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The city was built, on the banks of the river
Whose sides would burst, at the end of the summer
Few hundred meters it was wide, with a current so slow
Served the city and its inhabitants, and the water had a glow
One of its kings one night, had a dream pretty strange
He saw his dick was the longest, on the land in his range
He summoned all the architects, on that morning of the fall
Asked them to build him a tower, which would stand so tall
That his knees should give in, when he climbed it, starting from his hall
Another of its king, thought that its time to build
A palace so unique, which would make the rest of the city look bleak
He ordered his men, "find me stones that are red"
So that when the sun would set, fire it would reflect"
Now the city is crowded, and the chaos there reigns
There is dirt on the streets, and the dust in the eyes
The dogs they patrol, the city streets from dusk till dawn
There territories are marked, with the piss and the scorn
Raju he lives, in one of those chawls
Every night where he witnesses, neighbors in there brawls
One night he returns, drenched in alcohol and blood
Shouts at the peak of his voice "Enough, of this mess!"
He was the son, born to a king
Never he learnt, cause he just couldn't sing
All he ever saw, was the crown on his father's head
No one could put him, easiliy to his bed
People they told, the crown yours is not
For brothers older, plenty of them you've got
To which he replied, "brothers of mine are none
Look how many women my father has, is his dome"
The day did come, for the dream had to end
All brothers were massacared, and buried in the sand
As soon as the crown ,landed on his head
Messages were sent, to all the kings, who bordered his land
His proposal was accepted, by all the kings
Except one, who choose to face it, down in the rings
The battle ensued, bodies were left gore
In numbers, never seen before
The cousel were scared, new men were drilled
For the king just wanted, all his vacancies to be filled
The king he said, "the people are to blame
For they will remember, only the winner and his name"
He came into the city, riding a colt
People came to worship him, they were struck by a bolt
They had heard of him, the messiah from nazareth
Wondered when he would visit them, with a bated breath
The city was decorated, they welcomed him with palms
They were curious, waited to listen to his psalms
He spoke in a voice, that seemed to resound
Not just off the mountains, also the skin, in which the bodies were bound
You rule with power, here comes a ruler of hearts
Beware the cousel told, he can cover your poster anytime with darts
The city is starting to sing, along his tunes
If you don't act, you'll find yourself in the ruins
Tell you what! Why don't we put him, on the cross
Now is early and I'm sure, you wont suffer any loss
I checked him out, now there is no one, to save him from doom
His followers are going up, like a rocket headed for the moon
He was a son, born to a king
Opened his eyes, and found himself in a ring
Felt little uncomfortable, and send a slight zing
People just wondered, what happened to this thing
He grew up, surrounded by the walls
Never ever wondered, how to give them calls
What was outside, he had never ever seen
His demands were met by servents, all who were very keen
The father he thought, I'll keep him pure
Away from sorrow, that plague all for sure
Never he ventured, out on the street
Until one day, when his fate came to meet
The day it came, the chariot he climbed
The gates they opened, the wind just mimed
He covered his eyes, for the day was very bright
Soon he was to see, the nature show its might
He saw a man, who seemed very old
His back was bent, and the day was cold
He walked very slowly, with a stick in his hand
While the wind just blew, and played with the sand
The prince was frightened, at the sight he saw
How could a man turn into that, thing with a bow
The sorrow it approached, and engulfed the prince
That night in bed, all he did was wince
The next morning it came, unaware of his distress
The chariot he climbed, with a mind in press
"Take me out", were the words he spelled
Soon he was on the street, and his eyes were swelled
He saw another man, lying besides the street
He was very thin and coughed with a spit
Asked the prince, "what's wrong with him?"
"He's sick", told the guide with a face that was grim
The chariot it moved, forward a little
His eyes were fixed, didn't move a needle
Thoughts of the night, came crashing down his skull
Engulfed the sorrow, that seemed so full
Next morning it came, his mind was hazy
Wished to god, please turn me crazy
Put on his clothes, prepared for the street
With a mind, that found difficult to retreat
He saw a man, lying so still
Carried on the shoulders, there eyes were filled
Lowered on the funeral, pyre they had made
Flames they consumed, farewell he bade
I remember the time, when I was younger
Went to a village, next to the dunes
Sand was small, finely it was grained
Its millions grains, had them drained
The sand was all, over the street
Slowly it crawled, into the inside
Shade of roof, would keep it cool
People they wondered, where's the pool
The rains I knew would follow soon, as it was the month of july
The birds knew what was coming and would perch, on top of trees
They would sing the thunder would ring, and drops would start to form
At some time the drops would fall, and the rhythm would silence us all
The joy would swell deep inside, for the monsoon had just made its call
This is how the life went on, untill the progress hit the town
Then came electricity and the fan, people would prefer to be inside
The walls that separted the people would start to grow, taller and taller with time
And soon the town it changed, while we played and watched there games
Great batsmen are all, very short
Wonder, the reason, my taller friend
The bat is short, forces you to bend
It ain't the effort that lets you down
It ain't just, to make them bend
Bent backs don't, last that long
Take off the limit, on the length,
Of the thing, they hold in there hand
In the jungle, there lives a cat
Eates good flesh, never a rat
Sleeps through the day, hunts in the night
When I saw I said "Oh my God! what a sight"
Nine lives its got, people they tell
An idea I found, hard to sell
Until one day, when I saw it hunt
Nine is too little, for what it has learnt
Nothing is straight, in my mind
Full of curves, coils, spirals of all kind
Every morning, with tea in my cup
I wonder how would I, straighten them up
There was a force, that had them curved
Ate my strength, nothing it served
One day I realised, this is second life I live
So there's nothing to loose, and its time to beleive
He saw an animal, very large
There wasn't a place, where he couldn't barge
Roamed in the jungle, with no fear
"Ah, think I, call it a bear"
He saw an animal, that moved so slow
Opened its mouth, and a horn would blow
He saw his son taking milk, and just said"wow!"
"Ah, think I, call her a cow"
He saw an animal, up in the sky
Sat him thinking, how could it fly
This animal, always wanted to be heard
"Ah, think I, call it a bird"
He saw a bird, with a voice so sweet
Went to the work, didn't mind any heat
Started singing, while it was still so dark
"Ah, think I, call it a lark"
Birds, my dear birds, you taught us humans how to fly
To sleep on the wings, Is now what we have to try
All our dreams, that take us far and wide
Are made of wings, held on your side
You gave us the urge, and some of the clues
Then came the surge, took away the blues
On the wooden raft, we set for the sail
You are the one, we love to hail
Some of the worlds, have forgotten the times
When there was a monster, who aided the crimes
Minds were plenty, where it could nourish
All it needed, was the order to perish
To survive in chaos, is what some mothers teach
To live with ideas, is just out of reach
Every morning, the sun it brings
Images of destruction, left in the wings
Sudden invasion, is hard to bear
For any society, no matter how near
Its like our body, when it gets sick
Invasion is the culprit, that does the trick
This is a world you have to see
Walk the mountains on the lee
See the nector on the bee
Out of the bed in the wee
Places are many
Like mountains of tanny
Ask you nanny
To be with granny
Put on your lace
Don't get in the race
See that vase
Follow the base
Ride the wheel
Smell the teel
Don't make a deal
That makes you kneel
In his prime
He had no time
Counted his dime
In a rhyme
He lived in swell
Anywhere he dwell
People could smell
Anyone could tell
Time it changed
People they ranged
Whatever he spawned
Someone had pawned
He took that cent
Felt little bent
All that was lent
Just could pay the rent
Treat me well
He made a yell
And then he fell
In the hell
It was a country, highly enclosed
Only the sun, found it exposed
Surrounded by the seas, and mountains high
Few could enter, and leave a sign
In this way, it developed for years
Unaware of the world, around with fears
The sun it shone, with all its might
Bred the life, everywhere in sight
One day they found, a route with the sea
Entered a few, who felt kingsize
The rhythm of life, struck them stark
They came back and, sang like lark
I saw it then, I see it now
Our body is as old, as the universe around
It might have started, in whatever form
lies embedded, deep in our bone
I rode the smoke, I rode the wind
Higher it took, lower it seemed
I opened my eyes, and looked around
Was surprized to find, no one in town
Search the land, search the space
All is there, is voidness unbound
If its there, as it has to be
Its nowhere, but in the center of your skin gown
I loved the old unit of measuring power, the Horse Power. It left so much for the imagination!! But now with the mega watts and kilo watts. Hardly anything comes to my imagination!!
What would be a good index to measure the power of a city?
Certainly Horse power!!
So if all the power consumption of the city is converted into horse power!! Meaning all the power of electricity consumption, machines, vehicles etc. What numbers will we get??
I would say enough horses to cover the city with 10-15 floors of horses!!!!!!!!!!! All of it!! Every inch of it!!
My holy Goodness!!!!!!!!! God save us!!!
Dude no 1 - Hey dude, why don't you wait?
Dude no 2 - What, you want me to become a waiter?
Day was nice, and the breeze was good
In the morning, when I took my food
Took my jacket, and went for the street
To hear the sounds, that drag my feet
The autumn is here, with its colours bright
Don't step on the leaves, as they shine with light
There it goes, on its aquiring spree
All it wants, is to let them free
Yesterday I came across a very maddening and interesting story at the same time. Its about how to get taller. About what some people will do to get taller.
This is how it works.
Both the bones of the legs are cut and moved away from each other. So a gap is created between the bones as shown in the diagram above. Now the bones are held in this position for 6-7 months. During this time the bones fill the gap in between with the growth of fresh bones. Like what happens in fracture. So in the end you have a longer leg bone!! Hence taller!!
What it takes?
It takes absolute maddness to undergo something like this. For the first 6-7 months the person is bedridden. In the next stage which can last another 6 months. Is when the person starts walking with support. In the third stage the person walks slowly but without support. This lasts for 1 year.
So in the end it takes about 2 years before the person is completely recuperated and gets back to his normal walking routine. The result he/she's 3-5 inches taller then before!!
For now, this happens only in China!!
Everything that goes up, has to come down
Everything that goes in, has to come out
Everything that goes around , has to come back
What did one of the first Englishman said when he saw a naked woman??
Wow!! Man!!
Then as it happens. Lot of things fall apart and some join together with time!! So one of the "W" got dropped and the word got joined. That's how we have our "Woman"!!
Or maybe the women didn't hear clear enough and thought he said "woman".
Or maybe the women saw a dirty hairy animal muttering unknown sounds, she just put them together!!
Julius(Italian,Julio-Spanish) was a great king. Everyone was very happy with his reign. The roman church decided to honour the king. So the month of July was named after him and Julius felt very happy!!
Years passed. Came another great king Augustus(Italian,Agosto-Spanish). Again the people felt very happy with his reign. The roman church again decided to honour the great king. So they decided to name the month of August after him!! Augustus left very happy.
Few days later Augustus came back to the Roman church very unhappy!! He complained that to Julio you have given 31 days. Whereas I have only 30 days!! Howcome?? Was he greater then me??
After long days and hours of pleading Agosto could not be budged!! He couldn't be convinced for october or some other month. He wanted that month next to July!!So the Roman church decided to give him 31 days!!
Poor Feburary, whoever he was named after was dead long ago. He could not come to protect his right. So a day was taken from Feburary and given to Augustus!!
And rightfully the practice was stopped by Roman Church after these encounters with the kings!!
Question - A family has two children and these two children move away 10kms from the family and start there own family and there children are again 2 and do the same and the cycle is continued. In how much time will they have covered this planet? In how much time will there population be same as the human population of today?
How much kilometers should the children move away, so that the years it take to cover and the years it takes to reach the current population match?
Answer - Anyone!!??
A stable matter after some time of stability develops unstability out of internal friction. This causes it to shoot two particles. One is positively charged or the powerful and the other is negatively charged or the weak.
In other words both are freed to do what they like!!
This is how works our society!!
Darwin could only see the powerful!! He overlooked the weaker!!
You are driving behind a car. Soon you are about to enter a zone where some works are going on. Near a speed sign the car in front abrubptly drops down in speed....... A woman is driving that car!!
You are driving behind a car on a two-way road. Whenever a vehicle crosses the car in front from the opposite direction. The car moves slightly to the right.....A woman is driving that car!!!
Ideal Traffic Couple - The man who feels the road and the women who reads the signs.
Second Best Combination - The women who feels the road and the man who reads the signs.
Disaster Traffic Couple - Both feel the road or both read the signs.
Fingernail marks on the back are very dangerous..watch out!! All you cheaters out there!!
The curves of the Stock Market are very treacherous, like the curves of the women.
Had a nice weekend. Spent some good quality time. Sitting on the sofa, on terrace, playing with my son, taking walks with my wife and thinking about the week to come. This week is my last at my current workplace. Another job change!!
These jobs I wonder sometimes!! Is there one where I can fit!! I find it so difficult to stick to one place for more then 9 months. In last 3 years I have changed 7 jobs!! Incredible isn't it!! Or to give a bigger picture, in last 8 years, I have changed 12 jobs!! And the urge to change keeps on increasing and the duration of stay at one place keeps reducing.
Maybe its related to my past. The motion I picked beacuse of constant movement. If I think in the past and try to recall. One things that strikes out above all is, that I never stayed in one place for more then 4 years. 4 years is my limit!! That means being 31 years now I have lived in 15 different houses since my birth. Which is quite high by any standards. No one can live in so many places. After a few changes one starts living in the mind!! Which seems to be my case.
This urge to encounter new people new surroundings is what keeps me going on. This constant search for change is my path. I sometimes wonder at the trees, the big ones. That grows 50 meters or more. How can they grow so big? And the secret is not above but in the ground! Its the roots. Its the web of deep roots sprawled all around underneath. And then I try to fumble through my roots. I find none! What happended to my roots, which piece of land has it? Not surprized I am. Beacuse I know. They were never allowed to grow.
So rootless as I am, I take to the wing! Flying is my destiny!!
I wonder how long its been that we are living the same day duration!!!!
What I mean is that, one day has always been 24hrs duration since the beginning of this planet. Imagine if we could alter that somehow!! I mean tieing a lot of propellants around the equator and firing them in syncronised fashion to change the speed of the rotation of this earth. Lets say we could increase the rotation speed by a little so that the day becomes of 18 hours!!!
What would be the impact! I can give few clues
1. We would work for 6 hours a day and get paid the same!
2. The life of a human being would increase to over 100 years or more for almost everyone. Our children would be thanking us forever for there increased life expectancy and low working hours!! Assuming a year is 365 days.
3. The Global Worming could be solved by this. Since now the day would be 9 hours long instead of 12. So it would lead to less exposure to sun or night in one time. Which would lead to moderation of the temprature. So the cold places would be less colder and the hot places less hotter!! WOW!!
4. If ths project is carried out without the knowledge of the mankind. People will see it as an act of GOD. And the faith will return in god. Leading to a happier planet!!WOW!!
5. We would find ourself to be lighter in weight. So we would be able to run faster and jump higher. Maybe in future grow taller!!
6. Mankind as well as all other species would be required to go through a long adaptation phase. We can ask for adaptation leave!! WOW!!
7. It would generate enormous amount of employment in the world. All the computers, watches, electronics, softwares, automated machines and god knows what, would require to be remade.
8. What will happen to rains!! Don't know!!
9. What will happen to the wind!! If action is equal to reaction it would be a big mess!!
Life would be much better if rats ate cockroaches and cockroaches ate mosquitoes.
On the plains of Africa wakes up every morning a lion, thinking he has to run faster then the slowest gazell otherwise he'll starve.
On the plains of Africa wakes up every morning a gazell, thinking he has to run faster then the fastest lion otherwise he'll be the next victim.
On the banks of river Ganga wakes up every morning a city and starts walking to the river for a dip in the freezing water, thinking one day they will wake up completely.
On the plains of the world wakes up every morning a student, not concerned what the teacher is going to teach, but thinking of what the other students are upto.
On the plains of Africa wakes up every morning a human, thinking where and how to migrate otherwise he'll die in stone age.
Thought I would just have another normal flight on BA. But it turned out to be different.
As a non-European might not know. There are two Europe's. One is the Europe that is also called EU (European Union) and the other Europe is the Europe out of EU. The other Europe is inhabited by countries like UK etc.
I'm an Indian citizen living in Barcelona and I have the residence permit to live in Spain and travel around EU countries. But in the hurry of my vacation planning I forgot the travelling part and brought the air tickets to fly British Airways.
Finally came the day of the flight and we packed all our stuff and were on the airport three hours before time as it was the time of the security alert in UK and USA(August 2006). I passed all the security checks and things and was finally at the boarding gate of my flight. The surprise was soon to come.
Me and my wife were busy taking care of our baby as he was asking for water. My wife went to get some water. Finally we were the last at the boarding gate. The women at the desk went through the passports of my wife and son. Until then no problem as both of them are Spanish nationals. Then she looked into my passport flipping pages right and left looking for something pink. She didn't find it and there came my shock. I couldn't fly in the Iberia flight to London, because I didn't have the transit visa. I stood there dumb, absolutely speechless. Knowing I couldn't take this flight, thinking what could be the way from there. My wife was in tears, as we were going to India after a gap of 2 years and for my son it was the first visit to see his grandparents in India.
We came to know from the boarding desk that I need a transit visa to spend 2 damn hours on the London Heathrow airport before taking the next flight to Delhi. 2 bloody damn hours at the London Heathrow airport!!
This was the beginning of my ordeal. That would take me through the human jungle. Where people are running right and left, up and down, 24/7/365 literally all the time. But our world still seems to be becoming a worse place.
So we came back to the BA desk. Hoping to change our ticket to the alternate day and in the meantime get the transit visa. My wife had a hard time explaining to the person there, that we couldn't take the flight as I didn't have the transit visa. But the women there thought that I didn't need one, as I was married to a Spanish citizen. She went back inside, which seemed like an eternity to me. I could see her flipping papers, asking questions, going through some recent laws implemented. Then she was back outside with her fundamentals cleared. She was quite nice though. She told us about the new law that came into place since 2003. That required people like me to get transit visa. Anyway she changed our ticket to the alternate day.
Then began our quest to get this pink slip pasted on my passport. I call it pink slip because that’s how the women at the desk referred to it. Quite a colour, as I remember pink slips used somewhere in world to fire people. This time it was to let me inside.
We came back home. My wife started to take care of our baby who was short of sleep and quite irritated at all that was happening. And I absorbed myself in the internet. Looking for shreds of information here and there. Trying to make a list of tasks in the order of execution. I found the website of the British Consulate services in Spain, which is www.ukinspain.com. Just in case anyone needs it. I was internally cursing myself, why did I choose to fly British airways. I could have flown trouble free through Amsterdam, Paris or Moscow. Just like the previous times. Why in the gods name did I choose the British Airways this time!!! A voice inside me said, lesson my boy, another lesson in this world that seems never to get tired of giving them.
So with a mind in a little bit of mess. I was an easy target. A trap was waiting right there on www.ukinspain.com. I followed a misleading link on the website. Someone forgot to delete the old link from the site which leads to the old ways of applying for this type of visa. Where there was a download of this visa form and some arbitrary comments on the documents required. Anyway I presumed a little. Applying some logic and reason(very bad practice, I was to learn) that what should be the proper documents to present. Passport, residence card and me in person should be enough for this type of visa. After all I will be there for only 2 hours at the airport in London. Logic and reason leading my way!!!
I came to know that for this type of visa one had to go in person. As It could not be done by a travel/visa agent. Anyway no travel agent would be able to do it in 1.5 days. Also this type of visa is only given in Madrid(Why the hell not in Barcelona I wondered). So my journey to Madrid was inevitable. It was evening time already, some 6:30pm. Flights were few and expensive. No seats left in trains. The only possibility was in a bus on the back, last seat in the corner. Where the bumps make sure you will have a sleepless night. Anyway I wasn't good at sleeping in the bus.
After such an eventful day I found the journey quite uneventful. So in Madrid I was. 7 am in the morning still 2 hours before the consulate opens. Planning my day in my mind....like going to coffee shop near the consulate, fill the visa form, wash myself a little in some bathroom etc. I had the return ticket to train already taken. It was at 5pm in the afternoon on the same day. I’ll be on that train today and the next day on the flight to India, I thought to myself and smiled. Off I went to a flying start.
I took the metro map of Madrid. Found out from helpdesk which is the station close to fuente cebeles. It was with a combination of 2 metro lines. I was at the fuente cebeles at 8am. Went into a coffee shop, filled the visa forms and was at the door of the consulate 10 minutes before 9am. Where another surprise was awaiting me.
I stood in the queue at the consulate. Soon came my turn and the security guy asked me where was my appointment. I said sorry I didn't understand. He explained in a nice voice. That to go up and apply for the visa I need to get the reference number of the application and using that reference number, I should apply for the appointment. I was blown.....my knees felt week. I could feel the energy leaving my body. I couldn't stand more of this bureaucracy!!! Felt like shouting "somebody help me"!! Somehow, all the energy didn't leave my body. I heard some words coming out from my mouth asking the security guy...what can I do now? A plain simple, show me the path......If you know one!!! He must have looked a little inside me. Could have sensed my internal storm passing into sudden quietness. As happens in the physical world the deafening silence after the storm has passed. He told me to go to the internet cafe nearby and fill the application online. Whereupon I'll receive the reference number. Using which I can apply for the appointment.
There was no way for me to know this procedure of applying for the visa. As no one lifts the phone they have for enquiry purpose and the website has some misleading and old links taking to the old procedure of application. Lots of websites suffer from this sickness though. So I was condemned in some way by my tiredness to go after this old link lying on the website. Awaiting its prey. The prey was in!!!
So what to do next. Go to the internet cafe or call my wife at home and ask her to fill the application form, from the comfort of the home. I though of the second option and called my wife explaining her the situation. She agreed with me and filled the application form rapidly. I laughed at my luck, that I had a very internet literate wife and thought of those that don't have it and are themselves not very comfortable on the internet. She tried to get the appointment, but nothing was available within the next 2 weeks. 2 weeks was also the duration of my vacation. So I had no choice but to take my chances.
So I went back at the consulate within minutes with the reference number of my application. I explained to the security guy my ordeal and why I can't wait for 2 weeks to get an appointment. My vacations were 2 weeks long!!! I recited my story again, he got the cream of it pretty fast. Called someone and made sure I got in. Very good listener the security guy was. I felt a little luck on my side.
So at last I was in. I thought to myself....In a few hours I'll have my visa and will be off to India the next morning. How very happy I felt at crossing all this barriers and making it to India finally. But soon I was to realise, how naive I was to think that.
I waited a few hours for my turn. They called my name and I was off to the counter in a flash. The guy asked me to hand over the documents. I handed my passport, residence card and stood right in front so that he could match me with the photos there. He looked at me in disbelief and asked, where are the rest of the documents. I said what other documents you can need for a 2 hour transit visa to London? He started writing things on a piece of paper -
1. Airline tickets.
2. All the work contracts I had in Spain.
3. Last 3 pay slips.
4. Up-to-date bank book with all transactions.
I was petrified!! Got the shock of my life!!....waited for all the information to sink in. Now it was my time of disbelief. I looked at him shock eyed. He made a gesture like he was sorry...but also saying this was the only way. I shot at him...you need all this just because I need a 2 hour transit visa in London?! Yes he said sorry eyed. I understood, I was wasting my time there. I stormed out with a hurricane in my mind and astonishment in my eyes!!!
I called my wife dejected, broken, sapped of all energy. Explaining what documents we need!!!! And I'm sure, she got the shock of her life too!!! Soon she was in tears and shouting at the world!! This is impossible!! Thinking this transit is next to impossible, just like me!! Soon she calmed down. I explained, dear we are not going to India this time. It seems we can't do it!! Despite all our efforts it seems unreachable somehow. We should think of next year or in winter. In August 2006 forget it. We talked over and an idea came, of the possibility of cancelling this ticket and trying other airline.
Off I went to the nearest internet cafe and soon was absorbed in the world of airline tickets!! No less complicated then stock markets!! Prices follow what patterns, how they reach such high amounts I have no fucking Godzilla idea!! The cheapest one I found for next day was 3250€ for an adult. Meaning for a family of 2 adults and a 1 baby it would be close to 8000 fucking euros!! Another devastator!! I gave up right there!! Collapsed in my mind!! Took out the phone and dialled my wife. Saying dear "forget it, its over we are not going this time, in winter or next year". But during this time she had thought about some other plans. She thought of giving another try. She would send me all the documents over speed post. She did some phones to courier companies and found a company which could deliver me a post in Madrid before 9am in the next morning. I too saw a ray of hope in the blinding darkness spelled by god knows what. This required us to change the flight ticket one other time to the next day and my train ticket to the other day as well. She checked the possibility and both were possible. So we went for it. The ray of light filled us back with some energy. Hope was awaken!! Our only tool against this cruel non-functioning world.
My wife called a friend of hers, Silvia. Silvia lives in Madrid, near the British consulate. Another little stroke of luck. Though they were on holidays somewhere in mountains. Silvia invited me to use her house for the night. I went in my mind looking for people I know in Madrid. A name rose above all, Raul. Raul a very friendly colleague from my previous work and with good ears. I called him and a plan for the night was hatched right away. We were to meet for dinner at a restaurant and then go for drinks to another place. Which is a very Spanish weekend plan. Only thing was this was not a weekend and I was not on a courtesy visit. British bureaucracy was drowning me in shallow water.
I recited to him my story. By now it was like a recitation for me. As I had gone over it so many times in my mind. Cursing myself and Britain at the same time. Myself for flying British Airways and Britain for its bureaucracy. Raul was great help at that time. I was able to share my pain which helped me lighten it. Also we talked about the last project we were together in and the world in general. How the sense of fear in people is changing the world drastically. With the way things are going now, the future looks quite deathly. The trauma and the events of the day kept me awake long time. At last I slept.
When I got up. I saw another fresh day peeping bright through the window. The world was its normal self. I saw a different house I was in, with a different bed. And it started dawning on me. My situation. What I had gone through. What more is left. Everything came rushing with the force of the water you see, when the gates of the dam are opened. On my feet I stood. Ready to receive the days challenges. The first one being the wait for the post man to deliver me all the documents I needed for the visa. Which my wife had dispatched the day before. I had got up at 8am and the postman was supposed to be there at 9am. So began one hour of anxiety. I started walking up and down the house, left and right wherever I could go. All I needed was some motion. The sense of moving kept me busy. The wall clock seemed to move slowest ever I'd noticed in my life. Time never moved so slow for me. I wondered at time, if it was against me as well. All the crazy thoughts kept rolling in my mind. Soon the clock struck 9. But my postman hadn't arrived. Called my wife and told her. She said, he should be there before 9 otherwise they'll have to return the money. Gave me some comfort. The courier company took there work quite seriously. And bang, went my head!! The doorbell rang. The postman was there. I ran down. Took the parcel from him, thanked him and started my walk to the British Consulate.
It was some 1 or 2 kms away. I was there in no time it felt. The security people at the door recognised me and I was up again. There I had to wait for a few hours before my turn came. I submitted all my documents. I gave more documents that were required. I gave 20 payslips instead of 3. I gave 2 bank books updated instead of one required. Something inside me wanting them to realise what they were asking!! The man seeing that I had all the documents needed. Passed my file to the next person and asked me to wait for a while. I had just crossed the screening successfully!! The next round was about to begin!!
It was another wait of 1 hour or so before my name was called. I hurried to the window. There was one women. A strict one it seemed. A no nonsense women. Who had forgotten she had ears to listen. All she wanted was yes or no's. And she liked herself to be heard. She started flipping through my papers. One after the other. Returning me the extra payslips and the older work contracts. Looking voraciously for documents that might be missing. Trying to find faults with my documents. Everything seemed fine, then she asked me where is the ticket. I said its right there in the middle somewhere. She found the paper and started looking at the contents. I tried to explain to her that my flight has been cancelled twice. So on the way to Delhi what you see is the old date and the return date is fine. The date on that day was 18th august 2006. And the ticket showed my flight to Delhi was on 16th august and the return was on 30th august. She shot back, but today is 18th. Bring me the latest ticket or we can't give you the visa. I shot back what you see is the print out of the e-ticket. Which the travel websites mail you at confirmation of you ticket. This in no way can be counted as the document on basis of which you can reject me the visa. As its so easy to cut paste on some editor, change the ticket date and take a printout. Its a document which can be easily faked. In no way this document going to decide whether or not I get the visa. But she was from the old world not yet fully awoken to the internet revolution. She told to her superior that this man is stopping me from working. Her boss was a similar type of figure. Bigger older version of her type. I argued the same to her boss. But all my pleas fell on deaf years. She told me to get the latest ticket printout by 12:30pm the same day or I don't get the visa. And she further added that they are doing me a favour as they close at 12. With no other alternative left and the clock showing 11:45am. I realised its now or never. I though of various possibilities to get the damn ticket somehow in 45 minutes. There was one and only one way. That my wife find this ticket on the internet and fax me the copy. The old copy of the ticket was useless as it showed the old dates.
I called my wife and explained the situation. We had to track the changes that our ticket had gone. Take a printout and fax it to the consulate. Calling British airways and asking them to fax it to the consulate was improbable. As there phones ring, but to no effect. No one there to pick them up. If it was picked and we were lucky then having to explain the whole story and asking them to fax it to the consulate didn't seem like a good idea. The only way was to find it our self. My wife started to look for it on the ba.com. With the clock ticking in some corner, such a task took enormous proportions. Finding your way through a web of misleading links with so much information. Finally she encountered the link. Few minutes before 12:30pm. She had a burst of relief and happiness when she saw all our ticket details on the internet. She quickly printed it and sent it by fax. They received the fax around 12:25pm. And I was saved!!! At last I had the bloody transit visa. Then and there I swore, never ever to transit through London!!!
It was these 2 damn hours at the London Heathrow airport that cost me 3 days of my vacation ,lots of money, sleepless nights, psychological torture !!! Damn 2 bloody hours!! There is more if I feel like adding later. On landing at the Delhi airport we discovered after hours of searching. That the bag which carried our baby’s clothes and food was lost in transit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One day I thought how many people are there on this planet. Did some google search and came to the finding that the number is 6.64 billion people. Looks like an enormour number. Enormous indeed. But wait a sec...
Lets assume that all the population of the world is put together in a square formation with each person occupying 0.5M*0.5M of area. That is 0.25M-square per person.
So the population of the world would occupy 0.25*6640000000=1660000000M-square of Area
In other words this area is the area of a square of side 41KM.
Not that big!!!!!!!
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