The Art of Queuing

You run out of reasons to smile about when you stand in line and wait for the person in front of you to disappear. You may blink 5-6 times to see if that works but sadly, it doesn't. The guy stands where he is and so do the others. There are times when I have felt oddly restless when the headcount doesn't change even after 15 minutes of my life spent standing, doing pretty much nothing. The picture above may be highly deceiving as smiling is the last thing one can think of  when one's stuck in a queue.

Oh! The country's population...It doesn't help. No matter how hard I try to avoid bank work, the metro, or any other stupid work that validates my existence, I have to stand in line. Why can't life be simpler and all these paperwork be kept to a minimum? Surely, the ones who engage in filing these sheets and sheets of paper are not enjoying it. The SBI, the worst bank I have had the ill fortune to come across gives me nightmares. I jolted out of my sleep not so long ago when I saw myself inside this dreaded bank. Doing what? Standing in queue to get some bank work done from a mean-looking lady with cropped hair! What a nightmare it was; I was all sweaty and in shock and had a tough time getting back to sleep again. In short, it did qualify and made it to my list of - "One of the nightmares I'll never forget."

A Pain in the Neck

All these rules that have been laid down for us mortals so that we can live these 100 or less years in peace are such a nuisance.You can't get away from them though. You have to run around for your passport, pay your monthly bills, insurance..get your pic clicked so that they can have it. If I try and don't do any of these, I might get labelled as a suspicious person with highly suspicious activities, which might mean more queues for me.

The Greatest Reality Show Ever

The mass hysteria surrounding the Anna Hazare campaign to get the Jan Lokpal bill passed, Kiran Bedi disgracing herself with her antics, a crowd of hooligans, housewives, crying children and freeloaders, announcements of kids getting lost in the crowd, Bollywood celebrities dropping by, promotion by news channels, sms promotions to gather support- What more could you possibly ask for from a Live reality show? Reality TV is the in thing this season and Team Anna seems to know just how to get it right with the Indian audience. They have media managers on board, who decide everything for Team Anna. When to give speeches, when to start swinging the Indian flag, food for supporters, songs to be played --- Keep the crowd entertained, give interesting bytes to TV channels and the show will be a success!


They make mistakes but are quick to backtrack when things backfire. They know how to come up with interesting slogans that will touch Indian hearts. Team Anna is concerned about Anna's health but wouldn't let the old man break his fast. Kiran Bedi insisted Anna must not end his fast and was quick to tweet about it. Why isn't she fasting?? Why so much pressure on Anna? We wouldn't mind if Kiran starts fasting for a change and gives Anna a much needed break.


Yesterday, the much hyped Miss Bedi spat fire on Indian politicians, elections, the Parliament, etc....


Speaking from the stage in Ramlila Maidan Kiran Bedi managed to make a fool of herself without help from anyone. Is that the way a senior leader conducts herself in public? She was spitting venom and the rowdy crowd could have taken the cue and turned violent. But, she wouldn't have taken responsibility for her actions. She is still happy about the things she said yesterday and would not mind repeating the act again. She got what she wanted --- media attention --breaking news in all media channels. Power turns people crazy - she is a living example of that.


The holier-than-thou Kiran Bedi herself has previously tried to get her daughter admission to an MBBS degree through unfair means. While posted in Mizoram, she had used the Mizoram quota to get her daughter admission. These quotas were reserved for the underprivileged students of Mizoram who didn't have the means to fulfill their dreams. In 1992, there were widespread protests in the streets of Mizoram but the media highlights only those issues where they see a benefit for their TRPs. The ruckus in Aizawl failed to hit media headlines in mainland India and was only published in single columns and newspaper briefs. Kiran's daughter, however, never completed her MBBS studies and flew over to the US to study journalism. The question is - Why is she pointing fingers at others when she herself has used the law and the powers vested in her while she was in the IPS to her own personal advantage?


Getting back to the reality show - The crowd is thrilled. Celebrities are making appearances, they can listen for free to music by Kailash Kher, tea and biscuit being served is another attraction at the Ramlila ground. In the history of revolutions and campaigns, I have a distinct feeling that this one will stand out for all the wrong reasons.