A HAIR Raising Night

The year was 1979. It was the year where India’s biggest movie awards ,the “GILLETTE FILMFAIR AWARDS” (not to be confused with the other less famous one) awards were to be hosted. It will also be remembered as the year of ‘hair raising’ experiences.

As is customary with the awards, they are usually hosted by two of the biggest stars of the time & this year was no different! The mantle of hosting the mother of all award shows was taken up by two superstars  of the time, Amitabh Bacchan & Rajesh Khanna. Amitabh was the angry young man ofcourse & he began the show hurling abuses at the directors of all the movies that bombed that year. Somehow he seemed to take it very personally. As always, he felt that such movies were an insult to the paying junta. He then abused the audience for laughing when he was making such a serious statement. Nobody knew if he was still in character or truly angry. That was the power of the man! Just when it looked like things were going to get out of hand his co-host came in singing ‘mere sapnon ki Rani’ on a horse. Yes! It was none other than our very own Rajesh Khanna(may his soul RIP). He knew how to make an entry. Amitji shook his head in disgust. Rajesh Khanna immediately got onto the stage & tried to calm him down with “baabbuumushai just chill chill, Havell’s  ka panka hai na.” And it magically worked! The audience didn’t laugh because that joke was 30 years too early

They began the show & all the audience was mesmerized to see their chemistry on stage. Alas! Their eyes fell onto their shirts from which their chest hair was popping out from the top. Now everytime they spoke it was as though the hair had a life of its own!. It swayed to the right when they moved left & it swayed to the left when they moved right. And it swayed all around when they were standing still! When Amitji was announcing the guests to announce the awards for the best Newcomer Male, Mithun Chakraborthy sitting in the audience felt “I wish he had opted for his hair removal”  But it was too late.

It was now time for the item number to be performed. When Rajesh Khanna announced that none other than sexy Helen would dance to a remix of all the item numbers of that year, the audience were on the edge of their seats. Amjad Khan didn’t seem to care, after all Basanti had already danced for him inspite of Veeru not willing! Helen began with the 1^st slow number. Soon the audience began screaming “Monica , Monica” and as if on cue, the song was played. Helen removed her detachable pants & revealed her sexy legs in a mini skirt. But Alas! Her legs weren’t shaved! To this day the audience present there don’t know if she had forgotten or just didn’t bother! The legs that were supposed to look sexy now just seemed like two amazon jungles! Rekha sitting in the audience sighed to herself “I wish she had opted for her hair removal”. The only person who didn’t seem to mind at all was Shakthi Kapoor.

The night went on, the stars came and went. Vinod Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Bachchan, Mumtaz, Jeethuji, Rishi Kapoor. Some to collect awards & some to give. A young Rameez Raja sitting in the audience was impressed by all the ‘telented’ actors. He thanked BAL Thackeray sitting next to him & said “Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be hair(here) & represent the cricketing community of Pakistan”. Somewhere there a young Shah Rukh Khan was telling his little friends” I will become the best some day & host the show cracking vulgar hair jokes” Anil Kapoor was sitting in the audience with his top button open & the entire audience was thinking “I wish he had opted for his hair removal”

The night was drawing to a close & it was time to a close & the final show was a romantic dance between Dharmendra & Zeenath Aman. A superman of the times & and the other a sultry siren.Both of them were mesmerizing the audience. He with his incredible machoness & she with her grace & oomph(a popular word back in the 1970’s) As she was dancing close to him she saw him smile, not that magnetic smile of his but a sad one.She wondered what could be wrong in his personal life/ Unfortunately her eyes fell on his tummy hair protruding out through his center button. It was long & curly & seemed to call to her. She could feel it say “Basanthi , in kutthon ke saamne math naachna “ She immediately cringed & thought to herself ‘I wish he had opted for his hair removal’. What she didn’t realise was that he was smiling coz he had seen her armpit hair & the camera close to it & he was thinking “I wish she had opted for her hair removal” coz all that hair was blocking his face from the camera.

The show ended with the two hosts thanking the main sponsores GILLETTE. The CEO of Gillette came forward & thanked all the stars & audience & told them that after watching the show he was inspired to bring a brand new product into the market. He didn’t tell them what it was & they wondered what it could be…. Luckily we know what he was talking about.

DISCLAIMER- This post is a work of fiction. All the characters mentioned here are fictional. The author does not mean to hurt anybodys sentiments as everything is written to be read in good humor

 This post is a part of the Gillette Satin Care Contest in association with BlogAdda.com

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Dancing into the Moonlight- my entry to the GetPublished contest

Vote here & help me get my story published - http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/idea/529/

Characters

Boy

Girl

The “other” guys

The Best Friend

Parents

THE IDEA

This is a story of 2 doctors who met purely by chance. And their journey together as friends. “Can friendship turn into love” is a question everyone answers in the affirmative to. But what happens if you risk your friendship for your love. Is that a gamble you would take? And how do you deal with all the problems that come in the way of love? Some serious & some funny!

Excerpts:

He twirled her around, held her close. He could feel her breath & smell her scent. The next moment he flung her into the air & got her back to the ground. He could see her enjoying, he could see her smiling. The music was smooth & tanatalising. He knew this was more than friendship, he knew she was the one for him.  But she seemed lost in the dance. She seemed to want to dance forever. Did she dance like this with everyone else or just him? H could never tell!

A year later-

They walked together , not hand in hand but close to each other. The sea breeza was smooth & refreshing. She seemed pensive. He was tensed. A year of being “friends” had gone by. He knew that the time to confess his love for her had come. But here in lied the eternal dilemma. Does he risk their friendship by being turned down by her or does he follow his heart & tell her about his true feelings. He could never tell

A year later-

He saw her walk down the aisle from a distance. His eyes were moist. He couldn’t believe that this was happening. She just kept looking down at the floor almost as if she was unaware that he was in the room. Maybe she didn’t know he was around,he thought. He wished he could run up to her & tell her what he felt, he wished he could dance with her forever right from this very moment. Could she hear his thoughts? He could never tell

Endnote: This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs from Yashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.

Shane Warne Adds to Another Cricket Controversy

Cricket they say is a gentlemans game but somehow that’s hard to digest. Because for as long as I can remember its never been a gentlemans game. Chess for example is a gentlemans game. That’s not to say that cricket is a slug fest involving monkeys, its good at best of times but definitely not Always

The latest controversy involving Shane Warne has again brought into the light the debate as to where the line has to be drawn between being aggressive & crossing the limits. The incident that Im referring to happened in the KFC Big Bash league, Australia’s own version of the IPL. Unlike the IPL this league doesn’t boast of the same publicity but involves some high class cricketing action. The individuals involved were Shane Warne(Yes he still plays the T20’s when he’s not advertising his poker games on twitter) & West Indian Marlon Samuels, another player who is no stranger to controversies. During the 1^st innings Marlon apparently while bowling didn’t allow David Hussey to take a run by grabbing onto his shirt which is inexplicable! Even for club cricket. The videos the incident that you watch just amaze you into wondering as to what exactly he was thinking. That was done & dusted. But in the 2^nd innings Shane Warne who always loves grabbing eyeballs took it a step further by abusing Marlon while he was batting , then throwing the ball at his body with the customary “F**k you Marlon”. Not the one to be out done Marlon hurled his bat towards Warne. Both have been punished with Warne even getting a match ban. All this in a tournament involving cricketers from around the world. When people anointed T20 cricket as “Masala” cricket I’m sure they didn’t expect so much mirch in it!

Cricket has never been stranger to such controversies. Infact these sort of incidents keep cropping up now & then. And Im not talking about the recent times only. Remember Dennis Lilliee kicking Miandad & Miandad charging towards him with his bat? That was probably one of the most disgraceful moments on a cricket fields. Sunil Gavaskar would probably say that the Aussie got away just coz the laws always favour non sub continental countries. For that matter even Navjoth Singh Siddhu had a major altercation with Aamir Sohail on the field where bats were pointed, tongues wagged. During the recent world cup SA’s FAF Du Plesis had a go at the New Zealand players. Another famous on field fight was the one involving Glen Mcgrath & Ramnaresh Sarwan. A lot has been discussed about Harbajan Singhs “Monkeygate” with Symonds & also his “slapgate” with Sreesanth. Why even the normally mild& unflappable Rahul Dravid got involved in a fracas with Michael Slater.

So why do these players get into such fights. A very common reason that the commentators(which you can even hear in the Shane Warne Video) give during such instances is that its coz these players play with a lot of passion & that they play with their heart on their sleeves. So the question is that can this be used as an excuse for a Virat Kohli to abuse every time he holds onto a catch? Worse still is that does it mean that the rest of the mild players like Dravid & Vettori or Misbah Ul Haq don’t play with equal passion just coz they don’t glare at the opposition or swear at them? Most of the times its just the antics to grab the eyeballs, none better than our very own Sreesanth. Another name that comes to mind is Andre Nel & who can forget that famous bat whirling dance Sreesanth did to annoy Nel. The one memory I have of contrasting notions about aggression on the field is during Indias tour to Autralia. Javagal Srinath bowled a bouncer to Ponting which hit his helmet as he was ducking. Srinath immediately raises his hand & apologises(which is not seen in the video I’ve posted) which he absolutely didn’t need to, and what does Ponting do? He begins abusing Srinath asking him to go back, one of the many reasons Ill never hail him as a great sportsman.



One would say that the cricketers of yesteryears didn’t indulge in sledging. Well that might be true but then how much proof do we have for it? Those were the days when there were probably 3 or 4 cameras in total on the ground. And not all the matches were telecasted live. These days atleast one of the 30 cameras will catch every minute antic of the player. Everything is scrutinied in detail. Today before you even know it, a tiny incident is blown out of proportion by the media. Players too seem to love to “play the camera” as they say. They know that millions are watching at home. Aggression has its place in cricket but it shouldn’t get out of hand. Everyone enjoys watching a bit of banter on the field. Who can forget the famous incident during the 96 world cup when Aamir Sohail after hitting a boundary off the bowling of Venkatesh Prasad asked him to go & fetch the ball, the bowler responded by getting him bowled next ball. That’s hair raising stuff, isn’t it? Also Javed Miandads antics with Kiran More will always be remembered in a jovial manner.It’s one of the reasons you’d watch the match over & over again! But do you feel the same when Sreesanth has a go at the batsman ball after ball or when the Aussie fielders & bowlers engage in so called “mental disintegration” of the batsmen?  So the line between being aggressive & rowdy is a very fine one. Things should never get physical in any sport but that is what has happened with the latest incident. What message do the youngsters who watch the game at home?

An Idea Born On Twitter

Its been a while since I last blogged. Unfortunately like everyone else I too caught the Twitter bug. After spending a month on it I realised what a fool I had been but at the same time I was happy to know that I was just one among the millions. We talk of distractions & waste of time, spending hours on twitter & Facebook is just that. Now that Im out of it, it back to blogging & reading with gusto. Its been a while since I blogged for something other than contests too! I don’t regret that coz there’s a brand new speaker set courtesy those contests in my bedroom.

But there is one thing that did come out of all that time on twitter though. So many useless contests aimed at making you spend hours on your desktop of phone, making you check every hour or so. The one which caught my eye was the one about “My dream App”. Though I didn’t enter the contest, I did get me thinking & reminded me of an idea I had about 3 years back.

Im no software engineer, not even close to it. But I do love getting into the technical aspects of it all or atleast read about it. And Im very much into Apps. One of the apps which I think would work is what I call the CAMFIND. This idea came to me back when Facebook had started “facetags”. Face tags have well & truly been abolished  but I think that this App can still be possible if some software techs take it up :-D

My concept of Camfind is simple. Everyone is into social networking these days. Earlier believed to be only for youngsters, now even the older generation is taking a liking to it. And why? Coz everyone wants to know someone new, keep in touch with them. Everyone looks up someone they don’t know on Facebook. Common friends, email search, name search, college search… You can search based on every possible field. So this is where this app was born.

Now lets assume you are at the launch of a new car alone, you see someone who for some reason has caught your eye. But you have no idea who the person is. You’re sure your never gonna find that person ever again. Then what if you take out your phone, go to the app & slowly focus the camera on the person & it instantly takes you to the persons Facebook or Picasa profile or atleast gives you his/her name! I know this is a huge breach of privacy but then if apps like True caller can do it, then why cant this one too. Since facetags are no longer in use, the CAMFIND App can set up its own facetags & the users who download it can choose whether or not they want to be tagged to be used with the app so the issue of privacy also gets solved. As it is, its supposed to just display the name of facebook profile so I don’t think anyone would have issues with it. Sometimes at a gathering you see someone who looks very familiar but you just cant place him/her, App can solve your dilemma immediately. I dont know how practical this App is but then I dont have to break my head over it coz Im not the one making it. So now if only one of those software geeks reads this & takes it up seriously & also pays me royalties when the app is out…..

Fashion Stylist For A Day - A Shoppers Stop Initiative

This is the festive season of Diwali, the season of lights! And Shoppers Stop has given us all an opportunity to put together an ensemble from their wardrobe & actually win a prize for it! Obviously its mouth watering incentive & even a totally fashion disaster like me has a chance to win! And what I decided to do was  something different. Since I am in the department of surgery I have decided to dress up our entire surgical team this diwali. Now as you know we surgeons are either seen in formals all the time or with our scrubs and so I decided why not dress up the team somewhat differently for a change but keeping them within the realms of medicine! So here’s me being the Fashion designer for a day…..

Let me 1^st introduce our team so that I can give a better perspective as to what & why Im dressing up each one as I am. Starting from the top we have

1)      Our Professor & Head Of The Department

2)      Our Associate Professor

3)      Our Assistant professor

4)      The Junior residents

So 1^st coming to our boss, the Professor & HOD. He is a man of knowledge. Having spent the better part of his age of 65 years in an operating theatre he is a symbol of authority. The most natural attire one would picture for him would obviously be an elegant 3 piece suit but for this festive season I want him to go desi. So this is I’ve put together for him.

1. First I’ve gone with this Manish Creations-Mens Kurta Pyjama Set Item Number 6808547_9110 . Its simple yet elegant. I don’t want him to be too flashy, infact even a little understated would be good & this provides it.


2. Choosing the footwear was pretty easy I must admit coz when you choose a Kutha pyjama you’ll know exactly what footwear you’d want. And the one I chose was definitely easy on the pocket J . Manyavar Mens Ethnic Wear Jutis Item number :5293057_9612


3. Next I was excited about the head gear coz I felt the headgear would be a symbol of style as well as authority! The crowning glory for the king so to say. So I chose this Manyavar Mens Ethnic Wear Safa Item number :5293439_9162 , the head gear to go with the kurtha pyjama.


4. To complete the look I’ve gone with the rather simple Manyavar Ethnicwear Stoles Item number : 5292995_9612 .


5. A watch is something which is a symbol of class.These days people are known by the brands they wear. But I’ve gone for this Titan- AUTOMATIC Collection - Mens Watch Item number : 6965691_9999 which looks stunning and goes very well with the attire too!


6. We just cant do without a pen around the hospital, can we? Though ofcourse our handwriting is always ridiculed. I just fell for this Cross –Verve Pen Merlot Item no 3021310_9999 . Its mighty expensive but exudes class & blends well with the Kurta. He would certainly be everyones envy carrying this thing around?


7. Fossil is a huge brand & brings in the style with simplicity & hence I chose this wallet Fossil - Mens Wallet Item number : 6698871_9126


8. Some of my friends tell me the name of the perfume Im wearing just by the smell & I always found that scary. To complete the look I had to go with an ideal brand of fragrance. This J Del Pozo - AMBAR Eau de Toilette 100 ML Item number : 6489494_9900


9. A perfect way to look younger & also blend in with the youth and that too in a SAFE way would be by using the LOreal Paris Excellence Hair Colour Shade No 1 Natural Black Item number : 3060061_9999

There you have it. To summarise the look :

1. Manish Creations-Mens Kurta Pyjama Set – Rs 12999


2. Manyavar Mens Ethnic Wear Jutis – Rs 799


3. Manyavar Mens Ethnic Wear Safa – Rs 1999


4. Manyavar Ethnicwear Stoles - Rs 1499


5. Titan- AUTOMATIC Collection - Mens Watch – Rs 18995


6. Cross –Verve Pen Merlot – Rs 10046


7. Fossil - Mens Wallet – Rs 2695


8. J Del Pozo - AMBAR Eau de Toilette 100 ML - Rs 3350


9. LOreal Paris Excellence Hair Colour Shade No 1 Natural Black - Rs 525.

Total – Rs 52907




Second in line comes our Associate Professor who is a lady,  aged somewhere between the Professor & Assistant Professor. Lets say somewhere around 40ish. This Diwali season I would like to dress her up traditionally but not anything over the top. She shouldn’t look like she’s attending a wedding nor like a tramp. The perfect Diwali look for the hospital.

1. Firstly I would like to go for a saree rather than a salwar suit coz according to me its more elegant! Ashika Faux Georgette Saree Item number : 6998159_9900. I chose it coz its not too flashy neither dull & exudes class. Last thing you want in a hospital is a doctor who looks like an item number.


2. For the footwear I’ve gone with the Lemon Pepper - Ladies Footwear Item number : 5389006 mainly coz I found it the most matching for the saree


3. I really enjoy choosing watches & the one I’ve chosen is a beauty SPRIT Timewear - Ladies Watch - Marin Speed Rosegold Item Number: 7241718_9999 coz it’s a stunning watch plus it blends perfectly with the saree


4. Can a womans look be complete without the jewellery? Absolutely not & so I have put together an ensemble of jewellery as well. To begin with is the Infinity Necklace 751476GRBY Item number: 6922054_9999 which is very easy on the pocket as well.


5.  I am a fan of long ear- rings & hence I couldn’t help but go for this Cygnus Diamond Earring-ER6707 Item number : 7290796_9999


6.  A Sparkles Diamond Bracelet for HER- BR7665 bracelet, which is fine & elegant with Item number: 7052316_9999 doesn’t make you think twice about getting it!.


7. And to complete the look I got her the Nakshatra 18KT Gold Ring with 0.11cts diamonds Item number : 7349713_9999  which even comes with a gold ring free.


8. Handbags are mostly a style statement with women using them probably even when they have nothing to carry. Hidesign is my favourite brand & I’ve put together this Hidesign- Handbag Item Number: 6548868_9126. I wanted the color to go with the saree & it to be big enough to carry the belongings as well!


9. Next comes the make & here I must admit that I don’t have a clue! So I asked my wife & she told me what to go for! I was asked to pick only Maybelline & so I 1^st picked  the Maybelline Expert Wear Eye Shadow Quad Seashore Frosts Item number : 4030782


10. Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color Yummy Plummy Item number : 5449486_9999 … Frankly speaking the name itself somehow draws you to it haha


11. And to complete the trio I went for the Maybelline Vivid and Smooth Color Eye Pencil Violet Pearl Item number : 5171782_9999


12. Pen is absolute necessity for a doctor like I said earlier.The 1^st thing that I thought of while choosing a pen was that I should choose a sleek one for the lady but ended up choosing this one - Tommy Hilfiger Destiny Pen, Item number : 5298285_9999 . I know its huge but I was just following my concept of matching everything & realised that since she anyways has to bag to carry it, it doesn’t matter


13. And Finally once she’s all set to leave she needs frangrance. Davidoff Cool Water Sensual Essence EDP - 100 ML Item number: 7229567_9999 will provide her with that.

And so to summarize the Associate Professors look we have –

1. Ashika Faux Georgette Saree – Rs 4705


2. Lemon Pepper - Ladies Footwear - Rs 1104


3. SPRIT Timewear - Ladies Watch - Marin Speed Rosegold - Rs 9995  


4. Infinity Necklace 751476GRBY - Rs 1100


5. Cygnus Diamond Earring-ER6707 - Rs 16644


6. Sparkles Diamond Bracelet for HER- BR7665 bracelet - Rs 5650


7. Nakshatra 18KT Gold Ring with 0.11cts diamond - Price Rs 16700


8. Hidesign- Handbag  – Rs 4795


9. Maybelline Expert Wear Eye Shadow Quad Seashore Frosts - Rs  240


10. Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color Yummy Plummy - Rs 310


11. Maybelline Vivid and Smooth Color Eye Pencil Violet Pearl - Rs 215


12. Tommy Hilfiger Destiny Pen - Rs 2490


13. Davidoff Cool Water Sensual Essence EDP - 100 ML  - Rs 4350

Total – Rs 68298



Next coming onto our Assistant professor. He is young, dynamic & just out of medical school. He wants to look young so that the PG’s & Interns hit on him. So I can dress up as stylishly as I want but again sticking to the Diwali theme.

1. This Manish Creations-Mens Kurta Pyjama Set Item number: 6517460_9126 looks awesome. Its young & stylish & definitely different from the one that was chosen for the professor


2. Manyavar Mens Ethnic Wear Jutis are somehow designed in such a way that one style of juti goes with multiple kurthi pyjamas. This one with Item number : 5293023_9126 look like the right one for the attire that I’ve chosen


3. As I said earlier choosing watches is the one I enjoy the most when it comes to selecting the attire. Normally I prefer watches only with metal straps but this ESPRIT Timewear - Mens Watch - Atrium Chrono Brown Item number : 7241079_9999 was perfect for the Kutha… Oh yes Im excited when it all falls into place :-D


4. This Hidesign - Mens Wallet Item number: 6221318_9126 is different from the usual & will go nice with our young AP


5. One thing the youngsters do is to pour perfumes on themselves like there’s no tomorrow. For the perfume I’ve experimented with this Police Uomo M EDT 100ML Item number : 6162671_9999 !


6. I actually really liked some of the other pens that were available but this one came closest to suit the ensemble Tommy Hilfiger Newton Pen Item Number : 5298813_9999


7. And finally you cant go to the hospital with that 5’oclock stubble & so we complete the look with LOreal Paris Men Expert Shaving Gel Item number : 3064839_9999

Summarizing the Assistant Professor’s look we have :

1. Manish Creations-Mens Kurta Pyjama Set - Rs 11999


2. Manyavar Mens Ethnic Wear Jutis – Rs 599 l


3. ESPRIT Timewear - Mens Watch - Atrium Chrono Brown - Rs 9295


4. Hidesign - Mens Wallet - Rs 1595


5. Police Uomo M EDT 100ML - Rs 2000


6. Tommy Hilfiger Newton Pen - Rs 3490


7. LOreal Paris Men Expert Shaving Gel - Rs 550

           Total – Rs 29528



And last but not the least comes the Post Graduate, that’s me :-D Young, dashing, handsome & Vibrant :-P Ok that’s too much I know! So here’s the thing, being a post graduate I wouldn’t go all out to spend on my attire but since the winning prize is Rs 20000, Ill take that as my budget. After all its not everyday that we get to spend so much in a day. Now I have to get an ensemble for that!

1. Firstly the attire. No No…This time Kurtha Pyjama wont do. I would like to look different from the Professors. So I’ve decided on a short kurta. I think it would look ‘young’ at the same time not looking too casual & also goes with the festival season! I would wear this Veda-Mens Short Kurta Item Number : 6832825_9126  brown in color


2. With jeans I’d like to keep it plain & simple. Dark blue, nothing fancy with a straight fit ALWAYS! And the one which suits all this is Levis-Mens 531 Fit Regular Straight Fit Jeans Item number : 6872667_8408  …. And Im getting a good deal as well!


3. Watch watch watch! And no this time I’ve not gone for a fossil. I’ve given myself this ESPRIT Timewear - Mens Watch - Circolo Chrono Rosegold Item number : 7241087_9999 Coz my wife tells me that rosegold is now in fashion. I must also admit that I went easy on the attire so that I could splurge on the watch :-D


4. I went through all the sandals comparing the price with the style. The I-Walk - Mens Sandal brown color Item Number : 6402556_9126  would do nicely!

So I now have 6000 to play around with & have to fit in a wallet, pen & perfume! Tough task.

5.The wallet is a Hidesign - Mens Wallet Item number : 6556121_9126 . Its simple but different

6.Ok I chose this pen, not the best but it fits the budget. Sheaffer 300 Gift Collection Ballpoint Pen 9315 Item number : 4034604_9999

7.Nike is one of my favourite perfumes & Im lucky to get a deo & perfume combo here J Nike - Mens Gift Set - Pure - EDT - 75ml and Deo 200ml Item Number 6163240_9999

8. And guess what! I bought all these & I still have enough budget to spend on a nice pair of sunglasses! Isnt that just perfect. I have chosen the IDEE Mens Sunglasses – 1624 Item Number : 6881134_9999

 

So to summarize my look-

1. Veda-Mens Short Kurta -  Rs 895


2. Mens 531 Fit Regular Straight Fit Jean -  Rs 1839


3. ESPRIT Timewear - Mens Watch - Circolo Chrono Rosegold - Rs 10995


4. I-Walk - Mens Sandal brown color - Rs 1599 


5. Hidesign - Mens Wallet – Rs 1095


6. Sheaffer 300 Gift Collection Ballpoint Pen 9315 - Rs 1350


7. Nike - Mens Gift Set - Pure - EDT - 75ml and Deo 200ml - Rs 799


8. Mens Sunglasses – 1624 - Rs 1350

Total – Rs 19922



So there you have it. Those are mine & purely mine choices. Its the first time I've gone through a fashion website so comprehensively. Please do let me know what you think of my choices.

This blog post is an entry for the www.shoppersstop.com's Shoppers Stop Perfect look contest in association with www.Indiblogger.in . All the that have been selected are from their website.

Everything That Is Wrong With Indian Cricket!

Before the start of the India England test series everyone had been bemoaning the fact that India had lost 8 test matches in a row against Australia & England in “away” conditions. Almost all the players especially the batsmen had received flak except for perhaps Virat Kohli. “They cant play swing, they cant adjust to pace, they don’t know how to hold the bat…..” Our bowlers too especially the pace bowlers who were expected to do well in helpful conditions were found wanting. Everything from ‘Too much 20 – 20’ to ‘too many advertisements’  had been quoted as the reason for the failures by the public… As usual! The age old theory of how the pitches in India weren’t competitive were put forward by the cricket pundits…. As usual





Leaving all that aside, I found the above score card courtesy cricinfo.com of a match between UP & Maharashtra in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. And this one score card perhaps symbolises what is wrong with Indian Cricket. Here is a test match in which the side batting 1^st i.e Maharashtra batted for the first 3 days! Yes 3 whole days amassing 700 plus runs without even being all out. Some of the batting scores there are mighty impressive indeed.A triple century! Wow K Jadav should replace Sachin Tendulkar at no.4 in the Indian team, shouldn’t he? When was the last time the Indian team scored 700? 0r 600? Or 500 in England? Looking at the bowling card probably will bring you tears, what with bowlers bowling 40 to 50 overs without anything to show for it. In reply the Suresh Raina led UP didn’t do badly either. On a 4^th & 5^th day pitch they managed 600 odd runs without being all out again. Our world cup wonder Piyush Chawla scoring more than a run a ball 150 to punish the opposition for making him bowl 50 overs in the sun. Either there wasn’t any wear & tear of the pitch or the batsmen were exceptional…. No prizes for guessing which one.

How can one expect India to produce International cricketers if such matches are played at the domestic level. How can you expect better crowds in the stadium? Not even 2 innings completed, below average cricketers made to look like super stars. How are the selectors supposed to judge players from such matches. We shout over roof tops that we don’t have “really fast” bowlers in the Indian team when Pakistan seem to produce one every month. Who would be stupid enough to want to be a fast bowler & bowl for 3 days on a pitch that resembles a highway! Whats worse is that Maharashtra have roped in former English all rounder Dermot Reeve as their coach to polish their skills & make them better cricketers. Is this how he trains them, by batting for 3 days? Isnt there something called sportsman spirit in the game? He came under severe criticism from the opposition captain Suresh Raina, one will never know if Suresh Raina would have done the same if he had batted first but we have to give him the benefit of the doubt. But Raina better forget that & worry about the fact that he scored a duck on a pitch that Piyush scored 150, pretty embarrassing for both of them! And then they ask what is wrong with Indian cricket…….

A Love Story

I am an eternal romantic! And true to my nature I fell in love! Love that transformed into marriage. A love story that began with dance…. yes dance class is where I spotted her, internet is where I pursued her, the beach was where we shared our dreams & finally we walked down the isle to be happily married since a year now…I would love to tell my story if Harper Collins would give me this opportunity. Hence wont reveal anything more till I get a go ahead :-) And yes its a true story!

This blog post is a sample blog to be posted for Harper Collins "Get Published" initiative

Weekly Photo Challenge - Renewal

What can say RENEWAL better than a just born getting his 1st bath. This picture is courtesy my gynaecologist wife :-)

My Apps - TRUE CALLER

One of my favourite games on my Samsung Galaxy ace is Basketball. A real simple game which very light weight for my phone which obviously cant handle big games. But this isn’t about the game. I mention this because everytime I played the game, at the bottom of the screen around the corner of my eye I used to see a tiny advertisement for “TRUE CALLER”. Somehow I never paid attention to it coz come on, lets be honest, one never bothers about the ads while playing a game! Anyways it was only after I was told about the app by someone else did I try it.

They say android has millions of apps, but lets face it, most of them are crap. Only a few of those many are good & still fewer being excellent. So where does True Caller stand? To think that one can actually have a caller ID on his/her cellphone which will detect ANY unknown call is definitely far fetched. But here is an app that comes as close to it as possible. It actually does what it says!  1^st things 1^st. It’s a light weight app & hence my Galaxy Ace(which is halfway between a horse & a turtle) can handle it with ease. After you search & download it from Google Play, the final installed version looks like this.



Once you’ve done so, Ill bet you that you’ll spend atleast the next one hour trying out all unknown numbers just to know if the app works & also to know who your stalkers are & trust me when the app gets it right its loads of fun. . And boy its simple!! Open the app & just enter the number that you want to know in the search bar. It searches for about 10 seconds & gives you your result, yes in 10 seconds! The result can obviously be either the name or the “no matches found”. Though there will be a large number of negative results, its surprising how often it gets the number right. Considering the fact that its still in its early days with constant updating going on, the search results can only get better. Whats more is that it even has a live search i.e it detects the number when there’s an incoming call which is fabulous & does not interfere with the built in phone settings.

They also have an option of name search. Now I don’t really know how that is going to work coz its still not been enabled but sounds cool. Imagine typing in a name & getting their phone number! Plus a few other goodies like the usual facebook connect(which almost every app, every website has these days) & also a CALL FILTER which allows you to block those unwanted calls. All this for free with no irritating ads in between(Ironic coz I saw this app as an ad on the other app hehe) Now isn’t this a  power packed app & a perfect example of good things coming in small packages!

Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pa9x9fZBtY

One of the best guitar pieces ever! And my favourite

True Champion! Soak No More

Little Ajay felt like a piece of charcoal set on fire. It was 42 degrees but the humidity made it feel like 60 degrees. Ajay, all of 7 yrs old stood in his father’s field, sowing seeds. “Monsoons will be here soon son” his father had told him but Ajay wondered if it would ever come because right now there wasn’t a single cloud in sight. But he didn’t argue because for him his father was always right. He continued sowing seeds with his hand pulled cart. His family of 3 brothers & 2 sisters depended on this lone acre of land for their livelihood. Though Ajay was small, it didn’t take him long to realise that they weren’t well off. He hadn’t been sent to school, neither were his siblings except for his elder sister who taught them at home. They had 5 bullocks which were now being used by his father & brothers & so he was sowing with his hand pulled cart. It was hard work!

Ajay watched other kids walk through his streets playful & cheerful, he wished he was with them right now but he had to finish his work first. But what he loved the most was watching the march & guard of honor every evening at the Indo Pak border. That was what he loved the most about living in Ladakh. Never did he miss the ritual. Every evening he would join 100s of other tourists & watch with awe as the soldiers of india & Pakistan partake in the evening parade & bring the flags of the respective countries. He dreamt of becoming a soldier. He had heard many stories of braveries at war from his father & his single dream was to join the army which at the moment seemed far away in this blistering hot summer afternoon as sweat poured down his face. He was soaking wet! He watched as a bunch of crows gathered around the sowed area, he at once took his slingshot & aimed hard & smack hit a crow with a stone which dropped dead. He was proud of himself & patted his own back as he knew he had a good aim. “Only drive them away, don’t kill them!!!” His father screamed from the other side of the field. “No  ways” Ajay thought to himself but didn’t say it loud.

Every morning Ajay would wake up at 5 in the morning and rush through the village with 6 cartons in hand selling milk which happened to be another source of income for the family. Sweat poured from his forehead, down his face to the nape of his neck down soaking his shirt wet. But he wouldn’t complain. After all he was helping his family. Even at the age of 7 he considered himself the man of the family & wanted to do his best to contribute to the family savings. At 8 AM when most of the other kids were just waking up, Ajay would finish his morning chore round the entire village & be back home. His mom would reward him with a steaming cup of chai & idli sambar. He loved idli sambar, especially when it was steaming hot & also coz there wasn’t much of a choice

Years went by and at the age of 18 Ajay finally managed to get into the army. His dream had come true. He was filled with pride to serve the nation. But nothing in life comes easy & nobody knew it better than him. His entire life had been a struggle. Others struggled with the Army routine but Ajay didn’t mind it. His single minded dedication was on his goal & that was to serve his country. Day & night he toiled to be a jawan just like how he had done all these years on his fathers fields. Soaking wet in the summer sun, soaking wet in the rains, nothing could dampen his spirits. One day on the shooting range the colonel noticed Ajay. BANG BANG!… two incredible shots almost hitting the bulls eye. BANG!…another one. “who is this boy?” he asked one of his juniors. “That’s Ajay Kumar sir. He’s a pretty good shot” said his subordinate.“Keep an eye on him, he’s got potential” the Colonel said

It was a blistering hot summer day. Ajay looked up at the sun, it seemed to him like the sun would burn him into ashes. Ajay remembered being in the field when he was 7. Today he was 22. Sweat trickled down his spine. His India jersey was soaking wet. He was used to this heat but not used to the occasion. He looked around, people behind him were screaming his name. Was it real? Were these people actually cheering him? Why would they be cheering  a poor little village boy? He was no movie star, nor a cricketer, nor a singer. But still these people kept chanting his name. SILENCE screamed someone which woke Ajay from his thoughts. He looked ahead. There it was, in front of him. Multiple circles with numbers on them .. his target! He needed a score of 9.89.He raised his rifle, his lips murmured a silent prayer, he looked at the target, it was now or never! He remembered that crow which unfortunately had its head blown off back when he was a kid, he remembered the numerous targets he had destroyed back in his army shooting range. Bang…… it was done. His hands were cold & numb though sweat poured all over. He looked at the judge. He had done it!!!! Ajay Kumar had just won the Olympic gold in shooting. He sunk to the ground as the whole nation erupted. The simple village boy was now a national hero overnight. That same village boy was now the best shooter in the universe. He stood on the podium & tears trickled down his face as the Indian National Anthem was played. He was proud!

How different the world is when you achieve something. Ajay came back home to a hero’s welcome. Ministers came to receive him. There was a time when he couldn’t go to school & had to work in the fields, sell milk. His neighbours in his village told their children “that was the boy who used to bring milk to our house every morning, look where he has reached now!” The 4 yrs prior to the Olympics were the toughest. He didn’t have the equipments that his foreign counterparts had. He practised with the army rifle which was at best primitive. His father had to sell part of his land to get him better equipment, the army helped him too.  Today it was different. When he landed at the airport there was an endless sea of people who had come to just a glimpse of him. Everyone wanted to know who Ajay Kumar was. The Govt awarded him 1 crore. Advertising agencies came to him. The army promoted him to the post of a Major. They said he could retire from his Army immediately & enjoy his success. But Ajay refused. He wasn’t in the Army because he was forced to, he was in it because he loved it. He had to soak no more in the sun but he chose to do it. He wanted to give back to the army all the support that the army had given him during his days of struggle, he wanted to give his country , his everything! Because that was his passion. Because he was a real Olympic champion.

THIS ARTICLE IS AN ENTRY IN THE SOAK NO MORE CONTEST ON INDIBLOGGER

Remembering the dance class - RIPVINS

I had just been to a wedding in Mumbai, as a 17 yr old best man. Ii was all excited but all my excitement came crashing down when the time to dance came. To say that I had 2 left feet is an understatement. I somehow managed to get through the ordeal laboriously & promised myself that the 1^st thing I would do when I reach Mangalore was find a dance class & join.

The moment I reached I decided to find a place immediately, someone told me to go this dance class in Balmatta, in a small school. So I went over there at around 5:15 & stood outside the school building, I could hear the music blaring from inside. I had been around that school plenty of times coz there was a cricket ground in front of it but I had never noticed it.  “What a small & funny place to have a dance class” I thought to myself! Then another thought came to my mind, this being a very small place,it wouldn’t be famous & so the people inside will be very less. That gave me a lot of confidence. I went over to the entrance of the classroom, all the while looking at the cricket match going on at the ground to cool myself down. But when I got to the door, I was shocked! I saw about 30 students, all dancing totally carefree & dancing so well! I realised that I couldn’t dance at all, all the while forgetting that this was a dance CLASS & people come here to learn just like me! Each one seemed better than the other. And those sitting down looked at me. My hands went cold &I did the best thing I could think of at that moment, I ran from there & vowed never to come back!

Almost exactly a year later, I was back at the same doorstep. I had somehow gathered the courage to come back. Plus a year was enough to remove the memories of what I had seen. I was worried if the people would recognise the fool who had come a year earlier & ran away from the door itself. This time I had decided that I would atleast enter the dance class before running away. I looked through the door. I realised this time(which I had not noticed a year earlier) that there was a particular arrangement. Chairs were arranged in a big circle around which everyone danced to the music playing at the head of the circle. There was one man who was dancing alone with a girl at the corner of the room. I thought he was dancing separately because he wasn’t very good at it & felt embarrassed to dance in front of everyone in the circle. The circle must be only for the best students I thought. I wondered whom to ask about what to do. Then I saw this guy who was my senior in school, I didn’t know his name,he was dancing in full steam trying to take a girl till the floor & lift her up. I waited at the door till the song ended. He saw me & said ”Hey your from Milagres school right?” I mumbled a yes. He said “Come in come in my name is nelson.” I thanked him thinking he was the instructor. I told him that I wanted to join the classes. He said “Yeah you come, ill tell you & went on to explain to me everything in detail”. Finally he pointed me to the man in the corner & said “He’s the teacher, you can talk to him about the rest.” OMG I thought to myself, the man in the corner was the teacher!!!

I went over to him & that was the day I met Mr Ripson, who went on to change my interest, outlook to dance & obviously the way I danced. He explained to me in his trademark style. He took out the paper with the names of all the dance forms written & explained. “You can learn Quick steps, cha cha,slow  waltz, jive, fast waltz  for Rs 1200.” He said.” Ok ill learn quick steps” I replied & gave him the Rs 1200. He said “No No 1200 for all 5, You learn all 5, individually it would be more expensive.” That was exactly 10 yrs back!

I paid him the amount & asked “So I can join from tomorrow?” he said no, classes start from now only! He took me to the corner, asked the girl to sit in the circle & held both my hands & began his now famous “slow slow quick quick” he did that for 10 mins & those 10 minutes seemed like the longest of my life because as easy as it may sound, I somehow just couldn’t do it right how much ever I tried! Plus I could feel everyone watching me making a fool of myself or probably it was just my imagination. After 10 minutes he said, you can sit for sometime & watch others dance. I went & sat in the corner & watched totally amazed as everyone danced so beautifully. Let me try & remember some of the names of those times. Manoj, Anil, Anisha, Deepthi are a few names that come to mind(this was 10 yrs back mind you) I watched them doing one dance form after another though I didn’t know which was which. Suddenly I got a tap on my shoulder,I looked around & sir pointed at a lady & said “dance with her”…. Are you crazy!!! How could I possibly dance with a girl! That too after I learnt my 1^st step 5 minutes back. I said “no no” he said “you dance no problem”. I went over to the lady & tried to do what was thought to me, I forgot what he told me. Was it “slow quick slow quick” or was it “quick slow quick slow.” I started doing “quick quick slow slow.” The lady smiled at me politely & said “No its like this” & taught me how it was done. I was very happy, she thought me well. I made a mental note that I would dance only with her. Days went by & sir taught me more steps & everytime he asked me to dance with the same lady! I kept wondering why! Maybe he was having an affair with her. It was only a week later that I came to know it was his wife, Nisha who to me will always be “ma’am”…who went on to become my favourite dancing partner.

If you used to go to dance class or still go, one thing you’ll know is that inspite of dancing with everyone you will always have your “group” It was the same 10 yrs back. There were one or two groups of experienced dancers & so 3 beginners Vidya ,Naveen & me formed our own group. We discussed dance, all the steps, how it should be done. Infact naveen & me tried many steps together too. I still remember sitting as far as possible from where sir sould see me so that he could not come & ask me to dance with someone. The fun part was since it was a school, at the end of the class the desks & benches of the class had to be arranged back neatly & all the students of Dc would get together & do it within minutes. Something which im sure we used to do even in our schools!

Years went by, I became a regular at dance class. Its my observation that somehow the kids in the age group  17 to 23 make it to come to DC regularly because at that age they feel that’s the most important thing in their lives. Also it’s a good pastime after a hard day in college plus you get to meet new people. I took a break for a year from DC after 3 continuous years of attending. After a couple of years I was surprised  when Ripson sir msgd me & said “dance class is shifting” I never thought that I would miss that old school which I thought was dingy when I just joined.So after a break of about a year I rejoined DC at the new place in YMCA. Honestly I hated it at 1^st. I didn’t like the fact that the beautiful circle of the old school had been converted into a long stretch at the new place. But this was the place Ill cherish forever coz here was where I made some great friends. We had our own group here & this was bigger than my 1^st one. Levin& Anil whom I knew from school, Kevin(a.k.a gunda) a family friend & 2 guys whom I met just coz of DC , Sudeep & Rohit. All 6 of us used to come to dance class together, sit together. We used to msg each other in the mornings & ask what the plan would be for the evening & invariably it would be the same “lets go to DC”. I must say that we all loved showing off our moves in DC. This friendship is one which goes strong even today even though we are separated by work & place. To think that the boys who became friends just out of PU in DC&  now one is a CA, one is an engineer working here, one engineer in Australia, one engineer in the US, One dental professor in Saudi & one almost on the brink of becoming a surgeon. We wouldn’t have even been friends if not for DC. We used to plan dance parties & the discussion & planning used to happen in DC. When one of us gets up to dance, the other would observe him & tell him his mistakes. At the end of class at 7 we would help Ripson sir close all the windows, shut the music system & keep it in & lock the door.

I remember the names we used to keep for few of the dancers, all in good humor. There was a DIP RAPER for the rough dips he used to do, the ARMY MAN for his stiff dancing moves, the TA TA uncle, the THARKARI for where his eyes used to go while dancing with a girl, DOGGIE uncle, BAATHUKOLI for a particular gal for well… no need for the reason,the  CONSTIPATOR Though I don’t remember why, the CROSS DRESSER, BOOTHNI, BOUNCER. We used to actually secretly call them only by these names, I know its real cruel but fun at that time. Also we used to wait for that one guy to put a girl down while doing the dips & laugh while pretending to care, again cruel I know. Levin even started the 1^st ever community of Ripvins on orkut back then & had some 350 members & I was the proud moderator. We used to actually sit & play games on that community! Back in those days it was big! DC was the place where we used to meet to dance & plan out everything after dance while drinking bonda juice in RBs. Every year we used eagerly wait for the Ripvins Anniversary Party. Oh the planning for that was unbelievable. We would start deciding weeks earlier what we would be wearing, who we would  be dancing with & who we wouldn’t dance with. Some of the best dancers of that time where Marsha, Luvlyn, Harold, Anup, Krithika(Priyanka's mom). But we dance so much with Nisha Ma’am. She has suffered through 100’s of beginners stepping on her toes & doing weird dance steps but she’s always been so nice to them. I remember Ripson sir teaching patiently EVERY student however pathetic they were.  And who can forget the "silent dance" that sir used to make us do when the power went off! And the bumping into each other when the class was over crowded. The months of April, May & october used to be so packed that more than half the people had to stand throughout the dance class for 2 hourss! After the bonda juice the six of us usually went out to play Uno at are usual hangout “Aunty’s place”

And of course, for me personally it’s the place where I saw for the1st time,the girl who went onto become my wife. Yeah love happened much later but I saw her for the 1^st time at Ripvins & that’s how our friendship started!

This blog came about when I saw the Ripvins community on facebook & how active & enthusiastic all these 18 to 22 yr olds are active on it. Brought back memories our times though its just been about 5 years back that we were like them. Ripson has changed the face of dance in Mangalore & Ripvins has given all of us great memories to talk about……

The Immortals Of Meluha - A Review

I know Im late in reviewing this book but that’s just coz I never thought that I would read it.I was actually asked to read this book by one of my friends about 2 months back but somehow I never felt inclined to. I asked him as to what the book was all about. He told me it was about the life of Lord Shiva. I must say that the title seemed appealing but looking at the cover page I just feared that it was going be the long, complicated & slow read.But somehow I picked the book a week ago & I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book! This book is a refreshing change! Set in 1900 BC one would expect a story line to dramatic, serious & well…move at a snails pace, which was why I took so long to start reading it but its anything but that!

The story is set in the what we know as the Indus valley civilization but what the author calls as Meluha & hence the title. The essence of the story is the strenuous relationship that existed between the Suryavanshis & the Chandravanshis in 1900 BC. One group considers the other as evil & tries to overcome them  somehow. And that’s where “Shiva” , a humble Tibetan leader of a group of people called the Guna’s comes in. The story is based on Shivas’s life, how his life changed from being a tribal leader to be known as LORD Shiva, the Neelkanth & its various consequences on him as well as the 2 groups. Without giving the story away the other characters of note in the story are, Sati, Daksha the Suryavanshi emperor,Parvatheshvar, Nandi, Veerbhadhra, & Brahaspathi. A lot of detail has gone into explaining the civilisation, the practises, the customs. Somewhere during your reading you might actually wonder that the people back in 1900 BC were as advanced in habits as we are. Though its farfetched it does make an interesting read. The emotions of Shiva, his frailties, his strengths, his naivety, his love story  have been dealt with an ease that makes the book so simple to read.

The story is beautifully written with a lot of humour to an otherwise serious book. The details are not so realistic which infact is to see that the reader is not bored or tired. Here there is an issue which Im sure will irk a lot of readers. In order to connect with the modern readers the author has used language which at best of times may not be worthy of a "Lord". To see Shiva using words like "Oh bloody shit", "what the...", "Give me the bloody marijuana" are somewhat disturbing. If the author wanted to make him human, well he's succeeded!   The author has beautifully explained the various terms used in hindi & Sanskrit fantastically, not just during the story but also provided a glossary at the end! I must say I would’ve loved it if the author was my social science teacher back in school because the Sapth Sindhus, & various other things would’ve been much more fun to study! Its not a fast paced book by any stretch of imagination & infact has a languid feel to it, but a definite page turner. Cant wait to start the 2^nd book of the Trilogy “The Secret Of The Nagas”

A Day To Remember Or Maybe Forget!!!

Reliving an old post! My 1st post ever 5 yrs back! :-) A real life incident :-D

It was a few weeks ago when I was still busy with exams & all of a sudden I got a call from my buddy Levin & he was like "dude come over to my place for lunch tomorrow". I was excited "Whats the occasion" I asked. "Nothin special, Im cooking" was his answer. For a second I didnt know what to say. "U there??" he asked. I said "yeah yeah, U cooking????". "Yes & be sure that u make it & I've called some other friends over too". Relieved that there'll be others to share the grief "Yeah sure" I said trying to sound excited & at the same time making a mental note to have a heavy breakfast the next morning.

I had to go to college so when I reached his place it was just a little late, but with plenty of time for lunch though. When i made it there finally I saw that the others were already there.

SCENE 1
CHARACTERS- Binoy, Pearl, Karen, Relin & ofcourse Levin
THE SETTING - Levin's  Dining Room

Of these people Binoy was an old friend from school, Karen was a friend from college & I was meeting Pearl & Relin for the 1st time.When I entered all these guys were sitting around the table & Levin was pain stakingly explaining a board game to them which they were about to play. I opted out of it(which i was really thankful for later!!). Looking at everyone's faces I knew immediately that nobody could understand what the game was but everyone pretended with some even asking the occasional question. Nobody wants to look dumb you know.I made a prediction that Levin would win the game coz I was sure that no one else understood what the game was all about. Anyways they began playing & it went on for about an hour. Binoy had that determined look throughout. He wanted to win desperately even though he had no clue as to what was going on.Karen kept circulating some card to everyone throughout the game.Relin pretended to be enjoying & Pearl...Well she was'nt even pretending.She kept fiddling about with everything & yawning. Finally the game to an end and VOILA!! the winner was........NOBODY....Huh?? Yeah you heard it right. Nobody won. The fact that even Levin couldnt manage to win even though he was playing against 4 people who had no clue as to what they were doing says something, doesnt it?? Then everyone blamed poor Relin saying that there was no winner coz she cheated during the game. Give me a break!!! How can u cheat in a game that you dont even know how to play in the first place?? . Well...she agreed that she cheated( which makes it all even more weird).

SCENE 2
CHARACTERS- Well pretty much the same
THE SETTING - The Kitchen

Levin went into the kitchen to have a look at the "food".We all began packing the game up. Suddenly Binoy realised what the game was actually about & began screaming "Now I understood the game"...huh?? I know its getting all too weird. So then we went into the kitchen

WAIT A MINUTE.....THIS IS GETTING ALL TOO BORING. LET ME DRAMATIZE IT A BIT

We were done with the game. Levin went into the kitchen. We all looked at each other. We knew that the time had come. Our worst fears were about to come true.The moment of truth. We were scared, we were confused,we were helpless. We were surely too young to....well not die but have a stomach ache or something( Do people die of stomach ache???).We looked at the main door. I knew that everyone had just one question in mind,"could i make a run for it?". But we all knew that it was just not possible. Levin would get to us even before we would get halfway through the hall. Hungry, scared, dejected we made our way to the kitchen in a single file like Prisoners of War. There Levin was standing saying"everything looks good". Everyone was standing far away waiting for the other to make the 1st move. Seeing that nobody else was coming forward I grabbed my plate & went first. I smiled to comfort the others( coz I remembered the movie Bhagath Singh).I went to the rice first. I grabbed the spoon to take the rice. I tapped the spoon with rice onto my plate.Nothing happened.'Tap' again nothing happened.Then I scraped the spoon with another. 'Splat 'the rice fell on the plate. Now that was done I looked at the rest.Other items on the menu were palak paneer, curds & vegetables.I put everything in my plate , mustered up all the courage & put the first morsel in my mouth.......

Now after such a build up to the story im sure you must be expecting me to say that it was either very bad or very good. But here's where a bit of anti-climax comes in. It was neither good nor bad.It was STRANGE. Strange because everything tasted absolutely the same, not similar.SAME!!. I mean u eat rice & then palak & then the vegetable & have a sip of water. SAME. Infact if we would run out of palak , it didnt matter coz you could make do with the rice.Everyting tasted the same afterall!!! Infact for the 1st time ever I realised that water had some taste. Everyone else started having their lunch silently. Levin still kept sayin "everything looks good". Somebody(either Relin or Pearl) said there was a jar of pickle in the cabinet. Everyone ran to get some.I've never seen so much demand for pickle ever. Now atleast we have something that tasted diffferent. Well anyways somehow we managed to finish whatever was in our plates. I dont know what had gotten into Levin. He still kept saying" everything was good, nothing got wasted"....DUH!!!!

Well whatever it is , it was an experience(I didnt say good or bad). I also know that Levin wont stop trying. He'll definitely call us all over to his place once again & TRY n cook again. Ill definitely go. Till then Im gonna enjoy & appreciate every meal that I have everyday.

Marriage - Is all God's work???

www.facebook.com/LoveYaArrange.

God sat at his table in heaven.  It was packed with papers & details on what work was done & what had to be done. It was all divided streetwise,statewise & countrywise so you can imagine the amount of detail in it. Every prayer around the world had to be entered into his database. It was late & had been a long tiring day for him (coz no matter how much he tried he couldn’t make India win more medals at the Olympics) but he was still up coz he was worried. Anjali was all of 25 & her parents wanted her to get married. They wanted a suitable guy & they kept saying that “God will find the right guy for her”.And they did everything possible to get his attention too. Pooja’s, offerings, prayers & what not.  Little did they know that God has so many other issues to tackle! For one the Congress-BJP ever going on conflict. But God being God has to deliver no matter what the situation is. So he decided that now was the time to pay more attention to this issue. He saw the ad Anjali’s parents put on findtherighthusbandfor yourdaughter.com. Age- 25, Height 5 feet 4 inches, fair, devout, can cook 3 different cuisines, helps the poor & looking for a well to do handsome groom preferably settled abroad except for Japan due to high likelihood of earthquakes.

So God checked his own database. There were so many parents of grooms who had written a prayer to him. Ajay, Vijay, Karan, Arjun, Bunty, Bunta were all there. He searched & searched.” This fellow is younger to her, this fellow less  educated, this fellow is a vegetarian”  he kept telling himself as he went from one profile to another. There he was! The perfect guy for Anjali. 30 year software Engineer Shoaib. He was smart, standing at 6 feet tall & working at a reputed software company in the US. Everything that Anjali’s parents were looking for. Finally he could rest now! It had been a long day after all. He didn’t click the ENTER button, he thought he would do it tomorrow after a 2^nd look .God slept with a pleased look on his face.

Suddenly He awoke from his deep sleep with a disturbing thought. Anjali & Shoaib! That would never do. God remembered that humans had divided themselves into groups & though it was ok to talk, mingle with the other group, marriage between the two was a definite no no. So he could not bring this proposal to Anjali’s parents. He had to find an alternative but needed time for it.

Days passed. God was busy with other projects like Indo Pak war, floods in Indonesia & many other prayers for the Indian Idol show. But he hadn’t forgotten Anjali’s parents. He switched on his giant monitor to see whats going on below in Anjali’s part of the world. To his utter amazement he saw Anjali  & Shoiab on a park bench! Now that cant be possible coz he was very sure that they didn’t know each other. He checked his computer to see if he had accidently clicked the ENTER button that other night, he hadn’t! He realised that they must’ve met recently by what humans call “co-incidence” . Love had managed to bypass him. So he decided to wait & watch. Time went  by & Anajli’s & Shoaib’s bond grew stronger.  God thought to himself that they did look good together. The day finally came when they decided that they would tell their parents. God watched anxiously when Anjali told her parents that she wanted to marry Shoaib. They were furious. They argued & they fought. They said they would never accept the match & that she had ruined their family name. God winced in pain. The same thing happened at Shoaib’s place. But the couple were firm, they kept pushing on till their parents finally relented.

3 months later they got married. A year later they had their 1^st kid. Life was good. God smiled. They were what one would call an ideal couple.  They were in love with each other. So this is what Love Marriage is? No God said “ This is what every marriage should be”.  In an arranged marriage parents go through whole lot of detail into the groom/bride’s family, behaviour. That’s obvious coz your giving your child to a stranger, love marriages tend to bypass that coz the 2 individuals are in “love” & hence they know each other well(atleast they think they do). In arranged marriage you fall in love after marriage whereas in Love marriage its obvious. In arranged marriage, post marriage you come to know whether what your parents were told about your partner was right or wrong, In love marriage, post marriage you come to know whether your partner is same both before & after marriage. Either way you have to adjust with your partner coz EGO is the biggest evil ruining marriages. When something goes wrong its always easy to blame the other but how many of us look at ourselves?

 

So Marriages- whether love or arranged are made in heaven or are they? One would never know. But both require the 2 individuals to make it work.

God smiled. He knows whether it was fate or on purpose that Anjali & Shoaib met but he wont tell………..

This blog is not meant to hurt anyone or any sentiments. If done unintentionally the author apologises for the same

THE AUTORICKSHAW MENACE

I land in Bangalore at exactly 6:30 AM. Now when I mean “land” I mean the Volvo smoothly came to a halt at Koramangala (or so I was told as I have no idea about anything in Bengaluru). The moment I got down from the bus 5 auto drivers swooped in on me each one vying for my luggage. I was indeed thrilled by the hospitality. I was like “Damn these guys are so helpful!” Finally one among the 5 won the battle & guided me to his chariot. “Forum Mall” I said. “No problem banni banni(come come)” He said. I sat in the auto & he started off & I realised that the meter wasn’t down. “Meter meter” I said.  He turned rudely all of a sudden & said “What meter at 6:30 AM”. Ok so I asked him how much it would cost me. He said 80 bucks. Now I remember my wife(she knows Bengaluru much better than me ) telling me back home that the bus stop would be very close, probably about 10 mins from the mall so I am pretty sure that it wouldn’t cost 80 bucks. I argued with him & he argued back. He told me I could leave the auto very well knowing that I would be helpless with 2 bags, not knowing the place &  no other auto driver willing to help me as they too would be one of his lakeys.

Now how many of you would have had similar experiences. Im sure anyone who’s travelled outside his home town in a new place would have to encounter such experiences. My friend who stays in Bangalore itself has to face this on a daily basis so what am I? And how helpless do you feel? Imagine we are Indians & we ourselves struggle. Then what about foreigners who visit our country. These guys rip them apart. And no wonder people have so few good things to talk about us. Has this issue ever been raised in a major way?

One of my friends who visited Delhi recently told me of a similar incident where their hotel was 200 meters away but they didn’t know it. They asked one of the auto guys & he said 50 bucks. Imagine the horror on my friends face when the auto stops 1 minute later in front of their hotel. When he stared at the driver , he just shrugged his shoulders. He began to argue with the driver, 5 to 6 other drivers came & surrounded him. Now what can he do in a strange new land? He paid up & walked away.

And they manage to get away with all this. Everyone is talking of corruption. We talk about ministers, businessmen , govt officials being corrupt. Aamir Khan even went on to the extent of calling us doctors corrupt. But why doesn’t anyone say anything about this “stealing in broad daylight” & that too EVERYDAY!!! Why wont anyone take any actions. The problem is that the locals are too busy to get involved in this as they just want to finish off their daily routine as soon as possible & outsiders are just too helpless to do anything. There are no helplines to call, police will shoo away such complaints & the so called “prepaid auto stands” are a farce coz there have been instances when the auto driver demands more money on the way to the destination saying “road is not good, traffic is diverted, people in the prepaid auto stands don’t know this”

In one week I have had 2 such experiences. The 2^nd time I clicked the drivers & his auto pic. I don’t really know why I did that, I was just plain angry. He ran away when he realised what I was doing & hence the blurred picture. I just wish I could put up this picture somewhere it would help this matter. Maybe a facebook page where everyone can contribute in a similar manner. But all this is of no use till some action is taken against these guys.

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Love Marriage Or Arranged Marriage

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TO LOVE OR NOT!!!! This has always been the dilemma. They say that those who are in a relationship want to get out of it & those who aren’t, desperately want to know what it feels like to be in love!!! A lot has been said about Love Vs Arranged marriage. I recently read a message which said “In love marriage you marry your own girl friend & in arranged you marry someone else’s girlfriend” Unfortunately this is true for many! Ofcourse there’s also the “A known devil is better than an unknown God” & “In an arranged marriage you sleep with a stranger after being told for years before that to stay away from strangers”

Well all this is ofcourse said in good humor.But marriage is a serious issue. The rate at which marriages are breaking these days is alarming & its said that its more common with love marriages! The unfortunate thing is that the very qualities that impress couples when they are in”love” irriates them when they are married. And then comes the “you have changed, you were not like this before marriage” etc etc. But that doesn’t mean arranged marriages are all hunky dory. Many couples cite adjustment issues as the reason for divorce coz they cant adjust to their partners post marriage.

WHAT EXACTLY MAKES A RELATIONSHIP WORK
This is a question I guess that many people must be asking.And you know what? I have no idea as to what the answer is Being from the medical field I’ve seen that relationships here are supposed to be a 5 yr deal.You join the college, find a partner, go around till the end of the course & then get married to someone else .The only problem is that one of the partners wouldnt be knowing about the deal & so ends up being BETRAYED.I can see some of my friends cringing but well its the truth.This is the age where you see so many people getting into relationships just for the EXPERIENCE.After one yearr experience its time to look at greener pastures But dont get me wrong coz among all these people there’ll be that one sweet loving romantic couple, THE COUPLE!!!! The couple who’ll just make you say “Oh I wish I could have what they have” and Im not talking about the ice cream that they are feeding each other.Then what makes this couple different from the others. ACCORDING TO ME-
1)LOVE :They are obviously in love with each other…..inspite of each other.That’s the big difference.No two people can be the same. There are those who say “They are made for each other coz they are exactly alike” WHAT RUBBISH!!! How can two people be exactly alike & even if they are then whats the point of being with them coz its like looking at yourself in the mirror, always talking like you, always doing what you want,always knowing what to expect coz well….he/she is EXACTLY LIKE YOU! Where will be the surprise element, the suspense that’ll keep a relationship going? Wouldnt it all be just boring? But at the same time it also doesnt mean that 2 completely different people will celebrate their diamond jubilee wedding anniversary coz opposites may attract but they cant blend(I made that up )…. I would imagine that it would be really really tough to be with someone who is nothing like you. So in the end it all comes to how much you LOVE your partner. So does Love marriage or arranged marriage matter here?

2)EXPECTATIONS- “I dont expect anything from you,i just love you no matter what” How many times have you heard this in movies as well as real life. Mind you there’s absolutely no harm in saying this IF in fact you actually mean it. But the problem is that most often you do expect something or the other from your loved one & when you dont get it you feel that you arent COMPATIBLE. Expectations are natural, if you dont expect from the one you love who else would you expect from? Your boss? your gardner? Expectations are the same whether its love or arranged marriage

3)TALK: Talking to your partner.Anybody can say “I love you”… people say that to their dogs too. But you gotta talk more than that to keep your relationship going. Talk about your day, discuss about your problems, talk about your EXPECTATIONS coz your partner cant always GUESS what you want so that when you talk about what you want you’ll solve point number 2.Along with the talking there is nothing wrong in doing something special once in a while for your loved one too Surprise him/her, make your partner feel special, appreciate the good stuff in him/her.I feel it would go a long way in making the relationship stronger. Again this applies to both love & arranged marriage without any exception

4)COMPATIBILITY: Again related to point number 2. What exactly does it mean to be compatible? For most people it means something that should come naturally but I beg to differ. Compatibility in a relationship means to ADJUST! Its all about adjusting to your partner. In an ideal world both the  individuals in a relationship are equally understanding & adjusting but well this isnt an ideal world so atleast one of the two has to try & go that extra mile for the other. One of the two has to adjust to the mood swings, the temper of the other so that things dont get out of hand. Like i was telling a friend of mine the other day that living with me wouldnt be easy & the one who does will have to have a lotta patience to do so

And if infact you do manage to do all these things and walk the aisle then the next question would be what makes a marriage work?
Simple…1234! Well atleast you would think that wont you.But here again there are a few problems. How many times have you heard of couples who’ve been going around for 4 yrs but suddenly find themselves incompatible soon after they are married…Lets go through the points again
1)LOVE : No time for love coz many couples feel that now that they have each other they can focus on their careers.And in doing so they lose the closeness that they shared before marriage which will eventually lead to the “You have changed after marriage” syndrome. So whether before or after marriage NEVER TAKE YOUR PARTNER FOR GRANTED.

2)EXPECTATIONS: When you’re just a couple your expectations are different from that when you’re married. Something in your partner which seemed cute when you were going around might just seem plain irritating once you start living with him.Doesnt mean that you have to pack your bag & run away. Ill add to this in point number 4.

3)TALK : Just coz your married doesnt mean that anything about this point has to change. Infact this holds even more true once you’re married so that there is no shortage of romance in the relationship so ill keep this point exactly the same.

4)COMPATIBILITY: This according to me is the most important one.While you’re dating, if you have a fight with your partner-you’re really angry-you’ll go back to your respective homes-after some time you’ll start missing each other-he/she msgs saying “I miss you so much honey” & VOILA! PROBLEM SOLVED!
But once you’re married & are living together.You have a fight-you’ll ignore each other-you see him in the living room watching tv which makes you even more angry coz it MEANS that he doesnt care-you go to the kitchen & somehow ACCIDENTLY few vessels drop which obviously makes a lotta noise ,which makes him mad coz APPARENTLY she’s doing it on purpose….& VOILA! DIVORCE….coz we are not compatible!

So in the end it all boils down to the individuals in a relationship. Don’t blame Love or arranged marriages for failure of marriages. If you want it work, it can work unless you have made a very very very bad choice in choosing your partner which unfortunately again is your own fault!

More than just a phone!

It was back in the year 2000 when I had my 1^st tryst with internet. Back then “cyber centres” as we used to call them were a rage. There seemed to be one on every corner of the street & a money spinning machine. Students used to waste their pocket money mostly over nothing!I remember that there were 2 categories actually…an hour of games used to cost 40 bucks & an hour of internet used to cost 55 bucks. Whether you chose internet or games, the aim was to make use of every  minute of the hour so that it was total paisa vasool coz otherwise it would seem like a huge waste of money (which in any case it actually was)!

Cut to 2012…. How things have changed. Those very cyber centres seem to have disappeared into oblivion! Coz now who needs bulky computers  when  the world is at ones finger tips. Yes ! mobile phones, those tiny things which were once considered to be used to only to call or msg people is used for everything except to call people & maybe as toilet paper!

Nobody needs an introduction as to what one can do with internet. By bringing the net within the grip of the palm, it  has opened up innumerable, previously unimaginable avenues! Today I use the phone for everything other than calling people!

Music!

Gone are the days when you used to here that catchy number on MTV & wait for an eternity in front of the tv to hear that song again! These days all you have to do is type the song out on your phone browser & choose from the 100s of options available on how you want to hear it! Why type??? Infact just keep your phone near the speaker when a tune is playing, turn on ‘shazaam’ & let the li’l brain inside the phone search the song, give you all the details which you wouldn’t get even in any magazine & also watch the video!!! Also tag it, share it friends, find the lyrics, practise the song with the karaoke feature, learn how to play it on the guitar using the chords feature on the net. Whew! The only thing remaining is to meet the music director & thank him which you may also be able to do if you win the online contest :-D

Lost & found?

The other I was travelling with my wife & friends to a resort at around midnight & as expected we got lost. Our wives kept telling us to stop the car & ask someone for directions. Bah!  You can imagine what it did to our huge egos. So what does my friend do? He whips out his galaxy note, goes to google maps & voila! Gets the exact route! The ladies aren’t impressed & they persist on us asking for directions, but our relief the phone took us to our destination safely! What an ego boost that was :-D

News!

Being a PG, one doesn’t exactly get time to sit & read the newspaper at leisure. Infact most of the time one just gets to brush through the headlines from the sports & local news. Well not anymore. you can read all the news around the world & at ones own time without even the hassle of carrying a newspaper around! Whats more you can even comment & discuss it with total strangers! What fun is politics or sport if you cant put down someone else’s team.And mind you it comes with the entire package of weather information too.

Games

Your waiting at the doctors clinic(I like that example), your waiting for your date to show up or your plain frustrated with the world. These days you don’t need to sit idly watching other peoples faces stupidly  or they yours, wondering what the hell can I do to distract myself. You can kill aliens or beat Schumacher all on your phone. Use the net & you can even play live with total strangers whom you would never meet in life. Also it would save your relationship coz you wont complain about your date being late always!

Facebook!

Gone are the days when you only SMSed your friends. SMSing was once considered cool, well not anymore… today you have Watsapp, Facebook on the go, on the phone. You don’t need to wait to reach home to see the likes on your pics or your friendship requests. You can do it on your phone any day & anytime. Just beware of those serial status updaters through phones,they’ll update every minute detail of their life which will probably make you puke, you can block them anyways ;-D

Exams!

Remember Munnabhai MBBS? How he wasted so much of talk time on calls while copying during exams? Now you don’t need to! Got a smartphone with internet? Just type in what you want & use it to write beautiful, textbook answers in your answer sheet. After all nobody here said that only good things about the internet should be written ;-)

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