We observe many interesting things and witness curious incidents in our day-to-day life – when we travel within our village/ town/ city, within the country and overseas; attend social functions like weddings and funerals, at work, visit public places, friends, etc. Even at home we experience and observe a lot of things that need our attention and sometimes serious action.
Some of the the things/ incidents are undesirable, uncivil and lamentable. Still some are against ethics and edicts. But, many of them are criminal, despicable and inhuman. Of course, we also come across things that are humane warranting appreciation and praise. But unfortunately such humane things are few and far between.
Anyway, I thought of penning the things and incidents I observed and experienced succinctly here for you to ponder over.
Tuesday 24 June 2014
Yesterday I was waiting at the Dehiwala Arpico Super Centre Pedestrian Crossing to get to the opposite sea side. With me there were a few others and one of us was a mother who was carrying her infant child about eight months old. A police Vehicle baring 64-1041 number plate passed us coughing up black toxic diesel fume forcing us to breath it. I pitied the poor child, leave alone the adults. Are police vehicles exempted from taking Emission Test? Shouldn’t they set an example? The politicians and bureaucrats who never set foot on earth do not know how the innocent people are slowly killed like this on a daily basis due to pollution.
Thursday 19 June 2014
While I was in a bus travelling to Wellawatte I noticed a driver using a baby shoe to keep his mobile phone. The shoe was stuck on the dashboard. A novel idea, isn’t it?
Friday 04 April 14
An interesting picture I came across in The Guardian, UK
Monday 24 March 2014
In the morning around 7.30 a.m. while I was walking along Dharmapala Road, Mount Lavinia to my usual bus halt on the Galle Road (Opposite the cemetery) I saw an air-conditioned Nisssan UD Tourist Bus (62-9993) that had been parked for some reason there opposite the temple with its engine still revving noisily. The bus was packed with Nepalese pilgrims and two local monks were standing nearby.
There was no indication to know which company or individual owned the vehicle. It was a two-tone in colour – white and blue. The outer body of the bus was drab and dirty with fume soot. Otherwise tourist buses are immaculately clean. The driver was clad in a dirty shirt. While the engine was still revving and a/c working making noise much to the annoyance of passersby, the vehicle was gushing out harmful diesel fume polluting the area.
My question here is which company issued emission test certificate to this vehicle how come the owner got its licence renewed.
On the same day (24 March) the bus I was travelling in had stopped at the pedestrian crossing under the overhead bridge at the Dehiwela junction. There was waiting that old podgy mouth organ man looking aimlessly both sides to cross the road.
I have observed this man since my migration to Colombo from Eastern Province 13 years ago. His usual haunt is predictable traffic jam areas where he would play golden oldies beautifully on his mouth organ and get a good collection. I have also given a mite out of sympathy for his appreciable talent. Earlier he used to wear immaculately clean white shirt and slacks with a smart leather cowboy hat. For some reason or other this time he was wearing white sarong and white full sleeve shirt putting it neatly inside the sarong neatly draped with a belt tied round his waist to look smart. I have also seen him in the buses on two or three occasions playing his mouth organ.
He will surely prove to be an excellent entertainer in star class hotels or tourist joints. I wonder why he did not approach these hotels and joints where he could be lucratively employed. I am certain that many VIP’s would have bumped into him, too like me (I am no VIP, by the way). This mouth organ man could have been helped by them.
I was able to witness yet another scene in the same bus on the same day (24 March). A young lady in advanced pregnancy who seemed English educated got into the bus at the Dehiwela junction bus halt. She was immediately given the left side front seat by the passenger who was occupying it.
There were standee passengers as the bus was crowded. It started moving after picking up passengers from the halt. When it moved about ten meters forward the driver applied brake all of a sudden and the bus came to a halt with a jolt. A few of the standee passenger fell flat on the floor much to their embarrassment while still others leaned on the fellow passengers like dominoes. Fortunately or rather miraculously by the grace of the providence, none had fell on the pregnant lady’s tummy. Just think what would have been consequences if one of the standee passengers fell on her tummy.
The episode did not stop there. Her alighting point came and it was the Dehiwela Convent halt. The brutish driver who was in a hurry pulled out the bus while one of her feet was still on the foot-board. The passengers shouted at him and he stopped. Luckily, she did not fall. The bottom line is poor pregnant mothers who travel in the bus risk their lives and their babies.
Saturday 22 March 2014
A Muslim man wearing skull cap was coming out of the Lottery Ticket kiosk at the Maliban Junction on Galle Road, Ratmalana with some lottery tickets in hand. As a Muslim I felt insulted and ashamed seeing a Muslim explicitly displaying his identity buying lottery tickets which is prohibited in Islam.
ThinkWorth 