "you are unique just like everybody". I don't know how far it is true with everybody. But i believe that it atleast holds true for me. I sometimes feel that I am the only one who believes that "I" am the center of the universe. Not that others don't mean anything. I feel that my universe comprises of just me. When I won't be here, the world would still continue to exist but if I won't be there to witness it, it's as good as the world does not exist for me. Others are not a part of this "universe", they are just influencers. It might sound selfish, but I couldn't put it in pleasant words.

Am I the only one who believes that "rat race" is the most derogatory term? I get infuriated whenever I hear the word. I'd rather be called a mediocre than being c alled a member of a rat race. It's prepostrous that on one hand we say that human life is divine, god's gift etc. and on the other hand, we make such detrimental comparisons. I wouldn't mind being reborn as a rat but I would hate it if anybody called my life a human race then.

Am I the only one who believes memories are a pointless indulgence? I would like to make it clear that i do not despise memories. I like meeting old friends and reliving the days, incidents and anecdotes from the past. But i feel it's useless to indulge in memories. To be stuck to the rewind button in life. That, according to me is a sign of stagnation and is the root for what one refers to as loneliness; I firmly believe in solitary bliss as an advantageous alternative when I don't have the luxury of a social surrounding.

Am I the only one who daydreams of being interviewed on TV for watever reason? Am I the only one who sets on solitary tours? I could go on and on... But I would just like to end with one main question.
Am i the only one who comes up with such a meaningless blog?

Sleep tripping

I was sleep deprived for over 36 hours when i got onto a train from Jolarpettai junction. I was returning to Chennai from Yelagiri. I had gone there for a solitary trip amidst the mountains. So after a full day of trekking and roaming around, I was tired and craving to hit the bed

The train came one hour late and people started rushing in as it reached the platform. I had a ticket for a general compartment. It was full and crowded. Which meant I had to stand for three hours. The very thought of standing up for so long and that too in such a rush for such a long duration was a big turn off. The fatigue and deprivation of sleep added to the discomort. Eventually, one of the co-passengers sat on the floor. I was too tired to stand so i followed.

Now i'm sitting on a newspaper sheet inside the train, besides the door. I start feeling drowsy. Sleep was starting to take its toll over me. I made it a point not to give in because a mere 3 hours would not suffice. I knew I would end up with a headache, had i given in to insufficient sleep. I wanted to remain awake so that i could have all the sleep at a stretch after reaching home.


Gradually, I started to feel my eyes getting heavy. It was similar to sitting in a boring lecture. I would widen my eyes occasionally, a tried and tested method of driving away sleep, atleast temporarily. Eventually, I found myself on the border of sleep and conscience. I'm not sure if i crossed the border but i was sure i didn't for more than a few seconds; an experience i had come close to many times but this was a first time and unique.


The experience was intoxicating. I had started to dream with my eyes open. People who were talking around seemed to be talking famous dialogues. A person on my left was talking to a person on my right. There were a lot of questions and answers passing between the two. I suddenly turned to the person on my left. He was quiet and by his body language i knew he had been for a long time. This was only getting worse. I was hallucinating. It was as though i was on an intoxicant, a drug.

Now the borderline of my conscience was moving further. I knew a strong nerve impulse could only do the trick. My tired mind could not gather the strenth for now. Rather I did not want to move out of my comfort zone. I could feel myself getting irate and restless. I wish I could explain some more of my experiences more clearly. Unfortunatley I don't remember much.

The fact that baffled me the most was that when the body requires more rest, how could the mind get all the more restless. Shouldn't it be pacified? What happens when we sleep? Does bloodflow to the head reduce? A million questions come to my mind. If any of you know, please let me know. Now you may ask why i posted this on my blog? Just a strange experience. Thought I'd let you know.

Tranquebar and the symphony of mystery

The waves roar louder and louder
Bringing alive many an emotion!
They join hands to create a symphony
Of melancholy, yet of rejuvenation.

When the night is at its darkest
and stars are hidden by clouds,
the waves collide with rocks
and create that enigmatic sound.

The sound can not be deciphered by mind;
It converses with the soul.
It elevates you to a higher level,
A euphoria one can not control!

Thoughts just wander aimlessly
in a pensive state of mind.
Searching for answers and reasons,
we trivial humans can never find.

I’m still waiting for the sun to come out of the sea
and give it’s first rays, still rubbing it’s eyes
To give a new dawn and shed some light
over nature’s musical instruments in disguise

Slowly the sea turns from black to dark blue
The sun is on it’s way
A shooting star falls from the sky
What more can I wish for today?

For more on tranquebar check http://travellok.blogspot.com/2008/11/tranquebar-place-of-singing-waves-and.html

Is india deprived of creativity?

I would straight away start with the answer - No. If you travel through the various parts of india and have a glance of our various artforms, there's a lot for us Indians to be proud of. For centuries, many sculptors and architects have brought life and immense beauty into rocks. We have thousands of dance forms. Many of them like the Kathakali, take over 10 years just to learn. If a danceform requires so much of time and dedication to be learnt, one can just imagine the amount of effort and creativity that has gone to make the dance forms. Our music and literature are also living examples of our creativity

If i'm so confident about our creativity, why do I even come up with such a topic. The answer lies in the shortcomings of our comercial forms of art. Remakes of Hollywood movies and "formula movies" make our heads go down in shame. "Filmi" music or "Bollywood" music are known the world over for "lifting" tunes or their "ins-pirations" as they are commonly known. I shall not leave this opportunity to name Pritam, the great music director who's been winning many awards off lately. He's smart enough to come up with tried and tested music from all around the world.

But there still is hope. We have a handful of Film makers and Music directors who come up with something new all the time. Unfortunately, they're only a handful. Apart from the handful, there are loads of creative geniuses in our country who venture into parallel cinema, classical music, literature and various other forms of art and prefer not to come into the limelight. It would be totally unfair not to mention their efforts. But at the end of the day, what goes out to the public is the commercial forms of art, even if they have nothing artistic about them.


The last decade has seen a decline in "Formula Movies" and the upcoming of slightly more mature commercial films, even though less in numbers. I would also specially like to mention "A R Rahman", 'the mozart from Madras' for doing us proud. There are a lot of international artists who have ripped off his tunes. Now that is a sigh of relief for us. Not jus the fact that our music is copied, but also the fact that ripping music is not specific only to India.

Despite all our creative efforts, we have to understand that commercial art is a reflection of us as a country. Copying Music and movies should be stopped. I'm sure that there are many struggling artists out there who can make a difference. Our entertainment industry should be ready to take more risks. It's high time we realise that the Indian public is yet to receive the deserved amount of credit for its intelligence.