Athinker(adj.): Non-Thinker

तेच ते

2020-05-13T23:24:00.004-07:00

परवा स्पृहा जोशीच्या लाईव्ह मध्ये सुबोध भावेंनी सादर केलेली कविता मनात घर करून बसली आहे. विंदांचं सादरीकरण हे त्याहून भावलं, खरंच एखाद्या कवीच्या तोंडूनच त्याची कविता ऐकणं भाग्याचं आहे.

मागील अर्धं वर्षभर नोकरी नसल्यामुळे घरीच होते तेव्हा तेच ते करून जाम कंटाळा येत असे. जेव्हा जॉब होता, तेव्हा तेच मरत मरत ट्रेन प्रवास करून जाणं, आय आय टी ला येणार्‍या रिक्षा न मिळाल्याने, पावसाने, लोकल प्रॉब्लेम मुळे उशीर होणं, उशीर होण्याची कारणंही तीच ती ऐकून सर वैतागलेले, पावसाळ्यात कुठे जवळ ट्रेक ला जावं तर तीच ती गर्दी, लांब जावं तर तीच ती बॅग, तेच ते कपडे, तोच ग्रुप, तीच माणसं. शेवटी जॉब सोडल्यावर एक नवी बॅग (ट्रेक करू लागल्यापासून पहिलीवहिली पॉश बॅग) अॉफिसमधल्या मित्रमैत्रिणींनी दिली. अजून डॅन ब्राऊनचं पुस्तक दिलेलं त्याचा नंबर लागायचाय. बॅग एक नंबर आहे, एवढे वर्ष हेच सामान का आपण न्यायचो, आता बिलकूल जड वाटत नाही तेच ते सामान ह्या बॅगेतून नेताना.

कामं खूप वाढलीयेत खरं तर लॉकडाऊन मुळे, घरचीच नाही, बाहेरचीपण. काही लिखाण, काही कोडींग सगळंच करायचंय. OS बदलायचीये, तीपण तीच ती झालेय (७ खिडक्या). दिवसभरात आणि उशीरा रात्रीपर्यंत त्याच त्या धाटणीच्या सिरियल्स पण खूप होत आहेत बघून. पण हे कवितांचं, रेणुका देशपांडेंच्या करामती पाहण्याचं आणि रात्री अनुष्का शंकरचं सतार वादन ऐकायचं मात्र नवीन आहे थोडं.

जे असतं त्या तेच ते मध्ये थोडे बदल करून तेवढंसं नवेपण आपलंसं करून घ्यायचं. आपल्याच कुठल्यातरी पुस्तकात वाचलेलं छापील ज्ञान त्याच त्या इन्स्टाग्राम सेल्फ-लव्ह पोस्ट सारखं फक्त इतरांना न सांगता जीवनात आणू पहायचं. स्वत:ल‍ थोडं कमी गृहीत धरायचं. घरी राहणं मग तेच ते वाटेनासं होतंय. सगळे सुदृढ आहोत, एकत्र आहोत म्हणून असावं. लाईव्ह मधून अनेकांच्या भेटी-संवाद होत आहेत, माणसं socially distant असली तरी personally close होत आहेत. त्यातही थोडाफार का होईना, तोच तोचपणा आणि सगळे-करतायत-म्हणून पणा आहे, हे नाकारता येत नाही.

ज्या बिचार्‍या लोकांना कोरोना मुळे क्वारंटीन केलंय कुटुंबापासून दूर, किंवा पोलिसात-दवाखान्यात असल्यामुळे कोरोना झाला आहे, त्या सर्व भाऊबंधांसाठी हा तोच तो काळ सुसह्य आणि आरोग्याकडे नेणारा जावो. लवकर बरे व्हा. जे याही परिस्थितीत खूप प्रकारे लोकांची मदत करत आहेत, त्या सर्व मेकर्स, सोशल वर्कर्स, मदतनीसांना शुभेच्छा! असंच तुमचं तेच ते उत्कृष्ट कार्य करत रहा!
You are the real heros. आम्हीच काय ते तेच ते.

Fast to cook, good to eat

2019-09-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

My posts so far have been about the usual stuff, self-vents, updates, some sentimental poems, movie reviews, etc. For the few past months I have been a working wife in a homely career and education oriented family. One of my top priorities is now to make quick lunches, and I have been getting great reviews from my workmates for the हटके traditional Indian Maharashtrian recipes I used to make for tiffin. Here's one of the recipes I shared with a friend when she moved out for new job:

"पचडी" (puh-cha-dee)

This dish is a kind of salad or कोशिंबीर made from leafy vegetbles पालेभाज्या, either naturally sour or easy on the tongue, e.g.,आंबट चुका, पालक, lettuce, कोबी (cabbage), etc. It takes a very little time as there's more of mixing than cooking involved. It is rich in flavour and taste and lasts in tiffin easily over a day if the climate is cool. For hostellites, if you can manage a small fire or induction to get the tadka (फोडणी) ready, this one is a very good option to try.

Requirements:
Any leafy vegetable washed first then chopped to thin pieces,
a container to mix stuff,
ground peanuts शेंगदाणा कूट,
chopped onion,
sliced lemon,
salt, sugar, turmeric हळद, chilli powder तिखट for taste,
tadka stuff : oil, मोहरी, जिरे, कढीपत्ता
Very small frying pan,
gas/induction.

Procedure: Mix the ingredients in container, get the tadka ready on a low flame in the order as the listed ingredients under tadka section,
Just pour the tadka over container where everything else is mixed. Mix well, add dhaniya/ pudina/ lemon optionally to enrich the taste. Take your guess for proportions, you'll be surprised about the instinctive idea you had for quantities!

Stepwise imaging:

Chopping over

Mix everything!

Tadka poured

Ready to eat/pack!

No need to thank, guys! If you like this one do comment and subscribe, I'll share another one for पेरू-ओवा कोशिंबीर next week!

विचारवंत

2019-08-20T20:23:00.005-07:00

मी जग बदलण्याचा केला होता एकदा प्रयत्न

वृक्षारोपण करून पाहीले, जागेवरून बाचाबाची झाली.

स्वच्छता मोहिम करायची म्हटली, घरचे म्हणाले "तेवढं कपाट आवर आधी!"

शिक्षक बनलो.
म्हटलं पुस्तकाबाहेरचंही शिकवावं,
तर दाखवली अनुक्रमणीका आणि दिली सोडचिठ्ठी पहिल्याच चाचणीपूर्वी.

माझ्या धर्मातल्या चार गोष्टी बर्‍याही वाटल्या सांगाव्याशा..
अनामिक podcast पुरतंच ते वादग्रस्त प्रकरण राहिलं बरं झालं..
बरं झालं उत्साहाच्या भरात घरावर झेंडा लावणार होतो तेवढं नाही केलं

प्लास्टिक बंदीला सहमती दर्शवली,
मुळात प्लास्टीक निर्मात्यांवर काय काय बंदी आलेय ह्या पेचात पडलो थोडासा

अमुक ठिकाणी येणार का असं रिक्षेवाल्याला 'विनम्र'पणे मातृभाषेत विचारलं
त्याच्या मातृभाषेत बहुतेक न बघितल्यासारखं करून निघून गेलं की 'नाय!' समजत असावेत.

सगळंच तिरकं होऊ लागल्यावर मग मात्र माझ्या चांगुलपणाने बंड पुकारलं

आंधळ्या काकांना पलिकडे जायचं नसतानाच रस्ता ओलांडून दिला

ट्रॅफिकमध्ये मुद्दाम self proclaimed police बनून कल्ला सोडवण्याच्या बहाण्याने उलट्याच दिशेने सोडले दुचाकीवाल्यांना

आपल्या आपल्या धर्माचं जतन करणार्‍या डोळस मूर्खांनाच म्हणू लागलो धर्मांध
वृत्तवाहिनीकडून अॉफर आली एका

मतदान सोडून इतर प्रत्येक दिवस माझे जाहीर मत आगंतुक पाहुण्यांसारखे लादू लागलो

वादात पडलो, की जिथे इतिहासाची चर्चा सुरु असेल तिथे भविष्याबद्दल आणि जिथे वर्तमान प्रश्न मांडला आहे तिथेच भूतकाळावर विषय फोडून पाहिले

जो गट मोठा, त्यांच्या बाजूचा मी झालो.

आता मला सगळे विचारवंत म्हणू लागले आहेत.

काय बोल्ता!

2019-08-20T20:21:00.003-07:00

बोले तैसा चाले त्याची वंदावी पाऊले, असे आता राहीले नाही खरे. कारण आजकाल वाकडं बोलणारी माणसंच जास्त भेटत असतात.

कुणी बोल लावतात,
कुणी बोलघेवडे असतात.
कुणाचे डोळेच जास्त बोलके असतात.
कुणाला 'तुम्हाला बोलवावे लागतेच कशाला?' ही न बोलावल्याबद्दल पळवाट सापडते.

काहींना 'काहीतरी बोला, कधीतरी' म्हणावं लागतं.
काहींच्या बोलण्याचा काही नेम नसतो.

कधी कधी बोलून बसलोय, म्हणून काही गोष्टी कराव्याच लागतात.
कधी कधी बोलता बोलता कुणाकुणात अबोला अगदी न बोलता येतो.

करणारे कमी, बोलणारेच जास्त असतात.
बोलूनचालून सगळे बोलबच्चन.
किती बोलावं या विषयावर!

निवडक चि. व चि. सौ. कां.

2017-05-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Radically opposite व्यक्ती एकमेकांच्या प्रेमात पडतात, आणि मग काही काळानंतर त्यांना साक्षात्कार होतो, की radically त्रासदायक असे सगळे दुर्गुण आलेत आपल्याच पार्टनरच्या देहाच्या शामियान्यात वस्तीला! हे तसं म्हटलं तर बहुतवेळा सिनेसृष्टीने आजमावलेलं कथानक असलं, तरी लेखक-निर्देशक जोडीने चि. व चि. सौ. कां. च्या निमित्ताने आपलं वेगळेपण आणि नावीन्य सार्थ केलं आहे.

या सिनेमात मला एक महत्वाचा संदेश दिसला, तो म्हणजे equal empowerment चा. मुलगा, मुलगी दोघंही चांगल्या वृत्तीचे, सजग, सुशिक्षित सादर केले आहेत. एरवीच्या दोन बायका असणाऱ्या नवऱ्यालाही सुधारण्याच्या मागे असलेल्या बिचाऱ्या मुलीगत ती रडकी स्त्री भूमिकाही नाही, आणि एकुलता मुलगा म्हणून लाडावलेला pseudodude असा तो नायकही नाही. उलट, उच्चशिक्षण आणि नोकरीतून independence आणि work satisfaction मिळवणारे आपापल्या ठिकाणी strong असे characters उभे करून शिवाय social मीडियाचा जागरूक वापर वगैरे गोष्टी अधोरेखीत केल्या आहेत, म्हणजे सध्याच्या 'आमच्या वेळी हे असं नव्हतं' trend ला थोडा positive हादरा दिलेला आहे.

Social मीडिया च्या वापरावरून आठवलं, ह्या movieचं, पात्रांचं आणि त्यांच्या मार्केटिंग टीमचं फेसबुक, instagram, twitter सारख्या upcoming माध्यमांतून छान advertising झालेलं होतं! आपापल्या कितीतरीM followers कडून फ्री publicity मिळणं ही त्यांच्या talent ला एक प्रकारे दादच आहे. सोबत चला हवा येऊ द्या सारख्या platform वर मराठी फिल्मची गाडी येत असल्यामुळे घरोघरी प्रेक्षकांची नीरक्षीरविवेक करण्याची सोय झालेली आहे.

विशेष करून मला आज्जीचं पात्र आवडलं. या वयात आपल्यावरच्या मुलांवर संस्कार करण्याच्या जबाबदारीला पार पाडून आपण मुक्त झालेलो असतो, खासकरून त्यांच्या मुलांना घडवण्याची, योग्य ते संस्कार बिंबवण्याची ससेहोलपट पाहताना enjoy करत असतो. बहुतांश वेळा, आपल्या मुलांना अमुक करू नकोस, तमुक घालू नकोस हे म्हटलेलं असतं, पण त्यांच्या पुढच्या पिढीच्यांनी ते घालणं करणं याला खरोखर मनापासून सहमती देत असतो! माझी आज्जी म्हणायची ना, "तुम्ही ते shorts घालता ना, छान वाटतं!" ते काही आता लहान नाहीत, पण म्हातारे आहेत ना, ह्या मधल्या पिढीच्या काळजीवाहू line मधून वेगळ्या generations मधली gap छान टिपली आहे.

आपली पिढी ना, result ओरिएंटेड नाहीये, experiment oriented आहे. Trial and error बद्दल आपण औत्सुक्याने विचार करतो, हो तर हो नाही तर नाही असा attitude ठेवून. याऊलट, आपल्या आईवडिलांची generation परिणाम काय होईल ह्याच्या चिंतेत जास्त असते. त्यांच्या आधीची पिढी आपण guidance देऊ गेलो, की तो interference वाटणार हे अनुभवून शांत असते, neutral असते, आपलं personal मत तेवढं मांडते आणि विमुक्त राहते. थोडं प्रत्येक पिढीचं बरोबर असतं, पण climax आधीचा twist येईस्तोवर ते आपण समजून घेत नाही.

महत्वाचं म्हणजे प्रेक्षक म्हणून टिपायला या सिनेमात चांगल्या गोष्टी फार आहेत. कथानक जरी अतिरंजित आगळ्यावेगळ्या गुणवैशिष्ट्यांवर वर based असलं तरी मला छोट्या छोट्या गोष्टींमधून पात्रांचा दिसणारा support खूप आवडला, म्हणजे oncall स्त्री डॉक्टरला रात्री सोडायला जाणं, धांदरटपणामुळे फुटणाऱ्या गोष्टींना सांभाळून घेणं, AC चं scheduling, एखादवेळेस आपल्या पार्टनरची वकिली करणं these little things matter boss!

परत सिनेमाबद्दल थोडंसं सांगायचं झालं तर, अभिनय सर्वांचेच उत्तम झाले आहेत. भारत गणेशपुरे यांचा ब्रह्मदेव सगळ्या pieces ची सांगड घालून छान entertain करतो. भावंडांचे संवाद, आई वडील कम सासू सासरे एकच नंबर comedy! आमटे दाम्पत्याचा छोटासा संवादसुद्धा सुखद आणि apt वाटतो. सापाचा VFX तेवढा unnecessary वाटला, बाकी प्राण्यांचा वापर उत्कृष्ट केला आहे! खरंतर कॉमेडी चित्रपटात सिरीयस स्टोरी पेक्षा कॅमेऱ्याचा वापर, फोकसिंग, वळण सगळं जास्त शिताफीनं सांभाळावं लागतं, तसं इथे चांगलं सांभाळलं आहे. Normalcy maintain होईल असं styling, मजेदार music आणि गाणी गम्मत वाढवतात. Picture सुरुवात ते शेवट, कॉमेडी-tragedy-message कुठेच पकड सोडत नाही, आणि प्रेक्षक हसतमुखाने पैसावसुल बाहेर पडतो!

Ego

2017-05-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

There are voices in my head. They kept me awake all night long.

They all tried to protect me. Made me aware of my vulnerabilities. Made me feel alone and mistreated.

They made it sound like it's us against the world, all the voices on my side.
And I was right.

They ran through my veins and pumped the memories out. Memories of being at peace. Indignant I felt.

They showed me clips from the past, threatened about how the future will look like with a shadow that succeeded the now.

I cursed my creativity. I ain't no artist. Bloody unstoppable thoughts. I felt tired.
I told myself to fall asleep. Sleep shook her head.

I stayed in denial for a while and accepted at the end of a reel projecting a generic persistent series of events.
Accepted that this is it.

The voices reassured that I was honest. The voices assured that the rest are mistaken.

I felt uncertain but I also felt confident.
Because in the past, I tried till the end.
For approvals, for compassion, for equality, to make it work. And met with judgemental assumptions in the voices from others' heads, faint screaming voices. I gave my 100%. Sometimes nothing is enough. Sometimes, the voices tell me that nothing is worthy of being so exhausted.

Because in the past, I quit. People, friends, challenges, consequences. And survived. I knew that I am happier.

Quitting wasn't a negative word when the world turned happy.

Then, the world had agreed that I was right.

डॉ. प्रकाश आमटे: The Real Hero - एक प्रेक्षणीय चरित्रपट

2014-10-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

शाळेत असताना  मराठीच्या धड्यातून आणि Readers Digest मुलाखातीतून मी बाबा आमटेंबद्दल आणि आनंदवनाबद्दल वाचलं होतं. दुर्दैवाने त्यांची भेट घेण्यास जायची क्षमता माझ्यात येण्याअगोदरच बाबांच्या निर्वाणाची बातमी आली.  यानंतर या थोर व्यक्तिमात्वाशी भेटण्याच्या संधीला आपण मुकलो, ही एवढ्या वर्षांपूर्वीची जाणीव आनंदवन आणि लोकबिरादारी बद्दल प्रकाशित झालेल्या प्रत्येक पुस्तकाने खोडून काढली. समृद्धी पोरे यांच्या 'डॉ. प्रकाश आमटे: द रीयल हीरो' मध्ये तर प्रत्यक्ष बाबाच आपल्या भेटीला येतात, केवळ बाबांची व्यक्तिरेखा साकारणाऱ्या मोहन आगाशेंच्या रूपातूनच नव्हे, तर प्रकाश आमटे, मंदाकिनी आमटे आणि हेमालकशात घडणाऱ्या प्रत्येक सत्कार्मातून!

चित्रपटाच्या सुरुवातीच्या काही क्षणातच आपल्याला वाघाच्या तेजस्वी सौंदर्याची प्रचिती येते, ती प्रकाश आमटेंचा एंट्री scene पाहून! पडद्यावरील आमटे बघताना 'कैसे वागणे, कैसे बोलणे, सलगी देणे कैसे असे| सकळ सुखाचा केला त्याग, करूनी साथीचे जो याग। राजसाधनाची लगबग कैशी केलि।।' हे शिवारायांबद्दलचे बोल आजही प्रशासनातून नाही, पण लोककल्याणातून महाराष्ट्र जागवून आहे असे वाटते. कधी वाचनातून, कधी मुलाखतीतून ऐकलेले अनेक प्रसंग कुठलीही घाई न करता प्रसंगाला न्याय्य वेळ योजून चितारलेले पहायला मिळतात आणि प्रेक्षक खुश होतो. काही प्रसंगी त्याग आणि dedication यांचं मूर्तिमंत उदाहरण असलेल्यांची कसोटी का लागते, एवढ्या चांगल्या लोकांच्या वाटेला एवढ्या अडचणी येणं का नशिबात असतं हे जाणवत राहतं. त्यांच्या सुखदु:खात समरस होउन आपल्याला आपण प्रसंगानुरूप हसताना रडताना सापडतो.

अतिरंजीत थट्टा या चित्रपटात अजीबात नाही. छोट्या छोट्या गोष्टितल्या गम्मतशीर प्रसंगांतून खडतर जीवन सुसह्य करण्याचं विनोदाचं सामर्थ्य व गोष्टी lightly घेणाऱ्याचं धैर्य आणि परिपक्वता पाहताना प्रेक्षक नकळत बरंचसं शिकून जातो. Romance मधील माधुर्य, डोळसपणा, आणि सहजता पाहून 'मैं तुम्हारे लिए कुछ भी करूंगा' म्हणणाऱ्या दिखावेछाप movies पेक्षा काहीही शब्दबम्बाळ न बोलता व्यक्त होणारा एकमेकांप्रतीचा आदर, प्रेम आणि विश्वास काही औरच आहे, त्यात दोघान्नाच नाही तर इतरांनाही कायमस्वरूपी जोडून ठेवण्याची शक्ती आहे, हे चित्रित करणारे सुरेख प्रसंग सिनेमात आहेत. प्राण्यान्शी माणसाला प्रेमाने ओळख करवून देणं आणि माणसातल्या प्राण्याला समूळ बदलणं ही समाजाची मोठी गरज आहे, त्यासाठी आमटयांनी सुरु केलेल्या ark ची ही चौथी पीढ़ी असून बिनधास्त बिबट्या सोबत खेळणाऱ्या चिमुक्ल्यान्मधेही आपण त्यांना बघतो. ह्या काही आखीव रेखीवपणे टिपलेल्या moments ना सुंदर साजेशा प्रासंगीक वाक्यांच्या कोन्दणात बसवून अधिकच उठावदार बनवलं गेलंय!
तांत्रिकदृष्ट्या सांगायचं झालं, तर नाना पाटेकर स्वत:च्या अनुभवातला प्रकाश साकारण्यात एकमेवाद्वितीय ठरले आहेत. Glamorous Bollywood पासून सामाजिक आणि art cinema मधील आपल्या अनुभवाची कुठलीही छाप न पाडता अगदी साधेपणाने पण तितक्याच ताकदीने सोनाली कुलकर्णी यांनीही मंदाकिनी प्रेक्षकान्पर्यंत पोहोचवली आहे. खरोखर हेमलकशातील सज्जनच नव्हे, तर सिनेमातील villains सुद्धा आपापल्या व्यक्तिरेखेत कसून रुळलेले दिसतात. अभिनयात दिग्गजान्पासून ते अक्षरश: एक्स्ट्रास पर्यंत प्रत्येकाने दाद देण्यालायक भूमिका बजावल्या आहेत. निर्मिती, पटकथा, संवाद, दिग्दर्शन अशी चौफेर जबाबदारी पेलणं, तेही आमटे परिवारासारख्या नावाजलेल्या समाजसेवाकांची, हे अत्यंत आव्हानात्मक असणारच, पण समृद्धी पोरे व team यांनी ही कामगिरी चोख बजावली आहे. Location, camera, sound आणि वेशभूषा चित्रपटास पूरक आणि आल्हाददायक आहे.
या चित्रपटाची स्तुतीपर समीक्षा सर्व माध्यमातून नक्कीच वाचावयास मिळेल, यात शंका नाही. पेच फक्त एवढाच की, एका तेजस्वी सवित्याच्या प्रकाशवाटांना stars देण्यास आभाळ अपूरे पडणार आहे! As a commoner, मी या चित्रपटातून एक प्रेरणा घेणे आहे, की निव्वळ स्तुतिसुमानांच्या उधळणीपुरते नव्हे, तर शक्य त्या परीने कृतीतून स्तुती करण्याचा प्रयत्न मी करेन.  'त्याहूनी करावे विशेष, तरीच म्हणवावे पुरुष। याउपर्याताविशेष काय ल्याहावे।।' 

बर्‍याच दिवसांनी म्हटलं लिहू :)

2014-01-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

सरावाच्या मूक भावना
साठवल्या किती मनी,
प्रश्न निरूत्तर बरा,
मना नकाराची भीती.

जमलेल्या मंडळींच्या
मुक्तछंद गुजगोष्टी
कान एकाग्र ऐकण्या
तुझ्या शब्दांच्या चाहूली

धडधडीची चाल
तुझ्या हाकेला निराळी
तुला हाक मारू जाता
मनोमन गुदगुली

सांजवेळी माझ्यापुढे
आठवणीची साउली,
खिडकीतुनी खुणावे
वाट तुझी तिन्ही काळी

कोण्या कारणा, का वाटे
मला तुझी रे काळजी
काय हक्काने पुसावी
अशी तुझी मी खुशाली

तू सुखाचा कबीर,
मी शब्दांची गरीब,
तुझ्या होकारास का रे
माझे पारखे नशीब.

की तू अजुन अबोल
जरी हेच तुझ्या मनी,
स्वप्नं पुरी होण्यासाठी
वाट पाहे समदुख्खी.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

2013-09-14T00:41:00.001-07:00

Stuck for 10 days at home, I've learnt the following lessons:

1. My family loves me. Like, in a 'I'll never know if I'll be able to love my children/sibling this much' way. They've bloody catered to all my needs and wills during the days of my bed-rest so readily. Be it dad visiting in the hospital every time he took off from home for court/office, be it for bringing food, for closing the door innumerable times, shooing the pigeons away, for reminding me to eat, posting my saline-connected pictures on WhatsApp groups.. et cetera.

2. I've observed their complaints downsize as the 12 hours + rest time has induced timely sleeping pattern in me. May be a grown person staying at home doing nothing but watch her/his favourite sitcom is a pain to the eyes of any normal spectator, thus occasional advice like "Purrey ata laptop, doka kunacha dukhata..(Enough with the laptop, whose head starts hurting later..)" has to be selectively filtered by my head.

3. Never get filthy roommates. You'll have ill experiences, so sick, you'll suffer the consequences even after 10 months of moving out from the house. And this time, your pocket will cry as they're still not returning your deposit money!

4. I can dream even under sleeping pill's spell. Today I dreamed of an itchy black cat and advising the owner to get her medication to get rid of the intestinal parasites. Most of the times, my dreams don't make sense, but when they do they're irrelevant.

5. Suspicious activity has been observed on this blog. I'm getting a hundred + views everyday 90% from FireBird & FireFox browser, North and South Amurikka.

6. I will never be watching a horror movie again. But I'm going to complete The Shining e-book before TOEFL.

7. My ex-employer surprised me with crediting a 'Whoa!' amount in my account this Sept, as 'Salary for the month of September'. I gotta call the HR!

8. The only Ganpati I could visit this time was at Chaitu's place. But had super fun meeting all my girlfriends after so long.

9. Teaching facebook to parents is a task I've classified as 'necessary evil'.

10. I have to write a complete article on the last trek to earn some money for the next one. Also, I have to plan a one-day trek for the ex-work friends on 5th October. Ending the post here.

About Roopkund Day

2013-08-18T04:05:00.002-07:00

A gist of the day 5+6 of Roopkund Trek covered in one day, on 24th May. I hope Soham will soon write about all the other days in his note about Roopkund:

Roopkund

1. May end can be a precarious time to visit the Himalayas, even if this is famous as THE season for Roopkund. On high altitudes, the weather is as unpredictable as the year end bonus of a PBTech employee.

Roopkund is right behind Mayuresh -_-

Indiahikes' original plan had to be tweaked to fit the two day journey from Pathar Nauchuni to Bhagwa Bhasa and Bhagwa Bhasa to Roopkund and back, in one day as the campsite at Bhagwa Bhasa was covered under snow. So, our day had to start at 3 am, with strict instructions to reach Kalu Vinayak (crossing the zig-zag climb) before 7:00. "Anyone who reaches Kalu Vinayak after that, will be advised to return back to Pathar Nauchuni", our leader Akhil said, "if you cannot make it upto 7 there, then you cannot make it to Roopkund by 11 and you have to start descending when the snow there starts to melt due to sunlight with greater chances of slipping."

Having no intentions of venturing a fall, we started at 3:30 with our torches to show us the way in pitch dark night.

2. It is easier to cover steeper climbs at night, as you get stressed very less due to concentrating on the path below your feet more than the path remaining to be covered. It's good to take breaks as you have to manage a constant breathing pattern to avoid mountain sickness.
We were done with the regular intervals of 15 mins walk - 10 mins break as per instructed and reached Kalu Vinayak at 6:40 am, to meet clouds crossing the edge of the mountain, running past us as the wind carrying them clouds made us cringe with cold! The night had drifted while we were busy trekking and breathing. Adorned with a few visible stars above those clouds, the sky had turned a faint shade of blue-pink. Here, we had to quickly wear those crampons and move ahead to reach Bhagwa Bhasa. through the snow.

A thousand shades of sunlight

On the road towards Roopkund

3. Bhagwa Bhasa was nearer than our expectation. There was snow everywhere! In fact, TTH's campsite was built on the snow and they had to melt the snow to get water the night before. As we stood in a line, we were all made aware that there is no turning back if you move henceforth. Somehow hardcore trekkers carry an aura of discipline with them, which reflected through Rahul and Akhil's every action and made us more observant of the sincere danger that lay ahead. [I have chosen to keep our slipping, falling, cursing, hating ice in all forms off this post.]

4. Infinite number of ever ending turns is the USP of Himalayan treks. The sun traverses his path quicker at such heights.

I must've asked "aur kitni dur?" a hundred times to our guides on the way towards Roopkund. Bright sunlight gets reflected from the snow wherever your eyes fall and you feel like walking in a crystalline field.. but it does NOT end. It starts becoming frustrating as you sense the monotone of walking through the snow, exerting energy to make each steady-stable step, taking time to breathe and constantly avoid thinking about an accidental slip. I hate wearing shades (or any kind of glasses for that matter) and we had to keep our eyes covered, to be protected against sunlight & whiteout.

The only reason why this 3-4 hour journey was bearable was that there were some people who were as tired as me behind us (:P), I had fantastic company who never got tired of my bakbak and that the view of the valley and the mountains we had to reach to be at Roopkund was getting nearer.

Most patient guy I've EVER met

5. We met the TTH group at the second last snow-covered hill we had to climb to meet roopkund, and they were descending the hill sliding in uncontrolled directions and told us even this small climb will be tough. Finally, with a pace of one step - 2 minutes break at a time, I reached Roopkund where Mayuresh (who had reached an hour before me) was waiting.

Roopkund has to be seen without the shades, but removing the shades, I felt blinded by the sunlight for a few seconds. All the struggle was washed by that very emotion of accomplishment which nobody has learned to limn completely. I closed my eyes and took a nap for 10 minutes, and that's a strange thing to do, trust me! Everyone was worried and asked, "what happened? are you all right?"

By the lake Roopkund, I sat down and slept

6. I do not remember eating at all during this day! we only carried some dry fruits and chikki or something like that with us for munching and throughout the journey we felt kinda repulsed at the thought of food. Indiahikes had provided us with roti-sabji and boiled aalu; but none of us had the taste for it. I was heartily disappointed when we didn't get any Roopkund maggi as promised by Pujari ji.. but again, in return of my "kyaa Pujari ji, aapne mere Maggi ke sapne tod diye!" nagging, he did make us awesome 'Hakka noodles' the next day!

Celebrating Roopkund!

7. I was the only one from our team who got to slide down the snow "Wooohoooo!" with a trained mountaineer ;)
We experienced the thrill of watching Jess fall approx 100-150 ft straight, sliding on the snow caught & stopped by the guide who dived right after her and locked her before the situation got worse.
As me and Mayuresh were at the end on our way back, Pujari ji took a shortcut after Kalu Vinayak with us and we saw that priced insect (some insect useful for Ayurvedik medicine, which gets sold @ 1 Lakh/kg, hence being the reson of people sitting on edges of these mountains al lthe afternoon!)

Photo courtesy: Garreth, Supriya, Gadgil and Aniket.

Date a girl who likes to go trekking (only once in a blue moon, like it's a picnic)

2013-07-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Date a girl who doesn't usually go trekking, 'cause she can wear her plums or flipflops there and dance around crying in the middle of a 2 ft narrow steep road on a mountain, over an ankle sprain. You'll wonder how thoughtful she was wearing exactly the wrong pair of footwear. Why? Bacause you louuu her!

Date a girl who doesn't really trek a lot. 'Cause she'll keep cribbing over how untidy her hair look, how stained her pink tracks got and how she hates the mud on her 'spensive' shoes.. She might be reluctant to hold your hand, calling it too dirty (as you had to hold the rocks for balance when she was about to trip over); but you'll know she loves you in spite of her 'why the heck did you bring me here?'s.. you know why...? Because you louuu her!

Date a girl who doesn't love trekking as much as you do. What a delight it is to hold another bag, carrying your own AND telling her where to put her foot on each step! You really really want to finish packing your bag early, for helping her out organize her own, don't you? There's only one reason.. Aww, you louuu her!

Date a girl that loves going on dinners and picnics more than trekking.. why? 'Cause you require exercising photography for the sake of her facebook display images.
Just imagine how you'll be looking at the mountain range spread in front of your eyes in awe, wondering what a humbling experience this is.. and she'll be looking at the same landscape thinking of how many 'like's her picture with this in the background will get.. isn't that how 'soul mates' think!

You've gotta be madly in louuu with this girl who makes faces at the maggi/pohe/chai you made in the cave for her, when you talk about the sleeping arrangement trying to convince her how even a mattress is comforting after the day's toil. She'll agree alright, don't worry, all you gotta do is shed a few tears and act helpless maybe.. hey, that's all a relationship is all about, anyway!

Date a girl who will give up midway and choose to stay in the caves in stead of following you ahead. She'll not sit next to you after a day entirely spent in trekking, with hardly any water supply remaining towards the end, through the places you've never before been to, to visit the setting sun from the topmost point of the mountain, to look in your eyes when you feel so content about the successfull trek. You need some space in louuu too.. but wait THAT'S A TEST! If you choose to go ahead, you're over. You need to sit in the cave beside her, and miss the sunset, bwoy! That's louuuu!

Date a girl who'll shrug her shoulders when you idly ask her 'Why are we here...? What are we doing walking the whole day..? Are we insane really?" 'Cause she won't return your smile knowing how happy you are to do all that, but agree thinking you mean it, as much as she does. You'll hit yourself for regretting being with her, you know why...? 'Cause it's mandatory to act stupid in louuu!

T.R.A.I.N.I.N.G.

2013-07-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Declaration:
None of the characters, incidents and places included in the following text is fictional. Resemblance to any person or personality is not to be kept from being taken personally. The code of conduct violations done here are completely intentional.

*coughs and remains silent for a while looking at the desk*
I am not out of words.. I was just showing what do we do when we're asked to volunteer. Who's the one to go and talk, let's see.. I'm sure everyone must've observed that there's always someone who will step up first. A Hermione type of guy or girl. Smart, but eager to stand out, someone who puts an additional effort to look better among the rest. They might find a way to look or behave different than others, with an air of 'I'm the best!' Attitude. And for safety purposes, I must say that I'm not pointing at anyone here..

Then I'll talk about the 'Nodder's in our class. I myself am a nodder, I had a spring installed somewhere above my spiral cord.. I invented a new degree of freedom, given by the nod-joint in my neck! There's another sub-phylum to this kind, the 'leg movers', constantly dancing! If the energy generated by the oscillations of our body parts due to anxiety or *coughs* lack of interest could be stored in some form, we could charge our laptops for free! I wonder if it feels distracting to the ones sitting next to us.. I mean, their brain-cells must be shouting, 'let me concentrate!'

There's also an 'agree-argue' duo in every class. One will always concur with everything the trainer has to say, the rich is always right after all! and the arguer will always try to oppose something or the other. The 'yes sir' guy will always laugh even at a poorly delivered PJ from a senior. On the other hand, the 'I object!' Guy is good at conducting a trolling exercise in a dilute and invisible manner. Sometimes, their nit-picking is a headache for the rest of the class, 'shut up, yaar! Let them finish the lecture fast!'

Next, I'll talk about the 'Talkie' people. They need to talk, they cannot fail to give their opinion. Sometimes, they have a really good point. They generously lend us a lot of their knowledge, as they are a 'know it all', in an admirable way.. but some are just excellent in talking without a topic, without a point, without any meaning.. I keep trying to learn how do they do it, it's really difficult once you're a grown up, I swear!

Then comes, a 'Principle' person. A mind driven by strong belief system and integrity. They have to be right all the time. Their skit should always end with a positive note. However high their values are, I've observed that they tend to be judgmental about someone with a harmless moral flexibility. They might not always appreciate the space we should give to an individual in his/her decisions in their own corporate or personal life.

That reminds me, the number of times I've heard the word 'INTEGRITY' here tends to infinity! In fact, if I hear it one more time now, the count will reach negative infinity! If I had a nickle for every time we heard the question 'what is integrity? What do you mean by it?'.. my employer would've considered me for a wealthy competitor!

'Code of conduct violation!' Another raakshas word, man! Everytime I hear it, I picture myself trying to get through a net of moving lasers, like, I have to go to the other end to deactivate a live bomb and before reaching there, I have to swipe an access card and whilst doing that my manager will call me to ask my password which I shouldn't give!

Let me talk about our HRs for a while now. Their smile doesn't leave their faces for even a second, even when they are talking, even when they're telling us 'no, you won't get a cab drop tonight', 'no, you cannot take a leave during training', even when we suffer a huge loss in Sitopedia, they're constantly smiling!

Now, what happens when 'Bade Log' and Technology training team is here to meet us...
First of all, we spot who's there from our LoB, and decide in mind that I'm going to talk with person so-and-so in the networking event that'll follow ahead. Their speeches, I must honestly admit, are repetitive, still we make it a point to look like we're getting to hear this for the first time - the 'Oh wow! What are you saying!' Expression.
The best picture I noticed was during the Q&A sessions, friends! Every time someone comes to visit us, may him/her be from any LoB, any level of hierarchy, any location, there's always someone from the trainees who will ask this question: "what opportunities do we have in terms of mobility and progress?" I mean, this question has been answered SO MANY times by now, it is about to exceed the number of times I've written 'flexibility, reliability and accuracy' during my entire course of Engineering examinations!

Note: The author expects hate-mail.

24th April, 2013

2013-04-24T00:47:00.001-07:00

Changed Desktop Background:

:)

May you have many happy birthdays ahead SRT! :D

The Rabbit and The Lion

2013-03-14T04:13:00.002-07:00

Long long ago, there lived a rabbit in a jungle who loved adventures and challenges. The rabbit knew well of his capabilities and better of his limits.

Once whilst walking towards the hilltop, the rabbit started feeling thirsty. He stopped at the river for some water, and there came across him, the King of the jungle Leo, in flesh! With an enormous golden mane adorning this giant of a lion, the rabbit got ~~shit~~ scared and found himself rooted on the spot. Leo noticed the tiny animal on his road and said, "Hello my friend, would you like a ride if we're both heading towards the hilltop?" Taken aback by the question as he was, the rabbit felt intimidated by the offer. Riding a lion was above the boldest of his dreams, and yet, it meant a constant fear of death. But the brave rabbit collected his courage and concentrated his mind to think more wisely. 'If I say yes, I may die once we reach the top if Leo starts feeling hungry. But what if I refuse the King, now..?' the rabbit thought. Politely, the rabbit told Leo,"I promise, I will not be very tasty."

The lion and the rabbit are to begin their journey at the end of this very month.

Moral: You can disappoint anyone by not telling the climax.

Budget Declaration's (Realtime) After-effects

2013-02-28T02:32:00.001-08:00

Engineering students:
Action: Generating 'What the Govt thinks the budget will do, what people think the budget will do, what the budget actually does' posts and posting them on facebook/Twitter/MemeGenerator.
Conclusion: May be I'll start caring about this once I join the software company completely unrelated with the myth of my academically intellectual being spilled over sheets of paper every semester.

CA Aspirants:
Action: Listen carefully to the entire talk(As they say in Marathi, "Kaanat jeev aanun aikne") with rapt attention.
Conclusion: May be I'll understand it after clearing the finals.

Common man:
Action: Searching the TV channel most tolerable, where more number of speakers use less finance terminology that will let me understand how the budget will affect my life.
Conclusion: After listening to the uninteresting talk, I have come to the conclusion that it's better to assume the economy is pretty fucked up and move on with my daily monotonous routine.

Housewives:
Action: Rants about "You're in front of the TV the whole day! If you cared so much about our money, rather than the nation's may be we would have had a reason to worry about the tax benefits for income beyond 5lpa by now!"
Conclusion: I am talking to the air. As usual.

Corporate slaves:
Action: Hear, try to comprehend what the words mean as long as your knowledge of Investopedia/ET permits, avoid listening when it starts causing headache.
Conclusion: When there'll be a discussion in the office about it, I'll side with the winning team.

WhatsApp Groups:
Commerce geeks: Guys, was glued to the budget talks all the day! Nobody here is working, and we have live TV streaming here in office to catch all the discussions! This is SO AWESOME!
One of the others: Wow, really! What are your views about it..?
Others, except the One: ~~Oh phuck! NO!!!~~ Yes, we'll be glad to know. (Add files>WhatsApp Smilies>'Bitch please' trollface>send)

The 4th Seat

2013-02-21T02:59:00.003-08:00

Picture

I thank thee, O humble citizen sitting near the window..
for a millimeter's shift after your cumbersome efforts
coupled with expressions that seem to ruin your sweet face even more,
I've been rewarded with in response to my plea,
has showered me with the comfort of 1/5th of this 4th seat.

It is my foul head's felony
to get hit by your perfectly placed elbow,
O aunty boarding the train at Dombivli,
pardon my body for being opaque yet unnoticeable.

Aren't you chirpy, young lady swearing at the lady of your mother's age!
Sure your foot doesn't deserve the local's floor,
thee shalt let it rest on my tiniest finger.
Look! How ignorant of me to think I even need to tell!

O fella standing in front of me,
it is the fortune of the curve between my neck and shoulder,
the only thing well designed in human race
that flew into my socially awkward being,
to get the feeling of completeness
when your bag rests peacefully on it,
slapping my arrogance of traveling in your presence.

Hell Columbus, laugh at you pitiful creature!
for missing this locale breathtaking voyage.
We're the sailors of 7 stations,
on every dawn doomed upon us..
haha! Riding through the ocean of people, time and hunger.

नाण्याची 'भलतीच' बाजू

2013-01-27T09:32:00.002-08:00

We took the road less traveled by.

Photo courtesy: http://www.geolocation.ws/v/P/44925466/naneghaat-jeevdhan-khadaapaarshi/en

सोप्पं नसतं हे च्यायला!

2012-11-24T01:52:00.001-08:00

लिहून काढू सगळं म्हटलं एकदाचं,
तर शब्दांचा नेमका असहकार!
नाही, नकोच हा topic ठरवलं,
की गद्य-पद्यात overlapping अनंत विचार!

चित्र आपलं मनातलं माझ्या
बघच एकदा माझ्या डोळ्यांनी,
focus आपल्या smiling चेहर्यांवर
जगावर मारुन smudge आणि.

एकमेकांत हरवलेली नजर आपली,
त्या क्षणात जपून ठेवाविशी,
Forever ची senti भाषा
डोळ्यात वाचता येईल अशी..

Screenshot काढून save केलाय,
आठवण काढून बघत बसायला
तन्द्री तोडणारं डोळ्यातल पाणी
कराराने मागे सारायला.

Understanding छान जमेल मला,
नाहीत अवास्तव अपेक्षा..
स्वतंत्र, मुक्तच असतं relation..
ईतनी बुरी भी नहीं मैं, बस क्या!

स्वत:ला खूप protect केलेलं,
Feelings नकोत हाच होता ठराव..
तरी कळलंच नाई कधी पलटलं
इतका effortless साला मनाचा डाव..

वरवर सगळ्यांसमोर कळू न देता हसत बोलण्याचं शहाणपण आहे..
आतल्या आत रडण थांबवणं मग डोक्यालाही पार अशक्य का हे!

तक्रार म्हणून नाई सांगते सगळं,
खरच मत बदलून बघ ना एकदा..
म्हणशील तेवढी वाट बघेन मी, पण
सोप्पं नसतं हे च्यायला!

Diwali Pahaat

2012-11-13T00:41:00.004-08:00

[This post is inspired by: Irony Dan 's What I Did for My Birthday post ]

Trek from Torna to Rajgad

2012-10-06T09:12:00.003-07:00

This post is a lengthy one, so if(haveADHD() || haveNoTime()) {break;}
else { read(); }
Warning: the post has a lot of unnecessary info, smileys and specific details. You may skip or skim through.

So, after a lot of additions, deletions and modifications, there were only 4 of us ~~(me, being the only girl in the group)~~ who reached Kalyan station to catch the 'Chennai Express' at 12:40 am on Saturday, 29th September, 2012. Me and Pravin 'hardly' spent half-an-hour at respective homes after getting off from work, packing bags for the trek. Not to forget, Juili's birthday sursprise was taking motiCHURAche laadu at 12:10 am to her place! My preparation blog for this trek was http://shridharattrekking.blogspot.in/2009/09/rajgad-fort-to-torna-fort-awe-inspiring.html. Althoguh the post talks about Rajgad-to-Torna trek, it helped to know how we'll be going. Of course, we had the expert trekkers with us, so wasn't worried at all! :D

The train journey on a trek is always trek-style journey. We are ready to sit 'anywhere' during a trek! Random chit-chat may reach any level of randomness as we sit, adjusting ourselves in the maximum comfortable position possible. It's a wonder how someone dares to sell Lonawala chikki and chai at such time in that crowded general compartment! So, after a few vain efforts of getting some sleep in the train, we reached Pune station at around 3:00 am, went to Swargate by auto (pataofied autowalas for Rs.120), started playing cards at the back of the ST depot, cursed the wadewaale kaka for not giving fresh wadas, had some pearls of wisdom (copied lines) from (A)Sahasrabuddhe and later on, slept for 1-2 hours there on our mattresses. Tushar and Sagar joined us in the morning, when they must've learnt how 'whatever-ish' bakbak they're going to suffer from in our safar. The expected ST for Velhe scheduled at 6:30 am did not arrive till 8, and we chose to go by Jeep (6 huge people stuffed on 4 seats at the back, Rs. 80 per seat. One can enjoy the amazing songs the Jeepwala guy plays. Not.). The good thing is, even bus ticket would've been approx Rs. 60, and we still reached Velhe as per the schedule, at 9:30, had misal-pav (saw a Land Rower!) and started on the path to Torna with a 'Ganpati Bappa, Moraya!'

Torna (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torna_Fort, http://wikitravel.org/en/Torna, even better info at http://www.puneritraveller.com/torna.html) is comparatively a very easy trek and can be completed without a guide for sure. You'll need to carry water, as the only spot for water is either the base village or the top, where there's a tank. Also, the path consists of a few walks in a well-grown forest, 2-3 rock patches that can get slippery in the rain, so it'll be better to climb in daylight. (We had a Moti kuttiya with us, who accompanied us when we climbed up, later on got named Bebi, and followed the only instruction to not obey what we say. We also saw a brown cute daringbaaz rabbit on our way! ^_^ ). We all took only 2.75 to 3 hours to reach the top, where there's a Mangai devi temple where we had our lunch + buttermilk from a localite and slept for an hour or two. The discussion with buttermilk-wala consisted of his friend trying to earn big bucks for guiding down the path to Rajgad [http://www.puneritraveller.com/rajgad.html] (which we didn't fall for) and the buttermilk-guy decided to help us as he was going to head on the same way to reach his home.

It is said to be a good omen if it starts raining at the beginning of something. Our journey towards Rajgad began at 4:00 pm with a 'scotch-like' rain, mild at the start, turning wild midway, and ending in a smooth buzz. :) We came to know from the Taakwaala that it was raining after 15 days, which made us feel like the rain was meant for our trek :D It is an amazing feeling to see the clouds forming silhouette as the sun tries to appear through them in the pink sky, winking continuously with the flashes of lightening. Somehow, rain has the ability to make the grass at all the sides look greener! The picturesque journey was a treat to our photographers with Cannon's 14MP camera! :D We also met a group travelling from Rajgad to Torna on our way.

A quick heads up : the path is not risky to climb down, it consists of total 11 small hills where you either have to climb and descend or take a traverse. Having a guide helps a lot, as there are some tricky misleading ways on the route. Also, according to our time estimations, it was a better choice as we couldn't have afforded reaching too late due to following a wrong path. (Although, despite of Tushar's "we have to reach in time", we( ;) ) had the plan to delay as much as we can, so that the moonlight night trekking would be achieved.)

So the Taakwale kaka left us with proper guidelines for the road ahead, and we took a halt directly at a proper road to eat something, which is where the actual Rajgad trekking path starts. The time here was filled with "autowalyala vichar, Rajgad yeta ka", Yashraj's "mavshi, amhi 'Torna' hun aaloy" ego booster, "Nakki apan dhagaat ahot, ki dhukyaat, ki kanishta stariya dhagaat :P " and "MH 42 ahe te, MH12 nai!" ityaadi pakavgiri.

Rajgad trek path was a great experience. First of all, it was muddy due to the rain, there are some tough patches as well ahead. Initially, we thought the fog will shift, but it went on growing thicker! There are two small hills and a complete traverse to Sanjeevani machi to be travelled to reach on Rajgad.With the growing fog, the light started to dwindle and we ended up using our torches and climbing cluelessly ahead. Clueless, as we couldn't see anything ahead of the next-to-next person on 5m distance, and even when you use your torch, the only thing you can see is the person-ahead-of-you's shadow on the fog! :P Thankfully, once after a long time, the fog shifted and we could see the 'Sanjeevani' Maachi clearly ahead of us. Here onwards, the path was not dangerous at all! So we put off the torches and finally the fog had shifted and we could walk on the moonlit path, as planned! ^_^

Rajgad, is a MAMMOTH! To compare, only Sanjeevani Machi could've been a separate small fort in itself, which is the same case with Balekilla, Suvela and Padmavati maachi! So we climbed up the Sanjeevani maachi, to walk ahead to cross Balekilla and reach Padmavati maachi. Here I must mention, Sanjeevani had to hear the most editable and vulgar jokes till date and all the ghosts deading there would've been scared with our high pitched voices and in my case, laughter as well! :D It took 20-25 mins to reach Padmavati from Sanjeevani, where we found the stay spot, Temple flooding with 80+ people! One of them suggested the 'Kacheri' uncle's place, which we hired for some Rs. 250 ( :P ). It's a good place indeed, with padavi, proper toilet, a kitchen and a hall, where 6 of us and 6 others from Hyderabad were staying. :)

Here, Me, Tushar, Sagar started to work on the cooking expedition! Milk powder takes a lot of time to dissolve was a lesson learnt :P It's a wonder how Sagar, a first timer on trek could still help, after the tiring day! Everyone enjoyed the taste of 'kanda-masala' maggi thanks to ME ["bas, bas, taaliyaan bas bhi karo.. nahi nahi, thank you kehke sharminda mat karna ab!"] and (doodhal) tasty chaha thanks to Tushar :D While we were at it, Sumukh, Pravin and Yash were done with clean-up and anthruna.. and most of us went to sleep as they were too tired due to trekking entire day. :P Ahem, I had to shut up and sleep with the fear of undirmama and the thandi which grew as the night progressed.

In the morning, we got up at about 8 am, started to cook tea and the remaining maggi.. after that, we went to explore the fort! We had no time to spend on Suvela, so quick Balekilla darshan, photos and a complete view + ghoshana video (where mi "Jay!" pan kela nahi :P ) and a call at home, when Sagar's phone started beeping was all that followed next! Padmavati maachi has a great lake, it felt bad to leave without any masti in the water.. :( We began walking down the fort to reach Gunjavane, from Chor Darwaja at 12:30 pm, after getting limbu sarbat and taak. The good thing is, we hardly walked at all! Most of the path was covered running (and being dragged while running ahead of restricted speed limits :| :P ). We reached the base village in 1.5 hour and found a temple-kum-school to cook pohe and the rest of the maggi (yes, again, maggi) and Yashraj found a lot of hirwal on the Odha, where he and the guys spent almost 0.75 hour in bhaandi ghaasna. XD

There, we took a bus at 4:00 and reached Swargate at 6:00. During the journey, we saw all the trek pictures and Sumukh did stupid things like clicking the hair on his calves and the 'Tumchya saathi kaaypan!' and the takkal of that uncle who was sitting on the seat next to us. From Swargate to Pune in 25 minutes and catching Indrayani train at 6:35 was a race work, well accomplished! :D

It is a different logic altogether, why you prefer to sit in the door, after a trek, even when you have empty seats.. stuff in 2 people in a small door to sit without caring about comfort.. share headphones and don't even listen to the songs as you're talking and laughing.. leave with the feeling, "trek kitti lavkar sampla na" after 2 full days spent in tough work.. in the end, trekking is pretty illogically incredible experience! :)

माझ्या Boyfriend च्या अंगभूत कला

2012-09-08T03:14:00.001-07:00

प्रवासात माझ्या शेजारची जागा setting लावून अडवलेली,
पावसात एकत्र भिजताना नेहमी, छत्री याची हरवलेली!
पोट दुखेस्तवर ह्सताना, मला बघून हसत बसतो,
वेड्यासारखा रात्र रात्र smilies मध्ये बोलत असतो!

कधीतरी तन्द्रित मी शून्यात बघताना बघून चिडवतो,
गप्प गप्प दिसले तर काळजीने 'काय झाल ग!' विचारतो..

मनातली काळजी चेह~यावर उलगडली,
की ताबडतोब भाव बदलतात याचे!
हिच्या नजरेतून थोडेच चुकणारे, हे लक्षात आल की खजिल होतो!

मी खोट खोट रागावाव म्हणून नेहमी माझी कळ काढतो,
खरच चुकून रागावले, की नेहमीचेच जोक मारुन हसवतो.
गोड ए तसा.. म्हणून करते नेहमी मी पण माफ लगेच,
काय करणार! याचे वेडे प्रयत्न पाहून रागच नेहमी सापडेनासा होतो!

हल्ली हल्ली अक्षरशः नको तितका possessive झालाय,
जरा जास्त बोलले कुणा मुलाशी तर दिवसभर न बोलता बसलाय!
आगाउपणे अती डेरिंग करायला गेले परवा, तर किती मला ओरडलाय!
हज्जार त~हा या मुलाच्या!
खरच मोठ्यांसारखा वागू लागलाय..

टीनेजर्स सारखे affair चे चोचले-मस्ती, तितका कै आमच्यात नाही..
जाणीव असते फक्त, आठवून हळूवार हसण्यासारख आहे काही..
सवयच लागलेय आता आम्हाला.. एकमेकांच्या असण्याची..
15-एक मिनटांच्या भेटीखातर विनतक्रार तासन्तास वाट बघण्याची!

A dream and a lot more

2012-06-01T16:04:00.002-07:00

The only reason I am writing tonight, from 2:57am is that today I have completed possibly the most significant part of my life, formal education.

My career goals at age 15 were too diverse to define a rigid path. Sadly, as every Indian citizen, I too shall begin blaming our education system now. (Since the output of next action is mentioned, I'll save time and space here.) I cannot say that choosing something related to calculations and brain cell damage rather than performing arts or painting was a bad idea, because I know that I am incapable of digesting compliments (not that I cannot keep my feet to the ground, I really get scared of something after getting a compliment, no idea what). I had to quit dance classes when a teacher (who used to teach my dad too) told my parents to not compromise my 'rank-in-boards' aptitude for uncertain fame. I couldn't pursue the traditional path to becoming a scientist, as it starts off with 8000 per month or less income and more number of years required to earn it. Also, I do have an assurance of a fine salary per month before completing my graduation with the current choice. Still the complaining tone can be sensed and it is evident because none of the choices were made out of some irresistible urge to devote myself to achieve something I can never afford to miss.

When I completed reading 'The Alchemist' for the first time, I envied the shepherd for having a clear vision of his dream and I still do. My dreams are mostly non-real, ending in a kick that wakes me up and goals are achievable in nearest future through the simplest of means and a little effort. No struggle, no search required. It amuses some when I predict my exact result, but frustrates me at the same time. I do not want something so predictable. I do not feel the sense of achievement in this. Positive.

Then again, what is the need to struggle and why do I want something to die for? Why doesn't logic work? Can I not make a sane choice? Am I a wannabe trying to stand out?
I have left producing the excuse of being practical to avoid fighting for something I really care about, the day I realized keeping scores doesn't matter. There is nobody to compete in the universe. The universe runs for you and you make it exist. A physicist once told me, "the one who experiments shall decide, not determine, whether light will behave as a particle or a wave". So I have decided, that in my universe, there shall be no fear. The fear of failure and loss keeps a person from trying. The fear of thinking in another direction makes a person skeptical about the original dimension of thought. So, fear is dead.

There's another view, that you are the only one existing in the universe and the rest are just projections of your mental designs. I would like to agree. Not because The Matrix is a great trilogy, There's a bigger world beyond the universe, governed by the Magnificent: 'Mind'. I would one day like to calculate the speed of neurosignals and see if it goes beyond 299 792 458 m/s. I bet it would, 'cause my head does travel back and forth in time with a limited scope to alter the incidents.
Coming back to the point, live to die for something, is a rule in my case. I shall practice it for the rest of my error-free life (approx 50-55 years ahead, not counting the years spent in time-travel if it is discovered by then). As there is no comparison in my beliefs, the question of me trying to look outstanding is ruled out.

Lastly, certain things in life are easy to gain. *smiles* Who likes things easy!

My ambitions have survived great shifts, the biggest one experienced after my placement. At this moment I know exactly what I need to do on a 'cannot-live-without, will-regret-if-I-don't-do-it-right-now' level: Find The Dream.

Humans have abused words, the most brutally damaged being 'Time'. A word very sensitive and relative to the subject. I keep thinking how deluded we are about the existence of time and its meaning.
I have an over-thinking disorder, a topic where I cannot or should not do anything is the perfect catalyst.
I also have a bug, I cannot write less.
I also have a lot to read, travel and create. I do have a dream of a shared life where I manage to experience all of these.

The only reason I have written this tonight, till 4:47am is that today I have begun possibly the most significant part of my life, the real education.

P.S. I completed my formal education 3 days before tonight. But experiencing a near-death trek gets higher priority to writing, in my book.
Also, I am not a 'The Alchemist' person. I believe in 'सोsहं (I am the creator)' theory. I do consider signs but not as a charcoal to sketch my direction.

हमारी क्या ग़लती, कुसूर तुम्हारा है!

2012-04-29T11:25:00.001-07:00

नींद कितनी निकम्मी है,
सपनों से कब की हार चुकी !
यादों मे खोने की आदत सी हो गयी |
दिल पे हमारे जो कब्जा किसीका
बता अब इसमे ,
हमारी क्या ग़लती !

Mute से रहे हम जमाने की full volume मे ,
'Not responding' बताए heart का 'task manager' ये |
Short circuit दिमाग़ का, तबीयत की हो tragedy
Equilibrium की लग जाए, जब emotions लिखे parody ..
देवदास नही हम, पर senti बाते करने मे Ph.D. मिली है ..
तूही बता है यहाँ ,
हमारी क्या ग़लती !

पतझड़ की धूप खिली है चारो मौसम काटो मे ,
कब नज़ाने छींटे उड़ाएंगे फूलों के झरने |
राहों मे नज़रे बिछाए नज़ारें राह तक रहे है |
Rewind - Play कर करके flashback भी ज़ुबानी याद हो गया अब तो ,
सच मान लो ,
कुसूर तुम्हारा है !

बादलों से उपर पहुँचती ख़यालों की सीढ़ी किसने बनाई ?
खुदसे भी प्यारी लगे, है ये कितनी मासूम तहाई !
हमारी बेवजह सी मुस्कुराहट उन गानों का नही, तुम्हारा असर है |
नज़र हट कैसे जाए, जब किसी सूरत के हुक्म मे दिल झुका है |
कसम से कहु ,
कुसूर तुम्हारा है !

कितना मनाया, पर गद्दार साली दिल की फ़ितरत हमारी एक ना माने !

हक भी तो नही रहा हमारा , कमीनी चीज़ जो अब तुम्हारी है |

हम तो बस तेरी ही खुशी की सोचते है उल्लू ,

ऐसा आशिक़ इशाक़ज़ादा तू कही गवा न जाए ..

तूही बता इसमे ,

हमारी क्या ग़लती !

If only direction were that easy

2012-04-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

The 'Easier' and 'Faster' way to solve a Rubik's cube is:
--> Dismantle it.
--> Arrange the like coloured faces together.
--> Use glue and make a cube outta it.
They say universe conspires and gives out signs to lead you to your destiny. I am no master of Alchemy, but I'm telling you, that's BULLSHIT.
The time right now is a reason for the heavy words, yet it is depressing to understand how hollow certain sentences could be. I guess I am high on sleep tonight, so this is just a random get out of my head stuff I'll waste 15 minutes typing about.
The shifts in my career goals are a few numbers less to Charlie Harper's girlfriends. If there were a path that the 'universe' wanted me to travel, it sure would be the 'less-traveled-by' one, as who the hell would choose such a twisted road anyway!
It is easier for a person without issues with parents, studies and life to let things go and move on. Not.
I am happy, but I keep thinking about the quantity of my happiness.
The 'RIGHT' way to solve a Rubik's cube is:
--> Learn the math.
--> Try solving the cube.
Here's a lame tutorial for it :P
Tolerance quotient to forgive those who forget or ignore you is a quality. Goodness or badness depends on at which end of the transaction you are.
I have nothing in mind to write for the past whole week. It might not be a writer's block, but it sure feels like a speed breaker.
The nearest future is so clear that my confidence about what is going to happen amuses some of my friends. I am sometimes not comfortable with this certainty zone, hence, naming it, 'the fear of the Known'.
I am pretty sure my mind, the decision changer will deceive me at the right moment.
Why is it so, that we believe, everything will be fine 'in the end'. I mean, DEFINE The End Godammit!
I have a remarkable memory. *sighs*

Coming to the point, I have a little theory developed about 'The Giver and The Gainer':

If the role-reversal does not take place within some time, one of
them is happy and the other wishes to be.

Also, you know why do we like sitcoms, because there's a known director to the story.

Oh, by the way, the 'EASIEST' and 'FASTEST' way to solve a rubik's cube is:
TAKE A BRUSH AND PAINT ALL THE FACES WITH THE SAME-COLOUR.

Through Ammi's Glasses

2012-04-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

"He named me Ram.."

"Yes, he named you Ram.."

"Who can accept a 'Ram' amongst us, Ammi! Didn't he think of all the controvercies, disapprovals and objections from the society? I mean, he was a clever man.. Could've avoided all that chaos, couldn't he?"

"there was nothing to think, your Abbu followed his heart. Without a doubt. Always." I wonder sometimes how Ammi reciprocates Abbu's determination with the same intensity. She adjusted her glasses and said, "He was ready to face what all that followed his decisions."

"But.. his decisions affect you too, he should've considered that atleast.. Why and how could he make you suffer with him!"

"That's never been a problem to me, Ram.. He knew I am with him, whatever happens, whatever he chooses. Suffering is not so painful. He treated us as one, we were one. You cannot blame him for not considering me, he was always a caring person. Used to love us all.. And he knew I won't doubt his choices. The realization that he thought this way makes me feel happier still. Soulmates aren't that easy to find in reality", said Ammi. Looking upwards, she said, "I am blessed." She held that orange thread in her hand, she had it for quite a while now. Se used to murmur prayers at it every now and then and kept turning it while talking..

"Don't you want to ask something from the tree for you, Ram?"

"I wish I could find someone who'd be with me, the way you've been with Abbu.. Through the bright and the dark. Through all that came upon.. You were there, by his side, all the time. Where'd I find such girl!"

"Well, I must warn you, you won't find one. You're setting out to find a girl with an expectation list in hand! Your Abbu did not expect anything from me Ram.. He tought me to believe, 'cause he himself believed in me first.. That time, we hardly had even seen each other before getting married, and yet he was sure, we'd be together in the journey newly begun. Our world was small, and thus made us stay close. He was a wise man, very broad minded for his age and social situation. You know Ram, he never forced me to do annything in our life..

"What?.. Didn't you just smile, Ram?" Mothers are like that, while they're talking, your gestures are caught, however minor the gestures and however bleary their visions are.

"You said our 'life', Maa", I observed the singular address to 'their life' that she made and quickly added to not break her link, "continue.."

"It's the same difference son", said Ammi and added, "We were one. I was free, He never treated me like I was bound to him.. Other men from our time used to treate their wives like servents, like they own them.. While your Abbu respected me, as a woman, as an independent individual. He was so kind all the time.. It made the little sufferings in life easier to bear.. He expected a lot less, he gave a lot more. If unknowingly, I hurt him, he'd forgive so easily! Sometimes, his forgiving nature used to increase the intensity of my repentance."

"You make me feel, like, he was God to you.."

She said, "Was he not?" She took off her glasses, made a vain attempt to clean them and put them on again. Her glasses have so many scratches now, I wonder how blurred would 'clear' be for her these days. As I hadn't answered, she smiled to see me fight with my confusion.

Ammi's patient smile sends turbulence in my thoughts sometimes. I wanted to unsolve the mystery. What is it that makes me feel, like, Mother knows Abbu. She knows him more. I was confused while thinking about an answer to her question. He was, was he..?

"But then, he treated us all like that only.. He never discriminated Ariana from me, for being a girl.. He never asked me to do anything for him.. He didn't scold me even when I broke that quill he used to write with for whole life! He just said, "it was aged anyway".. These things are so much what we expect or get from God, don't we? Why don't I feel the way you do..?" I was determined to know now, what was the difference in our perception of the same person.

"You feel what you want to feel, Son. Believe more." said Ammi calmly.

With that I went down the memory lane.. How Abbu never promised us anything. He used to tell us that each of our words should be our promise. He tried his best every time he assured us of anything he'd do for us. I remember once he told me he'll buy a red rakhi for Ariana to tie on my hand on Rakshabandhan, because I wanted to look like my other school mates. But he'd come home without a rakhi as the vendors refused to give him Rakhi.. He did not eat anything that day and I could hear his deep, pathetic sniffs all the night long..

Abbu was a man who has imprints. He was a commoner, yet his face resembled the spark you see in those freedom fighters, great warriors, businessmen who came from the darkness and wrote their own fate. Somehow, Abbu always had an image in my mind, of the Lion. One that knows when to roar. My Aslan. My Mufasa. People respected him and connected with him so quickly, one couldn't tell for how short a period they knew my father!

"I don't remember if there was any day Abbu didn't invite someone home.. Anyone he met, he liked or someone who liked him.. He used to bring them over for lunch, tea or dinner.. There was no time limit to when people would come at our place, and no one left without food! No matter in what number they came, I never saw you complain about it! They used to discuss so many things, sing and listen to music till late.. Ammi, didn't you ever get tired of this continuous presence of outsiders?"

"For him, all were 'our' people, Ram.. And those days, a person could not be trouble when called 'our'. I am lucky", she smiled and added, "it's hard to be able to welcome so many new people in one life, child.."

"And they belonged to so many different cultures, religions, tribes! He even brought some wandering gypsy people home once, you remember 'Anna'?"

Shifting back to the nostalgic expressions with a deep sigh Ammi started mumbling, "Anna.. Yes, I remember his family.. His wife gave me her marble earrings that day.. they were wanderers to others, but they seemed to be so much at peace.. your Abbu saw water in their eyes, earth in their lips and happiness in their hearts. He told me, they are children of nature.. Free souls, he called them.. Those who do not build houses on the ground, but build homes in people's hearts.. He was right, wasn't he? Their memories remind me of your Abbu's presence even more.." She breathed deep again..

"Ammi, while talking about Abbu, you use past tense but talk as if he were not really gone.. As if he's still here, amongst us.. As if you could still talk to him and he cud listen to every word all the time.."

"There are no 'as if's for me.. I know that he's no more. And it doesn't keep me from believing, in my truth." So it was her truth! She believed in Abbu so much, that he never seized to exist for her. He lives all the while..
She smiled and tied a knot to the orange thread so that the great tree of miracles will one day fulfill her wish. She closed her eyes while chanting a silent prayer and with a sigh she said, "I've been Waiting for long now.."