* Last day of 2009 spent in rehearsing 4 my play full day.we r doin 21 shows in jst 7 days thus startin 2010 with bang & in a unique way!
* 5 point sm1 was 1 of the best novels I read.So is the movie by Hirani&Chopra.salute to them & chetan bhagat!must read&watch!
* Twitting in the middle of smthin is fun.Enjoying 3idiots.A nicely made film.very good treatment 2 a novel.aamir ko mananaa padega!
* Passing thru LBS marg in slw moving traffic.feeling nostalgic.used to travell by same route 4 my engineerin deg. colleg VESIT 9yrs ago.
* Bookd tkts of 3idiots 4 7.30 shw 2 wtch it wid colleagues.Antik driving his car with max. Speed but mumbai traffic scks!we wd b late as usul
* Decided to go 4 some work in the bank so woke up early and today only it had to be a bank holiday!why it always happens so???
* Readin ChetanBhagat's 2States 1Chptr at a time.Bcos I love Krish&Ananya's company&want 2 keep enjoying it 4 as lng as I cn!I love this book.
* Rehearsals for Aum ShreeMad Bhagwat,my first gujju play,in full swing.21 shows in 7 days in a row from 1jan-7jan.wht a way 2 welcme 2010!
* Today I went 2 Alibag by Ferri from gateway.It was very nice & kool experience.shaky shaky yet enjoyable 1 hr jrny.Had fun!
* I love seeing the joy on people's faces.passing by a christian locality.evrybdy is in christmas festive spirit!Its so much fun!
* There is a striking similarity between Chetan Bhagat and Sumit Raghavan ('Sajan Re Jooth Mat Bolo' and 'Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai' actor)...
* It seems hospitals have become routine in my life.In 2009 mom was admitted twice,ami thrice.I hope 2010 turns out to be better.
* I reached Fr.Agnel church after it was closed but the security guy instrcted me not to light candle & opned church only 4 me!I was touched.
* Walking on the skywalk at bkc is a kool experience!I always enjoy it.Infact it acts as a gr8 stress-buster for me!1.3KM dosn't seem 2 long!
* Today we performed rehearsal of our gujju play in front of well known gujju play director Kamlesh Mota. 21shows in 7days frm 1st Jan'10!
* tatkal rail tkt bookin on irctc website nvr helps.site is damn slow & in a jiffy entire tatkal quota gets exhausted.2days 4 tatkal is 2 shrt
* How strongly I felt to be with my wife tdy.She is thr in hospital in Mahesana,Gujrat-10 hrs away frm me,here in m'bai.Ami,gt well soon...
* I simply love the smell and the feeling of air-conditioner in AllIndiaRadio bldg where I read gujrati news.Heavenly & amazing!
* whole day passed in reading newspapers and surfing net.wanted to do many more things but couldn't.time flies...
* I voted for Dev in the @Kingfisherworld Calendar 2010 Launch contest. http://bit.ly/7BO5i4
* Ystrday in a marriage reception,evrybdy wanted to shake hands & get a foto clickd with my dad-'NattuKaka'.I liked the feeling tobe with him.
* Marriage of a close relative is fun event & ocassion 2 meet so mny relatives,friends & have a good time!Jst attended my cousins' in Gujrat
* I like using time to the fullest hence hate waiting 4 smbdy/smthing 4 lng time.ystrdy hd 2 wait 4 my delayd bus 2 mumbai 4 more than 1 hour.
* Travelling very long distance by bus,even though its luxury type,is very uncomfortable & tiring...
* since last week or so,I daily walk 2-3 kms as a practice for running dream run mumbai marathon to be held next month...
* I jst saw 2 unusual sights:A fat young LADY smoking & an aged MAN crying in front of his mom.In India these may be counted uncommon still.
* Cats are so beautyful! Kittens are even cuter..their agileness,curiosity and sharp activeness drives me crazy!!!
* ct scan equipment's rotating wheel @ nanavati hospital scared my mom but it looked like spinning washing machine to me!
* Heard chanting of sanskrit shlokas in unison while passing by a school and felt very nice.reminded my school days...
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Golden Temple at Amritsar
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Today I want to share my experience of visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Actually I visit holy places of all the religions like church, mosque or a gurudwaaraa. And I don't intend to advocate any specific religion. But certain good things, some good rituals etc. I liked very much which I observed during my two visits to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Hence this blog.
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Amritsar is a very nice city. I visited it twice so as to see the temple made up of Gold as many of us might guess it to be from its name.
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I wanted to start my honeymoon journey visiting the holy golden temple first (also had read that Abhishek Bachchan & Aishwarya had also started their honeymoon after visiting Golden Temple first. That inspired me to do the same!) Second time I took my mom and sisters also along with my wife for darshan of this beautiful place of worship. Both these times my liking for this temple and the city Amritsar has grown more..JPG)
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The golden temple is actually Harmandir Sahib Gurudwara visited by thousands of people daily. Some visit it with pilgrimage intentions while others as a tourist spot. Some others like me visit it out to feel mixed feelings of holiness & wonder.
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It has a very unique and beautiful architecture. The main central gurudwara is sitting in the middle of a holy & serene lake housing lot of big size gold fishes. The lake is surrounded by a marble-floored walkway on all four sides and by four different buildings on all four sides.
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I loved walking through the entire square-shaped promenade with marble flooring very much. On a hot sunny day also your legs won't burn walking bare feet here. A most unusual sight even before we entered the temple was outside at the shoe-house where you have to keep your shoes before entering temple.
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The old man offering service there literally took everybody's shoes in his hands and touched them on his head as if the shoes were some sacred holy objects! I felt strange. Later I realized that his intention in doing so might be to respect even the foot wares which brought people to this holy place for darshan. I could only think of this logic.
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And I observed that all the men and women offering the service at shoe-house did the same thing. After keeping your shoes you have to dip your bare feet in the water in the small tank like structure at the entrance of the temple. The touch of holy cold water on bare feet felt very nice.
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After this ritual you enter the temple premises. But one mandate for everybody is to cover their heads before entering the premises. Anywhere inside the temple surroundings, if you are found without a cloth above your head, you will receive firing from the volunteers or temple-keepers!
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At the entrance and inside the temple premises you will find some Sikh temple-keepers with yellow long kurta-like robe and the symbolic Sikh kirpan and typical turban and beard. They would scare a timid normal man but yet they have a warm welcoming smile on their faces!
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You would find them at the gate screening people entering the temple or roaming freely inside temple premises keeping a watch on people's movement and scolding those whose heads have not remained covered! I got a scolding even for feeding the fishes in the lake!
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While walking on the promenade you would hear the musical kirtans offered to the God inside the gurudwaaraa. It’s a serene and holy experience doing parikrama around the temple. you would observe many Sikhs taking a holy dip and having holy bath in the lake water or praying near a very old holy tree inside the premises.
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There is a long queue of devotees gathered near the gurudwaaraa entrance but it moves fast and you feel great as you reach near the golden temple shrine. Many people get the sheera-prasad to offer and drop some of it in the water for feeding fishes when uniformed temple-keepers are not watching!
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At the gate of main gurudwaaraa two guards control the flow of people entering by a stick clad with yellow coloured cloth. You feel nice as you enter the two storied main gurudwaaraa shining with bright golden tinge. Sound of melodious kirtans soothes you and you feel divinity all around. There is no idol or picture of any god but a thick and big religious book is being read by some saints sitting inside the gurudwaaraa. The walls are decorated with beautiful carvings and colourful floral patterns. There is a thick floor-mat on the ground. Photography is prohibited inside the main gurudwaaraa but even if you get caught doing it, you will get a mild and brotherly scolding!
Another memorable experience I had at the golden temple was that of having a lunch-prasad at the 'Langaar'. Every devotee, poor or rich, elder or younger, man or woman everybody queued up in a disciplined manner. Everybody first collects the steel plate, a spoon and the water bowls. There are long ten to twelve rows inside a huge lunch-hall in which people sit together for having lunch. Apart from the temple-staff young people also serve roti, the moongdal subzi and daal which taste heavenly. There is a typical way in which rotis will be offered. You have to hold both your hands and the person will throw the roti in your hands with gods name and you don't feel bad to accept roti in this manner at all! There are lot many devotees offering their service in preparing the food, cleaning the utensils, giving the water etc. with great enthusiasm and devotion. This community lunch and the overall experience at the Langaar were really unforgettable.
What set Golden Temple apart from other places of worships is the overall ambience, the feeling of grandeur, not getting bothered, disturbed and irritated by any beggar, Sikh turbaned temple-keepers in their yellow robes, a beautiful lake with lots of big fishes, warm people serving selflessly at the Langar,nobody asking for any donation or monetary favour, people having prasad-lunch at Langar together.
All these and much more have etched the golden temple with golden memories in my mind and heart forever...
Sunday, December 13, 2009
We have to be more responsible citizens...
A news story of my neighbourhood in Malad in today’s newspaper shook me. I was shocked to read that a thief was beaten to death by normal citizens like you and me.
I am neither writing this blog to favour the thief nor do I want to become a human-right activist. But the story of the dead thief actually shocked me.
There were three guys who broke into a house in a chawl in Malad at around 3:00 am and somebody came to know about them and he shouted and gathered the crowd. Two of the thieves ran away but one got caught by the mob and the mob does not have any sanity. They tied him upside down near the gate of their colony and brutally bit them. All of them, one by one. The poor thief all by himself. He was 30 years old and could not take the beating. Died on the spot before police came and took him to the hospital.
Now question here is: Did the mob do right thing? I am not at all in favour of it. A Life has been lost. Isn't it too much the penalty for a petty crime? I am not advocating any thief and would certainly feel angry at a person getting red-handed trying to rob or do any kind of crime. But who are we to punish? And that too such severe punishment which can end a life? Let police do their job.
In mob, the mentality is very bad. Any person joining the mob would not think and enquire the matter. He would simply join hands in beating the poor culprit. It’s sad. In train or in bus or on the street , you many times find such incidents where people gather and start beating one person who may not even be guilty sometime. This 'haath-safai' attitude I hate. People want to remove their frustration, their anger, their sadness, their helplessness. But is it fair?
In future, if you notice such a tamasha, Please intervene and save the person from the mob. I am not asking you to leave that person who may be guilty. But by doing this, you may save a life. Because mad crowd would not think much and may kill the person by severely beating him to death. You may ask the mob politely to stop beating and as a responsible citizen, take him to the police with the help of others in the crowd. If police is not around, you may even call emergency number of police (100) and ask for help. But for God's sake and for that suspect fellow's life's sack, don't let the mob take the control in its hands and let something undesirable, unjust happen.
May the soul of the thief, who died today rest in peace and God, please don't make him a thief in his next birth...
I am neither writing this blog to favour the thief nor do I want to become a human-right activist. But the story of the dead thief actually shocked me.
There were three guys who broke into a house in a chawl in Malad at around 3:00 am and somebody came to know about them and he shouted and gathered the crowd. Two of the thieves ran away but one got caught by the mob and the mob does not have any sanity. They tied him upside down near the gate of their colony and brutally bit them. All of them, one by one. The poor thief all by himself. He was 30 years old and could not take the beating. Died on the spot before police came and took him to the hospital.
Now question here is: Did the mob do right thing? I am not at all in favour of it. A Life has been lost. Isn't it too much the penalty for a petty crime? I am not advocating any thief and would certainly feel angry at a person getting red-handed trying to rob or do any kind of crime. But who are we to punish? And that too such severe punishment which can end a life? Let police do their job.
In mob, the mentality is very bad. Any person joining the mob would not think and enquire the matter. He would simply join hands in beating the poor culprit. It’s sad. In train or in bus or on the street , you many times find such incidents where people gather and start beating one person who may not even be guilty sometime. This 'haath-safai' attitude I hate. People want to remove their frustration, their anger, their sadness, their helplessness. But is it fair?
In future, if you notice such a tamasha, Please intervene and save the person from the mob. I am not asking you to leave that person who may be guilty. But by doing this, you may save a life. Because mad crowd would not think much and may kill the person by severely beating him to death. You may ask the mob politely to stop beating and as a responsible citizen, take him to the police with the help of others in the crowd. If police is not around, you may even call emergency number of police (100) and ask for help. But for God's sake and for that suspect fellow's life's sack, don't let the mob take the control in its hands and let something undesirable, unjust happen.
May the soul of the thief, who died today rest in peace and God, please don't make him a thief in his next birth...
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
26 November
Today is 26th November. A date which Mumbai will never forget. Exactly 1 year back on this same date Terrorists attacked Mumbai and killed hundreds of innocent people. City was shaken. It was not only an attack on its people but was also on its vulnerability, its alertness, its security, its pride and its soul. The entire nation stood still and watched the drama which lasted for about three days. Police force lost its brave officers. Security forces sacrificed their brave heroes. Politicians didn't do anything. Who were at real loss? The people who lost their family members in this Blood-shed. Nothing will ever fill the void created in their lives by the loss of the martyrs who lost their lives in the 26 November episode.
My blood boiled when I read a couple of news items in the papers in last few days. One news was that JJ Hospital morgue can not withstand the stench of the deadbodies of the nine terrorists who got killed during the terrorist attack after 26-November-2008. Can you believe that? It has been a year and still the rotten corpses of those satans are still kept preserved in India. What do we want to prove? Their own country is not ready to even provide them land for their burial for which they claimed they were doing their Jihad. And after their clear refusal of accepting these dead-bodies also we are waiting for what? These carcasses should be immediately disposed off. But who cares?
Second news which made me angry was that there is a video game which is being sold largely and is being played by lot of Mumbaikars.
This video game is on 26-November-2008 attack. Don't we have conscience? It is a shame to earn money on such a concept. It is some kind of joke? some kind of fun?what do the game makers want to convey through creation of such a game? They are greed-blind but what about Mumbaikars who purchase such games and watch their children play such game or play it themselves? Rescue operation, shooting of gun, killing people - what does all these things in such a game give you or your child? Entertainment or Sadistic pleasure? I simply hated the idea of this game.
Third thing which irate and irritate me is the treatment given to Ajmal Amir Kasab by our government and legal system. Lakhs (now it must have summed to more than a crore) of rupees is being spent on the security of this man. Sorry, I used the wrong word. An evil like Kasab can not be called a man. He is worse than an animal. He had killed so many innocent people (he was from the duo who killed maximum people by firing indiscriminately at CST, Kama hospital and than on the road in south Mumbai also killing our heroic ATS chief and other brave police officers) and yet after a year he is alive and is being protected by our government and legal system. Such a heinous criminal shall be hanged in the middle of the road among people and shall be allowed to be killed in the most horrible manner by the public. That would not only set an example for the world but also would be seen as an effective step towards curbing the evil of terrorism.
There were numerous other stories of people whose lives were completely changed or shattered by 26 November incident. There was a 25 year old guy who got killed in Colaba near his own home. The picture of his sad mother holding her beloved young son's photo frame who had never hurted anybody in his life and was always ready to help others made the corners of my eyes wet. Major Sandip Unnikrishnan was the only son to his parents who gave his life fighting with the terrorists. The sentiments his parents might be feeling when they miss their brave martyr son makes me cry. There was a lady whose partial body got paralyzed and then there are some children who are now orphans.
These and such hundred other stories make me feel a potpourri of emotions. I feel pity, grief, anger, helpless, sad all at the same time.
When our netas will stop playing dirty politics and stop cribbing about completely non-important and trivial issues like deciding to build a statue worth millions of rupees in the middle of the sea or slapping an MLA for taking oath in Hindi or by forcing the vendors to put Sign boards in Marathi?
God, please give good sense to all of us and please make this city a better place for living...
My blood boiled when I read a couple of news items in the papers in last few days. One news was that JJ Hospital morgue can not withstand the stench of the deadbodies of the nine terrorists who got killed during the terrorist attack after 26-November-2008. Can you believe that? It has been a year and still the rotten corpses of those satans are still kept preserved in India. What do we want to prove? Their own country is not ready to even provide them land for their burial for which they claimed they were doing their Jihad. And after their clear refusal of accepting these dead-bodies also we are waiting for what? These carcasses should be immediately disposed off. But who cares?
Second news which made me angry was that there is a video game which is being sold largely and is being played by lot of Mumbaikars.
This video game is on 26-November-2008 attack. Don't we have conscience? It is a shame to earn money on such a concept. It is some kind of joke? some kind of fun?what do the game makers want to convey through creation of such a game? They are greed-blind but what about Mumbaikars who purchase such games and watch their children play such game or play it themselves? Rescue operation, shooting of gun, killing people - what does all these things in such a game give you or your child? Entertainment or Sadistic pleasure? I simply hated the idea of this game.
Third thing which irate and irritate me is the treatment given to Ajmal Amir Kasab by our government and legal system. Lakhs (now it must have summed to more than a crore) of rupees is being spent on the security of this man. Sorry, I used the wrong word. An evil like Kasab can not be called a man. He is worse than an animal. He had killed so many innocent people (he was from the duo who killed maximum people by firing indiscriminately at CST, Kama hospital and than on the road in south Mumbai also killing our heroic ATS chief and other brave police officers) and yet after a year he is alive and is being protected by our government and legal system. Such a heinous criminal shall be hanged in the middle of the road among people and shall be allowed to be killed in the most horrible manner by the public. That would not only set an example for the world but also would be seen as an effective step towards curbing the evil of terrorism.
There were numerous other stories of people whose lives were completely changed or shattered by 26 November incident. There was a 25 year old guy who got killed in Colaba near his own home. The picture of his sad mother holding her beloved young son's photo frame who had never hurted anybody in his life and was always ready to help others made the corners of my eyes wet. Major Sandip Unnikrishnan was the only son to his parents who gave his life fighting with the terrorists. The sentiments his parents might be feeling when they miss their brave martyr son makes me cry. There was a lady whose partial body got paralyzed and then there are some children who are now orphans.
These and such hundred other stories make me feel a potpourri of emotions. I feel pity, grief, anger, helpless, sad all at the same time.
When our netas will stop playing dirty politics and stop cribbing about completely non-important and trivial issues like deciding to build a statue worth millions of rupees in the middle of the sea or slapping an MLA for taking oath in Hindi or by forcing the vendors to put Sign boards in Marathi?
God, please give good sense to all of us and please make this city a better place for living...
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
My First appearance on T.V.
I appeared first time on Silver screen (Television) on SAB TV in a small but important role in the comedy serial 'Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma' on 5th Nov 2009. It was very special because my first scene was with my Father , a veteran T.V. - stage - film artist Mr. Ghanshyam Nayak. See the Video.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Do you know Luke or chana-kulchawallah at Jalandhar?
It was a hot sunny holiday afternoon but I had to go to office. Not for work but for my annual day dance rehearsals. I took local train from Malad to reach my office at Bandra.As soon as I got into the train, something striking caught my attention.
I have got a strong liking for tattoos & body-piercing. I am scared to get a permanent tattoo made on my body somewhere but whenever I get a chance, I always get a temporary tattoo made on my arm or face(!) I had got a face tattoo made during an office-party. Also during my honeymoon I had got a henna tattoo made on my arm in Manali. I like aesthetically made tattoos made on bicep or neck or chest. Now coming back to the main story, the hands of a young guy fully decorated by permanent tattoo designs grabbed my attention instantly and I got a seat just beside this guy. I was observing the tattoo designs at that time an uncle sitting on that guy's other side ask him if the tattoos were real and when did he got them made? The guy replied the tattoos were real and he had got them made some ten years ago. I asked him didn't it pain to get both his full hands being punctured by needles? He replied yes it did! But only when the tattoo was being made. Never after that. I was first time seeing a real tattoo so big on a person sitting next to me. The faded greenish-black design pattern consisting of animals,trees,moon & other things were etched on that guy's hands & it was looking like that portion was swollen on that guy’s hands. I felt an urge to touch and feel it! But I can't imagine myself having my hands full with such tattoo.
I got down at Bandra. That tattoo guy also got down at Bandra. I started walking towards the auto-rickshaw stand and noticed him also going in the same direction. We took the same auto on sharing basis. On the way to my office I started communicating with him & came to know that his name was Luke. He worked for IBM & was on the way to one of his client’s office which was little further from my office building. He thanked me for sharing the auto as he didn't know there was sharing auto rickshaw concept here in this area. I also got to know from our conversation that he too was an engineer and he did modeling part-time and got opportunities as model due to his attractive tattoos. I removed a 10 rupee note I was supposed to pay, from my wallet and kept in my hand. I informed rickshaw driver to drop me near my office building and instructed him to take rickshaw further up to the office Luke wanted to go to. We again started talking and it so happened that my office building came and I got down and bade him a good bye only to notice that the 10 rupee note was still in my hands only! I felt very bad. What impression Luke must have got about me? I genuinely wanted to give my share of 10 Rs. But I had entered my office & by the time it occurred to me Luke also must have reached the office he was supposed to go to. I was already late in attending my rehearsals so I could not even go to search for Luke to give him the 10 Rs. Note. Point here is not the money. (Anyway 10 Rs. Is a petty amount) but I was thinking little deeper. In life many times the situation comes when time has moved and you realize you have made a mistake or an error but you can't do anything about it and all you can do is repent. But life has to go on! So I guess we shall not take such things too seriously!
But hey, if any of you know Luke, please inform him I didn't deliberately not paid that day, ask him to contact me...Luke, if you are reading this blog write a comment so that I can contact you back!
One more similar incident I would like to share with you guys. I was on family vacation in Amritsar and was going to Delhi by rail. The train had left Amritsar in the morning at around 9.30 and even though we were in ac coach, there was no arrangement of lunch.'Jalandhar Cant' station came at around 1.30 in the afternoon and ticket-checker had informed me that train would stop there for a good amount of time so I decided to get down and get some food for my family. I enquired at a nearby stall but nothing good and suitable for lunch was available there. I moved further. Actually I had to carry food for five people and I don't know why I didn't ask my wife or sister also to join me. I found a food stall where something called as 'chana-kulcha' was available at 10 Rs. Per plate. Anyway there was nothing more available so I decided to buy five plates of 'chana-kulcha'. I gave chana-kulchawallah 50 Rs. Note and ordered 5 plates of 'chana-kulcha'.He prepared 5 plates but I could take only two and asked him I would return and take the other 3 plates later. I just turned and noticed the train moving. I had come quite far from my coach. With two plates of hot 'chana-kulcha' in my hands, I ran but could not make out how far my coach was. In a jiffy I took the decision to get into nearest coach. And literally jumped into that nearest coach. I could neither take food for all my family members nor could take change of 30 Rs. Back and was here in some coach which was not even mine! Moreover due to the coach which I had boarded now was non-ac and hence It was not internally connected to my ac coach. There was one more girl from my coach who also had to board this non-ac coach as the train had suddenly started. We thought we would have to wait till the next station to go back to our original coach but my wife had already created a scene there and the TC had to open the shutter between the ac and non-ac coaches and we came to know that after running at 'Jalandhar Cant' station we had caught the coach just next to our ac coach. We were re-united before the next station only!
These two experience - stories I shared with you all to tell you all how I felt after each one. After realizing that the 10 rupee note remained in my hand only and Luke had gone ahead. After realizing that the train had started moving and I had yet to collect food for my three family members or the excess money I had paid to the chana-kulchawallah! If you also have experienced something similar, please share!!!
I have got a strong liking for tattoos & body-piercing. I am scared to get a permanent tattoo made on my body somewhere but whenever I get a chance, I always get a temporary tattoo made on my arm or face(!) I had got a face tattoo made during an office-party. Also during my honeymoon I had got a henna tattoo made on my arm in Manali. I like aesthetically made tattoos made on bicep or neck or chest. Now coming back to the main story, the hands of a young guy fully decorated by permanent tattoo designs grabbed my attention instantly and I got a seat just beside this guy. I was observing the tattoo designs at that time an uncle sitting on that guy's other side ask him if the tattoos were real and when did he got them made? The guy replied the tattoos were real and he had got them made some ten years ago. I asked him didn't it pain to get both his full hands being punctured by needles? He replied yes it did! But only when the tattoo was being made. Never after that. I was first time seeing a real tattoo so big on a person sitting next to me. The faded greenish-black design pattern consisting of animals,trees,moon & other things were etched on that guy's hands & it was looking like that portion was swollen on that guy’s hands. I felt an urge to touch and feel it! But I can't imagine myself having my hands full with such tattoo.
I got down at Bandra. That tattoo guy also got down at Bandra. I started walking towards the auto-rickshaw stand and noticed him also going in the same direction. We took the same auto on sharing basis. On the way to my office I started communicating with him & came to know that his name was Luke. He worked for IBM & was on the way to one of his client’s office which was little further from my office building. He thanked me for sharing the auto as he didn't know there was sharing auto rickshaw concept here in this area. I also got to know from our conversation that he too was an engineer and he did modeling part-time and got opportunities as model due to his attractive tattoos. I removed a 10 rupee note I was supposed to pay, from my wallet and kept in my hand. I informed rickshaw driver to drop me near my office building and instructed him to take rickshaw further up to the office Luke wanted to go to. We again started talking and it so happened that my office building came and I got down and bade him a good bye only to notice that the 10 rupee note was still in my hands only! I felt very bad. What impression Luke must have got about me? I genuinely wanted to give my share of 10 Rs. But I had entered my office & by the time it occurred to me Luke also must have reached the office he was supposed to go to. I was already late in attending my rehearsals so I could not even go to search for Luke to give him the 10 Rs. Note. Point here is not the money. (Anyway 10 Rs. Is a petty amount) but I was thinking little deeper. In life many times the situation comes when time has moved and you realize you have made a mistake or an error but you can't do anything about it and all you can do is repent. But life has to go on! So I guess we shall not take such things too seriously!
But hey, if any of you know Luke, please inform him I didn't deliberately not paid that day, ask him to contact me...Luke, if you are reading this blog write a comment so that I can contact you back!
One more similar incident I would like to share with you guys. I was on family vacation in Amritsar and was going to Delhi by rail. The train had left Amritsar in the morning at around 9.30 and even though we were in ac coach, there was no arrangement of lunch.'Jalandhar Cant' station came at around 1.30 in the afternoon and ticket-checker had informed me that train would stop there for a good amount of time so I decided to get down and get some food for my family. I enquired at a nearby stall but nothing good and suitable for lunch was available there. I moved further. Actually I had to carry food for five people and I don't know why I didn't ask my wife or sister also to join me. I found a food stall where something called as 'chana-kulcha' was available at 10 Rs. Per plate. Anyway there was nothing more available so I decided to buy five plates of 'chana-kulcha'. I gave chana-kulchawallah 50 Rs. Note and ordered 5 plates of 'chana-kulcha'.He prepared 5 plates but I could take only two and asked him I would return and take the other 3 plates later. I just turned and noticed the train moving. I had come quite far from my coach. With two plates of hot 'chana-kulcha' in my hands, I ran but could not make out how far my coach was. In a jiffy I took the decision to get into nearest coach. And literally jumped into that nearest coach. I could neither take food for all my family members nor could take change of 30 Rs. Back and was here in some coach which was not even mine! Moreover due to the coach which I had boarded now was non-ac and hence It was not internally connected to my ac coach. There was one more girl from my coach who also had to board this non-ac coach as the train had suddenly started. We thought we would have to wait till the next station to go back to our original coach but my wife had already created a scene there and the TC had to open the shutter between the ac and non-ac coaches and we came to know that after running at 'Jalandhar Cant' station we had caught the coach just next to our ac coach. We were re-united before the next station only!
These two experience - stories I shared with you all to tell you all how I felt after each one. After realizing that the 10 rupee note remained in my hand only and Luke had gone ahead. After realizing that the train had started moving and I had yet to collect food for my three family members or the excess money I had paid to the chana-kulchawallah! If you also have experienced something similar, please share!!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
My Fishes & My aquarium...
I am a great Nature-Lover. I love birds, animals, flowers, insects etc. And it was my strong desire to have an aquarium at my home. I fulfilled this wish few days ago. I have a small aquarium at my place now which is home for three lovely cute fishes!
Actually the count of fishes should have been eight. But I have to share my grief of loosing my five little cute pets and also have to confess that I was responsible for the loss of the lives of these small lovely creatures. Hereby I also intend to share the lessons I learnt to have an aquarium at your home. My this blog will give you some very important tips for the maintenance of an aquarium at your home.
.JPG)
I had set up a small aquarium at my place in the small water-tank made up of transparent glass. I had filled it with water and decorated it with the shells and conches I had collected in the past. I had a small water-bubble-pump also placed inside the mini-aquarium. I had done this two-three days prior to bringing my first four fishes home. I bought them finally one night and brought them in a small plastic bag. I feared they should remain alive till I reach home from the shop and put them into my mini-aquarium. They did! I had bought four fishes. A pair of Tangerine and another pair of zebra. Tangerines were beautiful reddish orange in colour with a niddle-like tail protruded and zebras were grey coloured small and thin types. I cut the plastic bag carefully and slid them into their new home. They started moving fast in zigzag manner, getting acquainted with their new home perhaps. I loved watching them. I had a feeling of great satisfaction having fulfilled my wish of bringing home my own little cute fishes! I gave them some fish-food which I had purchased from the store. It was fun watching them galloping their food hungrily. I had read somewhere that it is good for Blood-Pressure patients to watch Fishes in an aquarium for sometime daily. I thought my mother should everyday watch my little cute fishes to keep her blood-pressure under control.
.JPG)
The red tangerines were calm in nature while the zebras were pretty agile and were constantly moving very fast here and there. I was happy to have indulged in one more new hobby by bringing my new pets home.
Next morning, I checked my aquarium first thing in the morning after waking up and was shocked to find one zebra-fish floating upside-down at the surface of water in my small aquarium. It was actually the dead-body of my first lost fish. I was in pain. When a fish does not move at all and floats upside-down, it is dead. I took out the dead-fish in my hands and tried to examine its smooth little lifeless body. I found a scar on the stomach and took no time to realize that the good-looking conch with needle-like thorns must have hurted my little cute fish and had costed her life. I felt sad for realizing this so late that I had already lost one my fishes till then..JPG)
Never keep anything needle-like or thorn-like in your aquarium which can actually hurt your fish and take its life away. I immediately removed the conch with thorns on its body out of my aquarium. I threw the body of my first dead-fish on the roof of my home so that a bird can eat it and my fish-dead body can be of some use after its death. The sight of lone zebra left now in my aquarium was disappointing.
In a few days, I bought another pair of Orange and black Mouli fishes. They were very small in size and looked beautiful with the orange body and black tail and a few black spots on the body. My total five fishes stayed well with each other in their little abode.
After ten days time, I had to replace the water as it had become dirty. This shall be normally done in a fortnight’s time on regular basis. I had not consulted anybody before doing this routine thing for the first time with my aquarium which was my second biggest mistake. I took some water in a bucket from the running tap and after removing my fishes from the aquarium with the help of a handheld fish net, kept them into this bucket. All the five fishes seemed scared and were moving in frenzy into the bucket. Little did I know that after 20 minutes or so I would find only four of them in living state. I cleaned the water-aquarium-tank thoroughly. Also cleaned the stones, pebbles, shells and conches and kept them back in fresh tap water filled tank. As soon as I saw the bucket where I had kept my fishes, I got second shock upon finding another zebra fish dead. I was sad and thought there were no objects which could hurt any fish in the bucket. Then how did it die? But I didn’t know the very source of life for a fish could also kill it..JPG)
You shall never put fish into fresh tap water as it is chlorinated and little fishes can not consume it to breath. I threw the other zebra fish dead body on my roof top to be eaten up by a hungry bird. I had not yet realized the reason why this fish had died. I kept a close observation on my other four alive fishes. None of them were as energetic as before in spite of me putting them into fresh water and offering them some food. One of the Tangerine’s was also on the verge of dying. She could not remain steady and swim. Her body turned automatically upside-down. But yet it was alive. I was restless. I didn’t want it to die at any cost. I consulted a neighbour who used to keep fishes at his home in the past. He suggested that fishes shall never be kept in fresh tap water. Water for the aquarium shall always be kept idle for a day or two so that all the fluorine content in that water diminishes and finally it becomes chlorine-free and fit for little aquarium fishes. He also advised me to buy liquid solutions called De-chlorinator and anti-fungal liquid for better and healthy living state of fishes. I immediately purchased them and put a few drops of both into my aquarium. Luckily the tangerine fish that was sinking sometime ago was still alive. After putting the drops of these liquids, the fishes were feeling little better and were in a better state. Yet they were not fully energetic and agile as before.
The next day I found two Mouli fishes dead. I felt helpless and sad. Same process of throwing the dead little fishes on my home’s roof was followed. Now there were only two Tangerine fishes left in my aquarium. It looked empty. I bought another pair of Hockey fishes which were again very cute and unsteady! They constantly moved here and there in my aquarium making it full of life! The speciality of this breed was that they had a transparent grey body with a black long patch across their body in the center and this patch turned at their tail to make it look like a Hockey-stick. That is why I guess their name was so. The black patch was changing its colour. That was another surprising thing about Hockey-fishes.
The four of my fishes stayed happily. This went on till a month or so. And one day a strange mystery took place. Upon returning from office that evening I checked my aquarium to find only three fishes inside. Two Hockey ones and one Tangerine. One tangerine fish was missing. Now this fish was not very small in size. So if it had somehow managed to jump out of the water then I would find its body lying nearby the aquarium. But I couldn’t find anything near or far from aquarium. I was surprised and shocked. I tried hard to find it. A though occurred to me. A lizard could have come from the nearby wall and some how managed to eat my lovely tangerine fish. It seemed very very difficult but not impossible.
I asked my wife, my sister but nobody had any clue where my tangerine fish had disappeared. I inspected the water tank thoroughly. Checked the conches carefully. In a large conch, many times I had found my fishes resting but it was open enough to hide a fish. Another few conches were having long bodies but very small opening on their head. I shook all the conches well to check if the fish had gone inside any of them, but could not find anything there. Now it had become a mystery where my little cute dish could have gone?
Another four-five days passed. I shared my disappeared fish-mystery-story with most of my friends-colleagues and everybody was surprised but nobody could suggest me where my little cute fish could have gone.
Finally the day came when I decided to replace the water in my aquarium. My wife was also helping me this time. Before removing my three lovely fishes out of the tank, I started taking out the conches from the aquarium tank. I don’t know why but I shook each conch thoroughly before removing it out. Third or fourth conch which was a very long and slender with a pointed head and a small opening came in my hand and as soon as I started shaking it, some orange coloured substance fell out of it into the water with very bad stench. There was my cute not-so-little tangerine fish. Why it had to go inside that conch? I felt a shock upon seeing that orange mass which was not even solid now, falling into the tank. That sight still haunts me. That orange thing falling into my water tank from the conch. How did a big fish go into that conch through a very small head, is still a puzzle. I had shook all the conches that first day my fish got missing but I could not find it there. I had even taken that conch inside which my missing fish was entrapped, into my hands and had shaken it with the fish present inside that conch but it didn’t, rather couldn’t come out. Perhaps it had already died then or was it alive? Whatever be the case, I could not save it. Lesson number three is never ever keep any object in your water tank where your fish can go into but can not come out. I lost my beloved fish due to this silly mistake. I had not thought at all that fish would like to go inside the conch. That sight and stench made my wife also ill. She got a headache and vomited the whole day. I was sad and disappointed too.
It is easy to have a hobby but difficult to maintain and give justice to it. Also you should do your homework thoroughly before taking on any new hobby.
Now my three fishes are living happily in their tiny aquarium. I lost my five fishes but now would not loose any as I have learnt my lessons.
Actually the count of fishes should have been eight. But I have to share my grief of loosing my five little cute pets and also have to confess that I was responsible for the loss of the lives of these small lovely creatures. Hereby I also intend to share the lessons I learnt to have an aquarium at your home. My this blog will give you some very important tips for the maintenance of an aquarium at your home.
.JPG)
I had set up a small aquarium at my place in the small water-tank made up of transparent glass. I had filled it with water and decorated it with the shells and conches I had collected in the past. I had a small water-bubble-pump also placed inside the mini-aquarium. I had done this two-three days prior to bringing my first four fishes home. I bought them finally one night and brought them in a small plastic bag. I feared they should remain alive till I reach home from the shop and put them into my mini-aquarium. They did! I had bought four fishes. A pair of Tangerine and another pair of zebra. Tangerines were beautiful reddish orange in colour with a niddle-like tail protruded and zebras were grey coloured small and thin types. I cut the plastic bag carefully and slid them into their new home. They started moving fast in zigzag manner, getting acquainted with their new home perhaps. I loved watching them. I had a feeling of great satisfaction having fulfilled my wish of bringing home my own little cute fishes! I gave them some fish-food which I had purchased from the store. It was fun watching them galloping their food hungrily. I had read somewhere that it is good for Blood-Pressure patients to watch Fishes in an aquarium for sometime daily. I thought my mother should everyday watch my little cute fishes to keep her blood-pressure under control.
.JPG)
The red tangerines were calm in nature while the zebras were pretty agile and were constantly moving very fast here and there. I was happy to have indulged in one more new hobby by bringing my new pets home.
Next morning, I checked my aquarium first thing in the morning after waking up and was shocked to find one zebra-fish floating upside-down at the surface of water in my small aquarium. It was actually the dead-body of my first lost fish. I was in pain. When a fish does not move at all and floats upside-down, it is dead. I took out the dead-fish in my hands and tried to examine its smooth little lifeless body. I found a scar on the stomach and took no time to realize that the good-looking conch with needle-like thorns must have hurted my little cute fish and had costed her life. I felt sad for realizing this so late that I had already lost one my fishes till then.
.JPG)
Never keep anything needle-like or thorn-like in your aquarium which can actually hurt your fish and take its life away. I immediately removed the conch with thorns on its body out of my aquarium. I threw the body of my first dead-fish on the roof of my home so that a bird can eat it and my fish-dead body can be of some use after its death. The sight of lone zebra left now in my aquarium was disappointing.
In a few days, I bought another pair of Orange and black Mouli fishes. They were very small in size and looked beautiful with the orange body and black tail and a few black spots on the body. My total five fishes stayed well with each other in their little abode.
After ten days time, I had to replace the water as it had become dirty. This shall be normally done in a fortnight’s time on regular basis. I had not consulted anybody before doing this routine thing for the first time with my aquarium which was my second biggest mistake. I took some water in a bucket from the running tap and after removing my fishes from the aquarium with the help of a handheld fish net, kept them into this bucket. All the five fishes seemed scared and were moving in frenzy into the bucket. Little did I know that after 20 minutes or so I would find only four of them in living state. I cleaned the water-aquarium-tank thoroughly. Also cleaned the stones, pebbles, shells and conches and kept them back in fresh tap water filled tank. As soon as I saw the bucket where I had kept my fishes, I got second shock upon finding another zebra fish dead. I was sad and thought there were no objects which could hurt any fish in the bucket. Then how did it die? But I didn’t know the very source of life for a fish could also kill it.
.JPG)
You shall never put fish into fresh tap water as it is chlorinated and little fishes can not consume it to breath. I threw the other zebra fish dead body on my roof top to be eaten up by a hungry bird. I had not yet realized the reason why this fish had died. I kept a close observation on my other four alive fishes. None of them were as energetic as before in spite of me putting them into fresh water and offering them some food. One of the Tangerine’s was also on the verge of dying. She could not remain steady and swim. Her body turned automatically upside-down. But yet it was alive. I was restless. I didn’t want it to die at any cost. I consulted a neighbour who used to keep fishes at his home in the past. He suggested that fishes shall never be kept in fresh tap water. Water for the aquarium shall always be kept idle for a day or two so that all the fluorine content in that water diminishes and finally it becomes chlorine-free and fit for little aquarium fishes. He also advised me to buy liquid solutions called De-chlorinator and anti-fungal liquid for better and healthy living state of fishes. I immediately purchased them and put a few drops of both into my aquarium. Luckily the tangerine fish that was sinking sometime ago was still alive. After putting the drops of these liquids, the fishes were feeling little better and were in a better state. Yet they were not fully energetic and agile as before.
The next day I found two Mouli fishes dead. I felt helpless and sad. Same process of throwing the dead little fishes on my home’s roof was followed. Now there were only two Tangerine fishes left in my aquarium. It looked empty. I bought another pair of Hockey fishes which were again very cute and unsteady! They constantly moved here and there in my aquarium making it full of life! The speciality of this breed was that they had a transparent grey body with a black long patch across their body in the center and this patch turned at their tail to make it look like a Hockey-stick. That is why I guess their name was so. The black patch was changing its colour. That was another surprising thing about Hockey-fishes.
The four of my fishes stayed happily. This went on till a month or so. And one day a strange mystery took place. Upon returning from office that evening I checked my aquarium to find only three fishes inside. Two Hockey ones and one Tangerine. One tangerine fish was missing. Now this fish was not very small in size. So if it had somehow managed to jump out of the water then I would find its body lying nearby the aquarium. But I couldn’t find anything near or far from aquarium. I was surprised and shocked. I tried hard to find it. A though occurred to me. A lizard could have come from the nearby wall and some how managed to eat my lovely tangerine fish. It seemed very very difficult but not impossible.
I asked my wife, my sister but nobody had any clue where my tangerine fish had disappeared. I inspected the water tank thoroughly. Checked the conches carefully. In a large conch, many times I had found my fishes resting but it was open enough to hide a fish. Another few conches were having long bodies but very small opening on their head. I shook all the conches well to check if the fish had gone inside any of them, but could not find anything there. Now it had become a mystery where my little cute dish could have gone?
Another four-five days passed. I shared my disappeared fish-mystery-story with most of my friends-colleagues and everybody was surprised but nobody could suggest me where my little cute fish could have gone.
Finally the day came when I decided to replace the water in my aquarium. My wife was also helping me this time. Before removing my three lovely fishes out of the tank, I started taking out the conches from the aquarium tank. I don’t know why but I shook each conch thoroughly before removing it out. Third or fourth conch which was a very long and slender with a pointed head and a small opening came in my hand and as soon as I started shaking it, some orange coloured substance fell out of it into the water with very bad stench. There was my cute not-so-little tangerine fish. Why it had to go inside that conch? I felt a shock upon seeing that orange mass which was not even solid now, falling into the tank. That sight still haunts me. That orange thing falling into my water tank from the conch. How did a big fish go into that conch through a very small head, is still a puzzle. I had shook all the conches that first day my fish got missing but I could not find it there. I had even taken that conch inside which my missing fish was entrapped, into my hands and had shaken it with the fish present inside that conch but it didn’t, rather couldn’t come out. Perhaps it had already died then or was it alive? Whatever be the case, I could not save it. Lesson number three is never ever keep any object in your water tank where your fish can go into but can not come out. I lost my beloved fish due to this silly mistake. I had not thought at all that fish would like to go inside the conch. That sight and stench made my wife also ill. She got a headache and vomited the whole day. I was sad and disappointed too.
It is easy to have a hobby but difficult to maintain and give justice to it. Also you should do your homework thoroughly before taking on any new hobby.
Now my three fishes are living happily in their tiny aquarium. I lost my five fishes but now would not loose any as I have learnt my lessons.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
My Eco-friendly 'Ganpati' Bappa Morya...!!!
I am Happy as Ganesha, my favourite God has come to my home today, on account of 'Ganesha Chaturthi'. He will stay with us for a day and a half. I am happier because he is in his 'Eco-friendly' avataar this time! If you wish to have his Darshan please come to my place before 04:00 PM tomorrow(24-Aug-09). After 4:00 we will take him for Visarjan. And if you can't make it to my place, no worries as I am uploading his picture in this Blog. Here it is :
We had brought Sumukh (Ganesha) home for three years in a row some years back. Usually people bring Ekdanta(Ganesha) home for odd number of years:1 or 3 or 5 or 7 and so on.
But after my marriage last year, my father had a wish to bring Kapil(Ganesha) one more time to my home. So this year he proposed to celebrate Ganeshotsav at my home. I don't know why but I was not very very keen and enthusiastic this time. There are many such things I feel in my life now which I used to love before a few years, but for which I am not very enthusiastic now. Earlier we used to celebrate Janmashtami also with great zeal at my Granny's place. We used to decorate the jhula and make a jungle for Krishna-Janma. But since 2-3 years I haven't attended the Janmashtami celebration there. Same way on all earlier occasions, I had thought about some themes and had decorated my place with lot of creativity and enthusiasm. This year I was not sure whether we would do any such decor.
We had to decide what kind of idol we would buy this time. I and my sister were discussing about it since a week. But I was so busy during whole last week that I could not go and check out the idols being sold near my place. I didn't even send a formal invite mail to my colleagues whom I wished to invite to my home for GajKarnak(Ganesha) Darshan. On Friday eve I checked my office emails and saw a couple of invites for Lambodar(Ganesha) Darshan and I realized I could not send it to anybody and Saturdays are holidays for us.
2-3 days back I had gone to 1-2 shops to cursorily check the prizes of Vikat(Ganesh) idols. They were very costly and bigger in size too, for my home. I am a strong recommender of Eco-Friendliness and wished to go for one such idol this time. But there is not much awareness about this kind of issue in the market and I had heard a friend saying most of the shops or idol-makers were not even aware of any such thing called 'Eco Friendly Idol’. Saturday morning I went to see VighnaNash(Ganesh) Idols finally and upon reaching the Ganesh Art Shop near my place, found many cute Vinayak(Ganpati) idols there of varying sizes and shapes. People have a crazy tendency to see DhumraKetu(Ganesha) in various forms : like GanaaDhyaksh(Ganesha) in Shankar Mahadev swaroop or BhaalChandra(Ganesha) in Hanumaan swaroop or in Vishnu or Saibaba swaroop. Infact some weird artistes make Gajaanan(Ganesha) in human forms also, like one idol I saw in Shivaji Maharaj's swaroop! I personally don't like this trend of giving some other form or swaroop to VakraTund(Ganpati) other than his own. Though I like creative idols made out of marbles or chocolates or dry-fruits or fruits or any other such articles/objects. In Ganesha Art Shop, I was browsing through a couple of KrushnaPingaaksh(Ganesh) idols and I found three idols separately kept. These were moderate in size. Neither too small nor very big. I wanted to buy a small idol not costing too high as I feel one wastes money if he spends too much in buying the bigger size idols for home. But I got curious to know why those three moderate sized Gajvakatra(Ganpati) idols were kept separately. The girl on the shop counter told me that those were Eco-friendly VighnaRaj(Ganesha) idols. Wah! I had forgotten also that I wanted to buy an eco-friendly idol when I came to this shop and here I accidentally found a few such idols! I was happy. I asked about the prize. They were costlier than the small size idols one of which I would have bought had I not came across these eco-friendly ones, but I wanted to go for one of these eco-friendly idols only now. I asked the girl at the counter why these eco-friendly ones were very less in number. She explained me that due to these types of idols being made from Mitti (soil only) and not using Plaster-of-Paris (which is very harmful for environment), they can not be coloured very brightly as people like them to look. People prefer gaudy and bright colours only and also there is not much awareness also about the harmful effects of immersing the normal plaster-of-Paris idols into sea water. Thus people do not prefer less attractive eco-friendly idols. Now the whole concept of Ganeshotsav is based on faith in God then why this attractiveness concept? But that is reality. Infact idol-makers also have to earn and sell the idols so if they don't find buyers for less attractive eco-friendly idols why would they make it in bulk? But I wanted to buy eco-friendly DhumraVarna(Ganpati) only and I did that! (And felt very happy and satisfied even though I had bought it for three times the higher prize than what budget I had in my mind!)
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I decorated my place also with 'Eco-Friendly' theme. I used all the items available at home - different colours and size Duppattas and Chunris. See the pictures:
Also I decided to put all the different Ganesha idols and pictures already at my home gifted by somebody or bought by us.
Ganesha is the only cute and lovely God who is liked by artistes and creative souls alike! Which other God you would be able to see in so many different forms (liking singing Ganesha, Sleeping Ganesha, Dancing Ganesha or playing some musical instrument or in some latest urban avataars two-wheeler driving Ganesha!)
Ganesha is my favourite God!
Please come to my home before 4:00 PM tomorrow (24-Aug-09) if you wish to have darshan and if you can!
May Ganesha bless all of us...!
Ganpati Bappa Morya..!!!Mangal Moorty Morya..!!
We had brought Sumukh (Ganesha) home for three years in a row some years back. Usually people bring Ekdanta(Ganesha) home for odd number of years:1 or 3 or 5 or 7 and so on.
But after my marriage last year, my father had a wish to bring Kapil(Ganesha) one more time to my home. So this year he proposed to celebrate Ganeshotsav at my home. I don't know why but I was not very very keen and enthusiastic this time. There are many such things I feel in my life now which I used to love before a few years, but for which I am not very enthusiastic now. Earlier we used to celebrate Janmashtami also with great zeal at my Granny's place. We used to decorate the jhula and make a jungle for Krishna-Janma. But since 2-3 years I haven't attended the Janmashtami celebration there. Same way on all earlier occasions, I had thought about some themes and had decorated my place with lot of creativity and enthusiasm. This year I was not sure whether we would do any such decor.
We had to decide what kind of idol we would buy this time. I and my sister were discussing about it since a week. But I was so busy during whole last week that I could not go and check out the idols being sold near my place. I didn't even send a formal invite mail to my colleagues whom I wished to invite to my home for GajKarnak(Ganesha) Darshan. On Friday eve I checked my office emails and saw a couple of invites for Lambodar(Ganesha) Darshan and I realized I could not send it to anybody and Saturdays are holidays for us.
2-3 days back I had gone to 1-2 shops to cursorily check the prizes of Vikat(Ganesh) idols. They were very costly and bigger in size too, for my home. I am a strong recommender of Eco-Friendliness and wished to go for one such idol this time. But there is not much awareness about this kind of issue in the market and I had heard a friend saying most of the shops or idol-makers were not even aware of any such thing called 'Eco Friendly Idol’. Saturday morning I went to see VighnaNash(Ganesh) Idols finally and upon reaching the Ganesh Art Shop near my place, found many cute Vinayak(Ganpati) idols there of varying sizes and shapes. People have a crazy tendency to see DhumraKetu(Ganesha) in various forms : like GanaaDhyaksh(Ganesha) in Shankar Mahadev swaroop or BhaalChandra(Ganesha) in Hanumaan swaroop or in Vishnu or Saibaba swaroop. Infact some weird artistes make Gajaanan(Ganesha) in human forms also, like one idol I saw in Shivaji Maharaj's swaroop! I personally don't like this trend of giving some other form or swaroop to VakraTund(Ganpati) other than his own. Though I like creative idols made out of marbles or chocolates or dry-fruits or fruits or any other such articles/objects. In Ganesha Art Shop, I was browsing through a couple of KrushnaPingaaksh(Ganesh) idols and I found three idols separately kept. These were moderate in size. Neither too small nor very big. I wanted to buy a small idol not costing too high as I feel one wastes money if he spends too much in buying the bigger size idols for home. But I got curious to know why those three moderate sized Gajvakatra(Ganpati) idols were kept separately. The girl on the shop counter told me that those were Eco-friendly VighnaRaj(Ganesha) idols. Wah! I had forgotten also that I wanted to buy an eco-friendly idol when I came to this shop and here I accidentally found a few such idols! I was happy. I asked about the prize. They were costlier than the small size idols one of which I would have bought had I not came across these eco-friendly ones, but I wanted to go for one of these eco-friendly idols only now. I asked the girl at the counter why these eco-friendly ones were very less in number. She explained me that due to these types of idols being made from Mitti (soil only) and not using Plaster-of-Paris (which is very harmful for environment), they can not be coloured very brightly as people like them to look. People prefer gaudy and bright colours only and also there is not much awareness also about the harmful effects of immersing the normal plaster-of-Paris idols into sea water. Thus people do not prefer less attractive eco-friendly idols. Now the whole concept of Ganeshotsav is based on faith in God then why this attractiveness concept? But that is reality. Infact idol-makers also have to earn and sell the idols so if they don't find buyers for less attractive eco-friendly idols why would they make it in bulk? But I wanted to buy eco-friendly DhumraVarna(Ganpati) only and I did that! (And felt very happy and satisfied even though I had bought it for three times the higher prize than what budget I had in my mind!)
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I decorated my place also with 'Eco-Friendly' theme. I used all the items available at home - different colours and size Duppattas and Chunris. See the pictures:
Also I decided to put all the different Ganesha idols and pictures already at my home gifted by somebody or bought by us.
Ganesha is the only cute and lovely God who is liked by artistes and creative souls alike! Which other God you would be able to see in so many different forms (liking singing Ganesha, Sleeping Ganesha, Dancing Ganesha or playing some musical instrument or in some latest urban avataars two-wheeler driving Ganesha!)
Ganesha is my favourite God!
Please come to my home before 4:00 PM tomorrow (24-Aug-09) if you wish to have darshan and if you can!
May Ganesha bless all of us...!
Ganpati Bappa Morya..!!!Mangal Moorty Morya..!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
While Giving Out Money...
Who in the world would not like to receive money?! Be it in the form of salary or some lottery prize or as blessing when touching the feet of some elder relative...!
I read a news article today morning that even though Government has ordered schools to pay teachers their salaries on 1st of every month,they are paid their salaries only by 20th. Isn't it shocking? People work so hard the whole month and when it is time to get paid for all their hardwork, employers behave unfairly and delay their salary.
I am so lucky that I get my salary always even before the month ends! By 29th,30 th or 31st my salary is always deposited in my salary bank account.I am very lucky and happy to have joined such a place of work where people are being valued. Paying on time indicates that you care for your people and value their contribution.
I have generally observed people hesitating while it is time to shell out money. While getting their work done, they do everything in their control, but when the work is done and it is time to pay their attitude changes.
Recently my father took charge of a program of old Rangbhoomi Songs and Bhavaai to be performed on stage. He had made all the arrangements and his four other artiste friends along with three musicians were supposed to perform in this show which was suppposed to be anchored by me (for the first time I was playing the role of 'host' of a professional show!).All these seven people and my dad and me were supposed to be paid at the end of the show. Now from his pat experiences my dad knew that such programs end late at night and after the show is over, the artistes are in a hurry to leave. But they have to wait till the payment is made to them. My dad took his own money and made the payment envelopes before leaving my home for the show and as soon as the program got over, he handed over the payment envelopes to every artiste. As usual, the program had ended quite late and there were female artistes too in this program. They thanked my dad and left happily. My dad was actually paid the amount after an hour from the show ended! If he had made all the artistes wait for the payment till the time he actually received the money, everybody would have got late. But this simple gesture of my dad touched me!
I fight with my mom and my sisters many times when they bargain with vegetable vendors, pastiwallah or some other pedlars for a rupee or two. They avoid buying things when I am at home!I always keep telling them that they shall pay our kaamwali bai her salary in first 2-3 days of the month quoting my own example.(that I get paid my salary even before the month ends.)How happy she would also feel to get her salary on time.
Dunno if my mom and my sisters follow my advise or not?
But I hope you all, my blog readers would follow my advice and pay in time and have the right attitude while giving out money...!
I read a news article today morning that even though Government has ordered schools to pay teachers their salaries on 1st of every month,they are paid their salaries only by 20th. Isn't it shocking? People work so hard the whole month and when it is time to get paid for all their hardwork, employers behave unfairly and delay their salary.
I am so lucky that I get my salary always even before the month ends! By 29th,30 th or 31st my salary is always deposited in my salary bank account.I am very lucky and happy to have joined such a place of work where people are being valued. Paying on time indicates that you care for your people and value their contribution.
I have generally observed people hesitating while it is time to shell out money. While getting their work done, they do everything in their control, but when the work is done and it is time to pay their attitude changes.
Recently my father took charge of a program of old Rangbhoomi Songs and Bhavaai to be performed on stage. He had made all the arrangements and his four other artiste friends along with three musicians were supposed to perform in this show which was suppposed to be anchored by me (for the first time I was playing the role of 'host' of a professional show!).All these seven people and my dad and me were supposed to be paid at the end of the show. Now from his pat experiences my dad knew that such programs end late at night and after the show is over, the artistes are in a hurry to leave. But they have to wait till the payment is made to them. My dad took his own money and made the payment envelopes before leaving my home for the show and as soon as the program got over, he handed over the payment envelopes to every artiste. As usual, the program had ended quite late and there were female artistes too in this program. They thanked my dad and left happily. My dad was actually paid the amount after an hour from the show ended! If he had made all the artistes wait for the payment till the time he actually received the money, everybody would have got late. But this simple gesture of my dad touched me!
I fight with my mom and my sisters many times when they bargain with vegetable vendors, pastiwallah or some other pedlars for a rupee or two. They avoid buying things when I am at home!I always keep telling them that they shall pay our kaamwali bai her salary in first 2-3 days of the month quoting my own example.(that I get paid my salary even before the month ends.)How happy she would also feel to get her salary on time.
Dunno if my mom and my sisters follow my advise or not?
But I hope you all, my blog readers would follow my advice and pay in time and have the right attitude while giving out money...!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
On the way during my recent journey...
A few days back I had to go to Lonavala for some official work with one of my colleagues. We had hired a Tata Innova car which was too big for just three of us (me, my colleague and the driver).We started our journey early morning. We took Western Express way (going towards Pune).
My colleague narrated an incident which occurred in his building a few days ago. He stays in a multi-storied building and there is this enclosed type of lift in his building. There was a problem with the lift that day and a young girl was trapped inside the lift. After some 15-20 minutes, the problem was resolved and the girl was rescued. She was scared and she vomited after coming out of the lift. Her father made a scene. He had gathered some neighbours and a few other residents of adjoining wings of the building and all of them started beating the security man who was on duty then. Now there was no fault of that poor security fellow. But he was made scapegoat and had to suffer the rage and beating of the angry crowd. I felt pity and sympathy for the poor fellow. How justified is such behaviour of a crowd?
Though it was very hot outside, the car being Air Conditioned, our journey was pleasent.We reached a Food Joint after travelling for about two hours. I had had my breakfast before leaving but my colleague and the driver wanted to have their breakfasts so we stopped at this food joint and entered the restaurant. I didn't want to eat anything but I just read the rates of food items available there. Idli-Sambhar which we get for Rs.20/- in a decent restaurant here in Mumbai was charged for Rs.35/- there in that restaurant and the Vada-Paav which we get for Rs.5-6 was available for Rs. 15 /- there. All other items were also heavily priced. I wondered if the quality there was beyond ordinary but after my colleague tasted the food, we concluded that it was ok and not very very good. I thought why then these guys were charging premium charges for their food items? Just because their joint was on a High-way, far from the main city and there were not many other restaurants in the vicinity, should they charge so high for ordinary food items of normal quality? Is it fair to take undue advantage of something in such a manner? Is it ethically correct? Even if one is doing business, should money or profit be the only criteria of the business? Just taking the example of Idli-Sambhar in that restaurant, if the owner of the place had kept the price of this food item Rs.25/- (Rs. 5/- more than the normal rate), it would be justified. But was the price of a single plate Idli-Sambhar at Rs. 35/- is too high.
We come across many such other scenarios in our lives. If there is some problem in a specific area, then the Auto-Rickshaw or Taxi drivers would charge higher amount for going to that area. If there is shortage of water, then natural resource and basic element necessary for life - water will be sold by some people at a high price.
I kept thinking about these points and my destination - Lonavala came. But my thoughts on the points above still kept running through my mind.
My colleague narrated an incident which occurred in his building a few days ago. He stays in a multi-storied building and there is this enclosed type of lift in his building. There was a problem with the lift that day and a young girl was trapped inside the lift. After some 15-20 minutes, the problem was resolved and the girl was rescued. She was scared and she vomited after coming out of the lift. Her father made a scene. He had gathered some neighbours and a few other residents of adjoining wings of the building and all of them started beating the security man who was on duty then. Now there was no fault of that poor security fellow. But he was made scapegoat and had to suffer the rage and beating of the angry crowd. I felt pity and sympathy for the poor fellow. How justified is such behaviour of a crowd?
Though it was very hot outside, the car being Air Conditioned, our journey was pleasent.We reached a Food Joint after travelling for about two hours. I had had my breakfast before leaving but my colleague and the driver wanted to have their breakfasts so we stopped at this food joint and entered the restaurant. I didn't want to eat anything but I just read the rates of food items available there. Idli-Sambhar which we get for Rs.20/- in a decent restaurant here in Mumbai was charged for Rs.35/- there in that restaurant and the Vada-Paav which we get for Rs.5-6 was available for Rs. 15 /- there. All other items were also heavily priced. I wondered if the quality there was beyond ordinary but after my colleague tasted the food, we concluded that it was ok and not very very good. I thought why then these guys were charging premium charges for their food items? Just because their joint was on a High-way, far from the main city and there were not many other restaurants in the vicinity, should they charge so high for ordinary food items of normal quality? Is it fair to take undue advantage of something in such a manner? Is it ethically correct? Even if one is doing business, should money or profit be the only criteria of the business? Just taking the example of Idli-Sambhar in that restaurant, if the owner of the place had kept the price of this food item Rs.25/- (Rs. 5/- more than the normal rate), it would be justified. But was the price of a single plate Idli-Sambhar at Rs. 35/- is too high.
We come across many such other scenarios in our lives. If there is some problem in a specific area, then the Auto-Rickshaw or Taxi drivers would charge higher amount for going to that area. If there is shortage of water, then natural resource and basic element necessary for life - water will be sold by some people at a high price.
I kept thinking about these points and my destination - Lonavala came. But my thoughts on the points above still kept running through my mind.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Enjoy the journey while reaching your destination...
This thought occurred to me early one morning while I was returning from swimming pool a couple of days back after my swimming session. I don't go for swimming daily as I am getting lazier day by day these days. But whenever I go for swimming, this is my experience all the time. The journey is wonderful!
Early morning when you walk, a freshness is there in the air. You also feel charged up as you walk in this fresh air. The early morning air seems pure also as it is not polluted as vehicles have not started crowding on the street early morning. I like listening to music so I wear my headphones and walk listening to my favourite songs. But even if you don’t listen to music on your phone or i-pod, there is lot more on the way early morning when you walk on the street in that fresh air. There is chirping of birds, noise of bicycles of Doodh-wallahs,ho-ha of newspaper vendors and newspaper-delivery boys on the side of the street, voices of children going to school, radio being played in some house or shop around the corner of the street etc.etc. I always enjoy these sounds of morning when I am not listening to music on my cell phone.
I walk for around 25 minutes to reach swimming pool. Swim for about half an hour and start my return journey. During my return journey hustle-bustle of city life has begun to some extent. I see employees waiting for their company bus at specific points and I feel I haven't even had my break-fast and bath! Looking at those employees, I feel I am late! And I increase my speed to reach home faster!
I also encounter few other health-freaks like me returning from some gym, in their exercise-attire. I meet lot many different kind of people, most of them starting their day.
I like feeling rays of early morning sun on my face, during my return journey.
This season, I was fortunate enough to experience first shower of monsoon during my return journey from swimming pool. I enjoyed the rain heartily. I listened to the track 'Barso Re...Megha Megha..' from Guru and caught the raindrops on my body. Mother earth was also enjoying the rains and was giving rise to that lovely smell which I love very much! All this time it was waiting for the rains after getting heated badly through the summer.
It was a very nice scene looking at people behaving differently on receiving the rains unexpectedly. Some were running here & there to find shelter for not getting wet. Few others (like me!) were enjoying the rain by expanding their hands as if to greet the rain with their welcome hug! I loved the touch of the raindrops on my face. Suddenly the climate became sunny when the rains had not stopped yet. I felt like singing that song we used to sing aloud in childhood - "Aav re Varsaad..Dhebariyo Varsaad..Ooni Ooni Rotali ne Karela nu Shaak..!" (When the rain continues in the sun-light, we used to call it 'Nagadiyo varsaad'!)
I saw a few dogs and a cow getting wet and felt like they were also enjoying the first rain of the season!
At this point of time only I thought of sharing my feelings with you all through blog! And finally today, I got time to put my thoughts here!
I have always felt that journey is more enjoyable most of the times than the final destination. During a Trek or a picnic also I have enjoyed my journey thoroughly.
Is not life like that too...If we consider it as a journey (and heaven (or hell!) as the final destination, than we can make it memorable by doing good deeds and enjoyable by giving joy and a reason to smile to others whom we meet on our way!
I hope we all enjoy our journey of life by living every bit..!
Early morning when you walk, a freshness is there in the air. You also feel charged up as you walk in this fresh air. The early morning air seems pure also as it is not polluted as vehicles have not started crowding on the street early morning. I like listening to music so I wear my headphones and walk listening to my favourite songs. But even if you don’t listen to music on your phone or i-pod, there is lot more on the way early morning when you walk on the street in that fresh air. There is chirping of birds, noise of bicycles of Doodh-wallahs,ho-ha of newspaper vendors and newspaper-delivery boys on the side of the street, voices of children going to school, radio being played in some house or shop around the corner of the street etc.etc. I always enjoy these sounds of morning when I am not listening to music on my cell phone.
I walk for around 25 minutes to reach swimming pool. Swim for about half an hour and start my return journey. During my return journey hustle-bustle of city life has begun to some extent. I see employees waiting for their company bus at specific points and I feel I haven't even had my break-fast and bath! Looking at those employees, I feel I am late! And I increase my speed to reach home faster!
I also encounter few other health-freaks like me returning from some gym, in their exercise-attire. I meet lot many different kind of people, most of them starting their day.
I like feeling rays of early morning sun on my face, during my return journey.
This season, I was fortunate enough to experience first shower of monsoon during my return journey from swimming pool. I enjoyed the rain heartily. I listened to the track 'Barso Re...Megha Megha..' from Guru and caught the raindrops on my body. Mother earth was also enjoying the rains and was giving rise to that lovely smell which I love very much! All this time it was waiting for the rains after getting heated badly through the summer.
It was a very nice scene looking at people behaving differently on receiving the rains unexpectedly. Some were running here & there to find shelter for not getting wet. Few others (like me!) were enjoying the rain by expanding their hands as if to greet the rain with their welcome hug! I loved the touch of the raindrops on my face. Suddenly the climate became sunny when the rains had not stopped yet. I felt like singing that song we used to sing aloud in childhood - "Aav re Varsaad..Dhebariyo Varsaad..Ooni Ooni Rotali ne Karela nu Shaak..!" (When the rain continues in the sun-light, we used to call it 'Nagadiyo varsaad'!)
I saw a few dogs and a cow getting wet and felt like they were also enjoying the first rain of the season!
At this point of time only I thought of sharing my feelings with you all through blog! And finally today, I got time to put my thoughts here!
I have always felt that journey is more enjoyable most of the times than the final destination. During a Trek or a picnic also I have enjoyed my journey thoroughly.
Is not life like that too...If we consider it as a journey (and heaven (or hell!) as the final destination, than we can make it memorable by doing good deeds and enjoyable by giving joy and a reason to smile to others whom we meet on our way!
I hope we all enjoy our journey of life by living every bit..!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A "Help" experience...
Once I was returning from my office as usual in the evening. My home station - Malad came and I was pushed out with many others by the flock of co-travellers who were getting down at Malad. Crowd and moreover humid-hot climate of Mumbai make the local train travel, a worst experience. I breathed relief after getting down on the platform. The train moved further and so did I.A few steps further I noticed a herd of people surrounding somebody lying unconscious on the platform, near station master's office. Out of curiosity, I also could not help myself from checking out who it was. There was a young guy, little younger than me, lying on the ground unconscious.
People have this very bad habit. Crowd a place where something has happened and be a mere dumb spectator. Do nothing. Enjoy the Tamasha.
Looking at the unconscious boy, a few said that the boy might have got epilepsy attack; a few others suggested he might have had empty stomach and might have fallen unconscious due to weakness. One of them even suggested the boy might have fallen from the train. A lady was saying,"somebody shall make the boy smell an onion or a chappal (footwear)." But nobody was taking any action. Infact they had surrounded the boy and ensured that he does not get enough air to breath.
I ran out of the station to bring an onion, as I knew that just outside the station a few vegetable-sellers used to sit and sell vegetables. I asked and grabbed an onion and came back on the platform where the boy was lying. But I noticed that nobody was there now. Neither the boy nor the crowd! I went to Station master's cabin and asked about the boy. A person sitting in that office said in a rude tone that if I was a relative of that boy or what. I replied that I was not related to that boy in any way. But I wanted to help him and I had brought an onion for him to smell. He signaled that the boy is lying inside the room. I went inside.2-3 police officers and a few other men were trying to shake him and bring him into his senses. He was responding and in a few moments he came to conscious state. But still he was in a drowsy condition and he tried to get up and walk but didn't succeed. He fell back. I gave the onion to one of the men there and he broke the onion and took it near the boy's nose so that the boy could smell it. The boy though weak, was conscious now. He snatched the onion from the man's hand and threw it! Police man asked him if he was hungry. The boy nodded to indicate he was hungry. I told him I would feed him and asked him to come with me to the stall outside, on the platform. The boy had to take support of one of the police man's and my shoulder to come out of station master's office room. The boy was not able to maintain his balance and stand or walk properly. We managed to bring him to the stall. We made him drink water and I ordered a Vada-pav and a tea for him. The police man told me the boy had drunk and due to empty stomach he was in this condition. I felt a shock. I don't know why but I felt a sense of regret. I felt I should not have helped this boy at all. A drunkard should not be shown any pity and left on his own. I hate such people who do not have any control over themselves and after drinking beyond limit who loose senses and behave like animals. In parties also you find many such people vomit and spoil the venue and the party. Their friends have to carry them back to their homes. I have a strong sense of disrespect and disgust for such people. They not only loose consciousness but create trouble for their family members and friends also.
The boy tried to eat vada-pav.He just ate a byte and due to his semi-conscious state could not hold the vada-pav and it fell from his hand. I saw it and didn't like it but could not stop there any further and left for my home.
People have this very bad habit. Crowd a place where something has happened and be a mere dumb spectator. Do nothing. Enjoy the Tamasha.
Looking at the unconscious boy, a few said that the boy might have got epilepsy attack; a few others suggested he might have had empty stomach and might have fallen unconscious due to weakness. One of them even suggested the boy might have fallen from the train. A lady was saying,"somebody shall make the boy smell an onion or a chappal (footwear)." But nobody was taking any action. Infact they had surrounded the boy and ensured that he does not get enough air to breath.
I ran out of the station to bring an onion, as I knew that just outside the station a few vegetable-sellers used to sit and sell vegetables. I asked and grabbed an onion and came back on the platform where the boy was lying. But I noticed that nobody was there now. Neither the boy nor the crowd! I went to Station master's cabin and asked about the boy. A person sitting in that office said in a rude tone that if I was a relative of that boy or what. I replied that I was not related to that boy in any way. But I wanted to help him and I had brought an onion for him to smell. He signaled that the boy is lying inside the room. I went inside.2-3 police officers and a few other men were trying to shake him and bring him into his senses. He was responding and in a few moments he came to conscious state. But still he was in a drowsy condition and he tried to get up and walk but didn't succeed. He fell back. I gave the onion to one of the men there and he broke the onion and took it near the boy's nose so that the boy could smell it. The boy though weak, was conscious now. He snatched the onion from the man's hand and threw it! Police man asked him if he was hungry. The boy nodded to indicate he was hungry. I told him I would feed him and asked him to come with me to the stall outside, on the platform. The boy had to take support of one of the police man's and my shoulder to come out of station master's office room. The boy was not able to maintain his balance and stand or walk properly. We managed to bring him to the stall. We made him drink water and I ordered a Vada-pav and a tea for him. The police man told me the boy had drunk and due to empty stomach he was in this condition. I felt a shock. I don't know why but I felt a sense of regret. I felt I should not have helped this boy at all. A drunkard should not be shown any pity and left on his own. I hate such people who do not have any control over themselves and after drinking beyond limit who loose senses and behave like animals. In parties also you find many such people vomit and spoil the venue and the party. Their friends have to carry them back to their homes. I have a strong sense of disrespect and disgust for such people. They not only loose consciousness but create trouble for their family members and friends also.
The boy tried to eat vada-pav.He just ate a byte and due to his semi-conscious state could not hold the vada-pav and it fell from his hand. I saw it and didn't like it but could not stop there any further and left for my home.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Jaago Re...
I just returned from the polling booth where I exercised my Basic Right. That of Voting. Voting for the right candidate in this Loksabha Elections 2009. It was a great satisfying feeling after voting. I don’t know why but it indeed was. Although, I didn’t have to do anything which involves my physical or mental capability in voting process, I got a very good feeling after exercising my right of being a part of the process of electing right candidate for my constituency, my city and my country. Those of you who are reading this and yet haven’t voted, please do so before 05:00PM today!
After talking a bit about voting, let me now come to the main point of this Blog. I wish to share my feelings with you all about the lethargic attitude of ours. We all are lazy. I don’t know why but we all show this attitude at some or the other point in our lives. Today I heard lot of people saying why to vote? What does politicians do for us? Arre baba, you are not doing any good to the politicians by voting. Understand this simple fact. You are doing good to yourself only by voting. That way you will be able to make difference and elect the right person who will do better for your city and better for your country.
There are many of my friends and colleagues who are 23-24 years old and who would get a chance to vote for the first time. But they have not got their names in the Electoral Voting roll. (Getting your name in this register is a must for voting.) Why? I asked them. The reply was : we didn’t know how to register our names. Now everything shall not come and fall in your lap in life. Right? You have to be a responsible person and get your name in the register your self. Government had run a campaign for doing this registration of names and giving Voter ID cards to all eligible citizens. This campaign was quite systematically run in phases and covering all the areas of our city. There were advertisements in all major newspapers and media. Why didn’t many of those who have not got their voter ID cards or got their names registered in electoral role used this opportunity? Lethargic and reckless attitude. 'Hota hai Chalta hai...' types attitude.
One more thing which made me upset was that many people left Mumbai with their families for a mini vacation. Government didn’t declare a holiday today so that you can run away from your homes to a picnic spot and enjoy. This holiday was given to you so that you can Vote. But many of the people I know have used this opportunity in the wrong manner by opting not to vote and enjoy a mini vacation with their families. Is it a responsible and mature behaviour?
I have come across many people who have not updated their latest and proper details at the right places. Like many of my acquaintances and friends have not got their voter ID cards cancelled in the older places/states they lived in before. They have moved now to a new place/state. But they have not updated their details in electoral rolls. They can not vote at the new place due to this. They neither vote at the new place nor go their old place and vote there. They waste their voting power and right. My cousin used to stay near my place a few years ago. But after moving to a new place, she didn’t update her address in the places where she regularly got mails and letters from. After five years, still letters and mail in her name come to my place. (As the postman knows that she in my cousin and I would make them reach her). She is now married also and has got second new address after shifting to the new place five years ago. But still she has not updated her details. In my office also I get to see many letters, official documents, bills etc. in the name of employees who had left my organization a few years ago! I feel irate and irritated. Why don’t they update their latest address details in time? Why this carelessness and Lethargy?
We all procrastinate. This is a very bad habit. We all must remember those lines we studied in our school days
कल करे सो आज कर
आज करे सो अब...
(Do tomorrow’s work today and today’s work Now!)
& get rid of the bad habit of delaying things and taking things for granted.
After talking a bit about voting, let me now come to the main point of this Blog. I wish to share my feelings with you all about the lethargic attitude of ours. We all are lazy. I don’t know why but we all show this attitude at some or the other point in our lives. Today I heard lot of people saying why to vote? What does politicians do for us? Arre baba, you are not doing any good to the politicians by voting. Understand this simple fact. You are doing good to yourself only by voting. That way you will be able to make difference and elect the right person who will do better for your city and better for your country.
There are many of my friends and colleagues who are 23-24 years old and who would get a chance to vote for the first time. But they have not got their names in the Electoral Voting roll. (Getting your name in this register is a must for voting.) Why? I asked them. The reply was : we didn’t know how to register our names. Now everything shall not come and fall in your lap in life. Right? You have to be a responsible person and get your name in the register your self. Government had run a campaign for doing this registration of names and giving Voter ID cards to all eligible citizens. This campaign was quite systematically run in phases and covering all the areas of our city. There were advertisements in all major newspapers and media. Why didn’t many of those who have not got their voter ID cards or got their names registered in electoral role used this opportunity? Lethargic and reckless attitude. 'Hota hai Chalta hai...' types attitude.
One more thing which made me upset was that many people left Mumbai with their families for a mini vacation. Government didn’t declare a holiday today so that you can run away from your homes to a picnic spot and enjoy. This holiday was given to you so that you can Vote. But many of the people I know have used this opportunity in the wrong manner by opting not to vote and enjoy a mini vacation with their families. Is it a responsible and mature behaviour?
I have come across many people who have not updated their latest and proper details at the right places. Like many of my acquaintances and friends have not got their voter ID cards cancelled in the older places/states they lived in before. They have moved now to a new place/state. But they have not updated their details in electoral rolls. They can not vote at the new place due to this. They neither vote at the new place nor go their old place and vote there. They waste their voting power and right. My cousin used to stay near my place a few years ago. But after moving to a new place, she didn’t update her address in the places where she regularly got mails and letters from. After five years, still letters and mail in her name come to my place. (As the postman knows that she in my cousin and I would make them reach her). She is now married also and has got second new address after shifting to the new place five years ago. But still she has not updated her details. In my office also I get to see many letters, official documents, bills etc. in the name of employees who had left my organization a few years ago! I feel irate and irritated. Why don’t they update their latest address details in time? Why this carelessness and Lethargy?
We all procrastinate. This is a very bad habit. We all must remember those lines we studied in our school days
कल करे सो आज कर
आज करे सो अब...
(Do tomorrow’s work today and today’s work Now!)
& get rid of the bad habit of delaying things and taking things for granted.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
A New Chapter of My Life - as an Artiste...
It was one of the grand rehearsals (GR) of a Gujarati play ‘Sharda’ some 10 years back or so. My father was acting in that play so he had taken me along for the GR. I was sitting in the audience section in the darkness and the play was being rehearsed for the last few times before the live grand opening show. Artistes had put on make up and were in their proper dresses of the characters they were playing. There were lights of different colours – dim and bright alternately, of different colours making faces of artistes red or green or blue as per the mood of the scene of the play.
The loud music being played was magical. I was enthralled and swayed in awe by the performances. I reached into a different world that day. My senses were enjoying each and every moment of that new world. A dream was born in the auditorium there at that instance on that day. I wished from the bottom of my heart that I want to be there – there on THAT stage, perform. Feel those different shades on my face. Dance or act on those melodious musical tunes.
After that instance also, on several occasions I went to see Gujarati plays and loved to do so. On every such occasion whenever after the play, I used to go back-stage and wish artistes and appreciate their work, that dormant wish, that sleeping dream awoke. But for those few moments only.
I completed my B.E. degree, joined one of the Best organizations of India as a software professional, and completed my M.B.A. also. During all these years, I got a few opportunities to try my performing skills on the annual day events or in college festivals or such similar functions. But I could not do anything on professional front until 2008.
*******************************************************************************
I had joined acting and personality development workshop called ‘Theatrix’ a few years ago and enjoyed all those sessions very much and learnt a lot there. Utkarsh Majumdar (A Gujarati veteran stage actor) met me during one of the Theatrix sessions at Birla Krida Kendra (at churniroad) and when I introduced my self as Mr. Ghanshyam Nayak’s son, he was very pleased to see me. He told me I had to take forward the legacy of my father and forefathers – that of acting. It didn’t have to stop. I was touched by those words and the dormant wish and the sleeping dream again were agitated.
*******************************************************************************
My Grandpa's father - Keshavlal Kapatar.
Original Name - Shree Keshavlal Shivram Nayak
He was a very famous comedian of Shree Deshi Natak Samaj. He had performed lot of Gujarati plays in Bhangwadi. In one of such Super Hit plays called 'Arunoday' he had played character of a Compounder so well and that character became so very famous that he was started being called 'Keshavlal Kapatar' ('Kapatar' was gujju-deshi version of the English word 'compounder')
My Grandfather - Prabhakar Kirti (Ranglal Nayak)
Original Name - Shree Prabhakar Keshavlal Nayak
He was also a very famous comedian of Gujarati Rangbhoomi and Cinema. He had acted in hundreds of Gujarati Plays and Movies. He was also a well-known All India Radio (Aakashwani) artiste. In one of his very famous Gujarati play called 'Sarmukhatyar' he had played the female character of heroine 'Kirti Devi' so well that he was given a name 'Prabhakar Kirti'.
My Father - Gujarati Bhavai's 'Ranglo'
Original Name - Shree Ghanshyam Prabhakar Nayak
He is also a very famous comedian of Gujarati Rangbhoomi and Gujarati as well as Hindi Cinema. He is also a very good and well known T.V. and radio artiste. Through the immortal character of 'Ranglo' he is the lone folk-artiste in Mumbai who has kept the Gujarati Loknatya(folkdrama) of 'Bhavai' alive today.
His Profile you can see at the website : http://ghanshyam.glogster.com/photogallery
And finally the 4th Generation - me now!
Yes…I began acting in my first ever professional Gujarati stage venture called ‘ૐ Shree Mad Bhagawat Akshar Deh Roope’.
On 14th Feb. 2009, in the first show, at Birla Matushree Sabhagruh I began my new journey to carry forward the legacy of my three generations. A new phase of my life – that as an actor started. I had worn make up and costumes! And in that show I played 8 different characters! I don’t feel there could have been a better start than this. 8 different roles, those too in a program related to God! In first show I was feeling a potpourri of emotions – nervousness, excitement, zeal etc. etc. I was overwhelmed to have received a good feedback. First show was performed with all possible goof-ups and glitches (which are common in any professional play) but it was appreciated and liked by the audience. I was also satisfied with my performance. One entry (that as Dashrath Raja) I made late due to very less time between my previous get-up as that of Janak Raja and the change as Dashrath Raja. Director had to run and scream in the make up room ‘Vikas kyaa chhe? Eni entry chhe Dashrath na role nee…’ (Where is Vikas? He has to enter on the stage as Dashrath immediately…) and I had to run! But I handled the situation well and the scene was played well.
Second show was played on 21st Feb. 2009 in Tejpal Auditorium where my father had begun his career as an actor. I was feeling great pride! This show onwards I had to play seven roles. (The Janak Raja’s role was assigned to somebody else so that I get proper time to be ready for my Dashrath Raja’s role). 3rd, 4th and 5th shows were played in Birla Matushree. Iskon Auditorium and Dinanath Sabhagruh respectively. My wife and sister watched me act in 1st show and my sister complimented me that I look like my late grandfather ‘Prbhakar Kirti’ on stage.
My Dad and uncle saw me perform in 5th show. They both appreciated my act. With every show I am trying to improve more as an actor and do better.
Please note few next shows details:
11th show --> Zaverben Sabhgruh, Ghatkopar on 12th July 2009 at 4 PM
12th show --> Dinanath Sabhagruh , Vile Parle(E) on 17th July 2009 at 8:30 PM
13th show --> Tejpal, GovaliyaTank, GrantRoad on 18th July at 8 PM
14th show --> Birla Matushree Sabhagruh, Churchgate on 25th July at 8 PM
Please come and watch me perform on stage and give your honest feedback. I will wait!!!
The official website of my play: http://www.shrimadbhagawat.com
The Video can be seen on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvEo3r5WEXU
The loud music being played was magical. I was enthralled and swayed in awe by the performances. I reached into a different world that day. My senses were enjoying each and every moment of that new world. A dream was born in the auditorium there at that instance on that day. I wished from the bottom of my heart that I want to be there – there on THAT stage, perform. Feel those different shades on my face. Dance or act on those melodious musical tunes.
After that instance also, on several occasions I went to see Gujarati plays and loved to do so. On every such occasion whenever after the play, I used to go back-stage and wish artistes and appreciate their work, that dormant wish, that sleeping dream awoke. But for those few moments only.
I completed my B.E. degree, joined one of the Best organizations of India as a software professional, and completed my M.B.A. also. During all these years, I got a few opportunities to try my performing skills on the annual day events or in college festivals or such similar functions. But I could not do anything on professional front until 2008.
*******************************************************************************
I had joined acting and personality development workshop called ‘Theatrix’ a few years ago and enjoyed all those sessions very much and learnt a lot there. Utkarsh Majumdar (A Gujarati veteran stage actor) met me during one of the Theatrix sessions at Birla Krida Kendra (at churniroad) and when I introduced my self as Mr. Ghanshyam Nayak’s son, he was very pleased to see me. He told me I had to take forward the legacy of my father and forefathers – that of acting. It didn’t have to stop. I was touched by those words and the dormant wish and the sleeping dream again were agitated.
*******************************************************************************
My Grandpa's father - Keshavlal Kapatar.
Original Name - Shree Keshavlal Shivram Nayak
He was a very famous comedian of Shree Deshi Natak Samaj. He had performed lot of Gujarati plays in Bhangwadi. In one of such Super Hit plays called 'Arunoday' he had played character of a Compounder so well and that character became so very famous that he was started being called 'Keshavlal Kapatar' ('Kapatar' was gujju-deshi version of the English word 'compounder')
My Grandfather - Prabhakar Kirti (Ranglal Nayak)
Original Name - Shree Prabhakar Keshavlal Nayak
He was also a very famous comedian of Gujarati Rangbhoomi and Cinema. He had acted in hundreds of Gujarati Plays and Movies. He was also a well-known All India Radio (Aakashwani) artiste. In one of his very famous Gujarati play called 'Sarmukhatyar' he had played the female character of heroine 'Kirti Devi' so well that he was given a name 'Prabhakar Kirti'.
My Father - Gujarati Bhavai's 'Ranglo'
Original Name - Shree Ghanshyam Prabhakar Nayak
He is also a very famous comedian of Gujarati Rangbhoomi and Gujarati as well as Hindi Cinema. He is also a very good and well known T.V. and radio artiste. Through the immortal character of 'Ranglo' he is the lone folk-artiste in Mumbai who has kept the Gujarati Loknatya(folkdrama) of 'Bhavai' alive today.
His Profile you can see at the website : http://ghanshyam.glogster.com/photogallery
And finally the 4th Generation - me now!
Yes…I began acting in my first ever professional Gujarati stage venture called ‘ૐ Shree Mad Bhagawat Akshar Deh Roope’.
On 14th Feb. 2009, in the first show, at Birla Matushree Sabhagruh I began my new journey to carry forward the legacy of my three generations. A new phase of my life – that as an actor started. I had worn make up and costumes! And in that show I played 8 different characters! I don’t feel there could have been a better start than this. 8 different roles, those too in a program related to God! In first show I was feeling a potpourri of emotions – nervousness, excitement, zeal etc. etc. I was overwhelmed to have received a good feedback. First show was performed with all possible goof-ups and glitches (which are common in any professional play) but it was appreciated and liked by the audience. I was also satisfied with my performance. One entry (that as Dashrath Raja) I made late due to very less time between my previous get-up as that of Janak Raja and the change as Dashrath Raja. Director had to run and scream in the make up room ‘Vikas kyaa chhe? Eni entry chhe Dashrath na role nee…’ (Where is Vikas? He has to enter on the stage as Dashrath immediately…) and I had to run! But I handled the situation well and the scene was played well.
Second show was played on 21st Feb. 2009 in Tejpal Auditorium where my father had begun his career as an actor. I was feeling great pride! This show onwards I had to play seven roles. (The Janak Raja’s role was assigned to somebody else so that I get proper time to be ready for my Dashrath Raja’s role). 3rd, 4th and 5th shows were played in Birla Matushree. Iskon Auditorium and Dinanath Sabhagruh respectively. My wife and sister watched me act in 1st show and my sister complimented me that I look like my late grandfather ‘Prbhakar Kirti’ on stage.
My Dad and uncle saw me perform in 5th show. They both appreciated my act. With every show I am trying to improve more as an actor and do better.
Please note few next shows details:
11th show --> Zaverben Sabhgruh, Ghatkopar on 12th July 2009 at 4 PM
12th show --> Dinanath Sabhagruh , Vile Parle(E) on 17th July 2009 at 8:30 PM
13th show --> Tejpal, GovaliyaTank, GrantRoad on 18th July at 8 PM
14th show --> Birla Matushree Sabhagruh, Churchgate on 25th July at 8 PM
Please come and watch me perform on stage and give your honest feedback. I will wait!!!
The official website of my play: http://www.shrimadbhagawat.com
The Video can be seen on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvEo3r5WEXU
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