The other side of 'V'

This week India goes to polls- the big 'V' in the life of the Indian junta is definitely on.

The other 'V' for me is the launch of VSphere the product which we have been working for all these months. Virtualization is the buzzword of the IT world today, saving cost and energy for companies that adopt the technology.



I watched this program on ndt'V' yesterday- on Godmen in Politics. To be or not to be. I generally like the way Barkha Dutt conducts these sessions, although this time I felt that she did not give the speakers (particularly the BJP spokesman) enough time to voice his opinion.

Well there were er, votes for both sides from the audience, in this show. One side felt that the spiritual Masters should confine themselves to spirituality or Yoga or Church matters. The other side felt that hey, they were citizens too, and had a right to express their opinion.

I certainly believe that when the western Goras are calling the shots in lands far away, our desi Gurus and Gods have every right to voice their opinions. It's a free democracy. It's sad that secularism seems to be coming out in second place though.

So I see GREEN (technology) on one side and I see RED on the other. That's coz' there's this well-deserving product launch dinner in our company on one side, and there are sleazy tickets for booze being distributed by unscrupulous political parties on the other side.

It's technology on one side and mostly tyrannical ruling parties on the other. Can't really compare the two.

But hey, I do want one more 'V' this season.

I want the 'V' of Victory- for one, a product launch which beats 'em all other Hyper-Vs.

And the 'V' of Victory to Honest, clean ruling for our country.

Yes, that's a 'V' that's just gotta be...

The Dream

A busy road. Cars on the run, chasing one another like a bunch of crazed ants.

I am sitting in my car, with dad, mum and a bunch of drivers (the new one and the one who got a away).

The driver at the helm navigates an underpass and that was when we encounter some car trouble. Suddenly, both the drivers are OUTSIDE the car, quarreling with someone. The driver seat is now empty and the car is stranded with all of us inside it. I panic.

Dad takes a quick decision to leave the quarreling drivers behind and drive the car himself. I heave a sigh of relief. I am safe and the noise of the honking vehicles behind us has died down!

Somewhere on the way home, dad decides to take the car to the mechanic. So he drops us off at a bus station where we wait for a bus to take us home.

A ramshackle beaten-down bus is the first to arrive. Soon after, another bus arrives which is in much better shape and parks alongside the old one.

I decide to board the new bus. Inside the bus, I look around, but cannot find mum. She must have boarded the ol' tin-box, I reckon. I'd meet her at home anyway.

The bus starts moving and I see strange 'stops', but not the familiar bus-stop near my home! Along the way, all I see are new houses, beautiful flowering plants, and villages. We move on and on, and I realize that I must get off before I leave the city altogether.

I alight at the next stop which looks like another village. I ask a passer-by whether I will be able to find a rickshaw home, (I give them the address). The passer-by nods and suggests that I wait a while.

Soon I hail a black taxi. I ask the driver the fare for taking me homeward. He cites an exorbitant amount. I reluctantly agree to the price, and am fortunate to have enough money in my purse to pay him.

I get into the taxi but almost instinctively, I do not like the driver. Added to that, the car moves slowly, practically inching its way home-ward! Somewhere on the way, the driver even stops at a tea stall. By now my patience is running thin. I get off the car and decide to wait for a rickshaw.

While waiting on the kerb, I see a house which many tourists are visiting. I decide to check it out, since there are no rickshaws in sight.

Inside the house, I see machines making cement tablets. Not too keen to explore, I skirt around the low-lying machinery and get to the exit quickly.

Most of the rickshaws seem to be occupied I see an empty one which is approaching me. It is very large and artistically designed. Strangely, the driver is not seated at the steering wheel but is actually sitting atop a modest throne. Yet, he manages to stop the rickshaw near me! He is dressed in white and is chanting constantly. I am puzzled over how he is driving the rickshaw.

Still, I ask him if he can take me home. He smiles and says 'yes'.

More people board the auto and I wonder how he can let so many people in.

I ask him once more if he can take me home, this time I sound more sceptical.

He takes no notice of my scepticism and only smiles and says "Of course, I take everybody home."

"I take these home too" he adds, pointing to the tiny plants growing in his rickshaw!

I wake up with a start. It is three am.

I cannot go back to sleep. For all I can think of is the dazzling whiteness of the driver's dress...