Whispering Shadow

I don't know whether to call it his good luck or my bad luck. I happened to have taken a ride in an auto rickshaw , with a driver who perhaps had an opinion on everything you can find in a dictionary and more, and who made sure he expressed it. It's an excerpt from our conversation . Actually can't call it a conversation because it was him who was doing all the talking. Circa 2002, in the garden city, on one of my trips from the railway station to my destination Opinionated Driver OD: Where are you from?? Harrassed passenger ie ME: Mumbai OD: Are you north indian? ME: No, why do you ask? OD: From who are you then? ME: What??? OD: I mean which caste you from? ME: (thinking wt shd I say to shut him up..decide 2 stay silent) OD: I hate North Indians. ME: Hmmmm OD: They spoiling my city. All shopping mall opening. Shopper stop is killing the lungi. No one wearing kannada outfits. ME: (trying to act deaf) OD: My son too forcing me to buy jeans. I told him no. It is not our dress...

Being a food-lover, dining out is a very essential and indispensable part of my routine. I have tried out a variety of restaurants, different, in terms of factors like cuisines, ambience, pricing and customer satisfaction. Of them I have had some fantastic experiences and some forgettable ones too. But of all what I remember, most of them are related to the bit where the meal is over. Given tips is a very debateable practice. I have on numerous occasions persisted with my dad on not giving tips, especially when the food is not up to the expectation or the service has been poor. He insists that atleast a 5% tip is a must give no matter what. His reasoning being that the if the food is not great, then the waiter is not the person to be blamed and if the service is not great, then consider it as an appreciation of the delectable food. He, nonetheless, fails to answer when neither criterion is met. On one instance, my friend ended up giving the waiter a Rs.40 tip. The meal came to around R...

“Woaaaaaaaahhhhhhh” I hear a loud roar. And guess what, it sounds like me! That’s not all. There’s also a tingling sensation in my belly. I’m free falling. I never reach ground zero though. It’s like a video being played in a loop. Before you start wondering what I’m exactly doing here, it is simply a description of one of my recurrent dreams. One of my last few blogs was on insomnia. This one is in the backdrop of the opposite state, the state of being completely cut of from the real world, in the deepest of sleeps. Dreams are a completely inexplicable phenomenon. I have had my rendezvous with them more than once for sure. What’s shocking is over the past few months, I actually recollect bits and pieces of what I have dreamt very often, and I can’t help but feel amused at the haphazard and illogical nature of each one of them. Like in one of my dreams some time last month, I saw this long corridor with a number of identical straw doors, leading to a series of stairs carved in rock, wh...

It happens so often that while walking down the railway platform, you unintentionally bump into someone. Not many of us will be surprised if we hear “Andha hai kya. Dekh nahin sakta.” The only feeling we have then is that of indifference. Mumbaikars have time and again been glorified as the people with a welcoming attitude and a never-say-die spirit. This has been exemplified after catastrophes, both natural and man-made. Take for instance, the floods which have become frequent visitors of the city and the terrorist attacks on civilians which have been giving the former close competition. Hats off to the resilience of the city! All said and done, I see that Mumbaikars chiefly lack in one aspect, that’s giving respect to their fellow residents. Not one person hesitates to take out their daily frustrations on a stranger by passing boorish statements and giving discourteous replies. Is it that the unity and deference come only at times of adversity, to be lost again, in the daily taxing r...

I guess it's the initial excitement of having my own blog once again that is causing me to put up stuff so random so often. This blog comes during one such phase. It is about "void"- the feeling of "nothing"ness. It's something which I just haven't found any valid justification for but it yet happens quite often. It isn't deja vu. Take for instance last night. I was working on this idea of mine. Looking all over the net, magazines, newspapers and everything else I could think off. I couldn't channelize my thought-process to actually come up with something worthwhile. I spent 5 whole hours doing this. I give up all hope and go to bed. That's when stuff starts flowing in, as if a river of thoughts blocked by a dam of confusion had finally broken it's way through. When I'm shit weary, wanting to just shut my mind off and retire, my sub-conscious mind is adamant on not switching off. This goes on till about 5 am in the morning. I'm ha...

I recently happened to visit a MTNL QCSC. Ironically, QCSC expands to Quick Customer Service Centre. I had to submit an application for a new telephone connection.Being a government office I was expecting some delay in proceedings. What followed was to become a real test of my patience. I walked in and stood at the assigned counter. Seeing only 3-4 people I was hopeful it'll not be a very time consuming. I heard a lady seated behind me scream "Dikhta nahin hai peeche line hai. Line mein aa." I stared down the corridor to see the line stretching to some 20 people. I myself being a person who hates intruders in a queue, obliged by taking one of the seats at the end. On my left was a man, who reminded me of Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Not that I am condescending toward those who cannot afford grooming themselves, but then when you are getting yourself a plan of Rs.2000 a month for unlimited calling, I doubt you can't afford the little bit for yourself. Seemingly unkempt and ...

As the cuckoo sings I awaken from my slumber With a delicate yawn I remember It’s time to go home The place where I belong I soar with aplomb On my chariots Of dull azure and sapphire clouds Taking the path of the wind I speed away With gusto and zing I can see my destination A concrete jungle A treasure-trove of colours With pockets of emerald Bordered with sand Bustling with life The waves welcoming me With their gushing applause While the land looks at me With eager eyes Asking me the reason For my delayed arrival Justified is its question But so is my reason I tell it that there are changes Brought about in my life By its inhabitants That are far beyond my control Better late than never Is the reply As I begin my descent Soaking the warmth Shadowing the landscape Inspecting parched patches I guess its time To announce my arrival I throw sparkling pearls from my purse Knocking thunderously On the door Of my destination The earth greets me with its pleasing fragrance The leaves flutt...

The gleaming moon and the sparkling stars Enlighten the path to a million worlds But wonder if they would serve the cause Without the blanket of the dusky clouds It’s often said that the Sun will rise Bringing a ray of hope in the darkest of times The King of Stars will lose its splendour Unless it vanquishes those obscure hours. Evil spirits loom large in the shadowy times The nights are blamed for being on their side Courage and resilience would have been a thing of the past Had man not faced the ominous hours. Darkness is not concealed in the night It is in our hearts and minds Once there is radiance in the soul The night will never be baselessly blamed for our woes.

I was unfortunate to have attended not one, not two but four weddings in my community, in a span of 2 weeks, some of close relatives and the others of the superficially close ones! The more I see them, the more I'm shocked at the extravagance. I fear that the all the glitter and gold will leave me blind one day. Hold on, did I say gold? Naah, the wannabe aristocrats say it with diamonds. Jewellery no longer can be tagged as earrings, necklaces, bangles...they should be renamed as chandeliers, dog straps and handcuffs. I guess the whole thing will weigh more than the super-figure conscious girls themselves. Forget jewellery, the clothing itself is so heavy that I sometimes wonder why wear the jewellery and add to you burden. At times you really can't make out who the bride is. Thanks to them being the centre of attraction, and being given the excessive limelight that you are not mistaken. One particularly hilarious experience is the photographers asking the couple to pose in som...