Metro diaries: The Pink coach.

Its a crime to travel in the common coach of the Delhi Metro if you are a woman. And I was the criminal.

It was 7 in the morning. I had somehow huffed and puffed my way to the metro station to reach the school I had volunteered to teach at. While I was rejoicing at how despite calling a day pretty late, I still managed to make it on time, a young boy in a school uniform who was stepping down the stairs looked at me, and whistled. And just when I thought the ordeal was over, he went on with the classic "heloooo babieeee" in the most ridiculous accent.

Yes, instead of a good morning I get a mini trailer of the Delhi bwoyz and their awesomeness.I mean can't people wait till at least afternoon to begin this entire "Hey sexy, Hi babey" routine.

The rest of the day went amazing minus the giggles, the regular rowdy comments when I took the rickshaw ride and the display of how chivalry died long back as I struggled with multiple bags while no man in the metro had the courtesy to offer me a seat.

I totally agree that an exclusive women coach is created for the ladies and should be used by them. But who on earth said travelling in the common compartment is forbidden for women now that DMRC has made a reservation for us.

We do not travel by wish, but coz of circumstances.

I am late for college and I run to the metro coz I don't wanna miss my presentation. I obviously won't run around looking for a pink signs when the metro is just about to leave the station.

A male friend is accompanying me for work. So rude to let the poor man suffocate alone while I breathe easy in the women coach.

 Travel in the common coach and men look at you like you just robbed em of their month's salary.There is no space to breathe let alone the idea of slowly moving to the women exclusive area without being groped and touched almost everywhere by a few extremely "active" men around. And when you raise an alarm at the men who try to make full use of the awfully stuffed metro compartment, the answer comes right in your face
 " Public transport hai madam, itni bheed me to hath yaha waha lag hi jate hai"

So what is a poor woman with no driving license supposed to do in the big city?
Looking for answers.

Just another Delhi Girl.

Facebook diaries- The Status.

Its my life.
Its my Facebook profile.
I may put up the ugliest pictures, edit them with hearts and playboy bunnies and like my own posts , you my dear friend should have no issues with what I do.

I agree. Indeed. Anyone on Facebook had the liberty to decide what goes up the page, but one in a while you come across that one profile that is shining among all your 300+ notifications. I cam across my shiny notification a few days back.

Initially when I came across the name, I couldn't quite remember who she was, and the flowers and sunshine on her edited picture weren't helping much either, but I was oh-so-jobless that I actually tried to focus and remember how I knew the woman.5 minutes through her page and I finally figure it was a junior from school.But the surname seemed wasn't quite her own and the relationship status scandalized me.

She is 16 and married to some guy with an amazing adjective name.
For ethical reasons lets call him xyz "studboy" abc.

And this is not just one profile, I have seen so many more tiny girls with "engaged" and "married" on their statuses. I am 20 something and if I someday lose my sanity and update my status as married to "whatever whatever" My Aunt in London would have a mini heart attack, and my mom will disown me on getting such updates.

No offence to any of those young married women.
I totally appreciate your love and affection towards the man, but this is way too much.
Even for a romantic like me.

And while I pen this down my sister has found yet another profile with a similar story.
The count never ends....

Life lessons (1) "Shopping is healing"

There was a time I thought college was all about fun and romance just like they show in the movies(I still wonder why is it that the cast is NEVER shown in classrooms , while the real life situation is really different?)

This blog is dedicated to all the tiny things I learn about life from the people around me.So this "Life lesson" happened during the course of a random friday's tax class, when our extremely dedicated teacher was busy explaining some random concepts and I was busy doodling on my register.

While I tried to concentrate on getting the right nose for my caricature( Yes thats one thing I can never draw right), My best friend whispered," I don't have a register, can I borrow any extras you might have?"

I nodded my head and passed on my UN-used maths register.

10 minutes later

The teacher was still busy talking hebrew to the front benchers.

15 minutes later

While the front benchers scribbles the solutions onto their notebooks I tried to act as if I was concentrating.I suck at that too.

20 min later

I find my best friend scribbling notes onto my register( That was a surprise). I peeped to take a look.

TITLE: BENEFITS OF SHOPPING!!

1)Shopping is an investment

Shop --> Increase in GDP --> GLOBALISATION-->international market-->increase in sales of our products --> rise in income

2)Shopping is helpful in reducing the number of accident

SHOP-->you drive home carefully coz you need to try on the merchandise you bought

3)Shopping helps in digestion

walking from store to store-->feeling awesomely happy on finding the right thing-->better metabolism and blood circulation-->better digestion

4)Shopping helps in leading an organised life

buying watches, calender, meeting managers,formals inspire you to keep it professional and organised at all times.

5)Shopping helps in reducing weight

Walking  long distance to reach your favorite stores on different floors of the mall helps to reduce weight plus you are inspired to reduce weight to fit into awesome dresses.

Sopping indeed is therapeutic. Today when I am upset over something buying things makes me happy.And of course chocolates.So there is nothing wrong with the desire to posses items.Its all about what makes you happy.And a little indulgence at times is no harm.

Life's all about enjoying the present and doing what makes you happy.So don't think twice before you pick up that pretty pink skirt.You deserve to please yourself.

:)

What do I feel about being a part of the INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM?

As a kid I was brainwashed to believe that marks determine the level of a person's intelligence.So I toiled hard for 16 years and crammed over 200 books to get those shiny stars and big double digit figures on my result sheet.

I gave up my love for chemistry , because I couldn't study business administration with it , and as per my parents, MBA  was the "in" thing.

I worked so hard to get a 96% so as to bag a seat in the best commerce college.And today I sit back in the AC rooms wondering ,if my teachers would come to teach or would they be busy in some teachers association meeting nibbling on the samosas and sipping tea while we are still in ambiguity with regard to our exams syllabus and schedule.

I still wonder how would it be if I could study all the subjects that I really loved together, If our education system could be flexible enough to let  me take a bachelor’s degree in business administration and also allowing me to fulfil my desire of enrolling into an art school too. 

Alas, my experience with our education system hasn't been very pleasant.

It is claimed that India has the best education system in the world and it has been so since time immemorial. We have some of the brightest minds working as scientists, engineers and managers but the question is, are we really building our human capital? Are we creating a smart bunch of innovators or simply a group of efficient trained workers?

Our education sector has indeed shown tremendous improvement. The literacy rate has risen to 65%. There is also a rise in the number of graduates and Phd’s. But it has failed to drive in ambition and inspiration among the potential entrepreneurs of our country. We cannot deny the presence of gems like A.P.J Abdul Kalam , Dhiru bhai ambani and the likes who have made India proud with their achievements but I wonder to what extent had our education system contributed to their success apart from providing a basic technological knowhow.

A lot of youngsters complain that there aren’t many financially feasible career options available in our country and thus they are forced to be MBA’s , doctors and engineers. But the problem is that most of us don’t have the vision to think beyond the mentioned professions. I mean seriously , How many of us would prefer undertaking a risk to start one’s own venture over a Rs.10 lac per annum salary package by a Multinational corporation after getting a glossy MBA degree form a well-known institute ? I don’t think I would.

There is no point listing flaws in the education system. They would be almost equivalent to the number of flaws in our own perspective with regard to education. What’s important is what can be done to make it better?

We need revolution in the education sector, to build a system where teaching is considered to be as good a profession as an IT engineer, where world class facilities are provided to students to expose them to the world of opportunities that awaits them, and education system that boosts creativity and inspires the entrepreneur in them. A system which can help India find its bill gates and Michael Jacksons. 


And I know it will happen.
SOMEDAY!!

Facebook diaries- The ADJECTIVE !!

For quite some time I have been noticing this really weird trend in the way people write there names on Facebook.  It all began with adjective middle names and I saw  Sam sweet Mehra's and Rahul genius Kumar's flooding my notifications. Then soon the trend shifted to using movie titles in names , and then came the Era of Sana "masakali" Gupta and Rudra "dabangg" Sharma. It was fairly tolerable so far, but then I came across this amazing profile, and my oh my, it wasn't just another "ADJECTIVE" middle name.

The guy has a profile picture in which he was TRYING to pose with a beer bottle. His name read "LIBIDINOUS xyz " .

a few days later I saw the profile again (I regret not pushing him off the list in the very first place)

a new name

a new adjective

"AUDACIOUSLY xyz"...

The complexity of his name grew after every passing day. After a week of learning 7 new complex words which did not describe him at all, I decided to put him of my list.

I am not anti middle names, but at times it just gets really weird.

I love my name, I would never want it to be, Jennifer "cute" sung

or Jennifer" intelligent" sung for that matter..

So its let people know your qualities by your acts and not by your Facebook names.

:)

ps: The names used are ficititous, though highly inspired from real life

:P

Bhaiya...meter se chalo!!

For a 19 year old who doesn't know how to drive, the Auto walah's are the only respite. Despite of being pushed to attend driving lessons by both my dad and my boyfriend, I have simply been lazy to do the same. I mean ,with the numerous auto's and rickshaws running by I never really felt the need to drive.And driving in Delhi is the ultimate test of patience, which unfortunately I do not possess.

And I face the consequences of my laziness now.

Sometime back I visited a friend of mine in south Delhi. We were chilling at GK I, M block. After a wonderful evening I was out to find that one Auto which would take me home without any fuss.

AUTO 1:No madam, can't go to central Delhi

AUTO 2:Chalenge ,but apko CNG bharwani padegi (I mean hello!!)

AUTO 3:150 lagenge,bohot door hai madam

AUTO 4:blah!!

AUTO 5: blah !! blah!!

AUTO 6:Oh this one didn't say a thing, he simply nodded his head in negative

AUTO 7:120 me chalo (yeah seven wasn't too lucky for me)

and then came AUTO 8.There was nothing special about it.It was just like green yellow auto with the same annoying noise.But it stopped by, it didn't nod his head in negative and said

"100 me chalunga"

I knew it doesn't take more than 80 bucks to reach home and I so wasn't gonna part with anything more than that.

"80 me chalo bhaiya" I insisted.

"90" he said

"nahi bhaiye aap jada bol rae ho, yaha se 80 lagte hai" I explained.

"madam 80 to lajpat nagar se lagte hai"

I stayed silent,giving him the  "I would get another AUTO look"

And then he said those magical words!!

"CHALO METER SE BAITH JAO"

I hadn't heard them for ages now.I remember paying huge sums to the auto walahs simply coz I was getting late and I cared more about my appointment rather than the extra ten bucks.But this was amazing.

I smiled and sat.The inner walls of the auto was decorated with  Hritik Roshan's poster.It had a first aid box(I know coz I saw the red cross on it) which was stuffed with his supplies of tobacco.The radio blared with some odd old hindi movie song.I was looking at the meter as the figures tuned up with every passing kilometer.

I noticed that the driver was checking out the meter at every damn red light.Then he would look at me and give me the "IT WOULD BE MORE THAN 90 MADAM" look. It was a annoying.For a while I started doubting the meter (you never know what these people do to tamper it). As i reached closer to my place the meter figure grew closer and closer to what i had offered to him.He looked at the meter again and grinned at me.And I knew it was a silent war.My eyes couldn't get off the meter.(Honestly I didn't have anything great to do). 

72.45

72.90

..

..

..

..

I was still away from my place.The driver looked at it for one last time and gave me a stare.

74

..

75

..

76

..

77

..

78

..

78.45

"Yahi rok do bhaiya" I smiled...

He looked at the meter and hung his head low.

I had won!!

I looked into the mirror and gleamed.

I gave him a 100 bucks and smiled widely as he returned the change.I walked back home with an odd sort of happiness.

"CHALO METER SE BAITH JAO"

The sweet words still resound in my head.

I wonder when will I get to hear them again

No....I don't wanna do "frandship" with you.....

Dear Mr "FRANDSHIP"

I noticed your friend request on my Facebook account a week ago. Your profile picture seemed very familiar. Of course it would be, It was some old "tere naam" Salman khan picture.It scared me (just like the movie) .I assume you are aggressive and persistent just like Salman was in the movie. I had to ignore your request pertaining to the fact that I "DO NOT"  add strangers to my Facebook profile. I thought the story ends there,but as i said you indeed are very persistent and patient. A day later I again receive a friend request from you. This time i noticed that you had changed your profile picture to tom cruise from MI2. I guess you are under an impression that girls love Hollywood actors more.Maybe, but if it was an attempt to impress me and get me to accept your request, heartfelt apologies sir, but that was so not happening.I deny the request yet again.
You seem to be a firm believer of the phrase "third time lucky"
Two days later, You send in a request again.This time its your own picture.Bangs(longer than mine), cool shades,, an orange shirt (too bright) and black jeans..and not to mention the huge buckle belt....which failed in its attempt to hide your protruding belly... I respect your decision to disclose your real ,"gorgeous " self to me, but sir...I didn't quite know you...So you know what I did....The same old story...
But trust me Sir...in the past one week,.,,,The sfact that I have known about you...(apart from your "gorgeous" appearance) is that you are one patient guy who would never give up.You send in a request yet again. No change in the profile picture(OMG!!) But a message

"YOU ARE SO CUTEI, WHY DON'T U AECPT MY FRANDSHIP REQUEST?"

and This sir is what has compelled me to write in to you.

I appreciate your efforts and admire your patience and persistence...

But the bottom line is still the same...

I do not know you

And I so .don't wanna do "FRANDHSIP" with you

but keep your search going...

you would soon find a   new  "CUTEI" to send friend requests to.

:D