Forza Italia...!!!

Yes so we were finally on our way to tour the country where soccer is the official religion, the land of Mafia’s and Al Pacino, of Julius Ceasar and Donatella Versace…of Pizza and pasta…..ah wata ‘perfect ending to the intro’….contrary in itself…???...Forza Italia!!!

It was there before we knew it….Vintimille was the first Italian territory we laid our tired, sleepy yet eager feet on. We went to the beautiful sea side and back in time for our ride to Genoa…one of the oldest Italian cities. It having a rich history of its own kept us on our feet….literally in our stop stay out there.
Pisa mein Pizza: Our next sojourn was at Pisa….yes it’s leaning all right…and that’s all there was to it….as per the information guide. So it was a nice “ice- creamy walk” to the tower. The first sight though was a wee bit unanticipated for my impatient set eyes. It really was not as tall and majestic in height as I remember ogling in those Encyclopedias at junior high. It just started off the ground….and finished….but yes what’s vital to all of us was that it sure was leaning….no tricks up there…

Since our pre determined quota of snaps had to be met….we decided to do it on the only leaning object in town….the tower. This started our Jeetendra antics and even the old man would have been proud of us then. We were literally jumping our asses off to get some nice “in the air” pics taken by a Swede, oh we sure got the looks and the pains on our landings. This was only after a myriad attempts at pushing and preventing the tower from falling and the miniscule differences in frame and vision which revealed the hoax and the rabbit outta da box…back to Gare….ahem Station…

Rome/Roma: All roads lead to…our train went via tracks…or so it seemed…but it sure led us right. Greeted by an enthusiastic guy, middle aged trying to help us out with accommodation confirmed our location in this world. We were quite apprehensive at first but on no other options available we remembered God and took the chance. Well what the hell…..”When in Rome do as the Romans do”…

We seemed to have got ourselves a pretty nice deal with our own apartment kinds due to lack of other occupants. The morning after we found this Bangladeshi restaurant in the neighborhood and it seemed more like we sure were in Asia rather than Europe. Desi food at a more or less seemingly peanuts price and a look outside only caught glimpses of Asians walking past. 3 months over already…???

Our next stop was at the infamous and colossal Colosseum…[am so damn sure the word came from there and hence just put them together….brothers in Arms…]. After reaching the place I couldn’t be more sure that the word had to be related one way or another. The sight required is one of pan-vision. The Colloseum was just as I had imagined it to be……a massive historical stadium and one could still hear the crowd’s cheers at the Gladiators last swipe of its sword into the belly of the beast if one pressed their ears close enough. The entire area around the Colloseum is high on historic value and showcases truly why Roman Architecture is deemed to be one of the finest.

We made our way onto The Pantheon amidst building, museums and structures of conspicuous elements of notable and eye catching architecture, style and design. The streets made even more sense and the Time more valuable as I was in the middle of flipping Fountainhead pages and thoughts. My favorite site though was the visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The gigantic palatial kinds Roman administrative centre was a definitely a sight to behold not only for its size but also for its pristine beauty. Of white marble [Italian for sure], and a portrayal of the respect displayed to the soldiers who had lost their lives in the World War only added to the effect. And for once a beauty like that could be accessed without paying an abnormal fee of some double figure Euros.

Then we chanced upon streets where shops exhibited nothing but top of the line brands…..and we aware….Brand Awareness. All throughout our trips the onus of interpreting the map was on me and I sure did deliver, have turned into an ace Navigator ready to be hired for any race…as anyways placements seem a distant dream. Again a few free bus trips ended the touristic day for us.


Vatican: We finally arrived, more of an extension to the city but obviously given the special place [with no pun intended]. The first sight is met with the St. Peters Basilica dome and the vast expanse of concrete in front for services and ceremonies. We started the tour of the Vatican from the renowned Sistine Chapel. This structure is composed of innumerable rooms and hallways, balconies and galleries, all adorned by only the finest and most excellent of artifacts, paintings, sculpture and other such artistic objects. The ceilings had some mind blowing paintings on them and we argued as to the means of how that was made possible. The Sistine Chapel is brilliant in its own unique sense and with the strict security and no pictures allowed it only extends that feeling of specialty and respect. Only the Louvre could be listed as better if one was to rank…reluctantly.
The Sistine Chapel leads into the way to the St. Peters Basilica. On entering the only sentiment that eclipsed us was that of grandeur. It was huge under the dome and with a perfect and striking mix of opulence, magnificence and talent it was a sight to behold. As we walked inside the dome one could witness the history and also the artistic beauty which existed. The best part being that it didn’t matter which religion one was from. The Vatican to sum it up is definitely a must visit in a life time along with Rome.


Venice: As we reached the place where almost all romantics and definitely the entire female population of the world wants to visit and maybe even settle down our initiation was not quite something to remember. The issue was simple…..there was no place to put up. All hotels and hostels were fully booked thanks to an annual marathon which was to be held the next day…..I mean wat were the odds???.....1/365…crazy…..Hence after trotting almost the entire city looking for accommodation we were so sure that it’s gonna be us and the road tonight….now that would be really romantic right?Walking with our bags we used to attempt at deceiving any individual or group whom we found suspicious. By God’s Grace….and note the CAPS on that….we did get an address of some hostel in an alley [obviously intercepted by a water canal] which might have rooms. What’s the harm in knocking on another door and ringing a few bells? We took our chance and there was this old couple who rented out beds for travelers like us. It was really their benign nature which saved the night for us. They accommodated us even though all their rooms were full and somehow we arranged something in the living room and slept there. She definitely was an angel for us, [the 4th as per Jajoo’s calculations till now] not knowing how much that gesture of hers had meant for us. Not only did we get shelter but also an experience of staying in an authentic Italian household as our breakfast suggested.
But first lemme describe to you Venice at night, under the mystic stars and shining water thanks to the moon. Shelter taken care of now we had to fulfill our second basic physiological need of food and it seemed like the bad luck continued as everything closed on our second round of the city. But what we saw defined Venice to the hilt. Almost 93% of the people walking the streets were drunk or about to be in the near future. The rest 7% had just got off the station looking for accommodation like us. I had very high expectations of the romantic element in the city and it didn’t disappoint me on this beautiful night. Couples walked so close together and by together I mean literally together. Age no bar every individual seemed to be enjoying their time over here no matter where they came from and with whom…..lol. As my friend Seeteez would have said….”everyone was set and scene ban raha tha.”

After the filling Italian breakfast we started out on the morning tour of the city. As heard, it is a maze of narrow streets and alleys and on every nook and corner a canal with aquamarine water and artistic facades in the background emerged. We made our way to the famed Rialto Bridge and to the most popular tourist destination of St. Mark’s Piazza or place while clickin some hundred pictures on our way as every view was nothing less than spectacular. St. Mark’s place is well-known for one thing and this one figures out as soon as one steps foot there…..the pigeons. They are in huge numbers and maybe even surpassing the human count. Tourists trying to click pictures while feeding them makes their concentration look even more threatening. We tried too and I personally didn’t like the weird sensation on my shoulders and palms while feeding them. This is also where a lot of famous movies have been shot. 2 weeks after our trip this place was flooded with thigh high water.
We then went onto witness the marathon and a canal ride [which we had to take being in Venice]. Venice by the way is the largest non motorable part of Europe and every kind of transportation is through the water or on foot. While on our ride we saw some fantastic sights and also the world famous gondolas again with couples occupying and gracing them. Before we realized we were again running late for our train. Venice overall I think personally is a bit overrated, maybe because of my sky high expectations. Brugge I thought which seemed like a preview or mini Venice seemed a better choice.


Milan mein Milan: I had this image of Milan being a scary place horded by mafia’s of various families carrying guns in their long leather jackets. Fortunately we didn’t encounter with the latter but it sure was spooky and intimidating when we arrived late at night at Milan. As I had observed in many San Siro matches that there was a dense fog which hung quite low I could see that this extended to the entire span of the city as well. To make matters worse our destination hostel was quite far away which required us to tread via abandoned roads and districts. We walked remembering all Italian gods at once and people whom we loved and our courage increasing with every step we took in the hope that the hostel was constructed keeping in mind that petrified tourists could reach faster. We finally found the place and then had dinner outside with a weather which could easily be mistaken for a place on a hill station and reminded me of Darjeeling. Our first stop in the morning had to be the San Siro, the fortress, for the ignorant it is the football stadium, home to two of the most successful Italian and world clubs, AC Milan and Inter Milan. Many greats have exhibited their skills here and written history in this stadium. It’s like the Mecca for soccer fanatics like me and my pilgrimage was successful. The stadium looms large over its surroundings and commands respect just by the way it is built. It is majestic and definitely an apt home for two historic clubs and for a country so crazy over the sport.

Our next stop was a castle as per our tourist map which we thought was a waste of time and quickly moved to the Duomo region which was the main area of the city. We then pampered ourselves with Italian Pizza admiring both Italian fashion and beauty. This was like unreal…..we were sitting in a fashion capital munching on authentic Italian Pizza and observing a literal ramp show in progress. The temporary Duomo Rock fair was a pleasant surprise for me but as desperate as I was to get inside Jajoo very politely reminded me of our train timings and that we cannot afford to miss anymore of them. But we were quite a rich bunch and we did afford to miss a train from Nice to Marseille on our way back.

BE-Ne-Lux...

First International Travel:

From the Goa of France i.e. Marseille… from the buses[ where every pair of ears have to have a thin strand of white headphones (Read: i-pods)plugged into them, seems like this is their pass to entry as tickets anyways are not checked and mandatory top of line fashionable shades on their pretty faces] we decided to honour other countries as well for a change…not that travelling was our primary motive…studyin was…[3 beers down]…ignore the few ‘does not make sense words’…

Brugge ki Blues : The countryside truly is at its best in Belgium with its Monopoly houses which all seem so similar and it makes me wonder whether people [Read:Men] don’t at night kinda get confused…if you know what I mean…it basically is like this Ideal or Fantasy towns one imagines of….pruned gardens with lush verdant gardens, cows and horses healthier than a huge number of people in different parts of the world, smiling faces, soothing weather…it for sure was the best place we’d been till now…we took a Canal ride to start with showing us around the mini-town and it was more of a preview to the legendary Venice or let’s say the Pilot version…Next we munched on the best French Fries we’d ever had anywhere in the world…and the irony of it all…we’d come from France [not that French fries were invented there or anything like that].


We then purchased irresistible ice cream scoops with everyone complaining about cold and such immaterial aspects also…and how could we bid adieu to this lovely place without having paid our due respect to the Brewery and ‘The Belgian Beer’…oh wata feeling…!!! Reluctant to leave but as we had already postponed our plan for something like 2 hrs we took a ‘strong’ call [note: post-beer]. Still Jajoo n Tapan inspired by their fav DDLJ wanted sum similar scene and hence last moment frantic running towards the station and we miss it again…so we take a train to Brussels again to reach Amsterdam…


Amsterdam ki Dam’e’ : the first pre dominant colour we observed was obviously bright ‘Orange’…couldn’t b ne other as no other colour could be seen….I felt like a complete local with my now proud purchase of the similar coloured UCB pullover…
It seemed like this famous capital has been artificially monitored into a must visit stop on an individual’s Euro-trip plans. There didn’t seem any spectacular historical or scenic spots but yes it’s as they say ‘ek sonhar ki aur sau lohar ki’….Enter: the Red Light District…I know most of you had directly come to these words without even reading da above words… …..must be the ‘highest’ district in the world for sure….if you know what I mean….I named it the ‘City of Free Will’…u need to actually crane your neck to get some oxygen as till now it’s just ganja and charas’s purple haze which delights your lungs…This place rocks not because everyone is stoned…that would be a lame and old joke [ateast acc to my standards]….but you’ll find people of all nationalities and genders [ not many options there] in their elements out here…and then you have these small cubicles with a particular gender displaying the god-showered beauty which they have been blessed with, teasing as if no one is even looking at them [which would be insane and humanely not possible]daunting and other words which cannot unfortunately appear on a mainstream blog of a respected individual like me….lol…we enter a bar where mushrooms and dope seems their best seller with TOMA rates shooting off the roof…and sexed out psychedelic music on which anyone music lover itself could reach Cloud No.9…there is no bloody escape…’aadmi jaaye to kahan jaaye’…and then the World blames us…unfair I say…


Koln/Cologne ka Zone: well this was more of a stop than a destination more like events in our life our apart from Death….k now it’s getting philosophical. We just had an hour or so…but luckily we were in the right Zone as I mentioned before. There was Koln’s renowned Church which acted as a neighbor to the station. But the highlight surely was the realization of being on the land of 4711 Eau De Cologne…and hence visit to the original store and indulgence in memento shopping.


Luxembourg ki Luxury: We travelled in this country+city+capital which seemed smaller than Cal also…with hardly anyone on the streets. ..and no of buses = population* 2.343…and it seemed like buses and other such amenities are provided by the govt to its people so we too became temporary citizens and used bus service without tickets…yet again. We found accommodation in a youth hostel which seemed like a mini hotel or so…and had a pleasant stay which included a mighty game of chess and a historic win…my first international win…in any sport that too…

The morning was dedicated to roaming the streets of the city over which hung a foam/fog…couldn’t make out…there were castles, forts and churches, bridges, splendid landscapes. Out comes the map and we start the walk. Am thinking of applying for Luxembourg citizenship, don’t think there would be more than 100 MBa’s in the country…lol…


Brussels: did not have much time to see the entire city. Unfortunately could not meet a friend in the city and just visited the city centre which itself presented a window to the culture and ethnicity of the place. It had a few mystic and old-church like feel to the city. The trip back was more of a sprint for the Beijing Gold rather than a stroll to the station…another DDLJ take…???

First Trip...

Our first trip: more of an experiment for our future out-of-country [ahem read country here refers to France n not India, for the time being atleast] journeys. So we try and comprehend the Eurail way of travelling or planning let’s say. A special mention of the trains out here in Europe. We initially miss the Indian way of constant and habituated botheration from ‘muri’ and ‘caffi-chaaaaiii’ walas as hunger drum beats play a nice rhythm in our bellies. More importantly the first thing we all noticed was the unavailability of signs like “To Stop Train, Pull Chain”. The so-called WC’s out her can pass as a stylish room to a cannot move space of 4-walls. Stylized in pastel shades of great taste and 68912 facilities in their. As we get over the new way of physical movement we see huge villas out from our well fought window seats. We guess right; we are nearing St. Tropez and eventually Cannes. Then we see this familiar board of Cannes and very arbitly we just get off the train with our bags….but we were on our way to Nice…..ahhhh….who cares…


Cannes and Khan-nes: Seemed Hollywood of Europe….beautiful sun adorned houses and villas with magnificent huge god knows how many stars hotels providing abode to the hordes of personalities. Jajoo also decided to get a picture taken with him acting his way into a public toilet and just then the door opens and three insane people run for cover…only 2 survive. We paid homage to the centre or hall where the Annual Cannes Film festival takes place. The Red Carpet really gives you the kick in the back and opens your eyes if there was ne chance of you thinking this was just a hoax of a dream. We walked up and down the carpet and felt like yes stars and then again…we left a note for Ash next time she’s there. There were also these hand prints of famous celebrities on the paths….and due to a strike on that day we cudnt get ours done…. The main port side is again very stunning with private yachts lining our way. A scenic view of the Mediterranean Sea from there with boats, yachts and a lighthouse complimenting the view. Then after a pathetic Dharmendra and Mausiji scene and a nice chat with some Uk tourists [Jajoo really was interested in one of them more than his claim of being concerned in UBS where she worked] we made our way to the Old Church. The view from there was simply breath-taking. We could see almost the entire city from there or at least all the paths we’d traversed.


Nice was Nice: The entire train route from Cannes to Nice was wow….the track right besides the sea and the sun shining brightly. There was this gigantic hotel in the shape of a ship. Nice has an excellent city centre with a massive open space and a creative Buddha look statuettes atop thin pillars. The beach was pretty too and the sidewalk was bustling with tourists. A musically perfect moment was the teenager strumming his guitar to Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and couple sitting on a bench staring out at the crystal blue sea.


Paris ke Pari: Our first TGV ride…Paris surely was chilly[weather wise] as warned by my huge number of international and firangi friends from Europe. What happened next was something we surely didn’t see coming…not even with our specs back on. We were basically ‘escorted’ by the police for not carrying our original passports and literally taken on a tour of the city in a police van. The entire episode which is much more than the one line written above really left us infuriated in the heard about racist approach adopted by them. We definitely let them know what we felt about the entire thing though and how wrong they were. For more details you can contact me…later….it became chilly otherwise too…if you know what I mean…
In Paris one surely feels the power….you are in one of the most important and power capitals of the world. It surely is a sign of Globalisation. The Paris metro definitely reminded me of Cal Metro though. Not as clean as its Marseille counterpart and uff so crowded. It’s planning though is worth mentioning connecting this huge city with more than double digit lines. We planned to see the Eiffel and Louvre but after walking in circles for the next 30 mins we shortlisted our alredy short list to just the Louvre.

Louvre : is actually this colossal palacial now turned into museum place. Da Vinci Code flashes by…when you enter and se those pyramids….and you start lookin’ for other such famous signs. Just close your eyes and and point on the map and there will be a citizen from that country of passive choice for sure. The museum is highly unlikely to be seen in an entire day too…we felt otherwise…tried to make the best of whatever time we had. The Museum mainly has three divisions housing different artifacts and art. Every division is massive in its own with multiple rooms, painted ceilings and alleys with specialized corners. Surprisingly, personally there were a number of other objects of art and sculpture which impressed me much more than the infamous Monalisa. The huge painting right opposite the Monalisa was unbelievable….truly…it was of the Feast with Jesus. Also a couple of paintings by one Giovani Paolo Pannini was simply out of this world…..wat vision….crazy…..his paintings had everything which the Louvre housed. It had paintings, sculptures, people, and places on a single piece of canvas….WOW!!!...stood there for like 15 mins staring...in awe…The most memorable part of the museum for me though was the section of Napolean’s Apartment….the bedrooms, the dinner table, the fireplace…each and every drape,chair, carpet out there oozed grandeur and royalty. It actually for a moment takes you back in time and you start imagining how things would have been during those times. The entire museum inspires you no matter how ignorant one is of the history behind the works exhibited out there. Makes you aware of the passion of these artists and talented individuals for whom their work was all they saw and…achieved. Conclusion: The LOUVRE must be visited once in your lifetime folks…for sure….it’s a must watch and should feature in your “List of 100 places to visit before I visit Heaven/Hell…”

Am excited about my next week’s trip to Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg…yes am studyin too….hopefully…till then Au Revoir…

Marseille ....The City...

After 3 International flights, 4 Airports, 3 Countries, 23 hours of approx travelling with all complex calculations of time travel and some 1000 miles we reached our home for 3 months, dropped by a cabbie pledging his allegiance and association for Mithun Chakrabarthy. This driver was definitely a pauper in comparison to the high profile bus driver [could have easily passed off as a model] from Marseille Airport to station. Fell in love on the first look with the roads [no holes], traffic [organized] , non polluting stylized cars of the various brands which one only dreamt of on Indian roads. Our first sight in the morning [late afternoon] after trying hard to feel of something called being “jet-lag” was of the crossing next to our house with a splendid view from our window, that’s when we named it Times Square.


As we stepped out onto the streets [very clean] and mainly pavements [as rules are followed here and hence we adhere], some aspects caught our attention. The citizens of this beautiful country have an excellent sense of fashion and style and which is truly reflected in their dressing sense. World titles are not merely thrown without any meaning what so ever. They are very fashion conscious which is independent of the time, age or even gender. Yes it was not just the youngsters and potential models that were high on style quotient but also senior citizens [a huge number of the population] with great zeal. This was highly inspiring, exhibiting the fact that they still live their lives each day no matter whether they are past their prime or not. And yes the thing that justifies this the most is the figure which carries those wonderful dresses, this might be due to their being so health conscious and also to the amount they walk on a given normal day.


As for the beauty it is a shame…seriously they don’t realize how beautiful and pretty they are. Every face leaves you breathless and obviously staring which goes without saying. My first thought was that the city was the stage and its roads the ramp. Each one a model in their own respect. Most of them look straight outta the movies, as if you just played them on your VLC player last night. Every face is smiling and seems ready to help, this is purely because of the fact that people here do what they want to and they have a great deal of time to practice and indulge in their interests and hobbies.


A major or I should say the Brigadier problem here is that of language for students [etudiants] like us who even after 3 months of basic French language course can hardly understand the language and more importantly their accent. Very few can speak English and hence we hardly use that and are always in the attempt to do the same. Hindi too is not very frequently used due to the previous failed attempt. So basically to conclude, we are without a knowledge of language here and literally quite lost…. Though the sight and first exchange of words in Hindi with some other Indians at the campus was like being given Bhaji with Pav [and an extra pav]. Campus here is great , though initially getting to the classes becomes a race against time.
Though even here at Marseille, we have duly displayed our brilliance for not following rules and other such lines to adhere to. The very first travel by bus was made without purchasing a ticket, Indian way???....well call it whatever you feel like it was a natural course of action with straight faces “all the way”


We also paid a visit to the City Centre of the city on the Vieux Port. This trip took place only due to the complete accidental meeting with two Pakistani girls in the metro. It was like true friendship across the border in a different land…..now what do you call that???....is there a term???? Anyways Jajoo entered depression when they decided to address him as Bhaiya and did not accept money for Coke. They played the perfect guides in a city in which they too had arrived only some weeks back…. [embarrassing]. The Vieux Port was simply stunning…the only problem being we didn’t know what to keep our eyes on….if you know what I mean. It was like Paris Fashion Week goin on [with no Paparazzi] at one of these crossings…I shall never forget those few minutes and the ‘heavenly crossing’. Few streets down the line we experienced a completely different set of emotions. There were these set of youngsters who were quite determined to get something of value from our respective bags and thus started a classic Hollywood chase with Jajoo in the lead with all pun intended. We escaped though and luckily for them we didn’t steal anything from them instead. Then Hollywood gave way to Bollywood, as our lead actor Jajoo was posing and me the aspirational photographer turned director was taking a nice shot of him with the background of the City Centre. We hear a voice….MOVE MOVE!!!!.....and the next thing we see moving is a Tram comin straight at us with its horn blaring…..and yes we did do a “double Ghulam”…..better than Amir too it seemed. So we did a two first of sorts…filmed a high quality Bollywood shot and also made them blow the goddamn horn!!!....our ears ache because of the silence on the streets…..uff…..We also did an Indian bargaining stint for shades….with the huge Black guy and stopped after getting a Euro off and the contours on his face started changed…
A few of my dreams also came true: played football with 2 street kids in the alley like they show on those foreign sport ads. Also played football on the beach with a team of 8 and mini goals….with people from faraway places…..aha…..wata feelin….

One definite add on to our profiles if not academics on our CV then definitely on our Marriage proposal CV…..lol….has to be our new acquisition of cooking talent…..name it Rice, dal, curry,burger,coffee,tea, Maggi, noodles, maggi again and last but not the least MAGGI!!! Jajoo says his dowry would definitely taken a new leap. We have become experts at supermarkets and shopping without reading the language or understanding what’s Veg n what’s not…..as Veg here includes egg, chicken and other similar kinds of meat….wondering what the other sector comprises of….We have also acquired this innate ability to multiply anything with 7 in like……0.00000232939 secs aprox…..thanks to the Euro conversions….though the supermarkets and retailing here are really superior and now the theory on the Retail Management makes much more sense. Food has been another issue of sorts…the 3 of us represent the entire range of eaters possible…One who would eat anything that moves…..Another would not even look at anything that moves [or is moved even by hand] and am somewhere in between…


So here it is….More later….about our travels and more crazy occurrences…till then….Peace…!!!

Question bout IT...!!

Where do you come from, where do you go?
Decorating your dreams, that’s all you know.
Drifting in the streams, whispering in the ears of love,
Can’t see you but running in the blood of my nerves.
You are the wind, you’re the breeze
You are the zephyr, you’re the trees.
You are the life and the heart;
Or are you just a mere shadow so far?
Have you come to give or just to take away?
What do I ask you? Where have you come from?
Who are you?

When you walk the leaves fall,
Candles light when you speak,
When you stroll the clouds crawl,
When you stop the hearts meet.

Lashing with the waves of the sea,
Is it just the wind?
Rustling with the leaves of the tree; or,
Is it the dove’s wings?
Is it true? Are you sure?
Or are you a mere mirage of the reflection I know?

Where do you come from and where do you go?
Decorating your dreams, that’s all you know.
Who are you?

Euro 'Trip' ....the StarT...Chapter I...

September 24th, 2008…..the day…..or more appropriately the dawn I [and some others] was eagerly awaiting was here. It wasn’t that easy a road to reach and be sitting at the renovated GVK Chhatrapati Shivaji Mumbai International Airport….n am not talkin abt the Mumbai traffic….but much more. 6 of us who have never set foot outside the famed Indian borders [I’ve though sneaked into Nepal a coupla times for shoppin’]…..6 of us who were more curious than the batsman awaiting his 3rd umpire decision and without a doubt knew that the next 90 days wud b nuthng less than an adventure of sorts……..this was definitely a “trip”…..a “trance “of a different hue…..
For me it was more of a milestone….[all faff and travelling technical words r like so similar….lol…]. Have always wanted to study in a foreign univ + international travel [as much I loved travellin within the country] + closer to my 2 passions of Music and Soccer and + Yes!!! France…..EUROPE!!!!.......In life at times things just work out for the heck of it happening…..my plan too took its share of beating but at last…..Alas…..thanks to some very special people in my life…..am here writing this post in a different land, breathing air which smells new….
Coming back to our journey and its much awaited details…..
Our myth of super sexy international air hostesses got lost and evaporated with the propane and its burning…..they were nothing less than stentorian teachers….dark frames, muscular and huge….not hot but bloody scary….n hence minimal use of the “call air hostess syndrome” which was pre planned by the guys……infact our respect for Kingfisher grew with every meal and every terrifying exchange of French words which took place…on top of that the coffee served made us realize the importance of milk and sugar…..and more of it….looks like they steal every sachet of it and feed it again to their cows…recycling it seems ….damn…...and hence Coffee [sans milk sugar] + bun dipped in + Kung Fu Panda = survival aboard Finnair……Indian style “ Jugaar”. With the huge palette of entertainment feeds[movies,sitcoms,audio] available in front of u….n wen u feel like ‘vasool-ing’ every bit of that ticket price…..u actually end up losing much more…..these human minds….u end up startin n listenin to lil bit of few things…..as weneva u start sumthng new the opportunity cost theory in Mba classes haunt you….and yes u change……and change…..and also keep smiling at the thought that you get to keep the freebies on flight…..duh….u r fuckin payin for them…..n that too hav paid in advance…..all 6 of us waitin as to who wud ask whether the beer and juice served are charged or not……and the moment we find out its not….row 24’s consumption is way more than the entire economy class….:)
Our flight gets delayed and we [read: Padhiary, the star in our group….Note the word ‘shining’ is dismally and consciously given a miss] get worried about our connecting flight from Helsinki to Paris. Just before we land at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport the sight below is worth a thousand words…oh sorry thousand islands…..spectacularly spread out below us…..as if unravellin the European mystery steadily….the houses seem to be Cut-Copy-Paste straight from Monopoly………….wat an Intro!!!....oh wait….no we have to announce that we Indians have arrived and so the star, Padhiary gets up and takes someone else’s handbag[by mistake]….but before he gets a Finnish fist on his face I advise him against doin things like that…..
We land and can’t even breathe International O2 ….our connecting flight wud leave in the next 30 mins from some other corner of this mall…..oh sorry airport…..we like other smart ones keep following directions….but get separated in this Modern Kumbh Mela….all adorned with everything…..though I didn’t even have the time to look around in the midst of the 1000m Olympic gold with baggage….but there was one thing which struck me…..out of nowhere this couple gets up amidst others drinkin wine and sharing a light chit chat…..and start doing salsa in the middle of the airport……wow….I mean WOW!!!.....one moment I definitely won’t forget….and the next thing to unfaze me was my name being announced….felt special….Aha!!!
We were the last ones to enter the flight and this time an intro to the so called ‘rude-french’ people…..seems the flight was waitin for us….hahhaha…..n faces stare at us hurling abuses +sarcasm in more than 25 different languages at one time ….Globalisation I say…..nono….thats not all…we still waitin for Ms Sweta…and so Padhiary star goes looking for the lost planet breakin all rules and norms of outer space….and the flight waits for 15 more mins…..n the staring does not stop…
Indian Version: We were being ‘checked out’ before people ‘checking ‘ us in….
Oh she arrives…..and smiles to everyone’s amazement……my eyes change view and…a French woman reading a paper with Headlines blaring out…..”Indian workers kill CEO”…..she turns around stares back…..that’s what I call a ‘killer-look’.
Flight from Helsinki to Paris was serene….pristine and other such similar sounding words….I pod is released from my bag….Floyd unveiled….n lemme describe the sight out of my lucky window seat….3 simultaneous planes with us….looked like human birds…flyin in harmony….many more trails of previous flights bein seen…..the paths of unknowns to unknown destinations…..wierd….and still we knew that all would meet on this land called Earth…..As I secretely thank the Wright brothers for their thought and vision….I see massive masses of snow below me…..wow….after 5 mins eyes open oh sorry….they were clouds….one cannot make out the difference between snow and cloud…..different forms of water maybe…..”It’s all the same, only the names have changed-Bon Jovi” …..stunning and magnificent….thought it was Greenland…..the song changes …..”Rise Up”…..Apt…..very apt……
“My dream is to fly; oh by the rainbow so high……my dream is to fly……Direction SKY…”

Pursuit of Happyness...

Far away in the distant land,
The Sun shines brighter than here,
You don't seem to have been there,
But you are sure to know

You travel to that distant point,
Which made you feel so low,
Now you see another one,
Which has an even brighter glow

Still passionate, vision ahead,
The path is crooked, your mind is set,
Bag full of sunshine, bread and stick,
Treading on the Alchemist's trick

You reach the junction, the green is gone,
It's like the one before,
You wished you'd known

Will is brittle, but you're strong,
Know you ain't right, neither is it wrong,
Last gasp of courage, body and soul,
Set out for that final goal

This has to be it, no further trick,
Joy and Happiness, dearly missed,

Oh' Lord
I've travelled the world and seven seas
The nine planets, days and weeks,
Where I can I find it that makes me smile
The last I remember, when I was a child

Dear Son,
Firstly, you're still a child,
In the Lord's eyes you're still wise,
Go, return to that place you started from,
Everything's there what you're looking for,
Greed and jealousy I did not provide,
Contentment, one should strive

Sorry Lord, but I am weak,
Peace, I know now, resides in my plea,
I'll spread this message through this song,
Your light and Man's wrong

Chapter III_B School

Percentile cracked, call converted,
The news took some time
In the end it was worth it

Hostel callin', baarish fallin'
New faces, past traces,
Campus life, Wi-Fi,
Grass was greener on this side

Intro time, dunkin' style
Media & PR, class CR,
"Nao change in asset, nao change in liability"
MBA = Faffin' ability

Jhabier walk, chalk talk,
Term I, run lola run,
Sanjay bhaina and mess bills,
X- Cafe, on top "Skill"

'Respect', NFS in QM- II,
DJyin' with the JLT crew,
Xsys had our nights alive,
SAXIM was on overdrive

C.Q.P.I, AIS, gtalk, ping!!!
Summers, seniors, kotwal sings,
PB, hollywood, seen n 'SAW',
Badminton court in one call

B-block, family, 162-181,
Nimbu pani, maggi, stomach burns,
Freud, Kotler, Buffa Sarin,
Word, Excel, SPSS ----> day dreams

World issues, 4P's, marketing,
Quizzes, GK, global warming,
STD calls, run-down halls,
i- Ball blasts, snacks @ 5,
Alarm rings, knock on the door, "Are you alive ?"

OBL, FIFA, Wal-mart, stu mail,
B'day song, Xpressions on,
Baton passed, MBA done,
Farewell guys, see you on the next run...

Chapter II_College

Here's the middle point from where I stand now
What goes around; comes all the way back around

Standing in queues,interview flu,
6a.m.-9:40, military school,
Summer mornings, dogs and me,
Winter ones, even dogs flee

Hot samosas, day department,
Bye-pass wind, CCD stint,
Attendance issues, dizzy stir,
Roll no 180, Yes SIR!!!

Angel sent form, 3years saved,
Without AIESEC life seemed a waste
New group, chance pe daance,
Kya network hai, Sydney to France

EPL, Gunners, Orkut, Swades,
Lakshya, Park St, Scrapbook, Momo place,
Part I, Biographies, shirt craze,
Introducing to you now the official RAT race

The bitchy CAT, the squeky meow,
You get the persentile, no one asks how,
Life = 4 options, True/False,
The only line, " Did you get a call?"

CD collection, beer mild,
Part II form, Shisha nights,
Skolling, roll calls, @ jives,
Conference, meetings, youngistan vibes

F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Prison Break, Leno n Seinfeld,
SN, The Force, IC at Agra held,
Days became nights and nights to days,
Life became nothing but the Crystal Maze

Cafeteria, Gupta's, KFC,
Badminton, FIFA, MSN till 3,
Uncertain, unemployed, one vision,
All I could put in was blood, sweat, tears for one reason

Chapter I_School

Summer Holidays, bending rules,
Glass of milk, black shoes,
Late to school, morning blues,
Trip to zoo, honking car pool

Smiling strangers, wierd noise
First abuse, new joy
Breaking rulers, set theory
Chalk powder, duster toy

Poster man, churan guy,
1:20, canteen chow,
Relay race, First fight,
Girls on da other side

B'day parties,Treat treat!!!
Hallmark,socials,KJ,KY,
First date, special call,
First CD, school belt and tie

VP call, house match score
You're here!!! conc. H2 SO4,
Night-out, mail id's,
Trip taking,Osama, 9/11

First cell,first mall, Nicco park,
Innocent dolls,
Career, stream, future, man,
College, fast food, Coke can

Bunking classes, football matches,
TK,Dubey,Modex,PK Dey,
Peer pressure, MTV,
Back then we lived life our way

Henry, Floyd, Limp Bizkit, LP,
Heart break, trust, love and bliss,
Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Manali, Nainital, Vaastav, PJ's,
Metallica, Hrithik, Me and DJ???

Head-banging, psy, rap n house,
Late night calls, Jerry the Mouse,
GI-Joe, Monopoly, Hot wheels, and He-man,
Let's reminisce it as much as we can

Time's a changin'
Hair styles fadin'
For the next part of 'our' story
Wait and be patient...

Hurt

I have fallen in love with these lyrics.....very close.....

I hurt myself today
to see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
the only thing that's real
the needle tears a hole
the old familiar sting
try to kill it all away
but I remember everything
what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
upon my liar's chair
full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
beneath the stains of time
the feelings disappear
you are someone else
I am still right here

what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

if I could start again
a million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way


Dont think Now......:)

Every [.....]

This one's basically jotted keeping in mind the Vodafone theme....the new one [happy to help],just coudnt get it off my mind.....n also special mention of Divya for reviving ['inspire' more relevant] the desire in me to write again.....the words r really really simple....n jus came about with the flow.....

Every morning ,beside my side
You'll be there,I don't ask why?
Bright lights; what you are
Reaching you soon,now not that far

Every where the streets are same
The alleys,the path,the bye-lanes
The boulevard's getting shorter
The vision of your brain

Every face I see, it makes me smile
There ain't a bigger lie
And when It's your face I see...
I'll tell you when you tell me

Every deed I do,it's for the good
I would be GOD,if that were true
The mass is selfish,the intent is blind
You're the worst cuz you think you're kind

Every day I feel it's still the same
I keep marching ahead and back in vain
Time keeps ticking ahead
And that's all you gain

Every song I sing I sing for you
These five words I bring to you
Yes I know it's the wrong count
But it's you,the sadist,that makes me frown

Every time I write
Time passes by
Never to return;no heed, no call
Nothing but the lie
Time is something that may change me
But I cant change time
That's why I'm still writing
This eternal Rhyme

Every right I speak is left alone,
Like the little kid without a home
Like Time words don't come back
That's why I'm taking time to write

[ Every poem I write,I write to you
Every rhyme I think,it rhymes with you
Every beat I hear,it comes from you
If you don't believe,do write one too]

Game - over.....!!!!!!!

I Wanna Play A Game With You.......

People say "life is a game" I believe its so true....and there's more .....there have been various feelings/emotions which I have gone thru over da past week which in a way is quite normal but at times not at those inexorbitant levels to screw your mind up in those eternal moments of the unhabituated...realization,chaste,love,new found friendship,past memories,anger,isolation,dependence,warrior,race,pitch,eagerness.....
all of dem and counting...

It all started from a series of a particular kind of movie....highly unlikely?????.....SAW it is....for all those fans out der I'm sure u'll understand straight away and you can skip this para altogether...or b more passionate abt it...
ders so much in da concept behnd this apart frm da "Gore factor" [which after a point becomes part and parcel]...no not Mr.Al...the concept basically being about how one's life is at his own hands and the only way he can undo his mistakes is by recieving pain and sacrificing of certain degrees and magnitude...

Its all abt "mind games".....the craziness....the Jigsaw.....how much one values his life,actions,deeds,Time,people,surroundings,Decisions,lives.....more and MORE!!!How much do we realize,repent and reminisce.....Do we require someone to make us aware of this bitter and unpopular feeling of truth.....????If yes.....then SAW is da way ahead.....

If you WIN.....ur a better being.....if not then...

It's Game-OVER!!!

This Game-OVER is not restricted to our lives only......but also to lost time....which I just realised.....regrets and complaints.....value of time....which is not gonna turn back creating the same environment and more importantly da same people...but by da time we realise that it's yes Game-OVER!!!.....speak to people you want to.....dnt wait for a particular god send moment.....the time u speak that itself "is the moment".....u never kno about tomorrow or or a minute later also.....another potential n genuine friend gone out da window....go weep on the laptop.....

Sorry Game-OVER!!!

Some times one has to take decisions.....for people,groups,clans.....Yourself!!!......its about weightage....about repercussions,future,sentiments,mob mentality.....

At times its about lockin yourself in a dark room....n while ur in der...u wonder hows the light outisde and wen can u shine out der.....but Decisions it is my Friend.....thats why they are called decisions.....regret or ignore it's always...

Game-OVER!!!

dnt kno how to end this piece of my mind.....so lets just say...till another Crossroad...

"Game-OVER"!!!

Winter of '07

At times [as I have already written]......one does not know the value of things till they r not taken away........or disappear.......

This winter I met some of them.........ppl very close to my heart.......spent time with them.....now thts life.....:)

saw the biryani plaza of India.......Hyderabad......nice city......had higher xpectations though.......

Back in cal for da new years met ppl frm skool......it was a nice feeling.....the same people........it's all the same;only the scenes have changed......Mr.JoVI.....was rite...

Overall a great ending to greater year......hope da next one's even better man....all geared.........:)