Prologue:
If you have been to Gogo's
– the blog before, read section (a)
First timers, jump to (b)
Those of you who have
landed here by mistake, please continue at your own risk.
a) If you are a regular
reader at Gogo's (glad to know you exist) or one who drops by once
in a while (intentionally or accidentally), I’m pleased that you
are here and I’m sorry about the inactivity; that is if you have
noticed it in the first place. If you look closely, unlike the usual
Chennai inspired titles about Tamil Brahmins, autos and Rajnikanth,
I’m moving to Hyderabad’s burning issues.
Yes, I have moved base
to Hyderabad and so you will be hearing a lot more about Biryani,
Reddys and of course, Telangana.
b) WELCOME! And don't
think that I don't know that you read part (a) too.
Prologue ends! (You’re
welcome)
The T issue is a rather
sensitive one, one that evokes extreme responses, both for and
against it. If you are looking for my opinion here, then I'm sorry to
disappoint you. I'm not that brave.
When bandhs are
made to become a part of one’s daily existence, then people have to
come up with innovative and out of the box solutions to un-bandh
their lives. Kolkata folks, you know what I am talking about ;)
 |
| Bandh-istan |
Life isn't fair and has to
go on and not everybody has the luxury or determination to be out on
the streets fighting for a cause or sit at home supporting it. So in
such a situation, how do people survive? Here are some of my
observations,
For some people, the bad times just don't end. Nevertheless, somebody's loss is someone else's gain.
The local bus service (the Bakras)
Now this is one group I really feel for. For years they have been the punching bag for all reasons.
We want water from Karnataka --- burn the buses;
We won't give water to Karnataka --- burn the buses;
Chuck water, give us Mallaya and his beer from Karnataka --- Burn the buses;
 |
| Relief bus? |
For every goddamn reason, the buses are the first to bear the brunt of the agitators. How long can anybody tolerate this? So for once, they have decided to just wait out the agitations and boy are they doing it in style. Over 4 weeks now and no sight of buses. Too bad though that the government has decided against giving them their salaries.
For some people, the bad times just don't end. Nevertheless, somebody's loss is someone else's gain.
Educational
institutions (Home delivery services):
Perhaps the worst hit
group after the bus service. However, except for the
teachers/lecturers and parents, nobody else seems to be complaining.
It's not like the students are dying to get back to their institutes.
Unfortunately, the exams seem to be following them home, quite
literally. A news paper article says that some of the private schools
have decided to conduct examinations at the comfort of the student's
very home and guess who invigilates? The parents!
How does this work? The
parents collect the question papers in the morning of the exam from
the school and conduct them at home. How cool is that? Imagine giving
exams in your pyjamas with a Frooti by your side and your favourite
cartoon running on TV. You don't even have to beg for those extra 5
minutes at the end (otherwise you know whom to blame for the low
marks). Nobody fails and everybody is happy.
The auto wallas (The
fox)
Talk about opportunists
and ways to exploit during a bandh, then these guys take the icing on
the cake and the cherry with it. Then they come back and take the
rest of the cake too. Some insatiable appetite they have.
 |
| This picture is for representational purposes only. He is not an auto driver, even though you might like to believe so. src: http://www.8pmnews.com/news/headlines/kcr-calls-for-bandh-on-dec-16th |
The auto union pledged
their support for a separate state of Telangana by going on a two day
strike. Well, they did live up to their word by showing their support
by draping their autos in pink (the color of TRS party) and wearing a
T – scarf and were out in full force looking for an opportunity to
loot hapless travellers.
A friend of mine who had the misfortune of travelling in an auto that fateful day had to shell out 5 times the normal fare. On trying to argue, the auto driver just had two words for him,
A friend of mine who had the misfortune of travelling in an auto that fateful day had to shell out 5 times the normal fare. On trying to argue, the auto driver just had two words for him,
“Jai Telangana”!!
It is often said that
cocaine consumption can be addictive; ask them if they have tried
fuel. A rumour is enough for people to leave everything else in life
and stand for hours in queues outside petrol bunks.
As expected, panic followed an official announcement and there were traffic jams reported from various parts of the city, thanks to Kilometre long queues waiting for the elixir of life. Henry Ford and the others, see what you have done.
As expected, panic followed an official announcement and there were traffic jams reported from various parts of the city, thanks to Kilometre long queues waiting for the elixir of life. Henry Ford and the others, see what you have done.
 |
| Please repeat my drink src: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article371214.ece |
Almost every small PBC*
shop had an additional item on their display; a bottle of diluted
petrol and diesel in shrivelled, old plastic bottles sold at the
rates of rocket fuel.
* PAN, BIDDI AND CIGARETTE
 |
| Bartender pappu |
Personally, I wouldn't
want any of that diluted petrol in my vehicle because you never know
what the diluting agent was, considering that there is a free
availability of similar coloured liquids. And I'm not referring to
mountain dew or whiskey.
The restaurants (The
social service)
At such troubled times,
the local Biryani and pizza place have been a real support to the
people, almost a shoulder to cry on. With most of the city crippled
and in pain, they were the real heroes. They kept their backdoors
open and served people selflessly just to see that smile of
satisfaction on their face and to hear that pleasant sound of their
cash registers ringing.
To their credit, unlike the autos, they kept
their rates the same because they know that keeping a Hyderabadi away
from his Biryani is akin to asking Sachin not to adjust his guard in
a match. It's unthinkable! Probably uncomfortable too.
The IT crowd (The
Immortals aka the dogs):
This group moves around
the city with impunity thanks to their protective shields which is
hung around their neck. Once you agree to wear these tags, then
nothing else matters. Life and death are secondary concerns, the
project and client requirements come first.
These are just a few
groups and their unique ways of un-bandh-ing their lives. There are
many many more who are facing a genuine threat to their subsistence
because of the complete paralysis of the city and the state. This is
probably the last thing a government, which is being attacked from
all quarters for various reasons, needed. In its quest for retaining
power and taking the right decision (hopefully) life is going out of
control. This post is written amidst 7 hours of power cuts in a city
which once boasted of being one of the fastest developing in the
country.
As a Hyderabadi, all I can
do is hope that this doesn't cost us too dearly.
Jai Hind!
