Bye!! Mumbai! Bye!!

I am penning a blog with a heavy heart for the first time. Oh!! Mumbai!! Its time for me to say good bye to you!! I have lived in Mumbai for just six months but those fond memories would remain etched in my mind for ever. Mumbai is truly a city of dreams..a city that had nurtured and turned the dreams of many a aspiring professional into reality.

Mumbai with its cosmoplitan outlook would make a person hailing from any part of India feel at home. I cannot forgot those numerous evenings that i spend on the shores of Marine Drive and Mahim beach. These places stand testimony to my reflections on life, career and dreams. Those streets of Matunga filled with flowerly fragrance had left an indelible footprint on me. The restaurants of Matunga - Manis and Ramnayaks made my taste buds feel at home. Those siddhivinayaks and mahalaxmis satisfied my spiritual thirst.

The spirit of Mumbai is evident everywhere. The fervour of the Mumbaikars in celebrating festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Janmashtami, the numerous tamper free meter taxis, people standing in que to board the BEST buses speak volumes about the spirit of Mumbai.

I can never forget those friday nights that I spend watching new releases at Aroras, PVRs and E Squares. I can say without even an iota of doubt that I spend my happiest days of my life at Mumbai. Those CR and WR locals will continue to run in my thoughts. Its time for me to move out of Mumbai. Oh Mumbai!! though i take leave of you. I will remain a Mumbaikar at heart. Be it RBC!!Be it Poisson!! or Phoenix!! Mumbai truly Rocks!! Oh!! Mumbai!! Call me back again....I would like to be a Mumbaikar forever!!

She!!

I would never forget her in my life. i belong to those rare genre who does not like the philosophy of love at first sight. But she completely swept me off my feet when i saw her for the first time on May 27th 2007. It has been 27 months since i fell in love with her but those 27 months were like 27 minutes. Her girl next door looks coupled with her simplicity fascinated me.

She talks less. I talk more to her. She followed me to Bangalore too. There were numerous occasions when she had been my lone companion. For a boy who was away from home for the first time, she was a friend, a philosopher and a guide. She provided me the much needed mental comfort during my testing times. She was really nice to bear the brunt of my anger many times. She had a small quarrel with me and refused to talk to me for three days. Those three days were like three yugas!!

She moved with me all the way to Mumbai. She was my sole companion during the long weekends and long nights at Mumbai. She even fetched me food when I was stuck at home during torrential downpour. I would have starved to death in rain if she had not fetched those pizzas and parathas. There was a small misunderstanding and we broke up. I dated another of her kind. I really found her uncomfortable and the relationship did not last long. While returning from a party, i told her she is not for me and I bid goodbye!! I returned to my old loyal friend.

I promised never to ditch her again and she too welcomed with a smile!!

Hi friends.......wondering who she is!!!! She is none other than my Nokia 1110!!!

GOOD TREK!!

On a cold cozy saturday morning, Karthik and me set off on an adventure trail. We caught the Deccan express at 7:30 AM and reached Karjat at around 9:30 AM. We packed our bags with biscuits, chocolates, chips and energy drinks to keep us on foot till evening. A share auto took us to Kondawadi, a village 10 KM from Karjat. This village is our ground zero. From here, our trail and our tryst with Sahyadris begin.

Our trek was all along the banks of river Ulhas and the numerous streams that flow into river Ulhas. I was trekking after a long time..after 5 long years..i distinctly remember my last trek along the banks of River Coleroon. As we began our trek, we were greeted by an overflowing stream. We took some snaps of the roaring stream. Mr Rain lashed the area and we took shelter under a tree and munched some cookies. We trekked over a fresh water rivulet for nearly a kilometer after which my foot got stuck in a slush!! I removed my slippers, put them in a cover and continued trekking on the path which was ridden with pebbles.

Soon, we spotted a water fall. We meandered our way through a stream and reached the falls. After cleaning me of all the slush and taking few snaps, we headed for Kondana Caves. Now began our steepest climb. After having confined myself to four walls of my room at IIM B for last two years...i found it a bit difficult to ascend. i took frequent stops and guzzled pepsi to regain my lost strength!! After wading through numerous streams and after two hours from ground zero, we reached Kondana caves. A huge waterfall is at the entrance of the cave, The cave is to be approached through its side entrance. Kondana cave was once a buddhist stupa, now it is in ruins. This is the first time i had watched a waterfall by standing behind it...It was a wonderful sight!!

After spending some time there, we began our return journey..back to the polluted city of Mumbai. This trekking experience was awesome..After a long time, i breathed fresh air. I was far from the maddening crowd..the roar of the river still reverberates! Kondana is a wonderful place..the nature still very pristine and virgin!!

Missing those theatres!!

Missing those Old Cinema Theatres Badly!! PVRs and INOXs, despite the coziness and comfort they provide can never match the electrifying atmosphere that a old cinema theatre on a narrow gully provided!! I still remember those days..not so far...just six years before when I saw a tamil blockbuster movie in an old theatre. The audience welcomed the introduction of their hero and heroine by showering flowers on the screen. Each and every punch dialogue was received with a bang!! The comedy scenes were received with waves of laughter. The audience went frenzy and danced to the popular numbers. The comments passed by the audience were more entertaining than the movie itself!! Truly the atmosphere was rocking and in Ravi Shastri's vocabulary, it was "Truly Electrifying".

That old theatre was shut down. A multiplex stands there now. I happened to watch another blockbuster recently there. The audience true to their elite nature did not even laugh at the comedy scenes. Songs went by, fights went by,climax too went by....the audience were as muted as ever. There was no excitement in the movie hall. Blame it on the eliteness of the audience or the coziness of the hall that had put off the audience to sleep.....I rue missing those old days when the atmosphere in the cine halls was more exciting than the movie itself!!!

Caught in an Encounter!???

It was a rainy evening in Bandra. Around 8:45 PM, I caught an auto from my office to reach Bandra Station. I was just 4oom away from Bandra Station and the autowallah in broken marathi told that he cannot proceed further and asked me to alight immediately. I paid him the fare and got down. I walked down the road...Something was unusual....the road which would be swarmed by Autos and Taxis wore a deserted look. The road branched into two and I took the one that would lead me to the railway station. Suddenly, there was smoke around me....Some 20 men clad in uniform alighted from a truck and cordoned off the area.

There were screams everywhere....and another batallion of police personnels surrounded the area. There were some 10 people clad in their religious outfits surrounded by two rings of policemen. I was standing between the inner and the outer ring. Suddenly a shower of water drenched me completely. It was not like rain...the force was tremondous...I could see men in black suits with yellow caps climbing up the neighbouring skywalk....I have seen numerous cop movies and liked those encounter scenes very much!! But i never thought i would be involved in one!!...Those scenes flashed across my mind. The very fact that this was an area dominated by a minority community compounded my doubts..The noise of police siren filled the air.

There were announcements by policemen requesting people to leave the area immediately. I thought that this could be my last day on earth.I could hear a loud explosion too.

Then I turned my left and saw a flight of stairs. I did not even look where it was leading too. I climbed the stairs with full viguor hoping that it would lead me to safety. True...the stairs led me to the skywalk. Then I looked down and understood what had happened. A fire had broken out and the explosion was a result of the inferno. The shower of water was nothing but the water pumped to bring the inferno under control!!

True, it was a case of a mistaken incident!! I would never forget those few minutes inside the police cordon...I thought that would be the last day in my life..But at the same time ..it was very exciting too!! Being a police movie buff, all the encounter scenes flashed across my mind. The very thought of police opening fire chilled my spines but those stairs led me to safety. After realising what had actually happened, I just laughed at my imagination that ran wild!!

Shame on You Tamils!! Shame on You!!!

This is a writing rather outburst of a deeply anguished and disgusted Tamilian. What has happened to Tamil Nadu???What has happened to tamilians??? Have you guys become insane??? Just for a mere INR 500, you have voted for the wrong alliance that was responsible for killing of hundred of thousands of your own uterine brothers in Ealam. What a shame!!! This was the same state that boasts of Kanaikkaal Irumporai, the king who sacrificed his life for sake of honour! Do not call yourselves the inheritors of such a noble king!!

Congress is responsible for the ongoing genocide in Ealam. They supplied radars, maps, weapons to annihilate your kith and kins. DMK was a mute spectator to this. Its chief undertook world's shortest fast..lasting four hours!! to end the war in Ealam!! Did the war end there?? Next week thousands of our brothers were killed!! Despite seeing all these, you guys for a mere INR 500 voted for UPA. You guys even defeated the crusaders for Tamil Cause like Vaiko and D Pandian...Shame less act of treachery!!!

Free noon meal, free tv, free egg...now free INR 500...tomorrow even a free prostitute!!!- some body might offer!! U guys would definitely wag your tails for him!! Shameless!! Just a wait for a couple of days....the real genocide in Ealam would begin with the annihilation of LTTE!! Your brothers would be executed in large numbers!! They are going to meet the same fate as the Jews. Even you guys will pay a huge price for it!!!

US has clearly indicated that China wanted to dominate Indian Ocean and even conceded Pacific to US to dominate!! This will be a reality when China will take over Trincomalle harbour and the off shore rigs in Indian Ocean...Our enemy Pakistan will start perpetrating Islamic terrorism from Srilanka. Rajapakse will back stab India once the war is over. He will allow his territory for China and Pakistan to carry out anti - India activities. Mark my words......This will happen in another 2 years ......U guys will have to pay a huge price for it!!!!

Had the UPA government committed this crime on a Bengali, he would not have tolerated it. Had it done this on a Gujarathi, he would not have let them campaign in his homeland. Had he been a Punjabi, he would have beat him black and blue!! But you tamilians not only tolerated this but also gave those a renewed mandate......b coz he gave u an INR 500!!!!! Shame on you!!! Do not call yourself Tamils anymore and spoil the name of that classical language!!!

LK Advani - Sardar Vallabhai Patel 2!!!

Shri Lal Krishna Advani is Sardar Vallabhai Patel 2!! Both are Iron Men, gutsy politicians that India has rarely seen. Both of them deserved to become the pm of India. Unfortunately they were not Destiny's child. Things would have changed better for India had they occupied the highest post. Both were visionaries. If Vallabhai was responsible for unification of India, it was Advani who was responsible for rediscovering the spirit of nationalism in India. Both of them shared rare qualities, gutsiness, uncompromising attitudes and above all a deep sense of love for their motherland.

It was Advani who was responsible for building BJP from the scratch. He was instrumental in transforming an offshoot of BJS which won just 2 seats in 1984 to a party that won 182 seats in 1998. Unfortunately, he was mirred in the Jain Diary case and he refused to occupy any seat of power until he was proven innocent, thereby making way for Vajpayee to occupy the highest seat of power in 1996. Vajpayee should have renunciated his PMO for Advani after serving office for three years. But destiny did not make it happen. Gandhi prevented Patel for occupying the highest post. India's history would have changed had Patel made it. 

Deserving people do not make it big in India. Karna, Prithviraj Chauhan, Dara Shukoh, Prince Akbar, Vallabhai Patel, Rajaji and Advani....the list goes on...Advani's name no doubt would be written in golden letters in Indian History!! It was he who made India command global attention by going ahead with the Pokhran tests. The way he handled the global sanctions on India post Pokhran deserves appreciation. He was the braichild behind India's infrastructure development programmes like NHDP. His role during Kargil war is worth mentioning. he ensured that India doesn't buckle under US pressure bringing out his gutsy nature. He is a man of guts. He is a man of steel. He is a man of development. He redefined politics in independent India.

He is a great leader. He has also groomed several able leaders like Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Narendra Modi. He gave a new identity to Hindus. He gave a new identity to India. This man as christened by the media as well as decided by fate would remain the 'Eternal No 2'. 

Vallabhai and Advani both worshipped Lord Somnath. Both had their base in Gujarat. Both became DPM, never became PM. Both were truly 'Iron Men'. Needless to say.....Advani is Vallabhai Patel 2!!!

Hope his protege Namo steers India towards glory in the years to come!!!

Retail Investors - Exercise Caution!!

Nifty has crossed 200 DMA...English media is going gaga!! Retail Investors - Kindly exercise caution.  There ia an aura of pessimism around corporate earnings. There is also uncertainity about the outcome of LS elections. Indian markets have rallied more than 30% from their lows. Markets are nearing the PE level of 15. Given the current economic outlook and expected corporate earnings, anything above this PE level sounds unsustainable.

So, wind up your long positions, book profits. Markets will test 9000 levels again in the coming month. You can buy then. So, it's high time retail investors exercise caution and avoid taking fresh long positions atleast for a month till elections are over and a clear picture emerge.

Think!!

IIM Grads have jumped into the election bandwagon. People like Meera Sanyal and Sarath Babu have entered the election fray by contesting as Independents from South Mumbai and Chennai respectively. I appreciate their sincerity in thought in bringing about a change and reform the country. But can they bring about a change? That's a million-dollar question?

To bring about a change as a law maker, they need to win which is impossible. I request all such sanyals and babus to begin from the grass root level and bring about a change. Bring about a change in your locality. Adopt a locality. Leverage your contacts. Get the local community's support. Improve the infrastructure. Provide all basic amenities and transform it. Show case this to the community. Stand in the municipal elections. You will definitely win. Now do what you have done to your locality to your ward. Then contest an assembly election. Bring about a change in an assembly constituency and then aim for Parliament!!

The hype around sanyals and babus is bound to fade after their defeat in the LS elections. IIM Grads head almost all major MNC firms in India. There are about 1000 major firms in India which are headed by IIM grads. I request these honchos to adopt a village every year as part of their company's CSR initiatives. Improve the basic amenities in the village. Transform it to a world class village!! To begin with, they can adpot their own native village and change it completely!!

Whipping Up Passions!!

Jarnail Singh, hitherto unknown will be remembered not only for his shoe throwing act but also bringing about a turning point in 2009 LS elections!! His act not only reflected the sentiments of the Sikh community but also has the potential to change the outcome of LS polls in 21 constituencies spread across Punjab, Delhi and Chandigarh. Before a month, odds were 15-6 in favour of Congress. Now after this, odds might reverse - 15 -6 in favour of NDA!!

Similarly Varun Gandhi's remarks could possibly fetch another 10 seats for NDA in UP. Similarly, the ealam issue might as well take away a handful of seats from UPA. Nothing in Democracy is as strong as whipping up passions!! Historically too, Leaders have won just by stirring emotions!! Remember how Mulayam emerged by being an emotional friend of Muslims!! How Indira Gandhi won a election by winning a war?? As long as human kind exist, Demagogues will survive. Emotions and Passions will run the roost!!

For those who will not be stirred by these emotions, just watch this Tamasha!!!

Long Live Demogogues!! Long Live Democracy!!

The Bloodbath Controversy

Vaiko has been booked for sedition charges for his 'Bloodbath' remarks. There has been a hue and cry in the English Media about this. He will get away with this remark in the corridors of law. Even leaders like Kalaignar often use the phrases 'Blood Bath', 'Volcanoes will erupt if......'. These are common phrases in Colloquial Tamil. Remarks akin to this are common in almost all street and tap fights in Southern India. He will get away with his remarks!!!

Why did he utter this??

Simply for provoking his rival Karunanidhi and get incarcerated under NSA!! Remember the political mileage he derived when he was incarcerated under POTA for 19 months by Jayalalitha. He was the mascot for UPA in TN during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. He drew huge crowds wherever he went. He was the Star Campaigner!! Hope Karunanidhi does not commit a political blunder by arresting Vaiko under NSA. Srilankan Issue is all set to dominate the poll landscape in TN. Even Jayalalitha has mellowed down on her stand on LTTE and she is hoping to capitalise on the sympathy for Eazham Tamils which is prevailing in TN. 

Vaiko's speech is just another startegy to force Kalaignar commit hara kiri by arresting him!! Beware Kalaignar!! By bloodbath, he actually meant the defeat of UPA in TN!! Will UPA meet its grave??? Will this election turn out to be DMK's Waterloo in TN??? 

LS Poll Outcome

This is likely to be the outcome of LS elections as per my calculations based on the ground situations prevailing on March 31st 2009. TDP, ADMK and SP could possibly align with BJP post poll and Shri LK Advani should assume charge as the Prime Minister of India to lead India to its glory!!!!

Feministic Arrogance!!!

Poll pundits in TN have written off Karunanidhi in the coming Lok Sabha elections!! His allies have deserted him!! His governance's track record over the last three years is not worth mentioning. His so called betrayal of Lankan Tamils will dominate the campaign landscape!! Can he win against these???

Yes, he might manage to pull it off!! He might run away with 25 seats. Wondering??? How????. Feministic Arrogance!! Though Jayalalitha managed to snatch DMk's four allies, she may not retain them. Look at the shabby treatment she is meting out to MDMK and CPM. She can please them by offering 6 and 3 seats to them and respect their strength. But she is adamant!! There is a good chance that MDMK might leave the alliance, stand alone, draw a blank!! It might cobble up 5% of popular vote. That's enough!! With MDMK in its fold, AIADMK front will win 32-34 seats. With MDMK leaving it, it might win only in 15-20 seats. 

So Jayalalitha Mam!! Kindly shed your arrogance!! Do not listen to any astrologer!! You listened to them amd lost in 96, 04 and 06. Do not repeat it!! Give 6 seats to MDMK and 3 to CPM!! Respect their strength....Win LS polls!! Give a death blow to your rivals!!