A Question of Safety?

        We are at a point in our lives where things are easy to come by. Our economy, educations and jobs have dictated a higher, if not healthier standard of living. To our immediately senior generation, buying a car was a stuff of dreams. They used to plan for years on end just to purchase their first automobile. Mostly it would have been Maruti 800, and indeed it was a joyous and special feeling to see your first car in the flesh, at the showroom waiting for delivery.

        But all this was way back in the date, today we are spoiled for choice and the options we have are quite endless, nobody in our position buys a tiny, entry level hatchback nowadays and that's a testament to how things have improved in such a short span.

        We as a nation of engineers personally witnessed immense growth. We are one of the largest producers, consumers and exporters of vehicles in the world, not to mention an engineering powerhouse. But do we really practice what we preach, at least when it comes to purchasing a car?

        As Indians, we look for the best bargain, infact Google had even released a report recently that we Indians do a lot of research about the products we're interested in before making a buying decision. Naturally that translates that we are very well-informed lot. But the sad truth is we're not. We only look at the bargain and fail to foresee the repercussions we might face at that cost. At least this is the mindset we have while purchasing a vehicle. How many of us consider important safety features such as airbags or ABS while making a purchase decision? Why hasn't the government made these features mandatory? Why are manufacturers deliberately avoiding these features in entry-level cars?

        We all should know how important safety features are in a vehicle. Safety is not something that manufacturers oversee or apply as an afterthought. They are integral to a vehicle system and its passengers. How the government's automotive regulatory board as skipped these mandatory considerations in vehicles is beyond me, but we can make a difference. Signing petitions is a good move, all manufacturers, engineering concerns and consumers can rally for this cause which might drastically bring down fatalities, but in India and its bureaucracy there's still a long road ahead. But it's also the consumer's responsibility to make sure that the car which he/she is going to purchase next is specified with safety features like ABS and airbags. General conjecture is that one might drive properly and safely and that those features are unnecessary, but be warned; the person driving opposite/next to you might not be a very good driver. Better safe than sorry. it's not just our life that you're endangering, but also that of a loved one. Maybe it's prudent to say that you can leave the crashing and crash testing to those crash-test dummies instead of being a dummy human.

Drive/Ride Safely. Wear Seat-belt/Helmet

Living is an Art-2

Contd..

         On the second morning, I was out to have breakfast. As it was Hilly area getting on to the stairs and down has become somewhat difficult due to adverse effect of my routine daily life, because, even if I need to go to neighboring seats at work area, I would move on the chair itself, which indirectly indicates me as Lazy as Sloth. I thought this might be the reason which makes the way hard and I moved ahead. The kitchen was very large and solar panels on the roof were appealing to the apparent power generated through them is used for kitchen. I had my favorite dish Upma, coconut chutney and chocolate flavored Ragimalt. The majority of the things in the kitchen were done by social enthusiasts. Food from Ashram is supplied to few schools nearby which made me Exclaimed. Food here serves essential nutrients to the body which is very good vegetarian diet.

          As per schedule we reached Shankar Mahal for the course. We introduced each other with the Sanskrit word "Sangashchatvam" (Which meant Lets move united) not with the usual Hi Hellos. finally the word is going to make the contact . Teachers named Pankaj & Vasanthi came to our group. they taught very well explained very patiently.

     Then coming to the core content of the course, they taught us few yogasanas as part of warm up. They taught Pranayama, three-tiered pranayama, Bhastrika Pranayama and sudarshanakriya. All of which are the process of breathing To provide enough oxygen to the body. One should experience the feel it gives.

       This course is not defined to promote any culture or religion but, main intention is to teach knowing yourself. To enjoy each second of life at that particular point of time. Even if you are Mafia Don, Do your work with dedication and enjoy it.

Just to Say Hello!!!

          We are living in a world which has large platforms to connect with large networks. There is Yahoo! Messenger, Skype, Google Hangout, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Blackberry Messenger and not to be missed WhatsApp. Using all this almost makes one run of things to say but not the desire to talk. A few typical conversations:

WhatsApp.

He: Hi

Me: Oh hi, nice to hear from you after a long time – how are you?

He: All good

Me: (silence) How are you? (Question repeated)

He: Good.

(Last seen at 3:22 PM)

Me: (more silence) ok, Bye.

He: Bye.

Remember it was he who told me hello first.

Skype. (on an incoming call)

He: Hey, you there?

Me: Yes. What time is it there?

He: 11:30 PM

Me: Oh – it is 7:30 AM here. How come so late at night?

He: I saw you on line.

Me: Oh oh – emoticon of raised eyebrows!!!!

He: Ok – I need to go to sleep

Me: Good night

He: Good-day!!!!!

Facebook. (a ping)

He: Hey, are you in Office?

Me: No, I am not.

He: Cool!!!

Me: No, it's Hot!! It's 32 °C – ha ha.

He: Emoticon of Like!. Have fun – bye.

Me: Bye.

          Initially I used to get irritated by this banter because of the lack of content of conversation. But I now realize that there is a pattern here. Our lives are so open and documented that give out details of what we do, what we eat, where we are, with whom we are – all unwanted information that we choose to give. We may speak the truth but not necessarily the whole truth.

          The more distributed our lives are, the more diminished is the need for personal communication. We still seem to reach out, using a variety of platforms just to say hello, even when we have nothing to say. I call this an “Always On” syndrome.

          The empty ping has now become a thing of the day. In the early days of the cell phone, when incoming calls were still being charged, a missed call (message without any content) was a code between friends about where to meet, when to meet or a message that you are missed. The empty ping is the later avatar of the missed call – in a world where we are always online but not always connected; constantly together but spatially and emotionally alone (notice how 2 persons are together but each on their own cell phones).

          The missed ping remains the human touch in the digital space that reassures us that on the other side of that seductive interface and the buzzing gadget, is somebody we can say hello to.