Last Evening...

Yesterday was a Sunday…I got up late around 12.00 in the afternoon…..then was just doing some timepass…then had tea…after sometime had lunch…after that I went to office around 4.30pm to finish up with some work I had…..not official though….kind of personal….I had to check some mails….do some chatting and also make some calls……as I came to office on Sunday there were just 3 people who were there in the office….I just sat and did my work till 7.00pm….then I left……
I was on the way to home….I had just started from office when my bike stopped…..I checked and the petrol was over……I was very bugged with my mechanic……I had given my bike for repair the day before and maybe he had taken off all the petrol…..I was a bit pissed off….coz then I had to involve myself in unnecessary work….u can say double kaam…..then I took an rickshaw till the petrol pump…I didn’t even have enough money so…first I went to the ATM…withdrew some cash……then I finally reached the petrol pump…I didn’t have a bottle to fill petrol…..I bought a bisleri…empted the bottle and then filled petrol……I asked the same rickshaw wala to take me back from the place he has picked me up….he took a turn and entered in some lane…I had never seen that place…I thought that must be some shortcut…so I sat patiently in the rickshaw…..he had a audio deck in the rickshaw so he played some songs when I asked him to…as usual they were some Himesh Reshammiya numbers…they are quite popular these days with everyone….I was just listening to them…..then we were crossing from that lane…it was very neat place and had small bungalows…it is very unlikely in Mumbai to find bungalows….I was amused to see them in the middle of goregoan where I was….then the rickshaw entered a small narrow lane…u can say as a galli….it was a very narrow road….it had shops on both sides and people walking on these roads….the road was as narrow as only one rickshaw and one bike can fill in that road tightly…then I just was noticing things around when I was crossing from there…..both the sides were small shops….this place belonged to the poor class in the city….the shops in that place could reflect that ….u could see grocery shops….with the price tags on rice like Rs16, Rs 16.50 per kilo…then also I saw some barber shops….then u had one small printing press there…..I also saw one very tiny sari shop…..one lady sitting and buying her selection….where the shop keeper was showing her saris from a bag he had….this was all amusing to see…..I had never seen this part of the city….as it was a Sunday…maybe was a shopping day for the people….there was lot of crowd on the road….my rickshaw was going slow…so I could notice all this…then again it took a turn from that galli…there came another galli which had roads a little bigger then the ones I had crossed…but this also was part of that…but here u had slightly bigger shops…again u had a grocery shop…barber shop and also some gold silver jewelers shops….also I noticed in this place was a lot many temples where there…like I saw a ganesh temple, then a datta temple….and also a shiva temple….maybe these people are very religious….then finally the rickshaw wala took a turn and we came on to the main road….we crossed the signal and were coming closer to the place I had parked my bike….then I looked around and saw one side were huge apartments and the other side were big showrooms of furniture for middle and higher class also rich class people…..this was just on the backside of those gallis I traveled…..it was such a contrast…on one side you had a total different world and on the other side again a total different world this is what is actual Mumbai…everyone has space to live here…just differs on the class you belong to in the society….so then I finally reached back to my bike and filled petrol and left…..with all these new experiences I had learned in a short time….

Film Festival

It was a Saturday another weekend had started. But this Saturday was a special one for me because I was looking forward to it. There was a Film Festival which was organized as a tribute to Renu Saluja. She was a film editor who had achieved tremendous success across the globe and had shown a different direction to Indian cinemas. The film festival was being organized by GRAFTII (Graduates of the Film and Television Institute of India) at Fun Cinemas. I had received a mail of the event almost a week in advance. So I booked the tickets in advance and didn’t want to take a risk to miss out on these movies. The kind of movies to be shown were mostly the art film types of which you normally do not get a cd or something so that you can watch them anytime. Many people around me feel very shocked as to how can one watch art films they are so boring. But I don’t know why, I love and enjoy watching them. The film fest was to start from Thursday evening, but as I had office I could not attend on Thursday or Friday. So I had decided to watch on Saturday where I had an weekly off.

On Saturday the date was 17th June 2006 I got ready and reached the theatre around 9.30 a.m. I went early coz I had made a tele booking and had to collect the tickets one hour in advance. I reached in time but the counter opened only at 10.00 a.m. Then the first movie “Dharavi” started at 10.30 a.m. The movie was simply brilliant, it started Om Puri and Shabana Azmi. The story of the movie was based on people living at Dharavi, which is the largest slum area in the whole of Asia and is in Mumbai. This movie was been shot in the year 1992 and after the movie was over the director of the film was present there Sudhir Mishra. Tom Alter he is a very old film actor he was hosting the show. He called upon Sudhir Mishra to share his experiences in making the film, when he spoke about the film, it showed the amount of enthusiasm this man had and the kind of depth he had which could reflect in the characters of the movie. It was very nice for me to see all this as I had not expected anything of such sort. I was very amused to be there. I was eagerly waiting for the next movie to start.

Sudhir Mishra again, he was associated with the second movie of the day. He had assisted the director of the movie Saeed Mirza. He again shared his wonderful experience related with this movie “Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho” which was released in the year 1984. This was a story of a senior citizen or an old man who files a case against his landlord for his building repairs. This movie also had a very nice feel to it, the way it was directed. The movie showed a wonderful chemistry between the old couple and his children who support him in fighting the court case against his landlord. It had a lot of comedy coupled wtih emotion. Overall I think the movie was amazing.

Then after the two movies it was almost 3.30p.m now there was a short lunch break. I went out for some snacks at the food court which was in the cinema hall. I was not at all bored or even tired. I finished up eating my snack and was looking forward for the next movie to begin.

After the lunch break was the most awaited movie of the day at 4.00pm which was “Bandit Queen”. This was a movie directed by Shekar Kapur who is an internationally recognized director. Bandit Queen this movie was based on the true story of a bandit named Phoolan Devi. It was hard to believe kind of a story, no one can ever relate that such a tragedy can happen with anybody. Also the way the movie was made was incomparable. The performances also were outstanding, overall this movie was a remarkable making by the director. The film fest had the largest no of audience present for the screening of Bandit Queen. The audience was typically from the film fraternity, so I guess I was a bit different, but yet was very much with the crowd.

Then was the time for the final movie of the day “Ardh Satya”. It started at around 7.10p.m but before the screening again Tom Alter came on the stage and announced for the director of the movie Govind Nihalani to come over and say a few words. He talked about the movie and shared his experience. This movie was released in the year 1983 that was way to back. But then when I watched the movie I felt nothing has changed here everything is still the same where the Indian corruption and politics is concerned. This movie had notable actors like Om Puri, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri. The movie was based on a story of a police officer based at Mumbai (earlier Bombay). The story focused on the way this cop performs his duties and what is the balance he had to achieve while performing his duties. It showed everything around him was a half truth and he either needed to live with it or die with it.

Finally, after watching the four movies I had to return home now. I was still feeling they could have screened a couple more. But the whole day was simply fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent watching the movies, hope to get a chance soon to visit some more film fests.

FOOTBALL WORLD CUP

The FIFA World Cup has started on 9th June 2006. It’s played once in every four years. There are 32 countries participating in it. This year the Football World Cup is hosted by Germany. I personally do not know much about Football but looking at the enthusiasm around, I also feel like knowing more about it. I did watch a couple of matches and to say honestly they were simply amazing. Now I know why everyone around is crazy about this game. There is Football fewer everywhere, it’s a bit strange coz India our own country is not there to play, but the amount of zeal this game carries is simply tremendous. I have been in Mumbai for the first time when I got to see the way every person wants to add to this game. Across the city there is something happening to celebrate and enjoy this event. I go to any malls or restaurants I see the flags of countries participating in football hanging around. Then there are televisions playing and also large LCD players for people to enjoy and not to miss out on this game. Its fun to see all this happening, where you are not at all aware of this game but still its in your mind and around you, its there everywhere.

In my office also they are not left behind to enjoy the World Cup. My office website has the logo of football to remind us of it anytime we open our home page. Then the best part is at the entrance we have a football net and there is a board displaying the matches which are to be played. Also inside the office we see pictures of different football players. It’s so cool to see my office also to be a part of this event. Also on Fridays as we have casual wear I see around many of my colleagues wearing the football jerseys of different countries they are supporting or otherwise also. It’s actually all because of the football fewer which everyone wants to enjoy and celebrate. At the end of the day it is a game and no one is a looser, everyone tries their best and then its one team who would win this World Cup. For now we just need to sit tight in front of our television’s and watch the World Cup Football happening.

Weekends….

With the coming of corporate culture in our country the trend of weekends also has started. Okay for those,who are not aware of this term in corporate sense means simply having an off on Saturday and Sunday. So its 5 days a week u work and the rest of the days is a weekend that’s for fun. Everybody looks forward for weekends to come, and weekdays to get over soon. As I am also a part of this corporate culture I also look forward to them. There’s always some or the other plan for weekends. I always try to make some plans, and if I have none I prefer going for a movie. So most of the times I don’t have any plans, so I plan to watch movies and ultimately I end up watching all the new releases. That’s my hobby. Once a month I visit home and the rest of the time left I am with my friends over these weekends. Sometimes I get really bored, I do not know what to do. Actually weekends are supposed to be for taking rest, finishing your personnel work and generally for socializing with others and ofcourse meeting up with your boyfriend or girlfriend and for some others it’s spending time with their spouses, etc you can really do a lot of stuff during the weekends. But why do I end up messing the weekend, I don’t take rest, don’t socialize and there is no personal stuff as such to do. I usually get bored, if I go home that’s the only time the weekend falls short of time to me, the rest of the time I am doing nothing.

Last week, my weekend started off in a fast pace. I woke up early, even though on Saturdays and Sundays I prefer to wake up late. But I had to go for a movie with one of my friend’s younger brother. I was to meet him for the first time, so had to be in time. So I got ready, he called me up before time and than we met. It was nice to meet him, I think I did most of the talking. Then we watched this movie Phir Hera Pheri, I didn’t like this movie much because it didn’t make me laugh, but my friend liked it. Then the movie was over, I said bye to him and went to churchgate. I was to meet another friend of mine there, but my friend was busy with some work so could not come. Then I decided to see the place alone, I had been this part of Mumbai many times so I was comfortable. I first went to C2 its Crossroads 2 a mall and also has a movie multiplex Inox there. I was interested to see a movie there but had just seen one in the morning so I decided to watch the next time. I was also very hungry so from there I took a bus to VT. There I had a burger and coke at McDonalds. Then from there I did some road side shopping for some cd holders and all and then I wanted to do some shopping again. So I decided to go to Colaba. I took a bus from Fort to Colaba. I went to Cotton World, its one of my favorite places to shop. I bought a skirt there. Then was just walking around, then it was around 7.00pm so it was my coffee time so, I found a place to have coffee. It was called Leopold, its there in Mumbai since 1871, so it’s a longtime now. I liked the coffee and also the crowd was good. Then from there I went to Nariman point to sit on the seaside. I just love to be there and sit watching the sea. When I see the sea I feel that it never gives up, keeps hitting and coming back again. I also need to be like that never give up, keep struggling in life, okay that’s just my thought. From there I went back to andheri by the local train went home and slept. I had a very long day and also was a good day.

Then came Sunday, I woke up late in the afternoon. I made tea and than ordered for some food. I and my roommate we had lunch together. After that I sat down to read the book my friend gave me it was Ruskin Bond. I read a couple of stories from that and then again was lazing around. Time just kept going, I was getting very bored. I called up my atya i.e. my aunt, but she was also busy that day. So I could not go to her place. Finally, I was getting very bored, in the evening I had a cup of tea and left from my room for some shopping. I bought cards for my cousins and nephew’s birthday. I bought some groceries and than I saw if I could get the movie ticket, but all the shows were houseful. After that I was sitting outside that shopping mall at goregaon its called HUB. When I watched all the people enjoying together, I felt I was so lonely and lost in the crowd. I was feeling very depressed and then I started crying. To top this tragedy, my right eye lens came out and I was left with one lens in my left eye. I don’t know why, but I think I only screw up things and feel bad about them. I have decided now, that I will do something good and constructive during weekends. Like I am planning to join gym, then some music classes and take up some work assignments from home. So this is the story of my weekend, I hope others don’t mess up things the way I do at times.

Do You know Yourself????

It’s always a question mark to all of us whether we know ourselves or we don’t. It must be that many people around know themselves well, but I feel that really is it that we know ourselves. It is quite easy to relate about one’s ownself and make an identity of yourself and show that identity to all the people around us. It’s very easy for any of us to make our identity and live with it. But is this identity showing the real “YOU” or the real “ME” is this what we are, are we happy staying that way, or is there something missing. It’s very difficult to live the way we are because most of the times we are someone else, we pretend to be or we try to copy someone or we are just tying to be different. We run from our real self and hide behind some identity and feel comfortable with it.

To know ourselves we first need to try to be ourselves, rather than hiding behind some identity which we have created to live with. Why is it so that portraying the real “U” becomes difficult for us? Why can’t we be the way we are? Probably because we think that the way we are would not be accepted by others around us. But the true happiness would be in staying the way we are than trying to hide behind some identity. I believe that people who believe in their true self would always look back and know that yes they have achieved their true identity and lived with their ownselves than pretending to be someone they are not. This is where we find the true happiness, the true ourselves and the true peace within us. So, start knowing yourself, your true identity and start living a whole new life, have a whole new experience.

Vacation At Home

I had a long weekend this time…i.e. Saturday, Sunday and also Monday I was having an off…so the best thing was I decided to go home to Belgaum…..most of you who don’t know where belgaum is, it is in Karnataka State….

I left from Mumbai in the evening at around 7.00p.m by bus…which takes a overnight journey to reach Belgaum….I was eagerly waiting to reach….but yes the journey was to be made no escape…..I was going home after a month’s time…which I normally do…..and am all excited to meet mom….my doggie and my brother and also a few friends who are still there….the journey from Mumbai is always very boring….as usual the Mumbai roads are always blocked coz of excessive traffic jams…..it took around 2hours to leave Mumbai city and reach panvel where the bus halts sometime to take a dinner break for half an hour…after that it leaves and reaches belgaum around 6.00a.m. in the morning……

Finally, the bus reached Belgaum at around 6.30a.m. got late this time…..I called up my brother to pick me up…my house is pretty close from the bus stop…so when I was waiting for my brother to come….it was raining in belgaum…the city was looking beautiful…..it really is amazing during rains….to be at there….I felt the warmth and the attachment I have with the city…….in sometime my brother came and I reached home…..my mom was very happy to see me and had prepared tea for me…also had prepared idli for breakfast…..my dog also was there but he didn’t seem to have re-acted when he saw me….so anyways than I was home……I just sat in the hall chatting to my mom for hours and had breakfast……after sometime I was very tired went to sleep….the weather outside was just too good….it was a change for me from the crowded dusty and extremely humid Mumbai…where we have everything but still the warmth of belgaum cant be compared to it……I was there in belgaum for 3days…met a few friends, freaked out a bit and of course mom made a lot of tasty food to eat…..after all this it was really very difficult for me to come back to Mumbai and again face the busy…very routine life….but yes I had to come…..so now back to Mumbai with the same old job, same old routine life…and of course waiting to go to visit belgaum again as soon as I get a chance to go……..