Friday, August 14, 2026

Breaking News: Overnight Transformation Of City Roads Causes Panic

The city woke up a few days ago to a complete transformation of the roads, causing widespread speculation, wonder, fear, cynicism, and even disbelief.

Believed to be some evil magic at play, commuters are shocked to see the roads smooth, sans potholes (despite heavy rains), uniformly even, even gleaming in their newness! All roads are laid out to exact dimensions, leaving wide footpaths and pavements for pedestrians, and standardized speed bumps. Zebra crossings at signals, bicycle lanes, road dividers, and lane-demarcation lines are uniformly and clearly marked. Working traffic lights now adapt to the traffic onslaught and automatically change the signal time, resulting in free-flowing traffic.

Early in the morning, after citizens discovered the smooth roads, ten teams that erect pandals for various festivals in the city marched down the central city area to protest. With spades and pickaxes in hand, they ventured to erect pandals, but shockingly, their efforts were useless. Despite hours of work, they left tired and frustrated, without a single pandal erected. They now plan to start a "Dig The Roads" campaign to fight the smooth roads.

Meanwhile, chiropractors, orthopaedic surgeons, joint specialists, and spine surgeons are experiencing a decline in their clientele. The paved, pothole-less, gleaming roads have made driving a smooth sailing. Two-wheel riders, especially, are slowly giving up the zig-zag way of driving. They can now drive with almost no back injuries, and have stopped visiting these doctors for treatment. The doctors fear that their skills will be wasted now that drivers will no longer suffer from driving injuries. They now plan to go to the higher authorities to bring back the old roads. 

The hardcore bikers, on the other hand, are extremely happy. The Speedster Association has announced a Road Race from the east end of the city to the west end. The winner will receive a shiny new "No Longer Bumpy Rides" helmet, along with a commemorative replica of a pothole-ridden road.

The road contractors, workers, material suppliers, and even big-wig companies that sponsor these roads are suddenly left jobless. The workers, who relentlessly worked on improving road conditions despite substandard materials, delays, and general apathy towards road development, are now facing a dead end. They certainly have a bumpy ride ahead of them. 

What needs to be seen is how long the current state of the roads will last. Can these flashy, smooth roads bear the brunt of the upcoming festivities, the ever-increasing number of vehicles, and even the wrath of road contractors?

Monday, January 5, 2026

The Moral Compass


Screech! I braked hard as a teenager cut me off from the opposite direction. I took a deep breath, trying to regulate my body after the adrenaline rush.

"Look at that!" I heard my daughter exclaiming in the back seat. 

"Are you alright?" I asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror, quickly surveying for any signs of distress.

"I am," she answered, with her head turned in the direction of the almost out-of-sight miscreant. "But that was just too much!"

"I know, right?" I tried to laugh it off. "And he seemed just fourteen or fifteen years old. Not even an adult."

"Exactly! How are they even allowed?" Mahika exclaimed, outraged. After a moment's pause, she added, "Aaya, if I ever do that when I am older, smack me on my head!"

I chuckled openly, but secretly my heart swelled with pride. This little girl, no more than twelve years old, could recognise right from wrong, acknowledge it, and also decide never to do the wrong that she had just witnessed.

Not to pat our own backs, but I think we are doing something right as parents if our kid discerns the wrong and consciously pledges to never do it.

Kids are exposed to millions of good and bad things happening around them. If a kid understands the difference between the two, and consciously decides not to do the wrong thing — that is an achievement in itself. This is where we influence our kids without even realizing it. It's in these situations that test our mettle as parents: how do we react to wrongdoing, how do we behave with people, and how do we handle such situations?

A great amount of empathy, a moral compass that points north, and just a pinch of outrage at misdeeds should make a good recipe to raising our kids. 

Breaking News: Overnight Transformation Of City Roads Causes Panic

The city woke up a few days ago to a complete transformation of the roads, causing widespread speculation, wonder, fear, cynicism, and even ...