WISHING YOU & YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2012
May the New Year 2012 bring you
& your family
cheer
happiness
sound health prosperity
&
all good things in life!
Saturday, 31 December 2011
The Letter
 Both of them have been in love for months. Something connected them and she loved it so much that she always wanted to be with him. “Here is your ticket and call me as soon as you reach.” The boy instructed as she looked at him with teary eyes. They were standing at the bus station. As tears slipped from her eyes, and she started sneezing due to cold, the boy reached to wipe them. “I hate it when you cry…I love you sweetheart.” His words echoed in her heart which made her cry harder as she tried to hold her painful voice inside. “You want me to make you smile?” He asked her as she nodded in response. He searched for something in his pocket and slipped a ring on her finger. “Will you marry me? Not now but one you come back after completing your higher studies” A smile reached her face unable to hold the sudden surge of happiness that ran in her heart but nodded in refusal. He was confused as he frowned. “How long will you love me?” I said giving him a naughty smile. “How long? Year or two…How long?” “I will love you till my last breathe.” He said with a serious look. “I promise” There was something in his words and in his eyes as if he meant to keep that promise and it scared her. A sudden blast of horn made her turn as her bus was ready to leave so she embraced him with heavy heart. “I love you.” She said as if her voice revealed how much she meant those words. Last night he called her at three in the morning and it shocked her. She was happy to hear his voice in her sleep as he kept talking to her for three hours and by that time she was wide awake. She tried to hang up and go back to sleep but he wouldn’t agree. “Tell me you love me.” He had said that for the tenth time in between and she would obey him blowing a kiss on the cell. “Now go to sleep.” “I don’t feel like sleeping.” He said in a tired voice. She had known him for a long time but today he was reluctant to hang up. Every time he would make an excuse and engross her in some romantic conversation as she dismissed the idea of hanging up. “It’s almost morning!” She said checking out her watch. “I love you sweetheart and go to sleep. You have a job tomorrow.” “I don’t want to hang up. I miss you,” He said in a heavy voice. “I want you here by my side.” She was out of words at his craziness. She realized that as the moments were passing by, his voice was growing weaker and tired. “Hey! Are you okay?” She asked worried as she could make out he was having problem keeping up the conversation. “Never felt better.” He said in a slow husky voice. “It’s just that I am falling in a deep sleep.” “I think you should sleep now.” She said finally. “I guess so…” He said with a pause. “I love you.” “I love you too.” She said and hung up. Something was disturbing her about the boy as she called him back but he didn’t receive. She hung up thinking that he must have fallen asleep. She tried to sleep as her eyelids felt heavy when a sudden vibration of her cell made jump. A call from the boy’s number made her blush as she smiled and received his call. “Hey…Go to sleep!” She said firmly but an unrecognized voice greeted her. “Hello…Who is this?” She asked worried. “Who are you? Do you know him?” A voice asked on the other end. “Yes” She answered as her heart raced. “I am his fiancée.” “This is Dr.Khan from Apollo Hospital and I am sorry to inform you that he has passed away fifteen minutes back.” The girl could feel her world shatter as these words hit her head like a hammer and she could feel her body grow numb. Dr.Khan explained to her about the boy’s accident which took place two days back and he had a severe brain hemorrhage. The words were a blur for her as her brain lost all capability of understanding. The boy’s handsome face and innocent smile floated in her mind and a sudden realization of losing him dawned on her. Her friends were by her side when she revealed to them about the boy’s death. She went to the hospital where the doctor gave a packet to her “he instructed me to handover you” the doctor said. The girl opened the packet in which there was a letter and some tablets, she read the letter ”I am sorry to leave you but I tried to keep my promise that I will love you till my last breath. I have loved you from bottom of my heart, your smile brings relief to my soul and I can never bear to see you crying. I hate it when you cry…..I love you.” Baby, even if I am not there…remember that I love you and will protect you. There are some tablets take them dear you catch cold easily when you cry.” She has read the letter again and again sobbing in the dark, the phase when you have lost love is like a dark, long night very difficult to pass. An author once said “Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop.” |
| Tamal Chatterjee |
An Email from a Mother
| (I am posting this after a long time in Techmate.It feels good to be back here :) :) ) Dear Son, Its disheartening to see you struggling at your new place.I understand that it is important for you to shape your career and you left home for your job.We completely appreciate your decision.We never stopped you but we were happy that you became responsible. You don't know how much we miss you and we are proud of you. Everytime we talk to you I hear discomfort in your voice. You tried not to break but you broke.You cried cause of your own plight and you were distressed too. Its quite saddening to see your sufferings.I just don't want you to be shattered. As you know ,life is full of opportunities. It is full of lessons and every decision that we make and every things that we do does teaches us a great lesson.It is this lesson that we take ahead in life.It is all about learning ,moving ahead and never looking back.I want you to be strong and I don't want my sweety to be feeble and low.It is not your nemesis but its just a bad phase in your life. Why don't you realize this? . When you left us you sought blessings from me and your daddy. Perhaps you never saw your dad's face at that moment.It was filled with pride and you won't know how happy he was for you. You never realized how much your sister Priyanka misses you. Priyu would everytime ask me about your vacations and when would you come back.Son, I understand your importance at your work place.But I want you to concentrate on your health too.Without a proper health ,you won't be able to concentrate on your work and your life would become unstable. You might be missing the Sunday Brunches at our home.Those special dishes which I used to make for you.You were the only reason why I made such delicious food.But today ,I almost cried when you told me that you never had breakfasts since the day you left home.Is work that important to you?.Money is secondary .Spend money on everything that you need.Eat anything that you like.Your daddy never knows that you are struggling there.If he comes to know this then he would come to take you back. Priyanka has passed her board exams with flying colors and she loved the Fastrack watch that you send her on her birthday.You never knew how excited she was.She would show her watch to everyone like crazy that her brother had send this watch for her all the way from Mexico.You are the only reason why we all are here .Today is Mothers day.Last year you took us out and It was a joyous moment for me being a mother.I still remember that day when you and Priu both gifted me a Kanchivaram Saree.That May was the best moment of my life.May is full of surprises to our family.Our Anniversary May17th is the day when you would never forget.It is going to be our 25th wedding anniversary this year and we all would be missing you this time .You would remember that day even in your faintest memory and I am damn sure about this.Last May was a blissful month for us and this May it seems as if we are missing something.We miss your presence son.I'm proud to be your mother because you never cease to make us happy.Come back soon. We all love you. Health first and then rest.We all love you.I'm not strong son and I would break into tears on Skype video call.This is the reason why I'm writing this email to you. Hope to see you soon. |
| Stephen Kanagaraj |
Whats all about this "Follow Me" ?
| So Facebook asks "Whats on your mind?" and Twitter asks "Whats happening?". Social media is trying to be a boon to some people but for some its just waste of precious time.So tell me how many of you spend some quality time on internet. The good old days of internet has vanished where people used to come online seldom as the cafe would charge 40-50 bucks for 1 hour and only richmen could provide such facility to their children.But that was some 5 years ago.Considering today's scenario one can say that even a common man can afford internet.You get internet on your mobile and there are twitter and facebook which are compatible and optimized for mobile users. These days I see that lots of celebrities are showing active interest in Twitter.I admit Twitter is fun. But its sometimes cool to read those tweets. Amitabh Bachhan who is a legendary actor tweets about Rajnikanth who is another Superstar in South India.The Anna Hazare anti corruption campaign proved successful and enormous support was gathered through this social media. Sachin Tendulkar is now India's Twitter king as he has more than 10 million followers. So by writing whats happening and whats on your mind ,don't you feel that you are exposing your real life to the virtual world. Now a days popularity is measured on the basis of the followers you have on these social media's. Well this is not the case.So whats all this fuss about Follow me!!. There used to be a time when two friends who meet after a long period of time would say "hey add me in Orkut!" Forget Orkut,its dead now. It was soon replaced by "Hey,Are you in Facebook? then add me!!" . Facebook these days represents our virtual world .It indicates our virtual reality.How virtual are we? Facebook says I am 80% virtual. How I get it is based on some stupid ,absurd application which claims to measure your virtual quotient. I have many of my office friends almost all my office friends. I see my Manager in my person you know list in facebook n right sidebar . So the one thing which is popular now is this. "ok Follow me on Twitter ,Ok?" How easy is life? Just click on follow and you get the updates from your friends in form of Tweets. A Girl asks her boyfriend to follow her. This boyfriend of hers is not techsavy unlike her.So he thinks his job is to follow her anywhere and everywhere she goes. So there she goes to the washroom and she is shocked to see her boyfriend in the Ladies washroom. "Hey ,what the hell are you doing here ?" she says "you just asked me to follow you,so I'm following you," he replies. "Idiot,Following me doesn't ,means that you follow me everywhere.I asked you to follow me on Twitter," she gets vexed for once and throws him out of the washroom. Social media has changed the world.Sitting at one corner of the world you get to talk to people who is on the other corner.You get updates from them and comments on their status and photos on Facebook. Trust me ..It gets crazy sometimes… believe it or not. |
| Stephen Kanagaraj |
Mujhe political science nahi aati
| Mujhe political science nahi aati. Mujhe nahi pata ki lok-sabha me log kya karte hain aur rajya sabha me kya karte hain. Mujhe nahi pata har saal election kyun hote hain. Mujhe nahi pata mere desh me kitni political party hain. Mujhe nahi pata mere desh ke pradhaanmantri kaunsi political party ke sadasya hain. Kyun mera desh ‘Valentine day’ k din kisi gareeb ki dukaan k sheeshe todta hai ? kyun mera desh bhooke gareeb insaan ko lekar Anshan par baithta hai? kyun mera desh pareshaan ho jaata hai jab Amitabh chheenkta hai ? Kyun mera desh sadak pe pade bimaar insaan ko nahi dekhta ? Kyun nahi dekhte ki lakhon log sadak pe bheek maang rahe hain? Kyun nahi dekhte ki jis restaurant me tum Rs 20/- tip waiter ko dekar aaye ho, wahin ek nanhi jaan tumhaari plate saaf kar rahi hai. Kyun nahi dekhte ki ek gareeb boot polish karke apni roji-roti chala raha hai. Kyun nahi dekhte ki log thand me sikudkar sadak pe hi dum tod dete hain. Kyun nahi dekhte ki jo kisaan tumhaare liye basmati chaawal ugaa raha hai, uske bacchon ko 3 waqt ki roti naseeb nahi ho rahi. Hume parwaah hai Amitabh ki khaansi ki, ramdev ke blod pressure ki. Hum Z security dete hain unko jo khud kisi ko maarkar aaye hain. Hum padhe likhe vote dete hain unko jinhe sign tak nahi karna aata. Kya kabhi socha hai ki aaj bhi hamare desh me kitna paisa hai. Swiss account ko chhod de, fir bhi itni poonji hai, desh sone ki nahi par chandi ki chidiya jaroor ban jaaye. Nange ko kapde mil jaaye. Bhooke ko khaana mil jaaye. Pyaase ko paani mil jaaye aur beghar ko chhat mil jaaye. Crore-ron rupaiyen kharch ho jaate hain rally-yon me. Election se pehle rally. Election k baad rally. Kuch pasand naa aaye to fir morcha ya rally. Galti se kisi mantri ko ribbon kaatne bula lo, jitna paisa unpe kharch ho jaata hai, utne me 4 bacchon ko school me daakhila mil jaaye. Ganesh Utsav me mantriyon aur unki party ke sadasyon ke bade bade poster lage hote hain. Agar is painting ka kharcha kisi sarkaari school ki haalat theek karne me lagayi jaaye to bacchon ko bhi padhne me mazaa aaye. Agar CM sahib PM sahib se webcam se meeting karlen aur savings kisaan ki madat me lagayen, to shayad aur acchi fasal desh banaa paaye. Mantri sahib ke ghar pe bhi sirf 16 ghante bijli di jaaye to bijli khapat aur kam ho jaaye. Unki home minister sahiba agar hamari tarah bus-rickshaw se sabji lene jaayen, to petrol ki keematen shayad har mahine naa badhayi jaayen. Mantriji agar sarkaari naukar ke naam pe discounts lena bandh kar den to hamare gharon ke budget sudharjaayen. Sadkon pe haathi ghodon ke pathar ki jagah agar kuch ped lagwa de, to mantri ji pe kuch vishwaas aa jaaye. Ye list to chalte jaayegi……thode mantri ji sudhar jaayen aur thode hum bhi. Aane waali peedhi ko ek well developing nation mil jaaye…. Mujhe political science nahi aati. Mujhe to bas itna pata hai Mantri ek public servant hai, Humne use desh ki seva karne ke liye banaya hai, Fir bhi wo public se hi seva karwaata hai!! Is desh ka aadmi use sir pe bitha sakta hai, Fir bhi wo sirf kursi ke peeche hi kyun bhaagta hai, kyun bhaagta hai, kyun bhaagta hai? |
| Priyanka Goel |
Jealousy
How a recruitment gaffe still resulted in highest customer satisfaction
| Disclaimer: This has not happened in any of the organizations I have worked in, either in the past, or currently. However this is a story (which is claimed to be true) and published some time back in a foreign newspaper, based on an interview with an HR manager. The time period of this is around the time of the dot com boom. Every company everywhere across the world was trying to reap the fruits of this boom. A factor that probably added to the dotcom boom, was around the same time computers too had a boom (it was sometime shortly after if I remember a biggie in the software world allegedly saying, when PCs first came on the scene, that 64K memory is more than sufficient for any one). As computers and memory chips shrunk and also became easily available, prices for hardware started hitting "rock bottom". Combined with this, we also had the boom in internet. Networking and Internet which was earlier just a "Research area" and confined to perhaps Defense applications somehow came out of the closet, if I may say so. And so, everyone was trying to reap the fruits. Training institutions opened left right and center across the world, promising jobs in the "El Dorado" of it all - the world of sofware engineering, where salaries were high. And with it came the issue of recruitment. Now as we know, recruiters as it is have a difficult time. How to fulfill the ever increasing need for professionals? While it is easy do so, in an area like mechanical engineering and with burgeoning number of engineering colleges in those days churning them out dime a dozen. More so with more than a dozen different skills required in software engineering e.g. Oracle skill is not the same as java skill and COBOL and Foxpro is something all together different. Another problem is that often with one genuine CV it is possible there are at least a dozen fake CVs floating around. It is often very difficult to sift the wheat from the chaff, considering the huge number of CVs received. In one particular case, there was this requirement of 3 professionals, and about a thousand people had camped outside the office gates since the night before. Another of my observations, having done a fair amount of interviews etc. is that often the "chaff" get calls (Project managers and others in doing interviews, would second me on this), while the "genuine stuff" perhaps misses out. Perhaps it is because the "genuine stuff" is more busy with actually doing work, and often downplay the work done, whereas the "Chaff" often does everything else, including "polishing" up their CVs and ensuring that their CVs stand out. Some where along, recruiters too started using the software technology, to help them in their work. And with it came search engines, which shifted through tons of CVs, based on some keywords, e.g. Java, Oracle, CMMI etc. So if a company was looking for Java professionals, and they came across the word "Java" in the CV, the CV would go for further processing, else it would be sifted out. There was this carpenter in a foreign land who was looking for a job. He went about diligently creating his CV. One of his skills he mentioned was "I am very good at table design". A friend helped email his application to hundreds of companies, in the hope that it would get recognized in at least one of them. Now in one of the software organizations, there was this urgent requirement for Oracle PL SQL, and guess what? The search engine caught these words, and immediately the person was selected. Requirements need was urgent, rather as they say "It should have been met a month ago". :) And the difference between supply and demand mind blowing. And so, without as much as a real interview (or rather a perfunctory one), the guy was selected (more so since he stated that he was immediately available), and immediately put on the job (packed off to customer site). The carpenter could not believe that he had got a job offer, and for so handsome a salary (perhaps many times more than what he probably expected). It did not take much time to recognize that the guy perhaps knew nothing of Oracle (except perhaps that it referred perhaps to a group of people, who claimed to receive divine revelation). The project management team was not very happy about it. They wanted to send him back. But those were also the days where cost of airlines tickets were fairly high (and not just "free" tickets that we now have, where every one is having a blast at the expense of the poor shareholder and tax payer). Cost of accommodation which was also being provided was high. So what to do? How to just send him back? After all, it was not the mistake of the carpenter. Surprise, surprise. The project was a green field project, and turnkey. And so, there was a requirement that also included setting up the office space. And then the "Eureka" moment came in. And so, the carpenter was roped in on this to help set up the office, including furniture etc. And here the carpenter did a really wonderful job. And guess what? The customer was highly satisfied with the office set-up. And gave a rating, what we in Tech M, would say in CSAT as 5/5. And that is how, in spite of all the mess, everyone was happy, the organization got high customer satisfaction rating, and the carpenter a promotion |
| Dominic Mascarenhas |
Listening to what our Heart has to say!!
| Life has always been an enigma for many people.As we grow older we tend to be mature enough to make right decisions in our life. Sometimes in life we take steps blindly irrespective of its future scope.We tend to look for its immediate advantage,but do we realize how important that could be to us.Its said that heart has its reason which reason knows nothing of.Long ago I remember I even wrote a post about this. Some times we wish to preserve the validity of the logic that we applied for some things in our life.Our life is precious and we wish to make wonders and make our people happy.We all deserve a blissful life with happiness surrounding us. I bet many of us would be having some childhood dreams.Our parents work hard to fulfil our dreams.If our dreams were something different from theirs then we would end up negotiating with them.We strive to come ahead in this race of life. We are not here to compete with any one.Just listen to your heart and work hard to get something fruitful.I agree it may sound harsh and strange but we can't help as its a fact. When we faced with difficulties and problems in our life,we should go by what our heart speaks.Yes our heart speaks, we should abide by what it says. I'm sure we all would love to do it.You want to do something different and finally end up doing something different.Don't let your life be a tragedy.Do something that you wished to do,never mind its difficult but thats something which would take you to the top in your life pyramid.Why would you live your life for some one else and be a machine to them?.Do you even realize that by making them happy you are actually surrendering and sacrificing your happiness.I also know that they are important and they mean to you.They are with you since were a baby and they adore you like anything. If you don't live and cherish your life for yourself ,then you are really missing something. Knock your heart and just speak to it.Why don't we apply logic to what we do and what all decisions we take in our life. Logical reasoning is an essential entity in decision making. Think of the mirthful days that you are going to live.I have come across in my life when people said "I wish I had done something constructive,now I'm a loser" . I'm sure no one in this world would love to be called loser.If you'd listened to your heart then you wouldn't have regret for something disastrous that would happen in mere future.Rather than cursing your luck in future ,you could better apply logic to your decisions.I agree it is not easy to do as it is easy to say. Many people have many things to say.I agree these are the barriers in your life.Leave the barriers aside and focus on your success path. Barriers and hindrances are parts and parcels of your life.If you don't have anyone to obstruct,I bet life wouldn't be thrilling. It will be challenging enough to score and soar high. Many times I have come across people who said."I am set in life today just because I listened to what my heart said when I was young" . Get out of the visible outcomes and distractions.They are always there to hurt you every time you get up in this so called life.Pleasure that is derived by doing this is immense and you won't complain. Making decisions in your life is like taking a big risk.So better make a right one and a safe one.Never lease your life for someone by taking a wrong step.Every one in life works to taste success.So do we as an entity in this world.Sometimes in life we may come across a point where everything would be messed up.It would be like rearranging your closet containing over 1000 clothes.We should never give up at such times. Deadlocks are always there at every phase of your life,it just depends on how you interpret it.Its on the way we take things.Lead a better life by listening to what your heart says.Be a better person as Henry Amiel had once said "Man becomes man only by the intelligence.but he is man only by the heart" |
| Stephen Kanagaraj |
Let's walk an Extra Mile....
| An Extra Mile We as a human being are driven by our dreams…a continuous non-stop pursuance to realize our all un-fulfilled dreams…We all have thought of many things which we wanted to achieve during the life span of our life..and realization of that is the ultimate objective of our life..hope you all will be in sync with me on this statement… Every day we jump off our bed having certain things in mind to achieve and we try to chase them…and at the end of the day …some are achieved and some remain un-achieved..life is not about sitting back and let the things happen…life is all about chasing you dream…day in and day out…that’s why we all need to walk “An Extra mile” to persue our un-fulfilled dreamzzz… Some people wait for things to happen…and some people see that something is happening and there are people who actually make things happen…and you have to see where you fit in to these 3 categories… Everyone of us in our life has different things to persue but until and unless we all walk an extra mile..nothing can be achieved.. So, let’s take a pledge today that we will walk an extra mile by putting our 100% efforts day in and day out until all our dreams become true… Somebody has said some very beautiful line and I wanted to share with you all…it goes like this… “Life battle don’t always go to the stronger and faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can…” |
| Vinod Kumar |
It ALL Ended Today - 15th July 2011
| “It ALL Ends on 15th July” – Its not just a Punch line that the Marketing Gurus’s used for the last movie of the Harry Potter Series But it is hard truth that all the Harry Potter Fans(be it through Books or from the days the first movie was on silver screen) have to face sooner or latter… For some this was their complete Childhood of learning , reading and thinking about the next Harry Potter Book or a movie and for some it was part of their Teen Age struggling , Falling In Love and discussing/relating to the characters of the book. I was part of the latter also. The Harry Potter Phenomenon struck the world as a Tsunami and took everything with it , The Life came to a halt, the sleepless nights increased , I personally knew people who completely read the book in a single day irrespective of how many pages it had.(I was bit slow in reading them but it was a Joy ride every time I start it again) Last few Days Newspaper were reporting Children coming on street before the last movie is going to come on Board … Children were crying and a small white girl was sobbing and saying “ What Will I Do now… It All Came to an End..” It seemed as if without Harry potter the Life will not be same for anyone of them .. Now they have to find another medium to be happy, to dream and to enjoy the world that was beyond human senses.. (Harry Potter fascinated everyone because it created the world beyond human senses and still we don’t know if the world is there somewhere hidden right underneath our eyes..) Harry Potter was about the victory of Good over bad , it was about the strength of One Boy , It was About trust and a Mentor , It was about choices we make , It was about Friendship,Love,Loss i.e. everything that we look for in life and moreover it was about Hope , Hope to Succeed. The Scene where Harry stand in front of Voldemort surrendering to Die without fear speaks about what it is to die without fear also. (See HP & DH Part2 yourself to know more..) Watching the last scene of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows I knew It will never be same for me as well , The boy sitting just right to me was sure that the last scene was not similar to what they have in the book.. This is how attached he was to Harry Potter so that he knew about all that happened and the sequence in which it did. Leaving the hall was tough , it felt as if this will never happen again but I was happy because Harry Potter happened when I was there on this earth watching every book unfold(like most people are happy that they share the same time when Sachin Tendulkar is on earth playing Cricket , live in front of them). Few stairs down and I saw a poster for X-MEN – First Class and I thought : this is the era of prequels so who knows we might have a prequel of Harry Potter as well.. or If J.K Rowling have another dream to write the next part. Who Knows ? ? ? ?.. But for now We have all came to an End of a Saga , Saga Of the BOY WHO LIVED “In Everybody’s Heart”.. |
| Anurag Mothotra |
I am ...
| I waited for the signal to turn green. The traffic was progressing at a slow pace but I was less than a kilometre away from my destination. I looked at the horde of people crossing the street and wondered what must be going on in their minds. This place was always teeming with people. When I was here last month and again last week, the crowd seemed to reflect the nearby sea. Seething and pulsating … never calm. The honks suggest that we are ready to move. I think it is going to take me more than 10 minutes to cross these final 200 yards. This humid climate is making me sweat all the more. I place a call from my mobile making sure there is no traffic cop around. As I speak into it, I see an Astra pull out from the kerb. I immediately slide into the space. I check to make sure that it being an odd date, I am on the correct side of the street. I certainly cannot afford for the car to be towed away. I get out, lock the car and walk quickly ahead. I open the passenger door of the Astra, get in and it drives away. I place another call from my mobile and confirm that my work for the day is done. I am ... one of the many sleepers, who wait to be called out when it is our turn to contribute to the cause. ______________________ I got the third call just a few minutes ago. The cars were in place. All I had to do now was to wait to get the green signal from the big boss. The moment will be anytime now. The past few weeks of hectic activity … surveying the sites, choosing the right sleepers, co-ordinating the loading of the materials. It has been pretty stressful and unnerving. I can't say that I am not worried during the final moments. Anything can go wrong at the last moment. Keeping an operation like this under wraps is never easy and there can be a whistleblower, who can leak information to the police. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the precautions we have taken stand us in good measure. It is close to 7 and as expected my mobile rings. I pick up to hear a single word being spoken from it. I make my way to the box on the corner table and open it to reveal three devices. I pick them up one at a time and press the buttons. I replace them in the box, go to the bar and pour myself a stiff drink. That's the only thing that can calm my nerves now. I gulp it down in one go, sit down on the sofa and switch on the TV. All I can do now is to wait and watch for the news to roll in. I am … a terror lieutenant and I have just wrecked havoc on this city. ______________________ While the call got me to swing into action and join my fellow officers in the squad vehicle, my mind went numb. Yet another attack meant to cripple this city. Three blasts detonated at three of the busiest market places … obviously meant to cause maximum damage. I have been part of the squad for five years now and till date, a red alert always make me wish that it is not a post-operative call … and thrice my fears have been confirmed. We reach Dadar and are waved in through the barricades. The mayhem is never different. The carnage does not have a different face … just a different place and different victims. I don my gloves, switch on my equipment and get to work. I am … an explosives expert in the ATS. I am great at my job … but I wish that there comes a time when the squad does not have a need to exist. ______________________ I watch the news unfold on television. The news presenters are recounting the horror, rattling off the number of fatalities and casualties. The grim news is being looked at in shock by my entire family. My wife is sobbing as memories of 1994 come flooding into her mind, I can guess. I cannot see any more and get up to retire to my study at the far end of the house. I close the door and make sure it is locked from the inside. I open the bottle of my much prized single malt and pour a large peg over some ice cubes. I sit on my lounge chair and take a lesiurely sip. Am I drinking in grief? No … it is a toast to my victory. I pick up my mobile and make a call. “It is done. Wait for a few weeks and then go for the kill.” I listen in silence as my assistant reconfirms the details. I hang up and say “Cheerssss” to myself. I am … one of the topmost real estate developers of this city and the habit of making millions has left no trace of anything called as a guilty conscience in me. ______________________ Chaos reigns supreme at party headquarters. The floors below are buzzing with frantic activity. But I am in the strategy room on the topmost floor, with Sir and his two political advisors. Sir is calm, while he looks at the muted television. The advisors run through various ideas but there is no opinion forthcoming from Sir. Having known him for so long, I am sure his sharp mind is toying with a multitude of ideas, analysing every aspect of the circumstance to come to a final decision. I watch as he pulls off his spectacles, exhales a breath of air on the lenses, wipes them with his handkerchief and puts them back on. As he looks at me, I know that the decision is made. “No … not the religion angle this time. We have too many leaders from the community and we cannot afford to displease them.” “But Sir ...” “Target the migrants … bring out the statistics over the past few months. Cook up a story. Make this a migrant issue. Release some statements to the press immediately and make sure this gets flashed on the news channel in the next few minutes.” The strategy is outlined in the next five minutes and we all leave to execute Sir's commands. Do I agree with Sir's decision? I do not have a choice. I am … the right hand man of an extremist political leader. I am trained to follow instructions, irrespective of whether I agree with them or not. ______________________ When I left my house today morning, the only thing on my mind, as is every morning, is to make sure I catch the 07:42 local train. My life is a schedule of clockwork I have to abide by. I run according to my watch in this fast paced city. I have a specific bus to catch, a specific train to get into, I take my lunch at a specific time for a specific period, I leave office at a scheduled time, I catch a specific train back home. If I miss any of this, my schedule goes for a toss. I live to work and I work to live in this city of dreams. Every time there is an attack on it, my schedule does get hampered. But ... only for that day. The next day I am back to my work and back to my schedule. Can I afford to sit at home worrying about what might happen tomorrow? No. I have to step out of the house because I have a family to feed. They call it resilience ... I call it need. I am ... the common man. I am vigilant. I am resilient. And today I am lying mangled and dead ... a victim of the blast ... a victim of my need. ______________________ I am the one who is often heralded by many beautiful appellations. I am the City of Dreams. I am welcoming. I am all absorbing. I am cosmopolitan. I am forever awake. I am a throbbing, pulsating being that is full of life. A life that is made of everything that defines me ... the people, the sea, the roads, the trains, the gardens, the highrises, the affluentia ... the slums, the grime, the chawls, the mills, the bourgeoisie. I stand tall ... I stand proud. Despite the crippling attacks that are inflicted on me time and time again by the miscreants. I weep for the children that I have lost. I weep for the heritage that has been marred. I bear the scars of torture and I shall bear them forever. I imbue the spirit of the Mumbaikar. I often wonder whether it is resilience or apathy and hope that it is the former. I know that I will have to smile through my tears. I will have to move on ... and wait until it happens again. I wish for it to stop. I wish for a peaceful future for my children. |
| TUSHAR PAI |
Transition
| Putting all my stuff in my bag i was packing all the memories and experiences of my town. Each item had a story to tell. A laugh which was unheard,a bargain which was unseen. I dreaded to go to this new place. i feared things would change. CHANGE-the word i dreaded. I feared that the dynamics of my relations would change. I feared that i would no longer be able to bank on my support system as they are not with me. I wish i could pack all the people who mattered to me. The things which i wanted to remain the same. I thought of dropping the plan to go but being independent and responsible was too strong an idea against this. Finally fighting all my demons i left for pune. The scenary was inviting but nothing could hold on to my attention. Each mile took away the year i spent with them. I wished i never grew up. I wished if i could let things still. But then again if wishes were horses even beggers would ride them. The place seemed scary. Corporate-the word in itself seemed so professional.Finally the D-day arrived-the day when we were supposed to join. Everything passes in a blur. Each day provided a comfort. then came the realization Life can be ugly but we have to live it beautifully. Its our outlook which determines how things can turn out to be. It's like a trance,an euphoria which would soon end.Accept changes-it will make things smooth. Finally i can say i have settled in quite comfortably with the thought that each day could be an experience may be even rewarding which will be my guidelines for future. I now look forward to live every moment here. |
| Pravin Pillai |
Something's cookin...
| Eat to live, they say, and not live to eat. I say bullcrap!! If you are telling me there’s a cheese-ham sandwich with barbeque sauce, lasagna laced with mayonnaise, teriyaki chicken with peri-peri sauce to go with, and Ginger ale on-the-rocks, and you say you already had enough to make it through the day, without looking at the food, you really have gone bonkers, my man!! Why else do you think god has created man? To keep a check on the world flora and fauna outgrowth, of course. There is no sincerer love than the love of food. Well, there’s just one hiccup though. How do you cook all these? During these few months that I have been away from my spouse, I have learned Hogging is fun but cooking is altogether a different rocket science. I wouldn't exactly call it 'cooking' but I can make noodles. That means I can boil water, empty the packets in and wait until it's done. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t like to cook. I'm sort of a mad scientist in the kitchen. Only without a sound biology or botany education! As a kid, I used to watch mum prepare her masterpieces, for hours together, pouring in colorful ingredients in the exact proportion. However, I must say, I was amazed with my father’s preparations. He used to prepare several kinds of food, perfectly ready to eat, without any cooking, from some little cans that had printing all over them. I was convinced my mother was still learning to cook from my dad!! Right, so as I was saying, I was pushed into cooking for a couple of months till my wife joins me back. So I thought, let’s hone some skills and surprise the hell out of my lady. Day 1, I tried making chapattis. After 2 hours, roommates found me on the beanbag in front of the TV, munching nachos with coke, while the maid cleared the mess. Do note that when you remove the batteries from the smoke detector to put them into your pocket radio, remember to put them back on. Day 2 – Noodles with some additional potatoes in it. Well, that’s some progress. Blame it on the Chandivili canteen, where this idea popped from. Fortunately, there are few pizza outlets nearby. Day 3 – How about some fried prawns. Statutory Warning – Do not try this at home!! Pouring oil in a pan when it already contains some water is ignorance. Watching that oil heat up, from close quarters, is outright foolish. Also note that cooking prawns is like running a government. Too much handling will spoil it. Ok, now I am sure there is some problem with the kitchen. As they say, in large kitchens, the cooking is usually bad! I do know how to cook. It’s just that people who eat it don’t have the taste for something new. Well, anyways people have stated wondering why all the good cooks in the world are men. Why should I add to that dilemma? i’d let technology do that part. The wonderful world of home appliances now makes it possible to cook indoors with charcoal and outdoors with gas. I wonder when they would invent a machine that puts food into the mouth and pushes it down. In the worst case, I guess, the best option is to eat whatever you can lay your hands on and let the food fight it out inside. Who are you to decide good or bad!! Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the preparation of this article (probably except during breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, dinner and dinfast). Hey, by the way, if we are not supposed to eat animals, why the hell are they made up of meat? |
| Shiv Prakash Singh |
AARACKshun ::: The Prohibition
| |
| Srikant Harihar |
The Saviour
| “Stay with me.” “It’s gonna be fine.” “You will be alright.” I only remember someone mumbling these words in my ears… I woke up. I could see white sheets, a draped curtain. I could hear voices. I opened my mouth but there was excruciating pain. In my thigh. And I yelled! A nurse came running inside. “Where am I? What’s happened to me? ” “You’re in a hospital Sir. You had been shot in the thigh”, the nurse replied. “What! Why would anyone shoot me? Why don’t I remember anything?” “Sir please calm down. The doctor will come here and tell you everything.” Just then a doctor entered. “Good afternoon Sir. How do you feel now?” asked the doctor. “Where am I Doctor? Why am I here? I remember I was in Taj…I was just done with a important meeting with a new client for my office. And I was roaming around. Then suddenly I heard voices around. I went running to see what the matter is. That was 26 November. I don’t remember a thing after that.” “Sir..let me explain you everything. There has been a heavy terrorist attack in Mumbai sir. You have been shot by the terrorist in the thigh. You’re lucky the shot wasn’t on your chest. And even more lucky that a hotel staff dragged you to safety and bolted the door from inside and kept you alive for 2 days. Till the Black Cat commandoes came and found you and the girl.” “There was a terrorist attack? In Taj???” I was so perplexed. “Yes Sir. It’s been 5 days since the 26th and 3 days after which you have woken up. We performed a surgery on you as soon as you came in the hospital. Had it been later you would have lost your life. The amount of blood you lost was tremendous!” the doctor said. I was speechless for some time. I kept staring at the doctor. “Who saved my life?” I asked. “I don’t know that sir.” Just then my mother entered. “Mom.” She came running to me. She was crying uncontrollably and hugged me and refused to leave me. “Mom what happened?” “You don’t know anything dear. We saw on news that the Taj had been attacked. We knew that you were going to have a meeting up there. I was so scared that day. I was calling on your phone but you did not answer my calls. We came rushing to Mumbai and wanted to come running to see if everything was fine but the there was security everywhere around. We pleaded to come and search for you but to no avail. We did not sleep the whole 2 days. Then on the night of the second day we got a call from the hospital. That you were shot and admitted there. We were happy to hear your news but never in our lives have we been so scared”, my mom kept wailing. “Mom…the doctor told me that a hotel staff saved my life. who was it mom. I want to thank the hotel staff for doing so.” “I don’t know son. We got your news when you were directly in the hospital. We don’t know who saved your life.” I was discharged after 3 days. Although I could not walk freely I limped. I wanted to know who had saved my life. My parents insisted on taking me back home and never allowing me to set foot in Mumbai again. I told them I won’t go home without thanking the people who saved my life. The next day I tried going to Taj. There was security around and I was not allowed to hover even near the premises of south Mumbai. I rebelled but to no avail. I was clueless where to search for the hotel staff. I gave up and went home. But I promised myself I would come back after the Taj re opens and thanks the person who saved my life. At home I again started having the same dreams. Someone murmuring in my ears. “Stay with me.” “It’s going to be alright.” I woke up with a start that night. I went out to take water. My mother came running. “What happened beta? You need anything?” “Just water mom. I’m fine. “ “Beta you need sleep.” “No mom. I’m just fine. I just needed water.” I went back to sleep. The dream kept coming back and forth. Again and again. After a few days my leave from office was over. Although my parents refused me to go back to Mumbai after much persuasion to them that I went back. The first thing I did on going to Mumbai was that I went to Taj… I enquired about the person at the reception. The person refused to reveal the identity. I fought and fought to know at least the name of the person who saved my life. “Sir we have asked by the police to not reveal anyone’s identity”, the receptionist said. “So you don’t want me to thank the person at all?” “I refuse to let you know any details. Now may you excuse us Sir?” “Do hell with your excuse. I’m not moving anywhere from here unless you tell me who the person was.” “You can very much stay here till the time you want. I have orders to not reveal any name.” “Ill go and talk to the police. And find out. I have a right to know the name of the person who saved my life!” I went to the police station. They said they had not given any orders as such. Fuming I went back to the Taj. “So..gentleman…why won’t you reveal the identity?” “The person has asked me not to.” “Who is this person who thinks he’s god and does not want me to know his name? Take me to your manager. I’ll find out who the person is.” I went to the manager and explained that I needed to more than thank the person who saved my life. The manager asked me where I was last the day the firing happened. I told him where I was. The manager enquired about all his staff working in that area. “ Send her in”, the manager said. “Sir the girl who saved your life will be here in a short while. Please bear with s for some time.” I waited for around 15 minutes. “Yes Surbhi. There’s a gentleman here who wants to meet you. “ I turned around…and saw her…she was looking at my face…with an expression that told me why she did not want me to know it was her. It went back to my engineering days. When we were in our first year she had asked me out. I had insulted her in front of the whole college and then she had left college because she did not want to see my face again ever. “HI”, she said. I could only murmur a small hi. “You wanted to meet me?” she asked. “I wanted to thank you for saving my life. As I want to express my gratitude towards you will you allow me to take you out for dinner ?” I asked her. She took a long breath. “Yes.” I was waiting for her in front of the restaurant a night later. After she came I escorted her in and we sat at a table. “So what are you doing nowadays?” she asked me. “I completed my MBA from IIM-A and now in marketing and sales for a renowned company. What about you?” I replied. “After quitting engineering I took up hotel management. Graduated from IHM-Bangalore and now here..at Taj.” “Surbhi I want to thank you whole heartedly for saving my life..i don’t know how you did it and how all this happened. How much this means for me is hard to say. I don’t remember a thing after I was shot that night. Tell me what happened Surbhi.” She was looking at me. “It’s over..why do you want to know?” “Surbhi I owe you my life. Don’t I have a right to know how my life was saved?” “It’s not a very amusing story. It’s a story with noises of just bullets and screams. It’s full of agony and cries.” “I still want to know.” “I was working in one of the lobbies managing the staff as the second shift was going to start. It was my time to leave as well. Suddenly I heard the noise of bullets and people screaming. I did not understand what was happening. I went running towards the area where the noise came from. From a distance I saw 2 men firing bullets from a long gun continuously. My heart stopped beating. I was at a safe distance from the lobby so they could not see me. Then I saw you. You too had come running outside but you were in full view of the terrorists. And then you were shot. My thinking ability was still numb. I was staring speechlessly at everything going on. Then the terrorists took one of the stairs and went away. I did not know what to do. I was standing shivering and shaking there for around 15 minutes. There was silence everywhere except more sounds of bullets and screams. Then again I saw you. You had fallen down and were probably out of senses. I ran towards you with shivering limbs. I saw that you were wounded in your thigh and that you could be saved. Just then I heard someone coming back down the stairs. I had to act fast. I knew each and every corner of the hotel. I quickly dragged your body to the closest rooms in knew. It was a room where all brooms were kept. I bolted the room and sat there. It was a small room. I placed everything that was there near the door so that no one could come in. I then saw you. You were losing a lot of blood. I tied a cloth around the wound to prevent it. I did everything that I could do. After a while the bleeding stopped. I did not know what to do to save your life. I was so scared I did not what to do. A whole night passed. I did not know what was going to happen next. I could hear screams and I was helpless. You were not gaining consciousness and I was getting scared you would not live longer. I kept murmuring words in your ears. That you’ll live, everything would be fine. I kept saying that for the entire day. I was crying and scared and I had no energy, no motivation left in me. Yet I kept murmuring in your ears. A night passed. Then a heard the door being banged. I got so scared that it was them. I started shivering again. Then by banging and breaking someone opened the door. I was shivering and shaking. I had you in my lap and I kept staring at the door breaking slowly. All scared. Then two men managed to break open the door. They were fully dressed in black. Even their mouths were covered with black cloth. Then they shoved me up and took your body. One of then called one more person and 2 of them took you while one more guy carried me out all shivering and shaking. I could not even stand. The man in black ushered me outside and was with me till I sat in an ambulance. You were fled to the hospital in another ambulance. I too was taken to the hospital. I did not know where you went after that. That’s all the story is about. I have not done anything out of the way to save your life.” I did not know in what words I could thank her. I did not know how I could ever repay her for this. I was silent for most of the dinner and so was she. On our way back to drop her to her home she started crying uncontrollably. “What happened Surbhi. Please tell me. Surbhi what happened. Did I hurt your feelings? Did I say something wrong?” I panicked. “Nothing. Nothing.It’s fine. I just think of that day and get scared that’s all. Thanks for the dinner. My house is right there. Bye.” “Are you sure you’re fine? Ill drop you till your flat.” “I’m OK. Thanks for the lift.” I dropped her and went home. After that day I realized those dreams…they were the words which Surbhi kept muttering in my ears. Slowly..but loud enough to register them in my brain. It was the same girl who had saved my life who I had insulted so badly when she had asked me out in my first year. It was the same girl who left engineering because I had also slapped her in front of an entire crowd in the canteen way back then and then she had left the college. I had not realized kid dish love back then. All my contact with her was shut after that. The same girl had come to my rescue. The next day I went back to Taj. I went to her and asked her out for dinner again. She refused this time. “As I understand you wanted to thank me for saving your life. Now you need not ask me for dinner again and again. I feel I’ve been repaid back by you enough. Thanks you for everything.” “No Surbhi…it’s not about thanking you. I…I want to genuinely take you out for dinner. It’s not just about thanking you.” “I said I won’t come. Do I have to say the same in any other words? Am I not understood enough?” “But Surbhi…I apologize for what I did to you in first year…I’m really sorry…I was immature back then..i did not know how to handle it. Surbhi can’t you spare me some of your time?” “It’s not about first year. I’m done with all dinners left in my life.” I did not know what to say. For the next 2 weeks I kept going to Taj and I kept asking her for dinner. She kept saying no every time. I was not going to lose. I had to win her. Finally she agreed. But told me this was going to be one last time that she would have dinner with me. But this time she was very different at dinner. She hardly spoke. Rather last time too she had spoken just about the incident and a few words here and there. But this time she had a weird sadness in her. “What’s the matter Surbhi…you’re quiet.” “Nothing.” She replied and was quiet again. “Surbhi I can help you out.” “Oh..you can help me out?” she asked me sarcastically. I looked at her face. “Sure then…bring me back my boyfriend which those b******* killed that night. He was a very good man. Then why did they kill him? Why wasn’t I in the kitchen instead of the lobby? Maybe I would have saved him instead of you. Bring me back all my friends who were killed that night.” Saying this she started crying. I wanted to help her out. But I was silent and at loss of words. All I did was hugged her tightly. That night we both did not say anything to each other again. Why are we innocent people a subject to all this? What is our mistake? We earn so that we can feed our family and see them happy. We are not here to be an object of terrorism. Not here so that they can devastate our lives like this forever. I left her at her home that night. I could understand how hollow she would be feeling. As if every need to live life was over. As if living life without the person you loved was not a need anymore. It was better to die instead. And I knew I had to get her out if this trauma. I met her every day after that day. I spent entire evenings with her trying to divert her attention and trying to make her forget everything. Eventually she started forgetting those incidents with time and I started falling in love with her. I proposed to her and she too accepted my proposal after much persuasion. We got married later but she has vowed that she will have a good night’s sleep only after she evacuates terrorism totally from the world. Please help her everyone. It’s for the benefit of every Mumbaikar, every Indian, and every citizen of the world. Help us curb terrorism. |
| Hemangi Gogari |
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