Posts

Will It Be the Ultimate Triumph For My Argentina

By -
It’s nostalgia written all over my countenance as I’m witnessing another 45 minutes of hope. Yes, you got it right – it’s half time in the greatest tournament of the sporting world. The FIFA World Cup is coming to an end for the 22nd time and crowning glory is about to be declared. Who will make it? My mind goes back to 32 years – strangely, whenever I think of a World Cup, it is the first that is fondest in my memory. I had tracked it religiously and gained a new area of excitement in my life. What was more intriguing was that a lifelong ‘fanship’ began, which has not waned over more than three decades that have gone by since then. What has changed is the focus and time devoted to this sporting mega event.  What has remained unchanged is the allegiance to Argentina. Whenever Argentina plays, my heart goes pounding with unrelenting excitement. That was the case in 1990 when I was exposed to its exquisite style. In the end, the outcome was very disappointing as Argentina went down by a
Post a Comment
Read more

Imperfecto Finds A Way

By -
Image
It was a cold rainy winter day that Imperfecto stepped out to connect with the career counsellor. He had identified the bus route numbers that would take him to the posh locality. Accordingly, he boarded the bus from the nearest stop. A change of buses and about an hour later he got down at his destination. The main road was lined with leafless trees made lifeless by strong gusts for nearly a month now. The rain has died to a drizzle now and Imperfecto navigated the puddles and the bora to branch into the streets. The expansive houses with imposing gates made a striking show of grandeur. Imperfecto walked slowly admiring the architecture of each bungalow, the next one seemed to improve upon the previous! The whole street was straight out of fairy tales stored in his distant memory.   He had memorized the house number and it was easy to locate it right in the middle of the second street. He was greeted with a signboard 'Beware of dogs' with a small black dog phot
Post a Comment
Read more

Will Crackerless Diwali Sweep Away Delhi's Toxic Air?

By -
Image
  India is decked up for Diwali today. The brightness of this festival is unparalleled. Preparations for this grand occasion commence many weeks beforehand. This is followed by frenzied activities leading to the grand finale. The outcome is phenomenal. With residences, commercial buildings, markets, streets etc. decorated with multi-coloured lighting, Diwali night is sparkling with celebrations, social gatherings, customary rituals, worship & offerings (Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja etc.) and gala events. In short it is India's biggest festival and celebrated nationally with equal vibrancy.   The above is a summary of what Diwali is all about – or is it? The above description may be good generally but any Indian, including kindergarten kids, will easily tell you that all of the above combined would still not complete the Diwali spirit. So what is missing? Any guesses?   There are no prizes if the answer comes from someone in Delhi NCR. Yes, it’s the firecrackers!!
Post a Comment
Read more

Imperfecto Reaches an Empty Destination

By -
Image
After what seemed to be an aimless exercise, Imperfecto's tired and pretty much defeated eyes, spotted a huge signboard on a posh looking gate. The signboard of 'Vedic Towers' was partially covered by a loosely tied white cloth banner which had words 'Thinking Career Fair' screaming at passersby. Imperfecto's joy knew no bounds. He quickly crossed the road towards the tall buildings on the other side. Vedic Towers would easily touch the sky, thought Imperfecto, as he looked up at the glass façade of the imposing structure in the fading daylight.   He made an entry in the register of visitors at the entrance of the building and joined the short queue for the security check just below the banner. The security guard was merely ticking the checkbox by a half-hearted top body scan with a beeping detector. He seemed exhausted performing the same activity since morning, but who cared? All the visitors wanted was a quick passage and he didn’t do a deep dive.
Post a Comment
Read more

Imperfecto on a road trip without knowing where to go

By -
Image
A rude jolt broke Imperfecto's brooding as he crashed over an elderly neighbour who cast a scowl. Before the reprimand came he managed to meekly apologise. He had been conditioned not to hurt anyone. Over time, this thought had strengthened its foundation and extended to inability to refuse anyone without feeling extremely guilty. He just could not say no and if he had, for a higher compulsion, the next few days would make him guilty to the core. The other attribute which accompanied this foundation was believing everyone on their face value, no matter what. Quite a vicious cycle, right? Slowly but steadily, he was slipping in the quicksand and his endless struggle to stay out of it had unknowingly made him shy, introvert and sensitive. Even today, he could not see where he was going. That's when his recall power sprang back. 'Oh yes! I know' he smiled to himself. A newspaper advertisement had announced a career carnival at central town square, where leading compan
Post a Comment
Read more

Imperfecto Had A Dream

By -
Image
Imperfecto was looking out through a narrow gap in the crowded public bus. It was hopeless to try anything else after being pushed around every few seconds. The whole population of the town seemed to have been stuffed into this rickety bus. He had no idea why he was in this bus or where he was supposed to go. The only thought vaguely floating in his casual memory box was that he had been advised to hop onto this one since it went to the central town square. He asked a few bystanders at the bus stop who not only affirmed it but also pushed him inside with themselves following suit. Without a second thought Imperfecto had made his quantum leap into the faded white bus which had just moved after a brief halt. The sudden jerk propelled him inside a can of sardines and with some good help (read stuffing clothes in an already packed suitcase) from his co-passengers he had managed to stand on his own.   Why 'central town square'? he wondered. The constant chatter of co-passen
Post a Comment
Read more

How A Road Accident Added A Value To My Life

By -
Image
In my earlier post, we discussed the importance of leading your life as per your choice and not on the advice of others . In life, we are presented with situations when our minds are perplexed and not able to take instant decisions. Let me give you two instances while being on the road: one, an example from my own life and the other, a typical situation. Situation 1: A few years back I was driving on my way to office on a particularly busy stretch which at that time was unusually empty. I was driving at moderate speed on the right line parallel to the divider. The road was filled with potholes and with experience I thought I  knew how to negotiate them. Trucks were usually parked in a straight line parallel to the left edge of the road. One particular large pothole came into view a little late and I swerved to the left to avoid it, fully conscious that no other vehicle was around. Unknown to me just at that moment a bike was riding beside me and as I took the sudden left…Whamm
Post a Comment
Read more