THE GARDEN OF EDEN

Winter in the sixties had a festive feeling. There was a strong chill in the air throughout the months of December and January. Every Sunday, truckload of picnickers headed for cosy and tranquil destinations far from the city’s jostling crowd. Central Calcutta (Kolkata was not a part of English lexicon) looked glamorous with exotic decorations for Christmas and New Year. Circus troupes from all over the country and beyond came in droves to entertain the city’s kids. The maidan would be crowded with dozens of fairs and exhibitions.

And, there was cricket; test cricket of course. ODI’s and T-20’s were not even invented. Eden Gardens, considered the second best cricket ground in the world, next only to Lord’s, was a mandatory venue.  The players of the touring teams used to be thrilled and fascinated by its lush greenery, bouncy pitch, fast outfield, early morning dew and the sporting crowd. Cricket was essentially a winter sport, played in a cheerful, relaxed atmosphere. Today’s fans would probably be horrified to learn that a test match lasted six days with a day of rest in between.

Often a match was scheduled at the Eden Gardens during the Christmas New Year week.  It was this venue where, in the year 1961 on 30^th December to be precise, a starry eyed sixteen year old, ventured out to experience the flavour of the regal game at its highest level; a test match.

I was a student living in a hostel on a strictly controlled budget. Gathering the courage to plunge into an unknown territory was the first challenge.  An early morning queue to earn an entry to the coveted enclosure was the second. A daily ticket for a seat at the Ranji Stadium was Rs. 2 apiece. The total budget for the day was a princely sum of Rs. 5.

It has been more than fifty years since but I still remember the exhilaration I felt when I stepped inside the Eden Gardens for the first time in my life. The ground with a capacity of ninety thousand was almost full. Very soon, it would be packed to the brim. The fourth test match between India and England, led by Nari Contractor and Ted Dexter respectively, was scheduled to start shortly. As far as India’s prospect was concerned, there was nothing much to look forward to. India had a dismal record those days having received consecutive drubbings against West Indies (3-0) in 58-59 in India; England (5-0) in England subsequently. A freak victory against Australia in Kanpur thereafter triggered nationwide celebrations.

However, for the cricket loving city crowd, a victory did not amount to much; they just wanted to watch a good game.

India was led by Nari Contractor. There was no “local boy” in the Indian team. Pankaj Roy, the darling of the city had retired a few years earlier. However, that was not an issue to dampen the spirit of the fans at the Eden Gardens. Ironically, the only player with a Calcutta connection was Ted Dexter, the captain of the England team. His wife Susan was the daughter of Tom Longfield, captain of the first Bengal team that won the Ranji Trophy in 1939.

There was thunderous roar as the two captains walked in for the toss. Contractor flipped the coin and Dexter called. Both the captains bent down to have look. Contractor raised his right hand. Another roar bigger than the previous ensued; India had won the toss.

There was no giant TV screen anywhere to have a close look at the captains. In fact, there was no TV those days. The cricket lovers, away from the scene of action, stayed glued to their radio sets devouring every word of the running commentary broadcasted by All India Radio. It was known as ball-to-ball running commentary. Some of commentators were so skilful in the act that one could actually feel the thrill of the game in spite of being thousands of miles away. Two legendary commentators, Pearson Surita and Berry Sarbhadikari hailed from the city of Calcutta. Being cricketers themselves, their narration was just brilliant. Bengali commentary of the game of cricket rendered by Ajay Basu, Pushpen Sarkar and Kamal Bhattacarya were part of the city’s cricket folklore. They carried the spirit of cricket to the remotest hamlets of the state. It is generally believed that the idea of running commentary in any game started from the Calcutta station of All India Radio soon after its inception. The first ever commentary, in English, was during a soccer match between two city teams of yore.

I was accompanied by my cousin, a few years senior to me. I asked him in whisper, lest others discover my naivety, to identify the high court and the maidan ends, the terms I often had heard on the radio from the commentators whenever a bowler walked up to one of the ends to begin his run-up. The pavilion was across the pitch, hence there was no “pavilion end”.

England innings collapsed against the onslaught of Chandu Border, Salim Durrani, Ramakant Desai and Vasnt Ranjane. The only batsmen who stood their grounds on both the innings were the England skipper Ted Dexter and the opener Peter Richardson. They were both greeted with standing ovations by the sporting fans of Calcutta.

There were no man-of-the-match awards those days. But the man, who won the heart of the crowd, was a young Nawab from the state of Pataudi. He had returned home from Oxford and donned the Indian cap in Delhi a few weeks earlier. He enthralled the crowd with his well measured lofted shots that fell just beyond the reach of the fielders.  The Nawab, just a week short of his 21st birthday scored 64 in the first innings and 32 in the second. Destiny would pass on the mantle of captaincy to this young man during the next series in West Indies following a deadly delivery from Charlie Griffith that would end Nari Contractor’s career.

I probably was the lucky mascot for India because the team won the match convincingly setting a lead of 1-0 in the series. The feat would be repeated in Madras a few days later ending the series with a 2-0 victory in India’s favour.

Within a couple of years, I had the privilege of watching another England team in action in 1963-1964. India was led by the Nawab of Pataudi and England by Mike Smith. It was a different venue. I could feel from day one that there was something amiss. It was also a test match with big names representing each side. I was puzzled as I failed to feel the frenzy I experienced at the Eden Gardens. Then suddenly the realization dawned in my sub-conscious mind. It was the passion that was lacking. No other crowd can be as passionate for the game as the Calcutta crowd.

Long live Eden Gardens.

****

LIFE UNDER LOCK-DOWN

When the prime minister announced a nationwide lock-down in March 2020, I panicked. The apprehension of being locked inside the four walls of our modest apartment, drove me crazy. My wife and I were concerned about life without maid and inability to go shopping for essentials supplies. Luckily, life got organised thanks to a group of young and not so young families, who came forward to support the senior citizens of our residential complex with all help.

Three months later, we feel quite used to this new way of life. However, the absence of friends and family members feel suffocating as one needs to unwind sometimes. Absence of small pleasure of life like watching an occasional movie or eating out, leisurely strolls in a shopping mall, dropping in at a friend’s house without notice, made life a bit frustrating.

We do not step out of our apartment these days except to collect our supplies which are delivered at the reception at the ground floor. The lifts are normally empty. Occasionally, I do meet another neighbour, properly masked and gloved like me. We nod silently at each other and stand at two diagonal corners of the lift. The idea of measuring the distance did occur to me to ensure it was at least six feet. However, I invariably forget to carry a measuring tape during my occasional jaunts outside the apartment.

By the way, there are several daring residents in our complex whose bravery and valour match that of the president of the world’s mightiest country. They do not wear any mask. I politely refuse to share the lift with them. There are cautious neighbours also, who use their elbows to activate the lift. I tried it once but gave up because the lift buttons are placed so low that I need to bend down considerably and end up hurting my back. Moreover, nobody can accuse me of being lean and slim; - my bloated elbow fall on half a dozen buttons, slowing down my ascends and descends. I carry a small piece of paper torn from the day’s newspaper and use it as a buffer between my finger and the button. I dispose of the paper after my sojourn. It’s working fine.

The neighbourhood supermarket delivers things as ordered, well almost. A few items from the shopping list are always missing. My queries are normally shrugged off by delivery personnel with a nonchalant response, - out of stock.  One evening as I went down to the reception area to collect my grocery, I found the delivery man with his mask hanging under his chin. His defended his action and explained it was suffocating to wear the mask all the time in this summer heat. Well, he did have a valid point but rules are rules. He immediately put the mask back on.

However, things went out of control as Operation Unlock began. The safe distance (I hate the term social distancing) rules were openly flouted. As offices opened people were in a hurry to board the limited number of buses on the roads. TV’s showed the crowd jostling with each other to get inside. Nobody looked worried and many did not wear masks of any kind.

No wonder there has been a spike in the number of cases and the state has been forced to reimpose restrictions at badly affected areas. The state has no other options. Neither do we.

Kolkata, 10 July 2020

COVID19 - AN UNPRECEDENTED MENACE

24 March 2020

A few years from now a block buster movie will be made by a famous director. Movie buffs will sit on the edge of their seats while munching popcorn and sipping some soothing beverage. Some actors and technicians will receive their Oscars and other awards.

The agony, the frustration, the fear will all be forgotten. People will laughingly talk about their experience at a cafeteria or their living rooms. A few unfortunate ones will still lament the loss of their dear ones.

And, life will move on.

This is an extraordinary situation. This must be the first time in human history when the entire mankind is under threat.  The strongest species on earth, often portrayed as God’s favourite creation is helpless against a tiny virus, that is literally invisible. Mankind has locked itself in for protection and has been living in fear. Nobody knows will be the next victim. This virus does not spare anybody, princes, prime ministers, global celebrities, … none.

The gravity of the situation has not yet sunk in. People, even some of the educated and elite ones appear indifferent and complacent. A powerful global leader declared in public that he would protect his country’s economy “at any cost”. Loss of lives does not matter, economy does.

India announced a nationwide lock-down to prevent the menace from spreading. In spite of ardent appeals, there are a section of people, who are treating this as a long holiday. India came under criticism when TV cameras the world over showed the police forcibly sending people indoors. Media in the western world screamed from roof tops at this gross violation of human rights!

What are the options? Respect human rights of violators and let them die or force them indoors and save them. Tricky situation! What would be the right step? I really don’t know. Let posterity decide.

In the meantime, let Mother India discipline her unruly children as our mothers had done when we were kids.

Let’s follow the rules and fight. We will be victorious.

31 March 2020

Life under Lockdown

People are getting used to the lockdown in spite of initial apprehension.  I was rather worried about being confined within the four walls of my small apartment for three long weeks. The first worry was to miss my morning walks which I enjoy immensely and which is also an activity prescribed by me cardiologist. My daughter came up with a practical suggestion, - “Why don’t you walk inside the flat?”

I was doubtful initially but realized after a few days that the option is feasible. Now, in stead of walking around our complex, where each round measures about 1.25 kilometers, I walk from my living room to the bed room. To start with, I was banging against furniture and tripping over mats and in course of time, I got used to the makeshift venue. To get over the boredom of walking in a confined space, I have some leading artists sing for me during the exercise, - I have fairly good collection of music CD’s of leading singers. However, my usual one-hour walk has been cut short by almost 50%. Well, that is acceptable under the circumstances.

Well, morning walks having taken care of, challenge remains to tackle the rest of the day. TV channels kept me busy with their updated reports often conflicting with each other. Various self-appointed experts appeared on different channels sermonizing and dishing out contradictory advice and views. Channels went out of their ways to report number of people infected and more seriously the number of the deaths. Newspaper footnotes some times reported the number of people recovered. However, those figures presumably have less TRP, hence the channels refrained from reporting them or mentioned just in the passing. After a few days, I restricted by TV viewing to twice every day. If you think about it, there are no news channels left in India except Door Darshan. All others are screaming channels.

As far as our daily meals are concerned, we have been taking one major meal a day namely lunch for the last 5 years. We have enough provision to cater for our humble needs. However, in the absence of domestic helps, the entire burden of household work has fallen on my wife. I have a reputation of messing up things if I try to help. I am not sure if it is a curse or a blessing!

With no activity except for a 30 mts walk inside the flat, there is a good possibility of putting on unnecessary weight. Hence, I have a date with my weighing scale once everyday and it has not shown any alarming signs till date. Good for me!

I have to mention about a group of young families, who made it their mission to help and support the senior citizens in our residential complex. They have been providing exemplary services to the elders for more than a decade. Right at the beginning of the present crisis, they got themselves organized and activated a channel to help all the elderly families by providing them support to obtain grocery, vegetables etc and the most importantly, - medicines. There are no adequate words to express our gratitude.

This group, which is more popularly known as “Maitri (মৈত্রী) took another very humanitarian decision. They raised a fund to help all the daily wage earners who live outside the complex and have no income at the moment. The local police also extended their helping hand to identify the people in need.

Well, with all these compassionate people around, we are all confident to tide over this crisis.

So far so good.

****

THE BLISS OF RETIREMENT

On 1 March 2019, I completed 6 years of retired life. It has been great. It has been a stress free life with no office, no meetings, no follow ups, no project dead line, no Six Sigma or SWOT analysis. Wake up from bed at will and spend the day on your own terms. There is no interference from anyone. Nobody calls you ad odd hours to take care of something “very important”.

During this period, I have been honoured with three Lifetime Achievement Awards, - in the from of three cute grandchildren, by God Almighty.

There is a perception that you do not make new friends after a certain age. This has been proved wrong in our case. We met a lot of like-minded people after retirement and became very close friends. The residential complex which is our home at the moment, is thriving with warmth and friendship. The community welcomed us with open arms. We met people from all walks of life and exchanging our life stories has been an exciting and enlightening experience.

We have been travelling a lot since retirement having covered plenty of exotic holiday destinations in India and around the world. 

The only challenge now is to stay fit and healthy. My daily routine consists of an hour-long brisk walk in the morning and occasional preventive trips to health clinics. So far so good!

Cheers and best wishes to all.

THE BUSINESS OF OIL

“The oil business is doomed, finito”, - a sinister voice gleefully welcomed me as I walked into our Sunday morning hangout. We, a group of retirees meet every Sunday morning and chat over several cups of coffee. The gentleman in question is secretly called Mr. Wiser-than-thou or simply Mr. wise, as he has a solution for any complex issue and a knack of dismissing any point raised by others just by a wave of his frail hands.

For a moment I froze for the fear of losing my job before I realized I had no job to lose as I retired more than five years ago. However, I was not happy at the impending doom of an industry, which tended and nurtured me all my life.

What was the reason of his confident prophecy, - I politely asked.

“Didn’t you read the newspaper yesterday?” – He retorted. Well, I did but could not remember anything alarming that remotely predicted the end of the oil industry. This time his voice exuded extreme contempt, - “Go back home and read the business page, e-cars will soon swarm the roads and petrol driven cars will be confined to the dustbin of history.”

Mr. Wise looked at me with a victorious but venomous glare as he concluded his argument.

Well, the statement is not completely untrue. E-cars are indeed generating a lot of interest among car users. The sale is still sluggish due to their high cost though running cost is much lower than cars run on fossil fuels like petrol and diesel. Governments all over the world, concerned about rising carbon foot prints due to ever increasing vehicular traffic, are offering subsidies to attract buyers. There have been media reports of leading automobile manufacturers adopting plans to gradually phase out petrol or diesel driven cars.

Sighting an e-car is not rare these days even on Indian roads, particularly in the metropolitan cities. There are a handful in the residential complex in Kolkata, where I live. I still remember the first glimpse of one when I interrupted my morning walk one day to join a few neighbours to ogle at one. The proud owner was passionately explaining the intricate features as we listened with rapt attention.

I distinctly remember Mr. Wise was one of the eager listeners who later waived off this new marvel with the usual gesture as a temporary fad. What an irony! Now, the same person was predicting a bright future for e-cars. There was no point in reminding him of his earlier views, because he often suffered from selective amnesia whenever his contradictory views were highlighted. So, it was my turn to retaliate. I would not let a self-appointed smart-alec to get away with his hollow banters.

So, I decide to counter attack with whatever limited knowledge I possess on the subject.

Going back to my first ever look at an e-car, I remember the owner had installed a charging device at the parking slot allotted to him. At the end of the day, he put the charger on and left it overnight to have the car ready for the day after. This did not sound like a smart idea. Driving to a petrol station and getting a tankful of petrol was more convenient and quicker. So, this was an aspect that weighed heavily against an e-car. Unless technology improves significantly, this car will not be convenient for long drive on highways. Current statistics reveal the use of e-cars is mostly restricted to city driving at the present moment.

The electric vehicle industry received a major impetus from the Government of India to enhance their manufacturing capacities. The government is committed to international guideline about reducing vehicular pollution. It has developed a blue print to shift to electric vehicles by 2030. However, no major steps have been taken yet to build charging facilities in the cities and towns. I am sure in course of time this shortcoming will be tackled on a war footing and innovative technology will reduce charging time significantly. Will these developments eliminate dependence on fossil fuel completely? No, not at all; no matter what Mr. Wise and his ilk may think.

It is also a fact that many cities in India and abroad are switching to electric buses. As a result, pollution level has been reduced considerably. But till the time of writing, no major inroads have been made in introducing battery driven heavy duty trucks and long-distance buses in India or abroad.

In short, transport sector will continue to depend on fossil fuel for a long time to come. A few steps to use alternate energy is good for the oil industry too. Controlled consumption of fossil fuel will prolong the life of oil fields and enforce the much-desired conservation.

Apart from road transport, two other segments of the transport industry are still outside the ambit of alternative energy. These segments are Shipping and Aviation.

The shipping industry plays a vital role in global trade. It is estimated that the industry handles 90% of the goods transported around the globe. This is one industry which started hundreds of years ago using renewable energy of sail power. Ironically, technological development dragged the industry to using coal powered steam engines and to diesel driven power some years later. The industry is now striving to revert to the use of renewable energy without compromising the technical excellence it enjoys now.

Lloyd’s Register, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) based in Abu Dhabi and several other energy leaders have various projects under their Research and Development wings. One of the interesting proposals is an innovative use of a unique sail powered propulsion system which will reduce consumption of fossil fuel by 40 to 50%.

The use of solar power is also under active research along with a hybrid propulsion system. However, all the alternative systems proposed so far talk of reducing the consumption of fossil fuel to certain degree. The possibility of eliminating the use of fossil fuel totally, is still very remote.

Bio-fuel is another alternative under active study and research. The broad definition of bio-fuel is any fuel in liquid state that is extracted from plants. The primary advantage is that unlike fossil fuel, bio-fuel source can be renewed over and over again. According to energy experts bio-fuels are the only renewable energy source that can eventually replace fossil fuel. There are some roadblocks though. One of the initial process of developing bio-fuel was based on wheat and corn. The discovery, instead of creating an euphoria, resulted in strong protests and resentments in social as well as scientific communities. The very idea of using food products to create fuel was feared to impact food supply and cause increased food price. Corn and wheat products are staple food in various parts of the world. With billions of hungry people around, this initiative failed to gather momentum.

Biofuels definitely have great potential to replace fossil fuels provided food supply chain remains unaffected.

The aviation world celebrated with pride a short flight from Dehradun to Delhi in August this year. The flight operated by Spicejet was touted as “India’s first ever biojet fuled flight”. The event was indeed a matter of pride for the airlines and the nation. However, if we probe a bit deep, we would realize that the fuel used was a blend of 25% biojet fuel and 75% Air Turbine Fuel (ATF). While the achievement of CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun in developing the fuel needs to be lauded, the result shows that fossil fuel will still remain an essential source of energy though its use will be reduced substantially. The management of Spicejet hopes to reduce the use of ATF to 50%. The blend is of low cost and reduces carbon emission significantly. Eventually, passengers will enjoy the benefit of low airfare as well. The cost aspect is contested by biojet fuel developers of the western world. According to their prognosis, even mass production of biojet fuel will be costlier. But as has been witnessed in the past, technological development will eventually reduce the cost for sure

International Air Transport Association (IATA) set itself a target of flying about a billion passengers annually using a blend of biojet fuel and fossil fuel by 2015.

However, all these scientific feats failed to eliminate the use of fossil fuel so far though its use will be reduced, which in turn, will prolong the life of the oil fields as mentioned earlier.

At this point, Mr. Wise looked a bit vulnerable having failed to counter my statistical onslaught. I took it as a victory and walked away.

The industry has nothing to fear. The oil industry will continue to flourish. Thousand of rigs will be deployed the world over, gathering centres will continue to grow, oil tankers will venture out with their deep-sea voyages, refineries and petro-chemical industries will continue to thrive.

At the end, I have a special message to the members of my exclusive fraternity, - Happy Drilling.

*****

BRIEFCASE – A BRIEF STORY

In the late sixties, when I started my career, carrying a briefcase to work was a fashionable thing to do. I was deprived of that privilege as I was in the drilling business and my job involved a daily trip to an oil rig in boots, jeans, tee shirts, a rain coat and an ugly looking helmet. Most of the days, I came from work drenched in oil and mud. Years later, my soiled attire might have had raised a suspicion in the mind of my newly married wife about the type of job I did. In all fairness, she never expressed her surprise, dismay, shock or frustration. I made no attempt to impress her either.

I did carry a plastic bag to work which contained my lunch or snacks depending on the time of the day, a flask filled with black tea and a bottle of water. They were not the ideal stuff to carry in a brief case. After all, carrying a fancy briefcase to an oil rig would be like stepping out to a paddy field in a tuxedo.

Anyway, to satisfy my passion, I gifted myself a slick looking VIP briefcase which I carried with me when I took a flight home to Calcutta on my annual holidays. However, the contentment evaporated soon for two reasons. First, a couple of my friends who had an uncle in Canada and a cousin in Singapore proudly displayed their imported varieties with exotic names like Samsonite and Delsey and looked at my desi version with disdain.  Second, during those annual flights, I saw a few of my co-passengers taking out typed sheets of papers from their briefcases and with faces as grim as one could possibly imagine, scribbled illegible noting on those papers with gold capped pens. Very highly placed executives, I thought, who had the burden of running big corporations on their shoulders. Someday, I would emulate them I fantasized. The stuff I carried in my Brief Case during those flights were at the most the book I planned to read during the flight and a few small gifts I carried for my parents and kid sister. I felt a bit demeaned.

Once I saw a unique way of utilizing a Brief Case. An elderly man in starched, snow-white dhoti and kurta, gold rimmed glasses, rings on all the ten fingers requested the charming stewardess to offload his brief case from the hold above. The flight was in mid-air and the seatbelt signs were off. The gentleman very fondly placed the case on his lap and opened it with two soft clicks. He was seated so close; I could not help but notice that the interior was very specially designed with small compartments with individual lid on each. The largest compartment contained freshly washed paans. All other compartments contained finely cut suparis and wide varieties of masalas. With a fondness one reserved for planting exotic saplings in a garden, he painstakingly prepared one mouth-full and almost swallowed it.  He was kind enough to offer me one. I politely declined and sought his permission to light a cigarette. Smoking in planes was permitted those days. The gentlemen nodded his agreement but later while disembarking advised me to quit smoking as it was not good for my health. I complied; thirty years later.

Except for my yearly flights, my swanky possession remained unused but I took care of it by dusting it regularly. The opportunity to use it arrived finally. By a stroke of luck, I was transferred to the branch office in Calcutta on a temporary assignment of 6 months. By that time, I was married and father of a baby daughter. Those were the days! It was my grand entry to the dream world of classy executives. Almost overnight, I was carrying my VIP briefcase to work six days a week. My soiled clothes were replaced by slim-fit trousers, starched white shirt, a jacket and a tie. It felt great. I stayed with my parents. Strangely, neither my parents nor my wife showed any sign of awe at my sudden change of fortune. Very soon I started bringing files and papers home but the dream of scrutinizing the papers, while on the move, remain unfulfilled. The pot-holed roads of the city led to roller coaster rides, not conducive to clearing away office files.

Soon, my slick brief case proved inadequate for the amount of papers I brought home. Buying a thicker one, known by the exotic name of Overnighters, was impractical as I was aware of my eventual transfer back to the real world of oil rigs. My uncle stepped in at this stage. My father’s younger brother, having just retired from a central government job, offered me his so-called portfolio bag. The bag had a large capacity indeed and contained at least five times more papers than my slick version was capable of. I declined to accept it in spite of being assured that it was made out of genuine Moroccan leather. The thing was out of fashion and I would not be seen dead carrying it to work. It opened to a big yawn of a shark like you all might have had seen in the movie “Jaws”. The opening and closing mechanism of the bag were through the ancient method of buckles and straps. I rejected the generous offer and my affectionate uncle was thoroughly disappointed.

A few years later, I moved to the middle east. It was not a field job like before but required occasional trips to the oil fields. Suddenly, I had easy access to all global products. I gave myself another generous a gift, a Delsey overnighter. This was very special with an inside lining equipped with two pen holders and pockets for a calculator and passport. I was happy with my new possession, I even got it monogramed with my initials. However, at my new office too, chances of carrying the thing to work was very limited. There was not even the chance of carrying my lunch to work as we ate the company cafeteria.  I carried it proudly though during short business trips.

However, the pleasure did not last very long. Briefcases went out of fashion and carrying a bunch of official papers became outdated with the advent of laptops. There was a revolutionary change in the way one functioned professionally. There emerged a new generation of professionals who mercilessly discarded the coveted brief case. What a pity!

What came in vogue was a crude looking sack strangely named a Backpack. A backsack or rucksack would have been more appropriate.  That crude looking stuff was fit for trekking or camping and a totally misfit in a plush office environment; - so I thought.

A casual walk in the streets has become rather hazardous since then. Calcutta streets were never very pedestrian-friendly, thanks to ever increasing number of hawkers. The narrow space on the pavements, so kindly left for the hapless pedestrians barely allow two persons to cross each other. Now someone carrying a so-called backpack and walking with a swagger, would surely hit you hard with the load on his back while passing by without any display of regret. I wonder whether they carry bricks inside.

To cut a long story short, I finally gave up carrying my briefcase in public because I found people, especially the younger generation, giving me a strange look. I still travel but discarded my once prized possessions. Instead, I carry a smart looking trolley, gifted by my daughter, specially designed to carry my laptop, passport and other tit bits.

I still have the brief cases stored in some corner of my apartment containing various paper documents. However, I do not display them in public anymore. Time changed and so did I.

*****