On Bandhs and Strikes

I’ve started taking a liking for these, actually. A peaceful morning. Devoid of most traffic on the roads – except for buses. And because of that, the buses get a chance to run on time, too!

In other news, Babylon 5 is a good show. Vishnu recommended that I watch this show and I’m liking it a lot. In one of the episodes, there’s this surveyor who takes contracts to survey planets for various purposes and ends up at a mysterious place called Sigma 957. Suddenly, Sakai (the surveyor)’s ship encounters something never heard of before. Not in the database. Her ship loses almost all its power and leaves her exposed to a lone death – until the troops G’kar had sent for came to her rescue. G’kar had earlier warned her not to go there stating that it was a mysterious place and that Sakai would be better off not going there.

When Sakai returns and tells G’kar of what had happened:

Catherine Sakai: While I was out there, I saw something. What was it?
G’Kar: [pointing to a nearby flower] What is this?
[Upon closer inspection, an insect is visible.]
Catherine: An ant.
G’Kar: “Ant”!
Catherine: So much gets shipped up from Earth on commercial transports, it’s hard to keep them out.
[As Catherine is talking, G’Kar carefully picks up the ant.]
G’Kar: I have just picked it up on the tip of my glove. If I put it down again and it asks another ant, “What was that?”, how would it explain? There are things in the universe billions of years older than either of our races. They are vast, timeless. And if they are aware of us at all, it is as little more than ants…and we have as much chance of communicating with them as an ant has with us. We know. We’ve tried. And we’ve learned we can either stay out from underfoot, or be stepped on.
Catherine: That’s it? That’s all you know?
G’Kar: Yes. They are a mystery. And I am both terrified and reassured to know that there are still wonders in the universe…that we have not yet explained everything. Whatever they are, Ms. Sakai, they walk near Sigma 957. They must walk there alone.

And here we are. Calling out for a national bundh because of a petrol-price hike. And me enjoying the peace due to it.