Mumbai, My Jaan...

Well Mumbai has been in the news for the past few months, tarnishing the already ‘controversial’ reputation of the city. I say ‘controversial’ not because the city has a bad record or something (not that it hasn’t, but that’s another story…) but because any cosmopolitan city, anywhere in the world has a controversial side to it. It’s like the two sides of a coin, one of them may be undesirable yet we cannot do away with it. The media was on a rampage, what with the special bulletins, episodes, interviews on TV and cover stories, guest columns all about the city, it’s culture, multi-ethnic way of life, unemployment problems and it’s decline (how dare they use such words!!!). The survey that ranked Mumbai 17th in the list of emerging global economic cities was like namakh applied on the zakhm. As I read all this (yeah, I prefer reading to watching, you can’t trust the Indian news channels nowadays!!!) I was disappointed…no, irritated actually.

Why was I irritated you ask? Well, that would be the very first reaction of any to-the-core Mumbaikar. What’s that? Are you asking me how to become one? Well, I don’t know if there is any criteria for membership but I happen to be one by birth. I admit that I have been in and out of the country a few times in my life, but Mumbai has always been and will remain my hometown.

One of the newsprint material, a column by an eminent journalist (and he wasn’t the only one…) mocked the MNS and it’s supremo Raj Thackeray for disrupting the ‘Life in the Metro’ and the government for it’s failure in repressing the infamous campaign against North Indians in the state. And what’s more he even went as far enough to mock the city itself, claiming that the city’s grandeur had declined and the city had “lost it’s sheen” and that is what fuelled my irritation.

Well, I totally disagree. The other day, I visited the Lamington Road with a my buddies Hitesh and Sagar and what I experienced during that trip convinced me that Mumbai will remain the grand ‘City Of Dreams’ as long as it stands. What exactly did I experience? I experienced what every Mumbaikar experiences on his commute through the city and yet is ignorant of the significance of it all. We started off from the Thane Station caught a train to Dadar. Even though it was quite late in the afternoon the crowd didn’t seem any less than on peak hours. We got off at Dadar to have a snack and buy tickets to Grant Road Station, here Sagar pointed out at the framework that held up the ceiling and at the adjacent platforms explaining that all these were from the British era. We exited the station to relieve our empty, growling stomachs. In order to exit we made use of one the largest railway footbridges on the Central line (which again Sagar was kind enough to point out…). Not that I did not know that, in fact I have used the bridge more than often in the past, but the one thing that always makes me wonder and admire is the crowd passing over it. The crowd never ceases, people keep walking in and out through the various staircases branching out of the footbridge in perfect rhythm (or so it seems). The bridge is arbitrarily divided into two ‘lanes’ (by the people themselves, there are no dividers) for the crowd to move through in anti-parallel direction. The hum of the crowd-noise, the people from different backgrounds, regions, classes, colours walking in perfect rhythm; side by side, the little vibrations of the bridge (yes, it does vibrate and sway vertically due to the footsteps and rumbling of trains from below!!!) all this never ceases to fascinate me.

We then headed to the nearest mall complex and had bhel puri and chaat from a wayside stall just adjacent to it. They were two different worlds, standing side by side. The mall with all it’s flashy showrooms, branded stuff and chic restaurant with a view of the city skyline and the humble chaat stall with it’s low budget-fast food service. The funny part was most of the people at the chaat counter were the ones who had just exited the mall! The typical Mumbaikar – He will live in a 3 BHK flat, drive a car, earn a six figure amount and shop in a AC equipped mall but he will never forget the good ol’ bhelpuri ‘n’ chaat and will always have it from the wayside chaat stall, what irony!!!

We were in the train and off to Grant Road Station. We reached the station in about 10 minutes time, a short walk and we were there, on Lamington Road, a hardware/software buff’s paradise. Right from the smallest 3-pin plug to the latest high-speed gaming PC, you name it and it’s there. There was the usual hustle and bustle on the street, footpaths crowded with stalls full of you-ask-it-you-get-it stuff. We spent time enquiring about new PC pricelists and software CDs and after about 3-4 hours we turned our feet in the direction of our homes sweet homes.

The whole point is that Mumbai’s soul is made of its people. And nothing can steal away it’s grandeur as long as it’s people believe in it. The fact that not even a bomb blast nor a riot can discourage the people from going on with their daily routine for more than a day or two is only one of the many examples that tells us – The spirit of the city will remain undaunted, irrespective of the obstacles that come in the way of it’s daily functioning. I agree that the city could do with some improvement in it’s infrastructure, security and quality of living. But we accept the city as it is, improvement or no improvement. We enjoy the posh malls and the chaat stalls, the multiplexes and the natyagruhas alike and accept graciously whatever the city has to offer us. That’s Mumbai my Jaan!!!

P.S As my exams are gonna begin in the next couple of weeks, I am busy rubbing my ass off, studying for them. So please do understand my plight if I don't post more often.

Talking 'bout Obama

A day before the US Presidential Election officially ended,

“Hurrah! Obama is in the lead”, I said.

My other part smirked and I could sense that it had something up its sleeve.

“So, why are you so elated?” it asked.

That question was a slap in the face, he is a man who is going to change things in America, his slogan yells out in bold letters - CHANGE, and my other part was being so foolish and stubborn enough to ignore this! But there was something more to this ignorance than what appeared on the outside and I think I was about to get my answer.

“I’ll tell you why, it’s only because he has almost the same amount of melanin in his skin as you and any other Indian does and mind you, I am not trying to be a racist here.”

I was aghast, “What!?!?!”

But I very well knew there was some truth hidden in those words (after all the ‘other part’ was a part of me).

My other part continued, “I very well know that he has a great calibre and personality. And he represents change not only in upcoming policies but in the complete history of American politics, but that is again because he is an African-American. Newspapers all over India have been ranting about how he likes Indian food and how many Indian-origin Americans there are in his team, one paper even went far enough to report that his pouch contained a miniature of a ‘monkey-god’ which could be Hanuman!!! I mean Mccain could have eaten all the biryani, tikka and dosas he wanted, sitting in front of the Indian Embassy and none of the journos would even care. The basic fact remains that the reason so many Asians are interested in Obama and hoping for him to win is that he, atleast physically, is so much like them.”

I surprisingly found myself in agreement with my other part.

And just then I heard my other part say, so slowly that it couldn’t even be called a whisper,

“Oh, how wrong they are!”

I have written this in a short and concise manner. I do not mean to be racist in opinion and congratulate President Elect Barack Obama for his spectacular win. But I also hope that my thoughts and opinions have reached you, my readers, purely as they are.

Am I at the Wrong Blog???

That’s the question you must be asking yourself and the answer is a big fat NO. It’s the new look and title that seems to baffle you for a moment but believe me you will get used to it very soon. I also the very next question in line will be,

Why the new name?

The answer to that is pretty simple and there are quite a few reasons (I didn’t say the answer would be short) for the new name,

• When I established this blog I only had a few minutes to make up a name for it and I decided on ‘The Teenager’s Guide To The World’. After a lot of thinking I realized that the name gave an impression that this was a travel blog, which it is not.
• Also, it makes the blog look like an agony aunt’s column which dishes out tips on ‘handling your own life successfully’ to all those depressed and frustrated teens out there. Sorry fellow teenagers, I have my own agonies and I am surely not your aunt!!!
• But it was this very last incident that forced me to start deciding on a new name - a few days back, I was egosurfing for my blog’s name and I came across this. That literally sent me over the edge. I mean some bloody agony aunt or uncle whoever it was, had thought of the same name that I did!!! And I had it changed immediately.

As you can see the rest of the changes are quite clear. There is the dazzling blue theme in the background.

Also, a note of caution for all those plagiarists surfing on the net, I have secured my blog with a new Creative Commons license. Use my work without my permission and rest assured you will be hearing from my lawyer very, very soon…Muah-ha-ha-ha. OK, got a bit carried away there…but I am serious about the ‘no-copying-without-my-permission’ thing.

Last but not the least; I have even updated my nickname and profile. The nick isn’t my real name but I must admit that it is closer to my actual name.

Well that’s that, there will be teeny-weeny changes happening every once in a while only to improve the interface and make this blog more reader friendly

Under Renovation…

Well, Diwali is here and I hope that all of you are geared up for the festive season. Well, I have decided to give my readers a surprise this Diwali in the form of a complete makeover of the blog. I am going to change the look of the blog right from head to toe (I know what you are thinking- do blogs have toes? Well beats me!!!) starting today…(if you didn’t notice I have already tweaked my profile and my theme…)

I know that, with only posts, the blog is quite young to undergo a makeover, but hey, it isn’t against the law!!! Also I’ll try my level best to give it a revolutionary new look as well as make it user friendly.

So, don’t forget to keep checking in to have a look at your favourite blog with it’s new and improved design and layout.

Last but not the least, Wish all of you and your family, a very Happy and Safe Diwali.

Left Out…High and Dry…and Taken Back In...

The events that took place since last Tuesday will have a lasting impression on the Indian industrial as well as political scene. It will also had a lasting impression on me, as it was the very next day that I learnt ‘lay-off’ is a more civilized term used to reduce the guilt (for the employers) and the agony (for the employees) that results from usage of harsh word like ‘fired’.

By now you may be aware that I am referring to the latest removal of about 2000 employees from the Jet Airways (please do forgive me, if my own words sound too harsh!!!). Oh my, what a storm it raised and rightfully so!!! However all seems merry again with Jet announcing the reinstatement. A major advantage of looking at the matter after it has been settled is that it gives a clearer picture, and that is exactly why I have taken up this topic a week after the events unfolded.

Now Mr. Naresh Goyal, who emerged at the eleventh hour to become the gallant knight-in-the-shining-armor, proves to be quite an interesting personality. Here are some snippets, from various news sources over the net, to prove my point:

• "Decision is not under any political pressure"
  Yeah, right!!! With so much politics going on behind the matter, with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, the ruling Congress lashing out on the issue and Civil Aviation Ministry expressing it’s displeasure…I am sure you remained as cool as a cat.
• "I have nothing to do with Kingfisher, the decision does not relate with alliance (with Kingfisher)"
  Well, forgive us Mr. Goyal but common sense dictates that a decision that comes after a merger has to be linked with the merger. And if you say you’ve nothing to do with Kingfisher, why is the news circulating that you had a quick chat with Mr. Mallya after pressures began mounting?
• "Management had decided it and when I read about it I saw tears in their eyes, I decided on my own to call them back.”
  Surprisingly, Mr. Goyal (or should we say Mr. Emotional), Founder Chairman of Jet Airways, claimed that he ‘did not know about the day-to-day decisions of the management’, no wonder the airline is incurring losses. With all due respect Sir, if you looked into the decision making process of your company more often and take better decisions ‘on your own’, maybe, just maybe you would accumulate enough good karma to take your company out of the dumps.
  

Also, when the case has just been resolved and all seems just fine. My ‘other side’ makes a guest appearance to hint that all is not as simple as it seems, coincidentally I come across this article by a Citizournalist that tells us what Mr. Goyal could gain from this fiasco.
However, all this uproar seems to have had another advantage it has also prevented further lay-offs from other airlines like Kingfisher and Air India.
All this reminds me of a quote by the former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam:
“Love your job but never fall in love with your company for you never know when it stops loving you.”

A Dilemma with Friends...

I have already introduced you people to the gang (my closest friends from college). I would like to share another incident that changed the way I used to look at relationships.
You see, a week ago we had this college fest to welcome the juniors to the campus. It’s one of the happening events on the campus with preparations lasting for weeks (funded by the money that’s literally extorted from us!!!). All lectures after the lunch break were suspended to make way for the party. The bell rang indicating that the break had begun and I hurried downstairs to the classroom where the gang was having their lunch. I did this everyday since the start of the semester, in that half an hour we had our lunch together, we caught up on the latest happenings in our respective classes, all this with lots of mazaak-masti.

I thought this arrangement was fine until that day. I sat for lunch with them; we had our share of food and fun. A few minutes after the break got over we got a call from our classmates telling us that the party had begun; we all went down on the playground to find that the party still hadn’t got into the groove and a few last minute arrangements were underway.

Hitesh suggested that we sit in the adjacent garden and so we headed in it’s direction. The garden was crowded that day (there’s not even a dog to be seen there on a regular day), students sat on the grass in large circles with their own groups of friends. Hitesh ran ahead and sat down with the students from his class; I looked at them and found no one recognizable other than the few from the gang. Right beside them were the guys from my own class. Just when Hitesh beckoned to me, one of my own classmates spotted me and called me in to join them.

That’s when it happened…that’s when I realized what a mess I was in. Now I know that this would not sound like a dilemma to some of you but for me it was! Here’s something you should understand - I had been in the dumps when I realized that I would not be with the rest of the gang for the new semester. I was trying hard to make new contacts and friends in my own class, but it wasn’t the same as the last year, it couldn’t have been and never will be. Also, I was dying to be with the gang and found the lunch-break arrangement a good excuse to be with them. - The chain of thoughts broke as they called out to me again; I looked at Hitesh, who was still beckoning, I looked back at my classmates, uttered a hurried ‘excuse me’ and went ahead and joined Hitesh’s circle. As I sat there and looked on the guys having fun, I realized that I could not relate to them or their conversation…I wasn’t fitting in. I glanced at my classmates’ circle and realized (my second big realization of the day…) that I wasn’t sure that I knew all of them well enough either. A perfect “Na ghar ka na ghat kaa” situation.

The rest of the evening was quite normal, mostly Sagar, Sourabh and me stuck together enjoying the fest, accompanied by our regular mazaak-masti.

From then on the dilemma persists. I still continue with the same lunch-break arrangement, still don’t know my classmates well enough to call them friends and try to ignore my ‘other side’ that keeps telling me to resolve my confusion as soon as possible.
But, it just seems easier to let the things go on as they are. Though I know that I need to sort things out.

P.S. I know this post turned out to be really, really long…but I just had to get it all out of my system.

A Day Out with Friends...

I know the title sounds like some 5th grade essay. But believe me in the past week, this has been one of the many ‘teenage milestones’ and an iconic and enjoyable experience. It all took place very spontaneously. I had just left the college campus and I met up with the whole gang, I and all these guys have literally shared the same bench in our junior year. Unfortunately we were assigned to separate classes in our present year… let me introduce you to all of them;

• Hitesh …The fun loving, cheerful and completely bindaas guy.


• Sagar…Simple, straight-forward, ready to bring a smile to your face with his own unique style.


• Sandeep…Cheerful yet responsible, he was and still is the Class Rep’.


• Amit…Small in size, but with a sharp mind and sparky tongue.


• Parth…The brightest, cleverest and most scholarly kid of our course.


• Sourabh…He’s soft, silent yet with a hint of mischief and a complete gaming enthusiast.

One of them announced that Hitesh was gonna give a treat to celebrate his birthday. I was persuaded to join the celebrations which, it was later planned, would take place at the nearby McDonald’s joint.

It was a surprisingly simple affair. All of us ordered a burger and a cola each and sat eating at a large table for about an hour. What was so special you would ask? Well, first, it was my first spontaneous get-together with college buddies (without having to bother about parent-permission…) Also it was the first time I was sharing personal time with these guys, since the re-assignment of classes. It was complete casual ‘guy thing’. All this made it a beautiful experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I also have other groups of friends with whom I enjoy some time out. But going somewhere with your college buddies without having to worry about lectures, assignments or home!!! That is what made a truly great experience. Way to go guys…This post is especially dedicated to all of you.

It was at that time, I realized what I had been missing out. That day I understood, sometimes Life can be so confusing and problematic, and yet suddenly it gives you these little moments that make our living so special and worth it.

Back To The Blog!!!

A hearty hello to one and all! Even before looking back at the last blog I realize that it’s been a hell lot of time since I last posted. You see, the end of the term period is spelt ‘H-E-L-L’ for students of technical courses in Mumbai. Once again I can offer nothing more than my sincere apologies.
Just after the last post, I realized that nothing remarkable was happening, neither on the current affairs scene nor in my own life… and that was when my brain went into the ‘writer’s block’ status and I was kinda stuck in the same rut all this time. It was only last Friday while reading the news, that I realized what all events I had missed out on!!!
The blasts in major cities across the nation, devastating Bihar floods, the unrest and violence in Orissa, Tata’s move out of Singur, the story of the unstable global markets and the great 700 billion $ bail out and not to forget the hottest ‘talk of the town’ the recent ban on Smoking. A few incidents in my own life these past few weeks are also worth a post or two.
Well, trying my best to provide you with the ‘viewpoint’ I’ll be trying to come up with a few blogs in quick succession.