Jaywalking is an Art!!

Dear Mumbaikars,

Who of you are not aware about the art of jaywalking?  Possibly you do not know what is called 'jaywalking' and that it is an offence to do so, but we do it all the same...for we are Mumbaikars.... and at times we do not have any choice. For the uninitiated, 'jaywalking' is normally used for crossing a road from other than the designated place for crossing it.

Can you help if the nearest pedestrian crossing is fifty metres away? Can you help it if the signal to enable you to cross the road is only 15 seconds hence due? The first available gap in the traffic, the mass of people waiting to cross the roads, dash themselves to the other side....some amble over... some just nonchalantly walk with their mobiles stuck to their ears, oblivious that they are crossing a busy road.

The traffic police are helpless to control the surge of people and at times they use ropes to contain the people spilling over on streets, onto the oncoming traffic. At times they plead, cajole and frighten you to submission to await the green 'walk' signal. At times they fine you. Do the Mumbaikars ever learn?

Subways have been built to enable people to cross the busy streets with safety. Why does one not use these? The subway at the Vakola junction is plain dirty, full of litter and at times stinking of human faeces. At times it is also cleaned, but why should one go to check if it is clean enough to be used? Especially when the lights are stolen one by one, leaving the place in the dark or semi-darkness. The choice between two dangerous places - the dark dirty subway or the thrill of crossing the busy streets. Mumbaikars prefer to be thrilled or possibly they are more afraid of the darkness. Or they simply want to avoid the stairs.

You may wonder, why does the subway get dirty if people do not use it? Definitely some people use it to cross from underneath the busy roads and some just because they want to throw their litter. Some street-dwellers also wrap their morning outthrows and hurl it in these ways for people to trample upon.

This is life in Mumbai and one of the reasons why there are jaywalkers. Jaywalkers....continue jaywalking for you have nothing to lose other than your lives or limbs.

I am one such reluctant jaywalker.

Your comments are awaited.

Ghanshyam Karkera

I had a choice

Boarded the early-morning Shatabdi Express, a super-fast train, to take me from Borivali in Maharashtra to Vapi in Gujarat last Wednesday. My waiting list got confirmed and I was allotted seat in bogie number C4 with seat number 5. What do I find when I board .... a person merrily sleeping after having drunk water from the complimentary bottle of mineral water given by the Indian Railways to all the passengers in that train and also having appropriated the free daily newspaper. I did not have the heart to wake him up, but as the seat was allotted to me I had no other choice and loudly wondered as to what I should do. The person seated at seat number 6 nudged the person awake and then this happened......

Me: This seat has been allotted to me, kindly vacate it please.

Encroacher: The TC (Ticket Collector) has informed me to sit on this seat as my seat is now confirmed as per him. Please wait for the TC to come.

(It is possible that by the time the TC would come, the train would be reaching my destination)

Me: (After once again checking the PNR on my smart phone and showing the same to him) This is the proof of this being my confirmed allotted seat.

Encroacher: Please wait for the TC.

Other co-passengers: He has shown you his confirmation, kindly vacate the seat.

Me: (My voice showing irritation) Please show me your confirmation. ( I repeat this).

Me: (Suddenly realising that my voice is now on edge and that this is not correct and also realising that I could help the chap... I had a choice. Now lowering my voice): I think I can help you, show me your ticket, read out your ticket PNR.

Encroacher: (Reads out his ticket's PNR and manages to invert the last two digits)

Me: You have boarded a wrong train.

Seat No. 6: No, his ticket is for this train. (He then reads out the correct PNR)

Me: (After checking the same on my smartphone): You are still wait-listed and your wait-list number is 7. Kindly get in touch with the TC now.

The encroacher-wait-listed person vacates the seat. 

Me: Here, carry this water bottle, you may need it. (I know that wait-listed passengers do not get the complimentary water bottle.)

In the evening when I take the same train back to my home town, a fellow passenger greets me and refers to the morning incident. He tells me that the sudden change in my behaviour and the desire to help a co-passenger was really appreciable. It helped me win some more friends.

I only remarked, "I happened to remember that I had a choice."

Our destiny is based on the choices we make. At times we forget that we have a choice and end up in misery.

The babies are coming .....

Today is 11.11.11. Even the Americans have to accept this! They write 9/11 ... we, in India. write 11/9 for September 11. Today the world is unanimous. The date says in Hindi 'Hum Sab Ek Hain' - We all are one! Lets remain united.

Yes, the babies are coming today. All pregnant women (well almost all) in their final term of pregnancy want their babies to take birth today, if possible at 11.11.11 hours. Might be we can have many cricket teams from these babies being born on 11.11.11 at 11.11.11. That is at least six world teams of eleven each. If you want the extra twelfth men then you may have to wait till 12.12.12 hours on 12.12.12.

 The doctors are busy today so that they can rest on Saturday and Sunday after having taken part in creating history! So it is 'C' Sections where nature does not create the pains of labour ... or labour cannot be induced. The debate is still going on ... will it be today for the little 'bee' to see the world? Or will it start 'acting' up even before it comes to the world? The little 'bee' is going to be the youngest child actor of the world unless you count the baby one saw in the film 'Gupt Gyan' way back in your younger days.

And for those whose babies are almost due but cannot take birth today, there is another date coming up shortly .... 20.11.2011. Unfortunately that is a Sunday and the doctors want to take rest on that day. So let the babies come naturally.... the doctors are at rest. The mid-wives are willing to take over... for it comes to them naturally to deliver all those babies wanting to come out ....'naturally'.

A time to rest ... A time to pray!!

It was 8.45 p.m. on a lovely Tuesday evening. As I hurried to catch a local train from the Churchgate station along with a colleague after a dinner meeting, I found the 8.36 p.m. local streaming onto the platform. My colleague always travels second class and so I was obliged to join him, sacrificing the comforts of travelling in the first class compartment as usual. I wanted to take rest during the 35 minutes train journey to Santacruz and also call back my friend to who's call I had whispered, 'I shall call you back...I am at a meeting.' when I had first received his urgent call.

Just as I took out from my pocket my mobile to call up my friend, I heard the sounds of cymbals and the dafli (a percussion leather instrument) and to my horror the sounds got amplified. That was a Bhajan Mandali, a group of regular train travellers, who began singing Bhajans (prayers), in praise of various Indian gods. I am definitely not against people invoking various gods at various times, but the cacophony increased as the group began rendering one Bhajan after another non-stop till it was time for me to get off at Santacruz.

Well, so much for wanting to complete a simple phone call and then take a well deserved rest for a few minutes, especially as I had to board an early morning train to Gujarat. The praying reached a high crescendo and the decibel levels reached the prohibited zone. Yet, none of the co-passengers made any protest against these so called devotees who, in their throes, did not think the misery that they were causing to their fellow passengers.

I understand that this is an offence under the railways act, but who will complain? The punishment is six months in jail...but who will bell the cat? It is time to stop this nuisance. Should this be people power or should it be police power that will stop such menace? Or can we have some self-restraint please?