Communal chaos is brewing in South Asia. After centuries of ‘peace’ and ‘co-existence’, religion is now coming in the way of peaceful governance. India has always had it, like the 1992 Bombay riots. Pakistan had it. Then out of nowhere, Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis got world attention. And then, just when everyone thought things cannot get any worse, Sri Lanka has declared an emergency due to communal clashes.
If anything, this is proof that there is no God. Only religion.
No, this is not about the latest training classes I am attending. I have been in Sydney for a few months now, and have been enjoying my time on Sydney’s excellent suburban train network. Get it ? Train-ing ? Sydney is a biig city, much more larger than I had expected. And the rail network is the fastest way to get from point to point. The average speed of the trains is still slow, but they are always on time. So if you factor in time to walk to and from the station, you will always be on time. Sydney’s bus system, though, is another story altogether. They are frequently late, the drivers are rough, and the major lines are always crowded. Its only good for last mile connectivity, you really should not use it to show up for an important meeting or interview at some distant place.
But back to the trains. In the field of urban transport, Melbourne beats Sydney by far. The Melbourne system appears much more modern and fast, despite the numerous level crossings. While Melbourne's overall coverage is better, the suburban rail system there is complemented by a huge network of trams, a type of transport almost absent in Sydney. Ashamed to say, its only after coming here that I saw the double decker carriages. Never had the chance to get on one in India. It is an smart design, two levels of seatings in the space for one ! The coaches are mostly air conditioned, but some of the older coaches are still without them. At least in the mornings, the coaches are spank clean. They have used an innovative seating system, the back support of all seats can be flipped so that you can always sit in the direction of travel.
There are led displays , and regular announcements before all the stops. If you are new in the country, all you need is google maps to navigate your way through the complex network.
Here is something missing on the trains, which really stood out for me. There are no sockets or plug points on any carriage. You know, to charge you cellphone or something. Sockets are now a standard feature on every Indian train. This stands out because for some reason, every on the train is carrying an iPhone ! Also there are only limited seating for people with disabilities or special needs. The standing area is confined near the entrance, that is usually where everyone with big bags end up.
However, the network still holds up to the challenge of daily commuting. Inside, there are no sounds, no jerks. Rides are smooth. I have already fallen asleep twice on the trains and missed my stop. I honestly don’t know why they get so much flak in the media. The new Opal cards for tickets can be used for all buses and trains, just tap on and tap off. Transfers within 60 minutes is considered a single journey. But sometimes I have seen the smallest trips attracting larger charges. It works out cheaper if you travel long distances every day. The train network also eaves many areas of the metropolitan area without coverage, notably, the entire northwest, the northeast, as well as many parts of the southeast.
I have been a fan of public transport since my younger days. Even after I learned to drive, I tried to take the bus or train as much as possible, except if the place has bad connectivity. That option shutdown in Bangalore where accessible public transport has essentially failed. So its nice to come back to my train-ing roots.
Good show, India. Nice going at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Our school children will have no problems if these questions are asked to them.
By the way, do you know who was the first Indian at the Winter Olympics ? It was Jeremy Bujakowski.
Another weekend. Lots of time. And nothing to do. It bothers me that all shops and malls in Australian cities close down sharp at 6pm, even on weekends. And only late night bars are open afterwards. There is nowhere to go in the 6pm - 9pm sweet spot, something we used to enjoy back in India.
A quick search showed that some movies were still open. Okay. So lets go there. And then we found there was hardly any choice of movies. Having read the rave reviews of Marve's Black Panther, we decided to catch it at the Crown in Melbourne.
The movie ? Meh. So-so. Things have come to a point nowadays that the only way to really enjoy a hollywood movie is to leave your brain at home. Marvel's cinematic universe is now larger than all the other sci-fi-fantasy stuff put together. And now they were moving towards secondary heroes, building up mythology in parts of the world other than..you know, cities in the US.
So as long as you not question logic, the movie is good. Though I still don't understand how people are comparing Killmonger to The Dark Knight's joker. Naah, not even close. Whereas Killmonger fights with force upfront, the Joker was all about brains. And for me the revenge story didn't make sense.
Wait wait, I got carried away. That was the kid in me talking.
I also found it really really wierd that everyone in Wakanda talks in English ! In that slow, clearly pronounced accent. Jordan's killmonger is the only one with his american accent, which made sense. But it sounded like everyone in Wakanda had a honors degree in English.
And what was Bilbo baggins doing in all of this ? And gollum was there too. Gollum and Baggins in a movie out of middle earth. That interrogation scene, I half expected Andy Serkis to go..."my precious !!" there.
But I liked the story of the reluctant king, hesitant to do the right thing, because it conflicts with his own conscience. There are some profound scenes of reflection and dialogue there. "You are a good man. Its hard for a good man to be a good king.". You know, absolute power and everything.
But the reason people are excited about Black Panther is because the demand for media that centers minorities is far greater than the available supply.
PS: I think this is the first superhero movie I have watched in a theatre ! And maybe the last.
