VIZAG matters - Sohan Hatangadi's Blog

How do the Indian Railways #IRCTC ensure that senior citizens always land up in UPPER berths?  Is there a complex set of algorithm that are at work to s***w the elderly? Is there a bunch of evil programmers waiting for old farts like us to book tickets just to enjoy seeing us huff and puff to get to the upper berths? The funny thing is that the earlier you book the more the chance of you getting an upper berth! Then you see a dapper young chap waltzing in and taking the lower berth! Not only that, he boasts that he booked a ticket only a days ago. #Railway #minister are you hearing? Is there a built in bias against the elderly? Is there a hidden policy saying "these buddas get discounts in the railways so let's s***w them by giving them upper berths."

Hi, This article appeared in the Times of India on 27th April 2014. Please read it and leave a comment. Who will you vote for? The enigmatic middle aged taxi driver had been driving me for the third day in a row. On the last day of my road trip we were headed home. It was late evening and not having anyone to talk to; I addressed the back of his head. I started by asking him who he would vote for. The highest bidder He said quite matter-of-factly that he would vote for the party that gave him the most money. All of the men and women in his village, in the outskirts of Vizag, voted for parties that paid them the most. In the 2009 Elections when the State assembly and Lok Sabha elections were held concurrently, he said, that the INC had given Rs. 800 per voting member. The PRP had paid Rs. 600 per member and the TDP had paid only Rs. 400 per member. The party representative had all come around in the night, spreading out furtively in the narrow lanes of his village, visitin...