Tomorrow is fifth of May, 2004 and the dance of democracy will continue when another 80-odd seats will go for polls in India's next general elections. Much water has flown since last column was written. The exit polls indicate hung parliament and the stock market is jittery with the prospect of a motley crowd of disparate individuals having the reigns of the future of India. Suddenly, many regional satraps have been anointed kingmakers because without their quota of 30 odd seats, a government cannot be formed. The most ironical part of the drama is that among these kingmakers many have the temerity to nurse aspirations of holding the coveted PM's when their party may not muster even a tenth of the required majority. But election like cricket has its share of drama, more so when cricket stalwarts like Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bollywood stars like Dharmendra are contesting the elections.
In this drama, the India Shine seems to have disappeared from the fickle-minded mob's memory - or purportedly so, because it was not evident in the very first place. However, Gurgaon's MG road has plenty of shine more so when a plethora of shopping malls line both sides of the road. And today, I happened to visit one of the multiplexes in one of these malls.
As tickets for the 'ordinary' auditoriums were unavailable, I gingerly brought two tickets for the 'special' auditoriums through the Internet. The quick payment through the credit card amazed me as to how online transactions had eased our lives. However, the fifteen rupees as convenience charges for the two tickets was a disappointment. Not to talk about the near double rates of the special auditoriums.
When I reached the hall already 10 minutes late, there was only one person manning the special counters made for the special guests. Even though I had a confirmed ticket with convenience charges paid, I was made to stand in the same queue. While the queue was small, the faulty ticket-printer and inept issue meant that I was half an hour late. Once in, we were served a welcome drink that was a small cup of limejuice. And the auditoriums only marginally better. The logistics settled, I sat down for the task at hand - that of watching a Shahrukh starrer: 'Main Hoon Na'. While any comments on the movie may be avoided, suffice it to say that his role had similar feel to his roles in Mohabbatein and Kal Ho Na Ho.
In the interval, Kareena exhorted everyone to go for their PAPC (Pepsi and Pop Corn). I too dutifully left my seat and brought two combos of Pepsi and Pop Corn. The popcorns were cold and hardly crisp. Few years back, there was a pretension to serve things hot. Now, even the pretension was missing. Rs 55/- for a large popcorn and something similar for a Pepsi was loot to say the least. For the intelligent ones however, there was a discount if both Pepsi and Popcorn were purchased. But we were a part of the growing middle class that was making India shine and so we could not whine. So silently we braved the stale popcorns and melodramatic Shahrukh. The movie ended with Project Milaap, a seize fire of sorts between India and Pakistan. But the popcorn could not be finished, and it went in special dustbins of the special auditoriums.
When a number of auditoriums were being built in Delhi/NCR, I thought the ticket prices would fall with the competition. But it seems that the malls have found new faces to fill its ordinary and special halls with ordinary and special people.
Somehow I felt that we were being conditioned to enjoy what was being given to us. A pattern was being set and we were undergoing subtle conditioning. This mandated that there were two broad categories in which time was being spent: the hectic office hours and the leisure hours. The first being burnt in front of computers in the offices. The second being burnt in front of idiot box on weekday nights. And for the weekends, there was that perfect outing comprising of movie, sumptuous meal and shopping (window or otherwise). And in this conditioning, there was hardly any physical activity. While few do have privileges of going to clubs for swimming and tennis, this has become more of an exception than a rule. And with more multiplexes in the offering, there may be even lesser time for some physical work. The quality of movies doled out by Bollywood notwithstanding. Happy multiplexing!
Chachu 4/5/2004
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Guest Contribution: Meditative Traffic
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A peculiar behavior of traffic in Bangkok prompted me to write about it. May be because I have seen it for first time. It’s peculiar as I have not seen this in Delhi.
Meditative traffic? What is it about? Am i gone crazy ? May be some extra beer ? You know, in Delhi, when u are in traffic jam and vehicles move slower than bullock-cart, you have a great pop show on the roads. Every vehicle doing pong-pong-pong, that is, loud horns, everybody trying to cross each other from every side, people in exasperation, tempers running high and the whole atmosphere charged up, looks like a semi-climax scene of a typical Indian movie. Bypassing others from wrong side is a fashion and u feel like an action hero after recovering from this traffic jam.
Come over to Bangkok. Here also huge traffic and long traffic jams. But, but, once the vehicles stop at red light or stuck in a jam, they switch to meditation. You don't hear the horns, no body shouting, the whole road goes silent in a whisker. Today, we had a 5 minute red light, long lines of cars waiting and still no-horn being blown, nobody crossing each other. Everybody except my friend, Shashank, and me appeared calm; whereas, we typical Delhit’es, kept looking at the red light and Shashank's watch. So, that’s "Meditative Traffic". You may have heard of sitting meditation (art of living), dancing meditation, sleeping meditation and ... And, now this is new one, "Traffic Jam Meditation". Go to busiest road, get stuck in a traffic jam and switch off your car horns, just Relax. So, come over to Bangkok to experience this. You will surely love this -:) How’z that?
(Courtesy Ashish Monga)
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