Another brick in the wall...

Recently, when I was listening to this( titled) pink floyd song, I decided to google what the term, 'another brick in the wall' means.

I have this firm belief that poetry can be interpreted in many ways and there is never a right answer. Which is what makes poems even more beautiful. 

Most articles, on the internet claimed, that the term meant this : "each time the poet was hurt he built a wall around him and that object/person of hate was another brick on his wall."

This surprised me a little. Because, I always thought it meant that institutionalization killed creativity and growth( over here the writer is taking a dig at teachers and school) and we all end up chiseled the same way ' ike another brick on the wall'. I thought conformity made us just like any other another brick(person) in the wall(world) with nothing to differentiate 

P.S:I think I like my version better. 

San Francisco and more...

I've been wanting to write about my trip to the United States for quite a long time now. My earlier intention was to pen down a detailed travelogue, but a lot of time has passed and the details have blurred. So let me just pick the pieces.

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I was staying with a dear, childhood friend in San Francisco (SF). She lives in Mountain view. When I landed in SF, it had just rained and the entire terrain had changed. It was green and vibrant. Taller buildings and a bustling city life. We drove to her place from the airport in an Uber. Uber is so important in the States. People who do not have cars,take the Uber. Yeah, the public transport over there,really sucks. Which is definitely a flaw. What do you do when you are out on the road in the US? How do you reach from point A to B? Keep wondering. Be lost. Or call an Uber.

However, in my 3 days over there, Uber rides really grew on me. Mostly because of the chatty drivers. They are really pleasant (I presume, a part of their training for customer service). They will greet you when you enter, ask about your day or share their life experiences. It's nice you know. You listen to stories. You grow. On other occasions, it can also get tedious. Because each time you get into a cab, you aren't going for a picnic right? Sometimes you just want quiet and you don't want to be rude about it.

Mountain View is about 45 minutes from the SF city. I believe lack of public transport makes everything look far. But for people who live in Mumbai and know how it could take almost  2 hours to reach from A to B within the city itself, this distance was absolutely nothing. My friend stays in a beautiful studio apartment in Mountain view. It was a quiet place, beautiful and very serene. It was close to the Silicon Valley. That's why she lives there, it's near to her work. I fell in love with the area. It was the kind of place I wouldn't mind living in, either.

On Day 1, we took the CalTrain (Oh yes,they have trains, I sighed! Double-Decker. But the frequency sucks) to reach San Francisco - the city. We had lunch at Chinatown and later walked towards Lombard Street. It was great. This city has life! For the uninitiated, SF is known for its steep roads that curve up and downhill all parallel to each other. Lombard is the world's crookedest street. When we reached the top at Lombard, the sight was beautiful. You could see the entire city from there. If you looked left , you could see another view of the city that stretches into the sea. And you will see Alcatraz right in the middle- guarded well away from the people of the land, holding a rich history behind it's walls. And, if you decided to descend below, on your left you would see it- The Golden Gate Bridge. Red across the twilight sky and above the blue sea. What a beautiful sight! 

We later walked down near the coast, now closer to the sea and the Golden Gate, with Ghirardelli behind us. We took a cable car ride and the night had almost fallen. The cable car took us around the city and over the steep roads.

The moon was full and up in the sky. I was lucky to be there on a full moon night because let me tell you something. San Francisco is simply out of the world on a full moon night. Or let me put it the correct way. The moon looks remarkably spectacular in the city of San Francisco. It was brighter, bigger and for some reason looked closer to the earth. Pasted across the sky, watching it from the top of the winding roads makes it an  experience I will never forget.I think, it almost defines the city.

Coming from a city like Mumbai, you always tend to search for a 'soul' or life in the newer cities you visit (a boon and a curse- both). And SF, definitely features in my list of one of the most soulful places with a distinctive charm to it. The remaining days were spent exploring the place in and around, which was a wonderful experience for me. Walking down the streets of SF, stopping by Fisherman's Wharf, eating shrimps and a bread bowl full of soup, sitting on the bench by the sea. Good company and the moonlit sky. It is a time, I will always cherish.

P.S: Do you know about  my love for the show Full House? I think the fact that it was shot in SF makes me love it more too!

The really nice Auto rickshaw wallah.

For all we know the rickshaw drivers aren't the most accepting lot we have in Mumbai. They have their own rules and will easily own a record of rejecting more people and crushing hopes, than that popular girl/guy in your college would have. Stereotyping compels me to tarnish an entire community but obviously not all of them are the same. Yet, we rant away in our glory and when the next rickshawallah tells us, "Nahi, Andheri nahi jayega"[Will not go to Andheri] , we mutter under our breath,"America jayega kya?"[Oh, so will you go to America?]

However, very recently I had a pleasant encounter with a nice rickshaw driver that completely reset my mood for that day.

It was just another day for me when I went down to the auto stand to take a ride to work. As usual the first two rick drivers refused to go. The third one said yes (to my relief) and welcomed me with a smile. He was an old man, cleaning his rickshaw and I was probably amongst his first few customers for the day. Obviously that smile did not break me( this was routine for me and I was worried about some work). He politely asked me if I had change cause he didn't have any. I told him, I did not have. So he stopped his rick at a tea-stall and told me that I could get some change here, to avoid problems later. I liked his patient nature, but wait-wasn't I in a hurry? I quickly went down to the stall, got change from a young boy who was running the shop and scrambled back into the rick, completely forgetting my manners. The rickshaw uncle, called out to the tea-stall boy from a distance and said," Thank you beta". That zapped me back to the present.

What is the hurry all about? I smiled.The day suddenly had a very positive start to it.

Finally, when we reached near my office, I paid him in change and thanked him for the ride( Btw I do that everytime).

There was a pile of stones in the way, that I would have to jump over to reach my office gate.
He asked me how will I pass them?
" Oh nothing, I'm gonna jump over it", I replied.
" Please take care beta", he promptly added.

That was definitely, one of the best customer service experiences ever. More than that, it also restores your faith in humanity. Mother Teresa once said," If you want world peace, go home and love your family". Profound, indeed.

It is as simple as that. Be kind in the smallest of deeds and I don't see any reason why the world needs to be bickering constantly.

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The above incident happened a few months ago. However, majority of the rickshaw drivers( at the stand I visit)  continue to remain those pathetic idiots they are. So. Arghhhhh!!