Janamdin mubarrak, Dad

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This 28 June,2111 Dad would have been 69. He passed away on 19 June, five days before his birthday. God bless him. I'm sure he is still present among us and is showering his blessings to everyone around us. It's his barsi today and how time passes so swiftly in the nick of time. A jolly good fellow who would proudly tell everyone that today is his budday coupled with his eyes beaming like a school boy. Keep rocking, birthday.
I still recollect him telling everyone that my son b'day is on 24 and mine on 28. Everyone on the planet were made aware that father and son share their b'days in the month of June. We would often have a drink together on our birthdays. It was celebration for the family and he was the architect of the celebrations. I was the doting son and I believe that I shall always be. After he came back home from work, he would take a bath and get ready for his birthday and menu a la carte: chicken curry with rice. His favourite. We would say cheers to that.
Any particular incident at home about Dad. There are so many, I'm sure. Right now, I am in no mood for that since I'm already half asleep. Okay, lemme try. He was obsessed by cleanliness and was a very disciplined soul. In short, he hated things lying down. He would always tell me, why your stuffs not in proper order in the room. Put some order and you have a table and a shelf. Still, everything is in a chaos. Then, after incurring the wrath, he would re-arrange all my stuffs in complete order the next day. Obviously, I was unaware of the fact and when I reached home,I was surprised to see the room in order.
I still remember that I was a huge fan of a soccer player when I was in school. Then one day, he bought a magazine with a huge poster of the dude and would place the magazine wide open on the bed. It was a beautiful surprise when I came back from tuition I saw my bed occupied by my hero.
Thanks a ton Dad for believing in me when everyone lost hope.
Cheers N Love
Your son, Vishal

Mumbai[Rewind]

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Mumbai 2005: I alighted at VT station and found my way  out of the station at 6 p.m. I chose to walk, a heavy bag on my shoulders, all the way to Colaba. Now, with less money in my pockets I need a cheap motel to stay. Finally, found a small room at a South Indian place and everything got settled in Rs 100 bucks per day. Not bad for a five days deal. Imagine Rs 500 rent in what is known as the most expensive place in Mumbai. Dude! Its Sobo( South Bombay)
Colaba is an enticing and beauty for the eyes during the night as one stroll through the cause, opposite Leopold Cafe. One can see throngs of gora foreigners, some Jmaicans guys trying to sell Hashish and other drugs, touts trying to entice passers by and the fake sellers of Dolce and Gabbana coaxing you into buying their products. They won't let you go and a price of decent shirt may easily fall from Rs 600 to Rs 80, provided you understand their trick and be a smart ass.
Go for a long walk and near Picadilly hotel, there is a guy selling Kurta and decent shirts ranging between Rs 120 to Rs 180. Typical street malls in Colaba and very comfortable, indeed. You are dressed for the day. The view of Colaba causeway easily comes straight from a film reel, at least this is what I think. It's totally awesome. On another day, I remember being pursued by one guy selling a map of India which I finally bought for Rs 100 bucks. I remember saying no and this chap followed me from Causeway to Gateway. Finally, I gave in! This is Mumbai for you. I was new in the city. Every time, I visit the maximum city, I end up staying for more days than actually planned for. It is such a crave and addiction. 
The honking of our classic blue and yellow cabs, the red BEST buses, the awesome crowd, cafe Leopold, Sports Express bar, Cafe Mondegar, touts,sellers of all kind of stuffs-necklaces, earrings, bracelets, the beautiful and super hot women, the goras makes it a life long experience. A moment to cherish throughout our life.I am not born in Mumbai but it is a magnet. Over the years, I have grown to accept the city as my own, amchi mumbai--I made it my home and how I miss hoem now. It's been more than 2 years.
Till, Mumbai part 2 happens for me.
(To be continued....)

4 a.m post

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Quite a weird post this one..4 am Indian time post as I dare myself to post something quite short and fast. I wonder whoz gonna read it at this odd hour of the day. You guyzz must be busy partying and reached home all sloshed. The last thing you gonna do is to crash on the bed. Neways, this is the least of my major concern or yours..coz tomorrow is Sunday. I work tomorrow and how bout screwing your happiness!
To start with is 4 a.m the proper time to have sex? At least, I am not doing it. But, indeed writing at the odd hour gives me orgasmic sexual pleasure..Wait!Hell! I'm just kidding. I've been sitting and writing my script and it is the proper time to do so coz the whole world is in quest of sensual pleasures or sleeping. So, no living organism is taking the slightest pain to disturb me and my world. I have already finished two pages. So, I guess the script is moving, quite so in a dreamy direction, not to say positive which sounds quite boring to me. I mean the word since I've been using it too much.
Night owl! Where art thou! A time to get creative and it works best. Trust me on that point. It's making sense to me right now..was planning to jump on and create a short story..But, tomorrow office. See the mint time..I mean 4 a.m is confined to the blog and see the world of fucking illusion as monotony of work's upmanship over creativity..All's not sooo gory gory for me..
A time to kill not really..I am conversing with you, beautiful people at the cost of my sleep on the couch,ooops sorry,my ed who is waiting for me..patient bed,I shall joim you in a few minutes and we shall make love.
Buzz off...chal, kalti maarta hai apun:)

Happy Birthday to me

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June 24,it's my birthday which came and went..no wait there is 55 minutes more for me to celebrate ma budday..Yay! Im the b'day boy and I share ma b'day with quite a few people, Alex, Rucha and Urvashi and so many who were born on June 24.
I am grateful and elated as I woke up to the sms wishes, email, FB mail and wall messages. I made it a point to reply to everyone who wished me on my birthday. I'm grateful to the wondrous friends and well wishers around who chose to make my birthday so special and wonderful. Then, there is the others who didn't wished due to the sheer lack of time,laziness and not feeling to wish me. It's entirely their call. But, I know even if you haven't wished me personally, I can still sense your positive feelings, good vibes and blessings sent to me. For choose to ignore, I can understand that with time, we are all busy in life and have far more important friends to rely on as well as doing far more important fun stuffs to do. There are friends who gradually moved away and you feel you are no longer wanted. But, I shall always think of the good moments spent. Life moves on and as I sing.mein zindagi ke geet hamesha gaata chaala.

I am eternally grateful for the wishes on the part of everyone. Thanx a zillion people. So what was the b'day boy's plan? I woke up to b'day wishes and read a story in TIME, Forever Young..couldn't have agreed more with dat and it reassured me that I am very very young and life can wait for me-be it love,marriage and whateva serious stuffs people do to fit in.I ain't into the game of fitting in to society's rules and regulations. Then, met some family friends and kids..Yay! I got a holder as a small gift from aunty. I treated myself with Shantaram and I finished reading the first 2 chapters. It reminded me of my beautiful days in Mumbai and as I read the book, I painted a picture of Mumbai, a truly awesome city. I am revisiting the book by David Greegory Roberts for the second time and it makes for a good awesome read. The first time I was reading it in my hostel room@Churchgate and in the famous locals. This time, I can only miss the city.
Think me going to catch a movie, Love and Other Drugs in some time. yeah, I did had a Vodka on moi b'day. It was a truly wonderful birthday. Next year, perhaps in some other city, I shall describe my b'day. At least that's my b'day wish.
B'day cookie: Beware, I stopped growing when I turned 18.
Cheerio

Frothy week end

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Back to the grind. Hello Monday! Had a supa week end...Spent quality time with my sister and her kids over tea and dinner. Sunday came and here I indulged in creative work..read Rushdie's Fury and Blessed days with Osho, penned by one of his follower going by the name Ageh Bharti. Brownie point: The man didn't got his final work properly edited as there are many spelling mistakes.
Feeling jolly and happy happy..u know why? coz had saturday and Sundays off and here I work for four days and Friday I'm off. I changed my off day since Friday is my b'day. Come B'day I will be lazing at off,gonna buy myself Shantaram as I revisit Mumbai through the eyes of David Gregory Roberts. It is treat and why not?Post that I'll indulge myself in a pair of Levis jeans after I bought an earlier one in February/ March. I believe that we must be eternally grateful to the Almighty for blessing us as we see the light of the day. Come Friday, perhaps no birthday bums, no cake cutting but grateful to live through the day. But, but, we are growing a year older and it freaks me sometimes..Will try to be graceful as I grow a year older..Bingo! Shut up! I'm not yet 30 so why I'm scaring myself..though I am not far from this cycle
Coming back to smooth super week end..Yes, I was able to do my creative writing as I sit down and continued my short story plus been writing my script about a smoker. Basically, wanna make a short film of 7 to 10 minutes long. A psychological thriller, I would say. How I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day so that I could afford myself the luxury to do so many things..No girl friend..Yeah! It's cool! You know why..dunno how I would balance my time since love shov would take my whole day. But, I am searching for someone. For how long, can someone been lonely on this planet. There is something called desire and love.
Me heard, the monsoon has started in Mumbai and I truly miss those beautiful times in maximum city with maximum rains. The best monsoon falls in Mumbai. Pointer: Get set in the heavy rains and go and sit at Marine Drive or Bandra bandstand..you will know what I mean. I spent wondrous moments in Mumbai monsoon as your newly acquired black umbrella tears itself apart as you ran to catch it. This is Mumbai for you. Don't forget to steal a kiss..a long passionate smooch at Marine Drive as you get yourselves drenched. Celebrate life. Monsoon is soooo soooo sexy and hot.

How I spent my frothy week end
-Woke up at 11.30 on saturday

-Had dinner with my nephew and niece

-Reading Salman Rushdie's Fury-check it out

-Come Sunday:
Gave tuition to my student

-Slept a lot: yeah right full three hours nap in the afternoon

-Watch Anjaana Anjaani on DvD-been trying to play the Swadesh video rather unsuccessfully..The DvD had problems..me gave up.

-Wrote my script..not finished yet, just started. It's moving thank God..the best time to write is between 11 to 3 a.m

Have a great day.
Njoy da rains.... 

Miss you Dad

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Hi fellas!!!
Just had a coffee in a my branded Nescoffee mug and it's the perfect time to blog ripe at 1 a.m. So far, had a good day and spent the whole evening at ma sister's house and relished on chicken cooked by her husband. I caught between a jolly good mood, frustration and sadness.
Jolly good mood u know the reason. A pleasant day and well spent with the kids, being a kid myself. Frustrated at the state of things. For six months, I failed to continue my short story. It's not that I lack ideas. Contrary to that, ideas are brimming in my head but the problem is that I started a short story but so far I'm stuck. I ain't leave without finishing this one. I started the story and I shall finish it. Right now, a note book is open and a pen are lying beside me on the table.A story of a couple who just married. They are not able to communicate with each other as the husband makes effort to make the relationship while the wife has drawn a curtain. The female character was struck by a tragedy. God knows when ideas will flow. Writer's block.
It's been four years since Dad passed away on June 19, five days before my birthday and 9 days before his. I was in the hostel in Mumbai when I received the news that he has suddenly fallen ill and is in the hospital. Before leaving for home, I remembered Anwar telling me, you must be strong. Fight for your rights always, you are an Indian. These words shall remain etched in my heart. I remembered the night which was falling. I wasn't able to sleep and was suffocated. I received support from all quarters, family and friends. I still remember the day when he was discharged from hospital. He slept in my room while I slept on the sofa. Didn't realized that it was to be his last night with us.
The next morning when I woke up, he was slowly giving up on life. Never I thought that death will conquer his soul. He looked at me with sadness and love. I guess people know that their last hours are approaching. Four years been a long time and how time passes so swiftly. I still vividly remember the day as his dead body laid on the floor. Dad was resting so peacefully. I came to terms with it. Mom didn't and she still has regret. Thank you Dad for everything. God bless your soul and I know you are always with us. I know that as I am writing you are all smiling and looking at me as you always did, wondering what I am doing so late and telling me to sleep.
Love you Dad.
Good nite

Water!Water!Have mercy at least!

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They prayed for water to lash.
The God of rains ain't listening as their drought is tearing humanity apart.
Love is not enough. The price of gold is falling relentlessly.
Yet!The tiny droplets of water is dearer than fortune amassed my men for aeons.
The children are starving. Flowers are in a depressing mood, as if they could shed tears.
The animals in the farm are thirsty,longing for drops of the ocean.
God is powerless and perhaps facing the wrath of the demons.
Killing the mighty has become so easy. Yet!Water is the new demon in the age of ruthless drought.
We are living in black ages.
Saints and seers successfully failed in their prediction theory.
Godmen have lost it. They have incurred their wrath as one of them already died and the other one was compelled to break his fast due to mental, physical and intellectual collapse.
The Earth is coming to a standstill.
Or is it?
A new Tsunami seem to knock at the door.
Men behaved like animals for long, exploiting and killing each other.
Perhaps, they are paying for their sins.
Governments have successfully played with the lives of citizens.
Corruption, nepotism, casteism, racism everywhere!
They call it the chess game as the commoners are dying from thirst.
Vegetables and waters are thicker than blood.
The rains are mightier than the sword.
They blame it on the forces of nature as they washed their hands away from their responsibilities.
They refuse to acknowledge their failures in managing our dams, rivers,lakes and reservoirs.
They have been sitting on their laurels for long.
A new uprising in the name of water.
Till a new dawn come.
The rains shall pour.
They will tell us they are a good government and God is showing its kindness.
Till then,we shall sacrifice our thirst for them.
Nepotism never paid so much as they sit and drink in luxury.

The artist and his muse

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We woke up to the death of India's greatest and most charismatic artist Maqbool Fida(M.F) Hussain and most probably the greatest artist on a planet called the world.M F Hussain lived a youthful life and a portrait of a man and his muse on the canvas of life.
There are questions raised on the hypocrisy of politicians and government of India. Through his living existence, we failed to acknowledge M F Hussain. Yet, on his death we greedily acknowledged him as ours. Yet, we forced him into exile. Yet, we luxuriously chose gundagardi over humanity. Have we failed as Indians?Is it our biggest mistake made? There are lessons to be learned for us as Indians and draw upon? We are the biggest democracy in the world. There is no question on that. Yet, we failed in protecting a national treasure, a kohinoor.
I have the utmost respect for M F Hussain as an artist. Yet, it depends on how we react to events in a secular, democratic set up. Do we react as individuals or as Hindus, Muslims or Christians? We have a right to be offended and offended. Don't like the trailer, don't buy the tickets. As simple as that.
An artist has the right to express itself in whichever possible manner. It is the free flow of human energy and emotions and Hussain expressed himself.He painted and depicted Godesses,like he depicted the beauty of Madhuri Dixit. Not pleasing to some who will jump at the next opportunity to gain political and religious mileage. The biggest farce of everything and above everything . As a society, we never learned to be tolerant and it seams to be an utopian tale much to the disdain of life.
Sad that a man of his stature was forced into exile and driven out of his own country. Till fundamentalists exist, Art can never conquer. Intelligence and aesthethics must bow to them.
May your soul rest in peace, Hussain saab.
Ameen.

Dancing in the rains

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The storms seams through the village past midnight in the seeping winter.
As the villagers storm from their sleep, the reek in panic and chaos runs in this small village, till now unfazed by the remote sound of an engine.
They implore God to save their village, children and possessions.
Alas! God did not consider it important to pay heed to their prayers.
He can be very ruthless, the symbol called God.
Realizing that nothing can be done to save their village, they are resigned to their fate, cursing God and their existing on earth.
They live in tinted glasses, with their daily activities-ploughing the field, cooking food and having a bidi. 
The village folks wear blind glasses, they held on to caste and race barriers for ages.
Suddenly, one family head realizes that his six year old daughter is missing from the hut.
They frantically call her and she gives no sign of being present in the house.
The storm must have carried her away while she was playing near the lake.
Pin drop silence in the village. Everyone knew that the angry god of storms have carried the pretty, lovely daughter of Atmaram and Shanto.
She was a darling in the village, loved by everyone for her zest for life.
Everyone decide to mourn the death of Luxmi in the midst of storm when they suddenly hear the voice, father, father, monsoon has come,come out fast monsoon has come.
It was Luxmi.
When asked where she has been in the storm, she said, I was standing by the lake when the first gush of monsoon came in our village.
The small girl could hold herself and danced in the rains.
She was so happy of being blessed by God, knowing that this season will be a ripe one for farmers in the village, there will be no dearth of water to drink.
She let herself loose, danced frantically. It was her way of saying thank you to God, oblivious of the storm.

-Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rains.

Good Morning folks,
let's njoy every second of life before it slip away. 

Lazy Sunday plus bonus:Review of Ready

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 Sunday is a very lazy, care free day for me. Over the last year, I have learned to value my Sunday which became almost a luxury for me. Twice a month I work on a Sunday and the rest two of them, I'm let off. It is the demand of working in the print media.
June seems to grant me a huge favor. I have three consecutive Sundays and it just went away few hours back. I woke up late and remembered just in time that I have to attend dinner at my sister's house. It was an opportunity to be with the kids and recollect the week that was. I took the newspaper where my review of Salman Khan's Ready appeared and made sure that everyone read it. Made them ready for this one. It is special indeed as I made my debut as a film critic. I am even more elated as I finally made it as a film columnist cum review writer, whatever one may call it. Took leave and came home as I slept for three hours. That's Sunday for me. Back from the dreams I had a Vodka, read Sunday Times and pepared some mutton dish. Not hardcore dish but cooked with tomatoes.
Thought of catching a movie on DvD but then decided to read some stuffs. K3G came on Star Plus but chose to skip it though my favourite hero, Big B is the main lead. Personally, this Karan Johar movie made sense 10 years back but not any longer. I am more in a mood for some concept based cinema or comedy for that matter. Well, I am still reading some newspaper stuffs. Me guess, gonna start reading R K Narayan Bachelor of Arts, a book that I gave to Namu, my junior in college 5 years back. It's been long. I remember buying at the newly opened Crossword store at Senapathi Bapat(S.B) road Pune.
Brownie points on Sunday, yeah there are quite a few. I have a distinct quality. My Sunday can never be perfect, no matter how hard I try. I was planning to make some tuition notes, I dint. Neither did I write my script as I was planning to nor writing a short story. Was grappling with the idea for quite some time and during the week that elapsed it was part of my Sunday plan. But, ahem!ahem!
Good night.
**********************************************************************************
My review of Ready which appeared in The independent newspaper. Unfortunately, I am not able to get the proper link. Give me some feedback on my first outing as a film critic.

Not Quite Ready

Salman Khan doesn’t make movies for awards but for box office bonanza and entertain the masses. This time he teams up with South siren Asin and director Aneez Bazmee in this comedy flick. This is no Dabbang and Wanted for that matter. Bazmee works on the same old borrowed, tried and tested formula, It looks that the director who gave us entertainments such as No Entry, Welcome and Singh is King has lost his magic touch as the characters are not well defined, loose script and loud acting on the part of multiple characters.

Ready is the story of Prem(Salman) and Sanjana (Asin) who falls in love and they have to fight the greedy uncles of Sanjana who to appropriate the wealth left by her deceased parents. Prem convinces his family to be part of his conspiracy to trick his lady love greedy uncle and on his way to reform them.

Salman Khan does his job as demanded by the script and he is at his usual self and what he does best. He charms the audience. Asin is endearing as the bubbly girl and tries to recreate the magic of Ghajini. Unfortunately, the script fails to justify the talent of the lead actors. Paresh Rawal is at his natural best and proves once again that he is one of the most talented actors of the Hindi film industry along with Mahesh Manjekar as the father of Salman Khan. In fact, both of them are the saving grace of the movie produced by Sohail Khan. One plus point is the good chemistry shown between Salman and Asin.

The problem with Ready is that the concept has been borrowed so many times and he fails to give a fresh treatment to the movie. It moves at a snail pace. Director Bazmee tries hard to make the audience laugh with the comic scenes. It has its light moments but clearly not enough to make a laughing riot.  The guest appearances of the likes of Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan and Kangana Ranaut does little to the quality of the product.

The problem with Ready is the loose script which doesn’t take off, scenes heavily borrowed from the super hits of 70s and 80s as well as loud acting on the part of some of the characters.

In terms of songs, character dheela and dhinka chika stand out as it struck a chord with the audience and has mass appeal. Coming back to the film, better you rent the DvD’s of Bazmee earlier successful movies or 70s and 80s. Watch it only if you are huge fan of Salman Khan.

*************************************************************************************

Have fun.

Law of irrationality

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God in Gucci??? It might well be in Levis or the stitched trousers or Salwar manufactured by the tailor sitting in a small shack, in the corner of the road near the busy railways station. Nowadays, we have made God so glamorous that he or she must shudder at the idea of what we are making of them. We don't have any qualms of bribing God with money, expensive sarees, gold, ornaments and fruits. We could have easily fed so many people people, street urchins. If God could jump straight of the statues and eat, I wonder what would've been the reaction..Not ours but God itself. I know our reaction since we are the most irrational when it comes to God. We are an emotional nation and this is what make Indians distinct from others. But, it is also our biggest strength since no matter how much we crib about the state of things or blind religious beliefs we will never allow an outsider criticizes our country just for the sake of it. Let's screw the bastard. That's our mantra and it makes me a proud Indian as express sheer delight at our patriotism.
I am a living example. There was a point where I was so fed up of staying in Mumbai and was constantly cribbing about the traffic, getting bored like shit, fucked up infrastructure,getting crowded every day and no space for everyone. Now, I realize that I miss the place like hell. Fine the place suffers from a dearth of greenery, breathing space, choking at some point, traffic woes, there's no denying that it is a great city, our amazing life line,local trains. Mumbai, I know what I am missing as I long for the long evening walk at Marine drive, sitting and feeling the sea breath, chilling out Bandra bandstand,long drives on bikes at midnight. One thing I truly miss is the local trains and my favourite spots Andheri, Bandra and of course SoBo(for those you don't know, its a short form for South Bombay). I constantly fight with people, telling them Mumbai or Bombay is one of the most amazing place on earth and of course, SoBo where me was staying. Been a resident of Churchgate and nothing beats the place.
In Economics, we have learned that the consumer is never rational. We end up shed up a large amount of money we would probably use once ans imply forget it. Well,some of us would never use half of the stuffs we buy. Then, why do we indulge in waste shopping? To boost our impulsive ego, follow the crowd, beat stress. It is indeed therapy of an othewise sane individual getting carried away by the in-built psychology by big brands and shops. Ahem! Now I realise that I am brand conscious though I don't religiously follow a brand for its own sake. Money has intrinsic value just like shopping. We don't trade money because we have to but for its use value.
Why I am writing this piece on blog? Coz it gives me satisfaction, am so used to it and really wanna people to read about it. A case can be made for sex as well. We are humans and we have needs like clothing, shopping and hunger. We desire food and we eat to fill our stomachs. We have the natural desire for sex to fulfill of needs and desires and we indulge on physical pursuit of pleasures. Sex is similar to oxygen, hunger not necessarily for human survival but it fulfill one of our basic and intrinsic human needs...desires. Man is never rational.
Have a great day, irrational mortals

Book fest, intrinsic joy of reading

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Over the last two months, there's been several book fests to celebrate the World Book Day which took place sometimes back. The idea is to encourage more people to take interest in reading since many of the young minds are too much stuck in their academic books in a bid to score high marks and become toppers. It's an irony considering the definition of an educated person is that he is someone who learn about intellectual, spiritual and physical development and the learned soul has a fair amount of knowledge about culture. Books is an answer to the cultural part of education. It's a sad fact that the last book someone read was at the time they were doing their graduation. It is a sad fact.
It doesn't apply to countries like India where people are exposed to reading books, novels and non novels where books are sold like like peanuts. There is the hunger to read and learn and new budding authors are coming and trying to connect with the new generation. I am speaking of Mauritius where I am currently based. True it is a small market and people are not exposed to the reading culture so much. The education system has been built in a manner where emphasis is being laid too much on academic education and there is no real effort on the part of the government to promote reading. There are timid efforts. In some places, books are overpriced and it is one particular bookshop which is spearheading all efforts towards reading. Sad! They need many more bookshop like this one who sell books at an affordable price to encourage reading. Reading is bliss.
They held two such book fairs and I bought some books on my first visit. Decided that I will not buy any next time I visit but boy, I ended up buying books worth Rs 1,500. Boy!! The temptation is too luring to resist. A book exhibition is being held today at a place call the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre. Thought that I will skip this one. Later, realized that I love books too much to give it a miss. It is very attractive since there will be international authors and publishers attending the event as I look forward to meet some of them and click some pictures A book lover like em cannot afford to miss the event. Hopefully, I shall meet some publishing houses and discuss about mu collection of short stories that I am currently writing.
I know that I have been slacking with my writing and I need a desperate push to renew with my writing. I am looking forward to the month of June since I have quite a few interesting off days.Lotsa Sundays and Friday and it's boon to pen my stories. I shall rush to the event now and will let you guys know how it was. With photos of course.
Enjoy the ride and read beautiful books. Next week, I shall start with RK Narayan's Bachelor of Arts and Shobha at 60.

Munching on Life

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Life is like a kite. Hold the string of life properly you will enjoy its flight. Once you lose the hold, the whole meaning of life get lost in translation.
Holier than true. It is very true as to what we make of life and what it becomes. In life, we faces several ups and downs, disapointment, joy and going from one relationship to another. If one relationship brings joy on the onset and the next moment there are disapointment. We do fall short of each other's expectations and we find the love is lost. We try harder and enter new relationships, hoping that this one will work for us. Unfortunately, it doesn't as we crib,Yet, another relationship sucks. We are caught in the web of life. We might start questioning the essence of life and relationships and try to solve the jig, what's in store and what's not working. In the process, we tend to forget one simple rule of life: Good or bad, every single relationship teaches us something valuable and make is grow as whole individuals. Rather than ending up hating our partner, don't you think it's better to think of the wonderful times spent together, the innocent kiss, cute smile? My whole point is why focus on the bad, evil side rather on the good things which made us smile at the relationship. 
If I look at my life, I may not be having the happiest and rosy stuffs right now. As a person, I am very hyper and often end up frustrated with my salary and lament that I am not able to save money for a holiday, travel to my adopted home land, Pune and Mumbai. But, I know deep inside me that I must be patient and try to rechannel my subconscious thoughts which makes me happy. Indeed, I am not a so-so unhappy person in life. I strive to be grateful to the Almighty for giving me a job, earning an okay salary so that I am able to foot my bills, sometimes indulge in shopping, buying my branded jeans and T-shirt. It gives me an inner happiness, though it's materialistic. My birthday is coming and I know that I get quite a few wishes via SMS, Facebook and a call. It may not be the maximum wishes on Facebook like many of my very popular friends whom girls think are sexy and hunk. But. I am grateful.
"Count your blessings, not your sorrows"

Life is a beautiful canvas and we need to pick up the brush and charter our dreams. Life is beautiful and let make it rocking. It is a simple mantra which many of us know, but unfortunately in the fast lane of life we tend to forget. We live in a make believe world that we are the only souls who are affected by sorrow. Think of the crippled guy, the slum dwellers who manage to smile. Next time you travel in the local trains in Mumbai, just peep out in the poor neighbourhood, just watch the poor kids playing among themselves and how they laugh joyfully. We need to learn a lesson or two from them on the essence of beauty.
Coming back to me, I shall tell you my dreams or my dream list.
No 1: Owning a flat at Bandra band stand, sea facing
It is a dream to own a flat at Bandra band stand sea facing and dream of opening my door and facing the sea. Bless those souls who are having coffee in the comfort of their sky crapers and watching the still waters in Mumbai.

No.2:owning a bungalow at Goa
Goa..the dream land. Who doesn't wanna own a Bungalow there. I don't lose heart and I know when I will get the moolah, I shall become a proud Goan.Or, perhaps in my retirement days..Goa, I love you

No.3: Being an actor or director in the film industry
This is a dream which I have cherished since long. I blame myself that I didn't properly worked on it. chances I had to be in films and even assisted some people in their short films diploma. But, I didn't worked properly on them. Should that make me unhappy? No, why blame circumstances but myself. My biggest problem is my laziness. It's never too late I can still make a short film and work my way.

No:4 Becoming a full time author
I started two years back with a collection of short stories. Got stuck as a result of laziness,graveyard shift at work and it got lost in translation. Need to apply myself consistently and reach the end product. I know I Can. Yes, I Can. I must push myself towards it. Right now, I am blogging and it gives me inner happiness.

No.5: Own a BMW
Who doesn't want some luxuries in life. But, the money,money,money..apna Sapna Money Money. A lil bit of hard work and it takes time to reach the top. I shall some day and till now I am eternally grateful with what I have and happy for the proud owners of lxury cars.
"True contentment lies for others"

No.6: Shift back permanently to Pune
My land, my life lies in the beautiful jewel of Maharashtra, Pune. My city, m y beautiful city is within my reach. It's just a matter of time and decision. A place where I received the best of education at Fergusson college, and wonderful teachers and made simply awesome friends. A place where there is warmth,love and life. Not to mention Mumbai.

Lets be happy with what we have in life, friends. Think Big, Dream Big and Spend Big. Zindagi Na Milega Doobara. Life is a dream and we should never shy away from and the biggest thing is believe, chase our dreams and achieve them. It may take a very long time and ultimately that what will cut us from the rest. Hard work, consistency and we are here. Almost.
Gosh!Did I wrote all that? Din't knew I am so good. I need the advice first before giving to others.Cookies! Just had one and that too chocolate..
Woohoo!

Life z good

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Hey gals and guyzzzz, wots up? It's an early morning and have 20 minutes to blog, then get ready for work and here I am reaching out to my truly global audience on the blog. I have started reading V S Naipaul's India-A million mutinies now. Early, I was hesitating to read Naipual because I have heard that he can be quite crazy describing India with prejudices and all. But, till now he has been fair in his approach unlike the countless Non Resident Indians with their prejudices. In fact, if you are interested in travel blog, decribing a particular landscape or city, Naipaul is your man. He got a knack of description.Post that, planning to jump on with Shobha@60 and me got also Rushdie's Fury. So, good going till next month. I have got plenty to read.
In three weeks, I am going to celebrate one year in my job as a sub-editor. So far, it was not easy as I had a tough time adapting at the workplace. It took me a while to understand people and get used to them since they were not really my kind of crowd. Plus, I had problems with the production of pages. I struggled with the software since I am very bad with all these computer softwares. I learned it on the spot, with no formal induction or training. I mean I still struggle since I don't know everything related to the technicalities. So, on a positive note, I learned stuffs which I would not otherwise learn. 
There was a time when I was fed up of working in the environment and that I was surrounded by lotsa negative people. I really wanted to leave the job and to be on a sabbatical for a few months. I was in fact counting days on calendars as I was planning to leave in April, then May and June. Thank God, things have stabilized and I am on.Me planning to stay on the job perhaps for a few more months and learn something new. The job of a sub-editor is hell lot stressful and it actually teaches you to manage stress and there were time where I would freak out. I still do it. Freaking out comes naturally to me and it's in my genes since Dad was like that. It's not that I am planning to stay on the job for long but till I get something interesting I shall stay. As it is by nature, I cannot stay in a place for a very long time and I believe in shifting between new jobs and places. 
If on one hand, there are manipulators, liars , frustrated beings on the other hand there are also cool people who give out good vibes and positive energy on the floor. It is one of the reason that I am still on the job and of course, the salary. Till something new crops up and of course,looking forward to go back to India for a month or two towards the year end. The trip to homeland has been eluding me and it's terrible.
On Sunday, I watched Sex and the City-2 and the second half of the movie is quite cool and it moves at a fast pace. Though I find the first half so and so. I particular love the Abu Dhabi location which has been marvellously shot. It's been long that I haven't watched a movie at the Theatre. It's so unlike me and the last flick I watched was Game.So,June I shall make an effort to watch at least 2 flicks. Till then, bye bye, taa-taaa
Have a wonderful Tuesday.
Angel wish and make a Wish.
Lotsa Love.

Paint the Town Red

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I have a wish to make.
I wanna paint the town red with your name all over.
I wanna compose and sing a song for you.
O! Baby! Sing and dance for me. Be my muse for ever.
You were the mysterious girl till we met and danced till the wee hours of the morning.
Be my lyrics. Be my music till my breath.
You are my oxygen, my heart beat.
You are the one coz you only makes the music click in my heart. 
Let's paint the town red with your name.
It shall be all over the place as you see the town with my eyes.
Together we shall! Shall we dance in the town!
Let's shed our inhibitions and make love in the town.
It is our own. Why should we be afraid of the world.
The town shall bow to us as they see Red in their faces.
Moral policing shall see red all over as they forget their politicking.
let's set an example for all lovers to follow.
We shall be fearless as we take on the world.
Adam and Eve did it.
We shall make history as lovers.
What do we fear? Society!! We are society and we lay down our rules.
Let's screw them, their crass moral rules.
It's time to change the laws, moral crass. We will create our own rules as we shall follow them.
Let's paint the town red.
Red is the colour of love, romance and sex.
We've been told never be shy to fall in love.
Indeed, love is the most beautiful and natural feeling.
It happens when we least expect it.
Love, the most powerful emotion and feeling in the world.
Imagine, we win hearts and conquer the world.
Still, it's just four letter words, L O V E.
Yet, there is so much power in these beautiful words.
We didn't shy to fall in love.
We just need to embrace love and tell the world,
Yes, we are in love.
Let's paint the town Red.
The time has come.

Happy Saturday.Spread Love N cheers 

Grace is gone

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There is a lack of good women in my surroundings..hot women, intelligent women, fun women, graceful women. By my surrounding, I mean my neighbourhood as well as the work place. In short, they suck to the core. The few beautiful ones are already taken or married. So,it leaves me sitting and biting my nails. At least, in places like Mumbai and Pune, women rock and have a difficult choice to make..hot women. cool women, fierce and independent women, they are almost every where and may get confused who to propose. No wonder, I love women in these cities.
Right now, I am working in Mauritius. This place sucks to the core and I'm actually praying for one year to elapse so that I leave the place and go back to India. In my work place, the women are just plain stupid and hmm..better not say anything coz sometimes it's no good to speak the truth..Forget a relationship, I can't even think of a one night sex..plain sex..poor me..A man without sex is a poor man on earth. I'm poor.
Yeah, I was speaking bout women. There is this stupid woman whom I met and she casually asked me where I'm going, I just replied that I am going to US. It was mean but to shed off evil coz she is so..so....not hot..fine you can deduce..Once was chatting with her and she was asking whether I find her beautiful and hot and I was like..Mummy bhaag.Ho!There are many instances of such gals which one should never ever date and if you had, you should wish that it doesn't happen to your worst enemies. Or, the kind of women who would call you every now and then and asking you whether you love them and how much do you...errr...love them. Then, for small things they be like..im not feeling well im meeting you at 5 and why you so late you lost my time..Hell, you lost my time, not the other way round..I was doing something important.Now, can't you be independent like other women..why on earth do you want your boyfriend to be with you and accompany you for some mundane stuffs which 5 year olds can do on their own.
These are instances of some women who are absolute NO and fits the bill of Grace is Gone. Terrible pain they are in the ass.I am not saying that guys well guys are better. Noo!There are lotsa guys who are pain in the ass and of course, it's not women or men here, but the individuals..i am just whining on a phase of life which many guys goes through: Where are the women? Hell, they are..errr!The dateable I mean with some intellect and grace..sometimes,it feels empty.
Anyways, hope you guys and of course, gals like the tips of people whom you should not ever date.
Hope you find someone today and on that note I say Cheers! Have a rocking Friday.
 

Citizen watch: Razing of promenade at Marine Drive-Let's Act

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Imitation is the best form of flattery-

Or is it? In the name of development, we've been hell bent in destroying our greeneries, fauna and hills and that too for crores as we aspire to become the new Shanghai. Well, our dear friends and friends, policy makers, Shanghai is well... Shanghai. Nothing wrong with development. But, it must be done taken into consideration the specification of the people, culture, habits and the environment.
Going through a not so old copy of Mumbai Mirror dated April 10, I was horrified on see the picture of Marine Drive where a coastal road of 2.3 kms is proposed along the Queen's necklace.
The effect of such a proposal:The promenade where hundred thousands walk and sit will be razed. I believe it is shockingly absurd. Marine Drive is a place which holds immense value not to the residents and that of Churchgate. It is an evening gate way and recreation to families who loves spending a nice evening their and looking at the still sea. In a place of Mumbai, where there is hardly anyplace to go as a result of the crazy construction of buildings, it is one of the few places to sit in solace. Not just residents but the average Mumbaikars and non-Mumbaikars as well who take a train to the city of dreams to be there and go back to their cities. It is a jewel in our Mumbai filled with bottle necks. A place we are extremely proud of. It represents a way of life of the average Mumbaikars.
The promenade regularly sees the likes of many celebrities and business men like Anil Ambani jogging regularly in the early morning. I have often seen Anil, followed by his Black Cats commando running on the track. Not just him, but the average city goers does their jogging, exercise and reading the newspapers there. It is and I strong feel, it should be made a historical heritage as when we think of Mumbai, Marine Drive is one of the places which comes to our mind. Moreover, it is a popular tourist attraction and so many tourists visit the place. It is one place where many of us have grown, gone for a date, stealing a kiss, made meaningful conversation with a complete stranger and admiring the beauty of life.
It is really sad that when the government think of something, the residents of the vicinity is not even consulted. It is cheating. The residents of Churchgate as well as the regulars must start a petition and shoot it to the concerned authorities. Let's all hope their plan fail. There are other ways and means to undertake developmental projects. It is because of this attitude that the city is choking with buildings and there is hardly any space the breath fresh air in the city. We, the citizens, should take the plunge and perhaps Shri Anna Hazare must lead us. Time to Act citizens of India, Mumbaikars and lovers of beauty and recreation.
Let's do it.
Link:mumbaimirror.com/sunday april 10, 2011(page 6)

memories, movies and thumbs down for blogger

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So what did you do on Saturday,Partied!!huh! I'm quizzed several times on dat line..nopes, didn't party like an animal, neither I do that. But, I'm longing to party since I haven't done that for a very long time. Unbelievable!!last time I did party was during Adi's buday in 2005..would you believe? Or, the Saturday night gateway in Savera with my Fergusson pals. That was last dated in 2008 till the everyone in the group went its respective ways. Differences cropped up among pals! I miss those days.
How I wish that in every corner of the world there was a city like Pune. This was written by a dear friend on its wall yesterday. Holier than truth! As you contemplate on the wonderful memories of life spent at Fergusson college, FC, MG road and how time has flickered out. Thanx God! There is something called Facebook where you meet with college pals and recount the wonderful times spent together. Memorablia unfolds itself. Btw! I still have to pen the memories of my college days in book form.I've been lazy and the project started 4 years back, wrote a few chapters and it went Kaput!
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Moving on to movies released this year.It was so and so year with good movies like No One Killed Jessica, Dil to bachcha hai Ji, Tanu weds Manu and of course Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghaat and there were major disappointment like Yamla Pagla Deewana, Game while haven't watched Dum Maaro Dum. heard that Ragini MMS and Stanley ka Dhabba is a good one. I'm banking heavily on Buddha hoga tera Baap which marks the comeback of Amitabh Bachchan. The original young man back in action and the truest superstar which fits the bill of a superstar.Longevity, humility, consistence and acting.  Then, Amir will bring a very special movie to us, Delhi Belly which I'm sure will live to expectations.
Me personally feel that the time for high budget movies are gone, except that one is making an epic or historical movie a la Devdas and Jodha Akbar,just to name a few. In today 's time, one need a good concept and work on it and roll on talented actors and make a good product with honest intention. Work on a shoe string budget and one shall recover your costs at the BO. Case in point:movies like No One Killed Jessica, Udaan, Tere Bin Laden and even Paa for that matter. Plus, there are movies like DasVidaniya and Bheja Fry which was shot in an appartment. I have started writing a script for a short film which will be shot in a bungalow or a room for that matter. The concept is here and it's time to develop the story idea.
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One brownie point: Blogger was down on Friday and that too for 24 hours and it deprived millions of users, including me of blogging.It's been restored. But, me hope it doesn't happen again.
Feel the love N Happy Sunday:)

Shifting Gear

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I'm not driving at the odd hours,oblivious of the fact to drive towards Mumbai or Delhi. It sounds odd, I know to blog of a career shift at the wee hours..it's almost 2 in the morning. Been contemplating on some topic to write,had a look at the Gladrags mag on the table..Here I am career shift.Ok idea picked and let's begin.
I believe we do get signs as to when the time is ripe to leave the job..Things doesn't seem to work, office clashes, productivity take a dip, lack of communication with co-workers, dialogue is not passing between you and your boss. Most importantly as it stands, one need a big, huge break and should look out for new opportunities and challenges in an increasingly globalised and ever changing competitive world.
Let put it in this way. Times have changed and and it's no longer exciting to be stuck in a rut for 15 years..too bad..extremely mechanical..10 years..dude, take a chill pill..5 years..plain boring. It makes economic sense to change one job every 2 years or so every three years as we long to meet new people and look for something far more exciting and creative. Job for life time is passe as there is no signs of growth. Unless, you wanna look like this typical old, frustrated guy or gal sitting in a corner and smoking throughout the day.
But, for that to happen or you wanna make it happen, it's wise and intelligent to have a clear cut plan. What do you intend to do and which field you want to enter and make a killing. Planning to join wall street and predict the stocks..Do you have it in you, in terms of Economics/MBA or knack for predicting stocks and be ready to sacrifice leisure. Two makes for company, isn't it? In a work place, it is important to be surrounded with like minded people and souls with which you share good vibes. Being with frustrating and negative people send bad vibes in the atmosphere. So, start working on a plane NOW.Draft as much job resumes as possible in sectors targetted and make a planning over a year as to how much you expect to earn and whether your prospective company is ready to give you a month off during the time you work there so that you can go on holidays and visit some exotic parts of the world.
Plan on whether you will be able to adjust to the new work place and whether you will be ready to adjust with the people. This is very important to set in a new job. Moreover, what is the future plan? Are you planning to take a new course which will enable you to get a pay raise or promotion and that too by continuing to working. For example, Law or MBA. Will it be possible to earn and study at the same time?
If you planning to quit your job and stay at home for some time, start working out your finances and plan your expenses. Will you be able to sustain yourself over a period of say, three months? One option is to start saving in order to have a reserve in the bank. On what stuffs do you normally spend on, food,clothing,luxury items, start cutting down your expenses on the less important stuffs and keep on eye on your future, that is, career, finances and have a long term vision of things. In my case, I have a certain life style to maintain and I can't afford to leave my job as will be deprived of so many things.
Indeed, I am looking forward for a new challenge of sort and something exciting in the future. Plus, the privilege to hang out with people who share the same philosophy and values at the work place coz dunno wanna be with people having negative vibes. I'll play the wait and see games and apply in some companies and try to see what they will offer so that I mat take the plunge. The day I feel that I am not doing anything worthwhile, I shall leave the job and look for new possible arenas for self growth and development.
Till then good bye and me shall be at..errr office tomorrow..meaning on a Sunday.
Bye 4 now
Alvida

Bond of friendship

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It's a connect we have with like minded souls. It started with some silly bickering in football ground as we were teens..not really!silly me.We moved on with time. Perhaps, there was this innate jealousy in me. He's a smart dude surely loved by gals as I was struggling to be accepted. We met quite a few times, then on Facebook. We connected as we met 2 years back.
Sam..my new found buddy or the brother with whom we both are able to connect. We are like minded as fellow humans. In a nutshell, he's one great guy with whom I am able to connect. We both share the same values, have different ethical perspectives on life. We spoke about the girls who were part of our life. How we connect with each other has surely got god's hand or some invisible power in that. People do connect and when it matters it matters the most. The start of a beautiful friendship among equals and it got to do with our respective education and our unwillingness to accept things in the order it is.
I have always believed in the values of being genuine to fellow human beings. I don't need to jump on a roof to tell you that I care about human values and emotions in life. It shows on one's face. If you are fake with people, giving the impression or being plain diplomatic, the insincerity shows. It's what Stephen Covey calls, the emotional bank account. You gotta invest and you will reap the dividends and the rate of interest.It goes the same with your relationship with people, be it with the family or an organisation. Invest in people and they shall reward you with the dividends in life.
I used to be very unsure about myself and had a myopic view of life at some point. Then,everything changed. For starters, I am a sucker of human emotions and quite stupidly, I wanna be accepted among people and would try to suit the requirements of common accepted goals to fit in. But, realised that it's not the way and being myself is the best way to live life fully. There are so many of us who refuse to see the inner reality. Just be genuine and you will win so many friends for life.
Today I am a happy men with so many genuine people around. Sport a smile and you'll get one in return. Sameer or Sam is one of the few genuine people with whom I can be myself. A friend, a brother who has always been there..giving genuine, mature advice and who understand the intricacies of life. A rare quality which so many of us lack. As I always say, I love being with like minded people and been blessed to have genuine persons in my life. Cheers to that brother and our bonding.