Perspicacia

Kashid Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:45:00 +0000

Mid April and going to beaches in Maharashtra may not be a very good idea but yes if you find a beach like Kashid, you will never regret going there anytime of the year. The serene beach of Kashid can attract any tourist immediately. Far from the city hush-hush its one of the best beaches in Maharashtra. Jut 30 kms from Alibaug you will find one of the cleanest beach with white sand.
The best part is that the villagers are far from being persuaded by the glamour. They are very down-to-earth and believe me while roaming around one of the Villagers asked me, “Hamara gaon pasand aaya?” (Did you like our village?). And i could answer nothing but Amazing.
Trust me, you can sit and spend hours on the beach and play with the waves. And of course there are water sports facilities too.
There are few tapris on the beach side where you can enjoy pakoras, tea , nariyal paani etc.

Reach kashid from Pune: There are two routes to reach there, one from Chandni chowk -> Mulshi ->Tamhini ghat -> Kolad -> Roha (The road is little bumpy here) -> kashid. Other is, which we chose, Take Pune-Mumbai expressway route and get down at khopoli. From there take the route to Pen ->Revadanda->Alibaug->Kashid. From Alibaug, Kashid is 30kms on the route to Murund. The road from Alibaug to Kashid is scenic and road passes through beautiful small villages.

Don’t miss: Banana ride in the sea
Eat: Sea fish preparation. The resort we stayed in served us the yummy ‘Surmai fish curry’ and ‘Malvani chicken curry’.
Drink: Coconut water available in the tapris near beach
Stay: There are few resorts in Kashid like Prakruti, Kashid Beach resort, Kashid sea-face home resort, Sagar resort. We stayed at Kashid sea-face home resort (Contact no: 9226223379), which was ok. It is basically a big house whose rooms are rented by the owner who lives at the back. They serve in-house prepared food. It was ok for a night stay. We stayed in the room+hall on ground floor and had a small bad experience. At 12 in the night, few tourist came and started banging the door. They thought the owner lived in that room and they wanted a room to rent. But when we told them that we had also rented the room then the issue sorted out. The good thing is that this resort is just half a minute walk from the beach whilst others are ~10 min walk.

Lokpal: New road ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 06:17:00 +0000

"Indians are poor but India is not a poor country. Anna Hazare says that '280 lac crore' of Indian money is deposited in swiss banks which can be used for 'taxless' budget for 30 years. Can give 60 crore jobs to all Indians. From any village to Delhi 4 lane roads. Forever power supply to more than 500 specials projects. Every citizen can get monthly 2000/- for 60 years. No need of World Bank and IMF loan. Think how our money is blocked by rich politicians. We have full right against corrupt politicians."

No wonder everyone is overwhelmed with the way things turned up. Great moment to be proud of for every Indian and it again proved that "Gandhigiri" is the 'shiv'.
When this all started i was oblivious (though not completely: :) ) as of what exactly is "Lokpal bill". Has been hearing it for so many years but never digg deep into it. But yes this time i tried to know about this bill which steered whole nation into one. LOKPAL BILL and its Catalysts.

The other side of me has always been greatly influenced with Bollywood and all this movement reminded me of "Rang de Basanti", "lage Raho Munnabhai" and very recently "No one killed Jessica" to an extent.

Gandhiji might have used 'Padyatra' to spread his message but our Anna Hazare was more privileged to be in this era of 'Social and digital media'. Facebook and Twitter should declare this week as "Anna week". Google should put its search engine image with Anna pics for this week. There was nothing but support for Anna everywhere.
Voila!!! what an enthusiasm and what we achieved....

At my native place, i have seen that whenever a new road is constructed the residents start building their own road breakers so that the vehicles doesn't have so smooth and fast ride. They might have reasons for safety.
Similarly with this new road for Lokpal bill there will come many bumps/road breakers but definitely this wont have reasons for safety.
Excuse me if i sound skeptic but this is the way we Indians are. Every new beginning doesn't ride a smooth run.
Many questions come to my mind:

Was the Government so scared or humble to accept all demands within few hours after being inert for almost three days?
Was the government so humble and honest that it went over and above to accept every demand?
Will this become an 'Election agenda' for all the coming elections and in future? Will this be spared of getting politicized?
Democracy has taken a new 'Avatar' today but will it be clean and clear in future too?

Government has agreed to pass this bill but keep your fingers crossed for 'monsoon session' of "dangal"..Ooops!!! of Parliament.

Let's hope that 9th April 2011 becomes a "New Uprising".

दो

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:14:00 +0000

एक शरीर में कितने दो हैं,
गिन कर देखो जितने दो हैं।

देखने वाली आँखें दो हैं,
उनके ऊपर भवें भी दो हैं,
सूँघते हैं ख़ुश्बू को जिससे
नाक एक है, नथुने दो हैं।

भाषाएँ हैं सैकड़ों लेकिन,
बोलने वाले होंठ तो दो हैं,
लाखों आवाज़ें सुनते हैं,
सुनने वाले कान तो दो हैं।

कान भी दो, होंठ भी दो हैं,
दाएँ, बाएँ, कन्धे दो हैं,
दो बाहें, दो कोहनियाँ उनकी,
हाथ भी दो, अँगूठे दो हैं।

---गुलज़ार

Perspicacia

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:43:00 +0000

Perspicacia

Big boss -Dare to watch it!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:52:00 +0000

Can you imagine all this happening on a National television channel? Can you afford to watch it with your family?? Dare to watch!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snZlE7BOdz8&feature=related

Manna Da

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:40:00 +0000

Finally one of my favorite singer gets the prestigious "Dada Saheb phalke award".
Phalke award for Manna da
Manna da is amongst the few singers who has got a unique voice which doesn't only soothes your ears but touches your heart instantly. First time i heard any of Manna da's song was the song "Jindagi kaisi hai paheli" from Anand and it became my favorite song for so many reasons. The sweetness of the song, soulful music, amazing lyrics by Yogesh and ofcourse the song picturization. Since then i am a great fan of Manna da. Did you ever hear a song as classic as 'laaga chunari mein daag' ? The uniqueness to match the dynamics of Kishore da in much famous 'yeh dosti hum nahi chodenge'.. The energy in 'yaari hai imaan mera' from Zanjeer.. The voice to make your eyes wet 'kasmein waade pyar wafa sab' from Upkaar.. The rustic voice to make the song memorable: 'Chalat musafir moh liyo re' from teesri kasam... Amazing camaraderie with Kishore da in 'Ek chatur naar karke shringar'.. Heart touching 'Tujhe suraj kahun ya chanda' from Ek phool do maali.. Do you know who is the male voice for the all time famous 'pyar hua ikraar hua' from Shree 420?
The list is endless and the best part is that every song sung by Manna da carries a uniqueness in it.
The famous poems of Dr. Harivansh rai bachchan, 'Madhushala', recited by Manna da carries the great simplicity and sweetness that i keep on listening to it repeatedly.. Manna da voice adds another charm to the lines of Madhushala.
Hat's off to this legendary singer..I hope i could make a collection of all the songs of Manna da..

Mithun da-The legend

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:55:00 +0000

I have always been a great fan of 'Mithun da'. In fact a die-hard fan who enjoys even his B-grade movies for all the absurdness it shows. IMO, Some of his top-rated B-grade movies are:
Gunda, Truck driver suraj, Cheetah, Shapath ... And who can forget the lotan kabootar from 'Dalaal (A long list :-) )
Mithun da is a great actor but his dialogue deliveries and dance style was undoubtedly a trademark.
I just remember some of his dialogues :
भीगी हुई cigarette जल नही सकती,
और यह तय है की तेरी मौत की तारीख टल नही सकती।

मैं हूँ तुम जैसे लोगों से नफरत करने वाला,
गरीबों के लिए ज्योति, गुंडों के लिए ज्वाला
तुझे बनाके मौत का एक निवाला,
तेरे सीने में गाड़ दूँगा मैं मौत का भाला,
मिला दूँगा यमराज से तेरे को...साला....

मैं हूँ दो नम्बरी, एक से ज्यादा तीन से कम,
दिखने में बेवडा भागने में घोड़ा,
और मारने में हथोडा...
and this is one of the classics...Bullet hits into dada's leg, he falls down but after a moment he stands up and says:
दुश्मनों की लाशों पर भांगडा करने वाला कभी लंगडा नही हो सकता॥
Deserves some standing ovation and of course some echoes of sitti..

How can i forget one of the greatest 'cult movies' of all time..GUNDA
The movie had all the ingredients to make it an unforgettable movie..Action, drama, Amazing and unforgettable dialogues and ofcourse Mithun da as the 'Angry middle-aged man'.
And you know even IMDB has given this movie its due credit by rating at 8.1. If you really want to know more about this 'classic movie' you need to watch it. I guess every dialogue of this movie is unforgettable.
One of the dialogues of the movie when 'Lambu atta' gang kills 'Bulla's siter'
मुन्नी मेरी बहन मुन्नी, तो तू मर गयी ???
लम्बू ने तुझे लंबा कर दिया? माचिस की तीली को खम्बा कर दिया? [Ek mast sitti to banta hai bhai..]
I was just reading this post of one of the great fans of Mithun da...rightly titled as "Gunda-the legend'
Some really nice posts:
An A of the B-grade
Gunda FAQ
Orkut community

So if Mrigya, Disco dancer, Boxer, Prem pratigya, Shaukeen, Ghulami, Pyaar jhukta nahi, Agneepath, Guru show the real actor in him then the league of movies like Gunda, Jallad, Dalal, Shapath...shows the real entertainer.

कोई शक??

Singh is (still the) King..

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:49:00 +0000

So the final mandate is out and who could have expected the results to be so clear just by the time the clock hits 12 O'clock on a Saturday morning.
Everyone is happy and relaxed to see the results. Not exactly because UPA is going to form the govt but because people have given a clear and firm mandate to a party/alliance. Now this will stabilize our democracy and the govt will get more freedom and time to work for the nation rather than spending most of their time in alluring the allies.
Sorry i am not an expert but my take on the results.
Why UPA won:

They had not a very bad last five years.
Their moderate approach in handling critical situations.
Congress party, which has been assumed to hold the legacy of running the government.
Gaining from the negatives of their opposition.
The youthful congress. Gandhi siblings and the other youth brigade. They are educated and they have vision. They make the future of the nation and nevertheless they can always get the guidance from the experienced leaders of congress.

Why NDA lost:

They somewhere distracted themselves. I guess they were not very clear as if whom to project as the face of the party. They were hanging themselves between Modi and Advani.
The loosing faith of other allies with BJP.
BJP couldn't even resolve the differences culminating inside their own party and how could they have claimed to manage the allies.
BJP is still not able to make itself a party for the people and by the people.
Allies getting greedy and opportunist.

My take on the results from Bihar:
I am really happy to see the results of Bihar. NDA swept away as much as 32 seats out of 40 which is surprising as well as heartening but I just hope the flag of development under which the 'Janta' has casted their vote continues. Some major 'Neta' lost not because they didn't do anything for the people of their constituency but they tried to be 'Abhineta' and remember you can't fool the people anymore as they know what "Mukhauta" these Abhinetas wear and how easily they can change it for the opportunity. Nitish kumar has definitely done some good work and Junta has admired him with their vote but the way Nitish kumar has been reacting before the poll results should not be a wrong syndrome.

As like every citizen of the nation, i too hope the nation with almost new political scenario goes ahead on the path of development and prosperity.
Amen!!!

Poll Dance (0)

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:25:00 +0000

Though i declare my thoughts not be political but like every Indian i have been reading the newspapers, surfing the news channels and browsing the internet to keep myself updated about how my India is going to shape up its future. In my opinion (and i hope some more will be echoing with me...), this time its more of the "war of words" than the "battle of promises". None is ready to show their full report card but are trying to cash on onto the papers in which they merely passed and hiding the others in which they failed or crumbled badly.
Being my native state of residence, i have been trying to search what the scenario is there in Bihar or how the Players are playing on the "Satranj ki bisaat". This had been a complete letdown for me to hear the "war of foul words" amongst the top leaders. Adding to it are the Film stars who don't know A B C of politics and are trying to show that they know not only P but A-Z of Politics.
This morning i just found one of the article on net which is a good insight into the people opinion.
http://election.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/15/loksabhapoll-bihars-ringtone-nitish-government-works.htm
Read the comment from one of resident:"Beti aur vote dusri jaat mein nehin diya jaata."
Still the caste politics play an important role in the states.
Can we think above it? Can we analyse on the basis of developments?
Long way to go before we see these changes.

First rain of the season

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:39:00 +0000

The climate outside has changed...
For the last one month the temperature was crossing the limit of 35c.. But its the sign of our own Pune getting back to its climatic beauty. Its raining outside..Sitting inside my cube in office i can smell the "bheeni-bheeni khushboo" of the soil. Its thirst has been quenched.. Looking outside the glass of company building i can see the children running and drenching themselves.. People walking casually as if they want to take every bit of first rain of the season... Couples walking hand-in-hand to glorify their feelings in this "pehli baarish".. Adding to all this the wind is icing the cake with its dancing blow... Everyone seems to be happy.
The climate of Pune has always fascinated me and this is going to be another fascinating season for me :)

Do you believe in Love?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:46:00 +0000

This morning i opened my web browser to search for some stuff (technical ofcourse :) ). As google has this facility to customize you page with 'iGoogle', i also have customized it to display some stuffs which i rarely read. One of the stuffs that i added is "Love quote of the day" [I know this will exhilarate the germ in your right brain to ask why have i added this. Kill that. Its better.]

It just happened by chance [ I liked 'Luck by Chance' :P ], that i read the quote. It read:

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love". --Neil Gaiman

I refreshed the page and the quote changed to:

"And what is it to work with love? It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth. It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house. It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit. It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit, And to know that all the blessed dead are standing about you and watching." --Kahlil Gibran

Two tangentially different views on the same topic. For one Love is like cancer whilst for the other it is religion.

Who is the real Hero..Ranbir or Dhaliwal?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:14:00 +0000

Wing commander R S Dhaliwal killed in an aircraft crash!!!
I don't know how much of the news followers know this or had been intrigued by the idiot box (Is it really an idiot box? ) while hopping between the news channels. But say it the fate of one of our hero or say it the Obama Effect that the sad news got buried into those 24x7 coverage of 'Obama sworn in ceremony".
This might be another fighter plane crash (as we hear about it so often) but we lost an officer who held the insignia of Wing Commdr. He was a fighter pilot, not a child game to be one. An officer in the IAF, again you need to be have that "do you have it in you" attitude to serve the nation. During an interview at SSB (Varanshi), one of this highly motivated candidate , when asked as why did he want to join IAF, answerd, "I want to fly high and touch the sky". He was not using any flashy words to mean it literally and was deservedly selected to serve our country.
We hear that the armed forces is sort of thousand of officers but do we give a damn to this? Several of heroes die in such mishaps but do we care for them? Media which is the powerful entity nowadys, gave it the smallest coverage if you compare it with the news of Ranbir wooing deepika or Yuwaraj getting a new girlfriend. Did they or did we shirk from responsibilities? May be.....
Anyways final salute to this hero. Hope we don't losse those treasures anymore...

The year that was....

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:20:00 +0000

If my memories are not crumbling (which I am sure is not ;) ), then i haven't seen a year more eventful or happening than 2008.
Humanity getting slapped by the terrorism. The whole country was clenched by the terror and we kept facing it helplessly. Be it New delhi, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Rajasthan, H'bad, B'lore or Mumbai, every part of our country is facing the atrocities of hineous terrorism.
Economy giving nightmares to everyone and one can only speculate but can't be sure for how long will you be in this situation.
Political turmoil and uncertainty making hubbub every other day. The face of politics getting uglier day by day. There was a very ironical/sarcastic blog which said that Mr Devgowda is much better than Mr Obama. One of the point mentioned that Mr Obama spent months to campaign for his Presidential post and Mr Devegowda just went to an all party meet for snacks and before he could come out of his peaceful naps he was elected the Prime minister of Indian republic. When Obama was elected the president he said, " If the world thinks that we cannot do everything then they should rethink." It shows the confidence of a Leader and the confidence in his countrymen. But we fool are still fighting to divide the county into regions.
On happier note, India still tries to shine assiduously inspite of all these external forces which try to corrode it. We have scientists who want to conquer the moon and we have shooters, boxers and cricketers bringing glories. Inspite of all these topsy-turvies, it is the spirit of Indians which tried to fight all the odds. The blasts can make the faces furious or the economic barometer can make the heartbeats go sinusoidal but nothing can curb the spirit of Indians. We know how to come out of every situation.

Though the new year hasn't started on a great note with the serial blasts in Guwahati, we hope the year will bring smile on the face of every Indian.
I have no resolution for the new year, but i just want to be brave and honest in whatever i think, plan and do.

एक पल

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:12:00 +0000

कभी कभी ढूंढता है वो उसे,
काली रात में और कभी तेज़ धुप में,
वो जो अटका है समुन्दर के किनारे पे,
किसी पत्थर ने रोक रखा है अपने मजबूत पंजों में,
वो एक पल खुशियों की परछाई का...

कभी कभी ढूंढता है वो उसे,
कहानियो की मोटी किताबों में,
उनमें लिखे छोटी छोटी कहानियो में,
और उन कहानियो में खेलती यादों में,
वो एक खामोश पल मुस्कुराहटों का...

कभी कभी ढूंढता है वो उसे,
बालकनी के बाहर क्षितिज में,
पेडों से लिपटी बेलों में,
और उनपे चहकती चिडयों में,
वो एक अनजान पल सुकून का...

बावरा मन ना जाने क्यों भटकता है,
उस एक पल के लिए, उस एक एहसास के लिए,
वो जो बैठा है मेज के कोने पे, वो जो रुका है उस मोड़ पे,
वो जो बचपन में साथ साथ दौड़ता था,
मुझे हर ठोकड़ से बचाने के लिए ,
वो एक अदभुत् पल जो बरसों से दूर बैठा है,
वो एक पल जिंदगी का...

मेरे गाँव में...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000

मेरे गाँव में एक पेड़ था बरगद का । 25-30 फीट लंबा और कुछ २० फीट के घेरे में फैला हुआ । हरे पत्ते और उसके ऊपर छोटे -छोटे लाल फल । उसके घने पत्तों के बीच से जब सूरज दीखता था तो ऐसा लगता था की किसी कलाकार ने रंगों का झुरमुट बनाया हो ।
लोग कहते थे की वो पेड़ इस गाँव की उमर बताता है । उस पेड़ के चारों ओर एक चबूतरा बनवाया गया था और उसके ऊपर लिखा था .. "श्री ना. प्रसाद के सौजन्य से ..."
एक बुढे काका थे। उन्हें हम सभी साधू कहते थे। वो रोज़ सुबह सुबह सूर्य निकलने के पहले उस चबूतरे को पानी से धोया करते थे। लोग कहते हैं की बारिश के दिन में भी साधू उसे धोते थे ताकि कोई गन्दगी ना दिखे।
सामने एक प्राईमरी स्कूल था। सर्दियों में जब मास्टर जी को धुप सेकना होता था तो एक बच्चा कुर्सी उस पेड़ के नीचे रख देता और फिर बच्चे नीचे घास पे बैठ के एक साथ पहाडा सुनाते । जैसे छुट्टी की घंटी बजती.. बच्चे भाग कर पेड़ के नीचे जाते और कुछ उससे लटकती लम्बी दाढी को पकड़ कर टार्ज़न बनने की कोशिश करते तो कुछ उसे झूला बना कर झूलते। बुढे बरगद भी उन खेलते बच्चों को देख कर खुश होते और अपने पत्तों को हिलाने लगते। हम सारे भाई जब कभी गाँव में इकठ्ठा होते तो शाम को उस बरगद के चबूतरे पे चौक से विकेट बनाते और फ़िर शुरू होता हमारा क्रिकेट ..
जेठ की दोपहरी में कोई राही उधर से गुजरता होता तो उस पेड़ के पास वाले कुँए से पानी पीता और फ़िर अपने अन्गोचे को उस चबूतरे पर बिछा कर आराम कर लेता। उसकी ठंडक शायद उसकी सारी थकान मिटा देती।
शाम होते ही साधू दो लालटेन जला कर बरगद के दो कोने पे लटका देते। हुक्का सुलगाया जाता। फ़िर एक कुर्सी और दो-तीन खाट लगाया जाता था। हर रोज़ वहां पंचायत लगती थी।पंच उस खाट पे बैठते और बाकी लोग सामने की घास पे।उस बुढे बरगद की देख रेख में ना जाने कितने लोगों का इन्साफ होता था, ना जाने कितने घरों के झगडे सुलझाए जाते थे और ना जाने कितने जमीनों का बटवारा होता था। हुक्का गुडगुडाते हुए सरपंच जी लोगों को अच्छा इंसान बनने की बातें बताते थे। वहां लगी कुर्सी हमारे डॉक्टर बाबा के लिए होती थी। जब पंचायत ख़तम होती थी तो डॉक्टर बाबा सबको आजादी के समय की बातें बताते। (डॉक्टर बाबा स्वतंत्रता सेनानी थे। लोग कहते हैं की आज़ादी के समय वो गांधीजी के साथ रहते थे और लोगों का मुफ्त इलाज़ करते थे )

उस शाम पंचायत नही लगी। दोपहर से ही मौसम का मिजाज़ अच्छा नही लग रहा था। रात को बहुत तेज़ आंधी और तूफ़ान आया। दादी ने कहा हर साल बारिश के दिनों में एक न एक बार ऐसा तेज़ तूफ़ान जरूर आता है।
सुबह उठा तो देखा सामने रोड पे काफ़ी भीड़ लगी थी। दादी ने बताया की रात तेज़ तूफ़ान में वो बरगद का बुढा पेड़ गिर गया । वो रास्ता भी बंद हो गया था। दादी बोल रही थी की उस बरगद ने ना जाने कितने आंधी तूफ़ान और बाढ़ देखा पर आज वो अपनी उम्र से हार गया।
शाम को जब हम वहां गए तो देखा लोगों ने टूटे पेड़ को वहां से हटा दिया था । साधू टूटी हुई लकडियों को इकठ्ठा कर रहे थे। चारों तरफ़ चबूतरे का टूटा ईट बिखरा था। एक कोने में कुछ जुड़ी हुई ईट राखी थी। उसपे लिखा था "स्वर्गीय श्री ना. प्रसाद के सौजन्य से ..."
कुछ महीनों बाद जब मैं गाँव गया तो पता चला की बरगद की लकडियों से स्कूल में नया बेंच बना है , सामने के मन्दिर में लल्ला जी का नया झूला बना है और जहाँ वो बरगद था उसके पास 4-5 दुकानें बन आई हैं । गाँव वालों ने उस चौक का नाम रखा है "नागेन्द्र चौक "...
अब पंचायत मन्दिर के सामने लगती है पर कोई सरपंच नही है । साधू बीमार हैं और आजकल घर पे ही रहते हैं। डॉक्टर बाबा का स्वर्गवास हो गया और उनके छोटे बेटे ने नया दवाखाना खोला है।
स्कूल को अब उच्च विद्यालय बना दिया गया है। बच्चे स्कूल के मैदान में क्रिकेट और हॉकी खेलते हैं.
बहुत कुछ बदल गया है गाँव में। शायद अब लोग उस बरगद को याद भी नही करते । कभी बात चलती है तो लोग कहते हैं, हाँ एक बड़ा बरगद था उस चौक पे।
मेरे गाँव में एक पेड़ था बरगद का, शायद इतिहास था वो मेरे गाँव का .....
शायद पहचान था वो मेरे गाँव का..

Please Bear with us!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:43:00 +0000

"Hello Sir, This is Shreya calling on behalf of Airtel relationship centre."
"Sir, Since you are our esteemed customer we have a special offer for you."
"But..but..." (She ignores all the interruptions as this is priviledged call for her.)
"We have a special offer for you. On the basis of your Airtel connection we are providing you free add-on connection"
"See am already pissed off with the Airtel service and am planning to change my connection and switch to some other provider"
"Sir that's true but this is a great offer for you. You dont have to pay any extra charges for it."
She continues with all the details and i hang up।
****************************************************
"Hello, Is this Mr kumar"
"Yes speaking"
"Good morning sir"
"Good morning"
She appears to be very soft-spoken.
"Sir, this is Kavita calling on behalf of CitiBank. We have a special Gold card offer for you which is free and through this card you get benefits at various shopping malls.
We offer you a watch as gift for your membership. Also, on this card you get upto 5% cash back on any Indian Oil petrol pump."
She completes all this in one breath and could have continued, had not i interferred.
"See i already have credit card from some other bank and am not interested in getting another."
Now her voice gets pulsating..
"Lekin sir agar ek aur card le lenge to kya hoga. Free hi to hai"
"Nahi mujhe nahi lena."
Now she gets too much urging with a lucrative offer.
"Theek hai sir, aap aisa kijiye ye card banwa lijiye and then kutch dinon baad disable karwa dijiyega. Aapko ek watch bhi mil jayega."
"Sorry, am not interested."
And i hang up.
*************************************************
It is not that these sells person think about their benefit only. They are too much caring and can be good consultant too.
"Hi Sir, This is Vikas from ABC credit card section."
I can't ignore the call as i hold the card from this bank and am expecting that they are trying to give some info.
"Sir, You are holding our credit card and your payment record is very good."
"Yes i know, go ahead."
"Sir, we have a tie up with xyz life insurance. So the company has decided to give you mediclaim upto Rs 10000, on your card."
"See i already have mediclaim for myself from some other Life insurance so i dont want any other."
He now tries to become a consultant who charges nothing but your time.
"Ok sir, but you know medicalim is never good enough for a person. You need to get as much as possible. And also this offer costs you nothing more than a premium of 1k yearly."
"But i told you na tha i dont need it. Thanks"
"Ok sir, so there is another offer for you"
"Sorry, i am not interested."
***********************************************
And this is really funny....
"Hello sir this is Kavita.."
Before she speaks anything i interrupt her in between..
"Ok so you are calling from CitiBank credit cards. Ma'm you called me just a few minutes back."
She starts laughing.
"Sorry Sir.."
:)

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:36:00 +0000

"Long time can never be so long"

New Delhi railway station,
Standing on platform no. 8, I could hear the lonesome whistle blow. Train arrives and I board into it. After taking my seat, I could just think of getting a hot cup of tea. The caterer serves the tea. There are two more passengers sitting in front of me. A boy and a girl. They are sitting as if they are strangers to each other. I don't know if the train conductor knew the silence sounding so loudly in the compartment that he plays the song
"ye raatein, ye mausam, nadi ka kinara..Ye chanchal hawa"..
After an hour a soft voice breaks the silence .

Girl: - Pratyush, How are you doing?
Boy: - Hey Mahek, Am doing fine. How about you? Long time.

I am completely blown away by this surprise. A minute ago, I didn't have this slightest guess that they knew each other.

Mahek: - Yes, it was really long. Some 11 months. We last met at the alumni meet.
Pratyush: - Yup! And "ab mile bhi hain to train mein".
Smile touches their lips and it seems as if it was trying to narrate all that happened in the last 11 months.
Pratyush: - So you are going to Patna.
Mahek: - Yes. To attend the marriage of Nikhil and Sony.
Pratyush: - Hey what a coincidence. I am also going to attend their marriage. Sony lives just a few building away from mine.
Nikhil, Sony, Pratyush and Mahek were classmates at MDI, gurgaon.

Pratyush: - So how is your work going? Are you working for the same bank or switched your job?
Mahek: - Nope! I am still loving my old job. How is your interior designing business going?
Pratyush: - Yes it’s going fine and the good news is that I will be moving to UK for some assignments.
Mahek: - That’s great. So how is your girl friend? Has she completed her studies?
Pratyush: - She is fine and is working for an HR consultancy after her studies.
Mahek: - So when are you two getting married?
Pratyush: - I don't know. I don't know where our relationship is heading towards. At this stage, we both are giving time to each other to think about this relationship of two years. Initially she could not live without me but I was too careless to think about all this. Now she is getting busy to shape her career and our relationship is facing all this heads and tails.
Anyways forget all these. Tell me, what’s the scene with you. I just hope you could have found someone too good for you. (Pratyush smiles and Mahek tries to match him with an artificial one)
Mahek: - Yup! I am getting married this November. I am not very sure if he is too good for me but my parents think he is good for me. I have met him couple of times and I find him nice and matured.
Pratyus: - Congrats yaar!! So you must be very excited and eagerly waiting for these months to pass by, as a flash.
Mahek:- I donno if I am happy or not but I just think it as another inevitable thing going to happen in my life. And I am accepting it because it had to happen someday.

Pratyush: - Why are you sounding so complacent about the changes that is going to happen in your life. You don't sound excited.
Mahek: - Why are you asking all these. You are not oblivious of the reasons. So better stop this discussion and let’s talk something else.
Pratyush tries to get himself into the magazine, he is holding and Mahek looks outside the window.

Again a long silence surrounds the compartment and adding to it is the song played,
"Na umra ki seema ho na janmon ka ho bandhan, Jab pyar kare koi to dekhe kewal mann...Tum haar ke dil apna, meri preet amar kar do…."

End of Part[I]....

****************************************************************************************************************************************

"khamoshi ko khamoshi se, zindagi ko zindagi se baat karne do
ankhon mein kho jaaye aankhen, bole haathon se haath
baahon mein chupkar saanson se, jaise dole raat

ungaliyo ko ungaliyo se, mausamon ko shokhiyon se baat karne do

honthon par honthon se, likhe bin shabdon ke geet

dharati se ambar tak guunje jismon kaa sangeet

bekhudi ko bekhudi se, aashiqui ko aashiqui se baat karne do.."

I am 'trying' to read the novel, which appeared to be a nice read when the train started but now the surrounding is more exhilarating than it. My adrenalin flow has increased to know 'What Next?' . I still believe that this was the middle of the road.

After the supper, everyone has gone for sleep but Mahek and Pratyush are still awake.

'116 chand ki raatein ek tumhare kaandhe ka til..geeli mehndi ki khushboo,Jhooth mooth ke shique kutch....'

I was so lost in the song and silence that a sudden soft voice surprised me.

"You know these lines hold the gist of this movie"

Pratyush: - Thank God, tumne kutch bola to sahi. (Smiles and this is equally reciprocated by Mahek). Haan, I know. In the movie heroine is trying to remind the hero, those glorious 4 months, they spent together. Its 116 because beech mein 4 amawas ki raatein aati hain. She loved the mole on hero's shoulder so much ki wo uske shirt ka shoulder ke paas ka part fad deti hai, so that she can see that mole.

Mahek: - Yup!! I hope you are still a big fan of Gulzaar saab.

Pratyush: - Yes. and how can I forget how crazy we were. We used to watch Gulzar movies almost every day and the Gulzar songs were the trademark of our hostel room. Tumne to Gurgaon ke saare Planet M mein hungama macha diya tha ek baar because you could not get the album having the song "kitabon se agar gujro to ye kirdaar milte hain, gaye waqton ki dyori pe khade kuch yaar milte hain".

Both of them start laughing at this and this was the first time Mahek was looking happy.

Pratyush: - Yaar am sorry, i din't want to hurt you. I was just asking as a friend.

Mahek:- I know but yaar am really bugged by this question. Everyone asks me the same.

Mahek: - Do you remember the small amphitheater inside our college campus. It was almost mid-way between boy's and girl's hostel.

Pratyush: - Ofcourse I remember that yaar. It was called the proxy canteen of our college.

Mahek: - You might remember it just for those reasons but that place is very close to my heart. This was the place where I had expressed my feelings to someone. And after that, this was the place where I used to spent those lonely mid-nites. You know I still remember that line "I am already taken up".

(Mahek tries to make a balance between her emotions and the words. But often Word slips out. Pratyush is listening to her. He tries to speak in between but it seems that something holds him back and asks him to let Mahek speak.)
Log mujhse kehte hain ki ab tum mechanical ho gayi ho..Just you and your career. But this is the way I am. They say I don't socialize and I ask them why should I? If they don't like me and my attitude they should better go and boil their head.

I am completely taken up by surprise and fear. The girl who appeared to be so sweet and calm was shivering with anger. But this was not her anger but her frustration. Every word she spoke reflected what she has been going through, how badly she felt when she could not get the love of her life, how much she loved that guy, how much she loves that guy.

Pratyush: - Yaar, but this won't be good for your future. It may affect your marriage. You should forget the past and look into the future.

Mahek:- It is too easy to say this but its too tough to actually forget. And one more thing I have not committed any crime so that i should forget the past. I respect myself as I did what my heart said and I cherish those small moments. Infact, i would have been dipped into this guilt feeling, had not i said that. My love does not need any reciprocation. I had lot many reasons to find a love, many more to remember them but not a single one to forget that. (Deep breath) Don't worry, I am not so weak to let the past overshadow my future. I know I will happily manage my future. Bitter moments cannot be forgotten but they cannot close the door for future ones. Infact I am happy to get Aman in my life. (Aman is Mahek's fiancee).

Mahek's eyes are completely red. Not that she was crying but just that she was trying hard not to appear weak.
Pratyush was too dumbed to say anything. Silence and only silence is moving inside the compartment. Most of the co-passengers are deep down into their dream to get a whiff of what happening around. The conversation between Mahek and Pratyush are not disturbing me to sleep, but thrilling me to be awake.

End of Part [II]
*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Mahek:- Kya yaar, hum bhi kaisi baaton mein ulajh gaye hain. Kutch aur baat karte hain na. Tum batao tumhara kya scene hai? Kya chal raha hai? What's your plan?
Pratyush: - Plan...I am planning to have a cup of tea. I guess 'mughlasarai' aane wala hai.Wahan ke kulhad ki chai bahut achchi hoti hai. (Pratyush tries to make a cozy environment)

Mahek: - I am asking about your plan for getting married.
Pratyush: - I am yet to find Miss right for myself. You got your Mr right, but I am not as lucky as you are. (Smiles)
Mahek: - Don't be silly. I am serious.
Pratyush: - So am I.
Mahek seems to be bitten up by goose-flesh. She tries to get normal and speaks.
Mahek: - What happened to your girl-friend. You two were very much in love. What happened to the girl who had "taken you up".
Pratyush: - We said goodbye long back.

It seemed both of them are out of words. Its 4am and the train stops at Mughalsarai junction. Pratyush gets down and comes back with two kulhadd of tea in his hand.
Pratyush: - Have it. Yahan ki chai achchi hoti hai.
Mahek: - Thanks. I really needed this. Remember we used to go to that tapri behind the west side gate of our college. Kitna achcha lagta tha raat ke 2 baje garam garam chai peene mein.
Pratyush: - Yup!! and we used to sit there and have chat for the whole night. Just me and you.
Mahek: - And haan ek baar jab mere marketting ke paper mein kam marks aaye the and I was very depressed to tumne poori raat wahin bitha kar mujhe samjhaya tha. Thanks for all that.
Pratyush: - Don't be. I loved to spend time with you and us waqt I wanted to be with you.
Anyways lets go to sleep. Warna kalh Shaadi mein we won't enjoy. Good night.
Mahek: - Good night.

Its 8am in the morning. The train is about to reach Patna junction. Caterer serves the morning tea.
Pratyush: - Good morninng.
Mahek: - Good morning. I am really excited to join the marriage. Maine suna hai Bihar mein Shaadi ka rashm bahut alag style ka hota hai.
Pratyush: - Haan, You will really enjoy that. (Smiles)

Train arrives at Patna Junction.
Pratyush tries to help Mahek in taking out her luggage.
Pratyush: - Chalo I will get you a taxi and then we will meet in the evening.
Mahek: - Thanks. (She stands there and after a minute). Pratyush, I don't know I should say this now or not but I still love you.

Pratyush stands there, completely blown up by surprise. He holds Mahek's hand for sometime and tries to speak something. But he appears to be too happy to suppress the joy and rather than saying anything he just moves his hand on Mahek's head. He just says: 'Lets go'.

As I get down, I could see them going with smile on their face Joy in their heart.
I catch the bus to Muzaffarpur. I will always remember this journey.

'The Start'

Long time [Part-I]

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:12:00 +0000

"Long time can never be so long"

Girl: - Pratyush, How are you doing?
Boy: - Hey Mahek, Am doing fine. How about you? Long time.

I am completely blown away by this surprise. A minute ago, I didn't have this slightest guess that they knew each other.

To be continued....

Are we Indians?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:11:00 +0000

Hi, i got Visa for Delhi.
Congrats yaar, you are so lucky. I have been trying to get a Visa for Maharashtra, for the last 1 year.
Hey i had been to Maharashtra a few months back. What a great place yaar.
Is this so? Do you have any proximity with the Sharma family? I heard that they are the one who manages the Visa process.
====================================================

Maa, mujhe Visa mil gaya..Ab main Bihar jaunga.
Kya baat kar rahe ho beta!!! Mera barson ka sapna poora ho gaya.

Waah kaanta waah. Tere bete ne to kamaal kar diya. Khonoma jaise chote se gaon mein paida liya bachcha aaj Bihar jaa raha hai. Khoob naam raushan karega tera beta.
====================================================

Every now and then,the print and digital media is full of the news about the atrocities on the people migrated from one state to another. North Indians don't want the east Indians to enter into their state. West Indians don't want North Indians to enter into their state. People from a state are asked to carry Identification card to verify if they belong to that place or not. Some other asks "Leave My state" . Oh my Gosh!! gone are the days when we used to say "Our country". Men are becoming so powerful to dissever one country into several parts.

Every state will have its own President and own Prime minister. How can a Marathi be the president of a country with so many states in it? Also, how can a Sikh be the Prime minister? The Cricket world cup 2011 will see 50 (16 + 34 {28 states and 6 UT} ) countries participating for the race. We will have International film festival organized in Goa with the participation from 34 countries (28 states 6 UT).

I don't know how safe people will feel living in their own country. They will have to remember their ever changing "Fundamental rights" while traveling from one state to the other.
The biggest question is, what will happen to "India" or "Bharat" or "Hindustan" ? Who is going to carry the pain of having its name as "India"? Is it Delhi or Maharshtra or Assam or Bihar..........
There wont be anyone called as INDIAN.

Welcome '2008'

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:05:00 +0000

A new year beckons on the door.Though i am perplexed to call it a new year or another year, I am really excited for the coming year as i carry lots of hope to fulfill my dreams, stick to my resolutions and changing many things, which i don't like but they bedazzle me to live with them. On every new year eve i take some resolutions but they go away by the mid-night. So i have fragmented them for the year. But every year cajoles me with this HOPE.
As the year passed i must salute it for all the things i learn from it in those 365 days. I lost something, i gained many things. I esteem the things that i got and and forget the things, i lost. When i look into the pages of my life some 364 days back, i feel glad for what i have turned into. I know these mutation inside me has transformed me to think, to act/react, to see the things around me, in a completely different way but it gives me gratification.
It is not that changes have been hovering around me only. The world has changed too. Now the letter "I" is becoming more pertinent. Wait, i am not talking about the i-pod, i-mate, i-google and not even the much hyped product of the year, "i-pill". :-) I am talking about the letter "I", which has brushed aside the word altruist, completely and is agonistically striving to show its power.
So, i hope that the new year gets enough vigour to show this "I" its stature and make it exist within its limit.
Some five years back, on 31st dec night, i was sitting on my famous/infamous "Shahi ji ka dhaba". I asked one of my closest friend, "Why don't we review the year that is leaving us?" After a short discussion he said to me, "We should never look back into the past but always learn from it". So i will try to learn from the year which will be with me for a couple of hours more and will welcome the new 'guest' with lots of hope and happiness.
WELCOME '2008'

अलविदा .....

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:44:00 +0000

लंबी खामोशी और लम्बा रास्ता
पग्दंदियों के साथ-साथ चलता वो नदी का किनारा ,
थक कर बैठे वो जाने-पहचाने अजनबी
बुड्ढे पेड़ कि छाओं में चलती तेज़ साँसे
बहुत सालों से जानता है वो हमें ,
मैंने यादों के सूखे पत्ते तोड़ना शुरू किया
उसने भी लम्हों कि मुरझाई फूलों कि पत्तियां तोडी
आंखों ने पत्तियों और फूलों को गीला किया
वक़्त गुजरता गया और सब बिखर गए,

रात कि सर्दी में जब सब सुख गए
तब हमने रिश्तों का आलाव जलाया
और सुबह कि रौशनी में सब भूल कर
कह दिया "अलविदा "....

Tujhe sab hai pata, meri maa...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:22:00 +0000

Yesterday i listened the song "Maa" from the film "taare zameen par". The song is very touching and really gets onto you, the time you listen it.
Since the hindi films started having songs, there have been plethora of songs written on "maa" but there are few which goes down into your spine to pay tribute to the most pious word in this world. A 10 on 10 goes to the most touching, beautiful and creative song of the album. The invigorating music just adds the glitter. Prasoon joshi, the lyricist, defines the relationship between maa-beta in very simple but in a very unique way. He captured this feeling in the song "Luka chuppi" from RDB and Lata mangeshkar and A R Rehman gave it another height with their impeccable sweet voice. And again he recreates the magic to tell you what maa means for her child.
There can not be any word which can express the feelings of Maa for her child. Maa stands beside her child when he is growing. Maa makes her child to see the world. Whenever child is scared, maa comes close to her. She sings the "lory". Only maa can know what her child feels.
"Tujhe sab hai pata, meri maa..."
Prasoon joshi, Encore!!

किताबें झांकती हैं ...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:30:00 +0000

किताबें झांकती हैं बंद आलमारी के शीशों से,
बड़ी हसरत से तकती हैं ,
महीनों अब मुलाक़ात नही होती,
जो शामें इनकी सोहबत में कटा करती थी,
अब अकसर गुज़र जाती हैं कम्प्यूटर के परदों पर
बड़ी बेचैन रहती हैं किताबें ।

ज़बान पर जायका आता था जो इन्हें पलटने का,
अब ऊँगली क्लिक करने से बस ,
इक झपकी गुज़रती है ,
बुहत कुछ तह-ब-तह खुलता चला जाता है परदे पर ,
किताबों से जो जाती राब्ता था कट गया है।

कभी सीने पे रख के लेट जाते थे ,
कभी गोदी में रखते थे ,
कभी घुटनों को अपने रहल कि सूरत बना कर,
नीम सज़दे में पढा करते थे, छूटे जभी से ,
खुदा ने चाहा तो वो सारा इल्म तो मिलता रहेगा बाद में भी ।

मगर वो जो किताबों में मिला करते थे सूखे फूल,
किताबें मांगने,गिराने,उठाने के बहाने रिश्ते बनते थे,
उनका क्या होगा ,
वो शायद अब नही होंगे!

[गुलज़ार साहब कि एक कविता का अंश ]

When love says goodbye It's a four letter word

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:13:00 +0000

When love says goodbye its just the four letter word

She wonders why
Why it had to start
Why should it end, and take her apart
Because she shows it
She knows it
But what can she do, it's a four letter word

Because your heart knows
When love goes
The feeling is bad
it's the worst in the world
It's sad but true

When love says goodbye It's a four letter word

[courtesy: Four letter word]

All the Happiness has settled here

noreply@blogger.com (Ashit) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 08:28:00 +0000

The sky is bright and clear,
I am sitting facing the street,
In my lovely mothers feet.
All the happiness has settled here.

When i am tired and sleeping,
Silently she comes near,
Her hands on my head, softly moving.
All the happiness has settled here.

Bad dreams waking me up in the night
In my eyes she can read the fear,
Sings the song holding me tight
All the happiness has settled here.

All her love, all her prays,
Miles away i miss her here,
Remembering those golden days.
All the happiness has settled there.