As you guys already know, Gubbachigalu was screened in New York City as a part of NY Film Video Festival, New York. Along with the producers of the film, B. Suresha and Shylaja Nag I had been to New York City. Here I bring some of my random thought from there. I quote from my diary for now.
“Today let me start on a bit different note. When I had visited Germany few years back, I had this feeling, now it comes to my mind again. I had not written it down then let me do it now. It’s about the technology, infrastructure. In this context, let me tell you how my day went today (in New York). We came out from the house at about 9 in the morning. Walked three minutes to the local train station, got on to the train to a station called Penn Station. It’s a 30 minute ride in an air conditioned totally closed train. As we crossed each station, the electronic display in the compartment, showed us which station we were in and what station is next. Then we heard the announcement of the same from the public addressing system in the compartment. The driver added little humor to this announcement and it was the normal thing for us now (!) no one smiled. Train moved ahead.
We reached the station on time. It’s an underground station. There are loads and loads of shops in the station with glittering lights and attractive items begging to be bought. We ignore them all and follow the sign boards to the subway station located inside this train station it self. Walk straight, take a left, then the first elevator, third right then get down the stairs of the escalator. There you will find the ticket machine, buy the metro card, then two lane next to it take a lift to the first floor, then get down in the second escalator to get to the track number 7 travel three station, get down there then change the metro train number ‘F’ that will take you to the 34th street where the museum is situated. All underground business! We did exactly same and reached the 34th street. Now… now… don’t get confused, we didn’t reach the street as such. We had reached the 34th street station which is still underground. As we came out of the train, the underground walk-way leads us to the museum directly! I didn’t know what time it was! We spend the whole day there and then the same way we came back.
So effectively in the entire day today, I had seen only about 6 minutes of day light and fresh air!!! Rest of the time, I was in the underground trains; underground passages bumping to the people who would give me a plastic smile and say “hello!” so is this the future India wants to go? Do we want to hate fresh air? Do we want to hate the freedom of dirt on the ground? Cough? Loud laughter? I don’t understand really! Anyway, enough lamenting for the day ha… ha…”
Readers must kindly not consider this as anti USA write up. It’s not their fault. It is our dream too. Even in India, when we talk about infrastructure, we talk about this. It’s just that they have already achieved it what we haven’t so far. In that way they are far efficient than us. But what I want to bring to notice here is, is this the infrastructure we want to build for our selves? I am somehow reminded of George Orwell’s novel, 1984!