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 .