Celebrating World Cup Victory at Mumbai!

My destination of the day is the famous JUHU beach. Another unplanned venture taken up by Vikas, Agniz and me! We decide to head out by 4 in the evening on a sunday.

At kanjurmarg station..ten minutes for the next train to Dadar, Vikas is late, so here goes another 15 minute wait at the station for the next train!

The trains are less crowded on weekends, but this is not any other sunday! Last night India won the 2011 cricket worldcup!

Guess we were not the only ones on an unplanned trip to the beach.

Out routemap covers Kanjurmarg, Dadar, then a shift of trains to Villeparle station.

As you exit the station, the first thing that catches your eye is the sandwhich stall! I din believe bread could get so huge till this day, and each sandwich's cost is as bamboozling as its size! :P..Rs 80, and you are filled for the rest of the day. Just next to this extravagant sandwhich shop is another down to earth place, also for sandwhiches! :P..grab one and get into an auto, then head for the beach! A 20 minute ride takes us to its shoreline entrance, which is hidden among the various buildings, one of which happens to be the bachchan's residence. You cant miss this spot. It has a throng of ardent jobless fans outside the gate 24/7!

Once we reach the beach perimeter, the smell of food is immense, when you overcome the urge to eat, the not-so-clear waters of the juhu come into sight!..This might not be the ideal place to take our typical hygenic neat freaks! But for a day of fun with just friends, its a great place!

Unlike my experience at the Marina beach in Chennai, the crowd here mind their own business! That implies no one is going to look after your bags and slippers while you are in the water. We had to take turns to jump and waddle through the water!

Apart from the dirty water there is another factor that might be disturbing! If you trip and fall in the water, you'll land face first on a couple o shoreline rocks!:P..even if you dont end up falling there is no way to escape getting your feet scrapped by the submerged rocks and stepping into uncomfortably squishy slimy stuff on the sea floor :P...

But the overall experience of beach with buddies is enthralling enough for me to overcome the pain of a few scrapes and squishies!(Note: we still missed two of our good friends at the beach!)

The mind boggling sunset at Juhu is worth the travel in itself! After getting drenched through the sunset, we walk out carrying the load of sand on our feet and clothes to the kulfi shop by the shore, Rose golas seem more appealing today, and we settle for a rose gola each, giving ourselves a natural devilish-pink lipshade.:P..The air around the beach is cold by this time, so we find a cozy warm car bonet to park ourselves while eating the golas! :D...Then head off to the Villeparle station and back to kanjurmarg.

Another fun day spent away with friends! I'll remember this day as the after match celebration!

The unexpected fun...Mumbai contd.

1 March 2011;

I was out walking last night, till two AM!...So you can guess what happened in the morning!

I had to run to the lab at 10.30, grabbing a few slices of bread!. I wait for my prof. to turn up..but he doesn't, so I kinda have rest of the day off!..Thats when the surprise strikes...A trip to the MARINE DRIVE!....

A train from the local Kanjurmarg to Dadar, then to Marine line.. This time I miss two of my awesome friends!:(...its always been our dream to go MARINE together!but what hell! its still fun!...getting down at marine lines and a short walk across the pigeon cluttered road takes me adjacent the beach..lesson one on the beach, don't go down the rocks near the water, its dirty, and climbing back is a real pain! :P

lesson two..try not missing weird love notes all over the walkway! they are hilarious!...(I am planning to add I LOVE ME to the list next time I go by!)

One side of the walkway is a vast expanse of sea, while the other is a vast expanse of BMW cars! :P

Places to see, the revolving restaurant, Air India office..( a match box like building that my humble friend Agniz pointed out like 10 times!), Trident, then comes the place to visit, Naturals Ice cream place(courtesy Agniz) ..U get to taste a wild variety of flavours..ranging from normal black grape to a crazy Coconut flavour!

The walk is pretty long, so be sure to carry a water bottle and less luggage!

The end of the walk is the place where Munnabhai sits in the movie..or so I was told :D..it does look like the place so am convinced!

Not much to see here, unless you are interested in a lot of couples ( which prompted me to name it the smooch drive :P) and buildings with a dirty water backdrop! The walk is worth it though!

We missed out one location on the way..An aquarium...So do try it out...I will soon!

Then comes the my epic walk to the gateway of India(GWOI)..our tour guide of the day was a little lost here! Hence we end up taking the round about way to GWOI.(with sugarcane juice to clear our minds!).Information for newbies..take the road adjacent the high court...it leads straight to our destination..asking pedestrians will only send you on a wild goose chase!...but if you are interested in some shopping, try the longer route..you get to see some cool Victorian buildings.

The beach there ain't great either..its just the magnificent gateway and the even more magnificent TAJ!( famous for the shoot out! :P) ...To those who like riding on these fancy tongas...horse carriages..this place is filled with them...then to those who don't like me..walk back and hail a cab! Something else that the place is filled with...FAT PIGEONS!..like millions of them..u find more pigeons on a tree than leaves! :P

Our next destination is the VT( Victoria terminus) now known as CST(Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminus)..basically the train station...

As mentioned in the earlier blogs...trains here hold half the population of mumbai! ..Fat chance of finding a place to squat! :P

The spot of interest near the station would be the pav bhaji stall opposite the VT..take the subway to reach it from the station! It rocks!

With this I board the train to thane and head back to Kanjurmarg ..parting with my buddy at 7Pm, I head for IIT powai..A call from my father reminding me to go to the temple as it is Tuesday! :P...next stop, to visit Durga in the campus..back to the hostel number 10 for my dinner! Walking sure gives me a good appetite!

Another awesome day ends with me typing away on the laptop!...Thanks to the LAN here!

Night all!

New girl in the city..continued

There are these guys from sastra...says my friend Preethi. Though its 10pm, its IITB..so who cares, lets go meet em!

Its a long walk where we miss each other in the dark twice, and somehow manage to stumble across near the coffee shack!..The guys are Vikas(straw), Vyas(Mass) and Muthu (not yet decided...), also doing their internship here!..these are real nice guys who have been around Powai for a month now, and know the local hang-outs. Our tourguide from this lot is Mr. straw.!

Best places travelled so far, a tour of the entire campus, from main gate to the very end where there is the Pyramid entrance to the underground MESS!:D The lake side road at midnight..with a view of the headlights beyond the lake!

The the IIT main corridor, the quarters, and the unforgettable trek to the hill in the campus ( It is rumoured to have panthers roaming after sunset!) !

Our next stop! Hiranandani, the concrete jungle...pleasant and populated with European building style?! It is the hub of all eat-outs and local malls..ranging from Pizza hut, KFC, mini chat shops that are awesome, then the chilli's place, ribbons and balloons( Must try out the chocolate Mousse here!)

If you are the electronics person, then the must go place here would be E-Zone!For the book lovers theres the crosswords (something like the landmark bookstore) to spend the time!

Day time entertainment is scarce here, so I just spend it in the lab.. but once the sun goes down, the city awakens..its time to hit the streets! And here, "The more, the merrier" would be just apt!

"Mumbai's lifeline is in the local railway system!" A quote by my wise friend Agniz Sharma, who was wise enough to get me a train timetable!...Its true.. Half of Mumbai's working population travels by the local trains...which amounts to the huge crowd in every compartment, except the first class coaches, coz no one bothers to get a ticket that costs ten times a normal train fare!!

Trains are less crowded on weekends and afternoons..and ones approaching the city are less crowded at night! So if you are looking for a pleasant journey, get a train timetable and plan your travel around the less crowded hours!

My first weekend visit was to Agniz's place at Karghar...two hours from the kanjurmarg station, with a train change at Thane. A pleasant journey when with friends. else it will just bore your life out!...Music is always a solution though!

Food from home after just a week of stay at powai..is still a blessing to someone who lives in a hostel!

The sweet home atmosphere, and friendly faces is a kind of relaxation that you start craving for once you have had a taste of the city.! A wonderful experience with trains and Navi Mumbai, thanks to a wonderful friend!

Returning late( 10pm) from the days trip does not prevent us from getting a Vadapav from a stall near the station..the staple food of everyday Mumbai..something I have grown to like after coming here!

As of now I'm done for the day!...just solid sleep awaits me now..so good night all!...........

New girl in the city..

My first time in Bombay...the city that never sleeps..

Getting off the train at 6 AM , yet the station at DADAR is all alive and buzzing!..lesson 1, The cabwalas know that you don't belong here generally...so don't take the first cab that is offered to you..its mostly triple rated. Hail a cab from outside the station. After your pranams to Hanumanji at the mandir outside the station..

The roads are clean all the time, the only thing that makes it dirty is the peak hour traffic! Something remarkable about MUMBAI, the autos and taxis actually follow the meter reading! Man I love this place!...

Chembur is my first stop. The local residential area, where morning walks go for both kids and dogs!..the place wakes up earlier than rest of the city...

To begin my stay here with something auspicious I gota go to a temple. the right place is jus close by. The Ahobila Math...Abode of the pious bhramin! :P..I know I wont be visiting many temples that often..so let me do it now! :P

I start off for IIT Powai at 10.30...auspicious on that particular day, according to my dad!

45 minute travel by the fast cab, and eureka..the gate is lost somewhere on the main road! Its a task to spot it...so you need an experienced taxi driver!

Campus entrance has a check...That was the first and the last time they checked for anything while getting in or out of the campus! No one gives a damn if u disappear for days from here!

My room in hostel 10..the new building! It rocks big time! Rest of the hostels are trashy..so I can just consider myself lucky! My new roomie is this really sweet girl from Delhi...Savita..my companion for the next 5 months..apart from my buddy Dumeel that is!

My hostel has an elevator..so spared of the trek!

Next stop is the Coffee shack..The favourite snack place for tired IITans..then comes the Gullu( Gulmohar) Cafeteria..(This place is the 5star hang out!) even a lousy dosa is freakin expensive...but if u r loaded..this is the ideal place!..a sit out in the open and food is served at ur place!

Sandwiches are an expensive yet good choice here at gullu!..grab one and be off to the Powai lake..But make sure u are equipped with mosquito repellent! ...or ul be eaten first. This lake is a sit out, study out, flirt out common place..for kids, students, and oldies! The common dress code of the place..Bum shorts.. be it a girl a guy...it will take time getting used to!..early morning, you walk out of the room to find a bunch of scantily clad guys?...dear god..save me.!.

At some point of the day..youll have this craving to unleash your tamil..so start looking for anyone who remotely resembles a tamiliam!(I am a tamilian, so here I go!)

...will continue soon! once I find the outlet for my TAMIL!!!!

Beta-Alpha-EEP!

I was looking at the night sky,

thinking how the future would be,

when a spaceship landed,

close by me.

It was big,

but not big as it is usually said to be.

Then out came a creature,

that looked just like me.

It said "I bubble tart, of Beta-alpha-eep,

come to pick you up. Are u ready?"

A beam of light shot down at bubble tart,

and an absolutely stunned me!

It sucked us into the ship,

which was called the hover shaft.

I was baffled by this wonder cart,

which put us in hyperspace, to travel very fast!!

Soon we landed on planet eep.

to my surprise it had orange sheep,

it din't bother me much,

as I toured the planet's heap.

When it was time to leave,

I met the president of planet eep.

who gave me orange sheep and said,

"Friend, these are for you to keep.!"

Had I dozed off,

and this the side effect of deep sleep???

But to my horror when I woke up,

I was in my room, which was filled with orange sheep!!!!

Take a look around you....

people often say that i don't know what i am talking about, well then who does!

It is human notion that the heart has a propensity for what is joyous at the moment, while the intellect makes you contemplate over the consequences in the long run...but if it is going to keep thinking about the long run, what happens to the present?

has anyone paused to think about this lost time? I don't mean to say that one should never plan for a good future, but i merely point out that one shouldn't dwell in those very thoughts. Only those who fear the world prevaricate, they try to evade the day they'll have to face the world, away from the cocoon of their safety.

People spend so much time pondering over their future, if my opinion was counted, I would say they cannot even assure that they would live to savor all that they have reaped!

Its merely a wake up call for those who prefer to dwell in the future rather than enjoy the most while you still can, of course with a little apprehension . The world is alive around you, and if you don't grab the chance it presents to you, its not likely to give you another when your'e too old for it anyways!!! For all i know dinosaurs may take free reign again!Its not just hand-fulls who have predicted the world's end, and even with this impending doom it has not been driven home to enjoy life!!! simply preposterous!

shed your cover and walk out in the sun, experiment with life, yet again i say, with a little caution! trust me, its delightful!!

Anarchy at its height...

March 23, 2010,

A silent home, a mother expecting her daughter's call, father at work, grandma happily minding her own business, one daughter happily married in Dubai, while the other at my university pursuing her UG.

A typical home in the district of palakkad. A typical family, happy and well to do. What is to life with all this happiness? At 12 in the afternoon Mr.X returns home for lunch, and finds his beloved wife in a pool of crimson, a knife sliced through her throat and the old lady, barely alive, the thin string of life holding on to her mangled body. A blow in the simple life of my dear friend. A terrible scene for one to witness. Put this scene on hold.

Decades ago India, a simple democratic nation, home to many diverse religions, was one of the safest places on earth. While women in the Saudi were well hidden beneath the purdas, Indian women were free. They held certain respect in the society. It was never dangerous for one to step out of the house, and not bolt it up from others.

friendliness and brotherhood were a trait of our nation, spare the few who stepped beyond the line of ethics, but todays scenario has made me wonder where all that safety and brotherhood has disappeared to. What has happened to our morals??

Man has become a butcher and at his cost the world a slaughter house!

To mindlessly end a life to get hold of possessions is the height of anarchy. What value has any amount of gold in comparison to a human life??While on one hand we have section of people campaigning against slaughter of animals for flesh, on the other we have these psychopaths masquerading under masks which they take off only at the time of crime, which go unnoticed with the support of the plague that has taken over our politics.

If the present scenario is to persist what shall become of this condemned race? If people choose to believe in Darwin's theory of " survival of the fittest",they might as well fight righteously for their living, but not end other lives in order to enhance their chances of survival!

While we blame the US for having a highly unstable population with soaring crime rates, we must pause and look at ourselves, our condition is but a little better, but all the same heading towards the same doom.

Nations like The US have a sidelined reputation for such crimes which can be traced back to several decades, but the blooming crime rate in a developing nation like India is likely to affect its development on the large. In fact to me it appears that we are following a reverse curve of development!

During the time of sages, when Bharatha was a place of honor and valor, scarce of todays technological advancements, but rich in knowledge, culture and human values. That was when India was a developed nation.

What if the entire world is going to pieces? A small change, a factor that would open the eyes of our country men, that would rid the world of the prevailing Evil... Make them visualize the larger picture, make them travel beyond the realms of the world, far away from greed and desire. Realize the worth of this precious life, and use it to leave a mark on the pages of history. Bring about a change that would revolutionize this anarchy dominated present and pave way to a lifestyle that contributes, but not condemns.