Tere Bin Laden

I have wasted many idle evenings in surfing HBO, Star movies and the likes. Thankfully, I have finally discovered news channels are a lot more entertaining than the movie channels and reruns of Friends.

As the news hit the airwaves, at prime time almost all the English media channels in this country had an anchor who was yelling at the top of his voice at some unfortunate Pakistani journalist or researcher who had agreed to be on their show. The jingoist rhetorics without even a pretense of a question was fun to watch. For example, 'should Pakistan be declared as a terror state?' - was one question. The anchor had no interest in really hearing the answer unless it was a yes. His guests didn't oblige him and he didn't bother giving them airtime more than a minute. The cheers in NY or the 'We will hunt you down' posturing from American establishment wasn't particularly intellectual either. But then who really is expecting anything intellectual?

I missed the days when I had discovered the power of internet - my morning dose of newspaper in those days included the headlines from 'Dawn'. Interestingly today when I tried connecting to 'Dawn' it gave me a funny error and made me wait for some security check whatever that is.

The Gotcha blog restored my faith that there are still some people left who can look at a problem with balance and intelligence despite the overwhelming screams of the rest of the country in a different direction.

Another couple of hours spent in reading print media - likes of Guardian, Mother Jones etc. would be a good preemptive strike against any possible invasion to the mind.

Chennai trip

Drove to chennai for the long weekend. Froze two bottles of water imagining it would be a hot drive; it turned out to be a cloudy, rainy drive, almost monsoon like conditions. I ate a lot, walked some - more like wandered aimlessly in mylapore streets and spent the time in election news and family gossip.

Briefly stopped to see the swanky Anna centenary library. Stunning complex, shining rows of books, computer terminals, sofas to sit... I had to ask myself if I was dreaming. Predictably the children's section was the most bustling with activity followed by the magazine section. The philosophy, sociology, culture sections hardly had anyone. I wondered if I should optimistically be thrilled about the fact that many parents were bringing their children to the library. The cynical part of me wondered if it is truly a love of books and knowledge and if so why weren't the parents themselves flocking the other floors. Thankfully there were lots of books to grab my attention and I didn't spend too much time dwelling on such dilemmas.

When I walked out the sky was dark and I stood out sometime staring at the modern structure. Would it have been money better spent to revamp the Connemara library and all the district central libraries?

Ah, well..What do I know!

Doctor appointment

Yesterday was a binge night - spent until 3:00 AM watching old star trek TOS episodes. Woke up bleary eyed late for the doctor appointment. I hate going to hospitals but this morning wasn't too bad. OPD seemed full of bright young healthy people. There was an Arabic family that I spent some time observing. It was obviously the patriarch who was there to get some treatment - there were no women with them but atleast three or four men - from their faces likely his sons or son in laws. I was impressed that they had all made the trip abroad for the elder. They must be rolling in money, probably that makes things easier. The white robes up close seemed more satin like than cotton like as I had imagined. Either way the long white robe is the best attire for a hot place, so sensible with the protection to the head too. Why would the women dress in black that absorbed so much heat, I wondered.

Doctors prognosis was not good. I walked out and saw the pamphlet about Good Friday prayer meeting inviting people for miraculous healing. Brilliant piece of marketing to put it in OPD.

Sujatha's words bubbled up -

People come, people go
Selling prayers, Selling soap,
Human albumin and hope.

Dedication

Since I blogged last, Anna Hazare got explosive coverage in the north Indian media and has further gotten into controversy. Fast track world!

Rushing to a meeting early morning last week I found to my dismay my blazer was not pressed and was full of creases. I frantically looked for a laundromat and I came across one open. I handed the blazer and was impressed with the dedication he showed in pressing it. Though I was in a hurry, he took his time making sure every crease vanished and I thought here was a lesson for me. It is about doing a job well, not rushing into something..

And then he charged me five times what was the going rate. Goes to show!

An afternoon in Dubai

Spent a nice afternoon looking around Dubai. The airport was high tech and the first time when I got ID-ed by an iris scan. I wondered idly how much about me lives in machines. Can someone completely 'reconstruct' me based on the online information?

Decided to get a cab considering the short duration and the hotel staff obliged by hiring one. After a minute hesitation, the driver/guide told me he was from Pakistan. A very knowledgeable and courteous young man, he took us around to wherever I wanted to go.

I told him I had no intentions of visiting the malls. We started with the burdubai region, generally driving past the predominantly Indian crowd and the Indian shops, marveled at the air conditioned bus stops, sandy buildings and the amount of greenery.