A to Z challenge - I for Independence I gained through radio cabs

It was in Bengaluru that I was introduced to app-based cabs. Radio cabs, as they are called, met with stiff opposition from local taxi drivers in respective cities.

In no time, app-based cabs gained huge popularity in metro cities, tourist places and also small towns. And, I gained a newfound independence. 

Whether it is Bengaluru where I worked earlier or Delhi where I work now or the cities I travel to occasionally, app-based cabs are my constant companions.

Reaching hospital or airport at the oddest of hours is not a worry any more. No more disappointment over not being able to attend a party just because of the venue is in a corner of the city strange to me. 'Directionally challenged' as I call myself, these cabs have induced a new confidence in me to explore unknown terrains. 

No more fretting over my driving licence that I never really used in almost a decade after acquiring it. No worries over lugging heavy bags of household items from shops. No tension about taking my little nephews for an outing when I'm home. 

More importantly, no more energy lost haggling with autorickshaw drivers, spending precious time. All at no extra cost! 

A to Z challenge - H for Handwritten words

What I miss receiving and giving the most -- handwritten words. 

It may read as a continuation of my previous blog on greeting cards. Because handwritten words were immediately associated with the long letters I used to write till the Gmail era. 

As a school student, I used to be thrilled when my language teachers gave a 'good', 'very good' or '5/5' in my copy writing book. The beauty of my writing only evolved with doing it more. 

Till I completed my post-graduation, I never really missed handwritten words. That was the time I was introduced to emails. 

A prolific letter writer, I would never let my friends who were far miss any happenings in my life. Writing the way I talk, my letters were always long. Very rarely I stopped with one sheet of paper. Mostly it ran into 6 pages, which could be sent at the minimum cost of postal envelope then. There were occassions when my friends had to cough up an amount to receive my letter that weighed extra.  

It all stopped with the internet boom. Still I used to write long emails that were eventually eliminated by instant messages. The smell of ink, the folding of paper, the hours of focus were all lost... along with the connect through handwritten words...

A to Z challenge - G for Greeting cards

Meadows, roses and castles... They made me feel that life was full of all that. Perhaps the very first seeds of  misconceptions in life came through greeting cards but along with immense joy. 

The sight of postman during Christmas-New Year season would excite me no end. I would eagerly wait for him to stop by and hand over the envelops that came my way. And if he didn't stop, it meant there was no card for me that day. Disappointment would set in but it would soon give way to hope the next day. 

With pocket money collected through the year, I used to buy greeting cards for my friends. Some of them would return the greetings while some wouldn't. Only the ones I received counted. It mattered so much that I have preserved them decades on. 

A printed greeting card became expensive and the effort to send one came a waste of time in the internet era. Flowing with the current, I also stopped sending physical cards... Stopping the arrival of joy in a sealed envelope. 

A to Z challenge - F for Flowers of Kashmir

On our first trip to Kashmir, we were on way to our hotel from the airport. It was May and summer was setting in at the Valley. Apart from the several security checkpoints that are not common in the rest of the country, we were also surprised by the bunch of flowers adorning green bushes everywhere.

The huge unches drooping down seemed unusual. At some point I exulted on discovering that they were in fact roses. One of my friends refused to agree and others were not sure. Our cab driver put an end to our argument by confirming they were roses. I got goosebumps when I finally saw them close and got to touch them at the garden of our hotel. 

It wasn't common in the peninsula where I'm from. 

The floral surprise had just begun. The varieties Kashmir offered us were mind blowing. Three days of sightseeing offered us some thousand colours... If colour therapy works, all you should do is visit Kashmir during spring. 

I did and it helped :)

A to Z challenge - E for Elections

It is election season in India. The world's largest democracy is preparing to vote from April 11. A painfully long process in seven phases will end on May 19 and the results on May 23 will decide the five-year future of the country.

Political parties are trying their best to woo the voters. Parliamentarians are visiting their constituencies like never before. They have perhaps made up for their absence of four and half years in the past two months. 

It's a big business too. Projects that were signed just before the model code of conduct came into force are going on in full swing. Small time traders to big players who deal with election paraphernalia are making hay. 

Amid all this, the biggest strength of democracy -- the people -- are swamped with promises of a better tomorrow that never reached after similar promises every five years earlier.

Still they live on hope and are getting ready to flaunt the indelible ink on their index finger. 

A to Z challenge - D for Dance

Swaying to music in rhythm. Letting your soul free through your body. The ultimate joy of being yourself. That's what dance is for me. 

No, I'm not a professional dancer. Nor was I trained in it since young age. I started learning Kathak at the age of 37 and later zumba. I had to give up both after a year and half due to some issues. 

The first para is what the dance classes made me realise after I stopped it. Now I've resumed hunt for a good institute to pursue my passion. I realised in those few months that it's better late than never. There's no stopping you if you want to master something with all your heart. 

A to Z challenge - C for Cycle-rickshaw

When I came to Delhi in 2015 to join a new organisation, the first thing that caught my attention was the ubiquitous cycle-rickshaws. 

Initially I was reluctant to take the ride. I couldn't put a person through the ordeal of pedalling me around, sweating and panting when it was the peak of summer.

The rickshaw wallahs, as they are called, are mostly men. He rarely sports an untorn shirt or a proper footwear with  the struggle writ large on his face often. From the comfort of a seat that has a roof behind him, I often feel guilty of the harsh sun that hits him hard. In winters, the sweaters in tatters and torn shoes speak of their struggle.

I stayed away from the humble vehicle for some days. Then I noticed the pair of eyes shining at the sight of a prospective passenger walking to the apartment gate. He gets ready for another gruelling ride, probably in an empty stomach. I realised I wasn't helping them by staying away. 

Whenever I step out of the apartment thinking I should walk a kilometre to the metro station and burn some calories, I spot those men waiting hopefully for another 20 rupees. And I get on to the rickshaw.