Phew after another hectic work week, i get to see the new Hyderbad International Convention Center.
Lets see.
There is a concert by Euphoria and Indian pop/rock band. One of the few bands in India that have been there for a while now. I have seen them when they were semi-professional and used to play 80s and early 90s rock like Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, GnR etc..
Later they graduated into a Indi-pop band with their first album Dhoom. A good album and was a hit. Later they kind of faded as the Bhangra and Bhangra-pop took center-stage in Indian pop music scene. They came with another album after thatm not such a big hit. And early this year they came up with their latest, Mehfuz. I like a couple of songs from Mehfuz but I think it didnt click in general.

I have heard a lot abt the Hyderabad International Conv, Center. I hope its good. I plan to take some pictures.

All in all I hope to have good time and live to blog it tomorrow. Cheers.

After a week or so of dry yet cloudy weather, the rains are back in full flow today and last night.
These rains will not be appreciated by the artisans who do the clay statues of Lord VInayaka, for the upcoming festival.
Rivers around the state are flowing well above their normal levels and in some cases close to alarming levels.
The gates of the big dams in the state are opened up inorder to save the places around these rivers from getting submerged.
All in all the rains are good, for now.
If there is a quality test of the roads in Hyderabad, all of them would fail it miserably. Many arteries of the city suffered a lot of damage due to these rains.

We got stopped while driving on our own way at a scene where a gentle man was bashing an auto driver.The auto driver was not at all resisting the punches he’s receiving. We felt so sorry for the poor fellow. But had a closer look at the scene.The gentleman’s car was damaged partially in the side portion.Two big scratches and one of the head lights completely damaged!! Understood what had happened.One of the enthusiastic spectators like us(?) asked the gentle man,”what happened? why are you beating him so mercilessly?”.Then the gentleman took a break from beating and said(gasping),”this bloody fellow smashed my new car..just one day old..you see..just temporarily registered…”…”Mera nayaa gaadi..(my new car)…bloddy hell..mera nayaa gaadi…” and continued to beat the auto driver.

Then an abrupt laughter spread around.

Well,pity and fear are the natural human response to spectacles of pain and suffering-especially to the sort of suffering that can strike anybody at any time. But diversion from the main problem can become comic. The above scene seemed like a tragedy at first….but you’ve seen that’s how turned around to a comic in the end. Or one’s own tragedy can be seen as a comedy to others?

Yesterday night when I was watching TV9, 9pm with Ravi Prakash, the topic of SMS was, “do we have to ban cool drinks in schools and colleges?” I kept watching the sms scroll line at the bottom of the screen. Amazingly, almost 95% of the people say “yes to ban, not only in schools, even in the state and in the country as well”. And, they say our health minister Rosaiah is trying to impose the ban in state.
But I believe, all these are emotional, argumentative Indians. And are general folks. And kind of people who simply go and vote. But, I believe banning is not correct. If you have to ban, you will have to ban everything, cigarettes, liquor, drugs and so many, including foreign investments in IT industries, coz it is monopolizing the entire life-style, and creating great economic divide in the whole country.
But, in this regard, government should create a market and let the market prevail for these drinks, market for comodities and services is where we get revenue. What government should do is, regulate these guys, conduct tests frequently in govt labs, and should see the drinks are what they really are to be. In case, govt finds illegal mixing of pesticides or whatever that put public health in risk, it should sue these companies heavily such that they should be afraid to do anything of this kind in future. It should stand as a lesson not only to these drinks companies, but to everybody connected to the public, providing goods and services.
If they (charge) collect 50/- for violating traffic rule, I can pay 50/- every day and keep on violating it. But if they punish me with 20000/- not only me, everybody who knows me will never do that wrong. I think, in US they do that, charging like $250 to $300, am I wrong? but whatever it should be like what said, I believe.
I know govt. has its own complications, but a good govt will never have complications in enforcing the law and exercising the righteous methods of rule.

I missed my office bus today. woke up late, worked late and all that..
I went to take an auto to the hi-tech city. Hitech is about 5-6 km from where I live. If these guys actually use the rate meter and if the meter is genuine and not tampered (to rotate faster than the globe) it wouldnt cost more than 30-35 rupees.
Well none uses the rate meters for autos in hyderabad. Everyone is aware that most of these meters are tampered to rotate very rapidly, some dont stop rotating even when the Auto is stationary at a signal ;-).
O
Auto #1. Hitech? 90 rupees sir.
me: whatt?? dude I belong to hyderabad and I know the distances.
Auto #1. 90 is the standard rate sir!
me: after some sarcastic comments i ditch that guy.

Auto #2 hitech? 90 rupees..
.
.
.
Auto #5 hitech? 90 rupees.
By now i am like guys give me a break. You want to overcharge people just cos they work in tech companies? Come on thats just not right.

I said i wil give 40. That guy said 70 and then 50. I held on.
Finally he agreed for 40 bucks.

I just dont like they way things are going here. Its true that a lot of investment is coming into the city and things are developing very fast. But the way prices of apartments, plots furniture and transportation are getting inflated so much in such a short period, I am afraid some groups of the society are going to be left out. They will be simply priced out.

will continue this topic another.

Last Sunday I met an IFS(Indian Foreign Services) officer,who happened to be the civil services batchmate of my close friend.Me along with my close friend met him at his residence.He came from Germany,where he was working under Ambassador of India to Germany.His parents are here in Hyderabad.He’s holidaying now here in Hyderabad.He’s very charming and smart looking guy in his early thirties..What I noticed was his eversmiling nature.We had a casual chat for half an hour like:How’s life? What about your batchmates?That man got married?This man’s still doing like that?About the love affairs and the misdeeds of one IRS guy..Very funny..I enjoyed a lot.
Suddenly my close friend asked him,”When you’re going to get remarried?” Then that eversmiling guy became dull and said,”Well..It takes some more time to forget Shilpa..Let’s hope it will come soon..” I didn’t get anything..But then,I was shocked to to know that he lost his wife two years ago during her last month of her pregnancy.They were a very happy and adorable couple for one and half years and they were going to bless with a child..What did all happen?
When she got labor pains,she was admitted into an hospital,here,in Hyderabad.The doctor assured him that his wife was in good health and that she would have a normal delivery.Some time later he tried to touch his wife or at least speak with her, but it appeared that she was unconscious.Then immediately he asked the hospital staff about his wife’s condition and they repeatedly assured him that Shilpa was “doing fine”.And the hospital staff simply told him that there was a slight injury to the victim’s blood vessel but this was nothing to be worried about. When he requested that his wife be transferred to another hospital, due to her precarious condition, the staff assured him that the hospital was equipped to handle her situation.That was more than 3 ½ hours after being informed by the hospital that the victim’s condition was complicated ..and his wife died with unborn child..
The circumstance of the victim’s death was unclear.Shilpa,a normal person with no medical complications earlier in her life, died all of a sudden despite the hospital staff’s assurances to her husband that her condition was not serious and was manageable.
He told us there were some attempts done to conceal the truth behind the case like case sheet manipulation.There might be a wrong administering anaesthesia without having the required degree.Lot of reasons..These kind of things didn’t make him to stay calm..He filed a case in consumer’s court and fighting against the hospital for justice.He has to manage his job and pursue the court case.
He says,”We cannot bring back the life of my wife..That’s true..but I will not allow these doctors to play with the lives of more patients and this is going to make an alarm for these kind of hospitals..” He is right.. Strange are the ways of justice in India. Here, if a complaint against any professional service is to be lodged, it has to be lodged with the statutory body of the respective service discipline. The members of the body, who are themselves persons of a particular profession, would proceed against someone belonging to their own profession. Really a strange thing. As a result of such an arrangement, in most cases, it is seen, that the affected party seldom gets any justice. The offender usually go scot-free.
In India if a patient is subjected to deliberate negligence (which is a norm nowadays rather than an exception), he or she is required to lodge a complaint with the respective State chapter of Indian Medical Council. Here, is a panel of doctors would then decide the fate of their professional colleague. A ridiculous arrangement indeed. In most cases it was seen that the doctors went scot-free killing more and more patients with impunity.
Gone are the days, when a doctor was considered a good Samaritan of the area. I heard that even during the decade of 70s, doctors were available throughout the night. Nowadays, doctors are loath to leave the comfort of the confines of their homes at night.True, doctors are not expected to render charitable service throughout their lifetime, but they are at least expected to pay attention to those from whom they are charging fees. Fees have skyrocketed in recent years, and the service have taken a nose-drive. Taking commissions for referring to nursing homes, or diagnostic centres are commonplace phenomena and no one raises an eyebrow if one hears of commissions. Yet, the doctors speak of deteriorating patient-doctor relationship. Can’t they indulge in some degree of self-introspection?

Recently I happend to visit necklace road. As it rained heavily in the city, hussain sagar looks gorgeously dangerous. I took some pictures around this place. Though I have some intererior pictures of eat street, there are so many strangers, close up faces, I am scared anybody may come and complain that because of me they were caught by their parents :P. We anyway I have included some non-detailed picture which are more focused on showing the beauty around the lake. If you happend to find yourself in, please let me know for any editing :) Over all, I really enjoyed this evening. Lot of people, lot of greenery, and water.

This one is to cover the kids play ground beside eat street.

A lonely bird, bathing ?

You can see, eat street, birla temple, prasdaz…

I found some enthusiastic people, surfing in the lake, regatta time…

Rocks at far end of the lake, as the end comes closer, they may end one day.

Under the wood…

You can see the temple, as the Lord sees everything under.

Bulge of water.

Direction changed…

The lawn…

The green…

The road…

Eat streat from out side.

This is shameless tree or a lucky tree ?

Boating this time would be more fun coz there is more water, and most of it got freshed up in the rains.

Titanic…

Eat street looked from far across the spaces and distances…

Kids like it a lot…

Patterns…

A little big view…

My buddy, Devis.

They are chosen…

That was the evening of the day when the three day long rain started. I gave my bike in the morning in a servicing center thinking I could collect it in the evening. I thought I could go by auto to the bike servicing center and wrrroooom out to my home. My plight started when I started tryng to stop autos. They come near to me, stop by my side, when I tell the destination they just says no and goes way. I stopped more than 25 autos if they can take me from panjagutta to erragadda but in vain. Helplessly I walked all the way to ameerpet, I couldnt get any auto there either. It was raining badly, though I like it to get wet in the rain, my problem was as I mentioned I had to get my bike out of that place for next day. I finally I resorted to try city bus. Hmmmm…. you know it. They are hell on the wheels. Or they are hells on the wheels. :P. I mean not to blame anything or anybody for I know how the things in hyderabad works. Finally at my rescue, there came a bus, the district service one, which goes to zaheerabad, Fortunately he stopped and called if anybody interested to get in. Yes I was. so I got in. It was 7.30pm. You want to know? I was in all this heck of the things since 6pm. I got a doubt, if those guys were there or not. So, being I am clever, clever or experiences of this kind ? whatever, I gave a call to the service guys, and they said they were closed and I would have to wait until next morning. But mean time, I took the ticket to erragadda which is 5/- now I have to go to Kukatpally, and ticket for that is 9/-. This bus also a little crowdy, and I would have to upgrade my ticket from 5/- to 9/-. What do you think? did I or I didnt ? ……. you right, I didnt. LIght teesukunna ( i took it light ). Though something is pointing right on me and telling “you stupid you are not this”. I just subdued it. And finally, I got down in KKP, with 5/- which I thought was 70/- to reach back home. :P. It was funny to me. I enjoyed the journey, though a little time was wasted. But I reached home in time, as “chakravakam chakravakam chakravakam… enduko naaku ee asalu….” hahahaha… I cant help, I have to watch this serial, coz every body else will kill if I try to switch to something else.

Place: A busy road of hyderabad
Time: 6′O Clock in the evening

(Pink text refers to girls’ convo)

“Hey,C’mon..Quick..Chase..Lemme have a look..How beautiful! Gorgeous!!”
“Oh!My God!If you drive like this we miss the entire thing..” “Ah ah…Left…Left….” Speed up man!…” “Oh..my!!”

“Hehe…Did you see? Those two guys on the yellow bike are following us…”
“These guys have no work at all…Just fill in the fuel and chase beautiful,smart looking gals like us…”
“Yup..U r right!…U just see… I’ll speed up our scooter…We gals are always ahead of these kind of guys…”
“And we’ll teach’em a lesson!!…”

“Oh.shit! C’mon..gear up…” Okkkk.Okk…”

“”Ooooo..ha…haha…” “buhahahaaaah…”

“Hey hey..Red signal!! We’re lucky…lala la la la…….”

“”OMG…Caught us…naughty guys…..”

“Wow! How lovely! What a style….Beautiful …Spectacular!!!……Loved da front side and rear side too… Heavens, I love this car! How’s it,mate?”

“????????” “!!!!!!!!” “??????”

Roads resemble puddles of water.
Low-lying areas, even worse.

Continuing with the tread of weird weather this summer, its been unusually cold over the past couple of weeks and this last 3 days its been raining continuously. Most of the state of Andhra Pradesh is affected by this consistent downpour for the past week.
Rivers are overflowing. Some districts are flooded.
Most reservoirs are full and are reaching alarming levels threatening the low-lying areas on the other side of the dams. Its a combination of monsoons with a cyclonic storm and black clouds are just up there and been pouring and pouring.
As far as Hyderabad is concerned, the road i use to go to work has suffered a lot of damage. cracks and break s have surfaced all over the place. It is very difficult driving as there is water everywhere an dyou dont know where is the break or a deep crack in the road.
Thankfully there hasnt been much wind, so electricity seems to largely unaffected in most parts of the city.

I wanted more rain(for the farmers) in this blog few weeks ago. Now I want it to stop. Enough already.