Chronicle No.1

Landed in Bhubaneswar on Monday, the 29th at 1:15 pm. Outside temp. - 34 degrees. Felt more like 54 degrees, esp after the cool environs of the plane's cabin. A long prepaid taxi ride later, RR and I found ourselves in front of the company villa. It looked like a very well-developed place in the middle of nowhere. On checking in, we found that as per company policy, no 2 students from the same college can share rooms, meaning that RR and I had to part ways.

Room was nice and clean, good toilet facilities, and water round the clock. Even the power cut is executed for arnd 30 min in the evening when it turns cool, so its quite alright. After a full Udupi dinner, which cost the whole of 20 bucks per head, I headed back to my room to find that my previously non-existent room partner from Jadavpur Univ. had now put in an appearance. Quite a nice chap, the only two problems being that he speaks in such a heavy Bong accent that I have to ask him to repeat himself at least 3 times before I can understand what is going on, and, he smokes. The former problem is pretty easy to solve. However, having heard of JD's predicament in Chennai, I solved the latter by requesting him to use the bathroom to smoke. He was game, so I am saved the trouble of having to cough for most of the day.

Today, I made a visit to the local Big Bazaar. Seems to be a nice place to come and shop every Sunday. Everything available at dirt cheap rates. Nothing much happened worth mentioning throughout the day.

Tomorrow, we start training. Hope it goes well. I certainly do not wish to stay outside Bombay for more than 2 months. My fingers are crossed.

Govt. v/s Judiciary

For the last two days, I have been seeing headlines about the public spat between the Central Govt. and the Judiciary splashed about everywhere. This leads me to think - Who will emerge as the eventual winner?

The entire dispute started when the Hon. SC (Supreme Court for this post!!) passed a judgement abolishing the reservation quota in private colleges. Although a majority of the college owners were overjoyed, this order sure made the Govt. see red. You see, they had their vote banks to protect!! The govt. started claiming that the Judiciary was infringing on its territory. On the other hand, the Judiciary curtly asked the Govt. to see to it that they do their job properly.

Well, in a way, the Govt. of India is right. India is a democratic nation and Parliament is the body empowered by the Constitution to make our laws. If we complain that Parliament does not act responsibly, then it is we who are to blame. After all, it is we who send our representatives to Parliament as MPs. Whatever be the case, Parliament SHOULD remain the sole law-making body in the country. The Hon. SC is simply expected to ensure that these laws are upheld in letter and spirit.

On the other hand, it can be argued that the large no. of PILs being filed in courts against the Govt. negligence forces the courts to look into the matter. After all, the Constitution guarantees every citizen the Right to Justice. Hence, it is implicitly implied that it is the duty of the Judiciary to ensure that this right is upheld. This leads to an internal conflict between the duties of Parliament and the Judiciary. Now, how can this conflict be resolved?

I feel that our esteemed Parliamentarians are to blame for this whole mess. If they discharge all the functions expected of them, then it will be no longer necessary for the citizens to resort to the courts for justice. Then, even the courts can carry out their functions without infringing on Parliamentary territory.

Coming round to the original argument, I feel that the executive viz. the Govt. will eventually emerge the winner, and rightly so. The only problem is that the powers of the Judiciary may be curbed in the process, resulting in denial of justice to a citizen in the future. Now, if only our politicians could do their job properly.......Sigh!!!!!

Another Futile College Visit

Had gone to college yesterday to make renewed attempts at trying to get a Transfer Certi from college. But, the guys in office were too smart for me. This time, the excuse was a fairly legitimate one, as compared to last time. FE admissions!!!Now what could I say to that?? With the pall of gloom that had now descended over my demeanour, I walked towards my former class with heavy strides.

On reaching the desired destination, I found, to my chagrin, that the classes had again been reshuffled, as regards classrooms. On inquiry, I found that this was PHS' doing (now why doesn't that surprise me??). It seems I was in time to witness another bombshell being dropped on the class. PHS wanted the total no of project groups in the BE class to be 12. It seems that the students were, somehow, unable to reach this figure. Now, they had it!!! PHS marched into the class, divided the class into 12 grps in his typical style and that was that. Thankfully, the groups were allowed to opt for their guides. This incident has, predictably, left the BE class disgruntled. Hope they manage to sort out this problem soon.

As regards me, I shall launch a fresh attack on the impregnable fortress that is the SPCE office and try to con them into giving me my TC. Akramaaan!!!!!

When will I get the Transfer Certi??

Had gone to college last week to get the Transfer Certi and the 500 bucks refund. Was stared at in the most condescending manner possible and curtly told by the Accounts chap to return the next week. Of course I should have realised this. How very stupid of me to go and bother them when they are soooo busy yapping about imp topics like why the trains are late and why that lady was looking so pale today and why Manmohan Singh should resign. These topics can affect the entire socio-political balance of the country and I actually have the cheek to go and attempt to stop all this??!!! All this information was conveyed by the contemptuous look cast in my direction by the Accounts chap when I tried to request him to do my wok ASAP. Damn - it made me wonder why I was even born!!!!

Now, I am again going to go and attempt the impossible on Monday. Lets see what new look I get from the office guys. God help me!!!

Glorious Pune

Had a nice extended weekend this time, so Dad suggested that we go to Pune. It seemed like a nice idea to Mom and me, so we set off on Sat. Pune was glorious and it was extremely cool due to the rains. A very refreshing change from Bombay. Plus there was no power cut, which was the biggest plus of all!!! Pune definitely seems to be improving. However, it seems there must always be a reason for me to complain about. And without fail, this time too, Pune provided me with one. Bad Roads!! Long potholes, wide potholes, circular potholes, even ones with no particular shape, which reminded me of amoeba. You name it, you had it. And not to mention, the slush all around. My car is back in its parking space looking like a wounded warrior which has just tackled some horrendous battle and just managed to scrape out of it alive!! I will HAVE to get it serviced ASAP!!!

Drive back to Bombay from Pune was fun, though. Smooth bypass road, smooth expressway = good motoring experience. Had to encounter very very heavy rain in the ghat. Visibility down to around 10m. Horrifying experience. But, t'was still fun!!! :-D Wouldn't mind doing it again!!! God Bless the person who first thought of the expressway!!!

Urgently Required - A Govt. for Bombay

Finally, Bombay is recovering from the deluge that submerged it for the past week. A lot of aspects of the average citizen of this megapolis have come to the fore. Be it the generosity of the people towards strangers, their willingness to help, their propensity to spread rumours or their eagerness to pose as victims and get undeserved aid, you got it all. But, amongst all this, one thing was missing - the so-called Govt. machinery. Where were those cars with flashing lights that we normally see on the roads? Where were those stupid village yokels who call themselves ministers and attend every opening of a flyover or a road? Where were those "Mamas" who are always eager to stop you if you dare to break a traffic rule? I am sure these questions are being asked not only by me, but also by thousands of my fellow citizens.

All this leads me to think. The State and Union Govt.s impose a variety of taxes on us, and manage to fill their coffers. However, very little is pumped back into the upkeep of the city. Where does all this leave us? I certainly feel shortchanged. How can Bombay be ruled effectively by a bunch of guys elected from villages, who don't have any idea as to how the city functions? What we need is a Govt. by our own people. We need a separate city state of Bombay a la Delhi. Then, our rulers will be truly answerable to us. We need a mayor with executive powers a la New York, who will be elected directly by the people. The entire BMC has to be restructured. Its current Commissioner has failed us miserably. In June, he was calling press conferences and tom-tomming the preparedness of the BMC for the coming rains. Well, Mr. Joseph, how does your foot taste?? Bitter, I think!! These guys hold us to ransom every year before Diwali and now, when they are needed the most, they disappear into thin air!! Alright, the rainfall was the highest in a century, but the extent of the catastrophe could have been curbed.

I thin its high time all this changed. I want a Govt. of my own for my city. I want a CEO who will be answerable to me, and whom I can oust if he/she fails me. Silly thoughts?? Naah....more like a Utopian concept. One which I hope will come true in a decade's time.