ODD EVEN

The Delhi Government and Delhites welcomed Odd-Even with skepticism, criticism and by the end of fifteen days, applause and relief. Isn’t it a little odd that even before it all began, people (some of them who do not even live in Delhi) were up in arms and calling Our CM names and all. I live in the city and I know that OE has been an initiative much needed… to at least experience what it feels to be ordinary, if not for anything else. I won’t use a word as opaque and lame as “success” to describe it, but I do believe that Mr. K turned out to be the even-stevens guy at the end of it, especially with the odds stacked up against the whole thing.

At the risk of being too philosophical, how luscious would it be if we could find a way to implement Odd-Even in our lives. If only we could keep the wheels of our restless souls parked at home every alternate day, avoid the bottlenecks and lead relatively simpler lives for common good! How about keeping someone else first? What are the odds of that happening? To illustrate, for someone who drinks (a bit too much), how about being in control for an odd day and not embarrass your family and friends… what is more, your own self? Or perhaps someone who masturbates daily? Park your machine, take a breather! Just saying !

Better still, how about a day evenly spent between the professional and personal or not spend every second day trying to be even with an adversary, a colleague, who looks better, works better or sounds better? What if we could all take 4 days out of 7 to say we care… to the ones who, for us, have been there?! To question ourselves and take a plunge into the freeness of spirit? To become less mechanical and more human(e). Best yet, not dictate terms to those who are lesser in rank, age or whatever just because we can.

I was travelling from one ambitious city to another (in a respectable elite train) the other day and the two kindred Panjabi gentlemen (of course having a heart of gold) sitting in the rear seat were all set to enter the Limca Book of Records for the most number of expletives used in a four hour journey. I have never appreciated the invention of headphones more. I so wished OE could be implemented to control, even if for alternate days, the oft-loose tongue of my clan-mates.

Long story short, OE can do a world of good for our 21^st century high-strung existence. It might just save us from Suffocating ourselves.