Of AC, Accidents of Birth and People Leaving...

Hmmm..

It was not really a good week..yesterday morning, when I woke up, I saw rashes all over the body and was feeling very uncomfortable. At first, I thought, an allergic reaction had taken place but I was feeling very giddy as well. I thought it will go away slowly, but at night, the rashes spread like anything. So, went to a doctor and he said it is a textbook case of viral :( When he told to lay down, I immediately told him.."no injections please"..I am still so afraid of injections :/ And he said no injections..just check up..Gave a course of 3-4 medicines..Now feeling somewhat ok..a total waste of weekend..And it is so hot these days..I never used to feel hot or cold earlier, ever since I have started working, have got so used to AC that I find it so suffocating to sit at home on weekends without AC. The body has got so used to AC every time that sitting without it, is stifling..not good..not good at all :(

This week, J sent me an email

Also, I saw Dil Chahta Hai again today - thought the guy who drives the speedboat carrying "Deepa" looked just like you :)

See the pic, I think you'll agree :D

I just started laughing at this...Hahaha! And I think it is true...the guy does look a bit like me..So, I combined the above two pics to make a single one..Deepa Pose + Driver = Photo Below :)

And today, I saw this mind numbing documentary by Sutapa De on NDTV - India Matters. De is a fabulous documentary maker, she has made a number of hard hitting documentaries before. Today, she talks about the world of manual scavengers in India. It is so sad that even in this age, we have a whole community of people carrying people's shit. I mean we talk about 'Oh Shit' so casually, and just think of the person who is actually forced to do this work. And such is our hypocrisy, that we do not allow these people to enter temples because they are impure. My dear fellow Indian, a person who carries someone else's shit with his own bare hands, is more pure than you actually think as he is the one who sets aside all his feelings just to do his work. Then how can you blame him for being impure? And you call them 'bhangi'? Remember if he doesn't clean your dry toilet, it is you who will have no place to shit! Such a thankless job it is. You know Sidin Vadukut had written a tweet sometime back - I don't get people being proud about genetic accidents like religion. He says how being proud about something which you really have no control on is so foolish. Now extend the argument further. Everywhere people say, "Proud to be an Indian", "Proud to be a Punjabi". What is so proud about these two? These are just accidents of births..have you actually achieved something? You just got lucky as he says by genetic accident! And these same people say such obnoxious things about Rahul Gandhi being the heir apparent of the Congress party. Yes, Congress does promote dynastic culture but when you are so proud of being an accidental Indian by birth, then how can you blame someone else if he just got lucky and took birth as a scion? Isn't it hypocrisy on our part? But I digress as always, I want to say that just count yourself lucky (and not proud) if you are born in a decent family in India. There are people who are much worse than you and they cannot do anything about it just because they didn't get as lucky as you are. The children of manual scavengers are forced to follow the same profession as their parents because it is hereditary. Don't they have a right to a better life? A dignified living? It is utter pathos...

Do watch the documentary here.

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/india-matters/manual-scavengers-the-dirty-picture/236176

Hmm..for the last two three weeks, I have cleaned up my Facebook account, meaning I have deleted about 35-40 people from my 'Friends' list. I mean those people, who you have never really spoken more than once in your life and still get to see their updates and they get to see mine..I deleted them..and you wont' believe when I deleted one such person, I bump into him the very next day in the office basement. How funny is that? I am sure he wouldn't have noticed  though ;-)

And yesterday, it was J's farewell in office. I mean there are so many people leaving and going everywhere, I have to make a list of people to keep track. Last week, I had met T, after three years as he is going to Lucknow. So, J in his farewell mail, wrote about everybody in the team and he also wrote about me :-

Pankaj: One of the most genuine people I have ever met. You don’t know your worth, but the day you’ll realize it, you will see how the world changes around you. You have taken a great step and I hope by the next time I see you, you are what you deserve to be.

He was a bit angry with me because I didn't go to his lunch but I apologized to him. And in the evening also, I didn't go to the drinks session as I was stuck in the stupid shift but he told me to come for five minutes as he wants me to meet someone. I went and he introduced me to his friend and woah! she turned out to be from my school! Such a small place this world is..But I am going to miss him :(

And this week, it was also H's farewell party. I don't know when we are going to meet next but he told me a lot of things. He asked me to promise him that I will be happy or at least try to be. He said that do not go in to your shell and also think of people who are connected with you..for they also want to see you happy..And he said, that he will come and visit me..and to keep calling him and do not think too much. And he said, stay the way you are :(....He said a few other things as well.. He also messaged before leaving...Things are going to change...I am going to miss him but I am sure he will do well in life :) :) As they say, the only thing constant is change.. Everybody is leaving these days..it's ok..everyone has some purpose which they want to achieve..haina? Yeh sab to chalta rehta hai...I wish everybody gets what they want in life or find what they are looking for....

Will write more later...

Dialogue of the Day:

Ek sahi aur ek galat raste mein se sahi ko chunna asaan hai, par do sahi raaston me se behtar chunna aur do galat raaston mein se munasiv, yehi humari zindagi ke faisle karte hain..

 - Zooni, Fanaa 

P.S. - So true! So true!