Rail Ki Kahani, Meri Zubani

As I waited on the platform at the Borivali station awaiting the arrival of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabadi Express, noticing the flies over the railway tracks, It struck me how enthusiastic people are about travelling by train in India. It was 7am.I was about to travel in India's fastest train in a few moments. They train slowly entered the station bringing in with it that signature smell and a lot of mosquitoes! The train justs topped there for two minutes and I had to make way for noddy(myself) to get into the train, pushing aside the other's who were imitating me ;)
I had 2 bags with my clothes and 3 cartons of the best quality Alphonso mangoes(without which my family wouldn't let me enter my home). Mangoes are a must for my family whenever I come from Mumbai. But I must also say that my maternal side makes good use of those mangoes. They store the pulp for the year, make Aamras, Mango shakes, Dishes, raw and what not!
'Sumhow', I managed to reach my designated seat after winning my war with the ever rowdy crowd, and settled on my chair. An assortment of newspapers and magazines was lying lined up in front of me for MY entertainment. I just picked up a TOI and glanced through the Bombay version, to accompany my reading session, the waiter/rail purser/you choose appropriately brought in d trolley and asked me if I wanted coffee. Why in world would I ever refuse a cup of coffee? By the time I was done wid my old age style of reading the newspaper and sipping my coffee, I was deep in the countryside with distant huts and nearby fields clearly visible.
My huge window gave me a clear view of the passing rivers, windmills and at times Power Plants. It may seem dull when I write about it but you don't get bored even for a minute even if you get to see the same fields, trees and hutments for hours. Though I had been advised to catch up on my lost sleep because I had got up at 5 but the journey didn't make me sleepy at all. After all this was the first time I had initiated a rail journey all by myself.
It was on this journey that I realized why Gandhiji always preferred to travel in 3rd Class with the masses. It was because it connected India, not just geographically but also socially. In a train, it really didn't matter to people who was sitting next to them. It hardly matter if it was a Brahmin or a Muslim in that era which was dominated by Casteism and Communalism. He also got to interact with people of different strata's of society and how people thought. Railways were to India then what Tata tea is to India now :P
Coming back to my journey, I had by now entered one of the most developed states of India, Gujarat. It was quite evident from the train because instead of those poverty stricken mud-houses, I could now see pucca houses. The trees which lined the tracks were full of raw mangoes. I knew that somewhere behind those trees was one of the most beautiful village from where my grandfather hailed.
We soon crossed important stations like Navsari, Anand, Vadodara, etc. But more than stations in my journey was food!!! There was something or the other constantly coming in infront of me. It all started with that refreshing cup of coffee, followed by breakfast, then coffee again, soup, lunch and finally dessert. The food wasn't as bad as the newspapers say but it wasn't excellent either.
The train gradually slowed down and when the regular travelers got up, I knew it was the end of my very enjoyable journey and it was time for me to pick up my 5 pieces of luggage with 2 hands(now I wish I was one of those million gods  who have 4-6 hands). The temperature in Ahmedabad was 45 degrees and it was as if I'd entered an Oven from a Refrigerator. I found an auto and bid goodbye to the train who had played the role a host to me for 7 hours. It had taken me through the countryside where India's heart, beauty and diversity lies.
It was then that I realized that though it had taken me longer than a flight but the trip was more than just travelling. It was an experience for me which I would remember all my life. It wasn't just looking at things from the top(more than the things, it is the clouds we see) but I was with the the scenery. I was a part of the whole canvas.
I would suggest everyone that if you have time, you must travel in India by train because it is a unique experience that I feel everyone will rejoice in.


P.S.: I would take this opportunity to pay tribute to my Maternal Grandfather who was a great rail enthusiast. Someone who could bet on railway timings. His love for trains was such that he would take the longest possible railway route to get to his destination. I'm always reminded of the great soul whenever railways are mentioned in front of me.

BMI: Bohot (Zyada) Munching Index

As I continue to eat and ask people to surrender their tiffins to me, I have aptly and rightfully gained the title of 'The Foodie' or a little more rough tag of Bhukkad! I'm someone who appears from thin air whenever a tiffin is opened, whenever food is bought, whenever someone cooks, and the likes of such situations. No wonder my brother equates me to the baby depicted in the advertisements of Michelin tyres

Doesn't my body look like this guy? I guess it does, all because of my eating habits. Astonishingly, I don't regret or I have no remorse for the way i binge on food because I have a very simple theory(inspired by my father) that this is the only life I have to live, so why not live it to the fullest?
I may control myself by putting restrictions on my eating to turn my lifestyle into a 'Healthy' one but what's the fun then? Will I be happy? N-O  NO! Without good food, my life will be a boat without water, a mobile without balance, a pair of shoes without feet, clothes without a body,etc.,etc.(I hope I've made my point clear :P)
I may extend the last few years of my life by doing so, but are those years, when your body has been infested with every single disease known to Human kind, worth living? In my opinion, it's another N and an O.
The only reason why I would put in that my effort and heart into that 'enormous' task of losing weight would be for two reasons! The first is obvious and I leave it upon the readers to decide( I just hope I have people with some intellect reading this who can figure this out) and secondly so that I can get RID of the acne which have turned my face into the surface of the moon. Anybody willing to go on an expedition may do so on my face(Registrations now open for girls. Criteria:The candidate should be beautiful ;)) ( Well, I guess i just overshot my limit, but nevertheless, registrations are still open for Who dares wins :P)
I just wish I could have my acne-free skin back again! I miss those golden days when 'people' use to pull my cheeks and say 'Such a quite little boy'.
So I'll end this before my tears wipe the ink of this post.
P.S.: Please oblige me by 'penning' down your comments!

In the wee hours of morning

It stood tall with might

The day broke, bringing in light

Gushes of air engulfing me

As I stood underneath the pine tree

The day broke , brining in light

Birds chirping melodiously

As I stood underneath the pine tree

Imbibing the composure and serenity

Birds chirping melodiously

Ending the silence of the night

Imbibing the composure and serenity

Embellishing the day, now active and bright

Enlightened

                                                Enlightened
                                            I                 Walk
                                   Home   with       Experiences
                           Gathered,     which     now     mould
                                  My  personality,      thinking,
                                      Making              me
                                                 Stronger

A ship that never sinks....

As I switch off the lights in my room and lie down on the bed, my minds drifts away, not to places around the world or to the time that has passed, it drifts to the time that is yet to come. It lingers to a place where I see an old bespectacled man with white hair, wrinkled and sagging skin weeping on a sofa as he speaks to someone in his faint and squeaky voice, both reminiscing their childhood days. Sobbing nostalgically at the bygone glorious days of their youth, full of joyful and sorrowful moments when they stood by each other.

As I dire to see the face of the other person, my mind questions who could that be? Who shall secure such a special place that he could move me to tears? Is there someone with whom I will share such a relationship? The answer that comes back to me is that apart from family, the only ones who make that little space in your heart are the people who are family to you: Friends.

I'm a person who does not make friends very fast. It takes me some time, and the other person some more time to accept me. I don't know if that is due to my looks, my conduct or something else. I also am aware that at times while I'm in a facetious mood, I cross my limits when while joking, therefore irritating the other person.

I recall the days and the people whom I once considered friends but we stand estranged now. Such instances have turned me into an insecure person. I always fear the loss of my friends whom I consider 'True' pals. I think I've finally found associates for whom I could lay down my life without expecting them to do the same.
I write this today for the first time, to tell my mates that they really matter to me and that I always fear their loss :)

Have we learnt our lessons?

So finally we got to see tanks rolling down the streets of South Mumbai- Not to control a riot, but a 'ceremonial' parade to mark the 2nd anniversary of the tragic Mumbai Attacks. Some memorials have also come up in different parts of the city including the iconic Taj Hotel and The Oberoi Trident, where the terrorists wantonly killed more than 200 people.
It saddens me to say this but apart from wide criticisms of such an attack, we haven't managed to achieve much. International pressure hasn't brought us any good because Pakistan is still indifferent to the Indian demand to bring the perpetrators of the attack to Justice. Mothers still lament and sorrow the death of their brave and valiant sons who lost their lives in a country, which fails to even honour their sacrifice.
A media report has recently uncovered an astonishing fact that even after 2 years of the barbaric attacks, the city of Mumbai lacks the equipment and weaponry to handle another attack of this intensity if it happens. I think it'll take another 3-4 attacks and 700-800 lives before we Indians get out of our slumber to beef up our defenses inspect the reasons why such an attack was carried out.
The lone surviving terrorist of the attack H.E. Ajmal Amir Kasab, despite being given a death sentence continues to endure a fearless life in luxury. Despite the fact that he was caught red handed, I think the Indian Judiciary is just stretching the case to showcase the world how transparent and just the Indian Judiciary is.
Hoping that we stand up united against the divisive forces and resist such attacks aimed to disintegrate India.
Jai Hind!

The Delhi lootfest

As the Helium filled blimp rose in the air in the Jawahar Lal Stadium, a 60,000 strong audience let out their oohs and aahs, clicking the spectacle in their Cameras. What followed that, left the audiences in the stadium and the TV screen awe-struck and gaping. With widespread allegations of corruptions preceding the games, no one had really expected such a flawless opening ceremony. The International media went to the extent of calling the Open  Ceremony better than Beijing could put up.

The next 11 days were full of enthusiasm and came as joyful for some and heartbreaking for the others at the same time. India managed to break its previous CWG medal record and secured the 2nd position in the Medal Tally. The Delhi 2010 games also saw a lot of records being broken and new ones being set. Overall the games were given the tag of 'Successful'.

However, the term successful itself is ambiguous. What exactly should be there in the games for it to be successful? Despite the fact that top athletes backed out, human rights were violated, tourists avoided coming to Delhi, incomplete work till the last minute, a CWG village full of filth, how on earth can we call such games 'Successful'? A more appropriate word would be Fiasco!

The official figure for the games expenditure(excluding the cost of the swanking new airport and metro) stands at 23,000 crores whereas the revenue the games have generated doesn't even touch 80 crores. Newspaper reports suggest that Delhites will have to pay for the games for the next 30 years as part of the various taxes. The cost of the the equipments and the renovation was inflated exponentially and a good amount of money went to the personal accounts of the highly placed people. Such cases of corruption should be treated severely with an iron fist and the guilty should be slapped with charges of treason.

The probe headed by the CVC is looking into the charges of fraud and has promised to punish the convicts. The report with the findings will be submitted in 3 months.

Among the many people who voraciously expressed their dissatisfaction with India holding the games was an Ex-Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer who said that, if the money used for the games would've been used to strengthen and reinforce the infrastructure related to sports in our country, Indian athletes could've out shined countries like China, USA, Russia, Australia who perform exceedingly well and compete for the top notch in Olympics and World Championships.

The IOA has commenced the process for bidding for the 2019 Asian Games and speculation is rife that India will also bid for the 2020 Olympics.

Ending on a positive note with a hope that we'll learn from our mistakes and the next time we hold such an event, stringent and regular checks will not give us a chance to let others question our readiness and we ourselves will not commit a heinous crime like stealing the peoples hard earned money by an act of theft. 

Gar Firdaus, ruhe zameen ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin asto

Maharaja Hari Singh greeted the guests in his Durbar Hall who had come for the Grand Dinner hosted by the king, unaware of the jackals who'd crossed the Jhelum into his beloved Kashmir, who's throne he failed to give up.
Somewhere else the Pathan tribesmen, sent by the Government of Pakistan waited on the other side of the bridge waiting to get a signal from the Muslim Kashmiri guards that they'd killed their Hindu counterparts. While, the Maharaja and his guests rejoiced the Independence of Kashmir, something sinister was being carried out 50 miles west of Srinagar. A group of men planted dynamites inside the Mahura Power Plant, the sole power station in Kashmir and destroyed it, plunging the whole state into darkness.
As soon as the Pathans entered the boundary of Kashmir, they dispersed into the Dark night to loot the Bazaars known for their Handicrafts all over the world. All efforts to call them back made by their heads to continue their voyage to Srinagar were all in vain. The people of Pakistan describe this looting as the biggest mistake made by the tribesmen .
Maharaja Hari Singh made a distress call to India, asking them to rush troops to counter the invaders. However, India, in order to give this a legal framework asked the Maharaja to sign the Treaty of Accession so that India can legitimately send in the troops. Hari Singh had to give in and troops were airlifted to Kashmir after the accord was duly given the assent.
The newly formed Dominions of India and Pakistan locked horns over this issue and believed that this was the time they could vent out the bitterness and hatred towards each other.  After a combat, this issue reached the UN. The UN advised  that the Pakistani forces retreat to the International Border and after normalcy is restored, a plebiscite be conducted in the state to decide which side do the people want to join. This plebiscite was never conducted and the Kashmiris now say that they were cheated by the Indians.
The dispute continues to exist and 4 wars have been fought between the two countries over the issue. Talks meant to find a solution to the problem have failed and in-spite of international pressure, no solution has been found. The state continues to witness Human Rights violations, violent protests, high unemployment, murders, rapes,etc. and the state is mostly dependent on the center for funds.
This conflict has cost both the sides millions of rupees and Heavy militiralization of the region. The state has been a victim to heavy insurgency and terrorism for the past two decades. Both the sides believe that a solution needs to be found to the problem at the earliest.
The possible solutions that are doing the rounds are:
1. Making the international border irrelevant and both the sides have their own joint jurisdiction over.
2. Considering the LOC as the international border.
The US President has told India that it needs to solve the Kashmir issue before it can secure a place in the UN Security Council.
An answer to this problem has been given by the people of Kashmir themselves.Independence.
This issue has been persistently raised by the separatist leaders there and continues to invoke passion among the people. Independence as an option has been voraciously debated in India and the around the world.
The Kashmiris fail to understand that because of this very demand, they are in such a mess today. Their state is landlocked, topography is mountainous which means agriculture on a large scale is not possible, large area but thinly populated,etc. With so many reasons, survival without support is absurd.
The only feasible option that stands in front of them is to join India, a secular nation as this integration would be licit taking into account the fact that the Maharaja had acceded to India and also taking into consideration that the state has a significant Hindu and Buddhist population.
Hoping for a speedy but unobjectionable solution to the problem.

The Sacrosanct Divide

The birth city of Ram, Ayodhya, has turned into a fortress with just 4 days to go for the Supreme Court Bench hearing on the deferment plea.Paramilitary forces have been deployed in Ayodhya and all major cities to control the situation created by the verdict. The outcome of the hearing will decide the fate of the land which has been the subject of debate for more than half a century now.
The Hindus believe that the land is the birth place of Lord Rama and a temple dedicated to his glory stood there before Babur ordered the sanctum sanctorum to be demolished and a Mosque(Masjid) be built over the rubble.Thus it got its name 'Babri' or the one constructed by the grace of Babur. The 500 year old Mosque witnessed events that changed the course of Indian history over the years. It oversaw the rise and fall of the Mughal and British Empire followed by the World Wars and later the challenges Independent India faced.
The seeds of conflict were sowed in 1946 when the Hindus claimed the site and a full scale debate erupted when in 1949, idols of Ram, Sita and Laksham were installed in the Masjid while the security personnel were asleep. The ensuing fight between the Hindus and the Muslims culminated when lakhs of Karsevaks assembled near the Masjid and Demolished it. In 2003, a survey conducted by the ASI revealed that it had found the ruins of a 14th Century temple where the Masjid once stood.
The place is extremely sacred to the Hindus since it is the birthplace of Lord Ram and it known as the Ram Janmabhoomi.  The sentimental value attached to it and the cultural connection induces a feeling of pride in Indians and the zeal of acquiring the land comes from within. I feel that Muslims do not have any religious value attached to the land except for the fact that a mosque once stood their. The founder of their religion or one of the most revered god in their religion was not born  on that piece of earth and thus they should 'sacrifice' that land to set an example for the majority to learn and become the epitome of love, harmony and peace in India. I also feel that apart from constructing a grand temple at the Ram Janmbhoomi, a mosque should be constructed in the adjoining area by the Hindus keeping a part of the temple funds to honour what the Muslims have done for them.
Such an example of togetherness and adjustment would increase the trust among Hindus and Muslims and reduce the threat of a future conflict or riots In India. If such a solution can be found, it will instill a sense of victory among both the factions and help the Hindu Majority comprehend that their interests are safe in India.
I hope that what could not be accomplished in the last 18 years is achieved in the coming days and a peaceful solution is either negotiated or a verdict is given which is acceptable to both.