Friday, May 25, 2007

Different people... Different Thinking...

Its 7 pm in the evening.. Dad had just come from office... Aai was busy with her evening chores...

zzzooooooop!!! Off went the lights!! Power failure!!!

"Oh God... Now how will i operate the washing machine????", aai said...

"Hey Raam... Now how will i watch Kasam se, Saat pheron mein, Beetiyaan... blah blah blah", Blurted Aji...

"Damn... Now how will i Read the newspaper and Iron my clothes for tomorrow??", This was my Dad...

As for me... I just needed a reason to get away from the house to the terrace for some fresh air ... and some solitude... my Ipod giving me the company...

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Mr.Springsteen knows me well..

Heard this song after a long time, and i was amazed to realize that this is exactly my life that he's singing about...

Kudos Mr.Springteen.. Uve finally given a song that describes my life so well.. here it goes..



Dancing in the Dark

I get up in the evening
and I ain't got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain't nothing but tired
Man I'm just tired and bored with myself
Hey there baby, I could use just a little help

You can't start a fire
You can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire
even if we're just dancing in the dark

Message keeps getting clearer
radio's on and I'm moving 'round the place
I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man I ain't getting nowhere
I'm just living in a dump like this
There's something happening somewhere
baby I just know that there is

You can't start a fire
you can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire
even if we're just dancing in the dark

You sit around getting older
there's a joke here somewhere and it's on me
I'll shake this world off my shoulders
come on baby this laugh's on me

Stay on the streets of this town
and they'll be carving you up alright
They say you gotta stay hungry
hey baby I'm just about starving tonight
I'm dying for some action
I'm sick of sitting 'round here
trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
come on now baby gimme just one look

You can't start a fire
sitting 'round crying over a broken heart

This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
You can't start a fire
worrying about your little world falling apart

This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark

- Bruce Springsteen

Material Boy!!

Today, i was going through my Orkut profile.. (Have to cuz i know noone else does ;)..
and i came across this column in PERSONAL tab that said ... "5 things i can't live without"..
Hmm.. i wondered.. let me see.. What are those 5 things that "I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT"!!
Are there such "Things" that one cant live without???
I thought and it didnt take me long to enlist those things... 5 is too less a number of things to enlist..
So i thought, Blogger is a good medium to tell u guys what those things are...

Before i tell u what those things are, I would sincerely like to thank my sister ,Priti, for turning me into a "Material Boy".. as she has given me 99% of those paraphernalia...
So here they go...

1] Ipod Mini

Yeah.. Ive this Ipod Mini...
Its an antiquated player now, but when i got it, it was the latest around.. and i still prefer mini to those 60-80Gb video ipods..
Highly compact which fits into my jeans mini pocket.. no-nonsense music player...
True Nano is a similar one.. but I cant handle delicate things like Nano.. so Mini is better suited to my rugged life!!

This is the most important thing in my life.. as music is my life, i cant live without my ipod for sure... While eating, sleeping, travelling, peeing.. i need this baby!!




2] Sony Cybershot DSC P-72


Surprised to see my cam at number 2??? Cant help it... Music comes first for me... :)
Priti gave this to me when she got herself a new digicam.. So i truely began experimenting with my photography in 2005!! And i think ive done a good job..
Now out of production, DSC P-72 was the first 3.2 MP cam to enter the market... 3X optical zoom was unheard of..
I guess its lens has developed some problem now that i dont get good satisfactory pics and thinking of buying a new one.. But this will always be special for me..




3] Sony Playstation 2

Once a guy on the Orkut PS2 community had asked me...
"A doc playing on a PS2????!!!"

hahahahaha...

I would say, "Thats me!!"

And dont they say that doctors who are good at playing video games are better surgeons??!!

Again,Priti had gifted this to me in 2005 on my birthday... This is 3rd cuz its a major stress buster for me..
Whenever i get frustrated, i start plugging in my PS2 and start punching on the keys.. so be it thrashing the Undertaker in Smackdown vs Raw..
Or shooting away the aliens' brains.. Or racing the tracks of Spa and the streets of Monaco as Raikkonen.. Or piercing through the opposition defense and shooting goals as Kaka!!


4] Cyberhome DVD player

This compact DVD player is really a smart electronic item... It plays everything right from DVD-R to DVD-RW and CDs and mp3s etc...

Its so compact and light, that sometimes ive even carried it to my friends place in a plastic bag.. :)

Keeps me entertained .. as im a movie buff.. Ive this huge collection of Hollywood movies that we get on the road for 70 bucks..

And yeah.. also have downloaded quite a few ones since ive got the broadband!





5] Portable DVD player

Yeah ive got a DVD player.. so what???

This is my latest acquisition from Priti..

Have u ever watched ur favourite movie, sitting atop the terrace tank.. lying down below the stars and feeling the cool breeze?? Well ive done it quite a many times..

I also carry it to those roadside dvd sellers to see if the dvds i buy are actually working cuz id been duped quite a many times before.. but not now..

The same player has now been introduced in the Indian market but its shit costly..




6] Victorinox - Camping

This is the most handy thing that i have..
Its at number 6 cuz i havent used it much besides trekking and i havent trekked for looooong!! (3months)
But i guess this is one of my favourites...

This Original Victorinox Camping has a total of 21 essential attachments and uses..

Priti had bought this for me when she had gone to Switzerland for her Honeymoon! :)
And shes such a darling that she even got my name engraved on it!!! :)
And also an original handy pouch to attach it to my belt!!



7] Camelbak - Trailblazer , Trekking backpack

This is my one-day Trekking backpack...
Highly compact.. and with a 2.5 L Hydration system installed..
[Hydration system : a water-pack with a silicon tube with a hydro lock that prevents water leakage.. so that one can drink water on the go]

Though ive got a larger 60 L capacity version on the lines of this backpack made to suit my needs, i havent used it much till date..


8] Meade Binoculars

My birding binocs!!!! :)
For a change, Not Priti, but my Jiju had given this to me..

Excellent quality lens.. and very compact..
I carry it regularly on treks and my Nature walks in National park..

Once while i watching a cuckoo from my balcony with the binocs,
the girl staying in the building in front of me thought i was leeching at her and she came to complain to my parents... ;)
Thankfully they bought my explaination about the birding!!
anyways she wasnt soo pretty that i wud leech on her with
my binocs!!! ;)





9] Dell Inspiron E 1505

My laptop!!
Dad got it last yr from USA...
Voted the best laptop of 2006...
It has a Media centre OS Intel centrino duo processor and 120 GB hard drive with a 17.1" monitor...

My old comp had a 20 Gb hard drive and 128 mb ram and it was a PII!! :D
Now even Ipods come with an 80 gb memory!
For my blogging , orkutting , pic editing, music/movie downloading.. and for a change.. studying!! ;)


10] Sony Sports walkman


This was my main source of music before the Ipod..
Still use it to listen to old casettes and the radio..

It has got a hand strap behind so that we can hold it while jogging..
Id actually started jogging when id got this one to show it off!! :)

And it also has one of my fav colour.. Light orange!! :)

Id got a headphones instead of the earphones shown in the Pic on the right..



11] Head lamp and Nordic walking stick

Trekking material that ive just acquired... Havent used them much Cause ive been on just one trek after i got them...
The head lamp damn good.. keeps ur hands free while u are trekking at nights.. Quite powerful and it also has a distress signal light at the press of a button on the top..

Nordic walking stick was bought by my sister when she had gone on a trek in the swiss alps while on her honeymoon!! {I envy her for that!!}
This is my third leg when i trek.. to carry my load when im down and dusted.. helped a lot to climb a gradient on my last trek to Siddhagad, and i know it will help me in future treks too..
Its a telescopic stick that extends to a height of about 5.5 feet!!
While i was carrying it on the trek, the hand-grip used to jut out of my bag over my head..
A couple of locals also asked me if i was carrying a sword or something like that..
Thankfully the policemen patrolling the railway stations didnt think so!! ;)




12] Vivitar 1200 Tripod

For a change, something which I have bought!! :D

just bought it a month back.. havent used it much.. but am damn eager to use it.. Highly compact and light because of its aluminium body and telescopic lens, i intend to carry it on my night treks to get some good snaps at night..




Phew!!!
Done with the Major things that i cant live without..
Well there are many other things ranging from My rechargeable batteries and battery charger for my cam to my sony discman and cell phones.. But i could definitely do without them..

Thank you Priti.. I pray noone gets a sister like you!! :)

All those stuff were the latest when id got them, now they are antediluvian.. But dont electronics do get old???

Whoever said that materialistic people are not happy in life!!!
hahahahahahaha!!!

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Being a "Waiter"

Sunday evenings are meant to be spent in restaurants hogging on chicken masala and sucking the marrow of mutton legs!! ;)
So this evening, Myself and my pal decided to try something different... Go to a dhaba!!
Dhabas are quite few in Mumbai.. for that Uve to go on the outskirts.. We went to a dhaba at Dahisar, on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway..

It was an open air dhaba... which was overflowing with customers.. truck drivers.. college kids.. high end car owners.. all of them..
The waiter was a young guy.. maybe around about 16-17 yrs old.. And he was the only waiter around.. He moved around swiftly.. from table to table.. He was a master , i thought.. master at what he was doing..
Taking orders..

Aye.. ek chicken masala.. aur do roti

Ek mutton sukha aur 2 butter naan..

Arre ek chicken biryaani laana jyaada.. jyaada teekha nahi banaana ha..

Aree idhar 2 roti dena..

char naan..

ek chaas..

rice...

phew!!! Orders were being bombarded at him.. from left- right and centre.. from top-bottom-from front and behind.. everywhere..
Poor guy , i thought.. i hope he gets my order right..

He came at our table to take our order..

"Chicken Liver masala milega??"

"Milega na saahab.. sab milega... chicken masala.. mutton masala.. chicken liver.. mutton liver.. bheja masala.. chicken kheema.. mutton kheema... bhah blah blah!!"

"arre bas bas.. ek chicken liver masala.. 2 butter naan.. aur tu kya lega?? huh.. ok.. ek mutton masala aur do roti..."

"aur kuch saahab??"

"nahi bas.. ek baat poochni thee... Order baarabar laaega na?? Itni orders mein kuch adla-badli nahi karna.."

"Sawaal hi paida nahi hota saab.."

"Tujhe itni orders yaad kaise rehti hai re??"

He flashes an Orbit white smile..

"5 saal se yehi kar raha hoon saab.. aadat hai..."

and then he rushes to take order at another table...

In abt 15 mins.. our order was on our table.. we gobbled our way to glory!!

But that guy still remained on my mind.. How can he possibly remember all those orders.. its impossible for me to keep that in my mind..
Or can I??
Yes i can...

.....Rewind...... July 2005.... EMS ward , KEM hospital.......

Aye intern.. Seetabai ko Iv line daal..

Intern.. bed1 ka Hb,cbc, Rft, LFT, Ps for malaria bhej de jaldi..

Arre.. trolley patient ko folleys tube, ryles, iv line aur routine collections..

Parag.. Trauma patient ko dus min mein central line jaani chahiye..

Arre Raamji ka HBV,HCV,HepB,HIV bhej de fataafat..

Arre iska ABG kar.. sab patients ke reports trace karke aa...
.
.
.
.
.
I wasnt bad, was I ??? A good "Waiter" In the making???!! ;)

My reminiscences of 1993

Cut back to the winter of 1992-93...
It was a glorious winter.. i remember.. I was in fifth grade.. I had just started doing well in academics.. and had stood first in term ending exams... The winter of 92 was a time to celebrate... Time to enjoy.. And we had an extended vacation.. a pretty long one too..
I dunno why.. Id heard Dad discussing with mom about some babri masjid being demolished ...
Is it related to Babar dad?? I asked him.. yes.. he said.. and i know he must have felt happy at my innocence at that time.. and happy i was too.. I know Babar very well.. Ive topped in History too!!!!

I remember watching on the tv , thousands of people wearing saffron coloured clothes marching together.. They called themselves "kar sevaks".. they were hindus.. Oh even im a hindu.. But why are they demolishing a mosque?? Maybe its a dilapidated structure anyways.. thats why they are bringing them down so that they can rebuilt it... duh!! i Better watch a football game...

The next few days.. it was all over the newspapers.. mosque demolished.. riots have broken out in all parts of the country.. who cares?? I better go down and take the bat early, or i will get to bat last..
When the riots started in Mumbai.. oops.. Bombay.. My dad used to be at home..
I used to hear from him.. about how hindus were butchering the muslims and vice-versa.. This was all new to me.. at least after the Rajiv Gandhi assasination which occurred a couple of yrs back, just a few days before my birthday..
I was warned by mom not to venture out of the colony gate after 6... 6 pm was the time, when curfew used to begin in our area and the neighbouring squatters colony, which had a muslim population.. Id heard from the bigger guys that they had burned down a hindu a few days ago..
The colony gates used to shut and police vehicles used to patrol the entire area throughout the night..
Well anyways my life was within the protected premises of my society..
It was a fortress.. a fortress of ignorance that id built around myself..
I dont care a damn about Hindus or muslims!! I used to think.. as long as i get to enjoy my vacation-- correction--- an extended vacation, to the fullest!!

The entire day we used to play.. sometimes cricket, sometimes football.. or any other game we wud invent.. totally oblivious to the massacre that raged outside..
We were 10 year old ignorant innocent kids.. We were no Hindu.. or no Muslim..
Our only religion was our childhood.. which demanded us to be ignorant, and we were doing exactly the same thing..
My vacation lasted for about 2 months... 2003 began with the same incidences..
But this was something new.. I read in the newspaper about the entire chawls being burnt to ashes.. innocent kids like me, also shot.. burned and butchered.. i shuddered at the thought of me being in that situation.. come march and the new saga of terror in the face of serial bomb blasts had started.. I read about people's intestines being scattered at the place of the blasts..The bloodshed continued..
But for me, the trauma was momentary.. I used to immerse myself into my ignorance and moved on with life..

1993 was a long year for me..
It was a year when i saw AC Milan lose the european cup (the now champions league) to Olympique de Marseille..
It was a year when Alan Prost had piped Ayrton Senna for the F1 championship..
It was a year when Shawn Michaels had won the WWF world championship..
and it was a yr, when i stood first in the school for the first time..
In 1993, I was a 10 yr old.. Me, and the other 10 year olds of my class were raging their own battles.. A battles within themselves..
A 10 yr old had a lot many better things to do, than to care about the bloodshed..

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Black Friday - a conversation

Was watching black friday today on cable tv...
Just want to key down this engrossing dialect between Inspector Maria after he arrests Badshah khan, one of the bomb implanters..

[Reader discretion recommended-- ABUSIVE LANGUAGE!!]

Badshah khan tells Maria about why they had planted those RDX bombs which killed over 200 people in mMumbai..

"Humari Babri masjid itni naazuk nahi hai ki hathodon ki waar se gir jaaye aur hum kuch na kare...
Humare logon ko maara.. humaari aurton ki aabru looti.. chhote chhote bachchon ko goliyan maari..
Humne apni kaum ka badla le liya...
Allah humaare saath hai..."

"Allah is samay humaare saath tha"

"Kya baat karte ho saab... 400 hinduon ko maare hai humne , aur aap kehte hai allah aapke saath hai??"

"Allah humaare saath hai.. aur har ek sachche aadmi ke saath rahega...

Agar allah tumhaare saath hota, to tum woh maruti car waha nahi chhodte,
Agar tumhaare saath hota, to woh do bomb jo nahi fute, woh bhi futte..
agar tumhaare saath hota, to hum 3 mahine mein 200 arrests nahi karte
agar tumhaare saath hota, to humein ek bhi saboot nahi milta
agar tumhaare saath hota, to aaj tum and tumhaare saathi yaha nahi hote...
Allah farak nahi karta... farak to tum karte ho saalon...

allah tumhaare saath nahi tha.. tumhaare saath tha to Tiger memon..
Jisne tumhaare is gusse ka fayda uthaaya..
khud blast ke ek din pehle apne poore parivaar ke saath dubai chala gaya
aur chhod gaya tumhe.. dande khaane...

Usne tum logon ko chutiya banaya..
pata hai kyu?? kyun ki tum chutiye ho..

aur woh har ek hindu chutiya hai jo musalmaanon ko maarta hai
aur dharm ke naam par khoon karne waala har ek aadmi chutiya hai..
Kyunki tum jaise chutiyon ko aur koi kaam dhandha nahi hai...
jo Hum jaise police officers ka binaa soye bhukha rakhte ho.."

sataaakkk... maria slaps badshah who falls down .. and then he walks away...

Rat Tales

It was mid-June.. The first rains had started long back and Tarapur was already facing the brunt of the monsoon.. a gale at night was a regular feature, and water-logging had started around the PHC as its in a low lying area..

It was one of those days ... when there was load-shedding in the entire tarapur-chinchni area.. So as a rule, i spent my entire day in Boisar..
Sakil had ditched me (again!!) and had gone to mumbai for his guitar lessons.. But id a great time watching bhojpuri film "Kahi koi gavna hamaar" in the local theatre... (Another blog in the making ;)
By 8 pm.. i reached my PHC... struggled thru pitch black darkness and slippery muddy road all the way to my room.. Garfield and family were chatting outside.. and Garfield was having a candle-light booze session with his another garfieldish pal!! [Garfield: the appellation given to the husband of a nurse,who used to work in our PHC...Garfield cuz 16/24 hrs he used to laze around on his Khatiya outside his room.. the other 8 hrs were inside ;) ]
My dabba was already ready at the door step.. The electricity came by around 9 after which i took a hot water bath and had my dinner and prepared to doze off...

Just when i was about to doze off, humming to the U2 numbers blaring thru my cheap 40Rs speakers connected to my Ipod.. My MO , Dr.Vivek Gupta called up to tell me that he ll be coming to the phc for the night shift as it was a pulsepolio going on and he had to report early the next day... Thank God! I wont have to wake up tonight for any emergency case... Time to doze off.....

Dunno when it happened, but i felt a distinct tug at the back of my head..
Go away ditcher.. I mumbled in my sleep.. thinking it was Sakil who had come back in the morning.. The tugging got a bit more stronger..
Shooo.. B******... lemme sleep a******
And then it started hurting a bit..
Who the f*** are u!!!
I then tried to grab what was behind me.. trying to disturb my precious sleep on a windy, rainy night when the wind and the rain were merrily composing an orchestra on the asbestos roof...
It felt soft.. hairy.. small.. a soft toy?? I dont ve a soft toy.. I grabbed it in my hand and flashed my torch on it...

Holy shit!!!

There were 2 small eyes , glaring back at me.. menacingly.. they were horrendous.. they were yucky... and the creature with those eyes even had a tail.. a tail which was vigorously swaying around.. and 2 pairs of small feet.. that were struggling to let go off my dreamy sleepy grip... And those eyes meant business..
Ooops!! The creature proved to strong for me and i lost my grip.. and he fell right on my chest!!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Go away u f***ing rat!!!!

I hit him hard with the back of my hand... Thud!! I heard him banging against the wall..
Shit!! Is he dead?? I struggled to reach the switch to the 40 watt bulb in my room.. and turned it on.. and there i saw the devil.. up on the roof..
How did he get there?? so soon??
No buddy! he wasnt the same one... the one i just hit was in another corner.. and he was still glaring.. and now he had a vindictive look in those eyes.. he wanted to get me hard.. and get me back!!
Ok dude.. u win...
I frantically called up Dr.Vivek..

"Hello??"

"hello.. Dr.Vivek??.. Parag here.."

" Ha bol Parag..."

"uh.. i have a small problem out here.. actually.. a big one.. Can i come over to ur room for the night? even Sakil's not here so was kinda feeling lonely.."

"Hey no problem.. come over.. we'll watch the Wimbledon together.."

"Ok thanx. bye"

Wimbledon???! What time is it?? Holy cow... its just 11???!! and i thought it must be hrs past midnight... aaaah thank God.. i have a whole 9 hrs of sleep left in front of me... :)

Then i gathered all my paraphernalia (read: spects, stethoscope,torch,ipod,watch and ha..umbrella).. and i braved the storm and an inverted umbrella to reach his room.. He was waiting outside..

"Hey dude.. what heppened??"

"Nothing re, there was a rat.. sorry.. a couple of rats in my room.. and bloody one of them was nibbling on my hair.. please, will you just check my head??"

I turned around.. and gave a boisterous laugh that id never heard from him for 15 days i was with him...

"Hey.. what happened??.. please tell me whats wrong.."

"Feel ur head.." he said, still laughing..

And i felt it.. everything was ok.. except a patch.. a distinct patch on my head where there were NO HAIR!!

Brilliant!!!!!! The Rat had his say after all..

As we spent the rest of the night watching federer thrash his opponent on the grass court.. I lamented from within my soul about my loss to a hairy, stinky, 4 legged "MONSTER"...

As for me.. i had an amazing sleep.. got up at 9 the next morning when the pulse polio inspectors were inspecting the phc and i was standing in front of them in a baniyan and shorts..Thank God Sakil had made it on time..
The hair grew all right.. the patch was just about 2-3 cm in diameter..

As for my MO Dr.Vivek, whenever he sms es me or scraps me on orkut.. he always mentions that,
"The rats in Tarapur still miss you.."

Yeah... and i miss them too!! :)

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Acrophilia??!!!

acrophobia (n):
Morbid fear of great heights.

Thats what the Oxford says...
Mine is a strange case.. and a very strange one too...

I got to realize it when Id gone for a trek to Harishchandragad.. many years back... with my buddy Nishant..
It was an amazing trek full of adventure (read:Included climbing down the rock face on one shoe each..) But i'll talk about it sometime later..

Nishant's one shoe had given away.. So he wasnt ready to come with me to the famous Konkan-kada, for which Harishchandragad is so famous for.. It was early morning and we had trekked through the night for about 4 1/2 hours to reach the temple on the top.. and i didnt wanted to miss the sunrise in any case whatsoever.. So i ventured out alone for the Kada with a water bottle, a cam and a knife (there are leppards found on Harishchandragad)... Sunrise and sunset should never be missed from the Konkan kada, people say...
I reached there early.. the first few rays of sun were just falling on this massive 1500 feet wall which faces the western coast of maharashtra.. I wanted to get a closure view of the kada.. so i went very close to the edge.. and i saw straight down into the valley, about 2000 feet below...
I lay on my tummy, my chest and head and hands suspended in mid air.. and took amazing snaps of the valley below..
But suddenly it happened..
Suddenly i started getting the strong urge.. to just run and take off.. and jump into the vast abyss... The breeze blowing on my face from below in the valley was too luring... I got scared...
Id never experienced this urge to jump from a heighted place before... Maybe the fact that there was a guy who had jumped from the Kada, supposedly, due to the sheer beauty of the sight of sunset, was on my mind... or maybe not..
I gathered my composure and briskly made my way back to the temple...

But that wasnt the only incident... That was just the beginning..
Each and everytime i trek, suddenly.. and out of the blues.. i get this strong desire.. just to take off and let myself free... Free to float away in the air.. feel like flying away.. Even though i can see the bottom below, I feel its an abyss.. Just like a chasm within me... where i can see no end.. I feel like plunging into the same...

No.. Im not afraid of heights.. I dont have any "MORBID FEARS" abt heights, like the Oxford says.. I get a penchant for getting up there.. and looking below.. and then someone calls me... someone wants to pull me down below.. The feelings strong.. and its amazing....

acrophilia:
Sexual arousal from heights or high altitudes.


I guess its not sexual arousal that i experience.. Like what i often refer to as "Orgasmic pleasures"... its far more spiritual... It doesnt give me any sort of a physical erection.. but it sure does rejuvenates my mind.. and my soul...

So I guess its "OFFICIAL"!!! Im ACROPHILIC!!!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Asinine Verses..

You may not be knowing, but i have this inane tendency to really screw up good songs...
Here goes the latest...

[Sing to the tune of "Jab Pyaar kiya to darna kya"- Mogul-e-aazam]

Jab paap kiya to papa bane..
Do-do bachchon ke ab baap bane..
paap kiya bina "TOPI" ke re..
Paaap kiyaaaaaaa
Paap kiya par shaadi nahi ki
In bachchon ka ab karna kyaa..

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Free... At last !!!

May 9th 2007... They will remember this date forever... for as long as their lives are remaining after 14 years of ordeal.. 14 yrs of suffering.. 14 yrs of being stamped as the TRAITOR..

23 accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts were finally released formally after their acquittal last year...
Yes.. what happened in 1993 was gruesome.. a crime that warranted death sentences to those found guilty.. The Mumbai police did an amazing job.. handling the investigation.. getting most of those involved arrested (the masterminds were never touched!!).. But have u spared a thought for thos who were not guilty???
Those who were rounded simply because they were known to the accused..
simply cuz they had been to dubai at the same time the conspiracy was hatched...
Or simply because they were belonging to the minority community????

They were thrashed... Stripped in front of their women-folk... made to lie nude on ice bars... nails and hair pulled out... genitals stomped upon.. and their women folk were even molested in front of their own eyes... Just go through BLACK FRIDAY , the book.. and you'll come to know about the atrocities they inflicted..

Agreed, the 23 accused may indeed be still guilty... but what is even 1 person amongst the 23 is innocent... Did he deserve such a treatment??
Think about that one person... he would have been in his early 20s when he was taken away into police custody... 14yrs... Yes.. 14yrs of trials n tribulations..
14 Yrs or being looked upon as a Traitor... a renegade.. a quisling.. a turncoat.. Or simply put, a Desh-drohi!!
Why was he inflicted with such a charge?? Why were the 14 most productive years of his life taken away??
Even he had a family to support.. children and elderly parents to look after.. sisters to get married off.. He wasnt a big-shot politician ... or a Bollywood star!!
He belongs to the minority religion... He's a God fearing person.. Allah is everything to him.. Everyday , every night he used to pray to allah.. pray to be relieved of this misery..
His family was outcasted.. "Traitors.. they all are", they all said..

Homo praesumitur bonus donec probetur malus.. The famous Latin maxim..

It means.. "One is innocent until proven guilty"...
This wasnt the case in the 93 Blasts case.. they were all guilty until proven innocent!!

14 yrs of ordeal is over.. He is free again.. The "Traitor" tag is removed from his forehead forever.. or is it??
He is ecstatic.. but he's impassive.. He cant express his ambivalence.. He has nothing to say..
He is past 40 yrs now.. lost his job, parents have passed away, long awaiting the return of his innocent child,whom they know can never commit such a heinous act... He has to start from scratch again..
He feels like a 10 month old child, trying to stand up on his feet again.. trying to take his first step forward.. He was stuck in the moment for 14 long years.. a life term for a crime he did not commit...
And even after his acquittal, he'll be known as the person accused in the blasts case.. people will still eye him with suspicion.. "Who knows???", they'll say... But he knows.. and He knows..

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Undergarments Galore!!!

Off late, there are plentiful undergarment adds being aired on the countless Cable channels.. There are quite a few interesting ones that i saw on Gemini and Udaya channel of a Superhero fighting of villians and then flashing off his chaddis... but since i couldnt fathom the toungue twisting linguistics.. I d rather tell you guys about a couple of adds on our normal Hindi channels..
To have an equal sexual representation.. theres one for the guys n one for the girls..

On this blog, theres always guys first (also, the girls add is a total sick add!!)So here goes...

Scene 1.. A group of young women are washing clothes at a dhobi ghat .. a couple of them tying their hair.. and an old crooked widow chewing pan.. with the background score going "OING....OING" at regular intervals..
then here enters this sexy, sultry lass... in a sexy purple saree , gracefully walks down the steps leading to the ghat with a bucket full of clothes to wash ... all the other women , esp the elder women give here a menacing, teasing look... Oblivious to their looks.. she reaches the ghat and looks at them.. smirks ..and then suddenly takes her husbands undi from the bucket and flashes it to the horror of other women.. ( Like shes flaunting her new expensive jewellery..hahaha)
And then with a lascivious look, she chews her lips (aaah!!!) and then starts washin her hubbies Undies... first slowly.. and then vigorously.. and then to the amazement of the other women, takes a big "Dhoka" and takes a big swing and bang... on the undies!!! And then she flaunts the undies by flashing them again in front of those women.. and then stretches the undies... (and as she stretches the undies.. the back ground OIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGG.. also stretches in the same proportn... :)
And then the catch line...
Amul Macho.. Crafted for Fantasies!!!

Now the ladies turn.. this is the most pathetic, sick add ive seen for a loong long time..
The add starts with Reema Lagoo (the Saas of the famous series "tu tu main main") staring as the woman-know-all.. Lakshmi.. in a studio show, "Lakshmi sab jaanti hai" being aired on tv in front of a live audience...
She starts reading the first "agony" letter..

"Lakshmi ji.. main koi bhi Panty khareedti hoon.. ek hafte mein kharaab ho jaati hai..
Uska elastic jaldi toot jaata hai.. aur fir Panty pehenne ke liye safety -pin (????????!!!) ka istamaal karna padta hai... please madat kijiye..."

And then our Reema Lagoo aka Lakshmi gets livid with rage and blasts out...

"Sabse pehle.. raaste par se panty khareedna band karo... dukaan mein jaao aur seedhe Lux COSY panties maango... Yeh dikhne mein to achchi hai hi.. kaafi tikaao bhi hai.. Aur iska elastic kitna bhi khicho fir bhi kharaab nahi hota...." And just like the previous add.. she stretches the brown panty with her hands for almost a mile..
(I dont understand.. does Reema lagoo keeps an extra pair of panties in her bag?? or did she know that she was going to be asked tht query???)

Finally, i guess i know what to look for when i go shopping for my undies next... Look out for the bloody elastic..

Friends Forever..

This Psychotic- kiddish poem.. dedicated to all my my pals...

Pick out any song you please
Click.... We are in harmony
Stick with me, and you'll see
What a kick it is to be
My friend- Yeah, we're friends till the end

I'll travel..I'll go here and I'll go there
Tag along, we'll see most of everywhere
Hell!! this will be fun ..i Swear
Everyone will know that you're
My friend- Yeah, we're friends till the end

Sometimes i tend to be a little bore
We'll play a game, but we wont keep a score
Friendship has its own reward
Its fun, just to play the game
You win,I win..its all the same
Who cares who really comes in first??
Our friendship is our biggest Gain

So lets spell it out...
F someone asks of me
R you and me a team
I will say we'll always be friends.. yeah we're friends till the
END..

Saturday, May 5, 2007

What "I" want...

A few days back, I was chatting with my buddy about life, the stars ,and the universe..

Dunno how that topic came up... but it did.. about dreams.. about aims in life..
I began to ponder.. pondered for a few days..
As id seen 5 yrs of dreams crashing down in a moment, i dreaded to dream again.. dreams that wud never come true..
As months passed, now i began to think again.. and now decided..
Im going to live my life.. live my life for MYSELF.. gonna do things that I ALWAYS wanted to do.. i always dreamt off.. and gonna make those dreams come true..

so, however trivial these dreams may look, thts wht they are.. dreams.. and someday im gonna make them come true..


1. Watch the Milan derby at the San siro

2. Watch the Belgian grand prix at Spa

3. Watch the U2 live in concert...

Simple dreams.. all u need is the time, and moolah...
and thats what i wanna do.. earn a lot of moolah... just to spend them on travelling...

I still recollect the quote from the NAMESAKE

Pack a pillow and a blanket.... Go see the world... you'll never regret...

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Of "Haapus" mangoes and "Aamras-puris"

"Aai.. whats for lunch today??"

"Arre, ive made ur fav Aamras... take it from the fridge"...

aaaahh... aamras...
As i opened the fridge, my eyes literally began to glow... the golden coloured aamras truely appeared like molten Gold kept in the vessel..
My taste buds couldnt control their desire.. a stong current went through my mouth... they were telling me.. Parag, what are u waiting for buddy?? Plz feed us with this delicacy.. we've waited too long..
And as i placed the spoon filled with the chilled aamras in my mouth, i started getting goose-bumps... yeah.. waited soo long.. a year...

Mangoes have always been special to me right from my childhood..
Maybe because their season begins when we used to have our school vacations..
Or maybe just because my Bday is in may, that i can relate to it...
I remember the time when i was a school kid.. when i was in primary school..
My aai used to tell me, that mangoes come in May only to celebrate my birthday... and that I'm a prince--a to-be-king, just like mango is the king of the fruits.
My aji still tells me tales, when as a 3 yr old, id nibbled on an entire dozen full of mangoes that she'd bought once, just like a rat nibbles on the food..

Yes,.. Mangoes hold special importance to me.. they bring back those old childhood memories.. those memories which i always cherished..the most happiest times of my life.. the times when i was innocent, carefree and had no obligations or responsibilities..
I was supposed to do only one thing... HAVE FUN!!!

I still remember, during the early nineties when i was in primary.. when mangoes were dirt cheap.. about Rs.75-80/dozen...Aai used to buy entire "petis" of mangoes.. each containing about 4-5dozen..
The entire morning of the summer vacation used to go playin around the neighbourhood.. and then after coming home, helping myself to a huge bowlfull of chilled Aamras with puris, reading Tinkle , Indrajal comics and Famous five books, and watching Funtime, with giant robot, fraggle rock and Heman on DD...
And then there used to be huge fights with my dearest sister, over who gets the larger share of the Aamras!! :D
On my birthday, Aai used to serve me Aamras-puri and batata bhaji in a silver plate and silver Wati,with a silver spoon and glass!!! Boy, i really felt like a King then!!

Relishing on Haapus Mangoes was a totally different experience... I used to make a complete mess of myself.. my face, hands and even my clothes smeared with mango juice that i used to spill all over.. and then get a big bad scolding from Aai..
And then there was "Aam panna"... how can i forget that???
Nothing ever used to freshen me up from a gruelling cricket match under the scorching may sun than aam panna..

We used to fully utilise the thrown away "petis" (a peti is a wooden box filled with mangoes stacked in hay in layers.. now u dont get those, they ve been replaced by cardboard boxes)
We used to make homes for the puppies with the wooden boxes... and they hay was used to make ourselves a nice comfortable seating place for the machans we used to construct... though i used to end up coming home scratching all over my back and u-know-where... ;)

Now, A dozen mangoes are priced at the rate at which we used to get a "peti" during those days.. around 350-400 Rs..
The childhood enthusiasm has been lost forever.. but my taste buds still remember the sweet taste of the mangoes id eaten in my childhood..