Sadaruddin

this morning's ride was through one of the knows routes...last time when I rode by those green fields, it was a larger group and there was much of chatter involved...only today I realized that this circuit is longer than I originally thought...one of the things that I like about these leisurely rides on weekend mornings through the countryside is the people that we come across...today, it was a retired goverment employee turned farmer, Sadaruddin. His was the first farm that we came across, riding near a prime real estate area...needless to say, his piece of land has been an object of lust for both, the private real estate companies and the Government alike...on one hand, the companies are offering a heavy packet for his land, on which they would probably want to erect high-rise apartments, on the other hand, the Govt dreams of expanding the country road (to help the private builders, it is to be believed)...Sadaruddin stands firm on his ground and refuses to budge an inch...raising paddy crop on the his fields and waiting for the summers for his mango orchards to fruit is far more dearer to him when compared to all the money that is being offered...for now he has been successful in getting a stay order from the court against any seizure of any piece of his land...

many a times, we complain about lack of 'infrastructure' but hardly ever think what price it comes for...one of the co-riders was talking to Sadaruddin today "wider roads will lead to bigger cars which will need further wider roads...there's no end to it"...that reminded me of a show on discovery I watched long ago - 'future car'...one of the never talked about but very relevant kind of pollution it talked about was - space pollution...the amount of space on the road each vehicle is occupying...imagine a big SUV carrying only person in it - one of the key reasons of traffic congestion...but these problems are probably easier talked about than solved.

one good thing is that in a couple of months time the mangoes will start ripening and we already got an invite from Sadaruddin to visit his orchard :)