Posts from — April 2009

Chennai has a real paucity of parking spaces. Shops appear right next to the road. Pavements in busy areas are taken over by street markets selling everything from trinkets to plastic knick knacks to shoes to pins, toys and clothes. It’s like a parallel economy functioning at the second level – High Street coexisting with Main Street. In this scenario, parking is not for the faint-hearted. Slipping a car into the narrowest of spaces requires a level of skill that combines dexterity with split-second timing and judgement. The traffic never eases off. Reversing into the traffic flow if you’ve got the first try wrong can make a nervous wreck out of most drivers.

With typical Indian ingenuity, the shopkeepers have now started offering Valet Parking in order to ensure that they don’t lose out on customers who simply drive away than face the prospect of wrestling with the problem. I stood watching the other day as an intricate ballet played out between several valet parking assistants who had to ease one car out, another one in and simultaneously take over a car that had just arrived. It’s a miracle that cars emerge unscathed from the experience becasue there are literally centimeters to spare between spaces. 15 cars fit into a place meant for 12. India, as usual learns to adjust. We must be the ultimate ‘compromise’ nation figuring a way around a problem rather than solving it. If the owners, who so regally drop off their car keys with the assistants were to stop and watch the elaborate parking routine, they would probably lose their appetite or their urge to shop.

I don’t know if it has anything to do with the mushrooming of news channels or the sudden urge to exercise their political franchise, but elections are more of a talking point this year – which may not be so good for politicians, who have thrived on keeping a certain section of the populace at home on election day. It was seen as infra dig to vote – but there is the realisation that we are being governed by people whom we do not really know, or trust.

Jaago re pioneered the concept of the voting among young people but there is a momentum building among independents, marginalised constituets and the middle class that their voice is not being heard. That they will continue to be on the fringes until they dive in to the rough and tumble of Indian politics if they have to change the way the country is run. Towards that end, Manmohan Singh represents the voice of reason – a man admired as much for his intellect as his ability to hold his own among leaders around the world.

It will be good to see a leader emerge from the middle class – and see if it makes a difference to the way our country is run.