Survival Toolkit

I should have named this blog-post "Survival Guide", but then Toolkit is a more computer-friendly term and i am gonna discuss more about tools than techniques (for survival!)...

Weather

If Las Vegas ( TTip - A city in USA, universally known for its casinos and *** ) is famous for being a city in a desert, then Nagpur is a desert in the city. This is true especially in the long summer afternoons when the city wears a deserted look. Survival in such type of dry and simmering temperature (around 45 °C) requires special tools.
1. Scarf/Gamcha

A long, white (multi-colored, as shown in the image, are also available), cotton scarf or Gamcha (as it is called locally) serves as a shield to insulate your face from the heat. It is necessary if you are traveling outside. Ideally it should be worn so as to cover entire face and head area; but with the new law passed this summer, it is illegal to cover your face. Covering your ears properly will serve the purpose.

2. Water

You have probably heard this before ‘Water is Life’. Drink lots of water to beat the heat. Always keep a small bottle of water with you when you go out.

3. Onion

This humble little vegetable serves as an effective coolant for the human body. Include onion in your daily salad to avoid nose-bleeds due to the heat. Also keep a small onion with you always while going out. It is useful to stop a bleeding nose anywhere – just crush the onion with your hands, and hold it near your nose while breathing.


Gang-Wars

Nagpur has its fair share of petty gang-wars. All of these have a familiar setting – Two guys...one girl...evening time...some place (TTip - anyplace with ample space for parking many bikes)... final showdown... ”potto ko bulau kya?” ...guys call their respective mobile-phone-callable boys – ‘POTTE’ (TTip – these are groups of boys who are eternally free and specialized in the art of ‘instantly arriving at anyplace’ on the whim of a (missed) call) ...some more hectic phone calls...more Potte pour in...and some more...someone from this side recognizes someone from that...peace brokered...war ends...two new guys...same old girl...and the story continues...
A mobile phone is the most effective tool to survive such gang-wars.

Corrupt Police

Throughout the world, police are generally corrupt. However, there is a strong case of exception when it comes to Nagpur City Police because they are exceptionally corrupt (TTip – pun intended!!). This is especially true for the Traffic Police department, which comes up with various ingenious ways to rob citizens – from making helmets compulsory to the ban on covering faces with scarves.

Tools for survival are easy:

1. Wad of 10 rupee notes – when caught, just pretend that you have only 30-40 rupees. Police will accept it and let you go. In no case should they be allowed to see a hundred rupee note or more.

2. Medical Certificate – you get this by paying Rs.10/- at Government Medical College. Use this certificate whenever you are caught for covering your face.

3. Commonsense (TTip – this is not for people who refer to TTips) – Use your commonsense. This depends on the exact nature of your situation. I cannot help you with it!

TTip - Please click this link if you have not already done so!!

12 Months...

They say that the true value of a city is only known when you go away from it.
Well, I have one more year before I leave this beautiful place. In this time, I would like to write about my city - its past, events, places, memories, and just about anything else that makes it so special to me and so many of its residents!

Nagpur is a city known for its juicy oranges, blistering summers, and lazy afternoons. For visitors from metros, life at Nagpur seems to be frozen ( or baked !!) at a point of standstill. It's a young city (just over a 1000 years of age ) on the threshold of being transformed. It offers a fine balance of a small-town place where you can reach anywhere within twenty minutes, and the high-class comforts of a metro, complete with malls and multiplexes.

For so many of us this fine balance is everything that makes living elsewhere unimaginable!! And I would like to capture the essence of it here, in the following 12 months.