I - the awakening

One of my favorite writings, fuelled with emotions and a keen sense of achievement. I came up with this verse on the eve of my graduation. For the first time ever in my adult life an accomplishment that raided my head, these are a few lines I hold very close to my heart.

I- the awakening

I am the mountain I am the sea
I am the wind and I am free
I am the sun burning and hot
I am not a coward that’s what I am not!
I am the bird soaring the sky
I am the jet plane flying high
I am the star shining and bright
I am David with Goliath’s might
I am the moon with its craters
I am good but I can be better
I am thankful for your nicety
I am not cold hearted if I don’t show pity
I am what I am; it is what I choose to be
I am not bothered about what others see
I am sporting if you are too
I am forgiving, so forgive me too
I am as frank as can be
I am sorry but that’s just ME!

- Trupti, May 22nd 2003

Ignorance is BLISS

The resource walked herself to office today unusually late from her usual reporting - not expecting much of the mundane work today. This was predicted to be one of those days when there is little to do. Another resource, lets call her resource 2 , called in sick and added more to the loneliness of resource 1. Thinking about random things to keep oneself occupied, she - resource 1, did what she normally would do, check the news on ibnlive.com, the hot topics being the furore over the Antulay remarks over the suspicious killing of the ATS chief ... sigh, she thought, nothing in this country can be achieved without sensationalism. A few moments of pondering and she checked the watch, another 7 hours to go.

No mails or communication from other resources (read co workers), today was really a lull day. Resource 1 busied herself into reading anything. Friend 1 called enquired about some books regarding Inca civilization and mythology. Trigerring a wave of excitement of learning and reading something more interesting, Resource 1 quickly Googled around to read about Inca's, Macchu Picchu, Lake Titicaca in the South American countries of Peru and Bolivia.

Taking to the topic rather too seriously she even read about other related topics of Inca civilization and early history, religious connections with Inca etc. All these as much unrelated topics for Resource 1 - but today she had the inclination to absorb as much knowledge about anything. Another check to the mails - still nothing. Lunch with Resource 3 and little chutzpah later only 4 more hours to go before Resource 1 can pack up for the day. Discussions on how Dostana is not really such a good movie and Rab ne . . . is a earnest effort. The self endorsed critic,Resource 1 thumping opinions on the minion Resource 3 - she only a few days old in office and doesn't really have an option but to agree.

After a trivial rounds of conversations and no work - back to the phone, updating ' what else's' to the GEEK, he was as usual hammering the digital bugs with some pest control measures using scientific language only he follows. Armed with the recent Inca knowledge and a sudden affinity to visit South America, Resource 1 burped out to GEEK, he suggested some more reading, apparently GEEK knows these things already, since his Childhood. Not a surprise for Resource 1 GEEK knows almost everything about everything. Looks like his reading bug has infected Resource 1 too, NIIICE!

Followed to the tee, GEEKs suggested topic was next on the Google search list, NAZCA lines, geoglyphs drawn in the desert can be seen even from satellite pictures. Strange how come ancient people have such sophisticated technique and mechanisms to do things that lasts generations, some Tera- ages of forward thinking. Resource 1 was completely absorbed into reading about what these lines and figures could represent, aliens, religious signs, pathways ... yes she did go on to read related articles too.

Not sure how but somehow diamonds and South Africa were next on the list. After a quick synopsis of Blood diamond, history of South Africa and why is it so rich in diamonds. The band of stones on the ring of Resource 1 did they come from one of these mines, the myth about diamonds of being precious and rare - its all hyped, diamonds are much like the other gems and found in such abundance everywhere around SA. The truth about the huge diggings and the wiped out hills and the big holes the mines have made in African countries. After a rather righteous dose of humanity and must Save the environment - time check again, 30 minutes more. Again no mails.

A cuppa tea down - almost aiming for close of day - Resource 1 was proud to have spent the day learning new things, much about history read only in Tintin comics. A feeling of satisfaction devouring - routine always puts hurdles in path of new discovery. On and off it is a good feeling to try something new. Surpirised at herself, and a new found interest in history again - there is much that one does not know. Almost happy that there was no work today and no pending mails, that led her back to the ancient ages - she discovered, OUTLOOK was in offline mode.

As the title suggests IGNORANCE is BLISS only till it lasts :).

Walk On,Mumbai!

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
Walk on, Walk on
What you got, they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it
Walk on, Walk on
Stay safe tonight
- Walk On, U2.

A simple message on one of the online social forums and it led to a gathering of thousands of people near Regal Cinema for a peace march to protest against the recent terror attacks in Mumbai. Citizens of Mumbai from all walks of life came here. Some who had lost their close ones or friends, some who had a point to make, some who wanted to show their support, some just for the heck of it and others who just tagged along with friends. The crowd assembled there without any agenda; not sure what to expect. But they still came in huge numbers. Tricolors and placards held high with slogans against politicians bashing them for their inability to handle a crisis, again! Some of the interesting slogans read

• We thought you stood for justice, not ‘Just Us’.
• Mr.Terrorist you wanted us in numbers – Here we are!
• I am deaf, I am dumb, I am blind – I am the GOVERNMENT.
• I am not afraid – I am frustrated.
• There are a few more terrorists in India – they are called POLTICIANS.
• Don’t be afraid of those who came by BOATS, worry about those who come by VOTES!

The walk which was absolutely leaderless, with no political force or organization behind it – I suppose this was its significance since the coming together of so many people demonstrated the solidarity among the Mumbaikars. The absolute horror that the city was subjected to with the massacre at the Taj, the Trident and the VT station has got the people of the city asking a lot of questions. This was supposed to be a peace march in solemn condolence of all who lost their lives and also for those who suffered the trauma of this event – but the outrage was obvious. The anger was directed to the politicians and Pakistan – although I didn’t completely approve of this, the feelings of the masses were ubiquitous. Enraged voices of ‘Murdabad’ and ‘Hai Hai’ echoed in the crowd as did the sounds of ‘Vande Mataram’ from some who equated the martyrdom of the slain soldiers to the freedom struggle.

As the night dawned and the dark waters of the Arabian Sea in front of Taj grew more serene, through the promenade that led to Gateway of India the reality and the intensity of the incident finally sank in my heart. The hotel stood before me wounded – its exteriors charred by the fires that broke out – news channels had already reported that it would take over a year to have it restored completely and functional. I could almost imagine what the sight must inside and the extent of the damage. The area in front of the hotel going towards the Radio Club was cordoned off. People lay flowers near the barricades in memory of deceased and many lit candles that fought hard with the gusty sea breeze. Taj, the hotel which is world renowned for its grandeur will now be known for something else too.

As the walk ended coming back a full circle to Regal, I made my way to CST for a train back home. It was the first time since 26-11 that I was going to CST and an unknown fear gripped me. Standing there below the huge ceiling I couldn’t help but spend a few moments thinking about that fateful day. I had a look around and saw bullet marks on pillars. 53 people died here – the number is small as compared to many hundreds more that are present here at any given time of day. A sense of relief came upon me as I boarded the train. Mumbai is not going to feel the same again – ever.

Reflecting on the past few days there are some things that have become evident.

• India is rising in prominence globally. There is a Chinese proverb that says when someone is jealous of you, understand that you are successful. This seems to be very true in our case. But at the same time we cannot afford to get complacent about it. This means that we have to guard ourselves even more carefully. And the people appointed to do this better take their job seriously!
• We definitely lack the infrastructure to tackle such situations. A lot of experts have suggested that investment in homeland security should increase – I say yes! Please use our taxes wisely.
• The gathering of the citizens sent out a signal to the administration and the politicians, the people today do not buy their word. The message was two pronged – one that said we will not tolerate this slag anymore and those responsible will be accountable. Secondly, the city is united – Mumbaikar’s are ready to take on the challenge of fortifying the city.

This is the first time ever the response from the people has been so grave. People wearing T-shirts of “I LOVE MUMBAI”, citizen groups and forums discussing issues that handicap the city and are demanding action, blog posts and articles gutting out disgust at the carelessness of the government are all signs that people are shaken up. A sincere urge to bring about change enthused in minds of many. Today we walked together - tomorrow we should come together and bring about a constructive change.It’s a radical wave sweeping all over and it sure does look like is going to make a difference. Join in and be part of this change.

Father Let my country awake ...

Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
- Rabindranath Tagore

It was with these noble and pious thoughts that many of our ancestors and heroes of yesteryear's led India to freedom. Today we only find ourselves become captives again at the hands of frugal politicians who exhibit symbiotic relationship with scum of the society.

The entire country today stands to falsify the vision of Rabindranath - because we dwell with fear in our hearts, today we are ashamed of our own country and its people - for their acts of cowardice, their non accountability to the position and the ranks that they stand for. These are the representatives of the nation today who stand to face the future with their feet stuck in scams, bureaucracy and corruption.

Today we have nothing but remorse to feel,about these so called self- labelled leaders who inspiration is to fulfill personal agendas by risking the fate of the nation.

Since childhood we learn about Unity in Diversity as one of the strengths of our country - today we find this Unity only spelt out in books as the country is strewn in parts on basis of language and origin. Gone are days when leaders gave speeches that spawned inspiration in the masses that we could throw out the British Raj, today we have only 'Raj' remaining and all that this 'Raj' can accomplish is to sensitise and politicise social issues and create chaos. The outcome of which is a divide - who says we drove out the British, their roots are widely spread and the strategies they used to rule us are still prevalent - we still fall prey to the 'Divide and Rule' policy. And worst of all we let them get away with it.

We have ourselves to blame - the attacks at Taj and Oberoi were not meant only to bring down these magnificent structures but to bring down a reality to us that we need to WAKE UP. Open our eyes to the fact of how susceptible we really are, how hollow our morals are - how weak and untrustworthy our words remain and more so how much time we waste in internal conflicts that it takes a catastrophe of this magnitude to act like a shot in the arm. SHAME on US.

The ineffectiveness of the administration, lack of organisational structure - the inability of a statesman to take a decision in the hour of crisis were exposed at this time. The valor that we salute after brave men have been slain - I wonder how these men sleep at night with so much guilt at heart. It is only when the entire system comes crashing down like a pack of cards that any efforts are made to re-inforce it. It was obvious there was no contingency plan - Mumbai was not prepared to handle this adversity. A few men, boys actually can create havoc with guns blazing at common people. 10 men with no face, with no fear, no religion, no country but with a motive to destroy and devastate, thats all it took to bring an entire city to its knees.

It is no use documenting events that have been so explicitly and vividly splashed upon on our media channels, we have all been subjected to the ghory details of last week's happenings. So what are we going to do now? Is it going to be one of those things that just happenned in our lives? Will this be going in our books as the darkest hour in Mumbai's history? Is it going to be one of those incidents that you share with friends over coffee? Or is it going to be another one of those debates that has no outcome? To everyone who cares to call themselves A Mumbaikar I pose you a simple question - what are you in your capacity going to do?

The answer is simple - we need to come together. Come together as a society - as a city - as a nation. Leaving aside our differences - we need to channel our efforts to re-build our nation. We need to come together as enlightened masses who make our politicians answereable for thier actions. We need to come together as a civic troop who upholds the rules,respects and enforces them. We need to come together as one voice which speaks for benefits of our society. We need to educate the minds of our youth to motivate them to work toward the country. We need to participate - be active in voicing opinions,we need to support causes and issues that will enable the administration run effectively and efficiently. But most importantly we need to take ourselves seriously - 60 years of Independence and we are still limping. We cannot take the freedom and the right to live in this country so lightly. Any administration will function appropriately only if it gets the support of its members. We need to recognise ourselves as members of a responsible society and support it in every way we can.

Acts of violence and terrorism are a reality that we have to live with today. They are outcomes of a society that has not been fair. A society that has been prejudiced on religious grounds - on racial grounds - scars of which will remain on generations to come. The only way we know how to get back to such heinous crimes is by committing another one. But that does not really solve the problem. The divide only becomes wider and deeper. We cannot think uprooting it in a day or in a month or in a year. It will take time - but we cannot just wait and watch for this time to come. There are changes that have to brought about - changes to our systems, to our behaviour , to our tolerance and our acceptance of each other. We have to look beyond the realms of colour and religion and equalise ourselves on grounds of humanity. Free ourselves of the grudges and not let emotions come in way of rationale.

So many innoccent lives have been lost - so many brave men have fallen in the line of duty - what have we learnt now that we didnt already know before. It took us 150 years to end the Empire's rule and earn our freedom from slavery of the British. We are own slaves now, slaves of showing indifference, of our laziness and of our ignorance, of taking things for granted - we need to fight for our freedom again and break these shackles. Let's not just mourn the death of these brave and let's not let their sacrifice go waste - the opportunity we have today has come for this price and we must now make the most of it!

- Dedicated to the brave men and women of the hotel staff ,the Mumbai Police Force, the NSG and the Naval Commando's.

Happy Diwali

UTWT - A new roads technology

The onset of monsoons and harried people, it has been many years that the people of Mumbai have forgotten what it felt like to enjoy the rain. You raise your eyes to the sky to welcome the dark black clouds and imagine the cool water drops to quench the thirst of the hot earth. It is not much after, that you are thrown open to reality and the puddles and potholes that devour the roads become visible.

Most of us are victims of bad roads, unwalkable pavements, road works signs that are posted for months and endless traffic jams. These roads that are the lifelines of the city that transport the people to their work, homes or any other destination, but they are the most unreliable source of commutation. This year itself the first monsoons saw a reported 150 accidents in one day. We still have road works that are incomplete although they started long before the rains and still continue after them.

Have we not evolved at all, has there not been enough proof that the current situation of the roads is an absolute mess. Cracks are already showing on roads in less than a year since they have been laid out. Don’t the citizens of the city deserve a comfortable and a bump-free drive? When are we going to adopt more scientific approach and open our eyes to new technology?

In the midst if this chaos, there is an alternative solution that seeks a ear, some one to take notice of the benefits it has to offer. It is cost effective, scientifically proven and long lasting. UTWT (Ultra Thin White Topping) , is currently being tested on a 100m road patch in Thane on one of the busiest routes near the Ghantali Mandir. It has taken less than 10 days for Dr. Deshmukh and his team to dig out and re-lay the road. Work has been carried out during late night so that commuters have been least affected. It was only 2 days of stoppage time when traffic had to be diverted so that material could be set.

The everyday commuters themselves can make out the difference in the road and there are many who enquire if all roads can be similarly laid out. The answer is yes why not. But the message has to be spread; the concerned authorities have to be made aware. Today it because of the support the TMC has provided that we in Thane can hope of better roads in the not so distant future.

VJ Lola’s Vaatshaala

Do you wanna have extra Gyaan and get your facts staight. You may be the coolest dude / babe around but what would happen if you were put to answer these questions. If you are following the General Lola on Channel V then you may already know some of these or you must be really smart!

The last few weeks Channel V's Lola Kutty has taken up the mantel herself to knock janta's brains and test their grey matter. Some people come up with real hilla-denewala (read: hilarious) responses. Some others make me wonder 'what the hell were you doing in school if you don’t know this?’

Not that I knew the Answers to all - but this stuff probably worth knowing than latest Page3 gossip or the filmy shenanigans.

So are you ready to take the test yourself - let’s see how smart you have been as a 5th grader and whether you are any better now.
Here is the latest of Lola's General Knowledge tests.

• Which city is made of 7 islands?
• How many days are there in a leap year?
• How many months have 28 days?
• What is a lunar eclipse?
• What is the national anthem of India? Who wrote it?
• What is the national song of India? Who wrote it?
• In which year did India get its Independence? (cmon you have to know this much atleast).
• How many states are there in Dakshin Bharat? (hint - dakshin == south!!).
• What language do they speak in each state of dakshin bharat?
  

Be proud if you know 'em all and if you dont know check out the Answers here. You may well be surprised to see some !!

And as Lola says - KNOWLEDGE IS NOT GENERAL

Keep looking for regular updates on this post - do send me more questions from General Lola that you know the answers to ...

Travel-logging

Everyone loves and lives to tell their travelogues - there is something unnatural that happens to everyone on their journeys; it could that you forgot to put locks on your check in bags or lost your luggage, missed your flight - or even leave your tickets at home and even disastrous one 'Lost the Passport'. I for one am proud to say that I have been through all of these - not all at the same time of course- but every trip is full of stories that I would love to share here.

When I forgot to lock my bags
It was my first ever international trip - let alone that - it was the first time I was to step on any plane for that matter. Any hoo bubbling with all excitement I reached the airport said my long good byes to everyone - naturally I was to go for a year and a half for my higher studies to UK. SO sure and confident that everything is under control I walked to the desk - showed my ticket and put my bags on the weighing machine - 63 kgs exactly, well under the allowed weight of 64 kgs for students traveling. Whoosh I saw each of the bags drawn over the conveyor belt to accompany me on my flight. Proudly I collect my boarding pass and walk away to my next check post only to realise that the little locks that should have been on the bags are still in my pockets. DAMN!! No need to elaborate what happened ahead - it was a flight full of fear anxiety and excitement - big butterflies in my stomach - packed like a bomb about to blow off - luckily when i got my bags all safe and sound - it felt like my plane had actually landed

When Vandana left her tickets at home
In January 2004 Vandana was to travel to Denmark for 2 months for training through her office - she was a complete wreck as this was told to her only a week back - so there was not much time to pack etc - since she was the first of my clan to partake an abroad trip - we were clueless as to what could be in store. Her parents, my bro and mum were to drop her to the airport - for some reason i opted out and stayed at home instead. An hour and a half later i received a frantic call from my brother - I could make out there was someone yelling in the background- it was my mum!! Not quite sure what is happening I was trying hard to focus on he was saying and picked up a few keywords - 'Vandana', 'Tickets', ' At home' - I almost sprung from my seat when it actually dawned on me what had happened. The lass had left without her tickets. I turned the whole house upside down looking for them; finally to find them nicely tucked away in an envelope on the bed. I wasn’t sure how it would be of any help with me finding the tickets - cause the flight was to leave in 2 hours and there was no way I could make it there on my own in the middle of the night. While I was trying to make any sense of this the door bell rang - I saw through the peep my neighbor - he knew what was going on and was ready on his scooty to drive me to the airport. Armed with our helmets and not ascertaining entirely how cold it would be outside -freezing, we drove. We made it in 45 minutes - it was a record!! All in all yes I handed over the ticket and the usual 'rona - dhona'. Another point to be noted during your travels - check all your documents! Againnnnnnn !!!

When I lost mah luggage
Off to trip to OZZIe land, in December 2007, my flight was delayed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus by 2 hours - Malaysian Airlines, to Brisbane - Via KL. I was getting a lil panicky as my transit flight from KL to Brisbane was due soon after I reach KL and I didn’t want to mess up my plans. Several enquiries and assurances later the Airline staff confirmed that arrangements for all transit passengers would be made. I landed in KL at the time when my transit flight was to take off - was rushed off directly from the runway to the waiting aircraft - like a swing airborne to airborne again. Happy that I made it I slipped into a deep slumber. Waking up at SYDNEY I was reminiscing what a flight I had - chatting up with some of my co passengers who had similarly been evicted. AS I waited for my luggage I had a weird feeling that something was wrong. And it was indeed - my bags had not arrived - they were still stuck at KL while I was being swinged away. It would take 2 more days for them to arrive and would be sent directly to my hotel - of course I was handsomely compensated for the grievance. I didn’t have much to complain as all my essentials were with me just my formals missing; but the compensation was more than enough to help me shop!! What a great trip - landed in Australia and the first thing that I do is shop.

When I missed my flight
Just as I was thinking that I have become a pro at globe trotting another disaster struck. June 2008 I was traveling to UK for a conference - I did the regular check - my flight was on time - I did a web check-in, a window seat as usual. Packed well in advance I drove to the airport sans ADI who was in Goa with his office guys. Too proud to show off that I can do things on my own without him! Just as I made a call to the Airline to check my status I could feel the sweat balls become bigger on my forehead. The departure time for my flight read 0130 hours and I had literally translated that to 1.30 pm in the afternoon. What the customer service lady on the line was informing me was that I had already missed my flight!! Tears rolling down my cheeks I informed everyone of the mishap - BABA insisted that I should still go to the airport and check. Making desperate calls to the travel desk and customer service I was a nervous freak when I reached the Airport. On reaching I went in straight to the Airline counter who very patiently heard my situation - there was no way I could cancel this trip - the booking for the conference and the hotel etc had been done in advance and there was also no way I could cough up money to buy a new ticket. The airline guys first gave me some water and then said they could put me on another flight that was to leave in an hour if I had my bags ready. I only had to pay some 'no show' charges for missing the earlier flight. There was nothing else that could have made me happier as I had already typed my resignation letter in my head, if the unexpected happened. I ran out with new found legs and picked my bags and was soon aboard my missed flight!! An important lesson learnt is to never back away from adversity - there is always a way out, I would have been in more trouble if I had decided not to go to the airport.

Hehehehe - when I lost my passport
This was an unbelievable event - I actually laughed my way out of it - on my flight back to London in 2006 my passport fell off my lap in the airplane. I only realised this when I had to present it at the immigration counter. I checked my bags inside out and traced my way back to the security gates near the boarding deck. I was almost embarrassed when I told the officer there that I want to go back on the flight. Very surprisingly he quipped, "Don’t you like London!!” I explained what had happened and was amazed when expression did not change. All he said was "Are you sure!!", and all I could say was "Positive". He took me along some doors that read “Officers Only" and I found myself in the security zone. He made a few calls on his walky talky and made me go through the Metal Detector gate and frisked my bag - then another door and I was in the lounge where all Airlines had their desks. Suddenly I realised that internally the airport is a small managing unit just feels much spaced out!!! Any hoo I ran all the way to Airline desk where there was Q. Mustering up my courage and convincing myself that this was an Emergency situation I skipped ahead of the Q. Thanks to all people ever so considerate. As I approached the lady at the desk she told me to hold on for a minute. She picked up her mike and on the Public Address System I heard, "Attention all passengers just arrived by the *** Airways Flight ** ***, Miss Trupti Mulajkar, could you please approach the closest airline counter' - this was repeated thrice. Not sure how but involuntarily I yelped 'That’s me!!' and she still continued to complete the announcement. When I finally went close to her - I saw the look on her face just like my mother's and felt that a hard smack was on its way to my cheek. Luckily she just smiled and handed my passport. "You should be more careful with these things". I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and thanked the security officer for helping me out - He said he was glad I can see London now and didn’t have to go back - of course I could see the sarcasm. If I would have not found my passport then we would both be traveling back home on separate flights!!!.

Such have been the amazing stories behind all the beautiful pictures and memories - they would have been different if all would have not turned out to be fine. But you know what they say "In the end everything is ALRIGHT - if it is not alright then it is not the END". Rock ON!

Good Morning!!

Emotions run high. The heart races at million beats per second. The mind tried to build a picture that changes faster than persistence of vision. The wind lashes my face as I try to grab my thoughts that reach somewhere before I can physically get there.

There is a rush of blood with every thought, I find myself carelessly smiling and reliving moments over and over again. The elements reminding me of you - as I try to catch your scent in the wind, search your face in the clouds and my eyes light up like the fire burning within.

The delay of every millionth of a second causes agony. As every moment spent without you is an opportunity lost., especially when every morning I check myself in the mirror and look good just for you. Every radiant spot on my face touched by your love.

And then the moment arrives, when the cloud cover of faces dissipates. Slowly but surely my eyes begin to scan, when the frenzied thoughts of the last few minutes takes shape and I see your face which simply encapsulates all my feelings and to reciprocate to that dollop smile I simply have two words, "Good Morning!!"

- written by me - one Wednesday morning waiting at the station

FACES -

He is my favorite and his buddy Hobbes is someone Id love to have for myself too. Do you think after these expressions there is any need to describe exactly whathe feels like. I have this poster stuck up on my dashboard in office and often look past at it without thinking much! Today a colleauge of mine asked me to share this poster with her and we ended up assigning each of these 12 Calvin moods of to our daily lives in Office.

So lets go in order left to right and top to bottom

Calvin 1 - I call this the SMART One
Thats what i do when I have received "Gyaan" on how to do my job better - seriously I am great at it - just that people have too many expectations from me to be the BEST.

Calvin 2 - BLOW my head out Cal
He is late again - as usual promised to leave early but something came up at the last minute so - "You should probably go ahead" and SHOOT MEEEEE!!!!! Just kidding but that is the last thing you want to hear after a long hours day.

Calvin 3 - Good Knight CAL
After I have done staring at the computer long after it has shut down, pacified that no email is going to be aimed at me. It is 'war of the mails' most days, some times you get wounded, sometimes you are victorious, every new project a new battle - keep your blade shining!

Calvin 4 - Seriously CAL
Yes after the gruelling train ride - when i reach the desk waiting for my Inbox to be flooded again - I think to myself seriously i get paid for this !$#&.

Calvin 5 - Twisted CAl
Oh cmon everything doesnt have to be taken literally- but when people dont seem to grasp the obvious and engage in discussions that are going nowhere - endless.

Calvin 6 - Bored CAL
Oh no not again!! Just when you think that a project is over and long gone - it comes back to haunt your dreams yet again.

Calvin 7 - Catastrophy CAL
Yes I am good at my work - but sometimes do make it a point to goof up - just to look like that!

Calvin 8 – Sarcastic Pirate Cal
Why now, doesn’t that look like the young Jack Sparrow in the making – hohoho and a bottle of RUM, Id prefer Vodka but I’ve graduated to more serious drinks lately, Drambuie’s and Cointreau’s. That’s what I look like in extremely high spirits, when things look much better with just one eye open.

Calvin9 – One finger in my … Cal
At any given moment in time when ultimately there is nothing to do or you don’t want to do it(the probability of this occurring is more);many a times involuntarily, its like a morning ritual, a twinge of getting something out of the way – that nasty pestering and sometimes very stubborn and deep rooted piece of snort out of your nose. Yup most of the time you wish that no ones looking and other times when it is irresistible you don’t really care.

Calvin10 –what god forsaken reason can I give now Cal (patented to Adityo)
‘Procrastination thy name be put to test’ by this dude, there is no sane reason for the stuff he does but just like that is a good enough reason.

Calvin11 – I wanna scream Cal
So many times everyday people cross you for the wrong reasons, it starts from rickshawallahs, to the hoodlum at the station gaping at you and thinks that you haven’t spotted him already, first class lady travelers who cant stop yapping about their inconsiderate male bosses, my chaiwala who doesn’t know how to make chai and experiments on me everyday.

Calvin12 - i told you so CAL
hahahaha this is my favorite lines - but really - i dont like to say it that often, but cant resist the devilish temptation when all logic is surpassed by the id, and why not? Its not my fault when you didnt listen the first time i told you so .....

Words from the past

Scrummaging through some old papers I came across some of my earliest musings with poetry. You know those are the days when You can almost try your hand at everything. AnyHoo scribbled on a page torn from a notebook was this - it did not have a name then and i cant still cant think of one now ....

I saw a boat, rollicking alone
Fighting the waves on its own
That was no place for it to be
Lost in the vastness of the sea.

I saw a bird in its lovely flight
Going nowhere no nest in sight
Still shearing the wind and soaring high
carrying on, challenging the sky

I saw a tree standing tall
With leaves and fruits and flowers et all
Standing there how many years it must have spent
But no on saw now it was bent

I saw the sun the brightly star
and felt its warmth from yet so far
in its light the darkness hides
but the truth is its burning inside!

I saw a rainbow one morning
Sashaying its colors, glimmering and shining
the dark rain clouds it had shadowed
Knowing quite well its colors were borrowed

Everything I saw was somehow lonely
Living for others - but solo completely!

dated - March 2000

Picture-speak

Some of my favorite pics - 'mah' works :)

'The Brisbane Cityscapes'

I took this picture while on a boat ride on the Brisbane river - it was an awesome ride - some of best landscapes i have seen - colors of the sky I have never seen before - It feels like the sun painting the whole city in its Yellow and the overwhelming clear blue Skies.

'Yohei - upscaling Windermere'

My Mad mad Japanese friend who has washed his mobile 3 times and used mosituriser instead of shampoo - Yohei the sweetheart with his innoccent smile and never say die attitude. I remember waking him up hysterically at 4.30 am to catch a train for this trip at 5.15 am. His brilliant plan to snow board with an old scrap metal sheet and cardboard sled which almost gave me a frost bite and of course his lovely wife 'Asami'. He went RED after having the curry but he loved it and of course his infamous 'one hour pasta sauce' - I am grateful for whatever little Japanese i learnt from him Arigato - Gosai- Masta - Yohei san!

'The nestled Windermere - Lake District'

It was a last minute decision to make this trip to Lake District - tickets were bought, the YHA was booked for 2 nights - it was the last weekend before the lakes closed down for Winter. We changed 3 trains and 2 buses to make it here - a good 51/2 hours away from Sheffield into the Lancaster county, very close from the Scottish highlands. The lake district houses 5 of Britains most beautiful and scenic lakes - we went to the biggest ' Windermere'. A low budget trip with packed with extreme action - so it included a trek of 4 hours in pouring rain, river crossing on the mountain and a ride in the freezing lake - so serene and calm. This picture is taken from one of the stop overs in the walkathon - which gave a complete birds eye view of Windermere and the last of what the Summer left behind. You can see the leaves drying on the trees and grass turning flame red - signs of the harsh winter creeping in ....

'Baby Rewa - one month old'

Of that which WAS and which can BE ...

The less of which is said is always better experienced.It is true about almost everything; love, money, success, sorrow and even booze :). Every passing day takes us closer to a reality that we want to deny, tearing away from the past which is now the TRUTH to a future which is uncertain.