A Special Note Of Thanks

To

Derrick Hickey, Fannie Sherwood, Blair Yates, Tammera, Bailey Morgan, Billy Salermo, Michal Stahl, Cicely Whit, Merlin Bavier, Gerry McClure, Derick Phillips
& so many others...

For standing by me, come rain or shine, while unfailingly and consistently offering me overdrafts, low-interest loans, mortgages and showing interest in my health and proposing to enhance various odds and ends of my physique.

The Day After - Mumbai Is Back

As I came to office today, it was normal. Well, almost.

There was just a hint of wariness in people's eyes. Every time it would rain or every time it seemed like there was a traffic jam, the 'tension level' in the bus would rise distinctly.

But looking outside the roads, it didn't feel like Mumbai actually went through the situation that it did. The only sign of something having gone wrong was the number of abandoned vehicles parked in all directions, some in the middle of the road, some on the sides.

All of them in varying states of being stripped...stripped for parts by scavengers.

I got to office, and a few people had turned up. The general tone is one of dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction with the authorities, and with other people. Everyone seemed to say the same thing - the middle class and the upper middle class tended to stay away...away from helping others in distress. On the other hand, the so-called 'poorer' people went out of the way to help stranded pedestrians. They dispensed water, biscuits and vada pao etc to those stuck on the roads.

As if the torrential rains were not enough, rumours of a tsunami had a field day. People rushed out of their houses in the western suburbs after tidal waves started crashing in. To make matters worse, these people were totally cut off as there was no electricity and the phone lines/cell networks were down. So while various news channels kept flashing messages that the rumours were.. well, rumours, the people who needed to hear/see it didn't have access. The result - stampedes and more people killed... for nothing.

Things were not exactly better with the fire on the high seas crippling ONGC and India's crude production. More lives lost, more setbacks.

2005 doesn't seem to be a great year for India after all. Yet. Wonder what's next..

Rain Rain... part II

As I type this post from the comfort of my bedroom, I feel extremely lucky.

I woke up from my sleep at around 1300 hrs and saw numerous missed calls and SMS on the phone. Some from numbers I barely recognized. Some from friends I haven't spoken to in a long while.

All of them said the same thing. 'I am stuck (in office/station/road). Where are you? Hope you are okay.'

Just managed to speak to my brother-in-law, who's stuck in office somewhere in Nariman Point. People from my office are still stuck in Andheri. They haven't been able to venture out too far. I am damm lucky that my risk at 4 am paid off.

The situation doesn't seem to be getting better. it's 1600 hrs and the tide will rise in a lil while. The rains that seemed to have taken a break seem to be back with a vengeance.

Another thing that struck me yesterday was the sheer lack of cops or BMC (Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation) personnel on the streets. Wonder what everyone was upto?! And as far as our city planning and infrastructure is concerned, the lesser said the better. There's nothing that I can say on this matter that has not already been dissected and done to death time and again.

Hope that the situation gets back to normal as soon as possible. There's only so much that this city can take. And I think that Mumbai's back is pretty close to cracking right now.

Rain Rain....

I left home at the usual time on Tuesday. Even as I reached office at 9:45 am, there was no hint of rain, in fact the weather was almost sunny.

The first drops really happned in the early afternoon, thereafter what fllowed and still continues is a torrent of a magnitude that can happen only in Mumbai.

I started off by being stuck in a restaurant hardly 200 m from office simply coz I didn't bother to carry my windcheater. After asking for reinforcements (which was a HUGE pain coz the telephone lines were down and the cell sites were down); I managed to reach office in the late afternoon.

Even then the situation didn't seem so bad though many offices in the area had already started calling it a day. It just went from bad to worse as knee deep water collected outside my office (which is a HIGH lying area) by 7 pm. Traffic had come to a total standstill and the kilometres long traffic jam didn't budge for almost 5 hours.

We decided to stay back in office till the traffic cleared. Some brave souls ventured out from time to time but even they had to return. The restos were running out of food....but we managed to have a decent dinner.

Finally left office at 4 am. Reached home a lil while ago at 5:45 am. While I didn't have to wade through water, I had the unique experience of wading through silt-like mud deposits on certain key parts of the highway....

But somehow Mumbai dissappointed me today.

I saw a very clear demarcation between the haves and the have-nots. I didn't see a single car/bus/truck stop by to take in stranded people on the roads. On the contrary, they would speed up and try to spray water on the hapless people.

I saw ruffians leering and jeering at women, making life miserable for those wading through water. And I couldn't do a thing about it as I stared from my second floor cabin.

Maybe the day also produced heroes and there were good samaritan too, I am sure. I know a few myself. However, I saw a distinct difference between the Mumbai I knew a few years ago and the Mumbai I saw today/last night. And it truly wasn't a great experience.

Random Roundup

I was the only one in the bookshop last week who wasn't standing in line to get HP6. Mahesh, the owner of Paperback didn't bother asking me if I wanted one of them. He knew my tastes. So I just got my books and ran off as the umpteenth copy of HP6 made its way to an excited kid's hands.

Seems like it is almost unfashionable to not read HP.

The other day, Dee told me excitedly on YM that she got HP. For a minute, my innocent mind wandered along the lines of Hewlett-Packard and wondered if she was excited about her printer/scanner/some such getting repaired. It dawned on me only a lil while later that she was referring to the Potty chap. Besides, HP has got his fair share of blogdom. Every other blog (now including this one) seems to mention it.

I stopped reading fiction a long time ago. In fact I kinda took a break from reading when I shifted back from the hostel to home. Somehow everything else seemed to take up my time and I kinda put a full-stop to my own reading habits. I was arguably a dedicated fiction reader then. I managed to get back into the groove after buying Subroto Bagchi's book on Hindustani music - Raga. That somehow set off a trend and I have considerably augmented my non-fiction collection since. The collection mostly consists of books on philosophy, business management and then some.

I did manage to read two works of fiction - The DaVinci Code and The Alchemist. Neither of it caused the slightest stirrings inside me to return to fiction. Somehow, I tend to regard fiction almost as an escape from reality. As, moving into a world that is illusory and controlled by the author. It is not to detract from the capabilities of a fiction writer and neither is it to imply that fiction readers are escapists. The one thing I do like about some fiction is the abundance of trivia in them. Minor gems.

Was reading SV yesterday. And a point, that he mentioned, hit home very hard.
All of us are not born equal. That changes the equation somehow. Very drastically.

It almost depresses me somehow :) I guess the next few pages will help.

P.S. edited to add: one more poem here.

Boxing Days

"Does it hurt?", he had a smile on his face as he tapped on my knuckles. I smiled back, wincing in pain. There was no need to reply.

"It's called boxer's fracture. But boxers don't get it coz they wear gloves. Just like tennis players never get 'tennis elbow'". He stopped tapping and started writing out directions for the X-ray.

"No need to switch off your mobile phone. It won't affect my process. Just shove it in your pocket if your are comfortable", the X-ray guy spoke in chaste Marathi. He was glad when I responded likewise. Language does overcome barriers.

"It looks like something straight out of a horror movie", said my sister, glancing at the X-rays of my right hand. The hairline fracture was clear even to an amateur like me. But then, I was already a veteran of two fractures prior to this.

"Are your bones weak? Or are you accident prone?", the doctor continued smiling as he examined the X-ray. "Maybe both", I replied. He laughed and outlined the next course of action and a prescription.

"No need to wear the bandage when you are trying to impress - like when you are meeting clients or giving interviews", he said with a twinkle in his eye. "Actually, it works for me", I said. "They usually get sympathetic and my chances get better". He laughed again and waved me off. Cheerful doc this, I thougt to myself.

The visit was fairly redundant, but the purpose was served.

Poetus Hiatus Broken

Though it's kinda difficult to type, I managed to get one up over here.

ET & I

I am talking of the Economic Times of course. My dealings with Extra-Terrestrials are yet to be declassified.

I managed to worm in my way to the Economic Times on Sunday, June 17, 2005. Here, take a look.

For those who wanna check out the hard copy, it appears on Page 13. You can also check out the rather nifty ePaper edition.

Inaugrated

Prategy

Mirror Mirror

Sometimes I stare at myself in the mirror and I wonder if it's really me - in this position that allows me to bring about so many changes... in situations and people around me - both personally and professionally.

Because, I still tend to see who I was.... so many years ago.