No price for advice.

An interesting advertisement of a leading telecom company has got me thinking that 'advise to har koi karta hain yaar'.
Most of the time this is useless advice by virtue of it being either unwarranted, or coming too late. It is just not over there.
You have hell to pay when you have to face the person whose advice you did not pay heed to.

A predicament I faced recently had to do with some advice that I received from someone who had a self-conferred authority.
Just the other day, I was stuck in traffic on a narrow yet two way traffic road. All vehicles were making a criss cross on the road as if forming a complicated puzzle and speaking the language of honks, while the drivers uttered abuses. After all, everyone is in a hurry in our country. So while I was waiting behind a car, a rickshaw driver steers his auto on to my right and starts showering me with advice. He was hell bent on making me take a deviation and get moving.
How did he want me to do that? By performing the remarkable feat of climbing up the pedestrian sidewalk and riding my 100cc two wheeler on it.

Why? Simply because he felt like advising me. Neither was I in a hurry, nor was I in any mood for a automobile gymnastic feat. I was not even in front of him,
My treading the platform on my bike along with my pillion rider would in no way hinder or benefit him or anything on the road. Yet, he was determined to get me over the footpath!

It was not one of those edges where the platform boundaries form a slide like at building entrances. This is usually where two wheeler drivers hop onto the sidewalk and start driving on them. The place I was waiting was not one of those places, it was one where the platform was at steep height of a good 15 cm steep height from the road. It is bad enough that some dumb people ride their bikes on it at their own risk, as per their will, but why force someone else to do the same? It is dangerous, unwanted and do not even get me started on the legal aspect. But no, my advisor was determined.

First it started with general a mention that I should go on the foot path, then it became a request. Before I could comprehend the absurdity that he was expecting of me, it had turned into a command and I was ordered to do what his over-ambitions mind was dictating. I did what I do best in these situations- ignore unwarranted detractions. The consequence of that was just round the corner - sour grapes dove in. His comments did not stop at my ignorance. It turned to innuendoes 'Ah forget it, you can't do it, You're not capable of that! Bah'
Sheeesh.
I had half a mind to turn around and ask him what his real problem was? Was he running short on his 'advise strangers' target for the day? Was he a lonely insomniac who drove around advising people? Would he not sleep at night if i do not climb the platform? Or is he just one of those people who fulfill their whims and fancies by asking others to do it....
I'll never know, cos i never asked. But what i do know is that there is no end to free advice.

High heels- the metaphor.
When women got out of the kitchen, they traded the ladle for high heels. it was time to move on and they would not move on to anything less powerful. The ladle symbolises the control that they had over the house. The ladle is not a mere object of utility but one that unites women worldwide in their triumph over maintaining adn sustaining the household for centuries. Once they left the kitchen, they picked high heels as a symbol of independance and a dignified stance. It was meant to say 'despite treading on something that looks dangerous, i am totally in control of my life'. This is the dictum that most powerful women live their lives by.

Traffic- the game
A lot of people speak of the wonderful animation games that they play on different computers. Large conglomerates spend a considerable amount of time and money trying to better the gaming products currently in the market.

BUT, I can cay with utmost certainty that the game that i get to play day after day is among the best games ever created. It is a game with the best 3-D effects ever. The game is created by us, but the almighty gives the effects. This game requires some warranty seals, some papers saying you are willing to play it . A government regulatory body has to certifies that you are capable of playing it. To play the game, you have to abide by its rules and if you break any of them, there might be hell to pay. Start off with wearing your safety equipment from headgear to rear gear. Once you are all strapped up, you are ready to go.

You can go anywhere that you wish to be transported to, You can choose any means of transportation, but rest assured that the ride will be eventful regardless of what means of transportation you choose. Start be hitting the accelerator and use the brakes to stop. use the horn whenever you feel like whether there is a necessity or not. Slow down at trafffic signals once you spot a yellow light, stop on red and start again on green. Take the shortest and fastest distance from one point to another.

Things to watch out for.
*Honking: The horn sounds mean so many different things, all in one sound. It can me - 'give me way', it can mean 'get out of my way', it can even mean 'do not backfire', , it can mean 'move front', it can mean 'move to the side', it can mean 'emergency'- It is a language in itself and it is quite common for a novice to get misled and lost in this language.
*Pedestrians: These are the players who play the game, but without any automobile.They seldom walk on the paths made for them and have the desire to run across the streets as when they like.
*Cows/bulls/Dogs-Lesser said the better because we worship the first one and the last one is man's best friend.

Occasionally the game gets hard when the skies start pouring down water. This release version is called 'traffic in the rain'. This is a real challenge and is not meant for the week hearted. A more advanced version with more difficulty is available and is called 'traffic -after the rain'

Initially it is a bit jittery, You break too hard, sometimes you go too close to other players, but soon enough, it will make you a regular and before you know it, you'll be enjoying this game. After all, we've made it for ourself, haven't we?