The Lonely Dreamer

Trip to Malsej Ghat

2014-07-03T14:05:00.000+05:30

It was freezing cold, the night was dark, and the fog so thick that made us almost blind. I lay down on the floor, outside a closed shop, trying my best to manage atleast a small power nap. Besides me, Prince and Denver lay asleep. I was surprised that they even managed to get it. It was 3 am in the morning, pitch black all around, we had finally reached our destination after a long bus ride, Malsej Ghat. I had long wanted to go to this place, never knew it would come at the most unexpected of times.

3am midst the fog and darkness

Malshej ghat is situated in Pune district near the borders of Thane and Ahmednagar districts. It is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats range. Malshej Ghat is one of the developing hill station in Maharashtra. And a monsoon destination.

10pm at Dadar station, the 3 of us were headed for a trek to Harihar fort with a group of other trekkers in a totally planned pick and drop trip. As we were waiting we discussed the beauty and adventure that lies in totally blind unplanned trips. In a sudden change of heart, we decided we rather head out on our own. Malsej Ghat was the destination we chose. We took a train to Kalyan, and reached there around 12am. We had expected that we may have to spend the night sleeping at the Kalyan ST stand, but fortune favored us, and the was one last bus at 12.30am heading towards Malsej Ghat. The journey was much longer than we anticipated. It took us 2hours in the bus to reach our destination. We were dropped of one stop ahead of the MTDC resort.

We were glad we reached finally, although we were completely clueless to where we were. All we could see at a distance was a small light flickering at a distance , and in pitch darkness we headed towards it. It was a small roadside shop; fortunately for us it was open at 3am. We had tea there and decided we take a small stroll ahead. After a little while, we found a closed shop , which had a roof. So we decided to wait there until the sun rises.

At 5am we headed towards a dam that we could see from our shelter. It was a really long walk, probably 5km or such. But the view was awesome, and totally worth it. Its there where we witnessed the early morning sunrise. The dam was known as Pimpalgoan Joga dam, which is an earth fill dam. At times, you really felt as if we were in heaven itself.

After the long walk , we headed back to the main highway, where we had our breakfast and decided to explore the surrounding places. Malsej Ghat is best explored in a car or a bike. Walking is not the best option , as places are situated Km’s apart. During proper monsoon, the road is filled with waterfall views every few minutes apart.

We headed towards the MTDC resort , from there towards the many view points that were available. There is not much to do at Malsej Ghat, except admire nature at its best. The vews were beautiful, the climate just perfect.

The best way to get to Malsej Gaht from Mumbai is Mentioned below:
1- Take a train headed towards Kalyan on the Central railway line

2- From Kalyan head towards the ST stand on the west. There are buses every hour.

3- Take any bus headed towards Ahmednagar. Malsej Ghat is a stop in between.

4- The duration of the Journey will be around 2 hours from Kalyan.

There are buses from Malsej Ghat every 30 minutes heading towards Titwala or Klayan. What you really need to brace yourself for, is a 2 hour ST bus journey. Of course unless you have your own vehicle.

I am a Forest Hero

2014-06-02T11:42:00.000+05:30

You don't need super powers to be a hero. Every time you make a difference for the better good, rather than sinning in silence, your being a hero.
The following video is from a Greenpeace app. That's me being a Forest Hero ;)

Real heroes don't have supernatural powers, they just achieve supernatural feats with simple acts of courage.

The Agent of Change

A New Blog

2014-05-12T16:16:00.002+05:30

Following Bayern's exit from the champions league, there was a lot of flak being aimed on the team. The coach and players were criticized to a great extent. Even Bayern fans were in a panic mode and a lot of thrash talk was seemingly becoming quite a routine on the Bayern facebook groups. Adding to the dismay, Bild and Goal.com were in the forefront in daily aricles being published on the topic of discontent amongst the players. From Javi Martinez to Goetze, From Thomas Muller to Shaqiri, from Kroos to Mandzukic, apparently everyone were on the verge of leaving Bayern. Dismayed by the constant bullshit , i wrote a satire article, that even Bayern's official mascot Bernie, wants to leave the club. Little did i know that the article would turn out to be a big hit. Within 24 hours the page already had 400 plus page views. The response i recieved was overwhelming.

Following that, i also created a new blog, which was to follow on the same trash talk satire bullshit that usually hits my mind on gloomy days. I certainly would have wished to add it all to my current blog , but as i do not post such stuff here, decided that it was finally a time to create a new blog for football. And so Berni's blog was created. http://berniandbayern.blogspot.in/

Berni the bear wants to leave Bayern

2014-05-06T22:38:00.000+05:30

A dejected Berni and Dante try to console each other

The mascot of FC Bayern Munich, Berni has admitted that he is unhappy with his current situation at Bayern Munich.

"Of course I am not happy with my current situation," Berni was quoted as saying by Bild.

"Everyone seems to be unhappy nowadays, everyone wants to leave, so how can i stay behind?. So even i contacted Bild and Goal.com to inform them that i have had enough. My time at Bayern has come to an end, so to write a story about me aswell"

Berni took over from his predecessor Bazi back in 2004 and has now been with the club since the last 10 years. "When i joined back then, everything was so good. i was an instant hit. Everyone loved me, but things are different now. Even the players feel the same, everyday new bandwagnors join in and try to be a pundit. I have had enough of football itself"

The versatile mascot is no longer an undisputed star under Pep Guardiola.

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has suggested that the Bundesliga champions would consider letting go of Berni this summer if the mascot were to demand a transfer.

"If anyone does not feel well at Bayern Munich, he should come to my office," the FCB chief was quoted as saying by Bild. "We will have to talk about things like that."

Berni now joins Kroos, Javi Martinez, Shaqiri, Goetze, Muller etc in the list of players willing to leave the crises hit Bayern.

Manchester United are supposedly closely monitoring the mascots situation as a potential replacement to former coach David Moyes

The Video Diaries

2014-04-30T13:22:00.000+05:30

Finally I'm up and kickin with my own video blog posts. College has ended, the AMP crew no longer exists. That's an end to the brilliant Amal Baiju magic that was always a part of this blog. here's wishing him all the luck and success for his future endeavors. However if by chance he does come up with a new one, it will feature here for sure.

On a brighter side, i have got 2 lovely movie maker software's at my disposal. I may not have have the creative genius of Mr Baiju, but learning is always the part of the trade. Now to actually wonder how far this fad will go. The first movie that i had made was back in diploma days, about a fight in my class. Lol. I had uploaded it on youtube , although i had to take it down later due to the violent and vulgar abuse content in it.

So here is for a new beginning. And new video memories for the trips i undertake or all the memories worth reliving.

The first and foremost, the most memorable trip of my life. It was undertaken the same year i began this blog. I still regret the fact that i didn't write a blog post on it back then. Although faint memories remain, the post will be just too long to write about. For starters it was almost a 10 day trip to the south of India. the first stop being Chennai Central, followed by Vailankani and Nagapatnam in Tamil Nadu, and later on further south towards Kerala, first stop being Angamaly our base, then Kochi, and finally the most beautiful place i have ever been to, Munnar. A trip with too many memories and adventures to ever try and fit into one single blogpost. So here is a small video teaser. the least i could manage. Just a start for many more to follow

The Water Crises of Vidharba

2014-04-02T14:54:00.000+05:30

It was a vast stretch of dry deserted land. It had already been 4 hours since a young Krishna had left his house. The Sun was scorching hot, burning through is frail skin. The weather humid. He could feel pain throbbing down his throat every time he tried to swallow his saliva. He was not alone in his journey, there were others too. Women and Children with buckets in their hands, mapping the vast deserted land in search for water. It was one of the worst droughts they had ever faced.

Not far across in a nearby village, Kishorelal stood near the tip of a cliff, weeping for what could happen to his wife and kids after he was gone. It seemed to him as a last resort to get out of his troubled life. The debt he had accumulated was too huge for him to ever repay back. He had gone into huge losses. The money borrowed from money lenders could not be repaid. His farming had not provided yield. And how could it? There was not enough water available to him for irrigation. With no water, there would be no crops, and with no crops to sell, there would be no income for his family. Just debts being accumulated to repay. For Kishorelal, this was a lost battle. For him, just like many others before, there was no way out. Taking his last breath, he jumped. He was just one among the many hundreds of aid starved farmers that had committed suicide in that region.

Vidharba is a region in the eastern part of Maharashtra. A home to 11,800 villages is currently facing its worst drought in 40 years with around 29,500,000 families being directly affected. The situation being so bad that families travel long distances only to get access to a bucket of water which is supplied just once in 7-10 days in the nearest districts. That too, which the villagers allege of being polluted unsafe water. The is no water for basic sanitation needs as well. But for them, they have no choice. There have even been deaths due to dehydration. From the years between 2000-2010 there have been around thousand reported suicide cases in the affected regions. Some due to debt, some as a mark of protest fighting the system. A suicide every once in 3 hours at the peak of the crises. Reports of even drinking sewage water have been reported. Such is the plight of the people living I the worst affected areas.

For the state government, its just another issue to play politics on. While some politicians come out with absurd statements, some are using this opportunity to fill their pockets. It’s a common knowledge that false bills are being generated on the pretext of tanker water being provided. Crop failure is the major region amounting to the rise in debt suicides by farmers.

While the lack of rainfall does play a part in the current crises, it does not tell the whole story. This drought is not just a natural calamity but rather a man made one. Its not like there is no water at all in the region. A major contributing factor to this is the water diversions that take place. The water from the dams are being diverted to coal based Thermal power plants and other profit making industries. This being a direct outcome of the Maharashtra State Water Policy, which priotizes use of water for industrial purposes above agricultural purposes between 2003-11. Coal based power generators are extremely water intensive. The Thermal power plants alone consume around 65% of the available water. To generate 1MW of electricity, 5-7 cubic meters of water is needed every hour. What’s worst is that 71 such thermal power plants are in various stages of approval with a plan to generate 55MW/year I.e. 2049 MCM water required would be needed. Making the situation even worst in years to come.

While the rainfall may help the farmers cause to a certain extent, such droughts in the Vidharba region will continue to come and go if the current reliability on Thermal power plants as a source of electricity will increase. And if the remaining thermal power plants are given approval, on e can only imagine the amount of more farmers waking on the same path as Kishorelal or Krishna did. Last year following a sudden cloud burst, massive irregular rainfall in turn caused massive damage to crops. Many local and city based NGO’s continue to monitor the situation, conducting studies as well as pressurizing the government to make changes in the water allocation system. One can only hope that whatever the government does, meets the needs of the farmers. A coal based source of electricity is not the answer to India’s demanding need for power. It’s a source that takes more than what it gives.

What’s needed to be done is to halt all water diversions and allocations. Conduct a water Impact and availability assessment in river basins of Maharashtra so that drinking water and irrigation needs are considered. And most importantly, a call for promoting renewable energy technology. A clean and sustainable source of power.

It’s too late to be a pessimist.

It's Too Late To Be a Pessimist

2014-03-24T21:46:00.001+05:30

Home: A Film By Yann Arthus-Bertrand is an inspiration. The film is almost entirely composed of aerial shots of various places on Earth . It shows the biodiversity of life on Earth and how humanity is threatening the ecological balance of the planet. The manner in which the narrator puts across her message is absolutely mesmerizing. I came across this documentary during my time at Greenpeace. I was fascinated by the stunning aerial images. Yet, most of all, I was drawn in by the beauty of words, chosen to contrast ideas and tickle the mind, a feeling that left me spell bounded.

Climate Change

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.
The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort

About 20% of the world’s population consumes 80% of its resources.
The world spends 12 times more on military expenditures than on aid to developing countries.
Over 5,000 people a day die because of dirty drinking water. One billion people have no access to safe drinking water.
Nearly 1 billion people are going hungry. Over 50% of grain traded around the world is used for animal feed or bio fuels. Forty percent (40%) of arable land has suffered long-term damage.
Every year, 13 million hectares of forest disappears.
One mammal in 4, one bird in 8, one amphibian in 3 are threatened with extinction. Species are dying out at a rhythm 1,000 faster than the natural rate. Three quarters of fishing grounds are exhausted, depleted or in dangerous decline.
The average temperature of the last 15 years have been the highest ever recorded. The ice cap is 40% thinner than 40 years ago. There may be at least 200 million climate refugees by 2050.

It’s Too Late To Be A Pessimist

The cost of our actions is high, others pay the price without having been actively involved.
I have seen refugee camps as big as cities, sprawling in the desert.
How many men, women and children will be left by the wayside tomorrow?
Must we always build walls to break the chain of human solidarity, separate peoples and protect the happiness of some from the misery of others?
Its too late to be a pessimist
I know that a single human can knock down every wall.

Refugee Camps

It’s too late to be a pessimist.
Worldwide, 4 children out of 5 attend school. Never has learning been given to so many human beings . Everyone, from richest to poorest, can make a contribution.
Lesotho, one of the world’s poorest countries, is proportionally the one that invests most in its people’s education.
Qatar, one of the richest states, has opened it’s doors to the best universities. Culture, education, research and innovation are inexhaustible resources.
In the face of misery and suffering, millions of NGOs prove that solidarity between peoples is stronger than the selfishness of nations.
In Bangladesh, a man thought the unthinkable and founded a bank that lends only to the poor.
In 30 years, it has changed the lives of 150 million people.
Antarctica, is a continent with immense natural resources that no country can claim for itself, a natural reserve devoted to peace and science. A treaty signed by 49 states has made it a treasure shared by all humanity.

Geothermal Energy

It’s too late to be a pessimist.
Governments have acted to protect nearly 2% of the world’s territorial waters. It’s not much but it’s 2 times more than 10 years ago. The first natural parks were created just over a century ago. They cover over 13% of the continents. They create spaces where human activity is in step with the preservation of species, soils and landscapes. This harmony between humans and nature can become the rule, no longer the exception.
In the US, New York has realized what nature does for us. These forests and lakes supply all the city’s drinking water.
In South Korea, the forests had been devastated by war. Thanks to a national reforestation program, they once more cover 65% of the country. More than 75% of paper is recycled.
Costa Rica has made a choice between military spending and conservation of it’s land. The country no longer has an army. It prefers to devote its resources to education, ecotourism and the protection of its primary forest.
Gabon is one of the world’s leading producers of wood. It enforces selective logging. Not more than 1 tree every hectare. Its forests are one of the country’s most important economic resources, but they have time to regenerate.
Programs exist that guarantee sustainable forest management. They must become mandatory. For consumers and producers, justice is an opportunity to be seized. When trade is fair, when both buyer and seller benefit, everybody can prosper and earn a decent living.
How can there be justice and equity between people whose only tools are their hands and those who harvest their crops with a machine and state subsidies?
Let’s be responsible consumers. Think about what we buy.

Wave Power

It’s too late to be a pessimist.
I have seen agriculture on a human scale. It can feed the whole planet if meat production doesn’t take the food out of people’s mouths.
I have seen fishermen who take care what they catch and care for the riches of the ocean.
I have seen houses producing their own energy. 5,000 people live in the world’s first ever Eco-friendly district in Freiburg, Germany. Other cities partner the project. Mumbai is the thousandth to join them.
The governments of New Zealand, Iceland, Austria, Sweden and other nations have made the development of renewable energy sources a top priority.
I know that 80% of the energy we consume comes from fossil energy sources. Every week, two new coal-fired generating plants are built in China alone. But I have also seen, in Denmark,
a prototype of a coal-fired plant that releases carbon into the soil rather than the air.
A solution for the future? Nobody knows yet.
I have seen, in Iceland, an electricity plant powered by the Earth’s heat. Geothermal power.
I have seen a sea snake lying on the swell to absorb the energy of the waves and produce electricity.
I have seen wind farms off Denmark’s coast that produce 20% of the country’s electricity.
The USA, China, India, Germany and Spain are the biggest investors in renewable energy. They have already created over 2.5 million jobs.
Where on earth doesn’t the wind blow?

Wind Energy

I have seen desert expanses baking in the sun. Everything on Earth is linked, and the Earth is linked to the sun, its original energy source. Can humans not imitate plants and capture its energy?
In one hour, the sun gives the Earth the same amount of energy as that consumed by all humanity in one year. As long as the Earth exists, the sun’s energy will be inexhaustible. All we have to do is stop drilling the Earth and start looking to the sky. All we have to do is learn to cultivate the sun.
All these experiments are only examples, but they testify to a new awareness. They lay down markers for a new human adventure based on moderation, intelligence and sharing.

Solar Farms

It’s time to come together. What’s important, is not what’s gone, but what remains.
We still have half the world’s forests, thousands of rivers, lakes and glaciers, and thousands of thriving species. We know that the solutions are there today. We all have the power to change.
So what are we waiting for?

The Cursed Black Stone

2014-03-24T13:28:00.000+05:30

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain,something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. In those days we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth."- said Edward Elric, the protagonist of the Full Metal Alchemist series, which focuses on the search for the legendary Philosophers stone. A stone of legends, that when obtained defies the principal of equivalence. To gain without sacrifice, to create without equal exchange. What legend doesn’t tell us, is the existence of another stone, so cursed and evil, that whenever used amplifies the equivalence that we end up paying more than what we get. A back stone that takes more than what it gives, a stone that has already put billions of lives at stake and continues to do so unless we change. That stone exists amongst us. That stone is Coal

Throughout history, coal has been used as an energy resource, primarily burned for the production of electricity and/or heat, and is also used for industrial purposes. Coal-fired electric power generation emits around 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide for every megawatt-hour generated. There are severe health effects caused by burning coal. According to the reports issued by the World Health Organization in 2008 and by environmental groups in 2004, coal particulates pollution are estimated to shorten approximately 1,000,000 lives annually worldwide. Coal mining generates significant additional independent adverse environmental health impacts, among them the polluted water.

How long will we be dependent for our energy needs on the cursed black stone? how long will we endanger our lives and the future of this planet? 80 % of the energy we consume comes from fossil fuels. Every week 2 new coal power plants are built in China alone. The average temperature of the last 15 years have been the highest ever recorded. The ice cap is 40% thinner than 40 years ago. There may be at least 200 million climate refugees by 2050

''When the last tree has been cut, when the last river has been poisoned, when the last fish has been caught. Only then we shall realize that we cant eat money''

Its too late to be a pessimist, its time to move forward to renewable energy, a clean sustainable source of energy. The real philosophers stone is the Sun. Everything on earth is linked, and the earth is linked to the Sun, its original energy source. Can humans not imitate plants and capture its energy?
In one hour the sun gives the earth the same amount of energy as that consumed by all humanity in one year. As long as the earth exits the Sun's energy will be inexhaustible. All we have to do is stop drilling the earth and look towards the sky, learn to cultivate the Sun.
Its too late to be a pessimist..

Bitch Please

2014-03-05T10:32:00.001+05:30

I usually don't post such stuff on my blog but this one has to be an exception here. I somehow someway had to get this story out. It's been on my mind for many days now and I really didn't know how to frame it while talking about it with my friends.

It happened on 15th Feb 2014, a day after valentines day.I was sitting at McDonalds when the following event unfolded.

Scene: McDonald's, balcony.

Four girls sitting right beside me on the opposite table. Arguing about this guy who likes one of them. Me and a friend gorging on our French fries.

Girl 1: Shit I can't believe he likes me! How can he even think I like him back?! That nuthead.
Girl 2: See I told you stay away from him. No guy is good.
Girl 3: They all just want one thing. And we know what.
Girl 4: But how did he just like you all of a sudden! And how did he think you like him?! Weirdo

Girl 1: (At the top of her damned voice!) All I did was go out with him a few times cause he asked me. I used to meet him some evenings. Went for a movie once. Okay I held his hand just once. Okay yes, I pecked him on his cheek when I am happy. And I told him once that he was the best guy I ever knew. But how
could he think I like him?! Bloody dog!

Girl 3: Creep

-----------------------------------------
And I'm just sitting there like, "Yes. All guys are the same. We usually end up the dog, because there a good number of bitches like you around the place!"

The Green NGO

2014-02-15T11:48:00.000+05:30

It was the 12^th of May, I had just finished my exams a day before, and here I was sitting nervously for my life’s first interview. The waiting room was a library, where books and reports of various issues were kept, after filling up the form; I went through a few books with eager thirst for knowledge. It wasn’t long before it was my turn. With a deep breadth, I walk in. I had no past experience, what I only had was knowledge and the confidence in my ability..

Fundraising is a tough job. It’s something that tests your skills to the fullest. It also helps you grow as an individual. I happen to work in an NGO. One that works for environment related issues particularly climate change. I was a part of a select group of 5 people, each with their own set of talents, skills and vision. The first week of job was all about learning the trade. Realizing the purpose of me being here, realizing the purpose of why we exist. Knowing the campaigns, the causes that we work for. How we as individuals can be the catalyst to this change. Knowing our importance in things to come and most importantly to believe in what we do. It made me proud that I was a part of it. A member of one of the worlds largest NGO. An organization that had a lot of influence in bringing the change that was needed. An organization that is transparent, non violent and no matter what; it always stood by its ethics. An independent organization solely funded by individual supporters. An NGO by the people for the people.

When a group of like minded people sat sail for the island of Amchitka in 1971, little did they know that their revolution would give birth to a whole new beginning of environmental activism. Four decades later, and in 23 countries, Greenpeace has come along way. Established in India in 2001, Greenpeace strives to bring a paradigm shift in the Government towards renewable energy. Starting from the early campaigns regarding the water in the Ganges and the Bhopal gas tragedy and currently with a campaign named Junglistan, aimed at protecting forests being destroyed at the expense of dirty coal.

Greenpeace’s main goal is to ensure the ability of Earth to nurture life in all its biodiversity. The world is not made for human greed. It does so by promoting peace, Global disarmament by non violent ways.

What did impress me as an individual were certain ethics followed by the problem solving global campaigning organization that no matter what, every Greenpeace individual stuck by it. The core values of Non Violence, Bearing witness, Independence and Direct action.

Together with catalyzing an energy (r)evolution for climate change along with defending the oceans, protecting ancient forests , supporting sustainable agriculture and working towards peace and disarmament, Greenpeace emphasis its role as a global watchdog towards governments and companies.

In India Greenpeace currently campaigns in the following core Issues-

1- Coal and Water campaign (The drought in the Vidharba region)

2- Coal and Forest campaign (Junglistan – Coal mining destroying forest land)

3- Sustainable Agriculture (Promoting organic farming and saying NO to GMO’s and Chemicals)

4- Nuclear energy (Against the Civil Nuclear Liability act)

5- Cool IT (Keeping a tab on IT companies and their carbon footprint)

The money raised by us fundraisers is then utilized towards research, creative campaigning, mobilization, reaching out, lobbying with governments or cooperates. Hence trying to bring about the desired change.

Not everything in Greenpeace is perfect. Mistakes have been made, but what’s important is learning from them, and moving forward to on day realize our dream of seeing India totally powered by Decentralized renewable Energy. Thus being self Sustainable and living in harmony with nature.

Nine months later, leaving behind a thousand memories, my time had finally come to bid farewell. It was an emotional day for me, with the day ending with a farewell party in one of Bandra’s best Chinese restaurant. I had my good times as well as bad times. But the proud feeling of being a part of that change will always remain.

Its too late to be pessimist...

Join The Conversation

2014-01-19T19:18:00.001+05:30

Well by now you must have noticed how active I am on social networking websites.
My profiles are available for you to see, unfortunately I cannot add everyone on my facebook profile. Since a lot of you are quite unknown to me.
You can follow me on Twitter - @Ervine11
Or me on instagram - @lester25
However if you do want to communicate with me on a chat basis, then BBM is the best option I can think of. Go ahead
#BBMme PIN: 743CF8A9 www.pin.bbm.com/743CF8A9

Trip to Alibaug, Kashid and Murud

2014-01-09T13:48:00.002+05:30

Kolaba Fort as seen from Alibaug beach

I could feel the wind, the cool breeze, the heavenly feeling. The sun above, the tides in front, the white sand below. Kashid was beautiful. I would rank it as the best beach I've ever been to (not counting Goa). The water was cleaner compared to the others. The sand was smoother. The atmosphere was cool and calm. It was a long walk to the end of the beach, probably more than a kilometer. It was our second day of our 3 day trip. Had finished Alibaug yesterday and Murud was kept for the last. Kashid had everything one could ask for a perfect getaway.
This like many others was a trip that was in long pending. Finally the 3 of us decided that its a good go. And we planned it for the weekday rather than a crowded week end.This was a proper bag packers trip, there was no pre-planning to where exactly should we go, or how. On the night before the trip we decided to take the ferry route to Alibaug. And this just moments after considering Daman as an option.
Alibag, is a coastal town in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.It was developed around the 17th century. A Bene Israelite named Ali used to live there at that time . He was a rich man and owned many plantations of mangoes, coconuts in his gardens. Hence the locals used to call the place "Alichi Bagh"(Marathi for "Gardens of Ali"), or simply "Alibagh", and the name stuck. Alibag is located about 300 km south of Mumbai.Tourism is the mainstay of the town's economy. Alibaug is mainly known for its beaches. And if your a beach lover, this is the best place to head too. It has beaches, lots of beaches.

There are many ferry's/Catamaran's plying to and fro from Gateway of India to Mandwa Jetty. You can get the entire timetable here.
We left early morning around 630am and got the 830am ferry from Gateway. The ferry was from the operator Maldar. The entire trip by boat was a one to remember. The view was awesome , and we had seagulls following us the entire trip.It was a 45min boat rite to Mandwa jetty. From Mandwa jetty there are buses operated by the same ferry companies that drop you at Alibaug ST stand. The cost from Gateway of India till Alibaug was covered in just 125Rs. The bus from Mandwa Jetty to Alibaug is covered in the boat charges itself.
From Alibaug ST stand the nearest beach is Alibaug Beach. Which is a distance of 5mins from the ST stand. Alibaug beach is actually quite dirty, and the sand is black too. Would certainly not recommend to go for a swim in this one. Situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibag is Kolaba fort. It is a popular tourist destination and a protected monument.The average height of the fort walls is 25 feet. It has two main entrances, one on the sea side and the other towards Alibag. An interesting feature of this fort is that it has freshwater wells in its premises even though it is a seaside fort. In the monsoons, the fort can be reached by wading through waist-deep water at low tide. However, at high tide, boats must be used to reach it. During our visit it was not accessible by land, so we had to go by motor boat. The cost of the motor boat was 100Rs return.Once we reach the fort, there is a Rs5 entry charge taken at the gate as it comes under the ASI as a protected monument.There is a Siddhivinayak temple inside the fort, which was built in the year 1759. Kolaba fort was chosen by Shivaji to be fortified after the whole of South Konkan came under his command. In 1662, he strengthened and fortified Kolaba fort to make it one of his chief naval stations.Even today there are remains of old cannon guns present by the fort. There are also a few families that reside there. We spent about an hour in the fort, clicking pictures and admiring the once naval might of the Marathas.

Nagoan Beach at 8am

The second nearest beach to Alibaug central is Varsoli beach, which is at a journey of around 10mins by tum-tum. On our return from the fort we decided to head down south towards Nagaon beach. Nagaon beach is situated about 10 km away from Alibag.One can walk on the beach from Nagaon beach to Akshi beach in ten minutes. It is more popular for its water sports and most of the tourists coming to Alibaug stay near Nagaon beach.One of our main aims was to do watersports, so Nagoan was an obvious destination. From Alibaug ST stand we get Tum Tum's heading towards Revdanda. These Tum-Tums drop you towards the main junction heading towards Nagoan Beach. The cost from Alibaug ST stand to the junction is 20Rs. There is a Shivaji statue at the junction from where we take a right turn towards the beach.The distance from the junction to the beach is quite far. We took around 25mins or more to walk the entire distance.If you are lucky enough you may just get a rick. Unfortunately for us we couldn't find one. At Alibaug the Rick driver said he would charge 250Rs from Alibaug ST to the entrance of Nagoan beach. Beware there are resort owners who try to fool you into checking in their resort by saying that the beach is just 2mins distance. Only decide your stay after reaching the beach and then the nearest and best option. The joy of reaching our destination at the end of the long tiring walk was immense. Felt as if we had conquered something. We booked the room nearby the beach for 800 a night. It was a pretty good deal as the room was quite big and it was quoted for 1200 originally. Remember to always bargain there. Bargain for everything, be it the tum tum or a watersport ride or your room, is always quoted high. If you don't bargain, you will end up shelling out a lot more than what you could have actually saved. Nagaon was a decent beach. There were alot other tourists there. It was low tide when we reached there, the distance from the entrance to the water itself was another Km long. The sand on the beach was more like sinking sand. And we had to proceed further cautiously. We did a few watersports there. The cost of jet ski was 300 per head. Banana ride at 100 per head and Bumpy for 200. But as i mentioned, always bargain. Most of the times they agree for your demands. There are also alot of beer shops at Nagoan, but apparently these shops sell only beer, and nothing else. They have license to sell only beer. Food is a bit of a problem there. There are only 2 eating joints there and both are not upto the mark. There are also stalls on the beach, some of which are open till 10.30pm at night. The cost of food is pretty high.That night we had had a beer party at the beach and also our night from the beach stall.

The next day morning we were lucky enough to get a lift from the beach to the junction. We were waiting for the bus that would take us to Kashid. We were told that there our buses plying every 30mins to Murud, and Kashid was on the way. We waited for quite a while, later decided to go by Tum Tum only. We took a Tum Tum to Revdanda and from Revdanda another Tum Tum to Kashid beach. The cost from Nagoan to Revdanda is 20rs per head and the same for Revdanda to Kashid beach. The distance is quite long but the entire road is towards the cost line so it was a great view with the sea besides us.

Kashid is around 36 km away from Alibag, on the Alibag-Murud highway, also this beach is possibly one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in the region with almost 'white' sand. There are many cottages and resorts available, however all of these are located at a distance from the beach.This village does not have any wine shops. One has to go around 6 km towards Murud to buy alcohol. Kashid is the perfect place to calm down and relax for the urban people.One can find water sports facility and number of small shops for snacks. Kashid is popular mainly because of its white sand, blue seas, green mountains, paddy fields, and rivulets. Kashid has a 3 km stretch of beach tucked in between two rocky hillocks with Casuarina groves all along the seashore. This is by far the best beach in this part of the Konkan region and, though absolutely deserted on weekdays, the town can attract its fair share of week-end holiday makers.Take care of your self in the water (particularly at the high tides) as there were many incidents which cost the life. There is a danger board warning the people.As well as resort owners warn you before you head out towards the beach.
We picked the nearest resort towards the beach. We got it for 1k a night. It was a farmhouse maintained in total village style. We were lucky to get a geyser in our room this time along. The Sun shines too bright in the afternoon. And so we waited till 4 to head towards the beach. Just beside Kashid beach is Phansad wildlife Sanctuary. However the entrance to it is around 2 km South. Like i mentioned before. This beach had everything, from Camels to Horses , from Jet skis to ATV's. This was the perfect beach I've been to so far. The rates are the same as Nagoan, as we did everything that was available to us. It was Kashid that made this trip so special. And it was a time to remember. Kashid IS THE PLACE TO BE!!
Drenched we walked back to our hotel room. There are no street lights at Kashid. So remember to carry a flashlight. These is a good roadside restaurant at Kashid a few minutes walk in pitch darkness and unlike Nagoans bad food, we had options for veg , non veg and Chinese made available to us at decent prices.
The next day morning was the last day of our trip. We took an ST bus to Murud ST stand. From there a Rick to Rajapuri. We were to visit the iconic fort I've been reading about for many years.- Murud Janjira.

Chillin out at Kashid beach

Murud-Janjira is the name for a fort situated on an island just off the coastal village of Murud. Like Kolaba fort, this also is a sea fort surrounded by water on all four sides.The fort is situated on an oval-shaped rock off the Arabian Sea coast near the port town of Murud, 165 km (103 mi) south of Mumbai.Janjira is considered one of the strongest marine forts in India. The fort is approached by sailboats from Rajapuri jetty. The main gate of the fort faces Rajapuri on the shore and can be seen only when one is quite close to it. It has a small gate towards the open sea for escape.The fort has 19 rounded bastions, still intact. There are many cannons of native and European make rusting on the bastions. Now in ruins, the fort in its heyday was a full-fledged living fort with all the necessary facilities, e.g., palaces, quarters for officers, mosque, two big fresh water tank, etc. On the outer wall flanking the main gate, there is a sculpture depicting a tiger-like beast clasping elephants in its claws. There are prominent "ASHOK-CHAKRAS" on all major gates of the fort Janjira. There are images of playing elephants, lions etc.Special attraction of this fort is 3 Gigantic Cannons named Kalalbangdi, Chavri and Landa Kasam. Another gate to the west is sea- facing, called 'Darya Darwaza'.The fort is similar to Kulaba fort, however a bit bigger in size.

As the day passed it had become time for us to leave. Lucky for us there are direct buses plying from Murud to Mumbai via Sion or Thane. These buses are available every 1hr. 15 mins. Its a long Journey by bus and a rather bumpy one. But the destination of the last stop is Borivali, and that worked well in our favor.
All and all id rate this trip as the second best trip of my life. And without any doubt i would return back on this same path one day. Its an in budget trip and for beach lovers , a perfect getaway.

Redemption and Revenge

2013-09-17T08:44:00.001+05:30

It was a heavenly feeling. I experienced what it felt like being in the promised land. The night was still young, and the party was not yet over. Chants of Super Bayern filled the air. We were going wild with celebrations. We were champions, Champions of Europe. I still remember that dreadful night a year ago. My world had come crashing down. But the class of 2013 knows how to kick back. And back with style they did. I continued to be the same pessimist I was, day in and day out. No matter which team we played I never kept hope. One by one we kept moving forward. The team was hell bent on redemption. There were a few new faces. Change makers. There was something in this squad that no Bayern team of the past ever had. There was strength in depth. Even our reserves were good enough to play a starting role in any other team. We were on a rampage on every front. The Bundesliga seemed a done deal 2 months before the end. Records kept breaking on weekly basis. Teams kept getting battered on monthly basis. We were dominant and ruthless. This team had a purpose, a mission of revenge. They played like winners. They never looked back. They never hesitated. They never gave up. They never lost hope. They were a juggernaut.
I also remember a night few years ago, when a Catalan club beat us 5-1 on aggregate. How helpless we were back then. How we so undeservedly lost to teams that relied on luck to beat us. But those days our now put to rest. It was a new story this time. A London team had stolen the trophy from our home, under the grasp of our hands. It was time to go there and get it back. It was the only thing that was on every one's mind. One by one we knocked others aside. From Valencia to Arsenal. From Juventus to Barcelona. And we did it with a huge stamp of authority. 4-0 ,7-0. All past ghosts were put to bed. We were on our way to Wembley. One last task, one last team to beat, one last hurdle to reach immortality. And Dortmund it was, our own Bundesliga neighbor. A neighbor that had from the past 2 years beaten us on so many aspects. Won the league back to back. Had brushed aside Bayern many times over the past few years. It was surely going to be the match of the decade.
It so happened that Bayern fan club in Mumbai decided that enough was enough. We needed to get out of the confinement and meet up to watch this match together. Share the happiness or sadness whatever be the outcome. And after years of existence we decided on a venue to meet up. As days passed by, the tension grew up. It was a match of equals. The league had been conquered in legendary fashion. We were In the finals of the German cup as well. Last seasons treble horror taught us that it's not over until it's over.

The day had arrived, the stage was set. The intensity increased. We were there all of us. We were around 20 Bayern fans, all there to support our team. Dortmund started strongly. Attack after attack. Neuer kept saving us. I kept taking solace in beer. Was it be a third final loss in the span of four years? The chant's died down. The opposition fans made fun of Robben. The first half ended goalless. In the second half we seemed stronger. We were the ones who kept the ball. In a jiffy we were ahead. Our boy from Croatia had scored. We were celebrating. We were ahead. Minutes later a mistake by our best defender that season gave Dortmund a penalty. Gundogan buried it in the net and the scores were level again. The match kept getting intense, both sides gave it their all. Time kept passing. The match was so intense that many claimed it to be the best match in the Champions League final history. The score was still level. Neuer kicked a long ball into the opposition box, the next European player of the year back heeled it, the flying Dutchman skipped pass a defender than with his left foot placed it towards the goal. Time stopped, our heart beats could be felt, as the ball slowly and steadily kept moving forward.... Last years Champions League finals flop, was this years Champions League final Hero. The ball had passed the goal line, as he sprinted towards the sidelines. He was crying. It was his redemption. His ghosts of the past were put to rest. He had done it. Bayern had done it. With just a few minutes to spare, we were on top. The whistle blew, and WE were Champions. CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE.
(A few months later, we best Chelsea in the European Super Cup on penalties. It was poetic justice. From our loss at the Allianz Arena, to our redemption at Wembly, to our revenge at Prague. We have come a long long way. Bayern Uber Alles )

Danke Jupp Heynckes!

2013-05-11T08:00:00.001+05:30

JUPP WIR WERDEN DICH VERMISSEN!!!!! NUR DER FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN Beat by: Eyngii PART: danke jupp für die zeit an unsrer bank eine legende sagt jetzt leise gute nacht good bye, du bleibst für immer in den herzen wir zünden dieses feuer und dann eine million kerzen sie brenn für dich, den besten trainer weit und breit die zeit bleibt unvergessen weil wir deinen namen schrein in den himmel, bis hoch zu den sternen dieses team ist dein vermächtnis dein aller grösstes werk du investierst jeden tag soviel leidenschaft du bist nicht weniger als der man der uns zum meister macht auch wenn du gehst bleibt ein teil immer bestehn deine aura liegt wie ein schleier über bayerns fussballseele wir haltens fest du bist ein teil dieses vereins vor der karriere die du hast wird sich die ganze welt verneigen man spricht von jupp einer der besten seiner zunft wenn ihr die schale habt schenkt ihm den ersten kuss

REFRAIN: danke jupp eine legende wird nun gehn doch in den herzen aller roten wirst du ewig weiterleben wir wünschen dir das beste, egal auf welchem weg wir sagen nicht lebwohl weil wir uns sicher wiedersehen du warst mehr als nur ein trainer, wir liebten dich als menschen wir möchten das du weisst diese liebe wird nicht enden danke jupp für alles danke für die zeit wir verliern dich zwar als coach der mensch jupp heynckes bleibt

English translation by - Christofer Stäke

Thank you Jupp!

Thank you Jupp for the time on our bench. A legend now quietly says goodnight Goodbye, you will always be in our hearts. We light this fire and then one milion candles, these burn for you. The best trainer, far and wide. The times with you will never be forgotten when we scream you name in the sky, way up to the stars. This team is your legacy and greatest achievement. Every day you invest so much passion you are nothing less than the man that made us champions. Also when you leave a part of you will stay. Your aura is like a veil over the Bayern football soul. We firmly hold you as a part of this club The entire world has to bow for the carrier you have had. People speak of Jupp, one of the best in your craft. When you (the players) hold the trophy make out the first kiss for him. Thank you Jupp, a legend will depart But in the heart of all the reds, you will live forever. We wish you the best, regardless what path you chose. We don't say farewell, because we surly meet again. you where more than our coach, we love you as a person. We want you to know, this love will never end. Thanks Jupp for everything, thank you for this time. We only lose you as coach, the person Jupp Heyckes will always remain...

Ask me a Question

2013-04-29T14:16:00.001+05:30

Is there anything you would like to ask me? And I mean absolutely anything!
Go ahead and ask here http://ask.fm/Ervine11
I have created a account on ask(dot)fm so that even those who would like to ask me any question anonymously can do so without any hesitation.

So here you go -------> http://ask.fm/Ervine11

Trip to Silvassa

2013-01-20T23:01:00.001+05:30

Silvassa, the capital of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli is spread over 491 square kilometers, at an elevation of 32 meters on the western side of the foothills of the Western Ghats, close to Gujarat and Maharashtra.

It was the place that I was destined to go from the past 5 years I guess. Ever since that day when my uncle who is a priest got transferred there to be the principle of a school there. He is from the Pilar line of priests.
Every year whenever he used to visit, I was always invited to be guest there. Yet after all those promises I gave to him, not even once was I able to fullfill it. The closest being cancelling the trip just by a days notice to him.
Finally I decided, that I should probably not disappoint him any further, so on 15 th December 2012, I finally decided to go. Also I needed a break from my daily life.
I caught the 11.40am Virar - Valsad passenger. More than 2 hours and 14 stations later, I finally reached Vapi where I supposed to meet him. Unfortunately for me, he couldn't make it as another priest in his parish had taken the vehicle for an emergency.
So on his directions I had to now find my way from Vapi to Silvassa.
When you come to Vapi station, there is a huge board there, 'Take west to go to Daman, Take east to go to Silvassa'. Made my way through a pretty confusing station towards the east exit and got into a Share a Ric. The cost from Vapi to Silvassa per head is 30Rs. The distance around 30km. I was made to change a total of 3 rickshaws due to lack of customers. Vapi to Silvassa itself is a 1 hour journey.
Finally I was dropped at Silvassa bus station, where my uncle was waiting. The residence where the priest stay is just a minute from there. I was to reside at the guest house of the Church, also known as ' The Church of Silvassa' or ' Our Lady of Piety'. An alternate route to Silvassa is also there from Bhilad station. However it's difficult to get rickshaws from there.
The Church where I was residing was more than a 115 years old and most probably the only church in Silvassa. Lucky for me, the guest house where I resided was well equipped with all facilities, more like a 3star AC room.
In the evening after a nap my uncle took me to his school. It was apparently considered the best school in whole of Silvassa. 'Fr. Angelo English School and Junior College'. It wasnt as big as I had expected but very well managed. From CCTV cameras to every class having their own digital learning system, no doubt that was the most sought after school in Silvassa. In 2 days time, the school was to celebrate their 24th annual day, so my uncle was very busy with the preparations. That evening was spent in the school computer lab. Just surfing the net while my uncle completed his work.
The dining hall of the church quarters was quite big and along with my uncle two other priests resided there. We all used to have food together. They have their own chef who stays with them and cooks/orders. They favorite dish there is fish curry and rice. Since my uncle was quite aware of how much I hate that, he used to specially order Butter Chicken or Paneer for me from outside. Lucky me.
On the second day, I woke up around 8 , had breakfast with the other priests, and I set out on lone mission to discover Silvassa.
My first stop was the very huge 'Stadium Ground'. The ground was huge and it's own lights. Well maintained but lacked a supporter stand. I spent a lot time there, taking a whole round as well as watching a tennis match there. Just a few blocks from there was a museum. The museum was on the different types of tribal clans living in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Silvassa being the capital of it. The museum, despite being a small one,gave a brief understanding of the local culture of these tribes, their way of living, the tools and ornaments they use etc. It also spoke of the history of the union territory of D&H.
After lunch I decided to take the long walk towards the west, to Van Dharan garden. It was a long walk, really long walk. The garden is situated near the Daman Ganga river towards the west. It's a very famous garden in Silvassa, had even read that a few movie songs were shot there. However more than the garden, I spent the rest of the everning walking across the bridge connecting Bhilad and Silvassa. With the Daman Ganga river flowing below and the height of the bridge, it was a beautiful view below. By the time I returned from the long long walk, it was already dark. Head straight for my room. I was done for that day. Had no energy left.
The next day was the big day. The Annual day celebration of the school. The morning was spent helping the students and staff in the arrangements. I was treated as a VIP, probably for the fact that my uncle was the principal. Lol. In the afternoon, my uncle took me to the back side of the college. Thats where the college owned animals were there. From dogs, to Rabbits, ducks and turtles, it was spent watching, interacting and playing with them. The annual day started at 6pm, political leaders, other priests from the Pilar legion were the chief guests. The program was good the theme was "Being Human" and all the dances,plays etc were emphasized on the main topic and presented to the audience in a very interesting and catchy manner. My personal favorite was a Dance and Skit based on Human trafficking. It was based on Matt Redmans famous song '27million'. The program ended around 9.30pm. That was done for that day.
On the third and final day, my uncle being finally relieved of his duties took me to the old school of which he was a principal. The place was Khanvel. It is 30km south of Silvassa. It was a tribal region, the condition of people living there was very poor. We passed through these tribal houses as I watched from the car window. Finally at the end of the long 30km winding road we reached 'Gyanmata Marathi high school'. The school looked like a typical Municipal school, the uniforms, the students. Watched the students play and visited a few classrooms. Seen kg kids act in a fancy dress competition. As my uncle went to meet his old friends there, I took a walk round the campus and the adjoining houses. Was thankful to God for giving me a really good house and the luxury of never having to live in poverty. On the return journey my uncle told me of all the trouble he has to face as being the principal of Silvassa's most elite college. The political and media pressure, to allocate seats for their preferred students. The mental and physical threats they give and the way of how my uncle has to play and beat them in their own game. That evening he even took me shopping to the main Silvassa market. Picked up a few sweets. And later he took me to school and gave me their school jersey. It was my last night at Silvassa, so packed up my clothes and belongings that night. Every year for Christmas the school distributes, sweets and toys to all the students of their institute. The shopping of these goods is done at Mumbai's Crawford market. I was to leave in school car next morning.
Silvassa,in general is not the best spot for a tourist attractions. It main tourism is based on 3 gardens (seen one), a water park( I've been to Mumbai's water kingdom, nuff said), a deer park (passed by it on the way to Khanvel), a lion safari (uncle told me that there are only 2 lions there. Well we have our Sanjay Gandhi National Park here) and finally the main attraction, The 115 year old Silvassa Church (Well thats the place I resided). These are also a few places towards the eastern side, maybe the next time I visit Silvassa, I will be exploring the east.
I reached MumbaI by 10 am the next morning, had left from Silvassa by car at 630am. This was probably the cheapest trip I've ever made, in 3 days at Silvassa my total spending cost was only 100Rs. All thanks to my uncle and the hospitality.

Spectrum

2012-11-16T13:19:00.001+05:30

Well it's been a long time coming since an AMP release. But finally Amal Baiju is back with another one of his brilliant creation.
Spectrum is our college's annual magzine. This video is all about it.
Would personally rate it as one of the best.

Nostalgia - Diploma days (Reviving the Past)

2012-10-14T14:26:00.001+05:30

I have been to this place before. I can't put an exact number on how many times though. I take a long look at it. Never seen it like this before. We all were here a few years back and the year before those too, pretty much enjoying the "life" that we knew back then. I try hard to remember when was the last time we all came here. All of us. No matter how hard i try, i cannot remember. It seems like aeons have passed since i last saw this place. Ultimately giving up, i try hard and walk around a bit. I have a weird urge of going upstairs and meet those who may still be there but on a second thought i don't. Though i don't have the luxury of time but i still walk around a bit. Finish a complete round. Get a feel of it- AGAIN!! The sky above me is pink and crimson red in patches. It will turn black in a jiffy!! I walk around a bit. I observe the place with a completely new perspective. I realize the landscape has changed now- how this fact somehow escaped my attention is a mystery to me. I go to the centre and sit there for a minute- like paying homage to a place that is in a way holy to me.Like a shrine. The sky above and vast area around seem to be hugging me and accepting me as a part of them. The endless tides of emotions sweep me and bring a lump in my throat. I feel extremely sad and extremely jubilant at the same time. A feeling that i never entertained before. I go back to my bike, take a long hard vacant look at the view in front of me. I think the place has a life of its own and is staring back at me. It too wants to relive the past. A wish that somehow has to be quelled by taking peace in the fact that the past was worth reliving. As i said, i have been there before but for the first time i was there- ALONE. I knew it all along no one was going to show up, no one would, no one could, things have changed. Things have changed A LOT!! But i still stand here, too many memories attached to this place. It was difficult to fathom the sea of emotions in my heart. A tear rolls down my eye. A part of me was praying that suddenly everyone would show up because it was possible that i arrived earlier than anyone else. No one came on time anyway!! I told myself to stop day dreaming and get hold of myself. I am supposed to behave like an ADULT now. I am sure you are not getting a grip of what i am saying. I will try and make it a bit easier- Even a decade from today i will remember this place as the place where i completed my diploma in Electronics and Communication. For almost 3 years i suppose, it was "our college". Our "own college". Well, not legally but we came here as if it was made for us. It reminds me of "our group". We should have come up with a name for ourselves!!! We were never the best at it. Lol. We all had our own shortcomings. We were bunch of defected people with different back ground who came together to the college canteen, and spent our entire college hours doing what we loved most. Talking, teasing and most importantly enjoying every moment of life. I never ever attended any class continuously. NEVER!! College was all about sitting in the canteen from morning till evening and going home only to return the next day to the same place. Keval hardly came and used to stay at home only. Whenever the mood to attend the lecture ran through us, Mihir made sure we wernt going anywhere. Tiwari was our entertainer, his stories which all knew were fake, yet we all enjoyed hearing them. Then we had Chandan our class peacemaker, Lalit and KK, the behind the scenes guys yet from group itself. And we also had others who joined us, Mahindra (our class CR), Chetan, Abhijeet , Kedar( Used to bring Second hand mobiles every month), Shival (aka Virus),Pednekar (used to carry a Pokemon compass), Vagluu (the porn addict). The list would go on and on. .My mind is bombarded with the endless innumerable discussions we had about other people, staff, life, the future , uttered those words a zillion times. This process was followed by a long walk towards 206 bustop or a food Outlet named Papa Joes .. In the end we used to depart for our places telling each other "kal milte hai, canteen mein" and no one ever came on time. But now those events are somewhere buried in the past. "A place far far away". What i am left with is tear in my eye and a smile on my face.NO matter what happened. NO matter how much we criticized each other, we always backed each other up. ALWAYS. I still remember the 1st year in college. When our class picked up a fight with a few seniors, nearly 20 of us went in a group to beat them up. So afraid they were that they negotiated a peace immediately. Also a time when the college asked us to chip in extra cash for a stolen router from another branch, in comes Mali sir and tells ''Those who don't want to pay get out of the class'', and in less than a minute the whole class was empty. That was the bond we shared and will always do. We will ALWAYS have EACH OTHER.
I still remember that dark gloomy evening when I first came for admission Somewhere around August 2006. It was raining that day, the college looked like an old ruined apartment, broken window panes, a small hut as a canteen. When at a time all my friends were joining Andrews and Xaviers to live their destined Catholic youth life, I on the other hand was joining a place exactly opposite. All those dreams I had seen before I completed my SSC seemed to be all but an illusion.
I hated college, I used to feel ashamed to tell people which college I belong to. The irony, is that being from the same area (IC Colony) nearly 90% of the public are unaware of the existence of that college, which included me prior to joining there. Life was fuckall for me. But like they say, every dark cloud has a silver lining. I met some wonderfull friends there. Mihir, Somil, Manish,Jayesh, Rahul etc and soo many more to name . Had good and awesome memories, the college being close to my house was a huge benifit. The first year went easy, except that I was isolated from my colony life also as usual just like school I had a rival. Supalkar our drawing sir who would always ask me questions during lecture. Hated him but most comic memories also came from his lectures only. Be it him slapping Viraj or Rahul or Ketul getting trashed in class..
Second year was tough, I was the BM Patel(Maths book author) of my class with kts in all 3 maths. Yet that too had its moments of remembrance, from the Phatak Puri fights to lectures in Ravi and Shastri classes. From Anitas lecture to Karandikars submission. From Jadhav and Mahajan lectures to Panda ordering me out of the class for over a month for telling her to take Synide for a normal headache. Every bit of it plays through my mind when I think back.
3rd year went fast ,the Aurangabad trip, more bunking , more studies, project work etc, time just flew away.
In the end I would only come to realize that it wasnt so bad afterall. I got the exactly same certificate of completion from a third rate college than the ones others got from colleges like Thakur.
Just than I hit back to reality. The place has changed now. A new building has been constructed. Our second home(canteen hut) no longer exists. :'(
I can go on and on blabbering about what i am feeling but at all that can be said need not be said. Some things are better left unsaid. Memories do a better job of talking in such situations. LIFE AT TIMES HAS A WICKED SENSE ON HUMOR EH??

Football Bloody Hell

2012-08-15T14:11:00.000+05:30

It was quite and chilling that night.I just switched of the television, as tears started dripping from my eyes. It wouldn't stop. I tried console myself as I went to bed. But it didn't seem to work. We lost. The dreams had ended. All those hopes came shattering down. It was cruel, there was no justice, it felt cheated. But we couldn't change what happened. My team had lost. Lost before their own home crowd. Finale Dahome had ended in a nightmare. We just couldn't do anything about it. My dreams were in an alternate universe, where perhaps we would have won. The joy and happiness that would come from.it. That proud feeling of being a Bavarian supporter. Alas! It was just a dream. Bayern had lost. Lost in the most cruelest of ways. Lost the Champion league final. Lost a game that they soo deserved to win. Nothing could change that......
Next morning i woke up with a sore throat. The world seemed so gloomy. Unlike the other days i didn't read any match reviews and kept away from anything football related. Didnt want those memories back. 2 final losses in 3 years. It was too heavy a toll on me. Why does it affect me soo much. Why does it play a important part in my life? What has it ever given me to be soo affected by a football match? My mind was playing weird tricks on me. I even decided that from now on its the end of football in my life. It seemed to affect me for the worse. My grades were falling, my nights were sleepless, I needed a break. A long one.
Time had passed by. The euros did heal my wounds a bit. I knew I couldn't be away from football. Bayern Munich, you have a bigger impact in my life than my own self. I've fought with friends for you. Defended you when others attacked. I just can't drop you like a hot plate. You make my heart beat rise everytime I see you play. That atmosphere in the stadium, the Sudkurve, the seven nation army. I just cant get over you.
It's been more than 7 years now. From the UEFA cup horror by Zenit to the Inter Milan defeat. From the AC Milan loss, to cruelest of endings against Chelsea. I will stand by you as i have always done. That victory over Getafe, the win over United, the defeat of Madrid, and thousands other memories that made my day. Made me cheer, made me happy, made me proud.
Our time will come, winners make their own luck. We are better than last season, and we are here to stay. We will lift the Champions League trophy one day. The glory days of the 70's will return. And european dominance will be Bayern's again.
We believe, and no matter what, we will always be there to support you. Mia San Mia. We are who we are. We are FC Bayern!

The Bayern Philosophy

2012-07-11T15:22:00.001+05:30

A common stereotype about Germany's most successful club is that they buy their way to titles, steal the best players from other squads and make the league impotent to fight back. Many consider them to be the bundesliga equivalent of Chelsea or Manchester City.
But while the millions Bayern may have splashed out in buying the likes of Neuer, Gomez, Ribery or Robben, money alone is by no means the whole story behind Bayern's success over the years. A rather more unsung part of Bayern's storied history, is their ability to breed and stick with the talent that emerges from their own youth academy. It more often happens that Bayern field more homegrown players than any other team in the league. A routine five members of Bayern's starting eleven and nearly seven players from the entire squad cut their teeth in Munich's Grunwalder stadium, where Bayern's developmental squad play their home matches. Together Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillip Lahm, Toni Kroos, Diego Contento, Thomas Muller, Holger Badstuber and David Alaba alone have an estimated transfer value of around 145 million euros. That's arguably worth more than any other entire squad in the league and only slightly less than what Bayern paid to acquire the rest of their squad.
Bayern's success is based on using their enormous wealth to add players of extreme worth to a core of already high value home grown players. In recent years the winner of the Salad Bowl has had a great influence of youth in their squad. Be it Dortmund in recent years with Gotze, Grosskreutz, Schmelzer, Sahin or a Stuttgart side with Gomez, Hildebrand, Tasci, Gentner, Khedira. (Wolfsburg being an exception).
Some of Bayern youth products to leave and make it big elsewhere include the likes of Owen Hargreves, Mat Hummels, Alou Diarra, David Jarolim, Paulo Guerrero, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Denis Yilmaz, Stefan Wessels Piotr Trochowski, Markus Babble and many others to name.
In the past, Bayern's policy was to bring in young talented players for cheap. The reason for Bayern's enormous wealth and its glory years of the 70's itself came from breeding talented youngsters. Be it Beckenbaur, Maier, Muller, Roth or Schwarzenbeck, all these players joined Bayern at the ripe age of the 16-19. These teenagers would one day form the core of a really good side that would go on to dominate the country and the world.
One may say that it has always been Bayern to break the banks, but the truth is that even during Bayern's most successful years, it was the other clubs that spent big. Tagged as the 'million mark side' Werder Bremen during the 71-72 season signed five established players. These players managed to score 37 goals between them. Bayern's Gerd Muller alone scored 40 goals in a record breaking season. Even Bayern's biggest rivals during the 70's, Monchengladbach purchased matured players in the likes of Ludwig Muller, Ulrik Lefavre, Henning Jenson, Allan Simonsen and many others. Bayern on the other hand signed relatively unknown youngsters in Uli Hoeness, Paul Britner or even a Karl Heinze Rummenigge. KHR was signed for a sum of 175,000DM. Inter later paid around 11 million although rumours say close to 18million.
Mario Gomez may be Germany's record transfer so far, but however if you look at the past it was the other clubs that spent huge. It was Cologne that broke the million mark for the Belgian Roger Van Gool in 1976, followed by Hamburg for Kevin Keegan in 1977, then Frankfurt Lajos Detari breaking the 5million Mark in 1987. Dortmund broke the 10million Mark for Heiko Herrlich in 1995 and Leverkusen were the first to pay more than 15million for the transfer of Lucio in 2000. While Bayern may buy players from other clubs In the same league, it pays more than the surplus requirement, as seen in the cases of Gomez or Neuer. Also acting as the good Samaritan to other clubs in any financial matters.
Bayern did not expand their empire by money, or atleast not buy money alone. Smart transfers, a good business management (Bayern were the leagues first team to appoint a business manager in 1966) and most importantly a coveted youth structure together led to their success all over the years. A debt free institution and a role model for many clubs to follow.

A Letter to the World

2012-07-07T12:09:00.001+05:30

By Joel Mozhumannil

This world, if u start talking about it, you will never end with your complaints and cry because such cruel, brutal and atrocious this world is. Every single person is interested about his or hers own motives and benefits. No one cares about anyone anymore. People have become selfish and ruthless trying to suck your blood everytime they get an opportunity. No one cares about anyone and all are running to just satisfy their own desires and wants without even thinking about what the other person might feel by his rude actions and behaviour.
First time in my life i am trying my hand at writing an article. Not just because others are writing i am inspired by them,but i have reached a point in my life where the frustration, the agony,the anguish has overpowered me to drive me into this unexpecting state of distress. This world,if u start talking about it,you will never end with your complaints and cry because such cruel, brutal and atrocious this world is. Every single person is interested about his or her's own motives and benefits. No one cares about anyone anymore. People have become selfish and ruthless trying to suck your blood everytime they get an opportunity. No one cares about anyone and all are running to just satisfy their own desires and wants without even thinking about what the other person might feel by his rude actions and behaviour. The phrase 'I am SHORT TEMPERED' has become so stereotyped nowadays between this current youth generation and caused serious problems to our family and friends. Attitude and ego,the two most dreaded things have created a hell lot of problems and tensions for the innocent and blameless people surrounding them. People are fighting and crying even for the smallest of reasons which after a while they feel was foolish and absurd of them.
The love and harmony that was there before is no longer seen. All are fuking busy in their own creepy world. But the pain through which the honest and sincere people go through is uncountable and this excruciating pain helps them to rise from the ashes and emerge victorious even in the hardest of situations.
Darkness and ignorance have bounded the sense of discerning, the power to grasp and to comprehend things. Having a fake perception about things has created a lot of problems and confusion among each and every person. The general habit of assuming things has caused misunderstandings and rifts between us. That sucky feeling engulfs your mind when no one in this whole world tries to understand your problem.
O GOD,save me from the hands of people who are behind my life trying to destroy it.please restore peace and love in this cruel world and make this world a better place to live in.

Shackles of Sadness

2012-07-04T15:26:00.001+05:30

Have you heard of sumthing very noisy and attractive, cheerfull and full of laughter outside but. . . . . Yet silent, locked, damaged and shattered but yet significant from within inside? If Not, then take a trip into my Heart and find out the real definition of sadness, heartbreak, how miserable it could feel, uncertainities of life and hopelessness. This sure, is most of the individuals life in todays world. A Big screen of the cheerful world on the outer side while being the quietest of all in the corner of the world in my own heart. Those broken pieces of missing someone ,sumthings of life that meant too much to us but got nothing back. Life reaches a standstill in total darkness. Wonder how this darkness will ever reach the sunlight of future happiness. Its like you cannot see the light even when its there ; For the darkness that surrounds us is so thick that its suppressin all rays of hope and belief, trust , honesty and loyalty.
The past that has taken a hard outcome to even start trusting people that tell you that they mean much to you or care for you. They sure do care! But no one reaches the goal post to the end. So why waste "YOUR" true feelings for sumone who cant stick true, right from the start to the end ? No more blind belief and no more of trusting their mind setup. Making you feel like your in the "Land of Nowhere." Wishing this was an unconscious experience. Would kill half of whats been dying in there. A soul left chained wandering with shackles of oppression. Please free me for a moment ! Let me breathe new life out there ! Hoping sumday there'll be some one who travels by giving it her all for me, removes the thick blanket of darkness and gets the sunlight out forever; NOT for TEMPORARY OR FAKE SAKE. But somebody that's ready to stand by you for ever always. Right from the start to the journey of "Our End". Ready to give it her all and never leave my side uptill "Our End." "Acceptance" and "True Love" is what happiness lies under. Yet, this shackled life yearns for just 'Eternal Happiness.'
This World's a Mean Life !

Trip to Matheran

2012-06-21T21:00:00.001+05:30

I'd been planning this trip for a long time now. Finally decided to fullfill it with my college group. After dealing with a lot of troubles finally decided to leave for the trip on 14th June. Due to girls being with us, had to limit the trip to a day stay only. We were 10 of us for the trip. 6 boys and 4 girls. The whole trip was planned according to train timings based on the Android app 'M-indicator'. As one of our team mate was arriving on the same day to Mumbai from another one of her trip, had to adjust the time accordingly to leave a bit late.
So the day had finally arrived. Me and my class mates met at Borivli station at 8.15 am. The 10 of us than caught the 8.36am Borivali-ChurchGate fast. The train was crowded as usual being peak time. We reached Dadar station by 920am. The trains to Neral arrive on platform number 4 on the Central Railway side. These trains are Karjat bound locals and there is only one train arriving every hour so the trip mainly was based on the train timings. The local we caught was the 9.44am from CST. We reached Neral by 11.10 am. As expected we did not get the toy train as the bookings for it had to be done atleast 3 days in advance. The ticket to Neral from Borivli was 21 rupees. The same was paid by a friend coming from Mira-Road. As soon as you reach Neral you will be hoaded by agents telling you to book the hotel they are offering. Trust me, no matter what they say or however convincing they sound, don't listen to them. They may try to trick you showing pics of the hotel stay they are offering but it's all a farce. Directly make your way to the taxi stand on the east and take a cab to Dasturi park. The cost of the cab is 60rupees per person. We were dropped at the entrance of matheran where there was a ticket counter. Every tourist is made to pay a 40 rupees toll to enter Matheran. Once our group made it there, we decided to walk along the tracks to reach upto the main city. The walk was long and tiring(for the girls atleast). The walk was one of the best trekking experience I ever had (still nothing compared to Munnar though). It was 2.5 km long and took us around 1.30mins to get there. Counting time wasted in photo sessions and all. We finally made our way to Matheran station. Remember If your walking along the tracks, don't exit through the railway stations main exist as you may be asked to show the toll ticket to the guard standing there. Make your exit towards the main road before reaching there. The best way to travel around Matheran is by foot only. The horse charges are too high. We stayed at a cottage. 2 rooms for 10 people interconnected for 3k. Being a cottage ,we had ample amount of space as a varanda up front. Checked in at 'Sai-Hit' , freshened up and had food at the hotel opposite our cottage. The quality of food was pretty poor there. By the time we had finished our food it was already 4pm. We set out on a walk towards the nearest points. The first being Khandala point. And made our way all the way around till echo point, covering a lot of points on the way . The dried up charolette lake was probably the best place we found considering we sat there for a long time resting behind the mountain mud checking out the beautiful view nature had to offer. It is advisable to actually carry a torch as street lights are rare. And the trip back to the hotel in that unknown land was quite a scare to the girls atleast. We returned back in darkness finding our way asking lonely houses along the road. After nearly an hour of walking finally reached the main market area. There is not much to shop at Matheran. You have chikki, hats, fudges or footware to choose from. We reached our hotel back at 10pm and immediately freshened up and left for dinner. Being a week day, the hotels and shops close down by 11 max. Moreover it wasn't even season time. The hotel we went this time had much better food to offer. It was on the main market street. I fail to recall the name now but it was the next hotel near to 'Pramod Bar' (the only bar in Matheran). Atleast that makes it easier to remember things. Most money that we actually spent at Matheran was actually for water. Being 10 of us, I wonder how much bottles we actually needed. Its more suitable to purchase that 30rs mineral water. The rest of the night was spent sitting at the varanda outside our cottage and talking about life and college. We slept at around 5 and woke up the next day at 9. There was a bit of water problem at our hotel, so remember to confirm that properly with the hotel staff before checking in. Since most of the girls not being able to walk more citing their body pain and other lame excuses, decided to walk to only one point that morning. We checked out of our hotel room around 11, had our brunch at the same place where we had our dinner last night and made our way towards monkey point. It was also long walk but the good thing was that it was on the same way towards our taxi stand at Dasturnaka. On the way back it began to rain heavily. Soaked, we made our way through the forest and finally caught a cab reaching Neral station at 2pm. We took the 2.15pm train to Dadar and by 6pm we all had reached home. Early,I know but trust me, there is not much different places to see at Matheran. Its all pretty much the same, with just different view points. It'a more about the weather. Overall the trip was a success, we had our fare share of action, drama as well as got to spend good time with the ones we love. I had planned it well so luckily everything went according to plan. The main concern being to make it according to the train timings.

Here is the list to my original plan. However we had to catch the later trains one of our member made it late. It could be helpful if you ever plan to make a similar trip with your group.
Trip timetable
Destination- Matheran Date-15th-16th June
Cost- Travelling,Food Staying(Depends on personal expenditure) Discription:- DAY 1 -Meet at Borivli-6.45am ( Better Don't be late) OR Directly at.. -Dadar by 730am.
-Catch 7.48am train to Neral.
-Reach Neral at 930am.
-Choose between train,Cab or walk to Matheran. -Catch max. 2 hours to reach matheran
-Reach Matheran by 11.30am
-Check in at a hotel -Roam whole day. Enjoy
---------------------------------
DAY 2
-Check out of hotel by 9am.
-Roam, sight seeing
-Leave at 4.10pm
-Reach Nerul by 6.10pm. -Train to dadar at 6.37pm -Reach Dadar at 810pm.
-Back home by max 930pm. (Considering any delays on return trip)
IMPORTANT:-
-Everything is planned depending on train timings exactly. DON'T BE LATE.
- Only one train is available every one hour to Neral. So better DON'T BE LATE.
- Try to make your luggage as less as possible. There is allot of traveling to do. Less the luggage, easier the travel. -Carry a torch(for treks), personal basic medical necessity(if required),Your own personal Snacks etc. Maximum water you can carry. Umbrella ,windsheeter etc for the rain.
- The room rent could be high, so do remember to carry extra cash in case of emergency Ciao
As you see, everything was planned well before making the trip. On anyother day, I would tell you that unplanned trips are the best to enjoy. But once again, taking the girls into consideration, this part was necessary. But none the less, it was a journey to remember.

Season's Ended

2012-06-16T08:23:00.001+05:30

Im back. Finally I'm back. And not just back. I'm here to stay. Been a long time for me . I know. Life's been busy. Very very busy. I usually used to manage atleast one post a month, but its been months since I've managed that too. Alot has happened recently. The most important of all is that I've learnt to carry on with life. Accepted facts and moved on from my toughest time. Made new friends, made up with the lost, sorted relationships, met someone special, had wonderful moments and most importantly, grown up in maturity where attachments are concerned. It's true what my friend once told me, ''You may cry for somethings others find unreasonable today, tomorrow thinking back you will be the one laughing at it''. When you think of the happy moments or memories that made you smile at one time, you will cry realizing or missing those moments. When you look back at the reasons that made you cry, you will think to your self that you were too stupid to make that happen. Just never forget two faces in your whole Life, the who held your hand in difficult times & the other who left you alone to face it. Life's a journey. We all have our destiny pre-written. All we have have to do learn when to chose the right path. Skipping the emotional torture all I can say about this post is that the seasons ended. I'm back to the beginning. Only a different year. I cannot disclose much about my personal life on a blog. All I can say is that I've got another year of loneliness and discouragement to face, just like the year when I started writing this blog. I don't know how much of my friends I be in contact with, I just hope I am never forgotten by them. This season I had in life, will surely be the most memorable one I had in life. Its just unfortunate that I wasn't able to keep up with it. But this blog is something I would surely do.

The Friendship Paradox

2012-03-31T21:52:00.003+05:30

Aren't friends a necessity in life? Assume yourself without any true and sincere friend.
How would you feel at places like Mc Donald's or a Pizza hut? What would you do with your cell ?? What about parties or hangouts ?? Think about events like your birthday or any reason worth celebrating. Who'll ask you about your worries. .?? Who's gonna tell you about their mood swings ?? Who'll tease you pairing with others? Who'll care, miss & irritate you?
These are sum out of many reasons why life wouldn't have been a lovable mess. The connection you feel goes beyond any words of description. A bond that makes it feel a divine intervention.
But what if you had to always live with this fear, that the people you loved the most, cared the most, the friends who really matter to you are at one point of time going to leave you? Your best friend from school, is not going to be your best friend in college and your best friend from your college life isn't going to be your best buddy during your working life. Unless destiny has been kind enough to land you both in the same college or work as the previous. Priorities change, people change, and at one point of time, no matter how much you may have told the person you love them,or been attached to them , or appreciated them, they are going to leave you. And you can do nothing about it rather than just accept the fact that he or she is gone, and to get over it. They say that fear or depression is the only emotion which is completely negative but can bring about positive results. Its an emotion which rips your heart to shreds but keeps you more alive than any other point of your life. The event of losing someone who really matters to you, maybe a friend, a lover, or family is a defining characteristic which helps in altering, for better or for the worse, the butterfly effect that follows can change the life of a man forever.
You learn from your mistakes in the past, you understand where you went wrong. The reasons why you lost them. So the next time you ever fall in love again or have a special friend you don't want to lose, you will remember the lessons you learnt from the past and put forth the new you, someone different and some one more understanding. And no matter what, never hesitate to take responsibility of your mistakes, cause too often we don't realize what we have until it's gone. Too often we're too stubborn to say, 'Sorry, I was wrong.' Too often it seems we hurt the ones closest to our hearts, and we let the most foolish things tear us apart, for single moment of misunderstanding is so poisonous, that it makes us forget the hundred lovable moments spent together within a minute.
So stop making life more complicated than it already is and speak out what's really there in your heart. When you miss some one; Call them. If you wanna meet someone; Invite them. If you want to be understood; Explain yourself. If you like someone;tell him/her. If you have questions; Ask them. Don't like it ? Say it. Like it? State it. Want something? Ask in the best possible way to get a yes.
If you already have a "no",take the risk of getting a "yes".
We have just one life.Let's be simple and happy!! Cause in life you will realize that there is a purpose for every person you meet.! Some are there to test you..Some will use you.. Some will teach you.. And some will bring out the best in You. Some may cause you pain but you'll learn to move on.! So let go of the people who can't treat you right and hold on to those who love you and see your worth...
So keep hope from people, but never have expectations.
For as you grow up, you will learn that even the person who wasn't supposed to ever let you down, probably will.
You will have your heart broken probably more than once & it's harder everytime. Then you yourself will break hearts too,so remember how it felt when yours was broken.
You will fight with your best friend. You will cry because time is passing fast,& you will eventually lose someone you love.
Nothing is permanent. Only memories last forever.
So click a lot of pictures, laugh a lot, and love like you've never been hurt because every 60 seconds you spend upset is a min. of happiness you'll never get back.
Don't be afraid that your life will end; rather be afraid that it will never begin again. Cause the gift of life, is life itself.