Why these Questions?

How the tables have turned! Now she is cold and he is restless. He doesn't know how to react, how to adjust to this change. This change was inevitable?  

He faltered big time. She did whatever she could, whatever she should. She had to draw a line eventually. Shifting lives does not have to be a heartbreaking incident, is what she feels. You can't really blame her, but can you blame someone else related to her? Or was it just that he did not have enough guts to disclose all this to his close ones or approach her close ones?

She has entered a new chapter, another coming up real soon, if you go by her claim. He seems to be stuck somewhere, or is he? He has been cold more often than not. He was the one to claim a possibility to move on easily, wasn't he?

No hard feelings against each other, or are there any? No complaints, really? Sure about best wishes for each other. Friendship for a lifetime, only time will tell. One perspective clearly states wonderful compatibility. But isn't compatibility subjective as well?  

She loved him very much, but what about him? Is he really so insensitive now, or is it just plain indifference? What does he crave? Is she fairly clear about her cravings? Is Destiny at work or what?Someone better for each of them, or atleast her? She definately deserves a good person, and he? Will he regret or not, will she? What shall the regret be?  

Good luck to both of them. Luck favors the prepared, as they say! Are they prepared? Is he? Isn't she? She always knew, or did she?  

PS: it's just abstract writing ;)

Bollywood movies are going to the dogs

Something related to the kind of Bollywood movies I had seen and heard about in the past couple of years had been nagging me but I was not able to narrow down to it, before I had an interesting discussion with a colleague. Kashish Nanavati is one of those few people who watches a movie in theater every weekend! I remember when he mentioned that if he does not watch a movie or go out on weekend he feels like wasting two wonderful days doing nothing. Rockstar starring Ranbir Kapoor and directed by Imtiaz Ali had just released and we were talking about the response it received at the Box office. Kashish felt the movie was good, along with the fantastic songs composed by A. R. Rahman. Some of our friends debated that people slog 5-6 days a week at office and deserve entertainment, not something which will make them stress their minds. 

I have not yet seen Rockstar but Kashish says that it's a very good fictional biography of an artist. Although it received almost no appreciation for anything else except songs, it seems to be something new and fresh. Just an assumption, which I derive from the previous films made by Imtiaz Ali. I am sure you folks vividly remember Jab we Met by Imtiaz, but he has also made films like Socha na tha and Love Aaj Kal, and written the story for Ahista Ahista. I like the freshness in his approach, and also of filmmakers Dibakar Banerjee (Khosla ka Ghosla fame), Sriram Raghavan (Ek Hasina thi and Johhny Gaddar fame), Raju Hirani (Munnabhai series and 3 Idiots fame), Anurag Kashyap (Black Friday, Dev.D, Udaan and Shaitaan fame), Shimit Amin (Ab Tak Chappan, Chak De and Rocket Singh fame) and a few more. These people are audacious enough to break barriers and think different. 

Otherwise, what new do you find in Bollywood movies? It's more of a follow-the-flow attitude. A Murder comes, and is followed by movies with steamy scenes as attraction point. A Dabangg comes and filmmakers follow the trend. Where is innovation? Filmmakers are more involved in working on the marketing aspect; how to promote the film, how to generate curiosity and above all how to make money! Now I can relate why media terms Bollywood as an industry; people are here to earn money and nothing else. Gone are the days when people made movies as an artistic venture. I heard on radio couple of days back, when Rishi Kapoor was talking about how difficult it was for his family when Raj Kapoor's Joker did not do too well at the Box Office. They lost all that they had as every penny was spent on that movie. Similar situation happened in the life of Dadasaheb Phalke as well, the pioneer of Indian cinema. Back then people were passionate about creating something which they had in mind, without worrying much about it's acceptance. Art was the reason behind it and not Commerce. 

I am awe struck by the variety of subjects brought forward by Hollywood movies. Godfather series, Rocky series, Rambo series, Terminator series, Jurassic Park series, Harry Potter series, Twilight series, Kung Fu Panda series, Inception, Blood Diamond, Beautiful Mind, Troy; the list is virtually endless. People use their brains to come up with subjects not explored before. And it's not just the story, the newness in it's execution is really cool. Look at the work of filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and many more. Look at the performances of Al Pacino, Robert Di Niro, Tom Hanks, Sylvester Stallone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Eric Bana, Will Smith, Jackie Chan, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Robin Williams, Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet, Amy Adams; again an endless list. Hollywood delivers movies with substance effortlessly, ranging from realistic to larger than life. Yes they are free willed people with a broad mind, unlike conservative people like us.

A vast portion of our population will always be hungry for masala movies with Salman's and Shahrukh's. People who are interested to watch 21 stars in the same frame, item songs by Malaika's and Katrina's, comeback' by yesteryear stars and what not. All this is excellently exploited by the marketers cum filmmakers. Media is bought to get 4 star ratings, pairing up with tv shows for promotions, visits to reality shows by star cast, even awards seem to have been bought, which is strange. A good product sells itself; has this skipped out of their minds? Every good subject will have an audience, volume will vary. Instead of doing massive promotions of Ra.One, Shahrukh Khan can act and promote movies like Swades and Chak De more often. Akshay Kumar can come up with something like the Bourne series or Indiana Jones. If only these stalwarts consider bringing up the downtrodden standards of Indian cinema, we can hope for a revival. I would always prefer Bollywood matching Hollywood in diversity of subjects and performances rather than money. I want movies like Raaz, Anzaad Apna Apna, Murder 2, Dhoom and Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge, and also like The Stoneman Murders, Bheja Fry, Dor, Wednesday, Aamir and Zinda. After all, variety is the spice of life, isn't it?

The Prabal trouble persists

So it had to be a Sunday in winter for us to embark upon the mission to conquer Prabalgad & Kalavantin durg. Back in June this year, our mission to conquer these two peaks turned out to be a complete disaster. This time we were 6 of us - Tushar Rane, Tushar Jahagirdar, Zian, Sugandh, Chanchal and me. We did not have girl power last time, perhaps that was the reason for our failure ;) (Chanchal and Sugandh just giving you accolades for completing the trek so wonderfully)

We reached the base village when the sun started rising above our head and mercury matching its rise. Bright sky, very dry and sunny day it was. We started our trek, making sure we take the route on the left (since left was right). The trail was very clear, unlike in June when it had a lot of grass cover. Cameras jumped out of our pockets and started capturing our pics. We kept following the trail, took a halt for pics and at times to view the cone shaped ceilings of a temple we had passed by while reaching. We also noticed the house which had misguided us back then. 

Sunlight was getting a lot harsh and we all felt dehydrated. Very soon out water bottles were empty. We had soft drinks in three flavors - lemon, orange and mango, but we had decided to open it when we reach the plateau. Beyond a point we could not follow our protocol, and all of us had a sip of nimbooz. It was almost noon and we were yet to reach the plateau. Some how we managed to reach the plateau and were completely dehydrated. We approached a villager asking for water. He duly filled all our empty bottles with water which was sweet and cool. He was sweet enough not to charge any money for water but we still paid him some. 

On the way to the plateau we had discovered an interesting love story between Laxman and Manisha. We saw messages and paintings on rocks, tree barks, steps - all with messages saying, "I love you Manisha. I really miss you a lot and I cant live without you." or something similar. As we climbed up, the intensity of these messages increased, so did our curiosity. The last message we noticed was found on a rock was without Manisha. It had the names Laxman and Suresh, making us wonder our imagination. Dostana 2 was in the making, we felt :P

It was very late by the time we reached the plateau and we certainly could not have completed both the peaks in the same day. We decided to go for the relatively shorter and easier peak looking at our injured teammates. So Kalavantin durg it was, our lakshya! As we started the ascend we felt our bodies loosing all the water. It was a tough task reaching up and we all constantly reminded each other not to look below to avoid vertigo. For some reason I wanted to see how it felt looking down the peak. It felt awesome!

We climbed up to the top most point of Kalavantin durg and dejavu - we remembered all the peaks which we had conquered earlier (Lohagad, Ghangad, Gorakhgad and Raigad) and feeling to reach the top and experience the view. The panaromic view from this peak was beautiful and we could see Karnala fort, Haji Malang fort and Matheran as well. It was close to 4 and we were yet to have lunch so we all descended down quickly. We opened our lunch boxes but hunger had already vanished. We packed up and left for base.

Overall this trek had not been great for us. Weather played the biggest spoil sport, tested our endurance level. Somewhere our risk taking abilities were also challenged. Adrenalin rush was certainly missing. We were relatively slow to complete the trek and we did not even climb both peaks. May be in a better weather we would have enjoyed this trek. For now, trouble at Prabal still persists. Yet, I would certainly recommend this trek for all amateur trekkers :)

Quick Facts -

Prabalgad - 2320 feet

Kalavantin durg - 2130 feet

Nearest local railway station and distance - Panvel (17 km)

Base village - Thakurwadi near Shedung phata

Mode of travel - Six seater rickshaw (Tam Tam as we refer) from Panvel S.T. stand

Difficulty (Kalavantin durg ) - Medium

Ideal time from base to plateau (Prabalmachi) - 3 hours

Ideal time to reach Kalavantin durg from Prabalmachi - 45 minutes

Ideal time to visit - June beginning, September ending, January (Rappelling activity is carried out in January. You can rappel from Prabalgad to Kalavantin durg during this time, under the surveillance of the volunteers)

Happy trekking :)

Excited about my first Caaaaaaar

Yes I am :) I am so very happy that I could complete this particular resolution. Just came back after having a look at my car at the showroom. It was being washed, will be polished later and made ready to reach my place on 11.11.11. What makes this day special is my parents' 29th wedding anniversary and the exclusivity of this once in hundred years date! Destiny was certainly at work!

I remember the buying process began last year, when I was having dinner with family. Dad expressed his expectation, of me being the first among all my cousins to buy a car. It would be a great sense of pride for him. But I was not earning enough to afford a car back then so chucked out the idea. Research process did start though, Maruti Wagon R being my earliest preference. One of my best friend, Pushkar, already has this car and he recommended this one considering my financial condition and family requirements. I visited a showroom, had a look and quite liked it too. Few days later I saw the same vehicle as a cab. Ego crept in and I decided not to buy any car which is used a cab. This meant pushing my budget, which was not possible at that moment, so the whole idea had to hibernate.

Year 2011 brought in a good appraisal and soon began a passive research for my car. New Maruti Swift was set for launch by mid 2011 and it was one of the cars I always noticed. It was spacious from inside thus suitable for my family members (Wagon R was not spacious enough for my family). It was not one of those cars which were also used as a cab. It reminds me of Mini Cooper, needless to say the design is inspired by it, and nothing wrong with that. We relocated to New Panvel mid year and thus arose the need of a car for all of us to go together comfortably for social or any other such gatherings.

Then crept in the idea to go for a pre-owned car, so that we all can get used to it and it was less capital intensive as well. I visited a few dealers but was not really convinced by the whole idea. One fine day mom comes across a car loan advertisement from State Bank of India in The Times of India. It was a fantastic offer, felt like it was too good to be true. Car loan of upto 7 years, with upto 85% of on-road price being financed. No processing fee and no pre-payment penalty. EMI of Rs.1725/- per lakh @ 11.25% floating rate, valid till 31st December 2011. Mom suggested to try for this offer and go for a new car itself. I was skeptical at first but when everything seemed manageable we went ahead and booked our car. On Friday, 11th November 2011 a brand new Tata Manza would be mine! (Yes, and not Nissan Sunny)

When Tata came up with this car last year I could not resist noticing it. It looked beautiful from outside and it's features were good too. A good looking sedan which did impress me but was never really a serious contender for my first car until a friend gave me a ride in his Tata Manza roughly 2 months back. Aniket, my MBA batchmate, is a neighbor and we go out to play Badminton on weekends (planning to commence Tennis very soon). On one rainy day he brought his car to pick me up and thus my first encounter with this beauty. It seemed big, good looking from inside, powerful AC, stylish dashboard with integrated music player. The ride was smooth and I just loved it! 

So as soon as I met my loan eligibility criteria, I suggested my family to go for Tata Manza. I asked them to take a ride in Aniket's car and they did; simply loved the car. With a firm decision we approached the showroom and asked for petrol variant. Sales person suggested to go for a diesel variant instead, as it has Fiat engine which is more powerful, has better mileage and fuel costs would not burn our pockets much (Petrol currently @ 72, soon approaching three figures!) We went ahead with the suggestion and chose Tyrian Wine (rich purple shade). Unfortunately this color was only available in top variants and we could not further extend our budget :( After careful consideration we chose to go for Dew White as we did not want any of our vehicle to repeat colours (Bajaj Chetak - steel grey, Hero Honda Super Splendor - red and Honda Activa - black; all these colours eliminated!)

I always loved sedans and had a craving for a big and feature rich first car. We stretched our budget from 4.5 lakh to 7.2 lakh, a big deal for us actually. Really happy with the way this has turned out and eagerly awaiting my Tata Manza, with plans of my next car at the back of mind already (It would be an SUV). 

Do call me for a ride guys, I shall happily oblige :)

Should I envy a dog's life?

I wake up at 8 am and get ready to leave for office. Yesterday I had taken a leave so work has piled up. I have to reach earlier, cant catch my usual 10:20 am Thane local. I must catch 10:00 am Thane local anyhow, which needs me to leave home before 9:45 am. I hope I get a good parking spot for my bike soon, coz it may take longer at times to seek one. Fortunately I do, and now I rush for the station. Reached the platform at sharp 9:58 am, only to see that trains are running a bit late. Yes, 9:44 am CST local is due to arrive shortly so I can do nothing more than wait helplessly. Crowd is growing bigger by the minute, making sure that getting a seat in the coach is going to be an effort. So let me atleast accomodate myself on a bench and take some time to arrange my work for the day - what's pending, what can come today, which reports are to be sent, what can be kept pending. Seems like I would have to spend atleast an hour more over my regular working hours today. Now I am disgusted about trains running late, especially when I have so much work to do. There must be atleast 100 others on their way to their respective offices at the platform now. I can hardly imagine what must be going on in their minds. Frantic chaos, mental offcourse, on all sides. Amidst all this is a dog enjoying his nap on the platform.

Yes, such a peaceful nap for this stray dog makes me wonder about his daily activities. I mean what I can imagine is this canine would sleep when he wants, eat when he wants, bark and run and play and howl when he wants. He need not worry about paycheck, getting home early, report to his boss, pay taxes, give some time to family or make food. He can chase speeding cars, without knowing what to do when he is able to stop one. He can fuck around, at times literally, and is not answerable to anyone. What a wonderful life!

Just then my cellphone's vibrates. It's my boss, who called me to inform what work he got done yesterday and what is left for me. Local arrives 10 minutes late but I get a good seat. Cellphone blinks and I smile to see a few texts from friends. Reached office some time later and caught up with colleagues, some gossips, some important news and some fun. Work begins and as it unfolds I enjoy it. Let's take a lunch break now! Mom made omlette today, very tasty! Time for a small stroll after lunch. Work resumes, its going great. Mom calls, tells about car loan being approved by the bank and futher procedure. Work resumes again only uptil snacks break, followed by work till 8:15 pm. Leave for home, catch up with a few colleagues on the way. Reach home, have food, watch tv, check mails on laptop and finally go to sleep by 12:30 am.

Grass always looks greener on the other side, as they say!

I wish this is just a Niggle, although it is looking like Chronic Pain

Lot of commotion is going on in my mind these days. It started back in July this year and now a point has come that I am really bogged down. I am dragging myself from all this and I don't know how long I can manage that. I really hope destiny plays its part and help me out of it real soon!

Gone are those wonderful days when I could be worry free. Pocket money of Rs.1000/- used to be more than sufficient to cover all expenses. Visit to fastfood joints, movies, treats, extra talktime; all this could be covered without any real concern. No, I am not worried about inflation, or am I? 

Professionally I am unsure if I am at the right place or not. The career path is pretty clear in my mind, yet I don't know if I should continue at my current company or not. I am definitely earning well below the 'industry standards', but I remember my Boss' wisdom words, "Sometimes to go 4 steps ahead, you have to come 2 steps back!" True that my current profile is one of the best profiles I could get into at this age. Considering that I would be working at the client side in the next 5 years or so, my current profile gives me some advantage. But, should I go back to my roots in SEM and specialize in that? I never wanted that, always wanted a 360 degree online marketing profile and I currently have that. But its creating a lot of financial problems.

Financially if I look at myself I ought to do a lot better. Agreed that recession had hit my entire batch, but now most of my batch mates are earning better than me. Even my one time colleagues have switched over and are earning substantially better than me. I am really not able to save much, as almost all my earnings go in expenses, insurance premium, mutual fund investments and such other. Suddenly something comes up and a significant chunk of savings has to be divested. Sometimes I wonder if investing in a property at this point of time was a good decision or not. Interest emi's take up some part of my earnings, increasing steadily after every 2 - 3 months. Investing in Speak Asia was a bad decision, especially when I had already suffered earlier because of a similar thing. My friend did earn good money off Speak Asia but my timing of indulging into it could not have been more worse! Looking at it, its just a loss of Rs.11000/- but in my current scenario it looks very intimidating. I don't know how far would I need to postpone my car, wedding and other plans. 

Personally also life isn't going any gung-ho. I have my share of concerns, serious ones. It could not have been worse. To cut the long story short, I am in deep shit right now! Considering all these I am really not able to focus in present. I don't feel good these days. I cant turn a blind eye to all this. I have been through worse times earlier but this one is a real pain in the ass! Saala dimaag kharab ho gaya hai! I can only hope I can come out of this, only if destiny feels otherwise!

 

Ganpati Bappa Moraya

11 days of joy, enthusiasm and festive mood has suddenly vanished. Lord Ganesh has left us only to return back next year. A very common slogan used by all his devotees is 'Ganpati Bappa Moraya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya' which means please come sooner next year oh great Lord Ganesh. Plethora of memories, facts and incidents flash through my eyes every year during this festival and it is only now that I attempt to jot down all of it.

First and foremost I must appreciate this idea of the great man behind this festival. Bal Gangadhar Tilak a.k.a. Lokmanya Tilak was visionary and shrewd, quite certainly, to have made this a public festival. Back then, unity was missing among Indians (it still does at times) and it took a subtle push by this man to make people interact, share their thoughts, talk about their interests, feel togetherness. People interacted with more people, arrived at a common cause which was eventually harnessed by Gandhiji to bring an end to British Raj. In hindsight you cant avoid realizing the efforts of Lokmanya Tilak. As they say, It may take 100 hits to shatter a rock, but was the first hit not effective?

I have a good time every year during this festival. As a kid I enjoyed Ganesh festival at my grandparents place. We do not host it now, ceased way back in '92. But we certainly visit a lot of public and personal Ganesh idols. Unfortunately, this year I could not visit many but every year I visit close to 10 idols at my friends and relatives place and about 5 public Ganesh idols. My favourite being Lalbaug cha Raja, Lalbaug Ganesh galli, Mumbai Central cha Raja, Wadala GSB Mandal and Fort Market cha Raja. Good time to catch up with friends and relatives, otherwise social life is so very difficult these days.

A quick fact about this auspicious festival as told to me by my cousin Himanshu. Chaturthi, the 4th day of a month, is a bad day. Ganesh chaturthi thus happens to be the worst day of a year. As the superstition goes, if you happen to see moon on this day you are bound to be accused for some offense you have not done. Yet, we invite Lord Ganesh to our home on this evil day. This is because Lord Ganesh will help us to fight and keep away these evil spirits. That is why we worship him as 'Vighnaharta', the one who eliminates all our troubles. 

One thing I am disappointed about this festival now a days is the amount of time required to visit certain famous Ganesh idols, like Lalbaug cha raja. I vividly remember taking just an hour to visit the idol just 5 years back. This is all because of media hype and people are crazy to stand for 18-20 hours just to catch a glimpse of the idol. The recent mishap at lalbaug, when the roof of a store crashed killing 1 and injuring 5 is the outcome of this madness. I also happen to see a woman giving away her baby to people, asking them to pass it on to eventually reach the chariot carrying the idol during visarjan. Fortunately, the baby came back to her hale and hearty but it could have been dangerous because the crowd was humangous and accidents can happen anytime. The unfortunate incident of idol crashing is a combined result of poor roads and insane crowd. It is hightime people realize that it is much better to take darshan from the safety of their home through tv and internet. You now have websites showing all the events like arati (Lalbaugcha Raja Official Youtube channel) and its a comfortable experience from home.

One memorable year of Ganesh festival was 2006. I had graduated that year and was preparing for MBA entrance, so I had a lot of spare time. Some friends and I decided to attend the entire visarjan. Pratik, Viraj, Tanmay, Abhishek, Ameya and me wore kurtas and set out in the morning itself. We roamed in the vicinity of lamington road, girgaum chowpatty, chira bazaar and nearby places. I bumped into a lot of long lost friends, met some special people, had junk food and lot more. The best part was to dance in the procession of Lalbaug Ganesh galli idol. They have the best dj and banjo orchestra to set up dancing mood of everyone. It was the first time I was dancing on the street, with nothing to worry about. Lalbaug cha Raja idol would reach girgaum by 5 am, so we took some rest at Pratik's place and were up again by 4:30 am. That darshan was overwhelming, the sheer number of devotees crowding the narrow lanes was unrealistic. Garlands, coconuts, sweets, etc were thrown to devotees by volunteers of Lalbaug cha Raja from the Lord's chariot and people wanted to possess these. Fortunately, I could sneak in a garland, albeit a torn one. The next day was all for sleeping and resting, but the enjoyment we had could not leave our discussions for many weeks ahead.

I also cant help ignore this incident, which happened with my sis Sayali during Ganesh festival in early 90's. Navjeevan society, at mumbai central, is a perfect vantage point during visarjan, on the way to girgaum chowpatty. That year, me, Sayali and mom went there in the evening to see all the idols on their way. It's quite a popular spot so obviously attracted a lot of crowd. Suddenly Sayali was missing! She was just 4 years old then, I guess; too young to find her way back home. The wrinkles on my mom's forehead, with her eyes popping out was one of the most scary and concerned expression ever exulted by my mom. She was petrified, maybe she remembered something similar that had happened with me as well. I was old enough to know all the nearby area so she told me to look out in one area and she did the same elsewhere. By Lord's grace, mom found her in just 5 minutes; she had been attracted to the balloon and toy vendor some distance away. Mom grabbed both of us, thanked the idol passing by and headed back home. 

My feelings for this festival and Lord Ganesh span across so many incidents, years and I feel so thankful about it. I hope to experience more interesting events and if they do happen during this festival it would surely be up high in my nostalgic library.

Govinda ala re!!

Every year we get to see celebrations of Gokulashtami festival. More so in Mumbai and Thane, where so many groups of people participate. It is about breaking the curd filled mud pot, which is tied up at a certain height with a coconut. This pot is to be reached by a human ladder, wherein the top most person is able to get hold of it and eventually break it. It is a daredevil sport, which involves a lot of team work, coordination and courage to achieve the goal. Casualty levels have been always high for this sport, but it has not affected the response it gets year on year.

A lot has changed about this event in the last few years, quite obviously. Some noticeable changes are that these groups have started using buses for commuting unlike trucks and tempos in the past. A lot many women groups have started participating as well. Politicians have become more interested in sponsoring these events by announcing exorbitant prices for winner groups. Ofcourse, they difficulty levels have also increased at some famous locations to add to the excitement. Also, we have international groups coming in, like the recent Spanish Human Ladder group, to play this adventurous sport. Certain institutes and corporates, like Welingkar Institute of Management, also participate in this sport as they consider this sport to be a goal oriented sport with lots of management and teamwork teachings. However, the only unchanged thing about this day is that it always rains, no matter how good or bad the monsoons turn up that year.

The anecdote behind this sport goes back a lot many years in mythology. Krishna, a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, was born at 12 am midnight under intense conditions. Krishna's birth is celebrated in the form of Gokulashtami. Krishna had been a mischievous lad, known for stealing curd, butter and buttermilk kept in mud pots from other houses. People, after realizing this, hanging these pots by the ceiling, keeping it at a certain height above ground level. But they could not stop the naughty Krishna. He and his friends would create a human ladder and Krishna would get hold of it eventually. This activity is celebrated today as a sport by groups of people spending the entire day searching for dahi handi's and breaking them.

I do have a small anecdote of myself related to Gopalkala. This goes back to 1989 when I was a small kid staying at my granny's place in Lower Parel B. D. D. chawl. Our building had our own Dahi Handi group of young fellows who would practice every year for more than 2 weeks before setting off for the sport on the ultimate day. I used to always watch their practice in awe. On the day of Gopalkala I went down to watch them break the handi set up by our own building. They did complete it and everyone started shouting and dancing. I joined them when they set out to conquer other handi's. From Lower Parel to Byculla our group had been successful for about 4 times. I followed the troupe, dancing all the way!

Back at home, mom and grandparents started looking out for me without any success. Dad was away at work, and there were no cell phones back then to inform immediately. Besides, my mom was too scared to tell him about it as she would have to face his wrath. For a moment a thought clicked my mom's mind that I might have joined dahi handi group. She enquired about where would the handi troupe possibly be at this time. Thanks to the set trail followed every year, she was told to search somewhere in Byculla. She got there, looked for me for close to 15-20 minutes before she spotted me dancing. She approached, hugged me and we got back home in a cab.

I was fortunate enough to be found back then, otherwise my life would have been different I guess. Anyways, I never really got a chance to be a part of the human ladder. I prefer enjoying it by the sidelines! I am actually amazed at the level of interest this event still attracts. Is it the daredevilry, the adrenalin rush that pulls the masses? Or the realization that goals can be achieved by lot of people with teamwork and focus! Maybe, but it's surely fun to watch.

Life goes full circle

I think circle is one of the most popular geometrical shape. I always enjoyed studying its geometry, right from 'pi r square' to '2 pi r'. It always appealed to be as an intereting symbol right from my childhood. As I grew up, I started relating it to a lot of things around me. Like the sun, moon, football, omlette and cake when I was a kid. Then during school years when I, sometimes, used to get 0 for certain answers in mathematics I related it to failure, as the more 0's you scored the more your class rank dropped. Since college years I have related it with money, and I still do. Very recently I realized a few incidents that have illuminated a new dimension to this circle, that of completeness and continuity!

I happen to have a friend, one of my best friends whom I know since the last 11 years. We were in the same S.S.C. coaching classes. Then in H.S.C. coaching classes. Then classmates in B. Sc. I. T. Post graduation we sought out for MBA and did it from different institutions, so were not in touch for more than 2 years. I joined Logicserve Digital in August 2009 after completing MBA. This guy was working somewhere but he wanted to switch, wanted to get into Online Marketing, which is the business vertical of my company. I passed on his reference, he came down for interview. On that day, we went for lunch at a nearby restaurant Virangula. Very recently he got in Komli Media and today he had come down for his final settlement. Coincidentally, today we went for lunch at the same restaurant on his last day at Logicserve Digital.

This is the guy who has seen a lot of ups and downs in life. Most probably, he always received lesser pocket money than me. He did odd jobs to supplement his pocket money like selling tea powder to tea stall vendors in his locality, then assembling pc's and then selling domains and web hosting packages. He got through in a lower rep MBA institute which affected his first job compensation amount. He joined Logicserve Digital at a lower compensation than me. But among a small group of talented individuals at Logicserve, he has outperformed all. And today, he has surpassed me by a tremendous margin in compensation at Komli Media.

He fell in love with a girl in his college back in first year. He could never even strike up a conversation with her back then. He tried to be friends with her but to no avail. Post junior college, there was hardly any contact with that girl. Few years later, thanks to Orkut, he bumped into to her again and this time ended up becoming friends. When the time was right, he proposed her but his heartbreak was obvious back then. She was seeing someone already. He did not loose hope though, just kept up his friendship. Fate shined for him finally, and today he is very happy to be in a relationship with this girl. No problems from both parents as well and this couple is already planning their marriage soon.

Is this what is with the phrase 'Life goes full circle'? He never really left doing his part and life took care of the rest. Destiny had plans for him after all, and so it is going to be for you and me. Try and circle out all such circles in your life. I think it would be an amazing personal discovery!

Prabal was trouble

So just five of us finally arrived at Panvel ST depot for our first monsoon trek this year. The trek we all decided was Prabalgad & Kalavantin durg which is near Shedung phata in Panvel. After about two weeks of email intimation and follow up and last minute cancellations, we were just five to finally make it - Tushar, Sarvesh, Akshay, Zian and me. As it eventually turned out, we were glad that we were just five! ;)

We arrived at the meeting point on time, packed some food and drink supplies and went searching for transport to the starting point of the trek, which is Thakurwadi village. From this village we have to trek upto Prabalmachi, the base point of the trek. Here, you have two directions leading to Prabalgad and Kalavantin durg each. Very simple trek, as described by Tushar in his event inviation mail. I am quite sure we all would think twice before relating 'simple' with this trek.

When asked for fare, the rickshaw fellow claimed Rs. 250, which did not seem reasonable. He justified about long distance and we did not look for better offers so just got inside his tamtam and set off. Midway, when we asked him how much more time, he replied just 15 minutes. This was when had set off just 5 minutes back. Bloody bugger billed us a penalty for not surveying the market properly. Anyways, we all said, and asked him about the details of the trek. He told us a few things which seemed all glib lies, of which we were not aware back then. When we reached the starting point we could see two paths leading to different ways. He told us to take the right path, which eventually turned out to be very wrong. Left was the right path, if only we had known earlier!

We were lost a few times on the path we took, and never could see a clear trail. The path was dense with bushes, most of them having spines which pricked us often. It was a steep path and we were getting exhausted soon. Akshay started suffering with cramps in stomach which made him take halts often. We were also not sure if we were on the right track or not because it seemed that we are reaching nowhere. At a point in time, we had to take a call if we should drop this trek. But, we all are clear about this one thing related to trekking - that above all, it is about teamwork! So, we distributed some of the stuff Akshay had in his bag among us while Tushar held his bag and set off. In some time Akshay was fine and could trek properly, leading the way most of the time, the way which itself was wrong.

We crossed black rocks often seen at water falls, small waterfalls & water bodies, lush green fields and trespassed farm lands which had compounds made of spiny bushes. We could even see people ascending Prabalgad and also Kalavantin durg, sometimes heard their voices clearly as if they are very close to us. Yet, we were just not able to find a way. Ultimately, at 30 minutes past 1 we decided to chuck it; we would have lunch and set off our return journey. So we finished most of the food we had brought along, collected all the waste in a polythene to throw away at dumpyard. Before leaving, we all took a power nap of about 15 minutes. All this while, we had been very enthusiastic about clicking pictures all the way, it's needed to do a little show off and for personal possession. While setting off back we were discussing if we should tell our friends this true story or should we make up some excuse or should we lie that we made it. We could not lie that as we did not have any pictures of the landmarks as testimony. We were not able to come to a conclusion about what to tell others, but, we told ourselves that we are coming back here soon to conquer it!

As if God had finally sent his help, we came across a local guy while going through some unclear trails. We asked for directions and he offered his help in return. We would be leading us to the wadi, the base point of this trek. On the way we enquired everything we wanted to know and the guy oblidged. We reached the base point and he bid goodbye. Now, we could clearly see trails leading to Prabalgad and Kalavantini durg each, and also the way upto this point. It was a very clear trail, suitable for humans to tread comfortably. It was a path with scenic views of Sahyadri mountain ranges and the villages close by. We also came across a few wind points and just could not resist enjoying ourselves there and also doing some solo, group and scenary photography!

By the time we reached the starting point we had decided for a retake of this trek with the same people on third Sunday of July 2011. Earlier we had a painstaking feeling of regret that we were not able to find the correct trail, leave alone completing the trek. But we had learnt our lesson while descending back to base. This was our first real failure and we are going to make it our stepping stone for all future treks. Key learning is to be very sure about directions, and when not, get a local guide. Prabal almost had us in all sorts of trouble, but hopefully for this time only. And what fun is a trek without facing any of it! Never mind Prabalgad and Kalavantini durg, we are coming back soon to conquer you and it would be one of our eternal accomplishments, for sure!

Innocent even at 65

Innocence is a quality we would mostly associate with kids. Kids are ignorant enough to ask us silly questions and be innocent. As they grow innocence fades, for never to return back. It was in my recent trip to Kankavli that I realized that elderly people can be equally innocent. Just like Dalvi aaji (granny).

Laxman Dalvi, aajoba (grandpa), now a retired police employee has been a senior colleague to my father. Over time, they became good friends. Families got involved by means of monsoon trips and family functions and thus the relationship flourished further. Post retirement, aajoba and aaji went back to their native place, in Humbrat near Kankavli, to stay and started maintaining their farm and garden. Every year, atleast twice or thrice do my parents visit them at their native place. The last time I had visited them there was back in 1999. So, this time when my parents asked if I would want to join them I could not refuse. Somewhere even I wanted to visit them, and also enjoy a quick monsoon trip to the wonderful konkan region.

I was always aware about one facet of aaji, her loving and caring nature. She made sure we could relax after a long journey, have good food and self grown fruits as well. Mom helped her with household chores but aaji was always after providing us all the comforts. Very recently, they have repaired their old house into a new one storeyed mansion. The new house really looks very nice. Kitchen has a small window to peek in the living room. Window has a reflective glass, the kind of glass which we can see through only from one side and not from other. The problem with such glass is that it behaves totally opposite during the day and night. In the day, you cant see through from one side, on the night you cant see through from the other way round. So, we were all relaxing after evening snacks and tea discussing about the window and the glass. Aaji starts with enthusiasm saying, "You know, this glass is special. You can see through it from inside the kitchen but cannot peek from the living room into the kitchen.". Looking at the glass and realizing that we can, infact, peek into the kitchen from living room she says, "I guess, there's something wrong about it. The glass fitter must have goofed up!" We all just could not stop laughing about this and then explained her what was the reason behind it.

While having dinner that night conversation about health issues was taking shape. My mom appears to have a swelling on her right hand and she was talking about it. Aaji is quick to comment, "You know what, even I had a swelling and I made sure I did tests and checkups to weed out any posibilities of critical illnesses like cancer or others." Aajoba had a strange reaction creeping up on his face, we all saw that. My mom asked when did she do these tests and checkups to which aaji replies, "30 years back." Aajoba's reaction crystallized into something like, "Are you nuts!" We all burst out laughing about this and soon aaji joined us as well, realizing how humorous it turned out to be. Then, the next night we were getting ready to sleep. I asked for a blanket. Aaji came, looked here and there, took away the blanket which aajoba was sleeping with and gave it to me. Aajoba looked puzzled, like my dad and me. Aaji says to aajoba, "Dont you realize this is Rohan's blanket? He had taken it yesterday. Why cant you take your blanket? If you dont find it tell me, I'll find it for you!"

Aaji is a hard working lady. She has taken a lot of efforts to bring up 3 kids so wonderfully, that all of them are doing really well today. She has always been supportive, and has complimented aajoba very well. These years have taken a toll on her physical capabilities. However, a few things are still undeterred in her - her warm, loving and caring nature and her infectious innocence.

Monsoon - drizzle of fond memories

It’s time to get bored at work. It’s time to think of munching bhajia and cutting chai. It’s time to feel cozy. It’s time to go out with friends and family on a nature trail. Yes, monsoon has arrived for the year and as always, has brought a lot of exciting plans and fond memories. Telephonic discussions are in full swing to decide which place to trek, which waterfall to visit, which resort to plan for and how long should the trip last. All this just to let the mesmerizing rains kiss you all day long!

Unlike summer or winter, monsoon makes every place feel wonderful. Be it a hill station, a waterfall, a restaurant or even your office. When you are out there getting drenched in rain, it is total fun. When you are indoors, merely watching the rain drops with light music in background and hot cup of tea to sip on is equally enjoyable.

Talking about memories, I have always loved spending time at Marine drive in monsoon; how can you miss the waves splashing on the rocks and spilling up on you! The pleasant smell of soil in first rain is always soothing, so wonderfully etched in my memory. Trips to waterfalls at Palasdari dam, Amboli ghat, Bushi dam and a few others have been exhilarating. Treks to Singhagad, Raigad, Rajmachi and Lohagad have all been great physical activity. Then there have been beaches visited in rain. And, how can I you forget all the wonderful time I have spent indoors while it was raining.

I like to walk in rain, although not during the time when I am working at office. You have a lot of things to worry about, like your bag, smartphone, any paper docs you have, your clothes and your shoes; it's not a comfortable feeling to get wet and be working at office. The good old days are gone, when I was just a student and could be a bit careless about letting my books, my wallet and other things getting wet. Going for a bike ride when it’s raining is what I always look upto every year, as I did today. Rain drops pricking your face, eyes almost shut and wind blowing on your face; it’s a must experience feeling! To enjoy rain while I am at home, I make sure I listen to the album Gaarva by artists Milind Ingle and Saumitra while having a nice ginger tea.

Monsoon comes with a lot of emotions. You just can’t ignore the many memories nagging you when it’s raining. Your memories keep raining within you and remind of all the wonderful time you have spent with some really special people. Probably, there is a reason for this. Atleast once a year you ought to remember this wonderful time, as it has been very special. And what better time for this than monsoons! Enjoy the rains.

Living expands from 180 sq. ft to 840 sq. ft

After spending as long as 20 years in a small 1 room house in South Mumbai we have now moved into our big 2 bhk self owned residential flat in Navi Mumbai. I would call it a flat as I still cannot forget my home back in town. It's never easy to let go a place where you grow up, have so many memories attached. It will take me some time to call this new flat 'home'. It aint bad, just that I have not yet accepted it.

So, now we have a big place to stay which is fully furnished. We have decorated this place nicely, bought in new furniture, bean bag, swing chair, big screen led tv and many such things. Some of these are my recommendations, stuff which I always fancied. Its spacious and nice. This building is away from the main road so we have a quiet surrounding. We have just about 12 flats in my building, often with closed doors. So, do not really have good neighbours. Friends, acquaintances and relatives are not close by so we are here all by ourselves - mom, dad, sis and me. My current office is near so I leave without any hurry and reach back home quicker than before. This leaves a lot of time with me, so have to spend time watching tv or reading books or passing time on laptop; internet connection is pending still so it makes passing time a bit difficult. Still not aware about good hang out places nearby.

Back then, life was very different. We all lived in a single room in a chawl. Being a chawl, most of the times our door was open. Noise was very common and I was used to it. A friend gives me a call and asks to join him and I could rush for it without even thinking about it. Many great hang out and eat out places back there taking away all your time. Oh good lord, I miss all of this!

I aint complaining here, this new big flat is something I would have wanted in a couple of years when I needed to settle down in life. My parents have put in their best effort to buy this place, had they been wealtheir this flat would have been somewhere in town. This achievement of theirs is no small in any way; my grandpa has seen prosperous days in his life but he never thought of buying a house in town for his family. My parents had no choice but to stay in the house provided by their employer, where we spent 20 years. My parents have managed to buy a property on their own which is so close to Mumbai. It's upto me now to go a step further and buy a property in mumbai in time to come, something which is definitely not easy but really worth trying!

It will take me time to get accustomed to this place, make new friends and improve social life here. Life shall keep changing, as it always does. The sooner we accept this, the easier it becomes. But, my love for my older home shall remain unparallel to anything on this earth. Living has certainly expanded, house is yet to become home!

Courtroom experience

My father, being an employee of Mumbai Police department always keeps saying, "A wise man should never climb steps of a court!". Let me not disclose the reason, but I had been to a court today. So when I entered my father's word crossed my mind again. But, I took the elevator to the floor on which I was supposed to go - yes, this court has an elevator!

Jokes apart, my experience in the court today makes me agree with my dad completely on this point. The working is somewhat like this - Court opens up at 11 am. From 11 am to 2 pm only paper work has to be done with. So, if you have a hearing you have to make sure all your paperwork is done properly. You cannot even do all paperwork on the same floor, why should they make your life simple? You already are in trouble by getting involved in a court case, might as well some more jitters. So, your paperwork is done on atleast 2 floors. From 2 pm to 3 pm, they enjoy their lunch break. 3 pm to 5 pm is the time when you are supposed to be in the actual court for your hearing. Today, there must have been atleast 60 cases which were heard by our Majesty, the honourable Judge.

Imagine, 60 cases in 2 hours with going through all paperwork as well! Impossible it may seem but not for our efficient Judges. In roughly 2 minutes, this lady Judge today heard, read and gave away her decision for the moment and also the next date of hearing. It reminded me of the famous monologue in the film Damini by actor Sunny Deol which goes, "Taarikh pe Taarikh, Taarikh pe Taarikh..". Why cant a case, atleast straight forward ones like the one I was involved with today, be solved in as less time as possible? Instead of giving 2 minutes to every case and going just an inch ahead, give 60 minutes and get done with a particular case completely. I could clearly see that the lady Judge was doing her work just for the sake of it. No big deal if you spot zero motivation and cent percent boredom.

If you miss corruption or it's been a long time you have seen one please do visit the court, its a wonderful place for it. You have to shell out your hard earned bucks for the chief person who arranges for your paperwork, the peon who takes your papers safely and quickly from 1 floor to the other and also tries to keep it them at the top of the stack during hearing so that it is picked up and addressed soon, the clerks who just fill just about 1 to 2 pages of your particulars and verify your documents. Rs. 100/- is minimum and it increases in multiples of 50. By the way, this rate is for police employees, or government employees and not for regular people. Why the f*%$ do these crooks expect money for doing their own work? They are definitely not giving us any secret code in return. I do agree that its important to make these officials happy with some monetary gifts but shouldn't it be something which they pulled off for you beyond their actual job profile?

I was in the courtroom waiting for our turn and was observing the whole thing. Court staff was unmotivated and disinterested to the core. Police guards were sleepy. Convicts were indifferent. How the f*%$ can one expect an outcome out of this? Indian Judiciary system is slow as a snail and it is in firm grip of corruption. These are the only macro factors I could point out. Just consider Ajmal Kasab's case which has been going on for close to 2 and a half years now with no firm conclusion. If such a prime level convict's case goes for such a long time you can comfortably assume eternity to be the time frame for a common man's case. For me, its utter shame and disgrace for my country which otherwise has many highlights I am certainly proud of. It is high time today's young generation of lawyers understand this concern and do something about it. Hope keeps us going in life and that is what I shall hold on to see some positive improvements on this front, possibly in near future. Yet, my suggestion - Avoid involvement in court cases; as the cliche goes "Prevention is better than cure!"

New look at Amar Akbar Anthony

One of my all time favorite movies has been Amar Akbar Anthony. I must have watched it for like a 100 times and whenever it is on air and I happen to bump into it, I make sure I watch it for as long as I can. Today, I could watch it from start to end. While watching it, very many thoughts have crossed my mind.

This is a very ideal film! Yes, it is as we see in so many of the scenes. Like, when Kishan Lal (Pran) returns home after serving a tenure in jail he realizes that his family has not been taken care of as promised by his boss Robert (Jeevan). He asks his wife played by Nirupa Roy, if she received any money to which she replies that even if she had she would not have accepted it as it would be unethical! Like, when a person offering prayers in a garden realizes a small child has been abandoned and he takes the child (Akbar - Rishi Kapoor) home and decides to take care of it as well. Like, when Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan) returns home after having a fight with Zibisko and talks to himself in the mirror saying, "I have always told you to avoid liquor because it's bad, but you never listen. If you had not been drunk today, you would have beaten the crap out of him!" Like, Anthony saying that he will never fight back with a Police officer out of respect. Like, Anthony asking Robert if he has not harmed any police officer as in that case he would have made sure Robert is caught by the Police. Like, the fact that Kishan Lal kidnaps Robert's daughter but takes care of her as his own child. Like, Akbar gets a candid snap of his would be father in law Tayyab Ali with his girlfriend out of fun but does not misuse it. Like, Akbar wants to make sure that his girlfriends' father approves of their marriage otherwise he would not marry her. As mentioned earlier, there are many such ideal scenes.

Apart from this aspect, there are a few details which have been caught in the film which truly suggests the work of a genius. Like, in the opening scenes when Kishan Lal approaches Robert to ask for money and Robert makes him polish his shoes and gives away just 1 dime. In anguish Kishan Lal gets hold of a revolver and shoots at Robert in the chest. He is saved by the bullet proof vest, however. Later, a similar situation arises when Robert is at the receiving end. The same scene takes place again only this time Robert shoots Kishan Lal in the back. He is saved by a similar bullet proof vest. Kishan Lal mocks at Robert saying he knew that Robert was a back stabber and would always attack from behind and was so prepared. Like, in one of the scenes when we see kids running behind cars. Do we see the same thing today? Back then, there were few cars and people were in awe of cars, more so the children and always loved following cars and jumping on them, something which has been captured smartly.

Let's talk about the exceptional music of the film composed by the great Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Those were the days when composing was much tougher. All the artists rehearsed and recorded together. Technology had not evolved back then, so a lot depended on human effort. Where you have human effort you have chances of human error. As my friend Pushkar always keeps saying, that it is because of this human error that the music was never perfect but that exactly made it melodious. Perhaps, that is the reason why many of our old songs still seem wonderful to hear. Today, with technology most of the music directors have been able to achieve perfection but the melody is surely missing more often than not.

I also feel that the underlying feature of this film is secularism and harmony. The title itself highlights this. The famous song Shirdi wale Sai Baba sung by the great Rafi sahab, which we hear in local trains of Mumbai has been a part of this film. It has been shot showing a muslim community offering a prayer in the form of Qawwali for a diety which has a majority of hindu devotees. The title song of this movie says goes like Anhoni ko honi kar de, honi ko anhoni. Ek jagah jab jama ho teeno, Amar..Akbar..Anthony which throws up a high level of thought that if all religions come together there could be nothing impossible to achieve. Just think over it!

Back then, we were not as corrupt as we are today. Back then, we had much more ideals and values than we have today. Back then, we were much better than we are today. Things had started changing back then and we have reached upto this point. Probably, Manmohan Desai made this movie the way it is to make sure he instills good values in people something which might have never crossed anyone's mind. A movie, for all of us, is pure entertainment. This movie is not at all short of entertainment but do try and relate my views the next time you watch this film. Final words - great work by a superb star cast, hat's off Salim-Javed for a great story and dialogues, grand salute Laxmikant-Pyarelal and take a bow Manmohan Desai!

PS: It's OK if you just don't think about my views on this film. Enjoy the film :)

A nice gesture

Two days ago my friend Ameya gives me a call, after a long time. He tells me that his father would be turning 60 this year on 26th March and he has arranged a surprise party, and invited me for it. Fortunately, I did not have any prior commitments on that day so I agreed to visit. His entire family knows me, and it had been a long time I had met them. He needed some help with the preparations and asked me if I could come a bit early for the same. I agreed.

Today, I reached at the venue and Ameya was there busy with preparations along with a few more common friends. Not wasting any time, I joined Mangesh in inflating balloons. I think we had close to a 100 balloons. I could actually feel the unpleasant, greasy taste of those balloons on my tongue. I joined in with other decorations, setting up the desk and getting certain things which had been completely forgotten and were needed urgently.

We were all set with out preparations by 6 pm and the venue looked extremely cheerful. Ameya's father reached the venue by 6:30 pm. It was a pleasant surprise for him, was a bit overwhelmed by the occasion. The flow of events was something I was aware about but had never seen personally. Ameya and his siblings washed his father's feet with milk and water, which is known as abhishek. Mud diya's , 60 in number, were decorated in a thali which was used to bless uncle. Ameya's family is a big one, it's a joint family. Elderly people who were there blessed uncle, which was followed by the younger generation coming over the wish him. Cake cutting ceremony followed in some time and we all were singing "Happy Birthday to you.." not at all in sync. This was followed by a few games which we all played and enjoyed, and then uncle received gifts from all the guests. Dinner was served by 9 pm and we wrapped up everything by 10:30 pm.

Since the time I heard about this event, I had been thinking a lot. I can imagine how things would have been for my dad when he was doing what I did today, preparing for a birthday party. I am very happy for uncle because of the fact that he has such a wonderful and loving family. Making him feel special on his birthday just highlights the fact that Ameya and his family love him very much. In fact, the entire family loves each other. This is something which is rarely seen these days and I hope and pray that this love persists in Ameya's family as long as the stars shine.

On a general note, it is high time to realize that our parents have done such a thing for atleast 10 - 12 years just to make us feel special. Shouldn't we do the same in their old days atleast? Ameya did plan and execute this event for his personal satisfaction but it has helped to ring some bells in some minds. Jayesh, my friend who lost his father 2 years back, would have been wondering if he had done such a thing when his dad was alive. Prachi, Priti and Ashwini, whose dad's had also visited the event must be thinking that now even we would need to do such a thing for our mom's and dad's as they may make comparisons which would be difficult to handle. Mangesh and me are wondering if we can do a similar thing for our respective dad's as my dad would turn 50 this year and his dad would reach 75 next year. More than meeting my friends after a long time, more than spending a good time with Ameya's family, more than enjoying the party and more than savoring the delicious food, I have realized that this was a nice gesture which should be done with your parents and loved one's atleast sometimes. It should feel nice, you can imagine how peaceful would it be.