Something special about the Ladies Special!

And the DTC Ladies Special buses have been launched!
Congratulations! Ladies.  Pardon, I am not a 'lady' for the time being.

If any of you has read the news, The so called Ladies Special Bus is, yes, all about ladies. We are so happy claiming that women have become safer. Yes, they have. What worries me now is the safety of men!
No. No cheap talks here. I won't say ,"yaarr...Now all the guys will die to have even a single glimpse of the  beautiful girls in the buses...ooooo...Ladke to gaye yaarrrrr!!!" I am not talking of that construed definition of "safety from killer looks"!
In a city where everybody is fighting to survive well, I don't really believe somebody will have the time to 'have a glimpse' of the faces. And by the way, Just because its Ladies Special does not mean all the faces in it will be beautiful! huh!

So, the one line of the news that really caught my attention was- "Male drivers are being hired. Though the conductors in these buses will be women".

I do not have much to say. In near future, when these buses will be made available on almost all bus routes, I bet you will see the following:

• These buses shall be only for women. Enter a man and he will be fined. 200/- straight away!
   
• There shall be no reservation for men in these buses. Yes! "Auraton ki bus hai bhai...chaliye bhaisaheb nikaliye yahaan se...Mardon ko to tameez hi nahi hoti."
• Should the Driver feel a bit irritated by some serious misbehavior of any of the 'ladies' and shout, the female passengers might just go to an extent of even stopping the bus creating all the chaos only to ensure that the Police and Media who will most definitely arrive there, get a reason to convict the Driver of charges as serious as even Sexual harassment.
• No. The driver will never be appreciated for serving women in this wonderful manner. But one heated argument and he is no less than a rapist!
• Women will continue to have special reserved seats in the general buses. Men will have to continue vacating seats for even an 18-year old GIRL claiming her rights over the LADIES seat. Because "Mardon ko to tameez hi nahi hoti.."
• No matter if a senior MALE citizen is standing next to the 'Seat reserved for senior citizens' in general buses, if a girl has occupied the seat and is not willing to even acknowledge the presence of the person, he may not ever get to sit! But we will not forget, "Mardon ko to tameez hi nahi hoti.."
• Even though 'LADIES SPECIAL' could be taken as a harbinger of GENDER EQUALITY, one can hear some 'ladies' saying "yaar ab bus driving jaise mushkil kaam to aadmi hi kar sakte hain na".
• Even though the "mushkil kaam" in this case has to be handled by a man just because HE IS A MAN, Women's development cells in the society will never stop claiming,''Women are no lesser than men in ANY RESPECT". 
• Slut walks perpetuate the equality in the cases of clothes, I wonder why not in BUS AND TRUCK DRIVING... or even in rejecting reserved seats and accepting the pain that one undergoes when one has no seat available( Because NOW women are not equal to men..seats have to be given !!) and half an hour journey is still left.
  
  I wonder why we never hear-"We,women, are equal to men. Since they do not have any reservations, we reject any such claims on our part too." 

There used to be a time when people used to tell girls,'' You are a girl. You have to tolerate.'' Seems women are just reciprocating that NOW. Doing bad to the wrong men just because women once suffered is a morally disfigured definition of equality.
( Arre yaar, this man never tried to rape you. Let him have a seat. He is sweating...He has to run family so he earns a living too! Shout against the real traitors...The real rapists! It looks like the case of a wrong conviction! Go grab any man who tries to touch you even little...shout! get him arrested..yes that is your right! But why punish ALL MEN??...)

So, Men! Seems you have no relief. You might think buses now will have a lesser number of women, but let me tell you, that will not happen! You cannot enter the LS buses, but women will continue occupying the 'ladies' and even  the normal seats. A Men's Development Cell can protest on streets to say,''Men can do whatever women can. We are equal"

Respect Ladies no matter if at times, you find no reason to do so!

:( and then :)

My vision turned a little blurred as I read and re-read the list of candidates shortlisted- trying to tell my self, "I am wrong, lets read it once again" . The tear, originating from my eye, trickled down my cheek; My vision had lost its dirt and my dreams, their hopes!

So...I am not in the list!
Yes, the very Company that I had written about in my last post, has chosen not to let me in. The first five minutes of my encounter with the P-cell notice board seemed like 5 years; as in 5 years of long had work with little, or better, NO result at all.

I seriously admit that my CV has nothing very recommendable about it. The achievements, which they hardly are, are pretty average. When you see what all the other people have done, I appear a very prominent- average person. I have been saying this since, yes my favorite, 1927!!
But I am a human being too. And to expect something from my own self is quite natural. I have been giving my self false hopes about quite a number of things now. And it can't stop- In spite of the repeated rejections!

You see how it is, there are just 7 girls out of the 'many^10..." who applied. All of the rejected are disappointed. But in midst of their disappointment, nobody has forgotten to 'comment' on 'why the 7 persons should  have NOT been there'. Mea Culpa! I am in the list of the culprits too. But as I write, there is the feeling that "be it". Not out of ignorance or jealousy, but sportsmanship! It is a game. Somebody will have to lose. Some will win. It is all okay.

I wish all the selected girls all the best. Mean while, I am applying...!!

Just out of the Utopia...Finally!

(...continued..)
But gradually, when CVs and some serious stuff appeared, I was a bit taken a back.


I just got to have a look at what others have done that can get them through the first short list. Yes, Round 1 is about getting short listed! I am not at all sure if I will get through even that!

At the time of preparing the CV, I was a proud-thinker; thinking of the best achievements of the world, i.e., the ones that I had included in my CV.
But when I tried to have a look at what others had in their list of achievements, I was left with a low-mood! The girls are amazing. They really are. And I stand just no where!

The firm has not declared any results yet! We are still waiting. But for the time being, I have just shouted my heart loud here! Yes! I AM tired of thinking why-and-what. My last-to-last post may seem a bit contradictory in this context. That was about internships! Now is about a final placement! Seems I am not yet that carefree girl I had boasted of having turned into, in that post.

But, what can I do? Anxiety is human behaviour. I need strength to face the results whatever they may be. And I must STOP imagining the Utopia- A  grand job, the best life, luxuries. They all seem so faded when rejection appears as one of the possible candidates to occupy the throne of future!

Just out of the utopia!!

I am tired. Tired of thinking. You know, I usually find myself torn between illusion and reality. When I am not comfortable with certain set of events, I usually envisage Utopia!

I am undergoing that phase of teenage-about-to-end life, when the 'about-to-become-a-complete-adult' person still tries to relive those moments of the teenage life when things used to be very calm. It is very difficult to understand that new things are now coming into life. I have to now let the feeling of some 'new-ness' sink in.

Earlier, it used to be very easy for me to let certain things happen on their own. It has now become very difficult for me to even think of that. Making efforts and keeping a track of their fruitfulness is now a necessity.

Placement season-1 has commenced at my College. I am excited-cum-worried. I have a mixed feeling. Months back, I was sure of how things would turn up for me. I had a plan. But now, I am totally clueless. I have started to realise that Planning in the air does not work.At all!

One amazing Consultancy firm is on campus. When I attended their Pre-Placement talk (PPT) , I was mesmerized. Like every other girl in the audience, I had also,almost immediately, started to imagine my 'life' at that Company. The life, the aura..the everything! It was superb! ...(continued...)