LFS

LFS - Large Format Stores, that is the name of the BU i have joined last month. And i have re-christened it as Life @ Full Speed just because now i do not have time at all. I start at 8 in the morning and stay back at work till 9 or 10. Lately, in my also sleep i am planning about activities for business and the challenges.

But this post is not about my new profile, but about life, which this blog is all about. 2014 started at a low point. Some plans failed, which i believed would be successful. It is like "Dreams in my eyes are my nightmares today". People say failures are part of life, whoever came up with this thought, that guy must be crazy, Hehehe. Its not the failure but the disappointment in life that creates void in your existence itself and you can't just live like that. 

Yesterday as i was preparing half yearly report for my business, i thought what did my own report card says for this year. And i realized that after my failure, "i did not live this life but just existed." And suddenly i felt, Damn you Prasanth Prabhakaran, you may be a failure whole your life, but still you never existed, you lived your life fullest even with those failures. Yes i was a shameless creature who has failed so many times with a smile, lol.... I realised that i wasted so much of it, last week i went to Goa with my friends, and the only thing i did was sit silently and watch my friends playing in sea. Heights was that i slept at the shore while those friends were playing at the beach in candolim. 

But now it seems that there are things to be done. Especially October had always been a special month for me, so i feel to start things afresh. Started it with taking up operations plus sales (yes sales which i avoid taking up) for my BU. Blogging whenever i could get time, (if LFS let me do so) and then clicking whenever possible. Watch movies. Yes, i have to mention it, because i could not believe it that i have not seen a movie since youngistaan. Even when i have all the latest movies on my PC, i have not seen them. Now what can be a more disgrace than that. Dad's birthday is coming in November so have to plan that. Same way many things are pending to be done. 

In the end it seems right to quote

 "One must let go of the life they have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us." 

Kabhi Kabhi...

Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hain
Ki zindagi teri zulfon ki narm chhaon main guzarne pati
to shadab ho bhi sakti thi.

Yeh ranj-o-gham ki siyahi jo dil pe chhayi hain
Teri nazar ki shuaon main kho bhi sakti thi.

Magar yeh ho na saka aur ab ye aalam hain
Ki tu nahin, tera gham teri justjoo bhi nahin.

Guzar rahi hain kuchh iss tarah zindagi jaise,
isse kisi ke sahare ki aarzoo bhi nahin.

Na koi raah, na manzil, na roshni ka suraag
Bhatak rahin hai andheron main zindagi meri.

Inhi andheron main reh jaoonga kabhi kho kar
Main janta hoon meri hum-nafas...

Magar yoonhi, Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hai.

Maybe It's Just Me...

Maybe it's just me, but you seem finally happy
I don't think I've seen your face just glow
Like a neon sign and maybe I should be alone for ever after,
Cause even though the nights are long
At least I'll make it another day...

Cause I can't live if you're not happy
I can't live if you cry, 
But I can live without you if it makes you smile

And maybe things got weird after all that went down
Things were oh so clear,
That I could never get the right
So tell me what your plans are
And tell me what you're doing
The only thing I'll hold against me is a picture of you tonight

Cause I can't live if you're not happy
I can't live if you cry, 
But I can live without you if it makes you smile
And I can't wait to see you rise 
And I can't wait for you to shine
But I can wait for you if all you need is...

Time for you to think things over
Time to talk the drama down
It's not a contest of who'll try harder
Or who'll cross the finish line

And I can't live if you're not happy
I can't live if you cry, 
But I can live without you if it makes you smile
And I can't wait to see you rise 
And I can't wait for you to shine
But I can wait for you if all you need is time

It’s a Good bye for Now

Hello everyone, it has been long that I have been missing from my blog after my fallout with GOD (missing as if anyone was looking for me… LOL). It should not matter too much for me if someone was looking for my posts or not because I write it for me. I won’t deny the fact that someone really had inspired me to write my blog but then that person also left. Life is like a train journey; people come, stay and then move out. You can’t cry or make fuss about it.

Well today there is nothing specific I want to write, it is just about the things happening and how confused I am in the whole process and what I think I should do. Life is giving me a bag of mixed emotions. It is like life is throwing lemons at me and I think I am going to make lemonade from them.

I am feeling my dream, my passion is still haunting me because the more I am trying to achieve them, more I feel that they going away. It is like a mirage, you feel you can reach them but then they are still away.

My current job is going fine, but then there is no energy or kick that would drive me to office. The feel is not right at all to work in that kind of environment but my commitments stop me from quitting.

And the worst part it previously when I used to be in such a phase where I felt low, when the things didn’t look fine, I used to just pick up my phone, dial number of my close ones and just talk random. Sadly today the busy world has taken over everything. Sometimes they are in meetings, sometimes they are with family or sometimes they just don’t realize because the phone is on silent. So other than the above said 2 points this fact kills me more that world has taken over my space in my people’s (I don’t call everyone my people) lives.

I guess the phase is not right for me. Some people say it is all about time, and God will make things right. I don’t feel so because it seems the so called GOD is trying to put me down, trying to bend me with his wits. Well if that is the case then I guess the “WAR is ON”. If I have stood by people in their tough times, I guess I can stand for me when required. Like my childhood days, the years when I spent my time alone in house, all alone, I had been my friend, my philosopher and my guide. I recall those times, when I used to stand outside our society playground where kids of my society used to play cricket and watch them playing. I was never taken in team because they knew the moment my mother reached back from office, I would have to leave the game halfway and go home.

The feel of being alone is not new to me. But since I got some freedom, I had made up a family of my own, of my people, the people I called friends, rakhi sisters or so called brothers from another mother. I have not been alone in recent past so it feels odd a bit now to find no one around. But then no one promised me to be there, and even if they did, they have their own lives.

There are some decisions I have to take to move ahead, to fight with this world, which tries to change you the way they want. I have my dreams to achieve, I have to show this world that I have lived alone and I can live alone again. I still won’t change, you all can look for me, this guy will still be there for you. Not like I will be there but unavailable when needed. I will be there, the way you have always found me.

This will be my last post till I have finished my first script. The thing I want to do for me, and till that time nothing else. There are some more steps I need to take, some decisions which may end some stories or which may make them believe that I left.  My stories never had an ending, I just leave them halfway. I don’t like endings but then I will accept the fact, that end is necessary. And there will be endings in every story of my life someday.

Till the time I am back, its good bye from me. Thanks for being there.

The Atheist in Me

"In the face of all that is so wrong with the world, the very worst thing you can do is survive. And yet you must survive. It is this dilemma that makes us believe and cling to the lie that we have a soul, and that there is a God who cares about its fate."

I had been a God fearing person and have always respected in the belief of the people and their religion. Since childhood I have been made to visit temples and stand in long Q's, as i saw people standing around me begging for their wishes to come true in front of some power whom they call God. But lately I tend to disagree with this concept called GOD. 

The quote mentioned above is a line which I read from a book which i was reading through and it stuck to me. Is it not true, the whole idea of this GOD and miracles is so fake and made up. The rules made by some people born long ago just to create a fear and run this world. We live in a world which is like a State of Fear. What I feel is that this world runs of fear and as a matter of fact, whoever has tried to overcome this fear has ruled in this world.  When it comes to GOD, we have a fear embedded inside our minds that we are being watched by some invisible force, who actually have hired an accountant and keeping records of the good and bad things one is doing. And based on that we will have our fates and life fixed. How convincing and easy it was to handle the state of affairs with this fear inside every living human being. 

Does it really happens? If that was the case, then I guess all the criminals across the world should have rotten to death, but that doesn't happen. But what we see is, some innocent people get killed under the rubble of illegal buildings, beneath the rich guys cars and then their kids roam across the streets as orphans. The world looks at them with hatred and punish them more. What wrong they did? The only mistake i could see is that they took birth in some poor family. 

This is a topic of debate and as I write this post, I know what all i am writing will be total rant, because whoever reading this will be having some fear in them about this thing called GOD. I somehow have lost the belief that there is some power which actually takes care of the world. Everything is in one's own hand, the power is inside you. You can't get peace sitting inside a temple if you have some major issue going in your life, while you can sleep peacefully in a scorching sun, if you are at peace from inside. The confidence to face the world comes within and nothing else can bring it until you have faith in your own self.

The world is blind and have its own angle to look at you. And for those who say that there some power actually, If that is the case and someone is actually managing the world then MAN, that person needs to improve because right now IT SUCK's!!!!

Maut Tu Ek Kavita Hai...

In 1971, when Indian Cinema was at verge of new dimension, a movie called Anand was released. A film about a man, who knows he is going to die, a man who knows that life had been unfair to him, but he then teaches the world how to live. I have always loved to sit and watch that movie again and again and always tried to live as per a dialogue in that movie "Zindagi lambi nahi, badi honi chahiye". We should not try to live longer but live life kingsize. 

Lately there was a phase when i wanted to live longer but then again I was not liking it, and then something happened in my life. Some losses teaches you many things and reminds you some forgotten lesson. And then i recall this poem of the same movie 

Maut tu ek kavita hai .. 
mujhse ek kavita ka vaadaa hai milegi mujhko .. 

doobti nabzon mein jab dard ko neend aane lage 
zard saa cheharaa liye chaand ufak tak pahunche 
din abhi paani mein ho, raat kinaare ke kareeb 
na abhi andheraa ho, na ujaalaa ho, na raat na din 
jism jab khatam ho aur rooh ko saans aaye . 

mujhse ek kavita ka vaadaa hai milegii mujhko .. 

Translation

Death you are a poem.. 
a poem has made pact with me that I shall meet her .. 

when drowning pulse will bring on painful sleep 
when Moon carrying her yellow face will reach horizon 
when days still in water and night close to shore 
there is not yet darkness, neither light, not night not day 
when body is gone and soul still breaths. 

a poem has made pact with me that I shall meet her ..


It reminds me that Death is something that will come. So instead of trying to live longer in the way I want, I am accepting what is coming and going to live the way I used to. And will wait for my poem to end. ;-)

My 2012 - An Overview

 

 

The Year 2012 was a bag of mixed emotions. Some very happy moments and some sad. But overall it was a good year, and like my friend always tells, its only the happy things that stay, bad everyone forgets.

 

 

The Questionnaire-

1. Best Moment of the year- Coming back to India finally on 1st April 2012

2. Best Finding of the year- Didn't find anything Best

3. Best Asset of the year- Friends

4. Best Learning of the year- You have to be selfish somewhere. I learnt but have yet to learn how to be implement.

5. Best Decision taken in 2012- Following my dreams

6. Top 5 movies of the year- Agneepath, Cocktail, Barfi, Kahaani, Vicky Donor

7. Top 5 songs of the year- liked many. naming 5 will be injustice.

8. Saddest Moment of the year- Losing a loved one...

9. One bad thing happened in 2012 - I am selfish in this case... Don't want to share

10. Something you loved and lost in 2012- Did i? If i lost it, it was never mine, i misunderstood.

11. Your long awaited desire fulfilled in 2012- Living in my home in kerala for 2 months.

12. Your Best Click of the year-  Will post few of them in next post.

13. Your Best new place visited in 2012 - Went many places.

14. A new and interesting food joint discovered in the year- Sereneya, A tibetan restaurant in Malad West, mumbai

15. Best Dream you saw in 2012 (While sleeping)- Saw someone with me at our home.

16. One new love/interest developed in the year- to Read.

17. Best Family Moment of the year- In dec 2012, there was a perfect moment i had dreamt.

18. Best office moment of the year- When My team in Qatar came to see me off at airport.

19. One change in you from 2012- Little impatient nowadays.

20. Any new habit adopted in 2012- Don't know about it

21. A wish pending for 2013- To hear someone express what i really wish to happen

 

 

This was my friend's idea. You guys who want to do the same can go ahead. Take care...

Is It the System or Us??

Nowadays whenever I switch on a news channel or any newspaper, the main highlight is CRIME AGAINST WOMAN. Everywhere it is the Delhi rape case or some other crime against woman which is being discussed. I had promised myself to avoid writing about it, not because I am least bothered about a human life or I do not respect women, but I just didn't want to be a part of people who just talk and blame. To my agony, I recently saw some of my friends from abroad putting up statuses saying 'How India is unsafe for Woman and every 20 minutes a rape happens in India'. Well I do not know how to react, how to tell them that this is not true, but then it is us only who are portraying this in front of the world. Instead of finding a solution, we somehow are making lots of hoolah.

When I think about the incident, I wonder who is to be blamed. The government, the police or is it us? I won't blame the girl or the friend because that is the most foolish thing anyone could say. Travelling in a public bus or going out with a friend is in no way a mistake. But I want to ask myself and all these people who are actually standing out on the road, showing their anger. What have we done, are we not somewhere responsible in this? I feel we all have some hand in it, and we are doing it without our knowledge.

Statistics shows, 65% of the accused in all the rape cases are juvenile or in their early 20's. Apart from rape cases which have increased in the recent times, if you try to account more crimes against woman, the cases where Acid is thrown on a girls face or abduction of girls also have increased. Sad part is that these cases go unreported or do not have much TRP to be shown on news channels. Majority accused in all these cases are in their teens or late twenties. What is this telling us? Are these people born rapists or can't they identify what is wrong or right? Well I think we all are the reason for increasing this number at such a rate.

How many times have you been a part of discussion, where a friend of yours has proposed to a girl and she rejected him. Try to recall it and look at it from an outsider’s viewpoint. You will find that we rarely try and console the person, instead we are mock them that he has been let down by a girl, a meagre creature, adding agony to an already hurt person. This agony somewhere turns in to need to revenge. 100% of acid throwing cases have a similar story like this behind them. She dumped me or didn't say yes to be my friend and I felt insulted, and took revenge.

Somewhere I also feel that our society is moving in a direction where Women are now considered as a commodity. Those who don't agree, please tell me why is there a need of an item number in movie then. If you want to create hype, put an item number and people talk about it. Woman will have a role to sing and dance only while guy is the hero who fights and leads the way. Similarly, if you have a girlfriend or a woman around you, you are a DUDE or else you are nothing. You have an event, you need tall models in short dresses to stand at the gates, if you are in sales, you try to hire good looking woman to increase your sales and send them for sales pitch, Cheer girls for cricket matches and so many more situations where women are used like a product. What are we doing? We are actually killing their value and that is why every tom dick and harry thinks he can pick up any second girl from the road, do what he wants and then throw her on road. And mostly these thoughts are really boosted when you are drunk, which we have seen as most of the accused of rape cases are drunk when they committed that horrifying crime.

We blame the police that they don't do their duties. What about our civic duties?? There were reports that people were taking pictures of the girl who was raped and thrown on road naked. Instead of informing authorities and draping that poor soul, we click pictures. Are we humans anymore? News guys who are supposed to create awareness are using these opportunities to increase the TRP's. Infact everyone is trying to take on this opportunity and utilize it in their way. The supposed God men preaching about gods and telling that rape victim should have called for god. Sms company sending messages creating chains and forwarding the message, where they earn money on bulk messages.

In all this what we forget is that we are not taking any step to prevent these incidents in future. Its not new to have protests and candle march. In 2008 Scarlett Case pulled alot of  International attention towards rapes happening in India, similarly many more cases there was an uproar, we shout, we scream and then we expect the police and government to do their duties. What have we done to change the situation?

 

How many of us have ever thought of organizing a community patrolling in your own area during nights? How many of us have offered our neighbourhood women help if we find them going alone in night? Have we ever tried to make our friend realize that, if a girl has dumped him or said no to him, it is good for both of them, because it is better than having a relationship where either of them is not happy. If i talk about rape cases, how many times have we tried to help a woman when you see that she is being harassed or in danger. And how many of us have come forward and helped a rape victim to come back and live life normally. When you see a crime happening, report it or try to stop it, instead of being selfish.

We have to work on which can improve the condition of society. I am not saying that these silent protests should be stopped, but we need to act more and work to improve our society.

Tell Me O' Khudaa!!!

Statuatory Warning - Readers are informed that this post is written at 2 AM by the writer as he is sipping his 6th cup of black coffee mixed with shot of Cogniac. In short he is drunk and the pot may make no sene. Moreover letter 'S' on his keyboard is broken so there may be some 'S' mising inbetween. Readers can avoid if they want.

Ye jo world hai na world, this is made up of 2 kinds of people. How many kind?? 2 kinds, one who are good and one who are bad. Well the general misconception is that if you do good, then you get heaven after death, while the bad people end up rotting in hell. Ok, sounds good but that is after death. What about before death???

 

My mom ued to tell me, that be good boy, help people, love the beings around you and you will be loved and cared. Really?? Naah, I don't think this world runs on that track at all. If it did, then all the billionaires whom we know, would have been having white clean sheets of their life. Infact every famous man in the world has a dark history. And it seems like people with bad reputation are only respected. Make a controversy and you are looked up by everyone. You guys don't believe me?? Well let me explain...

 

Let us go back to our college days (those who are in college, open your eyes). College is a place where you will find 2 type of guys, the good guys, the geeks or sweet guys and then the show offs or the hunk kinds. Well most of the girls in college are attracted towards the hunk, who actually takes advantage of these so caled smart girls. And the good guys are left with their shoulders which comes in use when girls realise that the Hunk was just fooling around. Now the good guy thinks that now he has a chance but Naah. Then also there is a very less chance of them to get in, because by then Girls says "I don't think i can be in relationship with any guy. All guys are same." hahaha.... the good guys have no chance.

 

Now do you believe me?? Still No?

Oh God!! You need more examples.

Ok then lets go to our own indian mythology. Ok firstly, i do respect our mythology and the names I am mentioning are with due respect, and with no intentions to hurt religious sentiments.

 

Let us take an example of Lord Rama and Shree Krishna. Both avataars of Maha Vishnu. Lord Rama, the good guy, an obedient son, a good husband, a fair king whereas our favourate Krishna bhagwaan, the prankster, eve teaser or u can say the hunk guy. Ram ji was obedient, and he was sent to exile, one man woman that too was kidnapped, blamed on, half of the time was made to stay away from her. Anyone could come and say things to him and as a fair king he used to accept them, be it taking agni pariksha of wife or parting away from his kids. On the other hand our krishna bhagwaan, he used to steal since childhood but was loved by everyone, the guy had so many gopis, some 16K wives but still every woman of that era adored him. He practically told the cheat codes to Pandavas to win the battle and still he was much more famous and greater when compared to Shri Ram. You can see through it in practical life also, for rama no one generally says bhagwaan but for shri krishna bhagwan word comes automatically from our mouth. But if you look at the good and bad scale, Shri Ram has an upper hand.

So now tell me oh almighty, is being good really practical or somewhere one can be bad. I am not saying that be bad, do all the shit crap things but being good and nice is one foolish act. And if you still worry about the afterdeath, I say HELLYA!!!!

Life - What is it all about?

Sometimes in life, a thought comes to you, making you realize things about life. The funny fact about these thoughts are, that these things you might have heard so many times, but that realization which you have now brings a lot of change in you. 

Today a similar thought pooped (:-P) in my head and i asked me that what is life? It is a common question we all ask to ourselves at some point of life. I think my point came.

Life, Is it about achievements, the money you earn, or is it about being good at your work, or is it about being famous and rich? What is it all about? Is it really the materialistic aspect that makes your life fun? 27 years down the lane of my life there are many things I did, they surely make me happy when I think about them. But the real happiness i feel is when I recall the moments I had with my friends, thinking about the time I spent with someone, even for 15 minutes when there was not even a conversation. The funny incidents, the pranks, the fun, the fights with my sister, the leg pulling of my brother, ragging of a junior who ended up being a friend, a google search that lead me to find a very wonderful person, when I think of them, it is actually that thing which makes me happy. The saturdays at my cousins, the funny arguments I had with my bhabhi, the plans to escape office to go to friends party and many more like them.  These thoughts fills my heart with sheer joy, and then a wish comes out from my heart, to go back and relive them somehow. 

I don't understand why we humans are so materialistic? Why can't we look at the life simply, why is it important that if you love someone, you need her or him to love you back? Why does your work takes over your life, when work is supposed to be a part of your life? Why do we end up forgetting our old buddies while we we keep on adding more facebook friends. Why "I am there" has turned into just a phrase while you are not there when you are most needed? Why relationships have turned into burden which are supposed to be the support system of tough times. Are we actually living life or wasting the best gift we  have?

I feel that life is all about the happy moments you earn in your life. The moments which you will recall and a smile will come on your face, as you will go into your last sleep. I wish to get wealthy with those moments and that is the prayer that comes from my heart.

To end I would quote Rajesh Khanna from Anand "Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi." (Life should be big, not long)

Words Unsaid...

“Yeah, I am at the airport but they tell me that flight is delayed for 2 hours. Postpone the meeting to a time in evening and make sure the client has no complaints. Now I am hanging, I have a call waiting.”

Raj disconnects and reconnects his held call “Yes Maa... Sorry kept you on hold for long.”

(Mom says something from the other side) “No Maa, i am going to delhi for work, i am not going to meet any Sharma ji ki daughter in between. “

”Yeah, I know my age, but mom, please. I told you and i am sticking to it. Mom there is another call coming, i am hanging up. Bye, Love u... “

Raj disconnects and again answers the new call “Yes Abhinav, (listens to abhinav) No dude!!! I can’t. Tomorrow i have meetings with Investors, and then evening, i have to leave for Mumbai. You know everything, and you call me asking for time. You know, every minute i have scheduled for my work. I can’t spare time for anyone.... Hey.....!!!” and there was a sudden silence.

While he was answering the call, he had turned around, to see the person who tapped him from behind and Life was standstill in front of him. “Hello, Hello... Raj” voice was audible from phone while Raj stood dumbstruck

“I will call you back... Yeah... I will... Hanging up now...” He disconnected the phone still looking at the person who had tapped his shoulder.

“Why are you looking at me like this? Don’t tell me, you don’t know me.” She spoke as she smiled.

__________*****__________

As they sat across the coffee table, Raj kept adoring her beauty, she still looked the same she used to be 5 years back. Those black eyes, her hair flowing down on her right side, her skin glowed now also as if she daily baths with milk. It was like yesterday, when they used to be the best pal, totally different but still best friends or that is what he still said. Best friend whom he never contacted in last 5 years.

“How are you? Where have you been so long?” she enquired as they sat across the coffee table at the airport coffee shop.

“Just got busy with life and then got lost in the crowd. Now handling my own business, IT solutions here in Mumbai. ” Raj answered

“Busy?? You just vanished after college, what happened? Kabhi yaad nahi aayi dost ki? (didn’t you miss your friend)”

To miss you, I have to forget you. “Nothing, life happened. You tell, how are things with you? So hows married life?”

"Married? who? I am still single ... And you?” she was a bit shocked on that question

“Why? I thought... (he stopped for a sec) Where’s Karan?”

“Karan? Who Karan?” she enquired

“Karan Singhania, our batchmate. He proposed to you the last day, and i guess you liked him.”

“What?? He did propose me, but i didn’t say yes. Why will I?”

There was an awkward silence for a moment, Yamini looked into his eyed and asked “You thought, i was in love with Karan..? and that’s why...”she stopped

Raj was silent, His face betrayed him, they showed the guilt and pain in his eyes as he looked into her. Raj wanted to express, but he didn’t have the courage like he didn’t have 5 years back. But this time he was caught. He could see it in her eyes and as he was about to explain when Yamini got up “My flight has been announced. Raj it was good to see you.”

She turned around and started walking, to the counter to check in for her flight. Finally a drop of tear just got through the strong barrier of her will and came out flowing on her eye; she immediately wiped it and kept walking. She also loved him, even 5 year earlier but she thought he didn’t. Today when she realised that 5 years of her life she lost because she didn’t tell her friend that she loved her, just because of fear that Life will change if she told him. But life did change, but not the way she thought.

Raj could see her walking away from him, he had to do something, He had to tell her that He loved her, even 5 years back he was in love with her and till date he is. He didn’t want to miss her and he got himself indulged in work. But today he realised she loved him and he had to tell her that he loved her too. It was getting late, as she was walking away. But now she was not visible, she vanished as she checked in and entered the transit zone.

Last time they didn’t express and lost 5 years and today when they realised they could, but again didn’t, how many years again they don’t know.

Tell what you feel, because sometimes things unsaid always stay in your life as a question that “What if i had expressed?”

Pilots of the Green Coloured 3 Wheelers

As I wrote in my previous post, I have been travelling a lot for my work. I sometimes feel like, i should not rent a house anymore in Mumbai, because maximum time I am in different cities. And during my travel the people I meet the most is auto walaas. Yes the green coloured Indian 3 wheeler Pilots are the people I interact the most during my travel. Well the funny things is, even though every Pilot is doing the same work, but the style, the attitude and the charges are different. Let me try to explain what i mean -

In Mumbai -

Stopping an auto - You just have to whistle, and for those who can't whistle, just make a sound like "pooch" and any auto guy, driving at any speed will stop for you. Very quick, they will just ask, where and then a nod. You have to be quick and sharp eyed to understand what that nod meant. It may be sit or may be a naah. There is a very thin line of difference in between both the signs, one is a slight turn of neck, right to left directing us to go inside the while a No is also a nod but a very quick movement to both side.

However if its a yes, then you don't have to argue how much money and blah blah. You pay metered charge as per the law.

In Bangalore -

You have to wave a big hand to stop them. No meter is fixed in the autos at all. You have to accept the fact and go with the wind. And these guys seem to only talk in multiple of hundereds. Any destination you say, they will say the charge in multiple of hundreds. You are not allowed inside the auto unless you are totally sure of the location. They want you to be sure where you want to go or else you will be hearing alot of kannada you don't know, if you get confused when you near the destination and you take time in locating the exact drop place.

Another key aspect is that even if you bargain and bring the price in an odd number (i.e. not in multiple of hundereds) you need to have the exact change to pay. Don't expect them to have change, so if you had to pay INR 70/- and you don't 70 with you, you end up paying INR 100/- because they won't be having loose cash. Very strategically they play their cards. ;-)

In Chennai -

Here they stop automatically, if you stand on edge of the road. Sometimes even if you are just standing, 2-3 autos may approach you. But these guys are also not less than their neighbours.   Again similar to Bangalore, they don't use meter fare. Meter is just a decoration in their planes and you have to pay what they want. But still better as they agree in charging in odd numbers also, even if they begin with a hundered. Here you have to be very smart and you need to bargain alot. So if they say 100, you say 50 and then you close the deal by 70.

They are also up to date about the happenings around, so if you bargain alot on fare, they answer you "Yenna Saar, Petrol Embaadu ruwa..."

and when you say "What" with your confused expressions they reply "Petrol eighty rupees saar. This long, only one way, you go round and come." I still don't know, how many one ways chennai have. LOL

Secondly, whatever you do, even if you tell them you don't know Tamil, they will answer you in Tamil only. So brush up a bit of Tamil when you are there.

In Hyderabad -

Well these guys are a little better. They answer you in Hindi and also sometimes in english. You can talk to them while driving as he will update you about the locations around. He may enquire your full history, i.e. where you came from, where you want to go, have you seen hyderabad earlier and many more stuff. But still they are better people. I met a bunch of auto guys with whom I interacted. We spoke about stuff like biryanis, haleem and why foreigners come and click all these photos of autowalas, chaiwalas and beggars.

The only thing you have to do is to persue them to use the meter. The meter is fixed in the auto, but still when you ask for fare, they give you a number. Then you have to point your finger on the meter and then he might say, "Same hai saab." (It is same sir)

But if you insist again, they will put on the meter.

Another thing is, Hyderabadi auto guys keep their autos sophisticated. High backrest seats, good speakers, disco lightings inside. I travelled in one of them and while talking, I requested him to show me the speakers effect. And he played a telugu song of Allu Arjun sung by Adnan Sami.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFN9CzipgZ4

But one thing is common in every autowala across the states of India. That they work hard, driving around the lanes in scorching sun, heavy rain or in bad health to earn for their family, carrying us, the stuff of ours and still in the end they have a smiling face most of the time.

Keep in mind about the attitudes when you are in these cities. Hope you guys may find it useful.

Be The Change or Don't Complain

It has been long time now, I posted something about my Mumbai Chronicles. I am sorry because of the lame excuse I will be giving, i.e. was busy with work. But it is actually true, because I have been travelling around for my office work and even though there are moments, when a whole post is cooked in my mind, I am too lazy to serve it. 

However, this one incident I would like to share, and I am not expecting everyone to agree to it but still this is what I feel about the whole incident. As I told, I have been travelling a lot and during my travels I meet many people. On my way to Hyderabad from Chennai - 

"This country is doomed. No one can make it better."

I took my eyes of the book I was reading and looked up. A middle aged person, black hair with some shades of grey, the wrinkle around his eyes showed his age, may be late forties, a pencil type mustache, a coffee brown colored polo neck t-shirt, and black trousers, sat in corner seat of my opposite berth. 

"See, how dirty this place is?"

"That is how it is?" answered a person sitting opposite to him. A young man, 6 feet, the look told he works for an IT firm, specky, headsets placed, carrying 2 phones, one an I Phone and one some Sony device

I went back to reading, ignoring the stupid complaint, but it didn't stop there.

. 

"They will remain like this. Even though they take so much taxes. now they increased the service charges on rail tickets. Where is all this money going? To pay medical bills of some Italian lady... Huh! (referring to the recent claim of a politician that INR 1880/- crores were paid by Indian Govt. for the ruling parties presidents medical visits to foreign countries).

"And we pay for everything." He continued. "See countries like Thailand, Singapore, China, Malaysia, They are getting better day by day and here we are stuck with corruption."

"Ticket to USA is 30K and If i go to Delhi from Chennai, it is also almost 30 K. What a logical pricing." old guy continued while the IT guy nodding in support.

"This country is good for nothing. We just pay and pay. And our politicians enjoy the bribes and taxes we give."

 That was it, when I could not take it more. "Sir are you moving out of India soon?"  I asked the person

"Sorry!!! I didn't get you." the old guy asked, giving me a Who The Hell are you look...

"I asked, are you moving out of India to another country?"  I answered loudly.

 "No!! Why??" 

"You should move out, if you have so much grunt with this country." I answered.

"What do you mean? Who are you to say that? You are telling me to get out of my country?"

"Sir, I didn't tell you to get out. I just said, if you have so many problems with this system, Please feel free to leave. World is too big. You have USA, Thailand, Malaysia and many more. I am just saying what you feel."

"Young man, mind your business. I pay taxes and I do have rights to ask questions."

"Sir asking questions is different. If you want to ask questions, use your right to information and ask where you get an answer. Not in public, disgracing your own country. I don't deny about issues we have, but I bet, all the countries you named have issues. Please don't judge the book by its cover. USA, you named, is running in crisis, the locals are complaining about taxes, their presidential elections have become a mockery. "

"You named Thailand, a government, which have made it a fun destination point, to be precise a place for drugs, booz and sex. Other countries you named are also struggling with drug addiction issues, human trafficking and financial crisis. From distance everything looks good."

"Next time, when you are on International tour, please try to visit the back-lanes to find the ugly truth. No country is perfect, everyone has to make it perfect."

"You are telling that we should sit back and agree to all injustice."  the man argued. 

"Please stand up against injustice, but then set examples. You just complained that the place is dirty, just half an hour back when the train began its journey, you finished a bottle of water and threw it on track. You could have dropped it in the compartment dustbin."

"So you say, I made this place dirty."  the guy got all red and annoyed.

"No Sir, you didn't, we all made it dirty. Please don't get angry. I felt bad, when you said bad about my country. Jaisa bhi hai, ye mera desh hai, (It is my country, whatever the condition it is in) and I will try to make it a better place with my small efforts and hope to spread the message to everyone."

"Leave it Sir, he seems to be quite emotional about India. Its already 11, let us all sleep."  the IT guy intervened and our uncomfortable conversation ended like that. 

The old man was still gave me angry looks, but something other was going in my mind. To at least begin somewhere. So thought to request you all to be part of a change. Lets change ourselves to be a part of a better country. 

Try to be right, do right things and stand against injustice. Charity begins at home, so lets improve ourselves.

Don't spit and throw garbage on roads or open areas.

Please try to follow the rules.

Try to help the people. Don't pay bribes.

Don't promote begging by giving money to beggars. If we could help, try to get them in touch with some organization.

And many more things that you think can improve our country, us and give peace to our souls.

When You Were There...

Those were the golden days when you were there...
When our long chats used to be most of our days share...

Our talks.. our jokes.. our chit chats... our care...
When there were only smiles, not a single drop of tear...
Those were the golden days when you were there...

There were no rights and wrong anywhere...
and no double thought on the things we shared...
It was just you and me, and we were the best pair...
Those were the golden days when you were there...

I wish you are near now, like you used to be there...
right by my side... like the friend who always cared...
the feeling of you gone is too hard to bear...
Those were the golden days when you were there...

Far or near we will be, you will still be in here...
with a word of prayer... and all lovely memoirs...
deep inside in my heart somewhere...
Those were the golden days when you were there...

Mumbai Chronicles - Raindrops, Cool Breeze, Hot Tea & Great View

It was not planned, but I was lucky to witness something that I have seen only in movies or photos about Mumbai. Marine Drive in Rains... I could see the raindrops coming with the clouds and then hitting us... And then they move ahead with the wind while the second lot follows... It's an awesome feel and I wish I had my Canon with me... Nyways some memories from cell to carry along...

Mumbai Chronicles

It’s been so long that I visited here, No Mumbai Chronicles for long now. Yeah, but what to do, Laziness rocks. Hahahaha... Lately, I have been procrastinating and I am still not feeling guilty about it. But I was not totally wasting my time and have been following Indian Media very closely. Have you ever noticed that it is really fun to watch Indian news channel. Well let me tell you from what I have understood, there is no news on the news channel anymore, but it’s all speculations. Yeah, you are reading it right, first I said fun and now I said it’s no news but only speculations. If you go by definition, NEWS is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet or word of mouth to mass audience.

When I was growing up, I used to run away whenever someone used to switch to a news channel. It used to be so boring with some people telling you about what is happening, . But now for past couple of weeks, I was following news (to be true, not by consent) and I noticed it was funny. To sum up there were only one news that was being shown in different ways that was –

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT INDIAN PRESIDENT?

It all started with the speculation that who will be our next president. This is where our news guys start their work. Initially they suggested names of probable candidates.

Our parties will be giving out the names. Please wait but no, they can’t. And they propose their best candidates. I ask who cares what you suggest.

Anyways to our bad luck or good luck of News people, our own DIDI from Bengal Mamta Banerjee comes to Delhi. And again they all began with news - Mamta meets Sonia, 6 PM meeting with PM to discuss about the candidates. After so much of noise, Mamta comes out and says she will discuss with Mr. Mulayam Singh and then announce.

Another round of speculation, what would have Sonia and Mamta discussed? Why the meeting with PM was cancelled? Is Mamta going to support Pranab Mukherjee, most probable nomination by Congress (as per their sources) being a Bengali? And this was going to happen whole day when Mamta di and Mulayalam met and then came out with googly. They proposed our PM’s name for presidential candidate.

And now our channels got worried, they wanted to know who will be the PM if our PM becomes President? LOL, they just proposed a name, they have not declared him as President. Moreover you people are only saying, UPA will discuss and give their final nominations. Similarly, NDA the opposition party will also have to announce their proposal. Anyways they kept on going discussing who will be our next prime minister? LOL

Next day when UPA went for meeting, our media kept on discussing, what will be the outcome? Guys please wait, its matter of an hour or so, they will come out and tell you whose name they are proposing.

Finally a name came up was Pranab Mukherjee, our Finance minister was nominated for president by UPA, the ruling party of our country. Well I thought that will be the end, but then Pranab Puran began, it’s Pranab all over. His constituency, his house, his wife, his daughter, his school and what all they can show about him. On the same time, DIDI and mulayalm also agreed to support Pranab. Another round of speculation starts, if UPA promised DIDI and Mulayam something. Hats off to our Indian Media, who is working hard to keep us updated with the NEWS today. Well I have now gone back to basics and immediately switch to an entertainment channel. :-P 

Mumbai Chronicle 5 June 2012

Finally our thikana (a place to stay) is now confirmed because this Tuesday, we got it registered. Our house owner came down from Pune and both of us signed up a contract for next 11 months. SO from 15^th June 2012 till 14^th May 2013, anyone can come to Mumbai without worrying about accommodation. We will adjust you on the floor or with Ramlal during your visit. ;-)

Mumbai Chronicles 4 June 2012

I do not know how some people can stay in home whole day and not feel suffocated. This Monday, I had nothing much to do, because the appointments I had planned didn’t work out which lead me to stay indoors whole day. In the evening, when I had consumed all the oxygen inside the house, I decided to take a walk.

Well walk generally means that you take a stroll around in a garden nearby or just a simple walk. But that is for general people, the normal humans, the mango people, but there are always some special humans, who start walking in some direction and then they suddenly realise that they have reached the nearest railway station. Then instead of turning around and walking back they get into the next train going anywhere and then get down at the last station. Now at last station, they think, Ok the joy ride is over and now they should go back. But how can they do that, because that is what the normal people do. As per them, if you came up to this place, you should at least check if there is something interesting to go around this place. And they find something which is like 2.7 Kms away, and because they are on walk, they think lets walk up to that place.

The Sand Art

Gola Wala Shops

My MilkShake Ready :)

This is how I ended up at Juhu Chaupati on a Monday and believe me, it never looked like a working day with so much of crowd. You can see only 3 things on Chaupati, lots and lots of people, sand arts and N number of shops serving paav bhai and Ice gola. So I had a milk shake from one of those shops at chaupati (see ice golas and paav bhaji are for general people again) and finally decided to end my walk and returned back home

Mumbai Chronicle A.K.A Pune Bhraman 2/3 June 2012

The 2 days at Pune can be summarized by like this, Good times with cousins, a wrong choice, Gaming on X-Box and a ride which squeezed out every ounce of energy from us.

To begin with, the best thing that happened was to meet my kid sister after long long time. And it was good time pass to watch the cat and mouse game, the relationship which Sujith Bhai and she shares. The love is so much that they just keep on calling names to each other and pulling each other’s leg. And your job is to just add some fuel to the game and then you can have a full on entertainment packed hour ahead.

Well my elder brother (cousin whom we actually visited and stayed with) and me love to click and were planning for a drive to some caves, a couple of hours away from Pune. Well on Saturday we thought we will rest till lunch, and then we can drive out. But then a devilish idea struck our brains. We read review about one Hindi movie released on Friday and thought to watch it in the night. We checked online and booked the tickets for 9.30 PM. By the time we finished our lunch, it was almost 3.30, so my cousin suggested that we leave tomorrow early morning for the caves, because if we leave now we can’t be back by movie and we postponed our drive and decided to roam in mall, have dinner and go for the movie. That was one bad decision because the movie sucked and we cursed every actor who worked and promoted that movie. The worst part is that the movie has been declared a hit and has earned 48.5 Crore of Indian Rupees in first 3 days of screening. Well I would like to forget it as a nightmare.

Next day began with me waking up early and preparing tea for everyone. I was looking forward for the drive when my sister cutely came to me and said “Bhaiya my ankles are paining with all the walking we did yesterday in mall. We will go but I will stay in car while you trek up to the caves.” And there went our plan to drive up to the caves. So what should we do whole day? And then we had ourselves entertained with Xbox and it was fun. And we never realized that it was time for our train.

Train journey was something which I say, can only happen in our country. 

We had our seats reserved and when me and Sujith Bhai identified our train and neared our compartment, we got confused. It looked like an unreserved compartment with no space even to step in. Well we fought our way into the cabin, and then had argument with the guys sitting on our seats before finally sitting. It looked as if there is a chair with you sitting on it and there is wall around you with no space. You cannot move your feet, because the space between the seats, people have stuffed bags or themselves sitting on floor. Those 3 hours were the worst part of our visit and I was thinking about God, that how he maintains the Balance sheets. He flew us to Pune like Kings and squeezed us on our way back. Hehehe...

All in all, it was fun to visit Pune and there goes one more city to my list of places I visited. 

The caves we couldn't visit