Music banned from Vehicles ?

I was shocked to hear on radio today that Mumbai Traffic Police has banned Music from moving Vehicles ? And the logic provided by an official was that the listening to music diverts the concentration of the driver from driving to listening to music, thereby causing accidents on roads. They had no statistics to prove the fact. The RJ, Malishka, kept asking the official what was the logic behind coming up with such a law all of a sudden, to which we were informed that the law already existed but was being seriously implemented only lately. She reasoned that it was understood if someone was playing music loudly and causing nuisance to others, but this ban was ridiculous. 'Is it allowed at signals?' 'Yes', replied the official. 'Only not allowed in moving vehicles'. How stupid. 'How will you confirm if music is being played?', the RJ asked. 'Woh toh pata chalta hai na'. Another dumb reply. 'Was this a way of earning money by way of bribe, now that Diwali is round the corner', she finally asked in Hindi. The official kept quiet and justified his stand.

I was wondering - with growing traffic in Mumbai, which moves at snail's pace at peak hours and no good public transportation infrastructure in sight, playing music comes to the rescue. Else road rage with be a common sight. At least these music stations or songs keep your mood pleasant.

I tuned in to another radio channel, where another RJ Jeeturaaj brought up the topic but in a much diplomatic way. 'From where do you think the rumour of music being banned in moving vehicles started?' I dunno if he was asking the question to the same official. But if he was the same, he was smarter this time. He clarified that only loud music which caused nuisance to other pedestrains and commuters was banned. One could play music at a low/ medium volume. Now that was indeed a relief!

PENNY WISE POUND FOOLISH

Hey, some of us just to save a few rupees on CDs/ DVDs, go on and download entire movies, serials from the Net. And Indian net service providers do not provide us the speed wherein we can download entire movies in a matter of minutes. So we have to keep the download on for an entire night or maybe more for doing so. And while doing so, we do not realize that we are spending electricity worth a few rupees more or maybe equivalent to the price of the CD. And in addition to that, we are also wasting energy (electricity) and also adding to global warming.

So guys, think don’t just be penny wise. Be pound wise too !

Down with Fever

No posts since long since I was down with viral fever ! : (

Also working on starting my own website. Cool na? Will let u on the details soon enough.

A taste of Mughlai Cuisine at Delhi

I recently had a taste of authentic Mughlai cuisine at Delhi. I've been to Delhi two times earlier (once during college days and once a couple of years back) but never got a taste of the Mughlai food that it's well known for. We had stayed in RBI guest house in the earlier instances and had opted for Punjabi vegetarian food only. This time though, I'd been there with my brother and decided to stay in a Muslim locality and have a taste of the local food.

My friend and colleague from Delhi was partly our guide (on our earlier trips, we had no local to help us). We stayed at Hazrat Nizamuddin. And we were told by my friend that the best place to eat nearby was Karim's. I had never heard of it before. But my bro and me decided to give it a try as it was close by. It was near the dargah main entrance. The approach road was not so exciting. But since the place was recommended, we decided to go and check it out anyways. And then we saw a traditional place with the signboard DASTARKHWAN-E-KARIM. We didn't know much about this place until we went inside. It was a cozy and traditional place. It was Friday afternoon and the Jumma prayers were just over. It was empty as we entered. The menu arrived. It had a long story and history to tell.

The place was established in 1913 by Haji Karimuddin. His ancestor was a cook in the court of Bahadurshah Zafar, the last Mughal king. The fine art of mughlai cuisine has passed on in their family since then. KARIM'S is now a chain of restaurants and the first one was started as a Dhaba at Jama Masjid and is now famous there. There are a few more branches. The one at Nizamuddin is known as - Dastarkhwane Karim. The menu had published reviews of KARIM'S restaurants. The place has won rave reviews from TIME magazine, BBC, National Geographic to name a few.

I clicked a couple of snaps of the interiors before people started pouring in after the friday prayers. We proceeded to order Murgh Do Pyaza, tandoori roti and biryani. The Murgh-Do-Pyaza had a unique flavour never tasted of before. The tandoori roti was fuller than the ones we get in Mumbai. The ones I've been eating in Mumbai have been thinner and half burnt and somewhat 'rubbery when not hot'. But in Karim's case, just one roti was quite filling. The biryani was good. But not great. We came the next time around and had seekh kabab and Afghani Murgh masala and loved both the items yet again. Every item on the menu is a unique preparation and tastes great. The muslim non vegetarian restaurants I've tried in Mumbai have mostly the same base and something additional added to change the flavour a bit. And thankfully at Karim's the base was not 'besan'. We are from south and besan is not something I'd like to have in my curries and gravies. That's why I mostly prefer home-made non-veg food when in Mumbai (Mom's a great cook). The price at Karim's is little on the higher side, but it is worth the taste.

We also had a chance to dine at Saleem's Restaurant. This one's situated near Kailash Colony market. The place started off as a small roadside stall (dhaba) selling Chicken Malai Tikka and Malai Tikka rolls. And after becoming popular, it was turned into a restaurant. Even now the place is especially famous for them. This is what my friend told us. We took two plates of Malai Tikka. And the taste was heavenly. The pieces were bigger than we get in Mumbai and too soft and yummy. Something like I'd never tasted before. The place is also known for Butter chicken. So we tried that alongwith tandoori and rumali rotis. Here again the rotis were filling and good. Overall a good place.

I wanted to try out nargisi koftas and kababs while in Delhi coz never tasted good ones in Mumbai. Never ever tried anything at Mohammed Ali Road too as I am skeptical about eating from the roadside and also fear being served beef. My friend was to take us to a place serving good kababs, but somehow the plan didn't materialise. And kababs remained a dream on my tongue. Maybe on my next trip to Delhi, inshallah.

A Tribute to Dr Y G Benkar

I knew him as a healer during childhood. Always bubbly and sporting a laugh and a chuckle. He sat in the RBI colony dispensary as we grew up. We went to him with the confidence of being cured. He was smiling though he had his own problems (as we later realised as grown-ups). He was picked to play Santa in RBI colony (Mumbai Central) Christmas parties when we were kids and he looked every bit of Santa as he was rotound and pink. Of course that time we didn't know that Benkar doctor (as we called him) was behind the mask.

He healed millions caused he had that magic touch. If nothing else worked, his healing touch did. His dispensary was in Agripada (Mumbai Central). And when his RBI timings were over, he worked from his own dispensary. No matter where he sat, we went to him only as did so many others from our colony and elsewhere. He had a big heart too as he cured many poor people for free and gave concession to many needy. Thats why his dispensary was always crowded and overflowing with people. He didn't recommend operation and surgery and unnecessary tests unless it was required. He was always true to the hippocratus oath. Even after he retired from RBI services, we preferred to go to his clinic when we were ill.

He himself was caring for an invalid wife for many years at home. He had no children of his own. Many of the people he'd cured used to cook and send food to his house. It was their way of thanking him. He stopped practising from his clinic some years back as he was very old. But continued to serve humanity from his house at Grant Road. After shifting to Mira Road, we missed him a lot. Recently we heard of his demise on 8th May, 2008. He was 91 years. He will be remembered and cherished by many for years to come.

May his soul rest in peace.

I delayed this tribute (shraddhanjali) for a month because I didn't want to miss any points about him when writing it.

RAIN RAIN….2008

Shayad fir se who taqdir mil jaye,
Jiwan ka sabse haseen who pal mil jaye,
Chal firse banaye barish mein kagaz ki naav,
Shayad vapas apna bachpan mil jaye.
Happy Monsoon.

Yippee! Monsoon’s here. And as always it come around my birthday. Though there were drizzles on 5th June, the actual rains started pouring in on my birthday, 6th June. And it’s been raining in full swing since then.

It’s so cool now after those hot weeks. This year, the summer was the hottest and created a havoc with diseases. It even saw people getting chicken pox, which is rare to see in these times. But summer’s passé now. The last two days has made the climate very cool. It’s like nature’s naturally air conditioned.

People are already planning rain picnics to beaches and hill stations around Mumbai.

Monsoon’s wonderful. But Mumbai’s dirty roads and bad drainage sometimes irritate you. The railway services, which is the lifeline of Mumbai’s transport system is the first to get disrupted in the rains.

Just two days have caused havoc in many places. And this year very heavy rains like the unforgettable July 26 are predicted. Let’s hope for a wonderful and harmless monsoon.

Heatwave in Mumbai

Mumbai is going through a worst heatwave that I've seen. And it's a long one beginning March. People are having all the symptons and diseases associated with such dreaded heat. Mouth ulcers, stomach ulcers and burns, heat boils, bleeding, loose motions. Everyday you hear someone having one problem or the other. Older people with blood pressure problems are collapsing and being admitted to hospitals. Air conditioners are still a luxury in India. You can't sleep through the night with the heat bugging and sometimes even suffocating you. I just can't bear this suffering. Stepping out in the sun is like taking up an AXN Challenge. But then we should be rewarded for doing so.

While God has blessed the city of Delhi with rains after the heat and so also Pune with some of it, Mumbai is yet to bathe in the cool showers from heaven.

Hectic Week

Hmm.. the last two weeks have been busy paying several visits to Used Car showrooms till I finally found a car of my choice. A little savings and a little loan should get me my first car by the end of this week.

Another part of this week went in fighting for a cause for getting a Net connection for my laptop. More of it later.

So much to do. So less time. Tomorrow is another Monday but since UK/ US closed for Labor Day, foreign exchange market closed in India. That's less work for me.

So much to write. So less time. A new and less hectic job is all I require to write, write and write. And maybe start my own website.

Vintage Car N Getting a Driver's Licence

Ain't that a beauty? A vintage Chevrolet ?

It's housed in Hotel Ajit at Pune (near FC Road), where I'd been a few days back to refresh my mind from the stressful situations at work and in my life. My youngest brother works and studies at Pune, so he joined me there.

This car is always parked in front of the lobby entrance. This hotel is reasonably priced and that's why our family stays there when we visit Pune. I clicked the snap while checking out with the permission of the owner of the Hotel. People tend to be quite touchy about such prized possessions, so I didn't want to take a chance. This car is definately huge. The height and length is somewhere close to an Innova, though the seating capacity is like a normal car, only more spacious.

These days I am quite amused by cars. Especially since I started to learn to drive. Though my driving sessions were completed a month back, I couldn't get time for going for an RTO test. And since I was on leave, I decided to go this Monday (yesterday). My driving school has arrangement only on Mondays. I'd heard that driving tests were quite easy and 'andha kanoon' is generally practiced. I wanted extra sessions before I could go for the test, but unfortunately no time-slot was vacant. So I took a chance. I'd heard how officers just wait outside and tell you to drive. And pass you anyways. Of course getting a learner's licence is much easier. You give a theory test and I got full ten on ten!

I'd never been to or watched a driving test being taken. But I can say that what all I'd heard, does not hold true for getting a permanent driving licence. At least not with the young police officer on duty yesterday. He made it a point to sit next to every wannabe- licence holder and watch him/ her drive the car. He was very strict with all and had stern comments for nearly everyone. I was nervous. I started off well. Ignition... clutch... first gear.... releasing clutch slowly.... increasing accelator.... Suddenly the officer ordered, 'Second gear'. My heart skipped a beat. I pulled the gear back without pressing the clutch. The car started vibrating like crazy! He got wild and blurted why I should be given a licence! So I didn't get an okay. Neither did another female with me. But she could not start the car properly. At least, I was driving smoothly until that officer opened his mouth.

My driving school officials requested for a re-test coz I wasn't that bad. And I had to wait for my turn in the scorching heat till almost other schools were through. I was nervous and thirsty. The other lady with me was still not sure, so decided to take the test next Monday. But I wouldn't have time once I'd had to report to office. Three more guys joined from our school for a the test and were trying to boost my morale.

Finally my turn came. I remained cool, trying to ignore the presence of the officer. Ignition...clutch.... first gear..... accelerator........ And then he remembered where I'd gone wrong. 'Second gear', he blurted. Before I could go blank again, I pressed the clutch, went into second gear and smoothly drove. 'Stop at the side', he commanded. I moved sideways and applied brakes. No mistakes this time. He said 'okay' and signed my papers. That was a relief. I'll be holding a driving licence very soon. But as luck would have it, two of the other guys delayed in getting the engine started. And the officer could not tolerate such errors! 'Failed', he scribbled on their papers. So, I request everyone to take a driving test seriously, especially if you're affliated to the Thane RTO. Who knows you might bump into some strict officer!

Now I'd like to buy a used car to practice more till I get perfect. And this Chevrolet isn't a bad idea. At least not for me! But the owner might have other thoughts :)

Treatment for your Illnesses by doing Sujood- My version

This post takes us a step further from my earlier one and is addressed to all those people who think that the article The benefits of Sujood (Sajda or Prostration) is fake and the Professor/ doctor / scientist who has done research on the same does not exist.

Whenever we try to study or find out the authencity of a study or theory, our main aim should be to find whether the findings are true, but we try to find about the author. And when we fail to find out about him, we conclude that the study/ theory might be fake. This generally happens in cases when our mind works with the intention of proving something wrong. What we fail to understand here is that an author/ writer could be anyone. One day a layman might do a research and write about it. And also share about it to others. His credentials might not even be on the Net. He/ she might be a small time researcher/ scientist. I still know of some people who never or hardly use the internet. A couple of my school friends do not even have an email ID ! The world exists outside the internet, friends. And not everything that happens in every inch of the world might be available on Internet alone.

Coming back to the topic and the research of Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed- the findings state three important points (I am only listing the main points here) :

1) If you are suffering from exhaustion or tension or permanent headache or nervousness and if you are afraid of tumors, so all you have to do is Sujood. Sujood frees you from your psychological and nerves illnesses.

2) Any increase in the electromagnetic waves to which the body is exposed, causes disruption in the cells and consequently the human being is infected by what is called the diseases of the ear; such as headaches, muscles pain, neck pain, exhaustion in addition to forgetting things and non concentration. There has to be an earthling’s connection to free these extra waves and this is to be done by Sujood to ALLAH Almighty, as we are ordered. This process is done by connecting the forehead to the floor. In Sujood, the negative waves move from the body to the floor which is a negative pole. Consequently, the emptying process happens specially if you done the Sujood by your seven members (forehead, nose, hands, knees and feet).

3) The studies revealed that Mecca is the best direction to free these waves because of facing the centre of the Earth which is effective in freeing the human being from his grieves to feel peacefulness afterwards. That is because Mecca is the centre of the Earth.

When you read the entire thing, it is not as complicated as it seems like. Even a non scientist like me can use his/ her common sense and compare other related studies and come to the conclusion that this is true and proven. We have all heard of Yoga. I am an Indian, where yoga is the best form of exercise. It is the land from where Yoga originated. It started as a form of religious meditation and slowly grew as a scientific form of maintenance of mind, health and body. Yoga is now a well known branch of science and is proven for its effects in relaxation, weight reduction and cure of diseases. There are several 'asanas' (poses) in Yoga which have different effects on your mind and body. One of the Asanas is 'Balasana' (Child pose). If you observe this pose, it is similar to prostration or sajda or sujood.

Let me state the benefits of Yoga posture - Balasana (taken from a Yoga site) :

This is a good yoga position to relax in during fatigue. The knees increase in flexibility and blood flows into the mind.

Benefits : This pose stretches the knees and the lower back. It is a very good pose to do to get blood to the brain and is recommended if you have dizziness or extreme fatigue. You may want to open the knees a little more if you suffer from over acidity. This will create more room around the belly. It also allows deeper breathing.
Muscles tendons and ligaments in the knee are stretched. These are the patellar ligament, the articularis genu, the head of the popliteus, the tendon of the quadriceps femoris, the ends of the vastus medialis and the medial retinacular ligament, vastus lateralis and the lateral retinacular ligament. Further up the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus and upper hamstrings are stretched.

Blood Circulation :

Apart from Yoga, our own scientific knowledge tells us that blood should freely circulate through the entire body to keep all parts healthy and in good working condition. When our body movement is less (i.e we are mostly sitting or standing), we tend to get lethargic. Excessive sitting in one place for long hours without movement even leads to numbness and swelling in feet. This is because most of the blood settles down. It does circulate. But not as freely as it should. Hence movement of body is important to keep the blood circulating well. Head is the topmost part of the body. And blood cannot rush there. Because it will be anti gravity. When you touch your head to the ground, blood rushes to your brain and it makes you feel fresh or relaxed.

Centre of earth (Mecca) :

Proving this one was the difficult part. But my previous post proves that point also through the link provided (http://ilalliqa.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/mecaa-is-the-center-of-the-earth/). The research is beautifully concluded with the lines - 'We can say that every thing on and in the earth directs its face to Mecca where the Moslem Kabba lies , this system will go on , according to God’s will , to a certain time assigned by God , this accurate unwavering system can’t be out of a chance ; it is a supernatural power that made it and is still keeping it going on ? That is God , who rose the heavens with unseen pillars .

Interesting : http://diodati.omniscientx.com/2007/10/11/facing-mecca-in-space-an-exercise-in-spherical-geometry/

Is Mecaa the Center of the Earth ?

I was doing a research regarding an article stating ‘Benefits of Sujood’ doing the rounds through many emails and on many sites. Though many people appreciate the same, there are some people who think that the credentials of the scientist/ biologist/ professor -Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed cannot be verified. I had a post on my blog to that effect. I started by search for the professor without any major breakthrough. The only place I found the most similar name (of a scientist) was on the Egyptian Atomic website. Since the mails mentioned Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed as "Professor of Biological Sciences" and "Head of Food Radiation Department in Radiation Technology Center", his name being on an Atomic website made sense with the second half of his profile- Radiation technology. So I wrote to the email ID mentioned therein asking him if he was the same person and the research I was doing to find out the authenticity of the article. I did not get any response for reasons unknown to me. Scientists are busy people after all. Later I had some people even doubting if Mecca was actually the centre of the earth ! My love for Islam did not allow me to believe that. Some people though believed the facts from within their hearts were unwilling to share the same with anyone fearing Muslims would be called fabricators! Islam is already suffereing due to many misconceptions!

On doing further research, I came across this article/ research and I my heart was thrilled. It was titled -Mecaa is the Center of the Earth.
It is posted on a blog, the link of which is :
http://ilalliqa.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/mecaa-is-the-center-of-the-earth/

Mecaa is the Center of the Earth
Dr. Salih Muhammad Awadh
Iraq , Baghdad university , faculty of science ,
Geology Dept
Translated by : Magdy Abd Al-Shafy

Clink link to read article. Or search web with above details. Pictures could not be pasted. And the article is best explained with diagrams.

Anyone with any more information regarding Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed or his research or any additional information regarding the blessings of Allah, are welcome to share the same with me

Khwaja Mere Khwaja

Hindi Song Title: Khwaja Mere Khwaja
Hindi Movie/Album Name: JODHAA AKBAR
Singer(s): A.R.REHMAN

Khwajajiiii, khwaja
Khwajajiiii, khwaja, khwaja ji
Ya gharib nawaz
Ya gharib nawaz
Ya gharib nawaz
Ya moinuddin, ya khwaja ji
ya khwaja ji
ya khwaja ji
(Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara) - 2
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
Khwaja mere khwaja
Tere darbar mein khwaja
Door toh hai dekha
Tere darbar mein khwaja
Sar jhuka te hai auliya
Tu hai unalwali khwaja
Rutba hai pyara
Chahne se tujhko khwaja ji mustafa ko paya
Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara
Mere peer ka sadka
Mere peer ka sadka
Hai mere peer ka sadka
Tera daaman hai thama
Khawajaji
Tali har bala humari
Chaya hai khumar tera
Jitna bhi rashk kare beshak
Toh kam hai ae mere khwaja
Tere kadmo ko mere rehnuma nahi chodna gawara
(Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara) - 2
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
(Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara) - 2
khwaja ji
khwaja ji
khwaja ji ....

Truly lovely music and quite a mesmerising song, this! Check the video too on U-Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTzTnZYHIk0

Getting Hotter

Its suddenly getting hotter since the past 4-5 days. There seems to be no 'in-between weather' in Mumbai. And a cold climate just doesn't seem meant for Mumbai at all! And Mumbaikars like it this way only! Instead of enjoying the cool winters, many seem to like the hot weather. Not that temperatures would have even fallen below 5 degrees here or even below 8 degrees!!! I heard a few women talking in train that it was good to feel warmer and being able to switch on the fans! But these very people will start grumbling even when temperatures will soar higher! To each his own!

I enjoy the right kind of winters, which never visit Mumbai. This year was an exception. One can always combat a winter by wearing warm clothes, switching off the AC, fan etc. But we can't beat a summer! You have to bear it. At the most, you can switch on the AC. But only if you have one or only when you're indoors! Else you gotta get sweaty, dehydrated and tanned! And above all feel lazy and lethargic! I missed the winter which visited Mumbai this year!

Cool Mumbai

This year's winter has set a record of sorts, with temperatures in Mumbai dropping like never before. Mumbai does not enjoy extreme or harsh weather because it's on the coastline and has a equable climate. But this year's winter was (is?) at an all time high!

For the first time in ages, I've seen people happily shopping for and adorning woollen garments, shawls, mufflers, scarves to combat the chilly weather of the last two weeks. Mumbai has never seen such weather. Mumbaikars used to have a sweater, which they used to use hardly 2-3 days in winter or when they were down with fever! But this year forced people to shop for colourful and designer woollen wear, which generally people used to buy only while going for a trip to a hill station or on a holiday abroad! Even Mumbai men who consider wearing warm clothes or woollen garments 'uncool' were seen in warm attire!

It was really cold with breeze, making the weather really chilly. But due to the unexpected drop in weather in a polluted city, many people fell sick with heavy cold and fever!

People in trains, who generally fight for standing near the door to enjoy the breeze, were trying to close the doors. Those fans which rotated non stop in trains, were being switched off on request! Our office centralised ACs were either off or partly on, but we never knew the difference. And the best part was it was cold in the work area and chilly as we stepped out in the corrider or on the roads (whereas it always the other way round)!

On Friday 8th Feb, the Day temperature was lower than Delhi's temperature of that day. While Mumbai dipped to 8.5 degree celcius, Delhi was at 9 degree celcius!!! Just imagine the plight of Mumbaikars, for whom even 15- 16 degrees celcius every year was COLD !

I enjoy winter and loved it though I was down with fever initially. The temperature has now like a 'normal Mumbai winter' since last two days stabilising at 12-13 degree celcius (still little below normal for Mumbaikars) and the Chill is gone as the breeze has subsided, but these 15-20 days of chilly weather was a welcome change! It's still cold (though not like last two weeks). Let's see what tomorrow holds!

Learnt this Week

I learnt this week that :

It's better to be sick and in bed
than being sick and working hard !!!