The Damanganga bridge

Well, I'm back from a trip to my home town. Sneaked out of office on Friday and caught a train. Almost missed it because of the heavy traffic at Haji Ali in the evenings.

The train journey wasn't much to write about. Actually I have a huge post ready on the Journey in the second class coach of the Indian Railways. Will post it someday. But one thing which impressed me every time I go back home through train is the Daman Ganga bridge. For those of you not aware, this is a railway bridge built over the river Daman Ganga. This bridge is quite old, probably pre-independence. It is one of those Truss bridges, just like the one on the Narmada river(near Bharuch). Well, the thing is that every time I cross this bridge by train, it fills me up with a sense of awe. I just love the rumbling sound the train/bridge makes as it thunders past.

When I was small, this very bridge used to scare me! Yes, every time we used to come back from Mumbai, mostly in the Flying Ranee, when the bridge used to roar past in the darkness I clinged to my mother. Well, times do change. Now I just get a feeling of satisfaction and calm.Maybe the satisfactory feeling I get is due to the fact that my station is next. After crossing the bridge, the chemical factories go past. And the nauseating but familiar smell signals that you've reached one of the major industrial centres in Gujarat. Someday I wish to photograph this old bridge. when I'll do that I'll post the pics here. It has stood the ravage of the recent flood during the monsoons this year. Hope this bridge stays intact for a long time to come.

PS. This post reminds me of a line from the movie 'The Ghost and the Darkness'

"what better job in all the world, than build a bridge?- make things connect- bring worlds together"

Two-driver Rickshaw!

Well, a couple of days ago, as I was waiting for my bus, I saw this sight, which at first struck me as strange. A rickshaw passed by, and while there were no passengers in it, there were two drivers! At first, I wondered whether the two people were feeling a bit extra affectionate towards each other. But no, to display that affection in the front seat of a rickshaw?! That can't be logical. I mean if no one else, the cops would catch up with you, if they see a two-driver rickshaw passing through their traffic lights. But all my confusion would soon be cleared up.

As the rickshaw passed by, I saw a big red-lettered L dangling from the back. Then I realized that this was a rickshaw of some driving school, and the two men sitting snugly in the front seat were the teacher and student! It wasn't clear who was driving. And to me it didn't matter as long as it went in a straight line w/o knocking down someone.(A single-driver rickshaw drives badly enough, what would happen with a two-driver rick?)

I smiled to myself, thinking, only in India can someone come up with such a novel idea such a two-driver rickshaw!

Hide and Seek

"The sun playing hide and seek with me among the palm trees lined up on the side of Bandra Lake"

The blue sky

Today the blue and the white of the sky blurred perfectly like the brushed up pinups of Playboy

The view from my bus stop

As I reach my bus-stop, I say a silent prayer, asking God to guide me through the day. Then I stand there quietly, waiting for my bus to arrive. I look around and this is what I see.
In one of the buildings in front of me, I see a man come to his balcony. He turns around to face the sun. He joins his hands and prays to the Sun God, his own prayer. His face bathes in the morning light. He then turns around and faces the opposite direction. He prays again, this time I do not know to whom. In some other flat, a lady open ups the curtains, and cleans up the dust that has settled on the windows.
The taxis are driving by, their drivers boorishly honking their way through traffic, not caring for people who have set out for their morning walk. Benzes and Lancers and Fords pass by, with their owners relaxing in the back, probably reading the Economic Times. Their drivers meanwhile have their full concentration on the road, taking care not to even slightly sratch the expensive cars. There goes Bus No. 81, the one I usually catch on my way home. Why don't I go in the morning by that bus? I use the company bus. Speaking of the company, I see few of my bus-mates walking over.
One lady is coming to drop her little girl to the school bus, or rather a cramped little Maruti Van. God only knows how that driver must be driving with all the kids inside. A few more school buses pass by, with some of the children inside excited, while some sitting with gloomy faces.
Just behind me is a bank. A few of the employees of the bank are already here waiting for someone to bring the keys to the shutter. It reminds me of my father's office back home.
Uh oh, here comes a rickshaw. The poor fellow is slowing down thinking I'm wating for a ride. "Nope man, got my own bus". Speak of the devil, here it comes. Right on time, 8:10.

Interesting blogs

I was just browsing thru the recently posted blogs, and I noticed the following blogs. Will follow them for a while, see how they turn out

http://pathofmeditation.blogspot.com/
http://dasssaurabh.blogspot.com/
http://angrychineseblogger.blog-city.com/

A Belated New Year Wish

Well, the new year has passed by quietly, what with the tragedy of the tsunami. Most of the people I know didn't have a 'great' new year this time. The mood wasn't too upbeat. Here's how mine passed
Well, I was in Mumbai on 31st. I took a train home to Vapi, reached at around 6. I had told my friends to call me up that night so we could hang out or do something that night. Well, what happened was that my parents went to a function, and so did my brother. My friend did call, and I told him that I'll be right over. I absentmindedly took the vehicle keys and shut the door. As I put the key into the lock, I realized that I had picked up the wrong key!! It was for another vehicle which wasn't there. Also I didn't have my house keys! So there I was, stuck outside my home, waiting for someone in my family to show up. I sat in the garden and swatted mosquitoes which were feasting on me. My parents came after a long time, and by that time all my mood of going to meet my friends was ruined. For me the new year just passed silently, just as any other night. At least the next day I got my mp3 player to work. That was the only consolation. Hope everyone else had a better new year. Till next time...

Living the Seven Habits

Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space lies our power of choice.
Exercising that power will bring control to our life

To build strong relationships, you need to conquer prideful passion.

Honour the Past,
Live in the Present,
Create the Future

This is just a few of the paradigms of life you'll get to know while reading the 'Living the 7 Habits' by Stephen Covey. The same author who wrote the 'Seven Habits..' The book is filled up with stories of ordinary people who have transformed their lives in some way or the other by applying the seven habits and by living a value based system. The Seven Habits changed my way of thinking quite a lot. By being proactive I found that I could better control my life and not react adversely to other people's behaviour or comments. I lost touch however in these years and I hope that with this book I'll refresh the correct way of living. I'll post other gems like this from this book as I read more of it