Solo Trip: 2000 kms

"Sometimes the road you travel doesn't lead to the Destination you had hoped for. But if you can look back on the trip and Smile... Then it was Worth it."

I have owned a bike for three years and it is yet to be used to its full capacity. The only time I took it out for a ride outside Mumbai was Lonavala (2yrs back) and then probably Sanpada. In case you are wondering why Sanpada, then it will require another blog post, so will save it for another day. 

Recently in the month of Dec, I gathered my courage and decided on my first solo trip from Mumbai to Nasik which was a 350 kms ride back and forth. I enjoyed my experience of the first solo trip which was started not knowing what to expect and turned one of the best moments of my life on my bike.

When another opportunity came up, I knew what my ride will be. However this was not going to be easy one. You see this road trip was of a longer distance and apart from that my family was reluctant to let me go knowing that biking is still consider dangerous by a majority of people.

However since I remained adamant given that I did not put much thought into it except the fact that I was excited on going on the road trip that required me to be on the road for days.

I was suppose to carry a tank bag but found it short for the luggage that I was carrying. Hence had to carry my shoulder bag.On the hindsight I should have carried it along with me.

Day 1: I was supposed to wake up at 5 in the morning to beat the traffic to get out of Mumbai. However thanks to my work responsibilities I ended up coming late to home and the next day woke up at 6 instead of 4:30. By the time I left home it was already 7. Filled up the tank and was ready to hit the road.

I was going to ride 2000 kms and for that I decided to have a stop over at Belgaum on my way to Mangalore. This was going to be a 485 kms ride. I had to take the old Mumbai Pune highway and from there on to the Pune Bangalore highway.

I was completely dependent on the google maps for my destination. I have to say that they are not completely reliant as I found out that it showed the route through the expressway where bikes are not allowed. I will come back to on this later.

The ride was enjoyable one. Sunrise never disappoints and no matter how many pics you take of it. It always feels different when you are clicking a snap from a different location. I think the best way to enjoy the nature is to take a road trip and see what nature has to offer. 

I ended up reaching my destination at 8 and checked in to my hotel. The dinner was courtesy of my friend whose native place is Belgaum and arranged it through his relative. Went back to sleep after making sure my phones, powerbank, etc., are fully charged.

Day 2: The only disappointment waking up in the morning was not getting a hot shower. Apparently the hot shower starts after 6 and I had to leave before that. So I packed my bags on my way to Mangalore which was around 450 kms away. 

Back on the Pune Bangalore highway with the night still out, it felt as if I was riding alone on the road. Thank god for the LED lights otherwise it would have been one hell of a slow ride. 

Thanks to the cold weather every time I would speed up I would get the chills and would have to slow down. The weird part, my riding jacket comes with a thermal wear and on getting it lined up with the jacket, I started to feel more cold than otherwise. Also wore my hand gloves for some part of the distance as cold was getting to my fingers.

I am though not comfortable with my hand gloves for some reason when I ride with it, I face issues accelerating and applying the front brakes. So this time I was better without it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the state highway and then the ghats enroute. However there was a section of the road that kept me wondering what I was doing. The good thing however was that I found a group of riders who sped away on their high cc engines leaving me behind in a zap. This helped on my way to get my adrenaline rushing. I found them on both the days.

They even gave me a thumbs up which is considered as a sign of respect.

Finally I reached my hotel at around 5pm in the evening.

Day 3 : I had a day off as needed to get my work done. I again left at 5 am in the morning and revved up bike all the way. I have to say when you prepare for a trip you always leave out something that comes to haunt you back. 

In my case I took all the riding gear except for the bag and then I forgot the most important thing. Taking care of my butt which always becomes the first victim in long rides. I never thought about it even though I had experienced it in my lonavala, nasik trip. Somehow it still skipped my mind and gave me more pains than probably a waxing could.

My stops become frequent and then there were all kinds of thoughts eluding my mind even though my eyes were focused on the roads. It was like have a talk with yourself and asking yourself the purpose behind the trip. I found the gang of riders again which again helped.

I manage to check in my hotel by 6 at Belgaum and happened to take a quick nap before my friend call woke me up. He was in town and we met and again had dinner from his end. His relative owns a biryani shop and the mutton biryani is simply finger licking delicious.

Day 4: I decided to leave at 6 so that I could get some rest. However that was not meant to be. Whenever I am in a new place, I end up getting up in the middle of the night every now and then. I think I was not able to get proper sleep due to it. That probably got me tired and exhausted more than I could.

Left the place and this day proved to be more grueling than my other days. This time I had thoughts of abandoning my trip. Don't ask me why but it did. My stops became more frequent and I was at a loss for continuing my journey back to Mumbai. 

If you have read Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage you will know what I mean. I literally had to drive my will & managed to reach Lonavala. Bought fudge and chikki for my sister. I think it was 3 in the afternoon. 

Post that I got lost in the ghat thanks to google map and yes bad directions from people. Luckily some people guided me to the right route  Even though I was nearing to reach Mumbai, it certainly became a task to reach.

Finally had some pep talk with self, I ended up reaching home at around 8 pm. My family got elated to see me that we had a family group hug.

Even as I struggled with my journey, I wish to do it again as it certainly is an experience that I will never forget. Its never about arriving at the destination but the journey that matters...

This is just the beginning.

P.S. You can check out the instagram for ride pics on following link

Ride Safe. Be Safe.

2017: Bring It On

Another year gone by and yes I am wondering how soon it got passed by.

I know that this year I have blogged less than I should have. In fact there were moments or the urges to blog but the mind and the heart were in different places. Its like you want to blog but could not find the energy to do it. I almost wondered why.  

The year was like any other year except that few of the below things happened:

• One of my close friend got married
• I got a new job (badly needed one!!)
• Got back with my old buddies
• Did my first solo trip on the motorbike
• Did many things for the first time that were out of my comfort zone.

 

I had this habit every new year, the first day of the year, I would read the horrorscope, put it up and hope that this year would go good. I used to do that but this year I am not going to do that.

You see last year I have learned a lot and yes one of them is living in the present. Trust me, there is nothing like living in the present. Reminds me of the dailogues from Master Oogway from Kungfu Panda if you know what I mean.

 

 Then there are times when you just need to go ahead with your gut feelings and do stuff because you want to make it happen. My solo roadtrip was a culmination of it. I was going to do a post on it at least had thought of doing it but did not :(

Feel older when people start saying you are older than me. Seriously from when did age started to coming in between unless you plan to marry someone. I never did that to anyone but it seems people take age pretty serious. So whenever anyone says that, my next question is are you planning to marry me? Its like they are going to stay young forever as they have found the fountain of youth.

When talk of marriage, Salman Khan is not the only one dodging questions about it. I am also at the receiving end especially when certain of my friends surprised me by getting married. What is this fixation of marriage other people have that they cannot bear you to be seen single. Don't they want me to be happy?

 

All I can say is everything falls in place when the time is right.

 

I hope to blog more. You see I have been blogging since 2007 and that's like 9 years something that has kept me going on. I know that most of the people that I know have stopped blogging, guess other priorities taken over. I hate to see that...

This right here is my space to freedom and I don't ever want to give up on that.

Neither should you. So this year do what makes you happy and go for it. Don't procrastinate it. Don't give yourself excuses for not doing what you really desire. Never let your yourself think what if I had tried.

Just Do It.

Trust me, its always better to try then never at all.

Hope this new year brings all your wishes come true.

"Dont Dream It. Live It"

Helloooo!!

It feels good to be here again. It’s like finding my voice again.

The good news I am at a new workplace now given that I have been trying to move on for quiet sometime.

Good thing about it that I get to meet to people from various backgrounds and interact with them. Something that my previous job did not allowed given that it was restricted to the corporate environment only.

In my previous job, I had people chasing me. In this I have been chasing people and yes they are giving me a tough time. Phew!!

I have met people from various backgrounds and one of them happened to be a tea stall owner. One of the things that I learned from him that there is a handwritten keyboard that allows one to type text in their handset. Something I was not aware of. The interaction was good as he was all ears for what I had to say.

If one starts judging people by what they have and not by what they are, you will never know what lies beneath them. Sometimes people open up that one ends up having a great conversation.

My work took me to a hospital and in the basement where I believe where very few people have access. I was shown nails stuck on the ceiling due to the magnetic force of the MRI machine on the above floor. One has to see it to believe it.

I ended up having a chat with my Uber driver who seemed too young for his age which he said to me. He regularly watched Crime Patrol. Needless to say I never said I watch it too!!

Hope to make my presence here more J

Yeh Hain Bambai Meri Jaan

Who said competition is a bad thing? Sometimes it brings out the best in you when you are challenged.

I had this habit of drinking tea at the tapari during the breaks. However thanks to the quality of tea at the tapari, I ended up giving up on my chai and have been sober for around four years now.

This one day, out on my break outside the office with my colleagues, shouts can be heard about people passing by for a tea. We were too and yes that got my attention on what happened overnight that they had to resort marketing their chai.

It took a while but came to know that there was a new chaiwala who had setup shop nearby that threaten the monopoly of our existing chaiwala. The newbie chai was good and it was no wonder that the existing one decided to put in more milk in his chai.

At the end of the day, its a win-win for the chai drinking people :)

There are certain things which one sees to happen only in Bombay and no place else. 

One must have seen owners walking down the streets with their dogs or if you got up early morning, you can also see the cows and buffalo's on the streets on their morning walks.

Then again what about goats? Have you seen them around being taken for a walk. I certainly have seen them been taken around like they are dogs and its a sight to watch...

A railway station can be a great place to observe human behaviour at its best as people rush in rush out to reach their destination.

I was one who was made to wait by a colleague at a railway ticket counter recently and three incidents amused me as I stood there waiting.

A tall guy who apparently seemed intoxicated got slapped by a guy much shorter when he meddled in a conversation with his family. 

A girl with a backless short dress certainly got the attention of the male passengers who awaited in the queue to take ticket and then vanished into the crowd. I admire her courage as it requires walk the talk...

I never thought waiting at a ticket counter would lead to such observations given that I was at one of the busiest railway station then again there is always someone to break the barriers something that one thought never happened.

There was PDA display happening behind one of the pillars of the station and the couple were not your college going kids but someone much older who just could not keep their hands off with each other. 

It only gets you thinking right!!

I guess if you pay attention to the world outside, you will be able to see things that you once thought were only imaginary...

I Like You

Rahil was listening her speak on the other side of the phone as he was gathering courage telling Deepa about something that was bothering him.

His heart beat got faster as he paced up and down. As the voice felt silent on the other end, he blurted out “I like you. I like spending time with you”.

She too reciprocated his feelings. Later she told him that her family was in talks for her marriage. He almost stopped telling her he would like to marry her but held himself back.

Silence had crept in as he struggled to get the words out of his mouth. While she wondered on the other end by asking “what happened”.

The awkwardness of the situation went away as they talked it out.

As Rahil kept the phone down he wondered about circumstances being different.

All he could think about was letting her know about his feelings but he knew deep down probably it was best to keep things as it is instead of putting a yes or no question to their relationship.

Meanwhile, Deepa laid on her bed and the thought of him holding himself back intrigued her.

Log Kya Kahege

A random conversation between me and my sister made me realize how the term "Log kya kahege" has killed more dreams before it could be be brought out in the existence.

Our Indian society is like a big Indian family wherein everyone would like to keep a tab on what you do and why you do it. There is no escape from it. Some do it for gossip others just for timepass. There are very few who would genuinely car\worry for you.

The question arises on why should one be afraid of people's reactions, when one knows they do it because they want to and not for people who just choose to give their opinions for free. Give it some time and they wont even remember what the fuss was about.

Reminded of the song "Kuch toh log kahege, logo ka kaam hain kehana" as I think over it. Once one removes this mental block, then there's no stopping. If one still fear/worry think about the fools. If you know about the proverb fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Recently had gone out a trip with friends when observed that while we were busy taking group snaps, there were people who along with their smartphone were taking their own snaps with different poses with the sea & the beach as the background.

To think of it, nowadays everyone keeps taking selfie these days. Imagine the relief to the stars & celebrities who now just have to pose instead of signing autographs for their fans.

Then again, there are some people who take it a notch higher like the couple who decided to take a selfie with the background of a building in Dubai. Seriously, what were they thinking. If they could have used some common sense they could have avoided getting the backlash by putting the photo online.

Chris Gayle found himself making the news off ground with his attempt to flirt with a female presenter taking his interview.

To be honest what he did was not appropriate when one thinks he did that in front of a live came that feeds into people's tv set. Then again there is an aspect of it that goes unnoticed.

What if this would have happened off camera, was the reaction of the people going to be the same. How could it be different when guys try to flirt with women at other places. Food for though eh!

If one thought falling in love was easy think again. First there is a one side crush and if you succeed, you fall in love. That only happens to be the beginning as the levels gets harder just like the game of candy crush requiring various permutations and combinations.

I wonder about the couple's attempts who could not find their way to be together for eternal life and as reality of life drags one away, one could only think of what if things were different...

Who are you thinking about?

The Daughter's Cluprit

Suraj ran on the empty streets at the light of the dawn when he found himself breathing heavily by the thoughts that were making a run in his mind.

He found himself a place to sit as the thoughts overran him with his jogging.

Breathing heavily, all he could see was his past in front of his eyes that caught up with him in the present and found it difficult to run away from.

It felt like yesterday, when he was watching the movie on his television along with his wife when his 20 year old daughter Anya stood in front of them saying she had something to say.

It shook the very ground beneath them as they listened to her talk and tears made their way through her eyes and she burst into a cry.

His wife Shaila took hold of situation as she consoled Anya. Suraj found himself numb hearing words her daughter say that she was pregnant.

That night turned out to be the longest night as his mind was filled with thoughts to handle the current situation. He could not believe that his little princess had grown up to carry a child within as he saw playing with her as a little child smiling and giggling.

He searched for the guy who did this to his princess and found that the guy wanted to sleep with her and when she got pregnant, he wanted to abort the child.

Suraj stood in front of the boy's home enraged with anger, eyes shot up. The door was opened by a lady who seemed familiar and he realized that it was none other than Binal.

Binal recognized him and as they spoke the anger disappear into a whiff. He left without telling her the truth behind his visit.

How could he when he was the one who had impregnated her during their college days and got the child aborted. It was as if fate was playing cruel joke on him.

He reminisced his past when he was a playboy sleeping with scores of women making them think that he will marry them but never did. Binal was one of them and the one he got knocked up. He remembered his relief when he was able to convince her for abortion without her parent’s knowledge.

Suraj was aghast to know that her son did this to her daughter. All he could think of not letting his family know about his past.

Anya was taken to the hospital for abortion along with Shaila, she asked for his forgiveness as she held his shoulder. He hugged her and said to her "It’s not your fault".

As she was been taken away he felt as if he was his daughter's culprit.

The Last Day

I have often found myself at warpath with people who deliberately choose not clear the air in what they speak. This happens mostly with people who are above me and yes in the office circuits.

Its funny how they are at liberty to state what they meant but you cannot put across yours. I guess it has more to do with ego than to state things plainly out in the open or to put it mildly; finding a scapegoat.

The best way to encounter such people is to put everything in writing. There is no escape from it.

When you are doing a favour to someone, they start to act like that you owe to them and keep following up like mad until you are able to put an end to it. Why do people do that especially when they know they are seeking a favour?

The last week of the year had begun and all eyes were set on the last day to usher in the New Year with celebrations.

Whenever an outing is planned and people informed to join in, almost everyone would show their interest. As the day comes nearby slowly one by one would hint that they will not be able to make it. This happens every time when planning with someone other than family.

On the opposite, outing that are planned spontaneously often has more takers than the planned ones. Albeit they don’t happen as much as one would like to.

My observation that people who drink go out more than those who don’t is proving to be correct to this moment.

The one question that I get asked often is what I do among them. All I could offer is that I like to travel and somehow it only happens with people who drink.

After one gets talli, literally everything comes out apart from the vomit to people to talking about their lives or simply just having a ball with their antics. Remember a guy who got taken by free booze at a party that he starting taking his clothes off and dancing that even prompted the DJ to shoot a video of him.

The first day of the New Year was spend sleeping all day after staying awake the last night. Hope that is not how the year passes by…

Marriage Stress

Got a glimpse of the beauty pageant Miss Universe while switching channels and watched it to see those beautiful faces walking down sharing their experiences.

It reminded me of my days as a kid when I watched the pageant thanks to my cousins (read this link to know about them). While I looked at those pretty faces exuberating confidence as they walked, my cousins looked more interested in the Q&A rounds.

They would try to answer the questions as if prepping for it when they have their day to shine. I would too being part of the group. The most that I enjoyed after the Q&A was the swimming suit competition.

This year event however took the cake away with its announcement of the winner that made one wonder if they were watching a reality show wherein to spice things up, one would do something not expected that would create hue & cry and gather much needed attention.

I know and have seen how marriage can cause serious stress to women given that she is the one who is leaving her home and enter a new one with new members to call her family and a husband to be her companion for life.
Guys too can get stressed about marriage as I am seeing one right now. Watched his engagement video and he was the one with the nerves while his fiancée smiled throughout. His marriage date was six months ago and now it will happen in the next two months. Hope he is able to smile throughout his marriage or else we will never let him forget the day for years to come.

How often do you bargain when making a purchase? I admit that I am bad at it. I have a friend who excels in it. Has a flair for it as he keeps pushing till the other person gets tired if not irritated and agrees. What amuses me that he has the purchasing power to buy at fixed rate still he would haggle to bring the price down. Is that how one saves money?

It’s the last week of the year and as each day passes by, one wonders about the year gone by, the hits and misses. The times for celebrating the year end with a bang.

Wish you all a Happy New Year and hope all your wishes come true.

The Call Center Guy

I was immersed into the world of imagination as I listened to him & his adventures of a hunter (if you know what I mean). It happened all by chance when a cup of coffee can lead to such a revelation. Albeit, I take it with a pinch of salt knowing that guys will be guys and they like to boast their exploits like anything which can be a figment of imagination . I for one would never believe unless I see some proof.

These days I feel like I have become the call center guy. No I have not joined a call center nor have any girlfriend to spend that much time talking. It just that these professional commitments takes such a toll on my phone that it keep dying on me, thrice to be precise. It reminded me of the talk of my friend who had worked in call center who was so tired of picking calls that when at home, he won’t even pick up the land line ringing.

Old age is considered to be another childhood where the grown ups become kids. I would second that having seen people act like kids to get their work done. One of my recent interactions with one such person proved the point who almost made it a point not to listen to the words that came out of my mouth and insisted that I do as he said.

Why do they have to be stubborn to a point that they end up bullying people to do as they want? At the end, one has to come around to accept the reality. In my experience there are very few people who actually listen and others just prefer to give away their orders like they have earned it.

When I hear about the dating stories of couples, what amazes me on how nowadays girl spends money on the guy instead of the opposite. Have to say girls have come a long way. Its not easy for them to date a guy and make sure that their family does not comes to know about it. I know a girl who does travelling of two hours up & down just to meet her guy. The guy did that once and fall sick....

My work place has been hit with the iphone craze, Almost everyone I know now has an iphone. A colleague bought then another and it spread like a wild fire. All of this was put to an end by another colleague who got the latest model with the highest storage straight from the US. That put an end to the frenzy situation. 

Hide & Seek

I can feel the chill in the air when the wind blows be it day or night. The arrival of winter in a city like Bombay can be felt now but not earlier. Winter season meant only less heat but not this time.

Reminded me of the day as a kid, when I had woke up early in the morning for an NCC (National Cadet Corps) event with my teeth cluttering and the oil on my hair frozen. That was my last recollection of the winter I felt in Bombay.

Hide and Seek was being played out outside my office building. It first started with bike parking that used to happen along the compound walls near the entrance. There happen to be traffic policemen of around 8-10 ensuring that bikes were being taken away and fined people with no proper documentation. It seemed odd given that the road was away from the main road.

This ensured that the bike parking was turned into car parking. Next it was the turn of the illegal eatery stalls that was set up near to the building. Since they are hand in gloves with the local officials, they had ensured that their stalls were not taken away even as a beautification drive was carried out. Next day they are back at their usual places.

Wonder who won and lost….

Not sure how many watched the Olx ad about the husband & wife where the husband sells his car so that his wife can have a car too. She felt her independence was being fringed upon due to her travel woes. Seriously, I think a wife will have more important things to talk about then making her man buy a car to make her feel independent. Comfort food for thought anyone?

I came across a magazine on my desk and wondered if the owner would come forward to take it back. As it laid there for days, I decided to have a peek and read about the “Nyoma Incident” that took place between the jawans and the officers of the Indian army. Never knew something of this nature had taken place and people unaware of it.

Had a farewell of a colleague in the past week and I could not help laugh at the turn of his events. He had put in his papers a month back but yet to get an approval from his manager. Every time he approached her, he would be told to get back later.

Soon the weeks turned into days even as the sight of approval was nowhere to be seen. The irony part was that his day of farewell was announced by his team without no official confirmation from his manager. We chided him to start his farewell speech asking his manager to first approve his resignation.

Anyway, he did manage to get her approval on the last day of the job. Phew!!

Came across this ad during a movie commercial in the theatre and it certainly touch a chord.

Do watch it!

Intolerance Around Complicated Love

Last week, everyone was voicing their opinions strongly, condemned others and took sides in almost all of the whatsapp group that I was a member of.

I will be honest that I have never seen people raising their voices even when the nation has been struck with corruption, tainted ministers holding Govt. positions or misuse of public fund or inefficiency of Govt. to work towards the welfare of people. Yes, it did came as a shock when I saw people reacting.

All this happened as Amir voiced his concern on the growing intolerance in the country and the conversation that took place between a husband & wife in the midst of it.

It was good to see people raising their voices, but instead of pay attention to the topic highlighted they targeted the man who said it out loud. From banning his movies to watch to calling him a traitor and what not.

This proves that half information sometimes can end up creating chaos than seeking out complete information to understand the situation.

I don't think anybody tried to find out why Amir said that and in what context. If you are one of those, please do watch the complete interview on this link

Thank god for people's memory as everything soon returned to normalcy and my whatsapp group with its forwarded jokes and what nots...

Why do love have to be complicated? Why is that guys have to bait the girl before telling her that he likes her? Why is there no easy way to it? Why?

There are certain things that I am good at and one of them is table tennis. Had a go at it after a long time and feels good after sweating it out.

Nothing gets better than to end the weekend with bunch of friends hanging out together which happened last week. The irony part, the friend who actually did manage to arrange this was not part of it as his bestie was getting engaged on the same day. 

That brings my attention to another friend who has ditched the second time and would keep everyone wondering if he is coming or not. He will make you think that he will be reaching and then wont turned up. Any reason for doing that?

I would also like to share my appreciation for the municipal corporation for coming with up with the bumpers on road. These bumpers are small in width and height compare to the normals one. If you are driving in night on a bike, you can surely expect a bump when you go through this as they are not visible in ill lighted areas. I did got one...

Diwali Dhamaka

Diwali was over but the look of the office was still deserted as if people had the blues to join back.

The Diwali dhamaka happened post Diwali when work came in like anything that drives you mad.

I almost forgot to tell about buying a new phone. It was too be arrived two weeks later and driving me crazy. It had ruined my sleep and I started dreaming about it too.

The arrival brought me immense pleasure but then came the technicalities of changing sim card, moving one’s contacts, moving my files, etc. No easy way to do that.

If that was not enough, my colleague could be heard saying out loud to people about my new phone. I so wish to strangle him badly…

How good are you at laughing at yourself when someone makes fun of you? Do you take it in stride or get anger at. I will be honest to admit that I am not too good at it but only a few are allowed to take a jibe at me J What about you?

One of my colleagues found an innovative way to get his home loan cheque that he is pursuing for the past two and half months. The problem was that he had good relations with them and found a way to avoid it getting sore.

I must admit I am amazed by his methodology which seems to be working as he is getting calls from them and the cheque too is now ready for handover.

It rained and the weather just got better to have some ice creams…

Good Over Evil

It was Diwali week and you know it’s around when you see the lighting devices on the people’s balconies/windows and buildings with laterns. Who can forget people on a shopping spree…

Got to see the Marathi movie Double Seat and it’s a heartfelt movie about a family’s struggle to buy a home of their own in the city of Bombay. Do watch it, recommended.

Took time out to read blogs of others something that I have not done for a while. Glad I did it, coz there were a few bloggers who came out of their hibernation.

I connected with my ex colleague who can pen beautiful poems. This was before I started writing. Albeit she has stopped writing & does not mentions the reason behind it. I tried to cheer her up and hope she would write again that would help her get through the phase she is in.

Met a college friend after two years, our place of hangout will be the railway platform. It can be a lively place if you want to watch life moving at its pace or maybe some pretty faces…

Moral choices, do they make you regret later in life and wonder what would happen if you had gone ahead with your other choice. Was it worth making a moral choice? Would love to hear about it....

Chicken Pulav & Police Raid

I kept dozing on and off in the moving bus till I saw the time on my watch. I knew I was going to be late to my office.

My mind started working on the excuse that I had to give to my boss as I was coming from Goa to Bombay and going to be late. The other fact being that my colleague was also there besides me, so it was going to be for the two of us.

It happened to be the first time when the bus got intercepted by the police to check if liquors was been transported by passengers. It seemed that few people did carried it along with a permit, yet the police took it and no fine was applied. Found it odd as never come across such raid earlier.

As I tried to get back in my routine life, I read about the killing for beef eating. Sometimes people just end up taking steps they can never take back. All I could think that it was politically motivated given elections were to happen. I did had a healthy debate during lunchtime with my colleagues on it and no one was ready to take a stand except me given that we all were from different religions. Strange times ha!!

There was a time in the week that I felt that there should have been a clone of me just like in the movie Multiplicity and take care of the work that I have in hand. I wonder about the people who say they get up at 4/5 am in the morning, do workout, read and take their time out to get their work done. I would do the same if I had people working for me. I wonder if we should switch places so that they can know what it’s like to do everything on our own.

One of my friends said he was going to bring chicken pulav parcel. So we gave him money to bring for us too. He informed that the rate was 20-30 bucks higher which we were okay with. What we were not prepared when the parcel came in. It was half of the dish we ordered.

I was left with empty stomach even though the pulav was delicious. I think I can have more of it…

Dress Code

I was seated inside my office when the security guard opened the door, looked at me and started walking forward towards me and said “Sir, this is not allowed.”

My only argument was that I was going to leave in two hours so it should be ok. The guard won’t budge and I ended up changing my three-fourth and out came in denim trouser.

This happened when I was going to leave for Lonavala Apparently guys are not allowed to wear knee length trousers even though girls can get away wearing knee length or even shorter skirts even on a formal day wear. Apparently they can also get away wearing causal looking clothes and claiming they are formals.

I happened pose this question to the bunch of boys of why we are not allowed to wear shorts when girls can get away with it. Seemed like a valid point/question.

“Maybe because of the hair” One replied. I looked at my legs again and wondered were the hair on my legs grower bigger than the hair on my head. Yes, I was wearing three fourth that day and it was our unofficial cricket tournament.

Seriously, I wondered hair on legs? I thought having hair on your body was supposed to be a sign of your manhood. Not going to say excessive hair like on Anil Kapoor’s chest. Maybe he is the closest descendant of our ancestors.

Am I supposed to wax my hair now? Will the corporate world would make it a rule that if a man wish to wear knee length trouser, their hair should be waxed. It just made me imagine and yes I screamed when the strip was pulled up from my leg.

Girls are the ones who are supposed to do that to look pretty, not the guys.

Then again in this age of metro sexuality, I have seen guys caring facials creams in the washroom. Friends wondering if they should play in the heat as it will make them go darker. Heard stories of guys hair removal techniques and do at home bikni waxes too.

My next question is, where have the men gone?

That will be another topic. For now I feel discriminated that as men we are not allowed to wear shorts to office. What happened to the law of equality which is tilted towards the fairer sex  :P

The women in the office can only get delighted that we will be their piece of object whom they can check out. Not that we don’t when they wear skirts.

It will be a win-win situation JJJ

Any one there for taking up this cause with the corporate world?

P.S.: This one was long over-due and I am so glad I was able to write on it.

Marriage: Western Ishtiyle

Came across news of Russell Crowe refusing to divorce his wife of 12 years.

I find this news unusual. Mostly, because when was the last time you heard something like this.

It looks like Russell really cares for his wife and would really like to give another try to his marriage. I find it very inspiring coz you never get to hear news like this especially in the western societies.

The concept of marriage in a western society is very different than ours. For them it’s okay to date that starts right from the school which might cause some serious heartburn for girl’s dad over here.

Dating is okay over there and that’s how you end up finding partner for life.

It also does raise a lot of questions.

Like if you are dating from your school days and yes that also involves sex too, would you give all that up for that special woman/man when you can have all the fun and sleep around with anyone you want?

If you are married to the person you love, does it stops your urges of your physical needs or checking out the opposite sex to only wish and act on it after years passes by…

Let’s be honest, marriage asks for commitment when one forgets why they married when years passed by. Unless you can keep the love alive.

I wonder how it works out to stay loyal, committed in their marriages. Otherwise it’s pretty easy to stray outside marriage when lust lingers around you.

Divorce does no good to anyone including the children who carry the scar for the rest of their lives.

There are so many couples who give up too easily when it could have been worked out. Lives are then spent on what if?

It’s nice to see someone trying to work things out.

In the end, even if it doesn't, at least you know that you gave your 100% when you had the chance…

The Affair

Vijay caressed Chitra’s body all over as she felt the sensation of his touch that made her breathless and scream.

He looked at her as their eyes met and lips locked as they embraced and lost each other in the eternal time.

As their act got over, she turned her back on him. He looked at her back and pretty face and then made a move to be on top of her and asked “Why can’t we be together for the rest of our lives? You know I love you”.

“Is this not enough?” she asked as she wrapped her arms and legs around his body and kissed him.

“No” he replied. “I want you to be my wife” Chitra moved him away as she got up, started getting dressed and said “You know it’s not going to happen”.

“Why can’t you leave your husband and come to me with your kids? You know I have not got married for you” “Maybe you should then she replied as she draped her saree looking in the mirror.

“What about you?” A naked Vijay asked as he got up. “That’s up to you. We can continue like this or…..” Chitra replied as she adjusted her saree.

“We can. You know I cannot live without you” he replied looking at her through the mirror and planted a kiss on her neck and embraced her tightly from behind as they both smiled…

The Year 2014

A whole year has gone by and am wondering if that happened in the blink of an eye.

It feels like yesterday when I told my friend that the year had begun and planned for certain goals for accomplishment.

The year was a mix of everything like every potboiler Hindi movie. Be it drama, romance, suspense, thriller and the masala to keep the audience glued.

The highlight of the year will be my visit to the doctors. It must have beaten my no. of records of visit to them in my entire lifetime.

It started with swollen face (which till now is a mystery), dengue, cold, and then ending up getting my skin scraped when my bike skidded.

I have already started to go for morning walks (don’t ask me why I don’t go gym-ing or jog, I am a lazy person so walk itself is a big effort:) ) Hope to continue with it for a lifetime. The best part about going for early walk is that you can listen to your surrounding and yourself in it.

I got to use my bike only this year which I bought at the end of last year due to stupid company policies. It was worth the wait. I am completely enjoying it and loved the road trip to Lonavala. Hope to undertake road trips in the future too.

Another good thing this year brought was an award. I’ll be honest that I always vied for one in the past even had made to nomination list. Realized that it takes more than work to have your efforts recognized. It was completely out of the blue and yes it feels good. Then again they have lost their meaning…

Went on trips after a gap of two to three years and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am wondering if I should have more of drunkard friends now coz they are the ones who are always ready to go as against the ones who don’t. That what my experience says….

The best part of the trip was the planning part, we would consider a place, and then it would keep changing and then would plan somewhere in India and then abroad and finally back to the place considered in the first place. It’s like taking a world tour with your friends and imagination and coming back to the present having fun.

I am a pessimist (comes easily) who has been trying to be an optimist (trust me it’s not easy). I see things practically and I could say my logic is undeniable:). I keep forgetting that I am a human and yes need to see the humane side of it.

Marriage seems to be the buzz word that is doing the rounds. If you are one of the girls who think that they are the only ones who is asked when is the marriage, you are wrong. Guys too end up at the receiving end.

Our Indian society is so worried about singles staying single that they want to see them get married at the earliest.

I also amended my ties with a close friend with whom I had stopped talking for about a year over a small tiff.

I can see positive changes in me and hope to continue that in the future.

Hope you had a great year too and looking forward for the next.

Wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

In Search Of God

“People break down into two groups:

When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them.

Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance, I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation is a fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own. And that fills them with fear.

Yeah, there are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they're looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope.

See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky?”

— Mel Gibson in the movie Signs

When one visits places of worship, you will find faces deep in devotion praying to the Lord and sometimes making you wonder if your devotion to god is less than theirs.

You will always find people around you showing their blind faith to the extent of keeping fasts, doing certain rituals or following certain customs that shows their love for their god.

The question is does it work? No one knows as they are open to all kind of interpretations. Believers and Non-believers will have their way of proving that.

We all have our experiences from our childhood where we are taught to pray to god who will protect us from the evil and gives us strength in our trying times.

A mental mindset that we also happen to imbibe in our adult age and when questioned why you pray to god, the answer comes out like the ones when we had to by heart the answers to pass our exams.

Question why do you believe in god and do you believe in his existence?

This will draw a blank for a few and others would repeat their answers like a true follower. It does make one wonder if following blindly without understanding/questioning a right thing to do?

If someone was to question why you believe in god, what would be your answer?

A majority of us pray to god for the well-being of our family and yes fulfillment of our desires and protecting from harm. Ever thought that you pray so that you protect your self-interest?

Never must have occurred that probably god wants you to worship them for who they are rather than taking out the laundry list and handing it to him to take care.

The existence of god is a subject that no one would prefer to touch. No one knows how we came into believing in god or in higher form. It’s like theories revolving around the Big Bang that brought our planet into existence. To put it mildly, one would question who came first the chicken or the egg.

Ever thought if god was the figment of imagination of our novel writers in the past who wrote books that today we considered sacred not knowing if truth is all what is written there to be true.

It’s like a book that is published which has its fan following and then their own interpretations and of course versions of what it meant and books on the characters involved.

What though needs to be stated that is we look for ‘hope’ when we pray to god to help us deal with our day to day struggle.

Believing in god gives one courage to and strength to fight the challenges that lay ahead.

It’s up to you how you believe and follow your god as there are no wrong ways but putting blind faith and following rituals/customs without knowing the true meaning is certainly not acceptable.

People often fail to differentiate between god and religion. Religion is man-made and god a mystery.

To find god we need to look deep within us as we find ourselves we find him.

The Blackboard

I am wondering where to begin with….

When your life becomes a big blackboard one can draw anything that they like and will remain so unless you decide to go for something better.

I realize that I have been holding the chalk in my hand for quite some time. Though I have been conscious now that I can draw whatever I want.

The only flaw of the blackboard is that it decides the lines that will stay around it and the rest will disappear as if they never existed.

One does not have any control when that happens. (You should read my earlier post capturing this phenomenon).

I understand that one does not have much of a choice when the lines drawn across disappear in thin air.

It’s when you take a step back and look at the whole picture, you realize that all along the drawing in your mind turned out something different then you visualized it.

I wonder if looking at the picture, you wonder if this was better this way or could have been better.

As for me, I am still wondering as the picture does not look complete to me. I do though have let go of my stubbornness and let the drawing take its own shape into a picture.

I guess I am going to surprise myself when I take a step back and see the white lines making its mark on the blackboard.

Maybe letting the lines grow on its own gets to you and changes your outlook. What do you think?

To My Friend

Friends are forever they say but it only sounds good in proverbs not in reality.

To keep in touch with friend, you need time and time is money for some. Even if you make the effort to stay in touch, it’s not necessary that they will too.

With the advent of smartphones, the world has become a smaller place and one can stay in touch with each other on real time basis through apps like skype, whatsapp, etc. The distance barrier becomes a mere line drawn on maps of the world.

Still you will find friends who would choose to disappear on you. No matter you how much you try to get in touch with them.

I have such a friend.

She has gone AWOL on me and my attempt to get in touch has been futile. She had informed me beforehand that she will do that but I took it as a joke….

We had met three years back, when I had resumed from my leave and found a girl wearing a while salwar sitting on my desk. As I went to her and told about it, she got up and sat at a different place.

Turned out she was a new joinee.

Few days later she approached me once when she had a query and observing her I thought she was a quiet one. That was it and we hardly had any interactions on day to day basis.

We had a change in the seating arrangement and she ended up with a desk behind me.

I take time to open and don’t really recall what lead one thing to another and we hit it off instantly. We could talk on so many topics/subjects that I start to feel that God finally listened to me and have sent some like minded being to mingle with me.

It does feels damn good when you find such a person to talk to as it can be considered as a rare find.

She liked to read books and watch movies that I enjoyed too. We used to end up chatting at the station before we departed different ways.

In a very short span of time, we become close friends say in a span of three months. For me, that’s nothing short of a record for making friends in such a short time.

Like every good things that comes to an end, this too had come to an end. I got moved to a different location and yes, we still kept in touch.

I have noticed that every time a girl becomes a good friend, they drift away from me in such a way that I cannot contact them. This has happened twice in the past. I was seriously hoping this should not be the third time.

If the fate is written, you can only watch it happen not change it.

I met her the time when saw came to my office and thereafter she went on leave, never to return.

Though we still stayed in touch, she informed me that she is going back to her native place to settle down over there and yes her family was finding a match for her.

She finally did found one whom she said yes. Her marriage got fixed for which I was happy but then she informed me that she hated the idea of being away when the people she knew were here. She indirectly hinted that she might not stay in touch as it would not be easy for her.

I did tried to cheer her up and informed the ‘importance of staying in touch’ & ‘friends forever’ and thought my words made her understand my point. It was not meant to.

I texted her on her marriage day and then tried getting in touch with her after a few weeks but the numbers were disconnected. There were no replies from her online account either.

I ended up losing my friend.

It’s been two years now that we have not been in touch with each other. I still miss her as she had become one of my closest friends and we had so much in common.

That reminds me that we share our birthday.

This is for you my friend, hope you are living your life happily and god blesses you for your wishes and dreams to come true.

Wishing you a Happy Birthday.

My First Motorbike Road Trip

Ever thought of a travel plan with your friends where you decided what you are going to do and then come back with happy memories.

Except in my case, nothing ever went according to the plan and will be memories that we will use on each other to chide.

It was a routine office day when one conversation let to another and we were conversing on going out on such a good weather of rainy season. Everyone got hooked and places were discussed to go. This went on for quite a few days and finally it was locked on to Lonavala.

The part of arranging transport for our journey turns out to be a tedious one. We were six people and one car was not going to be enough so we discussed on it and renting a bigger car was out of question as budget of the trip would have going high.

As we fixated on the date we were going to depart and confirmation taken from people; that one backed out. It was the guy on whose car we were going to travel started dilly dallying saying he will let us know. We had a back-up car with us but six people were going to be a problem.

Finally, the guy confirmed he will not be able to join. As we worked on an alternative, one of the friends suggested that we go on bikes since three of us had motorbikes. Everyone was game for it and it was decided that we will be going on motorbikes.

To be honest, my heart came to my mouth as I was going to be one of the riders. I have passed through those roads as kid with my Dad driving the car on our way to our native place. Who can forget the ghats? Ghats can be a nightmare if you were not a good driver.

Ever seen a traffic jam on a steep slope where you lose your foot on the break and you will find the shortest route to reach the base of the ghat. Memories of my previous trips came back to haunt me with my inexperience in driving in such roads.

As the day passed by my heart beat started to beat faster than usual. Somehow I managed to get rid of my negative thoughts as I discussed our journey with my friends. Later on, I was looking forward to go on my first road trip on motorbike. I was so excited that I could have left a week early than the scheduled date :)

Got my bike serviced and it was all set to burn some rubber.

The day arrived when we were going to embark on our journey. Before we could leave, one of the bikes got stalled and was nesting on the mechanics garage for repair. Two more people joined us and another friend bought his bike along.

Once it got sorted we began our journey by gassing up our bikes and v roomed our way to our destination.

I was also the official photographer for the trip as I made good of our short breaks in between by taking snaps.

We were supposed to be stuck together while riding but that did not happen. The guy who knew the route would speed away. While I and my friend would tag along, the other bike was nowhere in the picture.

It was supposed to be a two hour ride but we took more than that. We would meet at certain points, get together and then again be on our way.

It was evening when we reached the ghats, the road were not that scary from the one that I had seen. The roads leading up to it were beautiful. We even made a stop on top of the ghat and screamed with our lungs out.

We reached our destination around 8 pm and our journey was still on as we searched for accommodations. The climate was just awesome with chilly breeze blowing.

It was 11 pm in the night when we finally found accommodation and then went for dinner and stayed up late in the night.

The morning was another day to look forward to as we went to sightseeing and had fun which never went the way we expected.

It was in the evening we decided to head back to Bombay as we took with us the adventure of coming on a road trip on a motorbike.

The best part of the trip was one of the biker search for ‘power’ fuel which led him to 10-15 petrol stations but none to fill up his gas tank. He (who was the pillon rider on his own bike) and another friend reached all the way on reserve fuel and it was simply hilarious to hear their both conversations.

I really enjoyed the road trip on a motorbike and this could not have been done any other way. I am waiting for another road trip to happen. I guess there is no turning back ha :)

Being Anonymous

I have been holding on to this blog for quite a while now and yes it makes me reminisce about the time when I start blogging and making me realize that I have come a long way as I have grown with my blog getting older….

One of the things that I do end up doing these days is help people draft mails, sometimes to write stinker mails or to reply one :)

Many a times, I wondered if I should be there out in the open along with my fellow bloggers who have been blogging with their real identities and not hiding behind a pseudonym like I do.

When I started, I used an alias probably to test the waters and not get in conflict with people about whom I sometimes have blogged about. Those who have been following the blog must have come across me change my pen name quite a time until I found an apt nick name the “Tall Guy”

In real life too, I have more than one name. My real name is unknown to many of my relatives, friends and neighbors around whom I have grown up and the irony is that despite telling my name to people, they come up with their own version of what I should be called. People who do know my real name don’t know about the other :)

I did give a lot of thought of coming out of the closet though I have nothing to hide (hope you are not able to read my mind).  Probably letting people around me know that yes I can write and yes have my own space on the internet whose rights only belongs to me.

Then again, the benefits of being anonymous outdoes of being known.  The ability of people judging your post basis of what you wrote instead of who you are. May be I am thinking too much about it inside my head but that’s the way it comes to me. It’s what you write that connects you to others.

Somehow letting go of this identity does not come easy to me and I don’t think I will be doing it at least for now. Though the thought does come to my mind from time to time.

Wonder if other anonymous bloggers have given a thought about it. Please do share your thoughts.

P.S. It came as a surprise that the blog is six and half years old and probably one of the things that I have stick too for such a long time.

I did though published an e-book of short stories that was well-received and surprised many :)

Rain Drops

Rajan rolled down his car window as it came to a halt at the traffic signal. The wind gushed across his face as raindrops touched his face. 

His car engine roared into action as the signal turned green and cruise the empty roads in the night. He reminisced about the night when he and Madhu were together on such a night.

They were into each other arms, kissing even as the taxi they were in kept moving Their passion kept them oblivion to the outside world as they kept looking into each other and whispered “I love you”.

When the time came to depart, he held her palm as she made her way outside the car. Their eyes showed their desire to be together but they went their separate ways. It was a night Rajan knew he will never forget.

As he parked his car he looked at Madhu sitting next to him who had fallen asleep during their journey.

He looked at her for a while, leaned towards her and kissed her on the lips that woke her up. 

“What was that for?” she asked him. He said “We are home” he said and got out of the car with a smile on his face.