A Dog is a Dog (Article published in Hitavada on 16.10.15)

Article for middle space   sent on 16^th Oct 2015

A dog is A Dog

By Jyoti Patil

Thomas Stearns Eliot popularly known as T S Eliot wrote a poem titled “A Dog is a Dog” in which he chanted:

 “Now dogs pretend they like to fight;

They often bark, more seldom bite;

  But yet a Dog is, on the whole,

What you would call a simple soul.”

 I want to say this ‘seldom bite’ these days is more often and the status of ‘a simple soul’ is in question. Yes, dogs are lovable pets. For some, dogs are more than their close relatives. I don’t want to hurt the soft feelings of dog lovers who keep dogs; some for status symbol, some for security purposes and some keep dogs only for the sake of love for the species. Dogs of rare species are very costly and might cost you in lakhs. The owners are expected to take care of them and spend handsomely on their special training, medical care and food habits. But here I want to raise an issue of stray dogs. You can find them in packs anywhere, let it be a city or a village. Sometimes they pose a serious threat to the people living in that area.

 Dog bite is not a big issue. It seems to be a common factor in city life. It started reverberating in my mind when I stumbled upon my first dog bite. I counted myself lucky till then that I never had any experience of dog bite. I always used to wonder whenever I read any incident of dog bite in the newspapers especially in public’s views column that how these people get bitten by stray dogs so often. They are such lovely creatures. I also happened to read nice articles on dogs. Dog bite never occurred to me as a subject until I experienced it one fine day at Seminary hills area during my morning stroll. The incident was a complete shock to me. I was walking at my usual pace without paying any attention to some dogs moving around. I crossed one dog who was running on the road, and perhaps on his second thought he turned back to attack me from behind and tried to catch my leg. I sensed something pricking on my sheen and noticed that a small black dog with white spots was trying to bite me hard. I shrieked to top of my voice but the nonchalant dog started trying again. Luckily a gentleman who was strolling behind me came to my rescue and the dog took a turn and vanished in the shrubs. I noticed blood oozing out from the bruise.

Then, there was the fear of rabies/ hydrophobia that captured me intrinsically. The first thing I did that day was to visit the doctor and get the shots of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV). The doctor advised me to keep a watch on that canine. “If it behaves normally the number of injections will be reduced” doctor suggested. “And if it dies in ten days, it will be a serious indication for me to get more injections.”  And it was difficult for me to enjoy what T S Eliot sang:

“The usual Dog about the Town

Is much inclined to play the clown.

He's such an easy-going lout,

 He'll answer any hail or shout.” 

Summer Inferno in Nagpur  (a Poem)

My city is known for three things mainly

Its sizzling summer, syrupy oranges and sufficient foliage

Life here is peacefully slow and slumberous

It’s fine, slow and moving, life goes on,

In poetry of the west

Summer seems cozy and comfortable

Summer is the time of infinite fun

It’s time for romance, revelry and excitement.

Oh! But for us, It is not so,

Eastern countries face the Sun face to face

Closer to the sun,

The dazzling, scorching,

And blistering fire ball, 

That you are.

In my city you look

Merciless, heartless, and unforgiving,

You appear ruthless, pitiless, and hardnosed

Making the clime unbearable and agonizing

Shading of autumnal leaves,

Scraggly looking trees,

Want of any greenery all around.

Dry brown leaves scattered on the ground

Dirty looking ground, all creepers gone and turned into spikes.

Birds are not to be seen, 

Their twittering, chirping and cooing become extinct

The koel bird sings in her piercing but ringing voice

And that is the only solace from this tough weather.

Winds become stronger, air becomes hotter,

The tar road in my city seething under duress of heat

Start melting, vaporizing, thawing like molten path

Roadside shady trees are only escape from this summer inferno.

At home and office fans blow hot vapours

The sound of coolers are heard in every house

Air conditioners are in things for well-to-do people

Which make them forget the heat

But that is only indoor comfort

Houses get warmer

All masked, scarf covered faces on the roads

But some people make hay while the sun shines

Sugarcane juice kiosks, jaljira and lemon cold drink centres thrive,

Thirsty throats, looking for chilled water,

Some earthen pots are kept for thirsty people.

Ice cream parlours doing roaring business

Kulfi thelas are thronged with heat-hunted people

 To seek some respite and relief from this conflagration,

The scorch touches some times 48 degrees,

Turning the normal life into troubled trepidation

Of turbid turmoil and feel of a dreary desert.

                                                                     

Ode to Nagpur     (A Poem)

O my beloved city, thou Nagpur

Thy name imprinted in the heart of India,

Situated on the zero mile

Thou whose unseen presence is felt

Even on the pages of History

Known for unseen oranges

Greenery and peaceful co-existence

Thou art crowned as most livable city in India

I feel special proud for you

For being erstwhile Capital of C P & Berar,

O my beloved city,

I feel pity of how your pristine place

Is usurped by petty politician for their selfish gains,

Where are those sweet oranges…..?

Whenever I say I belong to Nagpur

People immediately talk about oranges….and now orange-barfi…

I feel proud in thinking of thou art famous for oranges…

But where are those sweet oranges gone…

But I also wish thou markets full of sweet juicy oranges…

I wish thou to be cleaner, greener and cheaper

Roads with no potholes…

A beautiful city!!

A peaceful city!!

Thou clean roads and greener side ways

Drainage with proper sanitation

Air which is pollution free

People who are friendly and helpful,

Playgrounds full of sports activities

Gardens full of flora and fauna, a visual treat..

Public places full of social activities…

Job opportunities in plenty ….

So that the youth are not forced to leave this beautiful place..

Thou art my city, my beautiful city.

Futala Lake (A Poem)

The water seems dark and dirty,

The path seems busy and disturbed

Bubbling young couples

 Engrossed in talking intimately

Away from human misery      

There a pack of revelers

Some dogs on the pavement

Busy basking under the sun

A seller of heart shaped balloons

Finding some youngsters

Under the setting sun the rippling water

Though a cesspool of sewage and effluents

Sparkling and tossing on the shore

Water birds soaring over rippling water to catch fish,

A promise by Indian Air Force to revive and rejuvenate

I see it will resurrect like Lake Chapala in Mexico

 With its pristine beauty looks soothing to many Nagpurians.

Sometimes a horse carriage ride

With the smell of royal bright,

Sometimes Futala Lake is jam-packed

By gen-next for flash dance for some cause

Some special days like Friendship Day, Valentine Day

Even Independence Day and Republic Day

The adjoining road to the Futala is filled with young feet

Spending and celebrating the DAY with fun and fervor,

Many food joints on the right side

Offering a variety of delicacies from Panjabi bhature

To Paestro shake where the loved ones

Pass their time with gaiety and gossip

Futala lake a hot place in hot Nagpur.

                                                                Jyoti Patil

City Connexion

Jyoti Patil

It was for the first time I felt such an attraction towards my city. Attraction was in the form of an attachment. My heart bumped for my beloved city perhaps for the first time. When you live in your own city your attraction towards your city is hardly felt or exhibited but when you are away the dormant attraction turned into an attachment the moment someone takes just the name of your city.

 I happened to visit Ahmedabad in connection with some official work and got a chance to enjoy Gujarati reception and hospitality. It was really a ‘garvi Gujarat’ moment when the host took me to show all important and historical places.  When I visited Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel National Memorial, I found all those features which had been promised in the info-brochure.

 In the sprawling Mughal garden around the museum, peacocks were roaming freely on the green, giving a sumptuous treat to our eyes. We tried to go close to them to have a good look. But the big birds were smart enough to dodge us. After waiting for half an hour at the ticket counter to start the sale of ticket, we entered the museum around 11am. I was wondering whether the museum was really worth watching or wasting this much of time. But all my doubts were dispelled and proved wrong. It was well decked, well documented and well decorated museum which provided me a picturesque and point to point details of this great man and other historical figures related to him politically and historically.  

The museum, housed in Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug area, had a recent hi-tech facelift on 29th October, 2013 that showcased artefacts and the belongings of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which also included two multimedia halls that shed light on various aspects of Sardar’s life and work with interactive, experiential and historical exhibits. The original palace was built by Shah Jehan in 1622.

The feeling of satisfaction knew no bounds when I happened to read the historical details about Sardar Patel’s role in making a consolidated India even after freedom by merging 562 princely states that appeared before my eyes as virtual video with the minute details.

While observing all the historical details my eyes rested on one particular reference on one display. It was the Nagpur connection of Sardar Patel which attracted me the most to know more about it. It was about NAGPUR JHANDA SATYAGRAH between 1^st May to 18^th May 1923 in which Vinoba Bhave and Ravishankar Maharaj took the lead role to mobilise the crowd to agitate in support of the dignity of the National Flag.

In Apl 1923 British Govt banned on the processions sporting the National Flag in Civil Lines area of Nagpur. Vallabh Bhai Patel sent volunteers to join the Nagpurians to fill the Central jail. Vinoba Bhave and Ravishankar Maharaj were sent to jail too.  Then, Vallabh Bhai came to Nagpur to lead and with his mediation the British Govt allowed satyagrahi to take out peaceful procession along with National flag and prisoners were also set free. I got attracted and became attached to my city through its history. I read one slogan written there on the wall, “To be indifferent is neither brave nor gentlemanly, be attached”.

 Expectations and Disappointments                                      Jyoti Patil

Appeared in the Hiravada Middle Space on 13^th March 2015

It is all about expectations and disappointments. It is said expectation leads to disappointment.  Our life is a pendulum between unfulfilled expectations and expected disappointments. In our tangled and twisted passage of life we expect many things from many  people. Sometimes these expectations take quirky turns.

When I came across a write up by Dipankar Shome about ‘expectations’ in The Hitavada, my memory took me to the time zone where I see everyone expecting something from the other without even giving a shred of consideration to one’s own responsibilities. Expectation is the root cause of all the heartaches. It is so natural to expect, but not so natural to disappoint others.

The boss expects all his juniors to perform all their duties sincerely. He also expects that they should wish him on his birthday, his wedding anniversary, his family members’ birthdays and special days.  He also looks forward to receive gifts on festive occasions. He also expects them to perform all his orders without asking any questions. The list of expectations is endless. This is like “love me and love my dog”.

And when these expectations are breached or broken, the real colour of the boss is out in the open. The weapon of strictures and restrictions are let loose.  When the boss expects from his juniors, they also expect something from him. A lenient handling, cooperative dealing, considerate treatment, caring and positive attitude are such expectations.

It is not only in official matter, but also outside on the road we expect fair riding from all others who are using road while we drive. Truck drivers expect all small vehicle drivers to give free pass to these big road users. Car drivers want clear road for speedy drive. Four wheeler riders expect two wheelers to follow traffic rules and use only the left side of the road. Bike riders want zigzag pleasure ride and expect all others to watch their acrobatic rides. Pedestrians know expecting any discipline from anyone will be just waste of time and they use their own whims to cross the road by following this line, ‘Grab the first opportunity you get’.  

Above all, we all expect everyone else to follow all the rules and regulations dutifully without realising our own responsibilities and duties. We expect God to grant all our prayers. We expect all the trains to run on time when we travel. We expect all our relatives to behave properly and give due respect to us.

             We also expect the politicians to do all public work as our personal servants, we also expect NMC to keep the city clean whereas we spit and throw garbage all around wherever we feel free. We expect public servants to be corruption free while we transact any business only when we accept ‘favours’ for doing any slightest work for others. Accepting ‘favours’ is something above any rule of law, this expectation is deep rooted in our psyche, some openly accept it and some expect others to do this for them.

It is rightly said, ‘Don’t blame people for disappointing you, blame yourself for expecting too much from them.’  

Article published in the Hitavada, Middle Space

                                        Dream or Dreadful Drive?                  By Jyoti Patil

                 Apropos to the Hitavada’s talented lens man, Satish Raut’s eye-catching pics of the Nagpur-Betul highway, which ignited my imagination and at the same time opened up the Pandora’s box of reminiscences. These really out of the world scenes and picturesque pathways provide a velvety experience. But it reminded me of my own recent experience on the same route. As I often visit Bhopal, more often by train since convenient trains are easily available between these two progressive cities. (But I should admit candidly, though I belong to Nagpur, in many respects Bhopal is far more beautiful and progressive than Nagpur.)

                 Sometimes I am expected to visit the city at a short notice and then I prefer to travel by car. I have been visiting Bhopal since 2005 and between 2005 and 2010 the roads were pliable, comfortable and hassle free between these cities. There were many ghats on the way with unparalleled scenic beauty, full of valleys and vales, hills and hillocks, flora and fauna, fields and grasslands, rivers and rivulets, twists and turns. Even many reserve and protected forest areas were on the way and the sight of wild animals like foxes, deer, bisons, wild boars, snakes, monkeys and different types of  birds were an additional treat during the road journey as Satpuda ranges are full of such picturesque scenes and scenery. 

                 The roads were not wide at that time but smooth to the extent that one could drive with comfortable speed.  I remember quite often I stopped on my way just to enjoy soft flowing rivulets which run parallel to the road and some times cross the road with transparent glow. Beautiful rocky terrain with rocks and pebbles of different shapes and sizes attracted me to hop over them. This road journey always made me rejuvenated and refreshed.

                 But during the recent past, the experience has been just the opposite as the roads were broken and damaged, torn and tattered, illmaintained and unkempt. It became a torturous and arduous task to traverse. The roads were so bad at some places that it became difficult to recognize the pathway. Gradually the work of four-lane of these roads started and huge shadowy trees were ruthlessly uprooted, all the natural scenes were smashed and removed. The construction work with heavy machines and excavators made the once smooth roads, into bumpy rugged trouble walk.  It turned out to be dusty, smoky and murky. The road journey became a hellish experience with jerks, bumps and wobbles. Once it took almost twelve hours to reach Bhopal for six hours’ drive. And I stopped travelling by car.

Very recently in the first week of Nov, forgetting all the previous experiences I ventured on to travel on this road again. When I started my little tour to Bhopal, I was pleasantly surprised to see the entirely professionally erected signs and signals all along the broad, black and beautiful four-lane roads. It was heavenly. Things were all on the right track. I could not believe my eyes to experience a kind of ride with proper and perfect signals, directions and dividers. I wondered as if I were travelling in Hongkong or Singapore. The pics taken by Satish only tell the ten percent perfection of the ride between Nagpur and Betul. There are other notable things such as bus bays, truck bays, side walks, midway plantations, colourfully painted road crossings, reflectors, railings, road side facilities etc.  Green sign boards with appropriate directions were just an additional feather to already a perfect looking HIGHWAY. Oh!! What a highway! You can swiftly glide on these buttery roads with the speed of 100-150 km per hour.  Such a road was absolutely unexpected after such disrepute of these roads. But what a transformation! I was immensely happy, driving on such a smooth road. I took pics from my mobile like Satish Raut and posted them on the whatsapp with a chirpy comment “Heavenly ride…can’t believe…feeling to be in Singapore...” But the Nagpur- Betul ride was just the half way. The moment I crossed Betul I realized that the roads are not of international standard, not even the local standard. They were not roads at all. The real journey began after Betul, and in place of running, my car was jumping and twisting. The speed came to down to pathetic 0-10km. I could see rows of trucks, very heavy vehicles, cars are moving at snail’s pace to avoid ditches and craters on the roads. I saw as many as three heavy vehicles broke down at different places. Five trucks met with ghastly accidents and few cars were lying on the side of the roads all smashed and mangled. It was not a two-wheeler’s ride at all. Till Bhopal there was hardly any respite from churning and jerking. And I remember concluding lines of  Robert Frost’s  poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ it runs like this “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

PRICE RISE (poem)

  (Appeared in CUCKOO an International Biannual Literary Magazine in Sept 2013 issue)

This uncanny word is now a bye law.
Wherever you go, whatever you buy,
It brings just a little pain like the prick of a pin;
Dreaded till it comes and a quake when heard,
But a benumbed sense soon takes the pain.
It is an 'amarbel' growing on green shrubs, 
Sucking sap and vitals from the parent tree,
It digs in, sitting firmly never to be shaken.
It's a lasting mark of alley-ways and ill-made plans.

Price rise is a nonentity for the affluent 
But a perilous black-hole for the weak.
As most plod with a dreaded dole
Or a  fist of futile dough,
Everything sways to the wind of wealth.
Frequent suicidal pacts with eternal ties
Become staple news for arm chairs.
A starved stomach and a parched tongue
Are drowned in a cacophony of claims and creeds.
The glare of glamour and the blare of adulation,
Conceal a squalid sewer of want and need:
The mind drowns the fear in anesthetic potions
Of vicarious virtual sex and game and drink.
When the next round of hikes arrive at the door,
A stronger dose of dope and sleaze and creed
Shall call on you, lest you should wake up. 

Jyoti Patil

BALD AND BEAUTIFUL

(Appeared in the Hitavada, Middle Space on 11th March 2014)                                                                                                                                                      By Jyoti Patil

It is so romantic to have bouncy hair, thick black hair, long and silky hair. Hair on your head really gives you a different dimension. You look impressive and young. You look positive and promising.  You look confident and smart. Once you start losing them, you realize how important they are for your outward appearance. You only think of your shedding hair and diminishing hair line.  You may then find hair all over in your place, sometimes on the table, on your pillow and even in your meal. You only think of your hair and nothing else. Your working efficiency is also marred by this nagging thought. 

I always feel envious to see cascading long thick hair of any girl and wish to have at least half of her hair to come on my head. Oh! It is sheer imagination. I can’t do that, I know it is not possible. I remember once I watched Anupam Kher’s interview on some TV show, in which he was confessing using all the tricks and trials, methods and measures to grow hair on his rapidly balding head.  He left no stone unturned for a small speck of hair on his head. At least for one or two years he basked under the dreamy imagination of long and thick black hair on his head. But gradually he started realizing that his baldness is inevitable as it was a result of some hormonal changes and genetic effect. One simple word makes many grown men (and some women) quake and shake in fear; balding. Receding hair lines, bald spots, and hair loss are problems that plague many people, old and young.

Bald people have many advantages. They do not bother to keep a comb with them to set their hair. No shampoo or aromatic oil is required. Your position becomes maintenance free.  Bald people may be deferential and enjoys a respectable position in his circle. For example, Raghu of Rodies enjoys an impressive position and his baldness is an added advantage.  If you are bald you are taken seriously and respectfully.  Baldness is not much painful as compared to scant hair problem which makes you ugly and scary.

Ramji Sharma our neighbor who was in his late forties became concerned about his hair as he noticed the rapid and regular fall of his once pride of Jaipur hair. He tried all hair growing creams which surely contribute to lighten the weight of his purse as well as worries. Gradually he realized that it is an extremely futile exercise to pursue his misadventure. He ventured into a new plan to purchase a wig from Bombay as he had heard most of the heroes and heroines wear wigs to look beautiful and impressive. He implemented his plan and went to Bombay for original looking wig. He got a perfect matching of his original hair style.

Only problem was to take care of that wig at night and sleep in his original baldy avatar. His comfortable time went by swiftly and once he met with an accident. Oh, that wasn’t a road accident but a bedroom accident. He used to keep his wig on the dressing table. Some rats got the whiff of it and started working on the trimming of it in their signature style. A patch of the wig got butchered. The next day when he noticed the alteration made by expert modifiers of the night, he became panicky. He did know what to do at this unwarranted urgency and started raking his brain for a suitable replacement. At last an idea clicked and he turbaned his head with a dupatta that day. But it only helped him for few days. One day he found his wig was being taken away by a stray dog, who had incidentally sneaked into his room. Then his game of hair got over.

Going bald is not an easy option for any man. But it is really difficult for those in the spotlight. Some stars manage to pull off a naked head with style, namely Billy Zane, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Anupam Kher, and Parsis Khambata but others aren't so lucky. Salman Khan, Vivek Oberai, Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Bruce Willis and Al Pacino are just a few stars whose hair status is discussed in detail. It is quite simple to identify the symptoms of a balding individual.   You do not need to be a doctor, you do not need to do any tests, and you can just simply use your eyes. And when you are loosing your lovable hair, you can only sing – “hair! hair! everywhere,  But not a speck on head,

 Hair!  Hair! Nowhere, On the plains of my head.” 

Poem:Oasis

Oasis(A Poem for the journal 'Literati')

(Dedicated to Neeraj Babuwani, a young office assistant)

One morning while beginning a day’s routine,

Hectic and hard as usual,

Tough and tight as always,

I happened to see him there,

All smiling, curly locks,

Tiny creature, bubbling with enthusiasm,

But quite young to occupy such a place,

I only wondered how this tiny figure

Would do such a serious job?

Tackling tough persons,

Tussling with papers,

Twisting among plethora of difficult tasks,

Would be a little too big a challenge for this cherub,

But spreading his immense gift of angelic smile,

With twinkling eyes, with an expert’s ease,

He greeted everyone, ready to face the challenges ahead.

For him life has just begun,

For so many of his age life is just a fun,

I didn’t know how many pleasures

He had to shun,

For accepting this reality of life,

I was skeptical how this dear, debonair, darling kid

Would face this drab, dangerous, difficult task,

But gradually showing his worth

This little angel started handling these

Serious people with smile and mirth,

Expert in computer,

Agile in paper work,

Prompt in action,

Fast in fraction,

He started winning our hearts.

The sultry, sombre workplace

Now turned into relieving, relaxing fun place,

His funny comments,

His jovial and playful demeanor,

His full of life approach,

Has ultimately overpowered

Our slimy, serrated, serious attitude.

I just thought whether he’s God’s bliss,

Or Nature’s boon,

Or luck’s lovely plan,

But surely in our dim lighted, dull life he was as OASIS.

Poem: Flowers and Old age

Poem: Flowers and Old age (Pub in 'Dew Drops' by FCWE, Nagpur)

Flowers always look lovely in their bloom,

Their delicate branches bear their load happily,

The plants that yield those beautiful buds,

Feel the proud to be the source of such soothing sight,

But when they wither the plants leave them to scatter,

The branches shed off the unpleasant beings,

No one bothers for those ugly looking dried petals,

Don’t they give a signal to those who go for the similar fate?

Our life is flower like, pretty, pleasant and attractive,

We bloom and blossom like flowers during the prime of our life,

Forgetting the impending trouble and tribulations we are to face,

At the end we all have to undergo the bitter trial of OLD AGE.

Poem: Woman, A Heavenly Creation

Poem: Woman, A Heavenly Creation

(Published in CENACLE Vol:1 No:2 Jan-Feb)

Being gifted to be emotional,

Woman is always at the receiving end,

Being gifted to be more sensible,

Man always takes advantage of that.

Being passionate in her attitude,

She is mostly misunderstood and misjudged,

Being soft in showing her mettle

She is mostly cheated by man.

Being truthful and sincere,

She mostly has a rough path to tread upon,

She is wonderfully gifted with moral strength,

She is God’s wonderful creation.

Being softer at heart and delicate in health,

But strong in her approach,

She is an ideal mother, an able sister,

A loving wife and an adorable daughter.

She has an immense capacity

To listen, to understand, to care and to support

Whenever man needs it,

Standing up for righteousness

And for unconditional love with all integrity

She is a heavenly combination

Of caring, charm, beauty, and grace. 

Poem: Don’t Cry for What is Not

Poem: Don’t Cry for What is Not

Don’t cry for what is not

Be happy for what you have got

You always aspire for what is unachievable

Thinking one day you may get it

Desiring one day you may find it

Hoping one day you may achieve it,

Let’s not cry for what is not

Be satisfied for what you have got

You always dream for what is unattainable

Thinking one day your dream may come true

Desiring one day your dream may be a reality

Hoping one day you may attain it.

Be happy for what you have got

But don’t stop and don’t cry

You can better try and try

Plan out things and strive for it

Keep your target always before you

Tread towards your target slowly but steadily,

Be happy for what you have got

But don’t be sad for what is lost

Don’t get dishearten for your lot

Row your boat till it comes to shore

Go with your efforts till it comes to success

Toil hard till the end of your strength.

Because the real happiness lies

Not in achieving the target

But in striving for it

Once it is done successfully

The result is inevitable and unstoppable.

Thank God! You are there

(Published in Middle Space on 15^th Aug 2009)

Thank God! You are there

                                                                Dr. Jyoti Patil

It all began with the discussion why today’s youth is turning towards God these days which is perhaps a very startling shift in this cyber age where amazing discoveries have become a commonplace happening, where materialism and physical pleasure rule the roost and youngsters are free to follow their whims and fancy defying their parents’ dictates. When you only face dismal situations on home front, in your close circles, in society and in the world in general, you have nothing left except distress and depression. There you have someone looking at you with compassion and care and it does not matter to Him whether you are young or old, beautiful or ugly, rich or poor, good or bad. The only thing required is to seek His help and He is there to help you in any situation.

Recently I was travelling  in a train from Amritsar to Delhi, I happened to get a chair car face to face with a young couple with a year old daughter. They settled down very comfortably and before the train started they all fell asleep. It seemed they all were very tired and hardly had strength to revel themselves in the beautiful surrounding. The train started moving and gradually gathered good speed. After half an hour I noticed them all awakened and little worried about something. They were searching their entire luggage frantically. They were talking in a language which at first was difficult to decipher for me but slowly I understood that they were talking in some south Indian language. But later I was informed by the girl that they were speaking Konkani.

They both started making frantic calls to the hotel people where they had stayed last night after having darshan of Harminder Sahib and a visit to Indo-Pak border at Wagha. I gathered from the fragmented information they were sharing on phone that the girl had left her mobile on the side table of the hotel room. She had perhaps left few other things but she was worried about her mobile. I heard her telling the hotel manager in chaste English that they were doctors and had an important visit to certain hospital for MCI inspection and they were awaiting some important calls on the cell which they had forgotten at his hotel. It was very important for them to get the mobile back in any case. The boy contacted the trip manager and conveyed about their problem. But the manager told them to wait and see if the mobile was retrieved by the hotel boy.

 Watching them in such a fix, I also in a way got                          involved and became worried about them. Just to give them some courage to tackle the situation I initiated and gave them few counsels to keep their cool. Then I enquired about their visit to the Golden Temple and told them to remember the Holy Granth Sahib perhaps God will suggest them some way out. I also narrated about a reality show in which the girl was about to loose and there she prayed to Saibaba and surprisingly she escaped the situation. The strong faith in God always plays wonders, it was my strong belief.

The girl then following my advice prayed to God and chanted some incantations for Saibaba to rescue her from the situation. Quite surprisingly the help came earlier than expected. The girl got a call from the hotel manager that the mobile was not found in the room and they must check their belongings properly. I then suggested them to send a ring to the number of their lost mobile. She followed my advice and a phone started ringing from their bag in which they had kept their daughter’s eatables. It was a moment of relief and joy not only for them but also for me as I became more concerned about them. She exclaimed with a sigh of relief, “Thank God! You’re there.” I only remembered Robert Browning’s famous lines in his ‘Pippa Passes’ “God’s in His Heaven, And all’s right with the world.”

                   

Gender Sensitization

Article for Middle Space (Appeared in The Hitavada on 13 June 2013)

Gender Sensitization

By Jyoti Patil

The other day my son came home fuming and seething with anger. I was little surprised and started guessing what must have happened to him. I thought it must be some verbal dual with his friends or some problem in settling the deal with some company. I first gave him water so that he came back to his normal mood. When he settled down he started firing volley of questions towards me. Why, why on earth you always talk about gender sensitization? Why do these ladies come out on the streets and create problems for men out there? I objected to it. I enquired what exactly the matter was. Why on earth are you against the ladies in particular? Oh mom, they talk about equality for them, freedom in all spheres. So why not face the situation with equal challenges? Ladies first, reservation for women, 50% reservation in politics, 37% reservation in jobs and  for particular jobs women candidates are preferred, all these examples show that they are already a privileged class and why, why on earth they need more and use these prerogatives to take on the  boys in any way. He continued to vent out his resentment against women in general.

Oh mom, these women have no sense of direction, more so they have no sense of proper driving. RTO should put a ban on women drivers, particularly the two-wheeler drivers. Whenever the regular flow of traffic is interrupted, you surely find a woman driving some two-wheeler in haphazard manner that too without giving side to other commuters. She would have her own pace, own speed variations, her own quaint ideas of direction. She would move aimlessly towards left, then would turn to the right unnecessarily. Others would only wonder which direction she would take next to baffle the people behind her.

I tried to pacify him, Okay, tell me what really happened. My son then opened up and narrated his experience. One lady was driving a car and she was not ready to give side for at least 15 minutes and some vehicles were honking behind her but she was just adamant. With her nonchalant speed she was moving precariously to any side which pleased her. I was helplessly following her as she left no option to overtake her. I felt like asking her who the hell has given you the license to drive (to create ruckus on road). She was simply creating a traffic chaos.

 Even the other day a girl was driving a moped and had the impression in mind that she was flying some helicopter. She zoomed past me just to bang on the rear of a plush car. Whenever the green signal is on, these young butterflies are the first ones to cross the road and move past all the vehicles whether it’s Karizma or Aviator or for that matter a BMW.  They don’t have any direction sense even if they are walking as pedestrians. Traffic police display all the rules time and again to use zebra crossing while crossing the busy squares and watch the traffic lights. Preference should be given to the bigger vehicles. In that way trucks should be given priority to ply on busy roads, then cars and then two wheelers. Pedestrians should always wait for their turn and if they violate this rule their life will be at risk. But these women always think that they are faster and quicker than any other vehicles on road. And the blame falls on that hapless driver, who unluckily becomes victim of their whims and meets with an accident due to unpredictable moves of these women.

The other day when I was crossing the Ambazari T- point, an elderly lady, who noticed me coming and giving horn to stop, she tried to compete with the speed of my Karizma and started running to cross the road first. Thank god, my vehicle has strong breaks; otherwise something might have happened that day.

Another important Traffic rule for pedestrians is that they should always take the right side while vehicle drivers take the left side of the road. More so they should always take the extreme side of the right hand of the road. You can not walk on the middle of the road. But you can see the hefty ladies for evening or morning walk take the left side of the road and that too almost the middle of it. I always feel like singing this song in whispering tone whenever I see a woman crossing or walking on the middle of the road: “Jane wale jara hoshiyar yahaa ke hum hai  thanedar, pichhe pichhe hamare car sawaar….”

I told him that I also belong to the same creed and what he is saying is just the half truth. Most of the time, the boys on the road are reckless. My efforts to defend my point and give him some lessons on gender sensitization only fell on deaf ears. And the conversation ended with him calling me ‘a female chauvinist’, a new topic of discussion.