Spitting and honking

So why we are so crazy about spitting on the roads (and off the roads and in corners and non corners)? I mean, isn't saliva meant for some purpose in the body? Does one really has to spit 10 times per minute even if he doesn't eat a paan (paan must be an excuse of the Indians though!)?

On a two wheeler, I am so scared of overtaking a bus for the fear of a shower that I keep blowing the horn till I overtake it. Thats also one of the advantages of honking while driving in India. I had come across one interesting blog which stated that :

I use my horn: a) to communicate to others that I too am sharing the street,
b) as an accompaniment when I sing my songs,
c) as a symphonic element at an intersection when the light turns green along with the rest of the band,
d) on empty streets to keep me company,
e) as a bell to call my friends from their third floor apartments.

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Slumdog Millionaire

Quite a fun. Enjoyable. Great score by AR Rahman. And the kids are awesome. Kids playing cricket on airway and policeman chasing them was a hilarious scene. Other actors are just ok(I am aware that Dev Patel could be a contender for the best supporting actor along with Batman's Joker, Heath Ledger!).

Oscar's hype! Could have been just another good bollywood movie had it not been directed by Danny Boyle. Nothing more. So at the end it all comes down to marketing and promoting.

I am not trying to criticize a good movie. Just keep aside the oscar hype during watching and you will enjoy it even more.



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Long war ahead

My thoughts:-

Adrenaline is running high. Every Indian(including me) wants an immediate result to a situation which is damn too complicated.

Blaming Pakistan - I believe there are two groups in Pakistan. Common man, like you and me. Others are extremists. The later is the group which is trouble-maker. But most of the times we end up blaming the common man. Pakistan itself is dealing with the problem of terrorism. Recent example being RDX bombing of JW Marriot in Islamabad. And every now and then there is a terror mishap in Pakistan which we don't even take into account. The frequency being 5 to 10 times more than in India. So Pakistan itself is struggling with the same problem.

War against Pakistan certainly doesn't seem to be the answer. If the nuclear weapons are used by both the nations, we will be thrown back 50 yrs! Not to forget, we are a developing country. And we need not be ashamed of that. U.S can afford a war against Taliban in Afghanistan which is situated thousands of miles apart. Can we? Maybe not. Or maybe but thats really not the practical answer.

Targetting terror camps too sounds way too difficult. Its not 1 or 2 day war. These were the groups formed by U.S itself to counter against Russian army during Afghanistan war. Now these groups have prospered!

The Afghan-Pak Indo-Pak terrain is so difficult that only locals can move there freely. Even Russian army got defeated and had to move back after 10 yrs of war!! Thats certainly doesnt sound good for long term for Indian economy.

We need to strengthen our own defence and intelligence which again means diverting major chunk of the budget.

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I wonder sometimes:-

In India it took trained terrorists to complete the massacre in Mumbai. In western countries, common men do it. e.g random shooting by a student in Virginia tech university and similar other incidents. Which country is really safe?

Was it an appropriate time for the dumb U.K to declare India as one of the top 20 most dangerous places in the world to visit?

Next budget - More money will be diverted towards the defence compromising country's development. Who will be the beneficiary?
Its U.S.
Main input for U.S is not from oil. Its from the weapons! (This I have learnt from the movies. Could be other way. Please correct me if I am wrong). So U.S seem to be directly or indirectly involved in every war on this planet!

Is an average Indian muslim happy watching what happened in Mumbai?

What about the common man in Pakistan? Would he be enjoying the terror act in Mumbai?

War doesn't determine who is right, it determines who is left. Is war really the answer? That too against the enemy who is dispersed all over the world?

If India wins the war against Pakistan, would that be the end of terrorism? Or would it just be the beginning? Would there be an end to the terrorism eliminating Dawood and LeT? Wouldn't there be the subgroups. eg Deccan Mujahiddin (If at all it exists).

9/11 Twin tower's site is now a tourist's spot! Would Taj and Trident be the same after couple of more years when people's adrenaline level is back to normal?

Is eliminating Islamic race the answer? Hitler tried to do something similar with the Jews. But things and situation were different back then.

I certainly don't see a perfect solution for this in the near future. Maybe strengthening our own infrastructure sounds like a logical answer though its not fullproof. It could be achieved ONLY by education, population control and utilizing our resources properly by strengthening the political system by recruiting politicians with good education. This is a long war ahead we need to fight. Not with others.

But with ourselves.

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Pyar ki pehli meethi bhet

After the dinner when I went to buy a paan just outside the restaurant, I came across this interesting board.

Routine paan charges were ranging from Rs 2 to Rs 15. But Rs 251 one shocked me. On further inquiry, I was informed that it is meant to be used on suhag-raat as it has got some ayurvedic jadibootis. And the ultimate effect is performance enhancement, I was told. My immense experience of Bollywood movies tells me that dudh ka gilas is a perfect aphrodisiac. But this was something new!

For those who are interested, there is not much difference between Rs 151 and RS 251 paans. The difference is just the type of jadibootis used. Ultimate effect is the same in both the cases. As far as I am concerned, when I get married I won't give it a try as I am more wary of the side effects.

ps - Special Sona Work Meetha Paan has to be chewed by both the partners. So the total cost goes above Rs 500. Suhag-raat could prove too costly even without the side effects! Poor people should rather stick to the traditional dudh ka glass.

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S.T

When you happen to travel by S.T, you invariably tend to come across various interesting signboards and the graffiti, either in S.T itself or on the stand. Following are the few I came across on my journey over last few days.

This one is my favorite :-

Muli devu tyanchyaa ghari

Shauchalay asel jyanchya daari

Chala, shauchalay bandhu gharoghari!

The accompanying picture with the slogan too is awesome. The girl's face reflects perpetual gratification as she is married in a house equipped with a shauchalay (proof in the background with her devar attending the nature's call while others wave off the relatives).

Then there are ads. We are used to the ones like Nikes, Pepsis, Cokes etc. But here we see the one with the ultimate solution for your ill health. And if you ain't satisfied with this one, you have the following option:-

Jakhmeruz Gulabi Malam - Pasine ki khujli, Kharish, Fode, Jalne aur Katne par lagaiye gulabi malam www.jakhmeruz.com (unfortunately, the website seems down for technical reasons).

Some creative(and passionate) craft on the roof.

The worth of travelling by S.T is justified by its slogan dislpayed on Bhivandi Bus Station:-

S.T cha pravas surakshit pravas

Private bus cha pravaas dhoka jeevas

Vaat paahin pan S.T nech jaain!

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