Its not just about Mumbai !! Its about INDIA !!

Mumbai is angry. Justifiably so. The specter of terror looms large over Mumbai all the time. Since 1993, the sheer number of terror attacks on Mumbai, let alone the magnitude of those strikes, is too big to manifest this feeling of anger and fear among the common citizens of Mumbai. After last night's attack, this anger is again out in the open. Whether it is Shobha De, Javed Akhtar or any other citizen of Mumbai, all are angry and they have every right to be.

But, somewhere down the line, media and "some" people of Mumbai are giving too much stress on one word. MUMBAIKAR.Every Indian is as perturbed by these attacks and not just Mumbai people.We have people like Javed Akhtar coming on TV and saying, Mumbai is attacked because it has "more". How is a life in Pune or Varanasi has to offer less than a life in Mumbai? Does that make an attack in Connought Place in Delhi or Parliament a less frightening for Delhi's citizens.People are coming on TV and saying, we pay the highest tax in India, so we deserve better security. Does a person in Guwhati or Coimbatore, who also pays tax deserves lesser security than a "Mumbaikar" ? Yes, people are angry in Mumbai, but its a common sentiment that comes out of Mumbai many times. Not only at the time of these attacks.
Jerry Pinto, a Mumbai based writer, comes on NDTV and says, Why is NDTV doing a program about Mumbai sitting in New Delhi ? He mocks Nidhi Razdan,the anchor, when she says she understands why he is angry by saying , "My Goodness, You Do?" And gets a perfect rebuttal from Nidhi, which puts my whole point in picture. She says, "She comes from J&K and she knows how is life under terror".
Yes, the frustration is totally understandable, but what do Mumbaikars do when there are blasts elsewhere? They do the same thing that all other Indians are doing, they sympathize.Somehow, media and page 3 mumbai people are making it all Mumbai show but they forget its India's Mumbai.New Delhi has born the brunt of terror as much as Mumbai has, but has there ever been a voice out of Mumbai about those? Indians have been watching the telecasts since last night,India was awake the whole night on 26/11.But when people of rest of the India, show compassion some people in Mumbai come out on TV and shout on them.
Even as I write, Shobha De is shouting on TV and saying "Mumbaikars are very proud". Of course people like her are proud. This was evident when after 26/11 less than 50% of the Mumbai people turned out to vote. Least percentage was in South Mumbai, the place where many "elite" Mumbaikars live.
And media !! Cmon guys, pay more attention to other such incidents as well. I bet most of the people by now must have forgotten, 2010 blasts in Delhi, Pune and Varanasi! Those lives are also vulnerable. Just because they don,t offer elite of the society , to bark and speak on the panels on the TV shows, they should not be ignored.
Lastly, each Indian stands by people of Mumbai at this point of time. Normal Mumbai citizens are making such true comments and making right noises on TV. Hemant Mehta, a Mumbai citizen makes correct noises in this piece. This is the common sentiment of all Indians, not a Mumbaikar alone. We dont need Shobha De or Sohail Seth to come out and bark their "Pseudo Intelligence" .Come out of that mindset. Its Indians not Mumbaikars !

Padna Likhna Seekho, oh pade likhe logon !!

Recently, I saw a video on a friend’s profile in facebook, which showed how Indian Army and paramilitary forces are violating “human rights” by beating the people who were pelting stones at them among the other things. And in the background, a silly rap song, saying how Kashmir should be free from Indian demon or something. It’s not the song that troubles me. There is one more thing, which is much graver than the Kashmir situation. It’s utter lack of knowledge of the whole issue among Indian youth.
I asked my friend, why are you posting a video that’s showing only beatings handed out by the forces. Why not all the things that make them do that? During the recent rioting in Srinagar, a policeman on duty was crushed by a 3 Kg stone thrown at him by the crowd. Why is there no video of such thing? Just because a policeman, a CRPF or army jawan, who has no interest in Kashmir other than serving the nation, has no so called “Human Rights”, you just can’t go on and tell that he is not doing his duty. Yes, there might be some exceptions and these cases are duly taken up by judiciary and Army tribunals. Law takes it own course. Pat came the reply, if they had been doing their duty, “Kashmir would still have been the heaven on the earth”. At that time, I decided to call it quits. No use arguing there. To vent out my frustration I just updated my status on lines of Hurriyat bashing!
My point is, our generation thinks we are living in the age of information and we are so informed. But then, when you come across such things and some random program on MTV or Channel V where people don’t even know if our President is a male or a female, it makes you cringe. What is the point of being living in age of information when we just want to know who’s dating whom in film industry!
And issues such as Kashmir are so important. Yes, our politics might have made it redundant, but it is still one of the most important issues we face today other than the regular stuff like BIPASA (Bijli-Pani-Sadak). How can we not know what is going on there when our forces are at constant state of war? And I and many other people were living in bliss that people of my age are so aware, we can do anything. Being educated in the top colleges, working in the top MNCs is important but how can an MBA student, who is supposed to be aware, not know about what is wrong in Kashmir, What is wrong with CVC appointed by PM or for that matter who was the lead actor in Paa! The basic awareness of our gen is going down the drain. Just running after money, we read newspapers (read The Hindu) only when we need to clear a CAT or a GMAT or something. We are just reading what is there in our engineering or MBA text books. We are just watching our MTVs, Vs and Zooms. This attitude has to change. One need not be a total gyaani or something but a basic awareness can help a lot. We need to take up the newspapers, India today’s or the Outlooks. We need to start watching NDTVs or Times Now. The important thing is we live in a democracy where we have a freedom of speech and right to express our thoughts. But how can we do that if we don’t know a thing going around. An opinion or an idea can do wonders when they are implemented. Egypt or Libya are not even democracies but when people decided that they had had enough, they used a common opinion to stand up. An informed population in a democracy is its biggest asset.
As for my friend and the similar people, who are so in hand in hand of stone waalas in Srinagar, I would just outline some facts. For rest Wiki is there and google will also oblige if right queries are entered.
• What is Kashmir : It’s the part of Jammu and Kasmir, which is the northernmost state of India. Its basically a valley falling between high ranges of hindukush and himalyas. Muslim majority area, but native Sikhs and Kashmiri pundits also reside as minorities. Srinagar is the capital. Other parts of J&K are Jammu and Ladakh.
• History: In short, at the time of independence, it was a province ruled by a Hindu ruler, Hari Singh, who decided to be with India rather than Pakistan. Since then it has been governed under Indian constitution. It has parties like NC,PDP who have had different CMs. Kashmir was attacked by Pakistan in 1947,1965 when they were able to capture some of the area now called Pakistan Occupied Kasmir (POK). Line of Control was made after Simla Agreement , post the war of 1971
• Who is Hurriyat Conference: Hurriyat is a political outfit fighting for “kashmiriyat”, formed by asses like Yasin Malik .Kashmir was largely peaceful till 1989. In late 1980’s, hurriyat got very vocal about their demand for a “Separate state of Kashmir” (effectively a country independent of India). People like YASSin Malik, started getting Pakistan support for violent extremism which started the era of militancy and insurrgency, leading to HUGE military presence in the valley. “So my friend, Indian forces are just saving the kashmiris from the terrorisits.Period”
• During that period, native Kashmiri Pandits were ethinicaly cleansed from the valley. They were killed, their houses burned down. More than 200,000 pandits fled and were made to live in refugee camps in Jammu. Btw, do we ever read any article about these people? I guess they don’t have any human rights. Also, can we forget Chitthisinghpura Massacre when 36 Sikhs were killed during Clinton’s visit.
• Why is Kashmir important ?
Strategic : Surrounded on three sides by China and Pakistan. Chinese military has huge presence in Tibet. If they decide to attack India, Ladakh region will be the first one to face the action in northern sector. If Kashmir is an independent nation, it will make it tough for our forces to deploy quickly as right now only Srinagar-Leh highway is the only Road link(Manali-leh link being the other but longer route) Plus all or airbases in the valley will become redundant. Since we are on the lower altitude as compared to Tibet, our aircraft can carry more payload and fuel than Chinese aircraft, which will mean we will have an edge when it comes to domination of airspace in case of a war.
In terms of Pakis, an independent Kashmir will prove to be a blunder of humungous proportions. They will have direct access to Jammu, Punjab and Himachal regions. In case of war, that will make some difference. Also, Punjab being a minority region again in terms of India, Pakistan can again start a proxy war like it did in Kashmir and also the Khalistan movement in Punjab of 80’s.
Ladakh: Ladkahis are peace loving people . Majority of them, Buddhists who are at peace with India and have no issues. If Kashmir goes independent, we have a problem of access.
Rivers: Jhelum and Chenab will be lost. Also the huge hydropower generation capacity. It’s a big big issue, which is ignored sometimes. Read Indus Water Treaty.
Tourism: And huge tourism potential of the region can never be ignored.

So, forget about it being a separate state, ever ! Cant happen. Even if it requires a fight against kashmiris or pakis, it will carry on. Those who want a separate state can go to POK anyday.
Kashmir has been given so much economically. Special rights, an all weather train link, jobs and all. Yes, work needs to be done, but violence has to stop. And even if they are a separate country, how can they survive without Indian assistance?

Oh and btw, the people who were pelting stones, most of them were crowds which were “bought” by hurriyat. There have been stings and news reports about that. Lets give our forces a chance and please enlighten ourselves on the issues faced by them. They are not there for fun, they are there to do their job and to protect valley from going to Paki hands. Let’s appreciate them and stop being Shoba de or Arundhati Roy, who really are asses!!

Aman aur Nirasha !!!

Times of India (TOI). That's the name of the newspaper, the giant in Indian media. Now this giant , for a reason unknown to an average Indian, has started an initiative , "AMAN KI ASHA" in partnership with Pakistani newspaper "Jung"(even here they are at war),which involves artists from both India and Pakistan performing, other people increasing people to people contact and promoting bhaichara and all....bah !! Curious name, "aman ki asha" , considering we are pinning all our hopes on a nation, that has no meaning for the word AMAN and they dont even know the meaning of ASHA. TIMES of India..thats what they claim to call themselves, but with this initiative they just fail to recognize the mood of the nation and its people in the current times.

Lets see where TOI has failed. In last twenty years, Pakistan has raged a proxy war, killing people by thousands, displacing people by millions and knocking off our defences and mocked at us and we have done nothing but started useless peace initiatives like this. Then when proxy war was not enuf, they started a real war in kargil. We lost hundreds of the finest soldiers. Not content, they attack our parliament. What do we do ? We relent under American pressure after a massive border build up. And between all this we had a 26/11, a 11/7 and several other attacks in every major Indian city. And then our leading newspaper starts " AMAN ki ASHA" , when Pakistan even fails to bring the culprits of 26/11 attacks to the book.

What a tragedy !! I mean , doesnt this newspaper realize that an average reader , does not want anything to do with Pakistan or its citizens until Pakistan is held accountable for each and every Indian killed by it? Of course they are troubled by terror now, but hello? who created it ? Its their rot, they have to clean it up, by supporting them through such things by saying "oh ! poor pakis, they are the victims now" we cant let them go away.

Of course there are peace loving people there as well, but we are not going out of our way to kill innocent JUNG readers. No , we are not. We have lots of other things to worry about. We have a nation that is on a verge of achieving its dream, that all its population has been seeing through each day and night. Just imagine, without all Paki trouble what we could have achieved in last two decades. We are moving ahead and I think we should let Pak rot on its own unless it does not co-operate. We have fought for 60 years, we can fight for another 60. But we do not want peace with Pakis at the price of insulting all those brave soldiers who died in Kargil, all those police and NSG people who died in all our cities while protecting us. If Pakis want peace, let them come to us, we have had enough offering a handshake.

Gulzar sahab, amazing poet. He says "we should offer an olive branch to Pakis as this is a good time for peace" . Sir, you might be great at writing kajra re kajra re, but why should we extend an olive branch to them , when we dont have to. Why do you want to give Pakis another chance so that they can come back and do another 26/11 or Kargil ?

So all those people and TOI , who are supporting this initiative , let go of all the brotherly feelings you have for Pakis and stop this sham !! Start an initiative for people like Kashmiri Pandits, for families of those who were killed in Kargil and everywhere else, stop appeasing Pakis just to increase your readership !! Shame on You!!

wish I can write something like this, someday :)

Someday We'll know....by New Radicals
(Song also features in the movie "A Walk To Remember" )

90 miles outside Chicago
Can't stop driving
I don't know why
So many questions
I need an answer
Two years later
You're still on my mind

Whatever happened to Amelia Earhart?
Who holds the stars up in the sky?
Is true love just once in a lifetime?
Did the captain of the Titanic cry?

Someday we'll know if love can move a mountain
Someday we'll know why the sky is blue
Someday we'll know why I wasn't meant for you

Does anybody know the way to Atlantis
Or what the wind says when she cries?
I'm speeding by the place that I met you
For the 97th time tonight

Someday we'll know if love can move a mountain
Someday we'll know why the sky is blue
Someday we'll know why I wasn't meant for you
Someday we'll know why Samson loved Delilah
One day I'll go dancing on the moon
Someday you'll know that I was the one for you

I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow
I watched the stars crash in the sea
If I could ask God just one question
Why aren't you here with me tonight?

Someday we'll know if love can move a mountain
Someday we'll know why the sky is blue
Someday we'll know why I wasn't meant for you
Someday we'll know why Samson loved Delilah
One day I'll go dancing on the moon
Someday you'll know that I was the One for you........

just a thought...

Once upon a time, I wanted to know what love was. Love is there if you want it to be, you just have to see that its wrapped in beauty and hidden between the seconds of your life.......If you dont stop for a minute, you might miss it.

On the Valentines...

14th feb has never been fruitful for me. So I always dream about it as I cant really do much about it. But I guess it will be fun to share a story which is well, a nice read, though it has no relation to the famed 14th feb, i dont have such luck :P Though I think it is an interesting story none the less and has love angle, BIG TIME...So here it goes..

The spirits were high that day. After all Deewali was nearing and all the guys were going home after a long gap. All the lads were unusually happy. The atmosphere in the hostel was like nothing we had seen in past few months. So here I was , with lads,in 129,packing my stuff and eating left over namkeen from the previous night. I was the first to leave as I had to take a different bus than and the whole group was to take another bus some time later. So they were all helping me out with my packing and the bonhomie was rare. My things were not been thrown, not a book being taken out of my bag so I was quite, dont know wat..

Anyways, so we got hold of my belongings and went outside. Now these friends of mine, how could they be so generous, I still have no idea to the day. As I was signing the attendance register at the hostel gates, my eyes fell upon a girl, coming from the girls hostel side, carrying a handbag. I had not seen her, ever in the college, and she was quite pretty. None of my friends saw her coming and she stopped by chat with some other girl. So I did some quick thinking. What if by any chance she is also going my way? So I hurriedly signed the book and asked my gang to leave and I told them that I will go alone from there. But those rascals, dont know what had got into them. They were hell bent on not leaving me alone and pushed and wheeled my protesting frame all the way to the college gates. She was still talking to the girl till that time. So I thought, okay, i still have time. But I had underestimated my lads. I mean, they were getting all so worked up, trying to stop each and every vehicle and they finally pushed me on a TRACTOR and I was transported to the bus stop, alone, with that girl nowhere in site.

Thanks to my gang, I was standing there, feeling like kicked away by friends in the time of need.Anyways, I was not going to give up. I decided to wait for her. I left one bus, I left another, all in all I let go 3 buses while waiting for her, with crowds mounting with each passing bus. And finally, she came in all her glory in a jam packed auto rikshaw and I sensed she was alone. So it finally felt like a win win situation.Then the bus came.My prayers were answered as she hopped on to the same bus and sat next to me. Deewali for me had started and how ! After ten minutes of not looking at her, I turned towards her to start a conversation and the first blow struck.

Its hard to imagine to sleep on a short bus ride, on a bumpy road and there she was sleeping, with head resting on the bag in her lap. How could she? I mean that was one crowded bus and it was hard to sit in there as well. But she managed the impossible, girls always do that. So I sat back, planning my next move with Udit Narayan, singing "aye ajnabi" in my ears. We were both to get off at some intermediate stop to change the buses, that much I had gathered when she asked the conductor for tickets. So the plan was to start a conversation at the stop and carry it to our destinations, which I was hoping to be same.

So finally after 40 minutes of agony and Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam, the stop came and we got off. Now was the chance. I knew I had to do it now, it was now or never. I had never started a random conversation with an unknown girl, so I started to get freaked out. 10 minutes were wasted and somehow I had a feeling she knew that I was looking at her with my uneven and low confidence gaze for some time now. And then came the opportunity...

The roadside vendors always crib about the change. An unsaid rule in these parts of world is that one should always carry some small currency while traveling. But this girl had not followed it and I was going to gain from it, I had to. So when the kurkure wala started to argue with her over the change, I started to move towards them with the solution in my pockets, hope in my heart and stars in my eyes. Finally, I thought, a chance was there and I had to take it. And then the death blow struck...Shut !

When you are going to help the girl of your dreams when she needs you the most, you dont expect a heavy and a very very very familiar voice calling out your name in a crowded place. I mean lets face it, who does? So I decided to ignore the voice and kept on moving. But the voice got even louder now and more urgent as well. I decided to have a look. And when I turned my face, I was confused, shocked, amazed, horrified, terrified and all those feelings which a guy can feel, when he sees his elder brother, hanging from the door of a slow moving bus, shouting at top of his voice, waving frantically and asking the conductor to stop so that his dear little brother can join him. Just imagine the visual. Only 1 thing came to my mind, "bro, what the hell are you doing in this bus, you are not supposed to be here and for god's sake where the hell is your car?" And why do you have to be here only now. And all I could utter while shuffling my face between the girl and my bro was a feeble "bhaiya, hi" . And I was pulled into the moving bus by an outstretched arm of my bade bhaiya. Hell, I was not even able to look at her face for one last time. I say it one last time, because that was the last time, I saw that girl. I gathered she was just there to visit some one. So I left with bhaiya, talking of how bored he was feeling in the bus so far and how slow the driver was and all...And I never had a chance even to ask her name..

So thats a story, which I will remember all my life. No matter how I hard I try whenever I am going to see my bro, I will be reminded of the cruel game that my bro, that kurkure wala and fate played with me. My gang and my bro, they dont know that in trying to be so benevolent what they did to me :P And never again I met anyone remotely related to me in buses or the places I dont expect them to bump into me. And for my gang, they were never so happy again I guess, I never again got to see their senti side :P

The quote by Chetan Bhagat's FPSO seems so accurate here
Life screws you when you least expect it to do so.
cheers to life :)

Jai Ho ????

It seems the dust wont settle down on " SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" until it wins the Oscar for The best motion picture for the year 2008. Way to go Danny Boyle, you will also be awarded the best director award for making this piece of work of yours. So let us all, at least me, wish that Feb 22nd comes asap and slumdog gets relegated to just another movie that won an oscar as fast as possible because thats what it is, another undeserving movie that should not have won anything, leave alone a golden globe, a BAFTA and a very very sure Oscar...

I have no issues with what it portrays. Portray poverty and slums, you have all the liberty to do so. Sensationalize it, I have no issues with that as well. Its a fact that there are slums and people live in those conditions which are appalling and no human deserves to live like that. So show it and if people get to know about what its like to be in slums, fine, good job, u need to be lauded.

But at least make a good movie man. I mean seriously, Slumdog is the most over rated movie in the recent history.
Its direction, after the kids grow up is poor, narration after that point goes haywire..It kept me going till Jamal left Latika with his bro at the hotel..after that, no.
The character of Latika is more of an object other than a human being.
Dev Patel is totally blank and has a same lost look through out the movie and for this consistency he gets nominated for best actor at BAFTAS..amazing.
Mahesh Manjrekar...dude u are better when u stutter..
And the King of them all, the grand daddy...ANIL KAPOOR..he overacts, he hams his ways through all the questions and movie.And again shoddy character development for him as well..
To top all this, there are so many flaws in narration and inconsistencies that sometimes you feel as if your intelligence is insulted. Take for e.g. 3 things which Boyle guy tries to enforce upon us as Cinematic liberties..
* Darshan do ghansham...is written by GS NEPALI for a movie Narsi Bhagat in 1957 not surdas as Mr Boyle wants us to believe.
* Bloody Chaiwala does not know who's picture is on an Indian currency note ? Is the lad retarted?
* And the best...In a school in slum, they are teaching..THE THREE MUSKETEERS..wow and that too, in ENGLISH !! Okay we get the point that movie is in english so, they speak english...but hello ? Its sad that the researchers boyle got dint know that these kinda schools use HINDI as a medium of education, not ENGLISH !!

So other than these three, there are so many glaring errors that make this a shabbily researched and poorly executed movie. Yes, the kids were brilliant, uske baad the movie falls flat on its head..

So leaving all the technical points at a distance, lets shift the focus towards the Indian people who are so in awe of this movie that they will start naming their kids danny and jamal and latika or even prem ( as if we dont have any Prems). What makes u guys fall head over heals about this movie ?

It has nothing new to offer. Yeah, for the firangis, Slums of Mumbai are the India they want to see, so there it is guys, u have your wishes fulfilled. Now all you firangs dont need to carry yourselves to the slums with cameras hanging around your necks to photograph India's poor. You have slumdog..cheers !! Any Indian knows what goes around in India's cities. WE know how poor people cope with their lives. We are so awed by the famous autograph scene from the movie and i am surprised. Lets face it guys, travel on early morning Shatabdi from chandigarh to delhi...i bet u will see lot more s**t and bottoms. even the s**t wasnt new.
Ask ourselves why are these firangis prasing this movie so much. Havent you noticed that these firang tourists do nothing but try to capture poverty of India through their lenses? They seem to think this is what India is and this movie re-affirms their faith.
We Indians have a problem. Sometimes we dont get up to speak our mind. Sab keh rahe hain to movie achee he hogee, to main bhee keh deta hun its awesome and all.c'mon guys, we have made far superior movies than this on this subject as well. We have shown mumbai's underbelly in far more engrossing manner in movies like Amir and Mumbai meree jaan, even Ramu's Satya. These movies show all this but without sensationalizing the whole issue. Their is a praise slumdog wave and we are riding on the crests of that wave.
And it is quite shameful in fact to know poeple coming to know about slum conditions after this movie. I guess some of us need to wake up. Thats the only good thing Boyle did by showing some of us the part of our society that they have so conveniently forgotten. Leave alone mumbai, each Indian city as a result of exodus from the villages has huge slums. And this is a part of our social and economic evolution. Each developing nation goes through this phase and after a long struggle, the divide between rich and poor will narrow down in a long run. London had huge slum areas during the Industrial Revolution era and after the prosperity increases its reach, it all begins to even out. But India hasnt reached that levels as yet, so yes, slums are a reality and it takes Boyle's pathetic attempt at movie making which makes some of us realize this reality, which is the sad part.

At the end, I would just like to say, it should not be another Danny Boyle or any other gora to inform us about our socio-cultural realities next time around. And lets start watching movies of firangs with same ferocity and hawk eyes with which they watch ours and ridicule them. And Mr. Danny the Trainspotting Boyle, I know, your insides are all smiling like monalisa, coz u know u havent made anything special and you are getting all this praise and laurels when you dont deserve them. Luck accha hai tera,boyle...All the best for oscars and vanish as soon as possible.

Padma Awards !!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA............
Akshay Kumar for his contribution to art and cinema has got a padma sri. Is this some kind of a joke ? what is his contribution other than crap movies which have no sense(Cc2c proved it..BIIIG Time) !!

Aishwarya Rai for the contribution to art and cinema. This sounds a bigger joke alright. Whats her contribution ? she has barely acted in 25 films most of them stupid and flops as well !! May be the only reason is she is a bahu of bacchans who are friends with SP's Amar Singh , who has a reasonable clout in Indian political system.

When will this jury start celebrating the real deal ?? Why were Vijender Kumar and Sushil Kumar left out ? Are their contribution less than these two moronic so called Superstars??

As for Akshay Kumar, I just hope he gives this award as well to someone more deserving...and start contributing.

The Rain , the lane and the face...

Sometimes some things happen in life which are totally unexpected. They make u swoon with joy and something which cant be explained. These moments leave u thinking about them for ever.The piece below is a re-collection of something which happened and it just happened.




While walking down a lane
in midst of falling rain,
I stopped in my tracks
I dont know why , I dont know where.

I should have ran, but I dint
I should have been alarmed
coz I was going far and far..
But still i dint make a single move
was I struck from a bolt from blue?
I dont know how, I dont know where.

As people came and went.....by
As people said each other their bye
I dint make a single move, I dont know why
Was I proud or not sound?
Or was it just that I love the rain's sound?

But then everything made sense
When I saw a face across the fence,
just like sun playing with clouds so dense.
when she came across and stood by me
the confusion just got fly flew flee
coz love at first sight was
well, it is right
It all seemed so touch and go
but I knew i wont let her go
coz my heart seemed to be beating fast and slow...

So yes, it was a bolt from the blue,
that dint let me move...
I know why i stopped...
it was all so clear
I had to be there coz
She was going to be there

While walking down a lane
in midst of falling rain,
I stopped in my tracks
I know why , I know where !!

They came, they saw and they KILLED !!

26/11/2008 to 29/11/2008. These 3 days will always be engraved in the memories of each and every Indian. All the birthdays and the anniversaries falling on these days, will never be forgotten. “I remember my birthday, it was on that night I lost my friend”. “Oh ! We were about to leave for Leopold café’ to celebrate, but”. These are the kind of memories these days have left and sadly, even if we want these to be erased we won’t be able to.

Mumbai. I have never been to the city. But I have heard and read enough to know what this city means to us. This is one special city of this very special country. It just pains all of us to see what it went through. And I am sure the whole country underwent the same emotions as any other Mumbaikar. It appalls us to see over beloved nation to be attacked in such a brutal way. But it is the reality which we have faced far too many times now.It was 9/11 of our own. For how long are we going to sit like a harmless guy who gets bullied around by a buffoon half our size

WHY ??

Are we really such a soft target? May be yes. Its very easy for all of us to blame everything on the politicians. And they are to be blamed alright.They have to be held accountable and should be put to sword for their ineptness. Its totally unfair for a NSG guy to lose his life because of your failure Mr. Poltician. But have we been doing some self introspection or not?
Even if we don’t want to agree, we have to face the fact that we are a rather divided society. The distrust we have for each other, Hindus for Muslims and vice versa is exploited by these politicians as well as terrorists and when ever we are faced with such acts of terror, we ourselves blame the Muslims. It’s terrible. I was among those who thought like that on 26th. But then sanity prevailed. It’s a matter of fact that behind almost all the terror attacks, we see Islamic connection. But then each and every Muslim is not responsible. They are Indians and they also get killed in these attacks. Therefore we need to build some confidence among us and trust me, politicians won’t do that for us. We can’t blame them for this. And the day we start to trust each other, we will not be a soft target for sure.

WHAT CAN WE DO ??

As for why the terrorists were able to do such massive damage, I am sure the concerned agencies will surely figure that out. But I feel such well planned act cant be performed without professional help and Pakis or Porkis as I like to call them,will surely be the last end of this straw. And when we have enough evidence we should strangle this failed nation with both our economic and military might.
-West should be convinced to impose economic blockade on Porkis. As for India , snap all the ties with them. We don’t want to interact either with their middle class or ordinary citizens or anyone. Let them rot in their country. And lets not play cricket with them.
-Scare them with military build up on western border. Go for hot pursuit and for god’s sake finish those terror camps. Whole world will be us on that.
-Beef up our own internal security. Implement National Security Act (NSA).
-Establish a central intelligence agency on the lines of CIA and FBI. It should not be reporting to any government or cabinet. President should be made accountable. That person has had enough of an easy life. That agency should report to President and our Armed forces. And they should be given authority to act asap without any red tape.
-And above all…” An ordinary Indian is ready to help. Tell me what I can do. I am ready to help. Create civil action forces out of ordinary citizens in urban areas. They will be helpful in gathering local intelligence.” And as a citizen I think we should stand up and live upto our responsibilities. Next time we stand in a queue to get frisked or get our baggage checked at airports or stations, lets not cringe. Remember there might be a terrorist in that very queue.We should be less callous and more dutiful.

OUR ARMED FORCES !!

These guys are the heroes. The real ones. These attacks showed us what makes these gritty individuals what they are. We all have lots to learn from them. It was a first of its kind operation any where in the world, where the country’s Army, Air force, Navy, State Police, Special commando forces (NSG) were involved. And what job they have done. We are absolutely proud to have you guys. Thanks a lot for being there when we need you. I think govt. should look into all their demands regarding the pay hike. God knows how they deserve this. Politicians should stop sitting on their fat asses and should look what these guys do. Cut your bloody pay and pay these guys more. Arm them to teeth. Provide them best training and equipment. And here I would also like to mention the work done by Firemen. They were no less courageous. And what about all those heroic stories about the Taj and Oberoi staff? They should be mentioned in the same breath as any other soldier. The journos. They were terrific. Some did went over the board but rest were amazing. Great job guys. And to any attentive eye, it must have been there to see the number of female reporters covering the tragedy. U girls rock.

I proudly salute all you guys and I pay respect to all those police and NSG people who sacrificed their lives. Each and every one of them.

THE AFTERMATH

So, we lost 180+ people in these attacks,12 attacks at 10 places, foreigners killed on Indian soil. A heritage hotel , the pride of India,damaged extensively. I would like to tell something. JRD Tata, the great grandfather of Ratan Tata, had built this hotel in 1903. Why? There was a certain hotel called Wilson Hotel, that prohibited Indians from entering inside. JRD Tata build Taj to show British we can make such Hotels ourselves and he showed the Indian spirit at that time also. He spent 46 crores at that time, to build this piece of Indian history. I guess now all should know why this Hotel is not just a Hotel. Its much more than that. And we know for sure that Ratan Tata is a proud Indian. He will leave no stone unturned in bringing back the Hotel to its past glory.

As for all of us, we have had enough, we all are saying that. What we need is sustaining this feeling and lets channel our anger towards all the positive measures that can be taken. Trust each other, be alert, spread awareness and what all we can do.We should not forget what has happened and make sure that people responsible for our safety do not forget that as well. For Mumbai, they all say you have a resilient spirit and you always come back. Sure, be resilient and all, but make sure when you come back, you have something more than that as well.
I would like to end with something that I saw on TV the other day and its worth the mention.
Mr. Terrorist, " Iam still alive, what more can u do? "
and Mr. Poltician, " I am Still alive, inspite of you"

and " I will continue to live . No matter what may come"

Salaam Bombay…..

What is it about Love !!

Sitting in the sands of time,
as i look at the sun going down
Lost in my thoughts..
I ask myself
What is it about love,
that makes me wish you were here,
not far in my thoughts, but just here.
So that I move into the night, with u near.

What is it about love,
that makes me dream about u in the night,
makes me see you, even when you are not in sight.
How I fear and shed a tear, when you are not near, but far.
And how my heart skips a beat,
when I hear the sound of your feet and when your heart beats .
I ask myself,
What is it about love, as the sun goes down.

What is about love,
that makes us say " I do"
and we , not u or me.
How even the fights turns right
when I see you smile.
What is it that makes me complete and strong,
that makes me do no wrong
and even write a song !
So I ask myself,
What is it about love, as the sun goes down .

What is it about love,
that makes us all move
that makes us break the rules
that makes the black nights blue
all the lies seem true
that makes me incomplete when i am not with you
I ask myself
What is it about love, as the sun goes down.

The sky has turned from red to black.
And as the moon lights up the dark,
I still sit in the sands of time
and ask myself
What is it about love that makes me wish
you were here,not just in my thoughts, but here, with me.

Failure : A great Teacher

Many people want to change their fortunes yet don't know how to begin. Others have a desperate desire to make life altering changes but have a tremendous fear of failure. In our childhood we attempted many things but probably didn't succeed the first time we tried. Take riding a bicycle for example. None of us are born with the immediate skill to be able to ride yet we all seem to have accomplished this task. For some of us, we need to return to times of yesteryear to get a grasp of why we are now so averse to attempt new things, learn new things, or to begin a new journey through life.
Part of our hesitation to attempt or change is that we are afraid that we might fail. When we were infants, learning to walk, no one told us to fear multiple attempts to walk. What we did instead was to pick ourselves up and gallantly try again. How many times did we fall down? No doubt, many, many times.
Success isn't something that most experience right from their first attempt. Most of us are probably familiar with how failure haunted Abraham Lincoln, or Thomas Edison. Did these people give up? No.
Failure is the best teacher we have when you take advantage of all the lessons to be learned. What failure teaches us, all other teachers collectively can’t teach us. It’s a universal fact that to accept failure is the most Herculean task even for the strongest souls. It’s human nature to think that when we fail, its not because of us, but because of someone else’s fault. This is regressive thinking. Its just a cover up most of the people use to run away from their mistakes and resultant failure.
The alternative school of thought says “ failures are just the part of our lives to be taken into stride and not to be forgotten”. When we fail, its not because we are lacking in something. It could just be because we are not approaching our things in a right manner. Failure teaches us, how to recognize our follies. It tells us how to act upon our weaknesses to turn them into our strengths. It is rightly said if one has achieved success in the first attempt, he has a lot left to learn because that success wont teach the person how to react in case if something goes wrong. As a teacher failure teaches us how and why we went wrong and how can we convert our wrongs into rights.
Failures are the stepping stones of success. Only if one has seen failures, one will come to know how sweet success is. Fear of failure is the biggest obstacle one can face in the path of success. Once we start treating failure as that teacher who is always there to guide us through the rough paths, we will lose all that fear for it.
Success can only shower upon those who have it in them to face failures gallantly and learn from them what they want to teach. Once we connect with our teacher called failure, being successful is just a matter of time.

hope this comes true

hey guys..
check this out...
i hope many of u will be with in agreement with me when i say its the best thing that can happen t our ears.

http://forum.santabanta.com/showthread.htm?t=89581
:P

Stop Defaming A Martyr !!

Few days back when Left parties withdrew from UPA on account of Indo-US nuke deal, Samajwadi Party (SP) came to the rescue and gave UPA the much needed support to go through with the deal. Though it was a politically motivated move and had nothing to do with country’s welfare, it still showed SP and Amar Singh in a good light in front of the Indian middle class. Its solely because of their timely support and PM’s vision that the deal is through.

But now, Amar Singh has done something that puts all this in hindsight and shows what a true politician he is. He says the encounter that the Delhi Police and the Special Cell had with the terrorists few days back in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, was fake. He says the brave police officer,Late M C Sharma had died of the bullets fired from his own people rather than the terrorists. All this has just been done by Amar Singh to appease the muslim voters, that’s it.

By doubting the martyrdom of Delhi Police’s brave officer, he has doubted the commitment, the honor and the hard work put up by the police to crack the Sep 13th Delhi Blasts case. Has he got any right to do so ?

He has not lost anyone in the blasts. Ask those who have lost their loved ones, how disappointing it is for them to hear their leaders talk rubbish and to see them play politics on the dead bodies of the victims. Its not the first time some politician is playing dirty games over such sensitive issue. But I guess, we have had enough.I was not wrong when in my last article when I said hindus are treated as minority community in this country. Amar Singh proves my point.

Its very easy and convenient to point fingers at our police. But when they are doing great stuff and even losing their own men in the process, isn’t it totally unfair and discouraging for them, to question their integrity? If it was a fake encounter, how the hell the people caught alive from that Batla Nagar flat are talking and confessing to police? How come there is firing from both sides of the door? How come no terrorist organization has come up and claimed encounter to be fake, like they do? Its because the encounter was not fake. M C Sharma was heading the investigations in this case and who is Amar Singh to question why he was not wearing a bullet proof jacket? Is he a cop or a fake encounter specialist?

While appeasing Muslims, these people have forgotten what the truth is and how they should stand by the victims and the sufferers. Instead this rubbish attitude encourages terrorists and our biased human rights organizations.

What this statement of his, he has shattered the family of M C Sharma. But the proud family has not lost its dignity. They have returned the money given to them by SP and have truly showed true grit and self respect. After all this Amar Singh has again gone on offensive and said he is disappointed by the family’s gesture. Its natural for such a man to think and talk like this. As for the Sharma family they have now stopped talking bout the issue and are maintaining a dignified silence. We all should stand by the Sharma family and let them know we are proud of the actions of M C Sharma as well as their own stand on the whole issue after all the finger pointing .

As for Amar Singh and people who think like him, I would just like to say, Get Well Soon !!

Shaken And Stirred : :

September 13th, around 6:30 pm,CP, New Delhi. Sitting inside McDonalds , I was enjoying my meal when suddenly out of nowhere, I was taken aback by a loud thud and a cloud of smoke outside the window, not very far from me. Central Park, was just hit by a bomb blast. After smoke, I saw people running for cover, for their lives. All the high spirits inside the joint were suddenly lowered. McDonalds, which was filled with people, Indians and of other nationalities, was suddenly empty. All the crowd in CP started to move towards their cars and other modes that were to take them out of the place, which was suddenly filled with Police Jeeps and Ambulances. Hardly had I taken the first turn, I witnessed the section of Barakhamba Road, that too had witnessed the blast. I dint knew, that I was just in the center of two blast sites. As if it wasnt enough, FM told me, 3 more blasts had taken place elsewhere. This left me totally and completely, SHAKEN and STIRRED.

It was the first time in my life, I had seen something like that happening in front of my eyes. I can not even imagine what it must have been for those who have lost their loved ones and are fighting for their lives now. After all this something inside me has changed . I guess it was not just the ground beneath me that shook, something inside me has been shaken and stirred.

I am a Hindu and a proud Indian. I am proud of my nation's history and its heritage. Our secular beliefs are known to the world as our strength. But has this belief weakened over the past few years? It has certainly weakened for me atleast. Why after all the bomb blasts, we come to know that only Muslims are behind them? Lashkar-e- taiba, SIMI, Al-Qaeda and now Indian Mujahideen, they are all Islamic Terrorist organizations. Indian people are being killed by this community of people and unfortunately these are Muslims.

It saddens me when I write that, I am a Hindu before I write that I am an Indian. But I guess its being forced upon us to break our secular tradition. I have had Muslim friends and I have cherished their friendship. But just because of a few people, whole of the community is being looked down. Is it fair for an average middle class Indian Muslim, who works as hard as any other person to feed his family? Certainly not. Muslims are the integral part of our nation. Our cricket team, politcal parties, film stars, all have made name for themselves and this country. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, he is an inspiration for many. I dont think any other person has done so much for our country.
But why is that whenever there are some blasts, Muslim names are behind them? What has happened to an average Indian Muslim ? Some argue that Muslims in India have never got their due, they are neglected. That is utter rubbish. India is home to maximum Muslim population in the world. The opportunities they get here are much better than any other so called islamic country. Universities have seats reserved for them. All this has led to a large number of educated muslims doing great in India. But its sad that now this educated muslim is now the mastermind behind all the blasts. Tauqueer, the main mind behind delhi blasts is a ex-wipro employee. What makes him do this ghastly act against the country which gave him such high education?
All the arguements of neglect and discrimination are false.Rioting , whenever takes place is from the sides,hindus are also killed. Plus most of the parties are just hell bent on appeasing muslims to garner votes. I would rather say, hindus are neglected in this country. Its shameful for all the muslims who indulge in these activities. They should be caught and executed,not even be tried. People like Gilani, Mehmood Azhar etc..are result of this process. They should understand that all the hatred fron the other communities stems from their actions.

As for all the Indian Muslims who are living an honourable life and want to lead a satisfied life in this country, ones who are proud to be Indians, what are they going through now? I bet insecurity and fear is among them as well. We should not judge all these people by the actions of some sinisters.You guys are as much Indians as I am and deserve a great life.

As the dust settles on these blasts now, I hope agencies get hold of the poeple behind it asap and do much more to prevent these things again. As for some people, its time for some self introspection and I hope they understand the true meaning of their existence. God Speed.

Rock On ! ! ! !

A guitar is lying by my bedside but i have not been able to learn it properly coz i am unable to find a good tutor around. Anyways more on that later...

Out of habit, i walked into cinema hall, yesterday to watch the first day first show of a new movie. This time it was Rock On !! . I had very high expectations from the movie and i guess all of them were fulfilled. Movie was all about music, friendship and all the emotions associated with relations and passions one follows. Complete with absolutely fantastic performances by the actors, all of them, its an enriching experience. Just watch for the music and the performances and a fab way of narrating a story.

So what makes this movie special. Its the message that it sends across loud and clear that " No matter what may come, one must never give up on one's earnest desires. The fantasies do come true if we are honest in our approach and work to fulfill them sincerely. A certain goal is there in everyone's life. Its upon us to identify it and work towards achieving it. Living our life without an aim and an objective will make our lives incomplete. So never give up on your desires and its never too late to realize our ambitions and dreams. And these things, desires,ambitions,dreams and hope are all part of our lives."

As for my guitar, which is lying by my bedside, I am going to make it a point to learn playing it as soon as I can....coz I just wanna do it.

Some Of my fav quotes from the movies

You are the only person that can make
my heart beat faster and slower at the same time.
The Hot Chick

Truth is, I gave my heart away along time ago,
my whole heart, and I never really got it back.
Sweet Home Alabama

Love is a leap ...
I was never inspired to jump.
Kate and Leopold

"I am just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her."
Notting Hill

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

"I love that you get cold when it's seventy degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend a day with you I can still smell your perfume on my clothes, and I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night."
When Harry Met Sally

"The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe."
The Village

".....I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met."

"The hardest part of love isn't loving someone, but having the courage to let them love you back."

The Wedding Date

Stealing one's heart is the biggest crime. What should one do? Call the police?
Dont know which movie it was..

now some funny ones

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
If I'm not back in five minutes... wait longer!

Airplane
There's no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you'll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

Back to the Future II
The time-traveling is just too dangerous. Better that I devote myself to study the other great mystery of the universe – women!

Spaceballs
Barf: I'm a mawg: half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend!

Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump: (referring to Apple Computers) He got me invested in some kinda fruit company.

I Stand Vindicated !!

Congratulations to all the Indians for the gold medal won by Abhinav Bindra at the Beijing Olympics today. As all of us know by now, its the first individual gold won by any Indian at the Olympics. It took 29 Olympics, but finally we did it.

The history created today by Bindra is all the more special, because for the first time some Indian has lived upto the expectations.

Also all those who said that we are a bunch of non performing athletes, this is a befitting reply.As for me , who said we should we should stand by our athletes, it is a great relief. I feel as proud as any other Indian today.But this event is done and over with. We should not sit back and relax, now that we have won a medal. I hope and believe that our athletes will strive for more and will win some more laurels. R S Rathore is playing tomorrow and i hope he does us proud once again....

Thanks Bindra....and May we win all more medals and hearts as well...

Olympics : A Dream Or A Nightmare

Dawn Fraser, Australian swimmer, 3-time winner of Olympic Games:
" The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself. "

As the curtains rise for the Beijing Olympics, the attention of the whole world will be on the 10,500 athletes from all over the globe, who will be competing for 302 gold medals in 28 different disciplines. Just like Dawn Fraser, the whole sports community of the world thinks that the Olympics are the ultimate test of a sport person's ability to search for that excellence and that drive hidden inside him. As the games begin with the competitions today, USA and China are expected to fight for the top honors at the games. Will China be able to displace USA as the sporting powerhouse of the world, come august 26th and we'll know. For the time being, lets sit back and enjoy this spectacle that's unfolding.

So where does India stand? As always the question is, are we going go win any medal at the Olympics? I know most of us are now habitual of seeing our athletes coming empty handed and only hope for next games every time. But when all the world is dreaming of winning an Olympic medal, why are we, the Indians have all the nightmares regarding the Olympic medal drought?
Are the athletes to be blamed or the authorities ??

Our country predominantly is not as good in sports as compared to even many smaller countries like say, Cuba or a Portugal etc.. The system in our country encourages children to drop sports and take up education more seriously even if the child is better at the sports. Our infrastructure is in shambles.A country like Portugal has 1800+ football grounds, Netherlands has 2000+ hockey fields. We, the hockey superpower of the past is not even in Olympics this time around !
The governing bodies of different sports are in ruins. Athletes are ignorant about different drugs that lead to doping scandals very often in Indian sports. Shooters, who are our pride, cant' even train in their own country because their are no standard shooting ranges in India for them to practice ! The state of Indian sports is not very good, esp when we consider that Delhi is going to host Commonwealth Games in 2010 and it aspires to host 2020 Olympics.

And then our 1 billion plus population expects these athletes to match with the best and those who have access to all the best facilities in the world. That's just asking too much of them. We unduly pressurize them. This time around, we have 56 athletes and as i write this 2 shooters and 1 judoka is already out of compt.

But all is not lost. These athletes represent our country. They are our pride and we should stand by them even if they fail to win any medals. Heroes have emerged for India at the Olympics. R.Rathore, Leander Paes, Malleshwari, Milkha Singh, Limba Ram, PT Usha, Dhyan Chand and our hockey team which has 8 gold medals out of total 17 ever won by Indians !
Many dont even know, our football team qualified for the World Cup 1952o but could not participate because they did not want to abide by rule of wearing shoes to play the game ! And they also finished 4th at the 1956 Olympics.

Or we can also say India is unlucky. Yes, the sports like billiards, snooker and Chess, even cricket, where we are the world champions and unbeatable are not part of Olympics, which is sad.
So we should know our athletes have it in them. Our authorities must wake up from their slumber and get going.We still have time for next Olympics or 2016 Olympics

As for these games, lets hope that our dream does not gets transformed in to a nightmare and we are able to win hearts if not medals at these games. May God be with our athletes and so does our countrymen.

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.


Pierre de Coubertin

A Song....For Her. Wherever She is !

I have this feeling for so long…

And it seems more right than wrong….

But as it gets stronger …

It makes me weaker …..

And I cant help it coz its true…

That I am in love with you…… -2

I always said this world is crazy…

That life outside is lonely and shaky….

But since I saw ur face, Its me who’s gone crazy…

Its me who is shaky, its me who’s breaking…

And as this feeling gets stronger…

It makes me weaker…

And I cant help it coz its true….

That I am in love wid u… 2

I always said I don’t need anyone….

Hah ! Who needs a special sumone…not me for sure..

But since I met u, I wanted to tell u..

I need someone to hold my hand and

I want u to love me like mad…

And as this feeling gets stronger and stronger

It makes me weaker and weaker…

And I cant help it coz its true

That I am in love with you…

So come in my world and hold my hand

And tell me that u love me like mad…

Do this for me as I feel stronger…not weaker..

I have this feeling for so long…

…………