Blame it on the rain

It's just one of those mornings when you feel physically torn out of an incomplete slumber. The alarm rings and you press Snooze but stay awake, listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the window sill. No sign of the sun. Against your better judgment you slowly nod off again, but then make a giant effort and pull yourself out of bed.

You shower and dress in a burst of sullen energy. No shaving today. I may HAVE to go to work but damned if I'm gonna look my shiny best as well.

There's nothing particularly to cheer about in the morning newspapers either. The comics are stale, reruns from a forgotten age, and you wonder where all the good cartoonists have gone.

My daughter wakes up, as usual, on cue with her old man. I give her a baleful look- enjoy your sleep while you're still allowed to, kiddo, but she seems happy to follow me around as I dress. She also splashes my tea all over the couch and some of it on my trousers as well. Luckily they're brown so the stains won't show. I growl a little, but shut up when wifey points out that it was my fault for keeping a full teacup within arm's reach of a 16-month old. In my heart I know she's right but am loath to concede the advantage this early in the day.

Outside the sun has yet to make its maiden appearance of the day. K calls to say he's ready but no sign of S: coordinating this carpool is turning out to be a bigger problem than I imagined.

I dab my trousers with a towel, grab my lunch box and make a hasty exit. The little one's started to realise that goodbyes are sad occasions now. I can't handle any right now.

The traffic is the usual manic mayhem. Someone cuts me off and my mood turns another shade darker. The incessant chatter on the radio is getting my goat- I reach for my CD case and try to find something more suitable. Which is difficult when you're steering in bumper-to-bumper traffic near a busy junction. I pull out what I think is Guns n Roses and hand it over to K with a terse instruction to insert the disc while I regain my lost ground in the auto rat race.

Turns out it's not GnR but the Allman Brothers. Great. Looks like nothing's quite destined to go my way this morning.

A massive truck blocks the right lane as a policeman angrily beckons him to pull over by the side of the road. The honking behind me is unbearable. I turn up the volume to drown it out. Dickey Betts croons:
You're my blue sky
You're my sunny day

Yeah right Dickey. I peep out my window to check just in case but the dark clouds are still hovering, the atmosphere pregnant with all the anticipation of rain but none of the promise.

Lord you know you make me happy
When you turn your love my way
Suddenly the climate-controlled interior of my car doesn't seem so oppressive any more. I go down a notch deeper in my seat and raise the volume a little more.

Do you really count your blessings every day as you've promised yourself you would so many times? Think back to the early hours of pre-dawn when your little one slips her tiny hand under your side to keep warm. Think of the woman you love, who cheerfully packs you a low-fat lunch and boiled water at half past six so you don't have to expose your body to the germs that took you down not that long ago.

Glance around your car, your pride and joy when you bought it "with your own hard-earned money" all those years ago. Hard-earned? Really? You have a nice office, with good people around you and a boss who appreciates what you do.

Outside the rain begins to come down strongly now. The motorcyclists flee for cover, some of them taking shelter under an overbridge. Others not so lucky, or perhaps, not possessing the luxury of time, brave it out in the wetness and the muck. I set the AC to heat and realise the song has changed. Standard 12-bar blues now.

S. is half-asleep, K. in deep thought gazing at the wetness outside. I look at them with almost-fondness. They're not that bad at all- good company on the long daily commute, loyal chaps who're there when you need them.

The traffic moves slowly but steadily despite the rain. As we pull into the parking lot to the blazing twin guitar leads of Southbound, S. asks for the CD. I promise him I'll share the MP3s.

Fitting, I think.
---
Dedicated to my friend Amit the weatherwise

Renaming Bangalore- the solution to all our woes!

The Karnataka government has decided to implement a suggestion from Jnanpith awardee U R Ananthamurthy that the IT City, along the lines of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, revert to its precolonial Kannada name, 'Bengaluru.'
- Times of India, Dec 11 2005.

Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, never one at a loss for innovative solutions to complex problems, has devised a permanent solution to the IT city's infrastructure and developmental problems- and it's one that ordinary mortals could never have visualized: a name change. To mark the launch of Karnataka's Golden Jubilee year Suvarna Karnataka, Bangalore will be referred to officially as Bengaluru from 1st November 2006.

The name-change demand was placed by Ananthamurthy during an interaction between the CM and litterateurs on December 5 to chalk out plans for the celebration of Suvarna Karnataka. However, the renowned Kannada author seemed unhappy at Dharam Singh's choice of spelling, telling the Times of India, "The name should be Bengal-oo-ru." The CM spelt it out as Bengal-u-ru.

One can understand the distinguished gentleman's irritation- a momentous decision that has the potential to alter the destiny of the fastest growing metropolis in South Asia is not to be taken lightly. Sources close to nobody in particular have confirmed that the services of an astrologer, numerologist, tarot card reader and Ekta Kapoor have been engaged to help the process of finding the perfect name, spelling included.

Public reaction to the move has been near-unanimous: widespread elation. A student union leader, on grounds of anonymity, told this reporter that the renaming was "a solution to all the problems of our youth. Overnight, we should see the problems of unemployment, crime, caste discrimination and the Bermuda triangle disappear."

Tourism is expected to boom. "The intention is that even a foreigner who visits the city will use a Kannada-sounding word by calling the city Bengalooru," Ananthamurthy said. A few 5-star hotels and international airlines contacted by this paper hailed the development as "historic". A Bangalore-based liquor-baron-turned-aviator could not control his excitement as he yelled down the phone, "Just imagine, a move like this would have our new international airport up and running in no time!" Senior sources from the Department of Tourism confess that the unexpected move of renaming the garden city as a "stroke of genius that we should have thought of years ago" and state that the resultant boom in travel and tourism would give entrenched players like Tahiti, Singapore and Burkina Faso a run for their money.

Of course the cultural benefits of the renaming cannot be overstated. Ananthamurthy explains it perfectly, "The fact thatThe 'u' vowel distinguishes our language, just like the 'o' in Kolkata is distinct to Bengali. By adding the 'u,' even words like chair-u and table-u become Kannada." Little wonder that the renaming has sparked off celebrations in the Eastern city, and reports of solidarity rallies demanding the accession of Kolkata to Karnataka have started trickling in. A senior opposition political leader from the state endorsed this view, quipping, "Kolkata will put the "Bengal" in Bengaluru. We thank the state of Karnataka for giving us this wonderful opportunity."

The IT industry, described by some as the lifeblood of the city, is a strong supporter of the renaming. A legendary software entrepreneur described the renaming move as "far-sighted and inspiring" adding that his company would "not rest until we convert our entire code base from C++ to Kannada."

The market reacted positively to the news, the Sensex soaring to 10,000+ mostly powered by tech stocks. While the long-term benefits of the renaming are not even conceivable at this stage, the immediate fallout has had most Bangaloreans, or should one say Bengaluruloos, stunned. A long-time resident of JP Nagar rejoices, "Overnight our potholes have vanished and the Puttenhalli lake waters have now receded to pre-1979 levels!" Elsewhere in the city, the Indiranagar and Jayadeva flyovers have been completed, the Metro rail project has been infused with fresh life and the Peripheral Ring Road is ready for use. The only reason it's still closed is that there was no politican available for the inauguration, since all of them were busy at strategy meetings, dreaming up ways to claim credit for the renaming.

NRN quits BIAL over Deve Gowda's remarks

What's BIAL?

BIAL: Bangalore International Airport Limited, according to the Deccan Herald- The Bangalore International Airport Limited board, which comprises 14 members – two representing the Centre, three representing the State and nine representing private promoters – has been periodically analysing the progress of the airport work.

Also from the Herald
*Mr Murthy was in January, 2001 chosen to head the special purpose vehicle BIAL, with BPL Innovision Chairman & CEO Mr Rajeev Chandrashekhar named one of its three directors. Mr B K Das, then Principal Secretary — Infrastructure Development was named the third director.

* Even before his appointment as BIAL Chairman, Mr Murthy, in his role as Chairman of the Karnataka IT Task Force, had been calling for direct air connectivity between major international airlines and Bangalore.

* In December, 2003 BIAL Chief Executive Officer Mr Albert Brunner had on record lauded Mr Murthy’s efforts in the project’s progress.

* When the new State Government in 2004 decided to review approvals to the project by the previous S M Krishna Government, it was Mr Murthy who wrote to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, apprising him of the situation. The PM later sought a project report and asked Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to intervene.

Who's NRN and what's he got to do with BIAL?
Well... stupid question, but here's an external (fairly unbiased) look at the whole controversy, from FT UK

Why is there a controversy in the first place?
I think the Indian Express coverage sums it up nicely. I suppose this part really hurt:
Criticised for hindering infrastructure development in Bangalore, by the IT sector in particular, Gowda lashed out at Infosys: ‘‘Narayana Murthy has been Bangalore International Airport Limited chairman for five years. Why did it take him so long to get it moving? Murthy is a world traveller. He should be able to come up with a plan to decongest Bangalore’s traffic.’’

What's Infosys dong about the "land-grabbing" accusations?
Not too much, as it turns out. The landgrabbing accusation's taken a backseat to this BIAL thingie, at least for now.

Not that it has, but why would Infosys need to "grab" land in the first place?
Ahh...well. Land in Bangalore is at a premium thanks to the IT and BPO boom in the past decade or so. Unlike certain other companies which operate out of rented premises/ scattered locations in the city, Infosys has pursued a policy of large, US-university-style campuses not just in Bangalore, but across the country (talks are on to set up a 10,000 seater in Kolkata; and apparently 350+ acres have been procured in Mahindra City, Chennai as well; Trivandrum in Kerala is another proposed biggie). The current facilty in Bangalore started off as a single redbrick building in 1993 and has expanded to a beautifully landscaped, 70-acre campus that houses close to 15,000 employees across 40+ buildings today. Obviously, with 46,000 employees today and growing, the company needs more space to expand.

How has the world reacted to NRN's resignation from BIAL?
Predictably- with shock and indignation. Or, in the CM's case, with his usual unshakeable calm.

When reporters sought his reaction, Mr Singh said he had received the resignation letter on Thursday afternoon.

“I will contact him immediately and learn his reasons,” he said and added that certain issues should be “forgotten” while working for the overall welfare of the State. Stating that Mr Murthy’s contribution to IT in the State had been tremendous, he said, “I will convince him in this regard and solve the crisis in an amicable manner. I will even talk to Mr Deve Gowda, if need be.”

The chief minister denied that the crisis was the outcome of differences between the JD(S) and IT companies.

“The JD(S) is not against IT companies. In fact, Mr Gowda expressed satisfaction over the recent presentation on urban governance in the City. He had suggested that a team be sent to Rajasthan when it was told that a similar system was being implemented there.

It should not be interpreted as opposition,” he said.

On Mr Gowda’s letter regarding land allotment to IT companies, Mr Singh said the coalition government was answerable to the questions raised. “As the head of a coalition government, I may have to initiate an inquiry too,” he added. Meanwhile, the Deve Gowda camp remained cautious in its reaction to the development. When contacted, JD(S) spokesman Y S V Datta said Mr Gowda was yet to go through the contents of Mr Murthy’s letter and would react after that.

Industry Reactions
‘It’s shocking‘

BIAL Chief Executive Officer Albert Brunner expressed “shock and surprise” at the resignation of Mr Murthy.

Stating that it was a “great privilege” working with the Infosys chief, Mr Brunner said he would persuade him to withdraw the resignation. He confidence that the project would not be affected.

"It’s a really sad development. Mr Narayana Murthy had added a lot of value to the project. He played a major role in getting things forward, leading to the financial closure of the project. Now that the work on the airport is on the execution level, the project may not suffer per se. However, this is a situation which could have been avoided."
R K Misra, Vice President — Flextronics

"Mr Murthy has contributed a lot to the project. It’s unfortunate that he has to leave at this juncture. Though the airport has reached the execution level, the presence of a mature leader like him will still be missed. The ongoing tussle between industries and politicians is unfortunate."
C N Kumar, CEO — Advantage Solutions

"I’m disappointed at this turn of events. Having a person of his calibre in the team is always an asset. He has definitely been very influential in getting the project going. Animosity between the industries and politicians is not going to help Bangalore’s cause. What we should do is sit down and discuss issues across the table. That’s the only solution in sight."
Veera Raghavan, MD — Novell

There were a lot more (and better) reactions reported in today's Times of India, (which has been going about reporting this whole series of events with a sort of weirdly undiguised glee!), but I haven't managed to find them online yet.

Undone by a rolling pin

"Rolling pin" is one of those Enid-Blytonesque terms that sound a lot fancier than they actually are. A rolling pin is one of those cylindrical devices narrowing at both ends which you use to roll, more accurately laat dough. Laating is a very Indian concept, I suspect the Mexicans call it something else, but certainly "roll" does not do justice to the concept of laating.

So, anyway, a rolling pin is essentially a laatni.

And one of those buggers came crashing down on my poor car, parked nicely for the night in my very own basement parking space at my apartment complex. The rear window is now smashed to smithereens. You wouldn't imagine a tiny thing like that could wreak that kind of havoc, but it did.

We were at home getting a new broadband connection installed when this happened. Apartment security was as usual very helpful and professional. One of those guys who always turn up at incidents of this sort swore that he saw the weapon sail out of a kitchen window on the first floor of the adjacent block. So we marched up to their front door to investigate.

The moment the door opened, we knew we'd found our man. A rather blustering attempt at "Yes, what's going on?" didn't cut much ice with the missus, who produced- rather brandished- the laatni in his face, while asking in her most school-marmly voice, "Is this yours?"

The facade collapsed. His beady frightened eyes grew large as he repeatedly apologised for the rolling pin falling. Repeated questions from our side as to how it happened were met by a blank gaze. A toddler of the female persuasion poking her head around the wall provided the first clue. As far as I could gather, there are only 2 reasonable explanations that cover the fatcs somewhat:
1. The aforementioned toddler got her grubby hands on it and decided it was better off outside the kitchen;
2. Beady-eyes and his missus had a bit of a disagreement and decided to settle things by tossing projectiles at each other, one of which went awry.
Since there seem no obvious signs of any familial discontent visible, we are still sticking with explanation 1, i.e. work of the child. Rather futilely, for this wretched man was agreeing to whatever I said, a big dampener when you're trying to browbeat somebody, I attempted to explain to the fellow why this act of negligence on his part was so dangerous. Somebody could have been seriously hurt. Children play in the basement all the time. He was responsible for things flying out of his windows. My insurance company may not agree to pay for damage to glass parts, so I would have to bear the expenses. Surely he realised that he would have to bear that expense on my part?

He says he will. He agreed so readily thatI suspect:
1. he has no idea that it costs approximately 7500/- or more to get the damn rear windscreen replaced; or
2. he is a tenant serving out his last month and will be shortly vacating said flat with alacrity.

1. shall be communicated to him this evening in person. Having found out about it just this morning, it was not possible to inform him about it earlier and the blasted fellow has not even left a mobile number caliming he has none.
If 2. is true, then:
2 a. I am screwed
2 b. I will hunt high and low for the motherloving son-of-a-whatnot but I will still be screwed.

Some random thoughts that never got expressed last night:
What the hell kind of idiot allows kitchen utensils to fly out of their windows? What the hell kind of weasel sits quietly indoors after said kitchen utensil has exited his window? Was he hoping nobody would notice the large, slightly uneven hole in the back window of the car parked outside? Was he praying that this was all some kind of silly misunderstanding that would soon be cleared and he could go on with his insignificant little life?

Mr. Weasel, I'd feel a lot better if people like you took responsibility for your actions rather than burrow away into your little holes and act as if business is as usual. Some months ago, I was nudged in the back by a motorcyclist with a Punjab registration and my company's ID tag as I waited in bumper to bumper traffic on the way to work. Forget apologising, or even stopping to check if there was any damage, this slimy gook whizzed off with as much dexterity as his glorified moped would allow, dodging between vehicles before I even had a chance to lower my window. Not that there was any significant damage done, but can you imagine a situation where this nimrod actually hits someone on the highway? He'd probably be in the next state before the body grew cold.

I only pray that it's not mine.

The dog collar's back!

We have to wear ties from today. The 3-month waiver for tie-wearing is over. The week after June 15th is when we assume the weather magically changes from sultry to "salubrious", which is Bangalore's way of defining its own weather, never mind that the word sounds like somebody's been ejecting too many fluids.

I forgot, frankly. No number of Outlook reminders or mobile alarms will prevent "forgetting" to wear your tie on Monday#1. Having a wife, however, seems to be one of the foolproof ways.

Took more than an hour getting into work again today. But luckily dozed off during most of it. Hot=sleepy. Stuck for almost half an hour on Hosur Road again, which is nothing new. In fact it seems to have become a comfortable part of the routine now. I'd be in a panic if I reached 25 minutes earlier - wouldn't know what to do.

Did a lot of driving along the Outer Ring Road yesterday, the South-East corridor (Hosur Road, Sarjapura Road, Maratahalli- Mahdavepura, KR Puram-Old Madras Road sections, upto Banaswadi). The existence of that road is one reason we should cling on to hope, however slender. BDA has done itself and Bangalore proud. If only the Peripheral Ring Road project were to kick off sometime soon instead of always being the "proposed" PRR project. In one advert for an apartment complex, a builder referred to PRR as the "perpetual ring road". The irony was lost on most of the intended target audience, I imagine!

Why Hosur Road?

You'd think a blog with a name like "Hosur Road Traffic Jam Blues" would restrict itself to traffic jams on Hosur Road, but no! Hosur Road today represents the dichotomy that is Bangalore- a broad, 4-laned highway that leads the way majestically to massive campuses of some of India's finest IT companies; which also features the most horrendous traffic jams, accidents, breakdowns, road flooding and incidents of road rage- all thanks to a ubiquitous and utter disregard for the law and complete failure of the authorities ro provide even the basic infrastructure capable of sustaining high growth.

So this blog is going to be about Bangalore in general; in fact, it's about urban sprawls everywhere; cities unable to cope with their rapid pace of growth thanks to an indifferent, apathetic and completely opportunistic administration, so out of touch with what is good for the population that they find it quite convenient to just serve themselves and the rest be damned.

Nandan Nilekani, CEO of Infosys, a lifelong resident of Bangalore and one of the city's proudest sons, wrote a lovely piece in the Indian Express recently. Never overtly aggressive, the mild-mannered Nilekani epitomises the tolerant Bangalorean spirit, best captured in that tell-all phrase swalpa adjust maadi saar.

But for how long? The latest in a series of episodes that would be funny if they weren't so traumatic is the open conflict within the current coalition government on the much-vaunted Metro Rail project. While Deve Gowda, described with little irony by the mainstream newspapers as "the JD(S) supremo", has demanded the Metro project be shut down since it is "a ruinous expensive project which guzzles power and takes time to build, (d)uring construction (of which, it) plays havoc with the lives of citizens, uprooting shops, residences and even places of worship", his Congress counterpart and state CM Dharam Singh insists there is "no going back on the Metro rail project"

Hang on a minute here. When did this turn into an us-versus-them battle? Are we not on the same side for once? What is undisputable is that Bangalore's existing transport infrastructure is stretched. We need a fast, efficent and relatively cheap way to travel long distances otherwise before long there will be chaos. Whether this means buffering the (practically non-existent) terrestrial rail network or building an underground metro, on an elevated one for that matter, should be a matter for the experts to decide. Somehow you'd imagine that would include the government of the state that houses arguably the most progressive and fastest growing cities in the country today! Why then this completely unnecessary quibbling about which way is better?

The Metro rail proposal is nothing new--- I am sure endless commitees have sat on this and detailed feasibility and ROI studies have been undertaken before deciding to proceed with it. Why then should it be derailed (forgive the pun) at this critical juncture, i.e. just before work is to be commenced?

At the same time, I am unwilling to discount lightly the opinion of a seasoned local politician and a former Prime Minister at that! When examined dispassionately, Deve Gowda's comments make absolute sense--- what price are we willing to pay to make this ambitious- some say grandiose- plan a reality? Have we not learned from the Airport Road and Jayadeva flyover experience?

When I moved to Bangalore in 2002, the flyovers were touted as the solution to all of Bangalore's road problems. With much brouhaha and significant delays, the Silk Board junction flyover (the "gateway" to the IT corridor) was thrown open to the public one fine November morning (Rajyotsava Divas, or Karnataka Day, a rather obvious attempt at cashing in on cheap populism by an otherwise level-headed SM Krishna governement!) The first day, as we whizzed across in a matter of seconds, what used to formerly take nearly half an hour to traverse, we were so excited, it was the promise of a new tomorrow! We were free! Hosur Road's traffic woes were---- whoa, what the ---- TRAFFIC JAM!!!!

Obviously, whoever designed the (EXTREMELY expensive) flyover at Silk Board failed to take into account that not more than half a kilometre away was the extremely busy Bommanahalli/Begur Road junction that absolutely failed to derive any benefit at all from the new construction. In fact, if anything, it made things worse since now MORE people drove their cars to work instead of taking the bus, deceived into thinking that their traffic woes were no more. AND they got to the junction faster.

You'd think a traffic signal and a permanently stationed cop would be enough to manage the choas. But that'd be too easy. I am about to reveal Bangalore's most shameful secret, one that repeatedly gets in the way of its grandiose plans for development---- the authorities here are ineffectual! There I said it---and you can quote me.

This is the only civilised city in the world where I have seen vehicles moving on the wrong side of the road at high speeds with their headlights on high beam. The reason mostly is sheer laziness---- why take a U-turn up ahead when you can cut across and reach your destination by the straight line path? But the fact that the traffic policeman stands by doing nothing or at best waves a futile litle fist in your face as you smirk your way past has to figure somewhere in shaping that kind of warped motorist mentality, don't you think?

So anyway, we have these traffic lights which get switched off permanently in a matter of days because nobody bothers obeying them; we have a bunch of innocuous cops who try their best- bless them- but are unable in real terms to scare anyone into obeying the law; and we have this motley bunch of "volunteers" and "part-time traffic wardens" whom the IT companies further down the road have hired at their own expense, but whom everywhere knows not to have any authority worth enforcing, so they're pretty much a lonely lot waving their arms about and choking on exhaust.

The result- working hours get more and more flexible, most people leave home and office earlier and earlier to even out the flow, resulting in the road being pretty crowded throughout the day. A ban allegedly exists on movement of heavy traffic on this road and some others, but anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise.

But I digress---- my point is that no single initiative however well-intentioned is going to solve Bangalore's traffic woes, unless there is a concerted effort by all parties- government, bureaucracy, local authorities, police, public and industry- all acting towards a single purpose.

After all, isn't that what WE tell all our clients? "Our solution is not a panacea to cure all your ills; unless YOUR internal processes and people are aligned towards change, this will never be a success"?????

And frankly, watching two political heavyweights slug it out in public- one claiming vehemantly that the Metro is THE way out of our problems, the other equally vocal that it is NOT, is not inspiring much confidence.

Nightmare on Hell Street- 23 Feb 05

23 Feb 2005

07:00- Wake up 15 minutes before the alarm. Have sworn to myself will leave home on time to beat the crazy peak hour rush.

07:20- Having brushed, read morning paper flitting across the headlines and the business pages, waiting for bathwater to heat up.

07:45- Still flitting, all pages now. Bathwater still cold. Powercut.

07:55- Power's back but bathwater still cold. Take a deep breath and decide to revert to childhood habit of taking cold showers.

07:57- Out of shower. Childhood habits are best restricted to childhood.

08:06- Dressed. Teeth still chattering.

08:15- In my car. Objective of leaving on time achieved. Yay! With any luck, will be at my desk at 9:00

08:20- Jam on Bannerghata Road. Men at Work signs all over the place but no sign of them. With any luck, should be in office by 9:15.

08:40- Jam at BTM. Signals are in blinking mode. Where's the blinking traffic policeman when you need him, ha ha. A Yamaha tries to crawl his away out of the jam by riding across the top of my hood. Urge him to desist.

08:55- Power my way through by leaning on my horn and simultaneously raising Van Halen on the stereo to way loud. Patience is overrated. With any luck, will be at the office by 9:30.

08:59- Bellow a lusty laugh as I bully a moped into a sewer and swing right onto Hosur Road. ETA revised to 0920 hrs. It's a beautiful day.

08:59:30- Realise half a minute too late should have taken a detour. Nothing's moving.

09:10- Engines around me start switching off, the silence is ominous.

09:25- At Bommanahalli junction, G calls. Some satisfaction that he's stuck somewhere behind me.

09:28- The lane to my left starts moving. A scooter vanishes into the side gutter and miraculously reappears, though I can't see the pillion rider anymore. Hope the driver noticed.

09:34- Left lane still moving, presumably using all the vanished pillion riders' bodies as traction.

09:37- G calls again. He is now ahead of me, thanks to a combination strategy of driving the wrong way and ignoring everybody else. I toy with the idea of calling my Dad and cursing him for an upbringing steeped in ethics and doing the right thing.

09:51- My lane has now moved past Bommanahalli junction. Yay!

09:52- G calls yet again. He's at work already. The accident site is somewhere up front. With a complete lack of irony, G urges me to stay on the right side because the wrong side is already blocked by schmucks who didn't get lessons on ethics as kids.

09:58- I call my Dad and curse him for an upbringing steeped in ethics and doing the right thing.

10:01- The Matiz in front of me has 17 scratches on his bumper.

10:02:30- Actually it's 18. I missed one the last time.

10: 04- Van Halen gets boring on the third listen.

10: 06- Traffic in my lane starts moving. There is no left lane anymore because it's occupied by guys going the wrong way in the opposite direction. So now you have alternate lanes going in opposite directions on either side of the divider. Looks cool, wish I had my camera.

10:08- Have to stomp my horn because it looks like the grandpa in the Fiat ahead of me has chosen this moment to catch his morning nap.

10:09- Grandpa wakes up but Fiat does not. Pretend I don't see his arms flailing out the window asking me to stop. Clip one of nails in the bargain. Old people should not scream like that, it isn't dignified.

10:13- Cross the site of the accident. Trucks always break down in a way to cause maximum disruption. Is that a Murphy's Law? This one looks as old as screaming grandpa back there.

10:16- Another junction, no sign of the cops. On thinking it through, of course there are no cops, can't expect them to fly there can you? One of those volunteer E-city traffic scouts is trying to cope with the 4-way traffic and failing spectacularly. Wish again I had that camera.

10: 22- An 18-wheeler is headed at the junction from my right at approximately the same speed as I am approaching it. Debate all possible survival strategies and decide on what seems the best- close my eyes.

10:23- Eyes open now, still moving so I presume I either slipped under him or heaven isn't that different looking from Hosur Road.

10:28- Park in a surprisingly vacant looking lot at the office and head off to the tea-n-tobacco for a smoke, my first in months. Figure I've earned it. Hope boss doesn't miss me too much, but hope he'd understand, though he's a non-smoker.

10:31- Bump into boss at the tea-n-tobacco. He's smoking.