Sal-aam Mumbai - The Prelude !

'Love thy sleep more than thyself' -- a simple motto in life which I surely love and dearly follow. For a person like me, who is fast asleep even in an awkward standing posture in a crowded suburban local train, there needs no invitation to traverse to the other world just by closing the eyes. But, it certainly takes tons of energy to get me out of it. So now imagine my plight when required to 'arise and awake' at 4:20 in the morning !!! Well, the time mentioned is very dear to me (no - dont read it without the colons !) - it's my birth time :-) Anyways, maybe that was the reason or something else, we (Shirya too !!!) DID manage to be in time at Borivli station. (of course it's relative... we were 10 min late than the decided time , but 10 min before Varun !)

The ticket counter was buzzing with uprecedented activity. Looked like everyone wanted to leave very early that day -- that too on a chilly Sunday ! We were wondering where all the junta was headed for .. and vice versa. Well, we couldnt get our query solved, but for the benefit of all those puzzled souls, lemme put forth our perspective - we were raring to go for the Mumbai Marathon.

We also had one more friend - Shreya - with us. Varun was the only 'experienced' one amongst us novices. All of us were 'running' the half-marathon. So we did plan our strategy, in the train journey, to triumph. Shirya was already implementing the strategy of being relaxed and at ease ... long before was he into his own world of dreams. No wonder i heard that these days he's in love with meditation. The healthy discussions in the journey (healthy coz we had our share of Parle-G biscuits ! ) apparently made it quicker, but alas the clock didnt share the same feelings. We were supposed to reach Azad maidan before 6:15 - we reached C'gate at 6:25 ! So this gave us an opportunity to start running much before others - we had no option but to run to the ground. We were surely getting in the groove !!! Sanket was to meet us at the ground. So operation Search Sanky had begun the moment we reached the ground. Finally we did succeed -- no we didnt find Sanket, but found out that the race had begun 10 min ago --- net result the mission was completed, albeit aborted.

We were so excited to run now. All of us came towards the entry point with eager eyes and longing legs. This was the moment I had visualised so many times in the past week, finally it was to be real and kicking. But there was a slight problem --- we werent allowed to run !!! Yaa, as per the rules, the late comers couldnt be a part of race. I always loved figures of speech in school, but never understood why would anyone use them in real life. Now, here I was, revising my concepts of 'anticlimax' !!! Huhh -- the good part (if there was any) was, we werent alone. And maybe it was this pressure (pleading) by all of us, which finally let us in the racing field. We were fifteen min late already, but who cared. The moments which lay ahead were far more precious than the minutes wasted. The feet were running now and so was Mumbai !!!

Colours of life !!!

The Sunday started on a high note - it was high time i got up :-) Sharmili's call woke me up (was 9.30am ! ) and it took me arnd 10min to realise that the DI class to begin in next 20 min. What followed next was a frantic running arnd in the house in an effort to get ready for the class. Finally i did manage to reach - but not on time. Anyways, as the elders say - Der aaye durust aaye !!!

Neha was handling a group of around 15-20 kids (inter level) !!! The other group was of Arti (no .no she wasnt the student ! ) ..she was handling a group of around 10 kids (inter level) Prabhakar had also chipped in (as he has been doing for some time now) So i took charge of the older kids (some paradox here --- older -- kids ??? ..anyways leave it ! ) The class was in a state of sanity (surpisingly) with the children intent on studying. I did 'adverbs' with them - was a profound learning - of course for me. Meanwhile Shirish too joined in. By the time the class finished at noon, all were pleasantly weary after the study-class. It was now time for the painting competition to get underway...life was to be colourful yet again !!!

Meditation was the perfect thing to do now in the transition from pens to crayons. I always love the class during such saner times... feels heavenly ! It was Ajay's last day then - so we announced that the first prize of the competition wud be given to Ajay as a gift. The exhibition of colours started at around 12:15 and was to last till 1.00pm. The kids were divided into three different groups for the same. They had brought sketch-pens, crayons and all possible colours from their homes (they were asked to do so ! ) and were all set to unleash the budding artist in each one of them. The competition gave us (Shirish and me) enough time to buy some farewell gifts for Ajay. We were instructed to get it from a stationery store nearby (next to a Samosa shop) and so we went on our mini-mission. We walked for some time ..and then some more and then further more. Finally we reached the highway, but alas there were no Samosas --- err ---stationery store. We were on our way back (kis muh se class main jaayenge was our thought process !) and we found one small multi-purpose shop. We did get 3 small notebooks, few pencils, erasers, sharpner for Ajay. While coming back, Shirish promptly reminded me to get a chart paper as well ..and surprise-o-surprise we saw the samosa shop !!! There (in the store next to it !!) we also got a Moral story book. Huhh -- Mumbai afternoons were still hot !!!

The scene in the mandir was full of enthusiasm. Some were about to finish with their painting, some mid-way, while some deep-thinking souls were still pondering over which colours to use. I promptly handed over the chart paper to the two madams and we 'inactive' guys tried to control the proceedings. Neha and Arti got inspired by the kids' art and were hell-bent on displaying their own skills via the chart paper. The chart was to be a message board kinda thing - so Neha wasted no time in generating farewell and welfare messages for Ajay !!! Arti was fabulous in her role as a keen observer (she did write a few lines later !) On the other side, the mandir was getting more and more colourful (nope - kids didnt spill any colours on floor !! ) Some even took the pains of making a border with sketch-pens - true - no gains without pens !!!

It was about time to finish the competition and move towards the main event of the day - an emotional send-off to the darling - Ajay. Ajay himself came in front and spoke about how he felt and how he would miss all his friends and the teachers (including Sirs !!) in DI. The small expressive eyes of his said it all when words fell short. The day before, he was telling me how he would be celebrating his b'day (22nd jan) in his village and how his grandmom wud be making a cake for him at home. He promised to parcel one cake to the mandir as well - asking me to distribute it amongst all his dear ones. Back to the present, he was standing there, assuring everyone of his continual love for all. His sparkling eyes made a promise to play the game of life in the best of spirits with a strong will to succeed. Neha just hugged him for a while and with moist eyes, we all cherished that moment. Its' hard to put those 2-3 min in words - sometimes unsaid things say it all - right ???

We then gave him the gifts we had got. Neha then read out the different messages which other kids had written for him on the chart paper. Some were funny, some caring, some loving, one was in English(wow !!!) ..but every message had one thign in common - each was from the heart. We then asked him to distribute a pack of coffee-bites to all the kids and adults. Just then someone asked him - "Who's your best friend?". Now, any other kids wud have promptly replied with the best friends' name (maybe 2 or 3 three names ) But, this was the master political diplomat in action --- Ajay coolly said " Sabhi bacche mere bahut acche dost hain, mujhe sab log acche lagte hain !! " Then he pointed towards Suraj and said that he likes him more than anyone else, but also complained that they both arent talking since few days .... sheer innocence at its best !!!

The class was over and we just had a small chat with Ajay's mom. It was more of a re-assurance of her child's great aptitude and attitude. The long day did finally come to an end here - an end we didnt really liked. But, we knew that he was leaving for his own good. Just for being selfish, we couldnt care less about his bright future ahead. Ajay was leaving with hopes in his tiny eyes - we left with dreams in ours !!!

Breaking the news ...

Just a couple of weeks ago, the cable walas stopped showing 'inappropriate' content on the TVs. As a result, the stalwarts like HBO , Star movies, faded away. But, surprisingly, we also had every other movie channel following the same fate. The result being entertainment was clipped of its wings and as always the customers had to bear the brunt of it. Well, i dont intend to go into the details of this controversy - that would account for a separate blog !!! So, amindst this dearth of entertainment, we (roomies) wondered what to watch on TV. Prompt came the reply from one my friends - India TV !!!

For a few ignorant souls - India TV is one of the many many 24x7 news channels. The motto of most of these channels is to show the truth, get to the root of the problems and present the 'facts' to the viewers in the fastest possible time. Truly, all these channels serve towards getting transparency in any matter concerning (or not concerning) the common man. Surely, the magnanimity of their social awareness and plilanthropic activities knows no limits. I am indeed blessed to have seen the social revolution ignited by these dedicated bunch of people. Really inspiring - right ? Then is it that the channel was thought of as a perfect substitute for any other entertaining channel ???

No doubt, my friend should be questioned over his irresponsible comments. How on earth can you afford to challenge the motive of that noble channel !!! So what if Rakhi-Mika controversy was given more importance than the political turmoil elsewhere .... so what if Prince's rescue overshadowed resuce of hundreds of Indians from Lebanon .... so what if a certain cobra found in a courier made it to the breaking news .... so what if a ghost driving people away from school was more important than the terror strikes. Here it's proved, they care for the common man - cobra, ghost, Rakhi, Mika everyone is surely linked deeply to the common man of India. Of course Prince vindicated his name when he single handedly accounted for 36 hrs (dunno the exact figure !) of non-stop truth presented to the concerned viewers. And no....India TV wasnt/isnt the only one - the entire news industry did/does it bit (more than bit actually) towards the betterment of their fellow countrymen.

On a serious note though (just in case u thought i wasnt serious yet), under the name of 24x7 coverage of facts and in the race of being first to report the news, these channels are surely breaking the true essence of news. The emotions and sensitivity of the issue are kept miles away and focus is simply on who wins the brutal race. They dont see any harm in interviewing the bereaved just moments after the blast, they dont see the damage that can be done while showing the disastrous effects of terror live on screen, they dont hold themselves repsonsible for propogating andhashraddha amongst the uneducated masses .... Under the mask of showing the truth, these anti social elements have the sole aim of increasing their TRPs, be it at the cost of consciousness !!!

Yet, with all these factors known, these channels still thrive and would continue to do so. After all, the supply of any product is only as good as the demand - and who doesnt like to watch some exciting breaking news !!!

Dreamz unlimited !!!

The sparkling eyes showed innocent joys. The never-ending smiles enjoyed every moment of those 3hrs. They laughed, clapped, cheered and lived thru the entire period. Sometimes they even cried, out of empathy and humanity. Yes, the kids of the DI2020 Borivli chapter showed that they too are as human as others - and they too wanna enjoy life to the fullest.

Well, the scene was Lage Raho Munnabhai being screened for 29 kids, who stay in the slums of Kulupwadi, Borivli. The organisers were the members of the DI2020 team. The occasion was 'nothing - but smiles'. So what's DI2020 ?

Dream India 2020 (or DI200 as it's fondly referred to) is an NGO striving towards the betterment of the less-fortunate ones by educating them. Teaching English and Math are the prime objectives, along with imparting certain values too. Started by a couple of engineering students of Chennai, this NGO now has centres in 5 cities - Mumbai, the leader, has 4 centres. I was fortunate enough to know about this enthusiastic group a couple of months ago and there has been no looking back since. While Kiran still remains a dream, DI2020 actually paved the way for it. Life surely hasnt been the same - of course changed for the better !!!

Never have I come across a more dedicated set of individuals working towards a certain goal. Everyone of them is a working professional (mostly IT ) who slog it out the entire week (sometimes weekends too !) and yet find quality time for those wonderful kids. The classes are held on Sat eves and Sun morns. So, when they have a chance to just rest for a while on a relaxed sunday, we find people actually travelling from Ghatkopar to take a 2 hr class inBorivli. This is what struck me as something surely extra-ordinary.

And all this is possible coz of the man behind this - the founder of DI2020 - Varun R. A simple guy armed with simple thoughts and simple methods - he has undoubtely taken on a complex system with a resolve of changing it. Apart form these simple qualities, that guy has an unmatched vision and relentless will to implement the vision. It's about 2 yrs since they started their first class, and needless to say, the journey has been first-class. Hats off !!!

Amidst all this are those lovely souls who are deprived of the comforts which their 'well-to-do' counterparts enjoy. But, they have the will, the will to learn, the will to grow in life, in stature. They have the yearning for learning, they have the inclination - they just need the time from us adults. And that's precisely what we try to do at the Borivli class - try to bring about a change in them without changing their individuality. We try to give them an opportunity to have a holistic view towards life - Munnabhai was born out of this. Not only did the kids have a golden chance to walk proudly on the shining floors of the mall, not only did they escalate merrily, not only did they have a blast with the pop-corns ... they also got a chance to meet the Mahatma. The simplicity of the movie touched them; as they live, nothing, but a very simple life.

I have always been inspired by the Mahatma's words - Be the change you want to see. Call it a coincidence or conspiring of the universe - we practised what he preached :-)

P.S : For any info please visit http://dreamindia2020.org/

A tale of two cities !!!

"Tumhala kon vhaychay - Mumbaikar, Punekar ki Nagpurkar ? " ... Like every other Maharshtrian (or rather Marathi manoos), even i cant help laughing my loudest after hearing this masterpiece by the legendary PuLa. The liking still remains the same for it and i still cant help exploding with smiles. The only thing that has changed a bit over the last 1.5 years is the fact that now i have also had an opportunity to experience some of those magical moments expressed in the original. Well, i always had the chance to feel the 'Mumbaikar' pulse in last 20 odd years; but its only this last one and half year which has given me the 'privilege' to know (at least make an effort) the 'assal Punekar'. Of course i can’t comment on the third front involved here - the Nagpurkars - due to lack of first hand expereinces. So as of now, Mumbai and Pune remain my domain of 'expertise'.

This short phase of life has nearly convinced me that Pune is surely better than her sister city. Let’s try and understand the reasoning behind this belief. While Mumbai stresses herself (ohh ... so boring…!! ) by the fast paced life, Punekars love to take it easy. And by easy, i mean reeeeaaalllly eaasssy (Live life Kingsize!). Imagine the Doodhwala coming at 8:30 in morning (how much they care for the precious sleep of the common ppl !!! ) The shop-operas here are also one of its kind. The earliest a general store can open (that too only sometimes) is arnd 9:00; the hotels dont serve breakfast until 7:30-8:00. Sorry, I sounded like offending the Puneri punctuality – that’s one thing which is truly special. If lunch hours are from 1 - 4 (yaa..ppl here love their food so much - 3 hrs !!! ) the shop must, in all circumstances, close at 1.00 pm sharp. The true essence of punekars is to follow the timelines and even if that invokes the ire of the customers, so be it. Nothing is more dutiful than shutting the shop on the face of the helpless customer, who has travelled for an hour to buy a famous item of your shop. After all, it's the customer's mistake - he didnt follow the time :- )

One of the other very striking feature of Punekars is their helpfulness... or atleast the will to help u out anytime. Now, imagine u being lost in a crowded city like Mumbai. How on earth wud u find ur way?? Even if u ask someone, there's no real use. U wud either get the exact directions or in worst case, someone wud accompany u till ur destination (assuming the other person too is going in same direction) So, what did u gain - nothing. U were given so very accurate directions, that u just followed them without even thinking. The result - the next time u go there, u again need to take someone's help. This is exactly where Pune scores highly over Mumbai. If u are lost and dare to ask for a lay-man's help, u r surely in or a treat. The most common thing being u wud be interrogated to such an extent that u wud forget the sole purpose of ur visit - so no question of asking for directions. Else, some really caring fellow human beings wud bail u out in the most amazing ways. Take this for an example : "Deccan gymkhanyala kasa jaycha ? " ..... this wud get a response like "CHAALAT " .... now what a startling revelation this can be for u. First - this wud save ur money - in case u thot of boarding an auto/bus. Second - u wud make it a point to find it urself - so next time u wanna go there, u r well prepared. Thats the real spirit of Pune - self realisation thru such small small things!!!

On the other hand, Mumbaikars are well known for their ‘indifferent’ attitude towards their colleagues and city-mates. So what if we saw some pictures of ‘snobby’ Mumbaikars helping out one and all after the recent blasts. Punekars are of the belief that such tragedies can be avoided. The motto followed is ‘Forewarned is forearmed’. Take this notice outside a bungalow – “We have a dog in our house; the owner’s not responsible if someone’s bitten”. The care and concern expressed towards outsiders is clearly evident in such acts of social awareness. If u thought that people couldn’t be more helpful than this, u are surely to be bemused. A notice outside a building indicates “Outsiders should not use the society lift. In case they use the lift and get stuck inside, the society won’t be responsible”. Now, this is what I call as brotherly love in its purest form.

Huhhh......I can very well go on and on about the Puneri magic, but I really don’t want to face the music from the irate Mumbaikars reading this. So, with no hard feelings in the air, this is an assal punekar signing off!!!

Statutory Warning : Reading such blogs is injurious to health.

A new day - A new beginning

I have always heard of dual personalities, been very intrigued by the concept; but never had any first-hand experience. So thought of simulating a similar one by means of blogging !!!

Well, on a serious note, the other side of me (Dream-a-Dream)would still be very much alive and also involved in the grooming of this part(Just like that)of me . Just that i needed a different platform to express myself on any day-to-day matters. So, the whole concept of this one coming into existence is not to sideline the other; it's for scribbling whenever i feel like, whatever i feel like...

So lets celebrate. The reason - just like that !!!

Life after Death !!!

On the soft white sheets of the the cozy bed,
Amidst the chirpy smiles of all his beloved,
He gently closed his serene eyes,
And breathed his last without any sighs.

Yes, he did pass away; but not without passing on innumerable wonderful memories to all his blessed children. He passed on the legacy of 'everything for everyone' with amazing aplomb. He passed on his principle of selfless sacrifices for others to follow. Yet, he didnt go away - literally too !!!

The most important preaching of his enriched life was done after his life. Yes, he did inspire one and all during his life, but surely did he ignite many after it. Imagine a grand old man of 86 giving, a new dimension to life, to a couple of youngsters in their sixties - he gave them the chance to see their lives, he donated his eyes after his death. He surely still sees the beautiful world; though others cant see him.

If only one thought that this was awe-inspiring, we need to go a step ahead. This smiling saint had the immense courage and astuteness to have his body being 'donated' after death. The mere thought, of one's body being at the disposal of emerging doctors for dissection, in itself, is a hair-raising experience - and this man did it with ease. At a time, when hardly anyone in this 'progressive' generation is aware of such possibilities to 'live' even after death, this gentleman defied the generation gaps and carved his name amongst the immortals.

He always encouraged others to keep on learning; now, even after the departure of his soul, his body would continue to do so. He had the vision to see things in a holistic manner; now his eyes would help in illuminating the darker worlds.

Well, just the mere knowledge about his deeds can make one feel humbled; and if you happen to be one his grandchildren, then you deserve to be proud of him and his acts.
I vividly remember his generous acts of donation in countless ways, but none can supersede his final act of celebrating humantiy.

Truly inspiring...and worth emulating. I might not be certain of my immediate goals yet; but i know for sure what I would do after leaving this world. Ajoba has shown us the way to live - it's now upto us to explore it !!!