Scavengers in City

Animals feed on leftover food. The crows and the street dogs would be the usual sight. But have you seen cows?

Of course, cattle are vegetarian by nature. But going through the roads of Bangalooru, you can see them rummaging through the garbage piles. If you take a closer look, you can see them deliciously chomping the polythene bags and the biodegradable trash bags. Can you overlook the fact that some amount of meat maybe gobbled up by them?

More than two decades have passed since the epidemic Mad Cow disease in the UK. However, there is no guarantee that it won’t come back. Mad Cow disease is actually called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Yes, it sounds silly, but it has caused even the death of humans.

It was reported that about 4.4 million cattle were killed during the eradication program in 1989. Before this widespread disease could be eradicated, it spread to humans, killing about 200 of us. During the ’80s (Although I think, this must have been happening for a long time), the cattle rearers used to mix the animal by-products with the cattle feed. Over time, the consumption of meat by the animals led to the Mad Cow disease.

Almost all the areas in Bangalore city has a particular type of space for garbage disposal, which the municipality did not allot. It can be a corner of a road, a sidewalk, among the ruins of a building. It can be any place the public feels convenient to dump the garbage. Isn’t that so moronic?

Those who have seen the city at least once will agree when I say the garbage situation here is hopeless. For a start, deploying huge trash containers will be a good idea, instead of tossing it on the sidewalk. At least, this would keep animals away and the city clean.

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Image source: jokeroo.com

The Story of Triumph over Evil

The battle raged on for nine days and nights, and on the 10th day, Goddess Durga gained victory over the demon Mahishasura. According to Hindu beliefs, Dusserah or Vijayadashmi was the day the demon was finally defeated and killed by Devi Durga, thereby regaining the balance of the cosmos.

Maha Navaratri is a festival celebrated on 5th of October to honour and worship Durga and her nine incarnations. On all the ten days, believers attend Devi temples to pray and offer pujas to please the Goddess. Sometimes the idol of the Goddess is draped, adorned with flowers, placed on a raised platform and secured to large vehicles. The Goddess is then escorted to different areas in the town or city by priests so that the believers can offer their pujas and seek blessings.

The Story Behind

Mahishasura was an asura who achieved penance from God Shiva. He prayed to God Shiva to grant him the boon of being unkillable by any God or man. With the increased power, Mahishasura and his followers grew arrogant and triumphed over Indra creating havoc in all the worlds. Defeated, Indra requested the ‘Great Trinity’ (Trimurti Gods) for justice. The supreme Gods created the warrior Goddess Durga to eliminate the asuras.

Terminology

Devi –  Feminine power or Goddess
Deva – Masculine power or God
Durga – Durga is the most powerful incarnation of Devi
Cosmos – Universe and its order influenced by divine beings (in this context)
Puja – Offerings or gifts to Gods to receive blessings
Asuras – Asuras were a different power seeking beings who always wanted to gain control over the devas
Indra – Indra is another deity who is the lord of all the gods and the ruler of heaven
Trimurti or Great Trinity – They are three supreme deities who control the function of creation, maintenance and destruction. God Brahma is the creator, God Vishnu is the preserver, and God Shiva is the destroyer or transformer. Like Trimurti, Tridevis are their counterparts, which embody the feminine power. Parvathi (or Durga) is the counterpart of Shiva.

Road Flush

India has different customs and traditions as a result of a diverse culture. Most Kannadigas splash water on the courtyards of their residence or the entrances (front of commercial establishments) to wash away the dust and dirt. Commercial buildings are left at that. However, if it is a residential building, women from the family paint beautiful kolams on the floor. A charming custom practised here.

Source: Sridhar Rao Chaganti (Flickr )

Another typical yet peculiar custom performed exclusively by the water suppliers is washing every road they pass; a practice they observe dutifully. They have been cleaning roads since the early 1990s.

It’s a ridiculous problem faced by many states in India as if water scarcity and water mafias weren’t enough.

The quantity of water wasted while transporting and transferring is unbelievable. Most of the water tankers have the cheaply made circular drums that leak awfully. A large pipeline is connected and disconnected at the water outlet. These vehicles have one inlet on the top and two outlet valves in the rear. If the driver is not careful to secure the pipe correctly, the water will be leaking in several places. And if the driver is extremely careless while securing the pipe to the outlet, gallons of water are wasted. The outlet is few inches in diameter, so even 10 seconds is long enough to waste a significant amount of water.

Road wash

Road wash @ BEML signal (Bangalore)

If you happen to be behind this vehicle about to near a speed bump ahead, you are sure to see water spurting from the outlet; spouting like a happy whale. The funny thing about Bangalore’s residential lanes is that a kilometer distance has at least 10-15 speed bumps. Bangalore is also gifted with unfathomable potholes. By the time water reaches the consumers, precariously trundling along the bumpy roads, there will be a significant dip in the water.

Poorly designed so-called water trucks, sorrier than ever state of the roads and the wonderfully irresponsible people in charge; what a mind-blowing mess!

Not everyone’s the same

How upset will you be if anybody accuses your homeland? I am patriotic in my own way and do not support blind allegations and judgements of any sort.

I came across the post by Michaela Cross, which recounts her traumatic experiences while staying in India. As a woman, it pained me to read her agonizing experiences. It pained me to be reminded that all women – Indian or foreign are seen as sexual objects. It also pained me to read such thoughts about my country and my people.

The blog is misleading. I will never say that she was bluffing about her painful experiences or about the effect it had on her. I will not deny that sexual abuse doesn’t happen here nor that it happens only to certain people. But it is misleading because the article portrays India to be the worst country with highest sexual assault, which, of course, directly points towards Indian men. This isn’t true.

There are vile monsters in every nook and corner of the world. Some places swarm with the likes of these and some places they are more or less decent. But that doesn’t mean sexual assault do not happen everywhere. Obviously, all people are not alike. So is the case with men. There are decent men who respect women, and there are also despicable devils who leer and abuses women.

After the disturbing explosion of that article in the blogosphere, it came as a huge relief when i read Candace’s post. I was happy to know there are people who do not accuse the whole country for the crimes of some and who understands the fact that not everyone is the same.

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Image source: wikipedia

Everyone Deserves an Award

…Truly!

I am pleased to say that I have been nominated for this award by Shivani Panchmatia. It is my second award so far (but a bunch of them! 🙂 ). I am happy to know that my posts are engaging.
” Thank you for reading my posts and nominating my blog Shivani :). ”
Shivani is a very passionate and talented blogger. I recommend her blog if you have not checked it out yet. I am sure you will find her blog as much interesting as I do.

My ABC’s:

A- Animated movies: Love them.
B- Bitter gourd: One of my fav vegetable.
C- Challenging: I find writing about myself pretty challenging. Phew!
D- Doodling: Like to, even though I suck at drawing.
E- Epic fantasy: Books & movies.
F- Food: Mom’s food.
G- Grey: My second fav color.
H- Himachal Pradesh: One of the places I would like to visit.
I- Ice-creams: One of my favs is Magnum. Slurp!
J- Jeans: My most comfy attire.
K- Kids: Love kids!
L- Lace: love dresses in lace.
M- Macaws: One of my fav bird.
N- Notepads: I like notepads a lot :D. I keep buying all sorts of them.

O- Onam: My fav festival.
P- Polite: I dislike people who are rude.
Q- Queue: Hates someone disrupting queues.
R- Reading: A daily half an hour dose at least.
S- Sensitive: Oversensitive about some things.
T- Taxidermy: Dislike it!
U- U.A.E: My birthplace.

V- Vineetha: One of my Childhood+Best Friend & Classmate.
W- Writing: Love to write – paper or blog.
X- Xylophone: The first word I learned starting with letter X.
Y- Yogurt: I like sweetened or unsweetened yogurt.
Z- Zoo – I loved visiting zoos as a child, but now I don’t because I realize it is plainly animal imprisonment.

In alphabetical order, my nominations go to :

allmytravelscombined.wordpress
foodpeopleloveandstuff.wordpress
hillsofherchastity.wordpress
manningtreearchive.com
maryamlatif.wordpress
moviejoltz.com
lifeisavacation.wordpress
sparkleandlove.com
toddlohenry.wordpress
transcendingbordersblog.wordpress
No pressure accepting this award, but should you choose to accept and publish this award jot down few facts of yourself in alphabetical order.

ABC Award rule: Write a fact about yourself for each of the English alphabets.

My Friend

Every morning I see dogs happily trotting beside their owners. Many responsible dog owners spend so much of their precious time to walk their pet, and it’s quite wonderful to see that.

This always reminds me of my first visit to Bangalore. I was so amazed to find different varieties of animals on the road, but I was truly shocked to find dogs of good breeds on the streets. I still have a vivid memory of two very huge German Shepherds roaming around the area where I was staying. They had neither any leash nor any caretaker with them. Had they been abandoned? It’s very unlikely that those two were let off their leash to take a casual walk down the street.

This was years back.

Now, after settling down in Bangalore, I was terribly upset to find out that so many pets are shut out of their homes. Innumerable dogs are getting abandoned on the streets.

People who thought they were a bit humane left their pets tied to some street posts for days together. If that can be called humane, although its surely better than assaulting them. I cannot imagine how many pets are being left to die.

Why does it happen?

It happens when pets become a burden. It happens when people move out of the city or the country. It happens when they want to go on vacation. It happens when they have failed to train their pets and then fail to manage them. It happens when pets become old. It happens when pets get sick. It happens when people do not want to spend resources on them. In short, it happens because humans are selfish.

Humans are, after all social ‘ANIMALS’. We are expected to behave like savage animals.

In certain instances, when fates don’t favour, the pets had to be left back. Instances where the owner had passed away, or the owner or the family is sick, or the family goes into deep debt and had to move away, or the owner is helpless to take decisions, and it is done by others. The reasons are many but comprehensible. What about people who are crueller than savages?

Getting a pup is easy. There are thousands of dogs in shelter homes and pet shops, and of course, the countless dog owners selling their pet’s offspring. But planning for adoption is something that has to be done carefully and responsibly. And planning must be done.

Alright, this is not a high-funded global project, but if a little planning does avoid misery for these simple creatures, then we ought to do it.

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Picture source:

Dogvacay.com

Canadapetgrooming.com

Love Me Please (Part II)

The last post was a bit prickly but frankly i feel good about it. was a bit prickly, but frankly, I feel good about it. What drove me to write it was a small incident.

That awful day, I was travelling back home after the crazy office hours. Along the way, I saw a totally apathetic-looking dog walker tugging at the leash of an adult dog. I’ll name the dog walker “Dummy” (Because I dislike him and also because he was a stand-in for the real owner).

Walking a few steps forward, Mr Dummy stopped abruptly fiddling with the leash. The sweet dog, full of love, padded near to him and started to nuzzle his hand. I was across the road passing by in public vehicle; I couldn’t make out if the doggy just nuzzled or tried to lick his hand. Believe me, the sounds I heard after that was horrible.

The great Kungfu Dog

Mr Dummy had hit the poor thing on his head. It was so loud I could hear it on the other side of the road. I can never forget that sight, the sound of that strike or the doggy’s cry. I wished that the dog had returned the favor.

All happened within a few seconds. Regretfully, I was so shocked I couldn’t think of anything then. I got furious later, but then I thought what if he is not the actual owner. What is the point in being mad at him?

He might be just an idiotic dog walker who hates dogs. Thanks to the even more idiotic owners who send their poor little pets with such douche bags.

This is not the first time dog walkers would have ill-treated the pets, and sadly, this will not be the last. Most often, we think about employing a dog walker after we buy the pup. This has to change.

If we cannot provide companionship to our pets, then it is extremely important to find another person who can love them. We may not be lucky to find such affectionate humans that quick, so this should be thought of much earlier…particularly when planning to adopt a pet.

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Picture source : dogspelledforward.com

Shine On Award

Tazein Mirza Saad, author of the blog transcendingbordersblog.wordpress.com recently nominated me for the Shine On Award. Tazein is a lovely blogger who writes from her heart.

Some facts about myself:

• I love to read, read and read.
• I love animals, especially dogs (This is sure to be obvious!)
• My fav number is 7
• My fav colour is Blue
• I love shoes
• I love chocolates and
• My fav drink is Ice Tea (Peach)

I am happy to nominate this award to all the wonderful bloggers (in alphabetical order)

adinparadise.wordpress.com
carryingthegun.wordpress.com
inspiringevolution.wordpress.com
nishitak.com
shivaani8.wordpress.com
shrijithr.wordpress.com
sugavasi.com

THE RULES FOR THIS AWARD:

1.Write 7 things about yourself.

2. Nominate 7 bloggers.

Love Me Please (Part 1)

 

I love dogs, so I planned to get a pup when I move into my new home in Bangalore. This was about two years back. Unfortunately, after the distressing house hunt, I dropped the idea of a house and a dog and moved into an apartment.

Seeing a lot of abandoned pets, I thought it would be a good idea to list down a few reminders for every dog lovers and pointers for weird people who just “simply” want a dog.

Run with me!

FYI, pup’s will not be pint-sized all the time! Just like all living creatures, it will grow into an adult…a large dog unless it’s of a small dog breed. Obviously, how big it can get will depend upon its lineage. One of the most basic and important thing for a dog is its physical fitness. Everyone agrees on that, but the question here is, where to take them for a walk?

Those who live in Bangalore or other such cities know that free space is very limited. The little space there is will be either filled with people, stray cows and dogs, goats or at times chickens. How to keep the pets from going all crazy over the chickens I don’t know. Didn’t find many cats here…Small mercies!

Although this is a bit of a stretch, I wouldn’t deny the fact that the city has very less public space for people to take a stroll, let alone to walk the pets.

Understand me!

Living in a pricey city, employing a housekeeper (who likes dogs) or even a dog walker is a challenge. I would say pets who have their own poop-cleaners are very fortunate.

It’s great to have household help, but if they are to do everything from feeding to training, that is, practically taking care of the pets, then in reality, who owns them? If we are unable to spend at least some time with them, then clearly we are not fit to own pets.

Hug Me!

We may or may not have large well-furnished apartments. Riches don’t matter here. If we decide to keep our pets inside the house or apartment 24×7, what difference does it make from an ordinary kennel? Do they enjoy antique vases and 52-inch televisions? Of course not! Maybe they will enjoy exquisite hand made floor rugs or designer shoes…oops! It’s understood they need human affection.

Look at Me!

Leaving our pets in apartments or kennels until we get back home late night (Remember…with minimal human interaction)…isn’t that too cruel?

Certainly, life is jam-packed with tight-schedules. If we can’t make time for our family and friends, then how are we going to make time for our pets. For some people, it’s the other way around. It’s an awful truth, but if we are terrible in managing our time, then its a Problem!

Looking after a pup, mostly in the initial stages, is just like looking after a child. It’s not a consumer product where you buy it and throw it after use. It’s a living thing where you need to specifically invest ‘Time’.

It’s absurd, but people do tend to miss out such simple things. This may be because some people tend to be selfish (“Oh! dogs are so cute, I too want one!”) or they think a dog is just an animal (Duh!) to serve them (“Dogs are just wild and uncontrollable animals, they used to live in the jungle..they don’t need any of the comforts. They should be chained!”). Really? What are they? Plastic?

Some think dogs to be…delicious? (Ugh! no comments!). I should particularly mention about another category of people who love their dogs to death…literally! Feeding too much, no exercise…ring a bell?

ILLOGICAL Logic

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

A poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Funny! This was the first thing that crossed my mind when I decided to write about this topic. Dramatic? Yes!

In the list of top 5 things humans can’t live without, I will definitely list the credit cards. A credit card can be a savior. Perhaps it’s one of the most useful pieces of plastic. But if you put aside all its materialistic boons, you can see that later on, it becomes a part of you. It has a very dark side (ooh!) – an undeniable fact because today or tomorrow we will eventually get seduced by the pocket-sized plastic!

Even with all your psychological reasoning (more like restraining your shopping neurosis), you try to resist the temptation to own a credit card, but you still end up getting one. The reasons are many. It can be age-old satanic urges, or it can be because you got tranced by the mesmerizing personality of credit card sellers or maybe got it as a freebie with a new salary account or else opted for it due to other benefits like EMI.

Well…I lost the battle. My reason being the benefits of an EMI option and the ease of online shopping, which is 0% processing fee, 0% interest, cash on delivery, blah blah blah…

A month ago, I opened an account with a premium-rated bank and applied for a credit card. I deposited 10,000 rupees as the minimum initial amount for opening the account and submitted all the documents from address proofs to salary documents to the bank. I was told to wait two weeks.

After two impatient weeks, I called up the bank to find out the status. As usual, they did not have a single clue about it! I should have known it because you don’t actually get a definite answer from one person.

Anyway, they provided me with another number of the sales department. Totally bugged but optimistic, I punched in the new number and repeated the same question.

Oh, it’s a miracle! The being at the other end happened to answer my question. However, the happiness did not last long. The application for the credit card got rejected.

Well, he did not drop the BOMB yet!

Would you believe if I said even the salesperson was in disbelief? I asked why it was rejected, and the reason the bank stated was ridiculous. Note that it was the main branch of the bank in the city. It seemed I was not creditworthy, which was not true.

According to the Oxford Dictionary (online), creditworthy means, “(of a person or company) considered suitable to receive credit, especially because of being reliable in paying the money back in the past.”

There could never be an issue of creditworthiness. That I was certain. Besides, the bank (Bangalore branch) had initially confirmed my eligibility for having a credit card along with the card limit.

To my further disappointment, the salesperson had no idea why they said so. He assured that he would ring me up as soon as he crosschecked the status. After a maddening week, I finally got the call. He was told that the application was rejected because I earned only Rs. 10,000.

That’s the explosion I was talking about!

The bank assumed that the initial amount in the account was the salary I was earning (even after giving all the salary details !). How bright was that?