The Capitol: As seen by 'southern' eyes (coming soon...)

I plan to write a series of notes on incidents that occur in the day to day life of a common Delhiite that many south Indians esp. Tamils, find peculiar and goofy, and worthy enough to document here. These observations are only meant to be an archive of such goofiness, but by no means exhaustive. Since these observations are only mine, they might have to validated by concomitant comments. 

Disclaimer: The data provided here shall not be used for scientific research purposes without prior permission. Also, if anyone feels offended I would like to tell them that I am neither a naive nationalist nor a radical regionalist. It is only an attempt to document the cultural nuances of one party by another party representative in the true spirit of cultural exploration. 

Lesson 3

As narrated by my friend. 

As you all know India is a very 'cleanliness' conscious country i.e., we are always conscious to stay away from it. All said, you have to accept that the Delhi metro rail is one of the cleanest places in Delhi, perhaps much cleaner than most temples or hospitals in the city. An incident that took place in one of the metro coaches ensues. My friend was travelling with his friend in the Delhi metro's yellow line. My friend and his friend merit a little introduction. There are self-proclaimed social activists and a very calm group at that, unlike the blow horns you read in newspapers every day. They were standing next to a mother son duo who were comfortably seated. The boy was about 5 years old and the mother was in her mid thirties. Suddenly the boy started crying, and the mother naturally started to console him. When her son's pitch went past the critical, she hesitatingly took out a piece of candy, unwrapped it and gave it to him. The cry stopped. But what she didn't have to do, she did next. She threw the wrapper casually on the coach's floor. She had committed the most 'Indian' defining act in the most elegant manner. My friend's friend who was passively noticing the entire drama, at once wore his 'activist cap'. He did something which none would have expected. He, in the most unassuming manner without a whisper, bent down, took the wrapper and kept it in his coat pocket. The mother felt so bad that she pleaded with him to give it back so that she can dispose it off in a proper place. She must have felt slapped with sarcasm. But he stated 'ab rehne do aunty ji' (now leave it aunty). He probably felt that it was his duty now to dispose it in the dustbin. The expected station arrived and all got off. The mother may or may not have changed her future behavior, but that's beside the point. The metro coach's integrity was however saved that day by the 'activist'.

The lesson: Action indeed speaks louder than words, but it doesn't have to be extravagant. It can be as simple as you want it to be.

Lifted from elsewhere (ahem!!)

It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reason can be found.

Friends. I do not have that luxury.
Time. I do not have that luxury too.
Love. You gotta be kidding me!

We have not lost hope, but merely transferred it from God to doctors.

It is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.

Randoms neural transmission (under exam prep mode)

The greatest illusion in life is to think that we are in control.

On Randomised Control Trials

• A large proportion of our interpretational fallacies arise due to the explicit examination of obvious facts in isolation and lack thereof to compare them with unobserved and unobvious alternatives.
• Thus following, if a RCT is one such obvious observation can't there be other simultaneous RCTs hitherto not thought of.

Gazals, Sufi songs and Qawwalis - Soothe the soul that is restless or injured.

Sufism (as I understand it) - Glorification and Commonisation of God (at the same time). Godification of Man, Godification of the lover (the unrequited one). The major subjects are Unrequited Love and Lover, the Wine, the Wine Glass, the Bar and last but not the least, the Barmaid. 

Our meetings have to be coincidental to evoke awe, they cannot be pre-arranged, like the sunrise or sunset but like the storm.

Sometimes in life, one single act of Hope can change everything. 

It is far more satisfying to lit a lamp that has never been lit than to poor oil into an half burnt one.

I am constantly amazed at the rate at which co-incidents occur. It makes me wonder if such a thing as randomness truly exists or may be it just reflects our inability to make connections and find associations.

Random thoughts on Coffee, Tea and other beverages

It has occurred to me that coffee is best consumed by oneself or in the company of a pretty girl (or handsome guy), whereas tea must be had in groups of peers (Eg. friends). This will bring out the true purpose of the beverage in question. Much importance has to be attested here as these findings have resulted from my astute and long drawn observations. It is entirely based on economics. Please refer to table of differences for further enlightenment.

Differences 

1. Whereas coffee is relatively expensive, tea is cheaper.
2. Coffee is often associated with a sense of being rich, exquisite and exotic, tea is on the other hand humble and common, with the exception of green or herbal tea (a marketing ploy).
3. Coffee is often consumed by those high in the social ladder, tea does not submit itself to class politics, a true socialist drink (save alcohol).
4. Coffee beans come in several types and there are even more ways of preparing it (cappuccino, latte, decaf etc.,), but the humble tea is had either with or without milk only. (tea types you see are just marketing ploys)
5. Coffee is usually served in westernised shops known as 'coffee houses' which have A/C and good ambience. Tea can be had almost anywhere, most commonly roadside with no seating options.
6. Coffee is rarely offered to guests, but tea is otherwise.
7. A cup of coffee is an article of luxury, it elates. Tea is a necessity, it relieves.
8. Coffee is had rarely, when something 'out of routine' has to be done. Tea can be had up to five times a day.
9. An american would more likely prefer coffee, whereas the british would prefer tea any time.

So, that is the humble tea and the luxurious coffee story. What's your cuppa?