My Name is........................!

My Name is Khan, and I am not a Terrorist.

My Name is Thackeray and I am morphing into one.

Again, what's in a name? To quote Shakespeare (who does make it sound so much better),

"What’s in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet"

But the wisdom of the 16th century does not seem to apply in the 21st. But then, why should we expect it to? No one ever claimed that evolution of the psyche would occur with the evolution of the species, though there are distinct signs of devolution!

Some believe religion was established by God / God's Prophets, some say religion is a man-made phenomena. Whatever the case maybe, how has it been made into a killing machine? Growing up in a highly cosmopolitan* environment, I have never, ever heard from common people - classmates, friends, neighbors, about any religion advocating hate crimes and reckless murder sprees.

So, why is this happening? What, or rather who incites these common men and women to turn into communalist and racist bigots? Why are we educated, smart young people still falling into this trap laid out by the power-crazy "leaders" and "godmen"?

Too many questions you say, well, can you give me an answer?

*Cosmopolitan: I am a Parsi, educated in a Christian missionary school, from Ajmer, which is a pilgrimage point for Hindus, Muslims, and Jains. We also have a huge Sindhi population, a sizable amounts of Sikhs, Jews and Buddhists.

Number of riots since 1985: ZERO.

TwentyTen!

Hello 2010!

I must admit, I love the symmetry of "2010", sounds so funky! Makes me anticipate 2020, which I hope would still make me think of cricket. If it doesn't, shoot me dead. After all, it is my favorite spectator sport!

If all that sounds even more weird than its normal for me, pardon me. Blame it on the residual effects of intoxicating metabolites and the shock of having to do readings and homework again! And yes, I saw the 'Phir mile sur....' video just before this. The visual torture has effectively fried my brains, though I didn't mind the music so much. It was time for a change, and really, how many of the younger kiddos have even heard (or heard about) the old version. I also believe 'Mile sur...' is a classic, and that they should have tried to compose something new!

Holiday hollers: I love the cold, but January hasn't been my favorite month for a few years. This year, I think I might have made my peace with it. I was off to San Diego in the first week of January. It's such a lovely city, and the Seaport Village made me physically long for Mumbai. The coastline feels the same, but the sea smells different back home, for whatever reason. Ohh Marine Drive and a garam chai, how I miss thee (yes, I am addicted). The simple pleasures of life are the ones you tend to miss the most..... :)

So, I got back, the rest of my household got back, and then due to some quirk of the weather Gods, we had a week full of rain. Dull, deary rain. Arrrgghhh. To brighten things up, we had a mast(!) birthday party, with the guys putting up quite a show (yay!). And then we were off to Palm Springs for a conference (blah blah). It was a pretty place, sunny, slightly cold, with snow on the mountain peaks and so many shops with such pretty and expensive and useless collectibles. Oh, and possibly, there may have been partying. Lots of. Fun times!

And now, school restarts with a vengeance, and, surprise surprise, I am looking forward to it. Last year, this date, I was on the tender mercies of Western Railways while traveling to Ajmer. Time flies by, and it takes you along. The ride was crazy, fun, a bit bumpy, with quite a few very pleasant surprises and I am so very delighted to be half-way across the world in 2010!

Live, Love, Laugh. It solves everything!

Christmas in Claremont!

So its Christmas time, the wind's howling in the trees, there is snow on Mt. Baldy's peak and I am on a break from KGI. It is an altogether different matter that I end up in KGI almost every night. After all, it has the pool table and the projector. Studying in the lecture hall may be difficult after meeting with Mr. Jack Daniels and trying out amateur karaoke in there :)

Have "guests" over - Jen and Rags are here. They insist I do not know the "right" way to make chai, but will I please make some anyways? Godot has been loaned to me. No wait. Godot has deemed our humble abode worthy of being his palace for a few days. Taking care of a crazy cat who doesn't want to return home at night and thinks that hiding in obscure corners of IHV is fun; is interesting, to say the least! Did I mention the time he climbed up on the roof and couldn't figure out how to get back down? No? Rags did the hero act by precariously balancing on one leg, on a rickety stool, and stretching his hand out to Godot, who promptly sank his claws in into the offered hand and grabbed on. Ouch. I realized I am absolutely not ready for the responsibility of a pet just yet.

Christmas dinner was at Uncle Marco's and Aunt Yanny's place. They are an amazingly open-hearted family, who have welcomed us all, sharing their time and affection and making us feel at home. The next day, we worked off the good food by going for a marathon. A five movies, back-to-back, marathon. By the way, is it weird that even after five months here, I don't feel homesick? I guess home is where the heart is, and I think my "extended" family keeps me centered. Love you guys :D

The year draws to a close and I am actually surprised at how fast time went by. This time last year, I was in Jodhpur, enjoying Marwari khana, with bajre ki roti, maakkhan maar ke. Today, it was "spicy" paneer tikka at Handee. Worries about are admissions over, (I should be) worrying about an internship now. The heat of Mumbai is a distant dream in the much appreciated cooler climes of Claremont. D Y Patil is buried deep down in my memory covered by layers of "awesome" KGI stuff. So many things change, and thank God that so many don't!

Bye-Bye 2009. You were a wonderful year, bringing with you a jolly bag of changes. Will miss you when you are gone, but I spy with my little eye a fun fun fun 2010!

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

~ Lord Alfred Tennyson

Merry Christmas !

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Live, Love, Laugh !

Funny that this blog comes after the craziest week I have had in a long long (ever?) time... KGI does that to you... I have almost developed an attachment to yellow/green/blue walls, coffee that tastes like mud, running away in the middle of the night to stare at the stars... Having innumerable cups of tea (and missing tapri ki chai), pretending to eat healthy while gorging on an unholy amount of gooey, satisfying food, sleepless nights, sleepy weekends....and loving every moment of it!

Having birthday parties every weekend (yeah, we got lucky!) and getting the chance to vent our frustration via the time honored tradition of giving birthday bumps, sometimes to totally innocent people ... Can you believe that we actually decided to skip the tequila and rum shots and save them for next week? The bottles were right in front of us. Saints, all of us.

Also, the weather is so absolutely beautiful. I am enjoying the snow in the best way possible, away from me, on the peaks of the mountains up north! The air is chilly, makes me want to go out for a walk and come back with a cup of steaming coffee mmm.... The rain is the blah factor here, and I simply do my best to ignore it.

The week will end soon, and the real fun will start! I am super-excited about meeting 87 and Jen after almost five months. Will also be seeing other friends, a couple of trips are on the cards, so is exploring LA and a walk up the mountains. Taking a break from KGI sounds to be almost as much fun as KGI.

26/11/2008

26/11/2008

One of the few nights in my life I want to forget. Unfortunately, I can visualize it far too well. And the feelings of angst and anguish, remain.

My Taj burned (yes, I am a proud bawi first!), my city's blood spilled. Landmarks defaced, innocents murdered. Heroes made out of normal men, resilience and bravery seen from our much abused Brihanmumbai Police and the Mumbai Fire Brigade. Men from various agencies risked life and limb to get the young and old out from the Leopold Cafe, CST, Cama Hospital, near the Metro square, Taj, Trident, Nariman House......

My role in all of this? Keeping the memories alive for me, and for everyone who reads this.

I was at home, 11:20 in the night, studying for my semester VII final exams. I remember getting a frantic call from my uncle (who was in the UK) demanding to know where I am. His sigh of relief when I told him I am at home and "not dancing around town". That's when I switched on the news and saw how 12 men were ripping my city apart. From there on, it was a series of calls. Calling up my dad and telling him that for a change I was actually home. Calling up a friend who stays two streets down from the Taj, and being thankful he didn't go out for a walk! Glad a friend had just finished her shift at the Taj in the evening, but praying for her friends on the night shift. Worried about our exam the next day, life in DY was unpredictable, if nothing else...

I also remember when the shock actually set in. Next evening, a friend and I decided to go to our regular Juhu Barista to grab a coffee. We walk out into an eerie silence. Never ever have I seen Mumbai so quiet, not even at 3:30 am in the suburbs. Yes, that is when the pall of mourning that was in the air became real for me. We just got back inside the house and to the comfort of Nescafe.

And now, on 26/11/2009, I am away from my city, and I wonder what has been done. The normal: Politicos going about reforms and upgrades, Pakistan talks about prosecuting a couple of minor players, US and the rest of the world condemn the attacks, DCPs shout about more training, Ram Gopal Verma plans a movie with Ritiesh (or whoever), Mumbai Police tells citizens to be aware and alert (the contact link on their website doesn't work, I checked), MNS still wants the Uttar Bhartiyas out, the Mumbai/Bombay/Bambai argument goes on along with the other usual hoopla-hoop.

But what has been done?

The moongfali-wallahs are back at Gateway, the chai-wallah paddles his way around, the horses trot with the colourful 'Victorias', the awed tourists still pose in front of the Taj, the lights from the Trident gleam bright on Marine Drive, CST is as busy and probably more crowded than ever, beer guzzlers and dragon chicken lovers are back at Leo's. Before leaving her city, missydee went there with a group of friends and toasted the three bullet holes in the glass pane with our cold Kingfisher, see pic! Mumbai's spirit lives on in the lives of its people, who have absorbed the repeated attempts to hurt their city, regrouped and recouped (showing the figurative middle finger) and lived, loved, laughed and cried there, embodying the eternal Mumbai spirit.

Love this photo clicked by a friend, KD. The lights and speed of Mumbai captured beautifully along Marine Drive!

Mumbai, miss you. Bombay, love you.

Those days..........

Writer's block ??

Not so soon.... Shall be pushed away by the force of my awesome willpower .... ARRRGGHHH!

There goes!! :D

I seem to be living in, and being surrounded by a constant world of nostalgia these days. Which isn't too bad, but makes me wonder: what will I miss about KGI? The yellow walled corridor or the green walled one? Nope. The "library"? Probably not. Seeing movies in the lecture hall? Maybe. Free coffee/tea and losing zillions of ping-pong matches? Yeah, that sounds about right! Oh, also the freedom of having beer and wine in an academic institution! Who would have thought that possible back home? :P

But however I may brush it off, DY had its moments. Crazy, frustrating, traveling 4 hours a day (1/6 of my itsy-bitsy day), clawing at vicious women to climb in from Kurla and getting nailed, clawed, hair-pulled and once memorably, bitten, moments! Running to catch the Andheri direct. Going out to our dearest Centre One, the newest Belapur CCD, a lazy afternoon at Ashwith/Nimantran with a beer, seeing movies at Meghraj (with the unparalleled cramped toilet feel), and feeling so proud when the new malls cropped up!

Walking into class early at 8:15, late at 8:25, or just plain bunking it all! The days when plagiarism was just a long word in the unused dictionary. Playing X and O's and Join the Dots in the maha-boring lectures. Time-pass in the garden. Tapri-wale bhaiyaji ki chai(s) and "ek cheese toast butter, do veg cheese toast, ek mausambi-shakkar nai-bafar kam, ek banana, ek collllld coffee aur ek classic milds". Canteen anna ki special chai/coffee, aur khaas garam vada pav "ekdum fresh"! Omelette-bread and another cold coffee at Sidewalk Cafe, "bhaiya thoda jaldi"!

Oh, and Species, the abso-fucking-lutely unforgettable Species. The random galli spray from Taklu Deanie. The nights at the main campus, eating the most disreputable Chinese food ever. Making sure the staff doesn't see anything they aren't supposed to (aka, everything). Getting totally sloshed/shit-faced/high/horny (who remembers!) in the basement on the last day, and the fantabulous hangover the next. Pure bliss.

Those, my dear friends, were the days of DY past! *sigh*