It's Polling day!

Being Indian has a new meaning! Joy and I were determined to exercise our voting rights this year so we got ourselves registered two years ago. Since we've been living in this city for over 6 years, it was a simple affair getting ourselves registered in the AP electoral process. This is the city where we live and work, so the development of this city is close to our heart.

Usually, we are lazy beings and nothing in wild horses can wake us up early (atleast not before 10:30 for Joy). However, polling day we wake up at 6 am and with all our mixed emotions of excitement, anger against the corrupt politicians, frustration at their inefficiency we set off. Luckily, it's just a 5 minute walk from our apartment. Once we reach the polling centre, we first go off to get the slips to find our serial number.

Once we get the slips, we stand in a queue to enter the ballot area. The person at the entrance calls out our serial number. There is a desk which has five people shuffling through papers. As our serial numbers are called, you see five hands shuffling in unison.

Once they find our numbers, we go forward to sign and get our finger stamped. We are handed across 2 slips. One for the Parliament and the other for Assembly. Finally the moment we have been waiting for. We enter the booth and cast our votes. The whole exercise takes around half an hour. Guess that's coz we went early.

While walking back home, we spot this restaurant selling North and South Indian breakfast. It's 8 am so we decide to have some breakfast. Joy orders Aloo Poori while I order some dahi vada and buttermilk. The food finally arrives. Joy seems pretty disappointed as he gets 3 pooris with one tiny bowl of subji that has one aloo in it and a bowl of coconut chutney. I guess they have demand for pooris and chutney here but that's not for Joy. He keeps ordering more sabji till he finishes all 3 pooris. So breakfast done and all happy with ourselves we head back home.

We have no idea if things will change, whether our roads or the city's infrastructure will improve or will there be all round development ... But we live in hope...that maybe, maybe someone might come along and think about the nation rather than filling their own coffers.

Let's hope so. After all hope is what makes the world go round.