Time Travel

Churchgate to Grant Road
Bandra to Juhu
Andheri to Dadar
Park Street to Rabindra Sadan
Writer's Building to Bow Bazaar

I walk. I see places. I see people. I see faces.
My new passion. Capturing all these. Etching them on my memories.
As I start this new series, naming it Time Travel, I put before you the time that passed by my eyes. Expressing time with pictures and a thousand words. Words. Giving the time its words.
I put before you the stories of the time travelers.

Bon Voyage.

Uninspired

 

सोच रहा हु
कि सोच की स्याही में
लिख डालूं सब ख्याल मन के
पर दिखता है तो सिर्फ अँधेरा
और बीच बीच में बिजली का कड़कना  

खिड़की खोल के देखा
छम छम बारिश की बूँदें खिड़की की सिलो पे नाच रही थीं
अरे, यह क्या! कैलेंडर पे नज़र डाला
नवम्बर का ही महिना था
आसमान पे बादल घिरे हुए थे
और मन सुन्न हुआ चला था

Its raining like it should when winter is standing knocking at the door. In these times, while everyone is busy searching for a shelter to avoid the untimely rains I am looking out for inspirations. For putting down words on the paper. For laughing. For going to sleep. For waking up. Heck, I am looking for an inspiration even to have a thought. Much have I read about the state of thoughtlessness, the state where the mind is totally blank, void of any thoughts. And now as it hits me, I know how it feels first hand. And no song no music, no...no words can bring them back to life.
So what do I do for this? I set out on an unplanned trip to a land people call the place of infinite muses. I listen to music. I talk to new people. I make new friends. I even spend a few evenings wandering. Wandering aimlessly. For hours. Looking for an inspiration. But it escapes me every time. As this famous Guns & Roses goes, 

Do you need some time...on your own

Do you need some time...all alone

Everybody needs some time...on their own

Don't you know you need some time...all alone

I know it's hard to keep an open heart

When even friends seem out to harm you

But if you could heal a broken heart

Wouldn't time be out to charm you

 And as I look out for it in the words I write I just see meaningless congregation of characters, put together like an anomaly! Like the November Rain! At peace. But uninspired.

ख़ामोशी

 मेरी ट्रेन बांद्रा पे आकर रुकी थी

स्टेशन पर मैंने फिर उन दोनों को देखा

रोज़ देखता हूँ

अगले प्लेटफ़ॉर्म पर चर्चगेट फास्ट का इंतज़ार करते हैं दोनों

किसी कॉलेज के छात्र हैं शायद.

सीढ़ी के पास वाले बेंच पर बैठकर

भीड़ से अनजान दोनों

एक दुसरे के बातों में उलझे रहते हैं

किस्से कहानियां हसना हँसाना

रोज़ देखता हूँ

मेरी ट्रेन बांद्रा पे आके रुकी थी

सिग्नल नहीं मिला था आज

स्टेशन पर मैंने फिर उन दोनों को देखा

रोज़ देखता हूँ 

अगले प्लेटफ़ॉर्म पे बेंच पर बैठे थे दोनों

वोही भीड़ थी, जिससे दोनों अनजान थे

वही हंसी थी, वही किस्से

आज उन्हें कुछ देर तक मैं देखता रहा

वह साइन लेंगुएज का प्रयोग कर रहे थे

मेरी ट्रेन चल पड़ी

काफी देर तक सोचता रहा

खामोश रहकर भी वह ख़ुशी बाँट रहे हैं

और हम...

बात करते हैं तोह

लोग रोते हैं, लोग मरते हैं

Each day as my train halts at the Bandra station, I see two friends. Oblivious of the crowd, immersed in their own world. Laughing. Smiling. At times, Giggling. 

Today my train had been at the station for a little too long. They were sitting there as usual. It was today that I saw them using sign language. 

Made me think. Their disability in no way stopped them from sharing happiness.

And us with the 'gift'?

When we speak. People Cry. People Die.

एक सपना है

एक सपना है, जिसे आँखों में भरे ना जाने कहाँ उड़ चला हु में
एक सपना है, जिसे देख कर पंख उग आये हैं पीठ पे

हकीकत तो कबकी बिखर चुकी है टूट कर
एक सपना है, जिसे बनाया है उन टुकड़ों को जोड़ कर

एक सपना है, जिसमे मैं उड़ने के सपने देखता हूँ 
एक सपना है, जिसमे मैं सारे सपने देखता हूँ 

एक सपना ही तो है, जो मेरा सपना है
एक सपना ही तो है, जिसे कहता हूँ, मेरा अपना है

अब बस एक बार आखें मूँद लूं तो चल सकूँ ज़मीन पर |

There is a Dream, which takes me miles high into the sky

There is a Dream, seeing which wings have grown on my back

Reality, hah! It has been shatterred for long

There is a Dream, I have created from those broken shards

There is a Dream, in which I Dream of touching the Sky

There is a Dream, in which I Dream all my dreams

This is the dream, which I have been dreaming

This is the dream, which I call my own

Just once let me close my eyes, so that I can put my feet on the Ground!

They say that our dreams define us. They say our dreams are what we are. I too have defined myself through a dream. A dream I cherish more than the reality. A dream in which I lived a million lives. A dream in which I have died more so. A dream built from the pieces of broken reality. 

A dream morphing from sobriety to insanity. 

A dream. My vanity.

A dream. My Reality.

आईने में वह चेहरा

सदियों तक इस आईने में मैं

किसी ना किसी को तलाशता रहा,

कभी कोई कलाकार या कोई प्रेमी,

कभी कोई विद्वान या कोई पागल.

हमेशा कोई चेहरा पाया सामने

कोई और चेहरा...

अनजान सा, उदास था,

बेचैन था, बेताब सा

एक खोखला सा ढांचा है ये चेहरा

दिन गया, चेहरा नया

नए पोशाक में, जग को हंसाया...

लोग मिलते गए, ये बदलता गया

पर आज, मैंने आइना खाली पाया

शायद आज मैंने खुद को देखा है

For ages, I have looked in the mirror,

Searching for Someone or the other,

Sometimes I met an Artist or some Lover,

Sometimes someone Wise Or someone Crazy.

I have always found a face within,

Some other face,

Unknown, was Sad,

Was Restless, Impatient.

This face is a hollow mould,

Changed as the day passes,

Changed costumes, spread happiness around,

Met people, changed colours along the way.

But today, I found the Mirror to be blank.

May be, I saw myself.

Yesterday when I looked into the mirror, I saw nothing. I was perplexed yet was relieved. Relieved to know that I finally have stopped looking for someone else within me. Relieved that I have started becoming myself again. What I am. Who I am. Relieved that the Mirror is not showing any more Mirages.

The Face in the Mirror.

Bhristi Pore, tapur tupur...

Tapur. Tupur. Tapur. Tupur.
Wet Roads. Umbrellas. Full of Colour.
Cool wind flowing by. Imagine.

मौझ्वा करे क्या जाने, हमको इशारा
जाना कहाँ है पूछे, नदिया की धरा
मर्ज़ी है तुम्हारी, ले जाओ जिस और
जियरा रे झूमे रे ऐसे रे जैसे बनमा नाचे मोर

सावन का महिना, पवन करे सोर
जियरा रे झूमे ऐसे, जैसे बनमा नाचे मोर

This gorgeous and soulful melody weaved by Laxmikant Pyarelal in the words of Anand Bakshi conjure up the magic of Rains.
Rain. A weather romantics awaits. A weather which brings such incredible melodies to life. A weather which itself sings the song of life.
Just a few days back, I decided to take a walk on the Marine Drive. And it was raining heavily that evening. Raining from the heavens. O, what an evening it was. I was walking alone, but felt like someone has been walking with me on that road for ages! And this song had been reverberating in my mind!

जिनके बालम बैरी, गए हैं बिदेसवा
आये हैं लेके उनके, प्यार का संदेसवा
काली मात वारी घथाये घनघोर
जियरा रे झूमे ऐसे जैसे बनमा नाचे मोर
सावन का महिना, पवन करे सोर
जियरा रे झूमे ऐसे, जैसे बनमा नाचे मोर

It felt like deja vu. It felt like I have been there ages before. I felt lost. Yet I felt that I knew the place inside out. I could see my footsteps all over the road. The road wet with vivid memories of a similar rainy evening. The green grass. The dripping leaves. The Moist zephyr soothing the senses. I felt like I was living the imagination, the dream of some poet praising the rain through their colours.

रिम झिम गिरे सावन, सुलग सुलग जाए मन
भीगे आज इस मौसम में, लगी कैसी ये अगन

पहले भी यूं तो बरसे थे बादल,
पहले भी यूं तो भीगा था आँचल
अब के बरस क्यूँ सजन, सुलग सुलग जाए मन
भीगे आज इस मौसम में, लगी कैसी ये अगन

With Kishore Kumar singing in the background, Pancham And Yogesh stirring the heavens to pour magic, it feels that the rains have washed the soul of all the earthly dirt and left only pure love. As I kept walking through the path trodden at some point of time in history, I felt like a child. A child searching for a piece of paper. So that he can build a boat at set sail in the dreamy rain.
And how can the description of an rainy evening be complete without Gulzar. And this was another song playing that evening when I was having a walk through the lanes of my Dreams. A Lata ji song with Pancham touch to it...

अब के ना सावन बरसे,
अब के बरस तो बरसेंगी अँखियाँ

जाने कैसे आब के यह मौसम बीते
बीतेगी जो तेरे बिन,वह कब बीते
तेरे बिना सावन सुनने
तेरे बिना अब्ब तोह यह मनन तरसे

Yesterday...

याद है, एक दिन मेरे मेज़ पे बैठे बैठे
सिगरेट की डिबिया पर तुमने
छोटे से एक पौधे का एक
स्केट्च बनाया था
आकर देखो, उस पर फूल आया है |

These beautiful words by Gulzar can be translated as,

"Remember, the other day while sitting at my desk,
you had sketched a tiny plant on the cigarette box,
come and see, a flower has bloomed on it"

The other day. Seems so like Yesterday. There was a time when I used to look up to that Yesterday. The past. How I used to idolize Yesterday. So much so that all my dreams resided in yesterday. I hoped that my tomorrow would resemble my yesterday. I was unaware of the lovely flower that has bloomed today. I was blind to the magic that tomorrow would unravel. And the rains changed it all. The experience of the first showers in Mumbai after a really long time has opened a whole new window for me. A window through which I can view the beauty of tomorrow. A window on whose sill I can sit and watch the rain drops soak the world in a blanket of freshness. Where I can feel the soothing zephyr take me to a world of joy. To a world where the past dissolves into a Future of the dreams. where the dreams are not hollow.

So, with the onset of rains, I took a permanent seat on this window sill. Joined a class to learn a skill. Set-up a workstation right in my room. Continuing the over-haul I had planned out last month. Continuing the change I had dreamt of. Not of yesterday. But of tomorrow.

With the hope that Tomorrow will be a better than Yesterday.

ज़रा आकर देखो तो, उस पौधे पर फूल आया है |

 

Refugees of the Road.

आते जाते खूबसूरत आवारा सडकों पे
कभी कभी इत्तेफाक से
कितने अनजान लोग मिल जाते हैं
उन में से कुछ लोग भूल जाते हैं
कुछ याद रह जाते हैं |

While travelling through these beautiful yet nomadic roads,
Sometimes coincidentally we meet some strangers...
Some, we tend to forget, but there are some who leave an indelible mark in our lives....

These words by Anand Bakshi, beautifully sung by Kishore da talk of a profound truth of life. Of life's endless journeys. And how we meet interesting people along the way. No, they are not friends, neither are they acquaintances. But they become an important part of you life.

I have been travelling on the life-line of Mumbai everyday for about a month now. Everyday has been a new experience for me. Everyday I see new faces. Everyday a maddening rush. A peerless fury. A screeching cacophony.

In all this randomness, I have been lucky to discover a pattern. A face. A Person. Who boards the train nearly same time everyday. In the same compartment. And stands right infront of me. An occasional glance, a shared smile. This is all that is exchanged. But still the face remains what it is. A face. Probably in his late 50s. I don't know the name of the person. Neither do I know his destination.  Everyday upon reaching the platform, I look for this familiar face in the crowd. And am relieved upon finding him. And this has become a routine for every day of the week. But its nothing less than a miracle. In times when it takes years or even lives to become familiar to someone, an unique friendship germinating without words, which is something that words would never be able to explain. Infact, words would take away the sanctity of the moment.

But today, as I rushed to the station to catch the Andheri 0851 Slow, I didnot find this face. Looked out for some time. Probably I was late. Probably he was. Probably he took a leave from work. Many possibilities ran through my mind till the train arrived. And my day went on. With a blip. With a glitch. But not without hopes of tomorrow. Hopes of a familiar tomorrow.

This Maddening Madness...

  

 

“Aisa paagalpan nahin chalega… Yeh lyrics hain? Kal Times of India uthake le aogey aur kahoge issi pe dhun banana hain…”

This is how R. D. Burman first reacted when he read the page given to him by Gulzar. "This madness won't work...You call these lyrics?? Tomorrow you pick up the Times of India and say lets' compose a tune out of this..."

Indeed it was Madness. The Madness which gave birth to the evergreen song 

'Mera Kuch Saaman, Tumhare Pass Pada Hai...' with words such as,

एक सौ सोलह चाँद की रातें, एक तुम्हारे काँधे का तिल

or probably

पतझड़ है कुछ…है ना?
पतझड़ में कुछ पत्तों के गिरने की आहात
कानों में एक बार पहन के लौट आई थी
पतझड़ की वह शाख अभी तक काँप रही है
वह शाख गिरा दो, मेरा वह सामान लौटा दो |

Just an ensemble of meaningless words...weaving such deep a meaning! Madness indeed it is. 

What is this madness? For me, this madness is going to sleep at an unearthly time. And waking up even later...just to fuel the insane passion. This madness is to completely overhaul the life. This madness is to get back the person I once was. And this madness is to make the dreams real.
This Madness is trying to find meaning in this cacophony. This Madness is trying to find meaning in this silence.
It is this madness that has kept me going this long. It is this madness that has made me who I am today.
So, why do people say this insanity, this madeness is deleterious? Why do they do all in their power to curb this madness labeling them a menace to the society? And why do these 'sane' people not dream mad dreams or imagine crazy things?
It is these mad crazy things that have led to the birth of numerous ideas and subsequent tryst with reality. Be it the idea of relativity, that of the universe or heck...this computer I am using to put forth my madness.
So, no matter how mad or insane it sounds...no matter how crazy it looks...or no matter what other people say...never stop that madness within you. Cause it is that madness which is the only hope for keeping you going on and on and on.
Madness. Isn't it?

   

MUMBAI : Part 2: Things NOT to DO.

Continuing from my previous post, here is the Second Part of the Two on my city.
Borrowed from Satish Vijaykumar's blog post: Bombaylives.com

Things NOT to do in Mumbai:

1. Get into a Virar train if you are going to Borivali
2. Avoid Taxis outside Dadar & Kurla stations all are chors.
3. Eat Bhel at Kailash Parbat
4. Call a cop ‘Pandu’
5. Argue with a Koli Fisherwoman
6. Get a 11 Rupee massage at Girgaum Chowpatty
7. Call a BEST bus driver ‘Bablia’
8. Buy enhancement medicines from Van – Travelling Hakims who are the desi versions of the flying doctors
9. Look smart while visiting Chor Bazaar
10. Avoid asking the Sandwich wallah on Dalal Street for market tips
11. Stand in front of Amitabh/shahrukh/salmaan’s house — u look stupid and its waste of time
12. Baba Bengalis are neither Baba’s or Bengalis they are all perverts and thugs
13. Visit sleazy Video Parlours and get caught in a raid
14. Get excited and start jumping when someone offers you Paanch ka Dollar, it’s just a tiny 5 Rupee coin
15. Go for a Shiv Sena rally in hope for a Free Vada Pav and Shiv Sena Banian
16. Stare at Koli Women in Gorai and Make fun of Kolis in their Kasti
17. While commuting don’t tease people shitting near the tracks, they throw stones back at the train
18. Hang outside the train, Poles might hit you before the crowds will.
19. Tease a Hijra.
20. Bribe a Porter to grab a seat in V.T, chances are he might run off with your money and even beat you.
21. Get conned at Fountain from Guys selling cheap Mobiles, they mesmerize and wrap soap bars.
22. Avoid pimps behinds Mondegar & Pasta Lanes.
23. Donate money to the Crying Cab driver, he has conned thousands.
24. Invite Brass Polishwalas into your house
25. Sit for more than 20 mins extra at an Irani Café, the Bawa owner might shout some sister abuses.
26. Drink Neera at 5 pm at Dadar Station
27. Have lassi outside Dadar Station (west), they add Tissue Paper while preparing it
28. Throw stones at monkeys in Borivali National Park
29. Loiter around in Shivaji Park on Dec 6th.
30. Ask for a bargain at the Maharastrian Cloth store in Dadar.
31. Call up 26407383 Beanbags thinking it’s an escort service.
32. Call a Maharastrian guy Bhaiya, no matter how respectful you mean.
33. Go to Mondegar and ask for a Jain Pav Bhaji
34. Look straight and walk, We have open Manholes, flicked by Druggies.
35. Wear Brown Khakis shirts, People will mistake you for BMC staff.
36. Ask for Warranty & Guarantee from the Mallu Electronic stalls in Fountain area.
37. Search for the Kala Ghoda in Kala Ghoda.
38. Ask why statues in Bombay have one finger pointed like Umpires.
39. Apply Rai ka Tel on your head and travel by public transport.
40. Go to Chor Bazaar in your Car or Bike.
41. Wear nice footwear to SiddiVinayak or Mahalakshmi Temple
42. Go to Haji Ali during high tides
43. Go to work when a Shiv Sena bandh is on.
44. Dial 100 for fun, Cops will put your entire family behind bars and use bars.
45. Buy water & tea for Chai-Pani, Old Monk should work.
46. Fall asleep on the Harbour Line, Thieves will strip you of everything.
47. Eat Missal / Ussal Pav before going to work.
48. Board a fast train in Dadar to go to Bandra. Opposite platforms and a very horrible crowd
49. Go for midnight mass thinking you can patao chicks
50. give money to bhikari (he is the same guy who is @siddhivinayak on Tuesday, @mahim church wed, @mahim dargah on Thursday, and @hajiali on Friday, @mount mary on Sunday)
51. Go to an Orchestra Bar, its nothing but the local banjo party guys in better clothes
52. Talk to a Gujju for more than 10 mins, he will start playing garba with you
53. Go to Versova beach, its full of shit and methi plants
54. Join any friendship club, its like inviting blackmailers.
55. Go to Bhagwathi hospital in Borivali
56. Pronounce Sandhurst correctly, Sandas Rd makes more sense.
57. Ask where is the Chinch in Chinchpokli or Chincholi
58. Trouble naughty couples in the A/c Buses
59. Go for morning show in sidey theatre expecting sleazy action, you might encounter  khudkushi action around you.
60. Travel from Andheri to Ghatkopar by Bus, the bus is full of pickpockets.
61. Travel ticketless  on Friday, If you are caught Anadi court is a big torture.
62. Wear a Red tie or red handkerchief and stand near Gateway or Radio Club, its a gigolo symbol
63. Give 100 bucks to a conductor and expect him to give you change, he will sadistically torment you till the last stop.
64. Buy cheap booze in Churchgate Subway and get caught by cops for not having permits
65. Buy Crackers from Essabhai, Crawford Market and travel in train
66. Go to National park with your GF/Wife and take the jungle route Robbers & Adivasis might loot you.
67. Ask for free Chakna in bars, its history since Aug 2, 2008
68. Go to Voodoo’s on Saturday, its the only Gay bar between Istanbul and Bangkok
69. Go to Navy Nagar and think you can buy booze for cheap.
70. Try to play all the instruments at Furtado’s in Dhobi Talao
71. Stand close to the platform when the Rajdhani is passing, a sonic and nuclear blast of fart, shit and farsan will hit you.
72. Ask for extra chutney and sambhar in Udupi hotels.
73. Visit Ganga Jamuna in Tardeo thinking its a holy place.
74. Assume that booksellers in Fountains are dumbo’s, they know their Pulitzers and Bookers more than us.
75. Take the driving test, paying 300 bucks makes more sense.
76. Do a court marriage in Bandra court.
77. Count the numbers of floors of Oberoi towers just because Amitabh did.
78. Bet against India in a game, Australia is the safest option.
79. Get scared and not gamble in the McDowell Derby at Mahalaksmi Race Course.
80. Note down prices or take Photos at Alfa in Irla
81. Buy 100 bucks Windcheaters from Churchgate, they are all the ones recycled by the Bhandiwalis
82. Search for Tigers in Borivali National Park, It’s the other way Tigers & Panthers will find you
83. Search the roads & gutters of Chira Bazaar & Opera House hoping to find diamonds just because the newspapers claim so.
84. All the things mentioned are NOT to be DONE in Bombay.

And as I said in the previous post, this list is in no way comprehensive but nevertheless, I would like to thank the persons for compiling this list and would do my bit to update it by adding new points.

MUMBAI : Part 1: Things to DO.

As I get ready to live the next phase of my life, and am sure many of you will be in a similar state, I narrate a thing or two about the city which has been my home for the better part of my life. The city which I have loved so dearly. And the city that, as they say, never sleeps. At this point, I can't help but borrow this wonderful compilation by Zishaan. This is the First of the Two posts:

Things to DO in Mumbai:

1. Get high on qawwali at Haji Ali
2. Spot a celebrity at Juhu PVR
3. Sit down on the steps of Asiatic Society library
4. Crane your neck to see the Bombay Stock Exchange building
5. Spot a leopard in IIT Bombay campus. If you can't, then spot a girl
6. Enjoy a play in Prithvi Theatre
7. Enjoy the NCPA in a play or opera
8. Find some calm around the Banganga tank
9. Haggle for non-antiques in Chor Bazaar
10. Face the high tide on Worli seaface
11. Bet money on race horses at the Royal Western India Turf Club, Mahalaxmi
12. Dangle your feet, lean back on your palms and enjoy the sea from the Marine Drive promenade
13. Go for a heritage walk in the Naval Dockyard (first Sunday every month, Indian nationals only)
14. Explore the Sanjay Gandhi national park. A national park in city limits? Oh yeah!
15. Soak in the Victoria Terminus
16. Watch DDLJ at Maratha Mandir
17. Party at Hard Rock Cafe and mourn for a minute the death of mills around Parel
18. Jog on Juhu beach
19. Sit on a tetropod at Nariman Point in midnight till police constables shoo you away
20. Stand still on flyover bridge at Dadar station and watch the crowd whiz by you
21. Find out who is grittier. You or Crawford market?
22. Find the Fort wall
23. Ride the Victoria on Marine Drive. Yeah, cheesy, we know
24. Discover the city's Jewish connection at Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue
25. Watch sunset over Aksa beach in Madh Island
26. Discover the underbelly of Bombay in Dharavi
27. Stay for a night at Taj Mahal Palace hotel. You definitely want to tick off this luxury address for the oh-I-stayed-there-for-a-while conversations, don't you?
28. Catch the national madness of cricket in Oval Maidan
29. Read a Bombay book (Suketu Mehta's Maximum City?) in Azaad Maidan
30. Cheer a football match at Cooperage ground
31. Bury your nose in books for hours at Strand
32. Stroll in Bombay University
33. Climb the airport boundary wall in Kurla to gain phenomenal views of Boeings
34. Swoon at a concert in Bandra Kurla complex
35. Gaze at the Queen's Necklace from the Hanging Gardens at dusk
36. Hunt for antique furniture (real or fake?) in Oshiwara
37. Hike up the Mazgaon Hill
38. Buy books from roadsides around Flora Fountain
39. Envy the private palaces of Malabar Hill
40. Party on a ferry in the Arabian Sea off Gateway of India
41. Take a break from the city. Vasai offers the ramparts of Bassein fort, ruins of Portugese churches and East Indian food
42. Trek in Sahayadris
43. Say hello to the fauna at Byculla zoo
44. Buy a camera from D N Road's gray market
45. Dare the red light district of Kamatipura
46. Guess what RFID system they use to tag clothes at the Dhobi Ghat
47. Take a power nap at David Sassoon Library
48. Catch movies at art-deco cinemas: Regal (1933), Eros (1938), Metro (1938)
49. Bow your head before city's famous deities: Mumbadevi, Mahalaxmi, Walkeshwar, Siddhivinayak, Iskcon
50. Dine where Shahrukh Khans and Ness Wadias dine: Olive, Indigo
51. Feel the sufi mysticism at dargahs of Haji Ali and Maqdoom Ali Mahimi
52. Shop at the Bandra boutiques or if they are too expensive, give Hill Road or Fashion Street a shot
53. Gape at famous residences: Shahrukh Khan's Mannat, Amitabh Bachhan's Jalsa
54. Discover theatre scene in the city at venues other than Prithvi and NCPA: Sophia Bhabha Hall, Breach Candy; St Andrews, Bandra W; Rangsharda Auditorium, Bandra W; Ravindra Natya Mandir Hall, Prabhadevi; Gadkari Rangayatan, Thane W; Shivaji Mandir; Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan, Chaupaati; Tejpal Hall, Grant Road
55. Explore the Powai and Vihar lakes
56. Visit the museums: Prince of Wales, Monetary, Modern Art, Mani Bhavan
57. Admire the British era architecture in Fort: Churchgate station, Western Railway headquarters, High Court, General Post Office, Telegraph Office, Police Headquarters
58. Learn about the rock-cut architecture: Elephanta, Kanheri, Mahakali and Karla caves
59. Explore the churches: Gloria Church, Byculla, Portugese; Mt Mary Church, Bandra W, Portugese, 1640; St Michaels Church, Mahim, 1565, rebuilt 1973; St Thomas Cathedral, Flora Fountain, 1718; Wodehouse Church, Colaba, 20th century; Afghan Church, Navy Nagar, Colaba, 1858; Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar W, Portugese, 19th century; St John Baptist, Seepz, 1579; St Peter's Church, Bandra, 1852, rebuilt 1938; St Andrew's Church, Bandra, Portugese, 1575
60. Check out an art exhibition: Jehangir Art Gallery, Fort; Tao Art Gallery, Worli; Piramal Art Gallery, Nariman Point
61. Buy fish at Sassoon Docks, Cuffe Parade or Dockyard Road, Mazgaon
62. Find the forts of Bombay: Bombay Castle, Fort; Castella de Aguada, Bandra; Madh Fort, Versova; Mahim Fort, Mahim; Sion Fort, Sion; Sewri Fort, Sewri; Worli Fort, Worli
63. Buy a vintage bollywood poster in Mini Market or Lamington Road
64. Getaway to the beaches around Bombay: Alibag, Kashid, Murud, Nagaon
65. Travel to places overnight: Goa, Ajanta Ellora, Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Khandala and Lonavala
66. Discover the charm of marble tabletops, bentwood chairs and irani chai at Parsi cafes
67. Catch behind the scenes action at a Bollywood studio
68. Loft the ball for a six in your neighborhood 'galli' cricket but make sure you don't break any window panes
69. Silently stare at the Towers of Silence and Agiaries
70. Shadow the dabbawalas for one full day
71. Walk through a koliwada
72. Ride a vintage lift in a 100 year old building
73. Travel in a local train. How about the Virar Fast?
74. Ride a double decker bus. Isn't Bombay the only city where they still run them?
75. If you have made it to a penthouse in Bombay, you might as well enjoy the view
76. Drink cutting chai, eat vada pav
77. Gorge on late night sandwiches in Juhu
78. Sip some wine at an expensive seaside restaurant: Vie Lounge, Juhu; Dome, Intercontinental, Marine Drive; Aurus, Juhu; Salt Water Grill, Girgaum Chaupaati; Bayview Bar, Nariman Point
79. Figure what all the fuss is about having a beer in Mondegar or Leopold
80. Jack you car bonnet using a cold-drink bottle and eat kababs at Bade Miyan in Taj's back alley
81. Walk the nostalgic streets of Kotachiwadi and pay a tribute to Anant Ashram - once the mecca of fine and authentic East Indian cuisine
82. Eat a Gujrati-Marwari thali at Friends Union Joshi club in Kalbadevi
83. Smoke a hookah at roof-top restaurant Koyla in the Arab quarters of Colaba
84. Eat South Indian fare in Matunga
85. Eat pav bhaji, pani puri, bhel puri, sev puri at Girgaum Chaupaati
86. Chew a paan outside Shoppers Stop, Bandra W
87. Indulge yourself with fruity flavors of Naturals ice cream. And if it's summer, try a cup of alfonso mangoes with malai ice cream
88. Learn out the art of ordering tea in a streetside cafe. "Ek paani kum dena."
89. Drink Kingfisher, Cobra or Zingaro in your neighborhood look-alike bar of Nightlovers
90. Try the green chilli ice cream at Bachelorrs
91. Swing to some live music as you enjoy your continental meal at Not Just Jazz By The Bay. Do pay attention to the witty hoarding outside as you leave the place
92. Run the Bombay Marathon (Jan)
93. Enjoy the Kala Ghoda arts festival (Feb)
94. Cheer 'Mumbai Indians' in an IPL cricket match at Wankhede statdium (May-Jun)
95. Get drenched to the bone while biking in the monsoons (Jul-Sep)
96. Sing "Govinda aala re aala" as 40 feet high human pyramids take the prized matka (Aug-Sep)
97. Get lost in the crowds of Ganesh Chaturthi (Sep)
98. Watch thousands of pink flamingos in the mangroves at Sewri (Nov-May)
99. Eat nihari, kababs and sweetmeats around Masjid on the eve of Eid (Ramzan)
100. Run a 'free hug' campaign. This is Bombay, meri jaan!

 Of course the list is not exhaustive but will give a pretty good idea about my city.

एक बार और...

उड़ के जाते हुए पंछी ने बस इतना ही देखा,
देर तक हाथ हिलाती रही वह शाख फिज़ा में,
अलविदा कहने को? या पास बुलाने के लिए?

Flying away, the bird could just see one thing,
The branch was waving for a long time in the breeze
Was it to bid good bye? Or call her near?

And yet again, the moment arrives, when we pack our memories and bid adieu to this place which has been our haven for the past two years.
When we make promises that we shall meet again. One more time.
When we sing and dance together. One more time.
Bask in the glory of this momentary farewell. One more time.
Knowing that we shall meet yet again. And shall grace the stage. One more time.
We shall live in these memories. And in this break of a new dawn, we shall live to relive these moments again.
And write new memories as we had when we had once written.
It is time to look forward and not look back as we embark on a new journey with some old bonds.

26/03/2010

Last night we dreamt under the candle light...
Wake up, now that another era comes to its end...

पिछले रात हमने पिघलते मोमबत्ती की रौशनी में कई सपने देखें |
अभी जाग जाओ, कि एक और कड़ी ख़त्म हो चली है ||

The Contagious Joy...

क्या हुआ तेरा वादा
वह कसम, वह इरादा
भुलेगा दिल जिस दिन तुम्हें
वह दिन ज़िन्दगी का आखरी दिन होगा |

An enchanting song from the movie Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi, one of my favorites...superbly composed by Panchamda and Beautifully rendered by Mohd. Rafi. Am sure most of you have heard it. But just yesterday as I was humming this tune...I observed a magic being weaved. I have seen this happen a million times before, but this time, I actually paid heed to the power of music.

Close your eyes and for a moment, picture yourself in a crowded train, a jam-packed bus, as a part of that crowd, the crowd in which some unknown voice was humming that tune. The voice fades away, but the tune remains. And it ends up on your lips. And it goes on till you infect someone else with that contagious hum.

Am sure everyone of us has had been a part of such a moment, at least once. I have. Almost everyday. Yesterday, as I hummed the tune, I passed by one of my friends, not much exchange of words, but he carried over the tune. And after some time, surprisingly I found another friend, around five blocks away humming the same tune. A cycle that was started by just a simple tune and it has touched by so many people, am sure not without making each of them smile for a moment. We all have heard of six degrees of separation. I feel this is much shorter, with everyone being separated just by a hum...a tune...a song...the music.

They say that music heals. They say that music has the power to stir up emotions within us. They say music can help us feel the beauty of nature. 

I believe music is pure Joy. And music helps spread the joy around.

So go on...

Hum a tune...

Sing a song...

Pass on the music...

Spread the Joy.

The Contagious Joy!

Painting the future..

  

Change. A term many are not comfortable with.  The changing moods. The changing wants. The changing dreams. The changing people. And the upheavals, the plans to resist the change. The futile attempts to hold on to the one thing that has worked hitherto. As I transcend into the new year, I feel the status quo changing. Everything around me seems to have a new tint to them. As I let go of my past haphazardly, I feel a need to protect my dreams. For I feel they will be swayed away with the changes. Mauled and mutilated as all my hopes have been. But hopes can grow back. The dreams are what define me. So here I am. Beaten black and blue, trying to protect my Dreams. And have finally decided to let the struggle go. And so far it has been working for me. With the conflict gone, I have been able to see the world with rose glasses. Have been able to look at the aspects which earlier were not visible. New bonds earlier non-existing. New places to visit. New cuisines to taste. Infact, am discovering new traits in me previously dormant. Have begun to look at the future with new set of colours. Not just in sets of Black, white and gray! Colours so real that the future shall be more than merely a make believe. Colours so vivid that the memories I shall make henceforth shall be more recent than an aged sepia photograph! And these are the memories I really want to cherish. It indeed is true that one must preserve the old photographs. But here I am, planning to frame the photographs, and hang them on my wall!

As I transcend into the new year, I have finally found the Joy. The Joy of the laughs we share with our friends. The Joy when we watch a movie and actually feel one with it. The Joy when David Gilmour pulls up the solo for comfortably numb! The Joy. Found only in the small things. And I finally have found the capability to appreciate the small things that have been all around me all my life. The small things, thus far of no consequence, now filled with life. And its these small things I want my future to be painted with. Not some far fetched treasure. Not some hollowness. Not some lie. 

As I embark on this journey to my future, I want to borrow these words from the immortal Sahir Ludhianvi:

मैं ज़िन्दगी का साथ निभाता चला गया

हर फ़िक्र को धुंए में उडाता चला गया |

बरबादियों का सोग मनाना फ़िज़ूल था

बरबादियों का जश्न मनाता चला गया |

जो मिल गया उसी को मुक़द्दर समझ लिया

जो खो गया में उसको भुलाता चला गया |

ग़म और ख़ुशी में फर्क ना महसुस हो जहाँ

मैं दिल को उस मुकाम पे लाता चला गया|