Booohoooooooooooooooo

All my Ahmedabad plans are down the drain. My parents are scared to send me to Gujarat. :( This time I ll comply. But I hope I get a chance to see those places sometime in my life.

In a way this is not fair. I should be free to roam around anywhere in my country without any fears. Hope those days will come when this is true. However, I have heard from my friends that Ahmedabad is a very safe and peaceful city. Girls can roam around even after 10 without any fears. I guess the riots were an aberration with which, unfortunately the city will always be associated with in future.

In that matter, Chennai sleeps very early. After 10pm, the streets are practically empty except for a trickle of traffic in the main arterial roads. Its also considered safe for women in general. The crime rate in the city is also comparatively low. But in recent times, thats also going up slowly. Recently, we were shocked to hear about the death of a girl who was returning from her job around 11. She was apparently chased by a bunch of drunken drivers in a car. Surprisingly, the guys were very young too..aged between 16-25 yrs. These cases are rare and I hope they remain so.

We havent ventured out much in the late hours. But a few of such trips have been memorable. Once, when we ( a group of 4 girls) were getting really bored we took a return ticket to and fro Tambaram and travelled in the local train. This was after 9pm or so and the trains were pretty much deserted. But the footboard travelling was fun.

Another memorable experience is of a music concert..errrrrrrr this is memorable because of the concert. There is this annual music festival called the 'LakshmiNarayana Music Festival' held in memory of a great musician. So in year 2003, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (AAK), Pandit Jasraj and L. Subrahmaniyam (LS) were invited to perform. I am musically illiterate. But the concert was too good for words. Pandit Jasraj was his usual brilliant self and the Jugalbandi between LS and AAK was spell-binding. Once during a piece, AAK's Sarod string broke. LS carried on. AAK hurriedly fixed the string and joined in without missing a taal. Thats what is called professionalism. Their years of practice helps them out in these situations. I wish I could reach that kind of expertise in my field.

Let me end this post on this wishful note. There is much more to life than a trip to a city ;)

:D