Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi

Far from the congested alleys and cacophonous markets when you step on highways there is a completely different world waiting for you. But it is amazing to notice that each highway offers more or less the same panorama .Same petrol pumps, identical road strips , sign boards just differ in contents otherwise the style is the same and the most important aspect of this different world it's citizen the Truck waalas (we all who travel once in a while are just like tourists).


Myriads of times we see trucks passing by and think it was just facsimile of one that passed previously. It hard to differentiate between the trucks. Most of them are painted red, have this antenna kinda thing attached to the bonnet usually wrapped with red cloth which has some religious significance, and then they have this silver number plate with vehicle no. written in black (this is on the front side at the back it is yellow) , if you have ever been into driver's cabin you would have notice numerous small idols and lots of stickers on top of the glass, even the way they are sticked does not vary too much usually in contiguous fashion and one with greater importance placed separately to specify its significance. You will never find a water bottle instead will see a big water container for the purpose. Not going into the tools and all. Sideways, they are painted in three colours white at the top, red in between and then orange or green at last. But the best thing about them is the quotes that are written at back of the truck on wooden plank that is tied to chains.

Whenever a truck passes by I try my best to look for the caption at the back of this monster vehicle. While most of the time you will find them same sometimes you will get reward for your search. The most commonly used tags are:-

"Buri nazar waale tera mooh kaala"

"Maa ki dua"

"Fir milenge"

The one that I liked the most and have found it just on one truck goes like this

"Buri Nazar waale tere bhi bacche jiye
Bade ho kar desi sharab piye"

I later came to know that truck owner had a small liquor shop so that's great way to create customers. You bless your foes and get their kids as customers.

We have frequent encounters with truck waalas in Bollywood movies and they always depict them as jolly characters invariably having a great vocal chord. Well, I haven't met a single truck driver who sings while driving. At times they are as jolly as Parikshit Sahani in Kaala Pathar (one of my favourite movies) but they are never as cool as Shahrukh Khan of Chalte-Chalte. One movie that showed a different but close to real side of truck drivers was Dushman Chacha starring Rajesh Khanna. Then we have movies such as Gadar and Mama Bhanja (starring Randhir Kapoor) where truck drivers are heroes of the community.

These men live in two different worlds one with loads of disturbance and is moving aimlessly and one which they drive on their on own. Always wanting to beat the scorching heat, chilly winds, turbulent rains, intruding check posts, fellow trucks and most important of them all the deadlines. Reaching destinations just to plan for another voyage, meeting close ones just to tell them about yet another parting and igniting the engine just to shut it off on reaching the destination this is all they do and in the process they gather knowledge that none of us can ever achieve about the "Real World".

Mr. Feynman U must have been joking

At times you get inspired by what you see, hear or read. You try to imitate things that leave mark on your thoughts. At times you get things right while sometimes you land up in complete mess.During Diwali vacations I was reading this wonderful book about physicists Richard Feynman. I was truly amazed by the way he thought. Observing each and every thing with immense scrutiny, trying new things and applying commonsense to solve even the most difficult of problems. A true genius he was.

Now, two days before Diwali I was suppose to fix up a series of holders as few of the holders weren't proper. All I had to do was to call an electrician and give him the series and then collect it from him in couple hours of time. Simple enough, right. But then came Mr. Feynman. I thought why not try it myself after all I supposedly will be an engineer some time from now. What I didn't realize that it was not ICT engineer's domain that I was stepping in (quite true, till now I haven't done anything that an ICT engineer would do or I still don't know what they are suppose to do or are they suppose to do anything?). So, here I was with series of holders and dozens of bulbs checking each of them .Everything was fine till I tested 3 of them but then it was boom bam bam bam boooo...(a bulb broke).......aaaaaaa (cousin shouted) and (dhamdham dham dham dham...)I zipped to turn off the main switch downstairs and when I rushed back into the room it was smoke all over the place. In short I turned a series of holders which was not properly working to not completely working. So, my curiosity landed me in complete mess. I was exaggeratedly counseled for next next half an hour and then to cool my counselors down I told them that it was nothing but a few crackers before Diwali :P.Next day dad called up the electrician and then we had a brand new series for Diwali this time. It looked great on Diwali night :).

These days...

I know what are the paths to walk on but then they are too many . They seem to run in parallel yet giving me illusions that somewhere ,sometime ,somehow they will reach the same destination .

I decide to chose one of them only to find others more alluring .Then sometimes I change course ,sometimes I move on ,sometimes I remain stagnant .

I have seen dead ends and decided to stop until I saw jets flying over me .I was stuck in middle of the road until I was able to apprehend the signboard .I decided to halt until I found that I was just a few miles short ...

3 Bs

*ring

B1 - The Ingenious Stooge
B2 - The Manager
B3 - The Public Relation officer
B4 - Bugger One
B5 - Big Bugger One

J1 - Rakshash (Ghost)
J2 - Devi...naam hi kaafi hai

Written & Directed by - Sivaji

After analyzing networks across the world and untangling themselves with subtle threads the three B's (1,2 and 3) decided to focus on task that Sivaji ordered .Though the mission was nontrivial but this probably was a great opportunity for Company B to settle their scores against their arch rivals 'Devi & Associates' .The task could have been over well before it started with a click if any of them had a gf (all three of them are 'forced' members of All India Lukka Society).

Daunted by past defeats they were desperate to turn tables this time .B1 who wanted this mission to be appearing cumbersome at least took latter Bs(2 & 3) and exposed them to grueling realities and made them work just like RajBabbar did in his movies(finishing his homework under streetlights).

Stakes were high this time and so were the hurdles .Not only they had to beat the Js but also take care of the two Bs.So, 3 of them started their work sometime around 1 o'clock and were doing it well until they found whole ambience glistening .They were quick to guess that FC had been transformed to a sanctum by aura of "devi" .Just to feign the world that she was indeed one of the mortal souls she came along with a devil .

15 minutes passed listening to the pious preachings but soon devi disappeared in style similar to that of Frodo Baggins and so did the devil.Every thing was going well but distances are seldom covered without hitches and B2 was quick to spot the first one .B4 chitchatting with Manu bhaiya .If B4 had spotted the other Bs the consequences could have been catastrophic .The working rate would have dwindled the same way that sensex did in early 90's .But God helps those who hide themselves .3Bs decide to halt the process till their subject kin departed from the battle field .

Now it was just a matter of coup de grâce before three dwellers could have attained tranquility but then movie without a twist is seldom remembered and the twist was waving at them from distance of 50 mts .The smiles were replaced by melancholy faces in span of few seconds. But B3 was up to his
task just as an agile cat is while preying for rats .Just as a good PRO he didn't allowed B5 to make any relation with the project and literally took him for a walk .

Just as candle flames flitters just before dying off B5 was back again but not for long .It took just one sentence from otherwise quite B1 to make them see his back .The next few minutes saw them talking in numbers and they finally completed the mission .Neither any of them threw their arms in air nor they took off their T-shirts
like Dada but satisfaction on their face and sleep in their eyes was clearly visible .But like fairly tales they didn't lived happily every after .Actually it was just the beginning of worse time to come as they all were being forked for continuous 3 days ...

Ps:-
1. The Devi design failed miserably .The group members were boasting heavily about the work done by Gudadi ka lal Truck driver from past few days before they were shown the ground realities by Sivaji's Assistant .

2. The members of B and J companies nearly went into coma after seeing design by another South Indian company .

3.Now for all those who have taken pain to read the passage here is the time to gain. Identify all the characters and win a free trip to Sivaji's office .Please post your queries about the competition as comments .

Choice

Choices .As you grow each year,each day,each moment you think, you decide and you chose .You chose from what is with you ,you chose what you want to be with you and you chose what you don't want to be with you .You chose for yourself ,your friends and for your foes .

Choices are based on interests, disinterests ,neutralities ,experiences or just propositions by your fellows .Choices may be fascinating ,envious or dopey .Your choices can infatuate you ,they can soar you ,they can make others adore you or detest you ,they can instigate you or they can slump you .


Your hunt to chose begin as soon you wish yourself good morning (evening /afternoon/ night depending which upon class nocturnal or diurnal you belong). For few of us here in campus the first choiceof the day is the most difficult .We have to chose between the blissful pillow and the bugging alarm .Choice you might have guessed sets itinerary for rest of the day(night if former is the choice) .Other major choice that leaves me stranded is my meal .One thing that I hate is to stand before the brajwasi counter and think of my repast (actually looking closely I realise that I don't have any choices here .All the 'sabzis' taste the same).Coming back to haven (read room) you chose between the shelves infested with books and the second idiot box .These choices seem trivial but real test comes when you don't want to chose between the available choices .




A hell lot of things are expected from you .You are not recognized as an individual but your choices becomes your identity .They say that one choice can make or break your life .I don't know much about making the life part but I do believe that none of your choices can be worse enough to make you an all time loser .If you think that at some point of time in your life you took a step on path which at present seems to be heading towards dead end then there might be a way to go back and if not then keep moving till you find a turning that will usher you away from the dead end .Having born we have all the right to make choices whether right or wrong no one on this planet can tell at the time we actually have to make it .

Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test
and don't ask why.

It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Time of your life -Green day

Bavra mann.....

Few minutes back I got a message from Appy telling me to listen to the song 'Bavra mann..' from Hazaaron Khwaishein Aise .From the moment my player started ticking I fell in love with dis master piece .Not in mood to write much today I sign out with lyrics of the song I feel will rule my playlist for time to come .

Bavra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Bavra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Bavre Se Mann Ki Dekho Bavri Hain Baatein
Bavre Se Mann Ki Dekho Bavri Hain Baatein
Bavri Se Dhadkaane Hain, Bavri Hain Saansen
Bavri Si Karwaton Se, Nindiya Door Bhaage
Bavre Se Nain Chaahe, Bavre Jharokhon Se, Bavre Nazaron Ko Takna

Bavra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Bavre Se Is Jahan Main Bavra Ek Saath Ho
Is Sayani Bheed Main Bas Haathon Mein Tera Haath Ho
Bavri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Bavra Ek Raag Ho
O Bavri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Bavra Ek Raag Ho
Bavre Se Pair Chahen, Baavron Tarano Ke, Bavre Se Bol Pe Thirakna
Bavra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Bavra Sa Ho Andhera, Bavri Khamoshiyan
Bavra Sa Ho Andhera, Bavri Khamoshiyan
Thartharati Lou Ho Maddham, Bavri Madhoshiyan
Bavra Ek Ghooghta Chahe, Haule Haule Bin Bataye
Bavra Ek Ghooghta Chahe, Haule Haule Bin Bataye, Bavre Se Mukhde Se Sarakana

Bavra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Bavra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Bavra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Bavra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Thanks appy :)
and ya ,Happy Independence day

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Typical Bhopali

After abeyance I am back to the blogging world with different background colour and a header pic.To be frank I was relaxing all this time at home and was too busy to write something but definitely was not short of thoughts any time.

Sem 5 has already started and in midst of deciding electives I thought of keying the masses I have seen evolving in front of my eyes .The word 'Bhopali' literary means someone coming from Bhopal but if you ask a person who has grown old playing and listening to verses of Urdu in congested corridors of this ancient city, he will tell you that this word carries much deeper meaning. Owing to all technological bugging the number of people for whom the tag 'Bhopali' suits best are dwindling at an alarming rate .



Masses which were once renowned for their austere ethics and conduct are slowing creating a new place for themselves which neither is fully drooled by the west nor is it ready to accept things which are quondam .

A typical Shaver residing in Bhopal would have his own bike or jeep which is modified ostentatiously and would shed loads of bucks to maintain it but surprisingly he would
never spend more than Rs.20 (well this figure may vary but not too great extent) to refill his fuel tank .A typical Bhopali is die hard Salman Khan fan and would take even extralegal means to watch his movies on first day of release as if it is a matter of pride .He would spend his evenings hovering around beautiful lakes or sweating in gyms .He follows cricket with scrutiny and would cheer for Pakistani team expect for their matches against India .

Apart from all this notoriety he acquires great knowledge of Urdu (something I regret not to have), great taste for music, is obstinate about religious beliefs and is connoisseur of tea and non veg food .Like a stooge he would never deny an offered cup of tea even if it was preceded by myriads of cups .I am completely unaware of
sources from which Vidhu Vinod Chopra borrowed the word 'Mamu' but I have been listening to this word since my stay in Bhopal and it doesn't refer to a clod as depicted in movie .In fact it is one of the inevitable tags you hear from a Bhopali when he is talking to his colleague or his junior .It is great to talk and explore a Bhopali and you would find him raving about almost anything and everything and will definitely be mesmerized with his accent (The one Jagdeep (Surma Bhoapli)used in Sholay).

Ps:- Those who know me will agree that I am not a typical Bhopali as I do not own a bike nor do I like Salman Khan and on top of it I hate watching cricket nowadays but I love this city and am proud to have friends which are Bhopali in true sense.

Gods do love Federer

Stakes were high this time . Being thrashed by Spanish Bullin Paris Federer had to bounce back to settle scores at Wimbledon .The finalists were more or less decided
even before the tournament started but may be there was slightest of doubts whether Nadal would make it to the centre court as wise men still consider him as clay court wonder but then having edge over Fed-Ex (7-6) in head to head combats is definitely not a fluke and I was certain that he would make it to the finals .Well there is no doubt that Federer is one of the most successful player ever to step on court and his sheer presence can benumb his counterparts specially on grass where he can play his shots at will .But fight put up by Nadal deserves accolades and for the first time in six years we saw Wimbledon final being stretched to 5 sets .It’s irony on part of sportsmen that despite of being talented they do not get praises they deserve not because they are not good enough but just because there is someone who is better than they are .
Umpteen spinners have constantly been knocking doors of Indian cricket team since past 18 years but all their efforts to fetch that coveted blue jersey have failed just because they were born in era when Anil Kumble is providing his services to Indian Cricket team. Achievements of Jimmy Connors were always overshadowed by Borg’s talent .The great Rivalado was considered only the second best after Ronaldo. My apologies from deflecting away from the topic but the point is who’s better of the two one who is blessed with talent or one who works hard to be a prodigy? Nadal puts in lots of efforts to achieve his points and this is visible from all the running he does and ooo’s and aaaah’s he extrudes while playing his shots .On the other hand Federer has his own class and it’s sheer pleasure to watch how he maneuvers his opponents moves as if it was all pre-decided. Twice in final set Federer was behind with score board projecting 15-40 and in front of him was a man who didn’t miss a break point just month ago and still at the end of the day Swiss boy was able to hold most prestigious trophy in Tennis arena. It requires more than talent to reach altitudes that this man has reached . Nadal might be a great player but he is definitely not the greatest whereas Federer is blessed and therefore churches near Wimbledon say –“Gods love Federer”.

Paraphernalia ~ Potli baba ki

"Igatpuri - A perfect place to be on your honeynoon" as eulogized by one my colleagues (he is from Orissa) and rightly so as you cannot except anyone to bug you here .A beauteous place surrounded by hills and lakes can appear to be a paradise during first few days of your stay but as time passes you land on pragmatic grounds and realize that this stupendous doze of natural beauty is hard to digest and you are desperate to make your way back to mortal lands .

An excerpt from E-wing DA-IICT community written by Maddy aka Abhinav Shrivastav with few modifications by me ...
Bhai logo.... E-wing mein aapka swagat hai....
yeh woh wing hai jiski charcha Korea se lekar berlin tak ki jaati hai....
is wing ke bade bade bakar yodhdhaon ne saare jagat mein da-iict ka naam roshan karne ka beda uthaya hua hai....
yeh woh wing hai jisme desi jaise aur PK mahan bakarbaaz aur rajeev ranjan jaise casanova ka niwaas tha/hai....
yeh woh wing hai jisme chappy jindal jaise soor vir aur babu jaise mahan neta rahete hai .Saath hi saath is wing ne is prathvi k bahar k praniyo ko bhi aasra diya hai(ajeet)
bhaiyon, is samay is baare mein poori tarah se comprehensive hona to thoda mushkil hai par yeh samajh liyije ki is wing ka ek-ek niwaasi ek tarasha hua heera hai....
is wing ke itehaas ka to kya kehna.... DA-IICTY2K1 ke mahantam chhatr isi wing mein pale badhe huen hain.... aur technically speaking yeh ek samay par ek co-ed wing bhi reh chuka hai jahan ek hi chhat ke niche purushon aur mahilaon dono ka niwaas tha....
to bhaiyon garv se kahen.... hum E-wing waasi hain!!

[The following is written in HUMOUR and should be taken as that]

Completely smitten by the above article I decided to dedicate few songs to past and present members of this great dynasty .

4 Maddy (Abhinav Srivastav) - "mehengi bahut hai sharab k thodi-2 piya karo,piyo lekin rakho hisaab k thodi-2 piya karo.."

4 Desi (Abhishek Deshpande) - "Aate jaate hue mein sab pe nazar rakta hoon naam desi hai mera kya sabki khabar rakhta hoon ."

4 Sharma bhaiya - "yaaro sun lo jaara apna yeh kehena jeena ho toh apun k jaise hi jeena ..."

4 PK bhaiya - "yahan k hum sikandar chahey toh rakh le sabko apni jeb k andar arrey humse panga mat lena meri jaan ."

4 IshBish - "I m the ishky i the bisky rock star superstar"

4 Mundra - "Mast baharo ka mein aashiq mein jo chahe yaar karu.....saara jahan hai mere liye haan mere liye ."

4 Ajeet - "jab tak suraj chand rahega Nadal tera naam rahega " arrey yeh gana hai i saphat himesh bhai k agle album mein aane wala hai

4 Shekhar - "Humka aisa waisa na samjho hum bade kaam ki chiz haan-2 baade kam ki chiz"

4 anurag (my roomie) - "nanha munna rahi hoon desh ka sipahi hoon bolo mere sang jai hind jai hind...jai hind... jai hind jai hind...jai hind"

and last but not the least for chappy jindal -"dham dham dham dham dham dham dhadiya re sabse badi ladiyaa re omkara hai omkara..."

well I think it's enough for now .I m leaving for home tomorrow after completing my internship .So, this post v'll probably rememebered as my last post from 10.5.4.82 (IP assigned to my pc) unless I have to share something really interesting and that too in next 36 hrs .
Goodbye! for now and if any of you want to dedicate a song for me well I am not going to charge a penny just drop it in as comments .

Dil ko tumse pyaar hua....

I was heading towards bus stop after quite an interesting day at work (something which is rare) when suddenly I started humming this wonderful song and inadvertently it brought smile to my face .I have quite fascinating bonding with this particular song .

The story goes back to Synapse'06 when I was in my first year .Five of us Su du,Rathi,Anurag ,Sana and urs' truly being inspired by Sharma bhaiya decided to participate in footloose .It's still a mystery for me as how Rathi was able to convince me on this (may be I was doped).So, here were four newbie and Rathi as somewhat decent dancer under surveilliance of dance Guru Sharma bhaiya practised day and night to get the steps right .Rathi was the one for whom the task was a cinch but for rest of us it was like climbing a ben .It was not as if we had no experience of tapping our legs previously but it was more or less confined to DJ parties and shaadis .

After all the hard work came the big day .One thing good about all of us was that we all were well aware of our limitations and knew that we didn't even had the wildest chance to put up some kind of competition .And organizers did help us by allowing us to start the proceedings .Actually It really was a boon cuz by that time cameras weren't flashing (so there is no legtimate proof that we actually danced :Yes!:).Well I wasn't nervous that night but it was more that I wanted to prove something but to whom is what I haven't found .Special thanks to Rathi cuz of his impeccable movements he generated most of the attention and my awful performance was more or less unnoticed .After my horrendous show was over I did receive all kinds of comments from "Well Done!" to "Kya gand tha be" .The song "Dil ko tumse pyaar hua.."will remain special for me and will remind me of biggest folly in daiict(so far)...

Finding Nemo

Start of another sulking day in Igatpuri with even cozy weather outside not able to motivate me to be optimistic about next 11 hrs at work .I get up from bed doing routine things and rush to the gate only to find that I missed the bus .Doesn't matter I was anyway not in a hurry to go to my cubicle .With one of my friend heading towards the club to have breakfast I decided to accompany him as there was quite some time before the next bus arrived.

Sitting with a cup of tea, surrounded by guys having their breakfast I had nothing much to ponder about before my eyes were fixed on small aquarium placed at the corner of the room .It was matter of nanoseconds and my mind was overflowing with thoughts about four fishes strolling in that closed container .I stated analyzing their movements and somehow got the feeling that everytime they were near the glass they tried to push it in hope to achieve amnesty but all their efforts were futile .




Being a movie freak my thoughts inadvertently focused on the animated movie "Finding Nemo" .I remember that after watching that movie I started to hate those sophisticated tanks filled with water containing pisceses, employed only to add beauty to their surrounding .

Coming back to the topic, Finding Nemo is one of best animations that I have ever seen .An austere story presented in most sorcerous manner compels you to hold on to your seat before Nemo is eventually free .The movie actually makes you realize the importance of freedom which seems so trivial for us that we feel short even to imagine our lives without it and hence are incognisant towards plight of those who are deprived of it.Apart from this the story efficaciously potrays father-son relationship .Expression of too caring father for his incapacitated son and Nemo's desires to pursue daring acts reminds you of time when you weren't even allowed to venture to the shop at stone's throw from you house alone .Ignoring his foster's words and trying to be at par with his mates Nemo is caught in net and his future lies in peril .But then comes the twist .With his indomitable spirit to achieve freedom and his love for his fathers he is able raise the exit bar to meet his father who has come all the way riding on the pacific currents and travelling a poignant but courageous and adventuruous journey only too see his son fit and fine.

If you haven't seen the movie yet I hope I have been able to instigate you enough to get hold of this one and for those who have seen it you all must be aware that it's worth watching it again and again and again....

changingG Guards

I have never been a great follower of Tennis but past few months have witnessed my interest burgeoning towards this wonderful game .The reason for my hosility was not that I didn't had any intrest in the game but it was more to do with my passion towards cricket .But now slowly but surely my interest towards cricket seems to be dwindling .There are so many reasons behind this and one of the primary reason being that of India's debacle in recent WC.I haven't played since quite some time and I hope to see myself sprinting in the fields soon ,bending my legs and kicking the ball but then I am not sure whether I will be able to do this cuz in past I have seen my plans being thrased quite brutally .



Coming back to my growing intrest towards Tennis the credit goes to Mr. Ajeet Singh Sekhawat and his droolmaal Federer .It was fun arguing with him .Arguments started with any small talks or his patent actions but then they needed some weird counterpoints to survive for long and in midst of all this bak going on ,mention of his madness towards Fed-Ex was mandatory .Well this might not be convincing reason to follow Tennis and fairly so I mean you don't need any reason to watch Sharapova play (playing is not an important part).After watching few games I was gaining interest in the technical aspects of the game .When should a player charge at the net or why it is impotant to rally or player's position on court while playing a volly all these questions existed before but may be I wasn't aware of them .And thanks to my encounter with Bjorn Borg's autobiography which only aggravated my affection towards the game I decided to keep track of The French Open and though I wasn't able to follow all the tennis action but I certainly was enthralled by few matches that I saw .It was great to see Henin playing some extraordinary backhands and in the final Federer being crucified by the Spaniard(well may be I am exaggerating it a bit but then it's ok when you have Ajeet as one your blog's reader).Now ,I am desperately waiting for the Wimbledon to start and more importantly I want to be at home during the tournament so that I can catch up with all the action .Competition at Wimbledon as always would be tough and with Fed-Ex desperate for vengeance against Nadal we might expect great Tennis.I would like to see Carlos Moya advancing atleast to the semis .I saw one his matches and he was simply outstanding .As far as women's category is concern I definitely don't want the Russian gal to lose before the finals and sincerely hope to see Sania Mirza forging into 3rd round .This is my first post related to game other than cricket and I hope to come up with few more in near future.

Bo 10.12 F00

C 10.15 F3,V 10.17 F5,N 10.25 S13 these might appear to you as indecipherable codes if you are not a mumbaikar.These actually are the variables specifying timings for the local train and their destination .

Let me tell you the algorithm to decode this .The first alaphbet points to the destination of the train,the second place is for the time of arrival,the alphabet following it specifies whether the upcoming train is fast or slow .Fast train halts only at major stations till second last major station and at every station then onwards till the last station whereas slow train stops at every station between the starting and the final point .The final coloumn indicates no. of minutes left for the arrival .

I was smitten by the local train's working pattern when I tripped in it for the first time and my admiration for it has only grown as time has passed .I remember throwing challenges to myself as to learn the itinerary of locals from Borivali to Churchgate .Though it seemed to be a clinch but somehow I used to forget it everytime my tenure in mumbai ended and I had to start the whole exercise from ground zero next time I came to the city .But time has made me wise and now I even know the routes for the central line .

Nothing much has changed since my first interaction with the locals except for the introduction of grills in windows and setting of loud speakers in the compartment which are meant to yell out the upcoming station (this is futile cuz of the cacophony going in the compartment) .The sudden rise and fall in no. of people on the platform just before and after local has arrived may surprise a newbie .But this phenomena is contiguous from 4 in the morning till 1.40 at night till the last local departs for it's destination .The most amazing part of travelling in local is that unlike normal trains where you find experts raving about each and every thing from politics to cricket and from panipuri to hajmola, such highly qualified intellectualls sit(or stand most of the time) secluded from the strangers and most of them utilize this short journey for taking a nap.

Passengers travelling in locals are master in laws of mechanics and use their skills to the best .Running couple of meters while catching the moving train and coursing along the platform just cuz you aborted the journey before train came to a still so as to avoid the voracious herd running on to you to start their journey may seem obvious but if not done with perfection can be precarious .Travelling in locals may be an austere task but there are couple of things which makes it complicated and troublesome .First of all it is the change of tracks that you have do if you have to travel from a station in western line to a station in central line and vice versa.Lack of knowledge might lead you in unwanting circumstances.Secondly ,long and aeonian ques might exasperate you and you actaully decide not to travel in locals unless it is matter of life and death.Despite these minor obstacles you still tend to enjoy your ride til you get bored of it with frequent encounters.So, next time you visit this glam-sham city and if you haven't yet taken a ride in local, go ahead and enjoy it....

Pigeon Hole....

I was just sitting on the dinning table when this title struck me.I regret not to have posted this earlier but nevertheless I am here paying tributes to this legend .He was lethal cuz he was simple .Yes ,accuracy was the only weapon he had and he used it to the best .He could bowl at one spot throughout the day and still come out with the best economy rate at the end of the day .I remember during WC finals earlier this year when he was little wayward with his line and length Prateek Khurana commented that "Yaar ,lagta hai Pointing ne sikka(coin) guma diya " and not long after that we had Pointing jumping all around (Mc.Grath was back in rhythm).Not may sportsmen have fate to say final good-bye at the pinacle point of their career but he definitely was a exception .To leave international arena with bag full of wickets,having snatched Man of the Tournament award in your farewell tournament and too a WC and more importantly to be a part of team tagged as World Champions, well you can't ask for anymore .It will take great endeavour and patience for anyone to fill in his vacated place on international stage.

They said it in style..

Here are quotes from my favourite sportsmen .These legends have been tested time and again and every time they passed with flying colours .Salute to their indomitable spirit..


The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are their worst.
-Martina Navratilova

You have to expect things of yourselves before you can do them.
-Michael Jordan

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
-Lance Armstrong

For myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in.
-Ian Thorpe

You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about it.
-Tiger Woods

Scientists have proven that it's impossible to long-jump 30 feet, but I don't listen to that kind of talk. Thoughts like that have a way of sinking into your feet.
-Carl Lewis

Never say die .
-Steve Waugh

At least with me, the match starts much, much earlier than the actual match.
-Sachin Tendulkar

and this one is my favourite..

I wanted my macho moment in winner's enclosure rather than during a few isolated points in the match .
Bjorn Borg

Enigma of being Second...

Long was the race
It was stamina that mattered and not the pace
I ran till my last breath
But fate did not ordain the wreath.

At a point I was ahead
Swirling across the oval land
I thought victory was in my hand
But it squeezed pass as sand.

I crossed streams, rivers and forest
Gave it in my best
Wanted to unchain procure moments of ecstasy
But luck was the missing key.

Now I am standing beside the winner
Only solaces to hear.
They say I won silver
But I know I lost the coveted metallic colour.

Abe kya bachhe Ki jaan loge…

This was my first reaction when I saw Star News correspondents in search of culprits for more or less an average performance by Team India against Bangladesh in 1st ODI .This futile ODI became headlines of prime time news .Worst part of the over hyped coverage was the quest for weak links in Team India .It was appearing as if so called India’s only well wishers (Media) wanted this team to lose against the minnows (I continue to call Bangladeshis minnows despite of their performance in WC’07 ) and had their arsenal ready to be bombarded on already wounded clan .But MS Dhoni’s brave effort snatched
that opportunity from the prey searchers .As they say even Brahma cannot convince the stubborn same was the case against these news makers .In spite of India’s victory they started finding flaw in Dhoni’s style of Batting (common guys he was adjudged MOM ),Dravid’s facial expressions (can any one tell me what this is to do with the team performance )and Zaheer’s line and length (mind you he has been the most successful Indian Bowler in recent past ) .The in depth analysis bowl by bowl , match by match and that too by so called experts who haven’t been much successful in their cricketing carrier is just like making a mockery of Indian cricket .Just as political parties always are short of relevant issues it seems that even India Media is finding it hard to capture the pertinent picture of the country .Journalism is much more than cricket coverage or conglomerating information about abhiash’s wedding .It’s now time for ‘junta janardaan’ to decide for itself about do’s and don’ts .One thing that we need to understand it that winning does not call for worship but appreciation nor does losing calls for violence .We have to regain the patience that we have lost so that we actually think before we react to the situations blindly .

Fatal Celebrations $#@^&

I am writing this article 12 hours prior to my B'day .I have been continuously threatened with umpteen reminders that my B'Day comes on April 17th.From past one week I am finding Rathi as recent visitor in my profile and as a nice guest he
drops in a scrap every time he visits my profile .Each scrap is facsimile of the one posted on previous day except for the modification in the countdown .As the D day is approaching number of scourges intruding my profile are increasing .When
it's your B'day you are sole reponsible(well actually your roomie is also there) for all the miseries that exists on this planet and the army of angles beat you till you regret on your existence.
B'Day boy is a droolmaal for the mob to take out it's frustration that mainly is due to some highly qualified intellectuals .This is the time when you might feel that orkut account was the biggest folly that
you ever made.But then these thought do not last for long and after receiving bumps for half an hour or so (I might get them for little longer :fear:) you are back on orkut thanking each of the wisher individually and on next day convincing
everyone that you will give your B'day party some other day .As I am writing this article just received a scrap "aaj tu nahi bachega" from one of my seniors .Goodbye for now folks ! fatal celebrations are on the cards.

Parzania

I am just back from OAT after watching Parzania .One has to agree that this movie tops the chart as one of the most relevant movies to have ever been made in Bollywood .The movie is based on riots that occurred post Godhra incident in Gujarat in Mar'02 .The movie rolls around a middle class Parsi family residing joyfully in between Hindus and the Muslims .They would have continued the gala time but then the Godhra occurred and things changed from there on drastically.Post Godhra saw the massacre and this family was caught in no man's land bcuz of theirs susceptible identity for Hindus.Their friends showed them their backs,secure doors were shut down and in the midst of all these Parzan was lost .The later part of the movie showed the debacle of human race with corrupt policemen and malingerer political leaders harassing the victims .This might not sound new to us but the way it has been portrayed in the movie is exemplary .Few scenes were just masterpiece .One of them showing how young kid changes the course of the mob, running after Parzan's mother(played by Sarika) and her daughter, desperately wanting to slaughter them .Few dialogues had the mesmerizing effect. One of them by 'FIRANGI' glorifying Sarika's will power .The end of the movies sees the search for finding Parzan continuing and leaves us pondering about some polemical issues .
The story was inspired by a real incident and it needed high class performances from the cast to jolt the masses and indeed Rahul Dholakiya(director of the movie) managed his troops efficaciously.Naseeruddin Shah as always was brilliant ,great performance by Sarika ,Corin Nemec as the 'FIRANGI'(an opprobrious protagonist ),Parzan Dastoor as Parzan (small cute kid who featured in Dhara and fevitstic ads .) and cameos played by others managed to hold audiences' interests right from the word go.The movie hasn't been yet released in Gujarat as it questions the authorities and it's confederates .I take this opportunity to thank the 'Forward Forum' of DA-IICT to have arranged for the screening of this piece of class.

Try....

Inspired by Ajeet's recent poem 'I saw her' I decided to pen down(actually pressing down the keys) my thoughts in form of a verse .I know that I do not acquire any virtuosity in the task but I gave it a try....




try try try
try till dark are the clouds
try till the failure hounds

try against the blowing winds
try against the rising tides
try till you run out of the heat
try till you get to the feat

try when time is not yours'
try till you do not soar
try to beat few milestones
try to reach few more

try till you get your quarry
try till you answer your query
try, b'coz trying is not a sin
try until you win.

Think before you actually ThInK...

Just read an article "On Second Thoughts" in TOI by Mukul Sharma .It talks about recent experiment conducted in Germany regarding scanning human brain .Volunteers were kept in proximity of functional MRI(magnetic resonance imagining) machine and were told to perform arithmetic calculations in their brains and depending upon their first thoughts they were asked to press a 'SELECT' button .MRI machine was to scan their brain and images received were fed into computer where they were mapped to possible decisions the volunteers were to take.The results obtained were staggering with 70% accuracy achieved .Though the experiment is still in it's infancy but no one can rule out the possibility of it being reaching greater altitudes.
This led me to think about the consequences once the technology is developed fully .On one hand it might prove to be a boon to paralysed who face terrible problems with mundane affairs and make them self reliant to a certain extent (actually they would have to just depend on machines and not on any human).But other side of the coin does'nt seem to be so bright .Just imagine you are sitting in front of some device which works following the instructions from your brain and some incongruous thought arises in your mind .It would just take few micro seconds or may be less than that for machine to react and this might lead to a catastrophe.It's human nature to have some tempting thoughts raising in their mind and then eventually withdrawing from forging with them releasing the effects they might have .If wise men of science are able to build such device and that gadget reaches in hands of some perverted mind then it would result in a precarious situation.To make this kind of device actually work in efficacious manner it should have some resistance or say some time lag between accepting the instruction and then executing it so as to allow user to have a second thought .If not so then we will have to be very careful before thinking, actually we will have to think what we are suppose to ThInK......

GoodBye Jumbo...

India's entry and exit from WC'07 can be best described by (tan)^-1(tangent inverse) graph entering with so much hype and exit which definitely no cricket aficionado would love to remember(except for the Bangladeshes).Being one of the strongest team on paper the show put up by 'TEAM INDIA' can be best descrbed in one word as 'PATHETIC'.This world cup will see legends hanging up their boots and saying goodbye to the game they have lived for .One such legend is Anil Kumble .Before the WC started the veteran announced the tournament as his last ODI tournament.Definitely someone with such high caliber as Anil Kumble deserves much better farewell then the one ordained by the destiny.He has been an integral part of Team India's arsenal since past 17 years .Innumerable times he has taken those six and a half strides and flipping his right wrist,extruding the season ball and petrifying even the best batsman in the world .The commitment that this warrior displays both on and off the field is hard to match up with(remember the game in Caribbean where he bowled with broken jaw).It's not that he enjoyed a very smooth run during his service to the game,every now and then so called 'experts' of the game
questioned his ability to turn the ball (Late Hansie Cronje even denied to accept him as a spinner),his bowling speed ,his ability to perform overseas ,his fielding abilities and what not but he broke all the shackles .Every time he was
questioned, he thrashed the critics with 5.5 ounce circular shape that he calls his weapon.With the given physique and limited abilities he probably was one of the finest gully fielders .He can just bowl and bowl forever with same intensity
and passion persistently.No matter how long the day is,no matter who is standing 22 yards opposite to him,no matter what the scorecard reads he bowls his heart out and tries to take wicket or just hold batsman with his every delivery .First Indian and only second (Jim Laker is the first one) in the world to bowl a team out single handedly ,this great bowler will never be seen wearing Team India's outfit on the cricket field in ODIs though he will continue to serve the Indian Cricket in Tests for some time to come.His exile would see batsmen all around the world suspiring with relief and keepers would find their days at office less torrid .The game will miss this legendary spinner......GoodBye Jumbo!!

A Different Angle

Something to ponder upon



Anupam Kher in the company of Titans [:P]



PIC speaks for itself.Synapse'07 a grand success.



Leading the HERD



don worry !!! Mundra is fit & fine .It's just an illusion

A gratifying nocturnal excursion.....

After securing much needed victory in streetplay on the very first day of Synapse I really had a sound sleep .After all success was mandatory this time .
Day2 of synapse promised to offer more fun,pleasure and also some hardwork with it.Most of the mass arousing events were scheduled for Day2 .The tone of "masti" was all set with dedications and informals going on at the jukebox(credit goes to syanpcity team).It was the first time tht we had such colossal participation even in informalz.Events like JAM (:grr: :grr:) and Explore(hail sagun da!!) just proved to b cherry on the cake .The day was jus passing in consummate manner but jus then it had rendezvous with a hitch .One of the event coordinators was missing and it might have ruined the extravaganza tht the fest promised to deliver ,specially after splendid first day.Somehow we were able to untangle misunderstandings.We expected things to go smoothly frm that point but things hv'nt been so simple for us as we hv wished them to b.Coordinators for event 'Rhapsody' came up with list of 35 performances(mind U i m not talking abt the prelims).This was jus inexplicable but thr was no point in crying over the split milk .Some of the performers did put up a good show while others jus did'nt live up to the expectations(aficionados of backstreet boys could have fainted ,was jus a horrendous performance!! ).The event finally ended at 10.30 which was soon followed by Footloose .Participants of footloose set stage on fire(they also reminded me of my past follies :P).Though results were polemical but this is always on the cards when u hv such a healthy competition.
It was 12.15 the date had changed and technically we were in DAY3 of the mega fest but the most awaited
event of the day was still to commence yes! 'THE PROSCENIUM', after mooting for some time organisers decided to start the event at 1.00 .Meanwhile ,I was busy with other dedicated members of the design team fixing the mask,knotting and unknotting
blurring ropes .With me in this excursion was Ishan Bishnoi (we are not social servants,actually we did'nt qualify for the finals :P ), both of us willingly decided to help teams with their requirements (did we had any other option?).Initially
we thought tht it might be a feverish task but it actually proved to b fun.Interacting with teams ,wishing them luck,conglomerating their props,setting stage , mutating lights ,hooting,applauding,finding flaws ,congratulating performers
and of course 'BAK' (technical term for serious talks) is all tht we did through out this memorable nocturnal excursion .The pomp and show ended at 6.15 in the morning and the best part of all this was the patient audience who was still waiting to know the results(Hats off to them!!).As judges were busy deciding the results we had Bernoulli singing 'Badaloo ki Ghahraiyaa..' for us and it was great listening to him after the ordeal.
My nightout ended at 7.30 while IshBish claims tht he slept at 8.15 (????) but all in all it was one helluva of an experience...bringing joy to the DA-IICTians...

The Golden Words

We all are taught from class I tht don't panic when things go out of track , don't panic when ur on verge of losing something u thought was in ur grasp ,don't panic in do or die situations jus be calm and remember the golden words DON't PANIC!! . Well,I was caught in similar situation some 48 hours ago .I was working on my movie 'Check Mate!',the editing part was done and it needed jus 4 clicks to get the movie in complete form.

Step1 :- save movie file as...
No problem with this step, done efficiently.

Step2 :- Enter name and destination
CheckMate and D:\ ,again not too much to ask for

Step3 :- Best fit in size...
Did'nt even bothered to look at the options

Step4:- Here comes the most crucial step
I clicked the "next->" button and then came the message -"the source files tht are being used in ur project are either been deleted , renamed or not located so ur project cannot be saved ."

I was flabbergasted .My mind was filled with cauldron of thoughts .Have I lost my footage ,Is it over?, I shot it nearly for 6 hrs at three different locations ,invested 4 hrs in editing was all this superfluous , jus did'nt knew what to do .Then I rushed to Ajeet's room ,my walk was faster than his pace to extrude his words .He came to my room ,had a nice look at the screen, tried those 4steps which by now I had acquired perfection in .Then after 2 min of pondering(which is quite long by his ethics) he came up with the solution -"ur movie has been deleted u will hv to start all over again ." OMG ! what hv i done i shud hv created the backup .Everything seemed to be over and then suddenly remembered the person who along with me has been in similar situations before ,'The Savior -Dinesh Agarwal ' .Not wasting even a fraction of a second I zipped to the Club House where he was practicing for his play (tht's gud part abt DTG people they are easily available :P)
and made him aware of the panorama .Wht first he said are the golden words which were taught to me some 15 years ago and I am being reminded of them every now and then but somehow I forget them when I need to remember them the most.The words were - "Don't Panic!" .He came to my room and it took him jus 2min to fix the problem.And the problem was tht few files were dislocated .I jus had to place them in correct folder .Solving this problem was definitely not as hard as climbing up the ben, wht all it needed was a cool head and bit of patience .As they say -"All's well tht ends well " ,finally my movie is ready to be released.So jus wait for few days...


CheckMate!.....soon in LT near you .

Is Past Ahead ?

It all started few months back when one of our team mate betrayed us 48 hours before the final show (can't mention name of that person here , SECURITY reasons!!) .We found ourselves in an awkward situation completely unaware of do's and dont's of that moment . Somehow we managed to squeeze out from that clumsy state though not efficiently but rather satisfactorily . We just did'nt allow that incident to dominate us and started our work with all cylinders firing at full pace .But hey! a series of :KG: (don't misunderstand it to b a measurement unit) was waiting for us.

On the very first day of our campaign in Mumbai we found ourselves arguing with' autowalas ' , landing at wrong places ,staying in sophisticated rooms (with plenty of mosquitoes) and hunting for good food (believe me ,you all are lucky to enjoy Brajwasi's delicacies).Next day , situation worsened further we were not able to clear the e-lims of 'The One Act Play' , we really toiled for this one but all in vain.The bad part of all this was that we did'nt knew were we went wrong.Was it that we exceeded the time limit (no way we finished well in time) , was it that we performed badly (i think we did put up a good show) or was it that we violated the rules (i did drop water on stage ).The reason still remains 'the mystery'.And our slump continues from that point .Losing out in street plays , situational acting (our performance was appreciated by the judges),music spoof video (jus chk out my orkut profile u v'll find this one) it's just not happening for us. These
are some major incidents ,there are innumerable small incidents where we found ourselves in no man's land .But now we are facing these scenarios almost regularly.We just left reacting to such situations long back. Synapse is not far away, we all are striving hard to put on a good show but back in our mind are glimpse of our past .So , should we stop our work and enjoy watching others perform as it would save us from embarrassment ?Should we leave giving full efforts thinking that it's jus not possible for us to win ?Should we be complacent with our past performances ? No way, we will try and try harder .If we lose this time we will try to win it next time and if lose next time we will keep trying until we win .So, what that we have'nt yet smelled the success , so what that we always fell short of our goals , so what that everytime we set out to do something we find wind blowing in opposite direction we won't accept defeat before trying .Let the PAST come we are ready to face it , the need of the hour says 'HAKUNA MATATA' .

Ajeet on Sale.....

10 Feb' 07 7.30

I m lost somewhere in midst of these infinitesimal holes and electrons trying hard to figure out how actually these blurring semi conductors work and then i find Ajeet Singh Shekhawat entering my room in somewhat sombre mood (nothing unusual Guys!!!) .I knew he won'nt leave me before i actually listened to his problem so i continued my encounter with these minute particles expecting bullets of words being fired at me any time .And here the words came -"I want an I-POD ".Being jolted by small tremors from his side since last couple of years i was not surprised so i just suggested to him tht V-Day is round the corner u can trade urself with an I-POD .He agreed and in next 2 min and some 34 sec his orkut profile read -"This Valentine i m all ur's for an I-POD ".I knew tht no one would accept this offer(though, Ajeet says tht he got at least five offers) but then also I decided to join him in his quest for an electronic gadget worth some 20k bucks.I got myself appointed as his PA with assurance tht i would get one I-POD in case there are more than one buyer for Ajeet .

Neither did i get my salary nor did Ajeet went on date this V-Day .He's sitting in front his pc glaring some
tennis player which he claims to be the best (well i hv my doubts on tht) and chatting with one of our customers .But
hey! Ajeet don worry next 14th feb we will come more lucrative offers and i m goin to sell u for sure!