Wishing every Indian on 63rd Republic Day

My father was 17 when India got Independence. One could say he is one of the few still around who were there on 15th Aug 1947 to fully understand the meaning of getting Independence. 

Before independence he saw, as a young boy, Netaji - then only known as Subhas Chandra Bose, along with Rash Behari Bose, delivering powerful address to a large group of people. When I was a young boy, he told the story and recalled the power and the force that came out from their words. Today after nearly 65 years, my father often gets confused/irritated at the present India, for him it has again become almost an alien country. Possibly somewhere in the way, we have lost track of what independence really means and are more content with decorative pomp and show on 15th August and 26th January.

But still, wishing all Indians all over the world, on the occasion of the 63rd Republic Day.

GOODBYE Mr. Sreedharan - THANK YOU for making Delhi a better place

When I came to Delhi 12 years back, I faced a city more air-polluted than good old Kolkata and with public transport that was nothing less than adventure sports. If you did not have a personal vehicle you were doomed.

I was told that things are going to change because the Metro is going to come soon. I was also told that the same man who was in charge of in charge for implementation, planning and design of Kolkata metro in the 70's was CMD DMRC. So given the time it took for the metro back home, I was sceptic to say the least.

But in the last 10 years I saw the public transport system of Delhi change dramatically for the better in front of my eyes as DMRC added one destination after another. Today one can easily reach from Ghaziabad to Gurgaon in 90 min through public transport, something not even possible in a dream few years back.

The success of DMRC rests with the ability to learn from the mistakes made 40 years back at Kolkata during the initial phases of Kolkata metro and ensuring that they are not repeated. And for that we must salute the metro-man, for there are very few who remembers the mistakes they commit. And even fewer who learns from them. (of course even fewer get the chance and the physical ability to work upto the age of 79 to draw on all accumulated experience)

GOODBYE Mr. Sreedharan. Time for some well deserved rest after working for nearly 60 years. THANK YOU for making Delhi a better place for the common man.