The fight within...

kuch mod aate hain zindagi main
jab faisle kiye nahi jaate dimaag se

u wanna take a certain logical step
but tht somethin inside ur heart says..No Not this time

u speak with ur friends n well wishers
all hav to something to offer

n then what's goin in inside u, is at tangent from all !!!

money n luxuries idhar bhi hain udhar bhi
freedom idhar bhi hai aur udhar bhi

lekin nahi hai woh dhakke local ke ya dhul raston par
nahi hai woh roj ki aan ban with fellow passenger n bhalla conductor


kaise khelenge cricket savere savere bina woh yaar doston ke
kahan dekhenge woh hindi movies friday ke friday

nahi milega woh gharwallon ka pyaar
aur ghar ke khane ki khusboo dabbe main

hoga sirf net ka sahara
aur hoga intezaar orkut par doston ke scrap ka

kaise bitenge har pal ye hum bhi nahi jaante
shayaad woh lamhe phirse jeene ke intazaar main…

This is not cricket !!!!

seein d way cricket has been played these days...i m pained to write "This is not cricket...."

cricket has always been a Gentleman's Game......unlike many other team games which involves a lot of physical contact between d players, cricket involves skills one has with the bat and with the ball

over the years cricket has moved from the era of bradman n larwood in bodyline series, from the ashes contests to the indo-pak rivalry...what has been common in all these evenly played matches is the spirit with which game has been played....

but these days what one gets to see is not cricket.....there can been some barter n chirpin between d playes on the field...its healthy for the game if all know where the limits are and where such things should end.....someone may try to gain some unfair advantage tryin to distract players

but then these players are playin at the highest level n they shud know how to handle such things....there's no need for histrionics jus to show how aggressive you look on the TV !!!

d other day sreesanth was makin all sorts of faces after takin the wicket of andrew symonds in d 2nd ODI.....here i m not takin abt his ability...he is and can b a very good bowler...but when he took tht wicket...d game was match / stock n barrel over for india...symonds had done his job for his team...aussies had taken d game away from india....



again in d newspapers i read how aussies resorted to some sort of cheap language against harbhajjan

aussies are known for such tactics...

but at the end of the day you hav a bat / bowl to prove.....bhajji did taken 22 wickets in tht series against aussies in 3 matches n showed his class...pointin d bat against someone aint gonna do any good to himself.....

in fact the current lot can learn from zaheer...in tht 99 world cup he was also worked up n got in the verbal volley of words wit hayden n co...what happened after tht is history

n now when zaks is back in the team, he is a lot restrained n is well within himself n knows how he can make ppl dance n duck to his deliveries

winnin d T20 world cup was great but is this how these stars wanna be ambassadors of the game for all those millions of kids who wud glued to the TV sets watchin them play !!!

hope they realize what wrong they r doin n resort to playin jus good old cricket....the gentleman's game n nothin else

Spirit of Cricket: Preamble to the Laws

Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The major responsbility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains.

1. There are two Laws which place responsibility for the team's conduct firmly on the captain.

Responsibility of captains

The captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the Spirit of the Game as well as within the Laws.

Player's conduct

In the event of a player failing to comply with instructions by an umpire, or criticising by word or action the decision of an umpire, or showing dissent, or generally behaving in a manner which might bring the game into disrepute, the umpire concerned shall in the first place report the matter to the other umpire and to the player's captain, and instruct the latter to take action.

2. Fair and unfair play

According to the Laws the umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play.

The umpires may intervene at any time and it is the responsibility of the captain to take action where required.

3. The umpires are authorised to intervene in cases of:

• Time wasting
• Damaging the pitch
• Dangerous or unfair bowling
• Tampering with the ball
• Any other action that they consider to be unfair

4. The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:

• Your opponents
• Your own captain
• The roles of the umpires
• The game's traditional values

5. It is against the Spirit of the Game:

• To dispute an umpire's decision by word, action or gesture
• To direct abusive language towards an opponent or umpire
• To indulge in cheating or any sharp practice, for instance:
  (a) to appeal knowing that the batsman is not out
  (b) to advance towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing
  (c) to seek to distract an opponent either verbally or by harassment with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of enthusiasm and motivation of one's own side

6. Violence

There is no place for any act of violence on the field of play.

7. Players

Captains and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a cricket match. Every player is expected to make an important contribution towards this.

http://www.lords.org/laws-and-spirit/spirit/spirit-of-cricket-preamble-to-the-laws,141,AR.html

Gandhi v/s Gandhi

i heard the name of this play couple of years back but then i did not know much untill i saw the movie.....so when i read the review abt d film gandhi my father, i wanted to see it for sure..

its strictly not for masses......its slow like any other off beat movie one can see......but then visuals r good n refreshin....before i get more into d movie, what i really felt movin was d struggle between gandhiji n his elder son....

most of us mus hav read history but then what we all get is filtered text....strictly what few individuals want d younger generation to read n learn abt our history....there's a lot which has happened in our glorious past which quite a few amongst us r totally unaware abt !!!

how many of us knew tht gandhiji's elder son Harilal was a man with loose character.....in addition to drinkin n sleepin with other women, he also duped ppl of money, committed fraud n was taken to jail for these activities.....imagine such a thing from son of Father of our Nation !!!

what made him reach such a situation is what ppl will get after watchin d movie

d movie depicits with elegance d fine relationship between a father n a son....how both hav different perspectives n expectations from each other n how they never agree to a common path.....

only Gandhiji cud not hav any bias between his children n someone's else.....ho sakta hai at times he was wrong n went over d board......

again d movie also highlights d helplessness of a woman torn between roles of a loving mother and a true ardhangini who stands besides her husband in all his activities n is a source of inspiration for him !!!

someone may argue abt the role played by Gandhiji in our freedom struggle n probably we might have got our independance a couple of decades earlier.....but then he sure had Guts......to stand in front of ppl who were hooligans without any fear for his life...

again there's a scene in d movie where d policeman in South Africa says when Gandhiji is abt to leave from South Africa for India "....I pray for d British ppl coz i know what's in store for them....." this jus speaks for itself

back to d performance in d movie....akshaye khanne / shefali shah / bhoomika chawala all have performed very well....amongst d current lot of actors i feel only akshaye has taken up roles which others wud hav thought twice n said No......like in DCH where ppl were booin whilst he was on d screen but then again here he shows his mettle.....d way he has carried himself in d whole movie is worth a few awards for sure.....

i had seen bhoomika chawla in Tere Naam...whilst tht movie was a super hit for Sallu Baba and also d hit sangeet, here she looks good...especially since in d whole movie she is w/o any make up

if performance of actors is being appreciated, i m sure the director Feroz Khan (no no...he is not Qurbani walla) also deserves mention for getting the performance from the actors and lastly for Anil Kapoor for taking a bold subject like this for his first movie...sure he is not gonna make money from this venture but then jus shows not all in Bollywood are there only to make money..

in the end i can jus say.....Gandhiji was Father of Nation but then he could not be an ideal Father of his own children !!!

Friendship Over Gender Bias

"ek ladka aur ek ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte...."remember this classic line from d movie...MPK

jus made me ponder, is there somethin wrong in d way we think or jus tht we hav been brought up to think in this direction only

why is tht when two person hav quite a few things in common n if they decide to b friends, why is tht their gender comes in between to decide if they can b friends or not !!!

ho sakta hai tht their frienship gets converted into love n they go on to get married n live happily ever after...

n it is very much possible tht they get married to different persons of their own choices and still continue to be very good friends..

when u meet some person n start talkin with him or her, u dont see to what caste he belongs to, or from where he has come from or whether he is a vernac or a convent student ya fir woh category walla hai ya open.....if u jus get along nicely wit tht person, tht's it. rest all things are jus secondary....n most of d times u will come to know of all such things only later on as u get to know each other better...

n by tht time d bond of friendship is so strong tht all these things r totally irrelevant...

yes...at times a boy may be attracted to a gal and tht was the first reason why he approached her...but then as he comes to know abt the gal, it might happen tht he feels tht gal is nice n can a good friend of his....n tht attraction has now converted into strong bond of friendship...

unfortunately what we are fed in our minds is "ek ladka aur ek ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte" n as a result quite a lot amongst us hesitate to talk with the opposite sex...all sort of crazy questions start comin to our mind "my friends will start teasin me, i will b the laughin stock, what if she calls at my home mere ghar par pata chala to kya hoga, etc etc etc...."

so in schools/colleges/work place, u wud hav jus plain normal talks, or strictly as i call it "Hi, Hello, Bye" type of conversations....u prefer to hang out out with ppl of ur gender and tend to avoid rest all of the other gender

as a result most of us lose out in havin very good friends jus coz of their gender and social taboo in our mindset...

its time we changed d thinkin....if not of our parents but atleast ensure tht our kids know the importance of friendship n havin friends based on how they gel with the other person n not on d basis of whether d person is a guy or a gal....

mushkilon ka samna..

hota nahi hamesha jo dil chahe..

milta nahi sab kuch jo mann ko bhaye..

karna padta hai mushkilon ka samna..

kabhi akele to kabhi hum safar ke saath..

jeene ki chah ho tum..

ghirkar sambhalne ki aah ho tum ..

subah ka sunhare khwab ho tum..

chandni raat ki chamchamati roshni ho tum...

par saath nahi ho woh mere kambakht dil nahi manta..

karna padta hai mushkilon ka samna...mushkilon ka samna.

Power Plays in India

well u r right, i did get inspired by cricket world cup to write this blog, but tht is only for the title of this blog.....the inspiration ends here itself...

i hav been readin a lot of abt the electricity pangs all over india
luckily in mumbai and especially in south mumbai as of now there r not electricity cuts...
but on this sunday i myself got a feel of it

i had been to kalyan at a friend's place...there for 8 hrs a day there is no electricity....from 10-2 in the first half n then from 5.30-9.30 in the second half

most of the houses here hav an "invertor"...n the only the bare min electricity points r connected to it....when the electricity is back...the invertor charges so tht its ready for the 2nd cut of the day.....

all d big housing societies hav big invertors as a result of which lifts work...else imagine what wud happen for those who stay on the top floors of the bldg....

we went down to buy some stuff...to beat the heat, a friend suggested to hav n ice cream
but then d ice cream shop walla was also complainin..its summer time n probably d best for such type of biz...but with these long cuts in power, biz is affected....no one comes....
though he did hav some ice cream...all the ice creams were on d verge of total meltdown...apne ko khana tha is liye kha liya.....

felt with all these power cuts, if there was someone who needed any life support what tht person do...wud he die for want for power to keep tht life support up n runnin !!!

one of my brother's client has a small industry at dahanu....there govt had come with some notification tht they wud not provide 2 days of electricity to the industries....i was jus wonderin wit so much power woes why were all those big auto companies still flockin to Maharashtra....
in fact tht client n his neighbourin ppl had greased the local MSEB guy n from tht week itself they were still gettin power for 6 days a week.....so simple it was for them to beat d system....

in fact in the newspapers i read tht there has not been a new power plant in this state in the last decade....durin peak time, there's a shortage of 5000 MW.....with enron also doldrums, there's no respite in near future....

we all hav seen abt the india shinin campaign last year n how we read in the newspapers tht poverty has reduced over the years

all this is crap if v can't provide the basic necessities of life to our fellow country men.....

p.s....jus came to know tht in some parts of the state there is no power for 12 hrs a day...phew..tht's a lot of time especially in summer !!!

n mumbai will soon lose the distinction of being the only city in india which does not face power cuts....there's a shortage of 200 MW n both Tata Power n Reliance Energy r not in a position to draw it from anywhere....:(

Cupid Corners in Amchi Mumbai

i take a train to commute to office....whilst on my way back, there's a railway overbridge...as trains coaches hav been increased from 9-12, most of the platforms also hav been extended, as a result of which hardly ppl use this bridge at charni road...

n when there is not much thoroughfare, what i hav noticed it has become a nice cozy place for love birds to catch up in d fast paced city life of mumbai....away from d glares, sittin cozily, one will find couples njoyin d few precious moments they can with their loved one..... n tht made me ponder for a moment....r there r enuf places in Mumbai...where couples can share some private moments away from a Cops or beggars or for tht matter their parents / relatives.....

yes....i think there r.....jus look around n u will see how couples make d most of all d free places...

one of the most common places tends to b beach,...guess the sight of settin sun tends to ignite lots of passion in them...hence Marine drive / Juhu beach / Bandra Bandstand seem to b one of the fav places....n those who wanna venture a bit far, beaches like Gorai r also very much there...jus tht need reachin there is a bit of a task n this wud b for those who hav their own transport arrangements n yes...lil more time ;)

Tetrapods along the Marine Drive is a spot which has its place in the 'hall of fame"...as even Bollywood could not help but show the couple in love at the sea-shore....with their hands together.....and singing immortal numbers ........issmein baarish aaye toh kyaa kehne....mazaa dugnaa ho jaataa hai....who will forget the song from "Manzil".....sung on screen by Amitabh and Moushmi ......Rim Zhim Gire Saawan.....while writing these words make me feel romantic ....u can think how the couple enjoys with such mood.........A stretch from nariman point to girgaum chowpatty is also a good stretch just to walk for these couples....who want to spend more time with each other ....by avoiding the much crowded local train....."woh pehli baar jab hum mile ..hathon mein hath jab hum chale"

having spent a lot of college time in matunga, i felt ratin 5 G (five gardens for those not used to this short form) as probably the next popular place...those small bylanes of parsi colony tend to b mushroomed with couples all along d lane....n here i feel, part of credit goes to d BMC also....what they hav done, is kept some space between 2 chairs to sit in the gardens...so obviously u cant expect love birds to sit tht far from each other....so each chair will hav 2 persons sitting...see how good utilization of space is done !!!!

whilst i m talkin abt matunga, if i dont talk abt the kattha opposite Ruia / Poddar, i wud not b doin justice to this topic....its a common place for young couples from the nearby colleges to hang out....n if tht is not all, the grounds of DPZ / Matunga Gymkhana turn in a love birds' paradise in the evening....this is more strikin since very nearby r d railway quarters n ppl livin in those nearby building walk thru the grounds...but then jab log magan main hote hain tab kahan dikhte hai duniyawalle ;)

to add a few places more to the list of "lovers spot".........our own HG..Hanging Garden........it is in fact a very safe spot for the mushy lovers who wants to get cozy.....above the city....and feel like one Leo Nardo Dicaprio......with their Kate Winslet..........at afternoon time this is definitely a spot to watch.......full of couples ......taking care of corner seats and some basking in the sun's glares (those unlucky ones who could not make it to the corner on time)....there is also a setting between the security and the troblesome eunuchs who allow these eunuchs to get in and pester these cupid struck people.....kyaa kare pind chudaa ne ke iye paisaa denaa padtaa hai unko bhi.......these eunuchs in turn give a share to these security guards .......yeh bhi ek dhandaa hai.....

One of the most popular places is Talopali at Thane where ppl could sit on the benches if one can stand the standing Romeos or may be row around in the lake in boats or water scooters. It also offers an array of roadside eating options, from Bhel to ice cream its all laid out there or you can enjoy a quick snack at the nearby Restaurants.Talaopali is frequented by people of all age.

Upvan Lake again in Thane is more popular with thecouples that do not have the permit from their parents or are below the requisite age to dare ask. You would see college couples bunking classes and having a tete-a-tete. One could either sit inside the park on one of the benches ( if one manages to find an unoccupied one), or the katta around the lake.

Yeour hills is definitely recommended for those with affinity for nature. If you are lucky, you might get to see a few wild animals, and if you are not maybe a few wild human beings. But a

visit after dark has a high probability of attracting both.

All those super duper flop movies goin on in theatre r a safe bet for the cupid couples...and as no. of screen increase in the city of mumbai, more n more options r opening....ever travelled in n Best AC bus in afternoon in the opposite direction of traffic !!! unlike a normal bus, here d conductor gives a ticket n is in the cabin next to the driver....so this also becomes place offering tranquility n much needed space for the love birds...

this is not n exhaustive list but jus handful of what i cud think of...i m sure all u ppl readin this can add a lot more to this...

as i talk abt all this places, one more aspect which i felt like sharin is tht no more r ppl shy in expressin love out in the open.....all those inhibitions r gone n ppl r okie gettin cozy very much in public eye.....i aint sure if this is a sign of a maturing society or its jus tht at times lust or sheer desperation overcomes all those fears of society or is it...Pyaar Kiya to Darna Kya !!!!

p.s. this blog has credits to my friend 'mamu' for his interestin description of marine drive n hanging garden

It happens only in Mumbai

yest mornin main cricket khelne gaya tha like any other day
n i usually take my cell fone along with me

when i came back, i cud not find it
felt i did not take it with me....
so started searchin at my place
but kahin mila nahi

then i called on my cell n not reacable aa raha tha...i was sure tht battery to full hai since i charge in d nite

my vjti mates give missed calls...so called one of them n he said he cud get thru my cell at 8 am
i kept tryin in d mean time but no reply

finally when my wifey called from her cell after 9, someone picked n said hello hello n then cut it
she called back but again same reply...finally she called me n told cell kiske pass hai...so it aint at home.....

i realized tht someone was close to my bag at d nets n probably he mus hav flicked it....but then if someone wanted to steal he cud stolen my purse also since tht was next to it...i stopped thinkin n started to get ready before leavin for office

forget to mention tht i now lock my fone with a number combination as once accidently it got pressed and at 6 am i ended up callin my Dept Head once.....

so i was sure, person who had it can't call from it n he will hav to take it to someone to unlock it or sell it for cheap

so after gettin ready, i called jus to see if koi receive karta hai ya jus simply cuts it......to my surprise the fone rang n tht person picked up......maine bola ke ye mere fone hai aur kahi to ghir gaaya tha.....woh bola, mujhe ye chowpatty par mila hai....n asked me to call back after 30 min as he was busy..

mujhe laga mast goli de raha tha...main to gaya hi nahi tha at chowpatty n ghuma raha hai....
jus like tht i again called tht person...this time someone else picked n told his name as sunil....i asked him agar fone return karenge to acha hoga.....he asked me to come to at garden behind metro....tht seemed a bit of shady place...i told him mujhe to pata nahi hai woh jaga..what i know is metro theatre...so he agreed to come there....n thoda smart tha....asked me how will i recognize u....i told i will call u on tht no....he then gave me his hulia....i m wearin a black pant with a green shirt n mera aage walla daant nahi hai.....hearin d last line again put a question mark in my mind....it is worth goin to collect d cell from such person....

in d backdrop i cud hear a chatter from someone who was askin this person to stop tellin all this n jus keep d fone

fatte halat main i went to my brother's office n told him d story so far.....in fact i asked him to come with me....woh bolta hai...arre main kya karoonga..tu jha n dekh le......also met a friend on d way to brother's office...he also told d fact tht he is callin u to take d fone, means he will return.....

so finally decided to go n check it out myself.......kept abt rs. 150/- ready in d pocket.......when i reached tht place at metro, 3 ppl were there...one of them on the sittin on d rail n other 2 were chattin...they looked like those gardulas u find at azad maidan ya fir roadside heros....mast chapri types.......i realized it was them since they were lookin here n there n stared at me also a couple of times....i waited for a while bfore makin my first move.....i had taken my bhabi's cell with me n then called on my cell again....i assumed one amongst d gang wud speak n i will know its my cell...but then either they did not hear d ring or simply ignored it....tried this a couple of times but to no avail..koi utha bhi nahi raha tha na fone nikal kar dekh raha tha.....

so finally i asked "Kya aap mainse koi Sunil / Mukesh bhai hai...mere cell kahi to ghir gaya tha n unko mila hai..." hearin this, suddenly their faces had a smile....n they appeared a lot friendly......one of them told me....ab boliye kya karna hai....i took out the money i had kept ready in my top pocket.....but seein jus 150....woh bola kya..sir aap to majak kar rahe hai...hume to cell dena hi tha...but aap bhi dekheyi hum 3 log hain.......kuch to sochiye hamare liye...hume azad maidan par mila tha....kissko bech dete to 500 to de hi deta tha....but hum to wapas karna chahte the.....n now d other one started to contribute in the converstation.....300 do de dijiye.....maine bola woh to jyada hai....took out 100 more n told ye thik hai......fir usne cell nikala...apna hi tha....i took d cell gave d money n shook hands with all of them.....all mast happy happy lag rahe the....

well not sure where n how often ppl return the cell fones...in fact when i was narratin this incident to a friend of mine, his cell had fallen in the rick n tht rick fella took all d pains to get in touch with him...n when my friend was givin him some money he was refusin to take it also....

but felt such things can happen only in Amchi Mumbai....tht's d spirit of mumbai we all hav known...in all those july water woes ya train trajedies....its this spirit of Mumbaikars tht binds us together......n we all will again get to see a bit of durin d upcomin marathon....

in all this, i was also very happy....mera hua fone mujhe wapas mil gaya tha.....

well it was jus a 2k plain vanilla reliance LG handset.....with which one can sms n call...no r world / r connect etc etc...koi color display or additional features bhi nahi.also i had used it for more than 20 months...keys main se all nos were erased...apna pura courtship period main usne hi saath diya hai....and haan...sirf calls hi nahi, those N no. of sms messages which i mus hav sent to her.....i m quite attached to it.....n even after gettin galis from all at home includin ma'm also, i have still not changed it........

also it has close to 500+ nos...n goin thru tht pain of gettin in touch wth ppl to get their new nos wud have been a pain

so inspite of all the galis i must hav given to reliance i still continue to use it...n think will continue....but bfore all tht i think now for sure i will be changin my handset soon !!!

Societal Pressures for Getting Married

these days its common tht ppl give preference to other things in life over marriage...as a result u will see more n more ppl focusin more on their career and marryin a bit late in their lives.....n this phenomenon is not only amongst guys.....gals r also very much into career minded....so if abhishek bachan is not married at the age of 33 so u hav aishwarya rai who also is not married even after being 34 yrs old....

its natural to hav aspirations in life n work todays achievin those aspirations...for some one being financially stable wud b imp, for some buyin a own house in a place like mumbai is d priority, for some workin in a competitive environment for 5-6 yrs wud come ahead of gettin married n gettin into mundane of homely chores for the rest of their lives

but in all this......i hav noticed tht when ppl workin towards their goals, suddenly d pressure on them to get married increases with each passing day....

most of this comes from parents.....for who all wud not like to see their daughter's / son's marriage and see them settled..hav hopes of playin with their grandchildren......

n in our society of ours, u wil hav those uncles n aunts who at all functions one attends comin over n askin u or ur parents abt your marriage..ke kya ho raha hai.....kab nakki kar rahe ho etc etc.....n d unfortunate part in this part of the world, is tht ppl start spreadin things behind the back tht "abhi tak shadi nahi hui hai...zaroor kuch to problem hai....shayad uska kuch affair tha which did not work....ya fir there is some other prob as a result of which still he / she is not gettin married...."

y cant they jus accept the fact tht boss things hav changed...ppl r more career minded than before.....n zaroori nahi hai tht he or she did not get married coz of some past relationships of theirs...n also even if they had some relationships which did not work, i can tell for from my experience, those ppl will b better to marry since they know how to handle relationships n how to care for others !!!

again when such ppl give their go ahead for marriage, the pressure instead of decreasin increases all the more....with each guy / gal they see for marriage, expectations r tht will say YES.......person wud hav some likes / dislikes but then parents expect them to overlook all those things n jus say YES......kabhi kabhi aisa lagta hai tht suddenly parents find marriage of their child a task tht has to be completed somehow r other.....

well i m sure persons r mature enough to know tht pressure is there but then at the end of the day its their life....they will hav to live it with the person for rest of the lives...n one can't say YES jus like to any Tom, Dick , Harry or for tht matter Reena / Rita / Ritu jus coz u r now 30+, u hav limited choices, so u better say YES to those who say YES to u....

v are in that era where arranged marriage still happen n our parents are still involved in the process.....i aint sure how the scene will b with our kids n also if they wud even ask us before gettin married....live in relationships r gettin as common in real life as also in reel life (remember Salaam Namaste, Woh Lamhe etc etc).....

communication is the key and i m sure if u take your parents into confidence they will understand and support u....

so lets face this transition period and handle all the pressure and pulls of the society but still stick to things which u wanna do at heart !!!

happy gettin married ;)

"Andheri East" Blues

Its almost 2 months now since i hav moved to my new workplace in andheri east n it has been an experience in itself in these 2 months

right from d moment i get out of train n reach d office it has been a project in itself for me so far....

i knew things wud b bit tough, but it wud test me so much was beyond my imagination

i had got feedback from my friends of d harrowin experience of traffic in andheri east....how u sit in d rick / bus but then d vehicle jus does not move n how ppl on d road always get past u more often than not n to add to ur disappointment n frustration...

as soon as the train passes vile parle station, u will find ppl gettin up...n u r still wonderin there is still some time for andheri to come n why d hurry when u anyways hav to stand for 3 minutes more !!!

but then after a week or so i realized y u need to get off the train ASAP.....one reason is there r lots of ppl who wanna get in d train....other is d stations in andheri r not tht wide enough...so in case there is another train which also comes at the same then its like a sea of ppl who wanna get on the stairs....a couple of times i got caught in d middle and u jus hav to stop walkin as u wil b carried by d crowd.....d other day, i jus was abt to reach d stairs and then d other train came...ppl alighted n then d typical dhakas started....n then d uncle in front of me got agitated thinkin i m d one who is pushin everyone......mast filmi style main he had is arms up in d air n before i could react his hand was around my neck pushin me to go fwd if i was in such a hurry.....took me a minute to realize what's happenin n i cud jus mumble...its not me...its not me...fir uncle ne pyaar se haath nikala.....n me managed to save my neck !!!

d first struggle seems to b thru n now u r on road....so now u hav to reach ur office......i was under the impression tht ricks usually in mumbai r well managed especially in crowded areas...u will always hav a policewalla to regulate d ricks....ensure that all come in a line.....ppl also queue in a line........but then tht was my pressumption n not reality....there is no sign of any traffic police guy anywhere in d east.......its a free for all jamboree......n its a simple demand supply situation....d ricks r in short supply....demand is huge....no line....no system......ricks r only interested in goin long distance....n koi bhi close by places ke liye straight na bolta hai....fares of Rs. 20 ke liye koi khada bhi nahi karta tumko.....all wanna go to Saki Nakka, Powai , Seepz n for ppl like me whose office is at Chakala.....its a plain simple NO even when u offer to pay 10-15 bucks extra over the ricks....my colleagues in office even at times offer to pay double d meter but still tht at times is not good enough !!!

such is d situation tht those who r standin will ask d lucky ones who managed to get rickshaw fellas to agree to let them sit, where they r goin n can they join....some good samritans allow ppl to join them but then those ppl r few

so ricks r out of question....next was bus.......there r n no. of buses which go from here to seepz, kurla, ghatkopar, mulund vikhrole, thane etc etc which all start from andheri east...agarkar chowk....lookin at the number of options, kissiko bhi lagega atleast u can get thru any of the bus n go....but then itna simple hota to kya prob tha n y i wud hav written all this na....d bus q is like a long serpentine...jus goin n goin....u will never know here they end.....in fact this week i saw d Q reachin half of the railway over bridge for one of the buses......atleast unlike d ricks, here d buses r well managed...u hav a Q, lots of TCs who ensure those in Q only get thru, conductors givin tickets when ppl r standin in d Q......but then when d bus is abt to start ya kabhi koi nahi ho then mast scene hota hai....all try to jump as if d first one who get thru will get n award ya prize......n then it does not appear a civilized world.....full maar pit types scene hota hai....my friend has coined a new word for it....usually v used d word local for trains where such scenes r common in long distance trains...n here its "busocal" where ppl r standin on d gates....4-5 of them at d gate standin wit jus one foot / toe in d bus n rest everythin in air.....

ricks r out / buses r out...so with nothin else left, its me n my "do paiyon walli gadi".....n haan....ye bhi nahi simple hai.....since road par bhi utni hi junta hai jitni train / bus main hoti hai......n again on d roads u hav to jump d potholes , dug roads / footpaths, d work for Metro.....signal tak pahuchne ke baad road cross karne main aur dar lagta hai.....since cars / buses / bikes all drive there if they were on a F 1 circuit...prob gets accentuated with cars tryin to go pass u from front n also from d back.....i had come close twice in these short duration of almost being run over by speedin vehicles on the road since u look in front of u n then someone is wizzin u past u from behind....

every day i pray to god that i reach office safely n then thank him before sleepin after comin home in one piece.....

in my earlier office, 2nd n 4th sat were holidays.....here all the saturdays r workin....but then saturdays r the only days when i feel like goin to office...now dont get tht impression tht i hav become sincere ya main sudhar gaya hoon....saturdays r d days when SEEPZ main all those IT cos r closed....as a result from station to d bus to d roads, everything is relatively empty...u dont see those traffic jams at chakala signal....vehicles do move.....u get a bus n if its ur lucky day u will get a seat in d bus.....

atleast my office is located jus after chakala....so atleast its not tht bad but then i can empathize for those who work in Saki Naka n beyond...it wud b a harrowing experience n d saddest part is u hav to go thru this day in n day out !!!

i m sure ppl who work hav to go this ordeal on a daily basis will b cuttin short their lives by atleast a couple of years ---courtesy d mental agony, d physical exertion walkin it down and then breathin more CO/CO2 rather than Oxygen....

so for all those who work in Andheri East...u better start workin on change in job unless u wanna Die Young