This is no time to be a cynic

Like most Indians - I too feel the anguish of Nirbhaya's death. 

Her death is one in many that get reported. There are those numerous nameless others who suffer this crime and it never goes beyond the victim's knowledge and the perpetrators smug knowing and harrassment.  Many a time the reaction to such incidents is a tired cynical outlook and a "Things never change" attitude. This is no excuse. To be blunt this is not the time to be cynical. Being cynical is to be safe and removed from the feelings of anger.

This case pierced the sense of apathy towards such crimes; and I am thankful that it has. As I go through life I have realized one never knows when the tipping point will occur and what will trigger it. The only thing one can do is contribute even in the face of impossible odds.  You see we need a trickle before it can become a flood. We need the fury against each and every crime. We need the sense of injustice when people misuse their power. We need a sense of outrage against every person who thinks to violate women with impunity.

Yes there is a part of one's mind that knows - the momentum may be lost eventually.  The media will move on to other issues. That does not mean we stop. We never would have won freedom if our freedom fighters had given up after the first war of independence. 

And sometimes ... sometimes it takes one incident to turn the simmering wrath into flash ; history is full of such cases.

• Roop Kanwar's death which lead to the enactment of Sati related law
• Montgomery Bus Boycott - that lead to the civil rights movement
• Rodney King's beating 

Change is never easy.  Change for the better - even more so. 

So ......... Contribute. Make demands. Ask for better implementation of laws and quicker justice.

More importantly look around you and inside yourself - change the underpinning inside that devalues women routinely. Change that sense of entitlement that tells you - it is okay to abuse and then abscond from responsibility of heinous actions by saying "She asked for it". This change goes for both genders. Teach your children respect and empathy.

Make that change - In every house; by each person. There can be no better eulogy than this. An eulogy of action.

Let her death not be in vain. And no - this is no time to be cynical.

RIP Nirbhaya, Amaanat, Damini

Just a 'little' wisdom

Sometimes I think that I wish I had the wisdom ( slight though it may be ) that I now have , when I was younger.  May be my choices would have been different and perhaps I would not have taken some paths that did not work out for me. Life certainly would not have been the same. I would have made fewer mistakes may be ??

But then it I think again .... if I had this knowledge then .. I never would have been foolish .. never would have taken risks ; risks that , only being young and the-world-is-mine-attitude would have made me take. Risks that are incomprehensible to my current self.  I never would have experienced the dizzy emotional highs and lows that were so much part of me then.

So I think .. that while age brings wisdom .. it also tells me ...it does reduce one's risk appetite ... and this is doubly so when you have a baby .. and that baby's future to think of ! :)

And so - when I view a youth ( guy or gal - does it matter ) zooming past on a bike texting / talking on their mobile I just hope their fairy god-mother keeps them safe ( and the others around them too ! ). No I never did that [ hey we had no mobiles then ! ;) ]  but it makes me wonder how life allowed me to sashay through with nary a scratch.

Post trip blues .....

After we came back from Sikkim it is seemingly taking us a long time to get back to normal. First there was a gas leakage at home when I opened the valve for cooking. Calling the emergency number made us realize we would not get any action in the night. So we wound the pipe which we suspected was leaking with brown cellophane. When finally the gas people - 2 people turned up. Well at least the 2nd guy came with the required pipes so we went ahead with him and got both the pipes changed. It was clear the last guy had cheated us ( specifically me ) - first by overcharging for the pipes and second by giving a pipe that was to expire soon ! Anywayz ... the gas leakage taken care of .... the next problem started ...

I found the front tyre of our car had no air. Hmmmm .. hardly had that been fixed when the car would not start !!! Uh oh .... looks like the cold weather in Pune had had its time to work on the battery. So today the battery people came - said the battery was not drained by was less charged so had to take the battery to the battery re-charging unit. It will be done by tomorrow.

And the week is not yet over ... wonder what else is in store ??? All small small things .. but nuisances nevertheless ..... ! :)

Sikkim - Tips for Travel

Ideally this post belongs to my traveljaunts blog but then I write about travel here too and I see no harm in repeating.

Hmmm ... so Sikkim travel tips ..... where do I begin ?

• The roads of Sikkim are truly tortuous !! I mean this literally .. the road has turns on average every 25 - 50 meters. Unless you have a cast iron stomach - this is going to be a real problem when you travel. There is winding .... and there is "winding". Sikkim is tightly tightly wound ! :)
• The soil of Sikkim is very loose - so the roads are always half eroded due to landslides / rockslides / water erosion / road being done etc.  Always the road state is in a flux ! :) BRO works through out the year to keep the roads clear.
• Due to the above reasons - distances of even 20 kms are a long long journey. Did I mention tortuous roads that feel torturous ? :)
• In November - it is very cold. Temperatures go to minus so yes one needs lots and lots of warm clothing. Don't go with what the Sikkim guides say - they think the temperature is not too cold in November ! :)
• North Sikkim needs permits. The travel agents take care of this - but you need approx 6 PP snaps and 6 ID proof xeroxes. Yes even for a child. We took our baby's school ID. They seem to prefer Voter ID for adults! 
• Out of 6 days we felt we actually saw points of interest only on 3 days. Travel to the places takes time. Not that the scenery is not pretty but still.
• North Sikkim - altitude sickness is very prevalent. Be prepared. 
• Our driver mentioned that for every itenary - there is an extra driver's point that can be taken to by the driver on extra cost. For e.g. - on the Yumthang valley drive - travel to Zero point is optional and extra. On the NathuLa drive - travel to Kachenjunga view area is optional and extra. Do your research.
• BSNL is the only service provider up in the mountain and that too only to a point. 
• Since Nathu La is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays - if you are going to this place on the last day of your itenary you may want to consider driving from there onwards to Zuluk and then go to Bagdogra airport / JBP  railway station. You need permit for Zuluk so you  should take care of this before. We came back to Gangtok which I felt could have been avoided and instead could have made a circular route with Zuluk in the fray.
• Places to see include points in West Sikkim and Bhutan which can be accessed by road. We felt - those areas could be done in another trip in which we would include Darjeeling too. This is a personal preference. 
• Unless otherwise mentioned - driver is not available for the full day. 
• Try and include meals in your hotel stays - there are not many options on the road other than Maggi and tea.
• I would definitely recommend home stay - Hidden Forest Resort in Gangtok and Teen Taley Eco Resort ( home stay again ) in Rumtek. They were fantastic.
• And last but not the least our driver - Mr. Ketan Pradhan - 94343-56528 / 94348-69042 who is associated with Alpine Nature Beyond was wonderful. Safe driver , very interested in actually showing us places and very punctual. He is the best driver / guide I have come across so far.