Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!!

Here we are at the end of another year, on the brink of a new one… The past year has been full of highs and lows during which my heart soared to touch the skies with every new high and sank to the depths of sorrow with the lows.

2008 – A leap year. Many think this is unlucky while others think it works magic for them. The year has given both sets of people the right to be correct! 2008 was a year when India saw medals in the Olympics; Nadal won the Wimbledon beating all time favourite Federer; the Australia was defeated by India and South Africa in test cricket (yeah it’s a good thing!!); India sent a spaceship into space; an African-American became a US president elect and much more… The year gave us a bitter pill to swallow with the US recession hitting the global markets; the numerous natural disasters around the world; the bomb blasts in various cities of India; last but not the least the terrorist attack on Mumbai which shook the world.

The past year has taught us to become stronger with every day, to learn to survive, to live and for this I thank it! It has opened our eyes to new horizons, to new technologies, to new ideas. It has opened the gates to blogging for me!! :-)

As the New Year approaches, it brings with it new hopes, new dreams, new horizons, new peaks to conquer and lots of expectations. I hope that 2009 lives up to all this and more for all of you out there!

As I sign off with my last post for the year, I would like to say to all of you:

2009 is at the door…
Remember... Life is Short,
Break the Rules, Forgive Quickly,
Love Truly, Laugh Uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you Smile!

A Very Happy New Year to You & Yours!

My journey to the Gateway of Peace..

I think most of my trips end up by having a pinch of spice and excitement in them and this trip was no exception!! A few colleagues and me decided to join the Peace March at Gateway of India to show our support for the "Enough is Enough" campaign and we headed of towards Goregaon station. After purchasing our tickets, we ran to catch a fast train to Churchgate. As we neared Bandra, we got a call from one of the boys (who were in another compartment) that there had been some bomb and RDX found at the CST station and to get down at Bandra. While we digested and discussed this news, Bandra station came upon us and we were too late to get down but not to late to see the guys of our group looking forlorn on the station! We decided to get down at the next station – Dadar and wait for the guys. When the guys approached us at Dadar we realised that we were one colleague short!! We realised that he was still on the first train that we had left! I tried calling his cell phone but received no answer. I tried again and suddenly felt a slight vibration in the camera case that I was carrying – his cell and wallet were in the camera case that he had given me to hold!! On discovering this we all got a little hysterical because our colleague was not a Mumbaite and he had no money on him and would not know where to go!! We immediately got onto the next fast train and made our way to Churchgate. Upon arriving there, we found our "lost colleague" and we were reunited once again.

Our journey had had an eventful start and hoping that there would not be any more hiccups, we made our way towards Regal cinema. Getting a cab was out of the question and we started walking towards Oval maidan. As we walked, we saw small groups of individuals returning from the Gateway of India with printed t-shirts, banners and posters. As we neared Regal cinema, the traffic on the roads was at a standstill. Groups of individuals were walking every where – on the footpaths, on the roads, on the road dividers – anywhere that there was space! Cars stopped and drivers got out watching and clicking pictures on their mobile phones.

As we walked on the road leading to the Gateway of India we saw throngs and throngs of people. People of all ages, all religions, all backgrounds had come together to take part in the Peace Rally. The atmosphere suddenly changed and the air around me had magic floating in it, there were people all around me. What amazed me was the number of people that turned up!! I felt a gush of pride inside me and I let myself get immersed in the activities around me. All around us, we heard slogans and yells of "Vande Mahataram", "Indiaaaa, India! (like at cricket matches)", “India hamara desh hai, Mumbai meri jaan hai”, anti-Pakistan slogans, anti-Indian politician slogans etc. We joined in the chanting and almost lost our voices!


While all this was happening we were walking towards the Gateway of India when suddenly the crowd became quiet in front of us and we head the first lines of our National Anthem being sung. The crowds stood still and all of us sang our National Anthem loudly and proudly – this was the first time that singing the National Anthem brought a tear to my eye and goose bumps on my skin! The atmosphere was full of electricity and love – love for our city, Mumbai, love for our country, India, love for the people who had lost a loved one, love for everyone and everything around us. It was amazing to see the different types and kinds of people who had turned up for the Rally – there were college students, young married couples – some with kids, young professionals, few middle aged ladies and gents, the youth of the city walked side by side on this glorious evening.


I was caught up in the excitement of the evening and declared loudly that “I am really happy – really happy to have come here and be part of this rally” Suddenly a gentleman next to me turned to me and asked me why I was so happy? And as I answered him I noticed a lady with a mike recording my answers! After that I was asked a few more questions – yes I was being interviewed!! I answered 4-5 questions which revolved around the reason for the rally to the prevailing government to Pakistan’s hand in the terror attacks at Mumbai. As I bade goodbye I was told that I had been interviewed by the National Broadcasting Radio, USA.



As we approached the barricade near the Taj, a hush fell over us, as we remembered the lives lost to the terror last week. There were commandos in their uniforms standing smartly making sure the crowds did not spill over the barricades. As I passed the police I looked at them and thanked them for all they had done and I received a big smile in return. :-) We then made our way to Leopold to see the café where it all started and were greeted with more crowds that had the same idea as us!


This ended our Peace Rally at Gateway of India and I went home proud that I had been part of this wonderful initiative and I hope that Mumbai and India now take a stand and say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!”

Tonight the heavens smiled at us!!

I received an sms at 7 p.m. today telling me to look for the moon in the sky as it resembled a smiling face with two strategically placed stars. Imagine my disbelief when I read and re-read the sms - as if this was possible!! After about 15 minutes I received a similar sms and now my curiosity was aroused and I went up to my office building's terrace to see what I could see of the heavens above.

And there before my eyes was the moon - a bright crescent against a dark, slightly cloudy sky with two stars placed above it and believe you me - I saw a face smiling down at me!! With my face upturned towards the skies my face split into a big grin that had been a stranger to my face for the past 4 days due to the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks! I couldn't take my eyes of this beautiful message from the heavens - Smile Mumbai Smile! After tearing my eyes away for a brief minute I looked back at the "smiling face" through my mobile phone's camera and tried to take a picture of the "Smiley" in the sky! Though not too clear it does show the "Smiley in the Sky"!

I shall surely remember this evening as the day when the heavens sent us a "Sky Smiley" to us and gave us that little something to smile about at the end of a terrifying ordeal.

Mumbai - the Aftermath...

I ventured out to see if I could go and see the damage that the terrorists had done to my Mumbai. On entering the cab and stating my destination, my cab driver turned around and looked at me as if I was mad, and reconfirmed, "Madam, Regal hi jaana hai ? Sab band hoga!" I replied by telling him to try his luck and sure enough traffic was not allowed beyond Regal cinema.

I got off and started walking towards the Taj hoping to be allowed through the now visilbe barracades. Unfortunately I was not allowed beyond a point, so I stood and took some pictures after which I walked to Leopold Cafe and took a couple of pictures from my mobile.

Mumbai - The Aftermath....

The deserted Colaba Causeway Road...

A glimpse of the Victorious Taj

An Army truck at Bade Miya's

Media outside the Taj

A glimpse of the Taj

The Leopold Cafe.. where it all started...

The Leopold Cafe.. notice the broken glass...


Metro Cinema - back to business


Though things are moving on, the Subway still remains closed at Metro..

Mumbai - Safe once again!!

“Forgiving a Terrorist should be left to GOD…
But fixing their appointment with GOD is entirely our Responsibility!”
- Indian Army

“Hamare liye kuch bhi mushkil nahi hai” this was the reply given to one of the journalists by our NSG Commandos after they had finished Operation Cyclone at the Taj hotel today morning. This one sentence is the one that makes the difference and makes my heart swell with pride for our defense personnel. As I write this post today, it is with a very heavy heart as this is one post I wish I never had to write… I stay in South Mumbai, very much near the terrible terrorist attacks – in fact the shooting at Metro Cinema was just outside my building… it has been a nerve wrecking 3 days.

The number 1 question in my and everyone’s minds is “WHY?” but I know there is no answer to this, as who can understand the twisted and warped minds of terrorists?

Being a South Mumbai resident from birth, the recent happenings have hit nearer to my heart….. I used to go to the Oberoi’s for a late night cup of coffee with my girl friends, a place completely safe and beautiful which will now be linked to terrorist attacks. The Taj – one of THE monuments of not only South Mumbai but of whole Mumbai started going up in flames. As the fires engulfed the corridors of the Taj, tears welled up in my mother’s eyes as she saw a heritage building that she has seen all her life, visited all her life, lived near all her life be damaged by senseless terrorists. The attacks at Leopold Cafe, Nariman building, VT station, Cama hospital, GT hospital, Vile Parle have been as scary and have captured my attention for the past 3 days. I don’t remember being glued to the TV set for so long waiting for news that all is fine.

The murdered Rabbi’s son turns 2 today but has none of his parents to hold him as he cuts the cake, the Taj’s GM’s two young sons and wife were charred to death, the shaken and disturbed looks of worried relatives as they wait for news, our defense personnel who lost their lives, the fact that the terrorists had beautifully planned this “military like” operation for over 6 months – these and other incidents have shaken me. The number of deaths of innocent people for no reason at all makes me want to personally torture these terrorists – will I get my wish??

I would like to end by saying that I am proud of our NSG Commandos, our police force, our Marines who have fought for the last (almost) 60 hours to bring normalcy back to Mumbai so that I am alive today to say I am proud to be an Indian, proud to be a South Mumbai “townie”!!

Stupid Questions anyone?

Have you ever come across someone asking you or you asking someone stupid questions to which there is only one obvious answer? Like the time when your best friend calls you at 3 in the morning to speak to you and her first question is “Were you sleeping?” Hello! What else would one be doing on a week night at 3 a.m.???? :-)

I did something like this a few days back. After working late, as I approached the station, I ran into my “morning train” friend and innocently asked her “Are you going home?” to which she answered the obvious answer “Yes!” After getting onto the train we realised what a stupid question I had asked her and we spent a good 10 minutes of our travel time giggling away like two school children much to the amusement of the ladies in the compartment.

This made me think of the other stupid questions that we ask in our everyday life which on retrospect brings a huge Smile on our faces! :-)
“Are you hurt?” after seeing a bloody knee on a little boy’s leg..
“Did I wake you up?” when you call your friend at 4 a.m. in the morning..
“Are you awake” when a mother shakes a child awake..
“Are you feeling hot?” after seeing your friend’s face streaked with ringlets of sweat..

And these are the sweet, stupid nothings that give our life the much needed injections of smiles! So, go ahead make someone's day - ask a stupid question!

50 and counting!

As I looked at my blog today, thinking of my next post, my eyes strayed to the right hand side column and I saw that I had written 50 posts till date (this being the 51st!). Wow! That is an achievement for me as I never felt that I would have lasted so long!! I remember when I started blogging and I had these numerous questions thrown at me, asking will I continue to write after a while… will I still have thoughts to pen down.. Won’t I get bored of this “blog” fixation? Well all I can say is I am 50 posts old and still blogging!!! :-)

This blog has helped me improve my creative writing, has helped me put my thoughts into words and has polished my English too!

But these 50 posts would not have been penned if I hadn’t received support and encouragement from my readers and friends! So, THANK YOU! to one and all of you! Sounds like an Oscar acceptance speech – doesn’t it? ;-)

Crush that light!

Poof! Off goes the light at the end of your cigarette. Yes, the smoking ban has arrived!! The papers have been following this story for the last 10 days with the implementation finally happening all over India last Thursday.

So, is this good or bad? From a non-smoker’s point of view – it ROCKS!! But from the smoker’s point of view – it SUCKS! :-) There have been varied reactions to this ban, some have supported it blindly, some have supported it in a 50-50 way and some have ridiculed it. My reaction? Well, I think I fall in the middle reaction bracket ;-) I support it in principle as I feel that the ban will help people like me getting saved from being passive smokers.

I wonder how it will be to step into a pub or a disco where I can actually "see" the people around me without a smoky halo around them! Or sit in a restaurant without coughing on the cigarette smoke from a nearby table... Though to be fair to all my smoker friends there should be a little more places where they could light up and enjoy their 5 minutes of nicotine fix :-)

Cheers to the Government for this initiative!

Jaane tu, maan gaye Mughal-E-Singh is King… Rock On!! – A review of sorts…

Against my better judgment I have been exposed to the Bollywood side of life in Mumbai! Over the past couple of months I have seen a few Hindi movies which have left me wondering if I could get back the lost time of my life!! Though the last movie was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it! :-)

Jaane Tu – a college romance, way too sweet for my cup of tea left me wondering why oh why they made a movie where there was a funeral for a pet and a song to make the owner smile after the funeral!! I mean hello!! Is anyone listening? If you needed an excuse to have a song (which Hindi movies rarely do!) just make the heroine sad and get the hero to sing to her anyways! The only commendable performance was of Prateik Patil and that gave me the much needed oxygen to sit through the movie!

Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam – a really really really stupid movie!! The movie had the saddest dialogues that I have ever heard BUT if you are in the mood to watch some real stupid Hindi flick by keeping your brains out at the door then maybe just maybe you will be able to sit through this weird contraption. Though I must say that Mallika Sherawat has worked on toning her body and is looking really good in all the songs!

Singh is King – the only thing that kept me alive through this movie is that I watched it at home (and could do other stuff) and that it had fun Punjabi dialogues in it. Akshay Kumar as a sardar – not awesome acting but his turbans were tied very well!! Katrina – well the less said about her the better… and it had the usual hindi movie ending and the usual girl going back to the hero.. Well, whatever appeals to the masses!

Rock On – 4 guys, out of which two were HUNKS ;-) one was a cutie and the fourth looked like he was on drugs! The music rocked and kept me humming the whole day long, so much so that the main song of the movie is my phone’s ringtone! The story wasn’t fantastic; the acting was decent, though the female roles in the movie made me wonder what were they doing??!! All in all a decent movie, with good music is what kept me wanting for more…

Chalo Police Station…

How many times have you wanted to say this to the “intentionally” deaf and irritating rickshaw and taxi drivers? How many times do you think – I should report him? If you are like me who travels everyday via the local transport in amchi Mumbai then I bet you have definitely thought of this once a month at the least!!! :-)

And the day dawned that I made up my mind to do just that! Today!! As usual I was “begging” the passing rickshaw drivers to stop and take me to my destination – a regular morning exercise, when I realised that there were suddenly a number of them refusing to go to the same destination not only to me but to other stranded passengers too. Turning to my colleague, I stated that we should just get into and sit inside one of the black and yellow coloured beetle shaped contractions without informing them of our destination.

As one of them approached I jumped into the auto and stated my destination to which the driver turned and said “Nahi jayega! (will not go)”. By then I had reached the last strand of my patience and I told him that if he didn’t want to take me to my destination then to take me to the nearest Police Station where I could make a complaint against him. With sarcasm he said, sure, he would take me to the police station. As he started his vehicle, he began to give me an explanation about why he would not be going to my destination – apparently the clutch of his auto was giving him trouble. I replied that if that was the case then, why was his meter showing “For Hire”? To this he replied that the meter had no connection whatsoever to the situation. If this dialogue had happened in a calm manner maybe I would have stepped off and looked for another rickshaw, but the driver thought that he could get away by speaking arrogantly to a female and that is something that I would not accept!!

So, I proceeded to the Police Station, wherein when I went in to register a complaint I was received with politeness and a ready helping hand. At the moment I was registering my complaint, the haughtiness vanished from the driver’s demeanor and his tone dripped with sugar as he tried explaining his point of view to the police inspector who was kindly ignoring him till the formalities with me were completed. After my complaint was registered the police officer went a step ahead and being a complete gentleman stopped another rickshaw for me to continue to office. With a smile and a huge thank you I stepped in and made my way to work.

As I made my way towards office, I felt a sense of pride that I had stood up for my rights and was not reduced to dancing to the whims and fancies of the rickshaw drivers! So don’t get trodden over by the uncaring and rude drivers, just go ahead and assert yourself and say “Chalo Police Station!!” :-)

A Gold, A Bronze, what next??

“You have a message!” beeped my phone. On reading the text from IBN Live a grin split my face and I looked up and exclaimed - India won a bronze in wrestling! The remote in my hand guided the channels to IBN Live. The headlines were filled with India at the Olympics. It was great to see the way our wrestler Sushil Kumar had won his 3 consecutive rounds to get the first bronze in wrestling at the Olympics since 1952! The headlines went on to mention our definite medal either a bronze or a silver in boxing by Vijender Kumar, a young 22 year old from a small city in India. As the TV camera spanned the boxer's home town one could see young boys and men sparring in front of the camera with huge grins across their faces.

Yes, we Indians had done something more than cricket! Don't get me wrong - I love the game but think that it is time that our other athletes get a chance at the headlines too! And as Rajdeep Sardesai from IBN live said "Today even though India defeated Sri Lanka in the ODI today to level the series, it has not made it to the headlines in tonight’s news!" He went on to remind us of our first gold winner Abhinav Bindra.

Our simple down to earth Indian men were doing us proud.. Well done guys, I salute you!

Chaiya Hame Bawaji . . .

The word 'Parsi' is derived from the word Pars or Persia. Hence, Parsi literally means 'people who have come from Persia'. And what progress we have made since then! From coming as humble refugees from Iran, to building great empires like Tatas and Wadias; from being persecuted in our own motherland, to carving a niche for ourselves in other's hearts in a completely foreign country, Parsis have truly come a very long way.

Today, Parsis are one of the most loved communities in the world. Every Hindu, Muslim or Christian is bound to have at least one Parsi friend. And boy! Do the good times roll when Parsis are around! Right from their long noses and fair complexion, to their unique Hindi and witty wisecracks, Parsis are a pleasure to have around you, and are the life of any party. And oh! Do we have our own unique identity! A Parsi can be easily spotted even in a crowded place. All you have to do is find someone whose petticoat is longer than the dress, who has a scarf on her head and a smile on her face. And trust me, it is so heartening to bump into one of them and hear them ask 'Arre dikra, kem che? Baccha kem che?' And while others may turn a deaf ear, the Parsi 'maaiji' is ever ready to dole out advice on the common cold, cough and backache, and hand you generations-passed-down, home-made recipes to cure them, which,though awful smelling and tasting, are twice as effective as any medicine in the market. On the other hand, her Parsi husband will come and declare all the 'drama' is unnecessary; stating that 'ek peg Brandy' will cure all your illnesses!

Parsis by nature are very inquisitive. Visit any Parsi 'baug' and you will know what I mean. Scores of Parsi 'maaijis' will be sitting in the garden, gossiping about how 'Framroze ni dikri pela Jehangir na dikra saathe fari raheech.' or 'Mare, aaje Veera ne toh moti toran che.. Kai lagan che su?' And who can ignore the early morning bargaining with the 'goshwallo' and 'macchiwalli', old Parsi 'maaijis' in their nightgowns and 'bawajis' in their 'Sudreh-Legha', arguing in their half-broken Hindi, loud enough to wake up the entire colony - 'Arre kaiko itna bhav bolech, jara kami kar. Lootva bethach.' or 'Surmai taazi che ke? Jara barabar dev. Chori mat kar.'

Another distinguishing feature of Parsis is a clean, well-kept house.. Because for Parsis, Cleanliness is not next to Godliness. It is as important as Godliness itself. And the doorstep will always have 'chalk' and 'toran'. The bigger and more colourful the 'chalk' and heavier the 'toran', the bigger the occasion.

And speaking of occasions, no one can celebrate weddings and Navjotes with more fervour and gusto than Parsis, who believe in making merry and living life King-Size! Attend a Parsi wedding, and I am sure you will not leave until you have eaten to your heart's content, had the traditional 'chaato paani', danced like there is no tomorrow, and made friends with every invitee – be it women resplendent in 'garas' or men in spotless 'daglis'. A common sight at these functions are ladies trying to put their match-making abilities to the test by finding out if there is any 'kuwari chokri' in the family who cannot find a better boy than 'aapro Jamsheed'!

Another thing Parsis are known for is their cuisine.. Ask any non-Parsi what the first thing is that comes their mind when they hear the word Parsi, and pat comes the reply 'Dhansak and Patra ni Macchi'.. 'Akuri' is a favourite among many of my non-Parsi friends, and the 'Lagan nu Custard' is a delicious end to any sumptuous meal. Parsis are the only community who are traditional, as well as modern. Only in Parsi households will you know who Elvis Presley is, and also hear old 'monajats' and 'garbas'. Only in a Parsi household will you know that Tulsi was thrown out of the house in 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', at the same time knowing about Adi Marazban's Gujrati 'nataks'.

Yes, we do have our share of problems and controversies (more than enough actually!) but at the end of the day, we all belong to one religion. We all believe in Zarathushtra, Ahura Mazda and SaroshYazad. We all believe in the power of Ashem Vohu and Yatha Ahu Vairyo. And that's what finally matters. Being proud of our glorious past, living in the difficult present times, and believing in the bright future awaiting our community.

On a lighter note - yes, we are eccentric, yes, we are loud and yes, we will voice our opinion on everything under the sun (whether it concerns us or not, just like the Bengalis do). But finally, it's the warm, loving nature that we all have that sets us apart.

Love them, or hate them , you just CAN'T ignore them!!!!!

Navroze Mubarakh!

Having Parsi blood flow through half of my system (mum’s a Parsi) I get to enjoy the quirkiness of being a bawi! Today is the second New Year of the year – confused? Don’t worry a lot of people I have known share the same confused look that you now have. Yes, Parsis celebrate Parsi New Year twice.

The first being Jamshedji Navroze which falls on 21st March of each year – the equinox. This is the start of the Persian calendar and is celebrated the world over. The second New Year (today) marks the start of the calendar that the Parsis started following after coming to India. This date keeps on changing every leap year and the date jumps one day forward. So don’t be confused if after another 3 years Navroze doesn’t come on the 19th of August!!

Having two New Year celebrations to enjoy, the fun is double, right from putting chalk (rangoli) outside the house, to eating yummy food and yummier sweetmeats!! :-) So to one and all Navroze Mubarakh and all the best for the new year!!

GOAL!!!

As the fairer sex we often wonder what is it about wet mud, rain and a football that makes the opposite sex get up early on a holiday and go play football with the guys! Well, I don’t know if I have got the answer to that or not but I did venture out today on a Sunday (yes.. on a holiday!!) to take part in my company’s ever first Football League!

I approached the ground to find that the matches had already started and that my team was waiting for me. As I neared the group and exchanged hellos, the guys started saying that I would now know what it was like to become dirty and mucky!! My shoes suddenly began sinking in the wet ground as if there was a mud monster sucking in my shoes!! I looked down at my feet with a look of dismay and disbelief as my white sports shoes started turning brown!! The guys around me caught my expression and peals of laughter rang out as they convinced me that there was no way those shoes were going to return to their original colour till I reached home! So that the rest of my body (read legs) should not feel left out a couple of my colleagues “painted” my legs with mud as if it was a ritual to now say that I was approved for the football field..

As I watched the matches being played I wondered in amazement at the fun that the guys had sliding in the mud while trying to tackle the opposition for the ball, or slipping in the mud while kicking a penalty. After a while I became so involved in the game that the muckiness and the mud did not make a difference! :-) As I stood guarding the goal for my team in my first game of the day, my feet sank deeper into the muddy field and as the ball came sailing through the air to me I suddenly realised my foot couldn’t move! With a last desperate effort, I pulled out my foot and moved to the right to save the goal!!

The day went on and players slid and skid and some also got badly hurt so at times I found myself helping with Band-Aids, cotton and bandages, while cleaning the wounds and scratches with antiseptic – but as I did all this I realised that this was all part and parcel of the game. We took breaks out to drink glucose laced water and hot chai from a roadside “tapri” and teamed it up with sandwiches and idlis. We played till we were too tired to move any part of our bodies, but at the end of the day it was with huge smiles and grins that we bade farewell to each other and headed home.

Happy Independence Day!

“Independence” – a simple word with a lot of meaning and depth.. A word that makes the difference between being another's servant and being one's own boss.. A word that lets you breathe to your lung's full capacity, lets you follow that dream in your heart, lets that twinkle in your eye sparkle, lets you LIVE!

Yes independence is all this and more.. Today's generation takes it for granted but not yesterday's generation. They lost so that we gained..

Independence Day brings out the hidden patriotism in my heart, it gives new meaning to the life we take for granted today. I get a lump in my throat every time I hear the national anthem being played over the TV, the radio, everywhere... My heart swells with pride when I see the Tricolour fluttering against the clear blue sky. I show my love in different ways not only on this day but all through the year - whether it is cheering for India in a cricket match, or singing the national anthem out loud before a movie! One particular memory when my heart overflowed with patriotism and pride was when I ran with the Indian flag at the Wagah border.

There have been times when my patriotism has bubbled over into aggression when I hear that things are not too good at the Kashmir border or that the world has not taken us seriously... And I wonder why? Is it that somewhere down the line we are abusing this freedom? Are we using our independence in the correct way? Can we not fight back and demand our place at the world table? Maybe I will get the answers to these questions soon enough.. But for now I bask in the rays of freedom, hoping that I never misuse this feeling of flying free.

Yes, I love this country, I love INDIA. Happy Independence Day! :-)

Its Black, Its White...

After much cajoling and feedback from you guys about how dificult it was to read my posts on a black background, I have bowed down to the masses and have changed the background to White!!

Though I must say that with this background, I get to play with more colours for my posts! :-) So, heres to the next innings of My Mystical Musings in White - Cheers! ;-)

The Celestial Experience...

Would we be able to see it? Can it be viewed from Mumbai? These and other questions related to them were the highlight of our lunch conversation last Friday afternoon... It was 1st August, the day of the Solar Eclipse. I really wanted to see this as it was something that I had dreamed of time and again...

So, I googled "solar eclipse 1 august" and received a list of results. I opted for the wikipedia link and gave a brief exclamation of joy as I learnt that it would be visible in India starting from 4.02 p.m. for a couple of hours. After proclaming my interest in viewing I got others around me interested too and as the time came nearer we waited in anticipation...

The time had finally come and so had the rains!! Cursing the dark clouds I waited impatiently till they emptied their gallons and went on their way. At around 5.20 p.m., we were rewarded with a clear enough sky and I went across to my colleague's desk wherein he passed me a cd film through which to look at the sun.

I glanced through the film and my breath left me as my eyes took in the pale, yellow, round shape of the sun and the dark shadow of the moon that covered a partial part of the sun!! It was beautiful!! One of nature's most mesmerising performances!! I pulled my eyes away from the sight as a big grin splashed across my face, a grin of satisfaction, of joy at being able to witness the event!

This unforgettable glimpse went on to become THE highlight of my evening while I mentally bookmarked the day in my mind's diary :-)

Don't We All...

This was sent to me via email and after reading it wanted to share it with everyone because I truly feel, Don't We All...?

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car.

I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work.

Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum.

From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money.

There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered.

This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times."
"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought.
He didn't.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.

He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm.

I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked.

The expected plea for money never came.

As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help."

I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

I expected nothing but a stretched out grimy hand.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget.

"Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important,

above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.

Don't we all?

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep,

but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare,

but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day.

Those three little words still ring true.

No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too.

No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.
You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have.

A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets.

Maybe he was more than that
Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."

Don't we all?

Author Unknown

Geeky – Who? Me?

That's what I was called by a couple of my colleagues! Why? You may wonder would an HR person be termed as a Geek... Well the answer lies in the following facts that came out during our conversation yesterday evening – one fact being that I had just bought my very own, my very first domain name and with assistance have managed to route it to my blog :-) Also the fact that I have started to self learn Ruby - No No it’s not a jewelery course but a software language! Yes they too thought I was bonkers to do something like this! :-) But hey why not? Why let only the s/w guys have all the fun! Just don't expect me to do this overnight that’s all!

A look of surprise crossed their faces when I also mentioned that I too had read Isaac Asimov – is that surprising?? I didn’t think so but they definitely did…;-) After discussing the various books written by Asimov, we moved onto other topics when a team member of mine joined our group. During the conversation the topic of reading technical updates came up and I casually mentioned that I had recently read about and shared with my team the subject of “Semantic Web” and carried on by explaining the concept of the new search that will be available on the Web. This was greeted with exclamations of wonder and seeing my questioning look they said that this was something they hadn’t expected me to know!! And in unison they said – Geek!!! While I giggled away at their enthusiasm I told them the source of my knowledge – PC Quest and PC Home, which gave way to a few more amused looks ;-)

So, I enjoy reading about technology, about things that surround me and interest me and if that make me Geeky – so be it!! :-)

A quiver full of questions..

Is it easy to forgive, to forget the pain, to go on living like everything is a bed of roses? How does one deal with reject, with humiliation? How can you say that all is fine with you when a thousand broken pieces of your heart pierce your very own soul? Is the grass always greener on the other side? Who made the fence?

Is there always someone out there for you? Is it important to have someone always? Why are we so dependent on others? Why do we doubt our emotions? Why do they become our weakness instead of our strengths? What is life? Does it have meaning? Where do you find the meaning? Is it the same for all of us? Why do we all strive for perfection? Do we all really require approval for the way we lead our lives? Why do we live our lives through another's eyes? Do we always feel we fall below our own expectations?

What makes us get up with a start in a pool of sweat in the middle of the night? What are dreams? Do they really explain our subconscious minds? Why do some of us live for today and others for tomorrow? Are we busy surviving or do we need to start living each day? Has 24 hours become less for some of us? Why does each minute feel like eternity when waiting for that all important call? Is love important to our life? Why do we hate? When does one stop hearing and start listening? Where does one draw the line? What is the line? Who defines it?

Do I make a difference? Am I the only one with these questions? Where are the answers?

Say what u need to say..

“Have no fear for givin' in.

Have no fear for giving over.

You better know that in the end

It's better to say too much, than never to say what you need to say again.
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say”
- John Mayer

How many times do we stop ourselves from saying the truth with the fear that it may hurt the opposite person? How many times do we think that things are better left unsaid? A lot of times we come across situations wherein we want to open our hearts and speak our mind and then we stop and think. Why do you think this happens? What is it that we are afraid of? Rejection? Humiliation? Being made fun of or not being taken seriously enough?

These mental fears stop us from voicing our thoughts, our emotions, our inner thoughts and feelings. I agree with John Mayer’s words of advice – we should have no fear when it comes to voicing one’s thoughts and opinions. Whether it is getting closure in a broken relationship or trying to speak one's mind to one's parents one should try and speak out - get those thoughts out; out of the dungeons of the mind where it would only stay and trouble us more. Maybe the problem is not what you want to say, but how you say it, the tone you use to convey your thoughts, and also the state of mind of both individuals. It does take courage to speak one's mind, to be frank with people, but in today’s world if you are not frank to the people you care about then aren’t we all living in a fictitious world? So maybe its not bad advice to “Say what you need to say”…

HE DID IT!!!!!

Yes, Wimbledon has a new winner!!! The One Man Spanish Armada – RAFAEL NADAL!!

After a grueling finals match which was the longest (4 hrs & 48 mins) in Wimbledon history, after 3 rain breaks, after 5 long sets, after 3 missed Championship points Rafael Nadal came back to win his first ever Wimbledon championship title on his fourth championship point on his serve after breaking Roger Federer’s serve in the previous game!!

Nadal won his first Wimbledon title after 5 grueling sets ~ 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7. He is only the third man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season, and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1980, while giving Spain its first men's champion here since Manolo Santana in 1966!! He was also the only player to step into the Royal Box (from the outside parapet!) after jumping in the crowds to meet his family as he looked for a place to jump down back onto the court!

I have stayed awake till 2.00 a.m. today to watch this amazing final match between the world’s two best tennis players and I haven’t been disappointed. I shouted (or rather yelled!) with glee as he played his last shot to win the title. Yes, you have rightfully deducted that I was supporting him!! :-) There are no words to describe the match and the drama that surrounded the match, the fantastic playing displayed by both players, the suspense on the court and in the stands – I can only say, I really really hope you saw the match, because if you haven’t you have missed one of the best tennis finals in history!

Blessings from a 60 ft gold Lord Buddha…

“Do go and visit the Golden Temple while you are here”, “don’t miss it”, “it is a lovely experience” these and other words of advice were given to us when we reached Coorg. The “Golden Temple” I asked, isn’t that in Amritsar where I had been last year??? Well this is the Golden Temple of the South I was informed.. well my interest was piqued and my curiosity got the better of me and we made our way to the Golden Temple of the South. During the drive I quizzed our driver on the origins of this great site that we were about to visit, and this is what we learned.. the Karnataka government had given around 12,000 acres of land to Tibetans to make their own township. The Golden Temple was their main place of worship in their monastery.

As we entered the township, we passed Tibetan schools, a hospital, young Tibetans on bikes while older men and women walked about doing their daily chores. We passed through the beautifully carved gates of the monastery and were transported immediately into another world.. A world where there was silence in the air, though I saw children running around, a world where the young men had shaven heads and wore the brown and maroon coloured robes of the monks, a world where I felt like an outsider looking in, a world that had a lot of bright colour where ever I looked. After drinking in the scenes around me, my eyes fell on the beautiful temple in the middle of the monastery.

As we walked towards the temple, and we came closer to the beautifully painted wall of the temple my breath left me as I realised that all the paintings on the walls had been hand painted!! I have never seen such intricate and minute and colourful and beautiful work ever!! On entering the temple there was a hush that overcame all that were in there.

I gazed at amazement at the 60 foot Buddha made of metal and completely gold plated before my eyes.. As I looked into his eyes, I felt that there was we two were the only ones around and that the temple and other worshippers had dissolved away into the clear air around me. There were two other gods who flanked both sides of Lord Buddha and looked as beautiful as ever. The pillars had dragons would around them and were painted in bright colours and complimented the other pillars, the hand painted ceilings and walls. This was one of the most colourful and beautiful places that I had ever seen!

We left the temple still in awe of the beauty we had just seen. And my advice to all that go to Coorg would be to please go and visit this place – totally worth a trip!

Welcome to Elephant Country!

Leaving Ooty at 6.30 in the morning we were greeted by dew covered grass and white clouds that came and surrounded us while silently bidding us farewell. The drive to Coorg was beautiful as we passed fields and fields of coconut trees and sugarcane plants (yeah there are a lot of sugarcane fields in the South!!). All along the way the bright blue sky was adorned with white fluffy clouds. Our drive took us through many small villages where young children pointed to our car with shouts of glee and some even tried to run and keep up with us.

We reached Coorg after being on the road for nearly 6 hours, when our driver stopped at the banks of a small river and informed us that there was no road ahead to travel – literally!! With amazement and disbelief written all over our faces, we got out of our car and stared around. Suddenly we hear a voice saying, “Madam, boat se jaana hai, Dubare boat se jaana hai!!” We watched in amazement as our luggage was transported into a boat (much like a fisherman’s boat!!) and we were asked to follow. Wow! That is some entry to a camp! Welcome to Dubare Elephant Camp!!

After settling into our cottage which was made of wood logs (cool nah?!!), and a quick lunch, we were asked to assemble for a short jeep safari. As we joined other visitors in the jeep, we were given a short history about the Dubare Elephant Camp – it started around 2-3 years ago and was a brainwave operation of the Karnataka Forest Department’s Jungle Lodges & Resorts to keep the now not required elephants that used to help in the logging operations in Karnataka. Our guide suddenly cautioned for silence and we saw a huge one tusked wild elephant break out from the trees onto the road ahead of us and after glancing around went ambling away into the forest on the opposite side. After he had gone, our guide told us that he was without a herd and he was a very angry and wild elephant and when approached could resort to violence. Going a little further we came upon some Indian Bison (Gaur) grazing lazily on the green grass of the forest floors. On hearing our jeep one of them looked up to give us a long look as if to say – Who are you? and then they all turned their backs on us and made their way into the forest.

The next morning was filled with excitement as it was the morning when we were allowed to help bathe the elephants – yes you read it right! We were taken to the banks of the river nearby where there were these huge elephants and one baby elephant in the water and the mahouts were bathing them and scrubbing them with coconut hair brushes. We were encouraged to join them and join them we did!! It was so much of fun!! And I must tell you that they have really tough and thick skins and the hair on their bodies are thick and coarse to the touch. While we “tried” bathing them, they would suddenly move around in the water and one of them even sprayed us with water from his trunk!!

This was the wildest experience with wildlife I have ever had!! I think everyone needs to do something like this at least once in their lives!! The bathing session went on for about 2 hours and then there were elephant rides and a short knowledge sharing on elephants and did I learn!! Did you know there are two kinds of elephants – the Asian and the African? The Asian elephant has 5 toes on the both the front two feet and 4 toes on the behind two feet whereas the African elephant has 4 toes and 3 toes respectively! The Asian elephant has a hump on the back while the African one is flat backed. And did you know that elephants have 60,000 muscles only in their trunk!!!! Whew!! That is a lot of muscles!! After learning about the elephants we were allowed to take snaps and pet them after which we were all treated to an elephant ride!

As a special treat, we were introduced to one little bundle of naughtiness. She was 1.5 months old and she was one of the naughty calves. She let us pet her and play with her but when she got bored she would give you a push with her trunk and her head and trust me it was a little more that a “small” push!! :-) But she was an adorable little elephant calf and she kept us entertained for almost an hour! She was oblivious to the fact that we were humans and that we were totally amazed with her, she also thought my camera pouch was something to eat! As we tore ourselves from her my heart wanted to take her along with us home… I wish we could !

About Roses and Tea and a Memorable Train Ride…

As we walked down the steps into the garden I wondered how it was possible to have so many varieties of roses and No, I didn’t get an answer to that question! :-) We were at the Rose Garden in Ooty – one of the must see spots over here. As we made our way through the garden, we saw a variety of roses, in a variety of colours and sizes. I noticed that most of the roses were named after a person and wondered if they were instrumental in coming up or discovering the particular rose.

The roses ranged from different shades of red to different shades of pink and from bright yellow to a mellow yellow colour, there were some which looked like buds and others which greeted the clear blue sky in all its bloom. We came across a board which informed us what each colour of a rose stood for – have put it up for you to see and learn! I came across a very interesting named rose – check it out… ;-)

Wah Taj! We have heard this common phrase as we grew up and immediately associated it with a cup of tea. Tea - the staple drink of a lot of people all over the world. We got a chance to visit a tea estate and factory at Coonoor – a lovely experience. It was spread over 2000 acres boasting a strength of 150 workers out of which 50 were only tea leaf-pickers. The air around us was cool and icy. As we stepped out of our car a guide came up to us and started our tour of the tea factory. We learnt quite a bit that day! Did you know that tea leaves are picked every 15 days? And that only the top few leaves are useful? The other larger and dark green leaves are considered a waste! After the leaves are picked they are kept in large trays while air is blown through them, this dries the leaves which are then sent down a chute to a machine where the leaves are chopped finely and then sent to a huge roll where they are fermented for a couple of hours. The tea leaves are then cooled and they come out as the brown tea leaves that we use.

Our visit to the tea estates ended on a high when we were allowed to go into the tea estates and see the tea bushes up front! As we were leaving we were invited to taste the 3 different types of teas available at the factory - Masala, Chocolate and Regular. Did you know to make chocolate tea they add few well ground cocoa beans to the tea leaves? And all the flavouring to the tea is done after it has been processed? Interesting! We bid farewell to the beautiful estates after purchasing our tea pouches.

The Nilgiri Express. The mini train ride from Coonoor to Ooty started off amidst cheers and yells from the children in front of us. One thing I should mention is the different ticket prices for the train - the 1st class tickets were Rs. 76 while the second class tickets were only Rs. 4! As the train wound itself onto the tracks the weather became chillier and the surroundings alternated from green trees next to us to greener valleys away from us. As we chugged our way on we suddenly felt and saw droplets of water falling on us - it was drizzling! :-) With the drizzle the temperature dropped even more and we relished the change in the air around us. On the way, we halted at a station with a very quaint old English name – Wellington! This took me back in time and I imagined the station being scattered with well suited, well trimmed mustached gentlemen with pipes in their hands accompanied by ladies in colourful flowing dresses holding their parasols to shield them from the bright sun. I was snapped back to the present when I spotted this amusing sign on the tea stall at the station "Combined Fruit & Vegetarian Teastall" and I just had to take a pic of it for you!

The experience of the train ride was made more enjoyable by watching the motor guards waving their red n green signal flags alternately as we passed through tunnels and stations! All in all a really enriching and very memorable experience!!

Ooty - Queen of hill stations

On the road to Ooty there is a patch - quite a long one, of road where we drove more off the road than on it :-) as the roads were dotted with miniature potholes along the way. The road gave way to a smoother one after some time and the landscape became picturesque once again with huge sugarcane fields, coconut trees, lots of greenery and white fluffy clouds! We passed 2-3 small flocks of sheep walking idly in front of their shepherd, when suddenly our car went off the road and on glancing thru the windshield I saw the road being dominated by 6-7 cows walking aimlessly all over the road! This can happen only in India! :-) As we entered Tamil Nadu we drove straight into the Mudumulai tiger reserve - we did get to see wild monkeys and wild elephants but no tigers! As we drove through the tree lined road of the reserve, our driver narrated an incident he had experienced some months ago – he was travelling at night and a wild elephant suddenly came out from the trees and stood in the middle of the road. The rule of the jungle is that if you ever encounter a wild animal, stop and don’t move a muscle and that’s exactly what he did – for over an hour till the elephant decided to move on!

As we entered Tamil Nadu, after paying the relevant RTO taxes, our driver informed us of the other traffic rules in the south - did you know that private taxi drivers have a dress code? Different in each state? They have to be in white shirts and blue pants in Karnataka and in a white shirt with white pants in Tamil Nadu and the fine for not wearing either is Rs. 300 and Rs. 500 respectively!
We started our ascent onto the Nilgiri hills. The ascent proved to be an experience. There were 36 hairpin bends along the way! Few of them were very steep and at times I thought we would start moving backwards instead of forward! Half way up we suddenly saw a small fountain of water come up from our car bonnet (check pic!!) - our engine had got overheated! We stopped for a while and opened the bonnet - I did get to see an ambassador's car engine! :-) Because of our engine overheating we managed to have around 3 stops. At one of these, we encountered a cute stall displaying its wares of mangoes, cucumbers, small red plums grouped in small packets and never before seen really, really orange carrots - just like the ones you see in the cartoons! We tried out the cucumber n plums - both were extremely fresh and yum! As we reached higher n higher the climate became cooler and cooler. The air now had a nip in it and we saw locals waiting at corners for a bus in sweaters - we even saw a nice old uncle in a very old grey suit making his way up the hill!

We reached Ooty and our hotel - The Kings Cliff, amidst the cool breeze. Rows of brightly coloured flowers greeted us at the gate. Our footsteps echoed on the wooden floors as we made our way to the room where as we crossed the threshold we gasped with delight at the lovely sight in front of us - our room looked like it had stepped out of a Shakespeare play! It had a canopy bed and there was a fireplace too! And guess what? There was no fan in the room! :-) Our hotel had more surprises for us - there were 2 small chocolates that sat on our pillows and a bathroom so huge that it had two door to it - I am serious!! In the evening the main sitting room fireplace was lit and 2 young local lads entertained us by singing the latest and some not so latest English songs. All in all a lovely experience!