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Ramblings
A
day in the life of
An Average Indian
It's morning time, I come
from the gym and get dressed for work. I sit at the breakfast table
eating the breakfast prepared by my wife, and looking at the watch.
"Is the breakfast nice?"
asks my wife.
"Yes it is". I mutter talking with the food in my mouth.
I really couldn't care
less if I were eating just plain bread. For my eyes are on the watch,
and I just don't have the time to savor the food. Breakfast is not
something to be enjoyed by me; it is something to be gulped down
before rushing down to office. I come down, start my scooter (Yes
buddy I still use a scooter) and it splutters to life. I hit the road
now, weary of what lies ahead for me. I am living in the Hi Tech city
of Hyderabad, but I find that the roads and traffic here are anything
but that. I have to dodge the buses belching out their poisonous
fumes, and when they stop, we lesser denizens have to halt behind
them, until the kings of the road move ahead. Apart from the buses I
have to dodge the pedestrians who seem to enjoy playing a game called
dodge me on the road, the cattle which seem to stroll blissful of the
traffic around. And so I rush, at a rapid pace, in a race with other
office goers like me, all hurrying in an urban version of the Grand
Prix. Come to think of it, if every Indian who lives in a city were
sent for Formula I racing, we would easily dominate it, considering
the way we drive.
In the mad rush for life, I don't even seem to notice anything on the
roads. I have sundry writers advising people like us to appreciate the
small and beautiful things of life. Sure buddy provided we have the
time. Half of our time is spent in trying to just survive. I am sure
even all those writers don't have the time either. Well another usual
day at office, the usual gossips, back biting and the bosses breathing
down our neck to complete things on time. Deadlines and meetings,
discussions that's what has become a staple of our life. Fortunately
in the office we do have a chance to have impromptu discussions on
other topics, especially when the boss is away. So thank god for small
mercies.
I again hit the road late in the night, fortunately traffic is not too
high and I drive more leisurely. I come to my apartment, and the lift
is not working again for the umpteenth time. Many meetings, fights,
complaints have been given regarding this yet the lift keeps stopping
regularly, taking a break whenever it feels like. The lift guys blame
the apartment owners, the owners blame the mechanics, every one point
fingers at others, but ultimately the lift still keeps breaking down.
Well I guess the ultimate blame lies with the people in the apartment,
for I have seen them not closing the door properly many a time. So
much for our education that doesn't even teach basic responsibilities.
I trudge all the way up to the fifth floor where I stay, and I reach
the top, and off goes the current. The current department in our area,
deems it fit to remove the current whenever it feels like doing so,
but that doesn't prevent them from dumping astronomical bills on us
when its time to pay. Wonder where all that money is going.
My wife lights a candle for me, and I switch on the tap only to find
no water running from it. I ask her what has happened, and she replies
that the pump is under repair. It's hot and sweltering, and here I am
faced with a double whammy of power cut and no water. People imagine
that we folks who stay in apartments lead luxurious lives, if only
they could come and see. I get frustrated and ask her not to pay the
water bill this month. I know its in vain, coz come first week of the
month, I pay it dutifully. Thankfully there is some water there so I
have a bath and feel refreshed a bit. But the power is yet to come, so
my wife and me settle down for a candle light dinner. It has been
quite a frequent occurrence in my place, so guess we can thank the
current department for providing a little bit of romance in our lives.
The power comes on, and the TV is on also. I switch on the channels to
see what's up. Every other channel seems to have a serial running
where the entire characters look, talk, thinks, and walk alike, only
they speak in different languages. I switch to a music channel, and I
don't know which one is an Ad and which one is a song, all seem the
same to me. I switch to a movie channel, and I see an old fav Hindi
movie of mine playing. Ah thank god I say, as an interesting scene
comes up, but before, I can even savor that experience, a dozen
advertisements pop up on the screen, and put me off. So what to do,
nothing just relax with my wife, tell her what happened in office and
sleep, hoping the next day would be better.
–
Ratnakar Sadasyula
May 11, 2002
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