Rainy day...

Rains… sheets of water… falling like the sky had burst out… 26^th July… the day that Mumbai will never forgot is also a day that made me realize the strength of a “common” man, of a true Mumbaikar; so it is one of the best rainy experiences for me….

We were stuck in office… Frantic phone calls ensued and a tense atmosphere enveloped us all. People were ready to walk home as they couldn’t bear to wait in anticipation… it was a long night…

As we started receiving the updates of how Mumbai was coping with the disaster we went from shock to surprise to pride… The roads were filled, people were walking back home in neck deep water… And as the typical nature of government any sort of action was certainly absent… but Mumbaikars are self made and we heard stories of how food was provided to people trying to walk home, how help was given to anyone with complete disregard to own safety… Mumbai carried on… And within two days was back on its feet…

This was the night that I realized, that even though this age is termed as “Kalyug” we still have these brave souls, people with spirit to enlighten you, touch your life without any boisterous promises or burning “buses” in the name of religion and culture…

And though this was a very tragic day I will always remember it with pride.

Punekar (In love with Mumbai)

Learning to fly...

I like to drive… even with all the crazy traffic and no-rules roads in Pune… I like to drive…
I am a late bloomer … Long after all my friends were pros at the wheel, I bought my Activa… and needless to point that my dear Dhanno had her first crash 3 days later… she survived unscratched but then my confidence was bruised… all my friends told me that it is just not my piece of cake…. Now on the road I was more conscious of the other vehicles then my bike or the fact that I’m the one controlling it… oh… that bike is too close… I’m definitely going to dash into that bus… and if there is anything on four wheels behind, I prayed that the brakes on it were working… I didn’t enjoy the rides then… so I ventured into one only when needed…
But then Pune teaches you to drive the way no teacher could… the hurdle race in the city makes you an expert at getting through tiny spaces, avoiding skirmishes and the best skill is not having any scratches on the bike at the end of the day… Routine lessons went on and unknowingly I was learning the skill… One fine day I had to go to a friend’s place 20 kms away and all my friends were going on bikes… I got mine too assuming there would be a spare driver to take me through the ordeal (as we always have one extra boy who is without a bike and does the honours)… but Mr. Murphy decided to bless me and I had to drive…. We started at 1 pm in the afternoon via the highway…. I was petrified…. But didn’t want my friends to think I couldn’t do this… Here came the surprise…. The highway was empty… there were no vehicles as far as the eye could see… as I drove on I started to loosen up and feel the breeze for the first time… I saw the speedometer move to from 50 ahead and the bike was completely stable… I was in control and flying… I can hear my heartbeat and feel the rhythm of the wind… This feeling changed driving for ever… On getting there all I wanted to do was get back… feel the breeze…ride away…
Now I drive to office every day, sometimes there is very heavy traffic, sometimes rains, times when I see people driving past the red light or someone just about to make a stupid regrettable mistake, I watch people get frustrated… I watch people in utmost hurry… but me… I like to drive…!

Hi Me...

Sometimes it takes simply a chocolate bar…. Sometimes a SRK movie… Sometimes going through old mails…. Sometimes riding a bike… Sometimes going to the temple……. Lots of things to do to make me feel better, lighter and not so alone… when I am…. Alone…!!

But nothing is as good as spending time with good friends… doing nothing… or sharing sob stories… gossiping, cribbing, chai, coffee, tapri etc.

I have more than a 100 people in my orkut or gmail or any other contact list… I have got friends around the world….. Technology seems to have brought people closer… just a scrap or ping away…. How much easier can it be to connect…??
And as said… content matters more than the wrapping… all of my friends are gems… Just very fortunate to meet wonderful people at different crossroads in life and have them become an integral part of it…

Staying in a different country away from parents and family also makes me thank the telecommunications industry… you miss someone... Just call (international maybe costly… but who’s complaining :))…. Everyone is a phone call away….

And as you go to new places your friends list simply expands… and new people seep into your life…

30th November 2008, 11 pm… Waterfront, Wellington… listening to a ‘newly added’ friend recount his ‘love story’… I suddenly realized…. I’m alone… with all that technology can offer… with that very large contact list…with a whole family thinking about me and missing me for lot of occasions… I’m alone….
This is the loneliness that doesn’t go away even when I’m surrounded by people… Like a shadow it follows me around… sometimes engulfs me… sometimes makes me run…

That day however I let the feeling be… not fighting it… not pushing it away… not agonizing over it…. I let it pass….. I felt calm… like everything is settling down…
And then I was not alone… I was with ‘Me’… I could hear the little voice inside and I knew, loneliness is one more reason to connect to “You” and say “Hi Me”… :)

Hello..!!

Riding in a car... chatting with friends….enjoying the “green” view… listening to Kishore…

Mac: You girls always trouble me a lot... from tomorrow go by office bus… don’t come with me in my car…

Aps: ok ok… (With sly smile knowing Mac is just kidding… she never takes him seriously anyways)

Me: Nooooo.. Please Mac… I was just kidding… I like the extra sleep I get… (In my mind) I hope he is not serious… I don’t want to go by bus…. Why does this happen to me… why why…???

This is how my journey to the new office goes everyday (it has been a week now)…

Having moved to Hinjewadi office I have mini picnics (which refers to the ride to & fro) everyday… The location of the office makes me think that my company is taking employee ‘Health’ very seriously… It is in Hinjewadi phase 3… in the middle of nowhere (literally)… tiny hillocks on all sides, no pollution, fresh air 24/7 and to top it all, lifts are not installed yet… so ‘trek’ up five floors is everyday workout (at least twice a day as canteen is on ground floor)… Anyways the reason for writing this piece is twofold… firstly logging happy times is good practice, I really enjoy coming to this office… Secondly if God calls up (dunno how he got my number)... it is something that you have to record…. But as He started talking my head was trying to figure whose silly prank this must be…

Stop it… He said... stop thinking and listen to me for a change… He gave me verification to prove who he was (which cannot be disclosed... security reasons)…. Well my mind accepted ‘This is God’… and as soon as it did, being the cribbing kind, started compiling a list for Him… it started with… well ‘Why’...

But before I could commence He started…….. Cribbing……

God: Why do you think Shahrukh Khan is God?

Me: Oh that… I don’t... I just say that... I don’t mean it… I just love him that’s all…

God: Well does he listen to all the cribbing you do?

Me: Mmm…

God: Why is that you don’t think of him when you are in trouble…??

Me: Hmm... well... I…

God: Last month you didn’t want to go to Hinjewadi… coz you liked driving your bike to office…. And cribbing session lasted a week… so I started working on the problem…

Me: Ya… but I didn’t know… wait…working on….??

God: Two weeks later your friends planned their move to Hinjewadi… and then you wanted to go too… Another 10 days of cribbing… so I had to undo all the meddling I had done… and rework... do u like to rework... coz customer didn’t know what he wanted..????

Me: You meddled too...

God: What did you think… things just happen…? I have to meddle in people’s heads to give other people what they want…

Me: You do that… now I know… you meddler…

God: So what… now that you are having a good time going to office… enjoying the view… again Shahrukh Khan is God… why why… (He is imitating me…)

Me: I just saw DDLJ over the weekend… Hangover…

God: Hangover… Really… Anyway a week in the new office and you start cribbing again…

Me: I didn’t crib…

God: ‘Why do I have to wake up at 7.45…why why..’ (Repeat 20 times… 5 mornings in a row)… what do you call that…

Me: Lack of sleep…

God: Oh… trying to be smart… you need to be fixed…

Suddenly Mac cut into the conversation and the call got disconnected…

Mac (teasing me): So you would be going by the office bus at 8 am from tomorrow… instead of coming by my car... Good luck… Get up on time or you will miss the bus…

Me (in my head): Oh my God (literally)... He is meddling... Stop cribbing... Stop cribbing…



Moral: Don’t annoy the Big Guy with little problems... He is also trying to do his best I guess…

PS: This does not mean I stopped cribbing… just trying hard not to…

Me, my leg and....

How to break a leg…..

Walk down a road and think of something other than the road… that’s all it takes… in my case the road was empty… No… there were no vehicles or people or animals… and yet I fell… and this was no ordinary fall… as my leg finally decided to protest against all the extra kgs I make it carry around nowadays…
So spraining itself, my leg tried to put me into a very good 1 month rest, as the doctor very eagerly wanted to put plaster for a month…. I tried to protest… but I lost...
So here I was with Dynaplast, which is supposed to be a better version of the normal plaster of paris... well trust me… I have no experience with the latter but this is no good either…. There can be no good/easy/comfortable way of carrying extra luggage with you all the time….
Now patience is a virtue I do not posses and sometimes… ok most of the time impatience takes over my mind… so even though my leg is not all better… but just the fact that it granted me the permission to walk I took the liberty to start jumping around… driving my new bike.. which by the way is very heavy.. I also went for a 5 day summer camp… along with the dynaplast.. oh it was so much fun… and ya my leg was not too happy about it… but you see I had promised it that I would rest… a lot after coming back…. but when I came back I tried to do more for the leg then I should have… see I thought, my leg went into such a bad state after a simple sprain simple due the heavy load I’m subjecting it to… so I should take exercising seriously… and so I started going to the ‘Tekdi’(which is a small hill for the uninitiated).. the leg hurt… but I kept telling it that this is for your own good.. this is what would be beneficial in the long run… and I meant that…. But my leg… Just wanted to get back at me…
So one fine day… walking down the hill… simply walking… doing nothing special… I fall….
And this time my leg gave me a dose of real pain… pain… oh my god pain… it was the grandmother of all the pain I have ever felt in my life………..the…. ok ok.. I will stop... but I’m not exaggerating …it was horrible…..
And well this time my leg made sure I could move for a month at least….. So here I am… posting this blog… sitting at home… giving my leg royal massages…. Hoping that this time the rest would be enough for His Highness to grant me permission to jump around…!!

My first blog..!!

Sometimes I have so much to say and yet words just seem to fade away in my mind... Being the sort of person who defines a 'talkathon', this state of mind is rather diffcult for me.. I dont know what to do... Once a friend of mine asked me to trying writing... I did... and suprisingly well... I just found out that I'm not that bad at putting thoughts to paper... This is my attempt to ensure that I dont lose touch with that side of me... !!

Mumbai... Now & Then!

3 yrs back I came to Mumbai… and like all transitions in life this one too was not easy…. Back then home meant only Pune… but now……

Then: Local Trains… just when u think one more person cannot get into... at least 5 manage to…
Now: Local Trains… just when u think one more person cannot get into... at least 5 manage to…yet these are the life lines of Mumbai…. Any number of bomb blasts, floods, accidents cannot stop them…!!

Then: Traffic…. Long line of non-moving vehicles that seem to stay there forever…
Now: Traffic…. Long line of non-moving vehicles that seem to stay there forever…well one needs to plan his travel according to it… otherwise there is no way to avoid them… which makes every Mumbaite great at time management… it probably can lead to inventing ‘stuck-in-traffic-activities’..

Then: Every place is so far away…
Now: Every place is so far away… yet people manage to make it to every occasion, whether it is visiting friends/relatives or simply having to watch a movie in a theatre two hours away… they are never too tired or too bored but always ready to move on…

Then: This place is full of slums…
Now: This place is full of slums… which are right next to breathtaking skyscrapers, beautiful architectures…. Yet nothing looks out of place…. Nothing seems to tarnish the beauty of the place…

Then: People… Busy, running, spending their life traveling…
Now: People… Busy, running, spending their life traveling…yet never thinking of any other place as home… Taking everything coming their way with a smile, sharing and caring even in the most disastrous times… not waiting for authorities during calamities but helping each with whatever is possible…

Then: The city that never sleeps…
Now: The city that never sleeps… as the spirit of Mumbai is undying and ever-growing…. Thinking back on what I used to imagine Mumbai to be and how I see it now after staying there for 3 years, I realize that this is not just one more metropolitan city in India (where Shahrukh Khan lives) for me….

Now it is Home…!!