Demo”CRAZY”…….

Dreams can be of many sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL……go ahead guys take your pick.
One such M dream of mine came true on the 6th of August 2009 when I stepped into the Parliament House of India…….. The Lok Sabha.
As our car drove past Rajpath and the Rastrapathi Bhavan, my heart skipped a beat…….
“So this is it….it’s real…”
My mouth went a little dry and palms sweaty as we were given the instructions of how to behave inside the Altar of Democracy in India.
As we went through the first round of security check, I looked up at the huge circular structure that decides what’s good (!) for the whole country.
Up till this point it was all awe and mystery……then the revelations started.
We had to go through a series of security checks, where the guards ran their hands all over our personal ASSets (why doesn’t the government leave the security dept. to Kingfisher!)
Varun Gandhi walked passed in his immaculate tailored kurta paijama (thank god they weren’t doctored as his tapes!).
As we slowly entered the upper galleries of the Lower House, my eyes immediately caught Sri Lalu Prasad Yadav.”Look dude, Pranab Mukherjee….” My friend elbowed me. What followed was absolute mayhem….BJP and Congress MPs slamming each other at every possible opportunity with the diminishing Left not to be left out.
“This is how the country is run?” I watched with wide eyes.
At the end of our stint, we got hold of Mr. Shatrughan Sinha…..who came up with his customary “Khamosh…” on public demand.
Was I disappointed or elated? Well both….. My elation was due to the fact the one M size dream of mine came true….and disappointment…..well my imagination and reality didn’t quite match (a side effect of not watching Lok Sabha TV)!
But again we are the largest DemoCraZy in the world! 

Yeh Dilli Hai Mere Yaar!

As the train tore through the northern part of Bihar and UP, a revelation that got to me was that never ever travel in a sleeper class! A normal reserved three seater berth became quite a five seater and even at times a sixth one said “Zara adjust kijiye….”
Most of the morning I was sitting as straight as Gautama Buddha under the Mahabodhi tree seeking for enlightment (in this case it was the feet of the people seating on the top berth with aromatic footwear……).
After much struggle I managed to reach New Delhi……the capital.
Why am I at Delhi???
This is my fifth visit to New Delhi and this one is going to be long……really long.
This time it is not about the Red Fort, Jantar Mantar, Qutub Minar…….it’s about life, a decision and definitely a challenge.
The very first day in my new class was quite an eye opener….. People from different works of life, different backgrounds and cultures are here…… and are here to only win…..
The prize …….
A job as a NDTV broadcaster!!!!
The second day exposed a part of the city that I never expected…..Rain.
It rained like dinosaurs and Godzillas for the whole day resulting in water logging and widespread jams throughout the city. I was stuck in that for two and a half hours.
I got down from the auto and started walking…….. Completely drenched in the torrential shower, I took refuge in a shop.
“New in Delhi?” asked a young guy standing beside me.
“Ya”….. I said,” does it rain often like this?”
“No…..” the guy smiled,” but when it does it’s quite an event……!”
Flyovers, auto fares, fruit juices, kebabs and Punjabi kudis make up the capital city of India. Here one moment you may get disgusted, the other surprised…… but at the end you have to shake your head and say………
“Yeh Dilli Hai Mere Yaar!”