Metro Tales: And We Wait

One of the first things that came to my notice when I started using the Metro regularly was that there were always people in the station or just outside who were waiting for someone. In the past 3-4 years, since I have been travelling in metro, this phenomenon has not changed even a bit. It has however escalated if my eyes are right. This escalation could be because of the increased number of passengers in the Delhi metro or simply because Delhi people love to wait!

Even in the fast paced Delhi life which popularly ‘doesn’t wait for anybody’ the people of Delhi are more than willing to wait. They have the patience of saints and I say this because I don’t or I didn’t. Delhi metro has been more than required training in patience that I ever needed in life.

Now when I try to remember a particular someone who I know was waiting, in vain or not I can’t be sure of, no one in particular comes to mind. There are just so many people that I witness everyday with earphones plugged, sitting in a corner, listening to music or playing games or chatting/talking to friends, not looking up when the metro arrives, knowing that they have to wait no matter what, that it becomes difficult to pin point one person. I am sure that you can identify with atleast one of the people I mentioned above. We have all waited in metro for someone sometime, I can be 100% sure of that.

So what is the big deal about waiting that I mentioned it? I am going to be a little sentimental here but I believe it shows human strength to some degree. We have faith when we wait; faith in the fact that the person we wait for will show up. Not to say that many of us haven’t been disappointed but we still wait don’t we? We have patience for our friends or our families or even at times friends of friends and acquaintances. The reasoning is a little mushy, believe me I know, but it’s completely logical. The happiness, even though brief because of the anger of waiting, is worth it don’t you think?

When I am waiting beside a fellow ‘waiter’? I try and keep track of when their wait finally ends. You get to see the eyes lighting up, a smile on their face as they recognize their someone in the sea of people. This happiness might turn into irritation or anger soon enough but that one moment is precious for me. So the next time you are waiting, along with the many others, try noticing these little things. If nothing they do prove to be sufficient to make the waiting time less boring. But be sure that you do not stare outrightly because that is just ‘stalker-ish’.

Will try to get the next part up sooner than later.

Metro Tales: The Beginning

Travelling the Delhi Metro everyday has become a norm in my life. It is something I do not think about because it has deeply integrated itself in the last 4 years. I had a view from the back window of my room, of a highway and the fields that lay beyond it. This view is now obstructed by the Metro bridge constructed right behind my apartment building. I would be lying if I said that it didn't bother me because it did and still does at times. However, I have come to like the quiet noise, as oxymoronic it is, that I associate with a metro passing now. I can hear the metro in the morning, as early as 5 am, and I can hear it late at night, sometimes as late as 2 am. Metro therefore has become a constant companion for me. 

In the years that I have traveled in Delhi Metro I have learned a few things. First, you have no guarantee of a seat no matter when you travel and the crowd can surprise at the best of times. Second, I believe it is an easy and comfortable way to travel, even if others would like to convince me otherwise. Lastly, it is one of the best places to observe the people around you. I have seen so many emotions within the confines of the metro's 4/6/8 coaches that I have decided to record them. 

As we know our mind is capable of feeling so much that sometimes it seems impossible that they can exist within one person. But they do and these feelings have a funny way of coming out in the most opportune or inopportune moments. I am going to try and write a series of recollections, from my time travelling in metro, which revolve around the feelings that exude from the travelers of Delhi metro. These stories won't be linear and neither will they only talk about a single event, what will remain common will be that one emotion that I felt when observing these people. I know none of the people I will write about and can only distinguish them by one or other article they were wearing or some quirk that I noticed in them. Hopefully I will be able to complete this series soon. 

A calmer you by Sonal Kalra – A book review

Stress has become a daily fixture in our lives. We may not know it and we may not acknowledge it but it does have an effect on us. How to handles this stress has varying answers for everybody. Sonal Kalra, journalist and editor of HT City, has just one solution to it – Humour!

Her weekly column “A calmer you” is witty and effective in dealing with the stress we all face. Similarly her book “a calmer you” is written to guide even the most disgruntled person out of the bowels of frustration. The book deals with various situations that lead to varying levels of stress in people’s life. The solutions offered are so genuine and comic that one cannot help but laugh.

The recurring character of Pappu Singh, Chaddha ji and Bubbly Aunty adds to the charm of this stress buster read. Sonal Kalra has very effectively combined silly humour with simple tips to lead your life. The combination helps the reader to see their problems in a different light and thus accept their insignificance in the larger scheme of life.

The book is a must read for all working people who have deadlines to chase and have late night work-a-thons. Easy and small chapters allow the readers to go through it on their own pace while enjoying the quips and jokes, and imbibing the lessons imparted through humour.

  Sonal Kalra is an Indian journalist, columnist and and author, presently working with Hindustan Times

as the editor of HT City (Delhi Edition). She is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication. She writes a weekly column titles 'A calmer you' which appears in the Sunday edition of HT City. The column is all about witty calmness tips to beat the everyday stress.

Ulti Khopdi - A play by Yasin Khan

I am new to theatre in the sense that I have heard a lot but I haven’t seen much. This all changed when I decided to increase my knowledge by becoming a regular at the various theatres in Mandi House, Delhi. It is known that one can always find a play to watch there.

I started with something simple, Yasin Khan’s Hindi play “Ulti Khopdi” at Pearey Lal Bhawan. I never go unprepared to something like this and thus had an idea of the story. The story in itself was nothing new or innovative. What I was hoping for was a good presentation and good dialogues. Although the actors did a good job, I was disappointed with the dialogues. I am not sure if they were improvised or reiterated but they could certainly have been better. When you choose a less than exciting situation and theme, the only way to put some life into the play is through effective punch lines.

The play had a few high points like the ‘dakus’ laughing and the ‘netas’ dancing, but it seemed to drag over the 1.5 hours. The scenes went on longer than necessary, with not much to hold the audience’s interest. If the scenes had been compact, they would have been more impactful. The acting was the one thing I appreciated, though there were moments when the line between stage play and street play blurred.

A play is good only if all its constituent parts are. ‘Ulti Khopdi’ lagged behind in dialogues as well as an innovative way of presenting a known concept. Though the director tried to include criticism of social evils in the play, the comic background over shadowed any attempt at satirical commentary. If praise has to be given, then the actors are the one that deserve it the most. Rating the play out of 10, it gets a 4.5/10.

Seeing Like a Feminist - Book Review

The politics of being a women in a country like India is not easy to fathom. Where caste and class divisions take precedence over gender issues women find it difficult to raise their voices. Nivedita Menon's 'Seeing Like a Feminist' links this reality of a female existence to a variety of dimensions that control it and manipulate it. 

The book is well versed when it comes to the facts that it mentions and the claims that it makes. Like any other good writer Menon has succeeded in backing all her statements with official data leaving no window for questioning. The fluid language and ease of understanding makes the book a very wonderful read. Despite the lucidity it is easy to gather that the book is a work of academic excellence. She combines the perfect amount of humour with factual details so as to keep the reader entertained.

Nivedita Menon deconstructs the idea of family, the female body and female desires. She questions their functioning and their basis. She clearly states that the idea of family functions on gendered notions. However the human body and its relation to gender is highly contentious. The dismantling of ideas related to the human body is well articulated and her readers will definitely find it engaging. 

The book deals with varying facets of  feminism and how they all combine to form something universal. The call for women empowerment is not one that is most needed at the highest level but which is felt largely at the lowest. Feminism is not restricted to women and Menon maintains this view point throughout her book. Her contemporary examples makes it easier to relate to for the younger readers. What the book aims for can be deduced differently by different people but the theme of awareness will be common to all. 

In the section "Feminist and 'Women'" Menon claims that "feminism is not in fact about ‘women’ but about recognizing how modern discourses of gender produce human beings as exclusively ‘men’ or ‘women’. For her it is about a transformation that changes old markers of society in a such a way that they cannot gain any kind of authority again.

Nivedita Menon is the writer of acclaimed books like Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond the Law (2004) and Sexualities (2007). She teaches Political Thought at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.