Metros..Places where goodness dries..

What provokes us. Its  tough to provoke a person through conversation when the ones who communicate are gentlemen. But how many of us are gentle. Not many... no...very few or rare..Rest are actors. They fashion their acts to suit the situation, such that no one feels they are nt gentle. Yes, I do that, not just me most people do that. But what makes me wonder is that it takes people who are incapable to act to provoke. So how many such people do we have. Had i been at my home i would have said , very few. But in this great and growing city , undoubtedly lots.

A lot of incidents , so numerous that an account of each could take days to complete, i have met with in this city. From the lowest strata of the society to the top most ...A great deal of them lack decency. To make things worst they  do not know even to act decent. Well .. that s not true. No one is that childish not to be able to show others that you are good. It should probably be because they don t care. Yes , they don t care. For that matter no one cares, not even the one who faces the provocation.

The most striking part is that no one dares to stand up, against injustice, against corruption, and sadly i was among them very often. I ve wondered many a time that if i felt so wounded , just by watching someone unjustly treated, how would the person himself have felt.This made me think. Think about human nature.. about society , and how both are so tightly entwined together , how a persons behavior is so easy to be judged through the society in which he lives and how the industrial and economic growth are isolated from human development.

Public travel at Chennai

It is after serious consideration that i decided i had to write about the travel at Chennai.
Every time i get into the an MTC bus or use a local train here my mind tries to break open the silence but the lack of knowledge of even minimal Tamil stops me from the embarrassment of having to speak English to people who could hardly comprehend what i am speaking.
Let me come to the point.The bus service first.I ve heard that the bus service here is cheap compared to neighbouring states. Articles criticising the mangement of Kerala RTC pointing out the success of MTC is a common column in Malayalam news papers. But i came here to realise that this is not completely true. The MTC has buses in different classes like local white board to AC jn nurm ones.The ticket charge for the local buses is less i agree, but how many  such buses do we have here? Here lies the trick. A passenger is not going to wait half an hour inorder to pay 2 rupee less and travel in a local bus.
The bus charges from my place Okkiam near OMR to Sholinganallur is as follows,

19 B LSS: 2:50
19B others:5-7
M119 series ,M19 series 3
T 51 express :3
T51 rest :5 - 7
All others: 7
These data may not be exact according to the MTC but it is the exact amount that the bus conductors take from us.



It is surprising that a large no. of working class population does wait for the local buses. But in OMR where the Software engineer population exceeds the locals this does nt make a differenc to MTC.


Another point is about the ticket collection.In most white board buses it is a common sight that the bus stops at suddenly at nowhere till all the ticket charges are collected. It was only recently that i came to know that this is called stage.ie. after a particular stop the ticket charge changes and hence the conductor collects the ticket cost before the next stage.Whatever the logic behind this is .. the fact is that the bus stops at most stages and is it right to stop the public transport and make the passengers waiting???


Another incident that happened to me..
This was one among my first travels in MTC.I got into the bus.The conductor did not ask me for ticket charge and i was busy watching the places through the window.This was during my travel from Tambaram to Mahindra City. After two or three stops it struck me that I did nt pay the ticket and i called the conductor to give him the ticket amount. When the guy came to know that i had not yet paid the ticket charge he went on hysterical and started shouting out words in GREEK to me.Those Tamil words were unable to be compiled or interpreted by my Kerala brain but I could comprehend that those were abusive words.All I could utter was (tamil ariyilla)ai... He took the ticket charge and continued his shower of abuses.Later I started noticing that most people getting into the bus pay their ticket charge first, and then look for their seats , if they exist by that time. My close investigation revealed that most bus conductors mark something in a kind of paper probably having something related to the no. of passengers at each stop. But is that an excuse that the passengers should go to the conductor for paying the ticket even in the most crowded buses. For many who hav nt got into the MTC buses this might seem normal, but the buses are almost always crowded beyond their capacity and to get to the conductor is just impossible.And since the Tamil Nadu govnt has been lenient enough to provide the conductors special seats, they prefer to be in the seat wholeheartedly bestowing the extra job of passing the ticket and the charge from each person to the passengers.

For me, coming from Kerala where the conductors comes to each person to actually ask the ticket, however crowded the bus is ,this was a new experience.

The next peculiar behaviour is from the MTC bus drivers.These people I believe have been so highly trained in their job that their passion to drive tells them never EVER wait for all the passengers to get in to the bus. They start off the bus leaving behind a group of people wondering why they could nt get into the bus even though the bus had enough space.This feeling is not as difficult to digest as the fact that its mere luck that many people cling on to their lives by clinging on to the bus when it starts off, in a struggle to escape from getting under the bus.This let me tell you is no exaggeration at all as this incident gets repeated every day at most bus stops along OMR. I don t remember even one day when i am waiting for bus and hav nt experienced this myself or hav nt watched this. Since these are state owned buses, the driver's indifference about passengers entering the bus is understandable but how that in any way justifies such dangerous act which might get people killed has confused my mind many a day until i got used to it. I can assure you if this had happened at Kerala the driver is sure to be at hospital getting beaten up by people.
The problem i understand is that no one questions them .The very few who do are again bestowed with wonderful grammatical usages by the conductors who act as thought the bus is their own and they are doing some kind of social welfare act by plying the buses.

Last there is one more point about the MTC buses. This is about the passengers, especially the students.I doubt a lot whether the curriculum here teaches acrobatic skills in buses too. How the students and even youngsters stick to the doors even when there is enough room inside the bus is surprising.I feel sorry for not having taken a photo of this and pasted it here.Probably i ll do this soon.Because this so funny to have people hanging out of buses even making the bus slant to one side when they can comfortably take their seats inside. This should also be because the conductors seat is very near to the door and people tend to crowd around that area to get their tickets as soon as possible to avoid the wrath of the conductor.
 My two year old aquaintance with the MTC has been mostly miserable and has forced me to think about the management and also the lack of knowledge of people about their own rights. Had I known the language I would atleast have got myself beaten by the driver or conductor if he acts in any of the above ways as I don t think I could stand them physically but will surely give myself a chance against this kind of injustice, negiligence and what more.......

Celebrated slaves

I am an engineer. As the word engineer says i work on engines and machines.I try to understand the working and logic of most things around my life.My instinct to investigate deep into the characteristics of machines around me gives me opportunity to implement them practically, which gives me immence pleasure. My services are for my society.I work, I play,I live a moral life.

These pleasant and extinct words no more reflect the life of an Engineer.The word engineer today no more stands for a person any way related to machines. Its an exaggerated description of any job in the world that follows engineering design and development procedures. The broad sense of the word has also uprooted the respect and dignity of the job. The most surprising of them being software engineers. They are reared to work day night in the hope of a lavish life style and a hand full of money which they would once achieve.Pressure and work leaves them dry of any values in life. They seldom look around them. Strangers to the very near ones and care little about using their talent.They flock in to the discos at nights and weekends in a futile attempt to forget their miseries and put on an act of having a life of joy. Many have lost their families and more are on the verge of losing it. For those who have...they try hard to keep it alive. With no commitments they live the life of celebrated slaves.

Earth Hour -mindset of a generation

I still remember the day in my college life.It was the eve of one of my series examination and the talk of the campus was the Earth Hour.I guess it was the first of such an exercise attempted.The lights were on and the doors were closed.The hostel had slept into silence - a common scenario on an exam eve.But soon came a guy asking us to switch off lights.Many who feared disgust to attempt the earth hour absorbed confidence from him and soon the whole hostel was dark.We were enjoying the satisfaction and pride in joining the world on a noble cause.

Years have passed.i am no more in a hostel, but many from the old hostel still remain with me.And again came the earth hour.Confident of the great success we had at our hostel i was beyond doubt sure, of bringing in my friends to the same.But i was proved wrong.The professional new minds were too engrossed in their activities to lend their ears to the cause.My appeal went on to deaf ears as one was busy deleting files from his laptop.Yes , i understand....The files would surely have had his laptop burst if he had not deleted it then.And another was busy watching the SriLanka England match.The match was so exciting that even in the final overs when the Lankans were >200 without the loss of a wicket,and were sure to clinch the easiest of victories, he could nt blink an eye.The professional generation...How it fails the moral and social responsibilities is an important question to be addressed.When the lacks of the society are a common subject of talk among the youth, their own chance to make a difference is looked down upon mostly because such acts do not bring publicity enough for them to attempt.No more is the self satisfaction from such acts valued?The question itself brought the answer to me.It was never any different.The act in hostel was merely for the boasts i could make the next day in the campus about how we had gone the earth hour way.Had it been an act from my mind i would nt have hesitated to do the same in days after.Never have i stopped to think when i move out of a room, that i could help myself by switching off the lights.May be it was my inner want, again to boast of my commitment and social responsibility that made me attempt the Earth hour again.Good that I had no support.Had it not been so, i would nt be able to self inspect and dig out some hollow values within myself.

Myanmar elections

Eyes are now on Myanmar...The very word Myanmar brings to my mind Aung San Suu Kyi, and as a matter of fact i m sure its the same with most individuals across the globe. A country under millitary rule for generation, they would ve forgotten what democracy is and how it could benefit them.May be thats what the general wants too.
Every time a millitary overthrows a government, a democracy dies.It does not just affect one country.Each democratic country is shaken.
It is the first time after Gandhi that a person gets so much attention for such a cause.When Gandhi had to fight foreigners, Suu Kyi fights her own country men.
It is a shame to the entire so called guards of democracy that there is such violation of basic human rights in front of them and they are nothing more than helpless.In the world as it is today no country can exist of its own.And the adamant nature of this country towards the requests of the world nation clearly indicates that there is a support it enjoys in international community.
All that is old story.The millitary government is now conducting elections after over 20 years.There was a similar situation almost similar 20 years back.The difference was that there was Suu Kyi and her party in the elections then.The result is obvious.The millitary supported or rather millitary owned party is gonna win the election somehow.If not, another millitary rule. And this time they would not need to supress much resistance in their own country.The 20 years is too long a time to tire men.
Even if a democratic government set up is established under a non millitary party , the result is going to be no different.Its like two paths to the same disaster.The millitary has made enough modification to the constitution that the government would remain a puppet.
The only interest which bothered me in this election was to know what change the 20 year old millitary rule has brought to the mandate of its people. But even this is not going to be easy.The polling rate is expected to be low.And most leaders are in jail and are prohibited from contesting elections.Its a test to the people.Would they vote for a powerful millitary rule or for democracy , which for the first time in history seems to be powerless.I do not know the answer and im totally unsure what i would have done if i was there.But i pray for them and hope for a better future for its people.

3G is here, and its for us

3G has come to India and is enjoying all the hype it could hope for. It promises to change the life of a mobile user to a different level. Most people in India still are not comfortable with the news of 3g, the reason being most people are happy with what they have. All they would want for is a reduction is price. Also the whole 3g spectrum allotment mess and the revealing of huge misappropriations in the 2g sale which has come out, all these has forced people to look at 3G with caution. But the basic understanding of what 3g is would help people to appreciate it and adapt and most importantly accept it.

Before moving into 3G lets see what the 1, 2 and 3 which position itself before G are. These are simply standards. G stands for generation. If u have studied about the evolution of computers u might have come across generations.

Lets take 1 G for instance. It just had basic calling capability ie. users could communicate via mobile phone and that’s it. Only voice could be transferred. Then came 2G, which offered movement of data too with voice .Which means now we were able to access internet using GPRS and also make calls, send sms etc. 3G would probably give better speeds and facilities like video calling. So who decides what features should be there in each generation. For this purpose there is International Telecommunication Union. 3G or 3rd Generation, is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunications services fulfilling specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. Application services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment. Compared to the older 2G standards, a 3G system must allow simultaneous use of speech and data services, and provide peak data rates of at least 200 kbit/s according to the IMT-2000 specification. Recent 3G releases also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to laptop computers and smart phones. Each generation is characterized by new frequency bands, higher data rates and non backwards compatible transmission technology.

For using 3G technology obviously we need handsets having 3G capability. All phones with 2 cameras are not 3G compatible.But most 3G mobile sets provide 2 cameras to facilitate video calling. As a user I expect huge rise in the download speeds and also reduction in rates. The most used feature of 3G will surely be internet. Now we ll be able to browse at speeds equivalent to broadband in mobile. Also we ll be able to use our mobile as modem and access internet from laptops or desktops at excellent speeds. Remember the slow speeds when we earlier used to connect the mobile to laptop. Well… forget those. But then there are other features of 3G which too will make our life simpler.

• Enhanced audio and video streaming;
• Video-conferencing support;
• Web and WAP browsing at higher speeds;
• IPTV (TV through the Internet) support.

BSNL has already launched its 3G services in India. The internet seeds are amazing and even a bloothooth connection with your pc and help u access broadband speed effortlessly. With new payers coming into this area the rates are sure to come down. Also we can surely expect a lot from DOCOMO which is the next to kick start its 3G services in India.

Chennai….. A small Kerala

It takes almost 10 hours in train from Thrissur in Kerala to reach Chennai ie. a cool one night journey. And for most keralites in Chennai they are in the worst possible place they could be. High cost of living, killing heat, unpredictable showers which brings on all dirt to roads and the ever increasing dust. Despite all these Chennai is the most travelled place by Keralites. Its not a tourist destination and after the international airports in kerala came into being its not to catch flight that people come to Chennai, but the mere fact that it’s a metro city, an IT hub. Its a dream place for companies. No strikes no hartals and no political interventions. One party rule or rather one person rule. Here bridges and flyovers get constructed in less than a year which might take 6 to 7 years in Kerala. Malls,pubs and clubs. Its getting closer to Bangalore. If it was not for the climate Chennai would have surpassed Bangalore a long time back.

A journey from Chennai to Kerala or vice versa can be via train or bus. Since the price of ticket for train comes just one fourth of the bus fare, train is the mos tpreferred mode of travel. But one day morning you decide you want a ticket ….its just not possible. Weekend tickets get booked almost 3 months ie. 90 days in advance. That s the time when booking starts for those dates. And if it’s a public holiday tickets get over like hot bread. You ll have just few hours to book a confirmed ticket. The general compartments are always like a fruitshop with flies in it.