July 2010

There were 4 posts published in July 2010.

A Poem on Indian Railways – Chuk Chuk Gaadi

Read some of my other most popular poems – Go the Extra Mile, A Ripple of Hope and Why God made Mothers?

Often called the Lifeline of the Nation,
Indian Railways runs more than 14,300 trains!
It carries over 13 million passengers daily,
Across hills, tunnels, rivers, lakes and plains!!

With 1.6 million employees under its rolls,
IR is one of the world’s largest employer!
Traveling across the country in its 63,000 kms of tracks,
You are bound to have more adventure than Tom Sawyer!!

An Indian Rail

A Train in Indian Railways

Trains run from North to South, East to West,
Across the length and breadth of the country!
Jammu to Kanyakumari is 4751kms,
Is covered by Himsagar Express in 66 hrs, albeit slowly!!

The Railways was a legacy of the British,
And we have come a long way since then!
We have new tracks, trains and coaches,
And technology’s presence is felt even in the engine!!

But while the world has zipped away,
With the high speed and maglev trains!
We continue to live in the British era,
And our trains still run as if enslaved in chains!!

The TGV in France runs at more than 250 km/hour,
Chinese high speed trains exceed speeds of more than 350 km/hour!
Maglev trains are already being tested at 450 km/hour,
With our fastest running at 90, the experience really turns sour!!

My father points out that in the 80s,
Karnataka Express used to take 36 hrs between Delhi – Bangalore!
Now 25 years later it takes 40 hrs,
Surely not something worth writing about in Indian Railways brochure!!

Most stations are outdated and overcrowded,
Trains themselves are rusted, in gross disrepair and dirty!
People hang outside the windows and even on the roof,
Which makes for nice photographs, but at the cost of safety!!

Crowd on an Indian Train

A typical sight on Indian Railways

Communication and signaling equipment is outdated,
No surprises that 83% of all accidents result from human error!
The whole infrastructure is old and crumbling,
Add to that the problems of corruption, naxalism and terror!!

There is no doubt that Indian Railways needs to be better managed,
We need solutions, problems are not going to disappear if we just duck!
Considering the size and scale of operations its not going to be easy,
The authorities needs to tighten their belts, and let us wish them “Best of Luck”!!

What our life has become these days?

I came across this pic and could not stop wondering how true it is. It totally describes what our life has become these days. With the advent of internet and social networking, everything has moved to the screen of our laptop. We work on our laptop, we talk with friends on the laptop, we take a break by listening to music or watching movies, again on our laptop and many of us (atleast me) sleep with our laptop ON downloading some movie or software.

The Daily Routine

The Daily Routine

Isn’t it amazing how technology has influenced us? How facebook has become the first thing to do in the morning rather than brushing our teeth? And all this technology is only 10 years old. Ever wondered how we used to live our lives before that 🙂

The Best and Worst Case Score Tactic

The Best and the Worst Case

The Best and the Worst Case

This is a tactic which I use whenever I have to make a choice, take a tough decision or to do anything which gets me thinking. I call it the “Best and Worst Case Score” tactic. I have been using this tactic for quite some time now and it has made many of my decisions an easy choice which otherwise would have looked daunting. I have used it to handle choices/decisions ranging from professional life to family / friends related issues to just day to day small choices. Normally we tend to regard situations as more important and serious than they actually are. Using this technique has helped me differentiate between the seemingly important decisions and the really important ones.

The Tactic
When faced with any situation where you have to make a decision or choice and you are confused or stuck somewhere –
  1. On a scale of 10, give a rating assuming the best case scenario that can happen if you go ahead with the decision. The scale of 10 reflects what impact will the decision make in your life considering your long-term ambitions, values, etc
  2. Similarly, rate out of 10 the worst case scenario that can happen if things headed in the wrong direction.
  3. Now compare the scores, and you will know the answer to your confusion

Let me illustrate this with an example. I was thinking of buying a bike since I came to Bangalore. The only bike I wanted to buy was a Bullet, which are very expensive ones. And I had doubts regarding whether I would be able to handle it because of my build. People always advised me to look for a lighter bike which would be more suitable for me. But I only wanted this bike! The dilemma  (or what I thought) was that the bike cost upwards of Rs 1 Lakh and all that money would go down the drain if I am unable to manage the bike. I kept on deferring this decision for around 10 months due to the uncertainty, doubts, and all the confusion.

Then finally, I decided to use the “Best and Worst Case Score” tactic. What could be the best case scenario that could happen after buying the bike? The best case was that I would be able to easily handle the bike. I would go on long rides and travel to different places, and can have the experience of a lifetime. I rated this as a 8/10. Then I looked at the worst case scenario. I might not be able to handle the bike due to its weight, and it would be a waste of money. In that case, lets say after 1 year of unsuccessfully trying to ride the bike, if I have to sell it off, it will easily sell for some 80k as Bullets have a good resale value. So the loss, even in the worst case, will be around Rs 20k. I would rate it as a 2/10 on the worst things that can happen to me.

After evaluating the choices, I think it is very clear what I decided. I did not want to miss a possible 8/10 best case experience due to the fear of a 2/10 worst case scenario. The problem was that I was overestimating the fears in the worst case scenario. And this is very typical human behavior, whenever we seek something new, we tend to over-calculate the negative sides and play it safe. But I made the right choice and have some memorable experiences in the 10 months that I have owned the bike so far.

One can use this tactic for big decisions like changing a job or starting a regular exercise regimen, to small choices like whether to call a friend on his/her birthday, or whether to go home early to spend some time with your family. Sometimes it is amazing how clearly and objectively this tactics presents the picture in front of you. If you use this tactic, sometimes you will think that why the hell were you deferring this decision when the benefits are huge and risks/losses are minimum.

Ride to Nandi Hills on 6 Jun 2010

Starring - 22 Bullets

Starring - 22 Bullets

I woke up at 5:15 am. Shit! We had planned to meet at 5:30 am at Hebbal before riding to Nandi Hills. Spending a good saturday evening with friends might have made me press the snooze button a few times more than I normally do. I gave myself 10 seconds to decide between the bed and the bike. Me writing this post means the bike won, and I was off at 5:30 am from home, reached Hebbal at 5:45 and thankfully, they were still there. Twenty two Royal Enfields!! Wow!!

We started our engines, and started cruising towards Nandi Hills. I looked down, and saw the tarmac beneath as we left the city. Cool wind was blowing against my face and I was “in the” scene. This is the feeling you can only get on a motorcycle, and I felt glad to be on one of the best motorcycles available in our country. Every sight turned towards us as 22 thumping bullets made their way uphill.

A Thundering Start

A Thundering Start



Atop the hills, it was a little cold. After breakfast and some chit-chat, we decided to head back. You can’t keep a rider away from his machine for long! Stopped mid way to take some pics, and more chit chat. Some talked about their newly acquired riding gear, some about the classic 500, and few people made final plans for their ride to Leh next month. I am planning to do this myself next year! The ultimate ride any rider can dream of. We finally made back around 11:00 am. The city was just waking up, unaware of the fact that I have just had the best start to my Sunday. A 150 km ride!! Nothing beats that!!
Give me some sunshine

Give me some sunshine