House number 8 and the Pink pjams

Cans of beer and two bottles of wine, these are wonderfully powerful inventions. Though I believe that everyone should have the liberty to drink, however its important that morons like me should be refrained from such pleasures. When ever I drink, I transform into a person that is completely different from what I truly am. And even if I made a complete fool out of myself or others, yet I manage to get my self drunk the very next day....interesting!

Anyways back to the topic....actually there is no topic....just me with my random unreasonable and completely confused rants. The title here refers to a girl who lives in house no 8 on my street and who was wearing a pink pajama yesterday night. The story with her is not significant at all, its merely an accidental meeting. I and my house mates were sitting outside, adjacent to the street and thats when we ran out of beer and decided to exhaust the last two bottles of alcohol in the house...nah not Jack Daniels, they were two bottles of red wine. Imagine this three guys... sitting together... sipping wine...can they get any more gay....I'm kinda going off the topic again. Sorry for that. So there we were trying to open a bottle of wine with a key when these two beautiful lovely ladies passed by. They were a bit puzzled by our desperate actions for alcohol and decided to inquire. After a while it was clear that we were destroying the art of opening a wine bottle and decided to help us. The lovely lady in the pink pajamas promised us she will help us in our quest and the story went on..........

back again

Its been a long time, sorry for that. I could say that i have been busy but then that would be just another excuse. However i shall promise to be a bit more disciplined . . . . aah f**k that. Its my life, my blog and I'll post whenever and whatever i want to. So all those waiting for a post from me....get a life.
Every thing was going well until I decided to party last weekend. The party was at a colleague's place, but after work i went to another colleague's house and got drunk even before i went for the real party. So there i was, at around 8pm, completely wasted with two other friends. We were siting on this terrace (yeah a terrace in New York too, but no monkeys here) trying to solve all the problems of the world. We discussed racism, violence and life after death .... topics that morons discuss when they are not drunk. We came to some conclusions too, we concluded that life is simple when we are drunk, i concluded that trying to pat a strange bull dog, when drunk, is not a good idea. I discovered that when your drunk, smoking a cigarette while walking is like running a marathon, i dropped my cigarette 3 times and then gave up on picking them up because that was another marathon. OK, so after spending a while on the terrace, the winter forced us in. I don't know why, but i tried to complete the rest of the beer before i went in for no apparent reason, probably because i was too high, but half way down ... i realized that drinking is not smoking and i could do it inside the apartment too :D .... phew that was the closest i came to throwing up.
Alright, so we went in and then Ed's friend had arrived and she was waiting at the G subway nearby, we were suppose to go to the party together. And hence we cleaned up a bit and left the place. Tim, our first host was as drunk as me and Ed .... and he was our guide .... we were able to find Lorena (Ed's friend) near G subway. And then i have no clue of what happened, the next day i woke up at around 10 in the morning. .... no wait i remember, but u'd have to call me to know what happened later. see ya

Firstly, let me appologize for this long delay. And secondly, it doesn't really matter because hardly anybody seems to be interested in my life....which is good in some ways.

Before I took the plunge, as u can see from my previous post, I was a bit apprehensive about my decisions but now when I'm here, I've realized that this has been one of the best decisions i have ever taken. My work is good, the people are good and I have realized why Mumbai was voted the rudest city in the world.....because it actually is. New York and Mumbai has a lot of things similar, like for example the rush hour, the buzzing and busy life, however the people here are so friendly compared to Mumbai. I'm hoping to make this my base for at least 3 yrs ;)

Leaving India

I never really realized what i was about to do. The consequence of my efforts, my decisions never made me realize what i was about to embark on. A journey that would take me beyond my home, my friends and above all my family. Until today, my closest friends made me realize that i could travel the world if i wanted to, but nothing would come close to my home. Today when i am about to leave everything that i cursed, everything that i took granted for is actually what was closest to me. It's my Home. My father, my Mother, my Sister, my sweet friends....my sweet home.
I talked my heart out today and that too to a stranger .... a auto rickshaw driver who drove me from Bandra to Andheri. Until today i always use to see a auto rickshaw driver as a mere driver and nothing more than that. I curse my self for that, they are much more than than. They are people with their own amazing story. They are people who make life easy for you by dropping you off where you belong, and all they ask is a living for them self. This guy, the rickshaw driver - Pramod Patil from Varanasi, made me realize that life is what you make of it. And I'm happy that although i was born in US, i lived the best of my times in India.

Every time that I've visited Burhanpur, it never ceases to amaze me. I wish to buy a piece of land there someday. Combined with horses, birds, ducks and a farm house amidst the greenery, it would be a pleasant place to unwind.
Burhanpur is this tiny town in Madhya Pradesh with loads of farms and greenery, it's also an important place for worship as it has a tomb of one of the most important religious head of the Bhora Muslim Community. And since I belong to that community, I have been fortunate to have known such a paradise.
Nothing much changed there since my last visit except that the place that we used to lodge at has been modified with latest amenities. Apart from that every thing else is pretty much the same. That is, the trees full of squirrels, geeses rooming freely all over the area and of course the beautiful birds.
The moment you arrive at the railway station you realize that this place is far from the modern world, the most preferred mode of transport there are olden horse carriages.
After spending 3 days there, I wished to spend some more time but schedule didn't allow and we had to move on to Bhopal.

I wish i knew me better

So its final

I'm leaving for New York on the 11th of September, its a sad thing since I'll be leaving India for good. I always knew it would come to this and one day i would have to eventually return. Initially I would probably stay at my sisters place combined with a few weeks at Manish's place but would prefer to have my own apartment. The idea is to work there and hopefully in the publishing industry, although initially i would have to be open for all sorts of jobs. The most important part is to apply at the Columbia University for post graduation, Prof. Ravindranath was kind enough to write me an impressive recommendation letter. I hope things work out.

Understanding Gandhi

Asim, this little presentation i made, probably wouldn't be enough to convince you but still i believe i should at least give it a try. By the way the last clip that you would see is of Gandhiji with Jinha. He was trying to reduce the communal tension between the Hindus and the Muslims. In this video i have tried to relate his words/beliefs to what happened after he left. I could have inserted clips and pics from 93 blast, 9/11 and so on, but preferred to stick to Tienanmen Square massacre of China ...the fight of right against might.

Gandhiji once said "first they laugh at you, then they ignore you, then they fight you and then you win", it doesn't get any simpler then this Asim.

LMAO

Sent via email by Nilankur Das

A photo session in the train

lemon tree

I'm sitting here in the boring room
It's just another rainy Sunday afternoon
I'm wasting my time
I got nothing to do
I'm hanging around
I'm waiting for you
But nothing ever happens and I wonder

I'm driving around in my car
I'm driving too fast
I'm driving too far
I'd like to change my point of view
I feel so lonely
I'm waiting for you
But nothing ever happens and I wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree
I'm turning my head up and down
I'm turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree

I'm sitting here
I miss the power
I'd like to go out taking a shower
But there's a heavy cloud inside my head
I feel so tired
Put myself into bed
Well, nothing ever happens and I wonder

Isolation is not good for me
Isolation I don't want to sit on the lemon-tree

I'm steppin' around in the desert of joy
Baby anyhow I'll get another toy
And everything will happen and you wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree
I'm turning my head up and down
I'm turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree
And I wonder, wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see, and all that I can see, and all that I can see
Is just a yellow lemon-tree

Greenpeace rocks TATA again

Damm! that grill was heavy!!!

At the cross roads again!

I am in the middle of the sea and I don't know how to swim. playing it safe seems the best option. I try hard to fit in with the other 'know it all' bunch but then it seems fake. The sense of being dishonest to your self is overwhelming and I try hard to bury it deep within, acknowledging that one day its bound to erupt. But that one day is not today... I wonder if its alright to think this way. I take a deep breath and finally decide to stop this facade. I put on a life Jacket and decide to jump off this boat for good. Moments later I'm as free as the blowing wind.

Tagged - This is a wired online social obligation

I've never been tagged before, actually to be honest I was once tagged long ago but i preferred not to respond. Isn't this a wired obligation that you need to write - like 10 random things about yourself - just because someone was tagged and passed it on to you - ;( right Christine?

But anyways i must oblige.

1 - I hate Himesh Reshamya, but still that doesn't change anything, he still remains the fart of the town, oh sorry i meant the talk of the town. And yes people seem to like his farts coz he does sing from his ass. (and u can't deny that Sheila)

2 - I keep promising myself that I'll be punctual when it comes to exercising, but then end up sleeping instead.

3 - I wanna learn how to swim too. It's an embarrassing handicap

4 - 2nd of January 2007, in Goa, was the day i jumped into the sea along with a friend while on a dolphin tour. We were sooo drunk that a bunch of dolphins made us believe that even we could swim. It didn't work, the boat had to return to get us. It seemed cool then, but was really embarrassing.

5 - By the time its 15th of July, I'd have been arrested again. Yeah i love getting arrested, its like an ultimate achievement for an activist.

6 - I recently discovered that i actually wanna be a clown, at least for 6 months in my life. Clowns are powerful.

7 - Journalism sucks!......some times....right now it does.

8 - My favorite book is 'Grapes of wrath' and I prefer listening to soft rock and a few Hindi songs, I liked the songs from the movie 'Metro'. My favorite Indian Band is Indian Ocean.

9 - I have a collection of coins and stamps.

10 - And last I hate talking about myself.

So now the tag has been answered.

Powerful Clowns

Clowns are so powerful. Their simple smile itself is a story wrapped with layers and tucked deep under. Charged with task of making the world laugh, they seem so dumb and at the same time they could bowl you over with their philosophical attitude.



I want to be a clown and work in a Circus, it's like a dream and a goal in my life. And for that i know exactly where to go - clownarmy.org Wouldn't it be a cool story to tell, plus I'd put it on my resume and give all the other clowns as my references. At least there wouldn't be any bureaucracy there, i hope.

This Bureaucratic world

At times i wonder whether being career oriented really matters. After all you end up losing all your friends and at times even your family. Do people repent after achieving their goals when they realize that their life does not seem as beautiful as they thought it would.
Some times i feel like i should just go and get a dumb call center Job. After all, other jobs are as good as a call center job, where you need to be a politically correct person to be able to survive. The atmosphere at these places suck. It seems pointless even to talk about it.

About sizzling brownies, songs, head aches and cold

'Life's like a sizzling brownie' thats what i recently realized. Why?, well because they are sweet and sour as well as hot and cold at the same time - It's a world in it self. You can have chocolate truffle or a zebra torte cake, but it wouldn't satisfy your taste buds as a sizzling brownie can. If you come to think of it, sizzling brownies are quite honest and never bias, that is in comparison with other pastries. Chocolate cakes are too bias and self promoting, i couldn't stand too much of them, same goes for other flavors. On the other hand, sizzling brownies are honest because although they do have some percentage of chocolate in it, yet it does not promote just one taste - it has nuts, vanilla, a bit of salt and sugar together.

It doesn't cloud your mind with a pretentious flavor telling you that the world is one big happy place. In it's stead, it tells you that life is a package full of surprising taste - it might not taste good all the time, it could even burn your lip if your not careful, but once in a while a salty chocolate covered nut would come along and probably help make things better and that it promises.

Time for a few songs:

Coming back to life - Pink Floyd: Pink Floyd, don't need to say much about them except that this song has a wonderful guitar solo in it. (not as good as Steve Vai though). Check the lyrics here

Cose della vita - Tina Turner and Eros Ramazzotti: Yeah you wonder what's with me and Latin songs. Lets just say that i find them super. I came across this song when i was google'in for Tina Turner. And obviously if it's a Turner song then it has to be good. This song was originally sung by Eros Ramazzotti (A Latin singer) and was an instant hit in 1993. Its a beautiful song about human emotions, click here to check the original lyrics (without Tina's lyrics).

I love sizzling brownies for their honesty, i appreciate songs for filling in empty spots but I hate head aches and especially cold. Rain is no longer appreciated when it gives you a cold and a head ache the first time that you decide to let it drench you.

I thought that there wouldn't have been any aspirin at home and would probably have to put up with the sickness all night, but then found some. Unfortunately it didn't help, why it didn't help is another story for another day.

Life goes by

When you move out of your old house, the place where you spent almost half of your childhood. The same place where your parents and their parents and your grandmothers parents together spent more than a century. Thats when you know that life has indeed passed you by. You feel nostalgic about the bygone days and you wish more than any thing in this world that you want to return back. You want to return back to those days and relive that magical moments again. And its depresses you, that you cant turn back time.

I remember a black and white television set that was placed above an old antique locker. Back then although the color tv had entered India, yet it was considered a luxury. I vividly remember watching programs like Giant robot, The great Maratha, Chandrakanta and off course Tipu Sultan. And if it was a Sunday then come what may, but nobody would have the guts to stop me from watching cartoons like the Duck tales, Mickey mouse Donald duck and other, my favorite was duck tales. Although I curse Doordarshan for its boring content and rely heavily on other satellite channels, yet I have to say Doordarshan, back then was doing an amazing job. I still remember that Doordarshan use to telecast children's movies in the afternoons, so after school i often use to sit with my sisters and watch a film.


One of our favorite games back then was to play 'farmer- farmer'. Now it wasn't a game as much as it was a play. We use to deck up as laborers from a village and carry out odd jobs that we thought a farmer would have to do. That apart, since we use to stay in a huge house and with an equally huge family, I, my sisters and my cousins use to often skate along the long passage. When we were done with that, the next thing that we used to do was gather all the books from around the house and play a game that we invented called 'Library'. Ahh those where the days of fun. Now, after graduating, when I have to work every day and that to for a Newspaper, I understand the importance that the yesteryears hold. I feel sorry when i think of all the kids that probably would never even know what its like to have such a home. I wish I could help them have one.

The picture u see above is off a gigantic closet which could very well be over a 100 years. Thats where i used to keep my cloths. The middle drawer was mine. Such a closet with a whole lot of memories is hard to give away, but yet we had to. I just hope where ever it goes it should be treated with the respect it commands.


This one belonged to my grandmother, she had the best collection of whatever kitty knitty thing that could be collected and just as always, in some thing or another it always use to come in use. I remember once i needed to be dressed as an Arab for a school assignment and needed some thing to make a turban sorta thing. Thats when my grandmother came to my rescue with her brilliant idea of using her embroidery ring covered with a white cloth and wrapped with a black lace as a substitute to an Arab hat. Amazing.


Where ever my future takes me, I might not be able to take that black and white TV with me, nor would i be able to carry around that big old closet of mine. But i promise never to forget you.
Goodbye for now 'BAITUL RAHEEM' (thats the building's name), they may take you down but 10 Southest street will never forget you nor would it ever be the same like when you use to stand tall there.

Silence says a lot

Is it necessary to talk all the time. Are words the only way to show how one feels? Well i believe otherwise. Silence at times can say more than words. So don't feel disinterested if I don't talk much because thats just the way I am and its got nothing to do with whom I'm with. Somebody once said that among things that she liked about me was the silent walks that we had.
So now you know what significance 'silence' holds, it says nothing but conveys a lot.

Nominate me!!!

I have been selected as a probable member of the Board of Directors for SFT (Students for a free Tibet) and I need your help now more than ever. Please visit this site here and vote for me and thats an order!