Need a Change in Societal Mindset

People in responsible positions make statements about the influence of the Western culture in dressing, indirectly casting aspersion on the rape victim. So how provocative were the 2 year and 70 year old rape victims dressed? Another government advocates the need to have separate buses for boys and girls to prevent rape. I wonder how this helps to prevent rape by relatives and friends and custodians of the law.

There were very few articles on how a societal change of the mindset is needed. I still remember talking to my brother’s friend on how mechanical engineering is for the boys. He immediately asked me what made me think so. That still keeps me thinking as to how we perceive everything in the society. Giving preferential treatment to the husband and the son is the norm of the Indian society. We don’t verbally advocate this. But what message do we send to the children when a (good) mother however sick is to attend to the family when the other family members relax. The children learn more from our actions than words. The mindset that women are born to be below men and help them is prevalent in every strata of our society.

I was with my students who were playing in a beach. A group of boys who passed by gave undue attention to the girls. I had two options before me. One was to tell the girls to stop playing and keep a low profile. But I told them to continue what they were doing and to just ignore them.  Obviously the beach was crowded and I knew that the girls were safer. But should we always restrict the movement of the girls to make them safe?

The society is making strides and there are lot of men and women I know who do not conform to the social ideas of a male. But we still have a long way to go.

 

 

Accidents on the Road - We are good people

The title I assume is misleading and ambiguous. But read along!

It is disheartening to read the number of accidents that happen every day on the road. When we sit around and chat, a common comment is "People are becoming very self-centered that they dont help people on the road when they see an accident". The talk is about the others who dont help and never about us. (Remember it is always easy to say that x did not do it when we would probably not do it when faced with the same situation).

I saw an accident right in front of me this morning. The fault(as I saw it) was with a pedestrain who was trying to dodge speeding vehicles near Jain apartment in Peelamedu. Finally a bike hit him and as a chain reaction 2 nearby bikes and the pedestrian fell down. The pedestrain was unconscious for some time. But lot of people did get down from their vehicles to help them and put them in an ambulance. This is my first encounter with a direct accident and it proved all our gossips of insensitive people on the road wrong.

One day my lunch bag fell on the busy Avinashi road. The count down was going on in the green signal and I am sure all of us can imagine how our minds only intention is to get past the signal. A car was right behind my lunch bag and surely the driver could have easily gotten over the bag and passed the signal. But he waited for me to park my vehicle in the side and then negotiate the traffic and pick the bag. (Note that there were people honking behing him). It is might seem trivial, but for me it was a huge act of kindness.

We are racing against time. But our benevelence comes to the fore at the right time.

I think with a little more discipline we would become more civilised.

Let me enumerate those I find abnoxious on the road.

1. Swearing at people (Yes drivers make mistakes, but how do we react to it. Some times the people sweared at are much older than us)
2. Spitting on the road
3. Throwing the waste on the road. (So where do we throw the cover after eating the biscuit. Put it in your bag or pocket and throw it in a dust bin when you spot)

Our argument : "Everybody on the road does it, why not me"
My counter argument : Little drops of water make a mighty ocean

Shares your road experiences and the nice people you met.
We dont want to know the bad experiences, but lets talk of the good experiences so that we can derive inspiration from them.

The Aam Aadmi

I am what you would call a typical aam aadmi. A person who pays the taxes (allll the taxes) regularly, frets over the burgoening prices and always hopes for better times. I was at my wits end when I read the recommendations of a panel headed by Mr.Deepak Parekh.

For enabling "REFORMS" in the Indian economy, they recommend increasing the electricity charges and rail fares. The question that always comes to my mind is this. Who are these "REFORMS" intended to? They are probably making these reforms for a common man like me. As a common man I dont understand the intellectual economic policies of the country. But I understand economics in my household when I have to pay more for something. I understand the economics when I see the plight of lower income group, who think before spending every penny.

I can never forget the incident that my friend a regular bus commuter shared with me. An old lady got into a bus (90A) from Ukkadam to Somanur for which she regularly gets a ticket for Rs.7. The conductor said that the ticket price was Rs.23. She had to disembark. When she said that she did not have that amount, she also learnt from the conductor that all the 90A buses to Somanur had become special buses with the revised fare. I still wonder how she reached her destination. Remember the sudden raise in bus tickets and the crowning of regular buses as special buses in TamilNadu? This was during that time. For some, it is just a small dent in the savings when prices rise. But for some it is a matter of survival.

Austerity measures have time and time proved to be disastrous. Britain thought that that cutting public spending and hiking taxes would improve their economy. Recession is acute, jobless people are plenty and the salaried have lesser amount to spend.

When the wealthy and affluent big bosses take policies they consider the well being of the national economy, but miss out on the people who feel the impact of the policy decisions. I am sure lot of case study is done before arriving at a recommendation. I also suggest that a case study on its effects on the common man is done in future before a suggestion is tabled.

Share your views on how the price rise is affecting our lives.

Roads in Coimbatore

Ever since I was born i have lived in Coimbatore and I just dont remember seeing the roads in a good shape at any point of time. The roads seem to be continuously dug for reasons mostly best known to corporation. Every timeI look at it, I think "My precious tax money being wasted".

We citizens are surely not against the road being dug, which is obviously for some long term good for the city. But the snails pace at which the work is done gets on our nerves. I always wonder why there is no delay in digging the road or cutting the trees. The delay always seems to be in relaying the road and planting new saplings.

We had a good experience with the underground sewage system. The road was promptly dug and left uncovered for 2 full years and then comes the highlight. The road was closed and the road was layed (only in 2 streets out of 5 streets. No idea as to the rationale behind laying just 2 roads) and the pipes were not placed inside!!!

If this is not enough, house members drill holes to place the poles to hold a shamiana and political parties drill holes to hold poles for the hoardings.

But i am happy to travel along Mettupalayam road and the widening has made a mammoth difference in the travel. But had a tough time traveling to Malampuzha. With so much traffic to Kerala, the roads can surely be better. I did read in the paper that there is a proposal to tar the road on 25/10/12.

About the Thadagam road, it is like adding insult to injury. The thadagam road is dug up pretty bad. All the alternate routes from Saibaba colony to Edayarplayam are also dug up. The commuters learn patience, the art of maneuvering and adopt the policy "live and let live" while on this road.

Ours is a society known for patience, the corporation is just giving a test bed to test this virtue of ours.

Post your comments on your experiences on Coimbatore roads.

The Urban Fashion - Salwar

Gearing up to purchase the Diwali dress? What's new this Diwali? We have the favorite fashions that we had 10 years back coming with a bang taking along it's way the famous net churidhar of last year.

So this year the salwar kameez have again become longer and embroidery is the norm. Neck embroidery and embroidery in the lower end of the kameez gives an elegant and rich look. This anarkali model with embroidery in materials like cotton or net has made a come-back this year.

So what are we talking about!

Salwar

The salwar is what we call as the churidhar pant in colloquial terms

Kameez

Again for easy understanding, Kameez is the tops that we wear.

Umbrella Cut

It derives its name from the fact that the lower portion of the salwar suit looks like an umbrella. The umbrella skirt has no seams and it looks like a frock with lot of flare.

Anarkali Suit

An anarkali suit is typically figure - hugging in the upper part and flared from the waist with an umbrella cut.

Gathering pant

The pant type which goes along with the anarkali suit is a gathering pant. A gathering pant has long thin legs and thus helps to make gatherings near the ankle.

Dont make a fashion faux pas by pinning the dupatta. Look trendy with the right hair do and accessories.

Another fashion faux pas, dont be tooo matching in your accesories, but strike the right balance by highlighting some accessories.


So make a fashion statement this Diwali with the latest in trend.

Post you comment on the latest fashion arrivals that you spotted. Do you know the latest trend in saree?







 

Favorite eat outs in Coimbatore

A favorite pass time on a Sunday evening for most Coimbatoreans is to eat out. To get hold of a dining place for your family, be in by 7:30 p.m atleast and any time later than that it is a little difficult to find chairs. Some of my favorite eat outs are Chinese restaurants. So let me list what i consider are specialities of the restaurant around our place. You will obviously note that i eat more of chicken and visit vegetarian restaurants rarely.

Kowloon in Saibaba colony - yummy hot and sour and manchow chicken soup and not to forget the crab mushroom soup.

Peking in RS Puram - there is nothing to beat the crispy Saiwoo chicken

Former Shanghai in City tower - dragon chicken tastes the best here

KFC - the fiery grilled chicken has an unmatched taste

CFC - chicken burgers here satisfy the taste buds better than the other outlets

Chef Bakers - I love the pizzas there

Taaza (Bombay Trombay) - a good variety of food when we have a larger gathering with varied taste

Hari Bhavan - the idappam and mutton paya makes me a glutton

Cloud Nine (in city tower) - we go there for the sizzlers and do you know any other place in Coimbatore that we get it

Angannan - tried many biriyanis, but nothing has satisfied me like the Angannan biriyani

Shahi grill - wanna taste the best pepper chicken and grill chicken, drop in

Chin chin - i liked tom yum soup the most in chin chin>

Coffee Pot - give more time for the desserts, they are just toooo good

Velan buffet - the most nominal and satisfying buffet i have had

Pattiamma kadai (near Senthil hospital) - the egg sevai and butter podi dosai stand out

There are some places that my friends have suggested and I am yet to go.

• My place (near GEM hospital)
• Regent residency (near the railway station)

Some good eat outs I am unable to label specific dishes are

• Cascade
• KMCHs canteen ;)

Share your comments on some of the nice eat outs you've been to and dont forget to suggest the dishes !