Electronics manufacturing in India finally would become a reality

Though many players wanted to do it – large scale electronics manufacturing in India, they could not make progress. Now I have no doubt of it becoming a reality after reading this news piece - Adani to announce JV worth $5 billion with iPhone maker Foxconn (Link: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/48343913.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst)

Adani has money and the Govt. connections. Foxconn being a contract manufacturer for Apple’s products has the technical know-how and access to market. A domestic market already exists in India. Now all pieces come together.

Read into the news, you will know that India is the target market for half of their intended production, while the rest would be exported to Middle-east, Africa and Russia. It makes perfect business sense and India would earn foreign exchange on the planned export of those 200 million phones (when it becomes a reality). Some of the money we spend on oil, which goes to Middle-east comes back to India, not just through remittances but as wage earnings for those cell phones being made in India.

A Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China

The joint-venture intends to invest $5B through two plants – one to be based in Karnataka and another in Gujarat. Real estate investors – this is time to build insider connections and go hit the market. It would pay-off nicely in the times to come.

While the new investments create jobs here, this has potential to improve the macro economy of India. After oil and gold, it is electronics which is a big item in our imports list. All our hundred crore+ people cannot to do without phones. They will replace it every few years too. And many of them have expensive smartphones in their pockets. So when the new factory starts producing those phones, it would reduce our import bills. And they are planning to sell outside too – that increases exports. Reducing imports and increasing exports at the same time can turn India from a trade deficit country into a trade surplus country. Phew! When more details are available, I would run the numbers and share it with you.

This would take few years to become a reality. But the future looks more certain.

Book Review: Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

David Lurie is a Professor in a University at Cape Town, South Africa. He is married twice, divorced twice. He lives alone. His sexual desire is not calmed down. It was fine when he was buying it. But he takes the risk of seducing a student of his. When the young girl (Melanie) comes to know that old David is not interested in committed relationship, she breaks it. News spreads and a scandal breaks out. David accepts his faults before an inquiry committee, resigns from the job and leaves the place to visit his daughter, Lucy.

Lucy lives in the countryside, runs a farm with the help of Petrus, a local Negro. She earns a living by selling the farm produce. When George comes down, he finds life calm and quiet there. He helps his daughter in small things and thinks of beginning to write an academic book he had in mind. But a disaster strikes his family. Three strangers attack the house, loot the valuables, put George on fire, rapes his daughter, shoot the dogs and escape in George’s car.

Both George and Lucy recover physically but are completely shaken psychologically. There is not much to do for the white westerners in a foreign land outnumbered by the locals with their own set of regulations. When the incident had happened, Petrus who guarded the farm was away. It creates a suspicion in George. Petrus comes back soon after. Petrus throws a party on the farm for his relatives and there in the party, George identifies one of the three attackers. He checks with Petrus and learns that he is a relative of Petrus but nothing can be done. Laws do not help to put the young wrongdoers behind bars. They (George & Lucy) either have to leave the place or tolerate their misdoings. And maintain the silence.

Lucy advises to George to leave the place as he is not unable to come to terms. What George did to a young student, in a way happens to his own daughter. Both incidents were disgraceful. On the way back, he goes on to visit the parents of Melanie (the student he had affair with). But the development in the life of his daughter brings him back to Lucy soon.

Lucy has become pregnant. Petrus offers to marry her but George disapproves. Efforts of George to convince his daughter to move away fail again. He finds another place to live by near to his daughter and begins to assist a white veterinary doctor who treats injured animals. There George giving up the effort to lengthen a dog’s life by another week reflects his changed mindset.

This novel was published 1999 and won the Booker Prize for the author, South African novelist, J.M. Coetzee.  In 2003, author was awarded Nobel Prize for his contributions to literature.

TED talk: The power of time off

Stefan Sagmeister, a designer who closes his studio for a yearlong sabbatical every seven years advises us to do the same on TED talk, to take time-off to become better productive in our routine life. I strongly recommend watching this video.

I am taking out a concept of his for a discussion. He says, a typical person spends first 25 years of his or her life learning, next 40 years working and then begins the retired life. He advises to push out the retirement age by 5 years to use them as sabbatical in between the working years. See the image.

Those sabbaticals help us in understanding the life better and we don’t have to wait till retirement to do what we loved. At least we will get to know how the life after retirement will be. Of course, we need to make practical arrangements to ensure that our employer or customers are not troubled with our disappearance.

Top: Years spent in a typical life. Bottom: As proposed by Stefan S. (Source: TED talk)

I attempted to work out a personalized map out of this concept. I am already 38 and wanted to retire at 60 (or earlier if I become financially independent). If I push out the retirement years by 2 years, I get 24 months (or 104 weeks) to distribute during my next 24 working years. That would mean one month sabbatical a year or 2 month time-off every 2^nd year or any such combinations suited to my needs. I think two weeks of my disappearance every six months would not put my job in jeopardy and employer would agree to it.

What should be the duration of time-off depends on what we want to during that retirement on trial. If we like pilgrimage, we don’t have to miss the next ‘Kumbh mela’ and why stop at char-dham yatra when there is so much to explore? If we are nature enthusiasts, how about taking part in the next tiger census? Those few weeks would be far enriching than a casual wild safari. If you loved your parents, how about giving that time for their unfulfilled wishes? If you are a man of written words, how about visiting a lit-fest, come back energized and write a novel? It could be an awful read for others but it is still your first book. If you are a movie buff, how about creating those short movies to load it on YouTube?

Retirement life is not to please others but to get a sense of satisfaction of living happily. Our bank balance comes down during these mock-retirement periods but the stocks of memories go up. At least it lets us tick off few from the check-list incase if we are not to live till old age by destiny.

Being crazy may be the quickest route to our inner self but we need to back it up with the rationality of a plan. Writing this blog post had made my thoughts more clear, family and passion would get more of time in the form of extended vacation or mini-retirement.

Two movies based on real lives

In the long flight from Bangalore to San Francisco, ways to pass time are very few. One can watch movies, read or sleep. I did a bit of all. And the two movies I watched are worth mentioning to you. They are based on real stories. They both are related to art.

Woman in Gold

This is the story of a woman, Maria Altmann, a migrant from Austria who left her home country to USA after losing many of her family members to the suppression of Jewish community by Nazi during 1940’s. A painting of her aunt known as “Woman in Gold” (which was their family asset) finds way into an art gallery and becomes a national icon, an equivalent of ‘Mona Lisa’ for Austria. In an effort to reclaim the painting, Maria hires a lawyer, who is also a Jewish with Austrian origins living in US. Their attempt to reason with the Austrian Govt. does not go well but with determination they find a way to sue Govt. of Austria in US. After much effort and legal battle, they win the case and Maria gets the possession of painting back.

The Holocaust is a matter of past, but seeing this movie reminds us that the victims have not forgotten their pains yet. Though there are efforts to return what was rightfully theirs before they were forced to leave their country, it offers no more than a temporary relief. I think the loss of root leaves a void in the human beings which cannot be filled for generations

Big Eyes

This is the story of a painter (Margaret) with an uniqueness in her creative work. Her daughter is a model for her paintings and all her paintings have large eyes, not proportionate but expressive and seeming like a window to the soul. She had left her husband and come to San Francisco to earn a living to support her daughter. She finds a companion in Walter Keane, a painter in disguise. They get married. Margaret sits at home and paints. Keane sells them but he tells to the clients that he has painted them himself. Those paintings catch public attention and the money and fame flows to their family. Keane is a good marketer but he lacks the talent or mind of an artist. Margaret pained by her husband’s behavior leaves him, to live in a distant place quietly with her daughter. Later she gathers courage and reveals to public that she was the artist behind those paintings. But her husband refuses to accept the fact. A trial begins and Margaret wins the lawsuit and establishes her repute.

A woman artist gets her due recognition in the trick playing male dominated world. But it also emphasizes the fact that, an artist has a stronger association with his/her work and would not compromise it for long.

ಗೂಬೆ ಕಾಟ

ಇಂದು ನಾನು ಬರೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಗೂಬೆಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಅವರ ಕಾಟ ನನಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎಂದೇನಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಪಕ್ಷಿ ಗೂಬೆಗಳ ಕಾಟ ಇಂದು ನನ್ನ ವಿಷಯ ವಸ್ತು.

ನಾವು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಹೊರವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮನೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿಸಿ, ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ವಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದು ಹಲವು ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳೇ ಆದವು. ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ನೆರೆ-ಹೊರೆ ಕಾಂಕ್ರೀಟ್ ಕಾಡಲ್ಲ ಬದಲಿಗೆ ನಿಸರ್ಗದ ಮಡಿಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಪರಿಸರಕ್ಕೆ ಹತ್ತಿರವಾದ ಬದುಕು. ಕಣ್ಣು ಹಾಯಿಸಿದಷ್ಟು ಹಸಿರು. ಸುತ್ತ ಮುತ್ತಲಿನ ಕೆರೆಗಳು ವಾತಾವರಣ ತಂಪಾಗಿ ಇಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ಸಹಕಾರಿ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ದಿನದ ಆರಂಭ ಅಲಾರಂ ಅಥವಾ ಹಾಲು, ಪೇಪರ್ ಜೊತೆ ಶುರುವಾಗದೇ, ಹಕ್ಕಿಗಳ ಕಲರವದೊಂದಿಗೆ, ಅವುಗಳ ಲವಲವಿಕೆಯ ಹಾರಾಟ, ಉತ್ಸಾಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊರಡಿಸುವ ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಶಬ್ದಗಳ ಸುಪ್ರಭಾತದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಶುರು ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ.

ನಮ್ಮ ಉತ್ತರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡು ಬರುವ ಗುಬ್ಬಿ, ಕಾಗೆ, ಪಾರಿವಾಳ, ಗೊರವೊಂಕಗಳನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳ ಹೆಸರೇ ಗೊತ್ತಿರದ ನನಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಬಗೆ ಬಗೆ ಬಣ್ಣದ, ವಿವಿಧ ಜಾತಿಯ ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳು ವಿಸ್ಮಯ ಮೂಡಿಸಿದ್ದವು. ಇನ್ನೂ ಐದು ವರ್ಷ ದಾಟದ ನನ್ನ ಮಗನೂ ತನ್ನ ಬೈನಾಕ್ಯುಲರ್ ತಂದು ಹಕ್ಕಿಗಳ ನೋಡುವ ಉತ್ಸಾಹ ತೋರಿದ. ಇವುಗಳ ಚಿತ್ರ ತೆಗೆದು ಬ್ಲಾಗ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಕೋಣ ಎಂದು ನನ್ನ ಮೊಬೈಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿದೆ.  (ಆದರೆ ಆ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಕಂಪ್ಯೂಟರ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಕಿದಾಗ ತಿಳಿಯಿತು, ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ೨೦x ಜೂಮ್ ಇರುವ ಕ್ಯಾಮೆರಾ ಬೇಕು ಎಂದು). ಹೀಗೆ ಪಕ್ಷಿ ನೋಡುವ ನಮ್ಮ ಹವ್ಯಾಸ ಮೊದಲುಗೊಂಡಿತು. ಆದರೆ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಬರುವ ಹಕ್ಕಿಗಳು ಅದೇ ಮಾಧುರ್ಯ ಹೊಂದಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯ ಹಿಡಿಯಿತು.

ನನಗೆ ಬಾಲ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳೆಂದರೆ ಏನೋ ಪುಳಕ. ಪುರ್ರೆಂದು ಹಾರಿ ಹೋಗುವ ಗುಬ್ಬಿಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಓಡಿ ಹೋದದ್ದೇ ಬಂತು. ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಟ್ಟುವ ಯತ್ನ ಎಂದೂ ಫಲಕಾರಿಯಾಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಇನ್ನೂ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ದೊಡ್ಡವನಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಗೊರವಂಕ ಸಾಕಲು ಒಂದು ರಟ್ಟಿನ ಗೂಡು ಮಾಡಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದರೆ 'ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳು ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ ಜೀವಿಗಳು, ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಬಂಧಿಸುವ ಯತ್ನ ಸರಿಯಲ್ಲ' ಎಂದು ಅಕ್ಕ ಹೇಳಿದ ಮಾತು ಸರಿ ಎಂದೆನಿಸಿ ಆ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನದಿಂದ ದೂರ ಸರಿದಿದ್ದೆ. ನಾನು ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುವ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಒಂದು ತಿರುವಿನಲ್ಲಿ, ಐನೇರು (ಜಂಗಮ) ಒಬ್ಬರ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗಿಳಿ ಒಂದಿತ್ತು. ಅದು ಚೆಂದಗೆ ಮಾತೂ ಕೂಡ ಆಡುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಅವರ ಮನೆಯ ಮುಂದೆ ನಾನು ಕೈ ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಂಡು ಆ ಗಿಳಿಯನ್ನು ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ ನಿಂತು ಬಿಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೆ. ನಾನೊಬ್ಬನೇನಲ್ಲ. ಗಿಳಿ ಮಾತು ಯಾವ ಹುಡುಗರಲ್ಲಿ ಕುತೂಹಲ ಮೂಡಿಸದೆ ಇರುತ್ತೆ ಹೇಳಿ? ಆ ಮನೆಯವರು ಕೂಗು ಹಾಕಿ ನೆರೆದಿದ್ದ ಹುಡುಗರನ್ನು ಚದುರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಆಮೇಲೆ ಬಂಧುಗಳ ಮನೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಗಡಿಗೆಯನ್ನೇ ಗೂಡನ್ನಾಗಿಸಿ ಪಾರಿವಾಳ ಸಾಕುವ ಬಗೆಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಆ ಮನೆ ಹುಡುಗ ವಾಪಸು ಬರದಿದ್ದ ಪಾರಿವಾಳ ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಂಡು ದೂರ ದೂರ ಅಲೆಯ ತೊಡಗಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವರ ಮನೆಯವರು ಅವನ ಹವ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಇತಿಶ್ರೀ ಹಾಡಿದರು.

ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತ ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳೆಡಿನ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾದರೂ, ಅವು ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಬೆರಗು ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ಮರೆಯಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಕಾಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಡೆ ಕಾಣಸಿಗುವ ಪಕ್ಷಿಯಾಗದೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಇದನ್ನು 'ಎಂಥಹ ಸುಂದರ ಪಕ್ಷಿ, ಆಕರ್ಷಕ ಕಪ್ಪು ಬಣ್ಣ, ಕಾವ್-ಕಾವ್ ಎನ್ನುವ ಅದರ ಕಂಠ ಎಷ್ಟು ಸುಮಧುರ' ಎಂದು ಗುಣಗಾನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು ಎಂದು ವಾದಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೆ. ಕೇಳಿದವರು ಮುಗುಳ್ನಕ್ಕು ಸುಮ್ಮನಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಈಗ್ಗೆ ಒಂದು ವರ್ಷದ ಹಿಂದೆ ಅಮೇರಿಕೆಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ, ನಾನು ಉಳಿದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದ ಹೋಟೆಲಿನ ಕೋಣೆಯ ಹೊರಗಡೆ ಕುಳಿತಿದ್ದ ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಕಾಗೆ (ಗಾತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ದೊಡ್ಡದು) ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಬಾಳೆಹಣ್ಣನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡೆ. ಮರುದಿನ ಅದೇ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೇ ಬಂತು. ಫಲಹಾರದ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಸ್ನೇಹವೂ ಬೆಳೆಯಿತು ಅನ್ನಿಸಿತು. ರವಿವಾರದಂದು ಆಫೀಸ್ ಗೆ ರಜೆ ಇದ್ದ ಕಾರಣ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಹೊತ್ತೇ ಮಲಗಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಕಾಗೆ ಸದ್ದಿಗೆ ಎಚ್ಚರವಾಗಿ ಹೊರಬಂದು ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ೧೦-೧೨ ಕಾಗೆಗಳ ದಂಡೇ ನೆರೆದಿತ್ತು. ಇವು ನನ್ನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರೋ ಅಥವಾ ಪ್ರತಿ ದಿನ ಬೇರೊಂದು ಕಾಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಜೊತೆಯಾಗಿತ್ತೋ ತಿಳಿಯಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಹಂಚಿ ತಿನ್ನುವ ಕಾಗೆಯ ಮನೋಧರ್ಮ ನಾಗರೀಕತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪಕ್ಷಿಕುಲ ಮನುಷ್ಯನಿಗಿಂತ ಮುಂದೆ ಇದೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ವಿಚಾರ ಮೂಡಿಸಿತು.

ಮತ್ತೆ ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರೆ, ಹೊಸ ಮನೆಯ ಪರಿಸರ ಹಲವಾರು ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳ ನೆಲೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದು ಸಂತಸ ತಂದಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ಕೊನೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ಹಾಗೆ, ಒಂದು ಸಾಯಂಕಾಲ ಮನೆಯ ಮುಂದಿನ ಸಂಪಿಗೆ ಮರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿತು ಒಂಟಿ ಗೂಬೆ. ಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆ ಅದೇ ಮರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋಗಿಲೆ ಕಂಡು ಅದೃಷ್ಟ ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡರೆ, ದುರಾದೃಷ್ಟದ ಸಂಕೇತ ಎನ್ನಿಸುವ ಗೂಬೆ ಸಾಯಂಕಾಲ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರತ್ಯಕ್ಷ.  ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಗೂಬೆಗಳು ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಚರಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪೇ ದಿನದಲ್ಲಿ ಗಮನಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂತು.

ವಿದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಗೂಬೆ ಸಾಕುವದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಓದಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಆ ಪಕ್ಷಿಯೆಡೆಗೆ ನನಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಮೂಢ ನಂಬಿಕೆಗಳಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಅದರ ಸ್ವಭಾವ ಮನುಷ್ಯನಿಗಿಂತ ತುಂಬಾ ವಿಭಿನ್ನವಾದದ್ದು, ಅದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಮನುಷ್ಯನ ಹೊಂದಾಣಿಕೆ ಸುಲಭವಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ನನ್ನ ಎಣಿಕೆ. ಅದರ ನೋಟ ಮತ್ತು ಧ್ವನಿ ಮನುಷ್ಯನಲ್ಲಿ ಭೀತಿಯ ಕಂಪನ ಮೂಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಆ ಪಕ್ಷಿಗೆ ಅಪಶಕುನದ ಹಣೆಪಟ್ಟ ಕಟ್ಟಿದರೆನೋ ಎಂದು ಅನುಮಾನ.

ಗೂಬೆ ಮೂರು ಸಲ ಕೂಗಿದರೆ ಅಪಶಕುನ, ಆದರೆ ಮೂವತ್ತು ಸಲ ಕೂಗಿದರೆ? ಒಂದು ದಿನ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಹತ್ತರ ಸಮಯ. ಗೂಬೆಗಳ ಗಲಾಟೆಗೆ ಹೊರ ಬಂದು ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ಅವು ಗೊರವೊಂಕ ದಂಪತಿಗಳೊಡನೆ ಕಾದಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಕಂಡು ಬಂತು. ನನ್ನ ಸದ್ದಿಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕದನ ವಿರಾಮ ಘೋಷಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಕಂಡು ಬಂದರೂ, ದೂರ ಸಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಜಗಳ ಮುಂದುವರಿಸಿದವು. ಅಂದಿನಿಂದ ಶುರುವಾದ ಅವುಗಳ ಹಾರಾಟ ಮತ್ತು ಕಿರುಚಾಟ ಇನ್ನು ನಿಂತಿಲ್ಲ. 

ಅವುಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಬರೆಯಬೇಕೆಂಬ ನನ್ನ ವಿಚಾರವನ್ನು ಅರಿತಂತೆ ಇಂದು ಒಂದು ಗೂಬೆ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಕಣ್ಣಲ್ಲಿ ಕಣ್ಣಿಟ್ಟು ನೋಡಿತು. ಎಂಥ ತೀಕ್ಷ್ಣ ನೋಟ. ನನ್ನ ವಾಹನದ ಬೆಳಕನ್ನು ಅದರ ಕಡೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರಿಕರಿಸಿದಾಗ ನಿಲ್ಲದೇ ಹಾರಿ ಹೋಯಿತು ತನ್ನ ಗುಟ್ಟು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಕೊಡದೆ.

ಮನೆಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ಕೊಡುವ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರ ಮೊದಲ ಉದ್ಗಾರ "ಎಷ್ಟು ನಿರ್ಮಲ ವಾತಾವರಣ, ಎಷ್ಟು ಶುದ್ಧ ಗಾಳಿ - ಬೆಳಕು!". ಅವರಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಬೇಕು ಎಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇನೆ 'ರಾತ್ರಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಸುತ್ತಲು ಬನ್ನಿ' ಎಂದು.

ಹೇಳಲೇ? ನೀವೇನು ಅನ್ನುತ್ತೀರಿ?