Tag: allahabad

Allah(ke)abad!

Allahabad, a city that every country deserves, but not the one it may need right now. While Allahabad is an excellent city per se, but has been clouded by some very unfortunate mishappenings. The wrath of bhaiyas of Allahabad still enounces on my mind even when I am 356 kms away from it. How a city welcomes a guest greatly defines a city. Allahabad welcomed me with dahi-jalebi and introduced me to the ever-tasty bun-omelette, which even after four years of continuous eating remains a favourite day-starting breakfast.

WHAT I WOULD MISS!
The discussions over bun-omelette and tea in the morning as well as evening. The serenity of Saraswati ghat was one I would crave a lot. Some destinations leave an everlasting footprints in your minds; Saraswati ghat is one such place. The people of Allahabad are also very versatile in giving opinions(reminds me of Gorakhpur, but Allahabad is a tad violent :p). If you are even a little interested in politics, this is a place to be. You never know, you may get acquainted by a future minister of state. Giving opinion boldly, come what may, is in the blood of an east UP person and Allahabad kinds of leads in that trait.
Being in the center of independence fight, gave this city a gift of great historic significance. The Azad Park commemorates Chandrashekhar Azad’s martyrdom. While the Sangam area and Naini bridge adds to the aesthetics of the place.

WHAT I WOULDN’T MISS!
Ofcourse the young successors of Indian politics, the student leaders…the most feared species in whole of Allahabad. Want people to concede to your demands, call the species; want to take revenge from someone who wasn’t giving you a pass on the road, call the species; don’t want to study today, call the species in havoc mode; want to get even with the professor for his tyrant ways, call them. From the innocuous thelawalas to the helpless VCs, they assert their authority everywhere.
Being crammed in the auto-rickshaws comes next in the list. You are living in the city, your girlfriend has called you to meet at this great restaurant, you did your hair, applied gel, worked on it for God knows how long, put on your best set of clothes and go to makeshift auto-stand feeling great about your life when suddenly an auto comes at the station, with the conductor yelling ‘tation-tation’ (in case you missed, its station with a silent ‘s’), you enter the auto and two sweat drenched aunties block the exit to the auto. You are thinking it’s just 10 minutes away, but the auto-wala will stop at the place where the scorching sun shines the most and make you pay for all the past life sins. He will wait for more unlucky souls, until his auto looks like a scene where we are attempting the Guinness Book of World Record for cramming the most persons in an auto.
Another interesting thing is that Allahabadis have adopted this system, they don’t mind sharing that seat with three more broad-assed individuals. Even if he gets one of his buttocks in place, he won’t complain.
But overall, Allahabad invites you and takes care of you if you adapt the city well, that’s an assurity I can give, being a former resident of this city. But still, do take care :p

Gifts of the decade!

You must have heard that some localities rammed and then burned a truck because the truck hit a boy of the locality and they even don’t leave the driver too, without knowing that the accident was the boy’s fault. They not only cause the damage to properties but they traumatize the driver too, maybe for life. What I advise them to think is, that, they can someday be a victim of a similar situation. What will he do at that point? Explain? No. Before he even opens his mouth to explain, he will be severely bruised and scarred for life, for a crime that he may have a minor contribution. These sort of news are a common occurrence but we pay no heed to it.
Using democracy the wrong way, they instantly form groups to stage protests, even if the government is planning a good initiative, but is causing them a little discomfort. An individual now practices only the rights that the constitution has given him, but what about the duties? If you can’t spare a little discomfort for a good cause, then you are not a citizen that India expects you to be. The situation is like this, that everyone wants India to reach the zenith, but no one wants to compromise. If their lives are compromised and they have to concede, they protest violently. It quite disheartening to see the people of India takes violent steps thinking that it’s the only way.
It’s like insensibility and insensitivity are the gifts of the century. It’s sad and quite funny to see that groups fighting each other on an issue as tiny as regulation of loudspeaker in an area. Why don’t they understand that there are other people living too, who need some rest at their homes after day’s hard work? But even ignoring the rules, they blow their loudspeakers out loud on accounts of celebration or religious ceremony. WTF, even god doesn’t want you to cause discomfort to others while praising him.   
                I wake up every morning, hoping that this can be the day, that the ‘mob’ remained inactive, just one day…but NO! a big fat NO as if that’s impossible. As I was writing this column, fresh riots started off in multiple districts; here in Allahabad, the Muslims started a row against the killings of Muslims in north-eastern states. But the protest ended up being violent causing a curfew being imposed in few parts of city. I hadn’t thought that I would get such a fresh example to emphasize my point. This just proves that a mob is like a herd of sheep directed by stimulants fuelled up by riots after riots.
                One of the reasons I can see is the Indian concept ‘Unity in diversity’, backfiring in the backdrop. With the current riots forged between the north-eastern and the Muslims, the stage is all set for bringing the failure to once-thought brilliant concept.
                Wait, my angel part of brain thinks that there is still hope, what a douche!!! I will listen to the devil this time…..there is no hope in living under such pitiful circumstances, where you might be the next victim of let’s say an ethnic, communal, sports hooligans, religious riot; unless the mentality of the riot-mind-infested change for the good.