Canada Diary - 09.12.2017

During  last two days it rained and snowed. Temperature dipped as low as minus 22 degree Celsius. It was no point going out it such a hostile weather.

In Canada, the weather app "The Weather Network" is widely used. It's forecasts are considered reliable and before planning to venture out, people do look at its predictions and plan their journey accordingly. It's forecasts are on real time basis and are update hourly.

We were looking for a conducive weather to visit Niagara Falls. And according to its forecast, today was the day when we could plan. Incidentally, it was Saturday and we all could go together. We decided to drive to Niagara. It was around 175 km. Though longer, we decided to take a route that avoided Highway.

We packed our lunch and set off. Soon we left the Toronto and were driving through Greater Toronto. Towns like Burlington and Hamilton passed by. After Hamilton We drove on the bank of Lake Ontario. We were driving nonstop as we wanted to return before dark. We had our lunch while driving.

Then we were on  lonely stretches. It's both sides we could see large farm land.  There was a single hutment near every farm land. Cars were parked outside the house indicating that these were habitated. "How any family could live there alone far from the nearest town?", I  wondered. Then came a row of houses. It must have been some small town. Then came wind-mills lined up in a row; rotating slowly with the wind. A board welcomed us in Niagara - a City of Falls.

We were around 20 km away from our destination. By 3:30 , we parked our car and started walking towards world famous falls. The yesterday snow had gathered on the top of trees and on the pavements.  Even in the gloves our hands felt frozen. Feet were chilled in the shoes. Thick warm jacket was somehow managing to keep the winds away. But as we saw the mighty, roaring falls amidst mist, we forgot the cold. A beautiful rainbow with all its colors vividly displayed emerged as the sun rays fell on the falls. I removed the lens cover, set focus and started capturing the falls from different angles. Many tourists were standing besides the iron railing admiring the beauty of this wonder. A few of them dared to climb on the wall and sat their legs hanging towards the full-side. A slight push or a little imbalance could prove fatal. But these selfie lovers had no respect for their lives that the God gifted to them without their having asked for it.

My daughter told that the arch bridge which was seen on the other end joined the Canada to  the USA. She also told that all the high-rise buildings which we could clearly see on  other end were in fact in the USA territory and we required USA visa to go to that side. The residents of Canada ,however, had free access to the USA.

One hour was more than enough to admire the beauty of Niagara falls. It was 4:30 and the sun light had faded. We were also feeling extremely cold. We crossed the road and entered into the "Tim Hortons" coffee shop. It is a popular coffee chain here apart from "Starbucks". It  was warm inside. We sat there and sipped hot coffee. By the time, we came out the sun had almost set. The sky had a mixture of pale and orange pastel colors painted at the horizon. The water falls were roaring as before.

We tossed with the idea to stay in some hotel there overnight. But finally decided to leave. As we left Niagara, darkness took over. We did not have a very clear idea of route to follow. Google Map guided us as usual.

One thing which I noticed during this drive was that on a stretch of 350 km, I did not find even a single driver who honked even once. And I found only one vehicle that overtook us while we were returning.  I admire the traffic discipline these people follow here. It was unbelievable.

We stopped over some 45 km before our destination to have dinner at Barar. There are a few restaurant and hotels which serve food without onion and garlic. And it was one of them. Buffet was ready and out of so many dishes, there were only four dishes that we could take. We were happy with that much. We had dinner and drove home.

We were terribly tired and soon retired in our beds.

Canada Diary - 07.12.2017

It must have been extremely cold outside. As I opened the blinds, snow covered roads, pavements, trees and roofs greeted me as if they were saying, "Very chilled morning!"  As far as I could see, the city was wrapped in a blanket of snow. It was 6 in the morning. Had this been in India, people would prefer to stay in bed under warm quilt, sipping a hot cup of beverage.

But here, people had started coming to their jobs. There are a few offices in front of our building. A big parking space is also there with parking place earmarked with yellow lines. At this early and chilled hour of this morning, cars were pulling up slowly, reversing a bit before being parked to ensure that every vehicle was parked within the earmarked space.  People  covered in  long jacket with hood made of fur on their heads, wearing long boots and gloves were alighting from their vehicle and walking to their offices. In Canada, job hours are not fixed. People are free to choose their timings. They can come early and go early. These people who were coming to their jobs would leave around noon after putting in required working hours. Soon the parking lot was full of vehicles. But the three parking slots which were earmarked for handicapped were still empty. "How disciplined these people were!", I thought.

I was so engrossed looking at these early comers, that I could not notice the  vehicles which were busy removing snow from the roads, making them motor-able. They were working quietly and quickly. When I returned to the window after taking a cup of tea, most of the road had been cleared and they were still working. Black tarred roads amidst snow all around looked as if someone had spilled black paint on a pure white sheet.

It was then I noticed a girl with two chained doges following her. She must have brought them out to relieve themselves. It was a not an extraordinary activity worth mentioning until I saw her picking up dog waste and collecting it in a small pouch. She then threw the pouch in a dustbin placed there. I purposely went down to find about these dust bins . I was surprised that these green colored bins were placed only to collect dog waste. The sign board placed there announced - Dog waste station. How meticulously these small things had been planned ! This is in sharp contrast with the Indian dog lovers who allowed their pets to shit on the roads and leave it for somebody else to clean.

फुल पैंट

"हाथ आगे कर!", सामने डंडा लेकर खड़े मास्टर जी का स्वर आदेशात्मक था।
उसने डरते हुए अपनी नन्ही हथेली फैला दी।
स्टाक की आवाज के साथ छड़ी चली।
वो  हाथ झटकने लगा।
"दूसरा हाथ दे।" स्वर कड़ा था।
उसने बिना विरोध के दूसरी हथेली भी पसार दी।
छड़ी फिर चली और हथेली पर लाल निशान छोड़ गई। वो दोंनो हाथ झटक कर दर्द कम करने का प्रयास करने लगा।
"हीरो बनता है! कितने दिन से कह रहा हूँ। कक्षा 6 से फुल पैंट  पहन कर आनी है। समझ नहीं आता।"
"कल अपने पिता जी को बुला कर लेना।", कहते हुए मास्टर जी ने उसके कूल्हों पर एक ओर छड़ी मार दी और उसे कक्षा की और धकेल दिया।
बिलख उठा था वह। आंखों में आंसू झलक आये थे।मात्र ग्यारह वर्ष की तो उम्र थी। नन्ही कोमल हथेलियां छड़ी की मार से सूज जाती थीं। पहले दिन जब छड़ी पड़ी थी तो बहुत दर्द हुआ था। अब तो ये रोज़ की बात हो गई है। दर्द तो अभी भी होता है। पर अब वो जानता है कि कितना दर्द होगा। बहुत बहादुर बनता है कि रोयेगा नहीं। पर आँखों की कोर गीली हो ही जाती है।
बच्चों के ताने तो वह सह लेता था। पर ये रोज़ रोज़ की सज़ा अब नहीं सही जाती थी। अब वह मास्टर जी को कैसे समझाए कि उसके पास फुल पैंट नहीं है। कब से माँ से कह रहा है कि एक फुल पैंट बनवा दो। माँ का एक ही जवाब था जल्द बनवा दूंगी। बस कुछ दिन और काम चला ले।

"नहीं, बस अब नहीं।", उसने कक्षा की और जाते हुए मन बनाया। कल  से वह स्कूल नहीं आएगा। अब तभी आएगा जब उसके पास फुल पैंट होगी। कोई समझता ही नहीं।

फिर उसे याद आया कि कल पिता जी को स्कूल भी लाना है। उसे अच्छी तरह से पता था कि वह नहीं आएंगे। फिर भी माँ को कहेगा जरूर। उसका सारा संवाद माँ से ही होता था। पिता का डर इतना था कि बोलने की हिम्मत ही नहीं पड़ती थी। पिता से भी माँ के माध्यम से ही संवाद होता था। जब कभी पिता मारते तो माँ झट से अपने आँचल में छिपा लेती। उसे लगता वो अब सबसे सुरक्षित है।

घर के माली हालात उससे छिपे नहीं थे। समय पर कभी स्कूल की फीस भी जमा नहीं हो पाती थी। पिताज़ी फीस माफी की अर्ज़ी दे सकते थे पर ये उनकी इज़्ज़त का सवाल था। हर महीने की दस तारीख़ उसके लिए अपमान और ज़िल्लत लिए आती। उसे क्लास से बाहर निकाल दिया जाता और घर जा कर फ़ीस लाने को कहा जाता। वो भी स्कूल के आसपास भटकता रहता। उसे मालूम था कि घर जाकर क्या होगा। पैसे होते तो क्या माँ सुबह ही नहीं दे देती।

पुरानी किताबों से वह पढ़ता था। एक ही कापी को आधी हिन्दी विषय की और आधी इतिहास विषय की बना लेता था। जब हिंदी का होम वर्क चैक कराना होता तो वही खोल कर दिखा दिया करता था इतिहास के विषय मे भी ऐसा ही करता था। कहते हैं आवश्यकता अविष्कार की जननी होती है। उसकी हर विषय की अलग कॉपी की आवश्यकता ने और पर्याप्त कॉपी न ख़रीद सकने की मजबूरी ने उसे ये अविष्कार करना सीखा दिया था। आफ़त तो तब आन पड़ी, जब इतिहास के मास्टर जी ने सब बच्चों की कॉपियां इकठ्ठी कर लीं और लाइब्रेरी में जाकर जांचने लगे थे। क्लास में आकर उन्होंने पहले तो कापी फ़ेंक कर मुँह पर मारी थी । फिर जो छड़ी से धुनाई हुई थी, तड़प गया था वह।
हर छड़ी के वार के साथ वो चिल्ला रहे थे, "ज्यादा होशियार बनता है। मास्टर को बेबकूफ़ समझता है।" उसका ये अविष्कार अधिक दिन तक नहीं चल पाया था। ऐसी स्थिति में फुल पैंट की मांग कँहा से पूरी होती।

वो घर आया तो पक्का मन बना चुका था कि कल  से स्कूल नहीं जाएगा। माँ ने हाथ धुलवाते समय उसकी छोटी हथेलियां देखी थी।
"दिखा, आज फिर मार पड़ी?"
माँ ने लाल लाल निशानों को सहलाया तो दर्द उसके चेहरे पर आ गया।
"बुरा हो उस मरे मास्टर का। रोज़ मारता है। पर तू इतना दंगा क्यों करता है क्लास में?"
उसने माँ को अभी तक नहीं बताया था कि वह कोई दंगा नहीं करता। मार उसके हाफ पैंट पहनने से पड़ती है।
पर आज वो सुबक उठा था, "मैं क्लास में कोई दंगा नहीं करता हूं माँ।"
"फिर ये मार क्यूँ पड़ी? मास्टर का दिमाग थोड़ी खराब है, जो बिना बात मारेगा।"
"हाफ पैंट पहनने की सज़ा मिलती है माँ। रोज़ सुबह मिलती है। कब से कह रहा हूँ कि एक फुल पैंट बनवा दो।"
माँ ने अपने सीने से चिपटा लिया , "अरे मेरे बच्चे! तूने बताया क्यों नहीं अब तक। मैं कँही से भी करती तेरी फुल पैंट बनवाती।"
"कँहा से बनवाती, माँ। मुझे क्या पता नहीं है। घर कैसे चल रहा है। तीन महीने से मकान का किराया तो हम दे नहीं पा रहे हैं।"
"तू न ऐसी बड़ो जैसी बातें न किया कर ", माँ ने सीने से दूर करते हुए कहा।
"तू अपना ध्यान पढ़ाई में लगा। तू पढ़ लिख जाएगा न, सब कुछ ठीक हो जाएगा।'
"पर माँ, मैं कल से स्कूल नहीं जाँऊगा। जब फुल पैंट आ जायेगी तभी जाऊंगा। और मास्टर जी ने पापा को भी बुलाया है कल स्कूल।"
"मैं चलूंगी न कल तेरे साथ।"
"नहीं माँ मैं तुम्हें नहीं ले जाऊंगा।'
"चल शाम को तेरे पापा आयेंगे तो बात करूंगी।"

"अरे उठ ! कब तक सोता रहेगा। दीया  बाती का समय हो गया है", तुलसी पर शाम का दीया जलाते हुए माँ ने आवाज़ दी।
"देख पापा आते ही होंगे। सोता देखेंगे तो नाराज़ होंगे। चल उठ जा। होम वर्क भी तो करना है।"
वह आंखे मसलता उठ बैठा, "मैंने कहा था न कल से मैं स्कूल नहीं जाऊंगा।"
"हाँ हाँ ,ठीक है मत जाना। पर होम वर्क तो कर ले।"
माँ सोचती है कल सुबह मुझे समझा बुझा कर हाफ पैंट में स्कूल भेज देगी। पर मैं जाऊंगा ही नहीं। उसने मन पक्का कर लिया।
तभी पापा आ गए।बैठते ही बोले थे, "तुम कई दिन से कह रही थी न इसके लिए फुल पैंट बनवानी है। आज मुझे नई वर्दी मिल गई है। सोचता हूं पुरानी वर्दी की खाकी पैंट से इसकी पैंट निकलवा दूँ। एक आध साल तो चल ही जाएगी। इससे कहो तैयार हो जाये। चल कर दर्ज़ी को नाप दे आएंगे। दो एक रोज़ में बना देगा।"
उसको तो लगा मानो पुरानी पैंट नहीं संसार का खजाना पा लिया हो। तुरन्त तैयार हो गया। वह कल स्कूल जाएगा। एक दो दिन की ही तो बात है। मार खा लेगा।
जल्द ही उंसके पास भी स्कूल ड्रेस की फुल पैंट होगी। उसकी उमंग उसकी चाल से झलक रही थी। माँ के चेहरे पर फीकी सी  मुस्कराहट आई और चली गई। पर इससे पहले उसने कनखियों से माँ की वो मुस्कराहट देख ली थी।

Canada Diary - 06.12.2017

Today  we planned to visit Down Town. Why it is called by this name is not clear. In reality, it is a hub center of financial and commercial activities. My daughter was with us to guide. We were  to return with our son-in-law who was to join us there while coming back from his office.

We were going by metro. This  is called TTC - Toronto Transit Commission. It has a network of 4 lines. Line 1 is the yellow line also known as Yonge-University line has 32 stations. It runs from Finch station to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre in a "U" shaped curve. It has four interchange stations, three at Green Line and one at Magenta Line. It crosses Green Line at Bloor Yonge, St George Bay and Spadina stations and Magenta Line at Sheppard Yonge station. Line 2 of this network is Green Line with 31 stations which runs from Kennedy Station to Kipling Station. Line 3 is the blue line which takes you from McCowan Station to Kennedy Station from where you can change to Green Line. It has just 6 stations. Then the last Line 4 i.e. Magenta Line runs between Don Mills to Sheppard Yonge Stations connecting you to Yellow Line. It has 4 stations.

We walked to Scarborough Centre, which was the second station at Blue Line. As we entered, we found that ticket window was closed for some renovation work. While my daughter had Presto Card - a type of smart card, we two were required  to buy tokens. The guard standing there came forward to help us. He asked us to travel up to Kennedy Station  without buying tokens  and advised to buy tokens there. We took three "transfer" a type of proof of payment  - POP from the dispensing machine and boarded the train. The machines dispensing "transfer" tickets are installed in paid area and normally, you cannot dispense the "transfer" tickets without having paid for the journey; either by  Presto Card or buying tokens. But in our case, we were allowed as the ticket window was not functioning.

The system of ticketing is different here. It runs on trust. Most of the passengers have Presto Card. They punch it before entering in the system and dispense a "transfer" ticket through a separately installed  machine.  It has no relation with the gate-opening. Gates remain in open mode. There is one flat fare of $ 3.25 for travelling in one direction. It is valid in buses, streetcars, and metros  run by TTC. While going out of the system, no punching is required. If you want to change the mode of transport, same "transfer" ticket remains valid in that direction. Even if you travel for  one station, same fare is applicable. In Indian rupees, it is equivalent to ₹ 162.

So we boarded the train by dispensing "transfer"  tickets without paying any money. The train was old and of four coaches of blue color. It made lot of rattling sound as it run on the track. The metro system here runs on "Third rail" 650 v DC instead of over head electricity. The sky line is, therefore,clear and gives a clutter free view.

We reached at Kennedy Station  and changed to Green Line that took us to Bloor-Yonge Station.

 As we were travelling ,a group of students was enjoying and shouting. One of them came towards us . He was holding a sheet of paper on which "Free Hug" was written. A young girl was sitting in front of us. He asked her if she would like to have a free hug. She readily agreed and stood up. Both of them hugged each other. Then he turned to my wife and offered a free hug. She hesitantly looked at me. Seeing her hesitation, he said  that both of you come together. We obliged him and  hugged. The fellow students clapped while my daughter took a photo. It demonstrates the happy-go-lucky way of life style, these people lead.

 

At the next station the group alighted. From here, we took Yellow Line and reached at Union Station. Here we paid for our journey, and used Streetcar to reach Bay St.

As we alighted, we found yourselves in the middle of Down Town. Here sun sets early. It was just 5:00 PM but it looked as if it were 8:00 PM. The place was full of skyscrapers, all lighted and illuminated. Traffic was average on the roads. Unlike India, here pedestrian have first right-of-the way. Traffic stops if the driver has the slightest idea that you are to cross the road. You feel like king when they stop in your honor and allow you to go ahead. On the other hand pedestrian also equally respect the traffic signal and wait patiently till the lights turn green for them to cross the road. It is a mutual respect that both have for each other. I did not find any traffic police to stand there managing traffic. 

We walked to nearby water front also known as Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. It was deserted. No ferries were  plying. It was extremely cold there. We took some photographs and returned. 

 

Soon my son-in-law joined us. He took us along and showed my daughter's office building as well as his earlier office. We were amazed at the height of CN Tower as we saw it. It was well illuminated and changing colors. We saw a couple of Christmas Trees fully decorated with tiny bulbs. There were statues of bulls in front of the Exchange Building.

We entered in the Mall and spent some time there. Then we came out and go to nearby "GO" station. 

GO Transit is a network of train and bus lines that keeps people moving around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. It connects with many different local transit networks. Unlike TTC, it's fare is distance based. It is double Decker train system that connects nearby towns. We took GO train and reached Eglinton Station. Here my son-in-law's car was parked. We took the car and returned home. The snow had started falling.