Behave Like The Crowd, When You're In One!

''How superficial can people be?''
This one question haunts me night and day. It makes me think a lot. Here are the findings.

Going by the definition, taking trivial, insignificant attributes in account to cement your views about someone makes you superficial. But, isn't that generally how it should be?
I mean, you'll judge a person by taking a note of what he's wearing or how he carries himself, right? Sad choice of clothes? Poor guy, we think. Too loud for you? Ill-mannered, we remark.

No verification. No justification. 

"What should I do to escape these farce opinions?"
Hide? Hibernate? Disconnect?

No. It's easy. Behave like them in front of them. Give them a head-bang. Confidence is the key to it.
They act bitchy, be a momma-bitch. They criticize you, you criticize the third person.
In short, be an elitist when with the elites. You won't like it. Constraints. But, that is the only way to make them riches zip their mouths.
Preach what them holy patronizing  saints practice.

You'll get their son. I hope you do.

Judge Me, Please!

The Supreme Court's chief justice; The High court's judge; the Police Inspector; the next door neighbor; the close friend; the milk man; the dog- All of 'em, they judge you. Yes, in some way or the other, they do. It's human nature.

Do we need to take their judgment seriously? No? Probably.

Why does anyone's opinion affect us so much? You might portray that it doesn't affect you, that, you do not care. But, deep down inside, there is this urge to rubbish the judgment off which makes you think. Self-introspection comes into play. You think. You might change your opinion about the view of the person which you passed by thinking 'I do not care' or you might as well be 'intelligent' enough to not care. You think more.

Sometimes, what people opine about us makes us criticize ourselves. Well, you might be open to criticism, but, belittling yourself by taking into consideration what one might have said rather mockingly or sarcastically (I never get sarcasm. Maybe, people name it sarcasm just to tone down the effect of it. Pretense) is just not how you deal with it. Isn't it?

I do not ask you to be arrogant, I suggest you to be snobbish. I am a snob. There's a thin line between arrogance and snobbish behavior which will eventually grow bolder when the thoughts in your mind are clearer.

Be opinionated. Be who you are. Why care? Because we live in a world full of insensitive brats. Interestingly, I am an object of the set too.

Judge Me, Please. Will you?

Blissful Nirvana

"The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, on stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night."
- Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance

They stood atop the Fort,
Five of them.
And the sky, never so beautiful;
Gazing.

Perfectly positioned,
They stood paranoid.
Never so dubious, he exclaimed,
"God be with you!"

Much to his surprise,
They revered 'The Nataraja'.
Astounding Silhouettes, distinct;
Gleamed the astonishing skyline.

They stood atop the Fort,
Five of them.
And the sky, never so beautiful;
Gazing.

Cross Swords

[ I am not much of a poet. It's just that I couldn't express what I wanted to through these lines in an essay write-up kinda way. Bear with me, kindly. ]

When peace questioned destruction,
The result was frustration;
When amalgamation questioned solitude,
The answer was crude;
When freedom questioned suppressed,
The air went depressed;
When optimism questioned pessimism,
The outcome was chauvinism;
When truth questioned false,
The resolution oozed trance;
When white questioned black,
The retort lost track;

Alas,
Hail! Vanity; Insanity.

Dichotomy

Fifty feet underground, grey concrete flooring, levels over levels stacked, the mellow roar of trains arriving and leaving, the usual bustle of a metropolitan – all heard and felt at the same time – deafening one’s ears, blinding one’s eyes and numbing one’s sensations. The sight is the heart of the baby project of India’s capital – Rajiv Chowk Metro Station. Amidst the chaotic crowd, easily forgotten sight of a blind man finding his way easily to Café Coffee Day at one of the corners and then to his usual yellow line, a level below; or that of a man on wheelchair being helped to his line without any bumps. Yes, easily forgotten for one doesn’t see them both struggling, confused or scared – but see them as a part of the crowd.
Cutting to the architecture, the tactile plates follow an intelligent system of reading, and have been installed in such a language that not only helps in the direction decision but makes the user understand the aspects of his surroundings too. Use of ramps and lifts with stairs and elevators has obliged the old and people with disabilities. The same level of the train flooring and platform has made a huge difference, making Delhi Metro a path changer. IS THIS THE ULTIMATE?
No, it is but a small step in the Indian transit; a lot needs to be done still. Framing the bigger picture, the Indian Railways - the world’s densest railway system and also the largest employer – provides a poor access to the disabled. Steep and ill maintained ramps, no lifts, poor access to various parts of stations; and the very basic but the biggest problem of the high rise of trains – it is a shameful way to cater to the population but also shows the ample opportunity that can make believe one that universal design in not after all, just a myth.
What if these small yet effective methods could be inculcated in every other railway station of India with the newfound proposals like automated ramps joining the train bed to the platform – a game changer indeed! What if these changes are not limited to just the railways but every other mode of transit in the country; smoothened and automated ramps at every bus stop or this newfound intelligent system of tactile plates on pedestrian walks or travellators for road crossing? The image we get is of a city that is virtually accessible by anyone and everyone, an image that can make any architect smile – the core of universal design achieved.
We do not need to build anything new or grand, just observe and understand what’s around us and exploit it as far as we can. These many small things if inculcated in every other design (the process has been commenced already) will prove to be revolutionary, and make us realise the statement – “take care of the small things…”