In deep Slum-ber

The attempt at eradicating, or at least minimizing, slum habitations in the city is an overwhelming task. It might not seem overwhelming if one were to shrug one's shoulders and think that it was the government's responsibility/job and give it no further thought. 

It might be the government's responsibility, but one big reason the gov. can't handle/do it is because it is too sensitive an issue and the solution is almost invariably likely to place the gov. in a bad light, no matter what the outcome. This is because there is a certain section of society (and to make it worse, its the weaker section) that will be inconvenienced to a very large degree. And this section seems to be an all too important chunk of the vote-ban for the gov. to take any chances with.

Some of the popular reasons for eradicating slums are:-

1. They give a 'filthy' look to the city

2. Unaccountability of usage of shared (between citizens) resources (like electricity, water).

3. A potential breeding ground for anti-social activities/elements and easy exploitation opportunities (because they are typically occupied by those 'desperate' to make money to get out of them).

A tangential point (recently raised by local activists) is that they form a class of 'outsiders' who 'snatch' jobs away from the hands of local residents.

So lets say there are reasons to think of means to eradicate slums. And not only that, we would like to be a little more futuristic and have a secondary goal that our means/policy should be such that it discourages the growth of slums in future. 

Firstly, is this a viable goal? Is it even possible to achieve the goal of eradicating slums from Mumbai?

Right from ambitious politicos to promising NGOs to corporate honchos and real-estate czars have had their hands burnt in this unappeasable fire. That is not to say that the situation hasn't bettered. Perhaps it has. But by and large, there seems to be no obvious relief to the city's general landscape. So whether this is a viable goal or not, is difficult to answer given that even the bright minds and the influential power-houses have not solved it. 

And the reason for that, to me, seems to be either misplaced priorities, or a lack of understanding of the problem. 

From what I understand, initially, the gov. tried to be nice and build alternative cheap (not cheaper than the slums, but cheaper than average legal residence) homes for the slum-dwellers. There seemed to be several problems with this approach. Were there enough for all? How would you find a legitimate slum dweller who claimed responsibility for such a house? Did the gov. make losses or book profits? Somehow, this didn't turn on any magic.

So a smart initiative was to involve the real-estate guys who were experts in assessing land-related situations and building houses. These guys were alloted a a slum land (land where currently there are slums), and allowed to build their commercial ventures. They HAD to house the slum-dwellers they were displacing from that land, in low-cost housings. Once they constructed housing for the slum-dwellers, they could do their usual business in the remaining part. The trick was of course, they were allowed greater FSI (Floor Space Index: essentially a ratio of how much area you can build to how much area of land you have. An FSI of 1 implies that if you bought land of 100 sq.metres, you can construct only 100sq.metres. If FSI was 2, you could construct 200 sq. metres).

This seems to be an attractive scheme. Real-estate developers could do business and do good to the city in terms of social responsibility. I personally don't know if this works, or is working, or whether it will or not.

But my guess is that this is where we are going wrong. The root of the issue is not addressed. The people residing in the slums are those whose livelihood depends much on the middle-class. The people in the slums comprise of taxi-drivers, maids, sweepers, waiters, small-time tailors etc. Their income depends largely on the activities of the middle-class. It is the family which needs a doodh-wala, bartan-wala (man dish-washer), dhobi, istri-wala, aayya for their children, jaaduwala etc  that gives employment to so many of them. If they are paid well for these tasks and not monetarily exploited like they generally are, then it makes sense to give them better housing.

Low-cost housing is of no use if they do not have the livelihood to maintain the housing. They will resort to tactics like selling the house to someone else, and go back to a slum which is a more economically viable option, given their meagre incomes.

But if one were to raise their standard of living some way or the other (don't know how!), only then it seems to be justifiable to give them an alternative better residence. And somehow, given the recent movement of 'richness', the middle-class is being offered 'better' alternatives to their current lifestyles. They have malls to buy their food from (so the vegetable vendors suffer), they have fancier washing and cleaning equipments like the classical dish-washer and laundry and drier from the western world (which eliminates the need for so many servants), and we see fewer families taking their kids to local parks and letting the street-performer earn his 2 pennies and the juice-wala or the candy-wala do their part. Instead, we have swarms of families moving into multiplexes for entertainment.

There is nothing morally, or otherwise, good or bad about any choice the middle-class makes (and in any case, thats not the point). But, it seems that cheap alternative housing, given either by the gov. or private real-estate developers will not click, no matter how plausible that solution may seem.

Barcelona vs Barcelona

She walked along La Ramblas, watching the performers and applauding them in her mind. She liked this colorful street, full of hopeful artists and starry-eyed tourists, fancy-looking restaurants and inviting bars, the colorful market with paraphernalia lying around. She had a tempting glass of Orange juice, and then a rarely delicious vegetarian lunch made for her by the Indian-origin manager at the market. He even paid for her food.

And then the typical DDLJ stuff happened. She entered the Metro station hoping to get to one of the destinations which was a must-see according to the Lonely Planet guide. Lost in her world, she stood staring at the Metro map, trying to figure out the way. He stood right next to her. 

She didn't know for how long they stood, aware of each others' presence, and yet avoiding any awkward communication. Finally, a chance glance where both were caught

She: Do you know how to get to place X?

He: Ya, do blah-blah-blah

She: Oh thanks

He: You traveling by yourself?

She: (A succinct) ya

He: Wanna join me? I am going to go to place X eventually. Until then, we could go to this highly recommended place Y.

She: (dammit...  hot guys and chance encounters are difficult to turn down.. and this was a chance encounter with a hot guy.. so hesitantly..) Alrighty

They talk and talk... he is a chef in a restaurant in England. She, well, for him, is 'into computers'. It was a fun conversation... and a little company doesn't hurt.

They saw the colorful musical fountains, and had food. They drank a little Cerveza and then finally talked through the night. 

That was the Barcelona she had seen. In May 2008.

Cut to Scene II.

Barcelona again. May 2009.

She recognized parts of the city. She wished she remembered more. But cities were rarely places to her, cities were a remembered by the feelings they triggered in her, her opinions, her inner voices. 

This time, she had company. 3 friends. She saw Antoni Gaudi's Casa Battlo again. They had Cerveza, and vino, and went clubbling. Just the stuff tourists are expected to do when they land in big cities, especially Spanish cities known for their night-life.

They danced and danced until time lost its significance. Was it daylight? Or did she stop seeing stars?

They traveled to their castle-like, museum-like hostel, and crashed on the bed.

Barcelona, this time, was sight-seeing, eating, drinking, dancing, getting friendly, getting flooded by feelings of empathy for friends, crashing and hang-overing.

The sights of the city are juxtaposed by two snapshots in time. The mind channelizes its energy in trying to force out a decision: "was it better now, or did you like the previous experience?". The comparisons and debate continues with thoughts running into dark pits of unguarded territory. The 'responsible' version of self says "why compare? what's the point? Everything is good 'in its own way'! They were 2 different things, cant be compared". 

Would one like to be the Kareena of Chameli singing 'bhaage re mann', or would one rather be Saif of DCH singing Dil Chahta hai, kabhi na beete..?

Do's and Dons

Things I am supposed to be doing:-
1. Calculating the defaulters list
2. Checking the million periodic-test papers.
3. Studying for tomorrow's lecture to avoid any 'run-time' error

Things I am NOT supposed to be doing:-
1. Browsing thru random pages
2. Going to the kitchen every 10 minutes to check if the supply of snack has increased or gotten more interesting
3. Listening to very enthralling Hindi tracks and dancing like a foolish clown to their tunes
4. Going out to drink... and getting buzzed.
5. Reading Agony-aunt columns in each newspaper

But but but... such is human nature.
We just don't stick to our decisions, do we?

Why, Oh, Why do we enjoy the feeling of 'having so much to do' more than the satisfaction of 'getting it done'! I think a bigger to-do list gives a greater comfort than a greater just-did list.

** typed while listening to the Pardesi track from DevD and munching on little fatty bundles of joy and with a hundred tabs open on Firefox. Now I just need my beer **

Obsessive Compulsive Order

----- Beginning of Excerpt----

I find your memories in the recesses of my mind,
and in the portrayals of shady Hindi songs played in the rikshaw.

I hear your ideas and smirks in random conversations,
and a creepy tingling sensation passes through my spine.

I travel, sneeze, slurp, exercise, and smile with you,
And I believe you like it that way.

I share the bed with you every night,
whether you respond to me or not.

The problem (or the lack of it) is that there is no you.
There is only me.

And you are my creation.
Yet you are uncontrollably out of control... like a experiment gone horribly wrong... the typical sci-fi one where the creators are hounded by their creation.

I can't hold on to you because you make me dangerously obsessive.
And that is precisely the reason why I can't let go of you.
I am afraid I will miss you... and lose my few shreds of sanity

--------End of Excerpt---

The need for a sanction

We are raised in a social structure that have rules and guidelines - explicitly or implicitly laid down. We are taught, and we learn by experience, that generally, living within the framework of these rules and guidelines results in us winning the social game. Of course, there are those who venture beyond this framework, and hence are often viewed differently (awed, booed, outcasted, envied etc).

But most of us find it difficult to challenge this established rulebook. We might not agree with all the social norms, but violating them in an exaggerated fashion not for the reason to prove that you can, but because you actually want to, is unusual.

It is in fact, difficult to even think of violating most of the laws. For instance, a child brought up in a strictly disciplined environment where the 'right conduct' is highly rewarded and slightest deviation from it is stringently punished, might never evolve the need to, say eve-tease a passing girl. It just would not occur to him. It is 'wrong' in his eyes. Even if a desirable girl passes by, the idea of teasing her would not cross his mind, perhaps because such a behavior has been looked down upon.
However, eve-teasing occurs rampantly and that is testimony to the fact that there are people whose social structures do not consider this act that big an offense.

An interesting collision of thoughts occur when you disagree with a social rule. You see nothing wrong in certain activities that are considered 'taboo' by your social structure. You are convinced of their rightness. Not only that, you feel the need to indulge in them. So, there is an activity that is given a clean chit by the court in your mind, and is desired by the I-really-want-to-do-this section of your mind. However, it still requires great courage, conviction, confidence to actually indulge in it. This is probably because your brain gives conflicting signals. It wants to indulge, but it also knows that the person indulging in it is generally penalized by the society. In fact, even when you don't care about the penalty at all, you still hesitate.

It is strange - the mind.

just another ramble

It was that moment again. A moment when things fall into such perfectly-fitting place that you know you could not be wrong about the feeling that things are falling into place.

When you don't have something, you cling on to a pseudo source of that. Fat girls try to fit into the thin girls groups, so that they feel accepted. The unknown try to sift around in the circles of the popular, hoping to rise in the popularity charts.

It is the courage to leave that pseudo-source of pseudo-security that's rare to find.

It is that that I am looking for... a way to disentangle myself from the web of seemingly justifying excuses, a way to unshackle myself from the bonds of convenience that fetter me to the terra firma of the fake security. I know that this task is not just of extreme importance, but just as urgent. It's just that the sense of urgency does not bother one until a perceivable danger is in sight.

There was a time when I was convinced beyond doubt that there was absolutely nothing that could not be accomplished if one put one's entire strength in it. I KNEW that if I pushed hard enough, the wall would certainly break. But gradually, 'life' convinces one of one's shortcomings and fogs the clear picture of self-infallibility. That's perhaps good to a certain extent. But somehow, there is a fine line between what is perceived to be possible, and what actually is possible. I think the trick to attain the 'impossible' is to not let the mind know that it is impossible. In fact, the mind should be tricked into believing that it is very much possible. And then the mind does everything in its might to attain it, and hence, there is a greater chance of attaining the goal.

Anyway, on an unrelated thought, I wonder what it is that music does to us. It certainly does very good things. It's one of the few things that has no known side effect even if one gets crazily addicted to it. It's just a pure dose of super-high endorphin release in the brain. Or something else. It increases the emoting capability. Me likes it :-)

On another very unrelated thought/incident, I still retain the capacity to blush. And how! I had to leave the area which had the object which caused me to blush, coz I could not contain my excitement. Now that's something to be proud of, on hindsight :-)

Movie Reviews:-

Slumdog Millionaire: Well... it was definitely not a movie to remember, or a movie that kept you thinking all night long. It was 'harsh realities' all right! And it had its typical 'from rags-to-riches' fantastic storyline that brings hope to many who don't find elsewhere. It also had some macabre scenes that emphasize on its 'realistic' appeal. The acting was alright, the actor did not need versatility... and well, what we thought as the protagonist's story was actually charted out by 3 actors - the child, the adolescent and then the fully-grown fellow sitting on the KBC set. So if you are impressed by the guy's life-story, it was perhaps the child or the adolescent who impressed you more, and your mind naturally gives the credit to the protagonist who invariably is the fully-grown fella! Aah!

The songs are haunting, one must admit. One can never say what Rehman's best is/was. But this was goooood.

Somehow Ghajini struck a stronger cord. For all one knows, it simply might be Aamir's larger-than-life screen persona. But the freshness exuberated by the newcome Asin was fun to watch. It was a pure black and white movie after a long time... the villain didn't have shades of grey, he was an obvious villain who (the audience as conviced) deserved to rot in hell. And Aamir (Oh! we couldn't stop sympathizing with him) deserved to find happiness once again.


Kya chal raha hai mamu?
Current routine encompasses a high-maintenance, highly demanding college life... and the fulfilling and exhausting gym routine. College has turned out to be a little more challenging... the FE students are a potpourri of the highly sincere teach-us-more kids and cant-wait-to-get-outa-here kids, and everything in between. Hum kare to bhi kyaa kare! The other students are manageable... and lot of fun to interact with. I still get my goosebumps just before the lectures, especially SE... the subject is difficult in that it isn't easy to excite them with the math behind analysis of algorithms. Annnnnyway... they are an excited bunch nonetheless.

Gymming is fun. The real good part about it is that the walls are mirrors. So somehow, when you think it is tough to reach the target i.e. run for the required amount of time/lift the desired weights, you can look at yourself in the mirror and smile and motivate yourself and achieve the targets. It fulfills you with a sense of achievement. And of course, the mirrors help in admiring the ultra-fit bodies of those guys who do crazy number of pull-ups. (Ah! Stay still you aching heart (and muscles), you shall manage to pull yourself up one day!)

Current Complaints:-
What the hell is the matter with all the self-claimed saviors of 'bhaartiya sanskruti' in this country? Why are pubs and other youth haunts being targetted? And why in the name of God, are chicks who want to shake a leg, given such a hard time? It is pathetic to see some losers spoil the fun for those who are enjoying life. The sign of a good governance - the protective body for the civilians, is that such unlawful shameful activities by the so-called activists should be heavily penalized. It's almost getting down to gunda-raj! And talking about the MNS is almost below dignity for a self-respecting person. So, I wont.

Phew! I think I need more muscle... and nerve as well.