Bombay Key Sholey

48 hours of media coverage, in action through out the world, is something even WTC 9/11 did not get.
This group of 26 people has done more for terrorism than any war could do.

Spineless politicians all over will find a way to gain out of this crisis, out of miseries of others, trust them for it.
And India will forget, Bombay will be resilient and will be used as doormat.
Raj Thackeray would want passport for all outsiders, as if these 26 guys came in with visas.
Terror is here to stay, like bad roads and crowded stations.
We have to find a way to secure our lives.
When the ones who seek more than a third of your income to provide you the basic, and they don’t, you ask them a couple of times to improve and eventually retain that hard earned to find an alternate provider.
Gabbar used to seek a handful of grains to save the people of Ramgarh from his won wrath.
That’s what this government is doing.
Let us find or become Viru and Jai.





What will you do?
Would you be the same?
Every trip you take,
Every friend you make,
Every hotel you check,
Every dinner you partake.
Will life be the same?

Or will you resolve,
To have the same motivation
To live in peace
To fight for that piece,
To ask and to seek.

Bombay Burning

I plan to write a cheque for Rs. 600 for the staff of Taj Group of hotels, Bombay. The amount being a token amount similar to my first ever stipend or salary I received in the year 1990, as an apprentice steward.
Of course they do not need this money. It is just a gesture of solidarity from an ordinary citizen who thinks he owes at least the gesture to the men who served till the last.

Till the last news came 9 of hotels staff had lost their lives trying to save guests, including the GM and his family.

What happened In Bombay and not Mumbai I insist can not find blame anywhere.
If it can happen in New York and London, it can happen here. Any amount of intelligence and preparedness can not eliminate these incidents.

One thing is sure, these things will occur and reoccur, and the best that we can do is get used to it, do what we will be doing tomorrow anyway.

I think it will take much more than these to wreck the nerves of Bombay. Incidents like this unite India; they make Raj Thackeray look irrelevant. Who usually are doing more damage than all the terror strikes?

I have virtually grown on the streets that faced the onslaught last night. Right from the Taj where I had the best job of my life. Bar tending at 1900’s the then Disco, I have room serviced to The JRD in person, and my appointment had come after a personal interview from the then GM Kerkar himself. I was in first year at college and tips in dollars were not the only thing that I was seeking.
Not every one could afford a pint of London pilsner at the bar, at least some of our college mates for sure. And any one who has a little knowledge of bar tending would know how easy it was to make one extra beer out of three beers.

The staff of the hotel was where the city of Bombay gets its soul from. Though from the roots themselves, Marathi as an unofficial language, Bandra English as filler, but courteous and professional to the core.
3 minutes for the morning tea from order to the door bell and 7 minutes for break fast. We had to report back and all timing was noted.
Peeled potatoes, folded napkins, learnt to walk with a dozen beer glasses on top of your palm amidst the dancing drunks, froze the glasses before serving champagne.
Served topless ladies every Sunday by the pool.
I learnt more of life in one year than a decade elsewhere.

This is the least I can do.

Happy Birthday ( Without words)

Happy Birthday
Before I forget,
the day you were born and the day we met,
wishing you a great day,
today and always.

I know I have had more words for people who live in my mind,
and less or none for the ones whom I live for,

Irony it is,
circumstancial much of it,

words dont come easy,
as they loose their meaning when not used in thrift,

I have learnt lately,
hard it is to have it in your heart and not speak,

I promise I will make it up soon.

Of Chath, American President and King Of Bhutan

6th of November, Was indeed an auspicious day.

Millions Of Bihari's stand in chest deep cold waters of Ganga, awaiting for the sun god to appear. They would break their 3 day fast with the rising sun, offer him token from their new crop, deep Ghee fried wheat cakes, milk etc. All elements of life, Water, air, fire, earth and sun are present here, and the soul the sixth is cleansed.

One of the purest of religious obidience, is visible here. The festival is restricted to Bihar and parts of eastern UP. Like all of Hindu festivals, this also revolves around the agricultural lifestyles.

All the utilities for the rituals are mailny crops that are just about ready for an early harvest. Ginger, Large cirtus lime, raddish, coconut, banana, turmeric, sugarcane and Thakua, a kind of Baked/fried wheat biscuits.
The sale of new crops just for the sake of this festiva, brings in money to the farmers, so that they can get along with the sowing season. Thekua in hordes, provides them with lunch in the fields in one place and uses all the old stock of wheat.
Another uniqueness is that no priest is required for this pooja.

Chath used to be such a pure ritual that only a few could endure it and abide by all its cleanliness rituals. But now if you see the popularity, it is sure to become a big festival in the coming days.
Bihar, virtually closes down right after diwlai to seven days from it.
Now we have political bouts and it is a matter of time that, Archies starts printing Cards for it.

American president.
The world has a black American President.
It prooves US is racist, after all.
My friend Sauvik puts it really well in his blog "sauvik-antidote.blogspot.com"
Democracy the least of the evils, has chosen to call it a day in American history, why is mentioning the color so important? it is like all of south asia has had democracy and a women head of state, US is still not there, on those parameters.

Does this make us a better democracy?


Bhutan Has a new king.

Well the coronation of the new king was a fanfare, definatley more known than when it turned into a democracy.
Gross National Happiness and 98% seats to one party.

The world is living a farce.

Forgive me this day.

Its like sharing your world within with the a few who are interested,
I have been forcing my jumble of words thru peoples throats, like it or not, well not a good practice, and I would discontinue it after this post.

I sit here in Bangalore, alone among known,
away from wife and kids on a Diwali day,
its a miserable feeling,
as I sit thru lunch at the golf course,
vikram,Venita and lovely kids,
its a family affair and I miss mine,

Festival of lights,
Parents dressed with their tots,
sweets,crackers and dresses.

I must be one moron,
sitting alone,
I am sorry,
this better be a change in plan.

Just forgive me,
when ever you can understand what I mean.

Lessons from (for) the market.

It was a panel discussion on financial turmoil, on an apt day when the stock market crashed a 1000 points. an event organised by Liberty Insitute and FNF.

Lessons that I learnt:
1) Food tastes good when shared from the same plate.
2) Fish fry and ice cream do not go well.
3) No one wants to sit in the front row.
4) The Moderator can not have an opinion, so what if he is the most suited.
5) Political fall out and comments are avoidable.

Lessons that I did not learn:

1) I am not convinced that inflation is not a problem.
2) That trade deficit is also not a problem.
3) That printing fiat money is also not a problem.
4) That only liqudity is a problem?
5) How will it affect me, if I do not get loans anyway, do not invest in stocks- basically if I live in a village, like rest of India?

Maha-Raj Thakrey

The prince has come of an age and is ready for the crowning to be Maharaj,
instead of just Raj.
As Soli puts it he is a thakrey and not thackrey.

Its a pity, how in their sane minds would Congress do such a thing. But then given their history they don't really care. They have a plan only for tomorrow, and insist on believing that chaos will always be good for them.

"Best thing I did for my country was to leave it as soon as possible" not verbatim, by George Bernard Shaw.

Raj's ploy is understandable. He is doing best that he has learnt.

why would my fellow Bihari's burn train in their cities and waste time on getting violent on the streets, get beaten up and maybe shot.
Is it to pressurise the government to arrest him, giving their own powers to the same government who is creating this Frankenstein.

All they have to do is keep getting loaded on trains and keep going there, and every where.
Mumbai has most lifts, so that is where they get to become lift men.

11 trains were cancelled yesterday to Patna. Fellow men you are making a Maharaj out this Raj.
You need opportunities, and no one can stop you from getting that, as long as you see the goal and reach there.
All Raj's will have to keep shut when they will have no choice to do without you.
You are 10% of India's populace, who can hold you back!
Punjabi's and Gujarati's made a silent revolution of migration over the years to all corners of the world. Legally or illegally.
who could stop them.
Its only when you seek the government to intervene, that Idi amin appears.

Believe in yourself, and get those trains back on the rail.