Wait

On the long dusty roads,

I will wait for the rains.

I will wait till everything is muddy

and then, till it washes all the pain.

I will stand all drenched, not to stop waiting

for your hand to hold mine.

For then, there will be winter

biting away my skin.

I will wait through the shivers,

curling and cuddling.

I will sit here shivering, not to stop waiting for 

the warmth of your hair.

Let the sun show its wrath

and burn down my clothes.

I will wait for the roads to go dusty 

and pierce my eyes.

I will sit all burnt, not to stop waiting for

the comfort of your arms.

Only the roads would know how much I waited,

and only my waiting would know you never came back.

What made Brazil hate Football?

Yes, you read it right. Polls have indicated that people of Brazil (The most enthusiastic football fans) are not happy about World Cup 2014. Percentage of people supporting the tournament has gone down considerably from when Brazil won the hosting rights in 2007.

World Cup has kicked off, and everyone has their eyes fixed on Brazil. Love for the game has brought down fans form all over the world to the arena where teams will contest to prove that they are the best in the world.
Talking about the best in world, one cant keep Brazil out of context. A football team that is very much capable, are good on the form and have the home advantage. But do they really have the home advantage?
Well yes, they do, but not as much as they would have wanted.

A country that worships the game and treat their players as national heroes, and is well known to love the game more than Indians love Cricket suddenly are not so happy with how things have transformed in the past 5-7 years on the road to the Tournament. There were a lot of protests against the Government and FIFA against the Cup threatening to disrupt the tournament. Confederations Cup protests has scaled up the concerns.  Even when the world was watching the opening ceremony on television there were protests going on in the city. But why would that happen? What turned the best football fans people against football?

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His Dream Girl

He looks for you, frantically,
and searches for you in the dark.
Oh the pain of not finding you,
knowing, you are around.
A fortnight ago, he met you,
and still remembers you from then.
It was a goodbye but there was some hope.
He is still hopeful as he tries
to draw you on the sand again.
His memory is fading
and so wants to see you again.
But tell me how do I tell the lover in me,
I don't dream anymore.

Of Being 25 - Family Unions - Matrimony and Marriages.

You get up on a Sunday afternoon only to know that there is  family get together at your place. Now, for Indians, who are around 25 and are single, this might be worst thing that could happen.  I am pretty sure that few, if not all, would know what I am talking about.  There are three things common for everyone(well, almost) at around this age.

One, everyone has that Pinki aunty who will ask you about your plans to get married even though her only son is divorced twice at 30.

Two, there is this distant relative who shall talk of how you would make a perfect bride/groom in a family get

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The art of Bullshitting - 5 steps

No! Not shitting bull and no not sitting on the bull either! Its something greater and bigger! Read on -

Art is one thing that gets associated to any form of verb that you want to associate it with.
There is an art of thinking, art of writing, art of holding a pen , and not to forget the art to talk about art. Then after all of that, there is the mother of all art, which is to say, the art of bullsh**ting.
Usually people would not associate such an art with something that anyone should be proud exhibiting ,(yeah, I agree that there are some who do respect the art of bullsh**ting) and they have their own very good reasons to try and act sane and not talk non-sense and such . In my opinion, and what might also be closer to truth, most of them would be incapable of doing such even if they wanted to.

Why do I say that it is an art? As I said, its a verb form and hence there has to be an art of doing it. After all there are not many people who can just talk over something they have no clue about and still pass as a person who knows a lot about it. But then everyone can catch up! Like all other art-forms  this can be learnt, practiced and mastered! So wheres the guide? What to do ? Ask me and you will have all your answers ;) !!!

This is not to follow my earlier post of how to be an intellectual! No! That was just another piece of my art! But then, 5 steps to master bull**itting!

1. TALK! You cant be spitting shit unless you open up

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Chetan Bhagat - Boo(k)ed

To begin with, I mean no disrespect to anyone irrespective of what their opinion about the topic is. This post is only a mere attempt at humor, the lowest form of it. Sarcasm to be precise. The rest is only to forget.

It just happens that every time I hear people talking  about books and authors and how good or bad it is, I feel more than a little left out. Yes, I don't read much. Worse is the part that the ones I do read, write poetry and such. Which means that either they are not widely known and if they are, by some matter of luck (or bad luck), I shall be expected to "recite" some of their work because that is what we are supposed to do. Pretend.

Anyway, it just happens that in most of such discussions you would get to hear a few nice words for Chetan Bhagat. He is widely appreciated for the fact that he wrote a bestseller, which everyone thinks he or she could have written but then never wrote a page. The fact that a man who was no Byron or Tennyson and still got all the name he got, is a little tough to swallow. More so for the ones who read books from weird Russian authors all night and all day  for half their life. And why shouldn't they be pissed? They obviously know better about literature (By the way, I do not contend that), but then the spirits from some unknown world stopped them from writing anything. Sure they would be pissed. But then I wonder, why bash Chetan Bhagat? Is it not easier to just not buy the book and not care to read knowing that he uses more of hinglish than anything else? Obviously not. That would be the most dumb thing to do. Intelligent people would never do that. A mathematics student who knows calculus in and out (or even half of it) would sure take a 6th grade maths text book and talk of how needless all of it is. That is how Intelligent people roll. Perspective and personal opinions are so out of question that if you say you read Chetan Bhagat, that might as well be counted as nothing. Those books don't qualify as reading. (The fact that most of them literally read them shall remain just a useless fact )."Reading" as a verb shall  be used only the way the "Intelligent" people like it.


What is more annoying is that Chetam Bhagat seems to have an opinion about everything, including things which he has no idea about. You can see him almost everywhere commenting on everything. That sure is annoying. More so for those who read much more sophisticated stuff. The weird part is that everyone seems to have an opinion about how Chetan Bhagat and his opinion does not matter, and they don't fail commenting  on the same either. I am stranded as I fail to have an opinion on if Chetan Bhagats opinion matter or not.

So then, while you wasted two minutes reading this piece of garbage(that is the intelligent way of saying "crap"), the "Intelligent" species were busy praising some of CBs great literary work.


P.S - I have nothing against Russian authors or the ones who read a lot.


   

Stop Rape - An Oath to Change (For all Men)

What would stop this? Who can stop this? Would 600 patrol vans change anything? Would a few more changes in law change anything? I don't think so. I don't think it will change things for the victim. I don't think it will change things for any girl who is scared to move around even in a guys company.
Yes, what India wants is capital punishment for the rapist. What India wants is a thousand candles to melt down, protests across the country to show solidarity to the fallen victim. Roses and numerous petitions on facebook and all of it. Blood boiling, angry mob, raised voices and concern everywhere.
But is that it? A few hanged, a thousand candles burnt but still thousands of such free, looking for another victim and the media glare to fizz out ?
This blog post is no good either. But then this is not a post. This is an oath I take to change.
An oath I take as a man, as a son, as a brother, as a future husband, as a future father and as a human beign.

We have blamed everyone and everything but us. From dresses to marriageable age. From alcohol to chowmein ( Really? We don't even mind sounding ridiculous to save our ego) ? All this to hide the real culprits, MEN!
It is time to take all(not some) responsibility. It is time to be ashamed of ourselves.
It is upon men to change, and act like humans. We, the male population can save the women from the horrors of living under the fear for their lives. It is not about pity but about disgust and being ashamed. We should do this for our sisters, daughters, mothers, wives and friends and more than anyone else, for ourselves. To save our gender some respect which is lost in the inhuman acts of some brainless animals. And to tell you, this is not just about rape, which is the most extreme brutal form of assault. No! This is about everyday eve teasing, lewd remarks, girls being treated as objects of sex. It is about all those men who have sat around a shop with friends and stared at girls passing lewd remarks at them. It is about all those who think it is okay to touch and grope a girl and to be proud of it. It is for all of those men who take pride in talking of women as sex objects.
And it is about all those men who did not stop their friends, or classmates, or co passenger from doing any of what is mentioned above.It is about all those fathers who did not teach his son to respect the other sex.  All those men who have not voiced themselves against objectification of women.

What do you expect out of uneducated men to do when the educated ones don't let any opportunity to sexually harass(pass comments) a women pass? What do you expect a school guy to grow into who was praised by his friends to have groped a girl in school bus ? What do you expect a college student to grow into when the number of girls you bed is a matter of pride in a group ( Roadies auditions see quite a handful of such men)? They wouldn't grow up into a gentle man for all I know.

Stand up and object. Stand up and change. Things will change only if we will change.  Stop your friends, colleagues, classmates and anyone you know from treating girls as objects of sex. Stop them from eve teasing. Stop them from making you look like an animal. Stop them from making females in your family feel insecure. Stop them to save the word "men" before it is too late. Stop them before another such rapist is born out of them.

Take the oath! Be the change! From a three letter word of shame to a real MAN!

Blind and Deaf

The violet in the sky,
and the red in the grass.
Things that we don't see
and which really are.
The music in the dark woods,
and shrieks in a song.
Things that we don't hear
and which really are.
What we don't see
and what we don't hear,
things that mean a lot
and which really are.
We miss all of that,
but then they are.
The way we know all
is not the way it is.
For what we see and hear
is all but all.
A friend is not always a friend
a foe not always a foe.
You call them what you want
blind to the fact that,
the irony of life as it is,
the largest desert is actually called an Ocean.

Guns N' Roses - India tour (Bangalore, Mumbai, Gurgaon) - This month

Sweet Child O' mine!! GNR will be live in Bangalore, Mumbai and Gurgaon this month. A little late for November Rain, but then who minds as we go Knocking on the Heavens door with one of the greatest rock bands of present era! Yes, Slash is not anymore in the band but then GNR is GNR!
Mumbai gets lucky with this one as they get the Sunday slot while Bangalore gets Friday and Gurgaon gets Wednesday.
They will take the stage at 4 pm at all the three places which means many of the working fans might be taking a day off in Gurgaon and Bangalore.
Well then, Welcome to the Jungle!

Tickets are priced at : Silver Ticket - INR 1500, Gold Ticket - INR 3000, Platinum Ticket - INR 10000.
I am not sure of the availability as of today but you can sure check online or at the outlets.

The list of outlets for all the three cities can be found here . (Source : www.kyazoonga.com)

BENGALURU
Dec 7, 2012   (Friday)
Time: 16:00
Venue: Bhartiya City, Bengaluru

MUMBAI
Dec 9, 2012  (Sunday)
Time: 16:00
Venue: MMRDA Grounds, Mumbai.

GURGAON
Dec 12, 2012    (Wednesday)
Time: 16:00
Venue: Leisure Valley Grounds, Sector 29, Gurgaon

For more information and booking the tickets visit www.kyazoonga.com

Two to Tango Three to Jive - Play, Dinner and Me at Hyatt Regency, Pune

Another one of those Friday evenings that goes all well.  A play by Saurabh Shukla (of Satya fame), followed by a wonderful dinner at Hyatt Regency, Pune. That is just as much as you would ask for on a weekend.

 The venue was overflowing with people of all age groups a good half an hour before the play began , only to be treated with wine, snacks and  jazz music. I had to refrain myself from drinking, being the responsible citizen who does not drink and drive.  These are the times I hate having to drive!
Anyway, the play was brilliant although it did hit monotonous notes in between. It was about  Parminder Singh Sethi (Saurabh Shukla), a middle aged married man and how he tries to get along with three women at different times to spice up his mundane life. It showcased the emotions of an average married man who wants things to happen rather than just pass. His fears, his frustration, his feelings have been brought out in a very strong yet comic way.The play almost depicts an average man and how his desires change with time, and what he needs from the relationship with his wife.  Saurabh Shukla was brilliant on the stage with his precise comic timings that sent the audience on a laughing roll.

Nigaar Khan, Mona Wasu and Preiti Mamgain played the three women Parminder tries to get into an affair with. While at the end Parminder did not get into any relationship, he does realise that his wife is the best companion to have and that it is just time that they lack to spend together.

The confusion and innocence of Parminder Singh Sethi was both adorable and comic. The play got a terrific response from the audience as everyone stood up to applaud the performance.I however found the script a little less on something I could not figure out, as it never really got hold of me.

One treat was followed with another as we approached the dinner section. Oh, did you forget the dinner party I mentioned earlier?  From starters, to main course, to beverages, to desserts, the place was all crowded. Either the food was too good or people too hungry. I dont usually mind waiting and that is exactly what I did. The wait was all worth as the food was awesome. Dum biryani and pepper chicken were both too good for the taste buds. I did not get into the vegetarian section as I continue on my protein diet ;) .
Again I being the responsible citizen who does not drink and drive stayed away from where wine and more was being served. ( And for the second time, I hate driving! )

As was expected, the desserts section was full of variety. I always enjoy looking at them more than eating for good reasons. Although I did make an exception that day and had more than I could stack in my stomach!
And so we Jived!

Why I hate Flight Journeys

There is not much to a flight journey for me. Unlike the long, interesting train journeys, which I enjoy, I want to get over with these flight journeys as soon as possible. The fact that you have to sit at a place and that everyone around is busy pretending to be 'Oh so busy and occupied' only adds to the reason why I dont like travelling on airplanes. If all of this was not enough, there are these things that annoy me more than anything else.

1.  First, I dont understand why do the Airports have to be far far away ! To add to it they want you to reach 45 minutes before departure! For a flight at 6 in the morning, you will need to get up at 3 (or rather not sleep till then) and reach the airport at 5. People residing in Bangalore would understand this better.(I might not live in Bangalore but I do travel to Bangalore once in 6 months)

2.  People have to have to unstrap their seat belts as soon as the flight lands. As if they are expecting others to applaud their courage for being the first to do so. Or maybe they just fail to understand simple instructions that the crew repeats at least 5 times in all languages possible! Either way I think they need some help.

3.  As soon as the plane comes to a halt,  people jump off their seats ,take off their bags and stand in a line all set to get down. As if they are going to jump off the plane! I mean even Kinder-garden kids do better than that when the last bell rings. ( One reason why I always prefer window seat, so that no one bothers me so that he/she can stand in what I call the Kinder-garden queue )

4. Then, there are some who would doze off right after they take their seat and snore right into your ears! I have nothing against people who snore, or for those who sleep and I fully understand that people can be plain tired. But after all that rational thinking and reasoning that goes on in my head, my ears still cry of pain!

5. The worst part is that even though by some wild luck ( and that would be really wild luck) you happen to get a seat beside a pretty girl, the journey is too short to exchange a "hi" , leave alone having a proper conversation !

After all this, and more I still have to take flights to save time .

Hindi - National language of India?

This I write because very recently I had an argument over whether Hindi is our National language or not. Popular belief or better to say assumption is that Hindi is our National Language . It sure is the most widely spoken language in India and also the most popular, but is NOT the National language.  People argue about how it is our 'Matribhasha' which self implies that it is our National language. This is another assumption people tend to make. Ask them, where they read of Hindi being our National language and there will be no answer. I myself cannot trace back how did it get in the back of my head that Hindi is our national Language. I too had the same misconception for the bigger half of my twenty five years of life.

What is our National Language then, if not Hindi?

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Enrique Iglesias India tour (Pune,Delhi,Bangalore) - This Week

Enrique Iglesias, the Spanish sensation is in Pune next week and will be Live in Concert!!!!
He will take the stage on 17th October in Pune @ Amanora Park 6 PM onwards . Yes, its a weekday, and right in the middle of the week.
Certainly not the best time for most of the working people, but then I am pretty sure the place will be short of Oxygen that day!


Tickets are priced Rs 2,500, Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000 (V.I.P).
I am not sure about the availability of them though but you can check online or at the outlets.


For Pune the outlets are:

1. Barista - Law college Ground Floor , Plot No. 92/1 , Indrayani Biulding, Law College Road, Pune

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Where Style meets Preference - Bloggers meet Bloggers

The Cafe, Hyatt Regency, Pune

Before everything else, I shall clarify that this is not exactly a review but then how do I not write about The Cafe, specially after having been there, now more than once. And for the ones who are thinking about what on earth is this post? Well, its just about the perfect way to put a beautiful Saturday afternoon, at a beautiful place having some delicious and mouth watering lunch (not to miss the desserts) with some amazing bloggers, into words.
I had the chance of meeting up some wonderful bloggers at The Cafe, Hyatt Regency, Pune. Well, as for the tagline of Hyatt, it says - "Where style meets preference", and they have sure tried to come up to their tag line.
From the long hallway walk with high roofs to the overhanging empty wine bottles shelf  in The Cafe, everything is just the way you might want it to be.  If you  intend to spend money on treating yourself, you sure want it to be some treat. I would if I am spending!
Treated like a king, to be precise.

The thing that I liked most about The Cafe is how well everything was placed. The Desserts section, which

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10 steps: How to be an intellectual

Being an intellectual (pseudo) is just as much important these days as is using underarm fairness cream.
Unless you are one, you might end up being neglected by the ones who have nothing better to do than to quote all the authors or philosophers or historians or Mr. timbaktoo for that matter. The ones who talk like people around them want them to. Much too similar to the underarm fairness cream. (I still wonder why not use a frrrucking white paint instead if its all that embarassing to look natural ).
Anyway, in interest of all I shall giveaway the secrets of being an intellectual for free. Yes, you read it right. FREE!
10 easy steps and you shall walk out tall and intelligent after that!

1.  Use Google and Wiki even if you seek for your camlin pen . Note things down and use them in any random conversation with any random person. To talk in such detail about small things make people go Waaaaw!To add: Read reviews for some award winning author or book. Or if that is too much just know the names of few.
2. Have something to say about Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie. Good or Bad. Right or wrong. Just about anything will do as long as you are taking their names right.
3. Crib about political condition and Government policies. Crib about anything and everything. As long as you crib people think you know about things and have an opinion.
Note: Refer to point 1 and  google about who is the PM before trying it out.
4.Wear a kurti/kurta and carry a book or a diary in a shoulder strap bag. Carry a serious yet smiling face, to seem all mysterious. Be careful not to try it out in areas of high security. I will not be responsible if cops decide to pick you up for acting suspicious.
5. Guys - Grow your beard and moustache. Girls- A bindi always helps.
6. Mention the name "Sigmund Freud" in a conversation and start talking nonsense. Try the same with "Kant".  Make sure you know what the name sounds like before you try this one.
7. Criticise Chetan bhagat . That is one thing that sort of serves as qualifier. You just have to have to mock

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Painted Red.

I see dark faces painted in red.
Blinded by the paint
that trickes down their eyes,
they see maybe, only
a shadow of me with a pinch of red,
reflecting from the dripping paint.
The paint on their face.
I go to them to help them wash
But then, they dont see me.
They see a dark shadow
moving towards them,
which they paint red.
Now, I walk the streets
painted in red ,blinded by the paint
that trickles down my eyes.
I see dark faces painted in red.
Red maybe due to dripping paint.
The paint on my face.

Brown Curtains

I love the brown curtains,
that just stays.
It sways and swells and moves and breathes,
all the time hiding something behind it.
Something that I never see,
for hiding and seeing cannot share a moment.
The curtain that keeps to itself
and displays the bright colours
as it lets just the right amount of light in.
Keeping the dust away,
it lets me breathe fresh.
Hiding the hard sun and the dusty wind behind it.
Something that I never see.
And it sways and swells and moves and breathes.
Oh what a wonderful gift,
these brown curtains are, Mother!

रंग

आसमान का रंग  आज पिघल  कर गिरा है I 

कुछ रंग जमा कर ,

दर्पण  मे भर रहा हूँ मै I  

कुछ एक आधा रंग ,

इधर भी लगा रहा  हूँ मै  I 

कुछ अपना,

अपनो के  लिये छोड़  रहा हूँ मै I 

जो होता  रंग खुशी का तो ,

रंग देता सारी दुनिया को I 

अभी तो बेवजह ही ,

लोग  अपना रंग छुपाते हैं I 

उनको रंग  नही दे सकता  ,

पर  दर्पण  दिखा रहा हूँ मै I 

कुछ अपना,

अपनो के लिये छोड़  रहा हूँ मै I 

I am

I am 

The sand , which sank

as waves swept in.

The leaves, that fell off

in the spring to carpet the garden.

The song that was sung and 

then recorded in a tape.

An impressionable mannenquin,

carved to smile and wrapped in a drape.

The songbird that flew and

then was caged.

The paint that glowed and 

with time faded.

The dream that lived, played, jumped

and then died.

The man who once was

a child.

The Coat

I wish my thoughts could swim freely.
Free like a floating leaf on a churning river.
But it is slowed down,
burdened by the wet coat world gifted me.
With no where to go,
the thought drowns slowly as the coat goes heavier.
With no where to run,
it is trapped, chained ,
much like the green trees and wet land,
trapped in a thunderstorm.
With itself, it takes the wet coat.
Take it to the bottom as it sinks
and it holds the coat hard
hoping it never surfaces again.
Hoping it never flows again.