My 22nd grand amazing and surprising birthday

It was 22^nd birthday. The gift was not a surprise as I had already expressed my requirement. On 23 night I had to forcefully attend a marriage ceremony at Raghuleela. As a result of which I reached my place at exactly 12 am. Pooja had called me once and told that Prathik was waiting for e near my place. As I reached home I called him but he said he was in Vasai and was not coming. Then suddenly Nirav and Patel came to my place which I had not expected though was a pleasant surprise. As they entered my room they gave me as surprise gift. A chocolate flavor on the suggestion and choice of my gf. Soon in the night and Nirav was dozing off leaving me and Patel. We however fought with sleep till about 4 am and then our eyes finally gave in. the highlight of the session was advices given by Patel to use the chocolate flavor gift.

So that was the first session of my birthday. The next session saw the entry of other people like Sanjog, Anky, Prathik and Pooja. So that was it Pari had missed out due to her unplanned Gujarat trip and Nicky had missed out due to her late sleep. We cut pastry; I really don’t remember the flavor as I had not liked it. Then there was some photo session and then we headed for hunting for a roadside Idli-wada vendor. I suppose luck was not in my side and the regular vendor had not appeared on that day. After a discussion we went to Rujuta restaurant for a light breakfast, however some people mistook t for a heavy one leading to a bill of Rs 225. In the meanwhile hints from everyone meant that I almost knew my day plan, mostly I and my girl friend were going to a resort for the entire day. This was the end of second session.

I was left alone with my gf at Malad and then begun one of my most liked, interesting and frustrating session. To start with my gf was red with anger as I knew about her surprise. Then we went to Marve beach and committed what I can easily call one of the most stupid mistakes I have committed for a longer period of time. We purchased ferry tickets for 70 rupees (35 per head) and sat in the ferry going towards Essel world. After a brief photographic session we realized we were in the wrong ferry. Till the time we spoke to the helper in the ferry it was too late and the only thing left was to alight at Gorai and then take a ferry back to Manori. But as we reached Gorai my gf was excited to visit the Pagoda and I had to give in to her demands. What I thought was a 15 minute visit turned out to be a one and a half hour tour. My frustration level had already gone up till the time we sat in the ferry for Marve. An inquiry call to Manoribel resort made me realize the cheapest room which we were looking for was already occupied.

Mf gf to calm me down by offering another resort number. As we reached Marve the ferry to Manori was already about to leave. We got in the ferry and alighted to Manori. The expense of the ticket was just a meager 2 rs per head. That was a straight loss of 70 rupees during a cash-strapped period. We took an ST bus from Manori jetty and finally decided to go to Manori beach. But that was not our destiny and we alighted way ahead of the beach making it logically impossible walking from the stop to the beach. That left us walking in the jungle and my mind had given up on all the hopes of any privacy throughout the day. But then like an oasis we saw Palm Beach resort and inquired about the rates. They were a paltry 735 for 10 am to 6pm. We reached there at around 2.30 pm and the host showing his generosity allowed us to stay there till 9 pm. To add to it I took a membership card which would provide me a 10 percent discount during my next visit.

After a walk of 2 minutes we finally entered our room where we would be alone for the next 6 hours. So that was the destiny we had achieved. Though it was not easy but as it is said great things are never easily achieved and this was one of it.

What happen inside the room is not a thing I would like to publicly mention in this blog, so we would fast forward the day to 9 pm and our exit from the resort. A great place, which would definitely see me visiting it in the future.

So this was about it, as far as my 22^nd birthday is concerned. Thanks a lot to the entire Polla group for making my day and life wonderful…………..

So close yet so far meeting Bal Thackeray face to face

I still regret about the only chance destiny had given me to see and meet the Shivsena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray. No I am not a big fan of his that I would do anything to meet him, but still no one would be a fan of Dawood Ibrahim or for that matter our Prime Minister but would be interested to meet them if given an opportunity.

It was the case with me, opportunity was provided, as I had to cover an assignment of interviewing Suhas Khamkar a body builder from Mumbai who had won gold at Mr. Asia Championship. Fortunately he was a Sena fan and decided to visit Matoshree after coming to Mumbai. I along with my photographer were waiting outside Matoshree at Bandra and we had planned to get in with them as individually we would not have been allowed.

And then was the moment, I had entered Matoshree with my photographer after Suhas Khamkar's car went in. Many people haven't had this opportunity even after two to three year of their journalistic career but I was living it in the first six months of my career. After getting in I was talking to Suhas as he was waiting for the boss' call to meet him at his room on the second floor.

But then an incident that would make me regret for I don’t know how much time to come took place. As everyone was leaving a security guard told me to wait down and I like a stupid followed his suggestion/advice/order whatever it was...........

I was in two minds whether to go or no after everyone left, I even went to the first floor but then returned to my original place thinking that this is my first visit to the place and I must do whatever ordered.

I thought about it and forgot it, but as I reached office my seniors and colleagues made me feel like I have done a grave error and I should have called them or even the photographer to go upstairs. It was then that I had realized that this was an error and I could easily have got a page one story and some questions with Balasaheb Thackeray

This was the small journey of my opportunity and the missed chance that will haunt me for a long time. Again I would like to clarify that I am not a big fan of his, in fact I am a critic but it would have been great if I had met him.

An unusual Conversation

The following I had written for one of my friend's college assignment.... Its a conversation of a girl and a Police inspector, the catch here is the girl wants to confess her murder but the policeman takes her lightly......

Me – hello, hello
Ins – kandivali police station, who is speaking
Me – I am… I am…
Ins – yes please tell me beta who you are and what do you want.
Me – actually uncle I want to tell you something, i…
INS – yes dear speak out, first tell me your name
Me - I am Pooja, Pooja Domadia
Ins – okay now tell what you want to tell me
Me – actually uncle (takes deep breath)
Ins - yes dear say, don’t be afraid.
Me - I want to tell you something
Ins - so please say it fast I have other work also
Me – actually I have seen a murder
Ins - what! (Shockingly) what are you talking about?
Me - yes uncle I am not lying. I have witnessed a murder and that too…
Ins - hey kid see now I don’t want to listen to this non sense
Me - uncle (starts crying) please I am not lying.
Ins - okay so you are telling the truth
Me – yes uncle please believe me, I have myself seen the murder
Ins - okay so can you please describe the scene (in a sarcastic and joking tone)
Me – actually they both entered our house in the afternoon and attacked us, I went to the bathroom and hid in the bathtub and they didn’t came to know that there were two people in the house. So they…
Ins - okay so the murder has taken place at your residence. Sounds interesting, hmm… then?
Me – they wanted to loot our house but my mom didn’t allow this to happen so easily, so they…
Ins - so they killed your mom right?
Me – yes! They killed her with a knife; it was a sharp edged knife. Then they fled taking our jewelry and I don’t what other things
Ins – hey!!! (Angry and frustrated) enough is enough now I am not going to listen to this crap anymore, now stop it or else I will come and give you such a tight slap that you will forget to call anyone in your entire life. Stupid fools. The stupid parents just give phones to their kids and they keep on troubling us. If the next time you call me then I will catch you and put you behind the bars. (inspector hangs up the phone).
Me – okay then don’t believe me you rascal.
(Girl hangs up the phone)

Finally she laughs holding the knife filled with blood in her hand. Seeing the dead body lying near her she haves a sigh of relief. May be she was suffering from a mental problem and may the police inspector should have heard her.

Iksula – the bad Experience

The below post is written to describe the latter part of my job which was not the one we like for the rest of the experience I have written another blog. My first job was less of a professional world and more of an extension from College life with majority of young people of my same age. Everything was going well until a day when the boss decided to change the system and the Golden reason they gave for this was – RECESSION

So following is my time line and the unfolding of events with date and details.

13 Feb – The new policies were mailed to everyone. I replied to the mail to Tushar (my Team Lead) only.
14 Feb – I didn’t reported to office as it was my first Valentine day celebration with Pooja and therefore was fired from content writing and was told to concentrate only on Rambhai
19 Feb - I made a plan and force myself into content on the advice of Tushar
20 Feb – The social networking sites are blocked
23 Feb – Many useful websites are blocked and I wrote a couple of mails to Tushar
3 Mar –Mail saying that certificates would be required to prove medical leaves was sent to everyone. I write a mail opposing it and cc it to the entire team.
5 Mar – meeting for certificate and half days. I am forced to do the PPC campaign without having any knowledge of it, reducing my time in content.
6 Mar – our discussion about medical certificates carries no value as it doesn’t please Samar. I reply to that mail sarcastically. My 4 half days salary is cut.
17 Mar – I was shifted to Piyush Ramteke’s team for doing QA/QC work under Heena.
3 April – The whole team structure was changed and I was shifted under Mayur to do the SKU checking which was a purely Excel work.
12 April – I went and spoke to Samar about my dislike in excel work and interest in writing and he offered me to quit the job as Iksula didn’t had writing projects. I gave him my last day as 24 April but he made it 17 on the insistence of Piyush Ramteke.
17 April – My last day at Iksula and a grand party at Spirit where I paid 500 rs and night out at Sachin’s place where I, Vispy, Nikhil, Sachin, Harish and Vrushi were present.

Hence it can be said that out of the total 11 months the maximum things I learned was in the last two months.

The "GIRL PROBLEM"

“I have periods, I won’t be able to go to the temple”, “My those days are on, I can’t touch the water, “Don’t touch me my that days are on”. These are some statements that we listen very often from girls or women. In the term “we” most of them are girls as the females feel uncomfortable and embarrass to say it in front of guys or men.

From the traditional times there has been so much hype attached to the menstrual period that a women goes through that it has almost become like a stigma.

There is no doubt that Indian society is filled with hypocrites. On one hand we treat women as gods and on the other hand the treatment meted out with them is believe it or not "worst " to say the least. Even our pet dogs would receive a royal treatment than them in these days. You can’t visit the temple, cannot touch the god, cannot cook, cannot touch the water and a list of dozens of don’ts. But why the hell such a big noise on a God gifted natural phenomena is the biggest question.

We all see today girls following some of these so called traditional mannerisms, but you ask them why and you get some lame answers like it’s our tradition, it’s our culture, our elders have said this and such other stupid comments to the extent that its sinister. Now can you believe that a natural phenomena being abused as a SIN. I definitely can’t accept these thoughts and feel pathetic when I see my female friends missing the important things due to this stupid belief.

Some say that this was done in the older days as to give a rest period for women as they used to work a lot, but then how did the “not touching the god things” comes in? This just shows that some men (our ancestors) would have said this and this became a tradition. And now things are messed up to such an extent that the women work throughout the day and cannot worship the god. This is the height of stupidity and some self proclaimed modern women also believe this and follow it. The so called liberal media also don’t have the guts to challenge these blind faiths. It’s gone to such an extent that even to sell a sanitary napkin the advertisers show a blue liquid instead of the original red blood. When we can have open advertisements about Condoms, underwear, bras and panties then why shying away from this. If they are so uncomfortable then they should stop advertising them altogether or even better stop selling them.

I just want to ask that why to treat women in such a bad way to say the least, social hypocrisy at its best though. Would we have treated the boys or males in the same way if any such natural thing would have been with us?

Like Father Unlike Son totally unlike Grandson

Caste based politics is the mantra of modern day India. Well in this blog I would only concentrate on Maharashtra and specifically one particular family who proclaim to be the savior of Maharashtra. Till then all of you who has been in Mumbai for a week also would have come to know I am talking about the beloved Thackeray Family.

Firstly let’s take a look at the influential Political Family Tree of the Thackerays.

Prabhodan Thackeray, a father to Bal Thackeray and Shrikant Thackeray. Uddhav Thackeray son of Bal Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, son of Shrikant Thackeray.

Sitram Keshav Thackeray also known as Prabhodhankar Thackeray was a prominent leader in the formation of the state of Maharashtra during late 1950s. As per Raj Thackeray’s website he became a stringent critic of religious conformism and launched an attack on malpractices like tonsuring widows, untouchability and practice of dowry. He fought for people without giving a damn about their caste or religion. He would have never thought that his offspring would bring such a shame to his name.

Let’s take a look at all of them what they believe and what they do in the contemporary scenario. His son the infamous self proclaimed king of Maharashtra Mr. Balasaheb Thackeray is opposite to him in more than one manner. First of all is the formation of his party Shiv Sena, which is totally based on Hindutva, a religion. The base of the part is a religious discrimination and he and his men have done a variety of activities ranging from a igniting violence against the Muslims to encouraging Hindu Suicide bombers to dividing the people as per their castes. The agitations against South Indians, demanding money from Gujarati and Marwari businessmen and recently the fight against the North Indians. The latter is again a disputed territory with is very own nephew Raj Thackeray. Raj Thackeray the name has become synonymous to “Goondagardi” in the past two years or so in Mumbai. Threats, breaking glass windows of the buses and threatening the companies to use Marathi language in every work has become his fashion. This has helped in only creating a feeling of hatred divisions amongst the citizens towards a particular community.

I think both these uncle and nephew should take a look at their father and grandfather respectively and take a page out of his book about what is actual social responsibility and how to fight for the betterment for the society and not against it. Today both of them are fighting for the pride of Marathi Manoos and have totally forgotten what the real issues are. None of them have ever tried to provide a proper solution to Farmer’s suicide in Vidarbha, water scarcity almost throughout the state and lack of electricity becoming a grave threat worst day by day.

The aggressive brand of politics by these men has only brought disrepute to the state and the city and has just aggravated the problems instead of solving it. I hope people understand their selfish reasons and stop supporting them immediately.