Kolkata wrap up

"I'd write a lot about Kolkata", I dreamt it when I was there. Schedules were so tightly packed that I never found time. But I certainly have one word for the city - Fantastic. Leave the climate and it is great place to live. The first thing that came to mind was, when I entered Kolkata from Howrah was - this is an old city, capital of british. I was already thinking about british moving in lanes, looking at old buildings thinking who'd have lived there 200 years before.

People suggested a lot of places/things to see, but I covered just three - Park Street, Esplanade and Metro. No kali temples, no victoria, no math and no museum.

First Day in Kolkata

ladkiyan dekhti to hain party!! (girls do look at you dude!!). May be bongoli girls are much better in finding out right boy :).
City center/Inox/Mall types is just 15 minutes walk from the place where I stay in Kolkata. It is a place where all GDI reports fail, all fheminists come to a stop and suddenly you start looking at a world with equity - gender and human, (all of it changes when you come out of that world though!!). So, what happens there? There are plenty of girls, outnumbering boys; who said sex ratio is less than unity, it seems to be more. Women look more decisive than male counterparts, they look more dominating.

At a place with such character(istic)s it is no big deal if a gorgeous girl looks at you , but apan to Up wale bahiya hain, to yahi bahut hai... (am from UP, so this is like a big deal). Well, before you start thinking this guy is getting more frustu day by day, let me tell you it is not the boy, it is the AGE.

While coming out of howrah station I was scared you know, crowds of Kolkata, but was relieved when I saw none and usual day traffic in anyother Indian city. It occured later that today is a sunday and now I think - if this is the rush on Sunday what about weekdays..!!

There are various places to be explored in Kolkata and I'll see how successful I am in coming days.

Orkuting blues

I have just realized that my orkut community list has increased to 42... and I never subscribed to more than 12 or 15. The funny thing is they are like - salman khan's fan club, teenagers... I have never been salman's fan, how do they know i just liked him in 'jab pyar kisi se hota hai'. I am not a teenager and never susbscribed that group. The list is endless and am still to figure out how it happened.

Childhood days of orkut (read when it started) were very good, you didnt have much things to do, you could see pictures, write scraps and testis... then came videos and javascripts. Those javascripts would bring roses to your screen, though it looked like a pshyco has developed that, it was ok .... tolerable. Gradually roses shifted to monkeys.

A change came with more innovations in javascript, now when you paste a javascript in the address bar, it runs a worm or like a worm. It adds you to bullshit communities, it scraps to your friends (randomly) and you never know you scrapped. It happened with me some days before, I felt very bad and sent a message to everyone.

If you receive a scrap saying - i have changed my id....., you were looking fine....., or combination of javascript i would suggest you not to open or try it.

There were few good changes like the local language that you can use now, much more security, people now block scraps and pics and videos from general public. But what if you just broke up with your girlfriend and she blocked you from orkut and you had all those lovely scraps and photos at her account only!!!

TCs love me!!

My travel plans are very instantaneous. Last week I had to go to Allahabad, there were no tickets available and I was confused. The respite came when a friend told me he is travelling to Allahabad too and will be happy to share his berth with me, I got up and went to the railway station, got a ticket and went straight inside the coach.
The TC came at around 3.. I knew I'll have to pay him because they never insist on fines, it adds nothing to their pocket. I said Sir, please make a ticket for me and I am happy to pay the fine with penalty, he said Ok but I wont allow you to sleep in AC even if you had given the fare and penalty amount. The sleeper class were all full and I had no option left but paying him. This started a series of negotiations that hasn't been mastered by me but by the TC. They do this every while and then, and Me, while I know the tricks and all, can not talk nicely to people when I know I am doing a wrong thing. Guys like me motivate guys like TCs to become corrupt. There are a set of reasons for it, like why I wouldnt get a ticket? I have to travel and I am all tied up. There is no option. I feel bad and I cant do anything. I want to pay the fine and TC wouldnt take one.

Well, My friend says - Sir we are college kids (i look like one still!!), and have no big money with us, and parents have given counted money... please see if you can do something, I know we should have talked to you earlier but I swear we talked to the earlier TC from Itarasi.
TC - no..what you guys think, you tried to befool me... hmmm, not a single rupee less than 500, see I am not putting you out of the coach, you know I can do that.
Akhand - sir, we travel a lot in this route.., this time make a concession, you are like big brother, uncle (take anything which is relevant), and you can help us.
Nitin (the friend) - Sir, this guy will meet you many times, here only with this general ticket, so there wont be a problem, I see a good relationship coming here. TC smiles but is looking wicked
Akhand - And I'll always come to you for help and pay you.
TC - and I'll always call police to put you in jail..
We laugh brazenly.
TC - ok make it fast, and see here police will be here in next station, I have already written a letter, shows us the letter, we see and think we know you are bulshitting.
Sir, take the 300 please. Nitin said. TC - police is at the next station.
Somebody comes and discussion stops.
He goes and sits in this seat, we go there he is smiling at us, there is someone already sharing in his seat and is smiling too. I pay him 300.
He comes to me and says, fine in the morning leave this coach and go to a sleeper class. Sir there is no seat, I said. Police is here but!!
Nitin said, sala... he wants all the 500 and I say there is no sleep in my eyes now, the vodka is already gone.
Anyways we sleep, Manikpur comes (where i am supposed to leave the coach) and I get down to take some tea, I have three cups and the TC helps me in bringing one cups to my seat. I offered him tea he rejected, never said about leaving or money.
I think if in night I had panicked I would have ended up paying 400 with the same result.
The moral of story is - Time is best negotiator.
While we discussed about the TC thing, Nitin always wanted to take out the the TC's cap, which will show his bald. and Nitin making plans of asking money back.

two words about the trip - My official work was fine and finished nicely, the bad thing was that I couldnt go to see my house and felt really bad about that. The place where you lived for twenty years!! I really felt bad but was so exhausted that I hardly made to the place where I was staying. I went to lucknow for the weekend and met some dear ones - all boys!!