A City that never sleeps..!!

It’s a Crowded, Populated, Polluted, Noisy, Chaotic, Rich, Lively, Always-in-the-news City…

Creuset de cultures or melting pot of cultures as it is rightly called.

It’s a mix of cultures, languages, religions & castes, ideas and thoughts. It is an epitome of unity in diversity.

A city that may not boast of a state-of-the-art infrastructure unlike the other mega cities in the European or American Continent. But it for sure basks in the glory of a historic past that is seen through some of the magnificent architecture.

Welcome to Mumbai – a place where all differences converge, where cultures blend and religions unite to create one identity – Mumbaikar.. An identity that symbolizes versatility and speed. Every man in the city is different but the Mumbaikar in him is the same.

Bombay now Mumbai has a splendid history, a beautiful past that accompanies its present to build up a promising tomorrow. It encompasses all the diversities to impart one unified identity.

I sometimes wonder why is it called a city that never sleeps. You should take a CST bound train from Kalyan in the rush peak hours of a Monday morning. People jump into the train before it has halted to get in the window seats or rather sometimes even just a seat. Once you have positioned yourself, take out your newspaper. Mumbaikars can teach you how to fold a big newspaper into a small packet size. They read some headlines and gradually they feel sleepy and doze off. You are lucky even if you get for yourself a place to stand in the overcrowded train. People are hanging out of the train, some are sitting on the top. Some sleepy commuters are not bothered by the rush and the push. They catch up their forty winks no matter how much ever uncomfortable it is. There you see a city that sleeps on the next fellow commuter’s shoulders.

A local train travel is the most important lesson that each aspiring Mumbaikar has to learn. Travelling teaches you so many things. You know people, you build relations, you fight for a seat, you play cards, you sell your stuff, you like somebody and you don’t want to miss the train or else you will miss her out . ;)
You spend maybe an hour or two of your life everyday , observing people, learning new things, new trends in clothing, you end up forgetting your newspaper but you can still manage to glance through a local paper headlines from the fellow passenger reading it next to you. You can come across how abusive men can get and how women can fight like cats & dogs. What is the In-thing in college or what is the new corporate hair-do like.

The train commute is just one aspect. Running parallel as the lifeline of Mumbai is the BEST road transport service which may not be at its BEST always. But it compliments your travel when the train drops you off at the CST station and you take the bus to reach Nariman Point. It completes the learning phase in Mumbaikar’s life. It tests your patience. How long can you wait – at the bus stop for the bus of for your stop when you are in the bus but stuck in heavy traffic or maybe when your bus breaks down on the highway or a link road and a flock of around 50-70 people fight for an auto or a taxi.

Aptly titled as the Maximum City by Suketu Mehta, it is a city that lives in its extremes. Be it wealth or fame, work or game.
Everything is fair in love, war and Mumbai.

The city has been a host to a spectrum of people. It has sheltered many rags to riches stories of industrialists- Dhirubhai Ambani , the Bollywood Celebs who now glorify the Indian celluloid- Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar who is the Face of Interntional Cricket or Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar who established the Indian Mafia or Babasaheb Ambedkar who went on to frame the Indian Constitution .

As perfectly said by James Shirley in Death the Leveller –
"There is no armour against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade."

Mumbai – the city is the leveller. A city that treats everybody equal be it rich or poor, good or evil.
You want to have a breath taking view of the Queen’s Necklace – the Marine Drive. Great. Head to “AER” restaurant on the 34th Floor of Four Seasons. As you take a turn from the main road, you enter a creepy crambled narrow road that heads to the Hotel. Slums run parallel on both the sides. You get a feeling of disgust & “ Oh mya god, where am I going ??”. But that how it is. When you hand over you car keys for the valet parking, you should have a look at the repercussions of unemployment and poverty on the city. You can then elevate yourself to the 34th Floor which overlooks the slums below..

What a paradox !!!!

In the early 80s it has bustled with activites through some of its silent sleepy slum areas of Dongri. The city has seen an emerging business of drug trafficking, flesh tarde, the rise of Gangsters, the birth of Gangs, the gangwars, blood, violence, encounters, the terror of the locak goons who then grow up to be the henchmen of the Indian Mafia. The city has also seen the same Dark Mafia Men in their silver linings when Varadrajan Mudaliar aka Vardha had his famous Ganeshotsav sponsored by him every year, where thousands of people flocked to get darshan or be it Gangubai who ran a brothel but fought against the mafia and had her own child attend a school.

The city has seen it all.

The city has a plethora of shades to its name . It shows unity spirit when it is bombed by the terrorists. Enthusiastic spirit when it welcomes the Guest of Honor like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.
It has staged anti-British demonstrations in the pre-independence era as also the post independence anti-corruption marches & rallies.

The city has had the worst of the worst. But nothing really can dampen its spirit. An immortal spirit that is inherent for every Mumbaikar. It runs in his blood.
Be it floods of 26th July or the Terror attacks of 26/11.
Be it the World Cup Finals of April 2011 or the Mumbai Marathon.

Lucky I am, that I have been born and brought up in this City..Nothing Like Aamchi Mumbai….!!

Seriously..

Whats really Cooking..!!!

“ He stands there by the window…. He looks a little lost in his thoughts. He stares in trance for a while. It’s raining outside. Rather pouring heavily.
Unlike anybody else who would prefer holding a cup of hot coffee, Survestor has a bottle of Kingfisher Ultra. He has a few sips and he looks down from the window of the 17th Floor of his plush suite. He can see a terrible maddening traffic near the Currey Road Flyover. Just like the bumper to bumper traffic floors below, he has a chaos of thoughts in his mind. That makes him a little lost. There are some tiny petty thoughts, some major issues, some work pressures to handle, some personal issues to tackle..
But Survestor has the perfect technique. He has a few more sips. He shrugs his shoulders, shakes his head and all the silly petty thoughts disappear. He takes a deep breath, heaves a sigh and leaves the empty glass beer bottle on the table..
He walks off gracefully from the suite, shuts the door and makes his way towards the kitchen.
That’s Survestor.. Chef Survestor… A young fair skinned tall handsome guy..exceptionally good at his communicational and culinary skills !!!
People say “The pen is mightier than the sword” but for Survestor, his chopper is his weapon, his defense, his tool. You cannot blink your eyelids as much quickly as he chops his meat on the board. He works his chopper swiftly and beautifully through the meat.
His has an impressive personality.. both work wise and personality wise. You meet him after a hectic long tiring day’s work. Surve is still fresh and enthusiastic to have a small conversation with you.
We all complain of hectic work schedules and work pressures But surprisingly Survestor hasn’t ever complained or cribbed. He has slogged a lot – as much as working without a break for 18 consecutive days. Its 18 consecutive hectic tiring long days and nights. Still he sports a smile when you greet him on the morning of the 19th day. That’s Survestor. !!!
He knows his job, the expectations from it . And he leaves no stone unturned when fulfilling his commitments. He honors each word of his, lives up to each commitment of his and fulfils each promise that he makes. A rational realistic thought process is what Survestor exemplifies.
He has a funny bone though.. He keeps humour as a key to win situations and that’s what makes his stand out from the rest. Hailing from a family of simple living and high thinking, he carries himself so well.
He blends his creativity ,his thoughts into his work and brings out the most efficient in him, the best in him. Originality with a tinge of cultures is what you can sense when he serves you his own preparations. Smart guy that he is, he has a keen eye for sports, for social stuff. Some of the most interesting memories of Survestor trace him back to the memory lanes of Manipal, where he spent 4 years of his life, understanding cuisines, recognising the magic of flavours,experimenting on food, getting a little sloshed sometimes, nurturing a little doggie on the campus,



hanging out, participating in sports. You name and you have him in there. He is a true foodie. And the fact that he enjoys to treat his taste buds the delicacies of Rogun Josh and Prawns Thai Curry at a suburban five star to the “Anda bhurji” at the local stall near his house.. He enjoys food. .

For him, each preparation is equally important. It has to be perfect- correct ingredients, perfect proportions, right flavours finished with an excellent seasoning and a complimenting presentation.
So be it a routine order at the restaurant or the food delicacies to be served at the Basel Watch exhibition or the CM’s daughter’s wedding. For him, every client is equal and so is the quality of service and food.
His passion for cooking is not limited to the ingredients and the recipe. He goes behind the scenes, understands why any such ingredients used, he tries to figure out what people want, what they enjoy. He talks to people, to know more…to know what exactly should go into the food to make it click and to make it appealing and finger licking good. “ Simplicity coupled with a constant urge to bring out the best and to keep the client satisfied for each single rupee so spent “ is what his USP is.
He is a simple common man..mango man.. truly.. His witty “ mango” ness can be seen from a small incident that occurred with him. After finishing a long hectic day, he had just parked himself on the couch that a junior rushed towards him. Survestor who was just about to close his eyes, that he interrupted. Chef Gaurav, “Thoda locha hua hai”.. udhar ek madam aayi hai, unko aam khana hai, buffet me aaj aam nahi hai..thoda issue banareli hai”.. Survestor smiled and met the lady, had a nice sweet talk, arranged for an aam for the not so aam lady and sorted it out. He has a great knack of dealing with people. He knows how to keep his clients happy and can impress them too…
The best part about him is that, he is a calm composed guy, who knows he has common sense and uses it too… That how he solves the complicated problems in life by making them so simple.

Let the problem be as petty as attendance issue in college where he scribbled his name in simple letters so that any tom,dick or harry could proxy it, OR be it a French class assignment of making a poem.. Half the class kept racking brains-“ saala English me aaj tak poem nahi banaya, French me kyaa karega”.. But Survestor was humming the song of” the then hit Swades – Ye tara wo tara” and he simply translated that –Cette Etoile-ci, C’ette Etoile La.. (Excuse me for my spell mistakes)…
Survestor is a guy who has a few dreams.. No matter how muchever tiring day he has had, each morning he wakes up to chase the dream, to live upto his own expectations and that what makes him excel in what he does.
God bless you with all that you deserve…

Lotsa love and best wishes Survestor- the true Marathi Manoos… ;)
As I conclude this blog, I am hoping to have his puranpolis this ganeshotsav…!!!!!!

PS : Hope to see you open up your own restaurant called “ Survestorzzz ..”

Times Up.....Stop Writing...!!!!

What it feels like while exams?..
Tick Tock
Mind Block
Pen Stop
Eyes Up
Time Shock
Jaw Drop
No Luck
Times Up
Oh Shit
Exams Suck
Still Good Luck..
The old college bell rings...trrrrriiiinnnnggggg......the sound has got a tinge of the rust of the iron bell..
There are some things that struck you at the same time the bell rung..
And you need just 5 more minutes to pen down those answers.
The supervisor shouts at his highest best decibels- "Times up , Everybody Stop writing ".
And you beg to the supervisor.
The supervisor yells at you when you arent ready to hand over your paper.He snatches away your so called -"answersheet"..(God knows if you have written the answers to the questions or have you created new questions by writing some bullshit !!!! )
You havent properly tied the thread to your main answerbook and the supplements.Seeing the loose connections (The connection is just as loose as the connection between your answers and the question paper)seeing such loose connections, the supervisor one again gives an angry look at you and says, Why havent you tied your paper when you the warning bell had gone?"
You are in a lost state of mind. You are lost amidst many unanswered questions- asked by the supervisor as well as the question paper.
You ask him to give it to you once so that you can staple it and be assured that the entire answerbook is intact.
The answerpaper is finally in the custody of the supervisor.
It no longer belongs to you..As it is,it never did.
There you stand in the exam hall, putting back the pens in the pouch, the stapler and the calculator and not to forget, the hall ticket back into the bag.
You take a look around-and you see many students, a spectrum of emotions-
There is content and satisfaction, to some there is depression, to a few, there is an assured feeling that we are going to give the exam next time for sure, to some- they do not really know even yet how have they fared, some are aimless wanderers, like me, thinking i have written and probably bluffed to the extent i could, using all my quota of the so called uncommon- "common sense"and i can draw no conclusions and inferences about how i have fared.
Well for me exams seem like a three hour long battle.You have "pen" and your "mind", your "brains" as the only weapons to fight a very powerful enemy who has got weapons that have catastrophic repercussions in your life..mind you not just the academic life.
The enemy has a countless stock of deadly missiles, nuclear weapons that can destroy and ruin you totally.
But if you succeed in fighting back, you emerge out as a brave victorious warrior and the world respects you, recognises you and you bask in the glory and fame of your success.
An exam is simply a game of 3 hours.
The same rusted bell rings and you have to fight every single attack.
You have to have our memory good rather very sharp- Just as a warrior has to have his reflexes good and grasp, you are supposed to remember each intricate detail, every single minutest stuff scribbled in your texts.
The question paper is distributed.
Your hand shivers a little.You pray to god to help you.
You wouldnt have even thought of Him in the last 4 months as much as you are thinking of Him now.
You close your eyes tight for a moment and then open up as if waiting for a miracle to happen.but alas, the paper is just the same- You run a quick glance through it,.
AT first, you have a felling that somebody has leaked out your secrets and weaknesses to the paper setter.
The topics that you never even dared to flip across those chapters- and you paper is filled up all the problems from those chapters only.
The paper seems to be full of those parts of the book where you never made attempts to venture into.
Your confidence is shattered.You lose faith.
You give a second glance to the unwanted pamphlet .And you find one question that is familiar.
Your happiness knows no bounds.
You feel like screaming: Ye ye i know this. I can write well on this.The moment you look on the right side-You are disappointed.
You heart sinks the same way when you take out your friends for a treat and you look at the right side of the menu card.
The only difference being, there the prices are soaring high, touching the skies and here the marks are seeping down into the earth.
You write one answer.
Confidence restored.Faith Regained.
You attempt a couple of questions more.Then you get stuck up in a question.
You look at the watch, you have exhausted one full hour and you havent even written something that can fetch you atleast 15-20 marks.
You speed up and hunt for more familiar and acquainted questions.
You cant find any more.
Now you start bluffing.AT first you are a little confused as to where to start,
But once when you spin a yarn for two questions, the natural Bluffmaster hidden inside you emerges out.
You make way for the untapped potentials of this bluffmatser.You fill up quite a chunk of the answersheet.
Your throat is all dried up.You have a sip of water and shout for a supplement.
The paper that was once white and blank is filled up with blue writing.
You think you have written much and good.
You write stressing the nib so hard that there are faint impressions over the next 3 pages.
Then there is a sudden jerk.A major breakdown.
You get stuck up.
You cant just remember.Your bluff quotient falls below the reserve mark.Time to refill.
You do not have much reserves.
You are running out of fuel.You then try catching a glimpse of what your fellow prisoners of war in this dungeon are doing.
Some are busy looking at the entertaining and interesting world that lies beyond the window panes, some are just buy writing, some are looking at the question paper .
Some are like you.And when they look at you and you exchange glimpses, you feel a sense of accompaniment, that you have some fellow passengers on board who do not know swimming and are aware of the fact that the ship is surely going to sink.But they have some hopes of survival.They think their SOS signals will be responded soon (SOS signals are sent to GOD) and that there would be wooden planks, by the support of which they can reach the shore.
Time flies And there is hardly time for the unanswered questions.
The warning bell goes.Your heart starts beating faster.You suddenly seem to remember, some stuff ,God knows how.
And then there is this complete haste.You demand a supplement you write things that are asked, some that are not relevant.But you write,as if the sympathy runs in the ruthless,merciless examiner's blood.
You think that its a last chance and scribble the best that you can.
The paper that began in a neat legible handwriting, properly underlined and ruled with margins, ends up in a shabby,unclean writing that requires some special efforts by the examiner to be put in so as to read it out.
It seems to be encrypted in some special code language and the examiner is expected to decipher it.That examiner who is least bothered to give a second look to your answer sheet, to your writing- whether you have written in a Fibonacci sequence or simply shabby alphabets roped in together to form words that are loosely joined to make sentences that give rise to possibly meaningless answers.

Life’s Like That…!!!!!!!!!

Saturday evening has finally set in after a hot scortchy long day..I was stuck up in office with some seriously brianchewing work.The smell of the stinking yellow stale pages is lingering in my head and I just feel like running away from there. My client which displayed all, trust me all , characteristicks of a lazy lethargic Govt office and the employees never turned up on saturdys. Most of them were married females who were least bothered to spoil their otherwise splendid Saturdays by coming to this , yes, THIS office instead of catching up a good sound afternoon sleep, shopping in the evenings and splurging out.
And here I was amidst all such files and papers and the filth and the dirt that accumulated over these files since ages maybe.
The smell had taken a toll on me and my brains had become numb.
I just opened the blinds to peep out and I saw a beautiful twilight atmosphere. And that was it.I am leaving.i don’t care.
I said to myself and I wound up quickly and I left.
The thought that I have without much second thoughts ( I believe giving second thoughts always changes your original opinion), yes so I was saying, I just made up my mind and I left.
I was happy that I had kind of freed myself from the shackles of the dust clad stinking files.
But my little tiny mostly unused but still rusted brains couldn’t remember that it was a taxi strike and I have to travel in the normally overcrowded and today ‘s specially super overcrowded BEST bus, now the WORST BUS.
I came out and looked at the bus stop.It seemed like a swarm of bees waiting at the stop, for a bus to come and they are all set and ready to attack.
I decided to walk all the way. It was goin to be really long, but I guess that would be a little convenient option rather than to get in the bus flocked with such a mob that you will be squeezed in and you get a feeling that one more minute in the bus and you will have your intestines out.
So I started walking, rather dragging myself.
There was a chaos going on in my mind…Why the hell am I doing things that I don’t actually like, I don’t enjoy..?.Why am I stuck up here?..Why my luck is so bad..Why am I unfortunate?...why?...why?...why?....
I took in a deep breath and thought, “Life’s Like That”.
I just reached signal and there was this Shiny lustrous big car...(I wasn’t so much bohered to look into the intricate technical details of the car.)
A young gorgeous looking girl was busy writing something in her laptop.
Silky long hair, Corporate dressing..An epitome of the so called 21st century girl and all- Confident,Strong willed, Smart and Ready to Take on the Corporate world.
“What a life..” I said with a little jealousy creeping in as I thought..
I shook of the jealousy and walked off taking a right from the signal.
A girl came running towards me and there was this little boy running behind her ..On a careful second look I realized, the two kids were dressed in rags and were fighting over a piece of bread.
“what a life” I thought one more time..
This time with a tinge of Pity and sympathy for the innocent two toddlers.
Well I must really thank God fr having given me such a good life..Way better..
I ws touched by the fact that these little children never had the most enjoyable part of life-their childhood.
Bu there are things you cant help.
Feeling sad and helpless, I resumed my way back to the station.
I stopped looked at the long road that seemed endless today..and consoled myself to walk my way..
I desperately needed the famous “Cutting Chai” and so stopped at the roadside shop.
I ordered for a “Chai” and I saw a Girl and her Special Friend having tea.
She took the Tea glass from the Chaiwala and the glas was hot so she screamed an “ouch..”and the Boyfriend cum her rescue angel cum her bodyguard (god knows what all roles the guy has to play when he gets a girlfriend .).yeah..so the boy..the hero of the story steps in Immediately gets the glass from her and says.” Laga toh nahi naa sweetie”..Wow how sweet was tat..(I know those who have read my second blog will surely say- so finally snehal you have also got into this Coochie-Coo shweetiepie and shona stuff J) I agree.
The girl was being pampered and cared and showered with loads of affection and concern and love.. Oh my my ..
“What a Life” This time there was this feeling : How I wish even I had somebody to care for me, some special person to love and being loved..
Well life is like that…
What you want and what you desire, you get it but you have to struggle for it and then you know its value and what it means to you in your life.
I Looked in the watch, it was already half an hour since I left or maybe even a little more and I was just half way.
Just as I thought to speed up and head straight towards the station, I heard a loud noise-There was a construction site and the noise came in from a mechanic disruption from that site.
Since I was a kid, I always loved watching construction sites and I enjoy seeing the cranes work and how the brickwork becomes a Home Sweet Home.
There was this mason and his wife sh ring their food together in one plate.
They were very poor, lived a hand to mouth living.The wife was pregnant.
They weren’t in a position to support their own living but still they were keen to bring in a new life,.
That’s the spirit, That’s how life is. Maybe..
“what a life”..
I also came across a bunch of children-school going aged, tossing a ball and pushng each other,pulling each others clothes shouting and making noise, enjoying a carefree life, far from any responsibility, tension and stress.
“Wow What a life” I thought..
I crossed yet another street and I reached the Station.
The train was not so crowded as I had expected it to be.
I caught up my forty winks and hen headed home.
I rang the bell..once, twice, thrice..I could hear mom shouting “ ho ho aale aale”..
She opened the door.
I gaveher a tight hug and I said:”Thanx mo for wonderful life you have given me..WHAT A LIFE”..
Indeed What a life….Well Lifes full of so many lessons to be learnt, its full of moments of pleasure and pain, meeting and parting, loving and being loved,sharing and sacrificing.
Lifes like that….

Mammam Zhali Ka ? ? ? ?

"...wake up sid saare pal..."..aaj hamare saath hain .."..."whats ur rashee?"..."mit jani hai duriyaan...."......radioooooo cityyy 91.1...what a fun"
...i switched back again to Wake up Sid just to know that the song ended...so now i was left with nothing good to listen to the radio.....I had already left three trains and i was very much bored...waiting on the platform...I managed to get in...I stood by the side...a girl was standing besides me...She seemed a little disturbed...her nose was red...eyes were moist...
I have this..i do not know if its a bad or good..but a habit of observing things, people...and then thinking on that...and then maybe sometimes reach a conclusion..and by the time i am done with all this its time for me to get off and head home....Yeah so i was saying about this girl....She was upset...every now and then she used to look at her cell...and wait for a call...i guessed maybe it would be her boyfriend or fiance...and yess...i was right.......she was waiting for her Boyfriend's call...finally that hero called up...and she seemed sooo relieved...Her face immediately wore a beautiful smile...She was hesitating to pick the call...and finally she picked it...
"hey Shona....wssp?...hw ws ur day dear..."..."hmnn...." "no Re sweetie"...."ANi Bol..Kasa AHes?..Mammam Zali ka?....
and that was it..."Mammam Zali ka?..."......AOH MAAY GAWDDD.....can you imagine a girl...sensible and pretty..looking smart..dressed as if working for a corporate law firm...had a laptop too...sporting a complete professional look...and when she has a conversation with her so called current boyfriend..."mammam zlai ka?"...baap re...i mean what i could recollect revisiting old memory lanes...i think my mother used to ask such questions when she used come home from work and i used to immediately cling to her and then she used to ask me what i did all the day...whether i had lunch- thts is to say- "Mammam Zali ka ga rani?"

...but this was soo funny..atleast it seemed funny to me....Maybe because i dont have a boyfriend...i might think it that way...but on second and a little serious thoughts..i guess i would definitely not like my boyfriend to be asking me such stupid , silly things..i mean Please...what mammam zali ka and all....i used to have my Mammam even before he became my boyfriend..thats seriously so silly to ask...But maybe Pyaar me sab kuch chalta hai...People can do any crazy things for love...I dont know but i find it strange...Why do any crazy things..We usually read across in newspapers about people coming up with all sorts of weirdo ways of proposals and marriages..and frankly speaking many do it just for fame and publicity stuff...some are certified Psychos....and some are born maniacs..of course this is my opinion and many wont even agree...and those friends of mine who are in a relationship and who are reading this blog, would definitely call me or message me up and say-"Snehal, Tu bhi ek na ek din aise sab bolegi..."
I dont think i will..
I just love this "Observing people " habit of mine.It makes me think so much...its great fun to know different people...know their behavior patterns, their mood swings, their thought processes and their way of dressing, eating habits...It makes me feel a little closer to the fact that we are living in a DIVERSIFIED country called INDIA and we can learn so may things just for free....All you need to do is to keep your eyes wide open and your ears fine tuned to hear ever the slightest whispers that the girl standing next to you in the train murmurs over the phone...
Sumtimes i overhear many personal stuff as well....but i dnt mind..hehe...The other day i came across another girl who was narrating to he friend ,her private phone conversations and messages exchanged with her boyfriend...
"GOSSIP" is something that every girl is good at..you do not have to teach her...and i know while saying this i am including myself in it as well.
"Ohkay baby...see you soon...".."kaay?...hello...hellow....hello...Abhi....hello..."...beep beep beep....
The phone got disconnected-courtesy- Excellent Network of the Service Provider...and there ended my alternate source of fun in the train..and i was compelled to listen to the Radio.....