Last week’s Oil Workers Strike has not only been one of the many harrowing experiences in an average Indian’s life but it has also given all of us a morbid glimpse of the possibility of a future without fuel.

While my dad was scouting the neighborhood petrol pumps for a refuel, I sat at home wondering, what if we hadn’t gone to the mall the weekend before, to waste all those hours doing nothing but plain window-shopping. We could have spent same amount of time at home doing something worthwhile and more importantly, saved those couple of litres of fuel.

Why is it that man regrets his actions only after he suffers the consequences even though many a time he is aware of the outcome. Luckily my regret was soon doused by the joy brought to me by the fact that the strike ended the next day.

This was just a temporary crisis. But what will happen when we are faced with the bigger crisis, the oil depletion crisis. Predictions state that oil reserves will never be depleted, but that is only after taking into account the rise in usage of alternative sources of energy and the possibility of finding new ‘future’ fuels.

So the question is – Is India capable of developing alternative/non-conventional sources of energy to such an extent that our dependence on oil becomes negligible?

It would be a great to know your opinions and ideas on the issue.

Dear Readers

The crackdown on drunk driving has definitely made the Mumbai roads safer. But the traffic police are taking the enthusiasm a bit too far, and are implementing a ban on music in cars across the city. They believe this will prevent drivers from getting distracted while driving, and will thus reduce road accidents.

An excerpt from the Mid Day (26/08/08): Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, Suburban) S M Sabde said, “Talking on the mobile phone while driving distracts the driver. As does listening to music.” He added that those guilty of playing music in a car will be fined Rs 500 under Section 190 (2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, which deals with violation of standards of road safety, control of noise and air pollution. Why did the cops suddenly decide to crack down on music? “The law always existed. All we are doing is follow it seriously, to prevent losing innocent lives. I have already instructed traffic policemen in my jurisdiction (Mahim to Dahisar) to be extra cautious about such violators. We will come down heavily on them in the coming days,” Sabde reiterated.

Agreed that there should be a fine on loud music in vehicles. But a complete ban on music? It may in fact worsen the problem. I think we all agree that driving on the roads in nearly every major city in India is a stressful and pissing off activity during peak hours. Music is obviously the only way out. From now on the phenomenon of road rage, mostly limited to games like Burnout and Need for Speed, will be something commonly seen on the Mumbai roads.

Those in the radio business will definitely be affected. Radio stations connect these poor souls stuck in cars that are in turn stuck in traffic jams to the world outside that of long rows of vehicles, most of them having pissed off, irritated drivers at the wheel with a chronic habit of honking furiously and swearing at other drivers.

And I fail to understand, how exactly are the traffic cops supposed to distinguish between those cars that have music playing in them from the ones that don’t? Surely, it is impossible to do so unless the music is either very loud or the cop decides to stop the car and check if the guy inside is “distracting” himself with music. Or in extreme cases, such vehicles are identifiable if any of the occupants of the vehicle are seen making weird gyrating movements (imitations of Pappu Cant Dance and Dard-e-Disco are also classified as weird gyrating movements). If the occupant in question is a passenger, the cop is required to verify whether or not it is a personal media device that the music is being played out of. And if it is a personal media device, it has to be verified if the music is being listened to with a pair of headphones thereby not causing any “distraction” to the driver.

I really don’t think betel-chewing beedi-smoking traffic cops would fancy going through the above process for the sake of traffic rules. I predict that to eliminate the lengthy process described above, the next thing that will be banned by the Mumbai Traffic Police will be car stereos and decks. The Traffic Police Dept needs to understand that if there are not enough hats to go around, the problem isn’t solved by lopping off some heads.

Yours Ludicrously

Dear Readers

The following is a news article that focuses on the poor treatment of our freedom fighters, published by the Press Trust of India:

Freedom fighter lives life of neglect and penury

Ruby Nanda
New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI)

She is a freedom fighter who is fighting another battle — the battle for survival.

Laxmi Panda of Orissa’s Koraput district, who joined the Indian National Army in Burma and fought against the British, is caught in abject poverty and had to work as a maid servant, a shop attendant and a daily labourer.

Panda (84) was here last week to air her grievances before President Pratibha Patil who assured her all possible support from the government.

The freedom fighter has been abandoned by her son and also by the government. She has been running from pillar to post for her freedom fighter pension.

The state government recognises Laxmi as a freedom fighter and gives a paltry pension of Rs 1,000. But the Centre has denied Panda, who fought alongside stalwarts like Captain Laxmi Sehgal, the status of freedom fighter just because she was not arrested by the British.

“Had she been arrested by the British and got a police record, she could have got a pension of Rs 15,000 per month, enough to sustain herself,” says Anil Dhir, a researcher on INA.

Till recently, the octogenarian was sharing a hut with her “drunkard” son who threw her out, leaving her homeless. Once Panda had decided to end her life by immolating herself wrapped in the national flag.

But a positive response by the President, Prime Minister’s Office and Congress president Sonia Gandhi has enthused the frail lady to live on, said Dhir, who is instrumental in tracking her down.

(Click here to view original page)

Disgusting, shameful, disgraceful and shocking. It is often said that India’s youth is not as patriotic as a few generations ago. But who is to blame: the youth itself, or the government that neglects those who put their lives on the line for the country?

Yours Ludicrously

Read in the news recently: Condoms and safe sex are not even mentioned in the new sex-ed modules being planned by govt. The plan is, instead, to advocate abstinence and being faithful to a single partner.

Agreed, abstinence is the best way to avoid STDs and pregnancy, but, well, it’s obvious not too many people are going to go for it. Sex is no longer the taboo, confined only to the bedroom and the mind. Once again, we’re finding out just how good it is.

Monogamy, si, a noble idea. Mom gave me huge long lecture recently about how we just get into relationships for the fun, how we should focus on our lives first and not on relationships, seeing that they take up a lot of time and energy.

She’s right, I suppose, and that’s the reason I’m a bit scared of relationships as opposed to fling-things. Though, as kay sniffily told me, a lot of people don’t share my opinion.

So yes, all this is very good and all, very good that they’re FINALLY introducing sex-ed (god knows we need it….). It might be a bit giggly and embarassing at first, but it’d be infinite help, seeing that a lot of us learn about sex and other things related either from porn or from friends who are VERY open with conversation, or online on those sites that ISPs love to block. Those of us who don’t, are rather confused, though no one admits it.

Sex ed would stop men in their twenties writing to the Mumbai mirror sexpert with queries like “Will kissing my girlfriend on the lips make her pregnant?” Yes, I’ve seen this and similar ones more than twice in the past fortnight. The reply is almost invariably a frustrated “educate yourself.”

But ’tis rather strange that the words “condom” and “safe sex” get not even an honourable mention ………My tenth grade bio book went only as far as to mutter shamefacedly about copulation. One word. that’s it. Our bio teacher didn’t even do that part properly. but then again, that was Bio.

My point being that maybe we should be taught everything there is to know, and we should choose the path we wish to tread.

Abstinence, any takers?

Apparently not, and not all thaaaat many for birth control either…..the proof lies in our population.

Hey folks! Have you heard about what happened to that poor kid? No dude, it was rajkumar who raped her and then killed her… “Like what the hell, they were drunk?!”

Aarushi Talwar

These maybe the reactions from your friends and relatives when you jobless TV addicts were sitting in front of the screens thinking you knew the Aarushi murder case better than the CBI and were the next recruitment of Scotland Yard because your version of the story was the most convincing.

What is disappointing, is not the fact that you, a common man, were making your assumptions. But what is frustrating is the very fact that you became a part of it. Continue Reading ->