Freak o' Nature...

After having witnessed my first (n in all probability, last) hailstorm at Delhi.. I didn't expect to observe anything related to nature that wud be quite as spectacular.. until today. It was just another day, except dat it was raining pretty hard. My grandmom informed me that water had seeped thru the compound walls n entered our bldng. So I rushed to d balcony to check n was distracted by d sea. Now, having stayed at seaface for 22 yrs, I am used to d furious monster dat plays havoc wid all creatures, living and otherwise, within some metres of its reach, every monsoon.. namely, d beach. And its never a boring sight; it can keep u mesmerised for hours. the difference dis time was, I had a digi! lolz.. so I set out wid dat, my windcheater n my cell, to d beach, once d rains had stopped.

I went 2 d lane adjacent 2 mine, aftr hearin frm some1 on d road dat it was totally waterlogged. Made my way thru d 1 foot footpath, d remaining 3 feet of wich plus d road was under water.

Have u evr seen flooding NOT due to rains in Mumbai? I did today. Neways I reached d end of the lane.. wich was bordered by othr curious souls, some like me, takin pics of d fascinating sights. Just dat some things cant be captured in text or photos.. the howling wind, d crashing n ebbing of d waves on d rocks, d myriad shades of blue and grey that seemed to stretch from d sea to d skies, d mist of froth n foam dat wud engulf u if u stood close enuf 2 d waves.. wich i did, for a while.. it was safe coz i was standing at a height.. below me wer rocks n d waves wer hitting that.. just d gentle spray was hitting me. Aftr some time I went back 2 d end of d lane from d shore.. or watever little der was remaining of d shore. I stood atop a bench thnking I cud capture d waves from a different angle. Now I have a knack of not noticing fast moving objects coming towards me.. even if its right in fronta my eyes.. so whilst i moved d digi from left 2 right, i got soaked. DRENCHED from head to toe. It happened in an instant, d effect was equivalent 2 some one emptyin a bucket of water on you. Wen I opened my eyes, I realised wat had hpnd.. d wave had climbed over d 2 feet of rocks, lunged over d shore, n planted itself onto d bench at d end of d road.. wer I was standin. FREAK!! Thank God I wasnt actually on d shore..

Der wer a lot of "ohhh"s and "aahh"s frm d handful of spectators arnd.. and some" madam aap neeche aa jao" wen dis hpnd. I askd a guy 2 take a pic of me in dis bedraggled state.. wich he did, wid some advice.. "wen u hear sound of d waves becomin a large roar, u must step back". Right.

This experience left a thrill dat cant be put down in words.. its all in d moment.. i still feel d unexpected impact of salt n water on me.. n it feels gr8! Had actually planned 2 write a poem a coupla weeks back.. jst wasnt gettin d right words.. abt a painter who goes 2 d sea durin a storm 2 capture its beauty first hand.. n never returned back.. kinda had a deja-vu wid dis.. Mother Nature sure can be beautiful and dangerous at d same time..

A Learning Experience...

<P.S---Blog under construction--->

When a 96.89 in CAT didnt get me a call frm d elite B-schools.. something else abt me, apparently, was gud enuf for me 2 get a call.. frm Teach India. If u remember it was an initiative undertaken by TOI arnd July last year.. wer u cud collaborate wid an NGO n teach d underprivileged kids.. well i was called 4 an orientation, but i cudn make it as 7th Sem Msts wer on.. however i called up d NGO later n dey put me on d waiting list. In Jan dey got bak 2 me as der was a slot available at a municipal school in Worli.. unfortunately not Dadar.. wich i had given as first preference in d form. Still, i tuk it up.. n now my Saturday mornings r spent in travelling 2 d beautiful Worli side of town (i love dat area).. n transforming in2 a Std 1 teacher!

Its not as formal as it appears.. i dress like im goin 2 coll.. i dun hav 2 giv homework or act like Hitler.. jst spend one hour wid d children.. read out stories in English, translate in Hindi n make dem understand, teach nursery rhymes.. u cud say Im an English Prof :D the kids r arnd 5 yrs old.. belong 2 d worli village slum area.. n r well taken care of by d NGO.. jst like d school.. dat goes by d name "LoveGrove".. b4 u get ne ideas.. LoveGrove is a sewage pumping plant next 2 Atria!

I wasnt nervous coz Im pretty gud wid kids.. my usual restless persona takes a backseat n a more subdued 'me' takes over wen Im arnd dem.. but i hadnt envisaged a grp of 25 even more restless tots.. rushing n moving all over d room like a swarm of bees! Ders another volunteer who takes one cls while i teach d rest.. a guy workin wid Future Grp.. must be in his 30s.. yet one of my girl students asked me on d 1st day.. wid a beaming smile.. "Kya woh aapke husband hain?" Yeesh :))

Its heartening 2 find a Christina, Gayatri, Venkat, Vivek and Osama (yes der is a kid by dat name.. hes one of d most sincere n cute ones in d batch!) togethr, bending over a jigsaw puzzle or pointing out d odd man out frm a grp of pictures.. d innocence at dat age is sumthing, Im sure we all miss. Its not without a dab of 'nottyness' though; 1 time, a few boys undressed a doll : .. n wen d kids hav had enuf of 'studies'.. d boys show me der little finger n a toothy grin.. d girls sit in d corner n pretend 2 cry.. riight! Its been 3 months since dis started.. its still a lotta fun.. my sis sure gets J if i talk abt wat hpnd 'at cls'!.. i jst hope dat des cuteheart Slumkids get a chance 2 be Millionares some day..

Signing off

Flashes of 4 years gone by...

All things VJTI

As the end of r 'stint' wid VJTI approaches.. here's a look at some things exclusive 2 r coll dat we're gonna miss.. n a tongue-in-cheek description for each :D

The Labs: Kuch Nahi Hota Hai

The Grading System: Kuch Bhi Hota Hai!

Boys Hostel: Kya Kuch Hota Hai!!

Nirmal Aarti Chandan Mhatre: ^:)^

Shanti Caterers.. for causing ashanti in my stomach evry now n then.

Mtech Profs: They come in all shapes and sizes and varieties.. ranging frm d 'dont piss me off' types to d 'copy all u want' ones.

DJ nites: d grass is greener on the other side (of d rope) ??

Linkups.. dat change parties as d sem changes!

Politics: Amongst d staff, amongst ourselves.. hushed up in public, rambled on about wid r close frnds!

Billa: he never taught us, yet we indirectly learnt a whole new language from him!

Hold ur horses.. sorry, noses: The 'Smelly Staircase'!

The Ladies Room (LR): Essentially a washroom, 'certain ppl' frm my cls go der 2 write assignments n watch movies!

The Fauna: the canteen cat; the dogs dat adorn d main gate, not 2 4get d ones in d quad dat 'shock' us wid der acrobatic poses! :P

Security Guards: for not letting us talk/walk/stand/sit in peace.

Traditional day: more appropriately framed "Colours of India", for its d only time u get 2 c Munnabhais, Mughal emperors and Bhagat Singhs together, strutting arnd in..

The Quadrangle! ultimate meeting place. Frequently spotted: Quiz Club, a long line outside d stationary store, above mentioned dogs n security guards n ofc, civil ppl wid der telescope like field work apparatus!

Tanks in d garden: I still dont knw how dey came 2 be der.. plz enlighten me!!

The MDHs n ELRs.. you made us walk (climb) that extra mile!

'Orkut Lab': arguably d most 'infected' place in coll

Not having a clsroom in d final yr! Beat dat!

The Terrace: heavenly abode atop Mount Everest.. not a single soul in sight.. wait.. is dat a guard comin 2 shoo me away..?

'Shot' Wars: The New Menace

Exam Section: I cud tell u why dis made d list, if ur willing 2 wait a day.. no.. 2 days.. no 5 days.. heck i dunno how long u gotta wait.. but dats not my problem is it?

Mass walkout frm an MST clsroom coz d questns were out of syllabus. Hurray!

Zzz.. huh??

My blog was unexpectedly woken out of its blissful stupor by a TAG. Forgive me if u find my answers dull, but hey ive been sleeping for over 6 months n irritable due 2 lack of caffeine.

RULE 1: People who are tagged must write their answers to the tag and change any question they like.
RULE 2: Tag 3 people and they cannot refuse to do this tag. They must write who tagged them and cannot tag that person again. Continue the game.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what would be your reaction?
I'd leave him.. but i wud luurv 2 be d devil n play dumb.. n den betray him too ;)

2. If you have one dream which could come true, it would be?
I wanna travel d world..

3.What is more blessed-loving someone or being loved by someone ?
Uhh.. neither.. u either get hurt or end up hurting others.. but since i hav 2 choose i'd pick loving someone

4. Can you fall in love with your best friend ?
Nah.. but the one i love cud (n shud) end up becomin my best friend

5. How long would you wait for someone you love?
I wudnt wait if i dint knw whether dat person loves me too.. but if I knew, i cud wait forever :) Soo sweet na?? :P

6. If the person you like is secretly attached, what would you do?
First of all, i dont think i cud like someone who's attached.. d very fact wud turn me off

7. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Providin homes for street dwellers

8. What according to you is blogger in denial?
One who blogs just for d heck of it; coz everyone else is doing it, n who dusnt write wid passion

9. What’s your fear ?
Losing my loved ones

10. What colour are your socks now?
Wat makes u thnk im wearin em?

11. What are you listening to now?
Jawani Jaaneman. My family's watchin Indian Idol!

12. What takes you down fastest?
If i havent lived up to my own expectations!

13. Which one do you prefer - ice-cream or chocolate?
Chocolate. I dont always like ice cream (remember Ross?)

14. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Invest it! (Ross agn!!) Nah im just kiddin.. well first i wud buy a state-of-the-art vault!

15. What was the last thing you ate?
Maggi dat i made for sis n myself

16. How old are you today?
6 months and 5 posts old.

17. How do you vent out your anger?
Haha.. i argue!

18. Favourite toy as a child?
As far as i can remember, it was a yellow battered old teddy dat went by d name Gangubai! I had a nanny at a point in time.. 2 pacify me she wud take d bear n say "Gangubai paijhe.. gangubai paijhe??" God alone knows y she tuk dat name..

18. Favourite season?
The season i was born in.. monsoon!

19. When was the last time you cried?
While watching d last scene of Fashion.. arnd 2 weeks back

20. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
My neighbour Pouravi

21. What did you do last night?
Was chit-chatting wid mom..went 2 sleep at 1.30!

22. Favorite day of the week?
I like Fridays.. got a whole weekend 2 luk forward 2

23. Diamond or pearl?
Diamonds

24.Would you be single & rich or married & poor ?
Single and rich!

25.What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Gather my thoughts and grab Mumbai Mirror dats inevitably always on my bed..

26.If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, whom would you pick?
The one who i feel loves me more

27.Would you give all in a relationship ?
Depends on the kind of person ur with.. love is a two way street

28.What’s eating you now ?
My empty stomach is gnawin at my insides!

29.Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
When ur single, u wana be in a relationship, if u r in one, u feel like bein single! :D

30. Your opinion of the one who tagged you. And 3 ppl u r tagging
Zai, a very practical person.. having a sunny disposition.. provided ur not raining on her parade.
I tag Ashwini, Ujwala and Gul.

Ciao kiddos!

I wanna be a rockstar!!! :P

Just returned from d FDFS of Rock On.. d final scene is still on my mind.. d concert. It never lukd for a single while dat I was watchin actors at work. The pure euphoria n electricity generated by dos songs.. for me its one of d best endings in Bolly flicks.. n yes I liked dis ending more dan dat of Jaane Tu :P

The film does hav its cliche moments.. like wen d band breaks up due to a tiff between its main performers.. den dey get back 2gethr, tiffs 4gotten.. d struggles, d losing of self-expression, d cancer stricken band member.. n wen ur watchin ne movie wid frnds.. u tend 2 poke fun at evn d tiniest of flaws.

But still, its a feel good film. The music is breezy, casual.. well i tend 2 like nethin dat begins wid d strumming of a guitar :) .. but still.. im sure ALL d songs i heard today will be playin at rock concerts in d future. At d end of d day.. d movie DOES make u feel like you wanna be a rockstar too. To me dats its biggest achievement.

If not des factors, watch it for Farhan.. d guy aint an actor, nor a director.. he's a rockstar. Bottomline: Rock On rocks!

\m/

When i go crazy...

I was at d police station today.
At d passport details verification cell of d police stn.. to be specific. Hehe
Neways.. after 2 gruelling tests in d mornin (each 30 n 10 marks resp.. 2 be reduced to 2.5.. yeah, beat dat) I could hv nodded off to sleep as d officer leisurely went thru d stack o documents. But den my mind started wanderin, as usual. And soon.. I came up wid.. my masterpiece!!! D best, most exceptional piece of writing I hv ever written!!! N dis is dedicated to my close pals coz only dey mite find it hilarious (provided dey spot wats special abt d poem).. othrs wud thnk I've lost it. So widout further delay..

"Oh what a beautiful morning!!
Oh what a glorious day
The sun was bright n blazing!!
But den it started to rain

All my hopes wer shattered
I'd wanted to fly a kite
Now I was totally drenched
My hands felt like ice

I sought refuge in d forest
Slept under a thicket of trees
Dreamt abt flying cats n dogs
N giant dragons n bumblebees

I was a princess in a magical land
Whoever saw me said i lukd nice
Whatever i touched turned to gold
The hue reminded me of fries"

Due to lack of further time n imagination.. dis poem stands incomplete. So feel free to contribute in our exclusive jargon to.. my masterpiece!!!
:P

A not-so-new day

Since its been a week since coll started (or rather since I started attendin) lemme describe a typical day in d life of a VJTIan. Mind you, im talkin abt 3rd or 4th yrs here. 1st n 2nd yrs r busy attendin lectures.. wen dey do take place.

U enter coll at arnd 11 coz nuthin EVER starts at 9.. n ur bound to chance upon a frnd in d quad or d canteen. Soon ppl start joinin in n u end up havin a noisy GD.. wich mostly centers arnd d folllowin topics - d latest movies, d kinda teachers u hav, n how/why ur dept sucks. :P

Sum students (I wana refrain frm takin names of students or branches, so I'l generalize) play notebook-n-paperball cricket in d cls.. durin d lec. While others bunk to play proper cricket at 5 gardens. Wen u do atend a lec, u make sure 2 sit as far behind as poss, to avoid bein caught readin a book or copyin assignments.Labs r a dismal scene as der r hardly ne comps/apparatus dat work. So 10 ppl end up sharin d same table.. n yes, d GD continues.

The only time ppl r ACTUALLY stressed out abt lects, labs n the i-change-till-d-last-minute syllabus is at d time of submissions. Its a hugely grinnable (i knw dat not a word) sight, for sum1 who's out of it. Its also a time wen ur exam pprs get lost, n ur stapler now belongs to d entire class. But more abt submissions in anothr article.

Its considered an achievement if u come 2 college n even attend a lecture.. eithr coz dey hardly occur or bcoz dey're not of much help. So at d end of d day.. attendin college is just for meetin up wid ur frnds. So evn wid d lack of attainment of academic knwledge (did I just say dat?? :P) college has become not only a fun but vital part of r lives. Now time to end dis post else I'l be late for d same routine 2moro.

Cya!

For starters

Let me start by sayin im a skeptic wen it comes to blogging. Cause Im not sure how seriously ppl take dem. U could say u dont care abt others, n dat a blog's just like a personal diary for ya. But d truth is dat u do.. else u wouldnt put up ur thoughts wer everyone can read em. Most blogs des days r either gossip columns (dis aint E!, ppl).. or the daily news. Or stuff u've seen, read or heard b4. Its very hard to maintain ur individuality in dis blogosphere.. n dis is just an attempt at doin dat :)

Im an animal lover.. I feed d strays in my lane wenevr I get d time. It pains me to see stray dogs or cats suffer.. n wat pains me more is d BMC move to kill stray dogs.. n if u feel d same sign dis form asap.
http://www.petitiononline.com/strays/petition-sign.html?
I dont knw how effective it is, but its a start.

Time to talk abt my other passion.. poetry! I write wen im too bored wid d monotony arnd me n yet der r a million thoughts runnin thru my mind. Here's one of d verses I've scribbled in d recent past...

"Unsteady are my feet as they tread
Upon the vanishing path ahead
My mind speeding, my heart sore
Where have I read this before…

Horizon darkened by suspicious cloud
Cheery waves form a firm shroud
Over imprints of a once-cherished tale of yore
When have I seen this before…

Incessant buzzing in my head
Sirens resounding in the air
Deadlines to be met; resolutions to be kept
Fervent prayers galore
Why have I heard this before…

Call it a reverie or a premonition
Or simply a fragment of my imagination
Is time fleeting or standing still?
Will I do as I should or as I will?
Change is presumed as the only constant
Yet life assumes a predictable pattern
Occur, did it now, or ages before
If it happens again, then I’ll be sure…"

P.S: I like writin abstract stuff :P

I also absolutely completely uncontrollably adore music, be it indian, western, classical, rock et all.. wid d exception of metal, I guess. Nothing would please me more than bein cooped up in a recording studio all day, provided der r tea breaks. Im just waitin for d time wen I'l hav all d time in d world.. to sing, to learn a musical instrument.. basically pursue my love for music in a constructive way.

There's so much to do.. n so little time. But if a single issue has been on my mind for way too long, ur bound to read abt dat in here. Until den.. sayonara!