Green Daze...

Traveling in "Patna Super fast" looking out of the window I am left in a green daze. Serene beautiful green fields spotted with white corn shaped grass, beautiful yellow white cottages situated inbetween nowhere basking in the golden sunlight, butterflies flittering around and birds gliding by. Heaven must shy in comparison.

To me this sight seems to be a temporary relief as what I am going to witness in the next few hours is death, destruction and sorrow. I am on my way to witness the largest evacuation of people ever in this country, the displacement of 30 lakh inhabitants of Bihar due to the flooding of the Kosi river. The green fields, the beautiful light and the chirping birds no longer make any sense to me.

I am traveling in a second class non ac compartment with some really costly gear to one of the poorest states in our country and I am mortally afraid to flip my camera out and snap away. My friend and co traveler Dhiraj was dead against it, yet we did manage to shoot each other just to keep some memory.




As I am approaching my destination now after journeying for the past three days, I am nervous of what is in store for me. I have never shot floods and I can hardly swim in a swimming pool. The urge to document this historic evacuation has bought me this far, and I pray that I can do some justice to an event of this magnitude.

I am left staring out of the window in a blue daze...

Independence Day Again

Here we had our independence day again and I observe the spirit of Indianness coming forth with the intention to make a quick buck. Patriotic movies are shown, patriotic songs are played and patriotic feelings surge forth from every media channel in order to increase their trp's. Radio shows are giving away independence day freebies. The general public is happy with one more day of holiday and unhappy with another dry day. Things move on but somethings don't change, for the past 18 years of conscious existence I have seen children selling flags every year incessantly without fail. It makes me wonder was our independence a compromise in the hands of the diplomats and politicians? Do we as people of this country actually follow democracy for the people?
My independence day would be the day when these children actually get off the streets, go to school, choose their leaders and decide the future of their country. Jai Hind!!!