If you aren't aware of the news already, let me break it to you. India's first amusement park, Appu Ghar(Delhi), is operating for the final time today. News channels and other streams of media are covering it from a historic point of view or asking questions such as "What about the employees?"It was the first amusement park in India, opened in the early 80s and named after the mascot(Appu) of the 1982 Asian Games, hosted by India and held in Delhi. The (around)250 employees associated with it have apparently nowhere to go.
But my take on it is pretty much selfish. I grew up in Delhi. I played on those rides which now will never be operated again. I remember the "My Fair Lady" not as the grim, badly dressed giant that they proclaim it to be but as a ride where your knuckles turn white from holding on too tightly and the glee on the failure to control yourself from sliding to the corner, apparent on your face.
The now rickety "Bhoot Bungalow" did manage to get out a few "eeks" if not screams and shouts. Nobody actually found it scary but it was quite entertaining in its own silly way, no doubt about that. The "Dragon" ride, not sure if that's the actual name of the ride(pardon my failing memory but it has been a long time since I last visited it), was and is still quite fast by any standard(it was the roller coaster of the park).
More than any other ride, I think it was Appu Colombus though, which was the favourite ride amongst all age groups(permitted). If you were there with classmates, on a school picnic, sitting in the middle area made you look like a loser. So almost everyone, even the ones with weak stomachs(they would simply close their eyes, hold on tightly, muttering prayers and/or shout as loud as possible) would rush to the top/corner places. It didn't help that the bars that were supposed to hold you down were quite shaky themselves, and more so at the peaking time. Even now, just remembering it, gives me a pleasurable rush.
This ride was also the one where the men's chivalry surfaced. More often than not, during every visit there would be a couple seated, the woman squirming at the prospect of being flung so high and the man, with an arm around her, flaunting his role as the hunter, gatherer and protector. Quite a funny scene, especially for kids. The essential part and role of the "back benchers" were the shouts, or chants, if you may. Laced loosely or generously(depending on the crowd) with expletives, the "oooooo"s were varying in tone, pitch and volume, with each passing stage of the ride(the most audible being at the peak, obviously).
As years passed by, other amusement parks started cropping up, most of them employing much better technologies and rides. Everyone, including my friends and I, started cheating on the orange elephant. And now, it's time for it to go. I don't oppose the decision to bring it down, old things always must make way for the new. But I do mourn for it. On second thoughts, so what if the place won't remain, my memories always will.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
For..umm..?
This blog officially marks the end of the second weekend of February 2008! Before you ask, there wasn't any significance to this past weekend, I was just being melodramatic (that's the price you pay for being a regular reader here - sucker!). No, I haven't hit my head against any blunt and/or sharp object, just that it's been some time since I could express myself so freely and hence made full use of this opportunity.
Anyway, enough of the nonsense prelude to the forthcoming..err..nonsense. I am sure you are curious w.r.t. the title of this post. Even if you are not, please read it again and gather some curiosity from somewhere.
The sole purpose of this post is to tell a sad, maybe even tragic story. The story about a girl who has lived in a city for the past seven years(eighth year running) and is yet to witness/visit/ experience one of the most overrated places in the city - The Forum Mall. First, a little bit of background. This mall was built in..err..ok, you don't need its history, let's just say a long time ago, for convenience sake. This was the time when the word "mall" did not make your mind conjure images of glitzy showrooms, over dressed people of all age groups, escalators (functional or otherwise) and eventually, a hole in the pocket.
The closest anything got to the concept of a mall was what was referred to as "super bazaar". A set of shops, in the same vicinity and if it can be helped, in the same commercial complex. But there in lies the catch. I mention "shops" and not "showrooms" on purpose. The former served some essential purpose where as the latter serves just one - spending. One met the needs where as the other meets standards. Anyway, I am starting to sound like a Marxist now, so let me just get on with the story I was building up.
As you can imagine, when such a place opened here, right here in namma Bengaluru(translates to our Bangalore), it was an event! Relatives and cousins from everywhere asked about it and made it a point to pay a visit to this place of worship (of shoppers i.e.) and friends were busy planning when and how to go there. What about me? Well, here in starts the tragic tale. Every time something was planned, I was either ill, out of station, busy(don't laugh!) or just not invited!
Days turned into weeks and so on and so forth. Finally the whole world and their step cousins had been there, done that, except yours truly, of course. College days were left behind and I started working, working quite close to this temple of commerce, by the way. I was presented with an opportunity again, past Saturday. I leave it upto you to guess what happened. By the time we started for it, it was late evening and the plan was ditched, again. There are other malls in Bangalore now, mind you, but there's something about Forum.
My company bus goes right in front of it in the morning and behind it in the evening. That's as close as I can come to it. I look outside at it every time and think to myself - "one day I will conquer you, my Everest"(hehe..heights of melodrama eh?).
Anyway, enough of the nonsense prelude to the forthcoming..err..nonsense. I am sure you are curious w.r.t. the title of this post. Even if you are not, please read it again and gather some curiosity from somewhere.
The sole purpose of this post is to tell a sad, maybe even tragic story. The story about a girl who has lived in a city for the past seven years(eighth year running) and is yet to witness/visit/ experience one of the most overrated places in the city - The Forum Mall. First, a little bit of background. This mall was built in..err..ok, you don't need its history, let's just say a long time ago, for convenience sake. This was the time when the word "mall" did not make your mind conjure images of glitzy showrooms, over dressed people of all age groups, escalators (functional or otherwise) and eventually, a hole in the pocket.
The closest anything got to the concept of a mall was what was referred to as "super bazaar". A set of shops, in the same vicinity and if it can be helped, in the same commercial complex. But there in lies the catch. I mention "shops" and not "showrooms" on purpose. The former served some essential purpose where as the latter serves just one - spending. One met the needs where as the other meets standards. Anyway, I am starting to sound like a Marxist now, so let me just get on with the story I was building up.
As you can imagine, when such a place opened here, right here in namma Bengaluru(translates to our Bangalore), it was an event! Relatives and cousins from everywhere asked about it and made it a point to pay a visit to this place of worship (of shoppers i.e.) and friends were busy planning when and how to go there. What about me? Well, here in starts the tragic tale. Every time something was planned, I was either ill, out of station, busy(don't laugh!) or just not invited!
Days turned into weeks and so on and so forth. Finally the whole world and their step cousins had been there, done that, except yours truly, of course. College days were left behind and I started working, working quite close to this temple of commerce, by the way. I was presented with an opportunity again, past Saturday. I leave it upto you to guess what happened. By the time we started for it, it was late evening and the plan was ditched, again. There are other malls in Bangalore now, mind you, but there's something about Forum.
My company bus goes right in front of it in the morning and behind it in the evening. That's as close as I can come to it. I look outside at it every time and think to myself - "one day I will conquer you, my Everest"(hehe..heights of melodrama eh?).
Friday, February 1, 2008
Insomniac? Not me!
Before I start off on the first day of this month, let me just say I m glad that I can manage at least one post per week(average, not date wise). Not that I am too busy with work(what's that?), but with a few other things. If and when I am at home, tv still has a stronger hold on me and blogging takes a back seat.
I wanted to blog about my relationship with one of the major time consuming activities in my life. Sleep. I am one of the few(millions of?) adults in the world who can still afford to spend(waste?) eight hours per night on this luxury. Why do I use the word luxury? Well, don't you think so? I hear people around me constantly complaining about the lack of time to achieve all that they want in a day, and I speak about spending 1/3rd of it sleeping.
I am not very sure why I did not let this childhood habit of mine go. My brother has easily achieved it. The only time I see him on his bed are the twenty minutes that I am up before him. Maybe it was the fact that I was anemic for a large portion of my life(it makes you feel constantly tired and sleepy) or maybe I am just too lazy(most of my friends will vouch for this latter point). Whatever the reason was, I am glad.
While "researching" the ill effects of lack of sleep, it struck me that this issue shouldn't be taken as lightly as some people do. Ok, not that I intend to live for a thousand years or something(what a torture that would be!), but I would most definitely want to at least live healthily whatever fraction of it is destined for me. What kind of a life would it be if you would huff and puff at just a few steps or find the need to pop in pills before your first grey hair appears. Even the thought gives me shudders.
My biggest disappointment though is the fact that I am a light sleeper. And by "light", I mean feather weight(er..ok..bad one). A little disturbance, a little noise or even if someone switches on the light and my blissful sleep is broken. I wonder how my brain actually finds this as "rest" because in the morning I can even clearly remember what caused the break(my stupid, over smart memory at play again?). Worse are the times when I wake up due to a nightmare(mine are as weird as they come) or a persisting, nagging thought at the back of my mind which finally decides to show itself clearly. My way of dealing with it(results are not guaranteed) is to force myself to think of something totally irrelevant, basically-escapism. If that doesn't work, expect a cranky me at work(for at least the first half of the day).
Sleep during a journey is out of the question for me, except during train travel. If you notice someone fidgeting, tossing, turning in their seat, playing with their cell phones or even taking pictures(just to pass time), do not be alarmed (unless the person in question is carrying a Kalashnikov and has shifty eyes). It probably is someone like me, unless, well, it's actually me.
I wanted to blog about my relationship with one of the major time consuming activities in my life. Sleep. I am one of the few(millions of?) adults in the world who can still afford to spend(waste?) eight hours per night on this luxury. Why do I use the word luxury? Well, don't you think so? I hear people around me constantly complaining about the lack of time to achieve all that they want in a day, and I speak about spending 1/3rd of it sleeping.
I am not very sure why I did not let this childhood habit of mine go. My brother has easily achieved it. The only time I see him on his bed are the twenty minutes that I am up before him. Maybe it was the fact that I was anemic for a large portion of my life(it makes you feel constantly tired and sleepy) or maybe I am just too lazy(most of my friends will vouch for this latter point). Whatever the reason was, I am glad.
While "researching" the ill effects of lack of sleep, it struck me that this issue shouldn't be taken as lightly as some people do. Ok, not that I intend to live for a thousand years or something(what a torture that would be!), but I would most definitely want to at least live healthily whatever fraction of it is destined for me. What kind of a life would it be if you would huff and puff at just a few steps or find the need to pop in pills before your first grey hair appears. Even the thought gives me shudders.
My biggest disappointment though is the fact that I am a light sleeper. And by "light", I mean feather weight(er..ok..bad one). A little disturbance, a little noise or even if someone switches on the light and my blissful sleep is broken. I wonder how my brain actually finds this as "rest" because in the morning I can even clearly remember what caused the break(my stupid, over smart memory at play again?). Worse are the times when I wake up due to a nightmare(mine are as weird as they come) or a persisting, nagging thought at the back of my mind which finally decides to show itself clearly. My way of dealing with it(results are not guaranteed) is to force myself to think of something totally irrelevant, basically-escapism. If that doesn't work, expect a cranky me at work(for at least the first half of the day).
Sleep during a journey is out of the question for me, except during train travel. If you notice someone fidgeting, tossing, turning in their seat, playing with their cell phones or even taking pictures(just to pass time), do not be alarmed (unless the person in question is carrying a Kalashnikov and has shifty eyes). It probably is someone like me, unless, well, it's actually me.
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