Happy 2011 Everyone!

The last post of this year! There were moments when I came to this site and went away without posting anything - sometimes I didn't have anything to say, sometimes I didn't have words to say what I wanted to say. Then there were times when I wanted to blog about a lot of things but just couldn't find time to do it. I may write about some of these pending things in the coming days but some thoughts are lost forever. That's okay. Regrets is the last thing that I want to keep with me on the threshold of the new year.

So, I am taking this moment to throw away all the bad things that I have accumulated this year - anger, pain, grief - and I am packing up all the good things that the year has given to me - love, affection, satisfaction, laughter, peace and happiness.

Normally, I would have said "Happy 2011 to you and all your loved ones". But I will modify it this year, and hopefully, for all the years to come. That's because I read an article by Mr. Raghu Raman - The Things That Soldiers Do yesterday. So here goes,

I wish all of you and all your loved ones a Happy 2011. I pray that all our soldiers remain safe and sound this year and beyond!

Bye Bye 2010, Hello 2011!

अर्ज किया है......
न मिलता गम तो बदबदीके अफ़साने कहा जाते
अगर दुनिया चमन होती तो विराने कहा जाते

(फोर्वार्देद)

I think the new Nano ad is cute. But I wonder why all the Nanos that I have seen so far on roads are of a horrid yellow shade. Perhaps, Ratan Tata has taken a page out of Henry Ford's book and said 'You can Have Any Color as Long as It's Yellow' :-)

Just 2 days back I was returning from a client meeting. The car got stuck in the traffic at one point and I craned my neck to find out the reason. Turned out there was a wedding in progress somewhere down the lane and the baraatis had blocked part of the road. Soon after, I was treated to the hilarious sight of men and women dressed in their fineries dancing to some Bollywood song - right in the street. A few feet away stood a decorated chariot. It contained the bride and groom who were looking very sheepish and were trying their best to smile. But they were aware that on their very wedding day they had, through no fault of theirs, received lots of curses as wedding gifts from the occupants of all the cars that were stuck in the traffic!

As our car threaded its way forward, I had a strange thought. In all probability, I will never see this couple again in my life. But by a strange quirk of fate, I was part of one of the most memorable days of their lives. And so were hundreds of others who were on that stretch of the road at that time of that day.

The car neared our office and a funeral procession came in sight. Here we go, I said. In India, sighting a wedding procession is considered a bad omen but sighting a funeral procession is considered a good one. Don't ask me why. Sounds rather counter-intuitive, doesn't it? I have never been able to figure it out either. Maybe it has got something to do with the concept of Maaya and Moksha.

I wondered how the rest of my day was going to be, now that I had encountered both, good and bad omens, in one go. :-)

3 more days to go and this decade will be over just like that! Has the life increased its pace these days or is it just an illusion?

This year-end too, like all past year-ends, I am hoping that, in the new year, I will somehow find time to learn a new language or a new cuisine, listen to more music, laugh more, read more and do things that I love to do.

But year-end, unlike all past year-ends,there is an extra awareness about death. Nothing morbid about it, just a consciousness that there are a lot of things that I need to do before death catches up with me and unless I go about it in a determined way, I will not get them done.

As if to further cement my resolution, I came across 2 couplets about the same:

जिन्दगीके दाम इतने गिर गये, कुछ गम नही
मौतकी गिरती हुई किमतसे घबराता हू मै
-- नीरज जैन

क्या भरोसा है जिन्दगीका
आदमी बुलबुला है पानीका

What more can I say?

अर्ज किया है......
दीमक लगी लुगातसे खफ़ा होके एक दिन
मफ़्हुमकी तलाशमे अल्फ़ाझ जायेंगे

(Forwarded)

लुगात - Dictionary
मफ़्हुम - Meaning

I ate my first "Ice Gola" last weekend! I am not kidding you. When I was a kid, mom had given strict instructions of not venturing within 5 miles of the vendor selling the stuff outside the school. My brother and I were warned that the Gola might contain parasites and germs which would then grow inside our stomachs. And though I agree that the ice and syrup might not have been made from clean water, I feel sorry for my brother and I because we swallowed the idea of an alien monster bursting out of our stomachs - hook, line and sinker!

The "Ice Gola" vendor in the mall, however, had a board saying that both ice and syrup were made from mineral water. I hoped that the board was telling the truth and went for it. I can't say that I have become a fan but it sure was fun to bite into the crunchy ice and slurp on the syrup (strawberry in my case!).

I must confess though that when I chanced upon the channel showing "Alien Resurrection" last night, the alien baby being born did bring forth visions of the "Ice Gola" vendor outside our school :-)

One more Indian city has got added to my "1000 places to visit before you die" - Patna. The reason for the same is Sunday evening episode of "Highway On My Plate" (NDTV Good Times). I seriously want to find out what this dish called "लिट्टी" is all about. There was one gentleman in the roadside eatery that Mayur and Rocky went to. He told them that he was going to Guahati from Gwalior when he heard about this place and dish. He got off the train and came to the hotel to sample the dish. Hats off to the chap!

Well, talking of food, I like Rachel Allen's new program on food "Home Cooking". Oh, and the Grand Finale of "Masterchef India" would have been great if they could have done away with all that emotional stuff and Katerina's "Sheela ki Jawani". Why, oh why, do we bring Bollywood in everything that we do?

Merry Christmas!

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away
Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold.

Wish you all a Merry Christmas! :-)

Merry Christmas!

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away

Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold.

Wish you all Merry Christmas! :-)

अर्ज किया है......
हमारे शहरमे बेचेहेरा लोग बसते है
कभी कभी कोई चेहेरा दिखाई पडता है

(Forwarded)

Good Night Folks and Take Care!

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read that Rajnikant's film "Robot" is part of IIM-A course. I distinctly remember one of the professors during my MBA days who, for one of his courses (I seriously don't remember which!), had screened couple of movies and lateron asked a series of questions about the characters and situations.

One such film that was screened was "Satya". I hadn't liked the film in the first place and disliked it even more after the course. I haven't dared watch it since then. :-)

I read that "Robot" will be taken up as a case study on business of cinema. I wonder if the professors will ask questions like 'Please explain how the number of somersaults that a cigarette does in mid-air is related to the business the film will do in the 1st week of its release" or "How do you think the shades used by the hero shape up the perceptions of his audience about which shades to buy". Shudder!

Now that we are talking of Rajanikant, I happened to see a scene from one of his movies, possibly "Sivaji", in which, the hero, stung by the heroine's rejection of his dark skin, applies a heavy mixture of 'Fair & Lovely' to his body. I have never been a fan of these fairness creams but I haven't been able to look at a tube of 'Fair & Lovely' squarely in the eye ever since :-)

Now Lata Mangeshkar seems to have joined the group of people who are hoping that Sachin will bring home the World Cup next year. But to be fair, she is hoping that he will "help" win the Cup for India. Others are hoping that he will bring the cup home, conveniently forgetting that the cricket team doesn't consist of one person alone.

Please don't get me wrong. I too want to see the Indian team win the Cup but I think it is unfair to expect Sachin to achieve this feat by himself. He might be close to being a God for many but he isn't really God, is he? :-)

Time for a forwarded sher:

अर्ज किया है......
गुर जिन्दगीके सिखे खिलती हुई कलीसे
लबपर है मुस्कुराहट, दिल खून रो रहा है

Death will not be a thing that is on the mind of most of the people when the time is so close to the year end. I am not saying it is weighing heavily on my mind but yes, it is there somewhere, in one corner of my mind. A few days back, I had written about a team member who lost his parents within a matter of months.

There was another sad incident with a neighbor of my mom's. This lady was suffering from cancer since past few years and we hadn't seen her since past couple of months. About a month back, mom and I were going out for shopping when we saw her. I have seen a cancer patient before and I know what the disease does to a healthy human being. I, nevertheless, was shocked to the core because I couldn't recognize her at first. My mom was so shocked that she couldn't, for life of her, muster the courage to go and say 'Hi' to her. We just smiled at her as we got into the car and she smiled back.

Then 15 days later I heard that she passed away. I tell you, the thought that was uppermost in my mind at that moment was of her daughter. I just sat there, feeling her sadness. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not an emotional sort of a person (unless someone says 'भारतमाता की जय'!). I have often laughed at all the cliched Bollywood motherly dialogues.

But this time it was different. Somehow, it shook me because it happened 2 apartments away from my parents' place. It reminded, in the sort of grim way that Death does, that many of us have to go through this one day. And I am just not ready for that. I don't think I ever will be. :-(

Tendulkar's feat of completing 50 centuries in Test matches was about the only silver lining to the dark clouds that seem to envelope India from all sides these past couple of days. From the chilling cold waves - that has taken even an unlikely city like Mumbai in its fold - to the soaring onion prices and politicians with their hands stuck deep down the cookie jars, I wonder if there is anything to celebrate about on this Christmas and New Year eve. :-(

But as the saying goes - उम्मीदपे दुनिया कायम है - the world lives on hope. And again, the lines from a song of a bygone era Hindi movie come to mind:

आनेवाला पल जानेवाला है
हो सके तो इसमें जिंदगी बिता दो
पल जो ये जानेवाला है

Here's to the last remaining days of 2010!

अर्ज किया है......
वो शाख-ए-गुल पे रहे या मैयत पर
चमनका फ़ूल तो आदी है मुस्कुरानेके

Impossible workload and an infected laptop kept me away from this site for days. Now the laptop is repaired but workload isn't showing much signs of letting up in near future. Still, I am determined to come here every day during these last days of 2010. As usual, there is much to write about and not much time to do so :-(

एक चित्ता सिगरेट फ़ुंकत होता. एक उंदीर येऊन म्हणाला "माझ्या बंधू, सोड ही नशा, माझ्यासोबत ये, बघ हे जंगल किती सुंदर आहे. ये, जग पाहू"
चित्त्याने विचार केला आणि उंदरासोबत निघाला.

पुढे त्यांना एक हत्ती ड्रग्ज घेताना दिसला.
उंदराने सुरुवात केली "माझ्या बंधू, सोड ही नशा....."
हत्तीसुध्दा उंदरासोबत निघाला.

पुढे एक वाघ व्हिस्कीचा पेग बनवत होता. उंदीर त्याला तेच म्हणाला.
वाघाने ग्लास बाजूला ठेवला आणि उंदराच्या ५-७ कानाखाली वाजवल्या.

हत्ती अवाक होऊन म्हणाला "अरे, उंदीर चांगलंच सांगतोय की. का मारलंस बिचायाला?"

वाघ म्हणाला "हा जेव्हा जेव्हा भांग पितो, तेव्हा असंच बोलतो. ३ वेळा पूर्ण जंगल फ़िरून आलोय मी ह्याच्याबरोबर" :-)

मुस्कुराना किसे अज़ीज़ नहीं
डरते है गमके इंतकामसे हम

Good Night and Sweet Dreams!

I have been reading the same book for the past 3 months. I am so ashamed of myself that I have resolved to finish it off before the year is out. :-) It's about WW2 and I am sick and tired of reading about how Hitler came close to destroying the entire world. Can't wait to get to the part when he starts staring defeat in the face. And I know that I am going to read the pages about his suicide very, very slowly :-)

Why do we always tack on the adjective "tragic" when we use the word 'Death'? Is there any death that is not tragic? Well, maybe death of someone like Hitler is not tragic but as far as the rest of the humans go, this word combination is a bit like an oxymoron, don't you think? Now, don't go on thinking that I have gone bananas around 11:22 at night to be blogging about a subject that most of us would rather prefer to avoid.

But there have been events that have forced me to think about this these past 2 weeks. I will write more about this here in the coming days. But for now, I will write about one incident. Just a day back I got the news that one of my team members who had sent in his resignation is joining back. He had had to leave suddenly when his dad, who had been on dialysis for quite some time, became serious. Just a few days later, we got the news that his dad passed away. This was followed with the news that his mom has been diagnosed with cancer. He then decided to stay back in Northeastern India where he hails from and seek employment there. Now barely a month later, we hear that his mom has passed away too. So now he is coming back.

When I heard this, I couldn't believe it. I mean, c'mon, there must be thousands of people on this earth who must be everyday begging for an end to their life. God couldn't see anyone of them? What was the point of taking both his parents away from this guy? Don't we really have any control whatsoever on our lives? I am plagued by questions and no one who I turn to seems to be having any answers. :-(

ज़िन्दगी तो सभी के लिए वही रंगीन किताब है
फर्क बस इतना है की
किसीने हर पन्नेको दिलसे पढ़ा
किसीने बस पन्ने पलट लिए

अभिनन्दन शुभा खोटे!

शुभा खोटे ह्यांना पी। सावळाराम पुरस्कार मिळाल्याच ऐकून खूप आनंद झाला। मी जुन्या हिंदी सिनेमाच्या गाण्याची चाहती आहे. त्यांची आणि महमुदची गाणी पहायला नेहमीच आवडतात। अनेक वर्षापुर्विंची 'जबान सम्भाल्के" ह्या मालिकेतली त्यांची भूमिका अजुन लक्षात आहे। का कोणास ठाउक पण मला त्या नेहमीच "आपली शुभा खोटे' वाटत आल्या आहेत :-) त्यांच पुन्हा एकदा अभिनन्दन!

Why they chose to go down with the ship?

A few days back I had posted information about the loss of INS Khukri in 1971 war. Here it is again:

I chanced upon an article by the daughter of the late Captain Mahender Nath Mulla - Why they chose to go down with the ship. Do read it when you get time.

Celebrity Wax Museum - in India

Check out http://www.celebritywaxmuseum.com/

Time for a forwarded शेर:

तूफ़ान कर रहा था मेरे अज्मका तवाफ
दुनिया समझ रही थी की कश्ती भवरमे है

Super-short Kurtis

One of my friends had gushed about "FabIndia" during our recent conversation. So on my recent visit to a mall, I decided to take a look. Unfortunately, this particular outlet wasn't big enough and had a look of a warehouse. I didn't like trying anything out. So I went around once.

As I was heading back to the door, one of the shelves caught my attention. On it was written "Super-short Kurtis". I didn't venture to see exactly how long (or short!) a "Super-short Kurti" was because I generally don't waste time on things which are no concern of mine. But I wonder if they are just short enough to expose part of your belly when you waive out to someone because anything shorter than that should not be called a "Kurti" :-)

CVC or PVC?

Confused by the title of this post? Well, you need not be. PVC is Poly Vinyl Chloride. One website lists one of its properties thus:

PVC is useful because it resists two things that hate each other: fire and water

With Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P.J. Thomas digging in his heels and refusing to quit, I think he is displaying PVC like qualities by being resistant to both - the government and the general populace - who incidentally, hate each other, just like fire and water. :-)

I distinctly remember a slogan seen on one of the trucks long time ago:

सौमे अस्सी बेईमान, फिरभी मेरा भारत महान!

I guess these days, it is more like:

सौमे निन्यानब्बे बेईमान, फिरभी मेरा भारत महान!

There is so much I want to write about here but these days I am running short of time frequently. :-(

Reminds me of the following lines:

जिंदगी एक दौड़ है तो सांस फूलेगी जरुर
या बदल मफहुम उसका या फिर फरियाद न कर

मफ़हूम - meaning

I stand suitably chastised!

Uncle Sam's Cable!

Read this:

"And at the same time, India is assuming more of a regional leadership role and a global leadership role, which we welcome and encourage," Clinton noted.

That was 7th October 2010.

And now read this:

WikiLeaks has quoted a secret cable in which his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described India and its three partners (Brazil, Germany and Japan) as "self-appointed front runners".

This is 30th November, 2010.

Wonder what would this Secretary of State of world's "self-appointed super-power" will say now. Will it be "Oops!" or will it be "Sorry"? :-))

There is no telling what funny experiences you might have in Mumbai. A few days back I was returning home after an afternoon of shopping with a friend and his family. The cab was minutes away from my home when it stopped at a traffic signal.

There was a girl (who appeared to be from a well-to-do family) who was checking each of the halted cabs to see if any was empty. She looked at the cab driver first and then at me and named a place which was pretty close to my place. I thought that I was anyways going in that direction so might as well give her a lift. So I said yes.

Thereupon the girl said that her family of 4 was close by and would I be able to accommodate them all? I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. A cab can sit 3 slim people comfortably at the back - 4 at the most if one of them is a child - and one next to the cab driver. Only if the girl's family had 2 children and 3 slim grownups in all, we could have managed to accommodate 5 adults (including the cab driver and I) and 2 kids in that cab.

I consider myself pretty helpful by nature but I have my limits and sitting in a cramped position in my own hired cab to accommodate 5 members of a stranger's family (which may or may not contain children!) is definitely out of those limits. Fortunately for me, the signal turned green at this moment. I told the girl that I was sorry I couldn't help her because I had to pick up someone.

It was only when the cab sped away that I realized that I hadn't given much thought to the safety aspect of giving a lift to a total stranger, even if she was a girl :-(

अर्ज है.....

जिंदगीकी बात सुनकर क्या कहे
एक तमन्ना थी, तकाझा बन गयी

Prayers for 26/11 victims

None of us can forget what happened on this day 2 years ago. It was one of those occasions when words become an insufficient medium to convey your thoughts and feelings. Even today,as I write this, I am pausing frequently at the keyboard, groping for words to capture the myriad thoughts that are racing through my mind.

Sifting through my emotions, I find that there is a sadness for human life lost before its time. There is sadness for those who were left behind. There is anger at the fundamentalism which doesn't value the principle of 'Live and Let Live'. And finally,there is bewilderment at the slow pace of justice.

Here's hoping that the souls of those who perished find peace and that kasab doesn't live to see this day next year!

विकेन्ड आलाय. काय खास करायचं ह्याचा विचार करत असाल तर मी काही सुचवू का?

लडाखच्या छायाचित्रांचे प्रदर्शन - ‘गोठलेलं लडाख’


कोटय़वधींपूर्वीचे जीवाश्म आणि खडक प्रथमच मुंबईत

INS Vikrant's Roll of Honour

Indo-Pak war 1971 - Vikrant's Finest Hour

"Corruption" and "Scams" seem to be the flavors of this month. First it was CWG, then the 2G Spectrum scam, then the Karnataka CM's antics, later followed by arrests of top LIC officers by CBI. As if this wasn't enough, there is some side action related to the 2G spectrum which might uncover the dark side of Journalism.

I wonder, I very much wonder, if there are any honest people left in this country at all :-(

2 years have passed since 26/11. For most of us, life has returned to its normal course. But it is far from so for those who lost their near and dear ones in the terrorist attack. The parents of one such gallant martyr, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, have chosen a different route to keep his memory alive. Read on:

‘संदीप’ची इच्छाच पूर्ण करण्यासाठी आम्ही जिवंत!

‘इंडिया गेट’ ते ‘गेट वे ऑफ इंडिया’ पुस्तक लिहिण्याचा विचार!

I remember some lines:

जहा रहेगा वही रौशनी लुटायेगा
किसी चरागका अपना मकान नहीं होता

आनंदवनातील दुष्काळ

आनंदवनातील दुष्काळ

Oh, how the mighty fall - 2G scam sideshow: Netizens lambast high-profile journalists. Not a matter of good taste, Mr. Sanghavi!

डोळस दात्यामुळे भाग्यश्रीला लाभले दृष्टि-वैभव!

अर्ज है:

येही है जिंदगी, कुछ ख्वाब, चंद उम्मीदे
इन्ही खिलोनोंसे तुमभी बहल सको तो चलो

बीजेपी हाय हाय!!

So Yeddyurrapa will remain the CM of Karnataka! I wonder what moral right do BJP's Swaraj and Advani now have to stall the parliament proceedings. I am not a fan of Congress, or of any political party for that matter, but clearly the BJP people haven't heard that saying about people living in glass homes, have they now?

The proof of a real politician is in his/her shamelessness. Look at this:

Javedekar said there can be no comparison between the allegations of land scam in Karnataka with 2G spectrum scam and CWG scams.

And why is that Mr. Javadekar? A scam is a scam - no matter what the amount. Or does the Constitution of India make some special allowances for scams under x crores of Rupees?

How I wish Kasab and his cronies had bombed these shameless people we call "Leaders" in this country instead of gunning down the innocents. At least we could have brought in fresh faces and started all over again.

Shame on you BJP! Shame on you!

What's happening with the weather of this country? It seems to have gone bananas like its politicians. We are seeing rains, in Mumbai, at the very end of the month of November. This is totally unheard of! I am getting visions of a snowfall in New Delhi like they showed in the movie '2012' :-(

Watch this space for more photos.........

Some pictures from INS Vikrant

A Date with Vikrant - the INS kind

This is my 500th post of this year and I had reserved it for a special someone. I visited with this special someone last Saturday for 3+ hours and enjoyed every moment of it. I am sad that I will be able to visit again only after a year. :-( Meet my special someone - INS Vikrant.

This is Indian Navy''s Majestic class light aircraft carrier which might be turned into a museum - a first ever WW2-era British-built aircraft carrier to be preserved this way if Wiki is to be believed. Like every year, it was docked at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai for a 10-day period (13-22 November) so common people can visit it. This year, I finally managed to go and was glad I did.

If you are wondering what's there to see in a carrier that's old enough to have participated in the 1971 war with Pakistan, let me tell you that there's enough to keep you occupied for the entire allowed period of 10am-5pm. There is information about the ship's role in the Liberation of Goa in 1962 as well as the 1971 war. There is loads of information on the history of India's maritime progress. There are guns and ammunition on display. You can get a glimpse into the life of the Navymen as you walk into areas like the mess and the sick bay. There is a short 15-minute film on how the aircrafts take off and land on the carrier. You can walk across the ship's vast top deck. And finally, you can visit the souvenir shop where you can buy key-chains, T-shirts and watches with Vikrant logo on it.

Needless to say, there was quite a crowd - young people, kids, even senior citizens had turned up in full force. I was in for a surprise when I strolled into the souvenir shop expecting to find it deserted. It was jam-packed with people and I had to wait for 10 minutes before I could walk away with keychains and mementos. A few suggestions, if I may:

1. A few counters can be opened on the top deck. The present souvenir shop is too small for comfortable shopping. I wanted to buy a mug (I had read on a web site that the shop stocks them) but there was so much crowd that I was unable to check out whether there were any available.

2. There can be separate counters for selling different kinds of merchandise. That will help both - the people buying and the people at the counters.

3. There should be arrangement to screen the 15-minute film at more locations. Though the film is only of 15 minutes and the screenings are every 15 minutes, the crowds are too huge for this to be adequate.

4. There are little projections at many places on the floor (part of the ship's design) that people were stumbling across. These need to be fenced off to avoid any injuries.

I read on the net that none of the bidders turned up at the April, 2010 bidding process to convert this into a permanent maritime museum. I wish the representatives from these industrial players had spent a day or two near the Tiger Gate during this period. They would have seen how the crowds turned up in droves to visit. They would have noticed how kids and grown-ups alike loved walking on the very decks that were once frequented by our brave Navymen. And they would have heard how many people kept asking why this is not open throughout the year!

Here's to INS Vikrant and her brave crewmen. I hope I live to see you being converted into a first-ever museum!

2 couplets on life that will make you stop and wonder:

जिन्दगीको संभालकर रखिये
जिंदगी मौतकी अमानत है

-- बिस्मिल सईदी

जिंदगी तवील थी लेकिन
मौतके इंतजारमे गुजरी

(तवील - long)
-- डॉक्टर जरीना सानी

Everyone has been talking about punishing the corrupt politicians (now that's an oxymoron!) but why isn't anyone asking why were things allowed to get so out of control? Aren't there any checks and balances in the system to stop such corrupt people in their tracks? If there weren't any, then our laws, and perhaps constitution too, need to be amended. If there were any, then those who were responsible for implementing them but failed to do so should be punished too.

I am getting rather sick and tired of watching politicians calling each other 'corrupt' when everyone knows that they all are sailing in the same boat. Remember that scene in "Mars Attacks" when the Martians blow up the whole senate and an old lady watching it on TV in an asylum breaks out laughing? Well, I don't blame her.

A forwarded शेर:

जरासा कतरा कही आज गर उभरता है
समन्दरोके लहजेमे बात करता है

So, the first part of The Deathly Hallows has hit the screens the world over. I am going to give a miss to this one too the way I did to "The Half-Blood Prince". I will watch all 3 movies only after the last installment of the series is out.

The other day I was browsing through Agatha Christie's novels at a Landmark outlet. I usually go for an Omnibus but pick up a single novel too if I get it at a good price. I found one Omnibus but I suspected that I might already be having 2 of the novels it contained. Just to be sure, I fished out the Catalogue that I have made of all the books that I have (yep, there are so many of them!).

Just then, the woman standing next to me laughed and asked "Oh, you also have one of those?". She pointed to the Catalogue in my hand and said that she also has made one recently because she cannot remember which books she already has. We both laughed again. It felt so good to find a fellow book-lover because we are increasingly becoming a species on a rapid path to extinction :-(

Some food for thought:

When you need advice, everyone helps but if you need help everyone starts to give advice.

मराठी कळत असेल तर ह्या लिंक्स नक्की वाचा:

निरपेक्ष वृत्तीने काम करणारी ‘संडे फ्रेण्ड्स’

‘गॉडफादर’, ‘बेन हर’ मोठय़ा पडद्यावर

व्यूह-चक्र : महिलेच्या कर्कपेशींची ‘हेला’वणारी कहाणी

पाकिस्तानी असत्याचा बुरखा नजम सेठींनी टरकावला!

ब्रॅण्ड ताज!

Can someone please tell Iran's Ali Khamenei that Kashmir is not a country? And while you are at it, please also tell him that "Zionism" is normally used in connection with Judaism whereas those in India who are not Muslims follow different faiths like Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism besides Judaism. I am sure he mustn't have heard of many (or is it any?) of these religions.

It's time India stops being friendly with the countries whose so-called Supreme leaders are so ignorant of world history and geography. Oh, I forgot, they don't teach these subjects in the Madarasaas, do they?

वक्त दोही कठिन गुजरे है सारी उम्रमे
एक, तेरे आनेसे पहले
एक, तेरे जानेके बाद

Have a great weekend, folks!

A friend forwarded the following SMS to me:

"Indians are poor but India is not a poor country". says one of the Swiss Bank directors. He says that "280 Lac Crore" of Indian money is deposited in swiss bank which can be used for 'taxless' budget for 30 years, can give 60 crore jobs to all Indians, from any village to Delhi 4-lane roads, forever free power supply to more than 500 social projects. Every citizen can get monthly Rs 2000 for 60 years. No need of World Bank and IMF loan. Think how our money is blocked by the rich politicians. We have full right against corrupt politicians.

While I don't agree with "Rs 2000 for every citizen"(God knows we Indians are lazy enough without the government doling us free money!) or a 'taxless budget' , the rest of the scenarios make a lot of sense.

Shame on all the politicians for hoarding this money!

I hope all the idiots who slog for them as party workers read this SMS so they know exactly who they are working for. :-(

I hope all those who don't vote in the elections read this SMS so they know what it is costing them and the country when 'duds' get elected because good clean people aren't voted to office.

And I hope every Indian reads this SMS so that we can all keep a close tab on these shameless creatures called 'Indian Politicians'!

पक्ष्यांसाठी हक्काचे घर

जिन्दगीका मुकद्दर सफ़र दर सफ़र
आखरी साँस तक बेकरार आदमी
हर तरफ हर जगह बेशुमार आदमी
फिरभी तनहाईयोँका शिकार आदमी

--- निदा फाजली

Amid growing vulgarity and cheap antics on the reality show "Bigg Boss", the I&B officials' decision to air the show only after 11pm brings little relief. I am not sure who they are kidding my assuming that all children will be safely in bed by that time.

Moreover, the conspiracy theorist in me is shouting that people from TV channel "Colours" must have themselves complained to the officials in a bid to get the show rated as an 'adults only' one. So people who were not watching it earlier might now want to check out what the whole hullabaloo is all about :-(

If the I&B officials have any guts, they should stop the airing of this show immediately. One wonders why Shivsena and MNS, who otherwise cry themselves hoarse over being the guardians of the Maharashtrian culture, are silent about it.

Meet Narayanan Krishnan - CNN Heroes.

I seriously have no idea how the time is flying. Suddenly I am finding myself in the middle of the week. :-( I have been just browsing through the business paper Mint late night at home. The book on WW2 that I got from the library eons ago looks forlornly at me from across the coffee table. And I don't remember when was the last time I watched one of my favorite channels :-(

Sometimes life just terrifies me with its dizzying speed. Am I living it or merely surviving from one day to the next?

मंजरही हादसेका अजीबो गरीब था
वो आगसे जला जो नदीके करीब था

Travel port launches 'gift a toy' for underprivileged children

Check out http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/933909/National/1/20/1

The Sanskriti Express is here

There is another place worth checking out over this weekend in Mumbai. On 12th, 13th and 14th, the Sanskriti Express is going to dock at the CST station. Commemorating Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary, this train is a treasure trove for anyone who is a fan of or is interested in knowing more about Tagore's work - be it his poems, his songs or his paintings. All this plus some photographs are housed in the first 4 carriages of this train while the 5th one has crafts made by artisans of Shantiniketan for display and sale.

This train can be visited from 10am-8pm.

I am not much of an emotional person nor am I overly religious. But 3 episodes of the Ramayana (Telecast daily on FM 104.0, Mon-Fri, Daily 7am, 1pm, 9pm) brought tears to my eyes. One was, of course, where King Janak of Mithila finds Sita while tilling the soil. The second episode was where Prince Rama brings Devi Ahilya back to life and the last one was that of Sita Swayamwara.

I can understand my reaction to the first and third episodes. But I am surprised at myself for being emotional about the second one. I have always thought that it was mighty unjust of Ahilya's husband, Sage Gautama, to curse her for no fault of hers. And I strongly smell 'male chauvinism' in the whole idea of a male bringing a lady out of her misery. Yet, there I was, with tears in my eyes and without any explanation for them.

Perhaps each of us is made of centuries of beliefs and thoughts that we are ourselves unaware of. :-(

Those of you who absolutely love Sherlock Holmes have a treat in store this weekend as well at 11pm sharp. Check this schedule of the History Channel.

I rather like the new Mahindra 2 wheeler ads. They are different from the usual "Vroom" kind of bike ads. They tell people to drive responsibly. We need more of such ads. Way to go people!

Yesterday's episode of "Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations" was on New York. I envied the guy as he went around the neighborhood sampling dishes from Indian, Sri Lankan, Mexican and Chinese cuisine. The only time I couldn't watch it was when he gobbled up some Korean food - it seemed very alive :-(

With all due respect to those who lost their lives in yesterday's blasts in Pakistan, I find it rather suspicious that these blasts occurred after the US President reiterated his belief that Pakistan was more of a victim than the exporter of terrorism. :-(

हम भी कुछ खुश नहीं वफ़ा करके
तुमने अच्छा किया बेवफाई की

Have a great day ahead, folks!

Have a date with INS Vikrant

The Navy Week is here again and has brought with it yet another chance for the Mumbaikars to visit INS Vikrant. This light aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy has played an important role in the 1971 war. After being decommissioned in 1997, she has been converted into a museum.

INS Vikrant can be visited between 13-22 November, 10am-5pm at Tiger Gate, Naval Dockyard, Balard Estate.

Have a date with INS Vikrant! Have a date with a piece of India's history! :-)

Okay, so the state of Maharashtra has got a brand new CM now. If the newspapers are to be believed, then he is cleaner than any newly bathed baby. Well, well, well......I believe that politicians should be assumed corrupt until proven clean :-) As they say, Only Time Will Tell.

जाओ शीशेका बदन लेके किधर जाओगे
लोग पत्थरके है, छू लेंगे, बिखर जाओगे

Have a good evening, Folks!

I did a double-take when I heard that Harbhajan scored a century in the 1st Test against New Zealand. What is going on? Is the Global Warming responsible for this in any way? ;-)

Wanna know what you can and cannot do under RTI? Check out RTI Online Certification course.

I am a bit confused about why Tata Motors is saying that the safety device to be added to the Nano is optional. I guess the only people who wouldn't want to rush to get these devices installed will be the ones who want to commit suicide or the terrorists who are always interested in blowing themselves and others up in smoke. :-(

लोग हर धड़कते पत्थरको दिल समझते है
उम्र बीत जाती है,दिलको दिल बनाने के लिए

I am not sure why everyone is disappointed because Mr. Obama didn't say much against Pakistan during his recent India visit. Those who did expect something on these lines are either incredibly naive or were born in 2010. They should all wake up and smell coffee, as the Americans would say. India and US might have been termed as natural allies but given America's fondness for Paranoidistan, we will never become allies, naturally.

So what do I remember from the US president's visit? The dance that he participated in with his wife. There is really nothing else worth remembering!

It would have been downright funny if it had not been so insulting. I am talking about the incident where the US consulate asked for identification documents from Maharashtra CM and Deputy CM. Hello? You guys are in our country and you are asking for proof of our identity? How about giving us your social security numbers instead? How can we be sure that you are not one of the terrorists who are as of now unknown to the security forces?

I can understand their need to protect their leader but if he has to travel abroad they have to make some concessions. They cannot treat the whole planet as if it is part of the US of A, can they now? Otherwise Mr. Obama is better off staying within the four walls of the White House.

How does it feel to get back to office after Diwali is over? Well, I don't know. I was working from home intermittently over the long weekend. So today I am not even suffering from what is normally called "Monday-morning blues" :-) The office is very quiet today as many people have gone MIA. Sometimes I like it that way. I can get a lot of work done. I guess most of them will be back by tomorrow and then it will be the usual busy scene of phones ringing and people talking. For now, I am enjoying this solitude. After all, being alone doesn't always mean you are lonely ;-)

Happy Diwali Everyone!

Wish all of you a Very Very Happy, Fun-filled and Prosperous Diwali :-)

उसने कहा इतनी मुलाक़ात बहोत है
मैंने कहा रुक जाओ अभी रात बहोत है
आंसू मेरे थम जाए तो फिर शौकसे जाना
ऐसेमे कहा जाओगे बरसात बहोत है

I am sure most of you would have heard the term UFO. But do you know what is a USO? Well, I came across this term while watching a program on the Bermuda Triangle on the Discovery channel. It stands for Unidentified Submerged Object. Now all that we need is a UWO - Unidentified Walking Object :-)

It was heartening to read that the number of visitors to Gir have increased noticeably. (It's roaring biz for Gir, courtesy Big B). Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that this traffic could well be the result of Diwali holidays. But even if celebrity endorsement has a tiny part to play in this, then this model should be replicated for major tourist spots in India - not just for increasing the visitors but also for encouraging people to take a more active part in preserving our heritage. How about getting Sachin Tendulkar asking people to visit and help conserve important (but often ignored) jewels in Maharashtra?

I had mentioned on this blog before that World Cafe has now started airing episodes on the Middle East (Travel and Living channel). So far I have watched episodes on Jordan as well as Syria and they were very interesting. The latest one on Egypt was no exception either. I had never seen a purple variety of basil before in my life. The concept of pigeon farmers was a novel one too. I just wish they air more repeat telecasts of this program. :-(

एहसास मर न जाए तो इन्सान के लिए
काफी है एक राह की ठोकर लगी हुई

No, this शेर is not reflecting my "mood of the day". It just happens to be one of the many forwarded SMSs that I had saved to be posted on this blog. I have been very busy for the past couple of days and so couldn't post though I very much wanted to. :-(

Let me sign off with this forwarded शेर:

वफाका नाम जो ले, बेवफा लगे है मुझे
यहाँ तो हर कोई बस आपसा लगे है मुझे

Good Night Folks!

I know I haven't been posting a lot of original content here these past few days. But I am truly pressed for time this week. And the Notes section of my cell phone has been overflowing with links of the sites that I kept on adding there in the hopes of one day writing about them on this blog. Now I have decided to give those links here till I find some breathing time to pen down my thoughts.

Patience has never been one of my virtues but I am hoping it is one of yours :-)

एक जोड़ी कपड़ा

http://www.facebook.com/ekjodikapda

Another site worth checking out -- khanacademy.org.

Another saddening news this week is that Sony has stopped the production of its Walkman. I still have my very first Walkman though it has stopped functioning a long time back. I haven't yet had the heart to throw away the cassettes that I have accumulated over the years. When I look at the collection, it brings back the happy memories of hunting through stacks of cassettes to look for the one containing the maximum number of favorite songs, playing the cassette over and over again and going for long walks with just my Walkman for company.

I am growing old for sure :-)

India's First Multimedia Novel

Check out http://kuhoo.in/

I wasn't too thrilled that the 3rd ODI between India and Australia had to be abandoned because of rains. When the match wasn't played at all, how can we talk about cleanly sweeping the Aussies in the Series? :-(

It was sad to read about the death of octopus Paul though the news reports had mentioned that he was already beyond his expected life span. Personally, I don't think there was anything 'psychic' about the whole thing because I remember reading article, somewhere on the net, that claimed that many sea-dwelling creatures possess similar abilities. But it felt good that, for a change, an animal shot into limelight in a world where humans are ready to do anything to achieve the same.

Let me start off with a thought-provoking SMS that I received today morning:

Most of the problems in life are because of two reasons:

One - we act without thinking
Two - We keep thinking without acting

Some food for thought to chew on at the beginning of the day, huh?

I will sign off for today with this शेर from जिगर मुरादाबादी:

अब तो येभी न रहा एहसास
दर्द होता है या नहीं होता

Have a nice evening, Folks!

Been fascinated with the residents of the Animal Kingdom shown on TV channels? For Mumbaikars, there is a chance to have a close encounter with them - Now, Mumbaikars can look forward to a wild weekend

At first I thought that Indira Jaisingh was right when she said that the word 'keep' is derogatory for women. But now I think that what is derogatory is not the word but the status itself - of having to stay with a man without marriage just to support yourself financially. That is what lowers the dignity of women. The million dollar question, Ms Jaisingh, is, what we, as a society, are willing to do to prevent this from happening?

कहते है गमसे परेशान हुए जाते है
ये नहीं कहते इन्सान हुए जाते है

More apt lines were never written!

Sidin Vadukut's latest Cubiclenama reminded me of an incident during the last days of my MBA program. The campus recruitment was almost over. Most of us had jobs. A good friend of mine was torn between 2 offers that he had received - both from well-known IT companies. For 2 days he discussed the issue threadbare with me and another common friend. We were unable to have our breakfasts, lunches and dinners in peace. :-) A classic case of what is called, in MBA parlance, "Analysis Paralysis"!

Finally, one evening I decided that I had had enough. We had just seated ourselves in the dining hall when he restarted the discussion. I waited till he finished and asked him if he planned to retire from the company that he finally joined. He was taken aback at the question so I repeated it for him.

He commented that that was not the point. I said that that was exactly the point and asked him to answer my question. He said that it was unthinkable to stick around for more than 3-4 years or so. 'There you go' I said - 'Just think which company will be better from that perspective and you know which offer letter you have to sign.'

If I am not wrong, he moved from that company before 3 years were past and went back to the one where he was working at before coming to the B school. :-)

Today morning, someone forwarded me this - Why a Buddhist priest from Japan is studying MBA at ISB, Hyderabad. It's an interesting read. But what is more interesting and perhaps, more entertaining are the comments at the end. Some people have raised questions about the admission criteria. Some have wondered if priests are allowed to get married. And some have started fighting amongst themselves.The last one, sadly, is a normal phenomenon in the comment section of any articles on the web. :-(

Hooked to Hippo!

To be frank, I had not much liked the flavors that Hippo had first brought to the market. But a few days back I saw a whole new range of their flavors in the neighborhood supermarket and decided to give them a try. I am glad I did. Goan Butter Garlic and Gujarati Mango Chutney are simply yum! Plus these chips are baked, not fried. What more can one ask for?

Oh, and BTW, if you want to shoot these munchies at the likes of Osama and Musharraf, go ahead and visit http://www.hippofighthunger.com/ :-)

ये सोचतेही रहे और बहार खतम हुई
कहा चमनमे नशेमन बने कहा ना बने

-- असर लखनवी

Come, fall in love with Ramayana

Talking about the FM channels, I am getting addicted to the Ramayana being telecast daily on FM channel Fever (104.0). I must say that I was never a fan of the epic. I have always thought it to be too idealistic to be applicable to the modern times. I have always liked Mahabharata better. But this Ramayana has got me hooked - despite Nasiruddin Shah's Marco-like Ravana :-)

You can catch Ramayana at 7am, 1pm and 9pm.

Life Gulmohar Style

A few days back I tuned in to FM Rainbow in the hopes of catching the latest on the radio drama - Life Gulmohar Style. Just a day before, Chanchal, one of the characters, was in the hospital. So I wanted to know what happened next. But I was surprised to find that it was the last telecast of the drama that day. On one hand, I was happy that I could catch the last episode. On the other, it was sad because the characters of Chanchal, Maanvi, Revant , Chirantan and Sara had become so familiar and dear. I will surely miss them!

If you want to catch the episodes, visit http://www.lifegulmoharstyle.org/

Good link for lovers of classical music in Mumbai

http://indianmusicgroup.org/

Green shoots of recovery

2 articles worth reading:

Green shoots of recovery

Tamil Nadu looks for a front bench

Long Live the Potato!

The good old potato can breath a sigh of relief now. If the latest research is anything to go by, then the potbellied veggie can help weight loss if prepared in a healthy fashion. To ensure that the vegetable needs to show a bit of skin :-) I nearly went weak in the knees when I read that the people who were part of the research group were given 5 to 7 servings of the potatoes per week! Wow!

Now I am waiting for the day when the researchers will claim that a combo of dollops of chocolate ice-cream, innumerable chocolate chips and sizzling rich chocolate sauce can do wonders for weight loss :-) I will be in heaven!

Time for a forwarded शेर:

अर्झ किया है...

शायद किसी राहीको सायेकी जरुरत हो
इस वास्ते, ऐ यारो, हम धुपमे चलते है

Masterminds - Fox Crime

This is one serial I am increasingly getting hooked to. Yesterday night there were 8 episodes back-to-back. Of course, I could watch only 3 of them but they were very interesting. The first one was "Fool's Gold" - about a mining scandal that involved a Canadian mining company called Bre-X and a region in Indonesia called Busang. The second episode was "The Bandit Queen" - Judy Amar, who targeted homes of the wealthy folks residing at Florida's gated communities in the 90s. And the third one was about Carl Gugasian, The Friday Night Robber, who robbed the banks at the closing time on Fridays.

How I wish our desi channels would air such programs on interesting crime cases in India.

दसर्याच्या शुभेच्छा!

D: धन
A: ऐश्वर्य
S: सामर्थ्य
A: आनंद
R: राजयोग
A: आरोग्य

दसर्याच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा! :-)

अर्झ है....

दिलके दर्दको जुबापे मत लाना
अपनी आंखोसे आसू मत बहाना
जख्म चाहे कितने भी गहरे हो
"डेटोल"के सिवा कुछ मत लगाना :-)

Find out how the self-help groups are empowering women all over Maharashtra to bring about the change in their neighborhoods - Banking on daughters of the family

Iron deficient Politician

Have you seen the Kellogg's ad in which the lady is standing right in front of the mike in a wedding when she bad-mouths the groom's parents? Turns out her brain isn't functioning at its optimum best because of iron deficiency. Now you know which politician I am talking about, don't you? :-)

Time for a forwarded शेर:

अपनी धुनमे रहता हू
मैभी तेरे जैसा हू
तू जीवन की भरी गली
मै जंगलका रास्ता हू

I would like to go down this road once. :-)

For those of you who have watched "Masterchef Australia" and wondered about its desi version, there's good news. Starting from 16th October, Masterchef India will be telecast on Star Plus (Sat-Sun) 9pm. It will be hosted by Akshay Kumar. Let's get cooking :-)

Here's a site worth checking out: http://captainvinayakgore.info/. I won't say anything beyond that!

The "Down Under" Syndrome

If you think that it's only Picky Ranting and his team who cannot take defeat gracefully,you would be sadly mistaken. If what the Aussie athletes did in the CWG village when their cricket team lost the Test Series to the Indian team is any indication, then the Aussies sportspeople in general seem to be bad losers.

I am not sure India did right by hushing the whole incident up so as to avoid any diplomatic tensions. I think it would have been better if there had been a mighty diplomatic row over it. At least, the Aussies would have learnt not to resort to such "monkey" tricks again!

If you miss out on the morning 7am telecast of Ramayana on FM channel Fever, don't worry. You can listen to the same at 9pm. Personally though, I don't think Nasiruddin Shah has yet got the bearing of Ravana well. I keep getting flashes of his Marco (Chamatkar) every time Ravana speaks :-)

BA-Lucky

Congrats! U R Lucky Winner for Hyderabadi Pearl Set of Rs.2499/- For Details, SMS "---" to ----------. Valid for 72 hours only.

I must have got this message at least 25 times over the weekend. I am so angry that I will NEVER EVER go for a Hyderabadi Pearl Set even if someone gives it to me for free. :-(

Time for a forwarded शेर:

मिला ना दिलका कोई कद्रदा जमानेमे
ये शीशा टूट गया, देखने-दिखानेमे

There was a time when the product ads were remembered for their catchy tunes. Who can forget "Hamara Bajaj" or "Happy Days are here again. Food, friends and Thums Up"? But these days the ad agencies are covering up their inability to come up with memorable jingles by using mutilated versions of old Hindi favorites. First it was Scooty Pep with its "जाने दो ना", then it was Yamaha with "रुक जाना नहीं"। And the latest entrant seems to be Coke. Don't ask me which Hindi song they are using. I don't remember - simply because the song had nothing to do with a soft drink.

Is this laziness, "चलता है" attitude or simply lack of imagination?

A Turkish Proverb:

Listen a 100 times.
Ponder a 1000 times.
Speak but once.

If you can read and understand Marathi, then read the first letter from this link - http://loksatta.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=56&Itemid=69&limitstart=1.

Can someone please ask VHP to visit Mathura?

Lord Ram owes his fame to Wahid in Sangam city

The media in this country is not in the habit of giving prominence to any news that would promote peace and brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims. But I am determined to post even tiniest of such examples on this blog in order to do my tiny bit for my country. Check this out - Lord Ram owes his fame to Wahid in Sangam city.

If you come across similar news, please feel free to send me the links. :-)

Hey Ram!

Here we go again. Now VHP is saying that it will settle for nothing short of the 67-acre plot of land at Ayodhya. Even if Lord Rama were to Himself materialize in front of these people and insist that He does not need any grand temple, I am sure they will tell him that he doesn't understand a thing about Kalyug and should therefore keep quiet. It's a sorry state of affairs that these people think they represent the religion that preaches peace and humility. :-(

It must have taken nerves of steel to watch the final moments of the India-Australia Test match yesterday. Hats off to those who managed it! India has had a rich history of cricket teams losing the match by whiskers. Anyone could have been forgiven for assuming that history would repeat itself this time too. But thanks to VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma, we managed to pull off a victory. Hats off to you guys!

Time for a forwarded शेर:

ये दिल नाउम्मीद तो नहीं नाकाम ही तो है
लम्बी है गमकी शाम मगर शाम ही तो है

Frankly, I didn't have it in me to watch the whole 3 hour launch of Bigg Boss 4. So I managed to peep in two or three times.

One of the occasions was when that Veena Malik walked in. On another occasion, I saw Rakhi Sawant and promptly changed the channel (Watching Rakhi and Salman together would have given me acidity before going to bed and nightmares afterwards!).

When I ended up on that channel for the last time, I think all 14 people were in place at Big Boss's home. But apart from Malik, I was able to recognize only Ashmit Patel, Sweta Tiwari and Samir Soni. Looking at some of the contestants (that Begum for example!) I wondered, albeit for a brief moment, if I have landed onto some reality show on a Pakistani channel (Talk of parallel worlds bumping into each other!)

I had to check out their official website the following day to figure out who the rest of the people are. God help them and all the viewers who will tune in to this madhouse for 3 months! :-)

So the games have finally begun. So far so good! But yesterday there was a very irritating message flashing on, I think, Times Now. 'Should corruption be exonerated?' it read. I don't know what this means. I don't even know why we need to ask this question when the answer rings very loud and clear - "NO". What is this? A Karan Johar movie - where all is well that ends well? :-(

I am always amazed by the kind of messages that are posted on the alumni network of my B School. Just today morning, I finally managed to log in to a mailbox full of week's worth of messages. There were usual mails about someone wanting to rent their property, someone wanting an apartment on rent, people wanting to sell or buy cars. Then there were mails for vacancies in companies and resumes of friends.

Of course, there were a few interesting ones like someone wanting a report on health-care facilities in Mongolia. Huh? If you give me a map of the globe, I will not be able to tell you where this country is located (Geography was not my claim to fame, ever!) and there are people interested in knowing about their health-care facilities? If this ain't amazing, I don't know what is.

Then there was someone looking for interventional specialists (radiologists and cardiologists). I had to run to Google for understanding what this means. :-)

I had a brief moment when I envied these people for working in fields which are so different from mine. But the next moment, I felt very proud to be a part of such diverse and rich alumni base, though I am just plain old IT :-)

Time for forwarded शेर:

वो कौन है जिन्हें तौबाकी मिल गयी फुरसत
हमें तो गुनाहभी करनेको जिंदगी कम है

Have a nice weekend and take care folks!

Doctor: Your hubby needs rest and peace. Here are some sleeping pills.

Wife: When should I give him these?

Doctor: They are for you!

संता: आज मुझे अजीबसा मेसेज आया। फिर मेरा सेलफोन स्विच-ऑफ़ हो गया
बंता: ऐसा कौनसा मेसेज है?
संता: Low Battery
बंता: मुझे भेज। सबको डरायेंगे

I am not sure about the Ayodhya verdict. On one hand, it is good news that the courts haven't ruled in favor of any one party. But that also means that they have left the door open for future bickering and court cases. I think it would have been in country's best interests if the courts had directed that the place be used for constructing a school or a hospital. (I am not even sure if the courts can rule like that. So much so for learning civics in school!) I don't think the 3 parties will decide something similar on their own :-(

Of course, there is no guarantee that such a school or hospital will not be razed to the ground in future by fanatics of one side or another. Perhaps, it will be best if the site hosts prayer places of all the religions in India. That way no one will dare touch it in future - except may be the atheists!

Link for Mumbai Festival - http://mumbaifilmfest.com/

आज राम जन्मभूमि-बाबरी मस्जिद का फैसला होनेवाला है। हो सकता है इस फैसले से कोई विवाद हो
अलग अलग धार्मिक पार्टीज आपको उकसाए, मंदिर या मस्जिदकी बात करे। तो एक बात याद रखना के दंगोमे मरनेवाला न हिन्दू होता है न मुसलमान। वो सिर्फ किसीका भाई, बेटा, बाप या किसीके घरका चिराग होता है। क्योंकि वो सिर्फ और सिर्फ इन्सान होता है, कोई हिन्दू या मुसलमान नहीं होता। और इसी इंसानियत के नाते इस मेसेजको जितना हो सके फैला दो।

माणसांनी भरलेल्या मुंबईसारख्या शहरात एका दुर्गम ठिकाणी शाळा उभी रहावी म्हणून धडपडणार्‍या माणसाला साथ मिळु नये ही किती वाईट गोष्ट आहे। वाचा - सामाजिक भान आवश्यक.

बाप्पा ||

आणखी एक forwarded mail:

परवा भेटला बाप्पा, जरा वैतागलेला वाटला ,
दोन क्षण दम खातो म्हणून माझ्या घरी टेकला ,

उंदीर कुठे पार्क करू ? लॉट नाही सापडला,

मी म्हंटलं सोडून दे, आराम करु दे त्याला ,
तू पण ना देवा कुठल्या जगात राहतोस ?
मर्सिडिस च्या जमान्यात उंदरावरून फ़िरतोस ,
मर्सिडिस नाही निदान नॅनो तरी घेऊन टाक,
तमाम देव मंडळींमधे भाव खाऊन टाक,

इतक्या मागण्या पुरवताना जीव माझा जातो ,
भक्तांना खुश करेपर्यंत माझा जीव दमतो ,
काय करू आता सार मॅनेज होत नाही ,
पुर्वीसारखी थोडक्यात माणसं खुशही होत नाहीत,
इमिग्रेशन च्या रिक्वस्ट्स ने सिस्टीम झालीये हॅंग ,
तरीदेखील संपतच नाही भक्तांची रांग ,
चार आठ आणे मोदक देऊन काय काय मागतात,
माझ्याकडच्या फ़ाइल्स नुसत्या वाढतच जातात,

माझं ऐक तू कर थोडं थोडं डेलिगेशन,
मॅनेजमेंटच्या थेअरीमधे मिळेल सोल्यूशन ,
एम बी ए चे फ़ंडे तू शिकला नाहीस का रे ?
डेलिगेशन ऑफ़ ऍथॉरिटी ऐकल नाहीस कारे ?
असं कर बाप्पा, एक लॅपटॉप घेउन टाक,
तुझ्या साऱ्या दूतांना कनेक्टीव्हिटी देऊन टाक,
म्हणजे बसल्याजागी काम होइल धावपळ नको,
परत येउन मला दमलो म्हणायला नको,

माझ्या साऱ्या युक्त्यांनी बाप्प झाला खुश,
माग म्हणाला हवं ते, एक वर देतो बक्षिस,
सी ई ओ ची पोझिशन, टाऊनहाऊस ची ओनरशिप,
ईमिग्रेशनदेखील होइल लवकर मग ड्युअल सिटिझनशिप.

मी हसलो उगाच, म्हंटल, देशील जे मला हवं .

म्हणाला मागून तर बघ, बोल तुला काय हवं.

'पारिजातकाच्या सड्यात हरवलेलं अंगण हवं ',
'सोडून जाता येणार नाही अस एक बंधन हवं',
'हवा आहे परत माणसातला हरवलेला भाव',
'प्रत्येकाच्या मनाच्या कोपऱ्यात थोडासा शिरकाव ',
'देशील आणून परत माझी हरवलेली नाती ',
'नेशील मला परत जिथे आहे माझी माती ',
'इंग्रजाळलेल्या पोरांना थोडं संस्कृतीचं लेणं ',
'आईबापाचं कधीही न फ़िटणारं देणं ',
'कर्कश्श वाटला तरी हवा आहे ढोलताशांचा गजर ',
'भांडणारा असला तरी चालेल पण हवा आहे शेजार ',
'य़ंत्रवत होत चाललेल्या मानवाला थोडं आयुष्याचं भान',
देशील का रे बाप्पा माझ्या पदरात एवढं दान ?

"तथास्तु" म्हणाला नाही, सोंडेमागून नुसता हसला .

सारं हाताबाहेर गेलंय पोरा, "सुखी रहा" म्हणाला.