The joy of wind in your hair........

........is truly appreciated when you are stuck in a BEST bus for two hours because of a bad, but normal traffic Jam on the Andheri Kurla road. And when this happens three days in a row, it is but the vision of paradise.

When I fell in love........

Unlike a lot of Hindi Movies, it wasnt love at first sight for me. When i saw her for the first time, I wasnt much impressed . She was a bespectacled, simple girl, though on the cuter side. Mind you, although simple , she wasn't the seedhi-saadhi types . She was sexy in her own way . After so many years , the most abiding memory of our first meeting is that of her eyes. They were alive . Even through her glasses, they conveyed so much without her saying a word. And she didnt speak much . I remember our first few meetings were dominated vocally by me with some little
garnishings provided by her. I still don't know why i thought that i should be friends with this girl .

Anyway, the story progresses. We became good freinds, although her friend was a much closer friend of mine. All this time, I had some sort of an attraction towards her. IT wasn't love for sure and definitly not infatuation. But i wanted her to talk to me. If she talked to other boys , it made me a trifle irritated. And this feeling of
irritation irritated me even more . I would call her up and talk for 20-30 minutes. I also felt frustrated that she didn't open up a lot. While i poured out my heart's contents to her, she never told me about her personal feelings. She would be very gaurded when wew talked about her or others. I was forever confused about her feelings and also my feelings. Did I love her ? Did she even look at me that way ?

Slowly but surely, we became very good freinds. She started opening up . I realized what a wonderful person she was. And so much different from me. While I was outgoing & carefree , she was a shy and introvert type of girl .I was very temperamental, inclinced to go off the boil at the slightest opportunity, she was the very picture of calmness. I was a voracious reader, she didn't like books. I loved Action and Sci-Fi movies, she loved the mushy mushy romantic movies. And yet we had something in common (other than our love for Chinese Food :) . I was never able to
put my finger on it . Maybe it was something that we both felt for each other .

Time went on, our first year at college finished, but my confusion didnt. We had a 20 days break and i went home . Was i in love ? Is this how it feels when you are in love ? should i ask her too ? I think about time i got off from the train , i was pretty sure that i loved her. But i didnt i had the courage to ask her . I didnt want to spoil the beautiful friendsship that we had . And i was mortally afraid of her refusal to my proposal . I kept wondering of i should call her up and tell her about my feelings. But i didnt . the Distance between us made me miss her even more . I realized that i was gone ; hook,line and sinker.

I didnt propose to her even after coming back . My lack of knowledge of her feelings made me hold back . However, there was a change in her attitude post holidays . She became more open . We talked a lot . And i sometimes caugh the same look in her eyes which i had in my eyes. Should i propose or not ? Then came the fateful day (August 30th ) when i caught hold of her diary . I quickly read it (Yeah, I am ashamed of it now ) and saw what she had written about a special friend - Me. That was when i realized that she also felt the same way . And the next day was the most beautiful day of my life. Because it was on August 31st , that i proposed to her . And more importantly, it was the day, when she said yes to be my partner for life :) .

RICH Demands Reservation !!

RICH- Rich Influential Cosmopolitan Hindustanis- An association formed to safeguard the interests of the Rich and Very Rich of India has demanded that 5% of seats in Premiere Education Institutions like IITs and IIMs be Reserved for sons, daughters and other children of the members of RICH. Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Raj Malhotra, the Urbane hero of many Yash Chopra and Karan Johar Movies and the spokesperson for RICH pointed out the compelling reasons behind this demand.

According to Mr. Malhotra, RICH have always been an underprivileged lot; who have had horrible atrocities inflicted on them by the lower economic classes. They are forced to shop in malls and watch movies in Multiplexes because the shops and single theatres are jampacked by the lesser-moneyed-poor-Indians. The members of RICH are forced to buy expensive cars because there is no space in the public transport such as buses. They are forced to go to the Discos and Pubs because the Desi Dance Bars Daroo Addas are filled with the lesser-moneyed-poor-Indians. To add to that, they don’t serve Tequila and fail to provide other means of squandering money. Now, when a son or a daughter or the other children of RICH are forced to go to Pubs, Multiplexes, Malls etc., they ending up wasting so much time that they hardly have any time left to study. RICH claims that the drugs sold by the lesser-moneyed-poor-Indians are a part of a terrible conspiracy whose sole purpose is to make sure that the RICH kids are always in a drug-induced haze and hence are unable to study.

When asked by Reporters that the RICH can afford to send their kids abroad or in worse situations start their own institutions like IIPM or AMITY so that their kids can become Gold Medalists without much Fuss, Mr. Malhotra was immediately on defensive. He tried to evade the questions just as members of RICH evaded taxes. However, RICH has yet to gain expertise in it. Mr. Malhotra proclaimed that they do not want to waste the country’s precious resources by starting their own institutions, when those resources could be put to better use, like designing RICH houses and opening more malls and pubs. What Mr. Malhotra failed to acknowledge was the unspoken fear that if RICH sent their kids abroad, they wont be RICH as compared to the Americans or the British.

RICH plans to start an SMS campaign to support their cause. They also plan to have Hunger strikes, wherein they will make the supreme sacrifice and stay off Subway and Pizza Hut and eat only home cooked food. In the spirit of Agitation, RICH members have promised to stay off spirits for the duration of the campaign. Coca-Cola has promised to sponsor the agitation by providing free Cokes and Kinley bottles to the agitators. Air-Conditioned Tents are being setup in front of all prominent Malls and Pubs so that the RICH can visit them whenever the need arises, or whenever the Page 3 Reporters are not there. Tremendous infrastructure is being provided to the agitators so that the business deals the kitty parties are not interrupted. Several prominent Beauty Saloons will be setting up kiosks in the Tents to cater to the martyrs. As Mr. Malhotra said, RICH are here to stay!

P.S -> The post is intended to be satirical and does not reflect my views regarding RICH. I, being a regular visitor to the Malls and Multiplexes, am not in a position to criticize the RICH for doing the same :).

A Decision Making Tip for Indian Ministers

You are a Minister in State Government. Naturally, such an important post poses a set of extremly dificult questions like :

What to do if you have become minister for the first time ?
What to do if you got elected because of massive booth-capturing ?
What to do if you are in the Cabinet only to appease some regional party ?
What to do if you hate the portfolio you have been allotted ?
What to do if your only purpose in becoming minister was to ensure that you fill up your coffers while emptying the state's coffers ?
What to do if you are totally clueless about your portfolio ?
What to do if you have absolutely no idea what to do to ensure the well-being of Indian Citizens ?
What to do if you want to be known as a Swadeshi while secretly sending your son to US for studies ?

Confused ? Don't be ! Because there exists a simple solution .

Just Do what Narottam Mishra of Madhya Pradesh Did and enjoy a peaceful stint until the next government takes over .

Pledge

I will not watch World Cup matches till 2am in the night when i have office the next day ......
I will not watch World Cup matches till 2am in the night when i have office the next day ......
I will not watch World Cup matches till 2am in the night when i have office the next day ......
I will not watch World Cup matches till 2am in the night when i have office the next day ......
I will not watch World Cup matches till 2am in the night when i have office the next day ......
I will not watch World Cup matches till 2am in the night when i have office the next day ......

I am writing this from my office....hopefully not in Outlook . Yawn..Yaw..Ya..Y...Z..ZZ..ZZZ..ZZZZ..ZZZZZ..ZZZZZZ.....

Travelogue :)

- For the first month of my summer internship I was living at Dadar. My office is Anderi(W) near Lokhandwala. From Dadar I took a local to Andheri and then a rickshaw to the office. The whole process took around 50 minutes. The locals were not crowded as I was traveling in the reverse direction. Ah! Life was too good :).

However, certain circumstances have caused me to come back to IIT hostel. Now to go from IIT hostel to my office is nothing less than an adventure. First I cycle from the hostel to the gate which takes around 10 minutes. Then walk to the bus stop. This adds another 5 minutes. Usually I don’t have to wait more than 10 mins for the bus to come. Any bus going to Andheri from IIT is absolutely packed. Thus, for at least 10 minutes I have to hang on to the bus. Then, once I reach L & T I get inside the bus. From hereon it’s a lottery. If I happen to stand besides someone who has to get off before Andheri Station, then I thank my lucky stars and sit. Else, I silently curse the fellow who is sitting and look longingly at the other seats which get empty like anything. Once I get a seat I waste no time in going off to sleep. With the horrendous traffic that he encounters enroute to the station, it’s a wonder that the driver manages to get us to our destination in 1 hour.

Once I get off from the bus, I walk to the Over bridge to cross-over to the West. This takes another 10 mins. Then catch a Rickshaw and get to office. It takes a further 15 mins. Thus in a total of 1 hour 45 mins I reach my office. This whole procedure is repeated in reverse when I am coming back. A big consolation is the fact that I can get a seat immediately from Andheri Station as the bus starts from there. When I finally reach the hostel, you can imagine my plight. So, poor me does my daily 50 push-ups, has dinner, watches a movie, and embraces the sleep goddess. 7 hours of bliss before the grind starts again. I love Bombay .

The cancer stick and poison juice

I have long wondered why people smoke or drink. Having known loads of smokers and drinkers throughout my life, I have heard a plethora of reasons-

“Smoking improves digestion”, “Smoking makes me feel good”, “smoking relieves tension”, “Everyone smokes and hence I also should do it” etc etc

“Drinking in moderate amounts is not bad for health”, “Drinking reduces tension”, “Drinking makes me feel good”, “Everyone drinks and hence I should do it too”, “Drinking is a sign of adulthood”,

The reasons put forth by smokers and drinkers are quite similar. And yet none of them has as of yet convinced me. I can understand if an addict says that it makes him feel good, but what about someone who is just starting? What justification is there to “try it out”. Is it the lure of the forbidden fruit? To do it just because it is forbidden by your parents? In my view all the reasons put forth are just hogwash, a smokescreen to hide the real reason. Mind you, I am talking about the smokers and drinkers in the age group 16-25. If someone were to do a study on the drinking and smoking trends in this age group, I am willing to bet that the numbers will show an alarmingly increasing trend.

The primary motivation for people to drink and smoke or to “drinking and smoking” is the need to attract attention to them and to be a part of the “in crowd”. Smoking is cool. When you are seen with a cancer stick in your hand, it brings a sort of “dude” look to you. Look at the way people nowadays blow smoke. It is more of a show than anything else. A show for others like them or for those morons who think that this stuff is cool. Everyone knows that smoking is injurious to health. And yet, people choose to ruin their bodies. Is the need to be “in” so compelling that you forget your well-being. At least smokers should care about others in the vicinity. I don’t mind you ruining your body, but for god’s sake spare me from the second-hand smoke.

Drinking is seen as a more “in” thing than smoking. You have to drink at any college party, else what will the others think? Your roommate is drinking, so you are ashamed that you don’t drink. People will call you a sissy, someone still following his parents advice. Oh that is so “out”. If my girlfriend/ boyfriend drinks, it’s my duty to drink. After all, we have promised each other that we will live and die together. So, go on damage your body. Damage the trust your parents and others might have in you. You don’t want to be a goody-goody boy who doesn’t drink. You are extremely proud that you can drink 1 whole bottle without going out. Three cheers for you! That’s a terrific achievement. Also make sure that you can explain to your children why you have that liver or lung damage that is causing an early death. But alas, you have to be “in”. You have to be seen with a glass of drink in your hand. Colas and mocktails are for children. You have grown up now. So, drink merrily pal!

P.S. I have seen some of my near ones go from occasional “tryers” to addicts. Some are on their way to becoming addicts. And believe me, it is not pretty. It hurts me to no end. I have tried my level best to dissuade them. But I guess that the lure of smoke and drink is much more than mere love. There is still time….

A solution to overcrowded locals ?

Anyone who has travelled in the Mumbai locals can vouch for this - Even after so many days i simply cannot believe the number of people who cram into a car in the local . It defies explanation, boggles imagination and makes you spend 10 times the amount on Autos and Taxis .

Can having Express or Super Express Locals solve this problem. This will be a step ahead from the "fast" trains . For example, an Andheri - Churchgate Express local will not halt at any station in between . A Virar - Churchgate Super Express will not halt at any of the stations in between . Similarly for Thane - CST , Dadar - Kalyan routes. Will this reduce the burden on normal "slow" and "fast" locals ? Is this feasible ? I wonder ........

Heads Held High

Just notice how the Indians in the city walk. Always looking down to avoid stepping into the next god-only-knows-what-squishy-thing . Rarely do people walk with head held high . I wonder if same is the situation in the clean cities of the world :) .