This is something I didnt want to post on the Bombay Diva blog although I should as it's more relevant there but didnt because it's not Bombay's fault that some people behave like this. The morning rush in the trains - the most efficient transport system in Bombay - makes women, especially, turn into broom-flying witches who glare at and attack anyone who gets in their way.
Yesterday, my husband came home from work with a story. It was after 10 am. There was heavy human traffic on the station platforms where trains stop for a brief 2 minutes before proceeding to their destination and other stations scheduled for a stop. A woman's handbag fell in the gap under the train and the platform and got stuck. My husband's colleague stopped to help her yank the bag out before the train left, blocking the people behind her. Two girls mauled her from behind and left bleeding scratch marks on her wrists and arms. Even after she got in the train and yelled at them, they were "shocked" at her language and asked her what social background she came from. She incredulously retorted with the same question, what social background do you guys belong to that do this to other people and she showed them the visibly bleeding marks.
Once she got into the office she was crying at the agony she had to undergo with the wounds and the mental pain of hearing the two women openly complain about her to each other. She found more scratch marks all along her back. She needed tetanus injections because the doctor told her that pus was forming around those scratches.
I dont know what's become to make people so murderous during the morning rush hour. Even regularly travelling people have to bear the brunt of such attacks: verbal or physical. It used to be a different place a few years ago and now it's come to this. This wasnt even in the Second Class with a whole section of people who might come down to cat fights. The First Class that usually stands aside and gives way to people alighting from trains (not ever seen in the Second class rush where people just stand dumbly in your way not caring that you need to get down at a particular station) had come to such blows.
I can only hope that this was one stray incident and those two women no matter how they were inconvenienced will not choose to retaliate in this way. They could very easily be in the same position and I hope that no one would choose to physically assault them.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Bombay Diva - a new adventure!
I have a million Bombay stories in my head but no space in my personal blog to write them all down. After all, the Idle Devil started writing her blog for want of a web space to call her own to just type what's on her mind; kind of an online journal or diary. Bombay Diva started when I boarded the ferry that looks at the island city from a distance. It took me away from her and something happened: I was speeding away into the ocean and at the same time, felt myself being tugged back by the city I was speeding away from.
I could see Bombay from a distance and could imagine what millions of migrating people might have felt on spying the Gateway of India for the first time.
I could see Bombay from a distance and could imagine what millions of migrating people might have felt on spying the Gateway of India for the first time.
I inwardly celebrated my good fortune of never having to leave the city for good. Every time I leave the house and travel to the city, I find my mind bursting to hold in a million sights, people, faces, things, stories, facts of Bombay. I need space to write them all down. So, I welcome Bombay Diva - the light that is my city standing tall and mighty on a global platform.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
I aced the interview!
Did I tell you about the interview I had submitted for review? The writing workshop had an interview piece that we each had to do - we could select the person to interview. I wanted to interview Abodh Aras, CEO of Welfare of Stray Dogs. Interviewing someone approachable, interesting and passionate about his cause was quite an experience: rewarding in more ways than one. I had a glimpse of the crusade he's on - controlling stray dog population and sterilizing, vaccinating them, giving them first aid - and the effort he puts in every single day for a cause that's one of a kind. It took me more than a day to sit down and condense everything to 10 questions, which was the submission limit. Quite naturally, the questions flowed well and gave an idea of a continuous conversation rather than a disjointed question answer session.
I got a "Well Done" by the reviewer. She also observed that I did my homework well before going for the interview. It put me in a great mood all of Sunday.
It reminded me of that day when I left home at 7:15 am to get the bus that would take me to Churchgate. The office was at Kalaghoda, the art destination of Mumbai. I had to wait an hour before I could go and interview him and not one restaurant was open, there was no place to sit down and read my newspaper. Only juice and sandwich stalls were open, as were newstands. Tea and idli sellers roamed the streets with their stainless steel containers, often parking at a spot where early office goers swarmed like flies to catch a hot cuppa chai or a steaming idli and green coconut chutney before they clocked in. Tiny offices, tucked away in crumblingly old buildings. I climbed treacherously old wooden stairs to reach the office where I waited in the hot, unventilated passage before Abodh came in to unlock the office door.
He swiftly ushered me into the visitors room and sat in a chair and gave me an anticipative look which signalled me to start the interview right there. I didnt know how an hour passed and then a few minutes more before I shut my notebook and thanked him for giving me his time. He noted down my email address and also my blog address which I quite nervously gave; it's quite a personal space. He blogs too:
http://strayingaround.blogspot.com/ (where he writes about Mumbai and strays in general)
I've been hunting around for his stray dog adoption blog but havent found it yet.
I'm now going to hunt for someone who can publish this interview.
I got a "Well Done" by the reviewer. She also observed that I did my homework well before going for the interview. It put me in a great mood all of Sunday.
It reminded me of that day when I left home at 7:15 am to get the bus that would take me to Churchgate. The office was at Kalaghoda, the art destination of Mumbai. I had to wait an hour before I could go and interview him and not one restaurant was open, there was no place to sit down and read my newspaper. Only juice and sandwich stalls were open, as were newstands. Tea and idli sellers roamed the streets with their stainless steel containers, often parking at a spot where early office goers swarmed like flies to catch a hot cuppa chai or a steaming idli and green coconut chutney before they clocked in. Tiny offices, tucked away in crumblingly old buildings. I climbed treacherously old wooden stairs to reach the office where I waited in the hot, unventilated passage before Abodh came in to unlock the office door.
He swiftly ushered me into the visitors room and sat in a chair and gave me an anticipative look which signalled me to start the interview right there. I didnt know how an hour passed and then a few minutes more before I shut my notebook and thanked him for giving me his time. He noted down my email address and also my blog address which I quite nervously gave; it's quite a personal space. He blogs too:
http://strayingaround.blogspot.com/ (where he writes about Mumbai and strays in general)
I've been hunting around for his stray dog adoption blog but havent found it yet.
I'm now going to hunt for someone who can publish this interview.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Living to the Hilt!
1. Finished reading 'Chocolat'. Loved the book. Cant wait to read The Lollipop Shoes.
2. Went to a book-signing event organised by Crossword. Orhan Pamuk was invited and was right on time, down to the very minute. Wished him luck and just enjoyed being around him and getting a personalized autograph. A Japanese woman ahead of us brought him some food and drink which he graciously accepted.
3. Had no Internet, frequent power cuts and a dead phone line for two days. Read more. Went out more.
4. Visited my old home for an overnight stay. Next day had a biryani lunch at my favourite restaurant. Only sad thing was they ruined Shahi Tukda.
5. Went for P's cousin's kid's fifth birthday party. They threw a bash in a party hall. Had a comedian who was more of an adult party item than a kiddy party item. The birthday girl wailed for a magic show.
6. P and I won a prize for dancing back to back. They had this embarrassing contest between couples and well, relatives were pushed on to the floor first! At least we won a Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar.
7. Lunch was fantastic. We all took huge helpings of a raw jackfruit curry. Yummy!
8. Sunday night dinner was butter chicken and chicken fried rice from Fishland! Of course, we also shared one slice of fried surmai fish.
9. Snoozed well. Woke up early today.
10. No work today! Free to play games and read some more. Am reading Perry Mason right now. What are you reading?
2. Went to a book-signing event organised by Crossword. Orhan Pamuk was invited and was right on time, down to the very minute. Wished him luck and just enjoyed being around him and getting a personalized autograph. A Japanese woman ahead of us brought him some food and drink which he graciously accepted.
3. Had no Internet, frequent power cuts and a dead phone line for two days. Read more. Went out more.
4. Visited my old home for an overnight stay. Next day had a biryani lunch at my favourite restaurant. Only sad thing was they ruined Shahi Tukda.
5. Went for P's cousin's kid's fifth birthday party. They threw a bash in a party hall. Had a comedian who was more of an adult party item than a kiddy party item. The birthday girl wailed for a magic show.
6. P and I won a prize for dancing back to back. They had this embarrassing contest between couples and well, relatives were pushed on to the floor first! At least we won a Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar.
7. Lunch was fantastic. We all took huge helpings of a raw jackfruit curry. Yummy!
8. Sunday night dinner was butter chicken and chicken fried rice from Fishland! Of course, we also shared one slice of fried surmai fish.
9. Snoozed well. Woke up early today.
10. No work today! Free to play games and read some more. Am reading Perry Mason right now. What are you reading?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Life's Just Great...
I utilized my time effectively over the last few weeks. The workshop was great, the group I was in was great; I loved the entire experience including my interview session with Abodh Aras, the CEO of a foundation called Welfare of Stray Dogs. He works with stray dogs in Mumbai, sterilizes them, does vaccinations, has educational campaigns for people to understand how and why not to get scared of stray dogs, fundraising activities etc.
A most interesting experience; one I would recommend to all budding writers or those who just want to re-learn.
Ok, I remember my promise to Reflections...here goes!
25 Facts About Me
1. I am a die-hard foodie, but I didnt need to write that...you know it already even if you've read just one post on my blog.
2. I love to build up stories, plots in my head and imagine them through to a very emotional finale...just cant write them down, yet.
3. It takes a lot of persuasion to get me to do something important or something that I know will take a lot of my time and effort.
4. I dont think I would want my child to make the same mistakes I did although I still think those mistakes were learning experiences.
5. I have a fondness for books about food, or has food in some way interlinked with the plot, more than books of any other category.
6. I think my world would be empty without good libraries, bookstores.
7. I dont really miss drinking until I see a bottle of Bacardi Reserva.
8. According to me, nothing compares to Bacardi Reserva, not spiced rum, not Old Monk (which I've heard, NRIs love to stock their cupboards with), not anything else in the world. I love singing "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" with ol' rum-loving Jack Sparrow.
9. I didnt watch the Academy Awards thinking Kate Winslet might not win if I did watch; because I thought that my not watching the Golden Globes gave her two (I'm sure this must be the height of conceit, but it worked!!).
10. I still dont know if I'm a coffee person or a tea person.
11. At the workshop, I was the only one who didnt have a strong enough opinion piece. I think that comes from sitting on the fence a lot.
12. I keep procrastinating (like this workshop thing I had wanted to do for quite a few months before I finally did it) and then when I do it I wonder what was all the procrastinating about. After which, regret sets in and haunts me.
13. I cannot stand ghost movies anymore, more for the sound effects than anything else. Also, if I see scary things appearing from windows or mirrors, I avoid looking at both in my room at night when trying hard to sleep.
14. I watched Bhoot (ghost in Hindi) movie and slept with the lights on for weeks.
15. I dont mind Chinese supersitions as much as I hate Indian ones...although most of the time, I think one can relate to the other; they have common ground at times.
16. I can worship Aamir Khan as the god of acting. He's made some of the most memorable Indian movies; one to do about an 8 year old struggling with learning disability (which he also made into a mission to educate go-getter parents with the ground realities of learning disabilities), one where he is investigating his girlfriend's murder while dealing with a memory that gets wiped away completely every 15 minutes, beating the Britishers at a game of cricket to win a tax exemption at the time of colonial rule over India, one about how a group of youngsters start to understand the freedom their country has gained by stepping into the shoes of freedom fighters for a televised play.
17. I have understood love the hard way. I am blessed with it only after knowing its worth; I am glad for I know that now I will be able to guard it with my life.
18. Music can make me write of my emotions more fluidly than a complete pin-drop silence.
19. I identify with Miranda in Sex and the City although my childhood friends might identify me with Charlotte a lot more.
20. Music and books can take me to places I never imagined I'd visit.
21. I love fiercely and passionately even though on the surface, I seem more like still water: no ripples, no waves.
22. I love reading about others' lives and daily stories more than I love writing about my own.
23. To people I admire or learn from, I seem more submissive than I am.
24. I especially miss my home when I hear tea being passed around.
25. Nostalgia hits me more now than it used to before. Makes me realize I'm getting older.
Well, what do you know...this was easier than it looked. Music helped, too. :-)
A most interesting experience; one I would recommend to all budding writers or those who just want to re-learn.
Ok, I remember my promise to Reflections...here goes!
25 Facts About Me
1. I am a die-hard foodie, but I didnt need to write that...you know it already even if you've read just one post on my blog.
2. I love to build up stories, plots in my head and imagine them through to a very emotional finale...just cant write them down, yet.
3. It takes a lot of persuasion to get me to do something important or something that I know will take a lot of my time and effort.
4. I dont think I would want my child to make the same mistakes I did although I still think those mistakes were learning experiences.
5. I have a fondness for books about food, or has food in some way interlinked with the plot, more than books of any other category.
6. I think my world would be empty without good libraries, bookstores.
7. I dont really miss drinking until I see a bottle of Bacardi Reserva.
8. According to me, nothing compares to Bacardi Reserva, not spiced rum, not Old Monk (which I've heard, NRIs love to stock their cupboards with), not anything else in the world. I love singing "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" with ol' rum-loving Jack Sparrow.
9. I didnt watch the Academy Awards thinking Kate Winslet might not win if I did watch; because I thought that my not watching the Golden Globes gave her two (I'm sure this must be the height of conceit, but it worked!!).
10. I still dont know if I'm a coffee person or a tea person.
11. At the workshop, I was the only one who didnt have a strong enough opinion piece. I think that comes from sitting on the fence a lot.
12. I keep procrastinating (like this workshop thing I had wanted to do for quite a few months before I finally did it) and then when I do it I wonder what was all the procrastinating about. After which, regret sets in and haunts me.
13. I cannot stand ghost movies anymore, more for the sound effects than anything else. Also, if I see scary things appearing from windows or mirrors, I avoid looking at both in my room at night when trying hard to sleep.
14. I watched Bhoot (ghost in Hindi) movie and slept with the lights on for weeks.
15. I dont mind Chinese supersitions as much as I hate Indian ones...although most of the time, I think one can relate to the other; they have common ground at times.
16. I can worship Aamir Khan as the god of acting. He's made some of the most memorable Indian movies; one to do about an 8 year old struggling with learning disability (which he also made into a mission to educate go-getter parents with the ground realities of learning disabilities), one where he is investigating his girlfriend's murder while dealing with a memory that gets wiped away completely every 15 minutes, beating the Britishers at a game of cricket to win a tax exemption at the time of colonial rule over India, one about how a group of youngsters start to understand the freedom their country has gained by stepping into the shoes of freedom fighters for a televised play.
17. I have understood love the hard way. I am blessed with it only after knowing its worth; I am glad for I know that now I will be able to guard it with my life.
18. Music can make me write of my emotions more fluidly than a complete pin-drop silence.
19. I identify with Miranda in Sex and the City although my childhood friends might identify me with Charlotte a lot more.
20. Music and books can take me to places I never imagined I'd visit.
21. I love fiercely and passionately even though on the surface, I seem more like still water: no ripples, no waves.
22. I love reading about others' lives and daily stories more than I love writing about my own.
23. To people I admire or learn from, I seem more submissive than I am.
24. I especially miss my home when I hear tea being passed around.
25. Nostalgia hits me more now than it used to before. Makes me realize I'm getting older.
Well, what do you know...this was easier than it looked. Music helped, too. :-)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
My Workshop!
I finally started attending the workshop and had been too busy with assignments to post anything about it. I loved everything about it, others who'd come for the workshop were friendly and buzzing with ideas, which made discussions lively and interesting. There was such diversity: a lady working at the Mumbai airport, a stay-at-home expecting mother, a French teacher in the making, a student freshly out of school starting his first year in college. Yet, each was communicative and had loads of interesting stuff to contribute and we didnt realise how fast time sped by and it was already 2:30 pm: time to go!
We got a free-flow exercise called I, Me, Myself with a twist where we had to write about our own selves. There was no word limit, we just had to be honest and express ourselves on paper. This was the first exercise, before we attempted any other form of writing.
Other assignments include an opinion piece, a story and an interview. All to be done before the 25th. I spent yesterday going through a lot of websites to research my opinion piece. Once I'm done I'll let you know how and what it was. Until then, I'm with my nose to the grindstone, trying to meet my deadlines.
Reflections: I know you'll be looking for me to post 25 facts about myself. I will do it really, really soon...like perhaps over the weekend. Watch this space for more :-)
We got a free-flow exercise called I, Me, Myself with a twist where we had to write about our own selves. There was no word limit, we just had to be honest and express ourselves on paper. This was the first exercise, before we attempted any other form of writing.
Other assignments include an opinion piece, a story and an interview. All to be done before the 25th. I spent yesterday going through a lot of websites to research my opinion piece. Once I'm done I'll let you know how and what it was. Until then, I'm with my nose to the grindstone, trying to meet my deadlines.
Reflections: I know you'll be looking for me to post 25 facts about myself. I will do it really, really soon...like perhaps over the weekend. Watch this space for more :-)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Valentinis: Valentine's Day posts
Ok, so my previous post for Valentine's Day was a bit serious and thought-inducing. For today's post, I want to post anything you've got that's even remotely connected to Valentine's Day; a funny post about it, rantings, stories, anecdotes...anything. As long as it concerns the festival of hearts, I'd love to link your story to mine.Two blogs I found containing V-Day posts:
V-Day from the wait staff's perspective
A collection of NY hearts from Parisbreakfasts
My V-Day story
My most memorable V-Day was spent with my best friend. We were both single at the time and thought of going out together on V-Day instead of staying home just because we didnt have a date to go out with. We booked a table on the terrace of this seafood restaurant and decided to meet there at 7 to kickstart V-Day for singles' night.
We met at 7, dressed for a night on the town. Shown to our "table for two" the extra plates cleared away, we noticed candlelight on the other occupied tables, but our candle remained unlit. We joked about how they probably dont light candles for same-sex couples and went on to order a huge platter of fish. When it came to the table, the waiter immediately took away our unlit candle which made us burst with previously restrained laughter.
After a sumptuous dinner, we decided to have our favourite dessert - Mud Cake - at this really plush hotel next door. Unfortunately, we reached around 9:30, when the place had already filled for their V-Day buffet dinner. When they suggested we go to their bakery, we decided instead to go out somewhere else. Before we left the hotel, we went to the ladies room to find tiny vials of Maria Sharapova's signature perfume stocked beside the soaps next to the basin. My friend hastily picked a few, while I took only one, not wanting to be greedy.
I saved the perfume in its tiny vial for a few years, dabbing it on only for birthdays or going out somewhere special. It lasted a very long time, the scent remaining unchanged, until I lost the tiny bottle.
I dont think I've ever had a V-Day as full of surprises and fun as this little one.
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