Terrorism has been on the increase in our country in the last few decades. Not that one is born a terrorist; it’s the environment that breeds fanatics. What happened in Mumbai is a very cowardly act, one of desperation of perverted minds hell-bent on breaking the back of this vibrant city. But knowing the Mumbaikars’ grit, they aren’t going to cave in.

This is not the first terrorist attack that Mumbai has experienced. Each time it’s happened, Mumbai has bounced back within hours to get on with their lives. It was amazing the way railway personnel and linemen worked round the clock to restore the tracks and overhead cables with hours of the blasts, and get the city’s ‘lifeline’, back on track.

Adequate testimony to the Mumbaikars resolve, that come what may they aren’t going to be intimidated easily.

It is time for us, as a nation to stand together behind Mumbai in this hour of crisis. Our hearts go out to those families who have been affected by the blasts. At the same time, we need to take some concrete measures to ensure that adequate security in public places is spruced up.

No point talking about common sense to these deprived minds behind such attacks; it’s we who should get our common sense put to better use.

Noise is a growing disturbance in our cities with decibel levels increasing alarmingly by the day. This not only has a serious effect on the human environment but also the quality of human life. Speeding automobiles, loudspeakers, construction activity, and takeoff and landing of aircraft - these are the major noise contributors.
Thanks to the pathetic public transport and easy access to loans, its easier now to own a vehicle and hence, cities have seen a tremendous rise in congestion on the roads. There is no check on the use of horns which seem to get louder by the day contributing to already existing noise. Traffic spills over to the cross roads of residential areas and rash driving, incessant honking is another nuisance to peace and quiet of residential areas. People also get a lot of pleasure in removing the silencers from their vehicles, which creates quite a racket and is painful to the ear.

Noise seems to an acceptable part of our daily life. Sustained exposure to noise over a period of time will result in gradual loss of hearing.

Somebody ought to do something to rid this menace.

Getting reliable domestic help is a big blessing these days. They are the most demanding and unpredictable lot and would not hesitate to stay away from work at the drop of a hat. They are very familiar with the booming software industry and the salary they demand is as big as the fat bucks that people take home. Showing them the door is not an easy option either because they may have invariably taken advances on their salary, which means that one has to forfeit the money given to them. Employing a new maid means going through the training process all over again.

A friend of mine recently had this problem with her maid of two years. She would keep her waiting until the afternoon only to send word through her son about her absence. Now, nothing is worse than having to wait half a day for the maid and then to be told that she wouldn’t come to work. All the while she had been promising her that she would not ditch her and promised to be very regular.

This continued to happen for a couple of weeks when my friend felt that enough was enough, and terminated her services. She did lose out on her money but managed to get a good replacement for her.

In contrast, we have a maid servant who’s been with us for some 9 years now. She’s extremely loyal, trustworthy and very good in her work. She takes care of the kitchen and I can go about my work with no worries.

So what’s the secret? For one thing, we pay her well. But more than the money it’s the respect we give her, treat her like she’s one of us and not a servant. This she appreciates. She’s therefore, not greedy. She knows she’ll get without having to ask. When I went on a trip to the UK last year, I bought things specifically chosen for her and not some souvenir key-chain.

She’s poor but money can’t buy you loyalty. Respect can.

There is this Ganesha temple in Koramangala that’s grown with the suburb over the years and is very popular with the locals.

Some time ago, there was a furor here about misuse of offerings made by devotees and in a major clean up, the temple had a new team of priests in place. Information boards were put up all over the place stating that offerings should only be dropped only in the hundis. It seemed like a good move and one felt that henceforth, offerings made to the deity would reach the right place.

A few weeks ago, during one of my visits I noticed that those people who dropped money into the flower basket, were given a long string of flowers in return; whereas the others received just a few petals.

On yet another visit, I was aghast when a volunteer, while distributing ‘prasadam, openly asked me for a little ‘something’.

Some things don’t change, do they?

Love dogs? Until a few years ago, I never realized they can be such wonderful companions. I have liked dogs but never sort of touched them or ran my fingers through their fur; always kept a distance.

Four years ago, a 33-day old German Shepherd pup came into our home and changed my life. ‘KC’ – as we fondly named him – brought in such a lot of joy and for the first time in my life I took him into my arms as if he were my own.

We never leave home for too long, because we miss him and even if we do go away for a few days, we ensure that there’s always someone to look after him.

A dog can make a lot of difference in ones life; I can tell you that.