'Cattle class' was talk of the town, and indeed the whole country, last week. But I don't think the man was far from the truth. For one, it is a phrase used to describe the economy class, and very apt at that. Isn't that the way we are shoved in and out of economy class airlines, railways, buses, shared autos, rickshaws, possibly every mode of transport. A seat for two can fit three, and even four, if required. Railways is an epic in itself. The berth you just reserved for yourself does not belong to you, it is government property, so it is as much yours as it is mine. Saikat, my friend from Kolkata once told me of this seat-grabbing ploy he once saw. It involved fake shit, which people would hurl through the windows of trains, so that no one would want to sit on that seat. And just think about the locals running in Mumbai. I guess cows have it way easier, moving around carefree on the boulevards of India, sans red lights, one ways, etc. I can never forget Saikat's hilarious rendition of how he travels in the locals, fighting with every other person around him, for an extra heel of space. Bring as many new trains as you might want to, introduce the metro, a/c buses; things are likely not to change.
What else... the fire alarm has been buzzing around in our apartment pretty often over the last week. For some reason, I think its due to Vinod and his cooking skills, if not his cooker. For the uninitiated, there is something gone awry about everything that Vinod does. He lost his laptop and backpack at a coffee shop in Barcelona, he worked his ass off on an internship in Finland and was given an average grade, he forgot his I 20 and still made it the US, he forgot his certificates, his cooker does not whistle.. the list is endless, and growing.
Sridhar is right with my question in the last post, it was Jean Paul Sartre who declined the Nobel on philosophical grounds. The other voluntary refusal was made by Le Duc Tho, a Vietnamese activist who refused the 1973 prize that he was jointly awarded with Henry Kissinger, because Vietnam was still not at peace.
I went to a Hay Ride today, not quite cattle class though. Had a nice time reaching the place, with Richard, my Tour of Madison guide, driving me to the place. The ride itself was no big deal, a group of people driving around in a tractor. But it was a nice time playing volleyball, meeting a lot of people and eating very good food.
We did our bi-weekly shopping yesterday, so the fridge is full. We have stocked up lots of cookies and stuff to snack up. Sankar's got a new set of Bose headphones and Sriram's advisor is coming back from Princeton in ten days.
The festive season starts in India, and I am sure to miss it dearly. As a kid, navratri would mean staying up late on the pretext of raas garba, running around with friends and getting up late in the mornings. Over the last two years, the fun reduced, but I still managed to sneak out for an evening of dance and fun. I don't know what's gonna happen here. Would be nice to get some of the festive season in India to Madison.
What else... the fire alarm has been buzzing around in our apartment pretty often over the last week. For some reason, I think its due to Vinod and his cooking skills, if not his cooker. For the uninitiated, there is something gone awry about everything that Vinod does. He lost his laptop and backpack at a coffee shop in Barcelona, he worked his ass off on an internship in Finland and was given an average grade, he forgot his I 20 and still made it the US, he forgot his certificates, his cooker does not whistle.. the list is endless, and growing.
Sridhar is right with my question in the last post, it was Jean Paul Sartre who declined the Nobel on philosophical grounds. The other voluntary refusal was made by Le Duc Tho, a Vietnamese activist who refused the 1973 prize that he was jointly awarded with Henry Kissinger, because Vietnam was still not at peace.
I went to a Hay Ride today, not quite cattle class though. Had a nice time reaching the place, with Richard, my Tour of Madison guide, driving me to the place. The ride itself was no big deal, a group of people driving around in a tractor. But it was a nice time playing volleyball, meeting a lot of people and eating very good food.
We did our bi-weekly shopping yesterday, so the fridge is full. We have stocked up lots of cookies and stuff to snack up. Sankar's got a new set of Bose headphones and Sriram's advisor is coming back from Princeton in ten days.
The festive season starts in India, and I am sure to miss it dearly. As a kid, navratri would mean staying up late on the pretext of raas garba, running around with friends and getting up late in the mornings. Over the last two years, the fun reduced, but I still managed to sneak out for an evening of dance and fun. I don't know what's gonna happen here. Would be nice to get some of the festive season in India to Madison.
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