Friday, December 28, 2007

Why?

Yesterday on my way back home, at Andheri station, I saw a kid maybe 8-10 yrs crying in a corner and was surrounded by a policeman (who was chewing pan/gutka) and a man yelling at the kid! I don't know the reason but something compelled me to wait and watch. So I stopped where i was and heard the one way talk of the man to the kid. No one else was talking! I could hardly understand a thing, but I was feeling sad, very sad. What a kid of that age would have done wrong? Or why would he have done whatever he would have done wrong? I felt helpless, very helpless! Wish I could do something about it.
The place I work for targets entertaining kids, but aren’t there enough kids who need food more than entertainment? Aren’t there kids who don’t know what childhood is all about? Aren’t there kids who need love more than anything else? Why are we so insensitive to the issue, or why cant we stand up or rather to begin with me, why cant I stand up and do something constructive for the millions of kids who don’t have food, school, parents, Mickey mouse!
My daughter is so precious to me.I feel she is an answer to all my prayers and whenever I see these kids I see the same eyes...advika's eyes, hungry for love, wanting protection, wanting a pat, wanting a hug, wanting me! Why can't I do something. Am i afraid, afraid of what and why?Politics, Politicians, Goons, Prostitutes, Gangs,Police? Am I suppose to be scared of them?WHY? I am scared of sadness and gloom?But why? Why can't i stand up? Why? Ya it will not pay me money! So ! Is money all tht we ask for in life? Why do i kill my consicence? Why?

Monday, December 17, 2007

Tagged:Wicked Me!

On the face of it i come across as a simpleton and naive *anyone can vouch for this*.People who dont know me easily believe that i am as innocent as a sheep (*in wolves clothing - for those who know*). But I love to be wicked and to be honest i am not always at it (i am usually good to people).Its only when circumstances make me behave WICKED i do!

Incident mentioned here is dated in year 2002.

Mrids and I use to share a room in Lajpat Nagar! We both were on our first assignment(job).Mrids use to work with Maersk and me with Goodyear Tyres.On the first Diwali chutti we were desperate for a break and reach our respective homes. We had booked our tickets well in advance. We left work really early and left from Lajpat at about 4.Both of us had a train from New Delhi Railway Station, me at 6 and mrids at 5.30.Diwali had just started and Delhi was crowded like crazy. We couldn’t make it to station on time and we both missed our trains. Mrids somehow managed getting into a train and reaching home by next morning.

With me however it was different case, next train to Nagpur was next day noon. So i went to stay with Ashish's buaji and then took the ticket next day and managed to get into Kerala Express that halts in Nagpur. Air Tickets were very costly at that time. Even a thought of taking air route crossed once our mind.

Got into a second class compartment and hogged on a Side Sleeper seat coz it was empty. I was happily sitting there, thinking how lucky am i to get a seat in such a crowded train! My happiness was short lived, a Mallu guys came over and started claiming the seat i was sitting on!!!

So i gave him a look straight out of hindi movie- kareena kapoor daft look or as i and reshma call it - did a namrata on him and said "I sat here first so this is my seat"!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA...I couldn’t believe myself that i said that and it was me who did it! Poor guy was shocked beyond point and didn’t know what to say in reply.He got my ticket done and did let me sit there the entire night(this train took more time than normal trains to cover 1094kms).This train was crowded to the hilt. People were even sleeping on the train floor and two people were sleeping on a seat. On this particular seat that i was sitting had company of two more. One this mallu guy and one uncle and one me! The seat belonged to the mallu guy and uncle and i was a guest. This guy actually fought with uncle so that i could also share the seat.
Next day before Nagpur arrived i clarified my daftness to this guy and he was surprised and was feeling foolish for getting fooled by someone like me!I don't recollect his name,but he took my id and he is added on my msn list.He did chat after that and i had to explain and narrate the entire story to him! We had a good hearty laugh at my wickedness and his foolishness!!!!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Me too...!

Had been meaning to do this post for long time now! Good that Reshma tagged me. I was not able to figure out how to start this one or rather from where to start cause it happened slowly and eventually.

Cut to – shot 1:
Location: IIT Delhi, Kailash Hostel- Room no.SA 7
Span: Just entered IIT

Mrids: Hey Anjali and I were in the same engg college?? * we didn’t have enough gossip by then, it was just third or fourth day at IIT*
Prema:Who Anjali? * Prema actually bothered asking- we were 8 girls in our class*
Mrids: The same girl who keeps on talking to a guy called Rahul!!*mrids cannot think beyond guys*
Ritu: Who Rahul? * All of us were interested in knowing abt our batchmates- esp guys*
Mrids: Rahul has a very cute girlfriend!! * Really what an info to trace Anjali*
Yuga: Abe kabhi toh sensible bola kar!!! *Yuga was/is a masterpiece- everyday Yuga would start her day by saying – f*$K! I missed my class!*
All: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA * We loved laughing at just abt anything or everything*
Mrids: Acha kal intro kara dugi ¡!! * We really didn’t bother asking/questioning who was she gonna introduce us to – Rahul,Anjali or Rahul’s GF*

Cut to – Shot 2:
Location: IIT Delhi, Classroom

By this time we got to know who Anjali was and I and Ritu (Ritu and I were room-mates) were wondering who Rahul is (Ya we were still keen). A tall, huge and handsome guy used to keep on talking to Anjali after every class and we assumed he was Rahul – Anjali’s good friend and who has a very cute GF!!

Cut to – Shot 3:
Location: IIT Delhi, Momaya’s Class (Momaya use to teach us – Creative Problem Solving and he knew Japanese Language – he use to sing in Japanese, and he was wafer thin)

Momaya: All of u will have to break-up in groups of 4 or 5 to do weekly assignments. The mix has to be between girls and boys- there can be no group which has only girls or only boys!!!

Well but the snob that I was *I am still tho* I hardly bothered to interact with any of the guys in our class. Mrids had formed a group already with Anjali and 3 other guys (Vikram, NK and Mohan). Ritu had formed a group with Harith and 2 other batchmates. I was left alone…came in Sarika…who also had already formed a group of four with other classmates, but she sed she will speak to the grp leader and let me know if I can join their group. So Rahul (Anjali’s good friend) came over and said “Hi , I am Ashish you can join our group”, as though I am a damsel in distress and would die without his consent of joining the group. So the group was formed – Atul, Sarika, Ashish S , Ashish G and Suruchi.

Well that was the beginning of our story! So it was not love at first sight for either of us. We started working together, making assignments, presentations, working at labs at odd hours, and it was a lot about just two us doing this cause Atul had to travel a lot, Sarika was a day scholar and she stayed at the other end of Delhi and had to travel for like good 2 hrs. Ashish G moved out of our grp within a month. So it was me and Ashish, making word docs, surfing, learning , googling, long walks from lab to hostel, hunting food, spending time at coffee shop, waiting at the booth to talk our respective parents and so on! Amidst all of this, Ashish had a very bad habit he was a chain smoker, used to smoke after every 15 mins and I used to be troubled a lot by it!He eventually found out that his smoking was causing problem and stopped smoking during the time we use spend time together! Well, that did impress me a lot, and I thought he has quit smoking. So during the first visit to SN market, I got a poster for him which read – Thank You for not smoking and had Dennis on it. I had thought of gifting it to him…hmm but!

It was otherwise, got to know from Amby – Yuga’s friend that he still does smoke I was actually taking it far *moron that I was* by assuming that he quit smoking just because I didn’t like it. Well , that day on our walk back to the hostel from the lab, I told him my concern and expressed my anger*dnt know why* ! That day something special started brewing between the two of us. I didn’t think of naming it then cause it was very nascent and I didn’t know whether it was meant to be serious or we were going to be just good friends.

So things continued, each passing day, we grew closer to each other, talking endlessly about almost everything under the sun, discussing study, career, family , movies, books, friends. We use to be for each other all the time.

And then came Rendezvous – IIT’s annual fest. Its real fun with movies, music shows, jams, competitions etc. Mrids, Vikram, Ritu, Vipul , Ashish, Me, Sarika , Atul,Raman had a blast of time spending lot of time with each other…then came the last day at the fest ! I wore a black wrap and T and that was 24th of September. 25th is Vipul’s b’day so we all decided to give him surprise. Raman and Ritu got cake and we were all out enjoying that day! After sometime, four of us,vikram mridula, me and ashu decided to go to the lab! Don’t know why though! Ashu took this opportunity and said that he loves me and I said ya me too without a lapse of a second!! Hmm too much for the commitment! But neither of us looked back from then on its seven years now from that day I we still feel that there is so much more between the two of us that It can last for 7 more life to come!

P.S: I should mention Mridula and Yuga who acted as a catalyst but it will take another post to explain!

Thursday, December 06, 2007

The 4s of my life!

Picked this one from Reshma...coz on the face of it, it looks quiet simple, nice and to the point

Four women I admire:
- Deeps (my sis in-law- coz of her straightforwardness, casualness and girth)
- Reshma (for her attitude, brains, sense of humor and madness)
- Priyanka (for her sensibility, her knack of managing people and lots of madness)
- Mridula (for her chirpiness, CAN SAY ANYTHING attitude, brains and lots of madness)

Four favourite foods:
- Sizzlers - mushroom in pepper sauce
- Paani Puri
- Croissant
- Death by chocolate

Four jobs i've had:
- MT- Goodyear Tyres
- Product Manager - Bharti
- a/c head -hungama
- Manager- Walt Disney Internet Group


Four favourite drinks:
- Hot Chocolate Fudge (Nirula's and Corner House)
- Anti made coffee
- Vodka with sprite
- Frappe

Four fondest memories:
- Assignments at IIT labs - cherish the time spend there
- Hostel life at IIT
- Sales stint with Goodyear Tyres
- Kabir's Shaadi in Chandigarh

Four unforgettable days:
- 25th Septemeber
- 21st june
- 22nd June
- 5th July

Four things i should work on:
- My figure
- My teeth
- Spending more time with Advika & Ashu
- Writing Blogs

Anyone who has not updated his/her blog for long can start with this one!!