20 June 2007

INDIA OVERLOAD - A LITTLE ADJUSTMENT

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This is India, i missed this boat and took the next one which was as overloaded as this one. Yes there have been accidents. They happen everyday but still you can't stop these people. They want to reach, no matter how. They don't complain. They adjust. i adjust, we all adjust. If you can't adjust or refuse to adjust, you can't live in India, and seek comfort abroad. Comfort is in our minds. Living in India with a happy frame of mind is not difficult. Its all about ADJUSTMENT, and a great deal of PATIENCE. This is our culture. i love being here and i would die here.


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These people are on their way to a religious festival at Ramdeora, Rajasthan. They want to be there. Nothing can stop them. They are determined. This is the strength of India. i am happy because i see the postive side of everything, a little adjustment of attitude. A little.


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This is my city of Chennai, we learn to adjust right from our childhood. This little girl is just doing fine. There is no fear or panic on her face, is there ? She is calm.


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There is risk involved everywhere. But we all take risk everyday.


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These vehicles are built strong and they are pushed to the limits. All the vehicles that you see here are made in India.


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i just can't believe how this vehicle is on the road. They are all very comfortable, you can see one chap so relaxed that he is smoking. They all help each other. They all want to reach some place.


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Happy happy happy ???

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OWEE ! an unwilling passenger there.


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Keep your eyes on the road, please keep your eyes on the road for god's sake don't pose for me.
No they would not listen. You can feel free and take pictures without any hesitation. We Indians love to be photographed.

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Ah! she knows that i am taking a picture. sweet isn't she ? barely out of school. Girls are not behind. They have the courage to deal with all the chaos.


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i got in to a contraption like this in Lucknow. Three fourth of me was outside the vehicle you can see my knee here

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i could just bend and pick up these vegetables while the contraption was on the move. Till i reached i did not know who was driving this vehicle.

i knew only one thing. i was not driving it.

where are the brakes ?
what brakes ?
Om Ram ! yes it is written here in Hindi.
God takes care of the brakes.



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This is life, and i love it.

67 comments:

Leila said...

It would seem that, here, we expect the world to adjust for us, and have forgotten the subtle art of adjusting to fit in. Because in essence, that's life, adjust or die..

Glad that you do it so willingly, Rauf :) Wish everyone did.

Swathi Sambhani aka Chimera said...

how do u come up with these amazing photographs?

but sometimes looking at all the accidents i think that it is not something that we need to be so proud of.

Ruth said...

I'm finally beginning to understand you and why you have humongous posts with many photos. Nothing else would suit your place. If I went there and posted one photo, or two, it would be an American in India. You show us so much because there is so much to see.

I think you would have a hard time adjusting to the US, rauf. It is too clean and sterile, very little color on the streets, all very neat and tidy (with exceptions, obviously). I think you might be bored.

That is not to say I would not welcome you with a parade if you visited! But you would go through culture shock, just as I probably would going to Chennai.

Beautiful post. Thank you.

Vishesh said...

lol rauf

namma chennai ya i love the train stuff....its cool...

hmm..ya we indian's know how to adjust...:)

rauf said...

Laila, you are always touch the nerve. So much depth in your words.

Things are far from perfect in my country Laila, i ruin my day if i keep complaining and i would forget to enjoy my life. Dreaming about perfect life in some paradise would not help me, i'll be asking for misery. So i join the crowd happily
i am not alone, there are more than a billion with me.

rauf said...

Zahe' Naseeb, your Majesty Princess Chimera, Thank you so much.

No political party or system runs India. India runs by itself, with bleeding injuries, fractured legs, shooing away the vultures. Its still alive. You have seen the life in 'developed countries' and you know where 'progress' is taking us. We adjust to what ever we have. 90% of our people are eco friendly and they do not drain the earth's resources. This is something to be proud of, regardless of our poverty.

rauf said...

Ruth, you know that i have no passport or desire to go anywhere out of my country. But i have this 'tamanna' to meet you one day. (plea + ambition + desire, ) Urdu has some beautiful and extra ordinary words. You know me more than my own sisters by now. More than the culture the parade welcome would shock me most.

just 300 million people in a huge country makes a great difference. India is a smaller country with more than 1 billion people. Adjustment is the only way to live here. Those who refuse or cannot adjust have to seek comfort in the west. i find my happiness being with the crowd at one end and go to places where no one goes is the other end of my happiness.

rauf said...

Vishesh, what train stuff ?

i have an army of nephews and nieces. Welcome to the family Vishesh

Ruth said...

I think that when I hear Paul Simon's song "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" when LadySmith Black Mambaza sings "tanana, tanana" I will always hear "tamanna" now. The word is beautiful and its meaning even more so. I guess I am just going to have to go to India since I have tamanna too.

I guess you are a balance of introvert/extrovert. Need time with people and time without them. Me too.

Tea said...

Hi Rauf :)

Amazing pictures! Yes, adjusting is an important part of life.

tea
xo

mystic rose said...

love this post. makes me nostalgic!

hmmm... i cannot say ive traveled like this in India, Ive lived a very sheltered life.. :), most girls do that I believe. although Ive been to places.

mystic rose said...

I mean travel travel...
not the school college kind.
ive done that bike scooter zipping in and out of traffic myself.. enjoyed that immensely in fact.

katy said...

gosh i just cant beleive how many people get onto one vehicle, the boat is almost sunk!
but everyone looks so happy

Cuckoo said...

Once again !!! The pictures are fascinating.

Don't you think we all experience all these daily but fail to notice just b'coz they've become part of our day to day life ? Nothing to worry about... sab chalta hai. Everything is normal attitude.

Thanks for sharing.
And one more thing.. Do people always allow you to click? When I click generally they stare at me. ;)

Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

Ah... Raufie dear, your love for India is totally contagious!

My motto has been "If it floats or flies I'll get on in"...
It appears that in India the national motto must be "If it moves I'll get on it.
A wonderful collection again and, why would they mid being photographed?
They all look beautiful.
I have always admired how clean everyone looks and how white the whites are, even on the road...

You are right, people are not "panicked" - you live in a very "physical" society. Everyone needs to support one another.

In North America we have the "3 feet rule" we learn as immigrants and refugees, mostly those that attend “settlement” workshops, as the respectful space to be maintained for the other person's comfort…

Not quiet the same for either the Hungarian or the Latin American bunch!

Now I find out at your profile that you are ALLERGIC TO INTELLIGENCE AND WISDOM.

Love ya and hug ya... :)

rauf said...

Ruth, never heard of Lady Smith Black Mambaza but loved the Graceland song. It was recorded during the Apartheid period and became a hot debate in the UN General Assembly. 'Tamanna' is not exactly a plea but the wish you seek from God + Desire + ambition.

i had to search for this + sign on the keyboard. i don't use it often.

rauf said...

Thank you T & M, We make life difficult for us if we refuse to adjust, we have to make compromises. as Laila says we can't expect others to change or adjust to suit ourselves. Its a tragedy that women are more often expected to adjust and change which i furiously protest.

rauf said...

Mystic Rose Mystic Rose, You are lucky lucky, Vizag is pretty well organised, perhaps you are not aware that things have further improved and organised of late even with increased flow of traffic. Condition of the roads has improved they are beautiful everywhere, the one along the beach is a dream road. Some poorly made sculptures have come up in order to beautify an already beautiful city. Riding on scooter in Vizag is a sheer pleasure. But you need a good and powerful scooter to ride on uphill roads. No wonder you enjoyed it.

rauf said...

HER INDOORS, there have been many tragedies, one in Kerala recently when nearly 40 people died. Still you can't stop these people.
boat rides in Kerala, even with a crowd is a sheer joy. i have not posted any pictures of Kerala waterways so far. i'll post them soon.

rauf said...

Cuckoo Cuckoo, oh yes, thoda adjust kar lo, adjustments have gone into our system, its our way of life, its our culture. The best example is Bombay City, sorry Mumbaai, and the suburban trains. They are a lesson for the entire world to learn. i love Mumbaai and its ever adjusting and accomodating people.

sandy said...

What an incredible journey you took us on...thanks!!! sandy

rauf said...

Cuckoo sorry missed the last part.

No, This is India, people love to be photographed, i do it without hesitation, never had any bad experience, Hey hammari bhi phottoo lo, and i take. i show the pictures on the camera screen.

If you happen to be on the site of a bank robbery where the robbers are running with the loot, if you take the camera out, they will stop fall over each other to pose for you.

i go to the markets of every city town or village. i walk through the garbage. Rajasthan is a sheer delight, things are same everywhere actually.
Click, don't look at them, keep walking.

Hyderabad is a riot. they come and stand infront of the camera to be photographed.

rauf said...

oh ! you have noticed my allergies dearest Angel, have you noticed i have added a line in the template right under the tree ?

Everything drags in India Angel, we have two wheelers three wheelers four wheelers, two and a half wheelers three and a half wheelers. Everything runs. and people use them. My state of Tamil Nadu is considered to be a 'prosperous' state. Up north, in Bihar, W.Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, one look at the bus you would wonder if you would ever reach your destination in one piece. But people pile on, they adjust.

most of the marriages in India are just adjustments. This is the reason why there are fewer divorces
here when compared to the western countries. Unfortunately it is the women who adjust more than the men.
lots of love and hugs Angel

rauf said...

Thank you Sandy, life is a huge adjustment here.

Anonymous said...

Rauf your photos are always exceptional but this particular series is a beauty! I'm in awe both at the quality of the photos and the creativity of the vehicles.

rauf said...

oh Nathalie! feel so guilty, feel sorry for myself that i can't keep up with your level of energy of posting daily pictures.
i have not been visiting daily photo blogs. i know that i am missing a lot. Its not just the pleasure of seeing excellent pictures but they are educative as well. i sincerely apologise. i am too old and don't want to spend much time on the computer. your page is such a pleasure. i am not complaining about lack of time, most of the time i am sitting and doing nothing. i simply don't have the energy. i have to aplogise to Isabella as well.

Thank you so much for taking your time to visit and thanks for your patience too. this page takes too long to load

Kathy Trejo said...

Hi Rauf :)

Pretty girls on that pink motorBike. I bet they enjoy running around on those wheels! You are wonderful Rauf...you enjoy crowds, people and helping one another! awesome photo taking too (((Hugs)))

Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

Yes, Raufie I noticed
both the header and the sidebar.....

Incidentally, when we have accidents in vehicles carrying farm workers, they are ususally
(driver as well as passangers) from India and due to brake failure!

Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

Oooops!
Lots of love and hugs

FOUR DINNERS said...

Completely enthralled old bean

A new ambition has emerged. Meeting Tideliar and Music Girl (links on my blog) on Monday.

Met Donna and Kat (links on my blog) already. But only here in England. Donna and Kat live here and Tidy and Music Girl are over from the States.

I want to meet all my blog friends. Experience what they do.

You're on the list Rauf. High up and all.

You live in an extraordinary country and I want to see it and experience the amazing life that is India.

I retire in 5 years at 55. I'm coming then if not before.

Hope you won't mind me popping over. I must. I have to. So much I havent' seen.

rauf said...

Hi Kathy, oh yes 'girls just wanna have fun' - Cindy Lauper Song

Actually its all over the world, women are expected to change and adjust more than men, but more in India. Life becomes difficult without adjustments. Even if i give it all up and go live in a forest, i'd be an intruder thare and i'll have to adjust. So no escape.
Hope things are fine Kathy, please give my love to Richard and Marcey
*love and Hugs*

rauf said...

dearest Angel, Are there any Indian farm workers ? Never heard. i have heard of Indian farm workers in the Carribeans, who are settled there for a couple of hundred years.
lots of love and hugs

rauf said...

FOUR DINNERS, what a pleasure it would be, too glad to be your host mate, there would be some room when my old house is rebuilt, going to take another three months. October - February is a great time to visit. Festivals, migratory birds, music dance concerts. Please bring Caz and Jax along.

Here in Chennai people are afraid to meet fellow bloggers who live in the city. i would love to meet but i see a wall.

All Smiles!! said...

Amazing post Rauf!! made me all nostalgic..."Comfort is in our minds" - How true!!

rauf said...

Where ever we are, we have to make some adjustments ~ALL SMILES~ Complaining only ruins our day.

Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

Not only poor farm workers but also big landlords - Indians are buying out a lot of the orchards in the Okanagan Valley. They work hard - no doubt. There are turbans and saris flowing from unexpected corners of my eye...
Trust me.

There are Indians here in British Columbia since the 18oo too, as a matter of fact just recently the Indo-Canadian community was demanding the GOv. apologize for turning back a ship full of immigrants ... I wish I would have paid better attention...

Was witness of an elderly Indian man speaking in his language to a young clearly Indian young man on the bus - the young man - annoyed - turned at him and rudely said: I am Canadian I only speak English
No comment.
The week before same situation with a buts driver. In this case the bus driver himself still had quiet a strong accent demanding the passenger speak English to him.
This elderly gentleman subsequently asks two young women who responded and help him.
Even I knew what he wanted (and I don’t speak the language)... to get to Gilford Mall in North Surrey!

HUG

rauf said...

Good information there dearest Angel, Indians normally adjust to any situation. My friend's children in US don't speak any Indian languages. i object to that and tell the parents to speak to their children in Indian languages at home. Those children born abroad are a confused lot. Caught between east and west. poor chaps. They are foreigners everywhere, even when they come to India.
lots of love and hugs Angel

Anonymous said...

Sweet post, Pomsie ! Miss good ol' Madras so much. Was giggling so much when i saw that Pallavan transport bus; remembering the times when i was hanging out of the bus, holding on for dear life, and I was barely 13 ! Those were the days, my friend :) Hope you are getting better, Poms *Lots of love and hugs*

isa said...

Rauf, my dear friend, please accept my humongous apologies for not visiting in quite a while!
To quote Emily Dickinson "To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else."
I'm considering suspending my own blog, because I canot find enough time to do quality posts and vsit my blogger friends...

Glad to see you well and traveling again. Who said: "Life is a book and if you don't travel you only read one chapter"? Well, you, my friend, are well past the saga category ;-)

Your photos are mind blowing for someone like me and clearly show that creativity and the indominable spirit rule in India!

I know how much you love your country (dare I say love/hate?), but I would like to know if you you ever wished to live anywhere else in the world?

Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

I decided I will take a couple of days to takes pics on a couple of area bus routes - it is fascinating!

Languages: the more you speak the richer you are.

Some immigrats have been shamed in the past for not speaking English, but since the early 70's through the "Fed. Gov. MUlticultural programs, the individual heritage keeping, including ones language, has ben strongly encouraged and even financed to a great extent.

I assume that there must be peer pressure in school not to identify as different - although Seikhs wear their head dress and well as kirpans and Muslim girls theirs, all colourful, along with the tattos and gang ID's ... strange world...

So, I don't understand this loss of language - totally shameful.
There are Hungarians here that don't speak Hungarian anymore but, neither do they speak a good English.

Anyway dearest Raufie, take good care and have yourself, along with all at the house, a great weekend

Cynnie said...

I want to see india one day..
i've been fascinated with your country for decades.

beautiful photos !

makes me want to see even more..
I'd meet you in a minute!

rauf said...

dearest Angel, never heard if tattoo IDs, news for me. In India you can get your driver's liscence without stepping on to the road or without touching the steering wheel of the car. i am not surprised people carrying false documents, you can buy them.

Its sad that people forget their own mother tongue and they don't speak the same with their children.
Children are under pressure at school, but they adapt themselves better than their parents.
Every community seeks a different identity. In India you are a Tamilian you are a Malyali or a Bengali but not an Indian. India is a land of wonder.
Enjoy the weekend Angel
lots of love and hugs

rauf said...

CYNNIE, Hiyee ! First time ?
Welcome to 'DaylightAgain' Cynnie,

i'd be too glad to be your host. October to February is the best time. Lots of colour, festivals, birds, music dance. Welcome to India

rauf said...

Sweet ISABELLA i am guilty too, you have immense energy Can't keep up with your pace, besides, i've been traveling a lot. Going again in a few days.

i have dropped many books after reading one chapter. list of dropped books is longer than full books i have read. Don't quote Emily Dickinson, she is wrong.

i don't even have a passport Isabella and i don't wish to live anywhere else and i love my country with all its injuries and fractures and infections. i love the people more than the place. Determined and ever adjusting people are the strength of the country.

Hope you are doing fine Isabella Only recently i learnt how to type bold letters in the comments, so i am flaunting my recently aquired knowledge at you. No need to tell you to enjoy the weekend, you always do.
lots of love

rauf said...

Gorgeous Boo kya reee Ghodee ? why you latking in the bus ?? you always woke up late, Somberi, thats why, idiot. But it was fun. Dangerous though. i don't see chokrees latking in the bus, Romeos like me always let them in and make them comfortable.

See your picture in PORTRAITS. Eat well, and keep drinking lots of water.
ummmmmmmmmmmas reee meri piyari Booey !

Pingu said...

Dear Rauf Uncle,

All this while I've been hunting for a word that I could use to best describe your blog and all your posts. Forgive me, my vocabulary is limited - 'Profound' was the closest I could get.

As I was reading this particular post I could hear Manna Dey's voice in my ears –

"Phir bhi hai yahi tamannaa tere jarro ki kasam
Hum jahaan paidha huye us jagah hi nikele dum..."

Hauntingly beautiful song and it has the word 'tamanna' too!

The comment section of your blog is as much a delight to read as your posts are.

I'm labelled a ‘weirdo’ by the majority of the people of my age because of my indifference towards 'U.S mappillais'(:-p)and to the idea of settling down in a faraway land that is less polluted, less populated, more sophisticated, cleaner, greener...

Travelling abroad, visiting new places, meeting new people, learning about different cultures does broaden one's ideas and beliefs, and I'm all for it but I couldn’t stay there forever. I'd always want to come back home.

I haven't travelled the length and breadth of India like you have. I have lived all my life in two cities in India - Delhi and Madras. But the little that I have seen of our country (esp. my home town Madras)and our people in the past 23 years and everything that I've learnt from my parents' accounts of their experiences over the years, make me want to sing the same lines as the Kabuliwala...

Of course, I do complain at length about the bad roads, pollution, lack of civic sense, the flawed system...but inspite of everything, nowhere else do I get the feeling of security and belonging that this place gives me. Inspite of everything, I'd echo Judy Garland's lines from the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' - "There's no place like home!"

Lots of love,
Pingu

P.S: I was trying hard to catch a glimpse of Rauf Uncle and all I managed was a glimpse of a blue denim clad knee!

rauf said...

Piyari Pingu Bitiya,
i went silent after reading your first lines, you brought tears to my eyes, its such an emotional and heart wrenching song, Manna Dey at his best. Flash back of my childhood appeared when i closed my eyes. you must've read Rabindarnath Tagore's 'Kusum' and 'Kallicharan'
too, Kabuliwala is one of the short stories, Bimal Roy's film. a beauty. Balraj Sahni was a gentle giant of Indian Cinema. You should see him in 'Anuradha' With Leela Naidu, a very gentle 'kasak' in the heart. How would you translate kasak in English bitiya ?, my english is so poor.

I always buy a copy of 'Gitanjali' and give it to my friend's children who grew up abroad. I ask them, have you read it ? No, we don't have time. Still i don't give up.
I yell at my friends for not speaking to their children in indian languages. What can the poor children do when English becomes their mother tongue. Mummies get more firangi.

You are so sweet bitiya, you sent me reeling, yes, green card holding 'maapillai' is
most sought after property. Mothers bring their daughters for taking pictures, i am considered lucky, 'you took pictures of so and so and she got married in 3 months. i tell them i know where these pictures are going.
I still don't know what 'better life' is. if i can get good sleep in a 'jhonpdi' is good life for me. Yes there is no place like home. Feel like carrying you on my shoulders and walk through forests, show you the animals tribal villages. i love villages rani bitiya, next post is on Andhra village called pochampalli.
i just love it here , i don't even have a passport and refusing to have one.

i am sadak chaap bitiya, you can see me sitting at the door of a train in a post
'eight rupee pleasure'

http://whitesroad.blogspot.com/2006/09/eight-rupee-pleasure.html

please don't be scared, i am dreadful. i'll mail you one but i don't find any mail ID of yours, i am dying to see your picture too bitiya. We'll meet soon, i have no walls and i have lots and lots of time.

sab se' piyari subha teri, sab se' rangeen teri shaam, tujh pe' dil khurbaan'

i remember that at every sunrise and and sunst i see.

all my love rani bitiya, please give me regards to mom and dad. they are so lucky to have you.
started typing at 5 now its 5.50 in the morning, i know you wake up late on sunday mornings. Have good rest bitiya, you need it. 'Software coolie ' really sent me rolling.

zzz-writer said...

truly loved every bit of this post.
your understanding of life is inspiring me...
tell me rauf, what is it that is indispensable in life for you?

rauf said...

~ZZZ~, Aiyoo JEEJEE WRITERS, you puttings me in so muchee dippiculty, i don't know what meens indici what ? Indispensible( i copied your spelling, i think i can't even do right copying) in dichipanchibole
dippicult word never used it. so much freedom in saying 'i don't know' i am not ashamed of my ignorance. there is so muchee i don't know.

My mom said i would have died immediately or within a week of my birth, When ever i was on my rotten behaviour she used to tell me. She kept me close to her body, kept me warm for a month in the hospital, without sleeping, never seperated me for a minute. i loved her to bits. So my entire life is a bonus for me. so i had to live to make many people angry and miserable. some people pull their hair when they see me. i am a big trouble a menace to the society. then i would have lost my life many times, twice this year. so everything is bonus for me.
no expectations, when you smile, its a bonus for me and it sends me flying. i expect indifference and selfishness, but i experience so much of help and caring here in this country that life is a paradise for me. my paradise is right here. i don't look up. So i love being a sadak chaap.

rauf said...

~ZZZ~, Sorry, forgot the main issue. i write only the words i speak in my normal vocabulary, yes i have used the word vocabulary, but indispensable, not sure i must have used some word for it, something i can't do without.

i am very arrogant, i smoke, never even tried to give it up, passioante hatred for some things.
i can live without music and books, though i carry them with me. i am still thinking what could be indispensable. i don't know, i think that was my first reaction, 'i don't know'. When i thought about it for a while, i came the conclusion that i don't know. So all the thinking was of no use. i know that i don't have a clean head. Nothing is indispensable

Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

Indispensable?
Love, nothing else.

With a good enough reason, I could walk out my front door leaving everything behind - since 2000 - and it would be OK

Love and hugs.

zzz-writer said...

rauf jee (i wonder how do i make it RD ;)
well with your reply(s), now i forgot what i asked!!!
but its just fine....yes just about fine...probably the key is to be just that - hanging on and enjoying!!!
take care

Gledwood said...

Hi Rauf! How's it going!? Those photos are fantastic as always ... can I ask you a question while I'm here ... do you know the village of Mamalapuram? It's about half an hour south of Chennai and famous for the stone cutters and Krishna's Butterball/etc ..? Did this place get hit by the great tsunami a few years back? I'm not asking for the sake of it, I stayed there a few years ago and had a brilliant time. The fact that it might have got hit by that wave has preyed on my mind ever since but I never knew anyone to specifically ask ...

rauf said...

dearest Angel, no, love fades, it goes out, so is passion.
Not even family, though it is hard to think of staying away from them.
Things keep changing, priorities keep changing, values keep changing. Pride yes, but my pride has taken a beating many times.
Big Hug Angel

rauf said...

~ZZZ~, you asked what is indispensable. i would have chosen not to come into this world, but no choices were given. No one is decorating this world by staying here. Love compassion and kindness, ultimately has no meaning if you keep the 4.7 billion years of history in mind.
In the short duration of our life which is less than a second, love kindness and compassion means a lot. So hang on and enjoy. You are right.

rauf said...

Hi GLEDWOOD, Tsunami was strange. Some areas of Chennai were hit. My nephew was playing on the Santhome beach and nearly lost his life. The next Thiruvanmyoor beach was not hit, Mahabalipuram also was not hit. Pondicherry was affected and Nagapattinam suffered the maximun damage.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

a great collection , Rauf.

Sharon said...

Looking at these photos of your culture is amazing.

So colorful!

You can see the will & determinations on each face!

rauf said...

Thank You MOI

rauf said...

Yes Sharon, they are a determined lot. Politicians misuse this mass strength of these people and they are often misguided, causing communal riots. Rajasthan by and large is a peaceful state with no history of any serious disturbances. But last month one community turned violent causing extensive damage.

Strength and determination of the people so far has not been directed to a proper productive channel.

Anonymous said...

Hi Rauf ! ! ! !
India Overload is really toooooo much !! ! ! We are like this only. A little adjustment, you said ? I dont think we even remotely think of the word adjustment when we go through all this.
But this is the India we all know. If it was any other way surely we will fumble. Some may call this tolerance. You see, I always like to say - if our water was too clean we may actually fall sick drinking it.

Anonymous said...

This is T S Ramesh ! ! I am the 'Anonymous Said' posted comment at 2.57pm 27 June. But i am NOT anonymous. I forgot to type my name, that's it.

bye
T S Ramesh
tsr.tsramesh@gmail.com

rauf said...

Ramesh, truly anonymous, where are you ?

No one knows my feelings better than you do. My life has been only adjustments, You may accuse me of not adjusting to certain things like pulling my hair, screaming and fainting while watching 'Shivaji the boss' i simply avoid such situations, for my own safety.

Anyone's life is merely adjustments. We have to accept things we can't change. But higher level of adjustsments are required to live in India, which we do willingly and happily without any protests. Adjustments is a way of life here. We have become immune to many things , as you say very clean water may even kill us. We have become used to adulterated food. Clean organic food may make us sick. i find comfort while standing in a crowded train with no elbow room. Comfort is in my head. i can make my life unpleasant by not accepting our way of life, and not tolerating the garbage stink.

Cindy said...

It's amazing- all that overcrowding everywhere and no one looks rude or impatient. Here, people would be flipping out and committing road rage. And, your pictures are beautiful, as always. It's such an experience to be able to see India through your pictures. We watched a documentary on tv the other night about India and it took place in a city I know you've shown pictures of on here. Even though the odds were astronomical and ridiculously so, I was watching for you in the crowds they kept showing, lol...

rauf said...

Hi Cindy, Some more adjustments in my next post. A vast majority of the people have very soft nature and the politicians have taken them for a ride for a long time. i am there in the crowd Cindy, walking with them living with them.

Bombay Girl said...

Heartwarming and so true.Thank you so much for stopping by and giving me the opportunity to see this page.

It reminded me of a similar experience I went through Rauf.I was hanging for life in rush hour while travelling on the bombay local trains and and old woman and a eunuch got hold of me and kept me standing.

There have been many such instances.I'd almost stopped believing in my city's 'warm and welcoming', 'Pulsating','City never stops'description.Then 26/7 happened.So much love and generosity.From total strangers expecting nothing in return.They threw their homes open for people who were walking all night to reach home so that they could rest or sleep or eat without hesitation.Those who were home made food and stood on the roads distributing food and water.It didn't stop for the 2 days under water.

I remember trying to go get my mom out from a place she was stuck at.And I had to cross this railway track which was overflowing with water at really velocity.The tracks had become rivulets!Water upto my neck I was scared as I followed the crowd.I stepped in and almost got swept away.

But then one hand held me and then another and then another.They held me secure with both my arms and passed me on like a baby with love.I was scared initially.These were unruly looking.The boys from many such slums in bombay who I had always looked down upon and thought of as a nuisance.These very people were standing across the flowing water for hours and had made human bridge to transport people.And they didn't harm me.Someone told me not to be scared and they passed me on from one secure arm and another to the other end like a baby.And they did the same for hundred before and after me.

These were people whose own shackled houses were under waters mind you and many of their families were sitting on the roofs.I had seen them all as I had passed by.Some holding their heads in their hands and some clinging to children or a few vessels and possessions they'd managed to salvage.

So much love.

rauf said...

You are hardly a Shrew, with a heart like that. Bombay is a city of life. My first day in Bombay is a horror story. Had to get off at VT and people pushed me back in and i nearly fell off the train from the other entrance, luckily my bag got trapped in the central bar. i was hanging out and four people lifted me up. lost my spects. Next day i became an expert, traveling in locals. i saw how people help each other in Bombay. They don't ask if you are a hindu or a muslim or a christian.
Helping is a way of life, and they are the most accomodating and adjusting people in the world. Bombay is a lesson for all humans.
Selfish politicians are doing their best to change that but they will fail. they can't change the hearts of people.

i broke off from the sheltered life at the age of 12, started traveling alone sleeping in railway platforms and bus stations.
After that i remained a sadak chaap
all my life. Eating road side food.
i see love kindness compassion on the streets, in the villages. That changed me. i don't like looking at poverty and suffering from my glass window, i'd like to join them. i hate to call you a Shrew, please change your display name.
all my love, we'll meet again