Dear Colleagues
Ides of March have begun, and summer is approaching fast; another round of random reflections for your perusal:
- Taxi stands in cities like Delhi and Bengaluru disappeared some years ago as hailing Uber became popular. Of late, delays and cancellations in Uber system have become widespread. Hence, I was pleasantly surprised to find blue/white taxis waiting at stands or street corners in Mumbai. The driver was courteous, told me the fixed price (which seemed reasonable) and knew the local city roads. Not only was there no hassle about fare or directions, but interesting local stories about passengers was also a bonus.
- Post-Covid, Goa had become the place to move to from all parts of the country. Its ‘charm’ seem to comprise of various real and imaginary attractions. So, while dining in a local restaurant, I discovered that the cook was from Odisha, the servers from Assam, the bartender from Mizoram and a front cashier from Bengal. However, local taxi cartels are all controlled and managed by local Goans. And taxis may cost more than hotels or flights; such is the monopoly of these local cartels; and Uber/Ola are not allowed in Goa.
- From mid - January to mid - March, serious traffic diversions and road closures in Delhi occur perpetually, every year. National events, festivals and conferences occur in this period. And VVIPs from around the world ‘visit’ Delhi during this period too. Consequently, mobility of local citizens, students and workers is hugely disrupted continuously. In addition, political rallies, politician ‘ceremonies’ and weddings (with big barats) jam roads in most local neighbourhoods. Nearly 20% of all working days are ‘shut down’ in Delhi, it is estimated. No one cares about citizens!
- At the turn of the millennium, three separate states were formalized in India. Uttarakhand got Dehradun as its capital. Jharkhand’s capital is Ranchi. Raipur became the capital of Chhattisgarh. Within this period, new populations and constructions crowded out Dehradun. Ranchi faced similar fate, and its winters dried out. Similar fate awaits Raipur now, where traffic jams and pollution are beginning to match Delhi ‘standards.’
- The British administration system introduced the practice of maintaining files in all its colonies. We are all too familiar with green paper inserted in a file, tied with a string, in various government departments. In modern era, digital files have become common. But ‘Files’ have a long tradition of storing mysteries too. Remember movies like The Odessa Files, Bengal Files, Kashmir Files and ‘scandals’ like Rangoon Files, Keeler Files, Wiki-Files, Panama Files? Current ‘season’ belongs to Epstein Files!
Stay well, sincerely
Dr. Rajesh Tandon
