PXylem

‘Ladies Seat’ written on public transportation is visible and, of course readable to almost all of us. The words written on the window panes of the bus is basically meant for those left side seats which are reserved for ladies. These golden words change it colours that is scripts depending upon the state. If you are in the states like Assam, Punjab, or in south India, perhaps in the capital city New Delhi, it has a different script. But, it means the same – that the seats are reserved for ladies, and only for ladies.

Not to mention, we all have occupied these seats and would have remained glued to it till we got our destination. The journey seems much relax, comfortable and of our taste. But there are days when a lady comes forward and you have to leave it. Here rises the problem – though there are men who without saying any word leave their occupied seat, even there are men who refuses to acknowledge the golden letters and occupy it as if they would take the seat to their home.

In the capital city, the same history repeats. Well, you will find the same two types of commuters – ‘yes, ladies seat’ and ‘no, ladies seat’. The seat doesn’t remain a mere seat to sit. It appears something else – a precious entity that can’t be shared nonetheless with a woman.

There have been instances where a man occupying the seat doesn’t leave it after being requested by a lady. And the person redirects the same request to another person who is occupying the ladies seat. A heated debate takes place. Depending upon the profile of the lady the momentum of the fight is determined. If the lady is a convent educated, a flurry of English sentences could be heard. The quarrel turns comical when the man’s English conversation is not to the mark of the lady. The scene is vociferously watched and enjoyed to the hilt. The same scene I witnessed yesterday on my way from Duala Kuan to Naraina. Imagine, the highly volatile male ego the lady would have pricked. At last the man who would be below 25 blurted out, “Ma’am muje angrezi nahin ati…ap hi hame sikha do”. At last he ended up the sentences by “bas …bas…ho gayi”. The man true to his ego didn’t leave the seat.

One more incident which I found very funny and which left me with a thought, took place while I was coming from Dwarka. I was legally occupying the seat – a seat ahead of the conductor’s seat and there was person sitting opposite to mine. After few stoppages, a married couple with a toddler boarded the bus and the bus was fully packed. The husband requested the person to leave the seat. The answer that the person gave was very childish. He retorted back his request by saying that he is unwell. I don’t think that a real man could have answered this. He was a pigeon-hearted man.

Wordcounttool.com

You are into the writing profession. Yours each and every words counts. What would happen if the computer you are working on doesn’t have Microsoft Word in which you are much comfortable with? And you are not able to count the number of words. Don’t worry there are tools in the internet world where you can do the same thing – to count the number of words.

The website wordcounttool.com is the one where you can count the number of words. The service is completely FREE. The user has to just copy and paste the material on the box in the site.

It is to be mentioned: it doesn’t count those words which starts with an apostrophe ( ' ) or a hypen ( - ) and words made solely from numbers. 1234 will not be counted whereas 1234a will be counted. Moreover, the HTML tags are also not counted.


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This service is another entity in the vibrant world of internet which enables you to convert Microsoft (R) Word documents (.doc) into Adobe (R) Portable Document Format (.pdf) documents. The site also converts Powerpoint and Excel files to PDF. However, Powerpoint files can also be converted to Flash. This service is absolutely FREE.


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The Pdfonline.com supports 2 MB of stuff in the format of MS Word (DOC), MS Publisher (PUB), JPG, PNG, MS Word (RTF), MS Excel (XLS), BMP, TIFF, MS PowerPoint (PPT), HTML (MHT), WMF, EMF, GIF. To convert documents in the above mentioned format ones email is required. The converted PDF is sent to the email ID.

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If you are a music freak and you have a high appetite for music, and all music related stuff. You consider the Beatles, the most enterprising music band ever existed in the world, and in same breadth you love bands Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, Coldplay, Metallica, Linkin Park, Foo Fighters …you know the list is endless.

Then the Last.fm – the social music revolution is your place. The website is all about audio music and video music. It caters more than music. Users can read their favourite band’s biography. Moreover, they can add their word as well.

The site is truly revolutionizing in concept. I found the site is the only online entity which caters to video and audio music content simultaneously. However, something enticing feature which I found in this site is that you can keep track of your music taste. The feature has been named by the website as scrobbling! For this you have to download this feature.

Scrobbling a song means that when you listen to it, the name of the song is sent to Last.fm and added to your music profile. Songs are scrobbled when you listen to on your PC or iPod automatically.

Features which I find of importance are – Weekly Top Tracks and Weekly Top Artists.

So, visit this website and explore your musical taste. Note: Like esnips.com every song/ track is not downloadable in this website. One more thing, if you are from India or interested in Hindi songs, then the website has got limited offers. It is only due to limited members. But it is expected with its higher penetration in India, the site will definitely have volume of Hindi songs.

Like any other city in India, construction of toilet place is given least concern. And the same story repeats in New Delhi. The city has to improve and give a face lift so to be called a world class city.

Sometimes I do wonder what would be the face of the capital city in 2010, two years from now. Would it become a land of concrete buildings with no space to relax in the lap of nature? Or would it transgress itself to such a rosy-coloured world where there is no bumper-to-bumper traffic, water shortage, unemployment, sanitation and security issues?

In order to avoid the agonizing traffic – steps have been taken with the construction of impressive flyovers all across the city. But coming to the sanitation problem, it seems the government is least concerned. The sufferers to this problem are common people – children, men and women, who ply in public buses and can’t relax themselves in hotels and pay Rs 1 or 2 in paid-toilets. In comparison to the children and men, imagine the untold suffering especially women had to undergo daily.

They had to suffer of no fault of their own. To this issue, Delhi is still unsafe. Once you are caught except some couple of well-maintained Sulabh toilets in some locations, you search, dig information where to relax for some few minutes, you will get awestruck that there is no such place in a city where millions of people entry and exit daily. It is a horrible experience not finding toilets in India Gate and many bus terminals.

And even you are able to find the ultimate place [toilets] they are in a salubrious condition. Stench emanating from there is deadly; obstructing you to use it. So only one place is left - it is the road.

In places like India Gate where lakhs of people both foreigners and domestic tourists pay their visit – there is no toilet. One can see frequent visitors relaxing themselves in the shade of tree. But foreigners and those who have first time come here to see the monument they are left with no choice.

The scene in Daula Kuan is exacerbating. All along the stretch where interstate bus and local bus from Gurgaon and Rajasthan stop, the place gives a horrible and horrendous look. One can see commuters as soon as they get down from the bus throws themselves to the corner of the road – watering the walls.

It is ironical the stretch has not caught the attention of the public administration. Urinating takes place in mammoth scale. It gives a bizarre look especially at the day time. Delhi must pay attention and do something to improve the infrastructure in order to stem public urination. The government must do something like the Shiela Dixit bus. Readers who are not from Delhi will laugh to know that private bus operators call the newly introduced low-floor bus with the name of the chief minister ‘Shiela Dixit’.

Hello friends. If you belong to Delhi and daily commute for your job or for some other reason – then the fear of Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) bus conductor is obvious. As soon as you board the bus, a sort of strange fear grips you. A bizarre energy throws you towards the old, angry bus conductor. You are not alone in this exercise. There are, indeed, many commuters like you, who frantically extend money (bus fare) to this remorseless, ghost in the human form – the bus conductor.

The whole affair is agonizing. Since you are stretched at two points, one giving the bus fare, second you have to confirm and compete for your seat in midst of hullabaloo and abracadabra affair.

Well, being in Delhi and not having an affair with the army of bus conductors, it is not possible - absolutely not possible. One day or the other day, you have to get entangled with these bus conductors. Every person has their own story, and I suppose these stories are indeed, agonizing, distressful, and painful.

Few days back I had the same one-to-one session with this DTC bus conductor. The bus was plying between Rohini and Gurgaon. I boarded the bus from Naraina and following the same procedure as I have mentioned I was capable to do both the things together – taking the ticket and occupying a seat.

The story unfolded in Iffco Chowk, Gurgaon. The climax of my story starts from here. Two old persons, the ticket checkers boarded the bus and they were in their mission, early morning mission: to catch passengers who don’t buy tickets. They were just like James Bond (this time only two) secretly assassinating those caught red-handed without ticket.

This time in their mission I was caught red-handed, in their eyes I was a foe, to be killed in cold-blooded manner. It is not that I didn’t take fare. Actually the same old bus conductor gave me a ticket that was validated till Shankar Chowk, Gurgaon. At that moment my experience whispered me - there is no point to have a lovely one-to-one talk with the bus conductor and ask: why my dear bus conductor you have given me this ticket.

Within minutes I became a cynosure in front of all commuters. Frankly speaking, I was extremely unaware of the fact that I was getting so much of peoples’ attention. My first concern was to free myself from the entanglement. Good news is that I was not carrying the amount of fine Rs 100.

And after few minutes of lovely chit chat with these two old Bonds, at last I freed myself when I showed them that I am from PRESS and showed my identity card. I am bigger James Bond than you two people combined. I am a James Bond!

The scene ends there, there in Iffco Chowk, Gurgaon. I set for another mission that is to get to my office and tell the nightmare story to my colleagues. And of course, these two old Bonds were again in their undertaken mission preying on ticketless commuters.
At the end, beware of this DTC bus Bonds who are cruel and inhuman characters. They are ghost and must not be entertained at any cost.

I love Google Trends. The day I come to know this tool in the internet world, I unknowingly became fan of this remarkable feature offered by Google. The tool gives me an insight what actually people search and what is their true status. It tells me in which region, cities, and languages people search to any particular keyword(s).

Type “Scarlett Johansson, Pamela Anderson, Julia Roberts, Mahatma Gandhi” in the Search Trends bar – the tool comes out with a diagram in different colours codes. You must pay attention to the “All Regions” and “All Years” in the page. You can change with your required regions or time frame. It is a remarkable tool. Note: you can have your keyword(s).

The result shows, in Finland people search more on Pamela Anderson, followed by Scarlett Johansson, an American actress. So, without dirtying ones hand one comes to know what people are searching and in what scale. It cleans ones mind before coming to the conclusion – your individual prejudice may vanish. Like it has happened with me, I thought Scarlett Johansson will be popular, but it is not true. Despite Johansson being the most beautiful face in the entertainment industry, she is not popular in the internet world.

Don’t you think this tool is fantastic and useful, than to yours Google mail and other Google products?

“I am proud, I am a Bihari!” Have you ever heard this sentence? Not to mention, you have heard…at Mariana Trench, terrorism infested state Jammu and Kashmir, Capital city Delhi, Commercial city Mumbai, even in the thick jungles of Assam, or in permit driven state Arunachal Pradesh [visitors have to take permit to enter the state]…

You name it, and you will find people who utter this sentence.

Unfortunately, this sentence comes out as a reaction to defend oneself from ignominy that usually builds up when two elements adds: first there is a Bihari and, second there is in air - a topic on Bihar, its politics, people and personalities.

Uhhhh!!! No body on earth utters this sentence than Bihari people do. Interestingly, we all love our soil we belong to. But, the momentum they build on by saying “I am proud, I am a Bihari!” seem childish. It is something like a child caught red handed while stealing stuff and defensively blurts out: I told you, I haven’t done it. That’s it.

It is ironical that wherever in any part of India parochialism is given fan, they are the first people coming to the target. In Jammu and Kashmir, they are being gunned down by the terrorists and in Assam and Maharashtra, they are in the receiving end.

It shouldn’t happen since we are all brethren of the great country India. We all have our unique culture, customs, language, traits and we must pay respect as much we give to ours.

Again, on an average we all pay respect to other persons’ genetic and political make-up. We are inquisitive to other person’s caste, religion and the state he belongs to. And there are many myths, proverb and funny stuff lingering in and around any state and caste.

The word “Bihari” means a lot. Anyone being called a Bihari is being taken with disdainful, scornful, inhuman note. It is still a mystery why Biharis doesn’t like being called a Bihari.

There is no point reacting to any such comments if it is made. It must be taken with a bit of humour. And if possible, maintain the golden rule: Silence.

It will give a very positive response. Biharis must learn. If not, it solidifies another myth: Ek Bihari so bimari.

It’s been almost two months, I have been towing between Delhi and Gurgaon. And, so far the journey has been bag full of experiences. Not to forget, people take, and I am not an exception to the rule: The reward of suffering is experience.

Well, the experience has been the mixture of success and failure affair. How? Obviously, getting at office at time all the way traveling over 40 km and changing couple of vehicles, and again following the same route back home does matter a lot. And for this I pat myself.

Amazingly, I have been most of the time much before the official time, becoming the first person to open the door and turning on lights. Seeing myself taking this honour – opening the door – I feel as I have won a war and waiting to be decorated with some medal!

Nonetheless, the present 10 am to 6 pm job, besides giving the opportunity to becoming “master of none”, has reaffirmed by belief that there is no rule of success. Again, how? Since two months I have been searching, researching the perfect travel itinerary so that I can easily get to office and again back home without any hit and trial attempt. But, it’s been an utter failure.

If I have been a failure, it is the failure of the respective governments of Delhi and Haryana!! Don’t get jerked, how my failure, becomes the failure of the laws of land. Remember, the hype and hoopla that was accorded to the jaywalking. People were fined to improve their walking etiquettes. Etiquettes go haywire in different crossings of National Highway 8 and Ring Road.

People including me take the risk of crossings the roads at Naraina, Duala Kuan, Rajiv Chowk (Haryana) and Khandsa village (Haryana). Since I started jaywalking on these crossings, no policeman has ever fined me. God forbids! People’s motion in these crossings recalls me of Brownian motion: the random motion of small particles suspended in a gas or liquid. It is pure Physics!

People coming from the opposite direction in their attempt to cross the road very often collide face-to-face. Likewise, I have been caught in the Brownian motion with other human-particles!

Not to mention, in the route of my motion comes the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway trajectory. The opening of the Delhi-Gurgaon and its subsequent traffic jam has been in news. Where the opening of the expressway has escaped poor souls like me from the erratic, bumper to bumper traffic at Subroto Park, which had been a daily affair; but its opening has created another lethal, inescapable traffic snarl at the toll gate.

Every time when I cross this toll gate, it makes me feel that it is a dam where gush of vehicles are abruptly stopped, and later allowed in much controlled manner. The scene of vehicles gushing out is fabulous, impressive. Sometimes, I feel getting down from the bus/ cab and have a run. Really! I do feel to have my feet on this stretch.

I remember in the initial days of its opening, the heavy traffic of the vehicles at the gate made the way for free-passage after finding that they [DS Constrution] can’t pay-out receipt of each vehicles using their stretch. So far, this has been an “experience” for DS Construction for “suffering” a major loss of their income.

And another aspect of my journey is that the stretch from Rajiv Chowk to this newly inaugurated fly-over at Subroto Park is full of fly-overs. Sometimes, I do feel I am taking a ride on a roller-coaster. As soon as the first fly-over ends, next starts with different surroundings.

So, my traveling is full of surprises which can’t be “suffering” experiences at all. At the end, today I followed a different route; I did not go to Naraina, to save myself from another traffic jam. I went to Karol Bagh and came to my home. I followed this first time – in my two-months to and fro motion between Delhi and Gurgoan and to my surprise I reached home quite early and the journey less tiring.

Do tell, if you have a car, if possible a SUV, Mercedes is “OK” to save me from Delhi’s government assurance – to have a control on the wheels on the roads.