The Two-Minute Tyranny

 

The Two-Minute Tyranny

 

For a decade & more, the ritual was the same: Customers in a Bank  would spend an hour—often more—sitting in a dimly lit  branch, waiting for a human teller to process a simple withdrawal. People accepted it as the inherent cost of doing business. Time was sluggish, and in turn, we were patient.

 

Then came the "innovative" bank teller systems. The wait time dropped to 30 minutes. Customers felt like they were living in the future. "A breeze," they called it.

 

Later, the first Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) arrived; bringing with it joy that knew no bounds. Money at the tap of a button ? No teller? No lines? It was instant gratification wrapped in plastic and steel. We felt this was the absolute peak, a pinnacle of efficiency that could never ever be surpassed.

 

But, Yippee, it did.

 

Technology continued to accelerate its clock speed, altering every facet of life. Consequently, people   unknowingly developed  uncompromising  characteristics, even for minor hiccups and  adopted a zero-tolerance policy.

Yesterday, I witnessed that illusion of boundless tolerance come crashing down. As I was leaving the bank, a middle-aged gentleman walked up to the ATM booth. He was forced to wait as another customer was engaged in a transaction. I watched as the person in front stumbled through the process. The man waiting behind grew restless, gripping his wallet, & fuming.

I could fairly guess what he was thinking: Clearly vicious, turning every second into an hour. After just two minutes—a time frame that would have been considered faster than blinking a decade ago—the man was ready to scream.

As he shuffled impatiently, I had the staggering realization about the world today, the terrifying truth of this era: As technology brings us closer to instant results, it makes us less capable of waiting for anything at all. Patience, once seasoned  to endure long delays has been optimized and compressed until it is brittle, snapping at a mere 120 seconds of inconvenience.

Technology is making the world move faster and faster, and it has set us racing against time that seems to be riding a runaway treadmill.

 

 

 

Tiny Gestures , Lasting Ripples

 

Tiny Gestures ,  Lasting Ripples

The month of March always brings me back to the bustling Chikka Gadiyaara—the small clock tower Square in the heart of the city at the southern end of Devaraja Market. It is a ritual I never miss. Amidst the familiar row of stationery shops that have served generations, I carry fond memories of countless visits, from my school days to the present, to shops  like Gowri Shankar Book Depot and Vishwanatha Book Depot.

 

However, Adinarayana Shetty & Sons stands among the oldest, a wholesaler’s haven stocking everything from Camlin to Pilot, Flair to Staedtler. Bangalore Press Calendar to Palaniappa, Srirangam to Vontikoppal Panchangam .A fortnight ago, I visited them to buy the new Panchangam. Inside, the shopkeeper was busy attending to an old man, clearly a small shop owner from one of the city's extensions.

The elderly man, likely in his seventies, had his face etched with the deep, weathered lines of a life lived under harsh conditions. He was meticulously arranging his large consignment of assorted stationery, diaries, and notebooks. In his hand, he clutched two large bags, so worn out and colourless from relentless, heavy usage that they seemed an extension of his own skin.

Yet, it was his eyes that intrigued me; they held a quiet, intense depth—a profound blend of  vigour and utter calm.

As the shopkeeper was busy checking and rechecking the long list, I had to wait. Sensing my impatience, the old man turned to me and asked, "What is your requirement, sir?"

"Two Srirangam Panchangams," I replied, my voice reflecting the irritation of a long wait.

As the shopkeeper began reading out his items, the old man carefully ticked them off his own list. When the final item was verified, he instructed the shopkeeper to add  two Srirangam panchangams to his list, taking care to ask the cost first. As the items were about to be packed together, he took the panchangams from the shopkeeper and handed them to me.

"100 Rupees, sir," the old man said, stretching out his hand to receive the money from me , even as his own massive bill was yet to be prepared.

As he turned back to his work, he offered a smile that revealed a lifetime of toil and habits—brown paan marks staining his teeth. He was a portrait of raw humanity, a living story waiting to be told.

 

I turned to leave, but an involuntary glance back stopped me in my tracks—to cherish the moment so unexpected, which I wished to freeze into my memory

But the harsh weather of the afternoon interrupted my illusion. I snapped back to the present. Clutching my new panchangams, I hurried back toward the auto stand.

,

Only those who have walked the long, arduous road of life bearing the weight of  hardship can truly recognize the feelings  of others..It takes a person  having   profound, firsthand understanding of life & a seasoned heart  to look past his own struggles and find solace in helping someone else. True empathy often comes from those who have endured the most.  I was lucky to benefit from such pure kindness & courtesy on this occasion.

 

Efficiency. A challenge . A.Symphony

 

Efficiency. A challenge . A.Symphony

The vegetables are neatly cut  & diced, the tomatoes  pureed, the tamarind is soaked  and ready to be squeezed ,  rice is boiling merrily, the rasam  simmering gently, so is the Sambhar but  with some ferocity .A South Indian meal is cooking.

Because traditional South Indian cooking avoids combining everything into one dish & the intricacy of the  cuisine rarely relies on one-pot cooking we have all three  burners of the stove active, with multiple vessels & pans  in use.!

Unfortunately , it takes a war to bring sustainable practices & mindfulness  to the forefront of our minds. Praying for a quick end to the conflict and for lasting, profound insights.

Meanwhile, the Indane IVRS keeps prompting us to try later, adding to the suspense.

Unleashing 13th Man

 

 Unleashing 13^th  Man

The new age Cricket Fan is Chaotic,loud and deeply emotional.He will abuse a Player in the first match for failure and sing  paeans for his brilliant performance in the second. These are the aficionado who ensures that  cricket is not just a sport but a daily Soap Opera with a billion Scriptwriters. The Modern day  cricket fan is a fascinating hybrid of Gen-Z, Super Analyst , a meme Lord and above all a diehard Hyper-Nationalist.. He just doen’t watch the game. He consumes it in 10 second intervals, comparing Virat’s cover drive to AI generated Precision and mourning a Loss as if it was  a  calamity in his family.The Fan knows better than the team Management , coach & selector  and firmly believes that he could fix Gill’s technical faults by screaming at the TV..He demands that he should    “ कम से कम थोड़ा INTENT तो दिखाओ  भैय्या जी “ . The New age fan just doesn’t wait:he can post a meme involving a crying child or even an apt Bollywood Dialogue.He is faster than DRS.creating a meme even before  a player reaches the dug-0ut..

 

So, I take it upon myself  to guide prospective fans on how to play the beautiful gentleman’s game in this post. But with a warning , I played some cricket,  just the leisurely  calm vintage  type a long  long time ago. Cricket has  evolved  a lot since then. It is getting boring faster with every new “Creative”  Rule meant to boost interest .

So, Here we Go ! without further digression . And I promise that there will be no  ads popping out awkwardly , at most inappropriate moments.

GUIDELINE 1: Get yourself a tattoo.It might not be difficult to locate a  parlour .You will normally find one  squeezed between bakeries and drycleaners  or such other shops in the busy market area. or you can enquire with  one of those Jazzy  “Walking Art Gallery” types too for directions

 

GUIDELINE 2:  Get a Hairdo, .Creepier the better, even if you don’t have a bushy thick cover. The aging  Super stars do it all the time! to present a lush look to  their balding  pate

This  should  be simple  & lot easier on your purse . All you need to do is visit the friendly neighborhood Bar…..r  , err…  Hair Stylist & watch  TV.while he snips away. Rest assured this will be more entertaining   than watching Manjrekar in the post  match summary  or on occasions better than  watching the on-field tamasha itself. .

 

GUIDELINE 3 : Buy some cricket franchise Tees.

Original team jumpers cost a fortune. Unless a pumped up dude on the turf decides to twirl it over his head for no good reason ,& lets go …….and you are the lucky one on whose head it falls. To get T-shirts at bargain prices, you can haggle with  vendors  on the footpath   around the railway station & bus stand or outside the stadium   . You can buy  T- Shirts  of your favourite Franchise team that have  “Kolkota   Night Rides”, Lucknow Supari Joints”   “ Son  razors Hyderbad ”  .printed on them.  They are the cheapest.

 

GUIDELINE 4:Get yourself a cold Drink. and settle down in front of your T.V. You can even hold a placard Reading  “ Don’t Disturb” on your left hand and keep tossing popcorn/chips  into your mouth with the other from the tub(Drum ) held between your knees,

If you are the  Fizz type , it is okay too. But when you tell others about it, remember to pronounce Bindu fizz as B I R A   R I S E (pronounced as  RiZZzzzzz)

 

 If you have come this far, you’re amazing. You are the most experienced Cricket reviewer  around.You are even better than  Athar Ali  Khan & Anjum Chopra in the same box

 

GUIDELINE 5: Watch a Night  match (you have no option actually! Literally no  cricket match is played during day time these days)

This is the most challenging  step. For one thing, it starts late evening & ends very  late in the night, like 11:30 PM. ! But still, remember your goal: you want to learn to play the “Gentleman,s” Game. So motivate yourselves. Sip Bindu  Fizz  in little quantities  till the match starts. Once the match starts, watch players closely particularly the “Stars” for any new inventive  clowning     (Hint: Glamorous  players wear   bizzare looking shades and have more taped fingers)

Watch closely how the guys  near the boundary ropes engage themselves with  screaming fans or how the bowlers exult , indulge in   Gymnastics, or shriek in agony & practice it.

Congratulations! You have learnt the nuances of the game, and eligible to play one or the other     PLs. You are very likely the best cricket analyst in Asia. .

You can begin your internship TODAY with the  World Cup Final ,but continue to watch  I, C, T, M or any other ……..PL matches on TV every day  to hone your skills  so that you are ready for  that grand  spectacle, the latest edition of IPL  but if you feel   dozy  at any point of time  you can keep poking  the Buttons on the TV Remote , flick through channels  and watch  sublime   shows Like  “Crime Patrol”:, “Tele Shopping” , “C I D” or .Zombie Kaadhali”