Some recent movies - Through the eyes of a layman

For sometime I have been wondering about the topics, which I am inclined to write on. A lot of soul searching later I figured, why not write about something which I have been doing a lot of lately i.e. watching Hindi movies (courtesy my wife, mostly). My guess is I have seen almost all Hindi movies which have been released in the recent past, except maybe the ones of the horror genre (again, since my better half isn’t too partial to their ilk - understatement).

In any case, I am not about to review these movies; firstly, I have no clue about the technical nuances of movies and secondly, since I am not even 1/100th part creative compared to the guys who make these movies. Hence, it would be rather presumptuous and preposterous (more so) of me if I were to pass a judgment about these movies. Hence, I would limit myself to a commoner’s viewpoint of these movies, and what I liked and disliked about them. I would also limit myself to the last few movies which I have seen without any specific time period.

A Wednesday: The best movie I have seen in a very long time, and no. I am not saying that in hindsight after the Mumbai terror arracks. I have seen this movie much before the terror attacks on 26/11 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought forth a lot of contentious topics to the fore, in forms of civilian vigilantism, the rigid thought process and machinery of the upholders of the legal system, the limited authority of the law enforcers to deal with extraordinary situations etc. Without going into the pros and cons of these issues, which have now been discussed threadbare after the recent events in Mumbai, the movie amazed me with the detailed research that had been put into its making. The creators and the protagonists of the movie covered almost all aspects that can be associated with such events though there may be different schools of thought about the sequence of events resulting in the culmination of the movie. Naseeruddin Shah (played the role of the common man to perfection and Anupam Kher (the very believable and forthright police commissioner) were at their most amazing bests. The fact that this movie exposes the rebellious strains of thought that we all have, but choose nothing to do about, is to my mind what makes it a mind-blowing view.

Mumbai Meri Jaan: One of the best movies that I have seen in the recent times. What was very striking for me in the movie was the portrayal of policemen in the movie, their angst at the impotence of the system whose very fundamentals which they are supposed to uphold and their gradual resignation to their fate. The dithering of a common man about boarding a local train post the 07/11 blasts, was portrayed very vividly and it definitely struck a chord with me (I couldn’t also dare to board the Mumbai local trains for a considerable amount of time, at least a week, and when I finally did, I was very scared and conscious of the surroundings). Also, the virtues of tolerance towards all religions were put forth very subtly, minus any jingoism and definitely without a deliberate attempt to make that a central theme of the movie. For me, Paresh Rawal, was the virtuoso performer in this movie, very ably supported by Irrfan Khan (this man simply amazes me in all the roles he plays), Kay Kay Menon (likewise), Madhavan and Soha Ali Khan (Just to name a few).

Rock On: A movie very close to my heart, made me remember my initiation to rock music during my college days and the great times which me and my friends had college. Also, was especially heart warming since the movie released right after a trip with my friends to Goa and all the imagery of those fun filled college days and the sense of emptiness without all of them was brought to the fore. Awesome performance by all the actors especially Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar (Brilliant debut – pretty good singing and acting at the same time). A movie for friends and rock lovers, with influences of Dil Chahta Hai and Jhankar Beats, methinks.

Dostana: I thought it was a very funny movie with no pretensions of sending out a social message etc. The movie was full of laughs and Priyanka Chopra (hot, hott, hottt). A very stylish movie, my only crib was the very minimal role of Boman Irani. I thought an actor of his caliber was absolutely wasted in the cameo given to him. John looked good as usual (with a bit of exposure too) and Abhishek was macho, but Priyanka stole the limelight, the best she has ever looked and that’s saying something

Golmaal Returns: An out and out comedy with Tusshar Kapoor (I hope I haven’t missed any “s” or “k” in his name) being the out and out best performer. Very slapstick, but very enjoyable (for the non snooty crowd, at least). Still, like all sequels, left a bit of an empty feeling as though it didn’t live upto the first film.

Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye: An understated comedy and Abhay Deol’s straight faced acting without trying to be outright funny is a revelation. Paresh Rawal is very good as usual and isn’t boring even in 3 avatars.

Sorry Bhai: Sorry Bhai, didn’t think much about the movie. The saving grace was it didn’t turn out to be a brother sacrificing his love for brother (Saajan etc.) type which I was petrified it would be. Chitrangada Singh is amazingly beautiful while Sharmaan Joshi has got too associated (stereotyped) with comic roles to ever appear serious now. Boman and Shabana Aazmi appear to be a cut above the rest in their limited roles.

Dil Kabbaddi: Awesome movie about marriage and the state of flux relationships are always in and what makes them so special. It touches slightly on the complexity of interpersonal relationships and misunderstandings and how silence may not always be golden. Again an awesome performance by Irrfan Khan (He lights up the screen with his presence) and nice performances too by Soha Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Rahul Bose (Very awkward and shy). The movie talks about mid life crisis and dilemmas (not something which I have experienced yet and hence can’t comment on) and is a very enjoyable watch (For people who like both A Wednesday and Welcome genres of movies).

Fashion: Very presumptuous, very stereotyped (almost all men associated with the fashion industry are gay), somewhat racist (his portrayal of blacks) and very predictable (the ending), definitely not one of Madhur Bhandarkar’s best. In my humble opinion maybe he needs to explore a different genre of movies, but I am just an ill informed viewer.

Quantum of Solace: The only new English movie I watched recently and wasn’t too impressed. I am clearly a member of the old school who loves the suave and debonair Pierce Brosnan as Bond….. James Bond. Daniel Craig is good, but he is too athletic and in my opinion too raw to be a Bond. I do not watch Bond as just another action movie; I would rather watch Rambo, Rocky, Terminator, XXX et al. if I were to equate Bond with an action movie. Also, Quantum of Solace necessitated a keen watch of Casino Royale, in the recent past at that, to make any sense of what was happening. Can we have our old Bond back please?

Other than these, there were some which I missed; EMI, Phoonk etc. I am planning to catch up with the expected releases of Rab Ne Bana Di jodi, Ghajini etc. and write about them in the near future.

Also, since I have had the opportunity to watch only Hindi movies, would love someone to update this post with some recent English movies and which of them are in the “Must watch” category. Till then, have a good time and happy movies.

Random Thoughts - 2

These lines are a combo of my thoughts on Monday mornings inside the famed mumbai trains (Yes, my love affair with them continues still). Do lemme know how bad they were.. :D

(Travelling) with a 1000 people in a crowded train,
Feels like life’s going down the drain,
60,000 thoughts cluttering my brain,
90% of ‘em dull, it adds to the strain,
(Got) no purpose in life, all spent in vain,
No desire to fulfill, just feeling the pain,
Feels like the urge to live has been slain,
“Adjustments in life” is the common refrain,
Can’t hear no music, no joys to gain,
Have lost the purpose of living, which is main.

(Traveling) with a 1000 people in a crowded train,
Feels like life’s going down the drain,
Wrinkled shirt, battered shoes,
Fighting Monday morning blues,
The dreary routine is tightening like a noose,
No reason to be happy, partying is just a ruse,
Screaming at all, blowing the short fuse,
No purpose in life, is what I muse.

But, then I look out of the window,
The sun’s on its way down,
There are clouds in the distance,
Can feel the rains hiding in that silver gown,
They seem to glow, like a bejeweled crown,
Like a starlet stepping into tinsel town,

The clouds have covered the sky,
We stare heavenwards, our thoughts awry,
Waiting in anticipation, no more reason to die,
(The rain) will soothe our thoughts, as we let out a sigh,

The heavens open up, it’s raining hard,
A storm starts to pick up, like music by a bard,
The trees bend down, like a house of card,
I stand on the doorway, like a solitary guard,

The rain gets me drenched,
My deathly thirst, finally gets quenched,
The suffocating heat, finally gets lynched,
The heats gone away, under the ground it cringed,
No more getting burnt, no more getting singed,
In the driving raindrops I binged.

For the "LARGER" Good of the Game

Hi People,

I’m back with a blog after ages. My pc and net have been acting up for some time and hence I couldn’t contribute my to pence to the creative inputs of you all fellow bloggers.

I thought I should also try and be opinionated on the Chappel – Ganguly controversy. That in other word means that I had nothing better to do. Now that the BCCI (Board of Criminals and Corrupt Individuals) have managed to work out a compromise between the Captain and the Coach, I thought it would be interesting to figure out how best they could work together for the “Larger” Interest of Indian cricket.

So here are the 10 best ways Ganguly and Chappel can serve the “Larger” Interest of Indian cricket best.

1) Both should not have anything to do with any kind of cricket and play pool (They look happiest doing that)

2) Make a movie called “League of Hard Headed Gentlemen” (????)

3) Try their hand in Public Interest Litigation (They managed to dig up so much dirt about each other in such a short span of time!!!!! Should scare the defaulting parties to their wit’s end)

4) Be a part of a terrorist organization (The world would be a safer place to live what with their penchant for keeping secrets)

5) Join Indian politics / BCCI (They managed to create so many factions within only 14 players. Imagine what they will do among a large gathering. Any party would give its right arm to install one of them in the rival camp)

6) Be the Secretary General of the UN (Both would be much more outspoken than Kofi Annan and put America in it’s place)

7) Play TT / Tennis (the way allegations and counter allegations are being thrown at each other is fascinating to watch)

And, if they choose to be still in the sport:

8) Ganguly should try his hand at playing for the Indian Juniors cricket team. (With his present form he would be lucky to be a part of that team for long)

9) Be the first Indian Non playing Captain (That way he can still be the Captain of the team, the deserving get to play and Chappel is happy also as he can make everybody work their asses off).

10) Schedule all tours against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya and maintain a great Win ratio and be the most successful captain and coach of all time.

You are also requested to put in your two bits of suggestions in order to resolve the issue at hand. Till then adios amigos (Dunno the female form of Amigos. Can anybody help?).

BTW, say the inaugural race of A1, the other day. True to the character of Indian sport, we came one of the last. Get some Delhi cabbies / Mumbai auto drivers. They’ll surely do better.

P.S:

2 cents of Shalz (all seriously funny):

1. Both should write books on why silence is golden,they have great experience in this matter;)

2. Open public laundry rooms,will save electricity,water,and also they seem to have plenty of dirty linen amongst them.Will also provide ocassional entertainment for the media.

3.Both can take up duelling,as an alternate sporting career.Just make sure they have real weapons ;))

Random Thoughts

Hi People,

Was feeling very bored and down today, so just put a few random lines down and tried to rhyme them. It is not an effort at any serious poetry. Hope none of the serious poets get offended.

Feeling like I am lost in a crowd
With no reason to be found
Nothing I have done which makes me proud
Dark thoughts, my senses shroud
Such dull pain, the feeling so profound
Like from the seventh heaven I have hit the ground
Can`t hear nothing, no sweet sound
Like in a well of despair I have drowned
Feels like with a wreath of spikes, I have been crowned,
Like on a stake I`ve been gagged and bound
Like a hammer my head begins to pound
Like I'm being pursued by a ferocious hound

I feel afraid and I look to the heavens,
In the hope of salvation & forgiveance,
(Suddenly) Descends on me a feeling of reverence
I can smell flowers & their sweet fragrance
Seems like I am in trance
I feel so light, as if on the air i can dance
Like sprightly deers I can prance
And I realise I've got another chance

To live life to the full & not worry about the could have beens
That there is a lot of goodness that I haven`t seen
Lifes not just `bout a bed of rose
Itz `bout smiling thru the deepest woes
And still being happy is the key
And thatz wot I`m going to to be
To be glad and carefree....

Addendum : Am stuck in office tonite due to the torrential rains in Mumbai.... GOD knows how we are gonna get home. Gives me another inspiration for a blog. Will write about it when I get the time.

THE BATTLE ROYALE - GDFOs ROCKERS Vs ZALZ PLAYAS

Dear Bloggers,

A different kind of a post this time. Me and a fellow blogger http://o3.indiatimes.com/shalz_space were discussing about soccer and who are the present day footballers who rock around the clock.

We decided to come up with a list of 20 of our favourite players (playing now). When we came up with the list we found that quite a few of our choices were identical.

We then decided to take it one level further and pit a team of players from my 20 favourite players against a team from Shalz’s 20 favourite players. The rules for the game will be the same as any soccer match. Each side has eleven players and 3 substitutes allowed. Both teams will play in a 4-3-3 Formation. The match is going to be played in Stadio Delle Alpi, Juventus’ home stadium (decided by me as I am posting this :D).

All we need you to do is to vote which team is going to win this BATTLE ROYALE. Below mentioned are the starting line ups and the substitutes.

GDFO’s ROCKERS V/S ZALZ PLAYAS

Goalkeeper:

Petr Cech GianLuigi Buffon

Defenders:

William Gallas Paolo Maldini
John Terry Alessandro Nesta
Rio Ferdinand Fabio Cannavaro
Carlos Puyol Gianluigi Zambrotta

Midfielders:

Zinedine Zidane Kaka
Francesco Totti Michael Ballack
Pavel Nedved Frank Lampard

Forwards:

Andriy Shevchenko Ronaldinho
Samuel Eto’o Adriano
Thierre Henry Hernan Crespo

Substitutes:

Luis Figo Pablo Aimar
Roy Keane Andrea Pirlo
Ronaldo Wayne Rooney

The other great players who found a mention in our lists but haven’t featured in the line ups are as follows:

Oliver Kahn, Dida, Lillian Thurram, Xabi Alonso, Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Please do let us know if there are any other players who could have featured in these present day greats list.

Looking forward to a great match and a hell of a lot of votes and comments from you all.

So, without any further ado, let the games begin and may the best team win. Onward to Battle, my men…………………………..

Shalz:
gdfo, :D since one is my team, i can't vote, but let's see ur Rockers against my Playas:D and delle alpi eh:D why not san siro ;) C'monnnnnnnnnn Zalz Playas!!!!!

AngelzFear:

Oh My GOD, I first saw Maldini and plumped for that team...but then I saw Zidane and Nedved in the opposite team....the pendulum swung....but them Andriano and Ronaldinho tilted the balance again.... All boiled down to the reserves....Ronaldo, Figo and Keane ...this team has some real depth....Zidane..Nedved..Ronaldo...Figo..Tottie...its got to be this team.... ROCKERS....ROCCKEEERS...ROOOOOCCCKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Btw...Has Beckham gone down so much???

Rpramod:

With defenders from Italy and forwards from Brazil - no other team can come close - PLAYAS for me. Go Shalz!!!!!!!

Shilpa:

gdfo....very unique post indeed....i do like Zinedine Zidane thanks 2 my crazy bro...but i wud say Go Nesta!! for obvious reasons :"> So GO ZHALZZZZZZZZZZZ:)

Sunny:

I like Zidane a lotttt....but also Ronaldinho....& Alessandro...&......err...Fantistico Kaka too!!....So, my vote goes to Z Playas!....Go Shalzzzzz!! :)

Guys... where are you???? Ain't seeing many votes???? Wazzup.... Vote for me... I`m losing 3 : 1...

Leon_Nerd:

I don't know much about the ratings in soccer. I hope the better team wins. BUt I too have a preference ;) GDFO’s ROCKERS WILL WIN !!!!!!!!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ROCKERS GOOOOO !!!!

Guy on black YBX:

Hiya pal, aint dat gud follower of dis game, thats good idea to play :-D but do know few names :P, let me see Zinedine Zidane , Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Francesco Tottie, Paolo Maldini huh these are the guys how i know in both teams and the team containing more than 2 of these names will win :p, thats how am calculating. so lets c who will be the winner for me, for me GDFO’s ROCKERS is the winner, cheer up pal :D. Naveen

Naresh:

Hey deb, i wonder why you guys insist on pulling out Zidane & Nedved out of retirement. Same for the likes of Thuram, Figo, Kahn... They are mostly yesterday's news. On the looks of it, i'd vote for GDFO... For all the Brazilians upfront and the Italians stuffed at the back, (shrewdly done!) Zalz got a bunch of workhorses in midfield. No match against the likes of Zizou n' Pavel in that part of the pitch. And the game is won in mid-field

Thx guyz... mez up 2... 4:3 now... But wr r da rest?? ain`t many peepz in2 soccer these days..... Waitin` for those votes.....

Prasad:

Dammm itz too close man.....but me hav to go wit GDFO's rockers.... my analysis for the decision.....both teams are equally matched in defending and FWD's.... well GDFO has in my view a clear advantage in the midfield where the playmaker comes into play and Nedved and Roy Keane surpass everyone..... Nedved.......Henry......GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Flaash:

Ok. Let me make a tough decison here Petr Cech Vs Buffon .......hmm I prefer Buffon (viva zalz!) Rio Ferdinand vs Maldini..hmm Ferdinand (dont like those Italians too much neway) (viva rockers) Kaka ballack lampard on midfield ; no question a better combo (viva zalz again!!) Henry Vs Adriano ..hmm hmmm tough choice (Henry plays for Arsenal -my team! so Henry it is ) (viva rockers)..sentimental decision Rockers have Keane, Figo, Ronaldo for substitution..hmmm ..mm any day bettr than Rooney n co (viva rockers ) Sorry Zalz ; Rockers it is !!!! cheers flaash (psssttt...GTFO had promised me a full bottle Scotch for voting for him. Zalz u got a better offer???I'm like a mercenary for alcohol)

Dabbu:

Hi getdfunkout, Hmmmmm, tough call to vote..........my mind says GDFO’s ROCKERS but heart say ZALZ PLAYAS. So, i will go with ZALZ PLAYAS

The outcome: 6-4 for GDFO's Rockers

The week that was - Ending 05/05/2005

Hi bloggers,

It’s been a while since I’ve put up a new post. Have been quite busy actually. Firstly my computer broke down. Then I was away on training for a week. In between all that, managed to catch up on Wimbledon matches, Confederations Cup, Nat West trophy & F1 to name a few.

No surprises however like the last time. Federer won Wimbledon. Maybe next year he should play blindfolded. The odds on him winning still will not be too large I think. He absolutely dismantled each and everybody along the way. What must irritate his opponents would be the fact that he won every match without breaking into a sweat.

Also Bhupathi – Pearce won the Mixed Doubles Finals. Great show by them. From being an unseeded team to win the finals of Wimbledon is really glorious.

Brazil won Confederations Cup. Good revenge for them after the 3-1 drubbing they received months earlier at the hands of the other finalists i.e. Argentina. However, both the teams were very scratchy on their way to the finals particularly Brazil. However, in the finals the moment Adriano scored the first goal the fate of the match was sealed.

Great news for England though. They showed brilliant fight back abilities to get a tie after coming back from the dead to jointly win the Nat West trophy. They displayed a strength of character hitherto attached only with the Aussies. Reminded me of India’s win over England in the same tournament couple of years back. This year’s Ashes might throw up quite a few surprises methinks.

Last but definitely not the least, the French GP. Firstly it was a relief to see 20 cars on the race track. Alonso was deservedly a winner. To lead from start to finish in a race definitely takes some doing. Wonderful performance by Kimi too. To come from 13th in the grid and claim a second position and consistently going faster than Michael Schumacher in no mean feat.

Michael was stuck behind Trulli for such a long time enabling Alonso to get away to a huge lead very comfortably. Michael should have tried a bit harder to get past trulli and catch up with Alonso in the first few laps.

What pained me most was to see Ferrari being out thought on strategy by Mclaren. Also, Ferrari needs to pull their act together and fast if they are going to have any semblance of a chance of winning the constructors this year. At this moment, the chances of the same are looking very bleak indeed.

Enough has already been said about Ferrari and Bridgestone not being up to the mark this season. Michael now needs to be a put his head down and just use his driving skills to make a difference to a race. After all he is not the greatest driver of this era just because of having only a wonderful piece of machinery. As the saying goes, “When going gets tough, the tough get going”.

C’mon Michael, u can and will make a difference. Millions of Tifosi are looking forward to you for the same.

Forza Ferrari. Arrivederci competition. (I hope I got the spelling right). Until next time, astalavista baby.

Mumbai Trains - My travels (or is it travails?) on them - Part 2

Hi people,

The urge to blog is back and hence so am I. The week’s been OK. “Nothing great nothing sensational” as one of our teachers used to say. Last weekend was bad though what with Kimi (& Mclaren) winning. However, Ferrari are starting to rock. If he had a couple of more laps in hand Michael might have pipped Kimi at the post (who knows). Anyway, still a Ferrari 2 – 3 and maybe at `Polis 1 – 2. Saw the Argentina vs. Tunisia match of the confederations cup on the telly. Who knows what would have happened if Tunisia had scored their first penalty. Too many ifs and buts this week. But Bangladesh beat Australia. For me that’s the high point of the week. Will bring the Aussies back to Terra Firma for the time being.

Anyway, without any further ado, I move on to the next episode of my “encounters” with the Mumbai local trains. As already mentioned in my earlier post, I had had my first brush with the famed Mumbai locals during my previous visit to Mumbai.

I arrived in Mumbai, on 19th May 1999 for my MBA. My dad also came down from Delhi, for getting me set up. We had put up in the house of one of our dad’s friends nearby to college. Hence we didn’t have to travel anywhere by train on the first day of my return to Mumbai.

The next day dad was returning to Delhi and I had to shift to the place of a friend who was put up in Kandivali (For the uninitiated non-mumbaiites, the distance between my college and my residence was around 25 kms). I had to take my stuff and shift to his home on the evening of 20th May 1999.

I was carrying a suitcase and a bag (in those days a suitcase and a bag was enuff to carry all my prized possessions) and we boarded the train to Dadar from Ghatkoper. There were at least 100 people in that compartment and I had to board the train with a suitcase and a bag. Other people who were boarding the train with us were looking at us incredulously and maybe in their amazement some of them forgot to catch the train, because we got to board the train reasonably easily. As each station went the crowd increased and the looks of amazement of the co-passengers started turning into glares of hostility because of the roadblock my suitcase and bag were creating. Thankfully, we reached Dadar quickly enough not to get beaten up and my dad (in one of his most generous days) gave up the idea of traveling by train from Dadar to Kandivali and we took a cab instead.

The next day I had to embark upon the expedition to reach my college from Kandivali at 9.30 a.m in the morning. I woke up at 7.00 and thought I had enough time on my hand to get to college in time and maybe even have breakfast. How wrong I was!!!!!!!!

I left home at around 7.45 and went to the station. That I had to wait around 20 mins to get an autorickshaw to get me to the station is a different story altogether. I reached the station by 8.15 and stood in line for buying a monthly ticket (Second class was all I could afford then). In that serpentine queue there were at least 50 people waiting to get their monthly tickets. By the time I was the 5th guy in the queue, to my horror I saw the counter being closed (I asked the guy at the counter the reason and he nonchalantly pointed to a signboard where in one corner it was written that – to – time was time for counting cash).

Needless to say, there was a mad scramble amongst the people standing in that queue to join one of the other queues and in trying to be civil (i.e. not shoulder block or body check other people - actually not wanting to injure myself in the process), I found myself waiting again at the back of the queue at around the 50th position. While waiting I watched people bypassing the main queue and going directly to the ticket counter and getting their tickets in a jiffy. I asked the guy standing behind me (he ought to have been more irritated than me at these intrusions I presumed) what was happening, and he replied with a look of disgust that those were first class ticket holders and they get priority in queues. I stood their and started musing about the Marxist philosophies of equality and why all men should have the same level of earning (I kinda agreed with him then). Finally this time without any further mishaps I managed to get the ticket around 9.15 a.m.

I knew I had missed my first lecture and was really seething with disgust (more because of the missed opportunity to sleep 2 hours more, than because of my missed attendance). I stepped onto the platform and seemed lost in a sea of humanity. After waiting for 2 – 3 minutes a train came. I saw it from a distance and it seemed to me that it was filled to the brim then. How anyone else could get into that train was a question which remains unanswered till this date. When the train neared the platform, people started jumping off it (some crashing into the people waiting to catch it). Seeing that I shifted to the back of the teeming millions on the platform and thought I would save my teeth. As soon as the train stopped thousands of people started to jump into the compartment in front of me with vivid war cries like “Har Har Mahadev”, “Akramannnnnn”, “Jo bole so Nihaal” etc. I thought about letting the same go and catching the next train. (being unaware of the Mumbai ways I assumed the next one will be empty… stupid me). By the time the next train arrived, the platform had filled up again. Again the same story repeated.

To cut a long (sob) story short, it happened that I missed 4 trains and was in grave danger of missing my second lecture also (which was at 12.30 p.m.), so I decided to risk life and limb and stood close to the platform this time. Miraculously I avoided being hit being the UFOs (The people jumping off the incmoing train) and the milieu behind me pushed me into the compartment which had around 300 people inside. I stood jammed in there with both my feet off ground and resting on the shoulders of some fellow passengers. Believe me it didn’t at all feel like flying. Slowly came the harder task of figuring out which side Dadar platform was and being able to get down there. I remembered with much trepidation the last episode of missing the proper station (read my previous post). However, this time being familiar with the Mumbai ways, I asked around and stood with the people trying to get down at dadar and hence was pushed out off the train at dadar.

The second leg of the Journey (from dadar to college) was much easier (it was against the crowd some one told me) and reached college at around 12.20, met people who had suffered the same misfortune as me, missed lunch and went directly into the lecture hall.

The return journey was easier, because I had come to know what to expect. I was trying to figure out a way of beating the crowds and stay in a place which was forever against the crowds. I was informed that those places were in "town" (as Central and South Mumbai is popularly referred to) with astronomical rents and I couldn’t afford them. So I started looking for the easier alternative of getting an accomodation in the college hostel. I managed to get the same after a month of the same aforementioned traveling (by then I had already lost 9 kgs).

Thus ended my second episode of train travails in Mumbai. But the story goes on, Next week I’ll be back with more of my travelogues on the “Lifelines of Mumbai”. Till then keep bloggin’ and enjoy… Ciao all soon.

Mumbai Trains - My travels (or is it travails?) on them

Hi all,
Let me now move on to the initial events which I had wanted to write about on this blog. This has a far greater significance in some of our lives than “My Mouche - Or the lack of it”. I want to share with you all the part of my life and times spent on the Mumbai local trains.

I got my first experience of the Mumbai local trains in February 1999, when I had come down to Mumbai from Calcutta (It seems blasphemous to spell it as Kolkata) for my MBA GD and Interview. The day started of well when me and my cousin (he was working in Mumbai then) took a bus from Vile Parle to Ghatkoper. We boarded a BEST bus at around 10 a.m. and reached Ghatkoper after what seemed like an eternity (the time by my watch then was 12.00 but my paining backside spoke of quite a different length of time). Maybe it is because the BEST buses consider themselves to be the ON ROAD versions of the “Flying Rani”... (it flew over all the speed breakers encountered on the way). GOD knows why they are called Speed breakers in the first place. The driver seemed to get all charged up as soon as he saw one (maybe he saw too much of motocross on TV and played it with equal zeal in the umpteen video games parlors of Mumbai), or maybe he was the country cousin of Sandra Bullock / Keanu Reeves ( a la SPEED).

Anyway without dithering too much on the bus ride (Its a different matter altogether that just reminiscing about that ride made me shift in my chair thinking about the state of my backside then) lets move on to the main course, the Train ride back home.

The Interview went off quite well (or so i thought... and for a change i was proved right since i got my admission in the same institute) and i met my cousin at Kurla station. He took the tickets and we boarded a pretty empty train (I had seen the state of locals in Howrah station) from Kurla. We managed to get a seat (manna from heaven!!!!) and a group of young boys sitting just behind us started puffing away to glory right under the No smoking sign. Being a smoker myself (erstwhile) I wasn’t too concerned with it unlike the other passengers. We reached a station called Wadala Road and I got off the train to take another train to Vile Parle. Till then I had only changed Autos to get to any place and it was a new experience for me.

While crossing over from the Harbour Line to the Western Line (They were like Greek and Latin to me then), we encountered two Ticket Collectors who asked us to produce the tickets. My cousin whipped them out of his purse like John Wayne and with a smug smile showed it to them. The look on their faces first changed to consternation (After all who wants to miss out on two bakras waiting to be slaughtered, maybe they thought we actually had the tickets) and then to utter glee. It was vice versa with our expressions as we felt a sudden panic within. They informed us that we were on the wrong train and that instead of going from Kurla to Wadala and further on to Vile Parle, we should have gone from Kurla to Dadar and then to Vile Parle. Though I did not quite understand what the difference was as the destination was Vile Parle anyways, I chose to keep my inquisitiveness to myself as my cousin without further ado moved on to negotiations with the TCs about the fines to be paid (He tells me that it stood him in good stead in his corporate life). After a million apologies and pleadings later (interspersed with my cousin pointing at me saying that I was from out of town etc.), the venerable guardians of the law let us off with a fine of Rs. 60 only (it had started off with Rs. 60 per head). All through this episode I was trying my best impersonation of “George of the Jungle” with only two words in my vocabulary..... “Sorry Sir”. The kindred souls that they were they made us buy two tickets from Wadala Road to Vile Parle also (which we readily acquiesced to thinking of more such Guardian Angels waiting at Vile Parle Station). We managed to return to my cousin's home without any further mishaps.

The next morning I was going back to Calcutta from Victoria Terminus Station and to celebrate my interview my cousin and his friends finished four bottles of Smirnoff the night before. They were firm believers in the joke sent around:

“Daru bahut buri bala hai... Yeh logon ki zindagi kharab karti hai..
Aao hum ise pi pi ke khatam kar de”.

and without too much of difficulty they turned me around to having the same view and I found myself downing 8 pegs of smirnoff quite easily. I woke up the next morning at 4.00a.m (if anyone has ever done that here, 8 pegs of Smirnoff, sleep at 1.30a.m and wake up at 4.00 am and he / she will know what I’m talking about) and got ready. I made my cousin wake up too and he stared at me as if he was seeing the devil himself looking down at him. However, we managed to leave at around 4.45 and there was nobody on the road apart from a few stray dogs who were quite excited at the sight of us (Fresh meat, they thought probably). We luckily managed to find an autorickshaw which took us to Vile Parle station and we boarded a train to Churchgate. The train was crowded with as many people as one would probable find in the entire city of Calcutta at that unearthly hour. This time we didn’t have to face the trouble of enquiring which route the train was going to take as it was a direct local to churchgate. We reached from Vile Parle to Matunga Road at quite a fast clip when the train suddenly halted between Matunga and Dadar.
The time was 5.10 am while my train was at 6.10 am from VT. My heart gave a serious of anxious tremors as the precious minutes ticked by.
5.15 am: I asked my cousin what was holding us up. He in turn asked a co-passenger (half asleep) the same question and was met with a stoic silence.
5.20 am: I asked him the same question again (Heart beats getting rapid now). Being true to his vocation and hence going by “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction” he asked the same question to his neighbor (asleep) again. With much consternation he replied that it was waiting for some outstation train to go by. I became paranoid thinking that maybe he was talking about my train to Calcutta itself. My cousin tried to calm me by saying that my train to Calcutta was on the central railway and this was the western railway. Little consolation to a drowning man though.
5.25 am: (Heart almost stopping) I was wondering about the next course of action and my cousin also was appearing fidgety by then. We thought of getting off the train and try to get back to Matunga station and take a cab from there. However the all enveloping darkness outside quickly made us change our minds. Then the (T)rain GODs finally took mercy on us and started to move.
5.55am: Without any further unscheduled halts we reached Churchgate station when my cousin informed me that we now had to go to VT station and I almost fainted thinking another train journey was in store. However he assured me that there were cabs available and we ran out (as fast as 8 pegs of Smirnoff and a kit bag would let me run) and caught a cab.
6.02 am Reached VT station and found out the platform that my train was on. I have never till that date prayed so hard that the trains should stick to their designated ISTs (Indian Stretchable Time). My cousin insisted he wanted to take a platform ticket and that we would be on time. Obviously he did not want to warm the coffers of another Upholder of the Law but a fine of Rs. 60 ( I had thought that was the standard bribe one had to pay every time) compared to a loss of Rs. 1500 (AC 3 tier) seemed absolutely inconsequential to me.
6.04 a.m My cousin wasn’t still back with the platform ticket and i was feeling weak in the knees, when he cam running back saying that the bloody S........ (Choicest epithets) didn't have change for Rs. 10. Hence I paid him the change and he ran like Ben Johnson (My cousin was in high spirits too) and got the tickets and came back.
6.08 a.m We ran almost like Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson together and reached in front of my compartment. (Thankfully it was near to the engine). We just had enough time for a quick hug and handshake and I boarded the train seconds before it started off.
Since then I have always preached my dad about the wisdom of buying AC tickets as these compartments are always closer to the engines. However, they seemed to fall on deaf ears as he in turn preached me the values of timeliness. I wasn't aware of the Just In Time (JIT) concepts of quality then or i could have enlightened him with my knowledge.
Also, since then i have decided to take a cab every time I have to catch a long distance train to anywhere from Mumbai. Don't think my heart can stand any more of such John Grishamesque thrillers and frankly the practice of the concepts JIT should be left with the people who best understand them - The Machines.
Adios amigos and will share with you some more of such mind numbing adventures of mine in the local trains of Mumbai. Write to me if you please at debanujc@hotmail.com

My mouche - The long and Short of it - The sequel (Redux too)

Hi friends. Feeling on top of the world today. My first post and 34 views.

WOWIEEEEEEEEEEEE. Time i wrote a book a masterpiece. Booker’s here I come. JUST KIDDING. At least 14 out of them would have been my own views i guess (got too excited about my creative exploits). Got the creative juices flowing too. (Pun Intended).

Anyways, got to carry on with my story now. So i went back to my mouchy ways in college. Same story thereafter. No love, no light in my life, still more propositions & still the same refusal of cupid's arrow to strike the one I was attracted to. The arrows had an atrocious similarity to them. All of them missed their mark and all were on the same one way traffic like the umpteen Mumbai flyovers.

In the meanwhile got admission to a MBA course in Mumbai. Never had to think twice about accepting it. The declared reason was as described in my profile “Mumbai is the financial capital of India, with loads of opportunities etc.” What I actually meant was “Opportunities” of a different kind. My friends of different hues agreed in one voice; “Mumbai main jo gaya uska to girlfriend hona hi hona hai”. So I packed my bags and went off to Aamchi Mumbai Mouche n all. Somehow got admission into the college hostel. More about that later. One of our esteemed bloggers has quite a big grievance against me because of that.

In class within the first few days managed to strike up a great friendship with one of the best looking girls in my class. She was a mallu. Again someone well known around these parts went “BLUE” with envy (Borrowed from the “dumbo” style of speaking perfected by another of our brethren in college). Went around with her for a month or so. Then one night in a drunken state I called her up at around 12.30 in the night. Her sister took the call & that was the end of that. I tried very hard to pataofy her back, but she turned a deaf ear to all my pleas and apologies and promises (to never do it again). So i turned to one of my closest friends (& her's as well) to try and see if he could turn the tide in my favor. One of the first things that he told me was she would definitely be more attracted to me if I shaved off my mouche. After a whole lot of advices later I was almost on the verge of getting it shaved off, when I finally realized (Thank GOD) that mouche or no mouche “Tera kuch nahi ho saakta Kaaliya“ and accepted my fate.

Eventually we happened to go to watch a cricket match at a friend’s place. There the truth came out finally from one of my "friends" (after gulping a lot of beer) that there was a bet on to get me to shave off my mouche. Felt like breaking all the teeth on the B.....'s face and shoving them up you know where. However, GOD smiled on me and the babe he was trying to get laid with saw sense and walked out. A classic case of “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you“.

Went back home on one of the vacations and decided to finally get rid of my beloved mouche, even though i was superstitious it would affect my results. Somehow I always thought that the “Mouche is the source of my energy” and irrespective of whether I studied or not it had some kind of a magical effect on the examiner that I managed to pass always. (Later on I realized that it was more to do with my handwriting, as illegible as ever, than the magical qualities I thought my mouche was bestowed with).

So one fine day i did the hitherto unthinkable and shaved my mouche off. I came back to Mumbai and at least one of the girls was of the opinion that I looked a lot younger than before. Exams went fine as well and my love life also looked up. Will write about the details of that and sum more in the blogs to come.

But to this day I wonder what might have been if it hadn’t been for that one fateful night and that one misplaced phone call. Seeing trailers of Sharukh in Paheli with a well endowed mouche got back all those memories to life once again. Anyways thanks for reading if you still have had the enthu to. Can’t stop my creative urge, now that the genie has been released from the bottle. So guess you all will have to either block all my posts or suffer the consequences of reading them.
BFN, Be back with more Unsure of the timelines. To borrow from one of the oft forwarded mails, “I like deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make while passing by”.

MY Mouche - The long n short of it (Redux)

This was my first blog.. way back in 2005... Transferring from another website....

Bloggin for the first time, so do ignore the little gaffes and faux pas. Inspired from a friend, roomie, quiz partner (when he his other renowned partners deserted him) whose posts on his quizzing exploits and subsequent bike selling adventures has become the stuff of legends here I am told. Will write about him and other species of hostelites who i had to survive with sometime later.

Today i am going to write about my mouche (rather the lack of It). It used to be quite a dilemma that is commonly faced at the time of puberty (and ever after) whether to keep the shock of hair on the upper lip or not; Most of it had to do with the image, mouche = macho, serious, knowledgable etc. In short “mouche nahin to kuch nahin". On the other hand, also heard stories of girls getting turned off at the time of amorous adventures with guys who sported the same. (Only stories coz, me and kissing or anything to do with the opposite sex for that matter were light years apart, other than in dreams of course.

In the end I decided to stick with it since i was to lazy to shave every 2 days. Managed to attract attention of a fair dame for the first time (VICTORY!!!!!! at last) in Class 10, she didn`t mind the mouche. Maybe because we never got closer than holding hands hence it wasn`t too instrusive. However, good times never last (at least for me they don`t) and she left me for this other guy. He was clean shaven (Point to be noted; I thought to myself).

Secondary education completed and i still stuck with it. By now the lack of any further interactions with the opposite sex was driving me into deeper and deeper levels of frustrations. Especially when i used to see guys far beneath me in terms of class rankings etc. roaming around with arm candies. Used to think on the lines of that pathbreaking ad, “Whatz he got that I ain`t got. All of the single and DESPERATE to Mingle fraternity always had an opinion about the non members of the group, which was to the tune of “If this C$%@ could get a babe why can't we?” Till then never dawned on me that my mouche could by the force field that drive women away whenever I tried to get close.

Hence Higher secondary came and went and so did the first year of college with countless propositions made and all rejected. One day one of my knowledgable friends came up with the idea that i would look better without a mouche. I thought about it at length, after all who doesn`t want to look good and be impressive at the same time. After a lot of trials and tribulations and dithering too, decided to get a mouche cut alongwith the customary monthly haircut (Ohh, those were the days!!!!!).

Expected the next day in college to be seen as the equivalent of a rockstar, girls all around me and asking for my number and stuff (Did have a dream to that effect too, if i remember rightly). However, reality was stragely different. No winks. no shy smiles and hence no numbers. All i got was some uncharitable comments from the class bullies about being a unable to decipher my sexual orientation.

However, decided to take all that into my stride and get back into my mouchy ways. Oops... boss has realised that this isn`t the minutes of the umpteenth meeting which i was supposed to send out. Gotta run now and finish off the work.

Watch this space for the concluding story of me `n my mouche (if you are still interested or if you all have such a lot of time to waste that is). Signing off....

60 Hours

Forth from the darkness they came,
The pallbearers, the messengers of doom,
To set our world aflame

None had the power to stop them,
Armed they were, with our flawed systems,
An eternal web, trapping all in the blame game

They blazed flame, their weapons poured fury,
Smashed and mangled men and machine to utter penury,
They said, this was justice, without judge or jury.

A few bravehearts rose to be counted,
And, without a thought for their beloveds,
Into the arms of death they bounded

The soldiers of death laid siege
They went on destroying, all that lay in their path
Evil in their soul, madness in their eyes, reveling in the gory bloodbath

None; men, women, child, were spared,
For none in humanity, these devils cared,
Till they met the harbingers of peace, for victory they had come prepared

Forth they came, to meet the devils in a deathmatch,
Their weapons spewing venom, at the demonic perpetrators,
Fearful wrath, of a nation reviled and raped

Back and forth they fought, fighting fire with fire,
Their black masks gleaming in the deathly light, eyes that never tire,
Blow upon blow they laid on the enemy, pushing them into a quagmire

The anger and despondence, of the brutalized humanity, they brought to bear,
To win they had arrived, to make the devil despair,
To win back honor, to vanquish the enemy, to banish the deathly stare

Finally it ended, victory for the forces of truth,
They lost some of their greatest, who fell defending their beliefs,
The right to live, not to exist, on the face of this earth

Their supreme sacrifice, is it all in vain,
All they fought against, the forces of extremism, bigotry and pain,
They live in our backyards still, these “leaders” of men

Will we allow them to fail, our beacons of light,
Will we stand by them, the forces of the right,
Will we show all the cowards, try as they might,
We won’t fade away into darkness or night,
United we stand, all humanity, despite our plight
Till we vanquish all devils, and remove these blights.