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.

A dot, a stain and a blotch!

Bhala uska voting dot itna hot kaise?

Everyone seems to have forgotten about the elections which happened in Maharashtra on 13th October in the Diwali revelry.

This time the picture was slightly better than the Lok Sabha elections. The idea of keeping malls and restaurants and many public places closed in the morning seemed to have some effect. Also, the officers of the election commission making surprise checks on offices which were open was a good idea!

My youngest brother who's working and studying in Pune came to Mumbai to vote (as he did last time too). And so did my sister (who's married and stays not so far away) joined us. So it was like a family get-together. We three went to vote. My Dad had to go for his monthly review to the hospital and could not join us. And my Mom went in the evening with my other brother.

The trio visit in the morning was fun. We voted with a 'beep' and were happy with the way the lady at the booth applied the election ink. My brother got a call from his colleague as soon as he stepped out, so his ink blotched. When he realised that, he tried to mend it by wiping some of it with his right hand fingers. And you can imagine what it might have resulted in ! Stains on both right hand fingers too!!! I was happy with the cute dot. But I guess, I was happy too soon. In teasing my brother, my finger rubbed against the lock of hair which I was trying to put in place. So my ink turned into 'comet' shape. A dot with a tail.

My sister was smiling still. Because seeing us, she became extra careful. And kept her hand straight till it dried into a neat dot (check the pic) making us green with envy!

We three then went for lunch at a nearby restaurant before returning home.

Amination courtesy : Graphics on Samsung Star

The case of the missing seats!

Above : Seat 1
Below : Seat 2

This is a glimpse of Ladies First Class Compartment one mid afternoon!

It was captured almost a month back (in mid September) on my way to Asian Heart Institute, Bandra from Mira Road to see my Dad. I got a shock as I got into the Churchgate bound train. You could see one seat missing as soon as you got in. The shock doubled when I went to sit on the adjacent seat. The seat on the opposite side was missing too! So, two seats (situated diagonally) were missing in a single compartment!

One lady called someone in the Railways and informed them when the train was about to reach Andheri. But nothing happened. My mind was preoccupied with what was happening at the hospital as my Dad was in ICU after his coronary bypass surgery. I got down at Bandra.

Almost a fortnight later I again saw a missing seat in the Virar train while returning from office in the evening from Mumbai Central. This time around, only one seat was missing and the train was crowded.

Where did the seats disappear? Did it serve as a bed for someone or land up as seats on a autorickshaw?

Wake Up, Sid !

Watching the movie brought a breath of fresh air! And alongwith it, it brought sweet memories of college days (though it was not about partying and did not involve bunking) and life thereafter.

Memories of HR College. Friends. Life after college; the struggle to get a job; adjusting to life after studies; taking up responsibilities. All this from ‘Sid side’ of the movie.

More memories - Standing on own feet, being independent, making a name. All this from ‘Aisha Banerjee’s’ side.

The movie touched chords in more ways than one. The scenes from my college- HR; the dreams of Aisha; creativity. Though college ended almost 10 years back, the last 6 years of my life disappeared working day-night and being cut off from the world and friends. So all seems like a few years back (since I am back to living since the past 3 months).

All in all, I liked the movie. It wasn’t the typical movie, yet there was no dull moment. Konkona Sen Sharma as usual was brilliant. Only I felt that her character was in continuation of her role in LUCK BY CHANCE. Only this time the guy isn’t mean. But a sweet kid ! Apart from that, the movie has a message for students in the final year of their studies. No villains, thankfully. And no dramas! It’s a simple, fresh movie which leaves a nice feeling as you walk out. Go watch!

All the best, Ayan Mukherjee (he’s only 25 years, I’ve heard)! Waiting to see more light and sweet movies from your side.

Pic : wallpapers99.com

World Heart Day- 27th Sept 2009

Pic courtesy : http://www.asianheartinstitute.org/

The World Heart Day this year was extra special for me because my Dad underwent coronary bypass surgery on 10th Sept 2009 under the supervision of Mr Ramakant Panda (the 'PM's doc' as he is fondly called after he performed surgery on Dr Manmohan Singh sometime back ). Though he's a highly acclaimed doctor and is often seen on Page 3, he's extremely down-to-earth. As he's very busy, I got a chance to see him only once, when we went to consult him. He lets his work speak, while he speaks less.

Dad's fine and recovering at home now. I'd like to thank all the friends and colleagues (mine and my sister's) who donated blood for the surgery. They were more friends of family members who were ready to donate in case of emergency. A 'big thanks' also to all family members and friends who stood as moral support. Also all those who prayed for my Dad in different ways and always wished well for him - this was all possible because of you. The phone still rings non-stop enquiring about his health which, thanks to Allah, is fine.

The wonderful staff at Asian Heart Institute and the ever helpful doctors at the hospital helped in easing our worries. The pre-operation education to the patient and his family by the hospital prepares both mentally for the surgery. Every incision and tube as will be visible after surgery is explained in detail. The updates every two hours during the 9 hour long surgery of my Dad proved to be like a oasis in our endless desert-like wait from 6 am to 3 pm! Even while the patient is in ICU, counselling sessions (which include patient health updates) are provided twice daily for the family. Even the post operative sessions for patient and family are quite helpful in fast recovery.

From the liftman to the ward boy to the nurse to the doctors, everyone at Asian Heart Institute was helpful and always ready to guide and help us. This was definately in contrast to our experience in a well known suburban hospital we'd admitted Dad to earlier in August.

People warned us that the hospital was expensive, but in comparison to the services they provided and the technology they used ('beating heart' on 'Octopus' instead of the traditional 'Heart Lung' machine), the charges were nominal. And everything was covered in the bill. No hidden payment. And the bill was clean too. Refunds were given wherever applicable. The arrangement for a family member to stay back was good too. The top hospitals providing same services or technology charge more and some hospitals purposely elongate stay to increase bill. Though my Dad underwent 5 grafts, he was discharged in 8 days!

Like the posters of Akshay Kumar screaming out in the premises of the hospital, I'd also like to say - Dial 126 126 in case of any heart emergency!

People, do take care of your heart and your health

1) Keep your weight in control

2) Eat healthy

3) Exercise or walk a lot

4) Be stress-free

5) Don't smoke

Click link below for more information:

http://www.asianheartinstitute.org/html/heart_disease_prevention/heart_disease_prevention.htm

I've gained a lot of knowledge and experience about hospitals, heart diseases and people's reactions in such times which I'd like to share with all. But through a separate post soon, inshallah.