Extraordinary Dogs...

"Whoa!! A dog saved life of a drowning kid. What an extraordinary dog!!" These were my reactions while I watched the show on "Extraordinary Dogs" on National Geographic Channel.

A pleasant Sunday noon and I was browsing my television to watch something interesting. Unlike  the weekdays, almost all the channels were devoted in showing movies; none of which caught my interest. Without giving any second thought I jumped to NGC. Sometimes Discovery Channel, NGC, Animal Planet...appear as a boon to the television sets. But what I saw held me rooted me to the place. A huge, furry dog dived in the lake to save the life of a drowning kid. Well, now I knew what I had to watch. I watched the show with intense curiosity and discovered about the dogs who helped a blind man in crossing a busy street, guarding homes as a part of a Security Service agency, dogs as mystery healers, helping police etc. Since earlier times, dogs were used as criminal investigators, but what they showed was truly commendable. The show also highlighted that how special breeds of dogs were trained in their very own special training centres. But, after the show was over, I found myself caught in between two different points of views.

First of the two pointed towards the mighty human brains and the skilled abilities of the man's most faithful pets, dogs. Dogs were first tamed by men during Neolithic age and since then, dogs served their masters.  I recall an old proverb, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Of course, it is the man's unsatisfying quest to make his life more luxurious that made him a 'master'.  He has always tried to find ways that would make things easier and simpler for him. I wondered about the brains where the idea sparked to train dogs in such useful ways. Training dogs to save the lives of people, using dogs as mystery healers, helping the needy was indeed a very distinguished idea and hence, I welcomed it. I was even more enthusiastic about the dogs who were brilliant learners. Also, they serve their masters well and their abilities gave them the award of 'most faithful pets'. But, at the same time, I winced at the thought, "Are they trained properly, given adequate diet and rest?" Well, we can't be sure of what goes behind the scenes. Anyways, show is a big hit.

Second thought was more dominant and was ironic to the first. I wondered about the dependent nature of the humans. Isn't it depressing that a poor animal was helping a blind man cross the road? Were the other men so busy that they couldn't help him? By training dogs to do so, we may be getting help but they are just the substitutes of other men. I remembered the time when a person felt honoured and blessed if he got a chance to serve the needy. It was considered as privilege. Now-a-days, we don't see this anymore. Moral ethics now find places in small corners of not many hearts. But, where have they all vanished? The answer is simple-money. The ethics lost their existence behind the currency notes.

Our present world is the place of cut-throat competition. Everybody is just running to make a life. Life of men is no more about family and other priorities, its just increasing the bank balance. Everybody demands for a better paid job so as to live life with leisure. Gone are those days, when family sat together to eat and share their joys and sorrows. It's not that people don't gather now-a-days. Even today, people gather but their gatherings happen in brightly lighted gardens or dim lighted discos, where people gather to show their status, not to share their joys or sorrows. Well, not everyone can be blamed for this scenario. Many of them are just the victims. This lifestyle was induced by few and in order to cope up with 'modern' world, it is followed by many. It has become a trend and it will continue for some unknown time. The world has indeed changed. But for now, I only wish that such a change shouldn't come when men would be so busy and engrossed in his own life to such a extent that dogs would be used to carry the dead to their graves!!!

The Grey Carpets of my City

Buzz, Honk, Peep, Pomp and variety of such horns were filling the atmosphere. Vehicle exhausts were emitting every kind of polluting substances. Few ears were taking their important calls while few others were busy in finding every possible way to reach the front row. Amongst all such nuisance, I stood steady at a place waiting for the signal to go green. Nearly 30 seconds left. With every passing second I thought about what I had to face as soon as I crossed the signal. The traffic light turned green but I believe it was a mere formality. Half of the crowd had already crossed the square when the light was yellow. With a deep sigh, I moved ahead. Lost in my thoughts, I forgot about a big pothole that laid in front of me. Bump! My activa shook and so did I. "Urghhh! I hate the roads of Indore." On my way to home, I encountered uncountable potholes and badly damaged roads. But, so audacious are the Indoreans that they move through these ups and downs with the least irritation. Instead, I should say that they all got habitual of these roads.

Roadways are the means of transport. They are boon to mankind...etc. These words only enhance the decorum of a Social Studies book. Practically in Indore, roadways are the means of troubling people and their vehicles. Sympathy to the engines of all the vehicles. The situations worsen during the rains. But no blames on the curly, black clouds as they dutifully bring the rains. Who are to be blamed must not be named here! Shhhhh... I guess everybody knows it very well.

Projects are launched to convert four lane roads to six lane roads, construct footpaths for pedestrians and the most recent one, construction of special lanes for the city buses. These schemes are launched enthusiastically but the construction work progresses with a snail's speed. Often a single road is tarred over and over again making it considerably thick. And the most depressing part is that this over-tarring is not done over a stretch, rather in patches. Roads are diverted for the construction purposes but we, Indoreans cleverly divert a one way road into a two way road. During the night, these potholes loose their existence and one is forced to move like a caterpillar. Up-Down!

The massive, gigantic cranes easily destroy the houses of poor people but when a similar situation dawns upon the houses of resourceful people, six lanes roads are reconverted to four lanes. Moreover, the latest development project of the city authorities (building new lanes for city buses) has barely sustained the significance of a four lane road. In the crowded markets, vehicles occupy half of the roads making them more congested. Uncountable buses are parked on the roadside where they are washed and cleaned and by their grace, the left two lanes are converted to a single lane road. With this situation, how can you not expect a traffic jam? Besides congestion, air pollution, noise pollution and accidents are some surplus bonuses that our grey 'carpets' provide. Out of all this mess, few chosen people are certainly happy as their bank balances increase in manifolds. Oh! How can I forget the doctors and the mechanics? Even they have significantly good earnings by the mercy of these mutilated roads. In one simple statement, the roads in Indore are the harbinger of sorrows and the improper traffic sense of people resembles a cherry on the top of a giant cake.

Situations were similar in the previous years and may remain the same in the coming years (I wish they don't). New projects must be launched but must be sensible. Why not spend the money in building new parking grounds instead of tarring a road over and over? By building city bus lanes, do they ensure that those roads won't be used by commoners? To ensure this, our traffic police must be strict and unbiased. It must be free from corruption. But, what counts to be the most important part is to cultivate traffic sense in public. I appreciate the initiative of traffic department for touring schools and increasing the awareness of students about the traffic rules and regulations. But, at this stage if someone asks me that how do I picture Indore in near future? Well, I have no answer. But I don't loose hope either. I certainly look forward for the day when Indore will actually be an 'A+' metropolitan city. I believe that it will be a dream of every Indorean.

Welcome to my blog

Taking a fresh start again. I don't consider myself an expert but I just love to give words to my thoughts and imaginations in whatever form I can. Personally, I believe that every heart is a writer and a poet. All you need is to pen down your feelings and thoughts in an organised way and believe me, a masterpiece will be ready before you. Here, I will give wings to my thoughts and will try to reach a new horizon. In the first few days, I will publish all my previous collection, but in a new form, and then I will periodically present a new blog before you to read. 

Adios!