Sky Watch Friday- Sunset at Gurgaon

Sunset at Gurgaon, India

I actually wanted to zoom in to the sun and wait for some birds to fly across. I realized that the zoom is not that good and that birds were really not interested in flying across for my picture. Hence settled down for this shot instead.

Watch more pictures of the sky at Skywatch Friday.

Another Bird from the Weekend

A Small Bird (Blackcap Female Indian Sliverbill fits the bill much better, thanks Arun) in the Backyard

Many thanks to Indiamike members who keep identifying bird after bird for me.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Tailor Bird

Tailor Bird in the Backyard

And I for sure want a better zoom.

Lazy Sunday Photo-It Has Been Raining Birds

A Bird in Flight (Pied Myna)

A Bee Eating Bird

Today I saw so many birds, some agreed to get photographed but most of them gave me a miss. I am already drooling for a more powerful zoom lens.

Sky Watch Friday- The Sky was all Ablaze

Sunset at Gurgaon on Wednesday (11/11/2009)

This is the sky that greeted me when I walked out of the office on the Wednesday this week. The second picture has been taken after 10 minutes of the first one. Such sites reinforce my decision to carry a small point and shoot camera all the time in my purse.
Exactly the site that one needs at the end of a workday.

For more pictures visit the Skywatch page.

Today's Commute

Bus with a Colorful Load

These pictures are the haul for the day. On the dusty highway I suddenly spotted these colorful balloons tied to the back of the bus. I reached out for my camera. I mean it is a much better site that watching people sitting on the top of the bus. Fir a while there was a car in between our car and this bus and I was wondering if it would go away before I could photograph it.

Colorful Load

My hunch is that the owner of this load was sitting inside the bus but there was no place to keep his stuff. So he found a way and I found a photo opportunity.

While the Other Little Bird was Asleep

Indian Robin in my Backyard

It was siesta time for Chhavi again today and I was with the camera. I was clicking this Indian Robin in a series of shots from the balcony and the robin was right in front of me. Suddenly I looked to my left and what a delight it was.

Purple Sunbird on a Perch

It was the same perch as yesterday (I clicked the Purple Sunbird for the first time on Saturday), only this perch is a little closer from the balcony. And there it was waiting to be clicked. This time (on Sunday) the purple sunbrid obliged me by letting me click at least 6 shots before it decided enough is enough.

I wonder if I would wait for it on the Monday afternoon will it let me click more shots? But then Monday is a working day!

Lazy Sunday Photo-Team Huddle!

Squirrels in a Team Huddle

Lazy Sunday Photo- Purple Sunbird

Purple Sunbird in the Backyard

While the little bird at home was asleep I was making tea. I suddenly noticed this bird from the window. I ran to get the camera and remembered that it was lying somewhere else. Found it after a while and ran out. I thought it had gone away. Then I saw the Purple Sunbird sitting at this pole at the next house. I clicked in sports mode twice and then decided to try the manual mode. By that time it decided enough is enough and ran away.

Noticing Trucks

Blurred Picture

It was around 6.45 in the evening yesterday and I was almost at the end of my evening commute. There is a roundabout where I invariably get a traffic jam and this Friday was no different. I was really sitting in my car quite bored till I saw the truck ahead of me.

I immediately took out my camera and clicked but my windshield had a lot of dust on it and the result was the picture above and quite disappointing.

Truck Art

Then I opened the window, took my hand out and clicked. The result is so much more better. I have clicked a very similar picture of another truck before and yet there are a few differences. In this one there is a girl sitting quite pensively and the quote in Hindi that says Roya Karege Shanu Yaa Karke (Shanu would cry when she remembers me).

In my previous job my total commute was 16km and now it is 62. You can see how it has impacted my blogging and the pictures. And I am not cribbing about my commute, just mentioning that it has increased and I see a lot of trucks or maybe I notice them now much more.

The Morning Commute

The Morning Commute for Some at Gurgaon

Lazy Sunday Photo- Sorry We are Closed

Coffee Shop Yet to Open, Gurgaon

Clicked it in the morning when I was walking out after parking my car.

Dog Tired?

Surrounded by Traffic and Yet Asleep

I am wondering if he was dog tired? The mat gives an impression that this was a planned nap?

I empathize with him today cause I feel dog tired myself.

You Get to See what I Get to See!

Truck quotes is what I see most of these days when I travel, so that is what I end up sharing.

Truck Art, Gurgaon, India

This truck caught my eye because of the quote in Hindi saying, "Dekh Thakur ke That." I can once again try and kill it in translation. Would it come off as, "See the Important Man and his excesses?" Sounds like perfect case of 'lost in translation.'

More Truck Art from Gurgaon, India

This one again features because of the quote in Hindi, "Dhan chaho tou dan karo." Would mean if you wish to get rich give away in charity first.

PS. We always get blow horn for sure.

PPS. Nilesh, do you still read my blog? :D

Flower Delivery!

Ready for the Morning Business Round- Flowers for Sale on a Motorcycle, Gurgaon, India

Saw this bike while I was coming out in the morning after parking my car. I was in my usual hesitant mode, should I click it should I not? Will someone take offense or what? Then I decided to just chuck these internal debates and click a picture anyway. And no one said anything. And I am glad I clicked it.

I Wish I had the Point and Shoot with me Today

A Lion for you, Truck Art, Gurgaon, India

Wish I had the point and shoot with me today, the mobile pictures are quite hazy.

Diwali Decorations on the Roadside

Selling Diwali Decorations on the Roadside, Gurgaon

These decorations were the only bit of color on the grey, dust filled morning today (16/10/2009).

Ayurvedic Davakhana- A Very Common Roadside Site

Naya Jeevan Ayurvedic Davakhana- New Life Ayurvedic Medicine

I have often been quite curious about the road side medicine shops. I wonder what type of medicine they practice. And of course at another level it is quite sad that this could be a place to dispense medicine.

And Yet More Truck Art

Colorful Truck Art

You can't blame me for posting these, I can only post what I see most! And you have to admit this one was quite colorful.

Of course this time we have 'blow horn' and not 'horn please.

More Truck Art- Can We Ever Escape Horn Please?

Truck Art and Of Course Horn Please Once Again

Gorgeous Sunet Today at Gurgaon

The Sky at Gurgaon Today was Beautiful, Police Van Notwithstanding

It Made for a Beautiful Reflection even in Concrete and Glass Structures, Gurgaon

Gorgeous Sunset at Gurgaon Today, So What if there is a Mall in the Scene

And then people wonder why I carry a camera all the time. The only problem is that it attracts a lot of attention or I would have carried my SLR around with the big zoom lens. But I am convinced today that it is an excellent idea to carry my Nikon point and shoot most of the time.

And you have to believe me when I say there was a partial rainbow too a little earlier but my attempts to capture it are not worth showing off. What a beautiful day after all!

Open for Business!

Open for Business- Waiting for Customers and Catching up on Sleep, Gurgaon

Operation Cover Up!

Covered Faces to Fight Pollution, Gurgaon

Innovation in Seating Arrangements on a Tractor

A Seat Above the Wheel on a Tractor in Gurgaon!

Needless to say my jaws dropped in amazement.

Different Moods, Different Worlds?

A Women Picking up Neem Leaves

Cleaning Around her Home

Will it Rain Today?

Will it Rain Today? Clouds at Gurgaon (the same construction site at Sunset)

Sharing an Umbrella!

Sharing an Umbrella on a Rainy Day in Gurgaon

Once again taken outside a mall on a rainy day this week. I was inside my car and the windscreen had a lot of water on it.

Wet, Wet, Wet

Not an Effective Cover- Wet Rainy Days, Gurgaon

Thankfully (but I am missing the photo opportunity) it is Saturday and I am sitting with a hot cup of a tea.

An Unusual Start to the Day!

A Rainy Day at Gurgaon

For the second day the rains have continued at Gurgaon and at one level thank heavens for that! But at another level commuting becomes one complicated affair. Sesha decided to come with me today as he was not too keen to drive in the pouring rain. I dropped him to his office (which is a small detour for me) and then went to the mall where I park my car. From there I travel half of the way with a colleague.

While waiting, I saw these two men on the road with the 'raincoats' that become such a common site on a rainy day.

The Lift near the Roof, a Mall in Gurgaon

A while later I decided to park my car in the basement of a mall and wait inside it. By now the mall folks recognize me as I use their parking on every working day. And then I saw the lift going up. I liked what I saw and clicked it. This lift has a robotic announcing 'ground floor,' 'basement 1' etc at every stop.

Barista, Just Opening in the Morning

I was a little late today and my colleague was still some distance away because of various traffic jams. I was wondering what to do? I was quite glad to see that in spite of the chairs resting on the table, there was a person at the counter of the Barista Coffee Shop. I am usually not a big fan of these overpriced coffee shops but decided to have one today. He put the chairs down and cleaned the table and took my order.

And as I am not good at waiting idly I decided to open my laptop and do something. I quickly uploaded these pictures from my camera and added my signature, etc.

An unusual Cup of Coffee in the Morning

I hardly grab a cup of coffee in the morning that too in a shop at a mall! In that sense it was a most unusual day. And then I opened the word document named Orchha that was blank. I have done this so many times but I have realized for the first time that each article actually started from a blank page !

The Way it is Raining!

I started off for the office with a thudding heart. It was raining yesterday evening, it rained through the night and when I started in the morning it was still raining. That can only mean one thing, and that one thing is trouble.

Running from the Rain

I park my car midway and then travel with a colleague these days. While I was waiting I clicked some pictures. These two blurry figures were running towards the mall in the heavy downpour. I also saw people with all kind of raincoats but the pictures did not come out well.

Indian Roller Bird Kingfisher (or so I think)

In that rain, this bird came out and sat on the wire for a long time. I think it is the Kingfisher, looking at the long beak and the colors that were visible to the eye. This was taken with my point and shoot camera which has very ordinary zoom.

Water on the Road, But Where is the Road?

By today evening some of the roads are resembling a canal more than a road. And while I am writing this it is still raining outside. I wonder what will happen by tomorrow if it continues to rain through the night today. Friday is still a working day.

The Way it Rained! Plus Some More Truck Art

Rains at Gurgaon

I was coming back from work and it was around 6.10 pm, time when there is wide day light on a normal day. It had started raining when I left and it kept on getting dark. Soon it was so dark that all the vehicles started switching on the lights. And after a while it became plain night with pouring rain. Took me a long time to get back home.

More Cow and Calf on the Trucks

I am quite amazed with the number of cow and calf trucks that I get to see on the roads. I wonder if it is peculiar to Haryana/NCR or it is a wider trend? How can it not say horn please? But I found the 'friend' part a little different and of course there has to be something about god, so this one invokes 'Jai Balaji' (Lord Balaji be praised).

Meanwhile, Sidhu pointed out to me that the Pakistani Truck Art is quite elaborate and eye catching. Have a look, I have never seen anything like it before.

Mahindra or Tata? A Case of Confused Identity!

Mahindra is one big company that makes vehicles. Tata is another. This one has both written at the back. I suspect it was built by the Mahindra's but says 'Ok Tata' as a way greeting.

The Morning Commute

The Morning Commute, Gurgaon

A Dash of Color in a Grey City

A Dash of Color, Street Vendors, Gurgaon

When I start my morning commute the place feels so grey. And they way we all drive, the less said the better. Plus the fact that I am not a morning person, adds to my sense of grey.

In that grey drive, I have often seen this dash of color but before today I was never able to click a picture. I think they are waiting for a transport to carry their stuff. I have seen the vendors in the rickshaws and shared autos.

Obsessed with the Truck Art these Days!

More OK Tata on the Trucks, Gurgaon

More OK Tata just above the wheels in the middle of the truck!

Same cow and the calf theme!

Yet to find one that doesn't believe in 'horn please.'

This one has an additional line 'fir milenge' which is 'we will meet again'.

Sunset Today- Gurgaon

Sunset at Gurgaon, Today

I was roaming out and chatting with my sis on the phone in the evening. She asked if I had taken any picture today and I said no, instead I was working in the garden. Then while walking I saw that the sun was still quite high and I might manage a picture after all. My sis was out of her house. She said there is very little charge in her phone, so she has to keep it down. So after saying bye to her, I picked up the camera and went out again.

I have not edited the image at all for the color, only cropped it on the left side a bit because of an awkward block. I am pleased with the result!

Another One from the Road- Loaded Cycle

Bicycle Loaded with Foodstuff, Gurgaon

Clicked this one on my morning commute. Earlier I used to drive for 15-20 minutes to work, so never thought of it as a photo opportunity. Now I spend a lot of time on the road hence this flood of pictures!

Tata Truck Art

Will the Tata Sons object to use of the word tata on this truck too?

And the trucks always have 'horn please' on their back! I have to find one which doesn't believe in the honking philosophy.

It has been Raining Trucks and Truck Art

Both the trucks had very similar design. And both of them have honking as their theme. One says 'Blow Horn' and the other Horn Please.

Blow Horn!

On the first truck it says 'Hari Om' (a religious Hindu chanting) and then maa ka ashirvad (mother's blessings). Between the wheels there is a small plate says ladli (pet).

Use Dipper at Night!

This one says 'use dipper at night,' though I don't know why. Another peculiar Indian driving habit is to drive on full beam at night. The roads that are pitch dark I can understand the need of the full beam but then we hardly dip it even on well lit roads. The lower plate on this one says 'buri nazar wale tera muh kala!' A difficult phrase for me to translate. I had a look at google and it has been translated as 'Back off or smoke in your face.'

Now that I am forced to spend so much more time on the road what to do but to write about trucks. Let us see when I get bored out of it.

Even More Truck Art

Once Again- 'Horn Please' in Hindi

After looking at the pictures I keep clicking of the trucks I think I should start carrying my ancient Nikon 3200 in my purse once again. The resolution of the mobile phone is too low at 2 megapixels.

The number of the pictures on the road have gone up because for part of the way I have started traveling with a colleague.

And what else but to have a cow and a calf depicted at the back of the truck along with the ubiquitous 'horn please.'

Horse Power!

Horses in Front of my Car on the Gurgaon Roads

I mean I am used to cows on the road but while I was coming back today from work I had horses in front of my car! The horses were standing towards the other side initially of the narrow road and I thought I would pass. But they changed their mind, moved and squarely blocked my car. Now that I was stationary I thought I might as well use the cell phone to take a picture!

The vehicle behind me started honking and when I glanced in my rear view mirror the Toyota Qualis driver gestured that if I moved ahead the horses would move out. I was not willing to try that strategy. After pausing for a few more seconds the horses on their own decided to move. Now that they had been photographed they saw no point in blocking my way!

Heavily Loaded Tractor- Gurgaon

Lost in the Load- An Overloaded Tractor in Gurgaon

Rocksea left a comment on my previous post- seems you have a collection of pics on heavily loaded vehicles.

So, I thought why not whip out another one! This kind of tractors are quite a common site and they carry husk most of the time. I was quite mystified by the ladder at the back but then there is a person at the top too! So maybe he needed the ladder to climb up.

More Pictures from the Road

Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway

I was focusing on the aircraft (and I was not driving) on the Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway and this Motorcyclist came in the frame too! Theoretically motorcycles are not allowed on this expressway!

More Truck Art, Gurgaon

Saw something similar before, but I think that was a different truck. Couldn't get close to this one and no once again I was not driving.

Overloaded Again, A Moped this Time, Noida

What an Overload- Motorcycle in Gurgaon!

Overloaded Motorcycle in Gurgaon

The stuff that the motorcycle was carrying was quite colorful. I have seen them quite a few number of times, so maybe there will be a next time. I wish I could take a better picture but mobile phone upgrade is not due for many years! Anyone who is happy with their mobile phone camera?

Colorful Truck Art

Colorful Truck Art

This truck again asks us to 'horn please.' The art on this one is quite colorful and instantly caught my eye. The Hindi line says, "Think really hard what would you take away when you leave this world." What do you say to that?

I liked the colors on the back so much that I deliberately followed it up to the red light so that I could click a picture. I would have been very disappointed if the light was already green, because then the truck would not have stopped and I would have not been able to click the picture. I have to admit that it was one of the rare occasions when I decided to crawl behind a slow moving vehicle but then it was so colorful that I had to take a picture.

Gurgaon as seen though my Cell Phone!

Construction Workers Crossing the Road in a Group, Gurgaon

Truck Art- 'Ambulance' on the back of the Truck, A case of confused identity?

Going home, however they can!

VS and Sanfroid there is a little bit of Green in Gurgaon for the Goats

Lazy Sunday Photo- Gurgaon Roads

Overloaded Tractor

What are they Holding to?

Goats on the Road, Gurgaon

What a Ride!

Cycle on a Road Roller, Gurgaon

This road roller was inching ahead of me on my morning commute to work today. While both of us were waiting to take a turn I clicked the picture with my mobile phone. And just a few days back I was thinking maybe I really did not need a camera in my mobile, I hardly click any pictures!

Mall Ratting!

We went to one of the numerous Gurgaon Malls to watch Slumdog Millionaire (quite a watchable movie), so what else can I share but Mall pictures! These are taken with my camera phones. This is one of the less crowded Gurgaon Malls on the weekdays hence I could easily click pictures without people in it!

Lines and Shpes, Gurgaon Mall

While I was growing up, malls were not at all a significant phenomenon in India. The first time I saw a mall of any significant size was in 1999 when I went to Singapore. And I have to admit I rarely go to a mall and do not really like visiting them. And in Gurgaon, some of them get jam packed on a weekend. We try to avoid them like anything.

Lines on the Ground- Gurgaon Mall

When my two young nephews started living with us I was a little worried if they would become mall rats, after all they were in their teens and that is where they might have decided to hang out. I am very happy to report that they spend more time on Football and Basketball fields rather than at any mall!

So why am I talking about it here? Well, what else do I talk about if all I can manage is a visit to the mall? I know there is another alternative but let some of you suggest it :D

Cows on the Road- Morning Commute

Cows on the Road, Gurgaon

I took this picture while driving to work today morning. I often meet cows on my morning commute. But earlier I could not take pictures as I had no camera in my phone. Would love to click a picture from the other direction. Then you can see what huge horns the cows have! And of course, they take their own sweet time to make up their minds which way they wish to go. Honk as you might, they are just not swayed. But as I wrote before, on Indian roads, give me cows any day.

Sunset along the Railway Tracks- Gurgaon

Sunset along Railway Tracks, Gurgaon

Construction in Gurgaon

Construction in Gurgaon

I have putting my camera phone to use. This is a construction site in Gurgaon. In spite of the Hard Hat sign there were so many people down there without a hat of any kind.

A few days back we were having a discussion on Indiamike that has some relevance here. Haylo, an Indiamike member who works as a highway engineer made the following remark (emphasis mine) in context of cars being driven on the wrong side of the road-

"I have to say that as a highway engineer who is used to working to the constraints of Chapter 8*, the way that highway maintenance is handled in India, and the potential for resultant chaos and worse totally horrifies me. As for the things I've seen on construction sites, don't get me started, I've closed down sites for far less back home! *shudder*

*Chapter 8 of the UK Traffic Signs Manual, a HUGE set of regulations covering every aspect of safety at roadworks. Put it this way, insomnia is never a problem in my house..!"

Driving into a Ditch, Literally!

Not this one but one like it with a bigger ditch, roads in the National Capital Region, Delhi

It was after seven and I was driving home from work today, after a game of Table Tennis in the evening.

I don't know how I did it, I went towards the side of the road where it was quite broken. Of course I am used to such roads. I turned the car a little over what was a small mound of mud and the fellow in the next car by my side gave me a really alarming look. But by then I had managed to get my car stuck into the deep hole that was next to the mound of mud and was not visible from my angle.

I tried reversing the car out of it and then tried to drive forward. Both didn't work. I got out of the car and I had panicked a little by then. Then there were two people walking by after their factory shift and I asked them if they had any clue what could I do? They said they can try and push the car out if I switch on the engine and try to reverse the car. Those angles tried and failed. They stood by me and asked for help from others passing by. Two declined and I don't blame then, the car was really in a nasty hole.

Then there were four people coming towards us and I asked them myself. They gave me an ugly glance (stupid female driver and all that, can't even see where she is driving, she deserves to be in a hole and we poor folks have to get our hands dirty now) but agreed to try. Once again I started the engine and tried to reverse the car. With six people trying and the car being a light Maruti 800 it came out of the hole!

I thanked them a lot and the crowd moved on. The two men who had stopped originally, I tried to give then some money for all their trouble but they just waved me off!

Note to self- don't get yourself into a hole in the first place.

When the Car Felt Like a Boat!

Yesterday (14/08/2008) I needed to get out of the office around 4.00 in the evening to attend a meeting elsewhere. There were three of us. A little while ago the skies had opened and the rain was coming down like anything. Standing at the gate of our office, we saw a river on the street (it happens whenever it rains heavily around my office area). The meeting was canceled because the river on the road would lead to massive traffic jams later and we would never be able to make it back to our office again. Not before 10 at night at least!

I went back to my room and did some work. The rain continued. In situations like this you either leave early or leave late, else you just sit in the traffic jam. I usually leave late. But by 5.00 the rain still was pouring and even I started to worry. I thought 5.00 pm was still OK and decided to leave.

I took the car out and 100 meters ahead there was a small jam. I did not think too much about it. But the next door big software consultancy office also decided to let their employees go before time. They have more than 20 buses and they started to come out on the river err ... road. And then the traffic just stopped moving. I was still lucky that every 20 minutes we would crawl a meter (and I am not exaggerating). The traffic towards Delhi was just standing still. And the rain kept hitting the windscreen of my car with such a force! I had to keep the windows closed, switch the engine off (as we were not going anywhere and petrol is expensive) and it felt quite claustrophobic.

One hour later, I was still sitting on the same stretch of the road. Usually when massive rains occur I leave office around 8.00 pm. I called home and told them that it looks like I would reach sometime after 8.00 only, as the traffic is just not moving.

One and a half hour later I crossed the 'big consultancy' office road and across the turn, the river got even bigger. A lot of people where ditching there stationary office cabs and just walked through knee deep water. The factory workers were also wading through the water, sometimes with their bicycles. I took solace from the fact that as none of the other small cars have stopped, my Maruti 800 would also hold! When a group of people or motorcyclists would cross together, I could feel the water hitting the floor of my car, and it gave a sensation that I was sitting in a boat!

Thankfully the rain lessened after a while and I could roll the windows down. After crawling for another 20 meters, a gentleman (a foreigner too, by the look of him) going in the opposite direction in a big SUV asked me, "Excuse me have you seen the blockage, what is it?" I told him, "No I have not seen the blockage, but I have not seen a single car moving even an inch for the past one and a half hours in your direction". He said, "Well, I have been sitting here for an hour myself, at least in your direction the traffic is moving." My reply was, "You call this moving? In one and a half hours I have just moved beyond those huge office blocks." He told me there was even more water ahead in my direction! After a while my side traffic crawled another inch or so and our conversation ended.

He was right about the water, on the stretch ahead there was even more water but thankfully the car didn't stop. Struggling for some more time, I finally managed to take the turn towards my residential area. The traffic was moving normally here.

At 7.30 in the evening, two and a half hours later I had left, I managed to reach home, covering a distance of 8 kilometers! And it was a pity I didn't had my small camera with me yesterday or surely to pass the time, I would have clicked a few pictures and posted it here.

I have to say one thing, Maruti Suzuki makes decent boats err... cars.

And Happy Independence Day!

A Drive from Noida to Gurgaon

It has been a long time since I visited any new place and living in an urban concrete jungle gets on my soul after a while. This weekend we visited my brother-in-law and sister's place. We had a great time with them and their one year old terror, my lovely niece. For a rare change Sesha was driving and my elder nephew was with him in the front seat where they were debating the relative merits of Hindi and Tamil pronunciations! Left to my own devices I as usual started taking photographs, the only change being I was doing it from a moving car.

I was clicking pictures at random, trying to capture whatever caught my fancy at the moment. It was a Sunday and the roads were relatively empty. After capturing many blurred images I suddenly started noticing a pattern.

There were so many people on the sidewalks! I noticed it very clearly maybe because I was looking for things to record on my camera. Otherwise we have taken the same road so many times and they at the best remain a blurr for me.

I wonder how much they make in day, what are their dreams?

The pavement is a home for so many even now!

They seem to be so much at ease even on the dusty roadside. I hope these lovely flowers add some color to their lives too!

Almost every 50 meter or even less, I encountered some kind of an attempt to earn a livelyhood! And all this in our capital city of New Delhi or fast developing region known as the NCR.

Mall in Gurgaon, Inside-Outsite or How Far a Hundered Rupee Note will Go II

Yesterday, I headed toward Sahara Mall to pick my laptop that I had given for repair ages ago. When I drive alone, I always listed to FM. It is full of Valentine’s Day stuff these days. Some poor soul from somewhere called the RJ and said he would be alone on V Day, as he has no one special in his life at this point of time. The RJ was all gyan. Go to a nice place, and pamper yourself, etc.


Next, at Sahara Mall, they had this stupid apple tree and some such stuff going and a TV crew covering it. I have no problem if they make hoopla about the Valentine’s Day.

I wonder, did the TV crew notice the pavement outside the mall? This is how it looks, pretty heart wrenching, to me. I am inside the glass enclosure and I see all gloss. But as soon as I come out, I also see a lot of grime. And that puts a dampener on my thoughts and the spending spree.

A few of you may remember my first experience with a 100 rupee note that in most cases cannot buy a large shampoo bottle. It probably cannot buy a branded lipstick too these days? But it can buy food for ten people on a roadside food stall.

So, this time around I saw a family of three, mother, daughter and son. They are garbage pickers and they looked extremely weary. The girl, who must have been 12 to 14 year old, was sitting on the seat of their garbage rickshaw. Her brother was sitting on the heap of the plastic and must have been 5 to 7 year old. The mother’s face was lined and full of worry, it is very difficult to put an age to it.

I asked the girl in Hindi, if I can buy food for her? She was speechless but her mother nodded her head. I said I would buy it for the other kid and her too. We again went to a roadside stall and we waited for the food to be ready. The mother told me, she would like to carry away the food and this was the first time she clearly opened her mouth. She could barely speak Hindi with a thick Bengali accent. In fact, the word 'polythene' was the only clue I had as to what she was trying to say. All the while when we were waiting, they had a look of disbelief on their face. I moved on after handing them their food. I did not have the heart to ask them for a picture.

A little ahead, these two kids started begging for money. I told them I would buy food. I don’t know if they did not understand or what, they said no. I started to move ahead. Then they called me back and very timidly asked if I would buy a Pepsi for them! I bought one bottle between the two. I don’t know why they asked for Pepsi. Two other girls asked for a packet of chips. May be, they are part of organized begging and were not hungry. They have left me with a nagging doubt but I do not have the heart to judge two such small kids. And which kid does not want a Pepsi or chips? My total bill till now was rupees 75, 45 rupees for a meal for three, 20 for a bottle of Coke and 10 for a packet of chips.

Side story 1: A young lad at the stall from where I bought the Coke (they had no Pepsi) said Aap kahan inke chakkar mein aa gaye (why are you bothering with them?) I mumbled a reply that I do not want to give money, as I am not sure if it would remain with them.

Side story 2: As I interact with kids and others on the pavement, it attracts a lot of attention. After buying the packet of chips, as I was moving on, a driver (witness to all this) sitting on the railings in front of the DT mall spitted aimlessly and it landed quite near me. For the first time in my life, I heard someone apologizing after it. He shouted after me, “Sorry madam!”

I went inside the Metropolitan mall later. I went into Tommy Hilfiger and Marks & Spencer outlets (more out of curioisty than a genuine desire to buy and a first of sorts), looking for a long coat in the winter sale. At the Hilfiger shop, I told the sales staff, they had by mistake put an extra zero in the price tag of the coat. The guy laughed a lot. That damn coat was priced originally at 12,000 (you read it right) rupees! M&S had a similar price. I bet they pay less than this amount as monthly salary to the doorman they employ.

So, coming back to the Valentine’s Day, do go out and do spend a lot and have a nice time by yourself or with your special friend. But if possible, spend 75 rupees on the people outside the mall.

I have made a mental note to buy stuff first for people who are trying to sell something or make a living in any way and not simply begging. But for kids, I will buy a Pepsi or Coke any day.

And before I sign off, read this interesting article from Gonomad, by Mark Helyar on his experience with street kids in India.

Malls Malls Everywhere Not a Library to be Seen!

The Sahara Mall in Gurgaon

The Mall Culture is comparatively new in India. When I was in college there were no malls in most of the cities. Today, the big ones boast of one too many. On a 2 km stretch of a road in Gurgaon (quite close to New Delhi) you can count four malls. One of them, the Sahara Mall is pictured above. There is the Metropolitan Mall (with a multiplex movie theater called PVR), the City Center Mall (that has a multiplex called DT) right across the Metropolitan and a place called Arcus. The funny part is there is no passenger subway or over bridge between the Metropolitan and the City Center malls and pedestrians always have fight with the motorized vehicles to cross the road.

A Bangle Shop in a Mall, Gurgaon

Initially, these malls held some attraction for me. I used to enjoy the visits. They are colorful and a good distraction but now it seems that was at least a century ago!

Mangal Pandey: The Rising- Recently Released Movie

I still like going to the movie sometimes in these malls but on a weekend they get so horribly crowded that all the fun it taken away from the visit. On the weekdays, one has to always weigh the option having fun/sleeping late with feeling sleepy throughout the day in the office.

All Gloss, Gurgaon Malls

But otherwise, I have completely lost interest in these places. Why? I find the stuff sold there so overpriced and the hype generated around them huge (I realized this and much more through an excellent book called No Logo by Naomi Klein).

When I realized that more than half the product price inflation comes from advertising and not production costs (Kareena Kapoors and Shahruk Khans and Michael Jordans of the world get million bucks deal and you and I pay for it) I decided to move my shopping to less glamorous places. I also find the glossy images very boring after a while particularly in conjunction with the girt and grime of my daily life.

Still, malls are here to stay in India. In the same Gurgaon, you cannot find a decent playground or public library. But I guess it is a matter of demand and supply.