Quo Vadis?

In 1993 the “real thing” made a re-entry into India and soon changed the dining habits of many Indians.  It was not that we had no carbonated sugar water earlier, there was the Indian answer to Coke  “Double 7” and of course the many loved drinks from the Parle stable including the behemoth Thums Up. The difference then was that the drinks were refreshment and usually a time pass, you know what I mean, but Coke became part of meals and there started a revolution. I grew up with the “real pepsi cola” the coloured drinks stored in thin plastic tubes and frozen in the refrigerators. Sold for 50 paisa or so they were a delight and lasted as long as the frozen drink took to melt and be sucked out of the tube. Small pleasures then but that and the other drinks called “colour” in the friendly neighbourhood   Annachi stores were an indulgence and usually an occasional indulgence. The advent of Coke and the many junk food counters into the country ensured that junk was paired with c

Recently: -   I overheard “To show God to me, I paid the priest 100 rupees…” I was left confused whether my sympathies lay with God or the devotee  -       I stopped for a red light when the traffic cop stationed there flagged me on with a sarcastic smile. (The signal was erected recently due to pileup from two directions) I moved on only to stop beyond the light stuck in the inevitable jam which could have cleared if the cop had not intervened -        I realized the benefit of the buddy system especially when you are into fitness training or running. A buddy can coax you on to new levels of endurance that you did not know existed. I doubled the distance I usually run thanks to a patient buddy who kept pace with me -        I learnt that it is better to grimace and bear with an errant driver damaging your vehicle with his negligence than to take it up legally. The associated costs in terms of money, energy and effort may outweigh the cost of repairs. -        I discovered