My Old Scooter and God

I am not fanatic about my belief in God. Not being a religious person, I don't visit temple, church or any other monasteries but,  when I go out in my decayed scooter, which is  very much in bad condition and I return home safely; all that do have power to make me believe in God and his existence like anything. I leave home with a pray, God take care of me and I go out in my scooter even though I have no trust in my scooter.

Condition of my scooter is so bad that, if the spare parts do have rights to sue me in any court that would have existed on earth, they could have sued me long time back for not keeping them in good conditions. There is only one side view mirror and the one which is there is just so angry with me always looks down as if in protest. It seems at a look that it is so committed, not to report me whatever is happening behind my back. Both hand breaks are so loose that no one can manage it; but me. Both brake shoe are not working, I wonder how come my clutching both break works, when they are supposed to work. If it works its a miracle, then I believe there is this invisible power of God to protect the most careless person living on earth who dares to ride that old and gone scooter. And that careless person happens to be me.

Therefore, it should not surprise anyone, if my scooter is so determined to bring me most embarrassing scooter owners award. Its’ sound is embarrassingly loud and so odd until I find myself in highways. Then, the same odd sounding sound, makes me feel like I am riding a racing bike. It is a reason to crack a conversation with guys on the road and its a reason to bring some uneasy feelings to some of my acquainted, who thinks this is so damn embarrassing looking scooter. I hate to admit it but they are so right. Its only that they don't know, that I know all the stories of each and every scars and bruise my scooter has and I am the reason behind all those bruised part of my old scooter. Its been with me for more than ten years now, that it has become like my good friend. It has given me so much good memories as well as story too.

Its’ oddly loud sound, especially at the red light stop is what makes young guys on fancy bikes make to give me ‘the look’ at my scooter until they see me racing fast when the light turns into bright florescent green. There are times, I see the same guy on my side who were with me at the earlier red light stop. That is the time, they  crack up the conversation with me admitting, its engine is still one of the best despite its look. Best engine, is what making me to keep this scooter a little while longer.

There are people who would not blink eyes to tell me to change my scooter as soon as possible. But, coincidentally the same friend[s], who ride comparatively new bike than mine have met with an ugly accident, some really bad ones; but mine still protects me from those unwanted accidents. For me, its not new or old, good or bad, I have to be safe on the street is my first priority.

Deep in my mind I think, not having licence keeps me grounded and more cautious than carrying a licence. Some believe this is very nonsense reasoning about my safety. Yeah, you can argue that, you have licence but you have never met any accident but I know lots of people who have and have met bitter accident. Finding myself behind those licence holder tells me what its to have confidence to face traffic police and what does arrogance means. I am cautiously fast on the street but without licence in my pocket, I can't be over confidence on the street. I dare not do things that will tangle me with any accident traffic police comes only on second number of priority to protect myself.

Riding a scooter is real freedom for many of us who love to go out anytime and without any control. I can think of going out without - a wallet - but not without my scooter. It took  me four month to learn scooter and when I say,my short leg to be blamed for all this some raised their brow. However, once I am on street I really have not found myself in any trouble in this ten years of my experience on wheel; except my scooter have made many trips to the traffic police office for violating some street law. Oh, all that made me pay highly for the stupid mistakes.

There is this normal believe here that the traffic police are very corrupt lot and they will seek all the opportunities to scuff you money, for not having legal documents to ride not just scooter. Its right but not entirely true. I have bumped with really good traffic police officers, who were ready to help me find the licence; which I have never made. Thier nicety made me feel guilty about white lies. Some of the traffic officers have returned me my blue book without charging  a penny, all he agreed is to have lunch with me.  

There are times  have gone to the traffic police office and retrieved my scooter after telling them the half truth about licence saying that I am not ‘carrying’ it now or lost it. Yet they let me go after the normal charge for parking on no park zone and then they let me go with my scooter without much fuss they did not hyper reacted for appearing in their office to collect my two wheeler without proper document in my hand.

Facing traffic police alone is a lot better experience in reality than facing them with those who carry licence with them, besides it cost me more also if I walk in with them in traffic office. Story of traffic police being corrupt has more benefit to those who walk in with you in traffic police offices to help you out from the situation, than they actually being that corrupt and harassing with true intention. There are people who make good bucks telling you that others are bad and corrupt. My scooter has taught me this, than anything else in life.

Some ask me have not you tangled yet [fight or argument] with anyone on street ? That really shocks me. Am I  on street  to fight or seek any chances to tangle with anyone ? Why do I have to be ?  They thought I am very strong nature and I must have had some good fight or argument on street for anything that went wrong. Strangely, that I have not faced yet. Precaution is better than prevention is my motto on street and with precaution we can protect yourself on street and agreed accidents are accidents, but it can be avoided with real caution. I know there are some who do climb down from car and bike and then kick with the other who hit them on street.

Old or new I still need it for a ride and when the road is like ours, my scooter is just fine.

Needless to tell you, first thing I do after reaching home safely is to thank god for my safe ride back home, because he is the one who deserves that for protecting me on the street. My scooter taught me about the power of God and his existence and then also help me know about the people and their real intention. Shhh... my scooter should not know about it, or it might get idea to sue me for handsome fine for not giving it all the credit of carrying me all this year and protecting me on the crazy raods of the city !

Reason or Victim ?

Its been a little more than three years, I have been watching crime shows that airs in Indian channel. I am not just hooked to watch it but, now its become the source of study hard the reason behind the crimes and what is the root cause of it and more than that, why crime takes places in our society ?

Unlike the popular belief that women are the reason behind all kind of mess that goes around in a family and in our society. However, now its been revealed that, its not women who are the reason behind all the crime that takes place. In fact, women of all age are the victim of most crimes that takes place in our society. Because, I have been studying  the reason behind the crimes. I have come up with  major reasons of crimes, which give us an insight of reality. In all these crimes which happens in India, women of all age are on the centre of it.

Dowry is a very controversial topic in indian society. A gift which almost all parents would like to give to their daughter, after marriage. But the greed of it have become not just a free will but a high demand from grooms family, have become a reason to torture mentally and physically against married women in india in all walk of life. Domestic violence, its not just limited in mental and physical torture but we have been watching young brides burned alive within years of marriage, because they could not bring what they expected to bring. It may be the bride who has to suffer the torture and face the violence but its the whole family and society has to pay the huge price for this crime. If they can't bring sufficient dowry their worth have been regarded like less than a dust in the new family and some try to buy the importance with enough dowry.

We also have been learning through this shows that giving dowry won't sort out the difference between two couple, yet this ugly culture is not vanishing despite strong law against it. Law can't change the mind of people it only can punish the culprit but why that eradication effort has not been taken strongly in Indian is something always hammers my conscience. Public must change their opinion not very little efforts are made from the media to face the brute reality of this  every passing day. this is the reason they marry and this is the reason marriage falls apart. yet the culture of dowry never ends in society.

Rape : Indians are very conservative when it comes to talk about sex. Having intimate relationship among the college going couples is big no no, even during the courtship; as its a big taboo. There is this believe that you should not marry for sex and sex should be used only as utility even in married life. But what is so nagging to watch on crime shows and more survey on this matter revealing that one girl is being raped in every 20 minutes. Due to their vast population it looks like India is a rape nation. Recent survey report by UN, which covered more than 10,000 men, says another side of the story, only this time; they had done the survey in many countries of the Asia-pacific continent. One in every four men admitted raping including their partner. They were asked, why do you rape ? One out of every four men responded for want of sex, entertainment and punishment. 75% responded for I want her or want to have sex with her, 59% responded for entertainment and more than 38% said for revenge. Sometimes, I wonder this is the country which brags that we are very religious and spiritual nation then why the religious or spiritual leader is also not helping common man to face the rapist in our daily life instead we keep reading in news or watching it on TV channels that its religious leaders, politicians, bosses colleagues who exploit the women. Should not they be changing their tune in this regard instead of telling them to suppress the need ? Had we not seen enough of it when it burst out, it not only shakes India but has power to give a goose numb every civil society across the nation.  read for more detail, Why do they rape ?

No baby girl : Although its illegal to know the sex of unborn child its widely practiced in India. Its not that they are curious about the sex of unborn child but they will terminate the pregnancy if they came to know if the fetus is of female sex. Daughter are so unwelcomed child in almost all family in India, with some exception. Some vocalist about it, some suppress the need to have boys but its so deep rooted in Indian mind that they just want boy as a child. This need is more prominent when there are already two or three girls in a family. Recently they were covering the story of a mother, whose one month baby girl was buried alive by her own father, and two grandmothers for want of a boy because she already had two more girls. She sure send all of them in jail and saved her baby girl.

We may read in news that China and India are rising superpowers when it comes to economic growth but when it comes to choice of sex they always go for boy instead of girl and now the situation have become too worse that there are 118 men for every 100 suitable marriageable girls to marry and that is 1000 men for every 914 girls in India. and now men are paying high price for this. In Indian society its is believed that only son will take their parents to heaven and only they can give the continuity to the blood line.

Women as a commodity not as a human being : We sensible women are sick and tired of this typical man’s mentality that we are just a sex object and nothing more than that. But worse than that, one of the biggest reason crime takes place in India against women of all age is because we are regarded as commodity not a human being. There are men who think, we are nothing more than a sex object, made to bring pleasure in their life, some regard us if we are maid who come in their life in form of mother, wife, daughter. Some see huge money in young and vulnerable women and then they fell in love with them love them for some time and then these loving husbands or lover sells their lovely wife to pimps in brothels. What is so shocking to see on these crime shows is, its fathers who are pushing their daughters into flesh trade and husband who sells their wife for money. In some rural parts of india even a whole family is involved in selling their daughters to the highest bidder to be used as a sex object. This culture have been going on for ages. Women can't have their opinion because we are something men need to protect, possess and guarded all the time; as if we are not a living creature at all. That over protection is what making us weaker than we needed to be and that is what is giving men more power because they are more exposed to outside world than women. This reminded me of a line by a man who said, If you now less it make me look smart.

After studying intensely crime shows over many years I have learned that women are not the reason instead they are the victims of all the crime. But, its easy to blame them for everything that goes wrong as we are the weaker sex.