I know its so horribly late in the night....my body is too exhausted...and my bed beckoning me pretty seductively but i cant stop wondering thanks to my Ekta-Inspired young sis who was watching some saas bahu serial before i stomped off and removed the plug and my TV went zzzzzz...
yeah so i was wondering about The Vamp & The Sati Savitri.... those who are not mythological-ly inclined let me tell you that Savitri is supposedly the great woman who followed (pestered?) the God of Death Yama to resurrect (rollback?) her dead husband....she crossed valleys full of acid, volcanos, rivers full of what nots (dont remember exactly what it was - Lava or Fireballs), she answered all of Yama's trick questions and then much impressed Yama (or bored and wanting good riddance?) revived her husband and then Sati Savitri and her obscured husband lived happily ever after (where the husband wondered a lot of times as to why she brought him back only if she had to make him do all the chores at home and that he was rather good as dead tsk tsk tsk)
God! i always get so carried away in sub-texts..!!!
so i was wondering why all heroines (cheap cheap..lets call them female protagonist) are saintly... not only in their behavior & manners (Freud must be turning in his grave everytime one of these mahan nariyaan let go of her cheating husband scotfree and welcomes his illegitimate son (always the son!) warmly in the household) but they also dress appropriately. Their Sarees never flashy or full of bling.. Their make up is present in sickness or health but always subtle... a nice bindi, some cool bangles and their face always shine with an aura that can put a flood light to shame... They utter every damn word with respect and never even once have i seen a Sati Savitri Protogonist actually using swear words.. They wont even curse loudly. They always love their husband even if he is Prem Chopra reincarnated...They teach their (sickningly sweet) children every ounce of culture that they can digest...They weep silently without telling anyone (or smudging their kajal & mascara)... They always hurridely try and wipe their faces when someone checks on them while crying....They can cook so very cool without any help from the maid servent and then then stand before their Pati Parmeshwar and serve him with such a homely expression that husband would melt like the butter on the hot paratha.. They never fall ill...they never get itchy at the most difficult places... they never hog like a pig...they never are worried about inflation...(nor are their husbands... i mean having extra marital affair in recession is too much..) and most importantly whenever they appear (glide??) on the screen, a soft tune plays in the background or even a Bhajan or Kirtan... when their (Good For Nothing Else) husbands play romance romance (once every 540 episodes), they blush like a teenager...giggle like teenager...Music at this point of time cant be of a Bhajan or Kirtan (for god's sake) so they play some (stolen) melody or cheaper option is that they play single flute or chimes...
On the contrary, when vamps enter, suddenly all drums, plates, turn tables and what not musical instruments come to life all at once..so they get a grand musical (however horrible) entry... their sarees are always flashy... these ladies are even brand consicous... i am sure they wake their husband dead early in the morning so that they can start drawing bindi on her forehead... so that by the time its time to come out for the breakfast, they are done with the unique design and rainbow colors and bling..
if they are married (which they almost all the time are!) their huband is always a doormat with expressions so sluggish that even a slug would die of shame.
One best thing about them is that they talk to themselves in public... they can gloat, plan, conspire to kill, smirk all in public without a single man calling in ambulance from the nearest Mental Asylum.... their dirty plans are never heard by anyone...they can very well go and stand next to the mike while muttering but they are safe...
They wear earrings that can double up for bangles... they are always stick thin...They are always twirling their index finger in already curly hair to keep it that way.... their mom in law (and other relatives) are already dead....(or they are atleast planning for it)... they never have to cross the path to kitchen... neither are they expected to serve their husband...their entire life revolves around the Sati Savitri Proto and how to kill her/defeat her/out-maneuver her etc etc...
but frankly speaking i love Vamps... they are quite close to how most of the people feel inside for most of their lives... if only could one khun was maf or people would call you sexy like Dr. House on FOX when he speaks his no-holds-barred mind..*sigh*
Vamps are in... they are smart...atleast they do something other than crying and fasting for their husband's long life...
Tata,
Himali
PS: Now Now this does not mean i AM a Vamp... but i would hateeeeeee to be the Sati Savitri described as above...
On The Way....
Today i am sporting a new hair cut... paid a bomb and it all looks the same.. :(
Today all my facial skin tissues are cursing me for all the scrubbing, pinching, massaging, pulling that i subjected them to in a beauty parlour.. :(
Today i checked for my clearance thinking miracles do exists, by that atleast some people in Patni must have worked worth the penny they are getting paid for but no suck luck... out of 21, i see only 5 clearances actually done. Rest are all pending and that means i can not take a day off to calm my fraying nerves before i get onto the plane :(
Today i checked all my lists, texts, sub lists, sub texts, shopping list and realized that the allowed baggage limit is inversely proportional to the rate with which i have shopped.
Today i checked all my Invoices, Bills Paid, credit card bills, Remittance advices from bank ATMs etc and realized i have almost blown up my entire 'Performance Bonus' which wasnt much to begin with :(
Today my throat is jammed and everytime i open my mouth either to speak or to eat, it pains me some more..i cant complain.. i have gulped down too many chilled bottles of Slice and have been yelling at top of my voice in my office..it had to happen..
Today i went to Big Bazaar tad too early and had to eat breakfast at McD which wasnt too good for my taste...i dont fancy eating Paneer or Chicken at the start of the day... couldnt 'hang out' outside cause of Sun and mall was closed! no wonder India loses so much business every damn day.. (They actually have a small pep talk at the beginning of the day for all their sales staff over their paging system at Big Bazaar....management actually wished Happy Selling to all its counter staff... kinda cool... Patni should implement it too... Happy Client Fooling.. wow that would be fun...)
Today i went in for a rather late lunch and hotel offered us 'only snacks' so at 3.30 PM, i ate Pizza - 7 Jewels (i asked them to minus one Jewel - Mushrooms...not quite fond of them) and Vegetable pakoda etc etc instead of proper lunch...
so many bad things to happen or rather such an average day today... *yawn*
BUT
When i went to the shoe section in Big Bazaar, i saw a Buy One Get One Free offer and i hurrayed in my mind and even jumped. My budget allowed me only one but i was going to get another free free free for the same cost.. yieppe... so i saw these handsome ballet shoes in copper brown color with the customery bow on the top of the lining...loved them so bought them and then got a simple pair of shoe for the flight absolutely free... there isnt even trace of heel to them... being a stilettoes fan i hate to admit this but these flats are so comfortable..
Just some time back i was sitting in McD wondering what to order...and i got this awesome coffee to redeem the Paneer on the menu. It relaxed my aching throat so much... had another refill and drank...
my throat felt so bloody good... also repriminded my Hypochondriac mind that it cant be 'a tumor of the wind pipe pressing onto my throat' such complex disease would not pay heed to steaming coffee..hurray..i am healthy for the moment...
Dad loved the Hashbrown MacD sold so got him one more..
saw to my heart's content my dad throwing caushion to wind about diabetis and digging into Hashbrown thats nothing but Aloo-Mash fried deep golden brown...
Got him one more... afterall i wont be seeing him eating like this for a very very long time now... :(
My early arrival got me these precious little moments with my dad that i would miss very sourly...
and then i met Mahi and Priti... they came up all the way from Puna to see me off.... they started their bickering the moment they set their feet on Bombay grounds but i love this couple...
they were fighting but their arms were linked together... quite adorable in a very non sickeningly sweet way...
They wanted to go to Siddhivinayak temple so i got one more chance... somehow got the darshan without much shoves and punches... felt so good..
Joined us few hours later were Deepti and Pankaj...
Deepti had given up on her important appointment with her Internetwala...
and Pankaj had given up on joining one of his relative's pre wedding customs..
God! i felt so good... but we are not so formal around each other so that i could say thanks...
hope they understood that i felt indebted for their visit and their well wishes for my career, my life and my onsite...
I love these friends of mine who with such simple and thoughful gesture made me felt so good that i dont have words to describe how overwhelmed i still am...
i may not have friends who would sing praises for me...but they surely would miss me when i am away..
Thank you guys!!! These moments today, i will cherish forever... and whenever i come back, we shall again have such good times together... and this time we would follow the schedule and go for actual lunch... :)
TaTa
Himali
Today all my facial skin tissues are cursing me for all the scrubbing, pinching, massaging, pulling that i subjected them to in a beauty parlour.. :(
Today i checked for my clearance thinking miracles do exists, by that atleast some people in Patni must have worked worth the penny they are getting paid for but no suck luck... out of 21, i see only 5 clearances actually done. Rest are all pending and that means i can not take a day off to calm my fraying nerves before i get onto the plane :(
Today i checked all my lists, texts, sub lists, sub texts, shopping list and realized that the allowed baggage limit is inversely proportional to the rate with which i have shopped.
Today i checked all my Invoices, Bills Paid, credit card bills, Remittance advices from bank ATMs etc and realized i have almost blown up my entire 'Performance Bonus' which wasnt much to begin with :(
Today my throat is jammed and everytime i open my mouth either to speak or to eat, it pains me some more..i cant complain.. i have gulped down too many chilled bottles of Slice and have been yelling at top of my voice in my office..it had to happen..
Today i went to Big Bazaar tad too early and had to eat breakfast at McD which wasnt too good for my taste...i dont fancy eating Paneer or Chicken at the start of the day... couldnt 'hang out' outside cause of Sun and mall was closed! no wonder India loses so much business every damn day.. (They actually have a small pep talk at the beginning of the day for all their sales staff over their paging system at Big Bazaar....management actually wished Happy Selling to all its counter staff... kinda cool... Patni should implement it too... Happy Client Fooling.. wow that would be fun...)
Today i went in for a rather late lunch and hotel offered us 'only snacks' so at 3.30 PM, i ate Pizza - 7 Jewels (i asked them to minus one Jewel - Mushrooms...not quite fond of them) and Vegetable pakoda etc etc instead of proper lunch...
so many bad things to happen or rather such an average day today... *yawn*
BUT
When i went to the shoe section in Big Bazaar, i saw a Buy One Get One Free offer and i hurrayed in my mind and even jumped. My budget allowed me only one but i was going to get another free free free for the same cost.. yieppe... so i saw these handsome ballet shoes in copper brown color with the customery bow on the top of the lining...loved them so bought them and then got a simple pair of shoe for the flight absolutely free... there isnt even trace of heel to them... being a stilettoes fan i hate to admit this but these flats are so comfortable..
Just some time back i was sitting in McD wondering what to order...and i got this awesome coffee to redeem the Paneer on the menu. It relaxed my aching throat so much... had another refill and drank...
my throat felt so bloody good... also repriminded my Hypochondriac mind that it cant be 'a tumor of the wind pipe pressing onto my throat' such complex disease would not pay heed to steaming coffee..hurray..i am healthy for the moment...
Dad loved the Hashbrown MacD sold so got him one more..
saw to my heart's content my dad throwing caushion to wind about diabetis and digging into Hashbrown thats nothing but Aloo-Mash fried deep golden brown...
Got him one more... afterall i wont be seeing him eating like this for a very very long time now... :(
My early arrival got me these precious little moments with my dad that i would miss very sourly...
and then i met Mahi and Priti... they came up all the way from Puna to see me off.... they started their bickering the moment they set their feet on Bombay grounds but i love this couple...
they were fighting but their arms were linked together... quite adorable in a very non sickeningly sweet way...
They wanted to go to Siddhivinayak temple so i got one more chance... somehow got the darshan without much shoves and punches... felt so good..
Joined us few hours later were Deepti and Pankaj...
Deepti had given up on her important appointment with her Internetwala...
and Pankaj had given up on joining one of his relative's pre wedding customs..
God! i felt so good... but we are not so formal around each other so that i could say thanks...
hope they understood that i felt indebted for their visit and their well wishes for my career, my life and my onsite...
I love these friends of mine who with such simple and thoughful gesture made me felt so good that i dont have words to describe how overwhelmed i still am...
i may not have friends who would sing praises for me...but they surely would miss me when i am away..
Thank you guys!!! These moments today, i will cherish forever... and whenever i come back, we shall again have such good times together... and this time we would follow the schedule and go for actual lunch... :)
TaTa
Himali
To set the record 'Straight' ;)
As the title suggests this is just to set the record straight.
i do NOT judge people based on who they sleep with. I am NOT homophoebic. I have NO objection with a man liking another man or a woman liking another woman 'That Way'. which way? who cares!! as long as the involved parties are ok with it, noone has any business of questioning them including me.
What i was trying to state today in much heated (and later laughed about) debate is that i do not see myself loving another woman 'That Way'. I prefer men...err man..Ok..alright. To make it even more specific lets say that i like men with enterprising and industrious mind. Someone who has sharp wit & terrific sense of humor to match mine and who is not 'baccha' types or too easily available. so by the virtue of relativity i can assume that i made my orientation pretty 'Straight' ;)
but but but.. thats my life and my decision. what i do not see suitable for me, i can not hold it against everyone. ( I call Chetan Bhagat Trash...but i dont forbid my friends from buying Three Mistakes of My Life.. yes. I try to influence them not to.. :-P..but i never stop them..) So coming back to the current topic, if a friend of mine prefers a partner of same gender, I wouldnt force them to come out clean (who is clean these days by the way? Date rapes, pre marital sex, extra marital sex, open marriages, one night stands, fuck buddies, friendship with benefits...list can go on some more..) but at the same time i wouldnt be ashamed to call him/her my friend if they decide to break the closet.
If such a couple is committed in their relationship, offering each other support thats much needed given the way society treats them... they are much much better than those i see in malls..roaming around with two different partners (of opposite and prefered by society gender) at two different times.
so those who felt i was on defensive mode during the debate today, this is a public declaration of me being nonjudgemental about anyone's sexual preference in their lives as long as they are dignified about it...
Hope this helps a few people drop some serious (and baseless) charges against me ;)
Tata,
Himali
PS: I know i am going off the track with this one but cant help sharing...
saw a young, newly married Punjabi couple hoarding a tiny changing room in Shopper's Stop with one garment in hand which wont take 10 minutes to be worn and appraised of ( should i make it 5 since appraisee had an extra pair of hands to help and appraiser just by the side? ;))
As with the levels of hormones that must be making them less and less inhibitating, they did not even bother to hide their grand (and urgent if i can guess) entry and giggling exit!!!!!
By the way they generated so much of curiousity and elbow poking, jealousy, once-upon-a-time sighs (amongst the men), giggling (amongst the personal buyers), creases on heads (mine and lot others who were waiting for the room to get vacant (and clean most prolly!!!), i feel India is still far too behind to accept sex with all its normalcy. So those who dont want to come out of their closet because of their so called abnormalities are well justified....
PPS: One sentence for such horny couples.....please for the sake of humanity GET A ROOM!!!! and not the changing room!
i do NOT judge people based on who they sleep with. I am NOT homophoebic. I have NO objection with a man liking another man or a woman liking another woman 'That Way'. which way? who cares!! as long as the involved parties are ok with it, noone has any business of questioning them including me.
What i was trying to state today in much heated (and later laughed about) debate is that i do not see myself loving another woman 'That Way'. I prefer men...err man..Ok..alright. To make it even more specific lets say that i like men with enterprising and industrious mind. Someone who has sharp wit & terrific sense of humor to match mine and who is not 'baccha' types or too easily available. so by the virtue of relativity i can assume that i made my orientation pretty 'Straight' ;)
but but but.. thats my life and my decision. what i do not see suitable for me, i can not hold it against everyone. ( I call Chetan Bhagat Trash...but i dont forbid my friends from buying Three Mistakes of My Life.. yes. I try to influence them not to.. :-P..but i never stop them..) So coming back to the current topic, if a friend of mine prefers a partner of same gender, I wouldnt force them to come out clean (who is clean these days by the way? Date rapes, pre marital sex, extra marital sex, open marriages, one night stands, fuck buddies, friendship with benefits...list can go on some more..) but at the same time i wouldnt be ashamed to call him/her my friend if they decide to break the closet.
If such a couple is committed in their relationship, offering each other support thats much needed given the way society treats them... they are much much better than those i see in malls..roaming around with two different partners (of opposite and prefered by society gender) at two different times.
so those who felt i was on defensive mode during the debate today, this is a public declaration of me being nonjudgemental about anyone's sexual preference in their lives as long as they are dignified about it...
Hope this helps a few people drop some serious (and baseless) charges against me ;)
Tata,
Himali
PS: I know i am going off the track with this one but cant help sharing...
saw a young, newly married Punjabi couple hoarding a tiny changing room in Shopper's Stop with one garment in hand which wont take 10 minutes to be worn and appraised of ( should i make it 5 since appraisee had an extra pair of hands to help and appraiser just by the side? ;))
As with the levels of hormones that must be making them less and less inhibitating, they did not even bother to hide their grand (and urgent if i can guess) entry and giggling exit!!!!!
By the way they generated so much of curiousity and elbow poking, jealousy, once-upon-a-time sighs (amongst the men), giggling (amongst the personal buyers), creases on heads (mine and lot others who were waiting for the room to get vacant (and clean most prolly!!!), i feel India is still far too behind to accept sex with all its normalcy. So those who dont want to come out of their closet because of their so called abnormalities are well justified....
PPS: One sentence for such horny couples.....please for the sake of humanity GET A ROOM!!!! and not the changing room!
Last Year That Was...
No matter how old you get, your birthday remains one day where you want to be a kid again. You want your loved ones to indulge you in the frivolities. Blow the candles, make a wish (or may be two ;)), cut the cake, get it smothered on your face, laugh out loud with those who remembered the special day.
This also is the day to either count another year off your life or start looking forward to the dawning ahead...
A balance sheet that makes me take stock of what i gained, what i lost, what i beheld, what i let go, what made me smile, what made me cry... the list is endless. Accounting has a rule for balance sheets though. The Credit and The Debit should match at all times... but for the balance sheet of my life it seldom does :)
This year started on a very very disappointing note. A very good friendship was ruined for life in an effort to make it more than what it was worth. A hollow feeling that followed me with broken heart was terrifying. A brief patch of time when world was not worth living in, when every night i ended up sitting in my bed staring at the sky, when every day of life was a chore to accomplish, i lived because i was too scared of dying.
What followed next was a zealous wave of indifference. Me mattered the most, my happiness was the only goal. Quite noble but i was getting carried away with a false sense of freedom and wariness. Lost some more precious relations while mourning for one that was never meant to happen.
Slowly indifference was replaced with suspicion and paranoia. No one in the whole world was worth trusting with my life, my heart, my feelings or rather the lack of them.
But my Job saved me from the drag that threatened to end up in nothingness. My work became my savior. What i lacked in personal life was overcompensated in my professional one. Responsibilities and more responsibilities attached themselves to me happily. I was content.
What else was i looking for in my failed relationship afterall? a sense of belongingness and importance.
what a man and a so called relationship failed to give me, my job did. god! thats corny isnt it? ;) but may be its not. Work piled and so with it came recognition and a dependablity that others felt around me. I loved it when they called me indispensable. i was finally something that wasnt easy to replace for someone,be it just for my project team.
Slogged my ass off. My friends were busy partying, enjoying life, living it fullest. Some of them switched jobs, teased hell out of me for being "Patni loyal". Some stayed back with me cursing however ... i was busy writing bank transmission files manually but with almost the same accuracy of the bank machine. My eyes were for the numbers and they were for mine.
Life started and ended with office and work. Not that i was lackdaisical in my work ever..thats not my type but my determination to do better in life was met with the force within... a force that wanted to channelize itself for my betterment.. a force that was directed in an entirely wrong way earlier.. I was so engrossed in pleasing a man, pleasing the world that was wrapped around him that i had forgotten where my own happiness lay. It was like Arabian Night's story. Like the demon i believed or rather i liked to believe that my life was caged in a parrot. The demon would do anything to keep the parrot protected but caged. I did the same. I kept my own happiness caged in someone else's happiness. My job helped me break free.
And slowly but steadily i came out of the trauma... i am essentially a happy person who loves to laugh out loud and have merry times. Those original genes somehow refused to mutate into a sad and hopeless copy of theirs. Life came back to me with full force... Not that there werent moments of dejectedness or loneliness. I would often feel lonely in room full of chattering people but my work, my lovely colleagues, my friends...everyone helped me understand that being lonely was a state of mind that we ourselves put us into. Noone else or their absense can make you feel lonely if you dont accept it. and Whoa! i wasnt lonely at all... These people taught me that there is no point in keeping the eyes closed with a fear that a fleck of dust would make you cry...I opened my eyes and may be for the first time in my life learnt to appreciate true beauty of the people surrounding me... Their banters, their smiles, their chatter..everything was so full of zest that i was ready to get back on with my life... and i did!
I agree. I did not make any new friends this year but i learnt to appreciate those who i have.
I agree. I did not have a social life other than my office but even that taught me so much about the nuances of life.
I agree. I was scared to fall in love again but i finally did and it felt so beautiful as if i werent hurt ever. May be it was the time when i understood that when you love someone truly, madly, deeply you become strong but when someone loves you truly, madly, deeply, it gives you courage.
So this year was that not only made me strong but gave me lot of courage as well....
Just want to thank God for being so kind. He allowed me to make wrong choices and take risks but he gave me learnings worth all the trouble.
Now with this new year...i again have a hope and faith to live my life on my own terms, for my own happiness :)
This also is the day to either count another year off your life or start looking forward to the dawning ahead...
A balance sheet that makes me take stock of what i gained, what i lost, what i beheld, what i let go, what made me smile, what made me cry... the list is endless. Accounting has a rule for balance sheets though. The Credit and The Debit should match at all times... but for the balance sheet of my life it seldom does :)
This year started on a very very disappointing note. A very good friendship was ruined for life in an effort to make it more than what it was worth. A hollow feeling that followed me with broken heart was terrifying. A brief patch of time when world was not worth living in, when every night i ended up sitting in my bed staring at the sky, when every day of life was a chore to accomplish, i lived because i was too scared of dying.
What followed next was a zealous wave of indifference. Me mattered the most, my happiness was the only goal. Quite noble but i was getting carried away with a false sense of freedom and wariness. Lost some more precious relations while mourning for one that was never meant to happen.
Slowly indifference was replaced with suspicion and paranoia. No one in the whole world was worth trusting with my life, my heart, my feelings or rather the lack of them.
But my Job saved me from the drag that threatened to end up in nothingness. My work became my savior. What i lacked in personal life was overcompensated in my professional one. Responsibilities and more responsibilities attached themselves to me happily. I was content.
What else was i looking for in my failed relationship afterall? a sense of belongingness and importance.
what a man and a so called relationship failed to give me, my job did. god! thats corny isnt it? ;) but may be its not. Work piled and so with it came recognition and a dependablity that others felt around me. I loved it when they called me indispensable. i was finally something that wasnt easy to replace for someone,be it just for my project team.
Slogged my ass off. My friends were busy partying, enjoying life, living it fullest. Some of them switched jobs, teased hell out of me for being "Patni loyal". Some stayed back with me cursing however ... i was busy writing bank transmission files manually but with almost the same accuracy of the bank machine. My eyes were for the numbers and they were for mine.
Life started and ended with office and work. Not that i was lackdaisical in my work ever..thats not my type but my determination to do better in life was met with the force within... a force that wanted to channelize itself for my betterment.. a force that was directed in an entirely wrong way earlier.. I was so engrossed in pleasing a man, pleasing the world that was wrapped around him that i had forgotten where my own happiness lay. It was like Arabian Night's story. Like the demon i believed or rather i liked to believe that my life was caged in a parrot. The demon would do anything to keep the parrot protected but caged. I did the same. I kept my own happiness caged in someone else's happiness. My job helped me break free.
And slowly but steadily i came out of the trauma... i am essentially a happy person who loves to laugh out loud and have merry times. Those original genes somehow refused to mutate into a sad and hopeless copy of theirs. Life came back to me with full force... Not that there werent moments of dejectedness or loneliness. I would often feel lonely in room full of chattering people but my work, my lovely colleagues, my friends...everyone helped me understand that being lonely was a state of mind that we ourselves put us into. Noone else or their absense can make you feel lonely if you dont accept it. and Whoa! i wasnt lonely at all... These people taught me that there is no point in keeping the eyes closed with a fear that a fleck of dust would make you cry...I opened my eyes and may be for the first time in my life learnt to appreciate true beauty of the people surrounding me... Their banters, their smiles, their chatter..everything was so full of zest that i was ready to get back on with my life... and i did!
I agree. I did not make any new friends this year but i learnt to appreciate those who i have.
I agree. I did not have a social life other than my office but even that taught me so much about the nuances of life.
I agree. I was scared to fall in love again but i finally did and it felt so beautiful as if i werent hurt ever. May be it was the time when i understood that when you love someone truly, madly, deeply you become strong but when someone loves you truly, madly, deeply, it gives you courage.
So this year was that not only made me strong but gave me lot of courage as well....
Just want to thank God for being so kind. He allowed me to make wrong choices and take risks but he gave me learnings worth all the trouble.
Now with this new year...i again have a hope and faith to live my life on my own terms, for my own happiness :)
Ambitiously Yours ;)
Most of the time when i am awake, my mind is abuzz with thousands of questions...some trivial, some philosophical, some mundane, some futuristic, some dwelling upon my past and some plain questions for no reason at all! one of such questions originated in my mind when i joined Patni as a fresher.. at 21, i was fresh out of college & managing day to day work was more than enough to keep a lot of questions away, this particular question then arose with respect to some of my female colleagues. Three years later, now, its no longer with respect to someone else...Now i face this question a lot myself & i cant feel any less amused or baffled. ( i know contradictory but thats my middle name ;))
why is it ok for a man to be ambitious, even ruthlessly so but its a huge put off for a woman to even think about it? Why is she termed as unfeminine if she is career oriented?
I receive a lot of incredulous looks when i say i am ambitious & i want to become VP of Patni's V&V Center of Excellence someday. i say so out of the confidence that i have it in me to get there. i am ready to put all my waking hours in my work & duties, to learn those extra special skills to become a good leader, a manager thereof. I am willing to keep my personal life on a side burner if not the back burner to be able to manage my professional space...and so on!
but it does not convince others.
Some think something is missing with me (may be a better chunk of brain ;)), some feel i am deviating from my natural maternal instincts (!), some wonder aloud if i come from a dysfunctional family to have such an aversion (?) towards a beautiful & universally acknowledged institution such as marriage(!!). some call me a machine devoid of feelings thats a pre-requisite of having a family. Some call me plain eccentric!
often i am tempted to give it back to them but i dont do it. Its wastage of time anyways.
our mental conditioning right from the time we are born is to believe that a man is the bread winner & the woman is for the family & home.
i would not challenge or question this age old belief cause this is what has made this world as balanced as it is today but then man has stopped being just the 'breadwinner' ages ago. Hasnt he?
He wants to excel in whatever he do. He is not merely satisfied with what he earns or what he conquers. There is always a demand for more, a competition for many. Sky is the limit!
Woman has also left her house to earn the butter for her breadwinner's bread... is it wrong now for her to think a little ahead & want to do better for herself?
Those who think that a better chunk of my brains is missing, i want to tell that its not missing. Its busy working on something thats so much more important than an inane discussion about my future that has to be as a woman!
For those who think i am deviating...well i am not! my maternal instincts are pretty much alive & kicking when i am around kids. I play with them, i spoil them rotten, i be a good 'maushi' or cool 'aatya'. Its not that my maternal instincts dry up the moment i think about my next meeting or assignment.
To add to the record, i do NOT come from a dysfunctional family. My parent's marriage is the best marriage i have ever seen. All the communication courses that i grudgingly had to undergo during my training suck big time when i see them communicating daily...sometimes without words. They are so very well arranged around each other that when they move, its like watching a whole piece move & not its two components. therefore i can never give up on the idea of marriage or counter-question its sanctity.
AND i do have feelings & emotions. Rather too many of them that i could spare a few ;)
I work passionately. Clocks stop chiming around me when i am busy working. i forget my luncheons & dinners, i forget my medicines, i forget my break times, i forget my pack up time..
so is Passion not a feeling? rather if i were devoid of it, i wouldnt have made it till this far!
i still go weak kneed when i see Robert Pattinson (not with Kristen Stuart though :( ), i still feel teleported to another world when i am reading Harry Potter. I still feel mesmerized with Hobbits. I am still in awe with Edward & Bella. I still curse as loudly as i can when there is a Ind vs Pak cricket or hockey match, i still sob uncontrollably when i have to go out of town to stay away from my parents & when i am watching last season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S when Mon & chandler talk about relocating. I still sing in the shower & blast out a Linkin Park song. I still want to be left buried in my bed, early in the morning when i am dreaming of my lavish wedding. I still go all awwww when i see cooing babies & soft toys, i still laugh out loud when a well timed joke is cracked, i still love to gossip & comment on someone else's dressing sense. i still feel motherly towards all my girlfriends when they are going through break ups or nasty PMS. I still love to dress up occasionally to attend a party. I still love to check out guys & wonder how would they be as boyfriends. I still feel all tingly when i am reading Pride & Prejudice or Helen Fielding. I still am curious enough to finish one Dan Brown's in single night. I still feel proud when i see my father being happy for all my achievements.
My ambitions do not make me any less of a girl than what i already have been but dont understand why people are confused about Ambition & feminity co-existing together!
To those who think i am eccentric, i have nothing to say. I am happy to be the way i am. Thank You very much! :)
I am 24 & i will get married when the time & the man is correct. I wouldnt want to make a career out of my marriage. I would keep them separate. I would get married to have a companion for lifetime & not to have a well earning husband who can fend for me. I would get married to someone who would respect my career as much as his. I would get married to someone whose career decision would not jeopardize mine. If ever, i felt like quitting my career for the sake of my babies, i would do so but it would be my will & my decision. It would not be forced down upon me. Till the time i find a man secure enough to allow me all of the above, i would wait happily & bask in the glory that has come with hard earned rewards at work.
I would gladly cook & clean but its because i want to do that for my loved ones, my family & not because i am born as a woman.
I will be a good wife, an excellent mother, a daughter to my in laws but all this will come more naturally to me if i am secure in my own space, when i am on terms with my inner self. When i am not left longing for a career that i could have had. When i wont feel something amiss while seeing other working women. When i would know for sure that i have been there & done that...When i wouldnt feel sorry for myself of giving up on my dream of making it big... I wouldnt mind giving up on my career once i make it, once i test my mettle against all odds but first let me reach there. Marriage and sorts can wait till then :)
why is it ok for a man to be ambitious, even ruthlessly so but its a huge put off for a woman to even think about it? Why is she termed as unfeminine if she is career oriented?
I receive a lot of incredulous looks when i say i am ambitious & i want to become VP of Patni's V&V Center of Excellence someday. i say so out of the confidence that i have it in me to get there. i am ready to put all my waking hours in my work & duties, to learn those extra special skills to become a good leader, a manager thereof. I am willing to keep my personal life on a side burner if not the back burner to be able to manage my professional space...and so on!
but it does not convince others.
Some think something is missing with me (may be a better chunk of brain ;)), some feel i am deviating from my natural maternal instincts (!), some wonder aloud if i come from a dysfunctional family to have such an aversion (?) towards a beautiful & universally acknowledged institution such as marriage(!!). some call me a machine devoid of feelings thats a pre-requisite of having a family. Some call me plain eccentric!
often i am tempted to give it back to them but i dont do it. Its wastage of time anyways.
our mental conditioning right from the time we are born is to believe that a man is the bread winner & the woman is for the family & home.
i would not challenge or question this age old belief cause this is what has made this world as balanced as it is today but then man has stopped being just the 'breadwinner' ages ago. Hasnt he?
He wants to excel in whatever he do. He is not merely satisfied with what he earns or what he conquers. There is always a demand for more, a competition for many. Sky is the limit!
Woman has also left her house to earn the butter for her breadwinner's bread... is it wrong now for her to think a little ahead & want to do better for herself?
Those who think that a better chunk of my brains is missing, i want to tell that its not missing. Its busy working on something thats so much more important than an inane discussion about my future that has to be as a woman!
For those who think i am deviating...well i am not! my maternal instincts are pretty much alive & kicking when i am around kids. I play with them, i spoil them rotten, i be a good 'maushi' or cool 'aatya'. Its not that my maternal instincts dry up the moment i think about my next meeting or assignment.
To add to the record, i do NOT come from a dysfunctional family. My parent's marriage is the best marriage i have ever seen. All the communication courses that i grudgingly had to undergo during my training suck big time when i see them communicating daily...sometimes without words. They are so very well arranged around each other that when they move, its like watching a whole piece move & not its two components. therefore i can never give up on the idea of marriage or counter-question its sanctity.
AND i do have feelings & emotions. Rather too many of them that i could spare a few ;)
I work passionately. Clocks stop chiming around me when i am busy working. i forget my luncheons & dinners, i forget my medicines, i forget my break times, i forget my pack up time..
so is Passion not a feeling? rather if i were devoid of it, i wouldnt have made it till this far!
i still go weak kneed when i see Robert Pattinson (not with Kristen Stuart though :( ), i still feel teleported to another world when i am reading Harry Potter. I still feel mesmerized with Hobbits. I am still in awe with Edward & Bella. I still curse as loudly as i can when there is a Ind vs Pak cricket or hockey match, i still sob uncontrollably when i have to go out of town to stay away from my parents & when i am watching last season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S when Mon & chandler talk about relocating. I still sing in the shower & blast out a Linkin Park song. I still want to be left buried in my bed, early in the morning when i am dreaming of my lavish wedding. I still go all awwww when i see cooing babies & soft toys, i still laugh out loud when a well timed joke is cracked, i still love to gossip & comment on someone else's dressing sense. i still feel motherly towards all my girlfriends when they are going through break ups or nasty PMS. I still love to dress up occasionally to attend a party. I still love to check out guys & wonder how would they be as boyfriends. I still feel all tingly when i am reading Pride & Prejudice or Helen Fielding. I still am curious enough to finish one Dan Brown's in single night. I still feel proud when i see my father being happy for all my achievements.
My ambitions do not make me any less of a girl than what i already have been but dont understand why people are confused about Ambition & feminity co-existing together!
To those who think i am eccentric, i have nothing to say. I am happy to be the way i am. Thank You very much! :)
I am 24 & i will get married when the time & the man is correct. I wouldnt want to make a career out of my marriage. I would keep them separate. I would get married to have a companion for lifetime & not to have a well earning husband who can fend for me. I would get married to someone who would respect my career as much as his. I would get married to someone whose career decision would not jeopardize mine. If ever, i felt like quitting my career for the sake of my babies, i would do so but it would be my will & my decision. It would not be forced down upon me. Till the time i find a man secure enough to allow me all of the above, i would wait happily & bask in the glory that has come with hard earned rewards at work.
I would gladly cook & clean but its because i want to do that for my loved ones, my family & not because i am born as a woman.
I will be a good wife, an excellent mother, a daughter to my in laws but all this will come more naturally to me if i am secure in my own space, when i am on terms with my inner self. When i am not left longing for a career that i could have had. When i wont feel something amiss while seeing other working women. When i would know for sure that i have been there & done that...When i wouldnt feel sorry for myself of giving up on my dream of making it big... I wouldnt mind giving up on my career once i make it, once i test my mettle against all odds but first let me reach there. Marriage and sorts can wait till then :)
Life @ patni - The First Year!
As the clock strikes 12 tonight, i finish my 3 long years with Patni. phew!!!! as i wrote on Facebook.. its been a roller coaster ride with no puking.. ;)
A lot of times, as the trend is, i am expected to call names to my employer....i am suppose to laugh at Jokes like PATNI stands for Pathetic Appraisal Through No Increments...if i am in good mood, i do.
but most of the times i dont!
If our own experiences form our beliefs i dont see any reason why i should curse Patni.
Bad remuneration! yes sir! i have been through that. Even after a promotion, for a very long time my package has been lesser than that of a Fresher's but there are so many other things that redeem this one fault...
Right from day one i have got good opportunities. I know i would have been loser of a developer had i chosen to remain one. No development aptitude what so ever..Patni gave me a chance to acknowledge the fact, accept it with dignity & move ahead with another alternative...
Testing or what we glorify it by calling Quality Assurance ;)
i would pat my back here a little that i did not succumb to other's opinions about Testing being a loser's job. 99 out of 100 people told me that there was no future in testing & that one day i would repent my decision of changing from Mainframe development to Testing...
few classes in COBOL & i was sorted. Thats when people from FSBU hurried to help me...they wanted people having out of box thinking & analytical aptitude (Glorification yet again ;)) for their prestigious project for ABN AMRO...my mind snapped into action...better be an excellent tester than an average developer... Assessment for the batch of 70 people went on for a whole day... writing papers to fake triage meetings to group discussions... was exhausted at the end of the day...but whoa i was selected.... i was one of those 15 people who would change track from MF to testing....but the real competition was far ahead....only 4 of these 15 would go to the much touted ABN Project...the rest would go to Fidelity...a good option job security wise but i wanted to be one of those 4....so there started a grueling schedule of PPT preparation every single day. we would be given a testing related topic in the afternoon & we were suppose to ready a presentation next day in the morning to be given to our entire team and our Project Manager, two team leads & our BDO. i was a fresher...just out of college..wasnt sure of what to do but kept at it & finally the day arrived when the final lucky 4 were to be selected... speculations were flying high...& finally when my name was announced, i looked straight at my PM. she smiled & my face changed in a second...i am sure it was more like the Fair & Lovely ad where you can see it glowing step by step...mine glowed instantaneously ;)
This project needed me to learn Data Warehousing... Informatica to be precise...
it was a workflow designed for ABN AMRO using Informatica to identify possible transactions with Money Laundering as the purpose. so thats how people turned their black money into white...was amused... learning finance was good but informatica was pain!
all its arrows going in & out of the data models would torture me...i would give up..but my PM was one hell of a motivator...she would single me out, sit with me & teach me personally how to build those horrid data models...i learned & i learned fast...finally when "Data Coverage" module was assigned to me, i was short of heaven by inches... i gave my PM a thankful nod...that was one important module...a smaller one but the most critical....
after four years of being an average engineer struggling to keep up with 40 mandatory marks to keep KTs at the bay, this sense of importance was refreshing...
Slogged my ass off..was terrified to hear UK based client....i would look at my PM intently to understand desperately what the british was blabbering in his propah UK accented English...
at one point of time my desperation would grow so much that i would stare at my PM with as much concentration as the deaf & mute children have to pay to 'understand' whats being told...
a few days like this & i could understand what the British were talking... it went on to become so good that i could scowl at their mention of a recent England vs India cricket match where india had (obviously) lost to them.
As my fate could have it, The Blasted Barclays took over ABN, they scrapped our entire project citing no funds...now now..you have bloody pots of pounds to take over a bank but you dont have enough money to let a project run.
Suddenly we were called in the conference room & we were as good as jobless...our project was no longer on. I had never seen my ever smiling PM that depressed but she still cheered us on..asked us to take this in right spirit & move on....
we were transported from The Desk to The Bench overnight...
my friends, my team, my precious Informatica & my cubicle, my stern but sweet TL who would call me each night at 10 to ask if i had left for the home & my PM....i would miss all of them...i cursed Barclays...i cursed Patni...i cursed everyone around...that was my first Project...my first QTS...my First Test Plan...my first appreciation mail, my first responsibility...it was gone...those who had gone to Fidelity joined us in our mourning but we could feel their involuntary sighs of relief... they were still billable...they were still assets to the company...
there was heartbreak but that was also the first time i realized how a compassionate & good minded guide can teach you so many things in a fleeting moment...
as i stepped inside the float area with heavy heart, i drafted a four liner mail to my PM...whining about the project & thanking her for all her support & personal attention provided...mentor as i called her, i expressed my wish to work under her once more if fate could have it that way...
she replied saying she wished the same but not to have me work 'under' her but 'with' her.... i cried when i read that mail...this sentence has since then with me....
i so hope that one fine day when i become responsible for my team as their manager, i can exhibit atleast 1% of such bigheartedness & down to earth nature...
Patni has given me a lot...it wont end there....i am sure another part will be on its way sooner.. :)
A lot of times, as the trend is, i am expected to call names to my employer....i am suppose to laugh at Jokes like PATNI stands for Pathetic Appraisal Through No Increments...if i am in good mood, i do.
but most of the times i dont!
If our own experiences form our beliefs i dont see any reason why i should curse Patni.
Bad remuneration! yes sir! i have been through that. Even after a promotion, for a very long time my package has been lesser than that of a Fresher's but there are so many other things that redeem this one fault...
Right from day one i have got good opportunities. I know i would have been loser of a developer had i chosen to remain one. No development aptitude what so ever..Patni gave me a chance to acknowledge the fact, accept it with dignity & move ahead with another alternative...
Testing or what we glorify it by calling Quality Assurance ;)
i would pat my back here a little that i did not succumb to other's opinions about Testing being a loser's job. 99 out of 100 people told me that there was no future in testing & that one day i would repent my decision of changing from Mainframe development to Testing...
few classes in COBOL & i was sorted. Thats when people from FSBU hurried to help me...they wanted people having out of box thinking & analytical aptitude (Glorification yet again ;)) for their prestigious project for ABN AMRO...my mind snapped into action...better be an excellent tester than an average developer... Assessment for the batch of 70 people went on for a whole day... writing papers to fake triage meetings to group discussions... was exhausted at the end of the day...but whoa i was selected.... i was one of those 15 people who would change track from MF to testing....but the real competition was far ahead....only 4 of these 15 would go to the much touted ABN Project...the rest would go to Fidelity...a good option job security wise but i wanted to be one of those 4....so there started a grueling schedule of PPT preparation every single day. we would be given a testing related topic in the afternoon & we were suppose to ready a presentation next day in the morning to be given to our entire team and our Project Manager, two team leads & our BDO. i was a fresher...just out of college..wasnt sure of what to do but kept at it & finally the day arrived when the final lucky 4 were to be selected... speculations were flying high...& finally when my name was announced, i looked straight at my PM. she smiled & my face changed in a second...i am sure it was more like the Fair & Lovely ad where you can see it glowing step by step...mine glowed instantaneously ;)
This project needed me to learn Data Warehousing... Informatica to be precise...
it was a workflow designed for ABN AMRO using Informatica to identify possible transactions with Money Laundering as the purpose. so thats how people turned their black money into white...was amused... learning finance was good but informatica was pain!
all its arrows going in & out of the data models would torture me...i would give up..but my PM was one hell of a motivator...she would single me out, sit with me & teach me personally how to build those horrid data models...i learned & i learned fast...finally when "Data Coverage" module was assigned to me, i was short of heaven by inches... i gave my PM a thankful nod...that was one important module...a smaller one but the most critical....
after four years of being an average engineer struggling to keep up with 40 mandatory marks to keep KTs at the bay, this sense of importance was refreshing...
Slogged my ass off..was terrified to hear UK based client....i would look at my PM intently to understand desperately what the british was blabbering in his propah UK accented English...
at one point of time my desperation would grow so much that i would stare at my PM with as much concentration as the deaf & mute children have to pay to 'understand' whats being told...
a few days like this & i could understand what the British were talking... it went on to become so good that i could scowl at their mention of a recent England vs India cricket match where india had (obviously) lost to them.
As my fate could have it, The Blasted Barclays took over ABN, they scrapped our entire project citing no funds...now now..you have bloody pots of pounds to take over a bank but you dont have enough money to let a project run.
Suddenly we were called in the conference room & we were as good as jobless...our project was no longer on. I had never seen my ever smiling PM that depressed but she still cheered us on..asked us to take this in right spirit & move on....
we were transported from The Desk to The Bench overnight...
my friends, my team, my precious Informatica & my cubicle, my stern but sweet TL who would call me each night at 10 to ask if i had left for the home & my PM....i would miss all of them...i cursed Barclays...i cursed Patni...i cursed everyone around...that was my first Project...my first QTS...my First Test Plan...my first appreciation mail, my first responsibility...it was gone...those who had gone to Fidelity joined us in our mourning but we could feel their involuntary sighs of relief... they were still billable...they were still assets to the company...
there was heartbreak but that was also the first time i realized how a compassionate & good minded guide can teach you so many things in a fleeting moment...
as i stepped inside the float area with heavy heart, i drafted a four liner mail to my PM...whining about the project & thanking her for all her support & personal attention provided...mentor as i called her, i expressed my wish to work under her once more if fate could have it that way...
she replied saying she wished the same but not to have me work 'under' her but 'with' her.... i cried when i read that mail...this sentence has since then with me....
i so hope that one fine day when i become responsible for my team as their manager, i can exhibit atleast 1% of such bigheartedness & down to earth nature...
Patni has given me a lot...it wont end there....i am sure another part will be on its way sooner.. :)
Bombay - Never Lost but found some more...:)
Was reading Suketu Mehta's Maximum City - Bombay lost & found... quite an interesting read..
one particular sentence amused me to no end & made me shrug at the same time...
'Mumbai is a city in heat.' thats exaggerated!!
for these NRIs who stroll around in Air Conditioned cars & stay in penthouses, privacy is available as easily as the air around...but for those middle class couples...privacy is elusive in this superdense city. Its like a pressure cooker. The pressure can build up but only upto a level...it has to vent out somewhere & places like Marine Drive, Bandstand, Shivaji Park, Juhu are the vents for such little unfortunate lovers.. they want some time together...they want to discuss their pain, their problems, their future... they want to hold each other...they want to express their feelings for each other... there is so much that a couple wants to share when they finally confess..(atleast initially).
i do not justify vulgarity...neither can i stand PDA (Public Display of Affection for the uninitiated..) but come on people...let them have their time....when they turn their back on you...its a DND (Do not Disturb) board...should respect that...
Reason why i am writing this today is because i had gone to Marine Drive... the most beautiful place in town...saw hundreds of such lovers sitting a stone's throw distance from each other...
if they stretch their hands on the side, they can touch the next couple...still noone really minds...each one of them is so engrossed in their partner..they do not bother to give you a stern look even if you stand there staring at them...
one common link chains them... they all are truly, madly & deeply in love with their partner...or so do they would like to believe...
This place mesmerizes me like no other...on one side there is ocean..stretching as far as you can see...waves splash on the rocks & retreat back... there are land's end from both the sides...sky scrappers adorn them..their lights glint against the black sky...giving them an aura of their own...
when you are sitting in the middle & you see these land's end & the sea in between...you feel as if the city is trying to embrace the ocean... but sea do not wish to be trapped in....its flowing out...out of the city's reach...
such epiphanies hit me like waves when i am right there....at dusk...sky shutting down for the day but mumbai's night life just beginning...on one side its all dark...& on the other, there is light flooding my eyes...making me squint..
the very famous Queen's Necklace appears right before my eyes and i feel special simply because i was born here...in the city that made me competitive right from day one... there was only one incubator & three babies... who would get it... the one that cries the most..so i cried as much as my prematurely born body could bear... that competitive edge still helps me...i do not cower when i face competition. it exhilarates me..brings back my survival instincts...
this is the city that taught me how to carry myself around with confidence...
when i am feeling low, i remember the mantra 'Be Confident. Atleast pretend so if you are not..people here take a lot by its face value' and believe me it works every single time!!
With such thoughts in my mind, i sat down with Sonali & Shobha to take in the view. The day was too hazy & visibility very poor... we tried to huddle together so as not to disturb two other couples who sat on either side of us... but they didnt care about us being so close to them...they were plain engrossed if this word can define their state.. :)
There were giggly girls...there were hawkers selling Ice Creams.. There were joggers...sweating..There were dogs...panting... heat was unbearable..not even sea breeze could take the heat out of the air...but it was all worth it for the solitude it offered even when we were surrounded by hundreds of people...
Saw some cute guys...some of them were lolling around...one of them was reading some book, craning his neck...loved him!! next time i go there, i would carry my Jane Austin's with me..
i would fall in love with Mr.Darcy some more...
Saw Trident... it was a scene of horror an year ago when terrorist kept its inhabitants hostage...now its back to its hospitable self...times change, memories fade..clicked some photos..
Saw a Gucci store...promised Sonali that one day i would buy her something from this very shop...20 years may be it would take me to afford that...but thats ok...we are friends for lifetime..
i have some time to fulfill my promise...
my legs were killing me & i wasnt even wearing my pointed heels!!!! it was then that we halted for a breather that we reaslized how far we all had come chatting & checking out guys.. (come on! we three single gals... its our birth right!!)
Air India's Maharaja welcomed us with his whiskers the moment we turned to go back...
saw 'Not Just Jazz By the Bay'... yeah yeah you could have named it 'come-here-to-sing-karaoke-and-giggle-uncontrollably' (Thats what atleast i did last time i went there) & it still would have been easy to pronounce & remember....
Took a cab to save our legs for Monday..i played one song that always comes to my mind these days when i am in car..rushing with speed...Kya Karoon from Wake Up Sid.. Sonali & Shobha couldnt hear it properly thanks to my phone & blaring horns outside..i did feel like Ranbeer Kapoor though.... free from all the worries about tomorrow, free from all the tangled past...only if i could stand & get my head out from the roof of the car...suddenly remembered it was a rented cab...not a Chevy.. :( Promised myself that one day, i would have my own glass roofed car...i would ask my husband (or driver..depends!) to drive it & i would get my head & hands out of the roof to taste the breeze..its more intimate than when you feel it in intervals...
we were as hungry as hyenas but couldnt see a place to eat... so we decided to head towards CST station... formerly Victoria Terminus... for me personally, this name suited the building the best...It was after all erected by the British. Its a heritage building... Its new name Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus dont do justice either to Shivaji maharaj or the terminus...the building stands there like a newly wed whose name was changed as per her in-law's whims & never was asked if she liked it..
we visited Fashion Street...now that used to be the Milan of Mumbai...as a kid, i roamed these streets...looking out for good bargains that i could show off in college or school the next day...this street gave me my first sport shoes...& my first pointed heel stilettoes...
There is no brand that can ride on popularity unless its fake copy appears on this street first...you get addidas, puma, nike, chanel, M&S, Pepe Jeans...you name it & this street has it..
it was also notorious for duping foreigners...a fake M&S would cost you 300 INR here..but it will be sold in 1000 INR to the first-timer looking firangi... "British ne hamko 100 sal luta...ab thoda hum lootenge to kya hogtoa' once a shopkeeper had told me sheepishly when i scolded him for bringing wrong name to India with such treachery... i tried telling him that the Firangi wasnt a British..it was an American..but white skin irrespective of its origin suddenly make them fall under the same category as The British.
Those who think Indians suck at English as a spoken language should visit this street sometimes and see these shopkeepers haggling with firangis. Not even call center trainers can train their so called well educated trainees this fast & this fluent...
at the end of the fashion street, we crossed the road and entered a small lane....i suddenly felt as if i was entering a supremely made set of some spooky film...old barren heritage buildings without any lights inside made me creep out. The road was dug up till its sides..some of the street lights werent working...almost every building had a hallowed look that you read about in Dan Brown's book...there were peepal & banian trees around...i recalled my mom telling me about hungry & unsatisfied spirits waiting on such tree tops to see gals like me, walking slowly with her hair open on shoulders...then they smile a wicked smile & jump on them to inhabit their bodies to carry out their half finished deeds... i urged Sonali & Shobha to walk faster...they merely gave me an impatient look & continued with same pace... i saw a couple walking slowly, oblivious to the spookiness around...their hands interwoven..they were enjoying the silence & dimness around..GOD! Love really really makes you blind... i was grateful when the street ended and once more i could hear the hustle bustle of the city...
we went to Canon then.. the famous Pav Bhaji jaunt thats running for more than decades...i used to come here with my papa when i were really small.... a plate of Pav Bhaji was an yearly reward for well earned marks...i cherished them so much... all those feelings rushed to me...
we ate in silence...downed it by Slice... A cute guy stood next to us, eating Pav Bhaji...checked him out for some time...he had curly hair..a clean complexion...and a decent height.. no sight of paunch...he was looking ecstatic as he reached for his Pav Bhaji time & again... there was no hurry in his actions...i was about to add him on my Cutie of the Day list is when he decided to pick his nose... ewwww mentally crossed his name out of list.... Guys!!! Sometimes they look so good...worth taking some trouble to look at...then one action & everything goes back to being the primeval cave man with no manners!!!!
as we patted our full stomach & turned saw another spooky building... its Grandfather clock reminded me of one TV show that i used to watch from behind my quilt...i used to be so scared of the clock..one of the villagers used to drop dead the moment it would chime 7.30 PM...i used to be too interested to know who dropped dead (whole day i would pray for the one fellow i loved to look at...) to let it go...my parents would laugh at my defense- an age old quilt sewn by my grand mom when i was 1 & 1/2 years old...her last gift to me before she died.. these grown ups!! they would never know that my grandmom's quit would have literally saved me from the demon in the TV that killed people when the clock ticked its way to 7.30...
Me & Sonali bid goodbye to Shobha & took a cab to Churchgate station. Saw a v.v. cute Firangi...
photographing the same spooky building with drapes all over & a grandfather's clock perched in between... chuckled & let Sonali know... she rolled her eyes...wished that one day i could find one like that for me...who can drive me around in Chevy...wow God bless her!
and finally it was time to say good bye to Sonali & to the day... :)
its not the first time that i visited town...its been there...an inseparable part of my childhood & growing up years...i came here with my papa to just roam around in summer vacations, with my cousins to buy old battered copies of books in measly sum, with my friends to invade the fashion street, with my neighbors to show them around the real mumbai & sometimes alone just to wander about where noone would give me a second look...or ask my score in SSC...or my designation at work... loved those days...got a glimpse of it back after so many years...
should thank Sonali & Shobha for arranging this... :)
God! its late! :)
PS: First thing that came to mind when i saw Marine Drive today was Konkona Sen Sharma in Wake up Sid... didnt in the end she come here at the Marine Drive to experience her first rains in bombay? its when Sid actually wakes up & confesses his feelings....rain starts pouring & they hug each other for the eternity in love...
had cried buckets in theater when i saw the movie...
now standing there...i understood why it wasnt any other place chosen for their reconciliation....there is something in the air here.... is hawan me hi kuch baat hai... ;)
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