Tears of Joy-II

Don’t be so happy. It is not a sequel to Tears of Joy but only a post script.

First, I must thank all of you for your valuable opinions on the post. Many commenters praised my writing skills, it looked very real to them as if it was my own story. I am delighted about that. That day, as my thoughts and emotions flowed, I wrote the post without changing anything, not even the sequence and to tell you a little secret.. I was crying at the time of writing it. So, full of emotions I was and so close it is to my heart.

Some of the commenters have started liking the girl “Tum” and want her to be their friend while two of you are even ready to hit the guy “Hum” if he misbehaves with “Tum”. Lollll I am glad that I could make you guys so attached to the whole affair.

By now you would have guessed that I have decided to call the two characters as ‘Hum’ & ‘Tum’ .. inspired by Pyare Mohan ji.

According to some people...(well, most of them) who have commented on the post, it is NOT at all friendship, it is a clear case of love between the two while very few were of the opinion that it is nothing but a clean friendship.

Some thought it could be a friendship but an amount of love between them is definitely there which is going to blossom over the period of time. Request you to go through ALL the comments if time permits.

One commenter suggested that they should meet to keep the friendship alive or to survive while another suggested to Hum & Tum, the idea of discussing about the pros & cons of this relationship before it becomes another love story.

Now, since the existence of such friendship is agreed upon, the question “Can it survive for long as it stands today or is it just a matter of a few months when we all can call it “all over” ?” needs your attention.

Maverick and Kamal have already put in their views on this aspect.

Remember the girl has some doubts, some unanswered questions troubling her?? She wants to know whether she is also Hum’s best friend or not. She wants to know whether both of them are going to remain like the way they are at present or will come even more closer or drift apart. Are they going to change with time.. time just flying away ?

Do you think she is right to have those fears? What if all is true? Is she going to behave in the same manner as before? She must have had reasons to think in that direction. Who is going to answer her questions?

Opinions awaited eagerly..

Current song- Katra Katra Milti Hai, Katra Katra Jeene Do – Asha Bhosale

Tears of Joy

She hurriedly entered the ladies first-class compartment. It was a slow train from Churchgate, would take around an hour’s time to reach her place but today she did not bother. On other days she would have worried and grumbled a bit for getting a slow train. But today was different, today was special. She was smiling all the time. She sat near the window in front of a middle aged lady and made herself comfortable. Inside the compartment there were hardly any ladies at that hour. It was almost empty.

She seemed in a hurry today. She was visibly happy and smiling. There was something going on her mind. Yesterday night was very special for her. Why only night? It was well over 3:30 am when she could finally take a nap and she was up again at 5:30 am!! She glanced outside the window and took charge of her mobile phone. Forty seven messages from a single person !! Once again she started reading them one by one. They were all sent between 11 pm last night till 2:15 this morning, within a span of 3 hours. She smiled again. They were from a person who is very close to her heart...her BEST friend, ever.

She was never so close to any person in her life. They both have too many things in common.. their likings, their taste, their thoughts. They live eight kms away from each other and their office is just 1.5 kms apart. Both of them are very emotional, lonely, reserved. They have shared many secrets and thoughts of life with each other. Both have plenty of pictures of each other on their computers. Both of them have cried many times for each other. Probably they can’t see each other in pain. Every time he has hurt her because of some reason, within a minute she has received a sms from him saying sorry. They both love each other in a strange way. There is a special comfort zone between them and the trust ? Trust between them has no limits.

Their friendship is not even a year old, it is just ten months! If she has something to share with, the first person comes to her mind is him and she always misses him. Time spent with him is never enough. Not a single day passes when she doesn’t think of him with a smile. And in somewhat similar way, she is the only person he has shared his some of the most inner thoughts with. They savor each other’s company.

She had helped him in her own little way when he was looking for a change of job and she was the first person to know about his interview calls, appointment and so on. She was away from the city when she had received his message of new job. All the dates are still etched in her mind. Those were the days when he was very much tensed and so was she.

On his birthday, she sent a book to him, her favourite one and she knew he would equally like it. Now, the next birthday is approaching fast, she has started wondering what to present him this year. Probably a book again ? Books are never going to be a problem between them.

On other days they normally exchange a few sms’s, only when one of them wants to share some info or ask for help. Yesterday also, it had started on the same note. But after 3-4 sms’s, she could guess his happiness. He seemed extremely happy. :)))

Now, it was around 11 at night. All family members at her place had gone off to sleep and she was trying to concentrate on some pending work she had. She asked him if he doesn’t want to sleep tonight or again he is reading his unfinished novel. He replied “Nothing of that sort today”. He was just too happy and listening to songs on his i-pod. She knew the songs were her favourite as well.

Then came a message: he was listening to “Katra-katra milti hai, Katra Katra Jeene Do” ..one of their favourites. She immediately messaged back, “I want to listen it too!”. Not even ten seconds later there she was, sitting, smiling, listening to the song on her cell phone. He was playing the songs at his end... she was listening to them. And thus started three most beautiful, wonderful hours of romantic melodious songs.

“Aapki ki aankhon mein kuch mehke hue se Raaz hain”, “Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai Tu Kahe to Main bata Doon”, “RimZhim gire sawan, sulag-sulag jaaye man”, “Humein Tumse pyar kitna, ye hum nahi jaante”, “Phir wohi raat hai”, “Aie kaash ki ab hosh mein” and so on.. none of the songs was repeated.

They were both extremely happy - alone and yet together. Their joy had no boundaries. Neither of the two was sleepy at all. In between they kept sending messages to each other. He wanted to share his happiness with her. Initially he started humming the songs at his end, she could listen to it. She knew he wanted to sing aloud. She asked him to do so. As he lives alone in his flat, it was not difficult. So, he started to sing ... The voice was coming right from his heart.. Dil se. He was dreaming about his future... getting married and settling down soon. He was in full romantic mood. She could “see” that. How well she understands him.

Once he coughed, she got tensed.. asked him why? Since he smokes occasionally, she was worried about his health.

The night was beautiful, awesome, and quiet. The songs kept coming ... one by one.. all romantic ones that they both love... him, singing along and her listening and smiling. They didn’t feel like speaking to each other. There was no need. The words were not needed there, only emotions were flowing and they could feel it. They could feel the presence of each other, they were together in that special moment. Just the songs through cell phone, him singing and series of sms’s without a single spoken word of communication.. it was all so wonderful.

This was the best night she had ever experienced, thanks to her friend. Then at 12:41 AM, he told her why he was so happy that day, “I am in love” a sms conveyed it all. Now, sitting in the train she checked the sms again. Yes, it had come at 12:41 AM. And then in next four sms's he told her about a girl. Once again she was the first and till now his only friend to know about his feelings. Probably she is also his best female friend?? Probably not ? She doesn’t know. She tried to brush aside this thought.

She was happy for him. She felt like holding his hands and telling him how happy she was.

Their beautiful and amazing friendship is unique in many ways. They both know they can reach each other at any hour of the day. What if till now they have not been able to meet even once in real life? What if they have not spoken to each other even once except for 2-3 minutes on one occasion? They share each other's joys and sorrows, they share each other's problems and seek advice and they feel each other's presence in their life.

She hopes to meet him one day and it is going to be a wonderful day... the happiest day. That very thought of meeting him brought tears in her eyes. The lady sitting in front of her was watching her smile all this while and now suddenly tears??

Without wiping those tears off she said “They are tears of joy” and she let them flow.

Do you think there can exist such friendship in this world ?
Could it be true or could they be just faux-amies? Could it become the most beautiful friendship one can ever think of or could it be termed as most unrealistic, unheard kind of imagination ?

Current song- Aapki Aankhon Mein Kuch Mehke Hue Se Khwab Hain – Kishore & Lata

Are we bold enough?

Are we bold? Are we bold enough to admit things? To accept things? To refuse things? There are many actions that we do without realizing or without giving it a thought.

Boy meets girl. They like each other and start going out. After sometime boy wants to go one step ahead. Girl wants to refuse but.. but thinks she would hurt him, lose him if she does so. She succumbs to his demands. Later, she regrets. What went wrong here? And why?

A boy joined medical college. Ragged by seniors in front of all to the limits of humiliation. Next step? He committed suicide.

How many of us would stand up and oppose that ragging? Or fight with a bunch of hooligans on a lonely road? Or stand by a rape victim? Or stop that drunkard who is beating his heavily pregnant wife right in the middle of the road?

Most of the times we just close our eyes like a cat or an ostrich .. pretending that everything is normal. We should mind our own business. Nothing has happened and nothing unusual is going to happen. Why do we do so ? What is stopping us?

Are we bold enough to accept the existence of homosexuals or the living-in relationship especially in not so urban India? Are we ready to happily accept unwed mothers ?

Are we courageous enough to refuse our senior when he commands us to be a part of corrupt system? And are we bold enough to stand and yell at this damn rotten world, “Enough is Enough!!”?

We expect everyone else to be bold and gutsy: not us.

And when that someone else is courageous enough to take a daring step, we somehow want to follow his shadow because we know he is right and by following him we might gain something which we always wanted to, but never had the courage to ask for or fight for.

Yes, I said follow his shadow. We don’t want to walk beside him lest we might face the wrath along with him. More than cowards, we are scared. Scared to face the consequences, scared to face the ire of society, scared to face the world.

We think of others first. What my boyfriend, my family, my friends, my society will think about it if I listen to my inner soul and do things differently ? Do I have the guts to lose them or face them? So, we try to be a part of masses and keep suffering. As long as someone else tries to change the scenario, it is fine with us. After all, if at all things change, we are also going to be benefited.

Perhaps, we are selfish somewhere.

I don’t believe in the saying “If you can’t beat them, join them”. NO. I won’t join them. I would prefer to stand alone far away from the crowd even if I am not doing anything.

I am sorry if my views are too strong or raw for you but... Ok, will try to make the topic more lighter.

Well, we all have some fantasies about many things in life, which we dare not discuss with others.. maybe, sometimes with our very close friends who also have similar inclination but definitely not with our elders. But can we accept it?

Tell me, how many of you have watched or have thought of watching a porn movie sometime in life? Or don’t get taken aback when you see a seventeen year old buying condoms from a chemist shop? Or have you never wondered how a prostitute or a strip dancer undresses in front of strangers without even a blink of shyness ?

It is not possible and it should not be, that we always accept in front of this world. World.. society.. families.. close friends and finally our own self. The big large sphere reduces to a single central point. Can we be true to that single point at least?

To me, that seventeen year old who bought condoms is more truthful and honest to himself and to the world than most of us. And yes, he was bold enough to go to the shop.

Wanted to recount something about my college days but decided against it, as it was becoming very lengthy post. Some other time or maybe a post script to it. :)

There are many dark secrets in our lives, which we would want to keep under covers. We always try to pretend to be all goodie-goodie persons. And of course we are so!! Just because we have those forbidden thoughts or desires, we do not become bad persons. Just because we peeped at other pretty girls over the shoulder of our wives, we do not become unfaithful husbands. But Alas !! It stops there.

If any of my family members read this post, they won’t be shocked. They don’t know about any of my fantasies but they accept that their own Cuckoo can also have some.

Yes, even I have those so-called forbidden inclinations. Being a female doesn’t make me any different. I would definitely want to watch a porn movie sometime in my life..never seen, only heard about them and I am bold enough to admit about my this fantasy. Are you?

Current song- Pal Pal Pal Har Pal, Kaise Katega Har Pal – Sonu & Shreya

Back with a Tag !

I am tagged again!! Tagged by a person who loves to tag me again & again since my days of naissance in this blogworld and once again I accepted the challenge. Here I am, taking time out of my busy schedule, trying to tell you a bit about myself. Well, I have both positive & negative traits in me as you’d know now but that’s the way I am. Here I go...

Rules of this tag:

1. Name the person who tagged you.
2. 8 things about you.
3. Tag 6 people.

Question 1: Are you really interested in knowing the name after so many hints? It is none other than Fleiger, the Tagger of the century.

Question 2:
Now this is the most interesting part !! Oh come on!! Not fair. Only 8 points? It is something like you have been asked to describe only 2 points in your exams when you are ready to bombard them with all you learnt by rote ! Just kidding!! Wondering where do I start from. Being a very private, quiet and introvert person in real life, it’s like a challenge for me to speak about myself. Ok, let me try.

1. I am a straight forward, sincere and a level headed girl. I just can’t have anything fake about me or things related to me. Not even my posts on this blog. They have to connect to me in one-way or the other. I like being true, true to myself and to the world. Life is not a pack of cards or a blue sky for me. I take it seriously. But that does not mean I don’t laugh and keep crying all the time. I make others laugh and cry as well ;)

Most of the time I am a serious quiet person but that little funny bone got stuck somewhere in me (kabab mein haddi??) and from time to time it starts showing its true colours especially when I am in mood or in the company of people who can really make me laugh. In short, I am a strange mix of contrasts.

2. I am neither a writer/poet nor I want to become one. Was inspired by a very dear friend, whom I adore endlessly (Hey you!! Are you reading this?). No, the friend never asked me to write, I just got inspired by the sheer presence of my friend whom I had started missing.. Complicated?? Leave it at that.

3. Being on constant move & uprooted, I have dearth of close friends. As I am very reserved person, it takes a lot of time & effort for me (and for the other person) to make genuine close friend but once friends, I go extra mile for the person I care for. The people who know me, will agree to all of it. I am fully aware of this negative side of me. But that’s the way I am.

4. I love music. Music soothes me and makes me forget the whole damn world.. Soft melodious songs, ghazals, fusion, instrumentals, nursery rhymes are some of the kind of music I can listen to anytime. 88% of my songs are Hindi. Rest includes English, Marathi, French, Bengali (only S D Burman folk songs) & some Punjabi songs.

Not a particular singer or album but anything which suits my mood. My all time favourites are Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosale, Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali. Waittt, that doesn’t mean I like only soft music.. I am equally at comfort with blaring music when I am on a long drive (happens rarely though). Told you.. strange mix of contrasts.

5. I am a very organized person. Never you will find me, my place, my clothes, my mailboxes in clutters. I like my neighbourhood spick and span. That’s again a negative point.. sometimes I overdo it and wonder why others can’t be like me.

6. I have excellent memory chip fitted into me, have my own database and once registered there, people are sure to get wishes on their birthdays/ anniversaries and all the information when needed.

At home when people don’t find their belongings, they come running to me “Do you know where I kept that thing?” and Cuckoo knows exactly what do they mean by “that” and where it is kept.

7. I am not a regular movie goer mainly for three reasons.. lack of interest, lack of company and lack of good movies. I can add one more.. my erratic daily schedule (for last six months I have been extremely busy). I do watch them if I have time or the movie is recommended as good. Believe in quality not quantity. Can watch any good movie even if they are of an era when even my mom was not born ! Is that a negative point? If so, then be it.

8. Reading is another passion I enjoy. Mostly thrillers and some other interesting ones. But no Harry Potters for me. Thrillers started from my father’s collection and ended (my last book) with Robin Cook’s Coma. Not getting time to start another one. But I cannot read the same book for more than 3-4 times. Someone told me he has read Godfather 17 times! Phew!

I am also a fan of Tintin, Archie and Garfield. Tom & Jerry is my favourite cartoon show and I can watch it again & again & again for my whole life. Coyote & Road Runner, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel Hardy are some other in the list. BTW, just watched a DVD on Asterix yesterday.

9. Unlike general belief about girls, I am extremely good at keeping secrets between friends or otherwise and people who have confided anything in me know that their secrets are going to remain within me till my end.

10. I have a sweet tooth, love sweets in any form. Sweets, ice creams, chocolates. Ummm delicious .. But chocolates should only be in the form of chocolates, favourite being Swiss Lindt. Can’t have chocolate flavoured milk, chocolate ice-cream, chocolate burfi etc.

Ohh I shot up by two points but I think that is excusable. Or is negative marking applicable here too? No worries, Cuckoo is charmingly chilled, almost iced person and seldom gets angry. :)

Question 3:
And this is where I need to think now. I have very few regular visitors to my blog and either most of them have done this tag or the tagger has tagged them.

So, I am left with very little choice and after thinking for a while I am tagging the following persons and leaving free for others to pick up the tag.

1. Abhi (You are my first victim, my lovely shikaar. Can’t let you go, would like to see more of you)
2. Maverick (Now that your exams are over, you can attempt it)
3. Mridula (Don’t worry, take your time, maybe after December but we would like to know more about you)
4. Sigma (Sorry, I don’t have much choice here. But I want you to do it)
5. Sunil (I am sure you’d like to go for it)
6. Tarun (How can I leave you behind?)

Bendtherulz, Mayank & Priyam... you all are lucky this time. You don’t have blogs.

Ketan, Sameer, Deepak, Hazel Dream, Bharat, Alka and others. Pick this up if you want to.

Sameer - (would have liked to tag you but it won’t go with your blog, so leaving the option to you)

Leaving SiD’s all friends so that he can tag them !! But on second thoughts, I could have had Bharat at least!

NOTE – Make this tag as your next post (Mridula is excused, she can have more time).
After doing the tag please leave a comment here so that I can visit you. Please don’t make me wait till eternity. I have some more tags waiting for you !!. Kidding, ok?

NOTE – Now, No More Tags for me. Grrrrrrrr...

Update on the post..

Mridula, Maverick & Sigma have done their tags, Sunil has been excused since he has already done it before (my mistake to tag him).
Tarun has taken a sabbatical at present but has promised to do it as his next post.
Abhi ?? No news :(( Perhaps he is also going to take some more time.
Sameer has shown interest so probably.... :))

Current song- Abhi Na Jao Chodkar ki Dil Abhi Bhara Nahi – Md Rafi & Asha

My Firsts..

In this series, I will not speak about my first step or my first word… those topics are exclusively reserved for my mother.
Here, these posts, are about the things that I have experienced and remember. They will appear in my blog as and when I experience or remember them, not in any sequential mode.

First Post
First Tag
First Hindi Poem
First Logic
First English Poem
First Dream
First Trip Abroad

Current song- Malgudi Days .. Tanana na.. ...

Are we safe?

Today I happened to go to passport office in Worli. It is situated in Bengal Chemicals building and looked a pretty new office. There are two main halls, one each on either side. Both the halls were packed to full capacity.

At the entrance, I was asked by the security why I want to go in. I just had to utter one word “passport” and he let me in without further enquiry or checking. With a small rucksack on my back, one large plastic bag and a handbag I entered. Near the Xerox counter two public telephones are kept. Since no one was using the telephones (probably they were out of order) I kept my bags on the counter and stood in the nearest queue. After around 45 minutes I thought of taking one round to give some exercise to my legs. My bags were still there on the counter within my sight. I was in that hall for more than three hours in total before moving to the other hall and to my surprise no one was bothered about those unclaimed bags lying on the counter.

Last weekend, I saw two French movies from the French festival at Fun Republic. Fun Republic is a mall and has mini theatres, a gaming arcade and a bowling alley, a Macdonald among other outlets. First day we were a little late (thanks to Mumbai traffic) so had to rush directly to the movie floor from basement car parking area. Showed our tickets at the entrance of cinema and we were inside the picture hall.

Next day we reached early, parked the car and instead of going up the movie floor, came to the other side of the building. At the door there was a security guard who didn’t bother to even look at us since we were coming out of the building. We played bowling for sometime, had snacks before re-entering into the building for movie through the same entrance from where we had come out. Now this time there was a lady security guard also and she casually checked my handbag (not me). There is no such checking if we enter the building from parking lot side. When I pointed this out to them, they just ignored it saying, “Check to kar rahen hain, aur kya karen?”.

Question - After so many cases of bomb blasts, are we safe?

Current song- Agar Tum Mil Jao, Zamana Chhod Denge Hum – Udit

Mulgi Shikli Pragati Zhali – III

Before I narrate this final part, my humble request to all dear readers to actively comment and discuss on this 3 part series. I would like to know about my understanding & interpretation of the local vocab in particular and also about the post in general. The second part will help me in improving the quality of posts. What you liked or disliked about these posts. Feel free to voice your opinions as many times as you wish. I value your opinion. Please spend some time, do it at leisure, and DO it. Thanks.

First, let us have a free ride of Part – I and Part – II. FREEEEEEE?? Me comingggggg..

Ah! That was quite a ride ;)) Isn’t it?

So this boring dull story comes to an end with this equally boring post and even more boring Lady Jasoos. So sad na? Ok, before we get emotional, let me continue and finish it fast. So, me, the Lady Jasoos had full doubts about this ‘Udi’ man’s intentions.

Nevertheless, my one eyebrow went up and my CPU?? Huh, never mind. It was spinning at 1000000 RPM (excuse me non-IT people).. hmm hmm

Udi, Udi, Udi..

Did that mean he knew flying?? But this hefty guy was nowhere near any superman category. But who knows? NO, NO, NO.. I am NOT opening my mouth this time. Come what may.

Anyways, I was happy to have one more addition to my vocabulary.

Two good looking ;) guys were chatting with me (Ahem! For a change Lady Jasoos was happy) and suddenly one of them looking in one direction said, “Oh, my PL (Project Leader (for non-IT people)) is coming this way. Aaj to meri Vaat hai”.

Vaat ??? What?? Vaat = What??..

Some people’s pronunciation is sooo bad, let alone the grammar part. Don’t know from which remote place they do their studies. And who tells them to join this industry when they can’t even make a proper sentence? Now, what sense does his sentence make “Today is my what?”. Stoooopid guys.

My big grin had turned into an even bigger grrrrrr and while I was still trying to make sense out of that Vaat thing, and then.. .. then as in series of bomb blasts, the other guy dropped another one. “Chal beta kalti mar le”.

Kalti??? Oh no, not again!!! Was about to scream “Mommyyyyyyyyyy”. My gray cells had started turning black and my face red. The chilled Lady Jasoos was turning into a grilled one.

By now, I had started cursing myself for deciding to shift to Mumbai. I could manage in some languages but these stupid silly things were driving me crazy. Oh la la..

During lunch hour one day all of us wanted to have ice-cream. I looked at the menu. Ahaa !! There it is something new, “Sitaphal” ice-cream. Always ready to try out new things, I ordered the same wondering how it would be. First bite – Ummm delicious but didn’t have the taste what I was expecting. Second bite- I tried hard again to have the flavour of “Sitaphal” but no, it tasted altogether different to me.

Not wanting to make a fool of myself, summoned the waiter asking him what had he brought for me. “Sitaphal icecream, Madam” prompt came the reply. Girl sitting next to me tasted one bite of it and confirmed. I was not ready to believe that my taste buddies had divorced me in the prime of my youth. I’ve had green-peas ki barfi, cauliflower kheer, gajar halwa in the past and they had not given any strain to my taste-buddies, then why this stupid Sitaphal ice-cream? NOW, I said to myself, is the time to break the promise. Tried asking in a different way “How big a Sitaphal have you seen?”, “How do you normally eat a Sitaphal?” etc etc. I could see question marks on their faces but I had to find it out for the sake of my sanity.
According to them, Sitaphal was a fruit, but for me it was a vegetable. Uh uh, these guys were making mistake, didn’t know the difference between a fruit & a veggie- calling pumpkin a fruit !! PUMPKIN ??? They all jumped & shouted in unison “It’s Custard Apple”. It was my turn now to fall off the chair. :((

Many rhyming words like jhakaas, Bindaas are making me Khallaas (ohhhhh that one rhymed;)).. while loads of other words like raapchik, bhangar, yeda are still meaningless to me. I dare not to open my mouth lest..

I know one of ‘Parvarna’ & ‘waaparna’ means unaffordable but which one is that, I am at a loss. Similarly difference between ‘koodi’ & ‘udi’.. aaj tak samajh nahi aaya. If one is jump then what’s the other? And in what context do we use them?

It took me some months to understand that Aai shapath = Maa kasam (I still think so, someone please correct me if I am wrong) and Haaila, which I thought is an acronym of Haye Allah is NOT always used only by our Muslim brothers.

Anyways, I am an optimist, a keen observer, and a fast learner with ‘Never Say Die’ attitude. Looking at my alacrity, I am sure very soon I’ll master them all. :))

P.S. My Marathi is even better. ;) pan tikde ek problem aahe..

I request my fellow Marathi speaking friends to correct me if I go wrong somewhere. Mee tumchi aabhaari rehnaar.

Glossary of words used in this series: Some of them I picked up in office, others from day-to-day life.

Ghaai = Jaldi as in Jaldi hai kya? => Ghaai hai kya?
Gardi = Bheed (Hindi) = crowded
Ghadi = fold
Pakaana = bore karna
Udi = either jump or hop
Koodi = either jump or hop depending on Udi
Vaat = Shaamat (Hindi) as in aaj meri shaamat hai => aaj meri vaat hai
Kalti marna = something like (patli gali se nikalna) in Hindi
Sitaphal = custard apple = pumpkin (north India)
In Mumbai pumpkin is bhopla and that confuses me with zhopla (sleeping). Oh Oh too many rhymings. ;) I wonder what “bhopla zhopla” means? Pumpkin sleeping? ;) oh oh atta mee zhopli :P

Nakki = pakka (Hindi) = sure (English)
Kalingar = Tarbooz (hindi) = water melon.. this was a tough one for me. For months people were quoting kalingar in jokes and I was dumbfounded.
‘Parvarna’ & ‘waaparna’ = one of them is unaffordable, for other I am at a loss.
Haaila = Haye Allah (my guess)
Aai shapath = I swear = Maa kasam (My great logic.. since aai = mother, shapath=kasam/ swearword)
Mama = Thulla (north indian Hindi) = traffic policeman (English)

Current song- Lagi Tumse Man ki Lagan - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Mulgi Shikli Pragati Zhali – II

Whether you have read it or not, please read Part – I before reading this post for better continuity (or just for the heck of it ;)). I promise, I won’t proceed further till you finish. Waiting here for you.

Ok, done? Thanks. :))

So, the story goes like this. Once upon a time, there was a pretty little birdie named Cuckoo who shifted her nest to Mumbai..

Suddenly there was a tight slap on my face. “Oh come on, tell us the part II. Not interested in your boring story”.

Ouch!! Who did it? Huh? :((

Ok, so my self-made dictionary was swelling in size day by day. Some of these instances made me sit and think if I really was that bright? And as always, I was forced to have big bright grin on my face. I was learning new things. Yippeee…

But at other times I felt let down. Let down, because I FELT, by now some people had become aware of my knowledge of local vocab and at times they purposefully changed the conversation into their Hindi when they saw me coming their way. Just to have fun at my expense, I presume?? Grrrr..

This made me more quiet and observant all the time. I was almost tight-lipped. Though I wanted to shake the hand(s) of friendship offered by them, most of the time I ended up suspecting them for forming some conspiracies against me (purely my assumption). And so, a “Lady Jasoos” was born.

Once I even tried to tiptoe (with ears all up, eyes as sharp as an eagle) to their territory just to find out if they speak normally like that or only when they see me. But no luck :((

When I was new to my office, all my male colleagues were competing hard (of course, with all their good intentions), to impress me by helping in every little thing, even when I didn’t want any. How and what all they did over the period of time will NOT come in this post. Sorry.

Ok, let us come to the point.

On a particular day during break, some of them gathered around me, pulling each other’s leg in an attempt to have my full attention. One guy told me pointing to another “Ye bahut pakaata hai”.

“Oh, good. What all do you cook?” was my spontaneous question (with a big smile) to that other guy. There was a pin drop silence for 1.00000438 seconds and then to my utter surprise, everybody burst into non-stop laughter (literally ROFLing), so much so that some had tears in their eyes, and others, hot coffee on their clothes and all over the carpet. Now what??? Was there any hidden joke? I was utterly confused.

Enough is enough !! I am NOT (in CAPS, Bold, Underlined & bigger font size) going to open my mouth till I am dead sure of the meaning, I pledged to myself. These stooopid guys, what do they think of themselves?? Huh? Why do they do this to me?

I was terribly disturbed, always in deep thoughts, juggling with new wordology.

On another day, I overheard someone talking about potholes and suddenly changing to Hindi “Main udi maarke aaya”. Urghhh!! Another challenge?? Do these guys do it purposely, to check the depth my knowledge? Why do they have to speak near me? Did I see him slyly looking at me from the corner of his eye and smiling? The Lady Jasoos had full doubts about his intentions.

To be continued….

Current song- Dream Girl, kisi Shayar ki Ghazal.. Dream Girl – Kishore

Big Thanks !

On 14th July this year, when I wrote my first post in this blogworld, I never expected my blog to cross even 100 reads in the first year. Today, two and half months later, on 30th September it has more than 1000 reads, 1027 to be precise at this moment. My site meter shows right now there are two people online – one from Hyderabad, India & the other is from Glendale, Arizona.

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have visited this blog, sometimes accidentally ;) and sometimes by referral. It gives a nice feeling and I am encouraged to write more on seeing such an overwhelming response from the people, none of whom I know personally.

Current song- Pour que tu m’aimes encore – Celine Dion

CRY Man, CRY !!

Is it right if men cry sometimes? That too in public? Yes, I am asking you.

After all, they are also human beings with all the same emotions as we women have. Then?? Then what’s wrong? Then where, what and why is the difference? What is keeping them to withhold their emotions?

Millions of times I must have heard this being told to opposite sex irrespective of his age “Hey, you should not cry, you are a man”.

While males and females have the same emotional capacity, they are taught very different lessons about how to handle their emotions. As we approach school age, all of us are made aware, "Big boys don't cry." And we small girls also start believing that, many times telling our “boy” friends how they should behave. Furthermore, we never see our dads and big brothers whimper every now and then.

Right from the beginning from his very early days in life, the male kid is being brainwashed of being a male. All people around him teach him only one lesson.

You are a boy, going to become a man..a strong man. You are NOT supposed to cry or weep or even show your emotions in public.

To enforce that embargo, those who couldn't hold back the tears had to endure the humiliation of being called a "girl”, a "sissy".

But where do the tears go? Where do all these emotions go? Sorry to say, they don’t disappear. They are still there, causing havoc. Is it because these men have held it in so long to believe that if they cry the tears won't stop? Perhaps the men just cry on the inside.

But why???

It really beats me. Look at this helpless, powerless, weak, self-emoting man. Why can’t this father moan openly at the sight of his son’s dead body? Is he not human or doesn’t he possess any emotions? Why are we after him to hide his true self? Why can’t he be normal?

Now, look at this famous picture of a young man during Gujarat riots.
With folded hands, crying profusely begging for his life. Do you think he was doing something terrifically wrong which he shouldn’t have done?

Emotions are to be felt, not acted on. As long as they are suppressed, we are tense and flustered. Most emphatically, suppressed emotions interfere with clear thinking. Ironically, in trying to control their emotions, most men wind up controlled by them.

If you happen to know cricket, do you remember Kapil Dev crying on TV when he was responding to the allegations of match fixing? That face of his is still fresh in my mind. I had also become tearful that time. When I can shed tears by just looking at the TV screen, why can’t he, who had gone through such pains, do that?

And again, recently in one of the talent search programs on ZEE TV, he almost cried.

What do you think of such fearless fast bowler of yesteryears? Or of all those firemen who broke down after rescuing people from the Twin Towers after 9/11 ??

But the truth is that a man feels trapped in an oppressive role that does not allow him the opportunity to freely express what he wants to. In other words, being a man has become very limiting and constrictive.

He is not suffering from a psychosexual compels, one of those women-trapped-in-men's-bodies syndromes. No. Nor is he homosexual or bisexual. Instead he is a man who wants the ability to express emotions and feelings as openly as the next woman.

The persistence of the emotionally alienated male addresses the political and social implications of male emotional release. Psychologists believe it is important to have a good cry. It is a proven fact that crying performs an important function by releasing stress hormones. And perhaps that is the reason why men are so angry, so restless and so helpless at times, a sheer psychological effect.

Anger is the most common emotion expressed by males. That is because men and boys feel more accepted by society when they express anger over what is considered to be the more ‘feminine’ emotions.

Why do so many men lose their tempers? The rage comes because there's so much frustration within. Yet that's what men do, the trap is worrying about what others will think - that it will lower their status or esteem. For men, the control of passions is the essence of masculinity and gentility. And that is the most pitiable picture today.

We all need to change it...change for better human emotions and understanding.

So guys, it is perfectly ok if you cry. Don’t hesitate. Open up, express yourself and CRY. No, nobody is going to laugh at you. We are here to comfort you, soothe you, understand you and LOVE you. We know that within your iron strong body there resides a tender & kind heart. We appreciate that very much. We are proud of you.

Now, I feel like giving you a big beary hug.

Current song- Dil Cheez Kya Hai, Aap Meri Jaan Leejiye – Asha Bhosale

Human Behaviour Society

Remakes Remade

Today saw the promotional clips of “Umrao Jaan” and “Don”, two much talked about remakes of the originals. My opinion? Both are going to be big flops. They might recover the money invested but no great hits.

Umrao Jaan- Agreed, Aishwariya Rai is extremely beautiful but she is no match to what Rekha was in original Umrao Jaan. I don’t have anything against Ash. She must have played her role with all honesty but I can’t think of anybody else close to the character of Umrao Jaan other than Rekha. The character of Umrao was of a dusky girl from a middle class family. I feel that Ash looks too regal to even look like that character, leave alone playing it.

Also, the evergreen songs sung by Asha Bhosale “Justjoo jiski ki thi, usko to na paaya humne”, “Dil cheez kya hai, aap meri jaan leejiye” and “In aankhon ki masti” are still so admired and full of emotions that they can’t be overlooked (heard) by new songs sung by Alka Yagnik. The magic of Asha Bhosale’s voice is missing completely.

Don- Though I am an out and out fan of SRK but sorry to say that this role doesn’t suit him at all. I am an ardent fan of Amitabh Bachchan also. The original Don had something so macho in his character.. the voice, the physique, the way he walked & talked.. The whole thing is missing from this remake.
I am not talking about the height or the voice only; the whole persona of Don is missing.

Poor SRK has to resort to other methods to mach that Don of yesteryears. Neither he has voice nor the height of senior AB to do justice to the role. Ok, ok, don’t say that even Godfather was of medium height but then he was THE Godfather with other adjectives attached to him.

Lots of close-ups of SRK in the movie to concentrate on his plus points to make him look like a Don e.g. SRK has to twist his fingers in a particular style while smoking/holding ciggie, show his angry eyes to give the scene an appeal or the way he puts on his sun-glasses etc. The director has tried hard by showing only SRK’s moving feet with supporting background music because the moment he’s shown in full, the very effect of being a Don goes away.

Again, the famous song “Ye mera Dil Pyar ka diwaana, Diwaana diwaana, yaar ka diwaana” sung by Asha Bhosale is filmed on Kareena & SRK. It looks horrible.

I don’t think this dialogue “Jeetna meri zid hi nahi, meri aadat hai” of this generation’s Don will save the film.

Again, nothing against new singers, new actors but remake of a good movie is just not right. Why do they have to spoil the charm created by originals?

Current song- Woh ho Kagaz ki kashti, Woh Baarish ka Pani – Jagjit Singh

Mulgi Shikli Pragati Zhali – I

When I shifted to Mumbai, little did I know I would be showered by such pleasant surprises on a day-to-day basis.

Right from its rains to local trains,

Missing zebra crossings to manners of road crossing,

Never ending road repairs to state of affairs

Life so vibrant, people so resilient

Ganpati Visarjan to Navratri Dandiyas,

The Hindi jargon to to to (Oh, forget it)... Oh, everything was so very different.

Wow ! It was going to be fun filled Mumbai for someone as remotely connected to it as me. I was enthralled by its powerfully diverse eloquence. Today I will talk about only one of those - the language… the Mumbaiya bhasha that has fascinated me immensely.

There are many instances, which made me look bamboozled. Here, I have jotted down some of them.

Well, to start with, even before coming to Mumbai, I was aware that some of the kitchen stuff / vegetables are called differently in Mumbai like Potato/onion are batata/kanda, salt is meeth. Egg would become baida and pyaaz ke pakode would be nicely replaced by kanda bajjiya’s …so far so good, I could deal with them easily on daily basis.

But hold on.... there was a lot more in store for me.

Once our maid forgot to bring her umbrella. “Subah subah ghaai mein bhool gayi”. Ghaai??? Or was it ghia? But then ghia also didn’t make any sense here. Ghia happens to be a vegetable in north India. How could she forget her umbrella in a vegetable? Maybe a slip of tongue. I gave some work to my ever-alert brains. Oh I see, all she wanted to say that she left it in a vegetable shop while buying ghia. I pat myself for having such a presence of mind.

One morning my colleague came panting to the office. “Train mein kitna Gardi tha aaj”. Gardi???

Darn!! Here comes another alien word for me. But I don’t give up so easily. Being an introvert, instead of asking him what is he talking about, I coaxed my smart brains to start working again.

Hmmm hmm hmm “Garmi” & “Sardi” are two weather conditions I know and maybe this “Gardi” was somewhere between them. I rolled my eyes with utmost joy. Yessss, I had guessed it right. So, they call it “Gardi”. How sweet of Mumbai people to think of such a lovely intermediate name.

Gardi = (Garmi + Sardi) + a touch of Humidi(ty).

My seventh sense reconfirmed my logic. Oh, if only I had applied my logical brains while programming, I would have got double promotions all the time (My eyes are now set for PM’s post).

Ok ok, come to the point now. So, that’s why this poor guy is panting so heavily. I smiled back to him “Yeah, aajkal bahot gardi hai, especially in this monsoon season”. He gave me a strange look, without uttering a word.

Nevertheless, I was amazingly surprised at my intelligence level and grasping power. I congratulated myself at the rate I was picking up the local vocab. My confidence level had reached a new height.

Recently, when employing the new maid, I did my two-bit to ask her a few questions. Confidently I asked “Kya-kya karogi?” Among other things, she made gesture of folding clothes and said “Kapde ka Ghadi lagake rakhegi”.

Ghadi??? Oh ok, she’d fold the clothes on time. Eh? What’s the big deal? She has to do it anyways on time or else why on earth are we paying her so much? Being a Sunday I was home and my mother thanked me for my presence at that moment; she couldn’t have handled this kind of interpretation alone. Brainy me. :))

To be continued…

Current song- Chookar Mere Man ko, Kiya Tune Kya Ishara – Kishore

Coma

Finished reading ‘Coma’ by Robin Cook. A classic medical thriller. Always wanted to read this book since the day I saw the movie based on this novel. Those who are familiar with medical background or hospital scenes will definitely enjoy this piece of reading.

It’s about a girl; a third year medical student, who suddenly comes across two comatose cases and against all odds, tries to find out the real cause. Why some young people who come to the famous hospital for minor surgeries go into coma with no known cause and such cases are on the rise. The whole anecdote finishes in just four days. Sounds interesting? Read the book. :)

Current song- Nishana Tula Disla Na – Suresh Wadkar
Books

Work Definition

I work hard and my boss hardly works.

Current song- Jiya Na Jaaye Tere Bin Saathiya – Faakhir
Humour

Different Stages in a Female’s Life

- A foetus was aborted because it was a “she”

- A newborn female buried alive by her own mother

- An eleven-year-old girl mortgaged for Rs 5000/- by her father to pay off the debts

- A fifteen-year-old gang raped in moving car.

- Two school girls lured into flesh market in Kolkata

- A college teenager raped by a policeman in a police-chowky in broad daylight

- A maid was killed by her employer after getting impregnated by him.

- A housewife burnt alive for want of more dowry

- A 35 year old woman thrown out of the house for not bearing a male child

- A 65 year old woman was killed by her son for a paltry sum

Even after knowing how difficult it is to survive and live a long fruitful life with dignity, I am proud to be a female and would want to be born as female again and again and again...

Current song- Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe ho, Kya Gham Hai Jisko Chupa Rahe Ho
Society

Tight from Loose

Last Sunday afternoon while traveling on local train I heard some gossip going on in front seat. First class, opposite direction of traffic…I could hear all. They caught my attention when I heard something about Beckham & his wife Posh.

This is what I heard.

First passenger - Posh is no good. I don’t like her. She is wafer thin without any curves yaar.

Second passenger – No wonder, why Beckham always wanted a tight hug from Loose (Rebecca).

Current song- Aankhen bhi hoti hain dil ki zubaan
Humour

Bravo Alcohol Lady !

Jyoti Deshmukh of Nashik took to her hands when it came to alcohol. Her husband was an alcoholic who used to come home drunk everyday and abuse her mentally, physically in front of her two little girls. A year back, when it went beyond her tolerance level, the tortures and the pains, she decided to stand up against it and started off by speaking to other ladies who had similar fates. Assembled all, they decided to do something about it - curb it from the root.

They contacted police and other related offices, distributed pamphlets, did everything they could. Slowly and slowly other people also joined in.

And today they don’t have a single alcohol shop in their area. The shops were forced to close down.

A small but powerful step. On teacher’s day I salute her. She has taught us an important lesson. Lage Raho Jyoti taai.

Current song- Priteech Jhul Jhul Pan

Society

My First Tag

So, I was tagged - tagged for the first time on my first visit to someone’s blog. Fleiger, The Great Eagle tagged me. Ufffffff.. Why did I visit his site? Galti se mistake ho gaya.

Anyways, I tried doing that…shuffle & play & think of each song as answer to those 15 questions. This is what I got...In blue are my instant reactions.

1.How does the world see you?

American Idiot - Green day

Oh no !! Who goofed up with my list? Of all the songs, this one had to come NOW??? But..but never mind, I am an Indian, it's not for me.

2.Will I have a happy life?

Kahe ko Roye, Safal hogi teri Aaradhana – Aaradhana

Heyyy Hello, excuse me. I am not worrying …ok?

3.What do my friends think of me as?

Dost Dost na Raha – Mukesh

So, the secret is out now ;)

4.Do people secretly lust after me?

Jadu Hai Nasha Hai- Jism

Huh??

5.How can I make myself happy?

Just Chill Chill Chill- MPKK

Ok, ok… No more questions on my happiness.

6.What should I do with my life?

Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale – Maachis

Now, is it a hint for me? Someone wants me to follow Gandhiji?

7.Will I ever have children?

Ek, do teen, char, paanch, che, saat, Aath, Nau, Dus, Gyareh – Tezaab

Bas, bas. Enough ! Believe me it's almost 8 hours since I played this musical game and unknowingly I am still staring at my tummy worrying..

8.What is some good advise for me?

Thodi Thodi Piya karo - Pankaj Udhaas

Now, THAT is a pretty good advice ;)… Amen..

9.How will I be remembered?

Bindu re Bindu - Padosan

Cuckoo re Cuckoo would have been better, I guess.

10.What's my signature dancing song?

Soniye, Tu Hi Tu hi Meri Manzil – Aksar

At last, something nice coming my way.. :)

11.What's my current theme song?

Rim Zhim gire Sawan, Sulag Sulag Jaaye Man

Arre, Baarish ke mausam me aur kya girega? On a serious note-something that I love… rains and this song.

12.What do others think is my current theme song?

Aaj Main Upar Aasman Neeche- Khamoshi

Matlab??? They are sending me to GOD abhi se?? Can’t they think of something better for me?

13.What shall they play at my funeral?

Where's the party tonight? – KANK

WHATTTTTTTTT???????? Now I know the meaning of “Aaj Main Upar, Aasman Neeche”

14.What type of men/women do I like?

Agar Tum Mil Jao Zamana Chhor Denge Hum – Zeher

Now, that's a commitment from my side… ;) but but but.. by looking at the response of Q12 & Q13, I am not very optimist. Abhi to Zamana mujhe chordne ki baat kar raha hai.

15.How's my love life?

Piya Tu Ab to Aaja - Asha & RD Burman

Do I need to comment on this?

Now, I am thinking of who should I tag. Hmmm let it be a surprise. And yes, no more tags for me puleeeeese.

Current song- Another Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd

Humour Tags