For 26/11

 This is a collage I did last year when 26/11 was still fresh in my mind.

It was heartening to see that people all over India still remembered 26/11.
My main fear then was, that 26/11 would be forgotten like so many other incidents of violence, injustice, and terror.

Have a safe and happy divali

This has been all over the papers, but I wanted to share this little incident anyway.

I was waiting by the signal on Sunday(which was the first day of divali) when a middle-aged lady with greying hair came up to me and gave me a sheet of paper. It looked like a pamphlet, and was written in Marathi. She smiled at me and wished me a happy divali. I smiled back but could not read it as the signal turned green.

Later as I parked my scooter near Sambhaji Park, I read the sheet of paper. It told the story of a young boy who was killed in a road accident, not many years back, on Divali. He was the lady's son. The pamphlet urged drivers to be careful and help if they saw someone in trouble.

This year in Divali, many citizens of Pune distributed pamphlets and leaflets to drivers asking them to be careful. Some wrote their stories, yet others drew cartoons and sarcastic remarks. But the message was clear, "drive safely". Apparently at Nal stop(the signal I was at) has the highest accident rate in the city during this time of the year.

It is heartening to see that people are undertaking such ventures. I hope I can also be part of something like this, someday.