Monday, October 21, 2019

Unusual sights and sounds!

Going by today's newspapers, I thought I must keep you updated about the unusual sights and sounds, that were on offer, around the world. The events need not have taken place yesterday itself but suffice to know that all of them have been recent happenings. So, without much ado, here I go:-

 (a) When Sheep Took Over.

       Sheep replaced traffic on the streets of Madrid, yesterday, as shepherds steered their flocks
       through the heart of the Spanish capital, following ancient migration routes. The annual event,
       which began in 1994, allows shepherds to exercise their right to use traditional routes to migrate
       their livestock from northern Spain to more southerly pastures for winter grazing.

  (b) Lady Gaga's Tweet in Sanskrit.

        Pop star Lady Gaga, who is recovering from a nasty fall she suffered during a concert in Las
        Vegas, surprised her Indian fans when she tweeted in Sanskrit, "Lokah Samastah Sukhino
        Bhavantu", yesterday. It translates to "May all beings everywhere be free and happy". The
        tweet has, since, gone viral.

  (c) Compensation to Passengers.

        For the first time in over 150-year history of Indian Railways, the country's biggest public
        sector will pay a compensation of Rs.250/- each to passengers who'd traveled on board the
        Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express for an arrival delay of over two hours on Saturday. The
        train was delayed in both the directions because of the derailment of the Krishak Express in
        Lucknow Junction yard on Friday night. There were 451 passengers on board the train from
        Lucknow and another 500, who took the train from New Delhi. To make up for the delay,
        passengers were served extra tea, lunch and refreshments with "Sorry for delay' stickers on the
        packets.

  (d) Costly Vote.

        For the voters of Kakkathuruthu island of Alappuzha district, in Kerala, surrounded by
        Vembanadu backwaters, casting votes is a costly affair. Each voter needs to spend Rs.110/-
        to exercise their franchise as the island does not have a polling booth. The voters have to cross
        the lake and hire an autorickshaw to reach their polling station. The island has over 700 voters.
        The island, which figured in the must-visit list of National Geographic magazine in 2016, lacks
        basic amenities like good roads and potable water. To build a bridge, for connectivity, with the
        mainland has been a long-pending demand of the islanders!


Tailpiece.

It was a wet day to begin with. Lekha had gone to the Mammiyoor Siva kshetram for her weekly tryst through pouring rain. A lot of water had collected within a short period around the temple's gate throwing traffic out of control, she said on return. 

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