The Days Of Our Lives

If you have started reading this post owing to the title, please stop at this very moment because the title is completely misleading.

This post comes right after an 8:30 lecture of this course I am taking (Indian Classical Music Appreciation). Today was the 2nd time in over a month that I decided to attend the lecture. (Bad decision!!) Even though there are over 50 people registered for this course, when I walked into class at about 8:40, there was only one other person there - some married aunty. No sign of the professor! So with a dash of joy, I prompty enquired from the aunty if today's class was cancelled. The "No! The prof is coming!" came just as swiftly.

The level of happiness resulting from arriving for an 8:30 lecture and finding out that it has been cancelled varies from person to person. Some might feel extremely frustrated on finding out that their waking-up-early-morning went futile. I, on the other hand, have no such ill-feelings. Infact many have witnessed my hopping-about-mad celebration dance which follows.

Anyway, the professor hurriedly entered the lecture room at about 8:45 - unfortunately. And then started the usual routine of listening to raagas which would sometimes last 45 minutes at a stretch. Now, I had earlier mentioned how much I enjoy this class - usually. But listening to some guy singing complete and utter nonsense early in the morning when I could be blissfully asleep is another matter altogether.

In my opinion, if one of these raaga-singers were to suddenly start singing in the middle of the road, people would start pelting him with stones and tomatoes and chickens and whatever they would be able to lay their hands on. It occured to me today, that the raaga-singer actually sounds like someone being brutally assaulted. And that changed the course of the lecture completely. I could not help smiling while listening to the raaga imagining the singer trying to defend himself while people beat him up mercilessly, singing -

"Mat maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaro" (Don't beat me up!)
"Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" (No!)
"Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnn maaaaaaaaaaaaaaar raaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhe hhhhho" (Why are you hitting me?)

I will try to post an audio clip for those unaware of the Indian classical music forms. It'll be a laugh riot I promise.

I like love my Maruti Zen. Although its a '94 model (which makes it an antique of sorts) and sometimes gives a mileage of 3 kmpl, I still love that car. Infact I love it so much that I've even named it - Serenity (Sera for short) and I often talk to it. If that therapy can work on plants why not on cars?!

Anyway, that car has been in some pretty awkward scenarios, all thanks to the Bombay traffic police. Infact I can clearly remember the first time I was pulled up by a cop. It was a couple of years ago on returning from Bandra at about 2 at night. There was a left turn for the highway which I missed and I decided to take the next left which was only a couple of metres away. Ofcourse it was only when I had taken it that I realised that there was a no-left-turn sign nearby and what was worse was that I was now facing 2 cops who were peacefully sitting on some garden chairs in the middle of the road (I am not kidding here!) waiting for idiots like me.

Since this was my first encouter with the men in white, I was shit scared, obviously. I had seen my friends on bikes being pulled up for traffic violations and witnessed how they used to get away by paying 50 bucks under the table. But those were bikes and this was a car; meaning I would have to shell out big bucks to escape the dreaded challan. To top off my misery, I had exactly 10 bucks in my wallet!!!

The first thing the thullas (cops) did was take away my driving license. The next thing they did was try to intimidate me by telling me how heinous a crime I had commited by making that illegal-left-turn (which would have been perfectly legal had there been no cops sitting in the middle of the road!!!). Needless to say, they were doing a pretty good job; at this point of time I was picturising my car being dragged away and me having to spend the night under some nearby flyover. Next came the ransom amount - 1000 bucks!!! At this point of time I added tattered, patched up clothes to my under-the-flyover picture of suffering.

Fotunately there were some 4 other people in the car at that point of time. Unfortunately, the total amount of money added up to 45 rupees, 50 paise!! But then something magical happened - one of those 4 passengers happened to be a Bombay-ite who taught me one of the tricks of the trade - The Dirty Handshake, which I will explain here for the benefit of the readers of my blog.

The Dirty Handshake

Ingredients : Your right fist (or left - if you are left-handed), around 50 bucks in notes and a dirty thulla (cop)

Method :
Step 1 : Crumple the money and hold it tightly in your right (or left) hand.
Step 2 : Approach the cop face-to-face but stop at half-an-arm's distance.
Step 3 : Raise your hand so as to offer the cop a handshake.
Step 4 : When the cop responds (and he definitely will), slide the money in his palm, while passing an innocent smile.

And miracles of all miracles; it worked!! As I drove back, I could not but help (almost) kissing that Bombay-ite for he had taught me the one trick to rule them all (the thullas). Needless to say, The Dirty Handshake has yet to fail me after innumerous successful attempts.

So the next time, any of you are caught up in such a situation, remember The Dirty Handshake and drop off a thanks at the comments section of this post.

I was one of the core team members of IIT Bombay's Techfest a year back. I still cherish those moments spent with simply amazing people. Even as we might be passing out soon and going our separate ways, the once-forged bond will surely remain.

One thing Techfest taught me was 'reason'. Everyone has a reason for doing what they do - their own personal reason. And that reason precedes one's goals. The fulfillment of one's goals leads to self-satisfaction which in turns results in one's happiness. See how everything fits together perfectly!

Today as we, Team Techfest 2005, gathered for perhaps one of the last meetings together, I realised how our goals have changed over the years. As we embark on our professional careers, we each set our own happiness. Some might consider being the first one to own an BMW to be their happiness. My happiness lies back home - making a difference to my country and owning a Tata Safari.

P.S.: Please do pardon me if this post does not make much sense. Most of the things which come straight from my heart seldom do.

The Japanese people sure have a queer sense of humour and creativity. From Akira Kurosawa to Mangas to Animes; they've been different and defined a class of their own.

As a tribute to Japanese art, here is a clip which has kept me amused the past couple of days. Its from a serial called Kure Kure Takora (Gimme Gimme Octopus) which was a Japanese children's show in the 1960's.

A little clarification before you watch it - the creature next to the octopus is a peanut!!

P.S.: On an unrelated note, I've been trying to design a new template for my blog, even though I like the current one. Its just that I get bored very easily.

P.P.S.: A warm hug to all my blog readers (esp. to all the new ones) and a special welcome to L>T on her return.

Lat week, when I had asked a wingie for places in Bombay to roam about, he listed out quite a few of them but warned me against going to Bandra sea-faces. "Its a public make-out place" he said and I almost laughed for I couldn't quite imagine such a place.

In my second year, I, along with some 30 other hostel-mates, had gone for a batch treat. We happened to visit Bandra Reclamation to get a whiff of the sea. It so happened that this was at 2 in the morning and, obviously, the place was deserted. (It was another matter altogether that we encountered some policemen there who were only too happy to see us get shooed away without causing any commotion.) Remembering the peace and serenity of the place, I went against my wingie's advice and ended up at the Reclamation. And what a cultural shock it was!!

The time was around 8:00 p.m. The sun had set; the moon was almost up - perfect time for the lovers to come out of hiding. And they all seemed to converge at the Reclamation. Driving by, one would not have to peer closely to notice some 100 odd couples of various age-groups cooing by the shore. When I tried to park my car, the people on which the headlights shone seemed offended; as if I was invading their marked territory. But as soon as the headlights were off, romance filled the air again.

Now I am not against love, nor do I mind couples making out in public (a lot of people would disagree with me on this point, I'm sure) but I had never expected something like this. In Delhi, I do not know a single place where something like this happens. I used to read in the papers about the couples-menace at the monuments but I'm sure even they prefer some kind of privacy; even behind bushes for that matter. Nobody would have had the courage of coochie-cooing in full view of the public. Bandra was a different story altogether.

In my quest for a walk along the sea-face, I must have passed some 450 people - around 200 couples comprising 400 people; 25 were in form of groups of suburban-males whose sole purpose was that of entertainment and 25 consisted of - surprise surpise - families with little children. Kids these days sure must be learning at an alarmingly fast rate!

The above photograph (not by me) does not do justice to this post. But imagine replacing all the people with lovers facing the sea and lost in their own worlds and you would have a pretty good idea of what I'm trying to say.

Come to think of it, it must be fun to take an half-an-hour break from office with one's loved one for a visit to Bandra Reclamation; perfect way to relax and take one's mind off the daily hassles of life. Seems very romantic - the sea in front, the breeze ruffling one's hair and the person you desire next to you. Very romantic indeed!! The cultural shock aside, it was nice to notice so much love around. Bombay sure is the city of love.

Its one of those days when I'm too lazy to write anything. So I leave you with a photograph of my cupboard.

Last week was spent with the most wonderful person I have ever come across in my entire life.


Most of my time was spent driving around Bombay, as a last ditch attempt to experience this wonderful city I would be leaving in a couple of months.

Hopefully, I'll be blogging regularly again; following up with some posts on the magical city that is Bombay.

P.S.: The above pic is aptly titled "happiness"!

Being a fan of Stephen King, I just finished reading his 'The Dark Half'. I can't stand most horror movies but somehow enjoy reading the horror genre of novels - 'The stranger the better'!

Anyway, the story of 'The Dark Half' revolves around an author, Thad, who writes a couple of best-selling horror novels under a pseudo name - George Stark. Then all of a sudden, George Stark somehow comes to life and goes into a frenzy murdering people associated with this 'light' half (Thad, duh!) Then he goes after Thad himself and then Thad does....blah blah blah.

Without giving too much of the story away all I can say is that the gut-wrenching plot invlved sparrows; and now I find it difficult not to run away from sparrows when I see them.

This is a snippet from a conversation which took place between my Delhi friends back when I was home. I still cannot help but smile when I remember it.

Swati : I bet I watch more cricket than you guys!

Rohan : HA HA HA HA HA HA HAHA HA HA HAHA HA HAH AHA!!!!!!

Swati : Well, I watch the entire match (ref. recently concluded India Pakistan matches) from 9 am onwards. Hows that?

Rohan : We guys watch so much cricket that we even know that when the Indian team's flight was delayed for 2 hours, they were chewing gum.

Swati : (No comments)

Me : HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AH AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

This week I watched some brilliant, brilliant movies. Infact, I'm on a roll; 4 amazing movies in a row.

WEDNESDAY - HERO

It all started out Wednesday evening when I decided I would try to watch as many Oscar nominated movies before the Oscar presentations. But somehow I didn't quite feel like watching "Memoirs of a Geisha", so instead got hold of a movie called "Hero". It is a Chinese movie starring Jet Li, and as with all Jet Li movies it had its fair share of martial arts. Please note that I'm not at all complaining.

The story revolved around ancient China when it was still divided into individual kingdoms. The will of one king to unite all the kingdoms under the rule of one, is opposed by 3 assassins who are out for his blood. Enters a nameless hero who claims to have beaten the assassins. As the story progresses, various different angles of the hero's claim are explored, each more complex and gripping than the previous ones.

If the entire movie could be described in a single word, it would be - BEAUTIFUL.
The movie is beautifully directed! Each shot can be framed and put up on a wall. A colour code of sorts, is used to signify various angles of the story which makes the movie a spectacular eye-candy. The story is pretty unique and the acting is marvellous; the assassins and the hero are well portrayed and each character is deeply explored. A beautiful movie with a beautiful message.


THURSDAY - CITY OF GOD

City of God is a Brazilian movie focussing on the gangs and violence that prevail in a Rio de Janeiro slum. It does so through the lives of 2 boys growing up amidst the bloodshed. The shrewd kid becomes a gang-boss while the one who tries to make an honest living, struggles to be a photographer; showing how easy it is to accept the ways of the gun and how difficult it is to avoid it, in a pretty-much lawless environment. Divided into continuous, connected smaller stories, the movie brilliantly portrays the might of the gun, the uncertain lives of drug-dealers and the power held by gangs.

Watching the movie felt like watching a well shot documentary. The acting was simply superb and the story was very well picturized, starting from scratch and eventually building up to the climax. It came as no surprise that this movie had a rating of 8.8 on IMDB. It definitely deserved it!!

FRIDAY - CAPOTE

This movie is contending for 5 Oscars this time around, including the Best Motion Picture. Capote is a biopic of Truman Capote, best selling author of Breakfast at Tiffany's, and his dwelling into the murders of a Kansas family during which he forms an emotional bond with one of the killers.

The movie is grim and eerie showcasing the manipulative mind of Capote as he tries to gather details for this next book, aptly titled In Cold Blood. His relationship with the murder suspect is the major focus of the movie and the director flawlessly captures the agony experienced by Capote due to the eccentric author's personal attachment with the killer. The movie's storytelling and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who portrays Capote in the movie, surely leave a long lasting impact.

SATURDAY - GARDEN STATE

I was going to watch Akira Kurusawa's Rashomon, but at the last moment ditched the plan to watch a recent, mostly-unheard-of movie called 'Garden State' instead. And what a treat it turned out to be!

The story was pretty simple and dull-sounding - the protagonist, a man in this 20s, returns to his hometown, on account of his mother's unexpected death, after a period of 9 years. During his time spent there, he begins to rediscover his long-lost associates and find some new ones along the way; and learns to let go of the ghosts of his past.

After watching the movie, one thing was for sure - the movie was anything but dull. From the moment it started, there was hardly a boring moment in the movie and there was no scene which was stretched. Everything fitted in more-or-less; moving the story along nicely, one step at a time.

The protaganist is shown to be numb, quite literally, due to the medication prescribed to him since childhood. The movie is about his endeavour to break free and "feel". During his visit, he meets a free soul, played by Natalie Portman (in one of her most amazing performances till date). Having skeletons in her own closet, she assists him in his psychological quest.

This romantic comedy had its fair share of unique, eccentric moments; such as the guardian of a seemingly bottomless canyon unearthed at a mall-construction site, living in a house which resembled a boat. That was definitely a first. All in all, a wonderful, happiness-evoking, feel-good movie.

Signing off, here is a part of a song, comprising the soundtrack of the movie, which captures the essence of the movie perfectly -

Your coolest superhero just got cooler. Introducing GrasshopperBoy in his ultra-chic hitman avatar. Next time you got a problem, you know who you gonna call.

This blog was originally intended to be a diary of sorts of my final year at IITB. These days I write about everything and anything but here is a slight deviation from my normal posts, in an attempt to going back to this blog's roots.

As most of you may be well aware of, I am currently enrolled in the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) 2006 batch @ IIT Bombay, about to pass out in May. CSE wasn't the easiest dept. to be in, but we all survived somehow and are now eagerly waiting to start the next phases of our lives.

There was a batch treat on Wednesday night (1st march) which united the entire batch after a long time. What I love about treats is the fact that after a couple of drinks, people really start to come together and you see all sorts of bonding. (No comments on the last statement )

Anyway, here are some pics of the same. See some of the fun-loving CSE '06 batch in action.

This is an interesting incident which happened around this time last year. I just thought I would put it up on my blog for you guys (and gals) to enjoy.

One fine sunny day I woke up from my afternoon nap to find something stuck up in the mango tree in front of my room.

Usually throw all sorts of garbage at the trees, so its no big deal. (Right now there is a broken chair, a computer cabinet and someguy's suitcase hanging from the tree.) But this was not garbage (debatable point ), this was my next door neighbour Pungi.

It turned out that Pungi was hungry and since all nearby food outlets were closed at that time of the day, he decided to relish himself on some raw mangoes (kairi).

Now it so happened that since man is a greedy creature, he ended up getting a few more mangoes than he could eat. Correction: make it A LOT more.

So after distributing loads and loads of mangoes to everyone we knew, we were still left with close to 2 dozen mangoes.

Now the obvious question was - What does one do with 2 dozen mangoes? The obvious answer, ofcourse, was - SELL!! So out we went in search of a nearby vegetable market in this mad mad world.

A mad mad world indeed!

We had imagined that people will come rushing to us in hoardes on seeing our merchandise. As it turned out, selling fresh mangoes was a lot more difficult than we had imagined in our weird minds.

After about 3 different vegetable vendors, we finally found one who was willing to buy out our mangoes.

The rate was not much (C'mon people start eating more raw mangoes!!!) but we ended up making about Rs. 60 ($ 1.5) Writing that in dollar equivalent has just made me realise the whole lack of fruitfullness of the entire episode.

And what better to do with money made by selling mangoes than by spending it on mango juice .
15 minutes and 4 glasses later, we were 2 very satisfied men.

P.S.: Its that time of the year again. Expect a 2nd part of this post real soon.