In strangers we trust (An open letter to Jaywalkers and Rash Drivers)

Dear Jaywalkers & Rash Drivers,

You walk on the street.
Putting it in a realistic way, YOU JAYWALK ON THE ROAD.
You don't deny it, and you know there is no hurry to die. Then why risk your life?

I know that you KNOW you will live long. If a road accident was the only way you would die, you would live for eternity.
But still you won't listen unless there is a rule to impose fine on jaywalkers.

You do it because you trust me. Yes, you trust the stranger in me. You are confident about your jaywalking - you are probably the best jaywalker around.
Having said that, you being so sweetly confident about me not knocking you down with my car, is not sweet at all.

You think that my mom told me to avoid strangers, so I would avoid you and therefore, not knock you down.

So even when you are driving, you are not bothered about it turning out to be a rash ride once in a while, because you know that you can trust the strangers on the wheels around you. Right, we would take care not to knock you down, even if it's your fault.

Even if I honoured you with the choicest words for being careless on the road, you would probably think it's just out of 'strangerly' affection. Wouldn't you?But I know why you are like that. I know why you jaywalk. I know why you drive so rash. I know because I am one of you, maybe sometimes. I am the 'I' in you.

Please don't Jaywalk. Wait for the pavements to be built. Wait for zebra crossings to be painted.

But yes, you can drive rash, because we fellow drivers know you would be there, and the people walking around anyway trust you like you trust us.

Keep up with the trust in strangers like us,

Strangely yours.

Kya aapki degree me namak hai? MBA try karein!

I was at my doctor's clinic last week and as I waited for my turn, I could hear a young man trying to demonstrate his medical prowess to the doctor. The doctor, intelligent that he is, kept his calm and handled the guy in a very gentle yet effective way - ignoring his 'I think this I think that' crap, he made it sure to take care of the patient and not get bothered by her son.

Okay, so it was my turn next, I went in and as I took a seat, the doctor checked his records for my past reports. Once he was done with the checkup and started preparing the medicines for me, he started with his usual "aur kaise hain sab ghar pe..."

Soon the discussion steered into the world of medicines. He spoke. My responses were limited to "Hmm", "Right", "Haan", "Oh!", "Achha?"

Next point in discussion was 'people who think they talk like doctors'. It didn't matter much to me because I knew he was good at his work and he was nice to people. He needed to vent out. I was okay. So, as he spoke while preparing the medicine, I was only hearing - hearing, not listening.

And then came a bolt from blue. "These days anybody can do an MBA. Anybody. Even a rickshaw-puller."

"Huh?" I was taken aback.

"Yes," he said, "I mean that boy is pursuing MBA, but he doesn't even speak proper English. He just argues on whatever he is told."

I kept staring at him blankly. I was trying to find words to suit the situation. I was helpless.

"Oh. Don't get me wrong. I didn't mean it that way."

Everything is going to be okay.
I am an MBA.

Thank God he realized that the 'quiet' guy sitting right in front of him was also an MBA. Only this one never argued over what he was not good at.

I only ask him one question every time I go to him, "How many more years is it going to take?"

"Weeks. Just a few more," his weekly reply. Homoepathy :(

"I am sorry," he said regretfully.

"Don't be. I know it was not for me," I smiled and we both had a good laugh.

It's a free world. People are free to express their points of view - talk, debate etc. But does boasting about a degree - MBA, CA, MBBS or B. Tech, make their argument stronger? No.

As I walked out of the clinic, smiling at the incident, I was thinking, "there isn't a degree for MBA in Medicine yet? Business opportunity!"

Until next time..
Main Bas Aya

Mera Gaon, Mera Desh. Dichkiao..

The sun is shining brightly. The weather is pleasant. Everyone seems happy.
Suddenly, a figure emerges on the horizon - first the head, then the body followed by a pair of legs moving fast - a young boy is running, as fast as he can, towards the crowd. No he is not a thief. He is sweating profusely and has rags for clothes on his body. The people around have now started to panic at the sight, and shout, of the boy running towards them. Everyone is looking for a place to hide. There is absolute commotion.
No, it is not the boy. He is just one of them. It's just the message he is conveying as he is running towards his folks.

"Daaku aa gaye. Bhaago!"
"Daaku aa gaye. Bhaago!"
(The dacoits are here. Run!)

Soon there are a few dacoits, riding their horses, dressed in their typical 'Sholay' outfits.

Well that's a scene straight out of a (in fact many) Bollywood movie. Old ones.

That is also a vision that was deeply engraved in my thought process as a kid - movies I tell you!

Yes. Every time I heard people talking about their 'gaon', the vision would play itself on a large screen visible (and audible) only to me.

Now, whatever they would say would seem unreal and the poor boy, running for life, would seem so real.
Like any other kid would picture himself as the hero fighting with those dacoits, I was no exception. Well, I think even now I am no exception. :)

Okay. That was me as a child. Now I know, movie makers don't make villages, they just shoot there. Phew.

Another prominent vision I had as a child was that of Rajasthan.


Take a few seconds to imagine what all one can visualize about Rajasthan as a child.
No, seriously. THINK.



DONE?


OKAY. Until I went to Rajasthan a few years back, a mention of the place would run images of miles of barren lands, deserts, camels and sand! This could be the effect of movies, but I think my Geography book back in school is equally to be blamed! (Thar Desert. Camels. Remember?)


Picture abhi baaki hai...

I like my rice with sugar!

All my life (well..so far), I added sugar to my rice. I am used to it. I just love it.

 

Until a few years back I didn't even know most people would be so amused to see it. Everytime I ask for sugar, people around me look at me for once (like "Alien?").

 

Acquaintances giggle. smile. Some laugh until the fun dies down. What follows? QUESTIONS! U eat like that everytime? Everyday? You dont like salt? How come? How can u eat like that!

But it takes only friends to conclude.. "Tu marega kabhi diabetes se!"

Well diabetes is hereditary; and before it creeps into my life [:(], I want to  eat as i want.

 

Cheeni kam ya zyada.

Zindagi na milegi dobara!

(Haha. that was pathetic. wasn't it?)

Yes. I love (read as 'lou') my rice with sugar.

A Journey in General

After 2 days of stay at Asansol and a couple of trips across the Durgapur-Raniganj-Asansol belt, it was time to go back.

With no confirmed tickets, I decided to board a train with a general ticket.

After all failed attempts of getting into an AC Coach, I got up on the general coach of the train I almost missed.

Nope. No place to sit. Neither did I expect any.

But then I was lucky enough to get sufficient room to stand - it was not as crowded as one would expect.

So I stood there near the door with nothing much to hold onto except for the handle bar of the door. With a poker face, I was mentally preparing myself for a 3.5 hrs journey while standing - worst case scenario.

45 minutes into the journey and a man sitting at a window seat turned around.

"Kothaye namben apni?", he asked in an authoritative tone.

(Where will you get down?)

"Howrah."

"Daariye aachen keno? Ekhane boshe porun", he said as he looked at one of his folks who hurriedly got up and sat on the other side which was already cramped up. (Why are you standing? Come sit here.)

"Thank you dada", I sat down. The poker face now was history.

Sometimes it helps if you look upset, helpless and lost! Or like a foreigner who just lost his tourist guides and maps on an ordinary Indian road.

He got down 2 hours later and the journey started to seem boring. It was the right time for music and the "berth" of this post.

The journey was comfortable. Thanks to the weather and thanks to music. But 'general' has to live up to its name. I guess this is what made the guy, sitting next to me, stink like something I still am looking a name for...

Until I find a name for it..

Kill the silent mode.. Talk for Inner Peace!

Silence is Golden. Silence is also a silent killer.

The recent spur of 'sensible' people committing suicide (some with their children), a recent article in ET and my own present 'silent' state prompted me to think over it.

People commit suicide mostly because they can't cope with a situation at hand. I would agree with the newspaper article that what kills them is not the issue they face, but the way they choose to deal with it - SILENCE.
  
When something bothers you and you don't share the issue with anyone, it starts taking toll on you.  You lose your cool, sleep and calm - Silence is killing you from within.

Anger and Serious problems - both need to be let out in some way or the other. Venting out the anger helps, cribbing about the problems helps. But being silent doesn't. And what works wonders is discussing it!

& here's something to remember:

DO NOT BORE THE SAME PERSON WITH ALL YOUR PROBLEMS. MAINTAIN A PORTFOLIO - DIFFERENT ISSUES FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE. :p

NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS (SOME ARE SO GLAD YOU HAVE THEM). BUT YOU MUST STILL LET IT OUT FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!

One must learn to share. Even if not one's happiness, one's sorrows must be shared.

As our beloved Kungfu Panda would put it.. the mission is INNER PEACE! :) 

When Saturdays are crazy, Sundays are bound to be lazy!

"A crazy Saturday leads to a lazy Sunday." - as Firdaus put forward one of his best one-liners, I was wondering was it necessary to watch 2 movies back to back with a Hookah session in between (Yes! I finally broke my Hookah 'vrat'), specially when we knew it would lead to a Sunday so boring?

Anyway, I should rather thank the heavy showers that didnt allow us to return home after the hookah session. Stuck in the rain outside Shimmers, we had to take a call..kya karein?

We decided to cross the lane and have some snacks/tea at Tea Junction.. the snacks were done, but the rain still had a lot to do. Delhi Belly came to the rescue!

Back to back movies. Getting wet in the rain. So much of fun. It was all worth it.

We did feel exhausted & fell asleep the moment we hit the sack back home.

The next day was spent mostly sleeping(Me), on phone(Rohit), relaxing in a productive way(Pankaj) and watching movies(Firdaus) or reading books(me) - both out of compulsion.

Sunday had to be like that!
Destiny? Karma? I would say both.

Till next time..

Yippie it's Sunday!... & a Lazy one :)

After weeks it's a Sunday when I don't have a 'plan'. My 'core' group called RSVP has met almost every Sunday for the past few months - mostly for a movie, but today our lazy selves got the better of us.

So, when Firdaus called up, he and I decided it would be better to give it a miss today and spend the time with family. Sounds good? Well, it better be so because neither of us are ever going to accept that we were 'too lazy to leave the bed'! 

Rohit (Siddiqui) anyway is happy about the no-activity day (we are the 2 who prefer to sleep past-noon on Sundays, come what may!). But he is dutiful enough to pretend being annoyed over us backing out.

Pratik (BABA as we call him) hardly has an issue - Sundays are his 'temple' days. He is religious. Very religious!

Pankaj was quick to re-plan his day. Disciplined that he is, must have got something to get busy with!

On a Sunday like this each of us would think that the others must be doing something until its night and we are again on a conference call - Firdaus, Siddiqui and me, only to realize THIS SUNDAY WAS BORING!

Well but not today! YES, it couldn't be boring! Siddiqui was down with fever (everything in his life is sudden!) and we went to meet him. Had great fun and enjoyed a lot. Someone's noise has to be someone else's music - quite human!

Haha. That's life. We lazy around when it's time to act and we talk about what we could do when its time to sleep!

Oh btw. It actually is the time to sleep.

Good night!

Until next time..

Ta-da! Look what I got on my weekend to-do list..

1. Alter jeans

2. Haircut

3. Clean laptop

4. Replace batteries

5. Write a new post

It was past midnight. The clock struck 1 as I made a mental note of 'must do tasks for next weekend'. The 7th day of my week (Sunday - the day even God chose to rest :)) had ended and Monday had already set in.

My mind already knew that the mental list it was making was just for the sake of making one - probably to get the feeling of a busy weekend ahead. It's generally on Sunday nights that i find it difficult to sleep early - the weekend brings in the change.

The list eventually gets revisited from time to time (subconsciously) and the contents are never the same! The tasks are also never completed. Some that gain priority are done automatically - often even before the weekend arrives. Some tasks are just there on the list for the sake of being on a 'to-do' list. These get postponed every time until they find their way out of the list, unsuccessful!

When we are busy and start craving for some free time, that's when we start looking for things that could give a sense of satisfaction; something that we would look forward to and that keeps us going with what we are currently doing.

For example, whenever I would be dealing with exams in school, I would have at least 10 things popping up in my mind that I would want to do once the exams get over. However, remembering what all I wanted to do was never on the list!

It's not about the to-do list and it's not about things that must be done. Important tasks get done anyway - they don't need a list!

I therefore, keep on making mental to-do lists, which I am sure would never see sufficient ticks - without feeling guilty (Kills a lot of time). My to-do list thus becomes my ta-da list! That is what keeps me going all through the week after all! :)

p.s. I never new this post would come up on weekend! It was written on a rainy day at work and was saved as a draft. The list above actually has this as task no.5...coincidence?

Until next time..

What’s your land line number?

Gone are the days of monophonic ring-tones and gone are the days of Nokia 5110 (the antenna phone). Getting a mobile phone and a connection is no hassle now.
And Affordability? That’s not a valid question anymore!

But have we ignored something in the ever-evolving dynamic mobile revolution?

Well in my case, the answer itself brought this question to my notice.

It so happened that I was alone at home for a while and the phone rang. No, not my mobile (I was already busy chit-chatting on it). It was our land line phone! The black Beetel beauty that was the pride of Indian households until about a decade back.

And this post is dedicated to the era of that pride with which all Indians about my age held the receivers as a kid to pose for photographs. Nostalgic.

And now it lies still most of the time, with no one to take care of it. The poor soul, keeps ringing (rarely now) with no one keen enough to attend.

Even at most workplaces the good old wired BSNL has been replaced by private players’ connections.

Well, jane wale nai aate, bas unki yaad aati hai, so is the case here. Sooner or later the only place we could catch a glimpse of these gadgets would be Google!

Until next time..

Are you a Diary person?

The world is full of amazing people. Everyone has a lot of time and a lot many more ways to spend it – work, play, study, read, swim, chat, TV, movie, blog, workout etc

A lot many hobbies for so little time! Everyone has one or the other. One of the most common hobbies has been “writing”. And “maintaining a daily diary” has been a prevalent one right from the time when facebook (in fact the internet) was unheard of.

Many still write a diary. Do you? Well I don’t! Yes I am lazy (U bet!); but I can boast of another great talent – that of being able to write in a way that most others would have difficulty to understand. A rude way of saying this would be ‘bad handwriting’.

But I would rather be happy about it and say – ‘Bad Handwriting Proud Owner’ (Thanks to the 'Late' Orkut community that gave me this idea!).

Well thanks to the age of computers. I don’t need to worry about others not being proud of my pride. Lol

I think a computer is more humane than the humans in this regard. Everyone has the same digital handwriting. It’s a fair playground for all. 
Long live the right to equality!
Amen

It's Chinese New Year! 2011 - The Year of Rabbit

My earliest memory of Chinese New Year is that of the Dragon Dance and the celebrations that was much more prominent in this part of India a few years back. Those were the days when I had a lot of Chinese friends at school, I would pass through Chinatown while returning from school and feel the excitement of Chinese New Year approaching with lots of preparations going on all over the area. How I miss those days!
 

Chinese New Year Celebrations at Tangra - Chinatown, Kolkata(2008)

 ABOUT CHINATOWN

• Chinatown in the eastern part of the city of Kolkata is the only Chinatown in India.
• The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so.
• The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants.
• The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food.

To know more about Chinatown and the Chinese community you can visit:

http://www.dhapa.com

 

 

Lion's Break Dancing in Pei Moi School, Tangra

(The only Chinese school in India)

CHINESE NEW YEAR - Which Animal rules your Year of Birth?

The celebration of the Chinese Lunar year goes back centuries.

There are 12 different creatures represented in the Chinese calendar.

A different animal is commemorated each year. 

After 12 years the animals are repeated.

Were you born in the Year of the Horse?  Snake? or Tiger?  Locate the year in the chart, then look at the top of the column to discover the most likely animal celebrated during your birth year.

Were you born in the Year of the Horse?  Snake? or Tiger?  Locate the year in the chart, then look at the top of the column to discover the most likely animal celebrated during your birth year.

Please note that generally, the Chinese NewYear starts around 14^th or 15^th February each year. 
If you are born before 15^th of Febreary, you actually belong to the animal before the given year. 
Example: If you are born on 12^th Jan 1971, the year 1971 is indicated as Year of Boar but since you are born before February 15^th, you actually belong to Year 1970 or Year of Dog. 

If you are critically born in the month of February, it is advisable to consult a Chinese expert or check your birth date against 100 Years Chinese Calendar as the Chinese Lunar Calendar varies slightly each year against the Christian Calendar. 
Some Chinese years are long and some are short, thus the new year date varies, it is not always fixed on 14^th or 15^th of February.
Here's a link where you can find out your birth animal: 

http://www.love-meter.net/chinese-astrology/chinese-birth-zodiac.php

Spreading Joy, Bringing Hope, Comes the year of Rabbits with immense scope! Happy Chinese New Year :)

Tc

What makes you smile?

Ever heard an old joke and felt "it doesn't sound that humorous anymore"?

It was an award function with celeb hosts and gr8 performances. Great evening!

At one point the host cracked a joke..which I had come across so many times - thanks to TV and numerous forwarded SMSes..

As one would expect, I didnt find it that funny. Neither did many people around... so no smile, no laugh, no giggle!

Surprisingly.. a man on the next table was so delighted by the joke.. he cheered, he laughed, he almost fell off his chair and he kept smiling when he gained control.. (Couldn't find out why no one ever forwarded him that sms!).

Well anyone who saw me then must have felt the joke was on me!

Anyway, the situation brought a smile on my face. I realized many around were smiling - whatever be the reason.. maybe they (re)liked the joke or maybe they read my mind or maybe it was that guy's reaction.

Now, I wonder what makes humour so humourous?
Why do we find one joke funnier than another?
Why doesn't a joke sound funny after its told over so many times?

Whatever be the psychology of human and humour.. one fact is so very clear.. a joke may bring about a smile or it may not.. but a smile can definitely bring about more smiles around!

Be happy..
Keep smiling!