Yet Another Point of View

It's supposed to be the summer of double tamaashaa - the general elections and the IPL 2. But somehow, so far, I have found both unexciting and bland. Polls finally ended today (13th May). It was the last day of campaigning on Monday. Thank God for that. Because, of all the campaign coverage I managed to catch on TV or in print, I can't recall one inspiring speech by a leader (whatever party) or can’t remember one election issue that moved me to any kind of action. And, I am tired of trying to keep track of who is wooing whom in the pre-poll season of political marriages and divorces. Seems to me, everyone is having clandestine affairs. Hopefully, when the electoral verdicts start trickling out over the weekend (May 16), I'll find some clarity about the relationships. Otherwise, really, the campaign has been humdrum. And, as always, the media made a lot of news of tidbits that shouldn’t have made news. I cringed from the whole drama of Sanjay Dutt's bid to contest and h...

Its been a long while since I last ventured on to this page. Frankly, I didnt think anybody reads this with any regularity. However, recently, a couple of friends nudged me out of blog-atrophy, so I guess a couple of people do read this. Good. Because I have a couple of questions for those people. Whats the minimum bribe one can slip into a traffic cop's hand if one is not going to be paying the legal fine for an offense committed? I ask for the least possible amount which doesnt leave a dent in the driver's pocket and yet ensures a hassle-free drive through. Least possible amount that will satisfy the cop-on-a-personal-fund-raising-mission. Since it was the May Day holiday, I ventured out grocery shopping expecting the roads to be less congested. (For those over-inquisitive minds who wish to know, yes, I meticulously plan my driving to coincide only with ungodly hours and unfrequented side roads.) And so they were. Just that I hadn't factored in the traffic police. Thei...