Raaga on Rails

Well people, if you think that I'm being partial to mumbai with my posts on the blog, you may be probably justified in thinking so. But there always will be so much to write about it that I think it's probably ok.

Anyway, After a long interval i got an opportunity to ride the suburban local during 'peak' hours. I was unusually surprised that I managed to get into the train quite easily in the first place, rather than having to squeeze my way through. And it was after i had settled in and managed to get the 'standing' spot between the pair of seats did I realise that I was surrounded by this group of men who had neatly managed to huddle in and occupy two complete rows of seats for themselves. And just as the train was about to leave, this guy drew out a neatly folded banner out of his sack and then hung it out on the overhead rack; it read 'XYZ bhajan mandal'.He then neatly passed out some more stuff out to his 'group' whose role I would soon come to know. And as the train chugged out of the station, there were loud chants singing praises about almost every popular Hindu gods and goddesses. And then started the round of bhajans; one again for each god and goddess, starting of course with the elephant headed lord ,as is always the custom.

Welcome to our own suburban Music clubs or whatever you may choose to call it. Although there've been various protests against these mandals from time to time, I don't think anybody will actually ever go up to one of these groups and stop them. And as the train rolled on between stations, the pace and fervor with which the group sang kept on rising.And then there was the neat sounding Percussion to go with the bhajans. And somehow, the sound of the train wheels blended in perfectly to create a surprising rhythm.

Although a bigger percentage of the commuters think that these groups are a real nuisance, There are actually some who enjoy these sessions. Of course, would you like to be disturbed if you're going through your serious reads of The Economic times, or If you're a student trying to catch up on some last minute revisions before that all important exam or whether you are just a regular commute who likes to use this transit period to collect your thoughts for the day ahead? Purists will always vote against these mandals creating that ruckus each day.

But frankly today, as I was no longer doing any of the above as I travelled, In some way I seemed to enjoy the singing. The group even threw in the non- religious kind of bhajans to go along with the regular ones. Some even sung by the great mahatma himself, speaking of brotherhood and respect for all religions ( although I would seriously like to know the views of these groups on the subject of tolerance towards other religions).

And as the Journey reached it's end and the group stopped singing,rounds of 'prasad' were passed around (I know Mom always told you to never accept stuff to eat from strangers). And as these Babus of the bhuleshwar markets, the brokers of Dalal street and the Workers of the mubai mills got off the train, it was business as usual for them for the day ahead. But,I'm sure that they knew that the 8:51 fast will be back tomorrow unfailingly. And so will they!

Mumbai dhamaka

"From autorickshaw races,arm-wrestling competitions in colleges(?), street food fests, shopping,movie screenings,arts,marathons,culture and everything else that the city's image conjures up is going to be on display"
Yesss! The Mumbai festival is finally on the cards.Amazing, isn't it? Frankly, I never thought that I would get to be part of a public fest in mumbai at all. We're always the ones who've had to be contended with watching people lapping up the goodies at London's Hyde park, at the all famous Oktoberfest in Germany, the Mardi gras (although I wouldn't prefer to be part of such extremities in amchi mumbai frankly) or be it the Times square.

The news piece said that it's being planned as a ten day event beginning from the 7th of january and that industrialists,politicians, brand gurus, corporate czars etc are all supposed to be funding and taking the initiative here.

Anyway, I feel that the idea is great and Mumbai will finally be on the world map for such events. But does the city really have all the facilities and the infrastructure to hold such events? Movies, shopping, eating and all is Ok but to be really categorised as a public event, it will have to reach out to the masses at the street level. And I, for one really don't think that's going to be happening. And it won't be reaching the suburbs as well. So in the end I fear it will just turn out to be a money spinning and brand promoting exercise. But it's a good start nonetheless and I hope that a few years down the line, The london's and the new york's will be getting a run for their money.

Cryptic clues

A voice in my head says ' hang in there' (Maan! i've been hanging in for quite some time now). The trick, they say is to have some faith. Right now I don't know if I have enough. Maybe I should think of some short term goals, which hopefully will lead to longer and more concrete goals. Dude! I think it's time now to start achieving some short term goals.
Hmm...I think I'm being the same old cryptic me again. I seem to be rambling as usual. The words that strike me at this instant- "there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path". Anyway, got to Walk On

Barca Beats

Ole ole Ole! yes boys, on saturday night, The Nu camp was singing to the brazilian beats, although it was only the Ronaldinho camp that did it. Barca Thrashed the all stars galaxy of Real madrid three to nothing. An absolute treat to watch.The delicate one -twos between ronaldinho and Eto', and the fine trickery involved in those back flicks off the heels was simply out of the world. And to think that an entire gamut of stars including zizu, figo, Ronaldo, raul, beckham, Owen were on the receiving end! The madrid defenders guti, samuel and company simply couldn't match up to the pacy runs and artistry of the barca camp.
All in all, a great game of football to watch, even though it was a 2am start here in India. Absolutely worth it boys!

Deja Vu!

They had now been walking for about half an hour. She seemed to be smiling now as they turned again,reaching the point where they had already been twice that warm Sunday evening. Always a good sign, he thought. Their plan that evening was a simple one - they were going to do what countless other young hearts had done before. They were going to take a footpath walk to see if their relationship held any hope against seemingly countless and insurmountable obstacles.
Actually, both were quite relieved to be in each other's company after that long. They walked as if it were just them on that busy street. Finally, more than a year of denial and pretence seemed to have ended. At least, that's what they were both hoping for. Right now, it seemed impossible to both of them that they had both parted ways very abruptly during a similar walk they had last year.

Circa 2003; They had been trying hard to decide the fate of their relationship. Actually, he wasn't even sure if he could even call it that; to him, it just seemed like an arrangement, a dream that would end soon. She, a pretty lady with all the confidence in the world; he,a smart lad who'd been lately having Self- belief issues. She, with soft brown hair and smile that would charm any soul,had been the pillar of their relationship. He, a bit lanky, was the one who always focussed on the harsh realities that faced them. And it was during this walk on that fateful March evening that they had decided to part ways. Both knowing that it wasn't justified. Both feeling that it wasn't right. But that was what they did nonetheless, defeated and resigned to fate.

And today, as they walked the crowded streets again, they both couldn't but help being overcome that feeling of Deja Vu (I have to hand it the French for making the world aware of this seemingly unexplainable sense) that it would all end up again in a horrible mess. The circumstances hadn't changed a bit. Both still maintained the same stand and the same views that they held the last time around.

But then, Time had passed on. People and views change with time. Time changes people. Had time moved on for them or had it gone. Had it dissolved into an impossible situation? Had it fallen apart into forgotten moments. This time, both knew that the answer was NO! They knew that this Time it would work; they would work. And as they realised it, they felt vaguely freed. And as they parted ways this time, they knew it was momentary. They slowly walked away, chasing away the bad memories.

Psychobabble!

The better part of the festive season is over babies! And it's back to work.....Endless drudgery and seemingly unendless moments of frustration. Although I must say that this part of the year gets me into an unusual high. Although the festive lights will have to be pulled down soon (I just love these lights even though I am well aware that there's enough streetlights lining the mumbai roads), the onset of winter just gets me in to that nippy mood.
It means at least three months of relief from the dusty heat, the hope that the upcoming new year brings, new resolutions to be made and most importantly putting back the disappointment of not having lived up to my previous year's resolutions. Of course, there's also the anticipatory moments leading up to my birthday......Hoping that my best pals won't forget to wish me (thank you gang!).
That's it then.... No rants, no raves...Nothing much actually

The tale of my city

As I grew up, my city has changed
The clamour of crowded streets that I once loved,
becoming unbearable by the day
An uneasy throng filling up the mass transport,
the maze of underground pipes spewing filth into the oceans
Heritage structures that once stood tall and proud,
now vying for space between tattered shanties
Her roads no longer pliable, her maidans no longer playable
and the highways that we once loved breezing through on cold winter mornings,
sadly turning into a parallel valley of shitters
Seemingly unstoppable lawbreakers, unplanned development,
Is this what we call taking her the Shanghai way?

But whichever way my city goes,
Trains and buses plying way past midnight
Even the street ragpicker getting to grab a bite
The monsoon waves lashing up her beautiful seafronts
chowpatty with the ganesh visarjan, Mohammad Ali road engaged in Eid celebrations
Shopping malls, garish pubs
Booksales along the fort footpaths, her suburban railway music clubs
Bollywood dhamakas, the page three masalas
Whichever way my city goes,
I sincerely hope,
that while I sleep each day and as my word will change,
My piece of this planet and her undying spirit will remain the same

Do the Bartman

"No one is interested in my underpants".
Oh no, before you exercise the dirty side of your brains, let me dissappoint you by telling you that these are not my words but those of the good ol' prankster, The Bartman or Bart Simpson.
I simply love that kid. He'll give you his 'no nonsense' humor right in your face. So here some more of his all famous chalkboard writings that I just can't miss during the titles:

"I will not spank others"
"I will not expose the ignorance of the faculty"
"This punishment is not boring and pointless"
"I will not bury the new kid"
"A burp is not an answer" (My all time favourite, I must say)
"My homework was not stolen by a one-armed man"
"The Pledge of Allegiance does not end with "Hail Satan". "
"I will not Xerox my butt"
"I will not belch the National Anthem"
"I will not hide behind the Fifth Amendment"
"I will not torment the emotionally frail"

And lastly, but certainly not leastly "I will not do anything bad ever again"

Now you know why this brat just cracks me up!