There's always next time...

“Have feet, will dance” read my status on facebook. Next day, I could see thumps up from my women friends, albeit for different reasons; to some it sounded fun, to some it sounded a way to stay in shape, to some a way to break monotony. I barely moved to a new city lock, stock and barrel two weeks ago, not even settled yet and here, I was thinking of joining dance classes after reading the ad in the newspaper, something I never did before. Timings were little odd and I had to ensure that I could find a babysitter that could sail me through those 1.5 hours 2 times a week. Luck helped, everything arranged, I found myself outside the classroom happy to find several last-minute enthusiasts like me. Jazz, the best dance form for beginners is what I would learn, we were informed. Great! After few minutes of introduction with the instructors and her assistant, when it was our turn to know each other, I realized I am the oldest member in the team, youngest being a 7th grade student. He and I are the unique ones, rest are all in teens or early Twenties. As they say, no pain no gain. Before dance comes fitness, which is attained through bit of warm up exercises, aerobics, yoga and then starts real dance movements, bit by bit. From numerics (1, 2,3 AND 4 to mathematical figures (circle), to verbs (throw, comb)..instructions hit you in all possible ways. Weeks flew by with a blink of eyes. Before the grand finale, we were asked to bring our parents. Even before I could taste how it feels to attend parents teacher meeting of my baby, here I was taking my daughter along as a guest of honor to meet my teacher and friends and see how I perform live. Yet-to-be-two, Navya, received standing ovation from everyone and was made to sit on a special chair with some cookies to munch on and let mama-student to learn through her next moves. While bidding adieu, teachers thanked me for bringing Navya along and making their day a special one. Before that class, I used to feel happy for the reason that I am doing something I always wanted to do but that moment on, I dance because I want to (no matter how imperfect it may be). I also learned when you want to do something, do it, so what if you missed the bus earlier, there’s always time to start afresh.

Shock and Awe

Ever got weathered down by too many emotions clogging your mind and overwhelming your senses that you get numb? I am going through such an ironical state of mind, benumbed by a very shocking incident and then its after math and then, points, counterpoints, arguments, counter arguments, allegations and counter allegations…buck has not stopped yet.

Recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the magnitude and form of devastation was too much to bear…but barely the traumatic hours got over that the dark side of democracy raised its ugly hood. Politicians barking unnecessarily, media over-sensationalizing the sensitive matter, attention seeking Page 3 celebrities pouring all over TV screens to grab 2-minute fame on national TV mouthing well-measured and well-rehearsed words to make the lasting impression, activists in khadi kurta/pyjama/saris raising never-ending list of points, intelligence agencies of the nation looking for corners to hide and then, turning their ire towards other agencies for lapse…

Darker still is the side of Secularism, the underdog of Communalism and now Regionalism. It’s refusing to end with Hindu-Muslim differences and the problems. Tons of chain mails are churning on the Internet to spread that Mumbai is suffering the most…Mumbaikars paying the price for giving shelter to Muslims, north Indians citing such examples and explanations that it could cause riots there and then; North Indians (read Biharis and UPiites) retaliating saying none talked about CST killings but talked about 5 star hotel killings only because CST killings were mainly of north Indians. And yes, there’s another angle also, that why so much of coverage to this terrorist attack and why so much if hue and cry over this attack compared to previous attacks…because this time rich and famous got hurt..that’s the only reason, who cares for common masses.

shut up….. Shut Up…..SHUT UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

I have yet to grieve over sorry state of affairs, I have yet to mourn the deaths of innocent lives…I have yet to sympathize with the families who lost their loved ones…but where’s the time…We are trapped in the quagmire of so many other things that it belittles everything including standing united against terrorism. We forgot that terror has no religion, that bombs don’t distinguish, that lives are not cheap or expensive. This time not only they took away priceless lives and our spirit but also shook us more from the roots widening the cracking gaps between us. True, sometimes you pay lofty price for lofty ideologies…what democracy, what secularism?

the WORLD is watching...

It was for no reason that all the eyes were on the Presidential elections of the US; the (self-appointed) superpower (even though going through troubled times on economic front) strong enough to send chilling shock waves of its downturn throughout the world. Then, how come the leadership change happening in the midst of turmoil would not create the buzz like never before. The verdict was more or less clear once Hillary (whom I personally wanted to see leading with the hope that it would bring some very embarrassing moments for Bill who ditched his wife…I guess you got the point…it’s the woman in me speaking plaintruth)…paved the way for Obama to take over reins…come on we all knew it, didn’t we? Why is it that anyone remotely related to/affected by his appointment rejoicing his win?

Change, a BIG CHANGE is what everyone wanted this time…from US to Timbuktu, everyone wanted to get rid off the negativity, pessimism, hopelessness that jinxed Bush administration had brought. Right from the war against Afghanistan, to Osama chase, to global economic mess up, to US struggling with dying soldiers, increasing unemployment (and please! For god’ sake let’s not find outsourcing as the scapegoat…we all know that 5 get hired in the salary of 1; so, it’s never 5 going unemployed against 5 who got job in less-privileged countries) and even these less-privileged countries are outsourcing to newly-discovered least-privileged countries). Anyways, let’s not deviate from the topic that what it means to the world to have Obama as the president…my guess is it’s hope, energy, optimism…

I am sure he must still be unpacking his stuff in Whitehouse (not literally, he’s the President of the superpower, remember) but the world’s eyes are already upon him as a savior who will undo all wrongdoings of Bush administration. Even US-obsessed India struggling with all time high inflation, worst-ever performance of stock market and fear of layoffs looming large over the private industry has caught up with Obama fever big time with PM elections around the corner…hoping that someone like Obama to be its savior. Would someone ask the hopefuls that what Obama has done till now to make them feel he’s a superhero? Don’t get me wrong, I am among millions, nay, billions, nay trillions of hopefuls who are waiting some miracle to happen but I still can’t help but notice that fact most of us are still (secretly) celebrating the win of previously-oppressed class…India feels it has some blood relation with Obama (I mean the feeling of this bonding coming so naturally to us as if Obama is our bandhu and would change Indo-US relations forever) and this is the BASIC reason of rejoice. This is the turning point. CHANGE…we all want to breakaway from what all wrong has happened during Bush regime…(it has affected the whole world directly/indirectly). I really wonder how this guy (Bush) will survive with so much hatred against him…Anyways…hopes are hopes and then there is reality. Hope this change proves to be the REAL change…hope are, as I said, hopes and then there is reality…Keeping my fingers crossed.

Social Animals: That's Us

Others might be having several reasons, some obvious and some not so obvious, to glue to TV sets for watching Bigg Boss. I developed interest in this show for 2 reasons. To begin with, there was nothing worth watching other than the same old dance reality shows or soap operas, which I avoid like a plague. But once I started watching it, I never failed to miss even a single episode (except our vacation where our policy is not watch to TV at all..don’t we, after all, go on vacation to clear up clutters in our lives, minds…). Second reason is difficult to admit because I never ever liked Shilpa Shetty but her stint with UK Big Boss gave this show a new lease of life and popularity.

So what it is that keeps me hooked? Is it celebrities? Oh! Please, give me a break…they are “NO” celebrities…they are neither nobodies nor celebrities…they are just “somebodies”, about whom we don’t bother to think. And if, frankly speaking, they were not kept in such unique conditions of being away from everyone in a camera-infested house with no life-supporting system such as TV, music, books, mobile, watch, we would not have given them a second glance.

So, is it watching personal lives of people…like what duo doing or not doing under the cover? Or is it squats or cuss words? Nah! Has anyone thought of it as a good case study of behavioral/social science? Perhaps yes or no. In fact, this is the very FOUNDATION of this show. Imagine yourself living among complete strangers where you can’t do anything (reading, watching, sleeping during the day…) but are forced to socialize with others. Forced because all life supporting systems have been snatched away and you are left with nothing to do…what will you do whole day??? What???

So, here begins the game. Keep a prize money and the tag of a winner…and empower insiders to throw out the person of their disliking and also, add the fact that they need to be TRP grabber. Voila! It’s a catch 22 situation now.

Socialize they must and manipulate behavior, situations and what not? So, you have an assortment of different behaviors, some loud, some shrewd, some confused, some quiet. To me, there’s nothing called "neutral"..it’s more of a choice that you want to exhibit yourself as neutral though you know very well which groups exist and choose not show your approval/denial for any of them. Groups are also bound to happen even if one does not chose to. So, if a group is formed comprising few members, it naturally forces the remaining members to stand against it. So counteracting force is formed, which may comprise all the remaining memebers or only some of them. There are bound to have people who would not like to get associated with any of groups…but this strategy also fails in longer run. Once the initial euphoria of settling scores with each other dies down and the groups start looking for strategizing little more, these people come under scanner…and they pay for that..being “neutral’. And then, they train their guns against those whom they consider potential threat whether internal or external because after all only one has to win, so the group that served their purpose also has to go away…So, this happens with realiginig of people in groups or dismantling of groups or division of groups in more smaller chunks…hmm, interesting and intriguing…and if twists and turns are given such as letting a person be out of the game for a while in a way so that he can see what all others are doing, thinking and saying without letting others know about it; and then sending him back to that house now…this makes the game all the more interesting…so you see, there’s more to this program than what usually meets the eye. This is my reason..what’s yours’?

Strawberries never tasted so good…

Standing beneath an enormous chandelier around a huge round table surrounded by near and dear ones joining in the chorus of “Happy Birthday To You” while a little princess in a beautiful Victorian-style, maroon gown and a crystal-studded crown cuts the cake with help from mamma and papa around…this is how I envisaged celebrating my baby’s very first birthday…

There are plans and then there’s destiny...my husband’s involvement in a crucial project did not allow us getting a long vacation and we had to cancel our plans to celebrate the occasion with everyone back in Delhi. Sudden change in plans in the eleventh hour left little scope for everyone to arrange travel plans to Mumbai. Disappointed I was to the core and my face could not lie signaling to my spouse the pangs of my anger and frustration. A quick damage control exercise was carried out with his announcement, “Pack your bags, we will go somewhere”.

Gloom withered away to an extent but traces of skepticism loomed large. After all, neighbor hill stations of Mumbai are notorious for being as overcrowded as the city itself. We settled for Panchgani and Mahabaleswar, thinking we never explored it before and journey through the most scenic Pune express highway would be a bonus.

Brows little relaxed as the car hit the highway and the weather turned cloudy, the mood turned little upbeat as we passed through several tunnels and the clouds engulfed the windscreen. All worries, complaints melted away when we touched the boundaries of Panchgani. oh! What a wonderful sight of Sahyadri range of hills kissed by clouds, oozing numerous waterfalls running down the zig zag fields (it rained incessantly throughout our stay). Only thing missing was our woolens, though arrangements were in place for our little princess; we never thought we would need to wrap ourselves in sweaters and scarves just 5 hours journey away.

Surprise package from the resort we checked in in terms of discounts for at least 2 week days (barring weekend) and the complimentary spa treatments they showered on us healed our travel woes (if any). A walk in the nearby strawberry farms (it was claimed that it’s done only in that place in India at such a large scale because of suitable climate conditions) took my breath away. Do I need to count then how many scoops and scoops of strawberries with cream we all gulped? Strawberries were here, there, everywhere…syrups, squash, ice creams, desserts…the list was endless. The place is full of “points” to stop by, enjoy scenery, snacks and tea and unwind yourself and we did precisely that…explored unheard and unseen of destinations there.

The big day came and the princess was showered with gifts – our prayers, toys, dresses, jewelry and of course, of our lots and lots of love J. The day began with a must visit to temple of lord Ganesha – we consider her to be his blessing followed by a sumptuous breakfast…a little rest, playing games by the pool side, video shoot followed by a late hearty meal. Now was the time to look after some arrangements and preparations…talks with hotel staff. Few discussions later a small nap and a massage therapy rejuvenated us for evening celebrations. I supervised all decorations and decked the area myself. Balloons, color strips, teddy bears, birthday caps, roses, and birthday cake in centre…princess made a grand entry in her maroon, Victorian dress and a crystal studded crown. She was beaming with joy and spreading the fragrance of her innocence all around. People around and the hotel staff joined in the chorus “Happy Birthday To You”, claps and whistles…Navya could make out it’s her very very special day…we headed towards discotheque where DJ welcomed us to the disc floor with “Birthday song” and then belting out popular chartbusters beginning with Pappy can’t dance… (Navya’s fav song). It was time to have a cosy candle light dinner now– just mummy, papa and their princess, so quiet and serene, so heavenly. As usual Navya was spoilt for choices (chef cooked everything possible for a just a year old special guest) and we dug into other delicacies.

Princess tuned one…she was now sleeping beautifully wrapped in a quilt as the clock struck 12 at night.

Sitting next to window wrapped in my shawl, holding a steaming cup of freshly-brewed coffee I looked tenderly at father and the little princess sleeping blissfully…I turned my head and looked out of the window and watched heavy rains drenching every corner of manicured and pedicured lawn below surrounded by the hills all the side…rarely visible due to dark clouds…

I was thanking God for making his own arrangements and not letting us stick to our original plan…so unique, far from madding crowd, a walk in the clouds through strawberry farms…true, strawberries never tasted so good...

Yeh hai Mumbai Meri Jaan

Even before I could blink, two years have gone. Two years of my being in this city, which I always liked but never dreamt of living in; which I knew but never imagined it would engulf me one day; which I explored but never believed I would map its local markets for groceries; where trains are the lifeline of the city but never thought I would travel in them one day.

Lots of resistance to leave a comfortable, cushy life in Delhi in a newly-bought home, little skepticism about a new life, a thought of bit adventure to live in a new city, a dash of hope to get a better life with better career prospects…an amalgamation of all this and more was what with I met the announcement of our shifting base to Mumbai.

So, what’s the progress report of these two years' stay here? I would borrow few words of my colleague, “This city sucks you in its system, its madness…even before you know, and you are part of it.” I am enlisting 10 sure symptoms, which tells me that there’s a Mumbaikar in me now:

1. The sight of “yet another construction” round the year, on every inch of the space-starved city does not ring the phrase “concrete jungle” in my mind.
2. Barricaded houses with grills here, there, everywhere and no balconies, no parks don’t yield more complaints from me.
3. I look forward to rains even if it means dealing with tension of drying up clothes, keeping floors clean, living with a damp smell, getting drenched even when on a small outing, and not seeing sun for days altogether.
4. Vada pav becoming staple food and missing it if few days pass without having it. Idli, Dosa, Sambhar, Shira, Poha, Ghakhda, Chakli, Chikkis are now part of our routine diet and we cook/store them.
5. Becoming more patient and respecting queues and waiting for my turn, be it in a doctor’s clinic, grocery store or bhaji market.
6. Outing, stroll, time pass…all this means hitting nearby malls turnwise.
7. I can’t imagine travel long distances without trains (no matter how much I dislike traveling in it)
8. I sit in the auto first and then tell my destination, and pay strictly by meter reading.
9. Usual masala now means green chilies, coriander, ginger, lemon AND Curry Leaves. Curry Leaves dominate most of the dishes now.
10. It does not surprise me to find a working couple earning more than lakhs per month stay in 1BHK with family (including parents, kids) without a car and rent out it’s 2 BHK house for extra income (our landlord is one of them).
11. I wait for Ganapati Mahotsav (but this is old one, even before settling in this city).
    
    The list will swell with time…depends how long we stay here…

Mumbai to Shanghai/Oops! We did it again…

My article got published in Hindustan Times - Mumbai Edition (page 4) on July 24 with a different heading.
Now I know why Olympics fail to infuse that excitement in me and many alike because we know that India is not participating in most of the games and if it does, at the risk of sounding pessimistic, it would struggle to attain top slot. And even if it does, I am afraid, it might be followed by some dope controversy to malign the charm and pride. And even if it does come out clean, the victory will be rejoiced for a moment with media undergoing over frenzy to cover every detail of the person and then send him/her to oblivion forever once the euphoria dies down.
While the countdown had long begun for other countries where they had been sweating it out day and night to sway away most of the top medals, India is, unfortunately sleeping away to glory. And some bit talent worthy of grooming would find itself trapped in the quagmire of politicians, lack of interest and funds. And let’ forget cricket for a moment please (it’s not part of Olympics).

India knows how not to promote sports and players and how to nip the talent in the bud. Now we can’t even use our age-old excuses such as money on sports is spent by some big nations with deep pockets. We are one of the fastest growing economies in the world and leaving our mark on the world map. Think of China, our closest competitor in Asia. Comparison never ceases to end between us -- be it our economies or our population. Come to think of it, China is also an Asian nation, the most populous country in the world and emerging powerful economies; yet when it comes to sports, we turn a blind eye to everything. Ever since it has been selected the venue for Olympics 2008, every Chinese took proud in the fact that it would be the host and has made all possible efforts, applied all possible sport techniques to be the main winning country as well.

Everyone right from a taxi driver to the staff from hospitality industry is doing its bit to be the best host known ever. A country, where the most spoken language of the world – English gets step motherly treatment has made it a mission not to let language be a barrier in communication and not let down its guest., It’s passion, Passion and PASSION…to make it happen, to do it, to show to the world is what an average Chinese is engulfed with. Braving the natural calamity, criticism, skepticism, China has emerged as a winner and now, is on the verge of taking over the world.

And the media is also not far away from having its share of flake. To the presspersons, Olympics means torch relay and who all participating in the event. More the people from Indian Film industry, better chances of its getting wider coverage. It’s more important to know if Aamir Khan is participating in the torch relay (due to Tibet-China issue) than to know who from the sports fraternity joining in. A leading lady as a torch bearer picture makes a better picture (read sells more) than a sportsperson doing the same.

But an optimist as I am, waiting for the day when Mumbai will become Shanghai and India will not only host Olympics but also dominate it as a winner.