Feel insecure from Allah’s Devising

In our day to day lives we humans keep devising/ scheming against one another for various reasons. What will we do when Allah, the Almighty Himself devises against us ?

We should all feel insecure from Allah's devising because Allah can change human's hearts faster than a wind. The difference between the change of heart between good to bad, from agreement to disagreement, willingness to unwillingness is as short a distance between our two fingers.

We may wonder why Allah would devise against his own people/ creations ? That's because He puts us through trial to test our faith when we least expect it. And a moment's change of heart towards Satan/ Allah's faith can change our lives. It can make a good person bad, a bad person good, a favoured person of Allah amongst His despised !

When we are enjoying the mercies Allah has blessed us with, He might suddenly take away all of it and see the course of action we take. Or Allah might lure us with something wrong and test how far we get lured. When Allah can devise against his own favourite Angel - Iblis, then what are we? One change of heart through Allah's devising made Iblis from an Angel to a Devil (Shaytaan) and most hated by Allah !

And finally what we do in the end will account for our actions in the afterworld. A person who has done good for his entire life, might land in Hell with one action of his. Or a person who has done nothing but bad things might become Allah's favoured by his actions or change of heart towards the end of his Life.

Hence, Pray to Allah to save us from HIS Devising !

Some excerpts from an article by Imam Dhahabi with Quranic and Hadeeth references on Beliefs & Practices, Major Sins

Allah, Most High says,

{Until, in the midst of their enjoyment of our gifts, on a sudden We called then to account, when lot They were plunged in despair!} (Al-An’am: 44)

This means that the punishment occurs suddenly while they are heedless. Al-Hasan said, whoever is blessed but unaware of Allah’s decision he is heedless, and whoever is afflicted but unaware of Allah’s trials is also heedless. Then he read the above Ayah and said, these people are put into devising as they got all what they need and then taken suddenly.

‘Uqbah Ibn Amir (may Allah please him) related that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,
{Whenever a sinful servant attains whatever he wants you should realize that he is drawn on little by little.” Then he reads, “But when they forgot the warning they had received, We opened to them the gates of all (good) things, until in the midst of their enjoyment of our gifts, on a sudden We called them to account, when lot They were plunged in despair.} (Al-An’am 44) (Ahmad and Al-Baihaqi)

It is narrated that,

“When Iblis (Satan) who was an angel -was devised, Gabriel and Mika’il burst weeping and Allah asked them, why did you weep? They answered, O Lord we cannot feel secure from Your devising. Hence, Allah said, “keep on feeling in secure from My Devising.”

`Aishah related that the Prophet used to regularly say,

“O changer of hearts! Make our hearts firm in Thy faith. He was asked, O Messenger of Allah! Do you fear (that we may convert) He said, people’s hearts are between two fingers of Allah’s who changes it whenever He likes.” (Ibn Majah, AI-Hakim, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban)

“Verily one of you behaves like the people of Paradise until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves like the people of the Hell-Fire and thus he enters it.”( Bukhari)

“Verily one of you behaves like the people of Hell-fire until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves like the people of Paradise and thus he enters it. Works are only judged by the end.”( Bukhari, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad)

Salim Ibn Abdullah related that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would frequently swear by saying,
“No, by the changer of the hearts.”( Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Ahmad)

This means that Allah changes one’s heart faster than the wind but in different way! Agreement, disagreement, willingness and hatred etc.

Allah says,
{And know that Allah cometh in between a man and his heart, and that it is He to whom ye shall (all) be gathered} (Al-Anfal: 24)

Mujahid comments that Allah comes in between one’s mind and his own hand as stated in Allah’s saying,
{Verily in this is a message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and is a witness.} (Qaf: 37)
i.e. he who has mind.

`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) related that the Prophet (pbuh) would always say,
“O Changer of hearts! Make my heart firm in thy faith. I asked, O Messenger of Allah, I think that you make this supplication much! Do you fear? He said, how could I be secure while the people’s hearts are between the two fingers of Allah, Who changes it whenever He likes. Thus, if He wants to change one’s heart, He does.”

Therefore, you should not be deluded by your own faith, prayer, fasting or whatever you do of acts of worship. This is because all of these works refer to Allah’s will and his plentiful bounties and He can strip you of such blessings.

Down memory lane

I went to Landmark @Phoenix Mills yesterday with my friend Charmaine. I got nostalgic there, thinking of the lovely life I had as a grew up. The dreams, the aspirations, the hobbies.... which got buried in the depth of my work life and struggles and turmoils. The last 10-12 years of my life have only been a struggle. Sometimes a severe and tough one! And all this while, my dreams took a backseat. Why did a place in a mall bring back old memories. Because after ages I let myself be lost in the imported chocolates I saw there, the books which were once a craze with me. The poster colours, fabric paints... everything which was once a part of me were all there. I saw the Enid Blytons, the Agatha Christies, which were part of my school days. There were the Archies Digests, the Tintin comics, which we freaked on even after college. Picked two Archies Comics Digest (just for the fun of it), a religious book and some imported chocolates. Everything I'd held back hoping to enjoy later when things settle down in my life were all there (but neither life settled down, nor did I get to enjoy it!). To top it all, even saw Mandira Bedi. But time was short as I had to rush back home as Dad was alone (other family members were not in Mumbai for various reasons).

I used to read a lot, write a lot. Always wanted to be a well known writer and wanted to get into journalism. Somehow, that did not happen and I got into banking. After that, the struggle got more severe in operations, and I worked till quite late making personal life a complete mess. During the same time, we moved from South Mumbai to Mira Road. This added to problems with long and difficult commuting hours! And I moved to a centralised processing unit, so work hours also became longer.

Slowly, friends faded in the background. I become a loner with only my family around me. I stopped going out and enjoying life. The days were spent in office, from where we could not even see the daylight. When we finished work and got out, the day had already set. Years passed by, years got added to age. Bank holidays didn't translate into holidays for us, as some or the other branch was working in Northern / Eastern or Western India. And we had to report to work. But on those days, we got to leave little earlier. I still remember, how much seeing even a little daylight brought a feeling of satisfaction for me. It warmed my heart as it does when you see something you adore (seeing kittens brings the same feelings in me!). On Sundays, I used to stare at the open window looking at the bright day. I never let the curtains be drawn being afraid to miss out seeing the daylight.

Days went by. I stopped even meeting relatives or going for marriages. Because people started wondering why I wasn't married. I hated the exclamatory stares of known people as I attended marriages of younger people. Neither did I get the time to attend functions. But even Sundays, I preferred to be by myself. And moreover, I needed the rest to gather strength to fight through the coming week. Work got more hectic as many people quit in frustration. While I faced the problems bravely. The people in the neighbouring area probably thought I worked in a Call centre and not in a bank. Because people are generally used to seeing retail branches, which close earlier. Processing units and corporate operations are areas which are not visible to the normal public.

To the existing problems, marriage problems started getting added. I was already late. As I hardly got time to socialise, I was not seen or known much. When proposals came, I was not available at home. Time went by. The pressure started building from all sides. Family, friends, relatives. Finally, came a time that I myself started feeling the pressure and lot of insecurities started cropping up in my mind. Then even the little free time i got, now had to be put in finding a soulmate. Ads were put in newspapers, my name was registered by my parents in marriage bureaus. Then there was a lady in Andheri, who was supposed to fix marriages, whom I hated on sight! Everywhere it was just a question of money. No one really bothered after that. Going to all these places, used to bring tears to my eyes. I hated every part of it. I felt like a commodity. Nothing worked. It only brought funny and sad results. And disappointment. Then we decided to try the matrimonial sites. More disappointments. Then finally gave up with a lot of frustration. Confidence slowly starting going down with problems in work and life.

Hobbies and things I liked to do went further in the background. 2-3 good friends remained. But there was no time to even meet them. Just a few calls here and there once in a month or two. Or sometimes, not even that. Parents health started taking a toll. Dad's health, especially. It was bad when he had to come to the station with chest pain to pick me from the station when I used to be late from work. Finally I could take it no longer and decided to quit, no matter what. I tried one last time to ask for a transfer to a corporate branch, where timings would be much better. It finally worked (had been trying since a couple of years)!

I moved to a branch after several long years in what I call 'Kaale paani ki sazah'. As I think of those days, I can sing -'' Summer of 2009, those were the worst days of my life''! Because the location was also very far from Andheri station apart from having long work hours. 10 months back I moved to Worli office. Life was definately better than earlier. Timings were better. Comparatively, I felt better. I could see the daylight from the glass windows and go out and have lunch too. And at branch, could actually get the bank holidays after so many years. This period gave me time to concentrate on my Dad's health, coax him for checkups, and talk him into getting operated. I gave up on thinking of marriage after all the tensions. Then for almost three months I was assigned the task of setting up a trade desk at Borivali branch. This was almost after Dad's operation. Being near home helped. And post surgery, we were to give him injections day and night. My bro, who had work timings later did the task in the morning. One injection to be given before dinner became my duty as I came earlier than ever! I was scared initially, but finally became a good nurse. And believe me, those were the best months of my life in the entire span of 10 years in the bank. I was near my home. Could leave home at convenient time in the morning. Could finish work at 7 -7 pm and still be home by 8 pm or earlier. Could pay attention to myself. I saw several movies in this short span of time, which I'd not seen in ages. Found a nice, kind man and my marriage got finalised within a month of moving to Borivali. Everything was finally falling in place. I thought God has finally heard my prayers. I was happy to be happy finally. But suddenly, things started going backwards. The period did not last for more than 3 months! I was put back in Worli as in-charge of a Unit. According to management, they have given me a good profile and increase in pay, but for me it only meant long distance from home and longer hours. For me, now only peace of mind and happiness matters. Work now is better than old times. But why should I settle for only better after all these years of struggle?! The marriage which got finalised, is again stuck for various reasons. And my Life has again come to a standstill. Everyone I know is asking me about the marriage date, which I myself do not know. I don't even know what's going to happen finally. But keep praying and hoping for the best.

I don't want to go into reverse gear and experience all the problems all over again. I want to be happy. Truly happy. Settle down. Have my own kids. I want my family to be happy because of me. I want to do things that I like. Like painting, sketching - I wonder when I did that last! I keep smiling inspite odds. I fight back the tears. But sometimes u cannot stop them. But have to control for family's sake. In office, I have to joke and smile and boost the morale of my reportees who work hard. But sometimes people envy outward projections of happiness, not knowing what's deep within. And you lose more of what you never had anyways!

I don't know what prompted me to write what I would never share generally with anyone except at home.

I am going to work on realising my dreams. And I need lots of prayers and my own determination for that. I thank my friend Charmaine who's been a moral and emotional support ever since I've known her for the past few months. I thank God for her. I shall overcome one day, Inshallah.

Hot, hotter, hottest !!!

It's getting hotter and hotter by the day.

And as rains are nearing, its a little cloudy since the past few days. But this does not bring any relief to us. It only gets more hotter. Plus there's shortage of water.


In the southern interiors, the rains have started. In Mumbai, rains are just a week or two away, hopefully! And so is my birthday!!!


My birthdays always brought rains as I grew up. Only in the recent years, they've been unpredictable.


But now birthdays do not bring the same excitement as they did earlier. They just come and go. And you can't do anything about it except get old! But rains will always bring relief from heat! Mumbai monsoons have something romantic and exciting about them minus the floods. The all-season footwear is already in the market. Go then, buy your rain gear and get ready to get wet and say bye bye to sweat!

Amidst all odds - emerges a winner

Kashmir is the crown of India. Right at the top of the Indian map. And surrounded by 3 nations. That gives the state vulnerability and the people often get caught in the disputes of two nations making a claim on the Indian land. The places have military and security personnel even in the main city. Something similar to what I saw in Assam, when I'd visited Dad on his posting to the state for two years, several years ago.

Flights to Srinagar from rest of India allow cabin luggage. But flights from Srinagar to rest of India do not even allow cabin luggage. As you move out of Srinagar, you are subject to three security checks. A few kilometres away from the airport, your have to leave your vehicle and be subjected to luggage and personal check. Beyond that not more than two people who are not taking the flight can accompany you till the main airport. As you reach the airport, your main luggage is again put through scan. Then after taking the boarding pass, you're subject to gruelling security check including body frisking. Ladies purses are emptied on the table and every item is checked in front of all. The lady security personnel sometimes have a laugh at some simple people's expense. You're not allowed a single safety pin or even a small roll of stitching thread. Even cosmetics like compact, eyeshadows, kajal are checked to the extent of spoiling it. Maybe some ladies checking the stuff want to irritate the passengers so much that you allow them to keep it.

As you finish the embarrassing display of your personal things to everyone, you heave a sigh of relief ! As you finally move out of the airport towards the aircraft after showing your boarding pass, it's not over as yet. Another body frisking session is waiting for you ! Then you finally move towards the aircraft sans any luggage and a messy handbag.

For many years, the tourism had dropped due to fear in the people of rest of India in going to places like Srinagar, Gulmarg and the like. People do go towards the Jammu area for Vaishnav Devi yatra, but not many go towards Srinagar. As not many companies have their offices in this area, the major occupation of the people in the land remains sale of local handicrafts. And you find a few other traders apart from some professionals. Slowly, tourism is picking up. Even Dr Manmohan Singh is taking steps to phase out the military from the area and give relief to the inhabitants of the state. We all need to see Kashmir just as any other state of India.

People living away from the city, in the valley, go through lot of problems as cross border tensions build up. But they have now started taking it a part of their lives. Some youth do get frustrated and take a wrong path. While some others face discrimination when they go to other parts of India. Amidst all this tension and the trauma of losing his father to terrorists, when you consider the fact that a boy can overcome all odds to get an MBBS degree first and then top the IAS exams in India, it is really an achievement. There have been times in earlier years, when one used to hear of schools and offices remaining closed unconditionally due to problems in the area. All this affects the normal schooling of a child apart from the fact that the syllabus of children in same standard is not uniform across the state. I saw two children of the same class having two different sets of books altogether.

But having facing all problems, Dr Faisal Shah has brought not only pride, but also hope to the people, especially youth, of Jammu and Kashmir. And like him, I feel all the youth of the state should think positively and strive to achieve success amidst all odds! And you cannot deny success to a person who strives hard to achieve it! And the rest of India, should of course stand in support.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Note : I'd been to the state only for 3 days in Dec when the 'Chinar' trees had shed their leaves a la 'Mohabbatein' style. But Apr-Oct is actually the right time to be in 'heavenly land'. Mumbai heat is so bad, leading to so many related problems, I do not mind rushing to Srinagar right now!

Drought like situation in Mumbai- craving for water

It rained in New Delhi on 1st May resulting in temperatures falling by 6 degrees celsius bringing a relief to the residents.

It rained a few days back in Pune.

Goa has also experienced rain in the last week.

Its been raining in Bangalore since the past week. Friends staying there even reported pieces of ice falling with the rain making the entire weather cool.

The weather seems to be pleasant all around. But Mumbai is experiencing a drought-like situation this year. It's terribly hot this year. And because of less rains last year, there is also a water shortage. The lakes supplying drinking water to the city are almost drying up. People do not get water daily. Even the private suppliers who supply to individual homes at a price are not getting water from the Municipality. The situation is getting worse. The official rain season in Mumbai is from second week of June. There's still entire May to go till then.... How will we survive in this heat sans water until we're blessed with water from above? We can expect unseasonal showers too till then for relief from heat !

But we still stand short of water. Inspite of good rains in Mumbai, its sad that rain water is not harvested here and we wait till the next season for our supply of water. We're living like primitives in a big city. What Mumbai needs is some good projects for harvesting rain water instead of putting money in skywalks in unnecessary places.

Understanding the land and the people!

You want them. But you inconvenience them!

You want them. Yet do not love them!

You want them. Yet you suspect the people!

You call it your land. Yet you alienate the people.

You call it your land. But do not understand the inhabitants.

You call it heaven. Yet the people of heaven are struggling to be understood.

You want to fight to retain the land. But will you fight for the feelings of the people there?

It's very much part of India, yet two more countries have their eyes on it and have each taken away parts from it?

And in this struggle the people of the land suffer!

Has anyone tried to understand how the people feel about being stuck in the fight of three big nations?

The inhabitants of the land get killed in the crossfire.

Some youth get depressed for not being understood and take to wrong paths.

And then you say -'See, this is what we wanted to prove!'

You want to be there in summer and enjoy pleasant weather and picturesque locales.

And when it's winter, you give them a cold treatment.

You kill them on suspicion. A beggar mistook for a militant?!

You ban sms communication in the land for security reasons further increasing the distance between their dear ones staying far away from them! Would you do the same in a city like Mumbai or Delhi? The people of these cities would have come on the roads in agitation and taken law in their hands! But can the people of that land do the same? No, cause they're made helpless. Their every move is looked at with suspicion. When we fail in our security, we resort to inconveniencing the people? Let us take responsibility for our lapses. When Mumbai was attacked, further steps were taken to tighten security and put stricter measures in place without people having to pay for it! And Mumbai is a city with a large population (whereas they are not as many as us)! And is this only because Mumbai is the financial capital and all the bigwigs lives are also at stake here?!

People visit the land, remember it, yet forget the people.

If there is heaven on earth. Yes, it's here. In our own country.

So let us treat the inhabitants of this heaven with more compassion!

Yes, I am talking about the head of India- Jammu and Kashmir. And especially about the people of Srinagar! God bless them all !

Picture : Shows a woman selling lotus stem (naadru) on the streets of Srinagar. This is eaten with relish in the land as a vegetable. Photo taken by Mr Shakir Kazi.

Train robbers!

Refer my previous post where I'd promised to narrate an incident which happened in my train journey on 19th Mar, 2010. This happened in the 8.34 pm Virar bound local from Mumbai Central.

The train was comparatively less crowded on this day. I went and sat inside. Almost all were seated in the First Class Ladies compartment except 2-3 females, who were standing near the door. One girl was standing very close to the entrance, though there was enough space to stand inside. My view of the entrance got blocked as a couple of ladies came and stood in front of me after boarding the train at Dadar. That's the general practice- people get in, check out who's getting off where and claim their seats accordingly. The train started moving again. A little further on, the train slowed down in between its journey to its next destination station. There was a signal perhaps. That's when there was a commotion at the door and a scream! Some ladies shouted 'pakdo, pakdo'. Just then a speeding train passed by in the opposite direction on the adjacent track. People screamed again. Next - The girl standing too close to the entrance in the not-so-crowded train was almost in shock! People were getting water for her. And all this happened in a matter of a minute.

This is what actually happened - As the train slowed down, there were two robbers, waiting on the tracks below. Their modus operandi is to attack female passengers in Ladies compartment when trains slow down and rob them. Here too, as the train almost slowed, two teenage boys jumped in and tugged hard at the girl's (standing near door) handbag. But the girl was smart and held on to her bag with full force! This took the person pulling the bag, by surprise. They were thin. This sudden turn of events alerted the women standing nearby and one screamt, 'Pakdo, pakdo'. This scared the robbers and both jumped out. Our train didn't pick speed immediately as the robbers had thought. This meant someone could catch them. So they had to flee. That's when the train came on the adjacent track. One of them ducked down, while one was confused. He started to run sideways, but fear of being caught by people in our train, made him change his mind in the fraction of a second. He hoped to run across the track before the other train passed. But his calculation went wrong and 'vrooooom'! The train passed over him. People actually saw that! What a waste of life over a few easy bucks!

In any other city or location, this would have been the talk of the town or on the front pages next day. But in Mumbai, this is part of life. This was seen, spoken of and forgotten next day. No females fainted watching the incident. The girl with whom this happened was dazed. Everyone tried to pacify her. They made her sit and gave her their bit of advise. Others as usual got talking. One female said that she'd seen the guy earlier. He was a guy of 17-18 years, thin. Once he'd got into the Ladies Compartment and continued to stand even after being 'shouted at' by the females in the compartment. She also spoke of how a similar incident happened sometime earlier also, where a girl's bag was pulled from outside. But the girl could not do much about it. These robbers usually attack girls hanging at the door with handbags, listening to music on their mobiles or MP3 player. They're so lost in their own world that they're too slow to react. The girl in our compartment was alert and so happened to save herself and her bag!

Another modus operandi of such robbers is to hide in the bushes or tracks towards evening and as the train slowed, to hit with a rod or stick on the hands of females standing near the door. In such cases, with the shock or impact, people tend to either drop their mobile (if they're holding or talking on it) or handbag. This is happily picked by eagerly waiting robbers!

There is even a crowd which hangs on over the roof of the train over ladies compartment and pulls gold chains and 'mangalsutras'!

Can someone listen to the growing woes of the women travelling by trains and provide them with some security?!

The Value of Life in Mumbai

Last Thursday (18th March, 2010) while coming home in the 8.48 pm Virar local from Mumbai Central, I went through a strange experience. I got a seat in the First Class Ladies compartment. The adjacent and visible Second Class Ladies compartment was very crowded. The train started moving. After a while, there was a loud scream-like sound when a fast train passed in the opposite direction on the adjacent track. I was trying to catch a little shut-eye after a hectic day but opened my eyes with a jerk. Some females sitting in the compartment I was in, were a little taken aback! We looked surprisingly at each other. I thought it was some boy or a group of boys in the moving train on the adjacent track screaming out while passing by the Ladies Compartment. This generally happens. Men screaming out at Ladies in the opposite train…

Suddenly there was a mini commotion in the Second Class compartment. We were still trying to figure out what had actually happened. Then there was a talk that a woman had fallen off! But the train kept moving and except a little talk, people seemed unaffected. Some of us were shocked to hear about it. Imagine you are traveling in a crowd and almost neat the footboard and the woman next to you goes ‘Plonk’ and down under! No one even pulled the chain or called for help. Generally women pull the chain of the train over petty fights within. But in such a situation everyone was more concerned about reaching home early! And this was like a normal thing in Mumbai and so one cared! We were not sure of the news as it happened in the adjacent compartment and there was already a crowd near the door of the train to figure out if anybody had fallen. Most had an expressionless face, as if trying to show that they had nothing to do with what had happened in case anyone questions them. No one gave a clear response to our queries.

A few of us were stunned and didn’t know how to react! Then the talks started…. In Mumbai, people only talk and blame. And when people talk, especially in the Ladies Compartment, it’s mostly unkind words. Whoever or however had fallen off the train was a female. And when a female is involved in anything, it’s mostly her fault. Some people started saying that maybe she had already contemplated suicide and hence jumped! A woman’s life ended in a strange way only attracted selfish and cruel talk. The girl sitting opposite me was angry at such loose talk. Knowing people’s attitude of meanness for getting space to stand in a Virar local, I thought to myself that someone could’ve pushed her too! And such things never get reported nor booked. People, who see such things, act ignorant to avoid police enquiries later. Anything was possible. We neither saw the lady nor could ascertain if such a thing actually had happened.

Then suddenly we heard a voice of a woman in the adjacent compartment trying to call the Railway Helpline (whose numbers are prominently displayed inside the compartments) and inform them about the incident. But she only ended in screaming and answering irrelevant questions and maybe faced network problem later! Nothing came out of it. It appeared that there was unclear response from the other end. So neither was the Railway interested nor concerned. Maybe for them it was just another of the several such incidents which keep happening in crowded Mumbai locals! And for that they didn’t want any services to be disrupted and further invite the wrath of the frustrated Mumbai crowd! Listening to that, the female next to me started speaking. Seeing our shocked and sorry expressions, she said that these kinds of incidents are regular to Mumbai and no one bothers about them and they keep happening. She asked us not to get upset by such things. Then she started her story. She had moved to Mumbai a few years back. When she was pregnant and in her seventh month, a man had almost pushed her while getting into the train. And when she had fallen down, the some ladies stamped her and got into the train. No one bothered to help her. Everyone was only concerned about getting into a crowded local. That’s was her first taste of the heartless nature of Mumbai. After that she said that she’s seen several such incidents and by now she doesn’t react to any.

Then she went on to narrate a few. As we all know, the new tracks laid have 25000 volts power in the overhead electric wires. The Railway keeps announcing the same time and again and also keeps warning people not to travel on the roof of the train. But every human being has the tendency to believe that nothing can happen to him / her. We are always used to seeing others in the news that we cannot imagine ourselves in that position. So some smart alecs also travel on the train roofs, quite sure that they’ll be safe. The female next to me went on to relate such an incident where she saw a man position himself between the space of two bogies since not traveling on the roof was announced. The train started and man was sucked up and stuck to the overheard wire and electrocuted! She also narrated a similar incident, when she and her friend boarded a train from Andheri station and suddenly there was smoke. Many women were scared and jumped off the train only to realize that a man had got stuck to the overhead electric wire. That’s where the smoke was coming from!

People kept talking amongst themselves and sharing their strange train traveling experiences. Then when their stations arrived, people got off the train. The life lost was almost forgotten….

The next day, a stranger incident happened in my train journey…. Keep watching this space for details!

Image taken from : soundsgood.in/crowded-train-travel-in-india/

Splurging people's money!

Gosh ! Mayawati's massive money garland has been the talk of recent times! First almost spoiling the backdrop of Taj Mahal in the Taj corridor issue, her birthday dramas, the self statues, then elephant statues.... she's always in the news for all the wrong reasons! Yet she cries foul on being questioned and talks about Dalit issues!

She splurges money on non-development . Her birthdays can cause a hole in many pockets and once it even reportedly cost someone his life for not contributing for the cause! A party worker even wanted to present her with a plot on the moon, it is heard. Her self -obsession has seen lots of money being spent on making her own statues! It's very rare to see statues of live people, that too build by themselves. This might have happened during the rule of Emperors and the like... and later destroyed by new kings or rulers! I wonder if we even have enough statues of great people of our country. And one cannot hope to go down history as a great leader just by many huge statues! Nor do statues make a person big or small, it's one's deeds which people remember. In history, all this might go down as a piece of 'gimmick'. If self-statues weren't enough, we next heard of the party symbol- 'Elephant' being immortalised ! And now we have crores of rupees being spent in the name of the party's 25th anniversary celebrations through garlands and rallies and other expenses! And whose money is this? State money, which is 'people's money'. And when it's people money, it calls for 'Right to Information' (RTI) on how the BSP funds are being handled. The other enquiries and probes come later.

Whenever Mayawati is questioned about anything or not considered for any position or role, she starts screaming 'Dalit, Dalit'. But why does she not think of the starving, hungry children of the Dalits when her party workers waste money on merry-making and rallies and statues! The unemployed Dalit men and women can be employed within the villages through Small Scale Industries and Welfare Projects with the crores of money, which is spent elsewhere. Why doesn't the Dalit community itself voice their concerns over using their name just to come to power? Or is the community made to think that their place is where it is and they should not expect more than what is given to them! Most caste divides were made by the rich, powerful and the religious leaders themselves to show their supremacy... and it seems to continue to this day! If the Dalits are given good jobs, money etc then on whose name will these parties earn their votes???

Click on below link to view the various times Madam M has been in the news

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/tag/mayawati

Most Eligible Bachelor indeed !

I’ve caught a few moments from the recently concluded ‘Rahul Mahajan Swayamvar’. It projected him like the most eligible bachelor in India. We all know his past antics – his drug abuse, wife abuse, his career which didn’t take off, his behaviour with 2 girls on Big Boss! But when you saw the girls who were eager to be his better half, they were mostly models and actresses who were used to limelight and being in the news. I don’t know much about all the contestants (as I didn’t follow the programme properly), but I guess only Nikunj was a non actor. You want good people to win most contests, but in this case I am happy she was not selected. Maybe in the long run she too will realize that. Rahul’s behaviour throughout the show appeared very un-gentlemanly!

I saw the Sangeet programme on 5th March, more so because it was a glamour event and had some dhamaal masti. I also caught the final moments of the actual garlanding of the bride, followed by the wedding ceremony on 6th March. Maybe Rahul has finally found his match this time around (literally)!

I don’t know what others think, but according to me the entire concept of a having a 'swayamwar' for a boy is somewhat incorrect. That too in Indian society, where failed engagements and broken rishtas can cost a girl a lifetime of non-marriage! What surprises me is that these girls’ families allow their daughters to break their own heart. The purpose of a swayamwar was originally for a girl from a princely family to select the most eligible bachelor. In those days, females never openly spoke out their choice, so ‘swayamwar’ came to the rescue, where the best men were chosen to participate. This 'reversed swayamwar' of Rahul Mahajan made a mockery of giving girls a right to choose. The first and second swayamwar were both a way of adding adult contents on television in the disguise of Indian culture. Having mehndi and sangeet ceremony with three people of the opposite sex is kinda kinky! And I find the participation of the respective families in all this nautanki including the final function even more stupid, where two people walk home feeling small and heart-broken! The selection (or swayamwar) should be earlier followed by sangeet and finally marriage with the selected person. Because in the end, you never know whether to treat the final wedding party as a celebration of the new couple or a mockery of the non-selected ones !

How movies influence kids !

My sister’s nephew, who is in 2nd standard, is a big Salman Khan fan. He loved the movie ‘Wanted’ very much. He lives in Baroda. One day he was making plans with his friends for playing. His mom told him not to go anywhere as he had not done his studies. Suddenly he gave a look to his Mom and came close to her. Then he blurted out, ‘Maine ek baar commitment kardi toh fir main apni bhi nahin sunta!’ – a dialogue straight out of the Salman starrer ‘Wanted’!!! (meaning – ‘once I make a commitment, then I don’t even listen to myself’.)

The birth of Christ and Yaum-e-Ashura

Today is Christmas throughout the world. People know 25th Dec as the day Jesus (Isaa Alaihissalaam) was born. But how many of us know that according to the Islamic calender, Prophet Isaa was born on the 10th day of Muharram ? That's on Ashura day. Ashura is not only the day Isaa A S was born but also the same day when he was taken up to the heavens.

Many of us just associate Ashura (the 10th of Muharram) with only the martyrdom of Hazrat Hussain (grandson of Prophet Muhammad S A S). But what many Muslims also do not know is that the importance of Ashura extends even beyond that. This day has always been an important day in the history of the world and religion.

On this day Prophet Hazrat Adam A S was created. And also Prophet Ibrahim A S (Abraham) born on this day. The ark of Prophet Nooh A S (Noah) halted at mountain Judi on the 10th day of Muharram. The heavens, earth, sun, moon, stars and paradise were also created on Ashura. Apart from this, many more religious events have taken place on this day.

Muharram is the 1st month of the Islamic calender. From the 1st to 10th day the most important battle of 'Karbala' was fought against 'Yazeed', a cruel king who believed himself to be God. This battle ended with Ashura, where Hazrat Hussain was martyred. Soonafter, Yazeed was also defeated and people were saved from the clutches of a cruel and evil king. From 1st to 10th, many muslims remember the martydom of Hazrat Hussain and the troubles the family of our beloved prophet went through in the battle of Karbala when they were denied food and water. That is why in many places you will find the 'Sabeel' installed to serve water to travellers so that no one goes thirsty. Sabeel comes from the arabic word meaning 'spring'. The sherbet many make on the last day is also symbolic of water. Over the period of time, the plain sweet sherbet has been modified to milk sherbet with crushed dry fruits thrown it for flavour. Some kids in Muslim mohallahs collect money to make huge tanks of sweet sherbet, mixing the sugar n water concoction for hours through the previous night (till wee hours of morning) before the colour, flavours and garnishings are thrown in. It is then distributed to all. Though there are certain sections of Muslims who raise eyebrows over the practice. But here I'd like to say that though Hazrat Hussain A S was martyred, it showed many Muslims the right path and they chose not to follow Yazeed. So in a way it was also a kind of victory too.

Also, we see many Muslim households make 'kichda' during Muharram and many (including some Muslims) wonder why! What is 'kichda'? Kichda is a mixture of wheat, rice, dals/ pulses, meat thrown together and cooked for hours till it is soft. It is made in various ways. This is also symbolic practice because it is believed that during the battle of Karbala, when they was nothing much left to eat, the leftovers of all grains and food available with the people were mixed and cooked. All these are ways of rememberance. Of course, no way of remembrance can be better than prayer and fasting (which is advised for two days on 9th and 10th day or on 10th and 11th day). Though Sunnis end their sad remembrance of the battle with Ashura (10th day of Muharram), the Shias continue to mourn throughout the entire month of Muharram. And some extend it for another additional ten days.

Ashura is on Monday (28th Dec). It is a day of great significance. My Dad used to always say - 'One should not work on the day of Muharram'. Thankfully, Govt has declared the holiday at the last moment, else I would have taken a day off, anyways!

Also refer to my earlier article dated 20th Jan 2008 : http://myjourney-shagufta.blogspot.com/2008/01/ashura-10th-day-of-muharram.html

2nd pic courtesy : my.opera.com

Hurry more, Care Less!

In Mumbai running, rushing and pushing seems to be the order of the day. Here everyone seems to be running, sometimes making us wonder- ‘what for?’ Everyone tries to show that he/ she is more in a hurry than the others, often giving a cold stare to people who appear to be at a slower pace or at leisure. Most of us rush in or out as soon as the train or bus stops, seldom bothered about hurting or pushing others while doing so. Some even pinch, nudge and push others to get into a crowded train. While some others try to get alongwith 2-3 others even when we know that only one can pass at a time through the space available.

Just imagine what all this would look like if the same is applied to an aeroplane? Wouldn’t the same behaviour make you appear rowdy and indisciplined? Ha !

On my recent trip to Srinagar and back via Delhi with Mom and bro-in-law, we had a taste of Mumbaikars’ ‘hurry more, care less’ attitude. We had booked round trip for three through Spice Jet.

On our travel to Delhi to Jammu to Srinagar, we saw that most of the passengers (from Mumbai to Delhi, from Delhi to Jammu and even passengers from Jammu) had tucked all their heavy and big baggages in Luggage, while they traveled lite with small baggage in the ‘cabin luggage’. Everyone had ample space in their respective luggage area over their seats to keep their hand baggage. The same was also seen in our return journey from Srinagar to Delhi.

Now comes the Delhi to Mumbai part, where mostly people from Mumbai were headed. In most flights, you coolly get in and walk towards your allotted seat. But in the Delhi-Mumbai flight, there was chaos as soon as we got in. Majority of the people were carrying heavy luggage as ‘hand baggage’, (probably to avoid waiting for 15-30 mins extra claiming the luggage back on the conveyor belt). Because of this, people were blocking the aisle figuring where to keep their baggage as they had used their allotted space and were looking for empty space over other passengers’ seats. And the cabin crew was also pushing (or rather, stashing) people’s luggage in available empty spaces. Due to this, we had to wait in the aisle and then slowly find our way to our seats, only to find our luggage area occupied. Thankfully, we were carrying only our purses in hand and all other baggage in ‘Luggage’ for our as well as others convenience.

Here, the people were acting smart and ‘know all’ since we were from Mumbai, after all! People continued to talk on their mobiles even when mobiles were asked to be switched off. One person was listening to FM on his mobile and when the Air Hostess asked him to switch it off he continued to argue that he was only listening to songs! Finally she had to tell him apart from mobile airwaves interfering with other signals, also if an emergency announcement was made, he would not be able to hear it. Finally the passenger was convinced.

Now comes the main part. This was a evening flight from Delhi (6.30 pm to 8.40 pm) on 9th Dec 2009 and most flights were delayed or cancelled due to cold or fog. But thankfully the SpiceJet flight was delayed only by 15 mins. Though the delay was covered in time, the aircraft didn’t get signal to land in Mumbai and was circling. Finally it landed at 9.10 pm. As soon as the plane slowed down a bit and tho' neither the seat belt indicators were off nor the cabin lights were switched on, Mumbaikars got into the act they have been used to over a period of time. Almost everyone was out of their seats, and trying to pull their luggage from overhead units. Since everyone’s luggage was here and there (also over other’s seats), there was a chaos again. One person who looked like an educated and decent person at least by face, was all over our overhead baggage unit and pulling out his stuff. In the rush, he dropped a heavy ‘small laptop’ (notebook) on my bro-in-laws head, hurting him badly. My Mom was very angry. She shouted at him in Hindi about being ‘Padey likhe unpadh’ (educated illiterates). And the cheek had the guts to reply back that at least no one had broken their head or lost a life. My Mom lost her cool and mumbled a few more words at him before reminding him that this was neither a train or bus, but an aeroplane. As usual everyone acted dumb and looked away as if they didn’t care (in typical Mumbai style) nor didn’t the cabin crew intervened. Mom wondered aloud what the people in charge were doing (hinting at the cabin crew). Suddenly two air hostesses came running putting all people back in their places and telling them to put their seat belts on as the aircraft had not fully stopped. It had just slowed down to take a turn and waiting for the runway to clear !

What was the rush for? Where would one want to rush at 9.10 pm (unless unofficially!) apart from home? The train rush-hour was over, the traffic jams would be clear by then. Neither had the aircraft stopped, nor the exit doors opened. So you could not even rush out! Even the cabin crew was not experienced enough to control the chaos nor could they alert everyone in time to be relaxed and seated till the right time. Moreover, why are big suitcases being allowed inside the aircraft as ‘cabin baggage’ causing a discomfort to those wanted to travel in peace? This happened on Flight no. 119

Is this what we Mumbaikars are all about?- ‘Hurry more, care less!’ Or do we think we're too smart to be bound by rules or care for anything?

Pic courtesy : http://www.airliners.net/

Welcome back!

Look at the sky in Mumbai two days back (on Sunday, the 8th of Nov). It was terribly hot. I was irritated with the heat. I was watching the sun about to go down, when I noticed the clouds. I exclaimed that it might rain. Though it seemed unlikely then, almost 30 hours later it rained during the night following Monday in the far suburbs.

Then on the morning of 10th Nov (Tuesday), the rain had spread throughout Mumbai. The weather turned cool, much to the relief of people like me who hate heat. Though it isn't raining heavily (and still is as I write this), I welcome the rains back to Mumbai. Don't mind having had to walk in the rains (sans an umbrella!) from work.

Sunset in Mumbai

Cool sunset pic, na? Pat pat!!! I clicked this snap recently. This is very much a part of Mumbai city as is me.