I think I gotta look for a gal now!!!

Was on my way back home in the Ambernath slow, when suddenly this flood of thoughts hit me hard!

 “I think I should start looking now! 
And start looking seriously for a girl!
I think my time has come to find a gal!
And be committed to her forever!
I really think it’s time for me to get married!”

- Majority of the men who thought along these lines and went ahead with these thoughts have now lost the ability to think and find themselves not thinking any more! ;) 

And all the married men said, "Amen"! ;)

God bless you!

Media: A victim of circumstances?

A couple of days ago, I was quoted in the Indian Express’ supplement - Mumbai Newsline’s article ‘The Blame-game’ by my friend, Pooja Pillai. I must admit I wasn’t too surprised to find that I was the only one who went against the flow of the entire article.

Indeed, I too, like others, felt that at times, the media was insensitive when it came to the coverage of the attacks. And I don’t even need to mention the names of the ‘culprit’ channels that have ‘sensationalism’ tagged to their hearts. In fact, in the coming weeks, am planning to include ‘media reviews’ as part of my blog’s genre!

Coming back to the point I made in ‘Blame-game’, I honestly feel that quite often media’s (read TV channels’) sensationalism is generalised and thus, they all fall prey to the bashing-game. I was hooked on to CNN-IBN and at times, I was frustrated when the reporters kept saying, “We are unable to divulge too many details as of now as we have been advised against it.” Images and bytes that were taken about half-an-hour before being actually telecast could have made me switch to another channel. But then, these were understandable. The DG of NSG apparently later came out and thanked all the channels for not airing visuals of the operations live “except for one channel”!

Yes, shoving their microphones in the faces of the rescued hostages just as they were coming out insensitive to say the least. It was a race for that exclusive first byte! Ridiculous, I say!

Those who gave genuine coverage to the attacks would have found themselves in the wrong end of the stick and unfortunately for them, both there was only one end to that stick! Had they not covered the attacks in the manner they did, surely flak would have come with idlers like me sitting at home. And now that they did cover the way they wanted it, they gotta be ready to have some mud slung at their face. Well, they would have got it anyways!  

Times Now, on the other hand, was very vocal (and you expect that with Arnab Goswami at the helm). Someone ought to remind him that the guests on air need time to answer his essay-length questions! But I thought some of Times Now’s questions were thought-provoking (they always claim to be), while some were plain stupid!

Post-terror attacks, coverage moved around debates on the action or the lack of it from the politicians, funeral of the heroes, visits by the politicians to their homes and their barking comments, which was idiotic to the core. Blame Kerala CM E. S. Achuthaananthan’s doggie remark for that! Exactly the stuff that the folks with microphones were looking for! Having heard E. S’ bytes in the past, I know for sure that his mouth is larger than his brain!

I wasn’t complaining about the coverage till I read Pooja’s article and today’s HT Café’s last page piece on the media coverage. I, do however, stand by what I said. Seems I missed out a lot by avoiding the ‘spicier’ channels! Thank God I did!

God bless you. God bless Mumbai!

Rallies... What next???

I’ve heard of many “peace rallies”, but I don’t remember being a part of any of them. Therefore, I decided to be a part of the Enough is Enough Peace Rally organized close to Gateway. In fact, this was one of those ‘last-minute-yes-call’ I made as like other rallies, this too, was not really in my radar till I had a discussion with a couple of colleagues at my workplace.

Post-26/11, there has been a lot of talk about action to be taken and the need for citizens to rise up and raise their voice. But honestly, even the most eternal optimist would have some sort of pessimism about a rally of this considering the way this city acts, reacts and then, forgets!

“What’s gonna be the outcome?”
“It’s just gonna fizzle out!”

Yup! These were at the back of my mind, when I was on my way to the rally! “But at least it’s a start! It's better than sitting back and doing nothing!” I told my colleagues.

It didn’t take me too long to realize that this one was not just another one of those small demonstrations or rallies. From inside the comfort of the car, with the A/C hitting your face and the tyres hardly getting a chance to move, it seemed half of Mumbai’s youth was out there for a ‘cause’ (Please note the inverted comas). But the young and odd-old were out in quite a few thousands (avoiding the phrase – large number – for it would then be an understatement).

We couldn’t reach the Gateway and had to be a part of the crowd by foot at the turn towards Regal. And that was as close to Gateway as we could get. The roads were jammed and so were the networks! I was to meet another friend at Regal and could only try my hand at messaging hoping that somehow it would break the network barrier and reach the other side. We did meet up. But where was THE Rally? Turned out that this wasn’t just one rally (or maybe I just missed the main one). At every turn-of-the-head distance, there were pockets of people, and attractive ones I must add, with their placards, slogans, white t-shirts with “I love Mumbai’ (which I later bought and wore too), tricolours, candles, etc. The ‘Free Hugs for peace and prosperity’ poster definitely caught my eye. I wished - for the hug, but more so to hold that poster myself.

At the end of it all, the question re-emerged, “What next? Blame-game again? Talks and protests about Government’s inefficiency?” I don’t know and I hope not! I will pray for my leaders and stop blaming them for once!

Outside The Leopold Café, where a week back, there was hardly a soul except a few men in khaki perhaps, amongst the large crowd and the ‘Mumbai’ t-shirt sellers, there was a group of youngsters with separate posters, each holding a word – “We-are-lucky-to-be-alive!”

‘Grace-of-God!’

Siege and after...

As the siege on Mumbai ended, honestly, I don’t know what to write, for I now have mixed emotions. Relieved, disappointed, frustrated, saddened all rolled into one. Add a little bit of anger to that as well.

Relieved, cause’ I was just one phone call away from being a part of not-at-all desirable drama at VT (not CST). I got out of office at 740 pm. Took out my cell to call up a friend, who I was supposed to meet the previous day. Kept my phone back in my pocket, and told myself, “Some other day!” Caught a train back home at 8 pm. One and a half hour later, the station had become a war-zone.

Relieved also, cause’ it’s finally over!

Disappointed, cause’ yet again an intelligence failure, yet again a security lapse and yet again, Mumbai – my favourite city - fell prey!

Frustrated, cause’ I could just sit at home and do nothing, but watch the drama unfold on CNN IBN and Times Now.

Saddened, cause’ some of Mumbai’s and country’s heroes, other than the common man of course, fell victims to this dastardly act.

And angered, cause’ finger-pointing, blame-game and politicizing began even as brave-hearts were still fighting it out inside Taj, Oberoi and Nariman!

A friend told me, we must catch these terrorists alive and cruelly torture them in full public view. “It just won’t work. These guys would consider this a privilege to be tortured to death. Remember, they came to kill and to get killed,” I told her. Interestingly though, today’s Mirror’s lead story revealed this didn’t hold completely true. On seeing his colleague’s mutilated body, the terrorist caught suddenly “wanted to live!”

As is always the case, everything will soon be forgotten. The oft used and now abused phrase “Spirit of Mumbai” will re-emerge! We used it after the '92 serial blasts. We used it after July 26. We used it after 7/11. And am afraid we are gonna use this term again! And now I'm beginning to wonder if this is more a matter of the ‘paapi pet’ than the so-called spirit. Indeed it’s all about filling one’s tummy! 

The sacrifices of the few heroes will soon be forgotten. For public memory is short! It’s even shorter in Mumbai!

All I can do is hope and pray that we don't need another November 26, 2008 to remind us of November 26, 2008!!!

PS: Like many Mumbaikars, even I got this particular message about Where is Mr. Raj Thackarey now? As NSG commandos (most of them North Indians) battle it out to save Mumbai, where are the MNS and SS now who only knows to destroy and create havoc on the innocent folks!
- Good point, and taken too

Moment of Truth!!!

Being a holiday, I had nothing better to do than to surf through the many channels- an activity I was alien to for quite a while! And now that the internet at home was down, this seemed like the next best thing to do (come to think of it, there were much better things that I could have done)!!! I am not a regular to any Star World shows, but I had heard about “Moment of Truth” from a colleague and wanted to check it out!

The Moment of Truth is an American show that first aired in Colombia as Nada más que la verdad ("Nothing But the Truth"). Contestants answer a series of 21 increasingly personal and embarrassing questions to receive cash prizes.

Prior to the show, a contestant is hooked up to a polygraph and asked more than 50 questions; there is no polygraph testing conducted during the actual show. Without knowing the results of the polygraph, he or she is asked 21 of those same questions again on the program, each becoming progressively more personal in nature. If the contestant answers honestly, according to the polygraph results, he or she moves on to the next question; however, should a contestant lie in his or her answer (as determined by the polygraph) or simply refuse to answer a question after it has been asked, the game ends. [Source: Wikipedia]

Lauren Cleri, with her husband Frank, brother, sister, mother and father, in front of her, was the contestant on the episode that I happened to watch! “Mera dimaag ko shot lagaa”, I told my colleagues the next day after I saw the episode! I thought the affirmative answer to the question, “Did you ever get fired from a job for stealing?” was embarrassing enough! But what was to follow was even worse!

“Did you have the feeling you were in love with one of your ex-boyfriends on your wedding day?” asked Mark Walberg, the host. “Yes,” Lauren replied!

As if that was bad enough, the host then says, “Next question will not be asked by me, but by a special guest.” The camera’s focus shifts towards an electronic sliding door. Surprisingly, there’s no music. Not even a drum-beat! Or maybe I just didn’t hear! Out walks a guy in a blue shirt with a cue-card in his hand! Lauren’s face turns red as she sees her ex standing in front of her!

The question: “If I ask you out now, would you leave your husband?” Frank’s bows his head down! Lauren looks away! “Do you want to hit the buzzer?” asks Mark looking at Frank. “No, I want to hear her answer,” Frank says looking at Lauren. Lauren’s sister gets up and hits the buzzer which means the question will now be changed! She thought she did some ‘damage control’! Little did she know that the next question was also going to be asked by Lauren’s ex!

“Do you believe I am the guy that you should be spending the rest of your life with?”

Lauren’s eyes told a lot. She answers, “Yes!” Frank slips deeper in his chair!

Jumping on to the next question: “Did you have sexual relationship with anyone other than your husband after your marriage?”

I want to switch channels; I myself do not want to hear the answer and the resultant look on her husband’s face!

“I’d have to be honest and say, Yes!” says Lauren with her husband now looking absolutely distraught!

Did Lauren push the truth too far as the host, Mark Walberg, himself later said to the TV audience, “I strongly believe some things best remain unsaid”? Or was it all done to earn fame and fortune as Lauren told the New York Post later.

I am not too sure if I agree with the concept of the show! It definitely kept me glued, but later had me all disturbed thinking that this might just have broken a family! Or at least have come close to it!

Some might argue that at least now, nothing is hidden! I’d say, why hid it in the first place if you were planning to have a family together. And in any case, the NY Post report says, Frank apparently already knew these things!

Psalm 127:1 - “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it, labour in vain. “

Bindra wins gold!!

To live in an era when history is made is special! To watch history being made is even better!

An irritating cough kept me at home this Monday morning! And woe unto me if I regret spending this day at home!

A loud set of claps followed by a loud grunt ‘Yes’ was enough for mummy, who was on the phone, to take the hint!

A little smile from the handsome young man was his only emotion as he turned to acknowledge the few Indians on the stand! Abhinav Bindra had just claimed India’s first ever individual gold medal in Olympics in the 10M Air Rifle Men’s Shooting event!

Coming to the final, Bindra was in fourth position. But a few good rounds first up pushed him up to third just behind the Chinese (obviously I forgot his name! To be very honest, that was all I expected from him, for Indians have a not-to-be-proud-of reputation of collapsing at just the final stretch. In fact, I feared the shooter in the fourth position, who too was having a fairly good set of rounds, might overtake Bindra! But wasn’t to be as Bindra maintained his consistent run and soon overtook the Chinese and was now closing in on the leader, Henri Hakkinen of Finland! One average round from Hakkinen meant Bindra taking the lead! Ninth round and Bindra had his worst score in the final! He was now sharing the lead with the Fin! Again the pessimist in me spoke “He is an Indian. He’ll falter just when it matters. Pressure will get to him!” But in Bindra’s case it wasn’t to be! If composure was personified, you would find it on Bindra’s face! Bindra shot his best score in the final round as the Fin fell prey to nerves and lost not just his lead but was pushed down to third position!

To hear the national on the background with our tricolour rising above the Chinese flag was a special feeling! Needless to say, it was difficult to hold back our tears of joy!

Like a good majority of the Indians, who had no clue what it takes to qualify for the highest level in a sport, I too had no expectations from the 98-member Indian contingent. This contingent had only 56 athletes, while the rest included ‘officials, coaches and others’! I’m told Sania Mirza’s mom too was one of them! But I am glad Abhinav Bindra proved me wrong (as if it mattered!) and how!!! Good on you mate!!!

I met Jonty!!!

Finally! Here I was… with my favourite little Jonty! The little guy obviously seemed very happy on seeing his uncle! Played with him! Made him laugh! His crying voice was as cute as his toothless grin! We spoke a lot till he was hungry and again went “baaaaaaaah”! Then off he went to sleep in his favourite car-seat only to be woken up by his uncle who wasn’t done with him! Again, they laughed together and spoke! “Jonty is special,” his uncle thought. Seems he speaks with himself! “Gaa gaa gii gii.” Naah! Must be having a light-hearted convo with his beloved creator Dada and praising HIM! (From the lips of children and infants, You have ordained praise, said King David in Psalm 8:2) At last, it was time for me to grab his attention for he was ignoring me for too long now. Found a strange little toy which made an irritating noise and vibrated!

Sheesh! It was my cell phone’s alarm! “6:45 AM” it shouted! Time to get up! Alas! It was only a dream! But I still saw him!

The Story of Staci Stephens!!!

Here's a real story I recently received from a friend: (sic)

Staci Stephens was a bright and beautiful 16-year-old high school student, who impacted the lives of so many of her friends and peers. She loved lost things and wanted to rescue them, according to her best friend Ashley. Around campus she was known for her love of God and her love of people.

Staci passed away on March 13, 2005 from Viral Myocarditis. Staci came home from school on Friday morning not feeling well and by Sunday morning her heart had stopped. Staci attended a public high school in Orlando , Florida . So many were impacted by her death. The students (and parents and teachers) realized that they too will die some day, and are they ready for that? Staci’s dream was for everyone to find Christ and to live with God forever.

Just a few months before her death, Staci was interviewed by Venture Media, telling her story of her relationship with God. Here’s what she said in that interview said about Jesus Christ, "I knew that he loved me and that he was there, but I didn’t know that it was to this extent that it could really impact your life."

"I think the most important thing I’ve learned was how to really live my life and what I’m living for. A lot of kids know that they are not living the right way and if they will say something about it, you know they have a heart to change."In her journal for a school class she defined tragedy as someone dying without knowing Christ; she wanted to help all her peers to have a relationship with God. Staci wrote: "Tragedy: something that happens that is really bad. I feel that a tragedy is someone who dies and is not saved (no relationship with God). That is an eternal consequence. It is a tragedy to me that they do not get to spend eternity in Heaven. It is a tragedy that they got too wrapped up in the world to recognize their need for Christ. It is a tragedy the way they have to be like that forever.

In a letter to friends and family this past Christmas, Staci recapped her past year: "This has been the most life-changing year I have ever experienced. On January 18, 2004 , I was reborn and found my Savior Jesus Christ at a conference put on by Student Venture . . . in Cocoa Beach . Since then, I have dropped my old ways of living and have completely given myself to Christ. My life has been changed for eternity and now everything that I live for makes sense and I don’t have to fill my heart with worldly things anymore. I am completely satisfied and Christ has filled every little void in my life. Through Him, I have learned so much about myself and have able to let go of so many things. Everything I do is for the glory of God and I finally know the life I have been missing. There was a hole in my soul and I was trying to fill it with every little thing but the very one who can heal it. Jesus Christ is my best friend, my helper and teacher, and most importantly, my loving God."

In a personal journal entry shortly before her passing, Staci described her desire to go beyond herself and help others. She asked God for a unique ministry on campus. Little did she or any of us know what God had in store.

When word got out at school that Staci died, hundreds gathered in the Media Center to grieve. Students, teachers, and counselors broke out in song, singing Mercy Me’s - I Can Only Imagine - Staci’s favorite song. Others read excerpts from her journal, such as Psalm 78. Teachers and students led times of prayer. A number of friends put their faith in Christ after her death. One friend of Staci’s gave his life to Christ stating that it was sad that Staci had to die in order for him to believe the truth.

Over 800 students, teachers, and members of the community filled the school auditorium the evening after her passing as six of her friends spoke about Staci’s life and faith in God. One friend said, "Life is short – we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal."

At the close of the evening, students and teachers dedicated their lives to Christ. Prodigal students returned to God.

One young tough football player wrote that evening, "Staci and family, I want to thank you and Jesus to provide such a great person who helped me become saved." Another girl wrote, "Jesus, please forgive me. The last months I have not been what I want to be. Please change me and love me."

Even the night of Staci’s funeral, more of Staci’s friends believed in Jesus Christ and invited him to be their Savior and Lord. Staci and her friends in Student Venture had prayed all year that students at their campus would realize the God was real and would want to know him. They even dreamed of a day when the auditorium on campus would be filled with people hearing about Christ’s love for them. In one week, through the life and death of Staci Stephens, many of their prayers were answered.

One classmate of Staci’s was heavy into drugs and said he was an atheist. He had started dabbling in drugs when he was in middle school, and two years later progressed to using ecstasy, cocaine and anything he could get his hand on to numb his pain.

He described horrifying nights of crawling around on his carpet floor licking up whatever excess powder he could find to maintain the high. Though he didn’t acknowledge God at the time, God began to unfold a whole new life for him. He happened to sit next to Staci Stephens in one of his classes. He described conversation after conversation of Staci talking about Jesus Christ. His reply was always simple, "Jesus is your drug, I have my own."

The day he found out Staci was gone, an overwhelming sorrow rushed over him, along with a realization that he was wasting his life. Later that night he went over to Staci’s memorial service while trying to hold back tears of bitterness and confusion. Throughout the night as he watched Staci’s close friends pouring out tears of joy, and speaking words of hope, something hit him. He doesn’t know exactly when he believed in Jesus; but he will tell you that he woke up that day one person, and went to sleep a whole new one. He went home and asked to be helped with rehab, hasn’t touched drugs and has made Christ and his Bible study his priority. Christ is changing his life.

In the midst of Staci’s death, God brought forth life in other people.The last entry Staci wrote in her journal a couple days before she died was from Psalms 73:26:

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever

Apart from our love for Christ, there's one other thing common between Staci and me. Our dreams!!!

Some of the readers might have quit reading half way through this story or at least they'd have wanted to! The reason? For many, God is 'uncool'! For many, Seeing is believing and hence, He does not exist!

For me, HE is the coolest! For me, BELIEVING IS SEEING!!!

Home-Management: Cooking!!!

The headline is a give-away! So I guess I don’t really need to mention much! But me being me, I will!!! So you better read on! It’s my blog!!! (ok, if I continue to be rude, then the select few who visit my blog once in a while will start thinking otherwise… so, please please please stay on! Ok, now that’s the height of desperation!!)

Coming back to ‘home-management’, for more than a month now, I have been living alone! And I really can now empathise those who stay away from their families. Many, if not most, of my friends fall in that category!

“How are you managing?”, “What about the food”—just two of many questions that the concerned keep asking. Actually, those are the only two questions!

Ok, answer to the first question – It’s been a challenge! Was so used to lazying around the house, sitting near the comp, chatting (which still hasn’t changed). Early mornings, was so used to getting my breakfast and the usual cup of coffee served almost at bed, that all I had to worry was to have a bath and dress up on time, so as not to miss my usual 9:46. Well, now I got to do the first two all by myself!

Second question – I can’t cook for nuts (wondering who cooks for ‘nuts’ anyways!)! My usual answer is, “I can’t go hungry!”
“So, you cook by yourself?”
“Hmm…”
“Really?”
“Well, I eat by myself! The pav-bhajiwala at the hotel next to the station or the egg-bhurjeewala near the new signal corner or an aunty from church, cooks for me!”

I have been so spoilt that I didn’t even know how to even boil an egg, let alone make other stuff out of it! But, as the cliché goes, “there’s a first time for everything!” And there was no better time to begin my “experiments with cooking”! Perhaps the easiest thing other than boiling the egg is to make a bulls-eye! My first attempt wasn’t too bad, although the ‘eye’ wasn’t exactly at the spot where it was ought to be! My next few attempts, barring once or twice, failed miserably! So, what did I do? ‘Scrambled’ it around and gave it a more egg-bhurjee kind of feel! The result?

This!!

So, here was Blessen’s Egg-Bhurjee! Ahem… minus the bhurjee... and a lot of other things! The English can call it Blessen’s Scrambled Egg! Usually, a new recipe/dish is born out of an older recipe gone wrong! So, there’s nothing wrong with a Blessen’s Bulls-eye turned Messed-up-s-egg! After all, the experiment’s laboratory is my own stomach!

Little Jonty is here!!!

My last update: Sometime in Feb!!! Feb 8th to be precise! At the risk of repeating myself, I am indeed a disgrace to the term “regular blogger”!!

But no better time to update than this! And even as I sit to write this, I got a major problem with what the literature world would call a “writer’s block”! But honestly, at the moment, I care a damn about what I write for yesterday was one of the happiest days of my life! One of those days where my eyes were damp with tears of joy!

Got a call from Abychayan, my bro who is in US, “Little Jonty is out! Little Jonathan is out!!!”
“Congraaaatsssssssss!!!! Wow!!!!!!! You saw him?”
“Yes, I was there inside all this while. Ekdum healthy hain!”
“Oh! Whom does he look like? I guess it’s a little too early too say haan?”
“I guess so, but I think he looks a little like Nisy (that’s my sis-in-law, whom I call chechi).”“Damn coooool yaar!!! I am gonna call up and tell everyone.”

We were talking about the new bundle of joyful addition in our family! My cute little nephew, whom we already had decided to call ‘Jonathan’ aka ‘Jonty’!!! True to the name, ‘given by God’ or a ‘gift of God’!!!

Ahem.. no points for guessing who named him!!! Jonty, the cricketer was always one of my favourite cricketers and our little Jonty too, jumped out two days ahead of the due date! Not surprising!! We are calling him Jonty after all!!!

It’s not the first time that I’ve become an ‘uncle’, although my cousins’ kids consider me more as a brother. This time, it was a different feeling! Just couldn’t thank my God enough!

Congrats to Abychayan and Nisychechi!!! I just can’t wait to see this little angel! I miss him already!!!

One day from death!!!

Except for the fact that my outgoing calls became active again after my cell was flicked the previous Sunday, 23rd of January seemed to be another one of those ‘days in office’. At least till about noon, when my stomach decided to remind me of its presence. No, it wasn’t ‘upset’ but it sure was going bonkers! And I wasn’t enjoying it least bit! The pain was just getting unbearable to the point where I could barely sit on my chair. And soon, I was down on the floor grabbing my tummy rolling with pain. My project teammates got tensed and tried their best to cool me down. But the heat was definitely on me and the sweat on my forehead was another indication that not everything was alright with my body. Eno, Digene etc. brought no relief. My concerned friends, Ullhas, Nishant, Kuldeep and Rishad took me to the nearby Lok Hospital.

The doc at Lok was suspicious of something, not completely sure of what, but she ordered for a sonography, which, if I opted to admit myself there, could happen only in the evening. Friends called my mom and an obviously worried mom preferred to have me somewhere close to her than four stations and a few more miles away! The painkiller’s effect ensured that I could reach home safely, accompanied by Nis and Kul of course. Had a light lunch at 4:30, but I could almost feel the rice entering my stomach! ‘Weird” I thought, “I’ve never felt this way before.” A little sleep and I might be alright when the medicines given from Lok will take its effect. Or so I thought! Wasn’t to be! As soon as the painkiller’s effect died, I was rolling in bed with extreme pain. Soon, I was vomiting. My lunch was out of my stomach after making its presence within! Poor mom was really worried. I was stopping her from taking me to the hospital. Dad was away at Kolkotta and Abychayan and chechi had left for US two Mondays ago. Both, my mom and I thought this could be a case of food poisoning and acidity. The vomiting just wouldn’t stop and through the night, I was groaning and moaning with pain. Mummy too didn’t sleep that entire night.

Wednesday morning—the pain, groans and vomiting continued! Mom had already informed our neighbours the previous night about my condition and she told them in the morning. The uncle forced me to accompany him to his family doc, who quickly prompted for a sonography. I was yet to have something and sonography could be done faster. The result was conveyed over the phone to the doc and I realized not everything was alright.

Soon, I was in the hospital, getting admitted for the first time in my 23 or so years of breathing in and out! The loose hospital uniform signaled that I was going to be a prisoner to the room for sometime. I was told that I have an appendicitis problem and will have to be operated that very night. A blood test result little later confirmed that the problem wasn’t a minor one as my WBC count had increased three times over causing a serious infection problem. Now, I started shivering too and three blankets couldn’t stop my teeth from shattering! I was thirsty, and not a drop of water had passed through my throat ever since I was in hospital. I just couldn’t drink water, as per the advice of the doc. Not even a drop was to be on my lips! Mom, all those from church and my friends were really worried!

“Gimme a drop of water or put me off to sleep by some medicine,” I was getting desperate. I could now imagine what hell would be like. I now know, what the rich man in hell meant when he asked Father Abraham for a drop of water on his tongue! On second thoughts, I didn’t want to imagine what hell would be like cause’ I am sure it is even more fearsome!!! I was just waiting for being in the OT for that would mean an end to my ordeal and a dose of anesthesia would ensure me dozing off!

Eleven at night— I was inside the operation theatre. To say “I was a little nervous” would be an understatement. I wasn’t scared, but I sure wasn’t brave either to face my first stint with a surgeon’s knife.

I had no idea when I was back again to my hospital room for all I remember was that light was off and I started grumbling again for that elusive drop of water! I felt a pain in my stomach, which is when I was told the surgery was complete and the pain’s a result of the stitches. A painkiller shot and another dose of antibiotic ensured I was off to sleep again. Early next morning, I was shown the part which was removed off from me. The appendix seemed bigger than what I had imagined. I was told that it had swollen way too big for comfort! Philomina aunty, also a nurse, and Nisychechi’s dad had seen it even before it was taken out! Yikes!

For the next five days, I was heavily on antibiotics and for two days, I was only surviving on the glucose. My throat and tongue were dry and I could hardly speak now. Didn’t and couldn’t attend any phone calls. Was relieved when I was told that by Saturday morning, I could drink something, but strange as it may sound, now I didn’t feel like drinking, let alone eating! The antibiotics had taken its toll and my tongue had lost its sense of taste! And in any case, I wasn’t a big fan of kanji—the only thing I was ordered to gulp for sometime! Even tea was tasteless! At least for me, it seemed like!

I took my first step to the floor after operation on Sunday afternoon. And it seemed like an eternity! My first step brought with it, a flood of forehead sweat, and breathlessness! My ‘first step’ lasted for a good 15 seconds and off I went back to the bed trying to catch my breath. But soon, I overcame that and was walking albeit slowly!

Monday morning and I was out on bail from my first ever experience of hospital admission vowing to the nurses there, never to be back to the room!

Allow me to get a bit senti here, but I was really touched by the many messages, calls and visits made by my near-and-dear ones! Really meant a lot to me when people from far and wide made visits and calls (even international)! Showed how much they all loved me!!!

So, what was so great about a ‘normal’ appendix operation? I was told after the operation, that I wasn’t too far away from being on the other shore. One more day’s wait or a couple of meals to my stomach could have been fatal! Not many who has had a leaked appendix were lucky to have it operated before it got ruptured and hardly a few who had a ruptured appendix lived to tell the tale. I did! And it’s just my faithful and merciful Saviour who has great and mighty plans for me who helped me to continue breathing. Am I making this thing sound big? Not one bit! Ask my doc and the many qualified nurses, who I’m sure, would testify with me!

How can I thank Jesus, my Saviour enough? For I know, I was just one day away from death, if it wasn’t for His ‘otherwise’ plans!

Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Massaging!!!

The firm of which I am a ‘proud’ part, recently started a ‘Massage Service’ at our gym. Currently, it’s open for all male ‘associates’ (as our company would like to describe its employees). Of course, it is NOT free of charge and I’m not too sure if it is subsidized either. The payment, to be made directly to masseur, is Rs. 100/- for half an hour and Rs. 200/- for one hour of massaging! I am a regular to the massaging centre and I can assure the few reading this blog, that, this is a total rip off!!! I get my massaging done at Rs. 125/- on a monthly basis! That too, twice, for duration of half an hour every day for five days a week! And trust me, the massaging is of the highest quality too!!! Take my word, no other place will ever come close! And to top it all, you get many masseurs for and at your service at one time! Price ranges might vary as per the duration everyday, but never out of your limit! Amazing deal right? So, where and how would you get this service?

Just get inside the 0945 fast local and you’d know!!!

The Guide!!!

If you are a regular to this blog, then chances are that you might have stumbled upon a couple of blogs on the lifeline of Mumbai- The good ol' local trains!!! And it still continues to amaze this regular-turned-irregular blogger!!!

Wednesday morning's 9:56 slow local starting from Dombivli had a visitor. He hopped in, rather, was helped inside the compartment in which I had set my foot in about 10 minutes early. This was a blind man who, like me, was on his way to work. On the contrary, his work had already begun. He had a begging bowl in his hand. And what is so 'amazing' about a blind beggar in a local train. Of course, that's not something new! Not at all, if you happen to miss the 'guide' who was helping the blindman across the compartment -- a healthy street mongrel!!!

Hypocrites of the Highest Order!!!

Reporting Times?
Me: 1030-1040
Him: 11 or later

‘Breaks’ between work?
Me: Interacting with other colleagues, so as to take my eyes of the computer. A little break of 10 minutes after every hour. This helps in refreshing my mind and body (especially THE back).
Him: Work in between the breaks. Orkut through the day. Go over to other colleagues/friends and chat with them. The occasional work helps in refreshing lazy bones.

Work?
Me: Finish off my work in the allotted time or faster.
Him: Outsources work to other TM and colleagues who are at the same level.

But, who gets the firing/blame?
Me (and my teammates): Yes!
Him: Nope, sticking around with the ‘higher hands’ helps! How can the one who fires get fired himself?

Finally, the Punishment?
Me (and my teammates): An explanation, a threat for an increase in workload. (In one colleague’s case, the threatening turned to reality).
Him: …ahem…

I believe you've got to encounter such characters at least once in your lifetime. They do teach you a few lessons, and the most important of them being, "Do not always 'follow the leader'"!!!!

Do we need words to express this feeling???

The ball stayed in the air for only about 2 seconds! But that was enough to send a billion minds into an imaginative world where they could see men-in-green celebrating with pumped fists and villainous smiles! For those two brief seconds, the hearts of the same billion, watching ESPN, didn’t just skip a beat, it almost stopped functioning. Then good old Ravi Shastri shouted “Sreesaaaaanth… takes it. India win!!!” No one cared what Shastri said next as the nation erupted even as Misbah sank to his knees ruing the only blunder he committed in the match! I need not describe what happened next for by now the scenes of wild celebrations would be etched forever in mind of a nation that was formerly dwelling on the glory that was 24 years old!
Those who never understood and never even cared to bother about the simple basic rules of cricket became ‘experts’ overnight. Almost everyone did a pre and post match analysis! Few would argue that in India, these ‘experts’ were available aplenty. But so far-reaching was the impact of ICC World T20, that some of the fairer gender that had hated the game from the bottom of their hearts (still don’t know what that phrase means) left from work early just to see the finals, in which their heroes eventually did not disappoint! Those who never knew how Yuvraj Singh looked like, now knew who Misbah-ul-Haq and Stuart Broad were!

It will take some doing for me to forget a few defining moments for India in the T20 World Cup! This is purely my opinion!

1. Misbah's mistake, Sreesanth’s catch: The simple, yet pressure-filled catch by Sreesanth after a scoop/paddle-that-went-wrong by Misbah-ul-Haq will now be played over and over again by the television channels, every time India prepares for a World Cup campaign. Not easy to forget this as the dugout ran out to join the Indian team celebrating for the first time as T20 World Champions.

2. Yuvraj’s Onslaught: Flintoff’s mistake. Broad pays the price. Provoked by Flintoff and with revenge on his mind, there was no stopping Yuvi as he murdered Stuart Board for six consecutive maximums in an over! Not to forget, Yuvi was hammered for five sixes in his over by Masscarenhas only about a week and half back. First over deep midwicket and out of the stadium, second a flick over square leg, third over long off, fourth an upper cut (his favourite of the lot) over deep point, fifth and sixth over deep midwicket!

3. The Bowl Out: The first ever time that I saw a bowl out and what a game to witness it! India-Pakistan. Misbah runs himself out in the last ball and we have a tie. So, what next? A bowl-out to decide the winner. Five bowlers each from the opposition will bowl one delivery each on the stumps at the batsman’s end minus a batsman! Indian’s practice and Pakistan’s ignorance about the rule was on display as Sehwag, Harbhajan and Uthappa hit the stumps and four of Pakistan’s prominent bowlers missed! India continued their 100% win record against their arch-rivals in World Cups!

4. Sreesanth’s War-dance: India’s victory against the Aussies in the semis may not have been possible had Hayden and Symonds continued to stay till the end! Sreesanth, wild as always, sent Hayden’s timber cart-wheeling! But the sight to behold was Sreesanth’s war-dance-like celebration running right close to Hayden and slapping the pitch with both his hands before giving Hayden a farewell in the way that only he can do!

5. Out-fielding South Africa: I never thought I’ll see a day when the Indians will outfield the South Africans! The South Africans dropped a couple of sitters! And the Indians meanwhile fielded as if their lives depended on it! Karthik took a blinder, Rohit Sharma hit the stumps when it mattered and clearly, brilliant fielding and clever bowling meant that the Indians not only defeated the hosts, but also knocked them out of the tournament! What’s new with South Africa anyways?

So excited was I after the Indian victory, that I went out and bought all the English papers next morning! So, here are the headlines from a few prominent dailies:

The Times of India
Headline: WE ARE THE WORLD
Intro line/Subhead: Pakistunned. India Win See-Saw Battle In Last Over

Hindustan Times
H/L: Top of the World (with one whole page pic of the team huddle)

The Indian Express
H/L: Young blood in a billion hearts

The Asian Age
H/L: INDIA IS WORLD POWER

DNA
H/L: WE WON
I/L: Through guts and grit, Dhoni’s Demons bring home the first T20 World Cup

The Free Press Journal
H/L: DESTINY’S CHILDREN
I/L: Men in Blue demonstrate great self-belief, confidence, passion and a never-say-die attitude

Mid Day
H/L: Abhi khushi Tabhi glum (with two contrasting images of the current victorious Indian team and the team that sat sulking in West Indies after being knocked out of the World Cup)

Mumbai Mirror
No front page matter about the WC, but the headline with a whole page pic on page 23 read ‘WINDIA’.

And what is my opinion on the young guns, who have stood up and are begging the selectors to take notice? A few should be picked immediately! But those calling for the Big Three’s heads should think more than twice! This was Twenty20! In ODIs and Test Matches, not all these youngsters will fit the bill without proper guidance from The Three! They are experienced enough to know when their time has finally arrived for them to either join their family or join the commentary team!

As of now, it’s time to just sit back and cherish the feeling! A feeling that does not often visit the Indian sporting arena! A feeling that we would never want to part with! A feeling that left me speechless and yet let me shout “Yes! Yes!” A feeling that made me proud to be an Indian!

23 and how!!!

“So, how did your day go?” – a cliched question immediately after a birthday! I got these a-plenty! But for once, I was ready to reply to this cliché! Naah, not one of those sarci replies I usually end up giving, but an honest one!

To start with, it turned out to be a three-day long birth’day’! The actual day happened to be a Tuesday. But I was planning to go out with family, and maybe even, treat them in advance, on the Sunday before my bday! Abychayan (my bro) and Nisychechi (his wife) will be in Pune on Tuesday and hence, an early celebration will do no harm (Yea right! Who wouldn’t mind long celebrations?) But the plans remained just that—plans! Pappa wasn’t keeping too well and hence, we had to cancel the much awaited treat at KFC! And with me not going for my usual Sunday ICPF meet, the day… evening rather, was turning out to be rather dull! Bro and chechi went out for some shopping! And my net connection was still down. So dull was the feeling that I went for a little nap at 615 in the evening! Woke up at 7 having nothing much to do, but watch the T20 match! No, India wasn’t playing! They had already lost to the Kiwis by 10 runs! So, there you have it! What a waste of a Sunday evening! Or so I thought it was!

Lisammama (my aunt) and Siji (her daughter and my cousin) came over! I love to irritate Siji for any and every little thing she does and does not do! Then, a call from a good friend! The evening suddenly seemed to have taken wings! While on the call, Julia (my cute little 3 year old niece) walks in with her parents and Jestin (my nephew) with his mom! I am still on the phone, with my house all of a sudden abuzz with noises from the kids! Abychayan and chechi comes back from their bit of shopping! I am still completely unaware of the hidden agenda behind everyone turning up all of a sudden. Didn’t seem new to me! This ‘gathering’ has happened way too many times earlier! It was only when Lisammama spilled the beans that it struck me why chechi had carried the Monginis bag as she had walked in! It struck me then the reason for the sudden invasion of all my cousins! To cut a long story short, chechi, the conspirator-in-chief and Abychayan, the co-conspirator, had set it all up when they went out for shopping, calling my cousins to come over!

Turned out to be one lovely family get-together! Of course, the Dutch chocolate cake was as yummy as it looked, if not more! The ‘2’ melted and ‘3’ had broken down by the time I cut the cake (talking about the candles)! But it was the cake that mattered! Then, there was chicken lollypop too! According to chechi, my bday “will be incomplete without chicken”! Bang on! A little jig, by the ‘baccha party’ (Julia, Siji, Jibi and Jestin) and yours truly, later, the surprise party was over! A first ever for me and how I loved it! So, thank you Abychayan and chechi! Love you guys!

Monday—the smell of actual birthDAY being just round the corner, is something irresistible! At times, I wish this day would never end! At certain other times, I want it to pass asap! Wishes started flowing in from late night on Monday from some sweet friends, who admitted staying awake at 12 would be a tough ask and hence, wished me about half an hour in advance!

Tuesday—calls right on from midnight (or a little earlier)! The bday song welcomed 18th of September on the first call from a friend, who thought she missed out my bday on the 16th (had informed her about the happenings on Sunday). Then the calls flooded in! And messages too, from those frustrated they couldn’t get through as their call was on “waiting”! I picked up the calls with a “thank you very much” even before the wish came through! I was really touched at the frequency of the calls I received on the midnight of the 18th of September! Especially at the efforts made by some friends to continue trying and call back despite having to “wait” for their turn! Another sweet friend, who I know sleeps by 11, woke up at 12, barely managing to open her eyes! Tried my number! Couldn’t get through! Woke up again 10 minutes later to give me a call, which I eventually did receive!

Never have I received so many calls at midnight for my birthday! The usual culprits (read BJ, Merw) were finding it tough to get through! But they waited and did call! I was on seventh heaven even before the sun had risen! The calls continued till 130! I wouldn’t dare to complain for sleeping late! It was only then that I realized that I needed to make a call that was the most important of all! A call to my loving Father up above! To my Saviour Jesus Christ! If it wasn’t for His grace, if it wasn’t for His loving kindness, if it wasn’t for His goodness, I wouldn’t have been seeing this night (one of my earliest posts is one of the reasons)! I thanked my Abba Father and bid the midnight goodbye to be woken up by more calls in the morning!

I still had to make a choice of whether or not to go to office! Eventually decided, it’s better to go rather than to lie on a birthday about the ‘reason’ for me bunking! So off I went towards office with more calls accompanying me all along the way! Decided to make the most out of my ‘visit’ to the office. Made sure everyone from our department wished me! Had to ‘bribe’ them all with a 5Star of course! But doesn’t matter! 23rd Bday was a “birthday of many wishes and a few surprises”! If I thought what happened on the 16th was my last surprise for some years to come! I was in for another little surprise! My friends from office bought a cake and made me cut it while during the break! Another sweet little surprise that I’d remember for some time to come and would take some doing for me to forget!

And as the birthday drew to a close, calls kept coming! And of course, there were plenty of scraps too!

Edited on 20th Sep: And just when I thought the storm had calmed down, my two lovely friends from Bangalore, whom I had never met, Feni and Deepa, decided to give me another surprise (Jeez!! I'm using this word for the nth time now)! Saw a beautiful card lying on the tea-table! Checked the name! Yup! All the way from Bangalore through courier!

Updated on 26th: Actually, this update was long overdue. On the 22nd to be precise! Got a gift from a friend (who passed it through another friend) whom I’ve never really interacted in person! As I check the wonderfully designed pack, it read, “check out the 23 reasons that makes you special”. I open the packet with some curiosity (as is the case with everyone who opens a bday gift)! First thing I see is a stuffed toy! A monkey/teddy with a specs (Chechi told me later that it was self-made). Next, I get a handful of chocolates in a mug with a cartoon of a little baby with the number ‘1’ next to it! And I was still wondering what the 23 reasons were when I look into the packet and finds quite a handful of cards! Self-made cartoons! This was made by the friend herself with cartoons of little Blessen (she considers me a kid although I am a good 2 years elder to her) on the front and the ‘reason’ inside! The cartoons resembled the reasons! And guess what? There were 23 of such cards all made by that sweet friend herself! She later told me that it took her about 2 weeks to make all that! As was expected, I was on cloud nine or maybe even above that! Could never have imagined someone investing this much time for my birthday! So, thank you so very much Pooja aka Kichoo! Will treasure that for a long long time!

Indeed one of my best birthdays ever! Made very special by the people I mentioned above! So, thank you guys! I love you all! May my Lord Jesus bless you all in abundance!

PS: This might just seem a little dull/boring to those reading! But I couldn’t help but mention everyone who made my birthday special!

My New Relationship!!!

I don’t know how this relationship will work out! But if it works out as well as my last one, then I will consider it successful! Honestly, I was very skeptical before starting out on this new and latest journey in life and hence, I had to take my brother’s opinion! He, surprisingly, gave me the nod, and thus, the green signal.

It hurts a lot to ditch and call off my old relationship! But I knew I had to take that harsh call sometime soon and be rude to my ex! I had to be selfish. But I think my effort to be patient with her and stay with her as much as I did must be appreciated. But she just was not ready to cooperate and it almost seemed to me as if she wanted to move away from me! Yes, she was rude to me! Or at least she seemed to be!

Well, as they say, everything happens for the good! My new love is nice! Real nice! She’s good looking! She is colourful! She can sing well! I have just started speaking to her, but I know this relation will last long, unless some smarty tries to snatch her away from me! But I ain’t gonna let my new Nokia 5200 go, but have kept my 3315 with me to show it to my grandchildren! It was after all their grandpa's first cell-phone and trusted lieutenant for three years!

My opinions on... (Part 2)

Sanjay Dutt’s sentence

Seems so filmy! No, not the sentence and its many post-mortems, but the fact that the longest running trial had to end with the sentence to Sanjay Dutt.

My opinion about this won’t be too different from the opinion of the majority! Or at least that’s what I think. Judge Kode’s judgment seems very much fair to me. The guilty, no matter who you are, should not go unpunished in the eyes of the law! If I read the papers right, the punishment for the crime committed under the Arms Act can be anywhere between five to nine years of RI. So, six for Sanju seems harsh, yet reasonable under law!

But, and this is a big but, I am not too sure if I’d agree with the statement, “Law is fair to all.” Because if it was, then Sanjay Dutt would have had a few high profile politicians as his inmates in prison! Am talking about those who were found guilty by the Srikrishna Commission Report for inciting the 1992-93 riots! Check these numbers: People killed during the 92-93 riots: more than 900; People killed by the blasts: about 250! They do tell a story. I am not justifying the blasts by any means, for it was one cowardly act by a bunch of losers who cared not a bit for innocent lives! But if law was fair in bringing those involved, directly or indirectly, in the blasts to justice, then why can’t the same law of the same land put those politicians behind bars! The fact of the matter is the current government is scared. Scared that arrests of these big-wigs might well lead to a burning Mumbai! And the previous government, because its own were going to be on trial, accused the inquiry commission’s report as “politically motivated”!

And to be honest, even I am scared! All I can say is, Bad Luck Munnabhai!

My opinions on… (Part I)

Pratibha Patil becoming the President

A women becoming the first citizen of the country was long overdue and the fact that it came 60 years after independence kinda makes it a little too late. However, I do feel India deserved a better ‘First Woman President.’

Sonia Gandhi has once again showed how shrewd a politician she can be! Two instances come to mind! One, when she appointed Manmohan Singh, a man with impeccable character, ahead of her as the Prime Minister! Two, when she resigned as the MP and contested to win by a huge margin again, after she was accused of holding an office of profit! And now, when the Left was clearly against any of the earlier names doing rounds (Arjun Singh, Karan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Sushil Kumar Shinde etc), she came out with a real googly, stumping the opposition and garnering the support of the Left and other allies by bringing out with a woman candidate, who till that point of time, was never even heard of by commoners like me!

The then-incumbent President Abdul Kalam deserved another go, despite accusations that he was soft on certain issues. He was rightly called the “People’s President”! Truly, no other president was as accessible or as friendly as Kalam! And this statement is not just from what was seen from news clips. But from a personal experience of a close friend!

Never did India have any Presidential-nominee with a tarnished image! Not until Patil came into the fray. Pratibha Patil may not have anything to do with the controversies, but the fact is that these establishments in question were in her name and it’s a touch difficult to believe that she didn’t know much about it! And even if she genuinely did not, then she should have! But the blame-game is over and done with. Just turned out to be another point for opposition to lurk on! Unfortunately for them though, it didn’t bring any fruitful returns as Patil had it easy, with even some of the opposition’s ‘very own’ disowning Shekawat.

So, does a woman President mean better times for the fairer sex in India? I doubt! But, it’s way too early to comment on that as the President usually turns out to be a rubber stamp of the government! And the way this presidential election was politicized, chances are even higher that we might just see another of Government’s rubber stamps at Prakash Vir Shastri Avenue (formerly, North Avenue). But, let’s give Patil a fair chance! She’s got about 60 months! I hope she proves me wrong and I will be surprised, pleasantly so, if indeed she does!

PS: Don't get me wrong. If given an authority to vote during Presidential elections, I would have picked Pratibha Patil! But no points for guessing who I'd have voted for if Kalam was also contesting!

The Third Day... Two Years Back!!!

Our two days of ‘fun’, if one can call it that, was over! Now, as the trains had started working to some extent, the ‘family’, as it was called then, was taking its leave— one person or a small group at a time.

In our two days, we had all fallen in love with this great city! I had always loved Mumbai, but my experience/s on 26th and 27th July, 2005 made it special for me! The group of 10 made the most out of getting stuck at South Mumbai, as elsewhere, rains were playing havoc. I saw Mumbai by night and soaked in drizzling rain and the yellowish light made it just so spectacular. For two nights, bus stops and Sterling steps were our over-head roofs that doubled up as our resting houses! Day time, we were back to our good ol’ Xavier’s catching up on lost sleep inside the Foyer.

But now, as Mumbai crawled back to normalcy, the group trickled down to just the two of us! Biprorshee and Blessen! One from Kalyan, the other from Thakurli. We were more than one and a half hours of train ride away from home. In simple words, we were more than 50 kilometers away from our folks! Both of us were really tired! We had gotten tired of staring at the white ceiling of our foyer! We had gotten tired of warming the Foyer benches stretching out our stinky legs to another bench, resting our head to the back-rest! We had gotten tired of eating the food at Mess!

Frequent trips to the majestic Victoria Terminus (now CST) gave us disappointing news! “No trains beyond Thane until further notice” was what we got to hear time and over again! Both of just came back and did what we could do best—“wait and watch!” It was more than 2 days back that I had last seen my the ‘Brave New India’ poster that was stuck to my bedroom. It was more than two days back that I had worn my blue shirt with dark-cream trousers. It was more than two days back that I had last seen my mummy and pappa! Ditto with Bipro for most of these things!

This is when my stomach suddenly started reacting, maybe to the drenched and soaked Pav Bhaji I ate at Cannon! But the loo at Xavier’s beckoned me every once in a while! And trust me, it wasn’t a very pleasing thing to happen! Make no mistake about it, the Xavier’s loo is clean and tidy, but a loo is after all that—a LOO! I had gotten tired of my stinky socks and shoes that I had been wearing for two days! I borrowed Bipro’s floaters to make my trips to the Loo!

In the meanwhile, the time that we were there, we had befriended this SYJC guy, Joel, who was from Dombivli! All the members of the then family had reached home, safe but not so dry! That was about the only positive news we were getting! We again went to VT and there, people were giving us different ideas on how to reach our homes! We weren’t convinced! We came back! I was tired! And weak! Drained and drenched and stinky too! And so was little Bipro! The time was way past 2 on our third day!

I got up and went over to Bipro. “Bipro, we gotta get out of here man!”
“How Blessen? Where to?”
“I don’t know, but I just can’t stay here for one more night!”
“Dude, I think it’s much safer to stay back than venture out and getting stuck at no mans land!” Bipro was making sense. But…..
“The trains are going till Thane! I don’t know, but in this condition, I don’t want to stay here. I have one of my Pastoruncle at Vikhroli. I am sure you can join me and we can stay over there for the night!”
“That’s fine. Even I have my friend at Matunga. I can drop in at his place. But are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yea man! I don’t want to be here for another night!”
“Well, ok then!” Bipro agreed reluctantly!

And we called our concerned people at Vikhroli and Matunga and told them they’ll be having an extra guest for dinner tonight!

I made my, what I thought was, my final visit to the loo. We packed our bags, the contents of which were wet and ‘stenchy’! We ourselves smelt like dead fishes I am sure! But we had lost a good percentage of our sense of smell! Our PoA (plan of action) involved first heading towards Gayathri’s PG and hand her Nokia charger back. So, off we went! Bipro turned in another direction for a smoke and told me to carry on and he’ll be there in sometime! So, I went ahead and called Gayathri downstairs! And as we both were talking, Bipro came over with a worried look on his face!
“What happened?” I asked him.
“That guy, Joel. I just met him on the way. Well, he’s alone! He doesn’t have any friends with him! And as he came to know that we are leaving, he was about to cry. He doesn’t even have a single paisa with him! I gave him about 15 rupees that I had with me!” Bipro said in a dejected tone.
“Where is he now?” I asked Bipro.
“I don’t know. He will be going back to college I guess.”
“Well, in that case. He’s coming with me! And if he’s not ready for that, then we ain’t going anywhere. We are staying put! Lets go back to college and ask him.”

So, we were back again at the place where it all began! Joel wasn’t there. So it gave me time for one more visit to the loo! As I came back, I saw Joel sitting with Bipro. I told him about my offer. He readily agreed and seemed happier at seeing us back in college! I called up pastor uncle again. Praisy, his daughter, also my friend, picked up! She said it won’t be a problem at all to bring in my friend!

So, with a sigh of relief, all of us headed towards the station. Gayathri gave us company till the station! We crossed the subway, but it dawned onto us that we might have to wait for one more day to see our folks back home!

It was nearing 4! And as we were about to get closer to the entrance, my ears went wide open when I heard the word ‘Kalyan’ getting announced through the microphone! Both, Bipro and I, hurried up the stairs from the subway and to the station! The writings on the indicator were blocked by a pillar in between! Both of us ran side ways saying, “wait a minute, waaaaaait a minute”! And to our utter disbelief, we saw what we wanted to see! In red was written, “3:51 K” (Indicating, the train will leave at 3:51 PM to Kalyan). We didn’t know how to react! “Yahoooooooooooo! Wohooooooooooo!! We jumped hugging each other! We did not care if people around us termed us as “whackos”! We were definitely whacked out then! Even Gayathri gave us her blank expression!

We wasted no time and hopped into the train! I fell in love with Mumbai’s local train again! I smiled at my co-passengers! Bipro and I, even got seats! Surprising, because it was only the second train to leave out of VT after the deluge! I guess people who were stuck, were yet to be informed! Joel stood by the footboard! He came in for a brief while and with a little smile on his face, I saw him giving Bipro some money back, saying “thanks”! Bipro smiled back! My stomach now was behaving quite alright!

We had updated our “family” about the latest! A few of them called back to check on us! Matunga passed! Bipro sat still in his seat! No ways was he going to get off now! Vikhroli passed! I stayed put too! Prince and Praisy will have to wait for me some other day when I will at least be better dressed!

It took us around 3 hours to reach home! I got off at Dombivli as the train wasn’t going to stop at Thakurli! Joel got off with me! We walked back home!

There was no electricity as I reached home! But it didn’t matter! My cell rang. Birporshee! “Yea Bipro?”
“Yesssssssssssss! Home Sweet Home!!!”