The Big Fat Punjabi Wedding

The stage was all set. It was going to be a big occasion in the lives of Chhabdas. They were a renowned and a much respected family in Andanabad. And they had waited for this occasion for long. It was the wedding of the eldest son from the third generation of the Chhabda family, Soham. After months of preparations and arrangements, time had come for the celebrations.

Soham, a highly successful IT engineer was marrying Renuka, an IT engineer from Lambana. The wedding was scheduled to be held in Lambana. And the reception was slated for Andanabad, Soham's home town. The decorations were arranged, the band-wallahs had been called, the transportation arrangements had been done, the menu items for dinners on all days had been decided, invitation cards had been prepared and distributed to as many friends and relatives as they could remember, the so called customary "lena-dena" of gifts and money had also been done and the red carpet was now laid perfectly for the celebrations of the beloved son of Chhabda family.

The entire clan had reached Lambana and now it was the marriage day. After all the regular customary procedures, time had come to take off the marriage procession. Many more relatives had reached Lambana. And there were polite complaints coming since morning, "Where is tea?", "The cushions are not soft enough", "The rooms shouldn't be so clean, it doesn't look like marriage", "Why did my husband's brother's wife's sister's maternal uncle's daughter get 50 bucks more than me?", etc. The complaints were reaching to Mr. and Mrs. Chhabda's ears through very well calculated mediums of transport. People kept passing on the comments and always took care to tell it to only those who they sure shot felt will take those complaints to the person under their microscopic lens. There was always one common statement to follow those comments, "But it is fine, please don't tell them. Such things do happen in marriages. We have not come here for roaming around, we have come to attend the holy occasion of marriage and such things do happen in marriages."

Everyone was getting ready for the big night. Gentlemen were running from one place to other to get their wives' clothes ironed or to get milk for their children or to buy the forgotten sox pairs for themselves. The ladies had gathered in one room and were busy assisting each other in the make-ups and side by side commenting on various issues ranging from some particular neighborhood lady fighting for 50p with vegetable vendor to their son or daughter not eating bitter gourd with curd. Children had no feelings for or against anyone and continued to run and jump around carefree, sliding and skidding on the marble floors, jumping on the mattresses and breaking every breakable thing around. The young guys had their usual never ending chats about girls, gadgets and drinks going in one of the corners.

Soham, his handsome brother Aditya and their family members were getting ready as early as possible so as to avoid any more delays and thereby to avoid bitterer comments from you know who. With the prevalent pressure quite easily visible on their faces, the Chhabdas were making sure everyone looked happy and that no one seemed to have any hidden harsh feelings for them. On the other hand, others made sure that they gave the perfect looks to them whenever their turn came.

The marriage procession was one more occasion when Chhabdas made sure everyone gets involved in shaking their legs with big smiles on their faces. And so did everyone. Dance is an integral part of Punjabi weddings. The groom Soham, a dance lover, also got his chance to shake legs with various people, making them happy at getting an opportunity to dance with "The Groom". At the marriage party, Chhabdas kept running around to make sure all guests looked happy, completely forgetting their own happiness for that sake.

The case was the same at the reception party in Andanabad. Running around to make others happy and hiding the tension and pressure they put on themselves just for the sake of others. Money was also splashed like a free flowing water-fall on dinners, parties, bands, rotating on the heads of important people while dancing, the lena-dena to make the guests happy, etc. But that is how the Big Fat Punjabi weddings are supposed to be. They are meant for others and not for those who are actually getting married or their families. The show-shaw, dance-shance, lena-dena, khana-pina, ho-halla, kudna-shudna, gana-bajana, etc are all integral part of these weddings and so it was in Soham’s wedding. After all, weddings are meant to be made in heaven. And guests will always find one reason or the other to whine about, after all that is how the human race moves ahead. :)

But, most importantly, wishing a happy and successful married life to Soham and Renuka. The fault-finding, whining and crying are never going to halt, we just need to learn to live with it.

P.S. The characters are purely fictional and any resemblance to anyone is purely coincidental and should be ignored with.

Miseries by rain or rain by miseries

Rain, rain, go away, little Johnny wants to play!
It’s October and it is still raining cats and dogs here. It is like someone playing games with us. As soon as we take out our raincoats and umbrellas, it stops raining and stops to the extent of causing draughts in certain parts. And when we keep our rain shields out in the open, ready in the gladiator like Avatar, it starts again. We are truly caught in a big dilemma.
When will the boat cum bike be launched? Are the German engineers listening? We really need it here. The roads take a temporarily time off during the monsoon season here. One needs a fair bit of luck to travel during such time. You never know where the gutters are and where the road exists, so it is a very tough guessing game. But no, one should not worry of life, after all life itself is a game, ain’t it?
If the guessing game was not tough enough, then you have the driving game. One should never assume how the co-drivers are going to perform and what they are going to do next. They also have equal rights to play games around. But again, this is not a problem. There should actually be some space to take your vehicle to, as when it rains, the spaces vanish away. Well, unless your vehicle is thin enough to make it pass through the narrowest of the spaces between the giant ones. So without space, you will have ample time to think what to do next. I will recommend you to take some newspaper and music players with you. You can easily finish one article or one song, before you get a chance to move 1m ahead. See, slow and steady anyways wins the race. So chill then and enjoy watching the flooded streets.
You don't need to worry about the water being wasted. It is like a reaction to the miseries laden on us by water. How can it cause us so much pain by unfair means of causing drought and famines? We surely need to teach it a lesson and so we do. Let the water go in the drainage, no need to conserve or anything. The authorities relax, so why should we not?
If you are married or have a girl-friend/boy-friend, you have even better news. You will have enough excuses to enjoy your time with him/her. With no electricity at home, you definitely have the pleasure to enjoy the meal in candle light with him/her. Now that is how noble and altruistic the authorities are. I don’t understand, why do we keep blaming them for such trivial issues, especially when they are helping us build better relationship with our spouses. Come on now; be mature enough to understand their real motives.
The game is not over yet though. The real test starts the day after. To find our way around on the little patches of road left amidst the numerous puddles disbursed all around. Its a job that any pirate would love performing. After all, that will be the real test of their navigation skills. I would even recommend all the automobile companies to test their new vehicles on these terrains. After all, the mountains and rocks still have some smooth surfaces left.
But yes, that is how we are - the most adaptive and receptive species of this planet. Give us the worst of the conditions, we still find some or the other Jugaad. And life thus goes on.

CWG - the lost pride

This is my second post on the Common Wealth Games in 2 months. And i am retracting back from my viewpoint presented in the earlier post. I had requested all to give up the criticism on CWG and instead prepare to make the games a successful event. But now, when the games are just a fortnight away, it seems a far cry. And i am sorry, but i am admitting here that i was wrong to request that.
I still remember the day when India won the bid for CWG in Nov 2003. Though the news channels then were not as much emotional exploiters as they are now, but still there were pride inducing songs (Chak de hadn't come then) running for days. And it was certainly a moment of pride, a moment that all Indians would have loved to cherish for long, an achievement which could have been talked about for long. But alas, there is nothing to say now. It should have been an easy guess. We have never been great organizers, sports or otherwise. And all this could have been speculated earlier too. But yes, as always, we are paying the price to keep expectations and hopes.
What a big mess this CWG has created. What big humiliation and insult we, as a country are facing. What a big corruption saga has been going on with the entire nation busy in other thoughts. With all these, can we still claim to be the future superpowers?
And the worst part of it, there is still no big reaction from PMO, not a single strong statement from PMO. At least take some action on the culprits. At least, ask Kalmadi to step down now and have an inquiry on the entire mess created. At least, do ask various research organizations to come up and analyze what went wrong and what could have been done and what are the lessons to learn for future from all these chaos. The nation is angry and the citizens of this nation are angrier. It is high time now, some action is taken. Go crap with the games. No one cares now if it is a success or a failure as an event, because for us all, it is already the biggest failure.
Already enough has been said around as to what is wrong with the CWG and what all problems exist and what is the reaction coming from the entire world as a feedback to the games preparation. So i won’t ponder upon these thoughts. It just pains to think of these sorts of corruption and mismanagement happening at such a big level.
Hope no big calamity happens during the game. And I hope not for salvaging the pride of the nation or the organizers (that is already in tatters), but because so that nothing bad happens to the international athletes participating in the event. Hope the buildings and stadiums and various tracks and fields remain intact and also no calamity takes place anywhere in Delhi. But then, why am i hoping again? I don’t myself know, but at the end of the day i still love this country and still hope some miracle happens to bring back the lost pride of the nation.

The Big Transition

How many of you have heard your parents or grandparents say that things used to be way different in their days. And by their days, i mean days when they were young. After all, these are our days now. But yeah, coming back to the topic, i guess most of us would have heard that. And yes those are true claims too. Things were indeed very different just a few decades ago.
Just to ponder a thought on the current generation - the generation that is in its prime youth currently, the 18-30 age groups. We have lived in an era when things were way cheaper than what they are today. When talking to a girl in the class used to raise many mocking gestures from fellow students. When Bajaj scooter or LML-Vespa were seen in every household. When computer was that geeky instrument, the possession of which used to earn one a definitive high status in society as being the new age scientist. When mobile companies used to charge Rs. 6 for incoming calls and Rs. 18 for outgoing calls. When DD1 and DD metro were our prime source of entertainment. And the list can go on and on for an eternity. But, don’t you think we are extremely lucky. We have lived through the big shift. We have lived in the extremely transient phase of this generation game.
Comparing the generations before us and the generation after us, there are clear indications of the vast differences existing in their attitudes, their behavior, etc. The generation before was a far more conservative one, the ones who had seen India progressing through the most difficult times, the ones for whom luxury and pleasure had a different definition, the ones for whom entertainment was radio, the ones for whom internet and even telephones and televisions were non-existent. And even though we didn’t get a chance to see all those, but we got a fair glimpse.
There have been some great revolutions recently, which according to me have induced this big generation shift. The 1991 economic reforms in the country, which opened the doors for the foreign firms to enter the Indian market, making it more open and more competitive, the internet and IT revolution, the telecom revolution and the retail revolution were the biggest game changers, as per me. Who would have imagined a young graduate - a guy or a girl - earning more than 20k bucks just after graduating from college. And now, even that 20k looks so meager. Who would have imagined all the daily workers, the rickshaw-wallahs, the vegetable vendors, etc owning their own mobiles and catering to their customers after taking orders on mobile? AC supermarkets and malls were those little fantasies which people thought existed in Dubai or some far away imaginary land only. And now, the case is that people are bored of too many malls in cities. Internet brought about the biggest turn-around. It is possible to do any task now sitting at home. And with such abundant data available online, and with people connected like never before, world has truly become a village. Now was that possible about two decades ago?
I must say we are extremely lucky to have seen this change happening in front of our eyes, to have witnessed the pros and cons of the widely distinguished generations and to have lived through this change. And it doesn't surprise me to see that it is this generation that is doing wonders and is being hailed to have finally woken up and working towards bringing about the change.

P.S. I have assumed those reading this will be the people who have been through the same change as me. And that is why i have directed them as second person in this post. :)

A tale of Indian cities

It is always fun visiting new places and meeting new people. And it is always with the human mind that we tend to compare our cities and people residing in those cities. I have stayed in Ahmedabad for most of my life. But things started to change after my college got over.

I stayed in Kanpur for 4 months, when i visited Agra and Lucknow too. Then i went to Chennai and stayed there for 4 months. After that i came down to Pune and now it has been 1 year since i have been staying here. I have been a frequent visitor to Mumbai and Delhi too. I just came back from my Bangalore trip. I have also been to Vadodara & Chandigarh amongst the major cities of the country. So, now i have visited most of the big cities in the country, with the noteworthy exclusions being Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Jaipur, Patna and Surat.

Starting with Ahmedabad, it being my home town i love that city and even with many negative points that city have, i will always love to make that my permanent residence any day. Ahmedabad has the best electricity and water facilities amongst all the cities i have been to. Roads do get a beating during monsoon, but otherwise it has quite wide roads and the public transport has been on a way up since last few years, with the BRTS being the latest icing on the cake. But still there is a huge improvement needed in terms of public transport. Also with IT industry not having a prominent presence there and with most of the Gujju population going the business way, there is not enough diverse population present there. And also being a dry state, the NaMo land lacks in terms of hangout joints like pubs or discs. And greenery is a big negative point about the city. There are not enough places for youngsters to pass their time at, apart from maybe huge number of malls and multiplexes.

Then coming to Pune, where i have stayed for the longest duration after Ahmedabad. The city lacks big time in terms of basic infrastructure like roads, electricity, water supply and public transport. Most of the population here consists of youngsters only because of the big presence of Educational institutions and IT industry, which with it brings a huge chunk of young, money spending crowd. This in turn leads to a diverse climate and that leads to a happening environment in the city with many pubs, good restaurants and discs and all. But, the best thing about the city is its climate and the places to see around. It is located in the middle of the beautiful, lush green Western Ghats. And there are so many options to trek around the city. And the monsoons make the city wear the look of a newly wedded Indian bride (i dont know, but the newly wedded Indian wives look very beautiful. May be for the obvious reason).

Mumbai will always be one of my favorite cities, mainly because of the people residing in the city. It is the only city with the true metropolitan crowd, according to me. The public transport is also the best in the country. The local trains rock, somehow. And can't believe the pace at which this city lives. Life begins at 5 in the morning and it boasts of a brilliant night life also. The beaches are another jewel in the crown of this city. But yeah, being the biggest city of the country and one of the most costliest in terms of land prices, there are many other factors worth consideration for this city.

The best thing about Chennai was its beaches. Watching the sun rise from the endless waters, while relaxing on the beautiful brown sand, is the most amazing feeling one can get anywhere. The public transport is also very good over there. But i dont think any North Indian (which according to people over there is anything above Tamil Nadu), will enjoy staying there. There are some really nice places to visit around as well, with Pondicherry being my favorite.

Bangalore, to me was very similar to Pune. But yeah, almost double the size of Pune, and the population density also quite huge as compared to Pune. The worst part was its traffic. The roads are very narrow, just like Pune and the traffic is a big chaos. But yeah, public transport is definitely better than the one in Pune. And it is ofcourse way more costlier too.

Apart from these, Kanpur was a big chaotic city. Hadn't expected much else from a UP industrial city otherwise also. I have never liked Delhi much. But yes, metro is a very beautiful service there. Lucknow was a good, small, clean city. Vadodara is also a very decent, small city.

So, finally to end it, i would like to appeal to the civic authorities that they should understand that cities are for the public and they should atleast take efforts to keep them clean and green. The other basic facilities like good roads, public transport, electricity, affordable homes, water supply, places to hang out, etc are also very necessary. But ideal cities are a far cry in our country with so many other problems like corruption, poverty, education, etc. Again ending it with a hope, that times will change and change for the good.

And German bakery was no more…

BANGGG and there was heart breaking silence all around... As if a mouse has been found lurking around in an open ground surrounded by big, fat, hungry cats all around... Or as if 2012 Nostradamus dream has come true all of a sudden 2 years earlier... Or as if a 1 year child has been thrown in a big wild storm and has been asked to come out alive.. He tried to come back to his senses, but everything was black in front of him… Suddenly, the pictures of a few hours ago started coming back to his mind…

"You are not going to find a single girl for tomorrow, shame on you Abhilash. Yet another valentine's day without a girl-friend. Ha Ha Ha.." said Rashmi. And all the friends started to laugh and make a mockery of Abhilash. But Abhilash was in his own dreams. As usual he was dreaming something else. He had a bet with his friends that this year's valentine was not going to be yet another dry-day for him. And expectedly, he had failed yet again. But he had come close this time. He had been talking to a girl, Chopsuey of late. And again she seemed to him as his yet another "true love"...

"So what, there is still one day to go. I will take Chopsuey out tomorrow. She is the girl for me." Abhilash started giving his mysterious, mocking smile to all. At the back of his mind, even he was aware that nothing of that sort was going to happen. But like always, he liked to make fun of himself by boasting of things around him and about him.

"Are Praveen bhai, make me a good salad today. Am too hungry. Had nothing since morning. Are Selvin, look at that gal mate. What a cool dress and what legs... Whoaaa…. Haven't seen a cool girl like this all day. " said Abhilash, staring at a girl standing at the money counter.
"Oh yeah, she is a babe." said Selvin who was wearing a cool beach shirt and was sitting near Abhilash staring all around.
"Here is your salad, Abhilash bhai... It seems like summer has started." said Praveen, the regular waiter in his usual casual attire with a yellow spotted shirt and a cream colored trouser.
"Yeah, especially with such hot girls around, the temperatures seems to rise at a higher rate." They all had a good laugh at that comment.
"By the way, what is the time Abhilash? I have to reach home before 8. " said Rashmi.
"Are baba, you always have some problems. Why do u have to torture yourself so much? Chill and relax. It doesnt matter if you reach some place a little late. Who cares after all. And ya by the way, it is just 6.45 and so u have enough time left."
"We girls have many duties to perform. Life is not as easy and chilling as u guys. "
"Ok ok, but at least you can stop worrying till u are with us all. You can be tension free for the next 1 hour or so."
"Oh yes yes, i am not against that. I am not taking tension also. Relax."

They were sitting in their regular hang-out joint. And being a weekend it was crowded as always. There were regular youngsters who had made that place a second home for them. Everyone had a smile on their face. The young couples holding each other's hands were happy for being in each others company, the small kids who had come with their parents for having come outside their cage like home to breathe a free air, the daily travelers for the prospect of the day coming to an end, even the frustrated IT employees were looking happy as it was a weekend. For the young guys roaming around for no reason at all, there was a reason to celebrate as well, as their eyes were getting free exercise. There were many beautiful girls around in their smart, sexy, exquisite attires to grab the attention of most of the guys around. And which girl won’t be happy with the attention. If there was a measure of gayness in a person, then even the guy with the maximum marks would also have been attracted to the girls around. Then there were the foreign breed roaming around in their long ankle length red gowns. They looked like a banana wrapped in a red covering and roaming around in a wheat field.

It was a moment of joy. It seemed like people were celebrating something. Their freedom, the freedom to be there and enjoy that moment with everyone. The freedom to smoke, to smile, to shout and to scream with joy. The joy that no one can take away their freedom. But everyone had a horrendous feeling deep inside the bottommost corners of their hearts. The feeling that their freedom may not last forever. But no one seemed to care for that feeling. Everyone wanted to have their share in the joyous spirit evolving around.

"It seems such a happy place. I just love this place. Especially with such a great crowd. We should ask our manager to shift our company at this place. We will be able to work for more hours and far more efficiently." said Abhilash.

Rashmi and Selvin smiled to that wild idea, another of those stupid suggestions made by Abhilash. Vikas, who like Abhilash was also in some deep thinking all the time, suddenly rose and replied "What a great idea, Abhilash!! It would really be the nicest thing that can happen to us IT people. After all, who needs to work in those shitty environment with all the shitty people sitting around us, keeping their shitty eyes on us and asking us to work all the time." This was the usual language in which Vikas used to talk. And his friends were used to that.

"Can you please get me a herbal tea Abhilash." said Rashmi with her sweet smile embracing her face.
"Ha, who can say no to that beautiful smiling face."
"Stop flirting and get me the tea please."
"Ok as you say. But i must say i have a strange feeling that you should not have tea at this moment."
"Stop it Abhilash, you and your feelings. Are you getting or shall i get it myself?"
"Ok darling, i will get it." said Abhilash and went to the cash counter nearby.


"Wake up Mr. Abhilash Hooda. Wake up". said a tense looking face staring down. Abhilash opened his eyes suddenly. He was smiling. He didn’t know why. He couldn't remember what had happened. He could see nothing. But suddenly there was a splash of water on his face. He tried to remember what had happened in the last 5 minutes. He had gone to get the herbal tea for Rashmi. As soon as he reached the money counter, he had heard a big bang. And then everything went black in front of his eyes. He looked back and could only see some red patches on the walls and the floors amidst the dark black smoke. People were running all around.

It took around 2 minutes more for him to get his senses back. And he, unwillingly, very sadly and in a panicking state, had to convince himself to see back… And the harsh fact, which he had tried to not to think of, came alive when he saw back - "German bakery was no more."...

P.S. All characters in the story are fictitious and any resemblance to a real life character is merely coincidental and is deeply regretted.

CWG - Time to re-unite and rekindle hope

We are just 4 days away from celebrating 63 years of independence. And many people believe it is time for India now, that it is time India shows its strength to the world and rises above the pity situation being showed in many movies and books and to finally make it up finally on the world stage. That it is time for India to move on from a developing nation to a developed nation. And yes, people may be right in some of the fronts in praising the country. But on the other hand, there have been instances when we feel India will never be able to rise to a developed state any day.

The latest dark spot on India's pride comes in the form of Commonwealth Games(CWG) organizing. India won the bid to host the 2010 CWG in 2003. And there was a huge hue and cry over the win with the media declaring it as a big success. Though there were a few skeptics who doubted India's capability to host such a big event on an international level, but overall it was a feel good climate amongst the general masses and media.

But as and when the date came nearer, things started to change. And it reached the vantage point, when the corruption charges were reported in the media a few weeks back. Now there are just two months left before the games begin. And still we are lagging too far behind in terms of infrastructure, planning and finances. The corruption charges were of the worst possible order. Some very, very clearly visible charges. The media understandably went berserk in reporting the faults and the misdoings of the CWG organization. But, what was expected was some reaction from the government or PM, but none came. There were just a few statements here and there and a parliament discussion which was again marred by allegations from the opposition and all that usual scenarios. Mani Shankar Aiyer, Congress's senior leader and a Rajya Sabha member went on to say that he will be happy if the CWG turns out to be a disaster as that would turn out to be a lesson for the country and the people involved in the crimes. Also that would prevent India from bidding for a major sporting event in the future and those crores of Rupees could be used for some productive work.

Yes, i agree that what happened was wrong and that strict actions should be taken against those found guilty and a thorough inquiry should be undertaken. But what is more important at this point of time? Why should the misdoings of a very small minority cause shame to other mass population of this country? The event, that should have been a showcase of India's strength, pride and its upcoming, should not turn out to be a showcase of what the foreigners associate most often to India - poverty, corruption, crime. That is not what all India is.

Even South Africa is no better than India as far as economic, social or political conditions are concerned. The problems there are much worse than in our country. The crime rate, racism, aids, poverty, etc are very big problems troubling them. But still there was no voice being raised over there before or after the cup and all that we could hear was invitations to visit their country. And the way the 2010 football world cup was conducted, should have raised hopes for Africa and so many developing nations. The Athens 2004 Olympics was one more noteworthy example. The conditions there were similar to what it is here now. The stadiums were way behind schedule just 2 months before the games. But that was when the people of the nation united and overcame all the difficulties to conduct a reasonably good Olympics.

Why can’t the people of this country unite and bring up a show of solidarity? Why can’t the media have a little more positive environment now and help build a positive atmosphere in the country? It is time when we come forward and show the world that India is not what they perceive it to be. We don’t have just those few corrupt people having their say in all the important matters. It is time now, media stops all that negative marketing and positive steps are taken to see that the games are organized in the best of the spirits. But yes, all this with the promise that those found culprit will be punished and nothing of this sort will be tolerated in future.

I would also like to thanks Mr. Subroto Roy here, whose letter related to this in all news dailies a few days back, changed my point of view in terms of the games and motivated me for this article.

Signing off with the hope that we are able to organize the CWG successfully and in the best possible manner. Also that all those found guilty of the charges be punished and steps are taken to ensure that the chaos caused this time doesn’t occur again.

Earth’s plea

It’s been a long journey around,
going day and night, round and round.
My family members are still as young as ever,
I smile at them and don’t ask for their favor.

I was the most beautiful of them all,
and was proud to always stand tall.
Everything was nice, beautiful and so green,
One needed to pinch oneself to remind it ain't a dream.

I used to be very helpful all the time,
was the best among the powerful Nine.
But one day danger seemed up on the sleeve,
when God sent on me - Adam and Eve.

Everyone warned that I will suffer,
but I ignored, considering them duffer.
I took a road that was less travelled,
with the hope that it will be marveled.

But it all started to change one day,
when man became mighty as they say.
He played mischief with me every now and while,
but I didn’t let go off my smile.

I gave signals and gave enough warnings,
but he was blind, couldn’t see my burnings.
I am still young and don’t want to see cries,
care for me a little, I don’t want to die.

Now they are eyeing my friend Shambhulal, for some place,
They call him Mars and want to see his face.
None of my friends will give any hopes,
they fear they might also get doped.

A day will come, things will change,
Men will relent and feel a little shame.
I will shine again and will shun all the fears
To show the people who think, Apocalypse is near.

The new beginning

It’s been a long time, since I posted here last. Well, it has been that kind of period. Not that i was extremely busy or something. But that i am the laziest person alive and was just not doing it.

Life somehow changed tracks for me after my last post. Moving from a small company with about 10 employees to a multi-national with almost 80000 employees - it was a big leap forward or maybe backward, but I don’t think on those lines.

I was sent to an alien city, a city where i had never been before. I learnt a lot in this last one and a half year. The life in this new city was great. I was not expecting much of it. And it was living up to my expectations in the beginning. Food was horrible, weather was pathetic and people over there seemed like living generations back to me. Then there was this language barrier. It was very tough to communicate with everyone there. However, with the IT revolution settling down big time in this city, there were many people from other parts of the country. Eventually we settled down and then the fun began. I made so many wonderful friends there. I keep talking to some very frequently till now. I roamed around a lot too, something i love to do. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

Eventually after spending 4 months in that far off coastal city i was sent to an inland city surrounded by beautiful mountains all around and with some beautiful chicks inside. I have been staying here for 1 year now. And the journey has been great here too. It is so cool to learn new ways of living, to observe different kinds of people, their behaviors, their food, their ways of talking, their thinking pattern, etc. I have roamed around here too. But i have observed that it is nothing as compared to what others do. But yes, there are many places to see yet and maybe some fine day i will visit every place around.

Then about girls over here. Again like my home town, i noticed one thing here too that girls are always wearing those terrorists type cloth covering their faces. Even late at night, i can see them wearing that. God knows what they are hiding from. Some say it is pollution, some say it is the sunlight and then some have this theory that only those girls who aren’t that good looking, wear it. Whatever the reason maybe, but it is very intriguing. The dressing over here is way ahead of what it is like in other places where i have stayed. I have always believed that a person's appeal lays in 25% beauty and 75% his/her attitude, way of dressing and overall style. And that is what is most appealing over here.

I also formed many new habits and hobbies in the last year and a half. Poetry being one of them. And yeah, i will post one or two of them. Also have become a big time soccer buff. Well that i was even earlier too. But now am having a nice football fan group.

Have plenty other things to write. But will write in coming posts. Hopefully i will continue writing this time without break... :)